Pendidikan merupakan bagian yang penting dalam hubungan Indonesia-AS, termasuk dalam kerangka kemitraan komprehensif kedua negara yang sedang bergulir. Demikian ditekankan KUAI KBRI Washington DC, Salman Al Farisi saat membuka acara Simposium Pendidikan Indonesia 2010 di KJRI Los Angeles (19/6).

Simposium ini, menurut Salman, mempunyaitiming yang tepat, karena semangat kerjasama pendidikan bilateral sekarang sangat baik dan bermanfaat bagi Indonesia. AS merupakan mitra strategis dalam bidang pendidikan, “perlu dikembangkan gagasan kreatif bukan saja antar pemerintah namun juga lembaga swasta kedua negara” ujar nya.  Simposium ini merupakan yang kedua setelah sebelumnya diadakan di tahun 2008
Sebagai empat pemakalah utama adalah Dr. Elwin Tobing (Azusa Pacific University) yang menekankan perlunya education overhaul; Dr. Juliana Wijaya (UCLA) yang mengangkat penekanan bahasa leluhur; Dr. Taruna Ikrar (UC, Irvine), menyangkut strategi pendidikan kedokteran di era global; dan Dr. Wahyu Lestari (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University) yang menekankan pentingnya inisitatif inovasi dalam bidang aeronetik Indonesia.

Pemikiran-pemikiran yang muncul untuk pengembangan pendidikan bangsa menggarisbawahi perlunya program pertukaran yang lebih intensif di tingkat internasional, perlunya perhatian pada aspek remunerasi tenaga terdidik, perhatian yang lebih besar kepada inovasi melalui penelitian dan pengembangan (R&D) serta sejumlah poin penting lainnya.
Menyangkut peran serta swasta secara khusus mendapat perhatian peserta Simposium. Dalam hal ini, peserta menyadari bahwa dengan keterbatasan angganan nasional, menggantungkan hanya pada peran pemerintah dalam masalah pendidikan dinilai sudah tidak cukup, terlebih-lebih yang terkait dengan R&D (Research and Development).
DR. Elwin Tobing yang di akhir 2009 menerbitkan bukunya “The Indonesian Dream”, misalnya, mengetengahkan data statistik trend R&D di berbagai negara. Ditunjukkan bahwa untuk AS, 70,1% sektor R&D ini didanai oleh swasta sedangkan pemerintah hanya 12,2%. Untuk Indonesia, perbandingannya terlihat kontras, yakni hanya 14,3% oleh swasta, sedankan 81,1% pemerintah. Porsi yang lebih besar oleh swasta juga terlihat di Jepang, Korea Selatan, RRC, Singapura, bahkan Malaysia, Filipina dan Thailand.

Simposium yang melibatkan akademisi Indonesia di Los Angeles dan sekitarnya Acara ini antara lain dihadiri oleh  para dosen, kandidat doktor atau master Indonesia dari Arizona, Colorado, California Selatan, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada dan Wyoming. Peserta tamu juga hadir mewakili Yale University dan Texas University in Austin.

Peserta sepakat tentang urgensi peningkatan peran serta swasta atau industri, yang bersinergi dengan pemerintah, demi memajukan iklim pendidikan dan inovasi di tanah air. Poin ini juga menjadi penekanan Konjen RI Subijaksono Sujono yang menyampaikan kata penutup diakhir Simposium.

Secara keseluruhan, Simposium satu hari yang diarahkan untuk perkuatan jaringan pendidikan Indonesia di AS itu berlangsung dinamis. Para peserta umumnya memiliki latar belakang keilmuan yang amat beragam, mulai dari bidang spesialis ekonomi makro, kedokteran, kesehatan publik, kajian agama, lingustik, aeronatika, geologi, matematika, kerobotan, hukum serta ilmu-ilmu sains dan sosial lainnya. Kombinasi keberagaman itu bukan saja menunjukkan besarnya potensi keilmuan akademisi Indonesia di AS, melainkan juga perlunya melakukan pemetaan (brain mapping) dan penyinergian kecerdasan ilmu yang ada secara kontinu untuk kepentingan bangsa.

