Dutch investor to support production of N219 planes

Antara News, Fri, February 17 2012

Bandung, W Java (ANTARA News) - Dutch investor RT ComInvestment Co.Ltd. supports the funding for the production of N219 aircraft by PT Dirgantara Indonesia, ordered by PT Nusantara Buana Air.

"The funding agreement was signed in Singapore between PT NBA and RT ComInvestment Co. Ltd. on Wednesday," Sonny Saleh Ibrahim, the president director`s assistant for quality management system and communications development of PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI), said here on Friday.

He said on the same day PTDI signed a letter of intent for the order of 20 N219 aircraft and an option for additional 10 aircraft.

The signing was done on the sidelines of the Airshow in Singapore witnessed by three ministers, namely Industry Minister MS Hidayat, State Enterprises Minister Dahlan Iskan and Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan.

PTDI in the signing was represented by its president director Budi Santoso, the director of technology and development and administrative affairs Dita Donny Jafri, the director of aerostructure Andi Alisyahbana, the director of aircraft services Budi Wuraskito and the director of aircraft integration and finance, Budiman Saleh.

"The trust given to PTDI to manufacture the N219 aircraft shows that we are really important part of air development in the country," Sonny Ibrahim, the company`s former head of rocket program, said.

The value of the contract was US$120 million. The two companies had also agreed to discuss and negotiate technical things and business aspects.

N219 is a feeder plane powered by two turboprop engines capable of carrying 19 passengers and a payload of 3,000 kilograms with a cruising speed of 213 knots.

The aircraft is now still under the process of development with a certification target in the first quarter of 2014.

The plane is designed to be able to take off and land in a short runway of 600 meter long.

On the day of the signing of the N219 contract PTDI also signed a contract with Military Airbus for the manufacturing of nine military transport aircraft C295. PTDI will contribute with a number of important components including fuselage and tail.

The C295 aircraft which is to be used by the Air Force will be delivered between 2012-2014. The aircraft will later be named CN-295.

Editor: Heru

Army high officials depart to Netherlands to view Leopard tanks

Dicky Christanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 01/30/2012

Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Wiryantoro said a team of Army generals led by deputy Army chief of staff Lt. Gen. Budiman had departed to the Netherlands to take a closer look at Leopard tanks that the Army was interested in purchasing.

“The team is tasked with making an assessment over many aspects, one of them being to take closer look at the tanks’ real condition,” Wiryantoro told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

He said the results of the visit will be given to the public once the team returned.

The Army has allocated US$280 million to purchase 100 used Leopard tanks from the Netherlands this year. However, the idea has drawn controversy, with some people criticizing the tanks as being too big and thus not appropriate for the country’s geography.

No cuts in scholarship allocations for Indonesians: Netherlands

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 11/01/2011

The Netherlands has no plans to cut the portion of scholarships it has been allocating for Indonesians despite the debt crisis currently plaguing the Eurozone, a Dutch official said here on Tuesday.

“Don't worry about budgets. We're still offering wide opportunities for Indonesians who want to study in the Netherlands,” Nuffic NESO Indonesia director Mervin Bekker told a press gathering in Jakarta.

Nuffic Neso Indonesia is the official representative of Nuffic -the Netherlands Organisation for International Cooperation in Higher Education- in Indonesia; for all matters concerning Dutch higher education.

Bekker said the Dutch government was even planning to further expand its partnership with Indonesian education institutions.

He said the Netherlands considered Indonesia important in its international education cooperation policy, citing127 partnerships that had been established between Dutch and Indonesian higher education institutions, 22 percent of which covered student exchanges and 19 percent were in the form of research partnerships, Antara news agency reported.

Unilever invests Rp 1.1t in N. Sumatra

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Thu, 09/29/2011

Multinational company, Unilever, is planning to open a palm-processing plant in Semangke, North Sumatra with a total investment of Rp. 1.1 trillion (US$122 million).

