KPK to question Robert Tantular today

Fri, 03/19/2010 10:51 AM | National

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) will question former Bank Century owner Robert Tantutar on Friday in its investigation into possible fraud in the disbursement of the Rp 6.76 trillion (US$716 million) Bank Century bailout.

KPK spokesman Johan Budi, confirmed the plan and said that Robert would be examined as a witness.

Previously, the antigraft commission had planned to question Robert over the management of the bailout funds after they were disbursed by the Deposit Insurance Corporation (LPS).

Bank Century, now Bank Mutiara, received Rp 6.76 trillion in bailout funds after the government decided to save the ailing bank, fearing a systemic threat to the country’s banking sector amid the global financial crisis.

However, many suspect the bailout funds may have been channeled to politicians for election campaign funds.

The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) recently found that several names of fund recipients may have been political figures.

Earlier this year, the Jakarta High Court increased the sentence against Robert from four to five years in prison, after it found him guilty of issuing a letter of credit worth US$178 million and unhealthy loans of Rp 362 billion ($38.5 million) and misusing funds worth $18 million.

Obama visit delay to June 'suitable' for Indonesia

Jakarta | Fri, 03/19/2010 11:04 AM | National The delay of US President Barack Obama's planned visit to Indonesia, now set for June, is in line with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's preference, Indonesia presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal said here Friday.

Dino said Yudhoyono had earlier suggested that the visit was delayed until June even before Obama postponed the start of his Indonesian visit from March 20 to March 23.

"We understand that this is based on political necessity. The statement made by the White House was that President Obama himself was very disappointed and regretful that he could not make the visit," Dino told a press conference at the Presidential Office.

"We know that this visit is important to President Obama, that Indonesia is an important country, that there's a strong commitment to launch a comprehensive partnership.

"We're glad as from the beginning it is President Yudhoyono's preference... so that the visit is done without political rush. We want the visit to be 100 percent a success, where Obama can fully focuse on the Indonesia-US bilateral relationship," he added.

Dino said the visit would be done around mid-June, and that June was basically an option discussed by the two country leaders during their meeting in the G-20 meeting in Pitssburg last year.

"President [Yudhoyono] said it was better in June because summer holiday will have begun and [Obama] can bring the First Lady and his children to Indonesia."

The White House announced last night [Jakarta time] that Obama's visit to Indonesia and Australia, formerly set for next week, would be delayed until June.

The US President is facing pressure to stay at home to push past the health care reform bill, which is the main part of his campaign when running for the presidency.

US statement on the delay of Obama’s trip

Jakarta | Fri, 03/19/2010 12:18 PM | World

US President Barack Obama is pleased the House has posted the healthcare legislation on the Internet and that a final vote is going ahead, says White House press secretary Robert Gibbs.

But since the House rules rightly provide for a 72-hour public review period, it is clear that a final vote on health insurance reform cannot take place before Sunday afternoon, Gibbs said in a statement run on the US Embassy Jakarta's website on Friday.

As a result, the President telephoned the leaders of Indonesia and Australia and told them that he must postpone his planned visits there for a later date so he could remain in Washington for the critical vote. The President now expects to visit Indonesia and Australia in June.

“The President greatly regrets the delay. Our international alliances are critical to America’s security and economic progress. But the passage of health insurance reform is of paramount importance, and the President is determined to see this battle through,” the statement said.

High school students prepare for national exams

akarta | Wed, 03/17/2010 7:39 PM | Education Students in Jakarta have been preparing since January for the national exams, which are scheduled to begin Monday, by sitting mock exams.

State senior high school SMAN 24, private high school SMA Labschool and vocational school STM Pembangunan, for example, held several mock exams, individual extensive tutoring and in-depth learning sessions.

“We’re running the mock exams because of the high standards the students have to attain in order to pass the national exams,” Ida Febrianie, an English teacher at SMAN 24, said Wednesday

Students have to average 5.5 in six subjects with no more than two grades less than 4.0 in order to pass the national exams this year. Students at vocational schools have to average 5.5 in four subjects and score a 7.0 in a practical test.

Taufik Yudi, the head of Jakarta Education Agency, said 96.5 percent of Jakarta high school students passed the national exams last year.

