Indonesia Claims a Permanent Seat on UN Security Council


PRESS RELEASE
No.5/PHM/VIII/04

Indonesia Claims a Permanent Seat on the Security Council

Amid the debate on the enlargement of membership of the UN Security Council, Indonesia claims a permanent seat on the Council. “As the world’s third largest pluralistic democracy, the fourth most populous country, the world’s largest Muslim nation, a country of tremendous cultural diversity and a member with a track record of serving in various peace initiatives of the UN, Indonesia has an important global constituency on the Council,” said Dr. Hassan Wirajuda, the Indonesian Foreign Minister, before the 59th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, Monday morning, 27 September 2004.

Dr. Wirajuda continued by adding the reasons why Indonesia deserves a seat on the Council. Indonesia has served in more than 30 peacekeeping missions, starting in 1957 in the Middle East. And today, Indonesian troops and military observers are deployed in peacekeeping missions in Congo, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Georgia. Indonesia is well known as a founding member and active player of the Non-aligned Movement, G-77, G-15, D-8 and the Organization of the Islamic Conference. In the Southeast Asian region, Indonesia has made key contributions to the peaceful solution of conflicts—notably in Cambodia and southern Philippines. It continues to build peace and stability in the region, with its ASEAN partners and beyond.

Reform of the United Nations including the Security Council must be done comprehensively, by making it more democratic in terms of procedure and representation in order to reflect today’s geopolitical realities. Indonesia would represent the voice of a developing world striving not only for economic development but also for democratization. Indonesia would also represent the voice of moderate Islam.

Indonesia’s claim was made only one week after the country held its first ever direct presidential election on 20 September, involving some 125 million voters and 575,000 polling stations spreading across some 6,000 inhabited islands. It was the third national political exercise that Indonesia carried out in a period of six months, the previous two being the parliamentary election and the first round of the presidential election. International observers hailed them as peaceful, fair, and democratic.

Indonesia’s success in holding those elections is the climax of a transition from authoritarian rule to a full-fledged democracy. And it put to rest the debate on whether Islam and democracy can ever mix.

On terrorism, despite the latest attack in Jakarta on 9 September, Indonesia remains firm in its commitment to fight against it. Indonesia also remains firm in its faith that the fight against terror can be won. “But the global coalition to defeat terrorism must be inclusive; it must be multilateral and democratic; it must empower the moderates of the world; and it must address the root causes of terrorism,” said the Indonesian Foreign Minister.

Dr. Wirajuda also maintained that no democracy is safe without assurance of a democratic environment at the global level. That environment cannot be created by unilateral action. On the contrary, democracy at the global level can only be promoted by democratic means—through multilateral institutions like the United Nations. Hence, there is an urgent need to empower the United Nations to serve as the effective tool of multilateralism.

The UN itself needs support at the regional level. In this regard, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is striving to develop a robust partnership with the UN. This partnership will prosper as ASEAN evolves into a true Community by 2020. As a Security Community, ASEAN will assume full responsibility for its security and political stability. As an Economic and Sociocultural Community, ASEAN will be a stronger force for development and social integration of the Asia-Pacific region.

ASEAN is networking in all directions: with its counterparts in the rest of the Asia-Pacific, in Latin America, and in Europe. Also, a new strategic partnership between Asia and Africa is in the making—as Indonesia will host a Summit of Asia and African nations in April 2005. The Summit will pay tribute to a watershed event in the cause of equitable international relations—the 1955 Asian-African Conference in Bandung.Indonesia does envision that this network of regional organizations, in partnership with the UN, will be the ultimate form of multilateralism.
New York, 27 September 2004


Permanent Mission of the Republic of Indonesia to the United Nations

Frustrated

As much as I was excited last week, today I'm kinda frustrated. Visas for the whole family would be ready this Thursday, and I still can't confirm a single ticket. The people in DC know that I should be there September. What would my boss say? Hicks.. the capital of the biggest economy in the world, as well as the sole superpower, and only a few airlines fly there directly.

HICKS!!!!

Please send your prayer for me...

Salute to Koes Plus/Bersaudara

Posting ini boleh dianggap promosi bagi kerja Erwin Gutawa untuk album "Salute to Koes Plus/Bersaudara". Saya kira saya beruntung karena waktu kecil masih sempat mendengar musik mereka (generasi baru yang lahir setelah dekade 80-an mungkin hanya kebagian "membaca nama mereka").

