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Indonesia News Digest 45 – December 1-8, 2006
Jakarta Post - December 8, 2006
Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara – Hundreds of angry people surrounded
the office of the Timor Tengah Selatan regent Wednesday to
protest marble mining he authorized near their village.
The protesters from Fatumnasi village decided to seal off the
office after they were unable to meet Regent Daniel Banunaek, who
gave the green light to the operation.
"The mining activities must be stopped because they are affecting
the nearby environment. Local people depend entirely on farming
near the mining site," Aleta Baun, the coordinator of the
protest, said.
Since the regent issued a decree permitting the mining, more than
200 hectares of land belonging to the villagers has been
confiscated by the administration for the operation, Aleta said.
Jakarta Post - December 6, 2006
Jakarta – Small political parties demanded Tuesday they be
allowed to contest the 2009 elections.
The 2004 General Elections Law states that only parties with a
least 3 percent of the seats in the House of Representatives will
be allowed to take part in the 2009 legislative and presidential
elections.
The minor parties that will be affected by the law are the
Crescent Star Party, the Unity and Nationhood Pioneer Party, the
Reform Star Party and the Prosperous Peace Party as in total they
hold less than 16.5 seats at the House.
"It is not fair to allow us to contest just once in the 2004
general election. We should be given a second chance to show our
performance," PBR chairman Bursa Zarnubi told a discussion here
Tuesday.
Harris Syamsuddin, a political analyst at the Indonesian
Institute of Sciences, said Indonesia ideally needed three to
seven major parties to form a simple multi-party system in the
coming elections and build a strong democracy in the parliament
and the government.
Aceh
West Papua
Pornography & morality
Human rights/law
Environment
Health & education
Foreign affairs
News & issues
Protesters seal off regent's office
Minor parties seek to contest polls
Strike stalls ambulance service
Jakarta Post - December 6, 2006
Jakarta – The ongoing ambulance workers strike has affected the public service as it is only responding to less than half of the 50 emergency calls it receives on average every day.
One of the ambulance service's telephone operators, Asti Puspitarini, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that since the strike began Monday, they were only working 11 hours a day, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
"We responded to only 21 requests for ambulances Monday," she said. Due to the strike, most of the requests were handed over to the Jakarta Health Agency.
"We have to abandon our duties for a while... we have to fight for own welfare first," Irwan, the head of the service's operations unit, was quoted as saying by Tempointeraktif news website Tuesday.
An agency official said the agency had handled 15 of the 21 requests Monday. "People who phoned for ambulance got one from the Indonesian Red Cross, or hospitals or community health centers near to their location," said the official, who asked not to be named.
The 36-year-old service is provided by a foundation established by prominent surgeons in the capital. It has a fleet of 40 ambulances, which park at the service's headquarters on Jl. Sunter Permai Raya, North Jakarta.
Nearly 300 employees went on strike Monday demanding the dismissal of the foundation's chairman, Aryono Djuned Pusponegoro, a pay rise and to be made permanent employees.
Twelve representatives of the employees, including Irawan, went to City Hall on Tuesday to file complaints. Irawan said that employees who had been working for as long as 15 years were paid only Rp 2 million (US$217) per month, including allowances. He said contract workers were paid between Rp 850,000 and Rp 1 million.
Another employee said the foundation received a monthly subsidy from the health agency, but it was not enough to cover operational expenses. "We are subsidized to the tune of Rp 300 million a month, but we need Rp 400 million just to pay the salaries. If the management of the service were to be put under the city administration we would be better off," she added.
Jakarta Post - December 2, 2006
Jakarta – Former Defense and Security Minister Gen. (ret) Edi Sudradjat passed away on Friday. He died at 1 p.m. at Army Central Hospital Gatot Subroto in Jakarta. The cause of his death has not been revealed. Edi was survived by his wife Lulu Lugiyati and three children.
Vice President Jusuf Kalla came to the hospital to pay his respects along with several ministers, among them Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono, Women's Empowerment Minister Meutia Farida Hatta Swasono and Social Affairs Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah. Edi's body was returned to the funeral home on Jl. Dharmawangsa in South Jakarta after a military ceremony at the hospital.
The retired general once occupied three simultaneous posts, as Army chief, Armed Forces commander and defense minister.
His "back to basics" approach called for soldiers to focus on military professionalism, protecting citizens rather than pursuing business interests.
Edi, known as a nationalist and a man of few words, came close to becoming vice president in the Soeharto era. Try Sutrisno, his predecessor as commander of the armed forces, took the position instead.
Edi, an influential figure in the New Order era, was among the first batch of graduates of the Military Academy in 1960, the military academy set up by Indonesia after its independence.
Edi began his career in 1961 as platoon commandant of Infantry 515 Battalion in Jember, East Java, before joining the red beret corps of the Army to conduct operations against South Maluku Republican Army insurgents.
He joined operations against the Free Papua Movement (OPM) and communist activists and later became the head of the Agency for Coordination of Support for the Development of National Stability in 1988. That year, he was promoted to four-star general and named Army chief. Edi also joined Indonesia's Garuda IV Contingent of the United Nations' peacekeeping force in 1993.
He established the Justice and Unity Party (PKP) in December 1998 because he felt that his former faction, Golkar, under the leadership of Akbar Tandjung, was reluctant to reform. PKP argued that Golkar's attitude toward the national ideology of Pancasila and the 1945 constitution could threaten the unity of Indonesia.
Edi received the prestigious title "Tan Sri" from the Malaysian government in 1977 and the "Order of National Security Merit Tong II" award from South Korea in 1989.
Jakarta Post - December 2, 2006
Although the number of people with jobs in August increased by 280,000 to 95.46 million compared to February, and exceeded the growth in Indonesia's total workforce during the same period, it was still not enough to significantly reduce the unemployment rate, according to figures released Friday by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).
The total number of people between the ages of 15 and 64 who were eligible for employment in the formal sector rose by 110,000 to 106.39 million by the end of August, compared to February. Indonesia has a total population of some 220 million. This resulted in the number of people out of work during the same period falling by 170,000 to 10.93 million, or 10.28 percent of the workforce.
This is only a slight improvement over the 10.45 percent open unemployment rate recorded in February.
"There is a declining trend in unemployment, but probably not significant enough," BPS director Rusman Heriawan said, commenting on the figures. Rusman said the slow decline in unemployment was primarily due to this year's prolonged dry season, which had affected much of the country's agricultural sector.
"Some 2.18 million people working in the agricultural sector lost their jobs because of the long drought, which left vast areas of paddy field bone-dry," he said. "Fortunately, most of them eventually found jobs in other sectors, resulting in a shift in employment, rather than another rise in unemployment."
Indonesia's open unemployment rate rose to 11.2 percent in November last year as the country's consumption-driven economy stumbled under the twin strains of rising inflation and higher interest rates resulting from last year's fuel price hikes.
The economy has since this year's second quarter rebounded from the slump, growing by 5.22 percent, and by 5.52 percent in the third quarter, providing hope that more jobs will be created. The government hopes to reduce open unemployment to 5 percent of the total workforce by 2009.
The latest growth figures are, however, still far from the government's growth target of 5.8 percent for this year, and may not be sufficient to provide enough jobs to keep pace with the growing workforce or layoffs.
This is due to the fact that a 1 percent growth rate now translates into only some 200,000 jobs, compared to 400,000 in the past, as investments nowadays tend to be more capital- intensive than labor-intensive. – JP/Urip Hudiono
| Aceh |
New Straits Times - December 8, 2006
Amy Chew, Banda Aceh – He was convicted of treason and imprisoned at the Keudah Prison in the provincial capital here in 2003.
When the epic tsunami struck on Dec 26, 2004, it swept away the prison walls in a massive torrent and Irwandi suddenly found himself a free man. "The tsunami came, the jail went away and I went home," he laughed.
Today, Irwandi, is a leading candidate in Aceh's landmark polls on Dec 11 to directly elect the province's governor. The elections are part of the historic peace deal signed in August 2005 to end the bloody conflict that has killed 15,000 people.
The peace deal saw GAM surrendering their arms while the Indonesian military halted its operations and withdrew 29,000 troops from the province. The direct elections will accord greater autonomy for this proud province, which the Dutch, Indonesia's former colonial master, could never conquer.
Irwandi draws his popularity from his status as a GAM member and former political prisoner. GAM has officially declared it will not endorse any candidate.
But on Wednesday, a prominent GAM military commander, Sofyan Dawood, showed up at Irwandi's campaign rally here in a move that will boost Irwandi's popularity as GAM still wields considerable influence in Aceh.
The 1,000-strong crowd went wild when Dawood was called to the stage and they surged forward to catch a glimpse of the ex-rebel.
"Irwandi Yusuf is the best person to lead Aceh compared with the rest," said Dawood. "Don't be taken in by people who give you money to buy your votes because when they win, they will turn around and take away money from the people," he said to loud cheers and shouts.
Speaking to former rebels in several regencies and districts, many of them said they would vote for Irwandi Yusuf. Fadli, a former rebel who spent eight years fighting in the jungles, places his trust in Irwandi.
"He cares about Aceh and has a conscience. He is also very smart, a great strategist. He is standing as an independent and that means he is not tied to the interests of political parties but the interests of the people," said Fadli.
Student Rosnita, 21, lost her father when she was 15. She and her six siblings live off their mother's meagre earnings as a washerwoman. She came to the rally with four of her siblings, putting her trust in Irwandi to improve her life.
"Life is very hard. I have only known conflict in Aceh. I choose Irwandi Yusuf because he helped make this peace. Let there be no more gunfire in Aceh," she said.
There are eight pairs of candidates contesting for the posts of governor and deputy governor. The winning pair needs to get more than 25 per cent of the vote.
Associated Press - December 8, 2006
Dayah Tanoh – Before last year's peace deal, Cek Bi used to lie awake at night listening to gunfire rattling through her village. Now, the 40-year-old widow hopes Monday's elections will make the government-rebel truce in Indonesia's Aceh province irreversible.
