Golkar to Leave Prabowo's Coalition

 

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Agung Laksono, the elected Golkar Party chairman in Ancol National Meeting (Munas), said the party will leave the Red-White Coalition (KMP). “Since the beginning, Munas has intended to leave KMP,” said Agung on Monday.
Agung said Golkar will support President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla as the elected and legitimate government. However, Golkar will not join the Great Indonesia Coalition. “There should be no coalitions. They should just be disbanded,” he said.
He continued that Golkar wants parliament to unite in order to exercise its oversight, legislative and budget functions without influence from coalition.
Agung’s decision affects several strategic policies in parliament in the near future. Different from Aburizal Bakrie-led National Conference (Munas) in Bali. Agung supports the regulation in lieu of law that replaces the regional elections law and interpelation.

FRANCISCO ROSARIANS

Ahok Plans on Building 'Dream Gardens' in Jakarta

 

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok) revealed a plan to make six dream gardens for Jakarta residents. The parks will be designed for people to do various activities such as exercising and learning. Ahok calls it an integrated park.
“On March next year, there will be six pilot dream gardens,” Ahok said in a speech at the commemoration.
According to Ahok, the parks will be managed by women of the Family Welfare Movement (PKK). Some facilities such as pre-school education, integrated health service post (Posyandu), library, and sport facilities. The government is targeting 16 percent additional green open space by 2030.
“Each city will have one,” said Ahok.
To realize the plan, Ahok added, local government will acquire resident’s land and buildings that are located in the crowded settlements. However, Ahok has yet to give details about the budget.
“Hopefully it will be approved by the Regional Legislative Council.”

GANGSAR PARIKESIT

East Jakarta to Build Children-Friendly Parks

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - East Jakarta Administration plans to build nine children-friendly parks equipped with swings, giant chessboards, futsal fields, reflection areas, etc. These parks are expected to be a place for children to be creative and hopefully would minimize the case of violence against children.

Head of East Jakarta Parks Sub-Department, Suzi Marzitawati, told that this year her party only built one children-friendly park on Jalan Raya Bogor, Kramat Jati. As for the additional nine parks, they will be built in Cililitan, Kelapa Dua, Jatinegara, Klender, and Kampung Rambutan.

“The construction will be started next year,” she stated on Tuesday, as quoted by Antara News.

According to Marzitawati, at this time her sub-department is still reviewing the parks’ concept. The review itself involved the East Jakarta Women Empowerment and Family Planning (KPMP & KB) Office.

“Besides children’s playground, those parks will also be equipped with library and health and community health center for children,” she said.

ANTARA NEWS

Jokowi in the Top Ten for TIME's Person of the Year

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo on Tuesday moved one rank from the 8th position to the 7th position in TIME’s Person of the Year polling as his percentage continues to rise.

As quoted from TIME website, Jokowi is now sitting in the 7th position with 3.2 percent vote, going up from the 8th position with 3 percent vote on Monday and 2.7 percent vote on Sunday. With his current percentage, Jokowi will be able to surpass Pope Francis I and US President Barack Obama, who became TIME”s Person of the Year in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

In the current poll, Jokowi is above other world leaders such as Xi Jinping from China and Angela Merkel from Germany. He is even more popular than famous singers such as Beyonce Knowles and Taylor Swift. However, Jokowi is losing to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Outin, American actress Laverne Cox and Pakistani a women’s rights activist Malala Yousafzai.

This year is the second time Jokowi is in the list of candidates for TIME’s Person of the Year. In 2012, Jokowi was nominated but lost to Barack Obama. Now, Jokowi is turning the table and has a chance to win the polling. The polling is currently undergoing and will be closed on December 6. The result will be announced on December 8. Voting can be done through TIME Magazine’s Facebook or Twitter with hashtag #timepoy.

FERY FIRMANSYAH

Rising Sun

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - His acumen in mixing business with politics has made Surya Paloh an expert in coasting from one regime to another. Raised under the auspices of the New Order's topmost family, he succeeds in retaining his influence today, standing behind the reformist government of Joko Widodo and Jusuf Kalla.