Tapi bukan karena hasrat bernostalgia saya lalu beli CD "Salute" ini. Tadinya saya cuma ingin menikmati lagi tafsiran ulang Rio Febrian untuk "Why Do You Love Me". In the end, I fell in love with the whole album. Pemilihan Erwin Gutawa untuk pembawa lagu, lengkap dengan aransemen yang berbeda sesuai karakter pembawanya, buat saya sudah mendekati sempurna. Mulai dari nama-nama yang sudah dikenal pecinta musik negeri ini seperti Rio Febrian dan Ruth Sahanaya, sampai yang hanya diketahui komunitas terbatas (Jamaican Cafe), bahkan yang namanya baru "terdengar" (Swara 17).

Walaupun rata-rata para penyanyi dan pemusik (untuk aransemen instrumentalia) menembangkan masing-masing lagu dengan sangat baik, tapi saya justru merasa paling tersentuh waktu menyimak Duta Sheila on 7 dalam "Bunga di Tepi Jalan".

Suatu kali kutemukan
bunga di tepi jalan
Siapa yang menanamnya
tak seorangpun mengira

Bunga di tepi jalan
alangkah indahnya
Oh kasihan
Kan kupetik sebelum layu

Di sekitar belukar
dan rumput gersang
Seorangpun takkan
mau memperhatikan

Biarlah kan kuambil
penghias rumahku
Oh kasihan
Kan kupetik sebelum layu

Cara Duta (bukan Cara Nita, hehehehe...) menyanyikannya benar-benar membuat saya membayangkan melihat sekuntum bunga di tepi jalan yang kering dan berdebu. Orang-orang yang lalu lalang tidak memperhatikan kecantikan mungil yang diciptakan Tuhan itu. (Masing-masing terlalu sibuk bergegas mengejar berbagai kepentingan, mana ada waktu untuk melirik benda-benda kecil yang tidak bisa memberikan keuntungan baginya?). Bunga itu sendirian, dan kesepian. Batangnya yang kurus tidak cukup tegak menopangnya dan daun yang hanya tumbuh satu-dua helai. Warnanya bercampur semburat kuning kecoklatan karena debu dan waktu.

Mungkin ketika tangan yang iba menyentuh dan mengangkatnya, ia sudah pasrah. Ia tahu bahwa sebagaimana ciptaan lain yang tidak diberi kehendak sendiri oleh Sang Pemilik Kehidupan, hari-harinya sudah mendekati akhir. Setidaknya ia tidak

Ia tidak mengira bahwa tangan itu memperpanjang waktu hidup dan keindahannya. Saat batangnya dicelupkan ke air dan jari-jemari dengan kasih sayang membersihkan dan memercikkan air ke arahnya, ketika ia dikumpulkan dengan bunga dan daun-daun lain, bersama-sama membentuk keelokan yang baru, ia tahu bahwa ia tidak sendirian lagi. Keriangannya lalu memancar dari kelopak-kelopaknya yang mekar, lebih dari saat kuntumnya membuka.

*Duh, susah banget jadi puitis dan romantis. Maap ya, kalo jadinya malah gombal!




How much does fame cost? (Case of a new Idol)

My sister and her friend was in Bandung for business, and happened to stay at the same hotel with the Indonesian Idols. A few chat with Delon and Michael, and she already judged that the cute Indonesian Idol runner-up is a snob. Apparently he wasn't very chummy, and - worse is - he didn't put an effort to look like he was.

Perhaps she was right. Delon wasn't really prepared for his instant fame and he lost his charm and innocence that attracted people (mostly females) at the first place. He became a jerk.

Or perhaps Delon was just being a quiet, calm person he had always been (given that he's like that).

Either one, Delon must learn to adjust himself with popularity. Being a public figure nonetheless means you will lose your privacy, and -to certain extent- yourself. Many famous persons claim that they retain their personality. Bullshit. If you're naturally stubborn, messy, jerky, etc., you would have to be kindest person in the world to your fans, especially when you are just about to be famous. Wait for a while to ensure that you have your place in the Indonesian celebrity community, and you can screw everyone :)

... of Love and Everything

A close friend and I just had a two-hour conversation over coffee (and its companies, like cheesecake, etc., anything nicely fattening:D), and we spent most of it on the most talked-about issue: love.

