Real Estate agents around Indonesia, and internationally, think that land laws in Bali are different from the rest of Indonesia, as foreigners can own freehold land! You can also own freehold land with a secondary title on top of it, being the Right of Use (Hak Pakai) and Right to Build (Hak Guna Bangunan). Some agents also state that recently there have been “changes in Indonesian land laws” that allows the nominee structure to be used for foreigners, heavily and rightfully contradicted by Discovery newsletter.

Look at the case of Susi Johnston for a sad set up, but the core issue here is that a nominee agreement went bad.  Her case may very well set precedence for Indonesian law on this matter. There are currently 140 cases in court, or police reports involving nominee structures – about 7,000 or more properties in Bali are currently held under this structure.

All not true; Bali is very much part of Indonesia and its legal system, end of story. Try to go to a Notary or Lawyer in Jakarta and tell them you want to purchase a freehold property in Pondok Indah using a nominee to secure a freehold. They might be able to set up a foreign owned company (PT PMA) to secure Right of Use (Hak Pakai) or Right to Build (Hak Guna Bangunan) to own a property as a shareholder of such company.

However, the truth is that the Indonesian Agrarian law states: “Any attempt by a foreigner or a foreign entity to secure freehold land in any shape or form is void and the property belongs to the government”.

The truth is that there is no need to circumvent the Indonesian law, just the mad perception out there in the property Industry in Bali. There are basically three options of ownership structures available for foreigners under Indonesian Law.

1. Hak Pakai or Right of Use. This is a residential title for Indonesians and foreigners. It is classified as a residential title and there are guidelines around the number of units and size of land as well as qualifications of being “residential” in Indonesia, with some economical benefit towards the Indonesian economy.

2. Hak Guna Bangunan or Right to Build. This is a commercial title for villas or resort developments. There is no discrimination between an Indonesian company and a foreign-owned company on this land title, and a foreign-owned company can be 100% foreign owned.

Both these titles come with an extension/renewal option after 25 and 30 years. This extension/renewal does not mean you buy the land again as it is your land, though there is a 0.2% payable tax based on the tax appraisal value of the land in that current time. Actually, the Indonesian law now has special benefits for foreigners and foreign investment, allowing for an automatic extension/renewal where all that is needed at the end of the first term is to go to the Indonesian land Office,  BPN, and have the new certificate for the second period issued.

Some people question the strength of these two land ownership structures. However, even towards the end of the title’s terms, one can freely sell the property to an Indonesian and get a freehold title again. Specifically to Right to build, during a transaction of the property one could also apply for a new 30 year term for the new owner.

3. The third option for foreigners is a straight forward lease of land and/or property. 25 – 30 years is a normal length of lease and this will not challenge the existing structure of the above mentioned foreign titles available. Some legal advisors would state that you can do longer leases as there are no arguments against that under Indonesian law. Others would argue and structure 2-3 agreements of 30 years each in order not to circumvent the spirit of the above mentioned titles. If one does not do this, one could choose to state that an extension after 25-30 years would be at that time market value, which is decided by the lease holder and lessor, as well as two to three independent appraisers.

Solutions to the ongoing discussions around Indonesian Agrarian laws are to possibly extend the Right of Use (Hak Pakai) title to 70 years, and Right to Build (Hak Guna Bangunan) to 85 years in one go with no need to formally renew/extend the certificates. This has actually happened already a few times, the first time in 2007, but the changes were rejected by the Constitutional Court. Whether it will pass this time or not remains to be seen.

All in all, the existing Laws and regulations are, from a security perception, already sufficient for investors, and it’s more about educating the market on the misperceptions around these titles as well as the risks in utilizing a nominee, as shown in several recent cases.

The main thing for any purchaser or investor to consider is the purpose and how they want to utilize the property, as well as their final exit plan, if any. One can also consider using an offshore holding company to further protect oneself as an exposed owner of land and assets, and this structure may also have some tax benefits at an eventual exit and sale of the property.

The central government, as well as provincial governments, are very well aware of the arising issues and are constantly considering regulations to discipline this. The sooner the better, it’s not complicated, nor difficult. Without the right advice it’s a jungle out there.

An attractive woman in a Jakarta bar looks around for the drunkest and most clueless unaccompanied male foreigner – the competition is usually pretty fierce. She chooses a target and informs him she is desirous of having sex. If the man is staying at a five-star hotel, the woman may claim they cannot go there because of a “no overnight guests policy” or some other excuse. She proposes they instead stay at a cheaper hotel. Alarm bells should be ringing at this stage, but the aroused man ignores them. On the way, the woman suggests they stop at a minimart and buy a couple of beers. In the hotel room or house, the woman pours the drinks and advises the man to urinate before sex commences. She takes the opportunity to spike his beer with a powerful sedative. He returns and she encourages him to drain his glass. The man wakes up many hours later with his trousers still on and his valuables stolen.

