Inalum to be worth $1.2b in 2013, state treasury says

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 12/17/2010 7:41 PM | Business

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The government said Friday that the book value of state aluminum producer PT Inalum would be US$1.2 billion in 2013.

Arif Baharuddin, the director general for state assets, said the government would take over the company for a price based on the company's book value and would not extend the contract with Japan.

“We predict that the book value of company will be $1.2 billion in 2013. The exact figure still needs a due diligence,” he said.

Inalum was established under an agreement with the Japanese government in 1976. The agreement expires in 2013.

The Indonesian government has a 41.1 percent stake in the company and the Japanese consortium holds 58.9 percent.

The company produces 250,000 tons of aluminum per year, 60 percent of which is exported to Japan.

Google, Apple shares rise after judge tosses suit

The Associated Press, New York | Mon, 12/13/2010 9:51 PM | Business

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Shares of Google and Apple edged higher in pre-market trading after a federal court judge dismissed a patent lawsuit against the tech giants brought by Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen.

U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman in Seattle threw out Allen's patent infringement claims Friday. Pechman said Allen wasn't specific enough in identifying which products had violated his intellectual property rights.

Google Inc. shares rose $5.78, or 1 percent, to $597.99 ahead of regular trading Monday, while Apple Inc. climbed $4.83, or 1.5 percet, to $325.39.

Others targeted in the suit include Facebook Inc., eBay Inc., Yahoo Inc., Netflix Inc., AOL Inc., Office Depot Inc., OfficeMax Inc., Staples Inc. and Google-owned YouTube LLC.

Yogya governor to be elected by local council : Minister

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 12/13/2010 8:44 PM | Headlines

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Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi says the central government proposes in its draft bill on the special status of Yogyakarta that the province’s legislative council would elect the governor.

“The election would be through the DPRD [the regional legislative council], not a direct election as in other gubernatorial elections,” he said Monday in Jakarta.

The appointment of Yogyakarta’s governor turned into a hot issue after the government decided to hold a democratic election to choose the governor, a position traditionally awarded to the Sultan.

If the Sultan were the only gubernatorial candidate, the council could appoint him directly, Gamawan added.

“This is simply shifting the authority from the central government in Jakarta to the region,” he said.

The government would suggest this method of election to the House of Representatives for further deliberation, he added. (gzl)

Mayor raises half-mast flag to protest Yogyakarta status bill

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 12/12/2010 7:27 PM | Headlines

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Yogyakarta mayor Herry Zudianto raised a half-mast flag on Sunday to protest a bill that insists on a gubernatorial direct election instead of an appointment of Yogyakarta sultan as governor.

 Kompas.com reported that Herry committed his action in front of his home and read a poem about the Indonesian Red and White flag.

“65 years the Red and White has been raised in the land of Indonesia, 65 years the spirit of Red and White embeds in the heart of Indonesians,” he said.

“The special status of Yogyakarta is part of the Red and White flag-raising history. Don’t hurt the Red and White.”

He called on all parties not to politicize the Yogyakarta special status.

Six drug dealers get 20 years in jail

The Jakarta Post | Mon, 10/18/2010 9:02 PM | National

The Banten District Court sentenced six drug dealers each to 20 years in jail for selling almost 798.5 kilograms of ganja.

The drug dealers are identified as Jaka, Sofian, Armilah, Suraidi, Samat, and Sulkarnain.

The court also ordered each of the convicted drug dealers to pay Rp 2 billion in fine.

State prosecutors demanded a death penalty to the drug dealers.

VP: Radicalism threatens national interests

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 10/16/2010 6:55 PM | National|

Vice President Boediono said radicalism was a real threat to national interests and should therefore be shunned.

"Radicalism is a real threat. It can disunite the people," Boediono said in remarks to open a Global Peace Leadership Conference in Jakarta Saturday.

He said radicals were people trapped in the shallow-minded idea that human beings should be differentiated according to their race, skin color, language or religious belief. "Unfortunately such differentiations often trigger conflict in society," Boediono said as quoted by the Antara news agency.