It started when I told him about our other friend who's considering breaking off with his girlfriend. Main reason? Boredom. We exchanged views on this friend's situation, how best to handle it, what he should say to this soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend, etc. And somehow our confabulation drew to relationships in general, and - like mentioned above - love.

My friend, a seemingly happily married man, thought that one had better find true love "out there" to make his/her world more colorful (quoting Daniel Sahuleka, hehehehe...). Sparkles and new desires, the fact that it is forbidden, make it even more exciting. Marrying a true love, on the contrary, would only lead to plainness and dullness.

I read and heard similar thing (though in differing wordings) revealed by my guy friends, and by many men. These blokes argue that some additional "flavor(s)" to marriage would spice up the boring companionship. (They would never admit that being a better husband, while having an affair, is reflection of guilty feeling, and wives anywhere in the world KNOW that!)

What is true love, anyway? I feel people just say too much shit about this thing without even be able to define what "love" is. Perhaps they simply refuse to try to. Life is already too depressing to waste your valuable spare time to some useless activities.

But of course, lazy civil servants like my friends and I always manage to allocate some time and make excuses to discuss garbage (including those so-called perspectives on statehood... yuck..)

So I challenged him: "How would you know it is true love [that you find out there]? Only because you want her so bad? That's lust! Don't you think it's true love when you feel comfortable around her, and you can take her just the way she is? Isn't it true love if you can do your own things yet are still bond together?"

"Yeah.. you can say that, but love between a couple needs passion as well."

"So if you lose that passion, you're not in love anymore?"

Bravo! The million dollar question. How many times have we heard men complaining about not having sex as much as they would like to, blaming their frigid wives/girlfriends/partners for their cheating? Of course, as every creature on earth understands, that is only to justify their poligamy tendency (which is actually shared by women, but men won't admit it, because they can't stand competition!).

The civil servants of the Republic of Indonesia concluded this meaningful conversation with questions unanswered. Let them be.





Farewell with Tears...

Hari ini kebaktian et kumpul2 keluarga untuk perpisahanku.

Seperti biasa, pagi hari ketika kami mengadakan ibadah kecil keluarga, ibuku mendoakan kelancaran program kami hari itu. Juga agar semua proses pemberangkatanku dan yang lain-lain (termasuk keponakanku, Samantha, yang akan ikut ke sana) dipermudah. Permintaan visa tinggal di AS pada saat2 ini pasti sulit. Tapi bagi Tuhan tidak ada yang mustahil.

Hal lain yang didoakan ibuku tentulah pergumulan lain keluarga kami, seperti masalah pribadi adikku.

Seusai doa, aku melihat adikku menangis (walau coba ditutupinya). Kukira karena dia teringat bebannya.

Ternyata beberapa waktu setelah acara berlangsung, aku memergokinya masih mengusap mata. Belakangan dia mengaku, kesedihannya muncul karena membayangkan harus berpisah denganku waktu yang cukup lama, tiga setengah tahun.

Aku teringat waktu dia menikah dulu. Setelah acara adat berakhir, dan kami sedang berdua saja di kamar ganti, dia memelukku erat2. Hal yang jarang dia lakukan karena kesibukannya bergaul. Tapi kala itu akulah yang dilanda rasa pilu karena harus melepasnya bersama suaminya. Kami bukan sekedar kakak-adik. Kami adalah kawan karib. (Cukup mengherankan bahwa setelah dewasa kami bisa demikian erat, mengingat ketika kami masih anak2, tiada hari kami lewati tanpa bertengkar dan berkelahi!).

Rupanya dia sempat mencurahkan kesedihannya pada beberapa saudara sepupuku, dan menularkan rasa itu ke mereka.

Benarkah ada orang yang bisa sesedih itu karena berpisah denganku?

Kemarin Poppy menangis di telepon, sebelum dia memasuki pesawat yang akan membawanya ke Mexico City, beribu mil jauhnya dari teman-teman terdekatnya, termasuk aku.

Satu hari seorang temanku merangkulku beberapa kali dan berulang-ulang mengungkapkan kekuatirannya akan sergapan rasa sepi setelah aku berangkat nanti.

Dalam percakapan virtual kami, seorang teman chattingku mengirimkan pesan: "seandainya kamu pergi.. aku rasa bukan temen kamu aja yg kehilangan.. aku juga..."

