Please refer the count to the compunter column counting
Please refer the count to the compunter column counting
1. ACEH: 1 x 40 Peace zone, a start of harmony in Aceh Kornelius Purba The Jakarta Post Banda Aceh, Aceh
Being a war zone for almost three decades, Aceh on Saturday took a small step, but in some ways it could be a giant leap toward peace, by declaring a small district near the provincial capital of Banda Aceh, the first demilitarized zone.
Barring any unforeseen obstacles, Aceh will have seven more peace zones within two weeks.
The first zone of peace is Indrapuri district in Aceh Besar regency. It lies 24 kilometers south of Banda Aceh. The district was chosen due to its close distance to the provincial capital and because conflict there was so intense at times that it now requires immediate humanitarian assistance.
The declaration ceremony took place near a traditional market in Indrapuri and was attended by about 2,000 local people and the representatives of the Aceh Besar local administration. Also present was Maj. Gen. Tanongsuk Tuvinun from Thailand, who heads the Joint Security Committee (JSC), and representatives of the Henry Dunant Centre (HDC), which brokered the peace deal.
Indrapuri is the first demilitarized area in the province following the signing of a peace agreement between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Geneva on Dec. 9.
Pamphlets containing peace messages were displayed near the venue. There was also a small poster containing 15 prohibited acts, including rape and sexual harassment, especially by the Indonesian Military (TNI) and Police who have been deployed to Aceh.
"Both parties have come together to create this weapons-free place and to pave the way for economic development," Tuvinun said in his speech.
The ceremony only lasted about 30 minutes, with Tuvinun the only one addressing the crowd. There was no dialog between the local people and the tripartite JSC, which comprises representatives of Indonesia, GAM and the HDC, many of whom are from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries.
Despite the absence of a dialog, local people looked enthusiastic and were especially happy with the warm attitude of the Thai general, as many of them approached him just to shake hands with him.
"Together, we can all help the Acehnese begin to live a normal life," Tuvinun told the audience.
"I hope peace will last long here. We have suffered too much. Now we feel safer, and we can go to our paddy fields with less fear," said a 35-year-old housewife when asked about the prospects for peace.
2. GARUDA: 1 x 30 Garuda's pilots delay strike
Arya Abhiseka The Jakarta Post Jakarta
After causing much public anxiety, Garuda Indonesia's pilots announced on Saturday to stave off their threats to disrupt flights over demands for a raise and expressed their readiness to sit down at the negotiating table.
Their decision came out only a day after the management played down the threat of industrial action and armed itself with a contingency plan, which included a signal to recruit foreign pilots, if necessary.
It was not clear, however, if the pilots' move to withdraw their threat was driven by the cold response from the flag carrier's management.
Ari Safari, president of the Garuda Pilot Association, nevertheless claimed that the pilots agreed to delay their industrial action after talks with the Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea on Friday.
He said that the minister had agreed to mediate a talk between the pilots and the management on Tuesday, Jan. 28.
"The minister has promised us he would be a mediator, and we are also taking into account the public interest. Therefore, we are willing to delay our industrial action," he said.
The pilots threatened on Tuesday to take industrial action starting today if the management failed to meet their demands for a higher salary.
Initially, the pilots planned to take part in a "labor slowdown" from Jan. 26 to Feb. 1, which would cause an hour's delay for all Garuda flights.
The second action would be undertaken from Feb. 2 to Feb. 9, during which time the pilots would force all flights to be delayed by five hours, if the management still refused to meet their demands.
Then, starting Feb. 10, the pilots would go on strike if no agreement had been reached.
The action was feared to disrupt domestic air transportation, as Garuda carried about 40 percent of five million air travelers on domestic routes last year.
The pilots, have not disclosed how much rise they demanded from the management, fearing that disclosing their salaries might cause public cynicism.
Garuda management, however, disclosed the figures: Pilots are currently paid between Rp 7.9 million (US$887.6) and Rp 22.8 million a month.
3. TENNIS: 1 x 35 Slam for Serena as Venus eclipsed Rob Woollard Agence France-Presse Melbourne, Australia
World number one Serena Williams joined the pantheon of tennis legends after recording a fourth straight Grand Slam victory over big sister Venus to win the Australian Open crown here Saturday.
