15 Years On, Indonesia Making Headway
By Dominic G. Diongson & Francezka Nangoy
In the days leading up to Suharto’s stepping down from power on May 21, 1998, Indonesia was a nation in crisis.
Demonstrations against the authoritarian regime erupted in major cities across the country. Ethnic Chinese businessmen, fearful of attacks on their shops, hastily packed up their families and belongings, leaving their cars literally at the departure curbs of airports for flights out of the country.
About a year earlier Indonesia had allowed the rupiah to trade freely against the dollar, and the nation’s economy went into a downward spiral.
With the currency’s sudden depreciation, the costs to repay dollar-denominated loans soon more than doubled, and prices of overseas goods soared — sending the inflation rate skyrocketing.
Soon thereafter, the social fabric of Indonesia unraveled, as hundreds of thousands of people became jobless from the bankruptcies of many small and large businesses. Discontent toward the government started to spill over into the streets.
When Michel Camdessus, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund at the time, presided with his arms crossed and looming over a seated Suharto, who was signing conditions of a bailout, the public became livid at the perceived Western subjugation of Indonesia.
Now, peace dominates the landscape among the nation’s 33 provinces and more than 17,000 islands. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono became the first leader to be elected for a second term since Suharto’s fall from 32 years in power. Indonesia’s economy remains among the fastest-growing across the Asia-Pacific region, as many of its more than 240 million people are being lifted out of poverty and moving into the middle class.
Indonesia, like many of its neighbors in Southeast Asia, has recovered from the 1997-98 financial crisis, and there are signs of further progress. The nation has paid its $23 billion debt to the IMF in full, and the government’s finances, for the most part, are in order.
In a report last year, the IMF said that “Indonesia’s economic performance has been impressive in recent years.”
While the wheels of fortune have turned for the better for Southeast Asia, Western nations are mired in debt. Indonesia’s public debt-to-gross domestic product ratio has fallen to 23 percent from 76 percent in 2001 due to its policy of maintaining fiscal discipline.
At the same time, European nations such as Greece, Portugal and Ireland turn to the IMF, the European Commission and the European Central Bank with their debts exceeding GDP. The United States itself faces chronically high unemployment rate at almost 8 percent.
Indonesia has also focused on domestic spending to help boost economic growth. The nation’s unemployment rate has fallen to a record low of 5.9 percent, about half of what it was just eight years ago. Minimum wages have also been increasing in major cities across the nation.
“Democratization is maturing, and there are a lot of young entrepreneurs in the business world now,” said Sandiaga Uno, an Indonesian businessman who operates a private-equity firm.
“Economic policies are becoming more transparent, and economic growth is becoming more sustainable and more evenly distributed,” he said.
As part of the nation’s initiative known as Reformasi in 1999 to transform Indonesia’s political, social and economic systems, regional governments have been given more power, allowing their provinces to thrive and develop.
There is greater transparency as well, with people more freely able to discuss subjects such as criticism of the president and institutions, once off-limits. Political parties are now free to form, and the media plays an important role in both informing the public and acting as a watchdog.
The National Social Security System (SJSN) Law, approved in 2004, has paved the way for the establishment of five social security programs: health insurance, employment injury, pension, old-age savings and death benefits.
There is also greater transparency in how the government performs its duties and conducts its business.
The formation of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has helped to root out rampant graft, a trait that was endemic during Suharto’s reign.
At the same time, though, Islamic radicalism — suppressed during the Suharto era — is gaining ground.
While the rule of law is yet to take hold firmly, the country is also moving in the right direction on this front.
Tertinggi di Dunia
Indonesia terbukti menjadi salah satu target paling menggiurkan di pentas bisnis dunia. Menurut hasil survei yang dirilis oleh The Nielsen Global Survey of Consumer Confidence and Spending Intentions pada awal Mei lalu, Indonesia berada di urutan teratas dalam daftar sepuluh negara dengan tingkat optimisme ekonomi tertinggi di dunia.
