The Indonesian Rupiah: Money with Character & a lot of Zeros

By: Ed Caffin

Indonesian money surely isn’t the most practical. Most people carry many notes around in their wallets, because even for the smallest purchase, you’ll need thousands of rupiahs. It gets worse when you have to pay large sums of cash, and all those zeros start to make you dizzy. Also, well-used notes, like the 1,000 rupiah one, can look so much abused that I sometimes hesitate to pay with them. On the other hand, rupiah banknotes are, unlike those of most other countries, quite beautiful and interesting to look at. The Indonesian rupiah truly is money with character. Here are some facts and figures.

Why are rupiahs called rupiahs? The name rupiah comes from the Sanskrit word for wrought silver, rupya. The name was first used to denote a coin introduced by a 16th century ruler in Northern India. The coin obviously was silver based. From there, rupee or rupiah became a common name for the monetary unit in many countries along the Indian ocean, like India, Pakistan, Seychelles and Sri Lanka. And the name also made it to Indonesia.

Singapore Living Costs: Accommodation, Transportation, Food & Entertainment

By: Farah Ong

Try locating Singapore on the world map and you will see this little red dot tucked underneath Malaysia in the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. This little red dot may be the smallest country in South-East Asia, but it has now ranked the 3^rd most expensive city in Asia to live in, just after Tokyo and Osaka, beating Hong Kong.

Singapore has transformed from a small, chaotic seaport into one of the richest, cleanest, safest, efficient and most expensive cities to live in. This quick emergence from a third-world to a first-world nation has inevitably transformed the people’s mindset and expectations of worldly pursuits. From the laid-back inhabitants of island people to a city known for it’s materialistic culture obsessed with their pursuit of the 5C’s- cash, car, condo, credit card and country club.

Leasing Culture: from Cars to Sunglasses

By: Emma Kwee

Malls are the playground for most Indonesians. families, teenagers and couples spend their free time increasingly indoors, (window) shopping, lounging around at foodcourts or loitering around at arcade halls. It's not just window shopping though these days. Those who have visited Indonesia recently will probably have noticed the shiny, spanking brand new wagonpark that cruises the cities' congested thoroughfares. Small Japanese hatchbacks overtake imported 5-door Mercedes Benz, while bajaj (the traditional three wheeled taxi) seem to have become a rare sight.

What has happened? Have Indonesians suddenly all become rich?

Uneasy Money

By: Roy Simson, first published in Jakarta Expat

Gambling, like prostitution and corruption, is an age-old vice that is part of Indonesia’s culture. Despite being criminalized in the 1970s, the gaming industry is flourishing, thanks to protection from crooked politicians, military officers and police receiving a cut of the profits.

From maids buying Rp.1,000 black market lottery tickets, to Balinese betting passionately on cockfighting, to tycoons staking thousands of dollars on a roulette wheel spin, gambling appeals to a broad cross-section of Indonesians, although most are wise enough not to squander their money on illegal games of chance.

Opponents of gambling argue that it can cause financial ruin, divorce and moral decay. Supporters claim the government could be earning at least $1 billion a year to fund public infrastructure if gambling was regulated and taxed. Neighbouring Singapore is forecast to earn $6.4 billion from its two casinos this year, putting it on par with Las Vegas.