[Kabar-indonesia] 7 Jakarta Reports: Sutiyoso 'not told' of Palyja sale; MRT; Smoking ban

[Joyo at aol.com]

7 articles:

- Sutiyoso 'not told' of Palyja sale
- Fauzi says smoking ban ineffective
- Council prefers MRT to turnpikes
- JP Editorial: Give children space to play
- Council gives OK to city budget report
- Drug raid held at Tangerang prison
- Ritual protects fishermen from tsunamis

The Jakarta Post
Saturday, July 29, 2006

Sutiyoso 'not told' of Palyja sale

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Governor Sutiyoso said Friday city water company PAM Jaya had yet to report 
to the city administration the sale of a 49 percent stake in its French-owned 
partner company, PT PAM Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja).

"The PAM Jaya director has not reported the sale of the shares to me," he 
said.

Sutiyoso said that any decision to sell shares in a city company usually 
involved consultation with the city administration first.

He said that if Palyja's moves were seen as contradicting the cooperation 
agreement between it and the city, the administration would file a complaint.

PAM Jaya director Hariyadi Priyohutomo previously said during a meeting with 
the City Council that under the 25-year cooperation agreement, partner 
companies Palyja and the British-owned PT Thames PAM Jaya (TPJ) needed the approval 
of the city administration if they wanted to sell more than half their shares, 
while if the wanted to sell less than half they only needed to notify the 
administration first.

Sutiyoso said TPJ had asked for approval from the city administration to sell 
100 percent of their shares.

"It's their right to sell their shares, but we will need to find a bonafide 
buyer who is able to operate a water company," Hariyadi said.

Palyja's owner, Suez Environment of France, sold the 49 percent stake to 
local partners Astratel and Citigroup.

The sale drew harsh criticism from the City Council, as the proceeds from the 
sale went straight to Suez Environment and were not used to improve Palyja's 
performance.

The council has requested that TPJ postpones its plan to sell its shares.

City secretary Ritola Tasmaya said that if there were any loopholes in the 
agreement, which was signed in 1996, the administration could reevaluate it in 
2007.

Palyja and TPJ became local operators without having to invest in 
infrastructure, which was provided by PAM Jaya.

Palyja's total investment, from 1998 through to the first semester of 2006 
was Rp 910 billion, 67 percent of its planned investment of Rp 1.364 trillion, 
while TPJ invested Rp 667 billion, after initially planning to use Rp 1.14 
trillion.

Customers of both companies have complained of poor service standards, the 
People's Coalition for the Right to Water has said.

The companies proposed an increase in water tariffs for July, one of a series 
of planned six-monthly water rate hikes until 2007, but the move was stopped 
by the city administration.

"We will not increase the water tariffs this year until the companies show an 
improvement in their public service," Sutiyoso said.

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The Jakarta Post
Saturday, July 29, 2006

Fauzi says smoking ban ineffective

JAKARTA: Jakarta Deputy Governor Fauzi Bowo said Friday the city's smoking 
ban was ineffective in certain places due to a lack of public education and 
control.

"We need to create a tight control system to execute the bylaw," he was 
quoted by the Detik.com newsportal as saying.

He referred to the 2005 Air Pollution Control Bylaw, which bans people from 
smoking in certain public areas and prohibits the burning of garbage in open 
spaces.

City secretary Ritola Tasmaya said the public needed to be involved in 
creating a self-motivated control system.

Jakarta was the first province in Indonesia to enact air pollution laws. The 
world's third most polluted city, after Mexico City and Bangkok, Jakarta 
recorded only 20 days of "healthy air" last year, according to the Jakarta 
Environmental Management Agency.

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The Jakarta Post
Saturday, July 29, 2006

Council prefers MRT to turnpikes

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Members of Jakarta's Regional Representatives Council announced Friday that 
they would recommend delaying the city administration's plan to build six new 
inner-city turnpikes.

The recommendation will be processed and submitted to the administration next 
week. The council members are about to end a month-long recess and will 
resume their normal activities Monday.

"We might be unable to prevent turnpikes in Jakarta because of the rising 
numbers of private cars but the project must be delayed at least until the mass 
rapid transport (MRT) system is complete," council member Marwan Batubara told 
The Jakarta Post on Friday.

"Therefore, any discussion of new turnpike projects must be held after the 
completion of the MRT project and involve all stakeholders, including Jakarta 
residents," he said.

The construction of part of the MRT system, the monorail, is currently 
underway and scheduled for completion next year.

