Saturday, July 13, 2013

[batavia-news] Islamists Kill at Least 30 in Nigeria School Attack

http://www.clarionproject.org/news/islamists-kill-least-30-nigeria-school-attack

Islamists Kill at Least 30 in Nigeria School Attack

The attackers, from the terror group Boko Haram, set fire to buildings and shot students as they tried to flee.

Mon, July 8, 2013

Headlines

Islamic militants attacked a boarding school in northeast Nigeria, killing at least 30 students and one teacher. Some of the students were burned alive in the latest school attack. The attackers set fire to buildings and shot students as they tried to flee. Parents, unable to identify the burned and hot bodies, could be heard screaming with grief.

The attack was blamed on Boko Haram, an Islamist terrorist organization whose name means "Western education is sacrilege."

Boko Haram rejects all Western cultural influences like modern schooling; its goal is to revive the era when much of West Africa was ruled by Islamic empires that thrived off the trans-Saharan trade.

The attack was the deadliest of at least three on schools since the military recently launched an offensive to try to crush the group.

Dozens of children from the 1,200-student school escaped into the bushes and have not been seen since.

Musa Hassan, a 15-year-old, who survived the attack, related details of the attack and how he was awakened by one of the attackers who held a gun to him. "We were sleeping when we heard gunshots. When I woke up, someone was pointing a gun at me," Hassan said from his bed at the Potsikum General Hospital.

Hassan recalled how the gunmen came armed with cans of fuel that they used to torch the school's administrative building and one of the dormitories. "They burned the children alive," he said. Some bodies were burned beyond recognition and could not be identified, so many parents do not know if their children survived and fled or died.

The United Nation's Children Fund (UNICEF) called upon the entire world to condemn the attack. In response to UNICEF, Abu Zinnira, a Boko Haram spokesman said, "We have established that the youth in Borno and Yobe are against our course. They have connived with security operatives and are actively supporting the government of Nigeria in its war against us. We have also resolved to fight back."

President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in the region where the school is located and sent in troops to try to stop the militants fighting to create a breakaway Islamic state.

Nigerian military sources claim to have been successful in regaining control of the area, the states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe. However, since the area covers some 155,000 square kilometers (60,000 square miles) it is becoming increasingly difficult for the military to patrol the area. Soldiers say they have killed and arrested hundreds of fighters.

The crackdown, which includes attacks on militant camps, appears only to have driven the extremists into caves in the mountains, from which they emerge to attack schools and markets. The group has increasingly targeted civilians, including health workers on vaccination campaigns, teachers and government workers.

As farmers have been driven from their land by the extremists and by military roadblocks, food shortages have become a major problem in the area. This adds to the problems of a people already hampered by the military's shutdown of cell phone service as well as a ban on using satellite telephones.

Jonathan's administration has offered amnesty and peace talks to members who renounce violence, but Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has repeatedly rejected any negotiations.

Friday, July 12, 2013

[batavia-news] Pramono Emerges for 2014 as the ‘Military’s President’

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/pramono-emerges-for-2014-as-the-militarys-president/

Pramono Emerges for 2014 as the 'Military's President'

Pramono Edhie Wibowo has been a Democratic Party member for less than two weeks and already the former Army chief of staff is being hailed as the obvious choice to replace President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the 2014 election.

Analysts say that Pramono, the younger brother of Ani Yudhoyono, the first lady, meets the two main criteria by which most Indonesian voters judge presidential potential: He is Javanese, and he has a military background.

The rationale behind these points is clear. Java is home to some 60 percent of the country's voters; and with many people still seeing the military — particularly the Army — as the strongest institution in the state, Pramono's military credentials are seen as a major asset.

"Military background and support could help him," Aleksius Jemadu, the dean of Pelita Harapan University's School of Social and Political Sciences, told the Jakarta Globe on Thursday.

But Pramono is hardly the first prospective presidential candidate from the Army. Prabowo Subianto, the former commander of the Army Special Forces (Kopassus) is widely considered one of the front-runners for the 2014 race, while Wiranto, the last armed forces chief under Suharto, announced his bid last week.

