Short News Overview - January Edition
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Transcript of Short News Overview - January Edition
Edition : January 2011
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January, is the first month in this New Year, 2011. Many events, including political, economy, and social event, happened in Indonesia and filled this month. The Government of Indonesia faces many problems including disappointment from civil society about how the government works. For example corruption, law mafia, and also tax mafia cases have to be highlighted. Then, MDGs achievement for all targets in 2015 is really hard to be achieved and accomplished in time. Many conditions, such as poverty, malnutrition, maternal health, women empowerment, and water and sanitation, have no significant progress for the achievement.
HEADLINE NEWS
SBY, the President of Indonesia, Attacked by AntiFalsehood Declaration
Rakyat Merdeka, January 25, 2011 Ninety nine non‐governmental organizations and public figures proclaimed “Three Demands of the People against Lie about Corruption and Mafia Eradication” in Corruption Eradication Commission Building, Kuningan, Jakarta, Tuesday (25/1). Tens of public figures and academicians who participate on that declaration, such as Adhie Massardi, Bambang Widjojanto, Bambang Widodo Umar, Bivitri Susanti, Erry Riana Hardjapamengkas, M. Sobry, MM Billah, Mudji Sutrisno, Neta S. Pane, Saldi Isra, Radhar Panca Dahana, Samsuddin Haris, Taufik Basari, Teten Masduki, Tommy Legowo, Topo Santoso, and Yanuar Rizky. Whereas tens of non‐governmental organizations, such as AKKSI, ANBTI, ATKI, DEMOS, ELSAM, Forest Watch Indonesia, Forum LSM Yogyakarta, Imparsial, ICW, International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID), Institut Hijau Indonesia (Green Institute Indonesia), Jatam, Kiara, Kontras, Lima, Pukat, Walhi, YLBHI, and TII. The declaration explains that Indonesian people want to get their freedom from corruptors’ colonization, are nauseated with the pretensions on corruption and law mafia eradication, especially on Gayus Tambunan case. The President of Indonesia Republic, as a head of state, must lead war against corruption, tax mafia, and law mafia by himself, without falsehood, in all seriousness, and not only a discourse. They also demand about (system) cleansing in some institutions,
Beside, Indonesia faces foreign debt problem that is also hard to be paid off. One of event/news that describes the political situation in Indonesia about the relations between the government and civil society will be the headline news in this SNO January edition. Moreover, there are news about MDGs achievement in Indonesia and many other news related to situation in Indonesia
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such as Police Force, Attorney, Court, Directorate General of Tax, Law and Human Rights Ministry, and all other institutions if there is official who takes part on law mafia network. And for the last, Corruption Eradication Commission must lead and finish law investigation about Gayus Tambunan scandal and corporates which avoid tax payment, together with Police Force and Attorney. All of demands on the declaration were read by Radhar Panca Dahana, a cultural observer, after they met head of Corruption Eradication Commission, Busyro Muqqadas and Bibit Samad Rianto. Source
INDONESIA UP DATE
MDGs Achievement
Govt to expand cash aid, microcredit to ease poverty
The Jakarta Post/ January 5, 2011 ‐ Spearheaded by strong macroeconomic figures, the government is aiming to accelerate poverty alleviation this year by boosting conditional cash aid and microcredit for middle‐low‐ and low‐income families. Coordinating Public Welfare Minister Agung Laksono said the government would reduce the percentage of poor people in the country to 8 to 10 percent by the end of 2014 so long as it could reduce the rate by at least 1 percent per year. The poverty rate has declined by 0.6 percent per year on average since 2004.
The government said the number of poor had significantly decreased to 31.02 million in 2010, or 13.3 percent of the total population, as a result of improved economic growth and the success of
poverty alleviation programs.
Agung said the government would further improve the implementation of its social welfare programs such as the Community Empowerment National Program (PNPM Mandiri) and people’s micro credit (KUR), and conditional cash transfers under the Hopeful Family Program (PKH), which targeted middle‐low‐ to low‐income families. For low‐income families, the government intends to complement these prnograms with in‐kind transfers, such as rice for poor households (Raskin), and social health insurance (Jamkesmas).
