THURSDAY MARCH 16, 2017 | TWENTY-FOUR PAGES VOL. 34 NO.
267
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MARINE LIFE
Investigation, lawsuit to
address coral reef damage p3
Inside
CITY | p4
Jakarta superblocks only
for those who pay
EDITORIAL | p6
Inequality in asset ownership
SPORTS | p9
Formula One maps out
post-Ecclestone future
BUSINESS | p13
Pertamina to get clue
on new chief today
FEATURES | p24
Collaborative exhibition
at Jakarta ROH Projects
Efficiency sought for growth
Fedina S. Sundaryani
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
Indonesia’s bureaucracy has
been long known for its ineffi-
ciency, a problem stemming from
various factors ranging from
bulky organizational structures
to lack of synergy.
Whatever the reason, a slow
and unresponsive bureaucracy
could potentially create a major
drawback for the implementa-
tion of development blueprints,
including those aimed at reviving
the economy and attracting for-
eign investment.
Only three months into 2017,
President Joko “Jokowi” Wido-
do has already seen the need to
shake up the government’s work
habits, an effort seen as an early
warm-up to realize his ambitious
economic growth target next year.
In a Cabinet meeting on
Wednesday, which discussed
the possible composition of next
year’s draft state budget, Jokowi
underlined the importance of
government officials thinking and
acting out of the box to get a head
start and achieve sweeter goals.
“The ministries must work hard
and implement concrete steps,”
JAKARTA ELECTION
Seeing parallel with Ahok, Megawati out to deliver win
Callistasia Anggun Wijaya
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
Indonesian Democratic Party
of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman
Megawati Soekarnoputri has ev-
ery reason to take the Jakarta gu-
bernatorial election personally.
The former president certainly
does not want to see gubernato-
rial candidate Basuki “Ahok” Tja-
haja Purnama experience what
she went through in 2004, an in-
cumbent who lost an election
to an insurgent candidate. For
Megawati, the parallel could not
be more striking as she and Ahok
both assumed their top positions
only after their respective bosses
vacated the position.
Megawati lost the 2004 presi-
dential election to her energy
minister Susilo Bambang Yud-
hoyono, after three years in office.
On Wednesday, Megawati hit
the campaign trail for Ahok, de-
livering the same message she
made in 2004 when she fought for
reelection.
“Why do you have to vote for a
new person when the incumbent
is already a success? Give him a
chance to continue his programs.
I have experienced this myself. I
was a halfway president,” Mega-
Faithful friends
Buddhist followers and monks take part in a parade to inaugurate the Dhamma Sesanti Temple in Getas, Temanggung, Central Java, on
Wednesday. The event marked the opening of the temple, which was built by Buddhists with the help of local Muslims, representing unity and
tolerance among followers of different faiths.
Jokowi says GDP target
should be more ambitious
Reforms to increase
investment needed
the President, who was a success-
ful furniture businessman prior to
his entrance into politics, said.
“We must not get stuck in a
routine, not work in a monotone
or linear fashion, nor keep things
business-as-usual. This must be
emphasized to ensure that we
make real progress.”
Amid a weak global economy,
Southeast Asia’s largest economy
struggled to maintain its econom-
ic growth at 5.02 percent last year
after hitting 4.79 percent in 2015,
the lowest rate in six years. The
country expects to achieve 5.1 per-
cent economic growth this year.
In Wednesday’s meeting,
Jokowi said with the global econ-
omy slowly healing, Indonesia
should be more ambitious in set-
ting its gross domestic product
(GDP) growth target between 5.4
and 6.1 percent.
Despite the lower-than-ex-
pected achievement last year,
Jokowi remains steadfast that
wati told the crowd that gathered
at Ahok’s campaign headquar-
ters in Menteng, Central Jakarta,
known as Rumah Lembang.
Standing behind Megawati
were Ahok and his running mate,
Djarot Saiful Hidayat, who com-
pletely gave the floor to the PDI-
P chairperson and could be seen
smiling, nodding and clapping
their hands during Megawati’s
18-minute speech.
In the speech, Megawati called
on female voters, whom she
claimed to have abandoned her in
the 2004 presidential election, to
give their votes to Ahok.
“I have high hopes for female
voters because if they rise up, we
will win. Why? Because women
talk a lot. Men, they are not stron-
ger than we are,” Megawati told
hundreds of Ahok supporters.
Megawati also lashed out
against those who campaigned on
the misconception that Muslims
should not vote for a non-Muslim
candidate.
“We must tell female voters
they are not voting for a religious
leader [...] We are voting for an ad-
ministrative leader,” she said.
Ahok is currently standing trial
for allegedly insulting the Quran
when he made a speech in the
SOCCER
Juve’s Buffon wants to avoid Leicester
in Champions League quarters p8
early planning will ensure suc-
cess and has called on his Cabinet
to compose the 2018 state budget
with “optimism but also realisti-
cally and credibly.”
Although the government has
been discussing the composition of
the draft 2018 state budget, achiev-
ing Jokowi’s growth target will be
highly dependent on the coun-
try’s economic performance in this
year’s first half, Finance Minister
Sri Mulyani Indrawati said.
“However, the President high-
lighted that whatever scenario
occurs, we will need large invest-
ments. Our investments must
grow above 8 percent, whereas
it is currently at 6 percent, so we
may need to pump it from the
state budget deficit,” she said fol-
lowing the meeting.
Although they are doubtful that
2018’s economic growth will reach
6 percent, economists contacted
by The Jakarta Post agreed that re-
forms to improve investment were
highly needed, as the private sec-
tor contribution could potentially
boost growth to 5.4 percent.
Bank Mandiri senior econo-
mist Andry Asmoro claimed that
while aggressive government
spending was unrealistic, the gov-
Food for thought: Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purna-
ma (third left) and his deputy Djarot Saiful Hidayat (second left) look
on as chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
(PDI-P) Megawati Soekarnoputri points to food being served during
a gathering in Menteng, Jakarta, on Wednesday. Backed by a PDI-
P-led coalition, Ahok-Djarot is competing against Anies Baswedan-
Sandiaga Uno in the second round of the Jakarta gubernatorial
election in April.
Thousand Islands on Sept. 27 last
year, saying that Muslim leaders
used Al-Maidah 51 to dupe voters
into voting against a non-Muslim
candidate.
In her speech on Wednesday,
Megawati also said that a PDI-P
win in Jakarta could influence the
ernment was much better off try-
ing to improve the country’s in-
vestment climate to entice the
private sector.
“The story for 2017 and 2018
will be to revive private invest-
ment,” he said.
“We cannot continue doing
things business-as-usual. The
government must accelerate in-
frastructure spending, improve
licensing services and speed.”
In late January, the Investment
Coordinating Board (BKPM), in
cooperation with the Energy and
Mineral Resources Ministry, for
instance, launched a special ser-
vice that allowed the issuance of
temporary licenses for eight busi-
nesses in the downstream oil and
gas sector and one in the electric-
ity procurement sector, within
three hours.
Investors in the country’s energy
sector normally require between
20 and 45 days to get such licenses
as they go through lengthy, layered
screening involving officials from
various government institutions.
Separately, Gadjah Mada Uni-
versity economist A. Tony Prase-
tiantono also said extra effort was
needed to boost growth, but said a
lack of improvement in the global
Antara/M. Agung Rajasa
results of the 2018 simultaneous
regional elections as well as the
2019 presidential election.
In the 2017 simultaneous lo-
cal elections, the PDI-P won
leadership posts in 57 out of the
101 regions that held elections
on Feb. 15.
WAR ON IS
Heavy fighting as forces set
sights on Mosul’s city icon p11
Antara/Anis Efizudin
economy would be the biggest ob-
stacle the government would face
in 2018.
Jokowi also used Wednesday’s
meeting to emphasize the impor-
tance of agrarian reform to ful-
fil his “just economic policy” and
close the widening economic and
social gap. He called on his min-
istries to speed up land certifica-
tion process to not disappoint the
public.
His administration redistrib-
uted land to groups of people in
January, with those in Pulang Pis-
au regency, Central Kalimantan,
being the first recipients of these
transfers. The groups were given
plots of various sizes, such as 400
hectares, 1,300 ha and 1,700 ha, as
well as customary land.
The government believes that
giving marginalized people more
access to land ownership will re-
duce poverty. The poverty rate is
expected to decline to 10.5 per-
cent this year from 10.86 percent
at present.
Agrarian and Spatial Planning
Minister Sofyan Djalil said the
government had prepared a pres-
idential regulation that allowed
the release of forest areas for
redistribution.
To ensure victory in the Jakar-
ta gubernatorial election, PDI-P
dispatched some of its top poli-
ticians to campaign for Ahok in
the campaign period leading up
to the April 19 runoff election,
when Ahok will square off against
former education minister Anies
Baswedan.
Member of the PDI-P cen-
tral board Andreas Hugo Pareira
said all PDI-P politicians who
had seats at the House of Rep-
resentatives had been instruct-
ed to persuade members of their
constituencies in the capital
to vote for Ahok.
“The regional leaders, who were
endorsed by the PDI-P in the lo-
cal elections, have been ordered
to convince Jakarta residents, who
come from their regions, to vote
for Basuki and Djarot,” he said.
Meanwhile, candidate for dep-
uty governor Sandiaga Uno on
Wednesday called on civil ser-
vants working in the city admin-
istration to remain neutral in the
runoff election.
“Let us ensure that civil ser-
vants remain neutral and don’t
take sides so they don’t violate
their oath of office,” Sandiaga said
while campaigning in Kramat
Jati, East Jakarta.
PUBLIC HEALTH
Jokowi
opts to kill
tobacco bill
Haeril Halim and
Margareth S. Aritonang
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
In an about face move that dem-
onstrated stronger support for the
country’s public health, the gov-
ernment said on Wednesday that
it refused to deliberate the contro-
versial tobacco bill, which seeks to
boost cigarette production while
dismissing the dangers of smoking.
This is the second time the gov-
ernment has rejected such a pro-
posal from the House of Repre-
sentatives after the bill was also
voided last year following opposi-
tion from the Health Ministry to
jointly deliberating the bill.
Ending his ambivalence on to-
bacco, President Joko “Jokowi”
Widodo, whose administration
had earlier issued a road map for
the industry that sought to triple
cigarette production to 524 billion
by 2020, made a bold move that
puts him against one of the coun-
try’s oldest industries and which
employs millions of workers.
Cabinet Secretary Pramono
Anung said Jokowi would not is-
sue a presidential letter (Surpres)
to approve the House proposal to
start discussion of the bill.
Without the letter, the House
cannot begin deliberations because
all bills must be both discussed by
representatives of the government
and the House. If the House does
not receive a letter from the gov-
ernment by the given deadline of
March 19, the bill will be voided.
“There is no Surpres [to be is-
sued by the President in this
case],” Pramono told reporters at
the State Palace, adding that the
President had instructed Trade
Minister Enggartiasto Lukita and
State Secretary Pratikno to pay a
visit to the House to deliver the
government’s stance.
During a Cabinet meeting on
Tuesday, Health Minister Nila
Moeloek, Manpower Minister
Hanif Dhakiri and Industry Min-
ister Airlangga Hartarto told
Jokowi that if the bill was passed
into law then it would contravene
a number of prevailing laws han-
dled by the three ministries.
The Health Ministry has long
campaigned for stronger tobacco
control, which is crucial to saving
around 200,000 Indonesians who
die every year from tobacco-re-
lated illnesses and to save Rp 378
trillion (US$28.35 billion) in eco-
nomic losses caused by smoking.
In his opening remarks dur-
ing Tuesday’s Cabinet meet-
ing, Jokowi, however, expressed
doubts on the matter, saying that
he could understand the concerns
raised by the Health Ministry be-
cause the government had to take
care of the health of its people, but
the welfare of those who worked
in tobacco industry should also be
taken into consideration.
The bill was initially dropped
from the 2016 National Legisla-
tion Program (Prolegnas) by the
Health Ministry, which was ap-
pointed by Jokowi to lead the dis-
cussion at the House.
However, the comeback of Gol-
kar Party politician Setya Nov-
anto as House speaker paved the
way for the inclusion of the bill in
the 2017 Prolegnas.
Separately, the House Legis-
lation Body (Baleg), which is as-
signed to deliberate the bill, has
reminded the government to be
cooperative, arguing that the bill
will protect the domestic tobacco
industry, while at the same time
benefiting local tobacco farmers.
“If the government refuses to
discuss the bill, which is the ini-
tiative of the House, we will also
refuse to deliberate any bills ini-
tiated by the government in the
future,” Baleg deputy speaker Fir-
man Subagyo of Golkar said on
Wednesday.
The politician suspected foreign
intervention in pushing the gov-
ernment to kill the bill, as the draft
restricted foreign tobacco compa-
nies operating in the country.
Firman said the majority of po-
litical factions at the House shared
the same opinion and thus agreed
to continue the deliberation.
2 | HEADLINES THURSDAY March 16, 2017

WEATHER

Equinox
to trigger
extreme heat
in Jakarta
Winda A. Charmila
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
Residents should refrain from
carrying out outdoor activities
midday during the equinox phe-
nomenon, which will see tempera-
tures rising above the normal level.
Occurring twice a year, the phe-
nomenon occurs when the sun
is positioned precisely above the
equator and causes rising temper-
atures on the earth’s surface.
The Meteorology, Climatology
and Geophysics Agency (BMKG)
has predicted the city will experi-
ence a maximum temperature of
35.6 degrees Celsius, up from the
usual 27 to 33 degrees Celsius.
BMKG deputy for meteorology
Yunus S. Swarinoto said the equi-
nox phenomenon would peak on
March 20 and Sept. 22, but as-
sured the temperature increase
would not be similar to a heat
wave, which can result in death.
“The phenomenon is not the
same as a heat wave, which usu-
ally occurs in African and Middle
Eastern countries, where there
are extreme temperature surges
over a long period,” Yunus said.
At present, the country’s tem-
perature remains humid and
is entering a transition period
from the wet to dry season, he
says. Average temperatures in
other cities will also be between
33 and 36oC.
Fake news reports suggesting
the equinox phenomenon can
cause death have gone viral.
“The temperature increase due
to the phenomenon does not need
to be feared,” Yunus said.
Although the weather agency
has assured that the temperature
surge may not cause serious health
issues, some people may find the
phenomenon disrupting their dai-
ly activities and cause them to feel
slightly uncomfortable.
Mu’adz Bahrah, 26, said he
would avoid outdoor activities as
much as he could during the day.
“If I am exposed to sunlight for
a long period of time, I may get a
headache,” the Jakarta-based em-
ployee said on Wednesday.
Mu’adz also plans to wear light
clothing to prevent excessive
sweating and drink mineral water
to anticipate dehydration.
Indonesian Doctors Associa-
tion (IDI) chairman Daeng Mu-
hammad Faqih urged people to
wear long-sleeved clothing dur-
ing the day to avoid direct expo-
sure to sunlight. He also advises
the use of sunscreen during blis-
tering heat.
“And if you feel dizzy due to the
non-stop sunlight exposure, find
a shady spot and rest for a while.
If you think you are dizzy because
of dehydration, drink sweet tea,”
Daeng said.
Take it down
Public Order Agency personnel talk with one another while a provocative banner hangs from the balcony
of the Nurul Islam Mosque in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, on Wednesday. The Jakarta General Elections
Commission (KPU Jakarta) and the agency are working to strip off provocative banners from mosques and
public places ahead of the April 19 runoff. The banner reads that the congregation will not pray for those
who support Quran blasphemers when they die.
TRANSPORTATION
Warburg spots gold in Go-Jek
Bloomberg
NEW YORK
Warburg Pincus’ investment
in the first billion-US dollar In-
donesian tech startup began with
an American executive noticing
green motorcycle helmets on the
roads of Jakarta.
Jeffrey Perlman,  the buyout
firm’s Southeast Asia  head, had
been traveling regularly to the
Indonesian capital to oversee the
firm’s joint venture with mall op-
erator PT Nirvana Development
when he started to see more and
more motorbike riders wearing
green headgear emblazoned with
the Go-Jek logo.
He soon set up a meeting
with Nadiem Makarim, co-found-
er of the on-demand ride pro-
vider, and in August last year
his firm  participated in Go-Jek’s
US$550 million financing round.
The path to the Go-Jek invest-
ment — the largest-ever funding
round for an Indonesian start-
up — reflects Warburg Pincus’
broader strategy in Asia. After
more than two decades of deal-
making in China and India, the
US private equity firm, which
closed a $13.4 billion global fund
in 2015, has turned its attention
to Southeast Asia with an initial
focus on entrepreneurs in Indo-
nesia, Vietnam and Singapore.
“We have seen how the busi-
nesses have evolved in China and
India, and want to use that experi-
ence and knowledge as we see a lot
of commonality in the growth of
the companies in Southeast Asia,”
Perlman said in an interview in
Singapore last week. “Capital is a
commodity these days, which is
why it’s so important to be able
to demonstrate the value we can
bring to entrepreneurs.”
Warburg Pincus has invest-
ed more than $60 billion across
more than 40 countries, accord-
ing to its website.
The New York-based firm had
few investments in Southeast
Asia before 2013. Since then, it
has embarked on a flurry of activ-
ity, and in July it opened a Singa-
pore office to further grow across
the region. Warburg now has six
investment professionals based
in Singapore, with local con-
sultants on the ground in other
Southeast Asian countries.
With Asia increasingly becom-
ing a big part of the firm’s global
strategy, accounting for about 35
percent of total new investment
activity, Perlman said he wanted
to apply lessons learned investing
in China and India to Southeast
Asia as the firm starts to expand
its attention to Malaysia, Thai-
land and the Philippines.
Warburg’s investment in  Chi-
nese e-commerce operator
58.com illustrates how the firm
has used experience in one place
to find and execute deals in an-
other, he said. With the firm in-
vested in the so-called “Craigslist
of China,” 58.com further devel-
oped its website of jobs and rent-
als offerings, and in 2013 it listed
in New York.
Working with the Chinese com-
pany gave Warburg the expertise
to source its 2012 investment in
Quikr India Pvt, which has a simi-
JP/Seto Wardhana
lar business model, he said.
In addition, before Warburg Pin-
cus bought a stake in Go-Jek, it in-
vested in Ucar Inc., one of China’s
largest chauffeured car services.
Warburg Pincus also sees in-
vestment opportunities in the
health-care and energy sectors
in the region, he said. It favors
industries like consumer retail,
property, financial technology,
according to Perlman, who joined
the firm in 2006 in New York be-
fore relocating to Asia.
The firm’s  first deal in Viet-
nam was in 2013, when it agreed
to invest as much as $325 mil-
lion in the country’s biggest shop-
ping mall owner, Vingroup JSC,
and its retail property arm. In
November, it formed a hospital-
ity joint venture with Vietnamese
fund manager VinaCapital Group
Ltd. and led a group that agreed
to buy ARA Asset Management
Ltd. in a deal valuing the Singa-
pore company at  S$1.78 billion
($1.3 billion).
Warburg Pincus, which manag-
es more than $40 billion of assets,
closed a $2 billion China fund in
2016. In the world’s second-big-
gest economy, it has invested in
companies including ANE Logis-
tics, E-Shang Redwood and ZTO
Express Cayman Inc.
For Warburg Pincus,  founded
in 1966, logistics will remain a key
focus, Perlman said.
“Logistics isn’t sexy — nobody
really likes to talk about it,” said
Perlman, who declined to com-
ment on any interest in GLP. “We
think it is one of the most attrac-
tive sectors.”
Top RI fighter
with IS killed
in Syria
Haeril Halim, Tama Salim
and Nurul Fitri Ramadhani
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
Followers of the Islamic State
(IS) group in Indonesia for the
second time in less than a year
have lost a leader with the re-
ported death of Bahrumsyah, an
Indonesian militant fighting in
Syria who is said to have died on
a suicide mission in the war-torn
country.
Bahrumsyah’s death comes
only four months after IS In-
donesian jihadist Abu Jandal al
Yemeni Al Indonesi alias Salim
Mubarak Atamimi was killed
during a US-led international
coalition assault in Mosul, Iraq,
in November 2016.
The death of Bahrumsyah
leaves Bahrun Naim as the only
Indonesian IS fighter in Syria
with a reputable position in the
terrorist organization.
The Amaq news agency, an of-
ficial media outlet used by IS to
spread information about its ac-
tivities, describes Bahrumsyah’s
death as an act of martyrdom.
Bahrumsyah blew himself up
with a car bomb aimed at a group
of Shiite soldiers fighting for the
government of President Bashar
al-Assad on Monday.
His reported death prompt-
ed the National Police’s Den-
sus 88 counterterrorism squad
and the National Counterter-
rorism Agency (BNPT) to dis-
patch a team to work with police
in Syria to conduct an autopsy
on his body.
“We are working with the po-
lice to confirm the death. I told
[National Police] spokesman Boy
Rafly that a team from Densus
had been assigned to confirm his
death. The team will fly [to Syria]
to work with local police to get
accurate data,” BNPT director
of protection Brig. Gen. Herwan
Chaidir said on Wednesday.
Separately, another Nation-
al Police spokesman, Martinus
Sitompul, said police were also
working with the Foreign Min-
istry and Interpol to seek confir-
mation of Bahrumsyah’s death.
Martinus said if Bahrumsyah
died in the attack, it could de-
moralize IS supporters in Indo-
nesia. “We want to acquire as ac-
curate as possible information
about [his death],” Martinus told
The Jakarta Post.
University of Indonesia ter-
rorism expert Ridwan Habib
said the Amaq news agency was a
credible source.
“The leader of IS in Indone-
sia, Bahrumsyah, or Abu Mu-
hammad Al Indonesia, has been
confirmed dead. The IS official
Bahrumsyah died in
suicide attack
He once served as
recruiter of jihadists
bound for Syria
media, Amaq
news agency,
said he was
killed dur-
ing a suicide
mission in
Palmyra Syr-
ia on March
13,” Ridwan
The Straits Times/ANN said, relaying
Bahrumsyah a news item
posted in Ar-
abic by Amaq.
Bahrumsyah was a promi-
nent IS leader from Indonesia
who also worked to recruit peo-
ple to join the fight in Syria. He
controlled several terrorist cells
that have around 800 members
in Jakarta and its satellite cities
Bogor, Depok, Tanggerang and
Bekasi.
“He was known as part of the
West Mujahidin group in In-
donesia and one of the initia-
tors of the Thamrin attack in
Jakarta,” Ridwan said, refer-
ring to the attack that took place
on Jan. 14, 2016.
Densus 88 arrested Bahrum-
syah’s third wife, identified as
Nia Kurniawati, who was among
17 Indonesians deported from
Turkey last January, for allegedly
attempting to enter Syria to join
her husband.
Bahrumsyah is a graduate of
Jakarta State Islamic Universi-
ty (UIN) Syarief Hidayatullah in
Ciputat, South Tangerang, Bant-
en province.
He made headlines in 2014
when he uploaded a recruitment
video in August 2014 onto You-
Tube. The video, according to
experts, has inspired hundreds
of Indonesian jihadists to move
to Syria.
Separately, Foreign Ministry
spokesperson Arrmanatha Na-
sir maintained that the minis-
try could not verify the death of
Bahrumsyah, or any other Indo-
nesian citizen who had moved
across borders outside of legal
procedures.
“As I have repeatedly said,
IS has never given us the cour-
tesy of submitting an official
list of foreign citizens who have
pledged loyalty to them. Neither
have they declared their where-
abouts,” Arrmanatha told report-
ers in Jakarta on Wednesday.
“So if an [IS sympathizer] dies
abroad, we have no way of verify-
ing such information,” he said.

POPULISM

Dutch vote a test of Europe’s anti-immigrant sentiment

Stephanie van den Berg
and Toby Sterling
REUTERS/THE HAGUE
The Dutch tested their own
tolerance for immigration and
Islam on Wednesday in an elec-
tion magnified by a furious row
with Turkey, the first of three
polls in the European Union this
year where nationalist parties are
seeking breakthroughs.
The center-right VVD Party of
Prime Minister Mark Rutte, 50,
is vying with the PVV (Party for
Freedom) of anti-Islam and an-
ti-EU firebrand Geert Wilders,
53, to form the biggest party
in parliament.
As many as 13 million voters be-
gan casting ballots at polling sta-
tions across the country that closed
at 20:00 GMT. A charged cam-
paign, plus clear skies and sunshine
meant high turnout was expect-
ed. National broadcaster NOS said
that by 09:30 GMT in the morning,
turnout was at 15 percent, 2 per-
cent ahead of the previous parlia-
mentary election in 2012.
With as many as four out of 10
voters undecided a day before vot-
ing and a tight margin of just 4 per-
cent between leading candidates,
the outcome was unpredictable.
Wilders, who has vowed to “de-
Islamicize” the Netherlands, has
little chance of forming a gov-
WEATHER FORECAST: MARCH 16, 2017
Sunny Banda Aceh
Rainy 23 - 24 °C
Medan
Cloudy
23 - 32 °C
Pekanbaru
Source:
Meteorology, Climatology
And Geophysics Agency
22 - 31 °C
AP Reuters
Mark Rutte Geert Wilders
ernment given that other lead-
ing parties have ruled out work-
ing with him. But a first place
PVV finish would still send shock-
waves across Europe.
The vote is the first gauge this
year of anti-establishment sen-
timent in the EU and the bloc’s
chances of survival after the 2016
surprise victory of “America First”
presidential candidate Donald
Trump in the United States and
Britain’s vote to exit the EU.
“Whatever the outcome of the
election today the genie will not
go back into the bottle and this
patriotic revolution, whether to-
day or tomorrow, will take place,”
Wilders said after voting at a
school in The Hague.
Wilders won over Wendy de
Graaf, who dropped her children
off at the same school. “I hope he
can make a change to make the
Netherlands better [...] I don’t
agree with everything he says [...]
Batam Semarang
25 - 31 °C 25 - 32 °C
Jakarta Yogyakarta
25 - 31 °C 24 - 32 °C
Bandung Surabaya
21 - 31 °C 24 - 32 °C
but I feel that immigration is a
problem,” she said.
France chooses its next presi-
dent in May, with far-right Ma-
rine Le Pen set to make the
second-round runoff, while in
September right-wing Euroscep-
tic party Alternative for Germany,
which has attacked Chancellor
Angela Merkel’s open-door refu-
gee policy, will probably win its
first lower house seats.
Rutte, who has called the Dutch
vote a quarter-final before a French
semi-final and German final said a
Critical moment: Dutch citizens vote in the Dutch general election
on Wednesday.
Denpasar
24 - 32 °C
Samarinda
23 - 30 °C
Palangkaraya
23 - 32 °C
Wilders victory would be felt well
beyond the Netherlands.
“I think the rest of the world
will then see after Brexit, after
the American elections again the
wrong sort of populism has won
the day,” he said.
Late opinion polls indicated
a 3-percentage point lead for his
party over Wilders’, with a boost
from a rupture of diplomatic rela-
tions with Ankara after the Dutch
banned Turkish ministers from ad-
dressing rallies of overseas Turks.
Turkish President Tayyip Er-
Reuters/Yves Herman
Makassar Ternate
22 - 31 °C 25 - 31 °C
Manado Ambon
22 - 32 °C 24 - 30 °C
Gorontalo Jayapura
24 - 31 °C 25 - 31 °C
dogan accused the Dutch of be- targeted by a DDoS cyberattack.
having like Nazis, and Rutte’s It was not clear whether
government expelled a Turkish Wednesday’s attack was related
minister who had traveled to the to the row with Turkey, which
country to address Erdogan sup- also led to the temporary deface-
porters at an impromptu rally ment of numerous small websites
without seeking permission. in the Netherlands.
“I think Rutte did well this Separately on Wednesday, sev-
weekend with the Turkey row,” eral large Twitter accounts in-
said Dave Cho, a 42-year-old sup- cluding that of the European Par-
ply manager and long-time VVD liament, Reuters Japan, Die Welt,
supporter. Forbes, Amnesty International
On Wednesday morning, two and Duke University were hi-
major publicly subsidized voter jacked temporarily, apparently by
information websites were offline, Turkish activists.
THIS ODD WORLD
Galloping moose surprises snowboarder
BRECKENRIDGE, COLORADO: A moose on the loose caught several skiers
and snowboarders by surprise as it galloped headlong down a run at
Breckenridge Ski Resort in Colorado.
Cheri Luther was snowboarding Friday when she saw the moose ap-
proaching, and she shot video of the large animal coming within feet of her.
Luther, who kept snowboarding, is heard saying, “Oh, my God, I don’t
know where to go” before screaming as the moose runs by her.
Resort officials say no one was hurt, and the encounter is a good re-
minder that skiers and snowboarders share the mountain with wildlife.
In late December, a rare lynx strolled nonchalantly across the Purgatory
resort in southwestern Colorado, walking through a crowd of skiers and
snowboarders who stopped to take videos. — AP
Astronaut delighted with birthday gift
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA: This is one cosmically cool sax — and saxo-
phone player.
France’s musical astronaut Thomas Pesquet is enjoying a special birth-
day present delivered to him up at the International Space Station. The
saxophone arrived in a SpaceX cargo ship on Feb. 23, and his crewmates
kept it hidden until his 39th birthday on Feb. 27.
He revealed the birthday surprise this week via Twitter.
“Totally pumped to hear @Thom_astro rock his sax on orbit! Happy belated
birthday buddy!” future space station crewmate Jack Fischer tweeted Monday.
The NASA astronaut is scheduled to blast off next month from Kazakhstan.
“You might reconsider when you hear the cacophony. Now ace those
final exams and get up here!” Pesquet replied Tuesday. — AP
THURSDAY March 16, 2017 NATIONAL | 3

Investigation, lawsuit to NATIONAL SCENE

Mitigation program reduces fires: FFA

address coral reef damage JAKARTA: The Fire Free Alliance (FFA), a group consisting of forestry and
agriculture companies and civil society groups, said on Wednesday it had
successfully reduced fires by 50 to 90 percent during the 2015-2016 period.
Established in February last year, the FFA focuses on fire prevention
through community engagement. The members of the group include
APRIL, Asian Agri and Musim Mas.
The Jakarta Post Govt to take firm action ance, so they must pay,” he said as Raja Ampat Water Conservation Wilmar, a group member, said it had educated communities in 61
JAKARTA against cruise company reported by kompas.com. Area, Brahmantya added. villages across South Sumatra and Central Kalimantan and had trained
Preliminary research conduct- Coordinating Maritime Affairs 15 firefighters in each village and equipped them with a fire truck.
The government will not stay Luhut to summon British ed by Conservation International Minister Luhut Pandjaitan said “We are definitely better prepared now,” said Wilmar plantations
quiet over damage to pristine coral ambassador on Thursday Indonesia (CII), Papua State Uni- he would summon the British head Gurcharan Singh during an event to review the program.
reefs in Raja Ampat, West Papua, versity and the Regional Technical ambassador on Thursday regard- “The government encourages the private sector to participate in
and will take firm action against Implementing Unit (UPTD) said ing the matter. preventing forest fires,” said Prabianto Mukti Wibowo, an official from
the British-flagged Caledonian “First, we will focus on the the damaged area totaled 13,532.6 Meanwhile, Siswanto Rusdi, the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister.
Sky cruise ship that recently compensation. Second, we will square meters and was estimated a maritime expert from the Na- Prabianto also mentioned that land and forest fires had become an
rammed into the reefs in the blos- file a lawsuit on the [alleged] in- to have caused losses of US$18.6 tional Maritime Institute think annual man-made disaster for the last 18 years and occurred at the
soming tourist destination. disciplined acts of the ship’s million. tank, said the government must same locations in seven provinces covering 731 villages. — JP
A team under the Office of the crew, in this case the helmsman, Separately, the Maritime Af- update its maritime maps in rela-
Coordinating Maritime Affairs which caused damage to the reef. fairs and Fisheries Ministry’s tion to the incident.
Minister, comprising Maritime The last one is that we will eval- director general for territori- “There are no signs that those Ministry officials to testify in e-ID card case
Affairs and Fisheries Ministry uate regulations on cruise ships al sea management, Brahman- parts of the water cannot be en-
and Environment and Forest- that enter conservation areas,” tya Satyamurti, said the minis- tered at a certain depth. There are JAKARTA: The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said on
ry Ministry representatives, has he said. try had found that several laws supposed to be marks there, and Wednesday that Home Ministry officials would be present as witnesses
been set up to probe the incident The ship was en route to Bi- may have beenviolated in the in- those marks should also be on the in the second hearing into the e-ID card case. The hearing is scheduled
and decide on next steps. tung in North Sulawesi when it cident, including the 2009 En- map that the ship’s captain was to be held on Thursday at the Jakarta Corruption Court.
The government intends to ran aground, ramming into coral, vironment Management and equipped with,” Siswanto told “[On Thursday] we will delve into the budgeting aspects [of the e-ID
conduct further investigations earlier this month. Protection Law, 2004 Fisher- The Jakarta Post. case]. There will be witnesses from the Home Ministry at tomorrow’s
into the damage caused by the To collect data on the affected ies Law and a 2001 ministerial Noble Caledonia, the trav- hearing,” said Febri Diansyah, a spokesperson with the KPK.
ship that ran aground on a shoal coral, the team will involve ex- decree on criteria on damaged el company that operates the Febri also confirmed that there would be eight witnesses in Thurs-
in Raja Ampat, considered to have perts from several universities coral reefs. cruise ship, told the Post that day’s hearing, but declined to give details to the press on their identity.
the richest underwater biodiver- who will fly to Raja Ampat on Fri- The incident could be catego- it had established a fund to Earlier, the antigraft body slapped a travel ban on several witnesses
sity and to be one of the best div- day to verify the exact area dam- rized as a criminal act because the help local people and contrib- related to the case and the two defendants, former Home Ministry
ing sites in the world. aged by the 4,290-ton ship. helmsman ignored the tides in ute to the reef’s rehabilitation. officials Irman and Sugiharto. Among the witnesses who have been
There were three main focus- Vice President Jusuf Kalla said the area, he said. The statement added that the banned from traveling abroad are Isnu Edhi Wijaya, the former chair-
es of settling the issue, Coordi- on Wednesday that the owner of The ship ran up to the reef company was working with the man of State Printing Company Consortium, Anang Sugiana, the direc-
nating Maritime Affairs Ministry the cruise ship must pay compen- when the water was 5 meters government and local experts tor of Quadra Solution – a company that allegedly received bribes in
spokesman Ridwan Djamaluddin sation for the damage. deep. The coral is located in the to reach “a fair and realistic the case, and Andi Agustinus, aka Andi Narogong, who was a supplier
said on Wednesday. “A cruise ship must have insur- food security and tourism zone of settlement.” (rdi/hol) in the Rp 5.9 billion (US$442,500) project.— JP

ELECTIONS

BPPT, KPU at odds over use of e-voting system

Nurul Fitri Ramadhani and countability in the counting pro- would be conducted electronically tions can seen as a miniature challenged by the villagers who dis- faith in its transparency. What’s
Margareth S. Aritonang cess rather than the voting itself. and hence be more accountable. version of regional elections. No trusted the machine’s counting re- the point if the public do not trust
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA E-voting has been tried out in She said the e-voting system need to worry about hackers be- sults. In 2015, an election in Gum- [the results]?” Hadar said.
526 village elections in nine re- developed by the BPPT would cause it uses an application and ala village in South Sumatra led to The implementation of e-voting
The Assessment and Appli- gencies across the country us- cover the verification of voters by doesn’t rely on the internet, not a protest by voters who distrusted is included in the election bill and
cation of Technology’s (BPPT) ing equipment developed by the utilizing civil registration num- until the count,” Andrari said. the system. A number of villagers has become one of the contentious
program since 2013 of develop- BPPT. The latest was the election bers in electronic identity (e-ID) According to her, villagers in even forced the election organizers issues during deliberation at the
ing electronic-voting (e-voting) in Babakan village in Ciseeng dis- cards. Voters just needed to touch remote areas were excited about to open up the machines. House of Representatives. Law-
devices and conducting trials in trict, Bogor regency. a screen several times to verify the new technology. In 2016, a manual recount was makers have been split with some
hundreds of village elections has Chairwoman of the BPPT’s e- their eligibility and choose their Election watchdog the Associa- forced in a village election in Jam- demanding the application of the
not convinced the General Elec- voting program, Andrari Grahi- preferred candidates. tion for Elections and Democracy bu Rejo, South Sumatra, after technology in the 2019 legislative
tion Commission (KPU) to imple- tandaru, told The Jakarta Post that The device prints out a receipt (Perludem), however, claimed it protests by villagers. and presidential elections.
ment it on a wider scale. e-voting would make it easier for which is put into a box in case there had found flaws in the implemen- KPU Commissioner Hadar Naf- Zainuddin Amali, chairman of
The commission’s executives people to vote, would ensure more is a demand to manually count the tation of the e-voting devices. is Gumay urged the BPPT to take House Commission II oversee-
have repeatedly said such a sys- reliable results and take less time. votes. After polling ends, the ma- According to data from the as- into account the non-technical ing home affairs, said he was of the
tem is not urgently needed since She also shrugged off the KPU’s chine will automatically display the sociation, in a village election in aspects of the implementation of opinion that the country was not
problems in past elections were concerns saying that the count- result and send it to the data center. Sambi in Boyolali, Central Java, in such technology. “The technology yet ready to apply e-voting in the
mainly caused by a lack of ac- ing and recapitulation processes “E-voting in the village elec- 2013, the elected village head was must gain public confidence and near term.

