1. Asset - 4x 12

1. Asset - 4x 12

City urged to improve management over assets

City administration was urged to quickly improve its management over all city assets to prevent asset loss and to increase city revenue especially from those being used in business cooperation with the private sector.

The demand was expressed by City Council's Commission B overseeing trade and investment affairs on Monday during a plenary meeting to evaluate the 2002 City Budget.

"So far there is no clear regulation stating which office is responsible to manage city assets. Even the city assets office has failed to keep track on city assets," commission spokesman Dani Anwar said in a prepared statement during the meeting.

"We also lament the office's explanation on the absence of certificates and other legal documents on city assets used or rented by private sectors," he added.

Dani emphasized that such condition had hampered the efforts to increase revenue from city-owned enterprises.

Currently, there are 52 city-owned enterprises with various status ranging from wholly-owned to joint venture company and other commercial cooperations.

Those enterprises failed to contribute the expected Rp 64.99 billion (US$7.38 million) revenue to the 2002 City Budget. The generated revenue was only some Rp 43.74 billion or about 67 percent.

Clean and tidy assets management is important as city administration itself is in the dark about its own wealth.

The City Assets Office head Rama Boedi said that Jakarta's total assets, consisting of companies and properties, were valued at more than Rp 7.9 trillion.

City Council is currently drafting a city bylaw on city assets management to become a legal basis for the administration to manage its own assets, especially against developers who refuse to build social facilities.

Monday's plenary meeting was the first to be presided by council speaker Agung Imam Sumanto who was installed as council speaker before the budget plenary meeting.

Agung, from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) faction succeeded Eddy Waluyo of the Indonesian Military/National faction who had to resign as council speaker following his decision to run for governorship last year.

Contacted separately, Azaz Tigor Nainggolan of the Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) told The Jakarta Post that the assets were forfeited in purpose to allow corrupt city officials to take advantage by selling the assets to private sectors.

"The city-owned enterprises actually have such a huge potential to generate large amount of revenue for city budget provided that they are managed properly," he said.

"But the problem is they are managed by retired city officials instead of professionals who really have business senses and skills."

Tigor said high professionalism was very important because a business entity would seek profit with its operation.

"Most of the joint venture companies use city assets which means they also carry social purposes and not only business ones.

"Poor management will only allow private sector to reap high profits by sacrificing city assets," he added.

Another problem with city-owned enterprises is that the city's share composition in joint venture companies, there are 11 of them, tend to decrease with the course of time.

The dilution is mainly caused by city administration's inability to inject fresh capital to those companies.

"If the administration cannot provide capital to keep its share composition, it would be better if the administration had not invested in the first time," said Tigor.

"It would be better to set the companies as wholly-owned ones and manage them properly."

2. Trial - 2x 25

Activist stands trial for insulting Megawati

An activist from the radical group Islamic Youth Movement (GPI) stood his first trial on Monday for allegedly insulting President Megawati Soekarnoputri during an anti government protest in mid-February.

The defendant, M. Iqbal Siregar, was indicted of violating Article 134 of Criminal Code Law on the deliberate intent to insult the president or vice president that carries a maximum penalty of six-year imprisonment. He was also accussed of violating Article 137 (1) on publicizing the conduct that carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail.

The article is known here as pasal karet (malleable article), because in the past, the New Order regime drew upon it to suppress its political opponents.

The indictment, read by chief prosecutor Arnold Angkouw, said that during an anti-government protest on Jan. 15, the defendant carried a picture of Megawati with a black tape closing her eyes and words "Hunted by Public" imprinted on top of it.

"He then showed the picture to the crowds while saying `this is the president that has disappointed citizens'," Arnold said, adding that the defendant then threw the pictures on the bustling Jl. Merdeka Utara, Central Jakarta, only to be run over by vehicles.

The chief prosecutor said that such an act constituted a deliberate insult to the President.

Iqbal conducted the act during a protest against a number of Megawati Government' policies, which he said had added to the plight of the populace. The rally was also attended by other groups such as the Islamic Students Association (HMI), the Alliance Against Mega (ATM) and the Jakarta Student Executive Bodies (BEM).

