Fire safety standards It was with interest I read that the Jakarta Administration is to formulate an Indonesian National Standard on Fire Safety. These standards are long overdue for a metropolis the size of Jakarta. I can sympathize with the Fire Department chief, Johnny Pangaribuan, with the multitude of problems he faces in fighting fires under existing conditions. The adoption of these standards should be given the highest priority to prevent needless loss of life and property.

Market operator gives up on waste management Bambang Nurbianto The Jakarta Post Jakarta City-owned market operator PD Pasar Jaya will no longer deal with the garbage from 151 traditional markets across the city, handing the dirty work to the already overloaded Jakarta Sanitation Agency. This means, an additional 300 tons or 1,200 cubic meters of garbage would be added to the 6,000 tons or 25,000 cubic meters of garbage that the sanitation agency handles on a daily basis.

The results of the April 5 legislative election and the challenges of the coming Golkar Party convention Jusuf Wanandi Co-founder and Member, Board of Trustees Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Jakarta With the expected victory of the Golkar Party in the legislative election of April 5, the party would become the biggest faction of the House of Representatives (DPR). For Golkar, this would entail some heavy responsibilities.

Support for KPK We would like to apologize to Patrick Guntensperger for the lack of information on the Partnership for Governance Reform that became apparent in his letter to The Jakarta Post on March 26. The Partnership is a multi-stakeholder initiative and has been inclusive from the very beginning. It cooperates with the government, NGOs and business associations on both national and local levels.

Telephone charges and public rights From Media Indonesia The government has approved a maximum increase of 28 percent in local telephone charges and a minimum decrease of 10 percent in long distance charges. Previously, the Indonesian Telecommunications Regulatory Board recommended that the Minister of Communications allow a maximum rise in fixed telephone charges of only 15 percent this year.

UAN not perfect -- not a bad option either Ardimas Sasdi Staff Writer The Jakarta Post Berkeley, California ajambak@calmail.berkeley.edu The fate of the national final exams for high schools, or UAN -- the main yardstick used to measure the performance of individual students and gauge the general quality of education -- is in limbo ahead of the examinations next month.

Ballot paper counting From Republika During the New Order era, we often read reports about the discovery of a number of ballot boxes containing marked ballot papers (usually for the opposition party) in forested or swampy areas in remote places of the country. It was also open secret during the New Order era that ballot boxes containing ballot papers could easily be changed with other ballot boxes containing ballot papers marked in favor of a particular party in the polls.

Continued professional development must be advanced Simon Marcus Gower Executive Principal High/Scope Indonesia School Jakarta The concept of continued professional development (or CPD) is well and long established in many countries. It has become so much a part of professional life that many organizations, when recruiting, will quite naturally specifically look for a potential employee's previous commitment to CPD.

'Rate hike OK if services improve' The government has allowed telephone operators PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom) and PT Indonesia Satellite Corporation (Indosat) to raise local telephone rates by up to 28 percent along with the lowering of long-distance rates. However, some city residents The Jakarta Post talked to object to the increase, saying services should first be improved. Maria, 30, is a mother of two who lives on Jl.

Totok Amin Soefijanto School of Education Boston University Massachusetts soefijan@fas.harvard.edu 2. Simon -- Continued professional development must be advanced 1 x 48 Bolstering continued professional development Simon Marcus Gower Executive Principal High/Scope Indonesia School Jakarta 3. Asia -- Let's stop needless road deaths in Asia 1 X 30 Let's stop needless road deaths Shigeru Omi Straits Times Asia News Network Singapore

Honesty, the Merpati way Good news about Indonesia is rare these days and good news about airlines is even more rare, but I have both to relate. A guest of mine, Murray Anderson of Lochar, Meigle, Perthshire, Scotland, arrived on Merpati flight MZ 514 at 1 p.m. in Palangkaraya on the inauspicious day of April 1 to find his wallet missing. It contained about US$2,000 in cash, three credit cards and his driver's license.

Don't compromise Indonesian education Rachel Davies Education Consultant Sydney, Australia The problems facing Indonesian education are very obviously of a huge variety. Most observers would be quick to simply consider the enormous scale of the task and recognize the terrible difficulties that must surely be encountered in bringing sufficient funds to support education for more than seventy million children across this archipelago nation.

Shrinking water absorption areas From Koran Tempo Floods in the rainy season are not only caused by downpours. The presence of large buildings like malls, shopping centers and housing complexes on areas reserved for water absorption also contribute greatly to floods, particularly in Jakarta.

The results of the April 5 legislative election and the challenges of the coming Golkar Party convention Jusuf Wanandi Co-founder and Member, Board of Trustees Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Jakarta With the expected victory of the Golkar Party in the legislative election of April 5, the party would become the biggest faction of the House of Representatives (DPR). For Golkar, this would entail some heavy responsibilities.

