Securing Anies Baswedan’s Support
Pramono Anung successfully secured Anies Baswedan’s support in the Jakarta gubernatorial election. There seems to be a political deal ahead of 2029.
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Pramono Anung successfully secured Anies Baswedan’s support in the Jakarta gubernatorial election. There seems to be a political deal ahead of 2029.
The term “Medan Block” emerged during the trial of former North Maluku Governor, Abdul Gani Kasuba. Medan Block is believed to refer to pre-allocated nickel mining concessions in Halmahera.
Bobby Nasution is suspected of managing the Medan Block nickel mine since 2021. He met with Abdul Gani Kasuba before becoming the Mayor of Medan.
The PDI-P will be nominating Anies Baswedan in the Jakarta gubernatorial election. A popular candidate against Jokowi’s coalition.
The opportunity for Anies Baswedan to contest the Jakarta gubernatorial election is slipping away after the coalition of parties supporting him fell apart. There is a guerrilla from the Palace.
An exclusive Tempo interview with Anies Baswedan regarding his chances to run in the Jakarta regional head election.
Jokowi and Prabowo’s coalition are maneuvering to thwart Anies Baswedan’s candidacy in the Jakarta regional head election. Cabinet posts are being offered as inducements.
Chances for Anies Baswedan to run in the Jakarta regional head election are beginning to open up. A number of political parties support Prabowo Subianto intend to nominate Anies.
Thirteen-year-old Afif Maulana was found dead under a bridge in Padang, West Sumatra. He had allegedly been tortured by the police.
The number of Indonesian umrah minor pilgrimage travelers grows during the fasting month of Ramadan. The nation’s umrah economic potential has not been fully harnessed.
A defendant of the Supreme Court justice bribery case is allegedly subjected to extortion by someone claiming to represent the leadership of the KPK. The name Firli Bahuri is also implicated.
Anies Baswedan talks about the campaign. He admits there are talks with the Ganjar-Mahfud team.
The claim that the Gunung Padang site is the oldest pyramid in the world is strongly challenged. A collaboration of researchers from around the world is needed.
Foreign archeologists doubt the site of Gunung Padang as the world’s oldest pyramid. A journal publisher is going to investigate.
Moh. Wijdan, Head of Ketapang Jaya village, Ketapang, Sampang, East Java, replies to Pressure from the Police and Prosecutors article.
Anies Baswedan is campaigning aggressively through TikTok. It is forbidden to talk about politics and campaigns.
Several high-ranking veterans formerly supporters of Jokowi and Prabowo switched their allegiance to Anies Baswedan. Several officers held disappointment.
Anies Baswedan choses Muhaimin Iskandar to be his vice-presidential running mate. Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono is eliminated in the final turn.
The concept of Kampung Madani is to optimize the business and economic potential of the region. #InfoTempo
A family of Sumatran tigers died after being caught in snare traps in Aceh. With a population of about 600, this endangered wild animal is threatened by poaching, loss of habitat, and conflict with humans.
Poaching produce in the North Natuna Sea is not only triggered by economic need. According to the Director of the Fleet Monitoring and Operations of the Marine and Fisheries Resources Directorate-General in the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, Pung Nugroho Saksono, a conflict similar to the Sipadan-Ligitan case between Malaysia and Indonesia should not be allowed to recur.
Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigator, Novel Baswedan, has doubts about his alleged assailant Brig. Rahmat Kadir Mahulette’s statement, calling him a traitor.
MEDAN Mayor Tengku Dzulmi Eldin’s alleged bribery case has roped in a number of parties, from bureaucrats to businessmen.
THE ivory hornbill or rangkong is a symbol of courage and bravery for Dayak community in Kalimantan. The bird is also considered a protector, and acts as the bridge which connects the souls of their ancestors with the Dayaks. Despite this, in the past three years, the population of the ivory rangkong has depleted alarmingly. In 2015, international conservation organizations announced its status as critically endangered.
Parking attendants in Makassar were given paralegal training by the Makassar Legal Aid Institute. The program aims to improve legal awareness and embolden participants to fight corruption.
THE Civil Society Coalition has worked with Change.org to launch a petition demanding President Joko Widodo to form a joint fact-finding team (TGPF) to investigate the attack using acid against Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigator Novel Baswedan.
Sartono Kartodiredjo’s dissertation Pemberontakan Petani Banten 1888 (The Peasants’ Revolt of Banten in 1888) and Catatan Harian Imam Samudra (Imam Samudra’s Diaries) were two texts that significantly influenced Jompet Kuswidananto’s work On Paradise, exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Arts, Grand-Hornu, Belgium.
