Will it Work? THE government recently began its program to address the economic slowdown by unveiling a wide-ranging economic policy package. Aimed specifi cally at jump-starting the business and industrial sectors, the packet reviews and revises more than 89 regulations that are expected to unblock bureaucratic and other impediments. But the devil is in the details, so analysts are reserving judgement until the two other parts of the economic stimulus package are also revealed. National: Haj Pilferage FORMER Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali, in the dock for suspicion of corruption while he was in offi ce, is now revealing that many public fi gures and politicians benefi tted from the special haj quota, including Megawati Soekarnoputri and her late husband Taufiq Kiemas. He also accuses former legislators of extorting him of Rp12.5 billion as compensation for approving his 2011 haj pilgrimage budget. Outreach: Defying Diabetes PREVIOUSLY ignored, but recognized today as the source of other major illnesses, diabetes in Indonesia is on the rise. Efforts nationwide are now being initiated to fi ght this disease. Earlier this year, the Health Ministry included a comprehensive program to combat diabetes in its 2015-2019 Strategic Plan. But communities are also taking the initiative in their own backyards. In Kapuas, South Kalimantan, with limited funds, Dr. Agus Nurohman set up the Diabetes Center and the Persadia Kapuas, to alert people on the dangers of diabetes while Harry Agusnar, a chemistry professor at the Sumatera Utara University in Medan, North Sumatra, discovered a home-made cure for diabetes, made of shrimp shells. Tempo English reports on the various efforts to defy this dreaded disease.

Keywords :
Indonesian Economic , Economic ,