Suasana training IT Networking UI (Foto: Irfan-NPCI)

DEPOK – Lebih dari seratus mahasiswa dari berbagai universitas dan juga masyarakat dari kalangan umum antusias mengikuti pelatihan  Information Technology (IT) di perpustakaan Universitas Indonesia (UI), Depok.  

Pelatihan ini merupakan kerja sama Fakultas Ilmu Komputer (Fasilkom) UI dengan program Kajian Wilayah Amerika di kampus pascasarjana UI. Kegiatan yang digelar di Perpustakaan UI Depok  ini berlangsung selama lima hari, mulai dari tanggal 7 Februari sampai dengan tanggal 11 Februari 2012 dan menghadirkan para pakar IT dari Silicon Valley(AS), Bangalore (India) dan beberapa negara lainnya.
Acara pelatihan IT Networking ini dibuka oleh Wakil Rektor I UI Muhammad Anis dan public affair Kedutaan Besar Amerika Serikat (AS) Don Q Washington. Humas Fasilkom UI Penny Hutabarat mengatakan, acara ini digelar dalam upaya pengembangan teknologi para mahasiswa.
“Antusiasme mahasiswa bagus. Kami menargetkan 200 mahasiswa, tetapi yang mendaftar ada 220 mahasiswa. Mereka berasal dari berbagai fakultas di UI, bahkan ada juga dari universitas Andalas, Padang. Kegiatan ini gratis,” katanya kepada wartawan, Selasa (7/2/2012).

Para mahasiswa yang mengikuti pelatihan ini nantinya akan menjadi programmer dan mampu mengembangkan sistem IT. Hal itu sejalan dengan makin pesatnya perkembangan Information Communication and Technology (ICT) di Indonesia.

Hari pertama kegiatan pelatihan IT di perpustakaan UI ini diawali dengan brainstorming kepada para peserta mengenai pengetahuan jaringan, kemampuan mengelola jaringan, sampai dengan pengenalan teori mengenai Human Networking.

Para peserta yang mengikuti kegiatan pelatihan ini telah dibagi menjadi empat kelompok yang pada hari selanjutnya akan mengikuti pelatihan sesua dengan pembagian kelompoknya. Empat kelompok tersebut terdiri dari Entry, Associate, professional, dan Expert, dimana masing-masing kelompok akan mendapatkan materi pelatihan yang berbeda.

Kegiatan pelatihan IT yang bekerja sama dengan salah satu perusahaan besar yang bergerak dibidang dunia jaringan, CISCO, memfokuskan pada empat materi pokok yang akan diberikan selama empat hari kedepan antara lain meliputi routing, switching, internetworking, dan telekomunikasi.

Sebelumnya dalam siaran pers, Kepala Kantor Sekretariat Rektor Devie Rahmawati mengatakan konsep pertahanan negara ke depan, tidak hanya akan berupa pertahanan fisik dengan persenjataan alat berat, tetapi juga kemampuan sebuah bangsa melindungi diri dari serangan “cyber”.

Menurutnya, setiap negara besar saat ini dengan serius menginvestasikan kekuatan cyber-nya. Sebut saja China, Amerika Serikat, yang memiliki lebih dari 1.000 polisi cyber yang bertugas mengamankan pusat kehidupan bangsa seperti bank, kantor pemerintah dan perusahaan-perusahaan besar lainnya..

Oleh karena itu, UI secara serius menyongsong masa depan, dengan merevitalisasi Fakultas Ilmu Komputer UI dengan rencana  menggabungkan computer science dan computer engineering, menambah kuota mahasiswa menjadi 1.000 mahasiswa di setiap tahunnya. (Irfan)

Children in southern Burma continue to suffer from grave human rights violations at the hands of Burma Army soldiers, reveals a new report from the Woman and Child Rights Project (WCRP) released today. The report provides data from cases over the last 6 years, illustrating that the Burmese government has failed to live up to its international obligations to protect children in situations of armed conflict.

The report, entitled “Coercion, Cruelty and Collateral Damage”, presents evidence of the recruitment and use of child soldiers, killing and maiming of children, rape and other forms of sexual violence against children, and the use of children as forced labor, all of which are prohibited under the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1612 on Children and Armed Conflict, passed in 2005.

“Despite the implementation of a monitoring and reporting mechanism, in accordance with Resolution 1612, we have found that abuses in Burma have continued unabated. It is completely unacceptable that the Burmese government continues to flout its international obligations,” said Nai Kasauh Mon, Director of the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM).

The report is based on interviews with local residents in 15 villages in Ye Township, Mon State, and Yebyu Township, Tenasserim Division. The cases documented by WCRP researchers detail abuses between 2005, the first year of operation of the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM), and September 2010.

“Even more shocking is that these violations have continued since the 2010 elections. While the government is trying to show the world that it is making reforms towards a democratic transition, children in southern Burma and other ethnic parts of the country are still suffering,” said Nai Kasauh Mon. “This is not real progress.”

The report is available at www.rehmonnya.org.

The Woman and Child Rights Project (WCRP) was founded by members of the Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) in order to monitor and protect the rights of women and children in southern Burma.

For more information, please contact:

Nai Kasauh Mon, Director, HURFOM: +66813659140 orkasauhmon2003@yahoo.com

Nai Aue Mon, Program Officer, HURFOM: +66861679741 orauemon@gmail.com

At the end of 2011, looking back at some of the initial steps taken towards progress in the country, 2012 looked more promising with the hope that real progress and substantive change would be coming to Burma. Only one week into the New Year, to our surprise, disenchantment has already set in.

