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SPECIAL REPORTS
Piecemeal land reform
heralds justice p10
Freeport
accepts
govt terms
Fedina S. Sundaryani
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
In a move that is likely to re-
duce tensions over its future op-
erations, major mining company
PT Freeport Indonesia has agreed
to convert its contract, paving the
way to a resolution in its pro-
longed dispute with the govern-
ment.
Energy and Mineral Resources
Minister Ignasius Jonan claims
that in a change to months of re-
sistance, Freeport Indonesia,
a subsidiary of United States-
based gold and copper mining gi-
ant Freeport-McMoRan (FCX),
has agreed to allow its contract of
work (CoW) to be converted into
a special mining permit (IUPK).
“In principle, they have already
agreed to convert to an IUPK.
Hopefully, they do not change their
mind,” Jonan said during a hear-
ing with House of Representatives
Commission VII on Thursday.
The conflict between the two
parties built up after the mineral
export ban took effect in mid-Jan-
uary in compliance with Govern-
ment Regulation (PP) No. 1/2017.
Freeport Indonesia, the opera-
tor of the world’s largest gold and
second-largest copper mine in
Grasberg, Papua, is required to di-
vest 51 percent of its shares, build
a smelter within five years and
convert its contract in exchange
for a permit to export copper con-
centrate.
Freeport Indonesia spokesman
Riza Pratama separately con-
firmed that the firm had agreed
to convert its CoW into an IUPK,
though it was still negotiating the
terms with the government.
“Freeport Indonesia is willing
to convert its CoW to an IUPK so
long as it is granted investment
stability, entailing legal and fiscal
certainty, equal to the certainties
outlined in our [current] CoW,”
he told The Jakarta Post.
Although Riza declined to dis-
close its proposed terms, Jonan
revealed that the firm had asked
to pay the fixed tax as stipulated
in its CoW although it is higher
than the prevailing tax. Further-
more, it also wants to continue
talks on levies imposed in Papua,
he added.
The firm’s acquiescence marks
a milestone after weeks of tough
negotiations to settle the dispute
out of court after both Freeport
and the government have pledged
to bring the dispute to the United
Nation’s arbitration tribunal.
The progress in the negotia-
tions comes just before US Vice
President Mike Pence’s visit to
Indonesia next month. Indone-
sian officials have said the Free-
port dispute is likely to be high on
Not just a play
Butet Kartaredjasa (seated) and Susilo Nugroho (right) perform in
Lakon Sarmin Hakim presented by Teater Gandrik in Yogyakarta on
Thursday. Carrying the theme of grim law enforcement in the coun-
try, the play will continue in Jakarta on April 5 and April 6 at Taman
Ismail Marzuki.
Freeport agrees to
convert its contract to
IUPK
Govt to allow Freeport to
resume exports
the vice president’s agenda
FCX is known to be politically
connected as US billionaire Carl
Icahn, special adviser on regula-
tory reform to US President Don-
ald Trump, is the third major FCX
shareholder.
Previously, with strong sup-
port from its parent company,
Freeport Indonesia had consis-
tently rejected the government’s
requirements, which the com-
pany argued had violated the
investment certainty provided
by the present CoW dating back
to 1991.
As a result of the standstill, the
miner had been unable to sell its
copper concentrates overseas,
leading to a large pile up that put
a brake on its mining operations.
Earlier this month, Freeport
Indonesia, Indonesia’s biggest
oldest foreign investor, resumed
production at 40 percent of its
normal rate after securing an ex-
port permit for anode slime, a by-
product of copper processing.
During the hearing, Jonan also
told legislators that the govern-
ment might allow the miner to
ship its copper concentrate while
negotiations on the other terms
continued so long as the latter
officially agreed to the contract
conversion.
“As they have technically agreed
to an IUPK, they will be able to ex-
port so long as they submit a pro-
posal to build a smelter within the
next five years following govern-
ment regulation [PP] No. 1/2017.
The government must be firm [in
this case]. The company must own
an IUPK,” Jonan said.
House Commission VII, mean-
while, called on the central gov-
ernment to seek input from the
Papuan people before making any
future policy about the miner.
“We ask the energy and min-
eral resources minister to in-
volve Papuan locals in any deci-
sion-making process pertaining
to Freeport Indonesia in order to
comply with the Regional Auton-
omy Law,” chairman Gus Irawan
Pasaribu said.
Separately, a coalition of civ-
il societies officially submitted a
proposal to the Supreme Court
to review PP No. 1/2017 and its
subsequent regulations, claiming
that they violated the 2009 Min-
ing Law and offered excessive lee-
way for miners to continue selling
raw and semi-processed minerals
abroad.
JP/Tarko Sudiarno
ENERGY
New electricity plan lowers
expansion expectations p13
Tight security: A visitor walks past an armored car at the National Monument in Jakarta on Thursday. Thousands of Muslims are expected
to participate in what they call the 313 Rally on Friday, calling for the removal of Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama over his
blasphemy case.
BLASPHEMY CASE
Thousands to join another anti-Ahok rally
Indra Budiari
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
The city is gearing up for an-
other large protest with Islamic
conservative groups planning to
stage a rally on Friday to demand
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo
unseat incumbent Jakarta Gover-
nor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purna-
ma from his post.
Initiated by the Muslim People
Forum (FUI), the rally will start
from Istiqlal Grand Mosque in
Central Jakarta right after Friday
prayer and will end in front of the
State Palace.
The rally will pass Jl. Merde-
ka Timur, the US Embassy on Jl.
Merdeka Selatan, City Hall and
the Horse Statue.
The FUI claimed that at least
100,000 people will join Friday’s
protest. However, the police have
predicted the number would be
much smaller.
A number of well-known fig-
ures, including National Mandate
Party (PAN) patron Amien Rais
and Rizieq Shihab, the firebrand
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Survey finds widespread violence against women
Margareth S. Aritonang
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
A nationwide survey has re-
vealed that at least one third of
women in the country have ex-
perienced violence in their lives,
inflicted mostly by their spouses
and those who are closest to them.
The survey, commissioned by
the Women’s Empowerment and
Child Protection Ministry and
conducted by the Central Statis-
tics Agency (BPS), interviewed
9,000 women between the ages of
15 and 64 from various economic
and educational backgrounds and
found that 33.4 percent of the re-
spondents had experienced vio-
lence in their lifetimes.
BPS also found that of the 33.4
percent of respondents, 15.3 per-
cent had fallen victim to sexual
violence, while 9.1 percent had
been subjected to physical abuse.
Women interviewed for the
survey revealed that the sexu-
al violence ranged from people
groping women and making un-
wanted sexual advances toward
them to husbands forcing their
spouses to have intercourse.
“In the results for married
women, at least 7.8 percent of
Inside
CITY | p4
KPUD, Bawaslu under
ethics probe
leader of the hard-line group
Islam Defenders Front (FPI), are
expected to join the rally.
The FUI ensures that the pro-
test will not turn violent as the
participants have no intentions
other than to ask Jokowi to dis-
miss Ahok due to his status as a
defendant in a blasphemy case,
according to the rally’s coordina-
tor and FUI secretary-general,
Muhammad Al Khaththath.
“I am aware there are rumors
circulating, which say tomorrow’s
rally will turn chaotic. But this is
a peaceful rally asking the Presi-
dent to comply with the law,” he
told reporters on Thursday.
Khaththath referred to Arti-
cle 83 of Law No. 23/2014 on re-
gional administration, which says
that a regional head should be
temporarily dismissed if named
a suspect of a crime with a prison
sentence of at least five years, cor-
ruption, terrorism, treason and/
or other actions that could divide
the nation.
Ahok is currently being tried
for alleged blasphemy that an-
them agreed to have intercourse
because they were scared,” BPS
head Suhariyanto said in a press
briefing on Thursday.
As for single or unmarried
women, sexual abuse took the
form of groping, getting obscene
messages, receiving pornograph-
ic pictures or videos and being
forced to have intercourse.
“Ten percent of the respon-
dents said that they got lewd
messages, while 7.1 percent said
they were subjected to touching
and groping,” Suhariyanto said.
The survey also found that
sexual abuse happened more of-
ten in urban areas, with 36 per-
cent of reported abuse taking
place in cities, while only 19.8
percent happened in villages.
Respondents in the survey
also identified the perpetrators
of abuse as neighbors, friends,
teachers, law enforcement of-
ficers, partners outside of mar-
riage, sexual partners, parents,
in-laws and other family mem-
bers including grandfathers, un-
cles and cousins.
“We have to do more to make
violence against women an ex-
traordinary crime,” said the BPS
head.
SPORTS | p9
Nadal into Miami semis,
Venus triumphant
ARTS
How Panji met Genji
in Tokyo p24
gered conservative Muslim
groups. The case triggered at least
two rallies considered among the
largest protests the country had
ever seen, on Nov. 4 and Dec. 2
last year.
The rally is going to be held in
less than three weeks before the
Jakarta Gubernatorial Election
runoff voting day, in which Ahok
is trying to keep his gubernatorial
seat from being taken by his rival,
Anies Baswedan.
While the police have called on
the protest to not be politically-
motivated, Khaththath said that
after the rally ended, the protest-
ers would gather at a mosque to
show their support for a Muslim
to be the next governor of Jakarta.
Ahok is a Christian of Chinese-
descent, while Anies is a Muslim
of Arab descent, who has voiced
his agreement of the belief that it
is haram (forbidden) for a Muslim
to vote for non-Muslim leaders.
“[Having] a Muslim Jakarta
governor is in accordance to the
edict from the Indonesian Ulema
Council [MUI]. We just carry out
The survey also revealed the
difficulty of getting information
from the female respondents,
who had to answer questions
from interviewers with spouses
or partners closely watching.
The BPS survey appears to sup-
port findings from the National
Commission on Violence Against
Women (Komnas Perempuan),
which reported an increase of
8.5 percent of reports of violence
against women last year. Komnas
Perempuan registered 1,354 cases
throughout 2016.
Responding to the growing
trend of violence against wom-
en, a number of female lawmak-
ers from across the political fac-
tions have taken the initiative to
propose a bill that would make
sexual violence against women a
serious criminal offense.
The bill also includes stipula-
tions that will encourage women
to speak up about their experi-
ences by setting up a sanctuary
for victims of abuse where they
could speak about the crimes
without risking their safety.
Legal counsel assigned to the
sanctuary would be responsible
for making reports and making
sure that legal processes would
WORLD | p11
Malaysia releases victim
of North Korean murder
JP/Seto Wardhana
the edict,” Khaththath said.
However, two of the country’s
largest Islamic organizations,
Nadhlatul Ulama (NU) and Mu-
hammadiyah, as well as the MUI
itself, have denounced the rally,
with MUI chairman Maruf Amin
saying the rally is unnecessary.
Speaking after a meeting with
Jokowi on Thursday, Maruf asked
everyone to wait for the court to
proceed with Ahok’s trial, expect-
ed to end in May.
To anticipate any violent
breakout during the rally, the Ja-
karta Police have coordinated
with the National Police and the
Indonesian Military to secure the
area around the State Palace.
“We will close the area around
the palace within a 500 meter ra-
dius to give the protesters more
space,” Jakarta Police chief Insp.
Gen. Mochamad Iriawan said on
Thursday, adding that the pro-
testers would not be allowed to
divert to other routes, such as Jl.
MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta,
as it would cause a public distur-
bance. (dea)
start against the people accused
of the crime.
In order to encourage more
women to report their cases, the
bill will also mandate the govern-
ment to pay for the medical costs
needed as part of any investigation.
Lawmaker Ammy Amalia Fat-
ma Surya, one of the initiators of
the bill, said it would also require
the police to assign trained and cer-
tified investigators to handle sex
crimes. She said such investigators
are currently in short supply.
“We want to prevent victims
from becoming subject to more
abuse during investigations,”
Ammy told The Jakarta Post.
The National Mandate Party
(PAN) politician, however, ac-
knowledged that there was only
minor interest in the bill. There
has been no progress in the de-
liberation of the bill since the
House of Representatives agreed
to include it in the National Leg-
islation Program (Prolegnas) in
early February.
“I thought it would take two
sitting sessions to complete the
deliberations. Unexpectedly, it is
harder than I thought to make it
a priority of the House,” Ammy
told the Post.
2 | HEADLINES FRIDAY March 31, 2017

Where’s the beef? Ask the cartel and (corrupt) politicians

I
ndonesians are slowly chang-
ing their eating habits as their
incomes rise. Still counted
among the biggest rice eaters in
the world, they are starting to
put more beef on the table. Not
steaks, burgers or roast beef, but
beef dishes such as gulai (curry)
or semur (stew in soy sauce) and
dendeng (jerky).
What prevents them from eat-
ing even more beef is not so much
health concerns as the steep pric-
es they have to pay for the meat.
This is partly because of the supply
and demand situation, the govern-
ment’s rigid beef import policy, and
a conspiracy between some beef
importers and corrupt politicians.
Indonesians trail behind their
neighbors when it comes to meat
consumption, averaging 2.61 ki-
logram per person each year,
against 15 kg for Singaporeans
and 7 kg for Filipinos.
But they are paying among the
highest prices in the world. House-
wives scream at the government
whenever meat prices shoot up
around big national holidays like
Idul Fitri and Christmas. President
Joko “Jokowi” Widodo always re-
sponds by allowing more imports at
those particular times to ease prices.
But in between these beef cri-
ses, the government has been
struggling to increase local pro-
duction and step up the fight
against the cartel of powerful
meat importers who conspire
with politicians in high places to
keep imports out and prices high.
This year, the price of a kilogram
of the best beef cut in Jakarta aver-
aged Rp 110,000 (US$8.30), more
than double what Malaysians and
Singaporeans are paying. Prices
tend to be higher the farther away
you are from Jakarta.
Have sympathy for Agriculture
Minister Amran Sulaiman and
Trade Minister Enggartiasto Luki-
ta for failing to deliver on Jokowi’s
instruction to bring meat prices to
below Rp 80,000. If anything, the
trajectory is likely to be prices con-
tinuing to rise on the back of ever-
increasing demand.
The long-term solution obvious-
ly is to boost local production with
initiatives such as the expansion
of the livestock population, but for
COMMENTARY
Linda Yulisman
THE JAKARTA POST/
JAKARTA
the near and foreseeable future
Indonesia will continue to rely on
imports to meet the insatiable lo-
cal demand. This is because local
beef production will only amount
to 354,770 tons this year, according
to official statistics, far from the do-
mestic demand of 604,966 tons.
The government’s beef import
policy may have the best of inten-
tions to help both farmers and con-
sumers, but the beef import busi-
ness is just so lucrative that it has
become easy prey for corruption.
The import quota system, de-
signed to protect local farmers,
opened up room for importers
to collude with politicians. Two
powerful politicians have lost
their jobs because of their role in
illegal arrangements.
Then chairman of the Prosper-
ous Justice Party (PKS) Luthfi
Hasan Ishaaq was convicted in
2013 for his part in using his office
to secure the quota of a large meat
importer, obviously in return for
a huge commission.
A judge of the Constitutional
Court, Patrialis Akbar, is current-
ly under detention awaiting trial
after the Corruption Eradication
Commission (KPK) nabbed him
on charges of taking bribes from
Basuki Hariman, a key player in
the local meat business, to ensure
a favorable ruling in a dispute
over beef import policy.
To ease domestic supply, which
in the past had relied solely on im-
ported Australian beef, the 2014
law on animal husbandry and
health allowed the government to
import cattle from zones within
countries that are free from foot
and mouth disease, regardless of
whether the country as a whole is
free of the disease.
This is a departure from the
previous law that permitted im-
ports only from countries that
were totally free from the disease.
This virtually restricted imports
to Australia only.
Beef importers, which con-
trolled the trade, were among
those that filed a petition at the
Constitutional Court to revoke
the 2014 law, a decision that was
in the hands of Patrialis Akbar.
In fact, Jokowi has indicated that
Indonesia should source its beef
imports from more than one coun-
try, meaning Australia, and that im-
ports from zones in India that are
free from the foot and mouth dis-
eases should be considered.
Bulog, the state-owned food and
logistics agency, is also looking at
Brazil, Mexico and Spain as new
beef suppliers. Safety remains the
chief concern of any beef import
policy and the government plans to
develop quarantine centers through
which cattle imports must pass.
For too long, a strong alliance
of importers, mostly of Australian
beef, has enjoyed the privilege of a
monopoly in the domestic market,
according to the Business Com-
petition Supervisory Commission
(KPPU). In 2015, the commis-
sion punished 32 cattle feedlots
and importers for hoarding beef,
which forced prices to soar to as
high as Rp 130,000 a kilogram.
Two of these companies are
PT Elders Indonesia, a local unit
of Australian agribusiness giant
Elders, and PT Agro Giri Perka-
sa, which is 80 percent owned by
another Australian giant Consoli-
dated Pastoral Company.
The watchdog also found that
these businesses were controlled
by six owners as these companies
were affiliated with each other
and bound by family connections.
The government is only starting
to bust the beef import cartel and
their powerful politician friends.
An obvious solution to Indonesia’s
constant beef crisis is to create
a more transparent beef import
policy and one that allows more
players to prevent any group from
dominating the trade and there-
fore, the prices. Only once the car-
tel’s strong grip is broken, will In-
donesians be able to enjoy more
beef at prices far lower than what
they are currently paying.

LIGA 1

KPK flags attempts to block Chelsea-flavored Persib

justice in huge graft scandal
Haeril Halim
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
The implication of a number of
high-profile figures in a graft case
revolving around e-ID card pro-
curement has allegedly triggered
attempts to weaken the prosecu-
tion of the biggest corruption case
ever handled by the Corruption
Eradication Commission (KPK).
The third court hearing of the
case on Thursday indicated that
attempts to obstruct the investi-
gation had taken place after KPK
officials claimed that six politi-
cians and a lawyer had attempted
to intimidate a key witness.
Former House of Representa-
tives member Miryam S. Haryani
of the Hanura Party was alleged-
ly pressured to renounce all of the
statements she had given to the KPK
on the alleged bribes paid to her and
other legislators to help secure a to-
tal of Rp 5.9 trillion (US$443 mil-
lion) for the project in 2011.
During a hearing last week,
Miryam accused KPK investigators
of forcing her to make a false state-
ment to incriminate the politicians.
Miryam appeared again as a
witness at the Jakarta Corruption
Court on Thursday to confront
KPK investigators Novel Baswe-
dan, Irwan Santoso and Ambarita
Damanik, who questioned Miry-
am in the case in December 2016.
The three investigators played
a video of Miryam’s questioning
to counter her accusations.
The video showed that Miry-
am was interviewed in a friendly
manner by the investigators with-
out any indication she was being
forced to make false statements.
KPK prosecutor Basir backed
up the KPK investigators, saying
that Miryam had met a “young
lawyer” at the office of high-pro-
file lawyer Elza Syarief in Jakarta
two weeks before she renounced
her statements.
IMMIGRATION
Graft trial: Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo (left), Golkar
politician Agun Gunandjar Sudarsa (center) and Bank Indonesia
Governor Agus Martowardojo, who is a former finance minister,
stand as witnesses in the trial of graft suspects Sugiharto and Irman
at the Corruption Court in Jakarta on Thursday.
Legislators accused
of obstructing KPK
investigation
KPK stands its ground
despite lawmakers’ threat
of defamation report
Basir said that Miryam also
met with Rudy Alfonso, the law-
yer of House Speaker and Golkar
Party chairman Setya Novanto,
an important supporter of Presi-
dent Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, at
Rudy’s house on Jl. Radio Dalam
in South Jakarta before she re-
nounced her statements.
Since the case erupted early
this year, allegations have been
rife that Setya was among the
masterminds of the plot to em-
bezzle funds allocated for the
e-ID card project.
The KPK has alleged that
around 40 percent of the funds
were siphoned off into the pock-
ets of politicians and Home Min-
istry officials.
JP/Seto Wardhana
Miryam admitted that she had
gone to Rudy’s house, but denied
ever meeting him there, saying
that Rudy was away at the time.
She also denied the claim that the
renouncement was due to any de-
mands from the lawyers.
KPK prosecutor Irene Putri,
however, insisted that the meeting
between Rudy and Miryam had in-
deed taken place, but she refused
to suggest what the two discussed
during the meeting. “We believe
the meeting happened. We will
prove it in the next hearing.”
Irene argued that the “young
lawyer” had asked Miryam to re-
nounce all of her statements, but
refused to disclose the identity of
the lawyer.
However, a source with deep
knowledge about the meeting has
claimed to The Jakarta Post that
the young lawyer, who the source
identified with the initials AT, was
sent by Setya to convince Miryam
to revoke all of her statements.
Contacted separately, Rudy de-
nied that any meeting with Miry-
am had taken place but confirmed
that she had tried to contact him.
“She wanted me to represent her
in the case but I said no because I
am very busy with other clients. It
is normal if she wanted to meet me,
but unfortunately the meeting did
not happen,” Rudy told the Post,
adding that he never suggested that
Miryam renounce her statements.
Rudy further said that he was
not Setya’s personal lawyer but
had accompanied Setya to the
KPK for his questioning because
he was the head of Golkar’s legal
division.
During Thursday’s hearing,
KPK investigator Novel told the
panel of judges that Miryam said
to him during the questioning that
she was intimidated by a number
of House lawmakers, who pres-
sured her not to reveal the truth.
He said the five were Golkar Par-
ty politicians Bambang Soesatyo
and Aziz Syamsuddin, Desmond
Junaidi Mahesa of the Gerindra
Party, Masinton Masaribu of the
Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI-P) and Hanura Party
politician Sarifuddin Sudding.
KPK prosecutors request-
ed that the judges slap criminal
charges on Miryam for giving
false testimony.
Bambang Soesatyo slammed
Novel for his accusations. “I will
ask for the recording of conversa-
tions between Miryam and KPK
investigators as evidence for us
to report his [Novel’s] accusation
to the National Police for alleged
defamation.”
Masinton, Azis and Desmond
have also denied intimidating
Miryam.
Thursday’s hearing was focused
on the alleged roles of Irman, for-
mer Home Ministry director gen-
eral for civil registration, and Sug-
iharto, former Home Ministry
director for civil registration in-
formation management.
to start season at full speed
Dicky Christanto
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
Indonesia’s top flight Persib
Bandung is setting up a full-throt-
tle kickoff in the Liga 1 as it plans
to deploy all four internation-
al players in the opening match
of the country’s premier soccer
league on April 15.
Persib, nicknamed “Maung
Bandung” (Bandung Tigers), will
play archrival Arema FC at home,
at the Gelora Bandung Lautan Api
stadium in the April 15 opener of
the league, named Go-Jek Trav-
eloka Liga 1 2017 after sponsors.
“The club is considering send-
ing out all four foreign players in
the opener against Arema FC,”
Persib spokesman Irfan Sury-
adiredja told The Jakarta Post on
Thursday.
Persib has been gearing up for
its 2017 title campaign by hiring
two former players of English Pre-
mier League’s Chelsea, striker Carl-
ton Cole of England and midfielder
Michael Essien of Ghana. The two
names are an addition to previously
hired defender Vladimir Vujovic of
Montenegro and midfielder Shohei
Matsunaga of Japan.
Vujovic helped his nation-
al team win against Hungary in
2007, while Matsunaga, who has
been in Indonesia’s top league
since 2011, played for Bundesli-
ga’s Schalke 04 from 2008 to 2010.
In Persib, which iss also known
as “Pangeran Biru” (Blue
Blue Prince),
Cole reunited with Essien,
ssien, who he
played with in Chelseaea from 2005
to 2006.
The appointment of Essien and
Cole made headlines in n local media,
as well as gained attention
ntion from in-
ternational publications,
ns, including
BBC, SkySports and The he Sun.
Cole was the latestst celebrated
addition to Persib’s roster
oster as soon
as the club announced d the for-
mer England striker’ss arrival
on Thursday.
Irfan, however, refused
fused d
to unveil the value of
Cole’s deal.
Persib Bandung has as
secured 12 sponsors ors
for the season, with Jap-
soccer. The Chelsea Academy
graduate said he preferred to play
the game, rather than watch it.
It was Essien’s decision that
caught his eyes, said Cole as re-
ported by kompas.com. After
thorough research, Cole, who will
wear jersey number 12, said he
began to recognize Persib as an
influential club with numerous
fans that supported the team with
their endless energy.
Persib, established in 1933, is
the champion of the 2015 Presi-
dent’s Cup tournament and 2014
Indonesian Super League —
which rebranded to Liga 1.
Liga 1 is sanctioned by the
Soccer Association of Indonesia
(PSSI) and operated by PT Liga
Indonesia Baru.
The full-season competi-
tion will feature 18 clubs. Each
club will receive Rp 7.5 billion
(US$563,069) in subsidy from the
operator to run the team through-
out the season.
TVOne, a television station co-
owned by the Bakrie family and
Mahaka Group boss Erick Thohir,
has secured the league’s broad-
casting rights. The April 15 open-
er will be aired at 6:30 p.m.
Erick, chairman and minority
owner of Italy’s Inter Milan soc-
cer club, is also the president of
the Indonesian Olympic Com-
mittee (IOC) and head of the In-
donesian Asian Games Organiz-
ing Committee (Inasgoc).
official league
Liga 1 is the first official
after Indonesia’s one-year ban by
the Federation Internationale de
Football
Foot o ball Association
((FIFA)
(F IFA) ended mid
llast
la st year. The sus-
ppension
ension was a re-
ssult
ult of a conflict be-
ttween
tw een PSSI and the
government.
gove
govern
rnme
ment
me n.
Tribun Jabar/Deni Denaswara

anese car maker Datsun tsun

More than 100 die in Malaysian camps and Indonesia’s largestrgest

food manufacturer Indofood
being the main sponsors.
ors.
Prior to signing with
o

A. Ananthalakshmi
REUTERS/KUALA LUMPUR
More than one hundred for-
eigners died in the past two years
in Malaysia’s immigration deten-
tion centers from various dis-
eases and unknown causes, ac-
cording to documents from the
government–funded National
Human Rights Commission re-
viewed by Reuters.
The toll, which has not been
previously disclosed, is based on
Malaysian immigration depart-
ment data provided to the com-
mission, which is known by its
Malay acronym Suhakam. There
were 83 deaths in 2015, and at
least 35 in 2016 up to Dec. 20.
It is unclear whether the death
rate is higher than in neighboring
countries. Government officials
in Indonesia and Thailand told
Reuters they do not disclose such
numbers. The rate is higher than
in major industrialized nations
WEATHER FORECAST: MARCH 31, 2017
Sunny Banda Aceh
22 - 28 °C
Rainy
Medan
Cloudy
24 - 32 °C
Pekanbaru
Source:
Meteorology, Climatology
24 - 29 °C
And Geophysics Agency
such as the United States, which calls seeking comment.
in the last financial year recorded “The numbers are too high
10 deaths in its immigration de- and are shocking and it calls for
tention system, which has many the overhaul of the system,” said
more detainees than Malaysia’s.
More than half of the 118 dead
Jerald Joseph, one of eight com-
missioners at Suhakam, which
are from Myanmar, the source for was established by the Malaysian
tens of thousands of refugees com- parliament through an act in 1999
ing to Malaysia, including Rohing- and is due to publicly announce
ya Muslims escaping persecution the numbers next week in its an-
by Myanmar’s authorities and its nual report on human rights is-
majority Buddhist population. The sues in Malaysia.
number of Rohingya fatalities in He described conditions at the
the camps is unknown. centers, some of which he has vis-
Malaysian Prime Minister Na- ited, as “appalling” and said the
jib Razak has been a harsh critic deaths should be investigated as a
of the Myanmar government and criminal matter. The illnesses that
its de-facto leader Aung San Suu led to some of the deaths may have
Kyi after a crackdown in October been caused or exacerbated by poor
by Myanmar’s security forces led sanitation and food, physical abuse
many Rohingya to flee across its and a lack of medical attention, said
borders amid multiple allegations Joseph, who was speaking on be-
of mass killings and gang rapes by half of the commission.
troops. He has called for foreign Malaysia’s home ministry,
intervention to stop the “geno- which oversees the immigration
cide” in Myanmar. department, said it was trying
Najib’s office did not return to improve the conditions in the
Batam Semarang Denpasar
24 - 32 °C 25 - 29 °C 25 - 32 °C
Jakarta Yogyakarta Samarinda
24 - 30 °C 23 - 31 °C 24 - 28 °C
Bandung Surabaya Palangkaraya
20 - 29 °C 24 - 33 °C 24 - 33 °C
centers but its budget was con-
strained.
“I agree there is some over-
crowding and the conditions are
not ideal. We are always trying to
improve the procedures, health
conditions and management of
these sites. The problem is we hit
a budget brick wall,” said deputy
home minister Nur Jazlan Mo-
hamed in an interview.
He said there wasn’t enough
funding to upgrade facilities, pro-
vide adequate healthcare and hire
and train enforcement officers. Ja-
zlan blamed overcrowding on the
“never ending flow of people seek-
ing a better future in Malaysia.”
The living conditions inside
the Malaysian camps are grim
— overcrowded, unhygienic and
brutal — according to interviews
with 13 former detainees, and 12
others who have regularly visit-
ed the centers, including people
from government agencies and
rights groups.
Makassar Ternate
24 - 32 °C 23 - 31 °C
Manado Ambon
22 - 32 °C 24 - 33 °C
Gorontalo Jayapura
24 - 31 °C 25 - 31 °C
ith Persib,
Persibi ,
Cole revealed that he did not
know much about Indonesian
ndonesian
THIS ODD WORLD
Thieves steal huge gold coin with wheelbarrow
BERLIN: Berlin police say suspects used a wheelbarrow to make off with a
100-kilogram gold coin worth millions.
Police said Tuesday at least two burglars broke into the Bode Museum
early Monday morning using a ladder to climb up to a window from
elevated railway tracks running alongside the building.
The thieves grabbed the “Big Maple Leaf” coin, on loan to the muse-
um’s coin collection, loaded it onto the wheelbarrow, then carted it out of
the building and along the tracks across the Spree river before descending
into a park on a rope and fleeing in a getaway car.
Police say the three-centimeter thick coin, with a diameter of 53
centimeters and worth some US$4.5 million for the gold alone, was likely
damaged in the theft. — AP
Driver runs out of gas after stealing car
TULARE, S.D.: A driver who called for help after running out of gas is
accused of stealing a deputy’s squad car in South Dakota and leading
authorities in a pursuit before once again running out of fuel.
Troy James is charged with felony grand theft. Officials say James called
for assistance early Monday on Highway 281 near the town of Tulare, say-
ing his car had stopped and he apparently ran out of fuel.
Sheriff Kevin Schurch tells the Aberdeen American News the responding
deputy tried to detain James because he was acting bizarrely. Schurch says
James pushed the officer out of the squad and took off. He says James was
apparently armed.
The South Dakota Highway Patrol and other officers joined in pursuing James.
He was eventually caught about 225 kilometer away. — AP
FRIDAY March 31, 2017
TERRORISM
Victims of
terrorist
attacks left
out in the cold
Marguerite Afra Sapiie
and Apriadi Gunawan
THE JAKARTA POST / JAKARTA,
MEDAN
Mulyono Sutrisman began to
tear up when he remembered un-
dergoing repeated surgeries to
mend his chin, which was severe-
ly injured by the terrorist bomb-
ing outside the Australian Em-
bassy in Jakarta, 13 years ago.
Mulyono said he needed to wait
for hours in the hospital as the
staff refused to perform immedi-
ate surgery as he did not have in-
surance. He was finally treated
when the company he worked for
agreed to cover the cost.
Since his injury was severe, the
hospital in Jakarta sent him to
Singapore and then Australia to
undergo chin reconstruction.
“The surgery cost exceeded
Rp 2 billion [US$150,172]. Every-
thing was covered by my compa-
ny and the Australian Embassy,
while the government only pro-
vided Rp 5 million,” Mulyono said
in Medan, North Sumatra.
Sari Puspita, a victim of the 2003
deadly JW Marriott Hotel bomb-
ing in Jakarta, said she spent 1.5
months for medical treatment. The
expenses were covered by her com-
pany. “The government has ne-
glected victims of terrorist attacks.”
Mulyono and Sari are just two
among hundreds of victims of ter-
rorist attacks who struggle for ac-
cess to medical services to have
their injuries treated.
Witness and Victim Protection
Agency (LPSK) chairman Abdul
Haris Semendawai said compen-
sation to victims relied on regula-
tion, which stipulates compensa-
tion should be decided by the ruling
of court. However, in some cases,
including for the Jan. 2016 Jakarta
bombing, the request of compen-
sation in the total amount of Rp 1.3
billion submitted by the nine vic-
tims was not included by the pros-
ecutors in the indictment, so the
judges ignored the request.
The Attorney General subse-
quently issued a circular to pros-
ecutors across Indonesia for com-
pensation for victims of terrorist
attacks. However, Abdul said, fur-
ther compensation regulations
should be asserted in the law.
“The regulation is problematic.
If the perpetrators of the terrorist
attack are dead and there’s no tri-
al, the compensation for the vic-
tims can’t be provided,” he said.
The UN Office on Drugs and
Crime (UNODC) and the Foreign
Ministry, held a workshop and
shared best practices of compensa-
tion for victims of terrorist attacks
from several countries, including
France, Spain, the United Kingdom
and the United States. The work-
shop was to help the House of Rep-
resentative deliberate the revision
of the 2003 terrorism law.
UNODC program officer Philip
Divett said the government would
fulfill its humanitarian duty by
ensuring compensation and sup-
porting deradicalization as victims
and survivors of terrorist attacks
would have strong voices against
violent extremism and radicalism.
“They are credible messengers
and people take notice of what
they say. When victims who suf-
fered from terrorist attacks speak,
people pay attention,” he said.
MILITARY TRANSPORT
Govt agrees to purchase
Airbus A400M from France
Safrin La Batu
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
The government has signed a
letter of intent with French air-
craft manufacturer Airbus to pur-
chase A400M military transport
aircraft to replace the Indonesian
Military’s (TNI) aging Lockheed
Martin C-130 Hercules trans-
porter planes.
The agreement, which covered
an unspecified number of air-
craft, was made during the state
visit of French President Francois
Hollande to Jakarta on Wednes-
day, the French Presidential Of-
fice said as quoted by Reuters on
Thursday.
Hollande’s visit was aimed at
strengthening bilateral coopera-
tion between the two countries
in tourism, military, research and
technology, and urban develop-
ment sectors.
Airbus Military Aircraft head
Fernando Alonso said on Wednes-
day that the agreement would be-
come a stepping stone for further
collaboration that could even-
tually boost the Indonesian Air
It’s all on the map
Officials from the Geospatial Information Agency prepare on Thursday for their day’s work on the project
to map the nation’s coastlines and territorial waters. The government has prioritized the mapping of the
outermost islands to update the country’s map passed down from the Dutch government in 1933.
House bullies KPU,
Bawaslu selection team
Nurul Fitri Ramadhani
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
The government-sanctioned
team tasked with selecting the
General Elections Commission
(KPU) and Elections Supervisory
Agency (Bawaslu) commissioner
candidates came under fire from
lawmakers after they scrapped
unqualified candidates preferred
by the politicians.
During Thursday’s hearing, all
factions at the House of Repre-
sentatives’ Commission II lam-
basted the team’s work that re-
sulted in 14 KPU commissioner
candidates and 10 Bawaslu mem-
ber candidates. The politicians
blatantly accused the team of be-
ing partial and said the candidates
were not qualified.
The team consists of notable
figures known for their integrity
and credibility, such as Andalas
University law expert Saldi Isra,
former Constitutional Court jus-
tice Harjono, Islamic scholar Ko-
maruddin Hidayat and former
member of the Corruption Eradi-
cation Commission (KPK) selec-
tion team Betti Alisjahbana, yet
the legislators accused them of
being “incompetent.”
Five of the 14 KPU commis-
sioner candidates are incum-
bents, namely Ferry Kurnia Riz-
kiyansyah, Idha Budhiati, Arief
Budiman, Sigit Pamungkas and
Hasyim Asy’ari.
Meanwhile, out of the 10 candi-
dates for Bawaslu, no incumbents
made it to the final stage. There
were three Bawaslu commission-
ers — Muhammad, Nelson Si-
manjuntak and Daniel Zuchron
— who applied for a second term.
Nelson and Daniel did not pass
the administrative selection phase,
while Muhammad could only make
it into the top 36. He lost in the
third stage of selection, where the
process included data identifica-
tion from the National Intelligence
Agency (BIN), Financial Transac-
tion Reports and Analysis Centre
Force’s Mobility Arm, a unit that
handles troop transport.
Representing the government
in the signing of the contract was
air transport company Pelita Air
Service, which is a subsidiary of
state-owned oil and gas company
Pertamina.
“Future discussions will ad-
dress, among other things, the
number of aircraft to be encom-
passed in an eventual contract and
possible industrial cooperation ar-
rangements,” Airbus stated.
If the agreement materializ-
es, Indonesia would be the sec-
ond country in Southeast Asia
to operate A400M after Malay-
sia, which has already purchased
three of the aircraft.
The A400M is a four-engine
airlifter capable of transporting
heavy loads and is considered
suitable to meet the needs of In-
donesia, the largest archipelagic
country in the world.
In January, reports surfaced
that said the government planned
to buy five A400M planes
amounting to around US$2
billion as it had been unable to
NATIONAL | 3
NATIONAL SCENE
Reprimand shows cracks within KPK
JAKARTA: Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) spokesperson Febri
Diansyah confirmed on Thursday that one of the antigraft body’s lead
investigators, Novel Baswedan, could be issued a second warning let-
ter by the commission’s leadership.
Refusing to elaborate on the details of Novel’s alleged violation,
Febri said the process was not yet finalized given Novel’s important
duty in the investigation of the high-profile e-ID case. “Novel is the
head of one of the e-ID case investigation task-forces. We do not want
to disrupt the ongoing case,” he said as quoted by kompas.com.
The reprimand is reportedly related to the strong opinion issued
by Novel, who is also chairman of the KPK’s workers’ union, express-
ing concerns about KPK director of investigation Aris Budiman’s policy
regarding investigator recruitment.
Anti-corruption activists protested the reprimand, saying there were
people within the antigraft body disturbed by Novel’s brave moves in
probing graft cases.
Novel has been hailed as one of the commission’s best investigators
for his success in leading many big yet sensitive cases.
In 2012, Novel was targeted by the police after he led a graft
investigation into then-National Police Traffic Corps (Korlantas) chief
Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo. Djoko was the first active police general to be
named a KPK suspect. — JP
Ombudsman summons Wiranto over council
JAKARTA: The Indonesian Ombudsman summoned Coordinating Politi-
JP/Dhoni Setiawan cal, Legal and Security Minister Wiranto on allegations of maladmin-
istration regarding the government’s plan to establish the Council for
National Harmony (DKN).
On Feb. 2, the Solidarity Network of Victims for Justice (JSKK) and
the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras)
reported Wiranto to the Ombudsman, accusing him of violating official
procedures in resolving past human rights cases by forming the council.
Ombudsman commissioner Ninik Rahayu said Wednesday that
based on the report, there had been alleged maladministration in
the establishment process of the DKN. “Victims said they were not
involved in the establishment of the council, even though the council’s
task was very relevant to them,” she said as quoted by kompas.com.
Ninik said the government’s policymaking should involve the
concerned parties. She added that the alleged maladministration could
be proved if the government continued to create the body without
consulting victims and their families. — JP
Lawmakers call KPU, confidential, we can’t reveal all of NTB governor named breastfeeding envoy
Bawaslu selection team the considerations as this relates
“incompetent” for to data from the PPATK and other MATARAM: Health Minister Nila Moeloek has named West Nusa
proposing “unwanted” institutions involved,” Betti said. Tenggara (NTB) Governor Muhammad Zainul Majdi a Special Envoy for
candidates The House’s move was seen as Breastfeeding to honor his administration’s successful efforts in achiev-
an attempt to cripple the selec- ing a high rate of exclusive breastfeeding in the province.
House accused of buying tion process so the lawmakers The exclusive breastfeeding rate in NTB was 78.2 percent in 2015,
time to make way for could insert people to accommo- data shows.
preferred candidates date their interests. “It’s higher than the average national rate, which is only 61.8
Titi Anggraini of the Associa- percent,” said Nila during the launch of the Healthy Lifestyle People’s
tion for Elections and Democracy Movement (Germas) in Mataram on Wednesday.
(PPATK) and the KPK. (Perludem) warned it was better Majdi said the launch of Germas would provide motivation for both
“If the incumbents from the for the House to avoid controver- the NTB administration and the general public to support the govern-
KPU could pass, why didn’t the sy, especially given the imminent ment’s Healthy Indonesia program. “To secure health improvements,
incumbents from Bawaslu? We 2019 legislative and presidential integrated cooperation is needed.”
[the lawmakers] are sure that the elections. Majdi said the percentage of budgets allocated to health care in NTB
current Bawaslu commissioners “If the preparation doesn’t go had been above 10 percent. “In fact, budgets and policy support alone
have worked well so far. They’ve well, it could affect the quality of cannot guarantee the success of the government’s work in the health
cooperated with us,” Yandri Su- the elections. As a consequence, sector. The most important thing is the participation and awareness of
santo of the National Mandate the public may lose trust in the all of society’s members,” he said. — JP
Party (PAN) said. election process,” Titi said.
Tagore Abu Bakar of the ruling
Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI-P) said, “the selec-
tion team was just playing around
hence why they’ve selected the
wrong people. They seem to pass
people who can accommodate
their interests.”
“We want a balance, if there
are incumbents from the KPU
then there should be incumbents
from Bawaslu, too,” Commission
II deputy chairman Riza Patria of
the Gerindra Party argued.
Seven of the 11 members of the
team attended the hearing. They
explained the selection process,
which included comprehensive
screenings.
They evaluated the integrity,
independence, leadership skills,
health and competence of the
candidates regarding their knowl-
edge on elections. The methods
they used included written tests,
psychological tests, in-depth in-
terviews and two parts of medical
check-ups.
Betti said they also involved
third parties, such as experts
from the Indonesian Institute of
Science (LIPI) and lecturers from
several universities in scoring the
written tests.
“The team’s scoring method is
find another suitable airlifter.
In August last year, Airbus De-
fense and Space represented by
Alonso visited Indonesia to push
the sales of its product.
Indonesian Military (TNI)
spokesman Brig. Gen. Wuryan-
to refused to comment on the
new contract when contacted on
Thursday.
The TNI currently operates
28 different kinds of C-130s. The
C-130 Hercules was first operated
in the country in 1954.
Indonesia has long been look-
ing for other air transporter
planes to replace the C-130 Her-
cules, which have been aging and
involved in several accidents.
The most recent accident
was on Dec. 18, 2016, in Maima
District, Jayawijaya regency,
Papua, in which a C-130 HS
crashed into a mountain during a
bad weather.
In June, 2015, a C-130 plane
plummeted shortly after taking
off from the Soewondo Air Force
base in Medan, North Sumatra,
killing around 100 people who
were on board. — JP
4 | CITY FRIDAY March 31, 2017

