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My Jakarta: Hira Juwita Prabukusumo, Microfinance Advocate

2012-01-22T18:51:00.001+07:00

My Jakarta: Hira Juwita Prabukusumo, Microfinance Advocate

Hira Juwita Prabukusumo, the youngest daughter of Sultan Hamengkubuwono X’s younger brother Haryo Prabukusumo, is part of the royal family but she isn’t content just living a privileged life filled luxury. She has chosen to work and make her own way in the world.

Hira recently graduated from University of Gadjah Mada’s School of Architecture, and is working in Jakarta at Sampoerna Microfinance’s Business Development Division, where she finds fulfillment by helping people realize their dreams of owning a business and making a better future for themselves.

Why did you choose to get into microfinance?

I really love my job because although I am working in banking, there is an emphasis on society, especially the less fortunate people in Indonesia.

My job is not about helping the rich become richer but helping the less fortunate get out of from poverty in a creative yet independent way.

As soon as I graduated from university and I saw this job opportunity, I applied for it. Now people understand that microfinance is actually an excellent way to help people to get out of poverty in a creative community-based way using local commodities. And also, microbusinesses don’t feel the impact of the global financial crisis.

However, in order to keep helping people, we can’t just give them money because they might not be using it properly. We offer them a soft loan, which they have to eventually pay back. This way it encourages the owners to work hard to develop their business.

In addition to all of that, microfinance largely helps women and children, who tend to be the victim of domestic violence when a poor family is facing a financial problem.

Coming from Yogyakarta, how do you like Jakarta?

Jakarta is the capital city, the center of activity and business, it is a place where most decisions and policies are made. If I have an idea and I want it to be implemented on the regional level, I think I have to work in Jakarta because if my idea is accepted, it can be spread throughout the nation from here. If I were working in the regional level and I had an idea, it would likely stay in one place.

As a member of the royal family, why didn’t you take it easy or use your family connections?

I have been asked this question and similar ones over and over again. Even worse, is when people say things such as ‘Of course, you can study in UGM because you are part of the royal family.’ Many people only look at my background, not at me as an individual. Therefore, I want to show people that I can stand on my own two feet. I want to show people that I have developed my own skills and abilities.

So I left Yogyakarta and looked for a job at a place where none of my family members were also working.

Surprisingly, my boss told me that I was doing a good job and I was promoted after just three months at Sampoerna. I was really glad.

How important is it to you to be part of the royal family?

Even though I want people to see and know me as an individual, I would say that royal family member status is still important to me because it is part of my culture and I do not want to dismiss it.

What do you think about Jakarta?

Jakarta is such an unorganized city especially in terms of transportation infrastructure and also security.

Last August, I saw a gunman in the middle of a traffic jam one afternoon near the Senopati area. The gunman was mad at a driver and he was firing his gun into the sky as a form of intimidation. Can you believe it happened in the late afternoon when the sun was still out and in the middle of traffic? It was so shocking.

Other than safety concerns, I think people’s skills are not really appreciated here and they don’t get a fair salary even the living cost in Jakarta is so high.

However, there is always two sides of a coin. Although Jakarta is such an unorganized city, it is also a great place for people to build their careers and increase their knowledge because everyone is here. You can meet all kinds of people with different kinds of knowledge, backgrounds and opportunities to offer.

Are you interested in politics like many of the other members of the royal family?

No! Not at all! Politics is cruel. It is full of intrigue and you will never know who your friends are or who your enemies are. I have seen it and I am not interested. It would be better for me to create something real which has a positive impact for people, especially the less fortunate ones, such as establishing a business and hiring people so that they can earn a living. I see that politics is only about money. I do not want to be so selfish and work to only benefit myself.

Hira Juwita Prabukusumo was talking to Elisabeth Oktofani.

How Positive Coverage Can Be Bought: An Insider Tells of Dirty Journalists

2011-11-11T10:19:00.000+07:00

How Positive Coverage Can Be Bought: An Insider Tells of Dirty Journalists

Danu Pratama (not his real name) has worked as a journalist for nearly seven years, covering beats ranging from technology and politics to human rights and legal issues.

During that time he has also taken bribes from sources and others to “play up issues in the media,” essentially presenting deliberately biased or inaccurate news stories to benefit those paying him.

“We can play up any issue in the media, especially political, legal and economic issues, because politicians, law enforcement officials and businessmen are willing to spend a lot of money to attack their rivals through the media and make them look bad,” Danu told the Jakarta Globe on Thursday.

He said his demands for bribes ranged from Rp 7.5 million ($830) into the hundreds of millions, depending on the urgency of the issue, who the source was and whether they wanted an issue manipulated in print, broadcast or online media — or all three.

“I never play up an issue alone, because then it’d become obvious,” he went on. “I usually work with a team of five other journalists, where I act as the coordinator and make the deal with the source. I assure you that even the so-called cleanest media outlets have journalists who have taken part in this ‘mafia’ practice.”

As shocking as Danu’s revelation is, senior media figures say this culture of strings-attached reporting is the norm in Indonesia, fueled by a liberal official stance on bribery and a largely underpaid press corps.

“Government institutions and companies often allocate a portion of their budget to a media development fund that provides journalists with so-called transportation money,” said Nezar Patria, chairman of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI).

“They maintain a list of journalists covering their beats, whom they usually give anywhere from Rp 250,000 to Rp 1 million each. Unfortunately, this money is often accepted by journalists who work for less-than-credible media outlets that don’t pay them well.”

Nezar said AJI and the Press Council had for the past 15 years been campaigning against the practice of journalists taking bribes. “Indonesian journalists and the media have taken part in the fight because they understand the importance of not losing our sense of objectivity when reporting a story,” he said.

“That commitment can be seen in every media outlet, which all state that journalists may not receive any gifts or money.”

He added that this value was clearly enshrined in the journalistic code of conduct.

“Other than compromising a journalist’s objectivity, receiving a gift or a bribe will harm the wider profession because it needs to be understood that journalists are agents of information between the state and public,” he said. “A journalist must convey only the truth because society has a right to know the truth.”

Agus Sudibyo, a member of the Press Council, agreed.

“But we can’t accuse any journalists of doing this unless we have evidence, such as phone recordings,” he said.

“If the Press Council does receive evidence that a journalist has taken a bribe or a gift, we will notify the media outlet or their journalists’ association.”

Let’s Go Past ‘Vain’ Facebook: Official

2011-11-10T10:18:00.000+07:00

Let’s Go Past ‘Vain’ Facebook: Official

Indonesia may have the highest number of Facebook users in Asia, but the Internet needs to be used for more than just cheap sensation and navel-gazing, an official said on Wednesday.

There were 38.6 million Facebook users in the country as of last December, according to the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology. It was just shy of the 39.7 million people it said had access to the Internet.

More recent statistics from independent analysts put the country’s current Facebook population at 40.8 million.

Ministry official Freddy Tulung said that although the high figure was “a positive thing,” Internet use in the country needed to be directed toward more substantial purposes.

“Are we willing to just keep using Facebook as a platform for cheap thrills and narcissism?” he said. “We want people to make much broader use of the Internet, which is about more than just chatting.”

In addition to having the second-biggest Facebook population on the planet, behind only the United States, Indonesia is also the No. 3 source for all tweets on Twitter, after the United States and Brazil.

A Nielsen report earlier this year found that 48 percent of the country’s Internet users accessed the Web through their cellphones, with almost 90 percent of tweets sent from mobile devices.

A business lobby, however, said more needed to be done to clear up the 3G cellular spectrum to improve mobile Internet access and services.

Mas Wigrantoro Roes Setiadi, from the Indonesian Telematics Community, urged the ministry to pass a long-awaited regulation on tidying up the 3G spectrum.

The regulation would require Telkomsel, the country’s biggest cellular operator, to shift its spectrum to line up more neatly with other operators.

The ministry has given Telkomsel until the end of the year to comply.

Greenpeace Cries Foul as Eviction Papers Are Served

2011-11-10T10:13:00.001+07:00

Greenpeace Cries Foul as Eviction Papers Are Served

Environmental group Greenpeace has lashed out at the Jakarta administration’s decision to seal off its office for zoning violations, calling the move just the latest attack in a corporate-backed smear campaign against the organization.

Greenpeace Southeast Asia media campaigner Hikmat Soeriatanuwijaya said the group had been unfairly targeted.

“The continued attacks against Greenpeace started when we launched our global campaign against Asia Pulp and Paper by exposing evidence of APP forest destruction in early June this year,” he said.

He declined, however, to say who Greenpeace believed was behind the smear campaign.

“Although we know who it is, we don’t want to mention the particular company or party because we don’t have a capacity to investigate it,” Hikmat said.

The statements came as the Jakarta Building Control and Monitoring Office (P2B) said it had served notice to Greenpeace on Wednesday about the closure and would proceed with sealing off its office on Jalan Kemang Utara in South Jakarta next Monday.

Agus Supriyono, P2B’s head of enforcement, said the office had been built in an area designated for residential buildings only.

“Like any other building that violates regulations, we will have to seal off this building,” he said.

“We will only unseal it once the building owners have restored it as a residential property. So that means that come Monday, Greenpeace must stop all activities at its office.”

Agus denied that his office had been pressured by outside parties to move against Greenpeace, calling the matter a simple zoning issue. He added that an office building next to the Greenpeace office would also be sealed off.

However, several other office and commercial buildings on the same street have been allowed to operate as usual.

“We don’t have a problem with Greenpeace. We’re just doing our job, which is to enforce zoning regulations and take measures against violating buildings,” Agus said.

“If Greenpeace wants to relocate its offices, they’re welcome to do so, just as long as they do so in an area where it’s permissible.”

Widyo Dwiyono, head of the South Jakarta P2B office, echoed the point that the entire Kemang area was designated as a residential zone, making it imperative that Greenpeace move.

Kemang is also home to scores of restaurants, bars, nightclubs and shops, very few of which have ever been sealed off or cited for zoning violations.

Hikmat said Greenpeace found it humorous how its “persecutor” kept coming up with different ways of attacking the organization, including past allegations that it was funded by lottery money and that it was intent on stalling Indonesian economic development by attacking the country’s palm oil industry.

“We’re not against the palm oil industry, nor do we want to stop Indonesian economic development,” he said. “All we are asking for is responsible industrial practices by implementing sustainable industrial development rather than destroying and exploiting the rainforest.

“It needs to be understood that Greenpeace’s campaigns focus on saving the Indonesian rainforest, hence we continue to urge all companies to save the rainforest through sustainable industrial development.”

Hikmat added that Greenpeace was aware it faced opposition to its work, but said attacks and pressure would not stop it from campaigning for better environmental stewardship.

“We just hope that the media and society don’t get the wrong idea about our mission in Indonesia because we just want to save the Indonesian rainforest,” he said.

Last month, a Greenpeace UK forest campaigner was deported from Indonesia for reasons that were never made clear. That incident took place less than a week after the Greenpeace UK director was denied entry into the country despite arriving with a valid visa.

Nur Hidayati, head of Greenpeace Indonesia, said at the time that the group was “coming under attack in Indonesia because of our work to stop deforestation in the country.”

Lawmakers and religious leaders have publicly questioned the source of the group’s funding, while hard-line groups have claimed it is working in the country illegally because it is not registered with the Jakarta administration.

Critics of Greenpeace have also accused it of targeting APP while ignoring foreign companies that operate in Indonesia. APP, though, is foreign, being based in Singapore.

Kemang Bar Faces Questions After Fatal Stabbing of Youth

2011-11-07T15:40:00.000+07:00

Kemang Bar Faces Questions After Fatal Stabbing of Youth

Elisabeth Oktofani, Ismira Lutfia $ Zaky Pawas

Following the fatal stabbing of a high school student at a nightspot in South Jakarta’s trendy Kemang area, a children’s rights activist demanded that the nightclub be held responsible and called on the victim’s school to evaluate its teaching practices.

Arist Merdeka Sirait, the chairman of the National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas Anak), said on Sunday that the owners of SHY Rooftop should have had rules in place to keep out people under the age of 18.

“The nightclub owners should be held responsible for the stabbing of the Pangudi Luhur high school student because they didn’t enforce this law,” he said.

Arist said Pangudi Luhur students had a reputation for getting involved in brawls, indicating there was a need to evaluate the school’s teaching practices.

“As an educational institute, the school has to focus not only on its students’ academic achievements, but on molding their behavior,” he said.

However, whether the 17-year-old victim, Raafi Aga Winasya Benjamin, should have been allowed into SHY Rooftop may not be a clear-cut issue.

In Jakarta, the minimum age to be allowed into a nightclub is 17, and there is no age limit to enter restaurants.

Arie Budiman, the head of Jakarta’s Tourism and Culture Office, told the Jakarta Globe on Sunday that the permit given to the establishment classified it as a restaurant, bar and live music venue, meaning there is no restriction on who is allowed to enter.

He said the presence of a bar serving alcoholic beverages was part of the restaurant and there was a generally enforced minimum age limit of 17 to consume alcohol.

Yuan Kusuma, who manages several venues that operate nightclubs after 10 p.m., said the policy of keeping out younger patrons was in the hands of managers.

“You need to be 21 or over to get into one of my places,” he told the Globe. “However, before 10 p.m., anyone can dine at the restaurant and we check IDs before letting people in.

“I don’t know about other venues, but we drew up this policy ourselves and stick to provincial by-laws,” Yuan added.

He said that apart from checking IDs, his staff also frisk patrons and inspect the contents of their bags to check for weapons.

However, he admitted that the 21-and-over rule was difficult to enforce with women.

“Makeup can make a woman look older than she is,” Yuan said, adding that the rule was also flexibly enforced for women in a bid to drive up business.

“The more sugar there is, the more ants there are,” he said.

South Jakarta Police Sr. Comr. Imam Sugianto said officers were questioning 12 witnesses as part of its investigation into the circumstances behind the stabbing, which took place early on Saturday morning .

“The witnesses include patrons, friends of the victim, security guards and management personnel at the venue,” he said on Sunday.

Police are also studying closed circuit TV footage from the night. “We’re still analyzing the footage, hopefully it will give us more leads,” Imam said.

Raafi and about 20 friends arrived at SHY Rooftop at 11 p.m. on Friday for a birthday celebration. “They had drinks, but did not get drunk,” Imam said.

He added that at around 2 a.m. on Saturday, Raafi got into an argument with six other patrons at the venue.

“We’re still not sure whether Raafi or his friends knew the people he was arguing with,” Imam said.

The argument escalated into a fight and Raafi was stabbed in the stomach, presumably with a knife. Imam said that at about 3 a.m., Raafi’s friends took him to a hospital in Pasar Minggu, but he died from blood loss.

His body was taken to Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital for an autopsy.

“We’re still waiting on the official results,” Imam said, adding that police were also still searching for the murder weapon.

He criticized the management of SHY Rooftop for not notifying police of the incident immediately and said that by the time officers arrived, the scene of the crime had been cleaned.

“They had mopped up the blood and rolled up the carpet,” Imam said. “They have destroyed evidence, which is a crime.”

“They did not file a police report,” he added. “We only learned of the stabbing after being informed by Raafi’s friends.”

Imam said police would distribute a letter to the managers of all nightspots and would add a new clause to the permits of new nightspots.

“We’ll follow up on getting a clause in the permits of existing venues obliging them to notify police of such incidents,” he said.

Shy Rooftop Wajib Tanggung Jawab

2011-11-06T15:38:00.001+07:00

Shy Rooftop Wajib Tanggung Jawab

Shy Rooftop seharusnya membuat peraturan yang ketat. Anak dibawah usia 18 tahun tidak dapat masuk ke tempat hiburan malam.

Pemilik Shy Rooftop Kemang wajib bertanggung jawab atas kasus penusukan siswa SMA Pangudi Luhur Raafi Aga Winasya Benjamin (17) hingga tewas. Sementara SMA Pangudi Luhur perlu melakukan evaluasi sistem belajar mengajar.

Arist Merdeka Sirait, Ketua Komisi Nasional Perlindungan Anak, mengatakan bahwa anak dibawah usia 18 tahun tidak boleh masuk ke tempat hiburan malam.

"Selain harus memahami sebuah tempat hiburan malam tidak boleh memekerjakan anak dibawah usia 18 tahun sesuai dengan Undang-Undang Ketenagakerjaan, tempat hiburan malam juga harus melarang anak dibawah usia 18 tahun untuk masuk ke tempat seperti itu dengan peraturan yang ketat," kata Arist, kepada beritasatu.com, hari ini.

"Oleh karena itu, dalam kasus penusukan siswa SMA Pangudi Luhur tersebut pemilik kafe wajib untuk bertanggungjawab karena tidak adanya peraturan yang ketat tersebut," imbuh dia.

Arist juga mengungkapkan selama ini SMA Pangudi Luhur memang terkenal sebagai sekolah yang sering berantem sehingga pihak sekolah wajib untuk mengevaluasi dirinya.

"SMA Pangudi Luhur kiranya perlu untuk dievaluasi kembali. Sebagai lembaga pendidikan, SMA Pangudi Luhur seharusnya tidak hanya mengedepankan prestasi akademiknya semata tetapi juga memperhatikan perilaku siswa," tandas Arist.

Ekstremisme Islam Muncul Karena Hukum Tidak Ditegakkan

2011-11-05T17:41:00.002+07:00

Ekstremisme Islam Muncul Karena Hukum Tidak Ditegakkan

"Indonesia saat ini sedang dalam keadaan terpuruk karena hukum tidak dijalankan sebagaimana mestinya dan rakyat tidak dilatih untuk berperilaku disiplin," kata Ali.

Lemahnya penegakan hukum telah mengikis kedisiplinan rakyat Indonesia, dan situlah berkembang kelompok-kelompok ekstremis, demikian dikatakan Ali Mustafa Yaqub, Imam Besar Masjid Istiqlal, di Jakarta, hari ini.

"Indonesia saat ini sedang dalam keadaan terpuruk karena hukum tidak dijalankan sebagaimana mestinya dan rakyat tidak dilatih untuk berperilaku disiplin," kata Ali.

Sesungguhnya toleransi antar umat beragama di Indonesia sudah cukup bagus namun belum ideal, karena banyak oknum yang melakukan hal-hal yang dapat menyebabkan munculnya pergesekan antar umat beragama.

"Munculnya oknum-oknum yang melakukan hal-hal yang dapat menyebabkan adanya pergesekan antar umat beragama karena hukum tidak dijalankan dengan benar, ada orang salah namun tidak hukum. Padahal peraturan sudah ada namun pelaksanaanya belum dilaksanakan dengan benar," kata Ali.

Selain itu, Ali menuturkan bahwa munculnya kaum ekstrimis di kalangan Islam disebabkan karena oknum umat Islam tersebut belum mempelajari Islam secara utuh.

"Ada ajaran Islam yang mengajarkan bagaimana menghadapi situasi perang dan bagaimana menghadapi situasi damai. Kalau yang diambil hanya ayat tentang perang saja maka dapat menyebabkan seseorang menjadi ekstrimis," jelasnya.

"Sehingga umat Islam harus mempelajari Islam secara utuh dan jangan mempelajari Islam sepotong-sepotong saja. Dan ini kembali pada peran serta ulama juga," kata Ali.

Berebut Daging Kurban Fakta Kemiskinan Tinggi

2011-11-05T17:39:00.000+07:00

Berebut Daging Kurban Fakta Kemiskinan Tinggi

"Tingginya tingkat kemiskinan tersebut merupakan masalah nasional yang perlu dihadapi bersama," kata Ali.

Fenomena berebut daging kurban di setiap hari Raya Idul Adha harus dicermati bahwa tingkat kemiskinan di Indonesia masih tinggi.

"Rebutan dalam pembagian daging kurban sering menjadi potret tahunan yang kita saksikan. Namun, potret tersebut harus dicermati dengan baik sebab potret tersebut menunjukkan masih banyaknya orang miskin di Indonesia," kata Ali Mustafa Yaqub, Imam Besar Masjid Istiqlal, di Jakarta, Jumat (4/11).

"Tingginya tingkat kemiskinan tersebut merupakan masalah nasional yang perlu dihadapi bersama," kata Ali.

Pada Maret lalu, data Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS) menunjukkan bahwa jumlah penduduk miskin di Indonesia adalah sebanyak 30.02 juta orang pada tahun 2011.

BPS menetapkan bahwa seseorang dikatakan sebagai orang miskin apabila mereka memiliki tingkat pengeluaran sebesar Rp 211,726 per bulan atau sekitar Rp 7,000 per hari.

Sedangkan Bank Dunia menetapkan bahwa seseorang dikatakan sebagai orang miskin apabila mereka memiliki penghasilan sebesar 2 USD per hari.

"Kriteria penduduk miskin yang ditetapkan oleh BPS sangatlah rendah sehingga jumlah penduduk miskin nampak sedikit. Padahal, apabila kita menggunakan kriteria miskin yang ditetapkan oleh Bank Dunia maka jumlah penduduk miskin di Indonesia sangat tinggi," tutur Ali.

Ibadah Sosial
Ali mengatakan bahwa untuk mengentaskan kemiskinan yang ada di tengah masyarakat, diperlukan keterlibatan masyarakat pada umumnya termasuk umat Islam sebab Islam merupakan agama yang mengedepankan ibadah sosial.

"Meskipun Nabi Muhammad memiliki kemampuan untuk naik haji tiga setiap tahun, beliau hanya melakukan satu kali saja sebab beliau lebih mengedepankan ibadah sosia. Beliau lebih memilih untuk berinfaq ribuan kali sebagai wujud ibadah sosial," jelasnya.

"Namun sayangnya, hal ini belum banyak ditiru oleh umat Islam karena mereka lebih banyak memilih untuk umroh dan naik haji berulang kali daripada mengentaskan kemiskinan." kata Ali.

Ali mengatakan bahwa peran serta ulama sangat diperlukan untuk mengubah sudut pandang tersebut.

"Ulama harus memberikan contoh tentang perilaku Nabi Muhammad terhadap umat Islam. Hal ini dikarenakan orang awam tidak dapat memahami langsung teks hadis atau Al-Quran." Jelas Ali.

"Perilaku Nabi Muhammad adalah berhaji satu kali namun berinfaq ribuan kali." Imbuhnya.

Lebih lanjut, Ali menuturkan bahwa tak dapat dipungkiri bahwa masih banyak oknum ulama yang lebih mengejar kesalehan individual dengan berhaji berulang-ulang sementara potret kemiskinan ada di setiap sudut.

"Sekarang, banyak ulama yang memberikan contoh untuk mengejar kesalehan individual. Padahal Islam bukan agama yang demikian karena Islam lebih menekankan kesalehan sosial," ujarnya.

Ulama Komersial Perlu Dibina
Sementara itu, Ali mengatakan bahwa para ulama komersial yang akhir-akhir semakin marak muncul di berbagai media

"Ulama komersial tersebut sesungguhnya bukan seorang ulama karena seorang ulama hendaknya membimbing dan memberi contoh umat Islam untuk tidak mementingkan diri sendiri." Jelasnya.

"Memang tidak dapat dipungkiri bahwa sebagai seorang ulama memiliki kebutuhan pribadi yang perlu dipenuhi. Namun perilaku untuk menjual agama tidak dapat dibenarkan bahkan mereka perlu untuk dibina," imbuh Ali.

SBY akan Sholat Ied di Istiqlal

2011-11-04T17:38:00.000+07:00

SBY akan Sholat Ied di Istiqlal

Panitia kurban telah menyiapkan kurang lebih 3.000 hingga 5.000 kupon pengambilan daging kurban bagi orang miskin.

Pemerintah telah menetapkan Idul Adha jatuh pada Ahad, 6 November 2011.

Sholat Ied di Masjid Istiqlal, Jakarta, akan diselenggarakan pada pukul 07:00 WIB, dipimpin oleh Ustad Husni Ismail.

Rencananya, Sholat Ied tersebut akan dihadiri oleh Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) dan Wakil Presiden, beserta kurang lebih 200.000 umat Islam.

Sementara itu, Ali Mustafa Yaqub, Imam Besar Masjid Istiqlal, mengatakan Masjid Istiqlal telah menerima 70 ekor sapi dan 10 ekor kambing hingga Jumat siang.

