bahasa

Senin, 14 November 2011

TOPIK DAN POKOK PIKIRAN SUATU PARAGRAF

A. CIRI KHAS PERTANYAAN

1. What is paragraph 1 about?

2. What does paragraph (3) tell you about?

3. What is the (third) paragraph of the text about?

4. What is the main idea of paragraph (2)?

5. What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

6. Paragraph (4) tells you about … .

7. The (fourth) paragraph is about … .

B. Topik paragraph

Topik paragraph menceritakan Anda suatu paragraph itu berisi tentang apa. Dalam menentukan topik ini ingat jangan memilih topiK yang terlalu khusus atau terlalu umum.

Contoh:

Read the text and answer the question given.

The food in Mexico sometimes surprises tourists. it can be very spicy! Mexican cooks use a special kind of pepper. This pepper is so spicy that it almost burns your mouth. But most people start to like the spices after a while. They learn to like Mexican food very much.

What is the above paragraph about?

a. Mexican cooks

b. Mexican food

c. Spicy food

d. Food

Jawaban:

C. LATIHAN TOPIK PARAGRAF

Read the text and answer the question given.

Large forests are important to us in many ways. they give us wood for building and heating. They are a home for many kinds of plants and animals. And for many city people, forests are a place to go for a vacation. People can learn about nature there. They can breathe fresh air and sleep in a quiet place. But there is one more reason why forests are important for everyone. The leaves on the trees in a forest help clean the air. Dirty air is a problem in many parts of the world. Without our forests this problem might be much worse.

Question:

What does the above paragraph tell you about?

D. POKOK PIKIRAN SUATU PARAGRAF

Pokok pikiran atau pikiran utama suatu paragraph menceritakan kita lebih banyak tentang suatu topic paragraph. Pikiran utama ini sebenarnya menceritakan ide si penulis tentang topic paragraph tersebut. Biasanya ide ini dinyatakan dalam bentuk kalimat utama.

Misal topic paragraph : Elephants

Maka ide penulis atau kalimat utamnya bisa berupa misalnya:

a. Elephants live in Africa and Asia.

b. Elephants can cause serious problems for farmers.

c. Elephants are killed for their skin and their ivory tasks.

selanjutnya penulis memberikan ide pendukung atau kalimat-kalimat penjelasnya.

Read the text and answer the question given.

Diamonds are very expensive for several reasons. First, they are difficult to find. They are only found in a few places in the world. Second, they are useful. People use diamonds to cut other stones. Third, diamonds do not change. They stay the same for millions of years. And finally, they are very beautiful.

Questions:

What is the above paragraph about?

What is the main idea of the above paragraph?

E. TEMPAT POKOK PIKIRAN ATAU TOPIC IDEA DALAM PARAGRAF

1. Pokok pikiran dapat dijumpai pada kalimat pertama. Biasanya kalimatnya berupa: summary sentence, introductory sentence, brief definition, atau statement to be explained.

Contoh:

a. Introductory sentence

Example

There are many kids of pollution. One kind is air pollution. This usually is a problem over cities. Water pollution is another problem. It is found in rivers, lakes, and oceans. Also, pollution of the earth is sometimes a problem near farms. And finally, there is even noise pollution, especially in crowded cities.

1. What is the text about?

2. What is the main idea of the above paragraph?

b. Brief definition

Example

Ozone is an unusually active form of oxygen produced by the discharge of electricity in the air. The fresh, pungent odor of the air after a thunderstorm is partly due to the presence of ozone produced in the air by lighting. The slightly irritating odor near x rays and other high-voltage machine is also due to the presence of ozone.

1. What does the above paragraph tell you about?

2. What is the main idea of the paragraph?

c. Summary sentence

Example

Certainly money should not be your chief aim in life. But you ought not to despise it, for it can help you and your family obtains many of good things of life. It can buy an adequate diet, one of the bases of good health. When necessary, it can provide medicine and medical care. It can be the means for a comfortable house, for travel, for good books and for hobbies and recreation. It can make it easier for your children to secure an education. Finally, it can offer a great opportunity for you to help others.

