1. WATER: 2 col 4 lines (4 x 12)<\/p>\n
'Public access
\nto water
\na basic
\nhuman right'<\/p>\n
A non-governmental organization has asked the House to make a
\nfundamental change to the water resource bill by stating that
\naccess to water is a basic human right, saying the principle will
\nprevent discrimination against people regarding water services.<\/p>\n
Nila Ardhianie of the Indonesian Forum on Globalization
\n(Infog) said water as a basic human right had been recognized by
\nthe United Nations since November 2002 as stipulated in the
\ninternational covenant on economic, social and cultural rights.<\/p>\n
\"But this country's policy on water contradicts the covenant
\nas it will give a greater role to private firms to manage water,\"
\nshe said on Friday after a discussion to mark World Environment
\nDay.<\/p>\n
World Environment Day, which fell on Thursday, was themed:
\n\"Water, two billion people are dying for it!\"<\/p>\n
Infog has long criticized the government's plan to privatize
\nwater management, which is justified by the water resource bill.<\/p>\n
Infog said that water privatization would only allow the rich
\nto enjoy water services as they have the money to pay for the
\nservice.<\/p>\n
The NGO also said that private companies would not place
\npublic interests as their main goal.<\/p>\n
The House is currently deliberating the water resource bill,
\nbut it does not expect to complete the debate during the current
\nsitting period, which will end in mid-July.<\/p>\n
According to Nila, water as a human right should be treated
\nwith non-profit principles, without having to inflict losses to
\nwater management.<\/p>\n
\"I think the government should tackle water services to ensure
\nthat all people have equal access to water,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Besides, with the government managing water, people would
\nstill have the authority to control the service. If private firms
\ntake over the management, shareholders instead of the public will
\nbe in control, she said.<\/p>\n
Some 95 percent of water management around the world is run by
\nthe government, including that of developed countries except for
\nEngland and France.<\/p>\n
\"Therefore there is no solid grounds for the government to
\ngive a greater role to private firms in managing water,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Business Watch Indonesia (BWI) also agreed with Infog.<\/p>\n
It said in its report that water, along with non-manufactured
\ngoods or public goods like education, health and electricity,
\nshould be provided by the state and the service should reach as
\nmany people as possible without discrimination.<\/p>\n
Consequently, the management of the public goods must be
\nconducted under a non-profit principle, it said.<\/p>\n
Nila further said the bill must also clearly stipulate that
\nwater services would reach the poor.<\/p>\n
The use of water resource, Nila added, should not harm the
\necosystem.<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri admitted on Thursday that
\ndespite scarcity and poor access to water, people had failed to
\nshow consistency and discipline to help improve conditions.<\/p>\n
The country's report on water said at least 80 percent of
\nIndonesia's 215 million people have no access to safe and clean
\npiped water.<\/p>\n
Many fear that the water problem would serve as a pretext for
\nthe government to allow private companies to provide tap water to
\npeople, by giving them a greater role to manage water.<\/p>\n
2. KONSTI: 3 cols 2 lines (2 x 24)<\/p>\n
Bills contain conflicting
\nsolutions to election rows<\/p>\n
A lack of coordination among legislators has resulted in
\nconflicting articles on the resolution of disputes over vote
\ncounting in a presidential election.<\/p>\n
Possible disputes are provided for in the presidential
\nelections bill and the constitutional court bill, both of which
\nare currently being deliberated by the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
Regarding possible disputes over the results of ballot
\ncounting, the presidential elections bill states that only
\npresidential candidates and their running mates will be allowed
\nto lodge complaints.<\/p>\n
But the bill on the constitutional court opens the chance for
\npolitical parties or coalitions of parties, as well as
\npresidential candidates, to challenge the results of the count.<\/p>\n
Firman Jaya Daeli, a member of the House committee
\ndeliberating the presidential elections bill, asserted on Friday
\nthat the constitutional court bill should follow the presidential
\nelections bill in this matter.<\/p>\n
\"All factions (on the special committee) have reached an
\nagreement on the issue. Therefore, the constitutional court bill
\nmust follow suit,\" Firman said.<\/p>\n
The constitutional court bill was initiated by the House,
\nwhile the presidential elections bill was sponsored by the
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
The House committee deliberating the presidential elections