ANNOUNCEMENT
SUMMARY OF MINUTES OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
PT BANK MANDIRI (PERSERO) Tbk.
NO. CEO.CSC/007/P/III/2017
The Board of Directors of PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk., (hereinafter referred as the 2. To approve the Annual Report of Partnership and Community Development Program for Development Program of State-Owned Enterprises on the activities of the Partnership and Payment Procedures of Cash Dividends
“Company"), having its domiciled in South Jakarta, hereby announces that the Company the financial year ended December 31, 2016 as audited by the Public Accounting Firm Community Development Program of the Company.” 1. The Cash Dividends will be paid to the shareholders of the Company whose names are
has convened the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (hereinafter referred as the Purwantono, Sungkoro & Surja with an audit opinion of no modification. In the Sixth Meeting Agenda: registered in the Shareholders Register of the Company on 24 March 2017 (recording
“Meeting") on: 3. To accept the accountable report for the use of proceeds from public offering of the There was no questioner in the Sixth Meeting Agenda and the following result is obtained: date) and/or in the sub securities account in PT Kustodian Sentral Efek Indonesia (“KSEI”)
Day/Date : Tuesday, 14 March 2017 Revolving Bond I of Bank Mandiri Phase I of 2016 of Rp 5,000,000,000,000 (five trillion (including one series A at the closing of the Indonesian Stock Exchange trading session on 24 March 2017.
rupiah). NON AFFIRMATIVE ABSTAIN AFFIRMATIVE Dwiwarna share)
Time : 15:15 to 17:50 Western Indonesia Time (WIB) 2. For shareholders of the Company whose shares are deposited in KSEI, the cash dividend
4. For the approval of the Company’s Annual Report including the Supervisory Actions 23.194% 0.898% 75.908%
Venue : Auditorium Plaza Mandiri, 3rd floor, Jl. Jend. Gatot Subroto shall be paid through KSEI and distributed to the securities account of the Securities
Kaveling 36 - 38, South Jakarta Report of the Board of Commissioners for the financial year ended December 31, 2016 Therefore: Companies and/or Custodian Banks in KSEI on 13 April 2017. The receipt of the payment
and the accountable report for the use of proceeds from public offering of the Revolving “Meeting by a majority vote, which is 15,433,190,159 shares or constitute of 76.806% of the of the cash dividends shall be given by KSEI to the Securities Companies and/or the
The Meeting was chaired by Mr Wimboh Santoso as President Commissioner based on Bond I of Bank Mandiri Phase I of 2016 of Rp 5,000,000,000,000 (five trillion rupiah) and
resolution of the Meeting of the Board of Commissioners dated 22 February 2017 and total votes cast at the Meeting decided: Custodian Banks where the shareholders have opened their account. For shareholders
the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements for the financial year ended 1. To approve the Amendment to the Articles of Association of the Company, for uniformity of the Company whose shares are not deposited in the collective deposit in KSEI, the
attended by all members of Board of Directors and Board of Commissioners as follows: December 31, 2016 and the Annual Report of Partnership and Community
Board of Commissioners: program of the SOE Ministry for the standardization of Articles of Association of public cash dividends will be transferred directly to the shareholders account.
Development Program for the financial year ended December 31, 2016 then the SOEs. 3. The cash dividend is subject to taxes as regulated under the prevailing laws and
1. President Commissioner : Wimboh Santoso Meeting granted full release and discharge (volledig acquit et de charge) to the Board of
2. Vice President Commissioner : Imam Apriyanto Putro 2. To approve the rearrangement of all provisions in the Articles of Association in line with regulations. The amount of tax will be borne by the relevant shareholder and the
Directors and Board of Commissioners from the management and supervisory actions the amendment as set out in the above paragraph. amount of cash dividends received by the shareholders will be in the amount after
3. Independent Commissioner : Abdul Aziz carried out for the financial year ended December 31, 2016, in so far as such actions are
4. Independent Commissioner : Aviliani 3. Grant power and authority to the BOD with the right of substitution to perform all being deducted by the applicable taxes.
not a crime and such actions are reflected in the Annual Report, the Consolidated necessary actions related with this Meeting agenda resolution, including to rearrange 4. Shareholders considered as onshore Tax Payer in the form of legal entity which have not
5. Commissioner : Askolani Financial Statements and the Annual Report of Partnership and Community
6. Independent Commissioner : Goei Siauw Hong and restate all Articles of Association in a Notarial Deed and submit to all authoritative given their Tax Register Number (Nomor Pokok Wajib Pajak/NPWP) are asked to submit
Development Program of the Company for the financial year ended on December 31, institution to obtain approval and/or receipt of announcement of the amendment in their NPWP to KSEI or the Company Share Registrar PT Datindo Entrycom (“BAE”) at Jl
7. Independent Commissioner : Bangun S. Kusmulyono 2016.
8. Commissioner : Ardan Adiperdana the Articles of Association, perform all necessary and useful actions for this purpose Hayam Wuruk No. 28 Lt. 22 Jakarta no later than 24 Maret 2017 at 16:00 WIB. Without the
5. Such full release and discharge of responsibility is also provided to: with no exemption, including to organize additions and/ or changes in the amendment NPWP, the cash dividends will be subject to withholding income tax at the rate of 30%.
* Askolani and Ardan Adiperdana as Commissioner of the Company were absent and
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In the Seventh Meeting Agenda:
In the Seventh Meeting Agenda there was 1 (one) questioner and 1 (one) person who have to comply with article 26 of Law No. 36 of 2008 regarding The Fourth Amendment
1. President Director : Kartika Wirjoatmodjo 1SFTJEFOU
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2. Vice President Director : Sulaiman A. Arianto
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has been legalized by Indonesian Tax Service Office for Public Company to KSEI or BAE
3. Director of Operations : Ogi Prastomiyono Director of the Company.” NON AFFIRMATIVE ABSTAIN (including one series A
AFFIRMATIVE Dwiwarna share) no later than 31 March 2017. Without the said document, the cash dividends will be
4. Director of Finance & Treasury : Pahala N. Mansury In the Second Meeting Agenda: 15.500% 2.195% 82.305% subject to Article 26 of withholding income tax at the rate of 20%
5. Director of Corporate Banking : Royke Tumilaar There was no questioner in the Second Meeting Agenda and the following result is obtained: 6. Shareholders whose shares are deposited in KSEI may collect the dividends tax
6. Director of Distributions : Hery Gunardi Therefore:
NON AFFIRMATIVE ABSTAIN (including one series A
AFFIRMATIVE Dwiwarna deductions slip as of 8 June 2017 at the Securities Company and/or the Custodian Banks
7. Director of Risk Management & Compliance : Ahmad Siddik Badruddin share) “Meeting by a majority vote, which is 16,979,234,444 shares or constitute of 84,500% of the
0.359% 0.335% 99.06% where the shareholders have opened their securities account and at BAE for the holders
8. Director of Retail Banking : Tardi total votes cast at the Meeting decided:
of the script shares.
9. Director of Commercial Banking : Kartini Sally Therefore: 1. To affirm the discharge of SUWHONO as member of Board of Commissioners of the
10.Director of Digital Banking & Technology : Rico Usthavia Frans “Meeting by a majority vote, which is 20,021,656,514 shares or constitute of 99.641% of the Company starting from his appointment as President Director of PT BERDIKARI (Persero) Announcement of this Summary of Minutes of Meeting is to comply with the provision
total votes cast at the Meeting decided: based on Decree of the SOE Minister No. SK-69/MBU/03/2016 dated 29 March 2016 with under Article 34 paragraphs (1), (2) and (6) of Financial Service Authority Regulation No.
Audit Committee: 32/POJK.04/2014 regarding the Plan and Implementation of General Meeting of
To approve and set the allocation of Net Income of the Company for the financial year gratitude for the contribution of work and insight given during the term of office as
1. Head of Audit Committee : Aviliani Shareholders for an Issuer or a Public Company as well as compliance with Financial
ended on December 31, 2016 at Rp 13,806,565,442,570.80 (thirteen trillion eight hundred member of the Board of Commissioners.
2. Member (Commissioner) : Askolani Service Authority Regulation No. 31/POJK.04/2015 on Disclosure of Material Information
six billion, five hundred and sixty five million four hundred and forty two thousand five 2. To approve the honorable discharge of the following names as member of the Board of
3. Member (Independent Commissioner) : Goei Siauw Hong or Facts by Stock Issuer or Public Company in connection with the change of members of
hundred and seventy rupiah eighty cents) as follows: Commissioners of the Company:
4. Member (Commissioner) : Ardan Adiperdana Board of Directors and/or Board of Commissioners.
1. Some 30% of the Company’s Net Income or Rp 4,141,969,632,771.24 (four billion one a. Aviliani as Independent Commissioner
5. Member (Independent Party) : Budi Sulistio
hundred and forty-one billion nine hundred and sixty-nine million six hundred and b. Abdul Aziz as Independent Commissioner
6. Member (Independent Party) : Lista Irna
thirty two thousand seven hundred and seventy one rupiah and twenty four cents) and The discharge of the members of the Board of Commissioners shall be from the Jakarta, 16 March 2017
and shareholders and/or their proxy/representative representing 20,093,735,413 shares in adjournment of this Meeting with gratitude for the contribution of work and insight
special additional dividends of 15% or Rp 2,070,984,816,385.62 (two trillion seventy PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk.
the Company, including the series A Dwiwarna share, or constituting 86.116% of the total given during the term of office as member of the Board of Commissioners.
billion nine hundred and eighty four million eight hundred sixteen thousand three BOARD OF DIRECTORS
shares with valid voting rights that have been issued by the Company up to the date of 3. To appoint the following names as member of the Board of Commissioners of the
hundred eighty five rupiah and sixty two cents) shall be distributed as cash dividends to
Meeting, totaling 23,333,333,333 shares which comprised of: Company:
the shareholders of the Company whereas dividends to the State shall be transferred in

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accordance with the applicable regulations thus the total distributed dividends stood at

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2. Grants full Power and authority to the BOD to arrange the payment procedures and
based on the Company's Shareholders Registry dated 17 February 2017 at 16:00 WIB. shall be effective after the issuance of approval by the Financial Services Authority on Fit
execution of the distribution of the cash dividends and then announce them in
The Meeting was convened with the following agenda: and Proper Test and the fulfillment of the prevailing regulations. ANNOUNCEMENT
accordance with applicable regulations with the distribution allocation of:
The end of the term of office of the said appointed members of the BOC shall be until APPROVAL OF GENERAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS ON
1. Approval of the Company’s Annual Report and validation of the Company’s
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the closing of the fifth Company’s Annual General Meeting of Shareholders since their CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Consolidated Financial Statements, the Board of Commissioners’ Supervisory Actions
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appointment, which is the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders in 2022, by FINANCIAL YEAR OF 2016
Report and validation of the Annual Report of Partnership and Community 3. Some 55% of the Company’s Net Income or Rp 7,593,610,993,413.94 (seven trillion five
observing the laws and regulations in the Capital Market sector and without prejudice PT BANK MANDIRI (PERSERO) Tbk.
Development Program for the financial year ended December 31, 2016 including hundred ninety-three billion, six hundred and ten million nine hundred and ninety-three
submission of accountable report for the use of proceeds from public offering of the thousand four hundred and thirteen rupiah and ninety four cents) shall be allocated as to the right of General Meeting of Shareholders to dismiss those members at any time. NO. CEO.CSC/007/P/III/2017
Revolving Bond I of Bank Mandiri Phase I of 2016 and granting full release and discharge Retained Earnings.” 4. With the discharge and appointment of the members of the Board of Commissioners of
(volledig acquit et de charge) to the Board of Directors and Board of Commissioners the Company, the composition of members of Board of Directors and Board of The Board of Directors of PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk. (hereinafter shall be
In the Third Meeting Agenda: Commissioners shall be:
from the management and supervisory actions carried out for the financial year ended referred to as “Company”) domiciled in Jakarta, to meet the provision of Article
There was no questioner in the Third Meeting Agenda and the following result is obtained:
December 31, 2016. BOARD OF DIRECTORS 68 paragraph (4) of Law No. 40 of 2007 on Limited-Liability Company, hereby
(including one series A
2. Approval on Net Income allocation for the financial year ended on December 31, 2016. NON AFFIRMATIVE ABSTAIN AFFIRMATIVE Dwiwarna share)
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3. The Appointment of Public Accountant Firm to perform audit on the Company’s 3.221% 1.147% 95.632%
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Financial Statements and the Annual Report of Partnership and Community
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Therefore: Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of the Company as held on Tuesday
Development Program for the financial year ended on December 31, 2017. “Meeting by a majority vote, which is 19,446,535,978 shares or constitute of 96.780% of the
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total votes cast at the Meeting decided:
Commissioners and tantiem and the setting of allowance, facilities and other benefits 1. To appoint the Public Accountant Firm of Purwantono, Sungkoro & Surja as the Public
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Accountant Firm to audit the Company’s Financial Statements and the Annual Report of
5. Approval on the promulgation of Regulation of Minister of State-Owned Enterprises No. Partnership and Community Development Program for the financial year ended on
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Development Program of State-Owned Enterprises on December 16, 2016. applied for such Public Accountant Office, and determine a substitute Public Accountant BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
6. Approval on the Amendment to the Articles of Association of the Company. Office in the event the Public Accountant Firm of Purwantono, Sungkoro & Surja, due to
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7. Change in the Company’s Management. any reasons whatsoever, is unable to finish the audit for the Consolidated Financial
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In each Meeting Agenda, opportunities were provided to the shareholders and its Statements of the Company and the Annual Report on the Partnership and Community
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proxy/representative to raise questions as set out in the elucidation of each Meeting Development Program for the Financial Year ended on 31 December 2017.”
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In the Fourth Meeting Agenda there were 2 (two) questioners with the following result:
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consensus. In the event that the resolutions based on the amicable deliberation failed to be NON AFFIRMATIVE ABSTAIN AFFIRMATIVE (including one series A
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reached, the resolutions were resolved by way of voting. On the First to the Sixth Meeting 4.231% 0.791% 94.979% 5. Grant power and authority to the BOD with the right of substitution to perform all
Agenda, resolutions were resolved by way of open voting, whilst for the Seventh Meeting necessary actions related with this agenda decision in accordance with the prevailing
Agenda on the Change of Composition of the BOD and BOC of the Company, resolution was Therefore:
laws and regulations, including to state in a notarial deed and to notify the changes of
resolved by way of closed voting. Voting is performed by vote cards which calculation is “Meeting by a majority vote, which is 19,243,583,528 shares or constitute of 95.769% of the
composition of the BOC to the Ministry of Law and Human Rights of the Republic of
performed electronically. total votes cast at the Meeting decided:
Indonesia and to ask the Financial Services Authority to undergo a Fit and Proper Test to
To provide authority and power to the Board of Commissioners, with prior approval from
Independent Party for Vote Counting the BOC candidates according to applicable regulations.
the holder of series A Dwiwarna share to determine the amount of salary for members of
The Company has appointed independent parties, which are Notary Ashoya Ratam SH, BOD and honorarium for members of BOC, and provision of facilities, benefits and/or other SCHEDULE AND PROCEDURE FOR CASH DIVIDENDS PAYOUT
Mkn and PT Datindo Entrycom, to calculate and/or validate the votes. allowances for the financial year of 2017, including in setting the methods, mechanisms Next, following the resolution of the Second Meeting Agenda as set out above where the
Resolutions and the amount of long-term performance-based incentive program to the BOD and BOC Meeting has decided to pay Rp 6,212,954,449,156.86 in dividends from net income of
The Meeting has resolved the following resolutions as set forth in deed of “Minutes of the to the implementation of the program, and tantiem for the performance of members of the Company or Rp 266.26947 per share certificate to be paid to 23,333,333,333 share
Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of Perusahaan Perseroan (PERSERO) of PT Bank BOD and BOC for the financial year ended on December 31, 2016 following the Regulation certificates of the Company, the following is the schedule and procedure for cash
Mandiri Tbk”, dated 14 March 2017 number 28, made by Notary Ashoya Ratam SH, Mkn, of SOE Minister number PER-04/MBU/2014 as most recently amended by the Regulation of dividends payout for the financial year of 2016:
which summary is as follows: SOE Minister number PER-02/MBU/06/2016 dated 20 June 2016 on Guidelines to Schedule of Cash Dividends Payout
In the First Meeting Agenda: Determine the Remuneration for Board of Directors, Board of Commissioners and Board of
Trustees of SOE.” NO ACTIVITY DATE
In the First Meeting Agenda there were 3 (three) questioners with the following result:
In the Fifth Meeting Agenda: 1. Last Date of the trading period of the Company's shares
NON AFFIRMATIVE ABSTAIN AFFIRMATIVE (including one series A
Dwiwarna share)
There was no questioner in the Fifth Meeting Agenda and the following result is obtained: on the stock exchange with dividends rights (Cum Dividends)
0,078% 0,362% 99,561% t
3FHVMBS
BOE
/FHPUJBUJPO
.BSLFUT 21 Maret 2017
NON AFFIRMATIVE ABSTAIN AFFIRMATIVE (including one series A
Dwiwarna share) t
$BTI
.BSLFU 24 Maret 2017
Therefore: 0% 0.651% 99.349%
“Meeting by a majority vote, which is 20,078,153,144 shares or constitute of 99.922% of the 2. First Date of the trading period of the Company's shares on
total votes cast at the Meeting decided: Therefore: the stock exchange without dividend rights (Ex Dividends)
1. To approve the Company’s Annual Report including approval of Supervisory Actions “Meeting by a majority vote, which is 20,093,735,413 shares or constitute of 100% of the t
3FHVMBS
BOE
/FHPUJBUJPO
.BSLFUT 22 Maret 2017
Report as performed by the Board of Commissioners for the financial year ended total votes cast at the Meeting decided: t
$BTI
.BSLFU 27 Maret 2017
December 31, 2016, and to approve the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements To confirm the promulgation of Regulation of Minister of State-Owned Enterprises No. 3. Recording Date 24 Maret 2017
for the financial year ended December 31, 2016 as audited by the Public Accounting PER-03/MBU/12/2016 on the Amendment to Regulation of Minister of State-Owned
Firm Purwantono, Sungkoro & Surja with an audit opinion of no modification. Enterprises No. PER-09/MBU/07/2015 regarding Partnership and Community 4. Payment Date for Cash Dividends for the Financial Year of 2016 13 April 2017
4 | CITY THURSDAY March 16, 2017

GREATER JAKARTA Waterway

222,000 Lebaran train tickets every day
JAKARTA: Starting Friday, PT KAI will start selling 222,000 homebound
train tickets every day, state railway operator has said.
“Ticket reservations can be made starting March 17 on KAI’s web-
site, at station ticketing booths and in retail stores that partner with PT
KAI,” PT KAI spokesman Agus Komarudin said as quoted by wartakota.
tribunnews.com.
KAI predicts an increase of 13,128 passengers during the Idul Fitri
holidays this year in comparison with the number of holiday-makers
last year.
To absorb the increase, the company will provide more frequent
travel times, creating an extra 21,860 seats per day.
“In total, we will provide 222,014 seats per day during this year’s
Lebaran period, a 2.1 percent increase compared to last year’s 217,364
seats per day,” Agus added.
The Lebaran period will run for 22 days starting June 15 to July 6.
KAI predicts that the exodus will peak on June 22 — three days
before Idul Fitri — and the return from the exodus will take place on
July 1, or six days after the festivity. — JP

14 suspects named in Tangerang violence

TANGERANG: Tangerang Police have named 14 suspects following a
violent protest implicating public minivan drivers rallying against ride-
sharing app drivers.
Police chief detective for general crimes Adj. Sr. Comr. Arlon Sitinjak
said initially, the police had arrested 18 people.
“After questioning them, we named 14 suspects. We released the
others as they were not involved in the violence,” Arlon said as quoted
by tempo.co on Wednesday.
According to Arlon, the suspects, mostly public minivan drivers, are
facing various charges, including illegal possession of sharp weapons
and vandalism. JP/Seto Wardhana
Meanwhile, Tangerang Transportation Agency head Saepul Rohman
said at least 17 cars were damaged in the incident. — JP Workers prepare ditch walls below the JORR toll road in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, on Wednesday. The ditch is intended to ease flooding
around the neighborhoods.

Emissions test for 300 dump trucks

JAKARTA: The Jakarta Environment Agency has conducted an emis-
sions test on 300 out of 1,210 dump trucks operating in the city.
The agency’s head, Isnawa Adji, said the test was intended to
ensure that the emissions level of the agency’s trucks was below the
tolerable limit.
Jakarta superblocks
only for those who pay
“We have been conducting the emissions tests regularly since 2015.
Dump trucks that fail to pass the test will be subject to further repairs,”
Isnawa said as quoted by beritajakarta.com on Wednesday.
Isnawa added that the test was part of the agency’s efforts to help
ease pollution in the capital.
“We encourage other city agencies to follow our lead and force their The Jakarta Post
vehicles to undergo an emissions test,” Isnawa said. — JP JAKARTA
In many cities of the world,
Tall order the sight of integrated buildings
and spaces known as superblocks
are a sign of a modern way of liv-
ing. Megacities such as Paris, New
York and Barcelona have devel-
oped their superblock complex-
es to improve the quality of life
of their citizens through various
facilities.
Jakarta, meanwhile, is keeping
up with the trend.
More than a dozen superblocks
have been built in Greater Jakar-
ta. Offering easy access to resi-
dential, office, leisure and com-
mercial areas, superblocks ease
residents’ lives, but only for those
who can afford them.
Superblocks in Jakarta are dif-
ferent from those in other cities
when it comes to accessibility,
said Bambang Eryudhawan, ar-
chitect and head of the Jakarta
Restoration Team (TSP) during a
JP/P.J. Leo panel discussion at Tarumaneg-
Workers paint a pedestrian bridge connected to a Transjakarta ara University, West Jakarta,
shelter in Cililitan, East Jakarta, on Wednesday. recently.
Superblocks have
increased green space in
city
Lack of discussion
between residents and
developers
“The Rockefeller Center in
New York, for example, was built
to be accessible and enjoyable by
anyone. People can go in and out
of the complex at any time,” he
said. “But in Jakarta, all super-
blocks are separate from their
surrounding environments.”
People can only enjoy the ame-
nities inside the superblocks
once they have paid for some-
thing, blocking their access to
what are supposed to be “public
spaces” inside the superblocks,
he said. “Unless you live, work,
or shop in them, using the facili-
ties available inside the super-
blocks can be quite challenging,”
Bambang said.
The commercial value of su-
perblocks in Jakarta outweigh
the needs of many, he said. “I wit-
nessed it myself during the con-
struction of a superblock in Ke-
lapa Gading, North Jakarta. A
couple of public facility offices
were moved because the devel-
opers thought they had no eco-
nomic value,” he said. “It seemed
as if the government had no say
in the matter.”
Meyriana Kesuma from the In-
donesian Association of Planners
(IAP) lamented the lack of dis-
cussion between developers and
residents surrounding the super-
blocks.
Hardly any superblock devel-
opers ever tried to reach out to lo-
cals, let alone listen to their needs,
Meyriana said.
“Ideally, people living out-
side a superblock should also
be able to enjoy the facilities. At
least, if the internal space is re-
stricted, the developer must pro-
vide something on the outside,”
she said.
This left superblocks enjoyable
only to those who had the means
to enjoy them, she said.
“The term ‘lower-middle-in-
come citizens’ is unacknowledged
in superblock development in Ja-
karta,” said Meyriana.
City Bylaw No. 1/2012 on urban
planning for 2011 to 2030 regu-
lates the construction of super-
blocks. “The bylaw stipulates that
superblocks must take spatial use
and provision of facilities into ac-
count,” she said.
If anything, the superblocks
could have increased the amount
of green open space in the city,
she said. “As stated in the bylaw,
the government obliges the devel-
opers to spare at least 35 percent
of a superblock area for green
open space or water catchment,”
said Meyriana. The bylaw also
seeks to enable access for citizens
of all classes within the same su-
perblock.
The Jakarta Spatial Planning
Agency, however, could not be
reached when the Post sought
to ask about the development of
superblocks in the city. The Ja-
karta Planning and Develop-
ment Agency (Bappeda) also
declined to comment on the is-
sue, saying the issue was not its
responsibility. (dea)

RECLAMATION PROJECT
Court to hand down ruling
Indra Budiari
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
The Jakarta State Administra-
tive Court (PTUN) is scheduled
to read out its decision in rela-
tion to a lawsuit claiming the city
illegally issued permits for the
construction of three islets amid
strong resistance from fishermen
and activists on Thursday.
If the court sides with the pe-
titioners, the administration will
be required to not go forward with
the construction of islets F, I and
K. The permits for the three islets
were the only three approved by
Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok”
Tjahaja Purnama out of the to-
tal 17 projects, while the other li-
censes were issued by governor
Fauzi Bowo.
Tigor Hutapea, a lawyer with
the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute
(LBH Jakarta), who also rep-
resents the petitioners, said
Wednesday that the ruling would
be important for the fishermen,
whose livelihoods had been af-
fected by the ongoing reclama-
tion projects.
“The fishermen are the most
affected by the reclamation.
Their access to natural resources
has been affected. We are talking
about their livelihood,” he told
The Jakarta Post.
The city administration issued
on Oct. 22 last year construction
licenses to city-owned PT Jakarta
Propertindo for islet F and to PT
Jaladri Eka Paksi for islet I, and
on Nov. 17 to PT Pembangunan
Jaya Ancol for islet K.
The three islets are part of the
17 man-made islets planned to be
built off the city’s northern coast.
The same court declared a permit
for islet G illegal in June in rela-
tion to a different petition, put-
ting the project in limbo until
the Jakarta State Administrative
High Court (PTTUN) overturned
the decision four months later.
While none of the three islets
have started construction, fish-
ermen testified during the hear-
ing that construction and heavy
equipment for ongoing reclama-
tion projects on nearby islets had
Bright minds
affected their catch.
The trial commenced in March
2014, with hundreds of pieces
of evidence, dozens of witness-
es and experts presented to the
court by both fishermen and
environmentalists.
The petitioners accused the
city of issuing reclamation per-
mits without securing a manda-
tory environment impact analy-
sis (Amdal) and not taking into
account the opinion of fishermen
about the project. Research by the
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries
Ministry also found that the city
had allegedly failed to offer any
solutions to the fishermen.
The city administration has
questioned the fishermen’s legal
grounds.
“Let me ask you this, have
you suffered any losses from the
construction of islets F, I and K,
which have not even started yet?
If not, then you are not entitled to Antara/HO/Roni/ama
take the issue to court,” the city Culture and Education Minister Muhadjir Effendy (fourth right) chats with students from Global Sevilla
administration’s legal bureau of- School, flanked by the school’s founder, Omi Komaria Madjid (right), and the school’s director, Robertus
ficer, Haratua Purba, said during Setiono (left), in Jakarta on Tuesday. The students took home gold and silver medals from the World Schol-
the hearing. ar’s Cup held at Yale University in the US.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

Derailed commuter train angers passengers

Nurul Fitri Ramadhani
and Agnes Anya
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
Jakarta’s commuter line expe-
rienced another service break-
down on Wednesday with pas-
sengers forced to wait inside a
train for nearly three hours.
This was an unexpected turn
of events for the passengers,
who usually only need around
45 minutes to travel from Bekasi
Station in West Java to Mangga-
rai Station in South Jakarta.
Karina, a 20-year-old student,
broke into tears as she missed
a mid-term examination at her
campus in Central Jakarta.
“I’m supposed to have an exam-
ination at around 10. Now I can’t
make it,” she said. “I will have to
beg to my lecturer for a make-up
test, but I don’t know whether he
will believe me or not.”
Another passenger, Maria, 32,
had to cancel a meeting with cli-
ents because she could not make
it to her destination at Sudirman
Station in Central Jakarta.
“I tried to leave earlier from
home [in Bekasi] but I didn’t ex-
pect this,” Maria grumbled.
Officers said the ill-fated train,
the KA 1479, went off its tracks at
7:43 a.m.
Only at 9:22 a.m. did officials
and workers manage to get the
train back on the tracks and send
it to the Bukit Duri workshop for
repairs.
The delay, however, impacted
several routes such as the Bogor-
Jakarta Kota route, the Bogor-
Jatinegara route and the Bekasi-
Jakarta Kota route.
During the stop, the train
conductor apologized for the
inconvenience and suggested
via loudspeaker that passen-
gers take alternative modes of
transportation.
The passengers began to pro-
test to on-train security officers
and asked them to open the doors
as they became more and more
uncomfortable with squeezing
into each other along the stop.
Some even tried to force the
officers to pull out the emergen-
cy buttons. However, the officers
resisted on instructions from the
conductor.
“Why don’t they just open the
door and let us go out?” Maria
protested, adding that the pas-
sengers also felt uncomfortable
due to the hot and stuffy atmo-
sphere inside the train.
Responding to the issue, PT
KAI Commuter Jabodetabek,
which is responsible for train
services in Greater Jakarta, apol-
ogized for the incident.
“It is due to safety and security
factors. Moreover, getting off at
the middle of a track is danger-
ous,” said PT KCJ spokeswoman
Eva Chairunisa.
Nonetheless, such an evacua-
tion option can be carried out with
tighter security measures during
times when commuter trains are
involved in accidents, she added.
“If the trains must stop be-
tween stations, like today’s inci-
dent, we will not allow passengers
to get off on the train,” she said. “If
the passengers protest, well that’s
too bad. It is a risk we must take to
ensure their safety and security.”
Separately, PT KCJ technical
director Fredi Firmansyah said
the company needed some time
to find out the cause of the de-
railment.
THURSDAY March 16, 2017
Fresh catch
Fishermen from Noelbaki village in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, sell shrimps along Jl. Timor Raya on Wednesday for between Rp 20,000
(US$1.50) and Rp 30,000 per kilogram.
Finless porpoise found
dead in Balikpapan Bay
N. Adri
THE JAKARTA POST/BALIKPAPAN
Residents of Tanjung Tengah
village, Penajam Paser Utara re-
gency, recently found a dead fin-
less porpoise on the nearby shores
of Balikpapan Bay, in the latest in-
cident suspected to be linked to an
oil spill in East Kalimantan waters.
Officials from the Central Man-
agement of Coastal and Marine
Resources in Pontianak arrived in
the village on Tuesday to investi-
gate the death of the animal, whose
body was found on Friday. Located
on the southern shores of Balikpa-
pan, the journey to Tanjung Tengah
requires a flight and a boat trip.
Ricky, the head of the team in-
vestigating the case, said the team
had taken samples of the body to
find out the cause of death.
“This finless porpoise is male.
No scars were found on its body,
but its condition was already de-
cayed, making it hard to figure
out the cause of death,” he said on
Wednesday.
He suspected the death had
been not caused by injuries or a
physical attack.
When the team arrived, the
body had already floated out into
the water.
“We didn’t know what to do
when we found it, so we just let it
lie there on the beach,” said Midin,
a Tanjung Tengah resident.
A scientist from Rare Aquatic
NUTRITION
Malnourished 4-year-old boy
bedridden, unable to talk
Andi Hajramurni
THE JAKARTA POST/MAKASSAR
Muhammad Arsyad Ramadhan
will celebrate his fifth birthday in a
few months but, unlike other chil-
dren of his age, he is unable to walk
or talk as a result of malnutrition.
He weighs 6.8 kilograms, far
below the ideal weight for his age
of 18 to 20 kg.
The fifth of six children belong-
ing to Muriadi and Norma, who
live in Labuang Rano village in
Mamuju regency, West Sulawesi,
has severe malnutrition that has
caused his physical condition to
deteriorate.
The boy is unable to get out of
bed and can only cry and some-
times smile.
When he was four months old,
he was diagnosed with hydro-
cephalus and underwent surgery
at the Wahidin Sudirohusodo
hospital in Makassar.
Muriadi said his son’s condi-
tion had improved after the op-
eration and he was supposed to
attend regular checkups at the
hospital. However, the family
could not afford the medical costs
and stopped seeing the doctor.
“We didn’t have enough mon-
ey, so we could not continue the
therapy,” said the 52-year-old fa-
ther.
Muriadi does not have a per-
manent job and struggles to sup-
port his family. His irregular earn-
ings are only enough to buy his
Finless porpoise found
dead on beach in
Balikpapan
Cause of death difficult
to ascertain as body had
decayed
Species Indonesia, Danielle Kreb,
said it would be hard to find out
the cause of death. The animal
could also have died from natural
causes such as old age.
“It is impossible to find out be-
cause the decomposition is at an
advanced stage,” she said.
Hery Seputro, an environmen-
tal activist who has observed the
bay since 1998, suspected that the
animal died as a result of an oil
spill in the area as finless porpois-
es usually consumed marine life
found in shallow waters around
50 meters deep, not far from
beach and mangrove areas.
Aside from Indonesia, finless
porpoises can be found in Japan,
South Korea, China, Bangladesh
and India. The species is catego-
rized as vulnerable as it is very sen-
sitive to disturbances in its habitat.
“We don’t know the results [of
the investigation] yet,” said Widy-
awati, a public relations officer at
Chevron Indonesia.
The company, along with state-
owned oil and gas company PT
Pertamina, operates an oil refin-
ery in the area.
“Pertamina is willing to help
son a bottle of vitamins costing
Rp 70,000 (US$5.24) each week.
Arsyad was supposed to take vi-
tamins to improve his spine, but the
family could not afford to buy them.
“Those vitamins are not covered by
BPJS Kesehatan [the Health Care
and Social Security Agency], so we
must pay for them ourselves, but I
can only afford to buy one [type of]
vitamins,” Muriadi said.
Muriadi was also unable to
feed his son nutritious foods or
provide him with supplements to
improve his condition. Therefore,
Arsyad did not grow normally like
other children of his age and be-
came malnourished.
Mamuju Health Agency head
Hajra As’ad said in Arsyad’s case,
the malnutrition worsened be-
cause the child had hydrocepha-
lus as a concomitant disease.
Arsyad was initially referred
to Wahidin Sudirohusodo hospi-
tal and received treatment subsi-
dized by the state. “However, the
family could not afford their daily
expenses, and we could not cover
it either, because it is not included
in our health budget,” Hajra said.
She added that Arsyad had
been given supplements but the
treatment was stopped because
his parents did not regularly visit
the local community health cen-
ter (Puskesmas).
Arsyad’s poor condition was
recently revealed to the public
following reports by local media.
Regency administration repre-
ARCHIPELAGO | 5
ISLAND FOCUS
Pekanbaru
Makassar
Nepali fined for immigration violation
MAKASSAR: Makassar District Court has ordered Rajendra Limbu, 30, a
Nepalese citizen, to pay a Rp 20 million (US$1,496) fine or spend two
months in jail after he was found guilty of not having a passport.
Rajendra is the third foreign citizen the court has fined for violating
immigration laws in March.
In a hearing on Wednesday, sole presiding judge Denny Lumban
Tobing said the defendant was guilty of violating Article 116 of Law
No. 6/2011 on immigration.
Rajendra was taken into custody by immigration officials in Makas-
sar on Jan. 8 after he failed to show officials a passport or visa. He
claimed his passport was being held by an agency that was facilitating
his temporary stay in Makassar.
Limbu said he accepted the court’s ruling. He chose to pay the Rp 20
million fine instead of spending two months in jail.
“I’m ready to pay it,” Limbu said as quoted by his translator, Mu-
hammad Rubi.
Ramli HS, head of immigration at the South Sulawesi office of the
Law and Human Rights Ministry, said Rajendra arrived in Makassar via
Jakarta at the beginning of January, along with eight other Nepalese
citizens. They lived in a boarding house in Barombong.
JP/Djemi Amnifu
Ramli said the immigrants were making their way to Australia.
They were promised by their agent that they would be immediately
dispatched to Australia via an illegal route.
“They wanted to look for jobs in Australia. They are not asylum
seekers,” said Ramli. — JP
Jets grounded following F-16 incident
PEKANBARU: The Air Force has grounded all aircraft in Squadron 16 and
Squadron 12 based at the Roesmin Nurjadin Air Force base in Pekanba-
ru, Riau, after an F-16 Fighting Falcon skidded off the runway on Tuesday.
The base’s commander, First Marshal Henri Alfiandi, said the op-
erational suspension would be effective until the Air Force’s Aircraft
Accident Investigation Committee had completed its investigation.
“This is just standard procedure. The decision about when the
squadrons can resume operation is in the hands of the Air Force’s
clean up the spill, along with as the smallest cetacean, measuring national headquarters,” Henri said on Wednesday.
Chevron, too,” Pertamina’s com- fewer than two meters in length. The twin-seater jet fighter veered off the runway while landing
munications and relations man- Finless porpoises are different and came to a stop upside down, some 200 meters off the end of the
ager for Kalimantan, Alicia Irza- from other cetaceans. They are runway, which is shared by Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport.
nova, said separately. shy and not acrobatic, so they can Both pilots, Maj. Andri Setiawan and Sec. Lt. Marco Anderson, were
The tide also often washes only be seen on the surface of the unharmed in the incident, which reportedly occurred as a result of brake
ashore dolphins in the bay. water when breathing. malfunction.
According to Henri, the Lockheed Martin-made jet was procured
Two short-beaked common dol- In October, a whale was found
phins were found dead last year stranded in the waters of Padang new in 1991. A previous incident involving an Air Force F-16 occurred
after they became stranded in a Tikar district, West Kalimantan, in June 2015, when the jet skidded off the runway of Iswahjudi Air
mangrove forest located within the proof that the area was an im- Force base in Madiun, East Java, when the nose gear suddenly re-
Mangrove Center Graha Indah. portant habitat for sea mammals. tracted after touchdown. No injuries were reported.
“It was a mother and her calf. This was supported by the survey Two months earlier, another F-16 burst into flames before takeoff
They were dead when we found conducted by the WWF Indone- at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force base in East Jakarta. Pilot Lt. Col.
them,” said Agus Bei, the center’s sia in 2011. Firman ejected from the plane and was unhurt. — JP
managing coordinator.
He said the dolphins likely
came from Balikpapan Bay and
entered the mangrove forest
during high tide. They became
trapped and could not return to
the sea due to low tide.
“The location where they were
trapped was difficult for people to
enter. Fishermen told us about
them,” Agus said.
PT Sucorinvest Central Gani
Agus and his team had to wait
for the next high tide to try and
help them.
“When we arrived, the young
one had died. Maybe because it
couldn’t breathe or was exhaust-
ed,” said Herman, a volunteer at
the center.
There are 88 types of sea mam-
mals or cetaceans recorded, 34 of
which exist in Indonesia. Three of
them can be found in West Kali-
mantan waters in Kubu Raya regen-
cy. Finless porpoises are categorized
sentatives visited him to check on
his condition and find out wheth-
er he needed to be referred to a
hospital in Mamuju or Makassar. is now
West Sulawesi Health Agency
head Achmad Azis regretted that
malnutrition still occurred in the
province as the central govern-
PT Sucor Sekuritas
ment had allocated special health
funding, including to handle mal-
nutrition cases, to every regency.
“The budget is allocated for the
procurement of supplements, as
well as for capacity building pro-
grams for health practitioners.
Every regency has a team to ex-
ecute the programs. Should there
still be malnutrition cases, then
the team has yet to work proper-
ly,” Achmad said.
In Mamuju, Hajra said, 31 cas-
es of malnourished children were
reported from last year until
March. She said the regency ad-
ministration had provided them
with supplements and 21 children
had shown improvement while 10
were still receiving treatment.
Data from the Health Ministry
in 2015 showed that 26,518 tod-
dlers suffered malnutrition na-
We transform to serve you better
tionwide. East Java topped the
list with 6,019 cases, followed by
East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) with
3,340 cases and West Java with
2,895. The government allocates
1.22 percent of the state budget
to improving nutrition, less than
the global average of 4 percent,
according to the Global Nutrition
Report released earlier this year.
sucorsekuritas.com
6 | OPINION THURSDAY March 16, 2017

