August 11, 2015 edition
Sidelines
In a sandy desert, a shepherd withdrew from a prophet's anger. In Jalaluddin Rumi's well-known storyfrom the MasnaviMoses hears a shepherd uttering a strange prayer: "Oh God, show me where Thou art, that I may become Thy servant. I will clean Thy shoes and comb Thy hair, and sew Thy clothes, and fetch Thee milk.".
Moses saw this passionate prayer as the seed of heathenism. To compare God to a person who needs milk was irreverent.
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Books
Postcards from a Past
Diplomatic Bag
ASEAN Pushes for Human Rights
Books
Jakarta: Portraits of a Capital 19501980
by Scott Merrillees, Equinox Publishing 2015,
ISBN 978-602-70213-0-3,
hardcover, 160 pages, dimensions 27 x 29 x 2 cm.
Within these pages one is able to see what the capital looked like in the fairly recent past and understand how its development shaped what the megalopolis has become today. The book only explores the growth of Jakarta's physical landscape between 1950 and 1980 when the city became the capital of Indonesia after national sovereignty had finally been recognized by the Netherlands.
by Scott Merrillees, Equinox Publishing 2015,
ISBN 978-602-70213-0-3,
hardcover, 160 pages, dimensions 27 x 29 x 2 cm.
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Diplomatic Bag
Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi gave her full-throated support to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) and its human rights promotion efforts at the 48th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) held August 4-7 in Kuala Lumpur.
"The promotion and protection of human rights are one of the main issues ASEAN countries must fight for," she said on the first day of the event. Retno also proposed the establishment of a human rights division at the ASEAN Secretariat and stated that the protection of migrant workers had direct impact on the ASEAN community.
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Opinion
Scheduled for December 9 this year, local elections may be deferred to 2017 if, by next week, only one candidate is registered to run, as in the case of Surabaya's mayoral election. By law, if that happens, the next election can only take place two years later.
The unchallenged candidate is Surabaya's incumbent mayor, Tri Rismaharini. Nominated by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), surveys indicate she would be a shoo-in. A longtime bureaucrat, she is not and never was a party person. In fact, political parties, including the PDI-P have little sympathy for her. But Surabayans love and respect her, so the PDI-P has no choice but to nominate Risma as Tri Rismaharini is better known.
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Indicator
Traffic jams are so common in the capital city that citizens seem to take them in stride. But when such congestion comes from street demonstrations, such resignation can quickly transform into anger.
Last month Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama met with Jakarta Police Chief Inspector General Tito Karnavian about creating a special area for demonstrations. "The important thing is the public can convey their aspirations and without people becoming the victims of traffic jams," Tito said.
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Letters
Bank Mandiri's Response
With regards to a letter of complaint published in Tempo's June 15 to 21, 2015 issue, we would like to apologize to Mr. Daniel Thie for the inconvenience he experienced while using our internet banking service. Our investigation revealed that the notification issue as occurred in Mr. Daniel's case will appear when the bank's system is still processing a task related to his account. Another attempt may be done after waiting for some time. Should the problem persists, please call Bank Mandiri's 24-hour contact center at 14000.
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Outreach
TEN students gathered around a multi-colored table in a bamboo hut on Jalan Wijaya Kusuma in Medan, North Sumatra. Plastic bottles and cardboard boxes were spread around on the table. The students were focused on their craft work while two teachers supervised. The open walls allowed fresh air to circulate, keeping the space cool.
Ivan Tobing, 15, a pupil at the Medan School of Nature (SAM) was busy making a piggy bank from recyclables. "I'm happy working on recycled plastic waste," he told Tempo. It's so the environment remains clean."
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Special Report
Wahyu Dhyatmika*
I met many Indonesians when I studied at Harvard University as a Nieman fellow, last year. They came from various walks of life, with different backgrounds and destinations. Many are students, some try their luck as entrepreneurs and others are mostly professionals. All of them have one thing in common: they always light up when we start talking about our homeland. Discussing politics, food and people we know, have the power to make us feel as if we're back home again.
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National
On September 28, Tri Rismaharini must give up her job as mayor of Surabaya city to an acting mayor appointed by the East Java Governor Soekarwo. That will be the end of her term.
Her bid re-election did not go smoothly. It was not because she failed to lead and develop Surabaya. In fact she did them so well that she became very popular, scaring away other challengers. So far she and Whisnu Sakti Buana are the sole contenders.
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Law
Weekly Business
FINANCE
IMF Postpones Making Yuan a World Currency
THE International Monetary Fund (IMF) has delayed deciding on whether or not to adopt the Chinese yuan as a reserve currency until September 2016. The decision was made after IMF officials declared they needed more information before making a decision. "This is in order to avoid any money market disturbances," one IMF official explained, as quoted by Reuters last Wednesday.
IMF Postpones Making Yuan a World Currency
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Economy
Researchers at the National Nuclear Energy Agency (Batan) are quite confused over the government's uncertain attitude in planning a nuclear energy power generating plant. "My colleagues here are confused. They keep asking, are we going to do it or not, they ask," said Djarot S. Wisnoburoto, who was contacted by Tempo reporter Retno Sulistyowati at his office two weeks ago.
The white paper issued by Batan and the government mentions a plan to build a 5,000 megawatt nuclear energy power plant. How serious is that plan?
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Cover Story
One of Singapore's popular spots to rest and exercise is a vast green park near the mouth of the Marina Channel. On late afternoons, residents can be seen jogging around the area or having a picnic. "It's a nice place for families to spend time," said Nora Busra, a 35-year-old Singaporean mother.
This is not an ordinary park. It is located on the circular rooftop of a building, which houses Singapore's Public Utilities Board (PUB) or national water agency. Next to it, the Marina Barrage, wide as a two-road lane, keeps out the seawater from the 350-metre wide channel. It creates a 10,000 hectare freshwater lake, known as the Marina Reservoir, and provides 10 percent of the local water supply.
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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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