Jakarta (at the zoo)

ProFauna Indonesia Press Release 19.09.2009

(openPR) – International wildlife charity the Born Free Foundation has joined ProFauna Indonesia in calling for a full investigation into allegations of illegal trading of wildlife products by several prominent zoos in the country. The case of the confiscation operation on the protected animal parts in Jagakarsa, Jakarta (7 August 2009) has been developed by the authorities.

The Forestry Department held the second case presentation on 10 September 2009. The government agency strongly alleged that the illegal wildlife crime involved three ex-situ conservation institutions. The documents seized from the suspect showed that the three institutions: Indonesia Safari Game Park (Taman Safari Indonesia/ TSI), Pematang Siantar Zoological Park (Taman Hewan Pematang Siantar), and Bandung Zoological Garden (Kebun Binatang Bandung/ KBB), were allegedly involved in the illegal trade of endangered animals. The documents recorded the transactions between the suspect and the institutions trading these following endangered species: Sumatran tiger, orang-utan, Malayan tapir, sun bear, leopard cat, bird of paradise, and cuscus.

The alleged involvement of these zoos is horrifyingly ironic that the ex-situ conservation institutions must have protected and preserved the endangered animals. According to the 1990 Wildlife Act concerning the Conservation of the Natural Resources and Ecosystem, “Every one is prohibited to keep, own, raise, transport, and trade the protected animals including its skin, body or other parts, by-products, as well as to export (inside and outside Indonesia)” Offenders are liable to a maximum five year prison term and 100 millions IDR (10,000 USD).

The most recent case of illegal wildlife trade happening in a zoo was the death of a Sumatran female tiger in Rimbo Zoo, Jambi, Sumatera (22 August 2009). The poor tiger was murdered, skinned and stolen, only its intestines remaining in the cage.

The Coordinator of Forum against the Illegal Wildlife Trade, Irma Hermawati, SH, stated “We applaud the good job of the Forestry Department team that have succeeded in revealing the illegal wildlife case. The Forum has been suspecting the involvement of some zoos’ corrupt officers in trading the protected wildlife. Zoos management must be strictly monitored to curb such wildlife crimes and prevent the country loss from the illegal wildlife trade.”

The international world also criticises the alleged involvement of the zoos in the illegal wildlife trade. Andrina Murrell from Born Free Foundation said, “Born Free Foundation, international conservation and animal welfare organisation which supports ProFauna, is shocked yet unsurprised to hear about zoos trading their wild animals for profit. On one hand these zoos are claiming to preserve and conserve wildlife yet on the other they are exploiting the animals and encouraging a trade which devastates wild populations. This trade needs to be exposed and stopped.”

ProFauna Indonesia, a wildlife protection organization in Indonesia, has been advocating the government to inspect all zoos in Indonesia and check the numbers of the animals kept there. ProFauna Campaign Officer, Radius Nursidi added, “ProFauna strongly recommends the government to put moratorium on Indonesian zoos. The government should not permit any new zoo and should instead focus on assisting and monitoring the present zoos”

ProFauna Indonesia (www.profauna.org) is a wildlife protection organization in Indonesia established since 1994. With the help of it volunteers all over Indonesia, ProFauna works through campaigns, education, trade survey, and wildlife rescue.

ProFauna Indonesia

Jl. Raya Candi II/ 179 Malang 65146 Jawa Timur – Indonesia

Contact Person: Butet A. Sitohang

International Communication Officer

email: international@profauna.org

mobile: +6281333899741

Jakarta (a programming note and some Malay proverbs)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Citayam 2008

A programming note:

From ABC and BBC Indonesian Journeys . This is a four part series which is a co-production by ABC’s Anita Barraud and the BBC’s Neil Trevithick. The  program can be downloaded for listneing on the computer or mp3 player. 

“In just over ten years, Indonesia has transformed from a centralised authoritarian regime under Suharto to a decentralised multi-party democracy.

With parliamentary elections approaching in April and a presidential poll later in the year, what are the issues, challenges and expectations of the world’s largest Muslim population?

Anita Barraud of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) travels to four very different parts of Indonesia where 240 million people are preparing for their general election.

Part one – Democracy and diversity – Jakarta

The Old Centre of Jakarta on the island of Java is still the seat of national government, with a population of ten million, it is a vast crowded traffic choked city.

It is also the heart of a nation gearing up for its third parliamentary elections since the end of a 32 year dictatorship.

Indonesia is a young country, with an average age of 27.