JAKARTA RECLAMATION
GREATER JAKARTA That away
Commuter line to serve Rangkasbitung Reclamation
JAKARTA: Starting April 1, Jakarta’s commuter line train network will
extend its service to Rangkasbitung, Banten, West Java.
project on
By extending the route, commuter line operator KAI Commuter
Jabodetabek (KCJ) aims to serve 1.2 million passengers by 2019.
track to
With the new route, two more train stations in Citeras and Rangkas-
bitung, Banten, will also be opened, said KCJ head MN Fadhila. continue
“We have prepared all the necessary infrastructure to support the
extension of the route to the two new stations, such as ticketing ma- Fachrul Sidiq
chines, platforms and so on,” Fadhil said during a press conference at THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
KCJ headquarters in Central Jakarta on Thursday.
All passengers on the extended route will be able to enjoy the Property developer PT Kapuk
same facilities that are available on other routes and stations. Naga Indah (KNI), a subsidiary
The commuter line’s progressive fare system will also be applied for of property giant Agung Seda-
passengers from Citeras and Rangkasbitung. yu Group, plans to proceed with
“Based on our calculation, passengers from both stations will only the construction of artificial is-
have to pay Rp 8,000 (60 US cents) for the trip of about 72.7 kilo- lets C and D in the controversial
meters to the other end of the line at Tanah Abang station in Central Jakarta Bay reclamation project
Jakarta,” Fadhila said. despite growing resistance from
Before the extension, Rangkasbitung residents were served by activists.
several local trains that only departed several times a day. On Thursday, KNI held a hear-
But with the new route, there will be 35 commuter train services ing to discuss the environmental
from Rangkasbitung to Tanah Abang and vice versa in a single day, impact analysis (Amdal) docu-
with the earliest train departing from Rangkasbitung station at 4 a.m. ment for islets C and D, whose
Besides that, KCJ also plans to redirect its Bekasi, West Java, to Ja- credibility and validity has been
karta’s Kota Station route through Pasar Senen Station from Manggarai questioned.
in April to reduce the density of passengers at Manggarai. Manggarai During the closed hearing,
JP/PJ Leo KNI solicited input from rele-
station is the biggest transit station for the KRL in Greater Jakarta. — JP
Two construction workers direct traffic on Jl. Jatinegara Barat, in East Jakarta on Thursday. The construc- vant parties in its bid to obtain a
tion of a double-track railway along the street has caused traffic jams. green light to continue with the
Pesanggrahan River to transform construction of the two man-
made islets.
JAKARTA: People visiting Pesanggrahan River in South Jakarta will The Environment and For-
soon enjoy water bicycling, among other things, as the city plans to estry Ministry suspended con-
turn a section of the river into a tourist attraction.
“We will transform the river into a water tourist spot and provide
water bicycles for visitors,” the Jakarta Environment Agency’s water
management division head, Junjungan Sihombing, said on Thursday.
He added that his side would solely use corporate social responsibil-
KPUD, Bawaslu struction last year because the
company failed to adhere to the
standards set forth by the gov-
ernment.

under ethics probe

ity (CSR) money to fund the project.
“We’ll start with the CNI River in West Jakarta first before rejuvenat-
ing the Pesanggrahan River. The cost for the plan will be fully covered
by CSR funds,” he said.
Junjungan said the agency would communicate with relevant agen- Callistasia Anggun Wijaya
cies before proceeding with the plan, which was expected to start next
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
month. — JP
Following public complaints
Govt to restrict app-based taxis alleging that official organizers
lacked the necessary neutrality to
JAKARTA: The number of app-based taxis in Greater Jakarta will be oversee a fair vote, the members
limited to three to five per 1,000 residents starting April 1. of Jakarta’s General Elections
Greater Jakarta Transportation Agency (BPTJ) head Elly Adriana Commission (KPU Jakarta) and
Sinaga said ride-hailing drivers had three months to get roadworthi- Elections Supervisory Agency
ness certificates for their cars and change the classification of their (Bawaslu Jakarta) were examined
vehicles on their vehicle registration document (STNK). by the Election Organization Eth-
“We have calculated three to five [online taxis] per 1,000 residents ics Council (DKPP) on Thursday
as the proper number,” Elly said as quoted by tempo.co on Wednesday. over possible ethics violations.
“In future, all online taxis will be distinguished from private vehicles Presiding judge Jimly As-
using a special sticker,” she added. shiddiqie questioned KPU Ja-
Elly said the market for online-based transportation was growing karta head Sumarno regarding
rapidly because the fares were lower than for conventional taxis. his alleged bias toward gover-
However, Elly said, online taxis had no passenger insurance. “Should nor candidate Anies Baswedan
anything happen to a passenger, the driver will be held responsible,” as reported by Jakarta Governor
she said. — JP Basuki “Ahok” Purnama’s volun-
teer group, Cinta Ahok (Cinhok),
and another organization called
Hitting the bull’s-eye the Islamic Students Association
Alumni Forum (FSA HMI).
The court questioned him
about his meeting with Anies at a
polling station in Kalibata, South
Jakarta, on Feb. 19 and about the
reasons he delayed starting the
plenary meeting on March 4 to
announce the runoff election.
The delay upset Ahok and his run-
ning mate Djarot Saiful Hidayat.
Sumarno was also asked about
a photo of the “212 protest”, a
large protest held on Dec. 2 to de-
mand the prosecution of Ahok for
blasphemy. The photo was dis-
played on Sumarno’s WhatsApp
profile page in early December.
The judges then asked Sumar-
no, another KPU commissioner,
Dahlia Umar and Bawaslu Ja-
karta head Mimah Susanti about
their presence at an internal
JP/PJ Leo meeting of Ahok’s campaign team
Two construction workers renovate the archery stadium at the on March 9, as reported by an or-
Gelora Bung Karno sports complex (GBK) in Senayan, Central Ja- ganization called Advokat Cinta
karta, on Wednesday. The renovation is part of the city’s prepara- Tanah Air (ACTA).
tion for the upcoming 2018 Asian Games. Sumarno testified that he had
KPU Jakarta head
Sumarno questioned over
alleged bias toward Anies
KPU Jakarta, Bawaslu
commissioners
confirm they received
honorariums from Ahok
never had a personal relationship
with Anies, although in the past
both were members of the Islam-
ic Students Association (HMI).
He said he did not know Anies
before he registered as a guberna-
torial candidate, even though the
two had met on some occasions.
“I became officially acquaint-
ed with Anies after he regis-
tered [with KPU Jakarta] and we
named him [and Sandiaga Uno]
as gubernatorial and deputy gu-
bernatorial candidates,” Sumar-
no told the judges.
He added that he had never
made personal calls to Anies, or to
any other candidates.
Sumarno also responded to
the accusations of volunteers
who claimed he had intentionally
set out to meet Anies during the
revote in Kalibata and that the
meeting had contributed to Anies
winning that polling station.
Sumarno said the meeting was
an accident as he had not know
Anies would be there.
To show courtesy, Sumarno
said he greeted Anies, shook his
hand and exchanged kisses on the
cheeks.
The meeting had not been con-
ducted in secret as there had been
a lot of journalists and residents in
the polling station, Sumarno said.
Sumarno then clarified the inci-
dent of the delayed plenary meet-
ing, saying the event started late
because of a miscommunication
between the commission’s officials
and Ahok’s campaign team.
Regarding the “212” profile pic-
ture, Sumarno said that he used
that photo because it was beau-
tiful and he believed the protest
was not related to the election.
Meanwhile, Mimah explained
that she and the KPU commis-
sioners attended the Ahok cam-
paign team’s internal meeting be-
cause the team had invited them
to explain the rules about runoff
elections.
Such meetings were common
because the election organizers
had the responsibility to make
sure people understand the rules,
she said.
When judge Saut Hamonangan
Sirait asked whether she received
an honorarium from Ahok’s team
for attending the meeting, Mimah
affirmed it.
“We received about Rp 3 mil-
lion [US$225] for the two-hour
event,” Mimah said.
Sumarno also admitted that
he had received about the same
amount for attending the meeting.
Jimly said that the law had yet
to regulated about honorariums,
especially when the amounts were
small. However, he added that the
practice of accepting honorariums
could lead to trouble.
“Election organizers should
serve participants. How could
they accept honorariums from
the people they serve? For peo-
ple who uphold appropriateness,
they wouldn’t accept the money
even if it is allowed,” he said.
Reflecting on this case, Jimly
said election organizers should
make more regulations about
honoraria.
The judges adjourned the hear-
ing until Monday, during which
they expected to hear from the
heads of Ahok’s and Anies’ cam-
paign teams.
The ministry required
the company to, among oth-
er things, ensure a supply of
sterile water as well as create a
space between the two islets in
order to pave the way for the flow
of water and for fishermen to
catch fish.
Speaking after the discus-
sion, KNI director Firman
Todi said he promised the
company would follow the re-
quirements set out by the gov-
ernment.
For instance, in order to pro-
vide clean water, the company
plans to convert sea water into
fresh water.
“The source for [clean] water
is limited. Our last resort is to
take water from the sea. The wa-
ter quality is good but it’s more
costly. We are planning to create
a cross-subsidy scheme that will
also benefit residents of the Ka-
mal Muara,” Firman said.
The company will be given two
weeks to fulfill the requirements,
said Andono Warih of the Jakar-
ta Environment and Forestry
Agency.
During the hearing, Indone-
sian Forum for the Environment
(WALHI) representatives decid-
ed to walk out.
WALHI legal division head
Afif Waldi said the decision had
been made to clarify the orga-
nization’s stance on the project,
which he said had brought more
harm than good. The presence
of the organization at similar
events in the past had been false-
ly reported as a form of support
for the controversial mega proj-
ect, Afif added.
“We don’t want to get in-
volved in any activities that vio-
late the law. The company start-
ed construction even before
possessing an Amdal,” he said,
adding that this was proof that
the company held greater influ-
ence in determining the direc-
tion of the project than the gov-
ernment.

MRT

City Hall flip-flops

over terminus station plan
Winda A. Charmila
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
Amid lingering uncertainty on
the availability of space for the
terminus station of the second
phase of the MRT project, the city
is revisiting the initial plan to use
a plot of land in Kampung Ban-
dan, North Jakarta.
According to the initial plan,
the terminus station would oc-
cupy a plot of land owned by rail-
way operator Kereta Api Indone-
sia (KAI). However, the Jakarta
administration and PT MRT Ja-
karta have failed to secure the
necessary land. KAI announced
earlier that the land was bound
up in contracts with third parties.
In a meeting held at City Hall
on Thursday, KAI was quoted in
a written statement as supporting
the plan to construct the termi-
nus station in Kampung Bandan.
“The letter clearly states that in
principle, they (KAI) support the
construction of the terminus in
Kampung Bandan. With the letter,
we’ll try to proceed [with the con-
struction] and continue to discuss
the technical matters,” MRT presi-
dent director William P. Sabandar,
said on the sidelines of the meeting.
According to him, at the meeting,
PT MRT, KAI and the city admin-
istration agreed that the terminus
should be developed in Kampung
Bandan instead of East Ancol, which
was proposed earlier as another op-
tion for the terminus station.
The plan to move the terminus
station to East Ancol emerged af-
ter PT MRT found that acquir-
ing land in Kampung Bandan was
problematic.
East Ancol was thought to be
an ideal location as the proposed
plot of land is owned by the city’s
property firm Pembangunan Jaya
Ancol. However, the plot is only 4
hectares in size, while the termi-
nus station needs around six ha.
The administration then consid-
ered relocating the terminus sta-
tion to another plot of land on is-
let K of the controversial Jakarta
Bay reclamation project. The islet
is currently being developed by
Pembangunan Jaya Ancol.
Following in the footsteps of
the East Ancol proposal, the plan
also fell apart following the Jakar-
ta State Administrative Court’s
verdict that annulled the permit
to develop on the islet.
Furthermore, the agreement to
use KAI land for the terminus sta-
tion left an unresolved question on
how to free the contracted land.
“They have to handle the issue
immediately because we have de-
cided on the location of the ter-
minus station and KAI has given
its approval […]. KAI then asked
to have a technical discussion be-
tween the administration and PT
MRT on the matter,” he said.
William added that he hoped
that within a week, PT MRT would
obtain an assurance on a precise
location for the terminus station.
Meanwhile, Endro Yulianto of
PT KAI, who also attended the
meeting, refused to comment on
the status of the Kampung Ban-
dan plot.
Scheduled to commence after
the first phase of the MRT project
connects Lebak Bulus in South Ja-
karta with the Hotel Indonesia traf-
fic circle (Bundaran HI), the second
phase of the project will connect
Bundaran HI and Kampung Ban-
dan. The first phase of the route is
15.7 kilometers and costs Rp 14 tril-
lion (US$1.05 billion) while the sec-
ond phase is 8.5 km and requires
funds of Rp 17 trillion. Around 90
percent of the first-phase construc-
tion is complete and it targeted to
finish before the Asian Games in
August 2018 and operational by
March 2019.
Jakarta secretary Saefullah
said that all related parties should
support the MRT development as
it is a national strategic project.
“This [MRT] is for the bene-
fit of the people hence everyone
needs to respect that objective
because national strategic proj-
ects are carried out in the public
interest,” he said.
FRIDAY March 31, 2017
PUBLIC SERVICE
Deputy mayor
skips work
to play concert
Ruslan Sangadji
THE JAKARTA POST/PALU
Sigit Purnomo Said, better
known as Pasha, the lead singer of
local pop band Ungu, performed
at a concert in Singapore to com-
memorate his band’s 20th anni-
versary last week. As a singer and
celebrity, no one has questioned
Pasha’s right to celebrate his
band’s important milestone.
However, Pasha is not only a
celebrity. He is also the deputy
mayor of Palu, the capital of Cen-
tral Sulawesi, which has led to his
appearance at the concert on Sat-
urday becoming an issue raised
not only by local councilors but
also the Home Ministry.
The Palu legislative council
(DPRD) is now collecting evi-
dence on his departure to Singa-
pore, Palu DPRD head Moham-
mad Iqbal Andi Magga said on
Thursday.
“We want to know if his trip
was a business trip as deputy
mayor or whether he paid for the
trip from his own pocket,” he said.
Iqbal said Pasha could also
face temporary dismissal if he did
not acquire permission from the
home minister to travel overseas,
in accordance with the 2014 law
on regional administration.
Regional autonomy director
general at the Home Ministry
Sumarsono said on Wednesday
that he had not yet received a let-
ter from Pasha asking for tempo-
rary leave from his duties.
“I think that no permission has
been granted yet. I have not been
called in relation to that [his de-
parture],” said the current acting
Jakarta governor at City Hall on
Wednesday as reported by kom-
pas.com.
Central Sulawesi Governor
Longki Djanggola says he regrets
that Pasha left without permis-
sion, especially as a letter from
the governor is also required for
regents or mayors to apply for
leave from the Home Ministry.
“Doing so clearly violates the
regulation,” he said Wednesday.
Pasha has refused to give com-
ment on the issue and instead
has criticized Iqbal for suggesting
that he must step down for the al-
leged violation.
“We are equal partners, but why
did he give make such a negative
comment,” he said on Thursday.
Pasha was the running mate of
Hidayat in his successful bid in
the Palu municipal election in the
first simultaneous regional elec-
tions in December 2015. Pasha is
among a growing number of ce-
lebrities who have changed direc-
tion and entered politics.
MARITIME SECURITY
Navy operates new RI-made
patrol boats in Malacca Strait
Fadli
THE JAKARTA POST/BATAM
In order to enhance security in
the Strait of Malacca, one of the
busiest trade routes in the world,
the Indonesian Navy launched
two new fast patrol boats at the
Batu Ampar seaport on Batam
Island, Riau Islands province, on
Thursday.
Navy chief of staff Adm. Ade
Supandi led the inauguration
of the 40-meter patrol boats
equipped with cannons with cali-
bers of 20 mm and 12.7 mm pur-
chased from Italian defense com-
pany OTO Melara.
The two boats were built by
the private Batam-based ship
manufacturer PT Karimun Anu-
grah Sejati and were named the
KRI Torani 860 and the KRI
Lepu 861.
The two boats are to patrol
around the Navy’s Western Fleet,
especially in the Strait of Malacca,
to minimize rampant smuggling
and piracy, as instructed by Presi-
dent Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
“The situation in the Strait of
Malacca is much safer now, as
observed by the Western Fleet
Quick Response [WFQR] team,
but there are still smuggling at-
tempts,” Ade said on Thursday.
The Navy hoped that the saf-
er situation in the strait would
improve the economic activities
there, as well as attract investors.
“Smuggling is the most ram-
pant crime in the Strait of Malac-
ca. It has happened for hundreds
of years since the Dutch colonial
era. Locals call it lanun,” he added.
The latest known piracy inci-
dent in the Strait of Malacca was
in late December last year when
the Navy arrested six people who
were allegedly attempting to hi-
jack a foreign tanker.
Traditional ritual
Several residents perform a ritual called Laku Tirto Tujuh in Umbul Sri Gedang, Klaten, Central Java, on
Thursday. In the ritual, water from seven springs is collected as a symbol of hope that the soil and waters in
Koripan Village will stay protected and sustainable.
Papua in unsettled
state after election
Nethy Dharma Somba
and Jon Afrizal
THE JAKARTA POST/JAYAPURA/JAMBI
Conflict triggered by alleged-
ly unfair practices during recent
regional elections in Papua has
worsened after the police named
all 19 district heads in Jayapu-
ra regency, Papua, suspects for
violating the 2016 Law on Region-
al Elections.
The police have charged them
with intentionally rejecting a re-
run of the vote as recommended
by the local elections supervisory
committee (Panwaslu). If found
guilty, the district heads could
face six months in prison.
“Under a group named the Dis-
tricts Head Forum, [the suspects]
made public statements that they
rejected a re-vote and said they
would not be held responsible
should there be conflicts due to an
election re-run,” Jayapura Police
chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Gustav Urbi-
nas said on Thursday.
Gustav said, as state officials,
district heads had the responsi-
bility to support the government’s
programs, including elections that
were part of a national agenda.
“The fact that they have also
been proven to have sided with a
particular candidate pair means
that they have also violated a law
on state officials and government
bodies,” Gustav added.
Made in Indonesia: A member of the Navy stands in front of the KRI
Lepu 861 at the Batu Ampar port in Batam, Riau Islands, on Thurs-
day. The boat is one of two military vessels made by a Batam-based
shipyard, that were inaugurated by Navy Chief of Staff Adm. Ade
Supandi on Thursday.
Almost half of the world’s to-
tal seaborne trade passes through
the strait, which borders Indone-
sia, Malaysia and Singapore, each
year.
Intensified maritime patrols
and crackdowns against pirates
had helped decrease the number
of hijackings and thus made the
seas around the strait safer.
Ade explained further that
the Navy would continue to add
more 40-meter and 60-meter pa-
trol boats to its fleet to replace old
ones. The Navy has already pro-
cured half the number of patrol
boats it planned.
The Navy wants 42 40-meter
boats stationed in 14 of its bases
nationwide. Currently, it only has
19 in operation.
“I have instructed that all the
patrol boats be assigned in every
base,” he said.
The two newly launched pa-
trol boats in Batam had cost Rp 65
19 district heads named
suspects for election
violations
Re-run of election at 299
polling stations at stake as
funds yet to be disbursed
Of the 101 cities, regencies and
provinces that simultaneously
conducted regional elections on
Feb. 15, 10 were in Papua.
Allegations of unfair practic-
es, cheating and partiality on the
part of election and government
officials, including security offi-
cers, have led to political and se-
curity disturbances in the coun-
try’s easternmost province.
In Jayapura regency, for ex-
ample, election officials at the 299
polling stations in the 17 districts
in the regency were not the ones
officially appointed by the local
polling administrators (KPPS).
Thus, Panwaslu concluded that
there were election violations and
the election should be conducted
all over again.
“With such a blatant viola-
tion, a re-vote has to be conduct-
ed,” Jacobus Sineri, a member
of the Papua Elections Supervi-
sory Agency (Bawaslu), told The
Jakarta Post, adding that two out
of the 19 suspects had been de-
tained by the Jayapura Police as
of Thursday.
JP/Fadli
billion (US$4.9 million) each. The
boats are 45.5 meters long, 7.9
meters in width, have a maximum
speed of 29 knots and are able to
sail for six days before refueling.
President Director of PT
Karimun Anugrah Sejati Batam
Franky Sucipto told The Jakarta
Post that his company had fin-
ished creating the platform for
the boats and equipped them
with the 20 mm caliber gun on
the prow and a 12.7 mm caliber
gun on the stern.
“The weapons were imported
from an Italian producer. We fin-
ished making the ships within 22
months,” Franky said.
The commander of the Tan-
jung Pinang Navy base, First Ad-
miral S. Irawan, said that security
in the Strait of Malacca had been
better.
“Singapore has appreciated In-
donesia’s efforts in this situation,”
Irawan said.
ARCHIPELAGO | 5
ISLAND FOCUS
Medan
Makassar
Money allegedly behind journalist’s murder
MEDAN: North Sumatra Police’s violent crime unit arrested the alleged
murderer of journalist Amran Parulian Simanjuntak whose motive is
suspected to be personal grudge and not a reaction to Amran’s articles.
A team of investigators arrested Timbul Sihombing, 39, on Wednes-
day evening, 10 hours after Amran was found dead at Jl. Medan-Binjai,
Deli Serdang regency, earlier that day.
North Sumatra Police chief Inps. Gen. Rycko Amelza Dahniel said
personal issues are suspected as the motives.
“The murder did not have any relation to journalism. This was a
purely personal matter between the victim and the suspect,” he told
journalists on Thursday.
JP/Ganug Nugroho Adi
General Crimes Investigation Director at the North Sumatra Police
Sr. Comr. Nurfallah said the case started when Timbul’s parents asked
Amran to bring Timbul to a drug rehabilitation center, as the latter
allegedly had been using drugs since 2015.
“The victim agreed to help and asked for Rp 3 million (US$225).
Timbul’s parent gave him Rp 4 million. However, it was found later
that Amran did not take Timbul to a center but instead took him to an
empty house, cuffed and beat him,” Nurfallah said.
Timbul then allegedly escaped from the house and with his parents,
asked Amran to return the money. Amran initially promised to return
the money but after a while, he avoided paying them back and in-
stead hit and chastised Timbul.
He claimed that he went to meet Amran on Wednesday to ask
about the money, but Amran got mad and hit him until he fell. He
then allegedly stabbed Amran with a knife.
Nurfallah said Timbul could be charged with article 340 on the
Criminal Code with a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. — JP
General Elections Commis-
sion (KPU) Papua member Tar-
winto said the re-vote was sched- Suspected drug kingpin shot dead
uled for April 12 and would cost
Rp 5.9 billion (US$443,000). MAKASSAR: Narcotics officers from the South Sulawesi Police shot
dead Ruslan aka Cullang, who was believed to be the biggest drug
“But up to the present, the funds
have not been disbursed by the Jay- dealer in Makassar, South Sulawesi Police chief Insp. Gen. Muktiono
said in the provincial capital on Wednesday.
apura regency administration,”
Tarwinto said, slightly puzzled. The 28-year-old man was shot because he retaliated when the po-
On Wednesday, KPU Papua lice tried to arrest him in Pasangkayu, North Mamuju, West Sulawesi,
reported Jayapura Regent Ma- on Tuesday, Muktiono said.
tius Awoitauw to Home Minister “The suspect had been on our wanted list and had been a fugitive
Tjahjo Kumolo for his alleged fail- for a long time. He changed locations frequently,” he said.
ure to process the funds needed Ruslan had allegedly cooperated with an international drug ring that
for the second vote. supplied crystal methamphetamine, he claimed.
Matius said previously that “The drugs were smuggled via Tarakan in North Kalimantan and
his administration was still wait- then shipped to Makassar through the Soekarno-Hatta and Parepare
ing for a financial report on the ports,” Muktiono added.
Rp 38 billion it had given to the The head of the narcotics unit, Sr. Comr. Eka Yudha Satriawan,
KPU Jayapura to organize the claimed the deceased suspect had smuggled an average of 10 kilo-
election on Feb. 15. grams of crystal meth each month to Makassar.
Previously, the National Police Previously, the police had arrested five alleged drug dealers who
sent an investigative team to Pap- were supposedly part of Ruslan’s network, Eka said.
ua to investigate allegations made “We will continue to expand this investigation,” Eka said. — JP
by Papua Governor Lukas Enem-
be that the police had not acted in a
neutral manner during the recent
Moroccan singer awes Medan
local elections in the province. MEDAN: Moroccan singer-songwriter Meryem Aboulouafa and Italian
Security disturbances follow- musicians awed people at a performance in Medan, North Sumatra, on
ing the elections also occurred Wednesday evening.
in other regions throughout the She was in Indonesia to promote her first album Magic Galaxy and
country. to commemorate Francophonie Day. Meryem and other musicians held
In Jambi, the house of Riance performances in other cities, such as Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Surabaya.
Juskal, a member of KPU Tebo, She said she was excited to perform and promote her album in
was set ablaze for the second time Indonesia.
by unidentified perpetrators on The performance in Medan was held in affiliation with Alliance
Wednesday. Francaise Medan (AF), the French language and cultural center in the
The Tebo Police are investigat- city. — JP
ing the case.
PERUSAHAAN PERSEROAN (PERSERO)
PT TELEKOMUNIKASI INDONESIA Tbk
INVITATION
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS FINANCIAL YEAR 2016
(No.TEL 45/PR000/COP-I5000000/2017)
The Board of Directors of Perusahaan Perseroan (Persero) PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia Tbk domiciled in Bandung City (hereinafter referred to as the
“Company”), hereby invites shareholders of the Company to attend the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (the “Meetings’) of the Company to be held on:
Day / Date : Friday, April 21, 2017
Time : 13.30 Jakarta Time
Venue : Ballroom - Pullman Hotel Jakarta
Jl. M.H Thamrin No. 59, Jakarta 10350
The Meeting will discuss and decide on the following agenda:
1. Approval of the Company’s Annual Report for the 2016 Financial Year, including the Board of Commissioners’ Supervisory Report.
2. Ratification of the Company’s Financial Statements and Partnership and Community Development Program (Program Kemitraan dan Bina lingkungan)
Annual Report for the 2016 Financial Year, and acquittal and discharge of all members of the Board of Directors and the Board of Commissioners
3. Appropriation of the Company’s Net Income for the 2016 Financial Year
4. Determination of tantiem for year 2016, salary and honorarium including Facility and other allowence for Board of Directors and Board of Commissioners of
The Company for year 2017.
5. Appointment of a Public Accounting Firm to audit the Company’s Financial Statements for the 2017 Financial Year, including audit of internal control over
financial reporting and appointment of a Public Accounting Firm to audit the Financial Statement of the Partnership and Community Development Program for
the 2017 financial year
6. Ratification of Minister of State-Owned Enterprise Regulation Number PER-03/MBU/12/2016 about Changes in PER-09/MBU/07/2015 about Partnership
Program and Community Development Program in State-Owned Enterprise
7. Changes in Company’s Article of Association
8. Changes in Composition of the Board of the Company
Explanation:
1. The 1st and 2nd Agenda are based on Article 11 Paragraph (3) of the Company’s Articles of Association and Article 17 and Article 18 of Regulation of
Minister of State-Owned Enterprises No. PER-07/MBU/05/2015 regarding Partnership Program for State-Owned Enterprises with Small Business and
Community Development Program as amended by Regulation of Minister of State-Owned Enterprises No. PER-03/MBU/12/2016 on Amendment to
Regulation of Minister of State-Owned Enterprises No. PER-09/MBU/07/2015 regarding Partnership Program and Community Development Program
of State-Owned Enterprises, and Regulation of Financial Services Authority No. 30/POJK.04/2015 on Report on Proceeds Use from Public Offering, in
the case of all proceeds from the public offering has all been used, accountability of the last realization of the use of proceeds must be submitted in the nearest
Annual General Meeting of Shareholders.
2. The 3rd Agenda is based on Article 70 and Article 71 of the Company Law the distribution of the Company’s net profit shall be decided at a GMS.
3. The 4th Agenda is based on Article 96 and Article 113 of the Company Law; and Regulation of the Minister of SOE No.04/MBU/2014 as amended by
Regulation of Minister of SOE No.PER-02/MBU/06/2016 on the Guidelines for the Determination of the Income of the Board of Directors, the Board of
Commissioners, and the Supervisory Board of SOE, the income of the Board of Directors and Board of Commissioners shall be determined by a GMS
4. The 5th Agenda, Appointment of a Public Accounting Firm to audit the Company’s Financial Statements for the 2017 Financial Year, including audit of internal
control over financial reporting and appointment of a Public Accounting Firm to audit the Financial Statement of the Partnership and Community Development
Program for the 2017 financial year appointed by GMS.
5. The 6th Agenda “Ratification of Minister of State-Owned Enterprise Regulation Number PER-03/MBU/12/2016 about Changes in PER-09/MBU/07/2015 about
Partnership Program and Community Development Program in State-Owned Enterprise” is to accomodate changes regarding Partnership and Community
Development Regulation
6. The 7th Agenda “changes in Company’s Article of Association” is to accomodate the State Owned Ministry’s Article of Association Standardization for Public
Company.
7. The 8th Agenda “Changes in Composition of he Board of The Company” based on The Company’s Article of Association, Article 16 paragraph (6) and article
19 paragraph (7), which has the meaning that the Board of The Company are appointed and dismissed by GMS and in that GMS the A Serie Dwiwarna Share
holder should be present and approve.
Notes:
1. This notice shall be deemed as an invitation to the Meetings for the Company’s shareholders. The Board of Directors will not send separate invitations to the
Shareholders;
2. Those who are eligible to attend the Meetings are the Shareholders (or their proxies) whose names are registered in the Company’s Share Register at 16.15
hours Western Indonesian Time on March 29, 2017 or the registered owners of the security sub account in the depository of PT Kustodian Sentral Efek
Indonesia at the closing of trading on the Indonesian Stock Exchange on March 29, 2017;
3. The Shareholders or their proxies who will attend the Meetings are required to bring a copy of their Collective Share Certificates (“CSC”) and Kartu Tanda
Penduduk (“KTP”) or another personal identification document to be presented and submitted to Officer of the Meetings before entering the Meeting room.
Institutional shareholders are required to bring a copy of their Articles of Association and any amendments, together with the latest composition of the board
of Directors;
4. Shareholders who can not attend the Meetings may be represented by their proxy by presenting a signed copy of the legal proxy letters and a copy of the
Shareholder’s identification provided that any members of the Board of Directors or the Board of Commissioners or employees of the Company may act as
a proxy in the Meetings, however the votes that they cast as a proxy in the Meeting shall not be taken into account in the voting. The form of the proxy letter
is available at the addresses listed in item 5 below during our business hours;
5. Materials for the Meetings (“Meeting Materials”) are available on the Company’s website at www.telkom.co.id, starting the date hereof. If needed, material for
the Meetings are available to be examined during our business hours and can be obtained from the Company by submitting a copy of Collective Share
Certificates and the personal identification to our Investor Relations team at the address bellow:
PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk PT Datindo Entrycom
Investor Relation Jl. Hayam Wuruk No.28
Gedung Graha Merah Putih 5th floor Jakarta 10120
Jl. Jend.Gatot Subroto Kav. 52 Phone. (021) 350 8077, Fax. (021)350 8078
Jakarta 12710
Phone. (021) 521 5109, Fax. (021) 522 0500
6. To help us conduct the Meeting in an orderly and timely manner, the Shareholders or their proxies are kindly requested to be present 30 (thirty) minutes prior
to the time of the Meeting.
Bandung, March 31, 2017
PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk
Board of Directors
6 | OPINION FRIDAY March 31, 2017

Land for the poor: What next?

he administration of President Joko Use of Blasphemy Law
T “Jokowi” Widodo is starting to redistribute
state land to farmers as part of poverty al-
leviation measures.
The measure is part of an agrarian reform criminalizes minorities
program Jokowi publicly announced in his 2014 presiden-
tial inauguration speech that involves the redistribution

T
he argument that the
of roughly 22 million hectares of undisputed state land — Blasphemy Law is nec-
13 million hectares to indigenous people and the remain- essary to mediate par-
ing 9 million to impoverished farmers. ties and decrease vio-
As part of the realization of the President’s commit- lence is at best unproven and at
worst, the complete opposite of
ment, the Environment and Forestry Ministry trans- what is occurring in reality. Re-
ferred land to 11 indigenous groups in December. The ports of violence from institu-
granted property was largely expropriated from forestry tions such the Wahid Foundation
businesses whose concessions had expired. The next and studies such as the Nation-
crucial agenda is the arduous distribution of 9 million hec- al Violence Monitoring Sys-
tares in 33 provinces, where idle land starkly differs in size tem (NVMS) indicate a steady
and in agricultural suitability while the provinces’ popula- and constant rise of religious
violence in the past decade.
tions are no less complex in terms of size and needs. Data from the NVMS shows an
Jokowi has announced that land redistribution will average 31.7 percent increase of
start as soon as this year, with Coordinating Economic religious violence in Indonesia
Minister Darmin Nasution saying the land will be granted per year since 2003 until 2014,
to farmer associations instead of to individuals so as to even when the usage of the Blas-
minimize cases of illegal sales. Sizes of land to be redistrib- phemy Law within the same year
uted will vary by region: On large but scarcely populated range also increases.
What further solidifies the ar-
islands, each farmer group consisting of 30-40 families gument against the correlation
may receive about 50 hectares, while it could be much less of the law and decreasing vio-
in densely inhabited areas like Java. lence is the fact that the bulk of
Land redistribution is undoubtedly a bold program religious violence (76.5 percent)
that eluded the nation in the past. If materialized, the pro- actually occurred in 2011 to 2014,
gram will benefit at least 26 million impoverished families after the law attained nationwide
notoriety on account of its judi-
— 56 percent of whom have less than 0.3 ha of land in this cial review in 2010. The Consti-
agricultural country. tutional Court rejected requests
The problem, however, is the fact that the 1960 Basic to have it annulled and instead
Agrarian Law, the legal foundation for the land redistri- upheld the 1965 law.
bution program, is half a century old and has been poorly However, the law does not
enforced and often abused, leading to widespread agrarian just increase religious violence;
conflicts. In many areas, indigenous people have been evict- it also contributes to transform-
ing its nature. Owing its vaguely
ed from their ancestral land to make way for large-scale worded state and wrongly pur-
plantations, with state representatives, such as military posed nature, the law has al-
and police personnel, oftentimes siding with the investors. lowed people to cloak their acts
In many cases, land disputes have escalated into violence of violence under an elusive,
resulting in murder, forced disappearance and torture. seemingly just, form.
To support the law, many pieces of legislation will This is done in two ways; chang-
need to be made and more detailed execution technicali- ing direct violence into seemingly
more just structural violence, and
ties defined in order to make the program enforceable. skewing interreligious mediation,
The program simply needs fundamental change in legal in which one expects fair results
certainty concerning ownership and settlement of land for both parties, with the threat of
conflicts across the archipelago. prosecution.
It will certainly take a long time to complete the Last year’s data from Wahid’s
much-needed laws. They perhaps will be passed only after religious freedom report shows a
clear indicator of this first trans-
Jokowi ends his five-year term in 2019. formation. In 2014, direct vio-
The current government’s initiative may account for lence, such as demolitions, ex-
only a basic form of agrarian reform, yet it deserves the pulsions, intimidation/threats,
thumbs-up given the fact that the 1960 Basic Agrarian and coercions encompass 33.5
Law has been systematically abused in favor of economic percent of state and non-state
considerations and political elites. The question now is, religious violence. In 2016,
after starting the agrarian reform, which millions of farm- this number dwindled to 14.6
percent.
ers have been longing for, what’s next?
Alif Satria
JAKARTA
On the other hand, whereas
criminalization only amounts to
9.7 percent of religious violence
in 2014, it reached 16.2 percent
of religious violence last year.
Not only has criminalization
increased but for the first time,
acts of religious criminalization
surpassed acts of direct religious
violence.
Though a decrease in direct
violence would mean fewer ca-
sualties among religious minor-
ities and a good indicator of an
increasingly peaceful state of
Indonesian Muslims, criminal-
ization of religious minorities
carries several harmful ramifi-
cations, mainly the cost of their
rights as citizens.
Examples are vivid in the re-
location in East Java of the Shia
community of Sampang in Mad-
ura to Sidoardjo.
Politicians and law enforcers
were restrained to prioritize the
protection of the community’s
civil rights in the instance of a
clash between them and violent
radical actors.
As a result, the path of achiev-
ing peace comes at the price of
the basic rights of the Shia com-
munity, as opposed to the prose-
cution of the perpetrators.
This relocation separates
them from whatever livelihood
they had in Sampang, forcing
them to scramble for any precar-
ious vocation to survive.
For the past five years, the
Shia community in Sidoardjo
has been forced to live in insuf-
ficient government apartments
(approximately 70 houses for 84
families, and in many instances
four families sharing one house),
experience the occasional week-
long water crisis (one lasted
more than four days in August
2015) and even face difficulties in
acquiring IDs.
Similarly, civil servants are re-
luctant to provide IDs to mem-
bers of the Ahmadiyah minority
such as those in Kuningan, West
Java, due to their legally shunned
status, based on a 2008 decree on
the Ahmadiyah.
The decree bans anyone from
“unlawful actions” against the
Ahmadiyah but also bans the mi-
nority from propagating its be-
liefs that are deemed against the
main teachings of mainstream
Islam.
Administratively, IDs are es-
sential to attain state services,
including healthcare, a driver’s
license, bank loans, food subsi-
dies; all vital primary needs that
should be provided by the state
regardless of background.
Another impact of the law on
religious violence is in the way
it skews what should be fair me-
diation between conflicting reli-
gious parties.
Local incidents have actually
shown various methods of reli-
gious conflict resolution, such as
the Sunni-Shia mediation by Is-
lamic organizations in Pasuruan,
East Java, in 2013.
Such methods, though small,
persistently occur; last year local
ulema managed to mediate a con-
flict between local Islamic stu-
dents and youth in Pamekasan,
East Java, who had protested the
presence of a controversial reli-
gious figure who was said to be
a “wahabi” who hated the local
mainstream Muslim community.
However, such mediations are
mostly skewed against the re-
ligious minority due to the law.
With the threat of being sued
and jailed, religious minorities
are forced to mediate on unequal
terms and ultimately accept the
demands of the majority even
when they still feel the conces-
sions are unfair.
In practice, this results in a
myriad of cases in which “de-
viant religions” end up being
forced to “convert back” to the
“correct way”.
A clear example is the at-
tempted mediation in April 2015
between the deputy regent of
Kutai Timur, East Kalimantan,
and Guru Bantil, an alleged “fake
prophet”.
Though Guru Bantil was al-
ready convicted under the law
in 2013, the official, Ardiansyah
Sulaiman, still used the law as a
bargaining tool. Ardiansyah stat-
ed that if Guru Bantil did not re-
pent, he would be sued again af-
ter he served his time.
A more common form of “me-
diation” is portrayed in the me-
diation between religious or-
ganizations such as between
the Indonesian Ulema Coun-
cil (MUI), the Islam Defenders
Front (FPI) and Mukmin Sadi-
min. Mukmin led a religious sect
in Cilacap, Central Java, deemed
deviant; he was urged to repent
and to promise not to spread his
teachings again.
After a meeting he agreed to
the terms proposed and even
agreed to tear down his house of
worship himself. Yet before the
meeting, the house of worship
was sealed and torn down by the
FPI, and Mukmin himself was
threatened and told that if he re-
jected the mediation efforts he
would be “handed over to the re-
sponsible authorities”.
Therefore the law has made
religious violence more elusive
to prevent. As religious coer-
cions are now being seen as more
“just” as it is done by state insti-
tutions and/or more peaceful as
it is conducted under the veil of
mediation, arguments against
them becomes less and less
persuasive.
If one truly believes in the
equal religious rights of Indo-
nesia’s diverse population, it is
important to keep these chang-
es in check and call them out ac-
cordingly.
But more importantly now, it
is vital to check and call out the
root causes of these changes —
Indonesia’s law itself.
The writer is a project assistant
researcher at the Centre for
Strategic and International
Studies, Jakarta.

