[Kabar-indonesia] JP Editorial: Sutiyoso's Pseudo Festival [11 Jakarta Reports]

[JoyoNews at aol.com]

11 JP Jakarta Reports:

- JP Editorial: A Pseudo Festivity 
- White-collar thieves aplenty in Bekasi
- Firm recalls more than 500,000 cans 
  of HIT insecticide
- Residents complain about dust-emitting 
  companies
- Women drinking in life also need daily 
  bread
- Bogor homes to get extreme makeover
- Wild claims all in the line of duty
- Trial of drug courier starts
- Child prisoners to exhibit talent
- Conference dignitaries to visit Bogor 
  institute
- 'Jakarta is not as friendly as before'

The Jakarta Post
Thursday, June 22, 2006

Editorial

A Pseudo Festivity 

June 22 holds a special significance for Jakarta, which celebrates its 
anniversary 
on this date.

The celebrations began several days ago, with the opening of the annual 
Jakarta Fair. Malls around the city are holding special sales to mark the 
anniversary, 
enticing Jakartans to shopping centers for what promoters call the Jakarta 
Great Sale. 

However, amid all the festivity there are some difficult issues that deserve 
greater attention. One involves the economic disparities in the city, where 
some residents are able to go on shopping sprees to mark Jakarta's anniversary 
while others struggle to survive from one day to the next, and many parents 
cannot afford to send their children to school. 

Unemployment remains high, as the central government and the Jakarta 
administration continue to struggle to create more jobs. While many people in the city 
remain out of work, new arrivals continue to pour into the capital from 
around the archipelago, seeking the sort of opportunities they are unable to find 
in their hometowns. 

It would be no exaggeration to say that many of the people in the malls are 
window-shoppers, and that many of those at the Jakarta Fair are poor families 
taking advantage of the rare opportunity for some cheap entertainment. 

So, it would be fair to describe the celebration of the capital's 479th 
anniversary 
as a "pseudo festivity". 

A grand celebration for a city that has failed to improve its infrastructure 
and build a strong civil society could be seen as improper. Jakarta, home to 
around 12 million people, has been left behind by Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur in 
terms of infrastructure. Bangkok has a much better traffic management system 
than 
Jakarta, while Kuala Lumpur is far cleaner than our capital. 

The Jakarta administration has done little to address the traffic problems in 
the city, where more than two million cars and nearly three million 
motorbikes cram the streets daily. Law enforcers appear helpless to bring some 
semblance of order to the streets. 

There has been much discussion of a mass rapid transit (MRT) system, but 
little action toward this goal. The tug-of-war between the central government and 
the Jakarta administration over the proposed MRT indicates both sides have 
their own self-interests at heart. Unfortunately the interests of the public have 
been ignored. 

So, this final year of Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso's second term is unlikely to 
see any progress toward advancing the interests of residents. Everything 
remains the same. Floods remain an annual threat, and many of the myriad problems 
that were facing the city when Sutiyoso first came to power are still there, 
unresolved and largely ignored. 

Closing off National Monument (Monas) Park to street vendors and building 
some nice fountains around the park is not enough to say city administrators have 
done a good job. 

The continued construction of shopping malls on seemingly every remaining 
plot of land is more indicative of the administration's policies. While the malls 
have practically swallowed up the few remaining open spaces in Jakarta, they 
have done nothing to cut the unemployment rate. 

That 25,000 people took the civil service entrance exam last March, hoping to 
fill one of 950 openings, is a good indication of the unemployment problem 
here and just how desperate people are for work. 

This year also saw the rise of individuals and organizations waving the 
banners of religion and ethnicity. Many of these groups have taken it upon 
themselves to uphold the law, as they believe it should be upheld, often employing 
violence to enforce their will. Unfortunately, there has been little action by 
the police to stop them. 

Sutiyoso still has the chance to build his legacy before stepping down next 
year. His megacity concept, which is likely meant as a monument to his career, 
has been discussed with other governors. However, it is likely these governors 
will keep the concept in the drawer. 

