Nowadays, at any rate, the smiles of Indonesian people leave foreigners, be they first-time tourists or expatriates, guessing. The bureaucratic labyrinth they have to go through is full of people with broad, smiling faces, but the hospitality can quickly turn to hostility if the prospective investors refuse to provide "grease" money. Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik is right in asking ordinary people to flash their smiles in support of the government’s effort to boost tourism with Visit Indonesia Year 2008, which will be inaugurated by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Jan. Long proclaiming itself to be a friendly nation, Indonesia raised many eyebrows across the world when thousands of people went on a rampage and looted shops during the May 1998 riots, or killed each other in the ethnic conflict between the indigenous Dayak and migrant Madurans, and in the sectarian clashes between Muslims and Christians in Ambon and Poso. In many cases, nationalism has been hijacked to justify hostility to foreign investors, ironically at a time when Indonesia badly needs them to help the country overcome unemployment and eventually poverty. Foreign investors will commit to long-term involvement if both the Indonesian people and regulations are inviting and generous in terms of incentives. read more

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