Helping Aung San Suu Kyi Is Trump the ideologue?

yanmar’s democracy icon Aung San Suu

M Kyi has been in power for a year, but disap-

pointment with her leadership’s impact on
people’s well-being remains.
Mark Leonard
PROJECT SYNDICATE/LONDON
But the fact that Trump is no ideo-
logue does not mean he cannot be
a conduit for a new ideology.
hological and institutional,” he
said. With its focus on “the per-
formance of political parties,” he
told me, “Bannon wants to radi-
calize the anti-Trump liberals
into fighting for causes which

H
Indonesia bears a moral and constitu- istorians may come to see
the American actor Alec
tional obligation to help Myanmar during its transition Baldwin as United States
from a military dictatorship to democracy. In such a President Donald Trump’s most
difficult period, Myanmar has to tackle severe problems useful ally. Baldwin’s frequent
including the globally sensitive issue of discrimination and widely viewed imperson-
and oppression against Rohingya Muslims. ations of Trump on the comedy
Indonesia has convinced its ASEAN neighbor that it is show “Saturday Night Live” turn
Trumpism into a farce, blind-
on the right path to democratization despite the hurdles. ing the president’s political op-
Myanmar can trust Indonesia because the two have much ponents to the seriousness of his
in common, including a history of military rule in politics, ideology.
extreme economic difficulties and rebellions. Of course, politicians are paro-
Indonesia has gone through the bumpy road Myanmar died all the time. But with Trump,
is now on. there is already a tendency not
to take his politics seriously. The
International media outlets and UN organizations
have jointly given a red mark to Suu Kyi’s achievements,
form of those politics — unhinged
tweet-storms, bald-faced lies, rac-
especially in ending the long-standing and massive perse- ist and misogynistic pronounce-
cution of minority groups. ments, and blatant nepotism —
Since her appointment as Myanmar’s de facto head of is so bizarre and repugnant to
government and head of state on April 5 last year, she has the bureaucratic class that it can
clearly refrained from making drastic policy changes that overshadow the substance.
could anger the Buddhist majority and the still mighty Even those who seem to take
Trump seriously are failing to get
military. to the root of Trumpism. Demo-
The Rohingya dilemma is a very complex problem that crats are so infuriated by his mi-
has forced Suu Kyi to be extra cautious. She is negotiat- sogyny and xenophobia that they
ing with international pressures to treat the Muslims as fail to understand how he con-
an integral part of Myanmar, while recognizing that the nects with many of their former
Rohingyas pose risks to her political credentials at home. supporters.
As for establishment Repub-
The plight of the Rohingya is also a sensitive issue in licans, they are so keen to have
Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation. a “Republican” in office imple-
Many Indonesians have demanded that President Joko menting traditional conservative
“Jokowi” Widodo put pressure on the Myanmar govern- policies — such as deregulation
ment to uphold the rights of the Rohingya Muslims. and tax cuts — that they overlook
The President has rightly acted by offering assistance the elements of his agenda that
to the Myanmar government to settle the conflict once upend their orthodoxies.
Part of the problem may be
and for all. that Trump has come out on
It was much easier for Suu Kyi to act as opposition both sides of most major debates,
leader, which she was for decades, than as a real leader in championing a brand of politics
the government. Being part of the ruling elite, she has to that privileges intensity over
deliver her promises to her nation. consistency.
Indonesia’s experience has shown how painful the This may cause Trump-watch-
process of embracing democracy can be. Myanmar is in ers to dismiss attempts to estab-
lish an ideological foundation
need of assistance and encouragement from friends to for Trumpism — such as Julius
finish the journey safely. As a friend, Indonesia must play Krein’s new journal American Af-
a role. fairs — as hopelessly oxymoronic.
The British political estab-
lishment learned this lesson the
hard way. For years, conserva-
tives and liberals alike under-
estimated Thatcherism. They
failed to see that behind Marga-
ret Thatcher’s blonde hair and
shrill voice was a revolutionary
politics that reflected and accel-
erated fundamental social and
economic changes.
It might be cathartic
to call Trump an idiot,
...but the implications
of his presidency are
serious.
Thatcher, like Trump, was
no philosopher. But she didn’t
have to be. She merely had to at-
tract people capable of refining
the ideology and policy program
that would eventually bear her
name. And that is precisely what
she did.
Apart from those ideologues,
the first to grasp the significance
of Thatcher’s political project
were on the far left: The magazine
Marxism Today coined the term
“Thatcherism” in 1979.
These left-wing figures saw
what those in the mainstream
didn’t: Thatcher’s fundamen-
tal challenge to the economic
and social structures that had
been widely accepted since World
War II.
An editor of that magazine,
Martin Jacques, who did as much
as anyone at the time to provide
a theoretical understanding of
Thatcherism, recently explained
to me why its significance was so
often overlooked. “Political anal-
ysis at that time was very psep-
explained, it missed “the deeper
changes across society.”
There are powerful parallels
between the late 1970s and the
present. Just as Thatcher rec-
ognized growing dissatisfaction
with the old order and gave voice
to ideas that had been languish-
ing on the margins, Trump has
acknowledged and, to some ex-
tent, vindicated the anguish and
anger of a large segment of the
working class who are fed up
with long-established systems.
Also like Thatcher, Trump
has attracted ideologues ready
and willing to define Trumpism
for him. Front and center is Ste-
phen Bannon, the former execu-
tive chairman of Breitbart News,
the ultra-nationalist home of the
racist alt-right, who now serves
as Trump’s chief strategist.
Speaking at the Conserva-
tive Political Action Conference,
Bannon defined Trumpism in
terms of national security and
sovereignty, economic national-
ism, and the “deconstruction of
the administrative state.” As he
put it, “[W]e’re a nation with an
economy. Not an economy just
in some global marketplace with
open borders.”
This reflects a fundamental
conflict between Thatcherism
and Trumpism: The latter aims
to sweep away the neoliberal con-
sensus of unregulated markets,
privatization, free trade, and im-
migration that comprised the for-
mer. But, even if the ideas are dif-
ferent, the tactics are the same.
To consolidate support, Thatch-
er would go head-to-head with
carefully selected enemies — from
British miners to Argentina’s pres-
ident, General Leopoldo Galtieri,
to the bureaucrats in Brussels.
Similarly, as the Hudson In-
stitute’s Craig Kennedy recently
alienate them from mainstream
America.”
Every time Trump’s opponents
march for women, Muslims, or
sexual minorities, they fortify
Trump’s core support base.
Jacques argues that the British
Labor Party’s failure fully to come
to terms with Thatcherism is the
main reason it spent almost two
decades in the political wilderness.
He believes that Prime Minis-
ter Tony Blair was the first lead-
er to recognize Thatcherism for
what it was: A new ideology that
upended long-held rules and as-
sumptions. But, Jacques asserts,
Blair merely adjusted to the new
ideology, rather than attempting
to change it.
None of this bodes well for
Trump’s opponents, who are still
a long way from recognizing the
ideological implications of his
presidency.
Indeed, they remain so dis-
tracted by Trump’s apparent lack
of leadership skill and even men-
tal capacity — which, to be sure,
cannot compare to that displayed
by Thatcher — that they have yet
to grasp the depth of the divisions
and neuroses that Trump has ex-
posed. It might be cathartic to
call Trump an idiot, to laugh at
his misspelled tweets and taped-
up tie, but the implications of his
presidency are serious.
If Trump’s progressive oppo-
nents fail to engage seriously with
the forces that Trump’s victory
reflected and reinforced — in par-
ticular, the backlash against neo-
liberalism — not even impeach-
ment will be enough to put the
Trumpian genie back in its bottle.
The writer is director of the
European Council
on Foreign Relations.

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FRIDAY March 31, 2017
Responding to religiously inspired attacks
Paul Hedges
RSIS COMMENTARIES/SINGAPORE
O
n March 22, a lone wolf
attacker drove into
pedestrians on West-
minster Bridge before
attempting to enter the British
parliament. He was shot dead
while three pedestrians were
killed on the bridge, and one po-
lice officer was stabbed and died.
For London, like many major
cities, the question had been when,
not if, such an attack occurred; se-
curity procedures were quickly
initiated with increased police pa-
trols including armed officers.
However, the immediate hard
defense procedures, while essen-
tial, are not what reduces the risk
of attacks. Mayor Saddiq Khan in
his interview on BBC Radio 4’s To-
day program the following morn-
ing stressed resilience and har-
mony, as well as the need for the
police and security forces to work
in partnership with the public.
Such attacks have become
part of life in many places, and
politicians are becoming more
adept at responding. After 9/11
2001, Western politicians gave
out a slightly confused message,
which needed clarification in the
From the haze
to sustainability
Simon Tay
and Chen Chen Lee
SINGAPORE
S
outheast Asia’s skies over
the last twelve months have
mostly been free of haze
pollution. This is a relief for the
warming planet as forest fires,
particularly on peatlands, typical-
ly release huge amounts of carbon
dioxide and cause acrid smog.
Efforts by the Jokowi adminis-
tration in Indonesia to tackle the
fires at source are one reason for
the improvement. Wetter weath-
er conditions have also played a
major part in the good results.
But the weather is changing, and
not all for the better.
This year, experts predict the
conditions will be drier than nor-
mal and fear that the extreme dry
weather phenomenon called El
Niño will return as early as July.
Concerns arise, therefore, that
severe fires will break out across
plantation and forestry conces-
sions across Indonesia, causing a
return of the haze.
Efforts to prevent that are be-
ing made. On Dec. 1, Indonesian
President Joko “Jokowi” Wido-
do signed into law a blanket ban
on the cultivation of carbon-rich
peatland across the country.
In anticipation of the dry con-
ditions this year, Indonesia’s
Peatland Restoration Agency
(BRG) is already doubling up ef-
forts to support the prevention
of fires at the local and provin-
cial level. Such on the ground and
industry-specific efforts deserve
recognition and support.
More broadly, the need is to
help steer the value chain of agro-
forestry products towards great-
er sustainability. It is not just dry
weather that causes the haze. The
haze is a terrible manifestation of
various unsustainable practices
that plague the plantation sectors
across the region.
Small scale growers are of-
ten reported to use fires for land
clearance because they see lit-
tle other choice. Many suffer low
productivity and small margins
and also lack of access to the right
machinery and financing.
On top of this, concerns are
surfacing about labor and social
violations suffered by workers
in the plantations. Beyond small
scale growers, larger agribusi-
nesses too face allegations — even
if some are unproven — which can
impact their standing and busi-
ness. A number of Indonesian-
based companies continue to be
questioned by Singaporean offi-
cials for possible fires from 2015.
Singapore-based companies too
have faced criticism — with in-
stances of alleged clearing of
rainforests in Gabon and human
rights abuses in Indonesia.
The global value chain links
back to the financial sector and
the financiers behind some agro-
forestry companies have not
been spared the spotlight. The
non-governmental organization,
Greenpeace, has accused HSBC
bank of financing companies that
are allegedly responsible for for-
est destruction.
In response, the bank in Feb-
ruary issued a new “No Defores-
tation, No Peat, No Exploitation”
policy to re-emphasize the strict
conditions attached to financing
of palm oil companies.
following days, concerning the re-
lationship of Islam to the situa-
tion. That it was a ‘war on terror’
and not a war on Islam was reit-
erated, but some of the language
used had muddied this water.
In his interview, Khan did not
raise the issue about this being
potentially an act of terrorism in
which the attacker would seek
to claim legitimacy by an appeal
to some form of radical ideology
claiming foundations in Islam.
Rather, he spoke about the
need for citizens of all religions,
and those of none, to live togeth-
er and stand united shoulder to
shoulder against those who try
and spread discord.
That Khan did not make this
about Islam as he spoke is very
positive, because this takes the fo-
cus away from any sense that the
problem lies there, which would
be the case even if he singled it out
for defense and support.
While Khan did not raise the
issue about Islam being used as
a motivation, his interviewer di-
rectly asked him about the con-
nection to Islam, even stating
that all the terror attacks which
were occurring were done in its
name. Khan responded by noting
that as a Muslim himself he rec-
While financing rules seem far
removed from fires on the ground,
such measures can and will likely
have ripple effects. Companies
in the agro-forestry sector al-
ready face considerable pressure
to adopt more environmentally-
friendly practices and, going for-
ward, those who claim to do so
will have to have their practices
independently verified. A broader
and important shift is underway.
Different actors in the value
chains who were previously part
of the problem are now becoming
part of the solution. A central pil-
lar of this will be information and
transparency. Banks and inves-
tors are increasingly integrating
environmental, social and gover-
nance considerations in their due
diligence, making corporate dis-
closure on sustainability issues
more critical than ever to build
trust and confidence.
Frameworks to facilitate
such information disclosure are
emerging. Last year, the Task
Force on Climate-related Finan-
cial Disclosures (TCFD) outlined
a set of recommendations for vol-
untary and consistent climate-re-
lated disclosures, thereby helping
companies to better align with in-
vestors’ expectations.
Similarly, a growing number of
companies in the agro-forestry
sector are placing more empha-
sis on “traceability” so they can
prove how they source their prod-
ucts to prefer the growers who
adopt more sustainable practices.
Technology is a key enabler for
better information.
Increasingly, high tech drones
have been used to map and moni-
tor land use and support the in-
tensification of crop yields, es-
pecially in remote areas. Mobile
applications to collect farmer
data are another innovation, al-
lowing small scale growers to
make more informed decisions
about their use of fertilizer and
pesticide so that they too can
move to both greater sustainabil-
ity and productivity.      yearly cultural events held at the
To help promote transparency
and the adoption of best practic-
es, non-governmental organiza-
tions and research institutions
can play a critical role. Dialogue
across sectors is essential during
this time of change in the policy
and the priorities of the sector.
Governments, large growers and
their key customers and finan-
ciers need to be brought to the ta-
ble together.
Equally important, gaps in the
value chain need to be identified
so that small scale growers can
participate and collaborate in
the move towards sustainability,
rather than oppose it.
Achieving sustainable value
chains is clearly not the sole re-
sponsibility of any stakeholder
and neither should it be. Instead,
a concerted, collaborative ef-
fort founded on access to qual-
ity information is needed to pre-
vent haze and other crises from
returning to the region.
Simon Tay and Chen Chen Lee
are respectively, chairman and
director (policy programs) at the
Singapore Institute of International
Affairs (SIIA). The SIIA is holding
the 4th Singapore Dialogue on Sus-
tainable World Resources on April
6, 2017 at the St Regis Singapore.
ognized that such incidents were
not based in what he termed
“real Islam”.
He reiterated that in London
people of all religions lived in
peace and harmony, and explicitly
spoke against those who took the
views that Muslims should not be
friends with Christians, or that
they should be antagonistic to
Jews; such notions are not found
in the example of Islam’s prophet
nor in the tradition.
However, he could have gone
further and noted that many ter-
ror attacks are enacted by right-
wing actors, often linked to racism,
anti-Semitism, or Islamophobia.
The media discourse that
links terrorism, or even the ma-
jority of terror attacks, to Islam
tends to give a very distorted pic-
ture. The number of attacks and
deaths from terror in most, if not
all, Western countries have not
occurred from those who claim a
motivation in Islam.
The mayor also noted, impor-
tantly, that it was not enough to
simply offer negative rebuttals of
the extremists who promote ter-
ror. Rather, a positive narrative
is needed that can inspire people.
The protection that Prophet Mu-
hammad offered to Christians
‘The French Connection’: A cultural
response to business and terrorism?
N
o, I am not referring to
the 1971 American crime
thriller about the largest
heroin-smuggling syndicate in
the world at the time. Sure, there’s
a “cultural exchange” in that the
heroin was smuggled from Mar-
seilles to New York, but normally
smuggling is considered a crime,
not a cultural event.
I am referring to my own
French connection, memories
of which were evoked when, on
March 24, I attended an event at
the French International School
(LJF), called “La Grande Journ-
ee de la Danse” (the big day of
dance), the third of a series of
school.
Were they presenting French
dances? Surprise, surprise, no,
they weren’t. The show consisted
of Sundanese dances like the dy-
namic jaipong, the famous Cire-
bon mask dance as well as pencak
silat, the traditional Indonesian
martial art.
Some of the performances
were done by professionals but
the majority of the dancers were
the pupils of the school - nearly
60 of them - clad in colorful tra-
ditional costumes. The older fe-
male pupils also wore make-up,
beautiful headdresses and looked
gorgeous, while the younger ones
looked adorable.
Who was behind this amazing
event? Gabriel Laufer, the mu-
sic teacher at the LJF who does
a lot more than simply teach mu-
sic. He’s a man with a vision, who
thinks that cultural immersion
serves not just to broaden the
students’ knowledge, but also to
touch their minds and hearts. He
believes the cultural exposure
they get now will stay with them
for life.
In preparation for the event,
the pupils were taken to Jelekong
(near Bandung), the village of the
famous wayang golek dalang Asep
Sunarya Sunandar’s legacy, and
learnt some painting techniques
Please send your articles to opinion@thejakartapost.com.
and Jews during his lifetime, as
well as friendships across reli-
gious boundaries from his date
until today, show that a differ-
ent stance is not just possible but
in accord with Islam needs to be
shown and promoted.
Young Muslims need such pos-
itive examples, while they will
counter the often distorted vision
offered by some populist politi-
cians and the anti-Islam rhetoric
of activists who distort for their
own agenda. Communities and
politicians need to voice this open-
ly, forcefully, and repeatedly to
counter extremisms of all shades.
Another challenge that the in-
terviewer put to Khan was that
his directives to cut back on
the very controversial stop and
search police powers should now
be reversed. Indeed, she suggest-
ed that we needed more not less
of this to stop future attacks.
The mayor did not reply direct-
ly, but very correctly spoke about
the importance of good relations
with all communities in his city,
and noted that many potential
attacks in the last few years have
been thwarted by information
from the public.
Giving the message that the
government and police do not
Julia
Suryakusuma
JAKARTA
as Jelekong is also a village of
painters. They practiced pencak
silat and jaipong, played interac-
tive games with local students,
ate Sundanese food while sitting
on the floor, the traditional Sun-
danese way. How more immersed
can you get?
On the evening of “La Grande
Danse” Gabriel himself acted as
a co-dalang (puppeteer) for the
wayang golek show, which was
interspersed as commentary be-
tween the dances. The dialogue
was a mix of Sundanese, Indone-
sian, French and English. I was
probably one of the few in the
audience who understands all of
these languages. Lucky me!
Another thing which touched
me was the fact that the school
was named after Louis-Charles
Damais (1911-1966). In 1937 he
came to Java to study the culture,
and in 1952 he opened the École
Française d’Extrême-Orient
(EFEO) in Jakarta, married Soe-
jatoen Poespokoesoemo, a Java-
nese woman, and remained in In-
donesia for the rest of his life.
He was bosom buddies with
my late father-in-law, Prof. Pri-
yono (1907-1969), who was the
dean of the faculty of letters at
the University of Indonesia be-
fore he became the minister of
culture and education for nine
years (1957-1966) in President
Sukarno’s cabinet.
Like Damais, Pak Priyono was
also a polyglot, as well as being
a Francophile. His book of Java-
nese fables has been translated
into French – one of the very few
Javanese-French translations, I
imagine.
I never knew Monsieur Da-
mais, but I very often met his
OPINION
trust one part of the community,
or singling them out for what are
widely seen as unfair and intru-
sive measures is the kind of thing
which is likely to make radicaliza-
tion more likely, and feed into ex-
tremist narratives.
Working with the communities,
however, undermines such narra-
tives, and as Mayor Khan noted, in
situations of trust and mutual re-
spect, intelligence can be passed
from the public to the authorities.
One-sided securitization is cer-
tainly not the way forward.
The voices and actions of poli-
ticians alone cannot stop terror
attacks, however, the way that
politicians speak in public and
the way that their policies are
seen and received in public are
a very significant aspect of wid-
er narratives and discourses in
this area.
As noted, the mayor of London
showed an extremely effective
way that such voices come across.
Four factors can be applied both
to specific statements or inter-
views, as well as wider policy ini-
tiatives and actions:
First, addressing unity across
traditions and communities rath-
er than speaking about or naming
a specific community.
wife, who was a dear friend of my
mother-in-law. Her children, As-
moro and Adjie, who were at the
event, were also pals with Ami
Priyono, my late husband.
So that evening I was engulfed
not just with delight from the type
of cultural exchange that has been
an integral part of my upbringing,
but also by a wave of nostalgia
from my family’s French connec-
tions. What a night!
The first time I attended a cul-
tural event at the LFJ was last
year. The theme then was way-
ang which of course I have known
about since I was little. Howev-
er, I am ashamed to say, the first
time I really appreciated it was
at the performance at the French
School.
Why was that? Well, because
the story and the dialogue spoken
by the dalang (master puppeteer)
which is in Javanese, was trans-
lated into English. The translator
was Kitsie Emerson, an American
woman trained as a pesinden, fe-
male solo singer who sings with a
gamelan. Sindens (as they are in-
formally known) can perform to
unaccompanied music, dance or
wayang performances.
Having been brought up as a
diplomat’s daughter, I am thor-
oughly cross-culturally pollinat-
ed. I grew up in Europe and stud-
ied French, German and Italian
in an American high-school
in Rome. Nevertheless, I still
shook my head laughing at my-
self, that my wayang-awakening
happened through an American
sinden performing in a French
school in Jakarta!
Not that I wasn’t exposed to
culture. I was, but it was classi-
cal western culture. I saw my first
opera at age 8. It happened to be
Italian: Puccini’s “Madame But-
terfly,” which I saw at the Hungar-
ian State Opera House in Buda-
pest. I remember being so moved
by it, and heart-broken when Cio-
cio san (aka Madame Butterfly)
committed suicide after Pinker-
| 7
Second, when the question of
Islam was raised he directly ad-
dressed problematic narratives
about that tradition, but brought
it back to wider community rela-
tions. As noted though he could
have corrected the interviewer’s
false stance that all terror attacks
are about Islam.
Third, he spoke about the need
for counter narratives, which is of
course part of a much wider proj-
ect and one that should also ad-
dress right-wing racist extrem-
ism, which many now see as the
West’s greatest threat.
Fourth, the need for communi-
ty cohesion and trust is more im-
portant than securitization in pre-
venting such attacks, and certainly
is essential for long-term develop-
ments. These four points are cer-
tainly not comprehensive of ev-
erything that needs to be done, but
are some key foundations.
The writer is associate profes-
sor in interreligious studies for the
Studies in Inter-Religious
Relations in Plural Societies
(SRP) program, S. Rajaratnam
School of International Studies
(RSIS), Nanyang Technological
University, Singapore.
ton, the US naval officer who she
married, returned to take away
their son, to be brought up by his
new American wife. What a cad!
Francois Hollande was in Indo-
nesian this week – a historic visit
as the last time a French presi-
dent came was in 1986. As to be
expected, he and President Joko
Widodo agreed to strengthen bi-
lateral relations.
It is hoped that Hollande will
bring US$2.6 in investment in
the fields of energy, defense in-
frastructure, urban develop-
ment, maritime affairs, retail
business, agriculture, rubber
processing, scientific and tech-
nological research, innovation,
tourism, creative economy, cos-
metics and others.
Terrorism was also something
the two presidents discussed as
it’s one of the common challenges
both France and Indonesia face.
As Paris is one of centers of
fashion, the two countries will also
work together in the field of fash-
ion, as well as cinematography.
Okay, it’s already a long “shop-
ping list”, but what about other
aspects of cultural cooperation?
Bringing in Catherine Deneuve,
one of the icons of French cin-
ema, added a touch of glamor to
the visit. Hopefully it will stimu-
late other forms of art and cul-
tural exchanges during another
Printemps Francais, a wonderful
festival that used to be the ven-
ue  for lots of Indonesian-French
collaborations.
Pity Hollande arrived only on
March 29, and missed the won-
derful event at LJF. If he had been
there, I think it would have real-
ly inspired him. This kind of cul-
tural exchange and understand-
ing could not just be beneficial for
business, but could even be one
of the ways to combat terrorism.
Qui sait (who knows)?
The writer is the author of
Julia’s Jihad.
8 | SPORTS FRIDAY March 31, 2017

PUTTING IT BRIEFLY
Ronaldo statue sparks social media laughs
MID-SEASON INT’L FRIENDLIES
don’t make sense to Mourinho
Reuters
LONDON
Scheduling mid-season in-
ternational friendlies alongside
qualification matches makes no
sense, says Manchester United
manager Jose Mourinho, after
defenders Phil Jones and Chris
Smalling picked up injuries on
England duty last week.
Reuters/Rafael Marchante Smalling started in England’s
Beautiful in person: Cristiano Ronaldo attends the ceremony friendly defeat in Germany but
to rename Funchal airport as Cristiano Ronaldo Airport in Fun- then had to pull out of the squad
chal, Portugal, on Wednesday. with a leg injury, while Jones suf-
fered a toe injury in training.
FUNCHAL: When the island of Madeira on Wednesday renamed its With both players missing
airport in honour of its hometown hero Cristiano Ronaldo, all eyes England’s 2-0 World Cup qualifier
were expected to be on the four-time world player of the year who is victory over Lithuania, Mourinho
adored not only for his soccer skills but also his model looks. But grab- questioned the need for friendlies
bing attention instead was a bronze bust of the player with a toothy during the domestic season.
grin and bulging eyes that instantly created a laugh on social media “I am totally against the friend-
because of its debatable likeness. ly matches,” he told Sky Sports. “I
“I defy you not to feel better after viewing this picture of Cristiano think friendly matches for the na-
Ronaldo alongside his portrait bust,” wrote one Twitter user, Tom tional team only make sense be-
Sutcliffe, on @tds153. fore the final phases.’’
“That hideous Ronaldo statue is going to be a meme in 5,4,3...,” “But mid-season friendly
posted @Agave310. matches mixed with qualification
Another Twitter user deemed the statue “the most gloriously awful matches, I don’t think that makes
bust” of Ronaldo. sense.”
The 32-year-old Real Madrid player’s girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez, United will be without both de-
and his mother, Maria, both attended the renaming ceremony of Por- fenders for Saturday’s Premier
tugal’s Aeroporto da Madeira, now known as Cristiano Ronaldo Airport. League clash against West Brom-
The newly revealed statue holds the distinction of being the second wich Albion, while midfielder Paul
bust of the soccer star and occasional model that has been the subject Pogba and captain Wayne Rooney
of online ridicule. are also on the treatment table.
Another statue, also in Ronaldo’s hometown, was picked apart Leading scorer Zlatan Ibrahi-
for what some saw as glaring obscurities and differences in likeness movic and midfielder Ander Her-
between the player and his bronzed counterpart. — Reuters rera will miss the weekend’s game
as they serve the final game of
their suspensions.
Ibra happy as contract talks continue Smalling, who withdrew from
the England squad last week, was
photographed by British media
wearing a leg brace on Monday
after suffering his third injury
of the campaign. Jones has a toe
problem.
“So we lose four [players] and would leave it isolated in seventh win over its arch-rival, a 2-0 vic-
I think Paul Pogba is also out. So and struggling to catch the teams tory at Goodison.
we lose five,” Mourinho told the above it. Its last win at Anfield came in
club’s website, manutd.com. Everton was beaten 1-0 at a feisty affair in 1999 when Kevin
The Portuguese manager will Goodison Park earlier this sea- Campbell scored the winner and
make a late call on whether to in- son when Sadio Mane’s stoppage- three players, including Liver-
clude right back Antonio Valen- time goal ensured bragging rights pool’s Steven Gerrard, were sent
cia, defender Marcos Rojo and remained in the red half of Mer- off.
goalkeeper Sergio Romero in his seyside. Hardly the kind of run to in-
squad as the trio are yet to return Liverpool won the correspond- spire much hope but Koeman’s
from international duty in South ing fixture 4-0 last season and side have lost only one of its last
America. Everton has to rewind all the way 12 Premier League games com-
With 13 United players in- back to October 2010 for its last pared to Liverpool’s rather up-
volved in international games and-down form which has seen
over the past week, eek, Mourinho Jose Mourinho them win only tthree of its last 10.
said his side was att a disadvantage Both sides w were dealt blows in
against eighth-placedaced West Brom. the build-up to the 228th Mersey-
“If you compare re our situation side derby with Everton defender
with our opponents, nts, West Brom- Seamus Coleman
Colema breaking his leg
wich Albion, onlyy one player on during Ireland’s World Cup quali-
international duty,” y,” he added. fier against Wal
Wales.
“They had timee to work, time Liverpool wi will also be missing
to rest and prepare. re. It’s going to Adam Lallana after a he suffered a
be hard.” thigh injury playing
pl for England
United is fifth in the league, and manager
manage Juergen Klopp
four points behind hind fourth- will be sweating
swe on the re-
placed Liverpooll with two turn of Rob
Roberto Firmino and
games in hand. Philippe Coutinho
Cou from inter-
Meanwhile, Everton national duty with Brazil.
will target a first victory Fourth-placed Liverpool is
Fourth-pla
over Liverpool in near- six points above
ab Everton, hav-
ly seven years on Sat- ing both played
playe 29 games — two
urday knowing that more than the th sides separating
if they succeed an it are Arsenal and United.
unlikely pursuit of Arsenal levels
lev on 50 points
a top-four finish h with Everton after four defeats
might start to be in five games host third-placed
taken seriously. Manchester City on Sunday
Spurred by Rom- m- with its hopes
hop of a 21st consec-
elu Lukaku’s goals, oals, utive top-f
top-four finish in peril.
Ronald Koeman’s ’s side While thet teams below it
have closed steadily ly on the bat- jostle for
fo positions, Chel-
tle for Championss and Europa sea’s title
titl march has been
League qualification on and victo- relentless
relentle and the Blues
ry in Saturday’s earlyarly kickoff at can tickt off another
Anfield would, temporarily
mporarily at three points with victo-
least, lift it into fifth
th spot. ry over
ov Crystal Palace.
Defeat, on the other hand,
Reuters/Lee Smith

SOCCER

New AFA president vows to get Messi ban reduced

Rex Gowar tral, who plays in the Primera Juniors and was a key figure in sit down and see what’s best [for
Reuters/Jason Cairnduff B Metropolitana division, was promoting Tapia’s candidacy. the team]. We must find the way
REUTERS/BUENOS AIRES
Zlatan Ibrahimovic the sole candidate in the elec- Tapia, who is also known as to recover our confidence so our
The Argentine FA, lacking tion but still needed the support “Chiqui”, or little one, said one of beloved Argentine national team
BENGALURU: Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is relish- proper leadership since 2015 and of a majority of delegates, which his first tasks would be to get Mes- represents us in Russia and does
ing his time at the Premier League club and is in talks to extend his fearful its national team might he achieved by scooping 40 of 43 si’s four-match suspension re- its best possible.”
contract, saying he “never leaves a job unfinished”. not reach the World Cup finals votes cast. duced and said it was imperative The AFA has been under the ad-
In November, manager Jose Mourinho said United planned to without banned captain Lionel He will serve a four-year term, everyone got behind beleaguered ministration of a FIFA-appointed
extend his initial one-season deal by another year but according to Messi, elected a third-tier club but some of the power behind the coach Edgardo Bauza. Regularizing Committee, head-
media reports Ibrahimovic wants a two-year contract. chairman and former roadsweep- scenes is expected to be wield- Messi was suspended on Tues- ed by Argentine Armando Perez,
Ahead of the league game against West Bromwich Albion on Satur- er as its president on Wednesday. ed by his deputy Daniel Angelici, day after FIFA said he had “di- since last June after a presidential
day, the Swede told reporters: “I enjoy [...] I go in, I go for the kill and Claudio Tapia of Barracas Cen- who is president of top flight Boca rected insulting words at an as- election in 2015 ended in a 38-38
I go out. And when I go out there are no complaints, that’s what I do. I sistant referee” during their 1-0 tie between two candidates when
never leave a job unfinished. World Cup qualifying win over only 75 delegates had a vote.
“Let’s see what happens, we are talking. I have an option for an- Chile on Thursday. Tapia is the first man to win
other year, I want to do great as long as I’m here, so let us see, there is The match officials did not in- the AFA presidency in an elec-
a lot of time,” he added. clude the incident in their reports tion since Julio Grondona in 1979.
The 35-year-old Ibrahimovic has scored 26 goals in 41 appearances but FIFA acted on video evidence Grondona ran the AFA as his per-
for United since joining on a free transfer from Paris St Germain last and Messi missed Tuesday’s 2-0 sonal fiefdom for 35 years until
year, helping them to lift the League Cup in February and reach the last defeat to Bolivia in La Paz. his death in 2014.
eight of the Europa League. “[We] will make the necessary The 49-year-old Tapia, who
United, which is fifth in the table, faces a challenging April with nine efforts before FIFA for the sanc- came to Buenos Aires from San
games on the schedule including the Manchester derby and hosting tion to be [...] reduced because it Juan province with his family
runaway league leaders Chelsea. — Reuters is unjust,” Tapia said. when he was a boy, spent nine
Messi will miss games away to years working for the capital’s
Uruguay and at home to Peru and refuse collection company while
SCOREBOARD Venezuela, before returning for playing for Barracas and became a
their final match in Ecuador in trade union leader and president
Tennis (home team in CAPS)
St. Louis 3 ARIZONA 1 October. of his club aged 35.
Miami Open Washington 5 COLORADO 3 Tapia said it was crucial to give Tapia has been close to the
Results from the Miami Open quarterfinal Los Angeles 4 CALGARY 1 Bauza backing if he was to help Argentina team since 2015 and
matches on Wednesday Chicago 5 PITTSBURGH 1
Argentina rise from fifth place in headed the delegation that took
Men’s singles
5-Rafael Nadal (Esp) beat 13-Jack Sock (US) Basketball the South American qualifying them to the Copa America Cen-
6-2 6-3 campaign. tenario in the US last year where
Fabio Fognini (Ita) beat 2-Kei Nishikori (Jpn) NBA Only the top four teams qualify they lost the final on penalties to
6-4 6-2 Results from the NBA games on Wednesday
Women’s singles (home team in CAPS) automatically for Russia in 2018 Chile.
11-Venus Williams (US) beat 1-Angelique LA CLIPPERS 133 Washington 124 while the fifth-placed team must The AFA will hope to draw a
Kerber (Ger) 7-5 6-3 Utah 112 SACRAMENTO 82 go into an intercontinental play- line under the 35-year reign of
10-Johanna Konta (Gbr) beat 3-Simona Golden State 110 SAN ANTONIO 98 Reuters/Daniel Rodrigo
Halep (Rou) 3-6 7-6(7) 6-2 MEMPHIS 110 Indiana 97 off against a side from the Ocea- Grondona, who died a month af-
NEW ORLEANS 121 Dallas 118 Off-pitch support: Argentina’s Lionel Messi arrives at the Hern- nia zone. ter Argentina reached the World
Milwaukee 103 BOSTON 100 ando Siles stadium ahead of the Bolivia versus Argentina clash for “We must back him [...] as well Cup final in Brazil. During his
Ice hockey Charlotte 110 TORONTO 106
Miami 105 NY KNICKS 88 a World Cup 2018 qualifier in La Paz, Bolivia, on Tuesday. Messi is as all the players,” he told a news tenure the team also won the tro-
NHL Atlanta 99 PHILADELPHIA 92 under FIFA’s four-match ban, including in Tuesday’s match, where conference. phy in 1986 and reached the 1990
Results from the NHL games on Wednesday Oklahoma City 114 ORLANDO 106 (OT) Argentina lost 2-0. “We must meet with him to final.

