I'm going to talk about a rule that is very important for people of my profession. It is Ministry of Finance Regulation No. 65 / PMK.02 2015 which regulates Unit Cost of Translation and Typing. This regulation is a description ... an official one that gives my profession, a translator, a power to bargain the price for our service properly. This regulation covers the profession of translator, but it is not exclusively just translator but also interpreter. I think the majority of people do not know or familiar with this policy because they will only know about this policy if they are going to translate something or have a business with professional translator / sworn translator. The price for 250 words is 152,000 rupiahs. So you should not be surprised. If people don't want to pay this amount, they can try to find a cheaper translator. For most people who use the service of translator maybe this policy is a bit unpopular. But for translators, this is the protection that we need for our job. Without this regulation, customer will ask for a much lower price like 15,000 rupiah per page .. which in my opinion is a total nonsense considering current economy.





What sort of rules do families often have in the home?
Well, from the top of my mind, the first rule is when you go on a date, you need to be back before midnight. I remember this rule because when I was young I often broke this rule. Second rule is no phone during dinner. I think this is quite logical, because it is a polite thing to do. And the third rule, you will have to answer to refill the water in the water container in the bathroom after you use it. Indonesian use water in their bathroom. Unlike western culture which relies on tissue or toilet paper to wipe their ass, we use water. It is very problematic when you go to the toilet and the container is empty.

How important is it for family members to respect these rules?
Well, house rules are designed to help us, the inhabitant of that house I think. Let's say for example, nightlife isn't all that interesting in Indonesia due to the high number of crimes happened during the night. So it is safe to conclude your date after 10 p.m, and return home at 11 p.m. Going later than midnight may put you and your girlfriend in dangerous situation. Second of all, dinner time is usually a good time for parents to communicate with their children. Talking about their life and school, and other things. If the children are busy with their phone during dinner, then it would be difficult for parents to communicate with them. The last one about the water and toilet paper, that is a practical rule, if you don't follow it ... it will be very bad for a person who need to use the toilet at that exact moment.

Have the typical family rules changed since your parents were children?
Well, yes of course. During my parents time, there were no things to do. So people would gather in the living room and talk to each other or read a book. If we compare to the modern rules .. Let's say a modern house share the wireless internet connection to about four computers ... and then the connection had gone slower than normal .. Your parents may ask you "Don't hog the bandwidth! or Don't watch youtube now!" ... So with all the technology invading us now, while in the past such technology was non-existent, I believe we need more rules to clear things up, what is allowed and what is not.

Why do schools need to have rules?
Well, it is very easy to answer. It is just the same with any other rules, it is there to give a structure. You don't want teenagers to smoke, so there is a rule of no-smoking in the school. You want all the teenagers to dress appropriately, then there is a dress-code rule for that matter. Rules exist to help us behave. Without the rules, we might as well be animals. Maybe worse.

What is the best way to ensure that school rules are obeyed?
Discipline and Motivation. It is not that similar to the old carrot and stick approach. If you want to discipline your students you need to show an example, and discipline yourself. To ensure this, I think all the principals and teachers need to be trained in a leadership training, a program that will make them more professional in leading the students to progress.

Do you think the focus of the school should be discipline or fairness?
There is a reason why people need to be flexible in their life. Flexibility matters. Then again, there is also lots of reason why people need to be able to instill discipline in their behavior. Now, the function of the school is not to choose one over the other. I believe, the school needs to adopt an approach where all the students feel they have the same opportunity to progress. In order to do this, the first thing the school need is to stop being judgmental. If you want to be a judgmental, don't do it at school. Discipline is necessary and so is flexibility and fairness. We can have both if we run the school professionally. We don't have to choose.

Why do you think societies need to have laws?
Unless you want to go to a scene from Spaghetti Western movie or Samurai period, then of course societies need to have laws. The very definition of law is to protect and to put things in balance. Let's say, the rules about tax .. nobody in their right mind would like to give money frequently and regularly in a large percentage. However, the rules say so ... and this is for the better and for improving the society. So you have no choice other than paying your tax, or some guy from IRS will come to your house and make your life hell than it already is.
So, we need rules and laws to encourage other people to act selfless. Think about motorcycle rider in Indonesia, ... they are mindless numbnuts .. I would like to see them riding their motorcycle in Singapore .. so they can go to jail every time they violate the rules in the road.

Is prison always the best form of punishment?
I don't agree with that statement. I think prison is a waste of taxpayers money. A prison is made based on the believe that everyone needs to be given a second chance. It is much better if you are under 14 year old .. you will be punished by going to prison .. but when you are older then, you need to face a capital punishment. I don't think criminals should be given a second chance. Life is difficult. So many people in this world. We can do without criminals asking for forgiveness.

Should state legal aid be available to everyone?
I'm not a professional to comment on things about court and justice or things like that. If they need legal aid then give it to them. I choose to stay out of trouble. In your family, you need to have judge, lawyer, army soldier, police, doctor and so on. You cannot rely to the government in Indonesia. The only thing you can rely is your family. So unless the state legal aid is your family, in Indonesia, they will do nothing useful to really help you. You don't give them money, you can't expect them to help you. That's the real truth about law in Indonesia.





Semoga bermanfaat.