With the globalization effect impact almost every county in this world it is now more clear the race between countries to create energy security for each nation’s interest. China currently imports about 60% of their oil demand from foreign source such as Africa and Middle East. Indonesia now also faced almost the same challenge, oil import of an average 400,000 barrels of crude oil and 400,000 barrels of oil fuels from the Middle East. It is not arguable anymore the important role of Indonesia’s energy diplomacy.

Indonesia’s energy diplomacy is not a traditional protocol and consular activity conducted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is on a broader dimension involving Pertamina, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, BP Migas, and other non state actors such as Medco, etc. It is now also have a greater impact the role of big energy multi-national companies such as Exxon, BP, Shell, and Chevron. This article will focus on how the Government of Indonesia policy towards energy security. The foreign policy of energy in Indonesia is carried out by the energy diplomats of Indonesia.

The role of an energy diplomat mainly focused to build image of national energy capacity and also as an active promoter and tough negotiator on energy issue. A good negotiation has to be built in the future so a good contract could be made for the betterment of Indonesian people. Indonesia currently not in a favorable position in energy sector related with foreign investment. Take a look at some examples like Tangguh LNG, Donggi Senoro or Exxon Cepu.

Tangguh LNG has some few issues such as (i) The contract to sell gas to China with upper limit price (3$ mmcfsd) so the price of Tangguh’s gas couldn’t follow market price mechanism. This is a long term contract also. (ii) Frankly, Pertamina and Elnusa have the capability to operate Tangguh LNG. The case in Badak LNG proves that Indonesian company could operate such facility. (iii) One of the reasons BP sell Tangguh gas to China is supported with the fact that BP have its branch in China (syndicate).

Concerning Tangguh LNG, actually this is not the domain of Ministry of Foreign Affairs again because Tangguh already in production phase. But as a diplomat, it is obligatory to protect national interest. In writer’s personal view, this obligation could be translated in promoting Indonesia to the right investor. In order to know which one is right, diplomats have to know about national energy situation first. From the regulation until the daily practice of energy sector in Indonesia.

It is highly advisable for Indonesia to start to engage nations like Venezuela, Russia and Iran and start to make less dependence on industrial countries like America and the European Union. This makes room for diplomats to act as a bridge builder between big industrial and oil importing countries such as China and United States with oil and gas exporting countries such as Venezuela and Russia.

The function of Indonesian diplomat abroad is to do a thorough market research so the product of Indonesia’s energy could get the right buyer abroad, especially our coal and gas product. The diplomats also have to play a role of creative opportunity seeker to seek good prospect in technical partnership on energy issue, mainly in renewable energy. Indonesia is in an interesting country for foreign investment in renewable energy, especially geothermal.

Approximately 40% of world’s geothermal potential is located in Indonesia, added to it is the value of 35% Indonesian people who still haven’t got access to electricity. This will attract foreign investor to develop geothermal plant in Indonesia. Foreign fund is still needed in this area considering the high investment cost (to create one Mega Watt electricity is equal to approximately 3 million USD investments). The rapid growth of Indonesian people is causing rapid growth on energy consumption. With the population around 200 million people, Indonesia is clearly a big energy market. Indonesian diplomats clearly have to play a role as a confidence builder so foreign investor want to invest in Indonesia, especially for energy infrastructure. This effort already resulted in foreign company invested in geothermal plant like Chevron in Darajat plant.

According to the Article 4 of Act no 37 year 1999 regarding International Relations, Indonesia’s energy diplomacy should be creative, active and anticipative, be strong to defend national interest but flexible enough to attract foreign investment. That’s why it’s now a need for Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pertamina, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and other related government’s institution to build the capacity of future Indonesian energy diplomats.

First thing popped up on my mind when I wrote this is a “green” diplomacy where a lot of countries in this world is bound to a mutual agreement to create a better environment. This was based on sustainable development concept which consist of people, planet and profit. Now from a country point of view, let’s put aside the profit first.