On 2 January, President Thein Sein signed a clemency order marking this week’s 64th anniversary of independence from British colonial rule. Under the order, death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment and prisoners serving more than 30 years had their sentences cut to 30 years. Those serving 20 to 30 years had their terms reduced to 20 years, while those with less than 20 years had their sentences cut by one-fourth. Under this clemency, 6,656 people who had already served the time of their reduced sentences were released. However, as reported by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners – Burma (AAPP), at the end of the day on 3 January, only 34 political prisoners were freed. Those who have a critical role to play in the democratic transition and national reconciliation process will continue to remain behind bars for decades.

As the regime had promised that there would be a significant release of political prisoners on the occasion of Independence Day on January 4, widespread disappointment was expressed after the President’s order. The United States dismissed Thein Sein’s decision saying it fell short of the reform necessary to prompt Washington to further normalize ties. William Hague, on the first visit by a UK foreign secretary to Burma in 55 years, reiterated after the clemency that European Union economic sanctions will not change until authorities release all political prisoners. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi also expressed frustration about the clemency, stating after the Presidential order that “changes have not come about as quickly as we had hoped.”

In a long interview with the Associated Press, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi raised one of the main issues Burma is facing at the moment: the ongoing armed conflict in Kachin State. “The Kachin situation is important now because of the hostilities and the fate of the refugees and the local people,” she said. Daw Suu went on to say that resolving the long-running ethnic conflicts is likely the most important issue for the country, because “unless there is ethnic harmony, it will be very difficult for us to build up a strong democracy.”

In addition to the disappointingly small release of political prisoners, hopes for the New Year to bring peace to the country were also dashed. In early December, President Thein Sein ordered the army not to launch attacks on ethnic armed groups in northern Kachin State. However, fighting has continued and the Burma Army has been deploying more troops, with several boats carrying troops arriving in the Kachin State town of Bhamo in recent days.

Thein Sein has taken the role of the “reformer.” However, this week’s clemency and intensification of fighting in Kachin State show that he is not the real decision maker. At the end of the day, according to the 2008 Constitution, it is the National Defense and Security Council (NDSC) that still holds the reins in Burma. The country’s chief and deputy chief of the Army play key roles in the NDSC and are known to be blocking any reforms and release of political prisoners.

As Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said this week, “I am concerned about how much support there is in the military for changes. In the end that’s the most important factor, how far the military are prepared to cooperate with reform principles.” No one should underestimate the important role that the Army still plays. Therefore, the international community should remain vigilant and keep on calling for real and concrete change.

“The upgrade mencerminkan pertumbuhan yang kuat dan tangguh ekonomi negara, rendah dan menurun publik-utang rasio, memperkuat likuiditas eksternal dan kerangka makro kebijakan bijaksana secara keseluruhan,” kata Philip McNicholas, direktur di Asia-Pacific Ratings Sovereign Fitch, dalam pernyataan itu.

Di Indonesia, rating perusahaan telah meningkat.  Sebagai Presiden, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono menargetkan pertumbuhan sebanyak 6,6 persen rata-rata,
melalui sisa masa jabatannya yang berakhir pada tahun 2014, ia berjanji untuk memacu investasi dan mengurangi defisit anggaran perekonomian negara, untuk menghindari persaingan dengan negara tetangga Singapura, Malaysia dan Thailand yang menderita selama kemerosotan investasi pada tahun 2009 secara global. Akan tetapi telah berkembang lebih dari 6 persen pada tahun ini meskipun krisis utang Eropa mengancam ekspor Asia.

“Ini tidak memberikan kita kekebalan,” kata Helmi Arman, ekonom Citigroup Inc di Jakarta, setelah pengumuman dirilis Fitch. ”Tapi mereka akan memiliki basis investor yang lebih luas di pasar karena langkah ini. Ini tentu akan meningkatkan ketahanan kita. “

Kinerja Rupiah

Rupiah telah mengungguli setiap mata uang Asia kecuali yen Jepang, Cina yuan dan dollar Hongkong tahun ini, dan indeks saham Indonesia adalah pemain keempat terbaik di Asia. Mata uang turun 0,04 persen menjadi 9.090 dolar kemarin, menurut harga dari bank-bank lokal dikompilasi oleh Bloomberg.

Obligasi pemerintah yang diperoleh sebelumnya kemarin. Hasil pada catatan 8,25 persen menurun karena diperkirakan pada Juli 2021 basis poin empat, atau 0,04 persen poin, menjadi 6,25 persen, sesuai dengan harga tengah hari dari Asosiasi Pasar Inter-Dealer. Ini mencapai 6.06 persen pada 6 Desember, terendah sejak efek tersebut dijual pada bulan Juli tahun lalu.
Permintaan untuk obligasi Indonesia akan meningkat menyusul kepindahan Fitch, Rahmat Waluyanto, direktur umum di kantor manajemen utang Kementerian Keuangan, mengatakan di Jakarta kemarin. Modal masuk, terutama investasi langsung asing, kemungkinan akan meningkat, katanya dalam pesan singkat ponsel.

“Menunggu Waktu Panjang ‘

“Kami telah menunggu upgrade ini untuk waktu yang lama, sejalan dengan upaya kami untuk menerapkan kebijakan ekonomi yang konsisten dan hati-hati,” kata Hartadi Sarwono, Deputi Gubernur Bank Sentral, dalam pesan singkatnya melalui ponsel di Jakarta kemarin. “Prospek ekonomi Indonesia akan lebih baik dengan risiko rendah dan biaya pinjaman mendukung pembiayaan kegiatan ekonomi.”

Moody `s Investors Service menaikkan peringkat bangsa pada bulan Januari sampai Ba1. Pada bulan April, jangka panjang Standard & Poor Indonesia meningkat luar negeri. Kenaikan peringkat  menjadi BB + dari BB, dengan outlook positif. Nilainya satu tingkat di bawah investment grade.

