"This will have to be listed in the Indonesian records museum....”

Denny Indrayana,  a law observer from Gajah Mada University

Controversy over the conditional release of Tommy Suharto, the defendant in the murder case of Supreme Court Judge Syafiuddin Kartasasmita, continues.  in Indonesia’s history, remission of 38 months, like Tommy received, has never been granted, a new record. Source: Tempo

 

Jakarta worried about local Sharia-inspired laws
Since 2004, when regional autonomy came into force, 22 regencies and municipalities adopted Sharia-inspired laws: some criminalize conduct that is banned by Islamic law like adultery, prostitution, gambling, alcoholism and further, they restrict women’s freedom.

Police flood Indonesian city ahead of visit by U.S. president
Thousands of security forces have been deployed to secure a city on the outskirts of the Indonesian capital where President George W. Bush will meet his counterpart later this month. Police officers, many of them undercover, are already guarding major roads, landmarks and the Presidential Palace in Bogor, around 60 kilometers south of the capital, Jakarta.

Many risk long-term damage from SE Asia haze-experts  (Reuters)

FROM  THE EDITOR:


In Indonesia the health facilities and the quality of health service is improving, but surprises are still to be expected. I became father of my second daughter last week. This was not the surprise. The surprise was how I, after all these years here, still regularly get tricked and overcharged.  A bule in Indonesia will never learn how it really works. The story:

The photo shoot of the Bar Calendar 2007 went on until late into the Sunday evening. I still had to photo shoot some shots for the month of December, when labor started. We went straight from BuGils to the MMC Hospital. This was around midnight. The mother-to-be was taken to the laboring room, while I was taken to the cashier. I had to pay a deposit of 18 juta. Where to get 18 juta in cash on Sunday night, the night before Idul Fitri? The hospital cashier was more stubborn then the average BuGils or Cazbar cashier (I should hire her), but in the end she agreed to a deposit of 10 juta only. The other 8 juta had to be paid the next day. Fine.

Laboring continued the rest of the night. They gave her an injection that was supposed to speed up things, but it seemed only to slow things down. In the meanwhile the mother was under intense pain. On the Idul Fitri morning I paid the rest of the deposit. I booked a VIP room with one bed. As it was Idul Fitri day, whole families where already camping in the corridors.

The next morning the doctor decided to continue with a Cesar operation. But before that would happen I had to do an additional deposit of 9 juta first, as a cesar is more expensive. 'You have to pay first", said the lady in an almost Dutch bureaucratic tone. I was surprised and confused as well. The doctor had just told me that they had to do the operation immediately! The administration clerk looked gloomy at me, awaiting my response. "Banks are closed! Its Idul Fitri!", I tried to find understanding, but the girl looked emotionless in my direction. "I want to talk to your senior!"  With a deep sigh she pushed back her chair, got up and shuffled her way to a back room. A senior woman look around the corner of the door. She judged me for a second and then 'released' the strict hospital payment rule. The operation could continue, but the patient would not be allowed to leave the hospital before the bill would be settled. Fine.  Just 30 minutes later Nicole Santema was born.

A nurse brought the happy father to the VIP room and opened the chiller. No beers, only 2 bottles of water and two cans of coke. "This drinks are for free", the nurse explained. "Wow...!", I said, impressed by the generous offer. She continued: "Every day we will refill it, but except on National Holidays.". She closed the fridge again. She wanted to leave the room, but I stopped her as I didn't understand the logic of it. "This week is a National Holiday.. Does this mean you are not filling it up this whole week?" "Correct", she answered. "Well, why then did you bother to tell us?" I said in confusion. She just smiled and silently closed the door behind her. 

When the mother and her daughter were allowed to go home on Thursday morning, the bill included the stay for upcoming night, even with the extra bed! I protested, went to their Humas office but the lady there also had no idea why this rule was applied. ('Aku juga enggak menggerti... Kenapa ya...?") For me it is clear that a deposit has a different meaning here. In Indonesia it is money that has been received and for which you have to have a damn good reason (or strong relations) to get it back. I am sure many of my Indonesian readers will confirm this through their own experiences. The hospital bill was just below the 27 juta deposit, but with some extra bed charges (even for the Friday) they managed to increase the bill up to just over the 27 juta.

