Settlement of PKB dispute delayed

Settlement of PKB dispute delayed

JAKARTA: The Ministry of Justice and Human Rights delayed on
Thursday its decision on which camp of the National Awakening
Party (PKB) deserves a place in next year's general election.

An official told The Jakarta Post on Thursday that the
postponement followed a request from the PKB faction under
defense minister Matori Abdul Djalil to visit the office on
Friday.

"We will announce the decision after the visit," the official
said, without elaborating.

A ministry official had said justice minister Yusril Ihza
Mahendra would issue the decision on Thursday.

The two warring parties met separately with Yusril on
Wednesday.

Both camps have been involved in a long-standing dispute that
followed the dismissal of Matori as PKB chairman by PKB chief
patron Abdurrahman Wahid after the former attended the Special
Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) in 2001,
which led to Abdurrahman's removal as president.

Matori later set up his own faction of PKB. -- JP

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BMG predicts dry season peaked in August
JP/4/SCENE

Dry season to peak in August: BMG

JAKARTA: The Meteorology and Geophysics Board (BMG) predicted
that the dry season would climax in August, with many provinces
suffering from drought.

"The dry season will last longer than last year," BMG Chief
Gunawan Ibrahim said on Thursday.

He said the rainy season may only begin between September and
October, leading to water shortages in several provinces such as
East Nusa Tenggara, East and Central Java for at least another
three months.

The official further called on people to anticipate a
prolonged dry season.

"We have arranged a program in cooperation with the
agriculture ministry to enable farmers to survive during the dry
season, for example by growing plants that require little water,"
Gunawan said.--Antara

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Muhammadiyah prepare its own presidential candidates
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Muhammadiyah grooms would-be president

MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi: Chairman of Muhammadiyah Ahmad
Syafii Maarif urged members of the country's second largest
Muslim organization on Thursday to be active in grooming
presidential candidates.

A few days after stating that Muhammadiyah was not a political
organization, Syafii said the organization was responsible for
preparing a future national leader who would lead the country out
of the crisis.

"The nation is in a dire need of a national leader who has
competence, vision and commitment to uphold the reform movement
which has almost died," Syafii said after opening the
organization's national meeting here.

Syafii's predecessor Amien Rais, who is also chairman of
National Mandate Party (PAN), failed to attend the meeting due to
ill health. Amien has announced his bid for the presidency. --JP

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Anticorruption team demanded
JP/4/ICW

Formation of anticorruption body demanded

JAKARTA: President Megawati Soekarnoputri came under criticism
on Thursday for stalling the establishment of an anticorruption
commission.

Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) coordinator Teten Masduki
said the President had failed to show commitment to fight
corruption and promote good governance.

"I don't think that the President has a good reason to delay
the signing of a decree establishing a team who will select
members of the anticorruption commission, unless of course she is
motivated by certain political interests," Teten said.

The Anticorruption Law No. 30/2002 which was passed last
November stipulates that the five-member commission will have the
authority to investigate all graft cases involving state
officials and prosecute them in court.

The Ministry of Justice and Human Rights has proposed 13
names, including Teten, noted lawyers Todung Mulya Lubis and
Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara and academician Harkristuti
Harkrisnowo, for the selection team to the President.

"It's almost seven months since the law came into effect, but
the commission has not been established. We badly need it to
fight rampant corruption and money politics ahead of the 2004
general election," Teten said. -- JP

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Indonesian maids fall to death
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Indonesian maids fall to death

SINGAPORE: Two young Indonesian maids have died after falling
out of high-rise apartments in separate incidents here, police
said Thursday.

A police spokeswoman said the women, aged 18 and 20, died
within two hours of each other on Wednesday and refused to give
details as to possible causes except to classify the cases as
"unnatural deaths".

Local media reports said the 18-year-old had been working for
her employer for only 22 days, while the older woman had been
living in Singapore for one month.

The Straits Times quoted unnamed sources as saying the
teenager could have fallen from the ninth floor of the apartment
where she worked as she hung clothes out to dry.

The paper said the 20-year-old fell from the 11th floor of a
different apartment block, saying it was unclear what she was
doing before the fall, or whether it was suicide. -- AFP

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House wants review to population law
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House wants review to population law

JAKARTA: The House of Representatives Commission VII on health
and population is proposing a revision to Law No. 10/1992 on
population growth and family welfare.

Commission chairman Posma Tobing told The Jakarta Post
Wednesday that the amendment was necessary as the current law did
not fit with regional autonomy, which came into effect in 2001.

"The law was drafted when the country was adopting a
centralized system, therefore most policies came from the top."

He said that after the inception of regional autonomy there
was the possibility that regional administrations were ignoring
population issues as central government control relaxed.

Citing an example, Posma said the role of the National Family
Planning Board (BKKBN) at regional level had been considerably
reduced as it used to carry out programs at the behest of the
central government.

The current law did not enable the country to deal with global
issues related to population, particularly gender issues, men's
participation, reproduction rights and infertility, Posma said.
-- JP