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Indonesia News Digest 13 – April 1-7, 2008
Jakarta Post - April 5, 2008
Jakarta – Nearly all female busway passengers support the plan
by busway operator TransJakarta to allocate buses exclusively for
women, a survey revealed Thursday.
The Institute of Transportation Studies (Instran) found in its
survey that 90.2 percent of the 853 women interviewed agreed with
the plan, while 5.6 percent opposed it. The remaining 36
respondents or 4.2 percent had no opinion on the matter.
"Most of the arguments in favor of the plan cited safety and
comfort," Instran researcher Dharmaningtyas told a press
conference. Only 68.1 percent of respondents said they would
definitely take the special bus while 27.5 percent said they
would first see how the plan worked. The other 4.4 percent said
they would not take the women-only buses.
The survey was conducted between March 29 and 31 on board buses
along the seven existing corridors.
According to Dharmaningtyas, 75.45 percent of the respondents who
supported the plan believed the special buses would free them
from pickpockets and sexual harassment.
Respondents opposing the plan urged the city-owned busway
operator to provide good services equally to both men and women.
Most of the respondents interviewed also suggested the
administration improve services, the number of buses and headway
time.
Acknowledging the limited size of the bus fleet, TransJakarta
chairman Dradjad Adhiyaksa said providing women-only buses would
not affect busway operations.
"It's just a matter of passenger management... part of our effort
to improve services," he told the joint press conference. "The
survey results will be reported to Governor Fauzi Bowo, who has
the last say on its implementation," he said.
The plan was made following complaints from some female
passengers during peak hours, when they were at risk of sexual
harassment in packed buses.
In the pilot project plan, Dradjad said, a ratio of 3:1 would be
used along Corridor I (Blok M in South Jakarta to Kota in West
Jakarta), with one women-only bus for every three mixed buses.
Green Left Weekly - April 2, 2008
Ted Sprague – It is not an overstatement that the Bolivarian
Revolution in Venezuela is a shining beacon of hope for
struggling masses around the world.
Not only inspiring, the Venezuelan revolution offers many lessons
for revolutionaries who are genuinely seeking radical solutions
to problems faced by the toiling masses.
With these ideas in mind, a group of left-wing groups and
individuals in Indonesia have decided to launch the "Hands Off
Venezuela" (HOV-Indonesia) campaign.
Local organisations that have supported and endorsed this
campaign include the Working People Association (PRP); the
Political Committee of The Poor – People's Democratic Party
(KPRM-PRD); Indonesian People Solidarity for Latin America
(SERIAL); Rumah Kiri; Ultimus Bandung; and Resist Book.
Many other progressive groups are expected to join as the
campaign becomes more and more established.
The invitation letter to groups explained: "HOV-Indonesia is
built as an effort to widen the support for the Bolivarian
Revolution, as a propaganda tool for socialist programs in
Venezuela (its achievements, its process, etc), and as an
educational tool for revolutionary movements and labor movements
in Indonesia in order to build a revolution in Indonesia."
Like Venezuela, Indonesia is rich in oil, and yet half of its
population live on less than $2 a day. Nationalisation of oil as
carried out by the Venezuelan government, where the profit is
then distributed to the people through social programs, is one of
the demands that can also be applied in Indonesia to tackle its
dire poverty.
Demos, actions, protests...
West Papua
Human rights/law
Labour issues
Environment/natural disasters
Health & education
War on corruption
Islam/religion
Elections/political parties
Economy & investment
Opinion & analysis
News & issues
Most women approve of female-only buses
Venezuela solidarity campaign launched
Demos, actions, protests...
Workers to target UN offices during today's demonstrations
Tempo Interactive - April 7, 2008
Sofian, Jakarta – Workers from the Greater Jakarta Workers Federation of Struggle (FPBJ) and the Workers Challenge Alliance (ABM) will be holding a demonstration at the representative offices of the United Nations on Jl. Jalan MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta at around 10am today.
A second protest, which will also be joined by the Indonesian Student Union (SMI), will also be held at the French Embassy. Demonstrators will be calling on the embassy and International Labour Organisation (ILO) to intervene in the termination of PT Bridor Indonesia's operations after it was abandoned by its French owner.
Following on from this at 11am, the Forum for the Upholding of Islamic Law (FPSI) will hold protest actions at three locations. The first will be in front of the Indonesian national police headquarters on Jl. Trunojoyo in South Jakarta.
This will be followed by actions at the Attorney General's Office on Jl. Sisingamaharaja, also in South Jakarta, and the House of Representatives building on Jl. Jalan Gatot Subroto in Central Jakarta. The actions will be calling for an investigation into the distribution of a pornographic VCD portraying a person resembling South Sulawesi governor elects Syahrul Yasin Limpo.
In the nearby satellite city of Depok meanwhile, around 3,000 people will hold a street march between 8am and 4pm. The march is part of an election campaign supporting West Java gubernatorial candidates Ahmad Heryawan and Dede Yusuf. The main campaign rally will be at the Tanah Merah Square on Jl. Juanda in Depok.
In addition to the march, activities will also include a public meeting and the distribution of stickers and pamphlets about the West Java regional elections.
[Translated by James Balowski.]
Tempo Interactive - April 4, 2008
Cornila Desyana, Jakarta – According to information from the Metro Jaya regional police Intelligence and Security (Intelpam) Directorate, as many as five protest actions are expected to inundate Jakarta on Friday April 4.
The first demonstration will be held in front of the House of Representatives building on Jl. Gatot Subroto in Central Jakarta. The protest, which is being organised by employees from state-own port operator PT Pelindo from the Indonesian Port and Dredging Trade Union (SPPI), will start at 9am.
"The second protest action will take place at the Labour and Transportation Divisional Office in South Jakarta and the PT G4S Service offices on Jl. Cilandak KKO in South Jakarta", reported the Traffic Management Centre (TMC) on its website. The action, which is being organised by the Centre for Social Empowerment, will take place between 9am and 6pm.
The third action will be held by the Greater Jakarta Railway Workers Trade Union (SPKAJ). "The mass action will be held in front of the Greater Jakarta Railway Division Office on Jl. Ir. Djuanda in Central Jakarta", wrote the TMC, "The demonstration will be held between 10am and 1pm local time".
The next action will take place at 1pm at the Bekasi District Attorney's Office. "The mass of protesters plan to go on to the Bekasi major's office, [its being organised] by the People's Information Centre (LIRA)", said the TMC.
The final action will start at the Indosat Horse Statue on Jl. Merdeka Barat in Central Jakarta. The protest, which will begin at 2pm, will be continued at the offices of the Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare on Jl. Merdeka Barat and in front of the State Palace. The demonstration is being organised by the Student Movement of Liberation (GMP), the Muslim Students Association for Reform (HMI-MPO) and the Indonesian Muslim Students Action Front (KAMMI).
[Translated by James Balowski.]
Tempo Interactive - April 3, 2008
Riky Ferdianto, Jakarta – Four protest actions will colour in Jakarta and surrounding areas today. Two of the actions will be concentrated in front of the State Palace in Central Jakarta.
Based on a report received from the Metro Jaya regional police intelligence and security directorate, the first action, which will start at 7am, will be held by the PT Makro Indonesia Trade Union in front of the Makro Store 04 Maruya Utara in West Jakarta.
At 9am, an action will also be held by the Bekasi United Social Forum (FMBB) in front of the Bekasi regency PT Yongsin Jababeka 1 offices.
At the State Palace meanwhile, an action is being planned by the University of Indonesia Student Executive Council (BEM) at 1pm. At 4pm, a similar protest will be held by the Solidarity Network for the Families of Victims of Human Rights Violations (JSKKP- HAM).
Metro Jaya Traffic Management Centre official First Brigadier Haryadi declined to elaborate on the total number of protesters involved. Likewise with regard to the planned agenda of the actions. "We aren't allowed to", he said.
[Translated by James Balowski.]
Tempo Interactive - April 2, 2008
Rofiuddin, Semarang – Dozens of students from the National Student League for Democracy (LMND) held a protest action in the Central Java provincial capital of Semarang today calling for the government to renegotiate its contract with Exxon Mobil. The protest on Jl. Pahlawan marched to the Central Java provincial government offices.
LMND Central Java regional chairperson Darmawan Iskandar said that the contract with Exxon Mobil to explore the Cepu Block has resulted in financial losses to the Indonesian nation. "Exxon Mobil has reaped profits of as much as US$40.3 billion or almost 400 trillion rupiah. This figure is equivalent to a profit of 12 million rupiah per second that has been taken by Exxon Mobil. This is a huge financial loss in a situation where people are suffering", said Iskandar on Wednesday April 2.
[Translated by James Balowski.]
Tempo Interactive - April 2, 2008
Muhammad Nur Rochmi, Jakarta – Two demonstrations involving significant numbers of protesters will colour Central Jakarta on Wednesday April 2. Based on data released by the Metro Jaya regional police on its Traffic Management Centre (TMC) website, the actions will take place on Jl. Kebon Sirih and Jalan Jenderal Sudirman, both in Central Jakarta.
The first action will be held by a coalition of protesters from the National Transport Workers Federation (FBTN), the Public Transport Drivers Union (SPAU) and the Workers Challenge Alliance (ABM). The action, which will start at around 8am, is expected to attract around 350 protesters.
The protesters plan to go to the Jakarta Regional House of Representatives Building on Jl. Kebon Sirih and the offices of the company PT. Karya Beton. "They will be calling for an end to and control of illegal public transportation routes", said the TMC's website on Wednesday April 2.
The second action will be held by the National Student League for Democracy (LMND) at around 11am and involve some 100 people. The protesters will be going to the offices of PT. Exxon Mobil Oil located at the Bank Rakyat Indonesia II building on Jl. Jendral Sudirman, where they will be demanding the nationalisation of the mining industry to fund free and quality education services.
Road users are advised choose other routes in order to avoid the two protest actions in order not to get caught in traffic.
Notes:
According to a Detik.com report on the same day, a protest action by the Falun Gong Indonesia group will also be held at the Chinese Embassy in the Kuningan area of South Jakarta and the Anti-Corruption Front (BAK) will be holding an action at the Foreign Affairs Department and the Corruption Eradication Commission offices.
[Translated by James Balowski.]
Tempo Interactive - April 1, 2008
Fery Firmansyah, Jakarta – Actions opposing the publication of the controversial anti-Islamic Dutch film "Fitna" are scheduled will be held today. A demonstration involving hundreds of protesters from Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) is planned to take place at the Dutch Embassy on Jl. Rasuna Said in South Jakarta.
This was conveyed by First Deputy Police Inspector Kasno from the Metro Jaya regional police Traffic Management Centre (TMC) when contacted today. The action is planned to start at around 11am. "An estimated 150 to 200 protesters", said Kasno.
In addition to the protest against the film Fitna, some 100 demonstrators from the Anti-Communist Forum (FAK) are also scheduled to hold a protest at the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) offices on Jl. Latuharhary in Central Jakarta at 11am. The protesters will be demanding that Komnas HAM end its ongoing investigation into the 1965 case. "In addition to this, their other demand will be a rejection of the reemergence of communist ideas," said Kasno.
Another action meanwhile is scheduled to take place at the State Place and the House of Representatives building. Hundreds of students from Jakarta and nearby Depok will hold an action demanding improvements to the government's Haj pilgrimage services and a resolution to the Bank Indonesia Liquidity Support Scheme corruption scandal.
"Motorists are advised to avoid these area because of potential traffic jams", said Kasno.
[Translated by James Balowski.]
| West Papua |
South China Morning Post - April 7, 2008
Fabio Scarpello, Jakarta – A coalition of 30 international human rights organisations has warned that a new US$6 billion gas project could worsen the security situation in Papua, the troubled Indonesian region that has recently experienced a rise in tensions.
The Tangguh liquefied natural gas project in Bintuni Bay is spearheaded by BP, which owns more than 37 per cent of the operations and claims to have secured contracts with China, South Korea and the US. The fields contain 407 billion cubic metres of gas and should be operational later this year.
In a letter to BP chief executive Tony Hayward, the coalition said that the operation was likely to lead to an increase in the militarisation of the region and abuses against the local population. "The Indonesian military's past record suggests that it is likely to adopt a highly intimidatory approach, giving rise to possible conflicts with the local and wider Papuan community," the coalition said.
Although there is no firm, independent evidence of an increased military presence, local sources have said that there has been a bigger presence of the Kopassus special forces group – troops notorious for a string of charges over gross human rights violations, Brimob police special operations personnel (also known for violations and killings), intelligence agents and other non-uniformed security forces personnel.
In November 2006, LP3BH, an NGO based in Manokwari that provides human rights training for BP, pointed out that the administrative changes in Bintuni Bay that followed the Tangguh project, would result in a new military command.
The coalition's letter also pointed out that the project is regarded by some Papuans as an obstacle to their political aspirations, and that BP is seen as a collaborator in Jakarta 's exploitation of Papua's natural resources. Papua is among Indonesia 's richest soils, but the standard of living of the local population remains among the lowest in the archipelago.
The coalition initiative was prompted by BP's decision not to extend the mandate of the Tangguh Independent Advisory Panel, a body set up by BP, chaired by former US senator George Mitchell, and formerly made adviser on non-commercial aspects of the project.
According to the coalition, "the external scrutiny of Tangguh's political, economic, social and environmental impact is essential throughout the duration of the project".
BP former communications officer Victor Tjahjadi said that "he was no longer in the capacity to answer as he has been moved to another department", and the current officer, Desi Unijaya, failed to answer the phone for two days.
The letter comes at a time when Papua has witnessed a rise in tensions, with a string of pro-independence demonstrations taking place.
Jack Wanggai, spokesman for the West Papua National Authority, which represents the pro-independence movement and claims to be a shadow government, said that protests would continue and were "aimed at pushing for a new referendum to decide on the region's future".
Papua People's Assembly chairman Agus Alua argued that while a referendum was an option, the immediate concern was the full implementation of the special autonomy the region was granted in 2001.
"Our demand is simple: we want Jakarta to show goodwill in implementing the special autonomy."
Suara Pembaruan - April 5, 2008
Jayapura – The Organisation for Solidarity with the Victims of Human Rights in Papua, along with the Community of Survivors of the Abepura case and the League of Families of the Disappeared, IKOHI, have called on the government, Komnas Ham and the Attorney-General's Office to take speedy action to bring to a conclusion the case of the Wamena Tragedy and the Bloody Wasior Incident.
The demand was made in a statement issued on the fifth anniversary of the Bloody Wasior Incident on 4 April.
The statement which was made public by Peneas Lokbere of the Solidarity Organisation, together with representatives of IKOHI made the point that conflict is very deep-rooted in Papua and is widely acknowledged internationally. It added that the authorities make use of the stigma of OPM separatism to take action in the name of state security.
The people in the Central Highlands are well aware of three major incidents that have left deep scars and trauma, namely the events of 1977, the 6 October 2000 incident and the events of 4 April 2003 in Abepura, when a group of unidentified persons raided the ammunitions dump of the Military Command in Wamena, which led to the deaths of two members of the military who were guarding the dump and one other person.
