Sutiyoso cross about checks on time sheets

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Governor Sutiyoso was pleased to find no civil servants or City Hall employees were absent without notice Monday, the first working day after the weeklong Idul Fitri holiday.

 But the smile was soon wiped off his face by the realization that many of his subordinates had checked the afternoon and evening time sheets first thing in the morning. 

 “How can this be? The attendance list must be signed three times a day; in the morning, afternoon and evening,” he grumbled during a visit to the Central Jakarta population agency office.

 He surmised the officials who had tampered with the time sheets were lazy individuals who had wanted to go home early.

 Civil servants and employees of the Jakarta administration enjoyed shorter working hours during the fasting month and began their holiday on Oct. 21.

 The governor, who has made a habit of paying impromptu visits to city offices after holidays, found time sheets had been falsely marked at a number of city offices including Central Jakarta’s public lighting, housing and development supervision agencies.

 In response to the new strategy for avoiding disciplinary action, the governor ordered the heads of all divisions of the city administration to employ attendance technology to discourage officials from knocking off from work early.

 In his inspection of Srengseng subdistrict office in West Jakarta, Sutiyoso told subdistrict head Yan S. Hadi to bring each of the 18 staff members who had signed the time sheets before him.

 Sukesti Martiono, the head of the city administration’s personnel office, said a computerized attendance system had been  successfully applied in some offices.

 “However, such technology is limited to those offices due to funding shortages,” he said as quoted by city official news portal Beritajakarta.

 Sukesti said the computerized system cost Rp 40 million to set up but could only handle the data of 400 staff.

 Only one of the Central Jakarta population agency’s 50 members of staff was absent Monday.

 Bekasi administration, which has 8,963 employees, pledged to sanction the 84 officials who skipped work Monday.

 Bekasi population agency head Rusdjama said a week was long enough for families to get together over Idul Fitri.

 “There is no reason for them to stay longer at home. We will take action against them. However (the type of action) will be decided by each division,” he was quoted as saying by Antara.

 Rusdjama said the 84 civil servants, mostly senior members of staff, had violated government regulations.

 The Bogor administration also inspected its offices Monday.

 Bogor administration official Bambang Gunawan said  anyone who took an extra day off would be found out.

 “We will give warning letters to officials who were absent Monday,” he said.

 As public services resumed Monday, pawnshops across the city reported an influx of customers.
 “We served more than 500 people before 2:30 p.m.,”

Djumari, the manager of Salemba pawnshop in Central Jakarta, said.

Even unarmed men dangerous, police say

Prodita Sabarini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Officers with the Jakarta Police lowered their guns early Sunday to shoot two alleged robbers in the legs as they attempted to pocket a cellular phone in Kramat Bunder, Senen, Central Jakarta.

 The two men, identified as Frenki Gurning alias Toha and Suprapto, were both shot in the right leg by patrolling policemen.

 According to police, the unarmed suspects, residents of Rawa Denok in Depok, had been attempting to take the cell phone from Turyanto Warso, who was carrying it in his hand.

 Turyanto and his sister Rita had just arrived from their hometown, where they had spent Idul Fitri. 
 Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Ketut Untung Yoga Ana said Monday the officers had done the right thing.

 He said the fact the robbers were unarmed could not be assumed and the officers had sensed they were in danger.

 “Anything can be carried out to prevent the taking of other’s lives,” he said.

 In Tangerang, police also shot an alleged robber and murderer in both legs for “resisting arrest”.

 The suspect, identified as Jaji alias Kebo, was shot early Sunday in his hiding place in Cisauk, Tangerang.

 Two days before Idul Fitri on Oct. 24, Jaji and his accomplice — identified only as Amd and currently still at large — killed Marudin, 19, an ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver and took away his motorcycle.

 Marudin’s body was found on Oct. 26, with wounds to his head.     

 A preliminary investigation found the two suspects were the last people to be seen with the victim.
 A tip-off led police to Jaji’s and Amd’s hideout.

 Ketut said unarmed robbers could be dangerous and officers could never let their guard down. 
 “People can kill using their bare hands,” he said.

 In the month of Ramadhan and during the Idul Fitri holiday, the Jakarta Police shot nine alleged robbers, killing five of them.

 Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Adang Firman had given a shoot-on-sight order to secure the Idul Fitri holiday.

Clean-up program brightens up N. Jakarta slum

Behind the dusty streets of North Jakarta, on the Muara Angke River, lies Kapuk Muara.  

 Walled in by two-story row houses its narrow alleys are shady and cool, a respite from the heat.  

 Two hundred families live in the neighborhood unit, which is one of 13 in the area.

