Opinion


Classic Literature Reading Lists

Monday, May 5th, 2008, 9 Comments

Indonesians are being denied much of the country’s greatest literature, for political reasons.

Wag the Dog à la Indonesia

Friday, April 25th, 2008, 86 Comments

The Indonesian government creates distractions and the media willingly participate, to hide the real problems of Indonesia.

Islamic-Western Civilization

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008, 18 Comments

Islamic & Western Civilization, and Muslims and Christians, have much in common.

Modern Day Witch Hunt

Monday, April 21st, 2008, 45 Comments

A plea to defend Jamaah Ahmadiyah against a modern day witch hunt.

Hello Dolly! - In Praise of Lokalisasi

Friday, April 18th, 2008, 39 Comments

The red light brothel district, or lokalisasi, of Dolly in Surabaya.

Examples of Human Rights Hypocrisy

Wednesday, April 16th, 2008, 33 Comments

Power-mongering and the profit motive behind the West’s examples of hypocrisy over human rights

Internet Porn Censorship, & Children

Monday, April 14th, 2008, 13 Comments

Whether the state or parents have the right and responsibility to censor internet pornography.

Territorial Claims & Rights

Friday, April 11th, 2008, 28 Comments

On what gives countries the rights to make territorial claims.

Banality and Compassion

Wednesday, April 9th, 2008, 12 Comments

Why people should have compassion, and its relation to theology and religion.

Sexy Dewi Persik

Monday, April 7th, 2008, 13 Comments

Sexy dangdut singer Dewi Persik.

Curing Homosexuality

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008, 69 Comments

The stance of Indonesian clerics against homosexuality and about curing it.

Agama, Adat and Conversion in Nusa Tenggara

Monday, March 31st, 2008, 27 Comments

Religion, culture and conversion in Nusa Tenggara.

Jalan Jaksa Under Threat

Friday, March 28th, 2008, 140 Comments

Jalan Jaksa in Jakarta is going to suffer re-development.

Representative Democracy & Islam

Wednesday, March 26th, 2008, 6 Comments

On the harmony or otherwise between democracy and Islam.

Banned Movie Promised Paradise

Friday, March 21st, 2008, 9 Comments

The banned movie about the Bali bombings, Promised Paradise.

Self Publish Books in Indonesia

Wednesday, March 19th, 2008, 3 Comments

How to self publish books cheaply and easily.

Fitna by Geert Wilders

Friday, March 7th, 2008, 273 Comments

The gathering storm over Geert Wilders anti-Islam film Fitna.

Literature Commissar

Wednesday, March 5th, 2008, 49 Comments

Pramoedya Ananta Toer as a bullying commissar of literature.

Treason of the Intellectuals

Friday, February 29th, 2008, 60 Comments

The lovely Julia Suryakusuma, and other intellectuals, commit treason.

Sharia Byelaws

Monday, February 18th, 2008, 32 Comments

Sharia inspired bylaws in Indonesia.

Celebrity Jailbirds

Monday, February 11th, 2008, 6 Comments

Thugs and murderers, celebrity jailbirds, Enrico Gutierres, Theo Toemion, and the lovely Lidya Pratiwi.

Neo Colonialism in Bali

Wednesday, February 6th, 2008, 42 Comments

The effects of tourism in Bali, neo-colonialist attitudes among western tourists.

Communist Victory

Monday, February 4th, 2008, 30 Comments

What if there had been a communist victory in 1965.

Interview with Indonesia Matters

Friday, February 1st, 2008, 2 Comments

Janma interviews Indonesia Matters.

The Indonesian Way of Death

Wednesday, January 30th, 2008, 6 Comments

The Indonesian way of death is too graphic.

Anti Communist Massacres

Friday, January 25th, 2008, 66 Comments

The nature of the anti-communist massacres in Indonesia of 1965-66.

Genocide

Saturday, January 19th, 2008, 83 Comments

Whether there was a genocide in Indonesia in 1965 and what happened to the survivors.

Suharto & the People

Friday, January 18th, 2008, 86 Comments

Suharto: Let the People Speak, an informal poll of the Indonesian people.

Suharto Epitaphs

Monday, January 14th, 2008, 13 Comments

Some examples of funny epitaphs for Suharto.

SMS Fortune Telling

Sunday, January 13th, 2008, 3 Comments

Fortune telling via sms on your hand phone.