1. What is the topic of the paragraph above?

2. What is the main idea of the above paragraph?

d. Statement to be explained

Example

Computer language can be funny at times. For example, we say computers have a memory. We know they do not really remember or think. But we still say memory. Also, on many computer programs there is a menu. Of course, we are not talking about restaurants or food. This is a different kind of menu. Another funny example is the mouse in some computers. it is hard not to think about a real mouse when you hear the word. But do not worry: there are no little gray animals in the machine.

1. What is the topic of the paragraph above?

2. What is the main idea of the above paragraph?

2. Pokok pikiran dapat juga dijumpai di akhir kalimat.

Jika kita tidak menjumpai pokok pikiran di kalimat awal, maka tempat untuk mengetahui selanjutnya adalah mungkin di akhir paragraph. Pokok pikiran seperti ini biasanya berupa pengulangan dari kalimat pertama yang dinyatakan secara persis atau berbeda dengan kalimat yang pertama tersebut.

Example

The chemist is essential in our life today. Aviation uses lightweight aluminum, magnesium, high-octane gasoline – all processed or created by chemist. The automotive industry uses plastics, improved gasoline and oils, improved rubber and other creations or discovery of the chemist. Farming depends on the chemist for many fertilizers and insecticides. Medicine has received the miracle drugs and synthetic vitamins from the chemist. Indeed, the chemist today is irreplaceable.

1. What is the text about?

2. What is the main idea of the above paragraph?

3 Pokok pikiran dapat juga ditemukan dikalimat kedua.

Bila hal ini terjadi mungkin kalimat pertama masih mengacu pada sesuatu pada paragraph sebelumnya. Kalimat ini mungkin memberi idea yang menkualifikasi atau mengontraskan. Penting diperhatikan pokok pikiran dikalimat kedua ini sering ditandai dengan pemakaian kata ganti yang merujuk pada kata tertentu dalam kalimat pertamanya.

Example

Certainly money should not be your chief aim in life. But you ought not to despise it, for it can help you and your family obtain many of good things of life. It can buy an adequate diet, one of the bases of good health. When necessary, it can provide medicine and medical care. It can be the means for a comfortable house, for travel, for good books and for hobbies and recreation. It can make it easier for your children to secure an education. Finally, it can offer a great opportunity for you to help others.

1. What is the paragraph about?

2. What is the main idea of the paragraph?

4 Pokok pikiran bisa jumpa dijumpai pada kalimat pertama dan kedua yang disatukan.

Example

You may question whether a poor mark in chemistry, for example, will look bad to the future employer who is considering you for a sales position. It will. Or at least it will throw some doubt into his mind. He will reason something like this: “He (you) was given a job to do, but he didn’t give that job a good effort. I wonder if he will postpone calling on a tough customer until a worker from other company has clinched the sale”.

1. What is the text about?

2. What is the main idea of the above paragraph?

5 Pokok pikiran dapat juga tidak dinyatakan secara jelas dalam paragraf. Namun demikian penulis memberikan kalimat-kalimat penjelasnya. Dalam situasi ini pembaca diminta menyimpulkannya sendiri.

Example

The 1989 Census Report tells us that in 1987, of all men 25 years and older, those who completed eight years of grade school received a median income of $2533. Those with four years of high school received a median wage of 3258. Those who stuck out four years of college received a median wage of $4407

1. What is the text about?

2. What is the main idea of the above paragraph?

6 Pokok pikiran bisa juga ditemukan di kalimat yang mana saja pada suatu paragraph. Setiap kalimat pada paragraph ini mungkin sebagai pokok pikiran. Kalaimat yang mana saja dimanapun ia ditempatkan yang menceritakan tentang topik paragraf, maka ia menjadi pikiran utama dari paragraph tersebut.

