Jakarta – If the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) is going to allow the people to directly elect the president and vice president in 2004, then it should allow them to make that selection all the way through, rather than halfway.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – The health card system aims to provide a free health service for the poor. But while many destitute people are unable to enter the program due to their lack of an ID card, employees of several hospitals admitted on Monday that many of the recipients look affluent.

Ahmad Junaidi, Jakarta – The Jakarta Administration announced on Monday its plan to propose a bylaw which will ban demonstrations around the newly renovated Hotel Indonesia traffic circle on Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta.

Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung – Although compensation has been given by sugar cane factory PT Gunung Madu Plantations (GMP) to local fishermen in Lampung, the fishermen remain reluctant to go fishing due to declining fish stocks in Bandarlampung's polluted water.

They claim pollution would force them to stay home for at least the next six months.

Jakarta – President Megawati Soekarnoputri has performed better than all other national political leaders currently in office, even as her government isdeemed to be failing in delivering the goods, according to a recently published survey.

Jakarta – Indonesia will no longer buy weapons at inflated prices, its military chief vowed yesterday, amid concerns that people were illegally making unwarranted profits from mark-ups.

Jakarta – Despite the lifting of the worst restrictions on labor union rights in 2000, many others still remain and labor relations have become increasingly tense, with many incidents of violent physical attacks on strikers, according to the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU).

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Unlike its aggressive attempts to crush separatist rebels in Aceh, the Indonesian government has been half-hearted in ending the equally alarming sectarian conflict in Maluku.

Fitri Wulandari, Jakarta – The International Monetary Fund has stepped into the public debate over the Commercial Court's bankruptcy ruling on PT Asuransi Jiwa Manulife Indonesia (AJMI), saying the case should serve as a trigger point for Indonesia to speed up reforms in the Commercial Court and revision of the Bankruptcy Law.

Jakarta – Thousands of people gathered on the streets here yesterday to celebrate the 475th anniversary of Indonesia's capital – one of Asia's most crowded and polluted cities.

Jakarta – The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) urged the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) to set up a team to investigate serious human rights abuses allegedly committed against the urban poor by the city administration.

Robert Go, Jakarta – Architect Andi Perdana dug out his wallet without hesitation and snapped up new cell phones for himself and his wife in a shopping mall in Surabaya, East Java.

In what seemed like an extravagant move, he bought a Nokia 6510 for 2.4 million rupiah a Siemens S45 for 1.6 million rupiah.

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Jakarta – The latest revision for the fourth amendment of the 1945 Constitution contains new articles which grant the military free seats within the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) until 2009, undermining efforts to remove the military from politics by 2004.

Jakarta – Indonesia's military will cooperate with any country, including the United States, in the global war on terror provided such ties do not damage the national interest, the new armed forces chief said yesterday.

Jakarta – Customs and Excise Director General Permana Agung said that a recommendation by the International Monetary Fund to reappoint a surveyor to handle export and import examination to cope with rampant smuggling was disappointing.

Moch. N. Kurniawan and Yogita Tahilramani, Jakarta – Though hailed as democratic, Indonesia's 1999 elections could hardly be called credible with a dismal record of 2,400 election campaign violations, including bribery, vote-rigging and extortion among its other vices.

Jakarta – As many as 191 legislators received loans worth Rp 40 million each from the off-budget Presidential Aid Fund (Banpres) during the leadership of former president Soeharto but have not repaid the money in full, a legislator said Wednesday.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Investigation into several corruption scandals is proving extremely embarrassing not just for a handful of politicians alleged to have diverted or accepted state funds but even for the media.

Jupriadi, Makassar – At least three people have been killed, four seriously injured, and more than one hundred houses burned down following a communal clash between residents of Cappasolo and Padang villages in East Malangke subdistrict, North Luwu regency, South Sulawesi, since Monday.

Indramayu, West Java – Temporary workers at the Balongan, West Java, oil refinery of state oil and gas company Pertamina staged their second day of protest over demands for higher wages on Wednesday.

A Pertamina spokesman said the protests did not disrupt operations at Balongan, which supplies the bulk of Jakarta's fuel.

Jakarta – A bullet that killed a Supreme Court judge came from one of six guns found at homes owned by former president Suharto's youngest son Tommy, a police colonel said yesterday.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Newly installed Indonesian Military (TNI) Chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto issued a strong warning to secessionist movements on Wednesday, saying that efforts to separate from the unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia would be crushed with military operations.

Kel Dummett – As the independence celebrations begin to subside in East Timor, it certainly is timely for Australia to take a sober look at its foreign policy, especially regarding its immediate neighbors. To this end the Australian Government's planned White Paper on foreign policy is welcome.

Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung – Sea transportation between Bakauheni in Lampung province and Merak in Banten province could be paralyzed soon as the local union of ferry operators has threatened to stop services until the authorities meet their demands to increase ferry fares.

Tiarma Siboro and Oktovianus Pinontoan, Jakarta/Ambon – Pattimura (Maluku) military commander and chief of Security Restoration Operations Maj. Gen. Djoko Santoso has blamed the prolonged conflict in the Maluku city of Ambon on military deserters.

