Free Laptops

Mar 28th, 2007, in IM Posts, Opinion, by Guest Writer

View the original article here.

21 Comments on “Free Laptops”

Ihaknt Says:
March 28th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
Parvita I guess this may mean we will see more of those amateur videos of more DPR people behaving badly. Woohoo!

But if it is meant for their education in technology and a tool to improve their English, I am not responsible for that. Why not elect somebody smarter in the DPR at the first place?

is this possible? I thought being stupid is the requirement to sit there.
Tomaculum Says:
March 28th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
Surely with free access (fla rate) payed by the government, hmm?
So they can watch everything via internet?
Yeah, they have to enlarge their knowledge, in every direction and area.
Will there be a control body to check the misuses of the laptops and the internet access?
Ihaknt Says:
March 28th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
Hey Tom, no worries there. Just bribe those officials to say that the laptop is ‘clean’. Great now there is a chance we are paying these people to watch porn. Gotta love Indo governement huh, they have so much credibility, hehehe.
Dimp Says:
March 28th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
Hang on, maybe they need to check are all DPR member can actually use the technology? I bet you some of them can’t even turn on a laptop. I think they should all be equipped with good-ol’ typewriters, or better yet a notepad and a pencil.

Regardless, the last news that I heard is that the government is scrapping the idea because it is too controversial, well d’uh. When 40% of the people are still below the poverty line it is wise to spend the money for the people not to accomodate the DPR member so they can surf the web searching for p*rn.
pj_bali Says:
March 28th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
Just get’em an etch-a-sketch; that way when they “corrupt the filesystem” they can just shake it over their heads to reboot. I’m sure they won’t know the difference.

Cheers
El Grancombo Puertorico Says:
March 28th, 2007 at 9:25 pm
Guys, guys, relax. It’s nothing compared to this: Xbox for your gun?.

How did they come up with such an idea? What made them think that criminals would be willing to give up their gun (essential in their job) with, ehem, XBox (you can’t kill anybody with XBox, can you?). It’s just beyond me.

Wow. Can we do something similar to those fanatic lunatic terrorists wandering in Indonesia?
guebukanmonyet Says:
March 28th, 2007 at 11:42 pm
God, not again! Those people are greedy or what? Free laptops, are you kidding me?!

I agree that DPR members should have laptops to improve their performance and it would be just fine if there was a strict rule forcing each member to have a laptop, BUT from their own money. Look, they’re paid more than enough just to sit there and do nothing. It would be such a shameful matter if they actually received free laptops.

And damn right the budget is too much! What, 21 million rupiah for each laptop? What, are they DPR members or web designers? They definitely don’t need 21-million-rupiah laptops, they would do just fine with 10-million ones. C’mon, what would they do with the laptops anyway? Type some work with microsoft office or probably just surf the internet.

This is madness! Those DPR members are ridiculous. Free laptops?

Next time they would ask for free Ipod!
Bas Says:
March 29th, 2007 at 2:07 am
I am a profesional programmer and web designer and I just bought a laptop for 10 million rupiah wich provides more power than I’ll ever need. 8-10 million laptops would have been more than enough for what they will do with them (if they ever use them).

But talking about price is non-sense since deputies could and should buy their laptop with their own money. Just like everybody else.

The truth is the guys who use laptops already have one and those who don’t will just never use it.

These guys really have no shame, and they say foreigners are sucking the nation wealth. This country only need on thing: Revolution. Not fake reforms as we see now. Shame on the deputies, shame on the students who are just good enough to be manipulated and don’t have the balls to do the job than has to be done. And shame on the population who just accept all this s**t and do nothing as usual.

Indonesians really have the politicians they deserve.
Andrew Says:
March 29th, 2007 at 2:50 am
They definitely don’t need 21-million-rupiah laptops, they would do just fine with 10-million ones.

guebukanmonyet, the actual cost is 10 million, the 11 million is the mark-up.
Anonymous Says:
March 29th, 2007 at 5:49 am
El Grancombo Puertorico,
you see, in Mexico, firearms are more affordable than video-game consoles.
If you put yourself in their position, you would think that it’s better to get a gun to ease the boredom, and also to protect yourself from other bored people with guns.

Similar approach can also be applied in Indonesia.
Trade knives, swords, and any other FPI-type weapons of choice, with video-game console. There’s a possibility that the crime rate would decrease significantly?
Dimp Says:
March 29th, 2007 at 6:11 am
C’mon, what would they do with the laptops anyway?

I bet you the most applications that they will use is “Solitaire”, the government should just issue all DPR member with a deck of card.
Ihaknt Says:
March 29th, 2007 at 6:43 am
I hope they’d have Indomatters in their favorites so they know how much we love our DPR people! That of course assuming they’d understand engrish.
Dimp Says:
March 29th, 2007 at 7:30 am
They probably just ignore any criticism that they read. They have been doing this for years.
Janma Says:
March 29th, 2007 at 11:57 am
The funny thing is that they only have two more years in office, and for sure they will be more busy manourering themselves into favorable positions than actually doing their jobs, they haven’t exactly had a great working record so far.

They seem to have a ginormous amount of money at their disposal, the refugees all over Indonesia must be sakit hati benar!
Dimp Says:
March 29th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
I think they must be desperate that they know they only have 2 more years to reap as much cash as possible for their own pockets, so they start to issue stupider and stupider rule to benefit themselves. It won’t be long until they decide that every member of DPR can claim expenses for every consumable things.
TomZee Says:
April 1st, 2007 at 5:11 pm
Guys, soon there will be a lot of cheap “new” used laptops (at most 550 pieces).
Susi Says:
April 2nd, 2007 at 10:36 pm
To be fair:

Since many member already have their own laptops, why not make a “laptop allowance” for those who don’t have one. Cut their salaries in that amount, (around 21 juta), give them a good laptop, and let them use it for whateve they please (browing porno sites is perhaps useful keyboarding practise after all), then contribute 21 juta for a good, local tukang komputer to train them on how to utilize it constructively.

And give bonuses to the members who already own and use their own laptops. In the amount of . . . 10.5 juta . . . or 42 juta . . . .

Go figure. Which is most constructive, actually?

Otherwise, I foresee a flooded market in Jakarta for “new, still in the box” laptop computers.

Cheers,

Susi
Ebowan Says:
April 9th, 2007 at 5:37 pm
BTW, are these people able to read english? Is the software they are using a genuine?

Do they do the right thing at the right time at the right place?

I don’t know.

We all do know, that these gentlemen are able to do some nice things and not so nice things.
mafford zachronni Says:
November 26th, 2007 at 9:47 pm
My name ZACH from Indonesia, please can you help me, cause I ain’t not enough to buying computer.
i need it that can help me to writing my script. immediatelly, i have stop my study.
Please may you can help me to give me a laptop that laptop may can help me to make my dream come true and for looking a job as typist.
It’s Ok that new or used laptop. You know Indonesia have many problem its hard to looking a job.
Thanks a lot.
D Barker Says:
October 20th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
I have no opinion one way or the other in this case & don’t know the specifics, but the ability of laptops to improve productivity & bring society & businesses forward is really interesting. 1 laptop 1 child is the benchmark of course. It’s been interesting at work to see how quickly laptops are growing compared to desktop pcs & you’re right, ‘laptop’ generally does mean ‘more work’.
Rob Says:
October 20th, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Did they get them and were they priced at IDR 21 million?