Surya built his extensive business network through connections with the most powerful family during the New Order period. He was a close friend of Suharto's third son, Bambang Trihatmodjo. They were active members of the Communication Forum of Sons-Daughters of Indonesian Veterans, and the Golongan Karya functional group, a precursor to the powerful Golkar Party. It was at this time that Surya and his associates built the Metro television station, which proved to be useful in supporting Surya's political career.

When Suharto's authoritarian regime fell, instead of being dragged down with it, Surya managed to strengthen his businesses simultaneously establishing ties with the new government by buying cheap assets from the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency, as it sought to salvage banks by auctioning off their debts and transactions.

In 2004, when Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla won the election, Surya stood in the front line of Golkar politicians to congratulate them, although his party associates still supported Megawati Soekarnoputri, Yudhoyono's main contender for the presidency. Together with businessman and current Golkar chair Aburizal Bakrie, Surya endorsed Kalla to be Golkar's new chairman. In doing so, he helped push the party to join SBY's coalition. During this period Surya's businesses became stronger, particularly as he ventured into the extractive industry, such as oil and coal.

However, the political alliance broke up five years later, when Aburizal became the Golkar chairman. Surya parted ways with the country's biggest party and formed his own people's organization, calling it the National Democrat, which later morphed into the NasDem Party. Aided by the government and his own television station, Surya's party won 6.72 percent in the legislative election.

His acumen in reading the political map won him further inroads into the political elite. He entered into an alliance with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), endorsing Jokowi and Kalla in the presidential election. Abiding by the mantra 'coalition without conditions', NasDem did not immediately make demands. It did not insist, for example, that one of its party members take a cabinet post when Jokowi and Kalla won the election last July. In fact, they campaigned even harder than the PDI-P, Jokowi's own party, to win the votes.

But Surya worked even harder to expand his business empire. Even before Jokowi officially became president, Surya was seen introducing his business partner, Sam Pa alias Ghui Ka Leung, a businessman from China, to Jokowi. According to reports of some international media, Sam Pa is involved in many questionable businesses in Africa, such as his role in importing oil from Angola-based company, Sonangol. He and Surya have met with Jokowi a few times at the Jakarta governor's residence also to discuss investments in other sectors, such as infrastructure.

Surya and Sam Pa's offer sounded attractive: importing oil from Sonangol would save the government Rp12 trillion a year. And Jokowi's main concern is how to save money. Not surprisingly, Jokowi readily agreed to Surya's proposal. Two days after he swore-in his cabinet, Jokowi welcomed at the State Palace Angola Vice President Manuel Domingos Vicente, who is also CEO of Sonangol.

Surya would soon reap this political investment. Jokowi allocated three key ministerial posts to NasDem: the coordinating minister for politics, law and security; spatial and agrarian affairs minister; and the forestry and environment minister. Perhaps it's a coincidence that these two last positions are linked to Surya's business interests in mining, palm oil, property and land acquisitions.

Last week, the president gave one more chair to NasDem by appointing Prasetyo as the new attorney general. This former deputy attorney-general for general crimes who recently won in the legislative elections for the 2014-2019 period, was in fact Surya's choice. This was quite obvious when Prasetyo paid Surya his respects more than once following his oath-taking ceremony last Friday.

So far, no legal or ethical breach is evident in Surya's way of mixing politics with business. But the president should make it clear that the positions allocated to Surya's party members do not create conflict of interests in the future. He must oversee them tightly to ensure the ministries led by NasDem politicians do not curry special favors to Surya's business interests. The new attorney general must also distance himself from interventions.

Jokowi, therefore must be constantly on the ball and be assisted by someone agile enough to move around the State Palace to prevent questionable interests from interfering in government affairs. The presidency, as he has often promised, must be able to control potential deviations, no matter how small, in each and every one of his ministries. This includes the business and political interests of one Surya Paloh. (*)

Rupiah Inches Up by One Point at Tuesday's Start

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Rupiah's interbank exchange rate in Jakarta went slightly up by one point at the start of Tuesday's trading session to Rp12,152 per United States (US) Dollar.