Kinerja Indonesia kontras dengan negara-negara di Eropa, yang biaya pinjamannya melonjak karena krisis utang.

Uni Eropa

Para pemimpin Uni Eropa setuju pada pertemuan puncak 8-9 Desember di Brussels untuk kontrol yang lebih ketat dari pajak dan pengeluaran pemerintah yang melampaui batas defisit blok dari 3 persen dari produk domestik bruto. Mereka juga menjanjikan mulai lebih cepat ke dana penyelamatan 500 miliar euro ($ 652.000.000.000). Standard & Poor dan Moody Investors Service adalah meninjau perjanjian dan implikasinya untuk peringkat kredit pada negara-negara Eropa.

Fitch mengatakan  proyek di Indonesia rata-rata pertumbuhan PDB lebih dari 6 persen per tahun selama periode hingga 2013, “Perekonomian Indonesia dalam negeri yang berorientasi dan keberhasilan dalam memberikan pertumbuhan ekonomi yang relatif kuat tanpa penciptaanketidakseimbangan eksternal, atau ketergantungan pada pembiayaan jangka pendek eksternal menunjukkan prospek pertumbuhan ekonomi harus membuktikan tahan terhadap guncangan eksternal, seperti yang terjadi pada 2008, Utang publik rendah dan bunga real positif ratesgive fleksibilitas otoritas kebijakan untuk menanggapi perlambatan apapun.” katanya dalam pernyataan kemarin.

Sumber : http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-15/indonesia-regains-investment-grade-after-14-years-as-fitch-raises-rating.html

AT THE BALI DEMOCRACY FORUM IV NUSA DUA,

BALI, 8 DECEMBER 2011

Bismillahirrahmanirrahiim, Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,

May Peace Be Upon Us, Om Swastyastu Your Excellency Sheikh Hasina [:shik has-sina], Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Co-chair of this Democracy Forum, Your Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah [:ha-sanal bol-kiah], Sultan Brunei Darussalam, Your Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa [:ma-hinda raja-paksa], President of the Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Your Excellency Sukhbaatar Batbold [:suh-batar bat-bold], Prime Minister of Mongolia, Your Excellency Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani [:shik ha-mad bin ja-sim bin jaber al-thoni], Prime Minister of the State of Qatar, Your Excellency Xanana Gusmao [:shana-na gush-maow], Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste, Your Excellency Jejomar Binay [:je-jo-mar bi-nai], Vice President of the Philippines, Your Excellency Bülent Arınç [:byu-lent a-ranc], Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am pleased to extend a very warm welcome to all of you to Indonesia and to the fourth Bali Democracy Forum.

Indonesia is proud to once again host this important Forum. I thank all the leaders who have kindly joined us today, including the co-chair of this year’s Forum, Your Excellency Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. I also extend our gratitude to all delegations and observers for your active and valuable participation.

The Bali Democracy Forum has grown significantly since it was first established in 2008. Ours is the first inter-Governmental forum about democracy in Asia. The attendance of the Bali Democracy Forum has grown from 39 participating countries and international organizations during the first meeting in 2008, to 82 today. Moreover, I take pleasure in highlighting that the number of officials at the Head of State and Government level this year has jumped to 8, from 3 in each of the past occassions. I am confident that this number will continue to grow in the future.

The Bali Democracy Forum has become a premier forum for countries in the region to share constructive views, ideas and lessons of democracy – without judgment or imposition. It provides room for everybody to take part without the burden of pretension.

Recent events around the world have made our work here all the more significant.

In Southeast Asia, Myanmar held elections earlier this year and is now advancing its political transition as part of its roadmap to democracy. We express our support for Myanmar as they continue to advance these reforms and democratic development, particularly to achieve ever-lasting peace and reconciliation.

Perhaps the most significant development is the events in North Africa and the Middle East– what is now as the Arab Spring– which have produced rapid political changes that none of us predicted. Like a genie out of its bottle, it unleashed forces that changed societies forever. People there are demanding more political space and greater participation in determining their future. It shows that effective governance needs the support of civil society.

It is still too early to determine how these political changes will transpire. Based on our own experience in Indonesia, it is safe to assume that in the early years, things will be more difficult before it gets better. Without in any way sounding pessimistic, it must be said that there is no guarantee of success for any country embarking in political change. Change can be for the better or for worse. And democracies around the world usually has 4 evolving scenarios : they can either improve, stagnate, decay or fail. This means that democratic success has to be built, earned and improvised every step of the way. Indeed, elections are only one of the tools of democracy, and building a mature democracy takes a lot more than just holding elections.

The remarkable political changes that are taking place reinforce the salient points of what we have been discussing in the last 4 years.

Let me try to highlight what we expect out of democracy.

To begin with, democracy must bring greater freedom. It should provide ample space for citizens to live his or her life in freedom – freedom of religion, of association, of expression.

But freedom has many dimensions – and we need to faithfully promote each of them. When Indonesia declared our independence in 1945, we finally gained political freedom for our citizens from colonialism, but for some time after that, our people still lived under the tyranny of poverty, ignorance and backwardness – a condition absent of economic freedom. This made our newfound political freedom incomplete and dangerously lop-sided.

Furthermore, that freedom is also not absolute. It has limits. It cannot be used to infringe on the rights of others. It should not be used to promote hatred, conflict or war. This is why we believe that freedom must be coupled with tolerance and rule of law – for without them freedom leads to unbridled hatred and anarchy.