However, the track record of other regions was poorer. In East Nusa Tenggara, approximately a quarter of all high school students failed the exams, with seven schools recording a passing rate of zero percent.

Nissan to make electric vehicle in UK

Thu, 03/18/2010 4:12 PM

Nissan Motor Co. said Thursday it will make its electric vehicle, the Leaf, in England from early 2013 as the automaker gears up for global sales of the zero emission car.

Japan's third-largest automaker said it will make about 50,000 Leafs per year at its plant in Sunderland, in northern England. It will invest euros 486.2 million ($640 million) in the plant, which will also make batteries for electric vehicles.

Nissan is banking on electric vehicles to spur growth as it has fallen behind bigger rivals Toyota Motor Corp. - the world's largest automaker - and Honda Motor Co. in gas-electric hybrids that have become popular in Japan and abroad.

Apart from the British plant, Nissan has said it will make the Leaf in Japan later this year and the United States in 2012.

"The three production sites will support the sales launch of the model, which begins in late 2010 in Japan, the United States and selected European markets, ahead of global mass marketing from 2012," Nissan said in a statement.

The Leaf has a range of 100 miles (160 kilometers) on a single battery charge. Nissan has yet to announce a price tag for the Leaf.

Nissan said battery production at the Sunderland plant will begin in 2012 with annual capacity of 60,000 units.

Nissan - Britain's largest automaker by production volume - has 4,100 employees at Sunderland.

Nissan's smaller rival, Mitsubishi Motors Corp., launched its electric vehicle, the i-MiEV, in Japan in June. Mitsubishi's zero-emission vehicle costs 4.59 million yen ($51,000). The company has acknowledged that may be too expensive for most consumers.

VP to visit Jakarta dump site today

Fri, 03/19/2010 8:11 AM | Jakarta

Vice President Boediono is scheduled to visit Jakarta's dump site the Bantar Gebang landfill in Bekasi on the outskirts of the capital on Friday.

Isbudi, a vice presidential spokesman, told tempointeraktif.com that the visit was part of a working visit in Bekasi.

Boediono will also visit a public health center in Bantar Gebang, a National Program for Community Empowerment (PNPM) site in Aren Jaya and a high school.

The vice president will be accompanied by Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto.

Earlier this month, Boediono promised that the government would improve health care services for poor communities by providing more facilities for community health centers and hospitals.

Boediono encouraged the provision of mobile services to ensure that health care was more accessible for the community

Obama postpones Asia trip to focus on health care

Washington | Fri, 03/19/2010 7:25 AM

President Barack Obama has postponed his trip to Asia until June so he can stay in Washington for a possible Sunday vote on his health care overhaul.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday the president is disappointed and regrets having to delay his visits to Indonesia and Australia but has told the leaders of those nations that health care is a crucial priority.

"The president believes right now, the place for him to be is in Washington seeing this through," Gibbs said.

Obama had already delayed the trip to Indonesia and Australia, pushing back a Thursday departure until Sunday so he could help Democrats in Congress rally last-minute votes for the plan.

White House staff had tried to find a way to push the trip back another few days, but by Thursday morning, it was clear the only way the president could still travel to Australia and Indonesia was if he left early Sunday afternoon. With the House likely to hold a vote on the health care bill sometime Sunday, Gibbs said, "very little padding remained."

Obama made the final decision to delay the trip during a brief Oval Office meeting Thursday morning with top aides, including chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and national security adviser James Jones.

House Democrats believe they are on track to vote Sunday on a $940 billion health care bill that will expand coverage to millions. If the bill passes, the Senate will begin considering changes to the bill next week.

Democratic lawmakers welcomed the president's decision to stay in town.

Said the leader of the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, "He wants to be here for the history."

"He may have to twist some arms," said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, a Democrat. "He may have to talk to some people. His personal presence helps."

The president's trip had originally been scheduled to coincide with his daughters' spring break from school. After the first delay, the White House announced the president's family would no longer accompany him overseas and the president's trip would be shortened by a day as aides sought to tamp down criticism that he was taking a family vacation as the health care debate reached its crucial final stages.

The trip to Indonesia was to be a homecoming of sorts for the president, who spent four years in the world's largest Muslim country as a boy when his mother married an Indonesian man. A statue of Obama as a 10-year-old boy has been erected at the elementary school he attended.