Organic coffee farming in Kiadan Plaga is the main source of income. It is also a vehicle for the village’s brand of ecotourism.~
Rizieq Syihab, charged in a pornography offense, did not show up at his scheduled questioning at the Jakarta police headquarters on April 25. He said he wanted to travel to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to perform the lesser pilgrimage (umrah). This Grand Imam of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) promised he would be present for questioning upon returning from the Holy Land in mid-May. However, the post-Ramadan fasting month holiday has passed and he has yet to return to Indonesia.
Anies Baswedan took advantage of the final week of the campaign to emphasize his rejection of land reclamation work on the north shore of Jakarta. On Wednesday last week, Anies, who is running for the office of the Jakarta governor, endorsed by the Gerindra Party and Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS) went to the dock in Cilincing, North Jakarta. He took part in the parade with the theme "Fishermen Reject Land Reclamation."
There were 150 ships there, each carrying 10 fishermen, which sailed in a convoy on Jakarta Bay, from Kalibaru dock to Cilincing. These fishing boats visited Island G, an island where work had once stopped, which is being worked on by the Agung Podomoro Land company. They put up a banner there which read "Reject Land Reclamation."
Friday last week was a busy day for 47-year-old Anies Baswedan, who began his day's activities from early morning. His schedule was full and it did not end until nearly midnight. "I haven't slept much," said Anies.
That day, Anies, the former education and culture minister, was selected a candidate in the Jakarta gubernatorial election, by the Gerindra Party and the Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS). His running mate is Sandiaga Uno, a Gerindra member and businessman. There was a series of events he had to attend following his nomination: the public declaration of his candidacy, registration at the Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPUD) and political meetings. At the end of that Friday, Tempo reporter Prihandoko had a chance to interview Anies about his nomination
THE four big mammals that have always been the focus of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Indonesia, according to Arnold Sitompul, are tigers, orangutans, elephants and rhinoceroses. It is not just because they are endemic to the islands of Sumatra, Java and Kalimantan. The animals are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as critically endangered. "These species have always been our main concern because they are endemic to Indonesia, and so they've always been our priority," Arnold told Tempo.
Out of the four endangered mammals, the most threatened are the Sumatran rhinos (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), of which only about 300 are left in the wild. Meanwhile, the population of Sumatran elephants (Elephas maximus sumatranus) plummeted by 50 percent in less than 10 years. Arnold recently spoke to Tempo English reporter Amanda Siddharta on WWF Indonesia's efforts to conserve these iconic beasts. Excerpts:
The huge education budget20 percent of the total state budgetdemands a significant improvement in the quality of the national education system, something that Indonesians have been yearning for years. Now, it is up to Education and Culture Minister Anies Baswedan to respond to those demands.
The first step that Anies has started is publicizing all data on public education. The Education Balance Sheet publication contains information that until recently was not available to the public, such as the number of students in schools, the proportion of students to teachers, the number of damaged and broken-down schools, the quality of teachers based on teacher competence evaluations, the different education budgets between national and regional budgets, the budget allocation per student and the number of accredited schools.
This is the story of death. It is begun with somebody's death and ends with your own death. Yes, your death. No need for surprises," Faisal Oddang opens his story in his maiden novel Puya ke Puya. Death is the frame of the whole narrative, binding the subplots throughout the 218-page novel.
Yet, death here is not described in fear or anxiety. Faisal sets it with the background of the Toraja community that views death as something intimate. "Most Torajans celebrate death and keep it as close as possible in their memories," writes Faisal.
It is increasingly clear that the charges against Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigator Novel Baswedan were mostly fabricated. The National Ombudsman found suspected fraud in the police investigation. The prosecution's case against Novel, concluded the Ombudsman, should not even have qualified for a court hearing.
Irregularities were first suspected when a 2004 resolved case involving Novel was regurgitated. He was, at the time, posted in a Bengkulu district police precinct and charged with allegedly allowing his subordinates to torture some bird-nest thieves. The case should have been closed after Novel was given a strong warning that same year. Unfortunately, the police dug it up when Novel, as a KPK investigator, exposed the corruption inside the National Police traffic division.
After the noon prayers, Irzal Rakhmadani, 24, packed his things in a rucksack and went out. Two items he never goes without are his stethoscope and sphygmometer. He would ride on his motorbike to the office of the World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, three kilometers away. There, he would treat people suffering from the effects of forest fire smoke around Palangkaraya. In 2015, he treated some 1,000 patients.
In mid-September, Irzal and his colleagues visited a camp for workers who had been laid off by an oil palm company. Fifteen volunteers of Earth Hour Palangkaraya had gathered to help the smoke victims there. Irzal saw something that distressed him. About 300 people were crammed into a 5x15 meter barrack. Because there was not enough room, tarpaulin tents had been set up outside the barracks. People lived alongside chicken and their pet dogs.
