THE incident happened when comedian Ari Kriting was still studying Urban and Spatial Planning at the National Institute of Technology in Malang, East Java. For his studies, Ari used to gather data on land clearance in Kalimantan, East Nusa Tenggara and even as far as Papua. He was shocked to discover that many of the nation's islands were still very undeveloped. "The people's lives are sub-standard," said Ari, whose hometown is Kendari in Southeast Sulawesi. His experience in visiting different areas led him to become a keen observer of the flawed development in eastern Indonesia.

March 3, 2015