Malaysian citizens held at airport for drugs

Multa Fidrus

The Jakarta Post,Tangerang

Customs and excise officers have foiled the smugling attmept of 9.4 kilograms shabu-shabu (crystal methampehtamine) from Hong Kong into the country at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

Officers also arrested three Malaysian-Chinese citizens identifed as Thor Li Hwa, 36, Tan Sew Hua, 42 and Pe Mee Yee, 33 as suspects along with the evidence allegedly worth in the local market between Rp 10 and 15 billion on.

Eko Darmanto, chief of intelligence at the customs offfice said that the suspects arrived at the airport at about 5 pm on Saturday onboard Cathay Pacific CX 777.

"Officers at the checking point became suspicoius when X-Ray machine showed strange objects in three water filter tubs. We waited until owners of th items came to claim," Eko said Monday.

He said soon after the three malaysians came to claim the water filter tubes, officers took them to special room for questionings and they calimed to have no knowlege of the contents of the water filter tubes.

Officers then opend the tubes and found 16 plastic bags containing crytal white powder and narchotest device at the custom checking post confirmed that the content was shabu-shabu.

According to Tan, who visited Indonesia for the second time, he and Yee flew to Hong Kong from Kuala Lumpur on Friday and met with Thor there. Thor then inroduced them to a man called a Sion in Hong Kong.

Since Tan had once visited Indonesia and was believed to know the situation in Jakarta, A Shiong then asked him and Yee to accompany Thor to Jakarta with the water filter tubes.

A Shiong promised him 30,000 ringgit or Rp 90 million after they handed down the filter tubes to some one who would contact them soon after they arrived in Jakarta.

"After being interogated, they told us that they would submit the drug to someone awaiting at a hotel in Jakarta but when we searched the hotel, we could not find the unidentified man," Eko said, adding that the smuggler had applied disconnected net system in the smuggling attempt.

According to Eko, it was the best qulity fo shabu-shabu ever smuggled from Hong Kong into the country and the drug was smuggled to Indonesia because of dropping prices in Hong Kong.

"We believe that the drug syndicate usually sends their people to carry the drug into the country in at least five different groups all at once. If one failed at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, four other could still smuggle the drugs through other ports in the country," he said.

The three Malaysians will face the charges of Articles 61and 62 of the 1997 psychortopic substance law, which carries a maximum punishment of 15 years prison term.

Mayor denies banning Dewi Persik

, , Sat, 03/29/2008 11:12 AM City

Tangerang Mayor Wahidin Halim said Friday he and his administration had never issued any policy banning dangdut singers from performing in the city.

"I just called on erotic dangdut singers like Dewi Persik and others to change their inappropriate style if they want to sing here because Tangerang is an akhlakul kharimah city that respects moral values," Wahidin said Friday.

Akhlakul kharimah is an Arabic phrasing for "good conduct".

Wahidin has been using the slogan in pursuing a moral society by issuing local ordinances that, among others, ban alcohol and call for raids to round up women on the streets after 7 p.m.

Recently, the mayor was reported to ban certain dangdut performers he called "erotic singers", naming Dewi Persik and Merry Geboy.

Wahidin's call for the performers to observe decorum was delivered in a series of visits related to the Prophet Mohammad's birthday ceremony in the city's 13 districts.

"Of course I will ban Dewi Persik and other erotic singers from singing in Tangerang if they do not change their style and erotic performance," Wahidin said.

Tangerang Ulemas Council (MUI) secretary K.H. Bajuri said MUI would stand behind Wahidin because Tangerang had been recognized as a city with the akhlakul kharimah vision.

"If erotic dangdut singers want to stage a show here, they have to abide by the moral values internalized by the society," he said.

The local media has run reports that Dewi Persik, Merry Geboy and other dangdut singers like Trio Macan have denied the mayor's allegation their performances corrupt morals. -JP/Multa Fidrus

Trafficking foiled at airport

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post Sat, 03/29/2008 City

TANGERANG: Police and the national migrant workers body prevented 63 migrant workers from leaving the country at the Soekarno-Hatta airport on Thursday.

"Up to 17 workers were about to leave for Libya and 46 others for Saudi Arabia without legal documents," said Jumhur Hidayet, the chief of the National Body for the Replacement and Protections of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI).

The workers were organized by two private companies in Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta and allegedly backed by a letter signed by the director general of Manpower Ministry, said Jumhur.

According to the 2004 law on migrant workers, BNP2TKI is the only authority able to issue legal documents for the departure of migrant workers.

Jakarta City Police are investigating the case and plan to summon the director general.-- JP

PROPER DRAINAGE

PROPER DRAINAGE: A tractor dredges dirt at a construction site in Tangerang on Thursday. A Bintaro housing developer is constructing a drainage system to prevent floods in the area. JP/Multa Fidrus

Korean, police mobbed by shoe sellers during raid

Multa Fidrus , The Jakarta Post , Tangerang Fri, 03/28/2008 City

Four police officers and a businessman said to be an owner of a factory producing Adidas shoes were mobbed by angry shoe traders and residents on Jl. Raya Serang, Cikupa district, Tangerang, on Thursday.

Romly, 55, an eye witness and one of the shoe traders said the businessman, identified only as Korean, and four plain-clothed officers arrived at the street where shoe vendors operate. The five men arrived in two cars followed by two trucks at about 10 a.m..

"They said they were conducting a raid to find fake Adidas products allegedly being sold along the street," said Romly.

He said the man and plain-clothed officers first searched Romly's store and seized hundreds of pairs of shoes, which were loaded onto the trucks and taken away.

At 2:30 p.m., the man and the officers returned and confiscated more shoes from several other stores. All the shoes were put onto the trucks as well, Romly said.

Some traders tried to prevent them from removing the shoes from their shops but after one of the officers shot a bullet as a warning, they backed off, eye witnesses told reporters.

