From Julia to Suzanna

From Julia to Suzanna

The Jakarta Post | Thu, 12/01/2011 8:26 AM

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JAKARTA: The queen of Indonesian horror, Suzanna, had the air of a witch. Her voice was soft and eerie, and her eyes were both dreamy and mystical. Although a Catholic — and reportedly a faithful one — Suzanna is best known for her recurring role as the spiteful Indian Ocean goddess.

Trying to follow in the legendary actress’ footsteps is bombshell Julia Perez. Unlike Suzanna, Julia’s claim to fame is her cleavage and a latex catsuit. But she is determined to be taken seriously in the film industry, and she was all set to become the next Suzanna.  

That is, until she heard what she had to go through to acquire the mystical aura Suzanna was famous for.  

“Suzanna had a nine-step ritual that she went through, which included wearing a green outfit to Parangtritis Beach, meditating with a snake and spending 12 nights at a cemetery, among other spooky things,” she explained.  

Julia could only survive two of the rituals, but at the moment she’s begun imitating Suzanna’s activities like eating a bowl of jasmine and getting acquainted with a snake.

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HIV+ father demands apology from school

HIV+ father demands apology from school

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 12/02/2011 2:16 PM

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Fajar Jasmin Sugandhi, a father whose daughter has been denied entrance to Don Bosco elementary school in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, because he is HIV positive, has demanded that the school board issue a formal apology to his daughter via media outlets.

“I demand the school board members officially apologize to my daughter, to me as her parent and to all people living with HIV via five national media outlets, and to hold a press conference to convey their conclusion on the matter,” Fajar said Friday.

Fajar’s daughter enrollment was cancelled on Thursday, on World AIDS day, Dec. 1, through a text message sent by a school board member saying that other parents had objected to his daughter’s presence.

Earlier, Fajar’s daughter had been accepted as a student for the new academic year next year. However, the school later asked her daughter to submit an HIV/AIDS test result after Fajar had revealed his HIV status before school board members.

“I was planning to ask for an official letter from the school board when the school board members invited me to discuss the matter [on Friday],” Fajar told The Jakarta Post after the meeting.

During the two-hour meeting, Fajar asked for an explanation on the cancellation.

“They insisted that it was not discrimination because they had asked for the test result based to my own revelation,” Fajar said, adding that there were no parents present to confirm their objections.

“I don’t want to further argue as it was clear that we have different understandings about the concept of ‘discrimination’.

“This issue is not about me and my daughter any more. It’s about human rights," he said.

“They said they needed two days to discuss this issue internally. We will just have to wait for them to announce their decision next Monday,” he said.

The school representatives could not be reached for comment.

“Bapak Hartanto is not available at the moment,” a school employee said when The Jakarta Post approached the school spokesman via telephone. (swd)

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Parks & Recreation - Tonight's Preview

Things come to a head for Leslie (Amy Poehler), Ben (Adam Scott) and
Chris (Rob Lowe)

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Tarif Tol Lingkar Luar Bogor Naik pada 6 Desember

Metrotvnews.com, Jakarta: Pengelola Jalan Tol Lingkar
Bogor atau Bogor Outer Ring Road (BORR), PT Marga Sarana Jabar (MSJ)
akan menaikkan tarif tol BORR. Penaikkan tarif itu dilakuakn untuk
meningkatkan investasi, terutama pengembalian modal
investor.

Besaran kenaikan diperkirakan mulai dari Rp 500
hingga Rp 1000. Kenaikan tarif itu sendiri mulai diberlakukan per 6
Desember 2011, pukul 00:00 WIB.

Untuk golongan I, tarif semula
Rp3.000 naik menjadi Rp3.500, golongan II dari Rp4.500 naik menjadi
Rp5.000, golongan III dari Rp6.000 menjadi Rp6.500, golongan IV dari
Rp7.500 menjadi Rp8.000 dan khusus kendaraan golongan V naik sebesar
Rp1000 dari Rp9.000 menjadi Rp10.000. (MI/*)

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Private sector a catalyst for sustainable development

Private sector a catalyst for sustainable development

Lars Thunell, WASHINGTON, DC | Thu, 12/01/2011 8:50 AM

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It may come as news to some, but multilateral and bilateral development banks have increased their financing of the private sector fourfold over the last decade, boosting their annual combined investment from US$10 billion to over $40 billion.

This has been welcomed by most of the development community, although the debate on the balance between traditional development assistance to the public sector and donor support of the private sector continues.

