MONAS SHOWS PROTOTYPE OF JAKARTA'S FUTURE MONORAIL

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, June 23 (Antara) - Monorail is one of the mess  transportation modes that can overcome traffic woes in big cities like Jakarta where traffic congestion has become a main cause of headache for commuters.          Jakarta residents and other commuters from the capital city's satellite towns of Bogor, Tangerang, Tangerang and Bekasi (Botakbek) have since time immemorial fought traffic woes every day to reach their offices or other destinations during the rush hours.          With a population of about 12 million, Jakarta also serves commuters with poor conditions of public transportation means, forcing residents to use their own cars or motorcycles that worsened further the traffic.          Jakarta Regional Police data showed that there are about 3.1 million private cars and 8.2 million motorcycles roaming in the city every day. The public transport condition is bad where about 72.34 percent of the 22,000 buses operating in the city are already old and no longer fit for operations.          Data at the Jakarta Transportation Service showed that in 2002 about 61 percent of Jakarta's commuters still used public transport but the figure dropped to 20 percent by 2010.          As an 'antidote' to the traffic headache, Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo, or popularly known as Jokowi, is planning to develop a monorail system as a traffic jam 'solver' as part of his on-going MRT project in the city.          Now, the prototype of the monorail is on display at Monas. The prototype is expected to explain to the people the future transportation means that could overcome traffic jams. The public can visit the exhibition at Monas for free from June 22 to July 14, 2013.

MALAYSIAN FIRMS SUSPECTED TO HAVE SENT HAZE HOME

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, June 23 (Antara) - Tens of companies have allegedly practiced slash-and-burns to open plantations in Sumatra's Riau, causing forest fires that send blankets of smoke not only to the province itself but also to neighboring countries, Singapore and Malaysia.          It was reported on Saturday that a joint team from the ministry of environment and other relevant ministries had found at least 20 domestic and foreign companies which were suspected to have caused land and forest fires.          Environment Minister Balthasar Kambuaya in Riau on Saturday made statements twice when he earlier announced that there were 14 companies (one believed to belong to Malaysian firm), allegedly involved in the burning of land and bushes.      He stated later, based on field checks, there were 8 Malaysian companies which were strongly believed to have contributed to the forest fires which caused Riau province, Singapore and Malaysia to be shrouded with haze. The eight Malaysian firms are not included in the 14 reported earlier.         "There are eight Malaysian oil palm companies which are strongly suspected to be behind the forest fires. We are still collecting data in the field to ascertain the suspicion," Balthasar told a press conference on Saturday.

POOR FAMILIES BEGIN RECEIVING CASH ASSISTANCE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, June 22 (Antara) - The government Saturday began distributing Rp9.3 trillion cash assistance to the poor and mobilized ministers to observe its handing out to 15,5 million target families in 15 cities across the country.          The Rp9.3 trillion temporary direct cash assistance (BLSM) will be distributed in two phases in June and in September 2013. It is being provided by the government to alleviate the burden of poor families who would be affected by the impact of the government's policy to increase subsidized fuel oil prices.          The government on Friday night raised the prices of subsidized premium gasoline from Rp4,500 to Rp6,500 per liter and subsidized diesel oil from Rp4,500 to Rp5,500 per liter. The new prices are effective as of 00.00 a.m on Saturday.          Each poor family will receive Rp150,000 in BLSM assistance per month for four months.          Based on the results of the Cabinet Ministers' plenary meeting chaired by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday (June 20), the government will in the first phase distribute the BLSM on June 22 and 24 to recipients amounting to Rp300,000 for each target family in 15 cities across the country.

PKS AWAITING WORDS FROM PRESIDENT OVER COALITION

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, June 20 (Antara) - The fact that the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) was not invited in a meeting of parties in government coalition on Tuesday last week indicated that PKS had been sidelined from the coalition.          Yet, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in his capacity as the chairman of the Joint Secretariat of Parties in Coalition (Setgab) so far has not yet made any statement with regard to the membership status of PKS in the coalition.          PKS Deputy Secretary General Fahri Hamzah said his party was waiting for the President's decision with regard to the news that PKS had been excluded from the coalition.          "We leave the PKS status to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to decide," Fahri said during the launch of O.C. Kaligis autobiography book on Wednesday.          Secretary of the coalition's joint secretariat Syarif Hasan, who is also cooperatives and small enterprise minister, has earlier said that PKS had been excluded from the coalition.          On Wednesday last week, Fahri said the Palace had told one of PKS's ministers that PKS had been pulled out of the coalition. "Yes, we have been told that PKS has been excluded from the coalition," Fahri said.

RI URGED TO LOBBY SAUDI ARABIA OVER HAJJ QUOTA

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, June 19 (Antara) - Amid the Saudi government's policy to cut hajj pilgrims' numbers due to expansion work at Mecca's Grand Mosque, some quarters in Indonesia urged the government to lobby its Saudi counterpart to increase Indonesia's hajj quota.          Former chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) who is also a member of Commission VIII of the House of Representatives (DPR) Hidayat Nurwahid said the government needed to renegotiate Indonesia's hajj quota with the Saudi government.          "We hope that the religious affairs ministry will be able to voice at the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) Indonesia's need for increased quota. The quota should no longer be based on the number of population of a country but on its capability and need," Hidayat said in a meeting between House Commission VIII, regional government and provincial religious affairs offices in Central Sulawesi, on Wednesday.          The current hajj quota of Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country with a population of about 240 million, is about 211,000 pilgrims.

FUEL PRICE HIKE STILL IN ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, June 18 (Antara) - The previous discourse which had it that the government would have raised subsidized fuel oil price last May did not come true because the government was still waiting for approval from the House of Representatives.          The government needed the approval through the House's endorsement of its Draft Revised 2013 State Budget (APBN-P) in which it was preparing compensation for the poor who would be affected by the fuel price hike policy.          Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources Jero Wacik reportedly said last week that fuel oil prices would be raised as soon as the House approved the draft revised state budget.          He said that the government has prepared a number of compensation programs for poor people who would be affected by the fuel oil price hike.      "If the plenary session of the House of Representatives (DPR) runs smoothly and endorses the revised draft budget on June 17, 2013, the government will directly announce subsidized fuel oil price hike," the minister said.          When House approved the draft revised state budget last Monday (June 17), however, the government still needed some time before announcing the price increase.

GOVT TO CONTROL PRICES IN LIGHT OF FUEL PRICE HIKES

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, June 16 (Antara) - The government will coordinate with various agencies, including Bank Indonesia (BI) to control commodity prices in the face of subsidized fuel oil price hikes, the fasting month of Ramadhan and the post-fasting Idul Fitri festivities.          It will carry out close coordination because the span of June, July and August is a period when commodity prices usually increase and boost inflation. In addition, the government will raise the prices of subsidized fuels and the automatic rise of electricity tariff rate.          However, the government calls on the people to remain calm as it will do its best and assure price stability where up to now seven basic commodity prices remain stable.          "We call on the people to remain calm. There is no need to hoard fuels," Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Jero Wacik said over the weekend. He made the appeal ahead of the price increase of subsidized premium gasoline and diesel oil.          The House of Representatives (DPR) in its plenary session on Monday is expected to endorse the government proposed draft 2013 revised state budget, which includes a plan to increase subsidized fuel prices.          If the House approves the proposal on Monday, the government is likely to announce immediately the fuel price increase. The price of gasoline is likely to be raised from Rp4,500 per liter to Rp6,500 per liter and diesel fuel from Rp4,500 per liter to Rp5,500 per liter.