Panitia kurban telah menyiapkan kurang lebih 3.000 hingga 5.000 kupon pengambilan daging kurban bagi orang miskin.

Unions Worldwide Back Papua Strike

2011-11-04T01:09:00.001+07:00

Unions Worldwide Back Papua Strike

Unions both local and international have voiced support for their colleagues in Papua and defended wage demands by striking Freeport miners as justified, considering the mine’s remote location.

“We are one big family, and we fully support the struggle of our comrades, the workers at Freeport who are fighting for their welfare through fair and just wages,” said Subiyanto, general secretary of the e nergy, chemical and mining branch of the All-Indonesian Workers Trade Union (SPSI).

“A raise in Freeport workers’ wages to $7.50 per hour makes sense because of the high living costs in Papua,” he added, speaking in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The same sentiment was echoed by Dick Lin, the information and campaign officer at the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions (ICEM).

“A wage rise as desired by Freeport’s employees is reasonable because the mine is located in a remote area, which tends to have high living costs,” Lin said in Jakarta.

Subiyanto said that wages in Indonesia were frequently automatically based on regional minimum rates.

“The problem we must highlight is that an employee’s remuneration tends to be set with reference to the minimum wage in that district or city,” he said.

Since Sept. 15, around 8,000 workers at the Grasberg mine in Papua have been striking after failing to reach agreement on wages and working conditions.

The mine is owned by US company Freeport and jo int venture partner Rio Tinto, a British-Australian mining company.

The national branch of the SPSI has stressed that the government must play a constructive role in helping settle the dispute.

“We ask the government of the Republic of Indonesia as the mandated authority to quickly take action to end the strike by encouraging both sides to undertake constructive negotiations in good faith,” Subiyanto said.

Another union activist, Airan Koibur, said one reason an agreement had not yet been reached was that Freeport had not been sufficiently transparent with the Papuans.

“In previous negotiations, we asked management to be open with us about the company’s profitability, because for the duration of the past 16 joint work agreements we have not felt any improvement,” Airan said.

“We see our demands as very responsible because it relates to the workers’ welfare.”

He went on to say that the workers had lowered their demands as many as five times.

Initially, they had requested a wage hike to $35 per hour. They subsequently reduced the demand to $30, then $17.50, $12.50 and ultimately to the current level of $7.50.

“We don’t understand why they find this unacceptable and say they’ll only increase wages by 30 percent from the current level of $2.10 per hour,” Airan said.

According to the agreement made on Monday, striking workers will meet their bosses again next week on Nov. 7, with the government playing a monitoring and facilitating role.

Any potential agreement reached by negotiators will need to be voted on by all striking workers.

Kondisi Papua Dasar Kemenhan Susun RUU Kamnas

2011-11-03T17:46:00.000+07:00

Kondisi Papua Dasar Kemenhan Susun RUU Kamnas

Purnomo mengatakan terdapat empat masalah yang terjadi di Papua.

Gerakan Separatis Papua menjadi salah satu alasan utama Kementerian Pertahanan untuk menyusun Rancangan Undang Undangan Keamanan Nasional (RUU Kamnas).

"Kami menyoroti masalah gerakan ingin memisahkan diri dari Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia karena terkait dengan keamanan nasional. Di mana, saat ini kami sedang mempersiapkan diri untuk membahas Rancangan Undang Undang Keamanan Nasional dengan DPR" kata Purnomo Yusgiantoro, Menteri Pertahanan, dalam pembukaan diskusi terbatas dengan tema 'Papua dalam Perspektif Keamanan Nasional' di Jakarta, hari ini.

"Rancangan Undang Undang Keaman Nasional mencakup ancaman keamanan publik yang selama ini ditangani oleh Polri, ancaman keamanan internal yang ditangani oleh TNI serta ancaman keamanan eksternal," kata Menhan.

Purnomo mengatakan terdapat empat masalah yang terjadi di Papua yang tidak memiliki keterkaitan satu sama lain.

Keempat masalah tersebut adalah masalah gerakan separatis Papua, masalah disparitas ekonomi, masalah Pilkada, dan masalah PT. Freeport Indonesia baik berkaitan dengan mogok maupun illegal mining yang terjadi di mile 34 dan 39.

"Sebetulnya, gerakan separatis yang terjadi di Papua tidak besar karena kelompok separatis yang melakukannya pun hanya segelintir saja," kata Purnomo.

"Namun karena keempat hal tersebut berkumpul menjadi satu maka masalah yang terjadi di Papua terlihat besar," imbuhnya.

Purnomo menjelaskan hal-hal yang terjadi di Papua merupakan ancaman keamanan publik sehingga apabila eskalasinya terus meningkat maka hal yang terjadi di Papua sudah termasuk menjadi kategori acaman keamanan internal.

Untuk itu perlu melibatkan TNI untuk menyelesaikannya.

Pemerintah Bantah Gugat New7Wonders

2011-11-02T17:56:00.000+07:00

Pemerintah Bantah Gugat New7Wonders

Sudah putus hubungan sejak bulan Agustus lalu.

Pemerintah Indonesia tidak akan menggugat Yayasan New7Wonders pemilihan Taman Nasional Komodo sebagai salah satu New7Wonders of Nature.

"Kami tidak akan menggugat New7Wonders karena kami sudah memutuskan hubungan dengan mereka sejak bulan Agustus yang lalu," Kata Todung Mulya Lubis, penasihat hukum Kementerian Pariwisata dan Ekonomi Kreatif, pada beritasatu.com, hari ini.

Pernyataan ini disampaikan untuk membantah berita yang menyebutkan pemerintah akan menggugat secara hukum New7Wonders.

"Meski demikian, kami memang telah memilih law firm di Zurich untuk memberikan opini dan update terbaru berkaitan dengan yayasan New7Wonders dan bukan untuk menggugat yayasan tersebut," tuturnya.

"Lagipula, kami menunjukkan proses penunjukkan law firm tersebut telah berlangsung sejak lama," imbuh Todung.

I Gusti Ngurah Putra, Kepala Pusat Informasi dan Humas (Kopusformas) memaparkan, Indonesia bukanlah negara satu-satunya yang mengundurkan diri dari kegiatan yang diadakan New7Wonders.

Pemerintah Maldives telah mengundurkan terlebih dahulu sejak bulan Mei 2011 karena alasan serupa.

"Pemerintah Indonesia memutuskan untuk mengundurkan diri dari kegiatan yang diadakan oleh Yayasan New7Wonders karena kami tidak melihat adanya kredibilitas yang dapat dipertangungjawabkan oleh yayasan tersebut," tutur Putra.

"Mereka tidak konsisten dan tidak transparan dalam segi keterbukaan informasi mengenai jumlah suara yang diperoleh masing-masing finalis," katanya.

"Selain itu, alamat yayasan New7Wonders di Zurich pun tidak benar," kata Putra.

Lebih lanjut, Putra mengatakan, meskipun pemerintah Indonesia telah mengundurkan dari kegiatan kampanye yang dilakukan oleh yayasan New7Wonders sejak 15 Agustus lalu, pemerintah Indonesia tidak mengabaikan keberadaan komodo.

"Pemerintah telah berkomitmen untuk mengembangkan dan mempromosikan Taman Nasional Komodo sebagai konservasi dan destinasi pariwisata internasional di Indonesia," ujar Putra.

"Bahkan, hingga hari ini, kami masih melakukan promosi destinasi Taman Nasional Komodo dengan tema Real Wonder of The World," tambahnya.

"Selain itu, jika ada yang ingin melakukan promosi atau kampanye berkaitan dengan Taman Nasional Komodo, kami tidak akan dan tidak berhak untuk melarang."

Sebelumnya, Jero Wacik, mantan Menteri Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata, mengungkapkan meskipun Taman Nasional Komodo telah mengundurkan diri dari kampanye pemilihan tujuh keajaiban alam-baru (N7WN) versi yayasan New 7 Wonders, namun Taman Nasional Komodo telah ditetapkan sebagai World Heritage oleh UNESCO pada tahun 1991.

SPSI Dukung Perjuangan Buruh Freeport

2011-11-02T17:53:00.000+07:00

SPSI Dukung Perjuangan Buruh Freeport

Keluarga besar Federasi Serikat Pekerja Kimia, Energi dan Pertambangan Serikat Pekerja Seluruh Indonesia FSP KEP SPSI mendukung penuh perjuangan pekerja di Freeport.

Federasi Serikat Pekerja Kimia, Energi dan Pertambangan Serikat Pekerja Seluruh Indonesia (FSP KEP SPSI) mendukung perjuangan buruh PT. Freeport Indonesia yang memperjuangkan perbaikan kesejahteraan karyawan.

"Kami keluarga besar FSP KEP SPSI mendukung penuh perjuangan kawan-kawan pekerja di PT. Freeport Indonesia yang berjuang untuk perbaikan kesejahteraan dengan upah yang layak dan adil," kata Subiyanto, Sekretaris Umum FSP KEP SPSI, di Jakarta hari ini.

"Selain itu, kami juga mendukung perjuangan mereka untuk mendapatkan perlakuan yang bermartabat dari manajemen PT. Freeport Indonesia," tambahnya.

Subiyanto menyatakan bahwa FSP KEP SPSI meminta agar pemerintah Indonesia berupaya untuk menyelesaikan mogok kerja di PT. Freeport Indonesia melalui perundingan antar perusahaan dan buruh sehingga dapat membangun hubungan yang harmonis antara kedua belah pihak.

"Kami meminta agar pemerintah Republik Indonesia sebagai pemegang kekuasaan negara dan kedaulatan rakyat agar secepatnya mengupayakan penyelesain mogok kerja dengan mendorong kedua belah pihak untuk melakukan perundingan yang konstruktif dan didasari itikad baik," kata Subiyanto.

"Hal ini guna untuk membangun komitmen pelaksaan hubungan industrial yang harmonis, dinamis, adil dan bermartabat."

SBY Tries Lyrical Leadership Once More

2011-11-01T07:09:00.000+07:00

SBY Tries Lyrical Leadership Once More

In a nation plagued by seeds of disintegration — as hard-line radicals spread intolerance and separatist clashes dominate news out of the archipelago’s east — there is only so much that policy prescriptions can do.

Perhaps realizing these limits, Indonesia’s uniter in chief has boldly cried for “Harmoni,” (“Harmony”) the title of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s fourth album, released on Monday.

“The president is sending his message across through songs, so the public won’t get bored,” said Energy Minister Jero Wacik after the album’s launch in Central Jakarta.

“Indonesians don’t respond well to speeches. People are getting tired of speeches.”

The president wrote all eight songs on the album and like his previous records, “Harmoni” features some of the nation’s well respected singers, such as pop legends Rafika Duri and Harvey Malaiholo, and up-and-coming stars Sandy Sandoro, Afghan, Rio Febrian and Joy Tobing.

“[Harmony] is the pinnacle of all aspirations, expectations, and dreams of every leader. In one way or another, a leader always aspires to create a harmonious social order for the people,” Yudhoyono wrote in the album’s foreword.

“The harmony I expressed in this album is not just that among humans, but also among nations and most importantly, the harmonious relationship between mankind and the universe.”

Jero said there is nothing wrong with the president’s penchant for lyricism. “The president writes songs in his spare time, so it’s OK for him to write once in a while. He is writing them for the people,” the minister said.

“You need to understand that by writing songs, he is doing his [presidential] work, although he doesn’t do this everyday.”

There is no telling whether Yudhoyono’s latest endeavor will enjoy the same moderate success as his third album, “Ku Yakin Sampai di Sana” (“I’m Certain I’ll Get There”). He released his first album, “Rinduku Padamu” (“I Miss You”) in 2007, followed by “Evolusi” (“Evolution”) in 2009 .

"Harmoni", Puncak Obsesi SBY

2011-10-31T07:24:00.000+07:00

"Harmoni", Puncak Obsesi SBY

"Inilah puncak segala dambaan, obsesi, harapan dan cita-cita setiap pemimpin dari zaman ke zaman."

Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) melaunching album keempat bertajuk "Harmoni" di Jakarta, hari ini.

Dalam album terbaru ini, SBY menyajikan delapan buah lagu bertajukkan "Harmoni" yang mengusung tema alam, cinta dan kedamaian.

Dalam sekapur sirih album Harmoni: Alam, Cinta dan Kedamaian, SBY mengatakan harmoni adalah tatanan perdamaian yang terwujud dalam realitas kemajemukan.

"Perbedaan tidak menjadi sebab perseteruan apalagi perpecahan, tapi justru mematangkan kokoh simpul-tali persatuan. Latar belakang yang tidak selalu sama adalah pertanda khazanah kekayaan bukan potensi permusuhan."

"Inilah puncak segala dambaan, obsesi, harapan dan cita-cita setiap pemimpin dari zaman ke zaman. Dengan berbagai cara, seorang pemimpin akan berikhtikar menciptakan tatanan sosial yang harmonis bagi segenap rakyatnya tanpa kecuali."

"Harmoni yang saya ekspresikan dalam album ini tidak saja dalam hubungan antar manusia tetapi juga antar bangsa dan yang tak kalah penting adalah hubungan yang harmonis antara manusia dan alam semesta."

Dalam album keempatnya ini, Presiden SBY menggandeng beberapa penyanyi terkenal untuk menyanyikan lagu ciptaannya. Antara lain Rafika Duri, Harvey Malaiholo, Sandhy Sondhoro, Afghan, Joy Tobing, Rio Febrian, serta Jeffery Pescetto.

Presiden Pesan Lewat Lagu Agar Rakyat Tak Bosan

2011-10-31T07:22:00.000+07:00

Presiden Pesan Lewat Lagu Agar Rakyat Tak Bosan

Dalam album keempat yang bertajuk Harmoni ini, SBY menyajikan delapan buah lagu yang mengusung tema alam, cinta, dan kedamaian.

Jero Wacik, Menteri Energi Sumber Daya Mineral (ESDM) mengatakan Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) menyampaikan pesan kepada masyarakat melalui lagu agar masyarakat tidak bosan.

"Presiden menyampaikan pesan melalui lagu agar masyarakat tidak bosan. Selain itu, melalui lagu pesan akan lebih mudah diserap daripada melalui pidato" kata Jero, saat ditemui usai acara launching album lagu terbaru di gedung teater kecil Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta, hari ini.

"Orang Indonesia kan sudah tidak begitu suka dipidatoin. Rakyat sudah bosan dipidatoin," kata Jero.

Dalam album keempat yang bertajuk Harmoni ini, SBY menyajikan delapan buah lagu yang mengusung tema alam, cinta, dan kedamaian.

SBY menggandeng beberapa penyanyi terkenal untuk menyanyikan lagu ciptaannya, antara lain Rafika Duri, Harvey Malaiholo, Sandhy Sondhoro, Afghan, Joy Tobing, Rio Febrian, dan Jeffer Pescetto.

Jero mengatakan bahwa tidak ada salahnya apabila seorang pemimpin bangsa menciptakan lagu karena presiden melakukan itu di saat waktu luangnya.

"Presiden hanya membuat menulis lagu pada waktu luang. Jadi, kalau sekali-sekali beliau menulis lagu, beliau menulis pesan bagi rakyat," pesan Jero.

"Perlu dipahami bahwa dalam menulis lagu tersebut beliau juga bekerja. Walaupun bukan setiap hari pekerjaannya hanya membuat lagu semata," kata mantan Menteri Pariwisata dan Kebudayaan itu.

Lagu SBY Jadi Pembuka dan Penutup Sea Games

2011-10-31T07:21:00.001+07:00

Lagu SBY Jadi Pembuka dan Penutup Sea Games

Selain didedikasikan untuk SEA Games 2011 di Indonesia, juga untuk kerjasama dan persahabatan intra dan antar kawasan yang lain.

"Bersatu dan Maju" salah satu lagu dari album keempat Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) yang bertajuk "Harmoni", akan menjadi lagu pembuka dan penutup Sea Games.

Theme songs Sea Games ini nantinya akan dinyanyikan oleh Joy Tobing.

"Saya akan menyanyikan lagu Bersatu dan Maju sebagai Sea Games theme songs pada saat pembukaan dan penutupan Sea Games mendatang," kata Joy, ketika ditemui di gedung Teater Kecil, Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta, hari ini.

Lagu "Bersatu dan Maju" tersebut diciptakan SBY di Bogor, 17 September 2011.

"Lagu ini pertama-tama saya dedikasikan untuk acara SEA Games 2011 di Indonesia. Tetapi sebetulnya juga berlaku untuk kerjasama dan persahabatan intra dan antar kawasan yang lain," tulis SBY, seperti dikutip dari sekapur sirih album "Harmoni".

Sebelumnya, SBY tercatat sudah pernah menelurkan tiga album, Rinduku Padamu (2007), Evolusi (2009), dan Ku Yakin Sampai di Sana (2010).

Hard-Line Faith Draws Indonesia’s Youth: Author

2011-10-31T07:17:00.000+07:00

Hard-Line Faith Draws Indonesia’s Youth: Author

Islamic fundamentalism is getting a foothold in Indonesia, home to the world’s largest number of Muslims, mainly through its younger generations, a Japanese author said.

Hisanori Kato, who has lived in Indonesia and studied Islamic fundamentalism here, said the country’s youth can be easily lured by fundamentalism as they try to determine a sense of self.

“I say that fundamentalism in Islam has a strong influence on youths because many of them are still in the process of seeking their identity and giving a meaning to life,” Kato said.

Fundamentalists, he said, have been actively reaching out to younger generations with their Islamic teachings.

“In searching for identity and the meaning of life, they [the youth] can find answers to their questions in Islam,” Kato said.

He added that many Muslims in Indonesia lack a deep understanding of their religion, so they may be more susceptible to fundamentalist teachings.

Islamic fundamentalism has a long history in the country, Kato said, but it was repressed in the past and could not propagate so freely — especially during more than three decade’s of rule under former authoritarian President Suharto.

Religious restrictions were lifted during the reform era, and fundamentalists today have more freedom to gather and spread their teachings, he said.

Kato wanted the international community to understand that Islam has many interpretations, so he decided to write a book on the subject.

“The Clash of Ijtihad: Fundamentalist Versus Liberal Muslims: The Development of Islamic Thinking in Contemporary Indonesia,” sheds light on the various interpretations of Islam among Muslims in Indonesia.

The 214-page book, which Kato wrote in four years, is meant to help readers understand that Islamic teachings cannot be viewed in any single way, and that different practitioners throughout the country possess different beliefs about their religion.

“Through this book, I want people to know that there are many interpretations of Islam so that non-Muslims can understand that this is the case in Indonesia,” he said.

Kato, a Buddhist, first became familiar with Islam when he came to Indonesia to work as a teacher at an international school here.

He became interested in the pervasiveness of Islam in everyday life, so he took a postgraduate course about democratization in Indonesia and its relationship to Islam.

Dunia Perlu Tahu Banyak Tafsir Islam

2011-10-30T22:29:00.001+07:00

Dunia Perlu Tahu Banyak Tafsir Islam

Hasil penelitian Kato tuangkan ke dalam suatu buku yang berjudul The Clash of Ijtihad Fundamentalist versus Liberal Muslims: The Development of Islamic Thinking in Contemporary Indonesia.

"Dunia perlu mengetahui bahwa banyak penafsiran terhadap ajaran Islam." Demikian kata-kata pengamat Islam di Indonesia asal Jepang, Hisanori Kato, tentang kehidupan masyarakat muslim di Indonesia.

Bagi Hisanori Kato, seorang warga negara Jepang yang beragama Buddha, Islam dan Indonesia merupakan sesuatu yang sangat misterius dan perlu untuk dipahami secara mendalam. Bermula dengan kepindahanya ke Indonesia pada tahun 1991, Kato menemukan suatu perilaku masyarakat yang sangat dipengaruhi oleh agama, dalam hal ini Islam.

"Ketika saya pindah ke Indonesia untuk bekerja sebagai seorang guru di salah satu sekolah internasional di Jakarta, saya tidak tahu menahu tentang Indonesia dan Islam," kata Kato, kepada beritasatu.com, di Jakarta, Sabtu (29/10).

"Selama tiga tahun tinggal di Indonesia, saya melihat sebuah fenomena dalam masyarakat di mana orang dapat berperilaku berdasarkan agamanya seperti orang berpuasa selama satu bulan lamanya," tutur Kaito. "Saya tidak habis pikir mengapa orang dapat melakukan hal tersebut hanya karena agama?"

Kato mengatakan bahwa sejak saat itu, ia mulai memiliki ketertarikan terhadap Islam dan Indonesia dan memutuskan untuk mengambil studi pasca sarjana mengenai demokratisasi di Indonesia dalam kaitannya dengan Islam.

"Saya mulai melakukan banyak penelitian dan saya mulai mengenal banyak tokoh muslim liberal seperti Gus Dur dan Ulil," ungkap Kato. "Namun pada saat yang sama, saya mulai melihat bahwa banyak kaum fundamentalis yang bermunculan sejak jatuhnya Soeharto dan saya ingin tahu pokok pikiran dan perilaku mereka."

Kato memberanikan diri untuk menghubungi tokoh Islam fundamentalis dan sangat terkejut ketika diterima dengan hangat mereka.

"Saya datang pada mereka dan saya katakan pada mereka bahwa saya bukan seorang Muslim tetapi saya ingin mengetahui tentang pokok pikiran mereka sebagai seorang Muslim Fundamentalis," tutur Kato.

"Saya sangat senang bahwa mereka cukup terbuka dan menerima saya dengan sangat hangat. Kehangatan mereka membuat saya bertanya, kenapa orang-orang Islam ini (liberal dan fundamentalis) memiliki pandangan sangat baik berbeda satu sama lain?"

Hasil penelitian Kato tuangkan ke dalam suatu buku yang berjudul "The Clash of Ijtihad Fundamentalist versus Liberal Muslims: The Development of Islamic Thinking in Contemporary Indonesia" yang ditulis selama kurang lebih empat tahun.

Buku setebal 214 halaman itu menyajikan berbagai interpretasi terhadap ajaran agama Islam di kalangan umat Muslim sehingga dapat memberikan kesempatan untuk memahami keanekaragaman di kalangan umat Muslim sendiri.

"Melalui buku ini, saya hanya ingin orang mengetahui bahwa ada banyak penafsiran terhadap ajaran agama Islam sehingga orang non Muslim dapat memahami bahwa adanya banyak penafsiran Islam," tutur Kato.

"Selain itu, meskipun banyak kaum Muslim di Indonesia masih banyak pula kaum Muslim yang belum benar-benar memahami tentang ajaran agama Islam itu sendiri. Karena itu, saya harapkan agar buku ini berguna sebagai sumber informasi."

Sementara itu, Kato mengatakan bahwa ajaran Islam fundamentalis sangat mudah untuk mempengaruhi kaum muda terutama bagi mereka yang tengah mencari jati dirinya.

"Saya mengatakan bahwa Islam fundamentalis memiliki pengaruh yang kuat terhadap kaum muda karena banyak kaum muda yang tengah mencari identitas diri mereka dan mencarai makna kehidupan." tutur Kato.

"Sehingga dalam pencarian identitas dan makna kehidupan, mereka menemukan jawaban atas pertanyaan mereka melalui Islam karena Islam telah menjawab semua pertanyaan tentang kehidupan dan jawaban tersebut menawarkan suatu solusi," papar dia. "Sehingga hal tersebut membuat Islam menjadi sangat menarik bagi mereka."

Kato menambahkan bahwa elemen fundamentalis di Indonesia sudah ada sejak lama namun kaum fundamentalis tidak berani untuk keluar dan melakukan aktivitas mereka yang mereka lakukan saat ini karena kuatnya pemerintah Soeharto.

Govt Calls for Private Sector to Work With It to Help Special-Needs Children

2011-10-29T22:35:00.000+07:00

Govt Calls for Private Sector to Work With It to Help Special-Needs Children

The government and private sector must work together to create a more nurturing environment for children with special needs, officials said on Friday.

Linda Amalia Sari Gumelar, the minister for women’s empowerment and child protection, said the onus for looking after special-needs children should not be on the government alone.

“It is also up to the private sector to pay special attention to these children,” she said at the opening of a congress of parents of special-needs children.

“I believe this congress is a good step toward setting up a support group bringing together parents, carers and medical practitioners. It will also push the government and the private sector to do more.”

