balinews
Donald Trump was running for the US presidency when he personally raised with senior Indonesian politicians the need to have a toll road completed in Indonesia to benefit a massive new resort development in which he later invested.
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A senior Indonesian politician who met Mr Trump in New York in 2015 has revealed to Four Corners that he made clear the project would only go ahead if the toll road was completed.
"He was saying that it's impossible without the toll road," Fadli Zon, the deputy speaker of Indonesia's Parliament, said.
Mr Zon, together with the speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Setya Novanto, met with then presidential-hopeful Mr Trump in September 2015 during the presidential primary campaign at Trump Tower in New York.
The meeting, unauthorised by the Indonesian Government, was held with the direct assistance of Mr Trump's new Indonesian business partner, Hary Tanoesoedibjo, known as Hary Tanoe.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-03/donald-trump-business-dealings-in-indonesia-four-corners/8669888
tintin
It is TOTALLY improper for the president of the US of A to be involved in real estate deals, or any other kind of business, at home or abroad, for obvious reasons. Aside from the huge business conflicts it rises, I would think that he would have enough on his plate with the affairs of his country and the welfare of his citizens! This is particularly true in the case of the present US president, whose intellectual and leadership qualities are rather limited (understatement!)
lush4111
I understand that it is improper, however, Look at it. It looks awesome and it's going to have a Formula One track! It will earn some of my tourist dollars, and whilst I acknowledge that most of them will go to him, it will create heaps of Indonesian jobs and boost the economy.
Also, did I mention that it's going to have a Formula One track!
Vrooom
davita
This project is worth keeping an eye on if interested in politics and power.
JKT Globe....
"[I]Billionaire-turned-politician Hary Tanoesoedibjo failed to show up to a police questioning on Tuesday morning (04/07) in an investigation over the threats he had allegedly sent to a prosecutor.
It was the first questioning scheduled for Hary after he was named a suspect in mid-June. He is accused of sending text message threats to an investigator from the Attorney General's Office working on a tax fraud case, in which Hary has reportedly been implicated.[/I]"
If he refuses three times he can be arrested...he has already been barred from traveling abroad.
tintin
lush4111 wroteI understand that it is improper, however, Look at it. It looks awesome and it's going to have a Formula One track! It will earn some of my tourist dollars, and whilst I acknowledge that most of them will go to him, it will create heaps of Indonesian jobs and boost the economy.
Also, did I mention that it's going to have a Formula One track!
Vrooom
Maybe you should also consider selling your mother, you might get a good price for her...enough to get yourself a Formula One track!
Mark
Formula One will never happen in Indonesia...too expensive and in nearly all cases the event loses huge money for the host (even in stingy Singapore, where they had the benefit of not having to build a race track). Anyway Hary, if he avoids prison, might want to reconsider the entire project as the Trump brand is not exactly popular in most places these days.
davita
Anyway Hary, if he avoids prison, might want to reconsider the entire project as the Trump brand is not exactly popular in most places these days.
hahaha...I think I saw on TV some people living in a Trump residential tower, somewhere in USA, tearing the name off the wall and replacing it...I'll try a search and edit if I find the details.
edit: didn't take long to search....and not the only place...also happened in Toronto.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-buildings-remove-president-elect/story?id=43579051
lush4111
tintin wroteMaybe you should also consider selling your mother, you might get a good price for her...enough to get yourself a Formula One track!
Believe me, If I could get enough for a Formula One track by selling her she would have been gone a long time ago!
But if it makes you feel better, when I go to the race annually, I will spend the money I get from selling her on local homestays, eating at local warungs and buying fake Formula One T-shirts from the lovely little ladies who want me to "look in their shop".:)
tintin
lush4111
Are you crazy? It's clear that he was looking for his Formula One car that he was going to drive back to the white House. Probably very disappointing for him to find out he was going in the stupid limo. No wonder he wants to build his own track!
tintin
lush4111 wroteAre you crazy? It's clear that he was looking for his Formula One car that he was going to drive back to the white House. Probably very disappointing for him to find out he was going in the stupid limo. No wonder he wants to build his own track!