Bagi KJRI Los Angeles sebagai fasilitator, pelaksanaan Simposium yang kedua kalinyaini bukan saja semakin memperbaiki database dan memperkuat jaringan pendidikan Indonesia di wilayah kerja, tetapi juga saling mempertautkan para akademisi, baik dosen maupun mahasiswa, sebagai kekuatan kolektif yang menjadi ujung tombak promosi citra Indonesia di lingkungan masing-masing.

Penyelenggaraan Simposium dimoderatori Konsul Pensosbud Agusti Anwar dengan kepanitiaan yang didukung aktif oleh PERMIAS Los Angeles. Seluruh peserta menilai Simposium yang memperkuat jaringan pendidikan Indonesia di AS sedemikian ini adalah sangat positif dan perlu diperluas dan dijaga kesinambungannya. (Sumber: KJRI LA)

According to him, freedom of the press in Indonesia has not fully supported, so no wonder if his position at the Asian level was still above the 170 ranked. “The ranking of the independence of the press in Indonesia was below 100, because our legal system does not support the freedom of the press,” he said.

It was also due to Indonesia do not currently have a regional human rights court in Southeast Asia, as well as countries in Europe and America, if there is a dispute of the press, journalists are not prosecuted when on journalistic duty. In this regard, he said, the Indonesian press is not pure free yet, tried to be kept no longer to criminalize  press.

But with the existence of ITE Law precisely assessed the government will limit the freedom of the press and freedom of expression again, like when the era of the New Order (Order Baru). He further said that press freedom can not be achieved if without the support of the community. Therefore, since the government was opened reform, freedom of the press who previously confined, continue trying to help promote applied democracy. “For example, escorting the media crowded and Chandra seed cases and cases Prita be evidence of the press force to defend the public interest,” he said.
source

“I have ordered an Indonesian contingent to be sent to help the people of Haiti who are victims of this massive natural disaster,” the President said after taking part in evaluating the preparation of 3,000 members of the Rapid Reaction Team for Disaster Handling (SRC-PB) at the Halim Perdanakusumah airbase here on Thursday.

Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive told CNN the death toll of the quake could be “well over 100,000” with tens of thousands confirmed dead and thousands more unaccounted for. Many people
are believed to be trapped alive under the rubble after the 7.0-magnitude earthquake decimated the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince on Tuesday.

The earthquake in the Carribean archipelago has been in world headlines, with humanitarian aid coming in from countries worldwide.

Haiti’s devastation is all too familiar to Indonesia: a mammoth quake struck off the country’s western coast in 2004, spawning a tsunami that killed about 230,000 people in 14 countries — half of them in
Indonesia.

“As a country that has been itself devastated by a similar situation, we are absolutely saddened by what’s happening in Haiti,” AP quoted Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa as saying at an ASEAN meeting in Vietnam. “We call on the ASEAN community, including ourselves, of course, to do what we can do to assist them.”

Two major donors, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, have cancelled US$1.2 billion in Haiti’s debts, freeing up funds for the government to pour cash into rebuilding roads, bridges and social programs, Reuters reported.

The World Bank has also pledged an extra $100 million in aid for Haiti and said it is considering setting up a special trust fund to mobilize and coordinate international aid for the country.

Yudhoyono said urgent action was needed to help Haitians because the first hours after the disaster were critical for saving lives.

“We shouldn’t waste time in the first hours after a disaster, it’s a golden chance. If we can quickly help those who can still be saved, then a lot of our brothers’ lives can be saved,” he said.

Meanwhile Syamsul Maarif, head of the National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB), said the agency would send 30 medical officers from the Rapid Reaction Team along with food aid to Haiti on Friday.

The Foreign Ministry has confirmed that five Indonesians working in Haiti, including two UN staffers, survived the quake and were on their way home.

On Thursday Yudhoyono remained on site to evaluate the capability of the Rapid Reaction Team, which continued conducting their emergency drill despite a heavy downpour.