In a variation, two or more thieves approach a foreign tourist and invite him to a cafe or bar for a drink. They ask where he is staying and then spike his drink. As the man begins to lose consciousness, the gang escorts him back to his hotel, explaining he has passed out drunk and they are helping him. Then they steal his valuables.

Many years ago at a Jakarta nightclub, I accepted a drink from an overly friendly woman. Shortly after, I felt my vision, concentration and motor skills all rapidly fading. It made no sense because I’d had only two beers. Meanwhile the woman was encouraging me to leave with her. No chance. I ordered a bottle of water, struggled to walk out and managed to stay awake for the cab ride home. I then slept soundly for over 10 hours.

Some would say that being drugged and robbed is just desserts for picking up wanton women in bars. But the victims are not only men. Many women have had their drinks spiked by men attempting to rob and/or rape them. In certain cases, people claiming to have been drugged might have only been drunk and unable to cope with strong liquor.

The local media often carries reports of girls and women being raped after consuming drugged drinks. Two boys in the Central Java regency of Tegal earlier this year lured a 14-year-old girl to a hut and gave her a drink laced with a sedative. When she was in a state of semi-consciousness, seven youths allegedly spent several hours raping her. The girl’s family complained that police did nothing when the incident was reported.

There have been many cases of train and bus passengers being robbed after consuming drugged drinks provided by strangers. In one case, a bus conductor handed out canned coffee drinks, which he had punctured with a syringe to insert sedatives. He patched over the hole in each can with glue and lead.

A number of drugs can be used in these crimes. Most famous is Rohypnol, a brand name for the sedative flunitrazepam, known as the “date rape drug”. Rohypnol is illegal in several countries, including Indonesia, but is available on the black market. Other drugs used include ketamine, gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), nitrazep (Mogadon), bromazepam (Lexotan) and clonazepam (Rivotril).

Rohypnol is offered for sale on various Indonesian internet forums and one dedicated website, with a price of Rp.650,000 for a strip of 10 pills. The same website also advertises a powdered sedative and chloroform. The vendor boasts that his products “can be used to rape or kidnap people”. The website is registered to one Gono Wahono from Malang, East Java. It could all be fake; just a scam to get potential rapists and kidnappers to send their money. If the website really is selling Rohypnol, the owner could face 20 years in jail under the Psychotropic Substances Law.

One alleged sedative not to worry about is Progesterex. It exists only in hoaxes propagated via the internet, especially in Indonesia. Warnings describe Progesterex as “a small sterilization pill used by rapists to rape and sterilize their victims. The victim doesn’t conceive from the rape and the rapist needn’t worry about having a paternity test identifying him months later. Progesterex was designed to sterilize horses. Any female who takes it will never be able to conceive.” Despite being debunked, this hoax still persists.

Meet Stephen Chatham, the well travelled family man who has a soft spot for Indonesia.

Hi Stephen, where do you come from?

I come from Australia, but was born in the UK before moving when I was 5 years.

What countries have you lived in before Indonesia and what brought you over here?

I have lived in the UK, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, China and India as well as Jakarta in the 90s. Therefore, this is my second time living here.

How long have you been living in Jakarta? Did you move here alone or do you have a family?

I have been back in Indonesia for 2 to 3 months, previously in the 90s I was here for 5 years. Indonesia was the first Asian country that I have lived in and I have always had a soft spot for this country and I am excited to be back with my family.  I have three children aged two, 11 and 14.  I am blessed with a perfect family.

The Executive Centre provides serviced offices, how does a serviced office differ from a traditional office?

Serviced offices offer greater flexibility than traditional offices. Serviced offices are fully furnished office units in a professional business environment fully supported by a range of business services, including reception and telephone answering services, secretarial support, conference and meeting facilities, and high speed internet access and so on. Lease term for serviced offices can be as short as a month, unlike that of conventional office premises which normally ranges from 3 to 5 years. In terms of set-up time, serviced offices take merely 1 week to be ready for business, without the need to take around 4-6 months to deal with furnishing, designs and decoration.

Companies using serviced office can minimise their upfront capital investment by paying only for the space, administration, conference and IT facilities that they actually use, rather than investing long term in expensive conventional office space with all the set-up costs and overheads.

What are the benefits of a serviced office and what sets you apart from the competition?

In the current competitive and volatile global marketplace, time, money and effort are the three key components in driving businesses, and companies need to operate efficiently and quickly to sustain competitive edge. Serviced offices gives them the platform to adapt quickly and decisively to rapidly changing market conditions, resulting in better planning and therefore better business. With serviced office solutions, they can respond to the rolling short term solutions without capital investment while retaining lease term flexibility, rather than investing in long term space in an uncertain business environment.

By incurring  no start-up  capital, only  minimal  security deposits, and very short set-up time , companies can take  advantage  of  serviced  offices  in  order  to  reduce  their  risk  exposure.

What other services does The Executive Centre provide?

Apart from serviced offices, The Executive Centre is dedicated to providing virtual office representation services, conference and meeting facilities, and a broad range of business support services.

