NOVEMBER 19-25, 2012

INDONESIA’S NEWS WEEKLY

ISSN: 1411 - 6065 LAW OUTREACH
WWW.TEMPO.CO
RP30,000 CLEMENCY FOR A DRUG QUEEN HEALTH WARRIORS

E N G L I S H

END OF
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NOVEMBER 19-25, 2012

END OF A PIPE DREAM 34

INDONESIA’S NEWS WEEKLY
ISSN: 1411 - 6065 LAW OUTREACH
WWW.TEMPO.CO
RP30,000 CLEMENCY FOR A DRUG QUEEN HEALTH WARRIORS

E N G L I S H

ESTABLISHED in July 2002, the oil and gas regulator BP Migas met its end when
the Constitutional Court ruled it to be unconstitutional, ordering its immediate
dissolution last week. Six hundred employees and jittery contractors of BP Migas
END OF are left in the lurch. Who are the losers and the winners in this seemingly smoke-
A PIPE and-mirrors political play?
DREAM 00013

9 771411 606501

Cover: Kendra Paramita

Law
Clemency for a Drug Queen
THE clemency President Yudhoyono
granted to drug dealer Meirika Franola
alias Ola, who was sentenced to death,
has prompted questions. Even as she
basked in the presidential reprieve
that saved her life, Ola was found to
be dealing drugs from behind bars.
Contrary to the palace’s contention that
she was just a courier, the police have
proof she is actually a major dealer.
Outreach
24 Health Warriors i
PUBLIC health centers—better known as puskesmas—
spearhead the delivery of health services in Indonesia.
Often, however, they provide sub-standard services,
neglecting to address even the most basic of health
problems. But people in Kekeri village in Lombok, West
Nusa Tenggara and in Biaro, Agam in West Sumatra,
decided to take matters into their own hands. Today, the
two puskesmas provide much better health services than
ever before. On the occasion of National Health Day, Tempo
English profiles these two village health centers.

Prelude Opinion National Economy Science & Profile

ANTARA/WAHYU PUTRO

Capital Events 10 Column 22 National 14 Economy 44 Technology Interview 74

Cartoon 10 Opinion 11 SMEs 52 Books 23 On the Record 72
Indicator 7 Sidelines 78 Memoir Envirobriefs 70 Scene & Heard 68
Letters 6 Memoir 58 International
Picture Window 8 International 57 Arts
Photo Essay 54 Arts 71

4 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012

LETTERS
Clarification on Jhonny’s Promise
AS Commission XI leader at the House of Representatives (DPR) and
also head of the Merpati Working Committee in Commission XI, I found
myself somewhat discomforted by two paragraphs contained in an arti-
cle on the extortions of state-owned enterprises by legislators, published
in the November 11, 2012, issue of Tempo magazine, page 30. The two
paragraphs are as follows:
The former president commissioner of Merpati then explained how he
was asked to pay a fee of Rp13 billion at a limited meeting in the office of the
leader of the Finance Commission at the end of last September. Accompa-
nied by some directors, Rudy was asked to confirm that he would fulfill Jhon-
ny’s promise. “Zulkiflimansyah led the meeting.” Rudy said he threw his
hands up when it came to bribery. “Even an in-law of the president was put
in jail,” he said.
A Tempo source in that commission confirmed Rudy’s story. He said that
Finance Commission vice-chairman Zulkiflimansyah asked about a fee be-
cause one of his members asked that it be paid after the news that some com-
missioners had already been given fees. “Pak Rudy didn’t dare give any-
thing,” they said on Tuesday last week.
We would like to clarify some facts regarding the two paragraphs
above.
1. It is true that a closed meeting was held in the Finance Commission
leader’s office. The meeting occurred on October 1, not at the end of Sep-
tember. It is indeed true that I led that meeting.
2. During that meeting, as far as we know, the only discussion was
about the business plan of Merpati’s new management and whether it
has any correlation to the previous business plan. Because, after all, the
2012 state capital investment is still related to the old business plan from
Merpati’s previous management. The new management answered clear-
ly that there is no connection between the new management’s business
plan and that of the previous management’s. They hold no responsibility
over anything that is related to the old management.
3. In that meeting, there was never any talk or discussion about a Rp13
billion tribute. I did not ask for that fee, nor was I urged by the members
to do so.
4. I ask for explanation from Merpati’s new CEO Rudy Setyopurno-
6 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012
E N G L I S H
Chief Editor Wahyu Muryadi
Deputy Chief Editor Yuli Ismartono
Executive Editor Hermien Y. Kleden
Senior Editor Richard Bennett
Editor Lucas Edward
Reporter Sadika Hamid
Editorial Staff Syarifani
Advertising Section Melly Rasyid (Head)
Translators Aris Prawira, Brady Buddviar, Farlan William, Jafar Karim, Jennifer Lindsay
(Sidelines), Josh Mitchell, Kendisan Kusumaatmadja, Judistira Moeis Pontoh, Laura
Rotinsulu, Marianus Kleden, Marjorie Suanda, Mohamad Hamid, Nataya Ermanti, Oik Yusuf
Araya, Sakia Kyu, Tamalia Alisjahbana, Tatu Maulani
TEMPO WEEKLY NEWS MAGAZINE (INDONESIAN EDITION)
Chief Editor Wahyu Muryadi
Deputy Chief Editor Gendur Sudarsono
Executive Editor Arif Zulkifli
Senior Editors Bambang Harymurti, Diah Purnomowati, Edi Rustiadi M, Fikri Jufri, Goenawan
Mohamad, Leila S. Chudori, Putu Setia, S. Malela Mahargasarie, Toriq Hadad
Managing Editors Bina Bektiati, Budi Setyarso, Hermien Y. Kleden, Idrus F. Shahab, L.R.
Baskoro, Mardiyah Chamim, M. Taufiqurohman, Nugroho Dewanto, Purwanto Setiadi, Seno
Joko Suyono
Editors Ahmad Taufik, Bagja Hidayat, Irfan Budiman, Kurniawan, Padjar Iswara, Purwani
Diyah Prabandari, Wahyu Dhyatmika, Yandhrie Arvian, Y. Tomi Aryanto.
Staff Writers Adek Media, Anton Aprianto, Budi Riza, Muchamad Nafi, Nunuy Nurhayati,
Retno Sulistyowati, Rini Kustiani, Rr Ariyani, Sunudyantoro, Yandi M. Rofiyandi, Cheta
Nilawaty, Fery Firmansyah, Harun Mahbub, Nieke Indrieta, Ninin P. Damayanti, Stefanus
Teguh Edi Pramono.
Reporters Sorta Tobing, Yuliawati
Language Editor Uu Suhardi Assistant Language Editors Sapto Nugroho
Graphics Design Gilang Rahadian (Creative Director), Eko Punto Pambudi, Djunaedi,
Kendra H. Paramita, Aji Yuliarto, Robby Eebor Layout Agus Darmawan Setiadi, Tri W. Widodo
Photography Ijar Karim (Coordinator)
Research & Documentation Priatna, Ade Subrata
Address Kebayoran Center Blok B-8, Jalan Kebayoran Baru, Mayestik,
Jakarta 12240. Tel: +6221-3916160, Fax: +6221-7250527 (editor)
Email red@tempo.co.id
TEMPO NEWS ROOM, TEMPO INTERACTIVE,
PDAT-CENTER FOR DATA & ANALYSIS.
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Tulus Wijanarko Editors Fajar W. Hermawan, Jajang Jamaluddin, Jobpie Sugiharto, Setri
Yasa Editorial Board Ali Anwar, Arif Firmansyah, Eni Saeni, Istiqomatul Hayati, Lis Yuliawati,
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Address Kebayoran Centre Blok A11- A15 Jalan Kebayoran Baru, Mayestik, Jakarta 12240.
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Email koran@tempo.co.id
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Gedung TEMPrint Lt. 4, Jalan Palmerah Barat No. 8, Jakarta 12210. Tel: +6221 5360409
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4273 SIUPP No. 354/SK/MENPEN/SIUPP/1998. Printed by PT TEMPRINT, Jakarta.

mo regarding that particular article of Tempo. Through the Black-
Berry Messenger instant messaging service, he replied, “I said
that when you led the meeting there was no discussion about the
Rp13 billion tribute. I explained to Pak Dahlan that Pak Zul who led
the meeting prevented the question from being directed towards
Jhonny’s commitment instead, and Pak Zul declared that the case
is closed. That is my explanation, sir. Best Regards.” In another
BBM message, Merpati CEO said, “I will explain later to the DPR’s
Ethics Council, but not to the media because I am avoiding the me-
dia, sir. Regards.”
Therefore, I would like to clarify that the closed meeting con-
tained no discussion about a Rp13-billion tribute. I did not request
a fee to be distributed to members of House Commission XI.
DR ZULKIEFLIMANSYAH
House of Representatives’ Commission XI Deputy Chief
Be Careful with Citilink
FROM many days earlier, I had already booked the plane tick-
et to return home to Java. I chose a flight on Wednesday night, No-
vember 14, because it was an ideal time for me as I would have fin-
ished work and was about to have a long weekend.
Before 7pm, I had arrived at Lombok International Airport to
check-in because my flight, 663PK-GGP, was scheduled for depar-
ture at 8:30pm. To my surprise, I learned that the plane had al-
ready taken off. The officer said that the plane departed at 5:40pm.
Eight other people were also left behind. I was deeply disappoint-
ed as I was unable to immediately see my child and sick wife.
That night, the district manager tried to find us another plane
from a different airline, while we were lodged in a hotel closest to
the airport. We finally managed to board a Batavia aircraft sched-
uled for departure the following day at 7am.
I would like to tell every Citilink passenger to be careful, so that
what happened to me will not be repeated in the future.
MUKHLIS WIBOWO
Karangkidul 611, South Magelang
Magelang
Unsatisfied by JNE
ON Monday, October 15, 2012, I decided to use JNE’s YES (One-
day Delivery) premium package to Makassar with receipt number
TGRF800001826112. Against my expectation, the package failed
to arrive at its destination the next day.
I protested to JNE. They said that I could get my money refund-
ed at the agent who carried out the delivery. The agent, however,
refused to do so, saying that I must first confirm the matter to the
larger agent. JNE’s apparent attempt to escape responsibility is in-
consistent with its advertisement: “YES, One-Day Delivery with
Money Back Guarantee.”
EKA AYU
Kebayoran Center Blok A 11-15
Jl. Kebayoran Baru, Mayestik, Jakarta
INDICATOR
Do you believe, that the Ethics Council of the House
of Representatives (DPR) will take firm action
against House members proven of extorting money
from State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs)?
(November 7-14, 2012)
Yes Unsure
6% 1.24%
(463) (19)
No No
91% 95.68%
(6,586) (1,462)
Unsure Yes
3% 3.08%
(201) (47)
Total: 7,520 (100%) Total: 1,528 (100%)
Waiting for Ethics Council
Action
THE hot potato, thrown by State-Owned Enterprises
Minister Dahlan Iskan, is now with the House of
Representatives (DPR) . Dahlan’s report that some
members from the House allegedly requested kickbacks
from managing directors of state-owned enterprises is
finally at the top of the ‘actionable’ pile on the DPR Ethics
Council’s table.
Ethics Council Chairman M. Prakosa, an Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician, assures
that the council will process Dahlan’s report. A number
of state-owned enterprises, which allegedly were being
extorted by DPR politicians, are soon to be called. PT
Merpati and PT Garam say they are ready. So far only
Ismed Hasan Putro, CEO of PT RNI, has been examined by
the council.
Yet even then some House members ridiculed the
process. They claimed that Dahlan’s report is not
accompanied by strong evidence. “There is no proof,
only information that Dahlan received from state-owned
enterprises’ directors,” said Prakosa.
Maybe because of such “a priori” attitude and the
public’s belief that DPR members are not serious in
eradicating corruption, most Tempo.co and Yahoo!
Indonesia readers conclude that Dahlan’s report will
reach a dead end.
More than 90 percent of respondents from both sites
do not believe that that the Ethics Council will take stern
action against DPR members who allegedly requested
kickbacks from state-owned enterprises.
Next Week’s Polls
Do you think that Rhoma Irama is suitable to run in
the 2014 presidential election? We look forward to your
comments and answers at www.tempo.co
Also follow the polling at www.yahoo.co.id
NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 7
PICTURE WINDOW
 WANTON DESTRUCTION.
The Forestry Ministry last week destroyed hundreds of
mounted and stuffed animals that had been in the hands
of private collectors. Among the 258 animals were 48
endangered species, including of 15 Sumatran tigers
(Panthera tigris sumatrae), 2 honey bears (Helarctos
malayanus), 22 birds of paradise (Paradiseidae) and 48 deer
antlers. The burning at Manggala Wanabakti is meant to
discourage and prevent the illegal trading of wild animals.

PHOTO: TEMPO/DASRIL ROSZANDI

CARTOON
CAPITAL EVENTS
DANCE PERFORMANCE
Andara Firman Moeis Dance presents
Memo-Lusion on November 23-24, 8pm-
10pm, at Salihara, Jl. Salihara No. 16, Ke-
bagusan, South Jakarta. For more detail
please call 62-21-7891202 or log on to sali-
hara.org
MUSIC PERFORMANCE
❭❭ Kom Art Fest
2012: The Beatles Jif-
fyjive! on November
24, 7pm-12pm, at Roll-
ing Stone Cafe, Jl. Am-
pera Raya No. 16, Ci-
landak Timur, South
Jakarta. For more de-
tail log on to www.
loveindonesia.com
10 | | OCTOBER 25, 2012
❭❭ The 35th Jazz Goes To Campus on Novem-
ber 25, 11am-11pm, at Universitas Indone-
sia, Jl. Kampus UI, Pondok Cina, Depok.
For more detail log on to jgtcfestival.com
❭❭ Adidas together with Breathe and Stop
present Laced Up Tour 2012 on Novem-
ber 23, 9pm, at Equinox, Senayan Square
complex, Jl. Asia Afrika No. 8, Central Ja-
karta. Ticket: Rp150,000. For reservation,
*Who’s behind Franola?
email to tickets@heavyboogie.com. For
more detail please call 62-21- 572 5559.
SEMINAR
Permata Bank and Erasmus Huis proud-
ly present Via PanAm—Kadir van Lohuizen
photo seminar on November 19, 7pm-9pm,
at Auditorium Erasmus Huis, Jalan H.R. Ra-
suna Said Kav. S-3, Jakarta. For more de-
tail please call 085692021655, email info@
pannafoto.org or log on to erasmushuis-
in.nlmission.org
MOVIE
Bennie Stout, November 24, 1:30pm-4pm,
CARTOON: PRIYANTO S
at Auditorium Erasmus Huis, Jl. H.R. Rasu-
na Said Kav. S-3, Kuningan, Jakarta. For
more detail please call 62-21 524 1069 or log
on to erasmushuis-in.nlmission.org ●
 Opinion TEMPO, NOVEMBER 19-25, 2012
END OF A PIPE DREAM
T
HE Constitutional Court must
not go by its suspicions alone,
when ruling in a case. Neither
should it be emotional, even if
those asking for a judicial review
are prominent individuals and dozens of Is-
lamic organizations, including Muhammadi-
yah and Nahdlatul Ulama. They asked for a re-
view and demanded the dissolution of the up-
stream oil and gas regulator, BP Migas.
Constitutional Court Chief Justice Mahfud
Md. seems to have ignored the principle of ap-
plying caution when he announced the disso-
lution of BP Migas. This magazine is in agree-
ment with constitutional justice Harjono, who
put forward a dissenting opinion, contradict-
ing the majority of the judges. The guardians
of the constitution appear to have shown in-
sufficient caution over one absolutely essen-
tial component of a hearing: the legal stand-
ing of the plaintiff. The individuals and orga-
nizations asking for the judicial review do not have a direct interest
in the fundamentals of the case, and therefore their request should
have been dismissed.
The court annulled several articles of Law No. 22/2001 on Oil and
Natural Gas. The provisions on which the establishment of BP Mi-
gas were based, were seen as opening the way to the liberalization
of oil and gas management. The legal considerations, seemingly
anti-foreigner in sentiment, are very strange because this law was
a product of the reform era, whose key figures are well-known na-
tionalists. The president at the time was Megawati Soekarnopu-
tri, the speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly was Amien
Rais, and the House of Representatives (DPR) was then led by Ak-
bar Tandjung. Interestingly, two of the Constitutional Court judges
now in favor of dissolving BP Migas were members of the DPR that
enacted the Oil and Gas Law.
There is no way of avoiding foreign companies in this nation’s oil
and gas business sector. Exploration on a massive scale is needed to
increase oil and natural gas reserves. The offshore drilling needed
requires a huge investment of at least US$20 million per well. Each
well in shallow waters costs at least US$2 million. Only foreign com-
panies have the means to raise these amounts of capital.
It is also strange that the court felt that BP Migas had the poten-
tial to be inefficient and that its working practices enabled abuses of
authority. Following this train of logic, it is difficult to find any state
body that is constitutional and has no potential for abuse or inef-
ficiency. This is why an oversight system is needed, which unfor-
tunately BP Migas did not have. But this prob-
lem could have been solved with a revision to
the Oil and Gas Law to establish a superviso-
ry agency.
A public body not mentioned in the con-
stitution is not necessarily unconstitution-
al. There was nothing wrong constitutionally
with establishing BP Migas. The state interest
in the organization was protected by two insti-
tutions directly elected by the people, name-
ly the president and the DPR. The degree of
state involvement in BP Migas was very high
because its chairman was appointed and dis-
missed by the president, in consultation with
the DPR.
It is not impossible that there were abus-
es or even corruption in the body that man-
aged projects valued at around Rp300 tril-
lion. If the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) sus-
pected manipulation of the working contracts
to the tune of US$1.7 billion (conversely, BP Mi-
gas claimed the BPK declared it to be in order without exception),
then it was only necessary to investigate these alleged abuses. The
charge by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) concern-
ing potential state losses of Rp152 trillion also need to be proven. If
this did happen, those responsible should be prosecuted, without
having to throw the baby out with the bath water.
The Constitutional Court has made its decision, and its rulings are
final. The government needs to implement it immediately. The work
unit under the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, the tempo-
rary replacement for BP Migas, must fill the vacuum. Legal certain-
ty of contracts needs to be maintained to prevent negative impacts
on investment. The oil and gas sector is very sensitive. Besides need-
ing massive investment and high technology, it is a long-term busi-
ness venture. It is understandable if people are now worried: if the
mighty BP Migas can be dissolved, what about contracts?
In the long term, the new body or state-owned enterprise that will
represent and implement the governance function must be better,
be more transparent and more accountable. The organization must
be strong, and be staffed with professionals of unquestionable integ-
rity. The proceeds from oil and gas must not in colloquial language,
“merely move from the tiger’s mouth to the crocodile’s mouth.”
The government has its work cut out, following the demise of BP
Migas. It must improve the declining numbers for oil lifting and at
the same time guarantee maximum revenues from oil and gas to
bring about prosperity for the people.
● FULL STORY PAGE 34
NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 11
Opinion
MISPLACED MERCY
Meirika Franola, a convicted drug dealer, was granted clemency. Controversy
arose when Yudhoyono, who granted the clemency, was not transparent.
T
HE arguments over whether clemency should have been
granted to Meirika Franola, alias Ola, continue, to the
yawns of all concerned, because something is still very
unclear. Clemency is the prerogative of the president.
That is clear. When clemency is being considered, the president
can ask for advice from the Supreme Court and other legal institu-
tions, which is clear too. The fact is that when it was asked its opin-
ion about granting clemency to Ola, the Supreme Court voiced its
opposition. That was crystal clear.
What remains unclear is what the president took into consider-
ation when he granted Ola clemency. If it is seen as confidential,
and the president is willing to take full responsibility for it, that
would be acceptable. But one thing must be clear and transpar-
ent to the public: were the considerations related to the conduct of
the person asking for clemency, or to a new presidential policy that
views the death penalty as a breach of the constitution?
This unanswered question has given rise to suspicions. Some
beleive that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono granted Ola
clemency because he sees her as merely a courier, not a drugs
mastermind or trafficker. But it turned out that Ola, who was
granted clemency on September 26, 2012, was able to control the
drug trade from inside jail. This came to light following the arrest
of a drug smuggler in Bandung, who claimed Ola was the brains
behind the smuggling of crystal methamphetamine from India
into Indonesia.
If the reason Yudhoyono granted Ola clemency had nothing to
do with whether or not she was a courier or a drugs mastermind,
but entirely because the president opposes the death penalty, that
would be a different problem. The president would then have to
grant clemency to every person on death row throughout the coun-
NO MORE TOLL ROADS!
The funds allocated for the construction of six toll roads could be used
to improve the public transportation system.
T
RYING to solve Jakarta’s traffic congestion problems by
building new toll roads is like trying to stop a leak by buying
a bucket. No matter how many kilometers of roads are built—
toll or otherwise—it would not be enough to accommodate
the new cars coming into the city. Congestion will occur as long as the
problem of rising demand for cars in the city is not addressed.
Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo, who has yet to approve the con-
struction of these six city toll roads, should take a stand and op-
pose them, as he said he would a few months ago during his elec-
12 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012
try, without exception, whether they have been convicted of drugs
offenses, terrorism or anything else. The public must be informed
of this new presidential policy, and perhaps it would need a new
law. Of course there must be a debate to decide whether our legal
system should still employ the death penalty.
In the Ola case, the revocation of this clemency—which the pal-
ace has said is a possibility—should not happen. In addition to being
unethical, “swallowing your own spit” as the saying goes, would
give the impression of inconsistency. We must remember it con-
cerns the life of a person. If there is no legal certainty, and this be-
comes a precedent, clemency could be revoked if there was pres-
sure. Where would the president’s authority be if that happened?
The best option is to put Ola on trial for the most recent case, af-
ter the clemency was granted, namely the charge that she was be-
hind the smuggling of crystal methamphetamine into Bandung. If
she is found guilty, she would face the harshest punishment still in
force: death. This should be easy to apply given that she repeated
her earlier crime, ruining the lives of young people. There are oth-
er articles the public prosecutors know only too well and on top of
these would be the most serious crime: squandering the clemency
granted by the president.
If Ola was sentenced to death a second time, matters would be
much clearer. If the president granted clemency again, it would
mean he had “other intentions” other than ending the death pen-
alty. If clemency was refused, the execution would go ahead. A
firm stance is needed from the president and his aides to eradicate
drugs, a problem that is growing worse in this nation.
This would be far more important than worrying about whether
the drug mafia has penetrated the Palace or not.
● FULL STORY PAGE 24
tion campaign. But so far, he has not officially notified the Ministry
of Public Works of his plan to reject it.
As Jokowi said, the construction of new toll roads would only
benefit owners of private cars and add to the city’s traffic burden.
New toll roads would encourage more cars to enter the city. This
opinion is shared by the signatories to a petition launched by the
Ruang Jakarta (Rujak) Center for Urban Studies and Change.org op-
posing the building of the roads.
If the wrong logic is used, people might conclude that new roads
would reduce traffic congestion. They assume that cars current-
ly blocking the old roads would be taken out of circulation. But a
glance at the alarming data on Jakarta’s traffic shows this to be mis-
taken. At present, during the day, there are 2.5 million cars in Ja-
karta—a total that does not include the almost 1 million commodity
vehicles and buses. If the average car is 2.5 meters long, 2.5 million
vehicles need 6.25 million meters. If buses and trucks are added,
the requirement is 9 million meters. However the total length of Ja-
karta’s roads (toll and ordinary) is only 6.7 million meters.
Fortunately not every vehicle is on the road at the same time, and
many roads have more than one lane. But even with this state of af-
fairs, cars in Jakarta average only 15-20 kilometers per hour. The
building of less than 70 kilometers of new toll roads will not solve this
problem. With 200,000 additional cars every year, as has been the
case for the last few years, there will always be traffic congestion.
If the government is serious about tackling traffic problems, it
IMAGE RESOLUTION
Celebrities are contesting the election for governor of West Java.
Our democracy is not yet healthy.
W
EST Java looks like a venue preparing for a film fes-
tival. Advertising hoardings, banners and posters of
celebrities are all over Indonesia’s most populous
province, despite the fact that the real ‘festival’ or the
upcoming gubernatorial election is not happening until February.
Most importantly, it has nothing to do with the movies. But all the
parties are competing to highlight their stars of the silver screen.
Ahmad Heryawan, the incumbent, is running with Deddy Miz-
war, who played the leading role in the 2007 film Nagabonar. Dede
Yusuf, the incumbent deputy governor, starred in Catatan si Boy
(1987), while the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-
P) candidate Rieke Diah Pitaloka, acted in Berbagi Suami (2006),
whose new running mate is someone quite different, anticorrup-
tion activist Teten Masduki.
It is easy to guess what goes on in the minds of political party chiefs
when they recruit movie stars. The opinion polls have become the
‘gods’ of this political contest. By recruiting movie stars, the parties
do not have to work too hard to make their candidates popular, an
onerous and expensive exercise. The public already know these ac-
tors, even if they know nothing of their politics. And this ‘recipe’ has
now been used by Ahmad Heryawan, who has led West Java for al-
most five years. He will recruit Deddy Mizwar as his running mate.
However, West Java’s main problem is not a shortage of mov-
ie stars, but corruption and poverty, together with a breakdown
of inter-religious harmony. The number of poor people stands at
4.5 million, or 10.09 percent. This is worse than Bangka-Belitung,
Banten or North Maluku. And the province is the site of disharmo-
ny and rights violation, where violence is often directed at religious
groups. According to the Public Advocacy and Studies Board, in
the first four months of this year, there were nine cases of violence,
should prioritize improvements to the public transportation sys-
tem. One cause of gridlock is Jakarta’s poor public transportation.
The city’s buses are uncomfortable, they run late and they are un-
safe, prompting middle-class car owners to go in their own vehi-
cles. Therefore the Rp42 trillion allocated for the six toll roads could
be used instead to improve the public transportation system.
A dual-line monorail network and coaches capable of carrying
390,000 people per day would cost Rp3.6 trillion. With the funds
set aside for the toll roads, we could build nine additional lines. This
would mean that more than 2 million people could be provided with
transportation every day. The funds could also be used to build the
Lebak Bulus-Dukuh Atas subway line, which would cost Rp17 tril-
lion—a figure that Jokowi says could be reduced even further.
Jokowi has no choice. He must realize his own campaign call:
“Move people, not cars!”
● FULL STORY PAGE 20
the highest number in Indonesia.
The most worrying problem of all is corruption. Indonesia Cor-
ruption Watch data for this year shows that at least 13 cases have re-
sulted in West Java officials being tried. Moreover, the Indonesian
Forum for Transparency has recorded 363 cases of violence that
have cost the state a total of Rp32.5 billion—as noted in a release
from the BPK or Supreme Audit Agency, at the start of this year.
Because so many regional bureaucrats have ended up in court,
perhaps the spectacle of officials on trial is now giving the soaps
a run for their money. Three officials were suspended after being
charged with corruption: Subang Regent Eep Hidayat, Bekasi Dep-
uty Mayor Mochtar Mohamad, and Bogor Deputy Mayor Achmad
Ru’yat. Garut Regent Agus Supriadi was sentenced to 10 years after
he was found guilty of embezzling regional budget funds from 2004
to 2007. West Bandung Regent Abubakar was declared a suspect in
2009 in a case involving the disbursement of the government bud-
get. Ciamis Deputy Regent Dedi Sobandi was jailed for two years
and six months in 2005 for embezzling House budget funds. And
even Danni Setiawan, Ahmad Heryawan’s predecessor, was jailed
for embezzling funds allocated to the fire department.
The short cut to election victory by using celebrities would mean
something if these candidates had the competencies needed to ad-
dress the problems of West Java. Unfortunately there have been so
few signs of any such capabilities from these entertainers. If one of
them is elected—because of popularity—it would mean an end to
hopes for progress in West Java. Enthusiasm and sincerity might
make up for deficiencies in competency. But the election of the
West Java governor that is costing Rp1 trillion, should tell us that the
democratic process in this nation is far from healthy.
● FULL STORY PAGE 14
NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 13
NATIONAL WEST JAVA ELECTION

FIGHTING
FOR POWER
OVER
PASUNDAN
Five pairs of candidates vying for the West Java governorship
will battle in the elections next February, each of them
hoping to get the “Jokowi effect” of the recent Jakarta
gubernatorial polls.

A
FTER announcing
their candidacy in the
election for West Java
Governor and Deputy
Governor on November
8, Rieke Diah Pitaloka
and Teten Masduki de-
cided to wear white shirts. Rieke said white
was a symbol of purity, which was also their
slogan, in an attempt create a province free
of corruption.
But they discovered they did not have the
monopoly on white shirts. Two days later,
fellow contenders Ahmad Heryawan and
Deddy Mizwar also dressed in white when
they declared their candidacy. Irianto M.S.
Syafiudin and Tatang Farhanul Hakim was
up next in wearing white shirts when they
registered at the West Java General Elec-
tions Commission (KPUD) in Bandung one
Commission IX.
Jokowi is Joko Widodo, Solo’s former
mayor who won the Jakarta gubernatorial
elections last September. During his cam-
paign, the Jokowi-Basuki Tjahaja Purnama
running mates were well-known for their
signature black-and-red plaid shirts. Then,
two days after the announcement, Rieke
and Teten were summoned by the the Indo-
nesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-
P), chairperson, Megawati Soekarnoputri,
to her home on Jalan Teuku Umar, Jakarta.
Jokowi was waiting there. After discuss-
ing options on the elections, Jokowi ad-
vised Rieke and Teten to have a brand that
voters could easily identify them with. “Just
wear plaid again. There are still a lot left-
TEMPO/PRIMA MULIA

day after. “In the end, at Jokowi’s sugges-

tion, we wore plaid shirts when we went Rieke Diah Pitaloka and Teten Masduki
to the KPU,” said Rieke, a member of the submitting required documents to the
House of Representatives (DPR) House West Java KPU, November 10.

