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Indonesia News Digest 21 – June 1-7, 2008
Jakarta Post - June 7, 2008
Tifa Asrianti, Jakarta – Seven labor unions went to City Hall on
Friday and urged the Jakarta administration to organize a
discussion, to be facilitated by the manpower agency, to revise
the 2008 provincial minimum wage.
The unions were: Indonesia's Labor Union Association (Aspek
Indonesia); Indonesia's Metal Labor Union (SPMI); the Federation
of Labor Unions on Trade, Banking and Insurance (FSP NIBA); the
Labor Solidarity Forum of Chemical, Energy and Mining (FSP KEP);
the Labor Solidarity Forum of Metal, Electronics and Machine (FSP
LEM); the Labor Solidarity Forum on Textile, Clothing and Leather
(FSP TSK); and the National Labor Union (SPN).
J. Rusman of the FSP KEP said the labor unions demanded a 30
percent wage increase. He said even though fuel prices only rose
by 28.7 percent, the prices of food, transportation and other
commodities had increased more than the fuel price increase.
Manpower and Transmigration Minister Erman Suparno has said on
several occasions he would raise the minimum wage following the
fuel price hike. Rusman said there was no clear instruction on
the increase plan.
"We hope the wage will be increased to Rp 1.3 million (US$140)
from the existing wage of Rp 972,000. What we really want is
clear instructions on the wage increase, as the minister
promised," Rusman said.
He said the workers had received the expected figure through
allowances in their take-home pay, but they wanted the amount to
be considered their main wage. "We sent a letter to the Manpower
and Transmigration Ministry on May 30, but we are yet to receive
a response," he said.
Gibson Sihombing from Aspek Indonesia said the city
administration refused to increase the wage partially because it
would go against a regulation stipulating the provincial minimum
wage should be raised once a year.
"Raising the provincial minimum wage more than once a year will
not violate the regulation," he said. "It would be illegal to
raise it less than once a year, like once every two years or
longer than that," he added.
City Secretary Muhayat disagreed, saying once a year was the
maximum amount of times the wage could be increased. "However,
the wage can be increased through settlements between companies
and employees, and they can be facilitated by the manpower
agency," he said.
Associated Press - June 5, 2008
Robin McDowell, Jakarta – A 15-year-old girl died of bird flu
last month, becoming Indonesia's 109th victim, but the government
decided to keep the news quiet. It is part of a new policy aimed
at improving the image of the nation hardest hit by the disease.
"How does it help us to announce these deaths?" Heath Minister
Siti Fadilah Supari said Thursday, after confirming that the girl
from southern Jakarta tested positive on May 13 and died one day
later. "We want to focus now on positive steps and achievements
made by the government in fighting bird flu."
Indonesia's decision could aggravate the World Health
Organization, which waits to update its official tally of
Indonesia's bird flu deaths until after they are formally
announced by the government. The toll on its Web site stood at
108 on Thursday – accounting for nearly half the 241 recorded
fatalities worldwide.
The country's health minister has clashed with WHO over bird flu
before. Supari stopped sharing bird flu samples with the global
body in January 2007 after learning that some coveted data about
the virus was being kept in a private database at a US government
laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and made accessible to only
a handful of researchers.
She worried that pharmaceutical companies would use her country's
viruses to make vaccines that were ultimately unaffordable for
developing countries. She has called for the creation of a global
stockpile of lifesaving drugs, price tiering or other
multinational benefit-sharing programs.
At present, all of Indonesia's virus samples are kept at a Health
Ministry laboratory. DNA sequencing – used for risk assessment,
diagnosis and to signal possible mutations – is carried out by
scientists at the nearby Eijkman Institute. "We have the
capability to do this ourselves," Supari said.
So far, the virus remains hard for people to catch. Most of the
world's 388 recorded human cases fell ill after contact with
infected birds. But scientists have been closely monitoring the
H5N1 virus, fearing it could potentially mutate into a form that
spreads easily among people, possibly sparking a pandemic.
Until recently, Indonesia's government announced bird flu deaths
by e-mail and provided an almost 24-hour information center for
confirmations. It gradually abandoned that practice several
months ago, often burying news of deaths on the ministry's Web
site.
The latest policy shift means no posting will be made until
deaths have already been reported in the media, said Supari, who
wants the focus now to be on improvements made in fighting the
H5N1 virus nationwide.
She said only 18 people have been infected in the first six
months of 2008, compared to 27 during the same period in 2007 and
35 in 2006 – something she attributed to improved surveillance and
public awareness.
But the UN Food and Agriculture Organization issued a critical
statement in March, saying Indonesia's efforts to control the
disease in poultry are failing. The H5N1 virus is entrenched in
31 of the country's 33 provinces and will continue to kill humans
until it can be controlled in birds, it said.
Demos, protests, actions...
Fuel price hikes
Aceh
West Papua
Human rights/law
Environment/natural disasters
Agriculture & food security
Islam/religion
Elections/political parties
Economy & investment
Opinion & analysis
News & issues
Labors unions demand 30% wage increase
Indonesia hushes up bird flu deaths
Police commission says it is a toothless tiger
Jakarta Post - June 4, 2008
Jakarta – The National Police Commission (Kompolnas) has attributed its failure to boost the performance of the police force to a lack of power.
"We don't have any authority like the Corruption Eradication Commission, the Judicial Commission and other independent commissions. We can't investigate or detain people," commission member Adnan Pandupraja said Tuesday.
"If we want Kompolnas to have optimal results in improving police performance, it should be more independent. Police officials should be removed from its board. Its building should also be separated from the National Police headquarters," he said. "The most important thing is it should be given the authority to investigate major cases."
Critics have said the commission, established three years ago, remains ineffective in boosting the performance of the police force and should be made into an independent organization.
"The results so far remain minimal. How can the commission work effectively and optimally in monitoring the police if the commission's executives are police officials and ministers?" Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) executive Neta Pane told The Jakarta Post.
"We can't expect much from a commission like that. Therefore, it should be restructured or it will continue to be a useless organization."
He said the ICW had had high hopes for the commission when the government approved its establishment.
"But we began to doubt its effectiveness after we found out who was on its board," he said. "We hoped Kompolnas would improve police performance by about 10 percent in the first year of its establishment but it failed. We are now pessimistic about the commission's ability to achieve results."
The government established the commission in May 2005 in an effort to help reform the police. The commission is defined by law as an independent body working under and answering to the president.
The board consists of three Cabinet ministers – the coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, the home minister and the justice and human rights minister – and six police experts and public figures.
Its duties include assisting the president to determine the direction of relevant policies as well as forwarding recommendations to the president regarding the appointment and dismissal of the National Police chief.
Other responsibilities include advising the president on budgeting, human resource development, police infrastructure development, improvement of police professionalism and independence and how to accommodate public feedback related to police performance.
Neta said the commission had turned out to be little more than a public complaints department.
"It has not solved crucial problems within the police, such as thuggery," he said, adding the ICW had filed a complaint with the House of Representatives and the National Police about this issue and received no response.
Neta said making the commission an independent institution would give it the necessary power to carry out its tasks.
Adnan said the commission members had tried hard to carry out their duties.
"For example, we assisted victims of the clash between students and police at the National University. We asked for leniency in paying medical costs and for arrested students to be released from police custody," he said.
Adnan said the commission was establishing branches across the country to take public feedback and complaints about the police.
The commission signed a memorandum of understanding Tuesday for the management of this program with the Partnership for Governance Reform.
Partnership executive director Mohammad Sobary said his NGO would provide Rp 2.6 billion (US$279,500) to assist the commission in establishing local branches.
"We support all Kompolnas' activities, including seminars and training, that aim to reform police performance. We basically support institutions that aim to build good governance," he said. (trw)
Jakarta Post - June 3, 2008
Yemris Fointuna and Agus Maryono, Kupang, Purwokerto – The regents of East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, and Banyumas, Central Java, have faced criticism over recent religious and mystical controversies.
Catholic leaders in Flores accused East Flores Regent Simon Hayon of what they considered "deviant religious teachings", which they claim have caused local unrest.
In a recent meeting with area residents, Simon said Jesus Christ was born in Wure village, West Adonara, East Flores. He also said the Virgin Mary was Nyai Roro Kidul, the queen of the South Sea, who lived in Nobo Gayak village on Adonara Island.
Simon also said Lamaholot, the traditional name for Flores, and the neighboring regencies of Lembata and Alor, were the center of world civilization.
In a phone interview with The Jakarta Post on Monday, Simon denied the accusations. He defended his statements and said all he did was compile past histories to trace the origins and identity of Lamaholot.
"I compiled facts from the local community, not from outside. I'm not spreading deviant teaching," he said. However, he declined to explain his statements on Jesus and Mary.
Simon was also criticized for carrying out a traditional ritual to draw gold to East Flores from other regions. The ritual, which took place on May 17 at Nobo village and Watuwoko beach, involved the sacrifice of a buffalo and three cows.
He said he did this based on his belief gold from other regions could be moved to the regency through the "supernatural power of the pharaoh spirit and Nyai Roro Kidul, who is also Mother Mary".
Strong criticism and protests have come mainly from parishioners of Reinha Rosari Larantuka Cathedral. In response to the regent's statements, the Larantuka diocese held a meeting over the weekend and denounced the statements as "deviant".
In Banyumas, a group of artisans protested against Regent Mardjoko's plan to cut down two banyan trees and close a road leading to City Hall.
Mardjoko had told the artisans at an earlier meeting the road "did not have good feng shui" because it formed part of a triangle. Mardjoko said he would build a wall to close off the road and cut down the two trees, believed to be more than 100 years old.
"This is what makes Banyumas so backward. Because of its unfavorable location, the spirits inhabiting the hall's pillars have all gone away," Mardjoko said at the meeting.
Bambang Set, chairman of the Banyumas Arts Council, told the Post that Mardjoko's plan was a breach of the cultural preservation law.
He said it was also extremely embarrassing to have a regent who used mysticism in carrying out his duties. "How can the trees prevent progress simply because all the spirits inhabiting them have gone away?" he said.
Sunardi, an urban planning expert at Banyumas' Wijaya Kusuma University, expressed similar sentiments. He said the felling of the trees was technically a violation of the cultural preservation law.
"The city square can easily be reconstructed, but you have to do it by considering prevailing city planning regulations and cultural values, and certainly not by mysticism," he said.
| Demos, protests, actions... |
Detik.com - June 4, 2008
Melly Febrida, Jakarta – Protest actions will continue to enlivening Jakarta today. Locations that are expected to be affected by traffic congestion as a result of the demonstrations are the State Palace and the Bank Indonesia International (BII) Plaza. Motorists are asked to anticipate traffic jams and seek alternative routes.
A number of protest actions will take place today on Wednesday June 5. The first action will be held by the Confederation of the All-Indonesian Workers Union (KSPSI) in front of the State Palace in Central Jakarta. The protest, which will begin at 9am, is expected to be attended by around 2,000 people.
At around the same time BII trade union members and employees will be holding a protest and strike in front of the BII plaza on Jl. M.H. Thamrin in Central Jakarta. Around 1,500 people are expected to take part in the action.
At 10am the Jakarta Students Challenge Alliance (AMJM) will he organising an action at the offices of the Directorate General for Mineral Resources.
At 11am, the Central Leadership Board of the National Movement Against Narcotics (GANAN) will be protesting in two locations – in front of the Attorney Generals Office and the National Narcotics Agency. (mly/mly)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
Tempo Interactive - June 2, 2008
Ibnu/Traffic Management Centre, Jakarta – Four protest actions and a transport workers' strike will enliven the activities of the capital city today, Monday June 2.
At 9am, employees from PT. Dong Joe Indonesia will demonstrate at the PT Dinamika Pinangsia office in Pasir Jaya, Jatiuwung Tangerang. "The action is to demand employee welfare improvements", said Senior Brigadier Tarmin from the Metro Jaya regional police Traffic Management Centre, quoting information from the Intelligence and Security Directorate.
At 10am, the Revolutionary Workers Command (Kobar) will be demonstrating at the offices of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the Department of Labour and Transmigration. The protest is expected to be attended by 10 different labour organisations.
Also at 10am, employees from the Indonesian Christian University Employee Foundation (YKUKI) will be protesting at the foundation's offices in the Cawang area of East Jakarta. They will be demanding wage increases, social security and improvements to infrastructure.
At 11am, a group called the Indonesian Republic Indonesia Monitoring Center (IMCRI) will hold a protest action at the office of the Investment Coordinating Board on Jl. Gatot Subroto in South Jakarta and at offices of the Capital Markets Supervisory Agency on Jl. Jalan Wahidin in Central Jakarta.
In addition to these four protest actions, drivers from the Kalpika Cooperative Forum (KWK) who operate public transport vehicles plying the Cakung-Cilincing route in North Jakarta will hold a strike action. They will be demanding that the Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda) immediately raise fares following the increase in the price of premium petrol.
[Translated by James Balowski.]
| Fuel price hikes |
Associated Press - June 6, 2008
Jakarta – Warusan sprawls at the head of his boat, idle after spending hours scrounging for fuel. Normally his daily catch would keep him busy. But now the fisherman's eyes fall to his engine, where a bottle once filled with diesel hangs empty.
Indonesia is Southeast Asia's largest oil producer, but its inability to meet even domestic demand due to aging wells and declining investment forced this week's decision to quit the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Days earlier, the government slashed fuel subsidies to avoid a budget blowout. Soaring oil prices are affecting countries around the globe, but Indonesia has for decades helped cushion the cost to protect the poor in the country of 235 million.
Prices at the pump jumped nearly 30 percent overnight, as did the cost of cooking fuel. Warusan and others living on the brink are already feeling the impact.
The 25-year-old fisherman has struggled to find the precious diesel that powers his wooden vessel. This week, he and his three crew members were paying US$16 to fill up their tank and then split their US$3 profit at the end of the day.