At IFC, the largest multilateral development bank focused on the private sector, we have been at the center of this discussion, promoting the important role of the private sector in sustainable development. Recently we coordinated with 30 other multilateral and bilateral development finance institutions on a study — International Finance Institutions and Development through the Private Sector — which highlights the “virtuous circle” of public and private sector cooperation for development.

As experts gather these days in Busan, South Korea, for the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, the private sector will have a seat at the table for the first time. This could be a turning-point, where we move from aid effectiveness to development effectiveness, while recognizing the mutually supportive roles of the private and public sectors.

There is no question that governments continue to be essential for development. They provide critical services for their populations, such as healthcare, education, infrastructure, and social safety nets. They also create the enabling environment for the private sector by ensuring property rights and contract enforcement, security, and macroeconomic stability, as well as the proper regulatory framework.

Governments’ role is to provide leadership for economic development and to ensure that it is shared by all segments of society. Grants, multilateral and bilateral finance, and technical assistance can help those countries that do not have adequate resources or expertise in this critical task. But governments can’t do the job alone — they are only part of the recipe for development and poverty reduction.

The private sector is and must be a source of growth and opportunity that will allow people to improve their lives. While the public sector can create a sound basis for development and a good environment for investment, the private sector will generate the vast majority of jobs, help improve public services, and ultimately provide most of the tax revenues that the public sector needs.

So where do development institutions come in? As the IFI report points out, they play a critical role in supporting the private sector. Firms in developing countries need financing to expand their operations, as well as better infrastructure, improved business regulations and skilled employees.

Without these, they are not able to grow, especially in the more difficult environments where poor people live and work. Development institutions have experience working in these environments and are willing to provide capital where private markets may be risk averse. They provide advice to improve markets and make projects bankable and sustainable, attracting other investors by providing comfort and risk assurance.

Moreover, they can help make private sector development more inclusive, and promote the high environmental, social, and corporate governance standards that allow projects to be sustainable.

To name just a few examples highlighted in the report — development institution funding has extended mobile phones to rural areas of Papua New Guinea, with all the benefits that improved communications can provide. In Senegal, public-private partnerships are putting in place the essential infrastructure for growth, and in India they are providing improved housing for slum dwellers. And at a crucial time in Egypt, equity investments have created jobs, while in Brazil microloans and training have improved the lives of street vendors.

Of course, at a time of scarce resources, some ask: Can donor governments afford to support the private sector as well as the public sector? The answer is yes, since in large part development institutions are self-funded, using repayments from their investments to support new projects. In fact, as a result of their success, they have had limited capital needs.

While substantially increasing their investments, most have not had significant capital contributions for decades. By contrast, aid to governments usually needs to be funded every year. Furthermore, since the enterprises supported by development institutions provide substantial tax revenues to their host countries, the need for development assistance to the public sector is reduced.

In summary, supporting the private sector with judicious investment is a win-win proposition for donor governments and developing countries. A small amount of initial capital, with some well targeted advisory services, can marshal the talents and finance of private sector investors to create economic activity that ultimately is self-financing. This should not be surprising — it is one of the historic paths to development.

The writer is executive vice president and CEO of the International Finance Corporation.

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Can Indonesia do without foreign aid?

Can Indonesia do without foreign aid?

Don K. Marut, Jakarta | Thu, 12/01/2011 8:53 AM

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From Nov. 29 to Dec. 1, 2011 donors, recipient countries, business associations and civil society organizations are gathering in Busan, South Korea, for the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, organized by the OECD-DAC (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development – Development Assistance Committee) and the Korean government.

It is a forum for donors (governments and international financial institutions), recipient countries, the private sector and civil society organizations (CSOs) to negotiate the better management of aid.

According to OECD-DAC, aid is “…fund-flows to developing countries and multilateral institutions provided by official agencies, including state and local governments, or by their executive agencies, each transaction of which meets the following criteria:

(1) It is administered with the promotion of economic development and welfare of developing countries as its main objectives, and

(2) It is concessional in character and contains a grant element of at least 25 percent (calculated at a rate of discount of 10 percent)”.

Indonesia, as one of the biggest aid-recipient countries, is also taking part in the High Level Forum. The repayment of foreign debts (loan components of aid) has absorbed a high percentage of the state budget annually.

Therefore the relevant question for Indonesia, related to foreign aid, is not whether foreign aid is managed and used effectively, but rather “can Indonesia do without aid?” It seems difficult for Indonesia to do without aid for at least four major reasons.

First, the Law on National Development Planning No. 25/2004 and its operational regulations and policies have put Indonesian development within the framework of integration with foreign aid.

In the Medium Term Development Plan, the government of Indonesia published the Blue Book, a kind of shopping list for foreign donors.