Why the white-knuckle Aussies could surprise at Confederations Cup

Australia’s cavalier approach
may have contributed to its pre-
carious position in 2018 World
Cup qualifying, but it could help
it spring an upset or two in June’s
Confederations Cup.
The Socceroos remain out
Asia’s automatic qualification
places despite a crucial 2-0 vic-
tory over the United Arab Emir-
ates in Sydney on Tuesday night.
They’re third in Group B, three
points behind joint leaders Japan
and Saudi Arabia.
And by the time the Asian
champions head to Russia in mid-
June to face up to Germany, Cam-
eroon and Chile, their hopes of
playing in a fourth consecutive
World Cup could be on life sup-
port — after a June 8 qualifier at
home to the fearless Saudis. With
an away game in Japan to come, a
loss, or even a draw in Adelaide,
would be disastrous.
Watching an Australian team
coached by Ange Postecoglou is
always a white-knuckle ride. The
former national full-back lives
and breathes attacking soccer,
and wasn’t afraid to introduce a
bold 3-2-4-1 system at the pointy
end of his team’s campaign.
After his players struggled to
adapt in last Thursday’s 1-1 draw
against Iraq on neutral soil in
Tehran, Australia looked more
comfortable with Postecoglou’s
new system, as goals from Jack-
son Irvine and Mathew Leckie
saw off the dangerous Emiratis at
the Sydney Football Stadium.
The tactic allows pacey wide
players like Leckie and Brad
Smith to push forward, giving the
team width and multiple attack-
ing outlets, with two No. 10’s in
the middle, sitting behind target-
man Tomi Juric up top. Against
the UAE, Irvine and James Troisi
filled in admirably for the absent
Tom Rogic and Aaron Mooy in at-
tacking midfield, with Tim Cahill
used as an impact substitute for
in-form striker Juric.
The attacking philosophy looks
as though it could soon pay divi-
dends, but playing three at the
back is a risky proposition — par-
ticularly because Australia wasn’t
strong defensively to begin with.
Tuesday night was only the third
clean sheet of its third-round
campaign.
SOCCER FRIDAY
Jason Dasey
It means that in Russia the
Aussies will be more than capa-
ble of finding the net against the
Germans — they held the reigning
world champions to a 2-2 draw in
Kaiserslautern in 2015 5 — but the
scoreline could well end
nd up 5-4.
“The job [is] to playy a style
that’s going to stand uss in
good stead heading into nto
Confederations Cup,” Ca-
hill explained this week.k.
The mini-World Cup
will also see the Socceroos
ceroos play
a rematch with South h American
champions Chile, to which they
lost 3-1 at Brazil 2014. 14. In that
game in Cuiba, Australia lia was bra-
zenly pushing for an equalizer
in added time before substitute
Jean Beausejour struck Chile’s
third in the 92nd minute.
It’s this sort of fearless approach
under Postecoglou that has some
nervous Aussie fans wondering if
the dull and conservative style of
his predecessors Pim Verbeek and
wasn t so dire after
Holger Osieck wasn’t
all. Verbeek’s qualification for the
2010 World Cup
under Lucas
Neill was a
lot smooth-
er than the
wild ride for
2018 with As-
Tim Cahill
ton Villa’s Mile Jedi-
nak as captain.
“I’ve sat here for
three-and-a-half years
and I haven’t changed in
anything I’ve said I was go-
ing to do,” Postecoglou said
after the win.
“I expect to be held account-
able for what I say and the kind
of football we want to play. But
it seems I’ve been held account-
able for doing what I said I’d do
this week — that’s the bit I strug-
gle with.
“Maybe if it was a foreign coach
we’d
we d all sit back
b and say, ‘what a
genius he is, is he’s coming up with
new ways to challenge these
guys.’”
What wil will please Postecoglou
most about the victory over the
UAE will be the way that fringe
stepped up in the absence
players step
of missing regulars
re like Rogic and
Mooy, and how new stars have
emerged sin since Australia won the
Asian Cup on home soil in Janu-
ary 2015.
Smith has rarely featured
Bournemouth at left-back
for Bour
this season,
se but was argu-
ably ththe Socceroos’ best in
tthee more advanced role
th
where Brendan Rodgers
whe
gave him his Liverpool
ga
debut off the bench as
d ESPN FC, Indonesia’s most popular
a 19-year-old against
Reuters/Jason Reed C Chelsea in 2013.
The versatile Irvine, who’s with
Burton Albion in the English sec-
ond tier, was once better known
as a defensive midfielder or even a
center-back. But the 24-year-old
was full of confidence with a more
attacking mindset as he gave Aus-
tralia the comfort of a seventh-
minute lead.
Of course, the bar will be raised
much higher when Australia face
up to the giants of world soccer in
the Confederations Cup, starting
with a June 19 meeting with the
Germans in Sochi. It’s a tourna-
ment where the Socceroos have
performed well, finishing run-
ners up behind Brazil in 1997, and
coming third in 2001.
The Class of 2017 will be hard
pressed to match that, with Por-
tugal, Mexico and host Russia
among the other teams in the
tournament. But it should be an
entertaining couple of weeks as
Ange’s Aussies throw caution to
the wind.
Jason Dasey is Senior Editor of
English language soccer
website. @JasonDasey
FRIDAY March 31, 2017 SPORTS | 9
Reuters/Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports PUTTING IT BRIEFLY
2018 Games needs $150m in sponsorships
Williams,
Wi
W illlia
i mss, playing JAKARTA: The organizers of the 2018 Asian Games have said they are
in
in front
fro
froontt of
ront o a crowd
crowd that looking for at least Rp 2 trillion (US$150 million) in sponsorships to
iincluded
inncl
clu
clud
ud dedd h her
err popcorn- help roll out the multisport event in August next year.
munching
mu
m uncnchi
hingng father Richard, “We’re aiming for Rp 1.5 trillion to Rp 2 trillion in sponsorships,”
took
to
toook nearly
ook nea e rlyy an
a hour to take the Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Puan Maharani
firsrrstt se
sett from
om Kerber,
from Ker
erbeb r, but made
be said in a statement.
qquicker
qu
quic
uicick
cke
ker wo
ker work
w orkk of
of th
the
h second. On Thursday, Vice President Jusuf Kalla held a meeting on the Asian
Halep,p meanwhile,
m
mea
eanwnwh
nw hile, got down on Games that was attended by Puan, Youth and Sports Minister Imam
hherself
he rself afterr losing
rs lo the second set Nahrawi, Energy and Mineral Resources deputy minister Arcandra

NADAL INTO
Rafael ttiebreak
tiieb
ebrreak to Konta. Tahar, Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara and Indo-
Nadal “It was a really tough match, nesian Asian Games Organizing Committee (INASGOC) deputy II Games
very high level,” Halep told the administration Francis Wanandi.

MIAMI SEMIS,
10 years to make the Miami semis.
“This is a big, big tournament
for me. I’m happy about my per-
formance. I’m just trying to be fo-
WTA. “I was so close to winning,
I was two points away in the tie-
break, but she played very strong
and deserved to win.”
Despite the result, Halep took
The meeting focused on getting sponsorships from the state, private
firms and international companies.
Puan said the government could only disburse Rp 4.5 trillion from the
state budget to organize the biggest quadrennial event in the region.
So far, Indonesia has spent nearly Rp 30 trillion on infrastructure,

VENUS TRIUMPHANT cused on my game and do my best.”

In the women’s side, Venus
Williams beat top seed Angelique
comfort from a solid tournament
as she works her way back from a
knee injury.
supporting facilities and the light rapid transit (LRT) construction proj-
ect, said Puan.
“The final disbursement from the state budget may vary — it is still
Kerber on Wednesday to advance being studied. We may reduce it if we can collect more money from
Reuters I saved that game and got the to a Miami Open semifinal al against targeted sponsorships,” she added.
target
NORTH CAROLINA break back [in the next game]. Britain’s Johanna Konta. After the meeting, Puan said she hoped the participating ministries
Aft
th
The match was much closer than American 11 seed Williams, would help persuade companies to participate in funding the Games. — JP
Rafael Nadal moved into the Mi- the result says.” who is seeking her fourth h Miami
ami Open semifinals with a straight Nadal could face his long-time title, survived a long firstt set be-
sets win over American Jack Sock nemesis Federer in the final, with fore she completed a 7-5,, 6-3 vic- Venus Timberlake is 2017 F1 Austin crowd-puller
Tim
on Wednesday, while second seed the Swiss, who has a Thursday quar- tory over Germany’s Kerber rber on a Williams
Kei Nishikori was sent packing af- terfinal against Tomas Berdych, on calm evening in south Florida.
orida. LONDON:
LOND Singer Justin Timberlake has been confirmed as the headline
ter going down 6-4 6-2 to unseeded the other side of the draw. th
Konta, the 10 seed, had ad earlier act at this year’s US Formula One Grand Prix as organizers seek to
Italian Fabio Fognini. Federer and Nadal have met recovered from the brink of defeat build on the crowd-pulling success of Taylor Swift’s appearance at the
Nadal staved off four break twice this year, with Federer win- to edge third seed Simona Halep in 2016 race.w
points to avoid going down a dou- ning both times, in a memorable a three-set encounter that at lasted Timberlake,
Tim whose Oscar-nominated song ‘Can’t Stop the Feeling’
ble-break early in the second set, five-set final at the Australian two hours, 30 minutes. won h him a 10th Grammy Award, will appear on stage on Saturday Oct.
a pivotal game that set the stage Open and in a one-sided straight- Halep was only two points
ints from 21 at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas (COTA) after qualifying.
for his 6-2 6-3 victory on the sets fourth-round thumping at victory in the second set, but could Last
Las year’s race ended a trend of declining audiences and drew a
Crandon Park hardcourt. Indian Wells two weeks ago. not put away her opponent, ent, who record crowd of 269,000 with Swift’s first concert of the year watched
Nadal’s poise and shotmaking But Nadal is not looking ahead pounced on the Romanian’s ian’s evi- by some
som 80,000 people.
came to the fore when 13th seed to Federer, because his semifinal dent emotional fragility too prevail “Last
“La year did what we hoped it would do, which is not only
Sock threatened to take a stran- opponent Fognini presents a po- 3-6, 7-6(7), 6-2. enhance
enhan an already great event but also give us the chance to expose
glehold on the second set. tential banana skin. Nadal has a 7-3 Williams, 36, whose previ- a lot o
of new people to the sport,” COTA chairman Bobby Epstein told
“That was the key of the second career record but is mindful he lost ous Miami titles came in n 1998, Reuters.
Reute “And it worked.
set, two-love [down], 15-40,” Nadal to the Italian in a five-set thriller on 1999 and 2001, will meet Konta “I think
t where we saw a big change was in the average number of
said in a courtside interview. “With the US Open hardcourt in 2015. in the semifinal, while Czech tickets
ticket sold per transaction, which told me that families were buying.
three-zero a player like Jack, you’ll “It’s like a dream maybe,” said second seek Karolina Pliskova
iskova And sso I think we’ll see that continue.”
probably be thinking third set. the 29-year-old Fognini after be- faces Danish 12th seed Carolina
rolina The 2017 F1 season, which began in Melbourne last weekend, is
“It was a double positive thing. coming the first unseeded player in Wozniacki. the first
r with the sport being run by American company Liberty Media,
which took control of Formula One in January.
Reuters/Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports F1 has long struggled to get a foothold in the American market, so
hopes are high that Timberlake’s performance can build on last year’s
MOTOR RACING successful race weekend. — Reuters

F1 should own some circuits: US GP boss PGA

Alan Baldwin Johnson favorite at Augusta,

REUTERS/LONDON

United States Grand Prix pro-

rookie Rahm up for Houston
moter Bobby Epstein says it
would make sense for Formula Reuters pionships have huge weight and
One’s new American owners Lib- LONDON/TORONTO I’m not focused on trying to win
erty Media to buy some circuits as majors to get to number one any
part of their long-term strategic World number one Dustin John- more,” the 23-year-old added.
plans for the sport. son is playing the “best golf in the “So, that side of things, getting
The Circuit of the Americas world” and will start as the favor- number one isn’t the pressure
(COTA) co-founder and chair- ite to win the Masters next month, that I feel, but that’s the only way
man whose Austin, Texas, track Jordan Spieth has said ahead of to really take big strides towards
is the country’s sole purpose- Thursday’s Houston Open. him because I don’t think he’s let-
built F1 facility, told Reuters he Johnson maintained his im- ting up any time soon.”
would be happy to do a deal “at pressive form by winning the Meanwhile, Jon Rahm may
the right price”. WGC-Dell Match Play in Austin have been too tired to play a full
Speaking ahead of tickets for last weekend to mark his third practice round this week but
the Oct. 22 race going on sale on victory in as many starts in 2017. there was no chance the red-hot
Friday, he added, however, that Spieth, who has a victory and Spanish rookie was going to skip
there had been no discussions two runner-up finishes at Augus- the final pre-Masters tune-up at
with Liberty. ta in the last three years, said he this week’s Shell Houston Open.
“I do think it makes a lot of would have to be on top form to Rahm, who will make his Mas-
sense for them to own some cir- defeat Johnson at the first major ters debut next week, played 108
cuits. It would have to be part of Circuit of the Americas of year, which starts on April 6. holes in seven rounds over five
any long-term strategy for them,” “I think Dustin Johnson is days during his run to the WGC-
said Epstein, whose race is the AP/Eric Gay the guy to beat in golf no matter Dell Match Play final, and fatigue
only US round on the current cal- This year’s race has Justin replacing him with Chase Carey, “Watch parties”, where fans where you are,” Spieth said at a forced him to end Tuesday’s prac-
endar, in a telephone interview. Timberlake lined up as the head- who has appointed Sean Bratch- gathered for broadcasts of other news conference on Wednesday. tice round after nine holes.
“I see a lot of logic and busi- line act. es as managing director for com- grands prix, and track tours were “If I play my best golf, I believe “I was tired yesterday. I am tired
ness reasons for them to own “I think all of the circuits mercial matters. also popular. that I can take down anybody, and today. That’s just things that hap-
some circuits.” struggle under the current envi- Asked directly about the pos- Epstein suggested COTA could you have to believe that. pen, right?” said Rahm. “Luckily,
Formula One’s previous busi- ronment,” said Epstein. “If they sibility of Liberty buying circuits, become the “brand-building lding “But I think that he is the guy I’m 22 and I’m pretty sure I’ll be
ness model, which the new [Liberty] change it and help the Bratches said only that there were headquarters for F1” in North that everyone is say- able to get one good night [of rest]
ab
owners have said they want to circuits survive, are they better “a number of different models America and a permanent ent ing he’s playing and be ready to play on Thursday.”
an
change, has been based on tele- off owning the circuits than mak- that can be pursued”. home while other races came me the best golf in the Rahm, who fought back after
vision revenues and circuits pay- ing concessions? Formula One is seeking to ex- and went. world right now. losing five holes during a six-hole
los
ing significant hosting fees with “Are they actually giving up pand in the Americas, with talk of “Since you can’t move thiss “Major cham- stretch on the front nine to push
str
an annual escalator. profitability by not owning the adding street races in US “destina- circuit, and you can’t du- Johnson to the 18th hole on Sun-
Jo
Austin’s annual fee has been re- circuits? If they [the circuits] are tion cities” like Las Vegas, Miami, plicate it, it can always be day,
da has been hot all year.
ported at around US$33 million, going to make money from an F1 Los Angeles and New York and counted on to be there,” he In his last five starts, Rahm has
with $25 million coming from race, then F1 might as well own treating each race like a Super Bowl said. “I think the goal would d fou
four top-five finishes, including
state subsidies based on a formu- that profit.” with events through the week. be ‘Let’s get the show on thee his first PGA Tour win at Janu-
la for calculating how much eco- Several of Europe’s oldest cir- Epstein said Austin had pio- road’. ary’s Farmers Insurance Open and
ary
nomic activity the grand prix gen- cuits, such as Silverstone which neered that formula since the de- “You can rotate it [Formulaa ba
back-to-back top-three placings in
erates for Texas. has been looking for a buyer, but race in 2012. One] through different citiess World Golf Championships events
W
COTA drew a record three-day struggle to make money while He said the circuit now want- so that you are continuing to in Mexico City and Austin.
crowd of 269,889 last year, thanks Germany is off the calendar this ed to establish an all-year For- expose the sport. The tournament, which begins
mainly to singer Taylor Swift year for financial reasons. mula One presence and estimat- “It’s not likely that anyone else on Thursday, is the final chance for
holding her long-awaited first Liberty completed its takeover ed 50,000 people a year could be is going to build and spend that Jon PGA Tour players to secure a last-
PG
concert of the year on the Satur- in January, ousting 86-year-old drawn to the circuit by an interac- kind of money on a permanent anent Rahm minute invitation to the Masters.
mi
day night. supremo Bernie Ecclestone and tive garage experience. course in the United States.”
Reuters/Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports

Long way to go: Austin Ernst hits her LPGA

second shot on the 10th hole during the final
round of the Kia Classic LPGA golf tourna-
ment in Carlsbad, the US, on March 26. Commissioner Whan sees women’s gains in game
Larry Fine
REUTERS/CALIFORNIA
Golf is getting younger, more
global and more female, all to the
delight of LPGA Commissioner
Mike Whan.
Rather than cringe at the Asian
dominance of the largely US tour
a decade ago, Whan embraced
the global appeal of the game and
now revels in the growth during
his eight-year reign.
“My first day on this job, I was
introduced at Madison Square
Garden in 2009 as the new com-
missioner and when we went to
the Q&A session, the first ques-
tion I got was: ‘Commissioner
Whan, what are you going to do
about all the international influ-
ences on the tour?’
“I said, ‘embrace it,’” Whan
told Reuters in an interview this
week ahead of the ANA Inspira-
AP/Gregory Bull tion, the first women’s major of
the 2017 season.
Whan said he told the report-
ers he would be the commission-
er of a new kind of tour.
“Where players come from all
over the world, and sponsors are
calling us from all over the world
and fans want to watch us in sev-
en different website languages,”
he said, adding that the global ap-
proach was challenging but with
an upside 10 times higher.
There are 34 official events
on the 2017 LPGA Tour sched-
ule with four new events this
year including one in Scotland
and one in New Zealand. More
than US$67 million in total prize
money is there for the taking.
Six years ago, there were 23
events on the schedule with an
overall purse of $41.5 million.
“It’s a borderless game and as
a result people from all over the
world are finding it interesting
whether they’re fans or sponsors
or players,” said Whan.
Whan said Lydia Ko, a South
Korean-born New Zealand-
er who took the LPGA Tour by
storm after winning as a 15-year-
old, was “a game-changer.”
Ko became the youngest win-
ner on the LPGA Tour, the young-
est player to win a major, and the
youngest world number one.
“I think when somebody
breaks a barrier, all of a sudden
everybody realizes that wasn’t a
barrier anymore.
“And a bunch of 14-year-olds
are standing on tees all around
the world.”
The youth movement is in full
swing in women’s golf.
The average age of winners in
2016 was 22.3, and more than 70
percent of winners last year were
under the age of 24.
The top three finishers in the
Player of the Year award and the
top three in the Race to the CME
Globe last year were all under 21.
Whan said the trend is fueled
from the introductory levels,
and that the growth of interest
among young girls was the thing
he is proudest of.
“When I joined back in 2008
we, together with the USGA,
were running a program called
Girls Golf, where we introduced
young girls to the game in an
all-girls environment. We were
introducing about 4,500 girls a
year.
“So we set a goal of trying to
get to 50,000 girls a year by the
time we got to Rio [Olympics].
When we got to Rio, we were in-
troducing 60,000 girls a year.
Whan predicted that “by the
time we get to Japan [Tokyo
2020 Olympics] we’ll be intro-
ducing 100,000 girls a year and
right now girls under the age of
18 is the fastest growing segment
of golf in America.”
10 | SPECIAL REPORT
Piecemeal land reform heralds justice
The administration of President Joko Widodo, better known as Jokowi,
is starting to redistribute state land to poor people in rural areas as part
of his poverty alleviation efforts. Although it may only constitute a basic
form of agrarian reform, the initiative has been hailed as a courageous
move to enforce the 1960 Basic Agrarian Law, which has been systemati-
cally abused in favor of the economic and political elites. The Jakarta Post’s
Nani Afrida in Jakarta analyzes the scheme and Apriadi Gunawan in
Medan reports on a raging land conflict on the resort island of Samosir.
In his 2014 inauguration
speech as the republic’s seventh
president, Jokowi made yet an-
other big populist promise. He
vowed to free millions of poor
people in rural areas from the
jaws of poverty by providing them
with farmland.
The agrarian reform scheme
he had in mind was to give out
roughly 22 million hectares of un-
disputed state land. Of the total
disused land across the country,
13 million ha would go to indige-
nous people and the remaining 9
million hectares to impoverished
farmers.
Without much fanfare, the
Environment and Forestry Min-
istry transferred the 13 million
hectares to 11 indigenous groups
mostly in North Sumatra, Jam-
bi and Banten provinces in De-
cember. Did you know that? The
hot property was largely expro-
priated from forestry businesses
whose license to exploit the re-
sources had expired.
Throughout Indonesia, there
are about 2,000 indigenous groups
with a total of 20 million members
under the umbrella organization
the Indigenous People’s Alliance
of the Archipelago (AMAN).
Now, the burning issue is the
planned complex distribution
of 9 million hectares in all of the
34 provinces, where disused land
starkly differs in size and in ag-
ricultural suitability while their
populations are no less complex
in terms of size and needs.
It is undoubtedly a “daring”
program the likes of which none
of his predecessors so openly
promised. If materialized, the
scheme will benefit at least 26
million families — 56 percent of
whom have less than 0.3 ha of
land in this agricultural country.
Even though much legislation
is yet to be made and details and
technicalities of the program’s ex-
ecution are yet to be defined, the
scheme heralds a fundamental
change in legal certainty concern-
ing ownership and settlement of
the ubiquitous land conflicts.
Jokowi, whose term will end in
2019, has announced that the land
redistribution program will start
as soon as this year. Yet little has
been made known to the public.
Coordinating Economic Minister
Like a war zone: Equipped with heavy machinery, authorities tear down squatters’ shanties in Tanjung
Uma, Batam, Riau Islands, on Jan. 17. Angry residents of the 3 hectare shantytown put up resistance,
hurling stones at police, soldiers and public order officers and barricading access routes to the disputed
areas.
Land disputes jeopardize Indonesia’s
‘Monaco of Asia’ dream
Apriadi Gunawan
THE JAKARTA POST/TOBA SAMOSIR
The central government’s plan
to turn the famed Lake Toba in
North Sumatra into an Asian ver-
sion of Monaco will not be easy.
The resort area, which attracts
holidaymakers from across the
world, is riddled with customary
land disputes.
Toba is home to dozens of na-
tive groups, each laying claim to
their own land. The nonprofit In-
digenous Peoples Alliance of the
Archipelago (AMAN) lists at least
25 different communities.
The main customary groups are
the Matio, Pandumaan-Sipituhu-
ta, Nagahulambu, Pagar Batu/Di-
harbangan Pardede, Raja Pang-
umban Bosi Simanjuntak, Tukko
Nisolu, Naga Tonga-tonga, Sitak-
kubak, Gordongan, Simarigung
and Raja Patik Sirambe clans.
According to the chairman of
the local chapter of AMAN, Ro-
ganda Simanjuntak, disputes
have increased in number since
Darmin Nasution says the land
will be granted to farmers associ-
ations instead of individuals so as
to minimize cases of illegal sales.
The amount of land to be redis-
tributed will vary by region. In big
but scarcely populated outer is-
lands, each farmer group consist-
ing of 30-40 families may receive
about 50 hectares but it could be
much less in densely inhabited
regions like Java.
Central Kalimantan and Riau
are touted as provinces that will
contribute the most land suit-
able for farming. To start with, 1.5
million ha will be distributed to
poor farmers this year and the area
will increase to 4.5 million ha by
the time Jokowi ends his tenure.
And the remaining half? Maybe it
would be good to maintain his le-
verage for a re-election bid.
But Jokowi swears that he just
wants to implement the Consti-
tution, which requires that the
land and the waters as well as the
natural riches therein shall be
controlled by the state for the up-
most benefit of the people. It is an
ideal that remains elusive.
The Basic Agrarian Law
(UUPA) No. 5/1960 may be half
a century old but it is poorly en-
forced and often abused leading
to widespread agrarian conflict.
So Jokowi’s biggest challenge is to
properly implement the law.
Currently, only 44 percent of the total land assets
in Indonesia have been certified.
There have been countless
cases of indigenous people being
evicted from their ancestral land
to make way for large-scale plan-
tation projects, particularly in
Sumatra and Kalimantan. Often,
state institutions such as the mili-
tary and police side with capital-
ists. In many areas, land disputes
have developed into violence re-
sulting in murder, forced disap-
pearance and torture.
In 2015, a dispute over sand
quarrying in Lumajang, East Java,
led to the murder of a farmer ac-
tivist, Salim Kancil, putting agrar-
ian disputes in the spotlight.
The corrupt system has given
rise to the so-called “land mafia”,
an intricate web involving capital-
they initially began in 1986. A
fresh conflict is brewing after
the customary community of
Naerasahon accused the authori-
ties of grabbing 600 hectares of its
ancestral land.
It is a typical conflict arising
from legal uncertainty where the
government refuses to recognize
the legality of customary land.
This sort of conflict remains com-
mon outside of Java despite a Con-
stitutional Court ruling acknowl-
edging indigenous land rights.
As one of Indonesia’s main
tourist destinations, Toba is a
magnet for land-hungry inves-
tors. Jakarta’s plan to turn it into a
world-class destination has exac-
erbated land disputes there. The
most sought-after is waterfront
property and concern is growing
that unless the government in-
tervenes, locals will eventually be
displaced from their land of birth.
“We support the plan to make
Toba the ‘Monaco of Asia’ so long
as the government respects indig-
enous land rights,” Roganda said
ists, middlemen, scalpers, govern-
ment bureaucrats and law enforc-
ers. And this bunch of crooks that
work together like a mafia will
likely get in the way of Jokowi’s
agrarian reform program.
The hastily made plans and
the formidable scale of existing
agrarian problems have left many
skeptical about Jokowi’s land re-
form ambition. The 1960 agrar-
ian law requires much more than
just the land redistribution that
Jokowi has initiated.
It’s apparent that Jokowi’s
scheme is meant to merely re-
duce the acute poverty among
poor small-scale farmers and ag-
ricultural laborers, a far cry from
the fundamental state policy de-
signed to overhaul the unjust sys-
tem. The end goal should be to al-
leviate poverty, create jobs, settle
the ubiquitous land conflicts and
eventually enable national food
self-sufficiency.
Over the decades, state policies
have created land ownership gulf
between the fabulously wealthy
few who control millions of hect-
Antara/MN Kanwa
in an interview with The Jakarta
Post. “People are losing more and
more of their property to devel-
opment projects.”
Sharing Roganda’s concern is
Saurlin Siagian, a researcher with
People’s Forest Institute (HARI).
The big plan to develop Toba is
adding pressure to the local com-
munity and the environment,
which has suffered decades of
overexploitation.
North Sumatra is one of the
provinces with the most land and
forestry conflicts.
“The government should help
resolve the disputes, which tend
to escalate in the Toba Lake area,”
Saurlin said.
To calm the waters, the govern-
ment helped the customary com-
munity of Pandumaan-Sipituhuta
regain 5,000 hectares of commu-
nal land from PT Toba Pulp Les-
tari in December last year.
“We hope the government does
the same for the people of Toba,
who struggle to regain their lost
communal land,” Saurlin said.
ares of land and poor farmers who
own less than 0.3 hectares for
their whole family to survive.
Whether redistributing 9 mil-
lion hectares of land really counts
as “agrarian reform” is of course
debatable. However small the
step may be, Jokowi’s initiative
has been widely celebrated.
“We need to act quickly,” said
Agrarian Reform Consortium
(KPA) chief Dewi Kartika. “It has
been three years [since Jokowi
was sworn in] and we can’t wait
for the program to commence.”
But the KPA supports it with
reservations, too. To begin with,
the government needs to make it
clear who qualifies as beneficia-
ries and decide on the legal sta-
tus, locality and size of the plots of
land to be redistributed. Besides,
it notes that local farmers should
be involved more in decision
making so that the scheme bet-
ter suits their needs. For exam-
ple, both parties should together
determine how to make the most
of the land and make sure that no
granted land is put up for sale.
In fact, the ongoing program is
not solely a Jokowi initiative. His
predecessor, Susilo Bambang Yud-
hoyono, also embarked on a land
redistribution plan but it was only
partially accomplished. His less
Centuries of futile efforts
While other countries have ad-
dressed problems of land reform
and land titling, Indonesia is still
struggling with these issues. From
the colonial era until the current
reform period, it has been trying
to find the best way to eradicate
poverty by means of land policy,
which has proven to be tricky.
Below is a summary of land re-
form dynamics in Indonesia.
Colonial era
The Dutch implemented a
land-lease system in Indonesia
during the colonial period to ex-
ploit its fertile soil. The state was
owner of the land, while people
were the tenants and therefore
required to pay taxes.
In 1830, the Dutch colonial ad-
ministration imposed  cultuurst-
elsel or the enforced planting sys-
tem, which required every farmer
to dedicate 20 percent of their
land to certain plants — such as
sugarcane, coffee, or tea — and
then sell them to the Dutch with
prices set by the rulers.
However, in 1870, there was a
change in the Netherlands’ po-
litical system, when the Dutch
issued a ruling package —
Agrarische Wet (Agrarian law)
and  Agrarische Besluit (Agrar-
ian regulation) — to protect eco-
nomic freedom for private com-
panies and therefore revoked the
enforced planting system.
In fact neither regulations
brought any change for landown-
ers’ prosperity. Still, any plots of
land that had no proof of ownership
would be claimed as a state asset.
Farmers’ land was specified as non-
free state land, while no man’s land
was claimed as the free-state land.
Sukarno’s ‘Old Order’
Indonesia was  still struggling
with the land issue after gaining in-
dependence. Farmers occupied
plantation lands, which had been
handed over by the colonial admin-
istration. The colonial administra-
tion’s agrarian laws were also anoth-
er problem for the new government.
The government issued Emer-
gency Law No. 8/1954 on planta-
tion land use for farmers in order
to address chaos and disputes.
Thanks to Sukarno, during his
known target was to redistribute
1 million hectares of farmland, 8
million hectares of forest land and
7 million hectares of idle land.
The Jokowi administration’s
promise to give away 9 million
hectares of land may sound pret-
ty impressive but it turns out that
the policy consists of “legalizing”
the 4.5 million hectares of land
belonging to participants of the
transmigration program and the
remaining half is state land, the
specifics of which are yet to be
made available.
“Legalization”, or issuing cer-
tificates of property ownership, is
part of the government’s rigorous
agrarian reform effort.
Agrarian and Spatial Plan-
ning Minister Sofyan Djalil said
his ministry had allocated Rp 2
trillion (US$150 million) this year
to issue 5 million land certificates.
The target will be increased to 7
million certificates next year and
9 million in 2019.
“Currently, only 44 percent of
the total land assets in Indonesia
have been certified. There’s still a
long way to go,” he said.
It is feared that a lack of com-
mon understanding among Cabi-
net ministers and regional govern-
ment leaders resulting from the
absence of more detailed legisla-
Land conflicts in figures
Number of cases:
2015 — 252 cases
2016 — 450 cases
Total area of conflict
2015 — 400,430 ha
2016 — 1,265,027 ha
2004 — 2015 (in total) — 6,942,381 ha
Sectors (2016):
1. Plantation 163 cases
2. Property 117 cases
3. Infrastructure 100 cases
4. Forestry 25 cases
5. Mining 21 cases
6. Coastal and maritime 10 cases
7. Oil and gas 7 cases
8. Agriculture 7 cases
Source: The Consortium of Agrarian Reform (KPA)
presidency farmers had a good
bargaining position and were able
to establish farmer associations,
some of which had affiliations
with political parties.
The Old Order government of
Sukarno issued the Basic Agrar-
ian Law No. 5/1960, following a
recommendation by the land re-
form committee. One core issue
in this law is to limit land owner-
ship by preventing accumulation
and monopoly of land possession.
The law is claimed as a transla-
tion of Article 33 (3) of the 1945
Constitution: “The land and
the waters as well as the natural
riches therein are to be controlled
by the state and to be exploited to
the upmost benefit of the people.”
The agrarian law is expected to
address any land dispute, as well
as to force customary laws to obey
the national laws.
Soeharto’s ‘New Order’
There was a dramatic change
in development focus during Soe-
harto’s presidency.  The govern-
ment was concentrating more on
economic growth and attracting
foreign investment, therefore un-
dermining the importance of con-
tinuing unfinished land reform.
The government issued vari-
ous sectoral regulations and in-
troduced various land rights,
for instance cultivation permits
(HGU), or forest concession hold-
ers (HPH). Those rights allowed
investors to more easily exploit
FRIDAY March 31, 2017
tion will undermine Jokowi’s pro-
gram. Proponents of land reform
have called on Jokowi to issue a
decree that serves as a guideline.
The costly certification
scheme, critics say, stems from
the misconception that agrarian
reform is synonymous to giving
land legal status although Jokowi
has asked his aides to focus more
on distributing land. Last week,
he ordered Sofyan to start the job.
Resolving common conflicts
over land ownership may be land
reform’s biggest challenge ahead.
They happen not only among in-
dividuals but also between indig-
enous communities and corpora-
tions. A Constitutional Court ruling
that the indigenous should regain
their customary land has gone un-
heeded and continuing disputes
have placed them in a predicament.
“We want the state to relin-
quish our property,” AMAN sec-
retary-general Rukka Somboling-
gi said.
While there has been no open
political resistance so far, it will
require strong legislation and
comprehensive plans for the par-
tial agrarian reform scheme to
succeed. After then, the scheme
can be expanded to include sys-
tematic solutions to land conflicts
and more equal land distribution.
Most conflict-ridden provinces (2016)
1. Riau 44 cases
2. East Java 43 cases
3. West Java 38 cases
4. North Sumatra 36 cases
5. Aceh 24 cases
6. South Sumatra 22 cases
Casualties (2016)
Killed: 13
Tortured: 66
Abused: 177
Actors in land conflicts
1. Private companies
2. State companies
3. Government
4. Local communities
5. Police/Military
agrarian resources in the country.
The government also declared
over 70 percent of Indonesia’s
land area as “forestry estate”,
which was exempted from indi-
vidual ownership.
Then, big companies started to
occupy large plots of land without
paying proper taxes and obtain-
ing permits. The big companies’
activities created land conflicts in
many areas.
Reform era
The implementation of agrar-
ian law is still obscure, while land
reform promises have been an ef-
fective strategy to gain more votes
for state leaders after the end of
the New Order era. Meanwhile,
the number of land conflicts and
casualties has been increasing.
There have been small chang-
es on land issue in this period, in-
cluding the establishment of the
National Land Agency (BPN) as
the only authority that can man-
age land matters in the national
or provincial domain.
Elected presidents tried in
their own way to address the land
issue in the country. During the
10-year presidency of Susilo Bam-
bang Yudhoyono, for instance, In-
donesia had programs to revital-
ize farming, fishery and forestry
sectors. On the contrary, Yudhoy-
ono also allowed foreign farming
products without sufficient pro-
tection for local products.
— JP/NANI AFRIDA
FRIDAY March 31, 2017
BILATERAL TIES
Xi to meet
Trump
in Florida
soon
Associated Press
BEIJING
President Donald Trump will
meet with his Chinese counter-
part Xi Jinping for the first time
on April 6-7 at Trump’s Florida
resort, China’s foreign minis-
try announced Thursday, amid
a range of pressing issues from
trade, to North Korea and territo-
rial claims in the South China Sea.
The future relationship be-
tween the world’s first and second
biggest economies has been un-
certain following the election of
Trump, who accused China dur-
ing his campaign of unfair trade
practices and threatened to raise
import taxes on Chinese goods
and declare Beijing a currency
manipulator.
It is unclear whether Trump
will follow through with either
threat. He is now seeking Bei-
jing’s help in pressuring North
Korea over its nuclear weapons
and missiles programs. China
is the North’s most important
source of diplomatic support and
economic assistance.
In February, Trump reaffirmed
Washington’s long-standing “One
China” policy in a call with Xi, in
an apparent move to ease con-
cerns in China that he might use
Taiwan as leverage in negotia-
tions over trade, security and oth-
er sensitive issues. The policy in
place since 1979 requires Wash-
ington to maintain only unofficial
ties with Taiwan, which China
claims as its own territory.
Chinese Foreign Ministry
spokesman Lu Kang told re-
porters that Xi would meet with
Trump at Mar-a-Lago, without
providing any more details.
It is the same Florida resort
where Trump hosted and played
golf with Japanese Prime Minis-
ter Shinzo Abe in February. Xi, a
fan of soccer and other sports, is
not known to play golf.
Before arriving in the United
States, Xi will pay a state visit to
Finland from April 4-6, Lu said.
Relations between China and
the US under President Barack
Obama were strained by issues in-
cluding China’s island-building in
waters surrounding international
shipping lanes in the South China
Sea, allegations of cyber hacking
and a US policy rebalance to Asia.
Despite that, cooperation be-
tween their militaries expanded
tentatively and China’s defense
ministry on Thursday hailed fur-
ther growth, while warning of po-
tential frictions ahead.
“We are willing to make joint
efforts with the US side [...] so as
to maintain a stable military-to-
military relationship while striv-
ing to make new gains,” spokes-
man Col. Wu Qian said.
Spotted
A cat is seen on a cherry blossom tree at a park in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday.
M’sia releases victim
of N. Korean murder
Reuters
KUALA LUMPUR
Malaysian Prime Minister Na-
jib Razak said on Thursday that
the body of Kim Jong-nam, half-
brother of North Korean leader
Kim Jong-un, has been released
to North Korea, bringing an end
to a diplomatic spat that escalated
over nearly seven weeks.
Najib said nine Malaysians
barred from leaving North Ko-
rea had been allowed to board a
plane to leave Pyongyang, adding
on Twitter that the plane was ex-
pected to reach Kuala Lumpur at
5 a.m. Malaysian time.
The Malaysians left Pyongyang
in a Royal Malaysian Air Force
business jet, which headed imme-
diately west out of North Korean
airspace before turning south to-
wards Malaysia, according to flight
tracking website planefinder.net.
“Following the completion of
the autopsy on the deceased and
receipt of a letter from his fam-
ily requesting the remains be re-
turned to North Korea, the coro-
ner has approved the release of the
body,” Najib said in a statement.
The statement did not mention
Kim by name. Kim was assassi-
nated at Kuala Lumpur airport on
Feb. 13.
A joint statement by the North
Korean government released si-
multaneously said both countries
managed to “resolve issues aris-
ing from the death of a DPRK na-
Police have wrongly
identified victim’s North
Korea passport for South
Korea
Pyongyang continues to
refer to him as Kim Chol,
as stated in his passport,
and not Kim Jong-nam
tional” in Malaysia at a meeting in
Kuala Lumpur.
DPRK stands for North Korea’s
official name, the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea.
“The importance of bilateral
relations was reaffirmed. In this
connection, both countries agreed
to positively discuss the re-intro-
duction of the visa-free system
and work towards bringing the re-
lations to a higher level,” read the
statement from North Korea.
Malaysia imposed a travel ban
on North Koreans leaving the
Southeast Asian country in a tit-
for-tat move after Pyongyang
barred Malaysians from leaving
its borders.
Najib said on Thursday that
North Koreans will now be al-
lowed to leave Malaysia.
North Korea were angered by
Malaysian authorities, who iden-
tified North Korean suspects and
wanted to question others, in-
cluding a diplomat at their em-
bassy in Kuala Lumpur.
Pyongyang has maintained
AROUND THE WORLD
Reuters/Toru Hanai
that the body was that of Kim
Chol as stated in his passport, and
not Kim Jong-nam.
Malaysia also expelled the
North Korean ambassador for be-
ing “diplomatically rude”, though
Najib later said that ties with
Pyongyang would not be severed
in a bid to calm relations.
Malaysian authorities have
wrongly identified the slain half-
brother of North Korea’s leader as
a South Korean national and first
alerted Seoul’s embassy in Kua-
la Lumpur soon after his death,
sources familiar with the incident
told Reuters.
The police error did have a sil-
ver lining: It enabled Seoul to
quickly inform Kuala Lumpur
the dead man was probably Kim
Jong-nam.
After examining the victim’s
passport, Malaysian authorities
confused the Democratic Peo-
ple’s Republic of Korea, the for-
mal name of North Korea, with
the Republic of Korea, the official
name of its estranged southern
neighbor, the sources said.
Malaysian authorities contacted
the South Korean embassy, send-
ing along copies of documents
found on Kim’s body. After the
mix-up was realized, North Korea’s
diplomatic mission in Kuala Lum-
pur was informed on the day of the
murder, the sources said.
Malaysian police did not re-
spond to requests for comment.
WORLD | 11
S’pore blogger remains in custody
UNITED STATES: A teenage blogger from Singapore who was granted
US asylum remains detained in a Wisconsin facility with few clues of
when he’ll be released.
A Chicago immigration judge granted Amos Yee’s asylum request
Friday. The 18-year-old came to the US after blog posts criticizing his
government landed him in jail.
The judge ruled there was evidence showing Yee suffered persecu-
tion in Singapore and had a “well-founded fear” of being persecuted
upon return.
Attorney Sandra Grossman initially said Yee could be released Mon-
day. Her office said Wednesday it appears Yee will stay detained while
federal authorities consider appealing. Some immigration experts say
that’s unusual.
Department of Homeland Security attorneys have 30 days to file an
appeal. They declined comment.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement says the agency doesn’t
comment on pending cases. — AP
New forum looks at RI’s geopolitics
JAKARTA: Where does Indonesia fit in the ever-changing geopoliti-
cal environment? How is tension in the South China Sea affecting its
national interests? How will Indonesia be affected by Brexit, the new
administration in the US, or the rise of China?
These are just some of the questions that the Jakarta Geopolitical
Forum hopes to tackle when it makes its debut with a conference
titled “Geopolitics in a Changing World” in Jakarta on May 18 to 20.
The forum is an initiative from the National Resilience Institute
(Lemhanas) to bring together Indonesian scholars to help identify how
Indonesia can best cope with the changing geopolitical environment.
Lemhanas officials say Indonesia is not paying enough attention
to the changing geopolitical environment. “We have become more
inward looking as a nation,” Rosita Noor, a senior staffer at Lemha-
nas who heads the organizing committee for the conference, said on
Thursday.
The event will feature speakers from the US, Australia, Europe, China
and India, among others, as well as Indonesian scholars.
Led by Lt. Gen. (ret.) Agus Widjojo who reports to President Joko
Widodo, Lemhanas runs leadership training programs and carries out
research on strategic national defense and national values. — JP
Israel to cut another $2 million from UN
ISRAEL: In a protest at resolutions taken against it at the United Na-
tions’ various forums, Israel said on Wednesday it would cut a further
US$2 million from its already reduced contribution this year to the UN.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who also holds the post of
foreign minister, instructed the ministry to cut the funds and use the
money as aid for developing countries who support Israel at interna-
tional organizations.
It is the second such cut this year after Israel said in January it was
reducing its contribution by $6 million.
Wednesday’s further cut means that of its planned commitment
of $11.7 million for 2017 Israel will pay the UN only $3.7 million, the
foreign ministry said. The decision was made because of the “hostile
resolutions adopted a few days ago by the UN’s Human Rights Coun-
cil,” part of the Foreign Ministry’s statement said.
Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump’s administration said
it was reviewing its participation in the Geneva-based UN Human
Rights Council, seeking reform of its agenda and an end to its “obses-
sion with Israel”. — Reuters
VN labels Taiwan drills ‘serious violation’
VIETNAM: Vietnam on Thursday denounced Taiwan’s military drills on
and around a disputed South China Sea island, labelling them a seri-
ous violation of its sovereignty and a threat to maritime security.
China claims most of the energy-rich waters through which about
US$5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. Neighbors Brunei,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims.
Taiwan’s claim to Itu Aba is complicated by the fact that China
considers Taiwan sovereign territory. Taiwan and China both claim
the South China Sea using old maps that date back to the late 1940s
when the Nationalists ruled China.
The defeated Nationalists fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing to
Mao Zedong’s Communists. Taiwan has been self-ruled ever since.
Taiwan’s coast guard said that the live-fire drills around Itu Aba were
routine. The scheduled drills began on Wednesday and end on Friday.
Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh said the drills
were “a serious violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty over the [Spratly]
archipelago, threatening peace, stability, and maritime safety and se-
curity, stressing and complicating the situation in the East Sea [South
China Sea].” — Reuters
WORLD
BREXIT
UK not blackmailing EU
on security: Davis
Danica Kirka
and Jill Lawless
ASSOCIATED PRESS/LONDON
Britain’s chief negotiator in the
country’s divorce from the Euro-
pean Union on Thursday rejected
suggestions the United Kingdom
has threatened to end security
cooperation unless it gets a good
trade deal, as the UK announced
plans for the huge task of replac-
ing thousands of EU laws and reg-
ulations with domestic law.
Brexit Secretary David Da-
vis said Prime Minister Theresa
May’s letter triggering talks on
Britain’s departure made clear
Britain wants to continue to work
with the EU on a range of issues,
including security, for both sides.
“We want a deal, and she was
making the point that it’s bad
for both of us if we don’t have a
deal,” Davis told the BBC. “Now
that, I think, is a perfectly reason-
able point to make and not in any
sense a threat.”
May’s six-page letter trigger-
ing two years of divorce negotia-
tions makes 11 references to se-
curity and said that without a
good deal, “our cooperation in the
fight against crime and terrorism
would be weakened.” The tabloid
Sun was in no doubt about what
May meant: “Your money or your
lives,” was its front-page headline
Thursday, along with the words
“PM’s Brexit threat to EU.”
Britain is a European security
powerhouse — one of only two
nuclear powers in the bloc and
with some of the world’s most ca-
pable intelligence services.
May said Wednesday that Brit-
ain will probably have to leave the
EU police agency, Europol, after
Brexit but wants to “maintain the
degree of cooperation on these
matters that we have currently.”
Home Secretary Amber Rudd,
whose responsibilities include in-
telligence and security, also denied
there was a threat, but told Sky
News: “If we left Europol, then we
would take our information ... with
us. The fact is, the European part-
ners want to keep our information.”
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Senior European leaders re-
sponded positively to the warm
overall tone of May’s letter — but
they could not miss the steely un-
dertone.
“I find the letter of Mrs. May
very constructive generally, but
there is also one threat in it,” said
European Parliament Brexit co-
ordinator Guy Verhoftstadt, say-
ing May seemed to be demanding
a good trade deal in exchange for
continued security cooperation.
“It doesn’t work like that,” he
told Sky News. “You cannot abuse
the security of citizens to have then
a good deal on something else.”
A day after triggering its EU
exit process, the British govern-
ment began outlining Thursday
how it intends to convert thou-
sands of EU rules into British law
when it leaves the bloc in 2019.
The government published
plans for a Great Repeal Bill that
will transform more than 12,000
EU laws in force in Britain into
UK statute so that “the same rules
will apply after exit day” as before.
The bill is designed to prevent
Britain plunging into a legislative
black hole once it extricates itself
from the EU.
Davis told lawmakers it would
ensure that British laws are made
not in Brussels but “in London,
Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.”
But opposition lawmakers are
unhappy at plans to give govern-
ment ministers power to change
some laws without votes in Par-
liament. They fear the Conser-
vative government will use it as
a chance to water down workers’
rights and environmental protec-
tions introduced in Britain during
four decades of EU membership.
Labor Party Brexit spokesman
Keir Starmer said the proposed
bill “gives sweeping powers to the
executive” and lacks “rigorous
safeguards” on their abuse.
The government insists exec-
utive powers will be time-limit-
ed and will only be used to make
“mechanical changes” so laws can
be applied smoothly. It says it is
trying to balance “the need for
scrutiny and the need for speed.”
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Heating up
Tourists take the sun on a lawn with the Invalides War Museum in background on a sunny day in Paris on Thursday. France is experiencing a
heat wave condition with temperatures crossing 22 degrees Celsius in several areas, according to news reports.
Indonesia to share expertise
with Afghanistan
Tama Salim
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
Indonesia will soon host the
leader of Afghanistan, the latest
in a string of state visits that will
help solidify Indonesia’s inter-
national standing as an influen-
tial middle power and major eco-
nomic player.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani
is expected to embark on a two-
day state visit to Indonesia in
April for talks that encompass a
range of issues, but with particu-
lar focus on Indonesia’s role as
a development partner for the
conflict-ridden country, Foreign
Ministry officials say.
Afghanistan’s President
Ashraf Ghani to visit
Jakarta in April
Afghanistan the latest
in a series of visits from
leaders of countries
seeking assistance from RI
“This visit is historic as it is the
first time that an Afghan presi-
dent will conduct a state visit to
Indonesia, as well as being [Pres-
ident] Ghani’s first destination in
Southeast Asia,” ministry spokes-
person Arrmanatha Nasir told a
press briefing on Thursday.
The former World Bank econ-
omist’s predecessor, Hamid Kar-
zai, visited Indonesia to attend
the Bali Democracy Forum in
Nusa Dua in 2012.
Ghani will be in Jakarta from
April 5-6, before departing for
Singapore as part of his mini-tour
of the Asia-Pacific region.
The ministry’s director for
South and Central Asian affairs,
Ferdy Piay, said that Ghani would
meet President Joko “Jokowi”
Widodo for talks on a range of is-
sues, particularly conflict resolu-
tion.
Leading efforts to push reform
in the Afghan government, Ghani
BILATERAL TIES
Indonesia, Brazil sign defense agreement
Novan Iman Santosa
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
Indonesia expects to increase
defense cooperation with Brazil
and expand defense industry col-
laboration in the near future fol-
lowing the signing of an agreement
on defense cooperation in Jakarta.
Defense Minister Ryamizard
Ryacudu signed the agreement at
the Defense Ministry on Thurs-
day witnessed by Brazilian Am-
bassador to Indonesia Rubem
Antonio Correa Barbosa.
The agreement will also be
signed by Brazilian Defense Min-
ister Raul Belens Jungmann Pin-
to in Brazil.
COUNTER TERRORISM
Tillerson seeks to keep focus on IS
Lesley Wroughton
REUTERS/ANKARA
United States Secretary of State
Rex Tillerson held talks with Tur-
key’s leaders on Thursday in a one-
day visit to a NATO ally crucial
to the fight against Islamic State
(IS) but increasingly at odds with
Washington and its European
partners.
Tillerson held a closed-door
meeting with President Tayyip Er-
dogan at which he was expected
to discuss the US-led fight against
IS, including the planned offen-
sive against its Syrian stronghold
of Raqqa, where Turkey has been
angered by US support for Kurd-
ish militia fighters.
He earlier met Prime Minister
Binali Yildirim and discussed ef-
forts to defeat IS in Syria and Iraq,
Yildirim’s office said.
Erdogan has been incensed by
FRIDAY March 31, 2017
is keen on taking a page out of In-
donesia’s past successes in man-
aging internal conflict in hopes of
supporting reconciliation.
“Afghanistan is really keen on
learning from Indonesia’s experi-
ences and using them as best prac-
tices to be implemented in the
country,” Ferdy told reporters.
After the fall of the Taliban re-
gime in 2001, Afghan leaders have
been in protracted talks to restore
governance to the country and
create a durable peace.
Predictably, counterterrorism
will be another focus of the bilat-
eral meeting next month. “As we
know, extremism is quite salient
in Afghanistan, so Indonesia’s de-
radicalization programs are likely
play a vital role,” Ferdy said.
Indonesia also considers the
landlocked South Asian country
as an important partner in peace-
building efforts, particularly when
it comes to disseminating the val-
ues of moderate Islam as rah-
matan lil alamin (a blessing for the
universe), Arrmanatha said.
Categorized as a least devel-
oped country, Afghanistan stands
to benefit from Indonesia, a mem-
ber of the G20, which is expected
to provide development assis-
tance to other countries in need.
In economic terms, Afghani-
The cooperation agreement is
based on principles of equality, re-
specting each other’s sovereignty
and territorial integrity, non-in-
tervention in domestic issues and
mutual trust, especially in main-
taining peace, stability and in-
ternational security, the Defense
Ministry said in a statement.
The agreement covers various
aspects including exchange of
high-level delegations from both
civil and military authorities,
meetings of defense and military
institutions and human resource
development through education
and training.
Both countries also agreed to
increase defense industry col-
Washington’s readiness to work
with the Kurdish YPG militia in
the fight against IS. Ankara sees
the YPG as an extension of PKK
militants who have fought a three-
decade insurgency inside Turkey
and are deemed a terrorist group
by the US and European Union.
US-Turkish relations have also
been strained by the continued
presence in the US of Turkish cler-
ic Fethullah Gulen, blamed by Er-
dogan for a failed coup last July
and whom Ankara wants extra-
dited.
Ties soured under former US
President Barack Obama and offi-
cials in Ankara have been hoping
for a reset under President Donald
Trump. But there have been few
signs of improvement.
Tillerson’s visit comes less than
three weeks ahead of a referen-
dum at which Erdogan is seeking
constitutional change to boost his
| 12
AP/Francois Mori
stan is considered a non-tradi-
tional market for Southeast Asia’s
largest economy, with relatively
low two-way trade volume, Ar-
rmanatha said.
According to the Trade Ministry,
the volume of bilateral trade has
more than halved, from US$36.6
million in 2015 to $16.25 million in
2016 — even as Jakarta has mostly
benefited from the trade surplus.
Ferdy said the low trade vol-
ume is caused by various impedi-
ments, including untrustworthy
trade transaction channels and a
lack of direct access to the Afghan
market — Pakistan and Iran have
often been beneficiaries of Indo-
nesian products re-exported into
Afghanistan.
Ghani will attend a business
matching forum alongside the
Afghan business delegation on
April 6.
He is also slated to meet Indone-
sia’s ulemas at Istiqlal Mosque, in-
cluding those from Muhammadi-
yah and Nahdlatul Ulama as well as
other prominent religious figures.
Ghani’s tour of Indonesia fol-
lows a string of visits made by
leaders from developing coun-
tries like Bangladesh, Yemen,
Mozambique and Sri Lanka, all of
whom have technical cooperation
in place with Indonesia.
laboration in equipment and ser-
vices, logistics support, defense
sector exports, transfer of tech-
nology, joint research, joint pro-
duction and joint marketing.
The signing of the agreement
is a follow up to a joint declara-
tion on strategic partnership be-
tween Indonesia and Brazil that
was signed by the foreign minis-
ters of both countries on Oct. 15,
2008, in Brazil.
Indonesia has acquired a num-
ber of Brazilian-made weapons
systems including the EMB-314
Super Tucano counter-insurgen-
cy aircraft and the self-propelled
Astros multiple launch rocket
system (MLRS).
powers, a move which his oppo-
nents and some European allies
fear will bring increasing authori-
tarianism.
Senior US officials have said Til-
lerson will not meet the Turkish
opposition during the visit, a sign
that he will seek to avoid discus-
sion of domestic issues while try-
ing to keep the focus on the fight
against IS.
But his trip has been further
clouded by the arrest in New York
on Monday of an executive of Tur-
key’s state-run Halkbank, who is
accused of conspiring in a multi-
year scheme to evade US sanctions
on Iran.
Shortly after Tillerson’s arrival
in Ankara, Justice Minister Bekir
Bozdag told broadcaster A Haber
that the arrest was a “completely
political move” designed to tarnish
Turkey and Erdogan and ques-
tioned the evidence in the case.
BUSINESS FRIDAY March 31, 2017 | 13
BUREAUCRACY STOCK EXCHANGE CULINARY
Red tape continues to block SGX looks to mull tie-ups as A homey meal steeped in
investment p14 deals grow harder p16 culture at The Argentine p22