Obama also had been scheduled to deliver his first address to the Muslim world since his historic speech in Cairo last year and had been scheduled to meet with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Obama was to address Australia's parliament and meet with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, with whom he shares a close relationship on the issues of climate change and the war in Afghanistan.

Rudd spoke with Obama early Friday morning Australian time, and said the president told him he was looking forward to having "a more relaxed visit" to Australia in June, rather than the 24-hour stop that had been planned for next week. Rudd, who has had his own issues with a problematic Senate, told Obama he sympathizes with his battle over health care reform.

Other U.S. officials have dropped plans to visit Australia and Indonesia this year. Defense Secretary Robert Gates canceled visits to both Australia and Indonesia in January, so that he could remain in Washington for coordination of the U.S. military response to the earthquake in Haiti. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton canceled a trip to Australia at the same time, also because of the earthquake.

Gates and Clinton had planned to attend an annual summit with their Australian counterparts that is a diplomatic priority for Australia, a close ally and a steadfast troop contributor to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. At the time of the cancellations, Gates and Clinton said the Australia summit would be rescheduled.

Kiss me!

Thu, 03/18/2010 9:08 AM

Youths take part in an Omed-omedan kissing ritual Wednesday at Koja hamlet in Sesetan, Denpasar, Bali, on Wednesday. The tradition, held on Ngembak Geni (Welcome the Fire) Day that falls a day after the Hindu Day of Silence (Nyepi), has been continuing for generations at the hamlet in a bid to strengthen cohesion among young people.

More bodies found in East Kalimantan boat accident

Thu, 03/18/2010 10:50 AM

A joint search team found Thursday two more bodies of passengers of a motor boat that capsized Tuesday on the Mahakam River in Muara Kaman, Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan.

Local police chief Adj. Comr. Ikshanuddin told tempointeraktif.com that the bodies were found in different locations.

“One was near the accident site and the other around three kilometers downstream,” he said.

The discovery raised the total number of casualties to eight, prompting the end of the search. Nine people survived the accident.

The passenger boat was carrying the 17 people from Sabintulung village to Kota Bangun following a traditional ceremony when it capsized around midnight Tuesday. Police suspect the boat, traveling at high speed, hit a log in the river and overturned.

Disciplinary council in row over alleged ethical violations

Jakarta | Thu, 03/18/2010 11:32 AM

The chairman of the House of Representatives' disciplinary council, Gayus Lumbuun from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), says that council members who are recently reported for ethical violations must be inactive.

The reported members are Chaeruman Harahap and Nudirman Munir. Both of them from the Golkar Party were reported for their involvement in a scuffle during a House plenary session on the Bank Century bailout case.

"The report on them has been officially submitted to the council, therefore, they must temporarily be inactive to prevent any possible conflict of interests," Gayus told The Jakarta Post at the House in Jakarta on Thursday.

"We are going to process them as usual," he added.

Previously, in an ironic twist, Nudirman and Chaeruman initiated a vote of no confidence against Gayus, citing that the chairman was too authoritarian in leading the council.

Another moderate earthquake shakes Aceh

Jakarta | Wed, 03/17/2010 9:29 PM

A moderate earthquake measuring 5.1 magnitudes jolted Aceh at 4:44 p.m. on Wednesday, following a 5.3-magnitude earthquake that hit the province earlier in the morning.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency disclosed the epicenter of the quake at a 4.54 north latitude and 95.41 east around 90 kilometers northwest from Meulaboh in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, at a depth of 90 kilometers.

The agency did not issue a tsunami alert.

Moderate quakes often rock the province located on the northern tip of Sumatra Island, which was the worst hit area when the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami struck.

Terrorists change target, modus: Police chief

Jakarta | Wed, 03/17/2010 9:56 PM

National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri said Wednesday that the terrorist network in Indonesia has changed its target and modus operandi.

“They are aiming at particular parties such as the National Police, the Indonesian Military and other law enforcement personnel,” Bambang said as quoted by Antara news agency. Previously, terrorists mainly attacked Westerners or parties with opposing ideologies.

