There is no problem excluding  Komodo. Komodo Island is already known to the world people.
Rudy
Jakarta

I had a quick look into the organization, New7Wonders, and have to say that there are a couple of question marks about their previous campaign, New Seven Wonders of the World. I got information about them easily from Wikipedia and a couple of newspaper stories, so anyone interested can too.
According to what it says on Wikipedia they are a Swiss-based, government-controlled foundation.
I would also doubt that countries like Brazil, America, New Zealand, and Australia, who have made quite a thing of promoting it on their tourism websites, would get involved in the New7Wonders of Nature campaign, if it was all a big fraud.
Either Indonesia’s Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik is telling lies or the New7Wonders Foundation is telling lies. New7Wonders Foundation says they never asked for the amount that is being claimed by Jero. They have made an official and very clear statement on their website.
Esbeyay
Bali

What everybody would like to hear from a rather emotionally responsive Mr. Jero Wacik, our
not very professional Culture and Tourism Minister is, did you or
did you not pledge Indonesia to host the declaration of the winners? Because quite clearly the New7Wonders organization is saying that someone did.
It sounds very much to me like a commitment was made without thought, with no planning, and now we are not able to deliver on that promise, something, of course, that is common inside our country — casually lying — but is not accepted by people outside.
US$45 million sounds like an extraordinarily large sum to me, and I seriously question that amount. Of course as a host there would have been vast revenues from various sponsors and an enormous boost to tourism, if planned properly, but this would certainly be beyond the capabilities of Jero and his department; they did after all take a year to come up with the underwhelming new Visit Indonesia slogan, “Wonderful Indonesia”.
What we don’t want to hear is some pathetic rambling diatribe that uses nationalism and false pride as excuses. Jero said: “When they threaten us, my nationalism is stirred. Why would I want to be threatened by an NGO like them?” Personally I find that an appalling statement for a politician and representative of Indonesia to make publicly.
Frankly, with a Culture and Tourism Minister like Jero, it is no wonder our whole tourism industry is a complete and utter farce.
Didi
Bandung

That is not the real story. The truth is that the Kupang officials demanded money to hold the event, over and above actual costs. Obviously, the New7Wonders Foundation refused. Please, get your facts right Mr. Minister.
Raja
Baa, East Nusa Tenggara

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