A REGENT in South Sulawesi was distraught. A proposal he had submitted, requesting funding for a natural disaster recovery project, was missing from the list of Additional Budget Items (ABT) being discussed by the House of Representatives (DPR). In the midst of this confusion, one of his subordinates came up with an idea. There is a friend in Jakarta who can help, Pak, said the official.

The regent ordered his subordinate to go to Jakarta to meet