July 14, 2015 edition
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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June 30, 2015 edition
LAST month, the giant Indonesian palm oil company, Eagle High Plantation, sold off 30 percent of its shares, valued at US$632 million, and the stock exchange Eagle 7 percent to 2.6 percent to Felda Global Ventures, a Malaysian state-owned company. Although one benefit will be to get experts in production technology, Eagle's transaction created quite a stir, given that the sale was seen to be underpriced and took place in the midst of a downturn in the global price of palm oil.
It was the move of 61-year-old Peter Sondakh, CEO of Rajawali Corporation, who is known for his 'derring-do' in the world of business. Since the mid-1990s, Sondakh has been the man behind the sale and purchase of big companies. For example, he sold the cigarette company Bentoel to British American Tobacco (BAT) in mid-2009, even though the company had been releasedby Sondakh himselffrom a debilitating US$700 million debt since 1992.
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June 23, 2015 edition
WHEN President Joko Widodo appointed nine women for the panel to select new commissioners to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on May 21, it set the mainstream and social media buzzing for weeks. First, it was because the panel consisted of an all-female cast, and second, because of doubts the team could manage the process of selecting commissioners for the fourth batch of KPK leaders. This was especially the case when the person appointed to lead the team was Destry Damayanti, a Bank Mandiri economist, who is a relatively unknown public figure, but well-recognized by activists involved in the anti-corruption movement.
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June 16, 2015 edition
OWNERS of warung makan (small eateries) are hopeful they can remain open during the month of Ramadhan, because Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin in his Twitter account recently tweeted that such establishments should not be forced to close shop just to honor those who fast. He stated that those who are not obliged to fast must also be respected.
Predictably, his statement caused a public uproar. Some tweeps saluted Lukman's view, but many others disagreed with his view. Equally predictable was the media, which refused to entirely support the stance of the United Development Party (PPP) politician. A mere tweet, Lukman wryly commented, twisted by some people, had led to a counter-productive debate.
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June 9, 2015 edition
THE recent uproar over the sale of plastic rice in markets last May is slowly dying down. Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel said the government was unable to find any plastic in the samples of rice inspected by five organizations, among them the Drug and Food Supervisory Board (BPOM) and the National Police forensic laboratory.
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June 2, 2015 edition
FINALLY, people got what they clamored for. The government disbanded Pertamina Energy Trading Ltd (Petral) on May 13. This subsidiary company of state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina had been heavily criticized for abusing its mandate in supplying the nation with crude oil and other fuels.
Based in Singapore, Petral was tasked with buying and selling oil on behalf of Pertamina. Its recent dissolution will save Pertamina US$20 million in costs. The anti-oil and gas mafia task force had recommended that Petral's job be taken over by the Integrated Supply Chain (ISC), a unit of Pertamina.
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May 26, 2015 edition