Rattan export ban will benefit local industry: Minister

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 11/08/2011 1:40 PM

Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan has assured that a regulation that will ban rattan exports will benefit all domestic stakeholders, especially local rattan farmers.

The ministerial regulation will ensure that rattan produced by farmers would be used by local craftsmen.

“I have discussed [the regulation] with the industry minister, the forestry minister and the governors of Central Kalimantan and West Sulawesi,” Gita said Monday as quoted by tribunnews.com.

He added that the regulation would also put an end to illegal rattan exports which harm the environment.

“We have promised to provide the rattan industry and craftsmen with training and development, not just in Java but also in Kalimantan and Sulawesi,” Gita said, pointing out that Kalimantan and Sulawesi were

Indonesia's main rattan production centers.

If everything goes according to the government plan, the ministry will ban rattan exports in December this year.

New law minister, deputy report wealth to KPK

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 10/31/2011 2:43 PM

Law and Human Rights Minister Amir Syamsudin and Deputy Minister Denny Indrayana on Monday visited the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) office in Jakarta to deliver wealth status reports, after both were inaugurated only recently.

“We come here to submit our wealth reports,” Amir said before entering the KPK office.

Since Yudhoyono appointed both Amir and Denny in his latest Cabinet reshuffle, the two have launched several programs, including raids on airport immigration offices and penitentiaries in Jakarta.

The ministry also recently introduced a new regulation halting the granting of remissions for corruption and terrorist convicts. (rpt)

Batam stands out in housing management, says minister

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 10/25/2011 11:59 AM

Public Housing Minister Djan Faridz says Batam has set good example in how to manage the housing industry, particularly in providing good access to available land and affordable public apartments.

Djan added that the management of the industry was in line with the government’s efforts to provide decent housing for all people.

“Low-cost apartments are the answer to the question of how the government can provide decent housing facilities,” Djan said Tuesday as quoted by kompas.com.

Batam government was also a recent recipient of the Adi Upaya Puritama Award for its inspiring role in providing affordable rental apartments for the public in the Mukakuning region.

MA-60 planes are in good condition to fly: Minister

The Jakarta Post | Mon, 05/23/2011 8:56 AM | National

Transportation Minister Freddy Numberi has said the Merpati Nusantara Airlines MA-60 airplanes were all in good condition to fly.

“All the MA-60 planes can fly again. We have checked them technically and there were no problems,” he said as quoted by kompas.com on Sunday.

However, he said, his ministry had yet to finish a management audit on Merpati such as procedure evaluation, pilot training and simulator.

“This is still underway,” he said

A China-made Merpati MA-60 airplane crashed in West Papua recently, killing all 27 people on board.

Group 78 to consult with minister, FIFA

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sun, 05/22/2011 9:56 PM | Sports

After a deadlock at the Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI) congress, the controversial Group 78 said on Sunday that they would consult with the State Minister for Youth and Sports Affairs, Andi Mallarangeng, and FIFA to resolve the PSSI leadership problem.

The group also expected there would be no sanction from FIFA.

“We hope our problem will be handled by the new FIFA president, as we thought the current FIFA officials had violated their authority,” PSM Makassar legal director Syahrir Cakkari said on Sunday as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Syahrir said FIFA officials had breached their authority by banning four PSSI chairman candidates – George Toisutta, Arifin Panigoro, Nirwan Bakrie and Nurdin Halid – without clear reasons.

He said George and Nirwan should be eligible to run for the PSSI chairmanship.

He did not mind that Nurdin and Arifin were ineligible, as Nurdin was a convict while Arifin held a league outside the leagues recognized by the PSSI.

Future of RI oil, gas in deep water, frontier areas: Minister

The Jakarta Post | Wed, 05/18/2011 1:50 PM | Business

Unexplored oil and gas reserves in eastern Indonesia could be vital to the country's energy supply in future, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Darwin Zahedy Saleh said Wednesday.

"While many oil and gas fields are maturing, continuing their natural decline, we're optimistic that the frontier and deep water areas, mostly in eastern Indonesia, will contribute significantly to future production," Darwin said at the opening of the 35th Indonesian Petroleum Association (IPA) Annual Convention and Exhibition in Jakarta.

He added that the government had launched several initiatives to encourage investment in this area, including to increase the number of offered working acreages for oil, gas, coal bed methane (CBM) and geothermal energy. 

"We're confident we'll see a positive response to new blocks offered in deep water and fontier areas such as Semai, Halmahera, West Ary, South West Timor and South Java," Darwin said.

