Is Obama Eligible to be President of the United States of America?

Yes, he is!

Nevertheless, it would seem that a group of "Birthers" will not be satisfied until such time as the president provides an original birth certificate. Yet, considering the manner in which birthers have gone about their task to date, an original birth certificate is unlikely to close off their beliefs. The cold, hard reality for birthers is that the State of Hawaii, the State where Barack Hussein Obama II was born, has already released enough data in its public records to put this to bed.

To be honest a certificate of live birth and the corresponding birth notices, both of which are contemporary to the event, should be more than enough. It is a truly bizarre claim that Obama is in essence a "Manchurian Candidate" that has been groomed since birth for this task of destroying the US from within as her president.

Interestingly, the Governor of Hawaii, Neil Abercrombie, wanted to assist in putting this matter to bed. However, the State's Attorney General, David Louie, has instructed the Governor that the Governor is barred by law from releasing the private birth certificates of individuals without their consent. Simply, the only person who can consent to the release of the Obama birth certificate is Barack Obama  himself. So, if Obama remains true to past form, it would seem unlikely that a birth certificate will be forthcoming. And, to be honest it is not necessary.

Hawaii has confirmed that the original documents have been cited and confirmed and that information is contained in the State's vital records. So, to all intents and purposes, Hawaii is satisfied that Barack Hussein Obama II was born at Kapiolani Maternity and Gynecological Hospital in Honolulu on 4 August 1961.

Then again, Hawaii's failure to release the originals is obviously, as the birthers will contend, all part of the grand conspiracy. After all, Obama was born in Kenya, is an Indonesian citizen and a practicing Muslim, right?

Ho hum...

Arnold Schwarzenegger Drops a Cool USD 200 Million...

Ah, the lives of the rich and famous!

I like Arnold Schwarzenegger. He is in many ways the embodiment of success and to all intents and purposes representative of "living the American Dream". I am almost certain that there are many who disagree with me, but after all it is my blog and I can hold whatever opinion I like :)

I have always admired those who choose to go into public service. There is no higher calling than public service, and this is true irrespective of your political stripes; it simply does not matter whether you are labor or liberal, democrat or republican, green, socialist, democratic socialist or whatever. This is also irrespective of the few bad apples who see public service as a means of feathering their own nests, they are a minority in the big scheme of things.

So, it was with interest that I read about an interview that Arnold Schwarzenegger gave to an Austrian newspaper where he said that he estimated that being Governor of California cost him USD 200 million. But, what was most enlightening was that he felt it was more than worth it.

Schwarzenegger is a renowned family man, so it was not a surprise to read that the biggest challenge for him was managing his family time. A loss of family time is often an excuse that is used not to enter public service or to leave it once one has been in it for some time. In many ways that is why public service is such a high calling. It is not only the individual elected, or appointed, to office that make sacrifices in order to serve the greater public good, the family of that individual also must sacrifice.

It will be interesting to see what moves Schwarzenegger makes now. Does he go back to movies? Does he hit the lecture circuit? Does he just kick back and relax? Or does he start lobbying for a change to the Constitution in order that he, and other non-US born citizens can run for President?

Although, the "Birthers" might argue that it does not really matter anymore as that Kenyan born, Indonesian passport holding interloper from Chicago (aka Barack Hussein Obama) has already usurped the Office of the President of the United States of America. But, seriously though, non-US born citizens cannot become President of the US without there being a constitutional amendment to permit it.

Whenever, I think about Arnold Schwarzenegger becoming president of the US I have to have a little chuckle. I always remember that Sylvester Stallone movie, Demolition Man, where he has been cryogenically frozen and upon being refrozen he learns that Arnold Schwarzenegger had been president. How prophetic would that be?

Government of Jakarta, huh?

I have read some stupid things today, but this takes the cake. What is the Government of Jakarta thinking when it states that it thinks working cooperatively with the Islamic Defenders' Front (FPI) during the holy month of Ramadan to "secure" entertainment venues. Secure in this context must mean compliance as opposed to safeguard. Unfortunately, this news story I read in Indonesian (here, so if you can read it...if not, then you will have to take my word for it).

At this stage it is supposedly only a plan, but the fact that it has been suggested shows some serious lack of foresight by the government and a real lack of understanding. The Government of Jakarta has sufficient law enforcement resources at its disposal that it just does not need to make use of the thugs at the FPI to do quasi police work.

As I said, this is the stupidest thing I read today. The FPI is the same bunch of goons that go round each Ramadan and forcibly close entertainment venues irrespective of whether the venue is operating pursuant to the rules and regulations.

These closures are done using extreme violence and are designed to damage as much property as possible, they are designed to inflict physical harm on patrons at these venues, and they are designed to strike fear into the general populace. So, I ask again, what is the government thinking by seemingly granting the FPI legitimacy to break the law and harm the citizens of Jakarta?