 Their semipermanent homes, which measure no more than 15 square meters each, are clean and comfortable.

 The residents have amassed collections of potted plants, placing them overhead and underfoot on every available space.

 But there has also been room set aside in the one-meter-wide alleys for the plastic trash bins that stand outside every home.  

 Mothers and older siblings perch on their doorsteps minding babies and toddlers. They are drawn together, like a neighborhood playgroup, by the proximity of their homes.

 “It was difficult convincing the residents to spend their limited earnings on something like plants,” said Dati,  the wife of the Kapuk Muara neighborhood chief.

 “It was even harder to stop them dumping their rubbish in the alley.”

 Situated about a kilometer from the coast, Kapuk Muara has been occupied for more than 15 years by migrants from Madura, Central and West Java.

 Most residents make their living as street vendors or factory workers or taking outsourced safety helmet orders.

 Before 1999, kampongs in the area were considered underdeveloped and categorized as slums.
 After being included in several official programs for poverty alleviation — including the Kampong Improvement Program —  things are slowly picking up.

 “We may still be living in a poor neighborhood, but at least we take pride in the physical condition of our environment,” Dati said.

 Almost 80 percent of the houses are semipermanent with cement floors and brick-and-timber walls, but the emerald green leaves that trail down over the concrete have made a world of difference.

 Even the poorest of the poor there try to keep up with the program, lovingly tending their plants.

 “I first received several plants for free from the district administration. Later on I bought empty pots and planted some more on my own,” said 80-year-old widow Lindahwati, a regular recipient of government cash aid for the poor.

 The North Jakarta municipal administration funded a neighborhood improvement program to the tune of Rp 60 million.

 Each household received two to three pot plants and was later on required to plant medicinal herbs.
 “It took a while before we saw the results of the improvement program. And as soon as people here felt the benefits, they tried harder to maintain this condition,” Dati added.

 Five years on, the dirty and run-down neighborhood  is a brighter and more attractive place to live.
 There may be a long way to go before house values in the area go up, but the improvement program has mobilized residents around the powerful idea that they are responsible for their surroundings.

 Kampong improvement expert Johan Silas argues that kampongs should be maintained to balance
commercial and modern urban development.

 They also maintain the ethnic ambience and character of individual areas of the city.

‘New governor must prioritize population control’

The campaign teams of the gubernatorial candidates are trying to get people into the election spirit by canvassing support for  key issues. But very few Jakartans know who the candidates are or what they stand for. The Jakarta Post asked some people what they expected from the candidates.

 Elyas El Aviv, 25 works for an advertising agency. He lives in Rawasari, Central Jakarta:

 I do not plan to vote in the next gubernatorial election. Not that I don’t care, I just think that all the individuals who are running are qualified for the job.

 The most popular one currently is (deputy governor) Fauzi Bowo. I find his constant self-promotion a bit sleazy. He has used every available means, like the giant posters of himself he has put up all over town.

 I had no idea who he was, but the barrage of news items and publicity shots have made him quite popular now.

 The next governor should tackle urban problems like traffic congestion and the high jobless and crime rates.

 The new governor should be able to communicate to people living outside Jakarta that the city is not a dreamland and that many of the people who live here also have it tough.

 Adika Anindita Tama, 17, is a high school student. He lives with his family in Rawamangun, East Jakarta:
 I am enthusiastic about voting next year. I know a little about the candidates but the information provided by the media is far from enough to help me decide who to vote for. 

 Anyway, it’s still a year away.

 The candidate who wins my vote must have a good understanding of the needs of the people. He should have a clear vision, particularly for welfare programs.

 The new governor also needs to prioritize population control. 