Wanda Hamidah, a member of the Jakarta City Council’s oversight commission on social and children’s affairs, said there needed to be better enforcement of the rights of special-needs children.

“We need to keep fighting for them because many of them are still being deprived of their most basic rights, particularly in terms of access to health care and education,” she said at the congress.

She added that the council had last week passed a bylaw on the protection of the disabled.

“The bylaw will provide protection for the rights of special-needs children to a proper education, health care, employment and accessibility in public places,” Wanda said.

“It also stipulates punishments, including fines and jail time, for those violating these rights. Our hope is that with the passage of the bylaw, special-needs children will receive better treatment and service.”

The councilwoman said one area that needed particular attention was education, with very few schools equipped or staffed to teach special-needs children.

“That said, the government has a fundamental obligation to provide access to education for all,” she said.

She added that sufficient funding to meet the needs of special-needs children could easily be found, but only if the political will to do so was there.

“Jakarta’s annual budget is huge,” she said. “If we could just allocate Rp 50 billion [$5.7 million] to training teachers, we would have enough to teach all special-needs children,” Wanda said.

There are an estimated 500,000 special-needs children across Indonesia, according to the parents’ group.

Negara Tanpa Agama Sama Saja Malapetaka

2011-10-29T22:33:00.000+07:00

Negara Tanpa Agama Sama Saja Malapetaka

Malapetaka akan timbul bila negara tidak memiliki acuan nilai moral dan etika yang kokoh.

KH Masdar Farid Mas'udi, Ketua Pengurus Besar Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) mengatakan, negara dan agama saling membutuhkan. Sebab, malapetaka akan timbul bila negara tidak memiliki acuan nilai moral dan etika yang kokoh.

"Negara merupakan institusi kekuasaan. Sedangkan agama merupakan sumber moralitas. Namun, hubungan antara keduanya harus didefinisikan sedemikian rupa," kata Kyai Masdar di Jakarta, Sabtu (29/10).

Menurut dia, untuk mewujudkan keadilan dalam kehidupan bernegara, agama tidak dapat dipisahkan dalam menjalankan kehidupan bernegara.

"Jangan sampai suatu negara mengikuti arus pikir legal formal keagamaan. Di mana suatu negara harus diatur secara rigid dan formil oleh hukum agama tertentu karena yang harus diinternalisasikan bukan hukum agama melainkan nilai moral dan etikanya," jelasnya.

"Namun, jangan pula sampai hubungan antara keduanya saling menyangkal," lanjutnya.

Dijelaskannya, ketika Islam berbicara mengenai negara terdapat dua hal penting yang harus dipegang. Yakni keadilan dan demokrasi.

"Pertama, negara harus menjadikan keadilan sebagai tujuan utama kehidupan bernegara," tutur dia.

Sebab, lanjutnya, keadilan berkaitan dengan hak segenap rakyat yang harus dilindungi dan dipenuhi. Sehingga, apabila rakyat tidak dapat memenuhinya sendiri maka negara harus proaktif untuk memenuhi hak warga negaranya.

"Kedua, secara jelas, Islam juga menegaskan bahwa metode untuk mewujudkan aspirasi keadilan sebagai cita-cita negara. Negara perlu mengimplementasikan metode syuro bainahumatau demokrasi," papar dia.

Demokrasi Indonesia Masih Dibajak Elit Politik

2011-10-29T22:31:00.001+07:00

Demokrasi Indonesia Masih Dibajak Elit Politik

"Omong kosong kalau demokrasi tidak dapat mempercepat terwujudnya keadilan."

KH Masdar Farid Mas'udi, Ketua Pengurus Besar Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) mengatakan, sesungguhnya dengan adanya sila ke-4 dan ke-5 dalam Pancasila, demokrasi Indonesia sudah sangat Islami. Namun sangat disayangkan, menurutnya saat ini syuro bainahum atau demokrasi itu telah dibajak oleh para elit politik, sehingga kehilangan jati dirinya sebagai metode untuk mewujudkan keadilan.

"Saat ini, demokrasi sedang diagung-agungkan. Namun proses demokrasi ini justru membuat rakyat kecewa," kata Kyai Masdar, kepada wartawan di Jakarta, Sabtu (29/10).

Lebih jauh, Masdar melihat bahwa demokrasi yang seharusnya yang menjadi metode untuk mewujudkan keadilan, justru hanya dijadikan sebagai tujuan, sedangkan faktor keadilan justru diabaikan. "Misalnya, demokrasi dituangkan dalam prosedur memilih pemimpin, mengoreksi pemimpin dan sebagainya," sesalnya.

Melihat fenomena tersebut, Masdar mengatakan bahwa demokrasi di Indonesia perlu diuji, apakah (memang) demokrasi mempercepat terwujudnya keadilan. "Omong kosong kalau demokrasi tidak dapat mempercepat terwujudnya keadilan. Demokrasi akan dikutuk oleh dirinya, jika tidak mewujudkan keadilan atau bahkan mengabaikan keadilan. Demokrasi telah kehilangan jati dirinya sebagai metode untuk mewujudkan keadilan," paparnya.

"Oleh sebab itu, demokrasi harus diuji, apakah dia mempercepat keadilan atau tidak. Kalau tidak, berarti telah terjadi pembajakan atau distorsi terhadap demokrasi," imbuh Kyai Masdar pula.

Film Forecast: Showing as Scheduled

2011-10-26T16:44:00.001+07:00

Film Forecast: Showing as Scheduled

Indonesian fans of Hollywood films need not worry, theater operators say. New Hollywood blockbusters will be screened here as scheduled.

Concerns have been aired that since the resumption of the supply of Hollywood movies in July, the flow of feature films to the country’s theaters has been little more than a trickle.

Catherine Keng, corporate secretary of Cineplex 21, one of the nation’s largest cinema operators, said Hollywood film distribution was proceeding “smoothly.”

“Some were postponed because we want to first screen several films that could not be screened a while ago,” Catherine said via text message.

She went on to say that most upcoming Hollywood blockbusters would be screened in Indonesia on time.

“ ‘The Adventures of Tintin’ and ‘Breaking Dawn: Part 1’ [of The Twilight Saga] will be screened as scheduled, but ‘Paranormal Activity 3’ will be postponed because the slots for films at the cinema are currently already full,” Catherine said.

Top film studios in the United States launched a boycott of the Indonesian market in February because of a dispute over royalties, but they resumed their exports in July.

Djonny Sjafruddin, who heads the Indonesian Cinema Companies Union (GPBSI), said films from the Motion Picture Association of America were being given screening priority.

“We are prioritizing films from the MPAA so that we are not left behind other countries. American indie films, we will delay,” Djonny said.

The MPAA represents many of the biggest Hollywood studios, including Warner Bros. and Disney.

He said that since the boycott was lifted, movie theaters were beginning to see their incomes return to normal levels.

He also said that although the members of his association remained committed to having Indonesian films account for 60 percent of those screened, the market did not appear to support those efforts.

“There may only be about 5 percent of all national film productions that are capable of drawing the market’s interest,” Djonny said.

He said Indonesian film producers and directors should seek input from public figures as well as from movie theater operators to see what kind of films the country’s movie-goers actually demand.

“Better quality Indonesian films would benefit all sides as national films would be popular among the public,” he said.

Komnas HAM Bentuk Tim Khusus Investigasi Papua

2011-10-25T17:48:00.005+07:00

Komnas HAM Bentuk Tim Khusus Investigasi Papua

Tim tersebut nantinya akan melakukan investigasi, penyelidikan dan evaluasi yang dapat dilakukan dengan memanggil pihak-pihak yang terkait."

Komisi Nasional Hak Asasi Manusia (Komnas HAM) akan memberikan rekomendasi kepada Pemerintah Indonesia soal pemulihan keamanan di Papua. "Pemulihan keamanan merupakan hal yang paling utama untuk ditegakkan, sehingga dapat mencegah kejadian yang lebih berat," kata Wakil Ketua Komnas HAM Nur Kholis di Jakarta, Senin (24/10).

Untuk itu, ungkapnya, Komnas HAM segera berkoordinasi dengan Polri maupun Polda Papua. Tak hanya itu, Komnas HAM juga akan membentuk tim khusus untuk Papua yang akan bekerja selama tiga bulan.

"Tim Khusus untuk Papua akan memiliki kewenangan yang lebih luas, sehingga dapat mempercepat kinerja kami dalam mengungkapkan fakta. Apalagi, mereka bisa masuk ke dalam," tutur dia.

"Tim tersebut nantinya akan melakukan investigasi, penyelidikan dan evaluasi yang dapat dilakukan dengan memanggil pihak-pihak yang terkait." lanjutnya.

Menurut dia, hasil investigas di Papua juga akan disampaikan kepada masyarakat sebagai bentuk tanggung jawab publik.

Situasi di Papua semakin tak menentu. Bahkan, hari ini, sejumlah warga Papua yang tinggal di wilayah PT. Freeport Indonesia mendatangi kantor Komnas HAM untuk mengadukan keresahan mereka atas rasa tidak aman pascabentrok antara aparat keamanan dan karyawan PTFI, beberapa waktu lalu.

"Saya sudah bekerja di PT. Freeport Indonesia di tambang bawah tanah dan dulu selalu merasa aman. Namun sejak 2009, saya merasa terancam dan tidak merdeka untuk tinggal di negara saya," kata Sammy Rumbiak, salah satu wakil warga Papua yang mendatangi kantor Komnas HAM di Jakarta.

"Sampai kapan kami harus merasa tidak aman di tempat kami sendiri padahal saya warga negara Indonesia? Apalagi saya selalu dikawal ke mana-mana oleh orang bersenjata," imbuh Sammy.

Sammy menuturkan, sejak terjadinya peristiwa penembakan pada 2009, tidak ada satu kasus pun yang diungkap. Itu menyebabkan adanya kecemasan di tengah masyarakat.

"Kami ingin agar presiden SBY turun tangan langsung dan melihat apa yang terjadi sebab kami telah hidup di tengah terror dalam tiga tahun terakhir ini," kata Debby.

Film Tintin Segera Tayang di Indonesia

2011-10-25T17:40:00.000+07:00

Film Tintin Segera Tayang di Indonesia

Jika distribusi lancar, film Tintin akan tayang sesuai jadwal.

Distribusi dan penayangan film-film Hollywood di layar perak Indonesia sudah tidak ada kendala lagi sehingga film-filmbox office baru bisa tayang sesuai jadwal.

"Beberapa memang diundur karena kami ingin menayangkan beberapa film yang tidak tayang beberapa waktu yang lalu," kata Catherine Keng, Corporate Secretary dari 21Cineplex, dalam pesan tertulisnya ke Beritasatu, Selasa (25/10).

"Namun sejauh ini, distribusi film Hollywood ke Indonesia lancar-lancar saja," tambahnya.

Lebih lanjut, Catherine mengatakan bahwa sebagaian besar film Hollywood tayang di Indonesia sesuai dengan jadwal.

"The Adventures of Tintin dan Breaking Dawn: Part 1 akan tayang sesuai dengan jadwal, namunParanormal Activity 3 akan ditunda karena penuhnya slot film di bioskop," tutur Catherine.

Rights Group Vows to Probe Timika Plight

2011-10-25T17:21:00.000+07:00

Rights Group Vows to Probe Timika Plight

The national human rights body vowed on Monday to carry out a lengthy investigation into the deteriorating security situation in the Papua mining town of Timika, following complaints by local residents.

Nur Kholis, deputy chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), said the commission would set up a special team to conduct a three-month investigation into the complaints.

“The special Papua team will have wide-reaching authority and can speed up our investigation because they can go in there and call witnesses,” he said.

He added that the results of the investigation would be presented openly as a form of public accountability.

The announcement came as a group of representatives from Timika in Mimika district, which services the massive Grasberg gold and copper mine that is run by US-based Freeport-McMoRan, visited the Komnas HAM headquarters in Jakarta to complain about a recent spate of attacks that have claimed nine lives, including those of six Freeport workers.

On Monday, the police chief of the town of Mulia in neighboring Puncak Jaya district was reportedly assaulted and shot dead by unknown attackers.

One contract worker and two others were shot by unknown gunmen early on Friday. Several days earlier, five Freeport workers were killed — two by police trying to control a crowd and three by unknown gunmen.

Sammy Rumbiak, a member of the Timika delegation, said the climate of fear first descended on the area in 2009.

“I worked at the underground mine in Freeport and I always felt safe. But since 2009 I have felt threatened, without the freedom to live in my own country,” he said.

“For how long must I feel unsafe in my own land, even though I am an Indonesian citizen? Especially since we are led around everywhere by men with guns.”

Sammy said that ever since the first shooting incidents in 2009, widely blamed on the separatist Free Papua Organization (OPM), no single case had been resolved, resulting in heightened anxiety among the public.

“We want President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to roll up his sleeves and visit the site directly to see for himself what’s going on, because we have been living in terror for the past three years,” he said.

Nur Kholis said Komnas HAM would deliver a recommendation to the government following its investigation.

“Restoring security is the most important thing to do in order to prevent more serious incidents,” he said.

“Therefore, we are going to coordinate with the police, both the national and Papua branches [to work to make it happen].”

Oktavianus Kalilago, a resident of the neighboring town of Kuala Kencana, where Freeport’s operations are headquartered, said the people were fed up with the climate of fear that had “robbed them of their lives, freedom and sense of security.”

“We demand that concrete, firm and fair steps be taken immediately by the government to protect all those who live near Freeport,” he said, reading from a prepared statement. “We no longer want to live in constant fear of the threat of violence, terrorism or other acts that rob us of our dignity.”

Oktavianus also called for the swift resolution of all the shootings in the area and demanded that the perpetrators be brought to justice. He said that ultimately, the people of Timika, Kuala Kencana and other areas in Mimika district wanted to be able to live their lives in a climate of security and peace.

Shokilin, another resident, warned that the area was fast running out of badly needed food and medicine because of the blockade of the main access road there by Freeport workers who since mid-September have been striking for higher pay.

He said the blockade, in place since Oct. 10, had “severely impacted” the local population.

“It’s affected not just Freeport but also the residents, because the only way that supplies reach us is through Freeport, and now the only road leading to us is blocked,” he said.

Orpa Padwa, a resident of Kuala Kencana, confirmed that food and other supplies were quickly running out.

“We mothers can only cry and can’t do anything else,” she said. “Our children cannot go to school because we’re afraid [of the attacks].”

She said she hoped that the standoff between Freeport and the striking workers, as well as the spate of shootings and other attacks, could be resolved as soon as possible “because we want to celebrate Christmas peacefully.”

Protesters Rally Outside Australian Embassy to Demand Release of Children

2011-10-25T17:19:00.000+07:00

Protesters Rally Outside Australian Embassy to Demand Release of Children

Human rights activists held a silent protest outside the Australian Embassy on Monday to demand justice for Indonesian minors currently incarcerated in Australia.

Febi Yonesta, from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta), said most of the underage prisoners came from impoverished fishing communities and were less than 15 years old. They were not aware of the risk of transporting illegal immigrants into Australia, he said.

“Dozens of them are currently being detained in adult prisons for allegedly being involved in people-smuggling syndicates,” Febi said.

“Fishing doesn’t pay enough, but working with people-smuggling syndicates offers far more money.”

He added that the problem was compounded for fishing communities in East Nusa Tenggara when an oil spill in the Timor Sea in mid-2009 spread over much of their fishing grounds and impacted their catches.

Eko Waluyo, from the organization Indonesian Solidarity, said it was unfair that the minors continued to be held in adult facilities while Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd and Prime Minister Julia Gillard could insist on the release of a 14-year-old Australian boy currently detained in Bali for drug possession.

“There is not one but rather more than 70 Indonesian youths, 15 years or younger, in Australian adult prisons or detention centers for working on boats carrying refugees in transit from Indonesia to Australia,” he said.

The Australian boy was moved out of Kerobokan prison in Denpasar on Saturday to a facility in Jimbaran, built specifically for foreigners, after newly appointed Justice and Human Rights Minister Amir Syamsuddin declared Kerobokan overcrowded and inhumane for underage inmates — despite the fact it also held nine Indonesian children.

Another official reiterated the fact that other underage inmates had to stay in Kerobokan since Bali did not yet have a good juvenile prison.

Abdul Kadir Wokanubun, advocacy and campaign director at the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), decried the people-smuggling charges leveled against the Indonesian youths in Australia, which could see them face a maximum of 15 years in prison and fined the equivalent of Rp 1.5 billion ($170,000).

He added that the Australian Embassy had not provided activists with information on what it planned to do with the youths, nor had there been any action from the Indonesian government.

“Australian officials handling the youths are not convinced that they are underage,” Febi said. “The lack of official documents was used as a basis for the Australian government to put them in adult facilities.”

He added that a team of lawyers from Australia would visit Indonesia next month to gather the documents needed to prove the youths’ ages.

He said they came from as far afield as East and West Java, East and West Nusa Tenggara and South Sulawesi.

Additional reporting by Ulma Haryanto

Komnas HAM Bentuk Tim Khusus Investigasi Papua

2011-10-24T20:43:00.000+07:00

Komnas HAM Bentuk Tim Khusus Investigasi Papua

Warga Sekitar Freeport Kekurangan Suplai Logistik

2011-10-24T20:33:00.000+07:00

Warga Sekitar Freeport Kekurangan Suplai Logistik

Warga hanya dapat membeli suplai makanan dalam jumlah terbatas karena supermarket hanya memiliki suplai yang terbatas pula.

Warga Papua di wilayah PT Freeport Indonesia mengalami kekurangan pasokan logistik dan obat-obatan akibat aksi pemblokiran jalan pascabentrokan antara aparat kepolisian dengan karyawan Freeport.

Aksi pemblokiran dilakukan di Mil 27 samping Bandara Mozes Kilangin Timika, sejak hari ini, setelah terjadi bentrok antar aparat kepolisian dan karyawan Freeport yang mengakibatkan tewasnya Petrus Ayamseba, karyawan PTFI.

"Pemblokiran jalan tersebut memberikan dampak yang cukup signifikan terhadap kami termasuk terbatasnya pasokan logistik," kata Sholikin, juru bicara wakil warga Papua dalam kunjungannya ke kantor Komisi Nasional Hak Asasi Manusia (Komnas HAM) bersama dengan sejumlah wakil warga Papua, hari ini, untuk menyampaikan pernyataan warga PT. Freeport Indonesia.

"Hal ini sangat mempengaruhi kehidupan karyawan PTFI dan masyarakat setempat karena akses distribusi logistik hanya melalui PTFI, sedangkan jalannya sendiri diblokir," kata Sholikin.

Orpa Padwa, 45, wakil warga Kuala Kencana, mengatakan bahwa warga hanya dapat membeli suplai makanan dalam jumlah terbatas karena supermarket hanya memiliki suplai yang terbatas pula.

"Kami, ibu-ibu, hanya dapat menangis dan tidak dapat berbuat apa-apa. Sedangkan anak-anak kami terpaksa tidak dapat bersekolah karena kami merasa ketakutan. " tutur Orpa mengadukan keprihatinannya dalam tangis.

"Saya mohon agar kasus ini dapat segera diselesaikan apalagi mengingat bahwa kami ingin merayakan Natal secara damai," kata Orpa.

Warga Sekitar Freeport Minta Jaminan Keselamatan

2011-10-24T20:32:00.000+07:00

Warga Sekitar Freeport Minta Jaminan Keselamatan

"Kami menuntut segera dilakukannya tindakan nyata, tegas dan adil dari pemerintah Republik Indonesia..."

Warga Papua yang tinggal di wilayah PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) menuntut jaminan keamanan dan keselamatan hidup kepada Pemerintah RI, pasca terjadinya serangkaian tindakan teror di wilayah tersebut.

Sekitar 18 orang wakil warga Papua yang tinggal di Tembagapura, Kuala Kencana dan Timika, mendatangi kantor Komisi Nasional Hak Azasi Manusia (Komnas HAM) di Jakarta, Senin (24/10) siang, untuk meminta bantuan percepatan proses penyelesaian masalah Papua.

Oktavianus Kalilago, warga Kuala Kencana, mengatakan bahwa warga sangat menyesalkan adanya serangkaian tindakan teror yang telah merampas hak atas penghidupan, kebebasan dan keselamatan.

"Kami menuntut segera dilakukannya tindakan nyata, tegas dan adil dari pemerintah Republik Indonesia, untuk melindungi seluruh warga yang tinggal di wilayah kerja PTFI, agar kami terbebas dari rasa takut terhadap ancaman kekerasan, teror dan perbuatan lain yang merendahkan harkat dan martabat manusia," kata Oktavianus, membacakan pernyataan warga.

"Kami juga menuntut kejelasan dan pengungkapan seluruh kasus tindakan teror yang telah terjadi selama ini di wilayah kami, dan (meminta) segera menindak tegas pelakunya sesuai dengan hukum yang berlaku," tambahnya.

Lebih lanjut, Oktavinus juga mengatakan bahwa warga menginginkan adanya jaminan keselamatan hidup bagi masyarakat, sehingga dapat menjalani kehidupan yang aman, tentram dan damai di Indonesia.

Aktivis Kecam Australia Soal Penahanan 70 Remaja Indonesia

2011-10-24T17:24:00.000+07:00

Aktivis Kecam Australia Soal Penahanan 70 Remaja Indonesia

Anak-anak Indonesia diperlakukan tidak adil. Mereka ditahan antara 1-15 tahun di dalam penjara dewasa.

Kelompok Lembaga Swadaya Masyarakat (LSM), yang terdiri dari YLBHI, LBH Jakarta, KIARA dan HRGW melakukan aksi diam di Depan Kedutaan Besar Australia, Jakarta, Senin (24/10). Aksi itu untuk mengecam Pemerintah Australia yang menahan sekitar 70 anak Indonesia di bawah 18 tahun.

"Aksi diam yang kami lakukan merupakan aksi solidaritas terhadap penahanan lebih kurang 70 anak Indonesia yang dituduh sebagai sindikat penyelundupan manusia lintas negara," kata Direktur Advokasi dan Kampanye, Abdul Kadir Wokanubun.

Menurut dia, anak-anak Indonesia diperlakukan tidak adil. Mereka harus melalui proses pemeriksaan gigi dan sinar x pada pergelangan untuk menentukan usia mereka. Tak hanya itu, para remaja Indonesia juga ditahan antara 1-15 tahun di dalam penjara dewasa.

"Kami berharap, aksi diam ini dapat memberikan tekanan pada pemerintah Indonesia dan Australia untuk melakukan upaya diplomasi yang tegas. Sehingga, mereka tidak ditahan di penjara dewasa," tutur Kadir.

Selain itu, lanjut Kadir, pihaknya juga mendesak Presiden susilo Bambang Yudhoyono untuk memberikan bantuan hukum. Serta melibatkan keluarga anak-anak tersebut dalam proses pembebasan dan pemulangnya ke Indonesia.

"Kami telah berupaya menghubungi pihak-pihak terkait, seperti KBRI. Namun kami belum mendapatkan tanggapan," jelasnya

Food Running Out as Freeport Mine Conflict Continues

2011-10-24T17:15:00.000+07:00

Food Running Out as Freeport Mine Conflict Continues

Papuans living near the giant Grasberg mine operated by United States mining giant Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc say they are running out of food and medicine as Indonesian security forces maintain their blockade of the road leading to the mine.

Unknown gunmen killed three people in three separate attacks near the mine on Friday. Freeport has blamed strikers for several earlier incidents, including a clash with police that left two people dead and an alleged attack on a mine pipeline. Most of the mine’s unionized workers have taken part in the strike, which began on Sept. 15.

Sholikin, speaking at the National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas Ham) in Jakarta on Monday, said the blockade had “severely impacted” on the local population.

Orpa Padwa, 45, a resident of Kuala Kencana in Mimika district, said food was running out.

“We mothers can only cry and cannot do anything else,” Orpa said as she wept. “The children cannot go to schools because we are afraid.”

She said she hoped the problems could be resolved as soon as possible “because we want to celebrate Christmas peacefully.”