FINTECH
Banks urged to build
digital services
Dylan Amirio
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
With the impending conquest
of digital services through finan-
cial technology (fintech), banks
must gradually shift their main
transaction methods toward dig-
ital to survive new competition
landscapes in the sector, experts
and analysts have suggested.
Currently, conventional finan-
cial methods dominate the way a
majority of Indonesians conduct
transactions, but with the appear-
ance of many fintech firms dis-
rupting the system, the trend is
changing. However, it is also up
to the fintech firms themselves to
sustain their services so they can
act as effective players in the in-
dustry.
Mandiri Capital Indonesia
(MCI) president director Eddi
Danusaputro explained that cur-
rently, ATM transactions are still
the dominant method of bank
transactions for the Indonesian
public, but the trend is declin-
ing due to the increasing shift to-
ward mobile banking and the high
maintenance costs that banks
have to deal with regarding ATMs.
Thus, he urged banks to grad-
ually treat the e-channel as the
main platform when the time
comes, as transactions through
bank branches have been effec-
tively on the decline since 2010.
“Maintenance costs for ATMs
are also very expensive as they
have to take into account the fac-
tors surrounding upkeep, such as
ACs and security guards,” Eddi
said Thursday at the Centre of
Strategic and International Stud-
ies (CSIS) conference on Digital
Diplomacy in Fintech.
“In essence, banks are also
profiting relatively little from
ATMs and are basically losing
money every day.”
MCI is a corporate Venture
Capital firm operated by the
country’s largest financial institu-
tion, Bank Mandiri, which is also
a state-owned lender.
According to data from MCI,
the proportion of the volume of
Traveller
A visitor orders a tourism package during the Mega Travel Fair
in Jakarta on Thursday. Private lender Bank Mega together with travel
agency Anta Vaya is running the event that will run until April 2 and
offer a number of tourism deals to local as well as overseas destina-
tions at competitive prices.
mobile transactions compared
to overall transactions has been
steadily increasing over the past
years. In 2013, it stood at nearly
10 percent and increased to 27.65
percent two years later. The in-
creasing popularity of mobile
transactions is also correlated
with the rise of fintech services,
which eliminates much of the
hassle of bank-based transac-
tions.
Eddi added that the popularity
of third party peer-to-peer (P2P)
lending services with the public is
due to both convenience and clar-
ity on how a customer’s money is
handled.
To make sure that fintech com-
panies are able to build them-
selves sustainably to become the
alternative solution, observers,
such as IBM Indonesia’s general
manager in banking and financial
markets Inge Halim underlined
the importance of startups in ca-
pacity and content building as
well as making sure the founders
have adequate knowledge of the
industry.
“A majority of fintech company
founders are either ex-vendors or
ex-bankers,” she said.
“They cut their teeth in the
financial industry before they
started on their own. For those
starting without that experience,
it might be harder for them, but
what is needed is the knowledge
to solve problems.”
Adding to that, Bina Nusan-
tara University lecturer and se-
nior advisor at financial risk con-
sulting company PT VaRiskindo,
Mohammad Hamsal, noted that
the government itself must also
anticipate, build and guarantee
the role of fintech in the future as
doable, feasible and beneficial for
Indonesia.
Indonesia’s financial litera-
cy and penetration is still seen
as relatively weak compared to
neighboring countries. The coun-
try’s credit card penetration is at
4 percent while its bank account
penetration is only at 36 percent,
despite a loan deposit ratio of 90
percent.
Antara/Audy Alwi
Solid teamwork
President director of private lender PT Bank JTrust Indonesia Tbk., known also as JTrust Bank, Ritsuo Ando (center), poses with the board of
directors (left to right) Helmi A. Hidayat, Haryanto B. Purnomo, Budi T. Halim, Felix I. Hartadi Tiono, Yosuke Tanaka, and Rio Lanasier before
its annual shareholders’ meeting in Jakarta on Thursday. During the meeting, shareholders of the bank agreed on a plan to add Rp 1 trillion
(US$ 75.1 million) of capital without a preemptive rights issuance, which will be wholly absorbed by Jtrust Co. Ltd.
New electricity plan lowers
expansion expectations
Fedina S. Sundaryani
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
The government has agreed to
lower its expectations for additional
electricity supply in 2019 based on
more modest forecasts of economic
growth and domestic demand.
Energy and Mineral Resourc-
es Minister Ignasius Jonan con-
firmed on Thursday that he had
signed off on state-owned elec-
tricity firm PLN’s electricity pro-
curement business plan (RUPTL)
for 2017 to 2026.
Although the official RUPTL is
only expected to be issued within
the next few weeks, the minister
has confirmed that the national
electricity capacity target for 2019
has been lowered to 79.2 gigawatts
(GW), down from the 90.5 GW tar-
get stipulated in last year’s RUPTL.
“I have already signed the
RUPTL,” Jonan told reporters
following a hearing at the House
of Representatives’ Commission
VII overseeing energy.
Electricity is a large priority for
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s
administration, which launched an
ambitious program to procure an
additional 35,000 megawatts (MW)
at the beginning of his tenure.
The goal is to establish a 30 per-
cent surplus in the national elec-
tricity reserve margin through
more cost-efficient operations.
There is currently a national power
supply capacity of about 56 GW.
The program started off slow
and the government has acknowl-
edged that it is unlikely to reach
its initial target by 2019. Official
data shows that only an addition-
al 639 MW, 1.8 percent of the pro-
gram, is not being produced.
Contracts or power purchase
agreements (PPA) for projects
that would supply 19,877 MW,
President’s project
only producting 1.8% of
35,000 MW target
New RUPTL sets
economic growth
assumption at 6% annually
56.8 percent, have been signed.
Agreements for the rest, about
14,000 MW, have not been signed
and the projects are only in the
planning and procurement stages.
Jonan claimed that the change
in electricity supply target for
2019 was based on the govern-
ment’s calculations that Indone-
sia’s economic growth would ex-
pand by a maximum of 6 percent
annually, lower than the initial
growth estimate of 7 to 8 percent.
The new lower target is also
aimed at preventing an oversupply
of electricity that may not be used
domestically, which would cost
PLN. PLN corporate planning di-
rector Nicke Widyawati confirmed
that the latest RUPTL contained
an economic growth assump-
tion of 5.2 percent to 5.4 percent
until 2019.
“The 35,000 MW program will
continue to be implemented. How-
ever, [generating capacity for] only
about 26,000 MW will be complet-
ed by 2019, with 7,000 MW in the
pipeline. We have adjusted it based
on demand,” she said.
The newest RUPTL has low-
ered the expectations for electric-
ity supply targets in 2026 as well,
which has been set to 125.7 GW,
down from last year’s target of
128.3 GW.
A whopping 39.1 GW will be add-
ed onto the Java-Bali electricity
system, followed closely by 21 GW
in the Sumatra system. The Ma-
luku-Papua system will have the
Antara/Audy Alwi
Highlights of electricity procurement business plan (RUPTL)
No. Description 2016-2025 2017-2026
RUPTL RUPTL
1. Reference General Plan for National RUKN draft, General Plan
Electricity (RUKN) draft for National Energy
(RUEN) draft
2. Capacity targets
(PLN and independent
power producers):
- 2019 90.5 gigawatt 79.2 gigawatt
- 2025 128.3 gigawatt 125.7 gigawatt
3. Energy mix 2025:
- Renewable energy (%) 19.7 22.6
- Coal (%) 50.3 50.4
- Gas (%) 29.4 26.6
- Oil (%) 0.6 0.4
4. 35,000 megawatt program Exists Exists
5. Stipulated in Energy and Mineral
Resources Minister Decree
No. 5899 K/20/MEM/2016
Source: Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry
smallest addition of only 2.1 GW “The gas portion has decreased
from new power plants by 2026. slightly, but we are hopeful it can
On the other hand, the govern-
ment has set a higher target for
increase again to gradually re-
place coal,” Jonan said, referring
the amount of electricity to be to coal’s 50.4 percent portion.
procured from renewable sourc- Meanwhile, Institute for Es-
es by 2026. Jonan confirmed that sential Services Reform (IESR)
the RUPTL’s projected target for executive director Fabby Tumiwa
electricity from renewable sourc- said that it was not a surprise that
es has been set at 22.6 percent, up the 2019 electricity supply target
from the 19.7 percent in the previ- was changed as PLN would have
ous plan. calculated it based on the coun-
The Energy and Mineral Re- try’s projected demand.
sources Ministry is optimistic it Fabby warned that the gov-
can reach the higher target fol- ernment and PLN should not pat
lowing its decision to issue Min- themselves on the back just yet
isterial Decree No. 12/2017, which for increasing its projection for
caps electricity feed-in tariffs electricity produced from renew-
from renewable sources at lower able sources.
or equal levels with national elec- “The portion is smaller than
tricity costs. the target written in the National
As the renewable energy target Energy Plan [RUEN], which stip-
rises, the portions of gas- and oil- ulates that 23 percent of all elec-
powered electricity generation fall tricity must be procured from re-
to 26.6 percent and 0.4 percent, re- newable energy by 2025. This is
spectively, down from 29.4 percent equal to around 45 GW,” he told
and 0.6 percent. The Jakarta Post. (ecn)

BANKING
House warns state banks to protect profits
Grace D. Amianti
and Anton Hermansyah
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
As if research teams and risk
management divisions are no-
where to be found in state-owned
banks, the House of Representa-
tives summoned these politically
obedient lenders on Thursday to
convey a message: be extra cau-
tious against fraud.
In a hearing that the two big-
gest state-owned lenders, Bank
Mandiri and Bank Rakyat Indo-
nesia (BRI) attended, the House’s
Commission XI, which oversees
the fiscal and financial sector,
highlighted the necessity of pre-
venting fraud and slashing non-
performing loans (NPL) in a bid
to maintain their profitability.
Commission XI lawmaker An-
dreas Eddy Susetyo of the Indo-
nesian Democratic Party of Strug-
gle (PDI-P) said NPL were among
many indicators banks could find
difficult to manage if global risks
badly affected the country’s econ-
omy. “Going forward, there are
still many industry players who
complain [about the economic
situation], particularly in the con-
struction sector,” he said.
The lawmakers also pointed out
that the geopolitical situations and
rising protectionism in Europe
and the United States could trig-
ger currency volatility and in turn
also affect the banks’ NPL.
Among four state-owned lend-
ers, Bank Mandiri was the most
heavily affected in terms of a surg-
ing number of bad loans last year
caused by plunging commodity
prices. Its gross NPL ratio, the ra-
tio between bad debts and total
loans, soared to 4 percent last year
from only 2.6 percent in 2015.
The bad loans forced the bank
to double its loan loss provision to
Rp 24.6 trillion (US$1.84 billion),
causing its net profits to nose-
dive by 32.1 percent year-on-year
(yoy) to Rp 13.81 trillion last year.
The bank restructured Rp 40
trillion worth of credit by mid-
March and is upbeat commodity
prices will continue an upward
trend, thus giving greater ease to
its debt restructuring program.
“We treat NPL coming from
business risk through regular
measures such as a restructur-
ing program. However, if there is
an indication of fraud, we will act
SPOTLIGHT
firmly by working together with
the AGO [Attorney General’s Of-
fice] to help us with legal charg-
es,” said Bank Mandiri president
director Kartika Wirjoatmodjo.
The gross NPL of Bank Nega-
ra Indonesia (BNI) and BRI also
climbed last year. BNI ended 2016
with a gross NPL of 3 percent, while
BRI reported a gross NPL of 2.1 per-
cent. An NPL ratio of 5 percent is
considered the maximum safe limit.
BRI president director Supra-
jarto said he would try to maintain
its gross NPL level at 2.4 percent
this year, while also maintaining
its coverage ratio at 160 percent to
170 percent. Last year BRI set aside
Rp 22.18 trillion as a consolidated
loan-loss provision. The figure was
equivalent to 170 percent of its non-
performing loans (NPL).
“We will keep the NPL at 3 per- Courtesy of Siloam International Hospitals
cent while continuing to restruc- Marking the achievement: PT Siloam International Hospitals general manager for public relations
ture the loans,” BNI president di- and media relations Jimmy Rambing (left) receives a gold medal from Indonesian Public Relations
rector Achmad Baiquni said. Association vice chairman Silli Agung Wasesa during the Public Relations Indonesia Awards 2017
Meanwhile, Bank Tabungan ceremony on March 24 in Bali. Jimmy won the award in the Internal Corporate Magazine category.
Negara (BTN) aims for its NPL In this year’s PRIA awards, Siloam successfully took home three awards: a gold medal in the Private
to be between 2 and 2.5 percent Internal Corporate Magazine category, silver medal in the Private Corporate Website category and a
this year, after having slashed it media relations award in the Local Private Corporation category.
to 2.84 percent in 2016 from 3.42
percent in 2015, president direc- This column is available for messages. For further information, please contact:
Endang at ph. (021) 530 0476, fax. (021) 536 0009 or e-mail address: advertising@thejakartapost.com
tor Maryono said. (dra)
14 | BUSINESS FRIDAY March 31, 2017

Banknote rates Weighing future prospects GLOBAL VENTURE

Banknote rates Selling Rp Buying Rp
US dollar 1 13,383.00 13,249.00 Summit to
Australian dollar 1 10,254.05 10,150.06
Swiss franc
Euro
1
1
13,416.54
14,386.73
13,279.54
14,237.38
bring Silicon
British pound
Hong Kong dollar 1
1 16,649.79
1,722.24
16,481.76
1,704.97
Valley capital
Japanese yen
Korean won
100
1
12,022.10
11.99
11,896.38
11.87
to Indonesia
Malaysian ringgit 1 3,029.20 2,995.48
Philippine peso 1 266.60 263.90 Dylan Amirio
Singaporean dollar 1 9,588.05 9,486.61 THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
Thai baht 1 388.03 383.92
Prominent startup investors
Source: BI from Silicon Valley, in the Unit-
ed States and from other parts of
World benchmarks the world will soon gather in Bali
Daily Change for a summit that will bring fund-
Country Index Points % ing and networking opportunities
Indonesia (JCI) 5,592.95 0.44 0.01 to boost Indonesia’s startup eco-
system.
S. Korea (Kospi) 2,164.64 -2.34 -0.11
The first-ever annual Global
Thailand (SET Index) 1,583.44 8.47 0.54 Ventures Summit (GVS) will be
Malaysia (FTSE BM) 1,749.25 -1.16 -0.07 held in on April 19 to 21, bringing
Antara/Audy Alwi about 30 venture capital firms,
Singapore (FTSE ST) 3,173.24 -11.33 -0.36
Japan (Nikkei 225) 19,063.22 -154.26 -0.80 Local cement maker PT Semen Padang president director Benny Wendry (second left) converses with pro- 50 angel investors and hundreds
Hong Kong (Hang Seng) 24,301.09 -90.96 -0.37
duction director Indrieffouny Indra (left), commercial director Pudjo Suseno (second right) and finance of corporate figures and startups
director Tri Hartono Rianto after its annual shareholders’ meeting in Jakarta on Thursday. The firm saw its from various corners of the world,
China (SSE Comp.) 3,210.24 -31.08 -0.96
business performance improve in the past year compared to 2015 as its margin of earnings before interest, but mainly from the US.
Philippines (PSE Index) 7,332.59 8.59 0.12 taxes, depreciation and amortization rose by 20.64 percent, up from 19.31 percent. Among the key guests will be
India (S&P Sensex) 29,623.80 92.37 0.31 several Silicon Valley venture
USA (DJIA) 20,659.32 -42.18 -0.20 capital (VC) firms, such as 500
UK (FTSE) 7,367.73 -5.99 -0.08
Startups, Intel Capital and Fenox
Venture Capital.
Australia (All Ordinaries)

ECONOMY IN BRIEF
5,931.84 21.14 0.36
Source: IDX
Red tape continues The event’s main organizer US-
based medical tech venture capi-
tal ParkPine Capital will partner
with local VC firms Kejora Ven-

to block investment
Govt to issue integrated card prototype
JAKARTA: The Directorate General of Taxation will launch a prototype smart
card for tax identification numbers (NPWPs) that will be integrated with Fedina S. Sundaryani
other identity cards as part of its effort to improve the taxpayer database. THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
The tax office has partnered with state-owned Bank Mandiri for the
NPWP smart card, called “One Indonesia Card” ( Kartin1 ), which will The hassle of long-winded bu-
include taxpayer numbers. reaucracy coupled with the ne-
“We will launch the prototype on Friday,” said the tax office’s direc- cessity of applying for nearly 300
tor for information and communications technology transformation, permits remains a major bane to
Iwan Djuniardi, after a press conference on Wednesday. investors wishing to funnel in-
The tax office plans to officially launch the smart card in July and vestment into the country’s oil
expects more banks and other institutions, such as the Healthcare and and gas sector.
Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) and the Workers Social Secu- Investment in the upstream
rity Agency (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan), to join the system. sector has continued to decline
The NPWP smart card will include various identity numbers, such as despite the government’s efforts
those of national ID cards, driver’s licenses and credit cards. However, to make it more enticing for busi-
banks should apply for a permit from Bank Indonesia for the NPWP ness players, indirectly causing a
smart card to include credit card numbers. fall in production and retarding
The tax office will ensure that each taxpayer obtains one NPWP new discoveries vital to fulfilling
smart card, which has a concept similar to the e-ID card. — JP skyrocketing domestic demand.
Indonesian Petroleum Asso-
ciation (IPA) director Ronald Gu-
HappyFresh offers personalized app nawan claims the sizeable num-
ber of permits that need to be
JAKARTA: Online grocery startup HappyFresh has introduced a more secured by investors to work in
personalized app in a bid to strengthen its presence in Indonesia, one the upstream oil and gas sector
of its key markets. was a major turn-off for many, as
The upgraded app provides new features, such as a list of customers’ it significantly cut down on pro-
frequently bought products and a tracker of orders, to allow easier and duction periods, which meant
more convenient shopping with delivery in less than one hour. In addition, less time to obtain profits.
it also offers notifications about the latest promotion and voucher codes. “Those of us who operate on-
HappyFresh Group CEO Guillem Segarra Lopez said that the im- shore have to deal with so many
proved app was part of its efforts to better understand what customers permits and it makes the process
wanted. It was made based on feedback gained from a direct survey difficult. We hope the bureaucracy
of its customers, he added. can be more efficient as that will al-
“We believe that grocery shopping is a quite complex journey. It low a longer time of production,”
doesn’t start by what you pick and what we deliver,” Segarra recently said Ronald, who is also the chief
said. “It really starts from a trigger that you think you are missing operating officer of oil and gas firm
something, when you ask your husband or wife what to buy, make the PT Medco Energi Internasional.
list and actually purchase.” Complicated procedures
In its second year of operation, HappyFresh now aims to focus on reduced the production period by
Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, after it halted operations in the half to 15 years and this strongly
Philippines and Taiwan last year. affected the economic feasibility
Customers in the three Southeast Asian markets total 60,000, half of of fields, he added.
which are from Indonesia. — JP/dra Indonesia’s oil and gas coopera-
tion contracts last 30 years. How-
ever, official data shows that the
time between discovery and first
production averages around 15
years, much higher than the aver-
age of 10 years in neighboring Ma-
laysia and Brunei Darussalam.
This is attributed not only to
lackluster infrastructure develop-
ment, but also to the large number
of permits investors must secure
from various ministries and insti-
tutions to commence production,
which altogether total 289 per-
mits according to IPA’s data.
The current situation contrasts
starkly with the country’s heyday
of oil in the 1970s when the time
between discovery and first pro-
duction averaged only five years
due to reduced red tape and regu-
lations governing the sector.
Acknowledging the present dif-
ficulties, the Energy and Mineral
Resources Ministry has sought to
streamline permits in order to ap-
pease investors in the industry.
Oil and gas director general
IGN Wiratmaja Puja said Ener-
gy and Mineral Resources Min-
ister Ignasius Jonan had already
signed off on a reduction of the
ministry’s permits to six from 42.
Prior to 2016, it required 104
permits.
“We want the process to be
much faster and we are trying to
convince other institutions to do
the same,” he said.
The government also recent-
ly issued a new product-sharing
contract (PSC) scheme in order to
cut down on lengthy bureaucrat-
As many as 289 permits
are needed to invest in oil
and gas sector
Complicated procedures
reduce production period
by half to 15 years
ic procedures. A gross-split sliding
scale was introduced earlier this
year, which nixes the government’s
need to reimburse investors’ ex-
ploitation activities and therefore,
exempts investors from long nego-
tiations on the value of its activi-
ties with the Upstream and Oil Gas
Regulatory Special Task Force.
Convincing oil and gas busi-
ness players to pour more mon-
ey into the country is crucial to
meeting the government’s ambi-
tion to meet domestic demand
from local supply and minimize
future imports.
Upstream oil and gas invest-
ment has continued to decrease,
with last year dropping by 24.5
percent to US$12.01 billion from
$15.9 billion in 2015.
Similarly, the figure of oil and
gas fields in operation has con-
tinued to slide, totaling 288 fields
in the past year from 321 fields in
2013.
Separately, ReforMiner Insi-
tute researcher Komaidi Notone-
goro said the changes the govern-
ment had implemented in order
to boost interest in the oil and gas
sector were severely short-sighted
as they mostly targeted enhanced
efficiencies in the state budget.
tures and Convergence Ventures
to carry out the event.
GVS founder and lead at Park-
Pine Capital Ahmed Shabana said
that Indonesian startups would
make up around 40 percent of GVS
participants. The event, he added,
was primarily aimed to connect
US major players with promising
startups in the region with a glob-
al flair as well as to explore the po-
tential and opportunities of fast-
surging markets like Indonesia.
“I think that this event can
benefit [the Indonesian startup
ecosystem] by potentially rais-
ing its funding and valuation,”
Ahmed said. “It’s a good oppor-
tunity for these startups to ask
the advice and help of the visiting
VC firmss. Indonesia is the right
place because despite the quick
expansion of startups, there is in-
sufficient funding needed.”
In terms of the ecosystem,
Ahmed said that Indonesia pre-
sented a huge opportunity for
monetization. However, local
startups still had a long way to
be able to sell their products on a
global scale, primarily because the
level of knowledge-sharing among
them was still very low, he added.
Describing this situation as
ironic, Ahmed said that domestic
startups had to learn from their US
peers in terms of knowledge-shar-
ing, which was key to their success.
Kejora Ventures figurehead
and founding partner Sebastian
Togelang noted that the event
would bring big markets and nec-
essary partners together. While
local startups could learn from
Silicon Valley business players,
the event would also provide the
opportunity for the latter to un-
derstand the Indonesian market.

