Although a bit off topic because its not a government position but i need advice about work in Indonesia. I have been offered a management position in Bali and was wondering should i accept.

I do have experience working in Asia as a consultant, the industry i work in was developed in my home country and i have spent many years traveling and setting up similar programs else where.

My concerns are after hearing about thinks that happen in Indonesia, I’m concerned of my safety, many things have happened to westerners in Indonesia. I’m also worried after reading posts that I may not be liked as I will be seen as a job stealer from a foreign land. Because I will lead the project I’m worried that local staff and people there will not want to work with me because I’m what is termed a “bule” and my position is performance based and I will not be able to do my role.

The position has had the former employee leave after a few months as they hated working there!

Please can anyone give me advice??

But in politics it is all about cronism because they feel that are the people they trust but failing to feel their bottomline on qualifications and professional ethique.

There were several quite capable finance ministers being replace with considered to be academically highly qualified but unprfessional to take the job.

Bulog is a milk cow. Public Works Department is a place where daylight robbery takes place in and out.

Unless there in another Soeharto coming in, no one could save Indonesia from these rampage misdeeds.

I also think his call to prevent foregin consultants is foolish. It would be good to minimise dependence on foreign consultants and experts, but it’s ignorant to assume that he can do without them. Perhaps a more appropriate stance would be to only engage consultants that have a strong desire to see Indonesia advance rather than worrying about their own pockets.

Someone might want to remind Yusuf Kala that good leadership involves (1) identifying your weakness and finding the appropriate resource to help, and (2) empowering people within your own team to do the job. Yusuf’s stance forsakes both of these principles.

financial aids and loans to the government carry covenants where foreign consultants must be employed and it simply indicates that public servants are incapable

Don’t blame others. It is the Indonesians to be blame honestly speaking. The covenants in employing foreigners are perhaps to make it more transparent. capable or not the Indonesians is for one to know and the others to find out.

Singapore employ foreigners to make proposals and study on the MRT. hundred of millions were spent for consultancy fees. Is that worth it? Judge for yourself.

During the Marcos Era 500 million were allocated for the monorail, but that thing was left to rot when I was last in Manila before Ninyo was shot.

Chengdu employ singapore consultant to built the city. Have you seen the place. it operates just like Singapore.

Look how high profile was Habibie and the IPTN. N250 etc. If it is that good a tech can anyone name a country buying the aircraft.
Come on lets not fool ourself. Be realistic and be in this world. China absorbs almost every thing they coudl get hold of. Not that they don’t have the right but they are good listener than talker.

have you seen Zhu Rongji, Hu Jintao at work. They given their people free hand to work, employ any tactic, end results speak for themselves.

Chinese saying “A picture is worth a thousand word”.

One other thing is a classic example is the Lapindo Brantas with Aburizal Bakrie. He even get the government to pick up the tab.

But his majesty Jusuf Kalla

Wow some secret admirer. The next thing is that he will crown him self like the King of Central Empire having a golden throne.

hiring consultants is one way of getting kickbacks

Gross manipulations rather than kick bakc taking the foreign help as a scapegoat. Daylight robbery.

the next thing he will do is to have a consultant company comprising of people from him providing service to every government sectors and drain the blood out of the government coffer. Bone Dry.

I hate democracy

Did I see wrong. I thought the last I saw your economic update you were doing purty good analysis. Now you are to social reform!

It’s a label for a cause - truth is, behind it is simply theories of a mix. You can mix supply side, classical, protectionism, monetarism, fiscal -

Domocracy is all about openness. Transparency. KKN are the works of most socialist. Modern world need no media black out. Everyone need open space.
English are imperialist. They are democratic but not so democratic. Socialistic but not so social.

Social reform?

Some people are just too ignorant to understand the big picture, all they are concern with is what happened to them and them only, they don’t care about the rest. They believe whatever they were told to without even thinking about finding the truth. They were told A from the beginning and when someone says B then they will shout A without even considering that maybe B is correct.

Don’t worry about these people, they were never taught to listen. Tell them once, and it is up to them if they want to listen to you.

As always it is the mentalily of most Indonesians to blame others first. Whatever the problems are, they were all caused by others.

If we keep asking for foreign help then let’s just abolish the ministry of Research and Technology. Aren’t you professors and doctors ashamed if everything depends on foreigners and you only serve foreigners?

For the first time I agreed with JK. We should not be under representative in our country when the national oriented development takes place. However, we should keep learning from other countries’ mistakes as well. In responding to Kalla, Indonesians should change to be learning societies, open minded, and honest otherwise his speech is worthless.

Take a look at United Nations agencies offices aboard for examples, how many Indonesians are representing there? I bet not many..or perhaps in some offices is none..

It is sad to see how Indonesia could become such under-representative country even internationally…