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Indonesia News Digest 41 – November 1-8, 2007
Media Indonesia - November 2, 2007
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that as Head of State and
Head of Government, he is ready to go to war if any country
infringes the sovereignty of the NKRI (Unitary State of the
Republic of Indonesia).
"In addition to being President, I am also Commander in Chief of
the Armed Forces (TNI). We will never permit an inch of our land
to be relinquished," he said, speaking at the opening of the
Eighth Conference of the Youth Communication Forum of the Sons
and Daughters of Retired Members of the Armed Forces and of the
Police in Bogor on Monday, 31 October.
According to the President, many people regard him as being too
soft towards other countries and fear that Indonesia will lose
its sovereignty. But the President denied this, saying that he
made a pledge from the moment that he joined the armed forces to
defend Indonesia's sovereignty.
He went on to say that there are various ways to defend the
country's sovereignty, such as for example by negotiations. But
if this fails, it must be handled by means of war. "If it becomes
necessary to defend the country by means of war, then I am ready
to go to war. But would be as the last resort, after we have
tried other ways."
The decision to go to war must take various things into
consideration, such as the cost of war at a time when the
government needs its funds to improve the prosperity of the
people.
"But should it be the case that there is no other way, then, not
only in the case of Ambalat, we would certainly go to war. This
is not militarism but we must strengthen our military so as to
make sure that we are not abused by other countries,' he said.
He also said that Indonesia's foreign relations continue to be
based on the principles of an active, independent policy, by
seeking to take advantage of our national assets and interests.'
"We will not be dictated to by other countries in the context of
our bilateral relations with other states,' he said.
Jakarta Post - November 1, 2007
Jakarta – A group of influential political figures on Wednesday
attended the launch of the Indonesian Awakening Committee to
express their concern over the pace of development in the country
and what they called the government's short-term political
interests.
Rizal Ramli, the committee's founder, said the idea behind the
group was to open a new path for the country.
"Our leader's point of view is still influenced by the old regime
and foreign countries. This is part of the reason why Indonesia's
economic sector has been left behind by other countries," Rizal
said. "In addition, democracy has shown little advancement since
the 1998 reform movement."
He said the basis for democracy in Indonesia was still largely
procedural. "Democracy should be a tool to lift the welfare of
Indonesians and improve the country's development, but what's
happening now is that democracy only touches the electoral
process in Indonesia," said the former minister of finance during
Abdurrahman Wahid's administration.
Among those attending Wednesday's event were former People's
Consultative Assembly speaker Amien Rais; Hanura People's
Conscience Party chairman Gen. (ret) Wiranto; former Golkar Party
leader Akbar Tandjung; former vice president Try Sutrisno;
chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's
advisory council, Taufik Kiemas; former minister for women's
empowerment Khofifah Indar Parawangsa; political analysts Yudi
Latif and Sukardi Rinakit; economist Dradjad Wibowo; and the
secretary-general of the National Awakening Party, Zannuba
"Yenny" Arifah Chafsoh Rahman Wahid.
During the event, Amien Rais said this kind of movement was
common in a democracy, and could instill a new idealism as long
as its activities were appropriate and remained within the law.
"This shows that the younger generation can no longer cope with
this country's situation, which still stands under foreign
shadows," he said.
Amien also warned Rizal that if he wanted to be the country's
next president, he must allow the current leaders to finish their
terms first.
Rizal denied the launch of the new committee was in any way
connected to the 2009 general and presidential elections. "I only
want to concentrate on the new program we have first, and try to
make this country better," Rizal said.
Wiranto also suggested the committee set clear goals, saying
similar movements had been started in the past but quickly
disappeared in confusion. "The committee should not only be able
to bring changes to Indonesia's system, but to the players in the
system as well," Wiranto said.
Demos, actions, protests...
Aceh
West Papua
Human rights/law
Environment/natural disasters
Gender issues
War on corruption
Islam/religion
Elections/political parties
Armed forces/defense
Economy & investment
News & issues
President ready to go to war in defence of NKRI
New groups seeks to 'awaken' Indonesia
Condemned Bali bombers 'regret' killing Muslims
Agence France Presse - November 1, 2007
Nabiha Shahab, Jakarta – Two of the three Muslim militants on death row for involvement in the 2002 Bali bombings said they were sorry for killing fellow Muslims, while insisting their deadly attack had gone according to plan.
In an interview at their remote island prison, taped secretly by national TV channel Lativi, Imam Samudra, 37, and Amrozi, 45, said it was regrettable Muslims were among the 202 killed on the resort island's nightclub attacks.
"Yes, I regret (the Muslim deaths)... I cried," Samudra said in the interview aired on Wednesday night. But he added that he had bowed "in grace" after the blasts were detonated.
Asked why Bali, Samudra said that it was better to hit one place rather than several and Bali "was the best because there are a lot of infidels (non-believers)."
He said had a group of infidels been outside his own house, "I would have blown up my house."
Amrozi also admitted his regret but repeated a joke made in bad taste while being tried in court, answering when asked whether he regretted the attacks that he was sorry "only 200" were killed.
"I am fasting for two months consecutively, it's to prove that I regret that Muslims were killed. Please say I am sorry for the Muslim victims," said the convict, who has in the past apologised to the families of the Muslims killed.
The Islamic militant was dubbed "the laughing bomber" during his trial for his apparent indifference to victims.
Nevertheless, he said the attacks "scenario was as planned." Amrozi said that the Bali attack had promoted the idea of "jihad" and that his death would ensure the popularity of the concept.
"When I was arrested no one knew of jihad... now everyone is talking about it, and this is when I am still alive. Imagine after I am dead," he said.
The three militants are being held at Nusakambangan prison off the south coast of Java island, where they were moved from Bali for security reasons.
Two Lativi staff members posed as relatives of the convicts and accompanied their family members to gain access to the men. They were granted the visit at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in October as part of a normal programme allowing such visits then.
During the visit Samudra gave his mother a will and read it out loud. He said he did not want to be autopsied after he died and did not want "anyone to cry in front of my body."
Indonesia's Supreme Court rejected an appeal by the three in August but no date has so far been set for their executions. Their last chance of avoiding a firing squad will be to appeal for clemency from the president, but they have not done so yet and insisted they are willing to die.
The attack on two crowded nightclubs was carried out by the then-al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah terror group to avenge perceived injustices to Muslims worldwide, although analysts say the two groups are no longer linked.
Amrozi attended planning meetings for the attack and purchased one tonne of explosive chemicals and a van to carry the bomb which shattered the Sari Club.
Samudra attended planning meetings, selected the blast targets in Bali and assigned tasks to the bombers. Most victims were foreign tourists, including 88 Australians.
| Demos, actions, protests... |
Jakarta Post - November 8, 2007
Jakarta – Some 300 people blockaded the Pondok Pinang-Serpong turnpike Wednesday to demand compensation from toll road operator PT Jasa Marga. The blockade caused extensive traffic congestion on the expressway for more than three hours.
South Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Chairul Anwar told The Jakarta Post more than 300 police officers were deployed to handle the protest, which was held on a section of the toll road in Ulujami, Tangerang.
One of the protesters, Naing Isa, said the blockade commenced at around 10 a.m., with the crowd disbursing three hours later when Jasa Marga operational director Sarwono Oetomo invited them to discuss their demands Thursday at the South Jakarta municipality office. "For now we have calmed down. But we will wait and see what happens tomorrow," said Naing.
Naing's father Isa Baman was the owner of an extensive piece of disputed land in the area worth up to Rp 3 billion.
Naing said the protesters were looking forward to the meeting, in which they would discuss the issue of compensation with South Jakarta Mayor Syahrul Effendi. The compensation rights of heirs to the land would also be discussed, he said.
The dispute started when state-owned company Jasa Marga purchased land in the Ulujami subdistrict in South Jakarta for the road project in 2000. However, the evicted residents are yet to receive compensation from the company.
Nurdin Manurung, the director of the toll road division at the Public Works Ministry, said Jasa Marga was obliged to pay compensation to the heirs of land owners in the area, as stated in a city police dossier. "It is clearly stated in the dossier that the company must pay the heirs," he told the Post.
Jakarta Police Chief Insp. Gen. Adang Firman said his team had tried their best to facilitate efforts to solve the land dispute. "I have nothing else to say. If there is no solution, we will just have to wait," he told reporters. He said police would remain alert to the threat of further tensions erupting.
In recent months, several protests have been held in which protesters blocked part of the road with bamboo poles and makeshift tents.
At a day-long protest held in September, protesters sat on the road and chanted prayers while reading the Koran. Eventually police ordered the protesters to disperse, bringing in a water cannon to break up the protest.
The protest ended at about 8 p.m. after executives from Jasa Marga and Public Works Ministry officials agreed to enter negotiations. (dia)
Kompas - November 2, 2007
Jakarta – On the afternoon of Thursday November 1, around 50 people from the Solidarity Network for the Families of Victims or JSKK again held a peaceful action in front of the State Palace in Central Jakarta. They were calling on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to conduct a thorough investigations into past human rights abuses in Indonesia.
The protesters were made of the victims and the families of victims of human rights violations such as the Trisakti, Semanggi I and II tragedies, the 1998 May riots, student activists abducted between 1997-1998, the Tanjung Priok and Talangsari cases, the 1965-1966 affair, the July 27, 1996 affair and the murder of human rights activist Munir.
"This is a routine action that we hold every Thursday. We refer to it as 'the Thursday action' (Kamisan)", said JSKK presidium Sumarsih. The mother of Wawan, one of the victims of the Semanggi I tragedy said that the JSKK had already held 39 actions and sent 13 letters asking to meet with President Yudhoyono. Up until now however, they have received no response whatsoever.
For around an hour, the protesters held a peaceful action while holding black umbrellas and unfurling banners and posters with demand calling on Yudhoyono to resolve past human rights abuses.
"Actually, the key to the problem is the big political parties in the House of Representatives that have the authority to establish an ad hoc Human Rights Court. Up until now however the parties still do not consider cases such as Trisakti, Semanggi I and Semanggi II as gross human rights violations", said the coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), Usman Hamid.
Through these routine actions, Hamid hopes that President Yudhoyono will be able to pressure political party leaders to jointly seek a solution to solve the impasse in these cases.
"Have pity on them (the victims and families of victims) who have suffered for so long. It's unfair, the process of reform has been going on for nine years, [but] the government has yet to pay any heed to the victims of human rights abuses", said Hamid.
