ANGGUN, SINGER

Saturday, November 26, 2011

SHE'S THE BEST KNOWN INDONESIAN ARTIST OUTSIDE OF THIS COUNTRY. ANGGUN CIPTA SASMI WAS A CHILD STAR BEFORE ROCKING THE MUSIC WORLD WITH HER SINGING IN THE 1990S. NOW LIVING IN PARIS, ANGGUN IS HOME THIS WEEKEND FOR A SUNDAY CONCERT IN HER HOMETOWN. INDONESIA NOW'S DALTON TANONAKA TALKED WITH THE 37-YEAR-OLD ARTIST, BEGINNING WITH WHY SHE'S NERVOUS ABOUT TOMORROW.

AS: IT'S ALWAYS HUGE FOR ME TO COME HERE AND TO ACTUALLY PERFORM.

IN: BECAUSE YOU'VE PERFORMED AROUND THE WORLD AND BIGGER CITIES, HIGHER TICKET PRICES, BUT HERE IT'S...

AS: BECAUSE I HAVE HISTORY HERE. BECAUSE PEOPLE KNOW ME. AND IT'S NOT JUST A PERFORMANCE. IT'S MORE THAN THAT. IT'S SOME KIND OF...

IN: PERFORMING IN FRONT OF FAMILY?

AS: ALMOST. BECAUSE THEY SAW ME GROWING UP. SO I'M PROBABLY LIKE A MEMBER FOR THEIR FAMILY. THEY CALL ME 'MBA' HERE. 'MBA ANGGUN.' I'M LIKE THAT SO... I'M ACTUALLY MORE NERVOUS PERFORMING IN JAKARTA, IN INDONESIA THAN ANYWHERE ELSE.

IN: YOU'VE HAD A WIDE RANGE OF MUSICAL INFLUENCES GROWING UP. WHO WAS THE MOST INFLUENTIAL INTERNATIONAL ARTIST, WOULD YOU SAY, OF YOUR CAREER AND THEN WHO WAS MOST INFLUENTIAL INDONESIAN ARTIST?

AS: INTERNATIONAL, I WOULD SAY FREDDIE MERCURY. I ALWAYS SAY THAT EVERYWHERE, THAT HE TAUGHT ME HOW TO SING. AS FAR AS I CAN REMEMBER, I REMEMBER BUYING, I THINK IT WAS A PIRATED VERSION OF HIS CASSETTES.

IN: NO YOU'RE KIDDING.

AS: NO, BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW...

IN: IT WAS ON CASSETTE PROBABLY.

AS: YEAH, IT WAS ON CASSETTE. THEN I WOULD DO EXACTLY THE SAME SOUND AS HIM.

IN: SO FREDDIE MERCURY, NOW INDONESIAN, WHO WAS THE ONE YOU LOVED AND 'HMM...I WANT TO BE LIKE HIM OR HER?"

AS: IT WAS TITIEK PUSPA.

IN: IBU TITIEK...

AS: YEA, TANTE TITIEK. AND SHE ACTUALLY GAVE ME MY FIRST CHANCE IN MUSIC IN INDONESIA. I WAS DOING A LOT OF OPERET PAPIKO. SHE WORKS A LOT AND WROTE LOTS OF SONGS FOR THE OPERET PAPIKO. AND IT WAS THE THING THAT WE WERE ALL WAITING THROUGHOUT THE RAMADAN. BEING IN ONE OF HER OPERET WAS SUCH AN HONOR.

IN: YOU SAID YOU'RE A WIFE, A WRITER, YOU'RE MARRIED TO CYRIL NOW. AND YOU HAVE A FOUR-YEAR OLD DAUGHTER, KIRANA.

AS: GORGEOUS.

IN: OF COURSE, I WOULD THINK. HOW HAS FAMILY LIFE CHANGED YOU?