The team first flew over, mapping the disaster area. Information of the extent of the disaster was sent to the base, which specified the exact location. Another helicopter was then flown in to begin evacuations, while yet another helicopter delivered food aid to unreachable victims.

“The rain has made the [training] conditions more realistic and impressive,” Yudhoyono said.

Yudhoyono said the team would have two main bases, at Halim airport in Jakarta and at Abdul Rahman Saleh airport in Malang.

source

“They are cheerful-looking and photogenic, but close to all have a very sad story,” said Budi Soehardi, founder of the West Timor orphanage.

Budi Soehardi poses with young residents of Roslin Orphanage.

“Some of the babies come because a mother passes away right after delivery because of lack of nutrition. Others come from extreme poverty. Some come from families [that] just do not want the children and abandon them,” he said. Vote now for the CNN Hero of the Year

Soehardi, a 53-year-old Indonesian pilot living in Singapore, and his wife, Peggy, look after 47 children at the orphanage. They have a personal relationship with each one, and consider them part of their family. The couple named many of the children since they entered the orphanage as babies — some of them tiny victims and refugees from the conflict in East Timor.

Soehardi has three children of his own but says there is no difference between what he supplies for his biological children and those living at the orphanage. They all get clean living spaces, vaccinations, food, clothing and vitamins from the United States.

“Mr. Budi is like my own father,” said Gerson Mangi, 20, a resident at Roslin Orphanage. Mangi, who came to the orphanage when he was 12 years old, had no means to attend school after his parents died. Now, thanks to the educational training at Roslin and a private sponsor, he is in medical school.

Soehardi, whose father died when he was 9 years old, can relate to these young people’s hardships.

“Food was hard to come by and my school fee was very difficult,” Soehardi said. “The refugees just really strike me so badly and [I want] them to be better off.”

Young victims of a fight for independence

A 1999 news report on the situation in East Timor inspired the Soehardis to take action.

Soehardi was eating dinner and watching CNN with his wife and family at home in Singapore when he saw the plight of the refugees fleeing East Timor for West Timor, Indonesia. Families were living in cardboard boxes, children were wearing rags for clothes, and sanitation was nonexistent.

“It was devastating,” Soehardi said.

The poor conditions were a result of conflicts in East Timor that surfaced after the residents voted for independence from Indonesia. Following the election, militias — with support from Indonesian security forces — launched a campaign of violence throughout the region. Hundreds of East Timorese were killed, and as many as 250,000 were displaced from their homes, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The Soehardis had been planning on taking a vacation, but watching the news made them rethink their plans.

“[My wife and I] look at each other and we have a thought of our own. … ‘Hey, let’s do something else. Why don’t we visit the place … to make a different kind of holiday,’ ” Soehardi said.

He began coordinating financial donations, food, clothing and supplies. With help from friends and ground volunteers, the Soehardis navigated the conflict-ridden areas and delivered more than 40 tons of food, medical supplies and toiletries to East Timor refugee camps.

Soon the Soehardis determined West Timor could use a space for orphans.

“My wife was initially asking me to build three rooms. Then two hours later she [asked for] five rooms, and then later nine rooms and finally, the orphanage building.”

They completed their orphanage building in 11 months and named it Roslin Orphanage, after a pair of Timorese women whom Peggy looked up to as a girl.

In April 2002, the orphanage opened and provided a home for four children. Since then the residence has expanded to provide free education, clothing, housing and food for 47 children of all ages, newborns to university-age. About half of its residents are younger than 8 years old. 

An unexpected harvest

The orphanage was built on donated land that the Soehardis initially thought bore barren soil. But today, the rice they feed the children comes solely from their own land.

“We dared to take the challenge,” said Soehardi of his foray into irrigation. He and Peggy, who are not trained in agriculture, used two pumps and a generator to get water for irrigation.

Then they began planting rice. “One hundred days later, we were having our first harvest and declared ourselves to be self-sufficient on rice for the orphanage children,” he said.

It’s a fortunate cost-cutting tactic, especially with Soehardi losing his piloting job in November because of the struggling economy.

