Arifin Panigoro does not change over the years, despite his achievements. He still talks straight to the point. Medco, the company he started 34 years ago, is now a stellar institution. "This good luck is due to the global oil price increases," he said. Ten years ago, the price of oil was only US$10 (Rp92,000 at the current rate of exchange) per barrel. Now prices are rocketing, exceeding the figure of US$100 per barrel.

But unlike his oil business,