China Without Google: 'A Lose-Lose Scenario' - ABC News

China Without Google: 'A Lose-Lose Scenario' - ABC News

China without Google — a prospect that looks increasingly likely — could mean no more maps on mobile phones. A free music service that has helped to fight piracy might be in jeopardy. China's fledgling Web outfits would face less pressure to improve, eroding their ability to one day compete abroad.

The extent of a possible Google Inc. pullout from China in its dispute with the communist government over censorship and hacking is unclear. But on top of a local search site that Google says it may close, services that might be affected range from advertising support for Chinese companies to online entertainment.

"If Google leaves, it's a lose-lose scenario, instead of Google loses and others gain," said Edward Yu, president of Analysys International, a Beijing research firm.

Tangguh LNG Contract: It' s seem like the thin end of the wedge ?

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has denied that he and Vice President Jusuf Kalla had taken a part in the process to set the inordinately low price of the LNG Tangguh contract.
"Don't spread this report about SBY (Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono) and JK (Jusuf Kalla) having taken a part in setting the natural gas export price. It might confuses the people," said the President at plenary cabinet meeting at the presidential office Thursday as reported by Antara
Earlier, former president Megawati Soekarnoputri was reported has stated that SBY and JK were also involved in the decision process to determine the price of  Tangguh LNG exports to China.
It' s seem like the thin end of the wedge ?. We'll wait and see whats the end of this quarrel about

Tangguh LNG Contract: 'Who has a finger in the Pie' ?

After lobbying Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said that Xi had agreed to renegotiate a 2002 contract to suplly liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Indonesia's Tangguh Field to Fujian, China."In principle they have understood and received our proposal for renegotiate. The two countries will set up team to further discuss the issue," said Jusuf Kalla after meeting Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping as reported by Antara.
The administration of Megawati signed contract to supply LNG from Tangguh to Fujian province with the price pegged at US$2.40 per million Britishthermal unit (mmbtu) regardless of any increase in crude oil price. "if we compare the LNG Tangguh contract signed in 2002 with today's prices, the contract price is far lower then. Thats why we want to review the contract", said Jusuf Kalla. At present the international LNG price is around US$20 per mmbtu."So, the House has to investigate the Tangguh LNG contract. This is the most devastating contract ever made, this contract is the worst so far," said Jusuf Kalla as quoted by Antara weeks ago.
Meanwhile, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said that the case has played a major role in the hot debates over a 2002 contract calling for gas export from the massive Tangguh field in Papua, was more politics, rather than substance.
"I saw nothing wrong with the contract. I have checked all the procedures and finally reached the conclusion that there is nothing in the Tangguh contract except politics. I hope our oil and gas sector will not be affected by political posturing," said Purnomo Yusgiantoro during his speech at business discussion few days ago. Purnomo Yusgiantoro held the same post when serving under Megawati administration.
In response, Megawati said that since Kalla once served as a a minister in her cabinet, then he should share the blame for every finger pointed at her and her ministers.
This debates seem like a war between Golkar, the nation's largets party which Jusuf Kalla as a chairman and Megawati, heads of the second large party, the Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
After a while sit on the fence, finally, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was setting up a team to be led by the coordinating Minister for the Economy Sri Mulyani Indrawati to renegotiate the selling price which directly supervised by Vice Presdident Jusuf Kalla.
Currently this hottest issue -aside of Pansus BBM- increasing the tense in the Indonesian's politics. Easing of tensions, TK (Taufik Kiemas, Megawati husband) lobbying the Golkar. But, will TK's lobbying by offering the coalition will sooth the war between Jusuf Kalla and Megawati ?. Will this issue affecting Megawati's popularity? And will this also has political implication on 2009 election?. We'll wait and see.

Kontrak LNG Tangguh, Bola Panas yang Digelindingkan oleh JK

Setelah melakukan lobi-lobi yang cukup intensif disela-sela kunjungannya ke China untuk menghadiri penutupan Olimpiade 2009 beberapa waktu lalu, Wakil Presiden M Jusuf Kalla mengatakan pemerintah RRC bersedia untuk melakukan pembicaraan ulang terhadap isi kontrak penjualan LNG Tangguh yang telah ditanda tangani pada tahun 2002. Dalam penjelasannya, Wapres antara lain mengatakan bahwa kontrak LNG Tangguh untuk propinsi Fujian, China tersebut merupakan kebijakan pemerintah Megawati pada waktu itu. Namun kebijakan yang dilakukan pemerintahan Megawati pada tahun 2002 tersebut jika dilihat dari perkembangan saat ini harganya sangat rendah dan sangat merugikan pemerintah Indonesia. Ditambahkannya, kontrak LNG Tangguh tahun 2002 tersebut menyebutkan nilainya sebesar US$ 3,3/mmbtu. Sedangkan harga LNG di pasar Internasional saat ini berkisar US$ 20/mmbtu. Dengan harga jual yang hanya US$ 3,3/mmbtu tersebut diperkirakan akan merugikan negara sebesar US$ 3 miliar per tahun.

