Some rectors of state and private universities have publicly
Some rectors of state and private universities have publicly declared that Indonesia is entering a dangerous stage.
Similar statements have also been made by observers and politicians. They jokingly ask daily if Indonesia will exist next year. In reality, the joke contains the message that the current situation is really chaotic.
The chaotic situation is reflected by, among other things, the issuance of the regulation on terrorism in law of law (Perpu).
Soon after the Bali blast, all fingers pointed at our intelligence system, which was found to be very weak. Intelligence agencies responded by saying that there was no legal coordinating board to make their performance more effective. As the Criminal Code (KUHP) lacks the "teeth" to curb terror-related cases, and as there is no antiterrorism law, the Perpu was proposed. Ironically, many oppose and criticize the Perpu, while those in favor of the Perpu just keep silent.
Criticism to the police's performance in connection to solving Bali bombing is also a good example. Almost all people say that the police are unprofessional. However, when the police worked hard and announced the results (of the investigation), most people cynically expressed their lack of confidence in the police's findings. They even accused the police of orchestrating things.
From the two examples we could conclude that the rectors' statements are not wrong. The statements are underlined by the fact that our leaders have their own political agenda, instead of the spirit of togetherness to work for the nation.
-- Suara Karya, Jakarta
Aceh solution
Efforts to solve the Aceh problem in a peaceful manner is like the impossible dream. Every time it seems likely that a peace deal will be reached, some new obstacle emerges.
The biggest turning point was the abandonment of the military operation zone policy (in 1998), but no significant steps have been taken since. What happened later was an increased demand for freedom in line with then president Abdurrahman Wahid's support.
Another turning point was when Megawati Soekarnoputri replaced Abdurrahman. Megawati visited Aceh and shed tears when speaking to the people of Aceh. But the tears were obviously not enough to evoke a spirit of peace in Aceh.
Efforts to prevent Aceh from seceding (from the unitary state of Indonesia) have been made, but, operationally, there has been no clear format to support all the efforts.
The only way to respond to the aggressiveness of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) is to fight them. Unfortunately, the military needs a political decision (from the government) to crush GAM.
Now there are two more turning points: The holy month of Ramadhan and the siege of GAM's stronghold in Cot Trieng village, North Aceh, both of which are golden opportunities to solve the problem. It is clear that the solution is in the hands of the government of Indonesia, while the Henry Dunant Center is just moderating between the government and GAM.
-- Media Indonesia, -- Jakarta
Telephone rate hike
In January, telephone rates will dramatically increase. The rate for local calls will increase by 30 percent. The increase is part of the state minister of communications and telecommunication's decree on the progressive increases in telephone rates by 45 percent within three years. In reality, phone call prices have increased by 30 percent in just the last year. Obviously something is wrong here.
One classic reason to increase phone rates is the drop in PT Telkom's revenue this year, the first ever in the history of the state company.
The customer base of PT Telkom has expanded to remote areas and villages. Telkom is also the only company with a telecommunications system in the country, plus technology has developed to the stage that telephone services cost less. Still we must question why Telkom has failed to improve its financial performance.
It is time for the government to reshuffle PT Telkom management to make it more efficient for the sake of the company's customers.
-- Koran Tempo, Jakarta