Desi Anwar | September 03, 2010

I attended Dino Patti Djalal’s farewell gathering this past week. He and his lovely wife, Rosa, are soon off to Washington, DC, where Dino will serve as Indonesia’s ambassador to the United States, and I can’t contain my sense of pride that we have him to represent us in the world’s most powerful nation.

It is not only because he is probably the youngest Indonesian ambassador ever to fill such an important position or because he speaks so eloquently — though these are useful tools in the world of diplomacy — but mainly because I think he and Rosa are the ideal faces to represent our country on the international stage.

Modern, intelligent, open-minded and optimistic, they embody the best of Indonesia, and I hope their presence in Washington will reinforce America’s view of this country as a modern, dynamic and moderate nation that can play a significant role in global politics that are increasingly marked by religious extremism and a growing divisiveness.

Indeed, Indonesia’s image can only benefit from the couple’s energy, confidence, affability and the ease with which they move in international settings. I don’t doubt for a minute they will work hard to raise the country’s profile and improve America’s understanding of Indonesia as more than a place where natural disasters occur and terrorists breed.

My concern, however, is what happens when they actually succeed in promoting Indonesia as a young, vibrant and modern country with endless potential and enormous resources that is ready to take on the world, when in fact we are anything but. The image that we project — in the reassuring posture of our president as he struts the world stage, in the smart and indomitable spirit of former Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and soon in the genial and energetic figure of our young ambassador — has little correlation with the reality behind the brand that is Indonesia.

Dino’s farewell speech reflected this concern. Even as he is optimistic about the path ahead and where the country is going, the fact is that Indonesia is at a crossroads, pulled between the desire to progress and embrace modernity and the inclination to retreat into conservatism and orthodoxy. Between a nationalism that is open-minded and inclusive and one that is narrow-minded and inward looking. Between forces that are impatient to implement democratic values and those nostalgic for firm authoritarianism. Between those who wish for pluralism and those who are happier if the majority calls the shots.

It is a battle of ideas and aspirations constantly played out in discourses at all levels, fanned by a noisy and lively media and hyperactive social networks. My worry is when these battles of ideas are seized upon by the forces in power as an opportunity to turn reactionary tendencies into political tools of repression; an opportunity to transform dynamism into static orthodoxy and an insidious means to inject into the nation’s system a particular value at the expense of our collective interests.

It’s one thing when groups clash over their differences. A democracy creates room to allow for these differences, but also sets up the means for their peaceful resolution, including proper sanctions for those who impose their beliefs through destructive means. But when the government starts taking sides, whether for populist, political or religious reasons, then we are treading on dangerous ground.

When the minister of religion bans the belief of a minority group in favor of the majority, then he is in effect sanctioning intolerance and undermining the country’s pluralist principles and fundamental ideals. When the minister of information goes out of his way to limit freedom of expression and poke his nose into people’s private affairs, then he is draining the life out of the democratic system that gave him the opportunity to be where he is now.

The struggle of ideas and beliefs becomes one-sided when leaders start picking and choosing which battles they wish to champion and which they prefer to push aside. Democracy will become short-lived when legislators draw up laws based on their fear and ignorance of the very meaning of the word, preferring the comfort of a constricting world they understand to the burden of the responsibility and open-mindedness that come with freedom.

I just hope someone like Dino can convince the world we are winning our struggle to keep the country on the path of progress and democracy, that we are not regressing into backwardness and insularity. Because if other countries believe we are on the right path, then we might just believe it ourselves. Good luck.

Desi Anwar is a senior anchor and writer. She can be contacted at www.desianwar.com and www.dailyavocado.net.

RUMORS

Report: Revamped Apple TV Will Include Netflix Streaming
Reality: Correct. Late Tuesday night, Bloomberg cited “three people with knowledge of the plans” and reported that Jobs would announce a revamped Apple TV capable of streaming content from Netflix’s Watch Instantly library. A week after Netflix added streaming support to the iPhone and iPod touch, Jobs announced that that capability will also extend to the new Apple TV when it launches later this month.