More than just bringing freedom, democracy should also bring about peace. We are all aware of the theory of “democratic peace”, based on the assumption that democracies do not wage war against one another. But there are ample cases where new democracies become burdened by rising conflicts, which make peace more elusive. We experienced this in Indonesia in the early years of democratic transition, where we witnessed the proliferation of communal conflicts in certain areas during certain times. Today, peace and stability reigns throughout Indonesia. Even so, we remain vigilant as Indonesia is not totally free from the prospect of new communal conflicts flaring up. And this is a problem that is also faced by other nations that are undergoing democratic transitions. This is also why any democratic transitions must include efforts to systematically provide built-in protection of human rights. The more we guarantee human rights for our citizens, the more durable our democracy will become.

Apart from bringing freedom and peace, democracy must bring about moderation. This is important because, as has often happened, democracies can give rise to extremism and radicalism of all sorts. Indeed, extremists are usually tempted to misuse democratic openings for their own gains, without actually ever believing in the merit of democracy. This is something that can happen in western democracies as well as Asian, African or Latin democracies. Usually, we cannot stop or restrict these radical voices, but if they go unchecked they can eventually lead to the erosion of democracy. We must never shy from pushing back by ensuring that the voices of reason and moderation constantly prevail as mainstream trends in our societies. Indeed, one of the points in the Action Plan of the recent ASEAN Summit in Bali was to promote a global coalition of moderates as a necessary measure for world peace.

More than freedom, peace and moderation, democracy must also bring about progress. This is indeed a challenge for many democracies : ensuring how democracies translate into positive tangible public goods. This is also going to be the critical challenge facing Arab Spring in the short term – how to speedily build democratic institutions while providing the kinds of governance that are needed for their people to pull through during difficult socio-economic conditions. In the early years of transition, the people can become impatient and more demanding. They want to see quick fix solutions, which are often hard to come by. Pleading for patience sometimes is not enough. And the best medicine is usually bold – even painful – moves for reforms that would improve living standards, raise employment and quality growth. Do not forget : democracy is in the business of hope. We have an obligation not to let that hope down.

And finally, democracy must bring about – well –democracy. I say this because there are cases when democracies lead to more tyranny and oppression. Authoritarian mindsets can prosper in democratic societies. The fact is : democracy cannot survive without democrats. Which is why it is important for us to constantly cultivate a democratic mindset among our people. A dream scenario is for the people to have unshaken faith in the democratic system no matter what they think of the politicians and political leaders.

In a perfect world, democracy brings all these things together. But we do not live in a perfect world. We live in an imperfect world where things do go wrong, where the good is often trampled, and hope is often wasted.

I am convinced that each of us, no matter what the political system and historical background, wishes to see the best for our peoples. In the 21st century, this means one thing : we must address and live up to the aspiration of our people. When there is disconnect between the leaders and the wishes of the people, politics will become dysfunctional.

Each of us will need to respond differently to our people’s aspirations, but respond we must. This is especially so as we are facing a totally different social and political landscape in the 21st century marked by the phenomenal growth of social media, which means that our citizens opinions and aspirations have become much more potent than before. Indeed, the Arab Spring transition represents by far the best demonstration of the power of average citizens to produce change, armed with Facebook and Twitter and smart phones. I believe that dealing with the omnipresent rise of social media in our society will be the most important intellectual and practical challenge for 21st century democracies.

And beyond the instrument of voting, there are plenty of new tools that will allow us to find out what the people think and desire. In my Presidential office, for several years we have instituted a PO Box, email and text service for any of our citizens to lodge a complaint, express concerns and suggest ideas that go directly to my office. We employ dozens of people working round the clock to collect and highlight these public aspirations. I have found this method to be yet another good way to absorb public aspirations – and to gauge both their positive and negative sentiments. If upon further investigation these complaints turn out to be with some merit, we will process them accordingly.

Finally, if I may say so, let me state that 2011 will be remembered as the year of transitions.

We wish all of them well. We know how difficult it is, and we ask that they have strong faith in the democracy that they are nurturing. Many of them will need help – and some have actually asked for help – but I believe some will also need some space to do their hard work. We should respect their wish if it is so. Every democracy has the right to make their own decisions, to chart their own future, and also to make their own mistakes. After all, this is the necessary process of trial and error that is essential for democracies to grow and mature.

And if we have faith in what we do, and we stay the course, I am certain that we will all see light at the end of the tunnel, and vindicate the hopes of millions that are pinned upon us.

Finally, by seeking for the blessings of God the Almighty, and by reciting Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, I declare the Fourth Bali Democracy Forum officially open.

Thank You.

Wassalamu’alaikumWarahmatullahiWabarakatuh. Om Shanti ShantiShantiOm.

Nusa Dua, 8 December 2011

PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA, DR. H. SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO

Seiring dengan perubahan kondisi sosial politik di era reformasi, muncul gejala memudarnya nilai-nilai Pancasila sebagai asas kehidupan berbangsa dan bernegara. Pancasila yang sejak awal didirikan oleh para Bapak Bangsa sebagai asas kehidupan negeri ini   dan ‘tali pengikat’ persatuan Indonesia mulai kehilangan makna dan jatidirinya. Pancasila hanya sekedar menjadi sebuah simbol dan formalitas belaka. Nilai-nilai luhur yang terkandung dalam Pancasila, kini tidak lebih sebagai sebuah hapalan semata, atau ironisnya justru kita tidak tahu apa makna Pancasila itu sendiri, apatah lagi menjalankannya.