\nbill agreed to allow only presidential candidates and their
\nrunning mates to file complaints with the Constitutional Court
\nfor the sake of efficiency and the quick resolution of disputes.<\/p>\n
Another legislator, Baharuddin Aritonang, who helped draft the
\nconstitutional court bill, suggested that the two special
\ncommittees deliberating the presidential elections and
\nconstitutional court bills should arrange a meeting to
\nsynchronize the provisions of the two bills.<\/p>\n
\"Laws must not clash with each other. There must be a meeting
\nto iron out the differences before endorsement,\" Aritonang told
\nThe Jakarta Post on Friday.<\/p>\n
The two bills are scheduled for endorsement at the end of this
\nmonth.<\/p>\n
The establishment of the Constitutional Court is mandated by
\nthe amended Constitution. It says the court should be set up by
\nAug. 17, 2003.<\/p>\n
Unlike the existing Supreme Court, which oversees the
\nreligious, public, military and administrative courts, the
\nConstitutional Court will deal with election-related disputes and
\ndisputes between state institutions.<\/p>\n
The Constitutional Court will have the authority to settle
\ndisputes over ballot counts and conflicts among state
\ninstitutions, to dissolve political parties and to give final
\njudgment over violations committed by the president as complained
\nof by House legislators. The latter could lead to the impeachment
\nof the President.<\/p>\n
Pressure has mounted for the President, the House and Supreme
\nCourt to select the nine members to sit on the Constitutional
\nCourt in a transparent manner as the positions are highly
\nstrategic.<\/p>\n
3. NURSES: 5 col 1 line (1 x 40)<\/p>\n
Nurses need proper management skills: Survey<\/p>\n
Indonesian nurses need better management systems and more
\neducation to improve both their knowledge and service, according
\nto a survey jointly conducted by the World Health Organization
\n(WHO) and the Ministry of Health.<\/p>\n
\"(For) the research -- we actually interviewed nearly a
\nthousand people (nurses) from all levels of the district of
\nhealth system -- and everybody was offering ways to improve
\nthrough all the regencies and provinces,\" a WHO consultant on
\nnursing and midwifery, Deborah Hennessy, told The Jakarta Post at
\nthe sidelines of the International Nursing Conference 2003 here
\non Friday.<\/p>\n
\"Everybody needs to know exactly what they are expected to do
\nand have to do it well. And evaluating the quality is actually by
\nmonitoring ... and encourage people, give good feedback and help
\nthem if they are not achieving that standard. That's the
\nmanagement's responsibility,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Indonesian nurses generally work without good management, with
\nthe result that they rarely improve their knowledge or skills.<\/p>\n
For example, Budi Anna Keliat, the chairperson of the
\nconference's organizing committee, said that in the mental
\nhospital Marzuki Mahdi, Bogor, West Java, the average length of
\ntreatment was 115 days.<\/p>\n
\"After a practical model management on professional nursery
\nunder the International Standard Organization (ISO) was adopted
\nthere, treatment was reduced to 13 days or 14 days for a similar
\nresult,\" she said, \"It is a big saving for patients and they are
\nhappy with that.\"<\/p>\n
Most nurses actually wanted to change, said Hennessy, but as
\nshe found through the research that they did not know how to do
\nit.<\/p>\n
\"We need to change the system but for a big country like this
\n(Indonesia), it takes time,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Dean of the Nursing School at the University of Indonesia Elly
\nNurachmah T. said she was concerned over the quality of nurses
\nand midwives in the country.<\/p>\n
\"Nurses should give humane and holistic care to their
\npatients, including their physical, psychological and spiritual
\nconditions as well as their cultural background,\" she said.<\/p>\n
She said that within a pluralistic society, particular
\napproaches would be necessary to treat patients according to
\ntheir own habits and culture, \"And it will have positive impacts
\nfor their recovery time.\"<\/p>\n
She, however, said the fact that 75.65 percent of Indonesian
\nnurses had graduated from nursing schools (SPK) which were
\nequivalent to high school, was also of a great concern because
\nthat is below international standards, in which an undergraduate
\ndegree is the minimum requirement.<\/p>\n
Out of a total of 180,000 nurses, only about 4,200 nurses have
\nan undergraduate degree, leaving Indonesia behind other countries
\nin the region which have more educated nurses.<\/p>\n
\"What's more is that nurses who have obtained their
\nundergraduate degrees are hired for managerial tasks, instead of
\nserving patients,\" said Elly.<\/p>\n
4. MEGA: 5 cols 1 line (1 x 45)<\/p>\n
Megawati, siblings mark father's anniversary<\/p>\n
In celebrating the 102nd anniversary of founding president
\nSukarno's birth, President Megawati Soekarnoputri held a