Meanwhile in terms of their modus, terrorists have been said to be changing from their previous bombing methods to using firing weapons, he added. “The paramilitary training activities also show that [terrorists] have further developed their [violent] patterns.”Terrorists change target, modus: Police chief

Maruarar warns KPK to work seriously on Bank Century case

Tue, 03/16/2010 10:03 PM

Legislator Maruarar Sirait from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle [PDI-P] has asked the Corruption Eradication Commission [KPK] to seriously investigate a possible graft within Bank Century's bailout.

“It [Bank Century bailout] involves possible corruption involving a huge amount of state money," Maruarar, who was one of the initiators of the House of Representatives' special committee to query parties related to the troubled bailout, said Tuesday as quoted by tempointeraktif.com. "The KPK should put in an extra effort to reveal it.”

Maruarar said that the “flaming ball” on Bank Century's case was currently in the hands of the KPK. “The [flaming ball] was in the House's, but we have proven [our seriousness in settling the case] by forming the special committee.”

Previously, the House voted against a decision in November 2008 by then Financial System Stability Committee (KSSK) chairwoman Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Boediono (now Vice President) to authorize the bailout that increased tenfold to Rp 6.76 trillion (US$716 million).

25 dead in central China coal mine fire

Beijing | Tue, 03/16/2010 8:39 AM

An electrical fire at an illegal coal mine in central China has left 25 people dead, the latest fatal accident to rock the country's mining industry.

Three people - the mine's owner, manager and an investor - have been detained by police following the Monday night blaze at the mine in Henan province, near the famed Shaolin kung fu temple, said He Yu, an official in the press office of the Zhengzhou city Communist Party.

The mine is located in Xinmi city, which is overseen by Zhengzhou city.

Six of the 31 miners underground managed to escape the fire, He said.

It was not clear how the electrical fire started. An investigation was under way.

China's coal mines are the world's deadliest, despite a multiyear government effort to reduce fatalities. Most accidents are blamed on failure to follow safety rules or lack of required ventilation, fire-control and other equipment.

Obama's Asia trip more about influence than policy

Washington | Tue, 03/16/2010 8:26 AM

President Barack Obama's second trip to Asia since taking office is unlikely to result in tangible accomplishments, but the two-country sojourn could be an important step in restoring U.S. influence in the region.

The economy, terrorism and climate change all figure to play prominently in Obama's stops in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, and Australia, a key U.S. ally and supporter of American military efforts in Afghanistan.

Obama is the first U.S. president in at least a decade to travel to Southeast Asia for anything other than a regional summit, a move administration officials say reflects his efforts to strengthen relationships with smaller, emerging nations.

"There are a number of important middle powers, countries like Australia and Indonesia who are significant players," said Jeff Bader, the president's senior adviser for Asia.

As the president prepares to undertake his first international trip of the year, scheduled for Sunday, domestic politics have threatened to overshadow his foreign policy goals.

The ongoing debate on health care reform forced Obama to push back his original Thursday departure by three days so he could stay in Washington and help Democrats in Congress rally last-minute votes for his overhaul plan.

The change in itinerary also meant first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha would no longer accompany the president abroad, despite the fact that the trip had been scheduled to coincide with the girls' spring break from school.

Obama had hoped to show his family his boyhood haunts in Indonesia, where he spent four years after his mother married an Indonesian man. A bronze statue of a 10-year-old Obama was recently erected at the elementary school he attended.

During his two-day stop in Jakarta, Obama will meet with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. In a separate appearance, he'll deliver his first address to the Muslim world since his historic speech in Cairo last year.

Obama will also spend a day in Bali, a well-known tourist destination that has been struck by deadly terrorist attacks. There he will meet with civil society leaders and hold an event promoting the role civil society has played in Indonesia's emerging democracy.

The president's itinerary in Australia has been scaled back due to the delay in his departure. He'll no longer visit Sydney, where his family was expected to do some sightseeing, and instead stop only in Australia's capital, Canberra.

He will meet with Prim Minister Kevin Rudd, with whom he shares a close relationship on the issues of climate change and the war in Afghanistan.

Obama will address Australia's parliament and mark the 70th anniversary of relations between the U.S. and Australia.