Pengelola Bantah Candi Borobudur Tidak Terawat

2011-10-23T17:43:00.001+07:00

Pengelola Bantah Candi Borobudur Tidak Terawat

Sebagian candi Borobudur sempat ditutup untuk dibersihkan dari sisa abu vulkanik Gunung Merapi.

Balai Konservasi Peninggalan Borobudur (BKPB) membantah isu bahwa Candi Borobudur terancam akan dicoret dari daftar warisan budaya dunia oleh UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Culture Organization) karena kotor dan tidak terawat.

Kepala BKPB Marsis Sutopo mengatakan pada beritasatu, Minggu (23/10), bahwa pihaknya tidak pernah menerima teguran maupun rekomendasi dari UNESCO atas kondisi Candi Borobudur yang dikabarkan tidak terawat.

"Kami melakukan kegiatan monitoring dan evaluasi terhadap Candi Borobudur setiap tahun. Hasil evaluasi tersebut selalu kami jadikan sebagai bahan untuk membuat laporan tahunan yang kami kirimkan ke sidang UNESCO," tutur Marsis.

"Dari laporan terakhir yang kami kirimkan ke sidang UNESCO di Paris pada Februari 2011, kami tidak mendapatkan teguran atau rekomendasi dari UNESCO akan keadaan Candi Borobudur yang tidak terawat," tambahnya.

Lebih lanjut, Marsis menjelaskan bahwa Balai Konservasi Peninggalan Borobudur baru membuka kembali lantai delapan, sembilan, dan sepuluh untuk wisatawan pada 22 September lalu.

Sebelumnya, ketiga lantai tersebut ditutup untuk proses pembersihan abu vulkanik yang menempel pada batuan candi dari erupsi Gunung Merapi pada Oktober 2010 lalu.

"Erupsi Gunung Merapi pada Oktober tahun lalu telah mengakibatkan abu vulkanik masuk ke rongga stupa dan batu candi yang dapat mengakibatkan rusaknya batu-batuan candi," kata Marsis.

"Apalagi mengingat bahwa abu vulkanik memilik sifat asam. Oleh karena itu, rongga stupa dan batu candi harus dibersihkan agar dapat dikunjungi," tambahnya.

Marsis juga menerangkan bahwa UNESCO membantu membersihkan candi dengan memberdayakan masyarakat setempat dengan petunjuk dari Balai Konservasi Borobudur selama membersihkan Candi Borobudur dari abu vulkanik Gunung Merapi.

"Kami masih perlu membersihkan dan memperbaiki lantai tiga, empat, dan lima karena terjadinya kebocoran lapisan kedap air di beberapa dinding candi yang dapat mengakibatkan adanya pelapukan bantuan candi," katanya."Kami berharap semuanya dapat diselesaikan pada akhir November mendatang."

Marsis menambahkan bahwa setidaknya negara mengalokasikan APBN sebesar Rp1 milliar untuk melakukan monitoring dan perawatan Candi Borobudur.

‘Treatment Like Beasts’ Not Uncommon in Papua, Local Priest Says

2011-10-21T20:32:00.001+07:00

‘Treatment Like Beasts’ Not Uncommon in Papua, Local Priest Says

Agus Triyono, Banjir Ambarita & Elisabeth Oktofani

The violent crackdown on a pro-independence rally earlier this week that left six people dead is indicative of the government’s continued treatment of indigenous Papuans as no more than animals, an activist said on Friday.

Socratez Sofyan Yoman, a prominent priest from the restive province, said the security forces’ brutal actions came as no surprise because it was “something that we experience on a daily basis.”

“This republic truly treats us like beasts,” he said at the Jakarta headquarters of the National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM).

Socratez called on the government to end its policy of repression against the Papuan people and instead engage in serious dialogue.

“If the government is serious about resolving the conflict, it must hold a dialogue with Papuans, both those in Papua and abroad, and invite international third-party observers because this problem has an international dimension,” he said.

“We have long asked the government to stop using violence in Papua, but it has never responded. To this day, many of our people continue to be hunted down and killed. I support the president, but I’m disappointed in him.”

Socratez spoke in response to the discovery on Wednesday of six dead bodies of participants from Tuesday’s Papuan People’s Congress, a rally held in a field in Padang Bulan, Abepura district, that was violently broken up by security forces. Ifdhal Kasim, the Komnas HAM chairman, said the rights body would immediately dispatch an investigation team to Abepura to probe the violence and the deaths of the participants, whose bodies were found behind the district military headquarters.

“We’ll try our best to have the team there by next week to look into everything, including the events leading up to the congress,” he said.

In the provincial capital, Jayapura, Acting Governor Syamsul Rivai said what made the congress the target of a crackdown was that it was “questioning the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia,” known as NKRI.

“If people want to gather and express their views, that’s fine, just don’t undermine the NKRI, infringe on the prevailing laws or attempt to set up a state within a state,” he said.

“If that happens, there will be severe consequences.”

He attributed the deaths of the activists to “excesses in the handling of the case” by security forces. “It’s something that we didn’t want but happened anyway because of the situation on the ground,” Syamsul said.

Papua Police Chief Insp. Gen. Bigman Lumban Tobing also blamed the demonstrators for getting out of hand.

“We were tolerant with them. We allowed them to hold their congress without a permit, but the next thing you know they’re hoisting the Morning Star flag and trying to establish their own country,” he said.

The flag, a symbol of the long-running separatist struggle in Papua, is banned. Raising it is considered treason and thus brings with it a lengthy prison sentence.

Bigman brushed off allegations that the six people killed had been shot by police, saying there was no evidence so far to prove the claims.

“If they really were shot, prove to us that it was the police who did it. We will process them accordingly,” he said.

In Jakarta on Thursday, a discussion of the issue by a group of prominent pro-Jakarta Papuans also laid the blame for the violence on the demonstrators.

Heemskercke Bonay, a Papuan women’s rights advocate, said previous iterations of the Papuan People’s Congress had also “sacrificed many of our people.”

“That’s why I call on the Papuan people not to be provoked by the issue of an independence referendum for Papua,” she said.

Ramses Ohee, the head of the Papuan chapter of the nationalist militia group Barisan Merah Putih, said: “We reject outright the results of the congress that call for secession from the NKRI and the declaration of a Papuan state.”

However, he conceded that the government in Jakarta was guilty of blaming the local populace over signs of unrest when it should be addressing the issue through dialogue.

Anti-Separatist Activists Say Rally Organizers 'Sacrificed' Papuans

2011-10-21T20:30:00.000+07:00

Anti-Separatist Activists Say Rally Organizers 'Sacrificed' Papuans

Following Wednesday’s violent government crackdown on a peaceful pro-independence rally in Jayapura, some pro-Indonesian Papuan activists are saying the rally’s true purpose was a cynical push by its organizers for personal political gain.

“The Papuan Congress has sacrificed a lot of Papuan people, therefore, I am asking the people of Papua not to let themselves be provoked by the referendum [independence] issue,” said Heemskercke Bonay, an activist from West Papua in Jakarta.

“The referendum issue declared in the congress was pushed by elites [in the Papuan Customary Council] who claimed that it was on behalf of the people,” Heemskercke said.

He was referring to the reading of a Papuan declaration of independence at Wednesday’s gathering. That act, along with the raising of the separatist Morning Star flag, prompted police and military forces to attempt to disperse the large gathering by firing shots and beating and arresting dozens of people.

Six people have been confirmed killed in the aftermath of the rally. Military and police spokesmen have denied responsibility for the deaths.

Ramses Ohee, the Papuan chairman of the pro-Indonesia Red and White Troops (BMP), said his organization rejected the calls for a separate Papuan state.

“We firmly refuse the calls for an independent Papua declared during the congress,” he said.

Ramses admitted that there were many problems that the central government needed to address in the province, especially regarding development and local politics, but that separation from Indonesia was not the answer.

Mahasiswa Nilai Reshuffle hanya Kepentingan Koalisi

2011-10-20T20:39:00.001+07:00

Mahasiswa Nilai Reshuffle hanya Kepentingan Koalisi

Mahasiswa nilai reshuffle kabinet hanyalah untuk kepentingan koalisi saja.

Mahasiswa se-Indonesia menilai bahwa reshuffle Kabinet Bersatu II dilakukan oleh Presiden SBY bukan untuk mewujudkan kepentingan masyarakat melainkan untuk kepentingan politiknya.

Muhammad Sayyidi, Presiden BEM Universitas Padjajaran Bandung, mengatakan pada beritasatu, Kamis (20/10), reshuffle Kabinet Bersatu II dilakukan hanya untuk meningkatkan kestabilitasan negara semata.

"Reshuffle kabinet yang dilakukan oleh presiden SBY lebih mengacu pada kepentingan partai politik dan koalisinya saja dan bukan bertujuan untuk meningkatkan kesejahteraan rakyat," terangnya.

"Selama tidak ada kepemimpinan yang kuat dari Presiden SBY dan Wakil Presiden Boediono, maka sesering apapun mereka melakukan reshuffle menteri belum tentu mampu untuk meningkatkan kinerja pemerintahan SBY-Boediono dan meningkatkan kesejahteraan masyarakat Indonesia," kata Luthfi Hamzah Huzein, Presiden BEM KM Universitas Gadjah Mada Yogyakarta di sela aksi mahasiswa turun ke jalan di Jakarta.

Lutfi menambahkan bahwa pemerintah perlu meningat bahwa pemerintah jangan menganggap remeh suara mahasiswa sebagai bagian dari masyarakat. Apalagi mengingat gerakan mahasiswa memiliki pengaruh yang besar dalam mewujudkan demokrasi di Indonesia.

"Pemerintah tidak dapat sewenang-wenang dalam menggunakan kekuasan mereka dalam memimpin negara. Oleh karena itu, kami mahasiswa tidak akan pernah lelah melakukan pengawalan terhadap kinerja pemerintah agar dapat mewujudkan kesejahteraan masyarakat," kata Sayyidi.

Students Protest Against ‘Poor’ Government

2011-10-20T20:23:00.000+07:00

Students Protest Against ‘Poor’ Government

More than 500 students marched to the National Monument, near the State Palace, on Thursday to denounce the leadership of the president and vice president.

The students, protesting under the banner of the Alliance of Indonesian University Student Councils, said Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his deputy, Boediono, had failed the country.

Muhammad Sayyidi, president of the student council at Padjadjaran University in Bandung, said they wanted the administration to live up to its promises to improve the life of the nation.

“After two years of the Yudhoyono-Boediono government, we rate its performance as poor,” he said. “It has failed to improve prosperity or uphold the law.”

He also said students were angry that education standards had not been improved.

The “nine-year compulsory study” program had proven unsuccessful, he said, and students were waiting for the government’s next move.

The student demonstration, which began early in the day, included theatrical twists such as pocong (ghosts), caskets and headstones marked “education,” “health” and “law enforcement.”

Students said the symbols were intended to suggest that Indonesia was in mourning for the failed Yudhoyono-Boediono government.

The students also said the government was dragging its feet on providing social security. Elisabeth Oktofani

Ekonomi Kreatif Belum Berkontribusi Maksimal

2011-10-19T21:16:00.000+07:00

Ekonomi Kreatif Belum Berkontribusi Maksimal

Sektor ekonomi kreatif memiliki potensi ekonomi yang tinggi

Mari Elka Pangestu, Menteri Pariwisata dan Ekonomi Kreatif, mengatakan bahwa sektor ekonomi kreatif merupakan memiliki potensi ekonomi yang tinggi namun belum memberikan kontribusi yang maksimal terhadap pendapatan negara.

"Ekonomi kreatif penting karena memiliki potensi yang luar biasa," kata Mari dalam pidato perdananya, di Kementerian Pariwisata dan Ekonomi Kreatif, Jakarta, Rabu (19/10).

Dengan input gagasan, menurut dia, potensi ekonomi bisa ditingkatkan hingga ke titik optimal meskipun harus menghadapi tantangan seperti perlindungan hak kekayaan intelektual, infrastruktur, serta pendidikan sehingga mampu mengembangkan creative mindset.

Mari menuturkan bahwa kontribusi ekonomi kreatif pada Pendapatan Domestik Bruto (PDB) mencapai 7,6 persen. Sementara terdapat 7,7 juta pekerja di sektor ekonomi kreatif yang menyumbang 7,5 persen pada angkatan kerja.

Ada pun ekspor ekonomi kreatif mencapai Rp 115 trilliun atau 7,5 persen dari total ekspor.

KIARA:Pemerintah SBY-Boediono Rampas Ruang Hidup Nelayan

2011-10-19T21:12:00.000+07:00

KIARA:Pemerintah SBY-Boediono Rampas Ruang Hidup Nelayan

Pemerintah dinilai belum mampu melindungi dan menyejahterakan nelayan dan masyarakat pesisir.

Aktivis menilai pemerintah SBY-Boediono telah merampas ruang hidup dan sumber-sumber penghidupan nelayan dan masyarakat pesisir lainnya.

"Kami melihat adanya lima indikasi kuat terjadinya perampasan dan pengurasan sumber daya laut di wilayah Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia," kata Riza Damanik, Sekretaris Jendral Koalisi Rakyat untuk Keadilan Perikanan (KIARA), dalam Konferensi pers yang diadakan di Jakarta, hari ini.

KIARA mencatat dalam dua tahun masa pemerintah SBY-Boediono, pencemaran perairan Indonesia telah mencapai 23.281.799 hektar, di mana pencemaran tersebut terjadi di kawasan Teluk Jakarta yang mencapai 28.500 hektar, kawasan Perairan Laut Timor yang mencapai 9.000.000 hektar, serta kawasan Perairan Bangka Belitung yang mencapai 14.250.000 hektar.

"Meluasnya pencemaran yang terjadi di perairan Indonesia telah mengakibatkan adanya berbagai kesulitan bagi nelayan tradisional, karena dengan meluasnya pencemaran perairan Indonesia maka kerusakan ekosistem laut pun meluas sehingga berdampak pada menurunkan jumlah tangkapan ikan nelayan tradisional," kata Riza

"Sayangnya, pemerintah tidak berupaya serius untuk menangani hal tersebut. Justru yang terjadi adalah pemerintah memberikan dukungan terhadap praktik pencemaran ekosistem laut dan pesisir pantai dengan mengijinkan adanya aktivitas pertambangan, pemakaian alat tangkap trawl, konversi hutan bakau dan reklamasi di perairan nelayan tradisional," tambahnya.

Budi Laksana, 32, seorang nelayan asal Cirebon yang juga merupakan anggota Serikat Nelayan Indonesia mengatakan, bahwa pemerintah SBY-Boediono selama ini tidak memberikan bantuan yang tepat kepada para nelayan tradisional.

"Bantuan yang diberikan oleh pemerintah selama ini justru diberikan kepada industri perikanan atau nelayan besar, dan bukan nelayan tradisional. Sedangkan nelayan tradisional tidak mendapatkan bantuan yang sesuai dengan kebutuhan kami," kata Budi.

Menteri Baru Masih Sarat Kepentingan Partai

Budi menyatakan SBY berucap bahwa ia akan memajukan kehidupan nelayan dengan melakukan pembangunan infrastruktur, tempat pelelangan ikan dan memberkan asuransi kecelakaan kerja.

"Sayangnya ucapan SBY hanya sebuah pencitraan politik saja karena pada tahun 2010, pemerintah SBY justru meningkatkan harga BBM, sehingga jika sebelumnya kami hanya mengeluarkan biaya sebesar Rp 1 juta untuk melaut selama satu minggu, kini kami harus mengeluarkan uang sebesar Rp 1.5 juta," tutur Budi.

Lebih lanjut ia mengatakan, bahwa banyak nelayan tradisional Cirebon yang bekerja di kapal nelayan asing dan istri mereka harus bekerja di luar negeri sebagai pembantu rumah tangga karena semakin merosotnya tingkat kehidupan nelayan tradisional.

Selain itu, KIARA mencatat Indonesia telah mengimpor produk perikanan lebih dari 119.682 ton hingga April 2011.

"Impor produk periknanan telah meningkat hingga 35 persen dibandingkan tahun 2010. Di mana dari 40 dari 79 produk impor perikanan tersebut merupakan produk periknanan yang dapat ditemukan dan dibudidayakan di Indonesia," kata Riza.

"Hal ini menunjukkan bahwa koordinasi lintas kementerian dalam mengatur hajat hidup nelayan dan masyarakat pesisir semakin mahal. Bahkan pemerintah SBY-Boediono belum mampu untuk melindungi dan menyejahterakan nelayan tradisional dan masyarakat pesisir," tambahnya.

Sementara itu, langkah Presiden SBY untuk mengganti Menteri Kelautan dan Perikanan Fadel Muhammad dengan Tjitjip Sharif Sutardjo dalam reshuffle KIB II dianggap tidak serius untuk memperbaiki sektor kelautan dan perikanan di Indonesia, karena Tjijip dianggap tidak memiliki prestasi terkait dengan sektor kelautan dan perikanan.

"Kementrian Kelautan dan Perikanan miskin prestasi selama dua tahun terakhir ini, sehingga kementerian ini membutuhkan menteri baru yang professional," tandas Riza.

"Namun menteri yang baru masih sarat dengan kepentingan partai, " tutupnya.

Jero Minta Mari Elka Lanjutkan Programnya

2011-10-19T21:07:00.001+07:00

Jero Minta Mari Elka Lanjutkan Programnya

Mari diyakini mampu mendorong industri pariwisata Indonesia dan menghasilkan devisa hingga USD 10 miliar pada 2014.

Mantan Menteri Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata (Menbudpar) meminta Menteri Pariwisata dan Ekonomi Kreatif untuk meneruskan programnya yang dijalankan selama tujuh tahun terakhir ini.

Dalam serah terima jabatan antara Jero Wacik dan Mari Elka Pangestu di Gedung Sapta Pesona, Kementerian Pariwisata dan Ekonomi Kreatif, pada hari Rabu (19/10), Jero meminta Mari untuk meneruskan program Kembudpar yang belum diselesaikan selama ia menjabat sebagai menteri.

"Saya minta kepada Ibu Menteri, agar program yang dilaksanakan itu dijalankan dengan baik. Kalau Ibu ada ide baru, silakan saja. Ini bukan intervensi tetapi harapan, karena kalau tidak dijalankan saya akan sedih," kata Jero, dalam sambutannya.

Beberapa program yang ditinggalkan oleh Jero kepada Mari antara lain melanjutkan program pembangunan Taman Majapahit di Trowulan; program pembangunan Museum Pariwisata di tepi Danau Batur, Kintamani, Bali; program branding pariwisata Indonesia 'Wonderful Indonesia'; dan gagasan pembangunan bandara internasional di Bali Utara.

Selain itu, ada pula program pemugaran Komplek Purbakala Muaro Jambi, program menjadikan Belitung dan Lombok sebagai tujuan pariwisata internasional dan mengembangkan perfilman Indonesia.

"Saya sengaja membawa ini semua agar tidak ada yang membatalkan. Jika ada yang membatalkan, bisa ketahuan," kata Jero.

"Saya tidak mungkin terpilih menjadi menteri ESDM kalau saya tidak berprestasi sebagai menbudpar. Namun saya tidak akan berprestasi sebagai menbudpar kalau tidak ada yang mendukung saya," tambah Jero. Ia menambahkan bahwa dirinya optimis Mari mampu mendorong industri pariwisata Indonesia dan menghasilkan devisa negara hingga USD 10 miliar pada tahun 2014.

Ministers Take Posts With High Hopes

2011-10-19T20:17:00.000+07:00

Ministers Take Posts With High Hopes

Arientha Primanita, Ismira Lutfia, Rizky Amelia & Elisabeth Oktofani

Pledges, promises and painful farewells concluded the month-long cabinet reshuffle saga with newly appointed ministers promised to form fresh policies while the outgoing ones pleaded with them to see their policies through to completion.

Law Enforcement

New Minister of Justice and Human Rights Amir Syamsuddin and his deputy Denny Indrayana pledged to end the ministry’s much-criticized policy of awarding corruption and terrorism convicts with remissions, parole and other privileges, a legacy that blighted the administration of the outgoing minister Patrialis Akbar.

“Remissions for cases of corruption, terrorism and organized crime will be stopped,” said Denny, a former presidential staff member for legal affairs.

Amir said his ministry would also focus on “de-radicalizing” terrorism convicts, saying that he would forge relationships with religious leaders as well as sociologists and counter-terrorism bodies.

The program was first introduced under former minister Andi Mattalatta, making convicts sit together with religious clerics in the hope that the discussion would correct their views on Islam.

But terrorism analysts say the program has been ineffective in preventing terrorists from reoffending. In fact, prison has proven to be an effective incubator for radical ideologies and recruitment ground for militias.

Patrialis, who shed tears as he bid farewell to his former subordinates, said he would become an academic. Some students from the immigration academy even read out a poem written as a tribute for the outgoing minister.

The students then lined up to escort Patrialis and his wife out of the building while some ministry officials sang farewell songs and others waved him goodbye.

Meanwhile, the newly appointed State Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Lt. Gen. Marciano Norman said he would focus on creating “synergy” with other institutions.

“I will try all I can to synergize with all sides whether it is the BNPT [National Counter Terrorism Agency], the National Police or the TNI [military]. I must help the BIN to forge inter-department relationships,” he said.

Marciano said multi-institutional cooperation was the only way to go to bring peace and stability to the country.

Tourism to Energy

At the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry, outgoing minister Jero Wacik asked successor Mari Elka Pangestu continue his unfinished programs.

“If you come up with new ideas, go ahead. This is not an intervention but a request. If [the old programs] are not continued, I will be heartbroken,” he said.

Jero, who was appointed to be the new Energy and Mineral Resource Minister, said he still dreamed of restoring the Majapahit garden in Trowulan, Central Java, as well as making Belitung island an international tourism destination.

“I would not have been chosen as energy minister if I had achieved nothing as tourism minister. But I wouldn’t have been such a high-achieving tourism minister without anyone supporting me,” he told his former subordinates in an outgoing address.

The ministry has been renamed the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry. Mari said the creative economy aspect of her new role posed an exciting new challenge for her.

“It is something remarkable that we have a ministry that manages and develops a creative economy,” she said.

Mari, previously trade minister, said that a blueprint for a creative economy was devised in 2008, adding that the industry contributes around 7.6 percent, or Rp 140 trillion ($16 billion), to the economy.

She said that the industry also made up about 10 percent of Indonesia’s exports, employing around 7 percent of the country’s workforce of 110 million people.

Mari said her ministry would need to sit down with the Education Ministry, which has been renamed the Ministry of Education and Culture.

“We will discuss what will be the [education ministry’s] responsibility,” she said.

Research, Technology & Environment

Newly appointed Research and Technology Minister Gusti Muhammad Hatta said he would focus on horticultural technology and genetic engineering for agricultural products to boost Indonesia’s food resilience in the face of global climate change.

“Technological innovations are needed to respond to the looming global food crisis,” the minister said.

Gusti, who previously served as environment minister, said there needed to be research to produce a new rice variety that was more resilient in the changing climate. The current variety, he said, no longer suits rising temperatures, causing food shortages and famines.

His experience as an environment minister, he said, allowed him to learn that access to clean water should also be made a priority, particularly to areas prone to drought.

A technological breakthrough is needed to address the problem, he said, adding that the government had focused too much on short-term solutions of disaster mitigation and relief aid. “We have to work together to produce something useful,” he said.

Gusti’s position at the Environment Ministry was filled by Balthasar Kambuaya, a former rector of Cendrawasih University in Papua. Balthasar said that although his background was economics, he was confident he would be able to resolve environmental issues.

“You just have to believe in yourself. I am sure [environmental problems] will be resolved,” he said. Balthasar was the university’s dean of the economics faculty between 2001 and 2004 before being appointed as its rector.

Operators Told To Reconfirm Paid Services Subscriptions

2011-10-18T20:12:00.000+07:00

Operators Told To Reconfirm Paid Services Subscriptions

The government says it will ensure mobile phone network operators reconfirm consumers’ subscriptions to premium SMS services and Ring Back Tones as police push ahead investigating allegations of phone credit theft.

“Services such as premium SMS and RBT will have to be reconfirmed to check whether customers wish to continue their subscriptions or not,” said Gatot Dewa Broto, a spokesman for the Communications and Information Technology Ministry.

The deadline for reconfirmation is today at midnight.

