News & issues

Experts pin copycat crimes on media

Jakarta Post - November 14, 2008

Astrid Wijaya, Jakarta – The debate rages over whether excessive media coverage encourages crime, with one woman admitting she was emulating the endeavors of a heavily documented serial killer when she killed and mutilated her husband recently.

Experts of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) and the Indonesian Institute on Governance discussed Thursday the consequences of unrestrained media coverage during a seminar titled "Perspectives on Freedom of Expression in Asia and Europe" as a follow up to the 9th Asia-Europe Seminar on Human Rights last year in Cambodia.

Mutilation cases have increased since Ryan "The Butcher"'s bizarre recent spate of killings received unprecedented media attention, sparking allegations the media has produced copy-cat killers.

Singaporean expert on journalism and media Cherian George backs the theory. Speaking at seminar, he warned the public of the media's dark side.

"It is true the media could produce copy cats, and not just limited to criminal cases. The editors must realize this before constantly publicizing the news," George said.

Another speaker, Kevin Boyle, a law professor at the University of Essex, said extended coverage of crimes was not recommended. He called on the media industry to preserve professionalism and take into account social and moral values and to respect individuals' rights.

Boyle said "blackmailing reporters" was another challenge facing freedom of the press. "There is a popular and official concern about the abuse of information and communications technologies, such as child pornography, incitement of hatred, violence and terrorism and fraud," Boyle said.

Boyle and George were in Indonesia as part of their Asian tour, which took them to six countries from Sept. 6 to 14.

Both said that in a democracy, freedom of expression was mandatory, but that in reality the right was compromised by certain parties, including by government intervention in media affairs.

"Freedom of expression and freedom of the press continue to be violated in the forms of censorship and attacks on media workers and human rights' defenders, also by excessive concentrations of media ownership both in Europe and Asia, at the expense of media diversity," Boyle said.

George said many journalists had been killed and imprisoned. "The media acts as a barometer in a democratic country. Journalists require special attention. As long as they don't have special rights to protect them, attacks on media workers will still be committed," George said.

Incidences of abuses against the media were prevalent during the New Order era under former president Soeharto. However, the reform era has seen a number of journalists and editors of media outlets jailed for reports government officials and businessmen deemed slanderous.

City, NGOs to raid office, malls, buses for smokers

Jakarta Post - November 12, 2008

Triwik Kurniasari, Jakarta – The city administration and a number of anti-smoking NGOs plan to conduct raids across the city targeting smokers caught ignoring the bylaw on smoking in restricted areas.

The sweep will focus on the seven public areas in which smoking was banned under the bylaw: office buildings, medical centers, schools, places of worship, children's playgrounds, public transportation and shopping centers, said Nita Yudi, chairwoman of the Indonesian Network of Women Against Tobacco, on Tuesday.

"The 10-day action will be held from Nov. 17 to 27. This is part of the effort to protect people from the dangers of cigarettes," said Nita at City Hall after a meeting with Governor Fauzi Bowo.

"We decided to take action because so far the administration has not implemented the 2005 city regulation on non-smoking areas and on air pollution control.

People caught smoking in the aforementioned public areas will be warned and required to sign an agreement stating they will not smoke in any restricted areas in the future, she said. "We will not punish people caught smoking during the activity. We just want to embarrass them into reconsidering their actions, instead of punishing or fining them," said Nita.

Twelve NGOs, including the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) and Forum of Jakarta Residents (Fakta), will join the action.

"Officers from the city administration, the Jakarta environmental management board (BPLHD), the public order agency and the tourism agency will also participate," she said.

To coincide with the action, there will be a series of anti- smoking surveys conducted at office buildings throughout the capital, said Fakta coordinator Azas Tigor Nainggolan.

"The administration has agreed to the surveys. 70 percent of the surveys will take place in government buildings, like City Hall and subdistrict offices," said Tigor.

The smoking ban was imposed in January 2006. People who violate the regulation face up to six months jail or a Rp 50 million (US$4,555) fine. The smoking restriction was one of the key points in the administration's 2005 bylaw on air pollution control.

Although Jakarta issued the ruling years ago, the bylaw on air control has been deemed unworkable and has not been enforced, so smokers have not been punished for breaching it thus far.

Fauzi said the administration would tighten their enforcement of the anti-smoking regulation.

"The monitoring will be divided into regions. A subdistrict head, for example, will monitor the enforcement of the law in his or her subdistrict area. We will begin this way before implementing the law on public transportation," said Fauzi.

Highlights of the anti-smoking regulation:

• Managers or individuals overseeing restricted areas are responsible for ensuring their staff do not smoke in those areas. They also must impose punishments for staff caught smoking in the areas.
• Public areas and office buildings should provide a smoking room.
• School principals must forbid teachers and students from smoking around school areas.
• Students or teachers can warn people not to smoke at schools.
• Drivers or conductors should forbid passengers from smoking on public transport.

PKS puts Soeharto on ads as 'teacher of the nation'

Jakarta Post - November 11, 2008

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), whose controversial TV ads on the commemoration of National Heroes Day featured a picture of the late former president Soeharto, insists he deserves recognition as the "teacher of the nation".

In its most recent TV ads, aired in conjunction with Heroes Day commemorations on Nov. 10, the PKS showed photographs of prominent national figures dubbed "teachers of the nation and heroes", including Soeharto.

Other featured figures were Indonesia's first president Sukarno, Nahdlatul Ulama founder Hasyim Asyari, Muhammadiyah founder Ahmad Dahlan, former prime minister Mohammad Natsir, former vice president Muhammad Hatta, former Army general Sudirman, and former freedom fighter Sutomo, popularly known as Bung Tomo.

The ads closed with a voice saying, "Thank you, teachers of the nation, thank you heroes, we will go on with the PKS."

While all the other figures have been named national heroes, the government has yet to respond to a Golkar Party proposal for the same honor for Soeharto.

The ads sparked immediate criticism. "Granting (Soeharto) hero status is the government's prerogative, but dubbing him a teacher of the nation can be done by all who have felt his contributions (to the nation)," PKS deputy secretary-general Fachri Hamzah told The Jakarta Post here Monday.

"He might have made a lot of mistakes, but everyone has a good and bad side. We can't deny his major contributions to the development of the nation... in the first 10 or even 20 years of his presidency."

Fachri argued even Sukarno made mistakes, including declaring himself lifelong president, and so had other national heroes. "But a big nation is one that can appreciate the dedication of those contributing a lot to its development. We shall not repeat his mistakes, but we can follow the good things he's done."

Fachri slammed criticism of the PKS as an "opportunistic" party for using Soeharto's picture in the ads. Critics accuse the Islamic-based party of trying to woo Soeharto's supporters.

"What's wrong with our idea of anti-political wings? Why should it be confronted? Now whoever wants to negate the contributions of Pak Harto or Bung Karno will have to face the PKS," he said.

Earlier this year, Golkar pushed forward proposals for Soeharto to be named a hero because of his achievements.

University of Indonesia historian Asvi Marwan Adam played down Fachri's statements, saying none of Indonesia's heroes had committed human rights abuses that had claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, as Soeharto allegedly did.

Asvi added that although some of the heroes, such as Sukarno, led extravagant lifestyles while still alive, none had enriched themselves and their families using state money as Soeharto did – again allegedly.

"Soeharto may have been Indonesia's biggest developer, which in evident in the country's infrastructure development during 30 years of his presidency," Asvi said, "but he was also the biggest destroyer. Large-scale deforestation occurred when he led the country, and so did the swelling of foreign debt."

Former activist slams PKS TV ads

Tempo Interactive - November 11, 2008

Eko Ari Wibowo/TNR, Jakarta – Former leftist activist in the 1998 political turmoil that brought Soeharto's military regime down, Budiman Sudjatmiko condemned the television ad of the Prosperous Justice Party which put former President Soeharto in equal position with the nation's independence heroes.

Budiman retorted to the ad on Monday "Soeharto is not entitled to the status of the nation's guru." Budiman said further, extensive corruption and violence against political dissents during Soeharto's six presidential term plus one emergency term after the 1965 failed coup attempt by the Indonesia Communist Party, should shun the man from getting a status of the nation's guru or hero.

The candidate of legislator from the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle said the move by the Prosperous Justice Party have turned the party's face to a non-reformist party and proved that the party does not respect the victims of human rights violations and the victims corruption.

PKS responded to the comments through Fahri Hamzah, also a former activist from the 1998 revolution. Fahri said on Monday all the former president are entitled to the status and as one among them, Soeharto had affected a period in the nation's history, corruption and human rights violation in the "New Order" era should be left behind to look to the future to develop the nation.

Golkar Party, set up in 1964 to counter the Indonesia Communist Party in 1964 which then become ruling party during Soeharto lengthy term and proposed national hero for Soeharto, hailed the ad on Monday. A reserved tone by a senior member of the party Priyo Budi Susilo on Monday invited the Prosperous Justice Party to prove the ad is not just a step to increase support for the party by supporting the proposal to name Soeharto a national hero.

'Raids on thugs create confusion'

Jakarta Post - November 10, 2008

Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – An expert said that up to now the police war on thugs has set unclear objectives and therefore resulted in even greater confusion in the field.

"A clear example is that up to now the police themselves are holding no clear description of thug. The police often confuse the term 'thug' with 'criminal' and this has made them arrest whoever wandering the streets without proper documents," criminologist Adrianus Meliala of the University of Indonesia told The Jakarta Post Sunday.

More than 1,500 people have been arrested by the police since November 2. They were detained on the streets of cities like Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya, Yogyakarta and Semarang. However, only 185 of them were questioned further, while the others were freed as the police could not collect enough evidence to jail them.

Meliala said besides the police lack of understanding over the term thug, it was also clear that this operation was not properly supported by other agencies. "Other agencies should help to anticipate any additional problems that may follow the operation," he said.

This was clear at the Senen Bus Terminal in Central Jakarta where most self-appointed driver's assistants, who heard about the anti-thug operation, had fled the scene prior to the raid. The absence of the assistants, despite the popular belief that they are criminals who extort public transportation drivers, left additional problems for the drivers who operate at the terminal.

"The people actually help us manage the passengers. With them, I only need to wait in line for 30 minutes before having my turn to get passengers. Now I have to wait for at least two hours," Yazin, a driver, said.

Such assistants usually help the drivers by telling passengers which vehicle is first in line. They herd passengers to the right vehicle.

He said he was not annoyed by the Rp 2,000 (US$20 cent) 'fee' charged by the assistants for their services each time they managed to fill the bus. He added that for now the drivers will have to rely on someone else to manage the passengers.

"But we have no experience managing passengers. We don't have the skills like the guys do," he said.

According to Sinurat, a vendor at the terminal, the assistants were mostly teenagers aged between 15 and 18 who had dropped out of school due to poverty.

"Those lads only do what they can do because they can't go to school and try to earn money for their families. With the raids, how can they earn money now?" he asked.

Commenting on this, Meliala said managing passengers was a task the officials from the transportation agency should do.

"Ideally, the transportation agency should immediately come to help the bus drivers after the raids," he said. "If there is no such action taken, greater confusion in the field will happen," he added.

Concerning the assistants, he added, the administration should provide them with comprehensive courses aimed at improving their economic circumstances.

"That is why I have told the officials that this kind of operation is never an easy one. They should consider that a more comprehensive operation would include not only arresting people on the street, but also poverty alleviation," he said. (hdt)

Verbal customs endangered: ATL

Jakarta Post - November 10, 2008

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – Indonesia's verbal traditions are endangered because of the country's negligence in preserving the heritage amid streams of contemporary culture, the Association of Verbal Traditions (ATL) said Saturday.

The country should take concrete action to conserve verbal traditions as an intangible cultural heritage, which could be an asset toward better civilization, ATL deputy chairman Sutamat Arybowo said.

Verbal traditions include languages and folklores as well as any rituals or practices using narratives.

"Indonesia actually has a greater potential in verbal traditions rather than in written ones because most of the country's ethnic groups use narratives instead of manuscripts as part of their culture. But unfortunately, verbal traditions are now marginalized," Sutamat said.

He said that out of hundreds of ethnicities, only a few of them have their own aksara (letters), including as Javanese, Sundanese and Balinese. In contrast, he added, many ethnicities have more than one language each.

He said the country's regional autonomy, in which each region is entitled authority, failed to preserve verbal traditions as a form of local wisdom.

He said the government's policies on cultural matters caused many setbacks. "I think the New Order regime implemented better policies."

When Soeharto was president, Sutamat said, the government took control of cultural issues. Since the reform era, and notably since the era of president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, the government has handed over its control to society, he said.

"But not all of society is taking it well. Some of them have managed to preserve their culture, while others have abandoned traditions and turned to modern ones."

ATL member Yusuf Susilo Hartono agreed, adding that the New Order regime used verbal traditions for the political campaigns of the ruling party Golkar.

To protect verbal traditions from extinction, he said, people need to preserve them in other forms, such as scripts and recordings.

In an effort to revitalize verbal traditions, ATL is set to hold the 2008 verbal traditions seminar and festival from Dec. 1 to Dec. 3 in Wakatobi, Southeast Sulawesi.

The triennial event, themed "Verbal traditions as cultural strength for building civilization", will stage discussions and various performances of verbal culture from several provinces.

ATL chairwoman Pudentia said the event was expected to promote the country's many verbal traditions. She said the verbal traditions could also be incorporated in the emerging creative industry to help them survive.

Wakatobi Regent Hugua said he hoped the event would also improve tourism industry in the regency, which is now building its own airport.

Actions, demos, protests...

Reporters protest naming of suspect

Jakarta Post - November 14, 2008

Makassar, South Sulawesi – Around 50 journalists staged a rally Thursday in front of the South Sulawesi Provincial Police headquarters over a police decision to name a reporter as a suspect in a defamation case against provincial police chief Insp. Gen. Sisno Adiwinoto.

The police named Jupriadi, alias Upi Asmaradana, coordinator of the Journalist Coalition Against Press Criminalization, as a suspect after Sisno filed a report against him.

Upi was questioned by detectives for over six hours Thursday, while the rally took place outside.

Sisno, previously the National Police chief spokesman, accused Upi of defaming him in news articles challenging a recent statement made by Sisno in August.

Sisno granted parties accusing news publishers of slander to directly file police reports instead of requesting a right to respond to the allegations as formally took place.

The coalition believes the changes are a threat to press freedom and a form of press criminalization. Led by Upi, the coalition have staged various rallies and filed reports to the National Police Commission, Press Council, and the Press Legal Aid Institute.

Journalists protest criminalisation of the press

Detik.com - November 13, 2008

Makassar – At least 50 journalists demonstrated at the South and West Sulawesi (Sulselbar) regional police headquarters in Makassar on November 13 over a case involving Upi, who has been declared a suspect in a case of defamation against Sulselbar police chief Sisno Adiwinoto.

The journalists, who came from a number of media organisations and wore black clothing, gave speeches in front of the police headquarters condemning the criminalisation of the press. Independent Journalist Alliance (AJI) chairperson Andi Fadli said that parties that have problems with the press should seek redress through the press law. "The regional police chief should be impartial and not use his authority to manipulate the law and coerce journalists", said Fadli.

Scavengers call for end to waste imports

Jakarta – As many as 12,000 scavengers calling themselves the Indonesian Scavengers Association (IPI) demonstrated at the House of Representatives (DPR) building in Jakarta on November 11 demanding an end to the importation of waste into Indonesia. "Stop waste imports", shouted IPI general chairperson Kuswoyo during a speech in front of the DPR.

According to Kuswoyo, the importation by "ill-disciplined" companies not only brings down the price of domestic waste and brings suffering to scavengers, but also violates the law. "This is clearly written in the law", said Kuswoyo when speaking with Detik.com.

Kuswoyo and around 50 other representatives of the scavengers were later allowed to meet with DPR members who told the protesters that they would follow up their concerns.

Lapindo mud flow victims demand payment of compensation

Jakarta – Victims of the Brantas Lapindo mud flow disaster in Central Java have again protested demanding the payment of compensation for their land and homes.

The action was held in front of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) offices in Central Jakarta on Thursday November 13. The protesters, the majority of whom originate from the villages of Kedung Bendo, Jatirejo, Siring and Renokenongo, have been staying overnight at YLBHI since Monday.

During the action, the protesters called on Lapindo to pay the remaining 80 percent of compensation money as regulated by Presidential Regulation 14/2007. They also called on the government to force Lapindo to pay the outstanding monies.

Residents blockade roads to prevent planned demolition

Jakarta – Scores of resident from Directorate General for Taxation housing complex in West Jakarta blockaded access roads to the complex on November 11 after hearing that a planned demolition of 150 homes that they have occupied for 30 would soon go ahead.

In addition to the blockades made from bamboo and chairs, residents also erected banners at the entrance to the road reading "Don't be arrogant, respect the law" and "Don't use taxes collected from the people to demolish state-owned housing".

"[This] case must be resolved legally first, only then executed. Don't just evict [us]", said one of the residents. "If we are forced to leave the complex we must be provided with adequate compensation to buy new houses or financial compensation", said another resident.

Semanggi tragedy to be commemorated with flowers, prayer

Jakarta – Coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the Semanggi tragedy in which more than 10 students were shot dead by security forces, a number of activities will be held on Thursday November 13 to commemorate the incident.

The first event will be a visit to the grave of one of the victims, Sigit, at the Tanah Kusir public ceremony in South Jakarta where a group of visitors will scatter flowers on the grave. Following this, a public discussion on the Semanggi tragedy will be organised at the Atmajaya University in Jakarta at 10am, followed by the screening of the film "A Struggle Without End". "A ceremony placing flowers on their graves will also be at 12 noon", said one of the activity committee members in an SMS message sent to Detik.com.

Joint prayers will also be held at the Maria Kusuma Karmel Church in South Meruya at 7pm. In addition to these events, a photographic exhibition has been organised at the Atmajaya University.

