[Kabar-indonesia] 8 Jakarta Reports: Police still unshielded from pollution [+Peri-urban areas]

[Joyo at aol.com]

8 Reports:
 
- Jakarta police still unshielded from pollution 
- Thesis shows danger of Jakarta peri-urban areas
- Bekasi gives access to drop-out students 
- A tough slog for super students 
- Life as a flower not so easy in a city of many 
   political seasons 
- Flower delivery men see change of seasons 
- Police caught possessing drugs 
- 'Why would a person have an Uzi?'

----

The Jakarta Post 
Monday, July 3, 2006

Jakarta police still unshielded from pollution

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The words for "police" and "pollution" are almost
identical in Indonesian.

That fact hasn't escaped at least one critic. Kees
Berten, a lecturer on philosophy and ethics at the
University of Atmajaya, wrote in the daily Suara
Pembaruan on July 1 that the connection between polisi
(police) and polusi (pollution) is more than just a
matter of spelling.

He cited a taxi driver who has been "a regular victim"
of traffic police who threaten tickets for vague
violations in order to collect money.

But there is another clear connection between the two
words: the police, especially traffic officers, spend
every day breathing in the city's chronic pollution,
which mostly comes from vehicles.

"We spend six to 12 hours a day on the street ... We
are used to dealing with the exhaust of vehicles, cars
and buses," Second Brig.

Aceng told The Jakarta Post Sunday.

Most of the officers in the field are well informed
about the risks of air pollution exposure, but few
know how to protect themselves from it.

The Post observed Sunday that on main thoroughfares
such as Jl.

Sudirman and Jl. Thamrin in Central Jakarta, the
traffic officers wore no masks.

Experts have warned that cars produce pollutants such
as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and volatile
organic compounds. Carbon monoxide, for example, which
is colorless and odorless, can cause dizziness,
headache, nausea and eventually death.

The police give various reasons for not wearing the
masks.

"We are given only one mask. It gets really dirty in
just two hours.

We definitely can't use the same mask every day,"
Aceng said.

Second Brig. Eko, who is assigned to control traffic
in front of the Jakarta Traffic Police office at the
city police headquarters on Jl.

Gatot Subroto, said he did not like wearing a mask.

 "I have to admit I don't feel comfortable using it,"
he told the Post.

"I wear it only during busy hours when there are
inspections."

The officers said the only medical checkup they had
undergone was a physical required during the
recruitment process. That would have happened at least
five years ago for a current second brigade officer.

Some officers say the pollution is taking its toll.

"I have breathing problems at night. I don't know why.
Maybe it's because I smoke too much, or perhaps
because of the pollution," Eko, who has been on the
roads for five years, said.

Adj. First Insp. Harun Widodo, who has been a traffic
police officer for more than 20 years, said some of
his colleagues told him they had been diagnosed with
infertility due to high exposure to lead.

"They can't have children and that's really scary," he
said.

Research on the impact of the city's air pollution on
police traffic officers conducted by students from the
University of Indonesia in 2004 found the officers
were prone to respiratory problems and other disease
caused by pollution.

Since then, the use of masks has been promoted as a
precautionary measure. The campaign, however, has been
slowing down recently.

Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Adang Firman said that
the police force has financial restraints that affect
its ability to provide masks for its roughly 26,000
officers.

"Somebody might want to donate masks to us," he told
the Post.

Some officers have taken matters into their own hands.
"I bought this mask with my own money. We definitely
need more masks, and regular medical checkups also,"
said Aceng.

----------------------------------------------------------------

The Jakarta Post 
Monday, July 3, 2006

Thesis shows danger of Jakarta peri-urban areas

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The outer areas of Jakarta, where shopping malls stand
next to rice fields or slums, have always been
interesting subjects for photography. When these areas
were built, though, few realized their existence,
coupled with poor land use planning, would further
damage the environment of the capital.

Mediana Johanna Hendriette Uguy's doctoral thesis in
the environment program at the University of Indonesia
argues that Jakarta's peri-urban areas emerged
spontaneously, without proper spatial planning, to
handle a massive outflow of people from Jakarta.

Peri-urban areas, which exist in several cities in
Asia, are characterized by the intermingling of urban
businesses such as supermarkets and industry with
rural activities such as agriculture.

While the Jakarta administration has no control over
peri-urban development outside its borders, Mediana
said, the sprawl has serious consequences for the
city.

