Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – Residents from Rancabentang, Ciumbeuleuit in Bandung, staged a rally Tuesday at the Bandung Municipal Legislative Council protesting its indecision on the construction of the Four R Hotel.

The crowd protested in front of the council building while beating drums, cans and plastic bottles.

A protester, Sugandaria, said they had objected to the hotel during a rally on Jan. 19, when they disputed the signatures of 100 residents from the project's public awareness campaign in 2007. The signatures were later used in a residents' agreement with the municipality to issue a building permit for the planned 15-story hotel.

Residents realized their signatures were forged, after trucks and heavy machinery entered the site in June 2008. Backed by prominent lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution, who owns a house near the construction site, residents eventually aired their grievances publicly.

Previously, Nasution and a group of residents took the case to the Bandung State Administrative Court. The court, however, ruled in favor of the hotel owner, jeans producer Henry Husada, on the grounds that the signatures had strengthened his position and that he had satisfied all of the legal procedures.

"Today, the city councilors promised that they would come here and see the violation firsthand," Sugandaria said. "But the visit was canceled and we are clearly disappointed."

City Council spokesperson Hetty Sofiati said the visit was canceled because Council Speaker Husni Mutaqien was engaged in party affairs.

Hotel owner Henry said he felt he had gone through the proper procedures.

"We won the appeal for the hotel construction at the Administrative Court in December. We don't understand why they think we are in the wrong," Henry said.

Four protest actions to add to enliven Jakarta's today

Detik.com - January 29, 2009

Laurencius Simanjuntak, Jakarta – Protest actions continue to enliven the main roads of Jakarta. Today, Thursday January 29, four demonstrations will contribute to the hustle and bustle of the capital.

Based on information from the Metro Jaya regional police Traffic Management Centre (TMC), the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) will be organising simultaneous actions at two different locations.

The first action will take place at the Environment Ministry on Jl. DI Panjaitan in East Jakarta at 10am. The second action will take place at the office of PT Semen Gresik on Jl. Rasuna Said in South Jakarta.

Following on from this, between 10.45am and 1.15am, the group Friends of Falun Gong Indonesia will hold a demonstration at the Chinese Embassy in the Mega Kuningan area of South Jakarta.

Finally, the South Jakarta branch of the Association of Islamic Students (HMI) will hold an action at the South Jakarta mayor's office on Jl. Prapanca at around 11.00am.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Aceh

Aceh press bill riles journalists

Jakarta Globe - January 26, 2009

Nurdin Hasan & Anita Rachman – A chapter of the Alliance of Independent Journalists, or AJI, in Aceh Province has rejected the proposed regional Islamic Press and Broadcasting Bylaw, saying it could undermine press freedom.

"There is no need for the [provincial legislature] to issue such pointless legislation," said Mukhtaruddin Yakob, chairman of AJI's chapter in Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh. "Journalists have their own regulations: the press law and our own code of ethics."

Details of the proposed legislation remain unclear as a draft has yet to be released because the Aceh branch of the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission, or KPI, has received several complaints, particularly from the press and local nongovernmental organizations.

"We are warning the Aceh government to stop discussions on the bill," Mukhtaruddin said. "We want to stop it even at the embryonic stage."

The Aceh provincial legislative council and the KPI have been discussing the bill since August.

"The AJI worries that if the bill is passed, press freedom in Aceh – which was welcomed after the tsunami – will be threatened," Mukhtaruddin said. "The AJI demands that the bill be rejected."

Jajang Jamaludin, secretary general of AJI Indonesia, said journalistic freedom is under threat. "Journalists in Aceh should watch this closely," he said.

West Papua

Forensic team probes Timika incident

Jakarta Post - January 30, 2009

Timika, Papua – Six members of the Forensic Laboratory of Makassar, South Sulawesi, and detectives from the Papua Police examined the shooting scene of Simon Fader at the Queen Bar in Kodok, Timika, on Thursday. The officers have not found any projectiles at the scene.

Simon, who was shot in a brawl at the bar on Sunday morning, died on Tuesday. Police said Simon was hit by a stray bullet from police officers who attempted to disperse the brawl.

The shooting prompted a riot on Tuesday as hundreds of protesters destroyed a police station and public facilities in Timika. Police shot two protesters in their legs with rubber bullets in an effort to disperse the riot.

Simon was buried on Thursday at the Kuala Kencana public cemetery.

Indonesian police open fire on Papua protesters

Agence France Presse - January 28, 2009

Timika – Four people were wounded Tuesday when Indonesian police opened fire on hundreds of people in Papua province during a protest against alleged police violence.

Officers began shooting when about 300 angry residents tried to break into a police post in Timika, on the southern coast of the rugged eastern territory. At least four people were shot in the legs during the incident.

The violence was fueled by anger over the death earlier Tuesday of Timika resident Simor Fader, who was allegedly shot by police Sunday during a scuffle in a bar. "Police should investigate this shooting incident," a protester said.

Timika police chief Godhelp Mansnembra has denied that police shot Fader, and has launched an investigation.

Human rights/law

Government urged to draft abortion laws based on religious decree

Jakarta Globe - January 26, 2009

Ismira Lutfia – An Indonesian Council of Ulema, or MUI, edict that allows women to have an abortion under certain conditions could serve as a foundation for the government to regulate the procedure, Kartono Mohamad, former chairman of the Indonesian Doctors Association, or IDI, said on Monday.

Abortion is illegal in Indonesia except in cases in which the mother's health is at risk.

Kartono said he considered the edict to be "progress" and urged the government to use it as a guide for regulations surrounding abortion. Kartono said Ministry of Health figures indicated that illegal and unsafe abortions accounted for 30 percent to 50 percent of maternal mortalities in Indonesia, the highest rate in Southeast Asia.

The council issued a fatwa, or a religious edict, on Sunday during its assembly in Padang Panjang, West Sumatra Province, that allows abortion for rape victims if the case is supported by medical evidence and police reports, under the condition that the fetus is less than 40 days old.

The MUI's decision also indicates abortion is acceptable if the pregnancy is a risk to the mother's life, even if the fetus is more than 40 days old. The council also decided that a pregnancy termination is acceptable if the fetus is diagnosed with a disease that it would carry for life.

"The government should put the edict into a regulation so that abortion could have a legal reference," Kartono said.

He said that such a regulation should license specially trained doctors and hospitals to perform the procedure so that pregnant women would know where to get appropriate and safe care. "The procedure should include pre- and post-abortion counseling," Kartono said.

Sri Wiyanti Eddyono, a member of the National Commission on Violence Against Women, or Komnas Perempuan, welcomed the edict because it was line with the commission's policy of supporting abortion rights for women suffering particular hardships.

"Women must have the option to have an abortion under certain conditions," Sri said, adding that abortion services should be supported by proper facilities and improved maternity and reproductive counseling.

"The failure of family planning programs which result in unwanted pregnancy is one of the main factors contributing to the number of abortions," Sri said.

The MUI also issued an edict that bans yoga for Muslims if the practice incorporates Hindu rituals, but at the same time decided that yoga is acceptable if used only for exercise.

Pujiastuti Sindhu, a yoga trainer who is also a Muslim, said that the difference between yoga and Hindu rituals was clear. She acknowledged that some yoga practices used chants in Sanskrit, which could lead people to believe that the vocalizations are Hindu prayers.

"The chants in yoga are only used to focus the mind through the vocal vibration produced by such chants," Pujiastuti said.

However, she said that it was unavoidable to link yoga to Hinduism because it had been created in India in a culture infused with Hindu practices. "As a form of exercise, yoga does not have any Hinduism elements," Pujiastuti said.

Pujiastuti practices and teaches Hatha yoga, which aims to control and align the body and respiratory movements, and sometimes includes meditation without religious aspects.

Early marriages regarded as crime

Tempo Interactive - January 30, 2009

Reh Atemalem Susanti, Jakarta – The secretary-general of National Commission for the Protection of Children, Arist Merdeka Sirait, said marriages between underage children and adults or among underage children is a humanitarian crime.

"There are no positive aspects about this," he said, following a discussion on "Child Fulfillment and Protection Program and Underage Marriages from the Perspective of Child Protection" yesterday in Jakarta.

The Commission for the Protection of Children, he said, will meet with religious leaders to discuss ways to publicize this issue to people in rural areas, especially in the wake of the Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI) which declared early-age marriages to be a sin, during their convention at Padang Panjang last week.

Obstetrician and gynecologist Rudy Irwin said that women who married before they were 20 years old are medically prone to cervical cancer. Moreover, cancer of the cervix can happen to women who give birth before the age of 20 or often change sex partners. "Women who get married before the age of 20 are 58.5 percent more prone to getting cervical cancer," he said.

Each year, around 500,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and more than 250,000 of them die. "There are 2.2 million women at present who have cervical cancer," Rudy said.

The secretary-general of the Indonesian Conference on Religion and Peace, Siti Musdah Mulia, said early marriages happen because of a number of factors, like poverty and the desire to improve their economic status. "The most obvious one is the cultural factor," she said.

Siti explained that many parents are unclear over the concept of a having children. They often consider children as investment, thinking their existence should be beneficial for the family. "The myth is that marrying children can make men more powerful and younger," she said. "This culture must be changed. This is where the role of religious leaders and public figures become important."

Family calls for investigation into riot shootings

Jakarta Post - January 29, 2009

Markus Makur, Timika – Dozens of police officers patrolled the streets of Yos Sudarso, Timika, Papua on Wednesday while relatives of a person shot to death by police during a riot last Sunday demanded an investigation into the officers' actions.

Piet Rafra, a relative of the victim, read a statement demanding the police investigate the actions of the officers who shot three people during the riot.

The three were Simon Fader who died in hospital from his injuries, and Remon Watubun and Kace Rahametan, who were being treated at hospital for bullet wounds.

Piet also said that his family would set up its own team to investigate the fatal shootings of the Kei tribe member.

The riot began when a pub brawl in Queen Bar broke out onto the streets early Sunday.

Simon, a resident of Kampung Kodok subdistrict, was hit by a bullet fired by riot police dispatched to the scene. He died from his injuries at a hospital in Makassar on Tuesday.

The shooting of Simon sparked a second spate of riots that damaged a police station and other public facilities Tuesday.

Papua Police Chief Insp. Gen. FX Bagus Ekodanto said Simon had been struck by a bullet fragment and was the not the intended target of the police officers' fire.

"The police officers did not directly shoot Simon. He was hit by fragments," the police chief told reporters after visiting Remon and Kace at Mimika General Hospital on Wednesday.

Ekodanto said Remon and Kace were both shot in their legs with rubber bullets as police attempted to disperse the riot that had already burned down Mimika Baru police precinct with Molotov cocktails.

Armed with machetes and bows and arrows, the protesters also damaged a police post at Swadaya market as well as a number of traffic lights and other public facilities in Timika, he said.

He said the police had identified many of the rioters and warned strict action would be taken against them.

"So far, we have not yet declared any suspects in the riot. We are now calming people after the riot," he said, adding that the police would investigate the officers who shot the residents.

However, Ekodanto said it was standard procedure for riot police to shoot warning shots to disperse a riot. He said that the brawl had been reported by the press a day late because many of local journalists had been threatened against publicizing the incident.

Ekodanto visited the victim's house in Yos Sudarso on Wednesday. Two platoons of mobile brigade officers were on guard outside of the house.

Rights watchdog to form legal team to look into Muchdi acquittal

Jakarta Globe - January 29, 2009

Heru Andriyanto – The National Commission on Human Rights, or Komnas HAM, said on Wednesday that it planned to hire a team of five legal experts to examine the decision to acquit former top intelligence official Muchdi Purwoprandjono of charges that he masterminded the murder of a prominent rights activist four years ago.

Komnas HAM deputy chairman Ridha Saleh said that the team would be asked to take the judiciary's point of view in its examination of the acquittal of Muchdi, who was accused of ordering the murder of Munir Said Thalib.

The legal team, composed of experts in criminal law, legal procedures and human rights issues, would review trial documents, evidence and testimony to determine the legitimacy of the Dec. 31 acquittal, he said.

"The team will apply human rights principles in its examination [of the case]," Ridha told the Jakarta Globe. "They will dig into the verdict to find out if the judges had other interests in mind when they made their decision. The legal team will examine if justice was served through the verdict", said Ridha Saleh, deputy chair of the National Commission on Human Rights

"It will examine, particularly from the perspective of human rights, if justice was served through the South Jakarta District Court's verdict," he said. The team is scheduled to start working next week.

The plan was announced less than three weeks after lawyers for Muchdi visited the commission to seek protection against those challenging his acquittal.

Mahendradatta, one of the lawyers, said Muchdi had been backed into a corner by state officials, the media and the commission itself, which had presumed he was guilty even before the trial began.

During the meeting, Muchdi's lawyers demanded that the commission protect legal certainty for Muchdi, refrain from making comments on the verdict and from pushing for an appeal against the acquittal. They also submitted a similar request to the Judicial Commission, which oversees the conduct of judges.

Judges cited the failure of prosecutors to prove that Muchdi had a clear motive in the September 2004 murder of Munir or that he had any links with Pollycarpus Priyanto, a former pilot with state-owned airline Garuda Indonesia who last year was convicted of carrying out the murder and sentenced to 20 years in jail, when it decided to clear the 60-year-old former military general of all charges.

Prosecutors responded by lodging an appeal against the acquittal with the Supreme Court.

Munir, who at the time of his death was the country's most prominent human rights activist and military critic, died of arsenic poisoning during a Garuda Indonesia flight bound for Amsterdam.

According to prosecutors, Muchdi ordered the murder of Munir, who had accused the Army's Special Forces of kidnapping 13 rights activists. Prosecutors said Muchdi lost his position as commander of the Special Forces in May 1998 as a result of Munir's accusations.

Labour/migrant workers

Workers 'safe' until elections

Jakarta Post - January 28, 2009

Jakarta – Most businesses may wait until after elections before deciding whether to lay off workers permanently, to minimize potential social unrest.

The Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) said steps should be taken to help avoid economic and political crises reminiscent of the previous turmoil in the late 1990s.

"We will try our best not to lay off employees, but it seems it is inevitable during this time of crisis. Weakening orders forced some firms to reduce their shift hours and working time," Apindo chairman Sofjan Wanandi said during a seminar on Tuesday in Jakarta anticipating this year's potential for massive layoffs.

"Companies will start to temporarily dismiss permanent employees in April during the general election, and then we will see the economic situation after the election. If things do not get any better, then there will be layoffs, unfortunately," he added.

During temporary dismissals, employees will still receive their basic monthly salaries and may be summoned back to work.

Permanent employees in general are still safe and companies are still focusing to cut their expenses by terminating the contracts of contractual and freelance employees, up until now.

Apindo data showed in Jakarta alone, around 4,000 employees had been laid off in December and about 6,000 workers would follow by the end of January.

On a national scale, as much as 27,578 workers were laid off from last September to Jan. 23. and almost 25,000 will follow soon, according to Andi Syahrul from the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry.

Most of the laid off workers were contractual and freelancer working in the automotive, electronics and garment sectors.

Sofjan said the measures to delay lay offs of permanent employees was taken to avoid a convergence of economic and political crises, like what happened in 1998.

"The 1998 national crisis was an example of how devastating it could be if an economic crisis clashed with a political crisis. We do not want that to happen again, " he said.

In the aftermath of the 1998 national crisis, the country needed a long and painful decade to slowly recover from the economic and political ruins, marred by rapid turnover in national leadership.

"Leadership changes also mean new regulations that we will have to adapt to. Not to mention potential conflicts caused by disatisfied losing candidates, which will not be good for business," head of Apindo Jakarta Provincial Board Soeprayitno said.

Meanwhile, state occupational insurance company PT Jamsostek said it has raised the rate of subsidy from last year's Rp 2 billion (US$173,000) to Rp 5 billion for laid-off workers as the impact of the crisis would peak at home in mid 2009.

"The laid-off subsidy is Rp 350,000 for each person. The planned budget for the subsidy originally was at Rp 50 billion but after a share holders' meeting, it is decided to be Rp 5 billion," Jamsostek CEO Hotbonar Sinaga said.

Only laid off workers with less than five years of working experience are eligible to receive the laid-off subsidy and they can only apply for the subsidy once in their life.