[Abridged translation by James Balowski from five articles posted on the Detik.com Website on November 13.]

Four demos planned for Tuesday

Tempo Interactive - November 11, 2008

Fery Firmansyah/TMC, Jakarta – Jakarta Police informed four demonstrations planned for Monday in the capital, the first at 9 AM outside the State Palace. The second at 10 AM will be staged at the Health Ministry office and the Corruption Eradication Commission office.

At 10:30 AM one group of protester to hold a demo at the National Police Headquarters in Jl. Trunojoyo South Jakarta and the parliament building in Central Jakarta.

The fourth group will stage two demos starting at 11 AM at the Corruption Eradication Commission office in South Jakarta and the Jakarta Police Headquarters.

Police said the demos are potential of disrupting the traffic without informing the number of people to join the protests or the issues that prompt the protests. However Tempo received information that the second demo at the Health Ministry will be stage by hundreds of malpractice victims and poor residents to demand better allocation and monitoring of the health budget.

Mudflow victims stage sit-in protest over dike raising

Jakarta Post - November 10, 2008

Ridwan Max Sijabat – More than 300 mudflow victims Saturday stopped work to heighten the huge dike in their village, protesting the suspension of damaged assets payments.

Children held posters and banners demanding Lapindo pay the compensation, while many women planted banana trees on the dike.

Bambang Wuryantoro, head of the Renokenongo village, said the protesters would not disperse until Minarak came there and paid 20 percent of the assets compensation.

"Twenty percent of the total compensation is merely peanuts for the Bakrie Family, who have multibillion-dollar assets," he said.

Before working hours, hundred of women and children launched a sit-in protest on the dike and project site located east of the hot mud pond.

Meanwhile, hundreds of men, mostly youths, locked heavy equipment steers with iron wires, and put boulders and bars on the road leading to the site.

"Any worker daring to operate a crane to drive the people away is defying us. No worker should come in to this project site, Sunarto, chairman of the Renokenongo mudflow victims grouping (Pagarrekorlap), said.

"We are waiting for the management (of PT Minarak Lapindo Jaya) to come here and pay the compensation."

Workers suspended operations for hours, resuming after several mudflow handling agency (BPLS) employees came to the site to speak with protesters.

The BPLS employees demanded the management of Minarak, a subsidiary of Lapindo Brantas Inc., come and fulfill their promise of compensation.

The employees asked protesters to go to Minarak's office, adding that they should not disturb the project otherwise the mudflow would spread.

BPLS has sped up the dike heightening project in anticipation of any dike falls and floods on the eve of the rainy season.

Pagarrekorlap deputy chairman Pitanto said the victims staged the blockade as a last resort to press Lapindo to pay the compensation because they were deceived many times.

"Lapindo's commitment to buying the damaged assets was signed in the middle of September, and all victims were given bank accounts. But 14 days after the signing, nothing happened," he said.

The mudflow victims staged a demonstration at the Lapindo office last month, demanding the compensation payment. But they were asked to exercise patience because the management was experiencing financial difficulties triggered by the global financial crisis.

"Until when do we have to remain patient? What is the global financial crisis? We cannot suspend hunger because of the crisis. We don't know what excuses the company will give," Pitanto said.

He said the victims still staying in makeshift accommodation at Porong market building were in need of money to pay for a 10- hectare plot of land where they would resettle permanently.

In a dialogue between BPLS, Minarak and the regional administration last week, Sidoarjo regent Win Hendrarso was unable to do much, but told the victims about the energy company's financial difficulties.

Win said the acting governor had sent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono a letter, asking BPLS to provide money in advance. But, he said, the President had not responded

Sidoarjo legislative council deputy chairman Djalaluddin Alham protested the proposal. He said it went against the 2007 presidential instruction requiring Lapindo to pay the compensation to the residents of Renokenongo and three other villages devastated by the disaster.

"The compensation payment for the four villages cannot be taken from the state budget, which covers BPLS' operational costs and infrastructure repair projects," he said.

To avoid floods during the incoming rainy season, BPLS is constructing a 2.5-kilometer drain along the nearby railway in the Besuki and Djatirejo villages leading to River Porong.

"With the drain, rain water will not submerge the villages, but rather flow directly to the river," BPLS spokesman Zulkarnain said, adding construction would be completed by December.

BPLS and tap water company PT Jasa Tirta I have worked to reroute river water to the Lengkon Baru Dam in Mojokerto to prevent the river from flooding Surabaya.

"The dam has a capacity of 1,500 cubic meters per second. With the rerouting, Surabaya can be salvaged from floods during the wet season," Jasa Tirta I spokesman Wahyudutonoto said.

Bali bombers execution

Indonesia says Bali executions became a spectacle

Reuters - November 12, 2008

Rob Taylor, Canberra – The execution of three militants for the 2002 Bali bombings should have been more tightly controlled to avoid becoming a public spectacle, Indonesia's Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said Wednesday.

The three men from the militant Islamist group Jemaah Islamiah – Imam Samudra, Mukhlas, and Amrozi – were executed by firing squad Sunday for the 2002 nightclub attacks that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians and 38 Indonesians.

"Perhaps myself I expected that the process leading to the executions of the Bali bombers would have not been wide open," Wirajuda told reporters during a meeting with his Australian counterpart in Canberra.

Just days ahead of the executions, the three bombers gave interviews to television channels, calling for more attacks on westerners and encouraging other Indonesians to take up their militant struggle for an Islamic state.

Their burials in their home towns in Java saw violent clashes between police and hundreds of militant Islamic supporters, and prompted fresh travel warnings from western nations about possible attacks on foreigners. "Perhaps that's the cross that we have to bear in an open and democratic Indonesia," Wirajuda said.

He said in carrying out the executions, Indonesia's government had demonstrated its resolve to fight extremists and delivered what most of the Indonesian public had expected.

"The Bali bombers had committed unforgivable acts in killing so many people, and I think it's not only our view, but the people of Indonesia, that they deserved that kind of punishment," Wirajuda said.

Australia's Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said daily media commentary in the leadup to the executions likely caused great distress to victims of the nightclub bombings.

"Its always open to the Australian media and the Indonesian media not to report these matters," Smith said, backing Wirajuda's assessment that post-execution clashes and demonstrations were part of a democratic Indonesia.

There have been a string of threats made against hotels, Western embassies and government offices since the executions, although no major bomb attacks have occurred since 2005. (Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

No sympathy for bombers, say Muslim groups

Jakarta Post - November 11, 2008

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Leading Muslim organizations Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah have called on Muslims to cease glorifying the three executed Bali bombers, branding them terrorists rather than martyrs or holy warriors.

Calling Amrozi, his brother Ali Ghufron, alias Mukhlas, and Imam Samudra martyrs will only inspire other Muslims to follow in their un-Islamic steps and give rise to more bombers, the two organizations said Monday.

They added that bombings, murders and other violence carried out in the name of religion would not grant the perpetrators martyrdom or a "ticket to heaven". NU and Muhammadiyah said the bombers' actions destroyed the image of Islam, causing the international community to question whether the religion really fostered peace or violence.

"Glorifying the three Bali bombers as mujahid (martyrs) is a grave mistake. It stems from a delusion that such an honor can be achieved through bombings and shouting 'Allahu Akbar' (God is great)," said NU deputy chairman Masdar F. Mas'udi.

He said a jihad or holy war to defend Islam must be done by "improving the Muslim community's prosperity, knowledge and morality".

After a series of delays, Amrozi, 47, Mukhlas, 48, and Imam Samudra, 38, were executed by firing squad shortly after midnight early Sunday for their roles in the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people.

Masdar, an Islamic jurisprudence expert, said the execution of the three convicted terrorists should be seen as an application of qishas (strict Islamic law that suggests a soul be paid with a soul), which the bombers strongly believed in.

"Based on the qishas model, they still owe at least 199 souls. And that doesn't include the injuries and the severe damage they caused to Islam and Muslims," Masdar added.

He urged the government and the media to be aware that support for the three terrorists could grow and inspire a new generation of bombers because of the government's execution delays and intensive media coverage.

Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsuddin also denounced the misuse of Islam by the Bali bombers to achieve their goals. Achieving goals through violent means is not part of Islamic teaching that promotes blessings and peace for the universe, he stressed.

"We reject all violence and terrorism. And a jihad can't be achieved by attacking others, even those considered enemies. We must learn after this that the use of violence and attacks cannot be tolerated in our religion," he said.

Mahfudz Siddiq, a senior legislator from the Islamic-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), said Indonesian Muslims should learn not to allow radicalism and religious violence to fester in the world's largest Muslim-majority country.

Indonesia handling of Bali executions questioned

Reuters - November 10, 2008

Jakarta – Indonesia's handling of the executions of three militants for the 2002 Bali bombings caused unnecessary suffering for victims of the blasts and helped fan domestic passions, Indonesian media said on Monday.

The three men from the militant Islamist group Jemaah Islamiah – Imam Samudra, Mukhlas, and Amrozi – were executed by firing squad on Sunday for the 2002 nightclub attacks that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians and 38 Indonesians.

Just days ahead of the executions, the bombers gave interviews to several television channels, often sounding defiant and calling for more attacks.

"The three terrorists most responsible for the carnage in Bali in October 2002 have finally been executed after months of uncertainty that turned the waiting into a public spectacle that only upset and infuriated relatives of the victims and prolonged their pain," the Jakarta Post said in an editorial.

"The media, particularly television, seemed to be a willing partner throughout this whole spectacle, especially during the last four weeks while the authorities hesitated in carrying out the execution order," the paper said.

It quoted political expert Fachry Ali as saying repeated delays in executing the three men had led to "wide media exposure that played up these men's toughness and persistence."

Indonesia had appeared set to execute the men earlier in the year but it was delayed until after the Muslim fasting month in September and then set for early in November.

The media had speculated that the executions were about to be carried out several times in recent weeks. A spokesman for the Attorney General's office said on Saturday that the timing of executions was up to officials on the ground.

Passions ran high on Sunday as thousands of people, including many hardliners from Islamist groups, poured onto the streets for the funerals of the men in their home towns in Java.

Some analysts had warned of a hardline backlash but the funerals went off relatively peacefully, despite some scuffles with police and reporters.

Police were questioning two men detained over alleged bomb threats made ahead of the executions, national police spokesman Abubakar Nataprawira said. There have been a string of threats made against hotels, Western embassies and government offices over the executions.

Indonesia's Republika newspaper urged the government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to continue its fight against Islamist militancy.

Since the 2002 Bali bombings, Indonesia has also won some plaudits for its battle against Muslim militants, including setting up a special police anti-terrorism unit called Detachment 88 and a "de-radicalization" programme used to persuade former militants to recant and preach non-violence to other militants.

The Koran Tempo newspaper said that police would now target Noordin Top, a Malaysian considered a key Jemaah Islamiah figure behind a series of bombings, who is still at large.

Although there have been no major bomb attacks since 2005, Indonesia is considered still at risk.

[Reporting by Telly Nathalia; Editing by Ed Davies and Valerie Lee.]

Indonesia tense after terrorism executions

Time Magazine - November 10, 2008

Jason Tedjasukmana, Jakarta – Three men involved in the 2002 bombing of two nightclubs in Bali were executed on Nov. 9 on the Indonesian prison island of Nusakambangan off the coast of Java.

Amrozi bin Hasyim, his older brother, Mukhlas, and accomplice Imam Samudra were executed by firing squad five years after being convicted for the terrorist attacks that killed 202 people, many of them tourists, on the resort island. The three Indonesians, shot just after midnight, were the first to be put to death under the country's tough anti-terrorism law, after numerous appeals for leniency were rejected by the government.

In the months before the execution, which had originally been planned for September, radical groups called for revenge attacks, while the American and Australian embassies in Indonesia received bomb threats. Malls and hotels stepped up security in response to the constant local and international media coverage of the impending executions. But some experts say violence is not likely to spread.

"We could see some kind of backlash in their hometowns in Java but I don't think there will be on a larger scale as people have seen the suffering and the majority of Muslims disagree with what they did," says Masdar Hilmy, a professor at the State Islamic University of Islam in Surabaya and an expert on radical Islam. "Mass organizations like the Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah have also called on their followers to not be influenced by radical propaganda."

Despite some criticism of the government, the police, and its anti-terror division in particular, have been widely praised for preventing further attacks since 2005, when a second round of suicide bombings in Bali killed 20 people. Dozens of militants suspected of having ties to Jemaah Islamiah, the Al Qaeda-linked organization behind the Bali bombings, have been killed or detained. The hope is that Sunday's executions will discourage other would-be terrorists.

"The executions are a sign that the government is letting law enforcers do their job," says Agus Wijoyo, a researcher on security sector reform at the Centre of Strategic and International Studies. "For whatever is in the minds of those wanting to violate the law, this should act as a deterrent."

Others are concerned that the relentless media coverage of the execution – and the ideology of the militants – will only radicalize sympathizers. "The terrorists have been overexposed," adds Soeryo Winoto, a columnist in Jakarta. "What the television stations have been reporting is just free propaganda for the terrorists." Exclusive interviews with the terrorists have been aired on CNN, the BBC and other news networks, while their family members have appeared on local television for weeks.

"Waiting for this to happen has been like watching a slow-motion train wreck," says Ken Conboy, author of The Second Front: Inside Asia's Most Dangerous Terrorist Network. "They should have limited their exposure."

The three bodies were returned on Sunday to their hometowns, where they were greeted by emotional crowds and heavy security, but no major outbreaks of violence were reported. Organizations like Amnesty International and other human rights groups had opposed the executions on humanitarian grounds and out of concern that they would turn the extremists into heroes; already other militants have called the bombers "holy warriors." "The possibility of martyrdom is a highly contested idea but only the fringe groups will see their deaths as mati syahid," explains Masdar Hilmy, using the Indonesian term for martyrdom.

Many relatives of the 88 Australians killed in the bombings expressed relief and a sense of closure after the executions. Meanwhile, some Indonesian survivors are still waiting for government assistance to aid their recovery. Chusnul Khotimah, who was severely burned in the attacks, said she was "satisfied and thankful" for the bombers' deaths but asked the government for help. "I have received nothing from the government since the bombings," Khotimah told reporters. "I would like help finding a job because I have not worked since the attacks."

Bali bombers buried in emotional ceremonies

Reuters - November 9, 2008

Heri Retnowati, Tenggulun, Indonesia – Three Indonesian militants executed on Sunday for the 2002 Bali bombings were buried by their families at ceremonies attended by thousands of sobbing supporters shouting "Allahu akbar" (God is great).

The three men from the militant group Jemaah Islamiah – Imam Samudra, 38, Mukhlas, 48, and Amrozi, 46 – were executed by firing squad on Nusakambangan island in central Java shortly after midnight, the attorney-general's office said.

The two explosions on Bali's Kuta strip on October 12, 2002 killed 202 people including 88 Australians and 38 Indonesians.

The bombers' bodies were flown from the prison by helicopter to their home towns – brothers Mukhlas and Amrozi to Tenggulun in Lamongan, East Java, and Samudra to Serang in West Java.

Some friends and supporters chanted "Live nobly or die as martyrs" until the bodies of brothers Mukhlas and Amrozi were lowered into the ground. After the burial, supporters stood in the rain and prayed for the bombers.

Imam Samudra was buried in a private ceremony attended by just his family and friends.

The attorney general's spokesman, Jasman Pandjaitan, said the bombers, who asked not to be blindfolded during the execution, were cooperative. "Only one bullet hit the victims, right on the left chest hitting the heart," Pandjaitan told a news conference. "There was no resistance and they were very cooperative."

Earlier, thousands of Indonesians poured onto the streets for the funerals of the three militants causing some clashes between police and emotional supporters. "Looking at this, I feel sad, but then I am also proud that he is a Mujahid (Muslim fighter)," said Nuranda, a woman who came to offer her condolences to Samudra's family.

Tensions ran high as about 3,000 people from west Java cities gathered when Samudra's body, covered in a black shroud with Islamic inscriptions, was carried to a mosque for prayers. Some jostled to touch the body or help carry the bier.

In Tenggulun, thousands of militant Islamists from groups such as the Islamic Defenders' Front had gathered, shadowed by armed police and many reporters.

People chanted "Goodbye Syuhada (heroes)" and "Allahu Akbar" as the bodies of Mukhlas and Amrozi were taken from the mosque to an Islamic boarding school where controversial cleric Abu Bakar Bashir prayed for the brothers.

Some clashed with police as authorities tried to prevent them from getting too close to the bodies.

Among those in the streets were followers of Bashir, who was accused of co-founding regional militant group Jemaah Islamiah and jailed for conspiracy over the Bali bombings, but later cleared of wrongdoing.

Tight security

Indonesia tightened security amid fears of revenge attacks as tensions ran high, but one analyst said the executions were unlikely to spark "active terrorism."

"People need to be vigilant and there's a possibility of someone responding to the appeal of the three dead men but I don't think people should believe that there will automatically be some active terrorism," Sidney Jones, a security expert from the Brussels-based International Crisis Group, told Reuters.

Although there have been no major bomb attacks since 2005, Indonesia is considered still at risk. Jemaah Islamiah said the Bali attacks were intended to deter foreigners as part of a drive to make Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, part of a larger Islamic caliphate.

Australia immediately issued a travel warning for citizens going to Indonesia and Foreign Minister Stephen Smith warned of possible reprisals.

"We continue to have credible information that terrorists may be planning attacks in Indonesia," Smith said on Australian TV. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said his thoughts were with the families of the victims. "Their lives remain shattered. They have been changed fundamentally by that murder," he told reporters.

Although new attacks targeting bars and tourist hangouts were possible, Jemaah Islamiah's network was fractured and sympathy for the bombers was low, said a leading Australian analyst.