The raid on the ammunition dump led to the arrest of seven people. "These arrests happened during the course of sweepings to find those responsible for the raid on the dump," said Peneas Lokbere.
In July 2004, Komnas Ham published a 'projusticia' report which concluded that a crime against humanity had occurred in the Wamena Case, with the murder and torture of a number of people in Wamena. "The incident also resulted in the forced eviction of 25 kampungs, which led to a number of people dying of starvation," the statement said.
The NGOs said that the handling of these cases had become completely stuck as a result of disagreements between Komnas HAM and the Attorney General's Office over a number of issues.
The NGOS called on the Attorney General's Office and Komnas HAM to take the issue forward towards a settlement of the cases before the courts. They also said that local government administration should take measures to press for the establishment of a Human Rights Court in Papua and a thorough investigation of the security situation in Papua., while also rejecting the presence of non-organic troops of the army and the police. The authorities should also issue special regulations to provide for compensation and for the protection of the victims of human rights violations in the Land of Papua.
Peneas Lokbere also called for the release of six students now being held at the police command in Jayapura simply for having made use of their right to freedom of expression.
[Abridged translation by TAPOL.]
Jakarta Post - April 2, 2008
Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – In the first-ever informal meeting with the leadership of Regional Representatives Council (DPD) at the presidential office here Friday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono expressed his concern over the social unrest in Papua and simultaneously his commitment to address the prolonged issue.
The President then instructed Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Widodo A.S. to prepare a government regulation in lieu of a law (Perpu) on West Papua province, whose legal jurisdiction under a 1999 law was annulled by the Constitutional Court following the enactment of the 2001 Papua special autonomy law. Is that all?
The Papuan issue is not only a matter of social concern and political commitment, but also a question of how to manage the prolonged conflict and determine what needs to be done to calm down a tense situation.
Not only the President and other state institutions but also the Papuan people and the international world have been worried about the tension. Papuan students have gone down to the streets of Papua's Jayapura, Central Java's Semarang and South Sulawesi's Makassar demanding a self-determination referendum for the province since the seven-year-old special autonomy status has brought no significant changes nor eased decades of grievances of Papuan people still living in fear of intimidation, torture and violence.
Concerned over the terrible conditions, American Samoan Congressman Eni Faleomavaega, who was barred from visiting Papua last July, has launched a black campaign on the Indonesian government, accusing it of abusing human rights and turning a blind eye to Papuans living in poverty. The Germany-based World Church Council recently delivered an official letter to the President with a similar accusation and a call for immediate measures to fully implement the special autonomy and revive the Papuan people's human dignity.
As head of the government, the President should first identify major problems in the resource-rich province so the government knows what to do to better the real condition. He should also evaluate why the special autonomy, which came at the national consensus, does not work optimally.
The anti-Indonesia campaign abroad and the increasing demand for the province's secession from Indonesia will gradually go down if the major problems are settled. But we should bear in mind it could go wrong unless the people's disappointment is addressed.
The special autonomy is not only a matter of funds but also of law enforcement and security to return the tense situation to normalcy. As it was recognized by Governor Barnabas Suebu, despite the annual allocation of huge funds to the province a majority of people are still living below the poverty line and cannot afford the expensive education and health service. The special autonomy fund for the province has drastically increased to Rp 21 trillion (US$2.2 billion) this fiscal year from Rp 3.5 billion in 2003 and around Rp 4.5 trillion in 2006, but only a small part has been used to develop education, health and the people's economic livelihood.
If Jakarta is really concerned with the Papuan issue, the President should have the special autonomy fully implemented. The special autonomy will remain stagnant unless government regulations mandated by the 2001 law on the Papuan special autonomy are issued to allow the provincial government and the Papuan People's Assembly (MRP) to issue relevant bylaws as a legal basis for development programs in Papua.
The law mandates the issuance of seven government regulations as technical and operational guidelines for reconciliation and justice, human resource management, the MRP's establishment, Papuans' cultural rights, province symbols, the flag and other marks of identity and population affairs. So far, only a single regulation on the MRP has been issued. The proposed development of Papua and West Papua into six provinces will meet stronger resistance because it will considerably solve the main issue, except for certain benefits to security and defense authorities.
The President should go down to relevant ministries to have the long-awaited government regulations issued to allow both the MRP and the provincial governments in Papua and West Papua to issue the bylaws.
Justice will be upheld and the people will no longer live in fears and under intimidation if the planned reconciliation is conducted and the unresolved human rights abuse cases are brought to an ad hoc human rights court despite strong resistance from the Indonesian Military and the police. With a special bylaw on Papuans' cultural rights, the MRP will work to educate some 1.5 million indigenous people partly living in the stone age in remote areas and ensure their access to modernity.
The provincial government should also issue bylaws to design pro-poor, pro-growth and pro-environment budget policies and ensure Papuans' civil and political rights and free access to education and health services, construction of public infrastructure and the sustainable management of natural resources. And any party will be barred from activities supporting secessionism inside and outside the two provinces.
The right approach to development will certainly be effective to develop Papua and West Papua into "a land of peace".
[The author is a staff writer at The Jakarta Post.]
Crikey.com - April 1, 2008
Damien Kingsbury – Entering its tenth year since the fall of the authoritarian President Suharto, Indonesia has progressed towards consolidating its democratic system, respecting rule of law and resolving ethnic grievances.
Notably, after a couple of false starts, the direct election of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono helped consolidate Indonesia's reform process. Yet despite this progress, Indonesia retains a blot on its democratic and human rights record; that of West Papua.
There was some hope after 2001 that Indonesia's process of political and economic decentralization would allow West Papua a degree of genuine autonomy. On paper, the "special autonomy" package offered to West Papua, and Indonesia's other formerly troubled province of Aceh, looked to address many outstanding issues.
Yet as has since been noted by many observers, West Papua's "special autonomy" status has been methodically undermined until it has become next to meaningless.
In particular, dividing the province into three provinces, later ratified by Indonesia's constitutional court as two, destroyed much of the substance of its autonomy package. A proposal to create even further provinces even further diminishes the original "special autonomy" package.
Meanwhile, since the redeployment of troops following Aceh's successfully negotiated peace settlement, West Papua has seen a significant build-up of soldiers and paramilitary police. The human rights situation, while not at record bad levels, has consequently deteriorated.
Underlying West Papua's problems with Jakarta has been the means by which the territory was incorporated into the state in 1968. In this, a little over one thousand hand-picked village leaders were compelled to ratify West Papua's forced incorporation into Indonesia in 1963. This process was sanctioned by the UN, but has since been discredited.
West Papua was not only constructed by many Indonesian leaders as central to completing their nationalist project, but the wealth it generates has since underpinned Indonesia's economy.
As a largely self-funded institution, Indonesia's military, the TNI, also has a major economic stake in West Papua, and for both reasons is profoundly opposed to its separation.
Yet for a wealthy province, most West Papuans are poor, have abysmally low levels of education, health care and other development indicators.
And, as Melanesians, West Papuans are looked upon by malay Indonesians with attitudes ranging from pity to contempt. Many Indonesians, in particular in the military, regard West Papuans as being less than fully human, which has exacerbated human rights abuses.
Following the Aceh peace agreement which has seen that province prosper in peace over the past two years, many West Papuan political leaders hoped for a similar resolution.
In order to achieve this, last year the province's disparate political groups, including the Free Papua Organisation (OPM), came together under an umbrella organization, the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation (WPNCL).
The word "liberation" in the WPNCL's title refers to freeing West Papuans from oppression, not necessarily separating from Indonesia.
However, to date, President Yudhoyono has refused to talk with the WPNCL, at least under international mediation, perhaps fearing political backlash from the often fractious and self- serving politics of Jakarta.
Yet following from Aceh's relative success, such a process might offer a means of resolving Indonesia's outstanding separatist issue while significantly improving the lives of a people who have been treated as second class citizens.
From an international perspective, such a resolution would remove a significant impediment from relations with Indonesia, particularly with Australia and the United States.
The West Papua issue retains the potential to destabilize bilateral relations, especially in Australia was faced with accepting another boat-load of West Papuan asylum seekers. Last year's Lombok Treaty does not trump Australia's international and humanitarian obligations to legitimate refugees, and the West Papuan issue continues to come up with members of the US Congress.
It is in Indonesia's interests, and those of its friends, to see the West Papua problem disappear. This cannot happen by sweeping it under the carpet, as with East Timor until the fateful referendum of 1999.
Rather, the problem of West Papua will only disappear when the government of Indonesia decides to seriously address the myriad issues that have bedeviled the territory.
The international community has a role in monitoring events in West Papua, at least as best it can given the continuing restrictions on travel there. And the international community might, as with Aceh, have a role in mediating and overseeing the implementation of any future agreement.
In this, Indonesia can build on its success in Aceh, which brought the government international accolades including Nobel Peace Prize nominations.
The question really is, though, whether Indonesia is still serious about reform, or whether the gains of democratization will again be allowed to slip between it political fingers.
[Damien Kingsbury is the Associate Head (Research) of the School of International and Political Studies at Deakin University and author of "The Politics of Indonesia".]
| Human rights/law |
Jakarta Post - April 7, 2008
Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) is finalizing a revised draft of the human rights law, which grants the commission more powers, including the authority to prosecute suspected perpetrators of abuses, an official Friday says.
The draft says the commission can launch formal investigations into human rights violation cases and prosecute suspects. The commission's current jurisdiction is limited to making preliminary probes and recommending the Attorney General's Office (AGO) investigate cited human rights violations.
"It will give us more power to bring perpetrators of human rights abuses to justice, just as the Corruption Eradication Commission is allowed to prosecute corrupt people," commissioner Kabul Supriyadhie said Friday.
The commission is consulting the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights to determine how best to approach the House of Representatives, which holds the legislative right to amend the 1999 law.
The commissioner on monitoring, Nur Kholis, said the recent ruling by the Constitutional Court, which stipulates the House must establish an ad-hoc human rights trial to hear crimes against humanity found by the commission, reinforced the amendment to the human rights law.
"Preliminary investigations and criminal investigations are intertwined. It would be more efficient to allow a single institution to conduct both," Nur said.
He said the AGO had been too slow in prosecuting several gross human rights violation cases, including the Trisakti University shooting and the ensuing Semanggi riots of the late 1990s, which left 1,217 dead and saw racial violence, including sexual assault, targeted at ethnic Chinese.
In response to the draft, the chairman of the House's Commission III overseeing justice and human rights, Trimedya Panjaitan, said Sunday the lawmakers would study the draft and seek "another way" to deal with the commission's demand.
"There have been many commissions asking for more powers. We will see whether such requests deserve our priority," said Trimedya, a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle.
The two rights abuse cases have been a hot potato issue for the government due to dissenting opinions among the AGO, the commission and the House concerning what legal measures should be taken.
Recently, the trial process for the Trisakti and Semanggi cases reached another stopping point after the AGO announced both cases were closed on the basis the perpetrators had been tried in a military court and could not face a second trial for the same crime.
Activists and victims of the incidents have repeatedly protested the announcement, saying the top officers responsible for the crimes had not stood trial. (anw)
Kompas - April 7, 2008
Jakarta – With the release of all defendants charged over gross human rights violations in East Timor and Tanjung Priok, rights activists are calling on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono review how gross human rights cases are being handled. They also reminded the president of the promise he made to the families of victims on March 26.
This was conveyed by Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) coordinator Usman Hamid on Saturday April 5 in Jakarta. Hamid said that he is disappointed with the release of the defendants charged over gross human rights violations, both those involved in the East Timor and as the Tanjung Priok case, as well the stand taken by the Attorney General who has stopped all investigations into past gross human rights violations.
Whereas when President Yudhoyono met with Kontras and family members of victims of violence and gross human rights violations he declared his support for resolving all such cases. Moreover during the meeting, the president promised that he would hold a special cabinet meeting to discuses the issue. The meeting was to involve the Attorney General and the chief of the Indonesian national police (Kompas, 27/3 and 28/3).
Hamid said that the release of Eurico Guterres represents a continuation of impunity by the state provided to human rights violators."The legal system is incapable of providing justice to victims of gross human rights violations", he said.
Hamid went on to say that there are certain circles that are saying that it is unfair that blame for the gross human rights violations that occurred in East Timor be entirely placed on the shoulders of Guterres and former East Timor governor Abilio Soares."But the question is, it's also unfair because there was no initiative to show who was most responsible for the East Timor cases," asserted Hamid.
As of yesterday afternoon meanwhile, Guterres was still being held at Cipinang prison in Jakarta. According to Mahendradatta, a member of Guterres' team of lawyers, the prosecutor's office has not yet received the Supreme Court decision that found in favour of a request for a judicial review by the former commander of the East Timor pro-integration militia. The decision on the judicial review was read out on March 14.
The panel of judges hearing the judicial review declared that Guterres has been found not guilty of committing the crimes contained in the indictment presented by the public prosecutor and therefore released Guterres from all charges.
Guterres' team of lawyers headed by Suhardi Somomoeljono plan to go to the Central Jakarta District Court later today to request a copy of the Supreme Court's verdict. (idr/VIN)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
Jakarta Post - April 5, 2008
Lilian Budianto, Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights has accused the Attorney General's Office of obstructing human rights campaigns through its reluctance to investigate four past atrocities because of technicalities.
The commission's deputy chairman Ridha Saleh said Friday formal investigations into the incidents would have begun if the AGO did not apply double standards.
The four incidents are the killings in Wasior and Wamena in Papua in 2001 and 2003, respectively, the Trisakti University shooting and May riots in 1998, Semanggi I in 1998 and II in 1999 and the abduction of activists early in 1998.
The AGO returned the commission's reports on the atrocities Wednesday on the grounds the government had not set up the necessary ad hoc courts to hear the cases.
The Constitutional Court ruled in January the President had established an ad hoc court by taking into consideration the investigation by the rights body and formal investigation by the AGO.
Ridha deplored the AGO's reluctance, as under the law any investigation must be undertaken by the AGO. "If the AGO will not launch an investigation into the cases, how can they recommend forming the ad hoc courts?" Ridha said.
In 2002, the House concluded the Trisakti and Semanggi I and II cases did not fall within the category of serious human rights violations and recommended the cases be settled by military or ordinary courts.
A number of police officers were tried and found guilty in a military court for their alleged role in the Trisakti and Semanggi I and II tragedies.
Ridha said alleged perpetrators from the military would only face disciplinary charges if they were tried in a military court.
The slow pace of the investigations into the past violence has sparked protests from rights groups, who demanded the House review its ruling.
Legislator Agun Gunandjar Sudarsa of Golkar Party, the biggest faction at the House, said Friday the House's decision was final despite the human rights commission's new findings.
"There are many pros and cons," he said. "We will not make any further political decision on these cases, but the AGO can go ahead with a formal investigation."
Usman Hamid of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence said the government seemed reluctant to launch a formal investigation into the cases for fear of political consequences.
"The cases are not merely human rights issues. The government and the House have denied responsibility in order to ward off any adverse political impact," he said.
