News from the former of the youngest brother

How is East Timor or Timor Leste today? Are they ok? Maybe everybody in Indonesia hopes that everything is fine and always wishes for them.

A short story that I heard about the people of Timor Leste is sad. They feel that they don't have any future. They are very dependent on direct foreign aid for all their needs. They don't have any food, can't buy it, and only can ask compassion and clemency to the foreign. Nowadays, international aids are 'God' for Timor Leste's community.

This condition is even worse with civil war after election.

I wish this is just a step for getting welfare.

BI wants to participate on Fiscal

In this morning I had a disposition (duty from my boss) about that I should criticize an MOU draft (Memory of Understanding) between BI and Bappenas proposed by BI about Cooperation in External Debt Management.

BI offers 4 main fields of cooperation where BI and Bappenas are going to:

1. make coordination in improving the effectivity of external debt management. The activities are: (i) to plan projects funded by foreign loans; (ii) to draft a borrowing strategy (the planning document that contains the needs and planned utilization of external loans, encompassing the planned annual magnitude and development priorities that are funded by external loans in medium term framework - 5 years); (iii) to monitor the disbursement of on going projects funded by foreign loan.
2. do joint research in term of foreign loan, investment, and improvement of regional economic.
3. exchange of information and monitor the management of external loan
4. assign officers exchange.

I think BI is overconfidence. I think it's okay for point number 2, 3, and 4, but I have some words for point number 1. I don't want to go to a game theory how fiscal and monetary act and react. Just thinking simple.

BI uses the term of coordination, but the impact is no longer jus coordination. Ok, you can mention a participation in decision making.

We know that BI has a special duty on monetary policy independently. They have some instruments such as SBI (central bank rate), reserves, and money supply. They can manage them to keep monetary stabilizing. Remember taht nature of monetary policy is stabilization.

On the other hand, fiscal policy belongs to Government (coordinate by Ministry of Finance and Bappenas). Deficit, a part of state budget, including debt management, is one of fiscal policy instruments. If GoI wants to accelarate growth, GoI will manage budget optimally to pursue the target, and debt is one of the instruments.

My sugestion is, yes for point number 2, 3, and 4, but not at all for point number 1.

Independence Day without Value

Tomorrow is 62nd Indonesian happy anniversary. I don't have any given at all. My love to this country has never decreased time by the time, but many times I am frustrated because no better condition in all matters.

I try to be positive by doing the best in my job as a government official, as planner, as one of policy makers.

Before independent day, I want to tell a personal story about my job relating to this country.

In the first semester of 2007, I did and do on going some important jobs that are: drafting Government Regulation for Domestic Loan, composing Borrowing Strategy 2007-2009, writing Goal 8 report of Millennium Development Goals, analyzing and evaluating infrastructure project proposals that are funding by foreign loans for the next fiscal year (2008), drafting many papers for my bosses (both Deputy of Bappenas Chairman and Director of System and Procedure for Development Funding), and other duties. Are they important? Off course yes, if I am thinking as subordinate official, I have bosses. If the question relates to people, nation, I am gonna answer: No at all. Those that I did and am doing don't have anything to the welfare (Believe me, even though there have been no studies prove my statement I am dare to bid that I am right). So, everything is unuseful, just wasting too much money.

Too much working will kill you, he he he, I don't think so. In my head I am just thinking that I cannot split my concentration to do my personal project, pursue PhD in economics. I tried to take extra working times, but it couldn't help me to finish, even at least short proposal.

I often went home from office late. Sometimes too late.

Then I am looking to the next to my office in Taman Suropati, Menteng, that is Vice President of Indonesia's residence. Did you know that he goes to his office usually after 09.00 a.m. and back home before 05.00 p.m? Damn!!! That's why almost the latest 6 months, I always have come to my office around 09.00 a.m.

I know that I am jealous and it's better I should not consider another person to make personal best for my country. But I am the man.

Indonesia, that's a part of my story about my lovely country.

Archipelago but No Sailor

NTT is one of archipelago provinces in Indonesia. It has more than 1000 islands (note: official document only 566 islands) and 246 islands have a name but only 46 islands have citizens.

There are 4 big islands that are Flores, Sumba, Timor and Alor (they are often called FLOBAMORA) and a number of small islands such as: Adonara, Babi, Lomblen, Pamana Besar, Panga Batang, Parmahan, Rusah, Samhila, Solor, (belong to East Flores), Lembata (belong to Lembata District), Batang, Kisu, Lapang, Pura, Rusa, Trweng (Alor District), Pulau Dana, Doo, Landu Manifon, Manuk, Pamana, Raijna, Rote, Sarvu, Semau (Kupang and Rote Ndao District), Pulau Loren, Komodo, Rinca, Sebabi Sebayur Kecil, Sebayur Besar Serayu Besar (Manggarai District), Untelue (Ngada District), Halura (East Sumba District).

NTT is included to semi arid area therefore the rain is very low. Rainy season is only no more than 3 months.

Even though NTT is an archipelago, only small part of NTT people are sailor whereas the sea fisheries is very potential. The most sailors are originally from Bone tribe. That's why many people in NTT cannot swim.

Lack of Rice, not Lack of Food

Last week I had duty to go to Kupang, West Nusa Tenggara (NTT). The first story I want to tell is about a very common stereotype for NTT. I think we often hear that NTT is a dry region and it has a longer dry season than rainy. Drought is a dominant condition every year. In my simple conclusion, drought is usually accompanied by lack of food. Is it right?

The main food in NTT is originally from corn, they call bose corn. The taste is yummy, really, I do like it. And the supplements are sayur asam kacang merah and 'kate' meat. They have eaten for a long time ago.

But, there was a government failure. Since Central Government brought rice to this region (mostly via market operation and other policies), rice became another main food beside corn.

In NTT, corn is in everywhere. When Indonesia get a lack of rice (and must be lack of food), NTT can avoid it because they eat corn.