The difference, however, lies in the support behind the men.

Prabowo was discharged from the Army before he could retire, while Wiranto was always a polarizing figure among the top brass during his time in charge. But Pramono, only recently retired, is someone who analysts say would have the full backing of the military, which, though nominally prohibited from entering politics, is still seen as highly influential.

Gen. Moeldoko, the Army chief of staff, gave what almost amounted to a ringing endorsement of Pramono last week upon hearing that his predecessor might join the presidential race.

"We will fully support him," Moeldoko said. "However, we only will support him morally because the military can't get involved in politics."

None of the other generals has elicited anything like the same level of support from the current military leadership.

In addition to the military's support, Pramono, if he ran, would also have the political backing of the Democratic Party, which most polls suggest will get around 10 percent of the vote in next year's legislative election.

This is a key point because current electoral law stipulates that a party or coalition must have at least 25 percent of the vote in order to be eligible to nominate a presidential candidate.

This would leave the Democrats needing to seek the support of just two or three other parties to make up the difference. However, Prabowo's Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) and Wiranto's People's Conscience Party (Hanura) are not expected to fare as well, and could end up being minority partners in coalitions with larger parties, which would see their candidates relegated to running for vice president rather than the top seat.

But events are unlikely to pan out this way, says Andrinof Chaniago, a political expert at the University of Indonesia.

"It's still uncertain whether the Democrats will nominate Pramono for the presidential or vice presidential post," he told the Globe.

"It's all down to the public opinion polls and surveys. If the results aren't good, it's unlikely that he'll get the Democrats' nomination at all."

Andrinof added that Pramono's track record in the Army was mediocre at best, and that he couldn't be expected to transition easily into the role of a civilian leader.

"He's not a popular figure and he has little influence," he said.

"His family connection with Yudhoyono may increase his chances of being nominated, but winning the election will be out of his reach."

Aleksius from UPH agreed that it was doubtful "whether Pramono can shift from a military-style leadership to that of a civilian one."

"People are going to judge him based on his leadership abilities in overcoming the big problems that the country currently faces, and not based on his past leadership in the Army," he said.

Both Aleksius and Andrinof said there was a bigger chance of the Democrats backing Gita Wirjawan, the trade minister, whom they said appeared to have Yudhoyono's tacit approval to run in the party's convention to pick a candidate.

"Yudhoyono is pushing Gita and allowing him to advance, but again his chances depend on his popularity and what the public wants," Andrinof said.

Aleksius said the reason Gita, 47, could be picked over Pramono, 58, was because he could appeal to young and first-time voters, who this year are expected to account for just over 50 percent of voters.

He added that if anything, Pramono would make for a good choice of vice presidential candidate.

"I think his chance of running for the vice presidential spot is much bigger. He can go with Aburizal Bakrie," Aleksius said, referring to the Golkar Party chairman and presumptive presidential candidate.

"But it depends on how popular the Democrats will be in the legislative election. If their popularity drops drastically, they'll have to be content to run just for the vice presidential position. But if they get more than 10 percent of the vote, then there's a chance for them to aim for presidency outright.

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Thursday, July 11, 2013

[batavia-news] Indonesia fails to tackle forest fires

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/SEA-02-110713.html

Jul 11, '13

Indonesia fails to tackle forest fires
By Kitty Stapp

UNITED NATIONS - Indonesia's forest fires, a predictable annual ritual, will continue to have serious implications for health and the environment in Southeast Asia unless the government strengthens forest protection, warn environmental groups.The government claims it is doing its best, including implementation of existing protection measures against recurring forest fires. But environmental groups say Indonesia's best is not good enough.

Last month's forest fires in Indonesia, which literally choked parts of Singapore and Malaysia, have revived a longstanding debate on one of the key environmental issues troubling Southeast Asia.

The Malaysian government declared a state of emergency in areas where the haze triggered "one of the country's worst pollution levels", even as Singapore urged people to stay indoors.

Conscious of the ecological implications, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono formally apologized to Singapore and Malaysia for the widespread pollution caused by the forest fires in his country. "For what is happening, as the president, I apologize to our brothers in Singapore and Malaysia," Yudhoyono said.