In some parts of Asia, the most carefully watched stop of Obamas trip will be the first, and the shortest - a speech he'll make to U.S. service members stationed in Guam while his plane refuels before heading to Indonesia.

The tiny U.S. Pacific territory is at the center of a growing rift between Washington and Japan. Under a post-World War II pact, the U.S. has about 50,000 troops in Japan, most of whom are on the island of Okinawa. Both countries had agreed to close the sprawling Marine Corps Air Station Futenma and relocate 8,000 Marines to Guam.

While Tokyo's previous administration agreed to build a replacement for Futenma farther north on a less-populated part of kinawa, Japan's new coalition government is divided over whether a base should remain in Japan at all. The U.S. says the transfer of Marines to Guam cannot move forward until the new site on Okinawa is finalized.

New HIV infections increasing among homosexuals

New York | Tue, 03/16/2010 12:24 PM

New HIV infections are increasing among homosexuals, drug users and prostitutes who don't seek help because of laws that criminalize these practices, the head of the U.N. AIDS agency said Monday.

Michel Sidibe, the head of UNAIDS, said "it is unacceptable" that 85 countries still have laws criminalizing same sex relations among adults, including seven that impose the death penalty for homosexual practices.

He called a proposed Ugandan law that would impose the death penalty for some gays "very unfortunate" and expressed hope it will never be approved.

At a time when UNAIDS is scaling up its program and seeking universal access to HIV treatment, Sidibe said he was "very scared" because bad laws are being introduced by countries making it impossible for these at risk groups to have access to services.

"You have also a growing conservatism which is making me very scared," Sidibe added.

"We must insist that the rights of the minorities are upheld. If we don't do that ... I think the epidemic will grow again," he warned. "We cannot accep the tyranny of the majority."

Sidibe told a group of journalists at a luncheon hosted by the United Nations Foundation that in countries from China to Kenya and Malawi, about 33 percent of new HIV infections are in men having sex with men, a significant increase.

By contrast, he said that in the Caribean where most countries don't have repressive laws, only between 3 and 6 percent of HIV infections are in male homosexuals.

Even in the United States, where laws are not restrictive and the gay community was the first to tackle AIDS, Sidibe said it is "shocking" that more than 50 percent f new HIV infections last year occurred among homosexuals. And he said in the 19-25 age bracket the infection rate was even higher.

"It seems like we have come full circle" in the United States, he said. "After almost no cases a few years ago we are seeing again this new peak among people who are not haing access to all the information, the protection that is needed."

In addition to failing to adequately deliver the right messages about AIDS prevention, Sidibe blamed complacency in a new generation that has access to treatment.

He added that this was not just a problem in the U.S. but in Europe andin Africa as well.

Sidibe said drug users are also getting the HIV virus that causes AIDS in high numbers.

"You have 70 percent of new infections occurring in Eastern Europe and Central Asia among drug users, but they are criminalized," he said. "They don't have access to services. They have to hi themselves and go underground."

Of the 16 million people in the world who are injecting drugs, almost 3 million are HIV positive, and among them less than 4 percent have access to treatment and less than 8 percent have access to services, Sidibe said.

"It's the same for men having sex with men," hsaid.

In Nigeria, where there are 1,000 new HIV infections every day, over 30 percent are in vulnerable groups - drug users, sex workers and homosexuals, he said.

Sidibe called for "a prevention revolution" including a campaign in major cities around the world like the anti-smoking campaigns launched in recent years.

Muhammadiyah urges KPK to take actions in Bank Century case

Jakarta | Tue, 03/16/2010 2:32 PM

Second largest Muslim organization Muhammadiyah has urged the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to take actions in the Rp 6.7 trillion (US$716 million) Bank Century bailout case.

"Our stand has been very clear. We want the Bank Century bailout case to be resolved comprehensively," Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsuddin said as quoted by kompas.com.

"It's not only about the huge amount of money in the bailout, but also illegal practices in it."

Din said KPK should be able to take actions based on the audit from the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK).

"KPK must quickly process those involved in the Bank Century bailout," he added.