ON the first day that Anies Baswedan began his job as minister for culture and elementary and secondary education a year ago, he knew there would be piles of work ahead of him. Among the many issues that needed to be sorted out was the scarcity of teachers in Indonesia's remote areas. Yet, statistically, there should have been enough teachers to go around. The student-teacher ratio is around 16 to 1. "That's an excess, while in South Korea, the ratio is 30 to 1. Ideally it should be 25 to 1," said Anies, admitting that the problem in Indonesia was one of unequal distribution. In some places such as Papua, the ratio dropped significantly to 75 students for every teacher. So, in May this year, the education ministry initiated the Guru Garis Depan (Frontline Teachers ) program to address the shortage of teachers in the outer parts of the country. So far, 798 teachers have been sent out to teach at 28 regencies. Next year, the number is expected to increase to 3,500. Anies discussed the Frontline Teachers initiative with Tempo English reporters Sadika Hamid, Syari Fani and Amanda Siddharta. Excerpts:
THE Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has an ambitious plan for next year: raising the budget for the development of renewable energy by 10 times. "The future of Indonesia's development depends on seeking and building renewable energy. We can no longer rely solely on fossil fuel energy, which is bound to become scarce," said Dadan Kusdiana, director of the ministry's section on bio-energy.
A strain of wheat developed by researchers at the Andalas University School of Agriculture in Padang, West Sumatra-the Galur SO-3, or GURI 6 UNAND-has been identified as one of four superior varieties of wheat by the Cereal Plant Research Center last November.
Rice, rendang beef stew, jackfruit curry and many kinds of sambal (chili paste) sit in the front lanjar (guestroom) of Etek Nuraini's traditional rumah gadang house in Nagari Sumpur, in the Tanah Datar regency of West Sumatra. It is early in the month of February. Some 40 guests have gathered, including village elders and West Sumatra Governor Irwan Prayitno. Guests sit on the floor, eating side-by-side. Prayers are recited for the safety and wellbeing of those who will inhabit the house. Family photos hang on the wall. Windows are left open to let sunlight in.
From the vantage of the dining area, the house's spacious interior is in clear view. Six jua (Cassia siamea) pillars grace the building's 17-meter-long sides. Jua, a type of ulin ironwood, is extremely durable: once dry, its impossible to cut it down to size. The walls, meanwhile, are made of surian (Toona ciliata), and floors from bayur (pterospermum javanicum) tree trunks.
Forty young men strain and groan, taut muscles shining with sweat as they haul a jua tree (Cassia siamea) out from a ravine near Singkarak Lake, West Sumatra. The trunk is 11 meters long and will be used as the main pillar in a rumah gadang (traditional Minangkabau house). The house is being built for the heirs of Etek Siti Fatimah in the hamlet of Nagari, Sumpur village, Tanah Datar regency. Etek is what locals call an aunt, or a respected female figure.
The men take turns pulling the tree up and out of the gully. Shortly after noon, they reach the top. After clearing another small rise they toss the trunk down the other side, watching it tumble downhill.
PHOTOGRAPHS of elementary school students hang on the walls of the Ki Hajar Dewantara Building of the Elementary and Secondary Education and Culture Ministry in Jakarta. Most of them show children in remote areas, wearing shabby uniforms but genuine smiles on their faces. The photographs were put up at the request of the new minister, Anies Baswedan, who asked that they be hung everywhere, including in all meeting rooms. "So that when we meet, their faces will remind us that we work for them," said Anies, in his office last week.
Barely two months into his new assignment, Anies has created a buzz in Indonesia's education sector. He changed the function of national school examinations from determining a student's passing grade to merely a tool to measure the quality of education. A recent bombshell was when Anies halted the Curriculum 2013 and reverted to the Curriculum 2006 on December 6. He rejected the new curriculum because he noticed that teachers and schools were not ready to use it. "It's like being told to suddenly switch to an iPhone when you're used to using BlackBerry," Anies explained.
His name is Sekarpandan. He is short, with a huge behind. In Cirebon style wayang kulit, he is one of the nine clown-retainers who accompany the five Pandawa.
Sekarpandan got his bodily form after taunting Semar, who wanted to marry Sekarpandan's older sister Sudiragen. In the fight that ensued, Sekarpandan lost and was thrown into a clump of pandanus, immediately changing form: he became a replica of the person he had been taunting. Also in character.
PERHAPS he was born with a gun in his hand. At the age of 13, Benny Moerdani fought as a member of the military academy cadets. He nearly died when Dutch gunfire destroyed his rifle barrel. Fragments flew into his face, causing him to bleed profusely.
Without being trained as a paratrooper, Benny once jumped from an airplane over Pekanbaru to win back the Caltex oilfield which had been taken over by rebels from the Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia (PRRI). During a different assault in Padang, his parachute failed to open. The cord wrapped around his leg, and his body slammed against the plane's fuselage. Fortunately he was able to use his reserve chute. With his leg in a cast, he insisted on going to the battlefield.