The much-anticipated MRT system is hoped to encourage people to leave their 
cars at home and shift to public transportation for their daily travel needs.

Environmental groups have said that decreasing the number of private cars 
entering Jakarta will help improve the city's air.

Marwan said that the suggestion of building more turnpikes in Jakarta could 
discourage investors from contributing to the construction of the MRT system.

"All investors think in profits. The break-even point of a turnpike project 
comes sooner than that of a public-based service project such as the MRT," he 
said.

The construction of the MRT system will require about US$550 million in 
investment while the planned 85 kilometers of inner-city turnpikes will cost $2.3 
billion.

The MRT system, of which 30 percent will run underground and 70 percent at 
street level, will link 14.3 kilometers of track from Lebak Bulus in South 
Jakarta to downtown Kota.

The project has had financial difficulties, however, with the central 
government and the city administration taking different positions on the project.

The administration sought support on the turnpike project from the City 
Council on Monday, just hours after activists submitted strong objections to the 
project to the council.

Environmentalists have called on the administration to stop the turnpike 
project, saying it is not in line with the city's clean air policies.

"We will intensify our lobbying to reject the turnpike plans. We will meet 
with the Regional Representatives Council next week and we have sent a letter to 
the House of Representatives asking for a meeting," Dede Nurdin, secretary 
general of the Jakarta Environment Caucus said.

The proposed turnpikes will run from Kampung Melayu to Kemayoran, Semanan 
through Rawa Buaya, Duri Pulo and Kemayoran to Sunter, Kampung Melayu through 
Tomang to Duri Pulo, Sunter through Kelapa Gading to Pulo Gebang, Ulujami to 
Tanah Abang and Pasar Minggu to Casablanca. 

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The Jakarta Post
Saturday, July 29, 2006

Editorial

Give children space to play

What do Jakarta's spatial and zoning plans mean to developers? The answer 
will most likely be property business expansion. But for children it means 
nothing but less space to play.

While children living in upmarket housing complexes have the opportunity to 
play in safe playgrounds made available in the area, children living in densely 
populated kampongs find no open spaces where they can play.

Recreational places where children can spend the whole day have been 
constructed, like Taman Mini in East Jakarta and Ragunan Zoo in South Jakarta. Various 
business have also opened recreational centers and commercial outdoor 
playgrounds but children whose parents cannot afford to pay the entry tickets -- even 
once a week -- have to find other places where they can play for free.

No doubt, pools at traffic circles have become a favorite place for children 
to play in the water, while roads close to kampongs turn into soccer fields in 
the afternoon, forcing drivers to keep their foot on the brake to avoid 
hitting any children. Children flying kites on the streets is another matter. In 
some slums riverbanks have become an "acceptable" place for children to play.

Like adults, children too need to socialize and interact.

While spaces for children are steadily disappearing, they look to malls as an 
alternative place to play and socialize.

It is apparent that development, especially in big cities like Jakarta, has 
failed to take into consideration the interests of children, who have long been 
excluded and ignored in every city development plan.

Some schools have shown concern about safe places for their students to play. 
The children's report book contains several questions (for the parents) 
including: "Do you have a spacious enough yard for your child to play in?" But 
things do not change. Because no teachers or officials from education offices have 
ever responded appropriately to the real situation in which many parents live 
in small rented houses where space for their children to play is nonexistent.

In several Latin American countries, like Argentina and Brazil, children can 
easily find open spaces to play in. And soccer is undoubtedly their favorite 
pastime. No wonder the two countries are fertile ground for future soccer stars.

Compared to neighboring countries, Indonesia is lagging behind in the 
provision of outdoor facilities for its citizens. In Jakarta, for example, each 
person enjoys only around half a square meter of open space, while in Malaysia and 
Japan each person has two and five square meters respectively.

The Jakarta administrators' claim that they will preserve and develop more 
green and open space is apparently only political rhetoric. Jakarta has a total 
of only 7,250 hectares of open space, or only 9 percent of the city's total 
area.

In its 1985-2005 spatial plan, the Jakarta administration planned to increase 
it to 26 percent, however, as 2005 is over the administration now plans to 
increase the percentage of open space to only 13.94 percent. These figures 
clearly demonstrate the administration's inconsistency in preserving green and open 
space.

According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, access 
to a close, safe and suitable play area is recognized as a basic right.

Several spaces designated for city parks have become office buildings, 
schools and gasoline stations. The police station in Mayestik compound in South 
Jakarta is an example of the improper use of space, built in an area that is 
clearly supposed to be a city park.

