[Kabar-indonesia] Indo News - 9/28/05

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Indonesia Struggles to Deal With Polio
By Michael Casey, Associated Press Writer
57 minutes ago

Jakarta, Indonesia - A polio outbreak that spread rapidly through
Indonesia after a decade-long absence, crippling hundreds of children, has
exposed weaknesses in the sprawling archipelago's long-neglected health
care system.

Hampered by chronic funding shortages, clinics in the poorest parts of the
country have been forced to scale back, reducing the time and money they
spend on community outreach, health education and immunization programs.

As a result, 239 children under 5 have been infected by polio since March,
prompting a series of vaccination campaigns that were completed Tuesday.

Measles cases have increased tenfold since 2000, while the country saw its
worst-ever dengue fever outbreak last year. There are also fears bird flu,
which has already killed six people nationwide, could mutate into a form
that spreads easily among humans.

"The context for these events is a primary health care system that has
suffered from a decrease in resources and is struggling to manage the
expectations placed on it," UNICEF's David Hipgrave said.

"What we're seeing are major inconsistencies between the rich and poor
provinces," he said.

It was not always this way.

During the 32-year dictatorship of Suharto, the health system, like much
of government, was centralized and services reached down to the village
level.     Polio was eradicated in 1995 and key indicators like child
malnutrition and poverty rates fell.

A key component was volunteer outreach efforts like the Family Education
Program, where wives of government officials talked to mothers about
nutrition and sanitation and reminded them about national immunization
days.

That program, like almost all others linked to Suharto, was abandoned
after his ouster in 1998.

Radical decentralization, introduced in 2001 in response to demands for
increased autonomy, has added to the country's health care woes.

Almost overnight, the government handed control of public services to
regional and local authorities. But their roles were unclear, experts say,
funding was inadequate and priorities left to the whims of inexperienced
governments, mayors and village heads.

According to the latest figures from the United Nations, Indonesia ranks
110 on its human development index just ahead of Uzbekistan and Nicaragua.
Public health spending in 2002 accounted for 1.2 percent of gross domestic
product — among the lowest in Asia — compared to impoverished East Timor
which spent 6.2 percent, Thailand 3.1 percent and Malaysia 2 percent.

The result, World Health Organization and Ministry of Health officials
say, is that immunization rates dropped in poor communities and services
at village clinics, like monitoring the weight of babies or providing poor
families with mosquito nets to protect against malaria, all but
disappeared.

"We'd provide the needles and vaccines for immunization, but some
districts wouldn't have enough money for operations," said Dr. Jane
Soepardi, who oversees immunizations at the Ministry of Health. "They
reached nearby areas but left out remote areas. So you'd find mothers who
don't even know about immunization."

As a result, Indonesians have increasingly turned to the private sector
for health care, according to the World Bank. But the poorest Indonesians
lack insurance and are routinely denied access to top-notch hospitals or
kicked out because they cannot pay, health officials say.

"I was really upset because I couldn't get my baby into the hospital,"
said Sari Laela, who carried her sick 3-week-old son to five hospitals in
Jakarta earlier this year before one admitted him. "It's a pity this
health care system can't help people like us. Maybe this will open the
eyes of the government."

The media coverage of Laela's case prompted President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono's wife, Kristiani, to pay for the child's care and the Health
Ministry to begin drafting a bill that would bar hospitals from rejecting
patients.

The polio outbreak has also served as a "wake up call" to the government,
according to Dr. Arun Thapa, WHO's Southeast Asia regional adviser. Since
the outbreak, Indonesia has embarked on an ambitious plan to gradually
introduce national health insurance, revive community health clinics and
boost immunization programs.

To some, the polio vaccination campaign, which began in August, was a sign
the system is not beyond repair.

Despite having only weeks to prepare, about 95 percent of the 24 million
children under 5 were vaccinated — helped in no small part by the cadres
of volunteers who publicized the effort.

