Legislators star in HIV/AIDS ads

Legislators star in HIV/AIDS ads

JAKARTA: Some legislators participated in the shooting of
video advertisements about HIVAIDS on Wednesday. The ads also
featured actress Nurul Arifin, while the shooting location was
the House of Representatives (DPR) compound.

Deputy House speaker Muhaimin Iskandar of the National
Awakening Party (PKB) and legislators Surya Chandra Surapaty of
the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan),
plus Simon Patrice Morin and Mariani Akib of Golkar were
enthusiastic during the shooting.

Shooting was disrupted when some cars passed by, prompting the
director to retake a scene several times.

Surya said that by participating in the ads, legislators
wanted to show their concern on the spread of HIVAIDS in the
country.

At a rough estimate, 80,000 to 120,000 Indonesians are either
HIV-positive or living with AIDS, but official data from Sulianti
Saroso hospital, which specializes in HIV/AIDS cases, records
only 3,614 people. -- JP

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18 justices sworn in amid criticism
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18 justices sworn in amid criticism

JAKARTA: Supreme Court chief Bagir Manan swore in 18 justices
on Wednesday amid public criticism at the credibility of some of
them.

Bagir raised the issue by asking the newly installed justices
to "prove to the public that they have both capability and
integrity."

"If you have done wrong in the past, I want you to prove that
you will not repeat the same mistakes, and give your best to
justice seekers," he said.

Bagir demanded the justices accelerate judicial reform in the
courts, which are well-known for their corrupt officials.

Some non-governmental organizations have criticized President
Megawati Soekarnoputri's move to approve all 18 candidates, who
underwent tests of their suitability by the House of
Representatives.

They said that only eight of the candidates had the capability
and integrity necessary to join the judiciary. Some were former
academics, career judges, lawyers, prosecutors and military
officials.

Among the newly installed justices was Maj. Gen. Timor
Manurung, who led the legal defense team for military officials
implicated in the 1999 bloodshed in East Timor. -- JP

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Supreme Court favors Alwi's PKB
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Supreme Court favors Alwi's PKB

JAKARTA: The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Alwi Shihab's
leadership in the dispute with former chairman of the National
Awakening Party (PKB) Matori Abdul Djalil over ownership of the
party.

Justice Abdurrahman Saleh told reporters on Wednesday that the
court upheld the decision of the Jakarta High Court, which ruled
that Matori was acting unlawfully in using the party's name, logo
and anthem.

"The plaintiff (Matori) could not support his argument," he
said.

Matori won a different lawsuit against Alwi's PKB in the same
case. Alwi's PKB has appealed to the Jakarta High Court.
However, the court did not rule on which verdict should be used
if the second is different from the former.

The dispute occurred following the dismissal of Matori as PKB
chairman in 2001 by PKB chief patron Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid
after the former attended the Special Session of the People's
Consultative Assembly (MPR) in 2001, which led to Gus Dur's
removal as president.

Matori later set up another party with the same name.

Alwi has announced that his party is giving consideration to
changing the party's name to the National Awakening Party that is
the same as the current name, isn't it? (PKN). -- JP