Workers with more than five years of experience can cash in for their post-employment benefits (JHT) as usual. (hdt)

14 firms allowed to underpay workers

Jakarta Post - January 27, 2009

Surabaya – Due to the global economic downturn, the provincial government has allowed 14 troubled companies to underpay their workers.

Out of 37 companies filing requests to be exempted from the 2009 gubernatorial decree on the minimum wage hike, 14 were allowed to underpay their workers in an effort to ensure a gradual downturn and avoid layoffs, Indra Wiragana, head of the provincial manpower and transmigration office, told The Jakarta Post.

Indra explained that the government had no other alternative but to allow the 14 companies to change their pay structures. Under the plan, workers with less than one year experience would be paid in accordance with the 2008 minimum wage, and workers with more than one year at the companies would have to negotiate separately.

"The 14 companies have been transparent with their financial condition and the planned layoffs this year, and this reality has been negotiated with their workers," he said, adding that the government was considering giving incentives to companies if they were committed to paying their workers' income taxes.

He cited that 15 companies did not meet administrative and financial requirements as regulated by Ministerial Decree No. 231/2003 on the postponement of a minimum wage hike. The decree requires employers to negotiate with their workers and be audited by a public accountant before filing the wage hike postponement request.

"Eight other companies retracted their request before being assessed by the independent joint team representing workers, employers and the government," he said.

The provincial government has raised, by an average of 17 percent, the minimum wage in the 38 regencies and municipalities in the province, effective as of Jan. 1, 2009.

Chairman of Commission D on economic and labor affairs at the provincial legislature, Ismail Saleh Mukadar, said the government's decision was exaggerated because five of the 14 companies were state-owned enterprises which should postpone paying dividends, instead of underpaying their workers.

"We should bear in mind that despite the hikes, the minimum wage level is still far below the cost of living," he said.

He also questioned the low hike percentage in Surabaya and said the hike was not based on the price index in the city. "As a barometer, Surabaya should get a higher hike percentage than other regencies."

Coordinator of the Labor Defenders Alliance (ABM) Jamaluddin appreciated the government's decision and called for other companies to follow suit if they are facing financial problems.

"In fact, many small- and medium companies have paid their workers below the minimum wage without any permission from the government or any negotiation with their workers," he said.

Adi Chandra, an executive of the provincial chapter of the Indonesian Employers' Association (Apindo), appreciated the government's decision as a safe way to avoid any political instability triggered by labor unrest.

Despite the decision, however, he said Apindo would proceed with its complaint to the court about the recent minimum wage hike which it said would affect the economy in the province this year. (sal)

Apindo warns layoffs in sight, rejects wage raise

Jakarta Post - January 24, 2009

Jakarta – The Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) said that massive layoffs are in sight should the city administration insist on its plan to raise the sectoral provincial minimum wages (UMSP) by between 5 percent and 12 percent, an executive said Friday.

"Should the administration impose the plan, employers, especially in automotive and electronic sectors, would be hard hit by the policy. That's simply unbearable for our businesses, now feeling the pinch of the global economic downturn," Soeprayitno, Apindo's Jakarta chapter chairman, told reporters. "Massive layoffs will be inevitable," he warned.

The administration has planned to raise the provincial minimum wage to Rp 1,069,865 (US$106) this year from Rp 972,604 in 2008.

According to Soeprayitno, the economic crisis has forced four automotive companies in the city to slash their production from three working shifts to two. Some companies have also terminated their contracts with around 4,000 workers.

"It is normal if they 'the employers' file an objection to the plan. We should work this out together. In the electronics sector, we see a significant slump in demand due to the shrinking purchasing power of the people and the declining Indonesian rupiah," he said.

The planned raise would also deal a blow to the hotel industry. "Some hoteliers reported occupancy rates in decline as many companies cut their budgets for conferences at hotels," he said.

He suggested the administration allow Apindo to sit at the negotiation table with representatives of the labor unions to seek a solution.

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said that the city administration would discuss the proposal before giving its final decision.

"I need to have all the input before making a decision. I have invited them to discuss it," Fauzi said. "It is normal if they 'the employers' file an objection to the plan. We should work this out together," Fauzi said.

Environment/natural disasters

NGO fights plantations in Kalimantan

Agence France Presse - January 30, 2009

Cecilia Castilla, Pangkalan Bun – In the forests of Central Kalimantan Province, a small environmental group is using education to arm villagers against the devastating onslaught of palm oil plantations.

Yayasan Orangutan Indonesia, or Yayorin, was founded in 1991 to save endangered orangutans, other wildlife and the forests they need to survive. Since then the spread of plantations into forests on Sumatra and Borneo islands have helped make Indonesia the world's third-biggest greenhouse-gas source, partly due to the craze for "eco-friendly" biofuels.

They have also wiped out habitats of threatened species like orangutans and Bornean clouded leopards. But the plantations are also hurting people whose traditional communities depend on the forests and the biodiversity they contain, and that is where Yayorin director and founder Togu Simorangkir sees hope for change.

"The problem of deforestation is human," said the biologist. "That's why 80 percent of our program focuses on education. It's not enough just to give the message 'stop cutting down trees.' You have to explain the consequences of deforestation."

Indonesia is the world's largest producer of palm oil, which is used in a range of products including soap, cooking oil and biodiesel.

Vast tracts of forest have already disappeared under plantations and the government is encouraging more, despite its stated commitment to lowering greenhouse gas emissions by preserving the carbon stored in jungles. In 1990 there were 1.1 million hectares of land under plantations, according to official figures. Now there are 7.6 million hectares.

"We've heard some terrible stories," said Daryatmo, the chief of Tumbang Tura, a village in the province. "Neighbors [who sold forested land to palm planters] can't grow ratan anymore or harvest rubber. Fishing is impossible because the river is polluted. These are our principal sources of income. What kind of legacy are we going to leave?"

Lured by immediate "wealth" in the form of a few thousand dollars, villagers often are not aware of the consequences of selling to palm planters, Simorangkir said.

"Last year a plantation company offered a village Rp 2 billion [$176,000] to exploit its land. Every family calculated that that would bring them Rp 30 million each," he said. "Village authorities sought our advice and we told them the consequences for the environment in the medium term. Despite the bait, they concluded by refusing the project."

The NGO's projects are spread across villages, plantations, companies, schools and government agencies. But will this be enough to save orangutans? There are now an estimated 40,000 wild orangutans on Borneo, but the United Nations estimates there could be less than 1,000 by 2023.

Palm oil companies have been clearing orangutan habitats in Borneo despite signing up to voluntary standards under the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, or RSPO, comprised of industry and environmental groups.

The Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association, rejecting a moratorium on plantations proposed by Greenpeace last year, said the RSPO standards would protect the species.

But the Center for Orangutan Protection says orangutans living outside Central Kalimantan's conservation areas could die in three years. Of the 20,000 there, close to 3,000 die every year, it says. "Their future is in the north of the Central Kalimantan region," said Stephen Brend of Orangutan Foundation International.

Oil and coal mining firms pollute Balikpapan Bay

Jakarta Post - January 30, 2009

Nurni Sulaiman, Balikpapan – The Balikpapan Bay is one of the city's landmarks, a place where foreign and domestic companies, mostly in the coal and oil sectors, have been carrying out their business for dozens of years.

It is also a place that traditional fishermen and small-scale businesses rely on for their livelihood. However, the companies have not paid enough attention to the environment and the water quality in the Balikpapan Bay is deteriorating.

The Office of the State Minister of the Environment's Kalimantan Regional Environmental Management Center (PPLH) has noted that oil, gas and coal production had played a significant role in polluting the bay.

"The exceeded level of phenol indicated the presence of pollution caused by oil refineries and the coal oxidation process," B. Widodo, PPLH head, told The Jakarta Post.

Pollutants in the bay area also originated from domestic activities, pesticide use in agriculture, fuel leaks in ships and other activities using organic chemicals.

"Domestic waste has also contributed significantly to the problem," Widodo said.

"These activities have further increased the phenol, or the carbolic acidic level of water, indicating that spatial planning around the Balikpapan Bay should be reviewed immediately.

"The rising level of phenol is attributed to activities at the coal docks, oil refineries, domestic activities and shipping traffic."

The PPLH conducted a water quality analysis in the Balikpapan Bay on Dec. 6 last year and took water samples from a number of observation points, such as at the Semayang Port, the Penajam Port, Baru village and the oil refinery of state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina.

According to Widodo, the water quality test referred to the Environmental Ministerial Decree No. 51/2004 on field parameters, comprising the water alkaline level, the turbidity, dissolved oxygen and temperature.

Based on lab tests, the turbidity and temperature at Pertamina's waste water cooling outlet had exceeded tolerable levels.

Analysis indicated that total suspended density (TSS) and phosphate content at every observation point had surpassed tolerable levels.

The highest concentration of TSS was at the Semayang Port and the highest concentration of phosphate was at Pertamina's waste outlet.

The high water temperature near Pertamina's waste outlet was caused by the high temperature of waste water that flows from their cooling towers into the sea.

"The oil refinery contributed to these environmental problems. Pertamina should improve its environmental management, especially its waste cooling system, which have made it harder for everyone to cope with this environmental damage," Widodo said.

He added that the high levels of TSS and phosphate at every observation point indicated a high level of pollutants, especially those from domestic waste.

He said the level of phosphate was a concern because it could cause algae booming, which has also occurred in the Jakarta Bay and reduced water quality by limiting oxygen content and decimating marine life.

"This is an early warning sign so stakeholders can coordinate with the local administration and other related agencies to prevent environmental damage," Widodo said.

Meanwhile, Balikpapan Pertamina spokesperson Fety said water quality at the oil refinery continued to meet the required standard.

"We always measure the water standard every day and report it to the Balikpapan Environmental Impact Management Agency," she said.

"The water quality still meets the port's standards and there are no leaks at the oil refinery or with the cooling process. However, we are grateful to the PPLH for the warning and we will take action immediately."

Fety added that Pertamina used the water standard parameter for the port while PPLH used the standard for marine tourism.

Deadly attacks shed light on Indonesia's human-animal conflicts

Agence France Presse - January 28, 2009

Banda Aceh – A spate of recent deadly animal attacks in Indonesia has thrown the spotlight on growing conflicts between humans and animals triggered by the rapid dwindling of the country's forests.

In the latest attack, two women were trampled to death by a pair of elephants in Aceh province on the northern tip of Sumatra island Tuesday after the elephants entered an illegally cleared field from nearby jungle.

The attack, from which another six villagers narrowly escaped with their lives, came just days after a rubber-tapper was reportedly killed by two rare Sumatran tigers as he urinated outside his hut in Jambi province, also on Sumatra.

The attacks are called human-animal conflicts, and they are a rising problem in Indonesia, an archipelago nation with some of the world's largest remaining tropical forests and a swelling population of 234 million people.

As people spread into previously untouched forests, big animals such as tigers, elephants and orangutans are being robbed of the large habitats needed to sustain their populations, Arnold Sitompul, the head of environmental group Elephant Forum, told AFP.

The main reason (for conflicts) is habitat loss. There is a lot of habitat loss going on in Indonesia for plantations, mining," Sitompul said.

Without their habitats, animals such as elephants turn up on newly settled areas at the forest's edge, devouring and trampling crops and terrorising villagers. The result is often deadly for both humans and animals.

"Elephants can tolerate some disturbances but if you go there and set up settlements it will lead to conflict... Why is that? Because elephants don't like humans and humans are scared of elephants, because they're big," Sitompul said.

Poisonings and shootings of animals in conflict areas are a common occurrence. At least 45 elephants were killed in mass poisonings between 2002 and 2006 in Sumatra's Riau province alone, according to environmental group WWF.

"In places like Aceh, conflict between humans and elephants and humans and tigers is increasing," said WWF forest program director Ian Kosasih, who added that there are no solid figures on how many conflicts are happening nationwide. "In some areas you can't say it's increasing but it's still there... I'm sure it's not getting better anywhere."

Sumatra island, blanketed in forests until just decades ago, is the hotspot for the clash between humans, elephants and tigers, Kosasih said.

Kalimantan on Indonesia's half of Borneo island is the centre of a more uneven conflict, with the killing of orangutans who stray onto rapidly expanding palm oil plantations and farms.

Local governments and non-governmental organisations are working hard to mitigate the conflicts, but so far have met with mixed success.

In response to the most recent attack in Aceh, the local conservation authority sent a team of 15 people – and four tame elephants – to scare the wild elephants back into the jungle.

But such measures, which in the case of elephants also include techniques such as planting barriers of acacia trees and spiky shrubs, are only a stop-gap so long as forest habitats are being destroyed, Aceh conservation agency head Andi Basrul said.

"If we don't all together protect the forest, then it will be difficult to overcome the elephant attacks, because it is their homes that are being interfered with," Basrul said.

"If, for comparison, it were our homes and yards that were being destroyed, of course we'd be angry. It's the same with elephants."

Environmental group protests Buyan plan

Jakarta Post - January 24, 2009

Ni Komang Erviani, Denpasar – Dozens of environmental activists staged a protest Friday in front of the Bali governor's office to oppose a plan to develop Buyan Lake in Buleleng.

Wearing masks in the likeness of Bali Governor Made Mangku Pastika, the activists, under the banner of the Bali chapter of the Indonesia Forum for the Environment (Walhi), rejected the plan to develop Lake Buyan into the Buyan Eco-tourism Heaven resort, calling it a capitalist's agenda.

"Buyan is for people not for capitalists," one poster read. "Stop greed and save the environment," read another.

PT Anantara plans to develop Buyan Lake into an integrated ecotourism resort featuring an organic farm and a large cultural stage. The Bali provincial government is studying the proposal but has not approved it.

Lake Buyan and two other lakes in Bangli and Buleleng regencies are considered sacred and are water catchments feeding plantations in Subak.

"The Bali province doesn't have to continue to discuss that ill- fated proposal. The government should reject the idea immediately," said head of the Bali chapter of Walhi, Agung Wardana.

He said the areas surrounding the attractive Lake Buyan were attractive to investors, "But, the government should be wise and smart and reject any investment proposal that will ruin the ecological system in the area".

"Lake Buyan, Lake Beratan, Lake Tamblingan serve the same function as important catchments for all of Bali."

He said the areas were too delicate to sustain a development project and that the island's entire ecosystem could be unsettled if they were damaged.

Wardana said he was not convinced the project would improve the environmental condition of the lake and its neighboring areas.

"This is only a manipulative effort to obtain a development permit from the governor," he said. "Most investors operating in Bali just exploit nature and only think of making profits for their businesses."

Investors from outside of Bali, including foreigners, have joined a race to build hotels, villas and restaurants in some undeveloped areas on the island that are considered environmentally fragile. Ayung River in Ubud, Gianyar regency, for example, is being developed at a relentless pace. Rice paddies in Seminyak and Kuta, Badung, have also made way for tourist facitilies.

The province's secretary, Nyoman Yasa, who received representatives from the protesters, told reporters that the government had not decided to approve the project.

Lake Buyan covers an area of 478 hectares. According to a study conducted by Udayana University's Environmental Research and Study School, the lake's water level has decreased significantly since 2006.

Women & gender

KPU backs down over female quota

Jakarta Post - January 31, 2009

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – The General Elections Commission (KPU) remains divided over a highly contentious proposal for a quota of legislative seats for female candidates.

KPU chairman Abdul Hafiz Anshari said arguing a legal basis without a so-called "government regulation in-lieu-of-law" (perppu) was too weak to push through the proposal for female candidates.

KPU members Andi Nurpati and Endang Sulastri have insisted however that regardless of the regulation, a law should be implemented by the KPU to outline the distribution of seats forfemale legislative candidates,

"We decided on the appropriate action at a plenary meeting but still need to think through carefully. We do not want the government to issue a regulation as a legal umbrella," Abdul Hafiz told journalists in Jakarta on Friday. He said the Constitutional Court's ruling did not outline any real moves to grant more seats to women in legislative elections.

"The court only says the KPU could issue a regulation to determine seat distributions based on the number of votes won by candidates. There is no special award provided for female candidates," Abdul Hafiz said.

Both Andi and Endang said the court had earlier authorized the KPU to oblige parties to allocate one of every three seats won in each district to a female candidate.

The court last month scrapped Article 214 of the 2008 legislative elections law, which allowed parties to determine their representatives in legislative bodies based on the numerical order system of seat distributions.