"There will be some people in Indonesian society who regard them as martyrs, but they will be a very small proportion," said Damien Kingsbury, an associate professor at Deakin University. Jemaah Islamiyah's "willingness and capacity to carry out bomb attacks is much reduced," he said.

About a hundred Balinese, including some survivors, prayed at a memorial near the blast site in Kuta. The Balinese widow of a security officer killed in the blasts said she hoped the executions would mark some closure.

"So, let the past be behind us and I hope there will not be any revenge from their families and supporters," said Wayan Rasmi. The body of her husband was never found after the blasts.

[Additional reporting by Olivia Rondonuwu and Telly Nathalia in Jakarta, Crack Pallinggi in Cilacap and Luh De Suriyani in Denpasar; Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by Sugita Katyal and Jerry Norton.]

Bomber shirts for sale as Indonesia awaits executions

Agence France Presse - November 8, 2008

Arlina Arshad, Tenggulun – T-shirts praising the Islamists behind the Bali attacks went on sale in the village of bombers Amrozi and Mukhlas on Saturday, as the wait for their executions took a macabre twist.

Mukhlas, 48, Amrozi, 47, and fellow militant Imam Samudra, 38, are due to be executed imminently for their role in the 2002 bombings, which killed 202 people, mainly foreign tourists.

But while authorities have said the execution will be in "early" November, they have not set an exact date, leading to a rash of media speculation and allowing Islamist sympathisers time to rally to the bombers' cause.

Family members have begun selling plain black T-shirts for 20,000 rupiah (1.84 dollars) with the message: "Even if Amrozi and friends are executed, jihad (holy war) will go on."

"We're trying to support the two brothers' fight for Islam," said A'anal Umam, a 19-year-old nephew of Mukhlas and Amrozi, in the normally sleepy East Java coastal village.

The simple farming community a short distance from the beach has turned into a circus of sorts as frustrated journalists mix with jihadist radicals and nervous police, all trying to guess the timing of the long-delayed executions.

Tensions were building overnight over the macabre details of the bombers' burial, after family members were told the brothers' bodies would be delivered by helicopter pre-wrapped in white shrouds.

Relatives were furious as this meant they would be unable to wash the bodies in line with Muslim custom, but backed down after police threatened to take over the funeral.

"As a family we're terrified that we can't handle the bodies but we're worried about the possibility of bloodshed happening, so we accepted it even though we were forced," brother Muhammad Chozin said.

A younger brother of the bombers, Ali Fauzi, travelled with police in the dead of night to the island prison where the bombers are being held and will reportedly visit them before witnessing their executions.

Small crowds of Islamist radicals have descended daily on the village in the lead up to the executions, and have promised hundreds more will come if the bombers are killed.

A crowd of around 50 radicals chanted "Allahu Akbar" (God is greater) during a brief visit by hardline cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, the co-founder of the militant Jemaah Islamiyah network blamed for the Bali blasts. Bashir hailed the bombers as "holy warriors" and urged Muslims to follow their lead.

"We should emulate their fighting spirit, they are ready to sacrifice their lives fighting for Islam and they will not surrender, that's what a holy warrior is," Bashir told the crowd, which included dozens of curious villagers.

Pornography & morality

Protests over Indonesian 'anti-porn' law

Agence France Presse - November 15, 2008

Hundreds of people rallied in the Hindu-majority holiday island of Bali against a tough anti-pornography law branded by critics as a threat to religious freedom.

About 400 people marched through the Balinese capital Denpasar in defiance of the law passed by mainly Muslim lawmakers in Jakarta last month.

Protesters denounced as too broad the law's definition of pornography, saying it was a threat to Indonesia's diverse non- Muslim minorities and could shatter national unity.

High-spirited protesters in traditional sarongs and translucent temple blouses marched toward the provincial governor's office, cheering wildly at traditional dances and performances by local pop singers in curve-hugging pants. The chair of the West Papua provincial parliament, Jimmy Demianus Ijie, said the law passed after years of deliberation in Jakarta criminalised Papuan culture, where many people go semi-naked.

"I've taken part in many Papuan performances in many places and I've only worn traditional clothes, but you could see my arse and I was swaying my hips, I was being sexy. Are they going to arrest me for that too?" he told reporters.

A challenge to the law would be launched in Indonesia's Constitutional Court next week, activist Ngurah Harta told the protest. "We have to win this judicial review or we will hold a massive civil disobedience campaign," he said.

Bali Governor I Made Mangku Pastika pledged last month that his government would not enforce the pornography bill, but he did not turn up to Saturday's protest.

Muslims make up roughly 90 per cent of Indonesia's 234 million population, which also contains sizeable Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and Confucian minorities.

Police chief pledges to uphold porn law

Jakarta Post - November 11, 2008

Ni Komang Erviani, Denpasar – Despite both the public and administrative bodies in Bali refusing to enact the recently passed pornography bill, Bali Police Chief Insp. Gen. Teuku Ashikin Husein said the law was "positive" and his office would be enforcing it completely.

"If the law is positive for the country, then that's the law I am going to enact," he said during a ceremony commemorating National Hero's Day in Denpasar on Monday.

His statement fueled the ongoing debate about the pornography bill in Bali, which may spill over into a potential conflict between police and island administrators. The latter recently said the island would not enact the porn bill when it becomes law.

"We cannot carry it out because it is not in line with Balinese philosophical and sociological values," Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika said earlier this month. Pastika is a retired three-star police general.

Despite tension increasing, both the administrators and police are unsure of the next step as the President is yet to sign the contentious legislation.

Pastika, whose statement was backed by the Bali Legislative Council, said his administration was not rejecting the porn bill but simply could not enforce it. The consequences, he said, would damage the identity of the island.

Similarly, Ashikin dodged questions about how he would enact the bill considering the provincial administration had refused to endorse it. "The government has not released the regulation required to administer the bill. Once they release it, then I will implement the law," Ashikin said.

Bali's People Component (KRB) Coordinator, Ngurah Harta, regretted Ashikin's statement, calling it an unwise decision.

KRB has been at the forefront of the Balinese struggle to revoke or revise the bill, calling on other provinces that have denounced it, such as Yogyakarta and Papua, to join their cause and support a proposed judicial review of the controversial bill at the Constitutional Court.

The organization has even called for mass civil disobedience should all legal attempts to revoke or revise the bill fail.

"The Police Chief needs to realize that the Governor's statement was a statement from the Balinese people," Harta said. "If he wants to call himself a nationalist, then he should defend the interest of the minority, not just the majority," he said.

Harta was referring to wide suspicion that the law was passed to enforce a sharia agenda among the House of Representatives' Muslim parties. Muslims make up roughly 90 percent of Indonesia's 234 million population, which also contains sizable Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and Confucian minorities.

Harta hoped that the Police Chief would discuss his statement with Bali's elected leaders. "We hope he will just sit down with Bali's leaders first. Just get together and talk it out."

Bali police will enforce pornography law: Chief

Jakarta Post - November 10, 2008

Jakarta – Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Teuku Ashikin Husein on Monday said his institution had no option but to enforce the new pornography law in the province.

"I have no option. The police must enforce every positive law in the country," he said in Denpasar, as quoted by Tempointeraktif.com. Ashikin said the law would be implemented through a government regulation which had yet to be established.

Last week, Bali's governor and speaker of the provincial legislature announced that the province would not be able to enforce the newly passed law, saying it was not in line with Balinese philosophical and sociological values.

Ashikin, however, said the statement was not a refusal of the law. "We will try to hold dialogues with all parties about this issue," he said.

Bali leaders and members of the public have united in an organization named the Bali People's Component to challenge the new law through the Constitutional Court. (dre)

Golkar Bali opposes pornography law

Jakarta Post - November 8, 2008

Denpasar – Despite Golkar's support for the recent passage of the controversial pornography law at the House of Representatives in Jakarta, Bali's chapter of the party has reiterated its strong opposition to it.

Dissatisfaction with the laws passage was disclosed by Cok Budi Suryawan, head of Golkar Bali, after a plenary session of the Bali Legislative Council on Thursday.

"In Bali our stance is clear. Golkar Bali strongly opposes the law. Our opposition has been reported to the Golkar Faction at the House," Cok Budi said.

The pornography law, he added, has to be opposed, because it threatens pluralism in the nation and seeks to regulate private behavior. He said a decrease of votes in the coming 2009 general elections was not his concern.

"We are not afraid to register a falling number of votes because, principally, our opposition to the pornography law is in line with the stance of the Balinese people," he said.

Cok Budi said he was proud of the two members of Bali's Golkar Faction – Sumarjaya Linggih and Tisnawati – who walked out of the session room in protest against the passing of the pornography bill at the House.

"The two have fought all out to voice the will of the Balinese people, who oppose the passing of the bill," he said.

Filmmakers find porn law useless

Jakarta Post - November 8, 2008

Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – Indonesian filmmakers had for decades been dealing with censorship in the name of politics and morality. And they have never been happy about it.

Ever since the dictator Soeharto was toppled in 1998, a number of filmmakers have persistently argued artists need to have greater freedom.

They have requested the Film Censorship Institute be disbanded. This is the government agency authorized to cut scenes they consider obscene or improper and to decide whether a film may be publicly screened.

The request was not granted, and they are now facing a new specter: the pornography law. Some filmmakers, however, said they were not afraid the law might curb their expression.

Film director Joko Anwar – of Janji Joni (Joni's Promise) and Kala (...) fame – considered the newly passed law redundant since it contained articles already covered by other regulations, among which is the law on child protection.

"Not only is it redundant, it provokes disunity, too," he told The Jakarta Post. "Some provinces, as we know, have expressed their objection to the law because they have different moral values and interpretations (of what is considered pornographic)," he added.

Joko said even though the law might confine artistic expression, he believed filmmakers would not find it difficult to adjust to the constraints.

"We make films for Indonesian society. We know the moral boundaries well and we have considered them in every movie we've produced. We always try to make movies which appeal to the widest possible audience, so the government doesn't need to worry we'll do something extreme," he said.

Hanung Bramantyo, director of the popular Islamic romance Ayat- ayat Cinta (Verses of Love), concurred with Joko, saying he already practiced self-censorship in making movies, regardless of any porn law.

"I have always relied on self-censorship in my movies. I know it's inappropriate to display kissing in Indonesian movies, let alone a sex scene. For me, the porn law is a waste of time and money. If we want to improve public morality, we have to do it through education," Hanung said.

Like Joko, Hanung seemed more concerned about the law's collision with the country's cultural diversity. "Can a topless girl in (the Hindu) Galungan ceremony in Bali be considered an offender? Can people be legally sued when they watch blue movies in their homes?" he asked.

He said he did not expect the law would affect the creative industry. "For artists like us, the kind of restraints imposed by the porn law will never kill our creativity. Art is not born out of total freedom, but it shouts about freedom. With or without the porn law, we'll keep advancing as artists," he said.

One young and thriving scriptwriter, Yanuar Mahadi, said the porn law had created new creative challenges for his writing process.

"I've always wanted to make a movie about sex without being cheaply pornographic. This new law challenges me to create scripts that won't be considered pornographic and offensive," he said, adding creative people would always try to find a way.

The House of Representatives passed the porn bill into law last Thursday despite protests from human rights activists, pluralist organizations and some provincial governments.

Supporters of the law claim the law is necessary to protect the young generation from pornographic material. Those who object to the law claim the law threatens national unity and is detrimental to freedom of expression.

Apart from its dubious definition of pornography, the law contains a contentious article which allows civilians to police social morals.

"The law is beautifully written, like a poem, but it is empty in meaning, especially when we take into account the lack of attention the drafters paid to resolving the law's internal paradoxes. But that's how our government has made every law. They always produce beautiful words with empty meanings," Yanuar said.

He cited the passage in the law stating it "is based on respect towards humanity and pluralism". (hdt)

West Papua

Pro-independence group honors Theys

Jakarta Post - November 13, 2008

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – On Wednesday some 100 people, calling themselves the Papua Human Rights Awareness Coalition, commemorated the seventh anniversary of the death of Theys Hiyo Eluay, leader of the Papua Presidium Council, who was killed by government forces on Nov. 10, 2002.

The crowd, led by Buchtar Tabuni, staged a rally at the Papua Provincial Legislative Council building after traveling from Abepura city. Earlier, they marched to the Theys Hiyo Eluay memorial, where they removed a garbage bin which had been placed there.

"Why has a garbage bin been placed at the memorial of a Papuan freedom fighter," yelled someone, followed by jeers from others. They rolled the bin in to a ravine. The crowd then marched to the legislative council office in Jayapura while chanting "Freedom for Papua".

"Theys was killed, but other Theysus live on, like me and all Papuans, who will rise and fight for our freedom," exclaimed Buchtar.

For Buchtar and other Papuans, Theys was a freedom fighter, despite being branded as a traitor by the government, due to his wish to withdraw Papua from the unitary state of Indonesia.

Theys was shot and killed by elite Kopassus military troops on Nov. 10, 2002, as he returned from the Kopassus command station in Hamadi, Jayapura, to commemorate National Heroes Day. However, his body was not found until the next day in Koya, a village near the border with Papua New Guinea.

Theys was a leader to those who wished for an independent Papua state. They consider the Indonesian annexation of Papua through the Pepera referendum in late 1960s invalid as it was not carried out through a one-man-one-vote system, but by using a representative method. They demand independence for Papua.

Papuans voice discontent with government

Jakarta Post - November 12, 2008

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Anyone who thinks the discussion on Papuan independence is over should listen to Hans Gebze and other young Papuans.

"We're not feeling like free people. We are still poor and alienated while many of us experience injustice on our home soil. So how can we rule out trying for independence?" Hans, a member of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI), said on the sidelines of a seminar on Papua here Tuesday.

More than 100 Papuans attended the seminar, which quickly turned into a forum for the Papuans to express their disappointment with Jakarta's policies.

The purpose of the seminar was to discuss the situation in Papua since the establishment of the International Parliamentarians for West Papua (IPWP), a caucus that aims to gather support for Papua from the international community. The group's ultimate aim is a self-determination referendum for Papua.

The Indonesian government has dismissed the organization, established in London on Oct. 15, as nothing more than a tiny collection of Papuans who lack international support.

Papuan member of the Regional Consultative Council (DPD), Ferdinanda Ibo Yatipai, said she could understand the animosity as Jakarta had treated Papua unfairly. She was referring to alleged human rights violations against Papuans and exploitation of Papua's natural resources for the enrichment of Jakarta.

"We must unite to support the IPWP. Where's the money the government said had been given to the Papuans? We must find the embezzlers of the funds," she told the seminar.

Rights activist Syamsudin Radjab talked about the failure of the special autonomy for Papua since its inception in 2001. "We estimate Rp 26 trillion in special autonomy funding has been given to Papua since 2001. But many Papuans aren't enjoying it. The government must explain where the money has gone," he said.

Syamsudin urged the government to initiate a comprehensive program that involved all stakeholders, such as NGOs and Papuan leaders, while opening a national dialogue to address Papua's problems. "Indonesia must learn from the Timor Leste lesson. We can't pretend that everything is OK down there in Papua," he said.

Ibo said the IPWP had been established because Papuans were no longer able to make themselves heard by the government. "We established a special committee for Papua at the DPD. But when we wanted to hold a dialogue with the President, the DPD chairman simply told us he did not want to attend the event. What can we do?" Ibo said.

University of Indonesia international relations expert Hariyadi Wirawan said the threat of disintegration was real. He said Papua today looked like Timor Leste before the 1999 referendum when the government believed the province would remain with Indonesia.

"That's why the government can't solve the problems in Papua with military might or by sending more and more soldiers to the provinces. Instead, the government must gather sociologists, anthropologists and NGOs to help them find the root causes of the problems," he said.

Human rights/law

Families of missing seek ad hoc body

Jakarta Post - November 15, 2008

Jakarta – Families of missing persons reiterated their demand for the President and the government to establish an ad hoc court tasked with resolving the mysterious disappearances of activists between 1997 and 1998.

"We are waiting for the government's response because we still do not know the whereabouts and conditions of our missing relatives," a mother of missing victim Rumina said during a public discussion on the disappearances of the victims in Jakarta on Friday.

The discussion, held by the Indonesian Association of Families of the Disappeared (Ikohi), was attended by families of the 13 missing victims, a member of the special committee for missing persons of the House of Representatives and human rights activists.

Ikohi chairman Mugiyanto said the government had made only empty promises about bringing the cases to light.

"The National Commission on Human Rights investigated the cases for 15 months in 2005 and 2006 and uncovered gross human rights violations in the cases. The commission submitted the results to the Attorney General's Office, but it did nothing," he said.

The House then established a special committee on missing persons in 2007 to put pressure on the government to settle the cases, but it then halted its push for the new commission until last month.

"We really appreciate and place our hope in the special committee as it is the only institution showing concern for the cases," Mugiyanto said.

However, he warned there was a possibility the committee would be manipulated by political parties seeking to bury opponents linked to the disappearance cases in the build up to next year's elections.

"The most important thing is that the special committee should not use the victims as a means to benefit their own interests. Instead, they should seek resolutions by recommending the President establish an ad hoc court for human rights violations," he said.

The special committee's representative, Darmayanto, said the committee was preparing an agenda to discuss the case comprehensively.

"We will include related parties in the discussion, including the Indonesian Military, families of the victims and NGOs with an aim to build a recommendation for the President to establish the ad hoc court," he said.

Mugiyanto said that even if there were an ad hoc court, the government should take political action, such as establishing a government-run special commission to discover the whereabouts of the missing victims.

According to data from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence, about 3,000 people were reported missing under President Soeharto's regime.

Of the number, some disappeared in the bloody wake of the failed coup by the now disbanded communist party in 1965, as well as during the Tanjung Priok rioting in 1984, and in military operations in Aceh and Papua in the 1990s.

