MAHMUD elbowed his way through the crowd on pasar murah, a discount market at Kelurahan 26 Ilir in Palembang, South Sumatra, on Wednesday last week. "I have to fight my way through or I won't get my share of the sugar," said the 36-year-old as he flaunted Rp21,000 in crumpled bills to buy 3 kilos of sugar.

Pasar murah, organized by the local government and Indonesian Young Businessmen's Association in Palembang, was a great success. In less than three