The law further stipulated at least 30 percent of their legislative candidates had to be reserved for women. The Constitutional Court overruled this prior law, stating the candidate who wins the most votes secures a legislative seat.

The ruling sparked outcry from women's activists who claimed the ruling damaged their chances of winning a seat because of their lack of political exposure and poor financial support.

Abdul Hafiz said the KPU had finished drafting a regulation on the distribution of legislative seats. "We have to issue a ruling, but whether we consider action for women or not will depend on the government's potential regulation," he said.

Female legislators are demanding the government immediately issue a regulation to provide women with a fairer playing field to compete for seats in the House of Representatives.

"Without this government regulation, women do not stand a chance of being elected legislators, because the KPU does not have the authority to issue a regulation that offers any guarantees," lawmaker Nursyahbani Katjasungkana of the National Awakening Party (PKB) told a press conference Friday.

She said the issuance of a government regulation would not taint the image of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ahead of the upcoming elections.

"Issuing this regulation would not harm the interests of political parties or worsen the image of President Yudhoyono. Nor would it change the country's political landscape post-elections," she said.

Activists have long fought for a ruling to ensure a minimum 30 percent of legislative representatives are women.

Women still face discrimination: Minister

Jakarta Post - January 30, 2009

Jakarta – Although Indonesia has since 1984 adopted the UN convention on the elimination of discrimination against women (CEDAW), many women in the country still face violence and discrimination, a high-level meeting on the convention concluded here Thursday.

Addressing the meeting, State Minister for Women's Empowerment Meutia Hatta said the abuses had been allowed to go on because of laws that encouraged discrimination and violence against women.

"We still have 16 national laws that do not support women's rights, on top of many regional bylaws that also allow for discrimination. No wonder we have problems of violence and discrimination," she said.

Meutia added many women in certain areas still faced problems over dressing and attitude. "Some of the problems are because the review of Marriage Law No. 1/1974 is still not implemented and because of the strong patriarchal system in Indonesia," she said.

In more remote areas, she went on, people ignored national laws and adopted customary laws that provided far more benefits to men than women. In inheritance cases, Meutia said, women often wound up with little.

Another problem was that courts handed down light sentences for perpetrators of violence against women. "In 2005, the National Commission on Violence against Women [Komnas Perempuan] found that these perpetrators received light sentences," Meutia said.

More than 20,391 cases of violence against women across 29 provinces were recorded by Komnas Perempuan in 2005, up from only 14,020 cases in 2004. Also in 2005 the commission reported 1,165 women had fallen victim to trafficking and violence, while more than 1,120 women had been raped.

In spite of the problems, Meutia highlighted some success in implementing the CEDAW.

Jean D'Cunha, regional program director for the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) for East and Southeast Asia, lauded Indonesia's progress in eliminating discrimination against women, pointing to scores of amended laws to strengthen women's place in society.

"Indonesia should be proud of amendments in electoral laws and qanuns [bylaws] in Aceh," she said.

KPU position weak on female quotas

Jakarta Post - January 29, 2009

Jakarta – Political experts and players on both sides of the controversy over the gender quota issued last week by the General Elections Committee (KPU) think there is little chance that the poll supervisory body can force the annulment of the most recent ruling of the Constitutional Court.

The court ruled last month that article 214 of the 2008 law on legislative elections, allowing the KPU to place a mix of candidates chosen popularly in regional elections and party favorites on the ballot for the national poll, was invalid.

According to the Court, only those candidates having received the most votes in regional elections should appear on the national ballot. The KPU claims that article 214 allows it to act to ensure better gender balance among candidates.

This system was preferred by women's groups because it guaranteed that female candidates would get at least one out of of three seats won by any given political party in every electoral district during the legislative elections.

Women's groups advocated the imposition of a quota of 30 percent women in legislative bodies last week. In response to the Court's ruling, KPU issued a regulation imposing such a quota.

Reacting to the KPU's action, legal expert Irman A Putrasidin told The Jakarta Post Wednesday that "The court's decision is final. There's no turning back to the old system."

He criticized the KPU decision in issuing its own regulation to be used against the court ruling, "They have no right to make a regulation to uphold women's rights. That is not their domain."

Legislator Nursyahbani Katjasungkana of the National Awakening Party (PKB) said that although the KPU had every right to take action to counter the impact of the court's ruling, she was uncertain if this would stand up in court.

Chairman of the Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW)'s ethics committee Bambang Wijayanto also doubted whether KPU was strong enough to maintain its stance against the court's ruling He added that the best choice for KPU would be to ask the House of Representatives to grant a regulation in-lieu-of the law to annul the court's ruling. "This regulation has to be arrived at by agreement coming from all political parties."

Many political parties have been quick to back the court's ruling, because it provides them with more room to gain voters.

Rejecting all pressures from the observers, KPU said Wednesday it would continue with its plan to issue a decree requiring political parties to allocate seats for woman. KPU member Andi Nurpati said the commission's plenary meeting had agreed to issue such a decree should the government fail to do so.

The KPU has registered nearly 12,000 candidates competing for 560 seats at the House of Representatives on April 9.

Action to increase women's representation in legislative bodies ahead of the 2004 elections, only resulted in 62 House seats being awarded to women, or 11 percent of the 550 seats.

Although the number of female legislators has increased since the 1999 polls, many criticize the low representation of women. Those supporting the plan claim an increase in female legislators would improve the House's performance, and reduce corruption. (din)

Agriculture & food security

Rice production surplus, farmers linger in poverty

Jakarta Post - January 24, 2009

Indonesia managed to achieve self-sufficiency and even a surplus in rice production last year, but failed to improve the economic conditions of farmers who mostly live below the poverty line, a recent survey showed.

The study, conducted by the Indonesian Farmers Union (SPI) last year, showed a farmer earned an average Rp 4,300 (approximately US 38 cents) per day.

With land conversions continuing to take place, more than 30,000 farmers and their families were forced to abandon their land last year, an increase from around 25,000 the year before.

"The number of farmers with either a very small plot of land or none at all continues to increase every day, or around 2 percent per year," SPI chairman Henry Saragih said in a press statement Friday.

He said that at least 10,000 hectares of rice fields were being converted annually for other purposes, leaving around 0.3 million hectares in Java and 1.19 million hectares outside Java. At least 5,000 hectares of rice fields across 12 regencies had been converted into coal mining sites.

"Despite this situation, the government refuses to implement the land reform programs it earlier promised to us. The National Agrarian Reform Program, which was supposed to redistribute land to the people and was promoted openly by the administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla in 2006, was never implemented," Henry said.

Farmers also experienced a tough year in 2008 due to the impacts of environmental destruction and global warming, and future dry seasons are expected to bring widespread droughts. To add to ongoing problems, 2008 was marked with numerous land conflicts, leading to the deaths of at least six farmers.

The SPI urged the government to immediately start the promised land reform program.

Corruption & graft

Bribe-riddled police move to reform

Jakarta Post - January 31, 2009

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – The country's police chiefs signed a contract Friday in an effort to push for bureaucratic reform within the force, dubbed the most bribe-riddled of all state institutions.

The signing of the "Bureaucratic Reform Performance Contract" followed the launch of the National Police's reform program, called Quick Wins, which was inaugurated earlier in the day by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The contract was signed by National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri, Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Wahyono and Banten Police chief Brig. Gen. Rumiah, the latter two representing provincial police offices across the country.

The contract-signing was intended to smooth the implementation of the Quick Wins program at all levels of police offices.

Bambang said the program consisted of four priorities, including speeding up the police's response to public complaints, and boosting transparency in criminal investigations and recruitment of new police officers.

Under Quick Wins, the police are also required to make more transparent the application procedures for several documents, including driver's licenses and vehicle ownership papers.

"I know it is not at all easy to implement Quick Wins, but I can say that we are committed to doing it," Bambang said during the launch of the program.

He said Quick Wins was part of a series in the National Police's bureaucratic reform policies enacted in 1999, which covers the evaluation of the institution's work performance, organizational structure reform, remuneration system management and work culture reform.

As part of the Quick Wins program, Bambang said the Jakarta, Banten and West Java police offices would be equipped with a total of 800 minivan mobile service units to increase patrols in areas with high incidences of crime.

He also promised the public would be given access to information about developments in the handling of their reports to police, either through letters or online media.

Speaking at the launch of the program, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said quick responses and transparency were crucial in the improvement of the police's services to the public.

He warned the police that they were essentially public servants and thus had to "very seriously" improve their services to the public.

"The service has to be good, quick, cheap and accountable. We have to always think of how we can improve our service to the public," the President said.

While praising the police force for its achievements over the past few years, Yudhoyono pointed out that many improvements were still needed in dealing with several issues, including street crimes, drugs, illegal fishing and intercommunal conflicts.

The police force was dubbed by the business community as the most bribe-riddled institution in Indonesia, according to a survey released last week by Transparency International Indonesia (TII).

The study showed 48 percent of respondents admitted to paying an average of Rp 2.2 million (US$200) to bribe police officers. The police had also booked first place in TII's 2007 survey, with a corruption perception index of 4.2.

However, National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Abubakar Nataprawira has questioned the methodology used in the survey.

Top banker faces life term

Agence France Presse - January 31, 2009

Jakarta – Indonesian prosecutors yesterday requested life in prison for a relative of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono accused of embezzling millions of dollars from the country's central bank.

Former Bank Indonesia deputy governor Aulia Pohan is accused of using 100 billion rupiah ($8.8 million) in bank funds to bribe politicians and hire lawyers to defend other bank executives on corruption charges.

Prosecutors demanded the maximum life sentence for Mr Pohan and three other deputy BI governors in the first hearing of the case at Indonesia's powerful anti-corruption court. The four men are accused of using 31.5 billion rupiah of the embezzled money to bribe politicians.

The remaining 68.5 billion rupiah was used to hire lawyers to defend other bank officials accused of being complicit in the embezzlement of billions of dollars that went missing during the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis.

The reformist Dr Yudhoyono was elected in a landslide in 2004 on promises to tackle entrenched corruption, and he has said he is personally saddened by the allegations against Mr Pohan, the father-in-law of the President's son.

The corruption court last year sentenced former bank governor Burhanuddin Abdullah to five years and gave two other former officials four years each over the case.

Supreme Court lenient on graft: ICW

Jakarta Post - January 27, 2009

Jakarta – The newly Sworn-in Supreme Court Chief Justice Harifin Tumpa faces an uphill battle against corruption with the nation's top legal institution under investigation for a number of scandals, a watchdog says.

"Fighting corruption at the Supreme Court will be Harifin's main task as the new chief justice," Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) researcher Emerson Yantho told a press conference in Jakarta on Sunday.

ICW disclosed the details of several corruption scandals within the Supreme Court based on investigations by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK).

The investigations, carried out between 2006 and 2008, revealed that around Rp 20 billion (US$1,800,800) had been embezzled by the Supreme Court.

The money was misused through fabricated budget allocations, such as Rp 1.6 billion for civil servants, Rp 10.2 billion for the Supreme Court case fees, Rp 915 million for the Supreme court chief's health insurance and Rp 540 million for the operational budget.

"We have data stating that more than Rp 31 billion has been allegedly stolen [by the Supreme Court] between 2006 to March 2008, but we believe the figure is higher than that," Emerson said. "The public has the right to know about corruption cases in the Supreme Court," Emerson said.

"Supreme Court justices need to frequently report their finances to an appropriate agency to avoid corruption. At the very least, they should be aiming to submit it twice per year," he said.

ICW's Febri Diansyah further accused the Supreme Court of "protecting corruptors", saying it acquitted 270 corruption suspects of all charges and handed down lenient sentences – mostly under two years – to 133 people charged with corruption between 2005 and 2008.

"The public does not trust the Supreme Court anymore. They need evidence to prove the institution is changing for the best, because currently most corruption cases just go up in smoke," he said.

Febri said while Harifin had promised to fight corruption across Indonesia, so far the results had shown the pledge was nothing more than lip service.

"I think Harifin needs to take serious action to combat corruption. For example, he should warn all judges in the country to hand down heavier sentences to corruptors and not them get away leniently," he said. "He should also punish judges who take bribes from corruption case defenders."

Both Emerson and Febri reprimanded the Supreme Court for their poor performance, saying judges' salaries had increased nearly 300 percent since last April in an attempt to encourage a higher level of professionalism. "If they do not make drastic changes soon, we will ask the government to review its policy on judges' salary again," Febri said.

He urged the Supreme Court to work closely with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to fight corruption.

"Both institutions can work together for better results. We are challenging the Supreme Court, particularly Harifin Tumpa, to show commitment to cutting down corruption within 100 days of his leadership," he said

Harifin, previously Supreme Court Deputy Justice for Non-Judicial Affairs under his predecessor Bagir Manan, was elected the court's chief justice on Jan. 15. Harifin, who will turn 67 on Feb. 23, is the oldest justice at the Supreme Court.

His appointment dashed hopes of reform within the struggling court and led to widespread protests and a call for the age of judges to be reduced. Just weeks prior to his election, Harifin fell down while inaugurating six new justices. (naf)

Islam/religion

City mosques reject Islamic formalization

Jakarta Post - January 30, 2009

Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – Most managers of mosques in Jakarta embrace a moderate brand of Islam and support the unitary state of Indonesia, a survey released Thursday reveals. Only a few wish for Indonesia to become an Islamic state, it added.

The survey was conducted by the Center for the Study of Religion and Culture (CSRC) at Jakarta's Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University between November 2008 and January 2009. It surveyed 250 takmir masjid (mosque managers) in Jakarta.

"Some 88.8 percent of the respondents approve of Pancasila [state ideology] and [view] the 1945 Constitution as the best model for Indonesia. As many as 78.4 percent agree that democracy is the best system of governance for Indonesia," CSRC research coordinator Ridwan Al Makassary told a press conference.

"However, we found a kind of split personality among the mosque managers. As citizens they support Pancasila as the state ideology for the country, but as Muslims they support the establishment of an Islamic country," another CSRC senior researcher Sukron Kamil said at the same forum.

The survey reveals that 31 percent of the respondents agree that Indonesians should enforce sharia law, 56 percent reject the notion, and 13 percent did not answer.

Some 74 percent said they would not fight a government that refuses to implement Islamic sharia law and 14 percent said they would. Some 74 percent did not agree that the main purpose of jihad was to wage war, and 15 percent said it was.

"On the question of whether violence is allowed to uphold amar ma'ruf nahi munkar [guiding people to the right path], 89 percent of the respondents reject it, 9 percent agree and the remaining 2 percent are undecided," Ridwan said.

The study shows 75 percent reject that suicide bombing can be considered jihad, and 9 percent said it was acceptable, the study said. However, when asked whether the state should have the authority to regulate Muslims' dress code, a surprising 60 percent of the respondents said they agreed and 33 percent opposed the idea.

Also, 41 percent said they agreed the state should have the authority to regulate religious activities, 50 percent did not agree and 9 percent did not answer.

"Generally, the majority of mosques in Jakarta embrace moderate Islamic ideas and thoughts. Nevertheless, among the total is a small number with a tendency toward increasing radical Islamic ideas," Ridwan said.

Masdar Farid Mas'udi of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the country's largest Muslim organization, said mosques were often used by clerics to preach "provocative sermons", particularly aimed against people of other beliefs.

"Mosque preachers tend to create enemies and look for friends, while failing to bridge differences among other groups," he told a discussion at the launch of another study, which would survey mosques in other regions, and in particular those affiliated with NU, which is widely known as a moderate Islamic organization.

Parties doubt MUI edict could draw people to polling booths

Jakarta Post - January 29, 2009

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Indonesian Muslims will ignore the recent edict by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), the country's highest Islamic authority, to ban vote abstention, as people's decision to vote will be determined by political calculation rather than religious dogma, politicians from major parties said Wednesday.

Public participation in the election, they said, would be based on voter perceptions of whether the election could improve their economic, political and social conditions and make their lives better.

"It has nothing to do with religion. I doubt the edict will have done any good in drawing people to the polling booths," Ganjar Pranowo, a senior legislator from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said.

He said in a democracy, the people's right to abstain from voting must be respected as it was their choice to make.

"We must examine what makes them ignore elections. If it is because they don't believe the election can make a difference in their lives, I think the government and the political parties should do something about it rather than let the MUI take the lead on the issue," he said.