The warning shot apparently invited a crowd to the location and Jaya, a local resident, talked to the truck driver who told him the shoes would be transported to Bekasi.

Jaya became suspicious because the officers had told traders they were from National Police headquarters, located in South Jakarta.

"I think if they were really National Police officers, they should have taken the shoes to their headquarters," Jaya said. He said he later shouted, telling the shoe traders these men could be fake officers.

Jaya's shout alerted residents and traders. The crowd immediately mobbed the businessman and the officers.

The angry mob beat the five in the face and held them hostage until officers from the Cikupa police subprecinct arrived.

Police officers arrived at the location, immediately rescued the five men from the crowd and took them to the Tangerang Police headquarters.

Tangerang Police chief Sr. Comr. Agus Andrianto confirmed the four officers were from the National Police but he refused to reveal their identities.

"It's true they are officers from the National Police but we have not been informed if they are assigned to hold raids against shoe traders in our jurisdiction," he said.

Banten expands electricity to regions

Multa Fidrus , The Jakarta Post , Banten Fri, 03/28/2008 City

The Banten administration has allocated Rp 21.5 billion (US$2.3 million) to provide power to 14,000 new families living in Lebak, Serang and Pandeglang regencies and Cilegon municipality this year, a councillor says.

A councillor of the Provincial Council's commission III overseeing the environment and energy, Thoni Fathoni Mukson, said the fund would finance the construction of power grid networks as well as installing electrics in homes across the regions.

"The commission and the Banten Mining and Energy Agency has made an agreement with (state-owned power provider) PLN to supply 47,000 kilowatts per hour for the new connections," he said Thursday.

The administration recorded about 319,244 families in Lebak, Serang and Pandeglang regencies and Cilegon municipality had no access to electricity last year.

Lebak regency had the lowest access to power rate with 43 percent of 276,804 families confined to the dark at night.

Pandeglang regency was the next lowest with 40.5 percent of 242,704 families living without electricity, while 24.5 percent of 406,592 families were denied power in Serang regency.

"Even in an industrial city like Cilegon, 2,000 out 76,351 families are still living without electricity," he said.

Thoni said if the program was successful this year the administration would link power to another 24,000 families next year.

However, he said there were still problems facing the program including a lack of funds allocated to attain permits to plant electricity poles, and poor road access to several isolated areas.

Nana Suryana, head of the electricity power department at the agency said PLN was ready to provide electricity meters for all residents.

"We are ready and therefore we ask the administration to settle the payment of collateral fees for electricity connections so that we can soon install the devices," he said.

Tangerang ready to revitalize rivers

Multa Fidrus , The Jakarta Post , Tangerang Thu, 03/27/2008 City

The central government has disbursed Rp 110 billion (US$11.9 million) to fund revitalization programs for rivers and lakes in Tangerang regency and municipality this year.

"Most rivers and lakes in both Tangerang regency and municipality are in critical condition," the secretary of commission III of Banten Provincial Council, Thoni Fathoni Mukson, said Wednesday at the Center for Cisadane and Ciliwung Rivers Preservation.

He said Rp 53.4 billion of the funds had been earmarked to revitalize 11 small lakes, while the remainder would be used on various dredging and embankment construction projects.

"With this fund disbursement, the central government has fulfilled its promise to help regions prevent the kind of flooding problems that hit most parts of the greater Jakarta area last year."

He said Rp 7 billion of the funds would be used to finance dredging near the source of the Cisdane River, Rp 17 billion for the construction of an embankment along the Cirarab, another Rp 18 billion for an embankment project near the Cirarab River's estuary and Rp 20 billion for dredging and renovation of the Cisadane Pasar Baru Dam.

"The dredging and renovation project at the Pasar Baru dam will start in the near future because all preparations have been made," he said.

Normalization programs, which involve the widening of constricted river banks, are set to begin shortly at five out of a total 11 small lakes.

"We hope the preservation center can give priority to local companies to do the project work because it will be easier to make them accountable should their work prove sub-standard," he said.

He said if funding were not as high as expected, the center would prioritize the dredging of other rivers in the province.

The head of general affairs and equipment bureau at the Banten provincial administration, Agus Randil, said the river and lake normalization programs were aimed at coping with flood problems in Tangerang.

"There are 120 small lakes in Banten. Thirty-five of them are spread in Tangerang regency and five others in Tangerang municipality," he said.

Cable road work leaving hazards, mud and dust

Ditches left improperly covered by workers burying cables along roads in Tangerang have drawn complaints from motorists in the area.

Multa Fidrus , The Jakarta Post , Tangerang Wed, 03/26/2008 City

Ditches left improperly covered by workers burying cables along roads in Tangerang have drawn complaints from motorists in the area.

"The ditches ... have caused a lot of problems not only for motorists but also residents living along this road," Akmal Hermawan, a resident living near Jl. Ki Hajar Dewantara, Ciputat, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

He said cars, minivans, trucks, buses and motorcycles had all been stuck in the ditches.

"I myself have seen two trucks carrying sand, three minivans and a bus all stuck in the holes along this road," he said, adding he'd also heard of motorcycle riders falling due to the uneven terrain.

He said rain caused soil from the digging to muddy the road, and after the road dried passing vehicles stirred up the dust to blow into residents' homes.

"I have no idea where to file complaints because the workers say they do not know the address, the contact number or even the name of the company that hired them," Akmal said.

Several workers digging ditches along Jl. Raden Patah in Cileduk told the Post on Tuesday they were being paid to bury fiber optics cable for a cellular operator.

Along another part of the road, the Post observed a truck with a heavy load stuck in one of the ditches.

Sunardi, the driver, said he could not do anything to get unstuck but wait for help.

"I have seen many places where the ditches are the source of accidents and troubles for motorists and now it's my turn to be one of the victims," he told the Post.