Itulah bola panas yang saat ini menggelinding ditengah ramainya pembahasan Pansus BBM, membuat suasana poltik di Indonesia bertambah hangat.  Lalu, benarkah lobi-lobi tersebut semata-mata lobi politik dengan menggunakan issue kontrak LNG Tangguh sebagai 'sasaran antara' saja ?. Akankah issue tentang kontrak LNG Tangguh tersebut mampu menjatuhkan popularitas Megawati  ?. Bagaimana implikasi politisnya menjelang pemilu 2009 yang mulai menghangat ?.

MAU JADI PELOBI ?

Meskipun dunia lobi-melobi (lobbying) selama ini selalu dikonotasikan dengan dunia politik, karenanya lebih sering dilakukan oleh para poltikus di gedung parlemen, namun itu tidak berarti dunia lobi-melobi hanya milik politikus atau orang-orang yang terlibat dalam pemerintahan. Kegiatan lobi-melobi juga ada dalam dunia bisnis. Karena itu tidak sedikit perusahaan-perusahaan besar yang secara khusus memiliki atau menyewa pelobi untuk kepentingan bisnisnya.

Seorang pelobi, apakah itu dalam dunia politik atau dunia bisnis, sasaran maupun strategi yang digunakan adalah sama, bagaimana mempengaruhi pengambilan kebijakan. Karena itu, lobi-melobi identik dengan ‘art of persuasion’, seni membujuk dengan tahu persis kepada siapa dia harus bicara pada saat dan tempat yang tepat. Jadi, seorang pelobi yang mewakili kepentingan seseorang atau kelompok masyarakat atau bahkan kelompok bisnis yang memiliki kepentingan terhadap suatu kebijakan publik, maka target utamanya adalah bagaimana mempengaruhi pengambil kebijakan, katakanlah yang berkaitan dengan legislasi atau regulasi tentang sesuatu hal, agar pengambil kebijakan, dalam hal ini parlemen, mau membuat kebijakan yang bisa memenuhi kepentingan pihak yang diwakilinya. Ambil contoh misalkan sebuah perusahaan yang bergerak dalam bidang pengelolaan hutan. maka tentu perusahaan tersebut akan sangat berkepentingan terhadap setiap regulasi atau peraturan yang dibuat oleh pemerintah atau parlemen bila regulasi atau peraturan tersebut berkaitan dengan soal pengelolaan hutan.

Apakah sah bila seorang pelobi yang menjalankan kegiatannya mendapatkan kompensasi atau honor atas pekerjaan yang dia lakukan ?. Tentu hal itu sah-sah saja sepanjang kompensasi tersebut diperoleh dengan tidak melakukan pelanggaran hukum, misalkan dengan melakukan penyuapan dan sebagainya.

Siapa dan bagaimana bisa menjadi seorang pelobi ?. 

Di Indonesia, rasanya tidak ada kualifikasi khusus atau bahkan sertifikasi khusus untuk menjadi seorang pelobi. Pengetahuan dan pengalaman yang memadai serta didukung dengan kemampuan untuk menjalin interaksi dengan banyak pihak, rasanya sudah cukup untuk menjadi seorang pelobi. Meskipun demikian, seorang pelobi sedikitnya harus memiliki kapasitas intelektual yang cukup memadai. Pada umumnya, seorang yang memiliki latar belakang kesarjanaan dalam bidang ilmu politik, hukum, ekonomi, komunikasi, kehumasan atau ilmu-ilmu sosial lainnya akan lebih mudah untuk menjadi seorang pelobi.  Dengan kata lain, kita tidak perlu menjadi politikus atau pengacara untuk menjadi seorang pelobi yang profesional. Menarik bukan ?

Lobby, A Mantra Of Success For Corporate Houses

Lobby, A Mantra Of Success For Corporate Houses
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Bharat_Kumar]Bharat Kumar

The word lobby is being frequently used in today’s business circle. So, experts and senior executives in the field of different segments have widespread domain knowledge and champion specific matters. They regularly interact with senior bureaucrats or lobby through industry links.

It is undeniable that lobby is on the rampage in the corporate sector. Lobbying comes in different shapes and sizes. List of some of the famous lobbyists are given below.

From Ratan Tata to Mukesh Ambani to N.R. Narayana Murthy to Azim Premji to Sunil Mittal, everyone is indulged in the game of lobby for, variously, superior policies in telecom, oil & gas, education and retail.

