Europe announces a fresh, 'credible' Greek rescue deal

Deutsche Welle, 22 July 2011 

Greece's second aid package is
larger than the first

European leaders say the eurozone, the International Monetary Fund and the private sector will all contribute towards a second package of emergency loans for Greece, as a debt-dominated summit concludes in Brussels.

European Union President Herman van Rompuy said after Thursday's summit in Brussels that the bloc had reached three important decisions which had unanimous support within eurozone.

"We improved the Greek debt sustainability, we took measures to stop the risk of contagion, and finally, we committed to improve the eurozone's crisis management," Rompuy said in the opening moments of his official address.

The EU president said that the instability of the Greek economy, coupled with the resultant jitters on international markets, ultimately could have threatened the single European currency and the economic recovery in Europe and the wider world.

"Convening this meeting focused the minds and accelerated finding a solution. I could not allow a difficult situation to become a dangerous one," Rompuy said.

The nuts and bolts

European leaders in conjunction with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed to lend Greece an additional 109 billion euros (157 billion dollars) in order to cover its financing shortfalls and prevent Athens from defaulting on its sovereign debt.

The program will include lower interest rates and extended maturities as well as a voluntary contribution from private sector financial institutions amounting to 37 billion euros, according to a statement released by the leaders after the summit.

Merkel and Sarkozy struck an
agreement before the summit

European Central Bank chief Jean-Claude Trichet reacted coolly to concerns that even voluntary participation by the private sector could provoke rating agencies to downgrade Greece's credit worthiness.

"I don't think experts consider that what has been done would trigger a credit event," Trichet said after the summit.

'European package'

Greece's second aid package, including private contributions, will total at least 146 billion euros. The package comes in addition to the 110 billion euros Athens was promised as part of its first bailout in 2010.

"The only thing we're asking for is the right to make deep changes in our country to make our country a viable one, one of growth and jobs creations," Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou said. "This is a European success, a European package."

The breakthrough deal was made possible after German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy came to an agreement in Berlin on Wednesday.

Sarkozy said that Europe was prepared to stand with Athens and guarantee its credit worthiness in the event that credit agencies declare Greece in limited default.

"We have agreed to create the beginnings of a European Monetary Fund," he said.

Author: Spencer Kimball, Mark Hallam (AFP, Reuters, dpa)

Editor: Joanna Impey

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Foreign ministers and delegates of ASEAN and China, Japan and the
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Indonesia, July 21, 2011. (Xinhua/Chen Duo)

Indonesia Exposure to Global Risk is Limited: IMF

Jakarta Globe, July 21, 2011

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Indonesia faces limited exposure to a large exit of foreign capital at a time of global risk aversion due to strong fundamentals and relatively low dependence on external demand, the IMF said on Thursday.

The International Monetary Fund cited the country’s strong export growth, including in manufacturing, and said the continued flexibility of the rupiah’s exchange rate would help protect against volatile cash inflows.

The comments come as Indonesia’s central bank tries to cap huge inflows of foreign cash from investors seeking higher interest rates than in the West, which it fears could trigger economic instability.

“Indonesian GDP growth is projected to remain robust at around 6.5 percent in 2011--12,” the IMF said in a statement following a consultation with Indonesian officials and central bankers.

“Increases in both foreign and domestic investment are supporting growth, while accelerating credit growth and expected reductions in energy subsidies should push core inflation modestly higher this year and into 2012,” it said.

The fund also urged Indonesia to reduce fuel subsidies so that it could boost spending on infrastructure and social welfare.

IMF, however, said there was a risk of higher inflation if the government cut energy subsidies, and that the central bank would need to “act decisively” if the government took that course.

Agence France-Presse

Indonesian ruling party to hold congress following revelation of corruption among senior officials

English.news.cn, by Abu Hanifah, 2011-07-21

JAKARTA, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian ruling political party, the Democrat Party, is scheduled to hold a two-day national congress Saturday following a high-profile corruption allegation that implicating senior officials at the party as confessed by the party's sacked treasurer to the media recently.