"My husband could not go into the rice fields without being threatened or beaten by soldiers," said the mother of eight, marveling at how much has changed in Dayah Tonoh, a former rebel stronghold. "Houses were set on fire, our young men kidnapped and killed," she said. "No one ever dreamed this day would come."
The elections for Aceh's governor, mayors and other local positions will be the first since an Aug. 15, 2005, accord ended a 29-year civil war that claimed at least 15,000 lives, many of them civilians caught up in army sweeps of remote villages.
Crucially, former members of the rebel Free Aceh Movement, known by its Indonesian acronym GAM, are among those running for office – something that would have been impossible before a tsunami crashed into the province's coastlines two years ago, giving fresh impetus to the peace process.
But an internal rift in the movement is expected to dent their election chances, and could affect their ability to transform into a viable political movement ahead of national elections in 2009 – when provincial parliamentary seats will be at stake – said Sidney Jones of the Brussels-based International Crisis Group research institute.
For most people, however, the main thing now is that they are getting the chance to cast ballots, and more than 85% of about 2.6 million eligible voters are expected to turn out on election day. "We want change," said Kurnia Dewi, 36, who runs a small food stall near the university campus in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh. "It doesn't matter to me who wins. I don't care what their political background, or what role they played in the struggle, as long as they are determined to rebuild Aceh and work for the people."
The lead-up to the elections, from voter registration to campaigning, has been peaceful, and analysts predict polling day will go equally well.
With eight pairs of candidates vying for the positions of Aceh governor and his deputy, however, it is likely there will be no clear winner in the first round, meaning a run-off vote in March
"You are unlikely to see any sudden outbreaks of violence, or GAM turning against the peace process, or the military suddenly putting a hold on the electoral process," Jakarta- based political analyst Marcus Mietzner said.
He said all sides appear to genuinely support the peace process.
Remarkable changes have taken place in Aceh, an oil-and-gas rich province of 4 million people on Sumatra island's northern tip, since the 2004 tsunami smashed into its coastlines, killing an estimated 167,000 people and leaving another half-million homeless.
The tragedy sped up the peace process, with the rebels and the government saying they did not want to add to people's suffering. The success of the agreement, signed in Helsinki, Finland, has exceeded most expectations.
The rebels gave up their long-held demand for independence and handed over all of their weapons in exchange for being allowed to participate in local politics.
The government pulled out half of the 50,000 troops it had in Aceh, and agreed to give the province control over 70% of the revenue from its mineral wealth.
"We've seen very little in the way of violence. We've seen very little acrimony, really, in relation to the elections," said Paul Rowland of the US-based National Democratic Institute.
He acknowledged, however, that there are lingering problems. Tensions have formed between members of GAM's political "old guard," who spent much of the civil war in exile in Sweden, and younger combatants who stayed home and fought. Both factions are fielding separate candidates for the top jobs of governor and deputy.
At the same time, many separatists are frustrated because they say they have not received promised funds from the government to help them find jobs or learn skills after years spent fighting.
"I'm not the only one," said former fighter Teungku Zainal Cot, 34, who lives in the former GAM stronghold of Pidie, 125 kilometers east of the provincial capital, and has struggled to make ends meet by taking on construction jobs offered on a day-by-day basis. "Many other GAM members are hurting. They don't have enough money to buy cigarettes or fuel."
Agence France Presse - December 7, 2006
Banda Aceh – Thousands of people flocked to final election rallies on the last day of campaigning for landmark polls in the Indonesian province of Aceh.
In Banda Aceh's main Blangpadang Square, thousands turned out to hear candidates running in Monday's election for provincial governor and vice governor expound their vision. They were entertained by performances by artists from Aceh and Jakarta.
Similarly well-attended campaign rallies were also reported in several other locations in the capital and the main district towns, residents said.
The last four days of campaigning appear to have drawn far larger crowds than were seen when the campaign kicked off on November 24. An estimated 10,000 people attended the Blangpadang rally on Thursday, about five times the number who turned up on the first day, a local journalist said.
The head of the national People's Consultative Assembly, Hidayat Nurwahid, was present on the stage in Blangpadang, where candidates Azwar Abubakar and Nasir Jamil were campaigning.
Jamil, standing for the vice-governor post, is running on a ticket for the popular Prosperous Justice Party, which Nurwahid once chaired.
Nurwahid, speaking to journalists, said he was there only to observe the last day of campaigning, not to back candidates.
"I hope that the elections to pick the governor, vice governor and the heads of districts and their deputies will be successful, safe and peaceful, so that this political festival can really yield something of good quality," Nurwahid told the state Antara news agency.
He also hoped the elections could become a model for democracy for other regions of Indonesia. "I hope the implementation of the Aceh elections can become a model for other regions because it has proceeded in an honest, democratic, fair and peaceful manner," Nurwahid said.
Aceh's independent electoral commission campaign (KIP) deputy chief, T. Zainuddin, told a press conference marking the end of the campaign period that there had been no serious incidents reported during the 14-day campaign. Reported incidents had been trivial and had not disrupted the electoral process, he said.
"All cases that happened during (the) campaign were all able to be settled by KIP and the supervision committee at the district level," Zainuddin said.
The head of the network and communication division of the Aceh electoral supervision committee, Buchari, told the same press conference that a total of 158 violations had been registered during the entire electoral process so far, including during the two weeks of campaigning. The bulk of these, 109, were of an administrative nature, while criminal cases numbered 14 and 23 other cases were not investigated further for lack of evidence.
The criminal violations, he said, consisted of arson on campaign materials such as billboards and posters and physical attacks on KIP members.
A peace agreement last year between the Free Aceh Movement rebels and the Indonesian government paved the way for the direct elections to pick the heads of the province and its 21 districts.
The accord was spurred on by the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which lashed Aceh's coastlines, killing about 168,000 people and forcing both sides to reassess their priorities at the negotiating table.
Jakarta Post - December 7, 2006
Ati Nurbaiti, Banda Aceh – On the eve of polling day on Dec. 11, Mutia says she will perform special prayers to ask God who to vote for. "I will perform the istiqoroh prayer to make my decision," she said Wednesday, while attending a rally held by a gubernatorial candidate.
Mutia has narrowed her vote down to three candidate pairs from the eight contesting Aceh's gubernatorial elections but says she still has no idea who to vote for.
While two candidates in the province's direct elections were inexperienced, "there is no way we should continue to trust old names" in government, she said.
Shielding herself from the sun with a piece of cardboard, the Banda Aceh local has regularly attended the campaigns of three candidate pairs with her husband, watching speeches by Irwandi Yusuf of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and activist Muhammad Nezar, activist Humam Hamid and GAM member Hasbi Abdullah, and former member of the People's Consultative Assembly, Gazali Abas Adnan and running mate businessman Salahudin Alfata.
While the turnout for Banten's gubernatorial elections was low, Aceh's historic polls are attracting a lot of interest, although many voters have admitted they know little about the candidates and their programs.
A November survey by the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) released Tuesday found 70 percent of people said they planned to vote in the polls, up from 56 percent in September.
"Whoever wins, we hope that they can bring peace to Aceh for our children and grandchildren," said another spectator in the crowd, businessman Muhammad Ali. "I have seen all the hard times," he said.
The last time Ali attended such a large gathering was in 1999 in a demonstration for a referendum on Aceh's separation from Indonesia.
A 10-year military operation to crush GAM ended in 1999 after a truce was signed by the separatists and the government. However, the peace did not last and a further military operation and the declaration of martial law took place from 2000 to 2004.
A peace agreement was signed in Helsinki last August after the devastating tsunami of Dec. 26, 2004.
Voting for the regents, mayors and the governor on Dec. 11 is part of the province's "struggle towards peace," Ali said. The intense desire for calm, had led to an agreement "to accept whoever wins".
Mutia said despite the landmark Helsinki agreement, she was worried that violence would recur in the province given the rivalry between GAM candidates Irwandi and Humam. While the GAM leadership is staying officially neutral during the polls, individual officials have expressed support for the two contestants.
A taxi driver and former GAM fighter said he was voting for Irwandi and running mate Nezar. Nezar who headed the Information Center for an Acehnese Referendum (SIRA) led huge waves of demonstrations in the province for a referendum in 1999.
The driver, also named Muhammad Ali, said he wanted to vote for "someone new". If the new governor and deputy were found to be wanting, "we can just push them out again, through demonstrations for instance", he said.
"We need anyone who can bring about a just government.. under which we can earn a living," Ali said. "Then I could travel again, to Bangkok and Myanmar" the places where he once bought arms for GAM, he said.
Jakarta Post - December 3, 2006
Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – Former rebels in Aceh will form a political party within six months, opening up the way for their participation in the 2009 national elections, officials said Saturday.
"We're ready to form a political party once the government endorses the regulation on the formation of local political parties which is expected to be finished before the end of this year," said the former prime minister in exile of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), Mali Mahmud, to reporter in Banda Aceh on Saturday.
The statement was made following a closed-door final meeting of a commission on security arrangements at the home of acting Aceh governor Mustafa Abubakar.
The meeting was attended by Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM) chief Pieter Feith, the government's representative at the AMM, Maj. Gen. Bambang Darmono, and Information and Communications Minister Sofyan A. Djalil.
GAM was represented by Malik Mahmud, GAM's senior representative at the AMM, Zakaria Saman, and other executives.
Pieter Feith said there was an understanding that GAM would start its transition to a political party as soon as the government enacted the regulation. Six months after that GAM will have set up a local political party, he said. He said he believed that after the process was launched GAM was likely to be dissolved by the middle of 2007.
The formation of a local political party which will then be followed by the disbandment of GAM was one of the key points agreed on during the signing of the peace deal between the government and GAM in Helsinki, Finland, last year.
However, Malik said there were plans to dissolve GAM but did not give a timetable. "The transition process of GAM becoming a local political party has been agreed to but it will depend on the situation since it will require planning and time," Malik said.