14 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012

NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 15
NATIONAL WEST JAVA ELECTION

over from the previous campaign,” he said.

Rieke agreed at the practical suggestion.
“Besides, we want to continue Jokowi’s
spirit about change,” she said. “The plaid
enthusiasm.”
Charges that she is riding on Jokowi’s
success does not bother Rieke. “I need a
role model,” she said. Besides, after trav-
elling around to a few towns near Jakar-
ta, she realized that there were still many
Jokowi-Basuki volunteers. They include
factory workers in Bekasi, also employees
in offices in Depok and Bogor, who contrib-
uted and bought the Jokowi black-and-red
plaid shirts. “They are the potential voters
we need to work on,” stated Rieke.
As a result, Rieke stays in Bandung more
often now. During the long weekend last
week, she was seen going back and forth to
the West Java PDI-P headquarters. Rieke,
the woman who played Oneng in the sitcom
Bajaj Bajuri, is enthusiastically planning a
winning strategy. She has three months be-
fore the upcoming February elections.
Rieke’s party gave her a very limited
time to run her campaign. Two years ago,
she was asked by the West Java PDI-P chief
, Rudy Harsa Tanaya, to run as a candidate
for West Java’s deputy governor during an
internal party selection. Those interested
in running were to be selected during a PDI-
P convention in Surabaya last October 12-
14. Rudy himself applied to become a can-
didate for governor.
Some regents also applied, including the
one from Kuningan, Aang Hamid Suganda;
Sumedang regent, Don Murdono; and even
Subang regent, Eep Hidayat, who was once
embroiled in a graft case. After submitting
her application, Rieke started to make her- va’s governor should be a woman,” Hasan- vey, the PDI-P elite decided they would feel
self publicly known by putting up posters uddin said, quoting Megawati. more at ease going their own way. With 17
in some regencies. Before the campaign in- Nevertheless, a battle inside PDI-P to de- seats in the West Java Regional Represen-
tensfied, she posted pictures of herself, and cide who should run, took place. Yusuf Ma- tatives Council (DPRD), the party would be
a strong message on rejecting the plan to in- can Effendi, popularly known as Dede Yu- able to support a candidate of their own,
crease the price of fuel. It was a big issue suf, a candidate supported by the Democrat without having to coalesce with another
last July. “But I was still planning to run ffor Party, met up a few times with Taufiq Kie- party.
the deputy governor job,” she said. mas, Megawati’s husband and chairman of Teten was also scrutinized in the selec-
The PDI-P hired a survey institution to the party’s Advisory Council. Dede had in- tion process by the PDI-P seniors. “But it
determine the most popular names from tended to form a coalition with PDI-P. only took half an hour for Kang Teten. My
the party and Rieke’s always appeared at He was willing to be paired with a regent interview took three hours,” said Rieke. A
the top of the list. Since then, Rieke was en- whose name was included in the list of PDI- week before the announcement, Rieke and
couraged to apply as a gubernatorial candi- P’s candidates. Aang Suganda went so far Teten were asked to meet Megawati. Rieke
date. Tubagus Hasanuddin, Rudy’s succes- as to make an open statement that all the later reported that Mega supported their
sor, then got Teten as candidate of Rieke’s regents would support Dede. As a result, candidacy. “I know you two don’t have
deputy. At the time, Megawati implicitly Dede was optimistic that he could form a any money. Try and think of ways to raise
agreed to support Rieke who had quietly partnership with a PDI-P candidate. How- some,” said Mega, as explained by Rieke.
lobbied the PDI-P elite and elders. “West Ja- ever, after examining the results of the sur- To cut costs, Rieke and Teten quickly as-

16 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012


Dede Yusuf and Lex Laksamana at
the West Java KPU.
signed themselves to different tasks. Rieke
was to focus on acquiring voters through
the party. She already has the “capital” to
do so. Eight out of 18 regencies, plus the
nine townships in West Java are already
headed by PDI-P cadres. Meanwhile, Teten
will reach out to activists. Teten’s anti-cor-
ruption movement network and his role as
the Secretary General of Transparency In-
ternational Indonesia would make it easier
to communicate with non-government or-
ganizations.
Their strategy was to be carried out by a
campaign team led by Tubagus Hasanud-
din. “We will take on the same strategy we candidate for deputy governor. Already
used to help Jokowi-Ahok win,” stated the well known as a big screen actor, he chose
retired major general, the former military to look elsewhere to find his running mate.
secretary of President Megawati. His main priority was to find a bonafide bu-
However, because there are six times as reaucrat. According to Saan Mustopa, dep-
many more voters in West Java as in Jakar- uty secretary general of the Democrat Par-
ta, it will not only be the party’s elite going ty, Dede had three discussions with Yud-
out and getting the votes. “Everyone who hoyono in choosing his deputy. Two names
has a PDI-P card must participate,” he said. popped up: Edi Darnadi, the West Java PAN
The campaignteam also included the par- Party and Regional Secretary, Lex Lasma-
ty’s elite, as well as regents and executives na.
of the local PDI-P chapters. Although they have enough seats in the
Hasanudding is not worried about Rieke West Java parliament, 28 in all, the Demo-
and Teten’s lack of experience in gov- crat party had always welcomed the op-
erning, which would have lessened their portunity for coalitions with other parties.
chances of winning. He explained that ac- Saan reasoned that West Java province was
cording to the PDI-P survey results, peo- too vast to manage alone. Hence the Nation-
ple wanted a governor who was clean and al Mandate Party, the National Awakening
able to bring West Java out of its stigma as Party (PKB), and recently, the Great Indo-
the most corrupt province. “That’s why nesian Movement Party (Gerindra), who
they are the perfect pair. As for bureaucrat- failed to form an alliance with the PDI-P, de-
ic management, we can rope in the help of clared would merge into a coalition. Some
experts and academics,” he said.
Rieke-Teten is not the only team to emu-
late Jokowi’s popular moves and clean im-
age. Ahmad Heryawan, the incumbent
candidate from the Justice and Prosperity Rieke-Teten is not
Party (PKS), had selected actor Deddy Miz-
war as his vote-getter. Deddy has also em-
the only candidates
ployed the services of Eep Saefulloh Fatah, to emulate Jokowi’s
the Polmark Indonesia director, the politi- popular moves
cal consultant who also aided Jokowi in his
campaign. and clean image.
Deddy’s candidacy is followed by three Ahmad Heryawan,
other famous actors. “Aher is smart, Ded-
dy is currently one of the top commercial
the incumbent
stars,” said Iwan Sulandjana, West Java candidate from
Democrat Party chief.
The Democrat party is supporting Dede
the Justice and
Yusuf, who was backed by the National Prosperity Party,
Mandate Party (PAN) during the 2008 elec- has selected actor
tions. He has since switched to the Dem-
ocrat Party after he decided to run in the Deddy Mizwar as
West Java elections. According to Iwan, an his vote-getter.
internal Democrat survey revealed that
Dede could win 57 percent of the votes in
Deddy has also
the 2013 elections. employed the
So, during a high council meeting led
by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Octo-
services of Eep
ber 5, he set aside the other Democrat can- Saefulloh Fatah, the
didates: Iwan Sulandjana, House of Rep- Director of Polmark
resentatives (DPR) member Daday Huda-
ya, Bandung Mayor Dada Rosada, dangdut Indonesia, the
singer Teddy Suratmadji, and the Rector of political consultant
Langlangbuana University, Brigadier Gen-
eral Nana Rukmana.
who aided Jokowi
Dede was then free to choose his own in his campaign.
NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 17
NATIONAL WEST JAVA ELECTION
regents, considered successful, have been
proposed as Dede’s partner—most of them
from the PDI-P.
They include Sumedang regent Don Mur-
dono and Kuningan regent Aang Suganda.
As a result, there was a time when an at-
tempt to unite the Democrat and PDI-P par-
ties was ripe for discussion. Taufiq Kiemas
even agreed to support Dede as candidate
with a deputy from PDI-P. Yet Dede must
still undergo a round of elimination in his
party first. After examining results of the
survey, Rieke’s name rocketed to the top.
causing the PDI-P elite to decide to run on
their own.
Therefore, the names Lex and Edi, ac-
cording to Iwan Sulandjana, was the main
reason why the two largest parties in West
Java to failed to coalesce. After seeing PDI-
P’s candidate, it seemed odd forming an al-
liance with them, said Iwan. “With Rieke?
An actor with an actor? It would have been
too complicated. Plus, Aang is Dede’s un-
18 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012
cle, which is also not good,” said Iwan.
Dede then chose Lex after getting a rec-
ommendation from PAN chairman, Hatta
Rajasa, who also happens to be Yudhoyo-
no’s in-law. Lex and Hatta have a close rela-
tionship because they are both active mem-
bers of the Bandung Institute of Technol-
ogy (ITB) Alumni Organization. Dede also
admitted to Democrat Party elites that he
felt more comfortable working with Lex,
because their families had become close.
As an inexperienced deputy governor,
Dede had much to learn about bureaucra-
cy from Lex.
The Democrat High Council also took this
into consideration when they agreed with
Dede’s decision. Lex was to handle West Ja-
va’s bureaucracy because he has served in
the province’s administrative office since
1977. He has served as regional secretary
since 2006 and is also well-informed on
government programs under Dede Yusuf’s
vice-governorship. “Pak Lex is not well-
Dikdik and Cecep registering as West
Java governor and deputy-governor
candidates.
known, but he is more than qualified on bu-
reaucratic matters,” said Dede.
Saan thinks a coalition in West Java, a
huge province, would be an inevitable ne-
cessity. Dede’s celebrity can add to the
Democrat votes, which booked 30 percent
of the votes in the 2009 elections. They feel
they have enough “capital.” Aside from
the PDI-P cadres, most regents in West Java
are Democrats. Party strongholds include
Bekasi, Karawang, Bandung Rawa, Suka-
bumi, Cianjur and Garut.
In the next three months, one out of the
TEMPO/PRIMA MULIA
five teams will be the new leaders of the Pa-
sundan area.
● BAGJA HIDAYAT, WIDIARSI AGUSTINA, AHMAD FIKRI,
ANWAR SISWADI (BANDUNG)
NATIONAL MRT

THE PROMISE OF
MRT IN JAKARTA
The concept is a fully automatic railway to serve a target
400,000 passengers a day. Didi and Anisa share the dream of not
“growing old on the streets.” For these two residents of South
Tangerang, not having to head to work in the wee hours of the
morning just to avoid traffic delays would be a luxury.

T
HIS is why Didi, an employ-
ee at a private bank in Jalan
Thamrin, and Anisa, who has
a career in the heart of the
business district in Kuningan,
hope that the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)
project will soon materialize. Their dream
did come close to becoming a reality once,
but that was before it was decided to halt
this project, which costs nearly a trillion ru-
piah per kilometer. The new governor of Ja-
karta, Joko Widodo, says he still doubts the
business calculations of the megaproject he
inherited from Fauzi Bowo. It is felt that this
project, built on a loan agreement from the
Japan International Cooperation Agency, is
too costly. The governor hopes that in De-
cember he will be able to resume the proj-
ect. At the end of this year, the MRT project
will be put up for bidding, for the construc- on time,” Didi added. Computer graphic illustrations of MRT
tion of the first stage of the 15-kilometer According to Arief Heryanto, Director lines and stations.
stretch from Lebak Bulus to the HI Round- of Railroad Infrastructure for the Direc-
about. Until then, deliberation meetings tor General of Railroads at the Ministry of
are the only scheduled activity. Transportation, this kind of train can reach and communications-based train control
“But don’t take too long,” said Anisa, the speed of 120 kilometers per hour. How- (CBTC) technology. Its heart will be a con-
“Don’t make people wait a long time with- ever, as the stations will not be more than trol tower in Lebak Bulus.
out any explanation.” She rightly expects a kilometer apart, the train will only reach With this technology, the distance be-
much, because that stretch of road present- 50 kilometers per hour. tween MRTs can be regulated. For instance,
ly takes two hours to travel. With the MRT, At that speed, Arief added, the waiting if they are too close, the trailing train will
there is promise of just a 30-minute trip. An period or headway between trains will be slow down on its own. In fact, when some-
additional 8.1 kilometers reaching to Kam- just five minutes. “In the first stage there thing is wrong with a part of the track or a
pung Bandan in North Jakarta—the next will be 16 MRT trains operating from 5am train, the MRT will stop automatically. “The
PHOTO: PT MRT

phase of construction—will only take an ad- to midnight, and each train will have six concept is like the one in France, which is
ditional 22 minutes. “It won’t matter if it’s cars,” he said. fully automatic but still supervised by an
full, as long as we can reach the destination The MRT in Jakarta will use electricity engineer,” said Arief. ● SYAILENDRA

20 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012

 CALCULATING TICKET PRICE
H
ADI Sritjahjo Legowo, Head of Planning at the Ministry of Transportation,
said that MRT tickets in Jakarta could sell for Rp150 per kilometer. This
price is in addition to the platform entry fee of Rp3,000. Each commuter
who travels from Lebak Bulus will have to pay Rp5,100 to reach the Dukuh Atas Sta-
tion. If he goes to Kampung Bandan, the total cost will be Rp6,300.
The calculations for the cost of riding the MRT was made based on the basic engi-
neering design two years ago. The price of tickets could change based on details in
the engineering design and the company awarded the project.
According to Hadi, the Ministry of Transportation has predicted an increased in-
come of 1.5 percent among the middle class in 2020. “At that time, it is hoped that
passenger demand will exceed 378,000 people per day and 20,000 per hour dur-
ing busy hours,” he said.
The targeted number of passengers could be even higher if the electronic road
pricing scheme is applied to roadways along the same route. The Ministry of Trans-
portation has already scoped out the area in question, covering Blok M, Semanggi,
Manggarai, Dukuh Atas, Monas, Harmoni, and Kota.
“With the assumption of 309,594 four-wheeled vehicles and 478,669 two-
wheeled vehicles which pass that way during peak hours, there will be an addition-
al non-ticket revenue of Rp1.06 trillion in 2020,” said Hadi. ● SYAILENDRA

CLOSED TICKETING
SYSTEM AND
ELECTRONIC CARD
THERE will ticket scanners. above ground
Passengers will have to scan
their tickets to exit the station. Kota underground
Kampung Bandan TEXT: SYAILENDRA

Glodok
Mangga Besar
CORRIDOR II
Sawah Besar Harmoni
HI Roundabout-
Kampung Bandan Monas
8.1 kilometers Sarinah
The HI Roundabout
Dukuh Atas
Setiabudi
Istora
Bendungan Hilir
Sisingamaraja Senayan
Blok M
Blok A
STATION Haji Nawi
Measures 4 x 170 meters and has space
designated for retail shops. There are four Lebak Bulus Cipete Raya CORRIDOR I
doors for passengers to enter and exit the Lebak Bulus-HI
trains. The MRT and platform doors open Roundabout
Fatmawati 15.2 kilometers
simultaneously.
Seven stations
above ground
TRAIN Six stations 15
Speed: 50 kilometers per hour. meters below
Each train has six cars. Each car is main roads
2.95 meters wide and 14.5 meters
long. It has 42 seats with a total
capacity of 160 passengers.

NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 21

Column
AGING AND THE WORKING
POPULATION
T
HE aging of the population is related to numerous
factors, namely declining number of births, improve-
ment in health care, medical technology, lifestyle,
education and welfare.
Reduced number of births yields smaller number of young
people. At the same time the number of elderly people keeps
growing, due to the large size of the pre-family-planning genera-
tion that grows older. Elderly people live longer and among them
women outnumber men. All countries, Indonesia included, are
confronted with the paradox of demographic trends: the rising
number of senior citizens and the decline of young people.
By the mid 21st century there will be four times more elder-
ly people aged 60 years and older living in Indonesia (75 mil-
lion) compared with the condition in 2010 (18 million). More-
over, the average life expectancy will further lengthen from
69.8 years in 2010 to 77.6 years in 2050.
Who is affected by population aging? The consequences of
population aging are not limited to the growing number of el-
derly group only. Aging is also affecting the working popula-
tion. Increasing number of elderly persons are involved in var-
ious jobs like in agriculture, schools, private companies and
government organizations. Companies are facing consequenc-
es of losing the employees who have reached the retirement
age. Other senior employees will be laid off and replaced by the
younger ones because seniority is related to higher salary.
Will replacement of senior employees by younger ones or
fresh graduates (lacking in work experience and knowledge of
the business culture) be the right solution to the problem of ag-
ing? Policy makers and company leaders need to be aware of
population aging and prepared to deal with its consequences,
such as the possibility of extending the retirement age and re-
utilizing the skills and expertise of senior staff or employees.
Growing number of the elderly persons causes a rising bur-
den for the working population. The workforce will have to sup-
port larger number of elderly such as paying the pension and
care for the aged. In 2010, each 100 Indonesians of the working
population had to take care of 12 aged persons. In 2050, they
will have the responsibility to care for 43 senior citizens. The
concern about the care for the elderly is no longer a problem
of the future, as at present there are already 18 million elderly
people, most of them live in the rural areas.
Population aging in Europe is more advanced than in Indo-
nesia. The European Policy Centre noted that the EU will meet
a shrinking labor force as from 2015 and need large number of
different professionals. For example, by 2020 between one and
two million health care workers are needed. The Dutch rail-
ways announced the urgent need of thousands workers (i.e.
conductors, engine drives and fitters) due to the aging of its per-
22 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012
SANTO KOESOEBJONO*
AND SOLITA SARWONO**
sonnel. (The current number of employees is around 26,000).
How will the shortage of manpower in developed countries
be met? Employment agencies and companies are searching
beyond borders, alluring skilled and (highly) trained persons
from developing countries. Could nationals from these coun-
tries resist the temptations? The migration of trained and expe-
rienced nurses from Southeast Asia to Europe and Hong Kong is
well noted. Indonesian nurses meet the professional qualifica-
tions required by The Netherlands. At the same time there are
shortages of nurses in regions outside Java. Tacitly we accept
this skill drain. The importance of immigrants for the receiv-
ing country is illustrated by a recent article in an English week-
ly stating that among the 500 largest American companies 40
percent were set up by immigrants or their children.
Emerging nations, including Indonesia, should be aware
that lack of manpower will become visible in the near future.
By then these shortages cannot be met by merely recruiting
workforce from other countries, because those countries will
also be struggling with similar consequences of declining fer-
tility and population aging. All countries should brace them-
selves and appreciate their potential manpower by providing
suitable training at well qualified educational institutions and
continuing education/training for employees for maintaining
the achievement standards. At the same time the authorities
should guarantee jobs corresponding to the qualification of po-
tential workers lest emigration might take place.
Are elderly people merely a burden to the society? The an-
swer is no. The elderly are the source of knowledge, skill, expe-
rience and wisdom. With the improvement in health status and
extension of life expectancy elderly people can provide lon-
ger contribution to the society. Besides, geriatric care provides
(new) job opportunities for the working population. Care for
the elderly stimulates the development of new technologies in
medical care and tools/appliances, such as hearing aids, walk-
ing sticks/devices, motorized wheelchair, appliances to pre-
vent accidents among the elderly, therefore reducing the med-
ical/hospitalization costs and improving the communications
and mobility of the elderly. The supporting devices and tools
can improve the quality of life of the elderly, prolong their inde-
pendence and strengthen their self confidence.
The future size and composition of Indonesia’s population
and its consequences are the result of the demographic heri-
tage of the past and the current population development. A de-
clining number of the population, diminishing supply of work-
force and rising aging of the population and subpopulations
come into view and need to be addressed.
*NETHERLANDS-BASED ECONOMIST-DEMOGRAPHER AND CONSULTANT.
**NETHERLANDS-BASED, PUBLIC HEALTH EDUCATOR AND GENDER SPECIALIST.
BOOKS
A WORTHY PERSON
TO BE HONORED
W
HEN I pick up a new book
to read I first look for the
pictures and have a quick
peek at the index. So when
I picked up this book I did the same. From
my initial speedy flick through there was
apparently no photograph of Dr Joan Hard-
jono, no index and worse of all for me the
book fell open at a page that had all these
statistical formulae that for me even today
triggers nightmares harking back to uni-
versity days—the terrors of statistics, quan-
tum mechanics and calculus.
Then I pondered it is pretty difficult to
review 12 individual essays in honour of a
person I know really nothing about and do
them all justice let alone the subject matter
of the essays. So last week I invited myself
up to Bandung for a cup of coffee with Dr
Hardjono and was, as well, kindly invited to
stay for lunch.
Radiating warmth and care: Dr Joan
Hardjono at her home in Jalan Riau, Ban-
dung celebrating her 75th birthday in No-
vember 2011 with family and friends (cour-
tesy of her daughter Ratih Hardjono).
On my arrival I was warmly greeted by
Joan in her modest old Dutch colonial home
in the centre of Bandung and our conversa-
tion for the next three hours or so ranged
from rural poverty to the problems of demo-
graphic change with an aging population,
the younger generation, income inequali-
ty, shortcomings of education and environ-
mental destruction. Her mind is sharp as a
tack and her love for Indonesia is abundant-
ly clear as well as her strong concern about
overcoming these aforesaid problems. Her
Australian accent still remains detectable af-
ter almost 60 years here as well maintaining
her laconic sense of humour.
I marvel at her endurance and fortitude
bringing up her family during the ear-
ly 1960s which were fraught with political
chaos with raging inflation. The most or-
dinary items of household needs were just
not available then. Most would have fled
Indonesia if given half a chance but Joan
stayed and contributed significantly to In-
donesia in her role as a wife, mother to
four children, teacher to many and an in-
dependent researcher. Then to cap it off in
her 50s, some 20 years ago, did a doctorate
on rural change and population growth in
West Java. Joan Hardjono is some remark-
able dame!
Turning to this book in Joan’s honour, the
first chapter by Anne Booth and Thee Kian
Wie briefly outlines Joan’s arrival in Indo-
nesia and her life here. Most of the subse-
quent essays are by her former colleagues
and her students about Joan’s abiding in-
terests to this day. These contributors are
mainly Indonesian along with some well
known foreign academics.
There is one exception, an essay by Co-
lin Brown on the Bandung Conference in
1955 and Indonesian foreign policy. What
this has to do with overall subject at hand
I do not know? Perhaps it could have been
massaged into something like “The Pover-
ty of Politics—what Sukarno promised and
failed.”
Most essays are well referenced which
provides a very useful data base for any fur-
ther reading or research.
For me, who is marginally involved in the
resources industry, the most interesting es-
says, were obviously essays by Rudi Reso-
sudarma et al on “Forest Land Use Dynam-
ics in Indonesia”—Chapter 3 with a clear
“LAND, LIVELIHOOD, THE ECONOMY
AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN
INDONESIA—ESSAYS IN HONOUR OF
JOAN HARDJONO”
EDITED
ANNE BOOTH, CHRIS MANNING
AND THEE KIAN WIE
PUBLISHED
YAYASAN PUSTAKA OBOR INDONESIA,
JAKARTA 2012
history of the evolution of Indonesia’s for-
estry law; and Ann Booth’s on “The Perfor-
mance of the Indonesian Agricultural Sec-
tor: Twelve Questions and Some Tentative
Answers”—Chapter 4.
There are a couple of interesting and
good essays on rural labor by Indonesian
academics, obviously some of Joan’s for-
mer students and research associates. In
part, these address the worldwide problem
of globalization and the current issue today
in Indonesia of outsourcing; and recent de-
partmental policies on labor which seem to
be pro-employer rather than pro-employ-
ee and run counter to the Indonesian Con-
stitution.
There is also an essay with a detailed
analysis of the outcomes of targetted pro-
grams subsequent to the economic crisis
in 1998-99—the Jaringan Pengaman Sosial
(the social safety net) and another on SMEs
(small to medium enterprises)
By the way, there is actually a photograph
of Joan Hardjono in the book just behind the
frontispiece and there is an eight page index
at the end. Apparently my initial shock of
those evil formulae paralyzed my brain and
fingers from searching further.
● TIM SCOTT
NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 23
LAW CLEMENCY FOR OLA

CLEMENCY
FOR A DRUG
QUEEN
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has commuted the death
sentence of inmate Meirika Franola, doing time for drug dealing.
Recommendations to reject the clemency were ignored.

P
RESIDENT Susilo world democracy leaders. But Sudi wanted ommended the clemency. Mahfud even
Bambang Yudhoyo- to discuss something else: his ressponse to alleged that the narcotics mafia may have
no’s entourage air- a statement by Constitutional Court Chief gained access to the institutions advising
plane had just land- Justice, Mahfud MD, regarding a clemen- the President. “It is a despicable allegation
ed at Halim Perdan- cy granted to inmate Meirika “Ola” Frano- and it disgraces both the name and institu-
akusuma Air Force la, who is currently doing time for a drug- tion of the presidency,” said Sudi.
Base two weeks ago, related case. Ola was sentenced to death by both the
when a Palace official “I am troubled and I am extremely of- trial and appellate courts. Her efforts for a
asked journalists on board to stay behind. fended by Mahfud’s remarks,” Sudi said, in final review of the case were unsuccessful
“State Secretary Sudi Silalahi will be hold- a trembling voice.
TEMPO DOC./ROBIN ONG

ing a press conference,” the official said.
Initially, the journalists thought that
Sudi would be outlining the results of the
Bali Democracy Forum, an event attend-
ed by Yudhoyono, a few heads of state and
The day before, Mahfud made a big deal
over the clemency to Ola. He said the Presi-
dent’s decision to commute Ola’s death sen-
tence to life imprisonment was careless,
given that the Supreme Court had not rec-
Meirika Franola alias Ola
listening to her death sentence
being read at the Tangerang
District Court, August 11, 2000.

24 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012

NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 25
LAW CLEMENCY FOR OLA

January 12, 2000 May 24, 2000 August 22, 2000 October 17, 2000
Crooked A panel of judges Ola’s appeal is
Ola is tried
Road to Noon: The Jakarta Metro Police
Department arrests Ola at the Soekarno- at the headed by Judge Asep denied. The West
Clemency Hatta Airport parking lot. An hour earlier, Tangerang Iwan Iriawan sentences
Ola the death penalty.
Java High Court
endorses the
the police had arrested her two cousins, District Court.
THE clemency granted Rani Andriani and Deni Setia Maharwan, She is imprisoned death sentence.
by President Susilo on board a Cathay Pacific airplane. They in the Tangerang
Bambang Yudhoyono were bound for London, carrying with them Women’s Penitentiary.
to death row inmate 3.5 kilograms of heroin and 3 kilograms
Meirika Franola, a.k.a. of cocaine. Both claimed they were under
Ola, a.k.a. Tania, is orders from Ola.
considered to be laden Afternoon: Ola claims the drugs were
with irregularities. supplied by her husband, Tajudin Ganiyu
Most of those asked Adeleye. That same day, police capture The Secretary Chairman of the
for input recommended Tajudin in a rented house in Cipete, in South of State voices Constitutional Because of her
the petition for Jakarta. Resisting arrest, the Nigerian is protest and says Court, Mahfud MD, conduct as a repeat
clemency be rejected. killed in a shootout with the police. he feels insulted questions Ola’s drug trafficker,
by Mahfud MD’s grant for clemency. says minister
allegations that He states suspicion Djoko Suyanto, the
Conditions for The Difference between a drug mafia that a drug mafia has President is mulling
Clemency SBY, Megawati and has penetrated influence within the over annulling Ola’s
palace circles. palace walls. clemency.
● The perpetrator of crime has
a sentence to a minimum of
Suharto
November 9, 2012 November 8, 2012 November 6, 2012
two years and the decision COMPARED to his predecessors,
has been declared final and President SBY has granted the most
legally binding. number of clemencies.
● The Warden of the Prison
certifies the convict for Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s Era: 19
good behavior during time in pardons 16 Indonesian citizens and
prison. three foreign nationals (one of them, to
● The convict signs a letter of Schapelle Leigh Corby).
statement to never again Megawati’s Era: 1 clemency grant
repeat the criminal act. to Agus Isrok, an Indonesian citizen.
● The petition for clemency
is submitted at the earliest Soeharto’s Era:
one year from the date the 7 foreigners.
decision has been declared
legally binding. SCRIPT: ANTON A
SOURCES: INTERVIEWS, STATE SECRETARIAT,
BNN, ATTORNEY GENERAL, KEMENHUMHAM
How to Achieve Clemency
ALL petitions for clemency to the President first go to
the Office of the Secretary of State. From this office,
Inputs Disregarded the petition for clemency is deliberated before being
●
presented to the President for decision.
In its considerations to the President, the Supreme Court recommends
Ola’s petition for clemency be rejected for being a proven key player in an
international drug syndicate.
However, when granting the clemency, the President stated considering
Ola a mere courier.
1 The convict completes the requirements for
clemency. The application is filed directly to the
President or through the warden of the prison (Ola’s
●
petition was filed directly to the President).
Ministers Djoko Suyanto and Patrialis Akbar suggest Ola’s petition for
clemency be rejected considering drug-related crimes as
heinous and punishable by death, with such punishment not
2 A copy of the petition for clemency is sent to the
Supreme Court through the district court and the
warden of the prison.
violating human rights and the 1945 Constitution.
However, in the clemency for Ola, the death penalty is stated
as violating human rights.
3 The Supreme Court sends a letter of consideration
to the President through the State Secretariat.