Ofcourse, the above experiences are all small irritations; the real happiness is the healthy young baby.

When I went home first to prepare the homecoming of mother and child, I found a small army of distressed security guys in the lobby. The 30th floor was flooded and it was coming from my unit. One lift was out of service already because of it. An enormous mess. Shoes, papers and clothes flooding everywhere. While I stood in 10 cm of water thinking what to do next, one senior short fat uniformed guy with thick spectacle glasses stood in the door. "Mister? Money mister.". I looked op. "What do you mean?" I asked him. "Mister pay money". he repeated. "For what?" I asked. "You. Many water. We clean. You Pay.". I hated the guy instantly. For a split second I wanted to throw him on the floor, drag him through the water from room to room. But I had no choice. Just when I opened my chiller, he started again: "You pay me now", he said in an almost demanding tone. I almost lost it. A can of beer that was left in my chiller saved the man from a disaster. Just in time I had my mind switched and opened the can. "Clean first, then I pay." I told the man calmly. 'Deposit dulu', he replied instantly. What on earth did this moron think?
"Who will pay your deposit when I hit you straight into the MMC? Who did ever pay your deposit when you were born, for heaven sake? They were short of cash as well, weren't they?" He didn't understand me and lifted his spectacles with thick glasses higher up his nose. "Kenapa Mister?" he innocently asked me. One thing I learned in Indonesia: Sometimes it is just better to take a deep breath and turn a switch. I opened the fridge again and took another beer out. "HE, FATTY!" The little man, still standing the doorway, was just busy rolling up a trouser with one hand while keeping his shoes and socks in the other hand. He looked up. "CATCH!" One can of Bintang flew into his direction. He dropped his shoes while catching the can. Water splashed up. His subordinates in the back started laughing. The man left angrily (with the can!) and his people cleaned up the place with big smiles. I gave them a good tip.

Just when I was about to hate it, I started loving it again. Life in Indonesia is still good....

Bartele

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PS. THIS WEEKEND in BUGILS: I am trying out something new for BuGils. I hired a Grand Piano after hearing about DORA SEPTI. She used to be famous in Indonesia many in the sixties and seventies, but now, she is still rockin'. She sings and plays everything from Jerry Lee Lewis to Nina Simone, from Louis Armstrong to Elton John. DORA is playing this Saturday from 21.00 till 24.00. Tonight (Friday) a couple (sorry, forgot their name) will play classic rock and pop songs.

And on LADIES NIGHT coming TUESDAY we will have a performance of NITA in BuGils. Nita used to play in Europe but is now back in her homeland. She normally plays in the Ritz Carlton and she just signed a contract with the Nine Muses.

The Beatles in the meanwhile will try to break their record of playing more then 57 Beatles songs NON-STOP in THE EASTERN PROMISE. It is also the birthday of the manager LENS! The real date for a party is still a secret, but for sure he will not be stinchy with the beers tonight!

Many people don't know yet that THE ONE TREE in blok M is open for business and serves some pretty good food (kebab)! A safe heaven in Blok M, different from the rest. The One Tree is one door next to the fun pub OSCARS.

CAZBAR is doing another WINE & CIGAR (DOS HERMANOS) TASTING on Monday from 19.00-21.00. Quality wines, a free cigar and an excellent choice of International cheeses free of charge.

Elsewhere in the World:

Grunting carries no weight in this gym
At one gym, grunting is grounds for expulsion. Albert Argibay of Beacon, N.Y. was escorted by police officers from a gym this week for grunting — which is against Planet Fitness' rules for maintaining a non-intimidating atmosphere. "Perhaps I grunted, perhaps I didn't. It's open to interpretation," said Argibay. Argibay emitted the offending grunt Monday evening, a peak time for gyms, said Carol Palazzolo, the gym's general manager. She said she heard it from across the room, even though "the place was a zoo."  "He was looking directly at me and he did it four times," she said. "I'm not a doctor, but as far as I know, a grunt is a noise that comes out of one's body that is loud and is intimidating." (Yahoo)

Size matters for makers of Aussie "Wonderjock"
Size really does count, just ask Australian underwear maker AussieBum which has just launched the "Wonderjock" for men who want to look bigger. (Yahoo)

Lawyer arrested after dressing as bin Laden
A Maine attorney who released information in 2000 about President George W. Bush's drunken driving conviction was arrested on Tuesday after he dressed up as Osama bin Laden and waved a fake gun and dynamite at traffic.