Commission member Nur Kholis said the state prosecutor who led the AGO investigation into the four cases should come to the commission to officially hand over documentation on the rights violations. (anw)
Jakarta Post - April 5, 2008
Lilian Budianto, Jakarta – The life sentence given to a traditional dance coordinator for waving a separatist flag in front of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last year sparked criticism Friday, with a rights activist calling it excessive.
Asmara Nababan, a former secretary-general of the National Commission on Human Rights, said the panel of judges at the Ambon District Court failed to consider that the actions of Johan Teterisa were non-violent.
"The judges should have deemed his action more as a political aspiration than a life-threatening act," Asmara said. "He only waved an RMS flag, and did not carry a weapon." RMS is the South Maluku Republic, a largely Christian separatist group.
In addition to finding Johan guilty, the court over the past two months convicted 19 other members of the traditional dance group of treason, sentencing them to between 10 and 20 years in prison.
State news agency Antara reported Johan broke into tears when the sentence was handed down. The panel of judges said they refused to show leniency toward Johan, an elementary school teacher, as he was sentenced for a similar offense in 2003.
The judges said Johan had been found to be the leader of the RMS in Aboru village in Central Maluku, having joined the group in 2002.
The June 29, 2007, incident was a major embarrassment for Yudhoyono, who was presiding over a ceremony to mark National Family Day in the Maluku capital, where religious violence between 1999 and 2001 claimed thousands of lives.
Asmara said the government had overreacted to the incident. "The life sentence is too much. The government should have been more open-minded in settling the case. We already have too many political prisoners," he said.
Antonius Sujata, a former deputy attorney general, slammed the sentence, saying a life sentence was uncalled for in an episode that did not endanger the lives of others. "The treason charge and the life sentence were emotional, political and nonsense," Antonius said. "The man only waved a flag and did not try to harm the President."
No separatists brought to trial for taking up arms in the rebellious provinces of Aceh and Papua in the past have been sentenced so harshly. Many Aceh rebels were released following the peace agreement that put an end to the decades-long conflict in the province. In Papua, many armed rebels have avoided trial by handing over their arms to security authorities. Life sentence is the maximum penalty for treason under the Criminal Code.
The South Maluku Republic has waged a low-key, relatively non- violent independence movement for years. Security authorities have dismissed the group as a threat to national unity.
Associated Press - April 4, 2008
Chris Brummitt, Jakarta – A court has sentenced the leader of a separatist group in eastern Indonesia to life in prison for waving the flag of a mostly Christian secessionist movement in front of the president last year.
At court official said at least 19 others were convicted of treason and sentenced to between 10 and 20 years over the flag- waving demonstration, which was nonviolent.
The incident was a major embarrassment to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as he presided over a government ceremony in the eastern province of Maluku, which was wracked by violence between Muslims and Christians between 1999 and 2002.
The harshness of the punishments shows Indonesia's extreme sensitivity to separatist movements in the sprawling archipelago and will likely trigger criticism by rights activists.
The group itself – a tiny outfit known by the Indonesian acronym RMS – has little support. It does not believe in violence, and analysts say it poses no threat to central government control of the region.
Court spokesman Amin Syafrudin said the leader of the separatist group, Johan Teterisa, was sentenced to life imprisonment Thursday in the provincial capital Ambon after being found guilty of treason.
State news agency Antara reported Teterisa cried when the sentence was handed down. His lawyers were not immediately available for comment Friday.
Another 19 members of the group have been convicted on treason charges over the last two months, said Syafrudin on Friday. The trials have received little attention in the national media.
Indonesia is overwhelmingly Muslim, but Christians form the majority in parts of Maluku and other eastern regions.
The RMS first emerged in the 1950s soon after Indonesia won its independence from Dutch colonial rule. The group, which was mostly Christian but had some Muslim members, was defeated militarily and its leadership fled to the Netherlands, where it briefly had a government-in-exile.
It was largely forgotten until Maluku erupted in Muslim-Christian violence in 1999 that killed some 9,000 people. The Muslim side took to calling their Christian foes separatists, a charge that helped give their cause legitimacy among the country's mostly Muslim leadership and media.
An overwhelming majority of Christians in the province insist they do not want a separate state.
Indonesia, which has some 18,000 islands and scores of ethnic groups, is battling separatists in Papua province. In 2005, the government reached a deal with secessionists in Aceh province, ending a war that had killed 15,000 people.
Jakarta Post - April 4, 2008
Jakarta – The House of Representatives on Thursday passed the freedom of public information bill, obliging all state agencies and public institutions to disclose their financial reports to the public.
Political parties, judicial bodies and domestic and international non-governmental organizations are also among those affected by the law.
Under the new law, they must reveal information about their activities, performance, policies, project plans, annual cost projections, working procedures, agreements and reports on public information services.
Public institutions are also required to release any information that could threaten people's lives or public order.
The law obliges state-owned companies to disclose information about their procurement of goods and services, shares owners, board of directors and commissioners, audit results from external auditors, remuneration system; legal cases and other information stipulated by the law on state enterprises.
Information that could hamper any ongoing legal processes, threaten national security or compromise intellectual property rights is not covered by the law.
The institutions concerned must respond to public information requests within 10 working days. They may extend their response by up to seven days, but they must send prior notification of this extension.
Any public institution that intentionally hampers access to public information will be punished with a maximum fine of Rp 5 million or up to one-year in jail.
Information and Communications Minister Muhammad Nuh said the law demands transparency from all public institutions. "What is defined as a public institution in this law is not only government bodies, but any institution that receives state funds, public funds and foreign aid," he said.
The law will take effect two years from Thursday. "We still need some legal and technical infrastructure to implement this legislation," he said.
The minister cited one article in the law that requires the establishment of an information commission. Nuh said the government would provide assistance to help public institutions prepare for the implementation of the legislation. "The information ministry will assist public institutions with how to provide electronic-based services."
The House unanimously endorsed the law, which had been deliberated since 2004. However, the National Mandate Party (PAN) expressed concern about a perceived loophole in the legislation.
PAN lawmaker Dedy Djamaluddin questioned the procedure for public information requests. The law stipulates that anyone requesting information must submit a written or oral request to the pertinent institution.
"This request is almost identical to a permission letter. There is an indication that supposedly open information is actually closed information because it requires a sort of permission to access," he said.
Dedy also expressed concern the law did not guarantee the right of foreign nationals or groups to access public information in Indonesia. "I hope the supporting regulations will regulate this matter," he said.
Ahmad Faisol of the Institute for the Study of the Free Flow of Information voiced a similar concern. "This could create discrimination toward foreigners, including international journalists who need to access our public information," he said.
Faisol also criticized the imposition of sanctions on anyone violating the stipulations in the law on the use of information. "This may discourage the public from accessing the information." (alf)
Tempo Interactive - April 4, 2008
Sutarto/Rini Kustiani, Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) is disappointed by the Attorney General's Office (AGO) as they returned the investigative documents for human rights violations to the commission. The documents were sent by courier and not delivered directly to commission members.
"It is an important document. I don't understand why they sent it by courier and left it at the security office. Who will be responsible if it's lost?" said Hesti Armiwulan, a commission member, at a press conference in Jakarta yesterday. Hesti confirmed the commission had not received the documents. There is no written record about the documents' submission.
"Until now we don't know what it is and how many of them there are," said Hesti. The document submission should be done directly between the investigators from AGO and the Commission.
The AGO returned four sets of investigative documents on the human rights violation to the National Commission on Human Rights on Tuesday. They consist of the cases of Wamena-Wasior, the Trisakti tragedy, Semanggi I and II, the riot of May 1998, and mysterious kidnappings.
The Wamena-Wasior document was returned because it's not complete. Documents for the Trisakti tragedy, Semanggi I and II were returned because the perpetrators had been put on trial and convicted by military court. Documents for the riot of May 1998 and mysterious kidnappings were returned because it cannot be processed until the ad hoc human rights court is established.
However, Hesti said that the AGO actually can return the investigative documents. "The documents' return is a substantive matter and not technical or administrative," she said. The AGO should explain which data is not complete and what advice should be added.
Head of the Information Center of AGO, Bonaventura Daulat Nainggolan, denies the AGO returned the documents by courier to the Commission. It was sent by echelon III AGO's staff. "It was not sent by courier," he said. "We contacted the Commission's head before returning it," he said.
Regarding the commission's request for the AGO to explain, Nainggolan said that the AGO has put advice in every document. The point is, he said, the Trisakti, Semanggi I and II, cannot be processed because the perpetrators had been prosecuted and fired from their positions. "One person cannot be put on trial twice in the same case."
Tetty Herati, mother of Elang Mulya, victim from the Trisakti tragedy said she was disappointed. She thought the government is not willing to solve the case that has killed her son. "It has been 10 years without result," she said. She hoped the Trisakti case can be brought to the ad hoc Human Rights court. "We're not looking for the shooter but someone behind it who created the riot."
Tempo Interactive - April 3, 2008
Fanny Febiana/Sukma L, Jakarta – The investigation into the human rights violation in the New-Order is enough for historic revision. "If we want to bring up all human rights incidents in the New-Order period, there will be revision and distortion to our history," said Defense Minister, Juwono Sudarsono at the state palace in Jakarta yesterday.
Juwono together with the coordinator from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), Usman Hamid; and former member of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), Zoemrotin, discussed the human rights violation by dividing personal and professional responsibility of the Indonesian military.
According to Juwono, every military operation in the past can be considered as a violation. "All legal action from previous governments can be considered a violation," he said.
Systemically, the Commission on Human Rights needs to emphasize the personal and institutional responsibilities. "For institutional responsibility, Golkar is then guilty," Juwono said.
Juwono interpreted the constitutional court's decision in February about the retroactive approach can be done by limiting the place and time of the incident. "I think it is fine as long as there is ideology-based sensitivity in selecting the representative," Juwono said. "I refer to Article No. 28 from our basic regulation of 1945 (UUD 1945)."
The meeting was held two days ago, and has not obtained any agreement. According to the activists, the Commission asks for a more detailed investigation.
Tempo Interactive - April 3, 2008
Purborini, Jakarta – International coordinator for Human Right Advocacy, Rafendi Djamin, stated the Attorney General's Office (AGO) does not have the political will to finish the case of the human rights violation.
"This is a classic matter," said Rafendi to Tempo in Jakarta on Wednesday night. There is a different interpretation on the Human Rights Bill No. 26/2000. This makes the agreement between the National Commission on Human Rights and the AGO that was released early this year meaning nothing. "We're back to square one," he said.
The AGO returned four sets of investigative documents on the human rights violation to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) yesterday.
Bonaventura Daulat Nainggolan, head of the Information Center of AGO, said that they had to return it because it was not complete. The returned documents are for the cases of Wamena-Wasior, the Trisakti tragedy, Semanggi I and II, the riot of May 1998, and mysterious kidnappings.
Rafendi said that the AGO actually has authority to complete the document. "The Commission is only responsible for investigation. The attorney should follow it up."
Jakarta Post - April 1, 2008
Jakarta – State enterprises will be required to disclose their financial reports and information about goods and services procurement to the public under new freedom of information laws.
This obligation forms part of the freedom of information bill the House of Representatives is set to pass Thursday. The bill states all information classified as "public" must be made accessible.
Arief Mudatsir, head of the House's special committee deliberating the bill, said Monday the bill obliged public institutions, including state enterprises, to provide public access to 14 kinds of information.
Among these are information on procurement, financial reports, executive replacement, share ownership and corporate social responsibility programs. Failure to comply with the transparency principle carries a maximum fine of Rp 5 million (US$546) or up to one year in prison.
The issue of public access to information for state-owned companies had stalled debate of the bill because the government insisted state enterprises were not public institutions.
The draft law does not specifically state national flag companies are public institutions. However, Arief said the general definition of public institution in the bill would include state-owned companies.
"We define a public institution as any institution that provides public services and is funded by the state budget, public funds or foreign aid," Arief said. "This definition includes state- owned enterprises."
Under this definition, the government, legislature, political parties and nongovernmental organizations will also be classified as public institutions.
The bill does not stipulate what information state enterprises may keep from the public. Arief said this might lead to disputes when the public requested information outside the 14 categories regulated in the bill.
"Such disputes can be settled by the Information Commission," said Arief. The commission, which the bill establishes, will comprise seven members at the national level and five members for each province.
Andreas Pareira, another member of the House's special team, said the House and the government had included an article dealing with sanctions. In the earlier draft, the bill imposed sanctions on anyone misusing the requested information, which Andreas said was too vague.
In the final draft, sanctions are imposed only on those who use public information for illegal purposes. The offense attracts a maximum Rp 30 million fine or five years in prison.
Agus Sudibyo of the Science, Esthetics and Technology Foundation questioned the article imposing sanctions. "It's unusual for legislation to stipulate sanctions. This legislation regulates access to information, not how that information is used," he said.
Agus expressed concern the provision would overlap with punishments for public information users. "Even without this legislation, any act that violates any regulation will be punished," he said.
The bill will come into effect two years after its endorsement by the House, giving the House and the government time to establish the Information Commission and formulate four supporting regulations. (alf)
| Labour issues |
Jakarta Post - April 4, 2008
Tangerang – Hundreds of people claiming to be employees of money changer firms at Soekarno-Hatta airport staged a rally, causing long congestions at the western gate on Thursday morning.
The employees demanded the airport's management cancel a plan to relocate money changer outlets from Terminal B and E to the arrivals section.
"The move will disadvantage money changer businesses," the strike's coordinator Rahmat Aryanto said, as quoted by Tempointeraktif.com.
The strike lasted for more than an hour and caused congestion that spanned four kilometers along the western gate and on nearby Jl. Suryadarma.
Kompas - April 3, 2008
Jakarta, Kompas – Increases in the inflation rate is putting increasing pressure on workers' real wages. Because of this therefore, the government must, as soon as possible, realise intervention programs that can indirectly improve workers' welfare, such as the construction affordable housing for workers.
"Almost 40 percent of wages are spent on transportation and housing costs so if a worker could own their own home near to their place of employment, a larger portion could be saved. This approach is easier to undertake than pressuring companies to increase wages because not all companies are experiencing good business growth," said Confederation of Prosperity Labour Unions (K-SBSI) president Rekson Silaban in Jakarta on Wednesday April 4.
Based on data from the National Statistics Agency, real wages in January 2008 declined in comparison with January 2007. Comparing the third quarter of 2007 with the third quarter of 2006, the real wage of cigarette manufacturing workers fell by 28.05 percent and garment workers by 13.07 percent.
In nominal terms, the average wage for workers in the garment industry was recorded at 762,817 rupiah per month or a fall of 7.02 percent compared with nominal wages for the third quarter of 2006.
Up until now, employers have paid workers based on the stipulations set by the regional minimum wage (UMR) as determined regional governments. The UMR is set at around 80 percent of the value of the proper necessities of life because of the current economic conditions.
Take the experience of Puji (39) for example, a textile factory worker in the Nusantara Cakung Bonded Zone in North Jakarta. Although his wage is 900,000 rupiah per month, he spends at least 400,000 rupiah per month to contract a 3 x 4 meter room in a boarding house in Pulo Gebang, East Jakarta, and transportation costs to and from work. As it happens, the minimum wage for Jakarta Special Province for 2008 was raised from 900,560 rupiah to 972,604 rupiah per month.