Some providers allow people to set music as an RBT. The government will not halt the services, Gatot said.

“This is certainly not going to disadvantage musicians. In fact, it will protect them,” he added.

Frustration over telephone credit theft gained public exposure when Feri Kuntoro, a man from East Jakarta, reported Telkomsel to the police two weeks ago for letting a content provider siphon off his credit.

Sr. Comr. Baharudin Djafar, a spokesman for the Jakarta Police, has reassured consumers that police were taking the phone credit theft allegations seriously.

Baharudin said digital forensics techniques would help tell whether a complainant had attempted to cancel a disputed subscription or not. “The important thing is that we explore first whether or not there is a criminal aspect to each case,” he said.

Baharudin added that police had only received three reports of alleged crimes from the public: those of Feri Kuntoro, Hendri Kurniawan and Daniel Kumendong. Those cases were being probed by the Jakarta Police’s cyber-crime unit, he said.

Feri presented further evidence to police on Monday, Baharudin said, handing over physical evidence to support his initial report made on Oct. 4.

The police have also taken the initiative to consult experts in the case, he said.

“We’ve contacted language experts, consumer experts, IT experts and even the Social Affairs Ministry — for cases where there’s a prize on offer, to check whether the competition is registered or not,” Baharudin said.

Network operator Telkomsel will be questioned this week in connection with Feri’s report, the spokesman said.

Feri’s attorney, David Tobing said public-interest lawyers were ready to report network providers that ignored a letter of instruction issued on Friday by the Indonesian Telecommunication Regulatory Body (BRTI).

“I, personally, along with NGOs, will monitor the implementation of the instruction. If there are any [network operators] that breach it, we’ll report them to police,” David said on Monday.

The BRTI’s letter of instruction was directed at 10 mobile network operators, requiring them to take various steps to protect consumers.

These include a ban until further notice on broadcast text messages, pop-up screens and broadcast voice messages. Information must also be prepared for consumers and any unfairly deducted credit be returned.

The Indonesian Cellular Phone Association (ATSI) has indicated its preparedness to comply with the instructions, its chief Sarwoto Atmosutarno told a news conference on Monday.

Sarwoto is also the president director of Telkomsel.

Operator Seluler Wajib Konfirm Ulang Layanan RBT

2011-10-17T21:17:00.000+07:00

Operator Seluler Wajib Konfirm Ulang Layanan RBT

Konfirmasi ulang harus dilaksanakan paling lambat pada 18 Oktober.

Pemerintah menegaskan operator telepon seluler diwajibkan mengkonfirmasi ulang layanan Ring Back Tone (RBT) kepada para pelanggan.

"Layanan SMS Premium seperti RBT akan dikonfirmasi ulang kepada para pelanggannya apakah mereka masih akan melanjutkan langganan tersebut atau tidak," kata Gatot S Dewa Broto, Kepala Humas dan Pusat Informasi di Kementerian Komunikasi dan Informatika, kepada beritasatu.com, Jakarta, hari ini.

Gatot menambahkan yang dihentikan bukanlah jasa layanan SMS Premium seperti RBT yang dihentikan, melainkan SMS Broadcast berupa promosi hingga batas waktu yang akan disampaikan nanti.

Dijelaskannya, konfirmasi ulang tersebut harus dilaksanakan paling lambat pada tanggal 18 Oktober tengah pukul 00.00 WIB. "Yang jelas penataan ulang SMS Premium ini tidak akan merugikan musisi namun justru melindungi mereka," tandas dia.

Message Received: BRTI Tells Providers To Cut Off ‘Premium’ Cellphone Content

2011-10-17T20:07:00.003+07:00

Message Received: BRTI Tells Providers To Cut Off ‘Premium’ Cellphone Content

Consumers battling the automatic deduction of cellphone credits for unsolicited content have notched up a major victory with a government moratorium on operators offering such content.

The Indonesia Telecommunications Regulatory Body (BRTI) announced over the weekend that it had issued a letter to the 10 cellphone operators in the country to stop them offering the paid content via text message, pop-up screens or voice broadcasts for an indefinite period.

Gatot Dewa Broto, a spokesman for the Communications and Information Technology Ministry, said on Sunday that the move was the government’s response to reports of premium content bilking consumers of phone credit and recommendations by the House of Representatives to crack down on unscrupulous content providers.

“The operators have also been instructed to de-register all customers from these premium message services by midnight on Monday at the latest,” he said.

“They will then have to notify their customers about the de-registration and instruct them on how to register again if they choose to do so, without incurring extra charges.”

In another step toward greater consumer protection, the BRTI has also required the 10 operators to tabulate and submit a list of the amount of credit deducted from each customer for these services since registering.

“This is concrete proof of the government’s response to consumer concerns about the stealing of phone credits,” Gatot said.

The issue of unsolicited deductions came to the public attention when Jakarta resident Feri Kuntoro reported Telkomsel, the country’s biggest mobile operator, to the police earlier this month for letting a content provider siphon his phone credit.

Feri was himself later reported to the police for defamation by Colibri Network, the content provider in question, though he insisted he had not leveled any accusations against them.

Last week, Feri told the Jakarta Globe that he was being harassed after lodging the report and that he had appealed to the Victim and Witness Protection Agency (LPSK) for help.

Renowned consumer rights advocate David Tobing, who is representing Feri in his lawsuit, said the BRTI’s order was less than satisfactory because it did not actually oblige the operators to de-register their customers from the premium services.

“So what the operators have done is give their customers the option of de-registering, and not actively done it themselves,” he said on Sunday.

He cited the case of Telkomsel, which has sent out text messages instructing customers with active premium message subscriptions on how they can de-register.

“That kind of message giving customers the option to de-register won’t necessarily be acted on by all customers,” David said.

Activists tried to get people to switch off their cellphones for two hours on Saturday to protest the unsolicited deductions, but it was unclear how many heeded the call to hang up o n their cellular companies.

Saputra Harja, the organizer o f the No Handphone Movement, said he was trying to confirm the number of people who joined in.

“I am optimistic that many people participated by turning off their phones for two hours,” Saputra said. “But we still have to see how this affected mobile phone traffic.”

The group blames providers for failing to crack down on unscrupulous content companies that steal phone credits from unsuspecting consumers.

BRTI Instruksikan Operator Stop Layanan SMS Premium

2011-10-16T21:01:00.000+07:00

BRTI Instruksikan Operator Stop Layanan SMS Premium

Badan Regulasi Telekomunikasi Indonesia (BRTI) mengeluarkan surat edaran kepada semua operator telekomunikasi Indonesia untuk menghentikan penawaran konten melalui SMS broadcast/ pop screen/voice broadcast hingga waktu yang ditentukan kemudian.

Surat tersebut dikirimkan pada 10 operator telepon seluler di Indonesia, yakni Telkom,
Telkomsel, XL Axiata, Smart Televom, Bakrie Telecom, Hutchinson CP Telecommunication,
Indosat, Mobile 8, Natrindo Telepon Seluler dan Sampoerna Telekomunikasi Indonesia.

Gatot S. Dewa Broto, Kepala Humas dan Pusat informasi Kementerian Komunikasi dan Informatika, mengatakan instruksi penghentian SMS premium terhadap operator telepon seluler tersebut merupakan bentuk respons pemerintah terhadap rekomendasi Komisi 1 DPR RI dan keresehan masyarakat terhadap tindakan pencurian pulsa.

"Melalui surat edaran, BRTI menginstruksikan operator telepon seluler di Indonesia untuk menghentikan penawaran konten melalui SMS broadcast/pop screen/ voice broadcast sampai dengan batas waktu yang akan ditentukan kemudian." kata Gatot, melalui sambungan telepon kepada beritasatu.com, hari ini.

"Mereka juga diinstruksikan untuk melakukan deaktivasi atau unregistrasi semua layanan Jasa Pesan Premium yang paling lambat dilakukan pada hari Selasa tanggal 18 Oktober 2011 pukul 00.00 WIB," lanjut Gatot.

Gatot menambahkan bahwa deaktivasi tersebut tidak dilakukan untuk layanan publik dan fasilitas jasa keuangan serta pasar modal yang sesuai dengan ketentuan peraturan perundang-undangan.

"Setelah melakukan deaktivasi tersebut, operator telepon seluler diminta untuk memberikan notifikasi deaktivasi dan informasi cara registrasi ulang bagi pengguna yang berminat tanpa dikenakan biaya tambahan." tambahnya.

Dalam surat edaran tersebut, BRTI juga meminta operator telepon seluler untuk menyediakan data-data rekapitulasi pulsa pengguna yang terpotong akibat layanan Jasa Pesan Premium yang diaktifkan melalui SMS broadcasting atau pop screen.

Mereka juga diinstruksikan untuk mengembalikan pulsa pengguna yang pernah diaktifkan dan dirugikan akibat layanan Jasa Pesan Premium.

"Hal ini sebagai bukti konkret bahwa pemerintah peduli terhadap keresahan masyarakat
terhadap kasus pencurian pulsa." tegas Gatot.

Operator Dinilai Tak Niat Laksanakan Imbauan BRTI

2011-10-16T20:51:00.001+07:00

Operator Dinilai Tak Niat Laksanakan Imbauan BRTI

Operator telepon hanya mengimbau pelanggan untuk menghentikan langganan SMS premium.

David Tobing, pengacara Mohammad Feri Kuntoro, pelapor pencurian pulsa yang dilaporkan balik PT Colibri Network dengan tuduhan mencemarkan nama baik, menyayangkan instruksi Badan Regulasi Telekomunikasi Indonesia (BRTI) yang tidak diimplementasikan secara tepat oleh operator telepon seluler.

"Di sini, operator telepon hanya memberikan himbauan atau pilihan kepada pelanggannya untuk menghentikan langganan SMS premium dan bukan menghentikannya secara langsung." kata David, ketika dihubungi, hari ini.

Ia memberikan contoh SMS yang diterimanya dari Telkomsel yang berbunyi 'Pelangkan Telkomsel yang terhormat, silakan tekan *111# untuk (kartuHALO) dan *116# untuk (simPATI/AS) tekan 3 untuk cek konten SMS Premium yang aktif. Apabila ingin berhenti berlangganan tekan Angka 2.'

"SMS imbauan tersebut belum tentu diterima oleh pengguna telepon seluler," ungkap David.

Badan Regulasi Telekomunikasi Indonesia (BRTI) mengeluarkan surat edaran kepada semua operator telekomunikasi Indonesia untuk menghentikan penawaran konten melalui SMS broadcast/ pop screen/ voice broadcast hingga waktu yang ditentukan kemudian.

Surat tersebut dikirimkan pada 10 operator telepon seluler di Indonesia, yakni Telkom, Telkomsel, XL Axiata, Smart Telecom, Bakrie Telecom, Hutchinson CP Telecommunication, Indosat, Mobile 8, Natrindo Telepon Seluler dan Sampoerna Telekomunikasi Indonesia.

Budayawan Dukung Integrasi Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan

2011-10-16T20:43:00.000+07:00

Budayawan Dukung Integrasi Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan

Integrasi departemen kebudayaan dengan kementerian pendidikan nasional disambut baik oleh para budayawan Indonesia.

Goenawan Mohammad, kepadaberitasatu, hari ini menyatakan langkah pemerintah untuk mengitegrasi departemen kebudaan dengan kementerian pendidikan nasional merupakan langkah yang tepat.

"Selama ini bidang kebudayaan dicampuradukkan dengan bidang pariwisata, padahal kebudayaan dan pariwisata merupakan dua hal yang sangat berbeda. Kebudayaan berkaitan dengan nilai artistik dan intelektualitas bangsa sedangkan pariwisata berkaitan dengan komersialisasi," katanya.

Ia juga menyayangkan jika selama ini kebudayaan hanya dijadikan tontonan semata dan bagian dari industri pariwisata. Padahal kebudayaan mengandung nilai artistik dan intelektualitas yang dapat memperkaya budaya bangsa Indonesia.

Tak hanya Goenawan. Pelukis asal Yogyakarta, Djoko Pekik, juga menyetujui perubahaan tersebut.

"Kebudayaan merupakan suatu nilai yang berkaitan dengan karakter bangsa yang perlu dibentuk melalui pendidikan dan pengajaran sebagai pondasi dasar. Pemisahan departemen kebudayaan dari departemen pariwisata merupakan langkah yang sangat tepat sebab memisahakan komersialisasi dari pembentukan karakter bangsa," ungkapnya.

Dua Kementerian mengalami perubahan nomenklatur dalam perombakan Kabinet Indonesia Bersatu II yang sedang disusun oleh Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.Kementerian yang berubah adalah Kementerian Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata menjadi Kementerian Pariwisata dan Ekonomi Kreatif serta Kementerian Pendidikan Nasional menjadi Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan.

Experts Say Riverbank Defecation Costs Indonesia $6.6 Billion Yearly

2011-10-16T20:03:00.000+07:00

Experts Say Riverbank Defecation Costs Indonesia $6.6 Billion Yearly

For Oswar Mungkasa, the head of planning and budgeting at the Public Housing Ministry, it is evident where the blame for the state of the country’s heavily polluted rivers lies.

“I once spoke with a low-income family that had a habit of going to the bathroom on riverbanks, and they said they had no issues with it whatsoever,” he said.

“Yet it is this very practice that is responsible for 80 percent of the pollution in our rivers.”

The problem is not limited to low-income residents. Most households, Oswar said, are guilty of polluting groundwater sources and rivers with indiscriminate defecation.

“Fifty-five percent of all households don’t have access to clean water, while the same percentage don’t have proper sanitation systems, which leads to them to dump their waste untreated,” he said.

“This alone accounts for 80 percent of groundwater pollution and explains why river water is contaminated with the E. coli bacteria.”

This problem, Oswar pointed out, has led to health costs and other expenses that have cost the Indonesian state Rp 58 trillion ($6.6 billion) a year.

He added that an estimated 70 million Indonesians defecate indiscriminately but that it was a bad habit that could be broken.

“It’s important to raise public awareness, through an education campaign, about the dangers of dumping anywhere you want,” he said at a recent discussion on water and hygiene issues in Indonesia.

“Clean water and sanitation are basic needs that require public support and government planning to bring about.”

Alfred Nakatsuma, the environmental director at USAID, said the problem of a lack of access to clean water is common among developing countries, where, ironically, poor people have to pay more for water because they are not served by tap water networks.

To that end, USAID rolled out its Indonesia Urban Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (IUWASH) project in March 2010 to increase access to safe water for two million people and provide sanitation for 200,000 people.

The program, set to run for six years, is expected to reach poor populations in urban areas and address the challenges that water utilities face in ensuring water access and availability, such as climate change and increasing water demand in urban areas.

The IUWASH program was launched to help Indonesia attain its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on improved access to clean water and sanitation, part of a United Nations initiative.

Under MDG guidelines, the government must halve the number of people without access to drinking water or sanitation services by 2015.

Additional reporting from Antara

Gerakan Tanpa Handphone Bakal Digelar

2011-10-15T20:47:00.001+07:00

Gerakan Tanpa Handphone Bakal Digelar

"Partisipasi masyarakat masih dalam konfirmasi. Tapi, saya optimis masyarakat mengikuti gerakan ini,"

Hari gerakan tanpa telepon genggam selama dua jam. Rencana itu digadang sebagai bentuk protes terhadap maraknya kasus pencurian pulsa yang merugikan masyarakat.

"Partisipasi masyarakat masih dalam konfirmasi. Tapi, saya optimis masyarakat mengikuti gerakan ini," kata Harja Saputra kepada Beritasatu.com, Sabtu (15/10).

Karena gerakan ini tidak dilakukan dalam satu wilayah yang sama, maka kami akan melakukan konfirmasi ke beberapa pihak untuk melihat traffic penggunaan telepon." imbuhnya.

"Selama ini, kita hanya menyampaikan kekecewaan melalui facebook dan twitter. Itu tidak memberikan efek jera pada pihak operator telepon. Karena itu, gerakan ini diharapkan agar mampu mendorong pemerintah dan operator telepon untuk mengambil tindakan tegas atas pencurian pulsa ini." ujar Harja.

Sementara itu, partisipan gerakan tanpa telepon genggam, Dian Pramudito (35) mengatakan, keikutsertakan dalam kegiatan ini untuk memprotes provider yang lalai.

"Saya tak pernah mendaftar segala bentuk SMS premium. Namun, saya sering mendapatkan berbagai jenis SMS. Awalnya saya pikir hanya menerima SMS. Tapi, saya justru kehilangan pulsa," tuturnya.

Lain lagi dengan David Tobing. Pria yang berprofesi sebagai pengacara itu mengatakan, pemerintah, operator telepon , dan konten provider seharusnya memerhatikan gerakan ini. Sebab, masyarakat bergerak bersama untuk menunjukkan kekecewaan mereka terhadap pencurian pulsa.

Indonesia Prioritaskan Pembangunan Air dan Sanitasi

2011-10-14T20:58:00.001+07:00

Indonesia Prioritaskan Pembangunan Air dan Sanitasi

Kurang tersistemasinya sanitasi air ini juga mengakibatkan adanya kerugian negara hingga Rp 58 triliun per tahun.

Air dan sanitasi merupakan agenda prioritas pembangunan Indonesia untuk mencapai target MDGs berkait dengan sanitasi air dan akses terhadap air bersih.

Sebuah hasil studi berkaitan dengan perilaku sanitasi air yang dilakukan oleh WSP menunjukkan, sanitasi bukan prioritas utama kebutuhan hidup sehari-hari bagi masyarakat yang kekurangan, sehingga mereka kurang paham pentingnya sanitasi air sebagai salah satu prioritas utama untuk hidup bersih dan sehat.

Dalam diskusi Wash Talk: Ada Apa Dengan Air Minum dan Higienitas di Negara Ini? yang diadakan di @atamerica hari ini, Oswar Mungkasa, Kepala Biro Perencanaan dan Penganggaran, Kementerian Perumahan mengatakan, masyarakat dan pemerintah perlu bekerjasama dalam menyelenggarakan layanan air dan sanitasi, sebab air dan sanitasi merupakan kebutuhan dasar manusia.

"Air dan sanitasi merupakan kebutuhan mendasar, namun air dan sanitasi bukan urusan pribadi semata. Karena itu, pembangunan saluran air bersih dan sanitasi memerlukan perencanaan pemerintah dan partisipasi masyarakat dalam merealisasikannya." kata Oswar.

"Saya pernah berbicara dengan keluarga miskin yang membuang air besar sembarang, seperti di sungai dan mereka mengatakan, mereka tidak bersalah dengan hal tersebut. Padahal, perilaku mereka justru mengakibatkan pencemaran air hingga 80 persen," kata Oswar.

Oswar mengatakan, hingga hari ini terdapat kurang lebih 70 juta warga negara Indonesia yang membuang air besar sembarangan. Namun ia yakin bahwa kebiasaan masyarakat tersebut dapat diubah.

"Penting untuk menumbuhkan kesadaran masyarakat mengenai bahaya membuang air besar sembarang melalui edukasi," tambahnya.

Alanda Kariza, penerima Ashola Young Changemaker Awards 2010: Inovasi Air Bersih dan Sanitasi mengatakan, masyarakat tidak perlu menunggu pemerintah, lembaga swadaya masyarakat, atau organisasi internasional untuk menangani masalah yang berdampak langsung pada mereka. Hal-hal seperti ini, bisa dikerjakan sendiri.

Sementara itu, salah satu target MDGs Indonesia pada tahun 2015 adalah menurunkan separuh proporsi penduduk Indonesia yang tidak memiliki akses terhadap air minum yang aman dan sanitasi dasar. Pemerintah menargetkan, 68.87 persen penduduk memiliki akses terhadap sumber air minum yang layak, serta 65.1 persen penduduk memiliki akses fasilitas sanitasi yang layak.

"Sampai saat ini, 55 persen rumah tangga belum memiliki akses terhadap air bersih. Hal tersebut berdampak pada pencemaran air tanah hingga 80 persen, pencemaran sungai hingga 75 persen, serta mengakibatkan terkontaminasinya air minum dengan bakteri E-coli," kata Oswar.

Oswar menambahkan, kurang tersistemasinya sanitasi air ini juga mengakibatkan adanya kerugian negara hingga Rp 58 triliun per tahun.

Alferd Nakatsuma, Direktur Departemen Lingkungan Hidup di USAID mengatakan, masih banyak masyarakat dunia yang tidak memiliki akses terhadap air bersih dan sanitasi.

"Di banyak negara berkembang, orang miskin membayar air lebih mahal dan mereka masih bergantung pada truk pembawa air untuk mendapatkan air bersih," katanya.

Dalam rangka membantu Indonesia untuk mencapai target MDGs tersebut, USAID Indonesia melalui Indonesia Urban Water Sanitation and Hygiene (IUWASH), membantu mengkampanyekan isu ini bagi pencapaian target MDGs untuk akses air minum dan sanitasi di Indonesia, melalui perluasan akses terhadap akses air bersih dan sanitasi untuk masyarakat miskin kota di Indonesia, khususnya mereka yang tidak memiliki akses sangat terbatas terhadap kedua layanan tersebut.

Nine Years After Bali Bombing, Many Indonesians Wage Peace

2011-10-13T09:52:00.000+07:00

Nine Years After Bali Bombing, Many Indonesians Wage Peace

Denpasar. Wayan Leniasih lived with her husband until he was killed in the 2002 Bali bombings that left 202 people, mostly foreign tourists, dead.

At the Ground Zero monument in Kuta she called on those gathered to remember what happened on Oct. 12, 2002, to put the bombing behind them lest it “continue to haunt us forever.”

But this statement of defiance could not hide the deep loss that losing her husband, Kadek Sukanaya, who worked as a bartender at the Sari Club where a bomb exploded, must have caused.

Like many of the survivors of those who were killed, Wayan’s life has become more difficult in practical ways, as well as from coping with the grief that haunted her for years.

“My teacher’s salary is not enough, so I have to take up more jobs on the side,” she said. “The good thing is our children’s education has not been effected because they are now paid for by a foundation.”

Thiolina F. Marpaung, who suffers from eye problems because of shrapnel from the bombs, said that she continued to feel a deep sadness every time she thought of the incident.

Like many of the survivors, Thiolina struggles to pay for medical bills. She said that she continued to undergo monthly medical checks at her own expense.

But as well as sharing stories of sorrow, some in attendance said they were glad to have the support of other survivors.

“By meeting the other victims, we feel that we share the same fate and can share stories and help each other,” said Bambang, a victim of the 2003 JW Marriott Hotel bombing in Jakarta, who attended the ceremony.

Following speeches from some of the victims and their families, a 150-meter piece of cloth was unfurled at Kuta Beach, which people signed to support calls for non-violence and conflict resolution.

In Jakarta, a similar event took place, where a 1.4 kilometer shroud was unfurled from the Hotel Indonesia roundabout for people to sign.

“Taking the shroud of cloth as a symbol, we want to send a message that violence has already caused enough deaths,” said Damien Demantra, who headed the organizing committee for the event.

He said that the organizers hoped that thousands of people would put their signature on the cloth.

The anniversary was also marked with a solemn gathering at the Australian consulate in Denpasar.

“We are standing here to remember the victims of the bombings nine years ago. We are also remembering the people whose lives have been changed by this event,” Australian Ambassador Greg Moriarty said in his speech.

Wendy Grezl, the mother-in-law of John Juniardi, who was killed in the blast at Sari Club, said that “this bad memory would continue to haunt us forever.”

The Association of Bomb Victims in Indonesia (Askobi) also marked the day by conducting a campaign against violence directed at the country’s youth.

Askobi member Tony Soemarno, 57, said that the campaign intended to show the youth that violence was not the answer.

“Violence is not part of the life of the people of Indonesia. We are a community that is against violence,” said Tony, who was also one of the survivors of the 2003 JW Marriott bombing.

He added that there needed to be efforts to deal with the root causes of terrorism.

“I once met with terrorists. I said that they must prevent attacks from happening again. They said they can’t do it by themselves, because there are many more ready to act,” he said.

Nasir Abbas, a former member of the Jemaah Islamiyah regional terror network who has since left the radical group, said that efforts to fight terrorism should never stop because “terrorists continue to spread their teachings to the people.”