"The government has to have pity on peole like us," Warusan said, noting that fuel hikes have pushed up the cost of basic commodities such as rice, tofu and eggs. "We've been working very hard. I don't think they are thinking about us commoners."
To stave off massive street riots like those that quickened former dictator Suharto's downfall after he slashed subsidies in 1998, the government is offering US$10 a month to the country's 19 million poorest families. The US$1.5 aid package will extend until shortlyafter presidential elections next July.
But Wardah Hafidz, of the local development organization, the Urban Poor Consortium, said Friday that the handouts were nothing but a quick fix.
"The government is trying to improve its image in the eyes of the people, but it's deceiving them," she said, adding that the poor have not yet recovered from the last massive fuel hikes in 2005. "This latest increase is a fatal blow to them."
Residents living in ramshackle homes set up under an overpass in northern Jakarta were trying to find ways to make their meager incomes stretch further. Some were cutting back on food, while others stockpiled wood for cooking or rode bikes to work instead of taking the bus.
"We're lucky if we can feed our children," said Cartini, a vegetable seller, noting that the cost of garlic, for instance, had doubled in the last week. The 48-year-old mother of eight said she had hoped democracy would bring improvements, but "it's gettingworse now."
Tempo Interactive - June 5, 2008
Joniansyah, Tangerang – The increase in the price of fuel in late May has resulted in the collapse of thousands of small- and medium-scale enterprises (SME) in Tangerang regency. Around 50 percent out of 17,353 SMEs in the region have closed down due to bankruptcy.
"The fuel price increase in concert with a rise in the cost of raw materials has cause many SMEs to closedown", said Nuriman, the head of the SME Section of the Tangerang Regency Cooperatives Office on Thursday June 5.
According to Nuriman, the small-scale enterprises that have fallen into bankruptcy include petty traders, handicraft industries and cottage industries. "The majority are now struggling to survive", he said.
Examples of the types of enterprises that are suffering from destitution include the doormat handicraft industry, food stall traders, small-scale kerupuk (chips made of flour flavoured with fish or shrimp), tempeh and tofu producers.
The fuel price hikes have resulted in an increase in the price of raw materials, public transport fares and production costs and are impacting upon the production process of a number of home industries.
[Translated by James Balowski.]
Jakarta Post - June 3, 2008
Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – Indonesia's inflation accelerated in May at its fastest pace in 20 months, after a hike in fuel prices drove the prices of other goods up, leaving the central bank with less room to stimulate economic growth.
The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported on Monday the consumer price index (CPI) had jumped in May by 10.38 percent from a year ago and 1.41 percent from April.
The jump in inflation came in the wake of an average 28.7 percent increase to fuel prices (on May 24) which was aimed at easing a burgeoning multi-billion dollar fuel subsidy allocated in the state budget.
The jump in price of low-octane Premium gasoline was stated by the BPS as the main factor behind the accelerating inflation aside from the transport, communications and financial services sector, which rose by 2.23 percent from April.
Prices of staple foods rose by 1.72 percent from April, while the housing, water, electricity, gas and fuels sector rose 1.58 percent.
The BPS surveyed 45 cities, all of which suffered inflation. Banda Aceh, Aceh, had the highest inflation rate of 3.78 percent in May, and Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, had the lowest at 0.19 percent.
"As the fuel price increase just came into effect in the third week of May, inflation is likely be higher in June because the first-round effects of the hike have not been fully accounted for," Danareksa Research Institute chief researcher Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said.
May inflation excluded the effects of higher transportation costs which would be calculated later in June, Purbaya said.
"Transportation costs will rise (this month). This will add to the plight," he said.
While the Land Transportation Agency (Organda) has not officially announced an increase to public transportation fares, many public transport owners have raised their fares independently to cope with soaring costs.
Inflationary pressure is likely to cap economic growth as it regularly fuels higher interest rates and undermines the public's purchasing power. Indonesia is eying to grow by between 6 and 6.4 percent this year.
Purbaya believed Bank Indonesia (BI) would raise its interest rate by "at least 25 basis points" to 8.75 percent during the upcoming board of governors meeting slated for Thursday.
BI raised its interest rate last month by 25 basis points, from 8 percent, to curb inflationary pressures due to the rise in global oil and commodity prices.
"A higher BI rate may hamper economic growth, but businesspeople can still expand their businesses if the rate is kept below 9.5 percent," Purbaya said.
BI officials have often hinted that the central bank may raise interest rates to cushion inflationary pressure.
State-owned Danareksa estimates inflation would reach 11.3 percent by the end of 2008, slightly above the government's expectation of 11.2 percent, and the central bank's 11.5 percent and 12.5 percent.
VHRmedia.com - June 1, 2008
Kurniawan Tri Yunanto, Jakarta – Nine days after fuel prices were increased by 28.7 percent, the public is again protesting the government's decision.
Hundreds of people from the National Liberation Front (FPN) and the People's Struggle Front (FPR) demonstrated at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout in Central Jakarta today on Sunday June 1. They were opposing the government's decision to increase fuel prices because it will have an immediate and negative impact on the people.
The protesters said that the fuel price increase on May 23 will bring suffering to the people as proven by the immediate jump in the price of basic commodities. Public transport fares have increased by 20 percent and similar increase in the price of electricity will soon follow. The direct cash assistance (BLT) for the poor of 100,000 rupiah per month is not a sign of the state's concern.
"We, the oppressed people will continue to resist. The government is in fact pitting BLT recipients against the public that is carrying out opposition [to the fuel price increases]", said FPN spokesperson Nining.
According to Nining, state officials, members of the House of Representatives, the political elite and the owners of capital will not feel the impact of the fuel price increases. This can be seen from continued reports in the mass media on the wealth of state government officials. "We refer to this as our being colonised by the capitalist class and those who have abundant amounts of money and live in luxury", she said.
The hundreds of protesters also demonstrated in front of the World Bank office building saying that the donor institution played a central role in supporting and pushing for the fuel price increases. On the grounds of providing loans and assistance, the World Bank actually controls all of Indonesia's natural resources and state assets."They (the World Bank) are the main culprit behind the impoverishment of Indonesia's economic and political [system]", said Nining.
The FPR, which then set off towards the State Palace in Central Jakarta, also took up the same demands – opposing the fuel price hikes. The protesters said that the government's decision would worsen the [economic] crisis in Indonesia, result in mass dismissals, income losses for farmers and fisherpeople and the further impoverish small-scale enterprises.
In addition to the FPR and the FPN, the Hotel Indonesia roundabout was also filled with people from Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia who were also opposing the fuel price hikes. (E4)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
myRMnews - June 1, 2008
Sugihono, Jakarta – At least 500 people from the National Liberation Front, an alliance that includes among others the Workers Challenge Alliance (ABM), the State Electricity Company Trade Union (SP-PLN) and the Angkasa Pura Trade Union (SPAP) demonstrated at the State Palace in Central Jakarta on Sunday June 1.
Already protesting at the palace on Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara were thousands of people from Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia and protesters from other labour organisations.
The FPN arrived in a convoy of 10 Metro Mini busses, motorbikes and trucks. During the action the FPN made five calls to the Indonesian people.
First, they called on public transport, taxi, bajaj (three wheeled motorised taxis), truck, trailer and other drivers to oppose the fuel price increases rather than raising public transport fares.
Second, ojek (motorcycle taxis) and other motorcycle drivers are clearly part of the ordinary people who will surely feel the flow effect on from the price increase and should therefore join the FPN in opposing the fuel price hikes.
Third, they called on the people living in poor residential areas to hold demonstrations and provide space for free speech forums for those groups that are opposing the price increases and establish coordination posts to oppose the fuel price hikes.
Fourth, all workers should hold actions and free speech forums in the industrial areas and setup coordination posts against the increases.
Five, they called on all Indonesian people to join together and establish coordination posts against the price increases.
[Translated by James Balowski.]
Metro TV News - June 1, 2008
Jakarta – Around 200 workers demonstrated in front of the Jakarta World Bank offices on Sunday May 1. The protesters, who came from the National Liberation Front (FPN) started the protest at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout in Central Jakarta then organised a convoy to the World Bank offices at the Jakarta Stock Exchange building.
The action was held as a protest statement against the international financial organisation, which the protesters said intervenes too much in government policies and ends up ensnaring the Indonesian people. In addition to protesting against the World Bank, they also expressed their opposition to the recent fuel price hikes saying that the move was unnecessary.
The government should have addressed world fuel price increases through other more proportional policies such as cutting the wages and allowance for the political elite by 50 percent, taking over or nationalising the oil and gas industry and repudiating the foreign debt the group said. (DOR)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
Agence France Presse - June 1, 2008
Jakarta – Thousands of Indonesians in several major cities held peaceful street protests on Sunday against the government's decision to hike the price of fuel by around 30 percent.
In Surabaya, the capital of East Java, about 6,000 members of the Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia Islamic movement marched from the governor's residence to a busy commercial area to protest the fuel price hike. They said the move was a burden for people already reeling from soaring prices for other essentials, ElShinta radio reported.
About 500 members of Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia's chapter in Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province, marched around the city's main market to protest the increase, announced by the government last month, ElShinta said.
In Jakarta, about 200 members of the Front for the Defenders of the People held speeches at a busy roundabout to protest. "Reject the fuel price increase," said one large banner displayed by the protesters while another said "Reject the cash assistance scheme," referring to the government's programme of giving financial help to the poor to cushion the impact of the fuel price increase.
The state Antara news agency reported hundreds of people protesting in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, and a street march in Solo, Central Java.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last week defended his unpopular fuel price hike as necessary to avoid an economic meltdown similar to the 1997 financial crisis.
But critics say it puts an unacceptable burden on the poor who are already struggling to make ends meet after the recent surge in food prices. Even after the latest adjustment to the pricing regime, which saw gasoline prices jump 33.3 percent to 6,000 rupiah (65 cents), Indonesians enjoy some of the lowest fuel costs in Asia.
Reuters - June 1, 2008
Harry Suhartono and Fitri Wuladari, Nusa Dua – Indonesia cannot rule out further hikes in fuel prices ahead of the 2009 presidential elections, Energy Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said on Sunday, due to the impact of fuel subsidies on the budget.
The government raised fuel prices by almost 30 percent last month, sparking protests in a country where millions are already suffering from rising energy and food costs.
While Indonesia still has some of the lowest fuel prices in Asia, the issue of fuel subsidies is politically sensitive given Indonesia is due to hold parliamentary and presidential elections next year.
"The increase is about fairness. Subsidized fuels have been enjoyed by the haves," rather than the have-nots, Yusgiantoro said on the sidelines of the Coaltrans Asia Conference on the resort island of Bali.
Asked whether the government could guarantee there would be no more increases in fuel prices before the next presidential election due by mid-2009, Yusgiantoro said that was not possible.
"We cannot guarantee, we never know what happens in the future," he said, adding that between 1965 and 2000, Indonesia had increased fuel prices on 30 separate occasions.
When the government more than doubled fuel prices in October 2005, consumption fell significantly.
Net importer
Yusgiantoro also said that Indonesia, which has decided to leave the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), may rejoin once it had lifted production and controlled consumption. But he did not give a timeframe or further details.
Indonesia's crude oil output has fallen in recent years due to ageing wells, a lack of investment and the absence of any major oil finds. Its status as a net importer means it would benefit from lower oil prices, putting it at odds with other OPEC members, who favor higher prices.
Asia's only member of the oil cartel sees daily oil output of 927,000 barrels per day this year, down from 950,000 bpd in 2007.
Separately, Simon Sembiring, director general of mineral, coal and geothermal at the ministry, said Indonesia's long-awaited mining law could be passed before the parliamentary recess in July. "The law must be passed, we will finish before the parliamentary recess period in July," Sembiring said, speaking on the sidelines of the conference.
Sembiring added an arbitration hearing over the sale of stakes in a copper and gold mine operated by US mining firm Newmont on Sumbawa island would start in Jakarta in December.
Indonesia is home to huge mineral deposits and is a key producer of commodities such as coal, tin, rubber, palm oil and natural gas. However, uncertainty over the new mining law has held up investment in the sector. (Editing by Sara Webb and David Holmes)
Tempo Magazine - May 27-June 2, 2008
The government has raised the price of fuel, triggering protests everywhere. The Palace is worried that martyrs will fall, while the President has cancelled his trip to Italy.
Budi Setyarso – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was to have visited Rome next week to attend a World Food Security Ministerial Level Meeting. The meeting, organized by the Food and Agricultural Organization, will, among other topics, discuss the world food crisis. But the domestic crisis may well put an end to the President's plans.
"The President's trip to Italy, also to England, has been canceled," said a Tempo source. Presidential spokesperson Dino Patti Djalal has not disputed the information, although he claims it is not a cancellation, because the planned trip to these countries was not publicized.
The cancellation is presumably related to the government's decision to increase fuel prices. Announced by Coordinating Minister for the Economy Boediono in Jakarta on Friday last week, the new price of premium gasoline has risen to Rp6,000, diesel to Rp5,500 and kerosene to Rp2,500. An average increase of 28.7 percent.
This is the third price increase to take place during the administration of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla. The government raised fuel prices on two previous occasions – on March 1, 2005 and October 1, 2005 (see table). Like previous occasions, the political temperature heated up in the lead up to the government making the decision. Thousands of demonstrators protesting the planned hikes took to the streets of Jakarta on Wednesday last week.
Demonstrators marched from the Hotel Indonesia roundabout to the Presidential Palace in Central Jakarta. Thousands of people from various age groups protested in the name of groups such as the Youth Movement Network, the Student Action Front, the Fishers & Farmers Awakening Front, the Indonesian Poor People's Commission for Justice, the People's Challenge Front and the Indonesian Poor People's Union. The demonstration ended in chaos with police arresting scores of people.
A number of student groups also held demonstrations in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) building. This action also ended in chaos, with three protesters being injured. On late Friday afternoon – just prior to the announcement of the price increase – hundreds of University of Indonesia students gathered at the Pasar Minggu campus in South Jakarta. The students blocked the Jl. Pejaten Raya intersection and turned it into a speech forum.