Sutomo, father of Pertus Bimo, one of the 13 who disappeared in 1998, said he kept hoping that the government would find his son. (pmf)

TNI officers, expert testify in Muchdi's defense

Jakarta Post - November 13, 2008

Dian Kuswandini, Jakarta – Several witnesses have testified in favor of former senior intelligence officer Muchdi Purwopranjono, unraveling the prosecution's claim the defendant's motive for murdering a prominent human rights activist in 2004 was revenge.

In their indictment, prosecutors said Muchdi, a former deputy chief of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), sought revenge against Munir Said Thalib, who was held responsible for the defendant's ouster as the chief of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus).

The dismissal came after a military court ruled against Kopassus soldiers in the Rose Team, who were found guilty of abducting 13 activists staunchly critical of the government in 1997-1998, prosecutors claimed. Munir had led an investigation into the abduction when he was chairing the Commission on Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras).

In his testimony Thursday, former Military Police chief Maj. Gen. (ret) Djasri Marin said Muchdi's name had never come up during his team's internal investigation into the actions of the Rose Team.

"The only name mentioned was (Muchdi's predecessor) Prabowo Subianto," Djasri told the South Jakarta District Court. "As far as I remember, the Rose Team did not exist during Muchdi's tenure (as the Kopassus chief)," he added.

Another witness, Col. (ret) Mochtar Zein, former head of the Kopassus legal division, echoed Djasri's statement, saying Muchdi had never been subject to a military investigation by the Officer's Honorary Council (DKP) into the Rose Team's involvement in the abductions.

According to Mochtar, Muchdi was not dismissed as Kopassus chief but was promoted to a higher position as a deputy inspector general at the Indonesian Military (TNI).

However, the testimonies of Djasri and Mochtar contradicted the Defense Ministry's official stance on the abduction, which holds that Muchdi was among those responsible for the incident.

Based on the DKP's recommendation, "the TNI chief had disciplined former Kopassus chief Let. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto with a decision to retire him, as well as Kopassus officer Maj. Gen. Muchdi PR and Group Four chief Col. Inf. Chairawan with a decision to remove them from their posts following their failures to control their subordinates' activities", said a statement published on the ministry's website.

Another witness at the hearing Thursday was criminal law expert Indiarto Seno Aji of the University of Indonesia, who told the court that outlining a motive was not necessary in building a criminal case. "However, if the prosecutors insist on bringing a defendant's motive, they will have to prove it," he said.

Indiarto further said the prosecution required at least two witnesses, as well as evidence, to bring a case. "This applies everywhere in the world," said Indiarto, who testified at the trial as a witness for the defense.

He was apparently referring to the prosecution's sole witness BIN agent Budi Santoso, who accused Muchdi of plotting Munir's murder. Indiarto further supported Muchdi's case by saying evidence such as electronic data cannot be used to prosecute someone "because it is subjective and tends to harm certain parties".

In past trial sessions, prosecutors presented records of incoming and outgoing calls between Muchdi, Budi and former Garuda pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto before and after the murder.

Pollycarpus was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the murder. Munir was found dead on board a Garuda flight on Sept. 7, 2004, after stopping over at Singapore's Changi Airport.

Gays, bisexuals, transgenders still discriminated against

Jakarta Post - November 12, 2008

Astrid Wijaya, Jakarta – The government is failing to respect and protect those who identify as homosexual, bisexual or transgender, despite their equal rights as citizens, says the official human rights body.

Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) group continue to face discrimination, marginalization, torture and harassment, with the government denying them their rights as citizens, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) said Tuesday.

"Under the Constitution the government must protect all citizens, so why do LGBTs still suffer ill-treatment in this country?" Komnas HAM member Yosep Adi Prasetyo said at a seminar titled "Taboo Sexuality: Challenges on Differences", co-hosted by the Finnish Embassy and women's group Kalyanamitra.

"There are even still police officers who discriminate against and harass this group of people," he added.

Yosep cited several cases of homosexual couples who were arrested by police in Banda Aceh, Aceh. "They were instructed by local police to remove their clothing, or worse, they were ordered to re-enact their sexual activities in front of officers, who were mocking them," he said.

Siti Musdah Mulia, a moderate Muslim scholar from the Indonesian Conference on Religion and Peace, gave another example of discrimination that she encountered while involved in selecting new Komnas HAM members.

Siti, who was the secretary of an independent committee for the selection, said the committee was subject to a lot of criticism from various groups, including the media, when it accepted the nominations of two people from the LGBT group.

"This is proof that people are still discriminating against LGBTs. The two LGBTs were recruited because they had good visions and skills. We did not choose them for any political reasons," she said at the seminar.

Siti said there was no reason for the public and authorities to discriminate against this group. "Pluralism is not a deviation but a blessing from God as a social investment in life," she added.

Lukas Mangindaan, a psychiatrist from the University of Indonesia, said homosexuality was no longer categorized as a mental illness or sexual deviation, as declared by the World Health Organization in 1990 and the Indonesian Health Ministry in 1983 and 1993.

"LGBTs do not suffer from any mental illness or dysfunction," he said at the forum. Lukas said human behavior could not be considered abnormal as long as it did not display any mental dysfunction.

"What makes people think that someone is not normal is when they find that person to be different from the majority. It's no problem being heterosexual or homosexual; the important thing is they take responsibility for their choices," he said.

Yosep further said that in dealing with the LGBT issue, the government should address three points: respect, protection and fulfillment.

"Respect means the government must enforce the law to stop discrimination and violence by authorities against LGBTs, and protection means the government must take action to prevent ill- treatment by non-state actors," Yosep said.

"Fulfillment means the government must guarantee the rights of LGBTs as humans by allocating resources to understand the LGBT issue in government agencies."

Pressure mounts on government to find missing persons

Jakarta Post - November 11, 2008

Astrid Wijaya, Jakarta – An Asian human rights group has pressured the government to investigate the disappearance of 13 Indonesian activists a decade ago, one of numerous similar cases that remain unsolved.

On Monday secretary general of the Asian Federation against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD), Mary Aileen D. Bacalso, urged families of missing persons to continue to press the government to resolve their cases in order to reveal the truth and bring about justice.

Bacalso said such perseverance paid off in her home country, the Philippines, where the government finally released a man who had been declared missing for 26 years, thanks to endless pressure from his family and the public.

"This is all because of the efforts of the family. They (the family) never stopped fighting for justice," Bacalso told a press conference held by the Indonesian Association of Families of the Disappeared (Ikohi).

AFAD was founded in June 1998 by rights groups from seven countries: the Association of Parents of the Disappeared (India), Ikohi and Kontras (Indonesia), the Truth and Justice Commission (Pakistan), the Working Group on Justice and Peace, the Relatives Committee of the May 1992 Heroes (Thailand), the Claimants (the Philippines) and the Advocacy Forum (Nepal).

AFAD and Ikohi activists met with families of the missing persons Monday to discuss the further steps needed to help settle the case.

Members of the groups urged the House of Representatives' special committee on missing people to recommend the establishment of an ad hoc human rights court to try those responsible for the alleged abduction.

They also asked President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to exercise his authority over the National Military (TNI) and instruct them to reveal investigation reports related to the case. The military has been linked to the disappearance.

Ikohi chairman Mugiyanto said the group would focus efforts on trying to find the missing persons, rather than taking legal action against the mastermind and perpetrators of the tragedy. "We are not chasing the generals, but we demand the case be solved," Mugiyanto said.

He was confident the 13 missing victims are still alive, and said it was crucial that the government take action to find them as soon as possible.

Tuti Koto, whose son Yani Afri went missing in April 1997, said she supported the House's move to seek truth and justice in the disappearances. "We hope the politicians refrain from exploiting the move for political interests ahead of the 2009 elections. They must solve the case in a fair and just manner," Tuti said.

The families of the victims held a brief rally outside the State Palace to convey their demand.

As part of the commemoration of the first decade since the first major human rights cases in 1997-1998, a group of civil society organizations will host activities including workshops, seminars, a book launch and a film screening this week. Local and international groups as well as government and military officials are invited to participate in the program.

Solving activist abductions a test case for Yudhoyono: NGOs

Detik.com - November 10, 2008

M. Rizal Maslan, Jakarta – The state, through President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), should issue an immediate apology and rehabilitate the names of the pro-democracy activists and the families of the victims of the forced abduction in 1997-1998. This is necessary in order to solve the impasse in the legal proceedings into the case.

This request was conveyed by a number of legal and human rights NGO's from the group NGO Solidarity with Cases of Forced Disappearances at the offices of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) on Jl. Borobudur in the Menteng area of Central Jakarta on Monday November 10.

"Political steps by the president need to be taken bearing in mind that the legal measure that have been pursued until now have been unable to resolve this complex multi-dimensional case. Yet, in his capacity as president, SBY has the full authority to resolve this case", said the chairperson of the Indonesian Association of the Families of Missing Persons (Ikohi), Mugiyanto.

Mugiyanto explained that the president represents a key figure in efforts to crack this case. "Moreover as one of the members of the Officers Honour Council (DKP) at the time, SBY once question the generals who are believed to know about the abductions," he said.

It is because of this therefore, Mugiyanto reiterated, President Yudhoyono should take the political step of ordering the commander of the Indonesian military (TNI) to open up the DKP's documents – the investigation dossiers held by Puspom (the TNI military police headquarters) and Kopassus (the army special forces). The group also called on Yudhoyono to take special measures in the context of seeking information on the fate of the 13 abduction victims who has still not been found.

Mugiyanto also asked the House of Representatives (DPR) Special Committee (Pansus) on Missing Persons to genuinely aim to resolve the case. "The DPR Pansus on missing persons could become a double-edged-sword. But we hope that the reopening of the case by the Pansus will indeed be directed toward resolving the case legally. Because of this therefore, we are asking the DPR Pansus to immediately recommend to the president that an ad hoc human rights court be formed", he added.

Mugiyanto said he also hopes that the president will order the Attorney General's Office to conduct an immediate investigation before the case is taken before an ad hoc human rights court. "The commitment to fully resolving this has become a test case for the SBY administration and the DPR. If the government and the DPR are not serious about uncovering this case, then we should think again about electing them in the coming 2009 general elections", he reiterated. (zal/mad)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Rights groups seek pressure by Obama on Indonesia

Jakarta Post - November 10, 2008

Jakarta – Indonesia's human rights groups expressed hope Sunday that President-elect Barack Obama would put more pressure on Indonesia to resolve its major human rights cases.

Positive changes and increased pressure should come from the future Obama administration related to Indonesia's democratization process and human rights advocacy, compared to the outgoing administration under President George W. Bush, they said.

"During the Bush administration and post-9/11, cooperation between Indonesia and the United States was focused more on state-related security rather than human security," said Usman Hamid, coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras).

"The two countries have good relations but it has a policy imbalance with Indonesia, as its priorities are its war against terror and not human rights," he added.

Usman said the US decision to revoke its military embargo against Indonesia was not counterbalanced with pressure for human rights advocacy and on the Indonesian Military (TNI) to account for its gross human rights violations.

TNI has been accused of many violations in their military operations across Indonesia, including in East Timor (Timor Leste), Aceh and Papua. TNI has also been widely blamed for the Talang Sari massacre in Lampung, the Tanjung Priok mass killings and the May 1998 riots – the latter two both occurring in Jakarta – as well as for abducting democracy activists. However, all these cases have not been resolved.

"I hope with Obama elected as the new president, the human rights policies usually embraced by presidents hailing from the Democratic Party will push Indonesia to be more active in advocating unsolved human rights cases," Usman said.

Human Rights Watch Group coordinator Rafendi Djamin said the United States has played a huge role in pushing for rights advocacy in Indonesia because they have the leverage to build international political pressure.

"I have seen that during the Bush administration, the US congress is still concerned with Indonesia's democratization and human rights advocacy, but Bush has rarely given a direct warning of the importance of human rights advocacy," he said.

Rafendi said that with Obama's win, the pressure may be greater. "We are now expecting Obama to put more pressure on Indonesia to resolve unfinished human rights cases by directly questioning the government about them and by addressing their importance," he said.

A similar call was made by Bantarto Bandoro, an international relations expert from the University of Indonesia. He said that if Obama and the US Congress pressured Indonesia on their human rights issues and the government did not take it seriously, it could hinder their bilateral relations.

"If Indonesia does not respond positively to US pressure, this could hamper their good relationship with the subsequent possibility that the US would reinstate its military embargo against us," he said.

Bantarto said Indonesia must prudently manage its future relationship with the US government and take serious efforts to repair the country's human rights conditions. (pmf)

NGOs, priest urge abolition of death sentence

Jakarta Post - November 8, 2008

Ruslan Sangadji and Indra Harsaputra, Palu, Surabaya – Three organizations held a peace rally at the Hasanuddin traffic circle in East Palu, Central Sulawesi, on Thursday evening to call for the abolition of death sentence in Indonesia, saying it is not an effective deterrent.

The Sulawesi office of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), the Students League for Democracy (LMND) and the Central Sulawesi branch of the Indonesian Forum of Environment (Walhi) said their opposition to the death sentence did not mean they supported the actions of the Bali bombers.

"We are fighting for their right to live," coordinator of the Sulawesi Kontras, Edmond Leonardo, said.

Other rally participants expressed their opinions one by one coming to similar conclusions that the death sentence fails to deter potential criminals. The group also accused the government of being tendentious for not sending corruptors to the firing squad.

Security personnel tightly guarded the event, which ended at 11 p.m. local time (10 p.m. Jakarta time)

Meanwhile, Reverend Renaldy Damanik, former leader of the Central Sulawesi Christian Church synod, opposed the death sentence for the Bali bombers, saying it would not solve the problem of terrorism in Indonesia.

"Will terrorism and violence in Indonesia stop after Amrozi and friends are executed?" he asked. "I think life sentences could be the solution."

Bali bombers Imam Samudra and brothers Amrozi and Muklas have been placed in isolation at the Batu penitentiary on Nusakambangan prison island, Central Java, a hint that their executions are imminent.

Anticipating the executions, police officers from Poso Police and the Central Sulawesi Police Mobile Brigade have established checkpoints along the Trans Sulawesi highway in Tagolu subdistrict, as well as at the Tentena Main Market in North Pamona district.

Officers are not only checking vehicle documents and motorists' identities, but also inspecting goods carried by vehicles. Luggage is also being scanned with metal detectors.

"We are focusing the operation on the search for explosives and other dangerous goods," said Poso Police operations chief, Comr. Baitul Manaf.

Residents in Poso voiced fears that the executions will reignite sectarian conflict between Christians and Muslims in the region. Residents are avoiding crowds, while vendors are selling their goods along religious lines.

Christian vendors are afraid to conduct their business at the Poso Central Market and feel safer selling their merchandise at Tentena Market, a Christian dominant area. Tentena is located some 50 kilometers from Poso.

The vendors come from Christian villages such as Maliwuko, Sepe, Silanca, Tangkura and Malei in Malei district.

Meanwhile in Lamongan, East Java, prosecutors have conveyed the last wishes of Amrozi and Muklas to their mother, Tariyem, and their wives.

On behalf of the Attorney General's Office, Lamongan's chief prosecutor, Irnensif, passed on Amrozi's last wishes to his older brother, Khozin, and younger brother Ali Fauzin, in a closed-door meeting at the former's house in Tenggulun village, Solokuro district.

"I was assigned to convey the last wishes of Amrozi and Muklas before they are executed," Irnensif said. Irnensif, however, said he was still in the dark on when the executions would be carried out.

Khozin acknowledged the prosecutors information, saying the wishes were conveyed verbally and not in writing.

"Our mother and their wives have been prepared to receive their bodies after being executed," Ali Fauzi said.

"They also want to meet Amrozi and Muklas before the execution. The Lamongan prosecutor's office will help them enter Nusakambangan."

Labour issues

Malaysia, Indonesia to review foreign workers agreement

The Star - November 15, 2008

Sim Leoi Leoi, Putrajaya – Both Malaysia and Indonesia will undertake a review of the memorandum of agreement signed 11 years ago on the terms and service of foreign workers.

Human Resources Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said a joint committee would be set up between the two countries in order to look into some of the provisions and make these more in line with current practices and labour costs.

"The basic principle behind the MOU on foreign workers with Indonesia will remain but we may have to look into matters such as fee structure for agents, which has more than doubled in sum since the signing.

"Due to the current labour situation, some of the existing provisions have become unclear. If possible, we may have to amend these," he told reporters after a 45-minute meeting with Indonesian Manpower Minister Erman Suparno at his office on Friday.

There are presently some 2.2 million foreign workers in the country, out of which about 1.2 million are from Indonesia.

Subramaniam said he also explained to the minister about the ministry's plan to come out with a guideline on employers keeping their foreign workers' passports, a proposed amendment to the Employment Act to provide protection to domestic maids as well as complaints of abuses by unscrupulous bosses.

On the guideline on passports, he said this was now in the last stages of preparation and would make employers more responsible towards their foreign workers.

"For instance, they will have to sign an agreement with their workers on holding the passports and they must also ensure that any renewal to their workers' visas, permits or even passports be done promptly," he said.

Subramaniam said he hoped to table the proposal to amend the Employment Act, which would include domestic maids in the list of workers eligible for compensation, during this Parliament's meeting.

"I also gave my guarantee to the minister that Indonesian workers are free to lodge complaints with our Manpower Department if they feel they have been abused or cheated," he said.

On the social problems posed by Indonesian workers, Subramaniam said both he and the minister agreed on better cooperation with each other and with other agencies to curb these. "Most of the problems are created by illegal workers," he said.

Workers block toll road in protest over wages

Jakarta Post - November 13, 2008

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – Thousands of workers blockaded the east gate of the Padalarang toll road in Bandung on Wednesday in protest against a recent decision on the minimum wage.

Hundreds of police officers were deployed to disperse the workers, who arrived by motorcycles and pickup trucks and tried to enter the toll road connecting Jakarta and the West Java capital city.