The MUI issued several edicts banning vote abstention, smoking and yoga, during their national meeting in Padangpanjang, West Sumatra, on Monday. Some 700 clerics from the council agreed Muslims were forbidden to abstain from voting in an election if "qualified" candidates existed.

House of Representatives speaker Agung Laksono also criticized the MUI for the edict, saying the religious body had gone too far. "There are other ways that are more effective than an edict by the MUI. A political right cannot be enforced by a religious group or tied to religious practice," he said.

The edict, Agung added, was a case of politics intermingling with religion, which did not mix. "To increase participation at the polls, we need to reform the political parties and the way elections are organized," Agung, a senior politician from the Golkar Party, said. "The number of voters who abstain says something about the level of public trust," he said.

Mahfudz Siddiq of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) agreed that it was the government, the General Elections Commission (KPU) and the political parties that had the responsibility of reducing unregistered voters.

"We welcome the MUI's edict. But it is only advice, not a binding order. You see, many people don't vote because they are not registered. The KPU, the government and political parties should work hand in hand to minimize unregistered voters," he said.

As for people who really choose not to vote, there was no law prohibiting vote abstention.

Member of Golkar's advisory council Marzuki Achmad said that fear of high abstention in the upcoming election has driven MUI to issue such an edict. "We should appreciate it. But it won't be effective unless we have a law about it," he said.

A series of recent surveys have found that the number of voters intending to abstain was not high, ranging from 10 percent to 15 percent of total eligible voters. What worries observers is the finding that there are many unregistered voters, reaching 25 percent of total eligible voters.

The KPU has come under fire for the high level of unregistered voters, with many critics saying it could threaten the credibility of the election. With less than three months until the April 9 legislative election, the KPU still does not have a final voter list.

Late last year, the KPU announced the final list of eligible voters, which stood at around 172 million people. However, following intense public criticism over the thoroughness of the voter list, the KPU submitted a draft government regulation last month which allowed the poll body to revise its lists.

The head of the KPU logistics bureau, Dalail, however, rejected the plan, saying any revision of the final list of voters could disrupt preparations currently under-way, such as purchasing election materials.

"Preparing materials for the election will take a lot of time. We can't determine how much it will cost with the voter list constantly changing," he said last week.

The PDI-P's Ganjar said the indication that there was a high level of unregistered voters was what should raise concerns, and strengthened his belief that the MUI edict would not work.

"It is the KPU that should be fixed. Its members are even undecided on the validity of their voter lists, which they have worked on for months," he said.

SBY spending big on Islamic boarding schools

Jakarta Post - January 29, 2009

Erwida Maulia, Surabaya – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono launched two education programs and announced he would dramatically increase spending on Islamic boarding schools during a visit to an Islamic school in Surabaya, East Java, on Wednesday.

The visit came less than a week after Vice President Jusuf Kalla travelled to Kediri, East Java, where he was welcomed by a number of Muslim clerics and up to 12,000 students of Lirboyo Islamic School. Lirboyo clerics declared the Islamic boarding school had opened its door to the Golkar Party, which Kalla chairs.

Yudhoyono's visit to Assalafi Al Fithrah Islamic boarding school in Kenjeran, Surabaya, was part of the President's two-day tour of East Java, which follows a series of trips outside of Java, including to Batam, West Papua and Bali.

In many areas, supporters of Yudhoyono's Democratic Party waved the party's blue, white and red flag on roads as Yudhoyono drove by.

Watched by thousands of clerics, students and local residents outside of Assalafi Al Fithrah Islamic boarding school, Yudhoyono launched a reconstruction program for state schools and a scholarship program to help poor students attend Islamic schools.

He announced the disbursement of Rp 1.7 billion for the reconstruction of six Islamic boarding schools in Surabaya, South Sumatra's Palembang, South Kalimantan's Banjarmasin, West Nusa Tenggara's Central Lombok and South Sulawesi's Jeneponto. Scholarships were awarded to three Islamic school students.

The President was accompanied by First Lady Ani Yudhoyono and several cabinet ministers, including Religious Affairs Minister Muhammad Maftuh Basyuni, National Education Minister Bambang Sudibyo, and Communications and Information Minister Muhammad Nuh.

Maftuh said the two programs had been priorities of the Religious Affairs Ministry. He said the ministry planned to reconstruct about 26,000 classrooms of Islamic schools and provide scholarships for up to 1.5 million poor Islamic school students.

Maftuh said the aid was possible because the Religious Affairs Ministry's budget had been increased to Rp 23 trillion this year from Rp 14 trillion last year. He said the increase was possible because more money had been allocated for the education sector than ever before.

The 2009 state budget is the first in the country's history to comply with a Constitutional decree requiring the state to allocate 20 percent of its total spending on education.

Yudhoyono said 2009 was a "historical" year because Indonesia could for the first time earmark 20 percent of its total expenditures for education.

"We can even allocate more than Rp 200 trillion for the education sector, which means the amount that the Religious Affairs Ministry will receive will sharply increase too," the President said.

"Whoever governs us, whether at the local or central level, let's pray that this program will continue and run well."

House speaker slams voting fatwa

Jakarta Globe - January 28, 2009

Febriamy Hutapea – The Indonesian Council of Ulema, or MUI, went too far when it banned Muslims from abstaining from voting, House of Representatives Speaker Agung Laksono said on Tuesday.

"To vote or not to vote is purely a political matter, and not in the religious domain," he said. "It can't be forced and shouldn't be linked to religion."

Agung said the religious edict issued over the weekend by the MUI would mislead people because the Constitution did not require people to carry out their right to vote.

"Participating in elections is a political right, so we can't judge those who abstain," he said, calling the ruling from the country's highest authority on Islam "not proper." "It will not be effective in boosting people's participation in the elections," Agung said.

About 700 Muslim leaders gathered in Padang Panjang, West Sumatra Province, from Friday to Monday to discuss a number of contentious issues, ultimately issuing rulings on smoking, voting, yoga and abortion.

"As long as there is a candidate that is Muslim, honest, intelligent and ready to fight for the Indonesian people, it is 'haram' for Muslims to abstain from voting," Umar Shihab, the chairman of the MUI, said on Monday. "[But] it is forbidden for Muslims to vote for a non-Muslim."

Agung said the rising number of undecided voters should be a message to political parties to select better candidates. He also blamed the low voter turnout in previous elections on the poor performance of political parties in gaining public trust.

The chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly, Hidayat Nur Wahid, first proposed banning Muslims from not voting as a way to boost participation in the elections.

"I support the fatwa," Hidayat said. "I hope this can improve the performance of government, the General Elections Commission, legislative candidates and the political parties involved in the election process."

Hidayat said a prominent Islamic leader had confused Muslims by encouraging them to abstain in the upcoming elections.

Former President Abdurrahman Wahid, who is involved a power struggle within his National Awakening Party, has called on his supporters to stay away from the polls as a form of protest.

Indonesian Christian party criticises Muslim edict

Adnkronos International - January 27, 2009

Jakarta – A Christian political leader has criticised a religious edict or fatwa issued by Indonesia's top Islamic body stating that only a Muslim could become president of the country.

Sonny Wuisan, leader of the Christian Democratic Party (PKD) told Adnkronos International (AKI) that the edict from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) was unconstitutional and should be withdrawn.

"This fatwa is against the constitution and the MUI should limit itself to discussing religion," Sonny Wuisan, secretary of the PKD told AKI.

The PKD is a very small Indonesian political party that in particular attracts Indonesians who are ethnic Chinese.

The Indonesian Ulema Council issued several fatwas or edicts including a ban on practising yoga, smoking and voting abstention during its conference in the West Sumatran town of Padangpanjang at the weekend. The council said that Muslims should vote at forthcoming presidential elections in July if the candidates have certain characteristics such as "being Muslim".

On the other hand some 700 clerics from the council agreed on Sunday that Muslims were forbidden to abstain from voting in elections if "qualified" candidates existed.

"Islam obliges Muslims to elect their leaders if the latter meet certain criteria," Gusrizal Gazahar, MUI West Sumatra head, said after the meeting.

Wuisan stressed that all religions had a right to participate in the political process. "This country has a Muslim majority, but it doesn't mean that other religions do not count," said Wuisan.

Although the country has the largest number of Muslims in the world, Indonesia has substantial Christian, Buddhist and Hindu minorities. The country's constitution recognises five religions and allows all its citizens to run for public office.

At the same time of the six presidents that have been elected since independence, all were Muslims and all the candidates running in the forthcoming elections are Muslim.

The fatwas have no legal power but devout Muslims adhere to the rulings because ignoring a fatwa is considered a sin.

Indonesia has a population of 235 million people and 90 percent of them are Muslim. Most practise a moderate form of the faith.

Islamic group attacks Muslim "excessive" edicts

Adnkronos International - January 27, 2009

Jakarta – Indonesia's largest Muslim organisation has attacked a move by the country's highest Islamic authority to impose bans on smoking, practising yoga and voting abstention.

A 'fatwa' or a religious edict was issued by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) during its two-day national meeting in the West Sumatran town of Padangpanjang at the weekend.

Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesia's biggest Islamic organisation, criticised the religious edicts as "excessive".

NU deputy head Masdar F. Mas'udi said the MUI should not have inserted religion into the three matters. Yoga, as it is practised in Indonesia, he said, was a pastime and must not be seen in the context of religious worship.

He said that the MUI should not use "Islamic law" as a tool to discourage people from smoking.

"What's important is to inform the public of the bad effects of smoking and urge the government to enforce policies to discourage smoking," Masdar told the Indonesian daily The Jakarta Post.

He also said the MUI should "not bring in God and threaten people with hell" if it wanted to encourage Muslims to vote.

Some 700 clerics from the council agreed on Sunday that Muslims were forbidden to abstain from voting in elections if "qualified" candidates existed.

"Islam obliges Muslims to elect their leaders if the latter meet certain criteria," Gusrizal Gazahar, MUI West Sumatra head, said after the meeting.

The criteria include "being Muslim, honest, brilliant and ready to fight for the people", the council said.

It also forbade smoking by children and pregnant women, and in public places.

Muslims are also banned from practising certain aspects of yoga that contained Hindu elements such as chanting and meditation, it said. But Muslims can continue to perform yoga for purely health reasons, the council added.

Muslim scholar Azyumardi Azra also attacked the yoga ban as "excessive" and "counterproductive". However, he lauded the edicts against vote abstention and smoking, saying the former was "positive" in strengthening democracy and elected administrations.

Azyumardi, an assistant to vice president Jusuf Kalla, said the MUI had "compromised" and taken "accommodating" measures to partly forbid smoking, considering the fact that the tobacco industry employed so many workers and contributed much to the country's economy.

The edict also included a ban on abortion unless the mother is a rape victim, the pregnancy endangers her life, or the foetus is aged less than five weeks old, as well as a ban on vasectomy because the process is "irreversible".

A ban on marriage with minors, based on a 1974 law that forbids men under 19 and women under 16 years old from marriage was also issued by the council.

Indonesia bans 'Hindu' yoga for Muslims

Agence France Presse - January 25, 2009

Jakarta – Muslims in Indonesia have been banned from doing yoga if they engage in Hindu religious rituals during the exercise, the chairman of the country's top Islamic body said Sunday.

About 700 clerics from the Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI) agreed on the action late Sunday at a national meeting in West Sumatra province, Ma'ruf Amin told AFP by telephone.

"The yoga practice that contains religious rituals of Hinduism including the recitation of mantras is "haram" (forbidden in Islam)," he said. "Muslims should not practise other religious rituals as it will erode and weaken their Islamic faith," he added.

But Amin said that Indonesian Muslims were still allowed to do yoga strictly as exercise. "If it is purely a physical exercise or sport, it is not considered as 'haram,'" he added.

Religious edicts issued by the MUI are not legally binding on Muslims but it is considered sinful to ignore them. "If Muslims refuse to follow this clerics' fatwa, it means that they commit a sin," Amin said.

Yoga, an ancient Indian aid to meditation dating back thousands of years, is a popular stress-buster in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.

The clerics failed to issue an edict banning smoking in one of the most profitable tobacco markets in the world, agreeing only to ban smoking in public places, for pregnant women and children.

"There was disagreement between clerics over the smoking ban. But we all agreed to decide that it is "haram" for Muslims to smoke in public space, for pregnant women and children," Amin said. "We took this decision as smoking is harmful to health," he added.

Clerics at the gathering, which started Friday and ended Sunday, also decided to ban Indonesian Muslims from abstaining from voting as the country gets ready for legislative elections expected to be held in April.

"As long as there is a candidate leader that meets criteria such as being Muslim, honest, brilliant and ready to fight for Indonesian people's aspirations, it is 'haram' for Muslims to abstain from voting," Amin said.

But he added: "It is forbidden for Muslims to vote for a non- Muslim candidate leader."

Nearly 90 percent of Indonesia's 234 million people are Muslim, most of whom practise a moderate version of the religion.

'Unnecessary' fatwas draw fire on Indonesian Ulama Council

Jakarta Globe - January 26, 2009

Nurfika Osman & Sally Piri – Following a busy weekend of deciding whether smoking, yoga, not voting and other issues were right or wrong for the country's Muslims, the Indonesian Council of Ulema, or MUI, came under fire on Monday for issuing edicts that Islamic scholars said were not only unnecessary and unconstitutional, but threatened national unity and pluralism.

"The edicts kill the country's democracy and plurality as they want to apply the fatwas [edicts] to all citizens of Indonesia, regardless of their religion," said Fadjroel Rachman, a political analyst and activist who was once jailed during the New Order regime.

"The MUI will just taint their name if they keep on issuing fatwas and people just ignore them," added Fadjroel, chairman of the Indonesian Democracy and Welfare State Studies.

Around 700 Muslim leaders gathered in Padang Panjang, West Sumatra Province, from Friday through Monday to discuss a number of contentious issues, ultimately issuing rulings on smoking, voting, yoga and abortion.

On smoking, the religious leaders moderated their stance by declaring it makruh, which means it's bad and it's better to quit, but shied away from declaring it haram, or forbidden, in a country of tens of millions of smokers. They did, however, declare it haram to smoke in public and forbade smoking by MUI council members, children and pregnant women.

"We took this decision as smoking is harmful to your health," Umar Shihab, the chairman of the MUI, said on Monday.

Azyumardi Azra, a prominent Muslim scholar, said the edicts issued during the weekend were unnecessary, noting that they were nonbinding and would likely be ignored by the public – just like many MUI edicts.

"The fact is that a fatwa is not legally binding. People can choose to follow it or just ignore it," he said.

The MUI has previously issued controversial edicts banning interfaith prayer, interfaith marriage, interfaith inheritance and religious pluralism, liberalism and secularism, but the rulings are to this day widely ignored.

"MUI is just a religious adviser in the country, no more than that," Azyumardi said.

Prior to the weekend meetings, some Muslim leaders had sought a complete ban on smoking, citing its health risks and public health costs. But given the strength of the country's tobacco lobby, and the fact that the edict would be largely ignored, the MUI apparently sought a middle path.

But there was no such compromise on voting, as the conference decided to ban Muslims from abstaining from voting as the country prepares for legislative and presidential elections this year.

Former President Abdurrahman Wahid, who is in a power struggle within his National Awakening Party, has called on his supporters to stay away from the polls as a means of protest.

"As long as there is a candidate that is Muslim, honest, intelligent and ready to fight for the Indonesian people, it is 'haram' for Muslims to abstain from voting," Umar said. "[But] it is forbidden for Muslims to vote for a non-Muslim."

Diving into the issue after Malaysian clerics last year banned yoga as un-Islamic, the MUI ruled that the exercise is haram for Indonesian Muslims only if they engage in Hindu religious rituals at the same time.

"If it is purely a physical exercise or sport, it is not considered haram," Umar said. "We are afraid that chanting could weaken their Islamic faith."

The meeting also agreed that women who have been raped and become pregnant can morally seek an abortion, or if the mother's life is at risk due to medical complications.

Fadjroel said banning Muslims from not voting was an affront to the Constitution. "To decide whether to vote is a basic right and it is protected by the Constitution," he said, adding that the MUI could not supersede the laws of the country by issuing a fatwa because Indonesia was not an Islamic state.

Hasyim Muzadi, chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama, the country's largest Muslim group, also criticized labeling nonvoters as haram, but supported the stance against smoking.