Even though this new generation have come of age since the demise of Suharto, many remain sceptical about the real nature of democracy.

Corruption is still a huge issue but crucially it is talked about openly, and there have been high profile prosecutions.

In the first part of this series, Anita Barraud travels across the city from the port district of North Jakarta to the South Jakarta malls.

She speaks to hip hop musician Nova Ruth, who explains what it is like for young people in Indonesia coming to terms with their often traumatic modern history.

She also visits the high end Muslim fashion magazine ‘Noor’, where they talk about the different meanings of the Jilbab (the Indonesian version of the Hejab) and the ways it is worn by young women here.

Anita also travels to the slums where the dispossessed tell her that democracy is a purely cosmetic covering which is shielding the elite and allowing corrupt practices to continue.”

 Some  Malay proverbs:

I love libraries. In fact I regret to have mentioned that if I were Jakarta’s Governor I would propose building a modern central library for Jakarta and equally modern branch libraries throughout the greater metropolitan area. These libraries would serve the civic purpose of the freedom of access to information. A lot could and should be done in that way. Just think of it: The Jakarta Public Library!

At the university I attend there is a nice library which I visit  every morning. It is full of books and magazines (of course), computers with broadband internet access, pretty girls, and it is a great place, as all libraries are, to take a nap.

You can also walk through “the stacks” and browse to your hearts content. I was doing that when I ran across the following:

Malay Proverbs: Chosen and Introduced by Sir Richard Winstedt K.B.E., C.M.G, F.B.A., D. Litt. (Oxon.).  I assume all those initials make the book all that more authoratative otherwise I have no idea what they mean although I might assume Sir Winstedt has a Doctor of Literature under his belt. The book was published by John Murray, Albemarle Street, London, W. and first published in 1950.  There are 259 proverbs listed in the book. And we are told by Sir Winstedt that Cervantes himself framed the definition of a proverb as “short sentences drawn from long experience”.

Before I share some these I was wondering if proverbs are still being created. Are there any new ones or has our long experience exhausted the resource? Any you would like to share? Any you think should be added  here? In any event I have been inspired to think about making up a few of my own…. for example ’teach a cat to read and you’ll never have to buy another newspaper.” I am not sure what it means yet… but it sounds like a good idea… but more of a long sentence based on short experience. I will need to work on this.

In any event: a short selection of  Malay Proverbs (note the old transcription):

5. Tuah melambong tinggi, chelaka menimpa badan. – Good luck soars away and misfortune crushes one’s body.

6. Sa-besar-besar bumi, aku tampar ta’ kena. – Huge though the world is, I always miss when I hit at it.

8. Kalah, jadi abu: menang, jadi arang. – Vanquished, one will be reduced to ash; victorious, to charcoal.

11. Jangan chakap chabul di-sungai, buaya ganas. – Do not use bad language on a river or the crocodiles will grow fierce.

16. Kita semua mati, tetapi kubor masing-masing. –  We all die but have different graves.

18. Orang yang bertanam pokok nyior, kadang-kadang tiada makan buah-nya. – The man who plants a coconut-palm sometimes does not eat the fruit.

23. Kuching bertandok. – (Where) cats have horns.

24. Kura-kura pandai kerbat kayu. – (Where) the tortoise has learnt to climb trees.

43. Mahu-kah orang menghujankan garam-nya? – Does any one want to put his own salt out in the rain?

64. Nyior di-tebok tupai. – The young coconut is bored by a squirrel.

77. Anjing di-tebok kepala, menjongkit ekor. – Pat the head of a dog and up does the tail.

86. Tanam lalang, ta’ akan tumboh padi. – If you plant grass, you won’t get rice.

112. Pelandok lupakan jerat, tetapi jerat tiada lupakan pelandok. – The mousedeer may forget the snare, but the snare does not forget the mousedeer.

132. Kera lotong terlalu makan, tupai di-julai timpa perasaan. – When monkeys guzzle, squirrels on the lesser boughs suffer.

169. Tikus jatoh ka-dalam jelapang. – The rat has fallen  into a rice-bin.

186. Tidak hujan, lagi bechak; ini ‘kan pula hujan.  – Before there was rain, it was muddy, and now there is rain.

219. Siapa makan chabai, ia-lah merasa pedas. – It is the eater of chillies whose mouth feels hot.

233. Mandi, biar basah. – When you bathe, get wet.

248. Sahaya bukan budak makan pisang. – I am not a banana-eating child.

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Jakarta (passing notes)

At the Station – SceneHunter

This November marks the one year anniversary of The Jakarta Indonesia Urban Blog. Of course this is a small effort compared to JavaJive who recently notes his sixth year at blogging; Jakartass who has been blogging about Jakarta since 1619; and Lightbeamers who was born blogging (most excellently, I must add).

