Chances behind the issue of ITE Bill

Just a few days ago, the ITE Bill got approved by our parliament (DPR), honestly speaking, the topics a bit out of our finance, economy and business topics range, but however indirectly this bill has change playing fields within our nation especially ICT context. you can find the bill here (in Bahasa Indonesia) and the discussion here.

By this bill government has acknowledge much more the important of ICT in Indonesia, and furthermore uphold rules in it, thus violation could be minimized. the implication further strengthen the law upholding process within ICT framework. some has fear that this bill will constrain the freedom that blogger once have. Under this bill you may aware of Fitna movie blocking by Indonesian government few weeks ago.

Within Economy and Business context you may aware that now government require a resgistration of ICT based transaction guarantor such as verisign. in my opinion this would encourage investor to establish such company in Indonesia rather than rely on overseas establishment.

Indonesia’s War Against Poverty

the title above taken from Juwono Sudarsono's writing in his blog. a truly remarkable person yet he is indonesian minister of defense.

the article come with great statistic data upon indonesian welfare condition, and what indonesian has been doing upon poverty eradication. And also as epilogue he write that any element of indonesian citizen could take part in this movement, he take an example of what indonesian army has been done.

this is the article;

since this is blog on indonesian economics so the emphasize was on welfare numbers, but still i couldn't skip the temptation to present to you the indonesian army's website, it's in Bahasa Indonesia though.

bullish on oil price, bearish on welfare ?

scared was more reliable word to describe my feeling, today in detikfinance i've read that for 1st time in history oil has reach USD 117 per barrel. it was way too expensive. And my worries has risen since indonesian government has policy to subsidized it's retail gasoline consumption. I check the gasoline pump near my house and shocked that the non-subsidized gasoline Pertamax sells at IDR 8600, which is almost twice as the subsidized gasoline Premium (sells at IRD 4500).

What this would mean? This would mean that government spending on gasoline subsidy will increase also, leaving other development program unfinanced. and though the broad consumed Premium subsidized, it is another story for industry-oriented gasoline. The gasoline increase means increase in the price of energy, for some who processed natural oil derivatives product (plastics, etc) this also mean increase in raw material.

Government has launch conversion program, for kerosene (used as cooking fuel in indonesian households) converted to natural gas, the conversion wasn't a smooth one, in many cases the kerosene supply stopped before natural gas pack available on market, leaving most people unable to cook, not to mention that rumors has a telling that cooking pad which given by government has a lack of safety and causing several serious fire blaze (they say there is problem with parts that channeling gas from its pack to a cooking pad). Though not perfectly launch i still have support on this programs, do you know that actually kerosene produced using the same oil fracture as airplane fuel?

Some opinion has come up that government should rise the Premium price to release heavy burden on government budget. While I personally quite worry if government rise Premium Price (since this will affect people's pocket much more direct), i can see the urgencies. But however the issue quite sensitive here, we can hear almost everyday "expert" say that government should increase the price of Premium, while other said exactly the opposite. For the ruling government this could also affect their popularity and determine their position in the next election (will held at 2009).

For me, should i retire my car instead .....??  

The Poor's Bank

This post translated from ruli_pribadi@yahoo.com post on PAS-ITB mailing list, the article posted here using explicit permission from the writer.

Approximately 100 years ago, man seek method to flying the sky. Many has doubt on this dream, some thought they were bunch of nuts. But however, in the year of 1903, Wright brothers has flew their first airplane, it only flew for 12 second for 120 feet distance, this is the seed of hope that world will change to a better place, and it was only 65 years later that 1st human arrive on the moon. (Muhammad Yunus Speech in the Micro Credit Summit 1997)

Just a century ago, man assumed going to space was impossible. But these days, in this very 21st Century we witness how the edge of possibility has change. We might have had flew the sky furthermore the space and deny the impossibility of the idea, however the adge of possibility here beneath the sky in our own earth still likely to be the same, we always taught that poverty was absolute, something unchangeable, then we are comforted to believe that without further search.

In a country where social welfare seems to be an imposibility; in a country where woman classified as marginal citizen, overwhelming starvation, political instability exist due to frequent coup d'etat and natural disaster happen so often a phenomenal banking institution had been created, a seed of revolutionary school of thought in combating poverty across the earth.

Muhammad Yunus, a professor in Economics was disturbed by economic study that justify the presence of poverty caused by people unwillingness to be productive; in his search, he found that poverty in Bangladesh primarily caused by nonavailability of people access towards economic assets. Poorest people of Bangladesh always marginalized by banking system; labeled as a non-bankable group, chained by religiousity and old custom; help by government or world institution rarely get into their hand.

The poor which physically weak does not require a donation, for donation only increase their burden, take their incentif and rape their pride, Yunus has found that within everybody’s will there is enterpreneurship available to be valued. The poor survivability was an undeniable proof that they still have willingness to strife, Yunus has proven that beggar, small enterpreneur, house mother has a competency for being a succesful enterpreneur.

Grameen Bank launch a micro credit for the poorest and for they who have willingness to improve their life quality. The credit scheme was given to a group of people, for they can cheer one another. For this scheme, Yunus claim that micro credit not a naif altruistic action, but they have a profit reasoning, NPL for micro credit only accounted for 2%, far superior to investment credit that usually consist of 3-4% NPL.

For 25 year since its establishment Greemen Bank always account a profit balance, this became a proof that the poor also credible for credit stream.

By witnessing this unprecedented fight against poverty, is it not that we reflect upon our own nation, is there anything we could do about it?