"Rupiah's movement is rather flat with a slight chance for an uptrend as the Japanese Yen and several other Asian currencies depreciates against the US Dollar," said the Head of Research Woori Korindo Securities Indonesia, Reza Priyambada. According to Reza, Rupiah's exchange rate remains in the green as investors are still positively responding to Bank Indonesia's decision to raise its core interest rates to anticipate a rise in inflation caused by the recent cuts to fuel subsidies.

"It is hoped that the domestic sentiments from within Indonesia could further provide more boost for the JCI to sustain its uptrend," said Reza.

Furthermore, an analyst from Samuel Sekuritas, Rangga Cipta said that positive news from Indonesia's bond market will help prop up the JCI's uptrend.

On the other hand, the US Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) - which had recently been announced last night - indicates a slowdown, which is reflected in the depreciation of the US Dollar.

A revision to the US Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figure is expected to put more pressure on the US Dollar, which may lead to further depreciations of the currency.

ANTARA | ZUBI MAHROFI | MARYATI

Susi Pudjiastuti: I don't think i'm Crazy

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The newly appointed minister for maritime affairs and fisheries appeared in casual clothes, although she wore a long skirt down to her ankles. She admits to dressing more than she ever did before embarking on her new job. "I must now wear clothing that covers the tattoo on my leg," she said, in explaining her sartorial change. Some things do not change however, as she still insists on wearing 10-centimeter high-heeled shoes and wedges.

Susi is indeed a refreshing change in a society that usually demands protocol and correctness from officialdom and the elite. Yet she has inspired others to be true to one's own self and be proud of it. Just before the ceremony to announce President Joko Widodo's new cabinet members, Susi was approached by Rosita Barack, wife of politician Surya Paloh, who told her, "Ibu Susi, you rock. I really like your tattoos and I have some too." In fact, Susi's tattoo is an image of a flaming bird snaking up her leg, something she acquired when she was 27 years old.

She cares little for the public furor over her tattoo, preferring to focus on her new responsibilities, which range from dealing with illegal fishing by foreign boats to improving the welfare of fishermen, particularly when the government withdraws its fuel subsidy. Last week she spared some of her hectic time to be interviewed by Tempo journalists Arif Zulkifli, Agustina Widiarsi, Heru Triyono and Pingit. Excerpts:

What has changed since you became minister? 

My appearance has changed. Before, I would dress up only for special events, maybe once every three years. Now I must attend many [official] functions, so I must powder my nose more often.

Does a CEO dress differently from a government minister? 

I must wear a long dress these days.

Are you bothered by the ruckus over your tattoo and your smoking?. 

Yes, a bit. I worry about the 'Ibu-ibu' (ladies) who sends me text messages, saying: "Please Ibu, my daughter is one of your fans and I worry that she might start smoking like you." I get about 2,000 text messages a day. Some are very supportive and motivate me but I worry about those ladies.

Do you feel you have lost some of your freedom? 

I feel I've lost some speed, the freedom to move fast.

Is it true the reason some people objected to your appointment as minister was because Susi Air took many photographs of forests and marine areas in Indonesia? 

We were hired to map areas in Sulawesi, Papua, the Arafura Sea, Kalimantan and other places. That made me notices many things.

So, you know much about illegal fishing?

Of course, I do.

Are you able to have access to what the cameras recorded?

I keep copies. They were taken aboard Susi Air. I have seen a lot more than other people, not just illegal fishing. I've also seen illegal logging.

Who uses those services?

The government, mining companies and banks, to verify the size and measurement of land areas. The cameras can cover 2.5 square kilometers of land. People lying on the beach could be photographed. Nothing can be covered up.

You have also been accused of being pro-foreigners.

Yes, there was an open letter by Riza Damanik (an activist for fishermen's rights) who said my husband was a foreigner and that many of my employees were also expatriates. And from that people conclude I'm a stooge of foreigners. Well, being a foreign stooge to foreigners for the benefit of the country, I see nothing wrong with that. Who is more nationalistic: a 'bule' (slang word for foreigner) boss overseeing Indonesian coolies or an Indonesian boss whose coolies are 'bule'?

What was President Jokowi looking for when he took you on?

He told me, "Ibu Susi, this country needs a mad person," and I told him, Bapak, you're getting one.

