Hi folks, it’s been a very difficult week for West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil whose eldest son has gone missing in Switzerland while swimming in the Aare river, but as always, someone can’t resist the opportunity for the spotlight.
There is a debate over the new naming regulation which requires people to have first and last names as many Indonesians only go by one. It also imposes certain naming restrictions for functionality and clarity purposes.
We’re days away from the inaugural Jakarta Formula E race but the other day a canopy covering one of the seating stands collapsed after a strong wind, throwing some chaos into the preparation for the already controversial event.
Meanwhile, odds and evens car license plate restrictions in Jakarta have been returned to the 2019 coverage which includes 26 stretches of roads across the city. So if you drive a car in the capital, pay closer attention to the date and the last number of your car’s plate. By the way, there’s a small progress in the medical marijuana debate.
The Search Continues
It will have been four days by the end of today since Emmeril "Eril" Khan Mumtadz, the son of West Java governor Ridwan Kamil was reported missing after taking a swim at Aare River in Bern, Switzerland on Thursday.
Eril was traveling to Switzerland looking to continue his studies.
The family said Eril was swimming with his sister and a female friend who had been living in the European country. The family said the three were swimming at a section of the river which is popular with swimmers, evidenced by the presence of steps. There were also other swimmers in that same spot, according to Al Jazeera.
Eril, the family said, got swept by the strong current and even made sure that his sister and friend made it to the safe side of the river although they too eventually had to be rescued by other swimmers.
The Aare, a tributary of the Rhine River, is known to have killed several over the years and the number of accidents seems to be increasing every year.
Amidst all this, psychic Rara Istiati Wulandari, you know… the rainmaker who stole the spotlight during the Mandalika MotoGP, predicted on her IG page that Eril’s body would be found at 8pm on Saturday. Nothing happened at the predicted time and Rara was lambasted by everyone for her insensitive post. Guess you should have seen that coming Rara!
Meanwhile, some of the world’s most ill-behaved netizens went to Google Maps to give the Aare River a one-star review while writing all sorts of scathing and derogatory comments.
What’s in a Name?
The Ministry of Home Affairs published a new regulation mandating a minimum of two names given to babies born from this point forward, a first name and a last name.
Regulation 73/2022 aims to ensure that names can be properly recorded in public records and documents such as personal identity cards, passports, residential papers, and so on.
Late last year the government had to deal with the parents of a 2-year old child whose name was so long the Civil Registry refused to register the child’s name simply because it wasn’t possible to enter it into the system. The parents eventually relented and shortened the child’s name so he can have a birth certificate.
The government also wants to end the practice of naming babies as “Tuhan”, “Saiton”, “Y”, “D”, and so on. Yes, these are legitimate names of people reported by the media in the past. Saiton, in particular, demanded that his name be changed, but when his parents changed his name to Iskandar, he became sick and paralyzed for three years until his name was changed back to Saiton. Go figure.
The 60 character limit at least will allow a full name to be used properly in identification documents, financial records, and by foreign institutions or organizations. No more repeat names like Agung Agung in foreign university student cards and visas.
And we’ll hopefully one day see the end of that damn line in foreign media explaining that many Indonesians have just one name.
Seeing Red over Rainbow Flag
Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry summoned the UK Ambassador last week to explain the Embassy’s decision to fly the rainbow flag.
The UK Embassy hoisted the LGBT Pride Flag next to the Union Jack on 17 May to commemorate the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia.
The Embassy’s Instagram post said, “Sometimes it is important to take a stand for what you think is right even if disagreement between friends can be uncomfortable.”
It also asserted the country’s position on treating members of the LGBT+ community with equal respect and dignity as fellow human beings, and called for countries to decriminalize LGBT+.
The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs however viewed the act as “insensitive and created a controversy among the people of Indonesia” and called for foreign missions to “respect and honor the cultural, religious sensitivities and values in Indonesia.”
Quick Reads
Luhut: I am not the Minister for Everything!
Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Luhut Binsar Panjaitan is tired of people calling him the Minister for Everything following his latest appointment as the person in charge of ensuring cooking oil prices return to normal levels.
He had been caretaker Minister for a few Ministries in the past, and aside from his formal position and his latest role as cooking oil chief, he has had over a dozen other roles since he joined the Jokowi administration in 2014.
This includes five ministerial positions, two of which temporarily to replace vacant positions, two Covid task force roles, and Presidential Chief of Staff. His purview over strategic national investments is an additional role to his Ministry in Jokowi’s second term.
United Indonesia Coalition
Three political parties formally formed a coalition claiming to continue Jokowi’s goals and programs into the next election, however, it does not include Jokowi’s own party, PDIP. The coalition of Golkar, PPP, and PAN carry more than enough seats to nominate presidential and VP candidates in 2024 and is likely to choose between Golkar chief Airlangga Hartarto and governors Ridwan Kamil and Anies Baswedan as the main ticket.
The chief of PAN has asked the hardline conservative party PKS to join the coalition so that the election may have at least three pairs of candidates, unlike the last two. Not sure how reducing the amount of competing sides will add to the number of candidates.
Debate over medical marijuana continues
Member of Parliament for Central Java Asrul Sani is pushing the government for a position on medical marijuana. He doesn’t want a repeat of the case in which a woman lost her life because her husband was imprisoned for growing marijuana which happened to be the only treatment that worked for her illness.
Deputy Minister for Law and Human Rights Edward Hiariej admitted that the government may open the door for medical marijuana usage but the issue is very challenging.