Their method is to make regular contacts to policy makers personally, encourage popular support via media. That is why their success rate is very high, since they bring a lot of personal reliability and the heft of their business empires to consider on the issues they champion.

Typically, retired bureaucrats like Pradip Baijal, former TRAI Chairman, and C.M. Vasudev former Expenditure Secretary in the Ministry of Finance and men of such stature are very much active in the game of lobby. They work the old boys’ network, have better right of entry than employee-lobbyists, and identify the lay of the land better than others. So they are very effective in the game of lobby, since they know how the system functions and which levers to pull.

Liquor tycoon turned aviation czar Vijay Mallya of Kingfisher lately got Air Deccan, a low price air carrier, is well on his way to toppling a policy wall that forbids airlines that are not in any case five years old from flying abroad. Why? Kingfisher Airlines is just three years in this business, and Mallya is eager to fly overseas routes. The Union Cabinet is at present thinking to allow kingfisher to fly their airlines in overseas routes. All such things are possible due to lobby.

Dr. Shanker Adawal, who was associated with Nortel previously, is the key lobbyist for Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) in Delhi and NCR. During the important SEZ deal between RIL and Haryana government, Dr. Adawal tackled the situation admirably.

To handle such situation is a common for man like Dr. Adawal. Almost four years before the same situation occurred when Reliance Infocomm (as it was known that time) faced detachment over infringement of licence conditions as a permanent line operator, once again it was Adawal who showed his class and presence of mind to save Infocomms Rs 15,000 crore investment in telephony.

At present lobby is really a mantra for the success of corporate houses. With the help of lobby any one could be approached. Noted lobbyists always want to work within companies either as board members or advisors.

Author is free lancer Journalist. Specialist is Corporate News

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bharat_Kumar http://EzineArticles.com/?Lobby,-A-Mantra-Of-Success-For-Corporate-Houses&id=661585

SBY: Menunggu Proses Hukum

Akhirnya Presiden SBY menyatakan tidak akan memberhentikan kedua menterinya sebelum proses hukumnya dilaksanakan. Demikian dinyatakan Presiden sesaat setelah memanggil ke dua menterinya tersebut siang tadi.
Paskah Suzeta dan MS Kaban, yang kini menjabat sebagai menteri dalam kabinet SBY, disebut-sebut menerima aliran dana dari Bank Indonesia terkait dengan pembahasan amandemen undang undang Bank Indonesia. Keduanya, yang pada saat pembahasan amandemen undang undang Bank Indonesia duduk sebagai anggota Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat periode 1999 - 2004 disebut sebut oleh Hamka Yamdu, salah satu terdakwa yang kini tengah diperiksa di Pengadilan Tipikor, termasuk pihak yang menerima aliran dana dari Bank Indonesia. Dalam pengakuannya, Hamka menyatakan bahwa dia sendiri yang menyerahkan dana tersebut kepada yang bersangkutan. Hamka Yamdu yang juga mantan anggota Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat bersama mantan petinggi Bank Indonesia saat ini tengah diperiksa di Pengadilan Tipikor Jakarta.

Kasus Aliran Dana Bank Indonesia, Contoh Kasus Yang Patut Dijadikan Pelajaran

Beberapa tahun terakhir ini, dunia peradilan kita disibukkan dengan proses pengadilan kasus-kasus korupsi dan suap yang melibatkan tidak hanya pejabat-pejabat di lingkungan pemerintahan, tapi juga beberapa anggota dan mantan anggota Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat dan bahkan juga beberapa warga sipil.

Salah satu kasus yang saat ini proses pengadilannya sedang berjalan yaitu menyangkut kasus dugaan suap yang dilakukan oleh pejabat-pejabat di lingkungan Bank Indonesia kepada beberapa anggota dan mantan anggota Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat. Kasus yang dikenal dengan kasus aliran dana Bank Indonesia tersebut diduga terkait dengan upaya dari pejabat-pejabat Bank Indonesia dalam rangka untuk memperlancar proses pembahasan rancangan undang-undang tentang Bank Indonesia di Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat.

Dalam perspektif 'lobbyist', kasus yang cukup menghebohkan tersebut barangkali hanya salah satu contoh kasus yang cukup menarik untuk ditelaah berdasarkan sudut pandang dunia lobi- melobi yang lebih sehat dan profesional. Tentu saja dengan harapan agar telaah tersebut nantinya bisa memberikan kontribusi yang positif dalam membangun budaya lobi-melobi yang lebih sehat, terutama dalam setiap proses pengambilan kebijakan publik.

Peran Pelobi

Bermula ketika Presiden Amerika Ullyses Grant sedang berada di Lobby Willards Hotel Washington dengan mengisap cerutu sambil minum brandy, dan ngobrol ngobrol yang akhirnya menghasilkan keputusan yang memuaskan semua pihak.

