Daily commentary on Asian business strategy, management, market research, marketing tips, business prospects, economic and culture news. Market prospects. Economic prospects. Short reviews, links, advice, satire and topical coverage for international and Asian managers doing business in Asia.

The Hari Ini column is available daily on the Asian Business Strategy & Street Intelligence Ezine home page. Sure.. go there now for more of the same. At least it's fresher...

This page contains one month of the archives.

The Hari Ini column documents off-the cuff comments, very odd spots, unsubstantiated rumours, misinterpretations, cruel innuendo, limp jokes, dodgy links, tips lacking in credibility, and other material very roughly related to Asian business, marketing, management, culture, politics, economics and why the earth is round.

Some of the items emerge into sections later on; some are contributed by email or word of mouth by friends of the forum, columnists, editorial advisors, and the Chao Phraya River Rat. ..Most of it just ends up here...

Basically it means we can at least comment on happenings that we wouldn't otherwise have the time to.

"Hari Ini" means "Today" in both Malaysian and Indonesian.

..Which means that everything on this page is already outta date...

As the masthead suggests, this column also includes all the news that doesn't fit..

It also means we can add some lightheartedness and CNN type shallowness to our otherwise more serious content. As CNN proves, such content sells...

Mostly the column just reflects the mood of the editors on the day, and gives a potted summary of key issues in the region. If you want it to reflect your mood as well, email us contributions at chiyo@apmforum.com.

Chiyo Hyiuiki (Webmaster, and on behalf of the editors)

Singapore: Monday August 13 2001

In the meantime, the Nikkei 225 has hit a 16 year low this Monday morning. Thailand is on a business holiday today for the Queen's Birthday. Coming on Wednesday and later this week, an analysis of the future for Australian-Indonesian relations, the factors behind Malaysia's relatively good stock market performance in the past month, prospects for Singapore economic recovery, and the advertising industry in China. Plus breaking news analysis as it happens.

Singapore: Sunday July 29 2001

The Koizumi-led LDP scored a significant victory in Japan's Upper House (the Diet) over the weekend, but the Nikkei is heading South this Monday by almost 2% in late afternoon Japan time. The Yen is also down more than one Yen. Good news is that Koizumi has a further mandate for his reforms, (the details which remain unknown even at this stage). Bad news is that the old guard of the LDP, with a culture of feting traditional Japanese business and protectionism, have breathing space now to re-establish their influence internally. It's a brave man who predicts the pace of Japanese recovery at this time.

As Singapore heads for its upcoming election, no-one expects any result other than a clear mandate for the ruling Singapore PAP party to continue to govern. Singapore weathered the Asian crisis much better than others, due to its tradition of excellence in strategic and contingency planning set in motion many years before the crisis, high levels of education, and the highest transparency and lowest corruption ratings world wide.

Singaporeans are among the most prosperous worldwide, inequalities are narrowing, and it boasts a bustling multi-cultural working environment originating from the government's embracing rather than discouragement of foreign expertise. While Singapore moved dramatically into recession this month, few Singaporeans expect this to be a significant event, though some short term pain is expected.

With far more sensational and spicy politics in neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia spoon-fed by their governments to the "whores of the press", as Frank Sinatra put it somewhat impolitely years back, the world spotlight on Singapore regarding personal freedom has been switched off for a while. Yet pressure on local Internet Web sites to tone down criticism and debate has been upped in this pre-election period, the local Sintercom.Org website being the latest example. Local sites that touch on politics must register with the Singapore government, with the Webmaster being made responsible for content. Sintercom, primarily a chat site for educated professionals, will have to moderate each and every posting for politically insensitive material.

Far better, we think, for the Singapore government to continue it's highly successful policy of the past 5 years, of favouring the publication of well written government sites, rather than censoring others.

Rumours that new Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri is considering re-installing the Information Act swept Jakarta last week. Repealed by the two previous post-Soeharto Presidents Habibbie and Wahid, it resulting in a newly empowered and sometimes muckraking press. Indeed the Indonesia press showed their gratitude to Wahid, by becoming a major factor in his fall by reporting fairly unsubstantiated reports of his corruption and giving little space to the many rejoinders. Reportedly supported by all five major parties in the National Assembly, Megawati is keenly aware of how useful a compliant press is to the ruling parties of her compatriot national leaders in Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), Vietnam, and China. In countries that can boast a free press like Japan, the Philippines, and Thailand, most national leaders wish they didn't.

They call it Stormy Monday: Naivety reigns supreme in analyses of Indonesia from both local and international sources both leading up to and subsequent to the dumping of Wahid and the installation of Megawati. We have not changed our view published in May's Hari Ini, that Megawati Sukarnoputri's presidency may yet be another case of a lamb being led to slaughter. While the sight of the massive Assembly Hall comprising hundreds of elected officials from all over this great archipelago debating in detail aspects of the impeachment act is impressive, the real movers behind decision making in Indonesia played their very different cards.

The Speaker of the Assembly Amien Rais, in this case playing an objective and in management speak - "group facilitator" role, remains an enigma, clearly the key mover against Wahid in the past 18 months, and a man who has tempered his ambition in favour of waiting for "when the time is right". Rais' public statements on his views of a future Indonesia waver substantially, including a far less moderate form of State Islam than Indonesia is used to, anti-foreigner sentiments ala Mahathir and Thaksin, and just plain common sense.

Tuesday's just as bad: Meanwhile, just a few days after Megawati's installation, the justice who sentenced Tommy Soeharto was gunned down by motorcycle assassins.

All goes to show that it is much safer in today's Indonesia, and indeed many other Asian nations, to work surreptitiously and invisibly in the background than out front. The real power brokers in Indonesia are finding bunkering in, but throwing out significant warning grenades, the best policy. Indeed in one neighbouring country, most politicians are very aware that commitment to public service and politics carries a significant risk of ending up riddled with bullets or in the other big house. It does take courage to be a pollie in South East Asia just now.

As far as the Press goes, Wahid's parting comments as he departed for surgery in the US may well come back to haunt them - that Indonesia will start reverting back to dictatorship from newly found democracy. There is significant opinion that reform has progressed too fast in Indonesia, and that this is one of the core reasons behind moribund economic progress.

Beware analysts repeating the mantra that Indonesia is a good investment market "because things can't get any worse". Things will get better, but not before they get worse, and not because of any perceived progress in politics. As we have advised before, it is a good time to get back to Indonesia, cultivate friends and contacts broadly, but most importantly listen a lot. The rewards are still a long way off, but they will be there...