3.000 Ogoh-ogoh Diarak pada Malam Pengerupukan

Senin, 15 Maret 2010 | 02:45 WIB

Pemuda Banjar Tegal Sari, Denpasar, membuat ogoh-ogoh dua pemain sepak bola dunia, Ronaldinho dan Gianluigi Buffon, Minggu (14/3). Ogoh-ogoh yang akan diarak pada malam hari raya Nyepi itu adalah sindiran terhadap prestasi sepak bola nasional yang semakin terpuruk.

Denpasar - Sekitar 3.000 ogoh-ogoh akan diarak di Pulau Bali pada malam pengerupukan atau malam sebelum hari raya Nyepi Tahun Baru Saka, Senin (15/3). Prosesi arakan-arakan patung raksasa perwujudan Bhuta Kala itu akan dikawal 2.432 polisi dan ribuan petugas pengamanan desa atau pecalang di seluruh Bali.

Humas Pemerintah Kota Denpasar Erwin Suryadharma, Minggu (14/3), jumlah ogoh-ogoh yang diarak di wilayah Kota Denpasar sebanyak 387 buah, belum termasuk yang dibuat secara swadaya oleh anak-anak dan pemuda di setiap banjar. Setelah diarak, ogoh-ogoh itu akhirnya akan dibakar sebagai perwujudan pengusiran roh jahat.

Kepala Kepolisian Daerah Bali Inspektur Jenderal Sutisna menyatakan, peningkatan pengamanan pada malam pengerupukan diperlukan karena adanya konsentrasi massa di sepanjang jalan di Pulau Bali. Hal itu meningkatkan kerawanan terjadinya gesekan di jalan.

Seperti biasanya, sejumlah pintu masuk ke Bali, seperti Bandara Ngurah Rai (Badung), Pelabuhan Benoa (Denpasar), Pelabuhan Gilimanuk (Jembrana), Pelabuhan Padangbai (Karangasem), dan Pelabuhan Celukan Bawang (Singaraja), akan ditutup pada hari raya Nyepi. Ini terkait dengan dilakukannya Catur Barata atau Yoga Samadhi, yakni pantang menyalakan api, menghentikan aktivitas kerja, pantang menghibur diri, dan pantang bepergian.

General Manager PT Angkasa Pura I Ngurah Rai Heru Legowo mengatakan, penutupan bandara berlangsung 24 jam terhitung mulai Selasa pukul 06.00.

Sementara itu, kemarin, ribuan umat Hindu mengikuti upacara Melasti di Pantai Salira, Kecamatan Pulo Ampel, Kota Cilegon, Provinsi Banten. Sejak sekitar pukul 08.00, umat Hindu dari sejumlah wilayah di Banten sudah berdatangan ke lokasi.

Sebagian dari mereka datang berombongan menggunakan bus, tetapi ada pula yang naik kendaraan pribadi. Mereka, antara lain, datang dari Serang, Cilegon, dan Tangerang. Sebagian besar menggunakan pakaian adat dengan warna dominan putih.

Kesemarakan prosesi yang diiringi tetabuhan rancak turut menarik minat banyak warga sekitar guna menyaksikan rangkaian upacara Melasti itu.

Jelang Nyepi, Umat Hindu Upacara Tawur Kesanga

Senin, 15 Maret 2010 | 16:03 WIB

BEKASI - Sehari sebelum Hari Raya Nyepi Tahun Baru Saka 1932, umat Hindu di Kota Bekasi menggelar Pecaruan Tawur Kesanga di halaman Pura Agung Tirta Bhuana, Kota Bekasi, Senin (15/3/2010).

Ratusan umat Hindu di Bekasi mengikuti persembahyangan bersama, yang dipimpin pemangku atau pendeta di Pura Agung Tirta Bhuana Kota Bekasi.
Pecaruan Tawur Kesanga merupakan upacara penyucian alam semesta, atau bhuana agung, dan sekaligus diri manusia, atau bhuana alit, sebelum melaksanakan Catur Brata Penyepian, atau empat macam pengendalian diri selama Nyepi. Upacara Tawur Kesanga ini digelar sehari sebelum pelaksanaan Hari Raya Nyepi Tahun Baru Saka pada Selasa (16/3/2010).

Dalam dharma wacana atau paparan tentang pokok ajaran agama, sebelum persembahyangan bersama Tawur Kesanga di Pura Agung Tirta Bhuana Kota Bekasi, Ketua Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia (PHDI) Kabupaten Bekasi, Anak Agung Gede Raka Putra menyatakan, Tawur Kesanga adalah upacara menyucikan alam semesta dan sekaligus diri manusia.

