Indonesia TCSS, Exchange Rate, Favourite Song/Music update

[DageDage]

Indonesia’s capital Jakarta inaugurated its first mass rapid transit system on Sunday, a US$1.1 billion project seen as crucial to tackling some of the world’s worst traffic congestion.

President Joko Widodo and other officials joined a ceremony in Jakarta to give a green light for the 16-kilometer (10 miles) line, almost six years after construction began on the Japanese-backed project.

Tens of thousands of excited Jakartans were in attendance and eager to try riding on the subway for the first time, mobbing the president for selfies while music blared and traditional performers danced on a nearby stage.

“Honestly I am so happy,” office worker Mutia Fitrianti told AFP. “Now we don’t have to go abroad just to ride an MRT.”

The train system runs above and below ground and stretches from the central Hotel Indonesia to the southern reaches of the Southeast Asian megalopolis of some 30 million people.

It aims to cut travel times between the two points to just 30 minutes from around two hours, offering some relief to frustrated commuters long used to spending much of their day stuck in traffic.

The new line is set to open to the public on Monday, with tickets free during the first week.

Construction on a second line linking downtown to Jakarta’s northern port is also kicking off Sunday with completion slated for 2024, and more lines are envisioned in the future.

A separate elevated rail network is also being built to link satellite cities with Jakarta, nicknamed the Big Durian after the pungent fruit that bitterly divides fans and its detractors.

The public transit projects are part of a sweeping infrastructure push that Widodo hopes will boost the fortunes of Southeast Asia’s biggest economy — and get him re-elected in national polls next month.

“If we have an integrated transportation system, it will be easier for people to go places and they will leave their cars or motorcycles at home,” Widodo told journalists on Sunday.

Clogged streets

Over the past decade, rising incomes in the country of 260 million have created a ballooning middle class and sent vehicle ownership soaring.

But that’s also brought hazardous air pollution and annual economic losses that run into the billions as cars crawl along the capital’s roadways in the steamy tropical heat — alongside an underused bus system.

Environmentalists hope that the new line will cut traffic-linked carbon emissions by about half.

It could also make a dent in annual economic losses of some 65 trillion Rupiah ($4.6 billion) linked to road congestion, according to government figures.

The multi-billion dollar project is funded through a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

“We think MRT Jakarta is the project of the century for us,” JICA senior vice president Tanaka Yasushi told reporters.

But transport analysts have cautioned that the new line and cheap prices will not cure the traffic woes of a city infatuated with private vehicles and with few decent sidewalks.

“The MRT won’t immediately ease the traffic because changing the culture and attitudes isn’t easy,” Hendi Bowoputro, a public transit expert at the University of Brawijaya, told AFP before the inauguration.

And the line’s expected 130,000 daily passengers represent only about 10 percent of those who already cram into a decades-old commuter rail network.

[iicycold]

some no-so-swee gers 2 choose in karaoke session....lol...it's no photo studio lighting stage-up one hor...



...& then here below wit studio lightings & stage-up got ppl say is pacific ktv gers....lol...dn't knw how true...lol...pinch the salt lor...

[authenticanie]

Exchange Rate History update :

[Nulgath]

JAKARTA - A pair of bare-breasted mermaid statues have been given the family values treatment at an Indonesian amusement park where officials slipped golden tube tops over their chests.

While the nude statues have been on display for years at Jakarta’s Ancol Dreamland, a recent policy aimed at respecting “Eastern values” has seen the mermaids get an official cover-up.

The statues were initially just covered with gold fabric, but they’ve now also been moved to a more secluded area after visitors kept pulling the coverings down, park sources said.

Ancol Dreamland spokeswoman Rika Lestari insisted no outside agitators were behind the cover-up.

“There was no pressure from any group,” she said. “Ancol is trying to become an amusement park and vacation spot for families.”

That didn’t stop the park’s move from being widely mocked.

“Thanks Ancol. Now, no one will commit adultery of the eyes from looking at the mermaids’ breasts,” comedian Soleh Solihun wrote on Twitter.

Earlier, Lestari told the Indonesian newspaper Kompas: “We’re Eastern people, we have Eastern culture, so what was inappropriate we made it more appropriate.

“It’s just a matter of perception, because what we’ve done was the best for us. It’s a good thing, so why not.”

Indonesia is the world’s biggest Muslim majority country and relatively conservative social values are prevalent.

[DageDage]

Masseuse gets political with ‘kerokan’, draws Prabowo’s ballot number on unwitting customer’s back

If you’re Indonesian or have been in the country for some time, you’re most likely familiar with kerokan, the traditional Indonesian treatment in which a blunt object (usually a coin or ladle) is scratched repeatedly across one’s back. It is believed by locals to be a cure for masuk angin (a condition that literally translates to “wind entering” but resembles the common cold) but one kerokan practitioner used it to vividly convey his political preferences ahead of the election on April 17 — by using his unwitting customer’s back as a canvas.