Dengan indeks kepercayaan konsumen mencapai 122 poin, Indonesia mengalahkan rata-rata Asia yang indeksnya mencapai 103 poin dan bahkan berada jauh di atas rata-rata dunia yang ‘hanya’ sebesar 93 poin! Menurut lembaga riset tersebut, hal ini didorong oleh optimisme Indonesia menjelang Pemilihan Umum (Pemilu) Presiden di tahun 2014 dan naiknya upah minimum karyawan. Karena kuatnya kondisi domestik ini, konsumen Indonesia menjadi semakin loyal dalam berbelanja. Bahkan, timbul tren berbelanja merek-merek premium.
Hal tersebut dipaparkan Managing Director perusahaan konsultan kehumasan PT Fortune Pramana Rancang (Fortune PR) Indira Abidin dalam lawatannya ke Seoul, Korea Selatan, baru-baru ini. “Setelah Indonesia, India menempel di posisi kedua dengan indeks kepuasan konsumen sebesar 120 poin, diikuti Filipina 118 poin, Thailand 116 poin, dan Brazil 111 poin. Lima negara lain yang masuk sepuluh besar adalah Arab Saudi, Tiongkok, dan Hongkong dengan 108 poin, lalu Malaysia dan Norwegia dengan 106 poin,” jelas Indira.
Di Negeri Ginseng tersebut, Indira melakoni serangkaian agenda selama sembilan hari. Salah satunya adalah menghadiri Rapat Umum tahunan Worldcom, jaringan perusahaan public relations (PR) independen terkemuka dunia. Hadir bersama Indira dalam rapat tersebut adalah perwakilan perusahaan-perusahaan PR unggulan yang menjadi partner Worldcom dari berbagai regional di seluruh dunia, yaitu Amerika, Asia-Pasifik, Eropa, Timur Tengah, dan Afrika.
“Seluruh peserta di rapat ini menjabat sebagai pimpinan di perusahaan mereka. Karena itu, penting untuk mempromosikan kondisi ekonomi Indonesia yang disebut-sebut sebagai salah satu yang paling kondusif di lingkup global. Potensi bisnis dan peluang-peluang kemitraan, baik di bidang PR maupun lainnya, harus dibuka lebar-lebar,” ujar Indira.
Selain menghadiri rapat Worldcom, Indira juga mempromosikan Indonesia melalui kunjungan-kunjungannya ke berbagai perusahaan komunikasi di Seoul. Dalam pertemuannya dengan para petinggi perusahaan-perusahaan itu, Indira mengungkapkan bahwa Indonesia masuk ke kategori yang sama dengan Tiongkok, India, Malaysia, Filipina, Pakistan, Thailand, dan Vietnam yang dijuluki Fast-Track Asia.
“Kategori ini memiliki pertumbuhan ekonomi yang cepat, sangat siap untuk mengadopsi teknologi, dan belanja iklannya diprediksi akan tumbuh sekitar 10-11 persen per tahun mulai tahun ini sampai tahun 2015 mendatang. Sangat menggairahkan bagi kerja sama bisnis apapun,” kata perempuan yang baru saja dianugerahi gelar Indonesia Accredited Public Relations (IAPR) dari Perhimpunan Hubungan Masyarakat Indonesia (PERHUMAS) ini.
Di Seoul, Indira juga sempat bertemu dengan duta besar Indonesia untuk Korea Selatan, John A. Prasetyo, dan pelopor periklanan di Korea, Senyon Kim.
Indira adalah praktisi PR terkemuka di Indonesia dan telah diundang sebagai pembicara dalam berbagai workshop, seminar, dan konferensi baik berskala nasional maupun internasional. Tahun lalu, Indira berhasil menerima penghargaan Anugerah Perempuan Indonesia 2012 untuk kategori Perusahaan Publik Bidang Jasa Periklanan. Sosok Indira juga dikenal sebagai aktivis media sosial melalui akun Twitter @indiraabidin.