Example

(1) The widespread illusion on this subject (working one’s way through college) is due to several misconceptions. (2) The first of these is the popular idea that the great objective is to get through college. (3) Getting through college is of no value whatsoever. (4) Many men have gotten through college who would be better off if they had never seen a college. (5) So would society. (6) Which is to say that there are no many ways of getting through college and some of them mean nothing. (7) What counts is what a man gets out of college as he gets through. (8) If he gets what he should, he will be immediately enriched and society will be blessed by his ability and his service. (9) But if he does not get these proper values, he has nothing. (10) The fact, therefore, that a man earned his through college means nothing unless the man got something as he went through. (11) Many of the earning men get little or nothing. (12) In one case play interferes with education. (14) In the other, menial, driving, all absorbing remunerative work does the same.

1. What is the text about?

2. What is the main idea of the paragraph above?

7 Pokok pikiran ada juga yang terletak di luar paragraph. Adanya bisa di paragraph yang mendahuluinya atau yang datang sesudahnya. Model seperti ini biasanya terjadi jika suatu paragraph merupakan bagian dari unit yang lebih besar.

Example

You must never forget, though, that it takes a lot of hard work to become a god lawyer.

A boy must first spend at least five years in college in some states fear. And he must get high grades or he won’t be accepted by an accredited law school. If he is admitted to law school, he next must put in three years of still more intensive effort in order to win the cherished degree of Bachelor of Laws.

Even then his hard work in not done.

He has to pass the bar. This is an examination given by the various states to determine whether a man has a thorough knowledge and understanding of law.

Questions:

1. What is the text about?

2. What is the main idea of the paragraphs.

Minggu, 13 November 2011

Ismahir's Collection of Report Text

Mangrove

A mangrove is a tropical marine tree. Mangroves have special aerial roots and salt-filtering tap roots which enable them to thrive in brackish water. Brackish water is salty but not as salty as sea water. Mangrove trees are commonly planted and found in coastal areas. Mangroves can serve as walls of protection for natural disaster in coastal area like tsunami. According to BBC News, healthy mangrove forests had helped save lives in the Asia disaster tsunami and people tended to respect these natural barriers even more, especially after the tsunami.
There are several species of mangrove tree found all over the world. Some prefer more salinity, while others like to be very-close to a large fresh water source such as river. Some prefer areas that are sheltered from waves. Some species have their roots covered with sea water every day during high tide. Other species grow on dry land but are still part of the ecosystem. The Times of India reported that rare species of mangrove had been found and was also known as the looking-glass tree, probably because the leaves are silver-coated.
Mangroves need to keep their trunk and leave above the surface of the water. Yet they also need to be firmly attached to the ground so they are not moved by waves.
Any part of root that appears above the water flows oxygen to the plant under water surface. as the soil begin to build up, these roots procedure additional roots that become embedded in the soil.

Volcanic Eruptions

Volcanic eruptions have caused some of the worst disasters in the world. They can wipe out entire cities and kill thousands of people.

The name of volcano comes from Roman term. It derives from VULCAN which is the name of Roman fire god. Romans believed that Vulcan lived on a volcanic Italian coast. Romans called the island VULCANO.

According to scientists, volcanic eruptions are divided in to four basic groups. They are commonly known as Hawaiian, Strombolian, Vulcanian and Peleean. The term of Hawaiian eruptions are named after the volcanoes in Hawaii. These volcanic eruptions are the least violent type. They produce highly fluid lava which flows quietly. This gradually builds up a shield volcano.

Strombolian eruptions are named after Stromboli. These result from the constant release of gas from the magma. As the gas escapes, it produces tephra that piles up, turning into a cinder cone. Strombolian eruptions happen when sticky magma plugs the central vent. This makes the magmatic gas build up pressure until it blasts. The magma is turned into volcanic dust and bombs.

Vulcanian eruption which comes from the ancient Roman belief, are more violent than the strombolian eruption. Vulcanian eruption happens and brings magma which is more viscous. Vulcanian explosions are usually larger and noisier than the Strombolian eruptions.

Paleean eruptions are famous as the most violent kind of volcanic eruptions. The name of paleean comes from the eruption of Mount Pelee, Martinique in 1902. It killed almost 38 thousands people. A Peleean eruption occurs when the magmatic gas build up tremendous pressure. This causes violent explosions with glowing clouds of hot ash and dust.