On the question of housing, the government launched the Housing Construction Acceleration Program for Workers Welfare (P5KP) on January 28, 2008. As many as 200,000 housing units will be constructed over a two year period for workers with an income of less than 4.5 million rupiah per month.
Market orientation
Indonesian Textile Association (API) executive secretary Ernovian G Ismy is of the view that the decline in real wages that is being experienced by many workers in the garment industry has occurred because of its orientation to domestic markets.
"Garment industries that are export orientated are still going okay, full order. But those who are orientating to domestic markets are in fact being progressively ground down," said Ismy. In the case of the ready-made garment industry, workers' nominal wages are trimmed when there is a decline in demand. A decline in production results in workers loosing overtime wages.
"Actually under such difficult conditions, the government needs to support industry in order that it is more competitive in the domestic market. If industry runs better, the welfare of workers will also be better," said Ismy. (ham/DAY/lkt)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
Detik.com - April 3, 2008
M. Rizal Maslan, Jakarta – Hundreds of inter-city public transport drivers demonstrated in front of the Jakarta Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) on Wednesday April 3. They were demanding that the regional police and the Jakarta Department of Transport and Communication take action against black number plated vehicles (private cars) soliciting passengers in West Jakarta.
They also called on the DPRD's Commission B to improve the performance of the Metro Jaya regional police and the Jakarta Department of Transport and Communication saying that have failed to act firmly against unlicensed vehicles.
"Investigate and try rogue police officers and transport officials who are involved in protecting and accepting bribes from illegal public transport," said National Transport Workers Federation (FBTN) chairperson Saiful Millah during a speech in front of the DPRD on Jl. Kebon Sirih in Central Jakarta yesterday.
Millah threatened that if no concrete action is taken within the next two weeks, they would go on strike indefinitely. He also said he regretted that quick action is always taken against official inner-city public transport vehicles or those with yellow number plates who are involved in traffic violations, fail to pay fees, did not have drivers licenses or violated designated routes.
"But police officers and the Department of Transport and Communication are never controlled. Moreover the illegal fees that they collect are far cheaper [sic]," complained Mullah.
The FBTN is a federation of sevaral trade unions including the Public Transport Drivers Union (SPAU), the National Transportation Trade Union (SBTN), the Blue Bird (taxi drivers) Trade Union (SPBB) and the Jakarta Transportation Company Trade Union (SP-PPD).
The protesters, who arrive at the DPRD at 11am, brought banners with messages such as "The growth in illegal inner-city transport is causing us constant worry", "Get rid of black number plated inner-city transport" and "Every day we pay fees, why is action taken against us".
The action, which proceeded peacefully, was closely watch over by around 10 police officers from the Gambir sectoral police. (anw/fay)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
Jakarta Post - April 3, 2008
Jakarta – Hundreds of minivan drivers staged a rally in front of the City Council building on Wednesday, demanding privately owned vehicles stop picking up passengers in West Jakarta. They also demanded councilors increase supervision of the transportation agency and the city police, which they claimed allowed private vehicles to operate as public transportation.
"Investigate and punish the officers that have protected and received illegal fees from these illegal public transportation vehicles," said the head of the National Federation of Transportation Workers, Saiful Millah, as quoted by Detik.com.
He said if the councilors failed to act within the next two weeks, the federation would order all public minivans in West Jakarta to stop operating.
Official public transportation vehicles use yellow license plates, while private four-wheel vehicles bear black plates and are not allowed to operate as public transportation vehicles.
Jakarta Post - April 1, 2008
Jakarta – Hundreds of contract workers hired by bus operator Transjakarta, who are members of the Indonesian Madani Labor Union, staged a rally Monday demanding they be made permanent employees.
Union chairman Yudha Adi, one of the contract workers, said they also demanded the company eliminate the outsourcing and contract system for hiring workers. They have not received any response from the administration.
"The city administration sent an official from the public order agency to negotiate with us.... He was not able to solve our problem," Yudha said.
He said Transjakarta had more than 400 outsourced employees who had been working as cashiers and ticketing and barrier guards in the first three corridors on average for between two and four years.
"We have never received Idul Fitri bonuses because we are usually transferred to another company a few months before the (Islamic) holiday," he said.
| Environment/natural disasters |
Jakarta Post - April 5, 2008
Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – The government has started calculating the country's total climate emissions as part of efforts to mitigate the impacts of human-induced climate change.
National project manager of Indonesia's second national communication to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Armi Susandi, said the inventory of greenhouse gas emissions could also be used to counter reports calling Indonesia the world's third-largest emitter after the United States and China.
"We will analyze policies issued by all sectors to calculate the country's total emissions," he told The Jakarta Post after a meeting with the national communication team Tuesday.
He said the report, which is expected to be completed this year, would outline efforts the country would take to cut carbon dioxide emissions, the main contributor to climate change. "We hope to submit the second national communication to the United Nations next year," he said.
A signatory of the Kyoto Protocol on the UNFCCC, Indonesia submitted its first national communication report to the UN in 1999 during the climate conference in Bonn, Germany. The first report referred to Indonesia's forests as the main emitter in the country.
The UN requires rich countries that are signatories of the Kyoto Protocol to submit inventory data of their emissions every year. Developing countries, including Indonesia, however, can voluntarily submit a national communication report.
Armi said the team would calculate emissions from the energy, mining, forestry, agriculture and transportation sectors.
The British Department for International Development and consultancy firm Peace earlier said Indonesia had become the world's third largest emitter due to rapid deforestation.
The world's largest emitter, the United States, releases 6,005 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (MtCO2e) annually, followed by China with 5,017 MtCO2e. The majority of emissions in both countries comes from energy use. Indonesia's yearly emissions are estimated at 3,014 MtCO2e, mostly from land use change and forest destruction, which contribute about 2,563 MtCO2e to the total.
Indonesia has repeatedly denied the report but failed to come up with an emissions calculation of its own. International green group Greenpeace reports indicate Indonesia lost 72 percent of its 123.35 million hectares of rainforest between 2000 and 2005.
A research and development official at the Forestry Ministry, Rufi'ie, told the meeting that the country's forest emissions reached 19 billion tons in 2000 from 108 million hectares of forest, or more than half of the national emissions totaling 24 billion tons. He said the country's forests could produce about 180 tons of carbon per hectare.
Ujang Solihin Sidik, a waste management official at the state minister of the environment's office, said the country's landfill system had generated significant methane gas emissions that would also worsen global warming. He estimated each of 26 major cities across the country produced at least 54,000 cubic meters of waste per day.
"If just 65 percent of the waste is disposed at the final dump site, the sanitary landfill in the cities would produce at least 4,000 tons of methane gas per day," he said. However, the government has yet to prioritize global warming mitigation from the waste sector, he said.
Jakarta Post - April 4, 2008
Jakarta – Illegal logging is causing more than the destruction of forests – it is destroying human lives through trafficking of girls to logging camps.
Roostien Ilyas of the National Commission for Child Protection (KPA) said recent cases of women and children trafficking had been uncovered in illegal logging spots in West Kalimantan.
"We found around 150 girls aged between 14 and 16 who were being forced to provide sexual services for illegal loggers," Roostien said Thursday in a discussion during the second Asia-Pacific Congress for the International Council of Women in Jakarta.
The non-governmental organization investigating the case, Nanda Dian Nusantara Foundation, failed to get cooperation from local police because some police officers and local government officials were allegedly involved in the crime, said Roostien, who is also the foundation chairwoman.
"We had to ask the National Police and the Social Services Ministry to help with this," she said, adding that these cases were just some of the many children trafficking cases that have never been reported to the public.
The Indonesian representative of the International Council of Women, Tanya Alwi, said such cases were overlooked by the public because they happened in remote areas where the government's supervision and law enforcement were weak.
"That's why we demand that local administrations keep a close eye out for cases of human trade in their regions," she told The Jakarta Post.
The congress, attended by dozens of women from Asia-Pacific countries, also urged the National Police to adopt a better gender-perspective when dealing with cases of women and child trafficking.
"The police should hire more women, who can be trained to handle sensitive cases, because the culture in Indonesia is not conducive to facilitate women to report if they are victims of sexual violence. In fact, they usually pull away from the community because they are ashamed of what happened to them," Tanya said.
Despite the fact that police have established a special division called the Complaints Unit for Women and Children, the service is only available at the provincial and municipality levels, she said.
"The police should also provide the service at subprecincts because crimes usually happen at the subdistrict level," she added.
The police have provided a special unit for women and children at a subprecinct level, but only in border areas, National Police detective Adj. Sr. Comr. Sundari said. "What we considered is that human trafficking mostly occurs in border areas," she told the Post.
The National Police chief takes human trafficking cases seriously and has ordered all police officers to use a special approach when dealing with victims, Sundari said.
"The police have also considered opening special shelters for victims, but haven't got the budget for now. All we can do for the moment is work with non-governmental organizations to provide shelters, as well as counseling," she said. (dia)
Agence France Presse - April 1, 2008
Nabiha Shahab, Kuala Cenaku – Marto Wijoyo and his family left the overcrowded Indonesian island of Java 27 years ago in search of a better life on neighbouring Sumatra.
The government had given Wijoyo, now 60, a tract of fertile land to plant with rice and a home to call his own as part of a plan to ease Java's population pressures. Soon, he was producing twice-yearly harvests of more than ten tonnes of rice. Life was easy then, he said.
All that changed four years ago when his neighbours in this lush village in Sumatra's Riau province decided to join the palm oil craze that has turned Indonesia into the world's biggest producer.
Farmers across the region have switched from food crops to oil palm, lured by rising prices as the demand for the clean-burning biofuels it is largely used to make has risen. Last year, around 2.1 million hectares of land in Riau was taken up by oil palm plantations, compared with only around 400,000 hectares a decade ago.
But despite its green credentials, the crop is taking a major toll on the environment, driving forest clearing, polluting rivers and introducing more pests.
Wijoyo, who resisted joining the rush, said his crop has halved since oil palm plantations began springing up in nearby fields, providing a dry haven for pests to nest away from the damp rise paddies. "Ever since they planted oil palm the number of birds, rats, snails has increased, and they are destroying our rice crops," he said.
Large swathes of Sumatra's forest have been destroyed to make way for palm oil plantations, with companies clearing the trees and burning the stumps that remain.
Greenpeace activist Zulfahmi said the fires can smoulder underneath the dry peat for months, producing clouds of acrid smoke that spread far and wide.
"The demand for palm oil has driven the clearing of more and more peatland forests. What we see here is one of the last remaining forests in Riau," he said, waving at forested peatlands in the process of being cleared.
"Peat thickness in Riau in some areas can reach more than ten metres. To prepare a peatland forest for plantation, a company will clear all the timber out, then stack the remaining stumps and burn them."
The large amount of fertilizer required for oil palm cultivation is also threatening local rivers – and the livelihoods of the fishermen that depend on them.
Bujang Sok, 65, showed AFP his meagre catch of less than two kilogrammes (five pounds) of fish from the Cenaku river. A decade ago, he said, he was catching 10 times as much. "How can we catch any fish? The water is polluted by the palm oil companies' fertilizers and the peat water," he said as he pointed at the murky river.
Kuala Cenaku chief Mursyid Ali fondly remembers the days when his village was known all over the country as one of Indonesia's biggest rice producers. He accused people of blindly following the palm oil craze and worried that the irrigation system in place for growing rice would be left to rot.
"In five years I am sure there will be fewer and fewer people planting rice," he said. "Unfortunately, the agriculture office cannot force people to plant rice. People can plant whatever they want."
| Health & education |
Jakarta Post - April 6, 2008
Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung – Three people with HIV/AIDS were recently admitted to Abdul Moeloek General Hospital in Bandarlampung, Lampung province, bringing to 94 the total number of patients treated at the hospital for the disease in the past three months.
The patients, identified by their initials as Fr and Wn, both 25, and Ud, 35, are being treated at a special ward in the hospital.
Hospital director Dr. Wirman said Friday the hospital had never treated such a high number of patients. "The number of HIV/AIDS patients is considered quite spectacular."
He said two of the three patients were undergoing voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), in addition to receiving intensive treatment.
"Fr's condition is not too severe. His condition could improve, although he isn't on the antiretroviral (ARV) treatment to prevent viral resistance. He is still undergoing further tests to determine the status of his immune system." He said Wn and Ud required extensive treatment because the HIV virus had affected their immune systems, but added that they still could improve if they underwent routine treatment combined with ARV therapy.
The doctor said HIV/AIDS treatment was no longer a problem, thanks to ARV, which prevents the spread of the virus.
"Anyone can survive as long as they take the medicine for the rest of their lives."
Herdimansyah, head of the Coalition for a Healthy Lampung, a local NGO, said the rate of spread of the virus in Lampung was alarming because most people were still unaware of the disease.
He said the Global Fund for HIV-AIDS Prevention had terminated allocations to Lampung because the provincial administration lacked commitment to fighting the disease.
"The administration did not allocate a budget to fight HIV/AIDS. In addition to tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS cases are also on the rise in the province. Besides the 94 patients treated at the hospital, the actual number of afflicted is likely to be higher because some of them are too ashamed to seek treatment."
He said the Global Fund had assisted the Health Ministry's AIDS prevention efforts since March 2007.
Although funding has been severed, the local administration continues to receive grants via the government from humanitarian relief agencies, including the Ford, Rockefeller and Asian foundations, as well as the United Nations.
Herdimansyah said the Global Fund had been providing around Rp 500 million since 2007, to be used in programs including counseling, voluntary tests, mothers-to-infants HIV spread prevention and HIV/AIDS drugs.
In 2007, Lampung recorded 141 AIDS cases, 110 of which were found in Bandarlampung, including 38 fatalities.
North Lampung regency reported five cases with four deaths, Central Lampung five cases with two deaths and Metro five cases with two deaths.
South Lampung recorded one non-fatal case, Tulangbawang one case and no fatalities, Tanggamus two cases with no fatalities and Way Kanan three cases with two deaths.
However, the government data differs from numbers provided by the Saburai Support Group, an NGO providing advocacy for people with AIDS.
Its coordinator, Aji Vespa, said more than 85 HIV/AIDS patients had died between 2004 and March this year.
The figure, according to Aji, is based solely on the number of people the group counseled, suggesting the total number may be higher.
Aji said his group had counseled 155 people with HIV/AIDS in 10 regencies and cities in Lampung, ranging from children below the age of five to adults, including a number of housewives infected by their spouses.
He said HIV/AIDS prevention in Lampung was ineffective due to a general lack of public awareness and knowledge of the disease. Many of the residents consider the disease a curse and ostracize those afflicted.
Aji said many of those with HIV/AIDS in Lampung were believed to have previously lived or worked in Jakarta. They returned home to Lampung when their conditions worsened.
Jakarta Post - April 1, 2008
Ruslan Sangadji, Tojo Una-Una – Members of the isolated Tau Taa tribe, in Tojo Una-Una regency in Central Sulawesi, say discrimination and apathy has left their children scrawling their lessons in the dirt.