ANALYSIS

Regional performance and how to move forward

Romauli Panggabean
JAKARTA
Indonesia’s regional econom-
ic growth has not fully recovered
compared to when the commod-
ity boom occurred in the 2010 to
2013 period.
The maps accompanying this
analysis present our thesis, which
postulates as follows.
Almost all regions experienc-
ing high economic growth in 2011
(presented by the darker col-
or) suffered from low economic
growth after commodity prices
dropped. However, in 2016, some
provinces showed they were able
to achieve significant economic
growth.
The question is: what are the
factors behind the significant eco-
nomic growth in these regions?
To complete the analysis, we
included a discussion contrasting
some provinces with the highest
decline in economic growth and
some provinces with no signifi-
cant progress.
In 2016, there were five prov-
inces with the highest progress in
terms of economic growth, name-
ly Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam
(NAD), Riau, Papua, East Kali-
mantan and West Java.
Interestingly, all of these re-
gions have a high dependency on
commodity exports. The highest
growth came from NAD in the
northern part of Sumatra.
It suffered from negative
growth of minus 0.73 percent, the
second lowest growth after East
Kalimantan, in 2015.
However, its growth recov-
ered remarkably to 3.31 percent
in 2016.
The main reason for this re-
covery is a government policy
to build infrastructure projects,
such as the development of the
Keureuto dam, road upgrades and
bridge development.
West Java also received posi-
tive impact growth because of the
government policy to increase
food sufficiency.
The regional administration
gave various subsidies and sup-
port for the agriculture sector in
West Java.
As a result, paddy production
increased significantly and boost-
ed economic growth in West Java.
Three other provinces with
high economic growth are those
related to commodity.
Riau is home to oil mining and
manufacturing and crude palm
oil in Sumatra. As oil prices grew
higher, the mining and manu-
facturing sectors also improved
compared to 2015. A similar case
could be made for crude palm oil.
In Papua, an extension of raw
mineral concentrate exports
helped the local economy grow in
2016.
As for East Kalimantan, oil and
coal mining activities increased,
driven by higher prices.
Contrasting the best perform-
ers, there were two provinces
whose growth declined signifi-
cantly, namely West Nusa Teng-
gara (NTB) and Central Sulawesi.
In 2015, those provinces grew
marvelously at 21.7 percent and
15.5 percent, respectively.
However, in 2016, NTB’s
growth slowed to 5.82 percent
and that of Central Sulawesi fell
to 9.98 percent.
Although the growth declined
significantly, the growth rates
Map: Regional GDP Growth Class
Regional GDP during Commodity Boom (2011)
> 7,01 (3)
5,50 to 7 (12)
4 to 5,49 (15)
< 3,99 (4)
Regional GDP during Low Commodity Price (2016)
were still higher compared to the
national economic growth rate.
In Central Sulawesi, the main
reason behind the economic
growth decline was nickel pric-
es that hit the lowest level since
2008, which eventually lowered
export value.
There was also a significant
slowdown in the growth of con-
struction with the conclusion of
smelter construction projects.
Meanwhile, in NTB, the gov-
ernment set an export quota for
miner PT Newmont Nusa Teng-
gara, which pushed down the
mining industry’s export perfor-
mance.
Last but not least, there were
provinces that grew lower than
the national growth rate and have
not shown significant progress
since 2015, namely Bangka Beli-
tung (Babel) and North Kaliman-
tan.
In 2016, Babel’s economic
growth stood at 4.11 percent and
North Kalimantan’s reached ap-
proximately 3.75 percent.
Both provinces are known as
regions abundant with tin and
coal.
In Babel, which is known as a
tin producer, there are only small
and individual miners and many
of them operate illegally.
The production cannot provide
sustainable support for the econ-
omy.
Nonetheless, Babel is also
known for its beautiful beaches.
Note that the government has
chosen Babel as one of the top 10
emerging tourist destinations,
but it seems tourism is not pow-
erful enough to boost economic
growth in Babel.
Meanwhile, North Kaliman-
tan, as the newest province in
Indonesia, needs various invest-
ment and support to grow.
We can conclude that there are
two main reasons why regions in
Indonesia grow higher or lower
— government policy and slightly
higher commodity prices.
As commodity prices fluctuate
out of our control, it is a very risky
policy to pin regional income and
growth hopes on the commodity
sector.
The sector may help in the cur-
rent and short-term, but not in
the next five to 10 years.
Accordingly, we should trans-
form our economy and move for-
ward to develop strong manufac-
turing and services sectors.
As we learn from the regional
growth pattern, government pol-
icy is one of the main keys for the
regions to transform their eco-
nomic structures to become more
manufacturing based.
The policy to boost private in-
vestment is key.
One of the options is to invite
more investment into various
productive sectors, such as manu-
facturing and infrastructure sec-
tors, especially with high value
creation.
In 2016, investment grew suf-
ficiently high, approximately 12.4
percent.
The highest growth was re-
ported in domestic direct invest-
ment (DDI) at 20.5 percent, while
foreign direct investment (FDI)
grew modestly at 8.4 percent.
Private investment is most im-
portant in a situation where the
government is constrained by a
limited budget.
Obviously, it is difficult for the
government to tackle all devel-
opment projects using its own
sources.
Last year, even with the tax am-
nesty, the government was forced
to cut or delay regional transfer
funds.
Meanwhile, investments in
several manufacturing industries
have significant growth, for exam-
ple, investments in the paper and
printing industry, food manufac-
turing, wood manufacturing and
chemical and pharmaceutical in-
dustry.
However, most of these indus-
tries are concentrated on Java.
The only province with a sig-
nificant share of investments is
South Sumatra, but most of them
are for mining and plantations.
Not many investors come to
Indonesia and invest in the man-
ufacturing sector, especially out-
side of Java.
Lack of infrastructure is one
of the important reasons why in-
vestments in manufacturing are
concentrated on Java.
Continuity of government in-
frastructure projects is required
to attract investments outside of
Java, specifically for the manufac-
turing sector.
Budget constraints will always
be an obstacle.
Therefore, cooperation with
other countries or firms as inves-
tors is a must for infrastructure
with high return.
We can allocate the govern-
ment budget to build infrastruc-
ture with low return, but it is es-
sential to boost manufacturing
investment to that specific region.
The writer is an industry and
regional analyst at Bank Mandiri’s
Office of Chief Economist.
FRIDAY March 31, 2017
CORPORATE STRATEGY
Bank Permata to conduct
rights issue, cut NPLs
Winny Tang
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
Publicly listed lender Bank
Permata will conduct a rights is-
sue in the first half of this year
to boost capital and restructure
its business to reduce mounting
non-performing loans.
With the rights issue planned
in June, Permata is aiming to
raise Rp 3 trillion (US$225.29
million) in fresh funds.
The two main shareholders of
Permata, diversified conglomerate
PT Astra International and British
lender Standard Chartered Bank,
will be the standby buyers.
“Both of them [Astra and Stan-
dard Chartered] have confirmed
that they will take their portions
[44.56 percent stakes],” Bank
Permata president director Ridha
DM Wirakusumah said after the
firm’s annual and extraordinary
general shareholders’ meetings
on Wednesday.
After the rights issue, Permata’s
capital adequacy ratio (CAR) is ex-
pected to rise slightly to between
16 percent and 17 percent from 15.6
percent in 2016. It held a rights is-
sue last year worth Rp 5.5 trillion.
The rights issue to improve
capital is needed because the
lender was badly hit by non-per-
forming loans (NPLs) in 2016.
Its gross NPL ratio jumped to 8.8
percent from 2.7 percent in 2015
and its net NPL ratio climbed to
2.2 percent from 1.4 percent.
The bad loans forced Perma-
ta to allocate a higher amount of
impairment at Rp 11.68 trillion,
an almost fourfold increase com-
pared to 2015, and to swallow the
bitter pill of net losses amounting
to Rp 6.49 trillion.
Permata claims it is now work-
ing to improve its financial per-
formance by restructuring the
bad loans. “We aim for a 5 percent
gross NPL ratio,” Ridha said.
To reduce future risks of bad
loans, it will conduct stricter as-
sessments on borrowers’ finan-
cial credibility to ensure their
PROFILE
Second-chance finance minister tackles reform to boost Indonesia
Enda Curran, Yudith Ho
and Karlis Salna
BLOOMBERG/JAKARTA
The mood at the meeting should
have been tense. Seventy bank an-
alysts gathered in January at the
Indonesian Ministry of Finance, a
sprawling stylistic mix of art deco
and 19th century East Indies colo-
nial, and made their way to a tower
dubbed “the devil’s building” for
the hexagram formed by its blue-
tinted windows.
Hostile questions for the fi-
nance minister, Sri Mulyani In-
drawati, seemed inevitable; some
of the attendees might even stage
a protest. JPMorgan Chase & Co.
analysts had, following the United
States presidential election, put a
sell order on Indonesia’s equities.
The Finance Ministry’s re-
sponse was swift, decisive, and
resolute: the immediate termina-
tion of all business partnerships
with the bank.
Now two weeks had passed,
and JPMorgan had reversed its
bearish call, but the shiver was
still reverberating through the
research arms of global banks as
the ministry considered prevent-
ing them from issuing negative
reports. (JPMorgan declined to
comment.)
Sri Mulyani — a stylish, 54-year-
old economist who combines Indo-
nesian batik with Anne Klein kitten
heels — has earned a reputation for
toughness. She’d been finance min-
ister in the 2000s and returned to
the job last year, charged with a re-
form agenda that’s so ambitious it
seems audacious.
As she addressed the quarterly
meeting of analysts, she likened
those who are impatient with the
government to her three-year-
old grandson when he got restless
during car journeys.
Although such behavior might
be expected of a toddler, she
said, it was uncalled for from in-
vestors who wished the govern-
ment would just hurry up, jump
through the necessary hoops, and
get on with the reform agenda.
“I don’t want you to ask me,
‘Are we there yet?’” she said. “If
you ask me that, I would think
you’re unprofessional or you’re
not competent.”
Sri Mulyani was clearly back
in town, and the message was
coded but simple: her ministry,
her rules. She was going to clean
house — and, if she had to, break
some glassware in the process.
And the bankers? Rather than
protest or hurl hostile questions
at Indrawati, they mobbed her for
selfies.
Since joining Joko “Jokowi”
Widodo’s “dream team” cabinet
loan repayment abilities.
The bank does not consider a
specific sector as carrying a signif-
icant threat, saying its high NPL
ratio came from various sectors.
Data from the bank shows that
it reaped net profits of Rp 214
billion in the first two months of
2017 and Permata claims that its
gross NPL has dropped to around
6 percent at present. Meanwhile,
Permata’s shareholders approved
several changes to the lineup of
its board of commissioners.
Commissioner Sebastian Ra-
mon Ancuri took over Cheng Teck
Lim’s position as president com-
missioner, while Astra director
Suparno Djasmin replaced fellow
Astra director Gunawan Geniusa-
hardja as deputy commissioner.
Ian Charles Anderson, Standard
Chartered Bank Singapore’s re-
gional chief risk officer for ASEAN
and South Asia, replaced Ancuri’s
position. Changes also occurred in
Permata’s board of directors.
Lea Setianti Kusumawijaya
was appointed finance director,
replacing Sandeep Kumar Jain,
and Darwin Wibowo was in-
stalled as wholesale director, re-
placing Anita Siswadi.
In February, Bloomberg report-
ed that Indonesian business ty-
coon Tahir was keen to gain con-
trol of Permata, a larger rival to
his Bank Mayapada International,
as he seeks to put his lender in the
ranks of the nation’s biggest banks.
Tahir’s Mayapada Group wants
to buy the 90 percent of Permata
that is owned by Standard Char-
tered and Astra and merge it with
Mayapada to create Indonesia’s
largest private bank by assets after
Bank Central Asia (BCA), he said.
A spokesman for Standard
Chartered declined to comment
on Tahir’s interest in Permata and
said the bank was committed to
Indonesia, a market that it consid-
ers to be strategically important.
Tira Ardianti, Astra Interna-
tional investor relations head,
said his firm would continue to
support Permata.
in Southeast Asia’s largest econ-
omy last July, Indrawati has been
the president’s chief instrument
in a push to get millions of Indo-
nesians to take part in a tax am-
nesty.
The tax reprieve, which will
end on March 31, is a key plank in
Jokowi’s reform agenda. It levied
generous penalty rates as low as
2 percent to allow those who’ve
been hiding their true wealth to
clear up their affairs, no questions
asked.
It’s already prompted busi-
nesses and individuals who’d
stashed money at home and
abroad — including Aburizal Bak-
rie, former chairman of Golkar, a
major political party, and Tommy
Suharto, son of the country’s for-
mer dictator — to bring more than
US$330 billion to the attention of
the tax office.
A former university academ-
ic, Indrawati fought graft dur-
ing her first spell as finance min-
ister from 2005 to 2010. She was
forced out after making enemies
of powerful Indonesians, includ-
ing Bakrie. Before returning last
year, she won praise during six
years as managing director of the
World Bank in Washington.
Back in her old job, Indrawati
has also vowed to clean up the tax
office itself, an institution long
beset by corruption. It was a chal-
lenge she took up with mixed suc-
cess the first time around. She’s
confronting it again: In a coun-
try of 260 million people, only
about 10 million filed a tax return
in 2015. Now Sri Mulyani plans to
revamp the overall taxation sys-
tem and double the number of au-
ditors to widen the tax base.
The world’s fourth-most pop-
ulous nation and most popu-
lous Muslim nation, Indonesia
is blessed with some of the rich-
est reserves of natural resources
on the planet, and, crucially, it’s a
near neighbor to China and its vo-
racious consumer demand. And
yet its promise has been heralded
for decades — and fallen short.
“Indonesia has suffered from
its reliance on commodities, and
that’s still the case,” says Rajeev
de Mello, Singapore-based head
of Asian fixed income at Schrod-
er Investment Management Ltd.
“But there are signs of efforts to
diversify.”
Indrawati wants to be part of
her country’s turnaround.
“Indonesia is a bit of an outlier,”
she says. She’s sitting in her outer
office, where she prays five times a
day, surrounded by thick volumes
on economic policy and coffee ta-
ble books depicting the riches of
the Indonesian archipelago.
“People say, ‘Oh yeah, I know
Indonesia eyes fairness
in ride-hailing regulation
Farida Susanty
THE JAKARTA POST/JAKARTA
Less than 48 hours before the
implementation of a regulation
that stipulates a fleet quota and
price floor for ride-hailing servic-
es, the government gave its public
reassurance on Thursday that the
new rule was intended to accom-
modate the interests of all stake-
holders in the industry, including
price-concious customers.
In a proposed revision to Trans-
portation Ministerial Regulation
No. 32/2016 on taxi businesses,
set to become effective on April 1,
the government seeks to replace
the current pricing mechanism
employed by ride-hailing applica-
tion providers with minimum and
maximum fares determined by re-
gional administrations.
The government also seeks to
put a limit on the number of driv-
ers partnering with the app com-
panies.
The measures will be intro-
duced in response to mount-
ing protests from operators and
drivers of formal public trans-
portation, such as taxis and pub-
lic minivans, who blame popular
ride-hailing apps, such as Go-Jek,
Grab and Uber, for creating unfair
price mechanisms as they can of-
fer cheaper services to customers
through subsidized pricing.
Transportation Minister Budi
Karya Sumadi said the new regu-
lation represented the govern-
ment’s efforts to accommodate
the interests of both parties.
“We keep mentioning fairness.
[…] There is no such thing as mak-
ing one party lose against the oth-
er,” he said on Thursday.
Under the new regulation, the
new fare will be measured by each
kilometer of trip distance, like
conventional taxi services. Even
though the exact fare rate will
later be decided by each regional
administration head, the govern-
Remarkable accomplishment: Semarang State University (Unnes)
rector professor Fathur Rokhman (left) awards the Upakarti
Artheswara Adhikarana to Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati
(right) in Semarang, Central Java, on Thursday. The award is given
because of Sri Mulyani’s management of the Indonesian fiscal sys-
tem with innovation, honesty and integrity.
about Indonesia.’ But it’s a little
bit distant on your mental map.
Indonesia is vulnerable to this,
because people don’t really un-
derstand it that well.”
Sri Mulyani grew up in Sema-
rang, Central Java, in a home
where books and research papers
were the family’s main sources of
entertainment. She was one of 10
children born to education pro-
fessors who, in turn, coaxed their
offspring into careers as academ-
ics, doctors, and engineers.
Sri Mulyani and her siblings
still return home during the Idul
Fitri holiday to a peach-and-
green house so frequently flooded
by a nearby river that the children
pooled funds to build a second
floor for their parents.
When Ani, as she’s known to
her family, was growing up, mon-
ey was tight. Her mother, to sup-
plement what she made at Sema-
rang State University, ran a food
co-op and sold an inexpensive
traditional fabric, lurik, com-
monly worn by Javanese farm-
ers. Splurging on birthdays meant
a whole chicken to share at the
crowded family table.
“Well, we weren’t poor, we had
just enough to get by,” says one
of Indrawati’s sisters, Nining In-
droyono Soesilo. “The joy is in the
solidarity of sharing one chicken.”
When Sri Mulyani announced
that she was going to study eco-
nomics — her way of stepping out
of the shadow of her academically
gifted older siblings — her parents
thought she would end up a bank
teller.
Getting as far as she has was
“an accident,” she says. Attending
economics classes at the Univer-
sity of Indonesia (UI), she saw the
unequal opportunities afforded to
Only one touch away: Sharing a light moment during the launch of the Go-Bluebird app in Jakarta
on Thursday are ( from left to right) taxi operator PT Blue Bird president director Purnomo Prawiro,
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar and
ride-hailing app Go-Jek Indonesia chief executive officer Nadiem Makarim. The app made by Blue Bird
and Go-Jek allows customers to order Blue Bird taxis with the Go-Jek app.
New rules expected to
protect interests of taxi
users
Taxi operators hit hard
by robust ride-hailing
business
ment expects similar standards
from one province to another.
Transportation Ministry direc-
tor general for land transporta-
tion Pudji Hartanto Iskandar said
that the government expected the
regional administration to set the
fares for ride hailing services at
similar rates to taxis.
“The fare will still be cheaper
[than conventional taxis]. The
[difference] will range between 10
percent to 20 percent,” he said.
The Transportation Minis-
try issued a decree last May that
served as a legal basis for the op-
eration of ride-hailing apps amid
massive protests from conven-
JP/Suherdjoko
a clique of students surrounding
a privileged student, Siti Hediati
Hariyadi, known as Titiek, daugh-
ter of then-president Soeharto.
It was then that she knew
what she wanted to pursue in life.
“That feeling of exclusion was
very strong,” Sri Muyani says.
“If you’re not a friend of those
people, then your career path is
going to be very different, and
that is exactly what influenc-
es very strongly the way I think
about economics and the econo-
my in Indonesia.”
Sri Mulyani pursued a doctor-
ate degree in economics on schol-
arship at the University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign from 1988
to 1992 before returning to Indo-
nesia to teach at her alma mater.
She became the head of the uni-
versity’s economics research arm
in 1998, just in time to witness
students taking to the streets in
May of that year.
They rose up to protest the
government’s response to the
devastating impact of the Asian
financial crisis the year before:
widespread layoffs and bankrupt-
cies, with more than half the pop-
ulation slipping below the pover-
ty line.
Most other faculty members
at the state-owned UI refrained
from joining the demonstrations,
but the research center Sri Muly-
ani ran was independent, so she
went along to the manifestations
at the Parliament building.
Indrawati recalls those days
with bittersweet nostalgia. “I was
an activist at that time,” she says.
“I was very active in really ad-
vocating against what we saw as
the wrong policy, the wrong ap-
proach.” She also remembers the
anguish she felt when she learned
BUSINESS
tional taxi drivers whose incomes
have dwindled because of tighter
competition.
However, the ministry later
postponed the implementation
of the regulation twice until April
due to mounting complaints, in-
cluding those related to the com-
pulsory roadworthiness tests and
vehicle licensing.
The ministry has also repeat-
edly showed concern for the taxi
business which has been hit hard
by ride-hailing apps.
The country’s largest taxi op-
erator, PT Blue Bird, for example,
has to swallow a 12.9 percent drop
in its revenue to Rp 4.7 trillion in
2016 compared to the 2015 figure.
Its profit also dropped by 38.4
percent to Rp 510.2 billion.
The company recently stated
that the drop was due to tighten-
ing competition with the ride-
hailing apps.
Blue Bird has turned to major
ride-hailing app Go-Jek for its
that several student protesters
had been shot and killed.
“It was televised,” she says. “I
was in a TV interview, crying.”
At the height of the global fi-
nancial crisis in October 2008,
midway through her half-decade
as finance minister, Sri Mulyani
was in Jakarta drafting an emer-
gency economic response to the
meltdown when she learned that
her mother had died. She stepped
out of the room to hear the news,
then immediately went back in
to continue working. Just before
midnight she flew home for the
funeral in Semarang.
The next day she returned to
Jakarta to announce the emer-
gency measures she’d drawn up.
Three years earlier then-Pres-
ident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyo-
no had persuaded Sri Mulyani to
take over the finance ministry. His
charge to her: Cool inflation, al-
most 18 percent at the time, with-
out choking the wider economy.
Having risen well beyond the
bank teller’s job her parents once
worried she’d have to settle for,
Sri Mulyani lost her lofty position
in 2010.
She’d been under fire for some
time. In the aftermath of the cri-
sis, opposition politicians claimed
that she abused her authority
in granting a 6.7 trillion-rupiah
(US$503 million) bailout of PT
Bank Century in 2008 to prevent
the collapse of 23 other banks.
Also that year, she clashed with
Bakrie, the ex-Golkar Party chair-
man, when she opposed closing
the Jakarta bourse as shares in
companies linked to him plunged.
“They had a difference of opin-
ion,” says Lalu Mara Satriawang-
sa, a spokesman for Bakrie, “but it
was never personal.”
After her resignation, Sri Mu-
lyani flew off to Washington to
work for the World Bank. She had
been making good money at the
World Bank: $409,950 in 2015.
As finance minister in Indonesia,
her base salary would now fall to
about Rp 220 million a year, or
about $16,500.
Coming home to serve her
country was what her parents
would have wanted Indrawati to
do, Nining says: “We knew her
reason for coming back was sim-
ple.”
Sri Mulyani lives behind the
Indonesia tax office building in
an official residence that’s part of
a complex of ministerial houses.
She’s married to Tonny Sumar-
tono, an economist; they have two
sons and a married daughter.
In Jakarta political circles,
there’s periodic speculation that
Indrawati might one day run for
elected office. But if she harbors
| 15
JP/Wendra Ajistyatama
channel expansion.
In the new cooperation, Go-Jek
will provide a Blue Bird booking
service through the app, which is
called Go-Blue Bird.
Previously, both companies
have cooperated in the Go-Jek car
charter service, Go-Car, where
the app’s consumers can also en-
joy the Blue Bird fleet as part of
the service.
“Go-Jek has their own custom-
er base. For Blue Bird, this is ad-
ditional multichannel access for
the consumers,” Blue Bird direc-
tor Adirnato Djokosoetono said.
In the first phase, the service
will be available in Jakarta; Band-
ung, West Java; Semarang, Cen-
tral Java; Surabaya, East Java; and
Medan, North Sumatra.
Go-Jek CEO and founder Na-
diem Makarim lauded the coop-
eration, adding that so far, there
has been a significant surge in Go-
Car users since the cooperation
with Blue Bird.
such ambitions, she hasn’t sig-
naled them publicly.
Tax reform, meanwhile, is at
the heart of what she does. A pop-
ular meme lit up social media af-
ter Indrawati returned to Jakarta
last year. It showed her gripping a
pistol and taking aim at an imag-
ined tax dodger, with the words
“Who hasn’t joined the tax am-
nesty?”
The tax program, which Jokowi
introduced before Sri Mulyani
left Washington, had raised Rp
116 trillion by late March. The
compliance record of Indone-
sians is notoriously poor. Even so,
the amnesty — under which tax-
avoiding individuals and compa-
nies pay as much as 10 percent
in penalties, or about a third of
the top income tax rate — has its
critics. The Organization for Eco-
nomic Cooperation and Devel-
opment says the program favors
those who cheat and penalizes
those who don’t.
To no one’s surprise, Indrawati
was embarrassed and indignant
last year when a midranking tax
official was arrested in connec-
tion with an alleged scheme to
help a businessman avoid a $5.8
million bill.
She sent copies of a handwrit-
ten note around to tax office staff,
saying she was “devastated by
those unfaithful acts, which be-
tray the values and integrity we all
hold. Still, we should vent our dis-
appointment by working even bet-
ter, even harder, to achieve even
higher. We will, together, sanitize
our Ministry of Finance from such
individuals who bring down the
reputation of our institution.”
In January she brought her
message in person to the tax of-
fice. She addressed more than 500
mostly male tax officials dressed
in sky blue shirts and navy ties
following a rousing rendition of
the tax agency’s official song.
“From my house,” she told
them solemnly, “whenever I look
over I can see the lights still on
at the tax office building, and I
know you are all working hard.
So if someone calls you lazy, you
wouldn’t be offended; it’s not
true. But if someone calls you in-
competent or unprofessional, you
would be offended because it’s
partly true.”
She lightened the mood with
some humor. She told the sea of
blue that her title might as well be
“minister for tax” given how large
the issue looms in the govern-
ment’s agenda.
“It’s always about tax, tax, and
tax,” she said. “Last night even
my husband told me, ‘Ani, you
were talking in your sleep again
about tax.’”
16 | FRIDAY March 31, 2017
State sponsored
Lamont Siller, the legal attache at the US embassy in the Philippines, speaks during a cyber-security forum in Manila, on Wednesday. An offi-
cial briefed on the probe told Reuters in Washington last week that the FBI believes North Korea was responsible for the heist of US$81 million
from the Bangladesh central bank’s account at the New York Federal Reserve last year.
CORPORATE ACTION
Cemex unit, Chinese firm ink plant deal
Doris Dumlao-Abadilla
PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER/MANILA
A unit of cement-maker Ce-
mex Holdings Philippines Inc
has signed an agreement with
Sinoma Energy Conservation
Ltd. of China to build and oper-
ate a 4.5-megawatt (MW) waste-
heat-to-energy (WHTE) facility
in Naga, Cebu.
In a disclosure to the Philip-
pine Stock Exchange on Wednes-
day, Cemex announced that the
WHTE deal had been signed by
its subsidiary, APO Cement Corp.
“Promoting energy efficiency
is one of Cemex’s objectives in
advancing resource generation
best practices. We are delight-
ed to see the good results of our
partnership with Sinoma since
the successful construction of
the first WHTE project in one of
our plants,” said Cemex Philip-
pines president Pedro Palomino.
The power facility will be able
to capture excess heat from the
MONEY LAUNDERING
1MDB has cleared 3b ringgit in debts: Malaysian PM
Reuters
KUALA LUMPUR
State fund 1Malaysia Develop-
ment Berhad (1MDB) has cleared
over 3 billion ringgit (US$678.96
million) in debt over the past two
years, Prime Minister Najib Razak
said on Wednesday, amid ongoing
money-laundering probes linked
to 1MDB in at least six countries.
The sovereign wealth fund,
founded by Najib, is at the cen-
tre of civil lawsuits filed by
the US Department of Justice
that allege more than US$3.5
billion was misappropriated
from 1MDB. The fund is also be-
AUTOMOTIVE
UMW Toyota to replace inflator modules for 42,000 units
The Star
KUALALUMPUR
UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd
(UMWT) is seeking to replace the
inflator modules of the front pas-
senger side airbag to certain num-
ber of Toyota vehicles sold in Ma-
laysia
UMWT, which is the distribu-
tor of Toyota vehicles in Malay-
sia, said the special service cam-
paign (SSC), would be for 42,000
units — Toyota Corolla Altis, Vios,
Yaris and Alphard. The vehicles
were manufactured from May
2010 to Dec 2012 and distributed
by UMWT.
“This SSC is an expansion of
cement plant’s kiln and convert
it into usable energy. This is ex-
pected to generate 25,000 mega-
watt-hours annually.
“We are pleased to be work-
ing with Cemex once again and
we are positive that the upcom-
ing project will contribute signif-
icantly to Cemex’s operations,”
said Zhang Qi, Sinoma-EC chair.
APO Cement operates as a
building material supplier and
cement producer. It has a plant
in Cebu, founded in 1921, which
produces Pozzolan and Portland
cement under the APO Cement
brand.
Cemex said it would continu-
ously seek to improve its perfor-
mance as an “efficient, agile and
innovative” company by identi-
fying, sharing and implementing
best practices across its global
network of plants and facilities.
A unit of cement-maker Ce-
mex Holdings Philippines Inc
signed an agreement with Sino-
ma Energy Conservation Ltd
ing investigated in Switzerland
and Singapore.
Najib's premiership was
rocked by a series of reports by
the Wall Street Journal since
mid-2015 tracing how over $1 bil-
lion of 1MDB funds were trans-
ferred into his personal bank ac-
counts.
Najib, who had chaired 1MDB's
advisory board until it was dis-
solved in May last year, has de-
nied all allegations of corruption,
saying that he has never received
any funds from a state agency or
fund for his own benefit.
The government has said that
most of the funds transferred to
earlier campaigns by Toyota Mo-
tor Corporation (TMC) relating
to certain vehicles equipped with
airbag inflator modules. The de-
fect is due to propellant degrada-
tion occurring after prolonged
exposure to high absolute humid-
ity, high temperatures and high
temperature cycling,” it wrote in
a statement.
Inflator modules which con-
tain a non-desiccated, phase sta-
bilized ammonium nitrate pro-
pellant, it further explained,
might cause the rupture of the
module. “Should such a situation
occur, metal fragments will pass
through the airbag as it inflates
and into the vehicle interior at
“We are pleased to
be working with
Cemex once again
and we are positive
that the upcoming
project will contribute
significantly to
Cemex’s operations.”
of China to build and operate a
4.5-megawatt (MW) waste-heat-
to-energy (WHTE) facility in
Naga, Cebu.
In a disclosure to the Phil-
ippine Stock Exchange on
Wednesday, Cemex announced
that the WHTE deal had been
signed by its subsidiary APO
Cement Corp.
The power facility will have
the capacity to capture excess
heat from the cement plant’s kiln
and convert it into usable energy.
the prime minister's bank ac-
count had been gifted by a mem-
ber of the Saudi royal family, and
had subsequently been returned.
Encouraged by the inability of
the country's fractured opposi-
tion to capitalize more strongly,
Najib is expected to call an early
general election this year as he
seeks to put the scandal to rest.
In a written reply to parlia-
ment dated March 29, Najib said
1MDB has settled its borrowings
in full with four lenders between
2015 and 2016. These included
credit and loan facilities from Af-
fin Bank, Marstan Investments
NV, EXIM Bank and the Malay-
high speed. As a result, serious in-
jury or death could occur,” it said.
UMWT said TMC was working
on obtaining the necessary parts
for the SSC.
Once the parts are available,
UMWT will notify owners to re-
quest them to bring their cars
to an authorized Toyota service
center to make the necessary re-
placements which should take
about one to three hours.
All costs involved for the re-
placement will be borne by
UMWT, which said it was very
concerned about the safety of
Toyota owners whose vehicles
are involved in the airbag replace-
ment SSC.
Reuters/Karen Lema
This technology is expected to
generate 25,000 MW hours an-
nually.
Cemex is one of the leading
cement producers in the Philip-
pines based on installed annual
capacity. It produces and mar-
kets cement and cement prod-
ucts, such as ready-mix concrete
and clinker, in the Philippines
through direct sales using its ex-
tensive marine and land distri-
bution network.
The company’s cement manu-
facturing subsidiaries have been
operating in the Philippines for
over 17 years with well-estab-
lished brands that have a multi-
decade history in the country.
Cemex is an indirect subsid-
iary of Cemex SAB de C.V, one
of the largest cement companies
in the world based on annual in-
stalled cement production ca-
pacity. The shares of CEMEX,
S.A.B. de C.V. are listed on the
Mexican Stock Exchange and the
New York Stock Exchange.
sian government.
"Currently, 1MDB does not
have any bank loans or short
term debts," he said.
Najib said 1MDB raised 10.97
billion ringgit in cash over the
same period through the sale of
Edra Global Energy Bhd, the sale
of an equity stake in Bandar Ma-
laysia Sdn Bhd and the sale of a
plot of land in the Tun Razak Ex-
change in the capital city of Kua-
la Lumpur.
"As the 1MDB Rationaliza-
tion Plan is underway, no new
assets be it domestic or overseas
were acquired between 2015 and
2016," the prime minister said.
It had stepped up its efforts to
contact the vehicle owners. How-
ever, it was aware that some of
them were not the first owners
and might not be contactable.
Reuters reported Toyota Mo-
tor Corp on Thursday said it was
recalling a total of about 2.9 mil-
lion vehicles in Japan, China,
Oceania and other regions in-
cluding its Corolla Axio sedan and
RAV4 SUV crossover due to po-
tentially faulty airbag inflators.
Fuji Heavy Industries, the
maker of Subaru cars, Mitsubi-
shi Motors Corp and truck maker
Hino Motors also recalled a total
of about 240,000 vehicles in the
domestic market over inflators
SGX looks to
mull tie-ups
as deals grow
harder
Annie Massa, Matthew
Leising, Andrea Tan and
Matthew Monks
BLOOMBERG/NEW YORK/SINGAPORE
Even as regulators crack down
on yet another round of consoli-
dation among exchange opera-
tors, at least one major bourse is
still keen to pursue deals.
Singapore Exchange Ltd.,
which runs Southeast Asia’s larg-
est stock and derivatives mar-
ket, has in recent months held
exploratory talks about possible
tie-ups with overseas exchange
operators, people familiar with
the matter said.
Discussions with parties in-
cluding Nasdaq Inc. and CME
Group Inc. have ranged from
potential collaborations to the
sale of a stake in the company
or even a full merger, the people
said, asking not to be identified
as the details aren’t public.
SGX, with a market value of
about US$6 billion, has been
weighing its options as rivals at-
tempt to consolidate across the
industry. An outright sale would
be complicated as cross-border
deals between exchange oper-
ators attract intense scrutiny
from regulators, the people said.
European Union regulators
on Wednesday blocked Deutsche
Boerse AG’s $14 billion take-
over of London Stock Exchange
Group Plc, adding to a long his-
tory of failed merger attempts
between bourses.
SGX has not hired any advis-
ers and no formal decisions have
been made about how to pro-
ceed, the people said. It’s unclear
if any talks are currently active.
Representatives for CME, Nas-
daq and SGX declined to com-
ment. Shares of SGX closed down
0.13 percent on Thursday.
Nasdaq, an exchange operator
valued at $11.4 billion, runs trad-
ing venues in the US, Europe and
Canada. It is the third-largest
stock exchange operator by vol-
ume in the $26 trillion US stock
market.
Although regulators closely
Digital reinvention
Arthid Nanthawithaya, Siam Commercial Bank PCL chief executive
officer, holds a smartphone during an interview in Bangkok, Thailand,
on March 14. Siam Commercial Bank, Thailand’s oldest homegrown
lender, plans to reinvent its mobile digital payment platform as a life-
style app to help fend off competition from upstart financial technol-
ogy providers.
made by Takata Corp. which can
explode after prolonged exposure
to hot conditions.
At least 16 deaths have been
linked to exploding Takata infla-
tors, mainly in the United States,
prompting the auto industry's
biggest-ever global recall.
Global transport authorities
consider Takata inflators contain-
ing the chemical compound am-
monium nitrate to be unsafe if used
without a drying agent, and have
ordered all of the about 100 million
on the market to be withdrawn.
The Japanese automakers said
that the latest recalls were part of
a wider recall of Takata inflators
ordered by global transport au-
Singapore bourse already
has existing relationship
with New York-based
Nasdaq
Partnering with or
acquiring stake in SGX
will give investor stronger
footing in Asia
scrutinize cross-border mergers
of exchanges, Nasdaq was able
to buy Nordic exchange operator
OMX in 2007.
Adena Friedman, Nasdaq
chief executive officer, said on a
panel discussion at an industry
conference earlier this month
that although cross-border ex-
change mergers come with ad-
ditional scrutiny, they can ulti-
mately benefit markets.
“When they do work, I think
they can work really well,” Fried-
man said.
Partnering with or acquiring
a stake in SGX would give a US
or European exchange a stron-
ger footing in Asia as the fight for
global capital escalates. The com-
pany, based in Singapore with of-
fices in mainland China, Hong
Kong, India, London and Japan,
reported net income of S$349
million in 2016, little changed
from a year earlier, on total rev-
enue of S$818 million.
The average daily value of
shares traded on SGX this year
was about $847 million, up 11
percent from $763 million in
2016, according to data compiled
by Bloomberg. Still, that’s down
from $1.12 billion a day in 2013.
The Singapore bourse already
has an existing relationship with
New York-based Nasdaq. The
US company sells technology to
market operators in 50 coun-
tries, and SGX is one of its cus-
tomers, according to regulatory
filings.
In 2011, SGX’s $6.4 billion bid
for Sydney-based ASX Ltd was
scuttled by Australia’s govern-
ment. The deal would have cre-
ated the world’s fifth-largest
bourse operator at that time.
Bloomberg/Brent Lewin
thorities last year.
Toyota said that recalls were
issued for about 1.16 million ve-
hicles sold in Oceania, the Middle
East and the automaker's smaller
markets, nearly one-third of total,
while about 750,000 vehicles had
been recalled in Japan.
Vehicles sold in North Ameri-
ca, Toyota's biggest market, were
exempt from the latest recall, it
added.
Takata is currently seeking a
financial sponsor to help pay for
the costs related to the recalls.
Last month, it pleaded guilty to
a US felony charge as part of a $1
billion settlement over its faulty
inflators.
FRIDAY March 31, 2017
Expensive toy
Models pose with Hyundai Motor’s Grandeur Hybrid vehicle during a media preview of the 2017 Seoul Motor Show in Goyang, South Korea, on
Thursday. The exhibition will be held from March 31 to April 9 with 27 brands showing their latest cars and concepts.
TRADE
EU urges
independent
controls over
Brazil meat
Anthony Boadle
REUTERS/BRASILIA
Brazil needs independent
controls over its meat industry,
a top EU health official said on
Wednesday, as he wrapped up a
visit to the country rocked by an
anticorruption investigation cen-
tering on bribery of its food-sani-
tation inspectors.
Brazil's Federal Police say in
court documents the bribes were
paid to cover up serious health
violations by some companies in
the meat industry, including the
sale of rotten and salmonella-
contaminated products.
The police probe, dubbed "Op-
eration Weak Flesh," has caused
some of Brazil's biggest export
markets to ban its meats. The Eu-
ropean Union is among the mar-
kets that have curbed imports
from Brazil, which is the world's
largest beef and poultry exporter.
European Union Commis-
sioner for Health and Food Safe-
ty Vytenis Andriukaitis signaled
resistance to easing the restric-
tions anytime soon. "This scandal
shows how important it is to re-
store the trust, reliability and pre-
dictability of control systems," he
told a news conference.
"We need to have an indepen-
dent official control system. We
need to have transparency," he
said. Brazil's federal food inspec-
tors report to the agriculture
ministry and the system has come
under fire for having politically
appointed supervisors.
Andriukaitis told reporters
the EU, which suspended im-
ports from the 21 meat processing
plants that are under investiga-
tion last week, could take addi-
tional measures next Tuesday.
He declined to be more specific,
but said the bloc will be dispatch-
ing a team of auditors to Brazil to
visit several meatpacking plants.
The team will report back to EU
officials in Brussels after Easter, he
added.
Police have accused more than
100 people, mostly inspectors, of
taking bribes in exchange for al-
lowing the sale of rancid meat
products, falsifying export docu-
ments or failing to inspect meat-
packing plants at all.
Prosecutors have yet to pres-
ent charges and the police allega-
tions have not been proven.
Government officials have
sought to downplay the impact of
the probe. But an industry group
said on Tuesday that beef ex-
ports alone fell over 40 percent
in terms of both volume and reve-
nue in March 20-26 from the pri-
or week, as a number of countries
imposed temporary bans.
The long-running investiga-
tion into irregularities in Bra-
zil's meat industry, one of the
few robust sectors in an econo-
my locked in its worst recession
on record, was made public on
March 17.
Hong Kong on Tuesday re-
moved one of the last blanket bans
on Brazilian meat imports after
it said it was satisfied by expla-
nations from Brazilian officials.
That followed China's removal of
its restrictions last weekend.
Together, the two Asian na-
tions bought about one-third of
Brazil's US$14 billion in meat ex-
ports last year.
The EU, which suspended im-
ports from the 21 meat processing
plants that are under investigation
last week, ranks as the No. 2 im-
porter of Brazilian meats, just be-
hind Hong Kong and before China.
Samsung seeks to win
back buyers with S8
Mark Gurman and Sam Kim
BLOOMBERG/SAN FRANCISCO/
SEOUL
Samsung Electronics Co.
knows it needs to get its new flag-
ship smartphone right.
Apart from making sure the
gadget won't cause bodily harm,
the company packed it with a
plethora of new features: taller,
curved screens, encrypted facial
recognition, deeper display col-
ors, system-wide voice control
and the ability to turn into a desk-
top computer.
The Galaxy S8 comes in two
sizes, a 5.8-inch display model
and a Plus version with a 6.2-inch
screen. Both are larger than the
iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, the
lineup's main competition until
Apple Inc rolls out its 10th-anni-
versary iPhone later this year.
The S8 represents Samsung's
biggest prospect for a turnaround
after the Note 7 debacle last year.
The bigger-sized smartphone de-
buted to positive reviews, only
to be killed off after some units
showed a tendency to catch fire
and explode, forcing the South
Korean manufacturer to yank the
product off shelves.
The crisis cost the company
more than US$6 billion and its
global lead in smartphone sales.
Samsung accounted for 17.8 per-
cent of global smartphone sales
in the last three months of 2016,
slightly less than Apple, accord-
ing to Gartner.
"We must not only win back
customers' trust, but also the high
expectations that they have al-
ways held for Samsung," said Lee
Young-hee, executive vice presi-
dent of Samsung's mobile busi-
ness. "We have put our utmost
effort to provide customers with
MERGER & ACQUISITION
China said to push talks to
create $241 billion power giant
Bloomberg News
BLOOMBERG/HONG KONG/BEIJING
China’s state-owned enter-
prise regulator has asked coal
mining giant Shenhua Group
Corp. and power generator China
Datang Corp. to discuss a possible
merger, according to people with
knowledge of the situation.
The talks are at an early stage
and there’s no guarantee of a deal,
said the people, who asked not to
be identified as the information
isn’t public. Datang International
Power Generation Co., Datang’s
Hong Kong-listed unit, said
Thursday that the parent com-
pany hasn’t received any related
news and that it has no informa-
tion to disclose. Its shares closed
8 percent higher, the biggest gain
in two years, at HK$2.29.
A merger would combine Chi-
na’s biggest coal producer with
one of its largest power genera-
tors to create a utility giant with
about 1.66 trillion yuan (US$241
billion) of assets. China Shen-
hua Energy Co., Shenhua’s Hong
Kong-listed company, lost 1.7 per-
cent to HK$18.2. The city’s bench-
mark Hang Seng Index dropped
0.4 percent.
“It’s definitely good news for
Datang, as it’s one of China’s big
power generators, while Shen-
hua is one of the world’s best coal
companies in terms of both pro-
near-perfect devices to earn back
their trust."
Also casting a shadow over the
S8's debut is the trial of Jay Y. Lee,
the Samsung group's heir apparent
and de facto chief, who was arrest-
ed on bribery and embezzlement
charges stemming from a national
influence-peddling scandal. He has
denied any wrongdoing.
Still, even with the Note 7 im-
broglio and legal troubles, Sam-
sung shares have been trading
near record highs, thanks to a
robust semiconductor business.
The stock rose as much as 1.6 per-
cent in Seoul trading after the
phone was unveiled.
Unveiling the S8 Wednesday at
New York's Lincoln Center, Sam-
sung's president of mobile com-
munications, DJ Koh, highlighted
innovation and how the company
had learned from its mistakes.
Executives describing the
phone focused mostly on its aes-
thetics, and went through the
specs fairly quickly, a strategy
probably meant to avoid ``discuss-
ing things like the battery, which
could remind people of their
troubles,'' said Simon Blanchard,
assistant professor of marketing
at Georgetown University’s Mc-
Donough School of Business.
The S8's design features and
new and improved cameras should
be enough to entice consumers to
go see it in a store and then poten-
tially make a purchase, Blanchard
said. ``They might have in the back
of their mind that Samsung phones
had issues, but they might say, `This
is a phone that looks pretty,' so
they'll go see it,'' he said.
KB Securities Co. expects Sam-
sung to ship about 46 million S8
handsets and the mobile business
to post a 67 percent rise in operat-
ing profit to 3.5 trillion won ($3.1
duction and cost control,” said
Laban Yu, head of Asia oil and gas
equities at Jefferies Group LLC in
Hong Kong. “If the merger hap-
pens, Datang will basically take
out coal price risks from opera-
tions, which would be a huge ad-
vantage.”
The State-owned Assets Su-
pervision and Administration
Commission encouraged the dis-
cussions as the two businesses
complement each other and a
merger would be in line with Chi-
na’s supply-side reform policies,
the people said. Sasac didn’t re-
spond to a fax seeking comment.
A spokesman for Shenhua didn’t
respond to requests for comment.
A merger would build on Presi-
dent Xi Jinping’s efforts to cut the
nation’s industrial overcapacity,
accelerate the drive to overhaul
its bloated state-owned sector
and reduce its reliance on coal.
China will speed up mergers and
acquisitions of state-owned firms
in coal, power, machinery and
steel this year, Sasac vice-chair-
man Zhang Xiwu said in Beijing
earlier this month.
“If successful, this may be a
good model for China’s coal and
power industry reforms as a com-
pany with strong coal and coal-
fired power assets could main-
tain reasonable profits in almost
all circumstances,” said Lin Boq-
iang, an adviser to the country’s
AP/Lee Jin-man
Samsung shares rose 1.6
percent in Seoul trading
after phone unveiled
Forty-six million handsets
expected to be shipped,
leading to $3.1b in profit
billion) in the second quarter on
the back of the new devices.
Samsung's corporate logo is
now gone from the front of the
device, making room for a tall-
er, 18.5:9 ratio screen, which the
company is calling the Infinity
Display. The home button, with
vibrating feedback, is integrated
into the bottom of the screen. On
the software side, users can now
clip specific apps to the top of the
screen so that, for instance, they
can compose emails while read-
ing a web page.
The S8 will also feature a digi-
tal assistant that studies its own-
er's activities to offer helpful tips
and information, seeking to chal-
lenge Apple's Siri and Amazon.
com Inc.'s Alexa. Called Bixby,
Samsung's service can be activat-
ed via the phone's side button. It
is the first Samsung phone to en-
crypt facial data. Combined with
iris and fingerprint scanning, that
can be used to offer more security
for mobile banking and other sen-
sitive applications.
Another new trick: the new
Samsung phones can essential-
ly become a desktop computer
via a separately sold docking sta-
tion called the DeX. The phone
will add upgraded front and rear
cameras, and continue to include
wireless charging. Unsurprising-
ly, Samsung is touting the safety
of the S8's battery, given that the
cause of the Note 7 fires was due
to faulty battery design.
National Energy Administration
and director of Xiamen Universi-
ty’s China Center for Energy Eco-
nomics Research.
Shenhua’s assets totaled
931.4 billion yuan in 2015, with
Datang’s totaling 729.5 billion
yuan, according to their websites.
Last year, Shenhua submitted a
proposal to Sasac about merging
with state-owned China General
Nuclear Power Corp., Bloomberg
reported in July. Both companies
said they weren’t in merger talks.
Other than coal, Beijing-based
Shenhua owns power plants and
railways. Datang, also based in
Beijing, generates electricity in
31 provinces and municipalities
in China, as well as in Myanmar,
Cambodia and Laos.
Listed unit China Shenhua En-
ergy this month posted its first
profit growth in four years and is-
sued a special dividend that sent
share prices up by more than 20
percent. Datang International
Power Generation swung to a 2.75
billion yuan loss for 2016 on high-
er coal costs.
Shenhua Group’s power-gen-
eration capacity totaled 78.5 giga-
watts (GW) in 2015, while China
Datang had 127.2 GW, according
to their websites. A combined
company would top power be-
hemoth China Huaneng Group’s
160.6 GW. The country had 1.5
TW of power capacity in 2015.
INTERNATIONAL | 17
BUSINESS BRIEF
India moves closer to launch tax reforms
NEW DELHI: India moved another step closer to the launch of a nation-
wide sales tax regime when the lower house of parliament approved
supporting legislation on Wednesday night.
The development will boost confidence that the wide-ranging tax
reform — which was proposed a decade ago and since then refined
to win bipartisan support under Prime Minister Narendra Modi — will
meet the government’s latest target of July 1.
The four bills supporting India’s most significant economic reform
since the 1990s will now go to the upper house where they are not
expected to face any obstacles as the chamber cannot reject or amend
provisions. Besides the parliamentary endorsement of this legisla-
tion, another bill must be approved by each of India’s state assemblies
before the unified tax regime is implemented.
The goods and services tax (GST), will replace more than a dozen
levies that were dividing the world’s fastest-growing big economy,
drawing India for the first time into a common market with more than
1 billion consumers. — Bloomberg
Argentina approves medicinal cannabis
BUENOS AIRES: Argentina gave final legislative approval on Wednes-
day to a bill legalizing cannabis oil for medicinal use and permitting
the federal government to grow marijuana for research and therapeu-
tic purposes.
The measure will become law once it is signed by President Mauri-
cio Macri, whose Cambiemos party sponsored the bill. “Thirty percent
of epileptics do not respond to traditional medicine,” medical doctor
Ana María García Nicora, who heads the Medical Cannabis Argentina
group, told local television after the Senate’s final vote on the measure.
“My daughter has had epilepsy for 24 years and this is an option for
her,” she said.
Chile and Colombia have adopted similar laws and neighboring
Uruguay has gone as far as to legalize smoking marijuana, seeking to
wrest the business from criminals in the small South American nation.
A bill approving the use of cannabis oil is pending in Peru’s Con-
gress. In January, healthcare regulators in Brazil issued the country’s
first license for sale of an oral spray derived from marijuana used to
treat multiple sclerosis. — Reuters
Euro weakens on ECB comments
NEW YORK: The euro fell the most in five weeks on a report that
European Central Bank (ECB) officials are wary of changing their dov-
ish message and after the UK set in motion the first withdrawal of a
country from the European Union.
The shared currency fell against all but one of its major peers after
the Brexit process was triggered. It extended losses after a Reuters
report that ECB officials said they are cautious about changing their
monetary-policy message before June.
The Bloomberg Euro Index was down about 0.5 percent, the biggest
drop since Feb. 21. EUR/USD was down 0.5 percent near 1.0765 after
falling as low as 1.0740 and filling bids between 1.0740/50 following
the ECB report. — Bloomberg
SHAREHOLDERS MEETING
Toshiba investors approve
chip sale to cover costs
Pavel Alpeyev and memory business, a sale of which
Takako Taniguchi should be enough to restore
BLOOMBERG/TOKYO shareholder equity to positive
by the end of the next fiscal year.
Toshiba Corp. shareholders Bids are due Thursday and about
approved the sale of its memory 10 companies are said to have ex-
chips division to cover costs re- pressed interest.
sulting from the Westinghouse The semiconductor business
bankruptcy, but not before railing is Toshiba’s crown jewel and
at management and lamenting makes the memory chips that go
the downfall of a Japanese icon. into computers, smartphones
Incensed investors took turns and data centers. It accounted
to hurl abuse at executives dur- for about 25 percent of Toshiba’s
ing a Thursday meeting convened ¥5.67 trillion in revenue during
to take a vote on the intended dis- the latest fiscal year.
posal of its prized semiconduc- Shares of Toshiba have
tor business. Toshiba is looking to slumped about 20 percent this
sell a majority stake in the unit to year after advancing 13 percent
mend a balance sheet ravaged by in 2016. The stock traded about
billions of dollars in writedowns 4 percent higher in Tokyo on
related to cost overruns at nucle- Thursday.
ar subsidiary Westinghouse Elec- “The sale of memory business
tric. is even more important now that
Westinghouse, which Toshi- Westinghouse Chapter 11 applica-
ba bought for US$5.4 billion in tion is likely to result in excessive
2006, filed for Chapter 11 protec- debt expanding considerably,”
tion on Wednesday. The Japanese Yukihiko Shimada, a Tokyo-based
company said it may now book analyst at SMBC Nikko Securities
a loss of as much as ¥1.01 trillion Inc., wrote in a report.
(US$9.1 billion) in the year end- Toshiba Chief Executive Of-
ing March, a record for a Japa-
nese manufacturer according to
Bloomberg data.
“Toshiba is now a laughing-
ficer Satoshi Tsunakawa opened
Thursday’s proceedings by apol-
ogizing to shareholders and reas-
suring them the company is doing
stock to the whole world,” one
shareholder said during a ques-
tion-and-answer section, raising
everything in its power to avoid a
de-listing after missing earnings
reporting deadlines. But inves-
his voice. “I think all of you are in- tors remained displeased.
competent as managers. Do you “It doesn’t seem like the man-
even know what’s happening?” agement is taking this seriously
Another shareholder addressed enough,” another shareholder
the executives as “trash.” said during the question-and-an-
Shareholders green-lit the en- swer session, drawing applause.
visioned chip-division sale any- “Whatever happened, happened.
way. The company has said it’s re- I want to know what happens
ceived some offers for its NAND next.”
Busy day
Reuters/Amir Cohen
A woman enters the offices of Freightos, an online marketplace for
international shipping, with investors including Sadara Ventures, a
venture capital fund targeting the Palestinian high-tech sector, in Je-
rusalem on Monday.
18 | FRIDAY March 31, 2017
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BIRTH NOTICE
Pradana-Landy: Daughter, Maryam Imani
Landy Pradana, born in Jakarta, INA,
on Monday 12-Dec-2016 at 6 am to Aryando
Pradana & Sakinah Landy. 2nd grandchild
for Opa Icksan & Nena Aziza, 4th grandchild
for Grandpa Luqman & Eyangti Lis
(deceased). Niece to Oom Angga, Tante Nesi,
Aunty Anna, Uncle Bill & Tante Anti,
Oom Dara & Tante Rahma, Uncle Adam.
Younger sister to Maleeka, cousin to Kim &
Arkaan. Proud Pradana & Landy families.
Placed by Maryam’s forgetful but always
loving Aunty Anna Landy. I was present at
your birth, kid.
CARS
FOR RENT
NIRMALA RC 7423063/ 7409467/ 74715030/
0855 1021922 Avaiable: Inova, APV, Kijang,
Avanza etc R.Stock. Long/Short Term.Best Price
FOR SALE
MERCEDES BENZ E-Class E 280 7G Tronic,
2008, Automatic, km 77.000, cylinder 2.800,
Black metallic, RP 310 million, original owner,
tax in order, service record, full body kit, good
interior, good condition, Nego. Call : Lanny
021 - 70105551
BMW 5 523i, 2010, Automatic, km 57.000,
cylinder 2.500, Silver metallic, Rp 375 mil-
lion, original owner, tax in order, service
record, leather seat, electric seat, sun
oof, good condition, Nego. Call : Lanny
021 - 70105551
BMW X5 3.0 A/T, 2007, Automatic, km
75.000, cylinder 3.000, white pearl, Rp 450
million, original owner, tax in order,
service record, leather seat, electric seat, sun
roof, good condition, Nego. Call : Lanny
021 - 70105551
FORD EVEREST XL 4x2 Limited Edition,
2013, Automatic, km 23.000, cylinder 2.500,
white pearl, Rp 320 million, original owner,
tax in order, service record, leather seat, 3 TV,
good condition, Nego. Call : Lanny 021 -
70105551
HEALTH
TB is still a threat, and we need to take notice
T
here are some things I be-
lieve governments should
indisputably do. Most
fundamental is protecting peo-
ple, which includes safeguarding
communities against infectious
diseases.
National governments do in-
deed often prioritise protecting
people – but they turn to weapons
to do so. There was a great line
this week from veteran New York
Times reporter Donald McNeil
lamenting the cuts to global pub-
lic health in the US government’s
budget under Donald Trump.
He pointed out that no Ameri-
can has ever died from intercon-
tinental missile strikes, yet in the
last 50 years, hundreds of billions
of dollars have been spent pro-
tecting the country against such
a threat. Meanwhile, two million
Americans died from “interconti-
nental virus strikes” in this period.
That number didn’t include bac-
BURSA OTOMOTIF SUNTER: Lamborghini
Gallardo LP550-2 ‘13, automatic, 5,200cc,
green, Rp 4,750 billion, good condition, nego.
Call: Addie 087889864349
BOS: Rolls-royce Ghost Ghost ‘13, automat-
ic, 6.600cc, white pearl, Rp 7 billion, 1.000
KM, 3 TV + 6 camera, airsuspension,
panoramic sunroof, vacum door, power back
door, good condition, nego. Call: Addie
087889864349
CHRISTIAN AUTO: Mazda CX – 7 GT ‘10,
automatic, 2.300cc, black, Rp 300 millioon,
good condition, nego.Call: Ririn 0817383891
CHRISTIAN AUTO: Land Rover Range Rover
Evoque Dynamic Luxury ‘12, automatic,
2.000cc, black, Rp 880 millioon, 25.000km,
Interior Verve, good condition, nego.Call:
Ririn 0817383891
GAMBIR ANOM MOBIL : Chevrolet Captiva
VCDi Diesel, 2011, Automatic, cylinder 2.000,
Silver metallic, Rp 215 million, original
owner, tax in order, service record, good con-
dition, nego. Call : Amay 0816 136 8662
GAMBIR ANOM MOBIL : Toyota Camry G,
2005, Automatic, cylinder 2.400, Black metal-
lic, Rp 124 million, original owner, leather
seat, tax in order, electric seat, good condi-
tion, nego. Call : Amay 0816 136 8662
GAMBIR ANOM MOBIL : Mercedes Benz E-
Class E 260 Elegance, 2004, Automatic, cylin-
der 2.600, Black metallic, Rp 220
million, original owner, tax in order, service
record, good condition, nego. Call : Amay
0816 136 8662
IHSAN MOTOR : Honda CRV All New 2.4,
2007, Automatic, 2.400 cc, Black, Rp 185
million, Nego. Please Call: 0813 2144 8048 /
0812 3459 4905
IHSAN MOTOR : Honda City VTEC, 2004,
Manual, 1.500 cc, Black, Rp 135 million,
Nego. Please Call: 0813 2144 8048 / 0812
3459 4905
IMPORTZ AUTO: Toyota Alphard 2.4 G Pre-
mium Sound ‘11, automatic, 2,400cc, pearl
white, Rp 625 million, 29,000km, good con-
dition, nego. Call: Andre 08170607168,
081288835238
IMPORTZ AUTO: Hummer H3 Full Optional
‘09, automatic, 3,700cc, black metallic, Rp
1,050 billion, good condition, nego. Call:
Andre 08170607168, 081288835238 Fiona
087880280711
IMPORTZ AUTO: Porsche Boxter 2.9 Cabrio-
let ‘13, automatic, 2,900cc, pearl white, Rp
1,425 billion, 1,000km, good condition, nego.
Call: Andre 08170607168, 081288835238
Fiona 087880280711
IMPORTZ AUTO: Toyota Land Cruiser Prado
TXL Audioless ‘14, automatic, 2,700cc, pearl
white, Rp 985 million, good condition, nego.
Call: Andre 08170607168, 081288835238
JJ MOBIL : Toyota Camry New 2.4 V, 2011,
Automatic, cylinder 2.400, Black Metallic, Rp
285 million, original owner, tax in order, ser-
vice record, leather seats, electric seat, good
condition. Call: Lily 0816 999 412
JJ MOBIL : Honda City All New City E, 2010,
Automatic, cylinder 1.500, silver metallic,
Rp 169 million, original owner, tax in order,
service record, good condition. Call: Lily
0816 999 412
JJ MOBIL : Honda Freed SD, 2012, Automat-
ic, cylinder 1.500, silver metallic, Rp 179 mil-
lion, original owner, tax in order,
service record, good condition. Call: Lily
0816 999 412
JJ MOBIL : Mercedes Benz C-Class C 200
CGI, 2011, Automatic, km 22.000, cylinder
1.800, Black Metallic, Rp 389 million, original
owner, tax in order, service record, leather
seat, Antique, full electric seat, good condi-
tion. Call: Lily 0816 999 412
terial diseases, most notably tuber-
culosis, or TB, which has probably
been the biggest intercontinental
infectious disease threat in history,
killing humans since antiquity. TB
shows up in the bones of Egyptian
mummies. South Africa’s Nelson
Mandela had it, so did writers Em-
ily Bronte (1818-1848), Franz Kaf-
ka (1883-1924), and George Orwell
(1903-1950).
March 24 was World Tubercu-
losis Day. Globally, this disease is
still striking millions – some 10
million people fell ill with TB in
2015, says the World Health Or-
ganisation.
In Malaysia, TB used to be the
leading killer half a century or
more ago. We tend to think those
days are long gone, but TB is still
a threat here. Put it this way: in
2012 there were more cases of and
deaths from TB than from dengue.
Despite the availability of
treatment, TB has been on the
MANDIRI MOBILINDO: Toyota Camry 2.4 G
Facelift ‘07, automatic, 2,400cc, black metal-
lic, Rp 160 million, good condition, nego.
Call: Yohanes 02170858580, 081932922444
MANDIRI MOBILINDO: Honda Civic 1.8 ‘12,
automatic, 1,800cc, black metallic,
Rp 273 million, 30,000km, good condition,
nego. Call: Yohanes 02170858580,
081932922444
MANDIRI MOBILINDO: Honda Freed PSD
‘11, automatic, 1,500cc, pearl white, Rp 179
million, good condition, nego. Call: Yohanes
02170858580, 081932922444
MANDIRI MOBILINDO: Grand Nissan Livina
1.5 Ultimate A/T ‘12, automatic, 1,500cc,
pearl white, Rp 145 million, full ori, good con-
dition, nego. Call: Yohanes 02170858580,
081932922444
PASKAH MOBILINDO: Toyota Camry 2.5
V’12, automatic transmition, 2.500cc, black,
ori interrior, Rp 450 million, special,
Cash/Credit, good condition, nego.Call:
08118991838, 0818991838
PASKAH MOBILINDO: BMW 5 523i ’10, auto-
matic, 2,500cc, silver, Eseat + memory, CBU,
Lead head + stop lamp, original paint, sun-
roof, black interior, Rp 500 million,
39,219km, special, good condition, nego.
Call: 08118991838, 0818991838
PRESTIGE: Ferrari California T ‘10, automatic,
3.000cc, red, Rp 3,100 billion, 6.798km, Car-
bon Fibers Driving Zone, Cruise
Control, Armest in Leather, Dayton Style
Front & Bluetooth, Magnarid Suspension,
good condition, nego. Call: 085811113688.
E: support@prestigecars.co.id
PRESTIGE: Ferrari 458 Italia Coupe ‘11, auto-
matic, 4.499cc, red, Rp 6,80 billion,
3,719KM, full carbon, f1 track, ABS
and ASR, CST, Adaptive Suspension,
Rear parking camera, good condition,
nego. Call: 085811113688. E:
support@prestigecars.co.id
Q-TA : Mercedes Benz E-Class E 260, 2004,
Automatic, 2.600 cc, Black, Rp 240 million,
Nego. Call : 0812 2024 7223
Q-TA : BMW X5 3.0 A/T, 2003, Automatic,
3.000 cc, Black, Rp 200 million, good condi-
tion, Nego. Call : 0812 2024 7223
Q-TA : Suzuki Vitara JLX M/T, 2011, Manual,
1.600 cc, Black, Rp 180 million, Nego. Call :
0812 2024 7223
COURSES
Bahasa Indonesia class starts in May. Private
also available for Bahasa/Eng/ Mandarin.
Qualified teacher & excellent material
0851-00888246 www.sibschool.com
ABSE LANGUAGE COURSE&INDONESIAN
For Foreigner&Local at your place. For further
info: 081262876287, yestanto@gmail.com,
FOR RENT
Office Space with SOHO concept. 96 m2 –
138 m2. Ready to Use, Available for Sale and
Lease. Hub : 021 56985555
FUNERAL HOME
Rumah Duka ABADI Daan Mogot,
Jl. Daan Mogot Km 2 No. 353 Jakarta Barat,
11460. Call: 021 5671931 ; 568458, Fax:
021 5654872
rise here in the last two decades
or so, from 10,000 cases in 1990 to
a whopping 24,000 cases in 2014,
Health Ministry figures show.
What’s worse, we’re seeing more
and more cases of a much nastier
form of TB resistant to drugs.
Drug-resistant TB can take a
year or even two years to treat.
And treatment is costly. Plus, the
drugs themselves can make you ill,
even causing permanent hearing
loss. (There is a lack of new drugs;
most drugs in use were developed
before we had color TV here.) We
have even had cases of “extremely
drug-resistant” TB, which is pretty
much barely treatable.
I’ll tell you how. Because it’s
the poorest, weakest and most
alienated in society who get TB.
The disease is like a marker of
development.
You might hear, especially from
politicians, that foreigners are to
blame for “spreading” TB. Foreign-
Heaven Funeral Home @ Atmajaya,
Jl. Pluit Raya No. 2, Pluit, Jakarta Utara. Call:
021-6683338
Heaven Funeral Home @ Dharmais, Jl. Letjen
S. Parman Kav. 84-86 Slipi, Jakarta Barat.
Call: 021-5647778
Heaven Funeral Home & Crematorium @
Gedung Panjang, Jl. Gedong Panjang N0. 47,
Jakarta 14440. Call: 021. 66695151 (hunt-
ing), Fax: 021. 66695353
Rumah Duka Husada, Jl. Mangga
Besar Raya No. 137, Jakarta Barat. Call:
0216497750
Heaven Funeral Home @ Gatot Soebroto,
Jl. Abdul Rachman Saleh No. 24 Jakarta
Pusat. Call: 021-3458788
SENTRA MEDIKA Funeral Home. Crematory.
Colombarium Jl. Mayor Oking Jaya Atmaja
No. 9. Telephone (021) 87907001,
87567001, Fax (021) 87907307 Website:
www.rumahdukasentramedika.com
HOUSES
FOR RENT
BIG H’SE, 2Lt, 6BR, 6BtR, 55 SPool Jl. Seko-
lah no.7B Kemang. JakSel. 0811877945,
081382243323
NEW HOUSES FOR RENT In an exclusive
compound of 6 luxurious houses at Jl B2/29
RW Bambu, Ps. Minggu, South Jakarta.Only
5 minutes from the sprawling TB Simatupang
business district.Starting from USD 3000 per
month. Preferably expats. Contact Liliana
+628161946118
MOVING
Kellys Express is a one-stop relocation Spe-
cialist offering best rates for International /
Local / Office Relocation, Vehicle Export,
Long Term Warehouse Storage. Special rates
for all destinations for a trouble free door -
door move. 02183707866 l 089653540545 l
08111771944 sales@kellys-express.com
www.kellys-express.com
PET SHOP
Calico Petshop. Ampera Selatan – Jatiasih,
Bekasi. Cat Food. Dog Food. Accessories.
Promo of the day. (Dandy) Ph: 0813 1010
5055 PIN BB: 524775AF
F. J. PETSHOP. Ruko Pulo Gebang Permai
Blok D5 No. 14, Cakung – Jakarta Timur
13950. Call: 021 – 4601611. Visit us:
www.fjpetshop.com
Groovy - The Ultimate Partner for Pet Well-
ness Pet stores & grooming in Kemang,
Radio Dalam, BSD & Bintaro. Vetcare Clin-
ic. Pet Transport (international & domestic).
Boarding. Pet Taxi. www.groovy.co.id
Himme Hammie Petshop, Bukit Golf Medit-
erania, Rukan Eksklusif Blok G No. 62, Jakar-
ta Utara 14470. Contact: 08567808005 /
www.himepetshop.com
ers account for 12 percent of cases.
But wait a minute. What about the
remaining 88 percent of cases? The
bulk of the problem is local then.
Studies on prisons in Kajang,
Selangor, and Kelantan show an
alarmingly high number of undi-
agnosed active TB cases. The re-
searchers, from Universiti Malaya,
concluded that the recommended
strategies to prevent and treat TB
are not being carried out.
Also, there were an extraordi-
nary high number of latent TB cas-
es, including among prison work-
ers, who take the disease back to
their communities when they re-
turn home. A 2014 study found
that 89 percent of prisoners in Ka-
jang prison and 81 percent of pris-
on officers tested positive to tuber-
culin skin tests, which checks TB
exposure. That is shocking.
Some foreign workers actu-
ally contract the disease here in
detention centers. Suhakam (the
Kingdom Pet Shop and Pet care. Jl. Wijaya I
No. 73, Kebayoran Baru, Jakarta Selatan. Ph:
021 – 72798938, 91066500. Web:
www.kingdombreeder.com
For your pets, coming to Sakura 9 Petshop.
Some accessories and all about your pet
here. Grooming. Limited Boarding. Jl. Barito
II 27-C. Call: 021-7236933
SNOOPY PETS GREEN GARDEN. Jl. Panjang
Ruko Green Garden Blok A7 / 60, Kedoya
Utara, Jakarta Barat. Ph: 021 – 4561 6611 or
visit us at snoopy_pets@yahoo.com
SNOOPY PETS GREEN GARDEN. Jl. Panjang
Ruko Green Garden Blok A7 / 60, Kedoya
Utara, Jakarta Barat. Ph: 021 – 4561 6611 or
visit us at snoopy_pets@yahoo.com
SERVICES
ALDERA DRIVER Providing solutions is very
easy and full responsibility, Satisfaction and
comfort is our goal. DAILY – MONTHLY. Call:
021 – 4222 258
Bandung City Tour & Rent provide driver
service, daily or monthly to Bandung and its
surroundings. Call : 081 9100-920-90
www.bandung-citytour.com
CV IARA SURYA MANDIRI. Ready stock:
Baby Sitters, Nannies, housekeepers.
Call: 021-29440085, 081399164135,
081905096863. Jl. Sumurbor Raya No 101
Rt 006 Rw 012, Kel. Kalideres, Jakarta Barat
(samping Telkom).
CV. MARGA JAYA,specialist drilling deep
well,repair submersible pump,etc. hub: Halim
0811997525, cv.margajaya@yahoo.co.id
JADCO, DRIVER SERVICE PROVIDER, DAILY
– MONTHLY / Facebook / Twitter / Google +:
Jadco regal / In LinkedIn: Jadco agung agung
priyono. Call: 085217125321, 08881969237,
Email: Jadcoa@yahoo.com
JASA SUPIR PRIBADI “SMB”. Do you need a
professional driver, Expatriates? We can
speak English. Please Call: 087881016263 /
jasasupirpribadi.com
CV KARYA BUNDA MANDIRI. You call us, we
send you! Male and female sitters and
housekeepers to all places in Indonesia. Call:
021 - 5417671
We has reliable Baby Sitter! LPK MUTIARA 1.
Most from Java. Educated worker. Honest. Per-
severing. Call: Mrs. Darma 087878836227
/lpkmutiaradarma1.blogspot.com
LPK ERA PRIMA. The best educate and
deliver services nannies, nurses & nursing
elderly (Jabotabek & outside city). Call
08787-5958316
LPK MITRA KARYA, baby sitter and nanny
services. Jl. Raya Pendowo No.6 Limo,
Cinere, Depok, ready to help you contact now
Nita 0812 1823 9828
LPK MITRA UTAMA, our inter-sitter to your
home. Are you busy? Your child must be
maintained and cared for. Contact me, Ali
021-7888 4359 / 021-8075 4448 / 0857 1884
8857 or visit us lpkmitrautama.blogspot.com
Human Rights Commission of
Malaysia) has said the various
authorities involved often fail
to take responsibility to act. In a
story in The Star, Suhakam com-
missioner James Nayagam sug-
gested that TB treatment in de-
tention centers be undertaken
by non-governmental organisa-
tions, since immigrants find them
easier to deal with. He also said as
many as 2,000 children in deten-
tion centers were exposed to TB.
Often, the “solution” for in-
fected foreign workers is simply
to send them straight home. But
in doing that, we may condemn
them to death. And we miss the
opportunity to prevent the fur-
ther spread of TB by checking all
contacts and communities of that
case. And isn’t it our responsi-
bility to treat the people that we
bring here to work for us?
From a public health point of
view anyway, we need to treat each
LPK Nabila Family Care, labor agent Baby
sitter, Nanny, Housemaid. Distribution
JABODETABEK and outside Java
(all Indonesian). Info Call: 021 – 7070 9255 /
021 – 7056 5605
LPK TIARA CIPTA, Smart Care for Smart
Kids. Babysitter and governess, training
and service center. Call as now 021 7590
2862, 7075 1713, 9818 3357 or
amy_s321@yahoo.com / info@tiaracipt-
ababysitter.com
Private Driver! Marsudi Suwarna Adi.
Whether you are in a vacation, tour, or busi-
ness trip. I will be happy to be your
personal driver & guide. Please contact
me at +6285226126069 or send email to
suwarnaadi@gmail.com
PT. MOESTAR INDONESIA, Citra driver pro-
fessional service, driver needs to provide for
personal or company, the price we offer com-
petitive with management fee of 15%. Call:
0815 1467 1467 (24 hours)
PT PERKASA SATRIA NUSANTARA. We has
experienced drivers, control of the streets of
the capital and outside the city, a high work-
ing professional with friendly attitude, polite
and courteous.If you need us, please call:
Tedi Sofyan 021-89647947 / 085779641777
/ 081314641777
PT. SMS - SIM. Professional driver. Familiar
territory Jakarta and outside. Call: 021
87786477, EMAIL: sarana_sms@yahoo.com
or visit us at pt-sms.com
Best quality and quantity sitter. Don’t hesitate
to contact us,“Yayasan DWI ASIH”. Ph: (021)
- 9824 7515 or Jasman Tedjo Pamungkas
08129566433
TRANSLATIONS
ABSE TRANSLATION&INTERPRETING SER-
VICE Sworn, Non Sworn for 12 Lngs.Ph:021-
8352323,8281013 Email:bse@cbn.net.id
VACANCY
Well established language school in Bintaro
requires English language speaker teacher.
Please contact the Director of Studies at
021 7486 3636.
YOGYAKARTA
Free Transport ‘till your house to all cities in
Java and Bali when you buy antique
collections at Moesson Antique. Moesson
Museum Gallery for the real antique many
different items from Europe, Japan, and
China. Open everyday from 8am-9pm also
Sunday. Moesson Museum Gallery,
Jl. Prawirotaman 27 Yogyakarta Tel
0274-372090. www.moessongallery.com
Moesson Antik. You are not in Yogya before
visiting Moesson Antik ± 3000m² Showroo
m. Jl. Parangtritis the corner of South
Ringroad Yogyakarta. Tel 0274- 4399328.
Open everyday and Sunday 9 am-5pm.
www.moessongallery.com
Classified Ads
Contact us or send us your ad to
classifieds@thejakartapost.com /
noor.utami@thejakartapost.com,
Call Ms. Uthe at 021 – 5300 478 ext. 2060
for more information.
and every case. Any cough that
continues for weeks should be in-
vestigated. Any outbreak dealt
with. This isn’t rocket science.
We don’t just have an epidemic
of tuberculosis; we have an epi-
demic of complacency. And that,
perhaps, is the most deadly epi-
demic. Without aggressive action,
we may fail.
The stakes are high with this
disease. If we don’t act, we may
lose control amid rising drug re-
sistance. That’s why in November
this year, government ministers
from around the world will meet
in Russia to discuss how to move
toward ending the TB pandemic.
As I said, there are some things
that governments should do to pro-
tect us all. Treating and prevent-
ing TB is a global public good. TB
doesn’t differentiate between bor-
ders or races or between rich and
poor, so why should we? (The Star/
ANN/Mangai Balasegaram)