"There was realization with health officials that there was much more to
dealing with this outbreak than what they were used to in the past," Thapa
said. "It made them realize that business as usual was not good enough."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Jakarta Post.com
Headline News
September 28, 2005
New suspected bird flu cases emerge in regions
The Jakarta Post, Bandung/Semarang/Bandar Lampung

Four people in Bandung, Semarang and Bandar Lampung have been hospitalized
with suspected avian influenza after showing symptoms of the disease.

Chicken vendor Suprat, 58, was admitted to Dr. Kariadi Hospital in
Semarang, Central Java, on Tuesday with a high fever, cough and
respiratory problems.

The resident of Kendal regency had been treated at Roemani Hospital for a
week, before being transferred to the government-designated hospital for
bird flu patients.

Roemani Hospital head Sofa Chasani said tests have yet to confirm Suprat
has bird flu.

A chicken seller, Suprat supplied 800 kilograms of chicken daily to
markets in Semarang and Kendal.

Of the total 42 cases of human infection nationwide since July, there has
been one case of human infection in Central Java. However, the virus
killed around 8.17 million poultry in 2003 and 2004.

In Bandung, a 16-month-old baby named Kayla has been treated since
Saturday in the isolation room of government-designated Hasan Sadikin
General Hospital.

Her mother Titik Tri Herawati said Kayla had been taken to Santo Yusuf
Hospital with a high fever, but was the hospital had referred her to Hasan
Sadikin instead as she was showing bird flu symptoms.

Hasan Sadikin Hospital head Cissy B. Kartasasmita said an initial
diagnosis of Kayla's condition indicated severe pneumonia, but her blood
sample had been sent to the Ministry of Health in Jakarta for tests.

The Bandar Lampung man who is believed to have bird flu is a 20-year-old
resident of Tanggamus regency named Hendriansyah. Three days after his
admittance to Abdul Moeloek General Hospital in Bandar Lampung on
Saturday, Hendriansyah's condition had regressed from a high fever to
severe pneumonia.

Principally an avian disease, the H5N1 bird flu virus was first seen in
humans in Hong Kong in 1997. Since then it has killed at least 65 people,
with six fatalities in Indonesia.

The virus has spread to 22 provinces in the country, killing more than 9.5
million poultry.

The bird flu outbreak has sparked fears among residents in Bandarlampung,
who saw dozens of chickens die sudden deaths over the weekend.

"Their deaths were unusual. The chickens had a high fever, and then, when
they were slaughtered, there was almost no blood spilled," said Julfrizal,
a resident of Pesawahan regency.

Lampung Health Office head Wirman said avian flu vaccine had been
distributed to every district, while campaign activities to prevent
further outbreaks had been stepped up.

However, Herdimansyah, chairman of non-governmental organization Lampung
Sehat, was critical of the local administration's efforts to stop the
virus from spreading.

"Until now, it's only Way Kanan regency that has financed an anti-bird flu
operation, with a Rp 100 million (US$10,000) budget. The vaccine situation
is not clear either," he said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At least 57 people suspected of contracting bird flu in Indonesia
Wednesday September 28, 4:14 PM
Jakarta (AFP)

At least 57 people were being treated for suspected bird flu in Indonesia,
where the disease has already claimed six lives, officials said.

OF the total, 20 patients were under observation at Jakarta's Sulianti
Saroso hospital for infectious diseases, a doctor there, Ilham Patu, said.

The latest suspected case, a 23-year-old man from the capital, was
admitted late Tuesday.

Blood and mucus samples from the patients were being tested locally with
any positive results indicating bird flu being sent to World Health
Organization laboratories in Hong Kong for confirmation.

Since Monday the hospital has released five people who were suspected of
contracting bird flu but tested negative.

Health ministry spokesman Sumardi said Wednesday that a shipment of some
20,000 doses of Tamiflu, anti-viral medication that can stop flue if given
quickly when symptoms develop, will arrive in the country on Friday.

"This medicine will be sold commercially at pharmacies," he said. So far,
it has only been available in hospitals.