Justru yang muncul adalah kehidupan kebangsaan dan politik kenegaraan yang menihilkan nilai-nilai Pancasila, politik kekuasaan menjadi panglima dan kedudukan menjadi tujuan utama. Dampaknya, kehidupan politik terlihat sangat oportunistik dan hanya berpihak kepada elit kekuasaan, kepentingan rakyat-pun di tinggalkan atau bahkan di tanggalkan sama sekali. Sejalan dengan hal itu, ditingkat grassroot terjadi gesekan dan benturan antar kelompok masyarakat, arogansi kelompok menguat, rasa kebersamaan mulai memudar dan masyarakat tidak lagi peduli dengan kondisi negeri ini. Situasi ini sangat rentan karena bisa menimbulkan goncangan kehidupan politik kenegaraan dan apatisme kebangsaan masyarakat, bila di biarkan hal ini bukan tidak mungkin akan membawa dampak buruk bagi negeri ini.

Tidak ada jalan lain untuk mengembalikan negeri ini ke situasi yang lebih baik, kecuali dengan kembali memperkokoh kehidupan kebangsaan melalui “Revitalisasi Pancasila” dengan implementasi nilai-nilai luhurnya di seluruh lini kehidupan, baik di bidang sosial, politik, ekonomi ataupun kehidupan bermasyarakat. Persoalannya kemudian adalah bagaimana mewujudkan hal tersebut, dan  bagaimanapula bentuk revitalisasi yang diharapkan agar Pancasila kembali menjadi dasar kehidupan kita bersama.

Karena tu FKPPI Bali akan melakukan urun rembug masalah tersebut dalam sebuah rangkaian Seminar Nasional  yang akan di selenggarakan pada hari Sabtu-Minggu 03-04 Desember 2011 di Inna Beach Sanur Hotel, Denpasar Bali. Seminar akan mengundang sejumlah tokoh, baik dari kalangan Militer, Politisi, Akademisi dan Agamawan serta  dari FKPPI Sendiri. Para tokoh ni berskala nasional dan didampingi oleh para pakar dari Bali, diantara merekea adalah mantan Kepala Staf TNI Angkatan Darat, Jenderal TNI (Purn) Ryamizard Ryacudu, Anggota DPR-RI yang juga Politisi Senior PDI-P, Ganjar Pranowo dan Pengamat Sosial Politik Yudhie Latief.

Seminar akan di hadiri oleh ratusan peserta yang berasal dari berbagai elemen kemasyarakatan, mulai dari tokoh-tokoh pemeritahan daerah, termasuk pimpinan dan anggota DPRD Bali, tokoh militer, diantaranya Pangdam Udayana, organisasi sosial kemasyarakatan, organisasi politik, Lembaga Swadaya Masyarakat dan kalangan akademisi di lingkungan perguruan tinggi di Bali serta siswa-siswa sekolah di Bali.

Melalui rangkaian seminar ini Generasi Muda FKPPI Bali berharap akan muncul kembali kehendak untuk mengembalikan Pancasila sebagai asas kehidupan kebangsaan dan politik kenegaraan sesuai nilai-nilai yang dikandungnya, sekaligus menjadikan Pancasila kembali sebagai alat ‘pemersatu’ Bangsa. Secara singkat Generasi Muda FKPPI Bali berharap seminar ini akan menjadi bola salju bagi fungsionalisasi penerapan nilai-nilai Pancasila, tidak hanya dalam kehidupan politik kenegaraan, tetapi juga dalam kehidupa kebangsaan dan bermasyarakat

Seminar ini merupakan salah satu sumbangsih kami dari Generasi Muda FKPPI Bali untuk secara bersama-sama dengan elemen masyarakat lainnya kembali menjadikan Pancasila sebagai asas kehidupan kita, sehingga terwujud cita-cita luhur pendiri bangsa ini dan kita semua untuk menjadikan Indonesia sebagai negeri yang aman, makmur  dan sejahtera.

Jakarta, Pemerintah Daerah Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB) mendesak agar proses divestasi 7% saham PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara (NNT) dilaksanakan secara konsisten untuk sebesar-besarnya kepentingan nasional. Agar mencapai kondisi ideal tersebut, selayaknya pelepasan saham perusahaan tambang emas dan tembaga itu ke pihak nasional, tidak dipecah-pecah. Yakni dengan memberikan hak kepada tiga pemda di NTB untuk menguasai saham divestasi itu hingga total 31%.

Hal ini diungkapkan Direktur Utama PT Daerah Maju Bersaing (DMB) Andy Hadianto dalam diskusi bertajuk “Kelanjutan Divestasi Newmont Pasca Audit BPK” yang diselenggarakan Energy and Mining Editor Society (E2S) DAB National Pres Club Indonesia (NPCI) di Hotel Sultan, Jakarta, Rabu, 16 Nopember 2011. Selain Andy, hadir sebagai pembicara dalam diskusi itu Direktur Mineral Ditjen Minerba Kementerian ESDM, Dede l Suhendra, Wakil Ketua Komisi XI DPR, Harry Azhar Aziz, dan kordinator Divis Monitoring dan Anggaran ICW, Firdaus Ilyas.

Andy mengingatkan, proses divestasi saham PT NNT seharusnya sudah berlangsung sejak 2006, namun dan baru terjadi pada 2009 pasca keluarnya putusan arbitrase. Isi putusan itu, divestasi harus dilakukan kepemerintah, pemda, atau perusahaan swasta yang dinominalisasikan oleh pemerintah. Tiga pemda di NTB sendiri telah menunjukkan suatu proses divestasi yang benar-benar mampu mendorong perekonomian daerah, meski harus dilakukan dalam waktu singkat, tidak lebih dari 180 hari. Melalui kemitraan dengan swasta PT Multicapital yang berkonsorsium dengan PT DMB menjadi PT Multi Daerah Bersaing (MDB)

“Pemda bisa membuktikan tidak keluar duit sama sekali, hanya Rp 500 juta untuk modal pembentukan BUMD yakni PT DMB. Tanpa mitra kita tidak mungkin membeli saham divestasi yang nilainya mencapai Rp 4 triliun itu, sedangkan APBD NTB saja hanya Rp 1,5 triliun” jelas Andy.