The trial for Iqbal was the third to be held in the country during Megawati's term of presidency. Late last year, Muzakkir and Nanang Mamija, respectively from the Populist Youth Movement (GPK) and the National Farmers Federation (STN), were sentenced to one year in prison after being proven guilty of stomping the pictures of Megawati and Vice President Hamzah Haz.

Currently, trials on cases of insulting state leaders committed by three student activists, Rico Marbun, Fathul Nugroho and Ardy Purnawanani, are still underway.

Moments before the presiding judge Cornel Sianturi concluded the hearing, the defendant's lawyer Taufik Basari said that the team of advocates would submit a defense. The judge later agreed that the defense could be read on Thursday.

After the hearing was over, Iqbal -- who had been placed in the custody for eighty days, the last time in Salemba prison, Central Jakarta -- said that his trial was but one example of how the Megawati administration was following the path of the authoritarian regime of former President Soeharto in using the malleable article to curb protests against his government.

"These articles (Article 134 and 137) will simply kill off the country's burgeoning democracy," Iqbal told reporters.

Citing that the trial could become a bad precedent for pro- democracy movement in the future, he said: "If the articles are strictly applied, thousands of our youth who resent the government's policy will crowd the country's prisons."

Reiterating Iqbal's statement, Taufik said that the application of the malleable articles against political activists showed the Megawati administration was indeed a repressive regime.

3. Busway - 2x 20

3-in-1 extention plan decided after trips

Governor Sutiyoso said on Monday that the extension plan of the 3-in-1 traffic policy up to the afternoon rush hours would be decided after he has finished his 12-day trip to Latin American cities.

The new restrictions, announced last Wednesday, are related to the plan to implement the 12.9-kilometer busway system from Blok M in South Jakarta to Kota in West Jakarta.

Currently, only private vehicles with three or more passengers are allowed to pass Jl. Sudirman, Jl. MH Thamrin and Jl. Gatot Subroto in Central Jakarta from 6:30 a.m. until 10 a.m. But according to the new plan, it will be also applied during rush hours in the afternoon.

The new restrictions are deemed important to ease possible congestion caused by busway system once it is implemented.

Another restriction under study is to prohibit cars with plate numbers ending in certain numbers to travel during certain days.

The administration will also develop 14 new feeder routes, connecting residential areas with the restricted zone to compensate the traffic restrictions.

"I will have to learn all the restrictions during my visit. Only after that I can decide," Sutiyoso told reporters.

Sutiyoso, who is slated to leave on Saturday and will return home on May 7, will visit Sao Paulo in Brazil, Mexico City in Mexico, Bogota in Colombia and Quito in Ecuador, according to city spokesman Muhayat.

His visit to Sao Paulo is made after several invitations extended by the Sao Paulo governor who has visited Jakarta earlier.

"There is also a possibility to discuss a plan to assess sister city relationship," said Muhayat.

Sutiyoso is also expected to learn about public transportation management in Mexico City and have a closer look on the busway systems implemented in Bogota and Quito. -- JP

4. Kartini - 1x 30

No more 'kebaya' on Kartini Day

Monday was Kartini Day, named after Indonesian heroine of emancipation Raden Ajeng Kartini. Until a few years ago, schools were busy organizing activities to observe the day, usually contests such as cooking and flower arrangement. Female students were also told to wear the traditional outfit of kebaya, like what Kartini did.

"Thanks God, it's over," said Hariati, a mother of a 8-year- old daughter, said.

She related how she had to persuade her daughter, who refused to wear kebaya at school, as requested by the teacher.

"I told her that it was my birthday and she had to wear the traditional clothes to make me happy," said Hariati, adding that her trick worked.

A teacher said that the school did not celebrate Kartini Day as there was no more instruction from the government on the subject. Besides, she said, many parents also complaints about the obligation to wear kebaya.

Yanti, who sends her daughter to SD Trisula, Cikini, Central Jakarta, said she did not agree with the school's order on the students to wear traditional clothes on Kartini Day.

"The point of Kartini's struggle is not wearing kebaya. In the meantime, the order made me busy for nothing, like taking my daughter to a hairdresser, borrow the clothes, and put make-up on her face," she said.

Kartini was born in Jepara, Central Java, on April 21, 1879. A brilliant young woman from a noble family in Jepara, Central Java, she was touched with the condition of other women at that time. They were who mostly had no access to education and had to stay at home, waiting until men proposed them for marriages.