Soehardi, whose pilot salary goes toward maintaining the orphanage and funding medical student Mangi’s education, is hopeful that the end of his contract will not affect the children’s well-being.

“To help these children is a privilege for me and my wife because it’s giving back to society … giving back what has been blessed to us.”

Want to get involved? Check out Roslin Orphanage and see how to help.

Source : CNN Heroes

SINGAPORE – After meeting with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President Obama said he accepted an invitation to visit the world’s most populous Muslim nation next year.

“I am very excited about our prospects for deepening relations in the future, and I want to make sure everybody knows that I intend to be visiting Indonesia next year,” Obama said at the Shangri-La Hotel here, where he conducted a one-on-one meeting with Yudhoyono on the sidelines of the APEC summit here.

“The invitation that’s been extended…is one I want to take up,” Obama said. “And I am hoping to take Michelle and the girls as well so that they can take a look at some of my old haunting grounds.”

Obama noted his “historic ties to Indonesia” and said he was “extraordinarily impressed with the progress that Indonesia has made in developing its democracy.”

Obama lived in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta from 1967 to 1971. His half-sister, Maya Soetoro Ng, was born there.

“As one of the world’s largest Islamic nations, it has enormous influence and really is, I think, a potential model for the kind of development strategies, democracy strategies, as well as interfaith strategies that are going to be so important moving forward.”

Yudhoyono called Obama “a friend of Indonesia,” adding he knows the nation of 230 million people spread over 17,508 islands (about 6,000 of these are inhabited), “very well and is well respected.” Yudhoyono also called Obama’s “positive outreach to the Islamic world” refreshing.

The Indonesia president said he expects relations with the US to achieve a “higher level for comprehensive partnerships on trade, investment, education, climate change, energy and counter-terrorism.

Just over a decade ago, Indonesians took to the streets to protest. Now they can make themselves heard without even leaving home.

A Facebook group supporting two senior officials from the anti-corruption agency, who many people think have been framed, has attracted almost half a million members in just four days.

This digital people power may well be one reason why on Monday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono launched a probe into the case.

It’s the second time Facebook has played such an important role in a public debate in Indonesia. Earlier this year, thousands “rallied” online in support of a woman who had been charged with defamation for complaining about her treatment in hospital.

Indonesia is the world’s seventh-biggest user of the social networking site, according to Inside Facebook, and 8.23 million of its 8.52 million Facebook addicts joined up in the last year. The new information minister, Tifatul Sembiring, is a daily user of microblogging site Twitter, and says he wants to use it to seek policy ideas.

After decades of authoritarian rule, Indonesia is now a flourishing democracy yet many individuals still feel frustration that their voices and opinions are seldom heeded by politicians. So will online social networking sites contribute to Indonesia’s political future or is this just a passing fad?

source: reuters

The asteroid was around 20 meters across and hit the Earth's atmosphere at 45,000 mph. GETTY IMAGES

Scientists are concerned that it was not spotted by any telescopes, and that had it been larger it could have caused a disaster.

The asteroid, estimated to have been around 10 metres (30ft) across, hit the atmosphere at an estimated 45,000mph. The sudden deceleration caused it to heat up rapidly and explode with the force of 50,000 tons of TNT.

Luckily, due to the height of the explosion – estimated at between 15 and 20 km (nine to 12 miles) above sea level – no damage was caused on the ground.

However, if the object had been slightly larger – 20 to 30 metres (60 to 90ft) across – it could easily have caused extensive damage and loss of life, say researchers.

Very few objects smaller than 100 meters (300ft) across have been spotted and catalogued by astronomers.

Tim Spahr, director of the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, warned that it was inevitable that minor asteroids would go unnoticed. He said: “If you want to find the smallest objects you have to build more, larger telescopes.

“A survey that finds all of the 20-metre objects will cost probably multiple billions of dollars.”

The fireball was spotted by locals in Indonesia, and a YouTube video taken that day “appears to show a large dust cloud consistent with a bright, daylight fireball”, according to the Ontario researchers.