Yesterday, a Twitter user named Aida documented her brother’s kerokan session through several Instagram story posts. The male masseuse who performed the kerokan was allegedly a “fanatic supporter” of presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto and his running mate Sandiaga Uno, who were officially assigned the number 2 position on the ballot in the upcoming election. According to Aida’s posts, the masseuse was such a fanatic that he made sure to leave a conspicuous memento on his client’s back, the result of which have gone viral in photos shared by Aida’s friend.

“My poor brother, he had a cold, was massaged by a masseuse who was a fanatic supporter of one of the [presidential] candidates. During the massage, he kept on campaigning [for Prabowo]. I thought he would stop there, but turns out… “ Aida tweeted, adding that her brother was initially oblivious to the conspicuous kerokan mark.

“[My brother] only realized after the masseuse left. He’s been so pissed. ‘This is a violation of privacy rights and body for the sake of campaigning, without consensus’. I really don’t get people [these days],” Aida continued.

Aida said she “laughed to the point of tearing up” before it hit her that what the masseuse did was super inappropriate. She also reflected that people in general have been “excessive with their obsession” when it comes to the upcoming election.

“There’s a boundary where we should not force other people, even when we think that our choice is good or right. Respecting other people’s privacy is actually respecting our own choices. An obsession is a way for damaged people to damage themselves more,” Aida concluded her statement.

Well, regardless of who Aida’s brother actually supports, at least kerokan marks generally disappear within a few days. So it could’ve been a whole lot worse — imagine if instead of a masseuse it had been a tattooist who drew a huge “1” or “2” on their customer without their knowledge.

[Manggis]

[iicycold]

just got back...lol...now share photo time....lol

[Naka_Timo]

Papinka - Cinta Dan Luka (Official Music Video)

[Nulgath]

Indonesia election: 'Ghosts and vampires' draw voters to ballot box

JAKARTA - "Ghosts and vampires" greeted voters at a South Jakarta polling station on Wednesday (April 17), as Indonesian election officials pounced on creative ways to draw crowds to the ballot box.

And like any fancy dresser fully committed to playing the part, each of these officials at the Jalan Gunung Balong station had a story on how they "died".

"I got run over by a bus," logistics worker Mohammad Dasir, 42, told The Straits Times as he guided arriving voters shrouded in a kafan, a white sheet typically used to wrap bodies in Muslim burials.

His neighbour Andi Alfaqi, 20, claimed he died after someone hit his head with a shovel while he was asleep. He accessorised his vampire outfit with a shovel to back up his story.

The university student was helping voters dip their finger into a semi-permanent ink bottle, a method used in Indonesia to prevent double voting.

Officials at other polling stations also dressed up, lending a festive feel to the election.

In Surabaya, East Java, they wore superhero costumes with Spider-man and Thor putting in an appearance. Meanwhile, cowboy outfits, complete with sheriff badges, and Chinese traditional attire were spotted at polling stations in Cibadak, Bandung.

The horror-themed polling station in Gunung Balong attracted a higher-than-average turnout, say officials.

Head of the Gunung Balong polling station committee Adnan Yasin, 37, told reporters that more residents did show up to vote, compared to the last election in 2014.

"I would say our turnout this time round reached 80 per cent, from around 65 per cent five years ago," he told reporters after polls closed at 1pm.

Mr Adnan, himself dressed as a vampire, said the volunteer officials manning the station spent their own money on their costumes.

Funds for the decorations - including gravestones and a fortune teller booth - came from the tent hire cost allocated by the general election commission (KPU). Instead of hiring a tent, the officials utilised a pavillion at a resident's house, free of charge.

Voters arriving at the polling station had to step between two graves, both etched with a birth date of April 17, 2019, and a death date of April 17, 2024, signifying the five-year term for candidates in today's election.

"We wanted to introduce funny and scary elements to our polling station. This would spark curiosity, and make people come. It worked well," Mr Adnan said.

When asked by The Straits Times how he died, Mr Adnan said: "I was bitten by an older dracula."

[lustmanstanding]

anyone on jakarta want to meet up for drink or chiong together? PM me
i'm here 18-22 April

[iicycold]

Originally Posted by Nulgath

Indonesia election: 'Ghosts and vampires' draw voters to ballot box

JAKARTA - "Ghosts and vampires" greeted voters at a South Jakarta polling station on Wednesday (April 17), as Indonesian election officials pounced on creative ways to draw crowds to the ballot box.

oh, tis one is cool....lol...in other country i tink mayb nobody wld dare go 4 voting liao lei...lol

I like tis type of innovation...lol

[nitecrawllerr]

Originally Posted by iicycold

oh, tis one is cool....lol...in other country i tink mayb nobody wld dare go 4 voting liao lei...lol

I like tis type of innovation...lol

Very true. This type of scene best not have after evening prayer, magrib.