When Sutiyoso's term ends Jakarta residents will have, for the first time, 
the opportunity to directly elect their governor. It is hoped this will result 
in a new leader with a clear vision and mission for the city. As the nation's 
capital, Jakarta must become a model of democracy and civil society for other 
cities and provinces. 
Happy anniversary, Jakarta. 

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The Jakarta Post
June 22, 2006

White-collar thieves aplenty in Bekasi

BEKASI: Bekasi Mayor Akhmad Zurfaih said Wednesday that white-collar
workers who committed acts of thuggery were worse than the jobless
people on the street who extorted money from individuals and
businesses.

He was referring to businesspeople who harass regional officials for a
part in government projects worth hundreds of millions of rupiah,
including procurement and service projects.

"Let's not mention the names of these white-collar workers who extort
the Bekasi administration for projects. You all know who they are,"
Akhmad was quoted as saying by Antara.

Bekasi Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Chairul Anwar said it would take
strong action against white-collar thugs, provided there was enough
evidence against them.

"By all means, report them to the police, but not without proof," he said.

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The Jakarta Post
June 22, 2006

Firm recalls more than 500,000 cans of HIT insecticide

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The producer of HIT insecticide, PT Megasari Makmur, says it has
withdrawn some 510,672 cans of HIT aerosol and liquid from markets
across Indonesia in compliance with government demands the products
removed from store shelves.

"The withdrawal must be done in thousands of stores across Indonesia,
and therefore it will take some time to recall all of them," Megasari
director Budi Satriyo said in a statement Wednesday.

He said his company would periodically report the number of products
successfully recalled to the Agriculture Ministry, Health Ministry and
Food and Drug Monitoring Agency.

The Agriculture Ministry earlier called for HIT aerosol and liquid to
be taken off the market because the two products contained dichlorvos,
a chemical the ministry banned for household use in April 2004.

Dichlorvos is a dense colorless liquid with a sweetish smell that is
used to control insects in storage areas and barns. It is sometimes
used for insect control in workplaces and in the home.

The major effect of dichlorvos is on the nervous system, and ingesting
large doses may cause nausea and vomiting, restlessness, sweating and
muscle tremors. Very large doses could cause unconsciousness,
inability to breathe or death.

Animal studies have also shown effects on the nervous system when
animals drank water or ate food containing dichlorvos.

It is not known whether dichlorvos can affect reproduction or cause
birth defects in people.

"Although there is no concrete proof that dichlorvos is dangerous to
human health, we will try to recall our products as soon as possible
for the sake of the public," Budi said, explaining that the company
had started recalling its products in early June.

Since the recall, Megasari has stopped using dichlorvos in its
products, and when all products have been taken off the market, will
destroy them in front of government officials.

Budi said the company has also opened a consumer hot line at
021-42801423 and 0818-07100051, and urged consumers to switch to other
HIT products that did not contain dichlorvos, such as HIT nonstop and
HIT electric.

The active ingredients of HIT nonstop are dialetrine and propoksur.

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The Jakarta Post
June 22, 2006

Residents complain about dust-emitting companies

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

Residents of Jatimulya village in Tangerang regency have complained
about dust emanating from a nearby plastic pipe company.

"The dust hangs in the air like fog, from midnight to dawn ... We are
really worried because some of us are suffering respiratory problems
and skin diseases," a resident, Husein, told The Jakarta Post on
Tuesday.

The factory has been operating for a few years in a warehouse in an
industrial complex on Jl. Kali Perancis in Kosambi district.

Kosambi district chief Toto Sudarto said he would take residents'
complaints to related agencies and the company.

Barhum, a member of Tangerang regency council who sits on Commission D
for environmental affairs, said the commission would pay a visit to
the factory.

"If a company establishes a factory in one of the warehouses in the
complex, and it pollutes the environment, it is a violation, because
the complex is designed only for small-scale industries and has no
system in place to reduce dust emissions," he said.