Report: Apple Working on 99-Cent TV Show Rental Service
Reality: Correct. A week before the press event, Bloomberg also reported that Apple would introduce a 99-cent TV show rental service. Jobs announced Wednesday that users will indeed be allowed to rent TV shows on the new, streaming-only Apple TV for 99 cents. Bloomberg said Apple was in talks with News Corp.’s Fox, CBS, and Walt Disney to add the companies’ content. On Wednesday, Jobs said Apple was only able to secure deals with Fox and ABC, but hoped to add more networks soon.

Report: Apple iTV, Running iOS, Coming in September for $99
Reality: Partially Correct. In late August, Digg founder Kevin Rose said in a blog post that he’d heard rumors about a revamped Apple TV, renamed iTV, which would be sold for $99 in September and run iOS. While Apple did indeed introduce a new Apple TV that will be available later this month, it was not renamed iTV. As for iOS, Apple did not specify which OS Apple TV will run. Engadget first reported the revamped Apple TV rumors (sans the iTV moniker) in May, and was correct when it said the new Apple TV would emphasize streaming over local storage.

Report: Revamped Apple ‘iTV’ Won’t Have True HD
Reality: Correct. That Engadget piece also reported that the new Apple TV would be capable of full 1080p HD. In August, however, the blog reported that Apple TV would actually stick with the 720p format. According to the Apple TV tech specs, that is correct. Apple TV includes “H.264 video up to 720p,” they said.

Report: Apple Will Extend iTunes Song Preview Length
Reality: Incorrect. On Tuesday, CNet reported that Jobs might announce an extended music preview length in iTunes. Instead of hearing a 30-second snippet, Apple would provide a 90-second preview of a given song. Jobs, however, made no mention of such a feature in his presentation. [Update: CNet on Thursday reported that the National Music Publishers Association told Apple that it needed to negotiate with music publishers, not just record labels, if it wanted to implement such a feature.]

Report: Apple Presentation Will Not Include Cloud-Based iTunes
Reality: Correct. In the same story, CNet reported that Apple would probably not introduce a cloud-based music service because it has not yet obtained the licenses required for such an undertaking. While Apple TV switched from a download model to a streaming-only model, Jobs did not take iTunes to the cloud in his Wednesday presentation. Apple purchased and subsequently killed cloud-based music service Lala last year, prompting some to speculate about Apple’s plans for the cloud, but no such service has been announced.

Report: Apple Will Unveil a 7-Inch ‘Mini’ iPad
Reality: Not a chance. In August, DigiTimes’s in-house analyst team predicted that Apple will release an iPad with a 7-inch screen, down from the current 9.7-inch display. This prompted speculation that the announcement would happen during Apple’s fall event, but Apple September events have traditionally been music-centric, so it’s not a huge surprise that Wednesday’s event did not include any hardware upgrades for the iPad.

PREDICTIONS AND WISH LISTS

PCMag audio analyst Tim Gideon made a few predictions in advance of Wednesday’s press conference, while Wendy Sheehan Donnell, managing editor for consumer electronics, put together an “iTV” wish list. Did they get everything they predicted or wanted?

Prediction: Touch Screen on the iPod nano
Reality: Correct. Tim said leaked photos of new iPod cases appeared to leave space for a nano touch screen. The new iPod nano does in fact include a 1.54-inch multi-touch display.

Prediction: Entire iPod Line Has Morphed from Screen-and-Click Wheel to Touch Screen
Reality: Partially Correct. The iPod nano did, in fact, get a touch-based interface, but clickable buttons remain on the shuffle, and the iPod classic.

Prediction: Apple Will Keep the iPod classic Alive to Appease Devoted Base with Huge Music Libraries
Reality: Correct. Jobs did not mention the iPod classic in his presentation, but it remains on the Apple Web site. As Tim pointed out, a 64GB iPod touch – the largest iPod touch available – can’t come close to the 160GB of storage available on an iPod classic, available for $249.

