The King

 

I was reluctant at first to write about the death of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, simply because the fact that it has been topping the list of trending topics on Twitter, radio stations worldwide have been playing his hit songs, media has been covering his death non stop and suddenly we see all this Jacko experts start popping out of obscurity.

But the reason why I did was simply because I can clearly remember where I was when I heard the news.

For the record: I was at home, fresh from the bed, hadn’t bathe, hadn’t checked my emails yet or my twitter or my facebook, hadn’t even watched the television, when suddenly I got a call from a friend, whom I promised to be a guest lecturer at his class but didn’t because I overslept. He told me, how his class started playing Jacko’s song because Michael Jackson just died. 

I said….what…?? Michael Jackson just died???

You don’t just remember where you were when somebody died, or some important or tragic event takes place unless that someone means a lot to you, you have some sort of a connection with the deceased or perhaps that someone was an icon. I don’t remember where I was when former Indonesian dictator Suharto died in 2008, but I do remember where I was or how shocked I was when Princess Diana died and that was eleven years before Suharto died.     

I’m not going to talk about his music and what he means to me or the music industry or some cheesy nostalgia like my favorite Jackson song…but the impact of his music, career, life, controversy and now death without a doubt had a profound impact to the so-called “MTV generation”. 

Original Article: “The Miranda Project

There was a heated debate at the Corruption Eradication Commission executive meeting in July 2008. The nature of the discussion was whether or not to open a 2004 central bank bribery case and supposedly a very strong opponent was Antasari Azhar, a source at the commission said.

“It’s a difficult case, too difficult,” the source quoted the suspended KPK chief as saying at the meeting. “We’re dealing with a case that’s already four years old, he said. And with only twenty minutes into the meeting, the chief quickly called the meeting over.”

A week prior to the meeting, now former Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker Agus Condro Prayitno told KPK investigators that he had received Rp 500 million in traveler’s checks shortly after he voted for a senior economist Miranda Goeltom to Bank Indonesia senior deputy governor post.

With almost a year since Agus’ confession, the commission declared four current and former lawmakers as suspects in the case earlier this month after, the source described “The single biggest obstacle to opening the case has been removed.” The source was referring to Antasari.

What is a name?

Noval…?Ical…?Vinal…?…Misal…?

I’ve been called all sorts of name. It’s hard having an unpronounceable name, especially if you’re in the media. Your source can’t remember you, even though you have called about a million time. You have keep repeating and reminding who you are, where your from and of course what your name is.

So is my reporter friends in the early days when I start to pop up at the court or the anti-graft commission. I think some of them still forget my name. They know the face, they know what paper I’m working for, but they don’t know my name. But hey, I don’t care.

Not to mention the many versions of pronunciation. No one is exactly sure how to pronounce it. I have watched and noticed that it takes at least seven tries for people to say my name properly or at least the popular one. I’m not even entirely sure how to pronounce it. I don’t care basically. Me old boss even resort to just simply “hey you”.

Even a Corruption Suspect Launched a Digital Campaign

Despite being arrested, National Mandate Party or PAN lawmaker Abdul Hadi Djamal’s blog abdulhadijamal.blogspot.com is still active and maintains the politician’s innocence.

An unknown author deleted all previous contents and posted three articles urging people not to taunt Abdul Hadi and continue to show support.

Posted by “underconstruction” Tuesday 22:33

Corrupt? In Makassar Hadi didn’t even have a house

“How could he have done so, he didn’t live lavishly. Whenever he come to Makassar he stayed at my house,” said his father

His car is only a Terano (Nissan), Hadi before becoming a lawmaker was a successful businessman and an important official in Bukaka (South Sulawesi).

Compare that with other officials. You’ll be the judge.

Both you or the South Sulawesi province and a lot of people has had help directly from his pocket or from the government projects that he had fought for.

C’mon if he had done anything it is for your benefit and South Sulawesi’s best interest. Don’t just sit there and do nothing or worse mock and taunt him as if you are a saint.

An Inside Peek Into the World Of Jakarta’s Illegal DVD Trade

As reporter you really have to rely on lady luck to be at the right place and at the right time.

I was hunting for some DVDs, pirated ones in a local mall when suddenly there was a commotion. Out of the blue the salesgirl just close down the metal gate to the stores I was in and lock us all inside.

“There’s a raid,” she said but nobody seemed to panic. Once it was all clear she opened her stores again.

Amid the confusion I started to ask question, and one happen to be the owner of the store. And I got my self a story.