LOCAL BEAT
USAID evaluates education improvement program in Malang
USAID recently evaluated the effectiveness
of its literacy program at the SMP Laboratorium
Malang junior high school.
The USAID PRIORITAS program, which has
been running for the five years between 2012
and 2017, seeks to increase the quality of the
learning process through school management
improvement and literacy programs.
The junior high school is one of eight schools
in the area participating in the program.
During the evaluation field visit on March 23,
an independent team appointed by USAID ob-
served a significant improvement in terms of
teaching methods and curriculum delivery. The
team noted that material was being presented in
a more diverse and innovative manner.
“We hope that the program can be a pilot proj-
ect for the school to continue developing its teachers, in order to produce great students,” SMP Laborato-
rium Malang vice headmaster for curricular activities Yayuk Prihatnawati said.
Santika hosts annual thanksgiving, manages 100 hotels
The Santika Indonesia Hotels and Re-
sorts (SIHR) recently hosted its annual
Santika Appreciation Night to express
gratitude to parties who have supported
its business growth, while specifically ex-
pressing gratitude for its success in at-
taining its target of managing 100 hotels
across Indonesia this year.
The event was held on March 23 at Ho-
tel Santika Premiere Slipi in Jakarta. It
was attended by all members of the hotel
chain’s sales and marketing department,
representing its different brands, namely
The Royal Collection, The ANVAYA, Ho-
tel Santika Premiere, Hotel Santika and
Amaris Hotel, which are part of the SIHR.
The hotel chain’s loyal clients and media partners also attended the event, making up 350 guests in total.
During the party, the hotel also gave away door prizes and presented awards to outstanding employees,
clients and partners.
HEALTH
When your child
is allergic to food
A
llergenic foods are basically foods
that are known to cause allergies in
certain individuals.
A food allergy is a result of an im-
mune system response to the presence of spe-
cific food types. It is different from food intol-
erance, which is a digestive system response
(e.g. what happens when your child’s body has
difficulty digesting food).
There are eight major types of allergenic
foods, namely milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shell-
fish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soybean.
Recognizing food allergy
In general, the symptoms associated with
food allergies can be difficult to connect to
specific foods. Typical allergy symptoms in-
clude hives; flushed skin or rash; mouth
feels tingly or itchy; face, tongue or lip swell-
ing; vomiting and/or diarrhoea; abdominal
cramps; coughing or wheezing; dizziness and/
or light-headedness; swelling of the throat
and vocal cords; difficulty breathing; and loss
of consciousness.
Since young children may not know how to
adequately describe the symptoms, they may
say things like “My mouth feels tingly” or “My
tongue feels heavy/numb”. The key is to stay
alert for any signs of distress which could indi-
cate an allergic reaction.
Food allergies often cause symptoms with-
in two hours of ingestion, with some reactions
happening within minutes. However, there are
very rare cases where the reaction is delayed by
up to six hours or more.
There is another type of food allergy with
delayed reaction known as Food Protein-In-
If you suspect that your child has a food allergy, you should keep a food diary. Be sure to list everything that
you feed her, and keep the labels of any commercial products as well to show the doctor.
Courtesy of USAID
Courtesy of Santika Indonesia Hotels and Resorts
duced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES). This
is a severe gastrointestinal reaction which usu-
ally occurs two to six hours after consuming
milk, soy, certain grains or certain solid foods.
It typically occurs in young infants exposed
to these foods for the first time. FPIES can lead
to episodes of repetitive vomiting, which in
turn can lead to dehydration. Some babies will
even develop bloody diarrhoea.
While food allergies can be serious, there
are steps you can take to manage this condi-
tion. Once food allergy is suspected, a diagnos-
tic test should be done to complement the clin-
ical history. This is done via a skin prick test or
a blood test.
Handling food allergy
Once you have ascertained that your child
has a food allergy, the best thing that can be
done is to avoid the food in question, especially
if she exhibits a severe reaction.
Do note that if she has an allergy to a specific
food, she may also be allergic to other related
foods, e.g. one who is allergic to shrimp may
also be allergic to crab.
Pay more attention to the ingredients list
when you go grocery shopping.
Major allergenic foods may be listed clear-
ly, e.g. “lecithin” (soy), “flour” (wheat), and
“whey” (milk).
Some manufacturers may use a statement
on the packaging stating that their product
contains certain ingredients, e.g. “contains
wheat, milk, and soy”.
There are also some manufacturers who list
allergenic foods as “binder” or “emulsifiers”,
which could signal the presence of eggs or soy
Positive Parenting
FRIDAY March 31, 2017 | 19
Cussons holds parent-child photo and video competition
Childcare product manufacturer Cus-
sons recently hosted a photography and
video competition event for parents
called Cussons Bintang Kecil (Cussons
Young Star).
Conducted on March 26 in the atrium
of the Gandaria City shopping center in
South Jakarta, the competition required
parents to take pictures or record videos of
their children aged 0 to 7 in order to com-
pete for a prize of Rp 1.3 billion.
As a fringe event to the competition, Cus-
sons also organized an educational platform
from March 24 to 26, during which children
could learn something new in a playful way
through activities such as a coloring compe-
tition, fashion and talent show. Courtesy of Cussons
PT PZ Cussons Indonesia Marketing Director Ningcy Yuliana said that hopefully the event could help
raise the self-confidence of both children and their parents.
BALI EXPOSÉ
Nusa Dua Beach Hotel and Spa
exhibits Made Bayak’s works
The Nusa Dua Beach Ho-
tel and Spa is currently host-
ing 22 works of Balinese vi-
sual artist Made Bayak in an
exhibition titled “Aesthetic
and Educative Art”. The ex-
hibition kicked off on March
22 and will run through to
June 22. Island Spot
Bayak graduated from the To place your ad in this section,
Denpasar Indonesian Arts contact Opie or Mirah
Institute (ISI Denpasar) in on 0361 265436
2006. His work has been or email opie@thejakartapost.com
showcased regularly in Ger-
& mirah.adi@thejakartapost.com
many and Poland. He was
also a finalist in Singapore’s
prestigious 2013 Sovereign
Courtesy of Nusa Dua Beach Hotel and Spa
Art Prize.
Bayak’s simplified stenciled images feature cultural icons, Balinese
girls in traditional costumes as well as dancers performing Balinese
Hindu ceremonies.
The backgrounds of his work manifest into unusual abstract milieus
showcasing bright colors, packaging texture logos inspired by adver-
tisements.
The stenciled black images in the foreground, meanwhile, create
powerful aesthetic contrasts.
Positive Parenting
These are the typical symptoms of a food allergy.
respectively. form her school and caregivers about her con-
If you suspect that your child has a food al- dition. It may be helpful to provide them with
lergy, you should keep a food diary. Be sure to an emergency card detailing how to prevent,
list everything that you feed her, and keep the recognize and manage her food allergies. (The
labels of any commercial products as well. Starr/ANN/dr. amir hamzah abdul latiff )
This will be a great help in assisting your
paediatrician/allergist in determining if she is
indeed allergic to any foods. Your child’s paedi- Dr Amir Hamzah Abdul Latiff is a consultant
atrician/allergist will take any family and med- Paediatrician and consultant clinical immunolo-
ical history necessary and carry out any rele- gist/allergist (adults & paediatrics). This article is
vant tests to determine if a food allergy exists. courtesy of the Malaysian Paediatric Association’s
If you do discover that your child has a se- Positive Parenting programme in collaboration
vere reaction to certain foods, be sure to in- with expert partners.
20 | FRIDAY March 31, 2017

