NGOs start education campaign

NGOs start education campaign

JAKARTA: Nine non-governmental organizations belonging to the
Plural Community Group (KUMPUL), and hailing from Jakarta,
Yogyakarta and Bogor, have joined forces to organize a one-month
education campaign from April 21 through May 20.

The campaign is intended to raise awareness among the people
that a lot of marginalized people like women, street children,
people from the lower income bracket, tribal communities
throughout the archipelago, and the disabled are all entitled to
be respected as human beings.

The campaign has taken Meeting marginalized people's rights to
education as its theme.

KUMPUL urged the government to prudently develop alternative
education mechanisms for such people, and to eradicate widespread
corruption and nepotism in the national education system.

Minister takes over Lampung govt

JAKARTA: Home minister Hari Sabarno has temporarily taken
control of public administration in Lampung province following
the arrest of governor-elect Alzier Dianis Thabranie on criminal
charges.

The ministry's director general for regional autonomy,
Oentarto Sindung Mawardi, made a statement to that effect here on
Tuesday while explaining the government's stance over Thabranie's
arrest.

According to Oentarto, the appointment of the minister to
temporarily take charge of the Lampung administration was
contained in a presidential decree.

He disclosed that the minister in turn had assigned the
ministry's head of research and development, Tuswandi, as acting
governor to deal with the day-to-day running of the province.

The director general pointed out that Sabarno also expected
the acting governor, in cooperation with Lampung's provincial
legislative assembly, to furnish the public with accurate
information regarding the Alzier affair.

The minister, Oentarto said, had also asked the provincial
legislative assembly to evaluate the mechanisms for gubernatorial
elections and to improve them so that a candidate facing
prosecution would not be elected in the future.

"This issue will be referred back to the provincial
legislative assembly so that its members can ensure the election
of a governor who is free of legal problems," he said.
According to Oentarto, his ministry had actually warned the
provincial legislative assembly that Alzier was facing legal
problems, but the legislators had decided to ignore the warning.

"When the issue had become a legal case, the provincial
legislators referred it to the Ministry of Home Affairs. The
ministry, however, can do nothing to interfere with the legal
process," Oentarto pointed out.

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RI to host meeting on children

JAKARTA: Indonesia will host the sixth East Asia and Pacific
Ministerial Consultation on Children in Nusa Dua on the resort
island of Bali from May 5 through May 7.

The ministerial consultation is being jointly organized by the
Indonesian government and UNICEF.

Some interesting events will be organized in conjunction with
the ministerial consultation, including a children's delegation
forum, where children will talk about issues of concern to
children themselves; child journalists, where four child
journalists will cover the conference, including conducting
interviews with important figures attending the consultation
meeting, and the UNICEF Child Awards.

Indonesia will send five children to the event.

UNICEF is also facilitating the participation of four child
journalists from Kupang (East Nusa Tenggara), Makassar (South
Sulawesi), Yogyakarta and Jakarta.

The consultation meeting will also present awards to children
who have contributed to improving the quality of life of children
in Indonesia. JP

Legal pact required to maintain coalitions

JAKARTA: Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno on Tuesday
defended his proposal requiring any political parties entering
into coalitions to enter into legally binding agreements.

Hari said a legal agreement would help the political parties
in a coalition to maintain unity during the president's five-year
term.

Speaking during a meeting with legislators, the minister added
that strong ties between the parties in a coalition would
minimize the chances of desertion.

Several factions questioned the new requirement. Rodjil
Ghufron of the National Awakening Party (PKB) said that a
coalition should merely be based on agreement.

The minister added that coalitions of parties were designed to
help the parties win the presidential elections. - Antara

5,000 workers for M'sia per month

BENGKULU: The Malaysian consulate general in Medan, the
capital of North Sumatra province, has approved the sending of
5,000 Indonesians per month to work in Malaysia as plantation
workers, medical staff and domestic helpers.

"Malaysia needs hundreds of thousands of workers in many
fields following the forceful repatriation of illegal workers to
their home countries last year," Consul General Muhammad Yusof
bin Abu Bakar said here on Tuesday.

Before being sent to Malaysia, he said, the workers would be
informed of their rights and obligations, and how to seek police
assistance in an emergency.

He expressed the hope that Indonesians wishing to work in
Malaysia would follow the legal procedures when seeking
employment in the neighboring country.