\npurifying ceremony for her father's amulets at the Bogor
\nPresidential Palace on Friday.<\/p>\n
Clad in a kebaya (traditional blouse), Sukarno's eldest
\ndaughter attended the ceremony, which was led by five preachers
\nfrom Karangasem and Gianyar, Bali.<\/p>\n
Sukarno's mother was Ida Ayu Nyoman Rai Srimben, a Balinese
\nHindu high priest's daughter, and Raden Mas Soekemi
\nSosrodihardjoe, a Javanese school teacher.<\/p>\n
The ceremony, titled Karya Agung Pasupati Pusakaning Bung
\nKarno in Indonesian, was also attended by Sukarno's sons Guruh
\nSoekarnoputra and Guntur Soekarnoputra.<\/p>\n
The press were barred from covering the sacred ritual.<\/p>\n
Purifying amulets such as traditional daggers and spears is
\nconsidered sacred by most Indonesians who still believe in such
\ntraditions.<\/p>\n
Many believe that Megawati is among those Indonesians who
\nbelieve that keeping amulets will ensure the welfare of the
\ndeceased and also maintain ties between the deceased and his
\noffspring.<\/p>\n
But not all of Sukarno's children attended the ceremony. Local
\nnewspapers reported that Rachmawati Soekarnoputri was against the
\ncelebration.<\/p>\n
\"Even if I was asked to participate, I would have said no,\"
\nshe was quoted by the Rakyat Merdeka daily as saying on Friday.<\/p>\n
She suspected that Megawati was trying to invoke supernatural
\npowers to maintain her presidency, which has come under sharp
\ncriticism recently.<\/p>\n
Rachmawati has always been Megawati's staunchest critic and
\nhas allied herself with Megawati's political opponents, such as
\nformer president Abdurrahman Wahid and National Mandate Party
\n(PAN) chairman Amien Rais.<\/p>\n
Instead of attending the ceremony, Rachmawati staged a large
\nceremony attended by 1,000 supporters of her newly-founded
\nPioneer Party (Partai Pelopor).<\/p>\n
In Bandung, Sukarno's anniversary was celebrated by dedicating
\nan Indonesia Menggugat (Indonesia Demands) plaque at the former
\nDutch Landraad (District Court) building.<\/p>\n
The plaque was signed by Megawati on Dec. 30, 2002, when she
\nvisited Bandung.<\/p>\n
West Java Governor R. Nuriana said that the dedication marked
\nthe renovation of the building, which was where Sukarno and three
\nof his colleagues, Gatot Mangkoepradja, Maskoen Soemadiredja and
\nSoepriadinata, were tried by the Netherlands Indies
\nadministration on Dec. 22, 1930 for attempting to subvert the
\nlawfully established government.<\/p>\n
At the trial, Sukarno read out his own defense, which later
\ncame to be known as Indonesia Menggugat. He was convicted and
\nsentenced to four years in Sukamiskin jail.<\/p>\n
5. PARTY: 2 col, 2 lines (18 x 2)<\/p>\n
Four parties pass
\ninitial screening<\/p>\n
Of the nearly 240 political parties registered with the Ministry
\nof Justice and Human Rights, only four have passed preliminary
\nscreening to be deemed legal entities.<\/p>\n
The four parties are: the Prosperous Justice Party (PK
\nSejahtera), the Indonesian Catholic-Democratic Party (PKD), the
\nIndonesian Union Party (PSI) and the Indonesian Justice and Unity
\nParty (PKP Indonesia).<\/p>\n
Ramly Hutabarat, the ministry's director of state
\nadministrative affairs, said preliminary screening was needed to
\ncheck whether a political party's central board met the
\nadministrative requirements set by the ministry.<\/p>\n
The requirements include the presence of a party secretariat
\nat the national level, the submission of names of party
\nexecutives and the party's ownership of secretariat stationary,
\nincluding computers and fax machines.<\/p>\n
Obtaining legal entity status is mandatory for political
\nparties before they undergo another round of verification
\nconducted by the General Elections Commission (KPU). The latter
\nstage will determine whether a political party is eligible to
\ncontest the general election in 2004.<\/p>\n
The preliminary screening will last until the end of
\nSeptember, before the verification by the KPU.<\/p>\n
Ramly, who heads the screening team, said the ministry would
\nfurther examine whether parties that had obtained legal entity
\nstatus fulfilled the ministry's requirements in their respective
\nchapters and branches.<\/p>\n
Five more parties will be examined later this month.<\/p>\n
The nine parties were screened first because they had
\nconfirmed their participation in the elections to the ministry
\nand completed administrative requirements.<\/p>\n
Two more parties that have reregistered but not yet met the
\nrequirements are the Golkar Party and the Nation Unity Party
\n(PPB). The will be screened for a second time in July.<\/p>\n
There are 237 political parties listed in Indonesia, but only
\n50 have registered for the 2004 general election.<\/p>\n
Political parties have until the end of September to register
\nfor the 2004 election and meet the requirements.<\/p>\n
The KPU will announce the eligible parties in December this
\nyear.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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