AS: IT CHANGED ME... I PUT MORE PRIORITIES, I SAVE UP MY ENERGY MORE AND MORE. AND I KNOW WHY I WORK THIS HARD. IT'S THE SAME THING FOR MY HUSBAND. HAVING A CHILD IS A GREAT MOTIVATOR. IT'S INCREDIBLE. THE LOVE THAT YOU RECEIVE, THE KIND OF LOVE THAT I GIVE. I MEAN, BEFORE THAT, IT WAS ALL THEORY. NOW WHEN SHE WAS BORN, EVERYTHING JUST MAKES SENSE. I KNOW WHY I HAVE BREASTS. IT'S NOT FOR GUYS TO PLAY AROUND WITH, BUT IT WAS FOR THE BABY.

IN: YEAH BIOLOGICALLY, BUT YOU'RE AN ATTRACTIVE WOMAN AND LET'S NOT MAKE ANY SECRET OF THAT.

AS: (LAUGHS)

29.11.2011. 08:34

SURIN PITSUWAN, SECRETARY-GENERAL, ASEAN

Saturday, November 5, 2011
THE 19TH GATHERING OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN LEADERS IS COMING UP SOON. THE ASEAN SUMMIT BEGINS IN BALI ON NOVEMBER 17. THE MAN RUNNING ASEAN SAYS THESE MEETINGS COME AT A TIME WHEN THE WORLD IS MORE FOCUSED ON THE REGION THAN EVER. WE TALKED WITH SURIN PITSUWAN AT THE GROUP'S SECRETARIAT IN CENTRAL JAKARTA.

SP: Well, I think ASEAN has come a long way to open up to issues that use to be forbidden. It used to be outside of our deliberations, so the issues of political differences, issues of human rights, issues of democracy, because the charter has spelled out very clearly that it is an organization that would pay respect to the principal of democracy and human rights.

IN: How crucial is this year of gathering in making ASEAN more credible voice in global affairs?

SP: It is extremely crucial partly because it is under the Indonesian leadership which has come up with a theme for the leadership for the chair ASEAN community in global community of nations taking ASEAN on global stage and with the weight with the recognition with the expertise of Indonesia 240-million people, the largest member of ASEAN the largest economy of ASEAN. ASEAN and Indonesia mutually beneficial, mutually supportive and the fact that East Asia has become the annual center of growth. ASEAN is in the middle of that new center of growth. Mediating between Russia and China connecting with Japan, Korea with India with Australia, with New Zealand with us, ten countries, the world are now paying more attention to us.

IN: Where is ASEAN still lacking or needs to get better?

SP: Well, I think we need to be more effective in our cooperation and coordination among our own many many elements.

IN: It is not effective now?

SP: The private sectors I think they have to come in much more than this we've been trying to open up space and invite them in, the media, I mean we have to get involve more to bring the message, the dream, the vision of ASEAN to the people more than it has been the case.

07.11.2011. 04:12

MARI PANGESTU, MINISTER OF TOURISM AND CREATIVE ECONOMY

Saturday, October 29, 2011
WHEN THE PRESIDENT ANNOUNCED HIS RESHUFFLED CABINET LAST WEEK, ONE OF THE FEW FEMALE MINISTERS FOUND HERSELF WITH A NEW JOB.
MARI PANGESTU WAS ASKED TO MOVE FROM TRADE TO TOURISM, WITH ADDITIONAL DUTIES IN WHAT'S BEING CALLED THE "CREATIVE ECONOMY." WE TALKED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE FIRST CABINET MEETING OF THE NEW LINEUP, STARTING WITH HOW SHE WAS TOLD ABOUT THE SWITCH.

MP: I TALKED TO THE PRESIDENT, OBVIOUSLY. BASICALLY IT'S NOT JUST TOURISM. IT'S ALSO TOURISM AND THE CREATIVE ECONOMY. I FOUND IT VERY CHALLENGING BECAUSE IT WAS SOMETHING I HAD BEEN WORKING ON ANYWAY SINCE 2006. AND WE HAVE A BLUEPRINT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CREATIVE ECONOMY. WE ACTUALLY RECOMMENDED IN THAT BLUEPRINT THAT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD CREATE AN AGENCY FOR THE CREATIVE ECONOMY. IN FACT, WE GOT MORE THAN THAT. WE GOT A MINISTRY. NOT JUST AN AGENCY.