“Unilever is developing a new facility in Semangke, North Sumatra. It is a Fatty Acid Oil Chemical plant,” Investment Coordinating Board Chief Gita Wirjawan said on Thursday as quoted by Antara news wire.

Gita was among ministers who accompanied President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in welcoming Unilever top officials at the State Palace on Thursday.

Visiting Unilever top officials included Chairman Michael Treschow; CEO Paul Polman; Chief Supply Chain Officer Pier Luigi Sigismondi; President Director of PT Unilever Indonesia Tbk Maurits Lalisang, and Corporate Secretary Sancoyo Antarikso.

Gita said it would take two years to finish the new facility.

Gita said the company was also committed to investing US$600 million for its expansion in Indonesia.

“It has a number of plants in Java. It accepted our suggestion to build plants outside Java,” he said.

The company will cooperate with 10 firms to invest 50 million euro in Nusa Tenggara.

Jakarta Turns to Dutch Experts for Sea Dike Plan

Jakarta Globe, Dofa Fasila, September 14, 2011

The Jakarta administration is receiving help from the Rotterdam authorities in preparing a master plan for a massive sea dike that will help the capital deal with its perennial flood problems.

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo, speaking after receiving the Dutch technical assistance team, said preparations for the plan would take about nine months.

Completing the plan, he added, would likely take two years, and implementing it would take at least a decade.

“We hope this project can proceed, and not be delayed, because it will really determine the future of Jakarta,” Fauzi said.

The Indonesian team spearheading the endeavor will also involve the Public Works Ministry and the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas), Fauzi said.

The same team completed a study, the Jakarta Coastal Defense Strategy, in May. The study foresees the need for the giant sea wall to be built off the coast of Jakarta by 2025.

The massive sea wall, besides helping Jakarta cope with flooding, will also fortify the city’s water supplies, long a problem in the capital, Fauzi said.

“The emphasis in the building of this giant sea wall as part of the Jakarta Coastal Sea Defense project is not only to safeguard the northern coastline of Jakarta but also to make use of this project in an integrated manner for the future benefit of the city,” Fauzi said.

The giant sea wall, he said, will also serve as a reservoir to collect water from several rivers running through Jakarta.

“It is planned that water from 13 rivers in Jakarta ... will in the future not just be left to flow into the ocean. We will collect the water within the giant sea wall so that it can become a primary source of water for the city. This is in the long term,” Fauzi said.

To deal with a possible water shortage while the wall is being planned and built, Fauzi said city authorities would accelerate a pipeline plan to link Jakarta with the Jatiluhur reservoir in Purwakarta, West Java, and plan a desalination plant. The governor has previously referred to the plant a decades-long project.

The pipe network from Jatiluhur, the desalination plant and the reservoir formed by the giant sea wall would buttress the city against floods and protect it from water shortages, Fauzi said.

The giant wall has become increasingly urgent as land subsidence in Jakarta has worsening while sea levels have risen, he added.

Officials in Rotterdam, home to one of the world’s largest ports, have substantial experience in protective construction. Sitting below sea level, the city is built mostly behind dikes.

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Dutch to help build dikes in Indonesia

Over 500 Indonesian students head to the Netherlands

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 07/25/2011

Over 500 Indonesian students will leave for the Netherlands in pursuit of higher education, according to the Dutch Embassy in Jakarta on Monday.

“Through education, I am optimistic that the bilateral relationship between the two countries will be improved,” Dutch Ambassador to Indonesia Tjeerd F. de Zwaan said in a press statement as quoted by Antara news agency.

The statement says that the students include recipients of Dutch government-sponsored scholarships, namely StuNed, the Netherlands Fellowship Program and the Huygens Scholarship Program.

There are also recipients of Erasmus Mundus and Ford Foundation scholarships as well as those sponsored by the Indonesian Communications and Information Ministry, National Education Ministry and National Development Planning Ministry.

Data from Nuffic Neso Indonesia shows that 65 percent of the students will be pursuing Master's degrees while 28 percent are in undergraduate programs, Antara reported.

