Jakartass Home thoughts from abroad. Alien thoughts from home.

Jakarta's City Governor, Fuazi Bowo is full of excuses when it comes to solving the city's woes and his most recent utterances concern the TransJakarta Busway.

I've always thought that having special lanes for buses across town is a good idea. After all, they work in cities such as Singapore, and elsewhere. However, that the network here isn't operated in tandem with all the other bus services and neither does it offer a connection with local trains, except at Kota station in North Jakarta. Furthermore, I fail to see why the special lanes are generally alongside the median of the road and not on the left alongside the curb where other buses pick up passengers.

I live close to Koridor 10 which is meant to connect Tanjung Priok in North Jakarta and Cililitan in East Jakarta. After two or so years, it is showing signs of wear and tear, yet not from buses as the route hasn't been officially opened. There are also no buses trundling along Koridor 9 connecting Pluit in North Jakarta and Pinang Ranti in East Jakarta.

The excuse given on Monday was that this was all the fault of his predecessor, Gov. Sutiyoso, whose administration (which Fuzzy Bodoh was part of) failed to put in operational contracts when the busway was launched in 2004.

Other problems exist: there is a lack of guidelines for the busway operators to deliver a minimum standard of service, a ceiling for a per kilometer tariff that the administration should pay to operators and a need for a standard ticketing system for the busway.

Bearing in mind that the initial planning took a couple of years, we are justified in asking why it's taken 8 years to find solutions. Still, now we know why two other Koridors, 11, which is intended to connect Kampung Melayu and Pulo Gebang in East Jakarta, and 12, connecting Pluit and Tanjung Priok in North Jakarta, won't be open this year. Potential passengers will have to wait until 2012 – at least.

And now for the good news.

The central government is finalizing the Transjabodetabek mass transportation concept which would integrate Jakarta’s satellite cities of Bogor, Depok and Bekasi in West Java, and Tangerang in Banten.

I paused to blink and mutter under my breath when I read that, but hey, it's the central government rather than City Hall which has come up with the scheme, so it might, just might, happen.

You can be sure that our current incompetent governor won't be involved. Besides, as usual, he's got some personal matters to attend to.

His private art collection is to be displayed on July 31st-August 1st at the Indonesian Art Fair being held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

Anyone who can't make it, is welcome to come and see my etchings here at Jakartass Towers. Please email me first and attach a photo. 

Having slaved over the next edition of Culture Shock! Jakarta for the past few weeks – it goes to the printer in China tomorrow incidentally – I hope there aren’t too many typos, errors or other glitches. It’s possible, even if co-author Derek Bacon and our editor Steff in Singapore have cast their eyes over the text because our brains tell us what ought to be there.

An interesting article in today’s Observer (UK) is about the phenomenon of ‘inattentional blindness‘ which refers to the many tricks that our brains routinely play on all of us.

I like that phrase ‘inattentional blindness’ because it neatly encapsulates so much of what goes on here. However, I’m not referring to the deliberate averting of eyes from things we don’t wish to see; Abdurizal Bakrie not taking responsibility for the Lapindo Mudflow is too obvious an example.

Two days ago, on Friday, National Children’s Day was ‘commemorated’ at the Beautiful Indonesia Miniature Park (better known as Taman Mini). Two representatives from the National Children’s Congress IX, which consists of more than 300 children from the nation’s 33 provinces, expected their five minutes of fame because they had dressed up and were due to read out the conclusions from the congress, entitled ‘Indonesian Children’s Voices’, to the attendees who included President SBY and dozens of ministers and officials.

Maesa Ranggawati, one of the congress representatives, said, “We worked hard to make this list, with the children from their respective regions having something to say about the problems they face in their regions. We had to narrow it down to eight points.”

Ah, yes, time was short because Friday prayers loomed so the three-hour program was cut to two hours and the children’s five minutes was cut, leading to nationwide disappointment from all those watching the live broadcast.

For a predominantly Muslim country to not have factored in Friday prayers is certainly an example of ‘inattentional blindness’; that children could not be given a mere five minutes to be involved in ‘their’ day is the blindness of arrogance.

Mind you, this isn’t the only example of blind faith from the past week.

Back in March the Indonesian Ulema Council, MUI, issued an edict saying the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia was to the west of Indonesia.

On Monday, Ma’ruf Amin, a prominent cleric of MUI, announced, “After a thorough study with some cosmography and astronomy experts, we learned they’ve been facing southern Somalia and Kenya.”