Inequality in asset ownership

e fully support the latest initiatives of the Political risk of neglecting
W government to accelerate the reduction of
inequality in asset ownership and income
distribution through land distribution, free
land titles and the nucleus estate-smallhold- inequality in Papua
er (NES) scheme.
The more concerted programs seem to have been

I
n early 2017, two much-dis-
warranted by the finding of the latest economic surveys, cussed issues about Papua
including one by the World Bank in 2014, showing the have been the investigation
widening inequality in the ownership of financial and of corruption in fictitious
road projects involving high-level
physical assets as the richest 10 percent of Indonesians
officials in its Public Works Agency
own an estimated 77 percent of the country’s wealth. This office and the Freeport case, which
means that income from financial and physical assets is a battle between the govern-
(such as land) benefits far fewer households in Indonesia ment and the United States-based
than in many other countries. mining company PT Freeport Mc-
The Agrarian and Spatial Planning Ministry has set Moran in Mimika regency over a
itself a target of granting 5 million land titles this year at a contractual issue. In the first case,
cost of Rp 2 trillion (US$148 million), which will be fully the Corruption Eradication Com-
mission (KPK) alleges graft in the
financed by the state budget. Land titles will empower the Jayapura road construction proj-
poor to take maximum benefit from their physical assets, ect worth Rp 89 billion (US$6.6
such access to bank loans. Usually, registering a property million), implicating a high-level
can be an arduous and costly procedure. Ministry data bureaucrat, Michael Kambuaya.
shows that of the 136 million plots of private land across The second case concerns a
the country, only 46 million plots have legal titles. prolonged contractual issue. The
Encouraged by the smooth implementation of a land government wants to change the
contract of work into a special
reform pilot project last year, the ministry will also speed mining license through which the
up the redistribution of neglected land, estimated at 12.7 government wants the company
million hectares across the country, to landless people to divest 51 percent of its shares,
around forests through local customary communities. to which Freeport objects.
The NES scheme, which is mandated by the 2014 Planta- The cases share one obvious,
tion Law, will empower smallholders because plantation but often neglected issue — in-
equality for the indigenous Pap-
companies will serve as agents of development, providing uans. Corruption has been highly
the farmers with certified seedling, agricultural extension pervasive in Indonesia, particu-
services, marketing assistance and access to bank loans. larly in Papua.
What should still be improved though are the rules to For years, local aspirations
strengthen the bargaining power of smallholders as regards are too easily branded as politi-
the terms and conditions in the partnership scheme, in- cal ideas about the independence
cluding the price of fresh oil palm fruit bunches the small- movement. Neglect of the two
current cases would bring two
holders are obliged to refine at the big companies’ mills. consequences.
The NES concept is good for plantation development First, the relative neglect of
and for enhancing equitable development and good rela- the grassroots voice will result in
tions with local communities. We still believe harmonious more deep grievances toward the
and mutually beneficial cooperation between big planta- local and national governments, as
tion companies and smallholders is the most effective way well as multinational companies
of expanding tree-crop plantations, such as oil palm and in Papua.
Corruption involving officials
rubber, without widening inequality in land holding.
Many plantation companies hold land concessions of
more than 500,000 ha, or more than six times the land area
of Singapore. We are afraid that if the expansion of planta-
tions, especially oil palm, by big companies remains at its
China walks tightrope between S. Arabia, Iran
current rate of more than 100,000 ha per year, mounting
problems of inequality of income, wealth and land conflicts James M. Dorsey
THE GLOBALIST/WASHINGTON, DC
could threaten the long-term sustainability of the plantation
industry, even the macroeconomic stability.
press their grievances politically. dence is another instrument for
As scholars note, such grievances political entrepreneurs to chan-
have become part of their identity nel local discontent about the
Hipolitus since Papua became part of Indo- relative lack of inclusion by the
Yolisandry Ringgi nesia in 1967. government. Military campaign-
Wangge
As the Indonesianist Edward ing by the Free Papua Movement
JAKARTA Aspinall notes, abuse of public au- (OPM), which was the prominent
thority also leads to a discourse of means of collective action during
and politicians generates popular deprivation, a singular narrative Soeharto’s authoritarian regime,
belief among Papuans that those of Papuans being neglected in is a less likely option for express-
elites are oblivious of the grass- all spheres. This discourse is fur- ing Papuans’ discontent today.
roots’ misery. ther used by political actors, lo- Apparently the continuous ne-
Since 2012, some regents and cal activists, cultural leaders and glect of the local perception re-
local politicians in Papua have society figures to pursue various garding inequality will remain in
been involved in abuse of public agendas in Papua. coming years — given the lack of
expenditures. In 2013, the regent Based on my fieldwork, the sto- an effective mechanism to over-
of Sarmi was involved in a cor- ries of being sidelined by the local see abuse of authority for person-
ruption case related to the use of and national elites are the main al interest while corruption in the
the local budget to renovate his topics shared in indigenous Pap- local government cannot be tack-
house. Reports in 2014 highlight- uans’ daily conversations, such as led instantly.
ed alleged misuse of Rp 22 billion in daily jokes (mops Papua). The dispute between the cen-
of the local budget for personal Second, the absence of indig- tral government and Freeport
interest by 44 West Papua provin- enous Papuans’ perceptions on may not be resolved soon, while
cial legislative council members. pivotal issues, such as corruption other disputes may emerge.
Furthermore, although Free- and the mining company’s opera- As usual, indigenous Papuans
port contributes to local com- tions, cast the conflicts into politi- are likely to continue to be spec-
munities through taxes and sur- cal terms: the grassroots against tators in such cases.
rounding infrastructure, its the local elites, national elites and Without serious efforts to
operation has displaced many lo- the mining company. bridge the grassroots perception
cals, particularly the Amungme Historically, three collective as part of national concerns, the
(highlanders) and the Kamoro actions have been used, name- discourse of deprivation will be
(lowlanders) tribes, apart from ly public protest, internation- the main narrative for the indige-
harming the environment. al campaigning and military nous Papuans, to be used by politi-
Mining disputes should not campaigning. These collective cal actors in the form of collective
only focus on the company’s in- frames have gained different lev- action frames. The narrative will
creased contribution to Jakarta els of public support as the main be used to continually mobilize
and to the growing nationalistic driving force for mobilizing in- local sentiment against local and
sentiment among Indonesians. It digenous Papuans. national governments and against
should seriously consider views Since the downfall of Soeharto multinational companies as well.
from the indigenous Papuans. in 1998, public protest has been
As a result of being relative- the prominent instrument for ex-
ly neglected, the corruption and pressing local aspirations in Pap- The writer, a researcher at the
corporate practices have turned ua’s coastal and highland areas. Marthinus Academy Jakarta,
into the main narrative among Intensive international cam- conducted fieldwork in
Papuans, leading them to ex- paigning on Papuan indepen- Papua in 2016.
US sanctions on Iran (as well as zero-sum-game. Saudi hopes that US sanctions
North Korea). And the kingdom hopes that a will complicate Chinese engage-
That signals – yet again — the tougher US policy towards Iran ment with Iran, counter percep-

L
ast week’s sanctioning of
We can take great lessons from our rubber industry, the one of China’s largest tel-
world’s second-largest after Thailand’s, with an annual com equipment manufac-
output of over 3.1 million tons. Smallholders who control turers, ZTE, by the United States
farms and big companies that control the processing Commerce Department, and an
investigation of Huawei, ZTE’s
industry live together harmoniously, depending on each foremost Chinese competitor,
other for their survival. could not have come at a possibly
more touchy moment for Saudi
Japan’s warship mission King Salman.
The US action occurred while
the king visits China, on the third
apan must explain to its neighbors the leg of his month-long Asian tour.
Trump administration’s intent to
adopt a tough stance toward the
Islamic republic.
The ZTE pleaded guilty to the
US accusation that it sold US-
made electronics to Iran and
agreed to pay a US$1.19 billion fine.
“Those who flout our economic
sanctions and export control laws
will [...] suffer the harshest of con-
sequences,” said US Commerce
Secretary Wilbur L. Ross.
Speaking days before King
will extend its window of oppor-
tunity in what is fundamentally
an uphill battle against Iran.
From the Saudi perspective,
the sanctioning of ZTE sends
China a helpful and encouraging
message that the United States
does not endorse business as usu-
al with Iran and that this could
have consequences for future US-
China trade negotiations.
King Salman’s quest is enhanced
by the fact that China, which has
tions that President Xi Jinping
was tilting towards the Islamic re-
public when he visited the Middle
East in early 2016.
For now, King Salman’s mission
in Beijing is facilitated by the fact
that Trump is signaling that Iran’s
return to the international fold
based on the nuclear agreement is
not a foregone conclusion.
The King may also be banking
on the fact that Iranian President
Hassan Rouhani could be fight-

J reason for dispatching its largest warship,

the Izumo helicopter carrier, on a three-
month tour of several Asian countries and
the South China Sea, and its plan to take part
And yet, the two decisions by US
authorities turn out to be a ma-
jor boost of Saudi Arabia’s agenda
with regard to China.
The overall aim of King
Salman’s arrival in Beijing and
immediately after the sanctions
were imposed on ZTE, Chinese
Foreign Minister Wang Yi tried to
finagle his way out. He positioned
long-standing military ties to Iran,
last year agreed to upgrade cooper-
ation with the kingdom.
“China is willing to push mili-
tary relations with Saudi Arabia
ing an uphill battle in presidential
elections in May because the lift-
ing of international sanctions has
been slow in benefitting Iran and
Iranians economically.
in the Malabar joint naval exercise with the United States Salman’s visit is to strengthen his country as a friend of both to a new level,” Chinese Defense However Chinese strategists
and India in the Indian Ocean in July. economic and military ties be- Saudi Arabia and Iran. Minister Chang Wanquan told are likely to see obstacles to doing
This is indeed a sensitive issue for the region as Indone- tween the two countries. In par- Wang urged the countries to his Saudi counterpart, Deputy business with Iran as a short-term
sia and fellow members of ASEAN are negotiating a Code ticular, he wants to persuade “resolve the problems that ex- Crown Prince Mohammed bin problem while Iran has assets Chi-
of Conduct with China in the tense South China Sea. China that Saudi Arabia — rather ist between them via equal and Salman last August. na cannot afford to ignore.
Each time Japan shows signs of a military revival, its than Iran — is its most useful re- friendly consultations” and of- Special counter-terrorism forc-
gional ally. fered to play a mediating role. es from the two countries held the
neighbors, especially China, react, evoking memories of The key point about the penal- Yet there is little prospect for first ever joint exercise between The writer, a senior fellow at the
Japan’s aggression in World War II. So far Japan has not ties and the investigation of the China mediating between Saudi the Chinese military and an Arab S. Rajaratnam School of
provided an official explanation, perhaps becauseJapa- two Chinese companies is that Arabia and Iran. The two coun- armed force two months later. International Studies, is an award-
nese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is testing international they are related to violations of tries view their global rivalry as a Closer military relations and winning journalist.
reactions, especially by China.
Though the carrier is on a peaceful mission, undeni-
ably it is also a show of force, because it includes the South
China Sea, friendly visits to Singapore, the Philippines, In-
donesia and Sri Lanka. The warship will join the Malabar
Russia’s mischief masks its weakness
exercise in July before it returns home in August. Arthur I. Cyr advanced professionally in the nation, including the current Central Asia and Siberia.
China has reacted cautiously. “If it’s only a normal visit, THE CHINA POST/ANN/TAIPEI KGB, the brutal, murderous So- generation. Totalitarianism fed Ukraine is entangled with Rus-
going to several countries, and passing normally through viet secret police. traditional anxieties regarding sia historically. The 1917 Russian

T
the South China Sea, then we’ve got no objections, and he good news is that the
we hope this kind of normal exchange between relevant United States presidential
campaigns and election
countries can play a role in promoting regional peace and mercifully have come to an end.
stability,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua The bad news is that politi-
Chunying said in Beijing on Tuesday. cal fallout from that crude and
Prime Minister Abe has often voiced his desire to coarse collective experience lin-
rewrite Japan’s US-written, pacifist constitution to better gers, distorting and at times cor-
reflect its global posture. Abe fears Japan could become rupting the possibility of the sort
of serious, disciplined discus-
defenseless against China and North Korea, which is sion of foreign policy worthy of a
reportedly close to becoming a full nuclear state. Indeed great power such as the US.
Japan still heavily depends on US military protection. Although the Cold War has
But President Donald Trump has warned that Japan and been over for approximately a
other allies must pay more for America’s protection. quarter of a century, many of our
Territorially Japan does not have claims in the South politicians and much of our me-
China Sea. But it has a strong interest in maritime security dia continue to demonize Russia,
successor to the Soviet Union
in the area and the Malacca Strait, which are vital routes and empire of client states.
for its exports and imports, including oil and gas from the One result is promotion of
Middle East. exaggeration of the true power
Militarily, the presence of a major power in the region of Russia and the effectiveness
is needed to balance China’s rising military might because of the long-term — though not
its smaller neighbors will never have enough capacity to all-powerful — autocratic leader
counter it. But such a presence could irk China. Vladimir Putin. Make no mis-
take, he is a cunning as well as ef-
Indonesia needs to carefully calculate the implications fective power player.
of Japan’s show of force for regional security. Putin not only survived but
Yet Russia’s history does not
translate into great international
power or even reliable domestic
political control today. The 2014
annexation of Crimea, which was
part of the Soviet Union until
1954, reflects traditional Russian
insecurity about reliable access
to the global oceans.
A home port of Russia’s Black
Sea fleet is in Crimea, where sup-
port for Russia is strong. The Eu-
ropean Union and the Obama
administration protested the
invasion and imposed sanc-
tions, no idle gesture given the
structural weakness of Russia’s
economy.
For the US as well as the EU
and NATO, effective policy must
be put in broad historical con-
text. George Kennan, probably
the most perceptive American
analyst of Russia, wrote in 1954
that Soviet leaders “are not like
[...] us.” War to the death with
Nazi Germany has had a pro-
found continuing impact on the
territory and national security.
Contemporary Islamic ex-
tremism adds to ethnic tensions.
Putin hasy contained separatist
movements in Russia, notably
in Chechnya. Chechen President
Ramzan Kadyrov was a powerful
separatist leader, but for some
time has been Moscow’s ally.
The officials of the George W.
Bush administration pressed
eastern expansion of NATO, in-
cluding membership by both
Georgia and Ukraine.
Georgia launched a military
attack on breakaway South Os-
setia. In reaction, the Russian
Army in 2008 invaded. President
Nicolas Sarkozy of France bro-
kered the cease fire; the Bush ad-
ministration did nothing.
Ethnic instability is endem-
ic throughout the former Soviet
Union. During World War II, So-
viet dictator Josef Stalin deport-
ed Meskhetian Turks from Geor-
gia as part of a relocation of an
estimated 1.5 million people to
revolution sparked an indepen-
dence movement. Ukraine even-
tually was absorbed into the So-
viet Union.
Thus caution should define US
policy. Kennan advocated “con-
tainment” as the most effective
response to Soviet communism;
that strategy remains the best.
During the Cold War, US-So-
viet cooperation included the
arts, science and militaries. To-
day, shared goals including de-
stroying the Islamic State make
limited military cooperation
worth at least exploring.
Russia continues a tradition
of making political mischief else-
where. Attempted disruption
of the US presidential election
was a distraction, not a security
threat.
The writer is Clausen
Distinguished Professor at
Carthage College and author of
After the Cold War.

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THURSDAY March 16, 2017
Live together
for peace, trade
for prosperity
H
ighs, lows, bumps and
bruises, I have experi-
enced a lot in my four
years as the Indonesian ambas-
sador to Australia. I have heard
statements from many people
that Indonesia is important to
Australia and that Australia is vi-
tal to Indonesia.
Last Feb. 26, on a cloudy Sun-
day morning in the Sydney Royal
Botanic Gardens, I saw our lead-
ers walking the talk.
I watched, from a distance,
Prime Minister Malcolm Turn-
bull and President Joko “Jokowi”
Widodo sharing stories and stop-
ping to talk with a father and
his baby. For the two leaders at
that moment, there was nothing
more important than getting to
know each other.
On their first meeting in
November 2015, President
Jokowi took PM Turnbull on a
blusukan (impromptu visit) to
Tanah Abang market in Jakarta.
Instead of taking his guest for a
walk around the airy and tran-
quil presidential compound, he
opted to take Turnbull to the
largest textile market in South-
east Asia.
Likewise, Turnbull personal-
ly gave Jokowi a tour of the gar-
dens and the Sydney Harbour.
The night before, the PM and
his wife, Lucy Turnbull, hosted
President Jokowi and First Lady
Iriana for dinner at their private
residence.
They say that to gain trust and
confidence, you should be famil-
iar with the person on a person-
al level. My good friend Senator
Eric Abetz agreed that once you
have the trust and know the per-
son well, other things will fall
into place.
Both Jokowi and Turn-
bull came from business back-
grounds. So they know the value
of spending time together.
I have enjoyed diplomatic life
in Canberra. My team and I were
fortunate to have a solid founda-
tion on which to contribute to the
Australia-Indonesia partnership.
Despite crises in Australia-In-
donesia relations over the years,
two things remain constant.
One is trade, investment, ed-
ucation and cultural relations.
These have served as the anchor
preventing the relationship from
drifting into unchartered waters.
The second is our shared demo-
cratic values and regional inter-
est, which has served as a beacon
navigating the relationship to-
ward security and prosperity.
On the same Sunday as the
morning walk, at the garden of
the Admiralty House overlook-
ing the Sydney Opera House,
the two leaders discussed con-
cluding an ambitious trade
agreement. The move is remark-
able considering several coun-
tries moving toward closed econ-
omies. Australia and Indonesia
are instead moving toward more
open and integrated economies.
Decades of economic data
showed us that with an open
economy and low trade barriers,
trade and investment flow free-
ly, economic activities expand,
jobs are created and prosperity
increases.
Address to the Kurdish nation, from a Frenchman
Bernard-Henri Lévy
PROJECT SYNDICATE/IRBIL
B
y history and language, I
am a member of a very old
nation, one of the world’s
oldest: France. And in spirit I am
a member of a very old people —
the Jewish people — who found-
ed one of the world’s youngest
states. Today, another old people,
the Kurds, are preparing to repli-
cate that experience.
The Kurds, like the Jews, have
lived through countless trials,
endured innumerable twists of
fate, suffered domination again
and again.
Through it all, they held fast,
resisting the forces that sought
to extinguish them.
And today, they are approach-
ing a milestone: a declaration of
self-determination in the form
of a free state that ensures its
citizens liberty, security, and
dignity.
The Kurdish nation was
forged over centuries of pain
and pride. It was strengthened
in the course of the war against
Islamist terrorism, in which the
Kurds have been the civilized
world’s staunchest — and some-
times solitary — spearhead.
I know no Peshmerga fighter
who, while waging our common
battle, did not have in mind the
Nadjib Riphat
Kesoema
CANBERRA
The leaders have taken a num-
ber of measures to allow their re-
spective citizens to spend more
time learning about each other’s
languages, culture and way of
life. President Jokowi inaugurat-
ed three more Indonesian lan-
guage centers in Darwin, Bris-
bane and Sydney in addition to
the existing centers across Aus-
tralia.
Since 2014, the New Colom-
bo Plan has attracted over 2,000
Australians to study in Indone-
sia. In 2016, with over 1.2 mil-
lion visits, Indonesia became
the second most popular tour-
ist destination for Australians.
Conversely, as Ambassador Paul
Grigson observed, Australia re-
mains the destination of choice
for Indonesian students. There
are 19,300 Indonesian students
learning in Australia’s world-
class institutions.
Australia and Indonesia are
also allocating a lot of time to
build on the foundations of re-
gional architecture that both
countries helped to shape over
the decades.
Indonesia is a founding mem-
ber of ASEAN and Australia be-
came ASEAN’s first dialogue
partner in 1974. Regardless of the
critique of its shortcomings, it is
clear that the time invested by
ASEAN member nations and its
dialogue partners has contribut-
ed to setting principles that have
inspired the region’s peace and
prosperity.
That supportive environ-
ment enabled the formation of
the ASEAN-Australia-New Zea-
land trade agreement, opening
ASEAN’s 620 million population
and US$3.24 trillion economy
to Australian businesses and in-
vestment. With over $100 billion
in two-way trade in goods and
services, Australia’s trade with
ASEAN became its second larg-
est.
Shared regional interests
made it natural for Australia and
Indonesia to embark on deeper
and broader maritime coopera-
tion. The recently signed Joint
Maritime Declaration sets tan-
gible cooperation to underscore
the commitment to unimpeded
commerce and navigation, sus-
tainable use of marine resources,
addressing transnational crimes
and peaceful resolutions of mari-
time disputes.
As I bid farewell to Australia, I
am comforted by the thought that
more and more Australians and
Indonesians are spending time
together.
For Australia and Indone-
sia, there is no other choice than
to devote time to live together
peacefully in the region and to
trade together for prosperity.
The writer is the former
Indonesian ambassador
to Australia.
achievement of that ancestral
dream of Kurdish independence.
Mosul will be liberated; the
Islamic State (IS) will be de-
feated; and, when the moment
comes for the referendum that
Massoud Barzani, President
of Iraq’s Kurdistan regional
government, has described as
the Kurds’ inalienable right, the
will of each citizen will be shared
by all.
Even some of the Kurds’ clos-
est allies worry that recognition
of a Kurdish state might upset
the regional balance and pose a
threat to peace.
I believe that the contrary is
true: the Kurds will be a pole of
stability in a region increasing-
ly susceptible to fanaticism and
terror.
To their eternal credit, the
Kurds have defended against all
odds the standards — respect for
borders, for laws, and for funda-
mental human rights — that un-
derpin stability, and that tyrants
from Saddam Hussein to Bashar
al-Assad have flouted.
In a region where others cre-
ate refugees, the Kurds provide a
safe haven.
Indeed, the Kurds have forged
one of the region’s few examples
of a vibrant democracy that up-
holds tolerance, cultural coexis-
tence, and the rule of law.
Fintech: Balancing
regulation, innovation
I
t’s an exciting time for In-
donesian fintech develop-
ment. Given the largely un-
banked population of 250
million and growing levels of in-
ternet penetration, the country
is ripe for innovation in the fi-
nancial services sector.
It’s therefore no surprise that
the country has already seen sev-
eral home-grown fintech success
stories, including DOKU (a digi-
tal wallet) and Modalku (a peer-
to-peer lender platform).
Provided regulators continue
to forge a path toward transpar-
ent rules for financial services,
including ownership and invest-
ment, Indonesia is on the right
path to become a global player in
the fintech space.
Riding the current wave of In-
donesian startups, a number of
key local players ranging from
government agencies, to startups
and big corporates have sprung
up to create an environment that
favors innovation.
As a result, the Indonesian
market has become increasingly
attractive to Australian compa-
nies like Airwallex, a cross-bor-
der payments fintech platform,
who are looking to expand.
However, this growth has re-
sulted in a greater need for fin-
tech regulations in Indonesia
with a specific focus on payments
and digital banking.
Launched in 2015, Airwal-
lex pioneered a simple pay-
ment system that uses machine
learning to provide faster and
cheaper cross-border payments,
and now operates across three
markets — Australia, China and
Hong Kong.
In what other part of the Mus-
lim Middle East does one find
such a strong belief in a geopo-
litical order that tends toward
peace, not war; favors reconcili-
ation over ancient hatreds; and
prefers respect for the other to a
war of civilizations?
The Kurdish state’s small size
will not make it fragile or weak.
History offers many examples of
small nations that are solid and
strong because their people are
united in the face of powerful
neighbors.
For their citizens, the sword
has always been close to the plow
when the time came to defend
the nation.
And, crucially, they are na-
tions of citizens united by their
shared history and spirit, not
by ethnicity, a sense of superi-
ority, or a distrustful, insular
identity.
The Kurds are such a nation: a
people of volunteers who know
why they fight, a people who,
from the humblest to the great-
est, from the Peshmerga regular
to the loftiest of Kurdish com-
manders, do not hesitate to take
up arms to discourage or dis-
mantle despotism — and not only
on their own behalf.
They have been soldiers of
freedom who kept Christians
from being purged from the last
Please send your articles to opinion@thejakartapost.com.
Joe McGuire
MELBOURNE
Through our international
growth, we experienced first-
hand the barriers that the licens-
ing process presents in the early
stages of a startup’s existence.
The regulatory hurdles in
Australia presented a tough
challenge that most fledgling
fintechs would find difficult to
overcome.
Strong expertise and finan-
cial resources were necessary to
meet Australia’s compliance and
financial services regulation.
Because of this challenge, one
of our first hires was a legal and
compliance expert who has inti-
mate knowledge of the regulato-
ry landscape in the Asia-Pacific
region.
There were two key regula-
tions that Airwallex needed to
comply with.
First, we needed an Australian
Financial Services license from
the Australian Securities and In-
vestments Commission (ASIC)
to conduct a financial services
business in Australia.
Second, as an international
payments platform, we needed
to comply with the Australian
Transaction Reports and Anal-
ysis Centre (AUSTRAC) which
governs the country’s anti-mon-
ey laundering and counter ter-
rorism financing regime.
It took Airwallex six months
for our application to be re-
place in the world where the lan-
guage of Christ is still spoken,
while defending the principle
of equality of the sexes, even in
combat — a principle that is the
hallmark of great civilizations.
For these reasons, I believe
that the birth of a Kurdish na-
tion-state will be a force for
peace, not disorder, in the Mid-
dle East — an advance that will
help drive out the genies of vio-
lent extremism, tyranny, and dis-
integration.
Like one of the world’s great-
est nations — though one cur-
rently debased by those who pur-
port to lead it — the Kurds will be
a “shining city on a hill,” a lumi-
nous lodestar for the dispersed
Kurdish people and a source of
hope for all of the world’s dispos-
sessed and displaced.
As such, the Kurds should
never be afraid to proclaim their
ethos, which is both universal
and, if the words have any mean-
ing at all, truly internationalist.
The very voices of Kurdistan
embody this. One thing that has
struck me in the course of my
frequent visits to Kurdistan is
that the Kurds are a multilingual
people.
In addition to Kurdish, they
speak the languages acquired
in exile.
Like the French nation, which
OPINION
viewed by ASIC.
Thankfully, with the support
and understanding of our inves-
tors who saw the potential of our
proprietary technology, we were
able to support ourselves while
our license was pending. Not ev-
eryone can afford to do so.
Despite this, we believe there
should be no shortcuts when it
comes to compliance and finan-
cial services regulation.
[...] We were able to
support ourselves
while our license was
pending. Not everyone
can afford to do so.
One way of ensuring compli-
ance, but fast tracking startups
is a concept that’s been growing
in popularity around the world
in recent years – the regulatory
sandbox.
In fact, ASIC recently launched
a regulatory sandbox initiative in
Australia that provides licensing
exemptions for new fintech busi-
nesses who hold membership to
an Ombudsman, professional in-
demnity insurance, and who noti-
fy ASIC of their intent to operate
in the sandbox.
Specifically, the sandbox al-
lows eligible businesses to test
specified services for up to 12
months with up to 100 retail
clients.
These initiatives reflect Aus-
tralia’s commitment to facilitate
a healthy regulatory environ-
ment that enables early stage in-
was enriched over the centuries
by immigrants and oppressed
peoples, the Kurds are diverse in
origin and cosmopolitan in out-
look.
And their provision of refuge
for persecuted Yezidi and Chris-
tian communities is further
proof of this.
Today’s populists in the West
deny it, but “internationalism” is
a beautiful idea.
For two centuries, it has been
the animating spirit of so many
battles for freedom, and has in-
spired so much courage, resis-
tance, sacrifice, and nobility.
Despite the traps into which
it has sometimes fallen, inter-
nationalism has nourished the
best of what “the West” has
represented.
One of Kurdistan’s merits is to
have kept the flame of interna-
tionalism burning in a benighted
region.
Reflect for a moment on the
Kurds’ battle against IS, which
they have waged not only for
themselves and their safety, but
also on behalf of the rest of the
world.
The Kurds have acted as inter-
nationalists, while also being in-
ternationalists in heart and soul.
The new Kurdish state’s pow-
erful neighbors will, one expects,
be hostile to its example.
| 7
novation to thrive.
The fact is, strict compliance
requirements are critical to pro-
tecting consumers, the financial
services community and Austra-
lia’s global reputation in finance.
Safe, stable and regulated new
businesses will only help the fi-
nance sector to grow.
This is a key driver for FinTech
Australia, our peak body, which
is actively working with govern-
ment, regulators and startups to
create a positive environment
for these businesses to grow.
It was through FinTech Aus-
tralia that Airwallex was able to
contribute to ASIC’s Regulato-
ry Sandbox design to ensure we
struck the right balance of con-
sumer protection and promoting
innovation.
Even now, FinTech Austra-
lia is working with the Reserve
Bank of Australia and the new re-
al-time National Payments Plat-
form to help members like Air-
wallex understand how it may
affect them when it launches in
October this year.
We need to strike the right bal-
ance between encouraging and
supporting innovation in the fi-
nance sector, while ensuring fin-
techs operate responsibly and
are vigilant in mitigating the po-
tential risks posed by new prod-
ucts and services.
Regulation and innovation
don’t need to clash, on the con-
trary, they’re both essential for a
functional, growing sector.
The writer is a member of Fin-
Tech Australia and Airwallex Glob-
al head of sales and partnerships.
Across the Middle East, free
Kurdistan will be a living re-
proach to the false nations, an-
ti-nations, and prison nations in
which Kurds, among others, re-
main confined.
Confronted with the new tests
and challenges that await them,
the Kurdish people must recog-
nize that they are likely to find
themselves as alone as they have
ever been in their long history.
Charles de Gaulle once said
that a people has no friends, and,
alas, the Kurds will find out soon
enough that today’s friends may
prefer their supposed world or-
der to friendship, justice, and
the cause of true stability and
peace.
The Kurds are preparing for
this. And, fortunately, there are
also millions of men and women
abroad, in France and through-
out the world, who believed in
Kurdistan when governments
wanted nothing to do with it.
That sort of friendship — the
support offered by so many of the
world’s citizens — is much more
constant. Friends like that will
never fail.
The writer is a cofounder of the
Nouveaux Philosophes (New Phi-
losophers) movement. His latest
book is The Genius of Judaism.
8 | SPORTS THURSDAY March 16, 2017