Sunardi was transporting hundreds of bags of cement from a factory in Cibinong, West Java, for construction work of an underpass at Cileduk intersection.

"Naturally this accident will cause a delay of the construction work," he said.

Shopping mall business is booming, plenty of room for more: Developers

Multa Fidrus , The Jakarta Post , Tangerang Tue, 03/25/2008 City

Mall developers say that despite the rapid construction of new shopping malls in Greater Jakarta in recent years, further expansion is viable enough that the number of malls here could double by 2011.

The chairman of the Jakarta-Banten chapter of the Indonesian Shopping Center Association (APPBI), Andreas Kartawinata, said the increasing population density and improving socioeconomic conditions were the main factors behind the opportunity.

He said close proximity of malls had nothing to do with the survival of each.

"The success of mall businesses will be decided by attractions presented by each mall," he said. Andreas said the APPBI catered to 60 shopping malls in Greater Jakarta, a quarter of which were located in Tangerang.

PT Lippo Karawaci leads in the expansion of big shopping malls, building and managing more than 20, while PT Sinar Mas, with its ITC malls, comes in the second, he said.

Andreas predicted the number of shopping malls in Greater Jakarta would double by 2011. He said to survive in the long-term, shopping malls in Tangerang should also cooperate, not only compete.

He cited the success of the Orchard Road shopping district in Singapore.

"Orchard Road consists of shopping centers stacked together, with no distance between them. All attract visitors and make a profit since they cooperate with each other," he said.

PT Lippo Karawaci spokesman Paulus Tambunan said the mall business was still lucrative, adding that most retail space at malls under his company's management were leased to tenants.

"It's easier to manage with a leasing system for the survival and the progress of the shopping mall," he said.

He said among Lippo's shopping malls using a leasing system were Plaza Semanggi, Mega Mall Pluit, Lippo Cikarang and Cibubur Junction, Pejaten Village, Ekalokasari Plaza, Kemang Village and Puri Village Malls in Greater Jakarta, and Bandung Indah Plaza and Istana Plaza in Bandung and Binjai Supermal in North Sumatra.

However, Paulus said some malls were still struggling to attract tenants.

"Spaces at other Lippo malls such as Belanofa Country Mall in Sentul, WTC Serpong and Metropolis Town Square in Tangerang, Depok Town Square in Depok, Medan Grand Paladium in North Sumatra, GTC Makassar in South Sulawesi and City Octomoro in Surabaya are for sale," he said.

Poor districts to get toilets

Multa Fidrus , The Jakarta Post , Tangerang Mon, 03/24/2008 City

Tangerang's municipal administration is set to build 21 public toilets in Batu Ceper, Benda and Karang Tengah districts this year for residents with no access to sanitation facilities, the mayor said Saturday.

"The construction of the public toilets is one of three main developmental programs we have been focusing on since 2005," Tangerang Mayor Wahidin Halim told reporters.

"We have allocated Rp 1.8 billion from (this year's) budget to build public toilets, which is part of a poverty alleviation program across the three districts," he said.

Wahidin said many residents of the districts were too poor to afford their own bathrooms and toilets and were forced to use public land as a substitute.

Wahidin said each public toilet would be equipped with a water closet, a 'bak mandi (water tub) and a laundry area capable of serving at least 50 families.

"We will also provide the residents with clean water via the municipal tap water company," he said.

Seven public toilets were set to be built early this month in Poris Gaga subdistrict in Batu Ceper, nine in Pedurenan subdistrict, Karang Tengah, and five in Belendung subdistrict, an area close to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

The mayor has also ordered the municipal's Building and Resettlement Agency to collect data on residents still living without proper sanitation.

"It's unthinkable that there are still many residents without toilets and bathrooms who still have to go and find vacant land and rivers," he said.

The administration also allocated Rp 6.5 billion from this year's
budget to support Tri Bina-concept empowerment programs for poor residents.

The Tri Bina concept helps provide poor residents with free basic needs, including health, education, social services, sanitation facilities and micro-credit, Wahidin said.

Tangerang elected regent sworn in

TANGERANG: Newly elected Tangerang regent Ismet Iskandar and deputy regent Rano Karno were sworn in Saturday by Banten governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah at the regency legislative council in Tigaraksa.

Officials from the Home Ministry, all regents and mayors from Banten province, Tangerang regency council speaker Endang Sujana, council deputy speaker Tb. Bayu Murdani, regency secretary Nanang Komara, former Tangerang regents and some 2,000 others were present at the ceremony.

Ismet said he would continue working on a number of unfinished development programs he had initiated when he was first elected regent in 2003.

"I will reshuffle officials and work units to create a more effective administration," he said.

The reshuffle, he said, was necessary due to a number of new agencies. Some officials would need to be transferred to run the planned South Tangerang mayoralty office, he said.

Ismet and Rano, who were backed by the Golkar Party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, the Nation Mandate Party, the United Development Party and several other small parties, garnered 826,534 (56.3 percent) votes in the Jan. 20 election.

The Tangerang police deployed as many as 900 officers around the administration office complex in Tigaraksa to secure the swearing in ceremony. -- JP

Regent accused of skipping environmental impact study

Multa Fidrus , The Jakarta Post , Tangerang Sat, 03/22/2008 City

A councilor has accused the Tangerang regency administration of issuing a building permit to a housing complex developer without first completing the required environmental impact study.

Marlan Akip of the legislative council's Commission D, which oversees city development, said Wednesday the developer, Alam Cipta Karya, began construction on the housing complex in Ciakar village in Panongan district without the required study.

"The building permits were issued by Regent Ismet Iskandar based on recommendations made by the building and resettlement agency," Marlan said.

"It's another blunder that the regency had not received the mandatory environmental impact analysis (Amdal) documents when making the recommendation."