Whoops.

The MUI has asked followers to shift direction slightly northward during their daily prayers, but it doesn’t really matter because, as Ma’ruf Amin says, “God understands that humans make mistakes [and] Allah always hears their prayers.”

That still doesn’t account for how the mistake he was referring to was made in the first place.

The Simpering Twitterfool we have as Minister of Information and Technology relies on his faith to accomplish things. This is what he told reporters on Thursday.

“Insya Allah, (God willing) we will finish the job before Ramadhan so as not to affect Muslims from executing their religious obligation.”

The job he was referring to is the banning of all porn sites. However, he is ignoring the technical complexity of such an operation, one which the Indonesian ISP Association (APJII) says would cost a minimum of Rp.1 trillion (US$110 million) using open source software “because of the number of Indonesian visitors using these websites.”

Presumably our esteemed Minister is one of them as he must have done some research in order to issue his edict. What may be more effective would be to remind Muslims of what constitutes haram behaviour, those activities which they should refrain from (such as the swallowing of liquids or spilling ‘seed’) particularly during the daylight hours of the fasting month, which starts on August 11th.

A final piece of ‘inattentional blindness’ from the MUI would be preventing Muslims from drinking kopi luwak made from coffee beans that have been eaten by the nocturnal critters and then fermented in their stomachs before being pooped out and roasted.

That it’s so scarce that only about 450 kilograms are said to be produced annually worldwide and it costs c.$440 per kilogram seems to have eluded the MUI. How many of their c.40 million followers can afford it?

I now await comments from readers about a perceived anti-Muslim bias in this post, so I can label them inattentially blind to my main point.

I don't like Coca Cola, nor Pepsi come to think of it. Both are too sweet and far from refreshing, but, hey, I'm not going to tell Our Kid to stop drinking it while I'm downing a bottle or two of Bintang Pilsener during our regular sessions at Ya Udah.

Several years ago, because I thought that things went better without Coke, contrary to their then advertising slogan, and having no intention of teaching the world to sing, I went on several treks hoping to actually reach a place where I couldn't actually get a Coke, even if I had wanted one. I failed; I found it in tea stalls outside monasteries in the Karakoram range of the Himalayas, on the Burmese border of the northern hills of Thailand, and at the top of Gunung Batur in Bali.

Although I personally believe that their whole marketing strategy is one of cultural imperialism, what concerns me at the moment is their sheer cynicism – hypocrisy even – when it comes to their 'corporate social responsibility'. I'll explain this in a further post. First read this email I received yesterday from my favourite trough here in Jakarta.

Is Idiot Stencilled Across Consumers' Foreheads?

For over 10 years the Ya Udah Bistro has had on its drinks list Coca Cola products, such as Cola Original, Sprite, Fanta Red and soda water as well as Diet – now Zero – Cola. With the exception of Diet Cola, which always comes in a can, all others have been offered in 295 ml glass bottles. Recently, running low on Sprite, we placed an order with the Cola Company, but did not receive any delivery as they claimed that the 295 ml bottles 'tidak ada stock, i.e. not in stock.

After repeated orders and no delivery we contacted Coca Cola Sales and we were informed that not only Sprite but all other drinks in 295 ml glass bottles have been discontinued and only the baby 200 ml size is still available in glass bottles. There are now only their so-called PET plastic bottles and cans available.

Obviously we are not happy. Firstly, serving drinks in a can or a plastic bottle does not look great in a restaurant.

But what's more, Coca Cola are using this the size reduction as a reason to jack up its prices. After all, even a blind man on a galloping horse can see that one-way cans and plastic bottles cost extra which, alas, the consumer will pay for. With no need to collect and wash the glass bottles, it makes things easier for the Coca Cola Company. They can simply dump the stuff on consumers and have no further responsibility. We wonder if we just paid and did not get supplies, would that make it even easier for them?

And take this quoted comment from the Cola company for good measure: …Our suggestion is moving to can 250 ml which is more efficient because it is a one-way-package thus you don't need a large storage for our product. Plus an added value for our cans which are made by aluminum (Al Who?) and could be re-sold per kg in the market….

We do wonder what happened to avoiding waste, saving energy and all that stuff.

What are we going to do? Well, we have no other alternative but to serve the products in the baby size 200 ml glass bottle, but we shall not, cannot, lower the price. However, dear reader, we will try and discourage the consumption of these products and suggest that you consider an iced lemon tea, a milk shake or a smoothie instead.