Six Indonesians have died of bird flu, bringing to 65 the number of people
in Southeast Asia known to have died from the H5N1 strain of the virus
since 2003. Vietnam has recorded 43 deaths, Thailand 12 and Cambodia four.

The WHO fears H5N1 will mutate, acquiring genes from the human influenza
virus that would make it highly infectious and lethal to millions in a
global pandemic.

But it has also urged calm, saying investigations in Indonesia had
produced no evidence that H5N1 was spreading easily from person to person.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Australian
Indon MPs slam fuel cost increase
Sian Powell, Jakarta correspondent
September 28, 2005

As Indonesia's D-Day for fuel price hikes edged closer, parliamentarians
yesterday began an acrimonious debate on whether the steep rises were
necessary to save the nation's economy.

Public transport fares in various areas had already increased by as much
as 25per cent days before scheduled price rises this Saturday.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last week declared the nation's
crippling fuel subsidies would be slashed for the second time this year, a
move that would increase petrol, diesel, kerosene and fuel oil prices, and
save Indonesia as much as $1.3 billion a month.

His announcement sparked panic buying, hoarding and a series of small
protests.

A larger demonstration against the price hikes is planned for tomorrow,
with thousands of agitators marching on the President's palace in central
Jakarta.

Marlo Sitompul, head of the Alliance of Urban Poor, said the members of 50
or 60 organisations were slated to take part in the protest.

"The Government has to realise that increases in fuel prices makes people
suffer," he said. "They will die slowly. I mean, like the last price rise
in March, it was clear there was malnutrition everywhere."

Fuel subsidies have cost the nation as much as $1.3 billion a month, a
projected total of $17.9 billion this year - one-third of the total budget
and more than the health and education budgets combined.

But opposition politicians, including former presidents Megawati
Sukarnoputri and Abdurrahman Wahid, have criticised the Government's
decision to cut subsidies.

Opposition parliamentarian Tjahjo Kumolo said the first round of fuel
price increases in March remained a burden for poor Indonesians.

"There are still other ways for the Government to at least delay the
hike," he said.

"People's lives are quite tough enough with the inconsistency of the
incumbent Government, beginning with the President, the Vice-President and
the ministers who have conveyed different statements that have disturbed
the markets."

However, last night it seemed unlikely the opposition could carry a vote
to block the price hikes. Yesterday it seemed the price increases for
petrol would be somewhere between 50 and 60 per cent.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Indonesia police to deploy for fuel protests
By Achmad Sukarsono
Wed Sep 28, 6:45 AM ET
Jakarta (Reuters)

Indonesia will deploy 5,500 police in the capital Jakarta to guard
government buildings and other areas ahead of expected protests over fuel
price hikes which police fear could turn "anarchic."

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said last week he planned to raise fuel
prices on Saturday to help cut crippling energy subsidies, although he has
not said by how much.

The head of a local university who met Yudhoyono on Wednesday quoted the
president as saying he was weighing an increase of between 30 to 50
percent. The planning minister has said the hikes could average at least
50 percent.

Jakarta police chief Firman Gani said key places to be guarded included
the presidential palace, parliament and the capital's bustling Chinatown
area.

"We predict there will probably be the commandeering of petrol trucks and
pump stations ... or vandalism or other anarchic behavior," Gani told
reporters, without saying when police would deploy.

"There will be 5,500 personnel at 14 spots. The bomb squad will also be on
standby."

Police were also on alert to the possibility protesters would try to
kidnap officials from state oil company Pertamina, Gani said.

Yudhoyono urged people to maintain order.

"We understand there will be protests here and there ... (but) follow the
laws, be peaceful and orderly. Don't burn this or burn that. Don't destroy
this and that," he said in a speech to university rectors.

Small, sporadic protests hit several cities including Jakarta on
Wednesday, although there was no violence, witnesses and local media
reported. Around 200 people demonstrated outside the presidential palace
in Jakarta.