Tastefully designed by internally acclaimed designer Fiona Hardie, The Executive Centre in each location features stylish café and break-out areas, state-of-the-art video conferencing facilities and premium office suites graced with ergonomic Herman Miller executive modular furniture. Contemporary offices in various sizes can easily accommodate 1-20 persons and be elastically reshuffled into diversified layouts, and are equipped with the latest electronic i-Button locking system that provides 24/7 security and full audit trail monitoring. Firms and entrepreneurs looking to have an immediate presence can benefit from The Executive Centre’s fully furnished, prestigiously located and highly secure serviced workplaces.

What are important questions to ask before purchasing or renting a commercial space such as an office?

They key questions to ask are: Are you starting a new business? Are you expanding your business in a new city / new country? Are you looking for space for a new short-term project?

The types of company which tend to utilise serviced office solutions include:

•    Small to medium size enterprises who need space, companies that are transitioning to a new location but are experiencing delays in its completion;
•    Project based organisations such as IT programmers, film production teams and lawyers working on a large project;
•    Businesses with headquarters situated abroad which require a representative office to test the local market;
•    Companies which already have their own traditional office space but have separate business units that they need to separate out from their main office due to a variety of reasons

In your opinion, is it better to invest in commercial or residential real estate?

It depends on the investment cycle and the investment risk.  Landed property is the safest investment over the longer term as the amount of available land is finite.  The yield is lower, but capital appreciation will definitely be significantly higher and more consistent over the longer term.  Apartments offer a higher yield and there is also a margin in flipping apartments during the construction phase.  Flipping of apartments has worked over the past few years and is likely to continue for at least another 2 years before potentially entering the bubble phase.  Strata title commercial offers the highest yields and will continue to go up in price until 2nd half 2014, but with considerable supply likely to come on line the medium term outlook is more clouded. Personally I would invest in landed property for the longer term and apartments in the shorter term.

What do you when you are not working? Do you have any hobbies?

I have a number of hobbies including, barbecuing with friends, skiing, watching movies, chess and dining out.

Thank you Stephen! To get in touch, please email stephen_chatham@executivecentre.com

As I sit here in my empty apartment a weird feeling settles over me, it feels like insecurity mixed with sadness and excitement – we are moving home, city and country. Everything I own is packed and carted away and each room echoes with the nostalgia of a hollow drum played to an empty village square. Rooms that were once the helms of existence where critical decisions were analysed, victories celebrated and losses mourned (with liquid encouragement of course) now lie empty, powerless, with nothing to offer.

As I look around, I find myself questioning why having stuff you own around you can make you feel secure. Is it simply that (by applying physics) the weight of our possession serves as an anchor to ground us, stopping us from floating off at the whims of a capricious society that is otherwise spinning out of control? Or do our possessions and quests for ownership shed light on inner wants and needs?

What do we buy when we buy a product or service; is it the physical item itself or the feeling that item promises to give? For example, what do you purchase when you buy a car, its huge metal carcass and fancy gear system or the feeling of comfort, exclusivity and excitement that the brand promises? What about purchasing a dress, do you pay for the textile and workmanship or the attention and sense of wellbeing wearing that dress might bring? And how about cosmetic creams and stuff – are we buying tubs of lard or the somewhat ludicrous promise of security and acceptance inspired by our never ending youth?

Assuming that our possessions do shed a light on our wants and needs – how could we use this information in daily life?

Firstly, we could differentiate between a ‘need’ and a ‘want’ because the line between the two gets pretty blurry and that’s when we get into trouble with possessions and ownership. A ‘need’ is the feeling inside you which must be satisfied and a ‘want’ is how you choose to satisfy the ‘need’ so you are fulfilled (or you think you are fulfilled until that illusive feeling of fulfilment slips through your fingers). For example you are thirsty, you feel uncomfortable, you ‘need’ to settle your thirst to feel comfortable and you can do this by having water, coke or beer. You decide you ‘want’ water… your feeling is settled (temporarily at least).

‘Needs’ are universal, they are what makes us human, we all share the same ‘needs’ and aim to satisfy them. The need to satisfy these ‘needs’ is what creates that energy we call motivation. On the other hand, ‘wants’ are personalized, individualistic and shaped or influenced by society, particularly advertisements, marketing and peer pressure. ‘Wants’ are a way of expressing our individualism and while this can be fun, it is important to remember that only ‘needs’ can be satisfied. The more you have, the more you want and the more you want, the more you want – trying to settle ‘wants’ leads to a life run under a tyranny of the unnecessary where you feel controlled by the fear of losing your possessions.

Secondly, we could learn to regularly tune in and identify our ‘needs’ by being mindful and taking time out of everyday life to sit down quietly, phase out all the noise society creates via media, advertisements and peer pressure,  so we recognize our own feelings and inner voice.

Finally, we could learn to make a habit of identifying the needs we attempt to fulfil with a particular purchase, then asking ourselves how stable this tactic/option is and how else could I fulfil this need? The trick is to remain as objective as possible.