Amdal is the main requirement for the administration to consider development proposals. A similar case occurred in 2006 when the administration issued a permit for the construction a shopping mall on the banks of a lake in Pamulang district.

No reliable environmental study was done beforehand to assess the environmental impact of the project. The project was stopped following strong protests from residents.

"The administration is now repeating the same mistake. It is enough to show us that the performance of the administration is very poor," Marlan said.

Alam Cipta began building houses on 230 hectares of land in the village as part of the expansion of the upscale Citra Raya housing complex.

HM Hidayat, the regency's building and resettlement agency head, said his office decided to allow construction to begin even though the environmental impact analysis would not be completed until April.

"The project is an expansion of the Citra Raya project, which completed all the required documents in 2001. We handed a new permit to the company with a footnote stating the environmental impact study is still being completed."

Alam Cipta legal officer Rubilan said the company had obtained all the required permits and had even conducted global environmental impact studies.

"Actually, there are no more problems facing the housing construction project. But if we have to file a building permit and other necessary permits again, we are ready to do so," he said.

Governor, regent told to make amends

Multa Fidrus , The Jakarta Post , Tangerang Wed, 03/19/2008 City

Rumors that reelected Tangerang regent Ismet Iskandar refused to be sworn in by Banten governor Ratu Atut Chosiah were confirmed Tuesday, when a state official told them to "get over their differences".

The Home Ministry director general for regional autonomy, Saut Situmorang, told Ismet and Ratu Atut to work together in harmony, Tangerang regency council's Tubagus Bayu Moerdani said Tuesday.

"He said, and I quote, 'Their differences which appeared during the regent election process should have been left behind'," Bayu told reporters, quoting Saut.

Ismet and deputy regent Rano Karno, along with several council members and a number of officials from Banten Provincial Administration, visited the ministry Monday to update their preparation for the regent swearing-in ceremony planned for March 23.

Ismet had asked to be sworn in by officials from the ministry in Jakarta instead of Ratu Atut. The feud came into the limelight in the regental election process.

Ratu Atut was believed to support Airin Rachmi Diany, who ran for the deputy regent post with legislator Jazuli Juwaini as regent candidate, but Airin is the governor's sister in law.

"However, during the meeting with the director general and other officials at the ministry office, Pak Ismet finally agreed to be sworn in by governor Ratu Atut, and thus showed his leadership," Bayu said.

Tangerang council deputy speaker Arief Wahyudi who also was present at the ministry meeting said, by law, a home minister could preside the swearing-in ceremony of a mayor or regent, should there be an emergency situation in the area.

"It could also be done with consent from the governor and the local council. In our case, all council members demanded the swearing-in be held in Tangerang," he said.

None, however, could confirm where the ceremony would take place. The Tangerang regency administration proposed it be held in the Puspitek building in Serpong, while the council wanted it at the council building in Tigaraksa.

Council speaker Endang Sujana said the location would be finalized at a joint-meeting Wednesday. "In line with recommendations from the ministry, the regent's swearing-in ceremony will definitely be held March 22, because that is the final day of the 2003-2008 regent's tenure," he said.

Governor, regent told to make amends

Multa Fidrus , The Jakarta Post , Tangerang Wed, 03/19/2008 City

Rumors that reelected Tangerang regent Ismet Iskandar refused to be sworn in by Banten governor Ratu Atut Chosiah were confirmed Tuesday, when a state official told them to "get over their differences".
The Home Ministry director general for regional autonomy, Saut Situmorang, told Ismet and Ratu Atut to work together in harmony, Tangerang regency council's Tubagus Bayu Moerdani said Tuesday.
"He said, and I quote, 'Their differences which appeared during the regent election process should have been left behind'," Bayu told reporters, quoting Saut.
Ismet and deputy regent Rano Karno, along with several council members and a number of officials from Banten Provincial Administration, visited the ministry Monday to update their preparation for the regent swearing-in ceremony planned for March 23.
Ismet had asked to be sworn in by officials from the ministry in Jakarta instead of Ratu Atut.
The feud came into the limelight in the regental election process.
Ratu Atut was believed to support Airin Rachmi Diany, who ran for the deputy regent post with legislator Jazuli Juwaini as regent candidate, but Airin is the governor's sister in law.
"However, during the meeting with the director general and other officials at the ministry office, Pak Ismet finally agreed to be sworn in by governor Ratu Atut, and thus showed his leadership," Bayu said.
Tangerang council deputy speaker Arief Wahyudi who also was present at the ministry meeting said, by law, a home minister could preside the swearing-in ceremony of a mayor or regent, should there be an emergency situation in the area.
"It could also be done with consent from the governor and the local council. In our case, all council members demanded the swearing-in be held in Tangerang," he said.
None, however, could confirm where the ceremony would take place. The Tangerang regency administration proposed it be held in the Puspitek building in Serpong, while the council wanted it at the council building in Tigaraksa.
Council speaker Endang Sujana said the location would be finalized at a joint-meeting Wednesday.
"In line with recommendations from the ministry, the regent's swearing-in ceremony will definitely be held March 22, because that is the final day of the 2003-2008 regent's tenure," he said.

Al Azhom, the pride of Tangerang

PRIDE OF TANGERANG: Al A'zhome Grand Mosque is the largest mosque in Banten with the largets dome in the world. The grand mosque which can accomoadte as many as 15,000 muslim congragation members was built in 2003 by the Tangerang municipal admnistration. Multa Fidrus

Situation at the Grand Mosque during the fasting month of Ramadhan (left). Night view of the Grand Mosque (right)

Middlemen, unofficial fees fetter free health care

Multa Fidrus , The Jakarta Post , Tangerang Tue, 03 18 2008 City

Isa bin Mursidi, 45, a resident of Neglasari district in Tangerang, could not afford to pay his family's medical bills. For the government to cover the bills, Isa needed a letter from officials stating his family was in the low-income bracket.