● According to her lawyer, Ola was declared certified for

4 Based on the President’s directives, the office of the
State Secretariat seeks input from assistances in
the Cabinet.
good conduct by the prison head.
However, in his letter to the President, minister Patrialis said that Ola could
not be declared for good conduct in prison.
5 Office of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights
presents the profile of the convict.

● No consideration was given for inputs from the National Narcotics Agency,
which had information Ola was still dealing drugs from within the prison walls.
Subsequently, the Nur Aisyah case prove the information to be true.
6 Materials supporting the petition for clemency are
processed by the Office of the State Secretary.
7 Based on the processed materials, the President
decides to refuse or grant clemency.

26 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012

 April 18, 2001 April 29, 2002 August 30, 2010 December 23, 2010 March 24, 2011

The Supreme The Supreme Through Farhat Abbas and
Court rejects Court again Associates, Ola files a petition
Ola’s appeal. endorses the for clemency to the President.
death penalty. The petition is also signed by
the warden of the Tangerang
Women’s Penitentiary, Nurbaeti
Etty. According to Ola’s lawyer,
Rachmat Jaya, Etty issues a
Certificate of Good Behavior as
part of the requirement to petition
clemency.
The Supreme Through the Secretary of State,
Court sends a the President sends a letter to the
letter advising the coordinating minister for Political,
President to reject Legal and Security Affairs Djoko
Ola’s petition for Suyanto, minister of Justice and
clemency. Human Rights Patrialis Akbar, and Attorney
General Basrief Arief requesting inputs. In the
letter signed by Sudi, one of the points states
that a life sentence for Ola is more acceptable.

The National Narcotics

Agency arrests drug
courier Nur Aisyah, at
Hussein Sastranegara
airport, Bandung. She
is carrying 775 grams of
methamphetamine from
India. Nur claims to be at
the behest of Ola.
Under Presidential
Decree No. 35 G/2011,
President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono
grants the petition for
clemency, commuting
her death sentence to life
imprisonment.
Attorney General
Basrief Arief writes to
the President agreeing
to the clemency grant
for Ola, changing the
death sentence to life
imprisonment.
Minister Djoko Suyanto
Minister Patrialis sends off a written
Akbar writes to consideration to the
the President President stating there
advising he reject is insufficient reason for
the petition for the President to grant a
clemency. petition for clemency.

October 4, 2012 September 26, 2011 May 30, 2011 April 29, 2011 April 1, 2011

when her death sentence was declared fi-
nal and conclusive on April 29, 2002. How-
ever, on September 26 last year, President
Yudhoyono signed the letter of clemency
for Ola.
Almost a year passed before the presi-
dential clemency caused a stir. The contro-
versy only emerged following the arrest of
a drug smuggler in Bandung, who told in-
vestigators that she was carrying 775 grams
of crystal methamphetamine from India, at
the instruction of Ola, behind bars.
●●●
THE clock showed 7:30pm when Nur Ai-
syah, also known as Dian, arrived at Husein
Sastranegara Airport in Bandung, on Octo-
ber 3. The woman in her 40s had just com-
pleted a long journey. Starting out from
TEMPO/IMAM SUKAMTO, TEMPO/DHEMAS REVIYANTO, TEMPO/TONY HARTAWAN
a suspicious object, packed in a brown en-
velope and wrapped in gray plastic. Its
contents, after it was opened, revealed
775 grams of crystal methamphetamine.
“They would have fetched Rp 1.16 billion,”
said Kusdirwan, chief of the West Java Of-
fice of Customs and Excise, to journalists in
announcing Dian’s arrest.
The head of the National Narcotics
Board’s (BNN) West JavaControl Division),
Almost a year passed
before the commuting
of Ola’s death sentence
caused a stir. The
Pol.Deputy Chief Commissioner Zairusi,
declared that Dian admitted receiving the
package of crystal methamphetamine from
a Nigerian citizen at a hotel in New Delhi. On
examining Dian’s cell phone, investigators
found evidence of a woman who had been
in contact with her. However, the identity
of that woman was still unknown.
On further investigation revealed a vi-
tal clue, which led to Dian telling investiga-
tors the name of the woman who had orga-
nized her trip. A check against the BNN’s
database, showed that the woman men-
tioned by Dian strongly pointed towards
Ola. “Ola’s name emerged from the Cus-
toms and Excise arrest,” said BNN Depu-
ty for Control, Inspector General Benny
Mamoto, to Tempo last week. “So it wasn’t
that we were deliberately targeting her be-

New Delhi, India, she transited in Kuala controversy arose after cause we did’t agree with the clemency de-
Lumpur, Malaysia, before entering Indone- cision.”
sia on an AirAsia flight.
the arrest of a drug Not wanting to waste time, just before
There were no increased baggage inspec- smuggler in Bandung. midnight of October 15, a BNN team visited
tion that night. However, an immigration To investigators, the Tangerang Women’s Penitentiary, the
official thought that Dian’s travel route was place where Ola has been held since 2000.
unusual. Dian, whose passport listed her
the woman, who Alongside Benny, in the group was chair-
address as Bireun, Aceh, was returning to was carrying 775 man of the National Anti-Narcotics Move-
Indonesia via Bandung. The official asked grams of crystal ment (Granat), Henry Yosodiningrat.
Dian where she was going. As it was her first According to Henry, at the prison he and
time in Bandung she was unable to answer
methamphetamine Benny enquired about Ola’s daily activities.
satisfactorily. from India, admitted All the prison wardens were united in list-
His suspicions aroused, the official es- that she was acting ing her activities as batik making and flow-
corted Dian and her luggage to an X-ray ex- er arranging. When Benny asked for evi-
amination station. At the bottom of Dian’s
under the order of Ola, dence of Ola’s work, the wardens produced
black and gray backpack, the official found from behind bars. her batik.

NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 27

LAW CLEMENCY FOR OLA
An important find of the BNN that night
was the cell phone used by Ola in prison.
According to prison rules, inmates were
banned from owning cellular phones, “ex-
cept if an inmate colludes with officials,”
said Benny. He said that equipped with cell
phones, drug bosses were able to control
their networks from behind bars. So, that
very night, Ola was placed in an isolation
cell at the BNN building in East Jakarta.
●●●
THE clemency to Ola has not only been
questioned by figures such as Constitu-
tional Court Judge Mahfud, but also Dhar-
mawati Dareho, a former corruption in-
mate who spent a year with Ola in prison,
who raised questions about the clemency.
According to Dharmawati, Ola’s conduct
in prison was far from being classified as
“good behavior,” a necessary criteria to
qualify for a clemency.
To Tempo, Dharmawati said that Ola had
been planning to get a clemency for a long
time. Once, in front of a congregation in
prayer at the prison church, Dharmawati
said she heard Ola declare, “Praise God for
Ibu Ayin, who helped reduce my sentence.”
The Ayin Ola referred to was Artalyta Sury-
28 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012
Artalyta
Suryani alias
Ayin in her
cell at the
Tangerang
Prison,
January 13,
2011.
ani, an inmate serving her sentence for ti, Ola complained in front of her fellow in-
trying to bribe prosecutor Urip Gunawan. mates. “They’re crazy. I’ve already given
Ayin was transferred to Tangerang because Rp2 billion. They’re still asking for Rp3 bil-
she was found to have a luxury room at the lion. Even though it’s not easy to find the
Pondok Bambu Female Detention Center. money,” Ola, boasting that she would con-
On another occasion, said Dharmawa- tinue to submit her request for clemen-
cy and further ask that her sentence be re-
duced to 15 years. At that time, Dharmawa-
ti and the inmates who were not in the
...Ola complained in same gang as Ola merely scoffed. “But hey,
it turned out that clemency was indeed
front of her fellow granted to her,” said Dharmawati.
inmates. “They’re Ayin’s lawyer, Teuku Nasrullah, said his
crazy. I’ve already client had never talked about Ola. Nasrul-
lah did not want to verify Dharmawati’s sto-
given Rp2 billion. ry with Ayin because Ayin is currently tak-
They’re still asking ing care of her mother in hospital. “I don’t
for Rp3 billion. Even want to increase the burden on Bu Ayin,”
said Nasrullah.
though it’s not easy Farhat Abbas, Ola’s lawyer, acknowledg-
to find the money.” es that he knows Ayin and once met her in
Ola, she said, also prison. However, Farhat denied that they
discussed Ola’s request for clemency. “I
boasted that she met her about another matter,” he said.
would continue to ask
TEMPO DOC./AYUCIPTA
Farhat denied receiving billions of rupi-
for clemency until her ah as stated by Ola. As a lawyer, he is paid a
standard fee. “The money comes from con-
sentence was reduced tributions by Ola’s family and friends, not
to 15 years. from Ayin,” he said.

What they said on the clemency for Ola
“Granting the clemency was careless. I suspect whoever
was providing the President with advice possibly had a
mafia (behind them).”
—CHAIRMAN OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT MAHFUD MD.
“I strongly object to and feel insulted
by Mahfud’s accusations that the drug
mafia has penetratedpalace circles. The
clemency was clear-cut. “
—STATE SECRETARY SUDI SILALAHI
“The Attorney General made the
recommendation as stated in the
clemency grant. So I must also bear the
responsibility.”
—ATTORNEY GENERAL BASRIEF ARIEF
“Various considerations were presented
to me. The responsibility is mine. I may
not put the blame on the ministers.”
—PRESIDENT SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO
A colleague who works in the same of- He only handed over a copy of the decision
fices as Farhat, Rachmat Fajar, has a differ- and the clemency request without the sub-
ent story about Ola’s legal fees. According missions. On the back of the file was the sig-
to Rachmat, they are yet to receive a cent nature of the warden, Etty Nurbaiti.
from Ola. She promised to pay Rp500 mil-
lion if her request for clemency was grant- ●●●
TEMPO/IMAM SUKAMTO (SUDI, BASRIEF, SBY)
Ridwan Mansur, stated that the Court did
not find enough evidence to grant the re-
quest for clemency. Therefore, the Court
recommended that the request for clemen-
cy be denied.
On March 24, 2011, the President,
through a letter from the Secretary Sudi Si-
lalahi, sent a letter to three of his assistants:
Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and
Security, Djoko Suyanto; Minister for Law
and Human Rights Patrialis Akbar; and, At-
torney General Basrief Arief. In it, the Pres-
ident asked for their views. One point that
the letter emphasized was that a life sen-
tence for Ola would be more acceptable.
On April 1, 2011, Djoko Suyanto replied to
the President’s letter. According to Djoko,
death sentences for extraordinary crimes
were still constitutional. Djoko also stated
that there were not enough reason to grant
clemency.
Then, on April 29, 2011, it was the turn of
Minister Patrialis to reply. He outlined evi-
dence that contradicted the claims of Ola’s
lawyers. While in prison, he said, Ola had
not behaved well. Patrialis advised the
President to reject the request for clemen-
cy.
A different response came from Attorney
General Basrief Arief on May 30, 2011. Bas-
rief explained that the trend in many coun-
tries was to revoke death sentences. Apart
from that, clemency is the prerogative of
the president. Therefore, Basrief said that
Ola’s request for clemency could be grant-
ed.
Having received differing submissions, in
the end President Yudhoyono made the fi-
nal decision. He commuted Ola’s death sen-
tence to life imprisonment. One of his con-
siderations was that Ola was merely a couri-
er, something that turned out to be totally
wrong. Ola is no ordinary inmate. From be-
hind bars, she has been able to control her
narcotics business.
At the closing of the Bali Democracy Fo-
rum, President Yudhoyono said that he
took responsibility for Ola’s clemency. If
Ola was proved to have been distributing
narcotics again, remarked the President,
he was ready to reconsider his decision.
Therefore, “I want the legal process to be as

ed. “If it goes public like this, we could get
nothing,” said Rachmat.
Regarding the submission on the condi-
tions for clemency, Farhat insists that Ola
had received an official statement of good
conduct from the prison warden. “We sub-
mitted 4-5 letters,” said Rachmat. When
asked to produce the submissions, Rach-
mat promised that he would look for them.
FARHAT submitted Ola’s request for
clemency to the President on August 30,
2010. He also sent a copy of the request to
the Tangerang District Court, to be passed
on to the Supreme Court.
On December 23, 2010, the Supreme
Court sent a recommendation letter to the
President. The head of the Legal and Pub-
lic Relations Bureau at the Supreme Court,
swift as possible,” Yudhoyono said.
However, retracting clemency that has
been prematurely issued is not that easy.
Legal experts believe that such a step
would set a bad precedent and erode legal
certainty.
● JAJANG JAMALUDIN, SANDY INDRA,
PRIHANDOKO, RINI KUSTIANI, AYU CIPTA (TANGERANG),
ERICK P. HADI (BANDUNG)

NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 29

LAW CLEMENCY FOR OLA
Meirika Franola a.k.a Ola
BOSS OF MELATI BLOCK
She may be in prison but with her three cell phones, Ola has been able to carry on with her drug
dealings on the outside. When she is upset, she beats up her minions.
T
O the 300-something inmates
of the Tangerang Women’s
Penitentiary, Meirika Franola,
a.k.a. Ola, a.k.a. Tania is no or-
dinary jailbird. Her nickname
in prison shows exactly who and what she
is. “She is called the ‘General’,” Dharmawa-
ti Dareho, who served time in Tangerang
penitentiary, told Tempo last Wednesday.
Her other nickname is “Mama Ola.”
Unlike other inmates, Ola is able to go in
and out of her cell whenever she feels like it.
When she is bored with her dank quarters,
the mother of two usually moves to the air-
conditioned prison clinic.
Dharmawati was incarcerated in Jan-
uary 2010 for a graft case connected with
the Transportation Ministry. Sentenced to
two years and six months, she was first sent
to the Pondok Bambu House of Detention
in East Jakarta. When the case of Artaly-
30 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012
ta Suryani’s cell of luxury came to light in
the media, Dharmawati was transferred to
Tangerang penitentiary together with Ar-
talyta, a.k.a. Ayin. Dharmawati spent only
a year in the women’s prison as she was
granted conditional discharge in Decem-
ber 2010. She currently makes a living out
of renting rooms.
When Dharmawati was tranferred to
Tangerang, Ola had already been there for
10 years. She has been incarcerated there
since the Tangerang District Court sen-
tenced her to death on August 22, 2000.
The panel of judges chaired by Asep Iwan
Iriawan found her guilty of drug distribu-
tion and dealing.
The woman from Cianjur, West Java,
was arrested by Jakarta Police officers at
the Soekarno-Hatta airport parking lot in
Tangerang in January 2000. An hour ear-
lier, in the same place, the police had ar-
rested Ola’s two cousins: Rani Andriani
and Deni Setia Maharwan. The two were al-
ready on board a London-bound Cathay Pa-
cific aircraft. They both had 3.5 kilograms
of heroin and three kilograms of cocaine.
They told the police they were carrying
their cargo at Ola’s bidding.
The police immediately interrogated
Ola, who acknowledged that the illegal sub-
stances had been supplied by her husband
Nigerian Tajudin Ganiyu, a.k.a. Tony. That
very same day, the police ambushed him at
his house in Bogor. Tony died during a gun-
fight with the police. In Ola’s house, the po-
lice found 3.6 kilograms of cocaine.
When the case was tried at the Tange-
rang District Court, Ola’s role was dis-
closed: The woman, born on November 23,
1970, was acting as a drug trafficker for an
TEMPO DOC.
international syndicate. “That was why she
was always going abroad,” said Asep, the

judge who tried Ola’s case. Ola, said Asep,
was also the party who prepared all the
necessary documents for her couriers to go
in and out of various countries.
At the trial, Ola insisted that she was
merely a pawn used by her husband. “If I
had dared to refuse, I would be tortured,”
she said at the time. Asep and his two fel-
low judges did not readily believe her. A
death penalty was pronounced. “If she re-
ally was forced into doing the deed, why
did she continue doing them repeatedly?”
queried Asep.
Ola protested the death penalty. But her
appeals were in vain. The death penalty re-
mained. Together with lawyer Farhat Ab-
bas, Ola filed for clemency to the president.
This time her endeavor bore fruit. On Sep-
tember 26, 2011, the president granted her
clemency and reduced her verdict to a life
sentence.
A Tangerang penitentiary inmate told
Tempo that ever since she was admitted
there, Ola easily became the “boss.” The
wardens treated her with deference. “I
found out later that many of her minions
were also imprisoned here,” said the in-
mate.
According to the source, Ola had hun-
dreds of followers in the penitentiary.
DOK.TEMPO/DINUL MUBAROK
“When she was infuriated, she simply beats
people up,” said the inmate, who is in pris-
on for murder. As an example, she once saw
Ola stomping on one of her minions while
bellowing out loud. On the other hand, she
said, when in a good mood, Ola unhesitat-
Dharmawati Dareho
ingly gives out food to all the prison’s in-
mates. “All the prisoners know from where
Ola gets her earnings,” she said.
Ola also throws parties to celebrate her
birthday. That is when she usually gets food
brought in from outside. “She never eats
the prison food. Most of her food is from
outside,” she said.
The penitentiary gives Ola many special
privileges, said the inmate. While the oth-
er inmates have to share their four-square-
meter cell with two others, Ola gets to occu-
py a same-sized cell in the Melati Block all
by herself. Ola goes around with three cell
phones. “I once saw her using her phone
right in front of the prison warden,” said
the young woman.
According to the Tempo source, from be-
hind the bars of the Tangerang penitentia-
ry, Ola commands her network of people
in other prisons to conduct her drug trans-
actions. Ola does not hesitate to talk open-
ly about her drug business to inmates close
to her, she said.
The source acknowledged having eaves-
dropped on Ola just as she was contact-
ing a man from Nigeria to provide her with
supplies. The inmate came to know about
the details because Ola later talked openly
about it. She said she also heard Ola sever-
al times contacting her overseas drug ring.
“She speaks fluent English,” she said.
Ola knows how to deftly cover up her
tracks within the prison walls. During sud-
den inspections or when high ranking of-
ficers pay a visit, Ola always pretends to
keep busy by making batik and creating
decorative flowers. According to the Tem-
po source, when the officials ask to see her
handiwork, a prison warden would readi-
ly run to go fetch a piece of “Ola’s batik” to
show, handiwork that definitely was never
of Ola’s making.
Ola is also well-known as a gossipmon-
ger. One of her favorite gossip mate is Ayin.
To this fellow gossipmonger, Ola claimed to
having had an affair with the former vocal-
ist of a band, also embroiled in a drug case,
at the time detained in the Salemba House
of Detention, Central Jakarta. Dharmawa-
ti told Tempo she had also heard the sto-
ry. “But whether it’s true or not, I have no
idea,” she said.
But, however cunning Ola has been in
covering up all her activities in prison, it
nothing lasts for ever. On October 4, the
National Narcotics Board (BNN) caught a
drug courier, Nur Aisyah, at Husein Sas-
tranegara Airport in Bandung. To the BNN,
Nur claimed she was under the command
of Ola. To further investigate the case, Ola
was hauled off mid-October to the BNN de-
tention house and kept there.
Ola’s lawyer, Rakhmat Jaya, rejected
claims that his client controlled a drug
business from inside prison. Straight ev-
idence, said Rakhmat, was the fact that
the head of the Tangerang Women’s Peni-
tentiary had signed a certificate for Ola’s
good conduct, a document required to seek
clemency. “Ola has always abided by pris-
on rules,” he said.
When she was met by Tempo in Cianjur,
Ola’s younger sister Endik Fitriadi claimed
surprise at hearing her sister was still deal-
ing drugs behind bars. She said, after her
imprisonment in Tangerang, the family
had never again communicated with Ola.
Penitentiary Director General Sihabud-
din acknowledged that Ola once commit-
ted an offense inside the Tangerang prison.
However, he did not know the details, ex-
cept that the offense was not so severe as to
get her into the ‘F Register’ category. One
of the offenses under this category is car-
rying communication devices within pris-
on walls. According to the warden’s report,
said Sihabuddin, for the past decade, Ola is
recorded to have been on her best behavior
and good conduct.
“But after being granted clemency, it
seems she has reverted back to her old
ways.”
● ANTON APRIANTO (JAKARTA),
AYU CIPTA (TANGERANG), DEDEN ABDUL AZIZ (CIANJUR)
NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 31
LAW CLEMENCY FOR OLA
BENNY J. MAMOTO:
DEALERS
KEEP ON
TRADING
BEHIND
BARS
P
RISON does not seem to stop the
activities of drug dealers. Accord-
ing to Police Insp. Gen. Benny J.
Mamoto, deputy chief of Narcot-
ics Eradication at the National Narcotics
Agency (BNN), most dealers keep trading
even behind bars. “This happens as long
as they hold communication tools, they
are protected by people in power and they
are someone’s ATM card,” Benny told Tem-
po reporters, Sandy Indra Pratama, Anton
Aprianto and Jajang Jamaludin, last week.
Meirika Franola reportedly was dealing
in drugs again not long after she got her
clemency from the president. Worse, it was
later discovered she was still controlling her
drug network. Was this a coincidence?
During coordinating meetings to deter-
mine whether an inmate serving time for
drug-related cases deserves clemency or
not, the BNN representative is sure to re-
ject any proposal. But let me clarify here
that we did not target Ola because she got
her clemency. Ola’s name emerged from a
drug courier who was caught by the Cus-
toms office in Bandung. That was a routine
arrest, originating from a raid. When he
was questioned, he mentioned Ola’s name.
That has to be made clear.
How did you make sure Ola ran her
network from prison?
Here’s the general picture. Almost all
drug inmates continue to deal in prison. So
my conclusion is that only drug dealing is
the crime that cannot be stopped even be-
hind bars. Other kinds of criminals would
find it difficult to resume their crime, like
corruptors for instance. What can he do
behind bars? The same goes for thieves.
It’s different with drug criminals. They can
32 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012
stay actively trading as long as they can
communicate with the outside world, they
have someone protecting them and they
become ATM machines to many people.
So in jail, Ola has her own phone?
Benny nods
Aren’t telephones banned in prison?
Yes. When we once mentioned there
were telephones in prison, many people
denied it, that it was manufactured. But
we have the data on how many phones we
confiscated from prison.
If that is the case, there are indications
Ola got help. But from whom?
On that score, we need to investigate
deeper.
And Ola is an ATM to many people?
If you have information like that, you
can ask them directly.
Almost a month after questioning Ola,
From prison,
dealers just direct
them to bring
or pick up drugs
from place to
place, to whom the
money should be
transferred.
what important information have you
dragged out of her?
It wouldn’t be good to expose that now.
From behind bars, dealers can control
their networks. What kind of transactions?
The transactions happen outside, by
other people. From prison, dealers just di-
rect them to bring or pick up drugs from
place to place, to whom the money should
be transferred.
Can transactions between dealers in
different prisons happen?
Dealers in prison usually have different
markets outside. Via their communication
tools, dealers can conduct transactions.
All they need to do is contact them and say,
“hey you still got the goods? How much?
Please send to so and so, okay?” or for a
sale, “look, I got some stuff, the price is this
much. You want it?” That’s all they do. The
money and the goods will then flow.
So, how will you cut them off from their
networks?
In prison, there is a registration book F,
which inmates sign when they are in for se-
rious offenses. The penalty can be isola-
tion. And something that is feared by in-
mates, their name in the F register can
TEMPO/ADITIA NOVIANSYAH
cause them to lose chances at remissions
or clemency. So, owners of cellphones,
drug users, or worse drug dealers, are
committing serious crimes. If the law en-
forcers do their jobs properly and firmly,
the ‘F book’ could do the trick. ●
LAW ADDICTED JUDGES
REVISED LABOR LAW
The government has not abolished outsourcing.
T
HE government plans to revise
Law No. 13/2003 on Manpower.
Minister of Industry Mohamad
Suleman Hidayat said that some
of the clauses will be improved, including
the stipulation on severance and termina-
tion. “The revisions will be done over short-
term and long-term periods,” he said after
a coordination meeting with several minis-
ters in the office of the Coordinating Minis-
ter for the Economy in Jakarta.
In recent weeks, workers have been stag-
ing rallies to demand the improvement of
their welfare. In addition to wage increas-
es, they are asking for outsourcing to be
abolished.
Coordinating Minister for the Economy
Hatta Rajasa said the government had not
decided to abolish outsourcing contracts.
Such contracts are already regulated in the
Labor Law.
Hatta did promise, however, that the
government would bridge the meetings be-
tween businessmen, represented by the As-
sociation of Indonesian Employers, trade
unions and the Ministry of Manpower and
Transmigration. “There will be a ministeri-
al decision on outsourcing,” Hatta said.
In response to demands for wage increas-
es, according to Hatta, the mechanism for
determining wages will be left in the hands
of the provincial wage councils. The pro-
posed amounts will be calculated against
the basic living necessities that are estab-
lished by the Ministry of Manpower.
Mamoru Akiyama, Deputy Director of
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indonesia,
finds that there are too many loopholes in
Indonesia’s Labor Law. “In Indonesia there
are too many gray areas,” he said.
For example, Labor Law allows outsourc-
ing. However, various labor groups reject
outsourcing practices.
Akiyama emphasized that outsourc-
ing is needed in several areas of work. His
company uses outsourced employees, al-
though they amount to only 600 out of a to-
tal of 7,000 workers. “It is allowed, and we
LABOR RALLY-Hundreds of workers
in Semarang staged a rally in front
of the City Hall demanding higher
wages.
do so in accordance with the law.”
Problems with workers, according to
CEO of PT Toyota Motor Manufacturing In-
donesia, Masahiro Nonami, are nothing
out of the ordinary. Almost all Toyota em-
ployees in different parts of the world also
demand the same things.
In countries hit by a crisis, rallies are usu-
ally staged to reject employment termina-
tions. In developing countries, such as In-
donesia, workers demand higher wages,
social benefits, among other things. “Japan
experienced the same thing in the 1970s. It
is not unusual,” he said. Although not both-
ered by labor protests, Nonami asked the
government to crack down on protests that
end in violence.
Hatta said the government will not pre-
vent workers from expressing their opin-
ions, as long as they do so in a peaceful man-
ner. National Police Chief Gen. Timur Pra-
dopo said the police would crack down on
workers who damage and block factories.
There are concerns, according to Hi-
dayat, that worker rallies would impede the
rate of investments in Indonesia. It would
be unfortunate because in the last five years
TEMPO/BUDI PURWANTO
Indonesia has become an investment desti-
nation. “In the near future labor problems
can hopefully be solved,” he said.
● PINGIT ARIA, ANANDA TERESIA,
ANANDA PUTRI, DEWI RINA
NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 33
COVER STORY BP MIGAS