As a country which is a subject to international law, each one of them have its own rights and obligations. One obligation put as a state responsibility is a “common but differentiated” responsibility. This could be explained such as an example in Kyoto Protocol. In that Protocol we know Annex I and non Annex I countries. Annex I is a list of industrialized countries, and vice versa non Annex I could be grouped to non industrialized countries.

A common responsibility for every country is all the same, create a better environment for the future (Art. 2 Stockholm Declaration). A differentiated responsibility is a responsibility differs from industrialized countries to non industrialized countries. Why ? Because industrialized countries produce the biggest destroyer of earth’s ozone layer, the greenhouse gases. It wouldn’t be fair if non industrialized countries is obliged to do the same with Annex I countries.

Kyoto Protocol is going to be expired in 2012. It is 3 years left. The road of environmental diplomacy is getting more serious. The next conference of the parties (COP) of United Nation Framework on Climate Change (UNFCC) is going to be held in Copenhagen, next December. Many parties believed that this is going to be one of Kyoto Protocol milestone. The question is how America, as the biggest greenhouse gases producer in the world, will react on this issue reminding that they are currently not a party in the Kyoto Protocol.

Indonesia as a non Annex I country play a bigger role even. The tropical forest is a “weapon” to combat greenhouse gases. That’s why there is a mechanism called Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD). This is an international partnership initiated in Bali where Earth Summit (COP 13) being held there. Germany as an industrialized country offer their technical help to Indonesia for implementing REDD through Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), a Germany state owned enterprise. We could attract many foreign expertise due to the richness of our natural resources.

As Indonesia have its foreign policy regarding this issue, we could have been engaging in a multilateral and preventive diplomacy. A multilateral diplomacy like one in COP 15 in Copenhagen will create a very good opportunity for Indonesian diplomats to be well known in introducing their country potential power to combat climate change. This also represents a good opportunity to attract more and more foreign technical assistance for Indonesia. On the other hand COP 15 is a preventive diplomacy, a diplomacy meant to prevent the effects of climate change.

So, as a good citizen, lets speak our voices with our own way to make sure the issue mentioned above is well addressed in the next COP and Indonesia will be in very strategic position due to its position in the equator.

With regards to the new mining law and its draft regulations, there are certain points that are very interesting to talk about, such as divestment, domestic market obligation, and mine closure.
Every international mining company which 100% owned by non Indonesian entity has to divest minimal 20% shares after 5 years of production to Indonesian entity by direct ownership. Divested share price will be valued by the government before the production phase
There will be supervision by government for technology, services, engineering design utilization by mining companies to third parties (local or mining services company). The Draft of Energy and Mineral Resources Ministerial Decree will justify the supervision mechanism of services and engineering design utilization by mining companies to third parties.
Reclamation and mine closure plan have to be submitted prior before applying for Mining Operation and Production Permit. Reclamation plan will be made per 5 years. Mine closure issue now is an issue ready to be submitted to the Energy and Mineral Resources Department. The main difference right now, there is reclamation and mine closure bond. These bonds have to be approved by the Minister, governor, or the mayor depends on its authority. IUP or IUPK holders could put these bonds in a term deposit, warranty or insurance bank, or accounting reserve. These bonds have to cover all reclamation cost which is counted by third party. Minister, governor or mayor could appoint third party to execute reclamation plan by using reclamation bond. If the budget is not enough, IUP or IUPK holders have to allocate fund to the reclamation and mine closure budget.