Indonesia has been working hard to fight the fires, which are mostly set by farmers to clear fields. Ironically, the Indonesian president is one of three world leaders - along with Britain's David Cameron and Liberia's Ellen Johnson Sirleaf - chairing a high-level panel on the United Nation's post-2015 development agenda, which places high priority on the environment, and specifically on a set of future sustainable development goals.

As a result, says one Asian diplomat, neither the United Nations nor UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon are likely to take a critical stand on Indonesia's continuing forest fires. "It's a politically sensitive issue," he told IPS, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Asked for a response, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters on Tuesday: "Well, as I understand it, the countries in the region are closely coordinating and cooperating on this particular matter. And I think I would leave it at that. ... Should I have further information, particularly from my colleagues from the Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific, then I'd let you know."

But at this point, he said, "I think it is being handled between those countries in the region."

Asked about the implications of the recurring forest fires, Yuyun Indradi, forests campaigner at Greenpeace Southeast Asia, told IPS, "Basically this demonstrates that the government of Indonesia is less serious in dealing and improving forest governance, despite their previous commitments to do so."

Their commitment to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions up to 41% will be a mission impossible (most of the carbon emission is contribution of deforestation and land use change in the forestry sector, which contributes up to 80% of Indonesia's emission), he said.

"Forest governance, which includes law enforcement, is very weak. Even Indonesia has adopted zero burning policy [under the Forestry Act, Plantation Act and Environmental Protection and Management Act] but it is clearly still occurring on a widespread scale."

He also said investment in forest protection itself is also very low in terms of human resources - forest firefighters, forest fire investigators, equipment, early warning system - and it means that this environmental crime is allowed to occur. Corruption also part of the problem in the land-based extractives industry, such as plantations, forestry and mining, he added.

Pieter van Lierop, Forestry Officer (fire management) at the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), told IPS it is important to recognize that fire is used as a land management tool.

However, fires that get out of control on drained peatlands frequently cause significant damage to human health, human assets and biodiversity and create large amounts of greenhouse gasses contributing to climate change. The risk of such fires and their emissions are very high as dried peat becomes extremely inflammable and fires can remain underground in the peat for some time and then rise to the surface at a considerable distance from the original outbreak, he said.

Nazir Foead, conservation director at the World Wide Fund for Nature Indonesia, told IPS the implications for Indonesia would be on several fronts. Public health is certainly one of them, mostly for those living in provinces heavily affected by haze, he said. Foead said the state may have to bear some of the costs to improve public health.

As the fires burnt either crop or timber plantations, companies and farmers will endure economic losses. "We hope the [Indonesian] government would seriously enforce the zero burning laws on companies, and provide assistance to farmers who would eventually use fires to clear land every year," he said.

If farmers are not provided with technical and financial assistance, they will start the fires again next year, he warned.

FAO's Van Lierop told IPS that commercial enterprises involved in oil palm and other plantations should avoid the use of fire in the establishment and maintenance of plantations. At the same time, he said, small farmers should receive more support to use fires in a controllable and efficient manner and, where possible, to apply alternatives to the use of fire as an agricultural tool.

"There is need for a more active exchange of experiences, good practices and knowledge between the different regions of Kalimantan and Sumatra [where forest fires occur]," he said.

Governments at all levels should play an important role in this. International research projects could also contribute more to the exchange of good practices and the results of research, he said, adding that the FAO has been providing support to countries to develop an integrated approach to fire management, from prevention and preparedness to suppression and restoration for many years.

Greenpeace's Indradi told IPS the forest fire problem is part of the wider problem Indonesia has with managing its natural resources, "especially when we continue to put political and financial interests first rather than the environment".

(Inter Press Service)

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[batavia-news] Indonesia rejects Australian extradition plea

ref: Untuk melihat video footage, click :

http://www.aljazeera.com/video/asia-pacific/2013/07/201371114446260579.html

Indonesia rejects Australian extradition plea

Court refuses extradition of Afghan man, saying people smuggling is not part of extradition treaty.