Long queues have also been seen at petrol stations around the country as
motorists, some on foot carrying plastic jerry cans, try to stock up ahead
of the hike.

Antara national news agency said that petrol distribution from a Pertamina
depot on the Indonesian side of Borneo island was stopped for a few hours
on Tuesday after a bomb hoax.

Weaning Indonesia Off Cheap Fuel
Yudhoyono has little choice but to gradually wean impoverished Indonesians
off Asia's cheapest gasoline and heavily subsidised kerosene used for
cooking in the wake of a near meltdown on the rupiah currency late last
month.

Sky-high world oil prices have ratcheted up fuel subsidies, which this
year will eat up nearly a fifth of the budget. While Indonesia produces
oil, declining output has forced it to sell rupiah for dollars to pay for
oil imports, hitting the currency and hurting the economy.

No one expects the protests to bring down Yudhoyono, who has sought to
explain to Indonesians why the hike was needed. When he raised fuel prices
by 29 percent last March, nationwide demonstrations fizzled after a few
days.

But the price hikes will be bigger this time, come sooner than many
expected and have an immediate knock-on effect on inflation. A big rise in
fuel prices in May 1998 triggered rioting that was a factor in toppling
former autocrat Suharto.

The timing of the hikes, just before the start of the Muslim fasting month
of Ramadan on October 3 or 4, has also proven a sensitive issue.
Indonesian governments usually try to keep a lid on prices because of the
inflationary impact from Eid al-Fitr celebrations at the end of the
fasting month.

Students, left-wing groups and Muslim hardliners have said their rallies
would intensify on Thursday and Friday. A rally coordinator told local
media that 15,000 people from 90 groups would march to the presidential
palace on Thursday.

The U.S. embassy in Jakarta has warned its nationals in an e-mail message
to avoid protest sites.

It was unclear how many police would be deployed nationwide.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bloomberg.com
Indonesia Rupiah Falls on Protest Report: World's Biggest Mover
Last Updated: September 28, 2005 13:14 EDT

Sept. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Indonesia's rupiah declined, the biggest
fluctuation of any currency, after a newspaper reported that thousands
plan to take to the streets tomorrow to protest government proposals to
raise fuel prices.

The currency has fallen 3 percent since reaching a three-week high on
Sept. 14, as the government seeks to curb its budget gap by cutting fuel
subsidies. Indonesia may raise fuel prices 70 percent to 90 percent, Koran
Tempo reported today, citing Hafiz Zawawi, of parliament's budget panel.
Planned subsidy cuts in 1998 by then President Suharto led to rioting and
violence across the country.

‘‘When oil prices go up, consumer goods will also increase and that'll add
to the burden on the people,'' Endarto Weltam, treasury manager at PT Bank
Finconesia, said in Jakarta. ‘‘There's concern that there will be
demonstrations,'' hurting the currency.

The rupiah dropped 0.9 percent to 10,369 against the dollar as of 6 p.m.
in Jakarta. That's its biggest drop in a month.

Thousands will rally tomorrow to protest the planned price increase, the
Koran Tempo newspaper reported, citing Jumhur Hidayat, a coordinator for
the demonstration.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had promised a 29 percent price
increase in March would be the last this year.

The allocation of 4.8 trillion rupiah ($466 million) to 15.5 million poor
families to cushion the blow of an increase in regulated fuel prices may
not be enough to quell dissent, said Weltam, adding that the rupiah may
fall to 10,350 this week.

‘Social Backlash'
The currency last week fell 0.8 percent after a surge in world crude oil
prices raised concern importers would buy more dollars to pay for the
costlier fuel, and the burden on the government of local fuel subsidies
would increase.

Crude oil prices are 31 percent higher than a year ago and Indonesia is
the only member of OPEC that is a net oil importer.

Oil prices are expected to average $54 a barrel, higher than a $45
forecast in June, Amin Said Husni, head of a parliamentary budget
commission, said on Sept. 20.

