The spy nest

In 1968, when the sampar plague hit Central Java, Indonesia called on the United States for help. The US then dispatched its Naval Medical Research Unit or NAMRU2, which gave successful recommendations to eradicate the deadly disease. Then in 1970, Indonesia called on the US again for help to fight malaria in Papua. A memorandum of understanding was signed between Indonesian Health Minister GA Siwabessy and US Ambassador Francis Galbraith to secure NAMRU2’s presence in Indonesia. In the 1990s, when malaria was finally eradicated, NAMRU2’s presence continued in Indonesia. In 1991, the US promoted NAMRU2’s level from a mere military health detachment of the US Navy to a full command operations status (intelligence operations?), following the closure of NAMRU2 based in the Philippines in 1994. Since then, with the help of the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) expanded NAMRU2’s function to conduct research on contagious diseases for all of the Southeast Asian region. Then in 1998, Armed Forces Commander Gen. Wiranto urged the government to halt NAMRU2’s operations on grounds that its presence on Indonesian soil posed a threat to national defense and security. Gen. Wiranto noted that 23 NAMRU2 researchers were given diplomatic immunity and free to wander all over Indonesia to carry out their activities (why didn’t he stop it?). In 1999, Foreign Minister Ali Alatas sent a letter to President BJ Habibie informing him that NAMRU2’s operations are related to the military aspect of the Biological Weapons Verification Protocol. Now, after forty years of NAMRU2’s presence, Indonesian believe its function is no longer needed (but Indonesia doesn’t have the guts to tell the US!). Its legal binding with Indonesia has ended. But NAMRU2’s operations continued. AC Manulang a former head of Indonesian intelligence said NAMRU2 is currently carrying out the role of America’s neo-liberalism policy by carrying out espionage activities under the camouflage of research purposes. Current intelligence chief declined to state whether NAMRU2 is associated with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) but confirmed the US military research unit carried out intelligence practices and that it’s presence is being evaluated (why not a recommendation to close the facilities?). US Ambassador to Indonesia Cameron Hume denied such allegations but Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari accused NAMRU2 of trampling over Indonesia’s sovereignty. She ordered all hospitals to stop providing samples, including bird flu samples to NAMRU2 (bird flu research samples made US pharmaceutical firms rich). She said NAMRU2 has its own programs and carry out its activities without informing results of their research to the Indonesian authorities. But it seems that officials, members of parliament and Indonesians in general are powerless against US neo-liberalism interests while all information about Indonesia is already in the hands of a foreign power (when will Indonesia realize and rise?).

Devils in flying angels

Tuesday, March 25 saw an important press conference by the Indonesian air transport safety officials. They announced the results of investigation into the crash of an Adam Air jetliner in January 2007 which killed 102 people on board. The investigation showed pilot error caused the plane to crash into the sea. The autopilot was disconnected while the pilots tried to fix a problem with the plane’s navigation instruments. According to the investigation of the black box flight recorder, the aircraft was flying at 10 times the normal landing speed when it hit the water. Adam Air had registered 154 defects in the Boeing 737-400’s navigation system in the three months before the crash, showing the planes were poorly maintained. An Adam Air Boeing 737 broke into two during a hard landing in Surabaya. In February 2006, an Adam Air aircraft strayed off course after navigation systems failed and made an emergency landing in Tambolaka, East Nusa Tenggara. And in a latest incident in Batam, an Adam Air plane skidded off the runway during landing. Indeed, Adam Air’s safety record was totally unaccountable and Tuesday’s findings proved that Adam Air had been negligent in implementing safety procedures. The authorities should have grounded Adam Air a long time ago (investigate the former flight safety officials!). Meanwhile, Adam Air has financial difficulties as well. The company has defaulted on debt payments to aircraft lease firms and it owes leasing companies more than US$14 million. Its investors have pulled out in distrust of the company’s founders and their intentions. Not mentioning, the transparency of its financial management (where have all the money gone?). Innocent people have lost their lives due to Adam Air’s negligence and the family-owned company should be held responsible. Adam Air has not only tainted the image and credibility of the Indonesian air transportation industry but also caused public distrust in other Indonesian airlines as well. The government should not tolerate such negligence ever again!