The Governor of Jakarta, Fauzi Bowo, really needs to think again on this one. If he stays this course it only serves to provide ammunition to his critics who have already nicknamed him Fuzzy Bodoh (bodoh in Indonesian means stupid).

The plan to use the FPI is just a stupid, stupid, stupid idea!

The Terminator vs. The Road Warrior (Mad Max)...

This is sure to be a much better offering than the "Predator vs. Alien" film or the other classic two franchise spin-off of "Freddy vs. Jason". This is better because it is like reality TV and involves Arnold Schwarzenegger, current Governor of California (aka 'the Governator') vs. Mel Gibson (aka misogynist, anti-Semite, racist and alleged beater of women).

Arnie was in some good comedic form at a recent gig where he was supposed to be talking to a group of utility commissioners in Sacramento about energy issues and ended up comparing Gibson to the environmental disaster that continues to unfold in the Gulf of Mexico.

The one-liner was premised by it seems BP has worked out how to contain the gushing oil well in the Gulf of Mexico, but "no one has figured out how to contain Mel Gibson."

Now, Gibson has been in the news over the years for his inability to control his outbursts, seemingly this is exacerbated by alcohol and more recently dementia drugs, apparently. The most recent spray was directed at the mother of his youngest child, Oksana Grigorieva.

In keeping up the game, the governor added that participants probably should turn off their mobile phones as they were expecting a call from Gibson.

Ouch, Mr. Governator! That was a cheap shot, don't you think?


Just as a side note. I have wondered whether it is possible to separate the man from his acting? I only ask because, I have enjoyed watching some of his movies. As a man though, I do not have a lot of time for a fundamentalist catholic with a family history of denying the Holocaust, who is anti-Semitic, racist (his latest rants included derogatory references to blacks and hispanics), and a misogynist. So, that's why I wonder whether I can separate the man from his acting and feel comfortable with the fact that I have enjoyed some of his films.

On another side note. It has been theorised and speculated that Gibson has been using Chantix to quit smoking. Chantix is also used in the treatment of Alzheimer's and dementia. The side effects of this drug are nasty to say the least. Not that this is an excuse because some of his behaviour and attitudes predate him taking this drug, but it is a mood changer for sure.

There are some pretty serious allegations against Mel Gibson with respect to domestic violence and abuse of his girlfriend. These allegations do, and should, attract jail time if the offender is found to be guilty.

Sri Mulyani Indrawti -- Governor of the Indonesian Central Bank?

Politics in Indonesia is a strange animal and even stranger are the motivations of those that play. The latest rumor or perhaps a little more than rumor now that the incumbent president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono or SBY to his friends, has said that he is considering it, is the selection of Sri Mulyani Indrawati (photo) as the prospective Governor of Bank Indonesia (Indonesia's Central Bank).

Sri Mulyani is one of SBY's best performing Ministers, if not his best performing Minister. She holds the Finance Portfolio and since the former Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs, Boediono, was appointed to Bank Indonesia, she has held that portfolio as well.

She is a world class reformer and has made significant inroads into reforming the bureaucracy. She is generally considered to have been successful in her role and been a driving force in cleaning up her department.

Why is it that her appointment to Bank Indonesia is problematic when Bank Indonesia is also an institution that could benefit from her reforming ways? Well, the move reeks of marginalizing the competition and a real shaker and mover on the agenda of reform. A move to Bank Indonesia takes Sri Mulyani out of the majority of the policy areas that she has been so intimate and successful in to date. Almost certainly leading to a waning of her influence in real and broad reforms.

The move is a backward step for those interested in the bureaucratic reform of government. This is not to say that there are not worthy candidates to replace her, there are. This is a backward step because whoever replaces her would have to work twice as hard to develop the gravitas she has acquired during her time in the position. If SBY, and Boediono, are serious then the most sensible move would be, assuming SBY and Boediono win the presidency and vice-presidency, is to make Sri Mulyani the Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs in the next SBY Government.

There is little doubt that Sri Mulyani would be appointed to the position of Governor of Bank Indonesia if she were proposed as a candidate. Her confirmation through the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) would not likely encounter much resistance, if any.

Jakarta Smokin' or Smokin' Jakarta?

Those of you that enjoy a nicotine fix need to be a little wary about where you are going to get that next fix during the period from 17 through 27 November 2008. The Government of Jakarta and several Anti-Smoking NGOs have decided that they are going to up the ante on smokers and conduct raids during this period (cartoon).

There is a Regulation, actually a couple of them (No. 2 of 2005 and No. 75 of 2005), that has been issued by the Government of Jakarta that prohibits smoking in certain places and requires businesses and others to provide special smoking rooms to cater for those who cannot go without a nicotine fix.