Prediction: Apple Will Kill Off the iPod Line, Make Everything an iPad
Reality: Incorrect. The iPod line lives on.

Prediction: New iPod touch Will Include FaceTime
Reality: Correct. In a rundown of Apple rumors, Tim said FaceTime on the iPod touch was very likely. He was correct. Apple added a front-facing camera to the device and the FaceTime video chat application currently available on the iPhone 4.

Wish List: iPod touch Gets a Video Camera
Reality: Granted. In addition to a front-facing camera with FaceTime, Apple also added a rear-facing camera with HD video recording to the iPod touch.

Wish List: Everything Works Together
Reality: Wait for it. Tim asked for an Apple TV that could play the games, movies, apps, and TV shows you downloaded on your iPhone or iPad. While that was not part of Wednesday’s announcements, Jobs did show off a demo of AirPlay, which will be available in November with iOS 4.2. It will allow users to stream content from any iOS device to an Apple TV. Start watching something on Apple TV in the living room, walk into another room, and pick it up on the iPad.

Wish List: A 128GB iPod touch
Reality: Sorry, check back next year. The iPod touch still maxes out at 64GB.

Wish List: A Better Apple TV Remote
Reality: Sort of. Wendy wanted an Apple TV that could be controlled via iPod touch, iPhone, or iPad, as well as a more full-featured remote. While Apple revamped the design and introduced a silver remote to replace the old white one, the upgrade was primarily cosmetic and did not include any major feature enhancements.

Wish List: Apple TV Subscription Pricing
Reality: Nope. Wendy wanted a flat monthly fee that would let you stream as much content as you please. While Apple added Netflix streaming and 99-cent TV show rentals, it did not introduce an unlimited plan a la Hulu Plus.

Wish List: Cable TV Tie-In and DVR Capabilities on Apple TV
Reality: Ha. This was an admittedly 99.9 percent unlikely announcement, but we had to try. “A do-it-all device that eliminates the need for a cable box or a DVR sure would be nice,” Wendy wrote, but alas, no announcement from Jobs.

Source : PCmag.com

Samsung yesterday introduced its Galaxy Tab, and from the looks of this 7-inch Android-powered tablet, it seems like it might be the first true Apple iPad contender. Since April, there have been a raft of reports of upcoming tablets from HP, Best Buy, LG, RIM, and others. The iPad has dominated this overhyped tablet space, not just because it’s a well-executed device; but very few tablets have actually made it to market. And those that are (or were) available, haven’t really made an impact. JooJoo anyone? We didn’t think so.

This is not to say that the Galaxy Tab is available. According to Samsung, the Tab will come to Europe this month and to the U.S. “in coming months.” But at least the company showed an actual working device at the IFA trade show in Berlin. In anticipation of the Galaxy Tab’s availability, we put it side by side with the Apple iPad to see how they stack up specwise.

Source : PCmag.com

IBRD Loan: US$90 million

Terms: Maturity = 25 years; Grace = 10 years

Project ID: P118540

Project Description: The objective of the Santa Catarina Rural Competitiveness Project for Brazil is to increase the capacity of family producer organizations to compete and open markets, contributing to increase incomes and wellbeing in the rural area.

Contacts:

Gabriela Aguilar Martinez

(202) 473-6768 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (202) 473-6768      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

gaguilar2@worldbank.org

For more project information, please visit:

http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&theSitePK=523679&entityID=000112742_20100812135837&searchMenuPK=64187283&theSitePK=523679

Source : web.worldbank.org

This orange Rubberseal symbolically handed over the sticker with 3 kg of LPG usage instructions on the handle tube by the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, accompanied by the Governor of Yogyakarta Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, to the representatives of District residents Turi.

Rubberseal and stickers will be released gradually in Central Java and Yogyakarta. For the first phase, 6.5 million and 1 million stickers rubberseal will be launched. Distribution rubberseal and stickers is a joint venture with Pertamina Oil and Gas Hiswana IV DPD Central Java and Yogyakarta.