Why be over-reactive?

Indonesia should also conduct routine random security checks for visitors to Indonesia regardless who the person is, whether he is a saint, a foreign government official or just anyone. This procedure is a must given the lax security precautions providing the opportunity for illegals to enter the country. As the immigration office has pointed out, many foreigners have entered Indonesia without proper documents. Besides, the number of immigration violations have increased during the previous years. This was why, the Indonesian immgration set up its intelligence involving police, the attorney general’s office, the finance ministry and other security authorities. The main purpose is to prevent illegal entry, terrorism, drug trafficking and check Indonesian and foreign white collar criminals coming or going out the country. Recently, the Singapore immigration conducted a random check on two incoming visitors from Indonesia. They happened to be presidential advisor Adnan Buyung Nasution and former attorney general Abdul Rachman Saleh, two prominent Indonesians going on a friendly visit to a neighboring country. They were held for more than two hours for questioning. It was a humiliation on their part. But any country reserves its right to check on any incoming foreign visitors regardless who he is. The brief detention of  Buyung and Abdul Rachman Saleh came amid heightened security at Changi Airport following the recent escape of terrorist Mas Slamet Kastari from a jail in Singapore. There was no need for asking a high-level apology and explanation from Singapore as the island-state conducted what it regards as a normal security procedure (although Singapore apologized). Such procedure is also enforced in other countries such as the United States. Any Indonesian with a Muslim name will likely be checked intensively (what’s underneath your socks). Indonesia should not be over-reactive. There are other issues far more important to bring up with Singapore such as extradition of Indonesian white collar criminals (those involved in BLBI case and money launderers) hiding or taking up residence in Singapore.

A nationalist

Ir. Ciputra has been awarded a doctorate degree (honoris causa) in technical sciences by the Tarumanegara University recently. I attended the event and many ITB alumni (many of whom are senior and his university buddies) told me that Ciputra’s thinking is very nationalist. I tend to agree. Ciputra called Indonesia his own motherland and he wants to do more for his country. Pak Ci, as he is more known, did not forget to attribute his success to former president Soekarno, former Jakarta governors Soemarno and Ali Sadikin for their vision to build Jakarta. Together, they transformed a useless wasteland to become the third largest recreational park in the world (Disneyland in the US rejected it) and convert the slum area of Senen to a modern shopping complex. What struck me was he dared to lash out at the government for not including entrepreneurship studies in the national curriculum. I agree with him. We only have around 400,00 entrepreneurs in a population of more than 200 million people. University grads should be job creators and not job seekers. I also learned that Pak Ci was born to a poor family in Parigi, Central Sulawesi. His father Tjie Siem Poe was imprisoned by the Japanese occupation forces and died in a dungeon. This has formed Pak Ci’s nationalist spirit. Pak Ci led a difficult life. He had to hunt wild animals in the jungle to eat and walk barefoot 7 kilometers to attend school. And Pak Ci didn’t keep everything he’s got for himself. Eighty percent of his companies are now owned by the Jakarta Provincial Government. Now at 77, he still wants to do more for the nation and people. I have seen other conglomerates awarded doctorate degrees (are they nationalists?) but Pak Ci is different. He really deserves one. Congrats Pak Ci!

The good and bad news

The recent visit of His Royal Highness Duke of York to Indonesia strengthens bilateral ties and opens the opportunity for more investments from the United Kingdom. It will also bridge the perception gap between existing foreign investors and potential new investors on Indonesia’s investment climate (red tape, manpower regulations). The UK is the second largest investor here after Japan, with total investments of US$4.6 billion, mainly in the oil, gas and mining sectors where British Petroleum, Rio Tinto and Shell are all active (Papua’s Bintuni bay has reserves of at least 14.4 trillion cubic feet of gas). UK investors also have stakes in automotive manufacturer PT Astra International and several hotels. While making clear (he’s sincere and honest ‘cause he’s a royal) that Indonesia is an important trading partner for the UK, the Duke offers business expertise and London as a global financial capital, with advanced financial and business consultancy services. He also invited President SBY to visit London to raise Indonesia’s profile and showcase the opportunities that exist here. The bad news is Indonesia’s stance during the last UNSC vote to impose new sanctions on Iran. Instead of opposing or rejecting the vote, our dear Ambassador Marty Natalegawa abstained (he wants to play it safe). During an earlier vote, Indonesia supported the other members of the UNSC to hand down the sanctions (what an inconsistency!) Such double standard reflects the indecisiveness of the Indonesian government in its foreign policy. What a will the Iranians say when President SBY arrives in Teheran for a state visit later this month?

