AIYA Links: 30 August
In the news
- The economy was again front and centre in the Indonesia media this week. Yesterday, Bank Indonesia held an extraordinary board meeting at which it raised its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points to defend the depreciating Rupiah.
- This article in Quartz gives some good reasons why there’s no need to panic about Indonesia’s currency situation.
- Inflation is still a problem, as the ABC’s Helen Brown (@hbrown10) reported last night.
- A Newspoll commissioned by DFAT has revealed some dismayingly negative views of Indonesia amongst the Australian public.
- We at AIYA like to think we’re part of the solution—take a look at our 2013 Members’ Survey to find out what our members think.
- Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s boat buyback policy has been criticised by senior Indonesian parliamentarians.
- The Lowy Institute’s Dave McRae (@_DaveMcRae_) spoke to leading terrorism analyst, Solahudin, about his newly-translated book on the history of militant Islam in Indonesia. Video: Part 1 and Part 2.
- The Wall Street Journal reports on the soaring price of beef in Indonesia, and hopes from Australian producers that it might prompt their being given more market access.
- Also at the WSJ: Indonesia is looking to attract more attention from Hollywood as an exotic filming location.
- An unnamed Australian investor was one of the prospective buyers of the infamous Bank Century (now known as Bank Mutiara), according to media reports. For whatever reason, they decided Mutiara wasn’t a good buy: the government, which took over the bank during the global financial crisis, announced the failure of its divestment.
Jobs and events
- Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane: Applications to participate in the next Asialink Leaders Program are now open, and if you’re a professional looking to boost your Asia career, or a manager wanting to enhance your workforce’s Asia literacy, this is a fantastic opportunity to do just that.
- On the AIYA Job Board: online travel reservations firm HotelClub is looking for a Sydney-based Language Content Coordinator who can produce website copy in Bahasa Indonesia.