In this year The Jakarta Indonesia Urban  Blog has received over 26,000 visits from 139 nations. The top five visiting nations are (currently) the United States, Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore.

The statistics which Word Press kindly provide show the current top ten posts and pages as follows:

dari Jakarta (Barack Obama) 1,764
Jakarta (news, books, and sex, news) 1,402
Jakarta Maps 674
Jakarta (deviantArt, airports, MONAS) 454
Jakarta (Bung Karno) 429
Jakarta (Bill Gates, food, OPEC, the tallest building in the world) 399
Soeharto 375
Jakarta (Batavia, Djakarta, Jakarta, population) 372
Jakarta (H5N1, skulls, sex, demonstrasi, religion, politics) 346
Reviews 311

All in all there appears to be some intense interest regarding politics and sex. Just what one might expect. Indeed, the highest number of visits I received in a single day was 310 on November 5, 2008. The day after the election of Barack Obama. Speaking of which…

One last comment…

The long (and historic) process of electing a new President is now concluded much to my relief and to the relief of almost everyone I know and likely the world at large as well. Here is why.

Paul Waldman at The American Prospect sums it quite well regarding the legacy of Geroge W. Bush in his article today called Goodbye and Good Riddance. Here are the highlights…

Goodbye and Good Riddance 

“Since last week, I have stopped short and shaken my head in amazement every time I have heard the words “President-elect Obama.” But it is equally extraordinary to consider that in just a few weeks, George W. Bush will no longer be our president. Let me repeat that: In just a few weeks, George W. Bush will no longer be our president. So though our long national ordeal isn’t quite over, it’s never too early to say goodbye.

Goodbye, we can say at last, to the most powerful man in the world being such a ridiculous buffoon, incapable of stringing together two coherent sentences. Goodbye to cringing with dread every time our president steps onto the world stage, sure he’ll say or do something to embarrass us all. Goodbye to being represented by a man who embodies everything our enemies want the people of the world to believe about America — that we are ignorant, cruel, and only care about foreign countries when we decide to stomp on them. Goodbye to his giggle, and his shoulder shake, and his nicknames. Goodbye to a president who talks to us like we’re a nation of fourth-graders.

And goodbye, of course, to Dick Cheney. Goodbye to the man whose naked contempt for democracy contorted his face to a permanent sneer, who spent his days in his undisclosed location with his man-sized safe. And while we’re at it, goodbye to Cheney’s consigliore David Addington, as malevolent a force as has ever left his trail of slime across our federal institutions.

Goodbye, indeed, to the entire band of liars and crooks and thieves who have so sullied the federal government that belongs to us all. We can even say goodbye to those who have already gone, to Rummy and Scooter, to Fredo and Rove, tornados of misery left in their wake.

Goodbye to the rotating cast of butchers manning the White House’s legal abattoir, where the Constitution has been sliced and bled and gutted since September 11….

…Goodbye to the culture of incompetence, where rebuilding a country we destroyed could be turned over to a bunch of clueless 20-somethings with no qualifications save an internship at the Heritage Foundation and an opposition to abortion…  …Goodbye to an administration that welcomed gluttonous war profiteering, that was only too happy to outsource every government function it could to well-connected contractors who would do a worse job for more money…

This presidency is finally over. We can say goodbye to an administration whose misdeeds have piled so high that the size of the mountain no longer shocks us. In our lifetimes, we will see administrations of varying degrees of competence and integrity, some we’ll agree with and some we won’t. But we will probably never see another quite like the one now finally reaching its end, so mind-boggling a parade of incompetence and malice, dishonesty, and immorality. So at last — at long, long last — we can say goodbye.

And good riddance.”

Yes, good riddance.

SO, that Menteng kid has his work cut out for him and he knows it.

And I can get back to writing about Jakarta. 

Thanks for your time here.

Keep visiting.

AND…

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Jakarta (Year End)

So much that is posted on the net which passes for news or which writers comment on in blogs would leave one with the impression that the world has gone insane.  It has in many respects. And the news, especially now, is often not good. Even here, the subject being Jakarta, we have modern day slavery, corrupt government officials, bird flu, global warming and deforestation, floods, and traffic conditions so horrendous that the wealthy are now offered a  commute to work by helicopter.  When I came across Asia Times Online Books Review for December 22, 2007, I knew it was worth a look. I will be back in January with an updated Selamat Jakarta, new reviews, and introducing new Jakarta writers.