PUTTING IT BRIEFLY
N. Korea vs M’sia tie in June: AFC
KUALA LUMPUR: The Asian Cup qualifier between Malaysia and North
Korea, which was postponed last week due to strained relations
between the two countries, has been rescheduled for June 8, the Asian
Football Confederation (AFC) said on Wednesday.
AFC secretary-general Dato’ Windsor John told a media confer-
ence in Kuala Lumpur that the North had been given until April 14 to
propose a neutral venue for the match and said there had been no
suggestion it would be canceled.
Malaysia’s Football Association (FAM) had asked for the March 28
game to be moved away from Pyongyang under pressure from its
government following the recent breakdown in relations.
The two countries have become embroiled in a growing row after
Malaysia accused North Korea of assassinating Kim Jong-nam, the es-
tranged half-brother of Pyongyang ruler Kim Jong-un, at Kuala Lumpur
International Airport on Feb. 13.
“The match is now confirmed to be played on June 8,” Windsor
John said. “We have also told them [North Korea] to come back with a
neutral venue, in the event the diplomatic situation is not solved.” —
Reuters Memorable: Leicester City
fans with their banner are
seen during a Leicester City
Dortmund to face Bayern in Cup semis vs. Sevilla Champions League
round of 16 second leg soccer
BERLIN: Borussia Dortmund was made to work hard for an hour before match at King Power Stadium,
beating third-tier Sportfreunde Lotte 3-0 in the German Cup on Tues- Leicester, England, on Tues-
day to set up a mouth-watering semifinal with holders Bayern Munich. day. Leicester won the match
Christian Pulisic opened the scoring just before the hour, Andre to secure a quarterfinal spot.
Schuerrle volleyed home the second and Marcel Schmelzer added a
late third to end Lotte’s remarkable Cup run.
Initially scheduled for last month, the quarterfinal had been Reuters/Carl Recine
postponed due to snow and was then moved from Lotte to nearby
Osnabrueck as the host’s pitch was deemed unplayable.
But Lotte’s attacking game was unaffected and the giant-killer,
which beat Champions League club Bayer Leverkusen in the previ- JUVE’S BUFFON WANTS TO AVOID LEICESTER
ous round and also eliminated Werder Bremen, put Dortmund on the
backfoot in the opening 20 minutes.
With an audacious pressing game, Lotte missed two early chances
to take the lead.
Giving Dortmund almost no space to develop their quick-passing
in Champions League quarters
game, it kept the Champions League quarterfinalist away from the box Reuters Champions League quarterfinals er Steven N’Zonzi’s 80th-minute fathom.
with Gonzalo Castro and Raphael Guerreiro trying their luck for the visi- with a 1-0 win over Porto on Tues- penalty. Craig Shakespeare, named
TURIN/LEICESTER
tors with long-range efforts. day after a first-half penalty and It was the second time in the manager until the end of the sea-
Lotte gradually ran out of steam in the second half and, unable to Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi red card ended the Portuguese tie 30-year-old Schmeichel had son on Sunday having master-
keep up with the pace, Dortmund took advantage of the cracks that Buffon named outsider Leicester side’s lingering hopes of a come- saved a penalty, having also de- minded domestic wins against
appeared in the hosts’ hard-working backline. City on Tuesday as it is the team back. nied Joaquin Correa from the Liverpool and Hull City since the
American teenager Christian Pulisic slotted home for the lead in the he wanted to avoid in the Cham- Dybala converted the penalty spot in the first leg when he al- sacking of title-winning coach
57th after Ousmane Dembele charged past several players in a 70 m pions League quarterfinals. three minutes before the break most single-handedly kept a dom- Claudio Ranieri, can now look
sprint before delivering a perfect pass. Barcelona, Bayern Munich and to complete a 3-0 aggregate win inant Sevilla side down to a slen- forward to a Champions League
Schuerrle doubeled the advantage in the 66th and Schmelzer’s free Real Madrid are among the sides for the Serie A side after Porto der 2-1 advantage. quarterfinal — as well as the rig-
kick killed off the game seven minutes from time. — Reuters already in the last eight yet it was defender Maximiliano Pereira Goals by Wes Morgan and Marc ors of a relegation dogfight.
the debutant and English Pre- blocked Gonzalo Higuain’s goal- Albrighton on Tuesday had rat- Ranieri’s former assistant said
mier League champion that wor- bound shot with his arm and was tled the Spaniards, who had Samir the key to the sudden turnaround
RI to test Myanmar in friendly match ried the 38-year-old goalkeeper sent off. Nasri red-carded 14 minutes from was quite simple — do as last sea-
the most. The defeat put a dampener an time, but Leicester still needed its son.
JAKARTA: The Indonesian Under-22 soccer team is set to face Myanmar “Who do I prefer not to play? historic evening for Porto goal- keeper who seven years ago was “These players enjoy pressing
in a friendly match on March 21 at Pakansari Stadium in Cibinong, Leicester, because they are a dan- keeper Iker Casillas who made a playing for Notts County in Eng- from the front. We are a better
Bogor, West Java. gerous and passionate team who record 175th appearance in Euro- land’s fourth-tier. team when we do that. The idea
The friendly bout is part of the host team’s preparations for the can cause trouble for opponents pean competition, overhauling Schmeichel senior, now 53, was to make it as uncomfortable
2017 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games biennial multisport event, which who take the initiative,” said Buf- Paulo Maldini’s total. joined in the celebrations as as we could for Sevilla in the first
will be held in Kuala Lumpur in August, the Soccer Association of Indo- fon after his team beat Porto 1-0 The Italians never looked like Leicester’s fans returned to 15 minutes,” he said of the three-
nesia (PSSI) said in a statement. to compete a 3-0 aggregate win. relinquishing their 2-0 lead from dreamland in scenes reminiscent time Europa League winner.
For the match, Indonesia’s manager, Luis Milla, has summoned 26 “Against them, we would have the first leg of the last 16 tie in Por- of last season’s improbable Pre- “We have just knocked out one
players, who were selected during three sessions of the national selec- everything to lose.” tugal three weeks ago when Porto mier League title triumph. of the best teams in Europe in my
tion program. Leicester reached the last eight also played the second half with “It is a great feeling to help the opinion. Their credentials are
The 26 potential players for the young Garuda squad are defender with a 2-0 victory over Sevilla to 10 men after Alex Telles was dis- team progress. It is about confi- there for everyone to see and we
Hansamu Yama of Barito Putera club, midfielder Evan Dimas of Bhay- go through 3-2 on aggregate. missed for two bookable offenses. dence,” Schmeichel, who joined can be immensely proud.
angkara FC and Hariyadi of Persib Bandung, as well as striker Ahmad Forward Paulo Dybala, who Just like his father nearly two Leicester from Leeds United in “But it is only three games,
Nur Hardianto of Persela Lamongan. scored Juve’s goal with a penal- decades ago, Kasper Schmeichel 2011, said after the 3-2 aggregate somewhere along the line there
Hansamu and Evan helped the senior Garuda team finish as a final- ty, said he would like a re-match proved a formidable last line of win. might be a hiccup but I have to
ist in the 2016 Southeast Asian-level AFF Cup. Indonesia lost 3-2 on with Barcelona in the showpiece defense on Tuesday with a cru- “But that is what I’m there enjoy tonight.”
aggregate against Thailand in the final round of the tournament. — JP match if the Serie A side gets to cial penalty save against Sevilla to for. We have gone out and played Skipper Wes Morgan, who
the final again. help Leicester City through to the more like we did last season and scored the first goal, said Leicester
“With the squad we’ve got, we Champions League quarterfinals. we are reaping the rewards of it were proving the doubters wrong
can’t think about not getting to A performance reminiscent of now. It was a fantastic night.” again and would take “whoever
the final,” said the Argentine. “I’d his those given by his dad Peter, Leicester’s performance was comes” in the last eight draw.
pick Barcelona to repay the bill Manchester United’s 1999 Cham- a throwback to the high-intensi- “We pulled off the impossible
from two years ago,” he added, re- pions league winner, reached a ty soccer of last year and makes again,” said Morgan who became
ferring to Juve’s 3-1 defeat. crescendo when the junior Sch- its season-long downturn in the the first Jamaican to score in the
Juventus coasted into the meichel dived to his left to smoth- Premier League even harder to Champions League.

EPL

West Ham on track, Lovren enjoys vital run

Reuters new stadium and a move to a new Manchester
chester City in the pleted the full game if he wanted
LONDON training ground, the Dimi situa- leaguee on Sunday, af- to but we were happy to get g to 75
Antara/Sigid Kurniawan tion, so much has gone on and we ter successfully
uccessfully playing and he was happy with tha that,” U-23
Good seeds: Indonesia’s Spanish soccer team manager Luis West Ham captain Mark No- lost four of our best players to in- more than an hour for interim boss Mike Garr Garrity told
Milla (third left) leads a national selection program for the ble is relieved to have moved on jury in pre-season, which is hard the under-23
nder-23 team ear- British media.
Under-22 squad at the Pelita Harapan school field in Karawaci, from the “hardest eight months” to replace. lier this
his week. “He looked strong and his
Tangerang, on Feb. 22. of his career after off-field issues “You’ve got to stick at it, the Thee 27-year-old authority and experience
exp
disrupted the club’s first season at players have dug in and over the Croatt has strug- was really nice for the
the London Stadium. last couple of months it’s been re- gled with a knee boys out there.
SCOREBOARD West Ham, which finished sev- ally good.” injuryy that has “It’s nice for him be-
enth in the Premier league last Noble said pressure was some- kept him out of cause he o obviously
Basketball Results from the Indian Wells women’s
singles Round 4 matches on Tuesday season, got off to a bad start this thing all players and managers in Liverpool’s
pool’s last wants to get back in
NBA 13-Caroline Wozniacki (Den) beat 9-Madi- term and was languishing in 18th the league had to deal with on a five games, the frame andan wants
Results from the NBA games on Tuesday son Keys (US) 6-4 6-4 place after seven games, but has daily basis. including to put himself
him in
(home team in CAPS) 14-Elena Vesnina (Rus) beat 2-Angelique
Kerber (Ger) 6-3 6-3 rallied in recent months to climb “The things Arsene Wenger leaguee de- front of the manag-
GOLDEN STATE 106 Philadelphia 104
NEW ORLEANS 100 Portland 77 3-Karolina Pliskova (Cze) beat 15-Timea to 11th. has done for Arsenal and some feats to er and tell him he’s
Oklahoma City 122 BROOKLYN 104 Bacsinszky (Sui) 5-1 (Bacsinszky retired) It lost midfielder Manuel Lan- people want him out [...] Players Hull City and fit. He’s o obviously
NY KNICKS 87 Indiana 81 8-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Rus) beat 21-Caro-
line Garcia (Fra) 6-1 6-4 zini, defender Aaron Cresswell, like Wayne Rooney, some people Leicester
ester City. that.”
showed tha
CLEVELAND 128 Detroit 96
7-Garbine Muguruza Blanco (Esp) beat and strikers Andy Carroll and want him out of the Manchester Manag-
anag- Fo u r t h - p l a c e d
10-Elina Svitolina (Ukr) 7-6(5) 1-6 6-0 Andre Ayew to pre-season inju- United team,” Noble added. er Juergen
ergen Klopp Liverpool, which beat
Tennis 12-Venus Williams (US) beat Peng Shuai
(Chn) 3-6 6-1 6-3 ries, while Dimitri Payet handed “I think the big characters, observed
rved the Premier third-placed City 1-0 in
Indian Wells in a transfer request and left for that’s why we are captains of our Leagueue 2 encounter the reverse fixture at An-
Results from the Indian Wells men’s singles
round 3 matches on Tuesday Soccer Olympique de Marseille in Janu- clubs, because we can handle that as Lovren,
ovren, who forms field in Decembe
December and is
2-Novak Djokovic (Srb) beat 31-Juan Martin ary. pressure.” one half of Liverpool’s unbeaten against its top-
Del Potro (Arg) 7-5 4-6 6-1 Champions League
Results from the Champions League “It’s probably been the hardest West Ham, which has not won first-choice
choice centre back six rivals this season,
sea will
5-Rafael Nadal (Esp) beat 26-Fernando
Verdasco (Esp) 6-3 7-5 Last 16 second leg matches on Tuesday [period] of my West Ham career in five games, host defending pairing
ng alongside Joel be looking for its i third
4-Kei Nishikori (Jpn) beat 25-Gilles Muller Juventus (Ita} - Porto (Por) 1-0 over the last eight months be- champion Leicester City in the Matip,p, played 75 min- league win in a row on
(Lux) 6-2 6-2 First leg: Porto - Juventus 0-2.
Juventus wins 3-0 on aggregate. cause we’ve had so much to deal league on Saturday. utes in a 2-0 win over Sunday.
9-Roger Federer (Sui) beat 24-Steve John-
son (US) 7-6(3) 7-6(4) Leicester City (Eng) - Sevilla (Esp) 2-0 with off the pitch,” Noble told the Liverpool defender De- Chelsea
sea on Monday.
15-Nick Kyrgios (Aus) beat 18-Alexander First leg: Sevilla - Leicester City 2-1. club website, whufc.com. jan Lovren is back to full fit- “I think he could Dejan Lovren
Zverev (Ger) 6-3 6-4 Leicester City wins 3-2 on aggregate.
“Obviously the move to the ness ahead of his team’s trip to have com-
Reuters/Phil Noble

ASIAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Luiz Felipe
Scolari
Guangzhou Evergrande denied victory by late penalty
John Duerden FFrontale. even one more goal to clinch the the Roar played well. Group B, Al Wahda held Al Hilal
ASSOCIATED PRESS/SEOUL Yu Kobayashi scored from victory,” Scolari was quoted as “I thought we were matching to a 2-2 draw at Abu Dhabi — ex-
tthe spot five minutes into inju- saying by Xinhua. them, but when you’re playing tending the Saudi club’s stretch
Big-spending Chi- rry time at Tianhe Stadium after Guangzhou and Suwon Bluew- away from home, you need to be to seven trips to the United Arab
ne
n se club Guang-
nese YYu Hanchao had handled in the ings each have five points in the a little bit more ruthless,” Aloi- Emirates without a win — and Al
zhou Evergrande aarea. group. The South Korean club beat si said. “We got into a lot of good Fateh beat Al Jazira 3-1.
was held to a Guangzhou, the six-time de- Hong Kong team Eastern SC 1-0. positions but we probably didn’t At Doha, Al Rayyan moved to
1-1 draw in the ffending Chinese league champi- In a Group E match in Japan, create as many chances as we the top of Group D when it beat
Asian Champi- oons coached by Luiz Felipe Scolari, Kashima Antlers beat Brisbane could have.” Persepolis of Iran 3-1 after Rodri-
ons League on ttook the lead in the first half of the Roar 3-0, leaving the Australian Thai club Muangthong Unit- go Tabata scored twice and set up
Tuesday after GGroup G match when Brazilian club at the bottom of the stand- ed continued its impressive form the other goal.
conceding mmidfielder Alan Carvalho scored ings with one point and a minus-9 to move into second spot behind Group matches continue
an injury- ffrom the edge of the area — his goal differential. The three Aus- Kashima after a 0-0 draw at 2012 Wednesday in the east division,
time pen- tthird goal in as many ACL games. tralian clubs in the tournament Asian champion Ulsan Horangi. with Gamba Osaka hosting Jiang-
alty against “Normally we could score two have yet to register a win in this In the western division, Es- su, FC Seoul at home to former
Ja p a n e s e oor three goals to win the match in year’s competition. teghlal Khouzestan drew 1-1 at champion Western Sydney Wan-
team Ka- ssuch an occasion like tonight, but Brisbane coach John Aloisi home in Iran with Lekhwiya of derers and Urawa Red Diamonds
AP/Eugene Hoshiko
wasaki uunfortunately we couldn’t score said that despite the score, he felt Qatar to maintain top spot in traveling to Shanghai SIPG.
 THURSDAY March 16, 2017
FORMULA ONE MAPS OUT
POST-ECCLESTONE FUTURE
I am speed: Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen takes part
in preseason testing for the 2017 Formula One on
the Barcelona-Catalunya race track in Montmelo,
Spain, on March 2.
Alan Baldwin sport should look and sound.
REUTERS/LONDON “In the five-year program
we’ve got to identify what sort of
The old ringmaster has gone, engine we want in the future, be-
pushed aside by Formula One’s cause that’s the sort of timescale it
new American owners, and the takes, and list the things that are
marketing men have moved in important,” he told an audience at
with a mission to overhaul the cir- a talk in Oxford this month.
cus and give spectators something In the near term, he is putting
more modern for their money. together a group of engineers to
If an era ended in January with try and come up with “a more in-
the exit of Bernie Ecclestone, fol- telligent design of car.”
lowing Liberty Media’s takeover, Leveling the playing field, al-
the Formula One season starting lowing smaller teams a chance to
in Australia on March 26 marks a compete against wealthy manu-
bright new dawn. facturers and keeping traditional
The cars are faster, wider and races on the calendar are high on
more aggressive-looking with fat- the agenda.
ter tires and revised aerodynam- “I think for sure the philosophy
ics but, behind the scenes, more
far-reaching changes are being
mapped out to drive expansion.
Sean Bratches and Ross Brawn
have been appointed managing LAP TIMES
Cars are expected to lap between
directors for the commercial and three and five seconds faster due to re-
sporting sides respectively, under
vised aerodynamics and tire changes.
chairman Chase Carey, and spon- The fastest lap in Barcelona testing was
sorship and research executives
quicker than any pole position there
recruited. since 2007.
The sport is set to accelerate The gain is coming through the cor-
further away from the Ecclestone ners, with many taken flat out thanks
era, one in which the 86-year-old to improved downforce and grip. That
means higher G-forces on drivers.
controlled everything with a fa-
Straight line speeds will be slower
mous reluctance to delegate. but drivers can stay on the throttle for
“There will be a point in the longer.
season [...] where we start to ef- “It’s quite unreal. It’s amazing. I’m
fectuate change,” Bratches told coming through some of these corners
Reuters. “We are going to be very [...] and I’m like a kid on a roller-
aggressive. We are going to try coaster ride because it’s so much
new things, all in the spirit of bet- better than it was before,”
ter serving Formula One fans.” says Mercedes’ triple world
champion Lewis
In the short-term that means
Hamilton.
building up the race weekend,
adding in entertainment and TIRES
events along the lines of Super- Tires are fatter.
Bowl week, exploiting digital plat- The width of the
forms and building fan engage- rears has expanded
ment through social media. from 325 millimeters to
Longer term, expect new rac- 405. The fronts are 305 mm compared
es — with Las Vegas and other to a previous 245 mm. The wheel rims
remain unchanged.
US destination cities high on the
Pirelli expects the tires to offer about
wish list — closer ties to promot- 25 percent more grip and last longer,
ers and a push to maximize rev-
enue.
which is likely to mean fewer pitstops.
“I think the strategy elements that
“We are not yet really even a we’ve seen in the last seasons will be
player in the digital media land- greatly reduced,” says Pirelli motor-
scape, so that’s an opportunity for
us to add some digital dimension
to our traditional broadcast me-
sport head Paul Hembery. “I’m quite
sure we’ll see a lot more one-stop
races.”
dia,” Carey said in January.
AERODYNAMICS
Brawn, the former Honda and Front wings are wider, stretching out
Mercedes boss who won titles
with his own BrawnGP team and
to 1,800 mm from a previous 1,650.
Rear wings are also wider but lower,
was previously Ferrari technical
director, has a three and five-year
plan on the sporting side.
helping give the cars a more aggres-
sive look.
Cars are wider, longer and heavier.
The total width has been expanded
It has to be slow burn because
to 2,000 mm, up from 1,800 mm — a
of contracts that run to 2020 but
return to pre-1988 dimensions.
he is looking at everything from
the format of races to how the
TENNIS
Nadal, Federer set up California clash
Reuters Federer, 35, lost only five points
LONDON on his first serve in his double tie-
breaker win over Johnson in a
Roger Federer and Rafael Nad- match completed without a ser-
al powered to third-round wins vice break.
at the BNP Paribas Open at In- Fourteen-time grand slam win-
dian Wells on Tuesday to set up a ner Nadal, 30, was comfortable as
mouth-watering rematch of their usual in the California desert, dis-
recent Australian Open final. missing compatriot Verdasco to
Fifth seed Nadal defeated fel- keep his Round of 16 date with the
low Spaniard Fernando Verdasco Swiss maestro.
6-3, 7-5, while ninth seed Feder- It was the 50th win at the In-
er served impeccably to get past dian Wells Tennis Garden for
American Stevie Johnson 7-6 (3), Nadal, who has lifted the trophy
7-6 (4) and book the 36th show- three times, in 2007 (over Novak
down of their famous rivalry. Djokovic), 2009 (Andy Murray)
The last time they met, Swit- and 2013 (Juan Martin del Potro).
zerland’s Federer claimed a re- “History says that this tourna-
cord 18th grand slam title in a ment works well for me,” Nadal,
rousing 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6 and 6-3 who holds a 23-12 winning record
triumph over Nadal in Melbourne over Federer, told reporters.
in January. Federer has also enjoyed his h
time at Indian Wells, winning
winnin
four times with the last triumph
triump
Rafael Nadal coming in 2012.
Three-time defending cham- cham
pion Novak Djokovic also ha had
reason to
Reuters/Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
celebrate
celebra
as the
th
second
s e e d
ran o off
the last fivve
games to overcome big-hitting
big-hittin
Juan Martin del Potro 7-5, 4-6 4 ner Williams, the 12 seed, re-
and 6-1 in a bottom half of the th
draw stacked full of top players.
“It was defi- nitely di dif-
ficult to over- come this
th
challenge to- n i g h t ,”
of Liberty and the management
now in FOM is to look at things
in a more complete way,” Brawn
said.
“Not just the amount of money
we can get from a race but what
does it offer Formula One, what
opportunities?
“Do we become partners in
promoting the races? Because
up until now most of the consid-
eration has been how much they
can pay. And we want to change
that balance a bit.”
“Where the race is, and how it’s
held are going to be vital for the
future,” said the Briton.
Ensuring the 20 drivers were
the best in the world, free of com-
The cars are 20 kilograms heavier at
722-kg and “shark fins” have appeared
on most of them, leading off the airbox
behind the driver’s head. The revised
aero could make it harder to overtake,
however.
“Now the turbulence is easily twice
as powerful from the car, coming out
of the back,” says Hamilton.
FUEL
The fuel allowance has been raised
by five kg to 105 kg to compensate for
increased consumption due to the ex-
tra grip, but there are concerns that are
not enough. That could lead to evident
fuel saving at the end of some races.
FORMULA ONE
TAKES ON NEW
LOOK FOR
2017
CHAMPIONS
For the first time since 1994, the
season after Alain Prost won his fourth
title and then retired, Formula One
will have no reigning champion on the
starting grid with Nico Rosberg quitting
in December.
Djokovic said. “The third set was
probably the best tennis that I
played this year and I’m just glad I
was able to pick up my game.”
The victory gave Djokovic a
chance for revenge as he next
meets young Australian Nick
Kyrgios, who defeated the Serb at
this month’s Mexican Open on his
way to the semifinals.
Kyrgios prevailed 6-3, 6-4 over
Alexander Zverev in an entertain-
ing first tour-level meeting be-
tween the young guns.
Fourth seed Kei Nishikori of
Japan also cruised into the fourth
round with a 6-2 6-2 rout of Gilles
Muller of Luxembourg.
Nishikori next faces American
Donald Young, who needed seven
match points to complete p a 6-4
1-6 6-3 victory over 14th-seeded
Frenchman Lucas Pouille. ille.
In the women’s division,ision, Rus-
sia’s Elena Vesnina ousted usted Ger-
man second seed Angelique
Kerber 6-3, 6-3 to reach h the quar-
terfinals of the BNP Paribasribas Open
on Tuesday.
The victory was the 14th-seeded
Vesnina’s first against a top-three
player and put the doubles ubles spe-
cialist into a last-eight showdown
against Venus Williams. s.
Seven-time grand slam lam win-
th
covered from a slow start to
grind down China’s Peng eng Shuai.
After battling back from om match-
point down earlier in the week
against Jelena Jankovic, c, Williams
Reuters/Albert Gea
mercial considerations, is anoth-
er box yet to be ticked and one
linked to the thorny subject of a
fairer distribution of revenues.
Brawn said that only truly ap-
plied to the top half of the grid at
present.
“We should have a true meri-
tocracy in Formula One. But you
can’t do that because some of the
teams rely on the commercial
input of their drivers, else they
wouldn’t survive,” he said.
“So you have to create a plat-
form where the small teams can
survive and then you can start to
insist that they pick drivers on
merit and not on what money
they bring with them.”
Jenson Button, the 2009 champion,
has also departed but four previous
titleholders remain — Hamilton,
four-time champion Sebastian Vettel
(Ferrari), 2007 winner Kimi Raikkonen
(Ferrari) and double champion Fern-
ando Alonso (McLaren).
TEAMS
The grid has shrunk to 10 teams
and 20 drivers, following the demise
of Manor.
Toro Rosso has switched from Fer-
rari to Renault power.
RACES
The season has 20 races, one fewer
than 2016, due to Germany’s absence
for financial reasons and no new
additions.
NEW FACES
Button, Rosberg, Bra-
zilian Felipe Nasr and
Mexican Esteban
Gutierrez have left.
In come Belgian
Stoffel Vandoorne
at McLaren and
18-year-old Cana-
dian Lance Stroll with
Williams.
Other paddock moves are Finland’s
Valtteri Bottas to Mercedes, France’s
Esteban Ocon to Force India, Ger-
many’s Pascal Wehrlein to Sauber,
Denmark’s Kevin Magnussen to Haas
and Germany’s Nico Hulkenberg to
Renault.
FAREWELLS
Ecclestone is no longer in charge,
but has an undefined “Emeritus” role.
Renault has split with team
principal Frederic Vasseur and not
replaced him.
Technical head Paddy Lowe has
left Mercedes and former Ferrari man
James Allison has taken his place.
Engineering head Pat Symonds is
gone from Williams.
executed another turnaround
against Peng to win 3-6, 6-1 and
6-3.
World number three Karoli-
na Pliskova advanced to the last
eight after 15th seed Timea Bac-
sinszky of Switzerland retired
from their match while trailing
5-1 in the first set.
The Czech will face reigning
French Open champion Garbi-
ñe Muguruza of Spain, a 7-6(5),
1-6 and 6-0 winner over in-form
Ukrainian Elina Svitolina.
Caroline Wozniacki, the 13th
seed and 2011 champion, reached
the quarters with a 6-4, 6-4 vic-
tory over ninth-seeded Ameri-
can Madison Keys. The Dane
will meet Kristina Mladenovic of
France,, who beat American Lau-
ren Davis 6-3, 6-3.
Roger
Federer
Reuters/
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-
USA TODAY Sports
SPORTS | 9
PUTTING IT BRIEFLY
Lee hungry for more after All England win
SEPANG: Lee Chong Wei has
returned from the All England
badminton championships with
renewed fire in his belly.
The 34-year-old won his
fourth All England title on Sun-
day despite sustaining a knee
injury last month.
The three-time Olympic silver
medalist, who arrived at Kuala AP
Lumpur International Airport Lee Chong Wei
(KLIA) on Tuesday morning,
believes he is slowly getting back to his best.
And Lee is already looking ahead as he plots to win the Malaysian
Open for a record 12th time when the competition starts in Kuching
from April 4 to 9.
“I’m probably not at 100 percent yet but I’m slowly getting there,”
said Lee who was greeted by his wife, Wong Mew Choo and sons —
Kingston and Terrance — upon his arrival at KLIA.
“My focus this year is still the major tournaments - the Sudirman
Cup and the World Championships.
“But winning the All England, which is one of my favorite tourna-
ments has gone my fire burning again and I’m hoping to go on and
win the Malaysian Open for a 12th time.”
For now, Lee who was down with fever during his flight back, will
first recover and return to training to prepare for his next tournament —
the India Open in New Delhi from March 28 to April 2. — ANN/The Star
Danny Willett expects revival
LONDON: Danny Willett has had a bumpy ride on the golf course
since his surprise victory at the Masters last year, but the Englishman
reckons he will be all smiles when he returns next month to defend
the green jacket.
A celebratory period after his surge to victory past a floundering
Jordan Spieth, enjoying life at home with his baby boy and handling
expectations after claiming his maiden major all took a toll on his
game.
“I had some up-and-downs in the last 12 months,” Willett, who has
yet to win since his Masters triumph, told a conference call on Tuesday
from Bay Hill, where he is playing in this week’s Arnold Palmer Invita-
tional.
A bubbly enthusiasm rose in his voice as he talked about his return
to Augusta National for the April 6 to 9 tournament.
“I’m pretty sure that as I get even within the area of Augusta,
there’s going to be a big Cheshire smile on my face,” said Willett.
Last season Willett became worn down by a schedule that included
the Rio Olympics and a difficult Ryder Cup, where he was heckled
relentlessly by galleries after his brother wrote a magazine story that
crudely lampooned American golf fans. — Reuters
JP/Wendra Ajistyatama
Key figures: Vice President Jusuf Kalla (center), flanked by Coordi-
nating Human Development and Culture Minister Puan Maharani
(left) and Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi, poses before
holding a meeting on 2018 Asian Games preparations at the Youth
and Sports Ministry on Wednesday. The meeting discussed prepa-
rations for the games and strategies to fulfill Indonesia’s ambition to
reach the top eight with 23 gold medals.
ASIAN GAMES
Kalla urges budget efficiency,
athlete preparations
Dicky Christanto gave an assurance that his office
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA had been considering options on
how to make the spending more
Vice President Jusuf Kalla efficient. His ministry, he added,
has stressed that efficient budget was recently in talks with other
spending is essential in the gov- institutions such as the Commu-
ernment’s preparations for the nications and Information Min-
upcoming 2018 Asian Games. He istry on strategies to produce
said the government had spent
Rp 30 trillion (US$2.2 billion)
already, most of which was ear-
marked for infrastructure con-
cost-friendly promotions and
publication materials.
Imam added without elabo-
ration that his ministry was also
struction. discussing strategies and possi-
“Cost efficiency is the name of bilities with the National Police
the game right now. The challenge to reduce the security budget.
is how to have a good event on a The meeting also urged the
proportionate budget,” he told a sports ministry to closely moni-
press conference on Wednesday. tor the athlete preparations so it
Therefore, he added, a large could meet the government’s tar-
number of refurbishment proj- get of Indonesia securing at least
ects were currently underway in 23 gold medals and being listed in
Jakarta; Palembang, South Suma- the top-eight countries.
tra; and in West Java as the gov- Imam said preparation strate-
ernment intended to maximize gies had been mulled and carried
the use of existing properties. out by Satlak Prima, a task force
Kalla’s warning was made dur- assigned to groom and improve
ing a coordination meeting be- athletes’ performances, in coop-
tween him and all related stake- eration with each sport associa-
holders, which was held at the tion.
Youth and Sports Ministry build- Commenting on preparations,
ing on Wednesday. Besides the Alamsyah Wijaya of the Indone-
warning, Kalla also mentioned sian Association of Weightlift-
the importance of athlete-prepa- ing, Powerlifting and Bodybuild-
ration programs.
p g ing said the training center for
Recently the A Asian Games or- his athletes has been moved to
ganizing committee
committ (Inasgoc) re- Soreang, West Java as the facility
quested Rp 8.7 trillion
tri for the big- provided by the government in
gest quadrennial sporting event Cibubur was no longer function-
in Asia, which willw be hosted in ing.
Jakarta and Palembang.
Palem “Up to this date, the associa-
So far, the government
gov has al- tion has still had to dig into its
located Rp 50050 billion for In- own pocket to finance the train-
asgoc’s operational
op and ing camps. It costs around Rp 300
preparation
preparati purposes. million per month,” he told The
Recently
Recent a regulato- Jakarta Post.
ry breakthrough
bre was Among the latest strategies is
made that would al- a revision of the number of sports
low IInasgoc chief Er- competed in during the Asian
Thohir to get ac-
ick T Games, from 42 into 37.
cess to funding from Ministry spokesman Gatot S.
the Finance
Fin Ministry. Dewobroto earlier said the re-
Commenting
Comm on this, vision would not affect sports
Youth and
a Sports Min- in which Indonesia had a good
ister Imam
I Nahrawi chance of securing medals.
10 | THURSDAY March 16, 2017

THAILAND
AROUND THE REGION License to nurse
Singapore protests Indonesia’s actions Human rights
SINGAPORE: Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), which has
been closely monitoring the case involving boat captain Ricky Tan Poh
activists
Hui, on Wednesday also disputed the facts against the Singaporean.
A ministry spokesman said in a statement issued after the hearing
convicted for
that the Seven Seas Conqueress, its crew, and passengers, were de-
tained by the Indonesian authorities within Singapore territorial waters
off Pedra Branca.
2007 protest
A spokesman from the ministry added that Singapore has strongly
protested the Indonesian Government’s actions. The Nation/ANN
“We have emphasised that there is no basis for Indonesia’s deten- BANGKOK
tion of the vessel, its crew and passengers, nor for the continued
detention of and purported charges brought against Mr. Tan,” he said. Magsaysay Award winner Jon
“In addition, Singapore officials have communicated repeatedly with Ungpakorn and Supinya Klangn-
the relevant Indonesian authorities, at both the national and provincial arong, a member of the National
level, to seek the immediate release of Mr. Tan and the vessel, as well Broadcasting and Telecommu-
as the termination of any purported investigations against him.” nications Commission (NBTC),
The MFA also said that it had immediately sought consular access to were among a group of activists
Tan once they learned of his arrest but it was only granted on Jan. 24. who were convicted for storming
“MFA will persist in our efforts to secure the immediate release of the parliamentary compound 10
Mr. Tan and the vessel.” — The Strait Times/ANN years ago to protest against laws
affecting human rights.
The Supreme Court on Tues-
‘Beauty and the Beast’ shelved day found the group guilty of an
assembly of more than 10 peo-
KUALA LUMPUR: Walt Disney shelved the release of its new movie ple, sedition, offenses regarding
Beauty and the Beast in mainly Muslim Malaysia after refusing to cut national security, and an offence
a gay scene to mollify film censors. violating the public peace during
The studio said late Tuesday that the film “has not been and will not their protest in December 2007.
be cut” for release in Malaysia. However, all of the activists
Screenings of the live-action re-telling of the animated classic was AP /Thein Zaw walked free yesterday as the court
scheduled to begin Thursday. But the country’s two main cinema Myanmar nurses march as they leave after a protest in a park in Yangon on Wednesday. Hundreds of Myan- issued twoyear suspended sen-
chains said the movie had been postponed at Disney’s request and it mar nurses and midwives took part in the protest against a statement from the Ministry of Health to apply tences, during which time the ac-
would refund patrons who had bought advanced tickets. registration and licenses after serving in government for three years and to bar unlicensed nurses and mid- tivists are required to show “good
Film Censorship Board chairman Abdul Halim Abdul Hamid earlier wives from working in private hospitals. faith.”
Tuesday said the film had been approved by the board after a minor The 2007 action came as Jon
gay scene was axed. He said scenes promoting homosexuality were and many other activists pro-
forbidden and that the film was given a P13 rating, which requires tested against the National Leg-
parental guidance for children under 13 years of age. islative Assembly, backed by the
The film’s characters include manservant LeFou, who plays the side-
kick to the story’s villain Gaston, and, according to director Bill Condon,
“is confused about his sexuality.” Condon has described a brief scene
as a “gay moment.” — AP
Kim Jong-nam’s former junta, which had hastily
passed many laws including the
Internal Security Act to restrict
people’s rights.