Allegation on the implication of Anas and several senior officials at the party in a high-profile corruption case rife in national media following the confession of former party's treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin about it was televised nationwide recently.

Nazaruddin, who is still at large after being declared a suspect in the corruption case that was said masterminded by Anas, said Anas bought the votes from the party's cadres that made him seized the chairmanship in the party's congress held November last year.

Nazaruddin also said that the money used to buy the votes came from bribes provided by contractors who were just awarded contracts to build national sport facilities in Bogor, West Java and dormitory building projects for the athletes contending in the upcoming regional sport event of SEA Games scheduled in Jakarta and Palembang.

In the testimony aired by local TV station MetroTV in the last two days, Nazaruddin said from his hideout that part of the money provided to buy the votes was retrieved from the state budget funds.

Nazaruddin has been declared a suspect by the country's anti-corruption commission for fixing all the project contracts to those contractors. He was suspected of receiving 13 percent of commission fee from total SEA Games athletes dormitory project that worth 200 billion rupiah (about 23 million U.S. dollars)

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the Democrat party's patron figure, has summoned Anas and several party's senior officials regarding Nazaruddin confession on Wednesday.

But none of them was willing to disclose the content of the meeting with the president who secured two maximum presidency periods with landslide votes in 2004 and 2009 elections.

Discourse on possible chairmanship replacement in the upcoming congress rife in national media as an effort to save the party's image before running in 2014 elections.

The party would no longer nominate President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as he had his maximum two presidency terms. The party has yet to find the correct figure to be nominated as its presidential candidate in the elections.

The Democrat party was initially established to usher Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a retired army general, to seize presidency.

The party gained massive votes in the last two elections, dominating the seats in the parliament that assuring adequate backup to the president's policies in running the country.

A political expert, Syamsuddin Haris, said earlier that the current high-profile corruption scandal make the party risk losing significant votes in 2014 election.

He said that the corruption scandal has eroded the public's trust on President Yudhoyono's party that strongly voiced anti- corruption drive during the election campaign.

Editor: Xiong Tong

Foreign Direct Investment in Indonesia Up 21% in Q2

Jakarta Globe, July 21, 2011

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Foreign direct investment in Indonesia rose 21 percent in the second quarter of 2011 from a year ago, as strong commodity prices attracted investors into the mining sector, the government said on Thursday.

FDI from April to June was Rp 43.1 trillion ($5 billion), which followed $4.6 billion of foreign investment in the first quarter, the country’s investment board (BKPM) said.

This took FDI in the first six months to just short of a half of its full year target for a record Rp 156 trillion this year. Last year foreign investment into Indonesia reached a record Rp 148 trillion.

Southeast Asia’s largest economy has been a hot destination for foreign investors in the past two years due to its resilient economic growth, abundant resources, emerging middle class and political stability.

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Law Enforcers Sign Whistle-Blower Protection Agreement

Jakarta Globe, Ulma Haryanto, July 19, 2011

Agus Condro, the whistleblower in the Miranda Goeltom Bank Indonesia
bribery scandal. (JG Photo/Safir Makki)  

   

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Top officials from Indonesian law enforcement institutions gathered at the Aryaduta Hotel in Central Jakarta on Tuesday to sign an agreement granting protection to whistle-blowers as an integral part in the fight against crime.

"This agreement is a joint commitment of law enforcement institutions to provide protection to whistle-blowers as justice collaborators," said Abdul Haris, chairman of the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK).

He was joined at the signing by Supreme Court Chief Justice Harifin A. Tumpa, Judicial Mafia Eradication Work Unit chief Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto, National Police Chief Timur Pradopo, Justice and Human Rights minister Patrialis Akbar, Attorney General Basrief Arief, and Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Busyro Muqoddas.

Protection for whistle-blowers, Haris said, was important in revealing corruption and other serious or organized crimes.