The company's management could not be reached for comment.

Matius Mooy, a security guard at the factory, said the company
provided workers with masks because it was concerned about their
health.

Separately, residents of Kuta Baru village in Pasar Kemis district say
a factory belonging to PT Mitra Bangun Cemerlang on Jl. Raya Cadas
Kukun, owned by PT Mitra Bangun Cemerlang, is emitting hazardous
substances.

In a protest Wednesday they demanded the company suspend operations
until it improved its waste management system.

"The company continues to dump waste into the Cirarab River," said
Fajar Sasongko, the chief of one of the village's community units.

The residents also protested against the company on June 4, urging the
regency administration to close it down.

The head of the regency's Public Order Agency, Tholib Efendi, said his
office did not have the authority to shut down the factory because the
company had obtained the required building and operational permits
from the administration.

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The Jakarta Post
June 22, 2006

Women drinking in life also need daily bread

Adisti Sukma Sawitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

photo: Life skills: Students at the Ciliwung Women's School are able
to bring their children to class. JP/Adisti Sukma Sawitri

Ten students from the Ciliwung Women's School in South Jakarta sit in
a circle on the grass making flowers from plastic straws.

"Can we make money from these straw flowers? Perhaps they're too
old-fashioned -- most people could make their own," said Retno, a
housewife who attends the school.

Retno and a number of her friends from the down-and-out neighborhood
on the banks of the Ciliwung have been going to the community school
for almost three years, despite tongue-lashings from some of the
women's husbands and other members of the community.

But as they become more aware of their rights, and consequently more
critical of their lives, a feeling of uneasiness has crept up on them,
because going to school has not made them financially independent.

"We need something more than just going to school. We want to gain new
skills and improve our financial situations," said Kusniyah, the head
of the women's school.

Over the months, they have witnessed many women drop out of the group
because they have "better things to do", like tidying the house, doing
laundry or babysitting neighbors' children.

Although more than 38 women are students at the school, only 20 attend
regularly.

In 2003, non-governmental organization the Network of Alternative
Education for Women (Kapal Perempuan) established the school to
empower women, both as individuals and members of the community.

The NGO later trained a number of women, who made up the school
committee, so they could run the school by themselves.

There are only two two-hour classes a week at the school.

The school came up against community resistance early on; rumors
swirled the women were evangelizing. A number of the women's husbands
claimed the school taught women to turn against their husbands and
prevented them from attending classes.

Kusniyah said one of the students stopped going to school because she
had been late for class one day and forgotten to bring in the washing,
a crime her husband could not forgive her for.

"We are glad to have gotten through those days," she said.

Kapal gave the school committee a start-up fund of Rp 15.6 million
(US$1,642), primarily to set up a cooperative.

Every one of the school's 38 students have taken out loans from the
cooperative. Some women cannot pay their children's school fees,
others want to contribute something to the family business.

However, since it is a cooperative, they have to wait until the end of
the year to enjoy their profit.

"I want to have a monthly income since my husband is jobless. I want
to support my family," said Anna, whose husband used to be a driver.

So the women started to learn new skills, like making straw flowers.
In upcoming sessions, they will learn how to make coconut beverages
and compost.

Kusniyah plans to borrow some ideas from another women's group (PKK)
in the area, although she is not altogether comfortable about it not
being in the same community unit (RW) as hers. The women's school is
in RW 1 while the PKK group is in RW 3.

The RW 03's women's group is well known for its activities, from
projects to raise people's environmental awareness to the
establishment of home industries.

"Everybody is welcome to join our group," said Niniek Nuryanto, the
head of the RW 03's women's group.

She said the group most taught women farming skills.

Neng, a student at the women's school, who is studying gender in
politics, joined the RW 03's women's group without hesitation.

She said joining the group was an easy decision for her because she
lives in RW 3. "I benefit from both activities. I learn something new
every day."

