The challenge of attracting investment in Jokowi’s first SEZ
By: Ardi Wirdana As the first special economic zone (SEZ) launched by President Joko Widodo, Sei Mangkei is a project the government is determined to get…
President Aung San Suu Kyi?
Most are familiar with the reason that Aung San Suu Kyi cannot be president of Myanmar. The current constitution of the country bars anyone with…
Indonesia: Finally taking public-private partnerships seriously?
By: Ardi Wirdana The Indonesian government has found grappling with the complexity of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) infrastructure projects difficult. Government officials admitted at an 2016 Infrastructure…
Malaysia must pursue real reform during bauxite mining moratorium
By Robert Held The tale of Icarus is known the world over. Daedalus, the master craftsman of King Midas, fashioned a set of wax wings…
Is Najib an asset or a liability to UMNO and Barisan Nasional?
By: Vanitha Nadaraj Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Razak is facing what no other prime minister in Malaysia has ever faced: international scrutiny as a…
Sunny days in Sunnylands? ASEAN goes to America
Next week on 15-16 February, US President Barack Obama will host a special US-ASEAN summit at the Sunnylands resort in California. It will be the…
Indonesia must look to neighbours for halal export inspiration
By: Ardi Wirdana Indonesia’s halal industry is looking to follow the footsteps of neighbours Malaysia and Thailand to become one of the world’s major halal product…
Vietnam: Same leader, but better for the neighbourhood?
By Loke Hoe Yeong Last week’s congress of Vietnam’s Communist Party re-elected Nguyen Phu Trong as its Secretary-General, de facto the most powerful position in…
Levy for foreign workers in Malaysia: Who will blink first?
By: Vanitha Nadaraj Malaysia never did resolve its foreign worker dependency issue and the newly revised annual foreign worker levy proves just that. What started…
What if we think of a different role for the Asean Community?
Within the region, it has been hard to escape the rah-rah over the establishment of the Asean Community, and in particular the Asean Economic Community…