Judicial Mafia Eradication Task Force secretary Denny Indrayana added that his team, together with the LPSK, had pushed for a revision of the 2006 Law on Witness and Victim Protection.

"Through the joint agreement and international seminar we hope to have helped law enforcement officials understand the issues and speed up the revision process," Denny said.

It is unclear if the new agreement would affect the sentencing of the whistle-blower in the Miranda Goeltom Bank Indonesia bribery scandal.

The man who went public with the case, Agus Condro Prayitno, a former lawmaker from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), is serving a 15-month jail sentence for accepting a bribe in exchange for voting for Miranda as a Bank Indonesia deputy governor in 2004.

KPK, Surabaya administration promote anti-graft mentality through Integrity Fair

Ina Parlina, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 07/16/2011

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the Surabaya municipality organized the latest Integrity Fair as a means of promoting anti-corruption behavior.

The two-day event titled “Creating Integrity in Surabaya” held at Taman Surya, City Hall, opened today.

“We hope the event can promote the importance of integrity and challenge officials to improve the quality of public service,” KPK deputy chief Bibit Samad Rianto said Saturday.

The event also offers anti-corruption games for children to reinforce values at an early age.

“It is important to raise awareness and understanding of not tolerating corruption from an early age,” said Bibit. “We can teach them integrity from children’s’ games and stories.”

The Integrity Fair is a part of the KPK’s 2011 corruption prevention program. A similar event is currently being held in Bandung, West Java, after also being held in Palembang, South Sumatra and Makassar, South Sulawesi.

Kadin Says Renewables the Key to Heading Off Energy Crisis

Jakarta Globe, Faisal Maliki Baskoro, July 15, 2011

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The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has called on the government to show its commitment to developing renewable energy resources through regulations and pricing as the nation tries to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.

The government had yet to issue any regulations to set the price of renewable energy, which has hampered business plans for developing the resource, said Harry Salman F. Sohar, the deputy for new and renewable energy at the chamber, also known as Kadin.

“Renewable energy is still seen as an alternative, not a solution,” he said. “Developing renewables is necessary, and the government needs to be more serious about this.”

The importance of moving away from fossil fuels and natural gas for electricity generation has been acknowledged in legislation that prioritizes shifting energy use to new and renewable resources, including coalbed methane, nuclear, gasified coal, geothermal, solar and wind.

“There’s still a lack of regulation that is pro-renewables, especially on the pricing mechanism,” Harry said. “Kadin will form a working committee that will provide input to the government.”

Kadin, he said, will propose a feed-in tariff payment plan, which would pay those who operate renewable electricity systems for every kilowatt hour generated based on the cost of production by technology. That means homeowners who have solar panels installed on their roofs would be paid for the surplus electricity that is generated and transmitted to the power grid.

The FIT scheme is already widely used in Europe, Asia and Africa.

According to government data, Indonesia has up to 40 percent of the world’s geothermal reserves, with the potential to produce the equivalent of 28,000 megawatts.

Harry said countries had already committed to helping develop Indonesia’s renewable energy potential, including $364 million coming from the United States. Finland has also set aside $40 million to develop renewables in South Kalimantan and Riau, he added.

According to Shinta Widjaja Kamdani, Kadin’s deputy for the environment and climate change, the government needs to act on developing renewables because fossil fuel reserves could run out as soon as in the next 15 years, leaving the country with an energy crisis. “A major breakthrough needs to happen soon,” she said.

Indonesia’s oil reserves are estimated at 4.7 billion barrels, the equivalent of 15 years’ worth with average domestic consumption of 1,126 million barrels per day, she said, citing data from the BP Statistical Review of World Energy.

At the same time, the use of renewable energy by way of solar, wind and biodiesel has increased significantly over the past four years, she said, citing the International Energy Agency.

S&P warning puts damper on Eurogroup plans

Deutsche Wellle, 5 July 2011

Standard & Poor's is critical of
the banks' plans

The Standard & Poor's rating agency says a debt rollover plan pushed by French banks would amount to a default, putting a damper on European efforts to solve the Greek debt crisis.

