pected to risen 14% to 2.26 billion from 1.98 billion a year earlier, and have increased 8.7% from $2.08 billion in February. Dow Jones Newswires, April 28, 2000

FIRST QUARTER FDI UP
JAKARTA -- Indonesia approved $807 million of foreign direct investment in  the first quarter of 2000, a 45% increase from the $555 million approved in the like period last year, state enterprise and investment minister Rozy Munir said May 4.  Speaking at a seminar on investment in Indonesia, Munir said the government approved 326 projects during the period.
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SOCIAL AFFAIRS

ECONOMIC CRISIS KEEPS CHILDREN OUT OF SCHOOL
JAKARTA, Apr 4 (IPS) - The prolonged economic crisis and limited financing have forced the Indonesian government to delay the completion of its nine-year compulsory education program for elementary and junior high school children. ''Whether we like it or not, the realization of the nine-year mandatory education program has to be delayed due to the current economic crisis,'' says Indra Djati Sidi, director- general of elementary and secondary education of the Ministry of National Education. Under the program, which was launched in 1994, children between seven and 15 years old are required to get grade school and junior high school education. In practice, it means all graduates of elementary school education, which was already mandatory, have to pursue their studies in the three-year junior high school program. Since the mandatory education program was introduced, Sidi says the number of children taking part in it continued to rise to up to 70 percent of children between seven and 15 years old. Data issued by the Ministry of National Education show the number of elementary and junior high school students went up steadily since 1990 before it decreased slowly in 1998, the second year of the economic crisis.

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POLITICAL AFFAIRS

JAKARTA TO PROPOSE DIRECT ELECTION FOR NEXT PRESIDENT
JAKARTA - President Abdurrahman Wahid said his government would propose direct elections for the posts of president and vice president in Indonesia's 2004 elections.  Mr. Wahid made the comments in a speech at a congress of the Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle, which is led by Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri. Mr. Wahid, who belongs to another party, said a direct presidential vote would more accurately reflect the people's will. ''In that way, we show our respect,'' Mr. Wahid said, to those ''who are of the opinion that the political system has deviated from the people's will.'' The presidential election in October was held by the People's Consultative Assembly, the national legislature known by the Indonesian acronym MPR. In that race, Mrs. Megawati lost to Mr. Wahid after her party won the parliamentary vote in June. Opinion polls suggested she easily would have won a direct presidential election. ''In the coming MPR session in August, the government will propose holding direct presidential and vice-presidential elections,'' Mr. Wahid said at the opening of the congress in central Java. Mr. Wahid said Irian Jaya Province would never be allowed to break away from Indonesia although its leaders were allowed to express their views on independence. Indonesia has faced calls for independence in Irian Jaya and another remote province, Aceh. Those calls have grown louder since a vote in East Timor in August to break away from Jakarta's rule.

Reuters / International Herald Tribune Tuesday, March 28, 2000

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