CHARGE OF THE BULL BRIGADE

I have always had unbounded admiration for our brethren – the Javanese, the Sumatrans, the Achenese, Sulawesians, the Kalimantanese, the Ambonese et al.

This teeming nation of polyglot tongues has too many nooks and crannies in what is a vast archipelago of 18,307 islands that its vastness does not allow me to name all of them.

Disparate they may be, but internationally, they always appear to present a united front when the Indonesian flag is flown, especially in sporting combat. Witness any badminton, football or regional sporting jamborees and your cheering squad is invariably drowned by their vociferous contingent.

After the hour of 11:27am on Monday, I have another reason to envy them – they have a brand new President. By all accounts, Presiden Joko Widodo is THE MAN, a leader much of Indonesia had been waiting for.

Not that he won the election to become the 7th president of the Republic without raising a sweat – it was a battle in which no quarter was asked or given. The combatants came off quite bruised as their supporters and party machinery took to just about every trick in the book to outshout the other. Needless to say, there was some mud-slinging too.

Some of the more hilarious ones included the claims that Widodo was a non-muslim; and worse; was of Chinese descent.

His rival for the Presidency, Prabowo; had military record and fabulous wealth and almost regal family lineage to fall back on. He came for close scrutiny in the way his financial portfolio was built up, with past transactionss scrutinised to ferret out possible improprieties.

Thankfully, the jousting did not get out of control and it remained verbal, not physical.

The manner in which the election got under way was a salutary lesson for its neighbours. Voter fingers were dipped in ink to prevent fraud, without the machinations of various parties that struggled to understand its efficacy. There are other aspects – a presidential debate; is one; we others could do well to embrace.

Now that Widodo has been installed, we hope he delivers on the promises for which he was voted in. An Indonesia with its almost 250 million populace that is prosperous will only be good for regional fraternity. Malaysians who care to delve into history will hark back to a period when Indonesia under Soekarno was less than amiable towards what was then Malaya.

All that animosity has been banished into the dustbin of history and with Widodo in command, this part of the world can look forward to reap the `peace dividend;.

The business community in this country can do with the lift.

Talk about timing, but Bursa Malaysia chose the bearish market to run its inaugural Bull Charge. If you are familiar with the Rat Race that originated from the posse of Wall Streeters who started the original Rat Race in the United States back in 1987.

The market did not react too much to the budget presentation by the Prime Minster on Oct 10 – with some analysts indicating that the effect had already been priced in. So, soon after the PM finished his speech on Friday, the market closed and the traders packed off for the weekend.

Come Monday, the stock market failed to show much vigour; and it has not improved by much ever since.

Optimism may be on their side, but Bursa Malaysia which had collaborated with the Edge with its Rat Race since it made its debut in the year 2000 could well rue the choice of October for its Bull Charge.

Donning running vests and running something less than the full marathon distance may be the best distraction available in such a bear market for brokers and share traders who would otherwise be staring at screens with graphs marking downward spikes.

I know of some brokers and remisiers whose favourite toy is their big bike. With so much time on their hands, many in the share trading community take to their motorised toys with great vigour. Invariably they motor up and down the highway in a convoy – think tribalism?

But of late, there have been many accidents involving big bikes ridden in convoy. I am one of those who fail to understand the pull of such a dangerous pastime. And time and again I have been proven right. Only last Sunday news about one such convoy casualty where two big bikers were immolated following an accident.

Riding on two wheels have always been less safe than on four wheels. Riding in convoy increases the risks.