The announcement comes just weeks before Aceh residents head for the polls to vote for a governor and deputy governor in the landmark Dec. 11 elections. The elections, the first since the peace deal was signed and brought and end to the decades of civil war that left at least 15,000 people dead, will also choose the province's mayors and regents.
Former GAM members will still take part in the Dec. 11 elections, but as independents. GAM is endorsing no candidates in the upcoming elections.
The International Crisis Group said in a recent report that differences over candidates have split GAM's leadership, raising questions about the movement's political future.
However, Malik said Saturday that such differences were common in any organization, especially as Aceh was gearing up for the elections. "But I've instructed GAM field commanders to solve all problems," he said, adding the instructions were to tell members not to move against one another and stressed "the need for all sides to respect the upcoming election and to maintain peace".
Reuters - December 2, 2006
Jerry Norton, Banda Aceh – Indonesia will soon set the ball rolling to allow former rebels in Aceh to establish a political party and join the mainstream in the once volatile province, a top peace monitor said on Saturday.
Aceh will hold landmark elections on December 11, the first ever direct vote for top executive posts in the province and seen as a key step toward consolidating a peace deal struck in August 2005.
So far it has succeeded in ending the fighting that killed 15,000 people after the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) launched a struggle for an independent state on Sumatra island's northern tip in 1976.
"The government is (ready) to continue dialogue with the GAM leadership," Pieter Feith, head of the Aceh Monitoring Mission (AMM), told a new conference after a final meeting of a commission on security arrangements. "There is an understanding that the GAM will start transitioning into a political party."
The veteran Dutch peace monitor added that "before the end of this year, the government will have enacted a regulation on the establishment of local political parties." He said he believed that after the process was launched GAM was likely to be dissolved by the middle of 2007.
GAM and the Indonesian government signed the 2005 truce under Finnish mediation. The agreement paved the way for the former separatists' involvement in local Aceh politics after they agreed to end their armed rebellion.
Malik Mahmud, the former "prime minister" in exile of the rebel group, told the news conference there were plans to dissolve GAM, but did not give a timetable. "The GAM will form a team to prepare for forming a political party," he said, adding there were still some shortcomings to be resolved.
He stressed the need for all sides to respect the upcoming election and to maintain peace.
International and local observers have said the possibility of violence is low, but the election commission had asked monitoring groups to send more people as it wanted around 10,000 monitors across the rugged province of 4 million people.
GAM is endorsing no candidate in the polls, in which 2.6 million voters will choose the province's governor and deputy as well as 19 regents and mayors. However, several GAM members are running in the December races as independent candidates.
The International Crisis Group said in a recent report that differences over candidates have split GAM's leadership, raising questions about the movement's political future.
The Helsinki agreement came about after months of negotiations, partially spurred by the December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that left around 170,000 Acehnese dead or missing.
Jakarta Post - December 1, 2006
Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh – Dozens of people claiming to be victims of the conflict in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam rallied in front of the Independent Commission for Elections in Banda Aceh on Thursday, threatening to boycott the upcoming regional elections.
The protesters complained none of the candidates had promised to address the gross human rights violations that occurred during Aceh's long and bloody separatist conflict.
The vote scheduled on Dec. 11 will choose a new governor and 21 regents for the province.
"I hope the gubernatorial candidates can give us, the victims of the conflict, assurances about justice. If not, why should we choose them?" said protester Fatmawati, 34.
Fatmawati said her husband had been missing since 2003, when a military emergency was declared in the province. Fatmawati and her husband then lived in Cot Krueng, Aceh Besar regency, which was known as the base of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).
"I can only cry whenever my child asks where his father's grave is," Fatmawati said. There has been no indication yet as to when cases like these will be resolved. That's why Fatmawati said she was very disappointed that candidates are not planning to tackle the human rights violations.
Abdul Hamid, 39, a resident of Seulimum, Aceh Besar, agreed, saying he had decided not to exercise his right to vote. "It won't be any use since we will not be able to get justice," Hamid said.
The victims of the conflict invited the candidates to sign a pledge to resolve the human rights cases, but none of the candidates came. "They prefer to make promises (on other issues) rather than solve this important problem," Hamid said.
The rally took place in an orderly fashion under the watchful eye of security officers.
Rahmat, from the group Student Solidarity for the People (SMUR), said Aceh had experienced a kind of amnesia since the signing of a peace agreement between GAM and the Indonesian government a year ago. "No one talks about human rights any longer, as if human rights violations had never happened in Aceh," Rahmat said.
According to data from the Aceh chapter of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), there were as many as 15,000 cases of human rights violations in Aceh. "Only about 10 percent of them have been settled, especially those carried out by the military," said Henda of Kontras' Aceh chapter.
| West Papua |
Radio New Zealand - December 1, 2006
New Zealand's Peace Movement Aotoearoa says grassroots support for West Papua's right to self-determination is growing. The Movement has today marked West Papua Independence Day by flying the West Papuan Morning Star flag in a demonstration outside parliament in Wellington. December 1st is the anniversary of the 1961 West Papuan Declaration of Independence from Dutch colonial rule.
Peace Movement Aotoearoa's Edwina Hughes says in recent years the international concern about human rights abuses in Indonesia's Papua province has increased. However she says Papua is still not on the UN decolonisation agenda and Pacific Forum countries have generally refused to act towards securing a peaceful future for Papuans.
"But in terms of grass roots activism, yes, particularly today on West Papua Independence Day, people around the world are flying the Morning Star Flag. And the reason that's of particular significance is because of the harsh penalties the Indonesian authorities impose when the West Papuans try to fly their own flag in their own country."
Agence France Presse - December 1, 2006
Jakarta – Hundreds of Papuans gathered Friday in eastern Indonesia to mark the anniversary of their "declaration of independence" amid tight security, a customary council member said.
Independence supporters marched from the regional office of the council which represents local tribes to the Elin Kwari church in Manokwari, the provincial capital of West Irian Jaya, council member Anni Sabami told AFP. "Representatives of the local Arfak tribe, students and women demand a referendum for the independence of Papua," said Sabami.
The protest for independence was peaceful with local shops opening with business as usual. The newly formed province is on the Bird's Head Peninsula of Papua in the Indonesian half of New Guinea.
| Pornography & morality |
Jakarta Post - December 8, 2006
Jakarta – The government's plan to extend the ban on polygamy is being blown out of proportion by those who oppose it, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono says.
Yudhoyono said the public debate that has raged since the government floated the idea last week had been derailed by critics using religious arguments. He maintained the original purpose of revising the law was to protect women.
"Let us think clearly. We shouldn't exert too much energy on this issue because there are many other problems that have to be addressed. I don't want this issue to develop into an unhealthy public discourse," he said when addressing a Civil Servants Wives Association gathering.
The controversy was sparked Tuesday when the State Minister for Women's Empowerment Meutia Farida Hatta Swasono announced the government was considering extending ban on polygamy for civil servants to cover all officials working for the state, including legislators and soldiers.
The plan has received strong backing from progressive Muslims and many women but has met strong opposition from religious conservatives, especially men, who argue that polygamy is allowed in Islam and should not be banned by secular laws.
The polygamy issue resurfaced last week when television cleric Abdullah "A'a Gym" Gymnastiar, who was popular with women and promoted harmonious family values, announced he had taken a younger second wife.
Under the 1974 Marriage Law, men are only legally allowed to take a second wife if their first wives are invalids, terminally ill or infertile. The law, however, is rarely enforced and polygamy is becoming more common among Muslims.
President Susilo said people should not use religion to justify polygamy, as Islam required men to meet many strict conditions before they could take more than one wife.
"If people want to refer to religion (to justify polygamy), please understand the religion properly," Yudhoyono said. Marriage laws were made by taking religious values into consideration, he said.
The President said he was also concerned that women here were often victims of domestic violence and street crime, he said. There was an urgent need to protect women from violence, crime, poverty and other forms of misery, he said. The next step would be to empower women by fulfilling their basic right to enjoy adequate public services like health and education.
Minister Meutia said Thursday the revision of the law would depend on an analysis done by women's organizations, human rights groups and universities, which support a revision to the law. "It is wrong to assume that polygamy would minimize cases of adultery and prostitution," she told The Jakarta Post.
Earlier this week, some legislators argued banning polygamy would only encourage more men to visit prostitutes. "What we believe is that polygamy can lead to injustice and the psychological abuse of women," Meutia said.
Agence France Presse - December 7, 2006
Jakarta – The editor of the Indonesian version of Playboy went on trial accused of publishing "indecent" material in the first issues of the adult magazine in the world's largest Muslim- populated nation.
As editor-in-chief Erwin Arnada, 42, was responsible for the choice of materials in his publications and "engaged, ordered and took part with others" in publishing indecent materials, prosecutor Agung Ardianto told the South Jakarta district court.
The charges carries up to 32 months in jail. "The actions of the defendant have violated the sense of decency," the prosecutor said.
Playboy's April debut issue featured several models on its cover and in articles inside, showing ample cleavage and lengthy legs but little else.
The plan to publish Playboy was strongly protested by Muslim hardliners, and some groups later attacked his office in Jakarta, forcing the magazine to move to the predominantly-Hindu resort island of Bali.
Playboy suspended operations shortly after its debut amid strident protests, but published a second issue – without any advertising and with equally demure content – in June.
Despite most Indonesians practising a very tolerant form of Islam, religious leaders in the world's largest Muslim nation have complained that Playboy would corrupt a culture already inundated by Western influences.
Far more raunchy men's magazines, including local versions of British ones, however are already readily available.
Judge Efran Basuning said the trial would resume in one week to hear witnesses.
Two models featured in the debut edition are also scheduled to face charges of indecency but a date for their trials has yet to be set. Activists on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against parliament over a controversial anti-pornography bill that would criminalize kissing in public and erotic dancing.
Jakarta Post - December 7, 2006
Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – An alliance of NGOs filed a lawsuit Wednesday with the Central Jakarta District Court against the House of Representatives over a bill they say endangers the multireligious and multicultural character of Indonesia.
The Alliance of Unity in Diversity Advocates demanded the House drop the highly controversial pornography bill, which they say is based on Islamic values and threatens pluralism in the country.