So, back to me sitting in my empty apartment – I realized that the feeling I was feeling was telling me about my needs. Like most people, I need security and a sense of belonging. How could I get security and build belonging? Perhaps talk to the hubby about investing in an apartment or house; a place called home. Isn’t that how we settle our need for security and belonging?

Yes, a place called home – certainly important when you are a half Pakistani, half Nigerian woman whose German husband decides to work in China…

Till next time, remain safe!

Most expats who have lived in Jakarta for any length of time will have a story about electricity problems. From sudden bill increases to blackouts, disconnections and unsafe installations, there is much to moan about – but we’re still better off than remote areas living in the dark.

So first, some backhanded praise. An Englishman based in West Jakarta gets his power from a cable strung across the street and every few months a truck with a dangerously high load goes past, ripping out the connection. When he reports the damage to state electricity company PLN, “the response is outstanding”. A repair crew arrives promptly and fixes the line in return for “cigarette money”. The Englishman’s only gripe is common power failures. And overloaded trucks.

Blackouts and bungled bills are not as frequent as they were in decades past, but there remains room for improvement. Bills can fluctuate wildly over a few months, even though a household’s power consumption remains fairly constant. This is because meter readers sometimes don’t bother to visit houses, but instead just estimate electricity usage. Often they estimate too low, so that when they do actually read the meter, there will be a substantial unpaid amount, which gets added to the next bill. This problem was supposed to have been remedied in 2004 by putting a barcode on meters, so that readers would have to scan the code before they could enter the amount of electricity used. But many households still receive uneven bills.

Consumers who fail to pay a bill for a month may have their power disconnected, while those who fail to pay for three months can have their meter removed. If you’re going away for more than three months and have an old meter, make sure someone will be collecting and paying the bills. Getting a meter reinstalled is no fun, unless you enjoy haggling.

In the bad old days, paying a bill meant going to the local PLN office and often waiting in a long queue. That has largely changed since prepaid meters were introduced in 2005. The number of prepaid subscribers is now about nine million and growing. New residential buildings must use the prepaid meters, which are manufactured by seven companies. Credit can be purchased at banks, minimarts, post offices and via ATMs, in amounts from Rp.20,000 to Rp.1 million.

The new meters allow customers to monitor daily consumption and display a warning light when credit is running low. When credit is exhausted the power is cut off. If you go on a long holiday, there’s no longer the risk of returning to find the meter has been removed. Customers can now also go to PLN’s website and enter their subscriber number to see their monthly bill.

Some consumers with old meters still have bad experiences, despite PLN espousing slogans of “no bribes” and “no gratuities”. One Chinese Indonesian man living in Menteng, Central Jakarta, called PLN when his power went off one night. Three technicians soon arrived in a car, spent a while examining the meter and cables, and announced they would need to fetch a replacement miniature circuit breaker. Upon their return, he says, they “discovered” the meter had been tampered with and threatened to report him to police for fraud, unless he paid them to repair the newly damaged meter.

Trying to resolve problematic bills requires considerable tenacity. One expat was informed by his employer that he would have to start covering half of his residential electricity bill because it had ballooned from Rp.2.5 million a month to Rp.5 million and then Rp.7 million. He stopped paying the bills and sought an explanation from his local PLN office. After a few visits, he was told there was no problem, so he should pay up or get disconnected. Unsatisfied, he went to head office, which admitted the meter reader had skipped a month that was now being added in arrears in instalments. That didn’t explain of all the increases, so they cut Rp.700,000 from his bill. The man suspected a problem with his 28-year-old meter and had it replaced but his bills still seemed too high. Finally, he bought a digital multi-meter, which indicated he was receiving less than the required voltage of (+/-5%) 220V. Some PLN technical staff visited and confirmed the supplied voltage was low. Then one day, 10 months after the initial complaint, his supply was upgraded.

No Incentive

PLN tries to have a ‘progressive’ electricity pricing system, in which low-income consumers supposedly pay a cheaper tariff. Power capacity for households is installed at 450 volt-amperes for lightest users, then 900 VA, 1,300 VA and 2,200 VA for heaviest users. The higher the installed capacity, the higher the charge per kilowatt hour (kWh) consumed. For example, a household with 450 VA capacity that uses 100 kWh is charged Rp.40,620, while a household with 1,300 VA capacity is charged Rp.79,000 for the same usage.

This system encourages inefficient use of electricity among middle-class and affluent consumers. Once a household has a high installed capacity, say 1,300 VA, the charge doesn’t go down, even if electricity is conserved, so an air conditioner might as well be left on all day. In my apartment, I’m hit with a minimum monthly charge, no matter how little power I use, so there’s zero financial incentive to conserve power. Fittingly, the ‘Electricity Saving Tips’ section of PLN’s website is blank.

Critics say PLN could consider charging according to how much electricity is actually used. In other words, the first 50 kWh per month should be billed at a low tariff, the next 50 kWh at a higher tariff, and so on upward. This way there would be no faking who’s poor, except by bypassing the meter, which is another problem entirely.