French banks last week thought up what they figured was a really good plan: a debt rollover plan under which some of the Greek bonds would be voluntarily renewed when they become due, but on different terms, giving Greece some breathing space without actually reducing the amount owed to creditors.

German banks, which together with French banks and insurance companies are among the major holders of Greek debt, agreed to the plan - and so did the German finance ministry.

But the ratings agency Standard & Poor's warned on Monday that this option "would likely amount to a default under our criteria." The other two major rating agencies, Fitch and Moody's, did not react immediately, but it was expected that they could well come to a similar assessment.

S&P warning calls into question second bailout package

Since German banks have made it clear that any solution to the Greek debt crisis which rating agencies viewed as a default was not viable, that would call into question the voluntary contribution of banks and insurance companies to a second bailout package designed to help Greece through to 2014.

Eurozone finance ministers put off
deciding on a second bailout package
to help Greece

At the weekend, the finance ministers of the 17 eurozone countries put off a decision about such a bailout, which is expected to amount to 80 to 90 billion euros ($116 to 131 billion) because of conflicts over the extent of private sector involvement in the effort.

The eurozone ministers did sign off an 8.7 billion euros loan to Greece which is part of an 110 billion euros package agreed upon last year. Without this loan, the Greek government would have faced insolvency within weeks. But without a second bailout deal, a funding shortfall is imminent between 2012 and 2014.

Criticism grows louder of rating agencies' power

With the controversy surrounding a second bailout package due to the assessment of Standard & Poor's, criticism of the big rating agencies' power is growing louder.

ECB member Ewald Nowotny is
one of the rating agencies' critics

European Central Bank policymaker Ewald Nowotny told Austrian public radio that the rating agencies were placing obstacles in the way of those banks willing to contribute to Greece's financial stabilization.

The Bavarian finance minister, Georg Fahrenschon of the conservative Christian Social Union party, or CSU, told the German newspaper Passauer Neue Presse that the warning issued by S&P was "inappropriate." And Joachim Poss, finance expert for the Social Democrats in the German Parliament, told Deutsche Welle that the game the US rating agencies were playing had to make one "uneasy."

The three major rating agencies hold a collective market share of roughly 95 percent. Their special status has been cemented by law - at first only in the US, but then in Europe as well.

"The ratings from the big three were declared mandatory for European firms active in the US market," Thomas Straubhaar, the director of the Hamburg Institute of International Economics told Deutsche Welle.

The agencies rate the creditworthiness of companies and countries, as well as the quality of funds and stocks. Their assessment determines the conditions under which firms, banks or countries may borrow money on the capital markets.

"We can't have private companies, whose primary goal is maximizing profit, behaving like sovereign judges passing down opinions that are binding for disinterested third parties," Straubhaar said.

EU makes efforts to curb the influence of the three big players

Over a year ago, the heads of the state and governments of the 27 European member states called upon the Union's executive body, the European Commission, to come forward with proposals on how to supervise credit rating agencies. The Commission then proposed to set up a a new European supervisory authority, the European Security Markets Authority (ESMA).

The European Commission set up a new supervisory body for
rating agencies.

ESMA started work on January 1, promising to compel rating agencies to disclose the methodology of their ratings. But so far, the power of the big rating agencies appears unfettered.

Apart from calling for closer supervision of the big rating agencies, many European politicians have supported the creation of a European ratings agency. An independent European rating agency was indispensable, Bavarian finance minister Georg Fahrenschon said.

But economists are not so sure such a European agency would change much. "We don't need rating agencies to tell us that Greece is on the verge of bankruptcy," said Thomas Straubhaar. "A European agency would not be able change anything about this fact, nor could it correct it."

And Torsten Hinrichs of Standard and Poor's told Deutsche Welle investors were already free to place their trust in a whole range of agencies.

So even if a European ratings agency was to come into existence, it would still have to establish itself on the market and gain investors' trust.

