Lukman Edy : Presidential Threshold Tidak Batasi Hak Warga Negara Untuk Mencalonkan Diri

Ketua Pansus RUU Pemilu Lukman Edy yang mewakili DPR, saat menyampaikan keterangannya terkait pengujian UU Pemilihan Umum, Kamis (5/10) di Ruang Sidang Pleno Gedung MK.

JAKARTA , 19  Oktober 2017 | 17:55-Aturan ambang batas dalam pencalonan presiden dan wakil presiden atau biasa dikenal dengan sebutan presidential threshold dinilai DPR tidak membatasi hak konstitusional warga negara untuk mencalonkan diri. Demikian diungkapkan Ketua Pansus RUU Pemilu Lukman Edy yang mewakili DPR, menyampaikan keterangan terkait pengujian Undang-Undang Nomor 7 Tahun 2017 tentang Pemilihan Umum (UU Pemilu), Kamis, (5/10). Sidang keempat untuk enam perkara tersebut (Perkara Nomor 44/PUU-XV/2017, 53/PUU-XV/2017, 59/PUU-XV/2017, 60/PUU-XV/2017, 61/PUU-XV/2017, dan 62/PUU-XV/2017) digelar Mahkamah Konstitusi (MK) di Ruang Sidang Pleno MK.

Lukman membantah adanya anggapan bahwa Pasal 222 UU Pemilu berakibat pada terhalanginya pemimpin partai (dalam hal ini Partai Islam Damai Aman/Partai Idaman) sebagai calon presiden. Menurutnya, dalil Pemohon hanya asumtif belaka karena pada hakikatnya, tidak ada batasan pengusulan calon presiden selama memenuhi syarat. Sedangkan adanya pengaturan calon presiden dan wakil presiden sesuai ambang batas pencalonan presiden dan wakil presiden (presidential threshold), sejatinya dimaksudkan agar partai politik cukup berperan sebagai pengusul dan pengajuan calon presiden serta wakil presiden dilakukan pelaksanaannya oleh anggota dewan.

Anggota Fraksi PKB tersebut juga menekankan agar para Pemohon perlu mencermati proses dari perumusan UU a quo yang dinilainya sangat menekankan persamaan hak-hak partai politik pada dua hal, yakni menyamakan persyaratan peserta pemilu dan mewajibkan peserta Pemilu 2014 dengan persyaratan baru. “Maka berdasarkan hal tersebut, anggota baru dan lama (partai politik) disepakati menggunakan syarat yang sama dengan ketentuan yang telah ada pada aturan pelaksanaan pemilu terdahulu,” urai Lukman di hadapan sidang yang dipimpin oleh Wakil Ketua MK Anwar Usman tersebut.

Selanjutnya, terkait pengujian aturan mengenai keistimewaan dan hak Pemerintahan Aceh, DPR berpandangan hal yang didalilkan para Pemohon merupakan asumsi. Pemohon perlu memahami pembentukan UU Pemerintahan Aceh yang sesungguhnya adalah tindak lanjut perbaikan penyelenggaraan pemilu mulai dari tingkat kota dan kewenangan dari lembaga penyelenggara pemilu demi terciptanya penegakan hukum. “Alasan inilah yang dimuat dalam pasal a quo,” terang Lukman.

Kemudian Lukman mengatakan bahwa pengaturan UU Pemerintahan Aceh telah tertinggal jauh, sedangkan hukum selalu berkembang dan tidak statis. Oleh karena itu, demi mencegah dualisme, maka DPR dan Pemerintah selaku pembentuk undang-undang merumuskan pasal a quo. “UU PA adalah konsensus besar, namun perubahan dilakukan melalui norma ini guna penyesuaian hukum dan terciptanya keadilan. Pembentuk UU termasuk UU a quo selalu mempertimbangan kekhususan di Aceh dengan menjaga KIP Aceh yang setara dengan KPU tingkat daerah seperti pada daerah lainnya,” jelas Lukman.