In the future, I should refrain to jump to a conclusion hastily. Obviously, he was bewildered and unable to grasp what was happening in front of him, but who wouldn't be?
tintin
lush4111 wroteAre you crazy? It's clear that he was looking for his Formula One car that he was going to drive back to the white House. Probably very disappointing for him to find out he was going in the stupid limo. No wonder he wants to build his own track!
In the future, I should know better than to reach a hasty conclusion based on a superficial observation. All during his return flight to the White House, he had been drooling of expectation at the idea of his little hands grabbing the steering wheel of his beloved Formula One car and taking off, in a cloud of smoke of burned rubber, in front of an admiring crowd of onlookers. Obviously, reality caught up with him, and he was bewildered and crushed, but who wouldn’t be?
lush4111
In the future, I should know better than to reach a hasty conclusion based on a superficial observation. All during his return flight to the White House, he had been drooling of expectation at the idea of his little hands grabbing the steering wheel of his beloved Formula One car and taking off, in a cloud of smoke of burned rubber, in front of an admiring crowd of onlookers. Obviously, reality caught up with him, and he was bewildered and crushed, but who wouldn’t be?
Haha exactly. Its so clear how the world jumps to conclusions about the poor guy.
Although, knowing about how much he wants a Formula One track and also how much he wants to build the Mexico wall, I think that he should build the wall wide enough for some cars to race along the top, put in some corners and make it the most spectacular event on the planet! I'll even let him have the idea if he gets me some free tickets.
http://fortune.com/2017/06/23/fact-checking-donald-trump-solar-powered-wall/
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40363390
tel522
ha ha very good idea !
harryopal
Simply proving that a Formula One track would not make money won't stop it from going ahead. Think of the profit to be made in building the track and all that is associated with it.
The world is littered with enormous white elephant, super projects that still lie rusting in the sun. Never mind! The wheeler dealers get their money in the building stages.
spicyayam
I think the motivation for developing countries to host major events like this or the Olympics is more about prestige than direct economic benefit (and the extra brown envelopes).
harryopal
Well, that may very well be the motivation. You have exposed my cynical view of the world.
spicyayam
You can see the full episode here:
http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2017/07/03/4693993.htm
The weirdest pronunciation of inDOnesia i have ever heard.
Nydave
Formula 1 won`t happen in indonesia,just a couple of years ago an Singapore company announced plans to build a track in Bali,you can still see all about it if you google it,they said they had already secured the Australian super 8 ( i think thats what its called)to come race in Bali,and they hoped to attract the formula 1 motor bikes,it was all supposed to be up and running by 2015,,never happened,,and never will,because one of the regulations regarding f1 is that there has to be a hospital that can handle the types of injuries sustained in f1 no more than 15-20 minutes away by helicopter from the race track,last time i checked Singapore and Malaysia is more than 20 minutes away,because there is no hospital in Bali that can handle such injuries or if there is its too far from any proposed sites for building a track,
davita
I really hope you are right Nydave...the last thing Bali, and most of Indonesia, needs is some western idea of a theme park. The beauty of Bali, and other islands within the archipelago, was in its uniqueness and that is being eroded by greedy people with those stupid ideas. The next thing will be an ice hippodrome if we're not careful.
The latest advertising that RI is presenting on CNN Indonesia shows the real natural beauty of the country. My impression, however, is that there will be disappointment when the tourist finds the reality of the infrastructure does not befit the advert. It is fine for those adventurer or backpacker type tourist but they don't much benefit the economy. The more affluent who spend money want good toilets, clean hotels, safe ferries, reasonable roads and no 'nickel and diming' tourist traps that create a bad impression.
Indonesia could greatly benefit by inviting small cruise-ship operators to be based in the region. By collaborating and investing in moorage/dock facilities for small inter-island cruises, those well-heeled cruise passengers could have the best of both worlds and the Indonesian economy would benefit greatly. There would be no need to invest in huge structural changes like Trump's Tower ideas...all it would entail spending is on a dock, or some ferrying system, to get passengers ashore to spend their money on enjoying whatever unique things they wish to see i.e. nutmeg production, cloves, dragons, volcanic lakes, ceremonies, unique foods etc. and then they re-board their ship and enjoy those 5 star facilities before sailing away leaving no footprint......only their money to develop and raise the standard of living for the locals.