A man claiming to be a government official offered to help him obtain the letter quickly, provided Isa paid him Rp 300,000 (US$31).

"I didn't even have Rp 30,000, let alone Rp 300,000 to pay the official," Isa said.

Isa said he did not understand the procedure at all, and therefore needed help.

"So, I asked for the assistance of Bu RW (wife of community unit chief) and luckily she was willing to accompany me to the office," he told The Jakarta Post at the People Empowerment Office (KPM) office on Monday.

Isa is only one example of many poor residents who have been offered a quick service for Rp 300,000 to get the required letter.

Reports show many poor people have shared Isa's experience. To help poor residents get free access to health treatment at hospitals, the Tangerang municipal administration produces a letter known by its acronym SKTM, which applies to six hospitals in the municipality including the Tangerang General Hospital, Sitanala, and privately run hospitals Usada Insani, Bakti Asih, Sari Asih and Global Medika.

The administration processes an application for the SKTM after residents obtain letters of recommendation from their neighborhood unit and subdistrict chief.

The procedure is complicated, thus opening an opportunity for people to act as middlemen at a price.

Consequently, people have started making allegations against the empowerment office, which is responsible for issuing the letter, saying that it charges poor people for the SKTM.

Partini, an official at the empowerment office, denied the allegation.

"We also have received reports from residents who were charged Rp 300,000 for the arrangement of the SKTM. We suspect that this is done by some activists from a local NGO who act as middlemen," she said.

She said the middlemen in particular offer their services to poor people who come to her office to get a SKTM at short notice.

"The middlemen approach SKTM applicants and some of them try to net their victims at hospitals," she said. Partini said arranging the SKTM was free of charge.

She called for residents to arrange their own SKTM.

"If they have no knowledge about the application process, it would be better if they asked for the assistance from their neighborhood unit chief, or subdistrict and district administration officials," she said.

According to Partini, the office issued 8,715 letters in 2007. Data at the office shows there were 28,550 low-income families living in the municipality in 2007.

The number is expected to increase this year due to a rise in unemployment.

Tangerang poll body suspended

Multa Fidrus , The Jakarta Post , Tangerang Mon, 03/17/2008 City

The General Elections Commission (KPU) has ordered the Tangerang Elections Commission (KPU Tangerang) to suspend its activities following a series of predicaments caused by its chairman Adi Warman, says an official.

A member of the Banten Elections Commission (KPUD Banten), Indra Abidin, said Saturday the two institutions had agreed to forbid the KPU Tangerang to run daily activities or issue any policy related to mayoral elections this August.

"There has yet to be any permanent resolution for KPU Tangerang, but the suspension of the commission's activities would allow us to investigate further," he said.

Indra said the two commissions also discussed the violations made by the municipality poll body, including the decision to recruit members of the election's supervisory committee that was supposed to be the authority of the local council.

Earlier, media reported 11 nonprofit organizations had urged the central administration to stop the operation of the KPU Tangerang after a string of maneuvers from its chairman Adi Warman.

Adi spurned the municipality's decision to allocate Rp 16 billion for the election's funding, saying the decision was not legal as his commission was not involved in the budget talks.

His decisions led other members to resign from the commission, leaving only three remaining members.

Indra said it was unlawful for the remaining commission members to make any decision since the Regional Autonomy Law states a poll body's plenary meeting is valid only if the meeting is attended by at least four members.

Eti Fatiroh, the acting KPUD Banten chairman promised the provincial poll commission would facilitate a meeting involving the KPU Tangerang, the municipality's council and the administration to keep the scheduled election running on time.

Imron Hamami, the coordinator a nonprofit organization overseeing elections (Pattiro), said the KPU should take a clear stance and decision on the KPU Tangerang soon.

"The KPU's firm decision will determine its ability to support the mayoral election," he said, adding that time was rapidly dwindling before the August election.

He said the KPU had to also realize people in Tangerang no longer wanted the poll body's ousted chairman Adi Warman back, and that they had opposed the replacement of the poll body members.

City Circle | The Jakarta Post | March 14 2008

GIANT WATER PUMP: The giant replica of Grounfos water pump wins the record of the Indonesian Museum of records (MURI). The picture was taken at Sumarecon Mall Serpong in Tangerang on Sunday.

Students in Lebak floored by lack of chairs, desks

Multa Fidrus

The Jakarta Post, Lebak, Banten

The new school year has just started but already dozens of students at an elementary school in Lebak regency, Banten province, are feeling the pain.

Students at Cigelung Ilir elementary school have to sit on the floor for hours at a time, trying to concentrate on their lessons as the feeling slowly goes out of the legs.

The desks and chairs at the school were tossed out when they became impossible to fix anymore.
Aimar, 9, said when school ended for the day it took him several minutes to manage to stand up again.

"Sitting cross-legged on the floor for hours makes our feet and legs fall asleep and it takes time to wake them up again. We need to stretch out the muscles," he said Tuesday.

Aimar said following lessons was also difficult because the students had to keep looking up from the floor at their teachers and the blackboard, hurting their backs and necks.

"This is a reality that teachers and students have to accept. The school building has been renovated but we do not have new furniture and other supporting facilities," said one of the teachers, who asked that her name not be used because she was not authorized to speak for the school.

She said the old desks and chairs simply fell apart over the years and had to be thrown out because they were beginning to pose a danger to the children.

"The regency administration claims it is still waiting for the legislative council's approval to allocate additional funds to provide schools with new furniture," she said.

According to data from the regency education agency, 732 schools in Lebak were renovated with money from last year's budget, but none of the schools have received new furniture. The renovation work only covered the buildings themselves.

Juanda, head of basic education at the education agency, acknowledged there was a problem with the chairs and desks at the schools.