Good News for Print Media In Face of Online Onslaught

2011-10-13T09:51:00.005+07:00

Good News for Print Media In Face of Online Onslaught

Abimata Putra Kurniawan, an employee at a private bank, always starts his day by perusing a national newspaper.

“My favorite section is the business section, especially the business analysis pieces,” says the 34-year-old Jakarta resident. “It helps me understand what’s happening in the field I work in.”

He adds that he prefers newspapers to television.

“I always watch the morning news on television as well to get the general news, and frankly television news reporting is easier to digest,” Abimata says. “But by the time they get to the business news, I’m already at the office.”

Abimata is one of a growing number of Indonesians who rely on the printed page for their news, even as other countries experience substantial drops in circulation as a result of people getting their news from online sources and television.

According to an ABG Nielsen Indonesia survey released in July, newspaper readership increased marginally from 13.4 percent at the start of the year to 13.7 percent by the middle of the year.

Agus Sudibyo, a member of the Press Council, says that although electronic and online media is increasingly popular, print media will never be wholly replaced in Indonesia.

“Every media has its own market and everybody has different needs in terms of how they get their news, whether through electronic media, online media or print media,” he says. “I’d say that the majority of society here sees television as an entertainment media, while online media is perceived more as presenting short, instantly updated news.”

Hence newspapers fill a crucial role in providing context on current issues through their comprehensive reports, Agus says, which makes print media an attractive venture for media companies.

“Take the MNC Group, for instance,” he says, referring to a holding company with three national television stations, a satellite TV network, an online news portal and several radio stations in its portfolio.

“Although involved in electronic media, it publishes the Seputar Indonesia daily newspaper. Why? Because society still wants to read print media, and they’re aware that electronic media will not replace print media because both have different markets.”

The Nielsen survey corroborates the perception that newspapers provide a more reliable take on current issues than television or online news, with 55.8 percent of readers citing newspapers’ trustworthiness as their main reason for reading them.

Ignatius Haryanto, a media industry watcher and former journalist, is also convinced that print media will never be fully replaced by electronic or online media in Indonesia.

But he says that newspapers cannot expect to be entirely insulated from the boom in new media use.

“They will have to adapt in terms of having their own news portals and Web sites,” Ignatius says. “At the same time, they will also have to improve the quality [of their reporting]. Take Kompas and Tempo magazine, for instance. These two publications have retained their audience by presenting exclusive and investigative reports, which sometimes can’t be done by new media.”

The Nielsen survey also showed that while readership growth was uniform across the cities included in the survey, the figures were lower in large metropolitan areas like Jakarta and Bandung than in heartland areas like Yogyakarta and Palembang.

Dina Listiorini, a communications lecturer at the School of Social and Political Sciences at Atma Jaya University in Yogyakarta, attributes this disparity to lifestyle differences between big cities and small towns.

“Many people who live and work in a big city like Jakarta have to deal with heavy traffic every day. Couple this with the fact that many of them have Internet-enabled gadgets, they can kill time during their commute by accessing the news through the Internet,” she says.

“In small towns like Yogyakarta, though, the daily routine is generally more relaxed and people have more time to read newspapers.”

She adds that even though many Indonesians have access to the Internet, they tend to use it “more as an entertainment and communication tool than as a source of information.”

Kain Kafan Terpanjang di Dunia Menentang Kekerasan

2011-10-12T21:19:00.000+07:00

Kain Kafan Terpanjang di Dunia Menentang Kekerasan

The Royal World of Record memberikan penghargaan terhadap'Tanda Tangan Terpanjang Menentang Kekerasan di atas Kain Kafan'.

Kegiatan tersebut digelar saat peringatan sembilan tahun serangan teroris di Bali.

Dalam Aksi Damai Menentang Segala Bentuk Kekerasan di Muka Bumi, kain kafan sepanjang 1,4 kilometer yang dibubuhi dengan belasan ribu tanda tangan digelar di Bundaran Hotel Indonesia, hari ini.

Pimpinan aksi Damien Demantra mengatakan aksi penandatanganan di atas kain kafan menentang kekerasan dimaksudkan untuk menyampaikan pesan bahwa saat ini bukan waktunya lagi untuk hidup dalam kekerasan melainkan menjadikan perdamaian sebagai bagian dari solusi masalah.

"Melalui kafan sebagai simbol, kami ingin menyampaikan pesan bahwa cukup sudah kematian yang ditimbulkan karena adanya kekerasan," kata Damien.

Ia mengatakan bahwa aksi tanda tangan di atas kain kafan ini dilakukan sejak tanggal 28 September 2011 yang melibatkan belasan ribu orang dari berbagai elemen.

"Kain kafan ini ditandatangani oleh belasan ribu orang dari berbagai elemen seperti Asosiasi
Korban Bom Terorisme di Indonesia (Askobi), eks (peserta gerakan Mujahidin di) Afghanistan,
mantan teroris, berbagai masyarakat dari multi agama," kata Damien.

"Selain itu, ada juga tokoh masyarakat seperti wakil ketua PBNU dan (mantan kepala Badan
Intelijen Negara) Hendropriyono."

Wahyu Adriartono, ketua Askobi yang juga merupakan korban Bom JW Marriot 2003 dan korban Bom Kedutaan Besar Australia 2004, mengatakan bahwa mereka ingin memerangi ajaran yang sesat melalui aksi tanda tangan ini.

"Selain memerangi ajaran radikal melalui aksi tanda tangan ini, kami akan melakukan road show di sekolah tingkat SMP dan SMA serta lumbung-lumbung yang berpotensi melahirkan
terorisme untuk menolak berbagai jenis kekerasan," Kata Wahyu.

Aksi di Bundaran HI ini juga dihadiri oleh mantan anggota Jemaah Islamiyah, Nasir Abbas dan
Ron Mullers dari Royal World of Record.

Nasir mengatakan bahwa masyarakat harus terus memerangi aksi terorisme agar Indonesia
menjadi negara aman dan damai tanpa adanya serangan aksi terorisme lagi.

"Perlu kita ketahui bahwa kita jangan sampai berhenti untuk melakukan aksi penolakan kekerasan karena para teroris terus menyebarkan paham mereka kepada masyarakat sehingga
Indonesia dapat bersih dari aksi terorisme," kata Nasir.

Nasir menambahkan dengan banyaknya tanda tangan yang terkumpul dalam kain kafan tersebut menunjukkan bahwa masyarakat Indonesia tidak setuju dengan aksi pengeboman sehingga masyarakat perlu bahu membahu menjaga perdamaian di tengah masyarakat.

Korban Terorisme Bantu Kampanye Deradikalisasi

2011-10-12T21:09:00.001+07:00

Korban Terorisme Bantu Kampanye Deradikalisasi

Asosiasi Korban Bom Terorisme di Indonesia (ASKOBI) melakukan kampanye anti kekerasan terhadap generasi muda di Indonesia.

Hal tersebut bertujuan untuk memerangi aksi terorisme.

Tony Soemarno, 57, anggota ASKOBI yang membawahi hubungan dalam dan luar negeri, mengatakan pada beritasatu.com hari ini bahwa pesan penting dalam kampanye tersebut adalah 'kekerasan bukan merupakan bagian hidup dari masyarakat Indonesia'.

"Aksi terorisme merupakan salah satu bentuk aksi kekerasan dan ini sangat perlu untuk diberitahukan pada masyarakat terutama pada anak muda Indonesia bahwa kekerasan bukan budaya masyarakat Indonesia," kata Tony. "Kita adalah masyarakat anti kekerasan."

Tony, yang merupakan salah satu korban serangan bom JW Marriot tahun 2003, mengatakan bahwa aksi terorisme di Indonesia tidak akan pernah berhenti bila tidak ditangani hingga ke akarnya.

"Saya dulu sempat menemui para pelaku terorisme. Saya mengatakan pada mereka agar jangan sampai kejadian seperti ini sampai terulang lagi, namun mereka mengatakan pada saya bahwa mereka tidak dapat mengontrol karena telah banyak kandidat yang siap melakukan aksinya" kata Tony kepada beritasatu.com.

"Mereka juga mengatakan bahwa kandidat berikutnya akan ada terus karena para teroris telah mendoktrin mereka dengan ajaran-ajaran sesat," kata Toni, yang dulu dirawat selama hampir 11 bulan di ruang isolasi di Rumah Sakit Pertamina Jakarta akibat luka bakar parah.

Meskipun selama ini pemerintah telah menangkap pelaku-pelaku terorisme, ia menyayangkan tindakan pemerintah yang baru bergerak setelah terjadi serangan bom.

"Pemerintah seharusnya tidak bertindak seperti pemadam kebakaran yang baru memadamkan api saat kebakaran terjadi. Namun pemerintah seharusnya melakukan tindakan pencegahan dengan cara melakukan edukasi terhadap masyarakat dengan mengalang aksi anti kekerasan," kata Tony.

"Dengan demikian, apabila masyarakat memiliki kemarahan terhadap pihak-pihak tertentu mereka dapat menyalurkan ke hal-hal yang lebih positif," ujarnya.

Tony menambahkan selain membutuhkan peran serta pemerintah untuk memerangi aksi terorisme, masyarakat pun perlu mengambil andil dalam pencegahan terjadinya terorisme.

Hari ini sebagai puncak acara peringatan Sembilan Tahun Serangan Bom Bali, ASKOBI akan melakukan aksi penandatangan kain kafan terpanjang di dunia di Bundaran H.I pada pukul 17.00 yang dilanjutkan dengan Preview Film Dokumenter "Nasir Abas-Captain Jihad" karya Damien Dematra.

9 Years on, Bali Bombing Memories Remain

2011-10-12T09:53:00.000+07:00

9 Years on, Bali Bombing Memories Remain

Family and friends of about one hundred victims of the 2002 Bali bombings gathered in Denpasar on Wednesday to pay their respects on the ninth anniversary of the attacks.

The service, which was conducted in the garden of the Australian consulate, opened with the singing of the Australian and Indonesian national anthems.

“We gather here nine years on from 12 Oct. 2002 to remember the victims of the bombings, which affected so many innocent people from Indonesia, from Australia and from the near and far corners of the earth,” said Greg Moriarty, Australian ambassador for Indonesia.

“We gather to remember the families and loved ones of those who died and those whose lives were changed forever by the terrifying events of that day.”

The three bombs — two detonated in or near popular nightclubs and one set off outside the US consulate — left 202 dead and another 240 injured.

Wendy Grezl, the mother-in-law of victim John Juniardi, said she still lived with the painful memories.

“John Juniardi left two sons,” she said. “The bad memory remains forever. I come here every year to commemorate it.”

Elsewhere on the island, in Gianyar, an organization called Garppar distributed thousands of stickers bearing a message of anti-terrorism.

“Let us unite to prevent terrorism,” said Ngakan Made Rai, head of Garppar. “We have started this anti-terrorism campaign since three years ago.”

In Jakarta, the Indonesian Terrorism Bombing Victims Association (Askobi) also campaigned against violence at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle.

“I once met terrorists,” Askobi member Tony Soemarno said. “I told them not to repeat their act, but they told me that they could not control it because there are many others who were ready to act.”

Antara

David Tobing: Rapat Pencurian Pulsa Tidak Membahas Sanksi

2011-10-11T21:14:00.000+07:00

David Tobing: Rapat Pencurian Pulsa Tidak Membahas Sanksi

"Pertemuan tadi hanya membahas koordinasi saja, tetapi tidak mencari titik temu apakah ada pelanggaran atau tidak. Bagaimana bisa berkoordinasi antara pelaku kejahataan dengan regulator?" tanya David.

Pertemuan Kementerian Komunikasi dan Informatika (Kemenkominfo) dengan berbagai stake holders dalam membahas kasus pencurian pulsa dinilai mengecewakan karena tidak membahas sanksi tegas terhadap content provider atau operator nakal.

David Tobing, pengacara Mochammad Feri Kuntoro, mengatakan hasil rapat tersebut adalah pemaksaan kehendak dari Kominfo dan operator seluler terhadap konsumen.

"Saya tidak ikut konferensi pers karena jangan sampai diklaim seakan-akan hadir untuk mewakili konsumen dan menyetujui langkah kemenkominfo. Sedangkan tidak ada sanksi tegas bagi para pencuri pulsa seperti memutuskan semua perjanjian dengan content provider yang bermasalah," kata David.

Dalam rapat tersebut, kata David, Kominfo justru akan berkoordinasi dengan para pihak yang salah satunya terindikasi melakukan pencurian pulsa.

"Pertemuan tadi hanya membahas koordinasi saja, tetapi tidak mencari titik temu apakah ada pelanggaran atau tidak. Bagaimana bisa berkoordinasi antara pelaku kejahataan dengan regulator?" tanya David.

Selain itu, David menambahkan salah satu hasil rapat tersebut adalah membentuk tim untuk menyelidiki praktek pencurian pulsa.

Tim tersebut hanya terdiri atas unsur Kementrian Komunikasi dan Informatika saja tanpa melibatkan unsur dari luar.

Feri melaporkan PT Colibri Network ke polisi dengan tuduhan pencurian pulsa.

Namun Feri justru dilaporkan balik oleh PT Colibri Network dengan tuduhan pencemaran nama baik

22 Radio Jakarta Terancam Masuk Kategori Liar

2011-10-09T20:55:00.001+07:00

22 Radio Jakarta Terancam Masuk Kategori Liar

Jika masih ditemukan radio mengudara saat jatuh tempo IPP, maka dikategorikan radio liar.

22 radio swasta di Jakarta terancam menjadi radio liar karena belum memperpanjang Izin Penyelenggaran Penyiaran (IPP) jelang batas akhir masa berlakunya. Ke-38 radio tersebut terancam dilaporkan ke Badan Monitor Frekuensi Radio apabila

"Kami menghibau pada radio-radio yang belum mengajukan perpanjangan izin agar segera mengurus kelengkapannya," kata Ketua KPID DKI Jakarta, Hamdani Masil, dalam konferensi pers di Jakarta, hari ini.

Sesuai Peraturan Menteri Komunikasi dan Informatika No 28/P/M.Kominfo/09/2008 tentang Tata Cara dan Persyaratan Perizinan Penyelenggaraan Penyiaran, IPP Radio berlaku selama lima tahun dan dapat diperpanjang.

Data Komisi Penyiaran Indonesia Daerah (KPID) DKI Jakarta, menyebutkan, total radio swasta di Jakarta mencapai 43 radio. dari total jumlah tersebut, sebanyak 38 radio IPP-nya akan habis pada bulan Oktober dan Desember pada tahun ini. Sedangkan dua radio swasta habis masa izinnya pada 2012, dua lainnya 2014 dan satu radio pada 2015.

Hingga kini, tegas Hamdani, sebagian besar radio swasta tersebut belum mengajukan proposal perpanjangan IPP, sehingga mereka terancam tidak mengantongi perpanjangan izin ketika masa IPP habis. KPID DKI Jakarta baru menerima 16 proposal. Keenambelas proposal tersebut diantaranya Sonora, I Radio, Sindo Radio, El-Shinta Radio, Indika FM Cosmopolitan, Hardrock FM, A Radio, Radio Dangdut TPI, Trax FM dan Kiss FM.

KPID Jakarta lanjut dia, telah mengirim surat peringatan sekaligus mendatangi sejumlah radio swasta yang habis masa izinya. Sayangnya, sejumlah radio swasta merasa tidak perlu memperpanjang IPP karena telah siaran cukup lama.

Anggota KPID DKI Jakarta bidang Isi Siaran, Akuat Supriyanto, mengatakan radio yang tidak mengajukan proposal perpanjangan IPP Radio saat jatuh tempo akan dilaporkan ke Badan Monitor Frekuensi Radio di bawah Direktorat Jendral Pos dan Telekomunikasi, Kementerian Informasi dan Telekomunikasi. "Mereka yang tidak memperpanjang IPP dan tetap siaran akan dianggap radio liar," kata dia.

50 Cent Puji Kecantikan Perempuan Indonesia

2011-10-09T20:41:00.000+07:00

50 Cent Puji Kecantikan Perempuan Indonesia

Kericuhan kecil sempat terjadi

Rapper asal Amerika Serikat, 50 Cent, tampaknya jatuh cinta dengan perempuan Indonesia. Setelah menggelar konser di Epicentrum Walk, Kuningan, Jakarta Selatan, Sabtu malam (8/10) ia mengungkapkan perasaanya itu akun Twitter resminya @50 Cent.

"Man Indonesia has some of the most beautiAful women I have ever seen in my life. I looked in the crowed and said good God all mighty LMAO SK," tulis rapper bernama asli Curtis James Jackson III.

Dalam konser perdananya di Indonesia itu 50 Cent membuka penampilannya dengan lagu berjudul The Invitation. Ia juga melantunkan Gangsta,Do You Think About Me?, Candy Shop, P.I.M.P, dan In Da Club.

Kericuhan kecil sempat terjadi dalam konser yang dibuka oleh DJ Cream itu ketika penonton berebut jacket yang dilemparkan 50 Cents.

Di penghujung acara penyanyi yang juga memiliki dapur rekaman G-Unit Records itu mengajak empat anak untuk berdansa bersamanya di atas panggung dan menyanyikan lagu In Da Club sebagai lagu penutup.

Untuk pertunjuk 50 Cent Sabtu malam lalu, tiket 50 Cent dijual dengan harga Rp 800.000,00 untuk kelas festival, Rp 1.500.000,00 untuk Front Row dan Rp 2.000.000 untuk kelas VIP.

SBY Holds Talks Ahead of Possible Reshuffle

2011-10-07T09:55:00.001+07:00

SBY Holds Talks Ahead of Possible Reshuffle

Arientha Primanita, Agus Triyono, Elisabeth Oktofani

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono summoned Vice President Boediono and several of his ministers to his home in Cikeas, Bogor, on Thursday as talk of a cabinet reshuffle intensifies.

“President SBY and Vice President Boediono are conducting marathon, intensive and private talks” throughout the week, said Daniel Sparringa, a member of the presidential special staff. “The president doesn’t want this to become a political discussion. We’re not trying to cover anything up, we just want to avoid any unnecessary controversies.”

Boediono arrived at the president’s private residence at 4 p.m. on Thursday. He was joined by State Secretary Sudi Silalahi and Cabinet Secretary Dipo Alam.

Julian Aldrin Pasha, a presidential spokesman, declined to offer details about Thursday’s meeting. All he would say is that “the president wishes to discuss the future of his administration.”

Yudhoyono has previously hinted that a reshuffle could coincide with the second anniversary of the cabinet’s formation later this month.

Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, head of the Presidential Working Unit for Development, Supervision and Oversight (UKP4), said on Thursday that an evaluation of the ministries and government agencies would be forwarded to the president next week.

He said the final report was still being completed, but the results might influence any cabinet reshuffle.

Bambang Adhyaksa, from the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), told a discussion on Thursday that 80 percent of the cabinet needed to be replaced.

“The ministers have neither the vision nor the capability to run the country,” Bambang said.

He said Kadin had recently met with ministers to discuss the economy. “A clear example of their incompetence is that they didn’t follow up on the recommendations of the meeting,” he said.

The Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta) said Yudhoyono must remove ministers who had committed human rights violations.

LBH Jakarta has named 14 such ministers and agency heads. They include Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali, who it said had failed to protect religious minorities, and Communications Minister Tifatul Sembiring, whom the foundation criticized for curbing freedom of expression by enforcing the controversial Electronic Transactions and Information (ITE) Law.

Other ministers seen as ripe for removal include Manpower Minister Muhaimin Iskandar, criticized for his soft stance on labor and migrant worker issues, and Justice Minister Patrialis Akbar, who is said to have made little progress on human rights.

Menteri KIB II Dinilai Banyak yang Melanggar HAM

2011-10-06T21:20:00.001+07:00

Menteri KIB II Dinilai Banyak yang Melanggar HAM

LBH Jakarta sebut nama mulai dari M Nuh, Suryadharma, hingga Muhaimin dan lain-lain.

LBH Jakarta mencatat ada 14 menteri dan pejabat setingkat menteri yang memiliki potret buram dalam penegakan hak asasi manusia (HAM). Para menetri itu dinilai harus menjadi bahan evaluasi Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) menjelang perombakan kabinet.

Nurkholis Hidayat, Direktur LBH Jakarta, mengatakan bahwa lebih dari selusin menteri dan pejabat setingkat menteri, memiliki potret buram dalam penegakan HAM. Termasuk dalam hal hak sipil politik dan hak ekonomi sosial-budaya.

"Suryadharma Ali, Menteri Agama misalnya. Dia telah melanggar hak sipil politik dengan mengkampanyekan sikap permusuhan terhadap kelompok minoritas keagamaan, yang tampak dalam pernyataan-pernyataan yang dikeluarkannya, termasuk berkaitan dengan kasus Cikeusik yang justru memojokkan Ahmadiyah," kata Nurkholis, Kamis (6/10).

"Bahkan sebagai seorang politisi, dia paling lantang dalam menyuarakan pembubaran Ahmadiyah dalam kampanye 2009 lalu," ujar Nurkholis.

Selain itu, LBH Jakarta juga mencatat bahwa Gamawan Fauzi telah melakukan pelanggaran HAM berkaitan dengan hak sipil politik. Antara lain dengan merestui dan menyetujui peraturan daerah, juga keputusan atau peraturan kepala daerah yang melanggar HAM dan diskriminatif seperti Pergub Larangan Ahmadiyah.

"Sebagai Menteri Dalam Negeri, Gamawan Fauzi telah memaksakan pembahasan RUU Ormas yang berwatak represif pada kebebasan berserikat dan berkumpul, yang mana ini cukup berbahaya bagi rakyat sipil," kata Nurkholis.

Nurkholis juga menyebutkan nama Djoko Kirmanto, Menteri Pekerjaan Umum, yang dinilai telah melakukan pelanggaran HAM berkaitan dengan kasus privatisasi air di Jakarta. Lebih jauh, Ki Agus Ahmad, salah satu pengacara publik dari LBH Jakarta, menyebutkan pula nama Jumhur Hidayat, Ketua BNP2TKI, yang dianggap telah gagal dalam memberikan perlindungan bagi TKI, termasuk berkaitan dengan kasus hukum pancung Ruyati.

"Jumhur telah gagal melindungi TKI, sebab tidak memiliki skema advokasi yang jelas untuk melindungi TKI," imbuhnya.

Agus juga menyebutkan nama Menkominfo Tifatul Sembiring, yang dinilai telah melanggar HAM dengan mendorong pengesahan Undang-Undang Anti Pornografi yang subtansinya dianggap banyak melanggar hak perempuan dan insan seni dan budaya. "Selain mendorong UU Anti Pornografi, Tifatul juga telah mendorong UU ITE yang mengatur penyadapan, dan mengancam hak privasi serta kebebasan berekspresi, di mana mengakibatkan adanya kriminalisasi berdasarkan UU ITE. Bahkan sudah ada beberapa korban," ungkapnya.

Selain Suryadharma, Gamawan, Jumhur dan Tifatul, LBH Jakarta juga menyebutkan nama Menakertrans Muhaimin Iskandar, Menkumham Patrialis Akbar, Menteri BUMN Mustafa Abubakar, serta Mendiknas Muhammad Nuh. Juga ada nama Jaksa Agung Basrief Arief, Menhan Purnomo Yusgiantoro, Menkes Endang Rahayu, serta Menhut Zulfiki Hasan.

Agus menyatakan bahwa penilaian ini dibuat berdasarkan laporan yang masuk ke LBH Jakarta, serta kasus yang mereka advokasi selama ini. "Di antara mereka, (ada yang) menjadi tergugat langsung di pengadilan. Seperti Muhammad Nuh, Menteri Pendidikan, berkaitan dengan pembangkangan putusan MA soal Ujian Nasional yang melanggar hak anak dan menutup akses atas kelanjutan pendidikan," jelas Nurkholis.

50 juta Anak tanpa Akta, Halangi Akses Pendidikan

2011-10-06T21:04:00.000+07:00

50 juta Anak tanpa Akta, Halangi Akses Pendidikan

Data di Kementerian Pemberdayaan Perempuan dan Perlindungan Anak (KPPA), 50juta dari 78 juta anak Indonesia yang berusia di bawah 18 tahun tidak memilikiakte kelahiran.

