Gary Dean - Posts

Indonesia 2020: Consolidate, and Respond

 – An open letter to my friends and clients in Indonesia.

The global economy has taken a blow, with volatility in exchange rates and commodity prices and mass unemployment. National monetary authorities have adjusted their predictions for economic growth in 2020-2021, with negative growth expected in 2020 and 2021. Many governments are implementing exceptionally large stimulus packages. As the international response continues to develop, we know that small and medium sized businesses in particular are facing significant challenges, to which they need to respond appropriately. No business in Indonesia will escape completely unscathed as a result of the pandemic. Businesspeople are planning and taking defensive actions in order to protect their customers, clients, employees, and themselves. Economic stimulus measures being implemented by the Indonesian government are targeting the economically weakest in the population, and this shou

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Gary Dean

 – From the West, Northward to the East

I was born and raised in Perth, Western Australia, in the pre-Sputnik era, and brought up in a mono-cultural English/British suburban environment. I am a Gemini and a Rooster. My MBTI is INFJ, my blood type B-, and I’m an Aspie. Here’s a snapshot of my genome. My life has largely unfolded across South East Asia, culminating in my migration to Indonesia in 1996. I am an Indonesian citizen. I have a reasonably diverse set of role models: Robert Sapolsky, Gotama, Germaine Greer, and

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Meet Gary Dean

 – A Jakarta Expat interview with Gary Dean

Parts of this interview were published in Jakarta Expat, March 2013 Jakarta Expat: So Gary, where do you come from, where did you grow up? Gary Dean: I was born in Perth, Western Australia in the pre-Sputnik era. I grew up in the northern suburbs of Perth. JE: How long have you been living in Indonesia and what brought you here in the first place? GD: I've lived in Indonesia continuously since 1996. Why did I come to Indonesia? Firstly and principally, because it was not Australia. Psychologically, Australia was choking me; it is an orderly, over-regulated, self-satisfied country that is in love with its own image. I desperately needed some disorder in my life; and Indonesia delivers this in truckloads! In Indonesia, absolutely nothing can be taken for granted. JE: So how did you get from studying Animal Husbandry to becoming the director and senior consultant for Ok

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Doing Business in Indonesia

 – From a Western Perspective

This is a modified version of a report commissioned by the East Asia Analytical Unit of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in July 2000, as part of a book entitled Indonesia: Facing the Challenge published in December, 2000. Views contained within this report are entirely my own and do not necessarily reflect views of EAAU, DFAT or any of its officers, past or present. Indonesia is not the easiest place in the world in which to do business. The 'World Competitiveness Scoreboard' currently ranks Indonesia at 45, only two places ahead of Russia (47), and in stark contrast to countries such as Australia (13), Singapore (2) and the US (1). Clearly, in terms of the measures used by the producers of this scoreboard, Indonesia at the moment is found severely wanting, with its potent brew of traditional cultures, bureaucracy, legal uncertainty and social instabi

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Javanese Santri Islam

 – Same, but very different

.ss { vertical-align: super; font-size: 75%; } The Western aversion and distrust towards Islam runs deep, in contrast to how 'friendlier' religions such as Buddhism, Confucianism and Hinduism are often considered.[1]  Even Westerners better informed about Islam can have their concerns, so it is probably not simply a case of a 'misunderstood' religion.  Many see Islam as an inherently undemocratic religion, placing restrictions on, for example, women's rights or freedom of religion.[2]  To assert that understanding leads to tolerance is not necessarily true.  Islam confronts many of the foundations of Western liberal-democratic culture, and by its very nature does not lend itself to being co-opted into the pluralistic, 'tolerant' frameworks of liberal Western societies. Islam in Java is extremely diverse in the manner of its expression, and highly variabl

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Joint Venture, or 100% Foreign-Owned?

