Indonesia is the fourth most populous country on Earth and, since it is an achipelagic state situated in the tropics, one does not need to be a prophet of doom to realise it is more vulnerable than most to climate change.  Dealing with this growing threat, along with the ever-present seismic and volcanic ones, will only be possible with a good grasp of reality. 

The apparent tolerance of the current massive scale of environmental destruction in Indonesia is testament to the fact that corruption seriously distorts perceptions of reality.  It is, therefore, absolutely vital for the majority of Indonesians that corruption is eradicated.  There must be no compromise on this.

According to Oxfam:

• Poverty: 115 million Indonesian people are living on less than US$ 2 per day, and 32 million people at productive age are unemployed.

• Indonesia now owes at least US$ 144 billion or US$ 605 per capita and as a consequence has made downward adjustments to the national budget, cutting back on food subsidies, privatized state enterprises, and limiting spending on education, health and social services.

• Natural disasters and violent conflict in Indonesia, in the last three years, caused the deaths of 255,000 people, and 1.4 million people have been displaced.

For more information please see:

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Oxfam Great Britain Indonesia

 In fact, Indonesia has all the resources it needs.

It only lacks good schools, clean courts and clean government to be a prosperous and well respected nation.

All that is required is for Indonesians to want for their fellow citizens what they want for themselves and that, ultimately must be: humanity and justice.