The tribe, known locally as To Wana, dwells in a number of villages called lipu, such as Lengkasa, Vatutana, Partambung, Mpoa, Tikore, Umeviawu and Ratovali.
According to the 2006 data, To Wana tribespeople number 1,500. They live in remote areas or deep in tropical forest plains, elevated at an average of 700 meters above sea level.
The government has blamed remoteness for not building schools in their villages, and the nearest school in Bulang Jaya, a transmigration settlement unit, takes five hours to reach walking.
Families continue to enroll their children into school despite experiencing discrimination and ridicule from school authorities, tribesman Apa Wis, 32, told the The Jakarta Post, who visited the community recently.
"Teachers asked questions like 'what's the use of putting your child in school'", Apa Wis said. "They ask, "Where do you come from?", and say the school is designated only for transmigrants, and tell us we cannot study there because we are not transmigrants," he said.
Children from the tribe are also mocked by other children because they walk to school barefooted. Shoes are a luxury for the tribespeople, and not something they are used to.
"They are not used to wearing shoes because it's not their tradition," an activist at the Palu Merah Putih Foundation, Badri Djawara, who is a supporter of the To Wana tribespeople, said.
He said school authorities should have made it clear to teachers and students that children from the To Wana community were the same as other children, and should not be discriminated against. Parents are worried about the ill-treatment their children are receiving.
"We have never been worried about the arrival of outsiders from Java, Bali and Lombok, but why are we shunned by them? This is our land and we have our rights too," Apa Wis said.
Despite that, the To Wana community refuses to give in. Following a study conducted by the Palu Merah Putih Foundation on the community, they mutually decided to set up an alternative school in a village assembly hall, and called it lipu school (village school). It is run by Indo Deleng, 24, a local teacher who graduated from senior high school.
The local administration remains unsupportive, and has not provided a monthly salary for Deleng.
Members of the To Wana community eventually decided to pay Deleng's salary themselves by setting aside some of their crops to the teacher. "We're poor but we still provide part of our yields to Deleng, so our children can keep studying," Apa Wis said.
The school has since prospered in three villages – Mpoa, Lengkasa and Kablenga – and enrolled more than 100 pupils.
They study with whatever resources are available. At times, when they run out of chalk, Deleng teaches students by scrawling on the ground or using charcoal to write on used paper.
Badri said the situation needed immediate action, and called on the government to assist in providing education facilities for the To Wana tribe, including school buildings and qualified teachers.
| War on corruption |
Jakarta Post - April 6, 2008
Jakarta – After prohibiting state officials from accepting wedding gifts, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) also plans to forbid officials from receiving parcels valued at more than Rp 500,000 (US$54).
KPK deputy chairman overseeing prevention, Haryono, said Friday the policy would come into effect soon after all KPK officials signed a regulation forbidding state workers from accepting "excessive" gifts that could be seen as rewards for corrupt actions.
"Another policy is that no officials are allowed to accept cash gifts of more than Rp 1 million at either wedding or birthday parties," he said.
Haryono said officials were told to report to the KPK if they accepted such gifts, and the graft body would set aside gifts that should go to the state. "If they accept a parcel worth more than Rp 500,000, it must be returned to the state," he said.
Former women's empowerment minister Erna Witoelar said Thursday that she handed over some Rp 70 million in wedding gifts for her son to the KPK because of the regulation.
Haryono said the officials would allow 30 days to assess whether the gifts were considered bribes. "We will advise all institutions and enact the regulation this month," he said.
Introducing the regulation is important to assure legal certainty for officials, he said.
Under Article 12 of the 2001 law on corruption, a state official can be sentenced to between four years and life imprisonment, or fined between Rp 200 million to Rp 1 billion if he or she is proven to have accepted any rewards or gifts.
The KPK first implemented the regulation in 2006 when then chairman Taufiequrrachman Ruki asked the president to forbid government officials from accepting Idul Fitri, Christmas or New Year gift parcels, including flowers, from subordinates, colleagues and business partners.
Haryono said he hoped it would gradually prevent corruption in society. "Many employees look for 'sympathy' if they give excessive gifts to their boss, while in fact this could be seen as giving them payment for something," he said. (ewd)
| Islam/religion |
Jakarta Post - April 4, 2008
Lilian Budianto, Jakarta – Violence is not rooted in Islam or any other religion, but is often linked to religions by those seeking to further their own political and economic interests, an interfaith seminar heard here Thursday.
The one-day event was co-hosted by the New York-based Church Work Service (CWS) and the Communication Forum for Jakarta Christians (FKKJ) to promote interreligious dialogue in the predominantly Muslim Indonesia.
Ruth Wangkai, a Protestant priest who is pursuing her doctorate in Islamology at the Southeast Asian Graduate School of Theology in Yogyakarta, said most communal conflicts were rooted in social injustice or economic disparity, not religious tensions.
However, she said these conflicts often seemed to be sparked by religious sentiments because that was the most observable factor, and because religious issues were often exploited for politically driven purposes.
The seminar was held amid the ongoing debate over the anti-Islam film Fitna by Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders. The film has sparked outrage in Muslim and some Western nations, including the Netherlands.
The 17-minute movie equates Islam with violence, featuring violent imagery of terrorist attacks in New York and Madrid intermixed with Koranic verses.
Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said the film did not represent the views of the Western world, and expressed regret the film had been aired. Ruth said the decision by Wilders to produce and air the film should be seen as a political maneuver instead of simply a religious attack.
"He must have considered the political impact he would receive by making such a movie, and only he himself knows what he is actually expecting," she said.
Wilders told AFP in a recent interview that he was seeking to stop Islamization by banning the immigration of people from Muslim countries to the Netherlands, which he said had resulted in cultural tensions. The Dutch Freedom Party leader claimed he had no particular hatred toward Muslim nations.
Father Benny Susetyo of the Indonesian Bishops Council (KWI), speaking at Thursday's seminar, said religion was often made a scapegoat in any communal tension and conflict by people seeking political gain.
He said although theological misinterpretations and religious misperceptions could lead to societal friction, it would not turn into violence unless fueled by economic and political injustice or manipulated by political elite.
"We agree all religions teach us peace but it will be deprived of our life when people no longer see justice, truth and freedom," he said. "We cannot preach peace to people suffering injustice."
Benny said the government should create prosperity and uphold justice for everybody in order to ensure peace among followers of different religions. "If justice and prosperity are secured, people will not easily be exploited and distorted by the reading of religious dogma."
Confucian priest Rip Tock said, "We should avoid discriminating against followers of a certain religion because of their theological differences." "Everybody claiming themselves to be religious must demonstrate their religious tolerance to those from other beliefs. This will avoid unnecessary tensions," he said.
Jakarta Post - April 2, 2008
Lilian Budianto, Jakarta – The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a bill maintaining the government as the single Islamic haj organizer amid criticism of monopoly by the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU).
The new law says the Religious Affairs Ministry will continue to control the pilgrimage business operation despite many complaints from various sides about alleged corruption and poor management and services. However, the law requires the government to form an independent supervisory committee to monitor the haj management.
The Indonesian Haj Supervisory Committee (KPHI) would consist of nine members – three government officials and the remaining six from public elements, including the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI).
The three officials in the committee would be comprised of single members of the Religious Affairs Ministry, the Health Ministry and the Indonesian Embassy in Saudi Arabia.
The nine members, whose tenures are set to last three-years, are tasked with choosing a KPHI chairman and deputy chairman, as well as supervising and analyzing haj operational management and offering recommendations to the government.
The KPPU once met President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and asked the government to allow the private sector to become involved in haj related businesses to increase competition and efficiency.
Muhammadiyah Din Syamsuddin made a similar call for an end to monopoly in haj operations. He said the government should allow community groups, including Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama – the nation's two largest Muslim organizations – to manage the pilgrimage of their own members.
Once established, the KPHI would have to oversee the whole haj management and report to the President and the House at least once in a year.
The new law also mandates the Religion Affairs Ministry to report its financial audit to the President and the House at the latest three-months after the completion of haj pilgrimage. The financial report would have to include the balance of the haj pilgrimage expenses to be deposited under the post of People's Eternal Fund (DAU).
MUI general secretary Sam Ichwan said such a financial report was crucial given that DAU money was highly prone to misuse due to lack of monitoring.
Prior to the enactment of the new law, the Religious Ministry was the sole organizer, supervisory body as well as regulator for the haj management. Former religious minister Said Aqil Hussein Al- Munawwar is serving a 10-year jail term for corruption connected to the misappropriation of DAU funds.
The funds were supposed to be spent on haj related programs, including health care for pilgrims and their education service, while Said was convicted of misusing the money for the interests of himself and his groups.
Under the new law, the Religious Ministry is obliged to establish a board consisting of independent members to supervise the use of DAU money. The law also maintains the government's privilege to set the price for haj pilgrimage and its haj quota for each province after approval from the House.
Many pilgrims have criticized the government for overcharging them, while other critics say the cost of Indonesian haj pilgrimage has been much higher than that imposed by Malaysia.
Indonesia sends more than 200,000 pilgrims to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, annually, making it the largest single-country group last year. It is a huge business for the world's biggest Muslim nation, involving over Rp 6 trillion.
Agence France Presse - April 1, 2008
Jakarta – Indonesia's president has urged the mainly Muslim nation not to resort to violence in protests against an anti- Islamic film, and barred the far-right Dutch lawmaker behind it from entering the country.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono also said the screening of "Fitna", which has sparked several protests here since its release on the Internet last Thursday, would be banned in the former Dutch colony.
"I am asking (Indonesians) not to engage in actions such as destruction, violence and sweepings (harassing foreigners), because Islam and the other religions forbid violence and it is also against the law," Yudhoyono told journalists late Monday.
The 17-minute film features imagery of the attacks on New York in 2001 and Madrid in 2004 combined with quotes from the Koran, Islam's holy book, and has been called "offensively anti-Islamic" by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Dozens of people protested outside the Dutch embassy in Jakarta amid heavy security on Monday, chanting anti-Dutch slogans and throwing eggs and water. The Muslim group Hizbut Tahrir is planning a second demonstration there Tuesday morning.
Indonesia's communication minister said he had written to the YouTube video sharing website asking it to remove the film, while Yudhoyono said he had issued a ban on its maker, Geert Wilders, entering the country.
The Dutch foreign minister sought Monday to temper anger over the film in the Muslim world, saying that hurt feelings need not lead to violence. Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim nation with some 90 percent of its 230 million people following Islam.
Jakarta Post - April 1, 2008
Jakarta – A controversial discussion late last week on homosexuality spilled over Monday as mainstream religious organizations claimed homosexuality was a psychological disorder, not a natural behavior given by God.
Comments by several progressive Muslim scholars last week that the dominance of heterogeneity was a social construction spurred mainstream religious organization of all denominations to clarify that its roots were in the word of God.
"Yes, it's a social construction, but it is derived from the Koran. The Koran clearly states that homosexuality is unacceptable, and we ulema have agreed about that," Ma'aruf Amin, chairman of the Fatwa Commission at the Indonesia Ulema Council, told The Jakarta Post.
Siti Musdah Mulia of the Indonesia Conference of Religions and Peace said last Thursday in a discussion hosted by the non- governmental organization Arus Pelangi that homosexual behavior should be considered a condition sent by God.
Responding to this, Ma'aruf said homosexuality was an option, not something natural. "It's a curable disorder. There have been many cases where homosexuals have realized what they did was wrong and became heterosexuals again. It's something that can be fought off," he said.
Ma'aruf acknowledged that every behavior was rooted in God. "God created both good and bad behaviors, but He told humans to choose the good ones. So, it's a matter of options," he said.
Benny Susetyo of the Indonesian Bishops Council said humans were not born with sexual disorders and that the Catholic Church opposed homosexuality because it violated both the divine and natural laws applying to human beings.
"According to official church documents, we weren't born with sexual disorders. The church regards homosexual behavior as a psychological disorder that is curable," he told the Post.
Benny said such disorders could not be seen as natural or deserving of justification. "God creates men and women with their corresponding intuitions and behaviors. Just because something was not chosen doesn't mean it was inborn. The reasons to become a homosexual can include acquired desires or childhood or environmental conditioning," he said.
Benny said that because homosexual behavior was curable, homosexuals deserved pastoral care. "Homosexuals deserve church services and therapy to help them get back to their true nature. But above all, they also deserve respect," he said.
Gomar Gultom of the Indonesian Communion of Churches said many Indonesian churches opposed homosexuality because it was against the concept of procreation as stated in the Bible.
"Sexuality reflects God's affection to the world, with God designing sexual interaction to create new life. A couple, with God's grace, create a new human life so that this life will not end," Gomar told the Post.
He said, however, that many churches regarded homosexuality as a personal matter. "Christianity firmly believes in the heterosexual concept, but doesn't want to judge anyone with homosexual behavior because it's an option that should be respected," said Gomar. (dia)
| Elections/political parties |
Jakarta Post - April 7, 2008
Jakarta – The ongoing conflict within the National Awakening Party (PKB) reflects the country's failure to establish a strong political party system that nurtures democracy, observers say.
Political analyst Muhammad Qodari said the PKB's internal dispute would only create continued instability in Indonesian politics. "There have been so many parties in and out of here; it's not good for political parties or the public," said Qodari.
He said he faulted political parties in Indonesia for failing to develop an effective conflict resolution mechanism, which had resulted in the formation of splinter groups and the migration of party members to rival parties.
"Internal dispute may prevent a party from building a strong organizational system, while the public will find it difficult to identify with the party," Qodari said.
The PKB, the fifth-largest faction at the House, is facing its toughest test of unity ever after the party's executive board formally dismissed party leader Muhaimin Iskandar on Saturday. Muhaimin, however, defied the decision, calling attention to an order by Muslim ulemas linked to the party for him to stay.
Muhaimin also formed an investigative team to identify masterminds of the internal conflict, who he said included party secretary general Zannubah Arifah Chafsoh or Yenni Wahid, a daughter of PKB chief patron Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid. It was Gus Dur who ordered the dismissal of Muhaimin, who is his nephew.
Saiful Mujani of the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) said internal conflict within political parties would adversely affect the process of public policymaking at the House.
"If unsettled, the dispute will contribute directly to the performance of lawmakers in formulating public policies. Lawmakers will waste a lot of energy, which could be used to create high quality legislation, to cope with the conflict," said Saiful.
Another observer, Fachri Ali of the Indonesian Science Institute, said Muhaimin's dismissal underlined Gus Dur's uncontested power within the PKB. "Honestly, the PKB is owned by Abdurrahman Wahid," said Fachri.
Both Qodari and Saiful said the centralistic leadership was found in other political parties in the country, which they said did not contribute to democracy.
"The parties' vision and mission are subordinated by the prominent figures," said Saiful. "Gus Dur is bigger than the PKB, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is bigger than the Democratic Party and Megawati Soekarnoputri is more prominent than the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle."
Saiful added that centralistic leadership hampered conflict resolution in political parties. Most of all, the internal dispute will further degrade public trust in political parties, he said. (alf)
Jakarta Post - April 6, 2008
Nana Rukmana, Cirebon – Thousands of people in Cirebon regency, who were victims of a cheap rice scam, have threatened to abstain from voting in the West Java gubernatorial election slated for April 13.