A national research team has discovered ancient buildings and artifacts at the Mount Padang archaeological site in, Cianjur regency, West Java. The team's deputy chairman for geology, Danny Hilman Natawidjadja, said they had found a 22-centimeter-long stone rod on the mountain's southern slope, about two or three meters below the surface. The rod has pores and magnetic characteristics that attract it to metal. "It resembles Harry Potter's magic wand, which is fit for gripping," Danny said last week.
Other finds included knife-shaped metals, metal waste and burned soil with stacks of stones beneath. Based on laboratory tests, the burned residual materials have been in the location since 5,200 BC.
FOR almost a year, Hamdan Zoelva has only managed to sleep five hours a day. As the chief justice of the Constitutional Court he has had to bear the consequences of his predecessor Akil Mochtar's actions. Last year Akil was arrested, tried and sentenced to jail by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). "Many people don't trust the Court anymore," said 52-year-old Hamdan.
Akil was guilty of accepting bribes from regional chief executives whose elections were in dispute. He was arrested in early October 2013, in the process of receiving money from Hambit Bintih, district chief of Gunung Emas. The case shook the Court. When Hamdan took over, public trust in the judiciary was at its lowest.
CONSTITUTIONAL Court Chief Justice Hamdan Zoelva turned red and his voice rose one decibel higher as he presided over the lawsuit submitted by the Jambi-based National Democrat Party. Two of the three witnesses had given conflicting information. When they were questioned further, they had no valid data. "It was very clear they were making it all up," Hamdan told Tempo.
The inaccurate testimony, according to Hamdan, was one among many problems in the court proceedings looking into disputes arising out of the recent legislative election. Some 700 cases submitted by political parties and legislative candidates were pending, with only three weeks to go before the deadline on June 30. "This week we will evaluate the cases so that a week before the deadline, all is in place."
The government has appointed PGN and Bakrie to complete the Kepodang-Tambak Lorok gas pipeline project. PLN has missed out on Rp3 trillion in savings.
On the eastern part of Sumba Island, Mbatakapidu village chief Jacob Tanda is synonymous with bountiful harvests. He succeeded in turning around a perennial food shortage into abundance and resilience, thanks to his innovative farming ways. He urged his villagers to plant 10 kinds of crops and to re-use the traditional barns to store food. He persuaded women active in the local Community Welfare Program (PKK), to carry out a 'love your local products' campaign. In just four years, he altered an impoverished village into a bountiful, resilient community. Tempo reporter Syari Fani flew to eastern Sumba to report on this success story on the occasion of World Food Day on October 16.
A cross-disciplinary team of scientists is studying a controversial archeological site: Mount Padang. Is it true the site is 10 times larger than Borobudur?
This is a portrait of how things have changed in the first elite neighborhood in the Dutch Indies. The area in question was formerly called Nieuw-Gondangdia. Later its name was changed to Menteng. This is where the wealthy lived, from top government officials and governors to ambassadors and businesspeople. Over the years, however, its beauty has faded. It has grown in an irregular fashion, due to the inconsistent application of city regulations, as well as its residents' lack of concern for the environment.
On this year's anniversary of the city of Jakarta, which coincides with Menteng's 100th anniversary, Tempo attempts to write extensively about Indonesia's first modern tropical residential area. This is where the Indische (Indies) architectural style originated. Not many buildings of this style exist today. Now it is a crowded, polluted area, used by motorists avoiding carpool roads. Menteng is a typical example of Jakarta's muddled zoning regulations.
In the village of Lendang Nangka, East Lombok, residents have attained self-sufficiency in their clean water supply. In addition to receiving an award for their efforts, the villages water supply has made it easier for residents to conduct their business.
The month of Ramadan (fasting) will end with the Idul Fitri holidays, a cause for joyous celebration. Young and old, the high and the low, will come together in a new beginning, marked by day-long feasting and fun. But there will also be a sobering moment of spiritual reconnection, of forgiveness and joint prayers, giving thanks to the greatness of God Almighty. At this joyous time, Tempo English Edition presents a special photo essay of Ramadan celebration in eastern Indonesia.
Artists from Indonesia used various actions to capture the attention of audiences in Berlin. Sundanese language was not an obstacle when it appeared as a performance.
Located in the middle of the World Coral Triangle, Indonesia plays an important role in determining the fate of the tuna, the highly popular food fish that is slowly but irrevocably diminishing from the earth’s oceans, no thanks to years of excessive fishing. Processing plants can no longer meet fish production capacity, fishermen must sail farther out to sea for their catches yet exports are declining. Can government regulations bring back the endangered tuna? A special report by the Tempo English Edition team.
The winner of the Rancage Literary Award was announced. Ajip Rosidi has begun to pass on the judging of Sundanese literature to his colleagues.
The Special 88 Detachment has been deployed in pursuit of the Medan Bank CIMB robbers. They are suspected of having links to former GAM members and other groups.