Is it true that you were initially asked to find a candidate for a maritime affairs and fisheries minister?

The palace was having a hard time finding a fisheries minister. I was asked to help and I replied, "Okay, I will ask Pak Sarwono [Kusumaatmadja]." Apparently Sarwono declined, saying he was too old. In fact, he sang Siapa Suruh Datang ke Jakarta (Who Told You to go to Jakarta) jokingly to me. And in the end, I was the one who was summoned to meet the president. I then asked 'Ibu' what she thought, and she told me, "Go ahead." So I did.

Who do you mean by Ibu?

Ibu Megawati. I asked whether I should go [to Jakarta] or not.

Many people worry that as minister as well as CEO of ASI Pudjiastuti Marine Products you will face conflict-of-interest problems.

Of course I will 'pitch' my success story at Susi Air and Susi Marine as a way of overcoming problems of marketing marine products from small islands. And that's to use planes which has been done by Susi Air all this time as the cheapest way to market products harvested by fishermen living in remote islands. Building harbors is expensive, it can run into hundreds of billions of rupiah. Creating a simple airport in Papua costs only Rp3 billion.

Two days on the job and you're already announcing a moratorium on issuing licenses to fishing vessels.

That's what I asked, to stop everything first, put the management in order. I want to improve the data on vessel registration. The airline industry is clear on who owns the airlines, what type of craft, where and when it was manufactured. Everything is out in the open. Why not apply similar methods to our fishing vessels? That was the first question I asked when I started on the job.

Are you saying vessel registration in Indonesia is not serious?

Never, because they are all fakes. The owners don't want to lose ownership of their boats because they want to keep on catching fish in our waters.

So why the moratorium?

Illegal fishing. This is a big problem. Besides the huge numbers of illegal vessels, there are some which are in a grey area. For example, a vessel would have a license but it uses banned equipment to catch the fish. These methods show that about 67 percent among the 5,000 vessels are not registered. (*)

Cure-All Card

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - It is difficult to cast doubt on President Joko Widodo's good intentions in lessening the impact of fuel price increases on lower income families. One instrument, known as the Productive Family Program, comprises the Prosperous Family Card (KKS), the Smart Indonesia (KIP) and the Healthy Indonesia Card (KIS) and has now become known as Jokowi's sakti or 'magic card'.

Experience has taught us that good intentions do not always produce satisfactory results, especially for massive programs that cover millions of people scattered over a huge area. For example, the KIS, with funds of Rp20 trillion, is targeted at 86.4 million families. The KIP, costing Rp6.3 trillion, is aimed at helping 15.5 million households, and the KKS, Rp6.2 trillion, is planned to reach the same number of families. These people are spread right across the country.

Problems arose when President Jokowi, on a visit to an evacuation center for people displaced by the eruption of Sinabung in Tanah Karo, North Sumatra, handed out a type of 'sakti card' related to the Productive Families Program. This was the second 'gift' for the Karo people this year, after the first in the form of National Hero status for the late Lt. Gen. Djamin Ginting Suka. It was the distribution of these cards that triggered various responses that were far from the ordinary.

The problem is not whether people liked the cards or not, but with the availability of the infrastructure that should have been in place to support the distribution of the cards. Even legislators in the DPR, especially from the coalition opposed to Jokowi, said that the program was a realization of the government's good intentions. Therefore, the 'sakti card' launch should have gone smoothly, without causing controversy or pointless arguments.

There are those who reacted strongly, even claiming that the 'sakti card' program had no legal basis, especially in terms of funding. But the finance minister dismissed this, saying that the funds for the KKS, KIP and KIS programs had come from the Rp5 trillion social protection fund and the Rp2.7 trillion fiscal risk reserves. These two budget items are part of the National Treasury Budget reserve, and the legal basis can be found in Article 17 paragraph 1 of the 2014 Amended State Budget.

The more serious problem lies with the lack of infrastructure. Take the example of the people who received the KIP as verified by the National Team for the Acceleration of Poverty Eradication in 2013. This data had to be matched with the basic education data held by the Education and Culture Ministry. Problems arose because the basic education data was based on schools, while the KIP data was based on families.