identity confirmed
The assembly functioned as
21 rhino horns worth $5 million seized the legislative house after the
2006 coup toppled Thaksin Shi-
BANGKOK: Thai authorities said Tuesday they had seized 21 unusually nawatra’s government.
large rhinoceros horns worth almost US$5 million that were smuggled “What I did in 2007 was meant
from Ethiopia. Eileen Ng Malaysian authorities ing the country until a “fair set- to restore the legitimacy of the
The bags carrying the horns were discovered last Friday in a random ASSOCIATED PRESS/KUALA LUMPUR say Kim was killed Feb. tlement” of the case is reached. lawmaking process,” Jon told re-
customs search at Bangkok’s main airport, the Thai Customs Department 13 when two women Malaysia then barred North Ko- porters after the court session
said in a statement. They discovered the horns, weighing almost 50 kilo- Malaysian police were able to smeared his face with reans from exiting its soil. The yesterday. “Laws that restrict the
grams, inside hard-shelled luggage bags originating from Addis Ababa. confirm the identity of Kim Jong- banned nerve agent VX two countries have also scrapped basic rights of the people should
The bags’ owners, two Thai women who had arrived on separate nam, who was killed last month at visa-free travel for each other’s not be passed in a rushed man-
flights but went to claim the luggage, fled as officers searched their Kuala Lumpur’s airport, using a North Korea widely citizens. ner.
bags and have not been apprehended, the statement said. Arrest war- DNA sample from one of his chil- suspected of being Four of the seven North Kore- “It’s better to have representa-
rants have been issued for them. dren, Deputy Prime Minister Ah- behind attack an suspects being sought by Ma- tives of the people make the law,”
Customs officials said the horns are unusually large and pristine. mad Zahid Hamidi said Wednes- laysia are believed to have left the he said.
“The rhino horns we confiscated this time are the most beautiful day. country on the day Kim was killed. Asked if he would protest
horns we’ve ever seized from this airport,” the statement said. Zahid also said negotiations Malaysian authorities say Police say the other three, includ- against the current National Leg-
It is the second time in two years that rhino horns have been began Monday to resolve a diplo- Kim was killed Feb. 13 when two ing a North Korean diplomat and islative Assembly under the pre-
seized at the airport, with the previous haul being worth around matic standoff over the death of women smeared his face with an employee of Air Koryo, North sentday junta, Jon said: “I am tied
US$600,000. — AP Kim, the estranged half brother of the banned nerve agent VX in a Korea’s state airline, are believed by the court’s verdict.”
North Korea’s leader. crowded airport terminal. He was to be in the North Korean Embas- Supinya said on her Facebook
carrying a passport bearing the sy in Kuala Lumpur. page that the ruling had legal im-
name Kim Chol. Police said last Zahid said formal talks are on- plications regarding her position
week they had confirmed the vic- going at the “secretary-general as a commissioner of the NBTC.
tim was Kim Jong-nam, but re- level” and that Malaysia is keep- Supinya added that she had
fused to say how. ing an “open heart and open asked the NBTC to suspend her
North Korea — widely suspect- mind” in the negotiations. duties pending an interpretation
ed of being behind the attack — Asked if Malaysia will ex- of the verdict.
continues to call the victim Kim change the Korean suspects be- “I respect the court’s verdict
Chol and has rejected the autopsy lieved to be hiding in the embassy and accept its consequences,”
findings. for the Malaysians in Pyongyang, she said. “As the court found me
Zahid said police “confirmed he said “we are looking at all pos- guilty, despite no punishment,
that the identity of the body is sibilities.” the ruling might have some legal

The Jakarta Post’s

Kim Jong-nam based on the sam- There are nine Malaysians in impact on my qualifications as a
ple taken from his child.” He did North Korea — three embassy commissioner.
not say when and where the DNA staff members and their family “If the NBTC’s legal depart-
sample was taken. members. About 315 North Kore- ment decides I am disqualified,

English Writing Workshop Kim is believed to have two

sons and a daughter with two
women living in Beijing and Ma-
cau, but it is unclear where they
for Effective Communication currently are. A man claiming to
be Kim’s son appeared in a You-
Tube video last week saying he is
Improve your English writing with ease by safe with his mother and sister at
an undisclosed location.
learning from the experts. Malaysian officials say Kim’s
body has been embalmed to bet-
ter preserve it and that Kim’s rel-
atives will be given two to three
weeks to claim it.
Relations between Malaysia
and North Korea have deteriorat-
ed sharply since Kim’s death, with
each expelling the other’s ambas-
sador. Last Tuesday, North Korea
blocked all Malaysians from leav-
ans are in Malaysia.
Zahid also brushed off calls by
North Korea for an international
inquiry over the use of VX in Kim’s
death, saying the North has shown
that it does not respect decisions
made by international bodies in
reference to its nuclear program.
Although Malaysia has never
directly accused North Korea of
being behind the attack, many
speculate that it must have or-
chestrated it.
Experts say the VX nerve agent
used to kill Kim was almost cer-
tainly produced in a sophisticat-
ed state weapons laboratory, and
North Korea is widely believed to
possess large quantities of chemi-
cal weapons.
I have to end my position com-
pletely. Otherwise I will resume
work,” she said.
The other eight convicted
activists in the case are Sawit
Kaewwan, leader of State Rail-
way of Thailand trade union;
Sirichai Maingam, Electricity
Generating Authority of Thai-
land’s trade union leader; Pi-
chit Chaimongkol and Nasur
Yeemah, former members of the
New Politics Party; farmer An-
irut Kaosanit; Amnart Palame,
deputy secretary-general of the
State Enterprise Worker Rela-
tions Confederation; Saree Ong-
somwang, a member of National
Reform Steering Council; and
lawyer Pairoj Polphet.

MIGRANT WORKERS

FM Retno visits Malaysia

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IT’S A MUST visit to the two locations, which
For everyone who wishes to sharpen their is the first in 30 years, showed
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on behalf of PT Bina Media Tenggara those who are married to locals,”
Arrmanatha said on Wednesday.
He revealed that the Indone-
sian Consulate General in Johor
Bahru was unique as it helped to
facilitate about 7,000 citizens, of
the 347,000 residing in the state,
to return to Indonesia annually.
During the visit, Retno will also
officiate new innovations at both
consulates such as a file tracking
system that eases passport filing
for Indonesians and the imple-
mentation of a cashless system
for consular services.
Arrmanatha acknowledged that
many Indonesians were facing
problems in the neighboring coun-
try, saying issues related to human
trafficking were increasing.
“Most of the cases handled by
our consulates in the two states
involve labour laws such as the
low incomes or abuse they face,
immigration disobedience, drugs
and murder,” said Arrmanatha.
As for Indonesian citizen Siti Ai-
syah, who is currently facing a mur-
der charge that carries a maximum
sentence of death, Arrmanatha said
she had met with a lawyer three
times in preparation for her trial.
Siti has been named a suspect
in the murder of North Korean
Kim Jong-nam, who was the es-
tranged half-brother of North Ko-
rea’s leader Kim Jong-un.
Meanwhile, Arrmanatha said
the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala
Lumpur was currently handling
the case of an Indonesian citizen
who was arrested over links to the
Islamic State (IS) movement.
“We received the information
from the embassy and the sus-
pect’s lawyer showed the suspect
left Jakarta on Feb. 18 and was
scheduled to leave for Syria on
Feb. 22 after transit in Malaysia.
“We will ensure that his rights
are not violated and he will get a
fair and just trial,” he added.
Malaysian police previously
arrested three men, including an
Indonesian national, for making
terror threats and planning to go
to Syria.
The Indonesian, who works as
a security guard for an airline, was
captured along with a 32-year-old
Malaysian, who is also a securi-
ty guard at a private company in
Kuantan, Pahang.
— The writer is an intern at
The Jakarta Post.
THURSDAY March 16, 2017
Shattered: An Iraqi flag waves atop a destroyed building near Mosul, Iraq, after the area was retaken by Iraqi forces on Wednesday.
Heavy fighting as forces set
sights on Mosul’s city icon
Patrick Markey
and John Davison
REUTERS/MOSUL
Government forces set their
sights on reaching the Grand
Mosque in Mosul’s Old City on
Wednesday and the prime minis-
ter said the battle to drive Islam-
ic State (IS) movement from its
last urban stronghold in Iraq was
reaching its final stages.
Losing the city would be a huge
blow to IS as it has served as the
group’s de facto capital since its
leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi pro-
claimed himself head of a caliph-
ate spanning Iraq and Syria from
the Grand Mosque in the summer
of 2014.
Troops were also concentrat-
ing on capturing the Iron Bridge
linking eastern Mosul with the
Old City on the western side of
the Tigris river, where IS fighters
are preparing to make a last stand.
Heavy fighting was reported
around the Mosul Museum by
journalists and combatants. An IS
suicide car bomb exploded near
the museum.
The intense combat, much of
it street-by-street, marked a deci-
sive stage in the battle for Mosul
POLITICAL LANDSCAPE
S. Korea to hold election on May 9, prosecutors summon Park
Christine Kim
and Park Ju-min
REUTERS/SEOUL
South Korea said on Wednes-
day it will hold an election on May
9 to choose a successor for former
president Park Geun-hye, who
was removed from office in a his-
toric court ruling last week over a
widening corruption scandal.
Prosecutors said on Wednes-
day Park — the first democrati-
cally elected president to be re-
moved from office in South Korea
— would be summoned for ques-
tioning on Tuesday into the influ-
ence-peddling scandal.
The Constitutional Court dis-
missed Park from office on Friday
when it upheld a parliamentary
impeachment vote in December.
Park has denied any wrongdo-
ing.
The Samsung Group, South
Korea’s largest conglomerate, is
US-SINO TIES
China wants no trade war with US: Li
Reuters
BEIJING
China’s Premier Li Keqiang
said on Wednesday that Bei-
jing does not want to see a trade
war with the United States and
urged talks between both sides to
achieve common ground.
“We do not want to see any
trade war breaking out between
the two countries. That would not
make our trade fairer,” Li said at
his annual news conference at the
end of the annual meeting of Chi-
na’s parliament.
“Our hope on the Chinese side
is that no matter what bumps this
relationship hits, we hope it will
continue to move forward in a
positive direction,” he said.
“We may have different statis-
As many as 600,000
civilians still trapped with
militants inside Mosul
Losing city will be huge
blow to IS as it has served
as group’s de facto capital
which started on Oct. 17 last year.
As well as waging jihad in Iraq
and Syria, the militants have also
inspired attacks in cities in Eu-
rope, Africa and elsewhere that
have killed hundreds of civilians.
“Our forces are advancing to-
wards their targets. The main
objective will be seizing the Iron
Bridge and after that we will start
an operation to seal off the area
near the bridge to clear it from
Daesh fighters,” said a spokesman
for the Interior Ministry’s Rapid
Response units, one of the elite
forces spearheading the offen-
sive, using an Arab acronym for
the group.
“We will be heading towards
the old market in Bab al-Tob and
advance deeper to reach the loca-
tion of Mosul’s Grand Mosque.”
The capture of the mosque
would be a huge symbolic victory
as well as a concrete gain but that
already embroiled in the scandal
and the Yonhap news agency said
prosecutors had started investi-
gating two other conglomerates
— the Lotte Group and SK Group.
Samsung denies any wrongdo-
ing. Spokesman for both the SK
Group and Lotte said they would
cooperate with the investigation.
The turmoil comes at a time of
rising tension with North Korea
over its nuclear and missile pro-
grammes, and with China over the
deployment of a US anti-missile
system in South Korea that China
sees as a threat to its security.
US Secretary of State Rex Til-
lerson will visit South Korea,
as well as Japan and China, this
week.
Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-
ahn, who has been acting president
since the impeachment vote, said
he would not run in the election.
Minister of the Interior Hong
Yun-sik promised the vote would
tical methods, but I believe what-
ever differences we may have we
can all sit down and talk to each
other and work together to find
solutions,” Li said.
Issues that cannot immediate-
ly be solved should be “shelved”
for the time being, he added.
US media have reported that
US President Donald Trump and
Chinese President Xi Jinping will
meet in Florida next month.
Trump has attacked China on
issues ranging from trade to the
South China Sea and what he per-
ceives as China’s lack of inter-
est in reining in nuclear-armed
North Korea.
During the election campaign,
Trump had threatened to label
China a currency manipulator
and impose huge tariffs on im-
may take some time yet. The at-
tacking forces faced sniper and
mortar fire as well as the threat of
suicide car bombs and grenade-
dropping drones.
Iraqi officers said cloudy
weather was hampering air cover
on Wednesday morning.
Securing the Iron Bridge would
mean Iraqi forces hold three of
the five bridges in Mosul that
span the Tigris, all of which have
been damaged by the militants
and United States-led air strikes.
In Baghdad, Prime Minister
Haider al-Abadi said: “Daesh be-
come day after day surrounded
inside a tight area and they are in
their final days.”
“Speaking at a news conference
on Tuesday night, he warned the
insurgents that they must surren-
der or be killed although he also
pledged to treat the militants’
families fairly.
“Let me be very clear, we will
preserve families of Daesh who
are civilians but we will punish
the terrorists and bring them to
justice if they surrender,” he said.
“They are cornered and if they
will not surrender they will defi-
nitely get killed.”
However, many hard days of
be the most clean and transpar-
ent ever.
“This election is unprecedent-
ed in our history,” Hong told a
briefing, referring to the short
campaign period.
Hwang had emerged in opinion
polls as a top conservative candi-
date even though he had not de-
clared an intention to run.
The scandal has undermined
support for the ruling conserva-
tives, and Hwang’s decision would
appear to bolster the chances of a
prominent liberal, Moon Jae-in,
who is leading in opinion polls.
Park was summoned to appear
for questioning at 9.30 a.m. local
time next Tuesday, the prosecu-
tors’ office said.
Her lawyers said in a statement
they would cooperate. “The law-
yers will cooperate with the in-
vestigation to find substantive
truth swiftly by actively helping
with various procedures,” they
ports of Chinese goods.
He has not followed through on
either move yet, but the US Trea-
sury will issue its semi-annual
currency report in April.
China’s trade surplus against
the US was US$366 billion in
2015.
Last month, Trump held his
first face-to-face talks with a
member of the Chinese leader-
ship, top diplomat Yang Jiechi,
who outranks Foreign Minister
Wang Yi. The White House said
it was a chance to discuss shared
security interests and a possible
meeting with President Xi.
Li also reiterated in his re-
marks that China-US relations
are founded upon adherence to
the “one China” policy, under
which Washington acknowledges
AROUND THE WORLD
Reuters/Suhaib Salem
fighting could still lie ahead as
government forces try to make
headway in the streets and nar-
row alleyways of the Old City.
IS fighters have booby-trapped
houses, and government forces
will also be fighting amongst civil-
ians, ruling out the extensive use
of air and artillery support.
Residents have streamed out
of western neighborhoods recap-
tured by the government, many
desperately hungry and trauma-
tized by living under IS’s hardline
rule.
As many as 600,000 civilians
are still trapped with the mili-
tants inside Mosul. The Minis-
try of Immigration and Displace-
ment said on Tuesday that in
recent days, almost 13,000 dis-
placed people from western Mo-
sul had been given assistance and
temporary accommodation each
day, adding to the 200,000 al-
ready displaced.
Staff Brigadier Falah al-Obei-
di of the Counter Terrorism Ser-
vice told Reuters his troops had
taken control on Wednesday over
the Dor al-Sikak and the al-Nafut
areas, site of the militants’ main
weapons stores in Mosul just west
of the Old City.
said.
Park had declined to be ques-
tioned by prosecutors or testify
at the Constitutional Court when
she was in office.
After she left the presidential
Blue House on Sunday, she issued
a statement hinting of defiance,
saying: “It will take time, but I be-
lieve the truth will be revealed.”
Prosecutors have not said how
long they think their investiga-
tion would last.
A special prosecution team had
accused Park of colluding with a
friend, Choi Soon-sil, to pressure
big businesses into contributing
to foundations set up to support
her policies and allowing Choi to
influence state affairs.
Choi also denied wrongdoing.
Jay Y. Lee, the head of Samsung
Group, is on trial on bribery, em-
bezzlement and other charges in
connection with the scandal. Lee
denies all charges.
the Chinese position that there is
only one China, of which Taiwan
is a part.
The “one China” policy “has re-
mained unshaken despite chang-
ing circumstances,” he said, add-
ing “this foundation cannot be
undermined.”
Trump incensed Beijing in De-
cember by talking to Taiwan Pres-
ident Tsai Ing-wen and saying the
US did not have to stick to the
policy, vaguely suggesting that he
may abandon the policy as part
of negotiations for a better trade
deal with China.
Trump later agreed in a phone
call with Xi to honor the “one Chi-
na” policy in a diplomatic boost
for Beijing, which vehemently op-
poses criticism of its claim to self-
ruled, proudly democratic Taiwan.
WORLD | 11
Parched koalas seek new water sources
GUNNEDAH: Koalas are standing on their hind legs for more than 10
minutes at a time to gulp water at drinking stations in Australia as ris-
ing temperatures and rainfall disruption drive the animals to search for
new sources of moisture, scientists say.
The desperation to slake their thirst is driving a change in the habits
of the tree-dwelling species, with animals ready to run the risk of at-
tack from predators on the ground in their scramble for water.
Rather than relying solely on eucalyptus leaves for nourishment and
moisture, more than 100 koalas drank from water stations both on
the ground and in trees over the autumn and winter months, camera
footage showed.
“The more days without rain, the longer the visits koalas had at the
water stations,” said researcher Valentina Mella, of the University of
Sydney’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences.
The researchers placed cameras and purpose-built water stations
around a farm in the rural town of Gunnedah, more than 300 kilome-
ters from Australia’s most populous city, Sydney, and home to a large
koala population. — Reuters
China boosts scholarships for Indonesians
JAKARTA: The Chinese government will continue to increase the
number of state-funded scholarships for Indonesians pursuing higher
education in China as the Asian giant seeks to strengthen ties and
people-to-people relations with the archipelagic nation.
Zhou Bin, cultural counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta, an-
nounced on Wednesday that the government had opened applications for
197 full scholarships for Indonesians to study for a bachelor’s degree, mas-
ter’s degree, doctorate degree or undertake Mandarin language studies.
The amount shows a continued rise in the government’s fully-fund-
ed scholarships over the past few years, the biggest since 2016, which
saw a jump to 187 scholarships from 15 slots the previous year.
As many as 12 study areas are available, including science, engi-
neering, medicine, economics, law and the arts.
“The relations between the two countries will continue to be
strengthened,” Zhou Bin said during a scholarship briefing event at the
Indonesian Al Azhar University’s Chinese Cultural Center in Jakarta.
Citing government data, Zhou Bin said more than 500 Chinese stu-
dents were currently studying in Indonesia, 25 of whom had received
funding from the Indonesian government.
Meanwhile, there are more than 14,000 Indonesians currently
studying in China. — JP
Pakistan launches first census in 19 years
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan launched a national census on Wednesday, the
country’s first in 19 years.
Asif Bajwa, the country’s chief census officer, told reporters in the
capital Islamabad that tens of thousands of civilian data collector will be
working door-to-door, supported by 200,000 soldiers, as reported by the
Associated Press.
The project will be conducted in two phases and aims to be finished
by May 15, Bajwa said.
He appealed to all citizens to cooperate with the data collection staff-
ers, warning that providing false or incorrect information could result in
fines or even jail terms of up to six months. The survey will also count
Afghan refugees, diplomats and, for the first time, transgender people.
“We have to count each and every person who is sharing the re-
sources of my country,” Bajwa said.
Pakistan hosts 1.5 million registered, and nearly one million more
unregistered Afghan refugees, who have fled their war-torn homeland.
Islamabad last conducted a census in 1998, which recorded a national
population of approximately 180 million. Analysts believe the number
has since risen past 200 million.
However, the plan to include Afghan refugees has been strongly op-
posed by leaders of sparsely populated Baluchistan province where the
ethnic Baluchs fear being turned into a minority, Reuters reported.
Similar fears have been voiced by politicians in the southern province
of Sindh, of which Karachi is the capital.
Sindh high court expressed surprise on Tuesday that there was no
column for disabled people in the census form and ordered that it be
included.
The information ministry had announced last week that disabled
people would be counted separately. — Agencies
AP/Fareed Khan
Census: A government official collects data from a resident
during a survey in Karachi, Pakistan, on Wednesday.
PERUSAHAAN PERSEROAN (PERSERO)
PT TELEKOMUNIKASI INDONESIA Tbk
NOTICE
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
FOR FISCAL YEAR 2016
(No. TEL 33/PR000/COP-I5000000/2017)
With reference to Article 11 of the Article of Association of Perusahaan
Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia, Tbk herein after
abbreviated as PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (further referred to
as the “Company”) and Article 10 Paragraph 1 of OJK Regulation
Number 32/POJK.04/2014, the Company hereby announces to the
shareholders that the Company is to hold the Annual General Meeting of
Shareholders (“AGMS”) for fiscal year 2016 on:
Day/Date : Friday/April 21, 2017
Time : 13.30 Jakarta Time
Place : Ballroom - Hotel Pullman Jakarta,
Jalan M.H. Thamrin No. 59, Jakarta Pusat, 10350
Those who are eligible to attend the AGMS shall be shareholders of the
Company whose names are registered at the Company’s Share Regis-
ter at 16.15 hours Jakarta Time on March 29, 2017. According to the
Article 12 Paragraph 2 of OJK Regulation Number 32/POJK.04/2014,
Shareholder with a minimum ownership of 5% of the total outstanding
share with valid voting rights may propose an agenda for the meeting
which is expected to be received by March 23, 2017. Invitation for the
Shareholder Meeting shall be announced on March 30, 2017.
Bandung, March 16, 2017
PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero)Tbk
Board of Directors
WORLD
DIPLOMACY
Free, active foreign
policy still relevant
Liza Yosephine
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
The bebas-aktif (free-and-ac-
tive) foreign policy remains rele-
vant in today’s international politi-
cal context and Indonesia should
continue to uphold its approach
despite the strains of regional rival-
ries, a discussion has concluded.
Speaking in a discussion at
Paramadina University in South
Jakarta on Wednesday, Adriana
Elisabeth and Wiryono Sastro-
handoyo spoke in unison on the
relevance of Indonesia’s foreign
policy principle.
The concept was first outlined
by the nation’s first vice president
Mohammad Hatta in a speech in
1948 before the Central Indonesian
National Committee (KNIP) as-
sembly as a response to the polar-
ized situation of the Cold War.
Fast forward to 2017, both
speakers noted that Indonesia
could continue to uphold its po-
sition despite calls for the ar-
chipelago to side with either the
United States or a rising China,
the current two major global
powers.
Wiryono, a former diplomat who
held ambassadorships in Austria,
France and Australia, stressed the
free-and-active concept as a “guid-
ing principle.” The policy itself, he
said, was a “compromise between
what is ideally desirable and what is
realistically possible.”
The relevance remained, he
insisted, throughout changes in
leadership, as each leader imple-
mented it in their unique way. “It
is necessary then to link the prin-
ciple in context to the existing po-
litical reality of each time,” he said.
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono,
for example, used the “Thousand
friends, zero enemies” approach
during his presidency.
Adriana, an international re-
lations expert with the Indone-
sian Institute of Sciences (LIPI),
echoed the statement, saying that
the concept continued with the
current global political context, as
well as developing dynamics at the
national and international levels.
“In the current global dynamic
between China and the US, we are
in an undecided position, wheth-
er we want to follow the US or fol-
low China. Indonesia doesn’t re-
ally need to follow either one,” she
told the audience.
The President determines the
foreign policy direction in the
current political system, Adriana
went on, which is based on the
free-and-active principle, includ-
ing freedom of action and inde-
pendence of judgement.
President Joko “Jokowi”
Widodo’s administration has fo-
cused on four foreign policy and
diplomatic priorities: sovereign-
ty, defense, the protection of In-
donesian citizens abroad and eco-
nomic diplomacy. While Jokowi’s
approach could be seen as “in-
ward looking,” Adriana said, it was
essentially gearing up the country
to be internationally competitive.
“Lately if we observe, the pat-
tern in domestic infrastructure
construction, among other things,
as well as improvements in ease of
doing business, in my opinion, In-
donesia is being prepared to com-
pete with the outside world, with
other countries,” she said.
Since the beginning of his ad-
ministration, Jokowi has main-
tained that infrastructure and
ease of doing business are key to
competitiveness and attracting
investment.
Although investment must be
treated carefully, Adriana noted,
it was important to always main-
tain national interests, welfare of
the citizens and sustainable de-
velopment.
Jokowi pledged in January to
focus on reducing social and eco-
nomic disparities.
On Wednesday, Jokowi reaf-
firmed his desire for Indonesia to
jump to 40th place on the World
Bank’s Ease of Doing Business
(EODB) index in 2018 from its
current 91st position. Indonesia
was ranked in 106th place in 2016.
Tee off
Two men have fun playing golf with a tennis ball as a blizzard sweeps through Times Square on Tuesday in New York, the US.
Indonesia gears up for more
high-profile state visits
Haeril Halim
and Tama Salim
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
While the dust has barely set-
tled after the recent visits of Saudi
Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdu-
laziz Al Saud and numerous lead-
ers from around the Indian Ocean
rim, the State Palace is gearing up
to roll out the red carpet for at
least two more heavyweights in
the coming months.
Jakarta is preparing to wel-
come outgoing French President
Francois Hollande for a state visit
on March 29, officials said, mark-
ing the first time in more than 30
French president to visit
at end of month, US VP
after local election
Possible rare visit from
Afghan president also
being discussed
years that a French leader has set
foot in Indonesia.
Foreign Minister Retno LP
Marsudi received her French
counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault
earlier this month to lay out plans
for Hollande’s visit, which is likely
to be one of his last outings in of-
fice as he prepares to step down
THURSDAY March 16, 2017
ahead of an election in May. Hol-
lande has stated that he will not
run for the presidency again.
In April, Jakarta will host United
States Vice President Mike Pence
on his first high-level outing to the
region, as revealed by Coordinating
Political, Legal and Security Affairs
Minister Wiranto earlier this week.
“Indonesia has been expecting
a lot of state guests lately, with the
French president planning to vis-
it at the end of this month and the
US vice president likely a day af-
ter the Jakarta election,” Cabinet
Secretary Pramono Anung said at
the palace on Wednesday.
The second round of the Jakar-
ta gubernatorial election is set for
April 19, making the probable tim-
ing of Pence’s visit on April 20.
“Hopefully everything follows
through,” Pramono said.
He said the recent spate of
state visits showed how Indone-
sia’s political stability had gained
acknowledgement worldwide,
and that despite all the struggles
of democracy, many of the world’s
leaders appreciated the work In-
donesia had done.
“In the global context, this
shows that Indonesia is becoming
a beacon of hope and a focus of at-
tention amid a fast-paced, chang-
ing world,” he said.
Muhammad Anshor, the For-
eign Ministry’s director general
for American and European af-
WAR OF WORDS
Top EU officials condemn
Turkish remarks on ‘fascism’
Reuters
BRUSSELS/ANKARA
The European Union’s top offi-
cials sharply criticised Turkey on
Wednesday for accusing EU states
Germany and the Netherlands of
fascism, saying the charges were
driving Ankara further away from
its goal of joining the bloc.
A war of words between Turkey
and the EU has erupted this month
over planned rallies by Turkish
politicians in Rotterdam and oth-
er European cities that aimed to
drum up support for plans to give
Turkish President Tayyip Erdo-
gan sweeping new powers.
The Netherlands cancelled the
Rotterdam rally, prompting Erdo-
gan to brand the country as “Nazi
remnants.” He has also accused
Germany, which has also cancelled
several planned Turkish rallies, of
“fascist actions” reminiscent of the
Nazi era and has said “Nazism is
still widespread in the West.”
“Rotterdam, the city of Eras-
mus, totally destroyed by the Na-
zis, which now has a mayor born
in Morocco: If any anyone sees
fascism in Rotterdam they are
completely detached from real-
ity,” European Council president
Donald Tusk told a plenary ses-
sion of the European Parliament,
speaking in English and Dutch.
Tusk’s remarks were echoed by
European Commission President
Jean Claude Juncker, who told
parliament he was “scandalized”
by the Turkish accusations about
fascism and Nazism.
Meanwhile, Dutch investment
in Turkey is not at risk from the dip-
lomatic row between the two coun-
tries as Ankara’s ire is focused on
| 12
AP/Mark Lennihan
fairs, confirmed Hollande’s visit
on March 28 to 29 and Pence’s on
April 20.
Ministry spokesman Ar-
rmanatha Nasir also welcomed
the planned visit from Pence but
warned that the dates were still un-
der discussion.
He did, however, confirm Hol-
lande’s visit, saying his meeting
with President Joko “Jokowi”
Widodo would follow up on a
number of issues such as cooper-
ation in the maritime sector and
the creative economy.
Arrmanatha also acknowledged
the possibility of Afghan President
Ashraf Ghani making a state visit
to Indonesia in the coming weeks,
marking a rare break from the lead-
er’s previous diplomatic overtures
in the Middle East and Europe.
“For the visit of the Afghan pres-
ident, we’re still in the process of
planning a date and what the main
focus of the visit would be,” he said.
Ghani’s state visit was first
hinted at by Afghanistan’s Am-
bassador to Indonesia Roya Rah-
mani on the sidelines of a trip by
the country’s justice minister, Ab-
dul Baseer Haidari, to Jakarta.
Haidari’s visit last week was
part of Afghanistan’s efforts to
learn from the expertise of the
Corruption Eradication Com-
mission (KPK) in fighting graft, as
Kabul plans to establish its own
ad-hoc anticorruption body.
the Dutch government, not its peo-
ple or businesses, Turkey’s minis-
ter for EU affairs told Reuters.
Turkey suspended high-lev-
el diplomatic relations with the
Netherlands on Monday, ban-
ning the Dutch ambassador from
the country and preventing dip-
lomatic flights from landing in
retaliation for the Dutch barring
Ankara’s ministers from speaking
to rallies of overseas Turks.
Despite the furor, minister
Omer Celik said Ankara was mak-
ing a call to businesses worldwide
that Turkey was a safe country for
investment.
“Dutch businessmen who in-
vest, have businesses and create
employment in Turkey are includ-
ed in this [call]. They are definitely
not part of the crisis,” Celik said in
an interview late on Tuesday.
Asked if Dutch companies ac-
tive in Turkey would be affected
by the row, Celik said: “The pri-
vate sector, business world, tour-
ists and the people of the Nether-
lands are not a part of the crisis.”
Dutch direct investment in
Turkey amounts to US$22 bil-
lion, making the Netherlands the
biggest source of foreign invest-
ment with a share of 16 percent.
Turkish exports to the Nether-
lands totaled $3.6 billion in 2016,
making it the tenth largest mar-
ket for Turkish goods, according
to official data.
Some analysts have said they
don’t expect the affair to have im-
mediate economic consequences.
However, foreign investor senti-
ment towards Turkey has been
badly bruised by widening secu-
rity concerns and fears of growing
authoritarianism.
BUSINESS THURSDAY March 16, 2017 | 13
DISPUTE ENERGY ARTWORK
Soap boss Raam Punjabi, Vincom China cracks down on The painters
Retail go head-to-head p15 low-quality coal imports p16 of Padangtegal p23

TRADE

With bright outlook for exports, Pertamina to get clue

surplus may continue
Stefani Ribka
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
As exports pick up on the back
of surging commodity prices and
stronger manufacturing ship-
ments, Indonesia may sustain its
trade surplus throughout the rest
of the year.
Exports in February rose by
11.16 percent to US$12.57 bil-
lion on a yearly basis, while im-
ports surged by 10.61 percent to
$11.26 billion, leading to a surplus
of $1.32 billion, according to the
Central Statistics Agency (BPS).
“An increase in crude oil prices
followed by rising non-oil-and-
gas commodity prices have led to
the good achievement,” BPS chief
Suhariyanto told a press confer-
ence on Wednesday.
Significant increases in ship-
ments occurred in the three top
commodities – palm oil, coal and
rubber – and manufactured goods
– vehicles and automotive com-
ponents and organic chemicals.
Palm oil exports, for instance,
rose markedly by 52.2 percent
to $1.99 billion, while outbound
shipments of coal climbed by
31.49 percent to $1.2 billion.
Indonesia, the world’s biggest
palm oil producer and top ther-
mal coal exporter, may get a fur-
ther boost from higher commod-
ity prices in the coming months.
Palm oil prices may follow an
upward trend on the potential
of the El Nino weather phenom-
enon, which may affect global
production as well as a decision
made by the United States on an
environmentally friendly energy
policy. President Donald Trump’s
administration is about to decide
whether its Renewable Fuel Stan-
dard supports a biodiesel man-
February export summary (in millions of US dollar)
Description Export
Oil and gas 1,198.1
Crude oil 407.6
Oil products 93.9
Gas 696.6
Non-oil and gas 11,376.4
Total 12,574.5
Source: Central Statistics Agency (BPS)
date, which will raise US domes-
tic demand for soybean oil and
also push up palm oil prices.
Coal price has also begun to rise
since the end of last year and may
further pick up as supply tightens
following China’s policy to reduce
its overcapacity this year.
Cumulatively, exports in the
first two months surged by 19.2
percent to $25.98 billion.
Bank Danamon economists
Wisnu Wardana and Anton Hen-
dranata said the strong export
growth in the first two months
could pave the way for a “healthy
trade account”.
“What was healthy is the fact
that cumulative export growth was
still positive in both value and vol-
ume terms. Another positive note
is that non-traditional goods, such
as vehicles and organic chemicals,
had solid bookings,” they stated in
the their research note.
As of February, vehicles
and autopart shipments rose
considerably by 42.15 percent to
$1.04 billion.
Automotive Industry Associa-
tion (GAIKINDO) general secre-
tary Kukuh Kumara said the re-
sult followed the positive trend
Import Balance
2,425.9 -1,227.8
708 -300,4
1,470 -1,376.1
247.9 448,7
8,829.7 2,546.7
11,255.6 1,318.9
seen in the past few years thanks
to relatively strong penetration of
Indonesian auto products in non-
traditional markets, such as Latin
America and the Middle East.
University of Indonesia econ-
omist Ari Kuncoro, however,
warned that the commodity price
recovery would still play the ma-
jor role in shoring up Indonesia’s
exports. On the other hand, such
a price increase might also trigger
rising imports.
“This is normal. But to balance
it, we need to really improve ex-
ports of manufactured goods so
we don’t depend too much on
commodities,” Ari said.
Imports in the first two
months, on the other hand, in-
creased by 12.51 percent to $23.22
billion, driven particularly by
purchases of raw materials and
intermediary components for
manufacturing production.
As a result, the country record-
ed a trade balance of $2.75 billion
in January and February.
BCA chief economist David
Sumual said the drop in oil pric-
es could provide a boost to In-
donesia’s trade surplus in the
short term.
on new chief today
Viriya P. Singgih and
Fedina S. Sundaryani
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
State-owned oil and gas giant
Pertamina plans to hold a general
shareholders’ meeting (RUPS) on
Thursday to appoint new presi-
dent director, following an infight-
ing that has led to the dismissal of
its previous two executive officers.
The government announced
on Feb. 3 the dismissal of Per-
tamina president director Dwi
Soetjipto and his deputy Ahmad
Bambang over concerns of a lack
of teamwork and escalating con-
flict that may further undermine
operations. Since then, Yenni An-
dayani, the firm’s gas and renew-
able energy director, took charge
as acting president director.
On March 9, Pertamina’s presi-
dent commissioner Tanri Abeng
confirmed that the company’s
board of commissioners had
submitted three candidates for
the position to President Joko
“Jokowi” Widodo.
“As of today, the new president
director has yet to be appointed.
The RUPS will be held tomor-
row,” said Edwin Hidayat Abdul-
lah, the State-Owned Enterprise
(SOE) Ministry’s deputy for ener-
gy, logistics, estates and tourism,
on Wednesday.
Edwin stressed that it was im-
portant for the government to im-
mediately appoint a new president
director in a bid to secure the re-
alization of Pertamina’s various
mega projects, including the new
refineries.
“The first task for the new pres-
ident director is to consolidate
because the position has been va-
cant for a while. He or she must
Three candidates said to
be on the shortlist: Elia
Massa Manik, Budi Gunadi
Sadikin, Sukandar
Previous Pertamina board
split related to unpopular
fuel imports worth billions
of dollars
also maintain solid teamwork re-
garding the mounting tasks that
Pertamina has in the future.”
Nonetheless, Edwin refused to
comment on several names that
have been widely reported as can-
didates for the job, including Elia
Massa Manik, Budi Gunadi Sa-
dikin and Sukandar.
Elia is currently PT Perkebu-
nan Nusantara (PTPN) III presi-
dent director, taking charge of 14
state-owned agriculture firms. He
has a long career record of serv-
ing in various private and state
companies, including consumer
goods giant PT Indofood Sukses
Makmur, property developer PT
Jababeka, integrated oil and gas
services firm Elnusa and state-
owned lender PT Bank Negara
Indonesia (BNI).
Meanwhile, Budi, an expert staff
member of the SOE minister, has
a long career in banking, including
when he served as executive vice
president at private lender Bank
Danamon and president director at
Indonesia’s largest lender in terms
of assets, Bank Mandiri.
On the other hand, Sukandar
currently helms state-owned steel
maker PT Krakatau Steel and once
served as director at shipping firm
PT Humpuss Intermoda Trans-
portasi and managing director at
investment firm PT Bahana Pem-
binaan Usaha Indonesia.
Presidential spokesperson Jo-
han Budi said Jokowi had asked
for advice from various sources
before appointing the new presi-
dent director, including from the
Corruption Eradication Com-
mission (KPK) and the Financial
Transaction Reports and Analysis
Centre (PPATK).
“One of the measurements is
integrity,” Johan said.
Satya Widya Yudha, the depu-
ty chairman of the House of Rep-
resentatives’ Commission VII
overseeing mining affairs, said if
the new president director came
from Pertamina’s internal man-
agement, it would be easier for
the individual to adjust to situa-
tions within the company.
“However, if the new president
director comes from the outside,
like Elia, he or she is expected to
reunite divided parties within the
company with his or her manage-
rial capabilities,” Satya said.
Several cases provided evi-
dence that Dwi and Ahmad were
not getting along during their
time at Pertamina, including
when the latter overstepped his
position by signing off on gasoline
imports that Dwi allegedly kept
putting off. Even though the im-
ports were needed, the board of
commissioners agreed that Ah-
mad overstepped his authority.
However, Ahmad was not entire-
ly to blame. SOE Minister Rini So-
emarno promoted Ahmad as dep-
uty in October last year and gave
him authority similar to that of the
president director amid specula-
tion of a rift between Rini and Dwi.
From that point until the dis-
missal, Pertamina has been run
by two captains.

