AIYA Links: 10 January
Selamat tahun baru 2014! It’s a big year as Indonesia gears up for parliamentary and presidential elections and the new Australian government continues to deal with issues in the bilateral alliance with Indonesia. AIYA Links will be in your inbox every Friday in 2014 with the most important and interesting news, events and opportunities relating to Indonesia and the Australia-Indonesia relationship. Selamat membaca!
In the news
- 1 January 2014 was an historic day for Indonesia, as the new national social security and health insurance systems came into practice.
- The Jakarta Globe has good coverage of teething problems and the outlook for the scheme.
- Jakarta Post editor Endy Bayuni criticised the media for underplaying the significance of ‘Yudhoyono-care’.
- The planned mineral ore export ban which had alarmed Indonesia’s mining industry has been relaxed at the last minute.
- Kompas‘ latest poll puts Jakarta’s governor Joko Widodo well ahead of potential rivals if he runs for president this year.
- The World Bank’s latest Indonesia Economic Quarterly is available to read, with great analysis of the 2014 national budget.
- A terrific BBC Radio Four documentary by economist Jim O’Neill (famous for coining the term BRICs) argues that ‘the Indonesian [economic] story is complex: poverty, poor infrastructure and an historical aversion to foreign interference could all threaten the dream of joining the world’s economic A list’.
- @BenjaminBland from the Financial Times spends some time with Tri Rismaharini, the Mayor of Surabaya who is gaining plaudits for her honest and competent administration of Indonesia’s second city.
- The New York Times reports on Indonesia’s new gold rush and its human and environmental costs.
For your entertainment
- We love the musical podcasts hosted by Whiteboard Journal. Have a listen to the latest instalment of Irama Nusantara, a collection of retro Indonesian classics.
- Fantastic blog posts on Durian and endearing Indonesian habits by participants of AIYEP (Australia-Indonesia Youth Exchange Program).
Jobs Board
- At the AIYA Job Board: opportunities as an Early Childhood Core Teacher in Surabaya and the latest Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development (AYAD) assignments.