The Badung government launched this week a new, comprehensive website as part of an e-government initiative to be more efficient and transparent to the public.

Featuring news, government and tourism information and a members’ area, the site is supported by a broadband internet connection enabling civil servants round-the-clock access, said Information Office head Ketut Karpiana at a ceremony on Wednesday launching the portal.

The site is on the world wide web at badung.go.id

SEMINYAK ~ For the fourth consecutive year, the Bali Film Center (BFC) will be attending the Busan International Film Commission and Industry Showcase (BIFCOM) - Asia’s premier film industry event for film commissions and production services - in South Korea from October 15-18.

The center will participate with more than 70 film commissions and film industry exhibitors to raise awareness of film making in Indonesia, it said in a statement.

“During the event, we will show footage of past projects that we have successfully assisted throughout Indonesia, as well as present general locations of the country,” BFC director Deborah Gabinetti told The Bali Times separately this week.

“Our office will be exhibiting together with fellow Asian Film Commissions Network (AFCNet) member countries from Thailand, Cambodia, China, Russia, Korea, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia,” she said.

Since its inception in 2001, BIFCOM has been held in conjunction with the Pusan International Film Festival and Pusan Promotion Plan. This year sees the launch of Asian Film Market, serving all aspects of filmmaking — sales offices, market screenings, buyer services, production and co-production services and financing - to transform Busan into the center of the Asian film industry.

Presenting seminars, workshops and demonstrations by industry professionals, including Business Models and Visions in Digital Cinema, BIFCOM showcases the latest filmmaking technology and location information on countries in the region.

During the event, AFCNet will jointly exhibit and hold its annual general assembly. Hosting a seminar on Supporting International Productions and the Challenges They Bring, AFCNet focuses on building and improving a system that rewards film productions shooting in Asia.

Gabinetti said the BFC does not receive any government funding and would be open to private-sector support.

“Although we are endorsed by the Ministry of Culture & Tourism, our office receives no funding and would welcome any sponsorship from the private sector to help in our efforts to actively promote the country, and Bali in particular,” she said.

SINGAPORE ~ The World Bank and IMF must act as “partners, not preachers” and stop sending in teams from Washington to find problems and prescribe solutions, Indonesia’s central bank chief said.

Central bank governor Mulyani Indrawati also said the sister institutions should refrain from attaching narrowly defined conditions to assistance.

While the IMF and World Bank’s experience can help, “the era is over when big missions are needed to fly out from Washington to diagnose our problems and suggest solutions all within two weeks,” Indrawati said on Tuesday.

In candid remarks at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) annual meetings in Singapore, she said the bank needs to work in partnership with local groups.

“We need more people on the ground who can work with us, side by side, at our pace, meeting our deadlines and facing our pressures,” she said, echoing a common criticism of the Bank and the IMF, which are both based in Washington.

“If you want to help us improve governance, start by changing the way the Bank works on the frontlines,” Indrawati said.

She said that if the Bank wanted countries to be open about corruption, then the institution needed to be more transparent about its graft investigations.

Indrawati said the World Bank should understand that many governments do not have perfect plans to improve governance.

Indonesia was among the countries that received multibillion-dollar bailouts from the IMF during the Asian financial crisis in 1997 but many of the conditions tied to the loans were criticized for exacerbating poverty in Southeast Asia’s biggest country.