Kapal's coordinator for the women's school, Lily Pulu, said students
became more critical of their living conditions as their perceptions
of what it was to be a woman changed.

"With a broader outlook, they can set about finding the best way to
change their lives as they have greater access to information," she
said.

But with the women's newfound independence, KAPAL believes it will not
be necessary to assist them for much longer.

"Our main goal was to get these women to think for themselves. They
already do that. It is now up to them to keep going and improve their
financial situations," she said.

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The Jakarta Post
June 22, 2006

Bogor homes to get extreme makeover

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor

More than 173 houses in Babakan Madang district, Bogor regency, will
get an extreme makeover as part of event organizer PT Triwarsana's
program for the 13th National Family Day on Jun. 29.

The houses -- from three administrative units in Cipambuan village --
will be rebuilt from Jun. 22 by some 600 construction workers,
soldiers, police officers and residents.

Mamat, a resident of Cipambuan, said most houses in the village were
in a state of disrepair.

"Most of the houses here are run down, but we don't have the money to
fix them," he said.

A Triwarsana employee, Fitri, said that besides rebuilding the homes,
the company would also build or renovate public facilities such as
toilets, mosques and elementary schools.

And because despite being only a couple of kilometers away from the
Bogor regency administrative center, the village is quite isolated, it
will also resurface some three kilometers of roads, she said.

Separately, West Java Governor Danny Setiawan said having a healthy
home -- meaning both the building itself and the people who lived in
it -- was important for young people.

"If their family life is harmonious their development will also be sound."

Danny has ordered the Bogor regency administration to include the home
makeover in its working program to avoid jealousy among residents in
other villages in the area.

He said he hoped all the derelict homes in the regency would be made over.

This year's National Family Day activities, to be centered in Bogor
regency, will be kicked off by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

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The Jakarta Post
June 22, 2006
    
Wild claims all in the line of duty

It was Insp. Gen. Firman Gani's last day at office on Tuesday. While
policemen were preparing a farewell parade, his successor, Insp. Gen.
Adang Firman, was getting ready for his new post as Jakarta's police
chief.

But for the city police's public service unit it was an ordinary busy day.

Reports flooded the desk; they included everything from complaints of
lost identity cards to allegations of embezzlement and fraud.

While some people were looking for justice, others were testing the
officers' patience.

For example, Turisam, 44, claimed PT Torabika Eka Semesta, the
producer of Torabika coffee, had cheated him in a Rp 1 billion
(US$111,111) lottery. He said he had the winning Torabika coffee
wrapper, but the company refused to pay him.

He showed reporters the coffee wrapper. Its hologram read: "You may
exchange this for a sachet of coffee". "'Sachet' means Rp 1 billion in
Chinese," he said seriously.

"I came here to find out whether the police have gotten the money or
not," said Turisam, who claimed to hold a PhD in Islamic mysticism
from Gadjah Mada University's school of philosophy.

Comr. Jadi, who heads the public service unit, said the city police
often receive reports from mentally ill people.

"A guy came here this morning, saying he was the last president of the
republic and the true heir of former president Soekarno's hidden
treasure."

He said it could be difficult to discern whether these people were
telling the truth or not, as they usually dress well and speak
eloquently.

"We never suspect that in the end everything they've said won't make
any sense at all," he said. "But we still have to take the reports."

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The Jakarta Post
June 22, 2006

Trial of drug courier starts

TANGERANG: The trial of a drug courier arrested for the possession of
4,919 ecstasy pills at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport began
Wednesday at the Tangerang District Court.

Prosecutor Rentha Siregar, who read out the indictment, said that
defendant Jonny alias Asang, 36, a resident of Tanjung Pinang, Riau,
had violated the psychotropics control law.

If found guilty, the defendant could face the death sentence.

The court has sentenced to death 31 drug traffickers, mostly foreign
nationals, for smuggling heroin and other drugs since 2000.

