July 14, 2015 edition
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Sidelines
Narcissus
Sidelines
Narcissus fell in love with himself and died soon afterwards. At the age of 15, his mother had taken the handsome youth to see Tiresias, the seer.
In Ovid's poem Metamorphosis, which he composed in Rome in the 4th century BCE, the blind seer said something strange: the boy will have a long life "...if he never knows himself."
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Interview
BARELY one month in operation, Indonesia's longest toll-road, the Cikopo-Palimanan (Cipali), West Java, has already claimed fatalities. In the first week since its launch on June 14, some 54 accidents were recorded to have happened throughout the length of the 116.75-kilometer road. The one on July 6, involved a Daihatsu Gran Max van carrying 11 passengers, which hit a cement mixer, at Km 178. Seven people died and four were seriously injured as a result.
Public attention turned on the Public Works Ministry, given that this Cipali highway will be used by millions of motorists going to their hometowns for the Lebaran holidays. Operational negligence and the existence of the Cipali Toll Road certification were questioned, as well as the availability of rest areas at specific points.
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Travel
The southern coastline of East Java has the splendid beaches Goa Cina and Bajul Mati, but the offshore island of Sempu (pronounced sem-poo) is totally unique. The irregularly shaped island lies opposite the picturesque fishing village of Sendangbiru, the province's most important fishing village. A channel roughly 0.5 kilometers wide runs from southwest to northeast between the mainland and the island.
When I finally arrived in Sendangbiru close to noontime, the last of the fishermen's catch unloaded earlier that morning was being sold at the fish market. Boats were still available to make the crossing over to Sempu, but since there are no guesthouses, I was told that I may have to spend the night on one of the island's beaches.
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Science & Technology
An enormous earthquake shook the bottom of the Indian Ocean on Sunday, December 26, 2004. The tectonic tremors of 9.2 on the Richter scale reached the land of Aceh. In less than an hour, sea waves as high as 30 meters rolled in from of the sea. After engulfing Aceh's shores, the waves devastated half of the province and claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.
"A quake and tsunami of the Aceh [2004] magnitude can potentially recur in the Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra," said Nugroho Dwi Hananto, a geo-technology researcher from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) to Tempo in his office on Friday two weeks ago.
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Health
Different types of cancers and tumors seem to plague Labudiala's family. Labudiala, also known as Budi, came to this conclusion after losing six of his siblings to bone and colon cancers, as well as two of his own children to brain cancer and leukemia. "So I wasn't shocked when the doctor said that I, too, had colon cancer," he said last Wednesday at his home in the Condet area of East Jakarta.
Budi received his diagnosis three years ago. Fortunately, the National Land Agency retiree learned of his illness early, while the cancer was still only at the third stage. Hoping to avoid the same fate as his family members, he decided to undergo surgery later that year.
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National
Makmun solemnly studied the Qur'an at the refugee camp in Puspa Agro Agribusiness Central Market, Jemundo, Sidoarjo, East Java, the first Friday of June. The 11-year-old boy sat in a circle along with dozens of other children. Donning a gray shirt, a sarung, and a cap on his head, Makmun sat in the front row. Although there were no loudspeakers, the chanting of verses from the Qur'an could be heard even from outside the market complex. Makmun and his friends usually join the chant after the morning prayer and before the evening maghrib call to prayer.
It is Makmun's third year fasting in a refugee camp, after the two Shia villages in Sampang, Madura Island, East Java, were attacked by Sunnis in August 2012. At least 20 houses and housing complex location points were set on fire in the hamlet of Nangkernang in Omben District, and Gading Laok hamlet, Karangpenang District. The attackers also set fire to cattle, tobacco in warehouses, and bamboo and acacia forests belonging to the Shia community. Mochammad Kosin, also known as Abu Hamamah, was killed at the scene when the attack took place. A number of people suffered from stab wounds and impacts from hard objects being thrown at them.