COVER STORY

LOSING THE
UPSTREAM
BATTLE

34 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012


THE BP MIGAS OIL AND GAS REGULATORY
BODY HAS BEEN DISSOLVED FOR
FAVORING FOREIGN INTERESTS AND
BEING RIFE WITH CORRUPTION. THE
SHIFTING OF ITS AUTHORITY WILL NOT
GREATLY CHANGE THE SITUATION.
N Tuesday after-
O
noon last week,
Kardaya Warni-
ka was driving his
car from T.B. Sima-
tupang in South Ja-
karta, to Semanggi
in Central Jakarta,
when his cellular phone rang. The call
made this head of the upstream oil and nat-
ural gas regulatory agency (BP Migas) dur-
ing the 2005-2008 term turn his car in the
direction of Kuningan, South Jakarta. That
is where the caller, an oil and gas investor
from Australia, was waiting.
It turned out that the investor was pan-
icking. The investor said that, an hour ear-
lier, a meeting with BP Migas officials to dis-
cuss their planned investment of US$600
million was suddenly stopped. This was
connected with the dramatic announce-
ment going on over at Medan Merdeka Ba-
rat, where the Constitutional Court (MK)
ruled that the very existence of BP Migas
was unconstitutional.
Not fully understanding what was going
on, that investor asked the senior BP Mi-
gas officials present when the next meeting
could be held. However, those being asked
were just as confused, and could give no
clear answer. “They said they didn’t know.
It looked like all of the BP Migas employees
were in a panic,” said Kardaya, quoting the
investor to Tempo in Jakarta, on Thursday
last week.
TEMPO/EKO SISWONO TOYUDHO
Kardaya said that this was not the only
businessperson asking for an explanation
about the dissolution of BP Migas. Oth-
er businesspeople, both foreign and lo-
cal, also asked this retired director-gener-
al of renewable energy and energy conser-
vation about what was going on and what
would happen next.
“As soon as BP Migas was disbanded,
the energy industry was shaken up, espe-
cially the oil and gas sector,” said Karda-
ya. “Many people called from overseas, be-
cause it was immediately reported on inter-
national television networks.”
Established by the government on July
16, 2002, BP Migas was authorized to guide
and oversee Contractor Cooperation Con-
tracts (KKKS) in the implementation of the
exploration, exploitation, and marketing
of Indonesian oil and gas. The formation of
this body came after Law Number 22/2001
on Oil and Natural Gas was enacted. It be-
gan carrying out the function previous-
ly handled by Pertamina (the state-run oil
company), according to a previous legisla-
tion, Law No.8/1971.
In accordance with that new law, Pertam-
ina became PT Pertamina (Persero). It also
had to forego its dual role as both a player
and regulator in the oil and gas business, as
this was seen as the cause of rampant cor-
ruption and the easy acquisition of oilfield
concessions by the company.
The role of regulator and supervisor in
the upstream sector was turned over to
BP Migas. Management of downstream ac-
tivity was taken over by BPH Migas (down-
stream oil and natural gas regulatory agen-
cy), which was formed in 2004.
Not everyone accepted the shifting of this
authority. Soon afterwards a number of in-
stitutions and individuals got together and
filed a judicial review of Law No. 22/2001
with the Constitutional Court.
One of the applicants was the Pertam-
ina Workers Union, which claimed that
the new legislation favored foreign inter-
ests and was not pro-people. They high-
lighted the many oilfields controlled by for-
eign companies, and the sale of the govern-
ment’s share of oil, which did not always
end up in the hands of Pertamina.
Their claims made no headway. The judg-
es at the Constitutional Court, which at that
time was led by Jimly Asshiddiqie, decid-
ed against this group’s request in a session
held on December 21, 2004. However, ma-
neuvers to reject this new system to man-
age natural wealth went on unabated.
A similar request was filed this year by
12 public organizations, most of which are
Islamic organizations. They stepped for-
ward, along with 30 people, including such
figures as Hasyim Muzadi, Komaruddin Hi-
dayat, Marwan Batubara, Fahmi Idris, Sala-
huddin Wahid, Laode Ida, Henry Yosodin-
ingrat and A.M. Fatwa. Among the petition-
ers were also the Parking Attendants, Push-
cart Vendors, Businesspeople and Employ-
ee Solidarity organizations.
They felt that the Oil and Gas Law opened
the door to liberalization because it was
strongly influenced by foreign parties, and
it had many corrupt practices which cost
the state tens of trillions of rupiah. This was
done in various ways, including by manip-
ulation of cost recovery claims by oil and
gas contractors, differences in the calcula-
tion of various taxes, and bribery behind
the appointment of gas sales agents.
This second request led to results. Nine
constitutional judges led by Moh. Mahfud
Md. decided in favor of their request. Only
one constitutional judge, Harjono, held a
dissenting opinion, because he felt that the
petitioners had no clear legal standing.
He also disagreed with the logic and evi-
dence used to state that the existence of BP
Migas contradicted the constitution and as
such, had to be dissolved. The losses stem-
ming from corruption and abuse of pow-
er as the petitioners claimed have not yet
been proven against BP Migas. “The very
mistaken point is the ruling based on the
phrase ‘that which has the potential to vio-
late the constitution can be decided by the
court as a case of constitutionality’.”
Raden Priyono also said he could not un-
derstand this ruling of the Constitutional
Court. “It’s said the court can only review a
law once. How could it happen again for the
Oil and Gas Law?” This BP Migas chairman,
who replaced Kardaya in 2008, complained
loudly when Tempo met him last week.
●●●
IT WAS 10:30am on Tuesday last week
when employees at the office of BP Migas
NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 35
COVER STORY BP MIGAS
in Wisma Mulia, South Jakarta, heard the
news about the Constitutional Court rul-
ing. At that time, their leader, Priyono, was
at a hearing in Commission VII at the House
of Representatives (DPR).
They were immediately gripped with fear.
Some workers began to cry, imagining what
would happen with their careers. Others
griped, talking about what had to be done in
response to this ‘death penalty’ against the
institution where they were employed.
An hour late, the deputy chairman of BP
Migas, Johannes Widjonarko, went around
and met with over 600 permanent employ-
ees and another 600 or so operational sup-
port personnel at his office. He left his of-
fice on the 40th floor and went to each of
the 20 floors below, the headquarters of BP
Migas. He calmed his subordinates by say-
ing that he and the other executives were
making sure that the workers’ rights would
not be ignored.
After returning from the DPR, Priyo-
no asked all the employees to gather. In a
meeting room with a capacity of 1,000 peo-
ple, he placated the fears which had spread
throughout their organization. That night
he went to the office of the Energy and Min-
eral Resources Minister, Jero Wacik.
“The meeting ended at 2am. I only had
one message for the minister, that the fu-
ture and rights of my workers would be
considered,” said Priyono. “I never imag-
ined the Constitutional Court would make
such a ruling.”
He also took issue with the court’s ver-
dict, which did not give any room or time
for the transition of the duties of BP Migas
36 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012
after it was declared unconstitutional. The
ruling, which took immediate effect, he
said, also resulted in a vacuum for the task
of regulating and supervising this business.
“We have already signed 353 contracts, and
now they are illegal. The losses can come to
US$70 billion,” he said.
Further confusion may occur due to
the forced cessation of ongoing processes
and 20 business development plans (POD)
which were to be signed at the end of De-
cember. One of these was the development
of the third train at the BP Tangguh gas field,
which some time ago was approved by Pres-
ident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Lon-
don. “Someone must be responsible for the
execution,” said Priyono.
BP Migas deputy of operational control,
Gde Pradnyana estimated that state losses
will reach Rp1 trillion per day as a result of
this decision. “Annual revenue in the oil and
gas sector is Rp365 trillion. So there is an av-
erage loss of Rp1 trillion per day,” he said.
Mahfud disagreed with this half-threat-
ening statement. He emphasized that the
available legal option after this verdict was
very clear, namely that the duties and func-
tions of BP Migas will be taken up by the
government. “Whether or not there is a
transition, in the end it goes to the govern-
ment, until such time as a new law is made.
And even that is only if the legislative body
wants to make a new one,” he said.
Mahfud also disagreed with the estimat-
ed loss of Rp1 trillion per day as mentioned
by Gde Pradnyana. “That is not true,” he
said. “The court determined that ongoing
contracts can still remain in effect. The only
President Yudhoyono making a
statement on the Constitutional Court’s
decision on BP Migas at the Presidential
Office, Jakarta, November 14.
thing is that the legal position of BP Migas
has moved to the government. So where is
the problem?” he asked.
“There is no reason to extend [the op-
eration of] BP Migas.” Mahfud declined to
comment about speculations that his rul-
ing was an effort to seek popularity related
to reports of his plan to run as president in
2014.
Certainty was soon provided by Pres-
ident Yudhoyono, who issued Presiden-
tial Regulation 95, on the Transition/Im-
plementation of the Duties and Functions
of Upstream Oil and Gas Business Activity.
“In principle, we determined that the ex-
istence of the former BP Migas will be un-
der the Energy and Mineral Resources Min-
ister Jero Wacik during the transition peri-
od,” said Yudhoyono, at a press conference
in the presidential office, last week.
“All of the ongoing operational work in
the form of joint-ventures between BP Mi-
gas and the business world will continue, as
it should,” he said. “This is definite, and is
no cause for apprehension, confusion, or
uncertainty.”
The next day Energy and Mineral Resourc-
es Deputy Minister Rudi Rubiandini gave as-
surances on the future of BP Migas employ-
ees. Standing before hundreds of workers
gathered on the ninth floor of the City Plaza
building, he read the government decision
which changed their status to a temporary
upstream oil and gas business activity work
unit, under the Ministry of Energy.
“All of the officials and employees of BP
Migas are provided salaries, positional
benefits, and other facilities according to
the stipulations which were in effect before
the transition,” said Rudi. His words were
met with the applause of the workers in at-
tendance.
All of the administrative matters have
been prepared. However, he said, “Sorry,
but in the meantime the BP Migas logo is
gone.” Priyono’s position in the transitional
body was not mentioned in the announce-
ment that afternoon. It seems that he is the
ANTARA/WIDODO S. JUSUF
only one who lost his position and his pow-
er after that surprise ruling was handed
down on that that ‘Black Tuesday.’
● Y. TOMI ARYANTO, JOBPIE S., AGOENG W., BERNADETTE
CHRISTINA, ROSALINA, ARYANI K.

WEAK FROM THE START
EFFORTS TO CREATE AN OIL AND GAS
REGULATORY BODY BEGAN WAY BACK IN
1995, BUT ONE HURDLE AFTER ANOTHER
PREVENTED IT FROM HAPPENING UNTIL 2004.
K
UNTORO Mangkusubroto re-
sisted the pressure from the
House of Representatives (DPR).
As Mining and Energy Minis-
ter in the cabinet of President B.J. Habi-
bie in 1999, Kuntoro decided to cancel the
proposed law rather than give in to the de-
mands of legislators in the DPR. At that
time, Indonesia had just begun its era of
government reforms or reformasi. The
president backed him up.
“So the administration did not submit
a Bill on Oil and Gas to the DPR,” Karda-
ya Warnika told Tempo, on Thursday last
week. Kuntoro, according to him, went
against the wishes of the DPR, which want-
ed the parliament involved in the selection
of BP Migas’s (upstream oil and natural gas
regulator). He was adamant that the body
which would take over some of Pertami-
TEMPO/EKO SISWONO TOYUDHO
na’s (the state-run oil company) authority
in overseeing oil and gas contracts with pri-
vate parties would not be co-opted for po-
litical interests.
Kardaya, who led BP Migas from 2005-
2008 recounted how the president’s of-
BP Migas office in Jalan Gatot Subroto,
Jakarta.
fice at that time attempted to submit a bill
which regulated, among other things, BP
Migas. Kardaya was well-aware of the de-
tails of the deliberation, because of his po-
sition as head of the draft team and head of
the techno-economics department at the
oil and gas directorate-general of the Min-
ing and Energy Ministry from 1994 to 1999.
This bill was a revision of the initial draft,
which was once aborted by the executive
branch in 1995. “Pertamina president di-
rector at the time, Faisal Abda’oe rejected
that draft, and Pak Harto (Suharto) also re-
jected it,” he said. Faisal disagreed because
the new body would regulate the sale of fu-
els, which at that time was handled by Per-
tamina. The new bill would separate the
upstream from the downstream activities.
When the Oil and Gas Bill failed to be ad-
opted during Kuntoro’s time, Pertamina
retained a dominant role. That state-run
oil company was the regulator, contractor,
and oversight for oil and gas management.
In other words they handled all upstream
and downstream activities. Deliberations
with the DPR only began in earnest in 2001,
during the administration of President
Megawati Soekarnoputri.
“However, the DPR became involved in
the selection of the BP Migas leadership,”
said Kardaya. He was then still chairman
of the formulator team and an expert staff
on economics and finance to the Energy
and Mineral Resources minister. In deliber-
ations at the DPR, guidelines were agreed
upon: BP Migas would not be under the ex-
ecutive branch or Pertamina, and would not
be a profit-making organization.
Government involvement was avoided
because of its unprofessional image. At the
same time, Pertamina was seen as carrying
a heavy burden and being difficult to con-
trol. Moreover, at that time Pertamina’s oil
production was dropping. “Pertamina be-
came an overseer and forgot about explo-
ration,” Kardaya added. During the search
for a new entity, University of Indonesia ac-
ademics suggested making it a state-owned
legal entity (BHMN). This body would be
non-profit and be responsible to the presi-
dent. “A BHMN is closer to the state than a
BUMN (state-owned enterprise—SOE),” said
Kardaya. Law No. 22/2001 on Oil and Nat-
ural Gas was enacted, along with Govern-
ment Regulation No. 42/2002 on BP Migas.
Later, the legal status of BP Migas became
a problem. Last week, the Constitutional
Court dissolved BP Migas, ruling that its ex-
istence was unconstitutional. The ruling re-
ferred to Article 33 of the Indonesian Con-
stitution, in which a BHMN cannot control
the country’s natural resources.
BP Migas was suspected of signing explo-
ration contracts with private parties with-
out benefiting anything from the trans-
actions. The private sector ended up with
the money from Indonesia’s natural riches.
“Founding Father Moh. Hatta once said
that a state-owned company could carry
out this function,” said Ryad Chairil, an ob-
server of oil and gas law, last week.
In 2001, according to Ryad, a strong de-
bate about BP Migas emerged. He suggest-
ed that Pertamina handle this function after
making internal improvements and turn-
ing over the regulatory function to the exec-
utive branch. Ultimately, the decision was
to form a BHMN. In practice, BP Migas was
only to handle upstream activities, but the
contracts with private parties covered both
upstream and downstream. “That was how
the state lost funds in this sector,” he said.
● JOBPIE SUGIHARTO
NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 37
COVER STORY BP MIGAS
R. PRIYONO:
WHO IS BEHIND
THE DISSOLUTION?
R
ADEN Priyono was
attending a hearing at
the House of Represen-
tatives (DPR) when the
Constitutional Court pulled the
plug on the upstream oil and gas
regulator (BP Migas). He claimed
to be shocked at the ruling, be-
cause he never expected his in-
stitution to be dissolved without
any warning.
He became director of BP Mi-
gas by winning 45 of the 52 votes
of the DPR’s Energy Commis-
sion, beating out Hadi Purnomo
and Evita Legowo. A few times,
he dared to challenge then-Ener-
gy & Mineral Resources Minister,
Darwin Zahedy Saleh. The joke
going around was that in order to
sideline Priyono, BP Migas had to
be eliminated.
Priyono, who once led the min-
istry’s oil and gas unit, could do
little about the Constitution-
al Court ruling on BP Migas. He
himself had difficulty accepting
it. “We question this move. Who
is behind it?” he told Tempo at his
office in South Jakarta, last week.
What do you think about the
Constitutional Court ruling that
was a result of a lawsuit by a num-
ber of religious organizations?
To me this is the big question. If those
who protested were the Oil Engineers As-
sociation or a professional association re-
lated to the oil industry, I would under-
stand it. But the ones who asked for the ju-
dicial review were Islamic organizations.
Yet I checked with the hadis or hadith (a col-
lection of Prophet Mohamad’s sayings) and
nothing is mentioned there about BP Mi-
gas. So, what is their link to BP Migas? We
keep asking, who is behind this protest?
Their scope is so distant from the business
we manage. BP Migas was abolished with-
out my participation. I was never formally
invited to explain anything at the Constitu-
38 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012
tional Court.
Perhaps BP Migas was seen to be too lib-
eral and pro-foreign interest?
How can we be called liberal? BP Migas
operates under a legal basis. Its name alone
means executive board, which means it
cannot make its own policies. It is regulat-
ed by the government. As for siding with
foreign contractors, who invited them in?
It was during the time of Pak Kurtubi that
all those foreigners came. We just got the
end part of it.
So, 70 percent of contracts are shared
with foreign parties?
Yes, because he (Kurtubi) invited them
here. Please note that. It was during the
era of Pertamina. In the time of BP Migas,
foreign companies in Indonesia are still in
the exploration phase, none are produc-
ing yet. So, take the issue up with Pak Kur-
tubi, ask him why he invited foreign com-
panies to invest here. Why didn’t Pertam-
ina exploit its own fields at Arun, Balikpa-
pan and South Sumatra? Why did they fall
into foreign hands? They were all
owned by Pertamina. Pak Kurtu-
bi should be the one to account
for it to the younger generation.
Among the petitioners who de-
manded the dissolution of BP Mi-
gas, some of them took part in
drafting the 2001 Oil and Gas
Law.
Yes, this is the funny part.
Srimulat (a group of tradition-
al comedians—Ed.) is dead, but it
seems they have been replaced.
In fact, many of them are more
amusing than Srimulat. Any-
where Pak Kurtubi did battle, I
was always ready by his side, to
ensure he had the right data. He
wasn’t able to see the facts on the
ground.
One issue that has often been
raised is the sale of gas to China
for a very cheap price?
Please make sure that this
was the decision of Ibu Mega-
wati, who did the right thing at
that time. And we made a prof-
it at that time. Thankfully, we are
now renegotiating. As for price,
we must be aware that was the
price set at the time.
Critics claim the cost recov-
ery was always going up, even
though the oil production kept go-
ing down.
That is not true, because they
only compare it to oil produc-
tion. Look at the rising gas production.
This is data that has been misconstrued.
Who do you think is behind the court’s rul-
ing? Is it because you are often at odds with
Minister Jero Wacik?
Not at all. Pak Jero Wacik and I are good
friends. That rumor was spread intention-
ally, so people won’t see others. Just check
with the market.
TEMPO/DHEMAS REVIYANTO
Was it Pertamina?
It could be. They are the ones who have
an interest in the oil and gas production,
whether as an importer of crude or a trad-
er of gas. Basically, they are the one to have
a stake in it. ●

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When the processed cassava flour is
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Similarly in the case of organizing
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F Good Governance:
orget any image of Pertamina that
you have in the past as one of the
bad SOEs in Indonesia. Believe it
or not, the state-owned national

The Pertamina Way

energy company has now in fact success-
fully won various the best awards in terms
of the implementation of Good Corporate
Governance (GCG). One example is the title
of Most Trusted Company 2011 awarded by Having to be successful in their transformation by seriously run-
Swa Magazine and Indonesian Institute of
ning Good Corporate Governance (GCG), Pertamina is now even a
Corporate Governance (IICG) to Pertamina.
And then, the Ministry of SOEs also award- benchmark for SOEs and other companies in the implementation
ed Pertamina the 2011 best innovation of of GCG.
GCG. And, equally astonishing, the Corrup-
tion Eradication Commission (KPK) even Integrity Pact Code of Corporate Gover- third party. Each month, the board of di-
put Pertamina in the first rank in the Study nance, Code of Conduct, Board Manual, rectors and all employees are required
of Anti-Corruption Initiative 2011. to the guidelines for the management of to report gratuity, gift and entertainment
gratuity, gift and entertainment to prevent they received, rejected or gave, through the
But apparently Pertamina’s achievement bribery and corruption. Simultaneously, Compliance Online System. They are also
does not end there. Pertamina recently won GCG management function was formed required to report their adherence to the
the Soegeng Sarjadi Award on Good Go- under Corporate Secretary. This GCG Code of Conduct, submit the statement of
vernance Market Category. Cross-regional management function was then changed free from conflict of interest, payment of
accomplishments were achieved by Perta- to the Compliance function in 2009, which personal taxes (income tax, motor vehicle
mina by receiving four awards from Cor- handles the GCG, business ethics as well as tax, land and building tax) and report the
porate Governance Asia magazine, one of anti-fraud and anti-corruption. wealth of state officials (In Bahasa Indone-
them as The Best of Asia 2012. The award is sia known as LHKPN) through Compliance
given to companies deemed to have a high One of the basic principles of GCG imple- Online System.
commitment to improve their company’s mentation in Pertamina is the control of
transparency. gratuity, as a preventive action against brib- Reports are made by filling out the form
ery and corruption within Pertamina. All available on the Pertamina intra-net, which
All of those could be achieved because Pertamina employees, must refuse gratuity is integrated in the Compliance Online Sys-
Pertamina has long started their trans- from third parties, either gifts, souvenirs, tem operated since 2011. It is that easy. Fur-
formation and began practicing good nor entertainment. And vice versa, they thermore, the Compliance function at Per-
corporate governance. Pertamina initi- are prohibited from giving any gratuity to a tamina will analyze whether the employee
ated positive steps since 2003 by begin-
ning to develop GCG softstructure judged
most appropriate, as well as forming a
special team which serves to prepare the
implementation of GCG in the company.
”Afterwards, with the full support of the
board of directors and commissioners,
Pertamina began implementing GCG in
2006,” said Mindaryoko, Compliance Ma-
nager of Pertamina.

The application of GCG was directly sup-

ported by statements and willingness by the
entire board of directors and commission-
ers to participate in the implementation of
good corporate governance principles in the
company, namely the principles of transpar-
ency, accountability, responsibility, indepen-
dency, and fairness.

Since 2006, a series of GCG related policies

were made, disseminated, and enforced. August 2010 cooperation between KPK and Pertamina in Implementing Gratuity Management Unit (Unit
Policies ranging from Pertamina Charter Pengendalian Gratifikasi) in Pertamina.
May 2011 Clinic of Compliance Online System as implementation of employee compliance program in Pertamina.

has completed the adherence reports on and independently, through a variety of chan-
compliance and GCG program, including nels such as by phone, fax, SMS, e-mail, web-
analyzing the gratuity, gift and entertain- site and mailbox.
Pertamina’s GCG
ment reports. Rewards and consequences Principles
are then enforced based on the report. This In the future, Pertamina will continually
is the preventive action against corruption improve the implementation of GCG. The Since 2003, Pertamina has begun
which is given first rank in the Study of An- measurement of GCG is done by carrying to seek the implementation of Good
Corporate Governance (GCG). The goal
ti-Corruption Initiative by KPK in 2011. ”We out assessment. And the results to date are
is to apply the principles of corporate
were considered as a role model by KPK in getting better. Based on the assessment governance equivalent to public com-
terms of the application of controlling gra- conducted by assessor, in 2004, the GCG pany and build a healthy business en-
tuity in the SOEs,” said Mindaryoko. rating of Pertamina was only 55.73 percent. vironment with business partners and
But, in 2007, Pertamina’s other stakeholders, in order to achieve
Not only that, Pertamina GCG rating skyrocketed the vision of becoming a world-class
has also signed MoU with up to 74 percent. Then national energy company. Following
are the basic principles of Pertamina’s
KPK and PPATK related to in 2011 the score went up
GCG:
the prevention efforts and again. ”From the 88 per- 1. Transparency: Openness in imple-
eradication of corruption cent target rating, appar- menting the decision making pro-
and money laundering. ently we can achieve 91.85 cess and transparency in disclos-
Hence, no wonder if other percent in 2011,” said ing relevant material information
SOEs and companies such Mindaryoko. regarding the company.
as Jasamarga, Bank BNI, 2. Accountability: The clarity of func-
tionality, implementation, and ac-
Garuda Indonesia, Pe- And no less importantly,
countability of the company’s or-
lindo II, Badak NGL, and Pertamina’s GCG also gans in order to have an effective
others, are benchmarking received foreign recogni- company management.
to Pertamina in carrying Mindaryoko tion. In addition to suc- 3. Responsibility: Conformity in
out their the GCG. Compliance Manager of Pertamina cessfully obtain prizes managing the company pursu-
and awards related to ant to the laws and principles of a
healthy corporation.
In addition, the imple- GCG, Pertamina’s ac-
4. Independency: The state where
mentation of GCG in Pertamina is also countability was also recognized by inde- the company is professionally
strengthened by the Whistle Blowing Sys- pendent parties overseas. Evidently, Perta- managed, without conflict of in-
tem (WBS) which has been operated since mina has successfully issued global bonds terest and influence or pressure
August 2008. WBS is a medium for all in 2011. As we know that, the company that from any party that is not in accor-
stakeholders of Pertamina to make com- issued global bonds must first meet inter- dance with the laws and principles
plaints about un-ethical behavior in Perta- national standards of accountability and of a healthy corporation.
5. Fairness: Justice and equality in
mina. For example, the corruption, bribery, transparency. Therefore, forget about the
fulfilling the rights of stakeholders
conflict of interest, theft, fraud, or violations image that you have on Pertamina’s past as arising under agreements and the
of the laws and rules of the company. Re- one of the bad SOEs in Indonesia. laws.
ports can be made anonymously, secretly, „ADV
 COVER STORY BP MIGAS

WHO BENEFITS
FROM BREAKUP?

OIL AND GAS INVESTMENT

POTENTIAL STATE BP Migas has
“All this time, oil and natural gas production in Indonesia has REVENUE LOSSES said that the
(BP Migas version)
lagged far behind neighboring countries. One reason for this is the country and
bureaucracy. The dissolution of BP Migas should have increased
investment in oil and gas. On top of that, the management of this the oil and gas
sector should be transparent, but it has never been. This is so the industry stands
country can economize and eliminate corruption,” said Marwan Rp1 trillion/day to benefit. Just
Batubara, executive director of Indonesian Resources Studies, one of How was this calculated?
the parties which filed for a judicial review of the Law on Oil and Gas. how will this
Gross oil and gas revenue
US$70 billion/year
happen?

OIL AND GAS INVESTMENT DESTINATIONS RANKINGS* Cost recovery of 25-29

percent LIFTING ACTIVIT Y
121 127 US$17.5-20.3 billion/ ENDANGERED
115
year
83 84 85 91 92 ONE CASE: Chevron Pacific
Indonesia in Dumai, Riau.
Contractor revenues of » On Thursday last week, a
20-25 percent tanker docked in the Dumai
US$14-17.5 billion/year Port.
» Lifting could not be done
without approval, usually
M al a T B Philip V M T I
ysia hailand runei pinesietnam yanmar imor- Lestndonesia Net government revenue granted by BP Migas.
e of 46-55 percent » Shipping approval is
SOURCE: GLOBAL PETROLEUM SURVEY 2012 (FRASER INSTITUTE, CANADA)
US$32.5-38.5 billion needed for insurance
*RESPONDENTS: SPECIALISTS, MANAGERS, DIRECTORS, AND COMMISSIONERS OF OIL COMPANIES or liabilities and other needs.
WORLDWIDE.
*QUESTIONS COVERED FISCAL FACILITIES, TAX REGIMENTS, LEGAL UNCERTAINTY, COSTS, AND Rp308.7-365.7 trillion/ » State revenue from
CORRUPTION AND LICENSING. year
**SOUTHEAST ASIAN REGION. Chevron alone reaches
Rp240 billion.

DEVELOPMENT OF NEW FIELDS IN DANGER
+/- 20 plans of development (POD) should be signed at the end of this year.
The most alarming example
Train 3 of the Tangguh Block
» Estimated investment of US$12 billion.
» Obtained principal authorization from BP Migas in October.
» Various conditions in the principal authorization are being
deliberated and are to be spelled out in a development plan.
» If approval of the development plan is delayed, the plan to formulate
front-end engineering and design at the end of this year could be
pushed back. This is also true for the production target for the end
of 2018.
» BP has begun to worry about their authorization status which was
issued by BP Migas.
SOURCE: BP MIGAS
“There is a misperception, as if with the dissolution of BP Migas,
contracts will be neglected and the state will lose Rp1 trillion
each day. That is not true. This is because the Constitutional
Court determined that ongoing contracts will remain in effect
according to the agreements. The only thing is, the legal position
which has been invested in BP Migas is now the responsibility of
the government. So where is the problem? There is none, right?”
—MAHFUD MD., CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT
“The lifting process is not disturbed. The transition from BP
Migas to ESDM (Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources)
does not disturb handover and shipping activities in Dumai and
Lawe-lawe. Over the past two days we have not seen any influence
from this transition process on approvals for some Chevron PODs
(development plans).”
—DONY INDRAWAN, MANAGER OF CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS FOR
CHEVRON INDONESIA

42 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012

 Mahfud Md. (left), Achmad Sodiki, Din
Syamsuddin, and Hasyim Muzadi after
an audience on the Oil and Gas Law
at the Constitutional Court building,
Jakarta, March 29.

one who suffers a loss has the right to file a

claim. There are two interpretations on the
‘party who suffers a loss’: factual and po-
tential.
From 2003 to 2009, in practice the
court tended to use the second interpreta-
tion. This, said Zainal, refers to the taxpay-

THE POWER OF PRAYER er principle: whoever pays taxes and feels

a law is not good may file for a material re-
view. “They do not need any legal stand-
ing,” he said. “Anyone may review a law.
THE REASONS FOR A JUDICIAL REVIEW OF THE This is because when a law goes into effect,
OIL AND GAS LAW ARE BEING QUESTIONED. A it binds everyone.”
Muhammadiyah was one of the claim-
FORMER DEPUTY CHIEF OF THE NOW DEFUNCT ants. According to Syaiful Bakhri, lawyer
BP MIGAS SUPPLIED THE DATA. for the petitioners, the claim filed by these
religious organizations is the result of the
mandate of the 46th Muhammadiyah Con-
gress held in Yogyakarta on July 3, 2010.

T
HE final six pages of the Consti-
tutional Court’s ruling on up-
stream oil and gas regulator BP
Migas have become a big issue. It
was judge Harjono who first took issue with
it. In the dissenting opinion he conveyed
regarding the judicial review of Law No. 22/
2001, Harjono said that the court did not
provide a strong argument on the legal sta-
tus of the claimants. “Only those who have
a direct interest [in the case] can file a claim
in court,” he said.
Harjono also had a different view of the le-
gal basis of BP Migas. He said this body was
legitimate, even though it is not mentioned
in the Indonesian Constitution. Moreover,
there were no stipulations which forbid the
formation of government entities within
that law.
Just like Harjono, the director of BP Mi-
gas, Raden Priyono also questioned the
right of the claimants to file for a judicial re-
view. “If those protesting were the Associ-
ation of Petroleum Engineers or a profes-
sional association connected with oil and
trade, that would be appropriate.”
Most of the 12 petitioners were Islamic
organizations, including Muhammadiyah,
Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia, Persatuan Umat
ANTARA/WIDODO S. JUSUF
Hasyim Muzadi, Komaruddin Hidayat, and
A.M. Fatwa. “Who is behind this protest?
Their competencies are far removed from
the business we manage,” complained Pri-
yono.
Zainal Arifin Mochtar, an expert in state
administrative law at Gadjah Mada Uni-
versity, has a different opinion. Accord-
ing to Zainal, despite not being directly in-
volved in the oil and gas sector, the law al-
lows all kinds of applicants to convey their
objections to a particular law. According to
the Law on the Constitutional Court, any-
Most of the 12
petitioners were
Islamic organizations,
including
Muhammadiyah,
Hizbut Tahrir
Indonesia, Persatuan
Umat Islam, and Al-
Irsyad al-Islamiyah.
One of the issues entrusted as a result of
that meeting: central officials were asked to
review laws and legislation which were not
pro-people.
Based on the demands of congress, Mu-
hammadiyah’s Legal Council held a series
of discussions, and invited former Finance
Minister Kwik Kian Gie and former Coordi-
nating Minister for the Economy Rizal Ram-
li—two figures who also joined to file for a
judicial review, to take part. Their discus-
sions concluded that the Oil and Gas Law
was not pro-people.
According to a Tempo source, in the mid-
dle of last year a former deputy chief of
planning at BP Migas once came to Hasy-
im Muzadi, who was given 35 pages of doc-
uments containing a list of problems at BP
Migas.
Hasyim took those documents to the
chairman of Muhammadiyah, Din Syam-
suddin. They shared the same interest.
Now the Muhammadiyah Legal Council
had additional ammunition. Joint meet-
ings were held. The former BP Migas depu-
ty chief was invited to make a presentation.
The results of this discussion were used as a
basis for the judicial review to the Constitu-
tional Court.