While spaces for children to play have been gradually vanishing, parents face 
limited choices when bringing their children out for a walk. Unfortunately, 
places where children can develop their creativity, such as libraries, museums 
and zoos are less appreciated especially among parents of the lower income 
bracket. In terms of education, most of them are from the mid-to-low level group. 
For them malls are more popular.

Amid such a difficult situation, parents, teachers and non-governmental 
organizations should take proper steps to encourage parents to bring their children 
to "healthier" places to play and interact with each other.

If ignorance of the need for more open space for children continues, Jakarta 
children will continue to suffer. Then, from the education point of view 
Jakarta will become an unsafe place for children to grow, especially those from the 
lower-income bracket. 

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The Jakarta Post
Saturday, July 29, 2006

Council gives OK to city budget report

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The City Council passed the 2005 Budget Report after a plenary hearing Friday.

Six factions passed the bill, including the Democrat Party, which during the 
previous hearing in May accused the administration of misusing Rp 1.56 
trillion of the budget.

Only the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) did not indicate 
whether it accepted or rejected the report.

The budget report shows a Rp 1.02 trillion surplus, after city spending of Rp 
12.44 trillion, out of the city's Rp 13.47 trillion in revenue.

However, each faction made footnotes to the report, all indicating that the 
city administration was still behind developing the capital's infrastructure.

Wahid Supandi of the PDI-P said he was not pleased that development of the 
new busway corridors, the monorail and the East Flood Canal were all behind 
schedule.

The Attorney General's Office is currently investigating allegations of 
misuse in the city budget concerning infrastructure, law and public order, 
population, labor, health and education programs in 2005. Six high-level city 
officials have been summoned for questioning.

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The Jakarta Post
Saturday, July 29, 2006

Drug raid held at Tangerang prison

TANGERANG: Following the arrest of a visitor attempting to smuggle drugs into 
Tangerang Adults Penitentiary last week, the Tangerang police held a joint 
raid on 1,166 inmates in 536 cells at the prison late Wednesday.

The police confiscated several packets of marijuana, crystal methamphetamine 
and a number of tools used to consume drugs.

The police's anti-narcotics unit chief, Comr. Sutrisno, said Thursday that 
drug abuse was still widespread in the prison.

"We are cooperating with the Tangerang Narcotics Agency to stamp out drug 
dealing in the prison," he said.

Prison warden Hafinuddin said penitentiary management and the police were 
working together and had scheduled regular raids three times a month in an 
attempt to eradicate drug abuse among inmates.

"Those inmates caught possessing drugs during the raid will face further 
legal action and they will likely received additional punishment," he said.

Last week, prison guards found three packets of putaw (low-grade heroin) and 
marijuana in the pocket of a visitor.

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The Jakarta Post
Saturday, July 29, 2006

Ritual protects fishermen from tsunamis

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

Rumors of a tsunami did little to stop residents of fishing villages along 
Tangerang regency's north coast from swarming to the beaches for a four-day 
party last week.

The annual Larung Sesaji, a ritual in which offerings are made to sea, 
started Friday and ended Monday evening and was held to thank God for the hauls the 
fishermen had made over the past year.

"In the ritual we also ask for our safety on the sea as well as for the 
families we leave at home," Syapian, chairman of the event's organizing committee 
told The Jakarta Post.

Present for the opening of the ritual were Banten deputy governor Ratu Atut 
Chosiah, Tangerang regent Ismet Iskandar and regency council speaker Endang 
Sudjana.

The first day of the celebrations was marked with an all-night shadow puppet 
show held in the center of Sukawali village on Cituis Beach, Pakujai district.

The next day, fishermen took part in a series of competitions, including 
making fishing nets and painting and decorating traditional wooden boats.

Fishermen, led by local religious figures, prayed on the third day to God for 
safety and protection.

A mass circumcision of dozens of children followed the prayers held at the 
beach, while the event's organizer donated money collected by the fishermen to 
orphans and mosques.

The ritual reached its peak Monday, when hundreds of decorated fishing boats 
sailed out to sea escorting a special boat carrying the head of a buffalo and 
various foods prepared as offerings to the sea.

Suakwali village head M. Nasirudin said the annual party was a tradition that 
was believed to help save them from natural disasters.

"The fishing villagers here believe that a tsunami is fate and we leave out 
lives in God's hands. That's why we were not afraid of a tsunami and still held 
the ritual," he said. 

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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