Verifikasi Bermanfaat

Selain itu, Lukman menjabarkan Pasal 173 ayat (1), ayat (2) huruf e, dan ayat (3) yang didalilkan para Pemohon telah bersikap diskriminatif hanya bersifat asumsi belaka karena tidak mengandung larangan terhadap partai politik dalam menjalankan perannya. “DPR berpendapat, pasal tersebut justru memberikan kesempatan partai politik sebagai peserta pemilu sepanjang sesuai ketentuan UU,” terang Lukman di hadapan Wakil MK Anwar Usman selaku pimpinan sidang.

Adapun terkait esensi keadilan yang dipersoalkan para Pemohon menyangkut ketentuan adanya tahapan verifikasi bagi partai politik peserta pemilu, Lukman menjelaskan bahwa pada sisi implementasi pasal a quo membawa implikasi bagi partai politik yang belum menjalani verifikasi (partai politik baru) harus melalui tahapan verifikasi dan dinyatakan lulus oleh Kemenkumham dan KPU. Sementara, partai politik yang telah melalui tahap verifikasi (partai politik lama) berkewajiban untuk memasukkan data terbaru dari partai politik tersebut ke aplikasi Sistem Informasi Partai Politik (Sipol).

Menurut Lukman, sebuah pasal lahir berlandaskan kemanfaatan dan aturan mengenai verifikasi dalam pasal yang diuji Pemohon memiliki manfaat besar. Verifikasi parpol dinilai mampu menghemat anggaran negara. “Pasal a quo telah mengandung kemanfaatan mengingat sebelum pembentukan UU Pemilu, DPR sudah mendapat rincian dana untuk verifikasi saja dibutuhkan dana hampir 600 miliar. Oleh karena itu, perlu dilakukan penghematan anggaran negara dengan adanya verifikasi tersebut dan jelaslah pasal ini memfasilitasi hal tersebut,” terangnya.

Tidak Rugi Lakukan Verifikasi

Ketua Dewan Pimpinan Wilayah Partai Bulan Bintang Provinsi DKI Jakarta Madsanih mengajukan diri sebagai Pihak Terkait dari Perkara 53/PUU-XV/2017, 60/PUU-XV/2017, dan 61/PUU-XV/2017. Madsani mengungkapkan para Pemohon yang merupakan partai politik peserta pemilu tetap harus melalui proses verifikasi. Ia menyatakan ketentuan verifikasi tidak merugikan hak konstitusional Pemohon. “Jadi, tidak ada kerugian yang riil pada pasal a quoyang dialami para Pemohon. Dengan demikian, Pihak Terkait menilai pasal a quo yang didalilkan tersebut tidak bertentangan dengan UUD 1945,” tegasnya.

Menurut Pihak Terkait, pemilu merupakan bentuk dari implementasi kedaulatan yang berada di tangan rakyat dan dilaksanakan secara jurdil setiap lima tahun sekali. Untuk itu, UU Pemilu tersebut dibentuk untuk menjamin terselenggaranya pemilu yang berintegritas. Adapun tujuan verifikasi dilakukan agar rakyat dapat melihat kualitas partai politik sehingga melalui proses tersebut akan menjaring partai politik musiman yang hanya hadir saat pemilu. Sehubungan dengan proses verifikasi, Madsani menambahkan bahwa partai politik baru pun harus lolos verifikasi dengan berwujud berbadan hukum pada Kemenkumham dan kemudian verifikasi melalui KPU bukan untuk menghambat, tetapi syarat umum bagi semua peserta pemilu. “Jaminan kepastian yang adil telah terkandung dalam pasal a quo. Jadi, ini bukan bentuk diskriminatif pada partai politik baru,” tandasnya.