Lawyers for the alliance said court officials promised to process the lawsuit within three weeks at the latest. "It's a big deal because it's the first time that a civil group has filed a lawsuit against a state institution. We hope to teach the House a lesson from this case," lawyer Daniel Panjaitan said.
Daniel said the House had broken its internal rules in drafting the bill, which has met with strong opposition from some groups. "The bill should have dealt with the distribution of pornographic materials, not prescribe how citizens must behave according to the moral standards of a particular religion," he said.
The bill has received strong backing from some Muslim groups, notably hard-line groups that openly seek the adoption of sharia-based laws. But it has been opposed by pro-democracy, women's and human rights groups. The controversy moved lawmakers to delay discussion of the bill.
Daniel said lawmakers, in drafting the bill, failed to accommodate input from civil society. The NGOs also said the committee deliberating the pornography bill issued two versions of the draft, one having 93 chapters and the other 36 chapters. They say no reason has ever been offered for the different versions. "This has only worsened the controversy," Daniel said.
Alliance coordinator Ratna Sarumpaet said people were tired of the "political games" being played by groups in the House eager to see the bill endorsed.
"We see a grand scenario behind the bill. It's an attempt to make Indonesia an Islamic state. It has to do with the issuance of sharia bylaws in certain regions. We raised this issue with the (Islamic-based) Prosperous Justice Party faction (in the House) but they were tight-lipped. For us their silence means 'yes,'" she said.
Ratna, also director of the Jakarta Institute of the Arts, reiterated that the alliance was against pornography, but opposed a bill that would allow the state to force citizens to behave according to the norms of a certain religion.
"It is no longer necessary for the House to pass a pornography law because it is already covered in the Criminal Code and existing laws such as the broadcasting and press laws. Pluralism is the nation's main characteristic and we have to accept local cultures and traditional customs," she said.
She claimed Bali, Papua, North Sulawesi and East Nusa Tenggara, where Muslims are the minority, had threatened to break away from Indonesia if the House pushed through the bill.
Jakarta Post - December 7, 2006
Hera Diani, Jakarta – The government's plan to extend the ban on polygamy for civil servants to cover all state officials could end up helping in the fight against corruption, a prominent Islamic scholar says.
Azyumardi Azra said widening the ban on polygamy, which is stipulated in the 1974 Marriage Law, would mean less male officials stole money from the state to keep their wives happy.
"(The ban) would be very good for the welfare of women and children because they would ending up being protected more justly, and it would also be a good way to improve the image of the Indonesian Muslim community," he said.
Azyumardi's view was one of many often unusual responses to the idea from Muslim leaders, scholars, lawmakers and women's activists.
Kamala Chandrakirana, the chairwoman of the National Commission on Violence Against Women, thought it would be better to properly enforce the marriage law, which requires men intending to marry again to receive permission from their first wives before doing so. "This gives an assurance (to people) that the first wife does give permission for her husband to take another wife," she said.
Other proponents said widening the ban would improve women's positions in society. Currently, men are only legally allowed to take a second wife if their first wives are an invalids, terminally ill or infertile. The letter of the law, however, is rarely enforced and the practice is becoming more common among Muslims.
State Minister for Woman's Empowerment Meutia Farida Hatta Swasono said Tuesday the 1983 law prohibiting civil servants from practicing polygamy – passed reportedly under pressure from the wife of ex-dictator Soeharto – could be expanded to cover ministers, lawmakers and governors, regents and other officials.
The minister announced the plan after meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The move comes after charismatic Muslim preacher Abdullah "Aa Gym" Gymnastiar publicly admitted to taking a second wife. Aa Gym, who had a strong female following and often preached about family harmony and values, has had to weather a storm of criticism since his admission.
Despite support for the idea from many Muslim figures, the polygamy ban drew opposition from others. Masdar Farid Mas'udi, a leader in the country's largest Muslim organization Nahdhatul Ulema, said that every man was polygamous by nature.
"Islam only gives a standard of fairness, but it never prohibits it (polygamy). The perception that polygamy only benefits men is not right. Polygamous institutions actually fulfill women's desires and reproductive rights," he told The Jakarta Post.
"Not every man is up to being a husband, unlike women (who make good wives). Therefore, polygamy is nature's way of balancing the supply of women wanting to be wives, with the demand of men who are up to being good husbands."
Legislator Misbach Hidayat said the government had no right to regulate what was clearly allowed by Islam. "The government should focus on real issues, like corruption cases," he told the detikcom news portal. The ban if implemented, he argued, would make infidelity more widespread and in turn increase prostitution.
Legislator Yoyoh Yusroh from the Prosperous Justice Party said as a woman, she believed polygamy was allowed by Islam to overcome social problems. "Polygamy is better than infidelity. Think of a 25-year-old widow – she will need a husband to finance her children. If polygamy is banned, things would only get worse for her," she told detikcom.
Meanwhile, Din Syamsuddin, who chairs the country's second- largest organization Muhammadiyah, thought it would be better not to talk about the subject at all.
"There are many more important problems faced by this nation. Polygamy is a matter of religious interpretation. The government should not develop this into a political issue and religious figures should not give responses (to the idea)," he told the Post.
Meanwhile, women's activist Lies Marcoes Natsir told Metro TV said rather than banning polygamy, it was more important to increase education campaigns about the bad effects of polygamy on women and children.
Jakarta Post - December 5, 2006
M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta Post – Yahya Zaini, the senior Golkar Party lawmaker caught on camera cavorting naked with a dangdut singer, looks set to be ousted from the party, with an investigative team recommending his dismissal Monday.
"In a meeting this evening, we issued a recommendation for the central board to dismiss the lawmaker in question from his position as the chairman of Golkar religious affairs department," team member Syamsul Ma'arif told The Jakarta Post.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives disciplinary council is preparing to grill Yahya about his appearance in the video in the next few days. Yahya was reportedly tendering his resignation through a letter to Golkar leader and Vice President Jusuf Kalla.
It was not immediately clear, however, if Yahya would also lose his seat in the House. The legislator is a member of the home affairs commission.
Golkar lawmakers investigating the video include House Speaker Agung Laksono, senior member Andi Matalatta and secretary general Soemarsono.
The team was formed after the less than one-minute-long cell phone video surfaced, clearly depicting an image of Yahya with a dangdut singer, identified as Maria Eva.
Earlier Monday, the House disciplinary council said that it would summon Yahya and Maria over the video.
Council chairman Slamet Effendy Yusuf said an investigation would be a priority because the video had dealt a severe blow to the House's reputation. "We consider this case a very serious one and we will act quickly," he said. Council members will meet Thursday to start the investigation.
Slamet, a Golkar lawmaker, said the council would first ascertain that the people in the video were Yahya and Maria. "We will also find out if the behavior caught on the video was conducted inside wedlock," Slamet said.
He promised the team would act fairly and independently. Should Golkar recall Yahya from the House, the council would not pursue an investigation, Slamet said.
Also on Monday, Maria held a press conference to tell her side of story. Dismissing rumors she had been married to Yahya, Maria said she had refused to wed the lawmaker as she was against polygamy. "He asked me to marry him, but I declined the offer as I don't want to be his second wife," Maria said at the Film Censorship Agency building in South Jakarta. The singer also said Yahya had paid for the recording of her latest album.
Later in the day, Maria appeared in several evening news programs, apologizing to Golkar over the fallout from the sex video.
Meanwhile, the National Police promised to launch an investigation into the illegal distribution of the video. Chief of detectives Comr. Gen. Makbul Padmanegara said anyone who passed on the video could be charged under the Criminal Code for illegally disseminating pornographic material.
| Human rights/law |
Associated Press - December 8, 2006
Chris Brummitt, Jakarta – Indonesia's Constitutional Court has ruled the country's much criticized truth and reconciliation commission is illegal, casting doubt on whether victims of rights abuses under former dictator Suharto will ever see justice.
The body, which had yet to start sitting, was intended to probe the political killings, disappearances and massacres that occurred during the 32-year regime of Suharto, which ended in 1998 amid pro-democracy demonstrations.
Critics say that lawmakers, many with links to Suharto and the brutal military that propped up his rule, created a severely flawed body that infringed on the rights of victims and did not allow for the full truth behind the abuses to be revealed.
The court Thursday declared several articles concerning the provision of amnesty and reparations in the laws setting up the commission unconstitutional and said the body had no legal basis, the court said in a posting on its Web site.
The surprise ruling means that new laws will have to be rewritten to set up the body, a process that will likely take several years and be dependent on the political will of current President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, himself a former military officer.
"The fact that the legislation has been struck down should not relieve the Indonesian government of its ongoing commitment to provide justice, truth and reparations to victims of gross violations of human rights," said Paul van Zyl, the vice president of the New York-based International Center for Transitional Justice. "It places a greater obligation on the government to ensure that the rights and needs of victims are properly addressed," he said.
Presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangengan said the government was studying the ruling, and "its implications for the future."
The court made its judgment in response to a plea by right groups, which were seeking to challenge several articles in the law, not to have the whole body declared illegal.
The commission has long faced opposition from right-wing Muslim groups opposed to any move to uncover the truth behind the massacre of around 500,000 suspected communists in 1965. The killings were mostly carried out by Muslim groups under the orders of Suharto, who assumed power a year later.
Still powerful military officers are also against the commission, which could reveal the extent of army killings in putting down separatist movements in far-flung regions, notably Papua and Aceh.
Suharto, 85, has been declared too sick to stand trial for any crimes committed during his rule.
Jakarta Post - December 8, 2006
M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – The House of Representatives urged the government Thursday to set up an independent team to investigate the 2004 assassination of human rights campaigner Munir Said Thalib.
A House plenary meeting endorsed a recommendation that will put political pressure on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to bring to justice those behind Munir's murder.
"Establishment of the team will show the government's and law enforcers' commitment and seriousness about resolving Munir's death," chairman of a House team focusing on Munir's murder, Taufiqurrahman Saleh, said.