The accuracy of the data is crucial because the potential for social conflict is so high. Errors in the data could easily result in the program missing its targets, and this would be more than enough to trigger conflict. The same is true for people close to the poverty line, who total around half a million. These people are clearly not listed among the data based on families.

With all these problems needing caution and careful examination, President Joko Widodo should try to be more calm, 'adult' and patient. In other words do not take short cuts. (*)

Pertamina Imports More Pertamax to Anticipate Surge of Demands

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Hanung Budaya, Director of Sales and Marketing for state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina, said that the company will import an additional three cargos of non-subsidized fuel, Pertamax, in order "to maintain [Pertamax] supply throughout December." The number is equal to 600,000 barrels.

Currently, said Hanung, Pertamina continues to import Pertamax to anticipate increasing demands that is predicted to occur as a result of the lower price margin between subsidized and non-subsidized fuel.

Hanung said that the people would most likely switch to purchasing Pertamax. Currently, Pertamax supply is enough for the next 40 days, assuming that the average daily consumption of Pertamax is 2,500 kiloliters. In the next three months however, Pertamax consumption is predicted to increase to 10,000 kiloliters per day.

On November 17, 2014, President Joko Widodo had announced a price increase for subsidized fuel from Rp 6,500 per liter to Rp 8,500 per liter, and subsidized diesel fuel (Solar) from Rp 5,500 per liter to Rp 7,500 per liter.

KHAIRUL ANAM

Central Java Governor Attends 'Ratu Adil' Performance

TEMPO.CO, Magelang – Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo attended an art performance called “Ratu Adil Stage” in the area of Mount Merbabu in Banyusidi village, Magelang regency, on Thursday night, November 13, 2014.

“I came in a hurry and I was shaky.  I thought that this would be fantastic, and it turned out to be true, the performance was marvelous,” Ganjar said after watching the performance, which was part of the 2014 Borobudur Writers and Cultural Festival (BWCF).

The performance was staged before around 250 spectators, including Ganjar and a number of officials from the Central Java administration.

The performance, which took place at Padepokan Wargo Budoyo Gejayan, was also highlighted with poetry reading by three poets, viz. Ahda Imran, Otto Sukatno and Triyanto Triwikromo.

Singer Trie Utami, accompanied by Lamalera band, also took the stage and sang several songs. 

ANTARA

Jokowi Invites New Zealand to Invest in Geothermal Energy

TEMPO.CO, Nay Pyi Taw – Indonesia and New Zealand held a bilateral meeting during the ASEAN Summit in Myanmar. To New Zealand PM John Key, President Joko Widodo said he hopes that the two countries could collaborate in building geothermal power plants in Indonesia.

"The relationship between Indonesia and New Zealand will improve if we could establish a concrete economic and investment relations such as [investing in] geothermal power plant, which has now become a focus for New Zealand," Jokowi said on Thursday.

Jokowi hopes New Zealand can soon invest in geothermal power plant in as they have more experiences in geothermal power plant development.

"We will be very happy if New Zealand can develop and expand their investment in this field. We will of course help with any problem," said Jokowi.

The meeting with John Key was conducted privately, with Jokowi accompanied by Coordinating Minister for the Economy Sofyan Djalil, Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi, and Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto.

ANANDA TERESIA 

Hello Kitty at 40: Sexist Throwback or Empowering Icon?