Just before midnight, a small clash with the police occurred. But as dawn approached, police invaded the campus. "The police were forced to enter because the students pelted us with Molotov cocktails," said National Police Headquarters spokesperson Insp. Gen. Abubakar Nataprawira.
The clash was unavoidable. The campus' Faculty of Social & Political Science was severely damaged. Broken glass was scattered everywhere and drops of blood could be seen in some places. A car and a police motorbike were also damaged. "We will be consulting with lawyers to bring charges against the police," said Hasto Atmodjo Surojo, the Dean of the Faculty of Social & Political Science. During the incident, 141 students were detained by police.
Similar protests – also involving significant numbers of people – were held in other cities over the last week. Several of these also ended in clashes, like in the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar and the Central Java city of Yogyakarta. Protest actions are certain to continue now that the government finally announced the fuel price increases.
It is likely that the widespread street protests made Yudhoyono decide to stay at home. A Tempo source said the president was worried about the rising political heat when the price increases came into effect. "The President is worried that there will be martyrs, that demonstrators would be killed," he said.
Ten years ago, the situation spiraled out of control after four University of Trisakti students were killed. The tense situation and political crisis that followed forced former President Suharto to relinquish power, which he had held for 32 years. This was the reason the Palace repeatedly warned security personnel on the ground to show restraint. Police were prohibited from carrying firearms when confronting demonstrators.
Secret units or intelligence personnel were also 'infiltrated' into the Palace security guard. The members of these units observed the activities of demonstrators up close. On Wednesday last week, when news spread that a demonstrator had been shot in front of the DPR building, these intelligence personnel followed the victim to the Pelni Hospital in the West Jakarta area of Petamburan. They were relieved to see that the protester – who had allegedly been seriously wounded – was able to take part in Friday prayers.
Budi Darma, the demonstrator who was reportedly shot, said that they were actually about to end their protest. The student from the University of Indonesia's Faculty of Social & Political Science had already taken off his varsity jacket. But the atmosphere, however, quickly turned anarchic. Then an "officer with a brown beret" approached him. "He aimed a rifle at me," he told Fery Firmansyah and Ismi Wahid from Tempo, "and I suddenly felt a very sharp and stinging pain."
He claims to have been shot by a rubber bullet but has been unable to find the cartridge. The left side of his chest is bandaged. According to Adi Negoro, head of the faculty's Student Council, a team of doctors has confirmed that there were no internal wounds on the body of his colleague. "There was just a three centimeter long bruise," he said.
The President's supporters are claiming that the actions opposing the fuel price hikes are politically motivated. Their aim, they say, is to bring down Yudhoyono's popularity before the 2009 general elections. "A former minister is behind the demonstrations," said National Intelligence Agency chief, Syamsir Siregar.
It is not difficult to guess who Syamsir is pointing the finger at – Rizal Ramli. The Coordinating Minister for the Economy in the Abdurrahman Wahid cabinet was indeed an activist who often took to the streets. But he denies using the student actions for his own ends. "The charge is an insult to the student's intelligence," he said.
Circles close to the Palace group Rizal in the same rank as former Indonesian Military Chief retired Gen. Wiranto who now leads the Hanura Party and Fuad Bawazier, the former Finance Minister who has also joined that party. This group has adopted the flag bearing the words the People's Challenge Front (FRM).
In their protests, the FRM has raised the same issues as Wiranto: poverty. When they speaking at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout on Wednesday last week, activists from the group said that 40 million people in Indonesia are living in poverty and that there are 15 million people without jobs. This has been a central theme in advertisements placed by Wiranto's team in various news media.
Wiranto, Rizal and Fuad all say they are not mobilizing the demonstrators, although Fuad does admit that they opposed the government's decision to increase fuel prices from the start. The same demands, according to Fuad, have also been articulated by other student groups. "Without being mobilized, many people took part in the protests," said the former Finance Minister in Suharto's last cabinet.
The fuel price increase is an effective weapon to attack the government. The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the Justice & Prosperity Party (PKS) have both said they will launch a motion against it in the DPR. "The government should seek other options instead of increasing fuel prices," said Mahfudz Siddiq, head of the PKS Faction in the DPR. Similar views were expressed by PDI-P executive, Maruarar Sirait.
In fact, the Law on the 2008 Revised State Budget provides a legal basis for the government to increase the price of subsidized fuel. Article 14 states that this can be done if there are significant changes. In the clarification section, significant changes assume the average price of Indonesian crude oil over a period of one year is above US$100 per barrel, which would result in an excessive subsidy burden on the government. Clearly, such conditions have been met.
It appears, however, that the article is being conveniently ignored by many political parties, whose factions ipso facto signed the law. "Usually, in the lead up to general elections, many parties seek the people's support," said one government official. This is the reason they will still plan to call for a motion against it in the DPR.
The government's decision also threatens to undermine Yudhoyono's popularity. Three years ago, when the government increased fuel prices two-fold, the popularity of Indonesia's fourth president was relatively stable. Based on the results of a survey by the Indonesian Survey Institute at the time, his popularity dropped by only 4 percent from an initial 69 percent approval rating.
This initial support base has now declined quite drastically to only 53 percent – although this figure is still far higher than that of other political figures mentioned as presidential candidates. According to a survey conducted in January, the popularity of Yudhoyono's nearest rival, Megawati Sukarnoputri, was still around the 32 percent mark.
According to presidential spokesperson Andi Mallarangeng, President Yudhoyono chose this unpopular policy for the sake of securing the country. "It is better to sacrifice [one's] popularity rather than the national interest," he said. But he is convinced that the fuel price increase will not affect his boss' popularity in the general elections next year.
Over the coming weeks, Yudhoyono's political opponents will continue trying to erode his popularity. The President, it seems, will have to stay in Jakarta for a while longer, and forget about Italy for the moment.
Tempo Interactive - June 1, 2008
Sofian, Jakarta – Protest actions opposing the recent fuel price hike look set to continue. Based on data from the Metro Jaya regional police Traffic Management Centre (TMC) there will be at least three demonstrations related to the fuel prices on Sunday June 1.
At 11am at least 500 people from the People's Struggle Front (FPR) will demonstrate at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout and the State Palace on Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara in Central Jakarta. In addition to demanding that the fuel price increases be revoked, they will also be calling on the government to bring down the price of basic commodities, increase the workers' and farmers' wages and provide job opportunities.
The National Liberation Front (FPN) will also be demonstrating in the same area. The protest action, which are expected to attract around 1,000 people, will start at 12noon at the World Bank offices and the State Palace. As well as continuing to protest the fuel price hikes, they will also be demanding the nationalisation of the mining industry under the control of the people and voicing their opposition to World Bank intervention in Indonesia.
At 1pm members of the Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) will also be holding an action in front of the State Palace expressing their opposition to the fuel price increases.
At around the same time a mass rally and parade will be organised by the National Alliance for Freedom of Religion and Faith (AKKBB). The action will be held at two locations – behind the Gambir trains station and at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout.
The rally, which is expected to attract around 3,000 people, will be opposing the existence of groups that use force or violence to counter the beliefs of other groups. A number of public figures are planed to speak at the rally.
[Translated by James Balowski.]
| Aceh |
Jakarta Post - June 7, 2008
Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – Leaders of Lhok Nga and Leupung districts in Aceh Besar regency have asked French Lafarge co- financed cement factory PT Semen Andalas Indonesia (SAI) to promote more local workers to strategic positions.
In a meeting with the company's management here Thursday, subdistrict heads and community leaders asked the company management to fulfill its promise of having a 70 percent local workforce, with some positioned in strategic posts.
They said the company had largely employed blue collar local workers, including office boys.
"We demand better positions," said Yulfan, leader of the negotiating team representing the community. "PT SAI is a guest here. We own the hill and the land where the factory is constructed. We deserve better positions than just as office boys," M Noor, of Naga Umbang sub-district, Lhok Nga, said.
The negotiating team also demanded the company pay more attention to environmental problems caused by its production activities, including in nearby hills where raw material mining is conducted using explosives.
Yulfan said the mining caused air pollution and spread dust and smoke everywhere, and that some houses had been damaged by the explosions. "But the company doesn't seem to care about us," he said.
The team, Yulfan said, had met with the management representatives several times but that no significant agreements had been reached.
SAI's President Director Marcell Cobuz said the factory was still undergoing reconstruction work after being completely destroyed by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.
The work was scheduled to be completed mid this year helped by revenue from a higher cement production of 1.6 million tons per year, he added.
"I assure you the factory has fulfilled the required environmental standard according to the prevailing regulations. It's even above the standard," Cobuz told the community representatives.
SAI's communication and community development officer Wisnu D. Dwintara said 90 percent of the company's employees were locals, and that 50 percent were from Lhok Nga and Leupung.
He said very few local employees held clerical positions because of a general lack of required skills. Wisnu said the company was planning to provide trainings for newly-recruited employees to occupy clerical positions.
Jakarta Post - June 3, 2008
Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – Local political parties in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam are at risk of being excluded from the 2009 elections due to delays in registration by the Aceh chapter of the Independent Election Monitoring Committee (KIPP), a local party leader said.
"We don't know where to register ourselves yet," said Aceh People's Party (PRA) secretary-general Thamrin Ananda in Banda Aceh on Sunday.
According to Thamrin, registration has been postponed because of delays in determining the ordinance for local political parties, which is still being deliberated at the Aceh legislature.
"There are still many points that must be revised, such as the required Koran recital proficiency for legislative candidates from local political parties," Thamrin said.
According to paragraphs one and two of Article 13 of the bill, one of the requirements to become a legislator is the ability to implement sharia law and pass the Koran recital test.
The draft law has been criticized as discriminatory because such conditions are not required by national political parties.
"We hope for an immediate endorsement of the ordinance, keeping in mind the registration process of participating parties is very tight," Thamrin told The Jakarta Post.
He said he was wary of the deadline given by the General Elections Commission (KPU) for the verification process.
According to the national agenda, the KPU will verify political parties approved for the elections from June 7 to 14.
In the meantime, the Aceh KIPP is expected to hold a working meeting with the central KPU in Jakarta from June 4 to 7.
"If the registration process for local political parties starts on June 8, then Aceh KIPP has only two to three days to approve 12 local and national parties in Aceh," Thamrin said.
With insufficient KIPP offices in the regencies, Thamrin said he believed Aceh KIPP was likely to fail the task.
"We cannot do anything now without the ordinance," said Aceh KIPP vice head Ilham Syahputra.
Aceh KIPP is lobbying the central KPU to ask for an extended registration period, he said.
"Local parties are new in Aceh, as throughout Indonesia. We have asked for some consideration from the KPU," Ilham said.
The Aceh KIPP was inaugurated by Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf on May 24 this year, while KIPP offices in a number of regencies are currently carrying out tests to appoint new committee members.
"Virtually no KIPP members in the regencies have been appointed so far," Ilham said.
The presence of local political parties is stipulated in Law No. 11/2006 on the establishment of local parties in Aceh, following the peace pact signed between the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the Indonesian government in Helsinki in 2005.
| West Papua |
New Zealand Herald - June 3, 2008
Lincoln Tan – Septer Manufandu, from Indonesia, is a man on a mission – he wants to stop Kiwis from buying kwila.
At a public meeting in Ponsonby tonight, the campaigner against deforestation in Indonesia's West Papua region is hoping to win over Aucklanders to join his fight to preserve the culture of his people by boycotting the illegally logged timber.
"Since the Government is not prepared for an outright ban on kwila, the only way we can win this fight is for Kiwis to stop buying it," said Mr Manufandu, who is also the executive secretary of Foker, an NGO co-operation forum in West Papua representing 64 organisations.
New Zealand imports the tropical kwila timber from Indonesian-run Papua and from Papua New Guinea mainly for the manufacture of outdoor furniture and decking.
According to a World Bank report, up to 80 per cent of such logging was illegal, and Forestry Minister Jim Anderton said last week that the Cabinet had an in-principle agreement to mandatory labelling of all kwila products sold in New Zealand at the point of sale to indicate if the supplier had verification of the legality of the wood.
But Mr Manufandu, who belongs to the Biak tribe in the forest region, said the proposed actions were far from adequate.
"Western demand for kwila is not only killing the forests, it is also killing our people," he said. "The forest is seen as our mother, which provides us with food, water and shelter – and when that is taken away, our people lose everything."
Mr Manufandu said the illegal logging activities has caused much suffering and devastation among his people, and migrant workers of logging companies also spread diseases such as Aids to the forest people.
He said: "Sometimes, I wonder if many Kiwis knew how many lives of families have been destroyed for them to have their kwila outdoor table or deck to enjoy their barbecues in the summer."
The forestry graduate says he was hopeful that New Zealanders would be sympathetic to their cause. "Unlike the New Zealand Maori, our people have no voice," he said. "New Zealanders know the importance of preserving indigenous cultures as they have done with the Maori, and I am hoping that Kiwis can become our voice too."
He has been touring New Zealand since May 27 as a guest of the Indonesia Human Rights Committee and the Catholic peace group Pax Christi.
Bisnis Indonesia - June 3, 2008
Jakarta – Papua, a region called Dutch New Guinea in the colonial era, has been 'controlled' by 10 big plantation companies in the last two years.
Of the total area size of 352,651 hectares (ha), 85,654 hectares have been seized by several business groups, such as state-owned plantation PTPN II, the Sinarmas Group, the Korindo Group, and the Raja Garuda Mas (RGM) Group, to expand their oil palm businesses.
The big private plantation groups have also controlled some companies in Papua, such as PT Tunas Sawah Erma (the Korindo Group), Sumber Indah Perkasa and Sinar Kencana Inti Perkasa (PT Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology Corporation/Smart Tbk), and Bumi Irian Perkasa (the RGM Group).
Until 2007, Smart had controlled 125,190 hectares of oil plantation areas in Sumatra (62,410 hectares) and Kalimantan (62,780 hectares).