Islam, and Al-Irsyad al-Islamiyah. Anoth- Another organization Speaking to Tempo, Syaiful denied this
er organization on board was the Parking story. “Pak Hasyim did not bring any doc-
Attendants Solidarity. There were also 30
on board was the uments,” he said. “The two times he came,
other individual claimants who are close to Parking Attendants he only said a prayer.”
the Islamic organizations. These included Solidarity. ● MUCHAMAD NAFI

NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 43

ECONOMY INNER-TOLL ROAD PROJECTS
TOLL ROADS
A LA JOKOWI
Governor Joko Widodo is not enthusiastic with the proposed
construction of six inner-toll roads in Jakarta. Concessionaires
are ready to adjust.
A
LL last week, Governor
Joko Widodo’s tone of voice
turned sour each time he
spoke about a six-section in-
ner-toll road proposed for
construction in Jakarta. It is very obvious
that he is not entirely enthusiastic with the
Rp41 trillion road project,
According to Jokowi, as he is better
known, the project is incompatible with the
city government’s mass transportation pol-
icy. “It only serves the interest of car own-
ers,” he said at the end of a public housing
meeting with officials of the public works
ministry on Wednesday last week. “Traffic
congestion can only be solved with good
policy, not with more infrastructure.”
Jokowi’s hard stance is a surprise to
many. Toll road regulatory agency (BPJT)
chief Achmad Gani Gazali is not sure wheth-
er another approval is needed from Wido-
do. The project was initially at the behest of
the Jakarta City government itself. “Never
has such a thing like this happened before,”
he said.
The idea for an inner-city toll road was
cooked up in 2004. Deputy Public Works
Minister Hermanto Dardak said the city
government had offered to initiate the proj-
ect to his ministry. Jakarta’s horrendous
traffic jams were the basis for the initiative.
A study on integrated transportation by
the Japan International Cooperation Agen-
cy (JICA) showed that average speed of traf-
fic in Jakarta was less than 20 kilometers
per hour, and was expected to get slower
in the years to come. The rate for road con-
struction by the government, said Dardak,
had not kept pace with economic growth.
A 2010 estimate by JICA and the Nation-
al Development Planning Agency put eco-
nomic losses resulting from traffic conges-
tion in Jakarta at Rp65 trillion a year. Loss-
es of up to Rp28.1 trillion were incurred
by vehicle operational costs, and another
Rp36.9 trillion by lost travel time. In some
44 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012
Semanan Sunter
1 2
Duri Pulo Kemayoran
Tanah 4
3 Bekasi
Abang Raya
Kampung
5 Melayu
Casablanca
Ulujami 6
Pasar
Minggu
STAGE I 11 22
Start of construction: June 2013 | With an
investment of Rp17.13 trillion | Length of
section 29.67 kilometers | Date of completion:
December 2016.
STAGE II 31 24 Jakarta inner-
Start of construction: 2016 | With an city toll road.
investment of Rp8.1 trillion, plus Rp4.9 trillion.
Length of section: 22.25 kilometers | Date of
completion: 2018.
parts of the city, only 40 percent of traffic
STAGE III 51 26
could move, with the rest stalled by conges-
Start of construction: June 2018 | With
tion.
an investment of Rp11.37 trillion | Length
In 2007, Public Works Minister Joko Kir-
of section 17.86 kilometers | Date of
manto approved the city government’s pro-
completion: 2020
posal with certain conditions, such as cross
subsidies to be provided for public trans-
Rp41.17 trillion portation. After City Hall agreed, finally in
The Jakarta Inner-Toll Road Projects 2010 the ministry approved the project.
Investment The proposed toll road project consists of
six sections, i.e. the 9.6-kilometers Kemay-
69.77 kilometers oran-Kampung Melayu road, the 11.4 -kilo-
Length meters Kampung Duri-Kampung Melayu
road, the 22.9-kilometers Sunter-Rawabua-
HOLDER OF CONCESSION ya-Batu Ceper road, the 25.73-kilometers
TEMPO/TONY HARTAWAN
● Jakarta Toll Road Development ● a consortium Sunter-Pulo Gebang-Tambelang road, the
comprising Jakarta Propertindo ● Pembangunan 9.5-kilometers Pasar Minggu-Casablanca
Jaya ● Jaya Konstruksi ● Pembangunan Jaya Tol road, and the 8.27-kilometers Ulujami-Ta-
● Jaya Ancol ● Jaya Real Properti ● Wijaya Karya nah Abang road, for a total length of some
● PP ● Adhi Karya ● CMNP 70 kilometers.

The new roads will be overpasses linking
all five city municipalities, connected to the
Jasa Marga-operated outer ring toll roads.
■■■
OF 30 contenders taking part in the pre-
qualification bid in September last year,
only two, Nusantara Infrastructure and Ja-
karta Tollroad Development (JTD)—a con-
sortium comprising state, region- and pri-
vately-owned companies—put in the re-
quired documents. In November 2011, the
BPJT announced JTD passed the pre-qual-
ification stage, disqualifying Nusantara In-
frastrucure for inadequate equity. BPJT
chief Achmad Gani Gazali said a successful
bidder should have at least 30 percent cap-
ital, around Rp12 trillion in equity, and the
remaining capitalization can come from
bank loans.
“Since only one bidder remained, we de-
cided to re-bid for the project,” Gani told
Tempo last week. Five companies joined
the second bidding in November last year,
including Welspun India Limited, China
Toll Road Corporation, Shang Yong, and Ja-
karta Express Link. Three withdrew, leav-
ing Welspun and JTD in the race. Welspun
was later disqualified for not meeting the
equity requirements. Again, JTD came out
the single bidder.
“We then asked for permission from the
public works ministry to discontinue bid-
ding and name Jakarta Tollroad Develop-
ment the successful bidder, with negotia-
tion,” Gani said. Negotiations started be-
tween the BPJT and JTD on value of project,
stages of construction, rate of interest and
rate of returns.
It was agreed that the value of the proj-
ect could be cut down from Rp43 tril-
lion to Rp41.17 trillion, with road length to-
taling 69.77 kilometers. On September 26,
2012 the public works ministry officially
named JTD holder of the road concession.
The company was given three months
until December 26, 2012 to set up a busi-
ness entity, submit planning documents,
draw up a frame of reference for environ-
mental impact analysis, and sign a road
management agreement.
JTD CEO Frans Sunito said his company
will meet all the requirements within the
prescribed time. “We will abide by the gov-
ernment policy and make the necessary ad-
justments,” he said.
Sunito, who is former CEO of Jasa Mar-
ga, said his company has no problem in fi-
nancing the project. Indonesian banks, he
added, were ready to help. Several infra-
structure projects, such as the Cikampek-
Palimanan Toll Road, for example, were fi-
nanced by Indonesian banks.
Gani said construction of the Jakarta toll
road would be carried out in three stages
considering the financing factor. A contract
is expected to be signed early next year for
work on the construction of the project to
begin in mid-2013.
According to Gani, the road would be
built in three lanes, one for a busway and
with places to stop that would not hamper
traffic flow, from which passengers could
exit to artery roads below the overpass.
Stretches between each stop would be
five kilometers. Public transport using the
roads would serve long haul traffic.
Deputy Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purna-
ma welcomed construction of special lanes
for public transport on the toll road. “This
would make it a toll-road with pluses, and
would be very advantageous,” he told Tem-
po’s Tri Artining Putri.
Up until Wednesday last week, Jokowi
was still reviewing the project. He said
he had listened to the plans by the public
works ministry to have special lanes for
public transportation, even though he still
could not grasp the whole concept. “That’s
why I still had to ask, was this for a toll road
or for an elevated bus route?”
Jokowi is still discussing with the city
transport office plans to reevaluate the so-
called three-in-one program in some parts
of the city, a plan to limit vehicles of a cer-
tain age, and plans to limit vehicles based
on their license number plates. “Everything
will be considered from both their social
and economic aspects,” he said.
● RETNO SULISTYOWATI, DIMAS SIREGAR
NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 45
ECONOMY INNER-TOLL ROAD PROJECTS
INNER-CITY TOLL ROADS
VS MASS TRANSPORT
Some residents, environmental activists and transportation
observers reject the six inner-city toll road projects. They are
cheaper than building streets.
P
LANS to develop six inner-city
toll roads are being met with re-
sistance by residents. Some peti-
tions are being circulated in cy-
berspace. One of them is by environmental
activist Firdaus Cahyadi. As of Thursday af-
ternoon of last week, he has gained support
from 2,984 Jakartans.
The petition was e-mailed to Public
Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto, Deputy
Minister Hermanto Dardak, and Jakarta
Governor Joko Widodo. “This project goes
against the grain of mass transit,” Firdaus
said on November 15.
The Rp41.7-trillion project, in Firdaus’
opinion, will only indulge Jakarta’s upper
middle class, particularly owners of pri-
vate cars. It is the automotive industry and
the property business who will reap huge
profits if the project proceeds.
If all goes according to plan, the first pil-
lars will be installed early next year. The
project is included in the Regional Regu-
lation on Jakarta Spatial Planning for 2011-
2030 and is one of the 17 measures in ad-
46 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012
dressing traffic jams in Jakarta, as instruct-
ed by Vice President Boediono.
Based on a study by Pembangunan Jaya
in 2005, congestions occurred because
the increase in the number of motor vehi-
cles was not followed by a corresponding
increase in the number of roads. To cope
with the growth, additional roads need to
be built. Two years after the study, the Pub-
lic Works Ministry approved the project.
Yet many people doubt this project will
be a long-term cure for the problem. Be-
sides Firdaus, Indonesian Transportation
Society head Tri Tjahjono Jakarta categor-
ically rejected it. “Solution? Mass transpor-
tation,” he said.
Spatial observer Marco Kusumawi-
jaya, another petitioner who rejects inner-
city toll roads, focuses on the impacts on
health. Citing data from the Committee for
the Abolishment of Leaded Gasoline, Mar-
co said that health costs due to air pollution
in Jakarta reach Rp38 trillion per year.
Deputy minister Hermanto Dardak guar-
antees that pollution can be reduced by
Toll road attendant at the Cimanggis
toll gate, Jakarta.
adding trees along the roads and installing
barrier technology. To meet demands for
public transport, one lane of the toll road
will be devoted for buses complete with
bus-stops. “Who says we’re not in favor of
public transport?” he asked.
Hermanto believes that the six toll roads
can increase the average speed of vehicles
from last year’s mere seven kilometers per
hour. “This can be a solution while waiting
for the MRT to be built.”
Agreeing with Hermanto, Jakarta depu-
ty governor for Transportation, Soetanto
Soehodo, said the project would increase
the current road-car ratio of 6.3 percent.
The ideal is 11 percent.
Road construction usually spends large
amounts on land acquisition. On the oth-
er hand, green open spaces need to be add-
ed. The six toll roads will actually be built
on existing roads, thus eliminating land ac-
quisition costs.
As the owner of 78 percent of the shares
of regionally owned enterprises, the Ja-
karta government will also make a profit.
The concessionaire-holding consortium,
Jakarta Toll Development, need only pro-
vide 30 percent of the project costs. The
rest can be borrowed from banks. Soetanto
also guarantees that mass transport proj-
ects are going ahead. “The tender for MRT
is in process and 100 new TransJakarta bus-
es are coming soon,” he said.
The Association of Indonesian Automo-
tive Industries (Gaikindo) dismissed the
idea that they would profit from the toll
project. Based on data released by the as-
sociation, until October car sales reached
923,000 units, 40-50 percent of which
were sold in Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tange-
rang, and Bekasi.
But Gaikindo rejects the notion that vehi-
cle sales cause traffic congestion in Jakarta.
“It is caused by inhumane public trans-
port,” said Gaikindo vice chairman Jongkie
Sugiarto.
Property businessmen have different
opinions about whether or not they would
enjoy huge profits from the inner-city toll
roads. Deputy head of Commercial Prop-
erty, Indonesian Chamber of Commerce,
Ikang Fawzi, confirmed that the value of
TEMPO/EKO SISWONO TOYUDHO
property would soar if it was located by the
toll road. However, Chairman of Real Estate
Indonesia, Setyo Maharso, said that the ex-
isting houses would incur losses. “Pollu-
tion will be high,” he said.
● AMANDRA MUSTIKA MEGARANI
 ECONOMY INTERVIEW

B
AD news keep coming out of the
Bumi Plc website. The heat has
been turned on at the London
stock exchange, as a result of a
dispute between the two major sharehold-
ers: the Bakrie Group and Nathaniel Roth-
schild. The business company they formed
together, Recapital Group, is in danger of
breaking up.
The Bakrie Group sent a proposal indi-
cating it was ready to let go 23.8 percent of
its shares in exchange for shares in Bumi
Resources and Berau Coal, which is con-
trolled by Bumi Plc. They were also willing
to add more money. If this proposal is ap-
proved, the transaction is estimated to be
in the value of US$1.2 billion. According to
rumors, Rothschild was ready to sell the
two mines, which is estimated to hold 3.2
million tons of coal reserves.
Last week, the Communications and In-
vestor Relations chief at Bumi Plc, Nick
von Schirnding was in Jakarta. He was con-
cerned at the loss of the crown assets if Bak-
rie’s proposal was approved by the share-
holders. “We are ready with a number of al-
ternatives,” von Schirnding told Tempo re-
porters Agoeng Wijaya and Gustidha Budi-
artie.
NICK VON SCHIRNDING:
The value of Bumi Plc shares keeps fall-
ing. Is there a chance conditions will get
WITHOUT BAKRIE,
better?
It depends on our business performance.
These are difficult times, especially when
BUMI IS FINISHED
the price of coal is falling. But we have a sce-
nario. We have to find out where we can cut not a proposal, not an offer to buy Bumi Plc tion and valuation of the Bakrie proposal,
costs. If we can do this, and we have the re- shares. It was just an alternative. the board of directors will look at it, then
sults of the valuation on Bakrie’s propos- What is the alternative? make recommendations to the sharehold-
al and the investigation results of Bumi Re- I cannot say because it is still confiden- ers. Twenty days later, there will be a share-
sources, that is very possible. tial. They are discussing it among the inde- holders meeting to determine the next
Hasn’t the value been affected by the dis- pendent directors, then they bring it to the move.
pute between Bakrie and Rothschild? board of directors. Bumi Resources and Berau Coal have
Correct, but it’s clear the main problem is When will the valuation by the Rothschild been the crown jewels of Bumi Plc. If Bak-
the price of coal, which keeps going down. Group on the Bakrie proposal be completed? rie’s offer is accepted, will it be the end of
Our strategy is to protect the phenomenal Possibly in early December. Bumi Plc?
and fantastic Bumi Plc. What about the independent investiga- If the offer is accepted, we will get new
What is the status of the Bakrie Group tion by Bumi Plc on Bumi Resources and Be- funds. All Bakrie assets will go to Bakrie.
proposal? rau? We are ready to look at all options. With
We appointed the Rothschild Group to The results will be out by mid-December. this cash, we can seek new assets, new and
evaluate the proposal and they will make Two weeks ago, Bumi Resources also said stronger partners over here. And we still
recommendations to the board of direc- it was doing an independent audit. What is have Pak Samin Tan with his BORN (Bor-
tors. This is not linked to Nathaniel Roth- the objective? neo Lumpung Energy-Ed.). So it won’t be
schild, whose father resigned 30 years ago. The investigation by Bumi Plc was done difficult. It will be logical investment.
The Rothschild Group is one of two banks because there were some suspicious doc- Are there other assets that can compare
in the UK which can evaluate companies. uments (on fund irregularities in Bumi with Bumi Resources and Berau?
TEMPO/MARIFKA WAHYU HIDAYAT

This is a French company.
What about Rothschild’s offer?
I would like to clarify. The propsosal was
not sent to the board of directors but to an
independent director. And actually, it was
Resources-Ed.). These are two different
things.
When will Bumi Plc respond to Bakrie’s of-
fer?
After we get the results of the investiga-
There are many other attractive coal
mines. We cannot mention them but we
need to look at those opportunities. We like
that idea. ●

NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 47

ECONOMY FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IMPORTS
BATTERED BY QUOTAS
The government has again cancelled quota division and import
approval requirements for fresh fruits and vegetables. Steep
competion seems to be a major factor.
H
UNDREDS of 40-foot con-
tainers piled up in blocks
B and C of the yard owned
by PT Terminal Petikemas
Surabaya at Tanjung Perak
Port, Wednesday last week. Cranes could
be seen busily moving containers from
block to block. Trailer trucks hustled and
bustled in the 49-hectare terminal area.
Since early November, containers had
been steadily piling up in the century-old
port. As of last week, 623 containers were
parked in the holding yard. According to
Muchammad Solech, a Terminal Petike-
mas spokesman, all of the 634 power sup-
ply sockets in the yard except for 11 units
were all being used. “The containers all
need power for their cooling systems,” he
told Tempo.
The containers of 20 to 25-ton capacity
are held up at the port because their own-
ers do not have the required recommen-
dations for horticultural product imports
(RIPH) from the Agriculture Ministry, and
import approvals (PI) from the Ministry of
Trade. Both of the new requirements have
been operational since October 28, im-
posed by the Ministries of Agriculture and
Trade with the aim of protecting domestic
horticultural commodities.
The decree on import restriction has
been in process since November two years
ago through Law No.13 on Horticulture.
From there, various rulings were made,
even though the two ministries revised
them repeatedly. The new rules began by
restricting entry of import commodities.
The government has decided that horti-
cultural products, except those from the
US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia,
are banned from entering through Tanjung
Priok Port in Jakarta. The four countries re-
ceive special treatment because they are al-
ready holding a country recognition agree-
ment, meaning their horticultural cultiva-
tion systems have passed tests and are ac-
cepted as pest-free.
This rule was later revised with the allow-
ance of 47 commodities from all countries
48 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012
to enter through Tanjung Priok. They most-
ly come from China and Thailand, and in-
clude durian, longans, pineapples, carrots,
bean sprouts, potatoes and cabbages.
In September, the Ministries of Trade
and of Agriculture issued the relevant regu-
lations, requiring approval documents for
horticultural imports. In order to secure
the approvals, importers were obliged to
possess RIPH from the Ministry of Agricul-
ture.
The RIPH serves as a mechanism for the
government to divvy up its quotas among
importers to control the influx of fruit and
vegetable imports, totaling Rp308 billion
per month. This amount is predicted to in-
crease because fruit consumption so far is
only 40 kilograms per capita, much lower
than than the FAO annual standard of 65,75
kilograms per capita.
Each recommendation permits one com-
pany and one commodity from one origi-
nating country. Quotas will be redistribut- Containers of imported horticultural
ed every three months. In this initial peri- products at Tanjung Perak Port,
od, current quota allocations are effective Surabaya, last Friday.
until December 23.
Quota allocations are determined by the Bob Budi Budiman (below).
RIPH team formed by Agriculture Minister
Suswono. Mahfuddin, Director of Domestic man, Deputy Chairman of Gisimindo, said
Marketing of the Agriculture Ministry con- with the regulations, many members of his
currently an RIPH team member, said quo- group had to work hard to complete their
tas would not be given for domestic com- documents. “My employees are working
modities just entering their harvest pe- overtime,” he noted. Bob added hun-
riods at home. Quotas for commodi- dreds of his members’ containers
ties allowed refer to import quan- are currently suspended in Tan- TEMPO/AGITA SUKMA LISTYANTI, TEMPO/DASRIL ROSZANDI (BUDI)
tities per quarter of last year. jung Priok and Tanjung Perak.
The formula for quota divi- The same complaint came
sion, according to Mahfudin, from Kafi Kurnia, chairman of
is by reducing total imports in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable
the previous year by at least 20 Exporters and Importers Asso-
percent. The result is divided by ciation. He said 183 containers
the number of applicant importers. of his members being held at vari-
“It’s all in the spirit of protecting local ous ports. They comprised three con-
products,” he added. tainers at Belawan, 60 containers at Tan-
Joint data from the Indonesian Horti- jung Priok, and 120 others at Tanjung Per-
cultural Importers Association (Gisimin- ak. “It’s estimated that the numbers denied
do) indicate the numbers of fruit and veg- entry are much more than what has been
etable imports come to 3,000 to 5,000 40- reported,” he said.
foot containers per month. Bob Budi Budi- Bob attributed the hundreds of contain-
ers currently in limbo to the government’s
unpreparedness in implementing their
own regulations. Consequently, contain-
er and parking space rental costs are going
sky-high. By his calculation, operational
costs for a container comes to Rp2 million
a day.
Other losses are attributed to potential
decay. The numerous containers entering
Tanjung Perak are not offset by necessary
infrastructure, i.e. adequate power con-
nections. Electricity is needed for refrig-
erators. “Even with refrigeration, certain
import commodities can go bad, let alone
without it,” he pointed out. Both Bob and
Kafi have not yet calculated the losses re-
sulting from decayed fresh produce. “We
cannot do the calculations yet, because the
goods are being detained.”
■■■
REPORTS about the large number of con-
tainers piling up at ports have made several
officials in the Ministries of Agriculture and
Trade become nervous. They fear the sit-
uation will cause prices to soar in the mar-
ket. Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan readi-
ly threw in the towel. The requirement for
importers to secure import approvals was
cancelled on Monday last week.
Agriculture Minister Suswono respond-
ed by issuing a follow-up letter two days
after Gita withdrew the rule. The letter al-
lowed importers to take their containers
without the required documents. This rul-
ing was granted for commodities that ar-
rived before November 28. Nonetheless,
the two ministries insisted that importers
must handle RIPH and import approvals
until December 31.
The background for the cancellations
was the result of different procedures in the
two ministries. Last week, the RIPH deliv-
ered by importers to the Trade Ministry to-
taled 1,873 documents. This caused Deddy
Saleh, Director General of Foreign Trade of
the Trade Ministry to blow his top. “I could
get flattened out signing thousands of RIPH
papers. A single set of RIPH alone needs
four of my signature,” he said.
Deddy pointed to the different systems
between his institution and those from the
Agriculture Ministry. In his view, a single
company should be able to get one single
approval file, instead of dozens of sheets.
“I know one company that has 95 RIPH pa-
pers.” For all his complaining, Deddy said
he has issued 1,700 recommendations for
import approvals.
Importers under the aegis of Bob and
Kafi are ecstatic at the annulment. The two
groups claiming to dominate horticultural
importers were unhappy with the quotas
originally issued by the Agriculture Min-
istry in the previous period. “The quotas
were not based on proper reasoning,” said
Kafi. They had heard about the cancellation
of the requirements two weeks ago.
With the new conditions, both associa-
tions will again compete to gain a lot more
quotas in early next year. Without men-
tioning quota numbers, Bob’s group claims
to have earned the most. The claim was ac-
knowledged by Kafi. “Yes, they’ve got a big-
ger share,” he affirmed. Bob as well as Kafi
asserted they know how to acquire larg-
er quotas. The means? “We have a mighty
‘god’,” said Bob, referring to the name of an
influential figure behind the minister.
● AKBAR TRI KURNIAWAN, ROSALINA (JAKARTA),
DAVID PRIYASIDHARTA (SURABAYA)
NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 49
ECONOMY ASURANSI JIWA INHEALTH INDONESIA
CEO, ASURANSI JIWA INHEALTH INDONESIA, ROSA CHRISTIANA GINTING:
“PEOPLE HAVE MORE
CONFIDENCE IN FOREIGN
INSURANCE COMPANIES.”
T
HE government is still deciding the
fate of Asuransi Jiwa inHealth Indo-
nesia, a subsidiary of Asuransi Ke-
sehatan (Health Insurance) or Ask-
es. After Askes becomes the Badan
Penyelenggara Jaminan Sosial (So-
cial Welfare Executive Board) or
BPJS, Asuransi Jiwa inHealth Indo-
nesia can no longer remain under this state-owned insur-
ance company. There are several options for inHealth.
This company can become a state-owned company or
become a subsidiary of a state-owned enterprise, or it
can become a private company or it can be dissolved.
Since its establishment in 2009, inHealth has per-
formed quite well, with 1.5 million clients. According to
Rosa Christiana Ginting, CEO of Asuransi Jiwa inHealth
Indonesia, her company grossed Rp192 billion in 2009.
A year later its revenues rose to Rp798 billion and Rp1
trillion in 2011.
In a recent interview, Rosa told Tempo reporters Ab-
dul Malik and Ananda W. Putri about inHealth’s work
plan and the market potential of insurance in Indone-
sia.
50 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012
Askes, the holding company of Asuransi
Jiwa inHealth Indonesia, will soon become
the Social Welfare Executive Board or BPJS.
What’s will become of inHealth?
At present Askes controls our shares. Af-
ter becoming BPJS, Askes must not have
subsidiaries. We have conducted a study,
and (the result is) the most feasible option
is to become a subsidiary of a state-owned
enterprise (SOEs). True, this choice needs
to be studied further. The other option is
for inHealth to become a state-owned com-
pany.
What preparations are necessary to be-
come a state-owned company?
It makes no difference to us. There are
positive as well as negative sides in becom-
ing a state-owned firm. However, we want
other state-owned companies to work in
cooperation with inHealth for [the benefit
of] workers’ insurance. Today, a number of
state-owned companies handle their em-
ployee’s health insurance on their own. If
the insurance is managed by us, they will
be able to focus better on their business.
How many state-owned companies have
become inHealth’s clients?
Probably about 100 SOEs, including
their subsidiaries. We will concentrate [on
this work]. No rush. If we’re greedy, we
might crash.
InHealth’s profits last year amounted
 to Rp40 billion. Did you deposit the entire
amount with Askes?
We did, almost the entire sum. We set
aside a small amount to strengthen our
capital. Coincidentally, this year we had an
additional capital of Rp700 billion from the
shareholders.
Any plans for expansion?
We would like to expand our business to
support insurance, as agents supporting
the core insurance business. We don’t plan
to stray beyond the insurance business.
What are the company’s objectives next
year?
Last year until late 2011, we made a gross
total of Rp1 trillion or so. This year’s target
rose to 30 percent. We’re optimistic that
this target is achievable, since we do have
a “managed care” product which other in-
surances don’t have.
What products are offered by ‘managed
care’?
Most insurance companies apply the in-
demnity system, that is, paying a certain
amount [of money] for the health costs.
With “managed care,” we don’t fix a cer-
TEMPO/EKO SISWONO TOYUDHO
tain amount of money. Rather, we take
care of the procedure. Health costs vary
greatly, depending on the types of disease.
If the amount of money is fixed, the clients
can’t get themselves protected.
For the “managed care” program, is the
premium any higher?
It depends on the costs being incurred.
We do provide a family doctor. When you
are sick, you should first consult the fam-
ily physician. The physician will tell you
whether or not it’s necessary to see a spe-
cialist. As for medicine, what we look for is
quality. The insurance company does not
choose the medicine; this is a job for ex-
perts. We also demand medicine for a spe-
cial price. These are the things being of-
fered by the managed care service for effi-
ciency’s sake, unlike the indemnity thing,
which is not efficient.
Meaning that next year’s income will
come more from the managed care service?
Indeed, the managed care is expected to
generate more income. In the third quar-
ter of 2012, our income already reached
Rp950 billion. These days, in addition to
managed care, we do still offer indemnity,
since many clients still want it.
Who are the inHealth’s targets at pres-
ent?
We’re still focusing on corporations, not
targeting individuals yet.
If it’s capable of growing by as much as 30
percent, can it be predicted that inHealth’s
growth next year will be even higher?
Yes, we do aim for higher growth. After
five years, it will probably be smooth sail-
ing. Since early in 2009, our income was
Rp192 million, Rp798 billion in 2010, and
Rp1 trillion in 2011. So, the composition of
our growth is indeed 30 percent.
How do you cope with the tight competi-
tion, especially with foreign insurance com-
panies that are aggressively expanding
themselves into Indonesia?
We should indeed take a stance toward
this. It turns out that the insurance indus-
try in Indonesia is still dominated by for-
eigners. Those thriving on and enjoying
the public trust are in fact the foreign com-
panies. The people have more trust in for-
eign insurance companies. True, their
name, their system and their human re-
sources are good, and that they’ve got tre-
mendous capital. If seen from their finance
reports, their profits are also enormous.
But much of their consumers’ money is tak-
en abroad. On the other hand, we, the local
companies, do pay the taxes diligently. The
money is used for development.
In [our] strategy to face competition
from foreign insurance companies, we’re
going to strengthen the company’s internal
affairs. We make promises which we have
to keep. Services for the general public
should be made easier. [Our] image should
be good; the information technology sys-
tem needs to be reorganized. Also, we will
not be negligent. We will pay claims, as
promised.●
NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 51
SMES CERAMIC
A TASTE
FOR
CERAMICS
Three young graduates of the
ITB School of Fine Arts and
Design, established a ceramics
tableware business, turning a
monthly profit of Rp100 million.
T
HE ceramic bowls, cups and
tea-sets are quite unique. The
bowls are coarse to the touch
giving the feel not unlike that
of a rough cement wall. Some
mugs have handles in the shape of necks
and a horse’s head. Others have letter-
shaped handles, from A to Z. The colors are
refreshing, shades of light blues, yellows
and greens. “The alphabet mugs are the
best-selling items. The designer thought
people would want a stamp of identity for
something they use every day. We’ve sold
more than 1,000 items,” Bathsebha Saty-
aalangghya, generally known as Ghia, told
Tempo recently.
The ceramic ware comes under the Kan-
dura label, a company established by Fauzy
Prasetya (30), Tisa Granicia (31), and Ghia
(30). Since its founding in 2005, Kandura
boasts 200 line of products. In addition to
tableware, Kandura also has a line for pen-
dants, with shapes ranging from tiny bells
to coral stones.
The three founders are graduates of the
Bandung Institute of Technology’s (ITB)
School for Fine Arts and Design. Fauzy ma-
jored in product design, while Tisa and
Ghia in ceramics. During their obligatory
internship, Fauzy got Tisa and Ghia to join
forces with him to produce ceramic table-
ware. They turned serious, and have since
continued their ceramics business.
With a loan of Rp15 million as start-up
capital from their respective parents, the
three bought a kiln, a load of clay, and some
basic equipment. They began experimen-
ting with formula, using firing and glazing
52 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012
techniques suited to their designs. They
operate from a rented garage next door
to Fauzy’s home, which they transformed
into a ceramics studio.
The 80-square-meter studio is divided
into two parts. The office is in the front sec-
tion, while production goes on in the back.
Two large kilns occupy a narrow yard, whi-
le two smaller ones fill up the back section.
Kandura focuses on two product lines: tab-
leware and ceramic jewellery. They some-
times cater to orders for wall ceramics, alt-
hough on a small scale.
In the beginning, when business was
still slack, founders Fauzy and Ghia would
fly overseas to further their studies. Fauzy
completed a master’s degree in ceramics
design from Saint Martin’s Central College
of Art and Design in London. Ghia comp-
leted a master’s in fashion accessories and
business from the Instituto Europeo de Di-
seno in Madrid, Spain. Another partner,
Nuri Fatima joined their venture in 2010.
Currently Fauzy acts as chief designer,
Tisa and Ghia are the resident artists and
do the marketing, while Nuri is in charge
of finances. They are assisted by producti-
on manager Kanya, and four artisans who
joined Kandura in 2006. The artisans hail
from Kiaracondong, one of Bandung’s im-
portant ceramics production centers. One
of the artisans, Yayat Sutaryat, 41, has been
working with ceramics since he was a tee-
nager.
Yayat once worked for a ceramics factory
in Leuwipanjang, Bandung. With years of
experience as an artisan and factory wor-
ker, Yayat’s specialty is ornamental items
Ceramic mug sporting
a popular design by
Kendura.
Producing Kendura
products in Cigadung,
Bandung, West Java.
such as jars, vases and flowerpots made out
of red clay. He found work very different
in Kandura. “In producing tableware, we
have to do things with care and patience so
that the ceramic production corresponds
exactly to the design intended.” he said. “If
not, then we have to scrap everything and
start all over again.”
Ghia feels that working with Yayat and
his three colleague has been a learning cur-
ve for everyone. Originally, the Kandura
founders were sticklers for theory and al-
ways went by the book. They were compel-
led to get out of their boxes when they came
up against the artisans who had been pro-
ducing ceramics for decades.
The ceramics-making process at Kan-
dura begins with the design. The idea can
come from either Fauzy, Tisa or Ghia. They
PHOTOS: TEMPO/PRIMA MULIA
then go into serious discussions about it.
While this is happening, they order clay
from suppliers in Plered, Purwakarta and
Sukabumi, West Java. Ghia says Kandura
uses both stoneware clay and terracotta.
White clay they prefer to get from Malang,