The high bovine mortality rate drove researchers at Nusa Cendana University to create a supplement that fattens cows and makes them resistant to disease.
How will corruption eradication fare in 2009? The optimistic will reply: “full of challenges”, while the pessimists are bound to say: “dismal”. We prefer the word “endangered”.
Lombok’s Sasak Muslims enjoy unique traditions during Ramadan.
Tan Deseng is recognized as a skilled Sundanese ethnomusicologist. He set up a workshop with ethnic-Chinese students who love Sundanese culture.
The Cendana Axis
The Ups and Downs of the Cendana Family
After Suharto stepped down, the range of business activities as well as the wealth of the Cendana family seemed to decline. But the sons and daughters of the former president still hold key positions in a number of corporations.
The Medan District Court has rejected Adelin Lis’s defense. Forestry Minister Kaban will be presented as a witness.
Researchers find pandanus (screw pine) with potential similar to buah merah on the Island of Yapen, Papua.
The grandson of former President Suharto, Danny Indra Rukmana, married celebrity Lulu Tobing. A lavish wedding was held.
THE life rhythm of this youth suddenly changed in mid-July. He is now spotlighted, photographed, interviewed and gets to meet all kinds of people. Jonathan Pradana Mailoa is receiving praises galore because he is the shining star in a nation that is going through so much darkness: earthquakes, floods, famine and that endless disease called corruption. Indonesias reputation went up a notch through the brilliance of this 16-year-old, when he became the absolute winner of the 37th International Physics Olympics, held in Singapore and participated in by 86 countries.
The World Cup ended last Sunday, but people are still talking about soccer. Not Italys victory over France, but the duel between Zinedine Zidane, the captain of the French team, and Marco Materazzi, the Italian back.
LAST month, the Philippine government began identification of Indonesian migrants in Mindanao. They were offered a choice of repatriation to Indonesia, legalization or naturalization. Legalization allows the immigrants to stay in the Philippines and retain their Indonesian citizenship while naturalization provides the migrants with full Filipino citizenship. Most of the migrants came from the islands of Sangihe and Talaud in northern Sulawesi. The forefathers of these Indonesians, who have since taken Philippine citizenship, arrived in the southern Philippines in the 15th century. Locally called the Sangil, they considered themselves natives of Mindanao Island, although they spoke a language originating in Sangihe. Tempo correspondent Verrianto Madjowa traveled to Mindanao last September to observe the lives of the Indonesian migrants and filed this report.
Last week, Siti Hardijanti Rukmana was nominated PKPBs candidate for the 2004 presidential election. What is the extent of preparations by the Cendana family?
Like Malin Kundangthe folklore character who disowns his own motherYLBHI once fought the Jakarta City administration, which played a key role in establishing YLBHI and funding its first years of operation.
Even before the verdict handed down in The Hague last Tuesday, Malaysia had long been occupying Sipadan and Ligitan. TEMPO journalist Wenseslaus Manggut, who recently traveled to the islands, was unceremoniously told to leave in no uncertain terms by the Malaysian Police.
While a fugitive, Tommy Suharto often came to the family compound on Jalan Cendana. A long-time employee now tells TEMPO how he eluded capture.
The High Court is investigating six Medan District Court judges on charges of accepting bribes. However, they have only been suspended from duty pending further inquiry.
Semen Padang has rejected the governments wish to replace the companys board of directors. The reason for this was that financial performance was improving. Whats going on?
Expanding Padang restaurants apply a variety of business models to produce a remarkably consistent cuisine.
The planned sale of Semen Gresik-Padang-Tonasa has become extremely complicated since the West Sumatra DPRD and local government took over Semen Padang.
Surprise! I Putu Gde Ary Suta has been appointed chairman of IBRA. Can he win public confidence, bearing in mind he used to be close to the Cendana family?
This is the testimony of those involved in a 1998 bomb scare in Medan. They say they were obeying orders from an intelligence officer.
Omar Dani's Plea offers up a new fact regarding Bung Karno's presence at the Halim Perdana Kusuma air base. It's another piece of information from an actor with a role in history, muzzled for 30 years.
Two journalists investigate the Mindanao rebellion. What was the role of President Abdurrahman Wahid in negotiations between the Philippine government and the Salamat Hashim group? Why were they inspired by the liberation of Timor Leste?
Silas Papare and some residents in Serui founded the Irian Indonesian Independence Party. They were assisted by Sam Ratulangi.
Silas Papare helped the Allies fight against the Japanese in West Irian. He supported Indonesian independence because of conflict with the Netherlands.
Silas Papare was close to Sukarno. He refused to participate in the 1969 referendum because he was once arrested by the military.
Top management of Bank Mayapada allegedly obtained kickbacks from customer credit disbursements. The OJK was lax in their oversight of this bank owned by a member of the Presidential Advisory Council.