Tentang Fortune PR
Fortune PR merupakan konsultan yang menyajikan layanan solusi komunikasi terintegrasi berbasiskan public relations sebagai layanan utamanya. Fortune PR yang menjadi pionir dalam industri humas di Indonesia adalah anak perusahaan dari PT Fortune Indonesia Tbk (IDX: FORU), sebuah perusahaan pengembang komunikasi terpadu yang berdiri tahun 1970. Fortune PR juga menjadi salah satu mitra dari jaringan perusahaan humas independen terkemuka di dunia Worldcom Public Relations Group. Pada tahun 2012, Fortune PR menjadi satu-satunya finalis berbasis di Indonesia yang berhasil meraih penghargaan South-East Asia Consultancy of The Year oleh publikasi PR internasional The Holmes Report yang berpusat di Inggris. Di tahun yang sama, Fortune PR juga dianugerahi predikat sebagai Southeast Asia PR Agency of the Year dari majalah Campaign-Asia Pacific. Informasi selengkapnya, kunjungi www.fortunepr.com
Media contact:
Oscar Prajnaphalla
Marketing Communications Manager
Email: oscar@fortunepr.com HP: +62 897 6102 820
Putri Rizky Pramadhani
Media Relations Officer
Email: putri@fortunepr.com HP: +62 853 3431 8031
PT Fortune Pramana Rancang
Gedung Galaktika, Jl. Harsono RM No. 2, Ragunan, Jakarta Selatan 12550
Phone: (+6221) 765 8506, Fax (+6221) 780 5498
Top 10 world’s busiest airports
The earliest airports were grassy fields allowing aircrafts to approach at any angle. It was Wilbur Wright (one of the brothers) who established College Park Airport in Maryland in 1909. Today, billions of people around the world take the plane to travel. It’s only a matter of time for the world’s busiest airports to break the barrier of 100 million passengers per year.
Read more: http://www.seriousrankings.com/top-10-worlds-busiest-airports/#ixzz2TKa4TeBs
Era Baru Jaminan Kesehatan
By dr. Sholihul Abshor
Sakit bagi semua orang bukanlah kondisi yang dikehendaki, tapi bila sakit menyerang, semua orang dalam kondisi apapun pasti berupaya mencari obat bagi kesembuhannya. Bagi orang yang mampu berusaha mencari pengobatan kemana saja, bisa ke dokter umum, dokter spesialis, atau ke rumah sakit swasta yang mahal sekalipun. Namun bagi orang yang tidak mampu tentu bukan hal yang mudah dalam menghadapi keadaan sulit seperti ini. Jangankan ke dokter spesialis, ke dokter umumpun mereka tidak mampu sementara berobat ke puskesmas tidak sembuh. Memang saat ini pemerintah menanggung biaya berobat bagi masyarakat, baik ke puskesmas maupun ke rumah sakit umum. Namun masih banyak masalah yang timbul, diantaranya kualitas pelayanan medis yang kurang baik, pelayanan non medis yang belum nyaman dan ramah, hingga banyaknya masyarakat yang belum tercakup jaminan kesehatan sehingga mereka yang tidak mampu masih mengeluarkan biaya sendiri bila berobat.
Mulai tahun depan masyarakat bisa bernapas lega karena pemerintah akan memperbaiki sistim jaminan kesehatan sehingga masalah di atas tidak terjadi lagi. Komitmen pemerintah ini tertuang dalam undang undang no 44 tahun 2004 tentang sistim jaminan sosial nasional, sebagai amanah dari pasal 28-H dan pasal 34 Undang Undang Dasar 1945 yang menyebutkan kewajiban negara untuk memberikan perlindungan dan kesejahteraan sosial bagi seluruh rakyat Indonesia. Sistim yang baru ini menjamin semua warga negara tercover dengan asuransi kesehatan dan wajib membayar premi yang ditentukan. Bagi masyarakat yang tidak mampu akan disubsidi seluruhnya oleh pemerintah dalam bentuk Penerima Bantuan Iur (PBI). Mulai 1 januari 2014 sistim ini akan diberlakukan, dengan konsekuensi pemerintah menanggung PBI sekitar 96 juta jiwa. Seluruh pola jaminan kesehatan yang ada saat ini yaitu; jamkesmas, jamsostek, dan PT Askes dilebur menjadi satu institusi berupa Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Sosial Kesehatan (BPJS kes). Persiapan perubahan saat ini sudah dilakukan oleh pemerintah dengan menunjuk PT Askes sebagai model bagi BPJS kes.