RENEWABLES

Incentives needed
for biogas, waste-to-
energy development
Fedina S. Sundaryani
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
It’s the same old story for busi-
nesspeople looking to invest in
the country’s biogas and waste-
to-energy businesses; there are
not enough incentives to com-
pensate for the high costs needed
to develop the clean energies.
The Indonesian Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (Kadin)
has called on the government to
provide more assistance to inves-
tors to reach the country’s target
of sourcing 23 percent of its ener-
gy from renewables.
Kadin’s environmental man-
agement and waste utilization
permanent committee head,
Donny Yoesgiantoro, said there
needed to be more policies that
gave fiscal incentives to inves-
tors due to the high investment
required for biogas and waste-to-
energy development.
“In the future, we need to con-
sider additional funds, like Ma-
laysia for instance that contrib-
utes 1 percent of electricity costs
[for the development of renew-
able energy],” he said on Wednes-
day, adding that the government
should provide special loans with
low interest rates in the sector.
It seems that developing ener-
gy sourced from biogas and waste-
to-energy technology would kill
two birds with one stone for Indo-
nesia in terms of cleaning up the
environment while also produc-
ing sufficient energy for the coun-
try’s skyrocketing demands.
Energy and Mineral Resourc-
es Ministry data shows the coun-
try has 49,810 megawatts electric
(MWe) in biogas and waste-to-
energy potential. However, only
1,700 megawatts (MW) of power
is currently utilized from such en-
ergy sources. PLN plans to devel-
op an additional 488 MW of bio-
gas and biomass plants by 2025.
That is not to say the govern-
ment has not made obvious ef-
forts to attract investment for
the two renewable sources. The
energy ministry recently issued a
ministerial decree that caps elec-
tricity rates from biogas and bio-
mass plants with a capacity less
than 10 MW at only 85 percent
of the regional electricity supply
cost (BPP) if it is lower than the
national average.
Those equal to or higher than
the national average will have it
capped at 100 percent of the na-
tional average. Power plants high-
er than 10 MW will see electricity
rates based on direct appointment.
The decree also states that elec-
tricity rates for waste-to-energy
plants will be capped at 100 per-
cent of the regional BPP, if lower
than the national average. In turn,
those in regions with BPP higher
than or equal to the national aver-
age will have rates negotiated.
While the government’s efforts
might be a boon for state electric-
ity firm PLN, they are unlikely to
fuel business enthusiasm.
Indonesian Renewable Energy
Society (METI) chairman Surya
Darma said it was widely accepted
that an 18 US cents per kilowatt
hour (kWh) electricity rate would
be bankable for investors in the
biogas and waste-to-energy sec-
tors. However, the newest minis-
terial decree caps the rate at 16.94
cents per kWh.
“The investment needed is high
so it is understandable that they
would want higher returns as well.
One of the ways to ensure that elec-
tricity rates remain low is to give
fiscal and non-fiscal incentives.
Fiscal incentives could include
those in corporate tax or some type
of retribution scheme while non-
fiscal incentives would include cut-
ting down on red tape,” he told The
Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
The ministry is currently work-
ing on new policies to make it com-
pulsory for palm oil refineries to fun-
nel palm oil mill effluent (POME) to
biogas power plants, as POME has
large amounts of methane can be
used to produce electricity.
The New and Renewable En-
ergy Directorate General has so
far conducted pilot projects for
off-grid power production in
2,000 households in remote ar-
eas. In the upcoming policy, pow-
er plants may remain off-grid, or
be integrated into PLN’s network.
“If the area has a large popula-
tion but is far from PLN, we will
prioritize local [electricity pro-
curement],” said new and renew-
able energy director general Rida
Mulyana.
14 | BUSINESS THURSDAY March 16, 2017

Banknote rates Good to go AVIATION

Banknote Rate Selling Rp Buying Rp
US dollar 1 13,442.00 13,308.00 Lion Air gets
Australian dollar 1 10,175.59 10,068.83
Swiss franc
Euro
1
1
13,319.46
14,268.68
13,185.38
14,125.11
international
British pound
Hong Kong dollar
1
1
16,345.47
1,730.21
16,181.20
1,712.92
nod in safety
Japanese yen
Korean won
100
1
11,708.04
11.71
11,588.30
11.59
audit
Malaysian ringgit 1 3,020.67 2,987.88
Philippine peso 1 267.24 264.44 Farida Susanty
Singaporean dollar 1 9,503.68 9,404.28 THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
Thai baht 1 381.33 377.32
The country’s largest private
Source: BI airline PT Lion Mentari Airline
or Lion Air, the low-cost car-
World benchmarks rier involved in a string of in-
Daily Change cidents in the past few years,
Country Index Points % registered for and passed the In-
Indonesia (JCI) 5,432.38 0.80 0.01 ternational Air Transport Asso-
ciation’s operational safety audit
S. Korea (Kospi) 2,133.00 -0.78 -0.04
(IOSA) recently and now stands
Thailand (SET Index) 1,541.53 -1.62 -0.10 a better chance of expanding
Malaysia (FTSE BM) 1,717.36 -5.11 -0.30 internationally.
Singapore (FTSE ST) 3,137.43 -5.97 -0.19 Lion Air followed in the
Japan (Nikkei 225) 19,577.38 -32.12 -0.16 footsteps of its subsidiary air-
Hong Kong (Hang Seng) 23,792.85 -35.10 -0.15
lines PT Batik Air and Thai
Lion Air, which have passed
China (SSE Comp.) 3,241.76 2.43 0.08
IOSA audits.
Philippines (PSE Index) 7,253.79 -7.96 -0.11 Lion Air Group president di-
India (S&P Sensex) 29,397.87 -44.76 -0.15 rector Edward Sirait said the
USA (DJIA) 20,837.37 -44.11 -0.21 process took more than a year
UK (FTSE) 7,377.12 19.27 0.26
and it had prepared safety proce-
dures and human resources for
Australia (All Ordinaries) 5,813.68 15.57 0.27 Antara/HO/Tedi the audit.
Source: IDX XD Group Corporation chairman Zhang Yalin (left to right), CCM Group founder Murdaya Poo, Industry “There were not that many
Minister Airlangga Hartarto and counselor for economic and commercial affairs at the Chinese Embassy in things that we changed. There
Indonesia Wang Li Ping pose for a photo after inaugurating a PT XD Sakti Indonesia plant at the Indonesia were [changes] but nothing rad-
ECONOMY IN BRIEF China Integrated Industrial Estate (KITIC) in Cikarang, West Java, on Wednesday. XD Sakti is a joint ven- ical. […] The most important
ture of China’s state-owned enterprise XD Group and Central Cipta Murdaya (CCM Group), which manu- thing is we comply with the in-
Plenty of room to expand RI-US trade factures electric hardware with an investment value of US$80 million. ternational safety procedures
and operations,” he said recent-
JAKARTA: Despite rising concerns that the United States will soon ly, but declined to elaborate on
adopt protectionist economic policies, high-ranking US officials have what exactly the airline had al-

Bank Mandiri to
said that there is still plenty of room to expand bilateral trade between tered in its operations.
Indonesia and the US. Low-cost Lion Air also com-
“I think there’s room for expansion on both sides. Some US import- plies with the United States’
ers feel that there’s restriction on the Indonesia side,” Brian McFeeters, Federation Aviation Adminis-
deputy chief of mission with the US Embassy in Indonesia, said on tration (FAA), which recently
Wednesday.
The Indonesian Trade Ministry shares McFeeters’ view, promising
that Indonesia will be able to expand exports of particular products to
the US.
cut down bad loans upgraded Indonesian safety sta-
tus to Category 1 from Category 2
last year.
The IOSA audit, carried out
every two years, is designed to
Indonesia and the US jointly organized a workshop on Wednesday in
a bid to improve trade between the two nations. Anton Hermansyah Last year’s rising bad of 2.1 percent. assess and determine the opera-
The workshop on “Key Aspects of Good Regulatory Practice” is THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA loans came from Mandiri’s bad loans forced the tional management and control
aimed at deepening delegates’ knowledge in making international commercial segment bank to double its loan loss pro- system of an airline, with more
trade standards that will help boost trade and economic develop- State-owned lender Bank vision to Rp 24.6 trillion, causing than 900 international harmo-
ment. Mandiri is looking to cut down its Rp 40t worth of credit its net profit to nosedive by 32.1 nization standards and recom-
McFeeters emphasized that trade standards and policies needed to bad loans this year through a re- already restructured percent year-on-year (yoy) to mended practices.
involve all stakeholders through easy tools like user-friendly websites structuring program, which it be- Rp 13.81 trillion last year. So far, approximately 400
that can accommodate input from various parties. lieves will bring the non-perform- Higher NPL seen since Amid the lower profit, the com- airlines around the world
Indonesia also needs to introduce and familiarize standards to all ing loan (NPL) ratio to 3.5 percent first quarter of 2016 pany still set a higher dividend have been registered with the
stakeholders and regional leaders to provide transparency and smooth by year-end. payout ratio of 45 percent for its IOSA. National flag carrier PT
out the trade process, he said. Its gross NPL soared to 4 per- 2016 operations compared to 30 Garuda Indonesia is also on
The US was the third largest non-oil-and-gas export market for Indo- cent in 2016 from 2.6 percent in If El Niño appears and affects percent in the previous year. The the list.
nesia last year. Total sales to the US reached US$15.68 billion, while 2015, while its net NPL ratio also production, prices will go up,” total dividend amount reached Edward said the acknowledge-
purchases from the US only hit $7.18 billion. — JP increased to 1.5 percent from Sime Darby Bhd. managing di- Rp 6.21 trillion or equal to ment from the association would
0.9 percent. rector Franki Anthony Dass told Rp 266.27 per share. provide wider opportunities for
The rising bad loans most- Bloomberg on Feb. 27. Sime Dar- Finance and strategy direc- the company to expand interna-
LPEI financing soars by 18.3% ly came from the commercial by is the world’s biggest grower of tor Pahala Mansury said its capi- tionally.
segment, especially from debt- palm oil by acreage. tal adequacy ratio (CAR) — an “We can show people that we
JAKARTA: State-owned Indonesian Export Financing Agency (LPEI) or ors in the commodity sector Bloomberg also reported that important measure of capital have the [IOSA] certificate. Peo-
Indonesia Eximbank saw an increase in its financing in 2016 by 18.3 due to falling commodity pric- the US biodiesel mandate had the strength — would fall to 19.5 per- ple will see it as a positive thing,”
percent to Rp 88.53 trillion (US$6.62 billion) amid a sluggish export es, which disturbed the debtors’ potential to be a “game chang- cent from the current 21 percent he added.
performance in 2016. repayment ability. er on the bullish side” for the fu- following the dividend payment. Lion Air expects to enjoy low-
LPEI acting president director Susiwijono Moegiarso said the growth “We project our NPL to be 3.5 ture of soybean oil, allowing palm “However, our CAR is still er insurance premiums as the
was supported by export-based small and medium enterprise (SME) percent at the end of 2017. We can oil prices to recover from their above the OJK’s [Financial Ser- certificate reflects lower safety
financing that soared by almost half to Rp 10.5 trillion. still manage increasing bad loans in recent sell-off. vices Authority] requirement of risks and “consumer trust.” It
Around 15 percent of the total financing was done under sharia January and February and predict Mandiri’s bad debts were al- 15.5 percent,” he said. currently boasts 48 routes, both
schemes. that the peak will occur in the first ready showing an increase since The 15.5 percent NPL is a re- domestically and international-
“For next year, we plan to increase SME financing by 50 percent,” he quarter,” Bank Mandiri vice presi- the first quarter of 2016, when quirement set for a systematically ly, and flies almost 250,000 peo-
said during a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday. dent director Sulaiman Arif Ari- the gross NPL ratio perched at 3.2 important bank, as well as a Qual- ple daily.
LPEI’s interest and profit-sharing revenues also increased by 18.3 anto said after its annual general percent, above the 2.6 percent ra- ified ASEAN Bank (QAB). The airline is owned by busi-
percent to Rp 6.63 trillion. shareholder’s meeting on Tuesday. tio recorded throughout 2015. The QAB is the status set for a nessman-politician Rusdi Ki-
However, net income slightly decreased by 1.2 percent to Rp 1.41 The bank already restructured It continued rising during the bank that qualifies to expand to rana, who serves as a mem-
trillion from Rp 1.43 trillion in 2015. Rp 40 trillion (US$2.99 billion) next three quarters, even though other ASEAN countries. Mandiri ber of President Joko “Jokowi”
LPEI director Raharjo Adisusanto said the reduction in net income worth of credit so far and is up- Bank Mandiri president direc- is still carrying out efforts to real- Widodo’s presidential ad-
was mostly caused by an increase in interest expenses by 36.4 percent beat that commodity prices will tor Kartika “Tiko” Wirjoatmodjo ize full operations in Malaysia. visory board (Wantimpres)
annually to Rp 4.25 trillion. continue their existing upward claimed the lender would be able Mandiri will allocate between and was recently appoint-
“Our interest expenses increased because we shifted our debt from trend, thus providing greater ease to slash the ratio to 3.7 percent by Rp 2.5 trillion and Rp 4 trillion ed Indonesian ambassador
US dollars to rupiah. The cost of funds in rupiah is more expensive than to its debt restructuring program. year-end. for capital expenditure (capex) to Malaysia.
dollars,” he said. Bloomberg reported that the By comparison, the gross NPL this year. “The capex includes The company is now waiting
Its foreign currency debt outstanding decreased by 1.4 percent an- possible early return of El Niño of state lender Bank Negara In- 100 million ringgit [$22.48 mil- for the result of the IOSA audit
nually to Rp 38.05 trillion, while rupiah denominated debt increased and United States’ President donesia (BNI) and Bank Raky- lion] for expansion in Malaysia,” for subsidiaries PT Wings Abadi
by 37.6 percent annually to Rp 39.87 trillion. Donald Trump’s upcoming re- at Indonesia (BRI) also climbed he said. Airlines, or Wings Air, and Ma-
“Our rupiah denominated bond issuance bloated to Rp 16 trillion newable fuel regulations may last year, though at a lower rate It hopes to open two offices in laysia-based Malindo Airways
from the planned Rp 8 trillion because our customers shifted to rupiah provide headwinds for the price than Mandiri’s. BNI ended 2016 Malaysia in two years and cur- this year.
denominated financing in anticipation of the US [United States] Federal of palm oil, which is one of Indo- with a gross NPL at 3 percent, rently has a property to rent for Lion  Air  has long had a less-
Reserve’s fund rate increase,” Raharjo said. — JP nesia’s major commodities. while BRI reported a gross NPL its first office in Kuala Lumpur. than-favorable track record
with several incidents over the
years, including persistent de-
lays triggering chaos at several
ANALYSIS airports.
The most infamous case saw

Fiercer competition looms for cigarette players thousands of passengers strand-

ed at the Soekarno-Hatta Inter-
national Airport in Tangerang,
Banten, for around two days
Michael W. Setjoadi Exhibit 1. Relative performance to JCI, ytd Exhibit 2. Major brands’ ASP comparisons – full flavor, machine rolled in 2015, leading to massive
JAKARTA (%) (%) Machine-rolled cigarettes Disc. price Disc. price Disc. price backlogs.
4 50 (in rupiah/stick) to marker to marker to marker It was also involved in an in-
2.9 leader leader leader
Current operating conditions 1.7 cident in May 2016, when it
2 40 Dec. 15 (%) June 16 (%) Current (%)
point favorably toward our un- GG Filter Int’l 12 GGRM 1,100 1,1211 1,192 mistakenly delivered interna-
changed top pick in the cigarette 0 30 tional passengers to a domestic
Surya 16 GGRM 1,084 1.5 1,084 3.3 1,1153 3.2
sector, cigarette maker PT HM (2)
(1.6)
20 Djarum Super 12 Djarum 1,088 1.1 1,138 (1.5) 1,217 (2.1) terminal.
Sampoerna (HMSP), on the back Djarum Super 16 Djarum 1,050 4.5 1.100 19 1,169 1.9 Wings Air has not fared much
(4) 10 Marlboro Filter Black * HMSP na na 890 20.6 913 23.4
of a narrowing of its average sell- 0 DSS Magnum Filter 12 HMSP 989 10.1 1,076 4.0 1,209 (1.5) better. It was involved in at least
(6)
ing price (ASP) premium com- L.A Bold Djarum 655 4.05 760 32.2 855 28.3 four incidents from December
pared to other players, which (8) (10) Dunhill Filter 16 RMBA 775 29.5 863 23.0 925 22.4 2016 to February this year.
also suggests a milder competi- (10) (9.6) (20) Source: Bahana; *Note: MFB price from September 2016, since it was launched In January, for instance, a
tive landscape in the industry. (20) (30) Wings aircraft made a forced
At this stage, we also favor PT RMBA GGRM Sector HMSP Exhibit 3. Major brands’ ASP comparisons – light, machine rolled landing at the Mutiara SIS Al-Ju-
Gudang Garam (GGRM) due to Source: Bloomberg, Bahana
Machine-rolled cigarettes Disc. price Disc. price Disc. price frie Airport in Palu, Central Su-
its expanding valuation gap to (in rupiah/stick) to marker to marker to marker lawesi, only a few minutes after
HMSP, which stood at around 51 two factors: (1) cigarette excise leader leader leader takeoff following an apparent en-
percent discount based on this taxes account for around 9 per- Dec. 15 (%) June 16 (%) Current (%) gine failure.
A Mild 16 HMSP 1,000 1,069 1,135
year’s price-to-earnings ratio cent of state revenues and (2) A Mild 12 HMSP na na 896 16.2 1,046 7.8
Edward said that regardless
(PER) forecast. GGRM stock has port quotas and tariffs. lower cigarette volumes may re- GG Mild GGRM 781 21.9 791 26.9 831 26.8 of the IOSA certificate, Batik
continued to underperform both In terms of import quotas, the sult in sizeable unemployment, Surya Pro Mild 16 GGRM 681 31.9 681 36.3 769 32.3 Air would still open a new inter-
the market and HMSP, as shown government is attempting to cap particularly in the hand-rolled Lucky Strike Mild 16 RMBA na na 738 30.9 788 30.6 national route in May by flying
Dunhill Mild 16 RMBA 819 18.1 900 15.8 881 22.4
in Exhibit 1, due to weak stick tobacco import volumes at 20 cigarette segment. from Jakarta to New Delhi daily
Source: Bahana; *Note: MFB price from September 2016, since it was launched
sales in the final quarter of 2016 percent of the total. On the tar- There is also the emergence on Airbus 320s.
and their inability to increase iff front, it is possible for the gov- of new value-proposition brands Meanwhile, International Air
prices. GGRM saw the ASP of its ernment to raise tobacco import that have been disrupting the As a result, the ASP discount discounts narrow compared to Transport Association region-
products increase by up to 20 duties by between 5 percent and cigarette market since last year. gap to the market leader is nar- industry leaders. PT Bentoel In- al vice president for Asia Pacific
percent year-to-date (ytd), with 60 percent. The brands, which used to offer rowing, reflecting an easing of ternasional Investama (RMBA), Conrad Clifford said that it ex-
some brands experiencing no In our view, this could ad- aggressive discounts, have now industry competition. Exhibit 2 for example, has only increased pected fewer incidents and acci-
price hike at all. versely impact cigarette sales started to increase their ASPs ag- and Exhibit 3 show the discounts the ASP of its Dunhill Mild 16 by dents involving Lion Air.
While we retain our sector’s volumes as Indonesia current- gressively, such as Dunhill Mild for brands competing within 4.4 percent since the beginning “Statistically, IOSA airlines
“overweight” stance on an ex- ly imports around 50 percent of 16, whose ASP increased by 4 these segments with the respec- of this year. perform with far fewer incidents
pected lower excise-tax hike this its total tobacco requirements, percent ytd, Lucky Strike Mild tive market leaders. and accidents than non-IOSA
year, a new industry risk could mainly from Brazil. However, we 16, whose ASP increased by 3.3 The majority of other com- airlines. So yes, undoubtedly, the
materialize in the form of gov- believe the planned policy may percent ytd, and U-Bold, whose peting products within these The writer is research analyst at safety record will improve and
ernment policy on tobacco im- be difficult to implement due to ASP increased by 6.8 percent ytd. segments have seen their ASP Bahana Sekuritas. that’s terrific,” he said.
THURSDAY March 16, 2017
DISPUTE
Soap boss Raam
Punjabi, Vincom
Retail go head-to-head
Viriya P. Singgih
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
Movie exhibitor PT MVP Indo-
nesia, owned by Indonesian con-
glomerate and soap opera baron
Raam Punjabi, is facing a contrac-
tual dispute with Vietnamese
shopping mall operator Vin-
com Retail, forcing MVP to stop
the operations of three theaters
worth US$13 million.
MVP, formerly known as PT
Multivision Plus, controls Plati-
num Cineplex, the biggest theater
operator by screen in Hanoi, Viet-
nam.
MVP has five Platinum the-
aters in Vietnam, three of which
are located at the Royal City Mall,
Times City Mall and Long Bien
Plaza with 28 screens.
The shopping malls are operat-
ed by Vincom Retail, a subsidiary
of Vietnam’s largest real estate
developer, Vingroup.
MVP started operating at Long
Bien Plaza at the end of 2011,
while its contracts with Royal
City Mall and Times City Mall be-
gan in July and December 2013,
respectively. All of the contracts
were signed for a 15-year period.
However, MVP claims it has
been forced to stop operations
at those three malls since March
1, following accusations that the
company has mounting outstand-
ing rental payments to Vincom
Retail.
“It [Vincom Retail] said there
were so many outstanding pay-
ments. They are not outstand-
ing payments, [because] it’s an
agreed schedule. Everything was
cleared in June 2016. Then, start-
ing from July, we paid regularly
every month,” MVP chief finan-
cial officer Sunil Taparia told The
Jakarta Post recently.
According to Taparia, MVP —
along with other tenants at Roy-
al City Mall and Times City Mall
— faced hard times paying rent in
2013, when both malls were offi-
cially opened, on account of a lack
of income amid a lack of visitors.
“At that time, everybody ap-
proached the mall management,
which eventually rescheduled pay-
ment. […] So, we paid according to
the installments,” Taparia said.
In August 2016, Vincom Retail
sent a termination notice to MVP
for no apparent reason, he added.
After several meetings be-
tween both parties, it was agreed
that MVP should renovate all of
its Platinum theaters.
MVP sent a renovation plan to
its Vietnamese counterpart, but
received another termination no-
tice in November 2016. The com-
pany was given three months to
In dispute: PT MVP Indonesia owner Raam Punjabi gives further
details about the closing of its three movie theaters, located in Ha-
noi, at his office in Jakarta recently.
BUSINESS PLAN
Bukit Asam to penetrate deeper into power plant sector
State-owned coal miner PT
Bukit Asam aims to see more than
a 30 percent increase in coal sales
to 27.3 million tons in 2017 follow-
ing its plan to further penetrate
the power plant sector and even-
tually transform itself into an en-
ergy company in the future.
The company plans to allocate
more than half of its coal sales
target to the domestic market
throughout this year and export
the rest.
By doing so, the company will
see a 29 percent increase in domes-
tic sales and a 34 percent increase
in exports compared to 2016.
“We are currently involved in
several tenders with [state-owned
electricity firm] PLN for power
remove all of its assets from the
shopping malls.
It hired a local lawyer in Viet-
nam to help go through the case
in January 2017. The lawyer sent
a letter to Vincom Retail, asking
whether MVP had breached any
terms in its contract.
“Its [Vincom Retail’s] re-
ply came on Jan. 16, telling us
that there had been no contract
breach, but it wanted to unilat-
erally terminate the contract,”
Taparia said.
MVP objected, using Vietnam’s
Real Estate Law as its grounds.
The law stipulates a lessor can
terminate a contract only if there
is a breach of the contract by a les-
see.
The next chapter saw MVP file
a lawsuit with the Hanoi Court
on March 6, while asking for le-
gal protection for Platinum to
operate and keep its assets until
there was a final decision from
the court.
The court granted a temporary
injunction for MVP on March 9,
ordering Vincom Retail to imme-
diately stop dismantling, remov-
ing or relocating any equipment
or materials from the Platinum
theaters at its three shopping
malls.
“Now we are waiting for the
court to make a decision. The
good thing is that the court has
agreed that it [Vincom Retail]
can’t touch or operate the prem-
ises. But it’s a big loss for both
of us because if court proceed-
ings takes one year, neither of us
can operate [the theaters] during
such a long period,” Punjabi said.
Responding to the matter, Vin-
com Retail has stated that its larg-
est concern is customers’ dissat-
isfaction over Platinum’s service
quality.
“During the lease, MVP has
breached the agreements on sev-
eral occasions, such as failure to
make rent payments until we had
to send several notices. To date,
MVP is still in arrears on rent pay-
ment. This breach alone is suffi-
cient grounds for us to terminate
the leases,” the company stated
in a statement sent to the Post
on Wednesday.
“We expect MVP to respect
and comply with the contractu-
al agreements that were signed
by both parties. Throughout the
process, VCR [Vincom Retail]
has complied fully with the law
and acted only as permitted in the
lease agreements.”
Vincom Retail has also recent-
ly filed a lawsuit against MVP in
Vietnam for spreading false in-
formation and causing harm to its
reputation.
JP/Bagas Rahadian
plant projects outside Sumatra
and Java islands with a total ca-
pacity of 800 megawatts [MW].
I believe we can win at least 50
percent of all the tenders,” Bukit
Asam finance director Achmad
Sudarto said on Wednesday.
The company has allocated
Rp 5 trillion (US$373.83 million)
to finance its expansions this year.
About 50 to 60 percent of the
figure will be used for various de-
velopment projects, including
for acquiring new coal reserves,
while another 10 percent for op-
erations and the rest for the in-
frastructure development of its
mines in Tanjung Enim, South
Sumatra.
At present, Bukit Asam has
Big group: PT Wijaya Karya (Wika) president director Bintang Perbowo (third left), finance director ANS Kosasih (second right), opera-
tions director Gandira Gutawa (right) discuss with the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ executive officer and Jakarta branch GM Yusuke
Katsuta (third right), Asian investment banking division GM Koichiro Oshima (second left) and global corporate banking and financial
institution deputy GM & EVP head Pancaran Affandi after the signing ceremony of a Rp 5 trillion syndicated credit facility in Jakarta on
Wednesday. Maybank Indonesia, PT Sarana Menara Infrastruktur, Bank BNP Paribas Indonesia and Bank Mizuho Indonesia are among
the joining lenders in the syndicated loans to back the state-owned construction firm in financing the Balikpapan-Samarinda and Soreang-
Pasir Koja toll roads in Kalimantan.
Wika secures major loans
Farida Susanty
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
State-owned construction firm
PT Wijaya Karya (Wika) has se-
cured Rp 5 trillion (US$374.1 mil-
lion) in syndicated loans from
seven banks and state infrastruc-
ture financing firm PT Sarana
Multi Infrastructure (SMI) to
support its toll-road projects.
Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ,
Ltd., Japan’s largest lender, leads
the loan syndicate with Rp 1 tril-
lion, followed by Bank Maybank
Indonesia, Bank of China Lim-
ited and SMI at Rp 900 billion
each. The rest of the sum is being
covered by lenders such as Bank
Mizuho Indonesia, Bank ICBC In-
donesia, Bank BNP Paribas Indo-
nesia and Bank CTCB Indonesia.
The duration of the loan is
three years.
Wika stated that most of the
loan would be used as working
capital to help it develop major
infrastructure projects such as
toll roads in West Java and East
Kalimantan.
“The signing of the syndicated
loan today is a good start for Wika
and the banks providing the loan
to realize the infrastructure de-
AUTOMOTIVE
Toyota to spend Rp 5t to develop local R&D facilities
Anton Hermansyah
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
Japan’s automobile giant Toyo-
ta Motor Corporation has revealed
its commitment to invest Rp 5 tril-
lion (US$374.17 billion) through
2019, mostly to build research and
development facilities.
The new investment will add
Rp 20 trillion to spending for the
next two years to construct new
factories and develop new models.
The commitment was con-
veyed during a recent meeting
between Toyota Motor Corpora-
tion (TMC) president Akio Toyo-
da and President Joko “Jokowi”
Widodo.
Industry Minister Airlang-
ga Hartarto said the investment
would be spent to enhance Toy-
ota’s research and development
(R&D) in Indonesia.
“It is trying to encourage re-
search and development and oth-
er activities in Indonesia,” Air-
langga said after the meeting in
the state palace.
As of March, TMC has spent
proven coal reserves of 3.3 billion
tons, 2.7 billion tons of which are
located in South Sumatra, name-
ly in Tanjung Enim and Lahat.
“That’s why we want to focus
on producing and delivering coal
from those regions because the
main problem is actually logis-
tics,” Achmad went on.
Bukit Asam has a total produc-
tion capacity of 40 million tons a
year, but it can only produce near-
ly 30 million tons a year because
of the limited capacity of coal
freight trains.
State-owned railway operator
PT KAI plans to increase the ca-
pacity of its coal freight trains to
at least 21.7 million tons in 2017
from 14.7 million tons in 2016.
Wika gets Rp 5 trillion in
syndicated loans
Firms in dire need of
more funding to cover
initial construction costs
velopment envisioned by the gov-
ernment,” Wika president direc-
tor Bintang Perbowo said in an
official statement on Wednesday.
Wika aims to tap into the lucra-
tive toll-road business as Presi-
dent Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s ad-
ministration aims to build 1,000
kilometers of new toll roads by
the end of his five-year leadership
term in 2019.
Wika corporate secretary Sura-
di Wongso said the syndicated loan
would mostly be used to develop
the 99.3-km Balikpapan-Samarin-
da toll road in East Kalimantan,
which will require an investment
of around Rp 6.5 trillion. The pri-
vate sector has been assigned to
build around 65 km, with the gov-
ernment building the rest.
Wika has been desperately
seeking fresh funding for the proj-
ect, as it is being built under the
contractor pre-financing (CPF)
scheme, which stipulates that
Rp 18 trillion to build a compact
car factory and an engine factory
in Karawang, West Java, with an
investment worth Rp 2.5 trillion
and Rp 2.3 trillion, respectively.
The investment has been car-
ried out by PT Toyota Motor
Manufacturing Indonesia (TM-
MIN), of which 95 percent is
owned by TMC and the other 5
percent is controlled by local di-
versified group PT Astra Interna-
tional.
Last year, TMMIN made
218,000 cars and 210,000 engines.
Of that figure, nearly 78 percent
were exported to 80 countries in
Asia, Africa, Latin America, the
Caribbean and the Middle East.
During the meeting, the indus-
try minister expressed his hope
that TMC could encourage ex-
ports of vehicles from Indonesian
plants to Australia.
Responding to this request,
newly-appointed president direc-
tor of Toyota Motor Manufactur-
ing Indonesia (TMMIN) Warih
Andang Tjahjono said that enter-
ing the Australian market would
By the end of 2016, Bukit Asam
completed a revamp of its train
loading station at Banko Barat
block in South Sumatra, increas-
ing the station’s capacity to 12
million tons a year from the pre-
vious 6 million tons a year.
At present, the publicly list-
ed company has operated three
power plants in South Sumatra
with a total capacity of 266 MW.
It also has several other ongoing
projects with a total capacity of
around 5,000 MW.
Those projects include the
Bangko Tengah (Sumsel 8) facil-
ity in South Sumatra with a ca-
pacity of 2 x 620 MW, the Peranap
facility in Riau with a 1,200 MW
capacity, as well as a joint proj-
BUSINESS
Wika first covers the construction
budget before being paid back by
the toll-road operator upon the
project completion.
A joint venture between Wika,
private firm PT Bangun Tjipta Sa-
rana and fellow state construc-
tion firms PT Jasa Marga and PT
Pembangunan Perumahan (PP)
has been appointed as the opera-
tor for the Balikpapan-Samarin-
da toll road.
“We expect the toll-road con-
struction to be complete by 2019
in the absence of problems regard-
ing land procurement,” Suradi
said over the phone, stating that
the construction had commenced
at the beginning of the year.
The construction of the 10.57-
km Soreang-Pasir Koja toll road,
another Wika project in West
Java, meanwhile, is nearly fin-
ished with scheduled completion
next month, Suradi added.
After being inaugurated as the
country’s seventh president in
2014, President Jokowi vowed to
focus on massive infrastructure
development as an effort to spur
growth. Together with the Public
Works and Public Housing Min-
istry, state-owned construction
firms have served as key insti-
be a challenge as well as an oppor-
tunity.
“It is a challenge for us to make
Indonesian products that have
a competitive edge in the global
market, and we will always coop-
erate with the government and
stakeholders to enable our vehi-
cles to match requirements de-
manded by Australian custom-
ers,” he said.
The government also persuad-
ed Toyota to produce electric and
hybrid vehicles, such as Prius,
Camry and Alphard, to benefit
from Indonesia’s eco-friendly car
program under which the firm
can enjoy tax incentives.
The Japanese car making giant
assembled its hybrid model Pri-
us in Thailand in Nov. 2010 with
components, including batteries
and motors, being imported from
Japan.
The production, however, was
halted in August 2015 as the com-
pany faced sluggish sales and a
dispute over import duties with
Thailand.
With Indonesia’s current high
ect with state-owned aluminum
producer PT Indonesia Asahan
Aluminium (Inalum) to build a 2
x 350 MW power plant in Kuala
Tanjung, North Sumatra.
Despite having various proj-
ects on hand, Bukit Asam remains
cautious on global coal prices
and plans to carry out several ef-
ficiency measures this year, in-
cluding by mining coal in certain
sites that have a lower stripping
ratio, which is the ratio of volume
of waste material that must be re-
moved to get coal.
“In 2017, we project that we can
maintain an average stripping ra-
tio of 4.5 times, lower than 5.4
times in 2016. That way, we can
further reduce our production
| 15
Antara/HO/Baruno
tutions in translating the Presi-
dent’s vision into action.
In the search for new sources
of funding, Suradi said Wika also
plans to issue later this year bonds
worth between Rp 5 trillion and
Rp 10 trillion that will mature in
between five and 10 years. The
proceeds are expected to, among
other things, partially fund the
construction of the 83.9-km Se-
rang-Panimbang toll road in Bant-
en, also run under a CPF scheme.
“Maybe in the third quarter
[we will issue the bond]. We might
start it with the issuance of Rp 2
trillion worth of bonds,” Suradi
said.
Wika also announced that by
the third week of March, it man-
aged to booked new contracts
worth Rp 14.85 trillion, which
represents 34.3 percent of its
new contract target for 2017. The
figure was a 146.4 percent surge
from the figure during the same
period last year.
“We think we can meet our full-
year target [for new contracts],”
Suradi said, adding that most con-
tractors usually started slowly
and only saw significant increases
in new contract value approach-
ing year-end. (ecn)
import tariffs and excises, prices
of hybrid four wheelers are very
expensive as the manufacturing
costs are much higher than com-
bustion-engine cars.
The Industry Ministry’s met-
al, machinery, transportation,
equipment and electronic in-
dustries director general, I Gusti
Putu Suryawirawan, said that the
hybrid cars were included in the
government-backed low carbon
emission (LCE) program.
Under the program, the import
tariffs are reduced so that vehi-
cles with low emissions, including
hybrid cars, can be sold at com-
petitive prices, enabling market
growth.
However, Putu acknowledged
the difficulty to access tax rebate
as the proposal for import duty
reduction had to be approved by
the Finance Ministry.
“Currently, the government re-
lies heavily on tax revenue to sup-
port infrastructure development.
We need to reformulate the scheme
so the tax cut will be compensated
with more quantity,” he said.
costs,” Bukit Asam president di-
rector Arviyan Arifin said.
“It has to be done so that we
can survive amid high volatility in
coal prices.”
The price of Asian benchmark
Australian thermal coal stood
at an average of $65.9 per ton
throughout 2016, up from the av-
erage of $57.5 per ton in the previ-
ous year.
The price reached a month-
ly average of $100 in November
2016 before stabilizing to around
$80 at present.
Bukit Asam booked Rp 2.53
trillion in net profit in 2016, up
from Rp 2.46 trillion in the previ-
ous year.
— JP/VIRIYA P. SINGGIH
16 | INTERNATIONAL THURSDAY March 16, 2017

