Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

There is a rule of thumb to regional politics that if something appears too good to be true, then it usually is.

Indonesia - Southeast Asia's most populous country and the world's largest Muslim nation - may be well on its way to proving the exception.

Dec. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Indonesia has a scandal on its hands, and it involves gross domestic product.

That won’t sound too serious to observers worried about corruption or anti-pornography laws intensifying debates about Islam’s role in public. Yet what might best be described as the “4 percent crisis” is getting breathless press coverage.

That’s the dismal rate at which many expect the economy will grow next year. What, did someone say dismal? When you look around the world, it’s hard to think of a sizeable economy that might perform at even close to 4 percent.