Legislators have suggested a new team be headed by National Police chief Gen. Sutanto and answer to the President.
It recommended Sutanto seek assistance from international agencies, should the police face "technical problems" in their probe into Munir's death.
"This is part of the President's commitment to promoting human rights at the national and international level," Taufiqurrahman said.
The House's recommendation won praise from Munir's widow, Suciwati, and fellow activists.
Suciwati and executive director of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) Usman Hamid, who both attended the plenary session, were visibly pleased by the vote.
"I am happy with this recommendation. This is a formal decision from the House of Representatives, which means it is the voice of the people, and we do hope the President is listening," Suciwati said after the plenary session's close.
She said with the recommendation, Yudhoyono had no choice but to follow up earlier investigations. "Should he fail (to do so)... his promise to resolve Munir's death is empty," Suciwati said.
Early in October, Suciwati and Usman sought political support from the House to resolve Munir's death, asking it to put pressure on the government.
They demanded it set up a new investigative team after an earlier presidential fact-finding team was blocked from probing Munir's murder.
Munir was poisoned to death on board Garuda Indonesia flight to the Netherlands in September 2004.
Despite calls for the release of the team's findings, they have never been fully disclosed to the public.
The government recently revived the team and named Brig. Gen. Suryadharma Nasution its latest chief.
Suryadharma was the first officer assigned to lead the team when it was established in 2005. He was later replaced by Brig. Gen. Marsudi Hanafi after his performance in the job was criticized.
The Supreme Court recently quashed the murder conviction of the sole suspect in the case, Garuda pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, leaving no one responsible for the activist's death.
A lower court and the fact-finding team had concluded that the murder implicated former top agents of the National Intelligence Agency and Garuda executives. Despite this evidence, none have ever been brought to trial.
Jakarta Post - December 8, 2006
Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – The Constitutional Court scrapped Thursday an 2004 law mandating the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (KKR) because judges said it made no sense.
The surprising ruling further sets back the chances of victims of human rights violations to have their cases resolved and receive compensation.
Eight of the nine judges were of the opinion that articles in the law on the commission were "problematic" and did not encourage people to settle their cases through the commission.
"The aims of the establishment of the commission cannot be achieved because the law that accounts for its legal basis does not give legal certainty. The court rules that the law goes against the Constitution and has to be dropped," presiding judge Jimly Asshidiqque said.
The court ruling has shot down the commission before it was ever established. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had not yet selected the commission's 21 members, although a team screened and submitted 42 names to him last August. For the delay, Yudhoyono was accused of protecting alleged human rights abusers, especially those in the military.
The judges in their ruling said immunity from prosecution could only be given to people who had admitted to committing rights violations. The right to give immunity was the President's prerogative, not the commission's, they said.
"It is legally illogical if requests for compensation, restitution, rehabilitation and amnesty are filed simultaneously to the body before it has conducted any investigation to discover if gross human rights violation actually occurred," the judges said.
The court's decision to declare the entire law unconstitutional surprised rights activists, who had requested the judges review only three articles in it. These ruled compensation for victims could only be given after perpetrators were granted amnesty and stated resolved cases could not be tried again in other courts.
Asmara Nababan of the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam) said the ruling showed how bad the government and legislators were at law-making. "They should apologize to the people, especially taxpayers, for having spent a lot of money to make a law that turns out to be against the Constitution," he said.
Activists and victims of rights abuses had hoped that the establishment of KKR would resolve rights cases that had occurred before the 2000 Law on Human Rights Trials was passed.
"I didn't expect this (decision to drop the law)," Nababan said. However, he said he understood the court's reasons for doing so and respected them. "What concerns us is the fate of the victims. They have waited for years to see the truth (behind their cases) revealed. Now they have to wait longer," he said.
Suratih, a former teacher jailed for six years without trial for suspected affiliation with the banned Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), said she would continue fighting for justice despite the ruling. "I know the truth will prevail. If I fail, my children will continue my fight. And if they fail too, the people will take it over," said the 81-year-old, who flew from Surakarta, Central Java, to Jakarta to hear the verdict read.
The judges, however, said the ruling should not prevent the government from finding other legal ways to solve rights abuses. They recommended it create new legislation that was in line with the Constitution and international law.
Jakarta Post - December 7, 2006
Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – Insulting the president is crime no more after the Constitutional Court on Wednesday scrapped three articles in the old Criminal Code.
The court said three articles undermined the country's process toward democracy and caused confusion because they were subject to subjective interpretations.
The code had ruled burning pictures of the president and vice president and mocking them in public were insults. Violators of the law faced a maximum six years in jail.
Court chief Jimly Asshiddiqie said the three articles were now null and void. "(Those articles) pave the way for law enforcers to curb the right to freedom of expression when dealing with protesters in rallies," he said.
The court had reviewed the code as requested by lawyer Eggi Sudjana and activist Pandapotan Lubis. Eggi is on trial for slandering Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his advisors, while Pandapotan was arrested after insulting the president at a rally.
The panel of nine judges said the articles made it difficult for people to criticize the president and his deputy.
The verdict was handed down in a split decision with four of the nine judges offering dissenting opinions.
The dissenting judges said the petition made by Eggi and Pandapotan should be rejected. The said the president's dignity must be protected and that the problem with the articles was in their implementation. However, Jimly said the newly drafted bill on the Criminal Code should no longer incorporate similar articles.
A government-sanctioned team assigned to draft the bill to replace the Criminal Code has insisted on inserting articles on insulting the president. "Every country has such articles," team head Muladi once said.
The code, inherited from Dutch colonial legislation, was often used by former president Soeharto to silence critics during his 30 years in power.
The latest verdict was applauded by human rights and political activists. "We have just made a history," Eggi said after the hearing. "I will use this ruling for my defense plea. The defamation trial against me should be dropped as it is ridiculous to try somebody without a legal basis," he said.
Former staunch Soeharto critic Sri Bintang Pamungkas said the verdict was a "victory" for all activists. "Dozens of activists have been arrested and jailed because of the articles," he said. Sri Bintang, a lecturer at the University of Indonesia, was jailed for 34 months for insulting Soeharto while addressing a seminar in Germany in 1995.
Fakhrur Rahman, 21, a student from Jakarta's State Islamic University, is the latest activist convicted of insulting the president during a protest against the Yudhoyono administration. He was sentenced to three months in prison.
Jakarta Post - December 7, 2006
Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – The government should postpone reviving grassroots spy networks in the regions to fight terrorism, pending the passage of the intelligence bill, human rights activists said Wednesday.
Activists said the absence of a law would make the planned network "problematic" as it could lead to human rights abuses like those during the oppressive Soeharto era.
"The planned establishment of the agency is very much related to the deliberation of the intelligence bill," rights watchdog Imparsial director Rachland Nashsidik told The Jakarta Post.
"If the bill strictly rules that the military and intelligence agencies have no authority to make arrests or conduct wiretapping that would lead to civil rights violations, the existence of such a body will be no problem," he added.
The new Regional Intelligence Community (Kominda) is set to coordinate the work of local intelligence units, including branches of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN), the National Police, prosecutor's offices and the military, Home Affairs Minister M. Ma'ruf said Tuesday.
Trying to defuse criticism of the body, Ma'ruf said Kominda would not spy on citizens and would not have the power to arrest or detain anyone.
Rachland said Kominda could help in the government's fight against terror because it could gather crucial information about dangerous groups. "(But) is problematic to set up such a body now because the powers of intelligence officers are vague," he said.
The country does not yet have any specific law on intelligence agencies, which have all been established through presidential decrees or government regulations.
Ma'ruf has said the Kominda's existence was based on a 2003 ministerial decree on community networks. However, in September the government submitted the new intelligence bill to the House of Representatives to control spy agencies.
"Therefore, it is very crucial for civil organizations to participate in the bill's deliberation process to make sure that the law will modernize the intelligence agencies and give clear guidelines on things they can and cannot do," Rachland said.
Prof. Vitit Muntarbhorn, a member of the International Commission of Jurists panel assessing the effect of counter-terrorism policies on civil liberties, said intelligence services could hamper democracy and civil liberties if their authorities were extended.
He stressed the police and the judiciary should be the main agencies involved in investigating and questioning terror suspects because they were part of the common law. "This should not be an area where intelligence agencies and personnel should be involved," he said.
"Globally, we are noticing that more and more intelligence agencies are extending their powers or having their powers extended into the judicial field," Muntarbhorn said.
Another member of the jurists panel, Raul Zaffaroni, said intelligence services were needed in the fight against terrorism but they should do more than just collect information.
"We need a good intelligence service. Collecting information is easy. The main task of the intelligence is to process and analyze collected information, to tell what is true and useful and what is not," he said. Intelligence agents shouldn't be making arrests, as this was the role of police, Raul said.
Asia Times - December 6, 2006
Duncan Graham, Lawang, East Java – For those recently heaping praise on Indonesia for its moderate Muslim and emerging democratic credentials, consider the case of Islamic preacher Yusman Roy.
Last year Roy was sentenced to two years in prison on blasphemy charges for leading Muslim prayers at an East Java Islamic school in his native Bahasa Indonesia rather than Arabic as conservative religious councils require. In Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, the language issue pitches modern, liberal interpretations of Islam, known broadly here as abangan, against conservative orthodox views, represented broadly as santri.
Conservative Islam was in the main kept under the state's thumb under former strongman Suharto. Today, all Indonesian citizens are obliged to register under one of five government-approved faiths, namely Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Catholicism or Protestantism. This information is included on state-issued identity cards and, in a holdover from the country's authoritarian past, by law every Indonesian must carry the ID cards at all times.
With Suharto's 1998 downfall and the subsequent establishment of democracy, Islam is gaining political expression through faith- based political parties that have pushed in parliament for Islamic-tinged legislation, including a controversial anti- pornography bill that aims to nudge Indonesia in the direction of strict religious regimes seen in certain Middle Eastern countries.