"For the NU, smoking is just makruh because of its relative threat, and it is not going to be at the level of haram," said Hasyim, whose NU once famously declared "infotainment" gossip TV shows as haram – and was promptly ignored by the public.

Indonesia's top Islamic body weighs up smoking ban

Reuters - January 24, 2009

Olivia Rondonuwu, Padang Panjang – Indonesia's top Islamic body debated on Sunday whether to apply a blanket ban on smoking for Muslims or place a more limited restriction on tobacco use in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.

Officially secular Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population and about 700 people, including Muslim clerics and theological experts, have gathered in West Sumatra for the National Edict Commission meeting, which could issue fatwas on a range of areas from polygamy to doing yoga.

"Maybe smokers won't drop the habit in five or six years, but we hope that before the apocalypse there won't be any smoker in Indonesia if we put a ban on it," said Hasan Mansur Nasution, an ulema from North Sumatra, who favored a ban despite being a smoker himself.

The debate over smoking has revealed a split between those wanting to make it "haram," or not allowed, and others who favor a "makruh," a Arabic term whereby it would only be advised that smoking is bad and it is better to drop it.

The economic importance of the tobacco industry in Indonesia has also played a role in the talks and ulemas, or religious councils, in central and east Java, both areas where the industry is a big employer, have argued against a ban.

"Haram has a relation to sin and so the mosques built by cigarettes factories would also be haram, because they were funded by something haram," Syafiq Nashan, the head of the ulema in the city of Kudus, a center for the tobacco industry, said.

Some clerics also argued that there was no Islamic tenet that bans smoking.

Indonesia is the world's No. 5 tobacco market and, at around $1 a pack, cigarettes are among the cheapest in the world. Some cities in Indonesia, including Jakarta, have banned smoking in public places, but the rules are widely flouted.

Other than smoking, the council is expected to issue guidance on yoga, sharia banking, abstaining from voting and polygamy. There is a debate over whether Muslims should avoid yoga because of the view it uses Hindu prayers that could erode Muslims' faith.

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi intervened last year to say that Muslims could carry on doing yoga minus chanting after its National Fatwa Council had issued a ban.

The MUI has carved a key role for itself in Indonesia and its pronouncements on everything from Islamic banking to halal food can have a big influence on Southeast Asia's biggest economy.

The fatwas are not legally binding but place pressure on Muslims to adhere to them and can influence government policy.

Indonesia Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who opened the meeting on Saturday, urged the MUI to ensure that its decisions on fatwas did not "sow fear" and were in line with a changing world.

The meeting, which is due to decide on proposed fatwas later on Sunday, will not see a vote and if no consensus is reached the central board will step in to decide. (Editing by Ed Davies and Alex Richardson)

Muslim scholars, boarding schools key to national resilience

Jakarta Post - January 25, 2009

Jakarta – Chief of National Intelligence Agency (BIN) Syamsir Siregar said Sunday that Muslim scholars, Islamic boarding schools and society at large needed to contribute towards national security.

"The state of Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) is key in supporting national security and independence," Siregar said in Tasikmalaya, West Java, as quoted by Antara newswire.

Siregar argued that boarding schools have demonstrated its contribution to society through education. "Pesantren has also provided students with skills to prop up the schools' economy which in turn supports national resilience," he said.

Siregar also warned scholars and students against hate speech and statements that could compromise national unity.

"The unity between scholars and community leaders is important in creating civic awareness that would lead the country into a nation that is democratic, honest and just," he said.

Elections/political parties

Police and TNI pledge to stay neutral, abstain from voting

Jakarta Post - January 31, 2009

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – The police and military have faced increasing scrutiny over their commitment to remain politically neutral in the upcoming elections, with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono questioning the move and recent rumors.

National Police Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri said Friday the force would remain impartial and refrain from overtly supporting a political party or presidential candidate.

"I guarantee there will be no preferential candidate or party supported within the police force. If there is any open display of support or bias conduct, we will dismiss the officers responsible," Bambang said following the inauguration of 15 new Indonesian envoys at the Presidential Palace.

He said ahead of the legislative and presidential elections that the National Police would focus on security in conflict-prone areas, including Aceh and the Central Sulawesi town of Poso.

Yudhoyono caused a stir Thursday when he claimed to have heard reports of a group within the Army campaigning against a presidential candidate identified only by the initial S, and also about police top officers working for a certain presidential candidate.

It remains unclear exactly who Yudhoyono was referring to, as there are a number of candidates whose names begin with the letter S, including Yudhoyono himself, former Jakarta governor Sutiyoso and former Navy chief Slamet Subijanto.

The president also asked the police and military top brass to explain to the public why troops and officers opted to surrender their right to vote in the legislative and presidential elections as evidence of their impartiality.

Although Yudhoyono said he did not believe the reports, both the police and military leaders took the president's statement seriously.

TNI Commander Gen. Djoko Santoso brushed aside allegations the military had been involved in politics ahead of the elections.

"We have maintained our stance. Rumors will not change our neutrality," Djoko said to the Antara news agency Friday.

"Since 2004, the TNI has remained neutral," he said. Those who violate the measure will face punishment in accordance with TNI regulations.

"Let's just wait and see if we need a disciplinary council to hear cases involving violations. While they may just be rumors, the President's warning needs to be taken into account," said Djoko.

Army chief Gen. Agustadi Sasongko Purnomo said he would order all the regional military commanders to take the President's warning seriously.

"I will tell the commanders not to belittle the principle of neutrality," he said. He added the Army would not hesitate to dismiss any soldier found guilty of engaging in political activities.

Air Force chief Marshal Subandrio and Navy chief Adm. Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno shared the view that the TNI should maintain its distance from politics for the sake of national unity.

Subandrio said division in the military by political affiliation would endanger the country's territorial integrity. "Neutrality is needed not only to keep the TNI solid but also to build professionalism," Subandrio said.

The amended Constitution put an end to direct TNI political involvement as part of the reform agenda. In the past, the military and police played an often overbearing role in supporting the government.

As of 2004, the armed forces and police no longer held automatic representation in the legislative bodies.

The two forces decided to relinquish their right to vote in a pseudo-pledge of neutrality, even though the Constitution does not enforce a ban on the military or police from voting.

Permadi quits PDI-P for Gerindra

Jakarta Post - January 31, 2009

Jakarta – Senior legislator Permadi has resigned from the House of Representatives and quit his party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), to join the newly formed Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) headed by presidential candidate Maj. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto.

Permadi's decision dealt a serious blow to the PDI-P, which is determined to win the 2009 legislative election after being defeated by the Golkar Party in the 2004 elections.

"I met Prabowo two or three months ago and we discussed several issues. I decided to join his party because we have a similar vision and mission," Permadi told a press briefing Friday.

Permadi said Gerindra viewed the empowerment of the country's fishery and farming sectors, two industries he claimed were long forgotten by the current government, as crucial to developing the nation, an argument firmly believed by the first president of Indonesia, Sukarno.

Prabowo Subianto was the former Army Special Force (Kopassus) chief and son-in-law of the late former president Soeharto.

In 1998 Prabowo was accused of masterminding the kidnapping and disappearance of dozens of the nation's most prolific activists.

An internal investigation by the Army found a team established by Prabowo called "Tim Mawar" (the "Rose Team") was in fact responsible for the kidnapping of activists, some of whom have never been found.

In 2008, Prabowo formed Gerindra and was immediately named its presidential candidate.

Surprisingly, some noted activists and former victims of the Rose Team's terror campaign – including Pius Lustrilanang and Harianto Taslam – joined the party.

Permadi, a member of the commission I overseeing defense and foreign affairs, dismissed allegations of kidnapping against Prabowo, saying they had never been proven.

Permadi, who sent his letter of resignation to PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri on Jan 27, said he had no issue with the party chairwoman and daughter of Soekarno.

"There was no conflict between me and Megawati, and I do care for her. But this is my decision," he said, adding he also sent a similar letter to the House Representative speaker, the National Election Commission and the President to inform them of his resignation.

Andreas Pareira, a fellow PDI-P legislator, expressed shock upon hearing the news of Permadi's resignation, saying it was a massive loss for the party and the House.

"We work at the same commission. He is an asset to the party. I know him as a loyal, disciplined and very honest man, rare characteristics here in the House," he said.

Head of the PDI-P faction at the House Tjahjo Kumolo said the party had no problem with Permadi quitting his party and the House but he did not personally understand his motives. Speculation has been circulating that Permadi was disappointed with the party's decision to rank him lowly on the party's legislative candidate list.

Ibramsyah, a political analyst from the University of Indonesia, predicted that Gerindra would become one of the country's major parties, posing a threat to the established parties such as Golkar, PDI-P and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party.

"It is logical that Yudhoyono would worry about this party because many influential retired generals are flocking to support it," Ibramsyah said. (naf)

Star Reform Party not to accentuate religiousness

Kompas - January 30, 2009

Jakarta – The Star Reform Party (PBR) is positioning itself as a religious party that is 'socialistic', by not accentuating religious symbols, but rather with a substance that sides with marginal groups. Such a position has not yet been taken up by any other Islamic parties.

This was related by PBR General Chairperson Bursah Zarnubi during a break in the commemoration of the seventh anniversary of the PBR in Penjaringan, Jakarta, on Thursday January 29. "The PBR often carries out practical activities that directly connect with the lower layers of society. This isn't [just] empty talk because the PBR wants to present a political model that is different from the political practices of many [other] parties", he said.

The PBR, continued Zarnubi, is mobilising its members and legislative candidates to work hard to hear the people's voices. This is the reason that it does not just visit the people in the lead up to each election and then forget them over the next five years.

"So if PBR legislative candidates to this later, I will dismiss members who do not pay attention to the people", he reiterated.

According to Zarnubi, this is an effort on the part of the PBR to produce change in Indonesian political traditions. A type of politics that is not merely to seek power, but to work with the voting people and the nation.

Also during a break in the commemoration, Reform Institute executive Yudi Latif claimed that if the PBR can continue to show performance and draw near to the people, there is a good possibility that the PBR will garner a large vote in the coming elections.

"Moreover, the PBR is staffed by young people who are progressive and work as militants with the general chairperson who is also young. In addition to this, many non-government organisation activists who have long been active in the lower [layers of society] have joined [the PBR]", he said.

According to Latif, the theme of religious-socialism that is being taken up by the PBR will presumably be able to provide a new religious nuance to the Indonesian people. "Religion that is given a socialistic substance will result in the PBR not just being active on symbols, but also on more concrete problems that will be faced by the people", he said.

According to Latif, the PBR's position is quite unique if compared with the Justice and Prosperity Party (PKS), which prefers to accentuate the puritanical aspect, so that it very much accentuates the aspect of ethical purity. The PBR is delivering an Islamic identity with substance that sides with the mustad'afin (the oppressed), the marginal groups, by burying the puritanical aspects. (mam)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

PDI-P signs Megawati-Sultan run

Jakarta Globe - January 29, 2009

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDI-P, voted Sultan Hamengkubuwono X the party's preferred vice presidential candidate during the final day of its national conference on Wednesday.

However, any final decision on who will pair with former President Megawati Sukarnoputri, the party's chairwoman, will rest with a second internal poll, senior PDI-P legislator Andreas Pareira said.

Wednesday's voting process, in which provincial branches cast ballots for one of more candidates, could open the door to accusations that money politics may play a role in the party's final decision.

However, one observer said during the conference that Megawati's desire to regain office would be the overriding factor in any final decision by the PDI-P, such was her desire to dethrone her usurpers, incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

Party secretary general Pramono Anung said Hamengkubuwono, the governor of Yogyakarta, received 33 votes in the poll, followed by Prabowo Subianto, founder of the Great Indonesian Movement, or Gerindra, with 28 votes.

Hidayat Nurwahid, the speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly and a senior member of the Islamic-based Prosperous Justice Party, or PKS, secured 15 votes.

In a surprise fourth, a member of the Golkar Party's advisory board, media mogul Surya Paloh, garnered 14 votes.

"Maybe that's because he has a close relationship with Taufik Kiemas," Pramono said, referring to Megawati's husband, who chairs the PDI-P advisory board.

Former Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung came in fifth with 13 votes, while Wiranto, of the People's Conscience Party, Gorontalo Governor Fadel Muhammad and former Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso each secured five votes.

Worthy of note is that of the top eight contenders, all but Nurwahid and Sutiyoso are former or current heavyweights from Golkar, the former political vehicle of the late dictator Suharto.

Andreas, from the PDI-P's West Java provincial chapter, said that the party had learned its lesson from the 2004 presidential election, when Megawati, then the incumbent president, and Hasyim Muzadi were defeated by the Yudhoyono-Kalla ticket.

"In 2004, we failed to conduct the necessary research before deciding on a [vice presidential] candidate, but now we know that we have to choose the candidate based on research," Andreas said.

Pramono said that the PDI-P would establish a special team comprising 12 senior figures and party members, including former Muhammadiyah chairman Syafii Maarif and analyst Faisal Basri, to make a final decision.

The selection mechanism has added much interest to the presidential election, which is expected to come down to a battle between Yudhoyono, of the Democratic Party, and Megawati, though the large percentage of undecided voters could yet throw a wrench in the works.

The powerful Golkar Party, chaired by Kalla, is yet to formally decide if it will contest the July presidential election and is officially waiting for the results of the April 9 legislative elections before weighing in.

However, Kalla has been positioning himself to again run with Yudhoyono, to the contest the presidential elections.

Megawati to handpick running mate

Jakarta Post - January 29, 2009

Blontank Poer, Surabaya – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) ended a two-day meeting Wednesday no closer to picking a running mate for chairwoman and presidential hopeful Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Party executives had expected the gathering to result in a shortlist of candidates for Megawati's partner. Megawati blamed the party's failure to name her running mate candidate on the prospective nominees' refusal to swallow their pride.

"Even now, none of them has announced a bid to be a vice presidential candidate. Everybody wants to be president," she said.

Several names have been touted as potential running mates to the former president, including Yogyakarta Governor Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, whom she met with three times in the past week.

PDI-P executives also tasked Megawati with forming a team to lobby prospective vice presidential candidates and another team to set the criteria for the running mate hopefuls.

Several surveys say the PDI-P will be the party to beat in the April legislative elections, with Megawati the strongest contender to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Calls for Hamengkubuwono to team up with Megawati received a major boost earlier on Wednesday, with 31 provincial PDI-P branches backing him.

Media magnate and Golkar Party chief advisor Surya Paloh emerged as a surprising alternative candidate, supported by 14 provincial branches.

"The nomination of Pak Surya is quite surprising, but it's perhaps because of his close ties with the PDI-P," party secretary-general Pramono Anung Wibowo said.

Surya is a key figure behind a move to form a grand coalition between the PDI-P and Golkar, which has yet to bear fruit.

PDI-P deputy chairman and Megawati's husband, Taufik Kiemas, welcomed the idea of a Megawati-Surya team. "This reflects the dynamics of the party. We always respect national figures," Taufik said.

The meeting was held at the four-star Hotel Sunan in Surakarta, Central Java, with room rates from US$80 to $410 per night. More than 1,000 people attended the event.

Overturn threshold, court told

Jakarta Globe - January 29, 2009

Muninggar Sri Saraswati – The legal stipulation requiring a political party to acquire a minimum number of seats in the House of Representatives before it can nominate a presidential candidate is unconstitutional, political and constitutional law experts said on Wednesday during a hearing at the Constitutional Court.

Irman Putra Sidin, a former assistant to the Constitutional Court, said the threshold prevented independent candidates or candidates from parties with less than 25 percent of the total vote in national legislative elections from running in the presidential election.

Under the stipulation, only a party or coalition of parties that wins 20 percent of the seats in the House in the legislative elections qualifies to nominate a presidential candidate. "The president should not be seen as a representative of a political party," Irman told the Constitutional Court.

The notion that a strong government need support from the House of Representatives is misleading, he said. "The House's main function is to control a president, not support him."

Bima Arya of Paramadina University said the country's presidential system of government should accommodate all independent candidates and candidates from political parties.

Kacung Maridjan, who represented the government at Wednesday's hearing, said the threshold was aimed at paring down the number of presidential candidates. "We can not afford too many candidates," he said. "Therefore, the threshold should be seen as a selection of presidential candidates prior to the election."

The presidential law has been challenged by four petitioners. Some want the court to annul the threshold, while another wants the court to allow independent candidates. The hearing will resume on Feb. 4, with a decision expected in mid-February.