Last Modified: 11 Jul 2013 16:24

An Indonesian court has rejected Australia's request to extradite an Afghan man accused of smuggling asylum seekers to Australia in dozens of boats, including one involved in an accident that killed about 200 people.

In its ruling, a three-judge panel from the South Jakarta District Court said Sayeed Abbas should not be extradited to face trial in Australia because people smuggling is not included in the extradition treaty between the two countries.

Al Jazeera's Florence Looi reports from Jakarta.

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[batavia-news] UN to take NGO reports on RI human rights seriously

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/07/11/un-take-ngo-reports-ri-human-rights-seriously.html

UN to take NGO reports on RI human rights seriously

Yohanna Ririhena, The Jakarta Post, Geneva | World | Thu, July 11 2013, 12:48 PM

Paper Edition | Page: 12

Members of the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC) said they would treat reports of Indonesia's human rights record, presented by NGOs, as essential input in considering points of recommendation to be made at the end of an upcoming session by the committee.

UNHRC head Sir Nigel Rodley underlined the significance of the NGO reports. "All the reports that we get from civil society are very important to us, since government reports inevitably tend to portray things in the best possible light," Rodley told The Jakarta Post.

Indonesia's delegation, which comprises 22 government officials, police and military officers and is led by the Law and Human Rights' director general of human rights, Harkristuti Harkrisnowo, is scheduled to present an initial report on the state of civil and political rights in the country at UN headquarters in Geneva on Wednesday and Thursday.

It will be the first Indonesian report examined by the committee, eight years after the country ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The committee will also hold formal and informal sessions with the NGOs.

Rodley underscored the fact that the 18 members of the committee needed to hear from different parties to gain more insight. "There is no way we can be experts on all the countries that are parties to the covenant. So, we are highly dependent on civil society to draw our attention to what seem to be the key issues in relation to compliance to the covenant," he said.

After all the hearings, the committee will identify three to four recommendations based on specific urgency and the possibility of being implemented within a one-year period. These recommendations, which will clearly be identified in a paragraph at the end of the concluding observations, are expected to be issued at the end of July.

Representatives of the NGOs will emphasize rights violations during an informal session or the second meeting with the experts on Wednesday.

Haris Azhar, coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), said the government's written report focused more on legal reform, but did not elaborate on the real situation concerning a number of human rights violations in the country.

Indria Fernida of UK-based Tapol, an NGO that works on behalf of political prisoners, stressed the restrictions on freedom of opinion and expression in Papua and West Papua.

She said the evidence on the ground suggested that measures taken to guarantee freedom of expression in Papua and West Papua had been ineffective. "Moreover, violations of the right to freedom of expression have intensified since 2013," she said.

Representatives from the NGOs also plan to highlight the newly endorsed and controversial Mass Organization Law, which it is feared will give the government greater control over public activities, such as the power to disband an organization deemed a threat to the state.

"The new law clearly violates freedom of association. It also stipulates [the creation of] a new institution with an unclear mandate to function as a 'clearing house', which could limit how NGOs operate," Human Rights Working Group executive director Rafendi Djamin said.

The ICCPR, a multilateral treaty adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1966 and entered into force on March 23, 1976, obliges all parties to respect the civil and political rights of individuals, including the right to life, freedom of religion, speech and assembly as well as electoral rights and the rights to due process and a fair trial.

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Wednesday, July 10, 2013

[batavia-news] Egypt’s leader should have focussed on people

http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/News/3197/21/Egypt%E2%80%99s-leader-should-have-focussed-on-people.aspx

02-07-2013 09:52PM ET

Egypt's leader should have focussed on people

Only a secular leader can bring about true democracy, by instilling trust and fostering unity, writes Aylin Kocaman

I am not Egyptian. But I am writing from a country whose democracy has grown under the leadership of a religious party — from Turkey. I opposed with all my might the pretentious comments regarding my country from some representatives of the foreign press during the Turkish protests. I therefore have no intention of doing the same regarding Egypt. However, a Turk is without doubt the person who can best understand Egypt among all the voices on the outside.