On Saturday, Zwaan, Nuffic Neso Indonesia director Marrik Bellen and the Indonesian Foreign Ministry director for Western Europe, Dewa Made Juniarta Sastrawan, officially bid the students farewell in an event in Jakarta, the statement said.

World’s Cheapest Car to Be Made in Indonesia: Report

Jakarta Globe, July 11, 2011

Netherlands Ambassador to India Bob Hiensch posing at the wheel of
a Tata Nano in New Delhi in 2010. The world’s cheapest car is likely to
 be manufactured in Indonesia, a report said on Monday. (AFP Photo)

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The world’s cheapest car, the Nano produced by Indian carmaker Tata Motors, is likely to be manufactured in Indonesia, a report said on Monday.

The Bangkok Post reported that Indonesia had appeared to win out over Thailand as the production base for the vehicle.

The newspaper, quoting an unnamed source, said that as Indonesia had “offered more attractive incentives, Tata decided to shelve the expansion plan in Thailand.”

Reasons included Thailand’s lack of political stability and automobile tax structures.

The Post reported that Tata was hoping to produce 50,000 Nanos a year at a plant in Jakarta from 2013.

“It plans to export the cars to Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines as it is banking on their large populations and big demand for low-cost cars.”

Shell plans to enter upstream market in Indonesia

Hans David Tampubolon, The Jakarta Post, Kuala Lumpur, Sat, 07/09/2011

Royal Dutch Shell Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Peter Voser says that his company plans to enter the upstream market in Indonesia within the next few years while further developing its downstream business.

“For Shell, Indonesia plays an important role in Asia, in line with population growth, market development and significant demand,” Royal Dutch Shell CEO Peter Voser said during a discussion with journalists at the Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Friday.

Speaking about the future of energy, Voser said Shell had three pillars for the future, namely more energy, cleaner energy and smarter energy. For more energy, Shell is developing new sources of oil and gas that the world will need.

“Renewable energy sources will supply up to 30 percent of global energy by 2050, while now it is only 13 percent. Shell invested over US$100 billion from 2011 to 2014 to develop new energy. In 2010 we invested more than $1 billion for research and technology development,” Voser said.

Dutch to help build dikes in Indonesia

RNW, 6 July 2011

The Netherlands is to help with plans for a 36-kilometer dike around the Indonesian coastal city of Jakarta to protect the city from flooding.

Deputy Foreign Minister Ben Knapen has set aside 4 million euros in development aid for the project and two Dutch experts will be sent to help develop the plans. The dike will be build two kilometres into the sea so that land can be reclaimed for urban development.

“This investment in a master plan to protect Jakarta from the sea is a good example of the new development policy in which Dutch knowledge and skills can made a difference,” says Deputy Minister Knapen.

Jakarta is regularly hit by flooding. In 2007 large parts of the city were inundated by several meters of water. At least 18 people drowned and around 300,000 people become homeless. The economic damage was huge; the airport had to be closed as a result. Pumps have been installed as a short term solution and the road to the airport has been raised.

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Dutch govt to extend grant program for Indonesia

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 07/05/2011

The Dutch government will continue to provide a grant program for Indonesia when the current grant package ends this year, a visiting Dutch minister said Monday.

The Dutch State Secretary for the European Union and Development Cooperation, Ben Knapen, said in Jakarta on Monday that the next three-year grant program, which would begin next year and last until 2015, would cover economic and social sectors such as sustainable trade, water infrastructure development, reforestation and higher education, capacity building, especially in the legal field.

Knapen said the Netherlands had not decided yet how much money would be involved should grants be involved in the cooperation.

“However, if you look at past experiences of the bilateral relationship between Indonesia and the Netherlands, some 53 million euros [US$77 million] is involved on a yearly basis,” Knapen said.

Knapen said that previous cooperation agreements with Indonesia had been done mostly through multilateral organizations, such as the World Bank and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

“We are planning to gradually change that into a direct cooperation, country-to-country,” Knapen told reporters at a press conference at the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) office in Menteng, Central Jakarta.

