Susilo: There will be no apology for the Apology

Hantu Laut

The unschooled Indonesian media shit-stirring their President for apologising to Singapore and Malaysia, which was the right thing he did, unlike his minister who is equally unschooled in protocol and foreign relation, behaving like orang hutan.

From WSJ:

Indonesia’s president defended his decision to offer a rare mea culpa to Malaysia and Singapore for the haze that long-burning fires are sending into the neighboring countries, a move that sparked a small torrent of criticism in this country of 240 million people where the president’s image isn’t what it once was.

“Due to the fact the haze is from Indonesia, we take responsibility, and saying sorry in that context, to me, is not excessive,” a miffed-looking President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told reporters Wednesday, a day after apologizing to Jakarta’s closest neighbors over a particularly bad spell of an annual conflict dating back to the 1980s.

Asked whether he had felt pressure to apologize after weeks of media attention and statements from leaders overseas, he said “What I’ve done in the past two to three days…is fully my decision.”

He made a point of saying that he would continue to press both countries on issues close to home: fighting for domestic workers’ rights in Malaysia and pushing for an extradition treaty with Singapore, saying the latter remained the home of many assets moved illegally overseas during the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s.

Newspapers Wednesday and Thursday were filled with news of the apology, with many quick to criticize the president for a problem partly caused by the sizable Singaporean and Malaysian plantation companies operating in Indonesia, particularly in the fire-choked province of Riau.

Offering a contrarian voice, however, was the influential daily Kompas, which called the apology “noble.”

But in Dumai — a dusty, outpost town built on palm oil and timber where traffic lights are routinely ignored– the owner of a convenient store downtown offered the more common view across Riau.

“It’s embarrassing. Why does our president have to apologize to Malaysia and Singapore?” Read more http://blogs.wsj.com/searealtime/2013/06/27/indonesias-president-defends-apology-to-malaysia-and-singapore/

Susilo: Mark Of A True Statesman

Hantu Laut

That's it, a mark of a true statesman. Thank you Susilo for your apology.

If it has come earlier, there won't be many angry Malaysians and Singaporeans.

That's the way it should be, as responsible neighbour we apologise if the mistake is ours, not insult our innocent neighbours who have to bear the brunt of our mistake.

You need to teach your Minister for People Welfare Agung Laksono tact and diplomacy. He behaved like a village tyrant.

I could not link the article on Susilo's apology, the full text below

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono apologized Monday to Singapore andMalaysia for record-setting pollution caused by forest fires in his country.

"For what is happening, as the president, I apologize to our brothers in Singapore and Malaysia," Yudhoyono said. He asked for their understanding and said Indonesia is working hard to fight the fires, which are often set by farmers to clear fields.

Jakarta dispatched planes and helicopters last week to battle the blazes in peat swamp forests as well as plantations in Riau province on Sumatra island, where the smoke easily drifts across the sea to the two neighboring countries.

Speaking at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting to discuss the issue, Yudhoyono said he has ordered an investigation of the fires.

"There should be a thorough investigation. In my analysis, there are both natural and human factors," he said, adding that the wind direction has caused the smoke to concentrate in Singapore and Malaysia.

Malaysian declared a state of emergency on Sunday in a district where the haze triggered one of the country's worst pollution levels, while Singapore has urged people to remain indoors due to "hazardous" levels of pollution.

Last week, Indonesian Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Agung Laksono slammed critical comments by Singaporean officials about the haze, saying they should have been conveyed through diplomatic channels instead of publicly.

"Singapore should not act like children, making all that noise," he said. 

Also Monday, Minister of Transportation Evert Ernest Mangindaan warned all airlines about dangerous flying conditions in Jambi, Riau and Bengkulu because of the haze.

He said any aircraft flying in the areas must first obtain permission from Air Traffic Control. Yahoo.

The Indonesian Minister Is A Moron!

Hantu Laut

If you are born stupid there is little anyone can do to help you, but if you can rise to the level of a minister in a government people expect some level of intelligence in you.

"It is better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you are a fool than open it and remove all doubt" a popular quotation by Mark Twain

I have little time for this kind of stupidity.

This Indonesian Minister should commit "harakiri" because he has no sense of shame. He should come to Malaysia and Singapore and see first hand how dangerous the smog had become and hazardous to human lives. We live in constant fear that we may collapse anytime and die due to lack of oxygen in the air. 

The API reading in Muar, Johor yesterday spiked to 746, even a face mask is rendered useless with such dense pollutants in the air.

He lives in Jakarta, or on Java Island, which is not in the path of the deadly haze and he has no idea how terrible it is to breath such deadly air, which can kill the elderly and those with respiratory diseases.

After reading this my blood reached boiling point. What kind of lamentable excuse this moron is giving us?

It is your country, you have jurisdiction over the land, put out the fire and take action against those companies. 

You have your law, enforce it! What's the point of telling us they are Malaysian companies, the Malaysian government can't go there and enforce the law.

It's typical irresponsible Indonesian mentality, I am big, I am a moron, I don't care and I can bully you.

Additional reading:Fires In Indonesia

Indonesia, A Neighbour From Hell

Hantu Laut

I now consider Indonesia as bad neighbour.A government that talk a lot and do fuck all to clean up their dirty act.

This is not one off thing, it's happening almost every year and this time it is a catastrophe of the highest magnitude. The haze choked two neighbouring nations, Singapore and Malaysia.

I am here sitting in my lounge looking out of the window and can see how bad the haze here in Kota Kinabalu. Our Crocker Range and Mount Kinabalu, which I can see clearly every morning has disappeared, completely shrouded in haze. We are looking more like Beijing minus the concrete jungle.

I can imagine how worse it is in Singapore and Peninsula Malaysia. I understand the API went up to over 300 in Singapore today, which is hazardous to humans.

Indonesia, is certainly a neighbour from hell and should be made to pay for damages and losses incurred due to the haze.

From the Wall Street Journal:

Smoke from forest fires in Indonesia has choked neighboring Singapore and Malaysia, prompting Singaporean officials to press Jakarta for urgent action against the haze that has pushed the city-state's air pollution to the worst level in 16 years.
Read more.