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Column
Noor Huda Ismail
The Jokowi administration hopes Nusantara Islam (IN) will be the key to success in the state's de-radicalization efforts, which have often been labelled as a series of failures. De-radicalization efforts thus far have been considered ineffectual for two reasons. First, efforts were unable to eliminate the threat of terrorism since the first Bali bombing in 2002, and second, the program has not prevented hundreds of Indonesians from travelling to Syria and Iraq to fight with IS and An Nusro.
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Opinion
It was only a small matter. And it did not affect people's right to life. Nor was there any connection with the decline in the national economy, or the vague rumors of a cabinet reshuffle. It was simply a case of explaining an acronym. BIN, which stands for State Intelligence Agency, was written as National Intelligence Agency.
But because the error was made by the National Secretariat, er State Secretariat, the problem is more complex. The invitations were not only mistyped: they were printed and sent out. This is why the issue appeared on social media. Those fond of criticizing and gossiping about the admianistration of President Joko Widodo were given ammunition to use against the palace, while those loyal to Jokowi claimed it was a hoax. According to these faithful supporters, the invitation was edited using Photoshop.
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Indicator
ON June 30, Hercules C-130B plane crashed into the Jamin Ginting area of Medan. The airplane hit a Joy FM radio antenna located 3,200 meters away from the Soewondo Airport runway. The passengers consisted of 12 crew members (three were pilots), one navigator, 8 technicians, and 110 passengers. All died.
Just before the crash, pilot Captain Shandy Permana requested permission to return to base. The request is assumed to be an indication that a problem occurred two minutes after the plane took off. The definite cause of the accident is still under investigation. But something was clearly amiss: why were there so many civilians aboard the military aircraft?
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Outreach
ADE Setiawan guided his brush with an agile hand, placing white clouds on his canvas: the last touches on the Arabic calligraphy innallah ma'asyabirin which he had drawn earlier. "It means 'God is truly with those who are patient'," he told Tempo at the Calligraphy Studio of Dar el-Qalam, Padang, West Sumatra, three weeks ago.
The calligraphy was drawn in the diwani jali style that came from the Ottoman Kingdom, 16th century Turkey. The Arabic letters painted in white and yellow seem to wind around each other against a dusky copper backdrop.
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Law
On Tuesday three weeks ago, a woman clad in casual attire arrived at the Tebet Taxation Service Office in South Jakarta. Wearing a T-shirt and scruffy jeans, she introduced herself to the tax officers attending to her as Carolin Carolina, the director of an electronic equipment business.
The officers immediately became suspicious when Carolin said her purpose in visiting the office was to put in place arrangements for electronic tax invoice certificates, then scheduled to come into effect on July 1. "It was because she was not dressed like the boss of a company," the Directorate-General of Taxation's Director of Intelligence and Investigation Yuli Kristiyono said when recounting the incident Tuesday last week.
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Economy
Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan has asked that the decision of Richard Joost Lino, CEO of state-owned shipping company Pelindo II, to extend the operations contract with Hutchinson at the Jakarta International Container Terminal, (JICT) be ignored. The criteria for the contract extension, according to the law on shipping, contradicts it. Today, Jonan admits he is in the process of drafting a legal action against Lino's desperate move. "If we find any violation, the amendment to the contract will be cancelled," Jonan told Tempo reporter, Khairul Anam, who met him at his office on July 7.
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Cover Story
MOHAMAD Syafi' Ali has been very busy since mid-June. In addition to his routine duties presiding over NU's online media and being on the organizing committee for the 33rd NU Conference, this slender long-haired man is on the front lines, promoting the concept of Archipelagic Islam (Islam Nusantara) or Indonesian Islam in the media.
Since he first came out with the concept and attacked from both sides, Syafi' had to prepare some counterarguments for his critics. "Why is Islam which appreciates Indonesian traditions suddenly being questioned?" he said, last week.
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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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