Djoko pledged on Tuesday he would soon arrest the perpetrators in an operation currently under way.

Jupriadi, Poso – Six months after the signing of the Malino peace deal the situation in the Central Sulawesi town of Poso is returning to normal, despite the recent series of incidents that have claimed dozens of lives.

Tangerang – Some 1500 workers of PT Indorama, a garment producer on Jl. Imam Bonjol in Tangerang, staged a rally at the municipal administration office on Tuesday, demanding an improvement to their welfare.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Despite a growing debate over its political role, Indonesia's military has said that it does not want to quit the legislature in 2004.

Max Lane – The debate about extending Indonesia's relationship with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) between Minister Kwik Kian Gie, in charge of the National Economic Planning Board and the other ministers in President Megawati Soekarnoputri's Cabinet is an important development in Indonesian politics and the debate on development strategy.

Agus Maryono, Purwokerto – The Cilacap plant of the country's third largest cement producer PT Semen Cibinong recently dismissed 600 of its 900 temporary workers in the name of efficiency, an official said here on Monday.

Tiarma Siboro, Jakarta – Amid mounting controversy over its political role, the Indonesian Military (TNI) said on Monday that it wanted to remain in the legislature until 2009, until it consolidated itself.

There are many sound reasons why the United States – and Australia – should resist wading back into the moral quagmire which military co-operation with the Indonesian armed forces represents.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – President Megawati Sukarnoputri is facing mounting calls from Indonesian legislators to reshuffle her 10-month-old Cabinet, which has been criticised for poor performance and a lack of teamwork.

Shefali Rekhi – Two visiting Indonesian lawmakers dismissed the problem of militancy and terrorism in their country as "not a big deal" yesterday.

Jakarta – Urban Poor Consortium (UPC) chairwoman Wardah Hafidz said on Saturday that the number of poor people without ID cards in the city could be five times greater than the 100,000 reported earlier by the Jakarta Bureau of Statistics.

"It must be far more than only 100,000. It could be five times higher," she said.

Gay Alcorn, Washington – The White House is now confident that Congress will approve the resumption of military ties with Indonesia, according to a leading adviser to the Bush Administration.

Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung – A Lampung-based corruption watchdog has revealed a conspiracy between the Lampung provincial legislative council and a real estate developer in the construction of 26 houses for councillors.

Nani Farida, Sabang Island Aceh – Amiruddin sits idly on a bench, casting his sight at the open sea in front of Sabang harbor. There was not a single ship docking at the harbor that day.

Jakarta – Local exporting companies are mostly optimistic that their export sales to the Asia-Pacific region and Europe will increase over the next 12 months, but they are somewhat less upbeat about the United States and African markets, according to a survey.

Two Indonesian legislators have criticized Attorney General Muhammad Abdurachman for organizing a lavish wedding reception for his daughter while the country was combatting corruption and a crippling economic crisis.

Parliamentarians also called on the government to check whether such exhibition of wealth by an official ran counter to the law.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Despite his unpopularity and lacklustre performance, Jakarta's Governor Sutiyoso is likely to be picked by Parliament to head the city administration for a second term.

Marianne Kearney, Jakarta – Indonesia's potential ambassadors perceive the job as a chance for a vacation and have little idea of how to promote the country overseas, a parliamentary commission claims.

Muhammad Nafik, Jakarta – Analysts predict that less than 10 political parties will be eligible to contest the 2004 general election should the proposed bill on general elections be enacted.

Jakarta/Ambon – Skepticism loomed on Friday over the neutrality and capability of the newly established team to investigate human rights abuses in Maluku because it is run by the government, human rights activists said on Friday.

Jakarta – The International Financial Corporation (IFC), the investment arm of the World Bank, warned on Friday that the country's weak legal system was scaring away badly needed foreign investors, after the Central Jakarta Commercial Court declared Canada's Manulife Financial Corp's local insurance unit bankrupt.

Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Ahmad Junaidi, Jakarta – Poverty remains a major problem in Jakarta because the city administration's programs fail to address its underlying causes, according to an activist.

Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta – There are many theories to explain why the government's various programs to eliminate poverty have been futile. In Jakarta, one problem is clear: Over 100,000 poor do not have ID cards, which make public services unavailable to them.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – Mayor Abdillah of Medan, the North Sumatra capital, introduced new fares for public minivans on Thursday following a protest by hundreds of minivan drivers grouped under the Association of Medan Public Minivan Drivers/Owners (Kesper) earlier in the morning.

Bernie K. Moestafa, Jakarta – How do we explain the sight last Wednesday of the Indonesian delegation shopping in one of Rome's most expensive arcades while attending a world summit on hunger?

Bad timing maybe, but a note by prominent Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid that Indonesians were not serious about running the state, could be nearer to the truth.

Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – Is that a rice cooker or a bomb in the shopping bag? Bomb paranoia has struck Jakarta and other major cities as residents are scared stiff at the sight of unattended bags, boxes and odd-looking items after the latest spate of explosions to rock the country.