Suciwati, the widow of the late Munir, said that they would continue to hold "Kamisan" actions because they have undertaken a joint commitment to give voice to the truth. "We aren't going to stop", she said. (a13)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
| Aceh |
Aceh Kita - November 3, 2007
Banda Aceh – Acehnese civil activists from the Aceh Anti- Corruption Coalition (KAAA) say they regret Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf has given his blessing to amnesty for former Aceh governor Abdullah Puteh, who was jailed over his involvement in a corruption case when he was still governor of Aceh. They are calling on Yusuf and the Aceh Ulama Council (MPU) to revoke the letter of support sent to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on September 7.
Askalani, an activist from the Aceh Anti-Corruption Movement (Garak Aceh) said that the request for amnesty submitted by Yusuf and the MPU could have fatal consequences for efforts to eliminate corruption in Aceh, something Irwandi has been repeatedly campaigning on since the early days of his administration.
"This move will weaken the anti-corruption movement in Aceh and is in contradiction with the vision and mission offered by the governor during his campaign before becoming governor", said Askalani in a press release received by Aceh Kita on Friday.
As has been reported, Governor Irwandi Yusuf sent a letter to President Yudhoyono on September 7. In the letter No. 180.3/28111 the former Free Aceh Movement spokesperson declared his support for an amnesty request for Puteh. A copy of the letter was sent to the Supreme Court. Yusuf's letter was supported by a letter from the MPU No. 300/768, also dated September 7.
Askalani said that the letters were in total contradiction with the goal of eliminating corruption and ridden with political interests. Because of this therefore, the anti-corruption coalition condemns the request for amnesty and is urging Irwandi and MPU chairperson Muslem Ibrahim to revoke the letter. "The letter (of support) will open up space for the fertilization of corrupt practices in Aceh and weaken the process of eliminating corruption cases", said Askalani quoting from the coalition.
The coalition, which is made up of 23 non-government organisations and civil activists are also calling on the Aceh Regional House of Representatives to seek clarification over the letter from the governor and the MPU, as well as urging that the letters of support be withdrawn immediately. "The governor and the MPU must apologies to the Acehnese people", he said. [dzie]
[Translated by James Balowski.]
Jakarta Post - November 1, 2007
Ridwan Max Sijabat and Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh/Jakarta – Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Governor Irwandi Jusuf has sent an official letter to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono appealing for amnesty for his predecessor, Abdullah Puteh.
Politicians and activists in Aceh questioned the appeal, saying it undermined a sense of justice for the people of Aceh.
In the letter delivered Sept. 7, 2007, and also sent to the Supreme Court, Irwandi lent his support to Puteh's appeal for amnesty, citing the erstwhile governor's contributions to the province in chairing the National Youth Committee (KNPI), ending Aceh's isolation, and lobbying for the signing of the peace agreement between the government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in 2005.
The letter also called for Puteh's amnesty without interference from others. The President has the prerogative to grant amnesty to all citizens.
Irwandi was not available to comment on the letter, which was released to national media Wednesday.
Puteh is serving a 10-year sentence at Suka Miskin prison in Bandung, West Java, on corruption charges. According to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), his mismanagement of funds caused Rp 10 billion (US$1.1 million) in losses to the state.
Puteh was found guilty of enriching himself and abusing his power in the purchase of a Russian-made helicopter for the Aceh administration in 2001.
In addition to handing down a heavy jail sentence, the Supreme Court fined Puteh Rp 500 million and ordered him to pay Rp 6.5 billion in restitution to the state.
Wiratmadinata, chairman of the Coalition of Non-Governmental Organizations on Human Rights in Aceh, criticized the governor's move, saying the letter damaged the people's confidence in Irwandi and his government.
"With the letter, Irwandi is interfering with the rule of law, and this will certainly affect his administration's credibility in the eyes of Acehnese people, especially anti-graft activists," he said.
Khairul Amal, a councilor of the Aceh provincial legislative council, said the council opposed such a move when the governor first discussed it.
Coordinator of the Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) Teten Masduki warned the President against accepting the appeal, saying this would cast doubt on his commitment to corruption eradication.
"Of course, it is the President's prerogative, but he should bear in mind the mandate the people gave him to fight corruption," he said.
| West Papua |
Jakarta Post - November 6, 2007
Neles Tebay, Abepura, Papua – In the wake of civil society's efforts to transform Papua into a land of peace, the Indonesian Military (TNI) has been growing both in strength and numbers in the province, as reported by the International Crisis Group in September last year.
Plagued by what the government calls a separatist movement, Papua is expected to become home to thousands of troops over the next few years.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Djoko Santoso has already revealed a plan to base the third infantry division of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) and more cavalry as well as engineering battalions in Papua to protect the country's border and conflict-prone areas (The Jakarta Post, Sept. 13, 2007).
Citing Papua's vulnerability to conflicts and separatism, more troops are needed in Papua, Golkar Party politician Yuddhy Chrisnandy said in response to the plan. He may represent the general opinion of the House of Representatives, which is known for it's ultra-nationalistic bias.
Indigenous Papuans have repeatedly expressed their opposition to the deployment of thousands of reinforcement troops to their homeland.
The latest was voiced loudly on Oct. 19, when local people in Arso (the capital of Keerom regency, some 75 kilometers northeast of the provincial capital of Jayapura) blockaded the road connecting Keerom and Jayapura to vent their anger with military troops after a soldier assaulted a district chief.
Why do Papuans reject the sending of military reinforcements to the province? Some cases below might be helpful in understanding the reasons behind Papuans' aversion to the military.
On Oct. 18, the head of Arso district, Charles Tafor, was beaten by a member of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus), who was on duty at the border with Papua New Guinea. Responding to the incident, Papuans blockaded the main road in Arso and demanded the withdrawal of all Kopassus troops posted in Keerom regency. The military eventually removed the soldier.
Several weeks earlier, a Catholic priest, Father John Djonga, left Waris District (in the same regency) following a series of intimidations and death threats allegedly from military soldiers.
Djonga is a non-Papuan who has been defending and campaigning for the rights of Papuan people. The intimidation targeting him mounted after he reported to Governor Barnabas Suebu the concerns of Waris residents in the wake of the deployment of Kopassus troops to their home soil.
In the latest threat, Djonga said a man climbed over the back wall of the house where he lived. A well-built man entered the house in Abepura, just south of Jayapura, and asked a student, "Is Father Djonga here?" The intruder quickly removed himself however, when he was told the pastor of St. Mikael Church in Waris was not there.
Amnesty International immediately expressed its fears for Djonga's safety (AI, Sept. 24, 2007), and he was told not to return to Waris for the time being.
Church leaders are among those on the front line in the fight against human rights violations in Papua, and as a result have been publicly linked to the separatist movement.
According to Djonga, Papuans in Waris district were interrogated harshly and indiscriminately by Kopassus troops about their knowledge of the guerrilla movement.
Facing the military, they are commonly asked several questions: What's your name? Where are you from? What crops do you grow? Why do you carry a traditional bow and arrows? You are OPM, right? Do you keep the Morning Star flag? Who is hiding guns? (Tabloid Suara Perempuan Papua, No.02/15-21 August 2007).
Papuans are afraid of moving around, going to their land or village because the presence of the Kopassus troops intimidates them. They live in fear, which goes against the Constitution.
It seems Papuans, who are Indonesians by citizenship, are treated as strangers in their own land by those who are supposed to protect them.
On Aug. 30, 2007, Papuans from Waris district were able to openly share their concerns with the local military commander Col. Burhanuddin Siagian. They said should the situation in Waris not improve, they would take refuge in Papua New Guinea.
More than eight years ago, in July 1999, four Catholic bishops from Papua highlighted, in their report to then president Abdurrahman Wahid, the heavy presence of troops in Papua. The religious leaders blamed the military's arrogance as one of the causes of anxiety among the Papuans.
The bitter experiences of the Arso district head and the parish priest confirm the situation has not improved.
The arrival of thousands of troops has failed to create peace or tranquility in Papua because the soldiers, including the Kopassus troops, serve as the central government's way of dealing with indigenous Papuans.
For the sake of peace, Papuans have called on the government and the TNI commander to pull out all Kopassus personnel from Keerom regency. They know their request will be unheeded, as has happened since 1963, but at least they have the courage to speak up.
[The writer is a lecturer at the Fajar Timur School of Theology and Philosophy in Abepura, Papua.]
Australian Associated Press - November 4, 2007
Riot police and soldiers fired warning shots on Sunday after tribesmen in Indonesia's Papua province set several homes on fire in unrest triggered by the death of a former local police chief.
At least 10 homes belonging to locals in Papua's Timika district were torched, forcing occupants aided by security officers to carry out their possessions and flee, the state-run Antara news agency reported.
Timika is located in Indonesia's eastern province of Papua, about 3,150km north-east of Jakarta.
In an attempt to stop the violence, riot police and troops firing warning shots to disperse the mob.
The combined security forces were stationed at strategic locations and combed vital areas in order to prevent the rioting from escalating further.
Two armoured vehicles were stationed in Timika's nearby business district, the state-run media reported, while dozens of residents sought refugee at local police stations.
Brigadier General Andilolo, deputy police chief in Papua, told the radio station that peaceful means were being attempted to defuse the tension, including negotiations with the tribes and other community leaders in an attempt to restore calm.
Triggered by the death of a respected elder from a local tribe, identified as Yance Ikomou, hundreds of angered tribesmen blocked the main road on Saturday in Timika. Tribesmen also gathered in a field demanding an explanation of their leader's death.
Papua Police Chief Max Donald was quoted as saying that Ikomou suddenly collapsed and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he later died.
Hours earlier, anger over Ikomou's death prompted tribesmen to attack the police station where he had been. Police reportedly shot back, killing at least one rioting tribesman.
Associated Press - November 4, 2007
Jakarta – One person was killed in Indonesia's restive Papua province in tribal fighting as villagers burned houses and attacked a police station close to a US-owned gold mine, a police officer said Sunday.
The violence was sparked when local tribesman sought revenge after the death of an elder following a fight with police early Saturday, Papua deputy police chief Brig. Gen. Andilolo told el- Shinta radio station.
Andilolo said relatives of the dead tribal elder were demanding that a police officer – who is from a rival tribe – be brought to a field and executed.
He gave no details on the fight that led to the elder's death, but media reports said he died on the way to a hospital after collapsing. "It is an eye for an eye thing," Andilolo said.
Rioting broke out in Timika, the closest town to a giant gold and copper mine operated by Freeport-McMoran Copper and Gold Mine Inc. A company spokesman said production was unaffected.
On Sunday, at least 10 houses were burnt down in Timika in clashes related to the incident, he said. There were no reports of casualties on Sunday.