One thing is for sure: we shall take the promo banner for Cola Zero off our website.

The Ya Udah would very much welcome it if you would let us know your comments and views on this.

Comment
Apart from continuing to personally boycott Coca Cola, I wonder if a possible alternative for Ya 'Udah and other like-minded establishments is Coke on draft.

Views
My views follow in a separate post – Hokey Pokey Coca Cola.

If you’ve read Okey Dokey Coca Cola?, the post above, you know that I don’t think that things go better with Coke.

However, in the interest of balance, it’s only fair to find out what Coca Cola-Indonesia has to say. Although I can find nothing more recent than this page from Coca-Cola Foundation Indonesia (CCFI) and Coca Cola’s Corporate Responsibility Report 2008 (.pdf), they do say a lot.

Live Positively is our commitment to make a positive difference in the world by redesigning the way we work and live so sustainability is part of everything we do.

Really, Coca Cola? “Everything“? Really?

Why is there no mention in the letter to Ya ‘Udah of Coca Cola’s commitment to recycle the aluminum cans which “could be re-sold per kg in the market.” Are they going to collect them from Ya ‘Udah and their other outlets? And if so, what do they plan to do with them? I doubt that they’ve established a network among the omnipresent scavengers and NGOs.

If they haven’t, they could try the XS Project who inform me that they “are now working with corporations to turn their trash into treasures.”

And what of PET bottles which are being churned out in their billions, yet Ya ‘Udah et al are expected to deal with?

Polyethylene terephthalate (sometimes written polyethylene terephthalate, commonly abbreviated PET, PETE, or the obsolete PETP or PET-P), is a thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in synthetic fibers; beverage, food and other liquid containers; thermoforming applications; and engineering resins often in combination with glass fiber.

One problem with PET is that although these drinks bottles are recyclable, the material itself may be toxic. I also wonder if the process of manufacture along with the recycling process has a smaller carbon footprint than simply reusing glass bottles.

They say that they see packaging as a resource, not waste. We will continue to find ways to reduce the amount of
packaging we use and ensure it is recyclable. CCA has consistently improved rates of packaging waste sent to recycling in our manufacturing plants in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

Strangely, it seems that those companies in Indonesia which recycle PET have to also import the material in order to have a viable volume of production.

Back in February 2006 I quoted the following from a now forgotten source: Plastic water bottles can take 1,000 years to biodegrade. Nine out of 10 water bottles end up as garbage or litter, and that means 30 million per day. Only a small percentage are recycled.

Adding soft drinks bottles to that number, however biodegradable they may be, and then considering the Indonesian habit of discarding litter wherever they may be and it seems fairly obvious that Coca Cola has not considered the consequences of their discarding glass bottles, except in a small way in Bali.

As part of [the} ongoing, year-round campaign to clean up Bali’s major beaches and waterways, we installed 200 public place recycling bins on Kuta, Legian and Sanur beaches, strategically located next to vendors’ ice chests.

And in Jakarta? What is the programme which ensures that their fine words aren't hollow? What is Ya 'Udah to do with their recyclable waste? As they haven't been informed, we may presume that neither have the umpteen bars, warungs, shops and other outlets for Coca Cola products.

Ah, but Coca Cola does have a Corporate Bullshit Policy. They have philanthropic Foundations in Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea [which] distribute in total more than $1.5 million dollars annually to projects which assist local communities in Indonesia [including] micro-loans for people to start their own businesses.

Is this really an appropriate project for Coca Cola? To me, it appears that for all its vast reach, Coca Cola does little for Indonesia. It may well gloat that in 2007(?) Coca-Cola Bottling Indonesia was awarded a certificate for environmentally responsible companies from Environment Minister, Rachmat Witoelar.

That may look good hanging on an office wall, but it doesn’t look good from where I’m sitting and you can be sure that Ya ‘Udah doesn’t want a copy. Why is there a Coca-Cola Indonesia Eco-bus, powered with bio-diesel, touring schools educating students about recycling, energy saving and waste processing when they don’t seem to practice what they preach?
………………………………………………
Coca-Cola Foundation Indonesia (CCFI) est. 2000.
Contact Information:
Ms. Titie Sadarini
Wisma GKBI, 8th Floor
JI. Jenderal Sudirman No. 28
Jakarta 10210
Email: ccfi@apac.ko.com

The United Nations has declared today, July 18th, as the International Mandela Day.

