[Kabar-indonesia] Jakarta News: Pro-Poor Polices; Banyan Tree Hacked; Water Theft

[JoyoNews at aol.com]

5 Reports:

- Government urged to adopt 
  pro-poor policies
- Group reported for hacking 
  Banyan tree
- Company uncovers water theft
- Meat sellers fleecing Muslims: 
  Agency head
- 'Gubernatorial decree ineffective'

The Jakarta Post
Tuesday, October 3, 2006

Government urged to adopt pro-poor policies

Anissa S. Febrina, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

For those who are fasting, this is said to be a time for increasing
social empathy by actually experiencing the hunger and thirst that the
poor feel almost every day.

Can temporary deprivation lead one to understand what is it like being
trapped in poverty?

It seems that it takes more than that to really understand the issue
as its roots lie in a lack of access to one's basic rights, not solely
at the economic level, a non-governmental organization says.

"Poverty is not only about not having money. It is actually about the
lack of opportunity to access proper education, health services, job
opportunities and a reasonable standard of living," Urban Poor
Consortium (UPC) deputy coordinator Abdurrachman said on the 
sidelines of Sunday's commemoration of World Habitat Day.

The rising number of urban poor in Jakarta is of the group's main
concerns given the fact that state policies often act to the detriment
of the poor.

According to the Central Statistics Agency, the number of poor people
in Jakarta stands at 94,000 -- or 9 percent of the city's total
population -- and will likely increase by 36 percent more by the end
of the year.

Although the figure is far lower than the 17.75 percent of population
classified as poor nationwide, it is still ironic given that Jakarta
was the largest single contributor (17.37 percent) to the country's
2005 gross domestic product.

It seems that on paper economic growth is no guarantee of poverty reduction.

Economist Chatib Basri cited Nobel prize winner Amartya Sen, who said
that people were trapped in poverty because they were deprived of the
chance and the processes to achieve higher living standards.

"We would urge the city administration to adopt policies that will
increase the access of the poor to higher living standards,"
Abdurrachman said.

"One of the most important things is acknowledging that all people
that live in the city, not only those who have Jakarta ID card, are
residents who are entitled to all social services in the area," he
stressed.

The requirement of residents to have a Jakarta ID card, according to
Abdurrachman, was a political ploy to sideline the poor, who were
mostly migrants seeking better opportunities in the capital.

Poor residents must possess a Jakarta ID card before gaining access to
free education for their children and free health services, and often
even to apply for a job.

The UPC has also urged a wiser method of dealing with city slums.

"We strongly reject evictions as such a means of relocation undermines
socio-cultural and economic aspects of the so-called illegal
occupants' lives," the UPC said in a statement. "It would be better to
improve the slums and enhance the quality of living there."

The question of land ownership has always been a problem for the urban
poor as they spend almost a third of their income on rent.

The urban poor also spend up to Rp 10,000 a day on meeting household
needs, and pay an average of Rp 40,000 a month to use public toilets.

"We were born with several basic rights, like the right to land, water
and air. We already have to pay for land and water, how soon will it
be before we will have to start paying for the air we breathe?" asked
a woman at a public forum held on the same day.

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The Jakarta Post
Tuesday, October 3, 2006

Group reported for hacking Banyan tree

Prodita Sabarini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

photo: Tree vandalism: A 100-year-old banyan tree, which was cut back
by an Islamic youth group Sunday, still stands strong, albeit badly
damaged, near Harmoni Central Busway station in Central Jakarta. JP/J.
Adiguna

The Jakarta administration filed a complaint with the Jakarta Police
on Monday afternoon against youth organization United Islam Youth
(Persis) for allegedly cutting down a 100-year-old banyan tree Sunday
near Harmoni Central Busway station in Central Jakarta.

The group defended their action by saying they did it for a cause,
that is, to diminish the misleading belief about it being a sacred
tree. Such a perception could corrupt moral and religious faith, the
group said.

Persis left only the tree trunk while all branches were completely
removed. They reportedly did not have the necessary tools to fell the
tree.

The complaint was aimed at group leader Zenal Arifin Abu Dhiya for
damaging public property. Police could charge him under Article 170 of
the Criminal Code.

The attack on the city's tree also angered Governor Sutiyoso who
threatened to ask the group to replace the damaged tree with 10 new
banyan trees.

"I am very disappointed with the incident. The cutting of the tree was
such a stupid act. People of any organization who cut it need to be
told that we protect the tree because of its functional value not
because of superstition," said Sutiyoso.

The city administration including the Jakarta Transportation Agency
had let the banyan tree stand tall because they thought that the tree
could manage to "find nourishment and exist by itself" despite
surrounding road construction.

Sutiyoso said that the governor needed to approve the cutting of
public trees if more than 10 centimeters were cut.

"We really want to save all trees, except in a situation where it
cannot be avoided. One tree down means that we have to plant 10
trees," he said.