Terbukti  pula, tanpa mengeluarkan duit tiga pemda di NTB YAKNI Pemerintah Provinsi NTB, Pemerintah Kabupaten Sumbawa, dan Pemerintah Kabupaten Sumbawa Barat berhasil mendapat bonus dari selisih harga saham divestasi pada 2010 sebesar USD 38 juta, dan advance dividen Rp 4 juta per tahun. “Totalnya yang sudah diterima pemda hamper USD 72 juta sampai sekarang. Itu langsung kami transfer ke kas tiga daerah. Dan tahun 2012 kita akan dapat lagi lebih dari USD 4 juta untuk advance dividen,” tegasnya

Soal rumor pemda ikut menanggung utang Multicapital, juga dibantah oleh Andy, karena dari mitranya, pemda sudah mendapat garansi tidak akan ikut menanggung utang. Memang dari konsorsium PT MDB dimana PT DMB memegang kepemilikan 25% jatah tiga pemda dari 24% saham divestasi hanya 6%. Namun dari prosentase itu saja, pemda bisa mendapatkan tambahan pemasukan APBD yang cukup besar. “Apalagi jika 7% saham divestasi PT NNT tahun 2010 juga diserahkan untuk dibeli pemda, maka lebih besar lagi tambahan yang diterima pemda yang wilayahnya menjadi ladang operasi PT NNT.

Andy menyesalkan, sikap pemerintah pusat dalam hal ini Meneteri keuangan yang tetap ngotot membeli 7% saham divestasi itu. Mestinya saham itu diserahkan untuk dikuasai secara bulat oleh tiga pemda di NTB. Apalagi telah keluar hasil audit Badan pemeriksaan keuangan (BPK) yang menyatakan pembelian saham divestasi PT NNT oleh pusat investasi pemerintah (PIP) melanggar Undang-Undang. “Kalau kita konsisten dengan hasil audit BPK itu, mestinya 7% saham divestasi itu diserahkan untuk dibeli pemda,” tegasnya.

Andy juga mengungkapkan, saat ini pemda NTB siap menjalin kemitraan baru untuk mengakuisisi 7% saham divestasi PT NNT tahun 2010. Mengingat mitra lamanya multicapital sudah menyatakan mundur, tidak ikut serta dalam divestasi tahap akhir itu. Menurutnya, pemda dalam waktu dekat akan membuka “beauty contest” guna mendapatkan penawaran paling menarik dari perusahaan swasta yang siap bermitra. “Intinya pemda tidak boleh keluar duit sepeserpun. Minimal penawaran yang kita harapkan sama dengan yang dulu (multicapital), syukur Alhamdulillah kalau lebih baik,”jelasnya.

Sementara itu Harry Azhar Azis menyatakan, permintaan audit BPK dari DPR, bukan untuk menghalang-halangi pemerintah pusat membeli saham divestasi PT NNT. Namun untuk mencegah penggunaan dana APBN yang tidak sesuai peruntukannya. Karena dana APBN yang digelontorkan ke PIP sesuai pembentukannya adalah untuk pembangunan infrastruktur. “Kalau memang mau menggunakan dana PIP untuk membeli saham divestasi, harus minta persetujuan DPR dulu, setelah keluar hasil audit BPK, terserah Menteri Keuangan mau lanjut atau tidak. Tapi kalau pakai dana PIP, tetap harus dengan persetujuan DPR,” tegasnya.

Pada kesempatan yang sama, Dede l Suhendra menyatakan, persoalan divestasi 7% saham PT NNT sebenarnya sudah selesai, Newmont sudah melaksanakan kewajibannya sesuai kontrak karya. Pasca audit BPK sebenarnya proses pembelian saham itu sudah bisa dilanjutkan. Hanya saja, Kementerian ESDM perlu meminta penegasan Kementerian Hukum dan HAM, apakah saham divestasi yang akan dibeli statusnya sudah ‘clear and clean’ secara hukum. “Apakah yang akan membeli tetap pemerintah pusat atau pemda, Kementerian ESDM akan berjalan sesuai perundang-undangan dan kontrak karya. Intinya, kalau pemerintah pusat tidak membeli, maka akan ditawarkan ke pemda.” Ucapnya.

Dalam kesempatan itu, Firdaus Ilyas dari ICW mengingatkan, agar proses divestasi saham PT NNT tidak mengulang kesalahan dalam proses divestasi PT Kaltim Prima Coal (KPC) da PT Freeport saham KPC menyisakan persoalan pidana, dan pada divestasi Freeport saham yang sudah dikuasai jatuh lagi ke pemegang saham freeport. Maka dari itu, divestasi saham PT NNT kali ini harus benar-benar dilaksanakan sesuai dengan prinsip-prinsip good governance baik oleh pusat maupun daerah. Kalau memang dari proses divestasi 24% saham PT NNT 2006 – 2009 ada yang masih menyiskan persoalan, sebaiknya diaudit juga oleh BPK atas inisiatif public.

“Saya kira hingga saat ini audit baru dilakukan pada yang 7% tahun 2000, sedangkan BPK belum melakukan audit menyeluruh atas proses divestasi PT NNT sejak 2006. ICW sendiri menilai, harga saham sudah terlalu mahal, dan ICW meragukan apakah pemerintah sudah melakuka due diligence dengan benar atau belum.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is expected to arrive in Burma this Wednesday, 30 November, for the first visit by an American Secretary of State to the country in more than fifty years. In announcing her visit, US President Barack Obama has focused on positive developments in Burma, referring to “flickers of progress” but he also recognized that “there’s far more to be done” and that the possibility of establishing closer ties between Burma and the United States “will depend upon the Burmese government taking more concrete action.”