An Inside Peek Into the World Of Jakarta’s Illegal DVD Trade

 “Freddy” — who entered Jakarta’s huge pirated video and later pirated DVD market more than 20 years ago — has experienced police raids several times. Yet, he’s still in business.

Shedding new light on the depth of the market, how it works and why pirated DVD stores continue to flourish in Indonesia, Freddy told the Jakarta Globe over the weekend: “It’s a lucrative business. As long as they are people buying, we’ll continue to sell pirated DVDs.”

Pictures of Kapuk Muara

Back to campus

After nearly five years I visited back University of Indonesia, the place I used to call my campus.

I was awestruck, I feel like a tourist. I wish I had a camera, how things have change.  Now you can borrow official UI yellow bike to travel anywhere in the campus area, there’s less ojek than it use to although few can still be spotted. I was told I need to present a student card, so I didn’t get to use it.

No more food stalls on the way between the train station to Humanities Faculty, no more football field to. Just deers, yap deers…like the one in the zoo. Oh and the walkway is perfectly paved, not a crack.

Arriving at Faculty of law, not much has changed. But a stinking rich lawyer firm donated a multimedia room in a screaming red and blue paint.

I felt like an alien just landing to earth. Don’t know where I’m going, I need a guide, or someone to talk to.

Standing on Billy gate

“We feed on tragedy, like blood to a vampire,”
- Maynard James Keenan

As journalist, you often forget that behind the story, behind the case there are human beings, capable of human emotions. That’s why when I was approached by PR from Billy’s law firm, I lobbied to interview Billy at his detainment facility more importantly on Christmas day.

As his lawyer explained it to me, he is a religious man and put his family more than himself. No one has got his side of the story before, at least from Billy himself so it is somewhat an exclusive.

Nobody asked me to do it. It was my own.

I consulted with my editors, two asked why that particular prisoner, especially with Jakarta Globe’s ties to Lippo group. “Why not Marcella for example,” an editor said jokingly. “Are you nuts? Do you realize what it would look like to others if we were to run that story?” another editor said.

It was the only prisoner I gained access to.

But the deputy chief said, “if it’s a story, it’s a story,” he said “why should we be afraid to appear PRing Billy? We ran his trial story three times before and was neutral about them”

I agreed, why should we be afraid of for example a constant nagger of the Jakarta Globe and of Billy Sindoro case, Astro’s media relations consultant with the initial O – N – G always speaking in a third person.

We covered Astro’s side of the story already. I was in all their press gathering, we ran with their story. And now he have something to say, which nobody ever commented anyway.

I’ve been waiting for him to say something. What took him so long?

Ho ho ho

Living near a military base has its advantages and disadvantages

Once there was a man in my bus, claiming that he was from a massage clinic and offers a free message. He shook my legs without even asking, saying that it was a technique.

Surely enough my the shaking caused my cellphones to pop out from my pocket and I guess his accomplish, sitting next to me was about to pick it up.

The man smiled at me, panicking that his MO was unravelled. He politely asked me where I lived, and I told him that I lived in KODAM military complex.

The two, terrified of the possibility that I was related to an officer, got off the bus, together, so that proves that they knew each other and was working together.

I guess that’s the advantage

But just the other day, as I was going to a friend’s house. An officer with a camouflage jacket and trousers and boots got in my bus, and sat in front of me. His eyes were fixed on me for some reason:

Man: “You’re from Poso?”

Poso is a place in Central Sulawesi with repeated religious conflict

Me: “No, why?”

Man: “You look like from Poso, my friends died in Poso, just last week. Are you sure your not from Poso”

Me: (Sweating heavily) “No sir, I’m not”

Man: “My friends were stationed in Poso, they were patrolling one night, it was raining…………… A tree fell and hit them”

Another reason why..

Another reason why you shouldn’t corrupt is this man:

Iskandar a 68 year old former Regent of West Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara province charged with graft in relation to an unauthorized selling of the regency’s assets for an undervalued price.

The poor man had diabetes and a mild alzheimer so he could barely walk on his own and had to go to the bathroom every now and then.

He once even wetted his pants during his trial, but always say he is healthy every time the judges ask him for his condition.

Today, he seemed confused and disoriented, and didn’t know where he was.

“Where am I? where are you taking me?” he said to court officials escorting him.

“This is the court,” the officials said

“Really? Who is on trial?” the former regent said.

Iskandar’s lawyer Haeri Parani said that the former regent often asked him why he was in a police headquarter where he is being detained. “Why don’t we go home already, I’m a regent, I got things to do,” Heari quoted Iskandar.