A queue of vehicles stretched back one kilometer as the protesters, members of the Worker Class Alliance and the Alliance of Bandung Worker Unions, quarreled with police for almost two hours.

The workers finally left the scene and joined fellow protesters at a rally at Sate building, the West Java governor's office.

Hundreds of police officers stood guard at the building, preventing the workers from entering the complex. At one point, officers and workers pushed and punched each other.

The workers, who are members of various unions, including the National Workers Union (SPN), the Indonesian Metalworkers Federation and the All Indonesia Workers Union (SPSI), from dozens of factories in the West Bandung area, have rejected both a joint ministerial decree on the minimum wage and the amount of the provincial minimum wage.

West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan has drawn criticism for setting the 2009 minimum monthly wage at Rp 628,191 (US$55), an increase of 10.5 percent on this year's wage.

The amount is not in line with the current costs of living, the workers said during the rally, which entered its second day.

Bawit Umar of the Bandung SPSI demanded the recently installed governor step down over his failure to fulfill his promise to increase workers' prosperity.

"He (Heryawan) has broken his promise to increase people's wealth. We should change leadership," Bawit said in his speech.

He said the workers had little faith that regencies and municipalities would increase their minimum wages by 10.5 percent as the joint decree allowed companies to increase wages by the same amount as the current rate of economic growth, or 6 percent.

Sudaryanto from the Working Class Alliance called on workers to boycott next year's general elections if the government failed to revoke the joint decree.

"Politically we have the right to select leaders who struggle for workers' prosperity, but we see many opportunistic leaders who have exploited workers' issues as a political commodity," Sudaryanto said.

Asep Jamaludin of the Cimahi SPN said some union representatives had met the governor at his official residence on Tuesday night to voice their demands, but left without satisfaction.

"Heryawan did not have the guts to make a written statement to reject the joint decree," Jamaludin said. "He even refused to increase the minimum wage by more."

Bandung workers clash with police

Tempo Interactive - November 11, 2008

Ahmad Fikri, Jakarta – Hundred of workers in Bandung, West Java clashed with police outside Gedung Sate in a protest to reject the Joint Regulation of four ministers which rule the minimum wage level for local workers in the wake of global financial crisis.

Workers started to scuffle with police just before 1 PM, about three hours after the first group of workers arrived at the West Java Governor's office. Workers demanded to meet with Governor Ahmad Heryawan.

Several trade unions gathered under the Alliance of Bandung Workers Union to protest this year's annual wage level set by the regional administration. Spokesman for the workers said the wage level prepared by the regional administration covered a lesser percentage of 85 percent of the proper basic needs. Last year the level covered 92 percent of the proper basic necessities.

Workers also rejected the joint regulation of Labor and Transmigration Minister, Trade Minister, Industry Minister, and the Home Affairs Minister issued late in October which allows employer to increase wage just below the economic growth rate of about 6 percent.

Inflation rate according to the Statistics Indonesia were lower on October setting the year on year rate at 11,77 percent slightly above the government limit of 11,5 percent. Workers demanded an increase on their pay by 18 percent.

The clashed then ended after protesters and the authorities managed to calm down. However workers threatened the regional government to return on Wednesday and the next day after Wednesday with larger number of protesters and to block toll roads around the city should their demands would not be considered.

Workers start election boycott campaign

Kompas - November 9, 2008

Jakarta – Believing that the government has failed to side with them, workers have started campaigning for people not to vote in the 2009 legislative and presidential elections. The reason, they feel that it is pointless giving political support to the government.

"There are no guarantees of job security or improvements in workers' welfare. Conversely, workers have instead been neglected", said Khasminah, a member of the Cisadane Workers Committee Research and Advocacy Team on Saturday November 8 in Jakarta.

The workers noted that in the case of several national policies related to labour and investment, the government has paid more attention to investors than workers. Most recently, was the appearance of the Joint Ministerial Decree on Preserving the Momentum of National Economic Growth and Anticipating Global Economic Developments(1).

For workers, this decision provides greater latitude for companies to dismiss workers or refuse to increase wages. "There has been no attempt to improve workers' living standards [which is justified] because of the global crisis, companies can refuse to increase workers' wages on the grounds of being incapable of doing so", said Khasminah.

The cooperation of several labour organisations with political parties, said Khasminah, also cannot be relied upon. The political parties are unable to guarantee that they will resolve the major problem facing workers, that is job security and wages.

"It is because of this therefore, that although at the organisational level not all are yet calling for a boycott, at the individual level, many workers are already calling for a boycott of the elections", said Khasminah.

Not strategic

Contacted separately, Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) legislative candidate said that he can understand the workers' position. He is of the view however, that in order to strive for change, it is better to be part of the institutions of power.

Although the political institutions that exist at the moment are not entirely perfect, the space for [people's participation] if far more open now. According to Putri, the 30 percent quota for women legislative candidates should be taken advantage of by labour activist.

"Golput(2) as a moral force can be accepted because it reflects the socio-political crisis, but it does not have a political force to articulate the reform movement", he said.

In order to address this, strengthening the political parties will offer far more opportunities to influence policy and the circulation of power. "Although it may be in large numbers, the political articulation by those who golput will in fact be sidelined and power will continue to roll on," said Putri.

It is because of this therefore, that he is saddened if workers or voters do not use their right to vote. According to Putri, if it was the old regime of former President Suharto, golput would be a choice that makes sense, but not for these times. (JOS)

Notes:

1. The Joint Ministerial Decree (SKB-4) signed by Labour and Transmigration Minister Erman Suparno, Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu, Industry Minister Fahmi Idris and Home Minister Mardiyanto on October 24, limits laborers' wage from exceeding the rate of economic growth and is expected to discourage local administrations from raising regional minimum wages beyond the capabilities of manufacturing firms.

2. Golput – Golongan Putih or White Movement, meaning not to mark the ballot paper or not to vote.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Environment/natural disasters

Dozens of companies in Kalimantan blamed for natural disasters

Jakarta Post - November 10, 2008

Nurni Sulaiman, Balikpapan – The Kalimantan regional office of the state minister for the environment has blamed the presence of a number of recalcitrant companies for natural disasters occurring on the island.

"We have listed dozens of companies as abettors of natural disasters as a result of environmental damage, ranging from small to large-scale corporations moving in various fields, such as housing and timber," office head Widodo W. Sambodo told The Jakarta Post recently.

"However, we cannot disclose them now because we are still processing the data."

Widodo said a number of the companies were not paying attention to environmental impacts in their operational areas. The companies are spread in East, West, Central and South Kalimantan provinces.

"It is believed that they do not have Amdal (environmental impact analysis) permits. How can they take care of the environment without the required documents?" Widodo said.

Sinar Mas Group is one of the companies in question. Its subsidiary in East Kalimantan, PT Sinar Mas Wisesa, a developer of an upscale housing estate located in Balikpapan Baru, has been blamed by residents for causing floods in the area.

Areas affected by floods include the areas such as Sungai Ampal, MT Haryono and Kampung Timur. Every time it rains heavily, the rivers in the area overflow and inundate thousands of homes.

The Balikpapan Baru elite residential area is free from floods, but not the surrounding areas, including the Grand Tamansari housing complex in Bukit Mutiara.

"My mother's house floods every time it rains nowadays," said Endang, a local resident.

However, PT Sinar Mas Wisesa estate manager, Joko, told the Post that the company had acquired all licenses, including an Amdal permit, prior to starting the project.

"It is not our project that causes flooding, rather rampant deforestation and land conversion upstream," he said.

Indeed, natural occurrences cannot be predicted. However, indicators, such as forest conversion into housing, poor drainage system and the unequal equilibrium of forested and open areas contribute to flooding.

The floods in Kalimantan this year claimed the lives of one in Katingan, Central Kalimantan, six in the Loban and Satui rivers in South Kalimantan and four in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan.

"To prevent further damage to the environment, we will reprimand the 'naughty' companies in the near future. Their data is in the hands of the environmental office and it is being processed," Widodo said.

Health & education

Contraception use among males dismal 0.1 percent: Official

Jakarta Post - November 14, 2008

Luh De Suriyani, Denpasar – Men's active participation in the government's family planning program is minuscule, with just 0.1 percent of the province's 625,000 fertile couples using contraception, a senior official said.

"The active participation of the island's men in the family planning program keeps decreasing," Head of Bali's National Family Planning Coordinating Body (BKKBN), I Ketut Sutjita, said Wednesday.

Speaking on the sidelines of a vasectomy training clinic for the island's physicians and nurses, Sutjita said that the 2007 figure of 0.1 percent is far below the national target.

The National Development's target for male contraception use is eight percent of the total number of fertile couples.

The most common methods for male contraception are condoms and vasectomies. Other methods, particularly withdrawal (coitus interruptus) and abstinence during a female's fertile period, are considered less effective.

Females still form the bulk of the family planning program's active base. "They account for 70 percent of participation," Sutjita added.

"The program's policies and political commitments still display a gender bias because most of the available contraceptive devices and medications, as well as the advocacy activities, are directed at women," he said.

Sutjita disclosed that even at the national level, the male's active participation in family planning is still below the national target, albeit higher than Bali's percentage.

The national percentage of male contraception users is one percent, which is lower than what has been achieved by other predominantly Muslim countries such as Pakistan (5.2 percent), Bangladesh (14 percent) and Malaysia (17 percent).

Research indicates low participation among men is caused by the low number of male-oriented family planning campaigns, the prevalent mind set that family planning is the women's responsibility and the paternalistic social structure.

Given the current state of the family planning program, Sutjita predicted the island's population would increase by four percent to 3.9 million in 2009.

Gede Wirya Kusuma Duarsa, an urology surgery specialist with the Sanglah Central Hospital, said vasectomies are one of the simplest and safest birth control methods for men.

"Unfortunately, a large number of men are reluctant to undergo the procedure because they associated vasectomy with impotence. That is a myth, yet many men still fear it," he said.

Duarsa pointed out that surveys of men who had vasectomies revealed that they did not experience any adverse effects, physical or emotional.

In fact, he added, 61 percent of respondents claimed their sexual satisfaction actually increased after the procedure.

Unfortunately, a large number of people are apparently unaware of such information. Ni Wayan Merta, a mother of five children, is one of them. She said she would never ask her husband to undergo a vasectomy.

"I feel guilty (to even ask him)," she said.

Sutjita stated that a lot of hard work is required to change the biased paradigm. "Men have an equal responsibility to women in family planning," he said.

War on corruption

Bureaucratic reform has 'failed'

Jakarta Post - November 13, 2008

A decade of bureaucratic reform and new more stringent laws have not helped curb corruption in courts or improved the country's appeal to foreign investors, a discussion heard in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Constitutional Court chief Moh. Mahfud MD said even though all post-New Order leaders had pledged to fight for bureaucratic reform, bureaucracy had remained stubbornly constant, with decades-old systems remaining in place.

Recent complaints by a Middle Eastern envoy about the difficulties in obtaining permits to invest in Indonesia underlined the dilemma, he said.

"Alwi Shihab (President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Middle East envoy) complained about this matter to the President, who was confused as to how the matter could have come about," Mahfud said.

"There are so many civil servants involved in bureaucracy that many of them don't know what to do and so decide to make life difficult for people (who have to deal with them)," he said in his key note speech he read at the Creating Anti-Corruption Bureaucracy discussion on Paramadina University's campus.

He said Indonesia's bureaucracy had a way of resisting change, something he referred to as a "blockade mechanism".

Mahfud said the country's standings on the world's corruption index had marginally improved largely owing to the establishments of three relatively new law enforcement institutions: The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), the Judicial Commission and the Constitutional Court.

"Without these three institutions, Indonesia would have a very bad ranking because its other law enforcement institutions – the Supreme Court, the National Police and the Attorney General's Office – are still terribly corrupt."

Transparency International ranks Indonesia 126 on its 2008 corruption perceptions index, compared to 143 last year. The country's index rose by about0.3 points to 2.6.

Tuesday's discussion was jointly organized by Paramadina and the Bung Hatta Anti-Corruption Awards Foundation. At the discussion were this year's award winners Judicial Commission chairman M. Busyro Muqoddas and former KPK deputy chairman Amien Sunaryadi.

Busyro said fraud was rampant at all levels of the country's courts, and that the situation had been exasperated by a tradition of feuding between justices.

"Among the modus operandi of these corrupt judges are: Postponing court sessions in which verdicts are read, manipulating legal facts, ignoring evidence and substantially twisting the meanings or structures of laws to help the people who pay the justices," he said.

Amien cited low salaries as a motivation for justices to turn to corruption. Busyro said his commission had proposed increasing justices' salaries to help curb corruption in the courts. – JP/Erwida Maulia

Watchdogs probing parties over lavish ads campaigns

Jakarta Post - November 13, 2008

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Elections supervising bodies have begun probing a number of political parties running lavish media ads campaigns after being unable to trace back money deposited into their accounts.

The Elections Supervisory Council (Bawaslu) and the Financial Transaction Reports Analysis Center (PPATK) have said some parties have spent billions of rupiah on intensive television and print media campaigns without providing information on where the money is coming from.

According to the elections law, a political party must submit a financial report and list its bank accounts, citing explanations of sources, within three days of being passed to run in the elections.

Bawaslu chairman Nur Hidayat Sardini said after signing an MOU with PPATK a week ago that his office and the financial intelligence body had begun analyzing suspicious transactions linked to political parties.

"We analyze the initial financial reports of the parties and compare the amounts in their accounts with their spending on ads," Sardini said.

He said if the numbers did not match up, Bawaslu and the PPATK would trace the flow of money to identify the benefactors and determine whether the transactions had exceeded the limits allowed by the law.

The law stipulates that an individual must not donate more than Rp 1 billion (US$86,956) to a political party, and an entity or organization cannot give more than Rp 5 billion.

PPATK chairman Yunus Hussein has raised concerns some parties may be in breach of the elections law. "The ads are very costly. It's a slight possibility that party members or supporters are willing to donate a bulk of the money," he said.

Yunus called on the public to submit information on private donations to aid in the investigations.

A number of parties have conducted aggressive advertising campaigns in the past several months, including Prabowo Subianto's Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), Wiranto's the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's the Democratic Party, Sutrisno Bachir's the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

Sutrisno, whose party has spend most on advertising, appears 180 times per day in TV commercials on 11 stations throughout the country. A 30-second TV ad costs on average Rp 20 million.

According to AC Nielsen Media Research, spending on political ads from January to June this year reached Rp 769 billion, a 79 percent increase from the same period last year.

The research institution estimated spending would increase as the elections drew nearer.

Hadar Gumay of the Center for Electoral Reform urged parties to be transparent in fund raising and spending to avoid coming across as suspicious, citing that transparency won voters.

More ex-BI officials jailed for graft

Jakarta Post - November 13, 2008

Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – Two more former Bank Indonesia officials were convicted Wednesday in the embezzlement of Rp 100 billion (US$8.8 million) from BI funds in 2003.

The Corruption Court sentenced former BI legal bureau chief Oey Hoey Tiong and former BI governor bureau chief Rusli Simanjuntak to four years in prison each and fined them Rp 200 million each for "committing collective corruption".

Prosecutors had sought a sentence of six years for the two defendants for their roles in distributing misappropriated BI Indonesian Banking Development Foundation (YPPI) money to five former BI officials faced with criminal charges and to House of Representatives legislators.

Presiding judge Moefri said his panel had reduced the sentences because the defendants had not personally benefited from the money and had returned some of it to investigators.

The same court sentenced on Oct. 30 former BI governor Burhanuddin Abdullah to five years in jail for approving the disbursement of the BI funds.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has named Burhanuddin's former deputies Aulia Pohan, Maman Soemantri, Bun Bunan Hutapea and Aslim Tadjuddin suspects in the case although they are yet to stand trial.

Aulia is the father-in-law of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's eldest son.

The case concerns the disbursement of the BI funds to finance legal defense for five former BI senior officials implicated in a BI liquidity support (BLBI) graft case and to bribe members of the then House Commission IX overseeing financial and banking affairs to expedite the passage of an amendment to the BI law.

The BI board of governors ordered the payment of the funds in two meetings, on June 3 and July 22, 2003.

Also implicated in the graft case are politicians Hamka Yandhu and Anthony Zeidra Abidin, who are being tried separately. Hamka has told the court all of Commission IX's 52 members received a share of the BI money.

One of the five judges on the panel, Sofialdi, said Oey should be acquitted because the money used to cover the legal expenses of former BI officials had at the time been recognized as debt repayment.

"The Rp 68.5 billion distributed to five former BI directors had been claimed as debts, which were proved by debt letters and some of the money had also been returned to the foundation," Sofialdi said.

He said the rest of the money would be returned before 2011.

"It is clear the money was not intended to force someone to do something that violated their obligations," he said.

Elections/political parties

Kalla meets with Wiranto to bury the hatchet

Jakarta Post - November 15, 2008

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – Golkar Party leader Jusuf Kalla said Friday he settled his feud with People's Conscience Party (Hanura) head Wiranto, who has dropped his legal complaint against the Vice President.

"I have met with Pak Wiranto. It was just an ordinary get- together to maintain good relations. Everything is OK between us," Vice President Kalla told a press briefing at his office.

The peace agreement will allow both parties to focus on their preparations for next April's legislative elections.

Wiranto became enraged when Kalla complained about the "freeloaders" Golkar had borne during its bid to have elected its presidential candidate in 2004 at a Golkar convention recently.

Although Kalla claimed he had not mentioned any names, Wiranto deemed that the Golkar leader had been directly referring to him. On Nov. 5, Wiranto filed a legal complaint against Kalla, demanding the accusation be clarified or he would file a lawsuit.

The two met for two hours Tuesday over dinner at the Borobudur Hotel in Central Jakarta, which Wiranto described as a reconciliatory meeting.