In honor of Hello Kitty's 40th birthday celebration, Hello Kitty Con, we talked to experts and fans about her influence on womenThis week, about 25,000 of the world’s most devoted Hello Kitty fans are expected to assemble in LA’s Little Tokyo district for the first-ever Hello Kitty Con–a four-day celebration of the character’s 40th birthday, going on now. Created by the Japanese company Sanrio, the little white cartoon has become one of the best-selling licensed entertainment characters ever, generating an estimated $8 billion annually for Sanrio,according to a company spokesperson.The event, which started October 30 and runs through November 2, has been a long time coming for her most fervent acolytes—adult women who played with her as children in the 70s and 80s and still incorporate her into their daily lives. The sold-out event has acres of adorableness–from Kitty costumed fans to crystal jewelry and even historic artifacts like the very first product to feature the character –a coin purse from 1974, which is on display behind velvet ropes.To get to the bottom of the Hello Kitty phenomenon, we asked experts and female fans to reflect on Hello Kitty “the girl” and the outsized influence she’s had on the culture over the last 40 years.Despite her seemingly benign and utterly adorable appearance, the character has become a polarizing cult figure around the world. Fans who collect everything Hello Kitty say she’s empowering, or at the very least a harmless hobby. Critics say she’s a sexist throwback to a time when girls, particularly Asian girls, were supposed to be cute and silent (the character has no mouth). Meanwhile, in some feminist circles, she’s also been embraced as a counterintuitive symbol of freedom to be feminine and strong. And to further muddy the picture, Sanrio recently clarified that the character is actually a third-grade girl and not a cat. A 40-year-old girl who looks just like a cat that is.TIME

Govt to Revise Regulations on Marine Affairs and Fisheries

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The government plans to amend several regulations related to marine affairs and fisheries in a bid to overcome the various problems plaguing this sector, as reported byAntara News.

"I want to revise many ministerial regulations. The president has allowed us to go ahead with the amendments. All can be revised to make it better," Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti stated after a meeting with President Joko Widodo, or Jokowi,on Friday.

She explained that the regulations to undergo revision included the one concerning the loading and unloading of ships at sea, along with changes in the tariff charged for permits given to ships for conducting fishing in the Indonesian waters.

The minister revealed that President Jokowi had urged her to continue carrying out improvements in the marine affairs and fisheries sector, so that it can reap benefits for the people.

Besides reporting several issues, Susi said she also put forth a request to the president for being allowed to return to Pangandaran, West Java, during the weekend.

In the meantime, Navy Chief Admiral Marsetio has announced that his side and the related ministries are accumulating data on various problems and challenges faced by the marine and fisheries sector.

"We are making a list of issues that should be addressed together, including illegal fishing," Marsetio stated after a meeting with Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti on Thursday.

The Navy chief noted that preparing a list of issues was an important task and should be followed by concrete actions with regard to on-field problems faced by the marine and fisheries sector.

Marsetio revealed that 11 stakeholders have voiced their respective problems associated with the regulations concerning the marine and fisheries sector.

He said that before the meeting with Minister Susi, he also met Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Indroyono Soesilo.

The Navy chief noted that in the coming six months, after the Law on Maritime Affairs comes into effect, the government has to issue a regulation in lieu of the law with regard to the sea security agency (Bakamla).

The Bakamla is a body comparable to the United States Coast Guard. It should serve as the only institution that carries out supervision of Indonesias maritime territory.

"Later, there will only be one agency," he stated, adding that the body could help to curtail costs to be borne by businesses in the marine sector.

ANTARA NEWS

BART; Lounging at Jakarta's Latest Roof-top Venue

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Roof-top dining in Jakarta is a favorite among the capital dwellers. The city has seen plenty of new roof-top hangout spots opening recently, the latest being BART—short for Bar At the Roof Top.

The venue, which occupies the seventh floor of the Artotel Menteng Hotel, Central Jakarta, held its grand opening on October 17. At 30-meter high, visitors can escape the congestions in Sudirman-Thamrin, which is getting worse due to the monorail construction.

"This bar could be a place for office workers to escape to after work," said Daniel Sunu Prasetya, general manager of Artotel, told Tempo on Thursday.

Despite being located at the top of a building, customers have no need to worry about rain or heat as most seats are protected by a canopy. There are also huge fans to ward off Jakarta's cruel heat during daytime.

Cozily decorated, BART's interior is filled with black and white furnishings; classic, yet with a modern twist. The monochromatic sofas with their huge pillows are comfy to relax on while enjoying the food and atmosphere over '90s R&B music, as diners look onto the rows of buildings in Sudirman-Thamrin.

The room is also spacious, with the capacity to hold about 100 people; a lot more compared to similar rooftop bars—perfect to hold parties.

Food and beverages are quite affordable. Relying its menu on mocktails and cocktails, customers can try the Bye-Gone for Rp110,000. the drink is a concoction of vodka, tequila, midori and soda. For the same price, the chocolate lovers can opt for the Choco-Nutty, a creamy drink made of Bailey's, rum and coconut.