IN: THAT’S A NEW PART OF YOUR TITLE NOW. THEY MOVED CULTURE OUT. WHAT IS CREATIVE ECONOMY FOR THOSE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THAT TERM?

MP: BASICALLY, CREATIVE ECONOMY IS ECONOMIC VALUE THAT'S CREATED FROM IDEAS. SO THE MAIN INPUT OR FACTOR OF PRODUCTION IS ACTUALLY IDEAS. IDEAS THAT GET CREATED INTO HANDICRAFT, INTO ARCHITECTURES, INTO MUSIC, INTO FILM. THERE ARE 14 SUB-SECTORS THAT COME UNDER THIS CREATIVE ECONOMY.

IN: LET'S TALK ABOUT TOURISM BECAUSE THAT'S THE BULK OF YOUR JOB. WHAT DO YOU SEE COMING IN AS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN BOOSTING TOURISM HERE?

MP: WELL, WE HAVE TO ANTICIPATE IN THE SLOWDOWN OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMY NEXT YEAR. I THINK THIS YEAR, WE'RE QUITE CONFIDENT WE CAN REACH OUR TARGET OF 7.4 TO 7.7 MILLION. BUT NEXT YEAR OUR TARGET IS 8 OR 8.5 MILLION. WE'LL HAVE TO REVIEW THAT BECAUSE OF THE GLOBAL CRISIS. SO WE EXPECT THERE WILL BE A SLOWDOWN. ESPECIALLY FROM EUROPE, THE U.S. , AND JAPAN .

IN: ANY GOOD CHANGES RIGHT AWAY? FOR EXAMPLE, NEW BRANDING. REJOIN THE NEW7 WONDERS OF THE WORLD? ANYTHING YOU WANT TO DO IMMEDIATELY?

MP: NO. I'M STILL REVIEWING THE STRATEGY AND IN FACT, WE HAVE TO REORGANIZE THE MINISTRY BECAUSE OF THE CHANGE WITH CULTURE MOVING AND CREATIVE ECONOMY COMING IN.

IN: WHAT CAN YOU SAY DIRECTLY TO TRAVEL INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS WHO LOOK UPON YOUR ARRIVAL WITH ANTICIPATION AND SOME QUESTIONS? BECAUSE WHENEVER CABINET CHANGES ARE MADE, THEY SEE IF THAT PERSON HAS A BACKGROUND IN THAT INDUSTRY. I'M NOT SURE OF YOUR BACKGROUND IN THE HOTEL AND TOURISM INDUSTRY. WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THEM TO REASSURE THEM OF YOUR ARRIVAL?

MP: WELL IN TRADE MINISTRY, I'M PROMOTING THE PRODUCTS OF INDONESIA , SO I DON'T THINK THIS IS ANY DIFFERENT. IT'S PROMOTING INDONESIA AS A DESTINATION FOR TOURISM. I THINK THE BASIC FUNDAMENTALS ARE THE SAME. I WILL HAVE (OTHERS IN) THE MINISTRY WHO HAVE EXPERIENCE TO BACK ME UP.

IN: YOU HAD YOUR FIRST CABINET MEETING THIS WEEK. HOW WAS IT? WHAT WAS THE CHEMISTRY LIKE? HOW WAS HIS ATTITUDE TOWARDS HIS NEW MEN AND WOMEN?

MP: WELL I THINK HE JUST REMINDED US, THIS IS THE LAST SPRINT. IF YOU'RE RUNNING A SPRINT, THI IS THE LAST MILE. YOU'VE GOT TO RUN FAST TO ACHIEVE THE TARGET YOU'VE SET OUT.

BEFORE ENTERING GOVERNMENT IN 2004, PANGESTU WAS AN ECONOMICS PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF INDONESIA . SHE IS THE COUNTRY'S FIRST CHINESE INDONESIAN FEMALE MINISTER.

31.10.2011. 06:53