Teman chattingku yang lain pernah beberapa kali menyatakan sesalnya karena rencana penempatanku: "mbak ellen jauh sekali..."

Bisakah kita merasa kehilangan karena kepergian seseorang yang bahkan belum pernah kita lihat secara fisik???

Namun di atas semua pertanyaan-pertanyaan itu, yang paling mengherankanku adalah ternyata masih ada orang yang (bakal) merindukanku, setidaknya begitulah kata mereka. Apa yang istimewa dariku?



Another Bombing (Hiks!)

Another bomb explosion in Jakarta. In front of the Australian Embassy in Kuningan.

9 people died.

182 badly injured.

Though still not yet proven, there is high suspicion that those behind this heinous act are the same ones who designed the Bali & Marriott bombing.

A rather peculiar thing came across my mind. The very morning, at around 10 o'clock - or just half an hour before the explosion - I was at Kuningan. I wasn't feeling very well that morning, so my dad drove me to the office. (Yeah, yeah, I was very late. I had even thought that I'd call on sick, but, remembering that I had works to do, I decided to move on).

Usually, during those hours, Mampang and Kuningan are quite crowded. And it would take at least an hour to go to Pejambon. I spent almost all time in the car sleeping (I was dizzy). But I remember waking up in the middle, right when we arrived at Kuningan, and I was slightly surprised that Kuningan was way quieter. In only 40 minutes since we had left my house, my dad dropped me at Pejambon.

When I put on my hand bag on my desk, my colleague asked me: "Are you alright? I just got an SMS from my wife, saying that there was a bombing in Kuningan."

What? I didn't hear anything.

Things got clear while Metro TV broke this terrible news 5 minutes later.

What is this??? What is the message the perpetrators are sending by killing innocent people????

If it is true that they did it on somewhat religious motif, well, they have mispercieved Indonesian people.

Given the circumstance that I mentioned above, some might suggest a "conspiracy" theory. But this is a case of suicidal bombing. Unless it is for a very strong reason, no human being would commit suicide, and kill others. Or, we're talking about some lunatics out there.

I wish to extend my deep condolences to the victims and their families and friends.









About Me! (Narcissist? Nope!!!!)

A friend of mine sent the following questions to the bulletin board. I found them interesting, so I decided to put them in this journal, with my answers for sure:

1. what kind of first impression do you think you give people?
BIG!

2. what things you like to do alone?
anything related to internet using, singing in karaoke, sleeping... and some other kinky stuff
not for public :D

3. are you a giver or a taker?
more like a giver

4. what have you stolen before?
people's heart --> PD!

5. how many drinks before you're tips?
like, 4-5 shots of tequila :P

6. do you ever have to beg?
yeah, sometimes...

7. what kind of books do you like to read?
thriller, witty

8. do you think you're cute?
never had a doubt about it :D

9. do you have a problem changing clothes in front of your friends?
girls? no! men? definitely!

10. whats the most painful experience you've ever had?
when I saw my parents crying...

11. favorite communication method?
chatting (on- and off- line)

12. do you care for your admirers/suitors?
not quite

13. what is your most prized piece of your music collection?
all of them are priceless for me

14. what is the geekiest part of your music collection?
I don't listen to geeky music :)

15. what do you eat when you raid the fridge at night?
most of the time, i find nothing. but in those rare moments, I'm sometime lucky to find
chocolate bars or cake tape :P

16. what is your favorite movie?
Silence of the Lambs, Legally Blonde.. and Garfield the Movie

17. if you could have plastic surgery, what would you have done?
got rid of my fat!

18. what is a physical habit that gives away?
dunno...

19. are you famous?
to certain groups :D

20. describe your bed
messy with books

21. spontaneous or planned
mostly spontaneous

22. do you know how to play poker?
nope :(

23. what do you carry with you at all times?
cellphone, wallet, wristwatch

24. what do you miss most about being little?
no responsibility, my playground and my childhood friends back in Manado

25. are you happy with your given name?
yup

26. how much would it take to give up the internet for 1 year?
nothing unless it's something sacred, or a matter of life and death :P

27. what color is your bedroom?
cream

28. have you ever been in a play?
not really...

29. do you like yourself and believe inyourself?
yes! but more than that.. I love and believe in God

30. do transient, homeless, or starving people sometimes annoy you?
yes, and what annoys me more is that there's not much I've done to help them...