Some thrifty householders have tried to reduce power bills by getting their installed capacity reduced, with the result that when they run a water heater simultaneously with an air conditioner, their capacity overloads and a circuit breaker switch is tripped.

Rising Demand and Prices

As one of the largest producers of coal and liquefied natural gas – and with about 40% of the world’s exploitable potential geothermal energy – Indonesia should be able to provide a reliable and cheap supply of electricity. Unfortunately, the development of power plants is being hampered by land acquisition problems and other legal issues.

Demand for power is growing at about 10% annually – about 4,500 megawatts – while supply is growing at under 3% – about 1,600 MW, so rolling blackouts are inevitable. Indonesia was ranked 161st out of 183 countries in the ease of getting reliable electricity supply for business, in a 2011 World Bank report.

The situation is worse outside Java and Bali. Kalimantan and Sumatra are key suppliers of coal, yet their towns experience higher prices and more blackouts – up to 12 hours a day in some places. Many businesses have no choice but to buy diesel-powered generators. Thousands of rural villages do not have any power. Farmers at a village in West Lampung grew tired of waiting and built their own micro hydroelectric power station by damming a river and installing a turbine.

PLN is increasing electricity prices by 15% this year, except for households with installed capacity of 450 VA to 900 VA. There are concerns the increases will spark steeper inflation. The government says the move will cut spending on electricity subsidies from $9.6 billion to $7.8 billion, and the savings can be invested in energy supply networks. Money could also be saved by combating PLN’s “inefficiencies”, which cost $3.6 billion in 2011, according to a probe by the State Audit Agency.

BIO:
Kenneth Yeung’s last monthly electricity bill was Rp.144,107.

With all the talk of equipment bans, golf balls that fly too far, and the various rule changes, it has occurred to me that golf is simply too difficult a game! With 34 rules, 100 sections and subsections and over 2,000 explanatory decisions, golf is the most complicated and “unfair” game in of all sport. Golf is not fair, and far too often the cause of frustration to both amateur and pro alike! Something needs to be done!

Is it really fair, for example, that some players get the yips under pressure and need a broomstick in order to putt? Is it fair that older players often have bellies? Is it really fair that a player must withdraw from a tournament, just because he/she signed the wrong score card? Something needs to be done about all these pesky rules and regulations. Golf should be fair!

With that in mind, I would like to offer my suggestions to both the Royal and Ancient and USGA. Here are some rule changes worth considering.

1. Rule #35- Play it as “you like”. Why should you be penalized for a bad lie? For example, you just hit a perfect drive down the middle of the fairway; is it really your fault the ball landed in a divot! Now you are free to improve your lie. This new rule also applies anywhere on the course, including the ruff and hazards.

2. Rule #36- Clubs- anchored to the body- i.e. the “Belly” and “Broomstick” putter. Why shouldn’t players use any type of club they wish? I could even see the use of Velcro straps and shoulder harnesses for broomstick and belly butters. It isn’t fair that some players get the yips.

3. Rule #37- No water hazards. Effective immediately, all lakes, ponds, rivers and streams should be drained of water. Why should a player be penalized for an errant tee or approach shot?

4. Rule #38- No OB. The out of bound stakes will be removed and players are allowed to play anywhere they find their ball. Players are also allowed to drop a new ball without penalty, if their original ball is not found.

My last suggestion is a change in which I’m sure everyone can agree. This much needed change is so obvious, I’m surprised nobody has proposed it until now.

5. Rule #39- Make the hole bigger. Here is an example where size really does matter. At 4.25 inches, the hole dimensions are simply too small and unfair. The R&A hasn’t addressed hole size since I891. Isn’t it about time the R&A take up the issue again and make the hole bigger so it is more fair? I would propose an increase to an even 18 inches in diameter; now that would be more fair.

I am confident that my proposed changes to the rules, and the game, will make golf more user friendly and certainly less frustrating! I welcome your suggestions, too. Feel free to forward any idea that would make golf easier and less frustrating. I’m sure the R&A will appreciate new ways to make golf fairer.

She was promised a well paying job as a waitress-receptionist in Batam. The establishment, although Chinese-owned, was fully halal, so, no need to worry. A few weeks later she was “liberated” when the police raided the place and arrested the owner for trafficking.

She was angry. “Prostitution!” she exclaimed. “For that I could have stayed home! Sialan! And they haven’t paid me a single Rupiah!” She was from Indramayu, a district on the north coast of West Java with a high incidence of prostitution.

I worked in Indramayu many decades ago. Our project guesthouse there was managed by a housekeeper, Didi, who had been a sex worker at some point. She had been recommended by the owner of the house, the Chief of police of the town. She was a good looking woman in her early forties and a wonderful cook. She had been married when still a teenager. Following local tradition, the wedding took place after a particularly good harvest—Indramayu is one of the country’s rice baskets—and also true to type, her husband divorced her when the money ran out, and after pawning her earrings.