Indonesia's electricity firm inks US 2bn deal for coal power plant
Chinese Imports Now Highest in Indonesia
Exxon Mobil agrees to talks with Indonesia on Natuna gas block MarketWatch


Growth too slow for comfort in Indonesia  -   Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's pro-business government has successfully stabilized the country's macroeconomy. However, economic growth has failed to keep pace with the improving macroeconomic fundamentals, because of lingering foreign and local investor concerns about the country's overall direction. (Asia Times)

Jakarta, Mall City

MALLS are springing up in Jakarta like mush­rooms after the rain. The number of malls in the ca­pital city will reach 100 in 2008. What is behind the construction boom of malls, plazas, and hyper­markets? Why are giant retailers like Carrefour from France, Debenhams from the UK, and Seibu from Japan interested in us, while in fact Indonesia is a poor country?  (Tempo)

Trials, travails of Indonesia's richest man
Ethnic Chinese tycoon Sukanto Tanoto is officially Indonesia's richest man - and one of its biggest debtors. He is also linked to corruption allegations. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has a dilemma. He has promised to root out corruption, but also wants to woo back the wealthy Chinese who left the country after the fall of Suharto.

Indonesia on trial
“My father, Richard Ness, is currently on trial in Indonesia for a crime that never happened, and is currently facing ten years in prison and a US$60,000 fine."  Eric Ness has had meetings with US senators, congressmen and officials at the State Department to bring his father’s situation to their attention. (Latest Mining News)

 

CAZBAR NEWS:

Saturday and Sunday English Premier League Football LIVE in BIG SCREEN. Draught beer @happy hour prices all night on Saturday & Sunday. Every day open for breakfast from 7.00am onwards. FREE WIFI.

Monday evening: Wine & Cigar tasting

(kindly sponsored by  Geographe Energy Indonesia, Tunnel Mining Indonesia and Dos Hermanos).

Free flow of wine between 7pm-9pm complementary Dos Hermanos Cigar and a wide range of fine cheeses. Rp.175.000; per person For more info call Leanne at 0818 087 10024.

EASTERN PROMISE:  

*The Beatles* are back and they have promised to break their record of playing 57 songs on one night! They bring 'Billy Preston' and another keyboard dude to play also more psychadelic hits such as Strawberry Fileds Forever, A day in the Life, Fool on the Hill, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and many many more...!! This Friday, 3 Nov. Starts at 8.30!

Saturday sees *'Chuck' Jessie and The Elwood* play classic sing along Blues / Rock hits! This time with a special guest appearance from the one and only..Janis Joplin!!

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Food and Drinks!  Always! Monday to Thursday, 30% off total food bill until 4pm!
Every Friday from 12 - 3pm, Indian buffet (55.000,- nett)
Every Saturday/Sunday a Roast! This weekend; Roast Pork (60.000,- nett)
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Roberts Furniture at Jalan Wijaya Kusuma No. D.4, Jakarta 12430. Tel. 021-7512223. A great selection of both original and reproduction furniture at the best prices.

RECENT EDITIONS:

The TOUR DE INDONESIA STORIES:
The Criterium:  http://www.bartele.com/newsletters/Aug27nl2006.htm
Bandung-Cirebon: http://www.bartele.com/newsletters/Aug28nl2006.htm
Cirebon-Purwokerto: http://www.bartele.com/newsletters/Aug29nl2006.htm
Purwokerto-Solo: http://www.bartele.com/newsletters/Aug30nl2006.htm
Solo-Madiun: http://www.bartele.com/newsletters/Sept01nl2006.htm
Madiun-Malang, Malang-Jember: http://www.bartele.com/newsletters/Sept02nl2006.htm
Jember-Banyuwanggi, Banyuwanggi-Bali: http://www.bartele.com/newsletters/Sept07nl2006.htm

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