Legislation is being proposed to require foreign workers in Indonesia to demonstrate proficiency in the national Indonesian language (Bahasa). This is an issue that should definitely be tracked and monitored by any foreign national who is either already working in Indonesia now with a working permit (KITAS) or who plans to come to Indonesia for work in the near future. Are the Indonesians cutting off their noses to spite their faces with this proposed move?!
The idea of requiring foreign workers (or their employers) to "upload their working permit documents though an on-line system" is a great one; however, categorically requiring every foreign worker, without exception or exemption, to demonstrate proficiency in the Indonesian Bahasa language would mean that highly skilled technical, medical, engineering, aviation, or consultant type of professionals would only come from either the local labor force or pool and would exclude or effectively bar from employment foreign nationals who have expertise in certain areas (besides linguistics or Bahasa). Only those foreign nationals who have lived in Indonesia for quite some time or who have previously studied Bahasa or who have such bi-lingual language proficiency would be eligible to fill those positions or roles.
If this does get implemented, there should be a cross-country "reciprocity matrix" whereby another country will treat Indonesian diaspora or immigrants the same as a foreign national is treated in Indonesia. In other words, if a foreign national is required to demonstrate proficiency in Indonesian Bahasa language as a requisite to obtaining a working permit KITAS, then conversely Indonesians should be required to take the same test or be held to the same exact standard to be able to live (or work) in another country too. Fair is fair....
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Indonesian Media Needs to Cover Religion, Not Radicals
Here is an excellent article from the Jakarta Globe copied below which really makes an excellent point about covering the topic of religion in Indonesia in an objective and non-biased manner and in accordance to widely accepted journalistic norms or standards.
Indonesian media need to work together to ensure that religious extremists don’t have a voice in print, the International Association of Religion Journalists said on Wednesday.
“Don’t give any room to the hard-liners,” said Endy Bayuni, of the steering committee of IARJ. “Please cover them when they’re violating the law, but don’t give space to small group of people when they rally against something absurd. They used the media effectively and deceive the media to suit their own means.”
Journalists’ objectivity — which is usually present in business and political news — often gets forgotten when covering religion, Endy said before listing off examples of bias in coverage of religious conflicts with Shiites and Ahmadiyah.
“Islamophobia in the West in the past could not be set aside from the media,” Endy said. “The growing hatred among Muslims toward people of different religions is also influenced by the media.
When Indonesian media covered attacks against Ahmadiyah and Shia, many in the media called them heretics.”
The media should staff a religion beat with reporters committed to providing balanced and objective coverage, Endy said. Senior staffers need to remind young journalists of their responsibility to pluralism, he said.
“In most of [Indonesian] media, religion is not a prioritized beat,” he said. “There’s rarely news about religion on the front page or at the top of the news on TV unless it is a scandal or it involves violence. Even if the media does cover religion, they fail to do it according to good journalism standard.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Indonesian media need to work together to ensure that religious extremists don’t have a voice in print, the International Association of Religion Journalists said on Wednesday.
“Don’t give any room to the hard-liners,” said Endy Bayuni, of the steering committee of IARJ. “Please cover them when they’re violating the law, but don’t give space to small group of people when they rally against something absurd. They used the media effectively and deceive the media to suit their own means.”
Journalists’ objectivity — which is usually present in business and political news — often gets forgotten when covering religion, Endy said before listing off examples of bias in coverage of religious conflicts with Shiites and Ahmadiyah.
“Islamophobia in the West in the past could not be set aside from the media,” Endy said. “The growing hatred among Muslims toward people of different religions is also influenced by the media.
When Indonesian media covered attacks against Ahmadiyah and Shia, many in the media called them heretics.”
The media should staff a religion beat with reporters committed to providing balanced and objective coverage, Endy said. Senior staffers need to remind young journalists of their responsibility to pluralism, he said.
“In most of [Indonesian] media, religion is not a prioritized beat,” he said. “There’s rarely news about religion on the front page or at the top of the news on TV unless it is a scandal or it involves violence. Even if the media does cover religion, they fail to do it according to good journalism standard.”
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Mixed-Nationality Marriages (UU 6/2011)
Below is an article appearing in the Jakarta Post which gives an update on implementation of the new immigration law which affects foreign nationals living in Indonesia who are married to an Indonesian citizen with regard to obtaining either a temporary visit Visa (KITAS), or a permanent residency status or "PR" (KITAP), and also the right of a foreign national who is married to an Indonesian to work in Indonesia.
For a digest of other articles and background relating to this issue, please see my previous articles:
For a digest of other articles and background relating to this issue, please see my previous articles:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friday, April 5, 2013
United States - Indonesian Trade Relations
This article below appearing in the Jakarta Globe compounds my previous assertions that Indonesia will accept foreign aide from the United States (mainly in the form of contributions through the United States Agency on International Development or "USAID") and pay mere lip service to the U.S. in its foreign diplomatic relations; but then turns right around and blocks the U.S. from any meaningful or substantial bi-lateral trade agreements or commerce or military hardware or technologies purchases from the U.S.
Indonesia does do some marginal trade with the U.S.; however there is a big gap or trade deficit between the two countries. For further data on this, please see my previous article: "Indonesia Export / Import Trade Facts Summary"
It is very clear and obvious that Indonesia does not appreciate nor value the $200 +/- Million USD it receives from the U.S. !! The United States needs to wake up quickly and re-prioritize its foreign policies with regard to Indonesia. There are clearly no mutually beneficial or rewarding bi-lateral agreements between the two countries with regard to trade, commerce, or other "strategic" benefits or initiatives.
