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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Gugun blows away the crowd at New Star Kemang

Gugun and his band at New Star Kemang
Gugun and his band at New Star Kemang

Surprises spring up at the most unlikely of times and I have to be honest here – I was not expecting that! So many thanks to Mark at New Star Kemang for arranging this amazing gig by the blues maestro Gugun! 

This venue – if you have never been here – is small and intimate and it was such a privilege to be here as Gugun and his close-knit band mesmerized the audience with their set of blues rock classics by bands such as Deep Purple and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. 

Good music never goes out of fashion of course, but it’s still great to know that in this technological era sullied by crass commercialism and short attention spans, these old classics are still finding the light of day. 

Gugun really is a great guitar player. I don’t really have any recollection about where I was that night. His music just sucked you in, demanding your entire attention, and then the next thing you know a couple of hours have passed you by. Wonderful stuff!





For more information on forthcoming gigs at New Star Kemang, check out their Instagram account.

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