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*IBRAHIM ISA'S SELECTED NEWS & VIEWS, 14.-8.2008* *--------------------------------------------------------------------------------* *SBY claims credit for open elections * *The dispute behind the rosy picture of coal * *"Indonesian Military returns to politics?"* *We are religious but also corrupt* *Govt may set oil price at $130 in 2009 state budget * *-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------* *SBY claims credit for open elections* *Abdul Khalik*, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta In a move that could enhance his prospects in the 2009 presidential election, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Wednesday claimed the credit for proposing a new way of selecting legislators. The President staged an unscheduled press briefing to highlight his support of the move by several parties to determine their legislative members based on the votes each candidate wins in respective electoral districts. The President claimed he had promoted such a move long before other political parties adopted the non-numerical system. "Two years ago, during a meeting with a female lawmakers' caucus, I personally -- and the government -- had the same position of adopting an open system where those who get the most votes represent their respective areas in the House of Representatives," he said. Yudhoyono said the government's proposal for such a system failed to take root as an adopted mechanism due to "political situations". He did not elaborate on this. "So now I welcome the parties that have adopted such an open system. It is a fair way to increase their votes because each candidate will work hard to lure voters," he said. In a move to avoid a series of defeats in regional elections and threats to its unity, the Golkar Party decided at a leadership meeting on Monday to scrap its control of the distribution of its legislative seats in the 2009 elections. The decision is considered by observers and lawmakers as a bold measure by the country's largest party to overcome its problems and lure more voters in the upcoming elections. In previous elections, every political parties subscribed to a numerical method as a way of determining their legislative members, with the election law allowing their central boards to appoint party loyalists to legislative councils. Loyalists to party leaders commonly topped lists of legislative candidates and contested the elections in the parties' strongholds to ensure they would secure legislative seats. Long before Golkar, the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) made similar decisions to determine their legislative representatives based on the most votes obtained rather than the numerical method. But it was Golkar's move that prompted Yudhoyono to announce his Democratic Party would also adopt a similar open system to determine its legislative members. "The Democratic Party has fought for this system within the House. So the party will implement it. Although I am not the party chairman, I am glad," he said. Yudhoyono is chief patron of the party, which is the country's fifth largest party after Golkar, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the National Awakening Party (PKB), and the United Development Party (PPP). The President's party won only 7.45 percent of votes in the 2004 legislative election. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *The dispute behind the rosy picture of coal* , - Johannes Simbolon, Jakarta Until recently, comments on the Indonesian coal industry were all positive.Exports of the commodity have been increasing, making Indonesia the world's largest exporter of thermal coal. Its sky-high price generated windfall profits. All coal companies booked record revenue in the first half of the year, making coal stocks the darlings of investors on the Indonesian Stock Exchange. Coal companies vied to list their stocks on the bourse. All the new coal stocks were oversubscribed. All rose on the first day of trading, with one, PT Adaro Indonesia Tbk, leaping by as much as 60 percent. The coal stocks were one of the factors behind the relative resilience of the local bourse amid the global slump of equities in the first half of the year. It is one of the driving forces behind the country's economic growth this year, analysts say. But now, however, 14 executives of six major coal companies have been banned from traveling overseas on charges of refusing to pay royalties. The imposition of the travel ban on the coal executives has again raised our awareness that behind the rosy picture of the industry, there are problems that have remained unsolved for many years. And the dispute over the payment of royalties is only one of the problems. Amid the flurry of reports on the dispute, we should not forget that the government has been struggling in vain for many years to collect royalties from force small-scale coal mining companies whose total amount owing is much more than the total the six major coal firms are said to have failed to pay. Also remember the government is also seeking to reach a compromise with the coal companies on how to provide enough coal for the local market at cheaper prices. The royalty dispute that led to the imposition of the travel ban started after the government issued a regulation in 2001 that listed coal as one of the products exempt from value-added tax (VAT). As a result of the regulation, the coal companies could not get refunds for the VAT (called "input VAT") paid for services and products they bought from vendors and subcontractors. Before the regulation, the firms offset the input VAT against the VAT charged on coal buyers (called "output VAT"). Following the regulation that scrapped VAT for coal sales, the firms could no longer offset the input VAT. They therefore withheld the royalty payment. The firms argued the input VAT was not included among the taxes they have to pay to the government under their contracts. Their first-generation contracts of work, locally known by the acronym PKP2B, dating back to early 1980s, specify all the taxes they are obligated to pay. The contracts were approved by the House of Representatives, which gave them the status of /lex specialis/ (special law) or equal to a law. The type of the contract was and is still favored by mining investors who need security for their long-term investment. Thanks to the /lex specialis/ nature of their contracts, investors will be protected from any changes in the government's fiscal policy throughout the contract period. The government claimed the firms owed the state US$330.2 million and Rp 864.07 billion ($95.24 million) in unpaid royalties over the period 2001-2005. Last week, amid the aggressive reports by the media on the royalty dispute, Indonesia