According to Knapen, in the coming years, the Netherlands intends to intensify its cooperation with Indonesia in the areas where the Indonesian people really need it and at the same time the Netherlands can provide them.

“For us, it’s very important that we invest in a way that creates pockets of economic growth,” he said.

According to Knapen, one of the priorities in the cooperation will be in the field of water infrastructure development. “We see a demand for water infrastructure in Indonesia,” he said.

“We have a long history of trying to keep our feet dry as half of our country is below sea level. We feel familiar with this issue and maybe we can bring something to the table,” he added.

Bappenas head and National Development Planning Minister Armida Alisjahbana, also speaking at the press conference, said that Knapen was referring to a plan by the Indonesian government and the Jakarta administration to develop a dike system, similar to that in the Netherlands, in the Jakarta Bay to prevent seawater from the Java Sea from flooding North Jakarta.

“One goal of the cooperation would be for a dike system on Jakarta’s coastline,” Armida said, adding that she believed the Netherlands would be a perfect partner in developing a dike system in Jakarta as the country already had its own dike system, which had been proven to be very effective at preventing flooding.

Armida said that several ongoing cooperation programs with the Netherlands that had been in place for years would also be continued, including in the provision of the Nuffic Neso higher education scholarship programs, as well as in the fields of law and good governance.

“The bilateral cooperation in law was based on the fact that Indonesia has so many laws that were inherited from the Dutch colonial era,” Armida said.

“We have some common heritage when it comes to law, rules, and regulations,” Knapen said. “I believe we can help each other in making progress on this issue.” (mim)

Netherlands to assist RI in boosting food security

Antara News, Mon, July 4 2011

Jakarta, July 4 (ANTARA) - The Dutch government will help Indonesia step up its food security in the framework of the two countries cooperation.

Armida S. Alisjahbana. (ANTARA)

"Food security is important issue especially with the prices which tend to rise," Dutch Minister for International Cooperation and European Affairs Ben Knapen said in a press conference at the national development planning board (Bappenas) building here on Monday.

Knapen said if the food prices were not controlled, it would have a negative impact on the poor people.

According to him, food security was one of several cooperation between Indonesia and the Netherlands, which would help Indonesia among others in food research and development.

He said the focus of cooperation this time was not as wide as that in the past, because it would be aimed at improving institutional capacity for development, climate change, and forest damage management.

The Dutch government has a commitment to supporting development cooperation in the form of grants amounting 53 millions of euro.

Meanwhile, State Minister for National Development Planning Board/National Development Planning Board chairman Armida S Alisjahbana said the cooperation between Indonesia and the Netherlands was focused on a number of important sectors.

She said the important sectors were about water related climate issues, food security, governance which was focused on law, and higher education.

Armida pointed out that the Netherlands was known to have a lot of experts in water management, and therefore the country would help Indonesia develop water management system in Jakarta.

Editor: Priyambodo RH

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ANTARA journalists join multimedia training in Netherlands

Antara News, Wed, June 22 2011

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - A number of ANTARA journalists will attend a multimedia journalism training in the Netherlands under the StuNed scholarship provided by the Nuffic-Neso and the Dutch government.

To mark the beginning of the training program, Indonesian Nuffice-Neso scholarship coordinator Indy Hartono handed the scholarships to the ANTARA CEO Ahmad Mukhlis Yusuf here in Jakarta, Wednesday.

The training is scheduled to be held on June 27 - July 15, 2011 at the Radio Netherlands Training Center (RNTC), Hilversum, the Netherlands, aimed to increase ANTARA journalists` professional skills.

In the training, the participants would also have the chance to visit the Netherlands news agency Algemeen Nederlands Persbureu (ANP).

"RNTC is a training facility designed for journalists, the fourth opportunity for Indonesian journalists to participate in the event at RNTC with different topics according to the necessary needs," Indy said in her opening remarks.

Indy also said that StuNed supports journalists` capacity building to promote democracy.