Roy's case is increasingly at the epicenter of an intensifying debate between conservative and moderate religious forces. The Islamic teacher was recently released from prison for good behavior and has returned to the Islamic school he runs with his wife in the town of Lawang in East Java. After spending nearly two years in abysmal prison conditions, Roy says he is nonetheless determined to continue leading prayers in Bahasa Indonesia, the national Malay dialect.
"The problem with many Muslims in Indonesia is that they don't think for themselves," he said. "They stand in the mosque and mumble, but they don't understand what the clerics are saying because they don't know Arabic. What's the problem with using Indonesian? God understands everything we think and say whatever the language."
Significantly, Roy is not shying from a fight with powerful Islamic traditionalists, including the clerics represented by the rule-making Indonesian Muslim Scholars' Council. He has recently published and distributed a little book outlining his philosophy for leading prayers in Bahasa Indonesia rather than Arabic.
In April 2005, he spent Rp10 million (US$1,100) to promote a public meeting at the State Islamic University in the East Java provincial capital Surabaya to encourage public debate on the issue of bilingual prayers. There, he encountered strong resistance from Muslim fundamentalists, who firmly insisted that God's instructions to the Prophet Mohammed were made in Arabic and therefore were sacrosanct.
Roy takes exception to that strict interpretation and laments the lack of public debate on such a significant issue: "Why can't we discuss these issues? There's no commandment to use Arabic. We should debate, not fight."
As the son of a Catholic Dutch woman and a Muslim Javanese who fathered 11 children with four wives, Roy's mixed ethnicity has been questioned by conservatives aiming to undermine his stance. A former boxer and debt collector, the tattooed Roy converted from Catholicism to Islam later in life. But Muslim clerics' use of Arabic in their prayers, which he couldn't understand, encumbered his conversion.
"It took me about 15 years before I became fully Muslim," he said. "I saw contradictions between what was written in the [Koran] and what people were saying and doing. The clerics were saying it doesn't matter what you pray as long as it's in Arabic. That's wrong. We have to know what's being said when we talk to God."
After last year's seminar in Surabaya, police called at Roy's home and escorted him to the nearby town of Malang, where he was arrested and later sentenced to prison. Hours after his arrest, three truckloads of angry devotees from the conservative Islamic Defenders' Front arrived at his school, apparently bent on violence, according to Roy's wife.
He faced two charges: deviating from Islam in his teachings and inciting hatred by challenging the clerics in the Muslim Council, who had previously prohibited him from using the Indonesian language in prayer. Although Roy, 50, received verbal support from former president Abdurrahman Wahid, who previously headed Indonesia's largest moderate mass Islamic group, the 30-million- strong Nahdlatul Ulama, or Revival of Religious Scholars, and substantial legal aid and publicity from overseas, he was convicted and jailed on the second count of disobeying the council.
With Roy behind bars, his wife Supartini ran their free Islamic school, Pondok I'Tikaf – which from the Arabic translates to "meditation" – and managed its 300 students alone. In prison, Roy received a new tattoo with the Indonesian words for patience, prayer and emotional control on his right arm. The former pugilist says that when other prisoners learned why he was sentenced, they often picked fights with him.
Recently released, Roy has resumed his Islamic teachings and prayers in Bahasa Indonesia rather than Arabic. He still fears the conservative vigilante group the Islamic Defenders' Front could wreak havoc on his small school, and says his faith in the same god his potential attackers invoke will protect him from religious-based reprisals.
The police have cut the phone lines to their house to stop the barrage of anonymous verbal threats, but because the local police force is clearly on the side of the Islamic clerics who have challenged Roy's Islamic interpretation, his school is highly vulnerable to a vigilante-style attack, he says.
"I'm not afraid of being charged again. It's the government's job to protect all citizens whatever their views, and I demand that protection," said Roy, who now avoids the local mosque because of the controversy. "The people who attack me don't know right from wrong. They don't understand the prayers in Arabic, so they don't pray properly.
"There's a group in Indonesia that wants to keep Islam backward," said Roy. "I'm fighting this cause as a pioneer with my soul and property. It's difficult being alone, but I'm sure God will protect me. I'm an Indonesian Muslim, not an Arab Muslim! Why would anyone want to stop me?"
It's a question at the heart of the unfolding contest between conservative and moderate forces for Indonesia's religious and democratic soul.
[Duncan Graham is an Indonesia-based journalist.]
Agence France Presse - December 6, 2006
Jakarta – Indonesia will reactivate a grass-roots domestic spy network as part of its fight against terrorism, which critics have seen as a return to the oppressive polices of the Suharto era.
Home Affairs Minister Mohammad Ma'ruf said the government would set up a Regional Intelligence Community (Kominda) in every district and province to coordinate intelligence gathering activities there, the Jakarta Post reported.
Ma'ruf has tried to defuse criticism by saying the committee would not spy on citizens and would not have the power to arrest or detain anyone.
"This agency will only serve as coordinating body for the intelligence agencies in local governments. It will only tackle administrative issues," Ma'ruf was quoted as saying on the margins of a hearing with a parliamentary commission.
The home affairs ministry spokesman could not be immediately reached for comment.
A decree on the creation of the committees issued on May 11 described Kominda's task as "planning, seeking, gathering, coordinating and communicating information or intelligence from various sources on potential, indications or incidents that are threats to the national stability in the region."
The committee would also make recommendations to the governor or district head regarding policies concerning early detection, warning and prevention of threats to national stability.
Committee members would include representatives of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), military, police, prosecutors' and immigration offices, the customs office and the local administration.
Opposition to the plan has been strong with critics warning that the return of such a grass-roots spy network echoed the pervasive intelligence-gathering mechanism under the three-decade rule of former dictator Suharto. The system was disbanded in 2000 by then president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid.
The report said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had given his support for the reactivation of intelligence-gathering in the regions.
Jakarta Post - December 5, 2006
Ati Nurbaiti and Hera Diani, Jakarta Post – The government's fight against terrorism is threatening human rights and due legal process in the country, activists in Jakarta said Monday.
Opening a two-day hearing of the Eminent Jurists Panel on Terrorism, Counterterrorism and Human Rights, lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis said the government was taking too many cues from the regimes of US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair in the fight against terror.
"The global war on terrorism has inevitably weakened our human rights foundations," he said at the Hotel Santika in Central Jakarta.
Todung said the panel would listen to submissions made by groups affected by the country's new antiterror laws and policies.
"We hope that the panel will able to formulate recommendations to all nations to adhere to human rights and the due process of law in... in fighting terrorism," he said. Consisting of eight international members, the panel is part of the Geneva-based International Commission of Jurists (ICJ).
The ICJ is a global network of judges, lawyers and human rights defenders united by international principles that advance human rights.
The panel is considering the nature of today's terrorist threats and the impact of counterterrorism measures on human rights in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand.
Among those who gave submissions to the panel Monday was Sidney Jones, the Southeast Asia project director for the International Crisis Group.
Jones said the implementation of Indonesia's terrorism law had been problematic, although it was nowhere near as repressive as Singapore and Malaysia's internal security acts. For the most part, she said, terror suspects here were treated no differently than ordinary criminals.
They country's prisons have been criticized for being too lax rather than too harsh, she said. "Virtually all inmates have cell phones or access to them, some of them are even state-of-the-art communicators, and some have regular access to the Internet... Some of the most hardcore ideologues have produced audio cassettes, CDs and books (in jail), and have found ways of disseminating them outside."
Jones said it would be possible for Indonesia to meet all the United Nations standard minimum rules for the treatment of prisoners while exerting more control over what goes on in jails here.
One of worst applications of the terrorism law, she said, had been in Poso, Central Sulawesi, where conflicts continued between Muslim and Christians. "There, wrongful arrests, abuse and corruption have been rampant, as has intimidation of prosecutors and judges by local mujahidin," Jones said.
In the most notorious case, she said, a prosecutor handling terrorism cases was murdered. After two mistaken sets of arrests and trials of the alleged perpetrators, the real killers were identified only in the past few months.
Jones said law enforcement was not the only way to fight terrorism; stopping recruitment was also key. But the enlistment of terrorists could take place almost anywhere and there is no clear cause of radicalization, she said.
Poverty is not a significant factor, she said, because if it was, more of Jakarta's urban poor would be signing up. "Anything we can do to strengthen the legal system – to reduce corruption, particularly among prosecutors and judges, to improve the accountability of police and other security forces, improve witness protection, and to eliminate torture – is going to help in the fight against terrorism," Jones said.
| Environment |
Jakarta Post - December 7, 2006
Ika Krismantari, Jakarta – Pushing ahead with its plans to harness nuclear power, the government will hold a tender in 2008 to select suitable suppliers of nuclear technology and contractors to construct the Rp 15 trillion (US$1.66 billion) plant in Muria, Central Java, a senior official says.
"A special body responsible for conducting the tender will be set up next year, with a presidential decree to serve as the legal basis expected to be issued later this month," Ferhat Aziz, legal and public relations head at the National Nuclear Energy Agency (Batan), said Wednesday.
To be called the Nuclear Power Implementation Agency, Ferhat said the new agency would be responsible for preparing the tender and selecting reliable suppliers of safe technology suppliers for the project, which will be able to generate 1,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity.
It will be made up of officials from Batan, state power firm PT PLN, the Research and Technology Ministry and the Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (Bapeten).
"We're eyeing companies from the US, South Korea, France and Japan, as their technologies meet the standards set by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)," he said, although he was quick to add that the tender, by its nature, would be open to all potential suppliers.
The winner, however, would have to team up with a local company for the development of the plant. "We estimate that the shareout will be 25 percent for the local-based firm and 75 percent for the foreign company," Ferhat said.
The government is hoping to commence construction of the power plant in 2010, with it expected to come onstream in 2017.
In terms of cost, nuclear power is marginally cheaper than oil- based electricity. A nuclear power plant can produce one kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity at an estimated cost of 4.3 US cents, while oil-based electricity costs 4.5 US cents per kWh.
Hudi Hastowo, the secretary at the Research and Technology Ministry, said that Indonesia needed to develop a nuclear program to reduce its dependence on oil.
