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.