Human Body

Human body is actually a living machine and is like all other machines. This living machine needs fuel to supply it with energy. The fuel is provided by the food which we eat. However do we know how much we need to stay healthy?
The energy value of food is usually measured in calories. A calorie is the amount of heat which is required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of water by 1 degree C. The number of calories which people need per day varies. It depends on the activity which the people are involved in. For example; people will need more calories for standing than for sitting, people need more for running than for walking, etc.
The energy which is provided by food is in the form of three kinds of chemical substances. They are carbohydrate, protein and fat. Carbohydrate provides 8.8 calories per gram (cal/gm) of energy, protein 4.0 cal/gm and fat 8.0 cal/gm. Each food contains different proportion of these substances. These three chemical substances are all important for body staying healthy.

Platypus

Many people call platypus duckbill because this animal has a bill like duckbill. Platypus is a native Tasmania and southern and eastern Australia.
Platypus has a flat tail and webbed feet. Its body length is 30 to 45 cm and covered with a thick, and woolly layer of fur. Its bill is detecting prey and stirring up mud. Platypus' eyes and head are small. It has no ears but has ability to sense sound and light.
Platypus lives in streams, rivers, and lakes. Female platypus usually dig burrows in the streams or river banks. The burrows are blocked with soil to protect it from intruders and flooding. In the other hand, male platypus does not need any burrow to stay.

Earthquake

Earthquake often happens around us. It brings great damages. Earthquake is hard to be predicted and that makes lot victims.

Actually there are three kinds of earthquake. This kinds of earthquake are commonly base on the factor and geological area where the earthquakes happen. These three kinds of earthquake are tectonic, volcanic and explosion.

Tectonic earthquakes is most common one. This kind of earthquake happens while earth's crust rocks break because of the geological strength created by moving of the earth's plates.

Volcanic earthquakes happen exactly with volcanic activity. Volcanic earthquakes are when the volcano produces acidic lava, which drys quickly, when it drys quickly it blocks the top of the volcano. This make no more magma can escape. Pressure starts to build up and eventually the acidic lava can no longer stand the pressure. So the volcano is free to explode, the pressure is released so fast that an earthquake is caused. A volcanic earthquake is usually kept within 10-20 miles of the volcano.

Explosion earthquakes are the result of the collapse earthquakes that are small earthquakes occurring in underground mines and caverns.

KOMODO DRAGON

Do you know what is the largest lizard? This lizard is called komodo. It lives in the scrub and woodland of a few Indonesian islands.

Komodo dragon is the world's heaviest lizard, weighing 150 pounds or more. The largest Komodo ever measured was more than 10 feet (3 meters) long and weighed 366 pounds (166 kg) but the average size of komodo in the wild is about 8 feet (2.5 meters) long and 200 pounds (91 kg)

Komodo has gray scaly skin, a pointed snout, powerful limbs and a muscular tail. They use their keen sense of smell to locate decaying animal remains from several miles away. They also hunt other lizards as well as large mammals and are sometimes cannibalistic.

The Komodo dragon's teeth are almost completely covered by its gums. When it feeds, the gums bleed, creating an ideal culture for virulent bacteria. The bacteria that live in the Komodo dragon's saliva causes septicemia, or blood poisoning, in its victims. A dragon will bite its prey, then follow it until the animal is too weak to carry on.

This lizard species is threatened by hunting, loss of prey species and habitat loss.

Selasa, 08 November 2011

URL Materi Bahasa Inggris

URL ini sangat menarik untuk mendapatkan materi pembelajaran Bahasa Inggris,
saya beri info untuk URL no. 5 itu yang paling baik dan online,
semoga bisa memanfaatkannya,
1. http://www.rhlschool.com
2. http://www.eslcity.com/english/.
3. http://www.lessonplanspage.com
4. http://www.siteforteachers.com/index.
5. http://www.tolearnenglish.com/
6. http://www.readinga-z.com/

Kata kunci: silahkan anda click

News Text

Arema succumbs to Chunman Dragons

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Malang, East Java

Arema Malang failed to take revenge for its 0-2 loss to Chunnam Dragons after losing 0-1 at home to the South Korean side Wednesday in the last group match of the Asian Champions League.