He called on people to begin to realize the beauty of differences in society, including differences in religious beliefs. He also stressed the need for people to respect each other in the spirit of equality.

"For example, although the majority of Indonesians are Muslim, our state ideology tells us to respect people holding different religious beliefs. If we deviate from or contradict our basic ideology, the nation will come to ruin," the vice president said.

An instance of religious intolerance happened last September in Bekasi, West Java. Two members of the Huria Batak Christian Protestant (HKBP) church in the town, Asiah Lumbuan Toruan, 49, and pastor Luspida, 40, were attacked by eight people on motorcycles while the two were walking towards the location where they would attend a religious service.

Asiah suffered a stab wound to the right side of his abdomen, while Luspida suffered a bump on her head. After the attack the two were immediately taken to a nearby hospital for treatment while police detained nine suspects.

Regarding the motive behind the attack, former Jakarta Police chief, now proposed to be the chief of National Police, Insp. Gen. Timur Pradopo stated the suspects thought the church people had violated the law that prohibits the holding of a religious service at a location not covered by an official permit for the purpose.

Timur said he would act firmly based on the law against the ones who had stabbed one of the church-goers.

Meanwhile, Din Syamsuddin, chairman of Muhammadiyah (the second largest Muslim organization in Indonesia), has urged the police to investigate the recent attack on members of the HKBP church.

The same call was issued by the chairman of the Democratic Party faction in the West Java Legislative Council (DPRD), HM Achdar Sudrajat. He regretted the incident and also asked West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan to ask for a clarification on the incident from the Bekasi mayor.

Indofood to clarify Indomie noodle raid in Taiwan

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 10/11/2010 10:26 AM | Headlines

Publicly-listed food giant PT Indofood Sukses Makmur said Monday it would clarify with the Taiwan health authority following a raid against its Indomie noodle in the country.

"We will check the situation in Taiwan and will take necessary measures to protect our consumers," Indofood Consumer Brand Product (ICBP) director Taufik Wiraatmadja said as quoted by kompas.com

ICBP also believed that Indomie noodle exported to Taiwan had met the local authority food safety requirement. Reports said the noodle contained banned preservatives in Taiwan.

Rains forecast in the whole Jakarta in the afternoon

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 10/07/2010 9:18 AM | Jakarta

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Rains will likely shower nearly all parts of Jakarta and its surrounding cities on Thursday afternoon, according to data at the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

Rainfalls on mild and middle intensity will start showing Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi at noon, except Seribu Islands and North Jakarta, which will be rainy in the morning.

In the afternoon, Seribu Islands will be cloudy, while rains will fall in North Jakarta, Central Jakarta, East Jakarta, Depok, Bekasi and Bogor, as well as South Jakarta, West Jakarta and Tangerang, tempointeraktif.com reported.

In the evening nearly all parts of Jakarta and its surrounding areas will be cloudy, except South Jakarta and West Jakarta, which will be rainy at middle intensity. Bogor, Depok and Bekasi will also be cloudy, while rains will fall in Tangerang at middle intensity.

Govt finally apologizes over train crash

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 10/04/2010 12:49 PM | National

The government through state-run railway company PT Kereta Api apologized on Monday over 
two train accidents in Central Java on Saturday.

The government was concerned and expressed condolence over the two collisions where 35 passengers were killed.

The apology was disclosed by Director General of Railway at the Ministry of Transportation Tunjung Inderawan in press conference in Central Jakarta on Monday.

Before the start of the press briefing Tundjung asked everybody present to pray for the victims of the train collisions in Petarukan village, Pemalang, and Purwasari railway station, Solo.

“I in the name of the government am concerned (with the incidents) and apologize over them to all the public, railway customers, especially the victims and their families,” Tundjung said as quoted by kompas.com.

“This is beyond human's will and a temptation for for all of us. I hope this will not discourage our determination to improve the railway service in Indonesia,” he said.

Tundjung, who at the press briefing was accompanied by PT Kereta Api's president Ignatius Jonan, said that the Pemalang crash caused 34 fatalities, while the Solo one caused one death.