Social engineering is a concept in political science that refers to efforts to influence popular attitudes and social behaviour on a large scale, whether by corporations or private groups. Before one can engage in social engineering, one must have reliable information about the society that is to be engineered, and one must have effective tools to carry out the engineering. Both of these only became available relatively recently – roughly within the past one hundred years.
The development of social science made it possible to gather and analyse information about social attitudes and trends, which is necessary in order to judge the initial state of society before an engineering attempt and the success or failure of that attempt after it has been implemented. At the same time, the development of modern communications technology and the media provided the tools through which social engineering could be carried out. Social engineering can be carried out by any organization – whether large or small, public or private.
Social control includes to social mechanisms that regulate individual and group behaviour, leading to conformity and compliances to the rules of a given society or social group. Many mechanisms of social control are cross-cultural, if only in the control mechanisms used to prevent the establishment of chaos or anomie.
The social values that are present in individuals are products of informal social control. It is exercised by a society without explicitly stating these rules and is expressed through customs, norms, and mores. Individuals are socialized whether consciously or subconsciously. During informal sanctions, ridicule can cause a straying towards norms. Through this form of socialization, the person will internalize these mores and norms. Traditional society uses mostly informal social control embedded in its customary culture relying on the socialization of its members to establish social order. More rigidly-structured societies may place increased reliance on formal mechanisms.
Informal sanctions may include ridicule, sarcasm, criticism and disapproval. In extreme cases sanctions may include social discrimination and exclusion. This implied social control usually has more effect on individuals because they become internalized and thus an aspect of personality.
As with formal controls, informal controls reward or punish acceptable or unacceptable behaviour (i.e., deviance). Informal controls are varied and differ from individual to individual, group to group and society to society.
Formal social control is expressed through law as statutes, rules, and regulations against deviant behaviour. It is conducted by corporation and organizations. In societies the goals and mechanisms of formal social control are determined through policy and thus enjoy a measure of support from the population and voluntary compliance.
According to the propaganda model theory, the leaders of modern, corporate-dominated societies employ indoctrination as a means of social control. Theorists such as Noam Chomsky have argued that systematic bias exists in the modern media. The marketing, advertising, and public relations industries have thus been said to utilize mass communications to aid the interests of certain business elites. Powerful economic and religious lobbyists have often used school systems and centralised electronic communications to influence public opinion. Democracy is restricted as the majority is not given the information necessary to make rational decisions about ethical, social, environmental, or economic issues.
In order to maintain control and regulate their subjects, authoritarian organizations and corporations promulgate rules and issue decrees. However, due to a lack of popular support for enforcement, these entities may rely more on force and other severe sanctions such as censorship, expulsion and limits on political freedom.
Sociologists consider informal means of social control vital in maintaining public order, but also recognize the necessity of formal means as societies become more complex and for responding to emergencies.
An organization’s capacity and performance in managing social issues are increasingly recognized as important contributors to business success. To effectively manage risks, uncertainties and long-term opportunities, managers need the right set of policy around these issues.

In looking for safe and sustainable energy we have to look to an alternative to fossil fuels. There are geothermal, wind, solar and hydro. These are alternatives to what we as a mankind have been using largely. What we’ve not know yet is about the pros and cons of these alternative fuels. To achieve safe and sustainable energy right now it’s hard, that’s right, we haven’t yet found it.

Energy consumption on developing countries are different from those in developed countries. Development needs a lot of energy. To create energy, primarily we need fuels, that’s why in developing countries like China and India, oil, gas, and coal is in high demand. Then there’s another country like Indonesia. We could be grouped in the Global South energy user. However, we only have a national deposit that will last only for a couple of years. If we couldn’t find a site with significant amount of oil, the we have to import it from another country.

The problem is with this large exploitation of fossil fuel, our planet couldn’t handle the burden of it. Example like this, people need electricity. Electricity generated form power plants. Power plants fueled with coals. Coals extracted with mining. The coal powered plant will produce CO2 in huge amount than any other fuel. This create green house effect that in the long term causing climate change.

To handle this problem, we need different perspective in development. That’s why there’s a concept called sustainable development. There are three main factors, that are social, economy, and environmental. Every development in the world should pay attention to these three in order to maintain the planet earth.

As for the nuclear power, we still face the safety issue. We don’t want the Chernobyl incident happened again. There are a lot of question marks going to be directed to the nuclear power. How it affect its surroundings ? Is it economically feasible for developing countries to establish it ? In general, there will a be a “trial and error” issue for nuclear power in developing countries. Example in Indonesia is the Muria nuclear powerplant plan that have so many pros and cons.