On Saturday, tribesmen stormed a police station in an attack that left one person dead, Andilolo said.
The tribes in the area – 3,200 kilometers (2,000 miles) northeast of Jakarta - have a history of bad relations. Feuds can last for several weeks and normally only end when the number of victims from either side is equal.
The region is also home a small separatist army that is seeking independence for the region, which is ethnically and religiously distinct from the rest of Indonesia.
Cenderawasih Pos - November 4, 2007
A man of 23 years died after being struck several times by a soldier attached to the district command Korem 172/PWY. The soldier has been identified only by his initials Sergeant YK.
The incident leading to the death of Rudi Pagawak, who worked for Sinar Mas Plantation occurred outside the TNI Post in Lereh, Jayapura on Thursday.
After being struck by the soldier, Pagawak was taken to a nearby clinic where the medical staff tried for three hours to save him but be died later that day.
The incident that led to this death started when Pagawak went to a local call box to make a phone-call to his family but the phone was not working, so he went to look for another phone box somewhere near the Sinar Mas plantation.
However, as he passed by a TNI post, he failed to acknowledge the commander of the post. When the soldier called him back, he slapped him several times in the face. This infuriated the victim so he fought back. The soldier then took the man to a water tub near the military post and pushed Pagawak into the water and left him there. After being pulled out of the water, the victim fainted. When he reached a nearby clinic, he was still breathing, but he died three hours later.
This account given by a witness was confirmed by members of the dead man's family.
A friend who was with the victim at the time said that the soldier struck him hard on his right ear before pushing him into the water. Friends and relatives who were angry with what happened took the dead body to the military post and demanded that someone take responsibility for the death. The body was later taken to the hospital for an autopsy.
One relative said that as the head of the Dani tribe in Lereh, he would demand that the case be handled in accordance with the law. "The man responsible should be discharged from the army," he said. He added that there have been many incidents of violence against people. He also called for the immediate withdrawal of the troops from Lereh, saying that their presence there was causing the local people a great deal of anguish.
The commander of 172/PWY, Burhanuddin Siagian later confirmed that such an incident had occurred and said that the man responsible was now in custody and if found guilty he would be punished. He said that the soldier in question had clearly acted in excess. He also commended the local people for dealing with the incident in a calm and responsible manner. - Izak/mnur/Cenderawasih Pos
[Abridged translation from TAPOL. The report in Cenderawasih Pos is accompanied by a photo of the dead man surrounded by friends.]
Jakarta Post - November 2, 2007
Jayapura – A lack of clear regional autonomy guidelines has prevented the two-year-old Papua People's Council (MRP) from reaching its full potential, members say.
Council chairman Agus Alue Alua acknowledged the council has been less than effective.
"The council is like an institution that has been abandoned in the forest, without clear guidelines or authority. This includes a lack of clear technical guidelines that could ensure Papuans' basic rights, which is the essence of the special autonomy spirit," said Alua.
He said special autonomy funds had not reached their target since they were first disbursed in 2002, and had failed to improve the well being of Papuans.
The MRP has taken the initiative to draft six special autonomy laws that are seen as vital to protect the rights of Papuans. "It's actually the duty of the governor and legislators (to draft laws), not us. However, we have to do it to save Papuans, but we were accused of carrying out separatist activities," said Alua.
He said the council drafted the laws based on a political contract with the people.The draft laws are now with the governor and legislators.
The drafts include regulations on the protection of women's rights; division of special autonomy funds; a unified culture of indigenous Papuans; a provincial emblem and anthem; and the duty, rights and authority of the MRP.
The MRP marked its second anniversary on Oct. 31 with a religious ritual led by Papua vice bishop Neles Tebay. Organizing the event was the council's Women's Working Group.
Head organizer and chairwoman of the working group, Mien Rumbiak, said the central and provincial governments had failed to fulfill Papuans' sense of justice five years after Papua was granted special autonomy.
"Papuan leaders prefer to quarrel and are reluctant to sit for dialogue and heed people's aspirations. They are trapped in their own political interests. The people and natural resources of Papua must be protected, so every leader in the province should unite to save Papua," she said.
Kompas - November 1, 2007
Jakarta – The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) hopes that the police will soon provide an explanation for the arrest of an activist from the Foundation for Legal Education and Democracy (LPHD), Iwangin Sabar Olif. A clarification is necessary in order that the Papuan public – particularly activists – are not anxious because in the arrest involved members of the Detachment 88 Anti-Terror Unit.
This was conveyed by Komnas HAM commissioner Ridha Saleh on Wednesday October 31 after earlier receiving a group of human rights activists submitting a complaint about Olif's arrest. Olif, who was arrested on October 18, is currently being detained at the national police headquarters on Jakarta.
Gunawan, one of the activists submitting the complaint with Komnas HAM, said that Olif was arrested on suspicion of incitement and insulting the head of state. The alleged incitement is related to the dissemination of an SMS that among other things contained allegations of genocide against the Papuan people carried out through poisoned food.
The activists believe that the arrest was improper because police did not arrest the person that sent the SMS to Olif or the original writer of the message. In addition to this, after being arrested in Papua, Olif was taken to Jakarta and detained at the national police headquarters.
Contacted separately, the head of the Papua regional police public relations department, Senior Commissioner Agus Rianto said that Olif's transfer to Jakarta was only done in order to accelerate the investigation process.
"We have limited facilities to establish the truth of the suspects statements. So far we have not yet received the results of the examination and investigation into other suspects in Jakarta. In Papua, the police are conducting the investigation based on information from the suspect. It may well be that if we find other suspects, Iwangin will no longer be a suspect", said Rianto. (JOS)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
| Human rights/law |
Jakarta Post - November 8, 2007
Jakarta – The Munir murder case took a new turn Wednesday when three key witnesses testified in the murder conspiracy trial of former Garuda Indonesia chief Indra Setiawan, saying the presence of off-duty pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto on Munir's flight was out of line with procedure.
"Pollycarpus's flight on Sept. 6, 2004, was unauthorized," Ramelgia Anwar, former vice president for corporate security at Garuda Indonesia, told the court. Anwar denied having asked Pollycarpus to request a note of transfer from flight operational support officer Rohainil Aini.
Rohainil had testified earlier that she issued the note of transfer after Pollycarpus convinced her Anwar had requested his service as an extra crew member on the flight to Singapore.
Shortly afterwards she received a letter, written by Indra Setiawan, confirming Pollycarpus's assignment to assist in Anwar's investigation sub-unit.
"As soon as I heard Pollycarpus mention Ramelgia Anwar, I issued the transfer note. Actually, even without the assignment letter he would've been able to board the flight. The note of transfer was just a notice," Rohainil told the court.
When asked whether his job and that of Pollycarpus at the corporate security unit could be categorized as 'intelligence' work, Anwar said yes.
Munir's widow, Suciwati, testified that after meeting with Garuda Indonesia officials three times and receiving conflicting statements, she felt compelled to seek more precise information concerning the flight on which her husband died. Most of her information was provided to her by a fact-finding team consisting of Munir's fellow activists.
She added that some time before leaving, her husband and two friends had been involved in a public service announcement that advised people not to vote for a presidential candidate with a military background.
"It was during that time that Munir and his friends received phone calls from Pollycarpus. Munir didn't speak to him because I answered the phone call while Munir was gone," she told the court. She testified two of Munir's friends had told her that Pollycarpus offered them free plane tickets.
Pollycarpus was tried, convicted and later acquitted by the Supreme Court on charges relating to the Munir murder. He was scheduled to be a key witness during the trial on Wednesday but due to illness he didn't come.
The trial of Indra Setiawanon on charges of conspiracy to commit premeditated murder is among the most recent efforts to pursue the people behind Munir's death, something that the previous trial of Pollycarpus failed to do.
Prosecutors are working to uncover administrative irregularities that could point to a conspiracy behind the murder.
An indictment hearing for Rohainil Aini, which was also held Wednesday, ruled that there was a concrete basis for taking her into a court of law. Rohainil's trial is scheduled to start on Nov. 13, when Suciwati, Indra Setiawan and Ramelgia Anwar will be called to testify. (lva)
Jakarta Post - November 7, 2007
Ary Hermawan, Denpasar – The Bali-chapter of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Institute (PBHI) said the government needed to take action on the prevailing local customary laws because it said they violated human rights.
"Customary punishment is prone to human rights violations," PBHI Bali head I Wayan Suardana said while he was speaking at a seminar on human rights and customary laws on Monday.
"The state should do something about it because it is responsible for the protection of the human rights of its citizens," he said.
The Balinese people apply what they call customary laws to preserve the ancestral values of the cosmic order. They say this not only relates to the real, tangible world (sekala), but also to the invisible world (niskala).
But they said the nature and implementation of the traditions today had changed because of what experts call external influences, especially western thoughts.
"The customary laws have become less pedagogical and are now often used as vengeance instruments," professor of customary laws from the Udayana University, Tjok Istri Putra Astiti, said.
Harsh punishments such as banishment and alienation for customary law offenders, which were originally aimed at educating people, are among the local laws considered harmful to human rights.
I Ketut Riteg, 65, who once lived in the village of Kedungu in Belalang, Kediri, Tabanan regency, was in the public eye recently for being alienated, or kasepekang, by his community for two years – for damaging a sacred shrine. The punishment can be canceled only if the family pays a Rp 200 million (US$22,200) fine.
The Bali Customary Council, an umbrella organization of 1,440 Desa Pekraman (traditional customary villages) all over Bali, recently agreed to disallow kasepekang (isolation by alienation), kanorayang (being dishonorably discharged from village membership) and kalaad (banishment from the banjar's territory).
The council said however this would not instantly put an end to the imposition of malicious customary punishment, given the autonomous nature of the desa pekraman in their efforts to keep public (cosmic) order and the sanctity of sacred places.
Tjok said the practice of isolating women if they gave birth to mixed-gender twins, known as manak salah, was still applied in some villages.
"This kind of punishment has actually been abolished by the council of Hindu's high priest in 1951," she said. The practice was a violation of human rights and discrimination as it applied to lesser castes only, Tjok said.
PBHI said it would provide legal assistance to 61 citizens from the Banjar (traditional customary neighborhood association) at Kadewatan, Bongkasa Village, Badung regency, because they had been denied their civil rights for more than five years.
"This is indeed erroneous – how can a customary punishment also dictate the denial of the civil rights of citizens," Suardana said.
The 61 residents of the southern Kadewatan opposed the plan of the residents of northern Kadewatan to hold a bazaar to generate money to refurbish the banjar's shrine.