NGO launches www.srimulyani.net, claiming nothing political

Hasyim Widhiarto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 09/30/2010 8:21 PM | National

A pro-democracy NGO launched Thursday a website called www.srimulyani.net, aiming at collecting participation from the public to watch the implementation of ethics and integrity in the government’s public policies.

Todung Mulya Lubis, senior lawyer and co-founder of the Alliance for Democracy Education (P2D), said the NGO had taken Mulyani as their campaign icon because the former finance minister had given a lesson to the country on how a public official must uphold their integrity despite intricate political tension.

Commenting on question whether the site had been established to promote Mulyani as the upcoming presidential candidate, Todung said the NGO definitely had no “hidden agenda.”

“We took her [Mulyani] as our icon purely due to her respectable track record,” he said, adding that Mulyani was not personally involved in the website.

The site, run by a dozen of editorial board members, including University of Indonesia (UI) psychologist Bagus Takwin, UI philosophy lecturer Rocky Gerung and former Indonesian Legal
Institute Foundation public lawyer Robertus Robet, will provide readers with articles and online discussion on various issues on public policy and public ethic.

Mulyani’s resignation from his post in May was reportedly under political pressure over a controversial Bank Century bail out case. She is now one of the World Bank's managing directors.

Internal conflicts divert police from domestic security issues

Hans David Tampubolon, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 09/30/2010 11:52 AM |

One of the House of Representatives deputy speakers, Anis Matta from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), says that internal conflicts within the police has diverted them from their main job in maintaining domestic security.

Anis was commenting on two recent bloody conflicts in Jakarta and Tarakan, East Kalimantan, that have taken several lives.

"This is caused by the police's lack of focus nearing the election of the new National Police chief. Their focus on their main job has gone away," Anis told reporters at the House in Jakarta on Thursday.

Anis said that the police had to settle their internal differences as soon as possible, otherwise situations would only get worsen in the domestic security.

Hendarman says he befriends Yusril

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 09/25/2010 10:58 PM | National

Hendarman Supandji says he never has grudges with former justice minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra, the person responsible for his ouster from the Attorney General’s Office chief post.

“I have no intention to take a revenge. Instead I wish I could retire earlier,” Hendarman said as quoted by kompas.com on Saturday.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono honorably dismissed Hendarman as the attorney general and named his deputy Darmono the acting attorney general on Saturday, pending appointment of a definite replacement. The dismissal followed the Constitutional Court’s verdict on Yusril’s request for a judicial review of the law on Attorney General’s Office.

Hendarman said Yusril was a good person whom he started to know personally when he led the anti-corruption taskforce. At that time Yusril was the state secretary.

“I will remember the good side of PakYusril. We are friends,” Hendarman said.

Yusril questioned Hendarman’s legality after state prosecutors named him suspect in an online graft case.

Uruguay calls up Forlan, Suarez for friendly match in Indonesia

Associated Press, Montevideo, Uruguay | Fri, 09/24/2010 7:26 AM | Sports

Uruguay's top two forwards, Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez, were called up to the national squad on Thursday for friendly matches next month in Indonesia and China.

The squad is almost identical to the one that finished fourth in July in the World Cup in South Africa.

Uruguay faces Indonesia on Oct. 8 in Jakarta, and plays China on Oct. 12 in the central city of Wuhan.

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Team:

Goalkeepers: Juan Castillo (Deportivo Cali), Fernando Muslera (Lazio).

Defenders: Martin Caceres (Sevilla), Jorge Fucile (Porto), Diego Godin (Atletico de Madrid), Diego Lugano (Fenerbhace), Maximiliano Pereira, (Benfical), Andres Scotti (Colo Colo), Carlos Valdez, (Siena), Alvaro Gonzalez (Lazio), Mauricio Victorino (Universidad de Chile).

Midfielders: Sebastian Eguren (Sporting Gijon), Walter Gargano, (Napoli), Ignacio Gonzalez (Levante), Alvaro Pereira, (Porto), Diego Perez (Bologna), Gaston Ramirez (Bologna), Cristian Rodriguez, (Porto), Jorge Rodriguez (Jaguares).

