Paul Wolfowitz had a piece of good advice for Taufiq Kiemas, as Taufiq himself likes to recall. He recounted the advice of the former US ambassador to Jakarta after a trip to America, some time before his wife Megawati Sukarnoputri became president of Indonesia.

"Paul said I should not cause difficulties for Mega's position," he said.

Presumably Taufiq has not forgotten that advice. But lately, whether or not he