February 24, 2015 edition
Sidelines
Where do police come from?
The story goes that the first police were in the Majapahit era, when the Prime Minister Gajah Mada formed the Bhayangkara armed forces to safeguard the security of the kingdom. I do not have enough knowledge to prove whether or not this is just imagination. But what does seem to have escaped this history is the importance of distinguishing between a 14th century kingdom and a 21st century republic.
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Interview
THERE is no question that Triawan Munaf's background qualifies him to be chairman of the Creative Economy Board (Bekraf). He certainly is no stranger to the world of creative industry. During the 1970s he was a vocalist with the Bandung-based rock band Giant Step and a decade later, set up the Euro RSCG Adwork company. The company was the agency that came up with the logo of a red bull, which is now the icon of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). "I have worked with creative people for decades," said Triawan.
He is convinced that this sector has huge potential. In his books, the potential can earn Rp500 trillion, or seven percent of Indonesia's gross domestic product (GDP). He predicts that five years from now, this figure can double to 14 percent of GDP. He cites as example, the popular computer game 'Slide The Block', which was created by Alegrium, a local company. "This game is now rated in the top four by the App Store. Amazing, right?" said Triawan.
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Scene & Heard
In a bid to promote a more sustainable mode of transportation, Norwegian Ambassador Stig Traavik and Danish Ambassador Casper Klynge, started the #VikingBikingIndonesia movement. They collaborated with the Bike2Work community and held their first event around Jakarta's National Monument on February 13. #VikingBikingIndonesia is planned to be a bimonthly event.
Traavik, who rides his bicycle to work every day said that his 10-minute morning commute was the best part of his day. "I want more people to have that experience, especially in the Jakarta traffic. It's fun to bike," he told Tempo. Traavik also mentioned that they wanted to promote a healthier lifestyle. "The biggest threat to our health now is inactivity."
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Diplomatic Bag
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot is pulling out all the stops to convince the Indonesian government to spare the lives of death-row inmates Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, reminding the government of the US$1 billion in aid his country donated after the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004. "We in Australia are always there to help you and we hope that you might reciprocate in this way at this time," he said at the Gold Coast, Australia, last week.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry did not take kindly to the statement. Ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir said the Indonesian government would not be swayed by such enjoinings, and would uphold the country's rule of law. "I hope the statement made (by Tony Abbott) does not reflect the true feelings of Australians," he said. "Threats are not part of the diplomatic language, and no one responds well to threats."
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Science & Technology
Thirty-three pitch-black stones the size of matches formed a long figure resembling the femur of a ruminating animal. A team of researchers from the Yogyakarta Archeological Center concluded: it came from an ancient buffalo that lived a million years ago.
Bambang Duhgita, 45, discovered the fossils while searching for precious stones in the Oya River, around 500 meters from his home in Bejiharjo village, Yogyakartaabout 1.5 kilometers from Pindul Cave, a popular tourist destination.
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Smes
Icy wind blows across Leather Lane in London on a cold January day. Despite the freezing temperatures, foods like falafel, burritos and potato jackets have already been set up for hungry passersby, who will soon arrive in droves.
Sonia Swales, 38, a housewife who lives within five minutes of the bustling street, refuses to be deterred by the frigid 2-degree Celsius temperatures: Nothing was going to get between her and the thing she missed most from her home country of Indonesia: tempe.
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Arround The Archipelago
Some 108 families in Lembu village, Bancak subdistrict, Semarang regency, Central Java, today own a home biogas reactor, providing electricity and gas for cooking at reduced cost. "We save (families) about Rp80,000 because they don't have to buy a three-kiloliter gas canister each month," Robert de Groot, manager of the Blue Project, told Tempo two weeks ago. The Blue Project is managed by Hivos, a Holland-based NGO, and Lembu is one of the villages participating in the the Blue Program pilot project, which promotes the biogas reactors.
According to de Groot, since its launch in 2009, the Blue Program has reached nine provinces in Indonesia. Within the year he estimates more than 2,800 biogas reactors will have been built nationwide. Already, Hivos estimates that more than 70,000 Indonesians have benefited from the Blue Program.
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Opinion
THE verdict of Judge Sarpin Rizaldi in granting the pretrial motion of Police Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan is not only questionable, it makes no sense. The judge determined that Budi was not a law enforcer at the time of his alleged crime, hence his indictment for corruption by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is legally flawed.
