There's no such thing as a free lunch...Or is there?

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It's official. The next president of Indonesia is former army general Prabowo Subianto. Quite how the next five years will pan out is anyone's guess but hopefully the foreign pundits who always bring up his dodgy human rights record will be proven wrong. Nonetheless, on policy making, Prabowo's popularist move to literally offer the poor 'a free lunch' every day of the week does not augur well for the future. Such a policy - if it ever came to fruition - would cost a phenomenal amount of money and likely lead to huge inefficiencies (food waste) and poor incentives (make people lazy). Another concern is Prabowo's strong nationalist bent. Thus, in the possible event that he finds himself with his back against the proverbial wall in the face of stern economic challenges, there is a big chance that he will simply scapegoat foreigners. But he will have to be careful. Construction of the new capital city, Nusantara, for example, is highly dependent on foreign in
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The long road to freedom for Schapelle Corby

"She's said she's been there a year and she's done the year, and if she strengthens herself, she will make it through," Corby supporter Rachelle Hamilton said.

 "She's strong, she's got a really strong and growing faith. She may be one of these very special people.

 "Nelson Mandela was in jail for a long time and he ended up being a great leader and maybe she might have a destiny in her life of the same thing."

 "I really believe that in the end there will be hope for Schapelle. She will not be forgotten by the people of Australia."

 Schapelle Corby’s supporters are getting desperate. What the hell does a young beautician have in common with someone who devoted his life to liberating the South African people from the evils of apartheid?

 I guess Mandela might have enjoyed the occasional spiff to alleviate the boredom of his stay in jail, but I don’t suppose there was ever any time that he had over 4kgs of the stuff on him.
Even so, Corby’s supporters might be right when you think about it. Best to make the most of it. She may have to do the time, but at least she’ll emerge a heroine when she does finally get out in 2020. And political success should be a certainty. No doubt she will want to legalize the weed when she becomes Australian prime minister, making Down Under into the perfect holiday destination for dope heads.

 But until then she’s got to establish her credentials. A song or two by Peter Gabriel and U2 about her plight in Kerobokan prison would be a start. Foreign rock stars might take a political stand: ain’t gonna play Jakarta City!

 Rallies are a key aspect of the struggle of course. There’s one here today in Jakarta. So if you’re in the capital come along. But please: leave the tires at home…

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