Nyoman Sender was forced into a corner. This official from the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA), who had been placed in charge of the sale of shares in Bank Danamon, was facing a difficult situation: the price of the government's shares in the bank had started to drop, literally day by day (see graphic).

This is by no means an easy task. Share prices are often used by the House of Representatives (DPR) as a benchmark for as to whet