HE was once a fierce opponent of value-added tax (PPN) and luxury goods sales tax (PPnBM) in Batam. But he has now mellowed. The Batam Authority Chairman appointed by President Habibie to replace Fanny Habibie in 1998 eventually agreed to compromise. "We will just obey any decision on Batam by the government in Jakarta," he told Y. Tomi Aryanto of TEMPO, by telephone last Thursday.

Is it true investment declined after PPN and PPnB