BUSINESS BRIEF No tipping

S’pore’s February home sales triple
SINGAPORE: Home sales in Singapore in February more than tripled
from a year earlier as developers marketed new projects to meet pent-
up demand.
Developers sold 977 units last month, compared with a 382 revised
units in January, according to data released Wednesday by the Urban Re-
development Authority. The sales surged from 303 units in the year-earlier
period and were the highest February sales since 2012, the data showed.
Developers offered 550 units last month, compared with 108 units
in January, the data show. The largest sales came from The Clement
Canopy by United Venture Development (Clementi) Pte, which sold
207 of the 250 units marketed. Parc Riviera by El Development (West
Coast) Pte sold all 200 of the units it released last month.
Singapore rolled back some property curbs last week after a three-year
decline in prices. The move is a relaxation of a raft of measures to cool
home prices the government started to introduce in 2009, with some of
the strictest restrictions imposed in 2013. — Bloomberg

China’s premier says no hard landing

BEIJING: Premier Li Keqiang said on Wednesday that forecasts of a
hard landing for the world’s second largest economy should stop,
though domestic and external risks remain and meeting the target of
6.5 percent growth for this year won’t be easy.
“Almost every year I have heard a prediction of the Chinese
economy having a hard landing,” Li said at his annual news conference
at the end of the annual meeting of China’s parliament. “But I believe
that our economic performance in the past several years [...] should
suffice to put a full stop to such prophesies of a hard landing.”
China has cut its economic growth target this year to around 6.5
percent from its 2016 goal of 6.5 to 7 percent, while pushing through
reforms to tackle rising debt and guard against financial risks.
“As for the projected target of GDP growth this year at about 6.5
percent, I have read some foreign media describing it as a move by
the Chinese government for moderate downward adjustment of GDP Reuters/Issei Kato
growth,” Li said. “I should point out that 6.5 percent growth is not low Dinosaur robots acting as receptionist greet a hotel employee demonstrating how to check-in to the hotel during a press preview for the newly-
speed and will not be easy for us to meet.” opening Henn na Hotel Maihama Tokyo Bay in Urayasu, east of Tokyo, Japan, on Wednesday. Japan’s second robot-run hotel Henn na Hotel
China’s gross domestic product grew 6.7 percent last year, supported (‘strange hotel’ in Japanese) opened on March 15 as the robot-staffed hotel near Tokyo, operating company HIS Co. said.
by record bank loans, a speculative housing boom and billions in gov-
ernment investment. — Reuters

Grab boosts R&D with 800 new jobs ENERGY MARKET

SINGAPORE: Grab — Uber Technologies Inc.’s biggest rival in Southeast

Asia — is hiring more than 800 new research and development staff
China cracks down on
over the next two years as it seeks to boost its ride-hailing and pay-
ment services.
Two new R&D centers are opening in Bangalore and Ho Chi Minh
City, the Singapore-based company said in a statement Wednesday.
low-quality coal imports
The new locations expand Grab’s engineering centers beyond Beijing,
Reuters
Jakarta, Singapore and Seattle.
In Bangalore, Grab will recruit about 200 new researchers, who will JAKARTA/BEIJING
develop new payments technologies for GrabPay, the company’s digital-
payments services. Like its Indonesian rival Go-Jek, which has rolled out China is ramping up controls
technology to let customers pay for rides and other services, Grab sees on imports of low-quality coal
digital payments as an area to build a potentially lucrative business. due to concerns about smog and
“There is now a huge payment opportunity that we are investing heav- overcapacity in the world’s top
ily into,” chief operating officer Tan Hooi Ling said. “These plans are big coal consumer, a government of-
ficial said on Wednesday, as trad-
strategic bets we think are critical pillars for our growth going forward.”
Tan, a former McKinsey & Co. consultant who co-founded Grab with ers report that some cargoes have
Anthony Tan in 2012, is leading the effort. She oversees Grab’s opera- been delayed by customs checks.
tions, including research. — Bloomberg “As long as coal meets stan-
dards, we don’t forbid imports,
but we are imposing controls on
Charging on low-quality coal imports,” said
Zhi Shuping, head of the Admin-
istration of Quality Supervision,
Inspection and Quarantine which
oversees imports safety. “If we let
all kinds of coal import into do-
mestic market, it will hit the do-
mestic market,” Zhi said, speak-
ing on the sidelines of the annual
meeting of China’s parliament.
Sustained checks will unsettle
global miners and traders who
have enjoyed months of a coal
buying spree by China that helped
propel prices to multi-year highs,
bringing the industry out of a
prolonged bear market. Prices
have soared to multi-year highs
this week amid broader concerns
about tighter supplies and robust
Bloomberg/SeongJoon Cho
Members of the media look at a Tesla Inc. Model S 90D electric
vehicle at the company’s showroom in Hanam, Gyeonggi Prov- AVIATION
ince, South Korea, on Wednesday. Tesla produced almost 84,000
vehicles in 2016 and plans to make half a million in 2018, then 1
million in 2020.
Cathay has first loss since 2008
TRADE AGREEMENT amid cheaper Chinese fares
As ministers meet on scrapped Bloomberg
TPP deal, decisions elusive SINGAPORE/BEIJING
Traders complain
about delay in getting
cargoes due to tougher
inspections
Indonesia accounted for
almost 40 million tons,
15% of total coal arrivals,
last year
demand.
Delays in processing imports
could further constrain supply,
sending domestic prices higher.
That could have the effect of un-
dermining government efforts to
keep prices stable as Beijing seeks
to close outdated mines, increase
use of cleaner, renewable fuels
and make bloated heavy industry
more efficient.
Zhi’s comments come as some
international traders have com-
plained about delays running into
weeks in getting some cargoes
cleared through customs in Chi-
na due to tougher inspections for
sulphur and mercury content at
ports. Last year, Zhi’s agency re-
jected 1.5 million tons of import-
ed coal, he said — less than 1 per-
cent of China’s total coal imports.
One official at a global mer-
Chief executive officer Ivan Chu
has seen Cathay’s shares plunge
chant, speaking on condition of
anonymity, said his company’s
shipments into Jiangsu province
took longer than usual to get cus-
toms clearance.
It’s not clear how widespread
the checks are and Zhi did not
say when the crackdown start-
ed. Some experts said it could be
linked to the two-week annual
meeting of China’s parliament,
which ends on Wednesday.
Last week, a senior politician
from Shanxi, one of the country’s
top producing regions, proposed
curbing imports of low-quality
coal as a radical measure for cur-
ing China’s overcapacity problem.
Speaking on the sidelines of
parliament, Wang Fu, vice gov-
ernor of the province, suggested
targeting coal from Indonesia,
which accounted for almost 40
million tons, or 15 percent of total
arrivals, last year.
The proposal is unlikely to get
passed into law and would likely
face hefty resistance from power
producers, which still rely on coal.
But the comment underlines the
challenge of getting wary pro-
vincial governments on board to
tackle excess and close inefficient
operations.
9.2 percent to 54.1 Hong Kong
cents last year. Cargo yield de-
Buy oil now
as Saudis try
balancing
act: Citi
Serene Cheong
BLOOMBERG/SINGAPORE
Buy oil now, and count on Sau-
di Arabia for support, according
to Citigroup Inc.
The Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries’ (OPEC)
output cuts aimed at easing a
global glut are “real” and is clean-
ing up the market, analysts in-
cluding Seth Kleinman wrote in a
report dated March 14.
While prices have dropped re-
cently amid rising United States
inventories and drilling activity,
investors should take advantage
of the slide because the Saudis are
likely to defend prices this year,
according to the bank.
The bank’s comments are simi-
lar to Goldman Sachs Group Inc.,
which called for investors to be pa-
tient and said they should go, or
stay, long on oil. Prices last week fell
below $50 for the first time since
December on concern rising US
output will offset curbs by OPEC
and other producers.
While Saudi Arabia told OPEC
it dialed back on some of its cuts
last month, the extra supplies
were moved into storage and the
kingdom said it remains deter-
mined to stabilize the market.
“Citi views this sell-off as a
buying opportunity for 2017,” the
analysts wrote. “Running down
the record level of inventories
was always going to be a lumpy
process, with tighter time spreads
pushing oil out of tank and onto
the physical market where it will
weigh until it clears.”
While Saudi Arabia pumped

Rosalba O’Brien and
Antonio De la Jara
REUTERS/VINA DEL MAR
Ministers and officials repre-
senting the 12 countries of the
failed Trans-Pacific Partnership
(TPP), plus China and South Ko-
rea, began talks in Chile on Tues-
day, but any concrete decision on
how a new trade pact might look
seemed far off.
The TPP, which would have in-
cluded about 40 percent of the
world’s gross domestic product,
was effectively torpedoed after
United States President Donald
Trump withdrew the US from the
agreement in January.
Chile, a keen free-trade enthu-
siast and one of the signatories of
the original agreement, invited
TPP representatives to its Pacific-
facing coastal city of Vina del Mar
to try to thrash out a way forward.
But officials said the conversa-
tion is just the beginning of a long
and uncertain road.
“We see this as an opportuni-
ty to have a frank round-the-ta-
ble conversation to gauge where
each of the countries are and
then to work out how we might
consider what next steps there
may be, if there are any,” New
Zealand trade minister Todd Mc-
Clay told Reuters in an interview
on the sidelines of the confer-
ence.
“I’m not coming here expecting
to make any decisions this week.”
However, McClay expressed
optimism that “there is life still
in the TPP” and said he expected
the signatory countries to clarify
a way ahead “in a few months.”
Chile said its best hope at this
point was more meetings. “If we
can get some clarity on what is
ahead then that more than justi-
fies the meeting,” Foreign Minis-
ter Heraldo Munoz told reporters.
The US will be represented by
its ambassador to Chile, while
China, which criticized the TPP
and was not part of it, has sent its
special envoy for Latin America,
Yin Hengmin.
Both China and Chile have em-
phasized that the meeting — of-
ficially, the “High Level Dialogue
on Integration Initiatives in the
Asia-Pacific Region” — is not just
about the TPP.
Nonetheless, what future, if any,
the trade deal may have appears to
be the dominant discussion topic
over the two-day meeting.
Possibilities include redesign-
ing it without the US or building
instead on the proposed South-
east Asian-backed Regional Com-
prehensive Economic Partner-
ship.
Signatories may also use the
TPP as a springboard for new bi-
lateral deals, Mexican Foreign
Minister Luis Videgaray said.
Certainly, officials say, there is
a reluctance to scrap the TPP en-
tirely. “These 11 countries have
been negotiating with each other
for 8 or 9 years, so we know a lot
about each other,” said McClay.
Cathay
Pacific Air-
ways Ltd.
report-
ed its first loss in eight years and
scrapped plans for a second-half
dividend after competition from
Chinese airlines and losses from
fuel hedging dented earnings. The
stock fell the most in seven months.
The net loss totaled HK$575
million (US$74 million) in 2016,
while sales dropped 9.4 percent
to HK$92.8 billion, Hong Kong-
based Cathay said in a statement
Wednesday. Jefferies Group LLC
said the losses could continue in
the current year as well.
Cathay said the operating en-
vironment in 2017 would remain
challenging, and that premium
travel from Hong Kong was below
expectations, prompting the air-
line to sell such tickets at promo-
tional prices to leisure travelers.
The carrier, whose passenger
yields have been damped by compe-
tition from full-service carriers for
business seats and budget airlines
for the mass market, said it is start-
ing a three-year “corporate trans-
formation” program to improve re-
turns and operational efficiency.
Asia’s largest international air-
line is “facing structural problems
from competition headwinds, giv-
en Chinese airlines continue to
aggressively expand internation-
al capacity, yield pressures from
weak premium-class traffic and
cost-conscious leisure travelers,”
Andrew Lee, an analyst at Jeffer-
ies, wrote in a note Wednesday.
about 25 percent since his ap-
pointment in March 2014, com-
pared with a gain for Hong Kong’s
Hang Seng Index. The stock de-
clined 1 percent to HK$11.48 as of
2:58 p.m. local time, after dropping
as much as 6.9 percent earlier, the
biggest intraday loss since Aug. 17.
Cathay, whose parent is the
Swire Group, last posted a loss in
2008, of HK$8.7 billion, according
to data compiled by Bloomberg.
The carrier, in which Air China Ltd.
holds almost 30 percent, has been
widening its discounts to premi-
um offerings in a bid to fill seats as
it competes against rivals such as
China Eastern Airlines Corp.
For instance, an economy-class
ticket on Cathay’s Hong Kong-
New York direct flight a month
from now costs about $1,235,
while seats on Asiana Airlines Inc.
and Korean Air Lines Co. go for
less than $750, based on a search
on Chinese online travel-booking
app Ctrip. China Eastern is offer-
ing tickets for $715 from Shen-
zhen to the US city via Shanghai.
“The bar for air travel is get-
ting lower as cheap fares are driv-
ing growth in the economy class,”
Geoffrey Cheng, an analyst at
Bocom International Holdings
Co., said before the earnings an-
nouncement. “For those who
still travel in the premium cabin,
they increasingly favor transfer
flights” because “it’s cheaper than
non-stop service,” he said.
Cathay’s passenger yields, the
money earned from flying a trav-
eler for one kilometer and a key
measure of profitability dropped
clined 16 percent to HK$1.59.
Analysts in a Bloomberg News
survey had predicted full-year
results ranging from a profit of
HK$1.5 billion to a net loss of
HK$1.5 billion. The disparity in
the figures reflected varying es-
timates of charges due to fuel-
hedging losses.
Losses from fuel hedging to-
taled HK$8.46 billion last year,
compared with HK$8.47 billion
in 2015. Cathay said it expects fur-
ther fuel-hedging losses in 2017,
although that should be less than
for last year. The carrier had unre-
alized hedging gains of HK$3.57
billion at the end of 2016.
It was expected to pay a sec-
ond interim dividend of 27 Hong
Kong cents, according to esti-
mates compiled by Bloomberg.
Under the revamp plan, Cathay
is reviewing revenue management,
distribution and pricing practices.
It also intends to increase ancillary
revenue, and is working to reduce
unit costs excluding fuel over the
next three years.
Despite challenges, Cathay
plans to increase passenger ca-
pacity by 4 percent to 5 percent
a year, at least until the Hong
Kong airport’s third runway be-
gins operating, and will increase
frequencies on the most popular
routes in addition to introducing
new destinations.
“For Cathay, it’s commit-
ted to a premium strategy in the
Hong Kong hub,” said Will Hor-
ton, a Hong Kong-based ana-
lyst at CAPA Centre for Aviation.
“They’re going to ride this out.”
more than 10 million barrels a day
last month, the volume of crude
supplied to markets nonetheless
fell by 90,000 barrels a day to 9.9
million. The nation’s data show
it’s cutting output more than re-
quired under the terms of OPEC’s
Nov. 30 agreement.
Nevertheless, Energy Minister
Khalid Al-Falih warned last week
that the kingdom won’t indefinite-
ly “bear the burden of free riders.”
“The perceived change in rhet-
oric from Al-Falih, saying there
would be no ‘free-rides’ for US
shale producers, is at odds with
the ongoing OPEC cuts and the
headlines reflecting other OPEC
producers are already starting to
assume that the cuts do get ex-
tended, in line with Citi’s expecta-
tions,” the bank said in its report.
“‘The Saudis must play a balanc-
ing act this year, needing to keep
the oil price up through 2017.”
West Texas Intermediate trad-
ed up 1.5 percent at $48.43 a bar-
rel on the New York Mercantile
Exchange at 10:25 a.m. Singa-
pore time, after sliding the past
seven sessions. Brent crude, the
benchmark for more than half
the world’s oil, was up 1.3 per-
cent at $51.56 a barrel on the Lon-
don-based ICE Futures Europe
exchange.
The OPEC agreement is for an
average monthly cut over a six-
month period, and crude produc-
tion data for January and Febru-
ary indicate that Saudi output for
the first two months of the year
was 180,000 barrels a day below its
target level so far, Citigroup says.
 THURSDAY March 16, 2017 | 17

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18 | THURSDAY March 16, 2017
Bali to turn into ‘Silence of the Land’
M
arch 28 this year
will mark the be-
ginning of the Hin-
du New Year of
Saka 1939. On this annual obser-
vance, known locally as as “nye-
pi”, the usually bustling island of
Bali will grind to a peaceful halt
A Magical March with Plataran
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offering guests a way to
commemorate this year’s
Balinese Day of Silence (or “Nyepi”,
as it is locally called), which takes
place on March 28, in exotic
destinations across Indonesia.
For those looking to experience
the spiritual atmosphere of Nyepi
Day in Bali, there are 3-Day 2-Night
packages that are valid for stay
periods falling on Nyepi Day 2017.
Experience the peacefulness of
Bali amid the untouched nature
of West Bali National Park. At the
Plataran Menjangan Resort & Spa,
guests can stay at a Luxury Ocean
villa for Rp 6.75 million ++.
For those seeking an ultimate
peaceful retreat in an authentically
crafted villa that harmoniously
for 24 hours.
Between the hours of 6 a.m.
until the following morning at
the same time, everyone on the
resort island will stop their dai-
ly activities, refrain from using
electricity and remain in their
homes.  lent, streets will be empty of all
blends with the Balinese
surroundings, stay at Plataran
Canggu Bali Resort & Spa at a
One Bedroom Pool Villa at Rp 5.4
million ++.
Or stay in the heart of the island,
Ubud, to meditate amidst lush
greenery at The Plataran Ubud
Hotel & Spa at a Deluxe Room for
Rp 6.07 million ++.
A short flight away from Bali,
head to Komodo Island and stay at
Plataran Komodo Resort & Spa for
a relaxing staycation at a Deluxe
Beachfront Villa, priced at Rp 12.15
million ++.
Alternatively, plan a getaway
to any of Plataran’s Hotels &
Resort outside of Bali located
in destinations that feel a world
away from the city, where Nyepi
packages are valid for the entire
The entire island will come traffic, all shops will be closed pian. Encouraging meditation quish negative elements and cre-
to a standstill, with no sched- and visitors will be confined to and reflection on this day of se- ate a balance with God, mankind
uled incoming or outgoing their hotel or villa for the en- clusion, the rules consist of ama- and nature.
flights from the airport. The tire period. ti geni  (no open fires or flames), On this day, Hindu adherents
seaport will also be closed, Everyone on the island, both amati lelanguan  (no pleasurable conduct ritual sacrifices, with
broadcast stations (includ- residents and visitors, is required activities), amati karya (no work different levels of sacrifice deter-
ing cable networks) will go si- to abide by the Hindu religious or labor) and amati lelungan (no mined by the slaughtering of dif-
rules called Catur Brata Penye- journeys). ferent types of animals, such as
During this day of dedication chickens, ducks and pigs.
to complete silence, community Just before sunset, which is
law enforcement officials called around 4 to 5 p.m., the ritual of
pecalang make their rounds to Pengrupukan takes place. At this
ensure that no persons, no light time, locals parade the streets
Photos of Ayodya Resort Bali
and no noise are emanating from carrying ogoh-ogoh, giant de-
any homes in the neighborhood. monic statues made of bamboo
and paper, symbolizing malevo-
Nyepi rituals lent spirits, while passionately
There is a series of rituals con- playing a deafening mixture of
ducted before and after the day the kulkul traditional bamboo
of Nyepi, which take place in ev- bell and gamelan music. On the
ery part of the island. Below are evening after the parade—which
some of the most notable of these is actually the Saka New Year’s
Nyepi at Ayodya Resort Bali rituals.
The first one is called melasti,
a procession that features a pil-
Eve, the ogoh-ogoh are ceremo-
niously burned in an all-encom-
passing inferno. The burning
T
he Ayodya Resort Bali is inviting guests to commemorate the grimage to the sea to purify each symbolizes the eradication of all
upcoming March 28 Balinese Day of Silence, locally known as Nyepi. temple’s religious paraphernalia. evil influences in the lives of ad-
Its “AYODYA – Silence Day” package provides a two nights stay Usually performed three to four herents.
between March 27 and 29, along with daily breakfast and complimentary days before Nyepi, this ritual The peak of this religious cel-
lunch and dinner buffets on Nyepi. event incorporates a beach com- ebration is on the third day, when
This offer is priced at Rp 3 million for a Deluxe Room and Rp 3.6 million ponent, with pilgrims from vari- people retreat from all daily ac-
for a Grande Room, plus an additional 21 percent for tax and services. ous villages all over the island tivities into the silence of their
The resort will provide guests with activities during Nyepi, such as bearing temple heirlooms mak- homes.
billiard tournaments, dart tournaments, ping-pong tournaments and ing long journeys on foot toward One day after the silence, Bali-
fun for the kids, such as fish feeding and treasure hunts. the coast.  nese Hindus perform the ngem-
For more information or to make a booking, e-mail reservation@ The second is the Bhuta Yajna bak geni ritual, in which they
ayodyaresortbali.com or call (0361) 771102 extension 3912. Visit our ritual, which is performed one visit relatives to exchange for-
website www.ayodyaresortbali.com day before Nyepi, in order to van- giveness. (JP/Desy Nurhayati)
Nyepi changes at the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa
T
his year’s Nyepi (Hindu Day
of Silence) falls on March 28.
From 6 a.m. on that day to 6
a.m. the next day, people are not
allowed to leave their homes.
A day before Nyepi day, the
streets are filled with ‘Ogoh-
ogoh’ processions, a parade of
demonic figures from bamboo
and paper symbolizing negative
elements or malevolent spirits. Photos courtesy of Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa
In Nusa Dua area, guests are
welcome to join the carnival day. Guests are required to stay offered at Wedang Jahe Restaurant.
located within walking distance within the resort’s grounds but Nusa Dua Beach Hotel &
outside the Nusa Dua complex. they still can use the beach Spa has created a very special
Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa’s garden and pool area. Using 2-night Nyepi package to
very own Ogoh-Ogoh display/ the beach or swimming in the experience the day of silence,
procession will take place from ocean is not allowed from 6 a.m. a very important date on
the hotel lobby to the beach on on March 28 until 6 a.m. the the Balinese Hindu Calendar.
Monday, 27 March 2017 at 6 p.m. following day. Please visit www.nusaduahotel.
During Nyepi, the Nusa Dua As for the hotel services, some com for more information. For
Beach Hotel & Spa has a list restaurants open until 5 p.m. but reservations, please email to
of restrictions it will put into Room Service is available for 24 reservations@nusaduahotel.com
place to respect this religious hours and a Nyepi buffet dinner is or dial +62 361 771210.
Photos Ccourtesy of Plataran Hotels & Resorts
month of March. starting at Rp 8.8 million ++ for escape the hustle and bustle of the day and two-night stay in a two-
The Plataran Borobudur Resort two persons for three days and two city amidst the lush greenery of bedroom villa starts from Rp 6.76
& Spa offers authenticity and nights. Gede and Pangrango mountains million ++ on weekdays and Rp
elegance at its Executive Suite Plataran Puncak allows you to with panoramic vistas. A three 7.36 million ++ on weekends.
MAGICAL MARCH WITH PLATARAN
Celebrate Nyepi Day, a day of self-reflection and silence, with Plataran.
Experience the magical and peaceful Bali amidst the raw nature of Menjangan or the lush
greenery and spiritual surrounding of Ubud and Canggu, or seek for a getaway at our other
destinations that feel a world away from the city.
Visit www.plataran.com for more details.
HOTELS & RESORTS r PRIVATE CRUISES r VENUES & DINING r ECO TOURISM DEVELOPMENT
Borobudur | Bromo | Canggu | Cilandak | Dharmawangsa | Komodo
T A I N A BL
US
Menjangan - West Bali National Park | Menteng | Sumba
S
Tugu - Puncak | Ubud | Wijaya
2016
NS
DE
ST
INA TIO
www.plataran.com

Nyepi, a unique new year celebration
B
asically, Nyepi can be
one of the most unique
experiences one can
ever have in Bali. It is
one of the most enjoyable 24
hours with clean air and zero
emissions, when nature takes a
rest from human activity. The
night also offers a rare sky full
of sparkling stars to enjoy, free
from light pollution.
But for the adventurous and
those who want to tour around
and see more of the island, Nyepi
will not be much fun as they will
not be allowed to go anywhere.
Here are some suggestions on
how to survive and enjoy Nyepi in
Bali.
1. Watch the ‘melasti’
processions leading up to ‘Nyepi’
Three days leading up to the
turn of the Saka New Year and
its full day of silence, Balinese
Hindus get into lively and color-
ful procession mode, in which
pilgrims from various village
temples all over Bali carry heir-
looms on long walks to the coast-
line, where elaborate purifica-
tion ceremonies take place. It is
one of the best times to capture
on camera one of the most icon-
ic Balinese images in motion.
Beaches around Kuta are popular
‘Nyepi’ getaway at Hilton Bali Resort
E
xperience a unique
celebration of Nyepi (Hindu
Day of Silence) on March 28
at Nusa Dua’s beautiful cliff-top
Hilton Bali Resort.
Enjoy the local tranquility and
breathtaking oceanic views from
your room’s balcony, as well as
an extensive list of facilities and
benefits the resort has to offer to
you and your family members to
unwind and relax on this occasion.
Benefits include a daily buffet
breakfast for two. Guests are also
entitled to a free special Nyepi
buffet dinner for two adults
and one child on March 28 at La
Terrazza restaurant.
Children also get free access
to the Jungle Kids Club, with its
indoor and outdoor playgrounds,
trampolines, rock climbing and
other daily activities.
locations to watch this cultural
spectacle.
2. See the parade of ‘ogoh-ogoh’
giants on the eve of ‘Nyepi’
The best creations of giant pa-
pier-mâché effigies are paraded
on village streets on the evening
before the Day of Silence. Traf-
fic in the main resort areas is
usually rerouted, so it is best to
plan ahead on where you want to
watch the parade. The center of
Denpasar city, as well as Kuta and
Ubud are popular hot spots.
3. Enjoy staying inside the hotel
area with all its activities
Hotels in Bali are well geared to
offer their guests the best experi-
ences during Nyepi, which basi-
cally confines them to their resort
grounds. Guest activities at high-
er-end resorts can be enjoyed as
usual, ranging from swimming
and kids’ club facilities to tailored
in-house activities such as resort
garden fun and games. While the
little ones are busy with their ac-
tivities and are taken care of by
hotel staff, parents can pamper
themselves with a spa treatment.
4. Stargazing in complete
darkness
As the entire island will turn off
This offer starts from Rp 1.75
million ++ per night and is valid for
a two-night-minimum stay, from
March 27-29.
THURSDAY March 16, 2017 | 19
all the lights for 24 hours on Nye- 5. Watch the ‘omed-omedan’ Sesetan, in southern Denpasar. arranged couples line up to
pi, it is a perfect moment to watch kissing festival the day after The whole village de- eventually be pushed toward
the clear sky full of bright shining Omed-omedan is held on scends to cheer on participat- their partner on the other side,
stars. You can simply pick a spot the day after Nyepi. It is not ing youths who get in line for to kiss and embrace for a very
by the pool to lay back and gaze at an island-wide occasion but the festival, which includes brief moment before cheerful-
the wonders of the universe and only takes place on one of the a “push-and-pull” ritual be- ly being pulled apart again.
capture some stunning images. streets of Banjar Kaja village, tween females and males. Pre- (JP/Desy Nurhayati)
Enjoy peaceful silence at
The ANVAYA Beach Resort Bali
N
yepi (Hindu Day of Silence)
is commemorated every
year in Bali. This year’s
Nyepi falls on March 28.
This special moment is also the
perfect time for individuals to get
away from the noise of everyday life.
The dazzling blue ocean
view and tranquil breezes of the Courtesy of the ANVAYA Beach Resort Bali
ANVAYA Beach Resort Bali provide
a serene backdrop for reflective (including tax) per night.
moments, making it the perfect The resort’s Nyepi package
location to rest and rejuvenate offers more than just special room
after being worn out by long days rates: on March 27, a day ahead of
of unending activities. Nyepi observation, the hotel will
The resort’s package offers a feature an ogoh-ogoh (Balinese
two-night stay in a deluxe room giant effigies) parade symbolizing
inclusive of one lunch of Asian the exorcism of demons from a
and Western dishes and one village.
Rp 100,000 beverage voucher Contact info@theanvayabali.com
with a room rate of Rp 3,300,000 or call (0361) – 759991.
Photos courtesy of Hilton Bali Resort
For further information and
reservations, call (0361) 773377
or send an email to hiltonbali.
reservations@hilton.com.
Day of Silence at Conrad Bali
B
ali is set to celebrate the Day ocean, lagoons or gardens.
of Silence, locally known as A stay in a Deluxe Room with
Nyepi, this coming March 28. thoughtful services and luxurious
Luxury beachfront resort amenities is available for US$299.
Conrad Bali is partaking in this Guests also have the option of
religious occasion with a special picking a more luxurious Conrad
package designed to help its guests Suite that offers an exceptional
enjoy an authentic Nyepi holiday level of preferred treatment and
Photos courtesy of Conrad Bali
during this day reserved for self- special pampering, with rates
reflection. going at $525.
A stay at the Conrad Bali This package provides guests with
during Nyepi makes for a unique the best in facilities, entertainment
experience. Nyepi is a special day and food. These rates are available for
when no one may roam the streets, a three-day, two-night stay for guests
work, make noise or turn on lights. arriving on March 27.
The Conrad Bali, with its 358 The promotion also includes a
guestrooms and suites spread daily breakfast buffet, one-time lunch
across four low-rise wings, offers and one-time dinner for two guests. get a complimentary extra bed. discount. This offer is valid for guests
tranquil beachfront surroundings. By booking Conrad Suites, guests Guests at the Conrad Bali can treat throughout their stay.
Each of these rooms boasts a will experience breakfasts, evening themselves to the resort’s superb For further details and
private patio or balcony that offers cocktails, complimentary laundry selection of Asian and international reservations, e-mail reservations@
panoramic views over the resort, and dry cleaning. Children under 12 cuisine while enjoying a 15 percent conradbali.com.
20 | THURSDAY March 16, 2017

LOCAL BEAT
Grand Darmo Suite ITS Surabaya attains legal status
marks fourth anniversary The November 10 Institute of Technology Surabaya (ITS Surabaya) has attained legal status from the Re-
search, Technology and Higher Education Ministry.
with promo package The legal status attainment was announced during a ceremony at the university’s campus hall on March 8.
The announcement ceremony was attended by Research, Technology and Higher Education Ministry secre-
The Grand Darmo Suite hotel in tary general Ainun Na’im, ministry technology
Surabaya is marking its fourth anniver- and science department general director Pat-
sary with a promotional offer that lasts dono Suwignjo, ITS Surabaya rector Joni Her-
mana, ITS Surabaya academic senate chairman
through the entire month of March. Priyo Suprobo, ITS Surabaya board of trustees
The promo package offers a num- chairman Mohammad Nuh and ITS Surabaya
ber of benefits for guests, who will en- alumni association head Dwi Soetjipto.
joy discounts of up 50 percent on room According to Joni, to boost the university’s
rates. Guests can also stay in one of the reputation, it has set its sights on publishing
hotel’s deluxe suites for Rp 444,000 1,000 articles in accredited international jour-
nals per year. Currently, the university is capa-
(not including tax) in a package inclu- ble of publishing 700 articles in accredited in-
sive of breakfast for two people. ternational journals per year. The publications
For more information, contact (031) were on the subjects of maritime economy, en-
– 5611 611 or send an email to reserva- ergy, housing, the environment, information
tion@granddarmosuite.com. and communication technology and nanotech-
Courtesy of the Grand Darmo Suite nology. Courtesy of ITS Surabaya