When he walked out of prison he declared that his mission was to "liberate the oppressed and the oppressor both."

When he took the reins as President in post-apartheid South Africa, he said, “For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chain, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. The true test of our devotion to freedom is just beginning.”

Fine words which all Indonesians should take to heart.

To be free means that oppressors as exemplified by the so-called Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and Abdurizal Bakrie with his arrogant display of wealth to the disadvantage of others, particularly the long-suffering oppressed refugees of the Lapindo mudflow, should face up to their responsibilities as members of a pluralistic society.

Power and wealth are ephemeral – you can't take them with you, both are as dust. Sure, there are dynasties, but bodies politic, familial and imperial inevitably fade away. I believe that there is still time to build a fair society, one that cares for future generations rather than bankrupting them before they're even born, and one that creates and maintains a world of enlightened rather than straitened (strait-jacketed?) people, regardless of our differences.

What this country needs are heroes. Yes, there is a National Heroes Day on November 10th, and a dedicated cemetery originally set aside for fighters for this country's independence, but now a final resting place for those who've served successive governments. However, I'm not referring to public figures, nor to our parents or other personal heroes.

I'm thinking more of unsung heroes whose vision and endeavour make a difference. We don't have to know the name(s) of these social entrepreneurs and perhaps they too are happy to stay out of the limelight because they know that the causes they believe in are just. And because we are free to support them, to follow their examples, that we can all make the world a better place.

Although I regularly provide examples of my 'heroes', today I offer the Bicycle Congress of Indonesia (KSI), a group which includes Bike2Work, the Indonesian Antique Bicycle Community (Kosti) and Ontel Jakarta Sehat.

The Congress is a coming together of like-minded individuals, an example of a community driven, bottom up, development which, at last, is effecting changes in the governmental mindset.

Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi, who opened the congress, said [that] given the large number of cyclists in Indonesia – estimated at 23 million – there were no reasons for the Transportation Ministry not to provide bicycle lanes.

Hoorah. I hope all riders, estimated at 50,000, who participated in today's carnival had a good Mandela Day.
………………………………..

Postscript.
I've added a page of Indonesian Environmental Groups at the top. This is most probably out of date, so please let me know of any glaring errors, broken links etc.and of any groups you think should be included, esp. Jakarta specific.

Thanks to the ever fascinating ephemera on the J-Walk Blog posted by John Walkenbach, I tried this site.

I pasted five posts going back to 2004 and I have been informed that I write like these five noted authors.
Charles Dickens – social commentary
James Joyce – convoluted streams of consciousness
Kurt Vonnegut – sardonic humanist
Stephen King – horror stories
David Foster Wallace – who?

David Foster Wallace used his prodigious gifts as a writer – his manic, exuberant prose, his ferocious powers of observation, his ability to fuse avant-garde techniques with old-fashioned moral seriousness – to create a series of strobe-lit portraits of a millennial America overdosing on the drugs of entertainment and self-gratification, and to capture, in the words of the musician Robert Plant, the myriad “deep and meaningless” facets of contemporary life.

Substitute 'Indonesia' for 'America' and I'm flattered. However, although he was a fellow Aquarian, David F. Wallace hung himself on Sept. 12, 2008.
                                                 …………………………..

This post is apparently in the style of Kurt Vonnegut.

And so it goes.

As I’m busy updating Culture Shock! Jakarta, I can’t post much here for the time being.

Regarding CS-Jkt, neither Derek nor I can answer the question at the end of this passage about Taman Mini Indonesia Indah.

“A cable car ride will give you an impressive aerial view of the spectacle; look down at the lake containing small islands – this is a map of the country. Note: the authors have not had a chance to check its accuracy, so please let us know if East Timor is still depicted.”

Can anyone verify?

There aren’t going to be much that’s new in the next edition, but one organisation that’s going to be mentioned, in the section on Jakarta’s rubbish problem, is the XS Project/Foundation.

XSProject strives to support the trash picking community by purchasing trash at higher than average prices. We also reinvest in the community through scholarship and education programs. This includes purchasing books, stationery, uniforms and paying school fees to give the children of the trash picking communities a chance to be educated. XS hopes that this education will mean that these children will not have to sell trash, but will instead have a better life, different to that of their parents and grandparents.

As a foundation, donations are welcome. Do check them out.