Some investors ‘‘may be expecting some social backlash,'' said Sani Hamid,
an economist at Forecast Ltd. in Singapore. Protesters may take to the
streets over the weekend should the proposed Oct. 1 price increase win
approval, he said.

The rupiah may fall to 10,400 by the week's end, Hamid said.

Yudhoyono's administration needs to cap fuel subsidies to prevent the
budget deficit from widening and rating companies from lowering the
country's debt rating.

The outlook on Indonesia's B+ rating was changed to ‘‘stable'' from
‘‘positive,'' Standard & Poor's said on Sept. 2. The rating, which S&P
raised four times since September 2002, is four levels lower than junk, or
high risk, high yield.

In January 2003, former President Megawati Soekarnoputri backtracked on a
plan to raise prices on concern nationwide demonstrations would turn to
violence.
-- To contact the reporter on this story: Christina Soon in Singapore  at
csksoon at bloomberg.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Jakarta Post.com
Editorial
September 27, 2005
Un-happily ever after
There are many forms of discrimination. Some inherent due to ignorance,
others proliferated by economic envy. Then there are those resulting from
sheer bigotry.

Perhaps the worst kind of prejudice is one that is propagated by the
state, and mandated through unjust laws that perpetuate the legitimization
of wrongful biases.

Indonesia's archaic Citizenship Law is one flagrant example of how a
prejudicial mind set is preserved by condoning preferential treatment of
one citizen over the other.

Law No. 6/1958 stipulates that an Indonesia woman who marries a foreigner
cannot sponsor stay permits for her spouse or their children. Neither can
she automatically claim citizenship for her children from that marriage,
since they are, by these laws, required to only adopt the citizenship of
their non-Indonesian father.

At the heart of these principles is a chauvinistic bias, which refuses to
accord women the same rights as an Indonesian man who marries a
non-Indonesian woman.

This is just one example of the many debilitating laws that propagate
sexism and prejudice in this country.

When confronted, most everyone agrees about the need for change. But in
practice, there is a clear lack of political will to make the necessary
amendments.

Issues relating to citizenship as a result of marriage are just the tip of
the iceberg. The right of citizenship for 'non-indigenous' Indonesians
(e.g. Chinese-Indonesians) often remain complicated despite presidents
making declarations and issuing decrees prohibiting discriminatory
treatment.

The bureaucracy seems to delight in complicating administrative
procedures. Reports suggest that permits from about a dozen institutions
-- the community unit (RT), the neighborhood unit (RW), the subdistrict
office, the district office, the municipality office, the gubernatorial
office, the subdistrict police, the district police, the city/provincial
police, the prosecutor's office, the district court and finally the
Ministry of Justice and Human Rights -- are involved in the process of
issuing a citizenship certificate before it can be signed by the
president.

Eventually these "procedures" appear to be nothing more than an extortion
scam for bureaucrats to exact money.

Under the guise of security, the spirit of these regulations treat those
who want citizenship as "potential traitors" rather than those who desire
to dedicate their life to living in this country.

We understand that regulations are necessary, and conditions are required.
But we cannot accept laws that are based on gender bias and simply are in
place to line the pockets of immigration officers.

An Indonesian woman must be equal in rights and privileges as those of a
man. That privilege should also be extended, based on rational
considerations, especially to her children who have a right to seek
Indonesian citizenship.

Several of the laws relating to this issue were drafted in an era of
xenophobia fueled by cold war rivalries. In this ever-shrinking world,
mixed marriages will become more common. Hence the spirit of these
regulations should be one of facilitation, not complication; inclusion,
not exclusion.

We should modernize our narrow perceptions of an Indonesia beyond fatuous
notions of skin color or blood lines. If a person from Sumatra can
acclimatize and be accepted into the subtleties of Yogyakarta (Javanese)
culture, for example, so too can a foreign resident, who is married to an
Indonesian, become a good Indonesian.

It is ironic that while the greatest emotion God gave his people -- love
-- can unite couples from different races, religions and nations, there
are still people here who seek to tear them apart using narrow-mindedness
and legal semantics.