[First published in OzIndo Vol 5 No 1, magazine of the Australia-Indonesia Business Council] Joint ventures (JVs) have long been the working foundation upon which foreign investment has entered many developing countries. In fact, in many countries JVs are the only way that foreign capital can be invested. A foreign company is therefore compelled to 'match up' with an appropriate local partner in order to smooth entry into that business environment. The thinking behind JVs is of course one of mutual benefit; benefit to the foreign company in terms of market access and access to the local conditions which make the country attractive to investment, and benefit also to the local participant, who is able to scale up their operation to world standards and gain tangible benefits such as profits, technology and international business experience. Until very recently JVs were

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Siapa yang pantas menjadi Presiden Indonesia Tahun Depan?

 – Satu Pandangan

Negara Indonesia adalah suatu negara besar kalau dilihat dari segi jumlah penduduknya. Catatan sejarah telah menunjukkan bahwa karena kekayaan alamnya yang besar telah menarik keinginan banyak bangsa asing untuk menguasai negara ini. Setelah 350 tahun di bawah penjajahan Belanda, 52 tahun yang lalu negara ini secara resmi memproklamirkan kemerdekaannya. Hakiki dari kemerdekaan itu sendiri bagi rakyat Indonesia adalah suatu kemerdekaan akan kebebasan dari kemiskinan, dan belenggu kebodohan dan kekuasaan yang secara tersirat termuat dalam pembukaan UUD 1945. Pada dasarnya hal ini telah menunjukkan esensi bangsa Indonesia akan pentingnya realisasi prinsip-prinsip demokrasi dalam tatanan kehidupan berbangsa dan bernegara. Sehingga secara tegas dinyatakan bahwa negara Indonesia adalah negara Republik dan demokrasi; yang mengandung arti bahwa kekuasaan pemerintahan adalah

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Madu Tri

 – suatu kisah asmara

Alkisah beberapa masa yang lalu hiduplah seorang laki-laki dan seorang perempuan.  Nama dari si laki-laki itu adalah Ari. Pada waktu cerita ini mulai dia merupakan seorang pemimpin dari suatu perusahaan yang sangat berhasil di suatu kota di bagian selatan di suatu negara.  Namun demikian, Ari tidak begitu puas dengan pekerjaannya itu. Dan dibalik keberhasilan dan harta kekayaannya, dia tidaklah bahagia. Nama perempuan itu adalah Tri. Sesungguhnya, Tri membenci nama ini. Hal ini membuat dia merasa sebagai orang awam yang kurang gengsi. Dalam kenyataannya, setiap orang yang mengenal Tri memanggilnya Madu Tri. Dia juga sungguh-sungguh tidak menyukai nama ini, tetapi paling tidak nama ini bukanlah nama kebanyakan. Selama hidupnya, Madu Tri suka sekali minum madu. Tanpa madu, hidup tidaklah punya arti baginya. Madu adalah hakikat dari eksistensinya. Suatu hal yang tidak bisa d

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Haruskah Indonesia menggunakan Tenaga Nuklir?

Keinginan Indonesia untuk membangun Pembangkit Listrik Tenaga Nuklir (PLTN) menimbulkan kegelisahan di seluruh kawasan Asia Tenggara dan Australia. Pemerintah Indonesia sudah memesan beberapa studi kelayakan untuk pembangunan PLTN berkapasitas 1.800 MW yang mungkin akan dibangun di desa Ujungwatu di Semenanjung Muria. Menurut laporan Kompas 31 Januari 1996, Pembangunan PLTN di sana akan dimulai tahun 1998 dan diharapkan mulai berproduksi tahun 2003. Kepulauan Indonesia — terutama pulau Jawa — dikenal mempunyai ketidakmantapan geotektonik. Oleh karena ini banyak orang di negara-negara tetangga Indonesia prihatin akan akibat-akibat yang mungkin timbul kalau ada kecelakaan yang disebabkan oleh gempa bumi atau letusan gunung berapi. Kecelakaan PLTN Chernobyl beberapa tahun lalu membuktikan bahwa debu radioaktip dari suatu kecelakaan PLTN bisa menyebar hingga beribu-ribu

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