ON Thursday, March 5, the rupiah exchange rate plunged to its lowest since 1998. At that time, the rupiah closed at Rp13,022 to the US dollar. Until last week, the rupiah remained stable around that rate. But this has not made the central bank (Bank Indonesia) governor, Agus Martowardojo go into a panic. He urged the public not to worry. "I feel good because the Indonesian economy is in good shape," Agus told Tempo, in an interview last week.

THE controversy over the appointment of a new police chief has receded to the background. But its domino effect continues. One key aspect in the spotlight is the controversial verdict over the pre-trial motion issued by Judge Sarpin Rizaldi at the South Jakarta District Court. He granted the motion submitted by Police Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan to invalidate his indictment by the KPK.

THERE is no question that Triawan Munaf's background qualifies him to be chairman of the Creative Economy Board (Bekraf). He certainly is no stranger to the world of creative industry. During the 1970s he was a vocalist with the Bandung-based rock band Giant Step and a decade later, set up the Euro RSCG Adwork company. The company was the agency that came up with the logo of a red bull, which is now the icon of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). "I have worked with creative people for decades," said Triawan.