Striker Kwangyoun Ju's header in the 47th minute gave Chunnan Dragons a victory.

Chunnam Dragons assistant coach Kim Bong Kil said he did not field his main players.

"Arema is a good team with great speed and power, but they were just unlucky in this game," Kim said after the match, which was held at Gajayana Stadium, Malang.

Kim said his players suffered fatigue from high temperatures in East Java. He asked his players to shower their bodies with water whenever there was a chance to do so during the match.

Arema coach Miroslav Janu said the defeat did not worry him because the skill level of the Asian Champions League teams is higher than that of the Indonesian League.

"It is always harder in the Asian Champions League," he said.

Arema now sits at third place in Group F behind the leader Kawasaki Frontale of Japan and second placed Chunnam Dragons. Bangkok University of Thailand is at the bottom of the ladder.

Kawasaki has now advanced to the next round.

In Saitama, Japan, the Urawa Reds advanced to the quarterfinals of the Asian Champions League after playing a 0-0 draw with Sydney FC of Australia, The Associated Press reported.

Persik Kediri of Indonesia and Shanghai Shenhua of China were in the same group with Urawa and Sydney.

Urawa manager Holger Osieck made several changes after the break, but the J-League champions were unable to get on the scoreboard.

Sydney goalkeeper Clint Bolton made several key saves for the Australian side.

Jakarta tsunami aid summit's declaration

Thursday, January 6, 2005

The special ASEAN leaders' meeting held in Jakarta on Thursday issued a declaration on action to strengthen emergency relief, rehabilitation, reconstruction and prevention on the aftermath of eathquake and tsunami disaster.

The full text of the declaration is as follows:

We, the Heads of State/Government, Special Envoys and Heads of regional as well as international organisations, who gathered on 6 January 2005 in Jakarta, Indonesia, expressed solemnly our profound sorrow and our solidarity to overcome the unprecedented catastrophe befalling the Indian Ocean rim countries on 26 December 2004.

This unprecedented devastation needs unprecedented global response in assisting the national governments to cope with such disaster. This would entail efforts in emergency relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction that may take five to ten years, with resources that cannot be borne by any individual country.

We deeply appreciate the generous contribution and assistance offered by many countries and the overwhelming expressions of support and assistance from governments, non-governmental organisations and citizens of the world at large.

We applaud the leading role of the affected countries in addressing this disaster, and we recognise the role of the United Nations in assisting the affected countries' coordination of international assistance at the emergency relief phase.

We underlined the need to coordinate better and ensure that those contributions would be effective and sustainable, to truly address the suffering of the victims and to prevent such calamity from recurring.

We expressed our continuing commitment to assist the affected countries and their peoples in order to fully recover from the catastrophic and traumatic effects of the disaster, including in their mid and long-term rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.

To these ends, we agreed to:

1. Emergency Relief

a. Urgently mobilise further additional resources to meet the emergency relief needs of victims in the affected countries.

b. Request the United Nations to mobilise the international community to support the national relief emergency programmes in the affected countries, and, welcomed in this regard, the Flash Appeal by the United Nations. In this connection, further request the United Nations to appoint a Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for the above purpose; to convene an international pledging conference for the sustainability of humanitarian relief efforts; and to explore the establishment of “standby arrangement” at the global level for immediate humanitarian relief efforts.

c. Strengthen coordination and cooperation of the national, regional and international relief efforts, to ensure effective and immediate distribution of the assistance.

d. Support the efforts of the affected countries, as national coordinators, to ensure an effective channeling and utilisation of assistance as offered by donor countries, international organisations and non-governmental relief organisations.