On occasion, Pertamina President reminded, there are four things that must be considered when purchasing LPG. First, where the agent is weighed first. Second, dipped into the water to see the leak. For both cases when the scales are not appropriate or leakage occurs, it can be returned to the agent.

“Third, check if the stamp seal the tube. If difficult to open the tube dioplos yet, but if by hand dicukil cup seal can then be bought, “said Karen Agustiawan.

Fourth, there must be rubberseal in the tube. If not, please be returned. “What must be remembered, for all components used in packs must download it there,” said president director of Pertamina. (KO)

Source : www.esdm.go.id

“The cause of delay is indeed a lot of things, not just one factor. But if the airline bisa guard OTP, we can minimize it. Because at that time, the frequency of flights is very high. Once this happened delay at one airport, the effects can be long ke another airport, “explained the Director General of Civil Aviation Ministry of Communications S Gumay Herry Bakti, Thursday (2 / 9).

According to Director General Herry, the potential for delays during Lebaran transport will be high. Because at that time, the number of passengers and flight frequency will increase sharply from the normal days. From the regulatory side of his own, he added, DGCA for permission to set up publishing schedule additional flights (flights extra).

“Permit us to remove the extra flight so that all passengers can be transported. Well, the addition of this flight schedule is also a potential for delay if the time slot arrangements can not be followed by the order by an airline. Until now, the additional seats which prompted the airline has already reached more than 150 thousand seats , “he added.

Related to the potential delay, DG Herry also asked officials at the airport to actively provide information to passengers to avoid unrest.

Scheduled Air Transport HEMI subdirectorate Pamuraharjo added, efforts to minimize the delay was spelled out during Lebaran difficult. Apart from the availability factor of aircraft, aircraft traffic control based on flight schedules, as well as keterseimbangan amount of human resources who owned the airline with the frequency also contribute to the delay.

“Then there are weather factors that can not be circumvented, and the limited capacity of the airport. Thus when peak season is definitely solid. If there was a delay of just one plane, then everything is taxable. Permission to land which must be complied with the airline given airport. Related to that, spending extra we keep the right flight by reference to the availability of airport capacity and operating time, “he explained.

Meanwhile, President Director of PT Angkasa Pura II (Persero) Tri S Sunoko explained, it would anticipate membludaknya passenger plane.

“Later flights will be given additional rations outside the regular flight landed, so the addition will be done at night,” he said. (DIP)

Source : www.dephub.go.id

Some of the themes raised in the FGDs the principle of Horizontal Separation Between Ownership and Land Building, Building Construction Encumbrance pursuant to Law No.42 of 1999 on Fiduciary and Procedures for Issuance and Renewal SBKBG.

Plt. Director of Building and Environmental Planning (PBL), Directorate General of Cipta Karya Antonius Budiono said, the series of FGDs is very important in order to obtain a common perception by the agency terkaait

In connection with the theme of FGD First, he argued, some problems related to the need for separation of ownership of the building and land ownership, among other things owned housing development that uses land or assets the government would cause the loss or decline in government assets.

Furthermore, he argued, should have an understanding of perception between “land” and “not soil” (principle of horizontal separation). Land is set in the BAL, while the building is set in accordance with mandated by Law No.. 28/2002. Countries adhering to the principle of horizontal separation between buildings and land including Japan.
“Through this discussion I hope there is the meeting point in order to synchronize the settings of buildings and land ownership in the Republic of Indonesia. FGD is an opportunity to put forward ideas, ideas or even solve problems related to the separation of ownership of the building and land, “he said.

Regulation associated with the formation process, the Head BPHN Ahmad Ramli said the current M BPHN not only handle about the regulation. But the bill also, in which each day handling more than 10 bill. However, he said, the Bill on land is one bill that included in the priority programs of national legislation. So perpres also a priority.