Non drinkers could try the Pretty Cinderella mocktail for Rp48,000, a fruity drink made of lemon, orange, pineapple, grenadine syrup and ginger ale.

BART also provide several choices of popular snacks like samosas and toasts for Rp35,000 to Rp96,000. Main courses can be ordered from the Roca restaurant on the ground floor, including their famous Basil Fried Rice priced at Rp60,000. 

SUBKHAN | RIRIE RANGGASARI

Defense Industry Exhibtion Hoped to Attract Thousands

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Defense Ministry is preparing to hold an exhibition on defense industry titled 'Indo Defence 2014' on November 5 to November 8, 2014. According to Timbul Siahaan, director general of potential defense at the Defense Ministry, the exhibition is hoped to attract 25,000 visitors.

In the exhibition, the Defense Ministry is also scheduled to sign a defense industry agreement with the Turkish government. The agreement will take the form of a business-to-business cooperation between PT Pindad and FNSS Turki. "The agreement is on the manufacturing of medium-class tank," said Timbul on Friday, October 31, 2014.

The 'Indo Defence 2014' exhibition will display weapons produced by 700 different companies from 56 countries. The event will be held at the Jakarta International Expo.

NURIMAN JAYA BUANA

Three Social Aid Cards to be Released on November 7

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Puan Maharani held a meeting with a number of ministers under her office on Friday, October 31, 2014.

According to Health Minister Nila Moeloek, the meeting was centered on the release of three social aid cards: the Healthy Indonesia Card, the Smart Indonesia Card, and the Family Welfare Card.

“There’s a possibility that November 7 will be the release date, but it’s still tentative,” Nila said.

Nila added the meeting discussed the technical and mechanical issues pertaining to the launch of the cards.

Nila also said the Social Security Management Agency (BPJS) program would continue. “There’s a possibility that there will be an additional welfare program,” she said.  Nila, however, stopped short of detailing the advantages of the Healthy Indonesia Card compared to the BPJS program. 

SUNDARI 

McDonald's Profit Drops 30%

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – America's fast food giant McDonald's (MCD) suffered a 30-percent year-on-year profit decline in the third quarter of this year from US$1.52 billion to US$1.07 billion; the result of a meat scandal in China and intense competition in the United States.

In America, the company has been trying to maintain its customers amid tight competition and a shift in people's eating habits towards healthier food.

In China, McDonald's business took a hit after a local plant that supplies processed food to restaurant chains was reported to have expired and low-grade meat products. The plant had ceased operations since, leaving McDonald's restaurants unable to sell burgers, chicken nuggets and other menus.

"McDonald's performance in the third quarter of this year showed a significant decrease compared to last year," CEO Don Thompson said as quoted from a release yesterday. "By all measures, our performance fell short of our expectations."

Meanwhile, Chief Operating Officer Tim Fenton admitted in January that the company suffers from an "overcomplicated" menu that "didn’t give restaurants an opportunity to breathe."

The company tried to offset declining sales by raising prices slowly, but it drove customers further away. After raising its prices by three percent in June compared to the previous year, McDonald's cheapest menu are becoming expensive.

REUTERS | BUSINESS INSIDER

New Cabinet's Economic Challenges

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – President Joko Widodo's cabinet for 2014-2019, which Joko dubbed as the Working Cabinet, will face uneasy challenges in the next five years. Despite inheriting political and economic conditions that are fairly stable, Jokowi's economic team must be able to boost growth and pay more attention to the inequality in various sectors.

Hendri Saparini, executive director of the Indonesian Center of Reform on Economics (CORE), said that even though Susilo Bambang Yudyhoyono's double term managed to post high growth, there is an increasing gap in the people's level of income. The income distribution metrics fell from 0.364 into 0.413 at the end of SBY's term.

Efforts to crunch the gap, Hendri said, depend on the economic performance of Jokowi-Kalla's economic ministers. These ministers, he said, should be people with economic independence as paradigms, not people who use macro-economic stability and financial approaches.

