Try getting you Kijang serviced for 200K in Singers. and not many mines up for grabs down Orchard Rd last time I looked.

Contradicting No.  But the basic nowaday's standard of living.  I am sure you overlook the basic necessity like electric, water and gas.

I spend @2 million rupiah for electric in one of my house in Jakarta.  The cost of electricity in my house in US is $30.00

So what kind of standard are you comparing to.

I have a house in Singapore and the cost of electricity is @SGD35.00 per month.

so is the cost standard of living in Jakarta any cheaper on the overall?  Just take a look at educations is good enough.  Or is that you are having a lot of ggod stuffs in Singapore?

And for you C*ckS**k**g Himsy, you don't even have a becak to your name, talking about Kijang what..repair for what..200 K like Kick your arse? The last time you look for your kijang in ORchard Road.  Yeah I did see one next to LKY's house.  You are SAD..  Come spit again and I will make you vomit..

I think you should look yourself in the mirror and see what is wrong with bule licking MFs like you licking where ever you go when you see my comments.

I don't suppose I need to give an explanation to people like you unless you are prepare to take off your pants.  Then I will show you my pen..

Answer one of your question.  When Patung says chill, these people does not not when to stop.  So must I?

You see: I am comparing the 2 common things and current ever in life.  Starbucks and buffet everywhere and anywhere.  Just name it.

Would you consider yourself an economist?  OK

1 USD = 13,000 2008.  1 USD = 10,000 mid 2009.

For the last 10 years my electrical bills in Jakarta never goes under 2 million.  The Starbucks coffee price didn't change, so were the buffet.

I am not taking other necessities to compare because they fluctuate so much that no one remembers when was the last hike.

There is a 30% exchange fluctuation and yet the most common things we compare did not even budge a little.  When you take PPP, CPI into consideration, are these rational?

The worst part in Indonesia is that these corrupt workers from PLN, PAM ranked among the worst of the worst.

Give you an example:

A PAM meter reader walk into and look into the meter and makes a note.  then they came back with a bill that differs from what was shown on the meter.  At times more than what it show.  This has been going on for quite a while when complaints were rendered useless.  they don't even care because if you don't pay they cut you off.  The worst part is that they are not giving you the quality water you pay for.  Salt water is what they give you.  Imagine very little water coming out from your faucet that we have to buy tank load of water just for washing.  And yet they called themselve PMA with French loafers.  You know what is a loafer (gangsters).  Maling working with loafers you can imagine what you get.

The other thing. PLN has been going around everywhere checking on all electrical installations.  I have a friend who rented a house and when the PLN guys came they tore off everything and say they stole electricity.  The explanation telling them that they just rented this house went to deaf years.  They were extorted to pay those Indonesian Government endorsed robbers a sum of 25 million rupiahs and to pay them by instalments of 2 million per month.  That is 200 USD per month or face having the electricity cut off.  I told them to buy a genset and fight the case.  The PLN cannot prove they stole electricity!  The only thing is that it was there when they move in, and she could prove that they have just rented the house.

So Indonesia is not what you claimed to be cheaper or a better place.So as you know there are people waiting to stake claims that Indonesia is a safe and better place.

At least in Singapore the price are stable, cost did not went up drastically, no such things as stealing or accuse of stealing electricity.  The currency did not fluctuate much.  The only very little fluctuation is the GDP.

If Indonesian Government were able to have control over several issues, then I may agree with you and not otherwise.

Business people afraid of Robbers and afraid of police, Government afraid of religious leaders and so on.  Religious leaders uses gangsters to back them.  There is simpliy nothing to rely on.

Can you find these kind of things happenning in other countries?

Yeah you might want to forget one thing and that is people who are blinded in one eyes can't see straight.  I am the least bothered of their presence.

Singapore was even better 30 years ago. Everyone understood malay.

Now it is just like another city in China. And more PRC's are encouraged to migrate to fill in the void left by those who left for better opportunities elsewhere, or due to low birth rates of ethnic chinese in Singapore.

Good education? many left for better ones in australia/new zealand/Canada/USA/UK.

Poor singaporeans were forced to sacrifice their kampung lands to build HDB flats. So freehold native land become leasehold apartments. But I have never heard of expensive land being acquired for govenrment projects.  When land are forcibly acquired, they normally pay less than market rates.