"We have high hopes for this kind of energy as it saves money. Oil, when used to generate electricity, contributes to around 60 percent of the electricity's retail price, compared to 20 percent in the case of nuclear power," he said, He stressed that PLN would benefit from the development of a nuclear power plant given that it would need an additional 1,500 MW to 2,000 MW annually after 2016.
Commenting on resistance by those concerned about safety and the environment, Hudi said the government was fully aware of their concerns, which was why it fully intended to adhere to international standards.
"IAEA Director General Mohammed Elbaradai is scheduled to visit Indonesia on Dec. 7-9 to help us promote the safe use of nuclear power for peaceful purposes. We hope we can improve public awareness about the issues involved," he said.
Indonesia has received a total of $1.34 million in technical assistance from the IAEA to develop eight programs in 2007 and 2008 related to the harnessing of safe nuclear power.
Dow Jones Newswires - December 7, 2006
Alison Guerriere Ciaccio, New York – Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. has denied claims of environmental mishaps at its operations in Indonesia, filed by a shareholder group that seeks to examine the company's environmental record.
The shareholder proposal seeks examination into the New Orleans- based company's environmental policies and practices in West Papua, Indonesia, where it operates the massive Grasberg copper and gold mine. The proposal was submitted earlier this week by New York City Comptroller William Thompson, who oversees the New York City Pension Funds.
Citing reports and allegations of water pollution from an organization called Indonesian Friends of the Earth, and charges of violations of water quality regulations from Indonesia's Minister of the Environment, Thompson said that "the least the company can do is to ensure that it is not causing environmental damage to the rivers and in any way harming the people of Indonesia."
The group, citing data from a Norwegian Ministry of Finance report, claims that Freeport has dumped nearly 230,000 tons of waste into the Indonesian river system.
Freeport spokesman William Collier told Dow Jones Newswires that the company "disagrees with the characterizations of our environmental practices" adding that the company plans to either respond in writing to the Securities and Exchange Commission within 30 days or will respond to the proposal in the proxy, which will released next year.
He added that Freeport has recently voluntarily submitted to the Indonesian Environment Ministry's PROPER (Program for Pollution Control, Evaluation and Rating) environmental audit.
"We have been working cooperatively with the environment ministry much of this year in this process, but they have not yet concluded the program and announced the results," Collier said.
He added that the company has implemented some of the changes that the ministry has suggested, however, he wouldn't divulge the specifics of the changes.
In addition to the PROPER audit, Collier said the company has done its own independent audits every three years, most recently in 2005, which are available to the public.
The New York City Pensions Funds' proposal is calling on shareholders at the company's annual meeting in 2007 to urge Freeport to review it environmental policies.
The funds, which hold 544,458 shares of Freeport's stock worth about $29 million, want a report on that review to be given to shareholders by September 2007.
Agence France Presse - December 5, 2006
Washington – A big US public pension fund announced plans for a shareholder drive to press mining giant Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc. to improve environmental practices at a vast mine in Indonesia.
The move announced by New York City Comptroller William Thompson came in the wake of criticism from the Indonesian government and environmental groups claiming that Freeport-McMoRan has violated environmental standards at its vast gold and copper mine in Indonesia's Papua province.
"Freeport-McMoRan's poor environmental record needs to be examined," Thompson said in a statement. "Since Freeport-McMoRan profits from its operations in Indonesia, the least the company can do is ensure that it is not causing environmental damage to the rivers and in any way harming the people of Indonesia," Thompson said.
Thompson oversees New York City's pension funds which are calling on the company's shareholders to urge Freeport-McMoRan at its annual general meeting next year to review its environmental policies in Indonesia.
Freeport-McMoRan spokesman Bill Collier said the company regularly commissions internal and external audits of its environmental practices which it has released publicly.
"We're reviewing their shareholder proposal and we'll respond to it in due course, but I certainly dispute the characterization of our operations. We have very strong and proactive environmental policies and environmental management programs," Collier said. "We get a lot of scrutiny and a lot of it is self-imposed," Collier said.
The pension funds, which group retirement systems for city workers, teachers and police among other others, control 544,458 Freeport-McMoRan shares worth around 29 million dollars. They want the mining behemoth to report back to shareholders on the environmental concerns by September 2007.
Environmental campaigners have accused Freeport-McMoRan of polluting the World Heritage-listed Lorenz National Park and have also claimed that it has dumped copper-rich ore around the edge of its Papua mining operations.
Collier said such claims were not accurate. "Freeport-McMoRan may be adversely affecting Indonesia's environment, the Funds' long- term share value, as well as its societal license to operate in Indonesia," Thompson added.
Freeport-McMoRan's annual general meeting usually occurs in May, but it might be delayed in 2007 due to the company's 25.9-billion-dollar bid to acquire US rival Phelps Dodge.
Jakarta Post - December 2, 2006
Indra Harsaputra, Sidoarjo – Bowing to public pressure, the company at the heart of the mudflow disaster in Sidoarjo, East Java, has decided to buy all land and buildings affected by the disaster.
Lapindo Brantas Inc. made the decision after a four-hour closed- door meeting with 16 representatives of the affected residents, as well as the executive chairman of the national team in charge of dealing with the disaster, Basuki Hadimulyono, and Sidoarjo Regent Win Hendrarso.
In the meeting, which was tightly guarded by a troop from the police paramilitary unit Brimob, the company did not provide details of the purchase or the amounts to be paid for the affected land and buildings.
Since May 29, when hot mud began gushing out of the company's gas exploration site, 2,284 houses in five villages have been inundated. In addition, 64 hectares of sugarcane plantations and almost 300 hectares of rice fields have been flooded.
The mud has forced the central government to close the key Surabaya-Gempol turnpike indefinitely. Last Wednesday, a gas pipeline explosion at the site killed 12 and injured dozens of others.
During the Friday negotiations, the affected residents demanded Lapindo buy their land and homes at a price of Rp 1.5 million (US$164) per square meter for buildings and Rp 1 million for residential land. They requested Rp 120,000 per square meter of flooded rice fields. Lapindo suggested payments of Rp 1,250,000 for buildings, Rp 500,000 for land and Rp 90,000 for rice fields.
"The prices proposed by Lapindo were firmly rejected by representatives of residents, who said they'd rather be shot by the armed security personnel guarding the meeting if their demands were turned down," said Win Hendrarso while meeting with hundreds of residents who were waiting outside.
He said Lapindo had asked for an extension to allow it to discuss the amounts demanded by residents with the company's shareholders, but had given assurances that 75 percent would agree to the amounts proposed by residents.
"I and Pak Imam Agustino (Lapindo's general manager) will talk with the company's shareholders... We will try hard to make them agree," Win promised.
Lapindo owns 50 percent of the gas block. Lapindo is owned by PT Energi Mega Persada through Kalila Energy Ltd. and Pan Asia Enterprises Ltd. The other half of the gas block is owned by PT Medco Energi Internasional and Santos, with 32 percent and 18 percent of the shares, respectively.
In Jakarta, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said Friday that Lapindo should write a letter expressing its readiness to carry out its agreement with the affected residents, but added that any financial compensation must be appraised to conform with market prices.
"It would be even better if Lapindo paid the victims 10 percent to 20 percent more than the normal price to give the victims a boost in starting new lives," Kalla said.
Imam Agustino said the company's proposed amounts were 20 percent higher the value of taxable property, which ranges from Rp 200,000 to Rp 300,000 per square meter.
"What can we say, the residents want more than we can afford. But this is a show of Lapindo's social responsibility to the mudflow victims," he said.
The company, he said, would provide more details Monday after it gained approval from its shareholders.
[Tony Hotland contributed to the story from Jakarta.]
| Health & education |
Jakarta Post - December 2, 2006
Aceh/Bandung/Makassar – As people living with HIV/AIDS observed World AIDS Day on Friday with events around the country, there were calls for greater recognition, an end to discrimination and stepped up education efforts.
In Bandung, dozens of people living with AIDS, along with their families and friends, marched across the West Java capital, giving speeches and handing out flowers to passersby.
This was the first public event of its kind in the city and attracted a lot of attention from motorists and pedestrians.
One of the participants, Ginan, said people living with HIV/AIDS wanted to be directly involved in creating government policies for dealing with the disease.
"We appreciate the government's efforts... but unfortunately, we're only involved as mere accessories and have no role in making policies about an issue that we think we understand better than the government," said the 26-year-old man who has been living with the virus for six years.
In addition to the march, the day also was marked by an event called Radio for AIDS, with more than 10 radio stations hosting activities in 20 different parts of Bandung to raise people's awareness of HIV/AIDS.
In Bali, the day was observed with marches and a banner-making competition involving 15 high schools in Denpasar to help raise awareness of the virus among the young.
"HIV/AIDS is spreading quickly in the country, with Bali now third after Papua and Jakarta (in terms of number of cases). That's why we have to target young people.
"Young people are still in a transition period and need proper information... If they get information from the wrong people, they might do things that could endanger them," Elyas Pawelloi, program manager for the organization Yakita Bali, told Antara news agency Friday.
According to official statistics, some 3,000 people have tested positive for HIV in Bali, with 967 of them having developed full-blown AIDS.
The day was solemnly observed in Makassar, South Sulawesi, where the number of people living with HIV/AIDS has increased from around 300 people last year to 1,000 this year. Many of them are between the ages of 15 and 25.
The virus does not discriminate. One of 12 AIDS patients currently being treated at Wahidin Sudirohusodo Hospital in Makassar is a 10-month-old baby girl. The baby, who has been treated at the hospital for the past two weeks, contracted the virus from her HIV-positive mother.
"My baby was born normal and I breast-fed her, just like other mothers because I didn't know that I had the virus. Hopefully, the virus was found in her body because I breast-fed her and once her immunity system starts working it will go away," the 19-year-old woman said Friday.
The young mother learned she was HIV-positive six months ago after her husband, a drug addict, tested positive. "I'm shocked, angry and regretful... but now all I can do is let go. Maybe this is fate," she said.
In Aceh, six people have tested positive in the province since the late 2004 tsunami. Before that disaster, only one person had tested positive in Aceh.