Sejak itu mulai dikenal istilah ‘lobby’, dimana keputusan keputusan penting yang sulit di ambil diruang kerja menjadi lebih mudah diputuskan. Namun, pada saat itu, kegiatan lobby lebih banyak berhubungan dengan Parlemen dan Eksekutif, belum sampai merambah ke banyak bidang yang tidak selalu berhubungan dengan Parlemen dan Eksekutif seperti sekarang ini.

Though many see lobbying as a potential corruption to the system, others

disagree. Bill Clinton defended his wife's reception of lobbyist money for

her campaign by saying:

" Lobbyists are registered, they register with the federal government

and can give the same amount of money, $2300, anybody else can. That's not

going to influence you. What gives the lobbyists influence is the people who

hire them for work for them. It's all the people they represent. So all

these people who don't take money from lobbyists, they take money from the

lobbyists' spouses, their children, their brothers, their sisters, from all

the people they represent. It's a distinction without a difference, I think.

There's no significant financial gain, because there's not that many

lobbyists. If we're going to take money from the guys who pay the lobbyists,

why treat them [the lobbyists] as less than full citizens ?”

Di Amerika Serikat, diperlukan waktu yang sangat panjang sampai akhirnya Lobby sebagai sebuah profesi diakui eksistensinya. Demikian juga dengan Lobbyist di negara Europa lainnya, eksistensinya diakui dan syah menurut Undang Undang Negara.

Berbeda dengan Indonesia. Selama ini istilah Lobbyist bisa dibilang hanya milik partai politik atau anggota parlemen. Praktis, kegiatan lobi kebanyakan dilakukan antar Fraksi yang di parlemen, atau antara Departement dengan Parlemen. Karenanya istilah lobby menjadi kurang menyebar baik bidang maupun ruang lingkupnya.

Princentown refference malah menulis :

A Day in the life of a Lobbyist

Whether lobbyists work for a large organization, a private individual, or

the general public, their goals and strategies are the same.

Dan.

Paying Your Dues

Lobbying is a profession full of people who have changed careers, since

relevant knowledge and experience are all you really need to become a

lobbyist. There are no licensing or certification requirements, but

lobbyists are required to register with the state and federal governments.

Most lobbyists have college degrees. A major in political science,

journalism, law, communications, public relations, or economics should stand

future lobbyists in good stead. While you're still in college you can check

out the terrain through various government-related internships-as a

congressional aide, in a government agency, or with a lobbying firm, for

example. Any of these positions will give you a look at the role of lobbying

in the political system. After college the same holds-working in a

government or political office, especially as a congressional aide, takes

you to the front lines, but it may also be useful to start out in a law or

public relations firm. Many lobbyists also come from careers as legislators,

as former politicians often capitalize on their years of government service

and their connections to old pals still in office. This is the "revolving

door" that recent legislation has begun to regulate (see "Past and Future").

Indeed, networking is the name of the game in lobbying, where people are

hired as much for who they know as what they know. Someone who can schmooze

at high levels will start his lobbying career from an accordingly high

perch, while others face a long hard climb upwards. While there is no

hierarchy of seniority as in corporations, this also means that there is no

ceiling for those who do well”.

Dari sedikit ilustrasi diatas, bisa di tarik kesimpulan, bagaimana pentingnya sosok lobbyist yang apabila bisa berperan secara profesional dan diakui keberadaannya akan membuat banyak perubahan di dalam sistim ketatanegaraan dari sebuah negara.

Sebagai tambahan ilustrasi, berikut sebuah kutipan dari sebuah bulletin board tentang kiprah lobbyist di kota Brussels:

“There are currently around 15,000 lobbyists in Brussels (consultants,

lawyers, associations, corporations, NGOs etc.) seeking to influence the EU's

legislative process. Some 2,600 special interest groups have a permanent

office in Brussels. Their distribution is roughly as follows: European trade

federations (32%), consultants (20%), companies (13%), NGOs (11%), national

associations (10%), regional representations (6%), international

organizations (5%) and think tanks (1%), (Lehmann, 2003, pp iii)”.

Bagaimana dengan Indonesia ?. Bisa dibilang di Indonesia sampai saat ini belum mengenal istilah lobbyist atau pelobi sebagaimana pengertian lobbyist atau pelobi yang sudah eksis di negara-negara maju. Bahkan sampai saat ini, pengertian lobbyist atau pelobi masih tetap cenderung identik dengan politikus-politikus yang menjadi anggota fraksi-fraksi yang ada di parlemen. Seakan tak ada ruang tumbuh bagi lahirnya pelobi-pelobi profesional yang semestinya tidak harus identik dengan seorang politikus.

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