The northern people invited the southern people to a meeting to discuss the problem but the southerners said they had declined to attend it because they were always outnumbered.
The southerners were then punished for being absent at a banjar meeting four times.
"They refuse to provide us with administrative services," Agung Oka Tamba, one of the citizens, said. "I can't apply for an identity card. And because of that, I can't apply for a job nor (can I) get the health insurance for the poor. This is really frustrating and it's been too long," he said.
Bali Customary Council official Dewa Ngurah Swastha said some of the local leaders had not completely understood the essence and purpose of awig-awig (the traditional laws).
"What we need to do is educate them and create a normative instrument to confine the authority of customary village leaders," Dewa said.
He also said, "people with certain personal and political interests might have infiltrated the traditional institutions, corrupting and diverting customary law from its primordial purpose".
Jakarta Post - November 2, 2007
Jakarta – A coalition of NGOs and the National Commission on Human Rights expressed different opinions Thursday about the al- Qiyadah sect, which has been described as "misguided" and prohibited in Jakarta by the Provincial Prosecutor's Office and nationally by the Indonesia Ulema Council.
Uli Parulian Sihombing of the Coalition for Freedom of Religion said the provincial prosecutors and the police should stay neutral and facilitate an open dialog between the sect and Muslim organizations protesting against its existence.
"A gentlemen's agreement or a fair compromise" between the various religious organizations was expected to come as a result of the dialog, Uli said.
"The police can not just arrest the sect leaders and label the sect misguided just because a major Muslim organization tells them to do so," Uli told a press conference held at the Wahid Institute.
"It is not fair for any minority sect like al-Qiyadah to be singled out. At least give them a chance to defend themselves through dialog."
He said the Jakarta Prosecutor's Office had violated the 2005 Ratification of Civil and Political Rights Conventions Law by arresting sect members and banning the organization. The article honors the freedom to choose ones religion and beliefs.
The Jakarta Prosecutor's Office used a 1965 presidential decree that allows the office, on behalf of the government, to ban religious organizations that distort or misrepresent the teachings of existing religions. An Attorney General Office's spokesman, Thomson Siagian, said that the central government planned to discuss whether it would declare al-Qiyadah a "misguided sect" nationally on Nov. 7.
Among those who agree with the sect's banning is chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights, Ifdal Kasim, who said the government should ban the sect as its beliefs disrupted the rights of others.
"The government should notice the fact that there are groups in the community who get irritated with the sect's way of spreading its teachings and therefore it is right that the government intervene immediately," he was quoted as saying by detik.com newsportal.
Al-Qiyadah al-Islamiyah was founded by Abdussalam, also known as Ahmad Moshaddeq, in 2000 in Gunung Sari, Bogor. Ahmad declared himself a new prophet, replacing Prophet Muhammad, on July 3.
Not only did he inaugurated himself as the new prophet, but he changed several religious teachings originating from Islam, such as the core creed, which acknowledges Muhammad as the final prophet, and the obligation to pray five times daily.
As many as 41,000 people across nine major cities in the country are believed to be members of the sect.
Ahmad is being held at Jakarta Police Headquarters and could be charged under Article 156 A of the Criminal Code on blasphemy, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Separately in Bekasi, three al-Qiyadah followers gave themselves up to Bekasi Police on Thursday, saying they were afraid for their lives after the arrest of their leader. The three, Ricky Septo Nugroho, Rahmat Hudiana and Rahman, said they joined the sect two years ago.
Bekasi Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Guntur Laope said he expected other al-Qiyadah members to give themselves up to the police as soon as possible in order to clarify their status. (dic/adt)
Jakarta Post - November 2, 2007
Jakarta – Director general for tourist destination Ddvelopment at the Tourism Ministry, Sambudjo Parikesit, warned related institutions Thursday of potential child exploitation in the sex industry.
The warning was issued in response to a finding by UNICEF that about 40,000 Indonesian children had become victims of commercial sex exploitation.
"Although the increasing number of instance of child exploitation has no positive correlation with the development of the tourism Industry, we still need to be alert to this," Sambudjo told Antara.
He said the victims had been exposed to prostitution, pornography and trafficking.
To avoid such practices, the Tourism Ministry will hold workshops in Bandung, Yogyakarta and Makasar to inform regional administrations, NGOs, and the public.
Jakarta Post - November 2, 2007
Agnes Winarti, Jakarta – Due to a lack of accurate data, authorities in North Jakarta are finding it difficult to deal with the problem of human trafficking, an official said at a public discussion Thursday.
"In order to stop trafficking, we need valid data and not just estimations," Tukijan Damanik, an official at the North Jakarta social welfare and mental education agency, said.
"At the moment we can only rely on public order raids to estimate the number of prostitutes in the area."
The discussion was jointly organized by the Indonesia Against Child Trafficking (ACTs) organization, the Women's Journal Foundation and the Women and Children Foundation.
Several discussion participants said they hoped local and international non-governmental organizations would work with the government to obtain more reliable data on the victims of human trafficking.
Yeremias Wutan from the International Organization for Migration said Jakarta, Batam, Tanjung Balai Karit and Tanjung Pinang were common destinations and transit points for trafficked women.
"Accurate data on the victims of human trafficking is hard to find. Most NGOs still use estimated figures," he said.
Between 150,000 and 200,000 women work as prostitutes in Jakarta, mostly in the northern and western parts of the city, he added.
Jeremias said that between 2005 and 2007 it was estimated 30 percent of commercial sex workers in Jakarta were children. "All children working as prostitutes are the victims of human trafficking," he said.
Tukijan said a large number of sex workers, including children, work in North Jakarta, "because it is located near Tanjung Priok port, where there is a lot of business from people like sailors and container truck drivers".
He said it would be better to have an official red-light district in the city, as after the Kramat Tunggak area was closed down in 1999, an increasing number of prostitutes had been appearing in North Jakarta.
Vera Ersi from Plan International Indonesia said an official red-light district in the city would not be suitable, as children would still work in the area and would be told to lie about their real ages.
"Many of them don't even know how old they are as they don't have birth certificates," she added.
She said this year her organization identified more than 250 girls living in Rawamalang as victims of child trafficking who had been forced to work as prostitutes.
In 2006, the Women and Children Foundation rescued some 210 victims of human trafficking who had been forced to work as prostitutes in North Jakarta's Cilincing subdistrict.
Over the past two years, ACTs has worked with several other non- governmental organizations to assist more than 100 girls under the age of 18 years who had been forced to work as prostitutes in areas such as Pontianak in West Kalimantan, Medan in North Sumatra, Batam in Riau, Semarang in Central Java, Surabaya and Indramayu in West Java.
Detik.com - November 1, 2007
M. Rizal Maslan/Muhammad Nur Hayid, Jakarta – The Solidarity Action Committee for Munir (Kasum) doubts the neutrality of Supreme Court Chief Justice Bagir Manan as the presiding judge in the judicial review of the Munir murder case. The fact that Manan was repeatedly mentioned as "one of us" in a tape recording of a conversation between former Garuda Indonesia Airlines Executive Director Indra Setiawan and Garuda pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto has given rise to serous concerns.
"We believe that this indication is not a matter of speculation. Because the truth is that it was the supreme court appeal decision that [previously] released Polly[carpus] from the conviction [on charges] of murdering Munir", said the coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) Usman Hamid during a press conference at the Kontras offices on Jl. Borobudur in Jakarta on Thursday November 1.
Also present at the press conference was Munir's widow Suciwati and the former secretary general of the National Human Rights Commission Asmara Nababan.
Usman said that attention needs to be given to the recording of the conversation between Setiawan and Priyanto, bearing in mind that it represents one of the pieces of new evidence that will be examined before the court. It is very possible that Manan's objectivity in examining the evidence could be compromised by personal interests, as referred to by Priyanto in the conversation.
Kasum believes that although on several occasions Manan has denied this and guaranteed that he will not be influenced by Priyanto's statements, Manan should avoid any direct involvement in the case. "In this way, the objectivity of the examination in the judicial review will be better guaranteed", said Usman.
Irrespective of Manan's position as the presiding judge in the judicial review, Kasum is asking Supreme Court to make the hearing open to the public in order to demonstrate that any decisions that taken is credible and just. The Supreme Court is also being asked to clarify which supreme court justices will take part in the judicial review. It is hoped that these judges will truly be impartial and have integrity so that they can make a decision that is as just as possible.
Untenable position
Speaking separately, House of Representatives (DPR) Commission III member Yassona H Laoly said that tape recording of the conversation between Setiawan and Priyanto that referred to Manan as "one of us" makes it inappropriate for him to sit as the presiding judge in the judicial review.
"I think that is improper for Pak Bagir to be the presiding judge, bearing in mind the contents of the recording of the conversation between Polly and the [former] Garuda executive director referring to Pak Bagir as 'one of us'", said Laoly when speaking at the DPR in Senayan, Jakarta, on Thursday November 1.
According to Laoly, it would be better for Manan not to take part in the judicial review. "Because if he finds in favour of Polly people will say, is it true what was said by Polly that Bagir is one of us. But if he punishes Polly, people will also say it is a form of revenge because Polly smeared his reputation. So Bagir's position is such that he will cop it either way", explained Laoly.
The politician from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle is asking Manan to hand the judicial review over to another person in order to safeguard the independence of the Supreme Court.
[Translated by James Balowski from two articles in Detik.com on November 1.]
Jakarta Post - November 1, 2007
Jakarta – Central Jakarta District Court judges ruled Wednesday that the most recent indictment in the murder case of rights activist Munir Said Thalib stands, and that former Garuda Indonesia president director Indra Setiawan will be tried for conspiracy to murder.
"We consider that the prosecutors have described the defendant's role clearly in the murder process, therefore we must continue the court examination," presiding judge Heru Pramono told the court session.
If convicted of involvement in premeditated murder, Indra could face 14 years in prison. Prosecutors have charged that Indra issued the official written order on Aug. 11, 2004, requiring that former Garuda pilot Polycarpus Budihari Priyanto, who has been tried, convicted and later acquitted on charges relating to the Munir murder, be present on the flight to the Netherlands taken by the human rights activist.
Indra is currently being held at National Police Headquarters, pending completion of his trial.
Prosecutor Noor Rahmat said in response to the judges' ruling that his team was ready to bring 26 witnesses to court. The four key witnesses are former Garuda officers Ramelgia Anwar, Rohainil Aini and Polycarpus, and Suciwati, Munir's widow.
Suciwati said Wednesday she was prepared to testify at the next court session on Nov. 7.
"I will tell the court about Indra's testimony during the Polycarpus' case review at the Supreme Court because I believe it strongly relates to this case," she told reporters.