Johnny was handed over to police by customs and excise officers who on
April 12 found the drugs, with an estimated street value of Rp 500
million, stashed inside powdered milk boxes in his luggage.

He claimed he was just a courier, employed by two people who lived on
Batam island and in Jakarta.

It was the third drug smuggling case through the airport foiled by the
customs and excise office since January.

On Feb. 17, officials prevented 34,000 ecstasy pills from being
smuggled into the country from China and arrested a Chinese national.

Two days later, another package of 4,575 grams of crystal
methamphetamine from China was seized. An Indonesian was the only
suspect in the smuggling attempt.

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The Jakarta Post
June 22, 2006

Child prisoners to exhibit talent

JAKARTA: Inmates of the Tangerang children's penitentiary will
showcase their artistic talents through a cartoon exhibition organized
by the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Family Planning Association.

The exhibition will be held at Pasar Festival in Kuningan, South
Jakarta, beginning June 23 and will be opened by Justice and Human
Rights Minister Hamid Awaluddin, Antara reported Wednesday.

"It's aimed at introducing activities at the Tangerang children's
penitentiary to the general public," said a PKBI Jakarta's public
relations officer, Ria Dwi Setyawati.

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The Jakarta Post
June 22, 2006

Conference dignitaries to visit Bogor institute

BOGOR: Participants in the second International Conference of Islamic
Scholars will visit the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB) on
Thursday, Antara reported Wednesday.

The 120 delegates from 53 countries will be accompanied by Culture and
Tourism Minister Jero Wacik, and will be received by IPB rector Ahmad
Ansori Mattjik.

The three-day conference was opened Tuesday by President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono.

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The Jakarta Post
June 22, 2006
    
'Jakarta is not as friendly as before'

Jakarta celebrates its 479th anniversary Friday. Despite debates among
historians about the actual age of the capital, the largest port city
during the Dutch colonial era has rapidly become a metropolis. The
Jakarta Post asked people how they see Jakarta now and how the city
could be made a better place to live in.

Winasti, 42, works in public relations at a state-owned hotel in
Central Jakarta. She lives in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta:

I am pretty indifferent about commemorations of the city's
anniversary. Although the city has achieved a lot, it has lost a lot
too.

For example, when I was younger I enjoyed going to the Jakarta Fair
because Betawi food and handicraft stalls were positioned alongside
technology exhibits.

But now I think it's a tad boring because the stalls generally stock
big labels. It's become a commercial venture.

The city's buildings are getting taller and there are more turnpikes,
but the quality of living is not improving. The air is polluted and
street children are everywhere.

Jamil, 52, is a taxi driver. He lives in Kalimalang, off East Jakarta
and now part of Bekasi:

I still remember when much of my neighborhood was a forest. But now we
rarely see tree-lined streets in this city. They have been replaced
with shop-houses and other commercial premises.

I pity the younger generation who have been marginalized by the city.
They lost their childhood homes because the area where they lived was
converted into a shopping mall; then they had to go and live in Depok,
Bogor, Tangerang or Bekasi.

What I want is a more humane city. No more evictions, no more clashes
with the poor and everybody upholding the law. What I mean is, if a
group of people attack another group, justifying the attack with their
believes, the authorities should punish them, no matter what. Thuggery
makes this city no longer comfortable to live in.

Khoesen Karim turns 69 on Friday. He is a piano tuner and has been
living in Jakarta since 1962. He now lives in Cengkareng, West
Jakarta:

I remember when I first came to Jakarta in 1957. At that time, the
city was not as busy as today. I'd take a tram from Kota to Tanah
Abang.

Jakarta was not very crowded back then. There were few slum areas and
Ciliwung River was clean enough for swimming.

I know things have changed. We now have the busway and Sutiyoso has
promised a monorail, but the city's population continue to increase as
a result of urbanization.

The next governor must be able to deal with urbanization. The city is
not as friendly as it used to be.

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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