Sistim yang baru ini diyakini dapat merubah pola pelayanan kesehatan ke arah yang lebih baik. Tidak hanya dalam hal jaminan terlayaninya bagi warga yang sakit, tetapi lebih dari itu mampu memperbaiki praktik pengobatan yang tidak sesuai dengan prosedur semestinya maupun yang menyimpang dari etika profesi. Banyak praktik pelayanan kesehatan yang merugikan pasien selama ini, seperti pemakaian obat yang tidak terkontrol sehingga biaya membengkak, prosedur perawatan yang tidak efisien sehingga pasien dirawat lebih lama dari semestinya, penggunaan laboratorium dan radiologi yang berlebihan, hingga tindakan pembedahan yang tidak perlu. Semuanya akan diatur dalam ketentuan yang baru di bawah kendali BPJS kes.
Saat ini PT Askes yang ditugasi pemerintah untuk menyiapkan BPJS kes berkerja keras melengkapi prosedur dan seluruh infra struktur yang dibutuhkan. Direktur PT Askes, DR. dr Fachmi Idris, MKes dalam kesempatan bertemu dengan pengurus Ikatan Dokter Indonesia dan pengelola rumah sakit di Surabaya beberapa waktu lalu menyampaikan bahwa BPJK kes akan dikelola secara transparan dan tidak berorientasi profit, berprinsip kegotong royongan dan ekuitas, yaitu kesamaan dalam memperoleh pelayanan sesuai dengan kebutuhan medisnya.
Pada akhirnya kita berharap agar program ini berjalan sesuai yang direncanakan dan diharapkan. Sehingga seluruh rakyat Indonesia akan terjamin kesehatannya, mampu tumbuh dan berkembang menjadi manusia yang unggul dan menjadi sumberdaya yang tangguh bagi Indonesia yang sejahtera dan bermartabat di tataran dunia.
@dokter_absor
From Hollywood to Cannes
Indonesian Student Achieves Big in Foreign Countries
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – April 18, 2013 – Roland Wiryawan, a recent graduate from University of Southern California, is set to visit Cannes from May 14 to May 26. His visit to Cannes will be his new stepping-stone in the world of cinematic arts as his last short film at USC School of Cinematic Arts, “Would You” is officially selected for Short Film Corner at the Cannes Film Festival.
“It is an honor for me to be able to show the world my work as a filmmaker,” said Roland. This is not the first time that his work got featured at international film festival. His three years of study at one of the most prestigious film school in the world, USC School of Cinematic Arts, has prepared him well. “Another short movie of mine called “Lee” has previously been featured at International Film Festivals in London, Toronto, and Los Angeles, among many others.”
“Filmmaking is a true passion of mine. I’ve tried other career paths, literally. I graduated from University of Indonesia majoring in Law, but I realized that it wasn’t truly my passion,” explained Roland. Before he studied abroad, Roland was also active in entertainment industry, mostly taking jobs as MC, radio announcer, and event organizer. “I still love entertainment very much, but now I want to focus on film industry,” he stated.
“Would You” is a story of two kids and young friendship before and slightly after social distinction comes and puts in different perspectives. It resonates to the problem of racism and taps into the innocence of young ones and parenthood.
Living and learning filmmaking for almost 7 years in Los Angeles, California, he still has his heart locked up for Indonesia. This year, he plans to go back and start pre-production on his first feature that incorporates Indonesian history and a modern touch, packed with adventures and actions.
At Cannes Film Festival, Roland plans to expand his horizon even more. Roland is hungry for more experience and looking forward to meeting and collaborating with other global filmmakers.
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For more information, please visit: Festival de Cannes Official Website
Media Contact: Siera Tamihardja / +1 (206) 218 – 4477 / st.siera@gmail.com
About Would You
Would You is a poignant story about young friendship and two different worlds colliding. It depicts the ugly truth of a social issue. We are born race blind and with innocent minds, but as we grow up, our external influences can change our perceptions. Are we willing to embrace our differences?
About Roland Wiryawan
Roland Wiryawan is an avid filmmaker graduated from USC School of Cinematic Arts majoring in Film and Television Production. During his years in USC, he was a distinguished scholar, receiving scholarships from USC Asian Pacific Alumni Association and Norman Topping Student Aid Fund. Due to his contributions in the areas of leadership and service, he was the only Indonesian recipient of the prestigious USC The Order of Troy among his graduation class of 2012.