"I hope Indra will be wise enough not to let himself be the only person held responsible. He has no other choice but to reveal everything he knows about the case."
Indra testified in the case review session that he had been ordered by the National Intelligence Agency's deputy chief M. As'ad to include Polycarpus on the same flight taken by Munir.
The state-owned airliner has long been under the supervision of the intelligence agency due to security reasons.
Also during the review session to determine whether there was enough new evidence to reopen the case, a recording was played of a telephone conversation between Indra and Polycarpus.
In that conversation Polycarpus tried to convince Indra that neither would ever face charges or trial in connection with Munir's killing because prominent state officials, including the attorney general and the Supreme Court chief, were on their side.
Attorney General Hendarman Supandji and Supreme Court chief Bagir Manan have called Polycarpus' statement baseless.
Indra's lawyer Antawirya Dipodiputra said there was no case against his client. "Indra has been charged with helping to facilitate a murder by issuing a letter to Polycarpus, but no murderer has been officially named by the court. So how come Indra is being tried?" he said after the court session. (dic)
| Environment/natural disasters |
Jakarta Post - November 8, 2007
The Jakarta Post, Pelalawan, Riau – Forestry companies are generally still reluctant to adopt sustainable management practices because most do not see the benefits for their businesses.
According to the Indonesian Ecolabeling Institute (LEI), which introduced a sustainable forestry management scheme to Indonesia in 1998, just 12 of hundreds of forestry-related companies in the country have adopted sustainable forest management practices and earned certification.
Manager of the institute, Gladi Haryanto, said recently most forestry companies felt there was little benefit to obtaining sustainable forest management certification, which is known as ecolabeling.
"Many companies have applied for the certification but when they failed to meet the requirements they withdrew because they can't see its benefit," Gladi said in Riau recently.
He said the sustainable management scheme was introduced to promote cooperation, mutual understanding and partnership among the various stakeholders in the industry, and to give forestry companies increased access to the international market.
In some developed countries especially in Europe, timber products with no ecolabelling or green certificate are prohibited. But Indonesian forestry companies, which sell most of their products to South Korea and Japan, see no urgency in adopting the scheme.
Gladi said companies with ecolabeling certification benefited because they could export their goods to countries that set high standards for forestry products.
"Most developed countries prefer to have goods that are produced in a sustainable manner, so LEI certification helps them get trust. Several big buyers in Europe have accepted products with LEI certification," he said.
LEI, a constituent-based organization established in 1998, consists of panels representing NGOs, indigenous people, academics and business associations. Besides promoting certification systems for forestry, marine and agricultural products, LEI also takes a role in conflict resolution and policy advocacy.
He said LEI had two schemes of certification – under third party assessment and under recognition over claim – to asses the sustainability of forestry entities. "Under the first scheme, selected assessors represent the certification body in conducting assessments, and under the second, a guarantor body represents the forestry managing community in conducting an assessment," Gladi said.
He said that although certification followed two different schemes, the overall process consisted of field pre-assessments, field assessments, gathering public input, performance evaluation, decision making and certification.
He said LEI certification, valid for five years, had three levels: gold, silver and bronze. He said a company that obtained bronze certification would be evaluated five times in a five-year period, silver two or three times and gold just once.
"Bronze companies can achieve a higher certification level if the evaluation result is good. On the other hand, if the result is bad, LEI can suspend the certification," Gladi said.
Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP), which has bronze certification, says it is improving the sustainable management of its 159,500 hectare concession forest to upgrade its current certification.
President director of RAPP Rudi Fajar said the company hoped to raise its certification level from bronze to silver within two years to give it greater access in the international market.
Environment manager of RAPP Eliezer P Lorenzo said LEI certification was more difficult to process than certification from the Germany-based international organization Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), because the whole process had to be restarted if an applicant failed to meet any of the requirements needed to obtain certification.
Rudi said with LEI certification, orders for the company's paper products from overseas buyers had gone up because the buyers were sure the raw materials used in production were obtained from sustainable management practices.
"We will have a road show to disseminate this achievement because we want to make LEI certification a market strength," Rudi said. (tic)
Jakarta Post - November 8, 2007
Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – The Indonesian Environmental Forum (Walhi) said Wednesday it was optimistic it would win the Buyat Bay civil lawsuit against giant mining company PT Newmont Minahasa Raya following the court's decision to cancel an on-site investigation.
Walhi executive director Chalid Muhammad said the group appreciated the Tuesday's ruling made by the South Jakarta District Court to cancel its October 25 ruling when judges' planned to visit Buyat Bay to get further evidence on the case.
The environmental group opposed the plan to visit the North Sulawesi bay, saying the trip was unnecessary and enough evidence had been provided to prove the company was responsible for an alleged dumping of toxic waste into the bay.
"The visit is pointless because there's nothing left on the location," Chalid said. "Any proof or sign the bay was polluted has been eliminated since Newmont stopped operating in 2004. And Buyat residents have also moved to Duminanga (village). It's too late if the judges plan their visit at the moment. They'd better focus on the evidence – and facts surrounding the incidence."
Walhi filed a lawsuit against Newmont on March 3. The group alleged the company had polluted the bay, causing hundreds of residents to suffer from various illnesses.
The next session on the case would be held December 6. "If the judges' rulings in the next session are based on all facts and evidence presented in the court, we are upbeat that we will win the case," Chalid said.
One of the plaintiff's lawyers, Firman Wijaya, said the court's ruling to cancel the visit was a positive sign justice was on their side in the fight against environmental crimes.
"This case can be an inspiration and guidance for all law enforcers who handle such crimes to make their rules in line with conservation," he said. "The judges' rulings on the next session will prove if justice is siding with environmental efforts."
Newmont had previously faced criminal charges for pollution in 2004 in a North Sulawesi court, but it was acquitted because of a lack of evidence. "We expect that the current trial will not repeat the plaintiff's loss against Newmont in the 2004 criminal trial," Firman said.
Jakarta Post - November 1, 2007
Jakarta – Global warming is altering ocean tides, meaning more homes will be inundated with floodwater in the years to come, an official from the City Environmental Management Board (BPLHD) said.
The head of the board's environmental damage control unit, Daniel Abbas, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday that global warming had caused the sea level to rise, which in turn caused higher tides and floods.
"Global warming has melted ice in the two poles, so the sea level is rising and you can see floods more often now in coastal areas here," Daniel said.
He said the sea level would continue to rise slowly and most people would not notice until their homes were inundated with water.
"By 2050, some parts of Jakarta will disappear off the map. This was stated by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in one of its studies," Daniel said.
Muara Baru in North Jakarta seems likely to be among the first areas of the capital to be affected by global warming.
Roni, 32, a gado gado vendor at the Muara Baru fish market, said the area had been hit by floods several times this year. The market is located just a few hundreds meters from the beach. Roni said most of the recent floods in the area were due to high tides.
"We are now quite used to floods caused by high tides here, but previously there were not as many. They only came at the beginning and in the middle of the Javanese calendar month, or once or twice a month.
"The floods used to be only about 30 centimeters high and receded after several hours, but now they can be as deep as one meter and last for a couple of days, as happened recently," Roni said.
He said most trading activities continued as usual if the area was flooded to a level below knee height. Trucks, cars, minibuses and motorcycles usually continue to enter the market when it is flooded.
Nur, 30, a motorcycle taxi driver who works in the area, said floodwater could damage his engine and he often had to wait for it to recede before leaving the market.
An official from the city administration's crisis center confirmed that floods caused by high tides had inundated Muara Baru more often than usual this year.
The official, who asked not to be named, said the administration had to evacuate a number of residents in June when floodwaters one meter deep inundated the area.
| Gender issues |
Jakarta Post - November 2, 2007
Sri Wahyuni, Yogyakarta – Women have a key role to play in helping the country out of economic hardship, but more needs to be done to help them enter the formal economy, a minister says.
State Minister for Women's Empowerment Meutia Hatta Swasono said over the weekend women make major contributions to the national economy.
However, this contribution is often overlooked because many women work in the informal sector and reliable economic statistics are not kept for the sector.
"Economic activities in the informal sector are often left unprotected legally, so women are often unfairly treated," Meutia said in a speech to mark the launch of the Small and Medium Enterprises-Women Enterprises (UKM-UP) empowerment movement.
The event took place at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta.
She said many women encountered problems in accessing financial resources to expand their businesses. "The existence of this working group for the empowerment of UKM-UP will be of great help for its member businesswomen, giving them more power to move the wheel of the economy in the real sector."
Pokja Pemberdayaan UKM-UP, a non-governmental organization based in Yogyakarta and Jakarta, organized the discussion and initiated the declaration of the UKM-UP empowerment movement.
Held in conjunction with the commemoration of National Youth Pledge Day and the 105th anniversary of the birth of Indonesian founding father Moh. Hatta, the declaration was designed to send a strong message to the public over the importance of empowering UKM-UP.
In addition to Meutia, also signing the declaration were Yogyakarta Sultan Hamengkubuwono X and the coordinator of Pokja Permberdayaan UKM-UP, Tony Agus Ardie.
"Unless small and medium enterprises and women enterprises are empowered, it will be very difficult for us (to survive economically)," Tony told The Jakarta Post.
He said women have over the years proven themselves able to survive economic downturns, as well as to be responsible borrowers once they are given micro-credits to expand their businesses.
"Bangladesh has given us a very good example of how economically poor women in the country can successfully develop themselves once they are empowered," Tony said.
The same thing can be seen in Yogyakarta. Despite the devastating 2006 earthquake and 1997 economic crisis, SMEs in the province, some one-third of which are run by women, survived.
These micro, small and medium business owners do not just help their families, but also make important contributions to the economic growth of their respective villages and towns.
"That is why women-owned enterprises have to be empowered economically, socially and culturally," said Tony.
Jakarta Post - November 1, 2007
Ati Nurbaiti, Jakarta – So many hands shot up in the air across the ballroom. So many questions on the basics of life and existence, and too little time.
"How do I get a divorce if my husband left me without documents?"
"Is it true that a birth certificate states if the child is illegitimate?"
"Why does the man get two thirds of the inheritance and the woman only one-third?"
"There are so many among us returning from Saudi Arabia without having been paid, where can we get help from?"
Some 2,000 women from eight provinces have gathered in Jakarta since Monday for the second national forum of women heads of household (Pekka). They are widows, divorcees, single mothers, wives of missing or permanently ill husbands.
The women represent almost 400 groups from Greater Jakarta, West and Central Java, Aceh, North Maluku, East and West Nusa Tenggara and West Kalimantan.