— The Jakarta Post

City residents not distracted by campaigning

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Despite the best efforts of Jakarta’s gubernatorial candidates to mobilize the public and donors, most of the city’s residents are not particularly interested in the upcoming poll.
Erwin Indra, an area manager at a food and beverage company in Jakarta, was representative in his lack of interest.
“I don’t have time to talk about it because I have to keep pace to meet the company’s daily business target,” the former student activist told The Jakarta Post on Saturday in between calls to his two cellular phones.
“Let the politicians worry about the upcoming election,” he said.
The young professional who lives with his family in Ramawangun, East Jakarta, said he knew about the election from newspapers.
“I always attend resident meetings in my neighborhood, but no word has come from the neighborhood or district heads about the election.”
A street vendor on Jl. Inspeksi Saluran Tarum Barat, Kali Malang in East Jakarta, Abdul Malik, was unaware of the election to be held in July.
He said low-income families like his were too busy working to support themselves to think about the election, which would only benefit certain groups.
“I participated in the direct presidential election and voted for members of the House of Representatives, but I have experienced no improvement in my life so far. Talking about the election makes me feel lazy,” he said.
The two Jakarta ID cardholders are among millions residents who have responded coolly to the city’s upcoming elections.
The People’s Voter Education Network (JPPR), a group of inter-faith and non-governmental organizations dedicated to election education, said that the election commission needed to do more to inform the public about direct elections.
In a 2005 survey, the JPPR found that the limited time in elections were prepared had restricted the public’s ability to identify the profiles and programs of candidates.
“Ironically, some election commissions do not support the JPPR’s programs to hold public debates between candidates before  elections,” a report made available to the Post said.
The JPPR monitored direct elections in 193 cities to select mayors or regents last year.
They also monitored gubernatorial elections in West Sumatra, Jambi Bengkulu, South Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and North Sulawesi.
The group distributed voter guides to residents in several areas, including Malang, East Java and Jimbaran in Bali.
The Jakarta Elections Commission has added to
the problem. It is yet to determine the election schedule, organize campaign coordination or candidate registration and logistics — but has allowed candidates to start campaigning.
So while the official list of candidates is yet to be released, public opinion is beginning to build on those on offer, with campaign managers starting early polling.
Content provider PT Benang Komunika Infotama has opened an SMS polling service in which voters can indicate their preference for one of 11 candidates.
The results are posted at Detik.com, but the sample size is unknown as voters are not required to register for
the service.
As of Sunday, the results showed Deputy Governor Fauzi Bowo in the lead, with 52.32 percent of the vote.
Incumbent National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Adang Daradjatun was a distant second with 15.52 percent, followed by noted economist Faisal Basri with 12.77 percent and City Council member Sayogo Hendrosubroto with 12.39 percent.

People change strategies for a more comfortable holiday

Anissa S. Febrina, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

After experiencing a series of agonizingly slow, hot and cramped trips to his hometown during the Idul Fitri holidays,
Handoyo decided to find a better way.
“We previously spent most of our time in traffic because so many people were returning home at the same time,” the 27-year -old office worker from East Java’s Malang said. “To avoid that, I prefer to return (home) after Lebaran.”     This year, Handoyo and his family left for East Java a week later, against the conventional influx to Jakarta.
“That way, we can still enjoy a holiday without having to suffer during the bus ride,” he said.
And many other people have the same idea, as several bus stations filled up with departing travelers during the weekend, the same time as hundreds more buses returned to the city.
On Sunday, South Jakarta’s Lebak Bulus station reported 2,988 departing passengers against the 4,594 arriving from other cities.
That morning, the crowds leaving for their hometowns and their piles of luggage exceeded those who were arriving.
“This year’s holiday traffic is not as dense as several years ago. And we are also seeing a lot of people returning home after Idul Fitri, instead of before,” said M. Noer, a policeman in charge of passenger monitoring at the station.
Noer said the station saw a drop in the number of passengers leaving compared to last year’s data.
East Jakarta’s Pulogadung bus station reported a similar scene, with the number of people returning to Jakarta dropping by 31 percent from the same period last year, while the number of departing passengers rose by 15 percent.
In Kampung Rambutan station, also in East Jakarta, the number of departing passengers rose above the daily normal average of 9,000, station officer Oloan said.
“The number of arriving passengers ranges around the normal numbers we saw last year,” he said.
Meanwhile, West Jakarta’s Kalideres bus station saw a 50 percent drop in passengers during the holiday period, from some 120,000 passengers in 2005, to less than 60,000 this year.
Station officer Wahono said the slump in demand was caused by the rising price of bus tickets and people choosing to leave the city later.
As a result, train stations in the city have begun to see an increase in the number of returning passengers.
“By Sunday morning, we saw a 15 percent increase in returning passengers as against some 185,774 we recorded last year,” Senen station officer A. Sudharta told the Antara news agency.
“Saturday was the busiest day as there was a total
of 27,000 people arriving,”
he said.
State train company PT Kereta Api Greater Jakarta spokesman Ahmad Sujadi estimated a total of 77,000 people would have arrived at five train stations in the city by Sunday.

Safari Park turns to Arab desert

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor

Camels, elephants, snakes and eagles were let loose from their cages for an hour and a-half on
Friday but none of the visitors to the Taman Safari Indonesia Park in Cisarua were scared away.
To spice up the Idul Fitri holiday, the park management held a parade with a Middle Eastern desert theme.
The parade, which also involved dozens of students from the Cipanas district Mardi Yuana Catholic School’s marching band, ran from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
The students were followed by a line of elephants guarded by “Al Fil” troops — part of a depiction of the story of the birth of Prophet Muhammad — and other decorated vehicles, including a Noah’s Arc float, a “flying carpet” and dressed-up camels, eagles and horses supervised by animal keepers in traditional Arab garb.