(SP/LA) MHI 

Presiden : Pembentukan Densus Tipikor Masih Usulan dan Akan Dibahas di Ratas

JAKARTA ,19 Oct 2017-Presiden Joko Widodo menegaskan, bahwa rencana pembentukan Detasemen Khusus (Densus) Tindak Pidana Korupsi (Tipikor) Kepolisian Negara Republik Indonesia (Polri) masih dalam batas rencana atau usulan. Pemerintah baru akan membahasnya pada Rapat Terbatas (Ratas) kabinet minggu depan.

“Itu kan rencana, itu masih usulan, nanti minggu depan akan kita bahas dalam Rapat Terbatas,” kata Presiden Jokowi menjawab pertanyaan wartawan usai menghadiri Penutupan Kongres XI Legiun Veteran Republik Indonesia Tahun 2017 di Hotel Borobudur, Jakarta, Kamis siang.

Untuk lebih detailnya, Presiden meminta wartawan menanyakan masalah tersebut kepada Menko Polhukam. “Nanti setelah Rapat Terbatas baru bisa saya sampaikan,” ujar Presiden Jokowi.

Ambil Bagian Berantas Korupsi

Sementara itu Menteri Koordinator (Menko) bidang Politik, Hukum, dan Keamanan (Polhukam) Wiranto mengatakan, bahwa pembentukan Densus Tipikor yang sekarang sedang digodok oleh Polri merupakan suatu bagian dari semangat untuk mengambil bagian dari penanggungan dan pemberantasan korupsi di Indonesia.

Ia menjelaskan, semua elemen bangsa sekarang prihatin betul bahwa korupsi itu enggak habis-habis, selalu ada bahkan sudah merambah ke beberapa institusi yang tadinya tidak ada. Oleh karena itu, lanjut Menko Polhukam, semangat itu ada. Termasuk kepolisian punya semangat. Sehingga mempunyai usulan, untuk membentuk Densus Tipikor.

Karena baru pemikiran, baru usulan, Menko Polhukam Wiranto menjelaskan, tentu melalui proses yang panjang. Nanti akan ada Rapat Koordinasi di Menko Polhukam, karena sebelum Ratas Kabinet yang dipimpin Presiden, sudah ada intruksi agar disaring dulu di Menteri Koordinator.

“Jadi nanti disaring dulu di Menteri Koordinator, akan dirapatkan, akan dibincangkan manfaat dan mudaratnya, lalu setelah itu baru nanti masuk ke Rapat Terbatas Kabinet langsung dipimpin Presiden dan Wakil Presiden. Di sana nanti akan diputuskan,” terang Wiranto.

Sekarang ini, Menko Polhukam menilai, bahwa rencana pembentukan Densus Tipikir masih prematur. “Enggak usah kita ributkan, enggak perlu diperdebatkan, nanti akan dibahas secara saksama. Tapi yang pasti bahwa nanti akan mengarah pada kebaikan, manfaat, asas manfaat,” pungkas Wiranto.

(RMI/JAY/ES) MHI 

“SAMPAH” MASIH JADI PRIMADONA DIKABUPATEN BEKASI !

KABUPATEN BEKASI , MHI – Target Adipura adalah upaya pencapaian bagi Pemerintah Daerah Untuk Mendapatkan Penilaian menjadi yang terbaik dari pemerintah pusat dengan beberapa kategori tingkatan baik Desa ,Kecamatan ,Kabupaten/Kota Sampai Provinsi dan hal tersebut terus dikembangkan dan dibudayakan dalam bentuk perlombaan guna memicu kinerja para aparat pemerintah (Amtenaar) selaku pelayan masyarakat didalam melayani masyarakatnya, (19 Oct 2017).

Salah satu target utama yang kerapkali digunakan sebagai nilai jual Program dalam berkampanye diDaerah-daerah untuk dapat mejadi pemimpin diwilayahnya dengan berbagai tingkatan baik Desa , Kabupaten/Kota Maupun Provinsi untuk merebut hati rakyat adalah masalah kebersihan yang identik dengan “SAMPAH” dan hal tersebutpun selalu menjadi dilema yang tak kunjung ada penyelesaiannya sampai saat ini atau memang para Pemimpin wilayah dan Daerahnya yang tidak memiliki kemampuan untuk mengatasi perasalahan “SAMPAH”.