Beware of unreliable water filters From Republika In June 2003, I bought a water filter guaranteed for one year by PT Arya Buana Sejati, while the product itself carried the name of another company, PT Griya Sentra Mandiri/Sentrafil. The guarantee included clean filtered water and assistance in laboratory examination. In January 2004, the water being filtered turned muddy again, and the phone number given was no longer in use.

Toward a stronger council Soccer maniacs in Jakarta must have been jolted upon learning that glorious and magnificent Real Madrid lost to "nobody" Monaco, and that Chelsea beat Arsenal, their first win after 18 attempts against Arsenal.

Empty words and next president From Media Indonesia The public is fed up with all the empty promises made by political parties, while in reality various social and economic problems remain. Prices of basic necessities remain high, unemployment is rife and criminals remain at large. Meanwhile, people are tired of waiting for the emergence of a national leader with a high sense of responsibility and deep concern for people's welfare.

Java-Sumatra tunnel From Koran Tempo The government has estimated that in early 2005 it will start constructing a 33-km long tunnel some 40 meters under the sea that will connect Java and Sumatra islands. This project will cost about US$15 billion and the funding will come from a European Union consortium along with a number of domestic investors.

Security in the Malacca Straits: Who is responsible? Nugroho Wisnumurti Former Director General for Political Affairs Ministry Foreign Affairs Jakarta It has been reported in the media that the United States plans to implement its Regional Maritime Security Initiative, under which the country intends to deploy marines and special-operation forces on high speed vessels along the Malacca Straits to flush out terrorists. The details of this initiative are at this stage unclear.

Pubic transportation crews deserve better From Suara Karya As a user of public transportation in Jakarta, I observe the daily activities of crew members of the various vehicles, particularly city bus drivers and conductors. With their major role in operating a means of public conveyance to serve large numbers of ordinary people, they deserve proper compensation to ensure their welfare. In reality, they earn barely enough while they have to work from dawn to dusk.

Explaining Democratic's Party's popularity Muhammad Qodari Director of Research Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) Jakarta qodari@lsi.or.id The Democratic Party (PD), which was founded only on Sept. 9, 2001, came out as one of the best performers in the April 5 legislative election. A nationwide survey conducted by the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) last November showed that the prospect of votes for the PD was quite tiny -- less than 1 percent.

Anybody can become a politician Kornelius Purba Staff Writer The Jakarta Post Jakarta purba@thejakartapost.com A legislature candidate from a new and small party was hardly bothered by the small number of votes his party received in the April 5 legislative election. He said he had already anticipated that before joining the party. He sold his only car to finance his campaign, and displayed his picture along the streets near his residence in East Jakarta.

City yet to receive HI renovation proposal Bambang Nurbianto The Jakarta Post Jakarta An official at the Jakarta Culture and Museum Agency says no proposal for the renovation of Hotel Indonesia has been submitted. The hotel, the management of which has been taken over by cigarette producer Djarum Group, is a heritage site.

PLN's disappointing service From Koran Tempo As a subscriber to state electricity company PLN in Kebon Jeruk, Jakarta, I paid my electricity bills from November 2003 to January 2004 at the monthly subscription rate of only Rp 39,130, because PLN officers had failed to keep regular records of power consumption. PLN personnel came to my door only after my complaint and I was required to pay Rp 166,600 for the February bill.

Telephone charges and public rights From Media Indonesia The government has approved a maximum increase of 28 percent for local telephone calls and a minimum decrease of 10 percent for long distance calls. Previously, the Indonesian Telecommunications Regulatory Board recommended that the minister of communications allow a maximum rise in fixed telephone charges of only 15 percent this year.

Just thank the people We should be thankful for the peaceful general election, despite some shortcomings in its implementation on April 5. The people understand well that maintaining unity is very important. They deserve our appreciation because it is they who made the election a success. The people have succeeded in saving Indonesia from uncertainties due to a lack of professionalism among political leaders in governing the country and the limited funds to set up the polling stations.

Ballot paper counting From Republika During the New Order era, we often read reports about the discovery of a number of ballot boxes containing marked ballot papers (usually for the opposition party) in forested or swampy areas in remote places of the country. It was also open secret during the New Order era that ballot boxes containing ballot papers could easily be changed with other ballot boxes containing ballot papers marked in favor of a particular party in the polls.

1. Rachel -- Don't compromise Indonesian education 2 X 23 The reform of education should be home-grown Rachel Davies Education Consultant Sydney, Australia 2. Sasdi -- UAN not perfect -- not a bad option either 2 X 30 National system of final exams should not be shelved outright Ardimas Sasdi Staff Writer The Jakarta Post Berkeley, California ajambak@calmail.berkeley.edu

Ancol fisherfolk to be evicted -- again JAKARTA: The city administration is set to evict on Saturday morning the fisherfolk of Ancol Timur, North Jakarta, from the place where they are currently housed behind the PT Manggala Krida Yudha Rukindo building, where they have lived since 2001.