Dictated procedure As a local manager for a Canadian company, I interact with Indonesian nationals on a daily basis, usually pleasantly. However, a recent incident illustrates a uniquely Indonesian problem, common within middle management in the business community, as well as at many levels in the government. Indonesians seem to take great comfort in following dictated procedures.

Badminton still lobbying for more SEA Games players JAKARTA (JP): The Badminton Association of Indonesia is training seven male and seven female shuttlers for the 19th SEA Games, but it is still lobbying for the organizing committee to allow each country to field more shuttlers. Association chairman Soerjadi said yesterday that the Games organizing committee had yet to say if each country would be allowed to field more than 14 shuttlers at the biennial event, from Oct. 11 to Oct. 19.

Mrs. Nasution opposes removal of Ade's grave JAKARTA (JP): The ongoing relocation of the Blok P public cemetery in South Jakarta may be suspended due to controversy over negotiations with relatives. Johana Sunarti Nasution, the mother of national hero Ade Irma Suryani Nasution, yesterday condemned the city's plan. "Does not the Jakarta administration pay any respect to history anymore?

Bakrie proposes new route for city subway JAKARTA (JP): The consortium building the long-awaited subway project touted yesterday a new route connecting Fatmawati in South Jakarta to the National Monument (Monas) park in Central Jakarta. The subway is designed to link Blok M in South Jakarta and downtown Kota in West Jakarta. Aburizal Bakrie, who heads the Indonesian Japanese European Group (IJEG) consortium, met with Governor Surjadi Soedirdja yesterday to discuss the proposed change.

Bank Universal to go ahead with IPO JAKARTA (JP): Bank Universal said yesterday it would go ahead with its initial public offering (IPO) despite uncertainties in stock trading activities. The bank said it had submitted a final application to the Capital Market Supervisory Agency (Bapepam) for an initial public offering of 250 million shares at Rp 675 each. This represents 26.2 percent of the bank's enlarged share capital. The offering period is expected to start on Sept. 18 and close on Sept.

Newborn abandoned in Depok JAKARTA (JP): The body of a newborn, abandoned by its mother, was found yesterday in a mineral water carton at a soccer field in Depok Timur, Bogor. The case was reported to the nearby police subprecinct and the baby's body was sent to the Cipto Mangunkusumo hospital's morgue, Central Jakarta. The head of the morgue, Mardiyono, said police believed the baby was still alive when abandoned and died later due to an absence of treatment.

Bright future for local choreography By Mariam K. Sutalaksana JAKARTA (JP): Vibrant and entertaining is the best phrase to describe last Thursday's dance performance. The creativity of Indonesian choreographers is on an upward momentum. The Performance of Selected Choreography Winners of the Gedung Kesenian Jakarta Awards '97 confirmed this. These winners displayed their finesse in the first event of the International Festival of the Performing Arts.

Hoodlums arrested for nightspot attack JAKARTA (JP): Police have arrested four alleged hoodlums for terrorizing nightspots in the red-light district of Mangga Besar, West Jakarta, with a gang of 30 others. City Police chief of detectives Col. Gories Mere said yesterday that one of the four suspects, identified as Sadino, was the alleged mastermind behind Wednesday's attack.

The Listening Post "Building English Skills Through Newspaper + Radio" Produced by American Language Center in cooperation with The Jakarta Post and Radio Sonora FM 100.9 Mhz * Here are the answers and explanations for the two-word verbs with "take," "put" and "turn," which I attacked in last week's "Listening Post" column.

Germany offers grants to graduates JAKARTA (JP): The German government is offering grants of up to Dm 20,000 (Rp 33.4 million) to Indonesian graduates of German universities. The grants will enable alumni to finance their needs for work equipment or start their own enterprises.

Ex-officer of BI seeks compensation JAKARTA (JP): A former officer of state-owned Bank Indonesia is threatening to sue Forum Keadilan magazine for Rp 11 billion (US$3.73 million) for alleged defamation. Juan Felix Tampubolon, one of three lawyers representing Anthony M.T. Siregar, said the magazine had defamed his client by reporting that Siregar, as then chairman of a bank supervision team, had received bribes worth hundreds of millions of rupiah.

ABRI-civilian dichotomy must end, say observers JAKARTA (JP): Observers called yesterday for an end to debates on whether the military was better able to lead the country than civilians, saying that the country had more important issues to discuss. The observers also expressed concern that the debates would end up pitting civilians against the Armed Forces (ABRI) and would cause a setback in political development.

PM's wife turns to god of darkness BANGKOK (AP): Thai Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh's wife will sacrifice chickens and make other offerings in a black magic ceremony to prolong the life of her husband's coalition government, local papers reported Wednesday. Cracks began to appear in Chavalit's administration this week as Chart Pattana (National Development) Party leaders - a key member of the ruling coalition - met with opposition leaders in a private conference.

Rupiah stabilizing The rupiah market has remained calm over the past few days with its rate stabilizing at a range of 2,900-3,000 to the U.S. dollar. As the turbulence of the regional currency market is also tapering off it is reasonable to expect firmer stability within the next few months. The reform package -- though its technical details are still being finalized -- has been improving market sentiment and has been effective in starting the process of regaining investor confidence.

Salomon sees months before funds return to Southeast Asia HONG KONG (Reuter): Salomon Brothers said yesterday it would take a few months for funds to begin flowing back into southeast Asian markets following a shakeout across the region, with currency instability likely to persist. "What we are seeing this year is a withdrawal of funds from the region," Trevor Rowe, chairman of Salomon Brothers Asia Pacific, told Reuters Financial Television.

Where to go in Surabaya: Music and Entertainment * Mercure Grand Hotel, Jl. Raya Kupang Indah: - Piramid Bar: Country night featuring country music by Los Panthos, every Monday, 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. - Terakota Cafe: Italian night featuring Italian music by Los Panthos, every Tuesday, 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., Traditional music, Keroncong by Agus Bing Band, every Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., Latino Beat by Los Panthos, every Thursday, 6:30 p.m.