2. Rehabilitation and reconstruction

a. Support and emphasize the importance of national rehabilitation and reconstruction programmes given the devastation of the basic infrastructures and services in the affected countries. The reconstruction and rehabilitation phase should link seamlessly with the humanitarian relief efforts.

b. Call on the international community, in particular the donor countries, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, European Investment Bank, and related international financial institutions to provide the necessary fund for the viability and sustainability of those programmes.

c. Establish a partnership, upon the request and the leadership of the country concerned, involving donor countries and regional as well as international financial institutions, to support the respective national programmes of the affected countries.

d. Welcome the initiative of several countries on the moratorium of payments of the external debt of the affected countries to augment their national capacity to carry out the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.

e. Promote and encourage private sector participation in and contribution to the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.

3) Prevention and Mitigation

Support ASEAN's decision to establish regional mechanisms on disaster prevention and mitigation, inter alia:

The utilisation of military and civilian personnel in disaster relief operation and an ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Centre, as provided for in the ASEAN Security Community Plan of Action;

ASEAN Disaster Information Sharing and Communication Network, as provided for in the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community component of the Vientiane Action Programme;

A regional instrument on disaster management and emergency response.

b. Establish a regional early warning system such as Regional Tsunami Early Warning Center on the Indian Ocean and the Southeast Asia region.

c. Promote public education and awareness as well as community participation in disaster prevention and mitigation through inter alia a community based disaster preparedness and early response.

d. Develop and promote national and regional human and institutional capacity, transfer of know-how, technology, and scientific knowledge in building and managing a regional early warning system and disaster management through international cooperation and partnership.

We believe that through concerted efforts, spurred by spirit of compassion and sacrifice and endurance, together, we will prevail in overcoming this catastrophe.

Now is the time for action: Susilo

Thursday, October 21, 2004

The following is President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's speech, which he delivered at the State Palace after his inauguration on Wednesday at the People's Consultative Assembly:

Today, we are grateful indeed to God Almighty. Having gone through a long election process, today, before the members of the People's Consultative Assembly, I, and Pak Jusuf Kalla, took our oaths as the President and Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia for the period of 2004-2009. Our inauguration today marked the beginning of a new government, which received a mandate directly from the people. Let me take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to the Indonesian people, for your participation, support and trust.

Allow me -- personally, and on behalf of the Vice President Muhammad Jusuf Kalla, as well as on behalf of the entire nation -- to express our deepest gratitude and highest appreciation to Ibu Megawati Soekarnoputri and Pak Hamzah Haz, for their great efforts in upholding the Constitution, leading the government, and guiding the nation successfully during their tenure as the president and vice president between 2001 and 2004.

Indeed, the entire nation shall remember and cherish all the great deeds of president Megawati and vice president Hamzah Haz. In the spirit of our nation's time-honored tradition, I, as the President of the Republic of Indonesia, pledge to always preserve my ties of brotherhood with Ibu Megawati Soekarnoputri and Pak Hamzah Haz, as our two national figures.

All of us must remember the wisdom of our great founding father, the former president Sukarno, who once reminded us: "United we stand, divided we fall."

Today, we have, remarkably, passed one of the most important tests of our history.

First, our nation has successfully undertaken national elections in a democratic, fair, orderly, and peaceful manner. This year's elections were, by all means, the most ambitious, most difficult, and most complicated electoral marathon in the world, and yet, we successfully orchestrated them.

Indeed, we are all proud of our General Elections Commission (KPU), which managed to undertake this difficult task independently, professionally and responsibly.

Second, as we have just witnessed in today's solemn ceremony, our nation has accomplished the process of power transfer constitutionally, democratically, orderly and peacefully. Thank God, our nation is now more mature in democracy, and able to build a more mature political culture. With such a great success, not only are we successful in taking this step as a big democracy, but we have also become a model for the world's democracies.

Our great nation has undertaken two elections since reformasi: In 1999 and in 2004. In the democratic transition of any country, the second election is normally regarded as the critical one, the litmus test for the maturity of democracy.

With the formidable success of our elections this year, we have indeed taken one step forward in realizing the modernization of Indonesian politics.

And, through our legislative election this year, we are one step ahead in achieving political regeneration in Indonesia, as we can clearly witness through the new and fresh faces in our honorable Assembly.

