The good, the bad and the hopeful - reflecting on Indonesia

Toll roads still owned by the Soeharto family, are groaning with cars. It took us almost two hours to make the journey from the airport into town. We had lots of time to look at the proliferation of development the filling of the wetlands that have protected sea level Jakarta from storm surges.

The once voluble taxi drivers are now silent. People look more stressed than before. As the cost of living hikes leave more and more poor behind, crime and meaningless jobs multiply alongside each other.

I was relieved to see that jokis are still crowding the streets selling their bodies for the half-an-hour transit on the cities major throughways, which require three passengers at peak hours. They are easy to spot, standing on the side of the road with one finger held out in a gesture of “one more”. Seven-year-old children, mothers with babies in batik slings, jilbab-ed and be-jeaned teenagers all sell themselves for a mere 5,000 rupiah (50 cents) which includes the bus fare back to their original location.

The police turn a blind eye to this as they have for the past ten years just like they avoid seeing corruption in their own ranks and among the rich.

And the rich are richer. I met my foster family in Bogor. We stayed at the very popular Novotel where well-heeled families from Jakarta come to enjoy the cooler and marginally cleaner air and women, completely dressed in long tunic, veil and pants, swim in the lap pool. The hotel is now surrounded by multimillion dollar homes. Huge mansions bristling with stainless steel three-storey high windows and doubtless, an alarming number of bathrooms. I wondered hopefully if the owners paid taxes.

For the first time an Indonesian, the Minister for Social Welfare, made the list of Forbes 100 richest men. He is at the centre of the case of the ongoing destructive mud eruptions in East Java that have made life misery for many Indonesians. And for which the good Minister for Social Welfare refuses to take any responsibility.

Indonesia’s problem is not poverty but distribution. And the powers-that-be continue to refuse to acknowledge this - as do aid donors, including Australia. Policies that favour the rich, such as education fees, are still promulgated by the World Bank, eager it seems to live up to its reputation as an instrument of blind capitalism.

The posh suburb of Kebayoran is now dotted with expensive houses being turned to rubble so that even more expensive houses with multiple garages can be built on the site.

Despite this frenzy of consumption and construction, the World Bank, we were told by one of their consultants, had earmarked a US$800 million loan, ready to go.

Apparently no planning guidelines, or projects had been identified, nor guidelines for disbursal, monitoring or evaluation. It was simply a “give ‘em the loan and saddle ‘em with debt” strategy by some empire building banksters. The consultant was concerned that the World Bank actions would undermine the Indonesian Finance Minister’s goals of reducing the rampant corruption and cronyism that has plagued Indonesia since 1945.

The good

The art and literature scene is flowering. Photography and magazine culture is part of youth culture as are plays and radical music.

While Australians would like to characterise Muslims as being down on women, Indonesia has many more women in high places than Australia. “They're called the three divas but the three most powerful women in Indonesia are anything but prima donnas.” Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Trade Minister Mari Pangestu, and the central bank's Senior Deputy Governor Miranda Goeltom form the guiding light that is gradually pulling Indonesia out of the quagmire of back door deals and family franchises.