He thinks there are four main things that must be considered in drafting perpres. That is, regulation should mempuyai clarity of purpose, the strengthening of synchronization between the institutions, the adjustment of the type and substance of Presidential and final rules should be implemented.

“When the regulation was eventually out, should be able to benefit society, such as ease of certification services, rather than vice versa. Since the main purpose of the issuance of Presidential Regulation is to the welfare of society, “he said. (DVT)

Source : www.pu.go.id

Jakarta. The number of Internet users in Indonesia is expected to triple by 2015, fueling growth for media companies and phone carriers, according to a study released on Wednesday by Boston Consulting Group.

The study found that the total number of Internet users in the so-called BRIC nations — Brazil, Russia, India and China — and Indonesia will double to 1.2 billion by 2015.

That will be three times the number in the United States and Japan combined, up from two times as much at the end of 2009.

While mobile phones with Internet access will aid growth, personal computers will double in the five countries to more than 920 million, according to the report.

As consumers gain more access to the Internet, they’ll also spend more time online, providing a boon to entertainment providers, Boston Consulting Group said.

The surge in Web use will benefit media companies such as China’s Tencent Holdings and phone carriers including Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom), analysts said.

“The fastest-growing Internet markets are those with low penetration rates and strong economies, and the BRIC countries all fall into these categories,” said Jake Li, an Internet analyst at Guotai Junan Securities in Shenzhen, China.

“The opportunities for online advertising and e-com merce in these markets are huge.”

The number of SIM cards in use in Indonesia will top 100 percent of the population by 2015, meaning some users will have multiple devices, the report said.

Tucker Grinnan, head of Asian telecommunications research at HSBC Holdings in Hong Kong, advises buying Telkom, the nation’s largest phone company, and Tencent, Asia’s biggest Internet company by market value.

“Of the three markets, China, India and Indonesia, we believe that Indonesia has the best prospects for organic growth in telecommunications revenue,” Grinnan said. “There is still a big rural opportunity.”

Only 12 percent of Indonesians use the Internet, and only 5 percent use personal computers, but both of those rates are expected to triple by 2015, the report said.

Twenty percent of China’s population owns a personal computer, compared with 32 percent in Brazil and Russia and 90 percent in the U.S. and Japan, Boston Consulting said.

Tens of millions of additional users get online at Internet cafes or shared home or work computers, giving China 384 million Internet users at the end of last year, almost triple the total in 2006, the report said.

However, mobile phone penetration in Indonesia was 66 percent, higher than in India or China.

About 20 percent of Indonesian mobile phone users have more than one SIM card, and nine percent have two phones for personal use, mostly to take advantage of discounted network rates with family and friends.

With such high mobile penetration, the study found “unusually high” rates of mobile Internet use in Indonesia, with nine million mobile users, up from just 2.3 million in 2007.

The use of mobile e-mail and mobile payments and e-commerce was highest among the five countries studied.

“Indonesian digital consumers use their mobile-handset connections to meet a variety of needs that are typically met in other countries through PC-based Internet,” it said.

“Given the prevalence of mobile phone use in general among Indonesians, and their adoption of 3G, mobile Internet could well emerge as an alternative to home PC use and become a key growth pocket as 3G becomes more affordable and available.”

Source: Jakarta Globe

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For further info, please visit : www.thepalladiumgroup.com

“We can’t properly tackle global priorities of food security, renewable
energy, adaptation to climate change, public health, and urbanization unless
we manage water better,” said Julia Bucknall, Water Sector Manager for the
World Bank. “And to manage water better, we really can’t sidestep solid
hydrological analysis.”

The Mid-Cycle Implementation Progress Report for the Water Resources Strategy—
entitled Sustaining Water for All in a Changing Climate—reaffirms the
soundness of the Bank Group’s 2003 water strategy and project implementation
track record. It notes highly satisfactory outcome ratings for Bank water
projects, and an appropriate emphasis on high-priority countries, that is,
countries whose people face obstacles to their access to water.

Source :  World Bank Online