"By studying at RNTC, the participants would not only learn theory but also to practice with proper equipment," Indy said.

The 16 participants in the three weeks training from from ANTARA News Agency are active journalists and one manager of ANTARA Journalism School (LPJA).

Besides the Jakarta based ANTARA journalists, there are also several those from bureaus attending this training such as from Pontianak, Makassar and Denpasar.

Upon their return from the Netherlands, they are expected to apply what they have gained there to develop antaranews.comportal, including the enrichment of content and sections within it.

In the long run, the knowledge gained will be disseminated through training courses organized by LPJA, particularly in the multimedia journalism field.

On that occasion, ANTARA CEO Ahmad Mukhlis Yusuf welcomed the training as an endeavor to strengthen ANTARA as a multimedia news agency.

"Besides the training, it is also expected to reinforce the mindset that is needed to manage the current media, supported by the latest IT infrastructure, the discipline of media players, and network expanding" he said.

With the LPJA manager attending the training, it is also expected that the training methodology can be an additional reference for the management of multimedia journalism education in ANTARA.

ANTARA News Agency also thanked NESO for their cooperation and the scholarships, the program might be continued each year, and involve the PWI (Indonesia Press Association), Press Council and other journalist organizations, ANTARA is ready to help facilitate, Mukhlis said.

Nuffic Neso Indonesia is a non-profit organization officially designated and funded by the Dutch government to deal with various matters relating to the Dutch higher education.

StuNed, stands for Studeren in Nederland, or study in the Netherlands, is a scholarship program that is part of the development cooperation policy of the Dutch government which aims to support the achievement of the "UN Millennium Development Goals" in 2015.

Editor: Bambang

Indonesia reopens to Dutch onions

Fruitnet.com, Tom Bicknell, 27 April 2011

A new treatment programme has reopened the Indonesian market to Dutch onions after a two-year hiatus

Indonesia has reopened to Dutch onions after two years, following work by Dutch exporters on treatment for stem nematode.

After closing in 2009 as part of an Indonesian zero tolerance policy, the market was reopened as of 18 April, according to Dutch group the Foundation for Promotion of Onions (SAU).

The organisation coordinated with the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation to develop a treatment programme for the Ditylenchus dipsaci stem nematode that fit Indonesian requirements.

The programme involves treatment with maleic hydrazide (MH).

Indonesia demands high-quality onions and is willing to pay corresponding prices, the SAU said in a statement, and the market’s peak demand reportedly runs over the first few months of the Dutch season.

Dutch and Chinese businessmen wish to invest in East Kutai

Antara News, Sat, April 23 2011

With regard to the interest, Ardiansyah Sulaiman said he already had discussed the matter with the Dutch ambassador to Indonesia to facilitate them if they come to East Kutai

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Sangata, East Kalimantan (ANTARA News)- A number of Dutch and Chinese investors wished to operate in various sectors in East Kutai.

"Dutch and Chinese investors had become interested in investment in coal in the regency, which was also expressed by the Dutch Ambassador to Indonesia," East Kutai Deputy Regent H.Ardiansyah Sulaiman said here Friday.

Four businessmen have expressed interest in investment, namely from the Netherlands in mining, iron ore, in addition from China in marine and agricultural sectors, and another one in making documentary films.

Ardiansyah Sulaiman said the Dutch and Chinese businessmen expressed their interest when they met in an exhibition and an exhibition in The Hague early in April 2011.

"With regard to the interest, Ardiansyah Sulaiman said he already had discussed the matter with the Dutch ambassador to Indonesia to facilitate them if they come to East Kutai," he said.

"In this context, the East Kutai administration will improve the roads and airport," he said.

Editor: Aditia Maruli

Carrefour and Philips plan to develop ‘greener’ outlets

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 04/14/2011

Carrefour Indonesia and Philips Indonesia have announced a partnership plan to promoting a “green” retail concept to reduce consumption of energy by using full-LED lighting in a Carrefour outlet at the Emporium Pluit Mall in North Jakarta.