Asian Agri controls over 160,000 hectares of oil palm plantations in Indonesia, while the Korindo Group, operating in the Asiki district, the Boven Digoel Regency, targets to develop 50,000 hectares of oil palm plantations.
Since 1989, Korindo has been developing oil palm plantations. Currently, the Korindo group has already had 10,000 hectares of areas and has started production with two plants, each with a capacity of 30,000 tons of oil palm per hour.
Korindo has been allocating its oil palm to meet domestic needs and is still focusing on developing oil palm in Boven Digoel [in the south of Papua, near the PNG border].
In the meantime, the company also develops 50,000 hectares of industrial timber estate in Central Kalimantan and plans to open up an oil palm industry there.
Director General of Plantation at the Department of Agriculture Achmad Mangga Barani claimed the directorate general had mapped out land conditions and statuses.
"The Department of Agriculture's Research and Development Agency has completed the development map for Papua. The map can show us areas potential for certain commodities," he said recently.
Based on the map [for Papua], he continued, the Department of Agriculture would give recommendations to the local governments regarding new plantation area developments, especially those made by 10 companies.
Of the ten companies, eight have interests in the oil palm plantation sector, while the two others, PT ANJ Agri Papua and PT Nusa Ethanolasia, have interests in sago plantation. Achmad added the total size of plantation areas in Papua reached 458,551 hectares consisting of 352,651 hectares of oil palm plantations, 5,900 hectares of cocoa plantation, and 100,000 hectares of sago. Of the total size, 32,571 hectares of areas had been planted.
According to him, the map showed there were 1.72 million hectares of areas potential for plantations, namely for oil palm plantations (885,140 hectares), cocoa plantations (305,855 hectares), coffee plantations (143,658 hectares), rubber plantations (81,098 hectares), and sugar cane plantations(268,782 hectares).
Yapen Islands [West Papua]
Separately, Regency of Yapen Islands [West Papua] Daud S. Betawi Soleman disclosed his regency had 123,596 hectares of areas potential for plantation.
"The Directorate General of Plantation will make our region as a pilot project for the integration of cocoa plantation and cow and pig farms. Regarding the size and the cost, those will depend on the government," said Daud after meeting with Director General of Plantation Achmad Manggabarani in the latter's working room yesterday. (Bisnis/et/arh)
| Human rights/law |
Jakarta Post - June 7, 2008
Jakarta – Human rights advocates have warned that disbanding organizations in Indonesia without fair and proper trial could lead the nation back to authoritarianism.
The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and poet Goenawan Mohamad, who is also a former chief editor of Tempo magazine, warned the government on Friday, amid mounting calls from rival groups to dissolve the Jamaah Islamiyah Islamic sect and the Islam Defenders Front (FPI).
Komnas HAM chairman Ifdhal Kasim said disbanding any organization without a comprehensive trial should be avoided. "Once we give full power to the government to dissolve any organization, the FPI for example, we would turn back to authoritarianism," he said.
The radical FPI has widely been blamed for a violent attack on a peaceful rally on Sunday for religious tolerance at the Monument National (Monas) square.
The attack left 70 activists injured from the National Alliance of the Freedom of Faith and Religion (AKKBB) opposed to a government plan to ban Ahmadiyah. The FPI is among hard-line groups fighting for the dissolution of the minority Islamic sect.
"It will be proper to bring the case to trial to uphold democracy. Let the court decide whether the FPI is guilty or not. And if it is, then it will be possible to disband FPI," Ifdhal said.
He said the country recognized freedom of association. "But it doesn't mean that any organization or association can do whatever they like. We still have to deal with those organizations in a proper way."
Goenawan, a member of AKKBB, also said the government should avoid disbanding organizations, including FPI and Ahmadiyah. However, he demanded the FPI attackers be punished severely according the law.
Goenawan, who witnessed the Sunday attack, thanked police for detaining FPI leader Rizieq Shihab and a number of his followers over the assault. However, he said he understood the outrage by supporters of former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid against the FPI and Rizieq who publicly bad-mouthed him after the attack.
"About the issue of disbanding the FPI, I personally suggest that we should continue taking into account the right to expression and organization," he said. "It's very dangerous if the government takes the position of easily banning an organization as we experienced in the past during the guided democracy and New Order period," Goenawan said in a press statement.
He said the nation needed to focus on uniting its citizens. "The people should be freed from anxiety due to unemployment and poverty as well as from terror and thuggery."
Meanwhile, the Muslim Lawyers Team (TPM) criticized the government for "discriminatory treatment" against the FPI in dealing with the Monas attack.
At a press conference Friday, TPM lawyer Mahendradatta said AKKBB activists were also to blame because they had provoked the FPI to attack them. He alleged that there had been "gunfire" from inside the AKKBB crowd, which incited the attack.
The alliance, which has been campaigning for peace and religious tolerance, has strongly dismissed the FPI's allegations as a "fabrication".
Mahendradatta also criticized police for charging Rizieq with Article 156 of the Criminal Code on hostility act in relation to the attack. "It's not fair," he said.
The lawyer said the police should have also charged Ahmadiyah with the same article for religious blasphemy," he said. "Our demand for this has never been responded to." (nkn)
Agence France Presse - June 5, 2008
Jakarta – Tough economic conditions and a dysfunctional government policy of giving no-strings funding to orphanages are forcing more poor Indonesians to give up their children, a charity said Thursday.
Only six percent of an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 children living in Indonesia's care institutions are genuine orphans, Florence Martin from Save the Children told AFP.
A combination of persistent poverty and a government policy granting 3,000 rupiah (32 cents) per child per day to orphanages meant the number of institutions had more than doubled over the past decade, Martin said.
"If families are increasingly facing vulnerability in terms of coping daily... and on the other hand we have institutions that are receiving more (government) assistance than the families daily, then we have a kind of push and pull factor," she said.
This dynamic means that although many of Indonesia's estimated 5,000-8,000 orphanages were started with good intentions, "in the end they do become a kind of business," she said "These children really shouldn't be there."
A report released Wednesday by Save the Children, UNICEF and Indonesia's social affairs ministry found a lack of government knowledge and unconditional grants were contributing to the growth of care institutions.
The report recommended better government oversight of orphanages as well as more direct government support for poor families to deter them from giving up their children.
Jakarta Post - June 5, 2008
Jakarta – Many children are facing physical and psychological abuse in Indonesian childcare institutions, a study has found. The study, jointly conducted by the Social Services Ministry, Save the Children and Unicef, concluded that many childcare institutions in Indonesia do not do enough for the welfare of their children.
"Many staffers in childcare institutions resort to violence to punish the children. They sometimes beat children who break rules," said Save the Children UK-Indonesia child protection specialist Tata Sudrajat.
The research also found many institutions subjected the children to forced labor to save money or generate revenue, and that children do not have enough time to play.
"Most of the childcare institutions have quite strict rules and regulations. They don't have any child protection policies to prevent violence against children," he said.
Tata was speaking at the launch of the research report, "Someone that Matters: The Quality of Care in Childcare Institutions in Indonesia".
Researchers surveyed 36 childcare institutions in six provinces – Central Java, Maluku, Naggroe Aceh Darussalam, North Sulawesi, West Kalimantan and West Nusa Tenggara – plus an orphanage owned by the Social Services Ministry.
There are an estimated 5,000 to 8,000 childcare institutions in Indonesia caring for up to 500,000 children – including both orphans and children from families unable to meet the cost of raising them – among the most in the world.
More than 99 percent of the institutions are run by the private sector, mostly by religious organizations.
Researchers found about 90 percent of the children still had one or both parents living and only 6 percent were actually orphans. The majority of the children came from poor families and were sent to the institutions for food and education.
Save the Children country director Stephen Morrow said families should not simply place their children in childcare institutions if money was an issue.
"Children have the right to know and grow up within their families and they also have the right to education. They and their families should not be asked to choose between these two fundamental rights," Morrow said.
Tata said: "Childcare institutions should be... last-resort care centers. If children have lost their parents, their extended family should support them."
He also urged the government to improve childcare institutions by establishing minimum standards. "There's no minimum standard for a childcare institution, its quality of services and its staffers," he said.
Tata said Save the Children offered childcare training for staffers across the country, particularly to raise their awareness of children's education.
Social Service Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah said the government would heed some of the study's recommendations. "We will evaluate the services of the childcare institutions and set standards for them," he said. (trw)
| Environment/natural disasters |
Reuters - June 5, 2008
Olivia Rondonuwu, Jakarta – Indonesia's environment minister said on Thursday that events in Jakarta, hit by flooding due to unusually high tides this week, served as a timely warning of the impact of global warming on coastal cities.
Rachmat Witoelar urged Group of Eight countries, due to meet next month for a summit in Japan, to show their commitment to tackling global warming, which threatens many coastal and low-lying areas.
"We want to persuade the countries of G8 to be more forthcoming in disbursing funds," he said in an interview on World Environment Day, adding that the Group of Eight countries should not go back on their promises.
"I hope G8 will have a very clear formula on how much, when, and how they are going to disburse" funds to help combat global warming, Witoelar said.
About 190 nations agreed at UN-led talks in Bali last December to launch two-year negotiations on a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol, which binds rich nations to emission cuts by an average of 5 percent between 2008-2012 from 1990 levels.
All nations would be bound under Kyoto's successor from 2013, and under the "Bali Roadmap', nations recognised deep cuts in global emissions were needed.
The Indonesian capital provides "a good warning signal" of the dangers the world faces, Witoelar said.
"It is a precursor of what happens if we do not mitigate the climate change, and within 50 years this will happen every day," he said, adding that within 20 years, Jakarta's airport would be unusable, while many homes along the coast would be destroyed.
Parts of Jakarta were hit by flooding this week due to the combination of unusually high tides and the effects of subsidence from excessive extraction of ground water.
High tides and heavy rains frequently disrupt transport on the capital's main airport tollroad and on many of the city's arteries, hurting the local economy.
But Indonesia, Southeast Asia's biggest economy, also draws frequent criticism for its illegal logging, environmental destruction, and conversion of forested land for palm oil production.
As "the foremost owner of the world's biodiversity", Indonesia would ensure that some 47-48 million hectares of forest would not be touched, Witoelar said, although he added that older indigenous trees consumed less CO2 than fast-growing trees, such as those in plantations.
Conversion of unprotected areas for palm oil plantations was necessary as a means of providing jobs, he added. "There's 18 million hectares of wood forest, not indigenous forest, that can be exploited for other uses," he said.
"This growing country needs some leeway for trying to make things happen in terms of providing employment for its people." (Writing by Sara Webb; Editing by Jerry Norton)
Jakarta Post - June 5, 2008
Apriadi Gunawan and Oyos Saroso H.N., Medan, Bandarlampung – The illegal trade and hunting of wild animals, including endangered Sumatran tigers and elephants, has reached alarming levels in several parts of Sumatra.
In Deli Serdang regency, North Sumatra, a forest ranger team on Tuesday arrested two people believed to be members of a wild animal trade syndicate. They were caught while trading two stuffed Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae) believed to have been a year old at the time of their death.
"This is not the first arrest we've made in the last month," head of the natural resource conservation center at the North Sumatra forestry office Djati Wicaksono said. Just two weeks earlier, he said, his office arrested four people trading a Sumatran tiger skin in Tiga Binanga, Karo regency.
Both the skin and stuffed tigers were taken from Leuser, Southeast Aceh, Djati said. Medan, the capital of North Sumatra, has reportedly become a favored place for the illegal trade because there are many buyers in the city.
Mount Leuser National Park head Nurhadi Utomo said he suspected poachers might have help from the authorities as they seemed to have no difficulties smuggling their wares out of Aceh. "In fact, we have many check posts they must pass through," Nurhadi told The Jakarta Post in Medan on Tuesday.
In Bandarlampung, local nongovernmental organizations said Lampung had increasingly become a major hub for the trade of endangered animals due to its proximity to Java.
"Lampung is a transit area and production center of ivory handicrafts," said an NGO staffer who asked not to be named, adding that a group of 12 elephant ivory hunters and financial backers had since 2003 sold over 1,200 kilograms of ivory taken from some 47 elephants.
He said that in Way Kambas, a group of 19 ivory hunters, financial backers and craftsmen had sold nearly 1,800 kilograms of ivory from approximately 52 elephants over the same period.
The supply of ivory does not only come from the Way Kambas National Park in Lampung, but also South Sumatra, Bengkulu, Riau, Jambi and South Sumatra.
The source also said a former regent had a collection of 103 daggers whose frames and handles were made of elephant ivory. "All together, it's the equivalent of 20-30 elephants. That's just from a single person's collection."
Emon, an activist of the Lampung-based environmental NGO Pratala, separately said financial backers often made use of locals to hunt elephants for ivory.
An investigation conducted by the Wildlife Conservation Society revealed routes regularly used to smuggle illegal animals through Jakarta, Batam, Singapore and Dumai before being shipped to Malaysia.
Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport has also been named as a shipment terminal for live and frozen animals to Hong Kong and China.
ProFauna Indonesia chairman Rosek Nursahid said in Malang, East Java, conflicts between humans and animals have frequently been used to justify the illegal hunting of wild animals.
"They (poachers) kill wild elephants, for example, and report that the animals attacked a residential area and frightened residents," said Rosek, adding that such circumstances were only infrequently the case.
Light legal sanctions on perpetrators have been blamed for the difficulties in curbing illegal hunting.
The 1990 law on the conservation of natural resources and ecosystems carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison or a maximum fine of Rp 100 million. In practice, however, convicted perpetrators have mostly served a maximum of only five months in prison.
[Wahyoe Boediwardhana contributed to this article from Malang, East Java.]
Jakarta Post - June 3, 2008
Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – Forestry activists have warned of a sharp increase in the national deforestation rate if the government fails to deal with overlapping permits issued for forest concessions and industrial timber forests.