Corruption Watch announced its new finding that the state had lost Rp 16.48 trillion in unpaid royalties over the period 2000-2007. The NGO said Indonesia had sold a total of 1.022 billion tons of coal during the period, from which the government was entitled to Rp 40.77 trillion. In fact, the government only received Rp 23.99 trillion. Analysts believe most of the missing royalties are those which the small-scale mining companies failed to pay to the government. Following the introduction of the autonomy law in 1999, regency administrations in coal-rich areas of the country vied to issue the Mining Contract, locally known as /Kontrak Pertambangan/ (KP), which under the existing law does not need approval from the House but must be reported to the central government. In fact, they never reported the issued KPs. The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry still does not have any reliable list of the KPs nor has any idea if the KP holders pay royalties or, if they do, who receives the royalties. Analysts believe most of the royalties end up in the pockets of corrupt officials in the regencies. The regencies have reportedly issued thousands of KPs and some analysts estimate the coal production of the KP holders is equal to or maybe higher than those of the PKP2B holders, which are under the direct supervision of the ministry. Last month, the coal industry also made headlines as it was blamed as one of the culprits behind the power blackout. The government, which was then panicking over the oil price hitting above $140 per barrel and reports that several power plants were unable to fully operate because of coal shortage, insisted coal companies were obliged to prioritize the local market and that they should provide the fuel to the local market at cheaper prices. The coal firms are certainly not interested in selling their products to the local market because they can get more revenue from selling their products at a higher price in the export market. The ministry is now formulating a decree to oblige coal companies to sell their products on the domestic market at 5 percent lower than the lowest export price. It remains to be seen if the coal companies will accept the decree. The coal industry could be one of Indonesia's success stories in the industrial sector. It is the only subsector of the mining industry where local companies dominate. It provides millions of jobs directly and indirectly and the use of coal for power generation has continued to increase. Given the growing importance of the industry and the country's greater reliance on coal as a source of energy, it is in our best interest that all the problems be solved as soon as possible. Any solutions to the problems should aim to make the industry stronger, more profitable, more responsible for the communities in which it operates -- hence more beneficial for the whole nation. With regard to the travel ban, the faster it is lifted, the better. It is embarrassing. /The author is a staff writer at /The Jakarta Post. /He can be reached at /[EMAIL PROTECTED] *"Indonesian Military returns to politics?", /The Jakarta Post/, Aug. 12* In order to avoid inaccurate perceptions regarding the internal reform of the Indonesian Military (TNI), the answer to the article, "Indonesian Military returns to politics?" by Evan A. Laksmana ), is the TNI will not be back in politics. The TNI of today functions as the state defense apparatus and is not involved in security and socio-political activities as was the former Indonesian armed forces. It continues to maintain its relationships and emotional ties with its seniors -- individually as well as through the retired servicemen's association -- but without organizational linkages. If the TNI's retirees are involved in politics as political party executives or as candidates for president/vice president, legislators or regional heads, it is because they are Indonesian citizens, and therefore have the same rights as their fellow countrymen. Their success in entering political affairs depends on the Indonesian people, not on the TNI institution or their former military service. The TNI's duties are to safeguard the state's sovereignty, maintain the integrity and unity of the Republic of Indonesia and protect the country. This requires the TNI to have political awareness while observing restrictions stipulated by law. It is impossible for the TNI to execute its duty properly without understanding the vision, struggle and interests of the nation. The TNI no longer operates with a territorial command structure because in 2002 it was changed to regional command and, obviously, now has no direct involvement in the social, political and business affairs in their areas of operation. In addition to warfare knowledge, soldiers' socio-political knowledge relevant to military operations is required by law. SAGOM TAMBOEN S. IP, Vice Marshal-TNI Chief SpokesmanJakarta ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *We are religious but also corrupt* *Usep Abdul Matin*, Jakarta Religion teaches its adherents to control their own passions by empowering their reflection -- a space between stimulus and response.Being granted with this ability to meditate, human beings take a higher position than animals before God. However, we are abusing the gifts given to us. What we instead choose to embrace is that which will bestow worldly profits upon us in the short-term: Corruption. We are now locked into this condition, and yet our attitude remains positive: We are proud to be Indonesians, members of the world's most populous Muslim nation; meanwhile corruption remains rampant. But has this anything to do with religion? Corruption is similarly rampant in countries dominated by different religions. For example, the Philippines embraces Catholicism as its main religion. Those religious believers who dabble in corruption, including bribery, are guilty of not listening to their consciences, the principles of which are formed by religion. How can we strengthen willpower, and make the inner voice irresistible? It is likely that at some stage in our lives we will be offered illegal money in exchange for services that are regular parts of our jobs. The money is stimulus, our receiving it is a response. Between the stimulus and the response is a space. Here in this space lies the inner voice, which speaks to us softly. We can not go wrong if we listen to it. When we ignore our inner voice, we instead focus on our thoughts, feelings and surroundings. The inner voice is an original inspiration; something we are born with, whereas our ability to assess a situation with our brain depends on learned abilities. A decision based on the inner voice is formed from the desire to improve one's self, or to achieve personal enjoyment. A