Reports gathered Thursday said the threat was made because authorities would not help them recover the Rp 1.7 billion (US$188,000) defrauded by the organizer of the cheap rice program, who claimed to be campaigning for candidates Danny Setiawan and Iwan Sulanjana.
The 4,500 victims of the scam have requested help from the Cirebon municipal council, the municipality and Golkar Party's regional executive board a number of times.
"We have requested help from them repeatedly, but have not been responded to seriously. None of them are willing to help us, so we won't use our voting rights and we'll become members of golput," said one of the victims, Yatno, from Kesunean village, Lemahwungkuk district.
Golput, short for golongan putih (white group), is a term to describe a group of people who refuse to support or vote for any political party or leadership candidate.
The victims protested at the Cirebon municipal council on Tuesday. "In the protest, we conveyed to the reputable councilors we would boycott the election if they didn't care about the fate of us commoners," said another victim of the scam from Kejaksan district, Ruslan.
Thousands of victims of the scam besieged the Cirebon municipal council, demanding assistance to recover money stolen by rice traders who claimed they were from the candidates' campaign team.
They also rallied at the Golkar Party office for the regional executive board, demanding it take responsibility for the scam because the con men claimed to be part of its campaign team.
The scam took place Feb. 26. The Cirebon Police detained a suspect, Taufik, from Cangkring village, Kejaksan district, believed to be the mastermind of the scheme.
Taufik was able to walk away with Rp 1.7 billion in cash, collected from around 4,500 people who had given him their money to buy cheap rice. Most of the people came from Lemahwungkuk and Kejaksan districts, where widespread poverty exists.
According to Ruslan, he was tempted to buy the cheap rice as it cost only Rp 63,000 for a 25-kilogram sack of rice, far below the normal price of Rp 112,000.
"To get the rice, we were asked to deposit our money first. We trusted them because they claimed to be members of the gubernatorial campaign team," he said.
"They used the names of the candidates Danny Setiawan and Iwan Sulanjana. However, we did not receive the promised rice. Instead they took our money," said Ruslan.
Jakarta Post - April 6, 2008
Ridwan Max Sijabat and Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – With little political backing, governor hopeful Robert Edison Siahaan, who is Javanese, and his Batak running mate, Suherdi, are playing the ethnic card in this multi-ethnic province.
Hitler Siahaan, a member of the Siahaan-Suherdi campaign, said the duo represented the two major ethnic communities in the province. He said the Javanese and Bataks were an integral part of North Sumatran culture and constituted 55 percent of the 12.8 million population.
"By running in the first ever direct governor election, the pair are showing the harmony between Batak and Javanese cultures," he said at a Batak-style thanksgiving ceremony here on Friday.
"A majority of voters will vote for the pair to lead the province over the next five years, but mainly to spur economic development to improve the standard of living," he said.
During the ceremony, the Butar-Butars, a large family in the province, presented the pair with Batak food and ulos (traditional Batak cloth) as a symbol of their political support.
Hitler said he had won political support for the pair from the province's Batak and Javanese communities. He said his team had arranged a series of meetings with the two ethnic groups to be held during the three-week campaign, running until April 12.
People from other ethnic groups are expected to support the pair because of their political programs to aid religious and ethnic tolerance and to facilitate true democracy for the future, Hitler said.
Siahaan is the inactive mayor of Pematang Siantar and chairman of the Democratic Party (PD) branch in the city. Suherdi, who chairs the Pujakesuma (ethnic Javanese born in Sumatra) Association, is also the chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB) chapter in the province. The two were nominated by a coalition of eight minority parties, having 19 percent of seats in the province's regency and municipal legislatures.
The eight parties are PKB, Prosperous Peace Party (PDS), New Indonesian Party (PIB), Nationhood Democrat Party (PNDK), Pioneer Party (Pelopor), Regional Unity Party (PPD), Marhaenist Nationalist Party (PNI Marhaenis) and the United Democratic Labor Party (PBSD).
Siahaan has vowed to revitalize agriculture, education and labor to improve people's skills and standard of living if elected on April 16.
"All barren areas, including the land in the province's west coast, will be irrigated and land ownership will be reformed to allow peasants to have their farmland. Labor conditions in the province will be repaired to improve workers' purchasing power," said Siahaan to strong applause.
Siahaan is competing with Golkar's Ali Umri, Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan)'s Tri Tamtomo, National Mandate Party (PAN)-led coalition's Abdul Wahab Dalimunthe and United Development Party-led coalition's Syamsul Arifin.
Jakarta Post - April 5, 2008
Jakarta – The justice ministry announced Friday that 24 new parties had passed the administrative screening to become legal entities, but would face further verification to be eligible for next year's national elections.
A total of 58 political parties, including new ones, have to register with the General Elections Commission (KPU) starting Monday for verification.
The KPU is scheduled in May to examine the eligibility of the registered parties for the 2009 legislative polls.
The other 34 parties are already legal entities but must still undergo KPU verification because they failed to secure any seats in the House of Representatives in the 2004 legislative elections.
Sixteen minor and major parties represented in the current House – including the Golkar Party and the Democratic Party founded by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono – are exempt from the final screening.
The Justice and Human Rights Ministry said it took about six months to check that the 24 new parties met all the administrative requirements, such as having unique logos and names, to ensure no duplication occurred.
"Only 24 of the 115 registered parties eventually fulfilled all the administrative requirements, including having offices in at least 20 provinces," Aidir Amin Daud, the ministry's director of public institutions, told a news conference.
He said 81 parties failed to make it to the next phase of the verification process because they had offices in fewer than 20 provinces or had listed fictitious offices. "But they can participate in the 2014 elections if they complete all the requirements," he said.
Most of the 24 newly legalized parties are nationalist-based, including the People Conscience Party led by former armed forces chief Wiranto, a losing presidential candidate in 2004.
At least three of the parties – the Star and Crescent Party, the Democrat Christianity Party and the People Voices Party – are religious-oriented.
Justice and Human Rights Minister Andi Mattalata said his office, in cooperation with the Home Ministry, applied a new system to check the names of officials and addresses in each region, as provided by the parties.
"We only spent Rp 410 million (US$44,565), far less than the ministry's allocation of Rp 3 billion for the verification process," he said. In 2003, he said the ministry spent Rp 32 billion verifying parties.
Andi said the new system also helped officials work more quickly in verifying the parties. "We were supposed to announce the ministry's verification results next month, but we were able to finish a month early," he said. (ewd)
Jakarta Post - April 4, 2008
Jakarta – The National Awakening Party (PKB) central board investigation team, formed by dismissed chairman Muhaimin Iskandar, accused seven party members of creating "internal conflict" on Thursday.
Investigation head Nursyahbani Katjasungkana said her team had found clear evidence the seven members had fueled the dispute that resulted in the dismissal of Muhaimin as the party chairman.
"They interfered with and incited the party. They were also responsible for mismanagement, including intimidation and extortion," she said during a press conference.
Nursyahbani was accompanied by PKB executives Abdul Kadir Karding, Bachrudin Nasori, Ahmad Niam Salim and Helmi Faizal Zaini. She refused to give names but the team's secretary Karding spelled out four of the seven members' initials. "They are S, AS, MA and HT," he said.
Asked if "AS" was Artalita Suryani, Nursyahbani would neither confirm nor deny. "We will give a more detailed explanation next week," she said.
Artalita, a former PKB official, has been under the spotlight following her arrest by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for allegedly giving some US$660,000 in bribes to state prosecutor Urip Tri Gunawan.
Nursyahbani said the team had received reports from PKB members about the seven officials' misconduct. "Some PKB members said they were suddenly dismissed from their positions without proper explanation. Others who ran for regional elections said they were extorted (by those members)," she said.
That had created internal conflict within the PKB and "therefore, we recommend PKB chairman Muhaimin Iskandar to take stern action to save the party", she said.
Muhaimin was dismissed as chairman in the party's central board plenary meeting last week. He was dismissed in a vote where 20 of the 30 PKB executive board members asked Muhaimin to resign.
Also in attendance was the party's chief patron Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, who is Muhaimin's uncle. His dismissal was at Gus Dur's request, who claimed he had received a report saying his nephew planned to hold an extraordinary meeting to topple him as party patron. Muhaimin denied the accusation.
The recent PKB conflict is not its first. Gus Dur also had a dispute with former PKB executives Mathori Abdul Jalil, Alwi Shihab and his other nephew Saefullah Yusuf. Mathori passed away last year, while Alwi and Saefullah are no longer in the party.
With a strong hold of East Java, PKB secured 52 legislative seats in the 2004 election. The newly-passed election bill is expected to add give the PKB extra seats in next year's election. (alf)
Jakarta Post - April 3, 2008
Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – Independent candidates will be eligible to contest regional elections for governor, mayor and regent positions by June at the earliest, the General Elections Commission (KPU) said Wednesday.
KPU chairman Abdul Hafiz Anshary said it would take the poll body one month to issue supporting regulations for the newly passed revision of Law No. 32/2004, which allows independent candidates to run for office.
"We have already drafted the necessary technical regulations for independent hopefuls. We expect they will be able to contest any regional election, as long as the registration for candidates opens in June," Abdul told reporters.
The House of Representatives endorsed the revised regional administration law Tuesday, after a lengthy debate ensued following last July's Constitutional Court ruling in favor of allowing nonpartisan candidates to run in regional elections.
Currently, only Aceh allows independent candidates to run in local elections, which many saw as a move to accommodate representatives of a former rebel group. Aceh's current governor is the first independent candidate to win a local election.
Although the issue of independent candidates is covered in the Aceh administration laws, the Aceh elections set a precedent for other regions, according to the Constitutional Court.
Under the revised regional administration law, independent candidates are required to submit documents proving they have the support of between 3 and 6.5 percent of residents of cities or regencies that have a population between 250,000 and one million.
Independent gubernatorial candidates must collect support from 3 to 4 percent of the population. Candidates are required to demonstrate their popular support by submitting signed petitions, along with copies of signatories' identity cards.
Critics have said the requirement of 3 to 6.5 percent of residents is too stringent because not all residents are eligible voters.
Abdul said independent hopefuls would go through the same selection process Regional Representatives Council member candidates underwent in the 2004 elections. "Our toughest challenge with independent candidates is verifying the validity of data of candidates' supporters," he said.
In response to the passing of the regional administration law, the East Java elections commission said it was ready to accommodate independent candidates in the gubernatorial elections in August.
"All the elections commissions in the provinces and regencies must comply with the law," East Java KPU member Muhammad Nabil told Antara news agency.
He said he expected there would be more than five candidates contesting the gubernatorial election, with at least one of them nonpartisan.
Abdul said the KPU would soon coordinate with local administrations to discuss financial sources to support the nomination of independent candidates. "We will ask whether the local administrations can allocate a budget for the participation of independent candidates," he said.
Jakarta Post - April 3, 2008
Indra Harsaputra and Suherdjoko, Surabaya/Semarang – Female leadership has reemerged as a controversial issue ahead of the East Java gubernatorial election, following the candidacy of Khofifah Indar Parawansa by the United Development Party (PPP).
During the presidential election in 2004, 15 Langitan clerics from East Java issued an edict against Megawati Soekarnoputri's candidacy, citing it was haram, or forbidden in Islam, for a woman to become president.
One of the clerics, Mas Subadar, said members of the so-called Langitan Axis had not issued an edict against female candidates in the upcoming gubernatorial election in August, but would do so during the next presidential election. "It's okay for a woman to lead at the gubernatorial level, but not at the presidential level," he told The Jakarta Post.
However, a number of PPP clerics do not agree with Khofifah's candidacy, such as Habib Abdul Qodir Al Hamid, head of PPP's Regional Executive Board.
PPP has not issued its final decision on Khofifah's candidacy due to contention from a number of PPP clerics. The Justice and Prosperity Party is rallying support for Khofifah's candidacy and gender equality in politics.
Political scientist Mohammad Asfar said almost 30 percent of the 19 million constituents in East Java followed Islam Kaffah – those who obey and trust clerics on all matters. Therefore, it would be difficult for Khofifah to win the hearts of this community.
"Gender equality issues are controversial among members of this community. A number of clerics still question whether or not a woman could become governor. So, even though her party supports her, it doesn't mean she will gain support from her constituents," Asfar told the Post.
Nevertheless, a number of parties have supported her move. Head of the Freedom Bull National Party's regional executive board Rudi Sapulete said his party and eight other parties had rallied support for Khofifah despite the controversy.
"If Khofifah is endorsed by the PPP, then she has met the minimum requirement of 15 percent to contest the election," Rudi told the media Monday.
The electorate is more rational and is no longer easily influenced by the views of religious and political leaders, according to the results of a recent independent survey, said Agnes Tuti Rumiati, the head of the Regional Potential Development Research Unit at the Institute of Technology, Surabaya, Nov. 10.
"The number of ballots cast by male and female voters in the previous presidential election proved Megawati surpassed Wiranto. This shows the edict by the clerics was ineffective in influencing the public," Agnes said.
In Semarang, members of the Central Java General Elections Commission were surprised Monday when two men, Sri Susaid and Sujianto, arrived at register themselves as independent gubernatorial candidates despite the absence of a ruling on independent candidacy.
Sri, 50, said he and Sujianto were supported by 1.5 million constituents. "If you want proof, we have 1.5 million copies of identity cards in our car," he said.
Sri said he worked as a civil servant in Pati regency, while Sujianto was a scrap entrepreneur from Pengkol village, Tenang district, Sragen regency. "I wish to register myself as an independent candidate," Sri told KPUD head Fitriyah, who was accompanied by two commission members.
Despite a favorable ruling in the independent candidates' case by the Constitutional Court, the law could not yet be implemented. "We cannot serve independent candidates yet due to a lack of guidelines," said Fitriyah.
The gubernational election in Central Java is scheduled for June, 2008.
Jakarta Post - April 1, 2008
Jakarta – The Regional Representatives Council (DPD) has completed a draft amendment to the Constitution that would allow independent candidates to contest presidential elections and envisages an effective bicameral system of parliament.
The fifth constitutional amendment seeks to enhance the checks and balances mechanism among the legislative, executive and judicial powers to ensure viability of democracy, DPD member Bambang Soeroso told a media conference Monday.
"We propose a direct presidential election that creates the opportunity for independent candidates to run," Bambang said. "It will put an end to the monopolistic power of political parties in the presidential election."
Any prospect of nonpartisans entering the presidential race has been dismissed during the ongoing deliberation of the presidential election bill. The Constitutional Court ruled in July last year that independent candidates were allowed to seek office only in regional elections.
A survey conducted by the Indonesian Survey Institute last year revealed 64.3 percent of respondents supported independent presidential candidates, citing their disappointment with political parties. This can only become possible by changing the Constitution.
The DPD leaders and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono agreed in a meeting at the State Palace on Jan. 25 to form a commission or national committee for the fifth amendment.
The DPD has long demanded a constitutional amendment that helps level its position with the House of Representatives as the holder of legislative power.