Having a deep passion in filmmaking, Roland directed a number of shorts such as Wake Up (2007), Pointe (2010), Good Night, Mr. O (2010), and LEE (2011). The latter has received praises and remarkable reviews not only from the United States, but also from other parts of the world such as Israel, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and Indonesia.
Since its debut in 2011, Lee has been official selection for 16 film festivals in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and France, among many others. Recently, 27th London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, Tel-Aviv’s International LGBT Film Festival, and Asian Queer Film Festival in Japan have put LEE on their official selection in 2013.
Upon his arrival in United States of America, Roland wanted to help other minority filmmakers gain access to resources. He founded the Asian American Cinema Association at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Though he founded this group to improve access for Asian-American filmmakers, he is active in supporting all minorities. He is passionate about fostering a global cinema community. One of his goals is to elevate and bridge Indonesia and Hollywood film industry in the near future.
We Are Relative
by Ahmad Cholis Hamzah
When I joined ASEAN-Japan youth exchange program in 1982 – together with youth leaders from ASEAN and Japan I visited Manila, the capital city of the Philippines and Bangkok, the capital city of Kingdom of Thailand. I was surprised to find the fact in Manila that pronunciation and the meaning of some words of Tagalog, the Filipino language are the same with my native Javanese and national language of Bahasa Indonesia. It seems to me that both Indonesian people and Filipino shared common words such as “anak” for child, “Lelaki” or “lalaki” for man, “Kambing” for goat, “bibir” for lip, “Aku (in Bahasa Indonesia or Malay) or “Akoy” for I, “tahan” for stop and many other similar words.
Then when I visited Bangkok, Thailand I also found the fact that Indonesians and Thais learned similar culture and literature since in the past. Both people learned from the same great civilization of India. It explains why Thais and Indonesians still read about and dance for episodes from Ramayana and Mahabrata. Like with Filipino or Malaysians, both Indonesians and Thais share names originating from Sanskrit as “Chandra, Aditya, Suriya, Sawitri, Dwi, Tri, Dewi, and Dewa”. We also share hundreds of words, although pronounce slightly different such as: “menteri” for minister, “wanita” for woman, “suami” for husband, “mitra” for partner or friend, “putra and putri” for son and daughter, and “Duta” for a representative as in “Duta Besar” (in bahasa Indonesia) that means Ambassador.
Both Indonesian and Thai students study the history of Majapahit in East Java and Sriwijaya kingdom in Sumatra Island.
Indonesia has “wayang kulit” and Thai has similar shadow puppet shows that traditionally used to play episodes from Ramayana. In both countries, such shadow puppet performances are also used by local communities/government to spread information about any issue like family planning program, rural development programs, health, and education issue using easy and simple local language which enable public understand the message.
In Thailand, people also have many dishes resembling Indonesian cuisine. For example, Thais have Thai sa-te (which is also called sa-te in Thai language). The originality, I believe, is from Indonesia. This Indonesian cuisine was one of the favourite foods of U.S President Obama during his childhood in Indonesia.
Well, once again, we are not only neighbor but we are also relative.
__
Author is an alumni of University of London,
Airlangga University Surabaya and a lecturer at Banking College
PERBANAS Surabaya, Indonesia.
Commanding the Waves
Budget carrier Lion Mentari Airlines says it is keen to expand its presence in Manado, adding cruise shifts to the flights and accommodation it already offers in the North Sulawesi capital.
Lion’s full-service spinoff Batik Air flew its maiden flight from Jakarta to Manado on Friday, and the company also operates a 170-room four-star hotel in the city.
“We will provide cruise ships here, catering to tourists who want to see Bunaken and Raja Ampat,” president director Rusdi Kirana said over the weekend, referring to Bunaken National Park, a marine park north of Sulawesi, and the Raja Ampat islands of West Papua.
“We want to support Manado as a hub in eastern Indonesia,” Rusdi said, declining to give details on the timing or size of the cruise ship investment. The company will target tourists from east Asia, Rusdi said.
Batik Air plans to open its first international route between Manado and Guangzhou in China by the fourth quarter of this year, easing access to and from other east Asian cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul.
“Manado is nearer to East Asia compared to Jakarta, so the costs would be cheaper,” Rusdi said.
Lion also plans to open a pilot and aerospace school in Manado to support its business there, he added.
