1. VOTE: 50 pt, 2 cols, 4 x 12
1. VOTE: 50 pt, 2 cols, 4 x 12
Councillors split over voting procedure
Novan Iman Santosa The Jakarta Post Jakarta
City Council factions are divided on the voting procedure for the Sept. 11 gubernatorial election especially concerning confidentiality in the voting process.
Contacted separately on Friday, councillors from the Justice Party (PK) and National Mandate Party (PAN) factions told The Jakarta Post that they preferred that councillors mark a cross on the ballot paper or perforate the paper instead of writing the candidate's names on the paper.
Meanwhile, the Golkar Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) factions insisted that councillors write the names of the candidates.
"Our faction wants the ballot paper to be marked with crosses as it will guarantee the confidentiality of the vote as required by the 1999 Law No. 22 on regional autonomy," said chairman of PK faction, Achmad Heryawan.
"Writing the names will open the possibility for certain deals to take place."
Achmad said that certain groups could add special words to signify their group so each candidate would know by the signifying mark which group had voted for them.
Suppose several groups supported a candidate named Amir, said Achmad. The first group could write "Amir OK" while the second group could choose to write "Amir Yes". The third group could use another code.
Achmad said the Golkar Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) factions based their argument on practices carried out at both the House of Representatives (DPR) and the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).
"Voting procedures at the DPR and MPR are carried out by writing candidates' names on blank paper. It has become a convention at those state institutions.
"But we (City Council) have our own conventions. Besides, marking crosses against the names on the ballot paper will prevent unfair practices," said Achmad.
Achmad also admitted that the council's election regulations did not specify whether the ballot paper had to be crossed, perforated, or written on.
Meanwhile, councillor Syamsuardi Botan of PAN faction said that there were vested interests at stake if Golkar and PDI Perjuangan kept insisting on writing the candidates names.
"If we want to really adopt the one man one vote policy, we should perforate the ballots.
"Besides, it has been a City Council convention to perforate the ballots instead of writing names. We don't have to copy the practices of the MPR and DPR," he added.
Syamsuardi also said that perforating the ballot paper would enable councillors to use their own conscience in choosing a gubernatorial candidate.
"This procedure enables us to diverge from our party's policy if we believe the party's policy is against public interests."
There have been rumors that PDI Perjuangan faction is insisting on writing the candidates' names as a way to control its members loyalty.
A split occurred in the faction with the decision to support incumbent Governor Sutiyoso's renomination despite his alleged involvement in the July 27, 1996 attack on PDI headquarters.
Faction members will be free to vote for candidates other than Sutiyoso if the ballot is cast by either putting a cross against the name or by perforating the name on the ballot papers.
2. RECLAIM: 30 pt, 3 cols, 1 x 30
Pantura reclamation to go ahead
Ignoring protests from environmentalists, the City Administration has decided to go ahead with its plan to reclaim and revitalize some 5,200 hectares of sea and coastal areas at the northern part of Jakarta (Pantura).
Executive chairman of the Jakarta Waterfront Management Board M. Sidarta said reclamation of 2,500 hectare of sea and revitalization of 2,700 hectare of coastal areas is a significant effort to improve environmental condition in the area.
"The reclamation project is not only aimed at tapping the economic potentials, but it is also part of the effort to improve environmental condition in the area," Sidarta said at a round table discussion here on Friday.
Sidarta argued that the government has no fund to improve environmental damage along 32 kilometers of Coastal area in the city therefore it needs involvement of the private sectors in managing the areas.
He said without reclamation project, the environmental problem like abrasion as well as social problems in the coastal areas would continue.
According to Sidarta, the reclaimed areas will be used for housings, industrial estate, seaports, and other business centers.
Chairman of the Forum for Coastal Areas Society, Didit Eko Y, however, said that the reclamation project will cause an environmental and social damage as it is still based on a presidential decree No. 52 issued in 1995.
"If the economic opportunity become the main objective of the reclamation project as stated in the presidential decree, it would cause various negative impacts," according to Didit.
Environmental impacts include the possible worsening floods in the city, submerge of small islands as the project needs some 200 million cubic meter, and the damage of mangrove ecosystem along the coastal areas.
According to Didit, social impact would be more difficult problems as many people mostly poor fishermen would be evicted from their houses in the coastal areas as only those who have money who would be able to have access in the reclaimed areas.
3. SUSU: 30 pt, 3 cols, 1 x 30
Anthrax fear hit milk business
Amid public fears over the recent outbreak of anthrax in Bogor, vendors and suppliers of milk in the Bogor municipality have suffered losses as customers shun their products.
"Many of my customers have stopped buying milk from me. Even if they do buy it, they always ask whether the milk is infected with anthrax or not," a milk vendor, Muhidin, said on Thursday.
"I usually sell 35 liters of milk daily but now I can only sell 27 liters," said Muhidin, who has been a milk vendor since 1964.
News of the latest anthrax outbreak became public on Tuesday, when the media reported that five employees of a livestock farm in Kebonpedes, Bogor regency, had been infected by the disease after they slaughtered a sick cow on July 28. Another employee was later also found to be infected by the virus.
Another milk vendor, Yusuf Mustofa, 39, shared a similar experience, saying that her earnings had dropped from Rp 40,000 to Rp 20,000.
Yusuf bought the milk from the breeding farm owned by Sukarja, next to the one owned by Uci, whose employees were infected by the anthrax virus.
Meanwhile Bogor Milk Producers' Cooperative (KPS) manager Bintarso admitted the sale of milk had been affected. But he said sales had returned to normal after laboratory testing showed that the milk was not infected.
