Sidelines
An old man, almost mute, his memory gone, and so too his son in a terrifying history: the senile man in Joshua Oppenheimer's film, The Look of Silence.
In Oppenheimer's film, which sets out to show the cruelty in Indonesia in the mid 1960s, this semi-paralyzed figure seems like an allegory of the horror and silence of the past.
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Interview
The heat did not seem to bother Johannes 'Jan' Pronk, 75, even though it has been 13 years since he last visited Indonesia. Perhaps it was a residue from the past, when he frequently travelled to Indonesia in his capacity as the Netherland's foreign minister and the UN's special envoy, and when he got acclimatized to the tropical, humid heat.
The bespectacled Pronk fits the description of a professor, rather than a politician and a diplomat of his yesteryears, given his current job as visiting professor at the United Nations University of Peace in Costa Rica and a lecturer at Amsterdam University College in the Netherlands.
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Obituari
Adnan Buyung Nasution, or Bang Buyung, is a man for all seasons. He has never ceased to act, leading a life based on a single ideology: defending the poor, the illiterate and the oppressed. It was an obsession all his life until his last breath on Wednesday, September 23.
Several days before Bang Buyung's death, he sensed the end was near. On Sunday, September 20, he wrote on a sheet of paper the words, 'leaving now'.
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Diplomatic Bag
In a bid to strengthen relations between Indonesia and the US, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi held a bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington DC on September 21. "An improved strategic partnership reflects the priorities of (President) Joko Widodo's 'Working Cabinet'," Retno said.
The two discussed ways to increase cooperation in areas such as maritime, defense and security, as well as democracy and pluralism. Moreover, Retno said Indonesia and the US would boost trade. Currently, the US is Indonesia's fourth biggest trade partner, with business amounting to US$27.7 billion last year.
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International
For the seventh time in the last 25 years, a holy site in Mina, Saudi Arabia, is the site of heartbreaking tragedy.
On Thursday last week, a human stampede broke out during a religious procession, resulting in 769 deaths and more than 934 casualties. Fourteen Indonesians were among the dead, while 112 are still missing.
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Arround The Archipelago
Benuaq Dayak traditional community has received the Equator Prize from the UN Development Program Agency. Awarded in a ceremony in New York last week. Benuaq Dayak is a community living in Muara Tae village, West Kutai of East Kalimantan. They received the award for successfully having maintained, protected, and restored traditional forests in concession areas. "This is the proof that our struggle is not wrong. The accusations that we are 'delaying development' are not true," Petrus Asuy, a Benuaq community elder, said last week.
Over the last 20 years, Muara Tae has lost much of its land area to mining and palm oil concessions. Petrus and his friends, however, have refused to hand over their traditional lands. They have always resisted, even though they often had to deal with violence, intimidation, as well as criminalization.
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Books
MASALA BUMBU
Editor: Gurjit Singh
Executive Producer: Sachin Gopalan
Copy Editor: Sachin Gopalan
Project Manager: Ihsan Zuyadi
Publisher: Berita Satu Media Holdings
our country and your people are linked to us by ties of blood and culture which date back to the very beginning of history. The word 'India' must necessarily always be part of our life for it forms the first two syllables of the name we have chosen for our land and our raceit is the 'Indo' in IndonesiaMy very name itself is eloquent testimony to the great extent to which we have fallen heir to the rich culture of your ancient land."
Editor: Gurjit Singh
Executive Producer: Sachin Gopalan
Copy Editor: Sachin Gopalan
Project Manager: Ihsan Zuyadi
Publisher: Berita Satu Media Holdings
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Opinion
The considerable attention the government is paying to the development of digital business needs to be regarded with caution because it could end badly if it is accompanied by regulations aimed solely at increasing tax revenues. Conversely, government attention could reap benefits if it leads to concrete policies to help digital entrepreneurs expand and improve the market.
Unfortunately, the digital business roadmap drawn up by Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara at the start of this year shows that the government does not have a scale of priorities. The government says it wants to increase the benefits that digital technology brings to the Indonesian economy, but at the same time it clearly wants to increase tax revenues from this sector. On the ground, these two aims frequently come into conflict.
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Indicator
AS of next month, the bank accounts of 560 members of the House of Representatives (DPR) will have grown substantially. Their salaries, which were around Rp51-54 million per month, will increase to Rp58-60 million. This is due to increases in bonuses and allowances for electricity and phone bills, all approved by the government and on July 9 decreed by the finance ministry.
Looking at their basic salary, a DPR member earns just Rp4.2 million per month. This number is difficult to play around with considering it is calculated in relation to Indonesians' per capita income, which is used as the basis of the their salaries, is Rp3.5 million per month.
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Letters
Disappointed by Metland
AS one of the owners of Hotel Horison Seminyak, Bali, I am very disappointed by Metland management who has not delivered the hotel's ownership certificate despite their promises. I have settled my purchase of one unit of the hotel in December 2012. I paid the land and building acquisition fees (BPHTB) and notarial deed on January 2015.
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Outreach
National
Lawmakers have inserted an article on clove cigarettes into a draft law on culture. The plan to name them a cultural heritage has many scratching their heads.
Kretek (clove cigarettes) has been included in the Paragraph 1, Article 37 on the appreciation, recognition and protection of cultural heritage. Article 49 tasks the government with promoting kretek as a cultural heritage.
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Law
THE hearing opened at Palembang District Court last Tuesday as the city outside sat blanketed in haze. "Visibility is less than 200 meters," commented Hadi Jatmiko, Indonesian Environmental Forum's Director for South Sumatra, who attended the trial.
Palembang District Court was in session hearing a civil lawsuit brought by the environment and forestry ministry against Bumi Mekar Hijau. The ministry is demanding the company pay Rp7.9 trillion back to the state for the illegal clearing of 20,000 hectares of land on the company's concession.
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Weekly Business
FOOD
Rice Imports Likely
Vice President Jusuf Kalla says the government may need to import rice in anticipation of the El Nino impact. "This is about the drought. We do not want to sacrifice the public (welfare), that is why we will allow import possibilities to begin as soon as possible," he said after chairing a meeting last week.
Rice Imports Likely
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Economy
The Giant store on the ground floor of Plaza Semanggi, South Jakarta, was a total mess. Products were placed at random on unorganized shelves. In the fresh foods section, coolers stood empty. Low lighting lent the place an eerie, tavern-like feel.
"I thought it was being renovated," said Sofia Septiani, a resident of Central Jakarta, who decided to shop despite the disarray. Only two of eight checkout counters were manned. She learned from one of the cashiers that the store, part of the Hero Supermarket chain, would soon be closing its doors.
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Cover Story
Wahyudi is a planter, yet has no idea what plants he grows in his garden. Each week he receives new seeds which are only identified by code numbers. He gets paid to turn them into seedlings and return them back to the sender. "Those seedlings belong to Pak Steve from (the) Kebunbibit (website)," he said when Tempo visited his garden at the East Java hamlet of Tonggolari last week.
Wahyudi grows 60 types of plants on his 400-square meter plot of land. The only ones he recognizes are tarragon, thyme, and oregano. Not being familiar with the names of the plants is not of much concern for this graduate in Islamic theology. The important thing is that he can make Rp2-5 million each month as a planter.
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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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Other Editions Of The Magazine
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December 23, 2024
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December 16, 2024
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December 9, 2024
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December 2, 2024
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November 25, 2024
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November 18, 2024