On Tuesday the panelists on the second day of the gathering, held once every three years, were only able to answer a few of the questions. Regarding inheritance, Azriana from the National Commission on Violence Against Women said Islam encourages consultation.
The principle that men get two-thirds of the inheritance refers back to Arab culture in the time of the Prophet Muhammad, she said, when the men carried the sole responsibility to support the household. "In our case the women often work much more than the men," she said.
Outside the forum venue at the Grand Cempaka Hotel in Central Jakarta was a bazaar with handicrafts and snacks made by the women's groups.
Pekka was set up in 2001 with the assistance of the National Women's Rights Commission. Its mission is to help "women who are out of sight and silent amidst discrimination and violence", according to commission head Kamala Chandrakirana, in her introduction to the book Dunia tanpa suami (A world without husbands).
Throughout the country, there are estimated to be more than six million women heads of household. Pekka currently only has 8,273 members. Pekka is led by Nani Zulminarni, who says she has been asked how a widow like her can lead a national organization.
Among the delegates at the forum in Jakarta are 60 women from East Nusa Tenggara, one of Indonesia's poorest provinces.
Bema Soge Buli, a participant from Larantuka in the province, said she joined Pekka following the death of her husband, who passed away at the age of 43. She said he left her with five children.
Pekka members cite the advantage of being able to take loans from the organization for their small businesses.
Bema said her Pekka group has accumulated some Rp 2 billion, from which members can borrow a few million rupiah at low interest.
She said some men in her area were getting jealous. Quoting the sub-district head, she said with a smile, "You're widows, but you're rich widows."
| War on corruption |
Jakarta Post - November 8, 2007
Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – Police are still looking for logging boss Adelin Lis, whose whereabouts have been unknown since he was acquitted of corruption by a court here on Monday.
His acquittal has caused a furor among environment and legal activists across the nation, while the Medan Police want to question him in relation to a new set of charges.
National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Sisno Adiwinoto said Wednesday the police were still pursuing Adelin and that he should be banned from leaving the country.
In Medan, North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Nurudin Usman said the police had no information on the whereabouts of Adelin. However, he said he had ordered his men to search widely.
Moreover, the North Sumatra Police have formally placed Adelin on their most-wanted list, the DPO. "As of Wednesday we have officially placed him on the DPO," he said.
The police, Nurudin said, were also coordinating with the North Sumatra Provincial Prosecutor's Office to prevent Adelin from escaping overseas.
"We have asked the prosecutor's office to extend Adelin Lis' travel ban notice. The National Police sent the notice two weeks ago to the prosecutor's office," he said.
The police want Adelin for questioning in relation to his alleged role in a money laundering case. A source at the local police said that the money laundering case was closely connected to the corruption and illegal logging charges that saw Adelin before the court in the first place.
Insp. Gen. Sisno Adiwinoto said the police had coordinated with the Medan Provincial Prosecutor's Office on Monday to re-arrest Adelin the moment he was freed from the state penitentiary where he was being detained while on trial.
"We were ready to re-arrest him on money laundering charges," he said. "But when our officers came on Tuesday morning, it turned out that Adelin has been freed by the prosecutors on Monday night," he said. (adt)
Jakarta Post - November 8, 2007
Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – A House of Representatives commission and an alliance of non-government organizations have slammed the government for resisting the inclusion of state enterprises into the bill on free flow of information.
The group accused President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of lacking commitment to establish good governance and combat corruption.
The House and the alliance said all 139 state enterprises did not belong to the government, but to the state, and were part of public institutions subject to audits aimed at maintaining their accountability.
Deputy chairman of the House's defense, information and foreign affairs commission Arief Mudatsir Mandan said in a joint press conference here Wednesday the President still considered state enterprises part of the government.
"Such a culture must be phased out and state enterprises are subject to public audits to ensure their transparency and their competitiveness in the global market," Arief said.
State enterprises have been tasked to carry out the government's economic development programs but have at the same time been covertly treated as cash cows for government officials.
Legislator Abdillah Toha said the commission was open to compromises on many other issues, but not on strategic efforts to improve state enterprises' contribution to the people and the state.
"Most factions at the commission will give no political concession to the government on this crucial issue and let the public give their opinion and aspirations," he said.
In previous meetings, State Minister of State Enterprises Sofyan A. Djalil said state enterprises could not be freely accessed by the public because other than being part of the government, their transparency could jeopardize their competitiveness in domestic and global markets.
An alliance of NGOs, including the Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW), the SET Foundation, the Institute of Press Studies and Development (LSPP), Impartial, Kontras, the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute and All-Indonesian Workers Union (OPSI), said the government's stance on state enterprises was against Law No. 19/2003 on State Enterprises, Law No. 17/2003 on State Finance and Law No. 15/2006 on Supreme Audit Agency.
Ridaya Laodengkowe and Agus Sudibyo, both spokesmen for the alliance, said the proposed exemption of state enterprises from public institutions was not acceptable from a legal, economic or political point of view.
"Politically, the government has never been transparent with its policy on state enterprises, particularly when it wants to privatize certain enterprises which should secure approval from the parliament," Ridaya said.
State enterprises had to be transparent, particularly to the parliament's control, to ensure their contribution to the people and to the state, he said.
Agus asked the House to hold a consultation meeting with the President to settle the crucial issue because it was too risky to leave it to a minister – despite the latter's position as a representative of the government in the bill's deliberation.
Both Ridaya and Agus said state enterprises' disclosure was not against the capital market law which required the 15 listed state enterprises to remain open for public access.
Jakarta Post - November 6, 2007
Irawaty Wardany, Nusa Dua, Bali – Procurement bribery at government offices makes up the bulk of graft cases in Indonesia and reportedly costs it Rp 36 trillion (US$3.9 billion) a year, a top anticorruption official said Monday.
"Procurement is one of the areas most prone to corruption. Around 70 percent of the cases handled by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) are mark-ups for procurements," KPK chairman Taufiequrrachman Ruki told reporters at a media conference after the opening of a regional seminar on Fighting against Bribery in Public Procurement in Nusa Dua, Bali.
The KPK has received 16,000 reports of cases but it was able to process only a few dozen, he said.
Taufiequrrachman said that the government lost around Rp 36 trillion (US$3.9 billion) each year because of corruption in public procurement. "Most of it is in government expenditure," he said.
Meanwhile, State Minister for National Development Planning Paskah Suzetta said he was now working with Coordinating Minister for the Economy Budiono, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, and the KPK to prepare a presidential decree on the establishment of a national body for procurement.
"We are now in the process of finalizing the draft of the presidential decree. I hope it can be finished by the end of December this year so that the body can be established in early 2008," he said.
Currently there is only a unit in the National Development Planning Agency that regulates procurement procedures.
Paskah said that if bribery in procurement could be decreased, it was estimated that the government could save up 50 percent of the state expenditure.
He added that the establishment of the body was only one of the government's main agendas in procurement reform, which includes reforming the legal framework.
The reform includes the development of an electronic procurement system and capacity building of human resources. "We expect to improve the regulation on procurement procedures from a presidential decree into a law in the future," Paskah said.
Procurement procedures are currently regulated under a 2003 presidential decree.
Paskah said several regions had started to implement an electronic procurement system.
"We have made pilot projects in four regions, West Java, East Java, North Sulawesi and Kalimantan," he said. "The projects will also be developed in other areas. We expect the surrounding regions could learn from them."
On the electronic procurement system, Taufiequrrachman said that the KPK had proposed the government establish such a system in 2004.
"The government then started to implement the electronic announcement in 2005," he said. "And according to Pak Paskah, the government could save around Rp 9 trillion just from electronic announcements through 24 government institutions."
Jakarta Post - November 6, 2007
Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – Logging boss Adelin Lis walked away from court free of all charges Monday after the Medan District Court acquitted him of illegal logging activities.
The court said he had been proven not guilty of committing graft and forest destruction in Mandailing Natal regency, North Sumatra. Adelin's family members and supporters, who attended the trial, said they were elated by the court ruling.
But environmental activists said they were disappointed over the decision, saying it was unjust and that judges who pardoned the defendant must be examined. "The judges have been bribed," the activists said in a statement.
Presiding judge Arwan Birin said Adelin was acquitted from all criminal charges because he was not proven guilty of breaching the corruption and forestry laws.
Prosecutors had earlier charged Adelin, PT Keang Nam Development Indonesia (KNDI) financial director, to 10 years imprisonment and a Rp 1 billion (US$111,000) fine for violating Law No. 31/1999 on corruption and Law No. 41/1999 on forestry.
The panel of judges said both charges by prosecutors acting against Adelin had no legal grounds. Birin said the defendant had not been proven guilty because Adelin ran a private company which had never used state funds for its operations.
Birin said that with regard to the forest destruction allegations, the defendant was not proven guilty of illegal logging because the company had obtained a forest concession permit (HPH).
Prosecutors said they planned to file an appeal to the Supreme Court. "We will file (an appeal)... because the panel of judges had failed to put into consideration a number of important matters," prosecutor Harli Siregar told The Jakarta Post after the trial.
Harli said one of them was irregularities in HPH tax payments. "We want to prove this in the Supreme Court," Harli said.
When asked for a comment on the court ruling, Adelin said he was moved by the decision. "It turned out that there is still justice in the country," he said while leaving the court room.
Adelin's lawyer Hotman Paris Hutapea said he had received information that certain parties wished to rearrest his client due to the ruling. "We received information that someone wants to detain our client following the verdict," said Hotman, without elaborating.
Jakarta Post - November 2, 2007
Jakarta – Vice President Jusuf Kalla said Thursday bureaucratic reform was unlikely to succeed without improved efficiency, time management and cost control, as well as economic development.
Addressing the opening of a national seminar on eradicating corruption through bureaucratic reform, Kalla said every country had bureaucratic regulations and procedures; the question was whether these regulations and procedures were properly implemented.
"There should be a standard for bureaucratic reform that defines success as good, prompt service to the public," he said.
He added that another standard for reform was cost control in the system. "This is the place where corruption usually occurs."
Kalla said the country's institutions needed to take several steps to reduce corruption, including deregulation, starting with the elimination of red tape in public services, and an improved recruitment process.
"Shock therapy for the public through repressive and preventive actions is also important, because without this, there will be no public awareness that can make people more careful and obedient."
He said reform could not be separated from improved remuneration, but this would be ineffective unless the country saw better economic conditions.
"Indonesia's development is likely to be stagnant by 2011 if we keep increasing civil service salaries without experiencing good economic development."
The Vice President said continuing to raise civil service salaries in this manner would result in too large an allocation for routine expenditures in the state budget.