Another slap in the face

A slap in the face once gain for the government with the arrest of a leading Attorney General’s Office prosecutor who allegedly took bribes from businessman Syamsul Nursalim. Urip Tri Gunawan, who headed an investigation on missing billions of dollars in bank bailout funds (BLBI) in the 1990s, was caught red handed by Anti Commission (KPK) investigators last week as he left Nursalim’s house holding US$ 660,000 in cash. Urip denied all charges reasoning that he was there to complete a jewelry business transaction. Nursalim’s bank owes the government Rp 40 trillion but Nursalim was acquitted of all charges as his assets had been confiscated and sold to the state to repay debts (but his assets only yielded Rp 1.8 trillion!). The BLBI case has caused widespread frustration and anger given that many bankers were let off without charges. And now the sentiment is growing much more with the discovery of a shadowy figure who is well acquainted by the conglomerates as well as members of the DPR. She is Arthalita Suryani, who was also arrested on charges she bribed Urip. Suryani, known more as Ibu Ayin, had been described as the person who acted as “courier” for Nursalim as well as for Salim, another conglomerate who is also implicated in the BLBI case. Ibu Ayin, who is also close to Gus Dur’s PKB party, had often acted as the ATMs (automated teller machines) for the conglomerates in dealing with their cases (it is public secret that there may be more shadowy figures such as Ibu Ayin). But at least for now, the arrest of both Tri and Ibu Ayin is expected to shed more light on the much illegal wrongdoings of the conglomerates and corrupt practices at DPR. Meanwhile, the Attorney General’s Office should do house cleaning more often. Otherwise, further damage to the nation’s credibility can no longer be prevented and the dramatic events will only look like a good movie to watch.

Lessons to be learned

What can Indonesia learn from the recent visit of US Defense Secretary Robert Gates and the recent air show in Singapore? The US wants to strengthen relations to move beyond earlier focus on Indonesia as a potential terrorist flashpoint after the September 11, 2001 attacks and offer to upgrade the country’s defense capability. From the air show, we learned that Indonesia’s defense capability appeared to be less advanced compared to its tiny neighbor, as well as Malaysia (Indonesia ranks only better than the Philippines). Gates, after meetings with Indonesia’s president and the defense minister, said the U.S. was prepared to offer support and training for ongoing military reforms in Indonesia, help update its fleet of military transport aircraft and its F-16s. Indonesia’s military relations with the US prospered in the past. The top generals were trained at West Point. And military hardware were supplied by the US. Then the US imposed an arms embargo on Indonesia for alleged human rights abuses. One day, former president Soeharto summoned air force chief Air Marshall Tubagus Sutria to the Bina Graha presidential office. Tubagus, unaware of what the president wanted to ask him, was surprised he had not proposed to purchase warplanes from elsewhere. “Get the Sukhoi jets if the Americans aren’t selling to us,” Soeharto ordered. Then the US courted Indonesia again and offered F-16s (Congress probably softened a bit). But the F-16 jets offered were intended for sale to the Pakistanis, not Indonesia. The US stalled the sale to Pakistan because the country was suspected of building nuclear weapons. By the time Indonesia wanted to buy US warplanes, they were not available. During President Megawati Soekarnoputri’s term Indonesia then purchased the Sukhoi warplanes. When Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Indonesia, he offered President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono a credit of $ 1.2 billion to buy Sukhois, Kilo-class submarines, helicopters and tanks (this has caused great concern in Australia). We may not be as advanced as Singapore or Malaysia and we do not believe that we will be fighting wars (beware,we have more infantry soldiers.) But the point is that we should never be dictated by any country in charting our own destiny.