Walau terkadang hal tersebut telah termasuk dalam program saat berkampanye namun jauh darikenyataan yang ada atau memang itu ASBUN alias asal bunyi yang penting masyarakat senang dengan janji-janji surga yang iya sampaikan yang penting maksud dan tujuannya dapat tercapai sebagai pemimpin diwilayahnya.

Sampah diDesa SETIA MEKAR  

                       

Desa SETIA MEKAR ,Kecamatan Tambun Selatan,Kabupaten Bekasi adalah salah satu contoh desa dan kecamatan diKabupaten Bekasi yang tidak suka akan kebersihan terbukt dengan maraknya lautan sampah yang terbentang luas tanpa ada tindakan baik dari Desa, Kecamatan apalagi Kabupaten dan seolah hanya aksi pembiaran yang dilakukan, Haltersebut telah berlangsung lama dan bertahun-tahun.

Berdasarkan penelusuran Media Hukum Indonesia dilapangan , Masyarakat setempatpun mengeluhkan akan hal ini, SLAMET Warga setempat mengatakan ” Selama ini belum ada satu kepala desapun yang peduli dengan Kebersihan apalagi menyangkut sampah diwilayah ini dan saya sudah tinggal disini sudah 20 tahun lebih”,Tandasnya.

DEDE salah satu warga lainnyapun turut mengutarakan bahwa “ Selama kepemimpinan Kepala Desa SURYADI yang sekarang menjabatpun tidak perduli dengan kondisi SAMPAH yang membludak seperti ini dan ini sudah bertahun-tahun seperti ini, Sebelum SURYADI menjabatpun sudah seperti ini dan bahkan sekarang semakin parah!”,ungkapnya.

Media Hukum Indonesiapun mendatangi Desa SETIA MEKAR untuk meminta keterangan terkait hal ini pada Kades SURYADI namun P Kades tidak ada dikantornya dan hal tersebut dilakukan berulang-ulang tapi memang P Kades sulit dijumpai, Lalu MHI pun menyambangi Kantor UPTD Kebersihan Wilayah II untuk Bertemu Dengan SUHUD Kepala UPTDnya namun setali tiga uang Kepala UPTDpun sulit dijumpai dan bahkan tidak pernah masuk kantor! Hal tersebut berdasarkan keterangan dari NANO Office boy dan Edi security diKantor UPTD Kebersihan Yang Baru.

                                    office boy nerangkap penjaga kantor kosong

Sungguh suatu hal yang amat sangat disesalkan bagaimana kinerja pelayan masyarakat yang seharusnya melayani masyarakat namun tidak pernah ada dan bekerja dikantor , Bagaimana dapat melayani kebutuhan masyarakat dan menyerap keinginan warga terkait dengan permasalahan “SAMPAH” yag nota bene sangat crusial termasuk dengan dampak yang ditimbulkanya dari SAMPAH adalah BANJIR dansebagainya, Nampaknya walaupun diberikan fasilitas kantor yang baru dan ada gaji serta tujangan dari pemerintah yang jelas-jelas mempergunakan uang rakyat namun tak menyurutkan sang Amtenaar untuk tetap malas bekerja!

Media Hukum Indonesiapun  Bertandang Kesekertariat LSM L.P.K.N (Lembaga Pemeriksa Keuangan Negara) diPerum.Graha Prima dan diterima Ketum Bp.Irwan Awaluddin.SH yang  Kebetulan sedang ada disekertariat guna dimintai pendapatnya terkait hal ASN .