PDI-P silent on Megawati's running mate

Jakarta Post - January 28, 2009

Blontank Poer and Erwida Maulia, Surakarta/Malang – Potential vice presidential candidates attended the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) meeting Tuesday, but were left guessing with no definite announcement made.

Following the closed-door party meeting, PDI-P secretary-general Pramono Anung Wibowo said some candidates had accepted nomination as the running mate of presidential candidate and party leader Megawati Soekarnoputri, but the party would not decide until the outcome of the April 9 legislative polls.

"There are candidates who have accepted nomination for contesting the presidential election as Ibu Megawati's running mate," Pramono said. He refused to identify the candidates or confirm if they were among the five figures touted as the most likely to win the post.

Yogyakarta Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, former Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung and former Jakarta governor Sutiyoso were seen attending the PDI-P two-day meeting in Surakarta, which commenced Tuesday.

The two other hopefuls, Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) leader Hidayat Nur Wahid and Prabowo Subianto, founder of Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party, sent representatives.

Both Akbar and Hamengkubuwono declined to comment on their response to the PDI-P offer. "Everything is up to the PDI-P," said Akbar, the House of Representatives speaker detained for alleged graft during Megawati's tenure as president in 2002.

The Sultan, who met Megawati twice within a week prior to the Surakarta gathering, expressed similar sentiments. "I don't want to be overconfident by saying yes or no to the offer," he said.

Other potential candidates for Megawati's running mate are Gorontalo Governor Fadel Muhammad and Fisheries Minister Freddy Numberi.

Separately, presidential spokesman and deputy head of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party, Andi Malarangeng, said Megawati's accusation that the incumbent misled the public about the government's achievements was a political stunt that would not affect the President's popularity.

"The same trick failed in 2004, and it will fail again too in the upcoming elections," Andi told a press conference in Malang.

Megawati said recently the government was playing its people like 'a yoyo game' by taking credit for pro-poverty programs, including fuel price cuts, while allowing underprivileged people to continue suffering.

Andi said the Yudhoyono administration had raised incomes, education and health budgets, rice production and lowered fuel prices.

Megawati blasts SBY's liberal economic policies

Jakarta Globe - January 28, 2009

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Former President Megawati Sukarnoputri, who is currently setting her sights anew on the presidency, lashed out at President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and outlined her platform for getting the nation back on track on Tuesday.

Megawati blamed the incumbent for allegedly failing to bring welfare to the people and for having an overly liberal approach to the economy, which she said left local enterprises and products out in the cold.

Speaking at a national meeting of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDI-P, Megawati blamed shortcomings in welfare programs to Yudhoyono's mismanagement of the national budget, saying he had failed to reduce unemployment and poverty.

"Basically, the government has been unable to accomplish what they had promised during the last elections in their short and medium development plan, for the welfare of the nation," Megawati said. "The government has also failed to control the prices of essentials, and failed to manage state finances," she added.

She said Yudhoyono was also guilty of an excessively liberal approach to the economy, leaving local businessmen with a shrinking share of the Indonesian market.

She said that while local products accounted for 74 percent of the market in 2002-04 when she was president, that portion had significantly declined to 22 percent.

"The government has been treating the people just [like] a child's toy, the yo-yo, which it throws around here and there. It may seem nice to look at, but the truth is this is making the people face uncertainties," Megawati said.

She proposed her own "2-8 policy" as an answer. According to Megawati, the number "2" stands for two goals – the enhancement of national unity by having an honest, open government, and the enhancement of people's welfare by providing cheap basic necessities and job opportunities.

She said the policy also referenced eight priorities for attaining the goals, including increasing national security, establishing a stronger bargaining position for food and energy management, establishing a stronger financial foundation, and paying sufficient attention to education and technology.

Other priorities, she said, would include access to cheap health care for citizens, promoting micro-economic support, promoting the national economy, and promoting good governance as well as legal and human rights.

"We do not want to hear that people must stand in line just to get fuel, people shouting about unaffordable prices of basic necessities or students committing suicide just because they cannot afford school fees," Megawati said. "[With the 2-8 policy], let us finish our reform commitment together."

Puan Maharani, Megawati's daughter, who heads the steering committee, said that more than 1,000 PDI-P members from all around the country attended the meeting, which had representatives from 474 PDI-P district branches.

Boediono, governor of Bank Indonesia, the country's central bank, also spoke at the meeting. Corruption Eradication Commission Chairman Antasari Azhar attended the opening ceremony as well.

Adang Rutjiatna, chairman of the PDI-P's Jakarta branch, said on Tuesday that presentations were providing party members with a sound education on economics and good governance. "They really help us to confirm our commitment to be more knowledgeable on such issues, including how to prevent corruption," Adang said.

New way to vote causes concerns

Jakarta Post - January 28, 2009

Yuli Tri Suwarni and Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, Bandung, Padang – Regional general election commissions (KPUDs) are concerned with the new way to vote in which voters have to tick instead of punch the ballot.

The Bandung KPUD, for example, conducted various simulations and found that some 30 percent of the votes would be void as many voters still punched the ballot.

The legislative election is slated for April 9, while the presidential election is scheduled for July 8. Bandung KPUD head, Heri Sapari, said that from the dozens of simulations held in Bandung, the invalid ballot totals reached 30 percent.

"Most voters preferred to punch the ballot because they didn't know about the new way," he said. "Voters were already used to the old system of punching."

In the Mentawai Islands regency in West Sumatra, the KPUD is concerned about the high illiteracy rate in the regency.

"There are still illiterate people on Siberut and Sipora Islands," Mentawai Islands KPUD chief Bastian Sirirui said.

"These voters cannot differentiate between candidate's names. They will also find it difficult to tick the ballot paper because they are not used to holding pens."

There will only be a list of the candidate's names on the ballot papers, with no accompanying pictures. "Voters will have a hard time locating candidates they know because there will be no pictures."

Bastian said such conditions made disseminating information on the new changes difficult, especially in the remote areas in the middle of the islands.

"The problem is that the terrain is very difficult and it takes time to reach our destinations," he said. "Not to mention that we have yet to receive any funds for disseminating the general election procedures."

It takes three days to reach a village on the western coast of Siberut Island, while high waves until April make it dangerous to go there.

There are 44,700 registered voters in Mentawai, with 20,000 voters living in remote villages. From the West Sumatra provincial capital of Padang, it takes at least 10 hours by ship to reach Mentawai.

In addition to voters not getting used to the new voting procedure, Heri was also worried about the possibility of low voter turnout in Bandung.

Bandung has 1,635,347 registered voters who can vote at 5,457 polling stations across the provincial capital city of West Java.

The trend of low voter turnout was visible during the West Java gubernatorial election and the Bandung mayoral elections.

"In the 2004 general election, voter turnout still reached 85 percent," Heri said. "The gubernatorial election in April had only 74 percent turnout and the Bandung mayoral election in August had 69 percent turnout."

Heri said that voter turnout in Bandung was still better than other regions, which have had a turnout as low as 50 percent.

"However, if we consider the figures with those of void ballots, it seems valid ballots will only be around 50 percent of registered voters," he said.

"We are still working to disseminate the new voting procedure despite the fact that we have yet to get our funding of Rp 1 billion (US$88,300)."

Golkar urged to expel sultan

Jakarta Globe - January 28, 2009

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Sally Piri – Sultan Hamengkubuwono X should be expelled from the Golkar Party for "violating party discipline" by signalling a willingness to run for vice-president with a rival political party in the upcoming national elections, senior Golkar figure Muladi said on Tuesday.

Muladi, who serves on Golkar's Central Executive Board and is close to party chairman and incumbent Vice President Jusuf Kalla, made the statement after it became apparent that Hamengkubuwono was the favored candidate to run for vice president alongside Megawati Sukarnoputri, chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle, or PDI-P.

"Yes, Sultan Hamengkubuwono X has violated party discipline," Muladi said. Speaking on the sidelines of a book launch also attended by Kalla, Muladi said Hamengkubuwono could no longer be considered a part of Golkar, the former political vehicle of autocratic ex-president Suharto.

"Golkar has a tradition, and the leadership at the Central Executive Board is very solid," Muladi said. "The Sultan can move to [Megawati's party] if he wants to, but he has to withdraw from Golkar and give up his position."

Hamengkubuwono's campaign manager, Sukardi Rinakit, could not be contacted for comment on Tuesday.

Despite Muladi's remarks, there have been no formal moves to unseat Hamengkubuwono, who remains an influential figure within the party.

Speaking at the same event, Kalla took an apparent swipe at the prospects of former Jakarta governor Sutiyoso, who is also vying for the number two spot alongside Megawati.

In a democratic nation, political leaders not only needed leadership skills and capabilities, but also the support of a strong political party, Kalla said.

"One can be great, have experience and be well-educated, but if [a leader] does not have the support of a political party, it is difficult to be a national leader," the vice president said.

Sutiyoso, a controversial former military figure who was heavily criticized by a number of analysts when he served as Jakarta's governor, has little formal political backing, unlike two former military generals, Wiranto – Golkar's last presidential candidate – who heads the People's Conscience Party, or Hanura, and Prabowo Subianto from the Great Indonesia Movement Party, or Gerindra. Both candidates have been short listed by the PDI-P.

The comments coincided with the first day of the PDI-P's 4th National Working Conference in Solo, which was attended by delegates from more than 470 provincial branches. Much of the focus in the lead up to the conference was directed at the identity of Megawati's running mate.

Other less likely candidates for the vice presidency included former Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung and the speaker of People's Consultative Assembly, Hidayat Nurwahid, from the Prosperous Justice Party, or PKS.

Even the name of nationalist Amien Rais, a former House speaker, was put forward by a number of PDI-P branches. His candidacy was given more legitimacy when Megawati's daughter and the apparent heir to the PDI-P, Puan Maharani, said Amien was among the favorites.

Indonesia's second direct presidential elections are scheduled for July.

Megawati getting closer to the Sultan

Jakarta Post - January 27, 2009

Blontank Poer and Slamet Susanto, Surakarta, Yogyakarta – A duet between Megawati Soekarnoputri of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), and Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X has come closer to reality.

After meeting with the Sultan in Yogyakarta on Monday, Taufik Kiemas, chairman of the PDI-P advisory council, told a gathering of thousands of party supporters that it would need all their moral support to turn the Megawati-Sultan duet into reality.

"To realize the duet, we need moral support from all members," he said ahead of the party's two-day national working meeting, which will begin on Tuesday in Surakarta, Central Java, to decide upon the vice presidential candidate for Megawati.

Taufik, Megawati's husband and many say an important authority within the party, said all along that the relations between Megawati and the Yogyakarta governor had been well maintained, pointing to the fact that both leaders were Yogyakartan natives, figures in the reform movement and nationalists.

"I am very happy to be able to unite two Yogyakartans, my wife Megawati Soekarnoputri and my brother Sri Sultan Hamengkubowono. This is not my plan, this is God's work," he said.

Megawati and the Sultan, a member of the Golkar consultative council, would have a late night dinner to discuss the next steps. The Sultan was also invited to the national party meeting in Surakarta.

The chairman of the PDI-P's Yogyakarta branch Akhmad Djuwarto welcomed Taufik's speech, saying the duet of Megawati-Sultan should be brought into reality to steer Indonesia to a better position. "They are the ideal pairing to build the nation," he said.

Sultan, who declared to run for the presidency in October last year, said that he would come to Surakarta to honor the PDI-P's invitation. "The PDI-P is expected to continue to be a confortable home for democracy, for many ethnic and religious (elements) within the country," he said.

The Sultan, however, did not go so far as to directly say if he would accept the offer from the PDI-P.

In Surakarta, some of the party's figures expressed optimism that Megawati could defeat President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the presidential elections, pointing to the latest surveys showing the PDI-P could win the legislative election.

"Beside the victory of the party, which will win 25 percent of votes in the legislative elections, we have to select an important figure to accompany the chairwoman," Puan Maharani, the chairman of the party's national gathering, said Sunday night.

Besides the Sultan as the strongest contender, other contestants included Prabowo Subianto, chairman of the Greater Indonesian Movement Party (Gerindra), former Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso, and People's Consultative Council (MPR) speaker Hidayat Nur Wahid of the Islamic-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

The national gathering, which will be attended by over 1,000 members from across the country, has invited the country's high- ranking officials, including Bank Indonesia governor Budiono, TNI chief Gen. Djoko Santoso, National Police chief Bambang Hendarso Danuri and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chief Antasari Azhar to its opening ceremony.

But PDI-P officials have said the party would neither invite President Yudhoyono nor Vice President and Golkar Party chairman Jusuf Kalla. The PDI-P's committee for the election victory Tjahyo Kumolo said the gathering would only announce a short list of candidates for Megawati's running mate.

"The name of the final candidate for the party's vice president will be announced after we know the results of the April 9 legislative elections,' he said.

Many party's officials and observers have said that considering the poor popularity of Sutiyoso in surveys and the persistence of Prabowo in running for president, then the chances of either accompanying Megawati were fading.

Meanwhile, as the legislative election is fast approaching, PDI-P patience was stretched by the lack of any clear response from Hidayat and the PKS.

Observers have said the Megawati-Sultan duet had a chance to match the Yudhoyono-Kalla pairing, since many of Golkar's supporters were sympathic to the Sultan.

"Golkar's supporters will be divided between chosing Megawati- Sultan or Yudhoyono-Kalla," said Muhammad Qodari, executive director of the Indo Barometer pollster group.

He said it would be a rematch of the 2004 election when Kalla went his own way against Golkar to team up with Yudhoyono and when Wiranto got Golkar's ticket as presidential candidate.

"At that time, Golkar's supporters were divided. I think the upcoming election will see a similar situation if Megawati teams up with the Sultan," Qodari said.

Poll monitors form union to boost transparency

Jakarta Post - January 27, 2009

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – NGOs conducting public opinion and exit polls have established an association that obliges members to reveal their sponsors and donors in an effort to fight their tainted image ahead of the upcoming elections.

The Center for Indonesia Regional and Urban Studies (Cirus) executive director Adrinof Chaniago was elected chairman of the association.

The number of poll surveyors has increased dramatically since the first ever direct elections in 2004, but recently they have faced accusations from observers and politicians for being "biased" toward certain political parties.

"The association members have agreed to certain points for their code of ethics, including the obligation to publicly announce the sponsors who pay for their surveys," Andrinof told The Jakarta Post on Monday. This requirement would be crucial for ensuring the independence of election surveyors.

"We don't want our surveys to damage the public's right to information," he said.

Shortly after its launch Sunday, the association set up a disciplinary council.

The council members are Saiful Mujani of the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI), M. Husain from the Institute of Research, Education and Information of Social and Economic Affairs (LP3ES), Hari Wijayanto, head of the statistic division at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture and Hamdi Muluk and Deddy Nur Hidayat from the University of Indonesia.

"The council is still deliberating a code of ethics, the first step toward improving their public image and performance," said Adrinof, also a political expert from the University of Indonesia.

Currently, the Association of Indonesian Public Opinion Research, chaired by Denny JA, acts as the body which represents surveyors and poll operators. This organization did not join the new association.

The 2008 election law bans poll operators from revealing the outcome of their exit polls on the voting day.

The General Elections Commission (KPU) issued a regulation requiring surveyors and pollsters to register with the elections body before conducting public opinion or exit polls.

The regulation also obliges them to register their research survey procedures and funding sources.

Andrinof demanded the KPU drop the regulation, arguing it was not in line with the election law which only restricted surveyors from announcing their vote count results during the voting period.

"With this regulation in hand, the life and death of surveyors now rests with the KPU, adding to their power and arrogance," he said.

Widespread money politics feared

Jakarta Post - January 27, 2009

Agus Maryono, Purwokerto – The Constitution Court's Regulation No. 8/2008 on granting legislative seats to candidates who win the most votes, rather than handing out seats according to the age-old practice of party hierarchies, could spark an explosion in the practice of money politics, experts say.

The practice will be more widespread because the democratization process, especially in Central Java, has not yet taken full effect, Rubiyanto Misman, former rector of Jendral Soedirman University, said Saturday in Purwokerto.

"Money politics is inevitable because legislative candidates will compete against each other without necessarily thinking about the hierarchy used in earlier elections," he said.

"One of the most effective ways to entice voters is with money. This is the downside of the regulation. But the regulation has also its upside in that it opens the democratic tap fairly, gives chances to the candidates to compete without any fear of intervention from their party's board of management."