“This concept is the first of its kind in the world, so it makes this Carrefour outlet the ‘greenest’ Carrefour in the world,” Carrefour Indonesia senior public relations manager Satria Hamid said Thursday.

The low-energy lights would eventually be installed at 5 Carrefour outlets.

“These are Carrefour outlets in Jakarta, Tangerang, Yogyakarta, Medan and Makassar,” he said.

Hamid said that by using the LED lighting, the stores would reduce their power consumption by at least 35 percent per lamp.

Robert Fletcher from Philips Indonesia said, “Now is the perfect time for Indonesia to adopt green and energy-safe products because Indonesia is currently facing an energy crisis.”

He added that Philips was open to working with local companies to make Indonesia “greener”.

20 Indonesian/Dutch players coming to RI for soccer event

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 03/09/2011

Twenty Indonesian soccer players of mixed descent from the Netherlands will arrive in Indonesia this Sunday for a special soccer-related event.

Former captain of the Netherlands
’ 2010 World Cup team Giovanni
van Bronckhorst

Among them is former captain of the Netherlands’ 2010 World Cup team Giovanni van Bronckhorst, the President’s special staffer for regional development and autonomy, Felix Wanggai, said Wednesday, as reported by antaranews.com.

They will be in Indonesia for 12 days for a program termed “Indonesia is my country”, which is aimed at motivating Indonesian players, Felix said.

All of the players are of Indonesian and Dutch descent and have played in competitions in Europe.

They will arrive in Indonesia this coming Sunday and leave on March 24. They will first go to Ambon before heading to Jakarta and then to Denpasar. During their visit, they will train young players, conduct workshops for local coaches and play in friendly competitions.

“They are also scheduled to meet President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono," Felix said.

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Shell to open lubricant plant in Indonesia

Rangga D. Fadillah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 02/12/2011

Anglo-Dutch Royal Dutch Shell announced Friday that the company would set up a US$100 million lubricant plant in the western part of Java with a total capacity of 100,000 tons per year.

PT Shell Indonesia president director Darwin Silalahi said the plant would be the company’s production hub, not only to supply the Indonesian domestic market, but also the Asian regional market.

“We’ve been discussing with the Industry Minister [M.S. Hidayat] about what incentives Shell can

get to make the plant competitive for the export market,” he told reporters after meeting the minister in Jakarta.

Darwin said that in addition to fulfilling domestic demand, lubricants from the planned plant would be exported to emerging Asian economies such as China, India and Vietnam, whose demand has been rising over the past several years.

The plant would start operations in late 2013 or early 2014, Darwin said. He estimated that the plant’s construction process would absorb around 700 workers, while its operation would open around 250 new job opportunities.

Industry Ministry director general of upstream chemical industry Tony Tanduk reported that Shell was eying opportunities to profit from the rapid growth of Indonesia’s automotive industry.

“That remarkable growth has caused the demand for lubricants to rise significantly,” he said.

Indonesia’s automobile sales reached 764,710 units in 2010, while motorcycle sales exceeded 7 million. The Indonesian Automotive Industry Association (Gaikindo) projects car sales may top 850,000 this year.

Tony said that the government was now considering several incentive options for Shell. Besides tax allowances, he said the company requested the government lift import duties for raw materials.

Hidayat explained that in the near future the Investment Coordinating (BKPM) would submit a

revision draft on the 2008 government regulation on income tax incentives for investors to accommodate Shell’s requests.

The 2008 government regulation on income tax incentives for investors stipulated that only investors intending to build oil and gas refineries are eligible for an income tax reduction of 5 percent of their total yearly investment for the first six years of the project.

“We want that by the revision, companies committed to building downstream oil and gas businesses will also get that incentive,” Hidayat said.

He revealed that the company was currently conducting studies on suitable locations for the planned lubricant plant. There were two potential candidates; Marunda in North Jakarta and Cilegon in Banten province, he added.