This means that the Medium Term Development Plan is designed to be opened up to foreign aid (loans, grants, technical cooperation or foreign consultancy).

The law assigns high-level government officials to be responsible for its implementation.

In India, foreign aid is the responsibility of officials lower than those in the third echelon, which shows the low-level role of foreign aid in India’s national development.

Second, foreign aid is a way and tool for the developed countries and international financial institutions to control the recipient countries. The House of Representatives heard that there were 63 laws
that had been drafted by foreign consultants.

These works are part of foreign aid in the form of technical cooperation or program support, whether they are in the form of loans or grants.

Indonesia is a country with an abundance of natural resources and has a strategic position in terms of global geopolitics.

Developed countries cannot just allow Indonesia to freely use up its resources. Aid is a soft way of controlling the policies of recipient countries, including Indonesia. The more the aid flows, the greater the control the foreign power has.

Third, foreign aid-supported projects have long been functioning as side jobs for raising additional income (in significant amounts) for government officials.

Almost all ministries form project offices to implement foreign aid-supported projects. Since the projects provide high income and the period is mainly short-term, the officials very often pay more attention to the projects rather than to their routine responsibilities in the ministries.

While foreign aid gives opportunities for the officials to raise additional and higher income, Indonesia will still depend on foreign aid.

Fourth, foreign aid is big business for the aid agencies. In Indonesia, the World Bank, for instance, has dozens of project offices located throughout the country with different types of projects.

The project offices are so huge that the World Bank seems to have established a parallel government in the country. Other donors also establish their own project offices, including United Nations agencies, particularly the UNDP.

The presence of these agencies’ offices in fact shows how weak the country is, how weak the government is and how poor the country is in the eyes of the donor agencies. It also undermines the claims of the present government that it has succeeded in alleviating poverty, eradicating corruption and promoting peace in the country.

As long as the government is still perceived as weak, corrupt and susceptible to conflict and government repressive measures, those who are active in the aid business will trap Indonesia into dependence on foreign aid.

Indonesia will remain a haven for those in the aid business. Hence, it is very unlikely Indonesia will ever give up foreign aid.

The writer is executive director of International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID), participating in the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan, South Korea.

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Calon Pimpinan KPK Zulkarnain Dicecar Soal Lumpur Lapindo

Metrotvnews.com, Jakarta: Calon pimpinan Komisi
Pemberantasan Korupsi (KPK) Zulkarnain mengaku tak pernah menghentikan
kasus semburan lumpur panas PT Lapindo Brantas saat menjabat sebagai
Kepala Kejaksaan Tinggi Jawa Timur. Bantahan itu menanggapi pertanyaan
anggota Komisi III dari Fraksi PKS Buchori yang meminta klarifikasi
atas pemberitaan yang menyebut dirinya menghambat penyelidikan kasus
Lapindo.

Senada dengan Buchori, anggota Komisi III dari Fraksi
Hanura Sarifuddin Sudding juga menyinggung persoalan surat perintah
penghentian perkara (SP3) lumpur Lapindo yang

mungkin dilakukan
Zulkarnain. "Tidak termasuk Lapindo di-SP3 kan?" tanya Sudding. Dua
anggota DPR itu mencecar Zulkarnain dalam ujit kelayakan dan kepatutan
calon pimpinan KPK di gedung DPR, Senayan, Jakarta, Kamis,
(1/12).

Zulkarnain menjelaskan, kasus Lapindo sudah ditangani
Kejaksaan Tinggi Jawa Timur sejak dua masa kepemimpinan sebelum dia
menjabat. Ketika menjabat, Zulkarnain meminta Asisten Pidana Umum
memaparkan kasus itu. "Pak Made (asisten pidana umum) menjelaskan
kasus ini sudah pernah dipaparkan bersama di Kejaksaan Agung.
Disepakati harus dilengkapi (alat bukti) oleh Polda," jelas
Zulkarnain.

"Ternyata, ketika perkara diserahkan ke Kejaksaan
Tinggi tidak ada penambahan apa-apa. Makanya perkara dikembalikan (ke
Polda)," jawab Zulkarnain. Zulkarnain menjelaskan, karena tak mampu
memenuhi petunjuk jaksa, Polda Jawa Timur akhirnya menghentikan
perkara dengan menerbitkan SP3.

"Kalau enggak bisa tambah alat
bukti, memang mau diapain?" ujar Zulkarnain. Mantan jaksa tersebut
menegaskan dirinya tak pernah menghentikan kasus Lapindo, karena
kejaksaan tinggi tidak pernah menyidik kasus Lapindo. (MI/DOR)

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