Wiranto said on his party's website that Kalla had apologized for his remarks. The website reported that during the meeting, Kalla had admitted to uttering the word "freeloaders", but that he had not been referring to Wiranto. Kalla said he recognized Wiranto as a Golkar cadre from the military wing.

Wiranto was formerly the commander of the Indonesian Military, which is one of Golkar's three main pillars of support, along with bureaucrats and politicians.

Kalla said he had issued the controversial statement to remind Golkar of how easy it was for outsiders to crash the convention. For that reason the party would not hold a convention to select its presidential aspirant for the 2009 election, Kalla said.

Wiranto was selected Golkar's presidential nominee in 2004, along with his running mate Nahdlatul Ulama Solahuddin Wahid. The pair were disqualified after finishing third in the first-round of the election.

Wiranto also complained about Kalla's statement that he had quit Golkar to found Hanura without permission. Wiranto established Hanura with his former military colleagues and other former Golkar politicians.

Asked if he was satisfied with the outcome of the meeting with Kalla, Wiranto said he had never meant to take legal action against Kalla. "I just fought for the truth," he said.

Golkar and Hanura are among 38 political parties that will vie for 550 House of Representatives seats in the 2009 legislative elections.

A number of surveys have ranked Hanura as the most popular leader among parties that will make their election debuts next year. Golkar is out to win 30 percent of popular votes, despite its poor showing in recent surveys.

Indonesian parties get burned in equity rout, lose donors

Jakarta Post - November 11, 2008

Alfian and Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – With huge exposure to distressed stocks, affluent politicians from major political parties have fallen victim to the recent turmoil in the equity market, leaving their party coffers in desperate need of cash.

Party donors, mostly businesspeople, look unlikely to keep investing in politics, with many gearing up for hard times next year when the impact of the global financial crisis is expected to take its toll on Indonesia.

"Parties whose financing comes from investments in stocks are suffering the most. Their campaign funds have plunged heavily," said economist-turned-legislator Dradjad H. Wibowo of the National Mandate Party (PAN).

"Many of them put their money in stocks, hoping for quick returns to finance next year's election campaigns. However, they all got burned."

PAN chairman Soetrisno Bachir, for instance, has been hit with losses of Rp 3 trillion (US$300 million) from the stock market turmoil, following his heavy exposure to PT Bumi Resources, the crown jewel of the influential Bakrie family.

When contacted by The Jakarta Post over the weekend, Soetrisno refused to deny or confirm the report, saying merely that "profits and losses are very common things in business".

The country's stock market slumped by more than 20 percent between January and October, following jitters over the global financial crisis, with the rupiah also plummeting by around 10 percent against the US dollar during the same period.

Legislator Yuddy Chrisnandi of the Golkar Party said the stock market rout had adversely impacted the party – the largest faction in the House of Representatives.

"By this time in the 2004 campaign, Golkar's flags and symbols had been distributed. Each legislative candidate had also received a logistics subsidy from the party.

"However, I have yet to see a similar flow of logistics now. I think this has something to do with the crisis," Yuddy said, adding the party was backed by prominent businesspeople, including Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Coordinating Minister for the People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie.

"The question is, though, will Aburizal keep contributing significantly to Golkar with the Bakrie Group of companies now in financial trouble? I think we can't expect that much," he said.

However, fellow Golkar legislator Harry Azhar Azis remained optimistic the party would receive strong backing from other businesspeople. "Aburizal Bakrie is not the only loaded guy in Golkar. The party still has others," he said.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the House's second largest faction, said it would minimize advertisement spending in mass media because its main donors were having trouble running their companies during these hard times.

"It's very normal for our party to be affected by the crisis. Some of our donors are collapsing due to the crisis," PDI-P House faction chairman Tjahjo Kumolo said recently, adding the party would need at least Rp 300 billion for campaign advertising.

The legislative and presidential election laws limit party donations to Rp 1 billion per person, while donations from groups are capped at Rp 5 billion.

Golkar and the PDI-P received Rp 108.28 billion and Rp 108.27 billion respectively during the 2004 legislative campaign, according to an audit by the General Elections Commission (KPU).

In the 2004 presidential campaign, Megawati Soekarnoputri and her running mate Hasyim Muzadi received Rp 105.20 billion, while President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his running mate Jusuf Kalla received Rp 70.20 billion.

Kalla, Wiranto engaged in pre-election war of words

Jakarta Post - November 8, 2008

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – With the elections drawing near, political tension is already heating up with Golkar Party leader Jusuf Kalla and People's Conscience Party (Hanura) head Wiranto being embroiled in a dispute that could see them in court over libel.

Wiranto, with a team of about 100 lawyers, filed a legal complaint against Kalla for his statement on freeloaders within Golkar, a remark Wiranto deemed offensive. "I never mentioned any names. But one thing's for sure: I was not referring to Wiranto," Vice President Kalla told reporters on Friday.

At last month's Golkar congress, Kalla insisted the party would not hold a national convention to select its presidential candidate, for fear of freeloaders taking advantage of it. "Candidates nominated by other parties could join the convention just to reap support from Golkar," he said Friday.

Golkar selected its presidential candidate for the 2004 election through a convention in August 2003, won by Wiranto after beating then party chairman Akbar Tandjung. Kalla had earlier withdrawn from the convention to team up with Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Former Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Wiranto chose Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) figure Solahuddin Wahid as his running mate. The pair was eliminated in the first round of the election.

Under the New Order regime, the military was one of Golkar's main pillars of support, alongside the civil servant corps. "Because Wiranto had just retired from the military at the time, he represented an independent candidate," Kalla recounted.

Kalla said his statement served as a reminder to Golkar of how easily outsiders could gate-crash the convention.

Neither Kalla nor Wiranto have yet officially declared their bids for the presidency, saying they are awaiting the outcome of the legislative election in April 2009. The presidential election is slated to take place in July 2009.

Several surveys project the upcoming presidential election as a two-horse race between incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Wiranto recently announced plans to join forces with other presidential candidates and political parties in filing a judicial review of the presidential election law, which they say restricts citizens' constitutional right to contest the presidency.

Wiranto and other former generals turned presidential aspirants, including Prabowo Subianto and Sutiyoso, face another serious hurdle: a House of Representatives' special committee on missing persons will summon them in connection with the abduction of anti-government student activists back in 1998.

Armed forces/defense

TNI assets 'far higher' than Rp 2.1 trillion

Jakarta Post - November 8, 2008

Jakarta – A government task force has undervalued the net worth of the Indonesian Military's (TNI) business units with just a year to go before a deadline for the state to claim all TNI business assets, a rights group has said.

The task force for the takeover of TNI Business Holdings has valued the military firm at Rp 2.1 trillion (approximately US$190 million). However, NGO the Indonesian Human Rights Monitor (Imparsial) has said the figure is too low.

"The figure was too small considering the TNI business has been in operation since the New Order era. We also noticed a disclaimer in the report stating that neither a financial nor a legal audit had been conducted on the TNI business," Imparsial director Rusdi Marpaung said Thursday.

He said he would not blame the error on the task force because it was not mandated to perform an audit but only to design a mechanism to perform the take over. The task force, he said, was only authorized to call on TNI to disclose the assets.

The Supreme Audit Agency had previously found that the TNI's and Defense Ministry's financial reports had not included large amounts of non-tax income – estimated in the billions of rupiahs – generated mostly through productive assets, including rented land and property.

"We would see a huge number of assets if the investigation into the military business were deepened," Rusdi said.

"In 2004, Imparsial discovered that the chief commander of the Navy was attempting to sell a number of companies owned by the Indonesian Navy, so there is a possibility that a lot of companies have been sold by the military, and we don't even know where the money has gone."

Law No. 34/2004 on the Indonesian Military bans TNI soldiers from taking part in business activities and demands the state take over all TNI-owned business assets by October 2009.

TNI owns construction, trade, mining and plantations companies, as well as foundations that control schools, universities, hospitals, mosques and run several cooperatives in various sectors.

Over a period of eight months, the task force found that the military owned 23 foundations, 55 firms and 1,098 cooperatives, all of which must be transferred to the state under the 2004 law.

The task force found that assets owned by TNI cooperatives, including its subsidiaries, amounted to Rp 1.3 trillion and valued the foundations' total assets at Rp 1.8 trillion.

Because the cooperatives and foundations have liabilities totaling Rp 1 trillion, the net value of TNI's businesses is Rp 2.1 trillion, the task force found.

In its report, the team proposed that cooperatives, foundations and firms be dissolved or merged with existing units under the supervision of the Defense Ministry.

"The issue about the businesses being useful to meet soldiers' needs should not impede us from fulfilling the mandate of the law on TNI. The people want TNI to get out of politics and business and thus TNI must obey the law," Rusdi said.

Imparsial reminded the government the clock was ticking in its race to take over TNI's businesses.

The NGO said the task force's recommendations should be followed up by a shake-up of TNI's financial management and a revaluation of TNI's budget. (pmf)

Foreign affairs

Indonesian leader seeks 'strategic' ties with US

Agence France Presse - November 15, 2008

P. Parameswaran, Washington – Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has called for a strategic partnership with the United States to confront 21st century challenges, saying he found president-elect Barack Obama's foreign policy "refreshing".

The leader of the world's most populous Muslim nation said such a relationship would have to be for the long term and based on "equal partnership" and "common interests" with strong people-to-people content.

Noting that Indonesia has entered into strategic partnerships with many countries such as China, Russia, India, Australia and Japan, Yudhoyono said, "A US-Indonesia strategic partnership is also possible."

"Of course, we need to be clear about the basis and terms of such strategic partnership... brought about by a realignment of interests," he told a forum of the US-Indonesia Society in Washington, where he is attending a financial crisis summit.

Any new strategic ties, he added, should respect Indonesia's "independent and active foreign policy, where there is always room for both sides to disagree."

Yudhoyono said that he had studied Obama's foreign policy priorities, including on Iraq, fighting terrorism, energy security, partnerships and UN reforms, "and I have found his approach to be refreshing."

Referring to Obama's four-year childhood in Indonesia, he said the Illinois Democratic senator's recent election victory had a "powerful impact" on Indonesians.

"He spoke our language, knew our culture, ate our food, played with Indonesian friends from various ethnic background, and through all this he experienced the inner soul of Indonesia," Yudhoyono said.

The Indonesian leader had brought along an album containing photos of his childhood friends, which they had asked to pass on to the new US leader.

But Yudhoyono made clear that incumbent US President George W. Bush had given a strong push to advance bilateral relations, citing the lifting of travel sanctions and an arms embargo and significant improvement of trade and investment volume.

"In all that process, President George Bush has become one of the most pro-Indonesia American presidents in the history of our bilateral relations," he said.

"President Bush and I do not always agree, but on one particular thing we are always in agreement – that stable and strong relations between us is in the national interest of both sides."

The leader of the biggest Southeast Asian nation said that the relationship between Indonesia and the United States was too important to be driven by sentiments.

"We are not in the business of entertaining emotions and stereotypes, we are in the business of promoting national interests (which) dictate us to work closely with one another."

Yudhoyono appealed to Washington to push hard for the speedy realization of an independent Palestine state existing side by side with Israel in a bid to reduce tensions in the Middle East and enhance American image in the Muslim world.

Obama, he said, could attain the elusive peace deal, citing the Democratic senator's strong electoral mandate and the appeal he commanded on the international stage that cut across cultures, race and religion.

Government struggling to solve border problems and disputes

Jakarta Post - November 14, 2008

Abdul Khalik, Port Moresby – Papua New Guinea's Inter-Government Relations Minister Job Pomat looked surprised when Home Minister Mardiyanto told him just seconds after they shook hands last week that Indonesia wanted the Skow-Wutung border post opened immediately.

Pomat was silent for a moment and took a deep breath before giving assurance his government would be ready to open the border post early next year. The post, in the northern part of Papua, connects Jayapura in Indonesia and Vanimo in PNG.

"We really want to open the post as soon as possible. But the problem is that the border on your side is already very advanced while we have yet to fix the infrastructure on our side," he told his guest at his office here.

Indonesia has been pushing for the opening of the Skow-Wutung border as an international gateway since last year, saying it will boost commercial activity and improve the prosperity of people in the border areas.

"The border post will also reduce illegal crossings because everyone seeking to cross will be required to show their documents. This way, tension and security threats will be minimized as we can better control people's movements," Mardiyanto said.

Eddy Pratomo, director general for legal affairs and international treaties at the Foreign Ministry, said Indonesia would adopt a "soft management" approach, under which people would need only a letter issued by local authorities, instead of a passport, to cross the border.

Border crossing issues have become a headache for the Indonesian government, which fears some of those crossing could be members of the Free Papua Movement (OPM), a separatist group campaigning for Papuan independence.

PNG has accused the Indonesian Military (TNI) of illegally entering its territory in pursuit of alleged OPM members.

A native Papuan, Martinus, 34, who lives near the border and frequently crosses to nearby PNG villages to sell basic commodities, said he hoped the opening of the border post would not affect his activities.

"This is the way we have lived for as long as I remember. In fact, I have family members who have been living in PNG for years now. I hope they will be allowed to come home," he said.

Martinus' relatives are among more than 25,000 Papuans who migrated to several provinces in PNG in the 1980s. Some of them have been accused by the TNI of being OPM members who conducted acts of rebellion against Indonesia from within PNG.

During a joint-border committee meeting with PNG last week, Indonesia voiced its demand for the neighboring country to allow its embassy to list Papuans wanting to return home.

"There are 708 Papuans who have expressed their intention to return home. We will facilitate it so they can go home immediately," said Kausar AS, director general of public affairs at Indonesia's Home Ministry.

A politics professor from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Ikrar Nusa Bhakti, urged Indonesia to build good relations with PNG to help deal with the OPM.

Problems along Indonesia's 760 kilometer border with PNG are among the many border issues the country must deal with, along with disputes with Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Timor Leste.

Indonesia has two border disputes pending with Singapore over the eastern and western parts of the city state. "We will hold the latest round of negotiations with Singapore this month. We hope we can agree on the border lines immediately," Kausar said.

Indonesia and Malaysia still have scores of border disputes to settle, including the border through the Strait of Malacca and a spat over the Ambalat oil block in the Makassar Strait.

The Ambalat dispute began after the two countries had a showdown over the block in March 2007, following Malaysia's earlier claim to the area. Indonesia launched a major protest after Malaysia's state oil company Petronas awarded a concession to international oil giant Royal Dutch/Shell to work on blocks ND6 and ND7.

Indonesia has since 1980 claimed the block as its territory, based on the Djuanda Declaration of 1957, which was upheld by the United Nations in 1959 through its Convention on the Sea. In 1999, Indonesia granted an oil-drilling concession in one of the blocks to ENI of Italy and in another block to UNOCAL of the United States.

The Ambalat block is said to have oil reserves of 468 million barrels, with an estimated value of US$16 billion, as well as huge natural gas deposits worth around $57 billion.

The disputed area is close to the Sipadan-Ligitan islands, which were awarded to Malaysia by the International Court of Justice in 2003 after a decade-long dispute with Indonesia.

Although the two countries deployed their military might to the area, a clash was avoided when they agreed to resolve the dispute through negotiations. Representatives from the two countries have since met every two months to discuss the issue.

As for Timor Leste, Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda has said Indonesia and Timor Leste had agreed on almost 97 percent of their border areas so far, but added they were still struggling to wrap up a comprehensive border treaty because of historical and traditional concerns.

"We have finished addressing issues over our land border with Timor Leste. Now, we're going to wrap up our sea border problems," Eddy Pratomo said.

Indonesia is still trying to resolve its northern border with the southern part of the Philippines.

Economy & investment

Indonesian banks solid, rumor-mongers arrested: Central Bank

Jakarta Post - November 15, 2008

Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – The banking sector remains solid despite a liquidity squeeze caused by the global financial crisis, the central bank says, dismissing rumors of a deposit run on some banks.

Today several people have been arrested for allegedly spreading such rumors, mostly through short message services (SMS), as banks joined forces to help authorities find the people responsible.

"We gathered banks to discuss the rumors. We tried to help find out who was spreading them. Thank God, they have been arrested now and will face the due process of law," Bank Indonesia deputy governor Siti Fadjrijah said Friday evening, adding that what these people have done posed a systemic threat to the banking sector.

Earlier in the day, the central bank warned the public to remain calm in anticipating news on the banking sector. "Bank Indonesia (BI) is concerned on the rumors of a liquidity shortage in and a deposit run on some banks, which can disrupt investors' confidence to our banks. The rumors are not true and are groundless," BI governor Boediono told a press conference.

"The reform and restructuring of the national banking (sector) in the past 10 years has made our banking (sector) one of the most solid ones in Asia," he said, referring to the period following the 1997-1998 financial and economic crisis. "We expect the public to remain calm in anticipating news on the condition of national banks."

The average banks' capital adequacy ratio in October stood at 16 percent, far higher than the central bank's requirement of 8 percent, while the rate of non-performing loans was on average about 3.9 percent, below the designated maximum tolerance of 5 percent.

On Thursday, Bank Century, a lender with Rp 15.23 trillion (US$1.31 billion) in assets, was late to settle an obligation of Rp 5 billion to the central bank's clearing system due to a "technical problem", BI said. Rumors circulated that the bank was short of liquidity, sparking concerns among depositors.

Century CEO Hermanus Muslim said the bank had at first failed to settle its obligation as "a branch in Sumatra was late in channeling its cash". BI deputy governor Budi Rochadi confirmed that Century settled its obligation after the clearing house was closed at 8 a.m. Thursday.

"At 8 a.m. all banks are expected to provide pre-fund cash. If we wait for a bank (to do this), all clearings will be delayed," Budi said.

According to BI, a bank's pre-fund cash amount is determined based on the bank's highest claims on any one day during the past 12 months, which must be submitted to the clearing house to prevent the bank from having a negative balance. Banks need to provide funds to the clearing house on a daily basis to match their debts and credits.