The seminar was held by the Corruption Eradication Commission and the State Ministry for Administrative Reforms, to set out a grand design for bureaucratic reform in state institutions covering human resources and management.
"The design has been divided into three phases: the first phase is aimed at increasing the quality of public services, the second emphasizes public service in investment the third involves pilot projects for bureaucratic reform in compliance with official standards," State Minister for Administrative Reforms Taufik Effendi said.
"In the pilot projects, we're focusing first on institutions handling financial and law enforcement matters and public services, including the Finance Ministry, the Supreme Audit Agency, the Supreme Court and the State Ministry for Administrative Reforms itself," Taufik said.
He said this prioritization was based on the sectors most prone to corruption and in immediate need of bureaucratic reform.
"Thus far, the project has shown good results, with 293 regencies and cities nationwide having been able to improve their public services."
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said reform had not been fully achieved in her ministry.
"We're applying a system of checks and balances for the ministry's structure and organization, and are holding weekly evaluations of employee performance," she said.
Ryaas Rasyid of House of Representatives Commission II overseeing state reform said in order to eradicate corruption, institutions needed to introduce administrative reforms.
Jakarta Post - November 2, 2007
Alfian, Jakarta – Most of the countries rich in oil, gas and mineral resources ironically suffer from poverty and other social problems caused by corruption, an international anti-graft campaigner said Thursday.
Peter Eigen, founder of Transparency International and chairman of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), said the extractive industry, defined as the oil, gas and mining industries, is especially prone to corruption.
"The amounts involved are extremely high. We're talking about billions of dollars," Eigen said in a lecture at the University of Indonesia.
He added that the most vulnerable areas for corruption are those involving complicated processes like production sharing agreements.
Since the extractive industries are important commodities in more than 50 developing countries, fighting corruption in this field is of the utmost importance. "One third of the developing countries' foreign debts has been caused by corruption," said Eigen.
He added that corruption also involved companies from developed countries, citing bribery as an example.
"Germany allowed its companies to commit bribery abroad. They even got tax reductions from it," said Eigen, adding that the same practice occurred in other wealthy countries. Such bribery practices, however, have been illegal in Germany since 1999.
"But it seems difficult to stop such practices. Many foreign bribery cases have not been prosecuted yet."
That reality, according to Eigen, shows that governments have lost the capacity to regulate enterprises in a globalized economy. He offered a new paradigm in which civil society could monitor business practices and hold them more accountable, particularly in extractive industries.
The lecture, titled "Transparency in Extractive Industries – The role of civil society organizations in strengthening global governance," was part of Eigen's four-day visit to Indonesia.
He also met with high-ranking officials from the Finance Ministry and the House of Representatives. The purpose of his visit was to urge the Indonesian government to adopt EITI principles to reduce corruption in extractive industries.
EITI describes itself as a coalition of governments, companies, civil society groups, investors and international organizations that support improved governance in resource-rich countries.
To implement EITI, a country must meet EITI criteria such as making transparent all payment and revenue transactions between governments and oil, gas and mining companies. Such publications must be made publicly accessible and comprehensible.
Eigen said he won support from Indonesian officials for the anti-corruption initiative. "I hope Indonesia will adopt this global initiative soon."
| Islam/religion |
Radio Australia - November 8, 2007
Ahmed Mushaddeq leads the new Al Qiyadah Al Islamiyah sect. The sect has been described as deviant and blasphemous by the country's powerful Muslim organisation, the Indonesian Ulema Council because it promotes an alternative view of Islam.
Presenter: Linda LoPresti. Speaker: Professor Azyumardi Azra, President of Indonesia's State Islamic University
Azra: Their sect claims to be originally come from Islam but they introduced a very different kind of teachings of Islam. In fact they do not recognise the prophecy of Mohammed for instance, so that creates problems.
Lopresti: There are five pillars of Islam, the praying five times a day, compulsory contributions to charity and for the pilgrimage to Mecca as well as the obligation to fast.
Azra: Yes.
Lopresti: They don't believe in those five pillars?
Azra: They don't believe in those five.
Lopresti: And I understand that the leader of this sect Ahmed Mushaddeq has declared that he is the new prophet?
Azra: The new prophet, yes. Of course Muslims would not have any objection if he introduced a new religion without referring to Islam, but the problem of course is that he does refer to Islam, but at the same time he does not adhere to the principles of Islam.
Lopresti: So how many followers do you believe this sect has? How widespread is it, in Indonesia?
Azra: We don't know exactly but the police said it's something like 30,000 to 40,000 people across the country.
Lopresti: Who is it attracting?
Azra: Mostly young university students, unemployed young people.
Lopresti: Why do you think its particularly attracting those people?
Azra: I think because of the social and cultural crisis now in Indonesia, because we are not really settled yet because of the big changes not only in politics but also in other field of life, in terms of social and cultural life. In our social life we have a lot of problems. We have a good number of unemployed people and also we have a problem of the future of students. Students can graduate but sometimes they cannot find jobs.
Lopresti: So while Indonesia continues to have these kind of social problems, do you believe that these kind of sects will continue to mushroom?
Azra: Yes, I believe so. As long as we still have problems in our economy, in our culture and social life and then there will be more and more individuals claiming themself to be a new prophet, to be a savior, to be a messiah and things like that.
Lopresti: And isn't there a danger there of a very significant religious split in Indonesia which could get quite violent?
Azra: It could be, but now of course the police have been able to contain the anger of the people, especially the hardliners, because hardliners also love to take this kind of event for their own advantage.
Lopresti: Do you also believe that this phenomena – these new sects that continue to grow in Indonesia, is it also a sign of increased religious freedom in your country?
Azra: According to the Indonesian constitution we respect the freedom of religion, so now there are six religions recognised by the state, that is Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism. But there will be a problem if there are new religions claiming to have their origin in a particular religion while at the same time they do not adhere to the principle of the mainstream or established religion. It could create problems, anger and probably also some violence among the adherents of the established religion.
Jakarta Post - November 7, 2007
Jakarta – Following the controversy over the al-Qiyadah al- Islamiyah sect, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) announced Tuesday 10 criteria that indicated an Islamic sect was "misguided".
During the MUI's national working meeting, the council said that among the criteria for "misguided" sects were defying one of the Islamic six pillars of faith and believing in or following teachings that are not in line with the Koran and Sunnah as the source of Islamic teachings.
Other criteria included believe in God's revelation after the Koran, denying the authenticity of the Koran, and contradicting prevailing interpretations.
Denying Muhammad's position as the last prophet, as well as insulting him were also regarded as signs, as well as ignoring the Hadiths, the Prophet's sayings and deeds, as the source of Islamic teachings.
The MUI also said sects change, add to or reduce basic aspects of worship already determined by sharia, such as praying five times a day or making the pilgrimage to Mecca. They also regard other Muslims as infidels without textual arguments.
MUI secretary Ichwan Syam said that the MUI still needed more time to conduct a more comprehensive study before issuing a fatwa on the matter.
Vice President Jusuf Kalla called on ulema and Islamic figures nationwide to improve their ways of performing dakwah (spreading the word of Islam) so as to avoid the expansion of misleading faiths. He said that ulema should understand the core of dakwah and not be offensive in their responses.
"Let us look at ourselves to see if there is something wrong in our dakwah," Kalla said. "Let us discuss the matter and rectify it."
Kalla said ulema should not turn away from the fact that sects were growing, and were particularly popular among university students. "We cannot handle this problem with violence," he said.
Religious Affairs Minister Maftuh Basyuni said the government would continue to help the people who had been influenced by the sects to get back to the right path.
Maftuh agreed with Kalla's statement, saying that anarchic actions would not solve the problem, but worsen the situation instead. He said the ministry would not monitor proselytizing in universities.
Jakarta Post - November 7, 2007
Multa Fidrus, Tangerang – A house thought to have been a place where "deviant" Islamic teachings were disseminated was set alight by residents from Enclek Sebrang village in Tangerang, police said Tuesday.
Tangerang Police detective chief Insp. Ade Ary said the house had been vandalized before it was set on fire. It belonged to Juhata, who is believed to be the leader of an exclusive religious group with 100 members. "The residents also set fire to several motorcycles and a car parked near the house," he said.
Officer Ade said it was unfortunate the residents had taken the law into their own hands, as earlier they had made an agreement with the "deviant" group.
"Talks between the two groups were mediated by members of the Tangerang Ulema Council. We regret the violence and we are still looking into it," he said.
The residents arrived at the house at approximately 2 a.m., telling Juhata and his students to leave. They complied with the order, and no injuries were reported.
The local neighborhood unit chief, Sahwi, alleged Juhata had been using his house to spread his own Islamic teachings since 2004. "Juhata's group is very exclusive. He and his followers never communicate with local residents," Sahwi said.
He said local residents had long been aware of the activities of Juhata's group and concluded that they deviated from proper Islamic teachings.
Hasan Basri, the secretary of the Tangerang Ulema Council, said it was not yet clear if Juhata's teachings were deviant. "We would need to conduct further investigations before we could come up with such a conclusion," he said.
Jakarta Post - November 3, 2007
Yuli Tri Suwarni and Rizal Harahap, Bandung/Pekanbaru – In the wake of controversy surrounding the al-Qiyadah Islamic sect, authorities and residents are focusing their attention on religious sects in their own backyards.
In Bandung, West Java, authorities responded to public demand by beginning an investigation of the Al Quran Suci sect.
"We will thoroughly investigate this group to determine how far it has deviated from the teachings of Islam," head of Bandung Prosecutor's Office Cuk Suryosumpeno said Friday, after attending a meeting with representatives from the local police and Indonesian Ulema Council.
The Muslim community in Bandung said the sect misled local youth by teaching them to question the Hadith, a compilation of the Prophet Muhammad's sayings and actions).
Misguided Sects Investigation Team member Heddy Muhammad said the sect was believed to have played a role in the disappearance of four local girls – Achriani Yulvie, Fitriyanti, Riya Riyani, and Dwi Ariyani. "We are convinced they are still alive, but we believe they have been brainwashed by the sect."
He censured the police for being slow to investigate the case, but police said the disappearance didn't constitute a crime since the girls left home of their own volition.
Heddy said the sect required new members to pay a large sum of money as a token of atonement. "The minimum sum is Rp 500,000, but we know a member who paid Rp 6 million," he said. In Pekanbaru, Riau, police intensified an investigation into the Al Haq sect following a complaint made in Tampan district.