"Seyogyanya memang baik pemerintah pusat maupun daerah harus lebih selektif dalam menerima karyawan ASN serta sangsi tegas harus lebih dipertajam lagi agar ada efek jera bagi para ASN yang mbalelo,jadi didalam perekrutanpun dicari kwalitas bukan kwantitas apalagi bila ASNnya sering mangkir hal tersebut sama saja dengan lari dari tanggung-jawab dalam tugas dan kewajibannya, terlebih lagi bila yang mangkir memiliki posisi ,bagaimana dia dapat mengayomi dan mendidik bawahannya bila atasannya saja seperti itu" ,Tegasnya.

"Hal tersebut sebenarnya sudah ada UU dan PPnya yang mengatur baik secara personal ASNnya maupun kinerjanya didalam melayani masyarakat dan sangsinyapun tegas hanya saja institusi yang terkait dengan itu sangat lemah dalam mengambil tindakan ! kemungkinan masuk angin, sakit perut, Lapar, Haus dan sariawan sehingga tidak bisa bicara atau matanya tertutup sehingga tidak bisa melihat Gajah dipelupuk mata," Tukisnya

"Namun kita selaku sosial kontrol baik dari media maupun LSM memang harus terus mengawasi, mengontrol,menyoroti dan menyikapi hal ini sesuai amanat UU dan Insruksi Presien telebih lagi yang menyangkut uang negara! Bila ditilik lebih dalam, ini bisa sama saja menghamburkan uang negara dengan mempekerjakan orang-orang yang tidak berkompeten serta tidak memiliki rasa tanggung-jawab pada tugas dan kewajibannya dan yang menjadikan pertanyaan Besar adalah “ Kenapa Mereka Melamar dan Meminta pekerjaan jadi ASN ?”,Pungkasnya.

( Joggie) MHI 

The Week MHI dailybriefing ;

1. Wildfires sweep across Northern California, killing at least 10 More than a dozen wildfires fanned by high winds killed at least 10 people as they swept through Northern California’s wine country Monday, destroying more than 1,500 buildings. California firefighting officials said about 20,000 people had to flee their homes, some of them literally running for their lives as smoke filled their neighborhoods. Combined, four blazes in Napa and Sonoma counties alone burned 34,000 acres. “It was an inferno like you’ve never seen before,” said Marian Williams, who escaped in a caravan with neighbors as one of the fires reached vineyards around the small Sonoma County town of Kenwood. “It’s moving fast,” Gov. Jerry Brown said. “The heat, the lack of humidity, and the winds are all driving a very dangerous situation and making it worse.” Source: The Mercury News, The Associated Press

2. White House to withdraw from Obama’s Clean Power Plan EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced Monday that he would sign a rule to start withdrawing from the Clean Power Plan, former President Barack Obama’s centerpiece regulation limiting carbon pollution from power plants. “Here’s the president’s message: The war on coal is over,” Pruitt said in the Kentucky coal country. The National Association of Manufacturers praised the proposed rule, which Pruitt said he would sign Tuesday, saying the Obama-era limits were too broad. Environmental groups said the change would increase pollution from power plants, the biggest greenhouse gas producers. “No matter who is in the White House, the EPA is legally required to limit dangerous carbon pollution, and the Clean Power Plan is an achievable, affordable way to do that,” said Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune. Source: Politico, Reuters

3. Police arrest student for killing of Texas Tech officer Police arrested a Texas Tech University freshman on Monday for the fatal shooting of a campus police officer. The suspect, Hollis A. Daniels, 19, had been brought to the police station for questioning after officers conducted a so-called student welfare check on his dorm room, and found evidence of drugs, and drug paraphernalia. At the station, Daniels allegedly pulled a gun and fatally shot an officer in the head, then fled on foot. A Texas Tech police officer later tackled Daniels near the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum. The officer, assisted by Lubbock police, took Daniels into custody. The campus was placed on lockdown while Daniels was at large, but the alert was lifted after his arrest. Source: Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, The New York Times