Forwards: Diego Forlan, (Atletico de Madrid), Sebastian Fernandez (Malaga), Sebastian Abreu (Botafogo), Edinson Cavani (Napoli), Abel Hernandez (Palermo), Luis Suarez, (Ajax).

House commission meets to decide on TNI chief candidate

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 09/23/2010 10:00 PM |

After interviewing Indonesian Military (TNI) chief candidate Adm. Agus Suhartono for almost 11 hours, members of the House of Representatives’ defense commission regrouped on Thursday night to hear responses from political parties represented in the commission.

Commission chairman Mahfud Siddiq said the meeting was held behind closed doors.

A minor debate marked the start of the meeting concerning technical matters, such as requirement for Agus to sign an agreement with the commission if he was endorsed and the way the commission would announce the results of the interview.

“But we decided to discuss the matters in the internal meeting,” Mahfud said as quoted by kompas.com.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono nominated Agus, the current Navy chief, as the lone candidate for the TNI chief post, who will replace Gen. Djoko Santoso.

Jamsostek has Rp 4.9t in unclaimed pension fund

Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 09/22/2010 7:05 PM | Business

No less than Rp 4.9 trillion (US$544 million) in pension fund belonging to 4 million participants of state social insurance company PT Jamsostek scheme has remained unclaimed.

The finding followed completion of the company’s new system of information technology to be used to conduct a holistic verification of its members.

Jamsostek president director Hotbonar Sinaga said the firm would trace addresses of the members who had not claimed their pension fund.

“Those members, who have not collected their pension fund, are not active anymore in Jamsostek. But they can still claim their pension fund because they have been joining Jamsostek for more than five years,” Hotbonar told a press conference on Wednesday.

Jamsostek will announce the results of its search for the whereabouts of the 4 million members and ask their families, relatives or heirs to process and collect the pension funds.

However, Hotbonar said the company would strengthen its internal staff before publicly announcing the findings.

“Our internal has to master processing pension claims, so that we can prevent frauds that often happens,” he said.

Field trip budget needs re-evaluation

Hans David Tampubolon, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 09/20/2010 2:55 PM |

One of the House of Representatives deputy speakers said that the state budget allocation for field trips needs to be re-evaluated.

“It [the budget] is between Rp 18 trillion and Rp 19 trillion. We need to re-evaluate and correct it,” Pramono Anung from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) told reporters at the House in Senayan, South Jakarta, on Monday.

Pramono deemed that some of the field trip programs could be made to be more efficient.

“The health ministry receives Rp 150 billion of fund for field trips, that is almost the same with the House that has 560 legislators,” he said.

Court upholds Antasari’s jail term

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 09/21/2010 10:02 PM | National

The Supreme Court has upheld a lower court’s verdict that found former Corruption Eradication Commission Antasari Azhar guilty of a murder.

Antasari’s lawyer Ary Yusuf Amir said his client would file a motion to review the case with the Supreme Court, citing new evidence that could convince the judges to acquit his client.

“We will file the motion in the near future,” the lawyer was quoted by kompas.com on Tuesday.

Ary said Antasari had expressed his disappointment with the verdict, which convicted Antasari and sentenced him to 18 years in jail despite testimony of businessman Haryo Sigid Wibisono.

Imam Sujarwo may be related to Yudhoyono clan

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 09/20/2010 2:13 PM

A legislator from the House of Representatives commission III on law and human rights says that Comr. Gen. Imam Sujarwo, who has been touted as one of the candidates to become the new National Police chief, is still related to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's family.

"Information that we received was that he [Imam] is related to Aulia Pohan," Syarifudin Suding from the People's Conscience Party (Hanura) told reporters by phone on Monday.

Aulia's daughter is the wife of Agus Yudhoyono, the president's eldest son.

According to Suding, the information said that Imam's relation to Aulia was the same with that with Yudhoyono, in terms that their children also married one another.

Suding added that the information would be clarified to Imam during the fit and proper test.

Imam's rival for the police chief job is said to be Comr. Gen. Nanan Sukarna. One of them is to replace Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri, who will retire on Oct. 10.