Advice Column

Saturday, January 12th, 2008, 7 Comments

Achmad Sudarsono ventures into the world of advice columns.

Living in Jakarta

Sunday, January 6th, 2008, 25 Comments

The guide to living in Jakarta.

Stupid Quotes

Saturday, January 5th, 2008, 10 Comments

Indonesian stupidity, with quotes and examples.

Letter to the President

Thursday, January 3rd, 2008, 44 Comments

Writing a letter to the president.

State Ideology

Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008, 22 Comments

Whether the state ideology Pancasila means anything to Indonesians.

White Men

Monday, December 31st, 2007, 56 Comments

White trash men in Indonesia, expats and English teachers.

Cannibal Stories

Sunday, December 30th, 2007, 9 Comments

Stories of cannibals and cannibalism in Sumatra and Papua.

Oddities & Peculiarities

Saturday, December 29th, 2007, 13 Comments

Some peculiarities of language, and other oddities in Indonesia

Future Predictions

Friday, December 28th, 2007, 9 Comments

What future for Indonesia, as 2008 approaches?

Sex Facts

Monday, December 24th, 2007, 23 Comments

Strange and funny sex facts from Indonesia.

Comfort Women

Sunday, December 23rd, 2007, 7 Comments

Indonesian comfort women under the Japanese.

Insults & Comebacks

Saturday, December 22nd, 2007, 61 Comments

Tips for insulting someone, and appropriate comebacks, by Achmad.

Music Talent

Friday, December 21st, 2007, 20 Comments

Indonesian music talent, traditional and modern.

Religious Fanaticism

Thursday, December 20th, 2007, 24 Comments

Religious fanaticism, Hitler, and monkeys.

Dutch Compensation

Wednesday, December 19th, 2007, 107 Comments

Whether Indonesia should seek compensation and reparations from the Netherlands?

Sex Crazy

Tuesday, December 18th, 2007, 17 Comments

Indonesians becoming crazy for sex when overseas.

Bali Travel Tips

Monday, December 17th, 2007, 10 Comments

Tips for travelling and vacations in Bali.

Poor People

Friday, December 14th, 2007, 52 Comments

Indonesians don’t help poor people enough.

Television Influence

Thursday, December 13th, 2007, 18 Comments

The quality of tv in Indonesia and its influence on people.

Dukun

Wednesday, December 12th, 2007, 39 Comments

Dukun, or shaman practices in Indonesia.

Ojek Ride

Tuesday, December 11th, 2007, 11 Comments

Riding an ojek in Indonesia.

Minority Groups

Monday, December 10th, 2007, 35 Comments

Discrimination against minority groups in Indonesia.

Picking Up Girls

Saturday, December 8th, 2007, 42 Comments

How to pick up babes in malls.

Honesty Story

Friday, December 7th, 2007, 13 Comments

Iamisaid on ordinary honesty and medical expertise in Indonesia.

Political Lobbying

Thursday, December 6th, 2007, No Comments

Lobbying defined, and laws on political lobbying in Indonesia.

Tourist Attractions

Tuesday, December 4th, 2007, 3 Comments

The tourist attractions of Indonesia, or Batam, are being closed down as a result of religious fervour.

Indonesian Houses

Monday, December 3rd, 2007, 21 Comments

Some of the pitfalls in owning an Indonesian house.

Corporal Punishment

Monday, December 3rd, 2007, 37 Comments

Corporal punishment in Indonesia, spanking and caning, and attempts to have it outlawed.

Learning Indonesian

Monday, November 26th, 2007, 49 Comments

Why Aren’t Australians Learning Indonesian, A Response to Bahasa Indonesia, Australians Don’t Want to Learn Indonesian.

The Jakarta Pest

Thursday, November 15th, 2007, 34 Comments

Whether the Jakarta Post newspaper is too left wing.

Education Philosophy

Friday, November 9th, 2007, 9 Comments

Questions about the philosophy of education in Indonesian schools.

UFO Technology

Wednesday, November 7th, 2007, 61 Comments

Achmad worries that Indonesia’s U.F.O. technology will be lost to foreigners.

The Youth of Today

Wednesday, October 31st, 2007, 22 Comments

Questions about the youth of today in Indonesia and their sense of nationalism and purpose.

Smelly Armpits

Sunday, October 28th, 2007, 29 Comments

Indonesians have a body odor problem, in particular, smelly armpits.

Mojopahit Empire

Saturday, October 13th, 2007, 131 Comments

A new Mojopahit Empire is on the horizon, with Australia as vassal state.