Greenomics Indonesia's latest study found about 18.4 million hectares of forest concession areas and production forest had mostly been occupied by plantation and mining companies thanks to permits issued by regents.
"It is an illegal practice. The regents have no right to issue permits for plantation companies to operate or occupy forest concession and industrial areas. Only the Forestry Ministry can do that," Greenomics national coordinator Vanda Mutia Dewi told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
The government has allocated a total of 60.91 million hectares for forest concessions or for production forests.
"With the overlapping permits, illegal occupation of the forest concession areas and industrial forests will contribute more to the national deforestation rate than illegal logging practices," she said.
The Forestry Ministry has to change the status of forest concession areas and industrial forests before licenses can be awarded to plantation firms to dig up the forests, she said.
Greenomics found the overlapping permits occurred mostly in Kalimantan and Sumatra.
"About 80 percent of 18.4 million hectares of concessions and industrial forests has been deforested in Kalimantan and Sumatra. In Kalimantan alone, deforestation has reached 8.16 million hectares," she said.
In Sumatra, more than 6.04 million hectares of production forest have been illegally occupied by other parties, including plantation companies.
"We found that a plantation company operating in East Kalimantan obtained a permit from a regent to occupy an area for which the ministry had issued an industrial production license," she said.
Greenomics also discovered 1.4 million hectares of production forests in West Kalimantan had been turned into plantation areas.
In Riau, about 845,000 hectares of production forests have been illegally occupied and repurposed for plantation and agricultural use.
"Even a forest designated for research, which covers an area equaling 500 soccer fields, has been illegally converted into a plantation," Vanda said.
She urged the government to trace the owners of plantation companies and regents who issued the licenses and bring them to justice.
| Agriculture & food security |
Jakarta Post - June 6, 2008
The eastern part of Indonesia will remain prone to food shortages unless the government improves distribution infrastructure, an official says.
"The infrastructure problem in eastern Indonesia will hamper the capacity for food distribution to areas stricken by a lack of access to staple foods," Iskandar Andi Nuhung, an expert at the Minister of Agriculture, said in a seminar Thursday.
Of the 35 million tons of rice targeted to be produced in the country this year, eastern Indonesia is estimated to generate only 5.5 million tons as farmers in the region have difficulties in marketing their produces.
Eastern Indonesia covers the provinces of Maluku, Papua, some parts of Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara.
Data from the Central Statistics Agency shows of 37.17 million poor people in the country last year, some 5.71 million suffered food shortages, most of them living in eastern Indonesia. In 2006, more than a quarter of the country's population of poor people, or 10.04 million of 39.30 million, suffered food shortages.
The Food and Agriculture Organization, however, said cases of food shortages in Indonesia were lower than in 37 other developing or underdeveloped countries. (JP/rff)
| Islam/religion |
Jakarta Post - June 6, 2008
Andi Hajramurni, Makassar – Pressures were mounting for the government to immediately outlaw the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) held responsible for the attack at the National Monument (Monas) on Sunday.
Some 30 students from various universities went to the streets in Makassar on Thursday, demanding the banning of the hard-line Muslim organization.
"The violent acts committed by FPI have tarnished religious harmony in the country and clearly violated the 1945 Constitution and basic human rights," said rally coordinator Murad.
The students also urged the police to arrest and prosecute FPI members who perpetrated the attack and assaulted members from the National Alliance for the Freedom of Faith and Religion (AKKBB) during a rally in Jakarta on June 1.
Councilors who received the protesters at the legislative building supported the students' demand, saying no groups were allowed to use violence against others.
In Bandung, hundreds of members of the Alliance for Religious Tolerance (AKUR) stormed the FPI's local chapter office on Jl Pasteur on Thursday, demanding the head of FPI's advisory board sign an undertaking to stop using violence in the city.
AKUR coordinator Yaman Didu said they had taken this step in order to maintain stability in the West Java provincial capital. "We don't want people saying they have the right to resort to violence in the name of religion, because every religion teaches peace," said Yaman.
Bandung FPI's head of the advisory board Ayub Solihin expressed his disapproval of disbandment on the grounds that they were not involved in the Monas attack. "We have been carrying out peaceful actions in Bandung so far, like other groups. They have no right to disband us," said Ayub.
He also said none of the FPI members from Bandung were involved in the attack in Jakarta. "Only the government can dissolve us, not the police, especially not other mass organizations," Ayub said.
In Cirebon, West Java, thousands of people from various groups and Islamic boarding schools, mostly affiliated with Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), took to the streets Thursday to demand disbandment of the FPI. The demonstrators held rallies at the Cirebon regency police office and the local legislature, arriving in dozens of trucks and with hundreds of motorcycles.
Nurjaman, caretaker of the Kempek Islamic boarding school and coordinator of the rally, said the attack carried out by the FPI against one of the NU's clerics and an AKKBB activist, KH Maman Imanulhaq Faqieh, was a dishonor to the NU as an institution.
"The FPI had the audacity to attack a cleric who is an influential figure in the NU. Laskar FPI had also attacked AKKBB activists who were commemorating Pancasila Sanctity Day on June 1, meaning they have dishonored Pancasila and the NU at the same time. We condemn their behavior and insist the government disband the FPI immediately," said Nurjaman.
Protesters also urged local legislators to immediately enact an ordinance banning the FPI and organizations that disrespected Pancasila and often resorted to violence in the name of religion.
Jakarta Post - June 6, 2008
Dicky Christanto, Denpasar – Bali rights activists and lawmakers have praised police action in arresting Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) members for their alleged involvement in clashes last Sunday at the National Monument (Monas) in Jakarta.
Both activists and lawmakers demanded the government bring the case to court to discourage similar acts in the future.
"They have no right to impose their beliefs through violence and this is not the first time they have done that. The government should not hesitate to investigate the case," I Nengah Jimat of the Bali Legal Aid Institute told reporters during a rally held by rights activists outside the local council building Wednesday.
"I promise that we will closely monitor the progress of the case," he said.
Dozens of rights activists under the banner of the Alliance of Balinese Supporters for Pancasila marched to the local legislative council and administration buildings to voice their concerns over FPI members' alleged brutality.
They sang popular Indonesian folk songs, yelled out patriotic verses and gave speeches about the importance of upholding the principles of Pancasila as the national ideology and to reject acts of violence.
The alliance, which comprised student organizations, pro-bono lawyers and religious organizations, demanded the government take immediate and firm action against any organization that threatened the country's religious harmony and cultural diversity.
The Jakarta Police brought 59 FPI members, including their leader Rizieq Shihab, to Jakarta Police headquarters Wednesday morning for further questioning on their roles in the attack that left dozens of religious freedom activists injured.
The one-hour drama of police arresting the hardliners was aired nationwide by several television channels.
Jimat said this was an important test of the political will of the government, to see whether it had the courage to punish who violate the law. "If the government does not pay serious attention to this kind of matter, it will seriously threaten national unity," he said.
Several lawmakers, met with the alliance, sharing their worries about the clashes.
A Muslim lawmaker, Zubaedah, said she regretted the violence carried out by FPI activists and that the action of FPI members didn't reflect nor represent the true image of Islam as a peaceful religion. "These people are representing nothing but hate and violence and we as Indonesians have the right to say no to this behavior. Indonesia is a home for those who love peace," she said.
Local council chairman Ida Bagus Wesnawa said he agreed with the concerns of the alliance and was ready to channel their views to appropriate government officials. "But I must warn all of you not to be easily provoked by any issue that can tear down our unity as a nation, especially in these troubled times," he said.
Around 70 FPI members attacked activists of the National Alliance for the Freedom of Faith and Religion, who gathered last Sunday to commemorate the 63rd year of Pancasila state ideology. The attack left around 34 injured.
Jakarta Post - June 5, 2008
Jakarta – More than 56 percent of youths in the Greater Jakarta area support sharia-based bylaws, but almost 80 percent believe in the Pancasila state ideology that protects Indonesia's diversity, a new survey shows.
The survey, designed to capture youths' views of nationalism and pluralism, was conducted between May 6 and May 30 by the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace in Jakarta, Bekasi, Depok and Tangerang.
The 800 respondents were aged between 17 and 22 years and will be first-time voters in the 2009 legislative and presidential elections.
But Musdah Mulia from Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University questioned the accuracy of the survey results, claiming it used weak methodology.
She told a seminar discussing the survey results Wednesday that the questionnaire did not give respondents enough information about sharia-based bylaws.
"If a person who comes from a Muslim-dominated community is asked whether he/she would support sharia-based bylaws, I think the answer is likely to be 'yes'.
"But if we explain further that sharia-based bylaws would mean the hand of a person found guilty of stealing must be cut off, or persons who have committed adultery must face the death penalty, or every woman must wear a headscarf, the answer might be very different," she said.
However, Musdah said the survey was very important because it showed that radicalism had become a real threat for Indonesia.
Bonar Tigor Naipospos from the Setara Institute said the formalization of a specific religious belief into a government law would be incompatible with the values of Pancasila, which aim to protect Indonesia's diversity, including of religion.
"The survey results imply the teaching of the values of Pancasila in Indonesian schools is ineffective. I think it is because the teaching has never been followed up with further discussion to develop critical and transformative thought about Indonesian nationality, especially its diversity," he said.
"The reinvention of Pancasila is very important to help Indonesia in facing its contemporary challenges. Otherwise, just wait for this country to sink."
The survey also found only 50.4 percent of respondents were proud to be Indonesian. Bima Arya Sugiarto from Paramadina University said this finding showed Indonesia had failed in its nation- building process.
"It clearly shows signs youths are feeling inferior and pessimistic. The result is quite disgraceful for a country that recently celebrated 100 years of national awakening and 10 years of reform," he said. (uwi)
Agence France Presse - June 4, 2008
Bhimanto Suwastoyo, Jakarta – Indonesian police launched a major crackdown Wednesday on a radical Islamist group blamed for a weekend attack on a rally for religious tolerance, arresting 59 including the outfit's firebrand leader.
Police said the pre-dawn operation involving more than 1,000 officers was in response to Sunday's attack at the Monas national monument in Jakarta by stick-wielding fanatics from the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI).
"Fifty nine people, including the head of FPI, Rizieq Shihab, were taken to the Jakarta police headquarters for questioning in relation to the incident in Monas on Sunday," Jakarta police chief I Ketut Untung Yoga Ana told AFP.
The bearded, turban-wearing Shihab was officially named a suspect late in the afternoon, opening the door to unspecified charges, police spokesman Abubakar Nataprawira said.
The Indonesian government under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had come under strong pressure to act against the radicals after police failed to stop them beating scores of people with bamboo sticks at the rally.
Hundreds of radicals took part in the unprovoked attack, underlining the government's unwillingness to rein in fringe extremist groups in the world's most populous Muslim country.
But with the sense of outrage brewing among moderate Indonesians, the police late Monday issued an ultimatum for the radicals to hand over 10 suspects by midnight or face action.
Scores of officers sealed off their neighbourhood around the Front's central Jakarta headquarters but they encountered little resistance and television stations showed images of detainees being calmly led onto police trucks.
Only three days ago Shihab had held a press conference to announce that his followers would resist arrest "until our last drop of blood" but as police moved in Wednesday he called for calm.
"Please, there should be no one obstructing the duties of these policemen," he told supporters at the scene. "Let us show that we dare to act and dare to take the responsibility for that," he added before leaving voluntarily for the police station.
Shihab filed complaints Tuesday against 289 people who had signed a petition in support of religious tolerance, a burning issue in traditionally pluralist Indonesia ahead of elections next year.
A day after the attack he announced that his supporters were preparing for "war" against the minority Ahmadiyah Islamic sect, which the government is considering banning for its "deviant" beliefs.
Yudhoyono has not publicly indicated which way he will go on the Ahmadiyah issue but he has strongly condemned Sunday's attack and told ministers to examine options for banning the FPI.
As public anger grew, youths affiliated with the party of former president Abdurrahman Wahid raided several regional FPI offices in East Java and demanded the group end its activities, reports said.
The Front's militants have been involved in several violent vigilante assaults in what they see as the defence of Islam since 2000. In 2006 they targeted the US embassy and the office of US magazine Playboy in Jakarta, but the worst incident came four years earlier when about 650 FPI fanatics rampaged through Jakarta nightspots and billiard halls.
The group was set up with the backing of a number of Suharto-era generals and is said to retain close contacts with elements of the security forces.
Jakarta Post - June 4, 2008
Jakarta – The government is facing mounting pressure in cities across the country to dissolve the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) for its repeated in violent acts.
In Yogyakarta, an unidentified group stormed the FPI office in Sleman at around 11 p.m. on Monday apparently in response to the attack by an FPI-related group on inter-faith activists at the National Monument (Monas) in Jakarta on June 1.
One person was injured in the office attack and police held five more. The attack reportedly involved about 100 people with motorbikes and wearing black jackets.
The group did not attack FPI members but destroyed the office signboard. They left to avoid a clash with FPI members, who came out with sharp weapons. The attackers were unarmed. However, FPI members stopped five men, beating them with sticks, iron rods and swords.
"We were holding prayers when the thugs attacked us and damaged the signboard. We likened this to waking up a sleeping tiger. We will be harsher and avenge this," Yogyakarta FPI commander Bambang Tedi said. The Sleman Police are still identifying the attackers.
On the following day scores of people staged a rally in Yogyakarta demanding the government disband the FPI. "We condemn the (Monas) attack and demand the organization which has damaged democracy and shown disrespect for the spirit of unity in diversity be dissolved," said rally coordinator Maulana.
In Banyumas, Central Java, a group of 50 people, calling themselves Banyumas Independent Council (Libas) Tuesday stormed the FPI office on Jl. Pungkuran. During the raid no FPI members were present. "We condemn any form of violence. The country upholds religious tolerance, so we must fight any form of violence and coercion," Libas leader Sumbadi said.
In Malang, East Java, hundreds grouped in the Greater Malang Anti-Violence People's Alliance on Tuesday held a rally at the local legislature demanding the government forcefully disband the FPI.