"It leads to the elimination of green areas,
conservation areas and productive land, and also
destroys natural and social environments," Mediana
explained last week.

"The root problem is with government policy, which
can't catch up with the dramatic and fast-moving
transformation of these areas."

Her thesis is based on her research on Cimanggis
subdistrict in Depok, south of Jakarta.

She said the high cost of living in Jakarta coupled
with limited land for expansion had prompted a massive
migration of the city's residents to Cimanggis.

Cimanggis, with a total area of 5,354 hectares, is
designated as a conservation area under a 1999
presidential decree.

The decree also names 19 subdistricts in Bogor,
Cianjur, Depok and Tangerang as conservation areas to
ensure the supply of ground and surface water to
downstream areas, including Jakarta.

Industries that use up groundwater are not allowed to
operate in the conservation areas.

Since then, the population in Cimanggis has grown by
about 6.3 percent per year, far higher than Jakarta's
growth of 1.4 percent or Bogor's 3.8.

"The rapid growth is due to the presence of housing
complexes, which numbered 57 in 2002 compared to 32 in
1992. This is followed by the construction of economic
facilities such as supermarkets and turnpikes,"
Mediana said.

The housing complexes mostly occupy land that was
previously used for plantations, rice fields, forests
or water catchment areas.

Seventy percent of the residents living in housing
complexes, and 55 percent of those who don't live in
housing complexes, work in Jakarta.

Unfortunately, physical development in these areas was
not followed by public services. This led to knotty
problems such as floods, traffic congestion and social
conflicts.

Mediana said that the dependence of Cimanggis
residents on Jakarta can be reduced by the
administration's efforts to promote local economic
sectors, such as the agriculture sector.

She added that the local administration had not yet
made the environment a priority in its city planning,
or boosted economic growth to increase the budget.
Instead, the area relied heavily on real estate
development to balance its books.

"For example, the Depok administration set a target of
gaining Rp 11 billion from building permits this
year," she said.

To create sustainable peri-urban areas, she argued the
government should adopt the so-called urban-ecosystem
approach.

"The city must be viewed as an ecosystem. They must
apply spatial integration; balancing human activities
with environmental conditions," Mediana concluded.
"People must have an obligation to maintain the
environment."

----------------------------------------------------------------

The Jakarta Post 
Monday, July 3, 2006

Bekasi gives access to drop-out students

BEKASI: The Bekasi administration has instructed
operators of all junior high schools to allocate half
of their capacity to students from poor families.

Mayor Akhmad Zurfaih said last week the administration
would provide a subsidy of Rp 500,000 to each student
who had previously dropped out but wanted to continue
schooling.

"The schools are not allowed to collect any fees from
the poor students," he said.

Currently, there are about 1,600 junior high school
students who have dropped out in Bekasi.

"We don't want the program misused ... We will collect
data from each subdistrict to make sure that targeted
students are eligible for the assistance," Akhmad
said.

---------------------------------------------------------------

The Jakarta Post 
Monday, July 3, 2006

A tough slog for super students

Anissa S. Febrina, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

There was no score below 80 on the report card
Febrigia Ghana received last week, but for Jakarta
Super Class cofounder Yohanes Surya it was simply not
good enough.

"They have surpassed the minimum grade, but I was
expecting more from them to able to easily win the
science olympiad," Yohanes said.

Speaking at the first year evaluation of 20
academically exceptional students at State High School
No. 3 in Setiabudi, South Jakarta, the renowned
scientist encouraged students to push themselves
beyond their limits next year.

The Super Class program, launched last October, has
the support of PT BMW Indonesia, the city education
agency and the Indonesian Physics Olympiad Foundation
of which Yohanes is the chairman.

The class is free and follows a specially designed
three-year university-level curriculum, studying maths
and science at bachelor's, master's and finally
doctoral degree levels.

The label "super" does come with high expectations.

The students, gathered from schools all over the city,
had an average grade of above 80. Ghana, whom other
students said was the best in the class, recorded an
average grade of 87.

But then again, when you are expected to be future
Nobel prize winners, the standard is set as high as
possible.

"If you want to reach excellence, you cannot study
only up to 10 a.m.," Yohanes said. "You need to study
until 1 a.m. or 2 a.m."

Meanwhile, school headmaster Suyitno said that even
with such high expectations, there would be no special
treatment for the students.

"Just like others, when you are late, you cannot enter
class for the day," he said, adding there had been
complaints from regular students at the school of the
exceptions made for Super Class students.