to be glazed into porcelain. Other minerals
and oxides, such as fieldspar, kaolin, sili-
con and manganese cobalt are bought from
suppliers in Bandung.
They can order up to 500 kilograms
of clay a month, which is shipped over in
installments. Each batch of clay is minutely
inspected. Experience shows that at times
the clay sent is not up to par, causing dama-
ge in the kiln or in the glazing process.
This is one of the challenges of ceramics,
a process requiring careful ongoing stu-
dy and searching for the perfect formula,
and one that not very many people can ap-
preciate. Some would-be customers hagg-
le Kandura items down to prices similar to
factory-made goods. “It’s saddening, actu-
ally, considering our products are hand-
made,” says Ghia. Kandura engages their
customers in discussions for made-to-or-
der tableware or items for home and offi-
ce interior. “Production takes at least three
weeks,” said Ghia.
Kandura items range from Rp50,000 to
Rp300,000. Their monthly production ca-
pacity totals some 1,000 items. So far their
biggest customer is the Bank Indonesia Mu-
seum, with orders reaching over Rp200
million.
The Bank Indonesia Museum required
Kandura to replace their old ceramic ti-
les with the caveat that the motif, size and
tensile strength of the items remained ex-
actly the same. They have also completed
a project at the Jakarta Capital Residence
complex, in conjunction with an architec-
tural firm. From design and material spec-
ification approval to final production took
a period of one and a half years before the
building was 100 percent completed. Kan-
dura produced a total of 76 pieces of art-
work for the building.
They were also involved in a conserva-
tion project for the Bank Indonesia build-
ing in Padang, and an old building in Ma-
laysia. These projects have given Kandu-
ra an appreciation of the history of ceram-
ics and the materials needed, particular-
ly ceramics used in Indonesia under the
Dutch during the 1900s. Kandura opts for
real-life marketing strategies, and corrobo-
rates with many other artists and designers
with the object of introducing ceramics as
an artistic medium. “We hope our consum-
ers can begin to understand the long and
painstaking process a hand-made item re-
quires. Our products originate as ideas and
become tangible products that people can
hold,” says Ghia.
The proliferation of middle and high-
class cafes and restaurants in Jakarta have
also added to Kandura’s coffers. Ghia
maintains that many outlets nowadays use
tableware to establish the venue’s charac-
teristics. The company does its marketing
through its website and Facebook. They
are diligent in taking part in exhibitions,
i.e. the Brightspot Market in Jakarta and
the Designboom Mart 2010 in Valencia,
Spain. Kandura managed to find foreign
buyers who later became their marketing
partners. Kandura’s profits amount to be-
tween Rp50-100 million a month. They are
determined to continue producing hand-
made goods and to using only raw materi-
als from Indonesia. As a result, no two Kan-
dura products are precisely the same even
from the same design.
Kandura hopes that their brand will be-
come better known within the next five
years. They plan to conduct workshops and
hold small educational events to discuss
materials and the ceramics process in va-
rious places.
To aspiring ceramics entrepreneurs,
Kandura has this to say: people should first
acquire a deeper understand of the for-
mula needed, the potential of raw materi-
als and, of course, the production techni-
ques. Without this deep understanding,
said Ghia, it would be extremely difficult
to come up with innovative products. Pur-
wanto, the supervising consultant of Bank
Indonesia, who hired Kandura for their
services, thinks the firm is tenacious whe-
re their work is concerned. All the repli-
cas they produced were exactly according
to the originals. “We had gone all over the
place looking for a ceramics producer,
from Probolinggo to Yogyakarta. We final-
ly found Kandura the most suitable. They
are not oriented to business only, there is
art in their products,” said Purwanto.
“I really like their tableware. Every single
item from one design comes out different-
ly. They’re not into mass-production, and
this is what makes them exclusive. They are
very playful in nature, and their items are
so beautiful,” said Mia Maria, a writer and
loyal Kandura customer.
● SYARI FANI, CONI PACIFICA, ANWAR SISWANDI
NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 53
 S Y R I A

In Syria, the devastation of war has spread far and wide, from Damascus to areas
bordering Turkey, where the Syrian Liberation Army (FSA) exerts the most influence. The
official “two green stars, red-white-black” flag has long been replaced with the symbol of
freedom, the “three red stars, green white and black” banner, last flown during the war
of independence against France. After battling for 20 long months, opposition forces are
convinced that if they control Aleppo, the way to the capital of Damascus, 300 kilometers
to the south, would be a matter of time. Tempo reporter Stefanus Teguh Edi Pramono,
embedded with the FSA for two weeks, witnessed the daily struggle of citizens caught in
the conflict and filed this report.

54 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012

NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 55
 S Y R I A

56 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012

 INTERNATIONAL
S Y R I A
CHIEF, NORTHERN SYRIA LIBERATION ARMY COUNCIL
COL. ABDEL-JABBAR AL-OQAIDI
OTHER COUNTRIES ARE FIGHTING
THEIR WARS IN SYRIA
S
INCE he desert-
ed the government
army, 10 months
ago, Colonel Abdel-
Jabbar al-Oqaidi is always pa-
trolling Aleppo and surround-
ings. His task is to coordinate
opposition troops from north-
ern Syria. He stressed that the
guerillas will not stop fight-
ing until President Bashar al-
Assad falls. “For us, the choice
is only freedom or death,” said
Abdel-Jabbar.
Three weeks ago, he sat with
Stefanus Teguh Edi Pramono
of Tempo in one of his bases
near the border. He spoke in
Arabic which was translated
by Muhammad, an employee
of the media center at the bor-
der.
It’s been one year and eight
months since the war in Syria
began. Did you think it was go-
ing to drag on this long?
We did not. You see what is
happening around here. And
the Syrian people are suffer-
ing so much.
In other Arab countries, it
didn’t take this long to oust
their governments. So far, the
Syrian Liberation Army (FSA)
has been unable to control Syr-
ia.
You cannot compare this
to other countries. The Assad
government’s army has been given com-
plete arms, including heavy artillery and
tanks. But it’s not easy fighting them.
Some say the FSA movement is not well-
organized.
TEMPO/PRAMONO
No, we are united in all districts in Syr-
ia. Troop commanders in regions like
Idlib and Aleppo are communicating. We
haven’t been able to control the country
because of a shortage of weapons.
Do you expect other countries to support
the rebels, like in Egypt and Libya?
We need help and we want them to help.
But so far, there has been no help. I think
other countries, like Europe and the US
enjoy watching blood being shed in Syria.
They are enjoying all this.
Russia said that the US is providing the
FSA with weapons.
There has been no help at
all. We get our weapons when
we defeat Assad’s troops. We
also buy weapons at the black
market, from government
troops who steal weapons and
sell them to us.
Have you communicat-
ed with the United Nations or
countries like Turkey?
We have not communicat-
ed with other countries, only
with the combatants inside
the country.
You don’t think the FSA lead-
ers in Turkey are supporting
this struggle?
I cannot comment on that.
Are you disappointed with the
FSA leadership outside Syria?
I cannot answer that ques-
tion either.
What if President Assad pro-
poses peace or an agreement
with the rebels in Turkey to end
the war?
We will not accept that. We
will continue to fight. You
can see how Assad’s troops
shoot at unarmed civilians.
We will never accept the in-
justice which has caused Syri-
ans to be killed. Our objective
is to bring down this tyranni-
cal government. For us, the
choice is freedom or death.
Fighting has been fierce at
Aleppo. How important is Alep-
po to the opposition?
If we can control Aleppo, then we can
control Damascus. Aleppo is the biggest
city and an important industrial center
in Syria. If Aleppo is free, we won’t need
much time to set up a government and par-
liament over here.
When can the FSA control Aleppo?
Insya Allah as soon as possible. Pray for
us. ●
NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 57
 Alfred Simanjuntak as a reporter
in Soember, 1949.

58 | | 11 NOVEMBER
NOVEMBER 25,2012
2012
 Memoir
THE PASSIONATE
ALFRED
SIMANJUNTAK
STILL fiery at the age of 92, Alfred Simanjuntak has become one of Indonesia’s for-
gotten composers. He composed many songs about Indonesia’s struggles for inde-
pendence. Together with Cornel Simanjuntak, Liberty Manik, Binsar Sitompul, and
Husein Mutahar—all of whom have passed away—Alfred contributed musical compo-
sitions that have endured. But he has yet to receive recognition or even a sign of
gratitude from the country. This teacher-composer has never been invited to attend
events to commemorate Independence Day at the National Palace. He still writes reli-
gious songs for Yayasan Musik Gereja (Church Music Foundation), which he founded
in 1967. He recounted the story of his long life to Tempo, including the time he com-
posed the song that ignited the spirit of many people, Bangun Pemudi Pemuda (Rise
Up, Youths).
[ PHOTO: PRIVATE COLLECTION ]

11 NOVEMBER
NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 59
 youuu...” He then began singing fragments of
the song in his baritone voice.
Sonia, his granddaughter who accom-
panied him in the interview, poked his arm.
“That’s enough. Grandpa indeed likes to draw
out the end of a song,” explained Sonia. Alfred
then ended his “cries”. “Ah, I’ve been told to
stop. If not, it could go on for half an hour,”

A
he said, teasing his granddaughter who lives
with them.

LTHOUGH he may wobble a bit now when
he walks, Alfred Simanjuntak, the only re-
maining composer of Indonesian songs of
struggle, is still energetic. The tone of his
speech is alla marcia, like the tempo of his
composition Bangun Pemudi Pemuda,
which is nimble and emphatic. His voice rings
clear at 92. Tempo met Alfred at his home
in Bintaro, South Jakarta, on two occasions,
last month.
Wearing a long-sleeved red batik shirt with
a white flower motif, long dark trousers, and
sandals, he greeted us on the terrace of his
home surrounded by ornamental plants. He
shook hands with each of his guests, asked
our names and the regions of our hometowns.
Upon hearing that one of his guests was from
Central Java, he immediately switched to a
efined Javanese. For a while he talked about
how important it is to understand Javanese,
even for non-Javanese people. “This is a Java-
nese country. All of the presidents have been
from Java. Sukarno, Suharto, Susilo, o…, o…,
o...” Then, his housekeeper reminded him to
invite his guests in.
A native of North Sumatra, Alfred calls
himself Javanese. “I lived in Surakarta, went
to school by the banks of the Bengawan Solo,”
he said. Then he immediately began singing
■■■
I WAS born into a very simple family. My
hometown is in a remote corner of North
Tapanuli. The village is called Parlombuan,
Pangaribuan subdistrict, North Sumatra, a
cold, mountainous region. Until I was five
years old, my family did not have any mod-
ern furnishings. We did not have plates and
glasses; all that we had were coconut shells.
Walking 15 kilometers was nothing extraor-
dinary because there were no bicycles or
cars. The first time I saw a car on the road,
the other children and I ran helter-skelter
and hid in the high grasses. But, thank God,
I had the chance to get an education. My fa-
ther, Guru Lamsana Simanjuntak, was a
teacher of the church congregation. That is
why I was able to attend the Dutch school.
My mother was Kornelia Silitonga. She
gave birth to eight children. I am the old-
est. All of my younger siblings have already
passed away. “God, what else must I do be-
fore I am called?”
Even though everyone in my family likes
to sing, my parents never taught us to sing.
I had singing lessons at the Hollandsch In-
landsche School (HIS) in Narumonda, Por-
sea, North Tapanuli. And I always per- my examiner, but later we became friends
formed songs in the Christmas programs at and fellow composers. At that school I also
school. met Cornel Simanjuntak for the first time,
I entered HIS in 1928, attended for eight the composer who was one of my idols.
years, and graduated in 1935. Then I trav- His voice was amazing, even when he sang
eled to Solo, Central Java, and entered Hol- without a microphone. Cornel was truly
landsch Inlandsche Kweek School (HIKS), like an Italian tenor.
a kind of school for teachers, in Margoyu- After graduating from HIKS, I became a
dan, until 1941. My singing skills also de- teacher at schakelschool (primary schools
veloped. I taught myself to play musical in- for commoners) in Kutoarjo, Madiun, and
struments. I can play the piano, organ, vio- Semarang. In Semarang in 1943 I was em-
TEMPO/DHEMAS REVIYANTO

verses of Gesang’s famous composition.
His wife, Alida Salomo, 76, welcomed us in
her wheelchair. Alfred said he no longer re-
members when and where he first met Alida.
“For me that’s not important…because I love
lin and guitar.
I had to take exams to pass in school. At
that time, the exams were given at the Cath-
olic school in Muntilan. R. Sudjasmin (later
to become the State Palace conductor) was
ployed as the singing teacher at Sekolah
Rakyat Sempurna Indonesia on Jalan Ger-
gaji. Sekolah Rakyat Sempurna Indonesia
was a school based on the spirit of patrio-
tism. It was founded by a group of national-

60 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012

ists such as Education Minister Dr. Bahder
Djohan and Governor Mr. Wongsonegoro.
At this school I met friends from various re-
gions, ethnic groups, and cultures.
In Semarang I lived in a rented house with
Liberty Manik on Jalan Ledog Sari. Almost
every day L. Manik and I would take turns
playing the violin. In that house he created
the song, Satu Nusa Satu Bangsa (One Coun-
try, One Nation). Hearing him gremeng-gre-
meng singing it, I commented that the mel-
ody sounded like church music.
■■■
ALFRED’S long term memory is still
strong. But he would often answer, “I don’t
remember.” For example, “Did I live in the
same rented house or not with Liberty Man-
ik in Semarang? I really don’t remember.” It
was the same when Alfred was asked precisely
when he composed the song, Bangun Pemu-
di Pemuda. He does remember that the lyrics
came to him suddenly in the bath. “From far
away, it was as if I got an inspiration hearing
that song. Na-na-na-na...”
The song Bangun Pemudi Pemuda origi-
nated from a march I also composed for the
Sekolah Rakyat Sempurna Indonesia.
Sekolah Rakyat Sempurna Indonesia
Gergaji Tiga tempatnya sungguh indahlah
Anak segala bangsa di Indonesia
Alfred at his home in Bintaro, Jakarta,
2012.
Menjadi bersaudara rukun semua…
(Sekolah Rakyat Sempurna Indonesia
Gergaji Tiga is truly a beautiful place
All Indonesian children
Are as one family...)
So, the notes were created first, and then
I changed the lyrics. I changed the lyrics
so that this spirit was not just to be found
in Sekolah Sempurna Indonesia with its six
classes, but more broadly across Indone-
sia.
NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 61
 Alfred with his wife, Alida,
at their home, last October 17.

Bangun pemudi pemuda Indonesia. Ta-

ngan bajumu singsingkan untuk negara.
Masa yang akan datang kewajibanmulah.
Menjadi tanggunganmu terhadap nusa.
Menjadi tanggunganmu terhadap nusa...

(Arise young women and men of Indonesia.

Roll up your sleeves for the country. The fu-
ture is your obligation. It will be your respon-
sibility towards the country. It will be your re-
sponsibility towards the country...)

Sudi tetap berusaha jujur dan ikhlas. Tak

usah banyak bicara trus kerja keras. Hati
teguh dan lurus pikir tetap jernih. Berting-
kah laku halus hai putra negri. Bertingkah
laku halus hai putra negri...

(Endeavor to be honest and sincere. No

need for a lot of talking, just keep working
hard. A firm heart and straight, clear think-
ing. Be gentle, oh child of this country. Be gen-
tle, oh child of this country...)

In my opinion, nationalism amongst

young people must be cultivated. Youth
must love their country and nation. The
younger generation must be given atten-
tion. Junior high school, senior high school
and university students must be given mo-
tivation because the hopes of the nation are
with them. Those who are already old, who
are 40, already married, working, yeah, it’s
enough. Enjoy your work.
I put young women (pemudi) in front of
young men (pemuda) because everywhere,
women are number one. “In German it’s
damen und herren; In Dutch it’s dames en
heren, in English it’s ladies and gentlemen.
Those who protect our earth and lead our
nation are young women. Young men are at
the back, just helping.”
Because of that song, the Kempetai, the
Japanese military police searched for me. I
found out after Indonesian independence
TEMPO/PRAGA UTAMA

from some friends who said, “Hey, Alfred,

you were lucky. The Japanese put you on
the black list to be killed because your song
inspired patriotism.” Wow, how terrible of

62 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012


the Japanese army that a person who mere-
ly composed a song was hunted down to be
killed.
Yes, the Japanese army behaved badly,
the Japanese themselves admit this. When
I was in Tokyo, I told my Japanese friend
about my experience being chased by the
Japanese army. My friend nodded in agree-
ment. During the Japanese occupation, all
teachers had to speak Japanese. You were
not allowed not to do so. I can speak Japa-
nese. I can also speak German and Dutch.
“I dream in Dutch.”
■■■
ALFRED continued his higher education
abroad. After studying in the Literature De-
partment of the University of Indonesia in
1950, he left for the Netherlands in 1954 for
a period of two years to study Dutch at three
campuses at the same time: in Stedelijke Uni-
versiteit in Amsterdam, Rijksuniversiteit in
Utrecht, and Leidse Universiteit in Leiden. He
also visited Germany. “I traveled to the place
PRIVATE DOC.
of the minister, Dr. Ingwer Ludwig Nom-
mensen, who spread Christianity in the lands
of the Batak people,” he said. During the time
that he served as director of the publishing
company Badan Penerbitan Kristen Gunung
Mulia, he often went to seminars abroad. “I
traveled through Europe, Australia, Japan,
Singapore, and India. I’ve also been to the
USA, but only for a vacation.”
■■■
FROM Semarang I moved to Jakarta. Here
I rekindled my friendships with the impor-
tant Indonesian composers Cornel Siman-
juntak and Binsar Sitompul. Although we
are both Simanjuntak, there are no blood
ties between Cornel and me. Among my
composer friends, I am the oldest. But they
all passed away before me.
Cornel died at the age of 26 on September
15, 1946, after being shot in the thigh in a bat-
tle with the Dutch at Tanah Tinggi, Jakarta.
Binsar Sitompul died of liver cancer at the age
of 68 in November 1991. Liberty Manik passed
away on September 16, 1993, at the age of 69.
■■■
ALFRED remains healthy in his old age.
The prescription for staying young, says Al-
fred, is to eat vegetables every day. Clear spin-
Alfred (right),
working at
BPK Gunung
Mulia, 1950.
ach soup is one of his favorites. “Saben dino
mangan jangan sing akeh (every day eat
lots of vegetables),” he said. He also has tips
to keep a good voice: avoid cigarettes, chilies,
and fried foods, because these three things
can ruin the vocal chords.
In 2002, he underwent surgery on his
head. As a result of a fall on the terrace of his
home, there was a blood clot on the right side
of his brain. The surgeon in one of the hospi-
tals in Bintaro refused to treat Alfred who was
82 at the time, because the risks were too high.
Then Alfred received a miracle. He was treat-
ed by a doctor in Siloam Gleneagles Hospital,
in Tangerang. Since that operation, Alfred’s
physical condition has not changed much. He
still plays the piano every morning or when-
ever he completes a song that he composes.
His fingers are still nimble on the keys of the
piano. It is only difficult to bend his little fin-
ger and middle finger on his left hand. “This
is what is hard, uh…it hurts…it hurts,” he said
while trying to fold his fingers into his palm.
Sonia, his granddaughter stopped him, “It’s
enough, Grandpa, don’t force it.”
According to Sonia, before he fell, her
grandfather often walked for exercise. Alfred
NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 63
Born in:
Parlombuan,
North Tapanuli,
September 8, 1920
Married to:
» Damaris Silitonga (died on February 13, 1968),
with four children: Aida, Toga, Dorothea, and
John
» Alida Salomo, 76
Occupation:
Teacher and songwriter
Education:
» Holandsch Inlandsche School/primary school
(1935)
» Holandsch Inlandsche Kweek School/
teacher’s training school (1941)
» School of Letters, University of Indonesia
(1952)
» Dutch Language Study Program at Stedelijke
Universiteit in Amsterdam, Rijksuniversiteit
in Utrecht, and Leidse Universiteit in Leiden
(1956)
Experience:
» Primary school teacher in Kutoarjo, Madiun,
and Semarang (1941-1946)
» Journalist of Soember daily, Jakarta (1946-
1949)
» Worked for the Gunung Mulia Christian
Publishing House, Jakarta, reaching the
position of director (1950-1985)
» Initiator and permanent juror of Church Choir
Festival (1985-2001)
» Founder and leader of the church choral core
team, Church Music Foundation (1967-present)
Works:
Over 42 songs, heroic as well as spiritual, among
others:
» Bangun Pemudi Pemuda
» Negara Pancasila (Pancasila State)
» Indonesia Bersatulah (Unify Indonesia)
» Yubelium 50 Tahun BPK Penabur (BPK Penabur
50th anniversary celebration)
» Kami Berjanjilah (Let’s Make a Pledge)
» Himne Parta Kebangkitan Bangsa (The BKP
Hymn)
» Himne Rumah Sakit PGI Cikini (PGI Cikini
Hospital Hymn)
» Selamatkan Terumbu Karang (Save the Coral
Reefs)
» Aku Suka Sekolah (I Like School)
» Sipahutar Na Uli Jala Tungil
» Firman-Mu Itu Pelita (Your Word is Light)
» Ya Allah Kasihani Aku (O, Lord, Have Mercy on
Me)
» Tuhan Engkau Mengenalku (God, You know me)
Award:
Doctorate, Honoris Causa, from Saint John
University for his devotion to education for over
60 years.
64 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012
and Alida often played ping-pong in front of
their home. “He was still strong enough to
play from the afternoon into the night. The
neighbors would come and play here for Au-
gust 17 events,” Sonia told us. Now the ping-
pong table is mostly abandoned.
Alida is Alfred’s second wife whom he mar-
ried in 1971. His first wife, Damaris Siliton-
ga, died in 1968 from diabetes. They had four
children: Aida, Toga, Dorothea, and John. He
and Alida did not have any children.
Alfred’s love for music has been passed
down to his children. He started piano les-
son for his eldest daughter when she was four
years old. They were living in the Netherlands
at the time. Aida is became a competent pia-
nist and received a scholarship to study music
in Geneva from the Council of Churches. She
continued her music education at Westmin-
ALTHOUGH WE ARE BOTH SIMANJUNTAK,
THERE ARE NO BLOOD TIES BETWEEN
CORNEL AND ME. AMONG MY COMPOSER
FRIENDS, I AM THE OLDEST. BUT THEY ALL
PASSED AWAY BEFORE ME.
ster Choir College at Princeton University in
1979. In 1992, Aida established the Cordana
Indonesian Children’s Choir to represent In-
donesia in an ASEAN festival in the Philip-
pines. This choir has an international reputa-
tion, appearing at the National Convention in
Miami, Florida (2007) and the World Choral
Symposium in Vienna, Austria (2008). Aida
is also conductor and Director of the Indone-
sian Children’s Choir, Cordana Choir; Exec-
utive Director of the Orkes Simfoni Nusanta-
ra; and advisor for the Yayasan Musik Gereja
(Church Music Foundation).
■■■
I WAS a teacher for more than half my life.
Vice President Sudharmono and Attorney
General Ali Said were once my students.
Another student of mine became an am-
bassador, but I forget his name. I also was
a journalist for Soember newspaper in Ja-
karta for three years (1946-1949). My friend
Samuel Pandjaitan asked me to join. I cov-
ered all kinds of news, not just politics. At
one time I joined the Three Countries Com-
mission, a delegation of the United Nations
when they wanted to enter Yogyakarta. “I
don’t know what news we printed, I don’t
remember anymore, but the newspaper
was banned.”
When I was no longer a journalist, I
worked full time for a publishing compa-
ny, Badan Penerbit Kristen Gunung Mulia
in 1950. For more than three decades, I was
at BPK Gunung Mulia until 1985. In 1971, I
changed the name of BPK to BPK Gunung
Mulia in memory of Todung Sutan Mulia
Harahap, Director of the Indonesian Coun-
cil of Churches and the Education and Cul-
ture Minister in the Sjahrir Cabinets I and
II. I devoted myself to contributing to build
the people through books. I met many lead-
ing figures. One was Pramoedya Ananta
Toer, who then became my friend. In my
opinion, Pramoedya was a hero of the op-
pressed, who became a target of the elite
which he called the feudal sub-class. “Raise
the self-esteem of the people,” he said to
me at one time. History will prove wheth-
er his perspective, which he wove through-
out the many books he wrote, was right or
wrong.
I also founded the Yayasan Musik Ge-
reja (Yamuger) on February 11, 1967. I still
write songs for Yamuger. All of them are re-
ligious songs, including Kidung Jemaat. Ev-
ILLUSTRATION: KENDRA H. PARAMITA
ery Monday and Thursday, my driver takes
me to the Yamuger office in Rawamangun,
East Jakarta. There I discuss the songs I
have written with six other composers who
are the core team for the church songs. I
am now writing a song in preparation for
Christmas. ● DODY HIDAYAT, DIAN YULIASTUTI,
FROM SCHOOL
MARCHES TO
SPIRITUAL
SONGS
“Perhaps in the present era, heroic songs that arouse a sense
of nationalism are no longer needed.”
A
LFRED has always carried a
small blue-covered notebook
with a ballpoint. The book re-
cords musical notes he is com-
posing. There are also other
important notes such as the titles of sev-
eral Dutch books. “Some pages of these
66 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012
books contain good quotes,” he said. Read-
ing has indeed become his pastime. He
owns a large collection of books. In one of
the rooms in his residence, shelves packed
with books cover nearly all sides of its walls.
Asked how many songs he had written, Al-
fred answered he could not remember.
Alfred and one of the awards that he
received.
“There’re a lot of them.” Sonia, his grand-
child, added Alfred’s songs had been docu-
mented in a catalogue.
■■■
BESIDES Bangun Pemudi Pemuda (Rise
Up, Youths), I also created another hero-
ic song, Indonesia Bersatulah (Unify Indo-
nesia). This song had a major role in boost-
ing the spirit of unity. When the rebellions
of the Indonesian Revolutionary Govern-
ment (PRRI) in Central Sumatra and the
Universal Struggle (Permesta) in Central
and North Sulawesi broke out in 1958, Ra-
dio Republik Indonesia aired this song at
least three times daily, in order to unify all
conflicting parties.
TEMPO/DHEMAS REVIYANTO
But at the same time I was facing a dilem-
ma, because all the parties in conflict were
my friends: Maludin Simbolon (PRRI Com-
mandant), Saladin Sarumpaet (Permesta
Education Minister), and Gen. A.H. Nasu-

tion (Army Chief of Staff ).
I also wrote Negara Pancasila (Pancasi-
la State). It was in the 1980s. I did it on my
own initiative rather than at the govern-
ment’s request. The Pancasila State isn’t
that of certain ethnic groups or religions.
Religious harmony, noble character, lov-
ing the country and fellow humans, living
in justice and prosperity. That’s what I pray
for to God. This is not a religious state. Feel
free to embrace different faiths, but please
live in harmony. This is important.
Writing a song can be a very fast process
when an inspiration pops up. Bangun Pemu-
di Pemuda, for example, struck me when I
was in the bathroom. It just came out. I was
still drenched when I searched for a sheet
of paper to jot down the lyrics.
That was the case when Gus Dur asked
me to create a hymn of the National Awak-
ening Party (PKB) in 1999. I have no idea
how he got to know my name. I produced
the melody and lyrics of the song myself
without any hint from Gus Dur. When I re-
ceived the request, I visited Gus Dur in his
PRIVATE DOC.
residence in Ciganjur and had a talk with
him about various events in our country
and society, and what the PKB could con-
tribute to make further headway in the fu-
ture. The PKB is open to everybody wish-
ing to build the country and nation, accord-
ing to Gus Dur. On my way home, the lyr-
ics began to form, followed by the melody. I
was paid by Gus Dur, but I’ve forgotten the
amount.
Then Alfred sang the refrain of The PKB
Hymn:
Allahu Akbar… Allahu Akbar… Allah Ma-
habesar
(God is Great…)
Allahu Akbar… Allahu Akbar… Membela
yang benar…
(God is Great… He defends the truth…}
I was also asked to write a hymn of BPK
Penabur to mark the 50th anniversary of
the Christian high school in 2000. I’m still
writing songs, mostly spiritual ones now.
Moreover, the Christmas Day is nearing.
For me today, music has a deep meaning,
it’s a preparation for heaven. “There we’ll
be singing all the way, praising God, …Al-
lahu Akbar.”
At present there are no more compos-
ers of heroic songs. Perhaps in the present
Alfred (left) as a teacher in BPK Penabur
Elementary School Jakarta, 1971.
era, heroic songs that arouse a sense of na-
tionalism are no longer needed. But songs
for the promotion of unity at the communi-
ty level may still be needed today, such as
those which encourage harmony in com-
munity life.
■■■
IN my old age, my life depends on my chil-
dren and grandchildren. My wife and I are
no longer working and we get no pension
allowances. Songs I write for the church are
also meant for service, so I expect no pay-
ment at all. There are no royalties for my
songs, either. From the Indonesian govern-
ment I’ve never received any remuneration
so far. I only earn honorariums from pub-
lishers releasing my songs.
If the government is willing to give me
(something/royalty), monggo, matur nu-
wun (please do, thank you). I’ve just also
heard a musical band issuing an album that
contains the song Bangun Pemudi Pemu-
da (Cokelat’s album entitled Untukmu In-
donesiaku released by Sony BMG Music In-
donesia). They never offered any royalty.
They’ve never come to ask for permission,
either.
In his house, Alfred displays his trophies
and awards from different institutions. But
none of them come from government agen-
cies. “I’ve never been invited to attend the in-
dependence anniversary of the Republic of
Indonesia at the Palace. I may not be consid-
ered a veteran or the government doesn’t rec-
ognize me.” One of the certificates of appreci-
ation was the doctor’s degree granted hono-
ris causa by Saint John University, which was
conferred on February 10, 2001. Alfred made
his inaugural speech entitled Membangun
Manusia Pembangunan (Building Agents
of Development). The degree was awarded
for Alfred’s devotion to education for over 60
years. On September 23, 2010, at Balai Sar-
bini, Jakarta, the Nusantara Symphony Or-
chestra staged an oratorio, The Creation
(Die Schofung), by Austrian composer Franz
Joseph Haydn to celebrate Alfred’s 90th birth-
day. ●
NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 67
SCENE
& HEARD
POKOK & TOKOH

