RACHEL A.G. REYES
DAVID Henley, professor of contemporary Indonesian studies at the University of Leiden, just returned from a trip to Jakarta. He is not a man who is prone to exaggeration. Neither is he known for a particularly sunny outlook on life. He was born and raised in the north of England, where there is more rain than sun. He is a matter-of-fact man. So, when he talked about Jakarta’s MRT in an admiring tone, uncharacteristically bright with optimism, I was taken aback. “It’s shiny and amazing,” he gushed.