"I don't understand why no funds were allocated for school equipment. The administration obviously didn't include a budget allocation for school equipment," he said.

Some of the schools, however, are still able to use their old furniture, Juanda said.

He agreed that having to sit on the floor was not the ideal way for students to learn.

Oke Oktariana, head of school facilities at the regency education agency, said in addition to a lack of basic furniture in classrooms, some schools did not even have enough classrooms for their students.

"An elementary school should have six classrooms, staff room and toilets, but in reality most of the 732 schools only have four classrooms and the Cigelung Ilir state elementary school only has two classrooms," Oke said.

The agency has asked the regency administration for additional funds to provide the schools the necessary equipment.

"We hope the proposal will be approved during the regional budget revision," Oke said, adding that Lebak Regent Mulyadi Jayabaya had agreed to supply furniture for the schools.

However, Oke said, the administration would not allocate additional funds this year to build more classrooms.

"We hope the administration will allocate money from the budget to build more classrooms because it's always better for students to study in proper rooms," he said.Wednesday, July 18,2007

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The horizon beckons for sailing graduates

Multa Fidrus

The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

Astryan Tyas Gumai was beaming. As his proud parents watched, he received his graduation certificate as a trained sailor at a ceremony held at the Seafarers Education and Training Center (BP2IP) campus in Karang Serang, Tangerang regency.

The 28-year-old now has a job waiting for him on a passenger liner.
"I consider myself lucky because it's hard to find a decent job nowadays," he said after the ceremony.

"Four of my classmates will go (on to work at) an international sailing company and receive a high salary ... in American dollars."

His father Ismail, 65, who traveled from his home in South Sumatra to attend the graduation, said he had spent a lot of money on his son's education.

"I knew I would not regret at all spending Rp 15 million (US$1,630) on the training and another Rp 2.5 million to get his sailors' passport," said the coffee and rubber farmer.

Astryan and his 18 classmates are the first group to complete the nine-month basic education and training (DTPD) program for seafarers.

All of them have been recruited to work for sailing companies such as Antony Veder, BLT, ASDP, Petro Ship, Tempuran Mas and CTP. The four best graduates will work for a Netherlands-based shipping firm.

BP2IP Tangerang is one of seven sailing education and training centers managed by the education and training body of the Transportation Ministry and has been in operation since 2003. Its programs are focused on education and training in archipelago sailing technology (DTPN) and is on par with high school studies.

To meet the demands of young sailors, BP2IP launched the nine-month training and education program called DTPD in 2005. Nine of this year's graduates took maritime education classes and trained in deck handling, while the 11 others took engine classes.

In 2004, 209 people graduated from the DTPN program, along with more than 1,000 others who had followed a series of seafarers' proficiency courses, maritime education updates and professional technical education.

"Sailing and its technology continue to develop ... sea transportation needs competent human resources who can work effectively and efficiently in unlimited areas and this is why BP2IP was established," said Dedi Dermawan, head of the ministry's training and education body.

BP2IP principal Agus Budi Hartono said in 2004 that the center would hold nine maritime education and training programs for 466 trainees. In 2005, it carried out 18 education and training programs for 1,519, while this year it had 2,002 trainees.

It has also trained students from 18 vocational maritime schools from Jakarta, West Java, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Sumatra and Lampung and collaborates with 22 national sailing companies and seven international ones.

The DTPN program takes two years. The first is spent on the BP2IP campus, while the second is work experience on board a ship. DTPD means three months of class and nine months on board.

"The only challenge we are likely to face in 2007 is improving the financial resources to run sailing education and training. One thing that makes us happy is that the Tangerang regency administration has repaired the road access to the campus," Agus added.

Graduates of the programs can continue on to study at the Institute of Maritime Studies in Cilincing, North Jakarta. JP December 18, 2006

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Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

Poverty has led a family to make a home amid silent neighbors -- tombstones -- just one kilometer west of the country's international airport.

Muhammad Akim Hakim and his wife Erna Octaviana Pasaribu are raising their young children in Tanah Pasir Cemetery, an abandoned Chinese cemetery, near Rawa Kucing area in predominantly poor Neglasari district, as they have no better options.

Neglasari and Benda, both situated not far from the airport, are the poorest districts in Tangerang.

Akim, 43, and Erna, 22, live in a humble structure consisting of four concrete poles, a concrete roof and one-meter high walls around a 4x3 meter grave. Corrugated iron sheets fill in the missing spaces. Hakim just needed a little work to make the grave a home for his family.

The couple have never dared dream of living in a house with clean, running water or adequate sanitation with a living room, a bedroom and a kitchen to cook daily meals in. Their home has none of the above.

For bathing and washing clothes, the family can ask water from neighbors but they have to crouch behind a bush to defecate and use candles for lighting at night.

"Before moving to this cemetery, we used to live in a Muslim cemetery in Kampung Melayu, Paku Haji district. We could not stand living there because there were too many ghosts roaming around and it disturbed our children both during the day and at night," Akim told The Jakarta Post recently.

To feed his family, Akim, who has Chinese ancestry on his grandfather's side of the family and once aspired to be a marine, has to pedal his bicycle some four hours every day to look for sapu-sapu fish with his handmade net.

Akim usually leaves at 8 a.m. on his bicycle for Ciliwung River or Rawa Lele in Kalideres in West Jakarta. He returns home at 11 p.m.

The following day, he sells the fish at Rp 12,000 per kilogram to meat ball vendors who regularly visit his his graveyard home.

"Sapu-sapu fish in Cisadane River here are too smart to be netted. It's much easier to find the fish in the Ciliwung River and I can collect between three and four kilograms a day," said Akim.
From his marriage with Erna, who is from Bekasi, West Java, Akim has three children, Dian Octaviani, 6, Asih, 4, and Novi Angel Natalia, 14 months.