Turkey is of course different from Egypt, but the permanent demand in the two countries is the same: greater democracy. For that perspective, I think there is a need for the Egyptian people and government to know the stages Turkey has gone through.

Last April, I met in Istanbul with Abdel-Mawgoud Dardery, Saad Abdel-Mawgoud Ahmed and Mohamed Abdel-Salam Al-Senousi, representatives of the Mohamed Morsi government from the Egyptian Freedom and Justice Party. They are very pure, civilised and modern people. Dardery spoke of fine and positive plans for the future and intended to change the country through various reforms. He was aware that Egypt had not entirely settled down, but believed this was possible with a bit of time and effort.

The Turkish example was always present in their ideals: Turkish democracy, Turkish economy and Turkish conceptions of freedom. Although this democracy and liberty was being questioned on the streets of Turkey at the time, even the current situation is still a good model for Egypt.

They wanted to achieve what the Justice and Development Party (JDP) had achieved in 10 years.

The system the JDP found itself facing 10 years prior in Turkey was a collapsed economy, very high inflation, a huge foreign debt, water and electricity cuts, an impoverished middle class, hunger and poverty. People could not find bread, oil or cheese, and if they did they could not afford them. All the coalitions up to that time had made similar promises, and yet every government always left an impoverished Turkey behind it.

Looked at from that perspective, the difference between Egypt and Turkey is this: when the Erdogan government came to power the public had been acclimatised to the internal situation for many years and had no great expectations. But there were great expectations of Morsi, who came to power with a majority following a dictatorship. The Egyptian people wanted immediate democracy, economic improvement, freedom and wellbeing. Even if reforms were made, they were lost in those great expectations. Some Egyptian people were not satisfied because the public was impatient; but the real problem was that the administration began from the wrong place.

Crises stem from a lack of confidence. And poverty. People do not produce or create at such times; rather, they hide things away. They feel themselves in a climate of war that savage capitalism brings with it. They cannot trust, or help one another or act for other people's benefit. The system seizes up. A broad lack of confidence is the sole cause of the global economic crisis.

Therefore, if you are looking for solutions to the problems such as economy and tourism, you need to focus on the people, not the financial statistics. And you need to focus on the greatest psychological need of a human being: the feeling of trust.

The Morsi administration should have focussed on that first.

Bahieddin Hassan's assessment in Al-Ahram Weekly last week attracted my attention. He wrote that Morsi had tried to convince people that Islam is the solution, but that he failed to convince them. Morsi may have failed to convince people, but that did not stem from Islam. Politics must always be secular. People must be able to think, believe and speak freely. This conception of democracy is the basis of the Quran. Only a religious leader can bring about such a conception of democracy. Not radicals or peddlers of the nonsense of bigots. A true, open-minded religious believer is needed.

Actually, it was an advantage for Morsi to have come as a Muslim leader. He should have used that advantage by focussing "on people" rather than policies. He should have been unifying, have shown he was open to all ideas, and to have attached importance to love and affection. He should not have forgotten that for many, Islam brings to mind the fear of radicalism and should have been as libertarian as possible to quell that fear. He should have wholly rejected all repressive policies. He should have given women more rights and stressed them at every opportunity. He should have persistently stated and publicly demonstrated that he embraced Christians, Jews, believers, non-believers, Shias, Sunnis and everyone. He should have given the public the right to be heard. He should have established offices to deal with the public. He should have shown he valued art, music and science, that he sought high quality as a Muslim leader and that he wished this for his people.

He should have inspired trust first.

Unity comes when the people have trust. The people will support you if they trust you. If they trust you, they will look for solutions rather than feeling anger.

That did not happen in Egypt, because the people had no trust.

That was the advantage enjoyed 10 years ago by the JDP in Turkey. A devout government came to power with a modern understanding. Freedoms were offered to all faiths and opinions. Believers and non-believers were all put at ease. That is how it had to be if we did not want hypocrites among us. Allah despises the hypocrite. That is why Islam forbids a system that produces hypocrisy. That is why the idea of democracy in Islam is one in which all can think and speak freely. An Islamic country run by a true Muslim is the most democratic country in the world.