They also threatened to take the law into their own hands if the government and police failed to immediately take stern action against the group led by Habib Rizieq. They burned an effigy representing Rizieq and forced councilors to address the crowd in support of their action.
"What is happening now reaches the limits of our patience on violent acts committed by them in the name of Islam. There should never be such violence in Indonesia. It puts the nation in jeopardy," said rally coordinator Muhammad Syafiq.
In the Central Java provincial capital of Semarang, some 30 students took to the streets Tuesday demanding that government disband the FPI. They likened the recent violence committed by the FPI to acts of thuggery.
In front of the provincial legislative building, they unfurled banners saying "Outlaw thugs in robes", and "Islam denounces violence", and repeatedly chanted "Disband the FPI".
In Jakarta, dozens of FPI members came to the city police headquarters on Tuesday to report the National Alliance for the Freedom of Faith and Religion (AKKBB) as being responsible for the Monas incident.
Achmad Michdan, a member of the Muslim Legal Team who is defending Islamic organizations involved in the Monas incident, said he reported 289 activists whose names were in the AKKBB's newspaper advertisements as the masterminds behind the clash.
"They openly had invited a massive number of people in the newspapers and did not get permission from the police to hold the event," he said. The FPI also reported Tempo daily newspaper for libel after the newspaper published a photo of the commander of the Islam Troop Command Munarman, choking a man with hundreds of people dressed in white in the background.
"It's a slander. Munarman did not choke a member of AKKBB. The man on the photo is a member of his troop and he did it to prevent the man from taking unauthorized action in the Monas incident," Habib Rizieq said.
The FPI members brought along with them a man named Nasrullah or Ucok, whom they claimed was the man choked by Murnaman in the photo. (ind)
Jakarta Post - June 4, 2008
Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – The government came under fire Tuesday for the failure to arrest leaders and members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) over an attack on activists at the National Monument (Monas).
Lawmakers, legal experts and activists also demanded the government quickly disband the FPI, arguing that under the law, the group's actions at Monas could be classified as disturbing the peace and causing insecurity in the community.
House of Representatives Speaker Agung Laksono slammed the government's stance against the FPI, saying police should have promptly detained the perpetrators.
"It (the attack) is not the first time. If the government had taken strong action against them, then violence like this would not have been repeated," he said.
Legal expert Frans H. Winarta said all FPI members involved in Sunday's assault should be arrested for breaching the Criminal Code. "It was a collective attack for which police must arrest all those involved, including their leaders," he said.
Under the law, people convicted of assaulting others face between two and five years' imprisonment.
At least 70 people were injured when FPI members used bamboo sticks to attack members of the National Alliance for the Freedom of Faith and Religion, who were rallying in support of Jamaah Ahmadiyah, an Islamic sect deemed "heretical" by a government panel.
The peaceful rally was also to commemorate the 63rd anniversary of Pancasila state ideology.
Police had made no arrests by Tuesday night, even though President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had condemned the violence and ordered police to take strong action against the relevant members of the FPI.
Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Adang Firman said Tuesday his office had named 10 suspects in the incident and gave them until Wednesday morning to turn themselves in or be arrested.
Late Monday night, several police officers visited the FPI headquarters in Petamburan, Central Jakarta. The officers left after an hour-long discussion with FPI leader Habib Rizieq Shihab. They did not make any arrests.
Several lawmakers were quick to accuse the police of siding with the radical group over the attack and of being afraid to take action against it.
"We will summon National Police chief Gen. Sutanto to explain why the police allowed the attack to take place, and why they were very slow to take action," said Soeripto, a lawmaker with the House's Commission III on legal affairs.
Soeripto had been receiving representatives from various organizations, including from Nahdlatul Ulama and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), who had asked for support for the dissolution of the FPI.
Lawmaker Djoko Susilo of the National Mandate Party (PAN) urged the police to arrest Rizieq and other FPI leaders, alleging the attack had occurred under their orders.
"What kind of country do we live in if the police work together with a violent organization? We should uphold the rule of law at any cost to avoid an incident becoming a precedent to legitimize violence," he said.
Frans said the government could dissolve or freeze the FPI for violating Law No. 8/1985 and government decree No. 18/1986 on mass organizations. Under the law, an organization will be frozen if it disrupts public order and causes public insecurity.
"FPI members have clearly violated the law by attacking others, causing public fear and disturbing the peace," Frans said.
Home Minister Mardiyanto, Justice and Human Rights Minister Andi Mattalata and Attorney General Hendarman Supandji said they would prefer to concentrate on dealing with individual perpetrators rather than with the organization.
Agence France Presse - June 3, 2008
Bhimanto Suwastoyo, Jakarta – The Indonesian government was under strong pressure to act against Islamist extremists Tuesday after fanatics threatened war against a minority sect and attacked a rally for religious tolerance.
Police have failed to make a single arrest after Sunday's violence, when hundreds of stick-wielding Islamists stormed the peaceful rally in central Jakarta and severely beat dozens of people.
Victims of the unprovoked attack joined with rights activists and the media Tuesday in condemning the government for allowing a tiny minority of extremists to threaten basic rights in the world's most populous Muslim state.
The US embassy also urged the government to "continue to uphold freedom of religion for all its citizens as enshrined in the Indonesian constitution."
"This type of violent behaviour has serious repercussions for freedom of religion and association in Indonesia, and raises security concerns," the embassy said in a statement.
A little-known extremist group affiliated to the hardline Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they were "defending Islam" by beating women and unarmed men at the rally.
The rally had been called to express support for constitutionally enshrined religious freedoms amid a debate over the minority Ahmadiyah Islamic sect, which the government is considering banning over its "deviant" beliefs.
FPI leaders held a press conference on Monday to announce they were preparing for war with Ahmadis and would fight "until our last drop of blood" to resist attempts to arrest them.
Many have questioned why the government is considering banning Ahmadiyah, which has peacefully practised its faith in Indonesia since the 1920s, while doing nothing about violent religious vigilante groups.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said the authors of Sunday's violence should be punished and has told ministers to examine options for banning the FPI.
But senior police officer Bambang Danuri said police were being careful not to provoke further violence and would wait for the suspects to hand themselves in.
"The president has condemned the actions of FPI but there is no action in the field – it is only lip service," said Ahmad Suaedy, the director of a liberal Islamic think-tank who was badly beaten in Sunday's attack.
With some 230 million people, Indonesia is the most populous Muslim state and has a long history of religious pluralism and tolerance, which is guaranteed under the constitution.
But The Jakarta Post, an English-language daily, said in an editorial the country's freedoms were "in peril."
"We condemn the government that for the umpteenth time failed in its job to defend people in exercising their constitutional rights, first with regard to freedom of religion and now freedom of expression," it said.
"The latest threat comes not so much from those who want to take our freedoms away, as from the failure of the state to protect us from exercising our rights."
Several observers noted that the FPI was used by the Suharto dictatorship to intimidate pro-democracy activists in the 1990s and retains close contacts with elements of the security forces.
The police were also said to be treading carefully after weeks of almost daily protests against rising inflation and a 30-percent hike in the price of subsidised fuel last month.
"The police could have acted quickly but they also have to take into account the political tug of war... Otherwise the results could be further conflict," criminologist Adrianus Meliala said.
Jakarta Post - June 3, 2008
Jakarta – The government has strong legal justifications for disbanding the radical Islam Defenders Front (FPI) and arresting followers who assaulted people rallying for religious tolerance, experts, activists and Muslim scholars said Monday.
The call came as condemnation mounted against Sunday's attack by the FPI on activists from the National Alliance for the Freedom of Faith and Religion (AKKBB) to mark the 63rd year of Pancasila state ideology.
"The justice and human rights minister can take legal action by asking the court to disband the hard-line group," senior lawyer and presidential advisor Adnan Buyung Nasution said. "The minister should take the initiative to disband all groups that commit violence in this country."
According to the AKKBB, 70 activists were injured by FPI members, who kicked them and beat them with bamboo sticks.
Setara Institute director Hendardi, a legal expert, said the FPI should be dealt with firmly because the group had frequently launched attacks on other groups.He said all groups, including the FPI, that justified violence to achieve their goals should be dissolved.
Justice and Human Rights Minister Andi Mattalata said any organization that became a legal entity could be disbanded. He could not say if the FPI was a legal entity registered with his office.
"Don't you see this is the freedom that we have always demanded? You don't like it? This means that freedom is also needed to maintain public order. So don't be angry when we try to curb anarchism," Andi said.
Buyung also criticized police for failing to intervene in the attack on Sunday. "It was so surprising that the police just stood there and let the violence happen. They should have immediately arrested the attackers and their leaders," he said.
Constitutional Court chief Jimly Assiddiqie confirmed the government could take legal action to disband any organization. "It is the court that has the authority to dissolve an organization," he said, adding he would discuss the issue with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
The AKKBB reported the attack to the National Police through its lawyer Asfinawati. It claimed another hard-line group, Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), was also involved in the violence.
HTI spokesman Ismail Yusanto expressed concern over the incident, saying it would not have occurred if the government had taken a firm stance against Jamaah Ahmadiyah, an Islamic sect that an official panel declared "heretical".
Wahid Institute director Yenny Zannuba Wahid said the violence was "definitely thuggery".
"The government must be assertive in combating any form of thuggery," she said. "The police should immediately detain all suspects and punish them, especially their leaders. We shouldn't give such people any room to carry out their harmful actions in this country.
"Disbanding a group such as this one will be less effective because they can reappear under other names and identities. The most important thing is punishing its leaders," Yenny said.
Condemnation against the attack was also voiced by influential clerics in Cirebon, West Java, including Syarief Utsman Yahya, Wawan Arwani, Husein Muhammad, Luthful Hakim, Badrudin and Habib Husein Yahya. They demanded the government take strong action against the FPI attackers and bring them to justice. (trw/alf)
Jakarta Post - June 2, 2008
Jakarta – Members of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) attacked activists at the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta on Sunday afternoon, leaving 34 injured.
National Alliance for the Freedom of Faith and Religion (AKKBB) activists had entered the Monas area to commemorate the 63rd year of Pancasila state ideology, when they were confronted and beaten by FPI members, Adj. Sr. Comr. Suharna of the Jakarta Police told The Jakarta Post.
"We had warned the alliance about a possible clash with Islamic groups who would be staging a protest against the fuel price increases at the same time, but they insisted on going anyway," he said.
The AKKBB earlier announced the event to the public through newspapers, saying they endorsed pluralism and urged everybody not to be intimidated by people who threatened practitioners of different beliefs, as in the case of the Ahmadiyah Islamic sect.
Thousands of Ahmadiyah followers in the country have lived under threat after the sect was declared blasphemous by several hard- line groups.
"We were warned by the police that the Hizbut Tahrir Islamic group would also be holding a protest here but we did not know that FPI members would be among them," AKKBB event coordinator Nong Darol said.
She said that after being warned, the alliance decided to hold the event for only an hour at Monas and then march on to the Hotel Indonesian traffic circle.
"We were shocked when FPI members chased and beat us with bamboo sticks, mostly those who were already inside Monas. We ran away but they had already hurt many people," she said.
When contacted, Nong was accompanying Mohammad Guntur Romli to surgery at Army Central Hospital in Central Jakarta. Guntur's cheek bone was fractured by blows from FPI members wielding sticks.
FPI spokesman Munarman told radio reporters the incident was in reaction to the alliance's offensive statement in several newspapers last Tuesday.
Abdurrohman Djailani of the FPI said the group would be available for a press conference at its headquarters in Petamburan, West Jakarta, on Monday.
No one was arrested in the incident. Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Budi Winarko told reporters he would arrest perpetrators beginning Monday.
"Arresting them at the scene would have worsened the situation as it could have triggered bigger riots. We have already gotten video tape evidence from reporters and will arrest them in the following days," he said.
He said 1,200 police officers were at the scene when the clash occurred.
The attack was quickly condemned by human rights activists, politicians and Muslim organizations Muhammadiyah and Nahdatul Ulama (NU).
"The NU opposes any violence for any reason. There is no religious justification that tolerates violent actions. I urge the government to immediately take proper measures against the perpetrators. If the state ignores this case, its authority will be destroyed and more anarchy will emerge," Masdar Farid Masudi of the NU said.
Din Syamsudin, chairman of the country's second-largest Muslim organization Muhammadiyah, voiced similar concerns.
"This action is not in line with Islamic teachings and will tarnish Islam's image. It is a crime that must be prosecuted. I hope everyone can control him or herself and avoid violence and anarchism," he said.
The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) also condemned the attack, saying it urged President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to turn his attention to the incident and asking the police to arrest FPI members involved in the violence. (ind/alf)
Agence France Presse - June 2, 2008
Jakarta – The leader of an Indonesian Islamist extremist group declared war on members of a minority Islamic sect Monday after his followers violently broke up a rally for religious tolerance.
"I have ordered all members of the Islamic Force to prepare for war against the Ahmadiyah and their supporters," Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) chief Habib Rizieq Shihab told reporters, referring to the minority sect.
He ordered the government to ban the sect for its unorthodox beliefs or his stick-wielding militants would take matters into their own hands. "We will never accept the arrest of a single member of our force before the government disbands Ahmadiyah... We will fight until our last drop of blood," he said.
The extremist leader was defiant amid calls for the arrest of his followers who violently attacked a peaceful rally for religious tolerance on Sunday in the capital of the world's most populous Muslim state.
| Elections/political parties |
Jakarta Post - June 2, 2008
Jakarta – The deliberation of the presidential election bill goes into full swing Monday, with the most contentious issue being the minimum threshold necessary to nominate a presidential candidate.
The House of Representatives is split over the issue as it gears up for the debate with the government, which has proposed that only political parties or coalitions that secure 15 percent of the House seats or 20 percent of popular votes in the legislative election are allowed to contest the presidential election.
The Golkar Party, the largest faction with 129 of 550 House seats, and the conflict-ridden National Awakening Party insist the threshold should be increased to 30 percent of House seats.
