Your Letters: Danamon Responds; Lombok vs. Bali; Noordin or Not?

Danamon Responds

With regards to the coverage by the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday, Aug. 12, (“Red Dragon Says Bond Dispute Cover for Hostile Takeover of CP Prima”), we regret that Jakarta Globe did not contact Danamon for clarification. Herewith is our statement in response to the coverage:

The letter referred to in the article dated Nov. 20, 2008, is a notice to the pledgers informing them of a corporate action, not a consent letter.

Based on instructions from the Bank of New York Mellon, on Nov. 27, 2008, Danamon issued a notice stating that Red Dragon had failed to fulfil its obligation, therefore the right to attend the shareholders meeting was held by Danamon, as local securities agent for the trustee, Bank of New York Mellon, and not the pledgers.

Danamon, as the local securities agent of Bank of New York Mellon, has never issued any written or verbal consent in relation to CP Prima’s corporate action to conduct the rights issue.

Zsa Zsa Yusharyahya
Head of Public Affairs
PT Bank Danamon Indonesia Tbk.


Lombok Better Than Bali? Maybe …

After spending more than a year traveling every other week to and from Lombok, I must say that I am growing to like Lombok more and more. It was a different story two years ago. At that time I was happy to be on the ferry back to Bali, but today I’m happy in either location.

When someone asks me where I live, I still reply “in Bali,” but after more then 12 years there, I’m now thinking about making a more permanent move to Lombok. I’m not tired of Bali yet, but as they say, it’s the small things that make the difference.

Look, for example, at the road to Padang Bai: It’s always congested with speeding tourist buses and convoys of powerful motorbikes. The road is continually in a state of disrepair, owing to overloaded and underpowered trucks. Even after it’s repaired, it’s just a matter of time until the road becomes one continual mass of potholes again.

Compared to all the above, it’s so nice to drive in Lombok. Nice clean streets, at least from Lembar up to Sengiggi and further north to Bangsal and Tanjung. No traffic jams or racing buses, but instead the relaxing pace of horse-drawn carts and public minibuses. The wonderful new road that winds along the attractive west coast of Lombok, with its beautiful bays like Malimbu, offers many places designed for people to park and admire the views. And it has to be said, it’s really fun to drive there.

OK, here in Bali there is also a beautiful road from Amplapura via Bunutan/Amed to Culik, but first you have to get there.

Then there is the harbor at Padang Bai. Only one jetty for so many vehicles and not even an adequate waiting area for departing passengers to hide from the sun. Instead they have to wait alongside the trucks on the street for their turn to board the ferry — sometimes more then an hour.

Padang Bai Harbor serves not only the ferry boats to Lombok, but also the ones to Nusa Penida, and it’s not uncommon for arriving ferries to have to wait for two hours or so before they can unload their vehicles and passengers.

Sometimes I see trucks from all over Indonesia queueing along the street as far back as the town’s marketplace or even further. Trucks have to wait for days to get on the ferry.

Not so in Lembar on Lombok. Two new jetties and one old one are ready to receive the ferries from Bali, and passengers rarely face any wait whatsoever before they can disembark.

Want to hear more reasons why I am beginning to favor Lombok? I haven’t heard of any cases of bag-snatching in Lombok, yet in Bali, in Ubud and Kuta and even on the road to Tanah Lot, there have been instances.

The Lombok Police do not go after tourists wearing the “wrong type of helmet,” or carry out vehicle checks every weekend while ignoring the recklessly driven trucks and buses, like in Bali. Instead they are very friendly, helpful and absolutely professional.

OK, in Bali there are many more restaurants, nightclubs, karaoke bars and massage parlors, but Lombok is doing well without all this. The few in the Sengiggi-Batu Bolong area are fine, though we could do without the “Sexy Dancer-Spanduk” in front of the Batu Bolong Temple.

So, let’s hear the response of all the Bali lovers and residents. But remember, this is just my opinion and I still love and live in Bali. At least 50 percent of my time.

Reinhold, Bali


What’s in a Name?

“What’s in a name?” is an often cited quotation from English author William Shakespeare.

The hesitation of observers to state conclusively that the recently killed terrorist was Noordin M Top should have automatically caused us to treat the claims with caution. Even more so after House Speaker Agung Laksono urged the police to bring an end to the speculation.

The question is, should we denigrate the hard work of the police should the dead victim turn out not to be Noordin M Top? The answer is a firm no. We should not.

We should not disparage the police just because the person killed in the 18-hour raid was not Noordin. We should tip our hats and appreciate their work.

The war against terrorism should not be halted, on the contrary it should be broadened. We should thank and show respect to the police’s Densus 88 antiterror unit.

Budi Purnomo, Jakarta

Your View

See Result