Morsi should have used that advantage.

The Egyptian people must be careful! It would be a tragedy for Egypt if they collectively decide, "This is not the answer" and turn to a Marxist system or a never-ending series of military coups. A worse dictatorship than Mubarak's would be the likely result and this valuable country would sink into petty despotism. Radical voices are another grave danger: any administration that includes radicals would inflict terror on the Egyptian people.

They must think of unity. I have seen with my own eyes that there are people in the Egyptian Freedom and Justice Party who will heed their demands. They can draw up a new strategy and submit that to the government. Protesting is good. But a protester must always have novel and constructive plans. When plans are submitted, doors that are bolted fast will suddenly open.

They must also attach importance to unity. Disunited societies always fall prey to others. Conflict and fighting never end. Unity is what Islam commands of us. We must not forget there is a secret behind this.

Let me remind people at this point that of course the Egyptian people are more experienced than us Turks when it comes to uprisings. But if there is one thing I have witnessed in the latest protests in Turkey, it is that various external powers seeking their own interests can easily spoil your peace, security and development. They will produce solutions for their own interests, not yours. While everything works in their favour, you will suddenly realise that the alternative they depicted as a laudable goal for you has led to your downfall.

Disorder inevitably favours opportunists and weakens you; but unity means strength.

The writer is a commentator and religious and political analyst on Turkish TV and a peace activist.

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[batavia-news] Tak Ada Lagi 'Orang Miskin Jangan Sakit'

Res: Apa kegunaan NKRI bagi rakyat, selain menperkaya rezim Neo-Mojopahit dan begundal-begundalnya?

http://www.ambonekspres.com/index.php?option=read&cat=42&id=42429

MINGGU, 06 Juli 2013 | 1794 Hits

Tak Ada Lagi 'Orang Miskin Jangan Sakit'

Oleh Thomas Edison

Kesehatan adalah hak hakiki manusia yang tak ternilai dan tak dapat ditawar-tawar. Bahkan, salah satu ciri negara maju adalah memiliki pelayanan kesehatan yang baik.

Konsekuensinya, permintaan akan pelayanan kesehatan menjadi tinggi, yang berdampak biaya pelayanan kesehatan menjadi tinggi juga.

Indonesia sebagai negara berkembang memiliki tingkat penduduk miskin cukup besar, di mana rakyat terutama yang tergolong miskin tentu kesulitan memenuhi biaya untuk kebutuhan kesehatannya.

Melirik kejadian yang marak di media massa, sebut saja baru-baru ini kasus kekurangan gizi yang ada di NTT dan banyaknya penolakan rumah sakit terhadap pasien yang tak mampu. Sungguh memprihatinkan.

Atas dasar itu, sudah semestinya semua pihak yang mengaku bagian dari Republik ini turut mencari solusi dan memberikan bantuan.

Pihak yang dimaksud dapat dari semua kalangan: pemerintah, rakyat yang menerima jaminan kesehatan miskin, bahkan rakyat yang tidak menerima jaminan kesehatan sekalipun termasuk para cendekia muda calon pelayan kesehatan. Solusi serta bantuan yang dapat disumbangsih pun amat beragam bentuknya.

Program Kesehatan Langsung Pemerintah

Sejak puluhan tahun lalu, pemerintah telah mengadakan pelayanan kesehatan yang terjangkau bagi masyarakat, melalui pusat kesehatan masyarakat (puskesmas).

Sedikitnya satu puskesmas telah ditempatkan di masing-masing kecamatan. Namun, puskesmas hanya melayani pelayanan tingkat dasar saja.

Pelayanan tingkat lanjut hanya diperoleh di rumah sakit yang tentu biayanya terbilang cukup tinggi.

Pemerintah telah menyiasaati keadaan ini dengan meluncurkan berbagai macam program kesehatan bebas iuran.

Pada tingkat lokal, misalnya di ibukota, terdapat program Kartu Jakarta Sehat (KJS). Kemudian pada skala nasional, masih berlangsung Jaminan Kesehatan Masyarakat (Jamkesmas) masyarakat miskin.