Century Friday managed to submit its pre-fund cash to the clearing house and all its offices and branches in all regions were operating as usual, Boediono said.

He said BI had provided a short-term financing facility (FPJP) to help banks short of liquidity to be able to continue their operations.

Hermanus said Century would receive an FPJP from the central bank to anticipate a potential rush of withdrawals as the bank might not have enough cash if depositors panicked and decided to pull their money out. (dis)

Indonesia's rupiah falls near seven-year low, bonds decline

Bloomberg - November 13, 2008

Lilian Karunungan – Indonesia's rupiah fell, approaching a seven-year low, as slides in global stocks fanned concern investors' risk appetite is dwindling, curbing demand for emerging-market assets. Government bonds declined.

The rupiah is this month's biggest loser against the dollar among Asia's 10 most-active currencies excluding the yen and Bank Indonesia yesterday announced restrictions on foreign-exchange purchases to stem the decline. Planning Minister Paskah Suzetta said today Indonesia doesn't need to tap the International Monetary Fund's short-term lending facility.

"Regional sentiment is still going south," said Joanna Tan, an economist at Forecast Pte in Singapore. "Equities are still looking quite weak. We would see the downside in the rupiah somewhat capped because of the measures imposed."

The rupiah reached 11,998 per dollar, the lowest since 2001, before trading at 11,800 as of 4:49 p.m. in Jakarta, from 11,575 yesterday. The currency has tumbled 7 percent this month, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The MSCI Asia-Pacific Index of shares dropped 4.9 percent today and the Jakarta Composite Index fell 5 percent.

Senior Deputy Governor Miranda Goeltom said yesterday Indonesia's central bank will require companies and individuals based in the nation to seek approval for foreign-exchange purchases of more than $100,000, a move designed to help check the rupiah's slide. Buyers will have to show that they are purchasing foreign currency to settle an underlying transaction, such as paying for imports.

Central bank intervention

Stewart Newnham, an analyst at Morgan Stanley in Hong Kong, said the new regulation was unlikely to stabilize the rupiah.

"These measures will amount to no more than increased administrative costs in rupiah transactions, reflected in wider bid and offer spreads, and thinner liquidity," he wrote in a note today. "The increased risk of capital controls is likely to deter capital inflows and expedite capital flight."

The central bank sold dollars today, according to Wiling Bolung, head of treasury at ANZ Panin Bank in Jakarta. Policy makers intervene in currency markets by arranging sales and purchases of foreign exchange.

Indonesia's foreign-exchange reserves dropped to $50.58 billion in October from $57.11 billion in late September as Bank Indonesia used the funds to help support the rupiah.

The rupiah will fall to its lowest since 1998 in the next three months as the drop in reserves limits central bank intervention, according to Credit Suisse Group AG. The currency will slide 5.6 percent to 12,500 per dollar as exports slump, Switzerland's second-biggest bank said in a report sent to clients today.

Bonds fall

The seven-year government bond fell for a second day on concern a weaker rupiah will prompt overseas investors to cut their holdings of the securities.

"The weakening of the rupiah has accelerated, this is putting downward pressure on bond prices," said Henry Surya, who helps oversee the equivalent of $361 million as a fund manager and fixed-income analyst at PT Danareksa Investment Management in Jakarta.

The yield on the 9.5 percent note due June 2015 rose 16 basis points to 15.03 percent, according to closing prices at the Inter Dealer Market Association. The price fell0.5244, or 5,244 rupiah per 1 million rupiah face amount, to 77.3672. A basis point is 0.01 percentage point.

S&P retains stable outlook on Indonesia's debt rating

Jakarta Post - November 8, 2008

Jakarta – Global rating agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) has maintained its outlook on Indonesia' debt rating as stable, thanks partly to a declining level of debt and improvements in monetary policy management.

The agency affirmed Monday the country's foreign currency debt rating BB-, which is still third level below investment grade.

A stable rating outlook means the agency will be more inclined to retain or even raise its rating for Southeast Asia's largest economy. A rating upgrade would mean lower borrowing costs for the government and the private sector.

Central bank governor Boediono welcomed Friday the agency's move, especially as the world is being hit by a devastating financial crisis which has now raised the prospect of a global economic recession.

"Bank Indonesia sees this as a positive news in particular amid the ongoing turmoil in the global financial system, which has caused international rating agencies to downgrade ratings of both corporations and sovereigns," Boediono said in a statement.

He said that the affirmation of the rating was down to S&P's favorable opinion on the declining debt level and improvement in monetary policies, in particular those in relation to the country's flexible foreign exchange regime.

The flexible forex regime allows the central bank to maintain enough liquidity to cushion external shocks.

The rupiah gained after the agency's announcement. The rupiah climbed 0.3 percent to 10,900 per dollar as of 5 p.m. in Jakarta, from 10,938 Thursday, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It fell as low as 11,225 Friday.

Analysis & Opinion

AP Exclusive: Indonesians recount role in massacre

Associated Press - November 15, 2008

Anthony Deutsch, Surabaya – The men bound the thumbs of dozens of suspected communists behind their backs with banana leaves and drove them to a torch-lit jungle clearing. As villagers jeered, the prisoners were killed, one by one.

"There was no resistance," remembers Sulchan, then the 21-year- old deputy commander of an Islamic youth militia. "All of them had their throats cut with a long sword."

Sulchan was a killer in one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century, where up to half a million people were massacred in 1965-66 in a purge of communists backed by the United States government. The bloodbath swept into power the dictator Suharto, who ruled for three decades. Today, Indonesian history books make no mention of any deaths, and government and military officials depict what happened as a necessary national uprising against a communist threat.

In a series of interviews with The Associated Press, Sulchan and three other killers said the massacres were in fact a carefully planned and executed state operation and described some of its horrors for the first time. In their rare testimony, all the men spoke of what they did with detachment and often pride, and expressed no regret at what they described as defending their country and religion, Islam.

The CIA refuses to talk about the operation even today, citing security reasons. But documents released by the National Security Archives in Washington, D.C., show that the US Embassy passed the names of dozens of Communist Party leaders, and possibly many more, to the Indonesian army, along with some of their locations. Documents also show that officials from the US Embassy in Indonesia passed on information to Washington about the killings of 50 to 100 people every night. The US Embassy declined to comment.

Even after Suharto's death in January, many who aided the purge are still in positions of power or influence, including former and current government, military and intelligence leaders, experts say. And the suppression of information about the abuses of the era means there has been no meaningful redress for the families of the dead.

"In all the newspapers and magazines published since late 1965, it is extraordinarily rare to find a perpetrator's description of the killings," says John Roosa, a professor at the University of British Colombia who wrote the book "Pretext for Mass Murder."

The testimony of the four men gives a glimpse into how the killings unfolded.

The frenzy began shortly after Sept. 30, 1965, after an apparent abortive coup in which six right-wing generals were murdered and dumped in a well near the capital, Jakarta. Suharto, an unknown major general at the time, stepped into the power vacuum. He blamed the assassinations on Indonesia's Communist Party and claimed they were targeting Islamic leaders.

No conclusive proof of communist involvement in the coup has been produced, but the party was then the largest outside the Soviet Union and China, with some 3 million members. It also had an armed wing and serious financial clout. Its growing ties with China and Russia worried Washington, at a time when the Vietnam War was intensifying and fears of communist takeovers in Southeast Asia were running high.

The four men interviewed by the AP, were members of the local Islamic youth militia, Banser, or of anti-communist youth movements in East Java. They were in their 20s at the time, and Sulchan and his superior jointly commanded a 200-member branch of Banser.

Sulchan, now a 64-year-old preacher, says the "order to eliminate all communists" came through Islamic clerics with Indonesia's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama. Sulchan led the first killing in his neighborhood – that of a schoolteacher, Hamid, said to have had communist ties.

We "hit him in the head with a sledgehammer and he died instantly," says Sulchan, a tall, lanky man who wears a wraparound Javanese sarong, his crooked teeth stained by years of smoking sweet clove cigarettes. He points calmly up the street to the spot of the murder, a piece of cracked pavement and an abandoned kiosk overgrown with weeds.

On another day, his men decapitated a man named Darmo because they feared he would return to life and take revenge. His head was hung from a banyan tree in the town square and his body dumped on the other side of the river, says Sulchan, sitting on the tiled floor of his mosque.

On one night, Sulchan's platoon helped unload 20 to 30 prisoners at the execution site and beat to death a man who tried to escape. The rest were forced to the ground and killed. A man pleaded with his executor to tell his child to study the Quran, Islam's holy book. The executor agreed, then murdered him too.

The bodies were dumped in a ditch. Such scenes were repeated across Java, Sumatra and the eastern island of Bali for several months in 1965 and 1966.

"I am convinced the actions were justified because communists were the enemy of my religion," says Sulchan. "I thought: This is what people get for not submitting to religion. I felt righteous."

Sulchan's superior, Mansur, commanded the Banser militia for two years and describes a highly efficient operation. Mansur, who like many Indonesians goes by one name only, collected the names of suspected communists in the region. Their houses were marked in red on maps, and he ordered his men to round them up.

Those who resisted were killed on the spot. Others were taken to detention centers, then trucked to killing fields and shot, stabbed, beheaded and beaten to death, he says. He saw the slaying of hundreds of unarmed detainees in his village, whose remains now lie beneath an unmarked, trash-strewn lot.

"We didn't want the country to become a communist state," says Mansur, sitting on a porch bench after returning from Friday afternoon prayers, wearing a tidy Indonesian batik shirt, thin spectacles and an Islamic cap. "I don't have any regrets."

A few miles away, businesses and homes said to be communist were plundered and their owners driven away, says Munib Habib, who led an anti-communist student movement. The houses belonged to Indonesian-Chinese, a much-resented minority in Indonesia targeted again in 1998 riots that left hundreds dead.

"We were informed by a spy that they were hoarding staple foods. We went to the shops and dragged out the owners," says Habib, now a 64-year-old Muslim cleric and local politician.

Satuman, a former member of the youth wing of the National Party who now lives in a simple cement house with his son, says the kidnappings and killings targeted not only known communists, but retired army and navy members, peasants and teachers.

He says he saw people taken in trucks from the local prison for mass killings in the evening. About 60 people were shoved to the ground and butchered as they screamed, he says. Then the bodies were dumped in a freshly dug trench, some of the victims apparently still alive. "The soldiers opened fire into the hole," remembers Satuman, 68.

The men spoke proudly of saving the nation from a communist takeover targeting Islamic leaders. However, the claim that the massacres were necessary is baseless, Roosa says. "Most of the killings were simple executions of helpless detainees," he says.

Even today, a ban on the Communist Party remains in force in Indonesia, and people marked as ex-political prisoners endure lingering mistrust and discrimination. Witnesses to the state- sponsored killings were silenced under the Suharto dictatorship, fearing kidnapping, imprisonment or even death.

Suharto commanded widespread respect, with the Indonesian president and tens of thousands of mourners attending his funeral in January. But shortly after, Indonesia's Human Rights Commission launched an inquiry into the abuses of his reign. And the New York-based Human Rights Watch believes the perpetrators should be put on trial to "open up an important chapter of Indonesia's history that remains all but taboo more than 40 years after the fact.

"Justice, accountability, and an end to impunity are not just about the past," says Brad Adams, who heads the group's Asian division.

Gustaf Dupe, who says he spent four years in jail without trial and was tortured and beaten, leads an association of 6,500 family members pushing for the government to acknowledge its role in the killings and return confiscated property.

"Some mass graves have been discovered," says Dupe. "But there is still opposition to digging them up, identifying the bodies and reburying them in a humane and religious way."

[Associated Press writer Irwan Firdaus contributed to this report.]

Drifting toward an Islamized public space

Jakarta Post - November 14, 2008

Akh. Muzakki, Surabaya – About midday a short conversation took place between a young girl (say Rini) and Cholilah, a fashion seller in Tanah Abang Market, Jakarta. "Mom, can I have jilbab (veil) Khumairoh as worn on TV miniseries Munajah Cinta (The Prayer of Love)?" Rini asked. "Yes, I have it for you, but the price is so expensive... I guarantee, though, that the model is wearing exactly what Rianty Cartwright wears on Munajah Cinta," Cholilah replied (Koran Tempo, Sept. 19, 2008).

Khumairoh is one of the characters in the popular Islamic miniseries Munajah Cinta (The Prayer of Love). She is played by Rianty Cartwright. Other characters are Baim Wong and Zaskia Adya Mecca. It can be seen on RCTI station during the weekdays.

Soon after the release of this show in the middle of this year, the veil Khumairoh wears became very popular. People call it jilbab Khumairoh (Veil of Khumairoh model). Jilbab Khumairoh is only one among many increasingly popular Muslim fashions in Indonesia. There are many others which enjoy the same popularity, including the so-called mukenah Krisdayanti, Tamara Blezinsky Muslim fashion, jilbab Zaskia Adya Mecca and jilbab Inneke Koesherawaty.

What strikes me is that all the rising Muslim fashion designs have been associated with celebrities – and these are celebrities from Indonesian TV shows.

Celebrities have mediated religion and culture, and even economy. And the TV shows have become increasingly significant for this mediation processes. In a wider context, they have recently become an unchallengeable vector for transmitting ideas, expressions and practices in Indonesia, as well as in other parts of the world.

People are now gradually more aware of the significance of shows in particular for producing public images. In politics, they have become an important instrument for marketing political parties and their leaders. Likewise, they have become an unconditionally significant means for marketing economic products.

The largest population group in Indonesia is Muslim. For this reason, Muslims not only have a highly political significance, but are also a potentially lucrative market for business or economic activities. It is in this context that the interplay between Islam and politics, Islam and economy, and Islam and popular culture appears strong.

The increasingly popular consumption of cultural products seems to be higher especially at a time when the political landscape has not yet seen its promised changes. In this situation, the products of popular culture have become increasingly fashionable. Fashion is a realm of culture and people view it as an important means for self-portrayal in public spaces.

The popularity of the so-called celebrity veils in particular and the increasing popular consumption of Muslim fashions in general results also from the painstaking attempts to Islamize the wider public space. From print to nonprint products of popular culture, this so-called "Islamization of public space" has been rigorously undertaken.

Almost every single kind of media has been used. The production of so-called religious movies, such as Ayat Ayat Cinta (Verses of Love), Sang Murabbi (The Mentor) and Laskar Pelangi (Rainbow Warrior) is an obvious example of the nonprint products of popular culture. Many print kinds of popular culture have also been produced. Some of these print publications are adapted for movies, and others are not.

The question is how does Islamization through print publication take place and how does it help Muslim fashions in particular flourish?

An understanding can be drawn from such a rising trend of popular production and consumption of Muslim fashion – a recent development in Indonesia is the thorough Islamization of public space.

[The writer is a lecturer at the State Institute for Islamic Studies (IAIN) Sunan Ampel Surabaya, and a PhD Candidate at The University of Queensland, Australia. He can be reached at akh.muzakki@yahoo.com.]

Obscene beyond porn

Jakarta Post Editorial - November 12, 2008

The younger brother of Amrozi, one of the Bali bombers executed early Sunday, said he was proud his brother had never burdened his parents. As a boy he earned his own money by selling newspapers, a report said.

In another report prior to the long-delayed execution, Amrozi's mother was pictured receiving little guests, a kindergarten class, with their laughing teacher among her many visitors.

For some, media outlets delivered more than their audience cared to know about the convicted terrorists and their families. The media's strategy, nevertheless, is to give as much information as possible to satiate public curiosity.

Not surprisingly some people said they were relieved when the execution finally took place, regardless of whether they approved of the death penalty – just because it meant the circus was over.

Amid the zealous efforts to protect society from porn, we may have forgotten what is more obscene than the parade of flesh: the parade of violence and religious rhetoric justifying violence.

True, media consumers have the complete freedom not to read or watch what they do not like. But the perception we possess unbounded freedom with no degree of prudence in how we use it has provided ample excuses for introducing laws to curb such liberty.

With all the technological means at hand, the race to give the public what it wants is limited only by the creativity of the "media vultures", to borrow a moniker from critics.

Vultures, so the popular perception goes, swoop down and devour whatever pitiable prey lies dead or dying. In the name of delivering as much as possible as fast as possible, journalists and reporters assume their audience desires all the details they manage to dig up. Drama and "human interest" are classic ingredients for delightful or heart-wrenching stories to engage the public.

Despite some high-profile celebrity lawsuits charging the media with invasion of privacy, many of us in the newsroom continue relying on those ingredients to unearth juicy tidbits about high-profile people.

Often we forget, however, that what we may perceive as interest borders on sickness. Media principles have been subverted and now line up behind the marketing rule, "the public wants what the public gets".

It may be fun to see all the hairstyles of little Suri, though parents Kate and Tom Cruise may wish for less exposure for their child. And the new First Kids in the White House are seeing only their initial days of many in the spotlight.

But the media here, in spite of and because of all its freedom, has yet to draw the line distinguishing what is human interest from what does not merit the ink and costly airtime, when it comes to those convicted of heinous crimes or anyone briefly in the spotlight for their questionable behavior. Clearly weak law enforcement has helped to blur the line separating good and bad guys in a major way: Any miscreant need only lie low for a few years after being convicted to resurface graced with our generous ambience of amnesia.

We are not for harsher measures against the press; we are all for overturning the clauses in the press law which could land us in jail and lead us back to the traumatic days of heavy self- censorship and looking over our shoulders for Big Brother.

But after 10 years of freedom we know the media could well do far more self-regulation. By meeting that obligation we can stave off popular calls for laws to regulate what people can broadcast or consume in their living rooms.

Let us underline, self-regulation should not be interpreted as a version of New Order self-censorship. A responsible and open media should not just convey random, crude and unadulterated information. It is our task to ensure a free media presents knowledge to civil society.