4. Search for motive continues as Las Vegas police shift shooting timeline Eight days after Stephen Paddock fatally shot 58 people and wounded hundreds more in Las Vegas, investigators still don’t have a motive, a “frustrated” Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said Monday. “This individual purposefully hid his actions leading up to this event, and it is difficult for us to find answers,” he said, adding that discovering the motive for the attack is “our most important goal.” Lombardo also disclosed that Paddock shot Mandalay Bay security guard Jose Campos six minutes before he opened fire on a music festival crowd, not three minutes after the 10-minute fusillade, as initially reported. He said it would be premature to assume that wounding Campos sped up the mass shooting. Investigators do not know why Paddock stopped firing, or when he shot himself. Source: The New York Times, The Washington Post

5. Iran threatens ‘crushing’ response if U.S. brands Revolutionary Guards as terrorists Iran on Monday threatened a “crushing” response if the U.S. designates the Iranian military’s elite Republican Guards as a terrorist organization. President Trump is expected next week to announce a more hawkish strategy on containing Iran. He is expected to decertify Iran’s compliance with the 2015 deal aiming to curb Iran’s nuclear program and possibly to brand the Revolutionary Guards as terrorists. “We are hopeful that the United States does not make this strategic mistake,” foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said, according to the state news agency IRNA. “If they do, Iran’s reaction would be firm, decisive, and crushing and the United States should bear all its consequences.” Source: Reuters

6. Spain steps up Barcelona security ahead of expected Catalan independence declaration Police posted guards at public buildings in Barcelona and closed a park surrounding the regional Catalan Parliament, where many expect Catalan President Carles Puigdemont to make a declaration of independence Tuesday night. Separatist politicians have declared that an Oct. 1 referendum deemed illegal by the Spanish government amounted to a legitimate mandate for Catalonia to secede from Spain. National authorities sent police to close polling stations and seize ballot boxes in an attempt to block the referendum, and they are expected to respond firmly against any move toward independence. Source: The Associated Press

7. Google finds Russia-backed ads Google has uncovered evidence that Russian operatives bought ads on its platforms, including YouTube, Gmail, and Google search, aiming to spread disinformation, and influence last year’s presidential election, The Washington Post and other news organizations reported Monday, citing people familiar with the company’s investigation. Google found that Russian agents spent tens of thousands of dollars to place the ads. The effort did not appear to be linked to the Kremlin-affiliated troll farm that bought ads on Facebook, suggesting that Moscow’s effort to interfere with the 2016 election was broader than tech companies previously believed. Source: The Washington Post, Reuters

8. Iceland becomes smallest nation to qualify for World Cup Iceland on Monday became the smallest country (by population) to qualify for the World Cup. The team from the island nation of 330,000 sealed an automatic berth by winning Group I with a 2-0 defeat of Kosovo. Fans erupted in celebration as fireworks marked the achievement at a packed Laugardalsvollur Stadium, the team’s home field in Reykjavik, and captain Aron Gunnarson led supporters in their traditional Viking chant. Iceland stunned regional rivals when it made its major-tournament debut at the Euros last year and reached the quarterfinals. In World Cup qualifying, Serbia also won a berth, its second since it became independent in 2006. Source: The Associated Press

9. Trump praises Columbus and leaves out Native Americans in holiday proclamation President Trump issued a proclamation marking Columbus Day on Monday, praising the explorer Christopher Columbus for his “ambitious and daring voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas” in 1492. Trump said the “permanent arrival of Europeans to the Americas was a transformative event that undeniably and fundamentally changed the course of human history and set the stage for the development of our great Nation.” The proclamation broke with a precedent set by former President Barack Obama by neglecting to mention Native Americans and other indigenous people in the Americas. A growing number of jurisdictions, including Los Angeles and Austin, have recently voted to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day instead of Columbus Day in honor of communities that were here before Columbus, and suffered from violence, enslavement, and disease after Europeans arrived. Source: U.S. News & World Report