What we have to do is simple. We have to ensure the rapid development of renewable energy. In this case, think globally but act locally, start from reducing, reusing, and recycling paper use in our office. Imagine how much trees have been cutted down to produce paper.

Developing countries will need assistance from developed countries to change their energy use patterns. The carbon credit is a nice concept for us. Trading what we’ve emitted is how a sustainable development coud be done. From waste, produced into capital, that in a long term creating a sustainable development.

Green technology is used by many industries nowadays, such as telecommunications. The green technology means reducing pollutant in products. We have to encourage this more and more. In developed countries, the regulations start to push the limits more further in creating an eco-friendly development. In 2010, there will be a regulation in Europe where all tyres have to be a non aromatic tyres. This set us an example so that we can prepare the technology neede to create a greener environment.

The problem is in developing countries the time and cost to create a green technology is bigger than creating products using old technology. Now, given that the rapid technology development, have give us information on what we should do. Developed countries should help developing countries, especially in their industry to practice green technology.

The multinational corporation is a channel to establishing green technology in the world. Certification like ISO 14001 is a good standard of this. By certified, industry have set a mechanism of green technology. In the long term, if every or if not at least most of industry being certified with the same global standard, we can hope that we create a cleaner environment.

Industry however is the backbone of our economy. Industry playing a major role in our society. People depends on industry for fulfilling needs. In creating a sustainable development industry have to shift paradigms into a sustainable one.

Geothermal energy is created by the heat of the earth. It generates reliable power and emits almost no greenhouse gases.

This is how it works: When groundwater seeps below the earth’s surface near a dormant volcano, the water is heated by reservoirs of molten rock, usually at depths of up to 9,800 feet (3,000 m). Wells similar to those used to produce oil and natural gas are drilled to recover the water. Once captured, steam and hot water are separated. The steam is cleaned and sent to the power plant. The separated water is returned to the reservoir, helping to regenerate the steam source.

Only a small group of sites around the globe — primarily in the Pacific Rim region — provide the special conditions needed to generate geothermal energy. At these locations, deep fractures in the earth’s crust allow the molten rock to surge close enough to the earth’s surface to heat water that goes underground.

In addition to providing clean, renewable power, geothermal energy has significant environmental advantages. Geothermal emissions contain no chemical pollutants or waste — they consist mostly of water, which is reinjected underground.

Geothermal energy is a reliable source of power that reduces the need for imported fuels. It’s also renewable because it is based on a practically limitless resource-natural heat within the earth.

The electricity produced by our geothermal power operations is sold to local power grids, providing clean energy to fuel the growth of some of the most rapidly expanding economies in the world.