CALENDAR OF EVENTS
FOREIGN CULTURAL
CENTERS
• 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/
kelasbahasa@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/
pkj@jpf.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 Saturday of the month at
10:30 a.m.
CP: Indonesian Heritage
Society Library 021-5725870/
heritagejkt.org
ARTS FESTIVAL
WHERE TO GO
• Jejak Langkah Seorang • Piano Recital by Tobias
Raden Ajeng: Borsboom
Reflection on R.A. Kartini April 15 at 7:30 p.m.
March 13-31 at 5:45 p.m Erasmus Huis, Jakarta
Erasmus Huis, Jakarta CP: 021-5241069
RSVP: indonesia@bb.leidenuniv.nl erasmushuis@minbuza.nl
MUSIC PERFORMANCES THEATER PERFORMANCE
• Ismail Marzuki • Oedipus di Kolonus
Jazz Festival 2017 April 1 at 8 p.m.
March 31 Teater Salihara
Graha Bhakti Budaya, salihara.org
Taman Ismail Marzuki
jakarta.go.id • Pembunuh yang Adil
April 2 at 8 p.m.
Teater Salihara
salihara.org
PERFORMANCE
• Hakim Sarmin
April 5-6
Graha Bhakti Budaya, Taman
Ismail Marzuki - Jakarta
Instagram :
@tamanismailmarzuki
‘Turah’
A film by Wicaksono Wisnu Legowo • Armin Only Embrace -
World Tour
March 31 at 9:30 p.m. , Kinosaurus, Kemang - Jakarta March 31
kinosaurusjakarta.com Jiexpo Kemayoran
arminonly.com
The harsh competition of life has spared the de- profits. Specks of optimism and hope to break free • Rendezvous
feated in Kampung Tirang. They are plagued by pes- from a powerless life are present in Turah and Jadag. • Simfoni Tarling April 2
simism and overwhelmed with fear, especially to- Incidents occur, encouraging Turah and Jadag to April 7-8 at 8 p.m. Galeri Indonesia Kaya - Jakarta
ward Darso, the rich boss who has given them “life.” fight the acute fear and escape from the antagonist’s Graha Bhakti Budaya, Taman Indonesiakaya.com
Pakel, the sycophantic scholar in Darso’s inner cir- nefarious narrative. This is every effort made by Ismail Marzuki - Jakarta
cle, deviously makes the villagers mentally stunted. them, as the people of Kampung Tirang, to no longer arminonly.com • The Wonderful World of
The situation makes it easier for him to reap more be human failures, the remnants. Disney On Ice
April 20 at 2:30 a.m – 4:30 p.m.
April 21 at 2:30 a.m – 4:30 p.m.
CLASS • Exhibition Ira Nata Pradja : ICE — Indonesia Convention
“Give a Smile to Children” Exhibition
March 19 - April 9 disneyoniceindonesia.com
Duta Fine Arts Foundation,
Kemang
www.dutafinearts.com FILM SCREENINGS

• Jakarta Toys & Kids Expo

• Art Exhibition: Enjoy Live
Art Instalation by Jason
Hackenwerth
March 29 - April 6
Neo Soho Mall
centralparkjakarta.com
• Mixed Feelings 02
Illustration Exhibition
April 2 – May 6
That’s Life Coffee
thatslifecoffee.com
2017
April 1-2, 2017
Balai Kartini – Kartika Expo
Center, Jakarta • Rick Karnadi and His Dudes
www.neopromosindo.com Bringing Back The 90s
Boyband
• Kelas Fotografi Jalanan • An Exhibition of Art in April 1 at 6 p.m.
March 8 – May 6 at 2 p.m Collections at Ruci’s Motion Blue Jakarta • ‘Cahaya Dari Timur: Beta
Serambi Salihara March 17 – April 9 motionbluejakarta.com Maluku We Are Moluccans’
salihara.org Ruci’s Joint – Jakarta March 31 at 7:30 p.m
goersapp.com Kineforum –
Taman Ismail Marzuki
kineforum.org
• ‘Apprentice’
A Film By Boo Junfeng
March 31 at 7 p.m.
Kinosaurus, Kemang - Jakarta
kinosaurusjakarta.com
• ‘The After-Hours Movie:
2001 A Space Odyssey’
Apr. 7 at 8 p.m.
• America Latin Dance Club: Kenobi Space - Jakarta
Salsa • Urban Monster by Evan Adi- Cp : 087770720294
April 4, 11, 18, 25 tya and Mutiara Suryadini • Authenticity - ‘Rollin Up’
Salihara - Jakarta March 13 – April 9 with Iwa K
salihara.org Ruang Seduh Kemang Apr. 7 at 7 p.m.
goersapp.com • Photo Exhibition: Vin+ Kemang
“The Tree of Life” Cp: 08111961996
DANCE PERFORMANCE The Embassy of Italy and the
Italian Cultural Institute Jakarta
present a photo exhibition “The
Tree of Life” by Elisabetta Zavoli
Dec. 9-April 10, 2017.
Auditorium IIC, Menteng.
CP: 021 3927531-2 or email:
• Kukusan Paon by Kitapoleng eventi@itacultjkt.or.id CHURCHES
April 1 International English Service
• INAPA Jakarta – Church services for adults,
Galeri Indonesia Kaya - Jakarta teens and children Thamrin, Saturdays 5 pm,
Indonesiakaya.com The 9th ASEAN’s Largest & Sundays 9:30 & 11:15 am Pondok Indah,
Most Influential Trade Show • The Resonanz Children’s Sat 6 pm, Sun 8:30, 10 & 11:30 am Kedoya,
for Automotive Industry Choir: A Decade of Harmony Sundays at 11:30 am Taman Palem,
Apr. 9 at 4 p.m. Saturdays at 5 pm Kelapa Gading,
EXHIBITIONS March 29 – April 1 Sundays at 10 am Part of batu Tulis Assembly of
JI Expo Kemayoran Jakarta Ciputra Artpreneur God Contact 29290808 or 0818 830 656
• Indonesia Drum & Perkusi www.whatsnewjakarta.com theresonanz.com www.iesjakarta.org

Festival (IDP Fest) 2017

• Blibli Fun Festival 2017 March 30 – April 2 • 4th Easter Sunday Bazaar at PROMOTE YOUR EVENTS
April 8-9 at 10 a.m. – 11 p.m. April 9 For queries on placement of your events in The Jakarta Post’s WHERE TO GO section,
Ecopark - Ancol Taman Ismail Marzuki Jakarta Tugu Kunstkring - Jakarta please send an email to wheretogo@thejakartapost.com / wtgjakarta@gmail.com or
Cp: 08111961996 http://acara.co.id goersapp.com call Nisa at (021) 5300478 ext. 2038.

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
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  LG 38, Kuningan, South Jakarta.
AWkitchen
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
WINE & DINE
Bacco Lotte Shopping Avenue, Main Lobby,
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
FRIDAY Maret 31, 2017 ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE | 21
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
22 | LEISURE FRIDAY March 31, 2017

A HOMEY MEAL
STEEPED IN CULTURE AT
The Argentine
Experience
Let’s start at the end, with dessert
at The Argentine Experience.

Donna Bryson
ASSOCIATED PRESS/BUENOS AIRES,
ARGENTINA
2011 serving dinners in an apartment in

T
he Buenos Aires restaurant
that immerses diners in cul-
ture offers an abundance of
tastes and the stories behind
them. On the night my family shared a
communal table with another group of
United States visitors, dessert included
a delicacy prepared with sponge-like
yacaratia wood.
Alex Pels, one of the founding co-
owners of The Argentine Experience,
said in an interview that the earliest
inhabitants of what is now northern
Argentina chewed yacaratia wood
because it stored water. Pels’ pastry
chef sweetens the wood and serves it
atop local cheese in precise cubes that
wouldn’t look out of place in a three-
star restaurant anywhere in the world.
The architectural treats seemed par-
ticularly modernist alongside another
dessert we sampled, alfajores cookies,
accompanied by the national drink of
warm mate (pronounced mah TAY).
The herbal infusion is a perfect, bitter
complement to the rich pastries.
We also learned a decadent tech-
nique for enjoying the alfajores: Slather
one buttery cookie with dulce de leche,
a caramelized milk concoction popular
across Latin America. Layer on anoth-
er cookie. Roll the cookie sandwich in
shredded coconut. Dip in melted choc-
olate for decadent good measure.
The main course was, of course, ten-
der Argentine beef served with grilled
vegetables and several versions of the
traditional chimichurri sauce of oil, vin-
egar and herbs. But we also ate slivers
of flavorful pork in a land famed for its
beef. Pels told me that his partner Leon
Lightman, who is from England, had
been in Argentina several years before
he encountered the pork cut Argen-
tines call matambre.
“It’s definitely something that Ar-
gentines would order and something
that foreigners don’t,” Pels said.
In creating The Argentine Experi-
ence, Pels and Lightman wanted to
showcase what food visitors might be
missing. One inspiration was chef, res-
taurateur and author Francis Mall-
mann. Mallmann was trained in France
but gained fame with grilling and other
cooking techniques of his native Argen-
tina.
Pels and Lightman started out in
Recoleta, a neighborhood known for its
historic cemetery. The next year they
moved to airy, two-story quarters in the ing just how authentic my evening was. So I asked la Giagrande Lucila’s Digging in: A
trendy Palermo Hollywood neighbor- around, turning among others to Mariano Bruno, a Homemade Alfajores tourist serves
hood. friend of a friend who is a political scientist and self- supplies cookies to shops himself chorizo,
Early on, customers said they were described “foodie” and wine enthusiast. and cafes in the Chicago area. the local sau-
getting too much information from Bruno told me he has watched a revolution in Bue- Giagrande was surprised and pleased to hear that sage during the
staff who guide diners through prix fixe nos Aires restaurants in the last decade, with many a fancy restaurant had served us the pastries and dinner.
meals. That’s been relaxed, “so that peo- establishments sharing The Argentine Experience’s shared the ritual of heaping dried mate leaves into
ple do not think it’s a class,” Pels said. awareness of the importance of ingredients. traditional clay mugs, pouring in not-too-hot wa-
Facts about the food shared While I had enjoyed beef, pork and lo- ter and sipping in turn from communal mugs.
in English were leav- cal vegetables at The Argentine “When the tourist or the traveler gets to hang out
ened by family sto- Experience, Bruno said there with Argentines (at their homes), one of the first
ries and jokes dur- was even more to explore. things they’ll do is get to share alfajores with mate,”
ing our visit. We “Not everything is said Giagrande, who like Bruno is not associated
also learned beef,” he said. “In this with The Argentine Experience.
a few Span- country we have A night out that requires costumes and playing
ish terms, great lamb. The best with your food could have been hokey. Instead, our
such as how comes from Pata- Argentine experience was a friendly and relaxed way
to order a gonia.” to learn about the locals and what and why they eat.
medium Argentine-
rare steak American Luci- — PHOTOS BY AP/NATACHA PISARENKO
(jugoso, or
juicy).
The light Colorful feast: Vegetables For more information, please check out:
tone didn’t are set on a table. www.theargentineexperience.com (US$99 per person)
mask a deep
understand-
ing and appre-
ciation of the
food and its role in
the broader culture.
The relaxed approach
and free-flowing local wine,
though, did make it easy for guests
to get to know one another, also a goal of
The Argentine Experience.
Upon arrival, we donned aprons and
chef hats. We assembled the cookie
sandwiches as well as empanadas, fold-
ing mixtures of meat or cheese into pas-
try circles. The activities and uniforms
created camaraderie among my family,
the Israeli-Americans at our table and
the Germans and South Africans at the
next.
“People don’t know how to meet oth-
er people when they travel. But that’s
how stories are created: You meet oth-
er people,” said Pels, who has managed
hotels and hostels and travels frequent- Dine in delight: Jane
ly himself. Andrews, from the US,
Evenings at The Argentine Experi- right),, smiles
(second right)
ence are conducted in English or Por- during an activity
tuguese, but not Spanish. The program called "The Argentine
doesn’t cater to locals because Pels fears Experience" in Buenos
they’d be unimpressed by the home- Aires, Argentina.
style cooking. That left me wonder-

THERE ARE WAYS TO MAKE OVERSEAS

TRAVEL MORE AFFORDABLE, SAFE
David Koenig but some Medigap policies and short-term sneakers and baseball caps and buy clothes
ASSOCIATED PRESS/DALLAS travel medical insurance do. Consider evacu- that help them blend in. And remember com-
ation insurance — an air ambulance can cost fortable shoes.

F
oreign travel is expensive and can be in-
timidating for some, but there are strat-
egies for saving money and staying safe.
International travel by Americans rose
about 8 percent last year and is likely to rise
again this year, helped by relatively low air-
fares and the strong dollar.
DEALS ABOUND
In recent days, discount sites such as air-
farewatchdog.com have highlighted round
trips including San Francisco-Copenhagen,
Los Angeles-Stockholm and New York-Bar-
Money matters: A celona for under $400 and New York-Tel Aviv,
pedestrian with an Chicago-Bangkok and Los Angeles-Manila
umbrella passes a for under $650 for travelers who can avoid the
board showing the peak summer season. Mexico is a cheaper des-
exchange rates at tination than some trips within the US.
a money exchange Travel experts have advice about what to
bureau in London. do once you reach your destination, includ-
ing how to act. Behavior that is acceptable in
AP/Kirsty Wigglesworth the US may be frowned upon — or even illegal
Flying overseas: An Etihad Airways plane — in many other countries.
prepares to land at the Abu Dhabi airport in the “What it boils down to is, be respectful and
United Arab Emirates. be educated,” says Kyle Olson, who just wrote
a guide on dos and don’ts in 11 countries for
a Chicago law firm. His long list of don’ts in-
cludes carrying recreational drugs, dressing
scantily, drinking — an official taboo in Mus-
lim countries — and, in many countries, tak-
ing photographs of military or government
buildings.
INSURANCE
Get travel insurance and check before you
go to see what your health insurance will cov-
er if you get sick in a foreign country. Medi-
care does not cover health expenses overseas,
AP/Kamran Jebreili, File
thousands of dollars.
CASH OR CREDIT?
Cash is convenient for small purchases,
but many frequent travelers stick to plastic
overseas. If a clerk swipes your card and asks
if you would like to pay in dollars, decline.
The store probably charges a less-favorable
exchange rate than your card issuer.
Matt Kepnes, author of How to Travel the
World on $50 a Day, says any commercial
bank should offer a decent exchange rate. He
stays away from the exchange bureau Trav-
elex and warns that airport ATMs and ATMs
in stores like 7-Elevens give a less-favorable
rate and charge higher fees.
STAYING CONNECTED
Bringing your own phone is often your
best option.
Pauline Frommer, editorial director of
the Frommer’s travel-information company,
and John DiScala, a travel writer who goes by
JohnnyJet on Twitter, both favor T-Mobile,
which has a plan that allows free roaming
and unlimited data in more than 100 coun-
tries. DiScala says he can upload pictures and
posts to Facebook and get his emails at no ex-
tra charge.
Of course, always keep the phone charged
in case of an emergency.
STAYING SAFE
Tourists are frequently targets for pick-
pockets and scammers of all kinds. You can
lower your risk by looking less like a tourist.
“I always try to dress local,” DiScala says.
Americans should ditch the shorts, white
Evelyn Hannon, who edits the Journey-
woman.com website, suggests a quick pur-
chase at a local grocer. The bag will help you
look like you belong.
Travel experts are divided over whether
President Donald Trump’s proposed travel
bans and anti-immigrant rhetoric will put
Americans in more danger overseas.
STAY ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE LAW
Customs vary greatly by country — that’s
part of the appeal of travel, after all — and so
do laws. That sometimes lands travelers in
trouble.
Alcohol is banned in part of the United
Arab Emirates, although tourists in Dubai can
drink at hotel bars and clubs without conse-
quences. Signs at shopping malls encourage
dressing modestly and avoiding public dis-
plays of affection, but holding hands or giv-
ing a peck on the cheek are usually accepted.
Tourists who wind up getting arrested for in-
decency typically ignored repeated warnings.
Taking someone’s picture and putting
it online without permission is a crime in
the UAE, and people have been arrested for
taking pictures of military installations or
planes taking off and landing.
Gay or lesbian sex is punishable by death
in Saudi Arabia and Iran and is frowned on in
other countries. Carrying drugs can and of-
ten does carry the death penalty, especially
for smugglers.
US embassies may be helpful if you get
in trouble. The State Department can’t get
Americans out of jail but will contact family
members and provide names of local lawyers
who speak English.
FRIDAY March 31, 2017 FEATURES | 23
Karamoy
Together: Reney Karam
Gareth
(right) and Stella Gare
new
are supplying ne
energy to the Ind
Indo-
nesian indepen
independ-
scene
ent music sce
with Scaller.
Scall

Scaller Cou
rtes
y of
Scall
er

INDIE ROCK’S
NEW BLOOD
Rock music moves
through periods in
search of new blood.

in the encore “Live and Do” and “Stay on the

Track”).
The best part of the show worth mention-
ing is the guy behind the drums: Enrico Oc-
taviano. He gave Scaller a singular, distinct
sound — ominous, anthemic percussive
Stanley Widianto sound — at the show and made it stick. The
Courtesy of Irvan Suta

CONTRIBUTOR/JAKARTA last song before the encore “The Youth” ex-

emplified that sound perfectly.

I
n its journey, rock music continues
crowning performers the one. Like elec-
tronic-rock band The Upstairs and ret-
ro-pop outfit White Shoes & The Cou-
ples Company were the staples of the 2005
independent scene, or when Koes Plus Beat
led the way into a mainstay spot, rock in In-
donesia has seen many names adorn festival
posters. The names change all the time, but
the music remains.
Now I’m not sure whether Scaller, a
Jakarta alternative rock band that surprise-
released its first LP Senses early this year af-
ter its mini-album 1991 could claim a sturdy
spot here.
But the crowd at its first solo concert, held
recently at the Soehanna Hall with the ti-
tle Spirit of the Thing, euphorically danced,
clapped, cheered for more, just like they did
with their predecessors.
Bands like Scaller (Barasuara, Polka Wars,
Tigapagi, too) are making the most of the
present tense — making the wait for new
signs of activities less tiresome, more antici-
pated.
The proceedings got off to a good start with
Anomalyst, an indie rock band that is cur-
rently working on its first LP. Listening to
Anomalyst will probably remind you of the
band Interpol, because of the constant dips
and turns one traditional indie rock song can
take.
Even so, the concert didn’t move me as
much as I had expected. Stella Gareth (key-
board/piano/vocals) and Reney Karamoy
(guitar/vocals) were confident (“You have no
idea how nervous I am,” Karamoy said at one
I saw a lot of familiar faces at the show — se-
nior music journalists, band managers, fellow
musicians, long-time fans. Ask any of them on
a given day not long after Spirit of the Thing
and they’ll speak of this concert that they just
went to.
The most common adjective that was at-
Confidence in full display: tached to Scaller was the one that gave one of
Reney sings his heart out the band’s songs its name: Youth. Now in their
during a performance of 20s, Reney and Stella still have a long way to
Scaller's "The Youth". go to remain with their good music on the
scene, but, as Spirit of the Thing showed, it’s
happy to have them there.
Co
urt
point. Could’ve fooled esy
of
me) and electric at the Irv
an
Su
show that bore their name, but the ta
first half of it was sculpted, jumbled.
They were searching for a sound to stick
to and their performance (mostly consisting
of songs from the band’s fine debut record)
suffered because of it. Still, it was great to see
people in the crowd enjoying themselves.
Then the second half (starting from the
great piano-and-guitar showing “Lotis
Dream”) benefitted from a much-needed re-
focus. Haunting, anthemic and energetic,
Scaller performed with a swagger that some New blood: Scaller un-
bands took years to convincingly pull off. leashes their brand of alter-
Most importantly, Scaller’s strength lies in native rock in an exhilarat-
the attention and work put into the instru- ing concert in Jakarta.
mentation: Reney’s guitar wails and dances,
as Stella jumps up and down, her whispers
turning into bellows. The songs “Upheaval”
and “Dawn Is Coming,” hookless as they are,
become some really legitimate alt. rock mon-
sters on stage.
Speaking of hookless, I don’t think I heard
more than a couple of hooks in a given Scaller
song at the show. Listening to Senses wouldn’t
convince me otherwise either.
Scaller is not an acquired taste — the band
has a way of working the crowd, as the show
attested — but its songs aren’t pretty either:
synths gurgle eerily in a winded intro and the
guitar doesn’t bend for a comfortable posi-
tion.
Reney and Stella’s vocals unfortunate-
ly didn’t always hold, but it was nice to see
them shift to screams and shouts (especially

ALBUM REVIEW

‘SUARA DARI JAUH’

by ARIREDA

I
n his early 20s, Goenawan Mohamad
examined the weight of a love letter.
“Bukankah surat cinta ini ditu-
lis/ditulis ke arah siapa saja/seperti hu-
jan yang jatuh ritmis/menyentuh arah
siapa saja” (Isn’t this love letter written/
written for everyone/like the rain falling
rhythmically/touching everybody in its
wake) he wrote in the poem Surat Cinta
(Love Letter).
A few words later, he conceded its ex-
istence in the finite world; a love letter is
“like a tired desert”.
These disjointed themes of love and
despair, friendship and enmity, light and
darkness, have permeated the 75-year-
old poet’s work since half a century ago.
You may know Goenawan Mohamad as
the founder of Tempo magazine, a polit-
ical and literary powerhouse. Today, his
work exists in books and online blogs.
AriReda, the contemporary folk duo
comprising guitarist/singer Ari Mali-
bu and singer/writer Reda Gaudiamo,
breathed new life into his work, shed-
ding new light in the otherwise anti-
quated appreciation of his poetry — the
way they did for Sapardi Djoko Damono,
Sudarto Bachtiar and other Indonesian
poets — two records, a six-city tour and
many other shows ago. Those two re-
cords were Becoming Dew (2007) and
AriReda Menyanyikan Puisi (2015).
To give an overview of the music of
AriReda, think of a quiet hall, the duo’s
entwined voices reverberating — equal
parts hums, equal parts murmurs. These
two, bathed in a subdued light, sing devo-
tional poetry to a captive, smiling audi-
ence. Think of the joy in solitude, think
of a church and its congregation.
Now its new album (out in March),
Suara dari Jauh, consists of Goenawan’s
poems set to hushed guitar and soothing
vocals and boy is it great to know that the
band is still going.
AriReda’s operated in this mode since
1988 (after forming in 1982, back when
Ari and Reda were still in their early 20s)
— avoiding the strained rhymes and me-
ters of a poem to fit into the mold of a
song. They have always selected the po-
ems with care and grace.
And it’s no different now. This brand
new collection is, to be honest, not a pro-
gression or even anything different from
the previous two albums. But instead of
sliding into comfort, they slid into sui ge-
neris — forging the fight again, whether
consciously or not (I can’t really tell), to
bring relevance into the rich world of In-
donesian poetry.
And that’s okay. With Suara dari Jauh
(recorded in Yogyakarta last year), they
succeed once again — nothing about
their music sounds derivative or even
grating as these albums can get with less
consideration.
As Reda, with her elastic voice, sings
the songs, Goenawan is here at once,
revealing the obscene and the guarded
through his poetry. Z, Goenawan’s poem
from 1971, sounds meditative and calm-
ing. Suara dari Jauh works as a balm and
it’s a little at odds with the heaviness of
Goenawan’s poetry.
“Malam Yang Susut Kelabu” (The
Night that Shrinks Gloomily), which
deals with the lover and its receding
voice, is one of AriReda’s darkest entries
and so is “Kwatrin Musim Kelabu [IV]”
(The 4-Parter Poem of Gloom (IV)), a
song which lends the album its title.
Featherweight guitar and light vocals
are AriReda’s most reliable strength. To
have them give new life in the breath-
taking poetry of Goenawan Mohamad is
priceless at best. And now listening to it
leaves me captive to its magic, reminding
me of a tapestry full of light and darkness
all at once, as church bells often do.
— STANLEY WIDIANTO
FEATURES FRIDAY March 31, 2017 | 24

LIVING BY THE SWORD

Carving warrior blades

How Panji
met Genji
in
Tokyo
AP/Seth Wening

Sword fascination: A rack of swords are displayed in John Lun-

demo's workshop in New Hampton, the US.
Eddy Susanto is a history and literature
Michael Hill horror flick Captain Kronos - freak — he found that the Panji story
ASSOCIATED PRESS/NEW Vampire Hunter, sparked Lun- from his native Java has features
HAMPTON demo’s sword fascination as a
young man. He began buying similar to the Japanese Genji story, and

T considered it intriguing that both sagas

hrough smoke and sparks
and staccato banging
from his anvil, John Lun-
demo forges swooping swords
that look like they should be
pulled from a stone, swung by
a samurai or thrust on Game of
Thrones.
The 60-year-old has carved
out a niche making pricey blades
that are inspired by history but
liberally mix in elements of East
and West, high art and Holly-
wood.
“I do tend to add my own flair,”
Lundemo said in his shop recent-
ly. “Making exact copies, I don’t
do.”
blades for mock sword fights with
his brother. But there were prob-
lems with those steel swords. narrate identical lives of pleasure, love,
“I was breaking them all the life and adventure.
time. You know, halfway through
a sword fight and your sword
breaks, it’s annoying,” he said. “So
I started making them.”
He forged blades in the back
of a New Mexico jewelry shop Work of art: Eddy Sussanto's work Genji and Panji, shown at the
and later after hours in the up- recent Tokyo Art Fair, infuses the Japanese story of Genji with that
state New York sign shop where of the Javanese saga of Panji.
he worked. Those first swords
stunk, he says, but he educated
himself on the finer points of
edge geometry, metal tempering Carla Bianpoen
and distal tapering, which refers CONTRIBUTOR/JAKARTA
to the blade getting thinner from

While not precisely like the
weapons wielded by gladiators or
knights, these razor-sharp weap-
ons stretching up to 6 feet long
and costing upward of US$3,000
are built to be used — even if it’s
for slashing milk jugs in the back-
yard.
Lundemo has been making
swords for about three decades,
about half that in his workshop
50 miles north of New York City.
The forge, anvil and scalding oil
tank speak to his craft. And the
posters on the wall for the mov-
ies Gladiator and Grindhouse
speak to his tendency to slice and
dice details.
His $1,950 “Serenity” sword,
for instance, is described online
as drawing on classic German,
Chinese, Japanese and Swiss de-
signs. But the butt end of the han-
dle, the pommel, was inspired by
a sword in the 1993 martial arts
movie The Bride with White Hair.
Movies, specifically the 1974
guard to tip.
Over time, he established his
brand Odinblades in what can
be a cut-throat business. There
is an army of sword makers who
sell historical replicas, fantasy
swords, “battle ready” swords for
under $100. Online retailer Kult
of Athena in Elgin, Illinois, for
example, sells swords from more
than 30 makers.
“It’s definitely growing,” said
owner Ryan Whittlinger. “The
market for higher-quality, func-
tional items is better today than
it’s ever been.”
The popularity of the HBO se-
ries Game of Thrones helps, but
Whittlinger said a bigger water-
shed was the Lord of the Rings
movies early this century, just as
swords started becoming easier
to buy.
So who buys swords in the 21st
century?
Collectors and history buffs
who hang them on a wall, “cut-
ters” who want a sharp and bal-
anced weapon for slicing jugs,
pieces of bamboo or test dum-
mies, and sword fighters.
Whittlinger said moviemak-
ers and theater groups account
for some sales, too. The appar-
ently racially motivated killing
last week of a black man in New
York City with a 26-inch sword
illustrates the rare times when
such weapons are still used for
their original purpose.
Lundemo says he makes
enough from swords for his
wife and himself to pay the bills.
They’re not getting rich, but the
work has its benefits.
“The cool factor is way up
there,” he said. “Cool factor 11.”
True swordsman: John Lun-
demo works on a sword guard at
an anvil in his workshop in New
Hampton, the US.
T
he phenomenon of the Javanese
script on the canvases of Eddy Su-
santo has been a tool for unifying
cultures from the farthest corners
of the eastern and western hemispheres.
Such is again reinforced in his work for
the Tokyo Art Fair, which was held from
March 17-19. Infusing the Japanese story
of Genji with that of the Javanese saga of
Panji, Eddy Susanto fused the identical
characters into one by using the narrative
of Panji in Javanese script to shape the
Genji figures on canvas.
A history and literature freak, Eddy
found that the Panji story from his native
Java has features similar to the Japanese
Genji story.
Although he found it intriguing that both
sagas narrate identical lives of pleasure,
love, life and adventure, he insisted the tales
go beyond love stories — they involve heroic
incidents and elements of ethical value.
Panji was a legendary prince from East Up close: Details of Genji and Panji by Eddy Susanto.
Java, the protagonist of the Panji cycle that
developed from a relief found in Gembyok/ kibu, who may have delivered the tale in temporary works first drew attention when
Kediri in East Java. installments, describing the customs of aris- he was among the awardees of the Bandung
Lord Panji’s tales emerged at the end of tocratic society at the time, which was eager- Contemporary Art Awards in 2011.
the golden era of the Majapahit kingdom. It ly consumed by women of the aristocracy. At that time he used Javanese script to
spread through oral storytelling, poetry and Critics have almost consistently de- form the images of Albrecht Duerer’s The
song, expanding to Bali, and on to the region scribed The Tale of Genji as the oldest, first Men’s Bath revealing the narrative of Babad
encompassing Malaysia, Singapore, Thai- and/or greatest novel in Japanese literature. Tanah Jawi (History of Java). This was in-
land, Cambodia and Myanmar. The Tale of Genji is set during the end of the spired by his finding through research of the
While it became a lingua franca in the ninth century until the early 10th century. liberating spirit of the Renaissance in Eu-
Southeast Asian region, each country and Besides being recorded as the first novel in rope and Islam in his native Java, which oc-
culture added its own characteristic fea- the world, The Tale of Genji is also known as curred in about the same period of time.
tures. the first romance novel of the genre. In the West, the spirit of the Renaissance
Eddy visualized the flow in his fascinat- Eddy revealed he had found old yellowed swept away the conventional culture of me-
ing work at the recent Singapore Biennale, pages recounting the Genji story. Fasci- mento mori with its focus on the soul and the
where the Javanese letters changed to nated, he gave it new life by re-shaping the afterlife, while the spirit of Islam blew fresh
Thai, Cambodian and Vietnamese letters images with Javanese script along the con- wind over the lives of ceremonies and reli-
according to where the story was featured tours, and adding adequate color. gious rituals, bringing along a transforma-
on the canvas. The result is a work of subtle aesthetics tion into hard work and industrial foci.
The Tale of Genji also narrates the story of and refined finishing. Since then Eddy has created many works
a prince. He was the son of an ancient Japa- Eddy’s obsession with the Javanese highlighting how cultural situations in Java
nese emperor and his beloved concubine. script stems from his love of reading. He correlate with those in other parts of the
His mother died when he was three years discovered that it was the first tool of com- world occurring at about the same period of
old, and his father remarried with someone munication in the olden days, and artisti- time. In so doing, he actually points out how
matching the beauty of his late wife. Genji cally it is the most beautiful, he states. art can play an important role in opening di-
in the story loved his stepmother, first as a Writing it gives one the chance to medi- alogue, or conversations that advocate cul-
mother and later as a lover. tate while drawing the letters from arch to tural pluralism in a climate of nationalism.
As the story is told, he had many romanc- arch, he reveals.
es. The tale was written by Murasaki Shi- His use of the Javanese script for his con- — PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANDONOWATI

AP/Seth Wening

Vin Diesel talks of W
Walker
LAS VEGAS: Vin Diesel says he an and the Fast and
Furious crew do not want to let down the late
Paul Walker with their new film. lm
The actor on Wednesday spokespo to a packed
auditorium at CinemaCon in Las Vegas about
the eighth installment in the frafranchise, The Fate
of the Furious — the first full film in the series
made in the aftermath of W Walker’s death in
2013.
After Walker died, his two brothers
helped complete action
a scenes in
Furious 7, which e earned more than
globally when it was
US$1.5 billion glo
released in 2015
2015. The Fate of the
Furiouss speeds iinto theaters on
April 14.
A choked up Diesel said
Walker had always
al envisioned
eight movies in the series. “I
always feel like
l he’s looking
down on us and we don’t
want to let him down,”
Diesel said.
Diesel in his usual man-
ner promised
promis that it will be,
“The best movie you have
ever seen.”
seen — AP
GUESS WHAT?
Dinda aims forr Affleck aappears at CinemaCon
inemaCon
colossal moviess LAS VEGAS: W Wonder Woman is here e to save the world
and possibly tthe future of Warner Bros.
ros. DC Comics
JAKARTA: Actress Dinda Kanyadewi is yearn- universe.
ing for a new challenge in n her acting career. footage featuring actress Gal
New footag al Gadot’s lasso-
The actress, who rose to popularity after wielding superhero
supe stole the show Wednesday night
playing the antagonist in TV soap operas at CinemaCon
CinemaCon, which also featured some peeks at
such as Cintra Fitri (Fitri’s Love), said she Aquaman an so marked Ben Af-
and Justice League. It also
wanted to act in “colossall movies.” She fleck’s firrst public appearance since acknowledging
omedy Hangout
had also starred in the comedy ehab for alcohol
he had recently completed rehab
last year. addict
addiction.
“The movie does not have to be The Batman star did not say any-
filled with action. I would d also like the thing,
thing but just stood alongside
side his
lossal biopic,”
opportunity to act in a colossal Justice
Justi League director Zack ck Snyder
the 30-year-old was quoted ted by kapan- and co-stars Henry Cavill, Jason
lagi.com as saying. Momoa
Mom and Ezra Miller.
She believes that getting ng a role But
B it was Wonder Woman’sman’s
in colossal movies will provide
ovide her show,
sho even though Gadott
with the challenges she needs to wasn’t
wa in Las Vegas.
develop as an actress. League footage spotlighted
ghted
“I think it’s going to be e fun. Gadot’s
Ga Wonder Woman as
I want to play characters who she
sh breaks into Affleck’s
live in a different era and d time. supposedly
su secured bat cave
I want to experience it,” she with
wi ease and informs the he
said. “Therefore, I really salute caped
ca crusader that theyy
actors and actresses who play would
wo need to assemble
in colossal movies.” — JP to defeat a threat. — AP

AP Kapanlagi.com AP