10. ESPN suspends Jemele Hill over tweets urging Dallas Cowboys boycott ESPN on Monday suspended SportsCenter co-host Jemele Hill for two weeks for what it called violations of its social media guidelines over the weekend. After Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ warning that he would bench players who kneel during the national anthem, Hill tweeted that “change happens when advertisers are impacted” and urged a “boycott” of vendors and advertisers associated with the Cowboys. She also tweeted, “If only Greg Hardy had kneeled,” a reference to a defensive end found guilty of assaulting his ex-girlfriend in 2014, then hired by the Cowboys in 2015. It was the second time ESPN had deemed Hill’s tweets “inappropriate.” In September, she faced a backlash after she called President Trump a white supremacist. Source: The Washington Post The Week MHI

NK REPORT

Only at MHI-NK News: Photos: Anti-American posters proliferate throughout Pyongyang, By Chad O’Carroll Posters which state media revealed in August visible in windows of at least 26 stores Anti-American propaganda posters are proliferating throughout Pyongyang, posted on dozens of shop front windows across the capital city, pictures recently obtained by NK Pro show. The photos, which were taken across the city in mid-September for NK Pro, show that six designs recently launched by North Korea’s propaganda apparatus appear to have been widely distributed throughout Pyongyang.* The family business: why Kim Jong Un promoted his sister, By Oliver Hotham After no mentions in state media for 16 months, Kim Yo Jong is promoted to the Politburo The weekend saw celebrations in North Korea, with fireworks and a major rally to mark the 20th anniversary of Kim Jong Il’s election as General Secretary of the Worker’s Party of Korea (WPK). But it also saw the ruling party get down to business, with the second meeting of the WPK’s 7th Central Committee . Blacklisted DPRK bank running company selling, producing precious metals, By Dagyum Ji Chosun Credit Investment Company run by Office 39-linked Korea Daesong Bank A North Korean investment company run by the internationally blacklisted Korea Daesong Bank is manufacturing and selling precious metal-based products, photos from a recent trade fair in the country’s capital have shown. The Chosun Credit Investment Company (조선신용투자회사) was seen selling rings, necklaces and pendants made from what it claims to be 99.99% pure gold at The Korea Daesong Bank.* Pyongyang taxi and bus prices stable, despite gas price spike, By Chad O’Carroll Petrol costs up by 170% since start of year: data Prices for taxis and buses remain stable in Pyongyang, despite major increases in fuel prices throughout North Korea that should, in theory, be impacting consumers, sources told NK News on Monday. Taxis, which are widely used by both local and foreign residents of the city, remain the same price as before a spike began in April.* The Hoeryong model: how a sleepy N. Korean town experienced an economic boom, By Andrei Lankov The 1990s saw the border city become a hub of private enterprise – and many got rich It is widely understood among Korea watchers that towns in the North lucky enough to be situated near the Chinese border tend to be the most prosperous. The richest of these towns, Sinuiju and Rason, are reputed to be more or less equal to Pyongyang in terms of the per capita income .* Four North Korea linked ships call in at various Chinese bulk ports, By Leo Byrne Visits come roughly thirty days after China’s implementation of UN embargo Four North Korea-linked vessels called in at Chinese bulk ports over the last seven days, despite UN embargos against many of the DPRK’s metals and minerals, the NK Pro ship tracker shows. The continuing ship traffic comes around 30 days after China implemented UN resolution 2371, which prohibits member states from importing several of the Country.* N.Korea set to stage large Kim Jong Il anniversary rally on Sunday, By Chad O’Carroll Anniversary comes two days prior to October 10 Party Foundation Day North Korean authorities are set to host a large rally on Sunday to commemorate a major Kim Jong Il-era political anniversary, sources told NK News. The rally is being scheduled to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Kim Jong Il being elected as General Secretary of the Worker’s Party of Korea (WPK). *