Their second child has been taken in by a neighbor because the couple could not afford to raise her.

"We should have sent our eldest daughter to school this year but we don't have the money. Maybe next year," he said.

After living in the Chinese cemetery for three years, Akim is entrusted to take care of 20 graves by the families of the dead and receives Rp 50,000 in April every year from each of the families when Buddhists hold Teng Meng prayers.

Akim said that his family had experienced many encounters with ghosts and snakes in the cemetery.

"Once my eldest daughter was taken away at midnight by orang halus (a spirit). I found her sleeping on the roof of another Chinese grave some 300 meters from the house the following morning," he said.

Poisonous snakes like ular tanah, ular belang and ular bombok frequently sneak into the house and sleep alongside his children as there are many holes in the structure.

He said that the sound of aircraft overhead punctuates the otherwise tranquil life of his family.
"This place used to be considered very spooky by local residents and no one would dare pass by until I lived here," he said.

Although raised in poverty, unlike her parents who have no ambitions of a better life, Akim's daughter, Dian, has hopes for the future.

"I want to become a doctor someday. I want earn a lot of money and buy a house for my mother and father," Dian said.

A child of her age would normally be in first grade at elementary school. But Dian does not go to school.

Her parents said they could not afford to send her to school even if the tuition was free. Dian, however, can read and write.

"I teach her to read and write at home. We like living here because we are used to it," Erna said.
Not far from their simple abode, the busy international airport seems part of a different world. Monday, December 04, 2006

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VILLAGE CHILDREN

GOOD FRIENDS: Cows and buffalo are good friends for village children while rice fields are good playground. The picture was taken in Marga Mulya Village, North Tangerang. Multa Fidrus

PLAY GROUND

MUD PLAY: Despite having no better choice to play, children are still full of wonders. Ignoring the waves that continues to undermine the coast line where they live with poor parents, the children enjoy playing on muddy ground in front of the houses in Karang Serang village, Tangerang. Multa Fidrus

SUICIDE

DIE OR LIVE: A frustrated girl is seen thinking over wether or not to commit suicide by jumping down to the sea. The girl finally cancelled her intention to die. The picture was taken at Karang Serang's creeping shoreline in Tangerang. Multa Fidrus

Evening beauty heading west

Beautifil sunset at the Jakarta-Merak Turnpike welcomes travelers to Banten, 50 kilometers west of Jakarta. The picture was taken at Karang Tengah toll section, Tangerang on Wednesday. Multa Fidrus

Repairs on Serpong-Bintaro Turnpike

TRAFFIC DISTURBANCE: A section of the Pondpok Indah-Serpong turnpike heading Jakarta direction suffers damage. Several workers repair the damage, leaving cars to wait in line to pass by. The picutre was taken near the Bintaro toll gate on Thursday. Multa Fidrus

Traders want market built immediately

Multa Fidrus The Jakarta Post, Tangerang Tue, 03/04/2008 City

TANGERANG: Members of the Tangerang Joint Community Forum (Forbes) and hundreds of traders at Balaraja traditional market have demanded the regency administration cancel its contract with market developer PT Perdana Artha Carida.

Forbes coordinator Ahmad Zamroni said the project was stalling because the appointed contractor had not completed the necessary permits.

"We have also found irregularities in the physical work, which is different from the original plans," Ahmad said.

He said if Tangerang Regent Ismet Iskandar failed to cancel the contract, Forbes and the traders would file a class-action lawsuit against the administration.

Dedy Sutardi, the administration assistant who heads the team in charge of the market construction, said the administration was working to settle all the problems facing the project.

"We have also been preparing a switch to another developer, but not all of the members on the team agree with the plan," he said. -JP

Serpong's Jajan Jazz brings in crowds

LIGHT UP THE NIGHT: Tiwi Shakuhachi sings and plays the accordion with her ensemble at Jajan Jazz show in Bumi Serpong Damai, Tangerang last Saturday.(JP/Multa Fidrus)

Multa Fidrus , The Jakarta Post , Tangerang Mon, 03/03/2008 City

Jajan Jazz performance took the stage at Bumi Serpong Damai (BSD) in Tangerang last Saturday, drawing thousands of viewers from nearby areas as well as neighboring cities.

The show featured several new jazz groups such as Bianglala Voices, New Breeze, 3 Mawarnih and Travel, as well as performers expected at the annual Jakarta International Java Jazz festival next weekend.

The Saturday night show was stolen by singer Tiwi Shakuhachi and friends and Bibus and friends that swayed thousands of jazz fans.

Veteran jazz musician, Benny Likumahuwa, was in the audience and said the show "extraordinary" and replacing similar shows at Taman Ismail Marzuki and Pasar Seni Ancol.

"I'm proud and excited about seeing the progress of jazz music in Indonesia when I see the enthusiasm of fans at Jajan Jazz."

Jajan was first introduced in March 2006 at Taman Jajan public park in BSD, part of a plan to provide free, spontaneous street music to the housing area. It continues every first Thursday of the month at the same location.

"Jajan Jazz will remain free of charge for all fans," Jajan Jazz founder Yunus Arifin told The Jakarta Post on the show's sidelines.

Two years on, he said, it was undeniable that Jajan Jazz was attracting fans from outside BSD, including from Jakarta, Bekasi and Bandung.

Separately, PT BSD corporate communications senior manager Idham Muchlis called Jajan Jazz a "magnet" for attracting people to the self-sustaining city.

"The presence of Jajan Jazz has added to the existing image and cultural values that robustly grow in BSD and therefore we will continue to support the presence until Jajan Jazz become a new icon in the country's music scene," he told the Post.

Among the popular jazz musicians who regularly perform are Abadi Soesman, Jeffry Tahalele, Harry Tolede, Jilly Likumahuwa, Morghan Sigarlaki, Cendy Lutungan, Emil S. Praja, as well as singers Vonny Sumlang, Bertha and Irma June.