The places that are most likely to be targeted are office buildings, medical facilities, malls and shopping centers, places of worship, schools, and public transportation, among others. This seems to be an initiative that is being driven more by those concerned with the growing abuse of tobacco rather than any increased interest from the government in terms of implementing the 2005 Regulation.

The cold hard reality is that the government after the initial posting of signs declaring certain areas non-smoking, the government lost interest in enforcement. I remember when the Regulation first came into effect. I was taking a train from Gambir Station to Bandung. As I was waiting for the train to arrive, I remember having a good laugh to myself as I watched a young fella light up and puff away. Why the good laugh? He was standing under one of those no smoking signs, the red circle with a cigarette inside the circle and a red line through it. It was one of those moments, where you go, "nah, this is definitely not going to work."

Even now, each day in the building where I work I watch smokers line the corridors puffing away. There are no designated smoking areas, there are no non-smoking area signs or if there are they are routinely ignored. There is no enforcement from building management or the security personnel roaming the corridors. If I am not mistaken building management can be fined for any failure to enforce the provisions in their buildings.

Let the fun and games begin.

Citizen Registration and Civil Registry – Implementation Issues

Not that anyone will be interested in this. I need to post something in order to get the visitors in!

The government of Jakarta has issued Regulation No. 70 of 2008 to amend for the second time Regulation No. 16 of 2005. This second set of amendments is primarily to ensure that the government of Jakarta is utilizing the National Citizen Administration Information System (Sistem Informasi Administrasi Kependudukan / SIAK) and in compliance with the applicable standards of the system. The SIAK system in Jakarta is now complete with the necessary photo equipment that permits a photo of the relevant citizen to be taken, stored in the system, and then automatically incorporated into the new identity card.

The SIAK system has been developed to make the issue and control of Citizen Identity Cards (Kartu Tanda Penduduk / KTP) easier. It is expected that SIAK will also make the process of obtaining a KTP much faster. The photo here is of a Singapore Identity Card which is much funnier than the Indonesian one that I could have posted. The fella who owns this card is Indonesian though, so that has to count for something. The identity card says that his name is Batman and he is the son of Suparman.

The Regulation amends Article 42 of Gubernatorial Regulation No. 35 of 2007 by repealing (d) and amending (g) to state that a letter of citizenship is required for those that obtain Indonesian Citizenship.

Article 43 has been amended to state, in whole, that citizens born in odd numbered years must use a photograph with a red background and those born in even years must use a photograph with a blue background. All KTP applicants must be recorded in the KTP Register Book. All successful applicants are to be granted the Model OS-03 KTP. The KTP is to be signed by the Village Head (Lurah) on behalf of the Sub-District Head (Camat).

The Regulation was issued on 12 August 2008 and enacted on 26 August 2008. The Regulation has been in force since the date of its enactment.

Zimbabwe -- Out of Control Inflation

The tragedy that is Zimbabwe sees the official inflation rate stated at 2.2 million percent. This is the rate used by the Zimbabwean Central Bank. The unofficial rates suggest that at some point over the previous 12 months the inflation rate has been as high as 70 million percent. External analysts to the Central Bank estimate inflation to be running at about 12.5 million percent.

The constant instability that afflicts Zimbabwe is contributing to the continual spiking inflation rate. If Robert Mugabe loved Zimbabwe and Zimbabwean independence half as much as he says he does then he would step down immediately and allow some normalcy to return to the political spectrum. Unfortunately, Mugabe is an egotistical narcissistic dictator and tyrant who has no interest in anything but his own legacy. This legacy will never be viewed in a positive light. Any positives that he might have acquired in the early years have been erased, utterly and completely.

One job that I would most definitely not want is that of Governor of the Central Bank of Zimbabwe. Trying to formulate financial policy in an economic environment that sees inflation running in the millions of percent is not only a challenge but impossible if current conditions persist much longer. Nevertheless, Gideon Gono (pictured), Central Bank Governor, ploughs forward. Most of his statements seem to firmly cast the blame on the exponential rise in inflation on the black market and profiteers.

Basic goods such as soap and cooking oil have increased 70 million and 60 million percent respectively. Sugar is up some 36 million percent. The Central Bank is introducing a coupon system to ensure that the need will get some access to basic necessities.

The official exchange rate has the USD 1 buying 20 million Zimbabwe dollars. However, the black market rate which is more likely to reflect the real exchange value of Zimbabwean Dollars has USD 1 buying some 90 million Zimbabwe Dollars.

I have this sinking feeling that things are going to get worse in Zimbabwe before they get better.