While many have welcomed the visit by Secretary Clinton, it is crucial that during her time in Burma, she prioritize putting pressure on the regime to bring an end to the decades of human rights abuses perpetrated against civilians throughout the country. Despite the “flickers of progress” that President Obama highlighted in his speech, the reality is that in many ways human rights abuses have escalated since President Thein Sein took office. The new conflict that erupted in Kachin State in June of this year as a result of the Burma Army’s attacks on the Kachin Independence Army, which broke a seventeen year ceasefire, has brought rape, torture, extrajudicial killings and the use of civilians as human shields and human minesweepers. Similar atrocities continue to be committed against Karen civilians, as well as civilians from other ethnic nationalities living in conflict areas. The Thai-Burma Border Consortium recently noted that in the past year more people have been forcibly displaced than at any time since the group began keeping track of such statistics in 2002.

There can be no serious consideration of the lifting of US sanctions on Burma until the regime puts an end to these atrocities and takes steps toward genuine national reconciliation. As Secretary of State Clinton stated herself, “We’re not ending sanctions. We’re not making any abrupt changes.” She also echoed several of the calls made by numerous civil society organizations insisting that the regime must “release all political prisoners. I mean, that just is a condition. They need to begin to look at how they resolve these ethnic conflicts that have driven tens of thousands of Burmese of different ethnicities into refugee status. They have to have a real electoral system with an open door to political parties and free expression.”

As noted by Secretary Clinton, as well as several other US and UN officials, the continued detention of political prisoners demonstrates that there is a limit to the space the regime is willing to provide for democratization. Despite the regime’s frequent assertions to the contrary and the much touted amnesties that took place in May and October of this year, close to 1,700 political prisoners remain in prison, detained on trumped up charges because of their political activities. Another general amnesty which releases token numbers of political prisoners should be viewed as insufficient and the US must continue to demand the release of all political prisoners as one of the necessary preconditions to the lifting of sanctions.

On the point of resolving ethnic conflicts, it must be recognized that in order for there to be true peace and national reconciliation in Burma, it is crucial that the underlying causes of these ethnic conflicts be addressed. The recent preliminary talks towards peace negotiations taking place between the regime and ethnic armed groups do not even begin to address these causes and should be viewed with skepticism. The regime continues to refuse the demand of the ethnic groups to hold political dialogue through the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), an alliance of ethnic armed groups, and instead continues to engage in piecemeal talks with individual groups.

While the National League for Democracy is taking steps to reregister as a political party, Burma is still far from having “a real electoral system with an open door to political parties and free expression,” one of the conditions mentioned by Secretary Clinton. No date has been announced for the expected upcoming by-elections but Shwe Mann, Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament, has stated that they will not take place for at least three months. Censorship of the media continues and, as of yet, freedom of the press is non-existent with journalists, as well as other ordinary citizens, continuing to be imprisoned for expressing themselves.

It is clear that whatever changes may have taken place in Burma, they have fallen far short of the substantial reforms necessary to make the country into a functioning democracy. Much more must be done and it is crucial that the international community continue to place pressure on the regime to make the necessary reforms. In particular, Secretary Clinton should use the opportunity of her visit to Burma to demand that the regime release all political prisoners, put an end to the armed conflict and human rights abuses in ethnic areas, and continue to take steps towards genuine peace, national reconciliation, and the creation of a true democracy with freedom of expression for all people. Until these demands are met, sanctions cannot be lifted.

Jakarta, Indonesia – On the one-year anniversary of Burma’s first elections in 20 years, civil society from Burma and the region held a public hearing and seminar yesterday on human rights abuses that have continued unabated in the last year. In the morning public hearing, moving testimonies were delivered in person and via video by survivors and witnesses of human rights violations including rape, forced labour, conscription of child soldiers, use of landmines, torture and displacement. A panel of experts expressed their concern about the serious and systematic nature of the human rights violations highlighted in the testimonials, and said that these crimes fit the definition of war crimes as stipulated in the Rome Statute. The panel of experts was comprised of Mr. Nurkholis, Vice-Chair of the Indonesian National Human Rights Commission, Komnas HAM; Dr. Decha Tangseefa, Lecturer in Political Science, Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand; and Ms. Wathshlah Naidu, Building Capacity for Change Programme Officer with International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW Asia Pacific).

They called on the regime to immediately put an end to these crimes occurring in ethnic nationality areas, on the ASEAN Intergovernmental Human Rights Commission and ASEAN Committee for the Promotion and Protection of Rights of Women and Children to conduct studies into the human rights situation in the country and on the international community to establish a Commission of Inquiry into crimes against humanity and war crimes. Their findings will be submitted to the upcoming meeting of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Human Rights Commission.In the afternoon seminar, panelists also spoke about ways forward for Burma. “Without addressing Article 445 of the regime’s Constitution, human rights violations will continue with impunity,” said Khin Ohmar. “Just before we came here, we received new testimonies of troops entering Kachin State. And just today, I received news of 4 young women who have been held for the last 10 days as sexual slaves in Burma Army barracks. This is happening right now! With the ASEAN Summit meeting in the next two weeks, they have the perfect opportunity to pressure the regime to end these international crimes by further delaying their decision regarding Burma’s bid for the bloc’s chairmanship in 2014.”