Outside the evaluation room, Putri Herliana, one of
the students, explained that missing a day at the
Super Class would mean that they had to catch up with
a two-week lesson.

"We have to be here at 7 a.m., while my friend here
lives in Bekasi -- some 2-hour drive away," Putri
added. "That's why we try as much as possible to
attend the classes even if we are late."

Yohanes said that there was already a plan to set up a
dormitory for the students in Bambu Apus, East
Jakarta, but it would not be completed until 2007.

"Sometimes there are regrets (about taking the class).
It is more exhausting," Putri said.

"I am a little anxious knowing that the expectations
are higher next year," she said. "But let's just see
what happens."

Fellow student Tedy Hendra admitted that after a year,
"there was something missing".

"Friends, spare time," he said.

"But I think it is balanced by what we will achieve in
the future," the 16-year old aiming to be an economic
scientist said.

Education experts and psychologists have called on the
people behind Jakarta's Super Class project to
anticipate a possible imbalance in personal
development among students selected to sit the
program.

Education expert Mochtar Buchori previously said that
"it is common for very brilliant children taking
intelligence acceleration programs to experience an
imbalance in their psychological development".

"There are teachers here that they can talk to about
psychological problems," Yohanes said.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

The Jakarta Post 
Monday, July 3, 2006

Life as a flower not so easy in a city of many
political seasons

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Photo: Hoping for a bloom boom: The florists of Jl.
Barito, South Jakarta, hold festivals such as last
week's Flower Day in an effort to boost sales. (Intan
Ismawati)

"Living as a florist is just like being a flower; we
bloom and wilt as the seasons change," said Fatimah
Isa, a florist on Jl. Barito in South Jakarta.

Fatimah, a second-generation flower seller, peddles
her goods in one of some 50 flower shops that have
clustered in Barito Park since the 1970s.

It was Fatimah's mother who started the shop in 1969.
At that time, only a few shops operated in the area.

As their numbers grew, they rode out the ups and downs
together, from the glorious Soeharto era when top
officials said everything with flowers, to the reform
era when giving flowers began to be seen as bribery.

During the Soeharto era the economy grew stronger,
with more foreign investment coming into the country.
Indonesians, especially upper-class Jakartans, started
to give flowers to celebrate important events like
birthdays, weddings and job promotions.

Barito Park, located at the heart of the prestigious
Kebayoran Baru residential area, became famous for its
flowers and plants. More florists moved in to try
their luck. They eventually surrounded the park,
blocking the view of the lake inside it.

"Our florist community grew because we lived next to
upper-class people, who appreciated the flower culture
more than common people at that time," said Cahya
Suparno, another florist. He added that peak season
came during the Idul Fitri and Christmas holidays.

Although the florists come from different races and
backgrounds, they help one another through the good
and the bad.

Cahya, who spent three and a half years living inside
his flower shop during college, said he's seen a lot
of changes during his 10 years in business.

When the 1998 riots began and anti-Chinese sentiment
spread, the Chinese-Indonesian florist experienced
rejection from area residents, but not from his fellow
shopkeepers.

"They backed me up when the residents wanted to attack
me," he said.

The florists also help each other whenever they have
big decorating orders from customers. When one of them
has a wedding in the family, every florist tries to
contribute.

"I can still recall how at my brother's wedding party,
we didn't have to spend any money on flowers, and only
a little for food. Everyone here helped us," said
Fatima.

When the Soeharto era ended, it took florists' boom
times with it.

The economy worsened and fuel price hikes ate into
people's budgets.

Furthermore, the free trade era brought more investors
and big flower shops to the city.

The gaps between social classes among flower buyers
became more pronounced. Barito florists had a harder
time reaching high-income customers.

Upper-class shoppers preferred to go to the big flower
stores at malls to search for imported flowers and
more sophisticated designs.

"We do not lack decorating skill. We are stuck with
the image that we are street vendors. Those rich
people prefer to go to the air-conditioned malls
instead of here," Cahya said, adding that only devoted
customers keep coming to Barito Park.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's campaign against
giving flowers and fancy gifts to one's superiors
during the holidays also hurt the flower market.
Yudhoyono has said the practice is at best wasteful,
and at worst, a form of bribery.

The combined impact of these developments has forced
some of the florists to lay off workers. Total
employment at the Barito flower market now hovers
around 300 workers.

In an effort to get Jakartans to think about flowers
again, it held a "Flower Day" festival in conjunction
with the city's 479th anniversary last week.

