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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Slumdog Millionaire (Jakarta setting)

Slumdog Millionaire was one of the best films I saw in 2009. Based on the book Q & A by Vikas Swarup, young Jamal has to answer nine questions to get the grand prize. The questions he answered are listed here. 


But what would the questions have been if the story had instead been set in the slums of Jakarta rather than in the slums of Mumbai? 

Well, here’s my guess (most of the answers can be found on this blog if you look hard enough): 

1. Which of the Azhari clan starred in the low budget American popcorn flick "Outraged Fugitive"? a. Ayu Azhari b. Sarah Azhari c. Tia Azhari d. Rachma Azhari 

2. What motto is used as the national emblem of Indonesia? a. Money alone triumphs b. Power alone triumphs c. Beauty alone triumphs d. Bhinneka Tunggal Ika 

3. What weapon does an Acehnese warrior hold in his right hand? a. Rencong b. Celurit c. Keris d. AK-47 

 4. Who painted this? a. Affandi b. Antonio Blanco c. Basoeki Abdullah d. Walter Spies 

5. Whose picture appears on the newly issued Rp2,000 banknote? a. Imam Bondjol b. Soekarno/Hatta c. Barack Obama d. Pangeran Antasari 

6. What is the name of the thieving spirit which appears as a boy with his head shaven and is responsible for the vast proportion of “in house” theft in Indonesia? a. Pocong b. Tuyl c. Iblis d. Kuntilanak 

7. South East Asia’s largest red light district called Dolly can be found in which Indonesian city? a. Bandung b. Jakarta c. Surabaya d. Medan 

8. Which of the following is NOT the flavor of an Indonesian condom? a. Strawberry b. Mango c. Durian d. Banana 

9. Which city received the dubious honor as “dirtiest city” in 2006? a. Bandung b. Jakarta c. Medan d. Surabaya 

Answer key: 1) a 2) d 3) a 4) c 5) d 6) b 7) c 8) b 9) a

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