TRADITIONAL
MARKETS
P
EOPLE usually try to
avoid traditional markets
that have remained, well,
traditional—i.e. muddy and
smelly. But not filmmak-
er Mira Lesmana. She re-
gards them as a favorite destination wher-
ever she goes. In fact, in between shoot-
ings while on location, she would escape to
these markets, instead of going to the usu-
al tourist sites. In Maumere, a port town in
the island of Flores, while filming a docu-
mentary, she visited the market where peo-
ple bought their fish, pork and fresh vegeta-
bles. “I really enjoy seeing the fresh vegeta-
ble and other items they had for sale,” Mira
told Tempo’s Ririn Agustia two weeks ago.
It is those other items that she usually
seeks out, something local and unique that
she can take back home. And she would
brave smelly, muddy and dirty markets
anywhere in order to get what she wants,
it seems. ●

68 ||
68 || 18
NOVEMBER 25,2012
NOVEMBER 2012
 OPENING
NIGHT FRIGHT
D H
ESIGNER and ‘cloth-maker,’
as Josephine Komara, better
known as Obin, is fond of de-
scribing herself, got into bit of a
panic at the recent opening of the Jakarta
Fashion Week. The glitzy series of events
were held at the spacious lobby of the Atri-
um as well as under the decorated tents at
the open square of Plaza Senayan. But as
public events go, there were glitches. When
the rains poured, the tents leaked like a
sieve, forcing some of the events to be de-
layed or relocated
The unpreparedness and inefficien-
cy of organizers to anticipate such calam-
ities drove the perfectionist Obin literally
‘up the wall’ and threatened to pull her cre-
ations from the show, which was to be held
at the once-bowling alley of Plaza Senayan.
There were rumors that the hall, which had
been unused for three years, was haunted
by supernatural beings. Without missing a
beat, Obin proceeded to place beautifully-
scented flowers on stage, on the eve of her
show. While dismissing it had anything to
do with mystical beings, she did admit, “it’s
tradition that when you visit a new place,
you must ask permission first,” Obin told
Tempo reporter Mitra Tarigan. It worked,
whatever it was. Her show, entitled Time
Travelers was a resounding success. ●
DOK. PRI (MIRA), DOK. PRI (DESRA), TEMPO/ JACKY RACHMANSYAH(IGA)
IRON CHEF FLIES IN
AND OUT OF TOWN
E was instantly recognized by the hundreds of foodies that had gathered
at the recent Jakarta Culinary Festival, as award-winning Mario Batali,
chief chef at the popular program Iron Chef America came on stage. Sport-
ing his usual chef uniform of hat and coat over his denims and his trade-
mark Crocs, the thinly-bearded Batali, fully held the attention of his audience. Not a
cell-phone blinked or blipped when he began his presentation!
Yet, his much-pronounced culinary genius, as represented through his menu that
day comprising risotto, lobster and pasta, turned out to come short of expectations,
particularly for anyone who forked out Rp3 million a person. As noted by a number
of observers—“the pasta was cold, the lobster tough”—many plates went back to the
kitchen half-consumed, and some, even un-tasted, which begs the question: What
happened? Batali, however, was not available for comments, since he only stayed a
day in Jakarta. ●
SURVIVING SANDY
H
URRICANE Sandy, which Desra, 51, came up with a ‘Formula San-
wreaked a path of destruc- dy’ to solve his problem. “I was inspired
tion across the East Coast of by the storm,” the Ambassador told Tem-
the US two weeks ago, also po reporter, Purwani Diyah Prabandari.
created a bit of havoc for our permanent The formula was to persuade representa-
representative to the United Nations in tives from 130 nations to cut their speech-
New York, Ambassador Desra Percaya. es to one minute, while they could upload
As chairman of the UN General Assem- their entire speeches in the UN website.
bly Committee 1 (in the area of arms dis- Although there were objections, mostly
armament and international security), agreed. But what can be said in one min-
he was tasked with cutting short a three- ute? “They used that opportunity to con-
day event into one. Add to this, the prob- vey their condolences (for the storm’s vic-
lem of a flooded basement and no elec- tims),” said Desra. It proved to be an effec-
trical power at the site of the meeting. tive diplomatic move. ●
NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 69
ENVIROBRIEFS

ACTIVISTS CAMPAIGN TO
BLOCK NEW APP PULP
MILL

A
COALITION of 60 environmental activists and civ-
il society groups have sent letters to banks and fi-
nancial institutions around the world to campaign
against forest-clearing activities in Sumatra by Asia
Pulp & Paper (APP) and other paper companies. Three repre-
sentatives from Indonesian social and environmental NGOs
are traveling this month to major European cities—Berlin, Lon-
don, Brussels, Barcelona, Rome, Vienna and Dusseldorf—to de-
liver their message to investors, government officials, media
and non-governmental organizations. in fact thousands of Indonesian communities are now living
Letters are being delivered to banks and investors in Indone- beside pulp plantations without having had the opportunity to
sia, China, Japan, the United States, South Africa, Switzerland, have their say in how the land should be utilized.”
Germany, France, Austria, Taiwan, Australia and Sweden, urg- APP, one of the largest pulp and paper companies in the
ing them to refuse funding for a new paper mill in Sumatra that world, has denied media reports that it is building a new mill
they say will produce annually between up to 2 million metric in South Sumatra. “We do not engage in speculative commen-
tons of bleached hardwood pulp, making it the largest single tary concerning our future expansion plans. We respect com-
pulp line in the world. mercial confidentiality as a core principle of good business
“In order to supply their pulp mills, Indonesian paper com- practice,” the APP said in a statement last Friday to the envi-
panies have resorted to land grabbing, by obtaining the use of ronmental news website Mongabay.com. “At the same time, we
land without the free, prior and informed consent of all affect- also take very seriously the responsibility to inform stakehold-
ed communities,” the activists said in a statement. “Despite pa- ers of new developments, when it is appropriate for those to be
per company assurances that they respect local people’s rights, made public.”

INDONESIA’S LARGEST
CITIES SINKING AT
ALARMING RATES
THREE of Indonesia’s biggest cities—Ja-
karta, Bandung and Semarang—are sinking
at worrying rates due to land subsidence cau-
sed by groundwater depletion, according to
the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resour-
ces. Jakarta is sinking up to 10 centimeters
per year, followed by Semarang, which is sin-
king 6 to 7 centimeters per year, and Ban-
dung about 5 centimeters per annum, the Ja-
CORAL REHABILITATION karta Globe reported.
The three cities have been declared ‘red
RESTORES DAMAGED REEFS zones’ and face threats of infrastructure and
building damage as a result of land subsiden-
ABOUT half of the damaged coral reefs in Indonesia have been rehabilitated, according to ce. “Jakarta may sink if we let the situation
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister, Sharief Cicip Sutardjo. be,” Dodid Murdohardono, the head of the mi-
“We have carried out rehabilitation efforts in cooperation with the World Bank as of five nistry’s Groundwater Resources and Environ-
years ago, under the Coral Reef Rehabilitation and Management Program,” Sutardjo said, ment Geology Center, was quoted as saying
according to Antara News. at a Jakarta workshop on groundwater infor-
He noted that the coral rehabilitation program reflected the government’s plan to develop mation systems.
TEMPO/SURYO WIBOWO,

a ‘blue’ economy, based on sustainable management of Indonesia’s maritime resources to Murdohardono attributed the problem to
maximize national economic growth. the large-scale use of groundwater by vario-
Indonesia has established cooperation with Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, the Philippi- us industries. He urged local administrations
nes, Thailand and Timor-Leste to protect marine resources in the Coral Triangle, which is to restrict industrial use of groundwater by
home to an estimated 500 species of reef-building corals. tightening permit procedures.

70 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012

Outreach
FOCUS

Development of Indonesia’s Outlying Areas

SUPRIYANTHO KHAFID FOR TEMPO

HEALTH WARRIORS
Public health centers—better known as puskesmas—spearhead the delivery
of health services in Indonesia, particularly in difficult-to-access areas and
to the country’s poor. Often, however, they provided sub-standard services,
neglecting to address even the most basic of health problems. But people
in two areas, Kekeri village in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara and in Biaro,
Agam in West Sumatra, decided to be innovative and take matters into their
own hands and. Today, the two puskesmas provide much better health
services than ever before. On the occasion of the National Health Day,
Tempo English profi les these two village health centers.
 OUTREACH

PUBLIC HEALTH
CENTER REFORM
A group of women in Kekeri village,
West Nusa Tenggara, formed an
Independent Community Center,
prompted by poor public health
services. Since then, 13 other
community centers have appeared
and are active in West Lombok.

ALU Segap looked fresh when he met

L with Tempo two weeks ago in his home

in Kekeri village, West Lombok subdis-
trict, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). His
dark skin showed its sheen, his steps
were confident, and he was all smiles. The 57-year-
old had earlier suffered from kidney stone disease.
He recovered after having a laser operation at the
Central General Hospital (RSUP) of NTB in Septem-
ber. “It was a free treatment,” he said gratefully.
The construction worker with six children was
once resigned to his fate and endured his pain af-
ter realizing he could not afford the cost of surgery.
“The hospital estimated the cost at tens of millions
of rupiah,” he recalled. But his daughter Mahyu- been very unfriendly,’’ said Sri. MEMBERS OF
ni, 27, would not give up. She visited Sri Rahmada- Thirty-six cadres of CC Mandiri are working CC MANDIRI IN
ni, 45, a member of the reports division of the Inde- without pay. For transportation, they sometimes KEKERI VILLAGE,
pendent Community Center Mandiri (CC Mandiri), have to dip into their pockets. Occasionally they NTB.
requesting that she assist her father in fulfi lling re- go by private motorbike, taxi, or hire a resident’s
quirements for free health service such as the cit- Kijang car at Rp20,000—for gasoline reimburse-
izen’s identity card (KTP), health card, and Pub- ment.
lic Health Security (Jamkesmas) card. After com- Despite the barely enough resources, CC Mandiri
pleting all administrative documents, Segap could has made quite an achievement. According to
finally be operated on. “I’m indebted to the CC Kustiyah, 43, Chairperson of CC Mandiri, 38 re-
Mandiri volunteer,” he said. ports from residents have been properly handled
CC Mandiri is a group of residents in Kekeri vil- since 2007. Their cases vary from administrative
SUPRIYANTHO KHAFID FOR TEMPO

lage set up as a center of public reports, of informa-
tion, and of community health learning. One of the
jobs they perform is accompanying residents to ap-
ply for Jamkesmas. Owing to the low level of educa-
tion in Kekeri, many people are unable to handle
free treatment applications at public health center
(puskesmas). “Moreover, puskesmas officers have
assistance requests, domestic violence complaints,
to mental disease.
But the most important thing is CC Mandiri has
managed to drastically enhance the quality of
Puskesmas Penimbung—the one most frequently
visited by residents of Kekeri. Suhaemi, Secretary
General of the West Lombok Civil Society Network,

II | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012


said the survey already conducted by his agency
found that the rates of public satisfaction had in-
creased: 44 percent of residents felt its service im-
proved, while 10 percent described the service as
very good.
In comparison, the satisfaction rates for the other
puskesmas in Sekotong district, also in West Lom-
bok, still ranged around 13 percent. “Today Pusk-
esmas Penimbung has been the best in West Lom-
bok regency in terms of the service of doctors, nurs-
es, and service in general,” he noted.
■■■
LIVING below the poverty line has made Kekeri
villagers pin their hopes on two programs of free
medical treatments: Jamkesmas and Regional
Health Security (Jamkesda). Because of its proxim-
ity and availability of both programs, many people
in Kekeri have chosen to be treated at Puskesmas
FOCUS
Penimbung.
But in practice quite a number of puskesmas of-
ficers still demanded medical costs and denied
Jamkesmas and Jamkesda documents brought by
residents. They also frequently turned sour when
interacting with locals. Finally people became re-
luctant to visit puskesmas and shifted to tradition-
al healers.
Responding to the worsening health service,
three women of Kekeri, Sri Rahmadani, Kustiyah
and Johra, invited residents to find a way of im-
proving the situation. The basis of their reasoning
was simple: poor puskesmas service will harm the
health of mothers and children. They observed the
majority of users of puskesmas service were wom-
en. But integrated service stations (posyandu) were
not active. Consequently, three children in Kekeri
village were affected by malnutrition.
Along with 14 others, they eventually formed CC
Mandiri in September 2006. They organized it into
several divisions, such as those of education and
reports.
At the time, CC Mandiri was even seen as a non-
governmental organization aiming only to discred-
it the government. The operational fund raised on
a self-support basis was also limited. Yet they kept
going. To make people aware of their rights, CC
Mandiri held frequent discussions. Their themes
included procedures for utilizing Jamkesmas,
Jamkesda, and strategies to avoid being tricked by
puskesmas officers.
One day in early 2007, officials of the NTB Health
Office were surveying their village. With the op-
portunity that rarely came twice, the volunteers
immediately gathered local residents and ar-
ranged an open discussion. Then villagers direct- OUTREACH TEAM
ly expressed all their grievances regarding pusk-
Editor
esmas service. For instance, some reported an of- Yuli Ismartono
ficer of Puskesmas Penimbung who had charged Deputy Editor
Rp10,000 for dental examinations. “We were even Hermien Y. Kleden
visited by the puskesmas officer,’’ said Sri Rah- Project Officer
madani, recalling the experience five years ago. Sadika Hamid
Writer
But CC did not just reach residents through dis-
Sadika Hamid
cussions. The female members of CC Mandiri also Syari Fani
communicated residents’ rights to healthful living Reporter
by a unique method called “Approach to Residents Supriyantho Khafid
a la Women”. The women were thus encouraged to Andri El Faruqi
tell their stories and experiences when chatting Audrey Santoso
Graphic Design
with other buyers in public markets, visiting rela-
Eko Punto Pambudi
tives, or meeting with friends. Robbyeebor
But all such communication would be in vain Photo Research
without any improvement within puskesmas Ijar Karim
NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | III
 OUTREACH

themselves. After tough negotiations, CC Mandiri

and Puskesmas Penimbung at last agreed to sign
a memorandum of understanding on January 23,
2007. In the accord, Puskesmas Penimbung states
health service of good quality is the right of all cit-
izens regardless of their class, race, religion and
sex.
They agreed among others that the working
hours of health service should be consistent; offi-
cers should not discriminate; they should remain
at the puskesmas during service hours and infor-
mation given to poor patients should be open. The
mechanism of making reports is also regulated
in detail: they can be verbal and written, and con-
veyed in phases.
The result? This memorandum has caused pusk-
esmas service to be responsive. ‘’A report on the
sudden death of chickens will make them come
right away,’’ said Sri.
Nasrudin, Head of Gegutu Dayan Aik hamlet,
Kekeri village, admitted the service rendered by
Puskesmas Penimbung had considerably changed.
A total of 546 families in his hamlet, mostly ground-
nut mill workers, are often affected by respiratory
disorders and tuberculosis. “But since there has
been collaboration between CC Mandiri and Pusk-
esmas Penimbung, residents have not had difficul- Residents are thus more eager to visit puskesmas REGISTRATION
ty in getting treatments,” he said. and posyandu. “They used to be vacant as most COUNTER AT
Head of the West Lombok Health Office’s Nutri- people chose to see traditional healers,’’ he added. PENIMBUNG PUBLIC
tion Section, Wine Frida Sri Purwani, witnessed With posyandu becoming functional once again, HEALTH CENTER.
CC Mandiri’s significant contribution to the ris- the Australian Community Development and Civil
ing number of residents to puskesmas and posy- Society Strengthening Scheme (ACCESS) has made
andu. Now no more babies are found below the red available a contribution for mother and child
line limit. “Information on malnutrition is quickly health in Kekeri worth Rp140 million.
passed on to local people,” she indicated. Realizing the benefits of community groups, oth-
Posyandu has become active once again, with er such bodies are mushrooming, with CC Mandiri
improved performance. The total number of vil- as their motor, groups such as the Nutrition Aware
lagers serving as posyandu cadres at Puskesmas Group (KSG), Smart Healthy Generation (GSC),
Penimbung has also increased. Of the five posyan- Community Nutrition Group (KGM), and Nutri-
du service desks, four have been handled by posy- tion Improvement through Community Empower-
andu cadres who are also CC volunteers. ment (NICE). There is also the community activity
Not only in villages, in various hamlets posyan- to gather voluntary donations, locally called jimpi-
du activities have also been resumed. “Here we tan. “Everybody can contribute whatever amount
also have a posyandu. If parents don’t bring along above Rp500,” said Kustiyah. This money is man-
their children, their KTPs or certificates of pover- aged to help mothers provide extra infant food.
SUPRIYANTHO KHAFID FOR TEMPO

ty won’t be processed,’’ said Nasrudin, head of the
Gegutu Dayan Aik hamlet and chairman of the
Community Nutrition Group.
In order to draw more visitors, Nasrudin has also
opened a pregnant women’s guidance class and
provided door prize, bath soap and other needs of
mothers, given to women who bring their babies.
The success of CC Mandiri has also induced oth-
er areas to imitate. Now there are already 13 new
CCs in West Lombok. And CC Mandiri, with the
other CCs, is carrying out a new mission: promot-
ing health service at the regency level. “Two exec-
utives of CC Mandiri are present as delegates to the
Regency Advocacy Team,” said Kustiyah. ■

IV | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012

 FOCUS

ADANG BACHTIAR, INDONESIAN PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT:

SUCCESSFUL HEALTH SERVICES DELIVERY

DEPEND ON HUMAN RESOURCES

HE government has been running the Pub-

T lic Health Centers or puskesmas since 1970.

The program was aimed at providing In-
donesians with health services even in
the most remote areas. All doctors are required to
spend part of their medical internship in one of the
puskesmas spread around the country. “It wouldn’t
be surprising if the puskesmas leads in the deliv-
ery of public health services,” said Adang Bachtiar,
president of the Indonesian Public Health Associa-
tion or IPHA.
Adang, who obtained his public health degree at
Harvard University in 1987, said that the objective
of the public health centers was to create a healthy
society. Two weeks ago, Adang met with Tempo
English. Excerpts from the interview:

How important is the role of puskesmas in our soci-

ety?
It is the backbone of our public health system.
The World Health Organization (WHO) regards the
puskesmas as the most important tool in providing
primary health care. But according to the WHO, in
practice, health centers in Indonesia and a num-
ber of Asian countries are not focused enough so
that there has not been significant improvement
in people’s health.
We found people in a few remote areas who were in-
novative in improving the health services . Is special as-
sistance available for such initiatives?
If the function and leadership of the puskesmas
is well run, such innovations must be sustained
and supported. But in practice, it’s a problem be-
cause the puskesmas lack the proper human re-
sources. The government does help with opera-
tional funds. But in this case, what is needed is not
just funds but an improved standard of compe-
tence of public health service providers.
Do you agree that there are more health personnel
preferring to practice in cities than in villages?
Surveys show that doctors leave puskesmas be-
cause they cannot work with the low professional
standards there and because there is no personal
advancement for them. The Health Office often ne-
glects this problem by replacing them. It is difficult
because there are no regulations on this problem.
Indonesia has difficulties achievieng one of the Mil-
lenium Development Goals target of lowering the
mortality rate of mother and child. How can the pusk-
esmas contribute in achieving this goal?
The health target is linked to people’s welfare.
Many mothers who give birth endure high blood
pressure because they worry about the economy
of their households. So we must focus on revitaliz-
ing the basic health services.
Only a few regions in the country actually allocate 10
percent of their official budgets for health purposes.
What do you think?
Law No. 36/2009 mandates all regions to allocate
10 percent of their official budget for the health
sector. The fact is that even 4 percent of the bud-
get—let alone 10 percent—cannot be absorbed, be-
cause the competence of existing personnel are
unable to follow regulations, carry out programs
or evaluations. ■

NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | V

 OUTREACH
HEROINE FROM
BIARO
Salvi Riani designed various
innovative programs to improve
services at her Public Health Center.
She won awards several times.
N the hallway in the western wing of the Bi-
I
aro Public Health Center, Agam, West Suma-
tra, one can find a room the size of 3.5 x 2 me-
ters. The little room is no different from other
rooms at the health center with a window dis-
play containing books and health posters decorat-
ing the poorly furnished room. The pungent smell
of disinfectant fi lled the air. This is the Biaro Public
Health Center’s Drug Rehabilitation Clinic.
Although it does not look very special, the Reha-
bilitation Clinic has made the Biaro Health Cen-
ter famous throughout the West Sumatra. Biaro
Health Center is the first in West Sumatra to give
services to drug addicts. “The Clinic of Biaro Health
Center has helped me,” said Feri, 30, who had been
using drugs since middle school. According to the
data at the Biaro Health Center, there were 100 pa-
tients in 2011, and in 2012 the number increased to
213 patients.
According to Mitra Yani, 48, a nurse at the Reha-
bilitation Clinic, the idea of setting up the rehabil-
itation center for drug addicts came from Dr. Salvi
Riani. According to her, initially the health center
did not have any experience in dealing with drug
addicts. But Salvi embraced several social figures
so that the clinic could be opened. “It was she her-
self that opened the network to National Agency for
Narcotics (BNN),” Mitra said.
Salvi Riani is well known throughout West Su-
matra because of her numerous achievements. The
33-year-old dentist has won the model physician
awards at the national level several times, and last
year she won the Decolgen Model Award. “She de-
serves all the awards. She did a lot of innovations
during her assignment in Biaro,” said Dr. Indra Rus-
li, head of Agam Regency Health Office. According
to Rusli, Salvi’s innovations have motivated other
VI | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012
health workers in the Agam Regency. “Many Public
BIARO PUBLIC
Health Centers follow her programs,” he said. HEALTH CENTER’S
Salvi, who served as the head of Biaro Public REGISTRATION
Health Center for nine years, pioneered the drug re- COUNTER.
habilitation program since 2005. Initially, the grad-
uate of the Dentistry Faculty at the Padjadjaran Uni-
versity, Bandung, was concerned with kids of her
colleagues who had become addicts. “Their moth-
ers complained about the unavailability of reha-
bilitation centers for drug users,” she said.
Worse still, the fact that being addicted to drugs
was considered a taboo at that time had rendered
many cases undetected. When making a visit to the
Prison of Class II A in Agam Regency, Salvi became
more aware of the danger of drug use. Around 60
to 70 percent of the prisoners were drug users. “So
far, people have only cared about malnutrition,
even though its impact is suffered by the patients
only. It is different from drugs that may cause dis-
advantages to so many people,” she said. One of the
dangers, according to the dentist, is the risk of be-
ing infected with HIV/AIDS.
In 2005, she began lobbying incessantly. Salvi
presented her program and established the Board
of Trustees for the Center of Public Health, with
members coming from bureaucrats and social fig-
ures. She also distributed proposals to heads of
governmental offices, House of Representatives
(DPR) and other social figures for fund raising. “Be-
PHOTOS: ANDRI EL FARUQI FOR TEMPO
fore that year nobody was aware of the drug prob-
lem,” she said.
In a meeting in Maninjau, Salvi met with ex-drug
users who were then united in an NGO by the name
of New Pandu Jiwa (NPJ). NPJ had a mission of giv-
ing assistance to drug users. “Drug addicts basical-
ly do not feel comfortable with people they don’t
know. Therefore in order to reach them we empow-

er the former users,” said Herman, 33 , chairperson
of the NPJ NGO.
Salvi then decided to collaborate with them.
The NPJ team had the task of giving assistance
and access to rehabilitation at the Center for Pub-
lic Health. Sometimes they provided free syringes
to prevent HIV/AIDS. Before reaching the users, the
team mapped areas with drug users. “This is why
most of the team members are ex-users: they can
precisely locate these places,” said Herman.
During the work, Herman admitted that he was
often suspected as being a police spy. “When really,
what we wanted to do was provide counseling. We
did not want to report them,” he said. On the oth-
er hand, the police also suspected them since they
were seen as friends of ]users. Therefore, the Biaro
Center for Public Health then asked for the help of
the Bukittinggi Police to not arrest team members
when they are in the field together with the drug
users.
In order to add the number of outreach mem-
bers, the Biaro Public Health Center involved the
institution of National Unity and Politics (Kesbang-
pol) of Agam Regency. Representatives were select-
ed from ex-addicts. In each subdistrict there were
three outreachers.
In order for the program to function well, Salvi
together with the head of BNK, Speaker of Region-
al House of Representatives (DPRD), Board of Trust-
ees, Health Office of the Agam Regency and the out-
reach team made a comparative study visit to the
Hospital of Drug Addiction in Cibubur. There they
studied how drug patients were taken care of. The
team continued their way to the Jatinegara Public
Health Center, Jakarta, that had been giving ser-
vices to drug addicts, and to the office of National
Agency for Narcotics (BNN).
Sometime after that the BNN in turn visited the
Biaro Public Health Center. Looking at the serious-
ness of the Health Center, the BNN gave an aid of
Rp70 million in 2007. The next year BNN was back
again with more aid consisting of medical appara-
tuses, medicines, and appliances worth of Rp300
million.
To improve the capacity of medical personnel,
Biaro Public Health Center assigned five persons to
attend an apprenticeship at the Rehabilitation Cen-
ter for Drug Abuse in Lido, Sukabumi. “For three
months they were provided with training on how
to handle drug patients,” said Mitra. According to
her, one of the most important principles in reha-
FOCUS
bilitation is family support. “Therefore, during
consultation we ask them to be accompanied by
their families,” she said.
Besides drugs, Salvi also devoted her attention to
youth problems. In 2001, Biaro Public Health Cen-
ter did a survey of 350 middle and high school stu-
dents and found 53 percent were smoking.
“This can plunge them into drugs,” she said. They
also found that some of the youths engaged in un-
healthy sexual behavior. The Health Center then
“So far, people
concluded that the students needed a counselor. In have only
the same year they opened the Sehati (One Heart) cared about
Clinic. In one corner at the Health Center, troubled
young people were given a place where they could
malnutrition,
consult someone about their problems. even though
Collaborating with schools, the Biaro Health Cen-
ter set up the Program of Youth Health Care (PKPR).
its impact is
In each school they trained 20 students to become suffered by the
peer counselors. If they could not solve the prob-
lem, the case would be referred to Sehati Clinic.
patients only.
In 2008, the Biaro Health Center collaborated It is different
with Radio Argo, a local radio, to set up a commu- from drugs
nity radio station at Biaro Health Center. Sever-
al times the broadcasting received good response
that may cause
from the people. disadvantages
Finally a team from the Health Center set up a ra-
dio station in a very simple fashion. With an initial
to so many
fund of Rp3 million from the Health Center’s Board people,”-
of Trustees, they bought equipment such as an am-
plifier and tape recorder.
In the beginning they merely broadcasted —SALVI RIANI
through the loudspeakers installed within the
Health Center. But Salvi was not satisfied. She
drafted another proposal. They finally got a contri-
bution of a used transmitter from Radio Argo.
“This radio broadcasting makes health messag-
es more accessible to people,” said Indra, head of
Agam Regency’s Health Office.
Upon completion of her assignment in Biaro ear-
ly this year Salvi was transferred to the Guguak
Panjang Public Health Center in Bukittinggi mu-
nicipality. There she planned to pioneer the coun-
seling program for youth.
But what has become of the program in Biaro?
“I oversee programs pioneered by Salvi,” said Yori
Sulistia, head of Biaro Health Center who replaced
Salvi.
Indra also wished for this. “Create a sustain-
able system. Whoever the leader is, the program
that has become an icon of the Biaro Health Center
should continue,” he said. ■
NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | VII
 OUTREACH DISPATCHES

