My thoughts on Indonesian society-part IV
Indonesia actually reminds me of Britain in the 70's sometimes, the TV shows are a mixture of variety shows and Benny Hill, plenty of suggestion and no worries about being politically correct. There are no safety standards over here and people do all kinds of things that are bad for them, smoke, ride around without helmets, you name it.
Where is this country going? Hard to say. Sometimes it seems like its pulling in 20 different directions with local tensions and disasters. Indonesia has tremendous natural resources as far as oil, forests, natural gas and of course a population who buys stuff. Whoever control these resources and who holds the import licenses to certain things people want, will make out. The rest of the population will struggle on as consumers, just like most other countries. Education levels here vary greatly, as do resources. Indonesia, the world's largest archipelago has unequal distribution of resources and the opportunities someone in Jakarta will enjoy are was different than someone living in Papua.
It makes total economic sense to work towards an educated population, but that also threatens those in charge. Just as China is grappling with economic success and personal freedom, Indonesia has its challenges. Let's hope president SBY is the man for the job because this is a complex country and it will take great leadership and wisdom to guide it through the 21st century.
By Nick | Permalink
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