Investments from Shell would provide positive momentum for Indonesia to boost its efforts in developing the downstream industry, Hidayat said. He continued that this year he would focus on luring more investment to the sector.

Darwin said that the $100 million lubricant plant would be the first phase of the company’s investment in downstream businesses.

“If the progress is good, we’ll have no doubt to expand the plant capacities in the future,” he said.

However, he was still waiting for the government’s decision on what incentives the company would receive, because other countries had also offered interesting incentives that might boost the company’s products’ competitiveness.

Rotterdam mayor in Jakarta to help

RNW, 8 February 2011, By Michel Maas

(Photo: RNW/Michel Maas)

The Mayor of Rotterdam, Ahmed Aboutaleb, is visiting the Indonesian capital Jakarta. The two cities have signed a cooperation agreement for water management, but can Rotterdam's good intentions overcome the enormous problems facing the Indonesian port?

The mayor and his entourage are watching a small dredger pushing a mountain of thick black sludge and unidentifiable waste in front of it. A bucket scoops sludge from the water. The show is part of a project which doesn't seem to be making much impact. So much rubbish has accumulated under the bridge on which the bucket grab is standing that a dam has been created.

The dredging project is one of those in which Rotterdam is involved. It's not making any headway because there is no budget. Apparently that often doesn't appear until halfway through the year. No one in the mayor's group understands how this can be possible, but it seems that's the way things work here: Jakarta can do nothing without the government, the city services can do nothing without a budget. "The system needs to change" remarks Mayor Aboutaleb, but there is nothing Rotterdam can do to help with that.

Dry feet

The mayor has just signed an agreement under which Rotterdam is committed to work with Jakarta on water management. "Rotterdam can do a lot for Jakarta. We have a great deal of expertise with water." And expertise is much needed in Jakarta.

Mayor Aboutaleb is given a tour of the northern area, where the city meets the sea. The ground is visibly sinking: at the rate of seven centimetres a year. It won't be long before large parts of the city are under water.

He compares the situation with the Netherlands of 1953: after the flood everyone in Rotterdam was persuaded of the need for good seawalls. "Dry feet are a must. I see people in Jakarta are now aware of that. Dry feet are topic number one!"

Brick wall

The dredgers are part of the dry feet initiative. They will be used to clear out Jakarta's choked up canals and ditches in order to solve another water problem. Every rainy season parts of the city are flooded because there is nowhere for the water to go.

There are no seawalls to be seen and the dredgers stop working as soon as the mayor and his entourage are back on the coach. Ahmed Aboutaleb sighs "sometimes I have the feeling I'm up against a brick wall". Two days in Jakarta and the mayor seems close to despair already.

Then there is Jakarta's massive traffic problem. With no public transport and a desperate lack of roads, the city is in danger of coming to a complete standstill. On Sunday the mayor had an opportunity to spend plenty of time in a weekend traffic jam himself.

Religious background

But Aboutaleb is adamant: "Rotterdam can do a lot for Jakarta". Jakarta's governor, Fauzi Bowo, acknowledges that. Rotterdam is giving his officials training courses and Rotterdam is also giving Jakarta a foot in the door in the Netherlands, in Europe if you look at the broader picture. "We can't finance our projects ourselves. But we can talk to the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the European Union." He may not expect much of Rotterdam but every bit of help is clearly welcome.

Mayor Aboutaleb has another lesson for the Indonesians. The Netherlands is always described there as "the land of the windmills". Then there's the colonial history. And Geert Wilders. "At dinner they asked me what it was like being mayor of Rotterdam with my name and religious background. But in the Netherlands you can be given opportunities no matter where you were born."

He is opposed to the image of the Netherlands "elsewhere in the world, including here in Indonesia" as a country slipping into a deep pit of racism. "It's absolutely not true. I think it's important for someone like me to tell his story on a regular basis."

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Jakarta sinking fast in wake of construction boom

Hans David Tampubolon, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Mon, 02/07/2011

A recent study concluded that land subsidence in Jakarta accelerated at an alarming pace in the past four decades, and if no remedial measures were taken, the northern part of the city could sink below sea level in the next decade.

Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) researcher Heri Andreas said the persistent inundation of North Jakarta would only get worse in the future.

“Several areas in the northern coastal region of Jakarta will subside by 60 centimeters by 2020. In 2050, the area could sit 2.2 meters lower than in 2008,” said Heri, who is also a member of the Jakarta Coast Defense Strategy (JCDS).

Heri predicted that if no action was taken to mitigate land subsidence, flooding and high tides would contribute to 5,100 hectares of land in North Jakarta being submerged in 2020 and another 6,000 hectares in 2050.

A worst-case scenario, however, put the figures at 16,200 hectares in 2020 and 18,100 hectares in 2050.

“In this scenario, the northern coast of Jakarta could be 2 meters under water by 2020 and 6.9 meters under water by 2050,” Heri said.

Global sea levels have risen at a rate of about 1 to 2 millimeters per year on average, and this rate is expected to increase to 5 millimeters per year by 2050.

A recent study by ITB showed that the sea level in the Jakarta northern coastal region rose at a rate of 5.7 millimeters per year.

The most recent finding by the JCDS showed that around 40 percent of land in Jakarta was already below sea level.

Given the finding, the JCDS predicted that within between the next 10 to 20 years, 50 percent of the city would lie below sea level.

The JCDS data also showed that between 1974 and 2010, the Muara Karang area in North Jakarta had sunk 4.1 meters. West Cengkareng in Tangerang had sunk 2.5 meters in the same period.

The Daan Mogot area in West Jakarta and Ancol in North Jakarta sank 1.97 meters and 1.88 meters respectively in the same period.

Between 1974 and 1982, land subsidence rates were not as significant as today. The problem became worse after the region saw a construction boom in property and industry.

A number of dikes constructed by the city, including in Muara Angke, Muara Karang, Pluit, Cilincing and Marunda, are no longer capable of holding back the water that has increased rates of land subsidence.

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo recently admitted that the city was sinking at an alarming rate.

“We have no other choice but to construct a new embankment in Jakarta Bay,” Fauzi said.

He said the city needed a giant seawall to protect the capital from flooding, but added that construction could only begin in 2025.

The construction of the seawall is a joint project run by the city administration and the JCDS, which is funded by the Dutch government.

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Maritime International Training Center to be Built in Pangkep

Tempo Interactive, Thursday, 13 January, 2011 

TEMPO Interactive, Makassar:A Maritime International Training Center to be built in Pangkep this year will be luxurious and world-class, Saggaf Saleh, the South Sulawesi Manpower and Transmigration Office chief said in Makassar yesterday. 

The construction project located in Mandalle sub-district is valued at Rp300 billion. The building will be equipped with supporting equipment for the training. “We will have complete facilities to prepare our manpower to work overseas,” he said. 

The training center will have a dormitory with 1,000 rooms for the trainees. The project is fully funded by the state budget and is expected to be completed by 2013. “We are prioritizing the quality, not the quantity,” said Saggaf. 

Instructors will also be flown in from the Netherlands, while local instructors will be sent to the Netherlands to improve their skills. 

The Takalar Regency previously submitted documents for the building’s construction however, as the land administration was not arranged until the end of 2010, the government relocated it to Pangkep. “It is ready there and close to Makassar,” Saggaf said. 

Until 2010, there were 4,850 people from South Sulawesi working overseas, mostly in Malaysia. 

According to Saggaf, most South Sulawesi workers are hired as domestic workers or work at cocoa and palm oil plantations. “The technical workers are usually sent to Brunei to work in the oil sector,” he said. 

In Saudi Arabia, he continued, around 160 people from South Sulawesi were employed as drivers, cleaners and domestic workers. “We are thankful there are no problems with abuse such as the Sumiati case,” Saggaf said. 

This year, another 150,000 workers will be added in South Sulawesi. Therefore, he said, the province needs investors to create job opportunities. 

ABD AZIS