Bali Gubernatorial Election -- Administrative Law Issues

Legal issues and elections in Indonesia are not a new phenomenon and it seems that the Bali Gubernatorial election is not going to be an exception. One of the candidates is someone most Indonesians and many Australians will be familiar with I Made Mangku Pastika.

Pastika was the point man for Indonesia in the aftermath of the first Bali Bombings.

The legal issues here are not so complicated. Nevertheless, there seems to be some confusion about exactly what status Pastika must have before he can legally run as a candidate. The issue is that Pastika is a currently serving police officer. Technically, current police officers, members of the armed forces, and civil servants cannot run for elected office while maintaining their employment status.

The argument focuses on the National Police Law which some legal commentators suggest requires Pastika to resign permanently from the National Police Force before seeking elected office. In contrast the local Balinese ordinance only require that the prospective candidate resign temporarily from their position. This is based on a Regional Election Commission Circular issued in Bali, No. 5 of 2008, which only requires a temporary resignation.

Pastika has temporarily resigned from his position in the National Police Force as Head of the National Narcotics Agency and has a letter to that effect from the National Police Chief, General Sutanto.

The General Election Commission for Bali is standing firm that it only needs to apply the relevant election laws and does not have to consider any of the provisions contained in the National Police Law. However, there are arguments being put forward that the National Police Law is lex spesialis and therefore trumps any general legislation. Therefore, the National Police Law must be applied because it regulates specific issues relating to serving police officers intending to seek elected office.

However, if the General Election Commission of Bali maintains its current position and interpretation of the prevailing and applicable legislation, then it appears that Pastika will continue to seek the office of Governor of Bali.

The Indonesian Equation -- Legislation + Money = Corruption

With the recent arrest of the current Bank Indonesia (Indonesian Central Bank / BI) Governor, Burhanuddin Abdullah, for the alleged misappropriation of some USD 11 million from the bank in payments to various legislators to ensure the passage of BI related bills and legislation has proved that money and legislation just do not mix!

The Governor's official tenure in office does not end until May. However, the House of Representatives (DPR) has just approved the current Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs, Boediono, as the next Governor of BI. In light of the arrest and detention of the current Governor perhaps the Governor-designate needs to move offices and get an early start!

One hopes that this signifies that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is getting better and more competent at its job and a more coordinated and significant effort to reduce corruption will be the norm from now on.

The Jakarta Gubernatorial Elections

The following part was written in the days before the election...

With the campaign period winding down and public debates by the candidates restricted to stage-managed media events now is a good a time as any to reflect on what the future holds for most Jakartans after the election is concluded and the new Governor installed. The candidates are chalk and cheese in terms of political experience with the incumbent Deputy Governor, now looking to be Governor in his own right, being a bureaucrat most of his professional life. On the other hand, there is a retired police officer who reached the pinnacles of his chosen profession now looking to branch out into the political field.



If the election was to be decided only on party support then the incumbent Deputy Governor is a certain winner. Indonesia is no different from any other democracy in that it is not always the best policies that get you elected to office. Yet, it is worth looking at the candidates' policies to see what the future holds. However, considering the level of apathy that abounds in the community where in some surveys the best estimate says that there may be only 35% eligible voter turnout. This means that the next Governor of Jakarta could be elected to office with as little as 17.6% of registered voters. It is always interesting to see a democracy where people for so long did not have the freedom to vote as they choose, struggle to get that right, and then once they do not exercise it. This is an argument or discussion for another blog entry on another day.



Back to the policies of the candidates. As is the case with most politicians their policies are big on rhetoric and somewhat skint on details. However, this said, at least one of the candidates was prepared to enter into a social contract with civil society on promises like reducing unemployment, reducing poverty, reducing flooding, and a number of other key issues for Jakarta. It would be interesting to see whether or not he would want to be held to this social contract in the future, a sort of live by the contract die by the contract venture. There are serious issues facing Jakarta and Jakartans into the future - unemployment is one, the others though are equally and if not more important, such as generating capital investment, reducing pollution which in turn may reduce flooding, improving general law enforcement, reducing corruption and illegal payments in the public sector and public services, transportation infrastructure, and reducing poverty, to name but a few of the challenges. I guess only time will tell on this front...

The following is written after the completion of the election process...

The incumbent Deputy Governor took the vote albeit not by the sizable margin predicted. More interesting and promising for the future was that all the dire predictions of minimal voter turnout did not materialize with some estimates suggesting a turnout of 75% of registered voters. Despite the smaller than expected margin of victory it is clear that the Governor-elect has a mandate to govern. Hopefully, with the support of some 19 political parties this will translate into effective government. However, the winds of change are ever-present as political parties are all too often populist in nature and chop and change course at a heartbeat in pursuit of greater public support.

Life goes on!