Thank God, the 2004 elections are now over. It is time for us to walk together, toward our future. We have passed our moment of competition, now it is time for unity. Our days of words and promises are over, as it is time to do real deeds and works. It is our time to unite in creation.

It is time for us to consolidate our spirit of determination, thoughts and attention, to overcome the various challenges and problems that we are now facing. We must overcome these problems together. Indeed, the government that I lead cannot possibly overcome them without the support and participation of our people, and all national components.

As we all know, for the founding fathers of this nation, their biggest challenge was to establish our nation and free our people from colonialists. For the subsequent generations, including ours, the greatest challenge is to free our people from poverty, ignorance, backwardness, and all problems that prevent the growth of our people's abilities. More specifically, the challenge of our era is to consolidate our democracy and accomplish our agenda of reform.

A consolidated democracy that is continually developing will provide us with solid ground for the life of our nationhood and statecraft. Within such a democratic life, we can manage to successfully implement our national agenda, including the accomplishment of various agendas of reform.

With our perseverance, belief and hard work, God willing, our nation and beloved country will continue to grow -- people will be more prosperous within a safer and just life. And, with all these convictions, I am confident that our nation will become a respected nation, and respected by other nations in the world.

Today's mood of happiness is engulfed by huge optimism. However, we must remember that the journey may be difficult and we face a huge challenge ahead:

- Our economic growth this year, which is still far less than 7 percent, is definitely inadequate in generating more employment.

More than 10 million of our fellow countrymen are still out of jobs.

- Needless to remind you that 16 percent of our people are still living below the poverty line.

- Although the debt to Gross National Product ratio is decreasing, debt will continue to burden our economy.

- Our brothers and sisters in Aceh and Papua still live in anxiety.

- Security in Poso and Maluku is still well under control, although not entirely recovered.

- Corruption, collusion and nepotism are still rampant and continue to be a systemic problem.

- The international situation is far from settled.

- The price of oil continues to rise well above the assumptions of our national budget.

- And, the imminent threats of terrorism and other forms of transnational crime will continue to haunt us.

Let us work harder to overcome all these difficult challenges.

Tomorrow morning, on Oct. 21, God willing, I will inaugurate the members of my cabinet for the 2004-2009 period. Soon after that, we will immediately start to formulate and implement the initial steps of government policy.

In the next few months, my administration will concentrate on domestic problems.

- My administration will stimulate the economy in order to achieve higher economic growth, which can absorb more employment and help alleviate poverty.

- My administration will continue to adopt and implement open economic policies, in order to integrate the economy with regional and international economies. In doing so, the government will focus on short- and medium-term agendas in enhancing productivity and competitiveness.

- My administration will encourage more investors to build our infrastructure.

- My administration will actively launch an anticorruption program, which, I, myself, will lead.

- My administration will give special attention to the handling of conflicts in Aceh and Papua.

- My administration will prioritize and improve the government's policies on the education and health sectors.

- My administration will intensify constructive dialog with economic actors, especially our business communities, including investors, whom I really expect to be the engine of our economy.

- My administration will do their utmost to establish clean and good governance, which is responsive toward the public's needs and aspirations.

But, let me remind you: It is impossible to resolve all of these complicated problems within 100 days. That is easier said than done.

But, I have the strong conviction that our determination and goodwill are far more superior than the problems we are facing. At this point, our character as a great nation is truly under a severe test.

For a great nation, the harder the test, the higher its tenacity; the more difficult the ordeal, the stronger its faith; the stronger the storm, the stronger its solidarity; and the more difficult the challenge, the stronger our sense of unity. Let us prove and build on our greatness as a nation.

God willing, with our solidarity and hard work, we will be able to create a better condition for Indonesians -- safer, more just and more prosperous.

With my unfettered feelings and unfeigned confidence, today we are opening a new chapter in the history of our nation. This is the time to greet a new dawn.

To all of the Indonesian people, wherever you are, I would like to wholeheartedly express my sincere gratitude to you, for your support and confidence in myself and Pak Muhammad Jusuf Kalla. Although I am now the President, I am no different from each and every one of you -- I am just an ordinary citizen from an ordinary family, born and raised by the state and the community.