She tried many things, from keeping score and racking the balls in a pool hall, to bridal make-up and outfit rental, but to make ends meet it always ended in prostitution. With the money she had earned as a housekeeper, she opened a little restaurant that hit the mark and slowly grew. First the interior was renovated, then AC was installed, and finally she also catered for lunches at several government offices.

Didi was lucky and cleverly grabbed chances when they presented themselves. I don’t know what happened to the Batam girl. Most likely there are hundreds more like her, trafficked from their home village to Batam or Brunei, Singapore or Seoul. It is of course a global problem, not specifically related to Indramayu. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that at any one time there are some 2.5 million people who have been trafficked and are being subjected to sexual or labour exploitation – not only girls and young women, by the way.

About one third of trafficked people are boys and men who are used for their labour, for instance as domestic servants, agricultural workers, or others. Two young men, Vietnamese, were recruited to work in a major hotel in London. They borrowed a considerable sum for the journey and the contract arrangements. Upon arrival at Heathrow the agent took their passports. They worked for two months without receiving a penny. When they eventually protested to management, their families in Vietnam were threatened. Too frightened to contact the Vietnamese Embassy or the police, they finally made it to the Citizens Advice Bureau office via a Vietnamese speaking person they met on the street. Police, anyway, are often useless as they will insist on documents to prove the identity of the person making a complaint. Without a passport what can you do?

Another form of forced labour is bonded labour, or debt bondage. While the least known form of slavery, it is the most widely used method of enslaving people. The ILO estimates that in the Asia-Pacific region alone, some 12 million people are in forced labour, the majority in debt bondage.

Entire families are kept like cattle on farms in India and Pakistan; migrant agricultural workers are forced to remain on ranches in Brazil; and women are forced into domestic and sexual slavery in Europe. The system provides cheap and expendable labour.

Similar to forced labour is descent-based slavery. It is a situation where people are born into a slave class. Typically, people born into slavery are not allowed to own land or inherit property, and are denied an education. Any child born is automatically considered ‘property’ of the master and can be given away as gifts or sold. This exists mainly in Mauretania, Niger and Mali.

A specific class of slavery is formed by child labour. In most poor societies children are, from an early age, needed to contribute to the family income, or provide domestic services that free an older family member to earn an income. Children fetch water, the older ones take care of their younger siblings, herd the livestock, clean in and around the house, and the like.

Millions of children, however, do extremely hazardous work under harmful conditions. They have no chance of receiving any formal education and their personal and social development is severely thwarted. Often they even put their health and even their lives at risk.

Based on the ILO statistics, some 215 million children, aged between 5 and 17, are considered child labourers; about 115 million of these are found in the hazardous work class; and 8.4 million children are in slavery: debt bondage; child soldiers, prostitution and pornography; and other illicit activities.

News reports on tribal and regional conflicts in Congo and Uganda always mention child soldiers and the atrocities committed against women. Amputations of hands and feet seem to be a well established way of intimidating the communities, together of course with rape and murder.

Nothing new here. One hundred years ago the Anglo-Belgian India Rubber Company (ABIR) used the same tactics to ensure a constant supply of free labour to collect rubber. The ABIR Company was a company which harvested natural rubber in the Congo Free State, the private property of King Leopold II of Belgium. The company was founded with British and Belgian capital and was based in Belgium.

The civilisation of Java boasts of intricately artistic traditional architecture that stands the test of time. But people often forget that Java is not only home to the Javanese and the Sundanese. One of these lesser-known ethnic groups is the Osing of Banyuwangi.

After a temple-hopping journey across Java, I ended up in Banyuwangi—my final stop at the eastern end of Java before crossing the narrow strait to Bali. Naturally, one of the first things I asked locals about when I arrived was the architecture. After learning that the so-called “Desa Wisata Osing” I had been so excited to visit was neither a desa (village), nor a place for wisata (touristic attraction), nor did it display anything particularly Osing, the hotel manager told me to knock on a stranger’s door a few blocks away.

I ended up in Sanggar Genjah Arum, a 4,000-square metre property that flaunted century-old al fresco Osing houses in the middle of a lush garden. Soft bamboo angklung music played from the top of a tall bamboo tower by the entrance, from which a 360° view of the surrounding rice fields, coffee plantations and village is visible.

The property owner, Setiawan “Iwan” Subekti, has been collecting Osing houses since 1997, to save them from being sold to Balinese craftsmen who would take them apart and recycle them into luxury furniture for the export market.

Iwan is a coffee plantation owner and an internationally-reputed coffee taster, so he constantly welcomes coffee aficionados in his home. One of the striking features of the property is a stylish coffee bar adorned with traditional Osing ornaments like the gandrung and the barong.