Four Points by Sheraton hosts practical martial arts Hotel Majapahit presents Best Employee of the Year award
training for women Hotel Majapahit in Surabaya
held its annual Best Employee of
To commemorate International Women’s the Year award during a staff par-
Day on March 8, Four Points by Sheraton ho- ty thrown earlier this month. This
tel in Surabaya, East Java, has just hosted a year the award went to Suwito, an
martial arts training program for woman, in employee from the hotel’s food
cooperation with a group called Woman Self and beverages department.
Defense Kopo-ryu. The award was handed out to
Titled #BeBoldForChange, the event Suwito during the party on March
sought to help actively working women to 7. He is known as an agile employ-
protect themselves from violence in the ee, a hard worker who is always
workplace, home or any public areas. willing to help his colleagues. As
Woman Self Defense Kopo-ryu itself is an the recipient of the Best Employee
institution that provides basic martial arts award, Suwito won a motorcycle.
training for women. The workshop session at “Hopefully, the good perfor-
the hotel was attended by female staff mem- Courtesy of Four Points by Sheraton mance given by the hotel’s em-
bers from all of Marriott’s properties in Surabaya, comprising the Sheraton Surabaya Hotel and Towers, JW ployees can boost its services for
Marriott Surabaya, Fairfield by Marriott Surabaya as well as the Pakuwon Golf and Family Club. its guests,” said Suwito, who has
During the workshop, the trainers advised participants on how to apply practical martial arts as well as worked in the hospitality sector
giving them some tips to respond to threats of violence in specific spaces such as elevators, public transpor- for 13 years.
tation and many more. Courtesy of Hotel Majapahit

JAPFA signs MoU with W. Sumatra elementary school Bella Hotel Surabaya gets new GM
to improve school management During recent celebrations for
its fourth anniversary, Bella Hotel
JAPFA Foundation, a Jakarta-based non-profit organization set up by PT JAPFA Comfeed Indonesia Surabaya introduced its new gen-
(JAPFA), has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on school management system improvement eral manager to its clients.
with SDN 06 Pasir Jambak elementary school in Padang, West Sumatra. The new general manager for
The three-year cooperation program seeks to this boutique hotel, which is part
boost the school’s management system in an effort of Rich Palace Group, is Mei Mei.
to maximize its quality of education. The MoU was She is a graduate of the Swiss
signed by JAPFA Foundation head Andi Prasetyo Hotel Management School Les
and SDN 06 Pasir Jambak elementary school prin- Roches in Switzerland and has had
cipal Muhammad Dasir on March 14. extensive experience not only in
“This program is expected to help SDN 06 Pasir the world of hotels, but also in the
Jambak produce students capable of competing in management of international hos-
the workforce as well as the entrepreneurial sector. pitals. Her full name is Pudjiwati.
With proper educational guidance, the school’s stu- “My target this year is to make
dents could also prepare themselves to work as en- Bella Hotel even better than it
trepreneurs in the farming sector,” Andi said. was before, not only by increas-
According to Andi, the foundation is planning to ing its services and guest facilities
also include programs related to sports and the arts but also its star classification,” she
in its community development programs. said.
Courtesy of JAPFA Foundation Courtesy of Bella Hotel Surabaya

Grand City Surabaya holds Earth Hour challenge Special dinner package at Ciputra World Surabaya
Earth Hour will be observed on March 25. The Grand City Mall Surabaya is celebrating this upcoming oc- for Earth Hour
casion with an Earth Hour-themed photo contest from March 10-24.
Visitors need only take a picture To commemorate this year’s Earth Hour, which falls on March 25, Hotel Ciputra World Surabaya’s The
at one of the mall’s Earth Hour photo Gallery Restaurant Hotel is offering custom-
booths located on the ground and sec- ers an exciting new “Dine in the Dark” dinner
ond floors and upload the photos to In- package.
stagram and include a mention of @ The menu covers the entire spectrum of
GrandCitySBY and the following three food, from appetizers to desserts. Selections
hashtags: #GCStoEarth, #changecli- include cured salmon slice with orange sal-
matechange and #useyourpower. ad and lime wasabi. It also includes veal loin
Ten lucky winners will be announced with truffle mashed potatoes, spring vegeta-
via Instagram on March 25. More infor- bles and dark chocolate juice.
mation about this photo challenge can There is also Norwegian salmon with
be found on the mall’s Instagram page cauliflower puree, orange tomato salsa and
(@GrandCitySBY) or by calling custom- lemon foam cream. Desserts include melted
er service at (031) 545 9000. chocolate dome with warm caramel sauce,
The Grand City Mall Surabaya is a berries, nuts and vanilla ice cream.
winner of a Green Building Awareness Four exclusive tables will be available for
Award for the categories of malls. this occasion, priced at Rp 3,025,000 nett per
Courtesy of Grand City Mall Surabaya couple. Courtesy of Hotel Ciputra World Surabaya

SURABAYA SCENE
 THURSDAY March 16, 2017 | 21

WHERE TO GO
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
FOREIGN CULTURAL Keroncong [JJOK] Black Box Theater, off soon. On March 26 at 7 p.m.,
CENTERS March 16 at 7:30 p.m. Salihara, Pasar Minggu Kinosaurus Kemang will show

• Korean Cultural Center

Korean Language Courses
Korean Cultural Center, address:
Equity Tower 17th Fl. Jl.Jend.
Sudirman, SCBD, Lot 9, Jakarta.
Contact: 021-2903-5650/
id.korean-culture.org/kelasbaha-
sa@kccindonesia.org
• The Japan Foundation
Japan Language Courses,
Library
Address: Summitmas I Lt. 2,
Jl. Jenderal Sudirman, Kav. 61-62
Jakarta
Contact: 021-5201266/jpf.
go.jp/e/policy/official_accounts/
pkjjpf.or.id
•Russian Center of Science
and Culture
Russian Language Courses
Address: Jl. Diponegoro No. 12,
Menteng, RT.1/RW.4, Menteng
Contact: 021-31935290/idn.
rs.gov.ru/indonezia@rs.gov.ru
TOUR GUIDE
• Indonesian Heritage Society
provides free tour at National
Museum in
English.
Every Tuesday at
10:30 a.m.
Every Thursday
at 10:30 a.m. and
1:30 p.m.
Every second and fourth Satur-
day of the month at 10:30 a.m.
CP: Indonesian Heritage
Society Library 021-5725870/
heritagejkt.orgKineforum,
Taman Ismail Marzuki.
kineforum.org
CLASS
Bentara Budaya Jakarta
bentarabudaya.com
• The PartySquad is Here!
March 17-18 at 9 p.m.
Fable Club - Jakarta
goersapp.com
• Rhythm of Saman
by Gaya Gayo
March 19 at 3 p.m.
Galeri Indonesia Kaya
indonesiakaya.com
• Alex Wirianata Quintet
March 20-22 at 6 p.m.
Motion Blue Jakarta
motionbluejakarta.com
TALK
• Creative Heroes 2017 - Find
Heroes Around You
March 16 at 9:00 a.m - 12:00 p.m
Universitas Gunadarma
(Kampus D), Depok.
Instagram.com
PERFORMANCE
The Made
in Italy
in the City
of the Future
March 17 at 7 p.m
IIC Jakarta
iicjakarta.esteri.it
The Italian Embassy and the
Italian Cultural Institute Jakar-
ta is collaborating with Budi Pra-
dono Architects to host a semi-
nar on March 17 at 7 p.m. at the
IIC Jakarta. Titled “The Made in
Italy in the City of the Future,”
the event will feature Alessandro
Ridolfi, Massimo Antonio Alvisi
and Luca Galofaro from the Or-
der of Architects of Rome, as well
as Budi Pradono. For more infor-
mation, visit iicjakarta.esteri.it.
salihara.org FILM SCREENINGS a version that has been recently
been restored with 4K resolution.
• Legenda Balada Baladi
March 25 - 26 at 3 – 5 p.m.
For more information, visit kino-
saurusjakarta.com.
Gedung Pertunjukan Bulungan
Sprojectph.com
EXHIBITIONS
• ‘Apprentice’
A film by Boo Junfeng
March 17 at 7:00 p.m
Kinosaurus – Kemang
kinosaurusjakarta.com
A slow-burning drama almost
entirely set inside a Singaporean
prison, Apprentice  addresses the
issue of the death penalty from
the point of view of an execution- • Living Italian Design
er. Driven young correctional offi- March 2-16
cer Aiman (Fir Rahman) is ready IIC Jakarta
to do everything it takes to  be iicjakarta.esteri.it
transferred to the death ward of On the occasion of the first Ital-
Singapore’s highest-security pris- ian Design Day, the Italian Em-
on. Directed by Boo Junfeng, this bassy, the Italian Trade Agency
critically acclaimed Singaporean and the Italian Cultural Insti-
drama will be screened on March tute Jakarta are working togeth-
17 at 7 p.m. at Kinosaurus Ke- er with LAFLO showroom to
mang. For more information, visit present “Living Italian Design.”
kinosaurusjakarta.com. The exhibition, which opens on
• Art & Craft Nusantara March 16 at the LAFLO Senayan
Exhibition showroom, aims to promote Ital-
Dec. 21 - March 28, 2017 ian products available in Jakarta
at 10 a.m - 9 p.m and to illustrate the influence of
Green Pramuka Square Italian lifestyles in Indonesia.
goersapp.com
• ‘Turah’
A film by Wicaksono Wisnu
Legowo
March 19 at 4:30 p.m.
Kinosaurus – Kemang
kinosaurusjakarta.com
• People Exhibition
March 11-18 at 10 p.m.
POPOLO Coffee
goersapp.com

• Contemporary Philosophy • Photo Exhibition: • ‘Rocket Rain’

March 18, 25 at 4 p.m
Serambi Salihara
salihara.org
MUSIC PERFORMANCES
• DUA EMPAT:
Alvin Ghazalie dan Misi Lezar
March 28 at 6 p.m.
Motion Blue Jakarta
motionbluejakarta.com
• Toot Ensemble
March 16 at 6 p.m.
Motion Blue Jakarta
motionbluejakarta.com
• Orkes Keroncong Irama
Jakarta & Jempol Jenthik Orkes
• The Wonderful world of
Disney on ice
Apr. 20 at 2:30 a.m – 4:30 p.m.
Apr. 21 at 2:30 a.m – 4:30 p.m.
ICE - Indonesia Convention
Exhibition
disneyoniceindonesia.com
DANCE PERFORMANCE
• Arka Suta
March 16-17 at 8 p.m.
Graha Bhakti Budaya -
Taman Ismail Marzuki
kiostix.com
• PAT(h)TERN by
Kawung Art Culture
March 18 at 3 p.m.
Galeri Indonesia Kaya
indonesiakaya.com
“The Tree of Life” A film by Anggun Priambodo
• A Contemporary Dance: The Embassy of Italy and the March 19 at 7: p.m.
Ratu Shima • Jejak Langkah Seorang
Italian Cultural Institute Jakarta Kinosaurus – Kemang
March 18-19 at 8 p.m. present a photo exhibition “The Raden Ajeng:
kinosaurusjakarta.com
Teater Jakarta, Tree of Life” by Elisabetta Zavoli Reflection on R.A. Kartini
Taman Ismail Marzuki Dec. 9-April 10, 2017. March 13-31 at 5.45 p.m
• ‘Ada Apa dengan Cinta? 2’
goersapp.com Auditorium IIC, Menteng. Erasmus Huis, Jakarta
March 25 at 5 p.m
CP: 021 3927531-2 or email: RSVP: indonesia@bb.leidenuniv.nl
Kineforum –
eventi@itacultjkt.or.id Taman Ismail Marzuki
THEATER PERFORMANCE kineforum.org
• Photography Exhibition:
Kilas Balik 2016
Feb. 17 - March 18
at 7:30 a.m - 9 p.m.
Neo Journalism Club
goersapp.com
• BeautyFest Asia 2017
• Monopolis
March 25 at 8 p.m. March 18-19 at 10 – 9:30 p.m.
Black Box Theater, Salihara, Ciputra artpreneur
Pasar Minggu • ‘Tiga Dara’ Beautyfest.popbela.com
salihara.org March 26 at 7:00 p.m
Kinosaurus – Kemang
kinosaurusjakarta.com
PROMOTE YOUR EVENTS
Starring Chitra Dewi, Mieke For queries on placement of
Wijaya and Indriati Iska, and di-
your events in The Jakarta Post’s
rected by Usmar Ismail, Tiga
Dara (Three Maidens) is a 1957 WHERE TO GO section,
• Suar Exhibition : Tell Tale musical comedy that tells the please send an email to
Feb. 22 - March 25 story of three sisters living with wheretogo@thejakartapost.com /
at 10 a.m - 9 p.m their widowed father and busy-
wtgjakarta@gmail.com or
• Burung-Burung Prenjak Suar Art Space - Jakarta body grandmother, who is eager
March 18 at 8 p.m. for one of the girls to be married call Nisa at (021) 5300478 ext. 2038.
goersapp.com

WHERE TO EAT IN JAKARTA

CAFES
Aphrodite Club Rasuna, Jl. Rasuna Said,
Kuningan, South Jakarta.
Anomali Coffee Jl. Senopati No. 35, South
Jakarta. Telp. 529-20102
Antipodean Hero Kemang Complex, Jl.
Kemang Selatan No. 1, South Jakarta. No
fuss super-fresh brekkies at this laid-back
Aussie-Kiwi Café.
BUNK Pullman Jakarta Central Park Podo-
moro City, Jl. Let. Jend. S. Parman Kav. 28
Telp. 021 29 20 00 88
Bloeming FX Sudirman, South Jakarta.
Telp. 2555 4182
Bakoel Koffie Jl. Cikini Raya No. 25, Central
Jakarta. Telp. 3193 6608
CJ’s Bar Hotel Mulia Senayan. Jl.Asia Afrika
Senayan, South Jakarta.Telp. 575 3275, 574
7777 ext. 4008, 4018 Bar and cocktail.
RESTAURANTS
Italian
AWkitchen Plaza Senayan
Level P4 Unit No. CP 409
AWkitchen Jl. Asia Afrika No. 8
Jakarta Pusat 10270
+6221 5790 6071
AWkitchen Plaza Indonesia
Level 2, No. E0206
Jl. M.H. Thamrin Kav. 28-30
Jakarta Pusat 10350
+6221 2992 4325  Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan
Asian Fusion
Chatterbox Plaza Senayan and branches
city- wide. Singaporean and western dishes in
cozy setting. No MSG.
Mamacita The Wine Kitchen Senayan City,
LG Unit 52, South Jakarta. Telp. 7278 1477
CHINESE
Ah Yat Abalone Mid Plaza 2, LG, Jl.
Sudirman Central Jakarta. Telp. 570 7333
Chiao Tung Hotel Rekso Hayam Wuruk, Jl.
Hayam Wuruk 2F West Jakarta. Telp. 624 8680
INDONESIAN
Beautika Jl. Hang Lekir No. 1, South Jakarta.
Telp. 722 6683
A spicy culinary journey to North Sulawesi
(Manado). No frills but you will definitely feel
hot under the collar from the chilli dosage.
Bengawan Solo Hotel Sahid Jaya, Jl. Sudirman
No. 86, Central Jakarta. Telp. 570 4444
Bumbu Hotel Sheraton Bandara, West
Jakarta. Telp. 559 7777
CONTINENTAL
Cacaote Jl. Senopati Raya 80, Kebayoran
Baru, South Jakarta. Telp. 293 0612.
Place to see and be seen, melt-in-your-mouth
cakes and pastries
INTERNATIONAL
AMBER
Jl. Senopati Raya No. 61
(+62) 21 290 444 12 - www.amberchocolatebar.
com
Cheese Cake Tebet
Jl. Tebet Barat Dalam Raya No. 21
Jakarta Selatan
(+62)21 8354 735 - www.cheesecakeindonesia.
com
NEGEV
City Plaza Building, Ground Floor
Jl. Gatot Subroto No. 42, Jakarta
(+62)21 5297 1333 / www.negevgastro.com
The Harvest Deli
Office 88
Jl. Casablanca No. 88 (Mall Kota Kasa-
blanka)(+62)21 2956 8712
WINE & DINE
Bacco Lotte Shopping Avenue, Main Lobby,
LG 38, Kuningan, South Jakarta.
Decanter Wine Lounge Plaza Kuningan,
North Tower, Ground Floor, South Jakarta.
Telp. 5296 3888
Loewy Bar & Restaurant Oakwood Premier
Cozmo, Kuningan, South Jakarta. Telp.
25542378
The Lounge Le Grandeur Mangga Dua,
Jl. Mangga Dua Raya, North Jakarta.
Telp. 612 8811
SAKE+ Jl. Senopati 54, Kebayoran Baru,
South Jakarta. Telp. 7250002. Japanese bar
& lounge.
VIN+ Arcadia Plaza Senayan Arcadia
Lantai 1 Unit 106-108, South Jakarta. Telp.
57901477
VIN+ PIM Street Gallery Pondok Indah
Mall 1st Fl Unit 106 South Jakarta. Telp.
2952 9753
VIN+ PIM soft opening specials: - Get a
glass of sangria if you follow us on twitter
and facebook. @vinplusid and VIN+ wine
and beyond
Lunch promotion.
Buy 2 main courses and get 20 percent off (food
only)
High Tea Promotion: 1 Tapas + 1 Glass of wine
only Rp 100,000 (tax included).
VIN+ Central Park Central Park Mall at
Tribeca Park Ground Floor TG. 03 Jl. Let. S.
Parman Kav. 28, West Jakarta. Telp. 5698 5768
VIN+ Kemang Jl. Kemang Raya No. 45B,
South Jakarta Telp. 7179 2577
22 | ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE THURSDAY March 16, 2017

PEANUTS

CROSSWORD PUZZLER SUDOKU

Instructions:
Fill the cells in such a way so that all rows, columns and every
3-by-3 subsquare contains every digit from 1 to 9, with no rep-
etition of each digit.

ROSE IS ROSE

THE BORN LOSER

CHESSQUIZ
GARFIELD

By Shelby Lyman
FERDNAND
THURSDAY March 16, 2017
o
nd
na
r
on
ny
Fe
/D
JP
Iconic: The Atollo table lamp by legendary Italian designer Vico
Magistretti in 1977 for Italian design company Oluce is displayed
during the exhibition of Vico Magistretti at Italian Cultural Insti-
tute (IIC) in Central Jakarta on Sept. 8, 2016.
A CELEBRATION OF
ITALY’S LOYALTY
TO DESIGN
AND CULTURE
Hans David Tampubolon features very distinct tradi-
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA tional Italian designs with its
tall and pointy pillars. To date,
I
talians have always been the concept is still influential
among the frontrunners for modern church designs in
in producing, developing Italy.
and introducing innova- “That is why, Italian designs
tive designs. Since the ancient are so easily recognized and
times of the Roman Empire, identified because regardless
the region now known as Italy of their modern look, they al-
has received worldwide rec- ways embed something from
ognition as a trendsetter and their traditional roots,” Cos-
leader in the design world. mas said.
Italy still has a major influ- Indonesian designers, he
ence on urban designs, indus- said, should learn from their
trial designs and fashion de- Italian counterparts on how
signs worldwide. to embrace modernity while at
To celebrate the legacy of the same time remain loyal to
Italian design, the Embassy tradition roots so the designs
of Italy in Jakarta, the Italian have their own identity.
Trade Agency and the Italian “Lots of my students show
Cultural Institute (IIC) collab- a lack of interest when I ask
orated with home decoration them to design something
and furniture store LAFLO to using Indonesia’s tradition-
present the first edition of Ital- al materials, such as rattan
ian Design Day. or teak wood. They say those
The initiative for Italian materials make their designs
Design Day came from Italian look old and are only suitable
foreign affairs minister Paolo for their grandparents,” Cos-
Gentiloni last year following mas said.
several Italian design-related Cosmas then pointed to a
events, such as the XXI Inter- reference in his previous work
national Exhibition of Milan at the IIC in which he installed
Triennale, the 55th Salone del a replicated installation of leg-
Mobile and the 15th Interna- endary Italian architect and
tional Architecture Exhibition product designer Vico Magis-
in Venice. tretti’s office.
Italian Design Day aims to “I adopted several Indone-
promote the “Made in Italy” sian traditional elements into
phrase and all Italian excel- the replication. You can sense
lences in the field of design that it is Vico’s office, yet at the
around the world. same time, there are Indone-
In Jakarta, Italian Design sian elements in it,” he said.
Day started with a seminar Mangiarotti said when Ital-
with the theme of “Italian De- ians were in the process of
sign: Between Tradition and creating, they do their best to
Innovation.” maintain the quality and genu-
Taking place at the IIC on ine spirit of original designs.
Jl. Tjokroaminoto, Central Ja- Other than the seminar,
karta, on March 2, the seminar Italian Design Day in Jakarta
featured Indonesian architect also featured a photo competi-
Cosmas Gozali and Italian ar- tion with the theme of My Ital-
chitect and product designer ian Design.
Raffaella Mangiarotti as speak- The third and final event of
ers. Italian Design Day is an interi-
Cosmas said that Italian or design exhibition called Liv-
designs had evolved for thou- ing Italian Design, which will
sands of years, but they never open at LAFLO in Senayan on
lost their touch with tradition March 16. Curated by Cosmas,
as seen in the Milano D’Uomo the exhibition will showcase
gothic church in Milan, which how Italian lifestyles have in-
was built in 1386. The church fluenced Indonesian people.
Affleck comple
completes alcohol
trea
addiction treatment
LOS ANGELES: Ben Affle eck says he has
recently completed treatreatment for alcohol
addiction.
directo said in a Facebook
The actor and director
post Tuesday it was the first of many
steps toward a p positive recovery.
He added thatth he wanted to
be the best fa father he can and
show his kids
kid there’s no shame
in getting h help. He also thanked
Ga
Jennifer Garner for supporting
him and caring
ca for their three
kids.
Garner
Garne and Affleck have
been seseparated since an-
nouncing
nouncin their plans to
divorce in 2015.
Affle eck previously
entered rehab for alcohol
addiction
addictio in 2001.
Recently,
Rece he has stepped
away frfrom directing Bat-
man after
af almost a year in
the job. He’ll still star in the
film as the titular crusader.
— AP
Reuters
FEATURES | 23
THE
PAINTERS OF
PADANGTEGAL
Aesthetics run deep
across generations of
village artists.
Legacy: Art lovers and relatives of the painters partici-
pating in the exhibition examine the works on display.
ing materials and introduced them
to his naturalistic style of painting,
late painter and the model of the
painting.
particularly on the anatomy of the “I am very blessed, my late fa-
human body,” he said. ther and my father-in-law were
Painters from the second gen- both painters. The latter’s work is
eration, which include  Ketut Bu- also exhibited here,” Purnami said,
diana, Nyoman Suradnya, the late pointing to a work titled Jauk by
I Made Subrata and I Wayan Su- Nyoman Suradnya.
lendra, were born in the 1950s and Despite their differing styles,
a large number of them received the participating painters share
formal education at art schools on the source of their inspirations
Jauk by Nyoman Suradnya Bali and Java, which influenced and the theme of their work.
their styles compared to the previ- “Their work is mostly inspired
ous generation. by the traditional decorative pat-
“Their brush strokes, color pal- terns, characters from Wayang
I Wayan Juniarta ettes and compositions clearly stories, mystical drawings and
THE JAKARTA POST/SUKAWATI, GIANYAR show a departure from tradition- Hindu philosophies. While their
alism into modernism. However, themes gravitate around cultural
P
adangtegal, a village south of downtown Ubud, is their themes represent their tradi- activities and natural landscapes
a close-knit traditional society known among for- tional roots,” Bandem said. of the island,” Seriyoga Parta said.
eign visitors for its well-kept alleys featuring tran- He gestured to a painting of a In Bandem’s words, the exhib-
quil homestays, famous restaurants and upscale Legong dancer created by the late it reveals continuity in change,
specialty shops. I Made Subrata, who was educat- an ability of Padangtegal artists
Despite its traditional heritage, the village boasts several ed at Udayana University before to sustain their aesthetic drive
forward-thinking achievements. It has transformed Wenara teaching at Denpasar’s SMSR fine across generations while adapt-
Wana, originally a 7-hectare patch of forest surrounding its arts college. ing to the changes that take place
cemetery, into the largest community-managed forest on “It is modern and traditional at around them.
the island as well as a profitable tourist attraction. The cur- the same time,” he said to Kadek
rently 12.5 ha forest  is populated by some 700 long-tailed Purnami, the daughter of the — PHOTOS BY JP/I WAYAN JUNIARTA
macaque and 186 species of plants and generates billions of
rupiah in yearly revenue.
Padangtegal is also one of the first villages in Bali to im-
plement and manage a comprehensive waste management
system, which includes waste segregation at the household
level and a composting facility at the village level.
An ongoing exhibition at Bentara Budaya Bali, a cultur-
al hub at Ketewel, Sukawati, reveals another accomplish-
ment of this village. Titled “Tiga Generasi Padangtegal”
(Three Generations of Padangtegal), the exhibit features
the works of 26 painters, all of whom were born and raised
in that village.
The participants hail from three different generations,
with the oldest participant – the late Dewa Ketut Ding –
born in 1924 and the youngest – Ida Bagus Putra Yadnya
– born in 1987.
“The exhibit reflects the development of painting
in Padangtegal and shows that the development has
spanned at least three generations,” art critic Wayan Seri-
yoga Parta said.
Curated by Padangtegal’s senior living artists, the exhibit
is evidence that aesthetics run deep in the village, which is
also known for its accomplished dancers and composers.
“Padangtegal is one among several villages in Bali, where
the pursuit of aesthetic endeavors is encouraged and where
the arts play an instrumental role in the formation of their
collective identity,” art professor I Made Bandem, who
opened the exhibit, said.
Seriyoga Parta detailed that painters from the first gener-
ation, which include some big names in the island’s painting
landscape, such as Anak Agung Sobrat, Anak Agung Mergeg,
Dewa Ketut Ding, Mangku Wayan Nomer and I Wayan Teg-
un, were mostly autodidacts and members of the famed Pita
Maha, an art collective co-founded in 1936 by Dutch painter
Rudolf Bonnet, German artist Walter Spies and Ubud royal
ruler Tjokorda Gde Agung Sukawati.
Noted art collector Sutedja Neka said that Bonnet played
a significant role in the development of painting in Padang-
tegal. Two of Padangtegal’s most celebrated painters: Anak
Agung Sobrat and Anak Agung Mergeg were Bonnet’s pupils.
“Bonnet visited their houses, provided them with paint- Legong by Made Subrata
GUESS WHAT?
‘Dragon Tattoo’ follow-up coming Franda grew upp
in 2018 with new cast with Westlife
LOS ANGELES: Lisbeth Salander is coming back to the big screen in 2018, but JAKARTA: Presenter Efrandanda “Franda”
she won’t be played by Rooney Mara or Noomi Rapace. Stefanus wanted to relive e the good
Columbia Pictures announced Monday a follow-up to The Girl With the rmer Westlife
old days by attending former
Dragon Tattoo will begin production in September with a new cast, and Fede singer Shane Filan’s “Rightht Here” con-
Alvarez will be the director. cert on Tuesday. The groupup disbanded
It’ll be based on author David Lagercrantz’s The Girl in the Spider’s Web, the in 2012.
fourth book in the series created by Stieg Larsson. The film has been set for an “I’m really a big fan off Westlife
October 2018 release. – a real die-hard fan,” she e said as
Columbia released a David quoted by kompas.com.
Fincher adaptation of The The finalist of MTV VJ Hunt 2007
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo hool in
said she once skipped school
in 2011 starring Mara and Malang, East Java, for two o days in
Daniel Craig. order to go to a Westlife concert
Fede Alvarez Alvarez, who directed the in Jakarta. Her father, who o did not
thriller Don’t Breathe is on have the heart to let Franda
nda go alone,
the hunt for new actors. — AP accompanied her to the capital city by
car and watched the concertcert with her.
Franda said she did notot really follow
Filan’s music.
“I am more into Westlife’s
ife’s first,
AP second and third albums,” ,” she
said, adding that the tracks
cks in
first album had stayed in her
mind. — JP
JP/Triwik Kurniasari
FEATURES THURSDAY March 16, 2017 | 24

COLLABORATIVE EXHIBITION
at Jakarta ROH Projects
Perhaps it really takes collaboration with
a French gallery to make the most
internationally known works locally accessible.

Studies into the Past 01 by Laurent Grasso

Animal adhesive, resin, boiled oil and pigments on wood panel
72 cm x 52 cm framed

Studies into the Past 02 by Laurent Grasso
Oil and gold leaf on wood panel
206 x 130 x 5 cm Triptych
Carla Bianpoen and natural or supernatural phenomena,
CONTRIBUTOR/JAKARTA his works invoke surreal and ambiguous
juxtapositions of time and space.
shows a knight of the Renaissance peri-
od on the left panel and an army rushing
from the Japanese Meiji empire on the
right, while the middle panel features a
black moon that is explained as blurring
the extreme differences in time and space
between the left and right panel.
In another instance, the artist emulates
with great precision the Flemish painting
EDOUARD MALINGUE of the middle ages, but adds an orb, be it in
evolution in the viewer’s stand in gross
contradiction to the works of the other
artists in the show.
Turkish painter Nuri Kuzucan, whose
paintings may be interesting to a certain
extent, reveal abstraction. His works are
of a singularity that could benefit from
some excitement.
The same can be said of Fabien
Mereille’s black ink and water color

S
uch is the case with Jakarta Roh’s
Projects collaboration with Ed-
ouard Malingue, a leading gallery
in Hong Kong.
In an alternate exchange of works, Ed-
ouard Malingue Gallery is exhibiting at
ROH’s art space from Feb. 24 to March 17.
The exhibition presents works by art-
ists from its collection, from France, Tur-
key and China, but it is in fact French
Laurent Grasso’s works that grab most of
the attention and imagination.
Laurent Grasso is a leading French
conceptual artist who was awarded the
prestigious Marcel Duchamp Prize in
2008.
He is the subject of a major mono-
graph — Laurent Grasso: The Black-
Body Radiation — published by Les
presses du réel.
While Grasso’s conceptual and visu-
al interest are not only mind-boggling,
they are actually also mind-enriching as
he opens the boundaries that have kept
our conventional perception about art
and inspires us to new visions and new
histories.
His hyper realistic renditions suggest
an interest in epistemology, the branch
of philosophy that studies the origin, na-
ture, methods, validity and limits of hu-
man knowledge, while at the same time
challenging our perception of time. Often
morphed into portrayals of historical facts
Among his works at ROH is the film GALLERY SHOW the form of a black sun, of double suns or drawings, and Yuan Yuan’s paintings
Soleil Double, which is displayed in an AT ROH’S PROJECT, a parhelic circle (an optical phenomenon, of interiors. Meanwhile, Chinese artist
awe-inspiring manner. Equity Tower, a kind of halo) evoking a sense of both sci- Wang Zibo’s intriguing explorations into
Visitors may recognize the images in- 40th Floor ence fiction and futuristic vision. shifting notions of climate and geograph-
fused with the ambience of Rome with its SCBD, South Jakarta The wide range of vision and the vi- ical understandings deserve more articu-
typical row of pines along the roads, the Open until March 17 sionary in the works of Laurent Grasso late attention.
statue of Michelangelo’s David, the new challenge and evoke awe in the viewer,
buildings in the Roman “new town” EUR transforming his imagination to a wider — PHOTOS COURTESY OF ROH PROJECTS
(Esposizione Universale Roma). As Ed-
ouard Malingue explained, EUR is a city
district of Rome that then dictator Benito
Mussolini planned to open with a grand
World Fair in celebration of 20 years of
fascism. The city was to match his own
grandeur. But World War II smashed the
hopes of “Il Duce” (the leader) and the
grand World Fair never took place.
Indeed Laurent Grasso shot his film
Soleil Double at EUR, evoking that same
sense of grandeur, but at the same time
waging similar possibilities of destruc-
tion with the appearance of a double sun.
The concept of the double sun forms
the basic concept of his oeuvre, namely
that the real is twofold and open to be-
ing retold in another reality. While chal-
lenging our zones of conventionality,
the artist also opens ways for alternative
narratives, be it imaginary or fusing fact,
fiction, scientific and natural phenom-
ena and unveiling new stories and new Soleil Double by Laurent Grasso
histories.
Challenging our mind-sets, a three- Film still
panel work titled Studies into the Past

A man of numbers: Chechen artist

Aslan Gaisumov stands in front of his
installation Numbers at the Trien-
nale in the Garage museum of Con-
temporary Art in Moscow, Russia.

Kate De Pury Abramovich might still be close to the
and Ekaterina Chernyaeva Kremlin, which keeps careful control of Rus-
ASSOCIATED PRESS/MOSCOW sian culture, but Zhukova rejects a “singular
vision,” saying she wants the Triennale to of-
Russian ‘Triennale’
striking in its diversity
hibits in Europe but said she always ends up
going back to Dagestan’s thriving arts scene,
despite violence from an Islamic insurgency
in the region.
Aslan Gaisumov said coming from Chech-
nya does not define him as an artist. His work,
Numbers, arrayed house numbers from pre-
war Grozny across a wall.
He uses the history of Chechnya in his
work, but told the Associated Press: “It’s
about broader themes of what is history,
memory, war.”
Svetlana Shuvaeva said she thinks of her-
self as an artist first and foremost — “a Rus-
sian, if you must, but also international.”
“It doesn’t make any difference, just as the
age of an artist doesn’t make any difference —
va’s installation, It’s OK to Change Your Mind
(2016-2017), uses 150 painted canvases of im-
ages found in daily life to suggest an ornamen-
tal reality that conceals nothing underneath.
Roxana Marcoci, senior curator from New
York’s Museum of Modern Art, said it’s a show
full of energy and new discoveries.
The exhibit “maps Russia today as a place
grounded in multiple cultures,” Marcoci said.
It may be disjointed, uneven and possibly cha-
otic, she added, but art should be disruptive.
Is it disruptive enough to carve out its own
place on the international art stage?
“Russia is a very young place. It’s undis-
covered territory,” said critic Arie Amaya-
Akkermans, who points to the isolation of
Soviet era art.

T
he contemporary art museum Garage
opened its first “Triennale” on Friday
with works from across Russia’s 11
time zones, and they were striking in their di-
versity — perhaps surprisingly in today’s po-
litical context.
Garage sent curators to gather works for
the ambitious show aimed both at energizing
the art scene at home and establishing Russia
abroad.
The exhibit by nearly 70 artists encom-
passes painting, sculpture, video, installation
and conceptual works, mostly after 2012, and
is a dizzying montage of the different cultures
from within Russia’s borders.
Works by artists from Siberia, the Far East
and Chechnya sit beside those from Moscow,
with obvious differences.
And that’s exactly the point, said Dasha
Zhukova, who along with her husband, ty-
coon Roman Abramovich, founded the Ga-
rage in 2008. The pair mingled with artists
and Russia’s cultural elite in the sleek, mod-
ern gallery in Gorky Park.
fer a platform for different voices “to agree an artist is an artist,” she said. “There was a disconnect for a very long time,
and disagree.” The Moscow-based Shuvae- and only now it’s slowly catching up,” he said.
Among the 68 artists with work on display
through May 14 were some first-time exhibi- — PHOTOS BY AP/ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO
tors in Moscow; others are rising stars on a
global scale.
Irina Korina’s massive installation, The
Tail Wags the Comet, dominated the atrium. A
labyrinth of stairs and walkways, dotted with
tiny “shrines,” leads to a space hung with boil-
er suits, or a lighted chamber where people’s
shadows inhabit a rocket-shaped window,
seen from outside.
Trained as a theater designer, the 40-year-
old Korina has exhibited in New York, Lon-
don and Europe. She said her work is strongly
linked to Russia.
“It is the reality around me, and this reality
is my raw material,” she said.
For Taus Makhacheva, her native Dagestan
exerts a strong pull and her work, The Way of Artist’s dialogue: Alexandra Paperno
an Object (2013), references its history with speaks at her work Suspense.
reimagined museum objects.
Makhacheva, 34, trained in London and ex-