Jajan Jazz made an appearance at the Jakarta Jazz Festival held at Senayan Sport Stadium last year with groups 3 Mawarnih, Pro Rejected and Bianglala Voices selected to represent Jajan.

Tangerang's residents lack decent sanitation

Multa Fidrus , The Jakarta Post , Tangerang Mon, 03/03/2008 City

Tangerang regency has developed into a robust industrial and trade zone with a substantial residential area, but 70 percent of its 3.4 million people have no proper access to sanitation, an official said Saturday.

Data at the regency's Health Agency showed at least five people were admitted to the Tangerang General Hospital every day with diarrhea because of poor sanitation.

"Poor environmental sanitation has repeatedly caused diarrhea outbreaks in five districts in the northern part of the regency such as Sepatan, Pakuhaji, Mauk, Kronjo and Kresek," Yuliah Iskandar, head of environmental sanitation and communicable disease prevention at the agency told The Jakarta Post.

She said just 30 percent of residents in the regency had proper sanitation facilities including bathrooms and toilets in their houses.

The rest used dirty water from polluted rivers and creeks for daily bathing and washing.

"The problem was not because residents could not build the required facility in their homes, but was part of an unhealthy lifestyle that had evolved in the city," she said.

"We have repeatedly delivered guidance to residents to make them aware of good sanitation and start implementing a healthy life style, but most of them still prefer to use empty land, rice fields and waterways for defecation," Yuliah said.

She said the administration had also built a number of wells and public toilets throughout many districts, but most residents were reluctant to use the facilities.

In 2005 and 2006, the administration declared two diarrhea outbreaks as "extraordinary cases". The outbreaks killed dozens of children across five districts.

Yuliah said the administration had built 60 public toilets for residents in the district this year and ring walls for residential wells adjacent to animal cages.

This year the number of diarrhea patients at Tangerang General Hospital had increased from nine in January to 120 by the end of February.

"The figure does not include many other patients being treated for this curable yet fatal disease at many other health clinics and hospitals across the regency," Yuliah said.

The administration said it has formed a team to conduct surveillance, communicate the importance of hygiene and distribute diarrhea medicine.

The 2007-2008 human development report by the United Nations Development Programs (UNDP) said 55 percent of Indonesia's population was using improved sanitation in 2004, higher than 46 percent in 1990.

In 2004 some 77 percent of the population was using improved water sources, up from 72 percent in 1990.

The republic is ranked lower than Vietnam, which had 61 percent of its population using improved sanitation, a significant increase from 36 percent in 1990.

Vietnam also had 85 percent of its population accessing improved water sources in 2004, up from 65 percent in 1990.

Thousands clean Tangerang terminal

Mon, 03/03/2008 City

TANGERANG: More than 5,000 residents took part in a cleanup of Tangerang's Poris Plawad bus terminal Saturday morning in Batu Ceper.

The activity was organized by local daily paper Radar Banten in collaboration with the municipal administration, as part of the city's 15th anniversary celebrations on Feb. 28.

To attract people to the event, the organizing committee offered prizes comprising two tickets to Mecca (Saudi Arabia), 17 assorted household appliances and electronic goods, as well as dozens of shopping vouchers sponsored by companies.

"This activity aims to encourage residents to keep their neighborhoods clean," organizing committee member Rahmat Hidayat said.

Each participant brought cleaning tools from home.

"I took part in the event because, who knows, perhaps I could win the door prize ticket to Mecca," Cileduk resident Dewi Agustine, 30, told the Post. -JP

All sailors grads offered jobs

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post , Tangerang Sat, 03/01/2008 City

Abdul Hamid, 82, had to rely on a walking stick to attend his grandson's graduation Wednesday.

"It's difficult for me to walk lately, but I'm so proud of my grandson," he said.
Endang Sutrisna, 20, is one of 68 trained sailors who graduated from the Seafarers Education and Training Center (BP2IP) in Karang Serang, Tangerang.

Endang and his fellow graduates already have jobs lined up on commercial ships. Hamid considers his grandson lucky, because "it's hard to find a decent job these days".

The graduates were the first to complete the two-year Archipelago Sailing Technological Program (DTPN).

All graduates have been recruited by shipping companies such as PT NYK Line Indonesia, PT Pelayaran Tempuran Mas, PT Taruan Cipta Kencana, PT APPL Indonesia, PT Sumber Bakat Insani and Japan-based PT Asahi Shipping.

BP2IP Tangerang has been in operation since 2004 and is one of seven maritime education and training centers managed by the Transportation Ministry's education and training institute.

Its programs focus on education and training in archipelago maritime technology, on par with high school studies.

To meet the increasing demand for young sailors, especially from overseas shipping companies, BP2IP launched its four-semester training and education program in 2006.

Forty-two of this year's graduates took nautical classes, while 26 others took technical classes.

"Sailing and nautical technologies continue to develop and we continue to face challenges creating competent human resources who can work effectively and efficiently, anywhere, and this is why the DTPN program was started," training and education institute head Dedi Dermawan said.

The DTPN program takes two years to complete. Students spend the first year studying on campus and the second year practicing at sea.

BP2IP principal Suwondo said the center also trained hundreds of students from vocational maritime schools from Jakarta, West Java, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Sumatra and Lampung.

It has also collaborated with 22 national shipping companies and seven international ones, he said.

"Half of the 4,095 BP2IP graduates have been recruited by foreign countries such as Japan, England, the Netherlands and Thailand, and they are currently working for international liners.

"The challenge we will still face in 2009 will be improving our financial resources to run sailing education and training. The Tangerang regency administration has helped us by constructing roads improving access to our campus," Suwondo said.

Graduates can also choose to continue their studies at the Institute of Maritime Studies in Cilincing, North Jakarta.