Selain itu, telah disiapkan pula program pengganti Jamkesmas yakni Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Sosial (BPJS) Kesehatan.

KJS yang dicetuskan oleh mantan walikota Solo, gubernur DKI Jakarta aktif, Joko Widodo. Seperti Jamkesmas, KJS memberikan jaminan pelayanan kesehatan bagi rakyat miskin dengan kemudahan pada segi biaya.

Yang menjadi unggulan KJS adalah barcode pada kartu, sehingga sistemnya online seperti ATM. Dengan demikian, biaya dan rekam medis akan tercatat oleh sistem sehingga penanganan pasien akan menjadi lebih mudah.

Selain itu, warga dapat mengurus kepemilikan KJS hanya dengan mengunjungi puskesmas terdekat dengan membawa KTP.

Jadi, tidak perlu memakan waktu dan tenaga seperti ke RT, ke RW, ataupun ke kelurahan. Tentu ini memudahkan rakyat di ibukota mengakses pelayanan kesehatan.

Sementara itu, pada tingkat nasional kita memiliki Jamkesmas yang dimulai sejak tahun 2008. Tujuan Jamkesmas cukup jelas.

Membantu warga yang belum mampu mengatasi persoalan kesehatan secara mandiri sehingga meningkatkan kualitas kesehatan masyarakat Indonesia.

Program yang berprinsip skala nasional, nirlaba, transparan, efisien dan efektif ini ditujukan pada sekitar 86,4 juta jiwa seluruh Indonesia, pada tahun ini. Jumlah ini diikuti dana glontoran pemerintah yang bersumber dari APBN sebesar 8,29 triliun rupiah.

Dengan Jamkesmas, warga miskin berhak memperoleh pelayanan kesehatan sesuai Standar Pelayanan Medik. Sebagian pelayanan ini meliputi Rawat Inap dan Rawat Jalan baik Tingkat Pertama (dasar) maupun Tingkat Lanjutan, serta pelayanan gawat darurat secara gratis.

Pada penerapannya, tak bisa dipungkiri pada pelaksanaannya mempunyai banyak kendala yang sudah langganan diekspos media massa.

Kasus-kasus ketidaktepatan sasaran peserta, misalnya, di mana keluarga mampu mendapatkan fasilitas Jamkesmas, sebaliknya yang berhak justru tidak.

Selain itu, banyak pula terdengar berita peserta Jamkesmas yang dipandang sebelah mata oleh pihak pelaksana pelayanan karena terkadang sulit menagih biaya pelayanan kepada Pemda.

Dengan kekurangan-kekurangan ini, tak sedikit orang yang menyatakan Jamkesmas produk gagal. Namun, tak boleh diabaikan bahwa keberadaan program Jamkesmas sangat membantu menaikkan derajat kesehatan masyarakat.

Bukan hanya menggerutu, merengek, mengkritik, atau malah bertahan meneruskan kesalahan. Peningkatan komprehensif dari semua pihak dan semua aspek berkaitan dengan kesehatan, itulah yang diperlukan. Ingat, kesehatan tidak bisa ditawar-tawar.

BPJS Kesehatan digadang-gadang sebagai program kesehatan masyarakat baru yang akan terbentuk sebagai hasil leburan Jamkesmas dengan PT. Askes dan Jamsostek. Dewan Jaminan Sosial Nasional sudah menetapkan road map untuk PT. Askes dalam mempersiapkan operasionalisasi BPJS per 1 Januari 2014.

Dengan ini, diharap manajemen pusat dan daerah semakin membaik. Hal ini akan berdampak positif pada komunikasi antar peserta, pelaksana dan penyelenggara pelayanan, ketepatan waktu penanganan, minimalisasi human error, serta transparansi kucuran dana.

Berbeda dengan Jamkesmas, seluruh WNI wajib menjadi peserta dalam BPJS Kesehatan. BPJS Kesehatan akan dibagi menjadi dua kelompok, yakni Penerima Bantuan Iuran (PBI) dan bukan PBI. Kelompok PBI inilah yang iuran asuransinya dibiayai pemerintah, seperti halnya Jamkesmas.

