I broke the law today Yep, I gave Rp.1,000 to a couple of very good buskers on my bus and according to a new bylaw enacted by the wise (and very rich) City Fathers, what I did was very wrong.
You see, the city administration thinks it's been soft; after all there has been a bylaw forbidding us to donate money to beggars, buskers and street children since 1988.
Councilor Inggard Joshua of the Golkar Party said the administration needed to be serious in implementing the bylaw or it would be a waste of time and money.
"
The city administration has always conducted the 1988 ordinance in an on-and-off fashion. The enactment of the bylaw is the only key to public order,"
Inggard told Monday's plenary session at the council. The administration, he said, should look up to the city-state Singapore, which consistently enforced its public order regulations. (When elected three years ago Pak.Inggards's declared wealth was Rp.5.69 billion ~ c.US$650,000 ~ and his stated concerns were the environment and housing.)
Selected points in the new bylaw:* No unauthorized persons may manage traffic at intersections in return for money.I tend to agree. It's almost guaranteed that if there's an unexpected traffic jam at a road junction then it's caused by guys from the neighbourhood blowing whistles and collecting beer money, and/or traffic policemen.
* No unauthorized persons may collect money from public transportation drivers or cargo shipment drivers.That means you, Mr. Plod.
* Public transportation passengers are not to litter, to throw chewing gum, to spit or to smoke inside the vehicle they are traveling in.Does this mean the drivers as well?
* No individual or institution may squat or stand on benches in public parks, unless it is for city agency purposes. No individual or institution is to leave chewing gum on park benches.Public parks. What public parks?!?
* All individuals and institutions must register any animals they own with the city administration.Oh, rats!
* No individual or institution may make, sell or possess fireworks or similar items.This is obviously targetting the Betawi, the indigenous Jakartans, who celebrate weddings and returnees from the haj in Mecca with firecrackers.
* All food stalls and restaurants must have a halal certificate displayed in an easily seen area.And are presumably allowed to continue to occupy all those sidewalk spaces not used as a car park or for enormous potted plants designed to stop pedestrians walking in a straight line.
* All individuals and institutions are prohibited from soliciting donations in the street, markets, housing complexes, hospitals, schools, offices and on public transportation without the permission of the governor ...... who would like a 25% cut, if you'd be so kind.
* No individual or institution may become a beggar, busker, street vendor or car windshield cleaner.So, beggar off.
* No individual or institution may trade with street vendors or give money or goods to beggars, buskers or car windshield cleaners.And this is the law I broke.
[Quotes fr. Jakarta Post] ............................................
Another lawbreaker in the news this week is "Indonesian dictator Suharto".
Time magazine has been ordered to pay him US$106 million because they caused him some distress. Time alleged that
his family amassed US$15 billion during his 32-year rule.
The May 1999 cover story in the magazine's Asian edition said much of the money had been transferred from Switzerland to Austria before Suharto stepped down amid riots and pro-democracy protests in 1998. Suharto, who has also been accused of widespread rights abuses, had filed a lawsuit with the Central District Jakarta and later the Jakarta High Court, both of which ruled in Time's favor.
A panel of three Supreme Court judges, including a retired general who rose in the military ranks during Suharto's administration, overturned the decisions on Aug. 31. The ruling ordered Time Inc. Asia and six employees to apologize in leading Indonesian magazines and newspapers as well as Time's Asian, European and America editions.
Supreme Court spokesman Nurhadi told The Associated Press. "
The article and photographs hurt the image and pride of the plaintiff as a great retired army general and the former Indonesian president."
Poor diddums.
And what's that expression about one law for the rich ..... ..... ?
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And let's not forget
Munir who, if he hadn't been
assassinated by BIN, the Indonesian (low) Intelligence Forces three years ago this week, would be still attacking human rights abusers such as the former Indonesian president and defending the rights of street children and the disenfranchised poor.
Labels: justice?
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