The fourth constitutional amendment in 2002 resulted in the establishment of the DPD two years later, but with limited powers that have kept it overshadowed by the House. Unlike the Senate in other democracies, the DPD cannot draft bills but rather consults the House about bills related to regional autonomy.
"Because they are directly elected, DPD members may hold greater authority. In the legislative process, the DPD deserves the right to vote to determine a bill's passage," Bambang said.
Unlike most House members, whose admission to the parliament depends on their loyalty to their respective political parties, DPD members are directly elected by voters.
"The Indonesian parliamentary system should lead to effective bicameralism. We must not idolize a form of bicameralism that could only lead to a political stalemate," Bambang said.
The draft of the fifth amendment also introduces a joint session of the People's Consultative Assembly, removing permanent leadership of the assembly.
Bambang said the draft would be submitted to the soon-to-be- formed national committee for constitutional amendment.
| Economy & investment |
Jakarta Post - April 6, 2008
Aditya Suharmoko and Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Following a swift decision by the government Friday to buy back the first lot of Rp 2 trillion (US$217 million) worth of bonds, government bonds eased after soaring to their highest point in 2.5 years, calming turmoil in the country's debt market.
Rahmat Waluyanto, the Finance Ministry's director general of debt management, said 30 minutes after announcing the buyback plan, the yield of bonds improved by 5-10 basis points and had gradually declined to a feasible benchmark.
"This is part of our commitment to ensuring stability in the government bond market," he said.
In the near future, the government, he said, would make regular repurchases of bonds to maintain their yield, as well as issuing new bonds with assorted rates and shorter maturity, which are expected to be less risky.
On Thursday, market panic triggered an increase in government bond yield. The yield from the 20-year FR0047 bond, one of the market benchmarks, reached 12.58 percent, up from 10.92 percent on Feb. 29.
Over the last couple of days, investors have jumped on the bandwagon to dump government bonds due to a concern, among others, that accelerating inflation would undermine economic growth.
The projected swelling of the state budget deficit from increasing fuel subsidies, following higher global oil prices, was another concern.
The widening deficit will force the government to flood the market with more bonds to compensate for the shortfall, a move which will raise the risk on bonds since investors will demand a higher yield.
The government estimated a budget deficit of 2.1 percent of gross domestic product in 2008. So far, the government has sold bonds worth Rp 47.3 trillion from the planned Rp 117 trillion for this year.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the government would continue to monitor bond prices and was ready to take immediate measures if necessary.
The ministry plans to launch treasury bills between April22 and 29, and in the month after that. Zero-rate and floating-rate bonds are also set to hit the market this month.
In August, the ministry expects to launch sharia bonds after the endorsement of an Islamic bonds bill, which is still being deliberated by lawmakers.
Bank Indonesia Governor Burhanuddin Abdullah is concerned by the declining value of government bonds.
"We will carefully monitor the trend, as it will negatively affect the banking system," he said.
Danareksa Research Institute chief researcher Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa agreed with the government's buyback decision, saying the policy would boost investor confidence. "It seems the market has recovered from panic," he said.
Jakarta Post - April 5, 2008
Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told top bankers gathered at the palace Friday to further expand real sector credits, particularly for infrastructure and agriculture.
"In line with the banks' role in fueling the economy," the President said, "I seek a joint contribution with banks in disbursing capital."
Amid the global economy's current turbulence, three-way communication between the banking industry, the government and the central bank has become more important, the President said.
He said the country needed to increase productivity in the agricultural and food production sectors to prepare for a jump in global food prices, which have risen over the last several years.
As global fuel prices continue to rise, Yudhoyono underlined an urgent need to invest in energy, especially in electricity, natural gas and geothermal projects.
"Electricity has become a major problem. I want to add another 10,000 megawatts of electricity to our current electricity production of 25,000 megawatts over the next two to five years. This plan needs support from the banking sector," he said.
The 10,000 megawatt project, which is a government priority, has been suffering from a lack of capital as foreign lenders, initially interested in backing the project have withdrawn their support because of, among other reasons, disagreements over electricity pricing.
Other energy projects demanding capital, the President said, include alternative energy projects, such as geothermal and biofuel. These projects have become profitable with oil prices hovering above US$100 per barrel.
Banks also need to focus on export-oriented industries, said Yudhoyono, using the Asian Tigers of Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore as examples of countries achieving substantial economic growth using export-oriented industries as their engines for prosperity.
"We have huge domestic potential to achieve the same level of success," he said.
Bank Indonesia Governor Burhanuddin Abdullah said the Indonesian banking sector had improved over the first three months of 2008, with liquidity being under control and banking risks decreasing.
Non-performing loans, he said, had decreased from 4.82 percent to 4.72 percent during that period. Banking risks remained low with bank-owned foreign currency at only 3.49 percent, Burhanuddin said.
"Low interest rates have a positive impact on banking's intermediary function. The loan to deposit ratio has now reached over 70 percent," he said.
The amount of credit channeled into the real sector, Burhanuddin said, had also increased in the first three months of the year, with total value of credits for working capital and consumption reaching Rp 9.1 trillion and Rp 5.5 trillion, respectively.
Jakarta Post - April 5, 2008
Jakarta – The Ministry of Finance's Directorate General of Taxation announced Friday a 42.7 percent jump in tax revenue during the first quarter of 2008 on the back of strong corporate sector income growth and a vibrant economy.
Tax revenue from the non-oil and gas sector rose to Rp 113.53 trillion (US$12.3 billion) between January and March, up from Rp 79.55 trillion in the same period last year, director general of taxation Darmin Nasution said.
"Stronger corporate income, greater economic transactions and intense efforts on our part to net more taxpayers are the primary factors pushing our income higher," said Darmin.
Tax revenue from oil and gas during the first quarter reached Rp 14.43 trillion, up from Rp 5.79 trillion a year earlier. "The growth in our tax revenue (during the first quarter) is the highest in 5 years," said Darmin.
Revenue from income tax grew by 40 percent, Darmin reported, while income from property tax was up 44.1 percent and from value-added tax 48.6 percent. The government projected a tax revenue of Rp 523.85 trillion for this year's state budget, up by 26.6 percent from Rp 426.23 trillion.
Since the Asian financial crisis in late 1997, Indonesia has relied heavily on taxes to fill the state coffers. At present, around 80 percent of the state's income is derived from taxes. However, the tax directorate has estimated that less than 3.5 million individuals and institutions pay taxes.
Jakarta Post - April 3, 2008
Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – The Asian Development Bank has warned Indonesia a large part of its population is still vulnerable to shocks from staple foods inflation, as nearly half its citizens still live on less than US$2 a day.
Inflation, the ADB said in a statement sent to The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, is likely to increase from 6.6 percent in 2007 to 6.8 percent this year, triggered by the surge in domestic demand and global commodity prices, before lowering to 6.5 percent in 2009.
One factor contributing to the vulnerability, said the ADB, is the lack of adequately paid jobs, which underlines the importance of improving the environment for employment generation. "The (economic) growth that has been achieved has not been accompanied by a commensurate increase in employment," said the statement.
The ADB predicted the country's economic growth, despite slowing down from 6.3 percent last year, would grow to 6.0 percent by the end of the year and to 6.2 percent in 2009.
Despite enjoying a gradual pickup in growth after the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the ADB said, the unemployment rate remains high compared to many East and Southeast Asian countries, with unemployment in August at 9.1 percent and underemployment at 27.6 percent of the labor force. Underemployment describes the employment of workers with high skill levels in low-wage jobs that do not require such abilities, such as someone with a college degree working as a taxi driver.
"The labor force absorption into the formal sector has dropped from 81 percent prior to the financial crisis to around 11 percent," the statement said.
"(This suggests) a loss of competitiveness in labor-intensive manufacturing sectors such as textiles and clothing, as well as a mismatch between skills required and the skills possessed by the labor force."
To keep pace with healthy economic growth, the ADB called for improving the education system and ensuring the labor force had access to affordable and quality training.
The World Bank has also forecast Indonesia's economic growth as declining from 6.3 percent in 2007 to 6.0 percent this year. It revised down its earlier estimate that the country would see 6.4 percent economic growth.
Despite similar outlooks from both the World Bank and the ADB, however, the government is still upbeat the country's economy can grow by 6.4 percent this year.
"They (the forecasts) will be a reference. We're still optimistic the country can reach 6.4 percent economic growth," said the Finance Ministry's head of fiscal policy Anggito Abimanyu.
The government and the House of Representatives' budget committee set economic growth at 6.4 percent this year in their revision of the 2008 state budget.
A member of the House of Representatives, Dradjad H. Wibowo, however, doubted the country's economy could grow higher than last year.
"I think the ADB's forecast is more realistic than the target set by the government and the budget committee," said Dradjad. He predicted the country's economy to grow by 6 percent at the maximum this year, in line with analysts' expectations.
Jakarta Post - April 2, 2008
Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – Soaring prices for food, energy and clothes caused inflation to rise at its fastest pace in 18 months in March, making it more difficult for the central bank to cut interest rates to spur economic growth.
The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) announced Tuesday consumer prices rose 0.95 percent in March, capping accumulated first- quarter inflation at 3.41 percent – already more than half of the government's full-year inflation target of 6.5 percent.
"It was a surprising figure. It will be hard for the government to achieve this year's inflation target," said Standard Chartered economist Fauzi Ichsan.
BPS deputy for the distribution of statistics, Ali Rosidi, said the main factor behind the stronger inflationary pressure was rising food prices, with the exception of rice, which saw a decline in prices due to government intervention.
"Global factors affected the surge in staple commodity prices. An increase in the prices will automatically push the prices of processed food higher as well," he said.
Global prices for some key commodities – wheat, soybeans, corn, palm oil, rice – have sharply increased to record highs this year, fueling people's anger across the globe.
According to the BPS, the highest contributor to inflation in March was staple foods, followed by the processed foods, beverages, cigarettes and tobacco group. After that was the housing, water, electricity, gas and fuel group, and clothing.
The BPS said cooking oil prices experienced the steepest rise by 0.14 percent, while rice prices dropped 0.17 percent.
The BPS conducted its survey in 45 cities nationwide, five of which suffered deflation. These five were Ambon, Sampit, Banda Aceh, Palu and Palangkaraya.
In response to the unexpected inflation figure, Coordinating Minister for the Economy Boediono said the government would work in the remaining eight months of the year to ease inflationary pressure as a result of higher global commodity prices. "We will work hard to stem inflation in the coming months," he said.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the soaring inflation was not a great surprise given that other countries were feeling the pinch of inflation, and the government remained upbeat economic growth would reach 6.3 percent this year.
The unexpectedly high inflation figure will likely force Bank Indonesia to put a break on reducing borrowing costs for companies to start up new businesses or for expansion, undermining the country's economic activities.
The central bank has cut its benchmark interest rate by 4.75 percentage points since May 2006 in a bid to fuel growth in the country's real sector, which is badly needed to help reduce the massive unemployment rate. "It will be difficult for the central bank to further cut interest rates," said Fauzi.
The central bank has not changed its benchmark rate, which now stands at 8 percent, since December last year. Bank Indonesia's board of governors is slated to meet early this month to decide whether to maintain or adjust the rate. (alf)
Jakarta Post - April 2, 2008
Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – The World Bank has revised down its forecast on Indonesia's economic growth for this year from 6.4 percent to 6.0 percent after adapting to heightened financial turmoil in the US and the global economic slowdown.
"Indonesia's gross domestic product (GDP) growth is predicted to decline from 6.3 percent in 2007 to 6 percent this year," the World Bank report said.
Last year, the World Bank predicted the country's economy to grow by 6.4 percent in 2008 despite the global economic slowdown.
The report also said the country's exports would slow from 8 percent in 2007 to 7 percent in 2008, but domestic demand, especially investment and consumption, would remain robust.
"Indonesia is expected to weather the global economic slowdown reasonably well, with growth returning to 6.4 percent in 2009," the report said.
The global economic slowdown has gone beyond the expectations of most analysts, and prompted the Indonesian government to revise the 2008 state budget to adjust to the current global economy.
"I think the (current revision of the) state budget is realistic," the World Bank's lead economist William Wallace said Tuesday.
Via teleconference, the World Bank's chief economist for East Asia and Pacific, Vikram Nehru, said the global economic slowdown would affect East Asia, including Indonesia, but overall economic growth in the area would remain healthy because the countries there had put sound macroeconomic policies in place.
"East Asia has been able to diversify its export markets; so even though there is a decline in demand from the US, East Asia has been able to compensate by exporting larger amounts to Europe and other developing countries," Vikram said.
The World bank said East Asia, especially China, had become a "growth pole" in the world's economy, acting as a counterweight to the slowing industrial economies.
However, Vikram warned against the surge in key commodity prices. "The high food prices must be a considerable concern to mitigate the impact of global economic slowdown to the poor," he said.
According to the World Bank, high food prices will burden poor people more than rich people because poor people spend a large part of their income on food.
Vikram also said the government needed to be careful with its subsidies program. "Any subsidies need to be temporary and addressed to the right group, but subsidies tend to be permanent; withdrawing them would be a political problem," he said.
The World Bank's director for Indonesia, Joachim von Amsberg, earlier criticized the government for insisting on keeping its fuel subsidies program.
Jakarta Post - April 1, 2008
Jakarta – Responding to the Constitutional Court amendment of Article 22 of the Investment Law, the House of Representatives and the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) said Monday the de facto duration for property rights would remain unchanged.
Both institutions said that although the amendment had scrapped exact time periods for property rights in the article, the period for land cultivation right remained up to 95 years for foreign investors.
Building rights, they said, remained for up to 80 years, while land use rights could still be acquired for a maximum of 70 years, as stated in the original article.
BKPM chairman Muhammad Lutfi said foreign investors should not be overly concerned by the court's decision, as all land use terms offered under the initial article were still applicable.
Didik Rachbini, the chairman of House Commission VI, which was responsible for formulating the law last year, said the Constitutional Court failed to understand the promotional aspects of the original article.
"Despite being amended, all the provisions stated in the original article are still applicable because they did not contradict the Agrarian Law," Didik said.
He said the original article merely adapted provisions in the Agrarian Law that stated all types of property rights could be extended.
"The original article basically made the extension facility to be given automatically when the investor requested the property rights for the first time. It avoided the arduous process of having to apply for rights over and over again," Didik said.
According to the Agrarian Law, land cultivation rights can be acquired for 35 years and can be extended for a period of up to 25 years, and building rights can be acquired for 30 years and can be extended for a period of up to 20 years, while land use rights can be acquired only by permission of the related local government.
In its March 24 final decision on a judicial review of the newly enacted Investment Law, the Constitutional Court said the House decision to automatically extend the period for property rights violated the 1945 Constitution.
The court said the government could not extend the period automatically as it would "weaken the sovereignty of the people in the face of Law".
Constitutional Court chairman Jimly Asshiddiqie said with the amendment of the article, the government must go back to the Agrarian Law, and that property right extensions could not be given automatically.
The Investment Law, which supersedes the 1967 Foreign Investment Law and the 1968 Domestic Investment Law, aims to provide equal legal status for domestic and foreign investors, in the hope that it can leverage the country's competitiveness as an investment destination.