Budi's position from 2003 to 2006, when he was charged with accepting bribes and gratuities from officers seeking promotions, was chief of career development at the Office of the Deputy Police Chief in charge of Human Resources. Judge Sarpin determined that the position required Budi to carry out only administrative tasks, unlike other police officers who must pursue and investigate criminal cases. As such, according to Sarpin, Budi should not be investigated by the KPK.
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Indicator
EVERYBODY knows that flooding in Jakarta cannot be solved by the provincial government alone. It can only be solved if the central and provincial government work together. President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has set deadlines for the completion of a number of flood-control programs, and has moved up the finishing date for the Rp492.8 billion-Ciliwung canal project, which will connect the Ciliwung river with the East Flood Canal. "It was planned to be completed in December, but I have requested it to be finished by October this year," Jokowi said on an unannounced visit to the canal in Kebon Nanas, East Jakarta.
A number of projects have been accelerated in a race against the rainy-season downpours, including river dredging, drainage-system repairs, and finishing the Rp1 trillion-plus dam construction projects in Bogor, West Java. Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, popularly known as Ahok, has cautioned against turning Jakarta into a 'sink'. "The water in this sink must be pumped out (into the ocean)," he said.
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Outreach
A skinny tree just two meters tall stands proudly in a nursery at the Forestry Faculty of Papua University (Unipa) in West Papua's capital, Manokwari. Its broad leaves are spread out sideways along the length of the trunk. In the gaps between them green, elongated fruit peeks out.
This betel nut palm tree, or Areca unipa, is named after the campus. For laymen, the tree looks almost ordinary, not much different from the plethora of betel nut palm trees dotting the many islands of Papua. But in the world of botany, Areca unipa is a major discovery: if scientist Charlie Danny Heatubun had not discovered the tree in July of 2011, it would likely have gone extinct.
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Law
In early February, while presiding over a marathon session of witness testimony at Lampung's Kalianda District Court, Judge Muhammad Iqbal desperately needed a bathroom break. After questioning five witnesses, he had one more to go, after which he could finally steal away to the restroom. "It's tiresome, but I have to hold on," Iqbal told Tempo.
The Kalianda District Court is swamped with cases. Every year, the court accepts no fewer than 634 cases. These are distributed among just nine judges, meaning that on average, one judge presides over seven civil and criminal cases at a time. Hearings begin at 8am and frequently do not end until the stars come out. "Given this high volume of cases, we really should have 15 judges," Iqbal said.
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Economy
MINING
Freeport Smelter: A Piecemeal Solution for Papua
Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said's visit to Papua two weeks ago did not succeed in resolving all the complications surrounding Freeport Indonesia's planned smelter. At at press conference at Hotel Rimba, Mimika, Papua, however, Sudirman announced he had succeeded in harmonizing the positions of all three parties. Freeport has agreed to establish a smelter in Timika. The provincial government, meanwhile, has said it would provide the construction site, initial funding, and would identify investors.
Freeport Smelter: A Piecemeal Solution for Papua
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Cover Story
THE Police Crime Investigation Division is still taking aim at officials of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), after Judge Sarpin Rizaldi at the South Jakarta District Court found in favor of Budi Gunawan at his pretrial hearing. The Crime Investigation Division is now targeting KPK investigators who handled the Budi Gunawan case.
They felt that the investigators abused their authority when the KPK issued an investigation order against Budi Gunawan on January 12. The four KPK leaders who approved the indictment are also being targeted. "We found this out after receiving summonses from the police," said one senior KPK official, last week. KPK Deputy Chairman Adnan Pandu Praja, who was asked to confirm the information last week, was unwilling to comment.
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Tempo Talks
Improving Connectivity, Boosting Cooperation
This year, Indonesia and India mark 75 years of diplomatic relations. However, the ties between the two nations have existed much longer, predating the establishment of the Republic of Indonesia and the Republic of India. These connections span social, cultural, religious, economic, and trade aspects. But do those close ties of the past have any bearing on the present relationship? Why is there no direct flight between the capitals of the two countries?
Indian Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor-Leste, Sandeep Chakravorty, shares his views on this matter at TEMPO TALKS.
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