Meanwhile Jakarta Park Agency head Sarwo Handayani said that the
banyan tree, which is over 100 years old, was priceless in value and
classified as preserved.

"We did not cut down the tree because we need to keep the open green
areas in the city," she said, adding that open green areas in the city
only amount to 6,000 hectares, which is 3,000 hectares short of the
ideal 9,000 hectares.

The 1997 Environmental Law stipulates that a person willfully damaging
the environment could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of Rp
500 million.

Separately Persis leader Zenal Arifin Abu Dhiya said that the group
could not tolerate the tree's existence and reputation for hosting a
spirit superior to a human being.

"Of course I am ready to be held responsible if what we did was
considered criminal," said Zenal, adding that his group had notified
the administration and asked for a permit before cutting the tree.

However, with or without the permit, Zenal said his group would cut
and remove the whole body of the tree if the community demanded it.

Warta Kota daily reported that Psychic Ki Joko Bodo said that there
might be a bad effect on the tree cutters, such as a deficit in family
income.

The psychic said that the promotion of mystical things could have a
good effect on tourism. "Many expatriates are interested in mystical
phenomena," he said.

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The Jakarta Post
Tuesday, October 3, 2006

Company uncovers water theft

JAKARTA: PT Thames PAM Jaya has discovered water theft, believed to
have been going on for four years, through an illegal pipe
distribution network on Jl. Raya Cakung, Cilincing regency in North
Jakarta.

"Our special team initially had a problem finding the illegal pipe
network because it was located under tons of heavy iron. We needed to
use a backhoe and forklift," said company spokeswoman Devy A. Yheanne.

She said that the company was trying to cut off the four inch pipe in
the Semper Barat subdistrict.

"We are giving clean water to our subscribers in the area who
experience a water deficit," Devy said.

Consumers have to ask for the service through legal procedures,
through their subdistrict office. TPJ, which serves the East Jakarta
area, is supplying 60 families with 110 cubic meters of water a day in
the area.

The water company has been trying to detect water theft since last
year. The company had previously cut off a two-inch pipe from the TPJ
network in the same area in 2001.

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The Jakarta Post
Tuesday, October 3, 2006

Meat sellers fleecing Muslims: Agency head

Rusman, The Jakarta Post, Bekasi

The Bekasi administration said Monday it would continue to conduct
raids on traditional markets ahead of Idul Fitri in response to the
rumor that sellers are mixing pork into diced beef to reap bigger
profits.

Edy Kadarusman, the head of the Health Agency's public health and
veterinary division, said a man had been caught early in September
selling beef and pork cubes mixed together at his stall in Pasar Baru,
Bekasi.

Edy said he feared pork could show up in other beef products because
it was easy for sellers looking to make bigger profits to disguise
pork as beef.

Muslims do not consume pork or any of its derivatives.

Edy said the public could no longer trust meat sellers at traditional markets.

"We expect the public to be more careful about selecting meat. There
is a big difference between pork and beef, and they should know about
this. For starters, beef costs Rp 45,000 (about US$4.83) a kilogram
and pork Rp 30,000 a kg," Edy said.

Raw beef should be cherry-red and raw pork bright pink. Pork, when
cooked, is paler in color than beef but can also be tougher.

"All we can do is to carry out weekly raids on markets. We will work
closely with police because this is a crime," he said.

Bekasi Mayor Akhmad Zurfaih said the practice was deplorable as
small-scale vendors had an equal opportunity to get soft loans from
the government.

"If you want to sell pork, do it honestly so that people who do not
want to buy pork will not (mistakenly) buy it," he said.

Akhmad asked the public to report suspicious beef purchases to the police.

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The Jakarta Post
Tuesday, October 3, 2006

'Gubernatorial decree ineffective'

A 2004 gubernatorial decree stipulates shorter working hours for
officials during the fasting month of Ramadhan. This also limits the
time that public services are available.The Jakarta Post asked some
people for their views on the issue.

Dita Nadine, 23, works for a private television station. She rents a
house in Mampang Prapatan, South Jakarta:

I think the decree is ineffective because civil servants go home early
regardless. I don't think there will be a significant change because
of the decree.

I have to prepare myself mentally before dealing with the bureaucracy.
It take more than a day to get anything done. If I achieved anything
in less than a day, it would amaze me.

I usually phone them first to ask how long the whole thing will take
before I waste my time there.

Didik Darmanto, 24, works for the National Development Planning Board.
He lives with his family in Jati Pulo, West Jakarta:

The administration should make public services always available,
because life does not grind to a halt in the fasting month.

The administration has no right to shorten working hours during
Ramadhan because it is not only the Muslims who pay taxes. It should
not issue a decree in response to the needs of a particular religious
group.

In my office, there is no such regulation. We can go home early only
if our job is done or our boss gives us permission.

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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