Hendri hopes that the new government's economic approaches will be based on the real sector, and not the financial-based monetary approach, since 60 percent of Indonesia's economy is is supported by private and government consumption.

Enny Sri Hartati, executive director at the Institute for Development of Economy and Finance (Indef), said that investment value rose sharply during SBY's term. However, most of the investments were placed in tertiary sectors that require raw material imports and do not absorb labor, since they are dominated by the services industry and not downstream or upstream industries. As a result, these investments became less optimal in supporting the government's priority programs.

Indonesia also faces external challenges that are not easy. There is the risk of a global economic slowdown, and the fact that Indonesia is considered unready to welcome the free market that comes with the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015.

"According to the calculation of the Industry Ministry, only about 30 percent of our manufacturing industries are ready to enter the AEC," Harjanto, director general of Manufacturing Industry at the Ministry of Industry, said last week. 

AISHA SHAIDRA | AMIR TEJO | GANGSAR PARIKESIT | AMOS SIMANUNGKALIT

Pontianak to Develop Tourism Area around Equator Monument

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Equator Monument Area in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, will be developed as tourist complex complete with hotels, restaurants, water rides,adventure land, planetarium, souvenir center, and other ancillary facilities.

Pontianak Mayor Sutarmidji said that the construction of the complex will be handed over to PT Mitra Bangun Kota as the investor collaborating with Indonesian National Army (TNI) as the owner of more than 5-hectare land in the area, also the local government of Pontianak.

"I am thankful and grateful to the Commander of Kodam XII Tanjungpura who has facilitatedthe cooperation with the private sector in developing the Equator Monument, so it will trigger growth in North Pontianak," said Sutarmidji in the speech duringthe groundbreaking in Equator Monument area construction that coincided with the ccommemorationof the Sun Culmination of the Sun.

Sutarmidji hoped that in the next two years this region becomes a flagship tourist destination inPontianak. He also wishes that local residents can enjoy the attractions that are promised to be built on the area attract tourists.

ASEANTY PAHLEVI

New Listing Target Likely Unmet, IDX Says

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – This year's target to have 30 new companies listing their shares in the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) may not be reach. IDX president director Ito Warsito said the failure is due to the volatile political situation and a decelerating national economy.

"Political situations have caused companies to delay their IPO plans for this year," Ito said in Jakarta, yesterday.

According to Ito, as of early October only 18 new issuers were listed on IDX, still far from this year's target of having 30 new issuers.

A number of companies that postponed their IPO plans include PT Bumiraya Investindo, the subsidiary of PT Tiga Pilar Sejahtera Tbk. Initially, Bumiraya planned to hit the floor in the first half of 2014, but decided to push the plan back until the end of 2014.

PT BNI Securities also delayed its plans to float 20 percent of its shares to the public. PT Citilink Indonesia, a subsidiary of PT Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk, even delayed its IPO to 2016 after initially saying that it would go public in 2015.

DINI PRAMITA | GANGSAR PARIKESIT | FAIZ NASHRILLAH | ABDUL MALIK

Jokowi Scrutinizes 100 Names for Ministerial Seats

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President-elect Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said he was scrutinizing around 100 ministerial candidates for his future administration and had hired a head-hunter agency to help him examine the names.

“This head-hunter agency has already given its input to us regarding the names. There are hundreds of them and we need a cutback,” he said at the City Hall on Thursday, August 21, 2014. He added he would return the names to the agency for another review after he finished selecting them.

Jokowi said the input provided by the agency included names, education backgrounds, employment history, track records and photos. “I’m looking at them one by one, we can see the records there, where they graduated from, their track records and whether they have managerial aptitude,” he said.

The Jakarta governor explained the candidates hailed from multiple backgrounds, from academicians and practitioners to politicians. Jokowi, however, balked at revealing those on his head-hunter team and only mentioned that the agency was a private foundation. “A private [foundation], I won’t disclose it,” he said.

The president-elect said the criteria he adopted in selecting the candidates encompassed robust integrity, sound managerial skills, strong and clean leadership, and exceptional track records. He added the names would be canvassed in September and that his transition team would not be involved in the selection process. 

ANANDA TERESIA | FATIMAH KARTINI BOHANG

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