We have received multiple requests to use more first person in our blogs, so we’re going to try and each write some of our own thoughts. Let us know what you think. We may use our initials to make it clear who is writing, but by now you’ve probably all figured who does the political commentary and who writes exclusively with exclamation points! (now you know who’s writing)
I’ve been working on the site today, and we’ve now got some pictures up. This is just a start and needs editing, so please excuse any typos, etc. that you find. (Tom says “All you need is Patience. Yeeeaaah”- I don’t know what this means) We hope you enjoy them.
A funny anecdote before you get to the political musings below. I was sitting in Tom’s cubicle today and noticed a large amount of activity as workers ran in and out. It soon became apparent that it was pouring outside and that they were looking for leaks. I figured this out when a waterfall started from the ceiling in the next cubicle. I’ve seen ceilings leak before, but boy this was something else. I can’t wait for the rainy season!
Author: tompepinsky
-
Photos are here!
-
The Extent of Nepotism
There is simply no end to the ways that Suharto gave favors to his sons, daughters, cronies, cousins, and fellow businessmen. Four recent examples from the mid-1990s include the decision of B.J. Habibie, his vice-dictator, to design and produce Indonesia’s own jet liner; the ill-fated attempt of Bob Hasan (who’s actually Chinese Indonesian) to create Indonesia’s own car for domestic consumption; the fake discovery of the world’s largest goldmine in Borneo by a Canadian company whose local representative was Suharto’s daughter; and the granting to Suharto’s son Hutomo Mandala Putra (“Tommy”) of both monopsony rights to buy all cloves produced in Indonesia for clove cigarettes and monopoly rights to sell all cloves to clove cigarette companies.
Yes. So basically, Tommy was the middleman on both sides. First farmers had to sell all their cloves to Tommy, who would buy them at below-market prices and create a profit. Then, clove cigarette makers (Djarum, Sampoerna, Galam, etc.) had to buy all of the cloves for their cigarettes from Tommy, who would sell them at above-market prices. When it became clear that Madagascar was producing cloves even cheaper than Indonesian farmers, Tommy managed to become the sole licensed importer of foreign cloves. Nobody could argue cause his daddy was the dictator. It’s funny cause it’s true.
Tom Pepinsky 