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Govt vows to improve sanitation and water The Jakarta Post/ January 8, 2011 ‐ The Indonesian government is committed to improving the country’s living conditions as part of its efforts to prevent illnesses and death caused by unsanitary conditions, which often affects the poor, a minister says. Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih said healthier living conditions were required in the country. Households with healthier living conditions, including adequate sanitation and safe drinking water, will suffer fewer deaths from environment related diseases, especially water‐borne illnesses. Under the MDGs, the number of households with sustainable access to safe drinking water is projected to reach 68.87 percent of the total population by 2015. The number of households with access to adequate sanitation is projected to reach 62.37 percent of the total population by 2015. It seems likely that Indonesia will need to work harder to achieve these targets. Full Text VP : RI must safeguard food needs ANTARA News/ January 19, 2011 ‐ Vice President Boediono said on Wednesday Indonesia must really safeguard its food needs, arguing food problems are affecting not only the country but the world as well. "Food will become a persistent issue and therefore, we must really safeguard our food needs," he said in his address to the second plenary session and national congress of the Indonesian Young Businessmen Association (HIPMI) at the Vice Presidential Palace here. Boediono said the global population had been growing at an extraordinary pace reaching an estimated 6.8 billion in 2010 compared to 3.7 billion in the 1970s. Most of the global population were born and lived in developing countries, he said. He said global demand for food rose significantly not merely because of growing population but also improving income of people in China, India, Latin America and Africa. "The condition will lead to an extraordinary rise in food demand. This is both challenge and opportunity for us," he said.
Full Text Failed to Accomplish MDGs Target will Cause Declining of Women Role and Position MarawaNews/ January 25, 2011 ‐ Indonesia is threatened failed to accomplish MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) achievement target in 2015, especially on health sector. Impact of that failure will cause declining of women health degree, and then will lead to declining of women role and position in every sectors. That statement stated by General Secretary of Indonesian Women Coalition (KPI), Dian Kartikasari, SH, MH on National Seminar : The Government and Civil Society Role on Millennium Development Goals Achievement in Jakarta, January 23, 2011. Through her paper entitled Civil Society Role on MDGs Acceleration, Dian said, that the greatest victim number from the failure of MDGs achievement are women and children on village. For that reason, Dian said, there is need of civil society movement to reinforce women role in rural until urban area, to advocate Public Policy for improving women life. Full Text Ministry of Health Determined January 25 as a Nutrition Day Metrotvnews.com/January 25, 2011 Ministry of Health determined January 25 as a National Nutrition Day. The main objective is to reform prevalence rate of undernutrition, including malnutrition in Indonesia that is claimed high for WHO. According to Health Minister, Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih, problem of malnutrition in Indonesia is started from maternal health condition. Malnutrition also influenced by local culture which impact on the pattern of consumption and nutrition in community, and there is lack of health socialization to community. Based on population census 2010, total of Indonesian population has reached 237 million people with population density 121 people per km square on the previous year. The highest rate of population density in Indonesia is in Jakarta, with 13.890 people per km square. With that number, poverty becomes one of the most important problems that seized attention of many people. Poverty has an impact on health condition and malnutrition. Beside poverty, Endang said that malnutrition also caused by women age when they get married because more than 50% women in Indonesia married under 20 years old. Full Text
Malnutrition still prevalent in Indonesia
The Jakarta Post/ January 26 ‐ Low‐income families in the country do not have adequate access to food and appropriate dietary habits, resulting in severe micronutrient deficiencies in children. The 2010 Basic Health Research (Riskesdas) noted that the prevalence of under nutrition among children under five years old reached 17.9 percent in 2010 while those who were malnourished for the same age group was 4.9 percent. In the 2015 MDGs targets, the prevalence of those who are undernourished is targeted to reach less than 15 percent, with the malnourished prevalence target at 3.5 percent. The central government has tried to simplify the procedure of providing extra nutrients by producing a micronutrient powder called Taburia that is designed to restore vitamin and mineral deficiencies in children. After conducting an efficacy study in North Jakarta over several years, the government, with the support of the World Bank, distributed Taburia to more than 50,000 children under a pioneer activity in 2009 through community health posts (Posyandu). Parents can easily give Taburia to their children by simply blending the powder into their children meals such as porridge, milk, puddings and rice. It is part of the Nutrition Improvement through Community Empowerment (NICE) program, which is being carried out over five years from 2008 to 2012. Full Text
