G

ood news is bad news, or vice versa, is the creed largely upheld by media people worldwide. But, there are certain occasions when good news should not be cynically viewed as bad news and there are times that we should not praise bad news as good news.

 This applies to a series of events and incidents that have made media headlines in the past week. One of the good news items was the arrival on Monday of representatives of 17 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from a wide array of sectors from the US to explore business opportunities in Indonesia. The trade mission has reportedly generated more than US$100 million worth of exports for the firms taking part.

Deputy chief of mission at the US Embassy in Jakarta Ted Osius said that apart from increasing trade with Indonesia, a few of the firms expressed interest in investing in the infrastructure, energy, aviation, transportation and oil and gas sectors in Indonesia.

Besides trade cooperation, the past week also saw the conception of “soccer diplomacy” by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who proposed cooperation in the field of soccer when meeting with visiting Portuguese President Aníbal António Cavaco Silva on Tuesday. Such cooperation is expected to improve Indonesia’s performance in the sport.

Portugal has qualified for the World Cup finals many times and has produced world-class players such as Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United’s Luis Nani, and coaches including Jose Mourinho. Indonesia, meanwhile, has been struggling for soccer recognition in Southeast Asia and has faced a schism within its national soccer organizations.

The national badminton teams also caused sporting anguish on Wednesday, having failed to progress in the Thomas Cup and Uber Cup badminton championships in Wuhan, China. Both teams were knocked out in the quarterfinal rounds.

Christian Hadinata, the country’s legendary doubles specialist, lamented the lack of new shuttlers on the team. “The crucial point is senior players have become stagnant, yet the younger shuttlers have not reached the seniors’ standard – they’re not even close,” he said.

Eight-time All England champion Rudy Hartono blamed the loss on the Indonesian Badminton Association’s (PBSI) inability to maintain players’ stamina.

Indonesia’s international reputation was put to the test as its commitment to human rights and legal protection was scrutinized over the past week. Despite claims made by Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa that Indonesia’s human rights report received a “warm welcome” at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) summit in Geneva on Wednesday, delegates said the international community paid serious attention to persecution of religious minorities.

 “The fact that such a recommendation on the persecution of minority groups was placed at the top of the list reflects the mounting concern about the poor protection of religious freedom in Indonesia,” A member of the Human Rights Working Group (HRWG), Choirul Anam, said on Thursday.

In legal affairs, the Indonesian government came under pressure to get the Indonesian citizens currently detained in Australia’s prisons released, or their sentences reduced, in return for President Yudhoyono’s decision to reduce Australian Schapelle Corby’s drug-smuggling sentence.

Law and Human Rights Minister Amir Syamsudin said on Wednesday that Corby’s release “should encourage Australia to release Indonesians detained in Australia or reduce their sentences.”

The past week was also dominated by news reports surrounding the ruling Democratic Party (PD) and the First Family.

The President’s youngest son, Edhie Baskoro “Ibas” Yudhoyono, and PD chairman, Anas Urbaningrum, narrowly escaped an attack by an angry mob at Sultan Babullah Airport, Ternate, a clash which prompted the two politicians to immediately leave the provincial capital of North Maluku on Thursday. Two members of Ibas’ group suffered slight injuries.

Ibas, who came in his capacity as the secretary-general of the Democratic Party, was supposed to accompany Anas to the party’s North Maluku regional meeting to elect a new chairman for the provincial board.

In a separate development, the First Family seemed to strengthen its political grip on the Democratic Party by appointing Nurhayati Ali Assegaf, formerly a member of First Lady Ani Yudhoyono’s special staff, as head of the party’s lawmakers in the House of Representatives.

Nurhayati replaces Djafar Hafsah as the Democratic Party’s leader in the House, after Djafar was fired for his gaffe that jeopardized the party’s efforts to pass a revised state budget that would allow the government to raise fuel prices.

Experts have said that Nurhayati’s appointment reflected the party’s decision to prioritize loyalty over quality in choosing its leaders. “Nothing is impressive about Nurhayati. I see it as a way to ease the communication problems between Cikeas and Senayan,” said Adrinof Chaniago, a political expert from the University of Indonesia, referring to the locations of Yudhoyono’s private residence and the House, respectively.

The saddest story of the week, however, was the formal transfer for remains to families and loved ones of the 45 victims who perished in the tragic Sukhoi Superjet 100 airliner crash on May 9. Of the victims, 35 were Indonesian citizens.

—Imanuddin Razak