DECLARATION OF PEACE MARKS JAKARTA GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN by Fardah

  Jakarta, Oct 29, 2016 (Antara) - The implementation of gubernatorial election in Jakarta has been considered as a barometer of other regional head elections (pilkada) to be held simultaneously in 101 regions across Indonesia on February 15, 2017.

          It is even seen as a miniature of the implementation of democracy in Indonesia in general, according to Chairman of the Jakarta General Election Commission (KPU DKI) Sumarno.

         Therefore, three pairs of Jakarta gubernatorial candidates were requested to sign an inscription of peace declaration to symbolize their commitment to maintaining security and order during their campaign that began on October 28, 2016 and will end on February 11, 2017.

          The candidates signing the inscription were Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono and Sylviana Murni, incumbents Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok) and Djarot Saiful Hidayat, and Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga Uno. Members of their success teams also joined the campaign.  
      The declaration was voiced in an event at the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta, on October 29, and attended by supporters of the candidates. A decorated vehicle carnival was organized to highlight the declaration.

           The candidates read out the peace declaration text and received props for regional head campaign activities. They have declared their commitment to campaign peacefully and with integrity.

         They and members of their success teams pledged to follow a democratic and peaceful election process with integrity, as well as maintain the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) based on state ideology Pancasila and the UUD 1945 Constitution.

       They will promote the progress of Jakarta and promised to abide by every prevailing regulation.

       Besides, they also promised to accept whatever the results of the pilkada, whether they are elected or not.

           The three pairs of candidates for the posts of governor and vice governor recently received their ballot numbers for the Pilkada 2017.

         Yudhoyono and Murni were allotted ballot number 1, incumbents Purnama alias Ahok and Hidayat received ballot number 2 while Baswedan and Uno were given ballot number 3.

             In the principles of democracy, differences and diversity are not a problem, Sumarno said while kicking off an event of the Declaration of Peace for the 106-day campaign. The declaration of a peaceful campaign aims to prevent conflicts, chaos, and disunity.

          Despite differences and diversity in campaign props, they must remember that they are all residents of Jakarta and must be united within the frame of diversity, he said.

            Furthermore, the commission is committed to implementing an independent election, Commissioner of the National General Elections Commission (KPU) Fery Kurnia said.

          He urged every party to help maintain the unity of Indonesia in order to have a quality pilkada implementation.

          In the meantime, Acting Governor of Jakarta Sumarsono has reminded all bureaucratic elements of the Jakarta Administration to be neutral during the implementation of the Jakarta pilkada process.   Those who were not neutral would be fired.

          He, himself, would keep a distance from the three pairs of the candidates for the sake of neutrality, he said.

           "I belong to the candidate No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3, but I have to keep a distance from the three pairs," he said.

            He also called on the candidates and supporters to implement a peaceful pilkada.

            The next gubernatorial election in Jakarta is expected to be both exciting and interesting, since important political figures are sponsoring each candidate pair.

            The three pairs are considered competent, with every candidate having their own characteristics, qualities, and shortcomings. Further, most of them are relatively young, and they represent different races, tribes and religions.

            Ahok and Djarot are supported by former president Megawati Sukarnoputri, who is concurrently chairperson of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle (PDIP).

           The Baswedan-Uno duo has been nominated by ex-presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, who is also chairman of the Gerindra Party.

          The Agus-Sylviana pair is being promoted by former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is chairman of the Democratic Party and the father of Agus.

            President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has expressed hope that the Jakarta pilkada, as well as other elections to be simultaneously organized across many regions, will be conducted peacefully and democratically.

            The government has pledged to remain neutral, including in the Jakarta pilkada, said Jokowi, who had paired with Ahok, with the support of PDIP, during the Jakarta gubernatorial election in 2012.

            "The president has said that everything has to run democratically, in choosing a leader who is capable of building  Jakarta, because Jakarta needs a strong leader who has a large commitment to making major contributions for Indonesia to become a great country," Minister/State Secretary Pratikno told the press in Jakarta on September 28.

          The General Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) has reminded the candidates to campaign honestly and avoid money politics or they will have to face disqualification as a consequence.

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(T.F001/A/BESSR/F. Assegaf) 29-10-2016 14:56:39

INDONESIA BRACING FOR FLOODS, LANDSLIDES AS RAINY SEASON PEAKS by Fardah

 Jakarta, Oct 29, 2016 (Antara) - Moderate to high intensity rainfall will hit areas across Indonesia this November.

          South Sumatra, Bengkulu, Lampung, Bangka Belitung, North Sumatera, Banten, West Java, Jakarta and surroundings, Central Java, East Java, Central Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi, Maluku, West Papua and Papua Provinces will witness rainfall.

        The country is, however, expecting the rainy season to peak in January and February 2017, especially in Jakarta and its suburban areas, according to the Meteorological, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

         Therefore, the agency has urged people living in disaster-prone areas to remain vigilant and prepared to deal with any disaster and prevent casualties.

          BMKG Chief Andi Eka Sakya explained that rainfall has been 50 percent of the normal this year, though because of natural phenomena such as Dipole Mode and La Nina, the country has been experiencing high intensity rainfall.

          "Besides, there is monsoon (a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation), and there is also a tropical cyclone and low pressure in the region," he noted.

        Despite the La Nina, the peak rainy season in January and February 2017 is forecast to be less wet than that in early 2016, BMKG Deputy in Charge of Meteorology Yunus Swarinoto said.

         However, it tended to last longer, according to Mulyono R Prabowo, head of the Public Meteorology Center of BMKG.

