LETTER UNTUK HARI SENIN, 29 JULI
LETTER UNTUK HARI SENIN, 29 JULI
ANZ drops ball
Regarding the bank's arbitrary attitude concerning their 'official policy' of refusing any foreign bills of less than "Crisp Uncirculated" (CU) conditions, ANZ bank was chosen as the test subject in the necessary eradication of this discriminatory practice.
After having contacted ANZ Australia on June 20 for a clarification, they replied that they would have an answer by July 5. On July 4 their response was to say they required more time than originally anticipated for the completion of their investigation and would issue a response on July 19.
Off I went to try again. Same money, same story. Unlike last time when every manager was conveniently unavailable, I met with the Branch Manager. Mr Nukka Simbolon stated that he was familiar with my letters to The Jakarta Post and to the home offices and they had been in contact with him. He categorically stated that the bills were unacceptable for exchange for Australian dollars for transfer to Australia, as the bank has no facility to exchange the money in the Indonesian system. So, they pass the problem on to us the customers. He did offer to accept the U.S. dollar bills if I exchanged them for rupiah first.
He was duly informed that he was not in position any longer to make this call. Mr Scott Armstrong, the President Director, was summoned, but had not yet been included in the loop and cordially repeated the standard rhetoric.
He made it abundantly clear that the problem would remain at the consumer level; instead of petitioning the host country's Central Bank (BI) to make/change policy or accommodation.
BRIEN DOYLE Jakarta
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Our professional doctors?
Recommended by a friend of my son, I went to an otorminolaryngologist (ear, nose and throat - THT - specialist) at a THT clinic run by a private foundation on Jl. Ciranjang, Kebayoran Baru, on Wednesday, July 24, 2002, in the evening.
When I confirmed on Wednesday morning -- by phone -- I was told by the receptionist that the specialist would be available at 7 p.m.
I arrived at the clinic at about 7 p.m. in the hopes that I could get early treatment. There were several patients sitting in the waiting room when I arrived.
After waiting for one hour, I got no guarantee if the would be available, and no one at the clinic could explain why the doctor had not yet appeared.
A nurse then told me that the doctor had finished surgery at 4 p.m. (on Wednesday), and that "he could be sleeping, now, so none of us (employees) would dare call him."
More surprisingly, she told me that the doctor's residence was just behind the clinic!
I decided to leave the clinic soon to get another specialist after I had waited for one hour without any explanation.
It made me start to wonder about the professionalism of such people. Isn't surgery a normal part of his professional responsibility, and aren't the patients at the clinic also his professional responsibility?
Why didn't the doctor at least try to let the waiting patients know why he failed to appear just to show his attention and responsibility to his patients? He could have simply asked somebody to let the clinic know why he was late.
While obviously ignoring the patients' time wasted waiting for him for at least one hour (without any explanation), the doctor has demonstrated his arrogance and negligence.
I would like to ask all doctors, especially those who consider themselves professionally established and well-off, to have more empathy for their patients.
Don't forget that your patients play significant roles in the life, or death, of your career.
SOERYO WINOTO Tangerang, Banten
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More attention needed to agrarian sector
From Republika
In the 1970s and 1980s Indonesia was known as a successful agrarian country with Karawang regency and some other places in Central and East Java being the country's largest rice-producing areas. In these two decades Indonesia was self-sufficient in rice.
It is strange, however, that today many rice fields in Karawang, Tangerang and Cianjur, for example, have been converted into shopping centers, office buildings and housing complexes. As a result, the country's rice production has gone down so considerably that many farmers have to eke out a meager existence.
Megawati Soekarnoputri and her Cabinet must pay serious attention to this matter because agriculture is a way of life for the small people, in general. Unless this problem is properly addressed, Megawati cannot hope to win in the upcoming 2004 general election.
VALERY SETIAWAN Bengkulu
-------------------------------------------------------------- How dare he agree with a foreigner!
From Rakyat Merdeka
Making a criticism is everyone's right. As a sovereign nation, we reserve the right to maintain the dignity and integrity of our country.
However, I cannot agree with the highly critical Teten Masduki, chairman of the Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW), especially when he criticized Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra's response to the harsh comments voiced by the United Nations rapporteur Datok Param Chumaraswamy about Indonesia's judicial system. What Chumaraswamy has done (suggested that Indonesia should try to eradicate corruption in the legal system) encroaches upon the internal affairs of our country and wounds the dignity of our nation.
Not all the opinions and wishes of foreigners, including the United Nations, must be heeded. I support Minister Yusril in this respect. What he has done shows that there is still a dignified official who defends the dignity of his nation. Ours is a great and sovereign nation with our own rules of the game. Teten must be able to distinguish between the state's interests and personal dislikes.
I have always considered Teten my comrade-in-arms although we have never met.
H. GUMAY Jakarta
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Corruption in Ministry of Religious Affairs
From Suara Karya
When speaking on a private TV station on July 23, 2002, Minister of State Minister of Administrative Reforms Feisal Tamin touched upon alleged corruption, collusion and nepotism within the Ministry of Religious Affairs. This allegation is public knowledge because such practices have been rampant in this ministry ever since the New Order era (since 1965).
As Mr Tamin said, the Finance and Development Audit Agency (BPKP) has, since 2001, reported to his ministry 434 cases of irregularities in the religious affairs ministry, inflicting losses of Rp 75 billion to the state.
In the religious affairs ministry, financial irregularities have been identified in the directorate general for Islamic mass guidance and haj affairs and the directorate general of Islamic institutions, which deals with supplies of books and goods.
It is an open secret that officials of the religious affairs ministry in the central government and in the regions usually ask those wishing to make the haj pilgrimage for some money.
It is a sad irony that some officials in the religious affairs ministry have tarnished the noble purpose of the haj pilgrimage by collecting unauthorized fees. There is also no transparency about the perpetual funds collected from haj pilgrimage costs.
We hope the Attorney General's Office will quickly respond to the findings by the BPKP about alleged corruption of Rp 75 billion at the religious affairs ministry.
BUDI SANTOSO Depok, West Java