Blekok Satay of Gresik

 

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - If satay is usually made of beef, lamb, rabbit, or chicken meat, some food stalls in Gresik, East Java, are offering a different kind of meat for their satay. Located on Jalan Raya Sembayat, Sembayat Village, Manyar District, the satay sellers are offering blekok satay.
"Blekok in Javanese means egret," said Abdul Khamid, Nasipah’s husband, the owner of Warung Wakrus which is one of the pioneer in selling the egret satay.
Warung Wakrus has been opened since the 70’s and now it is managed by Nasipah and Abdul. Nasipah is the daughter of Luspa, who first opened the business. "At first we did not settle in this place. We sold [the satay] by around using the food cart," she said further.
They sell egret satay because of the abundance of the bird’s population in Gresik. "The bird is considered as a plague for they eat the fingerlings in the fisheries. So why not consume them," said Abdul. Abdul said he relies on his egret meat supply from Ujung Pangkah, Gresik regency.
Khorimah, a sister of Napisah explained on how to make the dish. To prepare the meat, she said, first you have to boil the bird with water accompanied by turmeric and garlic and a pinch of salt to get rid the strong odor. Next, you season the meat with salt and herbs and fry it.
“After you fried it, put the small size bird meat on satay,” explained Khorimah to Tempo.
For serving, blekok satay usually accompanied with sweet soya sauce condiment and hot steamed rice. For of portion of this menu, Warung Wakrus charges Rp8,000.
Tempo found it tasty and a bit clammy. The meat was quiet thin compared to other birds such as doves, and it had a kind of fishy aroma. The trick was to dip it into the condiment to make it even tastier.

EDWIN FAJERIAL

Thousands Protest Gaza Strikes in London, Paris

 

TEMPO.CO, London - Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators turned out on the streets of London and Paris on Friday to call for an end to Israeli military strikes on Gaza.
Several thousand people crowded the streets outside the Israeli Embassy in West London, waving placards that read "Gaza: End the Siege" and "Freedom for Palestine."
The crowds blocked an entire road, and several protesters managed to climb on top of a double-decker bus stuck in traffic, but police said the protest was largely peaceful.
A smaller protest took place in Paris Friday, where about 100 people demonstrated near the French Foreign Ministry.
Demonstrators waved Palestinian flags. One woman shouted "Palestine will survive" had the flag painted on her cheeks.
Stephane Frappreau, who identified himself as Jewish, said the demonstrations were about "defending humanity and about stopping the massacre."
"I think that people tend to forget that Palestinians are people who are suffering, kids and women, who are dying every day," Frappreau said.
"And I think that people shouldn't confuse things or come to quick conclusions, because being against Israel as we are today is not about being anti-Semitic."
France has both Western Europe's largest Jewish community and its largest Muslim population, and the French government has been walking a careful line on the Gaza developments.
President Francois Hollande issued a statement earlier this week in support of Israel that prompted criticism because it failed to mention Palestinian victims. He later spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyau and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, then issued new statements expressing support for each and concern for all victims. He condemned violence and urged a return to peace talks.
In London, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister David Cameron said earlier she supported Israel in the face of attacks by Hamas against Israeli civilians.
RINDU P. HESTYA | AP

Sanctions for False Survey Institution, Association Says

 

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Hamdi Muluk, a member of the Indonesian Association for Public Opinion Surveys Ethical Council, said that the Ethical Council would impose sanctions on survey institutions that are proven to commit violation. The association will conduct audits on all survey institutions that released quick count and exit poll results.
"The Ethical Council will act firmly on survey institutions that used the wrong methodology," Hamdi told Tempo on Thursday, July 10, 2014.
The association will publicly announce the name of the false survey institutions so that the public may know which survey institutions are credible and can be trusted. Hamdi hoped that this method would cause a deterrent effect and maintain the integrity of other survey instutitons.
Other sanctions include a written warning for pollsters to correct their result. Failure to adhere with the warning will cause the survey institution to lose its membership in the association.
Regarding the audit, Hamdi said that it would focus on the procedures on how the data was collected, the accuracy of sampling, whether the people surveyed were contacted directly or by phone, whether the available data in polling centres was sufficient and the accuracy of data management.
The audit is considered to be important as some survey institutions have shaped unfair public opinion and allegedly violated the code of ethics and integrity pact.
DINI PRAMITA