Under the Investment Law, both foreign and local firms are entitled to the same business incentives, with certain requirements, such as investing in labor-intensive industries, infrastructure projects, projects involving the transfer of technology and so-called pioneering industries.
The law also reduces immigration obstacles, with foreign investors entitled to two-year residency permits that will be subsequently convertible into permanent residency permits. (lva)
| Opinion & analysis |
Jakarta Post Editorial - April 7, 2008
Our society is a caring one. Our people are generous enough to help others, and what is even more encouraging, according to a recent survey, their generosity is increasingly no longer driven by religious obligation.
The survey shows we care about people around us, especially our relatives in need. The financially strongest in our families normally serves as the safety net for their extended family, especially during difficult times.
This has been our strength as a nation. While a state-sponsored safety net does not exist, family supported safety networks help to prevent chaos and anarchy in this country during times of crisis when unemployment is high.
We also care about people outside our family circles. We, for example, care about victims of disasters, and we are mostly willing to offer a little donation to help them. We are more than willing to give money to people on the street, like beggars and street musicians.
Most of all, we are more than willing to give our money to mosques, churches, temples and committees of religious celebrations.
Although, according to the survey, more and more people are giving donations outside of religious obligation, we believe religiously motivated alms represent the biggest chunk of philanthropic activities in this country.
There is nothing wrong with giving donations based on religious beliefs. It is perfectly fine, and even encouraged.
However, the problem is that those benefiting most from our religious-driven donations are those in "the right", who are often militants and hard-liners, and not those in the middle, those moderate religious groups who promote universal values like tolerance, peace, pluralism and humanity.
Many Muslims donate mostly to nearby mosques or any mosque where we attend Friday prayers. In these places, donation boxes are ready to welcome our alms.
Moreover, "right" religious organizations make it easier for us to donate, by, for example, setting up roadblocks to direct motorists to donate or sending out volunteers to collect alms door-to-door. And we quickly give our alms to these people.
But we never care what the mosque management or boarding schools, or any organizations collecting alms from us, will use the money for. If the money eventually ends up with terrorist groups like Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), for instance, we would never know, and in fact, never care.
And still, we give our 2.5-percent-of-net-income alms to them, and not to those in the middle – organizations like Nahdlatul Ulama, Muhammadiyah or even progressive groups like Jaringan Islam Liberal, or the Liberal Islam Network, which promotes liberal thinking among young Muslims.
These organizations live on profits from their own businesses, such as schools and hospitals. Only occasionally do they get donations, but the donations come not from our pockets but from foreign donors.
This practice of almsgiving to these "right" groups is not, we believe, the monopoly of Muslims. Christians, for example, more or less do the same.
They extend their 10-percent-of-income alms to churches, and not to organizations promoting inter-faith dialogue, for example. No wonder churches are among the wealthiest non-profit organizations.
Amid this bleak picture, the result of the survey by the Public Interest Research and Advocacy Center is encouraging in that more and more people are donating for reasons other than religious obligation. Although their number is still small, at least it is growing.
To help facilitate this growing philanthropic activity outside of religious lines, we suggest the government provide neutral, non- discriminatory incentives such as tax benefits that do not discriminate against religious beliefs.
We regret that the government's tax incentive for almsgiving only favors Muslims – who enjoy a 2.5 percent tax deduction for giving alms annually. Why not expand this policy to all philanthropists? The government currently gives no incentives whatsoever to philanthropic activities.
Unless the government offers non-discriminatory incentives, and we, the concerned people, do not do our part, this country's philanthropy will continue to be motivated by religious obligation and will benefit those groups in "the right", while those in the middle and those promoting universal values suffer from a lack of financial support.
Jakarta Post Editorial - April 2, 2008
In a few days the taxing, unenviable job of the men and women tasked to dig up the truth about violence around the time of East Timor's 1999 referendum should be over.
Well past its earlier, already extended deadline of January, the Indonesia-Timor Leste Commission on Truth and Friendship (CTF) should submit its report shortly to the presidents of both countries.
The hurdles to their task, widely expected by the public and no less by the commissioners themselves, have persisted to the end.
Last week the deputy chairman for Indonesia, Agus Widjojo, said the joint commission had to come through "a tough process to seek consensus" before they could submit the report.
Since both countries agreed to set up the commission in 2005, the label "mission impossible" has stuck, for it is unique and probably a world first of its kind. Two countries, the Goliath with over 200 million people and the tiny David of 1 million, which the Goliath formerly occupied, were supposed to work together and come up with the truth of very recent violence, and make up and put everything behind them.
The logic was clear. A newly independent Timor Leste desperately needed its "big brother" for its survival and growth, despite animosity accumulated mainly from brutal treatment of its neighbor's military and New Order regime under Soeharto, Timorese citizens and activists had said. Many Timorese were resentful of their leaders' pragmatic decision to seek a solution through the set-up of the commission.
Also loud and clear were, and are, the problems against investigating the "truth". One problem is that Indonesians have never seen themselves as the former "occupier" of East Timor – even as Timorese commissioners quietly ask whether the Dutch can ever erase their historic trademark as our former colonialists.
Another may relate to the fact that when you've denied problems for so long you tend to believe your own justifications and reasoning.
This was clear in a few public hearings of the commission featuring retired Indonesian generals. Former Indonesian Military chief Gen. (ret) Wiranto was among those who said the chronic violence in Timor Leste could be traced to the local culture of violence. It was the only way those poor people understood.
Part of the general's audience found it hard to keep a straight face at such a simplistic conclusion, but the repeated applause from his supporters would not be limited to only a few among the Indonesian public.
Just look, such people would say: Since their independence we have not seen the Timorese able to enjoy peace for long. Dili alone still has tens of thousands of refugees, not to mention some 10,000 displaced people along the border with one of Indonesia's poorest provinces, East Nusa Tenggara.
Indonesians smirk at Timor Leste's continuous inability to preserve stability, the latest incident ending in the shooting of President Jose Ramos-Horta. The country remains poor and violence-ridden, surely in a worse state than the days of the benevolent Indonesian Republic.
What many Indonesians cannot fathom is what drove Timorese to overcome all their fears and come out and vote in the 1999 referendum that led to their independence – and why they won. But worse, the issue is rarely even questioned.
So what could the commission possibly achieve? Can it educate Indonesians and Timorese, can it nudge painful realities under the noses of those who refuse to see?
If indeed there are ugly facts, will President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono tuck the report under his arm and hope we will all forget, as he did with an earlier report of another commission he appointed himself, the fact-finding team on the murder of the activist Munir?
Commissioners have repeatedly said they "can't satisfy everyone", for their mandate is neither for the prosecution of individuals considered guilty, nor the rehabilitation of victims.
They said the report will name "an institution" responsible for the 1999 violence, seek "lessons learned" and establish whether there were "gross crimes against humanity".
Indonesia's credibility in the international community won't increase much if the report fails to pinpoint anything with clarity. Timorese may shrug and get on with their long struggle for peace and prosperity. They already had their outpouring of admittance and tears through their own commission on truth and reconciliation.
But it is Indonesians who stand to lose the most if the CTF, or our leaders, choose to gloss over the facts and treat all the destruction and violence in Dili and other towns as mere tragic "excesses" of a virtual power vacuum in the days before and after the 1999 vote.
Time may heal the Timorese' pains. But we will continue to be blind over our history.
The CTF is not tasked with handling the entire chapter of Indonesia-East Timor relations. But failure to tackle merely the end part of that past will make it increasingly hard to answer our grandchildren's query: "If you were so kind to East Timor, Grandpa, why did they want to break free?"
Jakarta Post Editorial - April 1, 2008
The findings of an integrity survey conducted by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in 30 public institutions and state companies providing public services between last August and October in Greater Jakarta simply validated the international perception of Indonesia's government as one of the most corrupt in the world.
Berlin-based Transparency International (TI) last year ranked the Indonesian government 143rd out of 179 countries surveyed for its annual Corruption Perception Index with a score of 2.3 on a scale of one to 10, even lower than Vanuatu, Pakistan and the Philippines.
The average score gained by government offices and state companies in the KPK survey was only 5.33, which KPK said was worse than the integrity levels of public sectors in most other countries.
The survey ranked the civil service administration board with the highest integrity, but it scored only 6.51 on a scale of zero to 10, while the worst institution was the justice and human rights ministry (immigration and the administration of notaries public) with 4.15 and the state land agency and land transportation administration (road worthiness certification) with 4.09 and 3.45 respectively.
The KPK integrity index further confirmed the findings of similar surveys conducted by other national institutions such as the Economic and Social Research Institute of the University of Indonesia which ranked the National Police, customs service, tax office, justice sector (court) as the most corrupt public institutions.
It was a surprise though that the tax office and customs service scored slightly higher than the average in the KPK survey. But since we did not receive detailed data on the composition of the respondents (how many of them were business executives) it was difficult to ascertain whether the better perception was generated by more efficient and cleaner services or if it was because very few of the respondents had ever dealt with the two public institutions.
The KPK integrity survey, similar to the TI annual corruption perception index, could serve as a good tool for building up public opinion pressures against all kinds of corruption.
It is nice to know the KPK will conduct the integrity survey annually, covering 100 government institutions and state companies.
The KPK integrity survey could also become an effective tool for policy makers if the commission continues to improve the methodology of its studies with a wide variety of innovative approaches to gather a wide variety of different indicators of corrupt practices, both subjective and objective. The survey is important to monitor results on the ground, assess the concrete reality of corruption, and develop anticorruption programs.
Public opinion pressures, in addition to strong law enforcement, should be an integrated part of a vigorous anti-corruption campaign, especially because the general public has a high tolerance for corruption. The KPK survey, for example, discovered that the majority of the 3,611 respondents considered rewards for public officials acceptable, and that 20 percent of them admitted offering tips, gifts and rewards, with the highest reward by a respondent recorded at Rp 150 million (US$16,500)
These are unhappy facts. Most within the community, the government and business community remain entrenched in a way of life that accepts corruption as a cost of doing business.
Since corruption usually leaves no paper trail, perceptions of corruption based on individuals' actual experiences are sometimes the best and only information we have. Perceptions also matter directly: When citizens view the courts and police as corrupt, they will not want to use their services, regardless of their 'objective'.
Similarly, firms will pay less taxes if they believe that they will be wasted by corruption, and they will invest less in their country. Further, while social norms might affect what people view as corruption, in practice such cultural bias in perceptions does not appear to be substantial.
Moreover, tracking even quite general perceptions on corruption can also be a useful way, even if not in itself, of monitoring anticorruption programs. In fact, governments in many countries rely on polling data to set policy priorities and track their progress.
Corruption has been cited by almost all international and domestic surveys as a significant impediment to economic growth and political stability. Hence the government and the general public should turn more attention to fighting this disease.
There should be tougher approaches to bringing corrupt officials to justice, efforts to end selectivity in investigations and prosecutions and further civil service reforms to attract capable, responsible people who can understand and enforce the laws.
Jakarta Post - April 1, 2008
Usman Hamid and Eko Waluyo, Jakarta/Sydney – The three-day visit of Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono to Sydney to attend the East Asian ministerial dialogue forum, "The Way Forward on Asian Economic and Political Security", on March 26-28, 2008, is echoing regional response to security threats in the Strait of Malacca.
During the visit, Juwono said the concerned countries should provide technical assistance to ensure and maintain security in the waters, which they use as trade lanes.
Even though the reform process has taken place through the abolition of the military's political seats in the parliament, as well as the holding of a direct presidential election and the settling down of Aceh conflicts, the military still needs to change its doctrine from old mind-set: internal security, rather than dealing with external threats.
The following examines the bilateral cooperation on security between Indonesia and Australia, highlighting the two countries' perspectives on human rights and how Australia can play a significant role in implementing the law on national defense and the law on the TNI – which is considered a guideline for Indonesian security forces to improve their professionalism and uphold democratic values.
The Bali bombing case has created an opportunity to renew security cooperation between Jakarta and Canberra, especially after the military ties were severed following a series of violent acts blamed on the TNI before, during and after the 1999 Timor Leste ballot.
In 2005, a conservative coalition government in Canberra accommodated the Indonesian Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) in joint counterterrorism training with SAS (Special Air Services), and SAS soldiers are geared up to undertake anti-guerrilla warfare training in Indonesian jungles. Kevin Rudd (now Australian prime minister) was in charge as the opposition foreign affairs spokesman and stood against the Australian government's decision to resume ties with Kopassus.
The previous Australian government allocated AUS$20 million for Indonesia to improve capacity in combating transnational crimes and terrorism. The anti-terrorism campaign has been made a top priority on Howard's political agenda, which seemed to have been divined to grab voters.
The federal election in Australia late last year has paved the way for Kevin Rudd to take over the leadership of the Labor administration. He makes political promises to promote changes in both domestic and international affairs, including the hike of Australian aid channeled to developing countries and commitment to eradicate poverty in the region. There are several steps the newly elected Labor government needs to consider.
First, to evaluate Howard's policy aimed at renewing security cooperation with Jakarta, particularly in allowing Kopassus to take direct participation in the counterterrorism joint exercises. There has never been an easy way for Kopassus to prove its commitment to reform, particularly when it comes to human rights issues. Their participation in the counterterrorism program could disregard the values of ongoing joint programs between the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Indonesian Police (Polri) to terrorist threats.
Second, Canberra's ability to improve performance of the Polri should go deeper to the root of this issue. According to a UN report, a series of human rights abuses in Papua province are blamed to the Indonesian Police (read: the Police's paramilitary forces, Brimob) and not the TNI. The separation of the Polri from the TNI, however, has done little to curb endemic corruption within the Police institution.
Therefore cooperation between the two countries' police institutions should be expanded as the issue is not merely about combating terrorism. Indeed, it should be able to empower the Indonesian Police Commission so it will be more independent and promote transparency, which is needed to improve Polri's performance.
Third, the Australian government should give attention to prolonged conflicts in Poso – an area stamped as homegrown terrorism. Australia should promote programs aimed at eradicating poverty in Poso and establishing peacebuilding measures there.
Fourth, military training that Canberra has offered should focus on the issue of budget management and giving assistance to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to continue with his policy to abolish military business by 2009. The continuing human rights abuses allegedly have links to military involvement in both legal and illegal business activities.
The still existing military's sociopolitical role is a Cold War legacy, which is blamed for the killing of political dissenters and civilians and the disappearance of pro-democracy activists during the Soeharto era.
By contrast, the settlement of Aceh conflicts through peaceful processes has not only created a democratic space in the province, but also an opportunity to address human rights abuses through the establishment of a truth and reconciliation commission as well as the ad hoc human rights tribunal. Similar progress is also seen in West Papua province, with the establishment of a court and truth commission there.
The Australian government needs to support the truth and reconciliation process in Indonesia as this will also be a road to scrap the military's old-fashioned culture of impunity and dual-function and replace it with transparency, accountability and civilian supremacy, not least for the generals.
[Usman Hamid is executive director of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras). Eko Waluyo is the Coordinator of Indonesian Solidarity in Sydney.]