Residents reported the sect taught members to pray only once a day, instead of the obligatory five times. "We have questioned six members of this sect. We have released them pending our consultation with the local Indonesian Ulema Council," said Pekanbaru Police deputy chief of detectives, Adj. Comr. Arie Dharmanto.
The police learned that new members of the sect were required to contribute Rp 300,000, which they said was used to finance jihad.
Chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights Ifdhal Kasim said the state only had the authority to ban a sect if it disrupted security and public order. "The state does not have the right to interfere with the aqidah (teachings) of a sect," he told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
| Elections/political parties |
Tempo Interactive - November 8, 2007
Aqida Swamurti, Jakarta – The Working Committee of the Draft Political Parties Bill has decided that the quota of women's representation in political parties be raised from 30 percent to 35 percent.
The Steering Team at the House of Representatives (DPR) was asked to adjust this provision together with other articles in the Political Party Bill.
"The amount was raised so that we have progress," said Lukman Hakiem, a member of the working committee from the United Development Party (PPP) faction in Jakarta yesterday (7/11).
The women's quota, he said, must be reflected in establishing and management of political parties. n line with the government's proposal, political parties are given a period of five years for adjusting the provision of women's representation in their management.
According to Agus Condro, a working committee member from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), political parties will be unstable if the provision is applied within nine months.
Principally, factions have already agreed upon women's representation, but they need a more detailed formula. "This means parties must overhaul," he said.
Tempo Interactive - November 8, 2007
Aqida Swamurti, Jakarta – Soldiers, civil servants and children are allowed to participate in campaigns.
The goal is to change the atmosphere of campaigns from their current image of being frightening, brutal and threatening. It's also political education," said Patrialis Akbar, a member of the General Election working committee, Thursday (8/11).
This clause, according to him, has been approved by all factions during the General Election Bill working committee's closed- meetings. Patrialis explained that soldiers may attend campaigns as individuals without wearing any of their official badges or emblems.
Despite soldiers not having the right to vote, campaigns are a part of political education. t is the same as regards civil servants, who are only participants as well. hey also need to hear the vision and mission of the party they will choose.
The previous decree regulates that campaign participants can only be those with the right to vote.
According to Patrialis, a National Awakening Party (PAN) faction member, the regulation is too narrow. s long as the campaign organizer is responsible, those people may attend campaigns.
Ferry Mursyidan Baldan, the General Election Bill special committee head, said soldiers must be given opportunity to be present in campaigns. Not as organizers but as ordinary people," he said.
In the future, there will be a soft pattern for campaigns, for example, to be held in malls. f this does take place, then the possibility of children, civil servants and soldiers attending is inevitable.
Jakarta Post - November 6, 2007
Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The top priorities for the last sitting of the legislature this year are the bills on political parties and on general elections, which are needed to smooth the way to the 2009 polls.
The bills are among 11 targeted for completion by the House of Representatives in the 33-day sitting period, which was officially opened on Monday.
"All factions have agreed to speed up the deliberation of the two (political) bills in the next 33 days so that they can be approved by the end of this month," House Speaker Agung Laksono said in the opening plenary session Monday.
The Justice and Human Rights Ministry is waiting for the bill on the political parties, which will set the new requirements for parties wishing to register officially.
The General Elections Commission (KPU), meanwhile, needs to general elections bill to pass before it can begin verifying parties' eligibility to run in the 2009 legislative election.
The election committee also needs to update the eligible voter list, map electoral districts and verify legislative candidates nominated by eligible political parties.
The parties are still at odds over several issues in the two bills. These include the debate over Pancasila as the parties' single ideology, financial sources of parties and the issue of a quota for female members; electoral and parliamentary thresholds, the electoral system and a quota for women in the list of legislative candidates.
The chairman of the special committee deliberating the bill on political parties, Ganjar Pranowo, ruled out imposing penalties on parties that failed to fulfill a quota of 30 percent female party members and legislative candidates, saying such affirmative action could not be forced.
The current 1999 law disappointed women activists as it failed to contain a mandatory minimum of 30 percent of women in parties fielding legislative candidates.
Agung said further that the House had to conclude three bills needed for the revision of the 2004 Regional Administration Law.
"The House has to work harder and more efficiently to finish the three bills on regional administration, local elections and on development of new regions without ignoring their quality," he said.
While the House has been criticized for being too slow, a number of laws on new regencies and provinces have also been questioned. Many new regencies and provinces are still in poor areas largely dependent on Jakarta.
He said the House was also to complete the deliberation of the remaining six bills to amend those on health, population and family development, narcotics, the judicial commission, the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court.
So far the House has finished deliberating 82 of 284 bills listed in the 2004-2009 national legislation program.
Chairman of the law commission at the House Trimedya Panjaitan said that the House would also conduct a "fit and proper" test for 10 candidates for the Anti-corruption Commission (KPK) and select constitutional court justices in the next two months.
He said his commission had received the names of candidates for the KPK leadership and that they would undergo the test later this month.
| Armed forces/defense |
Jakarta Post - November 1, 2007
Alfian, Jakarta – To understand the extent of the Indonesian Military (TNI)'s business network, it is necessary for regional administrations to undertake a thorough inventory of military- linked companies in their areas, observers said Wednesday.
"The (central) government should immediately ask regional administrations to take an inventory of military businesses in their respective regions," Edy Prasetyono of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said during the launch of a book on the TNI's businesses.
The title of the book is, Metamorphose of Military Business: The Mapping of TNI Businesses after the Enactment of the Law on the Indonesian Military.
"Military businesses outside Jakarta are more difficult to detect because they are often divided into smaller business entities. Moreover, NGO activists in the regions focus their attention more on cases of human rights violations allegedly committed by the military, rather than their business practices," he said.
The book, published by the Ridep Institute, evaluates the implementation of the 2004 law on the TNI, which bans the military from engaging in business. The book is the result of two years of research and investigation by Ridep in several regions, including Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, Central Sulawesi's Poso regency and Bali.
Ridep program director Muradi said it was business as usual for the military in the regions. "Although the law has been in effect for three years, military businesses keep on running as usual in regions outside Jakarta," he said.
Ridep found there are about 1,200 business units outside Jakarta belonging to the TNI. "But fewer than 100 of these business units are healthy," said Muradi.
The military has a wide range of businesses. Ridep even found in its investigations that the military is involved in a circus in Surakarta. Ridep says that instead of getting out of business, the military has simply changed its business tactics.
The institute said the military has reduced its shares in companies to less than Rp 20 billion, in order to keep a lower profile and act more behind the scenes.
Ridep says the military has also "eliminate" assets by selling them or putting the business units into bankruptcy. It then transfers the units other parties, while still maintaining actual control of the businesses.
Edy of the CSIS called on the military to shed its business interests. "Once the military is financially independent, it can be a power with its own agenda," he said.
He said the military's involvement in business affected its professionalism because soldiers' loyalty was based on economic interests. "Studies suggest that military involvement in business, such as in Africa and Latin America, makes them unable to do their job professionally."
| Economy & investment |
Jakarta Post - November 8, 2007
Jakarta – Consumers in the country are getting jittery from a possible domino effect from the lately pick-up in inflation to growth and beyond, putting their confidence on the economy at a down again, said a recent survey from the Danareksa Research Institute.
Overall consumer confidence fell further in October to its lowest in the past four months, as concerns of slowing growth clouded the outlook for job creation.
The Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) had for the month lost 0.9 percent to 82.2 points, extending its 1.9 percent drop in September.
Both components of the index – gauging consumer confidence at present and ahead – also fell. The Present Situations Index (PSI) dropped by 2.0 percent to 62.5, while the Expectations Index (EI) edged down 0.3 percent to 97.0.
"Unlike in September, when declines in confidence were due to transitory factors such as the seasonal surge in prices due to the Idul Fitri celebrations, October's decline in confidence was mostly driven by concerns over weaker job growth," Danareksa said in the monthly survey, which was conducted across 1,700 respondents in six main regions. An index above 100 shows confidence in the economy.
"Moreover, rising prices and kerosene fuel-shortages in some parts of the country have also dampened confidence, especially of people living in urban areas."
Danareksa's survey suggests poor urban households have indeed been the most affected, with the index for urban respondents having fallen by 1.5 percent to 82.5, while that for rural respondents had actually gained 0.8 percent to 81.8.
The survey further revealed that with expectations of lower job creation in the upcoming months, consumers had more or less lost their appetite to buy goods during October.
"Consumers fear that with tougher times ahead they will see no appreciable improvement in their incomes," Danareksa said.
"And if salaries are not hiked by more than the rate of inflation in the near future, then purchasing power is unlikely to pick up."
In such a situation, the proportion of consumers planning to buy durable goods over the next six months slipped to 25.4 percent in October, from 26.2 percent the previous month.
This bleaker economic outlook eventually also took a toll on consumer confidence on the government, with the related index dropping by 2.8 percent to 97.3 in October.
Jakarta Post - November 3, 2007
Urip Hudiono, Jakarta – Indonesia's economy is expected to wrap up the year on track in line with the government's forecasts, despite risks to inflation and growth from the recent rise in global oil prices, the latest market confidence survey from the central bank shows.
Prospects for next year, however, may be no better than this year if the risks stir up real trouble for the economy ahead.
For the remaining three months of this year, close to 75 percent of the survey's respondents saw Indonesia's economy as still being able to expand by between 6.1 and 7 percent this year.
Inflation for this year was expected to be in a similar range, while the rupiah should hover between Rp 9,000 and 9,250 to the US dollar.
Bank Indonesia's (BI) quarterly survey questioned a total of 100 economists, market analysts and academics from 13 major cities around the country.
The government is targeting growth of 6.3 percent for 2007 – improving to 6.8 percent next year – on an inflation rate easing from 6.5 percent this year to 6 percent in 2008.
Apart from growth still being based mainly on consumption, a majority of the respondents – nearly 80 percent – said that this year had been more favorable for investment and exports.
Exports are expected to grow more strongly at between 15.1 and 22.5 percent, leading to a current account surplus of between 1.5 and 3 percent of gross domestic product.
Looking ahead, however, a possible "slowdown in the global economy" and "still high global interest rates" could prove to be stumbling blocks for the economy, along with a "continued lack of stimulus for growth from government fiscal policies." Other "classic problems" included "inconsistencies in government policies and regulations", which were likely to put off investors.
Economists have warned of a possible slowdown in the world economy next year due to the effects of the recent US subprime mortgage market turmoil and, now, rapidly increasing global oil prices.
BI has warned that a sustained surge in the prices of oil and other commodities could fuel higher inflation from imports in the long run.
All this could, in turn, spell bad news for Indonesia's economy, with lower consumer demand translating into less investment.