Foreign policy Indonesia outlines post-2015 agenda for ASEAN
The Jakarta Post/ January 5, 2011 ‐ While trying to lead ASEAN to achieve its goal of becoming a community by 2015, Indonesia highlighted its agenda for the 10‐member group in the post‐2015 period as Southeast Asia’s largest economy chairs the group this year. Indonesia proposed that this year the ASEAN Community should start playing a role on the global stage by tackling global issues such as climate change, development and conflict and security problems so that after 2015 the group would have a common platform to deal with those global issues. Apart from playing a greater role in world affairs, Marty said Indonesia’s main task was to guide the group to reach the goal of becoming a community by 2015 while giving substance to ongoing regional architecture building — in this case East Asia and the Pacific. ASEAN leaders agreed that the community would be built on three main pillars — economic, political and security and sociocultural — to ensure people in ASEAN countries could coexist in a single community. Marty said that apart from building on developments so far, Indonesia would also propose areas within the three pillars that had not benefited from strong efforts until now. Full Text
RI’s 15-year strategy ‘brings hope’ for a better future
The Jakarta Post/ January 3, 2011 ‐ The government’s 2010‐2025 National Strategy and Action Plans on Corruption Eradication bring hope for Indonesia to eradicate corruption over the next 15 years, despite implementation delays, experts say. “The strategy will provide comprehensive measures and inter‐institutional programs over a long period of time. It also involves non‐law enforcement bodies that will help corruption prevention [efforts] to be more effective,” Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) member Mochammad Jasin commented on the government’s national strategy. According to the 86‐page document, the strategy contains long‐term programs in six areas: prevention, enforcement, law and regulation harmonization, recovery of assets from acts of corruption, international cooperation and coordination mechanisms. Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) advocate Danang Widoyoko said he welcomed the long‐term strategy, but warned the government not to repeat its failure in implementing the 2005 National Action Plans on Corruption Eradication. Gadjah Mada University’s Center for Anticorruption Studies researcher Zainal Arifin Mochtar elaborated on the strategy for corruption prevention. “Prevention and enforcement are equally important. Measures in both areas must be implemented simultaneously,” he told the Post. Full Text Koalisi Anti Utang (Anti Debt Coalition): It’s Hard to Pay Indonesian Foreign Debt in Full until Seven Generations DetikFinance/ January 9, 2011 ‐ Indonesian foreign debt continues to grow and no one can make a prediction when Indonesia could pay all of its debt. Moreover, the amount of debt payment is relatively the same with the amount of new foreign debt. According to Chief of Koalisi Anti Utang, Dani Setiawan, there are some ways that can be used by the government to reducing sovereign debt. One of them is with auditing the amount of total sovereign debt. He said that there must be an audit for projects funded by foreign debt, therefore there is a chance for debt swap negotiating. Based on Dani’s perspective, the government at the moment is having two policies to reducing debt but precisely increasing people burden. The first is by taking new debt to pay off the previous debt and reducing allocations that considered burdening the government. Based on Indonesian Foreign Debt data published by Finance Ministry and Bank of Indonesia, noted until September 2010, Indonesian foreign debt has reached US$ 194,349 billion. It is including sovereign debt, Bank of Indonesia debt, and private debt. From that total amount, the biggest amount comes from Japan and US.
Full Text Rp 1,000 for Indonesian Migrants KRJogja/ January 21, 2011 ‐ Migrant Care Coordinator, Anis HIdayah, explained that fund raising movement Rp 1,000 for Indonesian Migrant in Saudi Arabia keep going on. “To bring 200 Indonesian migrant back home, we need Rp 1.7 billion. It is for airfare and local transportation to their own area. I’m optimistic, because we not only pursue the amount, but bigger thing is pushing the government to responsible to bring our Indonesian migrant back home,” she said when Migrant Care held a solidarity action in Bundaran Hotel Indonesia. This solidarity action, Rp 1,000 for Indonesian Migrant, started in January 12, 2011 and will keep going on. The main objective of this solidarity action is to fund and bring Indonesian migrants who suffer and live under the Kendarah Bridge, Jeddah, Saudi Arabiaback home Full Text
INFID stands for the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development and was established in June 1985.
INFID is an open and pluralistic network of NGOs from Indonesian and various member countries of the Consultative Group for Indonesian (CGI) as well as of International organization with an interest in and commitment to Indonesia
More information please visit: www.infid.org