However, Rubiyanto reiterated that in general, Indonesians were not quite ready yet for an open democracy, citing regional elections in several provinces and cities that were plagued by money politics.

"In Banyumas, for instance, the example is very real. The elected regent during the election in 2008 was a candidate who was not popular at all previously. He became well-known because of money. but the fact is he was the one who got elected," he said.

"Frankly I'm worried, because with such a spirit, the people will only choose candidates who give them money, no matter how capable they are. If this persists, it will be very dangerous," he said, adding the danger would come from shoddily worked-out regional and national regulations drafted by incompetent legislators.

Moreover, he went on, candidates with adequate capability and popularity risked being shunned by voters simply because they did not offer them cash.

"Therefore, with the issuance of this regulation, all parties who are concerned about this nation have to jointly conduct political education for the people, especially on how to choose only high- quality candidates," Rubiyanto stressed.

He added that education on political ethics must be enforced from junior high school level to enable students to learn about democracy, saying, "If necessary, it can be given to elementary school students too so that when they are eligible to vote, they are prepared both in mind and spirit."

Muhaimin, a politician from the National Awakening Party's (PKB) Banyumas office, expressed similar sentiments, saying the practice of money politics was already rife.

"A friend of mine at the legislative council spent about Rp 50 million (US$4,500) to be disbursed in regional visits, even though the campaign period hasn't started yet," he said.

He added the new regulation would force candidates who previously held favorable spots in their parties' hierarchies to steal attention and sympathy from the public by, among others, giving out money.

"Yes, we all need money, given the high prices these days," said Rohmanudin, 45, a pedicab driver.

Megawati-Sultan presidential ticket looking ever more likely

Jakarta Globe - January 26, 2009

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The political romance between former President Megawati Sukarnoputri and Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X appears to have blossomed on Monday, fueling speculation that he will run as Megawati's deputy in the upcoming presidential election.

The sultan hosted Megawati and her husband, Taufik Kiemas, for dinner at the Yogyakarta Palace on Monday, less than a week after Megawati, chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDI-P, hosted the sultan for breakfast in Jakarta. The meeting was also just a day ahead of today's PDI-P national meeting at which Megawati may announce her running mate.

Asked what the trio had discussed during the dinner, a coy Taufik said only Megawati, the sultan and God would know.

Six hours before the dinner, Hamengkubuwono, who is the governor of Yogyakarta, and Taufik, who heads the PDI-P's advisory council, attended a conference held by the PDI-P's local branch at the Yogyakarta Expo Center. The sultan, a senior member of PDI-P rival Golkar Party, said he expected the PDI-P to enhance its role in developing the country and improving the welfare of its people.

A banner was unfurled during the conference, with PDI-P members from Kulon Progo district calling for a Megawati-Hamengkubuwono pairing in July's presidential election.

Sitting in the front row of the conference, the sultan smiled at the banner while thousands of PDI-P members participating in the event shouted their support. In his remarks, Taufik Kiemas said that he was happy to bring together his wife and the sultan, whom he described as one of his "very close friends."

"I think this banner is far more important for participants here at this meeting than hearing my speech is," Taufik said.

Taufik said that Megawati and the sultan shared much in common, including their nationalistic approaches to development and their political pedigrees.

Hamengkubuwono is the son of former the vice president and national independence hero, Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX. Megawati is the eldest daughter of Sukarno, Indonesia's founding president.

"Their roots are similar. They are members of the families of the nation's founding fathers, children of this country's reformists," Taufik said, adding that everyone who cared about Indonesia's sovereignty should support the pairing.

Speaking after the conference, the sultan said that he was yet to make a decision over whether he would seek the presidency or settle for the vice presidency. "Just wait for the PDI-P conference tomorrow [Tuesday] and see," the sultan said.

PDI-P members have expressed hope that the sultan will join Megawati's ticket, but the sultan's campaign team has insisted that he will only run as a presidential candidate.

As the PDI-P national conference approached, however, the sultan's campaign adviser, Sukardi Rinakit, said that the sultan would likely run as a vice presidential candidate if paired with Megawati.

Despite all the indications that the pairing was set to be announced at the PDI-P meeting, Taufik told journalists that other candidates were still in the running to join Megawati's ticket.

Among others reportedly being considered are People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Hidayat Nurwahid, former Golkar Party chairman Akbar Tandjung, former Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso and Gen. (ret.) Prabowo Subianto. "I think all of them will attend tomorrow's conference," Taufik said.

The meeting is to be held at the Sunan Hotel in Solo, Central Java Province.

SBY, Kalla compete to lure voters

Jakarta Post - January 24, 2009

Abdul Khalik – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla have stepped up visits to regions across the country, a move many criticize as an attempt to win over voters ahead of elections.

Yudhoyono and Kalla, each escorted by a different group of Cabinet ministers and officials, left Jakarta Wednesday and Thursday respectively to visit various regions across the country, leaving Jakarta void of leadership and prompting questions about the urgency of their travels.

With scores of Cabinet ministers using their working visits as a cover for campaigning both personally and for their parties across the archipelago, intensified regional visits by Yudhoyono and Kalla have been slammed as unnecessary and indirectly condoning improper campaign activities by ministers, many of whom have postponed their respective ministry's development programs.

Despite a planned government decree calling for ministers contesting the legislative election to resign from office while campaigning, recent actions taken by the nation's top leaders have led election observers to call the decree nothing more than lip service.

"Ministers have conducted campaigns for their own benefit using state funds, while both the President and Vice President follow suit. What this means is that many government programs will be left untouched for several months. There will be no development.

"If this continues, the credibility of the government will be at stake," Daniel Sparringa, a political expert from the University of Airlangga in Surabaya, said Friday.

After opening a special economic zone in Batam, Riau province, Yudhoyono went to Sorong and Manokwari in West Papua to speak with victims of the recent earthquake. While there, he handed over around Rp 150 billion (US$14 million) to the people under the guise of the National Program for People's Empowerment (PNPM).

"This fund will continue to be offered to us [West Papuans] if the President is reelected. That's why I pray he will be our President again," West Papua Governor Abraham Atururi said to Antara News Agency during Yudhoyono's visit.

The President and First Lady Any Yudhoyono smiled upon hearing the speech, with PNPM being one of Yudhoyono's key programs since it was first launched 2007.

Aside from PNPM funds, the President also handed over billions in aid funding and soft loans to Papuan victims of the quake.

En route to Papua, Yudhoyono dropped by Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi to meet with local officials of his Democratic Party, and late Friday the President was scheduled to meet with Balinese people.

If Yudhoyono was garnering votes outside Java, then Kalla was working the campaign trail inside the island, wooing Islamic clerics in East Java.

Before 12,000 students from the Lirboyo Islamic School in Kediri, East Java, Kalla said the government was not making enough of a distinction between Islamic scho ols and public schools as far as budget allocation was concerned.

"The highest budget allocation in this country is for education, and you see, we make no distinction between public schools and religious-based schools," Kalla said.

Lirboyo clerics welcomed Kalla, saying the Islamic school opened its door to Golkar.

Afterwards Kalla, accompanied by party officials, addressed hundreds of supporters, the majority of them farmers, and promised to keep the price of rice high enough so they would not suffer.

Government/civil service

Fakta releases survey on governor's performance

Jakarta Post - January 29, 2009

Jakarta – A survey on the city administration's performance in 2008 was released on Wednesday and showed illegal fees and dissatisfaction with public services still abounded.

While state schools are free, 58.29 percent of respondents said they still had to pay extra fees for items such as shoes and uniforms and maintenance expenses for school buildings, according to a survey conducted by the NGO Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta).

At least 51.43 percent of respondents said they still had to pay illegal fees at subdistrict offices when applying for ID cards or other documents. Many also complained that some subdistrict heads were not available when they needed to see them.

"I understand what Jakartans have said in this survey. I feel awful over the fact that 55 subdistrict heads in East Jakarta were reportedly not always available," Governor Fauzi Bowo said.

In the survey, Fakta also asked the residents to comment on several issues, including evictions, health services and transportation problems.

"This survey is like a school report for me. I was nervous about the results, just like a school kid, but the difference here is I am graded by 10 million people," Fauzi said.

Saiman, a street vendor in Jatinegara, East Jakarta, claimed that he had no complaints about education services as his grandchildren enjoyed free school thanks to the administration's subsidy. "However, 'the administration's' treatment of street vendors has not improved," he said.

On residential questions, 86 percent of residents in the survey said their kampungs were good places to live in, while 12 percent said they were not satisfied with their dwelling conditions and 1.14 percent did not know.

Of all respondents, 67.71 percent lived in their own house, 22.9 percent in rented houses, and 10 percent of them did not own nor rent.

Fakta also noted that eviction was among the issues the residents fear the most, especially those who live in off-limit areas such as beneath the overpass bridges and along riverbanks.

Legislators slammed for overseas 'study' trips

Jakarta Post - January 27, 2009

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – A political watchdog has criticized legislators for taking unnecessary overseas trips and threatening the progress of a crucial bill they are working on.

A coalition of civil society groups slammed the House of Representatives on Monday for allowing 20 of its members working on the much anticipated bill on legislative bodies to undertake the so-called study trips to the US and Germany.

Ronald Rofiandri of the Study Center for Indonesian Policies and Laws (PSHK), said legislators should have focused on completing deliberations on the bill before entering another recess in March.

"We regret this decision made by the special committee overseeing the bill. The scheduling of the study trips was badly coordinated, and considering the House has limited standing session time as it is, traveling should not have been a priority," Ronald said.

"Basically, legislators will not learned anything new from these study trips. Most of what they will discuss has already been debated many times in the past, particularly since the amendment of the Constitution in the year 2000," he said.

Ronald said the trips were a waste of state money and the deliberation of the bill could have been completed without legislators having to conduct their trips.

Ganjar Pranowo, head of the bill's special committee and senior politician from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) confirmed 10 members of the House's Commission II overseeing home affairs, regional autonomy and the general elections Commission took part in a trip to the United States, while 10 others visited Germany.

He said both groups, which left for their destinations on the weekend, would spend between four and five days in the two countries.

"We have of course used the results of previous comparative studies conducted by other House divisions, but there are several technical things we need to examine in these two model countries.

The relationship between the Senate and the House, for example, is one area of difference we wish to learn more about, as is the workings of the central and local parliaments and the mechanisms of sessions," said Ganjar, who remained in Indonesia.

The trips had allegedly been scheduled for some time, but because of year-end budgetary issues, they could not be carried out any earlier.

Ganjar refused to comment on the cost of the trips, claiming to not known any of the details. Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) has estimated the 20 legislators will spend in excess of hundreds of thousands of US dollars for the trips.

The bill on the structure and composition of legislative bodies is the only proposal still being deliberated out of four submitted to the House in early 2007. The other bills on political parties, legislative elections and presidential elections have all been passed into laws.

Ganjar said lawmakers divided the bill's articles into five different sections for deliberation, they being on the People's Consultative Assembly, the House of Representatives, the Regional Representatives Council, local legislative councils and the House secretariat general. He said legislators had only discussed two of the five sections.

Economy & investment

Waiving taxes will not help job-intensive sectors: Kadin

Jakarta Post - January 29, 2009

Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – Businesses have warned the government against giving firms in labor-intensive sectors a waive in employees' taxes they normally bear, with details of the plan still sketchy.

The government has laid out an economic stimulus package of Rp 71.3 trillion (US$6.3 billion) which includes an allocation of Rp 6.5 trillion to be used to compensate for employees' income taxes usually paid by businesses, in an attempt to cut costs and allow companies to avoid layoffs.

The tax office and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati have said calculations are still being made to determine eligible business sectors, but have hinted it will be intended for labor- intensive sectors and other sectors hit the hardest by the global economic downturn.

However, the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) says such a stimulus for labor-intensive industries will not reach its target, because companies in those sectors generally employ low-wage workers whose salaries are below the taxable income threshold (PTKP).

"It will be wasted; most workers in labor-intensive industries receive a salary below the PTKP, so they're not even taxed," Kadin vice chairman Chris Kanter said Wednesday.

In Indonesia, unlike many other countries, most companies subsidize the income tax liabilities of their workers, thus giving businesses more of a burden.

In those job-intensive sectors however, most workers in general are paid around Rp 1 million per month, just above the regional minimum salaries where they work. The taxable income threshold is Rp 1.32 million per month, according to the income tax law enacted late last year.

Chris added that if the government continued with its plan to pay employees' income taxes, it might instead end up paying the income taxes of managerial-level employees "who are not supposed to receive such an incentive".

"It would be better if the government allocated that money to paying the electricity bills for poor households, for instance. That can raise people's purchasing power; they can spend their money buying more goods," he said.

Indonesia's economy is driven mainly by private consumption. This year, the economy is predicted to expand between 4.5 percent and 5.5 percent, down from an estimated 6.2 percent last year.

The government says it will boost spending this year to compensate for the decline in private consumption. However, economists point out that government spending has slowed over recent years and cannot help jump-start the economy.

Legislator Dradjad H. Wibowo said the government's tax cut was questionable if it was aimed at managerial-level employees. "The stimulus allocation should have a strong basis," he said.

Mulyani previously said the tax cut could be targeted at job- intensive industries that employed a large number of workers and had a good track record in paying taxes.

However, Anggito Abimanyu, the ministry's head of fiscal policy, said the ministry had not yet mapped out which industries would receive such a tax incentive.

"We have not made a mapping of the industries; we have just allocated the money and will talk with the House of Representatives regarding the industries," he said. He added the Finance Ministry would then issue a regulation before the industries could eventually benefit from the tax cut.

Government unveils final stimulus plan to boost economy

Jakarta Post - January 28, 2009

Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – After giving conflicting figures, the government has finally set the stimulus at Rp 71.3 trillion (US$6.31 billion) to boost the economy amid the threat of crisis.

The package will include the Rp 27.5 trillion stimulus previously announced, and is higher than the figure of Rp 50 trillion touted by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The new stimulus revolves around tax savings worth Rp 43 trillion, waived taxes and import duties for businesses and certain households, worth Rp 13.3 trillion, as well as subsidies and govern-ment spending of Rp 15 trillion for businesses.

Speaking before the House of Representatives' Commission XI, which oversees financial affairs, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the stimulus was aimed at increasing people's purchasing power, the competitiveness and sturdiness of businesses facing the economic downturn, and labor-intensive infrastructure spending.

Mulyani said the stimulus "is everything that cuts costs borne by businesses and the people", when asked why the stimulus was not fully designed to support businesses.

The incentives include paying the income taxes of employees – now paid by businesses – of up to Rp 6.5 trillion, subsidizing diesel by Rp 2.8 trillion, and increasing infrastructure spending by Rp 10.2 trillion.

According to the ministry, Indonesia's Rp 71.3 trillion stimulus package accounts for 1.4 percent of the country's GDP, higher than the recently announced US stimulus, percentage-wise, which only accounts for 1.2 percent of the GDP.

The government forecasts the economy to grow between 4.5 and 5.5 percent this year, a drop from an estimated 6.2 percent in 2008.

The global downturn is affecting Indonesia's economy on all fronts, from weakening demand for exports and slowing down flows of investment, to reducing consumer purchasing power.

Businesses have long warned that massive layoffs could hit Indonesia when the impact of the global crisis hits home the hardest some time in the middle of this year.

To achieve 5 percent economic growth, the government will boost spending by 10.4 percent from a year earlier, as private consumption, the economy's main driver, looks likely to drop this year.

Fauzi Ichsan, an economist with Standard Chartered Bank, said that in the past four years, government spending was relatively low.

"The stimulus will boost growth only if the government and local administrations can spend the money effectively," he said.

Analysis & opinion

Rethink needed on US arms to Indonesia

Asia Times - January 28, 2009

Ed McWilliams – During the Cold War, the United States built alliances with notoriously corrupt, abusive regimes, including that of Suharto in Indonesia. Since September 11, 2001, a policy of strengthening relationships with disreputable militaries has re-emerged in the name of fighting terrorism. President Barack Obama should re-evaluate the partnership his predecessor established with the Indonesian military.

The US once again is providing material and training assistance to the Indonesian military (TNI). While democracy has made significant gains since the 1998 overthrow of Suharto, Indonesia's military remains much as it was during the three decades of the Suharto era: corrupt, unaccountable, beyond civilian control and a notorious violator of human rights.

