It seems that we must be always prepared on the border between involvement and non-involvement in power. Otherwise we will be trapped.

IN the new Indonesian cabinet, energy and mineral resources are classified as a 'hot' yet powerful sector. One example is the government's plan to raise fuel prices, an issue which is about to reach boiling point. It was in this state of affairs Sudirman Said found himself last week, when he began his job as Indonesia's minister of energy and mineral resources. Understandably, the 51-year-old Sudirman immediately set out to adopt a cautionary approach. During this interview with Tempo, he distanced himself from the fuel price issue. "Let's give the question of fuel price a pass," he said, adding that it would just unsettle the public. "Most importantly, Pertamina is ready and a team has been formed [to handle this]."

President Joko Widodo's merging of the environment and forestry ministries has received mixed reviews.

In the approximately 40-square-meter room, tables, computers, printers, photocopiers and scanners competed for space. In between, there were large piles of maps, shoulder bags and dozens of identity card cases. The staff members of the accreditation section for observers and journalists at the Independent Election Commission (ISIE) in Tunis, capital of Tunisia, looked defeated at the piles of stuff scattered around

More and more foreigners are buying property on the islands of Lombok and Sumbawa in West Nusa Tenggara. Some of them are simply looking for a cheaper place to retire, but others are looking to capitalize on the region's rapidly growing tourism industry. They buy beautiful land along the beaches and even in protected forest areas.

PRESIDENT Abdurrahman Wahid did not go too far when during his administration he described the House of Representatives (DPR) as a "kindergarten". The conduct of the 2014-2019 DPR legislators in the past few weeks, including one irate person kicking a table during a plenary session, has been pretty embarrassing, not to mention the creation of a 'shadow DPR leadership'. It is infantile behavior which could be most damaging to the public interest if it is not immediately resolved.

President Joko Widodo reshuffled some ministries and formed new ones for his new cabinet. The ministries affected by the reorganization are Public Works, Public Housing, Tourism, Education, Forestry and Environment. Joko also formed a new coordinating ministry: Maritime Affairs.

Clarification from Askrindo

Protecting Paradise

The two coalitions in the House of Representatives (DPR) are still squabbling over control of parliamentary committees. The Red-White Coalition, which backed failed presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto in the July election, used its strong majority in House to seize control of the leadership of every one of its internal bodies. In response, the Great Indonesia Coalition, which backs President Joko Widodo, named a shadow leadership.

BANKING
Private Sector Foreign Debts to be Limited

CURRENCY
Cabinet Line up Hurts the Rupiah

ENTERING the final quarter of this year, Muliaman Hadad is forced to do acrobatics. Fierce competition within the banking industry in recent months has caused Muliaman, who is chairman of the Financial Services Authority (FSA), great anxiety. "I have to cut the banks' business plans. Credit growth was still 20 percent, we reduced it to 16-17 percent, to slow down the race for liquidity," the former deputy governor of Bank Indonesia told Tempo two weeks ago.

Dinna Wisnu

This year, Indonesia and India mark 75 years of diplomatic relations. However, the ties between the two nations have existed much longer, predating the establishment of the Republic of Indonesia and the Republic of India. These connections span social, cultural, religious, economic, and trade aspects. But do those close ties of the past have any bearing on the present relationship? Why is there no direct flight between the capitals of the two countries?

Indian Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor-Leste, Sandeep Chakravorty, shares his views on this matter at TEMPO TALKS.