Bawaslu Recommends Re-vote in 4 Provinces

 

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Chairman of the Election Supervisory Committee (Bawaslu), Muhammad, yesterday said that Bawaslu had recommended a re-vote in several regencies and polling stations (TPS) in four provinces: North Maluku, Yogyakarta, West Java and Southeast Sulawesi.
However, Muhammad said the re-vote may not disrupt the ongoing vote-counting process.
"All votes must be counted at the district level on Sunday, July 13 [today] at the latest," Muhammad said.
In two regencies, Morotai and Halmahera Tengah, in North Maluku province, Polling Station Working Committee (KPPS) officers distributed ballot papers to two witnesses after the voting ended and since it was considered to be done in a massive scale, Muhammad said, the local General Election Commission (KPU) was ordered to conduct a re-vote.
In Yogyakarta, Bawaslu found one polling station that has votes with the margin of two votes bigger than the number of registered voters. Bawaslu also directly recommended re-vote at the polling station.
"We still tolerate if it's only a margin of one vote," he said.
In a polling station in Indramayu, West Java, Bawaslu also found someone casting his ballot more than once. It turned out that the KPPS officer allowed the voter to cast votes representing their siblings.
"The similar case was found in TPS 37, 38, 39, and 40 [in the city]," Muhammad said.
Meanwhile in Southeast Sulawesi, Bawaslu found a KPPS officer who wrote around 200 names of eligible voters on the ballot papers. The KPPS officer claimed that it was too make the voting process easier, said Muhammad.
"However, it violated the principle of confidentiality," he added.
MUHAMMAD MUHYIDDIN

Rupiah Gains 160 Points

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - High intensity of buying action in the domestic stock market has caused Rupiah strengthen. During today's trading session, Rupiah gained 160 points (1.35 percent), reaching a level of Rp 11,712 per US Dollar, which is the best exchange rate ever recorded since March 14, 2014.

Positive domestic sentiment has managed to drive Rupiah as the only Asian currency capable of beating US Dollar. Economist at Bank International Indonesia Juniman, said that Rupiah's triumph over US Dollar is caused by the euphoria of the upcoming presidential election. Stock traders, particularly foreign investors, favor the fact that Indonesia has managed to sail through the campaign period without major conflict.

"Investors believed that the situation will prevail until presidential election," he said. In light of presidential election, the Jakarta Composite Index also rise significantly, along with transaction volume and buying nett. "Foreign [investors] aggressively step in the domestic market in order to anticipate presidential election," said Juniman.

PDAT | M. AZHAR

Defendant's Mom Accuses SMA 3 of Acting Irresponsible

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - High School (SMA) 3 is considered to be acting irresponsible in the alleged mistreatment towards Arfiand Caesary Alirhami, 16, after participating in the Sabhawana Nature Lover extracurricular activity in Tangkuban Perahu, West Java.  “The school is completely being irresponsible," YA, the mother of a defendant with the initial TM, told Tempo on Friday, July 4, 2014.

Before being established as a suspect, said YA, police authority has summoned five South Jakarta’s SMA 3 students who are considered to have acknowledged the incident during the activity.  They’re initials are DW, TM, AM, KR and PU.  In the summoning letter dated June 25, 2014 that was sent to the school, the five students are still considered to be witnesses.

However the school did not convey the letters to the student’s parents.  “I’ve just notice the summoning on report card day which was on June 27, 2014,” YA said.  When receiving the summoning letter for her son, TM, YA claimed that the letter has already been opened.

When the suspect’s parents asked for an explanation and responsibility from the school towards her son who was entangled with the law, YA claimed to be driven out by the school party and alumnis.  “Meetings in the school is prohibited,” YA said.

Ever since her son and four of the friends was established as suspects for the alleged mistreatment case, YA said that the school party is shutting down and irresponsible.  “The school approved of the Sabhawana activity,” she said.

SMA 3’s Vice Principal of Student Field, La Ode Makbudu, claimed to have not yet know the punishments that will be charged to his five students who became suspects.  “We will act according to the law,” he said.

DEVY ERNIS