Driving the Quiet Achiever : Indonesia Rides Global Commodities Boom

Indonesia, like China and India, evaded recession in 2009, in the depths of the global financial crisis. Instead, it grew by 4.5 per cent, then by 6.1 per cent in 2010, with 6.4 per cent growth expected for 2011. Trade Minister Mari Pangestu says Indonesia's per capita income has reached US$3,000 - the level at which an economy will take off, because there is the ability for the consumer to become a real force in economic development. Indonesia, she says, now has three hurdles in attracting more foreign investment - infrastructure, infrastructure and infrastructure - an issue directly addressed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in a Master Plan just released . . .