Urgency of Conservation of Gunung Sewu Groundwater Sources
By : Ronald Eberhard

Usually people get water from a fertile area, but can you imagine there is a way to get water from a source that not located in a fertile area. The meaning of infertile area in this context is karsts area. There are many karsts area, but one in Gunung Sewu is interesting. The interest point of Gunung Sewu, the name was taken from Javanese language translated as “Thousand Hills”, is the relief of the area is dominated many times by that number of remarkably similar, small conical hills. Each hill is around 50m high and 300m in diameter. The result is a distinctive but chaotic landscape lacking an integrated active valley network.
Gunung Sewu is a range of hills covering about 800 square kilometers, adjacent to the south coast of Central Java. The area lies immediately south of the small town of Wonosari and about 50km southeast of the city of Yogyakarta. The hills form a unit elongated east-west, with along the central crest line mostly around 250-300m but rising to over 500m to the northeast. To the south the hills drop steeply to the coast, while to the north they fall to the plain of the Wonosari Plateau at an elevation around 175 m. The conical hills developed in strong reed lime stones are the natural product of a long period of tropical karsts erosion, and Gunung Sewu does in fact constitute one of the world’s finest example of cone karsts.
The unique point about Gunung Sewu that related to water resources is the complete replacement of any surface drainage systems by an integrated under drainage system. Surface water in the area is confined to short stream out active only in the wet season and feeding into sinkholes, or pounded depression locally known as “telaga”, which develop where drainage is impeded by thick valley clays and the lack of an adequate sinkhole. Cave entrances abound, and there are hundreds of open sinkholes, in the floors almost every depression between the small conical hills. The underground watercourses coalesce and mostly feed to springs along the south coast. Within Gunung Sewu itself, the groundwater drainage is typical of that of mature karsts in that the great majority of the flow is through discrete, widely-spaced conduits, or caves, and most water drains rapidly downwards through the lime stone to a deep and gently graded water table. These two factors combine to make the economic exploitation of the groundwater in Gunung Sewu very difficult.
Nowadays groundwater is not stand anymore as a free commodity but developed into an economic commodity that has an important role even in some places has become more strategic. To optimize groundwater exploitation there is a guide in planning groundwater exploitation. The plan including the stock taking of groundwater potential, exploitation planning, permission, checking and controlling, also groundwater conservation. The stock taking of groundwater potential is consider as the most determining in groundwater exploitation that environment based because of the availability and the potential of groundwater in area is determined by natural factor. The first step in the stock taking of groundwater potential is stock taking all the aspect of groundwater to know its potential through mapping activity, investigating, research, exploration and evaluation, collecting and managing groundwater data. The stock taking activities above done through collecting, evaluating and analyzing data to get :
Information of groundwater basin limit
Information of dimension, geometric and aquifer parameter
Information on supplement area and groundwater dismissal area
Information of groundwater debit
Information of groundwater quality
Information on the debit groundwater exploiting
The second step is groundwater exploitation planning. To fulfill a demand groundwater exploitation must consider :
Groundwater need for long term based on the groundwater exploitation development plan that exist and the future development plan for groundwater exploitation
Invention (mathematic simulation model) of hydro geologic condition that similar to natural condition
Groundwater exploitation planning in a certain time that fits the safe quota of groundwater exploitation so that the exploitation doesn’t cause negative effects
Groundwater exploitation to fulfill demand must less or maximally even with the natural supportability
Locations that have a critical condition of groundwater environment will have its own exploitation regulation and the further exploitation must fit its natural supportability. For the establish one obligated to minimize exploitation debit
The third step is permission. Water resource or groundwater drilling can be done after get drilling permission and groundwater exploitation permission with rules below :
The allocation of groundwater exploitation for drinkable and household water is the main priority above other needs
Groundwater exploitation on free aquifer, the first priority is for drinkable and household water
Groundwater exploitation for other needs will not disturb the household needs
In managing, exploitation based on allocation priority rules and also concern about civil needs and local condition
The permission is act as a form of legal aspect.
The fourth step is checking and controlling. The successes of groundwater exploitation that environment based is determined on checking and controlling functions so that the continuity of groundwater exploitation can take place.
The first part is :
Checking
Checking activity involves :
Checking the operation of technique requisite that listed in the groundwater exploitation permission
Checking for the operation of environment analysis
Checking for the possibility of the pollution of groundwater environment
Controlling
Controlling activity involves :
Monitoring activity that are :
The monitoring of groundwater debit and quality
The monitoring of environment effect because groundwater exploitation
The monitoring in the changing of ground function and exploitation
Production of groundwater exploitation controlling map that include determining :
Groundwater zoning (safe, affected, critical and damaged)
Aquifer deep that safe for exploitation
Groundwater exploitation debit quota based on the supportability potent
Groundwater exploitation debit based on allocation
Giving administrative sanction and law sanction based on the rules and constitution that valid concerning drilling operator and or groundwater consumer if there any damage in the environment because groundwater exploitation
The last step is groundwater conservation. Groundwater conservation is groundwater management to guarantee the exploitation wisely and guarantee the debit with constantly keeping and optimizing its quality. In brief, this is a needed act in groundwater resource using so that that the exploitation will be optimal and continuously without creating negative effects on the condition and the environment of groundwater resources.
Technique efforts that can be done in groundwater conservation operation is involving :
Maximizing the groundwater supplementation
Regulating the groundwater using
Groundwater protection

