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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Who has the best prison cell in Indonesia - Schapelle Corby or Artalyta Suryani?

Schapelle Corby: buxom Aussie lass who tried to smuggle 4.2 kg of wacky baccy into Bali. She got 20 years, but will serve less thanks to yearly remissions (provided she doesn’t die first of course). This is her cell:

Schapelle Corby prison cell
Where: Kerobokan Prison, Bali
Size of cell: ? (shared with SIX others)
Bed: green mattress on the floor
Drapery: None
Floor: ceramic tiles
Cooling: crappy little wall fan
Treasured possessions: Nelson Mandela's autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, and a Donald Duck toy.
Facilities: None.


Artalyta Suryani: narcissistic businesswoman who handed over 660,000 big ones to a bent prosecutor. She got five years but will almost certainly serve only a fraction of her sentence. This is her cell:

Artalyta Suryani prison cell
Where: Pondok Bambu Women's Detention Center, Jakarta
Size of cell: 690 square feet (single, not sharing)
Bed: King Koil double bed (well, you never know when it might come in useful, right?)
Drapery: designer curtains made of premium quality material.
Cooling: Air Con
Floor: soft carpeting
Facilities: flat-screen TV, karaoke, fridge/freezer, leather sofa, private kitchen, en-suite bathroom, playpen for kids, and an attached beauty parlor to get “facials” and other essential cosmetic treatments.

Poor old Corby.

And no wonder she feels bad done by!

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