Opinion

A huge birthday wish to the city of Jakarta from all of us here at NOW! Jakarta. Congratulations on completing what must have been a very difficult year. Painting by Sudigdo[/caption] Well every year is difficult in Jakarta, but I would like to congratulate you on some notable success: Parks: some green and leafy areas

I agree completely with the ‘cooling off period’ law when people want to buy guns. It means that, instead of flipping out completely and running to the nearest gun shop in order to buy the ultimate argument winner, people are forced to calm down and make rational decisions before they blow each other’s brains out.

I had just made myself comfortable on my usual stool at the bar and I was waiting for the beer I had ordered to arrive, but after a long hard day it was taking far too long. “Make that two” I heard a familiar voice say, as my General Manager Chris Brown hauled himself wearily

Many years ago my Economics Professor at Edinburgh University unveiled a wonderful fact which no-one seems understand or work towards at virtually any level in society even till today! The fact: that “welfare” and “economic welfare” are not the same thing. Sounds confusing, doesn’t it? But it’s not. “Welfare”, on a personal level, means the

I love traditions. Family traditions, national traditions, anything that is traditional in the true sense of the word. I guess it’s because they give me a sense of continuity in a rapidly changing world, a sense of my roots, an idea of who I really am and where I really came from. For example, in

Refugees and asylum seekers in Indonesia have fled their home countries because of terror and war, but are left in limbo as they are waiting to be resettled. His voice was soft at first and grew more passionate and determined with every line he recited: Abdul Samad Haidari, a former Afghan freelance journalist and poet,

Whether you are a believer or not, this is a lovely prayer: “God give me the courage to change the things I can change, the patience to accept the things I can’t change and the wisdom to know the difference”. So here we are in Indonesia, in its extraordinary capital city Jakarta, and we have

I was 18 years old when I went to what is quaintly known in England as “the Continent” for the first time. “The Continent” means mainland Europe, and the part of it I went to was Calais, France. I was so excited about my first trip “abroad” that I could hardly sleep the night before.

Having fallen prey to my third cold of the year made me recall a recent conversation on air quality in major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and London, and so on. While the major cities of China have some of the worst air pollution in the world, that in Jakarta is well above accepted world

In its 490 years of existence, Jakarta has gone through a lot. Just like any other birthdays, its anniversary calls for not only celebrations, but also a reflection on milestones and moments that have passed. Some key inflection points, as discussed below, mark high moments in the current period of transition. Looking ahead, here’s hoping

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about Jakarta? Ask 100 different people, and you will surely receive 100 different answers. Jakarta, to some, is a city of hope, a place where they strive to make their dreams come true. Others feel that life in Jakarta is too exhausting,

I love the way the Indonesian language and the English language have blended over the years. For example, many non-Indonesians would have heard of the infamous spy Matahari long before they learned that her name is the Indonesian word for the sun (literally “the eye of the day”). And those who have not heard of