Cahya and the rest of the florists in the Barito
community are planning to hold more festivals.

"We finally realize that we have to be more active to
attract customers," he said.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

The Jakarta Post 
Monday, July 3, 2006

Flower delivery men see change of seasons

Intan Ismawati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The blooming of flower bouquet businesses in the early
1980s attracted Martholo after the private company he
worked at went bankrupt.

For about 25 years now the 54-year-old has worked as a
freelance loper (delivery man) for the florists in
Barito Park, Jl. Barito, South Jakarta.

But apparently the glory days are over.

"I didn't expect that business was going to decrease
so rapidly," said Martholo, regretting the slowing of
business for the 50 florists operating along the
street.

Martholo said that from 1991 to 2003 he managed to
make about Rp 100,000 (US$10.63) a day. Now he makes
around half that.

"Just this morning I took a bouquet to Cikarang (in
Bekasi, east of Jakarta) and was paid Rp 80,000, which
is good enough for today," he said, adding it such a
job had become a rare opportunity in the last two
years.

Other lopers are feeling the pinch, too.

"In the 1970s, with my daily income, I could by a gram
a gold," said Margani, 56, whose average daily income
now rarely exceeds Rp 40,000.

Margani said for the last two years, he has had few
delivery calls from florists, and has sustained
himself by working as an ojek (motorcycle taxi)
driver.

To protect the Barito area from outsiders, the
delivery men formed the Barito Loper Organization,
which is divided into three clusters based on the area
of the flower shops.

"Florists are free to choose a loper from any cluster
to do the delivery ... the florists pay us directly
and the prices have been standardized depending on the
distance," Martholo said.

"But the money is still not enough, if we calculate
the high fuel prices and the effort needed to make
sure the flower bouquets tied on the back of the
motorcycle arrive at their destination safely," he
said.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The Jakarta Post 
Monday, July 3, 2006

Police caught possessing drugs

JAKARTA: A police officer was arrested Saturday, the
National Police's 60th anniversary, for allegedly
possessing 1 gram of shabu-shabu (crystal
methamphetamine) at his lodgings in Petojo Selatan,
Central Jakarta.

The police received a tip-off from residents that a
policeman was using drugs in a rented house on Jl.
Tanah Abang.

The suspect, identified as Second Brig. Faisal, who
works at the crime unit of the Tangerang police
precinct, had refused to allow his room to be searched
before the police found the drugs.

The case is currently being investigated by the
Jakarta Police.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

The Jakarta Post 
Monday, July 3, 2006

'Why would a person have an Uzi?'

The Jakarta Police recently caught men trying to
illegally sell an Israel-made Uzi 9 millimeter
sub-machine gun for Rp 5 million (US$555) in North
Jakarta. With the city's increasing crime rate, the
polices' finding raises serious security concerns. The
Jakarta Post asked some residents about the issue.

Adi Budiansyah, 29, is a radio journalist. He lives in
Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta:

Jakarta is no longer a safe place. Many people are
worried about their safety now and will try any means
to protect themselves. But that's still not a good
excuse for having a gun.

Even though it is legal, I think people should not
have guns as they are really scary. I mean someone
could easily misuse the gun and kill somebody.

The police have to be more strict about this matter.
They have to make sure that military apparatus are not
involved. Internal supervision must be tightened.

When I was in high school, some of my friends whose
fathers were military officers usually brought their
fathers' guns to class. They just wanted to show off,
but it also meant that the guns were easily
accessible.

I read in the media that the usage of guns in robbery
and murder cases has increased. It's quite alarming.

Dody Fransisco, 29, is a graduate student at the
University of Indonesia. He lives in Setiabudi, South
Jakarta:

I'm not too afraid if the gun is used only by
individuals as a means to protect themselves. I am
afraid if those weapons are used by groups of
gangsters.

Well, I don't know for sure if gangsters exist in
Jakarta. But I think they do, though we may have never
heard of them.

I heard that the type of the rifles found at the house
of a military general recently are not the ones used
by the institution.

So, who's going to use them? Those who intend to
incite riots? Or they who want to establish "private"
soldiers or just want to kill someone else.

The Custom and Excise officers at ports should tighten
their inspection schemes to curb the practice of
smuggling. That Uzi sold at Rp 5 million was obviously
smuggled here.

I wonder, why would a person have an Uzi in Jakarta?

------------------------------------------ 
Joyo Indonesia News Service 
------------------------------------------