Settlement of PKB dispute delayed<\/p>\n
JAKARTA: The Ministry of Justice and Human Rights delayed on
\nThursday its decision on which camp of the National Awakening
\nParty (PKB) deserves a place in next year's general election.<\/p>\n
An official told The Jakarta Post on Thursday that the
\npostponement followed a request from the PKB faction under
\ndefense minister Matori Abdul Djalil to visit the office on
\nFriday.<\/p>\n
\"We will announce the decision after the visit,\" the official
\nsaid, without elaborating.<\/p>\n
A ministry official had said justice minister Yusril Ihza
\nMahendra would issue the decision on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The two warring parties met separately with Yusril on
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
Both camps have been involved in a long-standing dispute that
\nfollowed the dismissal of Matori as PKB chairman by PKB chief
\npatron Abdurrahman Wahid after the former attended the Special
\nSession of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) in 2001,
\nwhich led to Abdurrahman's removal as president.<\/p>\n
Matori later set up his own faction of PKB. -- JP<\/p>\n
;JP;DJA;
\nANPAa..r..
\nScene-BMG
\nBMG predicts dry season peaked in August
\nJP\/4\/SCENE<\/p>\n
Dry season to peak in August: BMG<\/p>\n
JAKARTA: The Meteorology and Geophysics Board (BMG) predicted
\nthat the dry season would climax in August, with many provinces
\nsuffering from drought.<\/p>\n
\"The dry season will last longer than last year,\" BMG Chief
\nGunawan Ibrahim said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
He said the rainy season may only begin between September and
\nOctober, leading to water shortages in several provinces such as
\nEast Nusa Tenggara, East and Central Java for at least another
\nthree months.<\/p>\n
The official further called on people to anticipate a
\nprolonged dry season.<\/p>\n
\"We have arranged a program in cooperation with the
\nagriculture ministry to enable farmers to survive during the dry
\nseason, for example by growing plants that require little water,\"
\nGunawan said.--Antara<\/p>\n
;JP;DJA;
\nANPAa..r..
\nScene-Muhammadiyah
\nMuhammadiyah prepare its own presidential candidates
\nJP\/4\/SCENE<\/p>\n
Muhammadiyah grooms would-be president<\/p>\n
MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi: Chairman of Muhammadiyah Ahmad
\nSyafii Maarif urged members of the country's second largest
\nMuslim organization on Thursday to be active in grooming
\npresidential candidates.<\/p>\n
A few days after stating that Muhammadiyah was not a political
\norganization, Syafii said the organization was responsible for
\npreparing a future national leader who would lead the country out
\nof the crisis.<\/p>\n
\"The nation is in a dire need of a national leader who has
\ncompetence, vision and commitment to uphold the reform movement
\nwhich has almost died,\" Syafii said after opening the
\norganization's national meeting here.<\/p>\n
Syafii's predecessor Amien Rais, who is also chairman of
\nNational Mandate Party (PAN), failed to attend the meeting due to
\nill health. Amien has announced his bid for the presidency. --JP<\/p>\n
;JP;TSO;
\nANPAa..r..
\nScene-corruption-combat
\nAnticorruption team demanded
\nJP\/4\/ICW<\/p>\n
Formation of anticorruption body demanded<\/p>\n
JAKARTA: President Megawati Soekarnoputri came under criticism
\non Thursday for stalling the establishment of an anticorruption
\ncommission.<\/p>\n
Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) coordinator Teten Masduki
\nsaid the President had failed to show commitment to fight
\ncorruption and promote good governance.<\/p>\n
\"I don't think that the President has a good reason to delay
\nthe signing of a decree establishing a team who will select
\nmembers of the anticorruption commission, unless of course she is
\nmotivated by certain political interests,\" Teten said.<\/p>\n
The Anticorruption Law No. 30\/2002 which was passed last
\nNovember stipulates that the five-member commission will have the
\nauthority to investigate all graft cases involving state
\nofficials and prosecute them in court.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Justice and Human Rights has proposed 13
\nnames, including Teten, noted lawyers Todung Mulya Lubis and
\nAbdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara and academician Harkristuti
\nHarkrisnowo, for the selection team to the President.<\/p>\n
\"It's almost seven months since the law came into effect, but
\nthe commission has not been established. We badly need it to
\nfight rampant corruption and money politics ahead of the 2004
\ngeneral election,\" Teten said. -- JP<\/p>\n
;AFP;
\nANPAa..r..
\nScene-maid-death
\nIndonesian maids fall to death
\nJP\/4\/SCENE<\/p>\n
Indonesian maids fall to death<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE: Two young Indonesian maids have died after falling
\nout of high-rise apartments in separate incidents here, police
\nsaid Thursday.<\/p>\n
A police spokeswoman said the women, aged 18 and 20, died
\nwithin two hours of each other on Wednesday and refused to give
\ndetails as to possible causes except to classify the cases as
\n\"unnatural deaths\".<\/p>\n
Local media reports said the 18-year-old had been working for
\nher employer for only 22 days, while the older woman had been
\nliving in Singapore for one month.<\/p>\n
The Straits Times quoted unnamed sources as saying the
\nteenager could have fallen from the ninth floor of the apartment
\nwhere she worked as she hung clothes out to dry.<\/p>\n
The paper said the 20-year-old fell from the 11th floor of a
\ndifferent apartment block, saying it was unclear what she was
\ndoing before the fall, or whether it was suicide. -- AFP<\/p>\n
;JP;SPS;
\nANPAa..r..
\nScene-law-population
\nHouse wants review to population law
\nJP\/4\/uu10<\/p>\n
House wants review to population law<\/p>\n
JAKARTA: The House of Representatives Commission VII on health
\nand population is proposing a revision to Law No. 10\/1992 on
\npopulation growth and family welfare.<\/p>\n
Commission chairman Posma Tobing told The Jakarta Post
\nWednesday that the amendment was necessary as the current law did
\nnot fit with regional autonomy, which came into effect in 2001.<\/p>\n
\"The law was drafted when the country was adopting a
\ncentralized system, therefore most policies came from the top.\"<\/p>\n
He said that after the inception of regional autonomy there
\nwas the possibility that regional administrations were ignoring
\npopulation issues as central government control relaxed.<\/p>\n
Citing an example, Posma said the role of the National Family
\nPlanning Board (BKKBN) at regional level had been considerably
\nreduced as it used to carry out programs at the behest of the
\ncentral government.<\/p>\n
The current law did not enable the country to deal with global
\nissues related to population, particularly gender issues, men's
\nparticipation, reproduction rights and infertility, Posma said.
\n-- JP<\/p>",
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