Learning from Japan. When development is planned, the government discusses it with the public until an agreement is achieved.
On moral lessons from Japan and the USA, and how the BPK should prevent state budget corruption.
The Bukalapak initial public offering (IPO) is the beginning of a list of digital unicorns entering Indonesian Stock Exchange. Retail investors and public fund managers need to be cautious.
Bukalapak is breaking new record at the Indonesian Stock Exchange. Speculations on the potential big investors remain.
Delving further into the literary works of Nobel laureates from Japan like Kawabata and Yukio Mishima, we can notice the very paternalistic puritan morals of Asian nations.
I WAS a participant with the highest rating in the #maudigaransimurah program of Bukalapak carried out on October 7-December 31, 2019.
The promise of fast and cheap Internet access in outer regions through the Palapa Ring has yet to materialize. The stumbling block is connecting the Internet to the optic fibre cable network.
Malaysia's political crisis began when Mohamed Azmin Ali and a number of parliament members from Pakatan Harapan (The Alliance of Hope) met with opposition parties.
With 'stone' as the common thread, Babad Batu is a cerebral journey on a road with many side roads. Sapardis latest collection is encyclopedic, primordial and political.
To some conservative Japanese reactionaries, writer Aiko Kurasawa is unpatriotic because she wrote a book on the cruelty of the Japanese military in Javanese villages. She has been branded by some as a communist. Kurasawa's interest in Indonesia began a long time ago, when she first read about Sukarno, whom she regards as a hero of the Asia-African movement. Not surprisingly, when the 1965 events exploded, she was devastated upon reading about the resulting fall of Sukarno. "I was shocked," said Kurasawa, who was recently interviewed at her home in south Jakarta.
Regarded as the Golden Age of Indonesian history, the vast maritime empire of Majapahit reached its apogee in the 14th century. Though it thrived for only 300 years (late 13th century to early 16th century), Majapahit was Indonesia's greatest state, the last in a long line of Buddhist and Hindu Javanese kingdoms. Islam had ostensibly erased Indian cultural traditions by the 16th century, yet Buddhist-Hindu traces can still be seen in the rituals and architecture of the kraton courts of Bali and central Java, and innumerable motifs and styles of the earlier cultures are found everywhere in Indonesian art.
For the second time this year, and against his doctor's advice, senior economist Gustav F. Papanek from Boston University returned to Indonesia. With a new government in place, this 87-year-old former advisor to the 'Berkeley Mafia'influential economists of the New Order erafelt the need to address a very urgent problem: The declining income of the poor, which as he noted "is immoral and also politically undesirable; therefore, it is important to take substantial steps to increase their income. The only way you can do that is by providing industrial jobs."
Although he was unable to meet President Joko Widodo, he managed to meet Sofyan Djalil, Economic Coordinating Minister; General Moeldoko, Armed Forces Chief; and ChatibBasri, former Finance Minister, and gave talks in three universities and Bank Mandiri as well as numerous interviews with the media. In a packed schedule, averaging two presentations a day, he found ways to push his ideas.
The banking business is in a flux as a result of the war of interest rates among banks. But the owner of the Mayapada Group, Dato Sri Tahir, is optimistic that the banking sector in Indonesia will continue to grow. "Growth depends on situations and conditions," Tahir told Tempo, two weeks ago. Having travelled all over the world, Tahir concluded that the best investment opportunities are still found in Indonesia.
He believes that investment opportunities in Indonesia are still better and that includes the business prospects of his Mayapada Group. He told Tempo reporter Christine Munthe in an interview that he would never sell Mayapada for whatever price. Excerpts:
Slum dwellings can be found throughout the Sunda Kelapa zone. Developing the area will require a major clean up.
Early in March, Agus Aris Munandar, an archeology professor at the University of Indonesia, presented a controversial lecture: there were no canals in Majapahit. He refuted all theories that Majapahit was a canal city, including the intensive research by senior archeologist Mundardjito. How did Mundardjito react?
Lured by bombastic ads on local and national television, thousands of cancer patients have become victims of the Harapan Baru traditional Chinese clinics, particularly its branch in Medan, North Sumatra. Harapan Baru guarantees cures with its herbal treatment while infusing patients intravenously with chemotherapy, an illegal procedure given that the traditional healers are not licensed to practice modern medicine. Steroids about 200 times the strength of morphine are another 'magical' cure. This medical and ethical violation has been going on for years, yet the regulatory seem to turn a blind eye.
A number of researchers have been to Holland in search of traces of the Sundanese dangding poetry of Hasan Mustapa, trying to find original manuscripts of this little known literary figure.
The burial ritual for Granny Kapa involved 400 residents, a month’s preparation, and costs around Rp1 billion.
He was known to be close to Japan but he was smart enough to lessen their pressure and to usher in the proclamation of Indonesia’s independence.