The secret library of hope

12 books to stiffen your resolve

Reviewed Rebecca Solnit

Hope is an orientation, a way of scanning the wall for cracks – or building ladders – rather than staring at its unyielding expanse. It’s a worldview, but one informed by experience and the knowledge that people have power; that the power people possess matters; that change has been made by populist movements and dedicated individuals in the past; and that it will be again. Dissent in the United States has become largely a culture of diagnosis rather than prescription, of describing what is wrong with them, rather than what is possible for us. But even in English, a robust minority tradition can be found. There are a handful of books that I think of as “the secret library of hope”. None of them deny the awful things going on, but they approach them as if the future is still open to intervention rather than an inevitability. In describing how the world actually gets changed, they give us the tools to change it again.

That’s what books in a library of hope consist of – not a denial of the horrors of recent history, but an exploration of the other tendencies, avenues, and achievements that are too often overlooked. …> read full article here

Rebecca Solnit’s secret library of hope

Jonathan Schell, The Unconquerable World: Power, Nonviolence and the Will of the People.

Aung San Suu Kyi, The Voice of Hope.

Adam Hochschild, Bury the Chains: Prophets and Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empire’s Slaves.

Charles Wilkinson, Blood Struggle: The Rise of Modern Indian Nations.

Richard Walker, The Country in the City: The Greening of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Alan Weisman, The World Without Us.

William Morris, News from Nowhere.

News from Nowhere Collective, We Are Everywhere: The Irresistible Rise of Global Anticapitalism.

Marina Sitrin, Horizontalism: Voices of Popular Power in Argentina.

Subcommandante Insurgente Marcos, The Speed of Dreams: Selected Writings 2001-2007.

Peter Linebaugh, The Magna Carta Manifesto: Liberties and Commons for All.

Jonathan Isham and Sissel Waage, editors (introduction Bill McKibben), Ignition: What You Can Do to Fight Global Warming and Spark a Movement.

From Asia Times Online…

Rebecca Solnit blurbed a lot of books this year, wrote the foreword for Marisa Handler’s Loyal to the Sky, and provided editorial services on another book of her brother’s, this time with conscientious objector Aimee Allison: the counter-recruitment manual Army of None. Her own book for 2007 is Storming the Gates of Paradise: Landscapes for Politics, a collection of 36 essays including several that first appeared as Tomdispatches. She is the author of Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities.

My own reading at the year end is Sidelines: Thought Pieces from TEMPO Magazine, by Goenawan Mohamad, Equinox Publishing, Indonesia (2005) and translated by Jennifer Lindsay.  Goenawan Mohamad  assisted founding Tempo and was editor there from 1971 to 1994 when it was banned from publishing by the Soeharto government.  After the ban, as he states in the author’s note, “In the weeks that followed, protests against the clampdown were voiced in various places all over Indonesia.  The situation was not widely understood, however, because the government censored all news about it.

Nevertheless, the level of protest was unprecedented, and made me aware that if Tempo offered something of worth for Indonesian society, it was clearly related to the need for freedom of expression”.

These “thought pieces” are exquisite essays on a wide array of subjects from history, philosophy, literature, politics, and of course, Jakarta.  They are well worth the time reading and contemplating.

Jakarta (Bung Karno and the New Jakarta)

Abeyasekere in Jakarta: A History (1987) quotes a becak driver in 1977: “I want a governor who can  bring back a time like Sukarno gave us. We were free to make a living and to trade. Not like now: everywhere we’re picked on”.  Abeyasekere states, “the central fallacy which has persisted from 1619 to the present is that it is possible to create a city for the privileged few, cut off from the countryside and the majority of the poor”.   In Koch’s The Year of Living Dangerously, Soekarno mocks the ABS reporter Hamilton’s questions: “Hey, Sukarno, why do you pour out all this money on Jakarta? I will tell you the answer I give. My people cringed for a long time.  They called us a coolie among nations. But now we are on our feet, and the world takes heed. And my people need a capital worthy of them — a capital to stiffen their spines: a world capital.  Do not yet judge my country by New Jakarta, which is not complete. Judge Indonesia by Borobudur, and the beautiful rice-bowl of West Java. Yet wait a little more, and you will see the New Jakarta I am creating. Already it is becoming a Paris, a city of light to inspire struggling humanity”.

What would Bung Karno say now?

video from YouTube