VZCZCXRO1786
RR RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHDT RUEHHM
DE RUEHJA #0869 1210904
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 300904Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY JAKARTA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8887
INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHKL/AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR 2472
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHHMUNA/USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI
RHHJJAA/JICPAC HONOLULU HI
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC

UNCLAS JAKARTA 000869 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR EAP/MTS; EAP/PD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO PGOV ECON PREL ID
 
SUBJECT: Public Outreach in South and East Kalimantan 
 
Ref: A) Jakarta 837; B) Jakarta 847 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: Embassy Officers conducted two public outreach 
events in Kalimantan during an April 22-24 reporting trip (see 
reftels).  In Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, Embassy Officers 
delivered a presentation and presented PAS materials on the 2008 
U.S. Presidential Election. In Tarakan, East Kalimantan, Embassy 
Officers met with prominent business leaders and the Rotary Club of 
Tarakan for discussions which focused primarily on U.S. - Indonesian 
relations, including both countries' current economic situations. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U) Embassy Officers gave a presentation on the 2008 U.S. 
Presidential election and the U.S. election process at Lambung 
Mangkurat University in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, on April 23. 
The 40 faculty and students posed a variety of questions to the 
Officers, many focusing on whether a new U.S. President would be 
capable of implementing "a fair approach to the Israeli issue and 
towards Islam" and how the "invasion of Iraq" could be considered 
consistent with democracy.   Students expressed surprise that the 
U.S., which they called the role model for a perfect democracy, was 
still undergoing change and improvement and asked detailed questions 
about the Electoral College.  Officers explained that democracy is a 
constantly evolving process that includes ongoing debates among the 
population and lawmakers on foreign policy. 
 
¶3. (U) In Tarakan City, East Kalimantan, Embassy Officers met with 
local Jawa Post newspaper Radar Tarakan's Manager Anny Susilowati 
and journalists, and a group of 10 Rotarians and business leaders, 
including a professor from Tarakan City's Borneo University, and a 
leader of the Red Cross in Tarakan.  The conversation focused on 
economic issues and questions about the U.S.-Indonesian bilateral 
relationship. 
 
¶4. (U) The Rotarians held a positive attitude towards the local 
government, citing progress especially in the area of health, 
education, and income improvement. The Tarakan Red Cross 
representative noted that the maternal death rate in Tarakan was 72 
per 100,000 births, while nationally it was 307 per 100,000. 
General Manager of Bumiputera Bank Tarakan, Deny Wirawan, said that 
his bank had Rp 3 trillion in savings and Rp 800 million in credit. 
Tarakan Rotarians reflected national concerns about economic 
conditions, but did not sound any alarms on local economic 
conditions. 
 
¶5. (U) The interlocutors highlighted the close relationship the 
region has with Malaysia.  This relationship is especially close 
when compared to the relationship with the southern part of East 
Kalimantan, supporting the rationale behind the local effort to 
create a new province of North Kalimantan (Ref B).  They noted that 
food prices in Tarakan were double that in East Kalimantan's capital 
Balikpapan due to high transportation costs. Consequently, many 
people in the region preferred to cross into Malaysia to purchase 
basic food stuffs.  Another Rotarian mentioned that increasingly 
people in the area are choosing to send their children to school in 
Malaysia, including his family. 
 
Hume