Mayong, pengacara publik dari LBH Jakarta, di Jakarta, Kamis (5/10) mengatakan bahwatingginya jumlah anak tanpa akta dapat mengakibatkan adanya dampak negatif bagianak tersebut seperti stigma negatif dari masyarakat atau tidak memiliki akses pendidikan.

Data yang dikuatkan oleh hasil penelitian Survei SosialEkonomi Nasional (Susenas) menyatakan bahwa sejak tahun 2007 ada 11.700.000anak usia di bawah lima tahun belum memiliki akta kelahiran.

"Anak yang tidak memiliki akta kelahiran akandianggap sebagai anak di luar nikah, di mana di Indonesiamemiliki label negatif," kata Mayong dalam sebuah diskusi di kantor LBH Jakarta. "Selain itu,anak tersebut akan kesulitan mendapatkan akses pendidikan serta akses terhadaphak ekonomi sosial dan budaya mereka di masa depan karena tidak memiliki aktakelahiran."

Maria Ulfa Anshor, Ketua Komisi Perlindungan Anak Indonesia, mengatakan aktakelahiran bersifat universal sebab hal ini terkait dengan pengakuan negara atasstatus keperdataan seseorang. "Dari perspektif hak asasi manusia, aktakelahiran merupakan hak dasar setiap anak yakni merupakan hak atas pengakuansah terhadap keberadaannya, di mana hal ini terkait dengan aspek proteksiberlangsungnya tumbuh kembang anak dalam setiap fase perkembangan,"ungkapnya.

50 Million Minors Lack Birth Certificates

2011-10-06T09:57:00.001+07:00

50 Million Minors Lack Birth Certificates

More than 60 percent of Indonesian minors do not have a birth certificate, depriving them of a range of civic services, including enrolling at school.

Mayong, a lawyer with the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta), said 50 million of the 78 million Indonesians under the age of 18 did not have a birth certificate, based on data from the Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry.

“A child without a birth certificate is commonly perceived as being born outside wedlock, which in Indonesian society carries with it negative stigma,” he said at a discussion on the issue on Thursday.

“Besides that, the child will also encounter difficulty getting access to education, as well as to other socioeconomic and cultural rights once they get older.”

A birth certificate is required for a child to be enrolled in school, get a passport and, upon turning 17, apply for an ID card, or KTP. As an adult, they will also need a birth certificate to get a marriage license and apply for jobs as civil servants or with state-owned companies.

Maria Ulfa Anshor, the chairwoman of the Indonesian Commission for Child Protection (KPAI), said receiving a birth certificate should be a universal right because of its fundamental importance.

“From a human rights perspective, a birth certificate should be a basic right for all children because it represents the sole legal confirmation of their existence,” she said.

Under the 2006 Residency Administration Law, parents have 60 days from the birth of their child in which to apply for a birth certificate. Once the period has expired, the parents must apply through a district court and pay a fine of up to Rp 1 million ($112).

Maria said most parents were unaware of the time limit, while others were discouraged from applying because of the illegal fees levied by population services officials.

Purba Hutapea, the head of the Jakarta population office, said another factor for the low number of applications was the fact that few of those submitted had the required supporting documentation.

“This includes the proof of birth from the hospital where the child was born and the parents’ marriage certificate,” he said.

“They’re really very simple requirements, but many people still fail to comply with them.”

The Jakarta population office kicked off a campaign on Monday, set to run until the end of the year, to allow parents of children born as far back as 2007 to apply for a birth certificate without having to go through the courts or pay the fine.

Separately, administrative law expert Irman Putra Sidin, from Hassanuddin University in Makassar, said the government needed to do more to encourage parents to apply for birth certificates for their children.

“The government can’t just stay silent and expect people to take the initiative on issues like this,” he said.

He argued that because most Indonesians had a low level of education, they were unlikely to know about the terms for applying for the document or the disadvantages of not having it.

Police Pay Dearly for Miss Universe Visit

2011-10-05T09:59:00.000+07:00

Police Pay Dearly for Miss Universe Visit

Miss Universe 2011 Leila Lopes has walked straight into a controversy while visiting Indonesia after she was reportedly offered an exorbitant sum from a West Java Police group for her attendance at an event.

Lopes, who is visiting to crown the new Miss Indonesia on Friday evening, is expected to be a VIP guest at a charity night held by the West Java branch of Bhayangkari, the Association of the Wives of Policemen, next Tuesday.

Local media reported that the West Java Bhayangkari had raised Rp 750 million ($84,000), including from contributions levied from police officers, to enable the Angolan beauty to attend the event.

Police expert Bambang Widodo Umar urged National Police Chief Gen. Timur Pradopo to summon West Java Police Chief Insp. Gen. Putut Bayusenot over the scandal.

“The National Police Chief or the chairwoman of Bhayangkari should correct the West Java Police chief or his wife and show them how best to celebrate an anniversary,” said Bambang, a lecturer at the National Police University and a former official at the National Police Commission, a law enforcement watchdog.

“It would be better to donate the money to orphans, to use it to help low-ranking police officers or help children go to school. Sometimes they don’t even have enough money to pay the rent on their house,” Bambang said.

Bambang said that it was inappropriate to invite a Miss Universe because she was not a figure related to law enforcement. “If they want to invite a public figure, they should invite a security figure than beauty figure.” Bambang said.

Neta S. Pane, chairman of Indonesian Police Watch, said the source of Rp 750 million funding needed to be clarified. It is also not clear how much money, if any, was paid to Ms Lopes.

“It is fine to invite Miss Universe to a Bhayangkari anniversary celebration as long as the funding is coming from a sponsor,” Neta said.

“It can create a positive image for the National Police and she can learn about our Indonesian police, especially in West Java.”

“But if the funding is related to corruption or bribe allegations, then it needs to be investigated by KPK,” he added, referring to the Corruption Eradication Commission. It was ironic, Neta said, that police officers would spend millions of rupiah on a celebration while low-ranking police officers were so poorly paid.

West Java police spokesman Sr. Comr. Agus Rianto said that Lopes has been planning to visit Bandung and that the West Java Bhayangkari group was making use of that opportunity.

“The West Java Police did not have a role in inviting Miss Universe,” Agus told the Jakarta Globe on Tuesday.

The appearance was reportedly made possible with the cooperation of Yayasan Puteri Indonesia — the organizer of Miss Indonesia and the franchise holder of all Miss Universe’s activities in the country — and an event organizer, Viseta Global Utama.

Viseta provides public relations and speaker training and is run by Coreta El Kapoyos, its Web site said. Coreta is Putut’s wife.

Viseta spokeswoman Megi Theresia was quoted on the Indonesian Police Commission’s Web site as rejecting allegations the money came from police coffers.

“The money came from the [event organizer], from the sponsors. We didn’t ask for money from police officials,” Megi said.

“We invited Miss Universe because she is in Indonesia so it couldn’t hurt if she comes to Bandung to attend the charity night.”

Peserta INAICTA Meningkat 20 Persen

2011-10-04T20:59:00.000+07:00

Peserta INAICTA Meningkat 20 Persen

Peserta robotic meningkat tiga kali lipat, kategori robot aplikatif empat kali lipat.

Ajang penghargaan akbar berskala nasional di bidang komunitas teknologi informasi dan komunikasi 2011 disambut antusias. Hal ini setidaknya terbukti dengan meningkatnya jumlah peserta sebesar 20 persen dari tahun lalu.

"INAICTA mendapatkan dukungan yang cukup luas dari komunitas," kata Kamalludin Ramli, penanggungjawab Tim Indonesia ICT Award 2011, hari ini (4/10).

Kamalludin menjelaskan, INAICTA (Indonesian Information and Communication Technology Award) diselenggarakan dengan latar belakang untuk mendorong potensi dan kreativitas anak bangsa di bidang teknologi informasi dan komunikasi. Tujuannya, agar mampu menghasilkan produk dan jasa TIK yang berkualitas, serta berdaya saing dan nilai jual (untuk) ke pasar domestik, regional dan internasional.

Dalam penyampaian laporan pertanggungjawabannya, Kamalludin pun mengatakan bahwa INAICTA diikuti oleh 1.768 peserta dengan 752 buah karya inovasi. Artinya, terdapat peningkatan peserta sebanyak 20 persen, dibanding tahun 2010 lalu dengan 1.375 peserta.

"Untuk peserta robotic, ada 219 peserta. Terdapat peningkatan peserta sebanyak tiga kali dibandingkan tahun lalu di mana peserta robotic sebanyak 70 peserta saja," ungkap Kamaluddin.

"Yang juga menarik adalah peningkatan (kategori) robot aplikatif, di mana terdapat 26 peserta. Meningkat empat kali lipat dari tahun lalu yang hanya diikuti 6 peserta," lanjutnya.

Kamalludin menambahkankan bahwa peningkatan kualitas karya, juga dapat dirasakan pada dua bidang, yakni digital animation dan digital audio. Sementara untuk business matching program, Kamalludin mengatakan bahwa terdapat 65 orang yang mengikuti program yang diseleksi oleh enam perusahaan pemodal tersebut, di mana hari ini akan dipilih 33 peserta calon teknopreneurs.

"Mudah-mudahan antusiasme ini bisa terjaga terus. Seperti yang diharapkan oleh pemerintah, semoga acara ini setelahnya dapat menghasilkan teknopreneurs baru, muda dan tangguh, yang dapat bertahan di medan persaingan bisnis di masa mendatang," kata Kamaluddin.

Provider dan Operator Penyedot Pulsa akan Dipidana

2011-10-04T20:37:00.001+07:00

Provider dan Operator Penyedot Pulsa akan Dipidana

"Ini kriminal, karena menyedot pulsa orang tanpa izin."

Pemerintah menegaskan akan menindak provider konten maupun operator yang menyedot pulsa pelanggan, jika terbukti bersalah.

"Untuk pencurian pulsa ini, kami sedang bekerja dengan di BRTI (Badan Regulasi Telekomunikasi Indonesia). Apabila terbukti ada content provider maupun operator, kalau mereka salah, kami tindak," ungkap Menteri Komunikasi dan Informasi (Menkominfo) Tifatul Sembiring, di Jakarta, Selasa (4/10).

"Bahkan ini kriminal, karena menyedot pulsa orang tanpa izin. Seseorang di-register harus ada izin, fakta, bukti, bahwa dia OK. Tapi kalau dia dikirim sesuatu, lalu disedot pulsanya, ini kriminal. Ini melanggar undang-undang kita, dan ini akan kita tertibkan," tambah Menkominfo.

Tifatul juga mengatakan bahwa masyarakat dapat melakukan pengaduan ke call center BRTI di 159, terkait SMS yang menyedot pulsa tersebut. "Sekali lagi, kalau ada orang (pulsanya) dipotong-potong, silakan mengadu ke 159. Sebab orang akan segan mengadu ke pengadilan atau ke kepolisian untuk pulsa satu atau dua ribu (rupiah). Namun jika terdapat satu atau dua ribu dari jutaan orang, miliaran (rupiah) juga (nilainya)," kata Tifatul, sambil menambahkan bahwa line pengaduan itu tidak bayar.

Tifatul menambahkan bahwa kalau ada indikasi mereka melakukan tindak pidana, pemerintah akan menuntut secara hukum. Sehubungan dengan itu menurutnya, Rabu (4/10) besok, dirinya akan bertemu dengan operator berkaitan dengan masalah pencurian pulsa tersebut.

Tifatul Takes Aim at Shady Services for Cellphones

2011-10-04T10:02:00.000+07:00

Tifatul Takes Aim at Shady Services for Cellphones

Elisabeth Oktofani & Ulma Haryanto

Mobile phone service providers that charge customers for unsolicited services may soon find themselves facing sanctions, the communications minister said on Tuesday.

“For the case of stealing phone credit, we’re cooperating with the Indonesian Telecommunications Regulatory Body [BRTI],” Communications and Information Technology Minister Tifatul Sembiring said. “If the content provider and the operator are proven to be guilty, we’re going to sanction them.”

Tifatul said his office had been inundated by complaints from consumers saying they had been registered for premium text message or ring tone services without their consent and often without realizing they were being charged for it.

“It is a crime to deduct phone credit without permission,” the minister said.

“If [the customer] is registered for a service, there should be permission, fact and evidence they agreed to it. But if they are sent something that deducts their phone credit [without their knowledge], that is a crime and against the law.”

Tifatul encouraged victims of dishonest service providers to report their grievances to the BRTI’s call center at number 159.

“People might feel reluctant to report to the court or the police if they lose phone credit worth between Rp 1,000 and 2,000 [11 cents to 22 cents],” he said. “But if it is Rp 1,000 to Rp 2,000 from millions of people, that amounts to billions. Reporting the offenses is free.”

The minister is scheduled to meet with mobile phone operators today to discuss the problem.

David Tobing, a lawyer and consumer rights advocate, told the Jakarta Globe that the agreements signed by content providers and telecommunications operators were at the root of the consumer nuisance.

“The government should have stricter regulations and tighter monitoring on the cooperation between the two,” he said.

“There should be a clause saying that whatever type of service a content provider offers, it should only be offered after consent from the user. Agreements between the user and a telecommunications operator also have to make clear that there is no chance of interference by third-party content providers.”

David himself has filed a lawsuit at the South Jakarta District Court against Telkomsel, the country’s biggest mobile phone operator, for Rp 100,000 — the amount he said he lost to a rogue content provider.

He said he was charged Rp 10,000 for every text message he received from the provider, even though he had never registered for the service.

“The messages finally stopped after I complained to Telkomsel, but my lost credit could not be recovered,” he said.

“I’m now waiting for the first hearing in the lawsuit.”

Tulus Abadi, managing director of the Indonesian Consumer Protection Foundation (YLKI), said Tifatul’s threat of sanctions was too little, too late.

“The fact that this case has grown so big shows that the BRTI and the government have not done their job of protecting consumers,” Tulus said.

“As a regulator, the main purpose of the BRTI is to regulate telecommunication operators. Has it done its job?”

Further Coverage

Prosecution Seeks 12 Years For Tholut Over Aceh Camp

2011-09-16T09:06:00.001+07:00

Prosecution Seeks 12 Years For Tholut Over Aceh Camp

Prosecutors on Thursday demanded that key terror suspect Abu Tholut serve 12 years in jail for his alleged role in the establishment of a militant training camp in Aceh where attacks on foreigners and state leaders were supposedly plotted.

Prosecutor Bambang Suharyadi told the West Jakarta District Court there was sufficient proof that Tholut, 50, had been helping to set up the paramilitary camp at the request of hard-line cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, and procured firearms for the group.

Bashir was in June jailed for 15 years for terrorism offenses.

“We recommend the defendant be jailed for a maximum of 12 years, less the time he spent in detention. There are mitigating factors: he was well-behaved during the course of the trial and he has admitted his involvement,” Bambang said.

However, the prosecutor added that there were also aggravating factors.

The defendant has been convicted of terrorism before, he said, and the crime he was now on trial for “endangered people’s lives and spread terror.”

According to the prosecution, the defendant was invited by Bashir for a meeting at the Jakarta office of the radical Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid in February last year. He was informed that paramilitary training was under way and shown video footage of the related activities.

Tholut was then allegedly handed Rp 70 million ($8,000) by Haris Amir Falah, the head of JAT’s Jakarta branch, for delivery to the camp in Aceh.

Nurlan, an attorney for Tholut, said his client did not deserve such a lengthy jail term, arguing that the defendant was not directly involved in establishing the militant camp.

Tholut only surveyed the location for the camp, said Nurlan, a lawyer from Palu Muslim Defenders Team (TPM).

“We are going to read our [full] defense statement next week,” the lawyer said outside court.

Tholut, also known as Mustofa, was arrested in Kudus, Central Java, in December 2010.

He had become one of Indonesia’s most-wanted fugitives after master bomb-makers Noordin M. Top and Dulmatin were gunned down in police raids in 2009 and 2010.

Tholut is one of more than 120 alleged members of the group Tanzim Al Qaeda in Aceh to have been captured or killed since the camp was raided early last year.

Police believe Tholut was a key leader of terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, as he was said to have spent years in Afghanistan and the Philippines waging jihad.

He was convicted in 2004 for illegal possession of firearms and explosives and was sentenced to seven years in prison. But he was released on parole in 2007.

Cineplex 21 Admits Cosy Links To Film Importers

2011-09-16T09:03:00.000+07:00

Cineplex 21 Admits Cosy Links To Film Importers

Cineplex 21 has acknowledged it is affiliated with three film importers previously banned by the government from bringing foreign films into the country, but the Indonesian film giant is rejecting accusations that they are monopolizing the industry.

Camila Internusa Film and Satrya Perkasa Esthetika Film, which used to import Hollywood blockbusters, were banned from doing so by the Finance Ministry in March pending payment of Rp 22 billion ($2.6 million) in back taxes and interest.

A resolution of the controversy over import duties and royalties in June absolved Camila and Satrya’s back taxes issues.

A third distributor, Amero Mitra Film, paid Rp 9 billion in back taxes in May and has resumed importation.

In an exclusive interview with the Jakarta Globe on Thursday, Anitio, a director of Cineplex 21, acknowledged that all three importers were affiliated with the Indonesian cinema giant.

“Legally, the owners of Cineplex 21 and the importers have no relation, but we have always acknowledged we are close to them and we admitted that to KPPU in 2002,” he said, referring to the Business Competition Supervisory Commission.

“We also have a different operational system,” he added.

The third distributor, Omega Film, is also not legally related to Cineplex 21, Anitio said.

But he admitted that it was established by Ajay Fulwani, a nephew of Harris Lesmana, one of Group 21’s primary owners.

Still, he said this did not constitute a monopoly.

“It needs to be understood that we established our business in 1990, that is how we became dominant in the industry,” Anitio said. “We have been investigated four times by KPPU but they have found no monopoly practices in our business.”

Tadjudin Noer Said, a commissioner at KPPU, acknowledged that the cinema industry was dominated by one player, but he explained that as long as it did not control prices, it was not considered a monopoly.

With regard to the back taxes, Anitio said it was not true that they did not want to pay. “We do not have the ability to pay those taxes,” he said.

He argued that the penalty and interest imposed on them was not rational and he disagreed with the government’s calculation of what they owed.

As a director of Cineplex 21, Anitio said he was glad the foreign film dispute had been resolved because the cinema industry must recover from the financial loss incurred during the five-month foreign film drought.

“Although we were still able to air independent films during this time, the foreign film distribution boycott had caused a 60 percent drop in the local cinema industry’s income,” he said.

Sellers of iPads to Challenge Consumer Law Requiring Indonesian Manuals

2011-09-15T09:01:00.000+07:00

Sellers of iPads to Challenge Consumer Law Requiring Indonesian Manuals

Two men on trial for selling Apple iPads without an accompanying Indonesian-language manual are planning to challenge the law requiring its inclusion, their lawyer said on Wednesday.

Attorney Virza Roy Izal said his clients, Randy Lester Samu and Dian Yudha Negara, who face up to five years in prison, will file for a judicial review of the Consumer Protection Law’s stipulation that an Indonesian manual be included.

In a case that has attracted widespread media attention, Randy and Dian were arrested on Nov. 24 by policemen posing as buyers who claimed to be responding to an advertisement on the Kaskus, an online forum.

Prosecutor Endang has accused Randy and Dian of violating a particular clause of the consumer law. The pair intend to challenge this particular article in their judicial review request to the Constitutional Court.

“This can be seen as a violation of human rights, especially the right to carry out transactions,” Virza said.

“This poses problems for sellers of secondhand gadgets. It means that used gadgets will also need an Indonesian instruction manual when the buyers should be free to decide if they want or need one.”

Since its release in April last year, the iPad has become one of Apple’s most popular products worldwide. D espite a flood of rival tablet computers, Indonesian consumers have continued to flock to the iPad, creating a lucrative market for used units.

Consequently, Virza said the clause in the consumer law was vague and needed more legal clarification .

“This article must be clearly interpreted by the Constitutional Court so that it will not cause any confusion among the police, prosecutor, judge and defense attorney, as it will also have an effect on a citizen’s constitutional rights,” he said.

Last month, Endang recommended the judge sentence both Randy and Dian to five months in prison for selling used iPads without providing an Indonesian manual.

She also demanded the Central Jakarta District Court destroy the eight iPads confiscated from the suspects.

“We found it odd that the prosecutors demanded the evidence be destroyed. I would prefer that the evidence be handed to the state,” Virza said.

Also on Wednesday, the South Jakarta District Court rejected the defense plea entered by Charlie Sianipar, an iPad seller at Ambassador Mall in South Jakarta who was charged with a similar violation.

Charlie was arrested after seven of his customers, who were actually police officers, seized 14 iPads from his shop in November last year.

Andar Pangabean, Charlie’s attorney, told the Jakarta Globe that the case should have been handled by the Consumers Dispute Resolution Agency (BPSK) because it was not a crime.

“I am really disappointed with the judge’s decision concerning our defense, because I believe my client is innocent and he should not undergo further court examination,” Andar said.

“However we will present evidence, regulations and experts to prove that my client is innocent.”

Court Rejects Antasari’s Request for New Testimony

2011-09-14T12:19:00.002+07:00

Court Rejects Antasari’s Request for New Testimony

During a bid for a case review of his 2010 murder conviction, former antigraft czar Antasari Azhar said he would need a number of witnesses, including prosecutors from his original trial, to be present during the review.

“The prosecutors who appear can be anyone who handled my case, including Cirus Sinaga,” Antasari said.

“We need to clarify whether all the evidence was presented during on the trial or not.”

Cirus is on trial for obstruction of justice and abuse of power that led to the acquittal of tax official Gayus Tambunan.

Cirus started Antasari’s October 2009 trial by stating that the motive for the murder of businessman Nasrudin Zulkarnaen was an affair between Antasari and Nasrudin’s wife, golf caddy Rani Juliana.

Nasrudin alledgedly caught the pair together in a hotel room.

But presiding judge Aminal Umam said the request could not be carried out because the witnesses could not be interrogated again after a case was closed.

Speaking at the South Jakarta District Court on Tuesday, Antasari also said he wanted hospital medical staff members, a forensic doctor and a former subordinate to testify for him.

“In order to present our new evidence, we need to have several witnesses, such as medical staff from Mayapada Hospital, a doctor from Gatot Subroto Hospital, the information analyst Ina Susanti from [the Corruption Eradication Commission] and also the prosecutors,” Antasari said.

“We need the court’s help to make them appear because it has the authority to do so.”

The medical workers at Mayapada Hospital were the first to treat Nasrudin shortly after he was gunned down by two men in Tangerang in March 2009.

He was later moved to Gatot Subroto Hopsital, where he died and the autopsy of his body was performed.

“We want the court to subpoena the medical workers from Mayapada Hospital who were on duty from noon to 6 p.m. on March 14, 2009, when Nasrudin arrived at the hospital. It is difficult for us to get them to reply to us on our own,” Antasari told the court.

“We need to know who received Nasrudin’s body, who took off his clothes and to whom the clothes were handed.”

Antasari said the presence of the doctor from Gatot Subroto Hospital was also important to his case because his lawyers needed more details on which medical procedures were performed on Nasrudin.

Moreover, Antasari also asked the court to present Ina Susanti, his former employee at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), to present wire-tapped phone conversations related to the case.

Prosecutor Eri Yudianto said the case review request should be rejected because Antasari had failed to present new evidence as required by the law.

In an earlier hearing, Antasari’s lawyers claimed a case review was needed because they were in possession of several pieces of new evidence relating to Nasrudin’s car, the bullets from the shooting and text messages.

“We reject the new pieces of evidence. They are not new because they were examined previously,” the prosecutor said.

The case review is Antasari’s last chance to have his 18-year jail sentence overturned.

Kidnapped Indonesian Girl Safely Home, But a Warning for Parents

2011-09-14T12:14:00.002+07:00

Kidnapped Indonesian Girl Safely Home, But a Warning for Parents

Agus Budiarto and Heny Marliana experienced the darkest moment of their lives in early August when their 6-month-old daughter, Cheryl Audrey, was abducted by their nanny.

They reported the case to the police and went on national television and online media to appeal for their daughter’s return. The media blitz proved to be valuable in the hunt for Cheryl.

