Before violence, there is no zero point. Before violence, there is other violence that we do not always acknowledge, and probably do not always recognize.

For Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, this year's haj pilgrimage turned out to be an ordeal he had never bargained for: having to deal with two major tragedies in the Holy Land in a matter of weeks. One was the crash of a construction crane over the Haram Mosque and the other was the fatal stampede at Mina, when thousands of pilgrims rushed all at once toward the stone-throwing ritual. More than 100 Indonesians died as a result.

A standing ovation thundered through the Frankfurt LAB in Frankfurt, Germany, on October 6 as soon as conductor Franck Ollu from Ensemble Modern Frankfurt finished presenting the work of Gatot Danar Sulistyo, 35, titled Mihrab, prayer niche. This was the final part of a program, Ruang Suara, or Sound Space, featuring the pieces of eight young Indonesian composers. The recitation of suluk, or mystical poetry, about the birth of Prophet Adam combined with percussion booms, along with the shrills of brass trumpets, trombones as well as the scrapes of cellos and violins in Gatot's composition might not just be strange to the ears of a German audience, but could also be a new experience for the Indonesian members of the audience.

Edward Sitompul's used bookshop does not really stand out much from the others inside the Senen Bus Station market in Central Jakarta. However, it was here that Jose Rizal Manuahimself the owner of a book-store in the Ismail Marzuki Art Center compound in Cikini, Central Jakartastumbled across dozens of works from the personal collection of one of Indonesia's most important cultural figures.

Hadi Poernomo wasted little time cross-examining Jamin Gintinga professor of law at Pelita Harapan University and the Corruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) expert witnessin a judicial review hearing at the South Jakarta District Court last week.

The government should reject the planned Jakarta-Bandung high speed railway megaproject. The Rp80 trillion project is more of a showpiece than public transportation. Given the current uncertain economic condition, the government can ill-afford to do any grandstanding. Such a huge sum of money would be better spent building a 400-kilometer toll road in Sumatra, four ports in Kalimantan or railroads in Papua, Kalimantan and Sulawesi, as well as three dams. The multiplier effect on the people's economy from all of those projects would be far greater than that from the Jakarta-Bandung railway.

Last week, the air pollution index in Sumatra and Kalimantan jumped way above the level deemed safe, paralyzing people's activities.Satellite imagery showed 712 hotspots in Kalimantan and 502 in Sumatra.

Responding to R.J. Lino

In the 30 years of working with people living in Indonesia's coastal areas, Riyanto Basuki has discovered that people whose livelihood depended on the sea, tend to be twice as poor as people living off the land. "Their homes are nothing more than huts, even though their income from fishing is not too bad," said Riyanto, 55, director of marine services at the marine and fisheries ministry.

The government of President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla is now almost one year old. Political, legal, and economic issues have hit it hard. One fifth of the way into the government's term, economic problems continue to pose a serious challenge for Jokowi and Kalla. According to an Indo Barometer survey, economic issues are casting a negative light on the government's overall performance. Over half of its respondents are dissatisfied with the performance of the cabinet, including that of Jokowi and Kalla.

POLICY
Government Launches Third economic Package

The rupiah's sudden burst of strength has left confusion in its wake. Last Thursday, it settled at Rp13,809 per US dollar, far better than end of September's Rp14,728. This sudden recovery raises the question, what actually is going on?

The Indonesian government has decided to accept China's proposal for the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail project. Japan, the first to show interest in this project, was passed over.

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.