August 4, 2015 edition
The 33rd Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Convention in Jombang, East Java, in early August will be a nostalgic journey for Martin van Bruinessen, who spent considerable time in Indonesia during the 1980s and 1990s. As a resource person at the pre-convention discussions, Bruinessen, the Dutch professor from Utrecht University, author of a number of books on Islam in Indonesia, was sought after to speak on the future direction of the the NU, currently led by KH Said Aqil Siroj.
In the opinion of Dutch anthropologist Bruinessen, the NU has an important role to play in society. He knows his subject matter well, given his nine years in Indonesia. Although he now resides in the Netherlands, he still devotes much of his time to Islamic literature, in the form of discussions and studies on intellectual development in Indonesia. This has led Bruinessen to deepen his knowledge on Islamic thinking in Indonesia, and that of the NU.
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July 28, 2015 edition
Excuse me while I go and pray," said Bambang Suryo, in the middle of an interview with Tempo last week. It was the third meeting and took place in Surabaya, while the first happened in Jakarta four weeks ago and the second inside a car, enroute to the home of Bambang's friend in Central Jakarta.
Bambang claims to have been getting threats ever since he confessed to rigging game scores of the Indonesia League competition. He admits that these days, he has become more religious, saying a small prayer before eating and driving his car. "I need to feel safe," said Bambang. For a while, he hid his real identity, calling himself Mr. X or BS, to protect his family.
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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