Nurul urges women to enter politics
Nurul urges women to enter politics
JAKARTA: Actor-cum-politician Nurul Arifin says misperceptions
among Indonesian women makes them reluctant to enter politics.
Nurul, who recently joined Golkar, the political bandwagon of
former dictator Soeharto, said most women thought politics was
the domain of men and was evil.
"Politics is not evil. It is the politicians that commit
evil," Nurul said in a discussion at the House of Representatives
(DPR) on Wednesday.
She called on women to enter the fray to improve discourse on
issues impacting on women, such as infant mortality and maternal
deaths, and unemployment.
Also speaking at the discussion were legislator Ida Fauziyah
of the National Awakening Party (PKB) and women's rights
activists Ulfa Hermanto and Tunggal Pramesti.
They all agreed that women must be encouraged to enter
politics to create a better political condition. -- JP
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Scene-refugees-registration
Ministry to reregister refugees
JP/4/refugee
Ministry to reregister refugees
MANADO, North Sulawesi: The ministry of social affairs was
currently reregistering refugees across the country, Ministry of
Social Affairs secretary general Ruchodi said Wednesday.
"The number of refugees varies, hence the need for
reregistration," Antara quoted Ruchadi as saying in Manado, North
Sulawesi.
The government allocated Rp 700 billion (US$82 million) for
refugees across the country in 2003.
Citing refugees in Medan, North Sumatra, as an example,
Ruchodi said their number rose from 11,000 to 12,000 every time
the government handed over food and financial assistance.
Most refugees in Medan had fled the violence in war-torn Aceh
province.
"Should there be refugees registering twice using different
identification cards, they have to be reported to police,"
Ruchodi said.
The number of refugees increased by more than one million in
1999 following ethnic and religious conflicts in West Kalimantan,
Poso in Central Sulawesi, and Ambon in Maluku, as well as the
bloody rampage in Indonesia's former province of East Timor.
--Antara
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Scene-golkar-convention
Golkar candidates pass screening
JP/4/Golkar
Golkar candidates pass screening
JAKARTA: All 19 Golkar candidates seeking the political
party's presidential nomination had met administrative
requirements, the committee organizing the party's convention
said Wednesday.
The candidates are believed to be: Aburizal Bakrie, Akbar
Tandjung, Anwar Fuady, Haryono Suyono, Kemala Motik, Marwah Daud
Ibrahim, Muladi, Nurullah Marzuki, Prabowo Subianto, R. Moehono,
Rivai Siata, Setiawan Djody, Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, Surya
Paloh, Tabrani Rab, Theo L. Sambuaga, Tuty Alawiyah, Wiranto and
Yusuf Kalla.
The names will be officially released on Thursday.
All candidates will join a national meeting in October to
reduce the number of candidates to five. --Antara
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Scene-kopassus-australia
Kopassus chief to visit Australia
JP/4/Kopassus
Kopassus chief to visit Australia
JAKARTA: The commander of the Army's Special Forces
(Kopassus), Maj. Gen. Sriyanto, is scheduled to visit Australia
in September as part of efforts to strengthen cooperation with
its armed forces.
Army chief Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu said on Wednesday that
military cooperation with other countries, including Australia,
was important in fighting terrorism.
Australian Army chief Gen. Peter Cosgrove controversially
announced earlier that it wanted to resume military cooperation
with Kopassus as part of the antiterror campaign.
Australia cut cooperation with Kopassus in 1999 after pro-
Jakarta East Timorese militias went on bloody rampage, laying
waste to almost 90 percent of the infrastructure in the former
Portuguese colony.
The Indonesian military (TNI), particularly Kopassus, was
accused of backing the armed groups.
Sriyanto, as quoted by Antara Wednesday, said Australia wanted
cooperation with Kopassus restored, including in joint military
exercises.