Williams punished her elder sibling's mis-firing service game with a series of brutal forehand winners to become only the fifth woman to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time.
The 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-4 triumph put the 21-year-old into an exclusive club, Williams joining greats Maureen Connolly, Margaret Court, Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf as the only women to have achieved the feat.
Graf was the last woman to have held all four titles at the same time when she won the Australian Open in 1994.
Williams choked back tears when presented with her trophy, and later said she was honored to add her name to the list of women to win all four Grand Slam titles.
"I can't believe that I can be compared to these women, to be in their category is really amazing," Williams said after the final, which was played with the roof of the Rod Laver Arena closed as Melbourne sweltered in 44-degree temperatures, the second hottest day in the city's history.
"It definitely feels really special to even be mentioned with Maureen Connolly. I've always looked at her story, that's just super special.
"Really only a handful of people have done it. I guess it's a really special feeling."
Williams is now one-quarter of the way to becoming only the fourth player to win a calendar year Grand Slam.
"I'm definitely going to try to win all four Grand Slams in one year, but Venus might have an unbelievable year and win the next three," she said.
While Serena celebrated, Venus could not hide her disappointment in defeat, the fourth time in a row that she has been beaten in a Grand Slam final by her sibling.
"I don't like losing altogether, whether it's to Serena or any other player," Williams said. "It's just never fun.
"I never go to the finals and say 'Yes, I'm losing today'. I'm going out there with the attitude I'm going to out there, do my best and try to take the title."
Williams paid tribute to her sister's achievement in holding all four Grand Slam titles at the same time. "Not many people get all four Slams, so that's really wonderful, it really is," she said.
4. BYWAY: 1 x 48 City traffic light a symbol of all that ails RI There is a traffic light that has been bothering me. Yet I can't avoid it. It is so close to my house that, even if I were to alter my usual routes (as advised by my embassy), I would still have to pass it.
The traffic light is not broken, although I am sure that one day it will be. It does not take as long as other lights to change. It does not sit obscured behind other signs or trees. It does, however, signal the future, and that, maybe, is why it bothers me.
This light, which guards a real pedestrian crossing (surprise!) to the major mosque in our neighborhood -- seems to change from red to green to red without a regular pattern. It seems to have its own quirky logic, its own thinking, about its purpose and how to make itself useful.
It seems almost as if the traffic police forgot to program the light to respond to the ebb and flow of the traffic and instead left it in some default mode that has slowly allowed the light to develop its own program, to develop its own intelligence the way that its blinking cousin, HAL, did in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
When I am behind the wheel (which I actually enjoy when it is not macet), it often taunts me by turning red as I approach. You are supposed to stop, but what is the purpose of stopping, especially when no one is crossing and everyone else has already started honking? Should I stay, or should I go?
The way each of us answers this question actually reveals to us something much more profound than the state of Jakarta's traffic.
Bus drivers, perched up there like gladiators on groaning chariots, charge right through the light without hesitation or fear. Motorcycle police don't hesitate either, but they are not as brazen about driving through as the bus drivers. Taxi drivers generally ignore the light completely.
Some passenger car drivers do slow down but, on recognizing the situation, quickly speed up. I guess they are not from the neighborhood, because those from the area already know that there is usually no reason to stop. The delivery motorcyclists zoom right through. Even the bajaj and cyclists mosey on through with nary a glance at the light.
The decisions made by each of the road users are to me a real indicator of the nature of Indonesians' ethos during these ambiguous, uncertain times. The willingness of the drivers to take matters into their own hands and to drive through that red light is a triumph of the individual over the community. Of pragmatism over principles. Of anarchy over democracy.
To me, that traffic light represents the best of Indonesia's own special state of chaotic breakdown of the rules of society, law and courtesy -- the triumph of the most brazen -- with a passing nod to the needs of a good and gentle people.
In this topsy-turvy world, who can blame drivers when the very purpose of the light is already questionable, let alone the haphazard manner in which it performs its role? In such instances, individuals should triumph over the state. At least they know when is the right time to follow the rules and when to break them.
With the nation in such a lousy state, maybe the idea of the American and Japanese ambassadors dancing to dangdut, or a becak (pedicab) driver as governor of Jakarta, or a workable busway are not so crazy. And maybe this kind of upside-down thinking is exactly what is needed because unexpected, upside-down results seem to be what we always get.