Golkar lawmaker Muhammad Sofhian Mile said efficiency was the motive behind the tougher requirement. "There would be only three presidential candidates qualified and this would ensure the election lasts only one round, which is far cheaper for us," he told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
The requirement would force political parties to build a relatively permanent coalition, he said, which would result in a more solid and stable government.
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the second- largest House faction, supports the government's position, as do the United Development Party, the Democratic Party, the Prosperous Justice Party and the Prosperous Peace Party.
Agus Purnomo of the Muslim-based Prosperous Justice Party said the government's proposal was moderate and would open a chance for less popular but capable figures to contest the presidential election.
"If only three candidates are able to contest, I think we easily know who they are," Agus said. His party, he added, would fight to defend a ruling that promotes as many candidates as possible.
The National Mandate Party and two other smaller factions, the Star Reform Party and the Democratic Pioneer Star Party, are demanding a more lenient threshold ranging from 2.5 percent to 15 percent of the popular vote. They propose that all parties qualifying for the legislative election be able to name presidential candidates.
Chairman of the House's special committee deliberating the bill, Ferry Mursyidan Baldan, said the nomination threshold was one of the most contentious issues facing the lawmakers. However, he believed the debate would not slow the deliberation process.
The House expects to pass the bill in July or August at the latest. The presidential election will take place three months after the legislative elections on April 5. (alf)
| Economy & investment |
Jakarta Post - June 7, 2008
Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – The National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) has proposed gradually increasing fuel prices to draw closer to international price levels and safeguard the state budget.
"We want it (the price increase) to be done gradually as it would minimize the risk," Bappenas chairman Paskah Suzetta said Friday.
Paskah said if the average fuel prices were raised 1 percent per month, then within three years fuel subsidy spending would no longer overburden the state budget.
The current disparity between domestic and international prices stands at about 50 percent. Under the revised 2008 state budget, the government has allocated Rp 135.1 trillion for fuel subsidies, about 13 percent of the total state expenditure of Rp 987.48 trillion.
The government on May 24 raised fuel prices by an average 28.7 percent per liter. Premium gasoline was raised from Rp 4,500 (48 US cents) to Rp 6,000, diesel from Rp 4,300 to Rp 5,500 and kerosene from Rp 2,000 to Rp 2,500. The average international price of Premium gasoline, or low-octane gasoline, is almost $1 per liter.
On Friday, oil prices in New York rose to more than $130 per barrel as the US dollar tumbled against the euro following the European Central Bank's warning that soaring inflation might force it to raise interest rates.
Oil prices reached an all-time high of $135.09 per barrel on May 22. Analysts have predicted oil prices may surpass $150 per barrel later this year.
Bappenas said that with a monthly fuel price rise of 1 percent, inflation could be controlled and have fewer negative impacts than the latest increase or the October 2005 rise of an average 126 percent.
Inflation soared to 10.38 percent in May from a year earlier due mostly to the fuel prices increase, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS). Analysts have predicted inflation will further rise in June, passing 11 percent.
Paskah also said should the proposal be accepted, the government would focus on pro-poor programs – such as the direct cash transfer scheme – to reduce the possibility of rising poverty rates as other product prices also increase.
The government provides a cash transfer program of Rp 100,000 per month to poor households to compensate for the latest fuel prices increase.
"The cash transfer is expected to help poorer households cope with the new fuel prices," said Bappenas director of development performance evaluation Bambang Widianto. "With 11 percent inflation, the poor households' expenditure will rise about Rp 70,000. Rp 100,000 in aid is enough to cover rising consumer prices," he said.
The Bappenas proposal will be subject to further discussion with the Finance Ministry. Along with other proposals, it could then form the basis of the country's annual state budget.
Jakarta Post - June 4, 2008
Ika Krismantari, Jakarta – The recent fuel prices increase has not hampered consumption, with full-year fuel consumption set to rise 10 percent on the back of a growing economy and a rising number of vehicles, an official says.
Luluk Sumiarso, director general of oil and gas at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, said during a meeting with lawmakers Monday evening the nation's fuel consumption would increase to 39.1 million kiloliters this year.
He said this was partly due to the growth in the economy, which is still targeted to grow at respectable levels of 6.2 percent to 6.4 percent despite the recent 28.6 percent increase in fuel prices.
Luluk said that with the economy growing, people were expected to buy more vehicles, which could lift up consumption, especially for gasoline.
"This year's realization for gasoline will be a bit high since even after the increase people will still buy Premium gasoline rather than nonsubsidized Pertamax, because of the latter's high price," he said of Pertamina's high-octane fuel product.
According to ministry simulations, the higher-than-expected fuel consumption would mostly come from Premium gasoline, which could increase by 14 percent from the initial estimate.
State oil and gas firm PT Pertamina has said that from January to April, fuel consumption reached 12.9 million kl, more than a third of the full-year quota.
Ahmad Faisal, Pertamina director for marketing and trading, said that consumption of Premium gasoline had reached 6.1 million kl in the first four months of this year from an estimate of 16.9 million kl, kerosene 2.9 million kl from an estimate of 7.5 million kl and diesel 3.7 million kl from an estimate of 10.9 million kl.
Downstream oil and gas regulator BPH Migas said that over the past five years the consumption of Premium gasoline had risen by 5 percent per year due mostly to the rapid increase in vehicles.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said fuel subsidies could rise in line with the increase in consumption, and that the government would be able to cover subsidies as high as Rp 132.1 trillion (US$14.3 billion).
In a bid to keep the state budget in check, the government has been trying to control fuel consumption to stabilize the budget even as oil prices hover above $120 a barrel.
In addition to increasing the fuel prices, the government has embarked on a programs to replace kerosene with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and limit the sale of subsidized fuels with the distribution of "Smart Cards" to motorists and public transportation operators.
Tempo Interactive - June 6, 2008
Ika Ningtyas, Jakarta – The head of the Industrial-Trading & Cooperating Agency (Disperindagkop) for Banyuwangi, I Nyoman Wirayatsa, said non-performing loans of small-to medium- sized firms and enterprises reached an average of 50 percent in 2003 to 2008.
Credit reached Rp152 million for small-to medium-sized firms from loans of Rp600 million, while there is no return from total loans of Rp150 million given to small-to-medium-sized enterprises. The community-based cooperation also has a non-performing loan of Rp313 million from a total loan of Rp800 million. "Most of them are bankrupt," he told Tempo today (6/6).
He said the entrepreneurs having difficulty with the fuel price rise that occurred three times since 2005. Nyoman said that the departments sent warning letters many times to them to pay back their loans.
Jakarta Post - June 4, 2008
Jakarta – Indonesia's textile exports to the United States and Japan fell in the first quarter of this year because of the slowing global economy, a consultant firm says.
Exports to the United States for the January to March period dropped by 0.38 percent to US$1.11 billion, from $1.12 billion in the same period of 2007, said Indotextiles (a textile and apparel community reference firm) director Redma Gita Wiraswasta.
"The United States reduced its textile imports from around the world during the quarter, to around $21 billion from $22 billion for the same period last year," Redma said, adding that the trend would "probably continue until the end of the year".
The United States imported around 37 percent of Indonesia's total textile products last year, making it the largest buyer. Indonesia's second largest buyer, Japan, also imported less in the first quarter, spending $142.2 million on Indonesian textiles – a 3.5 percent drop from the first quarter of 2007, Redma said.
"Japan is also being affected by the slowing of the global economy," he said. "However, the future for the Japanese market looks brighter (than the United States) following the implementation of the Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement, this June," he added.
The agreement was signed last August by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and then Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, to facilitate bilateral trade and investment relations.
"Once the agreement takes effect, all textile products made using Japanese or Indonesian fabrics will be eligible for a zero percent import tariff in both countries," Redma said.
Despite slower demand in the United States and Japan, Indonesia's total exports rose by 5.3 percent to $2.58 billion during the first quarter of this year from $2.45 billion in the same period last year, according to data from the central bank. This was due to higher demand in other parts of the world, including Europe.
Meanwhile, weaker consumption power as a result of soaring inflation had put a break on domestic demand as sales declined by 27 percent. Sales dropped to $160 million during the first quarter of this year, compared to $220 million for the same period last year. "Domestic sales were down because rising inflation was having a negative impact on people's purchasing power," Redma said.
Redma suggested textile firms focus on expanding their market penetration in Europe, to phase out declining sales in other parts of the world. He said "while domestic purchasing power won't recover for a while and neither will the US economy, the strengthening of the euro and the fast fashion cycle in Europe could help increase sales".
Indonesia's imports from other countries rose by 19 percent to $1.22 billion in the first quarter of this year, from $1.02 billion, but these were largely for reexport as processed products. (anw)
Jakarta Post - June 3, 2008
Jakarta – Despite a trend of investment growth in the oil and gas sector helped by rising prices of the commodities, Indonesia is still in danger of a sudden capital outflow, a survey says.
According to a report released by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) last week, which surveyed 89 percent of Indonesia's oil and gas producers, the vast majority of companies do not expect oil prices to come down in the next few years, while all of them agree demand for Indonesian oil and gas will not decline.
Most of the companies surveyed stated they were not considering taking their businesses out of Indonesia, although 46 percent said they were not satisfied with the return on investment here, in part due to laborious government regulations.
"This implies that if oil prices eventually do come down, there is a greater chance that firms will cease their operations and search for more profitable investment opportunities in other countries," oil and gas technical advisor from PwC Indonesia, William Deertz, said.
High commodity prices in the sector have lead to increased investments, "But the question remains: are the high oil prices sustainable?" he said.
Some 59 percent of the companies said they did not expect policy improvements would be made within the next five to ten years. "This pessimistic view will not help to attract much-needed investment," William said.
Government officials said complicated bureaucratic problems continued to deter potential investors as current procedures often required operators to deal with several different divisions over a single issue.
"One of the biggest challenges is the lengthy bureaucracy in approving plans of development and authorizations of expenditures," director general of oil and gas at the ministry of energy and mineral resources, Luluk Sumiarso, said last week during an Indonesian Petroleum Association convention.
Investment in the oil and gas industry rose between 2000 and 2007, with total investment reaching US$10.08 billion (Rp 93.9 trillion) in 2007, up from $9.7 billion a year earlier, and from $3.93 billion in 2000.
While there is a chance companies will look elsewhere for better return on investment if prices decline, Deertz said 70 percent of the respondents expected the prices would continue to rise at least for the next five years.
The result of such rises would be increased investment, especially for acquiring reserves and increasing capital spending.
Paul Van der Aa, PwC's oil and gas technical advisor, said although capital expenditures in dollar terms may be increasing, Indonesia's relative share of the "global exploration pie" was actually on a decline.
"If the Indonesian government is committed to achieving its production target of 1.3 million barrels of oil per day in 2009, it is vital Indonesia increases exploration and general investment, not only in dollar terms, but also relative to global spending," he said.
On Friday, light sweet crude for July delivery in New York rose 73 US cents to close at US$127.35 a barrel. In London, Brent North Sea crude for July delivery gained 89 US cents to settle at $127.78. (anw)
| Opinion & analysis |
Jakarta Post - June 4, 2008
Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) roam freely despite a history of frequently taking the law into their own hands and attacking and burning buildings of other groups.
The latest attack blamed on this radical group took place Sunday. At least 70 people were injured in the assault on activists of the National Alliance for the Freedom of Faith and Religion (AKKBB), who were gathered to rally peacefully at the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta.
However, no arrests were made by police after the much-condemned attack. "The police have either so far been defeated by the FPI, or some police officers are working together with the organization for their own benefit," activist Rafendi Jamin of the Human Rights Working Group said.
He said that only with protection from the police had the FPI managed to survive despite the organization's record of violence.
Lawmaker Nadra Izahari of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle concurred, accusing the police of letting the FPI operate outside the law. He cited the attack on the AKKBB activists, saying the police failed to make serious efforts to counter the PFI's violent acts.
"We have reasons to believe the police and the FPI have mutually beneficial relations as the hard-line group has repeatedly committed violence without serious resistance from the police," Nadra told a group of activists calling for the FPI's disbanding at the House of Representatives.
Many observers have accused the authorities of backing hard-line groups, including the FPI, to counter the movements by pro- democracy and rights organizations or to shift public attention from crucial issues for political reasons.
"We should push for FPI members to receive punishment, but we should not let the problems shift our attention from key issues, such as the recent fuel prices increase and poverty," Hendardi of the Setara Institute said.
Since its establishment, the FPI has launched dozens of attacks on people or institutions it regarded as insulting or antagonistic to Islam.
In June 2000, some 300 FPI members attacked the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) headquarters in Jakarta in a protest against the commission's report on the 1984 Tanjung Priok massacre. Several people were injured in the attack.
The FPI was also blamed on late night attacks of nightspots and billiard centers in October 2002, hurting dozens of people. The police reportedly did nothing to stop the attacks. FPI leader Habib Rizieq Shihab was tried in 2002 and put in jail for seven months because of the incident.
In December 2006, two policemen were injured when about 100 FPI demonstrators attacked the Playboy Indonesia office in South Jakarta.
In April last year, 17 members of the United National Liberation Party (Papernas) were injured in an attack by the FPI during a rally against the newly passed investment law.
Jakarta Post - June 7, 2008
Ariel Heryanto, Victoria – Fear has prevailed in the lives of Indonesians for much too long. The reign of fear has affected both the state and ordinary people. Cognizant of its credential deficit in both Islamic politics and democracy, successive governments have felt compelled to demonstrate sympathetic gesture to the Muslim communities, sometimes stronger than actually believed.
To appreciate better the argument presented above, it is worth comparing the behaviors of the past and present governments with those of former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid. With abundant Islam credentials in hand, never at any time did Wahid need to prove that he was pro-Islam. So much so that he could afford to demonstrate the opposite. Instead of calling for jihad against the enemies of Islam, Wahid did almost the extreme opposite.