- Indonesia is one of USAID's "Top 20 Benefiting Countries" for Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 - Indonesian is ranked number 16 in line to hold out their hands and receive $171,036,145 (one hundred seventy one MILLION, 36 thousand, one hundred forty five) U.S. Dollars (USD) from the United States through USAID alone in humanitarian and economic assistance.
- For FY2011, Indonesia received $252.3 MILLION in total Economic & Military Assistance from the United States.
Indonesia does do some marginal trade with the U.S.; however there is a big gap or trade deficit between the two countries. For further data on this, please see my previous article: "Indonesia Export / Import Trade Facts Summary"
It is very clear and obvious that Indonesia does not appreciate nor value the $200 +/- Million USD it receives from the U.S. !! The United States needs to wake up quickly and re-prioritize its foreign policies with regard to Indonesia. There are clearly no mutually beneficial or rewarding bi-lateral agreements between the two countries with regard to trade, commerce, or other "strategic" benefits or initiatives.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Indonesia Blocks US Request for WTO to Proble Farm Import Rules
Indonesia blocked a US request for World Trade Organization judges to
probe Indonesian curbs on imports of horticultural goods, animals and
animal products ranging from beef and vegetables to fruits and dried
flowers.
The US, which challenged Indonesia on Jan. 10, said non- automatic import licenses and quotas hinder trade and break global commerce rules. Indonesia won’t be able to block a second US request for the Geneva-based WTO to set up a panel of judges to rule on the complaint.
“Indonesia has created a complex web of import-licensing requirements that, along with quotas, have the effect of unfairly restricting US exports,” the US Trade Representative’s Office said in a March 14 statement from Washington.
“These measures appear to be designed to protect Indonesia’s domestic agriculture industry.” Indonesia adopted the rules in late 2011 and tightened them last September to include what the US called even more onerous requirements for horticultural imports.
In December, Indonesia announced “drastic reductions in quotas for beef and other animal product imports, further restricting access to the Indonesian market,” the USTR said.
The WTO challenge is the second initiated by the US against Indonesia. In 1998, judges backed a joint complaint by the US, the European Union and Japan over Indonesian measures favoring domestic automobile producers.
Indonesia has eased restrictions on some agricultural imports after the United States complained to the World Trade Organization over Jakarta's "opaque and complex" rules, the trade ministry said.
The US first raised the issue with the trade body in January, citing Indonesia's "broad use of import licensing measures that restrict imports" on a range of agricultural products.
It criticised the licensing system, which came into force last year, as "opaque and complex", saying it was inconsistent with Indonesia's WTO obligations and was having an impact on US exports to the country.
Last month Indonesia rejected a US request for the creation of a WTO panel to settle the dispute but late Wednesday the trade ministry said it had eased the restrictions.
The number of horticultural products regulated has been reduced by 18, the trade ministry said in a statement, adding that the new rules came into force on Monday. It made no mention of the WTO dispute.
The import of only 39 products would now be regulated, the ministry said. Products that are no longer regulated include garlic, garlic powder, chili powder and cabbage.
For those that are still regulated, the process to apply for import permits had been simplified and could now be done online.
"We want the permit process to be simpler and administration of imports to be more orderly so that a higher degree of business certainty can be achieved," said ministry official Bachrul Chairi.
The case has put Indonesia under the spotlight at a time that former trade minister Mari Pangestu is in the running to lead the WTO, and as the country gears up to host the trade body's ministerial meeting later this year.
The US, which challenged Indonesia on Jan. 10, said non- automatic import licenses and quotas hinder trade and break global commerce rules. Indonesia won’t be able to block a second US request for the Geneva-based WTO to set up a panel of judges to rule on the complaint.
“Indonesia has created a complex web of import-licensing requirements that, along with quotas, have the effect of unfairly restricting US exports,” the US Trade Representative’s Office said in a March 14 statement from Washington.
“These measures appear to be designed to protect Indonesia’s domestic agriculture industry.” Indonesia adopted the rules in late 2011 and tightened them last September to include what the US called even more onerous requirements for horticultural imports.
In December, Indonesia announced “drastic reductions in quotas for beef and other animal product imports, further restricting access to the Indonesian market,” the USTR said.
The WTO challenge is the second initiated by the US against Indonesia. In 1998, judges backed a joint complaint by the US, the European Union and Japan over Indonesian measures favoring domestic automobile producers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Indonesia Relaxes Import Rules After U.S. Goes to WTO
The US first raised the issue with the trade body in January, citing Indonesia's "broad use of import licensing measures that restrict imports" on a range of agricultural products.
It criticised the licensing system, which came into force last year, as "opaque and complex", saying it was inconsistent with Indonesia's WTO obligations and was having an impact on US exports to the country.
Last month Indonesia rejected a US request for the creation of a WTO panel to settle the dispute but late Wednesday the trade ministry said it had eased the restrictions.
The number of horticultural products regulated has been reduced by 18, the trade ministry said in a statement, adding that the new rules came into force on Monday. It made no mention of the WTO dispute.
The import of only 39 products would now be regulated, the ministry said. Products that are no longer regulated include garlic, garlic powder, chili powder and cabbage.
For those that are still regulated, the process to apply for import permits had been simplified and could now be done online.
"We want the permit process to be simpler and administration of imports to be more orderly so that a higher degree of business certainty can be achieved," said ministry official Bachrul Chairi.
The case has put Indonesia under the spotlight at a time that former trade minister Mari Pangestu is in the running to lead the WTO, and as the country gears up to host the trade body's ministerial meeting later this year.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)