Pada sore hari, Tawur Kesanga dilanjutkan dengan pawai obor yang disemarakkan dengan pawai ogoh-ogoh, sebagai upaya menarik kekuatan alam, atau butha, menjadi netral dan suci.

Melalui Tawur Kesanga, kata Raka, alam semesta dan diri manusia disiapkan menjadi bersih dan suci. Sehingga umat Hindu siap melaksanakan tapa brata yoga semadi Hari Raya Nyepi melalui Catur Brata Penyepian, yakni Amati Geni (tidak menyalakan api/hawa nafsu), Amati Karya (tidak beraktivitas), Amati Lelungaan (tidak bepergian ke luar rumah), dan Amati Lelangunan (tidak menghibur diri), selama satu hari penuh. Selama Hari Raya Nyepi, umat Hindu juga dianjurkan melaksanakan puasa.

Hari Raya Nyepi awalnya dilakukan dalam merayakan tahun baru saka, yang merupakan penanda masa penobatan Raja Kaniska I pada tahun 78 M. Pada tahun 1959, Parisada dan pemuka agama Hindu menetapkan Tahun Baru Saka sebagai Hari Raya Nyepi. Melalui Keputusan Presiden RI Nomor 3 Tahun 1983, Hari Raya Nyepi Tahun Baru Saka dinyatakan sebagai hari libur nasional.

Pawai "Ogoh-ogoh" Juga Digelar di Monas

Senin, 15 Maret 2010 | 21:40 WIB

Umat Hindu mengarak ogoh-ogoh pada peringatan Nyepi Tahun Baru Saka 1932 di Monumen Nasional (Monas), Jakarta, Senin (15/3/2010). Peringatan tersebut diisi dengan kirab budaya yang menampilkan ogoh-ogoh, pajegan bunga dan buah, barongsai, dan ondel-ondel.

JAKARTA — Perayaan menyambut Nyepi dengan pawai ogoh-ogoh tidak hanya ramai di Bali, tetapi juga digelar di Monumen Naisonal (Monas) Jakarta, Senin (15/3/2010) malam. Bahkan, Gubernur DKI Jakarta Fauzi Bowo menghadiri pelepasan pawai ogoh-ogoh dalam rangka malam Tahun Baru Saka 1932 di Monumen Nasional (Monas) Jakarta itu.

"Pawai ogoh-ogoh yang diadakan di Monumen Nasional ini sebagai bentuk kepedulian pemerintah dan seluruh warga Kota Jakarta dalam berpartisipasi pada perayaan Tahun Baru Saka 1932," ujar Fauzi Bowo. Ia menjamin pada tahun-tahun berikutnya umat Hindu dapat memusatkan pawaiogoh-ogoh di pelataran Monas ini.

Fauzi juga menyatakan agar umat Hindu setelah merayakan Catur Brata Penyepian dapat mengendalikan hawa nafsu, mengintrospeksi diri, dan menjadi manusia yang lebih berkualitas di tahun-tahun berikutnya. Pawai ogoh-ogoh yang diadakan pada rangkaian ritual upacara Tawur Kesanga ini terdiri dari 11 ogoh-ogoh dari beberapa pura yang ada di sekitar wilayah Jakarta.

Setelah dilakukan pelepasan oleh Gubernur, 11 ogoh-ogoh atau patung raksasa yang melambangkan kejahatan ini akan berkeliling di pelataran Monas. "Ogoh-ogoh ini hanya berkeliling Monas, dan tidak dibakar seperti pawai ogoh-ogoh di Bali karena tidak ada tempat yang memungkinkan untuk membakarnya, dan dikhawatirkan akan mengganggu lingkungan," ujar Sekretaris Pelaksana Acara, AA Gede Asmara.

Dalam acara pawai ogoh-ogoh ini tidak hanya diikuti oleh ratusan umat Hindu yang berada di Jakarta dan sekitarnya, tetapi juga pengunjung Monas yang tertarik untuk menyaksikan acara yang diadakan dalam rangka merayakan Nyepi ini.