Information is not knowledge, and knowledge is certainly a few steps away from wisdom. How much are we truly contributing to an informed civil society by glorifying the murderers of over 200 people? The irony is that, while the Bali bombers were rightly executed as cold-blooded murderers, ultimately it is the media who made their dream come true by turning them into martyrs.

Die another day: martyrs live on

Sydney Morning Herald - November 10, 2008

Mark Forbes, Jakarta – Blood has again stained Indonesian soil from an act of coldly calculated violence, after bullets ripped into Amrozi, Imam Samudra and Mukhlas, strapped to posts on an isolated clearing near their Nusa Kambangan prison.

Did they cower, these three behind the carnage on Kuta's party strip six years ago? These three who sent a suicide bomber to detonate his rucksack inside a packed Paddy's Bar seconds before an explosive-laden van demolished the nearby Sari Club, shredding bodies and igniting a fireball. In these attacks, 202 people perished. Many more bore the scars.

Were they defiant? Did they yell "Allahu Akbar" (God is great) as 12 police aimed M-16s at their hearts? Did Amrozi retain his inane grin as the three threatened retribution against their executioners and more attacks on infidels?

We may never know how the final minutes passed for Amrozi – the most junior of the three – Samudra, field commander of the attack, and Mukhlas, the mastermind and Javanese leader of the terrorist network Jemaah Islamiah.

More important is what happens now. The executions will be celebrated in Bali and may provide closure for some families of the victims, including 88 Australians. They may mark the end of Jemaah Islamiah as a terrorist network; its key leaders killed, captured or hiding from a relentless, Australian-backed manhunt that began the day after the carnage in Kuta.

Or, with three new martyrs, is this the beginning of a new cycle of violence, an impetus for other young Muslims to follow the path to terror?

What the executions will bring is a new phase in the propaganda war, the critical battle for the hearts and minds of more than 200 million Indonesian Muslims. Five books the three wrote are set to roll off the presses of JI-backed publishers, calling for a jihad against the West. Imam Samudra has even penned a collection of third-rate, inflammatory poetry.

One poem titled Come Along states: "I'm heading there, to Allah's blessing and his bestowal. Would you like to come along? "But the path is thorny ... This path is tainted with blood, the blood of the martyrs, the scent of musk."

DVDs filmed by acolytes at Nusa Kambangan prison will be released onto the mass market, and a dozen recordings of sermons by Mukhlas distributed, says the JI expert and director of the International Crisis Group, Sidney Jones.

"Mukhlas is the most important by far, he was the ideological architect," she says. Aside from his credibility as a veteran of the Afghanistan conflicts, Mukhlas also has "the religious credentials which count for a lot in JI; you don't become a leader of the organisation by virtue of military experience alone."

His writings will be used to inspire the "spirit of jihad" in JI's primary recruiting ground, its network of Islamic schools, Jones says. "The mainstream still believes deeply in jihad, even though they had problems with the tactics that the bombers used."

The funerals will host a "massive turnout", in a staged show of sup-port and celebration of martyrdom, she predicts. "I don't have a doubt that most of JI will treat them as martyrs, people outside JI, too."

Angry attacks on the Indonesian Government and its infidel allies, such as Australia, will be uttered before crowds of thousands at the burials, but Jones discounts the threats of immediate terrorist responses. "I don't see an upsurge of any terrorist activity because it is seen as completely counterproductive" to JI's continuing goal of establishing an Islamic state.

The firebrand cleric and co-founder of JI, Abu Bakar Bashir, will try to fan the flames. He told the Herald the executions were "an injustice committed by the Government of Indonesia", making contradictory statements about the men's innocence. He maintains the blasts were a conspiracy by the Australian and US governments, using a micro-nuclear device. "It is to make Amrozi and the others look like terrorists, it is to stigmatise Islam," he says. "They are not terrorists; they are fighters who fought to defend Islam."

As the head of JI's training wing, Nashir Abbas schooled most of those "fighters" involved in the Bali and other terrorist attacks. He knows the bombers intimately; his sister is married to Mukhlas.

Abbas was captured in 2003 and decided to join police efforts to win over other terrorists, claiming he is dismayed the skills he taught were being used against civilians, rather than on battlefields in the Middle East.

He spends much of his time visiting the more than 200 imprisoned JI members, arguing their tactics are contrary to Islam and supporting their returns to society on release.

Abbas believes the executions will have negative repercussions. "Some people believe these perpetrators are the victims of conspiracy. Some believe they are warriors; they struggle for Islam," Abbas says. "Some say they are warriors but what they did was wrong. These are some possible reactions from Muslim activists if they are executed."

The bombers will be treated as martyrs, he says. "They will use them as symbol that the law is unjust. They can be a symbol to motivate others."

It is difficult to determine if their executions will help or harm Indonesia's battle against terrorism, Abbas says.

"It is good for the Government to be seen to be delivering justice because they implement the law. But it will have a negative impact for Muslim morals and faith. When they die, some will look at them not only as heroes but saints. That's negative."

If he had the power, Abbas says, he would have halted the executions. "People need a second chance. If someone can come routinely and talk to him [Mukhlas], he can change. If they are not executed they won't be seen as heroes or as saints. They will get old and people can change day by day."

During open day at the prison last month the three showed no signs of change or remorse. They held court before a media pack, Mukhlas predicting more bombings and the deaths of those involved in the firing squads.

"I am sure the people who execute us will be executed by Allah. It is a big crime to execute people like us, holy warriors; everyone who is involved will be cursed."

Amrozi said he had no regrets about killing 88 "infidel" Australians. "Why regret?" he asked. "They were targets; let them die."

Government nervousness and legal manoeuvres by the bombers saw them delay their fates for four years after they were sentenced. Normally outspoken counter-terrorism officials refused to discuss the implications of the executions.

The counter-terrorism chief of the Security Ministry, Ansyaad M'Bai, would not comment on the possible public reaction. "There is no political impact; this is purely a legal issue," he says.

Most leading moderate clerics declined to be quoted on the issue. The legal affairs director of the mass Muslim organisation NU, Fajrul Fallakh, says many believe the three men deserved their fate.

"The majority of Indonesian Muslims are moderate," he says. "I believe only a very small group of people will regard them as martyrs. These people are the supporters of violent actions and they are firm believers that the kind of terrorism is a kind of salvation for them."

However, Ismail Yusanto, a spokesman for the million-strong organisation Hizbuth Tahrir, says it is unclear whether the three committed the bombings, repeating Bashir's assertion the blast came from a nuclear device.

"We are suspicious it was a conspiracy by the West by the Americans to stigmatise Islam," he says. Mr Yusanto says he does not see the bombers as martyrs. "We do not share the way we fight our cause. We don't see Indonesia as a battleground."

The first Bali bombing put JI on the global terror map. The network had spread, almost undetected, recruiting thousands across Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Australia.

For the next three years, it struck apparently at will, bombing the Marriott hotel and Australia's Jakarta embassy, before again dispatching suicide bombers to Bali to attack beachside restaurants in 2005.

For three years, the network has been unable to execute a significant bombing. Its leaders have been captured, except a handful hiding in the Philippines, and regional structures dispersed. Of the other Bali bombing kingpins, bomb maker Azahari perished in a hail of gunfire and his offsider, Noordin Top, remains on the run.

Regardless of Australia's continued travel warning, Petros Golose, the commander of the operations that captured Amrozi, Mukhlas, Samudra and nearly 200 of their confederates, believes JI lacks the capacity to launch large attacks.

"Before we were afraid of them," he says. "Now they are afraid of us. "We are not saying they are stopped but at least they need to consolidate. To hunt them is the best strategy; that's what we are doing now."

Interrogations and seized documents reveal JI plans to regroup and rebuild towards a 30-year goal of establishing an Islamic state, using its network of schools to produce recruits.

JI's remaining leaders believe mass bombings in Indonesia, which take Muslim lives, alienate the public and provoke police reprisals. Including Bashir, they are focusing on political strategies and an evolutionary imposition of Islamic law, introduced via provincial bylaws.

Abbas believes the hardliners among his former confederates will remain committed but underground, their threat reduced. "They are clandestine; they never stop. I believe there are connections between al-Qaeda and local organisations."

Recruits continue to be sent to the Philippines for military training, although only a couple each time, Abbas says. When he was in charge, as many as 80 followers would attend a two-month crash military training course.

Jones says the executions will make little difference to the struggle against terrorism. "I think Indonesia is a more safe place as a result of activities by police since the Bali bombings. I don't think the executions significantly alter that one way or another." The controversy surrounding the case was "proof positive that the death penalty's eradication is long overdue", she says.

"We've seen the speeded up executions of other people over the past months, partly to prepare the ground for this big political execution. To make it more mundane, if death can be mundane.

"The only purpose the death penalty serves is to further politicise high-profile cases. Executions in Indonesia continue to be used politically and that's the best reason for saying it should be abolished."

Something wrong when a govt lets terrorists become celebrities

Sydney Morning Herald - November 10, 2008

Ken Ward – The long-delayed execution of the three Bali bombers ends one of the strangest sagas in Indonesia's legal history. It is not unusual that Mukhlas, Amrozi and Imam Samudra were put to death five years after their sentencing; many Indonesians on death row have waited far longer.

What is bizarre is that these Jemaah Islamiah members became celebrities before they died. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has won so much praise for his counterterrorist successes, but allowing mass murderers to become celebrities was not a counterterrorist triumph.

The Indonesian media called the bombers "Amrozi and the others". This made sense, not because Amrozi was the key player in the Bali operation, far from it, but because his quirky personality best met the criteria of celebrity status.

So great was the "disconnect" between his daily behaviour and his crime, he should probably have pleaded insanity. Amrozi joked and wisecracked his way through the six years that followed his capture. When he was caught, he said: "Gee, you police are smart after all!" In one of his interrogations, he boasted that he had been kicked out of high school for chasing girls. On being sentenced to death, he made a victory salute.

Appearing as a witness in the trial of his spiritual mentor, Abu Bakar Bashir, Amrozi chatted gaily with the judges and asked for a cup of coffee. He even threw some romance into the plot by remarrying his first wife. Amrozi said he already had his eye on a third woman (he kept his current wife after his remarriage), whom he would marry were he not to be executed.

In his last conversation with journalists, he said he would "let off more bombs" if anyone questioned him about his execution. His two comrades were more sombre, but even Mukhlas, his elder brother, contrived to marry in prison a woman half his age.

The three enjoyed an astonishing degree of freedom in prison. Imam Samudra wrote and published his memoirs justifying the Bali bombing. He gave a lot of interviews, including to a glossy magazine, in which he gloated over the death of one of Amrozi's judges.

Mukhlas wrote a lot as well, smuggling out material or posting it on websites, including his will. In 2004 he sent a letter to his brother-in-law, the JI defector Nasir Abas, declaring him an apostate from Islam because of his cooperation with the police.

The bombers were allowed to receive a lot of visitors who often briefed the media, an alternative to a direct interview with the inmates themselves. With total impunity, Bashir once threatened damnation for all those responsible for the bombers' deaths, including Yudhoyono. The bombers were interviewed by TV journalists, allowing viewers to hear their latest threats of revenge and declarations of non-remorse for having killed so many infidels.

Most observers say the judicial system is one sector of Yudhoyono's Indonesia that badly needs reform. There is clearly something wrong when terrorists have a public platform from which to publicise their ideology for so long after their crime.

Prison guards need better pay, so they are less tempted by bribes from inmates or visitors. Visitors should be searched to prevent their smuggling out tapes, diaries or manuscripts. Cameras could be banned from prison without infringing anybody's human rights.

But overall responsibility for having allowed the bombers to continue their jihad behind bars for so long lies outside the penal system. It can lie nowhere else but inside the presidential palace. The deaths of these men will not relaunch JI's now- shattered network. No doubt they will be revered as martyrs by their supporters, who only constitute a small minority in Indonesia's vast Muslim community – martyrs, that is, in the West's alleged war on Islam.

But the Indonesian press recently quoted a Muslim school student to the effect that the trio had to die simply because they were Muslims. Without a more energetic Indonesian Government effort to explain that these men did indeed commit the crime for which they were punished – that it was not all a Western conspiracy – more Muslims will echo that student. In the long term, that could be even more dangerous than any threat of revenge attacks taking place in the next week or two.

[Ken Ward is a former senior Indonesia analyst with the Office of National Assessments.]

Good riddance

Jakarta Post Editorial - November 10, 2008

The Amrozi Circus has left town. The three terrorists most responsible for the carnage in Bali in October 2002 have finally been executed after months of uncertainty that turned the waiting into a public spectacle that only upset and infuriated relatives of the victims and prolonged their pain.

Imam Samudra and brothers Amrozi Nurhasyim and Ali Ghufron were executed by a firing squad not far from their Nusakambangan Island high security prison in Central Java. Even until their last moments, they never publicly expressed remorse for planning and executing the bomb attacks on two discos in Bali that left more than 200 people dead, mostly foreign tourists, more than six years ago.

Even as they stared death in the face, the terrorists still bragged of their imminent executions as an act of martyrdom. Now with their deaths, they get half of what they wished for. Since they never believed in the man-made judiciary, they have to deal with God's law. Now they have to answer for themselves, without the aid of lawyers, for their heinous and brutal crime.

All these years, instead of remorse, the public was given a sickening display of how these three men made a mockery of the Indonesian judiciary and the legal process they were going through, every step of the way.

There was the constant shouting of "Allahu Akbar" (God is Great) in the Bali courthouse as they were being tried; there was the intimidation of witnesses and relatives of the foreign victims who came all the way to see that justice was being done; and there was the theatrical behavior that turned their trial into a farce. Adding insult to injury, there was Amrozi's famous broad smile as the court sentenced him to death, earning him the nickname "The Smiling Bomber" in the Australian press.

Even on death row, they continued to make news, obviously aided by the prison authorities. There were the media interviews they gave, always using the opportunity to justify their acts in the name of Islam and not for once showing any sign of regret; one of them even got married while on death row; and they were constantly in contact with the outside world with easy access to telephones and the Internet. So much for Indonesia's high security prison system.

The media, particularly television, seemed to be a willing partner throughout this whole spectacle, especially during the last four weeks while the authorities hesitated in carrying out the execution order.

Almost every day for the past month Amrozi and friends received extensive media coverage normally reserved for celebrities facing marital problems or sex scandals. They have in fact become instant celebrities in their own right. Only in Indonesia can a convicted terrorist awaiting execution become a media darling.

Now that they have been executed, we hope there will be some soul-searching by those who run our prisons about the concept of high security prisons, and by those who run the national media about their complicity, deliberate or not, in this whole fiasco.

Many people in this country and outside oppose the death penalty, so it came as no surprise that some of the 11th hour appeals to spare the lives of Amrozi and friends came from the relatives of the victims in Australia.

Perhaps they can make an exception just this once. If humanity is the ground for rejecting capital punishment, there is almost nothing human about these three men. If evil had a face, theirs are samples of it.

Good riddance. The world is so much better without them. The pain and suffering they have caused many people all these years can only begin to heal now.

Soeharto's repeated war

Jakarta Post Editorial - November 8, 2008

The once famous anecdote Petrus (mysterious shootings) probably re-emerges in the minds of many people in reaction to the newly appointed National Police (Polri) chief Bambang Hendarso Danuri's decision to stage an all out war against thugs. Will police repeat the petrus practices in eradicating banditism?

In the 1980s, the military and police killed thousands of preman (hoodlums) throughout the country, but told the public the killed criminals were victims of wars among themselves.

The official version of the military could not be verified at the time. But it was president Soeharto himself who conceded in his autobiography, Soeharto: Pikiran, Ucapan, dan Tindakan Saya (Soeharto: My thoughts, Words and Deeds), that the killings were based on his instruction.

Hopefully Gen. Bambang will always keep in mind the unlawful killings of the alleged criminals under Soeharto's era. We all support the police chief's determination to eliminate thugs. But we need to remember no matter how ruthless or how disturbing the bandits are, all citizens are equal before the law. They are humans that have dignity, and their basic rights should be preserved by the state.

Bambang's predecessor, Gen. Sutanto, declared war – and consistently continued the war for three years until his replacement last month – against drugs and gambling, focussing especially on the widespread togel (illegal lottery).

The newly appointed National Police chief also wanted his own trademark. He recently declared the police battle against street bandits. Can Bambang match his successor's track record?

Since the operation kicked off on Nov. 2, police have netted nearly a thousand street thugs in five major cities. Half of the suspected thugs were from Jakarta. Some are now being detained, while many others were sent to rehabilitation centers and others were freed. The operation is also being carried out in East Java, Central Java, North Sumatra and Yogyakarta.

National Police detective unit chief Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji said Tuesday the National Police headquarters would get rid of street thugs by conducting a continuous operation amid the rising concern about the increase in violent crimes.

Susno said the operation would only last until the streets were cleared of thuggery. "This means there will be no end to this operation," he was quoted as saying by The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

We hope the police will do their jobs consistency and continuously this time to ensure that there are no thugs operating on streets in urban areas.

Meanwhile, we also question the target of the current police operation, which only seems to focus on street thugs, who carry out petty crimes like stealing and extortion.

We, of course, agree that they should be pulled off the streets because their actions have caused problems for many people.

But how about the groups of people who hide behind youth and religious organizations to carry out their thuggish activities? Such thugs are no less notorious than street criminals. Members of such organizations often blackmail street vendors, shops, restaurants, discotheques, cafes and other businesses with "protection money".

Therefore, the police should not tolerate their thuggish activities, let alone, give protection to their crimes. The police should treat them like other criminals as their crimes are no less notorious.

It is the job of police officers, who have received payment from the taxpayers, to protect all citizens. They should not additionally burden citizens, including businesses, by asking them for "protection money".

Gen. Bambang needs to remember all citizens have basic human rights and the state is mandated by the Constitution to protect the fundamental rights of human beings.