Dengan mengetahui segala permasalahan yang telah ada, sebaiknya segera dioptimalkan dahulu penyehatan-penyehatan pada program Jamkesmas.

PT. Askes dan Jamsostek merupakan BUMN yang besar dan masing-masing manajerialnya tidaklah mudah. Apabila masih terdapat masalah yang di satu sektor saja, kemungkinan proses peleburan akan dapat terhambat.

Prosedur-prosedur yang sudah ada hendaknya semakin disederhanakan agar mudah meresap ke rakyat. Digalakkannya lagi penyuluhan yang tepat sasaran mengenai program dan prosedur baru sangat diperlukan masyarakat.

Program yang dibentuk hendaklah juga fleksibel agar tidak merugikan pihak-pihak swasta, misalnya dokter swasta. Apakah BPJS Kesehatan bekerjasama hanya dengan Rumah Sakit atau puskesmas?

Jika demikian, sebagai akibat wajibnya seluruh masyarakat menjadi peserta BPJS Kesehatan yang sifatnya asuransi, pasien tidak akan memilih dokter swasta untuk tempat berobat. Ini tentu akan mempersulit dokter swasta.

Program Pemerintah Lainnya

Mari kita tilik program pemerintah pusat maupun daerah. Dari Jalan Sehat, Reboisasi, peningkatan mutu pendidikan, pembersihan daerah kumuh, penyuluhan hingga penganugerahan penghargaan Adipura.

Bukankah itu semua juga akan mendukung peningkatan kualitas kesehatan masyarakat Indonesia yang merupakan tujuan utama program seperti Jamkesmas?

Pemerintah diharap meningkatkan fasilitas untuk mendidik tenaga medis seperti dokter dan perawat berkualitas, melalui sekolah medis yang semakin ditingkatkan pula kualitasnya.

Melalui program Beasiswa Unggulan dari Kementrian Pendidikan Nasional, pemerintah memberi kemudahan khususnya dalam hal ini calon tenaga medis yang berjiwa sosial tinggi dan berprestasi untuk mengembangkan bakatnya.

Beasiswa Bidik Misi juga disiapkan bagi para calon tenaga medis yang berpotensi namun tersandung biaya pendidikan.

Semua Pihak Harus Mendukung

Masyarakat hendaknya mendukung penuh program pemerintah. Tidak skeptis terhadap program yang diterapkan.

Berorientasi pada peningkatkan kualitas kesehatan pribadi dan masyarakat lain. Meningkatkan kebersihan, olahraga, menjalankan saran dari pihak penyelenggara dan pelaksana, namun tetap kritis terhadap kebijakan yang ada.

Tenaga medis juga harus meningkatkan kualitas pelayanan kesehatan. Berorientasi penuh pada masyarakat.

Walau banyak program-program telah diterapkan untuk peningkatan kualitas kesehatan, tidak ada gunanya jika tidak ada dukungan dari semua pihak.

Bahkan pihak yang bukan peserta Jamkesmas pun dapat mendukung. Di sini pulalah peran program beasiswa, yakni Beasiswa Unggulan dan Bidik Misi.

Pastilah polemik bahwa pendidikan tenaga medis yang terkenal mahal biayanya akan membuat tenaga medis mengutamakan balik modal, akan hilang. Dengan demikian, akan tercipta tenaga medis berjiwa sosial tinggi, berorientasi pada masyarakat, serta berprestasi.

Fokus penuh pada peningkatan kualitas kesehatan akan membuahkan kualitas hidup yang lebih baik untuk seluruh masyarakat Indonesia. Tidak ada lagi kalimat: "Orang miskin jangan sakit". Ingat, kesehatan tidak bisa ditawar-tawar.

*) Penulis adalah peraih medali perak OSN bidang kimia tahun 2012, alumni SMA Kharisma Bangsa yang telah diterima di Fakultas Kedokteran Umum Universitas Gadjah Mada.

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