He said cooperative members sold 6,000 liters of milk to Indomilk a day and between 3,000 liters and 4,000 liters to Diamond Ice Cream. They also send the milk to a cosmetics factory and a sweets factory which each need about 850 liters per week.
Bintoro said the Husbandry and Fishery Agency in Bogor regency issued a letter on Aug. 1 stipulating the regency be on alert for the virus.
He said that the letter was addressed to all members and executives of KPS and another cooperative called Giri Tani Cisarua. The agency said the two cooperatives were not allowed to get new cattle without certification issued by local officials or veterinarians.
4. TEACHER: 30 pt, 3 cols, 1 x 30
Island teachers get more benefits
The city administration is to upgrade the status of temporary teachers who pass a special examination to contract teachers as part of an attempt to improve their well-being, especially those working in the newly-established Kepulauan Seribu regency.
"All temporary teachers will be given the chance to improve their status by taking a special test that is scheduled for sometime in September," Governor Sutiyoso told reporters on Friday.
"Should the teachers pass the examination, they will get a one-year contract from the city administration, which can be extended."
Currently, temporary teachers only get between Rp 100,000 and Rp 200,000 (US$11 to $22) per month.
A contract would entitle them to receive a salary of up to Rp 750,000. Even those who fail the test, however, will receive a salary raise based on the provincial minimum wage of Rp 596,000 per month.
Meanwhile, city spokesman Muhayat said that priority would be given to teachers in the Kepuluan Seribu regency, as promised by Sutiyoso to the islands' teachers on Thursday.
Sutiyoso visited Untung Jawa Island to inaugurate several infrastructure projects worth Rp 10.5 billion (US$1.1 million), including port and sanitation facilities.
Previously a district of the North Jakarta mayoralty, the regency is considered the least developed of the city's five second level administrative regions due to its geographical isolation.
"The only way to improve the quality of the Seribu islanders is by improving the level of education there.
"Therefore, the city administration is providing more incentives for teachers so as to give them extra motivation," Muhayat said.
Currently, there are about 30 permanent teachers and 95 temporary teachers paid by the city working in the Seribu Islands.
Meanwhile, the permanent teachers will get an additional six days added on to their 12 days annual leave, which can be taken three times a year so that they can visit the mainland, as a further incentive.
The teachers and each of their family members will also receive allowances when taking annual leave.
The new policy is expected to start in September pending the approval of the City Council.
"But even if we cannot start the incentive program this year, the teachers will be enjoying the benefits by next January," said Muhayat.
In a separate development, in Bekasi dozens of temporary junior high school teachers demanded on Friday that the Bekasi municipal administration recruit them as permanent teachers.
"Our job is to increase the public's level of education but the administration must pay attention to our welfare," one of the teachers, Dadi Suryadi, was quoted as saying by Antara.
The teachers demanded that the administration prioritize them during the next recruitment drive planned for sometime in September.
5. SPEAKUP: 30 pt, 3 cols, 1 x 30
'The amulet works well for me'
Modern people still need the services of psychics in certain cases, such as when one is possessed by a spirit. But there are also others who visit the paranormal to see their futures or to gain magic power.
Hari, 46, owner of a restaurant on Jl. Mampang Prapatan, South Jakarta. Last month he visited two different psychics to cure one of his waiters who was possessed by a spirit:
The case occurred last month after we served a family who held a garden party in Cibubur, East Jakarta. Manto, my waiter, looked healthy when we arrived. He served the guests as usual, but when the party was over, he became quiet and refused to do some remaining jobs.
At night, his body temperature increased and he suddenly started acting weirdly. His voice became deeper and he spoke English. Manto actually could not speak English, he is a elementary school graduate. He claimed that his name was James from Australia.
During the night, Manto -- or James -- repeatedly said that he needed water. We gave him more than 30 liters during the night alone. In the morning, Manto slept all day, but when night came, he again said that he was James.
We took him the next morning to a psychic in our neighborhood because we believe he was possessed by a spirit. The psychic did a ritual, but he failed to heal Manto. The psychic claimed that he could not communicate with the spirit because he does not speak English.
We took him to another psychic, a blind woman, in East Jakarta. The blind female psychic said the spirit inside Manto's body wanted people to pray God for him. We did a mass prayer for him. Luckily, Manto has since recovered.
Lanny Kurniadi, 41, a customer service officer in a bank on Jl. Gunung Sahari, Central Jakarta. She visits a Chinese psychic every Chinese new year to see her future:
Some people have gifts, others don't. Psychics have magical power. Common people like me need them to see our future.
I always visit a psychic to predict my luck each year. I use his prediction to make me more alert to face any problem in my life. I must plan everything the best I can to avoid problems.
The predictions also make me more aware about my relations with others and about possible business opportunities in the following years.
Muha, 32, a taxi driver who lives in Cimanggis, West Java. He visited a psychic, his next-door neighbor, to be blessed with the power to defend himself from criminals:
I have a very risky job. I mean, taxi drivers could be stabbed or killed by robbers who pretend to be passengers. That's why I need the power.
The psychic gave me a certain amulet three years ago. I must use it everyday, so I wear it as a necklace. I also had to do a certain ritual and fast for 40 days before he gave me the amulet.
The amulet works well. I have proved it. Last year, two robbers attempted to stab me. There is a scar in my neck but I felt nothing, I even hit them and they ran off like rabbits. -- Muninggar Sri Saraswati