ONE day in the middle of 1985. The phone rang exactly at lunchtime. It sounded like a command: Mas Tommy wanted a plot of land in East Jakarta. "All right, no problem, but be patient, please," said the recipient of the call, a businessman who was just starting on his ascent to success. "It was bequeathed by mother, I have to discuss it with the family."

Never say no to Cendana. That was probably the most powerful business mantra in that era. Wh