Through her correspondent letters to a Dutch woman, Kartini shared her thoughts, including that she was against polygamy and that a woman should have an option to stay single.

She wrote in Dutch and her ideas were quite progressive and exceptional.

Tragically, in the end, Kartini should give up and accepted her father's request to 50-year-old marry a man who already had three wives and six children. Later, Kartini died in 25, three days after giving birth to her first son.

The government declared Kartini a national heroine in 1964 and since then her birthday has been observed as Kartini Day.

Students were merely told that Kartini was a heroine of women emancipation because she was care about women's education.

Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, 48, an activist on women's right, told the Post that it would be better for school to open discussion on women's rights, instead of holding ceremonial, artificial celebrations.

"It will be better if people explore more on Kartini's thoughts, so they will get the basic idea," she said.

She gave herself as an example.

Despite of the annual flag hoisting ceremony at her school on Kartini Day, Nursyahbani said she did not understand who Kartini was before she finally read books on her later when she grown up.

"In fact, somehow Kartini's death showed that a woman's natural fate is giving birth. Taking care of children can be done by man as well. It was proved that at the end, Kartini's son was grown not by his mother," she said.

5. Speak - 2x20

'So I find it hard to study English'

There is no doubt that English is one of the most important subjects at school. The government even held the National Debating Championship last week, which was participated in by many students who speak English fluently. However, there are many others who have difficulty learning English, as some students expressed to The Jakarta Post.

Fanny, 17, is a second grade student of a private economics vocational high school in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta. She resides on Jl. Gelora, Central Jakarta, with her family:

Frankly speaking, I don't like English, because the lessons at school are not at all interesting.

The teachers teach so fast that I am hardly able to catch up. So I find it hard to study English. I prefer mathematics to English.

Worse still, the teachers often give difficult assignments to the students such as compiling English materials from newspapers clippings, taking pictures of foreigners, interviewing them and recording the interview on tape.

Last week I tried to interview a foreigner but he was upset due to the communication barrier and even called me a crazy person. I didn't like it. I gave up the assignment.

I failed an exam because I could not give the appropriate reply in a mock phone conversation in English with the teachers. I did not get a certificate.

In a way I realize that English is very important now, more over if I major in secretarial studies. Thus, like it or not I have to study hard.

However, I regret my parents cannot afford the fee for an English course. So I have to study myself.

I hope someday I could get a job and at the same time I would take an English course to improve my proficiency.

Destyana, 18, is a third grade student of state-run SMU 60 in Kemang Timur, South Jakarta. She lives in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta:

I like English because there are no figures like in mathematics. I hate numbers and accounting or anything whatsoever dealing with numbers. So, I like English and it has nothing to do with the teachers.

I think that I have to enjoy English lessons as English is one of the compulsory subjects one has to pass in the final exam.

Besides, English will be important for the Asian Free Trade Area (AFTA). Many jobs now also require English as one of the important qualifications.

I don't want to join an English course. Well, at least I have the commitment to pay more serious attention to the lessons in class from now on. I'm afraid that if I fail the final exam it will be hard for me.

Only one thing is motivating me to study English better, that is to graduate from senior high school and pass the English exam. The new system now requires a pass grade in English and several other compulsory subjects.

The new system is really burdensome for me. I prefer the previous system in which the pass grade was not as rigid as now and there was no distinction between passing and graduating such as in the current system.

Nevertheless, the new system in many ways is much more beneficial in that it will produce more qualified graduates. That is, as long as there is no fraud in the national final tests. However, I am a bit doubtful about that.

Andi, 18, is a second year student of state-run SMU 24 in Central Jakarta. He resides near the school with his family:

I have enjoyed learning English since I was in elementary school. I have not enrolled in an English course so far. I'm really self-taught.

So I keep a keen interest in English regardless of the way the teachers teach or the teachers' personal traits.

I learn the language through many things including films, cassettes and practicing with my sister. In addition, I rely a lot on the dictionary as the major source.

I feel confident even though I am just a self-taught learner. I've proven that I can achieve far better results compared to my friend who studied an English language course.

I am certain that English is very important for our future. Everyone must master it as an international language. I hope someday I will have the chance to study abroad due to my proficiency in English.

-- Leo Wahyudi S