Author: Andrea Rönsberg

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South Korean Firms Eye Indonesia as a Base

Jakarta Globe, SK Zainuddin | July 03, 2011

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As Indonesia’s economic stock rises, more global companies are looking for opportunities in Southeast Asia’s largest economy, including multinational firms from South Korea.

A growing number of Korean companies are looking to move their regional headquarters from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta, said Moon Jae-do, deputy minister for international affairs at Korea’s Ministry of Knowledge Economy.

In an exclusive interview with the Jakarta Globe, he said Korean companies were keen to invest in Indonesia and participate in the government’s new economic master plan, or MP3EI.

“Many large Korean companies are moving their regional headquarters to Jakarta,” he said. “Indonesia is a big market, and it’s growing fast and can become a manufacturing base for Korean companies.”

According to Moon, Korean companies plan to invest $12 billion in Indonesia over the coming years in industries such as steel, retail, finance and infrastructure. This figure includes the funds to be contributed by steelmaker Posco under its $6 billion deal with state-owned Krakatau Steel.

The joint venture to build one of the largest steel plants in the region broke ground in December. The first phase of construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2013.

“Posco is investing in steel plants in order to add value,” said Moon. “Korean companies are looking to bring new technology to Indonesia as they see that Korean technology can complement Indonesia’s natural and human resources.”

In May, Indonesia and South Korea signed a memorandum of understanding on economic cooperation in Bali. The countries agreed to foster partnerships in seven sectors, including industry, energy, agriculture and defense.

The deal was the first concrete action from Seoul following President Lee Myung-bak’s commitment to contribute to the Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesia’s Economic Development 2011-2025 (MP3EI) plan, which involves establishing six economic corridors, each with a specific focus.

With more than 1,300 Korean companies operating in Indonesia, the Korean business community is a significant force on the local business landscape. The vast majority of these companies are small- and medium-sized enterprises but increasingly, the chaebols , or larger conglomerates, are now looking at investing in Indonesia.

Apart from Posco, other chaebols that have announced new investment plans include Lotte Mart, Kiwoon Securities, Samsung C&T, LG International, Korea Western Power, Korea South East Power and the SK Group.

Moon noted that more Korean companies would head to Indonesia if Jakarta provided greater incentives and improved the investment climate. The key challenges, he said, were lack of infrastructure and complicated administrative processes.

“The Indonesian government is moving in the right direction as economic policies are more predictable and systematic.”

Moon stressed that if Indonesia wanted to attract more technologically-oriented investment, the government needed to provide greater incentives. This was Korea’s experience when the country started on its journey from being a poor agriculture-based economy in the 1960s to a modern industrialized nation.

“We try to give as much incentives [as we can], such as tax holidays, land allocation and establishing free economic zones to create a positive investment environment,” he added.

“The Korean economy has a good record in having such master plans since the early 1960s where we were able to mobilize resources systematically,” Moon said.

“With the new master plan, Indonesia can become a manufacturing base for Korean companies in the Asean region.”

RI posts record historical exports value in May

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 07/01/2011

Indonesia recorded a “historical” combined export value in May, totaling US$18.33 billion, an increase of 45.29 percent compared with May last year, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported Friday.

“This is a new record for exports, compared with the December 2010 figure, which stood at US$16.83 billion,” BPS head Rusman Heriawan told a press conference at his office in Jakarta.

Cumulatively, Indonesia's exports values in the January-May period reached $80.28 billion, an increase of 33.37 percent from the same period in 2010.

Rusman said the increase was attributable to the increases in both oil and gas and non-oil and gas exports.

“[In May 2011] non-oil and gas exports reached US$14.22 billion and oil and gas exports US$4.11 billion,” he said, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

Rusman added that coal and vegetable oil contributed the most to the increase in the non-oil and gas exports.

He also said that China was the top destination for non-oil and gas exports, followed by Japan and the US.

“The total value of exports to China was US$1.81 billion, to Japan $1.53 billion and the US $1.32 billion,” Rusman said.