Speaking about transitional justice, former Indonesian General Agus Widjojo said, “We did have similar violence and atrocities in Indonesia. Somehow, the nation has to be able to come to an agreement about how they saw the past and what they would like for future generations.”

Khin Ohmar agreed with Mr. Widjojo, “Our call for a Commission of Inquiry is precisely in order to discover the truth about the extent of violations happening in Burma. Truth seeking is a must to prove that we are experiencing democratic transition towards national reconciliation, which is what will bring healing and a way forward for the people of Burma.”

“Out of 6,359 prisoners released on October 12, only 230 were political prisoners, including my beloved mother and two of my family. Luckily they were freed. But two others in my family remain in prison,” shared Nyi Nyi Aung, an activist from the 1988 nationwide democracy uprising, who was arrested again in 2009 and tortured during 6 months of detention. He went on to explain the dire situations faced by political prisoners in Burma: atrocious living conditions and food rations, lack of medical care, torture and denial of family visits.

“Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has said that she believes that Thein Sein is sincere. But if he is sincere, why are nearly 1,700 political prisoners still imprisoned?” asked Nyi Nyi Aung. “If the regime is sincere, it must release all political prisoners, cease attacks on ethnic communities and end human rights violations, and engage in tripartite dialogue.”

Speaking after the event, Saw Kweh Say, a human rights documenter from Karen State who was forced to flee his village as a young child after his father was killed and the village was destroyed by the Burma Army said, “If ASEAN implements any of the experts’ recommendations, it would make a huge difference in the lives of people in ethnic areas.”

Ms. Eva Kusuma Sundari, Indonesian MP and President of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus said, “Indonesia is a big country and we should have big guts. Our Foreign Minister might be soft-spoken, but he needs to be strong in his negotiations with Burma.”
For more information, please contact:Khin Ohmar – Coordinator, Burma Partnership and the Task Force on ASEAN and Burma: khinohmar@burmapartnership.org or +66818840772 / +628111770165

Ganjar Pranowo (Foto: NPCI)

Jakarta (ANTARA News) – Ketua Panitia Kerja RUU Pemilu Ganjar Pranowo (FPDIP) mengatakan, peran media massa dalam proses politik dan demokrasi di Indonesia makin dibutuhkan, apalagi dalam proses penyiapan pemilihan umum.
Media massa juga berperan mengawal proses legislasi RUU Pemilu agar pelaksanaan pemilu lebih sederhana, partisipasi rakyat meningkat, dan akhirnya pelaksanaan pemilu 2014 yang lebih berkualitas.
“Peran media massa tidak bisa diabaikan. Apalagi ketika proses pembahasan RUU Pemilu di DPR, maka melalui medialah masyarakat dapat mengikuti perkembangan pembahasan dengan detil dan mendalam. Begitu juga perdebatan alot dan tarik menarik pasal-pasal yang sampai saat ini belum ada titik temu, maka media menjadi jembatan antara parlemen, partai, dan masyarakat. Kita mendorong media terus mengawal proses ini,” kata Ganjar di Jakarta, Minggu.
Ganjar Pranowo yang juga  Wakil Ketua Komisi II DPR berharap perdebatan dalam Panitia Khusus (Pansus) RUU tentang Pemilu tak lagi berkutat pada besaran angka parliamentary threshold atau ambang batas untuk duduk di parlemen. Menurutnya, banyak persoalan lain yang harus diselesaikan Pansus.
“Besaran ‘parliamentary threshold’ sudah terbukti tak signifikan menyederhanakan parpol di parlemen. Sejumlah persoalan yang harus ditemukan titik solusinya adalah persoalan daftar pemilih, daerah pemilihan (dapil), bagaimana menekan suara yang hilang, metode yang efektif untuk mengajak masyarakat ikut pemilu. Harus diingat, yang paling sulit itu teknisnya,” katanya.
Sementara itu, Presiden National Pres Club Indonesia (NPCI) Imelda Sari  mengatakan, peran utama media massa adalah mendorong agar manajemen pemilu 2014 semakin berkualitas. Caranya, kata dia, media massa ikut mengawal proses pembahasan undang-undang pemilu di DPR RI.
“Proses rekrutmen calon anggota KPU juga perlu di kawal. Latar belakang komposisi anggota KPU akan sangat mewarnai pelaksanaan Pemilu 2014. Kita berharap, para anggota lebih berkualitas dan lebih bersih,” ujar Imelda.
Sementara itu, peneliti Perkumpulan untuk Pemilu dan Demokrasi (Perludem) August Mellaz menyatakan idealnya Indonesia memiliki peraturan pemilu yang stabil. Dari penelitian yang dilakukan Perludem dan IFES, tercatat kegagalan pemilu di sejumlah negara dikarenakan tak jelasnya  peraturan pemilu.
Hasil penelitian juga mencatat persoalan besaran ambang batas parlemen tak berkontribusi membuat demokrasi semakin kuat.
“Jangan terpaku pada isu parliamentary threshold, pecahkan persoalan teknis lain, terutama membereskan daftar pemilih tetap dan daerah pemilihan,” katanya.
Jika persoalan teknis tak segera diselesaikan dia khawatir Pemilu 2014 akan semakin tak berkualitas. Perselisihan atas hasil akan kembali mengemuka dan membuat pemilu terancam gagal.
“Kalau dari awal peraturannya kuat, tentu masalah tersebut bisa diatasi. Sayangnya, Indonesi belum memunyai sistem yang kuat,” katanya. (zul)Editor: Ruslan BurhaniCOPYRIGHT © 2011

Sumber, Main:
http://www.antaranews.com/berita/276981/ganjar-peran-media-dibutuhkan-untuk-pemilu-berkualitas