Qualitative Research

Talking about qualitative research means talking about research methodology which including philosophical view on disciplined inquiry and reality from studied object inside social and behavior science; not just only talking about technical aspect of research methodology in a research process.
As a research method, qualitative research is known with few names and labels in sciences,. Anthropologist named ethnography to qualitative approach that they used; on the other hand, sociologist called it with verstehen or participant observation, psychologist, linguist and many other science use names like case study, interpretive inquiry, natural inquiry, and phenomenology as a title for its qualitative approach.
The characteristic of of qualitative research :
1. Data gathering performed in a natural way
2. Researcher is the main instrument in collecting and interpreting data
3. Mostly, qualitative research is full with description
4. Even if qualitative research seldom pay attention to result and consequences of many variables that forming simultaneously, but more common in researching the process
5. Mostly qualitative research using inductive analysis, mainly in its beginning
6. Meaning behind human behavior is an essential thing as a qualitative research
7. Qualitative research demanding as much as it can to the researcher to do the research independently
8. In a qualitative research there ‘s a triangulation activity that carried extensively, including method triangulation, data source triangulation, and surveyor triangulation
9. Studied people counted as participant
10. Participant is very respected in a qualitative research
11. In a qualitative research, result rarely become final, as long as there’s no contrary evidence
12. Sample taking carried out with rational purposive method
13. Quantitative data and qualitative data in a qualitative research are both used

I studied law for almost five years now. Many things I’ve learned from law. But, also many many things I’ve added to the law. Once many people thought that law was a tool for social engineering. But, as time went by, politic and economic factor also took part in law-building process. Nowadays, many people seek advice from law practicing people, also known as lawyer, in return they get money from sharing knowledge of law they knew to the client. It just only one example, also we can see now our legislative people in the Senate or Congress get paid for sharing their knowledge and hearing public opinion. Not just that, law-making process that involved many law experts also been a contributive parts to the society.

Right now, from the common people view, regularly they seek advice from lawyers to solve their matters. As seen on television, artist that want to get divorced also published their matters to the press. Therefore, nowadays the term “celebrity lawyers” became well known. Many lawyers practiced this method of getting popular. Many names became popular in the society, like Ruhut Sitompul, Elza Syarief, Hotman Paris Hutapea, etc. As a conclusion, image is an important part of became a lawyer. There’s words that say, “To determine a lawyer’s fee, just see with what car he comes to the client”.

From the lawyer’s view, the career building process began at law school. After graduated, they became job hunter that searched for reputable law firms. In some condition, even the reputable law firms look out for new lawyers while they were still completing their study at law school. The internship offered great deal for law career building process. The law students will know what it’s look like to become a lawyer. The experience they get from such programs is very delicate, because they will get to know what real law job environment looks like. As for the most important part, this is a real opportunity to practice the skills that they get from law school. Because back in law school, the opportunity to practicing law skills was not very much, considering the large portion of theories that must be undertaken in law school.

For writer’s own personal view, choosing law career at the beginning actually was a rationalization process of my own academic scores, back when I was applying for university. At the first, I couldn’t see how far the law will actually took me to the point where I belong right now. Many developments I had, such as writing skills, public speaking skills, negotiating and diplomacy skills, knowledge of bureaucracy, also leadership. The last point, that is leadership, I get it from a knowledge of what is justice. Just a word, but it affects me every time I interact with other people, can be underlined as my principle. Back to the days when I was the President of Mahasiswa Pecinta Alam Universitas Gadjah Mada (MAPAGAMA), actually I practiced these skills. So right now, if I’ve asked why I choose law as a career, then briefly I’ll say , “To become a leader”.