[top:A mother holds her children as a train passes by on the Bekasi commuter rail line in the Tanah Abang area of Jakarta.]
By David Chang
'YOU are returning to Jakarta? Have you gone crazy?' they asked. That was a decade ago, after the May '98 Jakarta riots. 'After all that effort the Singapore government and Singapore Airlines had taken to evacuate all of you; after all that burning and killing in the city, you are going back there?' my sister asked. Yes, but I have a job to do. They need me there.
In the last decade, I have been asked those same questions over and over again by family, friends, fund managers, and business colleagues. For these complex questions, my brief responses were never quite adequate for them. But reasons from the heart are never easy to convey. Perhaps I love my job, and the challenge of working in one of the toughest markets in the region. It has been a long and arduous journey, but over the years, I have acquired the power of endurance, and learned to love Indonesia and its people.
Two chilled girls huddle together in front
of their flooded home after swimming in rain-filled streets.
It was not love at first sight. To a newcomer, Jakarta is chaotic. The roads are dusty and congested. Women and young children beg for money at traffic junctions. Public transport is inadequate. When it rains, the road transportation system is virtually dysfunctional. Things are improving very slowly, but Indonesians are always smiling, hopeful.
Indonesia went through a traumatic political change during the 1997/98 Asian financial crisis. From an autocratic and centralised system of government under former-president Soeharto, to the current democratic and decentralised system under the democratically-elected President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY). Indonesia is the third largest democracy in the world, and one of the most democratic countries in Asia.
The general election is less than two months away on Apr 19, and presidential elections on July 6 and Sept 8. More banners, flags and posters have been put up in public places. Large political rallies are expected to begin in mid-March. These boisterous rallies can often be rowdy, and may inevitably lead to some violence as they have occurred in the past. But there is nothing the well-armed security forces cannot handle.
SBY won the previous presidential elections in September 2004 against former-president Megawati by a surprisingly wide margin of six to four. While SBY is currently ahead in most polls, nothing is absolutely certain in this country. Just like the unexpected victory of sightless former-president Abdurrahman Wahid over Megawati in the parliamentary presidential elections in 1999. But it does not matter who wins, businesses will thrive.
Indonesia is blessed with a rich abundance of forestry, mineral, oil and gas resources; a large population of some 238 million people with a land area of nearly two million square kilometres. That is a population about four times bigger than Britain's, on a land area about eight times larger.
Indonesians' livelihood has improved gradually as average income has risen about 20 per cent above the pre-crisis level of US$1,000. Indonesia's debt ratio to gross domestic product and budget deficit is relatively small compared to its peers in Asia. Food prices are under control and interest rates are falling. These are signs of a healthy economy, and although growth will decline to no more than 3 to 5 per cent this year, it is still better off than most of its richer neighbouring countries.
But there is no quick fix for Indonesia. For the millions of Indonesians going to the polls over the next few months, they know too well that the next elected president may make little change to their lives. But like the people of democratic countries all over the world, there is always hope their votes could help bring about changes in the lives of their children or grandchildren.
In our own small ways, we have helped others understand this remarkable country better, and bring in more foreign investments which can perhaps improve the livelihood of ordinary Indonesians. In so doing, we hope to improve the environment of our neighbourhood for the good of all our children in the future.
The writer works for a Singapore-based securities company in Jakarta.
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