decision based on the latter cycle of thought is formed from the desire for stimulus, including money, or for approval or attention from others. However, there are those who attain the highest bureaucratic positions due to their innate honesty. Unfortunately, this inborn integrity shrinks if they are rich. This is evidenced by the fact that these people work not for self-fulfillment, as they had before, but to accumulate artificialities: More money and power. In such circumstances, people will keep continue on their path of corruption not out of fear of poverty, but rather out of a desire for man-made rewards. We will call this a reduction of integrity -- a result of over-justification. Both judicious and conventional people are capable of over-justification. Judicious individuals are rational; they make the best of their experiences and organizational skills to arrange rules and procedures. In this respect, they have reasons to argue against a guilty court decision in the face of clear evidence for their treachery. Moreover, these judicious people are responsible for recruiting others who can look after their businesses. These successors are traditional individuals. If the inner voice is the result of a common truth or religion then rational and traditional people therefore lack moral regulations to rein in their own ambitions and desires. For them, this religion has lost most of its power. From my reading on such behavior as reported by the media, I have discerned that when those that over-justify their actions are caught and brought to the courthouse, they often try to deny their wrongdoings as a kind of knee-jerk response. It is as if they regard their hearing as their due right to appeal to the higher court. They do not consider their misfortune to be a result of their not having listened to the inner voice of their souls. In fact, this defensive attitude consciously or unconsciously leads these people to conclude that they have become the victims of bad luck. Therefore, they are still not inclined to listen to their inner spirits. In the interim, this shielding mind-set does not teach them that the hardship they face is a latent consequence of their defending their own dishonesties before judges. Thus we can conclude: For a person who does not feel constrained by laws, all laws and limitations that do present themselves will appear intolerable. Therefore, Indonesians should celebrate their countries' 63rd independence day anniversary by limiting the desires that encourage them to react in this way. Otherwise, corruption will increase in Indonesia, along with other illnesses, including radicalism and terrorism. Becoming proactive will also help us to better hear the voices of our inner hearts -- which will never be wrong. Embracing this policy is essential for any one who confesses himself an Indonesian and recalls what his founding fathers did to liberate this country and to create a society with a better bureaucratic system, democracy and education system. So corruption is independent of religion, but it is the nature of our political system to restrict our desires to those of our inner spirits. /The writer obtained an MA degree in Islamic Studies at Leiden University, Holland, and another at Duke University, the U.S. He can be reached at /[EMAIL PROTECTED] *Govt may set oil price at $130 in 2009 state budget * *Aditya Suharmoko*, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, 09.08.2008 The government may assume an oil price of US$130 for the 2009 state budget, to be delivered before the House of Representatives by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Aug. 16. "We realize that oil prices are hard to predict, so we consider it (oil price of $130 per barrel) a valid estimate," director general of budgetary affairs at the Finance Ministry, Anny Ratnawati, said Friday. The price of crude oil dropped on Friday to $117.70 per barrel at the New York Mercantile Exchange, after reaching a record high of $147.27 on July 11, Bloomberg reported. The price of oil has fallen 5.6 percent this week. Analysts have said the price of crude oil may fall again next week because of slower demand. The assumption in the budget is lower than that announced on July 22 when the government said the Indonesia Crude Price -- the country's benchmark oil price -- would be set at $140 per barrel. As in previous years, the President will deliver the state address and the government's statements on the 2009 state budget bill on Aug. 16, the day before Independence Day. The government was forced to revise the state budget early this year as soaring oil prices stretched the budget. It then raised subsidized fuel prices on May 24 by an average 28.7 percent to save the budget. The fuel price increases pushed year-on-year inflation up to 11.03 percent in June and 11.7 percent in July. In May, year-on-year inflation stood at 10.38 percent. Yet the economy still managed to grow in the first semester by about 6.3 percent thanks to robust consumption and investment, according to government estimates. Official figures on the first semester economic growth will be released by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) on Aug. 15. Because of high inflation, the central bank has raised its benchmark interest rate four times since May by a total of 25 basis points, bringing it to 9 percent in August. Analysts have said the central bank is likely to raise the rate to 9.5 percent by the end of 2008. Boediono, the central bank governor, said Friday that inflation, triggered by the fuel price increases, had peaked in July. "We expect to bring inflation down to between 6.5 percent and 7.5 percent in 2009," Boediono said. Boediono also said the central bank would maintain the value of the rupiah against the dollar at an acceptable level and absorb excess liquidity to curb inflation. The rupiah weakened 0.8 percent to 9,170 per dollar, Bloomberg reported. The currency declined 0.8 percent against the dollar this week. High interest rates could dampen demand for bank lending and slow down economic activity. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ ======================= Milis Wanita Muslimah Membangun citra wanita muslimah dalam diri, keluarga, maupun masyarakat. Situs Web: http://www.wanita-muslimah.com ARSIP DISKUSI : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wanita-muslimah/messages Kirim Posting mailto:wanita-muslimah@yahoogroups.com Berhenti mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Milis Keluarga Sejahtera mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Milis Anak Muda Islam mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] This mailing list has a special spell casted to reject any attachment ....Yahoo! 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