With the mandate I received directly from you, I am determined to become, not only the President of the Republic of Indonesia, but also the President of Indonesians -- of all of the Indonesian people.

I will keep this noble political contract with the people. I will dedicate my every thought -- all my time and energy -- to promoting and protecting each Indonesian soul.

To all members of the House of Representatives and regional legislative councils, Vice President Jusuf Kalla and I are committed to cooperating with all of you, for the sake of our national interests -- the interests of the Indonesian people as emanated in our Constitution and laws that we must all duly uphold.

For that matter, I sincerely urge you all to work together to overcome the various, difficult problems that we are facing. The people surely demand that we work closely in creating more jobs, alleviating poverty, redeveloping our infrastructure and many other problems faced by the people. The people need our leadership and need us as role models.

To all civil servants, especially civilian civil servants employed at central and regional levels, to our men and women in uniform, to our policemen and policewomen, to the employees of state-owned enterprises -- I ask you all to welcome this new government with new spirit, improved services and to create a better life, together with all of the people. You are responsible for many important things in our lives. Let us do our tasks and duty with a full sense of responsibility. We are all public servants. The government and all civil servants are indeed here to assist and serve the public, the country. Keep up the spirit to serve. Any country in the world can be successful if only it is supported by clean, professional state apparatuses, responsive toward the aspirations and development of its people.

To all of our friends all over the world, please accept our friendship, which we offer to you with open arms.

My administration will continue to uphold the free and active principle of foreign policy, and Indonesia is determined to become a voice that promotes peace, increases prosperity and defends justice. Indonesia will continue to grow as a democratic, open, modern, pluralistic and tolerant nation.

I would particularly like to express my highest appreciation to all of our state guests from friendly and neighboring countries, for their presence at the inauguration ceremony at the Assembly this morning, who have truly bestowed on us a remarkable honor.

Indeed, we are honored by the presence of His Excellency, the Honorable Dato' Seri Abdullah Badawi, Prime Minister of Malaysia; His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam; His Excellency, the Honorable Lee Hsien Loong, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore; His Excellency, the Honorable John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia; and His Excellency, the Honorable Mari Alkatiri, the Prime Minister of Timor Leste. We would also like to express our gratitude to the leaders of friendly countries who have sent their special envoys, from the Netherlands, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam. Personally, and on behalf of all Indonesian people, I am truly delighted and honored by your Excellencies' attention to the new government that I lead.

Having been inaugurated as the President this morning, I will focus my attention on finalizing the Cabinet for the 2004-2009 period, which, God willing, will be announced tonight (Wednesday night). Furthermore, God willing, I will inaugurate the new Cabinet members (on Thursday), with the great hope that they can adapt immediately and work well.

Let me assure you that I, and the entire new government, will work hard to keep the people's trust. I accordingly ask for the blessings, support and trust of all Indonesian people, and the whole nation, in order to meet constitutional requirements within the next five years. May Allah bless us all with guidance and strength.

The Reading News contest Text

Now is the time for action: Susilo

Thursday, October 21, 2004

The following is President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's speech, which he delivered at the State Palace after his inauguration on Wednesday at the People's Consultative Assembly:

From: The Jakarta Post,24 Mei 2007,

The Reading News contest Text

Jakarta tsunami aid summit's declaration

Thursday, January 6, 2005

Rehabilitation and reconstruction

Support and emphasize the importance of national rehabilitation and reconstruction programmes given the devastation of the basic infrastructures and services in the affected countries. The reconstruction and rehabilitation phase should link seamlessly with the humanitarian relief efforts.

Call on the international community, in particular the donor countries, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, European Investment Bank, and related international financial institutions to provide the necessary fund for the viability and sustainability of those programmes.

Establish a partnership, upon the request and the leadership of the country concerned, involving donor countries and regional as well as international financial institutions, to support the respective national programmes of the affected countries.

Welcome the initiative of several countries on the moratorium of payments of the external debt of the affected countries to augment their national capacity to carry out the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.

From : The Jakarta Post,24 Mei 2007,