Hatta Rajasa, the coordinating minister for the economy, said the government is planning to expand Manado’s Sam Ratulangi Airport so that it can service long-haul aircraft used on many international routes. “Manado will be incredible. So we must be aggressive in developing our connectivity,” Hatta said.
In March, Lion launched Malindo Airlines through a partnership with Malaysia’s National Aerospace and Defense Industries to service Malaysia.
The airline has recently made massive purchases of fleet from Airbus and Boeing, but its safety record entered the spotlight after an April water landing in Bali.
Indonesian, in Mongolia
The National University of Mongolia plans to set up a study center to introduce Indonesia to the Mongolian public, says the university’s vice president, Gerelt Od Lkhagvasuren.
Anak Bangsa di Kompetisi Rancang Desain Proses Level Dunia
ECCE9-ECAB2
Kongres Teknik Kimia Eropa ke-9 bersamaan dengan Kongres Bioteknologi Terapan Eropa ke-2 (ECCE9 / ECAB2) adalah sebuah konferensi kerjasama antara Asosiasi Teknolog Proses Belanda (NPT) dan Masyarakat Ilmu Teknik Biokimia Eropa (ESBES) di bawah naungan Federasi Teknik Kimia Eropa (EFCE). Konferensi ini diselenggarakan di Den Haag, Belanda dari 21 hingga 25 April 2013. Lebih dari 2300 peserta termasuk 300 peneliti yang berasal lebih dari 25 negara berpartisipasi dalam konferensi bergengsi ini.
Huntsman Design Contest
Huntsman Design Contest adalah sebuah kompetisi yang merupakan bagian dari ECCE9 / ECAB2. Kompetisi ini diselenggarakan atas inisiatif Huntsman, perusahaan produsen bahan kimia tingkat dunia. Tujuan dari kompetisi ini adalah merancang desain proses pemisahan anilin dengan beberapa pertimbangan untuk menghasilkan kombinasi optimal antara biaya operasional, modal investasi dan risiko. Kompetisi ini merupakan kompetisi tingkat internasional yang terbuka bagi seluruh mahasiswa pascasarjana dari seluruh dunia. Finalis terpilih diundang untuk mempresentasikan hasil studi mereka pada ECCE9 / ECAB2. Finalis kompetisi berasal dari beberapa universitas unggulan di dunia seperti Eindhoven University of Technology, University of Twente, Technische Universität Dortmund, dan Yeungnam University.
Dalam kompetisi tahun ini, juara pertama diraih oleh Bart Zijlstra dan Vignesh Thiruvengadam dari Eindhoven University of Technology, Belanda. Juara kedua diraih oleh Lars Schut dan Max Haker dari University of Twente, Belanda. Juara ketiga diraih oleh Riezqa Andika dan Yus Donald Chaniago dari Yeungnam University, Korea Selatan. Hasil ini cukup mengejutkan karena tim dari Yeungnam University dapat meraih posisi tiga besar mengingat tim ini merupakan satu-satunya perwakilan dari Asia. Di kompetisi ini, tim Yeungnam University mempresentasikan hasil studi mereka sebuah modifikasi desain berbasis konfigurasi mechanical vapor recompression (MVR). Studi dari desain tersebut dikerjakan di laboratorium Process Systems Design and Control (PSDC) di bawah supervisi Profesor Moonyong Lee. Di antara tim-tim lainnya, studi dari tim Yeungnam University menjadi desain yang paling praktis dan menjanjikan yang dapat langsung diimplementasikan pada skala industri.
Prestasi Anak Indonesia
Banyak yang tidak mengetahui bahwa kedua anggota tim dari Yeungnam University merupakan anak asli Indonesia. Mereka merupakan putra-putra bangsa yang sedang menempuh studi di Korea Selatan. Riezqa Andika merupakan mahasiswa magister asal Indonesia yang sebelumnya mendapatkan gelar sarjana dari Departemen Teknik Kimia Universitas Indonesia dan rekan satu tim Riezqa, Yus Donal Chaniago, merupakan kandidat doktor yang menyelesaikan pendidikan tingkat sarjana dan magister di Universitas Sriwijaya. Satu lagi prestasi anak bangsa yang membanggakan.
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