“These houses are made from benda wood and are three to five generations old,” explained Iwan. Benda (Artocarpus elasticus), also known as terap or Brazilian rubber, is native to the western half of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Banyuwangi used to be benda woodlands. Benda wood can stay intact more than 100 years, grow up to 45 metres in the ideal wild (or typically up to nine metres in Java), does not easily break or bend, and naturally repels termites. Timbre used for building houses are traditionally harvested a year in advance by slitting the tree trunk for sap and letting it bleed slowly to death. This process makes the wood exceptionally robust.

The Osing house consists of the benda frame, which can conveniently be dismantled, transported, and reassembled. The pillars are secured to a foundation in the ground, and support a lattice frame for the clay tile roof. No nails are used for securing, only pegs. And yet the construction is curiously strong—Iwan keeps a miniature model of the house frame, which is strong enough to support the weight of an adult who climbs on top.

Typically the house is divided into three sections: the porch, the bedroom, and the kitchen. The porch usually serves as an al fresco living room where guests are entertained and community discussions take place. The bedroom is traditionally enclosed in walls of woven bamboo called gedhék pipil. They do not need windows because the wall’s warps and wefts allow air to permeate for sufficient ventilation. Alternatively, Iwan also modifies some of his houses with ornately decorated wooden walls.

With origins traceable to the Majapahit era, Osing architecture and design seamlessly blends Javanese, Balinese, Chinese, Islamic, Hindu-Buddhist and pagan elements into a vibrant but graceful look. Timbul, an elder from Kemiren, explained that the Osing house and its ornaments are loaded with Osing philosophy of marriage and family.

“There are several kinds of Osing houses: the double-roofed cerocogan, the triple-roofed baresan, and the quadruple-roofed tikelbalung. The cerocogan is usually built for young men and women in their late teens. Back then, tertiary education wasn’t very common among the Osing, so young men and women would fall in love and get married,” said Timbul.

“The baresan symbolises conflict and temptations after marriage. Happiness isn’t automatic in a marriage because the spouses have to work it out and resolve to get through whatever trials come their way. And if they make it, they have children, and later grandchildren, which make their home complete. That is what the tikelbalung is all about,” continued the elder.

The Osing are descendants of the citizens of Blambangan, a 13th-18th century Hindu kingdom that outlasted the great Majapahit Empire and long resisted the Dutch East India Company. During this era, the spread of Islam and the battle for colonial and local royal powers in Java drove the Hindus to migrate east to Bali, thus making Blambangan (now Banyuwangi) a buffer zone.

According to Timbul, when the Dutch invaded in the 18th century to purge Blambangan from the Hindu Balinese, the Nusantara ethnic groups conspired to protect each other. The Dutch would interrogate their targets before attacking to check if they were Balinese, to which the target would reply “O sing… sing ngelawan.” (“Oh, no… I am not fighting against you.”)

The Dutch let go of each person who answered this and assumed that they belong to a previously unknown tribe called the “Osing”—where in fact these people could be Javanese, Balinese, Madurese, or anything else. The “Osing” has since been identified as one people, mostly converted to Islam, and speak a distinct language related to both Javanese and Balinese.

Perhaps it is because of this deliberate resolve to unite that harmony becomes a crucial concept in the Osing home. A rooftop slanting downward symbolises humility and courtesy in Osing society. Bamboo or wooden walls symbolise modesty and simplicity. The semanggi (clover) ornament symbolises peace and happiness in a well-fed household. The selimpetan (sunflower with swastika) symbolises the unending love of a man and a woman. The kawung symbolises faithfulness and contentment in one spouse for life. And the sun symbolises bright hopes, warmth, and joy in the household.

Other things to enjoy in Iwan’s home include sights of the neighbours ploughing the rice fields with a pair of Balinese cattle, demonstrations of plantain fibre fabric weaving, Iwan’s vintage collection of coffee roasting and brewing equipment, and of course tasting rare blends of Iwan’s coffees and teas while listening to his collection of jazz records. If you’re lucky, you might also be in the company of Iwan’s other friends, many of whom are Banyuwangi-based artists who are happy to share a local perspective on their history and culture.

Sanggar Genjah Arum (home of Setiawan Subekti)
Desa Kemiren
Kecamatan Glagah
Banyuwangi
East Java

Cali Deli is a Vietnamese chain of deli-restaurants that gained its inspiration from a restaurant in California and established itself in Jakarta 7 years ago. Although Pho would come to mind for most people when discussing Vietnamese food, Cali Deli specialises in Vietnamese sandwiches with an Indonesian twist (they do of course offer broth soups and various appetisers).

Mrs. Ching Ching Sumampaow found that the Vietnamese sandwich she had in California lack lustre and upon her return to Jakarta decided to open up the first Cali Deli combining Indonesia’s love of flavour with the Vietnamese sandwich. Madame Ching is also available in selected venues offering Chinese cuisine.

Novee Cheung, Advisor of Cali Deli & Madame Ching, explains that taste is just as important as nutrition. Fresh products are used with a favourable balance between carbohydrates, proteins and fats with a good amount of vegetables for taste and health. They prepare everything from scratch including their crunchy baguettes.  Vegetarians fear not! They do have a Veggie sandwich with absolutely no meat.