Blame it on the weather

The problem with infrastructure is now affecting the economy. Roads are damaged or submerged in flood water, many areas are facing blackouts due to power shortage. And food prices have skyrocketed to a level which is no longer affordable. Inflation looms. But officialdom finds it easy to give reason – blame it on the weather. Never in the history of modern Indonesia one finds a 34 kilometer long trucking queue at the northern coastal roads. Or airports closed due to flooding of the expressway to the airport. Public works authorities blame it on rising tide and flooding while environmentalists accused developers of violating environmental impact analysis requirements. The state electricity company, PLN, reasoned that coal supply didn’t reach power plants in time due to transportation problem. The National Logistics Board (established by former president Soeharto to control food supply) also failed to carry out market operations to stem food price hike. Ten years of reforms did not pay off. The economy is in dire situation (but on paper it grows 6.2 percent). Former president Soeharto built the infrastructure. People believed that his successors failed to maintain them. Nor did they plan to improve or build new ones. Most of the coal is probably exported rather than stockpiling for national interests. What we see and hear now is an awful lot of politics, corruption check and public relations campaign but no new development as far as infrastructure is concerned.

Hotel Kurhaus, Scheveningen, The Hague February 2008

It was unimaginable what happened at Hotel Kurhaus, Scheveningen, The Hague, February 2008. Indonesian Ambassador to The Hague, Junus Effendi Habibie hosted a gala dinner to welcome the launch of Visit Indonesia Year 2008 tourism campaign. The campaign was to coincide with Indonesia’s commemoration of 100 years of National Awakening. More than 150,000 Dutch tourists visited Indonesia in 2006 and they stayed in for an average of three weeks based on latest statistics. The Netherlands is Indonesia’s largest tourism market in Europe. Indonesia and the Netherlands have historic and emotional bond and the two countries have very special bilateral relations. More than 200 guests, Dutch officials, tour operators and friends of Indonesia in the Netherlands, attended the dinner. Why did Ambassador Habibie pick Hotel Kurhaus? For sentimental and historic reasons he wanted to remember the hotel where representatives of the Indonesian government to Konperensi Meja Bundar (the round table conference) stayed during negotiations with the Dutch in 1949. He thought the setting would match the theme of the campaign. The Indonesian Director General of Tourism Marketing Thamrin B. Bachri and Indonesian Ambassador to Belgium and the European Union Nadjib Riphat Kesoema were also present. The cultural dances of Bali, West Java, Betawi and Aceh performed by the Indonesian community in the Netherlands caught much attention, the music ensemble performed by Indonesian students was fine and the guests were enthusiastic. But alas! The food is European! For the Dutch guests it was a surprise. They expected Indonesian culinary delights! I have known Ambassador Habibie since the old days and when he was ambassador to the Court of St James. But sorry His Excellency, I think, once again, the tourism campaign is a flop. Mr. Thamrin Bachrie, you have not done well! Enough of this historical and emotional nonsense! Get back to the real business!

Shattered dreams

Just recently, (Feb.16-19) the Governor of West Sumatra invited journalists of the local and foreign press to visit his province. The aim was promote tourism and attract investors to develop a region which offers the best of sceneries, natural preserves and culture. It was a good gesture on the part of Gamawan Fauzi, the first person to be elected West Sumatra governor in a free and direct election process in 2005. But three years after his election, many parts of West Sumatra remain under-developed. Except for Padang and Bukittinggi, infrastructure is poor especially in the southern coastal regencies such as Kabupaten Pesisir Selatan where the journalists visited. In 2006, Irul Azwardi, a native villager of Lenggayang, Pesisir Selatan, wrote a letter to the governor. In the letter, Irul said that he didn’t find any significant development when he returned home to his village after eight years living on Java in search for a better life and fortune. He was expecting that his home village had changed and prospered over time. But to his surprise, there were no paved roads yet and everything looked the same. He then called on the governor to pay attention to the village and asked him to call on rich conglomerates of Minang origin living in Jakarta to return home and invest in West Sumatra. Officials have said natural disasters and lack of funding prevented the the region from developing. But such excuses are typical with regional officials and they just don’t make sense. There are many investment opportunities in West Sumatra such as tourism and hotel businesses. But if the local government officials don’t change their mindset and do something to develop roads and a good transportation system, the investors and the tourists will not come.