Metro TV Xin Wen

Tuesday, September 11th, 2007, 61 Comments

Metro TV’s Chinese-language news service, Xin Wen.

Kampung Girls

Tuesday, August 28th, 2007, 38 Comments

Ross wonders about Ramadan, lazy rich women, and why kampung girls are the best.

Aceh Abominations

Monday, August 6th, 2007, 10 Comments

Ross asks whether the government is willing to bring some Muslims into the 21st century.

Climate Crisis Hits Jakarta

Thursday, July 26th, 2007, 10 Comments

Ross complains that the global warming bandwagon has reached Jakarta.

Separatist Hysteria

Monday, July 23rd, 2007, 9 Comments

Does Indonesia need a federal system, amid the separatist hysteria of late?

Anti Australian

Friday, June 1st, 2007, 55 Comments

Governor Sutiyoso and anti-Australianism and street thuggery.

Starting a Political Party

Saturday, May 19th, 2007, 17 Comments

How to start a political party.

Indonesian Muslims, & Jews

Friday, April 6th, 2007, 38 Comments

Visitor Askan asks what is up with Indonesians and Arabs and Israel.

Wake Up Call For Bali

Saturday, March 31st, 2007, 48 Comments

The desperate, ugly state of Bali.

Free Laptops

Wednesday, March 28th, 2007, 19 Comments

Free computer laptops for members of the DPR.

Fertility Rates

Tuesday, February 27th, 2007, 4 Comments

The decline of fertility rates in Indonesia and the effects.

Security Forces

Monday, February 26th, 2007, 12 Comments

The Indonesian security forces.

Overseas Workers

Saturday, February 24th, 2007, 1 Comment

Hope For the Helpless? Overseas Workers Ordeals, by Ross.

Mosque Loudspeaker Noise

Wednesday, February 14th, 2007, 79 Comments

Loudspeaker Abuse in the Mosques: should mosques be disciplined?

PP 37

Monday, January 29th, 2007, 11 Comments

The PP 37, a new law granting pay rises to parliamentarians.

I Love Islam

Tuesday, December 12th, 2006, 66 Comments

What Islam is and why people love it.

Terrorism, Poverty & Islam

Friday, October 6th, 2006, 44 Comments

Poverty is the cause of terrorism, says a former Muhammadiyah chairman, not Islam.

Expats

Tuesday, October 3rd, 2006, 422 Comments

On the “quality” of expatriates in Indonesia, or expats.

Multi and Mono Cultures

Saturday, September 30th, 2006, 5 Comments

Multi-culturalism, or what Indonesians might call pluralism, is often spoken of as key to Indonesia’s make-up and stability.

Reasons for Benedict’s Speech

Thursday, September 21st, 2006, 21 Comments

The references to Islam given within Pope Benedict’s speech.

Muslimah Gothess

Tuesday, July 18th, 2006, 97 Comments

As globalization advances strange and interesting mixes of cultures, East and West, are produced.

The Crusades & Liberal Islam

Wednesday, July 5th, 2006, 42 Comments

The Emancipatory Islamic Network, write about the Crusades and get it all wrong.

Indonesia’s Role in UN Human Rights Council

Tuesday, May 30th, 2006, 1 Comment

On 9 May, 2006 the UN General Assembly elected Indonesia along with 46 other nations to the Human Rights council.

From Munir to Somchai Neelaphaijit

Sunday, May 21st, 2006, No Comments

The similarities in the cases of the murders of two human rights activists, Munir Said Thalib in Indonesia and Somchai Neelaphaijit in Thailand.

Political Disappearances

Friday, May 19th, 2006, 1 Comment

Cases of political disappearances in the last years of the Suharto regime.

List of Hotels in Jakarta

Saturday, May 13th, 2006, 3 Comments

A listing of the best hotels in Jakarta, to suit any budget.

Dating Indonesian Girls

Tuesday, April 4th, 2006, 649 Comments

Dating Indonesian girls may not be for everyone.

On the Scrapheap of History

Monday, February 20th, 2006, 6 Comments

The Arab-Muslim culture that has been brought to Indonesia is doomed.

Indonesian Democracy and Islam

Tuesday, December 27th, 2005, 5 Comments

The relationship between Indonesian democracy and Islam.

Disrespect For Law

Friday, December 23rd, 2005, No Comments

Disrespect for law in Indonesia.

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