INDONESIA, PALESTINE EXPLORE CLOSER TRADE, CULTURAL COOPERATION By Fardah

Jakarta, Oct 28 , 2016 (Antara) - Indonesia and Palestine have always shared a strong relationship and forged close cooperation despite the geographical distance between them.

         Palestine was among the first nations to have recognized Indonesia's declaration of independence on August 17, 1945, and Indonesia has been a staunch supporter for Palestine's liberation from the occupation of Israel.

         "As long as Palestine does not gain its independence, Indonesia will keep challenging the Israeli occupation," President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) had said in his opening remarks at an extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), held in Jakarta on March 7, 2016.

         The president's observation was a direct quote from the response of the country's founding father President Sukarno given to a reporter, who asked him in 1962 as to why Indonesia did not have diplomatic relations with Israel.

         So far, all seven Indonesian presidents have been consistent in supporting Palestine's struggle for independence.

         Such a stance is, in fact, in line with the country's Constitution, UUD1945, which states that Indonesia is against colonialism on Earth.

         Under the Jokowi administration, Indonesia realized its long overdue plan to open an honorary consulate in Ramallah, West Bank, Palestine, in March 2016.

         Foreign Affairs Minister Retno LP Marsudi had traveled a long way from Jakarta to Amman, Jordan, to inaugurate Maha Alkhus Hussein, who is also known as Maha Abu Shusheh, as Indonesia's first-ever lady honorary consul to Palestine, on March 13.

         In October this year, Maha made her visit to Jakarta in her capacity as the honorary consul. She came to Indonesia with a 42-member business delegation.  

ABU GENERAL ASSEMBLY URGES BROADCAST MEDIA TO EMBRACE MULTICULTURALISM By Fardah

  Jakarta, Oct 27, 2016 (Antara) - "Unity in Diversity" is the national slogan of Indonesia, which has a population of 254 million people, of which 300 ethnic groups speak 740 languages, and reside on the country's 17,000 islands. 
   This slogan was successfully presented before 700 participants of the 53rd General Assembly of the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) held in Bali, on October 23 and 24.

        Indonesia believes that the "Unity in Diversity" concept is crucial for pluralistic content to promote peace amidst global issues, such as conflict, poverty, and social and political problems.     
   "Multiculturalism is crucial for world peace and has been adopted by ABU for broadcasting in Asia and the Pacific," Mohammad Rohanudin, president director of the Indonesian state-owned radio station RRI, said recently.     
   In his welcome speech, Rohanudin emphasized the protection of diverse audiences in the region, and urged broadcasters to further promote unity and a sense of togetherness among the people of the region.

        At the conclusion of the General Assembly, the participants adopted the Bali Declaration on "Broadcasting for All: Multiculturalism And Diversity."
  The Bali Declaration considers and recognizes that broadcasters have a responsibility to provide audiences in the Asia-Pacific with knowledge and information on how to improve people's lives.

        It also appeals to ABU members to devote substantial and increased radio and television broadcast airtime during both peak and lean periods, and to utilize the media to celebrate and embrace all forms of multiculturalism and diversity.

WILL INDONESIA APPLY PHILIPPINES-STYLE METHODS IN ITS WAR AGAINST DRUGS? --- By Fardah

Jakarta, Oct 27, 2016 (Antara) - Reports about attempts to smuggle drugs from China and neighboring Malaysia continue to surface despite the Indonesian government's all out war against drugs. 
   Indonesia's National Narcotics Agency (BNN) recently dismantled an international drugs distribution network by seizing 12,488 grams of crystal methamphetamine that had been allegedly smuggled from Malaysia.

        The authorities thwarted another attempt to smuggle in drugs in mid-August when a Chinese national was found carrying 990 grams of contraband.

         During 2015, police arrested 50,178 suspects in 40,253 drug-related cases and confiscated 23.2 tons of marijuana, more than one million ecstasy pills and 2.3 tons of crystal methamphetamine.

        There were 5.9 million drug users in the country in 2015, most of them teenagers, according to the BNN.

        Indonesia is among the few countries that have the harshest drug laws in the world. It executed 14 drug convicts, mostly foreigners, in 2015, and four others in July 2016.

        President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) emphasized that notwithstanding protests by several countries and parties at home, he would not grant clemency to drug convicts, seen as responsible for the death of nearly 50 Indonesians, mostly young men, every day.

        In February this year, he had called on all stakeholders to declare a war against drug abuse and drug trafficking and ordered that every point of entrance - airports, seaports and border areas - must be closed to drug smugglers.

TRANSFORMING IORA INTO ARENA OF COOPERATION IN INDIAN OCEAN REGION by Fardah

Jakarta, Oct 26, 2016 (Antara) - The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) has transformed into a premier arena of cooperation within 20 years of its existence in the Indian Ocean region.

         The group carries a solid and firm commitment to promote cooperation and closer interaction among its members.

         Established in Mauritius in March 1997, the association includes South Africa, Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Uni Comoros and Yemen.

         Since 2011, the group has been focusing on six areas of priority, namely maritime safety and security, trade and investment facilitation, fisheries management, disaster risk management, academic and science and technology cooperation, and tourism and cultural exchanges.

          Moreover, in 2015, IORA had also agreed to elevate the regional cooperation to a new level by working on IORA Concord and convening IORA Summit in 2017.

         Given the facts that the Indian Ocean is the world's third largest ocean and a critical highway for global trade, IORA has become a strategic forum.

         Furthermore, the region is brimming with abundant natural resources, including minerals, fishes and oil and gas, which have not been tapped optimally.