Sembako - The Necessities: Indonesia

f you have ever read an Indonesian newspaper or watched Indonesian TV, then at some time you will no doubt have heard of the complaints from the Indonesian people regarding the rise in Sembako.

During the Soeharto era when Indonesia flourished as a nation, there were variations in the rise of sembako. After his downfall in Mei of 1997, the price of sembako escalated as the country struggled through Reformasi, or Reformation.

Basically, Sembako - Sembilan Bahan Pokok - is the nine necessities for daily living. These are: Beras - Rice, Gula - Sugar, Minyak Tanah - Fuel, Garam - Salt, Ikan Asin - Salted Fish, Minyak Goreng - Cooking Oil, Kopi - Coffee, Telur - Eggs, and, Gandum - Flour.

There really seems no end to the escalating prices of these products, and we can only hope that as Indonesia eventually stabilizes as a nation, and rids itself of interior problems, so to will the cost of Sembako stabilize.