[DageDage]

Indonesia to evaluate elections as dozens of polling booth attendants, police die from exhaustion

JAKARTA (XINHUA) - An evaluation would be conducted on Indonesia's election process, following the deaths of dozens of police officers and attendants who had served in several polling booths in the country, head of Indonesia's General Elections Commission (KPU) Arief Budiman said last Saturday (April 20).

The victims were said to have died due to extreme exhaustion after the vote counting process.

KPU commissioner Viryan Aziz said 54 members of polling station working committees died during and after the 2019 General Elections on April 17.

“Fifty-four people passed away and another 32 have fallen ill,” he said, as reported by Tempo online news on Monday (April 22).

KPU head Mr Arief said: "Yes, we will evaluate it. Their jobs were really hard, have many responsibilities in their tasks. Exhaustion most likely happened to them while they carried out their duties."

Adding to the number of deaths of those handling the elections, Indonesia Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo said last Friday that 10 police officers have died from sickness, exhaustion and mishaps related to their tasks of guarding the polling booths or delivering the elections necessities to remote areas.

West Java Provincial KPU chairman Rifqi Almubarok said counting the votes and filling the official documents in the polling booths took too much time.

Polling booth attendants were obliged to finish vote counting on both the presidential and legislative elections later in the night after the ballot casting last Wednesday morning.

"Based on our monitoring, all of those duties were averagely settled at 5am the next day. In some cases, it was even finished at 12pm the next day. There were no pauses in all of those jobs. Exhaustion was inevitable," Mr Rifqi said last Saturday.

Indonesia saw an unprecedented election this year, as voters were obliged to directly vote for president and vice-president pairings as well as members of central and regional parliaments at the same time.

The 2019 election in Indonesia was unique, as it was conducted within eight hours nationwide, with over 192 million listed eligible voters. Two million of them voted in 130 cities overseas earlier, before the nationwide schedule.

The KPU provided more than 809,500 polling booths in 524 cities and regencies for the voters to cast their votes. Some 24.8 trillion rupiah (S$2.39 billion) was allocated to finance the political event.

The 2019 elections registered a participation rate of around 82 per cent, the highest level in the nation's history.

According to quick counts - unofficial results organised by polling agencies - President Joko Widodo won 54.5 per cent of votes while his rival Prabowo Subianto earned 45.5 per cent of votes.

The KPU is scheduled to officially announce winner of the election after it settles the manual vote counting on May 22.

[DageDage]

The government may have warned hardline groups against conducting raids against restaurants and other businesses they think are disrespecting Muslims during Ramadan, but, as has been the case in recent years, law enforcers themselves may also be considered guilty of acting overzealously during the holy fasting month.

Yesterday, the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) in the West Sumatra capital of Padang went around the city to look for restaurants that remained open during the day while Muslims were fasting.

As reported in a press release from the agency, which was shared on Facebook by the city administration’s Public Relations Department, the Satpol PP officers found 10 restaurants that remained open yesterday. When asked by the officers, the owners of the restaurants said they only served their food to non-Muslims.

That explanation proved to be acceptable for the restaurants to remain open, under the condition that the Satpol PP officers were allowed to put up a banner saying, “Only for non-Muslims” at the front of each restaurant.

“I hope that the restaurant owners do not take down the banners we put up. If the banners are gone from the restaurant then we will take stern action against them,” Satpol PP Padang Chief Al Amin said in the release.

As it turns out, Padang’s Satpol PP actually had legal jurisdiction to put up the discriminatory banners. Last week, West Sumatra Governor Irwan Prayitno said, just like “every year”, the province would enforce a regional bylaw requiring all restaurants and eateries to stay shut during the day during Ramadan. Restaurants serving non-Muslims are the only exemption from that rule, although regulations require they put up a sign clearly stating that.

The long-existing by law does not seem to accommodate Muslims who are not required to fast during Ramadan, such as pregnant/breastfeeding women, small children and those who are ill, as the regulations essentially prevent restaurant owners from serving them during the day.

Another problem with the regulation, as some have alluded to in the Facebook post’s comments section, is is that it would be difficult for Satpol PP to determine whether the patrons of a restaurants are Muslim or not, save for infringing on their privacy by checking the religion column on their KTP (ID cards).

The presence of these Ramadan by laws in numerous regions in Indonesia has led to a number of controversial incidents in which authorities themselves have been accused of being inhumane in their enforcement. One notable incident from 2016 involved an elderly woman’s warung in Serang, Banten, which was raided by the city’s Satpol PP for serving food during the day. The officers threw out her food, despite her desperate pleas that they were destroying her livelihood.

After video of the incident went viral, her story ended up having a happy ending when hundreds of Indonesian netizens, including President Joko Widodo himself, donated hundreds of millions of rupiah to help her recover.

[Naka_Timo]

Chevra ft. Dyrga Dadali - Masih Mencintainya