Japan’s Democratic Party won a landslide victory in the recent general election. But the public still doubts Yukio Hatoyama’s capability as the new Prime Minister.
This travel account penned by 21 Indonesian architects in Japan is not merely concerned with buildings.
There have been increasing demands to implement one of the key elements of the 1998 Reforms. Indeed, a number of things have been achieved, like cutting down the military’s political rights in parliament during the 2004 General Elections. Law No. 34/2004 on the TNI says the TNI businesses must be cleaned up. After the data collection team—implemented by Secretary of State-Owned Enterprises, Said Didu—verification will be carried out by the National Team on TNI Assets Takeover, led by Erry Riyana Harjapamekas.
For years, a timber mafia worked in unison to plunder the forests of Ketapang, West Kalimantan. They consist of dealers, loggers, members of the Forestry Office, police officers, officials of the Forestry Department and authorities from the local regency government. The Joint Team of National Police Headquarters and the Forestry Department estimates that state losses amount to Rp32.4 trillion annually. This is equivalent to 26 times the 2008 regional budget for West Kalimantan province.
Three weeks ago, the Joint Team was able to dismantle the mafia’s timber network in Ketapang. Among those arrested were the head of the Ketapang Office of Forestry, the Chief of the Ketapang District Police, and a candidate for the office of regent. Tempo reports from Ketapang.
The crewmen of a Japanese ship abducted in the Malacca Strait were released. Tokyo has urged that security in the area be increased.
One Japanese cosmetic company holds 24 patents over Indonesian indigenous plants. Must we now pay taxes on the spices in our own backyards?
Readers’ letters from three million houses provision to suggestion that officials be open to criticism.
Constitutional Court’s Ethics Council Chair I Dewa Gede Palguna on his stance rejecting a revision to the Constitutional Court Law.
Supervision of workers’ health and safety in smelters is considered inadequate. There has been a lack of specialized inspectors following the transfer of supervision authority.
Coal-fired PLTUs are the world’s biggest carbon polluters. Green taxonomy revisions open up possibilities for transition-washing.
The migration of analog to digital television in Jakarta and its surrounding areas is marked by rejection from some media groups, including MNC. The distribution of free set-top boxes by digital broadcasters remains low.
Revision to the General Provision of Taxation Procedures Law will change a number of tariff and tax collection schemes. It presents a dilemma between the need for state income and potential adverse impact on the economy.
Discussion on the revision to Coal and Mineral Mining Law is back on track. It still contains a planned elimination of a provision regulating coal mining company work area reduction.
IN a House of Representatives (DPR) plenary session on Thursday, September 5, Deputy Speaker from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Utut Adianto, asked for factions to express their stance in regard to the revisions of two laws—one of which is the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) law—in writing. All 10 faction representatives agreed.
The House of Representatives (DPR) is quietly proposing the draft revision of Law No. 30/2002 on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). Supporters of the revision are pro-government parties, who have the support of opposition parties. The draft revision was discussed in a plenary session attended by only around 70 legislators on Thursday, September 5.
After the terrorist bombings in Surabaya, Indonesian President Joko Widodo urged for a speedier conclusion to the anti-terrorism law's revisions.
THE House of Representatives (DPR) has helped ease the way for the Tobacco Bill to be included in the list of legislations to be enacted this year. The National Tobacco Control Commission quickly responded with a public service ad which essentially rejected the bill.
The commission sees the draft tobacco law as counterproductive to controlling the high prevalence of smoking in Indonesia. The National Basic Health Research conducted in 2013 saw a rise of 34.2 percent in the number of smokers aged 15 and above in 2007 to 36.3 percent of the total population, which now stands over 256 million. Tubagus Haryo Karbyanto of the commission's advocacy division stressed that the increase was largely due to the easy access to cigarettes, the smoking habit and the industry, which are all considered as normal in Indonesia. "These three factors-despite their legality-should not be seen as normal," said Tubagus.
Indonesia is a vast archipelago with bountiful resources. This is the reason why Dwi Susilaningsih has spent more than 20 years researching marine microbes that can potentially be converted into energy. She lamented, however, that Indonesians were slow to take advantage of such sources as the sun, wind or sea currents as renewable energy sources. As of today, only five percent of the total energy produced in Indonesia is renewable.
"And those renewable energy sources are small scale," said Dwi, head of the Infrastructure Research Center at the Biotech Division of the Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI). Not surprisingly, she hopes the government will put more effort into producing energy from renewable resources, instead of from fossil fuels. This would be in line with the commitment made by more than 180 countries, including Indonesia, to reduce global emission after the UNFCCC-COP21 in Paris last year.
The National Police Crime Investigation Division (Bareskrim) has come under the public spotlight for its questionable actions. Recently, the national ombudsman found that the Bareskrim had mishandled the case of Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigator Novel Baswedan, who has been charged over a crime he allegedly committed years ago.