Jakarta Post - December 2, 2006
Tony Hotland and Hera Diani, Jakarta – The next time someone advises you against using a condom, tell them the Vice President ordered you to. That was the clear message being sent by Vice President Jusuf Kalla on Friday as he marked World AIDS Day.
To the likely chagrin of conservative elements, Kalla stressed that condom use among active couples and clean needles for drug users was of key importance to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.
"If anyone objects, tell them it's my order," Kalla said, while adding that the campaign was not an endorsement of promiscuity or drug use.
"It must be understood by all, including religious leaders, that this keeps the virus from spreading. I believe that it is less sinful than not using them because you don't spread the virus to your spouse or children," Kalla said.
Kalla also touched on the fact that when it comes to sexually transmitted diseases and drug use, society is often too timid to speak openly. Without transparency, the most effective weapon against this virus – information and public awareness – becomes impotent. It is this lack of openness that seems to be indicating that Indonesia is not winning its fight against the global scourge.
"We must be aware that the trend in Indonesia is growing, while in Thailand or Singapore (numbers are) going down," Kalla said. "There's the danger."
Official numbers of total HIV/AIDS reports in Indonesia are small, with 11,604 infected, of which 1,651 have died. But independent experts estimate that the real figure is somewhere between 169,000 and 250,000 people infected. About half are believed to be intravenous drug users.
AIDS activists are already concerned, noting the rising prevalence of infection in the general population, beyond the high risk groups of commercial sex workers and drug users.
A number of housewives and babies have been found to be HIV positive. The Health Ministry estimates that around 9,000 mothers with HIV give birth every year in this country. Without intervention, around 3,000 babies are at risk of being infected.
Husein Habsyi, deputy vice chairman of the Pelita Ilmu Foundation said that such infections could be avoided through the Prevention of Mother to Child HIV Transmission treatment program, which consists of giving antiretroviral prophylaxis to the HIV positive mother, conducting a caesarean section during labor and giving powdered milk to the baby. But such programs are still focused mainly in Jakarta and other big cities.
A lack of awareness also creates the social stigma that causes discrimination, as Alex, a Papuan living with HIV/AIDS, can sadly testify. "Health services for HIV/AIDS patients aren't available to most of us and medical staff (usually) look down on us," he said, addressing Friday's ceremony, held here at Kalla's office.
Jakarta Post - December 1, 2006
Prodita Sabarini, Jakarta – Drug users and small-time dealers fill the country's jails, but an eight-time convict says putting drug users in prison will not help them kick the habit.
"It won't. They are even at risk of acquiring HIV on the inside," said ex-drug user and activist Budi Risetiabudi Darma Adi.
As more people pass in and out of the country's prisons, problems associated with incarceration, like needle sharing, grow worse. Inmates make easy prey for drug syndicates.
With the amount of syringe sharing that goes on in jail, HIV continues to spread among prisoners, Budi said.
National Narcotics Agency (BNN) data shows that of the 11,000 incarcerated drug users in 2006, 50 percent are living with HIV. The agency estimates there are 600,000 injecting drug users (IDUs) in the country.
Budi, the coordinator of Stigma, an organization that aims to reduce the effects of stigmatization by HIV/AIDS, said prison was the last place in the world a drug user should be. "I was an addict and have been in and out of jail eight times. Did I quit in that time? No. I just kept using in prison.
Among drug users, the risk of acquiring HIV in prison may be higher than in the outside world. "The drugs are abundant but the needles are not. So, they share."
There has recently been extensive media coverage of drug busts and convictions. While most people favor police action against drug users, locking up nonviolent drug users is overly simplistic and costly.
Furthermore, the failure to distinguish between users and dealers by imprisoning them together is a mistake considering the history of needle sharing among inmates and the poor management of the country's jails.
It is easy to bribe guards to get favors, while dealers continue to sell drugs, both to inmates and people on the outside.
BNN official Brig. Gen. Indradi Thanos confirmed the situation to The Jakarta Post. "Not only do people use drugs, they even control their business from behind bars."
The agency has reported widespread drug use in Cipinang Penitentiary in East Jakarta and Salemba Penitentiary in Central Jakarta. "We also found drugs were being dealt within prisons in Bali and Tangerang," he said.
By bribing a guard, an inmate can keep a cellular phone, which is clearly prohibited for prisoners. This allows them to order or sell drugs in jail. A few weeks ago, an inmate at Pondok Bambu prison, East Jakarta, identified only as Ida, was caught using her cell phone to give directions to four drug couriers.
The Jakarta Police arrested Ida's four accomplices – Herman, Mickel Minoru, Achmad Machfud and Andrieyansyah Syarief – after receiving a tipoff from an unidentified inmate at Pondok Bambu prison.
Budi said it was common for inmates to have cell phones. "Not only big-time dealers, even I had a cell phone. Bribe a guard and you can do anything," Budi said.
The Justice and Human Rights Ministry has said fixing the prison system will take a long time and a great effort as the number of prisoners is increasing faster than the number of guards.
Indradi said the agency was working out a system whereby nonviolent drug users would not land up in prison but in rehabilitation centers instead.
He said the main barrier to accommodating more drug users in rehabilitation centers was the cost of treatment programs and hiring skilled workers.
Jakarta Post - December 1, 2006
Jakarta – Indonesia is responding to the sharp increase in HIV prevalence among injecting drug users by issuing a new national policy that will legally settle the harm-reduction debate.
The Coordinating Ministry for the People's Welfare, in cooperation with the Health Ministry and several other related institutions, is drafting a regulation on containing HIV through methadone treatment and needle provision.
In the draft of the ministerial regulation, the National AIDS Commission (KPA), chaired by the coordinating minister, will work with the Health Ministry to provide methadone treatment and needle syringe programs in community health posts, hospitals and penitentiaries across the country.
"Methadone is needed to cut HIV transmission among IDUs (injecting drug users). And learning from past experiences, community-based centers are the means that can help reach out to them," KPA secretary-general Nafsiah Mboy said.
The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) estimates there are about 600,000 IDUs in Indonesia. It puts the national prevalence of HIV cases among IDUs at 41.6 percent, a significant increase from 26.76 percent in 2002.
The drafted policy, targeting to reach out to 80 percent of IDUs by 2010, will serve as a strong legal basis for harm reduction efforts.
People seeking methadone treatment or sterile needles at the appointed institutions will be protected by law and treated as patients in need of a cure, instead of criminals.
The latest draft also stipulates that IDUs below the age of 18 should be treated within child protection laws. "Previously, when an IDU came to a community health center seeking methadone treatment, the police would have been ready to keep an eye on them," UNAIDS officer Samuel Nugraha said.
With the new policy, IDUs are referred to as patients and the National Police, the BNN and the Justice and Human Rights Ministry have the obligation to refer them to health service centers.
Despite a little enlightenment with this upcoming regulation, the prevailing law on psychotropics is still in need of revision, Nafsiah said. For example, an article of the law still stipulates that A-class narcotics, including methadone, are only legal for scientific research.
The BNN has highlighted a much-needed revision concerning the importance of distinguishing between drug users and dealers.
| Foreign affairs |
Agence France Presse - December 1, 2006
Dario Thuburn, Moscow – Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed to expand energy ties and arms trade during talks in Moscow. "We have a real potential for advancing our bilateral cooperation in political, economic, military and other areas," Putin said after the Kremlin meeting.
"We would like to strengthen cooperation between Russia and Indonesia. Russia is a very important country for Indonesia," said Yudhoyono, who was on his first visit to Russia.
A number of agreements were signed during Yudhoyono's visit, including on cooperation in space technology, nuclear energy, military purchases and tourism. Indonesian officials said purchases of Russian arms were key to the visit.
"We had mostly Soviet weapons in the 1960s. Now we want to have more Russian weapons again," a top Indonesian defence ministry official, Shafri Shamsudin, told the Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily in an interview published on Friday.
Indonesia is planning to buy Sukhoi fighter jets, submarines, armoured personnel carriers and military helicopters, Shamsudin said, adding that "new formulas" for financing the deal will be discussed.
The Kommersant daily cited officials as saying that Indonesia will be offered one billion dollars (755 million euros) in credit to buy Russian arms but wants to make purchases of three billion dollars.
"The most important document is set to be an agreement on the development of military technical cooperation for 2007-2010," Kommersant said, adding that Indonesia was particularly interested in buying submarines.
Yudhoyono was impressed by the Russian military technology he saw on display at the Indo Defence 2006 arms fair that took place in Jakarta last week, Kommersant said.
"We have agreed that the main weaponry system from Russia is needed, especially strike force" equipment for Indonesia's army, navy and air force, Indonesian Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono told reporters last month.
Indonesia, once a major purchaser of Soviet weaponry, bought fighter jets, military helicopters, armoured personnel carriers and Kalashnikov assault rifles from Russia in 2003, Kommersant added.
Indonesia was forced to look for new arms suppliers after Washington imposed restrictions on military sales over concerns about rights abuses committed by Indonesian forces in East Timor in 1991.
Nuclear energy was also on the agenda and Russian nuclear energy agency Rosatom announced on Friday that it will be taking part in a tender to build Indonesia's first nuclear power plant.
Indonesia is suffering from growing power shortages and has revived plans for nuclear energy that were shelved in 1997 because of mounting public opposition.
Indonesia and Russia were also set sign an agreement for Russian energy firms Gazprom and Lukoil to take part in oil and gas projects on the island of Borneo, Kommersant said. "Indonesia is the biggest supplier of energy to Asia. We believe it is extremely important to coordinate our actions on world energy markets so that there is no damage but instead to boost cooperation," Putin said.
Russia has announced ambitious plans to steer a great amount of oil and gas exports towards energy-hungry Asian markets, particularly China, Japan and South Korea.
Trade turnover between Russia and Indonesia rose from 366.3 million dollars (276 million euros) in 2004 to 551.2 million dollars in 2005 and amounted to 300.9 million dollars in the first half of 2006, a Kremlin official said.