INDIA CLAIMS CASSOWARY

BIRDS AS INDIGENOUS
NDONESIAN Minister for the Environment Balthasar Kam-

I buaya said the Indian government is trying to claim the

southern cassowary bird as a native species. This was re-
vealed by a representative of the Indian government at a meet-
ing during the 11th Convention on Biological Diversity in India
in October.
“India as the host gave a report on slides that there are types
of wildlife that they asked to be recognized as being rightfully
theirs. One of them was the cassowary bird,” said Balthasar at
Hotel Bidakara, Jakarta, on Monday two weeks ago.
According to Balthasar, the Indonesian government has a
problem with the claim that the Casuarius casuarias is from In-
dia. “This is our question. Is it (the cassowary) only found in In-
dia? They can also be found in Papua,” he said.
For this reason, he added, the Indian government cannot just
claim that the southern cassowary belongs to that country fa-
mous for its Bollywood fi lms. “We are going to work hard so that
the cassowary belongs to us,” said Balthasar. ■ PRIHANDOKO

HUNDREDS OF
INDONESIAN
BLOGGERS GATHER
IN MAKASSAR
S many as 600 bloggers from around Indone-

A sia gathered in Makassar for the 2012 Nus-

antara Bloggers Gathering on November 11.
They took part in training and blogging workshop,
as well as creative writing activities. Syarifullah
Daeng Gassing, Chairman of the Executive Com-
TEMPO/ROBIN ONG, ANTARA/SAHRUL MANDA TIKUPADANG

mittee, who is also Chairman of the Anging Mam-

miri Blogger Community, said the activity was a
continuation of the 2011 Nusantara Bloggers Gath-
ering, which was held in Sidoarjo last year.
According to Syariful, the hottest topic of discus-
sion was “Entrepreneur Blogging”. Bloggers could
learn how to make money by blogging. One blog-
ger figure in Makassar, Asri Tadda, who at pres-
ent manages thousands of blogs, said that month-
ly revenue can reach hundreds of millions of rupi-
ah. He explained that he does not manage the blogs
alone. He recruited employees to manage and up-
date their content.
There are a number of sources of revenue for
blogging. However, the largest source, he said, is
from advertising. The only thing is, ads will not
come automatically. The key is for bloggers to ac-
tively write and provide the kinds of articles most
sought after by Internet users. “In this way, adver-
tisers will come on their own, because data on the
number of visitors to our blog will be recorded by
the search engine,” he said. ■ ANISWATI SYAHRIR

VIII | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012


ARTS
Nasirun’s
Invitation Piece
Nasirun, a Yogyakarta artist now popular in the art market,
displays 1,000 invitation cards he has enhanced. He responds
to their colors and forms.
I
NVITATION cards to various fine
arts exhibitions were sent to Nasi-
run’s elegant house and studio in the
Bayeman Indah housing complex,
Yogyakarta. The cards were sent there by
Nasirun’s friends and various galleries in
Yogyakarta, Jakarta, Hong Kong, Singa-
pore, Beijing and other cities.
Nasirun had collected the cards since
1994. His close friend, poet Afrizal Malna,
calls the heaps of cards uwuh (litter, in Java-
nese). But Nasirun’s hands were itching to
adorn the litter with his strokes. He paint-
ed different shapes with acrylic in response
to the “portraits” or “panoramas” on the
cards, transforming them into new pieces.
Now 1,000 cards with Nasirun’s enhance-
ments are on display in the exhibition,
Uwuh Seni (Litter of Art), at Salihara Gal-
lery, which will be up until November 25.
TEMPO/DIAN TRIYULI HANDOKO, TEMPO/SURYO WIBOWO
Asikin Hasan, the display’s curator, pro-
vides two spaces. The first is dedicated to
cards posted along the gallery walls. The
second is for an installation, placed at the
center of the space in the form of glass piec-
es with cards attached to them. The glass
enables people to view the unadorned side
of the cards.
Nasirun works in this way. When there’s
an invitation, the artist born in Cilacap on
October 1, 1965 picks a theme. The colors
and compositions of the invitation cards
Nasirun’s works
displayed at
Salihara Gallery,
Jakarta.
Nasirun.
stimulate him to respond by drawing a
number of lines or brushing strokes of dif-
ferent colors. Sometimes he adds to what’s
already there; in other cases he paints over
it with something entirely new.
Nasirun admitted the difficulty in adjust-
ing to the existing colors. Moreover, he’s
used to painting on large media, rather than
small ones such as invitation cards, most of
them the size of a book or a magazine, with
the exception of several types of folders.
“Ideas arise from past memories,” said
the graduate of the painting department at
the Indonesian Art Institute of Yogyakarta
(ISI). The work, for him, serves as wayang,
“shadows” of his recollections. Memories,
for Nasirun, are his experiences as a child
brought up by his father who followed the
Qadiriyah Naqsabandiyah group and his
mother who embraced the Sunda Wiwitan
faith as a villager living in a Cilacap hamlet,
watching shadow puppet shows, making
batik, and so forth.
His paintings on invitation cards still de-
pict various things found on his canvas-
es such as strange creatures, shadow pup-
pet figures, burak (horse), coarse strokes,
bright colors, and the golden hue. Some
of his paintings are combined with the
themes of the cards, such as the red hand
with a human face on the palm over the pic-
ture on the invitation to S. Teddy D’s exhi-
bition portraying Teddy’s Mystery of Hand.
But other times his painting covered whole
planes, erasing all traces of invitation on
the cards, like the painting 2010: 0095, for
example, in the shape of a winged wheel
with a head beside it and a fireball in the
background.
However, unlike a solo display with a
specific theme, here we discover many
themes, objects, forms, and tales. It may be
due to Nasirun’s spontaneous responses at
distinct moments, thus resulting in diverse
themes. The trouble is that they aren’t sub-
sumed under one unity. They’re discrete
fragments. The title Uwuh for this exhibi-
tion refers to the same material like “plas-
tic” or “cardboard,” for instance. They
don’t constitute an idea, though they can
be interpreted as such. Perhaps they’re
only sketches.
● KURNIAWAN, EVIETA FADJAR
NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 71
ON THE RECORD

BAEK SEONG TAEK SOUTH KOREAN AMBASSADOR TO ASEAN

THE REGION IS AN
ATTRACTIVE MARKET FOR
SOUTH KOREA

T
HERE is no question that Southeast Asia is taking on increasing importance, not only
for its thriving economy but also for its geopolitical position. The 10 countries of this re-
gion, forming themselves into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or ASEAN in
1967, are on their way to becoming a regional community, globally recognized for their
economic potential. This recognition is proven by the increasing trade and investment
activities both intra-ASEAN, as well as with partners in the neighboring regions and be-
yond.
One of these long-time economic partners is South Korea, who joined other countries in officially recog-
nizing ASEAN by sending an ambassador to represent its interests at the secretariat in Jakarta, following
the 14th ASEAN-Korea summit in Bali in November 2011. ASEAN is now South Korea’s second largest trad-
ing partner (US$124.9 billion) after China and its second major investment target region after the USA.
Baek Seong Taek, the first Korean Ambassador to ASEAN took up his three-year assignment last Octo-
ber. Ambassador Baek, a career diplomat who has served in Malaysia and Vietnam, recently spoke to Tem-
po reporter Seulki Lee, on his mission in and vision of ASEAN. Excerpts:

You are the first Korean ambassador to
ASEAN. What exactly is your mission?
This is the product of our government’s
neo-Asian diplomacy, which is being em-
phasized today. The establishment of a Ko-
rean mission in ASEAN is to stress the co-
operation and strategic partnership be-
tween South Korea and ASEAN. That is
our main mission to ASEAN, so we can ob-
serve how fast and where ASEAN builds
its economic community by 2015. Then,
when ASEAN actually realizes its targets,
we should be prepared with the strategy
on how the Korean government and com-
panies will respond to it accordingly and
quickly. Then there the various consulta-
tive bodies within ASEAN [that must be
monitored]. There are hundreds of meet-
ings in a year, at the technical, official and
academic levels to discuss ASEAN integra-
tion. We would like to participate and ob-
serve in those meetings to grasp the trend
of its movements.
How will South Korea and ASEAN main-
tain relations?
The South Korean government has spe-
cial funds for the 10 ASEAN member coun-
tries, about US$5 million a year. What we
do with this fund is to help human resourc-
es networking. More specifically, we pro-
vide training for technicians and civil ser-
vants on the film industry and IT sector.
Today, Korea has shown outstanding ap-
pearances in the film and visual industries,
such as the K-pop performances. So we in-
vite people in the fields of film or cinema
from ASEAN countries to come to Korea
and provide them with training. This in-
cludes introducing them to the advanced
Korean film industry. We will also send Ko-
reans from the drama and film industry to
the ASEAN member countries to give train-
ing and introduction [on innovative ideas].
This is how we spend that US$5 million ev-
ery year in ASEAN. This fund was started
back in 1989 but with smaller amounts, and
now has grown to US$5 million. If the rela-
tionship between South Korea and ASEAN
can be strengthened, the figure could be in-
creased to US$10-20 million.
South Korean President Lee Myung Bak
once mentioned ‘economic expansion’ re-
ferring to the strengthening relationship
with ASEAN. How important is ASEAN to
South Korea today?
The situation today is that we cannot
help but build mutual-assistance and co-
operation with ASEAN. ASEAN is one
body. As we deal with Australia as one
body, South Korea deals with 10 ASEAN
member countries as one body. ASEAN is
bulky. It has a population of 600 million
people with a combined GDP of more than
US$2 trillion. It is a huge territory with a
wealth of resources and raw materials.
The 600 million population is truly a point
that cannot be missed. It is a big consumer
market. So, for us this is an attractive mar-
ket in which to sell our products and gain
the resources.
How do you see ASEAN’s role? Can
ASEAN really build a regional community
like the EU?
There is pessimism and optimism, but
I think ASEAN is different from the EU in
terms of its members’ backgrounds. The
[countries of the] EU share the same his-
torical, religious, political and economic
roots for the last hundreds and thousands
of years, such as with Christianity, democ-
ratization and the growth of a market econ-
omy, except for Eastern Europe. Their liv-
ing conditions are more or less at a similar
level. So to those countries sharing dem-

72 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012

 ocratic market economy, human rights
and universal human values, it’s easy to
band together. But ASEAN is totally differ-
ent. In one country, a couple gets married
with a diamond ring while in another coun-
try, they use a copper ring. This is the bloc
that has both rich and poor nations. The
religion, politics and economic systems
are all different. That’s why they need to
meet often. When there is so much differ-
ence, there must be a lot of give and take. In
ASEAN, one either has money or advanced
brains like Singapore, or one has a big labor
force like Myanmar. Then they can merge
their specialties [with their needs].
How do you see the prospects and the
challenges of an ASEAN economic commu-
nity by 2015?
There can be many arguments on wheth-
er ASEAN can reach the target of an eco-
nomic community by 2015 and what kind
of community it will be. But certainly it is
an inevitable progress of ASEAN and it will
TEMPO/AMSTON PROBEL
be much more concentrated and coherent.
It will definitely head in that direction. No-
body can be sure when ASEAN integration
can be achieved but the form will be much
more concentrated than ever. I think next
year will be much more integrated than this
year. Along the way, the year 2020 would
be more integrated than 2015. ASEAN will
face many problems similar to the financial
crisis but I don’t think it will happen for a
while, because what they can benefit from
an integrated community will be greater
synergy with regards to their differences
and gaps, as I mentioned earlier. But there
is one condition, this is possible only when
there is free flow of human resources and
money within ASEAN.
How do you value Indonesia’s role with-
in ASEAN?
The ASEAN Secretariat is located in Jakar-
ta, and this is a natural sequence. Indonesia
has 40-50 percent of ASEAN’s population,
area and economic capacity. Indonesia’s
250 million population is half of ASEAN’s,
the Indonesian GDP is about US$800 bil-
lion which is 40 percent of ASEAN’s GDP of
US$2 trillion. Also what shapes ASEAN to-
day is according to the Indonesian way of
thinking and way of life.
What do you mean by ‘Indonesia shapes
ASEAN today?’
This is a very significant expression. The
Indonesian style is not off-based, its pow-
er and volume embrace others, no mat-
ter what. It’s quite difficult to let poorer
nations into a group to be on an equal sta-
tus with richer nations where the econo-
my and money rules. Korea can’t do that
well and neither can the EU. If the former
Indonesian president Suharto, Sukarno
or the current President Yudhoyono takes
coercive attitude when they talk with oth-
er countries, they wouldn’t join the group.
So far, Indonesia role’s in ASEAN is what is
called the ‘first among equals,’ not ranking
number 1, 2 or 3. Instead they claim that we
are all equal, but we need to choose num-
ber one among equal members. I personal-
ly think Indonesia’s leading role in ASEAN
came from their experience in the Band-
ung conference of the Non-Aligned Move-
ment. The non-interference and neutral
policy has come down for the past 50 years,
which has survived many shaky interna-
tional incidents. But in the South Korean
case, we took the American side and totally
relied on them, while ASEAN remains very
cool-headed, not taking any sides but bal-
ancing it so that it can benefit from being in
between. I think that historical Bandung
‘DNA’ made ASEAN what it is today. ●
NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 73
 INTERVIEW
G I T A W I R J A W A N :
I’M STAKING MY REPUTATION!
A
FTER the golden era of the 1990s, the qual-
ity of badminton in Indonesia seems to have
slowly regressed to its lowest point. New
managers came and went, yet our badmin-
ton players, who could be predicted to win
gold medals since the 1992 Olympics, came
home emptyhanded. The World Badmin-
ton Federation even disqualified two of Indonesia’s—in addition
to those from China and Korea—players for intentionally losing
their matches to avoid playing against a stronger opponent.
One month after the devastating loss at the London Olympics,
the national congress of the All-Indonesia Badminton Organiza-
tion (PBSI) appointed Gita Wirjawan—who is also the Trade Min-
ister—as its chairman in Yogyakarta. Gita began his new task by
restructuring the organization and involving a group of former
badminton champions in the effort. “In two to three years’ time,
we will see the result,” Gita told Tempo.
He ensured that Rexy Mainaky would return home and man-
age the section on quality performance. Rexy will work togeth-
er with his teammate, Ricky Soebagdja, who won a gold med-
al at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. For the past 10 years, he has
been traveling to the UK, Malaysia and the Philippines to train
badminton players. In Malaysia, Rexy was the most expensive
coach, earning over Rp100 million a month. Gita also recruited
Susi Susanti, the 1992 Olympics gold medalist, as an expert staff
to work in the quality performance section and Ricky in the pub-
lic relations department.
Yet Gita is unable to do much since he has yet to be sworn in as
the new PBSI chairman by the Indonesian National Sports Com-
mittee (KONI). Despite his election to the post by a resounding
30 votes versus two, with one abstention, Gita as the new exec-
utive must first deal with the charges of former world badmin-
ton champion, Icuk Sugiarto. He believes Gita’s election was un-
democratic because the national conference decided to do away
with the candidates’ presentation of their vision and mission.
Consequently, the official inauguration of the new PBSI board
must wait until the Indonesian Sports Arbitration Board issues
its ruling on the case.
In the meantime, Gita has asked the executive board to come
up with a work plan. About the only actual work he can do right
now is to clean up the national training center and headquarters,
in Cipayung. “So long as I haven’t been sworn in, I can only man-
age the plants and the toilets,” said Gita. Last week, he sat down
with Tempo reporters Adek Media Roa, Puwani Diyah Praban-
dari and Gadi Makitan for a special interview in his Trade Minis-
try office. Excerpts:
74 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012
Who encouraged you to run for the PBSI chair?
It certainly did not appear in my dreams. President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono and Djoko Santoso, the previous chair-
man, asked me to go for it. No matter how busy I may be, I could
never refuse the request of someone I respect.
What was the president’s message?
Help improve our badminton game.
The public seems to demand the highest out of badminton, yet
the quality of our game today is pathetic.
Yes, I am staking my reputation on this effort. This means that
I and the other executives and managers must work hard. Come
to think of it, it’s either do or die for me.
You certainly are brave, given your lack of badminton
experience?
I was a champ in high school, but I’m more of a football, volley-
ball, an American football player and a swimmer.
How did you convince Rexy Mainaki and Susi Susanti to join the
PBSI?
I told them I didn’t know as much badminton as Rexy and his
friends did, but that I knew enough about management and that
I am dedicated to things close to my heart, and that’s sports and
the arts. Then I asked him whether he would be interested in
working with me, to enter a carriage that would take us from Ja-
karta to Paris but that if we didn’t work hard, it would just reach
Purwakarta.
What program did you offer to make them join up?
Education, focus on training, the welfare of the players and
trainers. I don’t see us advancing if we don’t upgrade their wel-
fare.
Will you pay Rexy what he got in other countries?
No, but I am committed to compensating him above what is
usually paid here.
How much would that be?
I can’t be specific. But I believe that in his heart, Rexy wants
to return and give something back to his nation. The problem is
whether he needs to work with people he can trust, or with peo-
ple he respects, and whether his pocketbook will be enough to
put food on the table for his kids. Yes, all this combination must
be considered and packaged in a sexy way, not in a luxurious
way, but in a way that makes sense.
TEMPO/JACKY RACHMANSYAH
What about the welfare of the trainers?
That’s what I just said, the welfare of trainers and players must
be recalibrated. When a trainer moves to a neighboring coun-
try, he can get six to 10 times what he gets here. On top of that,
they get a car, housing, international school facilities for their
kids and they eat steaks. What about over here? That’s why train-
 GITA
WIRJAWAN
Place & Date of Birth:
Jakarta, September 21,
1965

Education:
» Kennedy School of
Government, Harvard
University (1992)
» Public Administration,
Harvard University
(1999)

Career:
» Goldman Sachs,
Singapore (2000)
» ST
Telecommunications,
Singapore (2004)
» CEO, JP Morgan,
Jakarta (2006)
» Founder, Ancora
Capital (2008)
» Chairman, Investment
Coordinating Board—
BKPM (2009-2012)
» Trade Minister (2011-
2014)

NOVEMBER 25, 2012 | | 75

INTERVIEW GITA WIRJAWAN
ers must be given an incentive so they will
train well.
What exactly is your definition of a
player’s welfare?
There must be a clear difference between
good players and those who are not. That is
what goes on in the world of sports. So it’s in
the mind of players that if they work hard,
train hard and perform superbly, they will
get better compensation.
Many of our former athletes are not doing
so well in their old age, what can you do to
change this?
We want a system that guarantees so-
cial welfare. One way is to set up a system of
savings for the players. Some thought must
also be given to players who break their fin-
gers and cannot play any more. Where can
they work after that? I will urge sponsors
not only to help us with the PBSI operations
but also with the welfare of the players.
You promised to increase the PBSI Trust
Fund, which right now stands at Rp40
billion, to Rp100 billion. Where will you get
that kind of money?
People will donate when they believe in
76 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012
what they are donating. I come from a back-
ground where credibility is vital: the world
of finance and business. As a business per-
son, I will only help if I believe in the peo-
ple I help.
What about the credibility of the
managers and executives?
This is what my presentation will be on.
Believe it or not. There used to be many
positions under the chairman, but today
there are only four. Simple as that. Each po-
sition will be held by people who truly un-
derstand their jobs. Basri Yusuf (head of
development) once worked at the Djarum
Club but who was hijacked by Singapore,
proved he can produce good players. Rexy
trained in the UK, Malaysia and then the
Philippines. Anton Subowo, a business-
man, knows how to communicate with oth-
er businesspeople and he has been tasked
with raising funds.
So, you will go to the businesspeople?
I will not whine and ask for their help to-
day. I will first demonstrate what we can
achieve.
Going forward, what is your target?
Sony Dwi Kuncoro and his peers training
at the badminton center in Cipayung,
Jakarta.
Assuming we work really hard, hopefully
the ultimate target will be to win the Thom-
as and the Uber Cups in 2014. To win the
Sudirman Prize in 2013 would be too ambi-
tious. In our assessment, the men’s doubles
is still okay, but the others really need to be
improved.
What about the Olympics?
Definitely our ambition is to win the
Olympic medal. Why not?
What needs to be stressed to raise the
performance of our badminton players?
The most important is the training and
nurturing of young athletes. We have no
young cadres at the training centers. And
this does not apply only to the training cen-
TEMPO/ADITIA NOVIANSYAH
ters, but also to other areas.
How can this problem be resolved?
First, bringing in an extraordinary train-
er doesn’t mean just paying attention to the
main athletes but also to the trainee and
the juniors. Second, the club owner who
sends his young athletes to training cen-
ters must be convinced that his kids will get
full attention. Today, they still have doubts
about that.
Even good trainers can have difficulties if
there is outside intervention in the selection
of players. How can this be prevented?
I will change the system. Anything that is
linked to performance is Rexy’s business,
as well as matters involving shuttlecocks,
nets, airline tickets, food, beverages, san-
dals, soap, toothpaste—everything that is
needed to support a player’s performance.
All that must become part of the training
and nurturing.
Will Rexy have full authority?
Yes, he will be fully responsible, and also
accountable. When we bask in glory, he gets
the credit, but if we lose who do I blame?
Will you take Indonesia to more
international tournaments?
There’s enough participation but it
should be participated by better players.
In the future, there must be more young
players. When our work plan is completed,
I want each player to know which tourna-
ment he will be playing in one year ahead,
of course with the necessary evaluation. If
I have suggested to my colleagues in the
There must be a clear management to come up with a business
difference between plan by the end of November. With that,
we should be able to consolidate the differ-
good players and those ent viewpoints relating to development, fi-
who are not. That is nances, fundraising and training. As soon
what goes on in the as we enter 2013, we should start immedi-
ately so we can produce winners in two to
world of sports. So three years’ time.
it’s in the mind of Why is it called a business plan?
In order to get a sense of planning, a sense
players that if they of business and a sense of crisis. To be more
work hard, train hard proper. Because we want to be better.
What is your impression of Icuk Sugiarto?
and perform superbly, I have been a big fan of Icuk since I was
they will get better small. When he won, I would cry because
compensation. I was so proud and I am not dramatizing. I
never had any negative thoughts about him.
At the national conference in Yogyakarta,
because of the voting, Icuk and I were sent
he gains enough points, the player will con- out of the room. I told him, “Good luck and
tinue to play, according to schedule, and re- let’s compete democratically.”
adjust. For example, a player is scheduled So, once the arbitration is clear and you
to play in Copenhagen but if his appearanc- are installed, will you recruit Icuk?
es haven’t been that good, we will take him That depends. If he aspires to serious-
to play in Klaten, or the opposite. ly develop the PBSI and the quality of our
What are the new managers doing pen- players, we will certainly find a way for
ding their installation? him. ●
Sidelines
SURABAYA
NE day, a few decades ago now, when I was still in
O primary school, our new headmaster celebrated He-
roes Day on the 10th of November with solemnity. Pak
Sumadi stood on top of a desk. The teachers and stu-
dents were lined up to listen to him in the back yard of a building
that used to be the warehouse of a Chinese merchant.
On that makeshift stage, he did not sermonize about patrio-
tism and heroism; he merely talked about his own experience in
Surabaya on the day of that famous battle. His voice was not loud,
yet it was enthralling.
He talked about his own fears and those of other young men
of his generation, the fear that the Republic that was then not yet
four months old was about to be recolonized. He spoke about his
decision to leave his parents in Semarang and go
to Surabaya with no expectation of returning. He
joined the thousands of young men who were ar-
riving from all corners of the Republic, gathering
in neighborhood corners in Surabaya. He spoke
about the unequal battle, which they went to face
almost recklessly. He described his fear before the
first shots were fired, and what happened when
this fear disappeared in the heat of battle. Two of
his friends were killed after bringing down three
Gurkha soldiers; another threw himself and a gre-
nade at a British tank.
His story had no conclusion. The ceremony end-
ed with a choir of 20 students singing a few songs,
one of which suggested the motherland that had
been saved in Surabaya: ‘your soil is sacred, your
sky holy…’; this country that made us ‘thirsty’ to
serve.
I noticed Pak Sumadi wipe away the tears in his eyes.
Then the ceremony was over and we went back to class, as usu-
al. But probably what we heard that day slowly made us aware of
the meaning of independent Indonesia. The rough wooden walls
of our classroom were decorated with pictures sent by the Minis-
try of Education about our country that was under construction;
a busy port, a huge railway station, neat, happy schoolchildren.
And in this way we were introduced to death and rebirth, to
sacrifice and hope. We were not prepared to face cynicism.
Maybe this is why my stomach felt rather queasy when I read
the novel Surabaya for the first time, a decade or so after its first
printing in 1947. Idroes’s work is a mosaic of his impressions and
conclusions about those tumultuous days around the 10th of No-
vember 1945.
Briefly, Surabaya records that situation: the uncertainty, ten-
sion and ferocity. Courage and love for motherland going mad.
The conviction that what was old was changing. I found the first
paragraph of this 64-page book shocking because of its cutting
sarcasm, with metaphors fresh but not always appropriate about
the mental situation at that time:
78 | | NOVEMBER 25, 2012
Courage emerged unexpectedly, like a snake from the under-
growth. Belief in oneself and love of the motherland overflowed,
like beer froth. Thinking diminished, people acted like animals,
and the results were gratifying. People no longer believed much
in God. God had just arrived and his names were many: bombs,
machine guns and mortars.
Following this, Idroes depicts the story of Surabaya’s battle to
the death as a class B movie between ‘cowboys’ and ‘bandits’. The
British Gurkha troops, ‘black as locomotives’, landed in Suraba-
ya. They quickly confronted the ‘cowboys’—the armed Indone-
sian youths. To the ‘cowboys’ the Gurkha troops were ‘bandits
left to range wild’.
In the middle of the streets the bandits stopped the cowboys
and made them surrender their weapons. The
bandits shouted, while holding up their bayonets:
‘Your weapons or your lives!’
The cowboys did not raise their hands, nor did
they give over their weapons. They shouted: ‘take
our lives!—and at the same moment began to fire.
The bandits also fired and a fierce battle ensued.
In a half humorous way, this part of the story
actually still conveys how the young Indonesian
men courageously defended their dignity. But
Idroes does not spend time discussing dignity or
the ‘fierce battle’. The war is shown only in broad
strokes. Details are more evident when he depicts
the places where the women take refuge.
Maybe this is because his knowledge was limit-
ed. At that time, aged 24, he himself did not go to
the front line; he was a journalist for the newspa-
per Berdjoeang in Malang. And as a journalist, he took distance;
he did not take sides.
But actually his prose does take sides: he chooses to believe
there were no heroes on that day. In this book there is a hint of the
cynicism that views people as figures always posing. The humor
is dark. Surabaya seems to echo Galileo’s words in Brecht’s play
Life of Galileo, “Unhappy is the country that needs heroes.”
But I remember Pak Sumadi. Perhaps ‘heroes’ are indeed mere-
ly political constructs to justify a history. Or heroes end up being
fleeting figures. But the actions of Pak Sumadi and his friends can-
not be seen as posing. Their lives were witness to heroic deeds:
they were prepared to die for many.
This difference between heroes and heroism is not evident in
the novel Surabaya. Maybe because when Idroes wrote the book,
he himself had not experienced it. The refugees in the book are
like the middle class that never wants to lose, and views life from
a point of routine. Hegel would consider them an example of ‘psy-
ILLUSTRATION: EDI RM
chological valets’ or psychologischen Kammerdiener; people who
do not know heroism because they are merely valets, and ‘no
man is a hero to his valet’.
● Goenawan Mohamad
cartier.com