There have been assumptions that Novel is being charged because of his investigation into the corruption charges of Police Comr.Gen. Budi Gunawan, currently the national police deputy chief. The charge against Novel is that he allegedly shot a bird-nest thief, when he was posted at the Bengkulu police precinct 11 years ago.
PRESIDENT Joko Widodo's rejection on revising the law on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) last week, is no guarantee that this anti-graft organization is safe. There have been many instances when its power and authority have been undermined, from the criminalization of its leaders to the House of Representatives' (DPR) attempts to revise its legislation. So the statement by the president's communication staff, Teten Masduki, that the president rejected a revision to the KPK Law is no guarantee. The public is not convinced that he is serious about supporting the beleaguered KPK.
The arrest of Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) officer Novel Baswedan at dawn on Friday two weeks ago led to a major controversy. The National Police Crime Investigation division who arrested him is seen to have acted excessively, as if Novel was a suspect of terrorism. But according to Insp. Gen. Anton Charliyan, chief of the Police Public Relations, no procedures were violated in the arrest. "There's also no link to the case of Pak Budi Gunawan," Charliyan told Tempo reporters Jobpie Sugiharto and Rusman Paraqbueq, in an interview in his office, last week.
In 2005, I went to visit my parents' home in Sei Rampah. Joshua Oppenheimer was there. Joshua introduced himself and said he was making a film about my family, specifically about the murder of my brother. He explained that he had recorded those who had killed my brother. Joshua also gave me a copy of Embun Berdarah (Bloody Dew).
I read the photocopied book and we discussed it. In the book it was written that my father taught martial arts, although my father is a farmer. Over the years, my mother and other brothers had told me about the killing of my brother, although the story had never been too clear to me. From what they said, in the month of Ramadan, Ramli along with two other brothers of mine and my sister were called twice to the Bintara Urusan Teritorial dan Perlawanan (NCO Office of Territorial Affairs and Resistance) or Buterpra. The second time they were called, Ramli was not allowed to go home. He was held at the movie theater near the Buterpra office. He was then moved to Sei Rampah, which was far away, about 12 kilometers from our house. After three weeks there, Ramli was moved back to the movie theater until one night when he was taken away by a truck.
Indonesia, Etc.: Exploring the Improbable Nation
By Elizabeth Pisani
Publisher: Granta, London, 2014
Elizabeth Pisani, in her latest book Indonesia, Etc.: Exploring the Improbable Nation, asks the question that I struggle with every time I have to explain where Indonesia is to a foreigner-that is to say, where it is exactly, in Bali. Why does a country with 240 million inhabitants, the world's fourth most populous country, often seem to outsiders almost inconsequential-invisible. Even Pisani, who spent numerous years in Indonesia as a foreign correspondent for Reuters as well as an epidemiologist with a research focus on HIV/AIDS, briefly discusses Indonesia's curious invisibility. Diaspora is what "spreads a country's influence overseas," Pisani argues. She points out that the Indonesian diaspora is pretty much non-existent, because it seems that at the end of the day, most Indonesians living abroad pack their bags and return home.
Communications Minister Tifatul Sembiring is going ahead with his digital television plan despite criticism and lawsuits. Lawmakers say they will reject his proposed budget.
A team of scientists from the Max-Planck Institute for Astrophysics led by Indonesian astronomer Johny Setiawan discovered two planets in the most unlikely place, prompting a revision of the theory of planetary creation.
Several artists went against television using video cameras. Some used parody, others made their own broadcast.
The President will issue a government regulation on West Papua. “It’s my stance that regional division is realized if it brings direct benefit to local people,” he says.
Television and telephones can today reach remote areas thanks to inexpensive technology created by LIPI.
A complete revision is urgently needed on the process of issuing licenses to the electronic media. Allocating digital frequencies will not cause existing stations to lose their investment.
TWENTY-SIX years after the departure of the last group of tapol (political prisoners) on November 12, 1979, what has become of the Island of Buru in Central Maluku? For 10 years the island of sago fields and kayu putih (Melaleuca cajuputi) forests was home to 13,000 political prisonerscalled Mas Tapol by the local population.
During the 10-year period thousands of hectares of land were opened to sawah (wetland) and ladang (dry land) farming, irrigation networks and cattle breeding, and dozens of intermarriages consummated between the tapol and the local women.
Suddenly, it was all over. The tapol were returned to Java. In their place came the transmigration settlers from Java. Last month Tempos Amarzan Loebis and Akmal Nasery Basral visited Buru and filed this report.
The draft revision of Law No. 22/1999 justifies the president's disbanding of a regional legislative council (DPRD). The spirit of recentralization is prominent in the draft many regions have rejected.
Following the recent dissolution of Bapedal, environmental supervision has become the responsibility of the provinces. Unfortunately, many regional environmental boards may only be transitory in nature.
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