Within two days, a couple who saw the appeal on TV brought the baby to Cakung subprecinct police station in East Jakarta and Cheryl was reunited with her parents. The nanny, Ina Asryiana, was arrested and is now in detention awaiting a possible trial.

Although the ordeal ended happily enough, the family is one of the very few to come through unscathed in such cases.

According to the National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas Anak), 111 children were reported missing or kidnapped last year, only 5 percent of whom were ever returned to their families.

As of June this year, another 78 children have been abducted, according to figures from another watchdog, the Indonesian Commission for Child Protection (KPAI).

Arist Merdeka Sirait, the chairman of Komnas Anak, told the Jakarta Globe that in many cases, families were unable to provide much help to the police investigating abductions.

“The police also usually only take action after the victim has been missing for more than 24 hours,” he added. “Less than that, and the police will tend not to look into the case, either because of limited evidence or a limited budget.”

Other than kidnap for ransom, Arist went on, some abductions were carried out by nannies, baby sitters or neighbors over unfair treatment by the family, perceived or otherwise.

Agus said that in his family’s case, the couple who turned in his daughter said they had bought Cheryl from Ina, whom they had only met once.

He said Ina had later claimed that she had not meant to kidnap the child, but had taken her because she could not bear to leave her behind when she traveled back to her hometown of Subang in West Java.

“But I don’t believe everything that she says,” he said.

Maria Ulfah Anshor, the KPAI chairwoman, said divorce was the main factor in child abduction cases.

“According to our data, 70 percent of child abductions happen because of a custody battle over the children between separated parents,” she said.

“That happens because someone refuses to accept a court’s decision on custody of the child.”

Only 30 percent of abductions are carried out for financial motives, she said. But the financial gain in such cases does not always come from demanding a ransom from the parents.

“Several weeks ago, the KPAI found two children working as beggars on a train,” Maria said.

“We later found out that they were forced to do that by a stranger. Unfortunately, when we asked them about the stranger’s address, they couldn’t give us any details. That makes it very hard for us to investigate the case.”

Other means of exploitation employed by kidnappers include forcing children into the sex trade or selling them to childless couples for profit.

Maria said it was important for parents and police officers to adopt preventive measures against child abduction.

“Parents must start educating their children to be wary about talking to strangers or receiving anything from them,” she said.

“The police also need to disseminate information among elementary school students about the issue, because most of the targets of child abduction are elementary school-age children.”

But for Agus, the real lesson to take away from the whole ordeal is never to entrust the care of his child to a complete stranger.

The nanny who kidnapped his daughter was hired from a maid placement agency in Senen, Central Jakarta.

“In order to prevent anything like this from happening again, I hope that the agencies that provide baby sitters and nannies become more selective about recruiting workers and train them properly,” Agus said.

“But I’ve given up putting my trust in baby sitters. I believe it would be much better for the parents to take care of their own children until they are old enough to talk and can defend themselves. Otherwise we will just be placing our own children in great danger.”

Gayus Stirs Up More Controversy With Behind-Bars Pregnancy Trick

2011-09-09T12:25:00.001+07:00

Gayus Stirs Up More Controversy With Behind-Bars Pregnancy Trick

Indonesians are getting lessons in the intricacies of conjugal visits at the country’s prisons, after it was reported that the wife of high-profile graft convict Gayus Tambunan was pregnant.

Akbar Hadi, a spokesman for the Justice and Human Rights Ministry’s Directorate General of Corrections, said on Thursday that there were no conjugal visitation rooms at prisons.

“But every convict has the right to take leave to see family members, and they can also use that time to have sex with their spouse,” he said.

Hadi was speaking in response to speculation that Gayus, who is serving a 12-year sentence, was allowed to have sex with his wife while in custody.

Milana Anggraeni, Gayus’s wife, is reportedly pregnant with twins. It is unclear how far into her pregnancy she is.

Hadi said that in order to qualify for home leave, a prisoner would have to meet several criteria. “Among the requirements, convicts must have served more than half their sentence, exhibited good behavior and must have a guarantee from their family that they will not flee,” he said.

Under those terms, Gayus would not qualify for home leave, having only been in detention since late last year.

However, Hadi was adamant that the prisoner could not have impregnated his wife without leaving prison.

“There is no such thing as a conjugal visit room to have sex in prison,” he said. “If there’s anyone who claims otherwise, we will investigate.”

Gayus, a former mid-ranking tax official who was found to have amassed more than Rp 100 billion ($11.7 million) in cash and gold bars, made headlines last year when it was revealed that he had bribed his way out of detention scores of times while supposedly in remand pending his corruption trial.

Local media reports suggest he may have impregnated his wife during one of these jaunts, but this has not been confirmed.

Hotma Sitompul, Gayus’s lawyer, told the Jakarta Globe that he was unaware of the impregnation scandal.

Truth Remains Elusive for Brother of Slain Nasrudin

2011-09-09T12:22:00.001+07:00

Truth Remains Elusive for Brother of Slain Nasrudin

Andi Syamsudin thought he knew who killed his brother.

But now Andi, the younger brother of slain businessman Nasrudin Zulkarnaen, doesn’t know what to believe.

In an interview with the Jakarta Globe on Thursday, Andi said he doubted that Antasari Azhar, the former antigraft czar convicted of murdering Nasrudin, actually committed the crime, which prosecutors said was motivated by a love triangle involving golf caddy Rani Juliani, who was Nasrudin’s third wife, Nasrudin himself and Antasari.

“I tried to see and understand the relations between my brother, Antasari and the motive of the murder. I found it odd that Antasari, as the chairman of the KPK (Corruption Eradication Commission), would do such a thing just because of a woman,” he said. “It made no sense to me.”

Andi, who once denounced the court for giving Antasari a “lenient sentence,” said he had tried everything he could to reveal the truth.

“I visited Antasari in Tangerang Prison for an explanation of why he would kill my brother. He provided me an explanation. He even told me about his friendship with my brother,” he said.

“But later when I wanted an explanation from Rani, I had no access to her because she was under the police protection and I would need a special permit from the police chief to meet her.

“It makes me wonder who Rani really is. Why is she so special? What happened exactly? If it was about security or safety reasons, why couldn’t the police set up a meeting themselves?”

Andi said it would be naive to link the murder to a love triangle involving a woman whose marital status with Nasrudin was unclear.

“Other than that, when I asked doctors to take action to save my brother, they told me they could not do anything without the family’s permission. But once I was in Jakarta, my brother had his hair shaved,” Andi said, recalling moments after the murder in March 2009.

“All that has made me wonder, what happened exactly?”

Andi says he now thinks the murder was engineered by people who disliked Antasari’s cracking down on major graft cases while leading the KPK.

“I believe some people wanted to get rid of Antasari because he prosecuted many big corruption cases, such as the information technology equipment procurement at KPU [General Elections Commission],” he said.

One question, however, remains unanswered.

“Why my brother? If Nasrudin has no relation with Antasari, would he be murdered? If Antasari wasn’t the KPK chairman, would this have happened?”

Andi said he was upset at the lack of support in helping him find the real perpetrators.

“It seems nobody wants to stand with us to find the true actor. I wonder if it is also part of the plan in which the real actor tried to keep everybody from supporting us so the truth would never be uncovered,” he said.

For Andi, unless the Indonesian justice system is totally reformed and a new government comes into power, reaching the truth seems unlikely.

“We have seen that even the Judicial Commission’s recommendation has been dismissed by the Supreme Court. Should we expect something more from them? I doubt it,” he said.

The Judicial Commission had asked the top court to suspend three district court judges who took part in Antasari’s trial over suspicions of unprofessional conduct in the case, but instead of granting the request, the Supreme Court promoted the trio.

“If you asked me whether I am afraid to investigate this case or not, I would say yes,” Andi said. “But I threw my fear away because I want to know the truth. If it was not me as Nasrudin’s brother, who else will do it?”

Yacht Rally Marks Tourism Push for Aceh’s Sabang

2011-09-09T12:21:00.001+07:00

Yacht Rally Marks Tourism Push for Aceh’s Sabang

Sabang in Aceh will play host to an international yacht rally this month, as part of a government campaign to promote the country’s westernmost city as a marine tourism destination.

Sapta Nirwandar, director general of promotions at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, said the Indonesian Sailing Federation was staging the first Sabang International Regatta, from Sept. 15-25.

Participants will cover more than 500 kilometers, sailing across the Malacca Strait from Malaysia’s Langkawi Island and finishing at Sabang’s Weh Island.

“We want to use the Sabang International Regatta 2011 to introduce Sabang to the world as a marine destination in the western part of Indonesia,” Sapta said.

“Sabang Port is interesting for foreign tourists. There are many international cruise ships that stop there to see the beauty of Weh Island, which has become a center of marine tourism in western Indonesia.”

Sabang was one of the areas most devastated by the tsunami that hit Aceh in 2004. Firmansyah Rahim, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s director general of destination development, said the city had rebuilt its infrastructure to support tourism.

“We are trying to develop interesting travel packages to promote the region. It has lots of potential, with many dive spots,” he said.

Sabang, Firmansyah said, is being developed as one of 18 planned stopping points in Indonesia for luxury yachts.

Munawar Liza Zainal, the mayor of Sabang, said they needed more investment to develop the natural beauty of the city, both underwater and on land.

According to Munawar, there are about 400 hotel rooms in Sabang but no hotel has earned even a one-star rating.

“Hotels are all managed by locals. It is because we do not have any big investors yet after the 2004 tsunami,” he said.

To improve tourism in Sabang, “we have to provide comfortable and charming accommodation and a clean and tidy environment,” the mayor said.

There are lots of economic selling points in Sabang for travelers and potential investors, Munawar said.

“Unlike other districts, Sabang issues business permits itself so investors do not have to try to get them from the central government,” he said.

“Sabang is also a duty-free island where we do not impose a luxury tax.”

Antasari Begins Bid for New Trial

2011-09-06T12:25:00.001+07:00

Antasari Begins Bid for New Trial

Antasari Azhar, the anticorruption czar turned murder convict, attended the first hearing on Tuesday of his demand for a case review in the slaying of businessman Nasrudin Zulkarnaen, with the victim’s family providing their endorsement.

Antasari, the former chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2010 for Nasrudin’s murder in what prosecutors described as a love triangle turned deadly.

Nasrudin’s younger brother, Andi Syamsudin, told reporters at the South Jakarta District Court that the findings of the Judicial Commission (KY) in the case pointed to the innocence of the former KPK head.

The judicial watchdog said in April that the judges in Antasari’s trial had been negligent by failing to consider the testimony of several experts and witnesses in arriving at their verdict.

“I have a lot of confidence that Antasari will be found not guilty because the KY recommendations mentioned that the panel of judges who presided over the trial were found to have ignored critical evidence in the case,” Andi said.

He said he hoped the judges would “appreciate” the new evidence and approve the case review. If the district court approves the review, it goes to the Supreme Court, and Andi said he hoped the judges there would acquit Antasari.

“If Antasari is released, I hope he will help us investigate and find the real culprit behind my brother’s murder,” he said. Andi added that the family, including his brother’s widow and children, had never accepted that a love triangle had been behind the murder.

“My wife and I have been assisting with this case because we cannot accept the fact that Nasrudin was killed,” Andi said.

Maqdir Ismail, Antasari’s lawyer, has said that six new pieces of evidence, relating to Nasrudin’s car, the bullets from the shooting and text messages, would be presented. He said none of the evidence had been presented at previous trials.

Outside the court, Antasari said he and Nasrudin’s family were eager to uncover the truth behind the murder.

“Even though I have been detained for three years, I carry no grudge because I knew this was the risk of my job,” he said. “If I was not the antigraft chief at the time, dealing with many corruption cases, would I have faced this thing? Do I look like a murderer?”

Antasari said his lawyers had submitted new evidence to the National Police related to a threatening text message he is alleged to have sent Nasrudin.

“In the previous trial, I was accused of sending a text message threat to Nasrudin, but that was not true,” he said. “There was an actor, who used my number to threaten other people, but I cannot elaborate right now because the investigation has to be carried out properly and we will present witnesses and evidence.”

Nasrudin was shot multiple times in March 2009 by a group of men on motorcycles while sitting in his car after leaving a golf club in Tangerang. He died in the hospital a day later.

Legislators Demand Answers Over Spike In Mudik Accidents

2011-09-06T12:17:00.002+07:00

Legislators Demand Answers Over Spike In Mudik Accidents

Elisabeth Oktofani, Febriamy Hutapea & Camelia Pasandaran

Transportation Minister Freddy Numberi will be summoned for questioning by legislators over the huge increase in traffic accidents during this year’s mudik, an official said on Monday.

Marwan Jafar, a National Awakening Party (PKB) lawmaker and member of House of Representatives Commission V, which oversees transportation affairs, said the rise in accidents during the annual end-of-Ramadan exodus warranted an official explanation.

“We will soon conduct an evaluation meeting with the transportation minister,” he said.

He added that all state officials responsible for ensuring an incident-free mudik would also be evaluated, including those from the Ministry of Public Works, which he said failed to complete urgently needed road repairs where many of the accidents occurred.

The National Police recorded 4,006 accidents between Aug. 23 and Sept. 4. Idul Fitri, the holiday marking the end of Ramadan, fell on Aug. 31 this year.

The number of accidents was up by a third from last year’s figure of 3,010, but the number of fatalities was down — 661 compared to 746 last year, according to the police. Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih said on Monday that the number of fatalities was “around 700.”

Alvinsyah, a transportation expert from the University of Indonesia, said most of the accidents could be attributed to careless motorcycle and car driving.

“[Drivers] failed to exercise discipline while driving because they were too excited about going home to see their families,” he said.

Alvinsyah said that while reckless driving was the primary cause behind many of the accidents, other contributing factors included poor road conditions and mechanical problems with the vehicles.

“With the number of accidents over the Idul Fitri exodus increasing each year, the government needs to pay serious attention to the factors behind them and take serious long-term ac tion improve the mudik,” he said.

“It needs to improve the quality of road infrastructure and provide more traffic signs and proper rest areas along the main mudik routes.”

He also said many people choose to travel in private vehicles due to a shortage of public transportation.

“The public transportation options and capacity are very limited, while the number of travelers is high and many of them have a limited budget. Therefore, they seek the cheapest option,” he said.

The president’s office agreed with the need to thoroughly review this year’s mudik preparations, but it played down the problem of poor roads.

Julian Pasha, a presidential spokesman, said the rise in accidents may have reflected the higher number of people traveling this year.

He added that data on the number of mudik travelers was still being compiled. In August, the Ministry of Transportation predicted that the number of road and rail travelers would total about nine million this year, up from 8.6 million last year.

Tired Travelers Flood Back Into Jakarta as Holiday Winds Up

2011-09-05T12:12:00.001+07:00

Tired Travelers Flood Back Into Jakarta as Holiday Winds Up

Florentina Sri Lestari arrived back in Jakarta on Sunday from her hometown of Yogyakarta, after more than 15 hours in the car.

“I wanted to fly or take the train, but unfortunately the train tickets were sold out, and the plane tickets were unreasonably costly,” the 23-year-old told the Jakarta Globe.

“So I decided to take a chartered car that would drop me off right at my boarding house.”

It turned out to be an excruciatingly slow drive.

“We were on the road for more than 15 hours because of the heavy traffic, mostly near Kebumen [in Central Java], and because we had to stop so often,” she said.

Florentina was one of the almost one million Jakarta residents who returned to the capital over the weekend after spending the Idul Fitri holidays in their hometowns across the country.

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said on Sunday that of the estimated 1.8 million people who left the city this year by plane, train, car, bus and ferry, about 911,000 had returned as of Saturday.

He added that almost all the travelers were expected back in the capital by Wednesday, a week after Idul Fitri.

“We predicted that the peak of the return wave would be this weekend,” he said during an inspection of the Pulogadung bus terminal in East Jakarta, one of the main hubs for holiday travel.

“On Monday, the traffic to the capital should have thinned out significantly because workers are expected to be back on the job by then.”

Udar Pristono, the head of the Jakarta Transportation Office, said the figure of 1.8 million holiday travelers did not include those who made the trip by motorcycle.

“We’re still trying to calculate how many of them went by motorcycle, but it’s likely to be more than two million,” he said.

Of the other forms of transport, flying proved the most popular, with 811,000 people going by air, up a third from last year.

Cars and buses accounted for 467,000 travelers, down slightly from last year, while trains accounted for 445,000 passengers, also down from the 2010 figure.

Udar said that his office had readied a fleet of buses and minibuses to cater to those arriving back in the capital in the middle of the night.

“I guarantee that no traveler will be stranded at any train station or bus terminal in the city at night,” he said.

“We’ve got buses on standby until late.”

Among the rare few avoiding both the out-of-town exodus and the return crush was Bandiman, who finally left Jakarta to celebrate the holidays in his hometown on Sunday — five days after Idul Fitri.

“It’s no secret that it’s very hard to get a train ticket ahead of Idul Fitri, so instead of getting caught up in the crowd, I prefer to travel after the holiday,” he told the Globe.

“Plus I don’t want my daughter not to have a seat on the long journey from Jakarta to Malang [in East Java].”

The 43-year-old taxi driver said he had been doing this delayed mudik for the past few years. Apart from finding it easier to get tickets, he also does not want his daughter to suffer in the crush of the pre-Idul Fitri crowd.

“In the past I always went back to Malang one or two days before Idul Fitri so I could celebrate the holiday with my extended family,” he said.

“But now I prefer to stay longer in Jakarta and celebrate Idul Fitri here.”

Outdoor Funtime for Families Staying in Jakarta

2011-09-03T12:10:00.001+07:00

Outdoor Funtime for Families Staying in Jakarta

For the millions of people who had to remain in the capital during Idul Fitri festivities, recreational spots were the favorite destination on Friday.

The seaside Ancol park and South Jakarta’s Ragunan Zoo and theme park Taman Mini Indonesia Indah topped the list of affordable destinations, but pricier recreational venues, such as Kidzania, were equally packed.

Wibiono Santoso, a Pasar Baru resident, had been at Ragunan Zoo with his family since 9 a.m.

“This is the best time of the year to spend time with my family because I can take my children to see animals that they have never seen themselves,” he said, adding that the zoo was more fun, and cheaper to visit, than a restaurant or shopping mall.

Wibiono said he and his family had visited a number of recreation spots in Jakarta during this year’s holiday.

“One holiday destination that we have not visited is Setu Babakan, and we plan to continue on to there later this afternoon,” he said, referring to a traditional Betawi area in South Jakarta.

Rumiani, 32, said the zoo was a regular destination for her and her family during the extended holiday.

“For us, Ragunan Zoo is the best place to celebrate Idul Fitri as well as to have a family gathering. It is a cheap recreation place,” she said, although she added the venue tended to be packed during the celebration.

She said Taman Safari in Bogor was possibly a better alternative, but it was beyond her family’s price range.

Ragunan Zoo spokesperson Enny Pudjiwati said the venue had more than doubled its normal 22 ticket booths this year, and it had recruited 750 seasonal personnel to help the zoo’s 436 permanent employees deal with the holiday season.

She said the holidays could bring up to 750,000 visitors.

At Kidzania, long queues also developed at the ticket booth. Edi Sutedi, a shopkeeper from Pulo Gadung, was there with his two daughters.

“Taking my children to Kidzania is a very unusual activity for us to do during Eid, because we usually just go to Ragunan Zoo or Ancol beach,” Edi said.

He complained that the entrance fee was too expensive for his budget.

“But as I promised my girls to bring them here on Eid as they demanded, I am glad to be able to bring them here,” he said.

“This trip is a special gift for them.” Edi added.

‘Remarkable’ Showing for Indonesian Footballers at Homeless World Cup

2011-09-02T12:07:00.002+07:00

‘Remarkable’ Showing for Indonesian Footballers at Homeless World Cup

In a country bombarded daily by bad news, a group of former drug addicts and people living with HIV/AIDS did Indonesia proud in its first-ever appearance in the Homeless World Cup.

Indonesia finished in sixth place overall in the competition — essentially street football involving four players per side and a smaller field than conventional football — and was named best new team. The event was held last week in Paris.

The country was represented by a team from Rumah Cemara, a Bandung-based rehabilitation center for former drug addicts and people with HIV/AIDS. Its members spent months raising money to buy plane tickets.

Ginan Koesmayadi, the center’s co-founder, who fulfilled a pledge to walk more than 150 kilometers from Bandung to Jakarta after they raised 80 percent of the funds needed to finance the trip, was named best male player of the tournament. Koesmayadi is a former drug addict and is HIV positive.

“Winning in this tournament is a big deal,” said Rumah Cemara director Ikbal Rakhman. “It can be used to educate and show people that although we are former drug users or people with HIV, we can do something positive such as winning this Homeless World Cup.

“We just hope that with this, society will stop stigmatizing us and give us a chance to positively contribute both to society and the country.”

The Homeless World Cup is a Britain-based movement aimed at ending homelessness. A total of 64 teams consisting of homeless and socially marginalized people from around the world participated in the event, which is now in its eighth year. This year the tournament took place from Aug. 21-28.

In the early stages, Indonesia surprised many people by beating three top-ranked squads, Romania (7-4), Kyrgyzstan (9-4) and Germany (5-4).

After going undefeated to top Group G in the opening round, Indonesia finished second in round two’s Group D with three wins and two losses, a respectable result considering its opponents consisted of three former champions.

Later, the team defeated Ireland 8-7 and played Scotland to an 8-8 draw.

In the final stage, Indonesia had the chance to go all the way to the final, but lost 7-4 to Brazil. The Indonesians then edged Nigeria 4-3 to earn a spot in the fifth place game, where they lost to Chile.

The tournament’s official Web site called Indonesia’s debut “remarkable,” singling out players like Koesmayadi, Sandy Gempur Purnama and Gimgim Sofyan Nurdin as players who raised “plenty of eyebrows” with their skills.

Scotland won the men’s trophy after beating Mexico 4-3, while Kenya triumphed in the women’s competition after a 4-3 win over Mexico.

In 2009, Rumah Cemara won the international “Changing Lives Through Football” award, presented by Ashoka, a group that encourages social entrepreneurs, and Nike to a team that uses the game for social change.

3 Nusa Tenggara Volcanoes Start Rumbling to Life

2011-09-01T12:03:00.001+07:00

3 Nusa Tenggara Volcanoes Start Rumbling to Life

Volcanoes in the Nusa Tenggara chain of islands are rumbling awake, prompting authorities to raise the alert level on three of them over the past six days.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), said on Thursday that the three volcanoes had been placed on the second-highest alert status. They include the infamous Mount Tambora, on Sumbawa Island, whose 1815 eruption was one of the worst in Indonesia’s history.

A total of 16 volcanoes across the country are now at the same status.

“We haven’t confirmed what’s causing the increased volcanic activity in Nusa Tenggara because it will require a long and comprehensive study,” Sutopo said.

The status of Tambora, located between Bima and Dompu districts in West Nusa Tenggara, was raised at 11 a.m. on Tuesday. It first started showing signs of increased activity in April. In early August its Doro Api Toi crater spewed thick white smoke 20 meters into the sky.

The volcano’s April 10, 1815, eruption claimed the lives of at least 90,000 people, including those who died in the aftermath of the eruption from famine and disease. The eruption is estimated to have had a Volcanic Explosivity Index ranking of 7 — a supercolossal event that ejected immense amounts of volcanic dust into the upper atmosphere, significantly impacting the global climate for many years afterward.

On Wednesday, the status of Mount Lewotobi-Perempuan, on Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara, was raised after volcanologists registered an average of 24 earthquakes a day, far higher than its usual five a day.

Mount Anak Ranakah, in Manggarai district in East Nusa Tenggara, had its status raised on Friday. Volcanologists noted an increase in the number of deep and shallow volcanic earthquakes since June. When it last erupted on Jan. 11, 1988, the mountain spewed smoke as high as 8,000 meters into the sky.

But Sutopo said there was not yet a need to order evacuations. “We just want the local governments and communities to increase their awareness,” he said.

“We also strongly suggest that climbing activities be stopped,” he added.

Aside from the 16 volcanoes on the second-highest alert status, another 21 volcanoes in the archipelago are on heightened alert.