I had the Turkey sandwich and the Spring rolls for lunch. The Turkey sandwich was good and filling. Turkey is a lean meat that is low in fat and high in protein, one of the healthiest meats available to eat, though lean meats are prone to dryness from the lack of fat. The turkey slices in the sandwich were cooked well and stayed moist.  My personal taste finds that most sandwiches have a too high ratio in meat to vegetables. When you order a sandwich with meat as the selling point, it is the main ingredient and vegetables are more decorative.

Cali Deli uses the vegetables they put in the sandwich as a sidekick to the meats, it’s a well balanced pairing of flavours and textures. I cannot vouch for authenticity as I’ve yet to sample a traditional Vietnamese sandwich, but trying Cali Deli has put Vietnam higher up on my bucket list of future culinary adventures. The Spring rolls were good, though I made the mistake of eating it after my sandwich which anyone who has tried to cook with rice paper knows that it dries up quickly without a wet clothe to cover.

Cali Deli has Indonesian inspired sandwiches that merge the local love affair with flavour and Vietnam’s zest for fresh and herbaceous seasonings.  Indonesian style Vietnamese sandwiches include Chicken Satay and Beef Satay. The most popular sandwiches are Turkey, Chicken Lemongrass and Cali Love (black pepper beef). Madame Ching recommends their Beef Rice Noodle Soup, Fresh Spring rolls and Dry Green Noodles.

Cali Deli

Cali Deli Menteng
Jl. Surabaya no.22, Menteng
Phone: 021-98011061/62

Madame Ching

Madame Ching Menteng
Jl. Surabaya no.24
Phone: 021- 3155145

Madame Ching SCBD
Jakarta Stock Exchange
Ground floor
Phone: 021-5154844

Madame Ching Senayan        
FX Mall F1
Jl. Jend. Sudirman
Phone: 021-25554129

Cali Deli and Madame Ching

Sampoerna Strategic
Jl. Jend.  Sudirman kav 45-46
lt.mezazine
Phone: 021-57903272

Codefin Kuningan
Jl .HR Rasuna Said kav B-3
Phone: 021-57933734

Promande Building Lot 16
Jl. Warung Buncit Raya no.98 Pejaten
Phone: 021-7991546

Grand Indonesia
West Mall foodhall, basement
Jl. MH Thamrin no.1
Phone: 021-23580156

Jasons Senopati
Jl. Senopati Raya no.8
Phone: 021- 29332861/ 98277299

Jasons Ampera
Jl. Ampera Raya no.22
Phone: 021- 78835147

Herwan’s shirt keeps the paint from dripping on his face. He figured out how to wrap the turban on his first day, two weeks ago when he took up the brush in an effort to slap a fresh coat of paint on Jakarta.

Underneath the Semanggi flyover, tiny drops of white paint are sprinkled in the cracked dirt, as if a million pigeons just exploded. The air is thick with a wild mix of paint fumes and kretek, which plays well with the cacophony of car horns and motorbikes.

Herwan works in silence, angling himself perfectly—his weight on his back heel—aiming his long extension pole at the rumbling toll road above. A thick dribble of paint forms first like a stalactite and then slowly falls from above, landing on his shoulder. Herwan looks down on it and then back up at the high ceiling, his eyes light up as if to congratulate himself on not taking another splash in the eye. Michelangelo and his Sistine Chapel have nothing on Herwan and his underpass.

No one is really sure why Jakarta’s underpasses are getting a facelift, not even Herwan’s boss who shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders when asked about the redecoration. Of course, like most things, people have their theories.

Some people say it is Jokowi’s way of cleaning up the city before the big birthday bash on June 22nd, while others tend to wonder if the new look is intended for the eyes of the APEC CEO Summit, which kicks off in Bali on October 5th, but will no doubt see a few of the big-wigs stopping over in Jakarta.

All the 40-man crew, who were busy finishing up the Semanggi underpass before moving on to Grogol, know is that they have two weeks to get the city looking pretty. Until then, they’ll try and paint as many underpasses as they can, working almost around the clock and sleeping a few metres from the brushes and buckets of paint.

The Semanggi underpass, Herwan says, will take about 72 hours and roughly 100 gallons of white paint to make pretty again, with the 21-year-old and his co-workers going at it day and night.

But does painting an underpass white really do anything to improve the aesthetics of Jakarta? Especially since, groups like Graffiteach, a volunteer band of street artists who have spent the last six months creating dozens of learning murals under the bridges in Slipi, Grogol and Mangga Dua, aimed at giving street kids floor-to-ceiling textbooks teaching them everything from the facts about the solar system to geography and science.

Throwing a fresh coat of paint on anything is simply a symptomatic solution to a fundamental problem. But then again, Jokowi probably already knew that, and simply wanted to give everyone sitting in the Semanggi traffic something to watch other than cops smoking cigarettes. Thanks for the show!