Minister admits lack of moral virtues taught at school

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 05/02/2011 10:55 AM | National

National Education Minister Muhammad Nuh admits that students nowadays are not exposed enough to the teaching of moral virtues important to support students' character development.

He also said that a current lack of role models might partly contribute to this lack of development.

“We, both as educators and adults, do not adequately teach them on honesty, reliability and self-improvement,” Nuh said before thousands of participants of the National Education day commemoration at the ministry’s hall on Monday as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Commenting on the decreasing quality of annual examination results, Nuh said right now the government was deliberating the best measures needed to cope with the problems encountered during the organization of the last national examination.

Nurdin files lawsuit against sports minister

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 04/07/2011 9:31 AM | Sports

Nurdin Halid, who is no longer recognized by world soccer authority FIFA as the chairman of the Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI), on Thursday plans to file a lawsuit against Youth and Sports Affairs Minister Andi Mallarangeng for the latter's decision to freeze the PSSI executive committee and its office.

"We will file our suit at the State Administrative Court today," PSSI lawyer Sitor Situmorang from the Indra Sahnun Lubis Law Firm said Thursday as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Sitor also said the PSSI had also reported Persebaya 1927 chairman Saleh Iskandar Mukadar to the police for defamation against Nurdin Halid, Nugroho Besoes and Nirwan Bakrie.

He said Saleh had issued a statement that the PSSI was only being used in the interests of the 2014 presidential election, and was only being managed by the trio Nurdin, Nugraha and Nirwan.

House halts meeting with Health Minister on contaminated milk products

The Jakarta Post | Thu, 02/17/2011 10:01 PM | National

The House of Representatives Commission IX on health decided on Thursday to stop a meeting with the Health Minister, the Bogor Agriculture Institute (IPB) and two other institutions as the IPB insisted on concealing the identities of bacteria-contaminated milk products.

“This meeting is delayed until Monday…,” Commission IX deputy chairman Ahmad Nizar Shihab said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

An IPB dean, I Wayan Teguh Wibawan, refused to identify the bacteria-contaminated milk products to legislators during the meeting, saying IPB had not yet received a copy of the verdict from the Supreme Court ordering the disclosure of the contaminated milk products found in a 2006 IPB research.

Wayan also said he needed to consult with the IPB rector about any decision to announce the research results.

The House will summon the IPB rector, Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih and Food and Drugs Monitoring Agency (BPOM) chairwoman Kustantinah on Monday over the issue.

Religious affairs minister plays down attack on Islamic boarding school

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 02/16/2011 12:54 PM | National

Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali on Wednesday played down the seriousness of a recent attack on an Islamic boarding school in Pasuruan, East Java, saying it was just an ordinary student brawl.

“I was informed that the incident was just an ordinary brawl among students of Islamic boarding schools,” Suryadharma said Wednesday in Jakarta, as quoted by antaranews.com.

He said Tuesday’s attack had occurred because students had been mocking each other, adding that police would thoroughly investigate the case.

A caretaker of Al Ma’hadul Islam Boarding School had earlier suspected the attack may have been because its teachings were different to the majority of boarding schools in the area.

Minister asked to appoint acting mayor for South Tangerang

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang | Thu, 01/13/2011 10:20 PM | Archipelago

South Tangerang residents have asked Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi to directly appoint an official from the ministry office to replace acting mayor Eutik Suarta, an official at the Banten provincial administration, who will vacate his post on Jan. 24.

“We proposed this to the minister as part of efforts to maintain neutrality in the mayoral election re-run,” former chairman of the South Tangerang Formation Presidium Zarkasih Noor said in a discussion Thursday.

He said he had sent a letter requesting the minister to select a substitute for the acting mayor from the ministry office.

“We want the mayoral election re-run to go smoothly and honestly,” he said.

Agil Novebrianto, a student activist, concurred.

He said it had been proven that the current acting mayor Eutik Suarta failed to show his neutrality in the election process.

The recent South Tangerang election result was annulled by the Constitution Court, which then ordered a re-run next month.

Home minister at loggerheads with legislators

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 12/16/2010 1:57 PM | National

An argument between Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi, and the House of Representatives arose during the plenary meeting Thursday.

The argument heated when House Speaker Pramono Anung did not grant Gamawan permission to address a protest from lawmaker Aria Bima.

Aria protested at the start of the plenary meeting on Gamawan's earlier comment on Yogyakarta's special status.

"There's a discrimination in saying something," Gamawan had said in front of lawmakers.

Pramono refused to grant permission to the minister to address the comment saying it would constitute a personal statement.

"The minister represents the President in this respected meeting," he said.

He added that Gamawan's personal statement could be shared "in another forum". (gzl)