Flamboyantly he displayed some of the best possible favors a Muslim leader could do for minority groups in a Muslim-majority nation. Not only did he restore the ethnic Chinese's civil right to celebrate the Chinese New Year, he even went as far as claiming to have some distant Chinese ancestry.
In contradiction to the repressive rules and regulations from the old regime, Wahid supported inter-religious marriage. He offered a public apology to the victims of the 1965 killings and their families, as well as to the people of East Timor for violence the previous government had committed.
Until last April, my observation of Islamization was narrowly focused on its effect on the secular state in Muslim-majority nation such as Indonesia, and by extension Malaysia and Pakistan. But two recent and separate analyses have helped me see things in a broader perspective. The first comes from Iran-born Amir Taheri, and the second comes from India-born Sadanand Dhume. Both are well traveled, and both have worked for years as journalists.
In his article, "Why Islamists Don't Win Elections?" first published in The Wall Street Journal, Amir Taheri offers a long list of cases from many countries where the Islamization of political parties has consistently led to election defeats, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey. His conclusion is unequivocal:
"So far, no Islamist party has won a majority of the popular vote in any of the Muslim countries where reasonably clean elections are held. Often, the Islamist share of the votes has declined. In Malaysia, the Islamists have never gone beyond 11 percent of the popular vote," Taheri wrote.
"In Indonesia, the various Islamist groups have never collected more than 17 percent. The Islamists' share of the popular vote in Bangladesh declined from an all-time high of 11 percent in the 1980s to around 7 percent in the late 1990s. Even in once-Taliban dominated Afghanistan, Islamist groups, including former members of the Taliban, have managed to win only around 11 percent of the popular vote on the average. In the Middle East and Arab nations Islamists don't fair much better," he wrote.
It was my understanding that in response to perceived threats from the opposition Partai Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) in the late 1970s, the incumbent United Malays National Organization (UMNO)- dominated government underwent a face-lift, trying to appear to be more Islamic than PAS.
I used to believe this at least partly explains UMNO's resilience. Successive governments in Indonesia followed suit. But Taheri shows the last elections in Malaysia gave the opposite outcome. PAS won more seats (from 6 to 23), while UMNO suffered the most severe defeat since 1969. Why? According to Taheri, UMNO's Badawi played "the Islamic card, while PAS leader Abdul Hadi Awang went in the opposite direction".
Similar trends can be observed in Indonesia. Since his electoral victory in 2004, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) has become increasingly Islam-oriented. In contrast, the most overtly and strongest Islamist party, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), has consistently traded in its Islamist look and agenda for more inclusive strategies and rhetoric. Two questions follow. Has Malaysia's PAS taken the lesson from the PKS? And why have President SBY's advisers not taken the lesson from Badawi's defeat?
Sadanand Dhume is more pessimistic than Taheri or myself about the possible outcomes of global Islamization. One country where Islamization has been the focus of Dhume's examination is Indonesia. What has worried Dhume is not just the safety of one or two minority groups currently under attack. Rather, as he writes in a column in the Journal, "(w)hat kind of country does Indonesia want to be? Will it be, as its founding fathers envisioned, a land where people of all faiths live as equals, or one where non-Muslims and heterodox Muslims are effectively second-class citizens? Will it be a country that respects an individual's right to worship as he pleases, or indeed not to worship at all, or one where such matters are determined by safari-suited officials and bearded clerics? Will it be ruled by the law or by the mob?"
At first, that sounds a very common concern among many moderate and liberal Indonesians for the past few years. Dhume has just published his first book, My Friend the Fanatic, a product of four years of travel in many parts of Indonesia and conversations with people of diverse backgrounds. The book's title refers to an important figure in Islamist circles who traveled with him and helped him open the doors to other Islamist leaders and supporters.
In late May, Dhume visited Sydney and Melbourne for a writer's festival and a series of promotional activities for his book.
At the risk of being rude, I asked him what precisely is "new" in his contribution to the ongoing debate over this matter. His response was firm and fresh: "My contribution stems from a skeptical view of religious belief that is extremely rare or non-existent in Indonesia. I don't believe that we should tiptoe around our opposition to terrible ideas even if they cloak themselves in the legitimacy of religion. This starting point sets me apart from the liberal mainstream in Indonesia."
Describing himself as a liberal and atheist, Dhume distanced himself from both the political left and right. To answer my question, he added: "(w)hat is lacking in Indonesia is the space to be openly skeptical of religion. Religious discourse is effectively a kind of protected discourse. Now while I admire groups like JIL (Liberal Islam Network), I also believe that you can't win the important arguments that need to be won with fundamentalists simply by trading interpretations of scripture."
The situation that both Taheri and Dhume perceptively analyzed has been made possible by the systematic annihilation of the left in Indonesia since 1965. The absence of the intellectual left has also been significantly responsible for the lack of irreligious criticism of religious orthodoxy and other violent-inclined vigilantes in the name of a religion.
[The writer is a senior lecturer in the Indonesian Program, the University of Melbourne, Australia. He can be reached at arielh@unimelb.edu.au.]
Jakarta Post - June 6, 2008
Ariel Heryanto, Victoria, Australia – The use and abuse of Islamic politics by the Soeharto government (1966-1998) and his immediate successor in transition, BJ Habibie (1998-1999), have had more damaging consequences than generally noted.
In 2004, when completing my book, State Terrorism and Political Identity in Indonesia (Routledge, 2006), I raised the issue but did not give enough emphasis. The book focuses on the impacts of the 1966 massacres and subsequent anti-communist witch hunt upon public life in the 1990s.
The book mentions in passing the impact of that murky past has also been partly responsible for other inter-ethnic conflicts across the nation in the 2000s with no reference to 1965 or anti-communism. Since then it has become increasingly clear that further study is needed to examine how and the extent to which the same past has been responsible for the politics of religion since the 2000s.
After more than a decade of repressing political Islam, Soeharto found himself in a radically changing political climate. He was increasingly alienated from the military as an institution, and Islam was on the rise at home and globally.
He was cognizant that further repression would only backfire, if not be suicidal. In a spectacular political U-turn, in 1990 he hurriedly Islamized himself and his government apparatus in a wide range of policies and actions.
To build his Islamic credentials from scratch, that year he went to Mecca for the first time for the pilgrimage, and returned as a haj. In the same year he sponsored the founding of the Association of Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals (ICMI), embracing a wide range of important figures among Islam-oriented social organizations, professionals, academics and political activists who may not necessarily have agreed with each other on a number of issues.
Far from feeling manipulated by the government, as some critics argued back then, these Muslim intellectuals saw the invitation to collaborate with the regime as the first opportunity in many decades to gain due recognition. It appeared to be a golden opportunity to compensate for what had been denied or repressed, namely Islam as an important moral, intellectual and political power to be reckoned with.
Only months before the founding of the ICMI, Islamic political prisoners were released en masse well before their jail terms were up. In direct contradiction to its own policy of not issuing any new permits for print media companies, the government supported the publication of the overtly Islamic daily Republika. The ban of the wearing of the jilbab was also lifted. Immediately after, Soeharto's eldest daughter began appearing in public wearing a headscarf. The number of new mosques soared, and the parliament house was described by locals as remarkably "green- ized".
Until then it had been difficult for pious Muslims to express their identity and religious piety, due to the vigorous stigmatization of Islamic politics as "extreme right". From 1990 the situation was completely reversed: one had to be careful not to be seen as anti-Islam. Indonesian courts were busy prosecuting individuals who made public statements deemed disrespectful of Islam.
The banning of the country's first and commercially most successful tabloid, Monitor, and subsequently the prosecution of its editor, Arswendo Atmowiloto, were among the first and most eventful in a long series of similar cases involving a crackdown on media outlets seen as having been disrespectful of Islam.
Violent attacks against houses of worship belonging to religious minorities became regular events, despite criticism and attempts among moderate Muslims to stop such actions.
More consequential than all of this was Soeharto's decision to make a dangerous liaison with the more violent-inclined segments within the diverse Muslim communities. His short-term intention was probably to mobilize the latter to counter the pro-democracy movement that was putting increasingly greater pressure on him to resign.
But perhaps more than he could anticipate, care or control, the effects of this move were immense and refractory. None of the above saved Soeharto from losing his grip on state power. Reluctantly, he transferred his presidency to vice president Habibie, who soon become the next target of attacks from the pro-reform movement.
Seriously lacking legitimacy in public, Habibie and the few surviving generals continued what Soeharto had initiated, only this time on a larger scale and more aggressive fashion. New state-sponsored militias were officially trained and deployed to confront physically the agitated pro-reform activists.
These militias did not only act in defense of the new president and surviving generals, but also in the name of Islam. Being anti-Habibie was declared to be the same as anti-Islam, according to their slogans and banners. As in Soeharto's case, these militias did not help rescue Habibie's presidential seat. Worse still, they inadvertently aggravated the politicization of religious faith to a level unprecedented in the history of this country.
But unlike its predecessors, which had no hesitation from the outset to adopt violent means to achieve similar ends, the current government has as yet restricted its project of building a pro-Islamic image in cultural and technological spheres.
But before breathing a sigh of relief, one needs to see how long this government has condoned the illegal act of violence by various militia groups in the name of religion. How much longer will it continue? Not only has this government and its law enforcers give impunity to fairly small but militant groups to go on the rampage, more worrying is that the government, under pressure from other social groups, is seriously considering a ban on Islamic group Ahmadiyah.
More than could be imagined in 1998, by now reformasi has led to the marked Islamization, as much as democratization, of Indonesia. Although they can be compatible and have overlap, the two are not necessarily one and the same thing, as there can be more than two streams of Islam, multiple forms of Islamization and heterogeneous communities of Muslim. The state is expected to play a critical role in striking a good balance and maintaining the wealth of this nation's plurality.
A weak state would allow fear to reign in the public space, especially among the minority, because it also suffers from the very same fear of the risk of acting independently according to the rule of law. In a small way, such rule by fear is well illustrated by the fate of my own April opinion column about the above in Indonesian.
The essay was submitted to a major Indonesian media outlet by invitation for a specific space already allocated in the paper. Hours before the paper went to press, I received a letter from the editor advising me that the column could not be published, as it was deemed "risky".
Interestingly, while the column never saw the light of day in print, it appeared online on the same paper's website. The Indonesian Constitution stipulates freedom of expression, but to date such freedom can only take refuge on the Internet.
Today, the Internet is the only public space where hundreds of thousands of Indonesians can and have actually declared themselves to be religiously "liberal", "atheist" or "agnostic" in their profiles on cyber social networking sites such as Facebook.
[The writer is a senior lecturer in the Indonesian Program, the University of Melbourne, Australia. He can be reached at arielh@unimelb.edu.au.]
Jakarta Post Editorial - June 3, 2008
The attack on participants of a peaceful rally organized to defend freedom of religion at Monas Square in Jakarta on Sunday afternoon shows just how tenuous our freedoms are today. The latest threat comes not so much from those who want to take our freedoms away, as from the failure of the state to protect us in exercising our rights.
The violent attack signals that not only is freedom of religion in danger of disappearing, but freedom of expression as well. The tragedy is that the state, the police in particular, have been indifferent to these attacks when it is clearly their responsibility to protect the people and their rights.
We deliberately refrain from condemning the perpetrators of Sunday's violence because they are not worth our time or attention. This is a group that thrives on media coverage to make them look a lot bigger than they really are. Their violent attacks are carefully designed and choreographed publicity stunts, and the media continues to fall for it by giving them the space and public attention they seek. They are not worth a mention in this editorial, but that their violent deeds are carried out without the state even trying to prevent them cannot pass without comment.
We condemn a government that for the umpteenth time failed in its job to defend people in exercising their constitutional rights, first with regard to freedom of religion, and now freedom of expression.
Sunday's rally, organized by the National Alliance for the Freedom of Faith and Religion, was held to remind the government of its constitutional duty to protect the rights of religious minorities in the country. The backdrop of the rally was the spate of recent attacks on followers of the Islamic group Ahmadiyah, again largely ignored by the police, after a government panel recommended the group be banned for "heresy".
Ahmadiyah is not the only one feeling the heat of late. Other religious minorities have also become targets of abuses and harassment, so much so that one is beginning to get the impression that people are now being persecuted in Indonesia for their religious beliefs. Precisely in order to counter this trend, Muslims and non-Muslims joined Sunday's rally to send a message to the government and remind it of its duty to protect religious minorities.
That a government panel passed a judgment on the essence of religion, including on the right and wrong of a religious teaching, is in itself a gross violation of the Constitution. It is also a violation of the principles of Pancasila, the state ideology, whose anniversary on June 1 was deliberately chosen by the organizers of Sunday's rally.
That the government has failed to defend Ahmadiyah followers from repeated violent attacks by groups claiming to represent the "real" Islam is bad enough. That the government on Sunday failed to defend the people who came out in defense of religious freedom is surely the final straw.
The government is not the only one with ambiguous attitudes toward the presence and violent activities of groups professing to act in the name of Islam. Major mainstream Islamic organizations Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama have failed to outrightly condemn Sunday's violent attacks, while just about all Islamist political parties have remained silent, which raise serious questions about their commitment to religious freedom and the right of religious minorities to practice their faith. Only a few of these felt offended at the use of the name Islam by groups that openly endorse terror, violence and intimidation to achieve their goals.
For years, these violent groups have continued to use the name of Islam as they go about tormenting others. The silence of mainstream organizations can be seen as their complicity in the violence, and certainly they are allowing these other groups to drag the image of Islam through the mud.
Yet, many mainstream organizations were quick to condemn Ahmadiyah, which is not known for violence, saying they were offended by the group's claim to be a part of Islam.
As long as major Islamic groups and Islamist parties maintain this ambivalent attitude, we cannot expect the government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to take firm action against the perpetrators of Sunday's violence, even as the threat grows to freedom of expression and freedom of religion. Unless we see stronger government action in responding to these crimes committed against our freedoms, we can start counting the days until Indonesia becomes a failing state.