An asteroid or comet fragment around 60 meters across is believed to have been behind the Tunguska Event, a powerful explosion that took place over Russia in 1908. The blast has been estimated at equivalent to 10-15 million tons of TNT – enough to destroy a large city.

The White House is to develop a policy on the space object impact threat by October next year.

source: telegraph.co.uk

‘Indonesia’s economic prospects still offer room for the rupiah to strengthen going forward,’ Sarwono told reporters.

‘The capital outflows as a result of porftfolio adjustment by foreign investors is still within normal levels.’

The rupiah earlier on Wednesday weakened 1 percent per dollar as investors took profits after its recent rally. The local currency, however, remained Asia’s best-performing currency this year, gaining almost 15 percent.

Sarwono said the recent strengthening of the dollar was likely to be temporary.

‘The (recent) strengthening of the dollar against emerging market currencies in the region does not mean that the era of a weakening dollar has come to an end. This is because of the huge U.S. budget deficit, low interest rates and slow economic recovery in the U.S.’ he said.

source: Reuters

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has become the first Indonesian president to be sworn in for a second term, consolidating political stability in the sprawling southeast Asian archipelago.

He was re-elected in July on a platform of reform and economic growth, and this could mean that his new cabinet would comprise more business professionals and fewer career politicians.

“By Allah I swear I will adhere to the constitution as faithfully as possible, and will commit myself to the country and the people,” Yudhoyono said during the ceremony in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The 60-year-old leader has pledged to crack down on corruption, boost infrastructure spending, fight widespread poverty and advance bureaucratic reform.

“We have seen the good results of our efforts to build good government and fight against corruption but it still needs improvement.

“We also have decreased the number of poor but need to continue for people’s welfare. I believe achievements that we have made will create new challenges,” added Yudhoyono.

Tuesday’s event was attended by foreign dignitaries including leaders of Australia, Brunei, East Timor, Malaysia and Singapore, as well as senior officials from around the world.

Historic win

The ceremony was held under tight security at the People’s Consultative Assembly building in the city centre, where about 20,000 police backed by armoured vehicles were on hand to secure the area.

Yudhoyono defeated former president Megawati Sukarnoputri in 2004 to become the country’s first directly-elected leader since the fall of late Suharto in 1998.

In his inauguration speech, Yudhoyono said Indonesia can still register positive growth despite being in the middle of the economic crisis.

“The essence of our programme for the next five years is to improve welfare, strengthen democracy and the legal system.

“But we cannot stay idle, as our tasks are far from over. Just like a ship moving forward, we will head through an ocean full of waves and storms,” he warned, referring to volatile crude oil prices and stagnant investment.

The government has predicted economic growth of 4-4.5 per cent this year, third only to China and India in the G20 club of rich and major developing countries.

Indonesia’s economy grew 6.1 per cent in 2008.

source: Aljazeera English

The tremor measuring 6,4 on the Richter scale struck off the eastern island of Java. Photo by BGNES

(RTTNews) – An earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale quaked Indonesia’s Java Island on Friday, causing buildings to shake in the capital city of Jakarta, according to the country’s meteorology department.
Indonesia’s Meteorology and Geophysics Agency said that the quake struck in the Sunda Strait, off the western coast of Java island, about 115 miles (180 km) southwest of Jakarta. It added that the quake was not strong enough to generate a tsunami.
There were no immediate reports of causalities or structural damages in the quake, which is the latest among a series of such tremors to hit Indonesia.
Friday’s quake follows a 7.6 magnitude earthquake that killed at least 1,117 people and injured hundreds of others in Indonesia’s West Sumatra province on 30th September. The Sumatra quake also left an estimated half a million homeless.
Earthquakes are frequent in Indonesian archipelago as it is located on the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where several tectonic plates collide.
A 9.1 magnitude earthquake quake on Dec. 26, 2004 set off a massive tsunami that rolled through the Indian Ocean and killed over 200,000 people in Indonesia and other countries. Since then, Indonesia has been hit by some 29 quakes of 6.3 magnitude or higher.

source: RTTNews