Top MHI-NK Stories from around the web: Tension mounts ahead of NK anniversary (Korea Herald) With North Korea gearing up to mark a major anniversary this week, concern is rising that the communist regime might celebrate the occasion with another provocation and heighten tension on the Korean Peninsula again… North Korea has not staged major provocations since its launch of an intermediate ballistic missile on Sept. 15 and a test of what it said was a hydrogen bomb on Sept. 3, though it has exchanged war of words with the US President Donald Trump and made a series of verbal threats toward South Korea.The reclusive regime, however, could break its weekslong hiatus “anytime soon,” military officials and security analysts here warned on Sunday, possibly around Oct. 10 when it celebrates the founding day of its ruling Korea Workers’ Party.* North Korea’s ‘princess’ now one of the secretive state’s top policy makers (Reuters) The promotion of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s 28-year-old sister to the country’s top decision-making body is a sign he is strengthening his position by drawing his most important people closer to the center of power, experts and officials say… Kim Yo Jong was named as an alternate member of the politburo within the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea – the opaque, all-powerful party organ where top state affairs are decided, the North’s official media said on Sunday.It makes her only the second woman in patriarchal North Korea to join the exclusive club after Kim Kyong Hui, who held powerful roles when her brother Kim Jong Il ruled the country.* Trump’s Dangerous Twitter Rebuke of Tillerson May Make Diplomacy Impossible With North Korea (The Diplomat) Trump’s comments risk serious destabilization and even war. “The situation between Washington and Pyongyang remains as serious now as it did when Tillerson travelled to Beijing. Trump’s words ensure that it will remain that way instead of providing an opening for de-escalation…” U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarkable decision to rebuke his own secretary of state’s attempt at pursuing diplomacy with North Korea last week was a dangerous move at a dangerous time. Trump took to Twitter to urge Rex Tillerson, who was in China to discuss North Korea among other matters with top Chinese officials, to save his energy, adding that the United States would “do what has to be done”. And so Trump, just weeks after threatening to “totally destroy” North Korea before scores of world leaders in New York, added another ambiguous, deterrence-degrading threat to his portfolio of threats against North Korea.* While the U.S. Talks of War, South Korea Shudders (The New York Times) “I cannot turn my thoughts from the news article I happened to see a few days ago. A man in his 70s accidentally dropped two thick wads of cash in the street. Two people who happened upon this bundle of money and shared it between them were caught by the police…” Up until here, it is still an ordinary story. But there was a special reason this man was carrying so much cash on him. “I’m worried that a war might be coming,” he told the police, “so I’d just taken my savings out of the bank and was on my way home.” He said that it was money he had saved — a little bit each month — for four years, intended to send his grandchildren to college. Since the Korean War broke out in 1950, war would have been the enduring experience of this man’s adolescence. I imagine what he would have been feeling, a man who has lived an ordinary middle-class life ever since, on his way to the bank to take out his savings. The terror, the unease, the impotence, the nervousness.* Can Sanctions Get a Mulligan? (38 North) Given recent developments, sanctions really might be part of the answer. “A little more time and a little more temperature may cause the pot to finally boil. For that to happen, China might need to do a little more, like charge dollars for the crude oil it currently gives North Korea…” In his recent article, Ruediger Frank concluded that sanctions will not materially influence North Korea’s nuclear weapons behavior, and by implication we must do something else. I don’t think anyone believes sanctions by themselves will do the job and I must admit I wrote a piece like Frank’s a year ago, where I also said sanctions were not working. But a lot has happened since then and we need to pay attention to changing circumstances rather than remain wedded to old ideas and old data. The jump in gasoline prices earlier this year, and again last weekend, tells me that sanctions really might be part of the answer now that China seems to have gingerly climbed on board. Clearly, they haven’t worked yet, and years have been lost, but a little more time and a little more temperature may cause the pot to finally boil. For that to happen, China might need to do a little more, like charge dollars for the crude oil it currently gives North Korea.*