‘We’re not as stupid as before’

The campaigns have begun for Jakarta’s first-ever direct gubernatorial elections in July and political hopefuls are getting involved in everything from soccer matches to tree-planting days. The Jakarta Post asked people how eager they were to vote for the city’s next governor.

Moch. Ichsan, 42, is a taxi driver living in Pamulang, Tangerang:
To tell the truth, I don’t really pay attention to political issues in Jakarta.
No matter who the governor is, common people like us will always feel life’s hardships. We are often taken advantage of during elections, when political parties or
candidates promise us this and that.
In reality, very few of these pledges are realized.
However, I hope the next Jakartan governor will pay attention to the effect of transportation developments on taxi drivers like myself. The busway project has make our days more difficult and I hope the governor will find a solution that can satisfy everyone.

Erwin H. Juwono, 28, is the owner of a household appliances store in Fatmawati, South Jakarta. He lives in Cibubur, East Jakarta:
People are increasingly aware about the (governor’s election). Some might take “political money” from candidates, but will remain independent when they vote.
I often hear such remarks (about taking the money) from people on the streets and in a neighboring village near my housing complex.
We are not as stupid and oppressed as we were before. Most educated people realize the long-term effects of choosing a quality candidate.
What people in Jakarta need is more public forums so they can really get to know the candidates.

— The Jakarta Post

Spinning discs the ultimate for city students

John Holdaway, Contributor, Jakarta

As the last sounds of the call to prayer fade away in the distance and Jakarta begins to come to life, something new begins to take over in a secondary school in East Jakarta.
It’s the cheers and chattering of local students playing a game from a distant land — Ultimate Frisbee.
While Indonesian students usually stick to the conventional football match, students at SMP Perguruan Rakyat 2 in Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta, were recently engrossed in a sport most people think is reserved for the beach.
Ardy Ferdianto, a member of various theater troupes and a drama teacher, is also a sports coach at the school and introduced the students to Ultimate Frisbee.
After a series of chance meetings with some members of Indonesian frisbee club Discindo, he came along to training one Thursday night and got hooked.
Ultimate was invented by a group of American high school students in the late 1960s.
It is a non-contact, fast-paced game played by men and women on the same field and without referees. A game where sportsmanship is valued above all.
Officially, the game is played by two teams of seven, which line up at opposite ends of a field about 100 meters long and 37 meters wide — that is, about as long as a FIFA World Cup pitch, but somewhat narrower.
There are 18-meter deep end-zones at each end.
You throw the disc to your teammates, trying to make your way down the field and catch it in your opponent’s end zone.
If the disc is dropped or intercepted, the disc changes possession.
The game is now played all over the world, with upwards of 10 annual international tournaments held in East Asia alone, including the Bali Nusantara Cup held by Discindo since the mid-90s.
Ardy’s own fascination with the game soon become contagious.
Friends and theater students came to see what all the fuss was about and ended up joining in.
After Discindo ran a training workshop for around 30 secondary school students from Kampung Melayu back in May and donated a few old discs, the group started their own competition.
Unable to find a large enough space, Ardy and his charges practiced on their own on the 150-square-meter concrete badminton court at their school.
The field presents interesting challenges — the front end of one end zone is marked by a foot high concrete step!
These practices culminated in the Poncol Cup, the first Ultimate Frisbee tournament in Indonesia to feature only local players.
As there were 16 teams
and just one day for preliminary rounds, a single loss meant elimination for that unlucky team.
Fortunately for the most eager players, no-one seemed to worry too much about team rosters. One player was spotted suiting up for 3 different teams.
Even one of the local motorcycle taxi drivers joined in for a few points to help out the Bad Fresh team in their quarter-final against the Crazy team.
By the end of the day the 16 teams had been whittled down to four: Stupid, Crazy, Ketupat and Kancil.
The final, played the following week on a soccer field in Bung Karno Sports Complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, provided by Discindo, was won by Ketupat, but there was plenty of fine play by all involved.
The Kampung Melayu Ultimate players took a break for the fasting month. They plan to continue coming to Discindo training sessions in Senayan, but are going to focus their efforts on raising money for their own field closer to home.
And, of course, spreading the gospel of Ultimate Frisbee throughout Jakarta and beyond.

For further information on Klub Frisbee Jakarta, please contact the author at johnholdaway@gmail.com. For further information on Discindo visit www.ultimateindonesia.com.