The US-Indonesian military relationship is a longstanding and troubled one. In 1991, the Indonesian military murdered more than 270 East Timorese students engaged in a peaceful demonstration. That atrocity prompted the US Congress to impose restrictions on military assistance.

Although the Indonesian military remained an unreformed force, it curtailed some of its most abusive actions. But in 1999, following the East Timor's overwhelming vote for independence, the Indonesian military and its militias murdered more than 1,400 civilians and destroyed most of East Timor's infrastructure.

In response, the US suspended all military assistance. For the first time, there was modest military reform in Indonesia. The military agreed to pull its unelected members out of parliament; the police and military were separated; and 18 people, including some senior military officers, were indicted for the 1999 atrocities in East Timor. In 2004, the administration of newly- elected President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono passed legislation mandating divestment of the TNI's business empire by October 2009.

The requirement that the military divest itself of legal businesses could be a vital step in Indonesia's democratic reform. The TNI's empire of legal and illegal businesses has allowed it to operate outside of civilian scrutiny and control. Indonesian human rights advocates fear that the military will disrupt upcoming elections and ignore the 2009 divestment deadline. They have urged the US to use its leverage to encourage TNI reform.

Washington's pursuit of the TNI as a "partner" in the fight against terrorism raises other fundamental issues. American assistance to and cooperation with the TNI ignores the reality that it is the Indonesian police and not the military that are responsible for fighting terrorism. (The latest Department of State "Country Reports on Terrorism" praises civilian efforts and does not mention the TNI.)

In November 2005, the George W Bush administration issued a "national security waiver" to eliminate congressionally mandated restrictions on aid to the TNI. At the time, former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice pledged that US military cooperation would be "carefully calibrated" to the pace of reform and accountability.

However, there was no calibration and reform has stopped. Specifically, TNI business divestment is dead in the water. The government has yet to release a long-completed inventory of TNI businesses despite the Defense Minister's repeated promises that he would do so. Reportedly, assets have been stripped from TNI- owned firms. The US State Department's annual human rights report describes TNI prostitution rings in Papua, while illegal logging and extortion of foreign and domestic firms continues there and elsewhere.

The TNI remains unaccountable for its crimes in East Timor, West Papua and elsewhere. None of those tried in Indonesia for crimes in East Timor in 1999 were convicted. Many of the officers indicted by the UN-backed judicial process in East Timor received military training in the US. All remain free in Indonesia, often receiving promotions or retiring to lucrative careers in business or politics.

The organizers of the 2004 assassination of Indonesia's leading human-rights advocate, Munir Said Thalib, have yet to be successfully prosecuted. Evidence points to retired senior military officials. On taking office, Yudhoyono called bringing to justice the killers of Munir a test for his administration. Thus far, it has failed the test.

Despite declarations of neutrality, the TNI has already interfered in upcoming elections. Senior officials expressed a strong preference among the senior retired officers running for governor in Central Java. Its "territorial command system" will allow the TNI to exert direct influence on voters down to district and sub-district levels. The TNI-backed fundamentalist Islamic Defenders Front has been intimidating smaller parties and individuals critical of the military.

The record is clear. In the decades prior to 1991, broad US engagement with the Indonesian military enabled its worst excesses. Only after aid restrictions and a full cut-off were instituted, did any real reform occur. Since the US re-engaged with the TNI, reform has stalled and accountability for past violations has faltered. A resumption of restrictions on aid is essential to military reform.

An unreformed Indonesian military is a threat to democratic progress in Indonesia. Its ties to Islamist militias and drug and people trafficking, make the TNI a threat to regional stability. Moreover, US support for the abusive, corrupt and unaccountable military damages the US's reputation in Indonesia.

Obama should break from his predecessor's failed policies by again conditioning military assistance to Indonesia.

[Ed McWilliams is a retired US diplomat. He worked as political counselor in Jakarta and received the American Foreign Service Association's Christian Herter Award for creative dissent by a senior foreign service official.]

Indonesia fatwa on smoking sparks anger and debate

Reuters - January 28, 2009

Julie Shingleton, Jakarta – Indonesian smokers and the country's tobacco industry have slammed a move by the nation's top Islamic body to place restrictions on tobacco use by Muslims, calling it an interference in private lives.

Health campaigners welcomed the move, but said the government now needed to do more if there was to be any impact on curbing smoking in the world's fifth largest tobacco market.

While stopping short of an outright ban, the Ulema Council, or MUI, issued a fatwa at the weekend prohibiting smoking in public places or by pregnant women and children.

"I am angry about the fatwa, because both my father and grandfather are smokers and the new fatwa now makes them sinners," said Abdul Hardiyanto, 38, a Muslim stock broker.

Fatwas are not legally binding in the world's most populous Muslim nation, but there is pressure to adhere to them or be regarded as sinful.

Smoking is widespread in Indonesia, with cigarettes among the cheapest in the world at around $1 (70 pence) a pack and the nation famous for its traditional sweet smelling clove cigarettes known as "kretek."

"Is MUI playing God here?" questioned Adhitya Wisena. "I am going to keep smoking, because religion must stay away from this matter. We have government regulation for this kind of thing," added Wisena, 33, a Muslim who works in a fish shop.

Some cities in Indonesia, including Jakarta, have banned smoking in public places, but the rules are widely flouted.

Many Indonesians also have a strong cultural affinity with smoking, with pressure to hang out and smoke after celebrations for births or weddings in villages across the archipelago.

"If you have money, you can buy cigarettes for yourself. If I have my own money, nobody can stop me," said Dewi Astuti, a 36- year-old Muslim woman.

The fatwa has also been condemned by the country's tobacco business and Indonesia's finance ministry estimated that it could trigger a drop in cigarette output of 5-10 percent in 2009.

Between 1960-2005, cigarette production jumped more than six-fold to 220 billion sticks, the industry ministry said.

The edict will hurt tobacco growers as consumption falls, the chairman of the Tobacco Farmers' Association in the Jember district of East Java told the Antara news agency.

The $8 billion tobacco industry in Indonesia plays an important economic role, with tax on cigarettes accounting for about 10 percent of government income in the past, while the sectors provide millions of jobs.

Indonesia's national commission on child protection welcomed the fatwa, although said the government should do more.

It urged Indonesia in a statement to ratify the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

The FCTC aims to reduce tobacco consumption, including through a ban on advertising and promotion, but Indonesia has been reluctant to sign up because of concerns about the impact on the economy despite the health risks from smoking.

[Additional reporting by Dicky Christanto and Jennifer Henderson, Writing by Olivia Rondonuwu; Editing by Ed Davies and Sanjeev Miglani.]

Controversial edicts

Jakarta Post Editorial - January 28, 2009

Three of the six fatwa issued by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) have drawn strong resistance, not only from the general public, but also from individual Muslim organizations whose representatives sit in the country's highest Islamic authority.

The three controversial edicts ban vote abstention, smoking and yoga. The three, plus another three on abortion, vasectomy and marriage with minors, were issued by MUI during its two-day national meeting in Padangpanjang, West Sumatra, which ended Sunday.

The edict that bans vote abstention immediately received strong criticism from both political experts and the public for neglecting people's individual right to decide not to cast their votes at the general elections. Furthermore, the council, a religious body, has been criticized for crossing the boundaries by dictating people's political behavior.

The council's edict that forbids smoking by children and pregnant women, and smoking in public places, however, has received different a response from the public. While many have supported the edict, as it helps prevent people and the country's youth from the hazardous impacts of smoking, strong opposition has come from the tobacco business community, saying the tobacco industry has contributed much by providing employment for Indonesians and boosting the country's economy.

Meanwhile, the council's edict banning Muslims from practicing certain aspects of yoga containing Hindu elements, such as chanting and meditation, has been slammed as excessive and counterproductive.

All these criticisms of the council's edicts, including from the country's largest Muslim organization – the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) – only shows that the council is disconnected from the Muslim organizations it represents and that the edicts fail to reflect the true reality of Indonesian Muslims.

An intriguing question is how could the MUI officials, who are representatives of leading Muslim organizations and the Muslim intellectual community, go against their respective organizations?

A subsequent important question is whether it is imperative to have the MUI – which will be 34 years of age this year – reformed and restructured in accordance with the social, cultural and religious dynamism of Indonesian Muslims and people in general. Or should we just let the council continue on its own way, ignoring it and eventually allowing it to dig its own grave as its supporters abandon it?

Perhaps we still remember the noble vision and mission of the MUI, which was established on July 26, 1975 after a national meeting of the ulema of top Muslim organizations, government leaders and Muslim intellectuals in Jakarta. The meeting aimed, among other things, to settle differences in the understanding of Islam among Islamic followers, and to promote unity in Islam and national unity through pluralism.

The MUI was also established encapsulating principles of democracy – that the council accommodates and responds to the aspirations of society.

We once had a dignified MUI under the leadership of its first chairman, Hamka, who won the respect of the Muslim community, government as well as non-Muslim communities. It is now up to the MUI to reform itself for its betterment or to be abandoned by its supporters, the Muslim community and the general public.

Indonesia's fatwa against yoga

Time Magazine - January 29, 2009

Jason Tedjasukmana, Jakarta – Four days after the fatwa went out, students continued to fill the yoga mats in the classrooms of Jakarta's Jakartadogyoga Studio. On Jan. 28, the influential Indonesian Ulemas Council issued a religious edict forbidding all Indonesian Muslims from practicing yoga that incorporates pre- Hindu religious rituals such meditation and chanting. And while students at the yoga studio admitted they had heard about the proclamation, which only allows yoga for the purpose of exercise or sport, they say it won't deter them from attending classes in the popular Indian practice. "Issuing a fatwa is not the way to settle a controversy – if there really is one," says Sita Resmi, a yoga student and practicing Muslim. "If something endangers the public then I understand, but this doesn't so it doesn't make much sense to me."

The esoteric edict is one in a string of attempts by some religious groups and parties in Indonesia to influence morality in the country – efforts that not everyone in the Muslim- majority nation appreciates. The Council, which is not an official government body despite receiving funding from the Ministry of Religion, has come under attack lately by moderate religious groups for its series of controversial edicts that critics say embolden radical elements in the nation. Though some of the group's religious calls have been praised – it recently issued a fatwa against smoking for minors and pregnant women – others have been more divisive, such as decreeing that Muslims should avoid conventional banks in favor of syariah-based banking. Because the Council's rulings are non-binding, they are generally only observed by the nation's more conservative Muslims, but its advice is nonetheless often sought after by government officials. Last year, for instance, the Council played a key part in the controversial ban of the Ahmadiyah religious sect by the governor of South Sumatra.

The credibility of the Council was further called into question earlier in January, when Transparency International Indonesia accused the institution of being one of the most frequent bribe- takers in the country, particularly in the issuance of halal stickers for food and beverage products. The Council has the sole authority to issue halal certificates – a stamp that can make or break a product in this 85% Muslim market. And while some praised the group for taking on the tobacco lobby in its anti-smoking efforts, the clerics fell short of banning the habit outright – an unsurprising outcome in a country where cigarette companies employs tens of millions of people and are among the biggest sources of tax revenues for the government.

Still, the Council leaders are not alone in targeting yoga as a distracting influence to good Muslims. In neighboring Malaysia, a formal ban on yoga was issued last year and is still in place, a move that many Malaysians worried would heighten religious tension in the country. "I think the fatwa was issued now because of their ties to clerics in Malaysia," suggests Hamid Basyaibm of the Liberal Islam Network. Few doubt it will have much effect. "The Council is trying to reassert its authority among Muslims as the guardians of Islamic belief," says Azyumardi Azra, director of graduate studies at the State Islamic University in Jakarta. "The fatwa is counterproductive because Muslims who do yoga do not feel it alters their fundamental belief in Islam."

Indeed, women like Evita Dwiandiya, another student at Jakartadogyoga, say they will continue to attend their weekly yoga classes. "This is not a mass movement or anything," says Evita, who works in Jakarta's private sector. "We'll see if anybody remembers in three months." To be sure, with national elections coming up in April and the usual recriminations that follow, yoga is unlikely to register on the long list of problems facing Indonesia as it moves to choosing a new group of leaders for the next five years.

Do I go to hell if I don't vote? Hell, no!

Jakarta Post - January 28, 2009

Endy M. Bayuni, Jakarta – The lengths people will go to get what they want this election year is amazing, though not all that surprising. A case in point is the latest fatwa, or legal opinion, issued by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), which essentially states that it is a moral sin if you don't cast your vote in this year's elections.

The MUI is the umbrella organization of all the major Islamic organizations in the country and it is its business to issue opinions on matters of public interest. Now the group has been asked to make its ruling regarding the one aspect that election officials fear the most: The likelihood of a very low turnout in the parliamentary elections in April and presidential election in July.

Their fear is based on the increasingly low participation at local elections in the past year, ranging from 40 to 60 percent, and at the growing skepticisms about the political parties and the way the upcoming elections are being conducted.

No less than the General Elections Commission (KPU) has appealed to the public to ignore those growing skeptical opinions and to take part in the nation's periodic democratic exercises in electing their leaders. The commission, as are those who are obsessed with numbers, fear that Indonesia's nascent democracy will be undermined if voter turnout falls below a certain percentage.

In other words, the KPU measures its success on this magic number. Political parties, in particular the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), have their own reason for seeing a high number: A lost vote is a wasted vote. Hence, the MUI is now recruited into their campaign to force or intimidate people into voting, lest they earn God's wrath.

Here is the problem: Voting in Indonesia, like in most democracies, is voluntary. There should be no legal consequences if you don't vote, unlike in Australia or in Singapore where voting is mandatory. The flipside of this is that abstaining is a right that is protected by the Constitution.

This overt fear about low turnout is a leftover from the Soeharto years, when the credibility of the election (and therefore his reelection every five years) depended on it. Soeharto's political legitimacy hinged on how many people voted. Intimidation and use of force was the rule, so much so that in 1993, East Timor, then under Indonesian military rule, officially recorded a 105 percent turnout.

Knowing his obsession with the number, Soeharto's critics as far back as 1971 began a civil disobedience movement to encourage people to vote with their feet, or to spoil their ballots. Their movement has been called the Golongan Putih (blank votes group), or Golput for short, as opposed to Golkar, Soeharto's political machinery that helped secure his five-yearly reelections until 1998.

Soeharto has long gone from politics, Golput continues to enjoy legitimacy today, more than it deserves, thanks to this political mindset that still measures the quality of our democracy, and legitimacy of the elected officers, by voter turnout.

People stay away from voting for many reasons, one of which is as an expression of discontent at the electoral system and political parties. But since abstaining is an option, some people may not vote because they cannot be bothered by the long lines, because of the weather factor, because they are ill, or because they feel that their vote makes no difference to the outcome.

Whatever the reason for not voting, they are exercising their democratic right. No one, not even MUI, has the right to force or intimidate them into voting. If the law makes it a crime for anyone to discourage people from voting, the reverse should also be true: that it is a crime for MUI and others like it to intimidate people into voting.

If all non-voters are lumped as Golput, it beats its chief nemesis, Golkar, which has been struggling to hold on to its last vestiges of power. And if we continue to give it political legitimacy the way we do today and Golput passes the 20 percent threshold that gives it the right to nominate a presidential candidate, then the group should be allowed to present a candidate. Any volunteers?

The real task at hand is not so much about people not turning up to vote as about making sure that those who qualify to vote are registered to do so, and that on voting day, those who want to vote can cast their votes in peace, without any interference or pressure. Whether they decide to vote or not that day is up to them.

Dark episode in Indonesia's past deserves to be commemorated

Jakarta Globe - January 27, 2009

David Jardine – Some controversies simply will not go away. One of them is the continued denial by leading Japanese politicians of the Liberal Democratic Party, which has ruled Japan more or less since the end of World War II, of the ill-treatment of Asian peoples in countries occupied by Japanese forces. The angry responses that issue from China and Korea demonstrate the way in which history bites back.

History in fact bites back on a regular basis, the contradictions between official Chinese and Korean positions and the sentiments of their public notwithstanding.

At the same time, consciousness of the politics of the past has grown in Japan, although very unevenly, of course. People such as the five Japanese academic contributors to "Asian Labor In the Wartime Japanese Empire," a volume edited by Paul Kratoska, are among those who fight denial and silence.

The central issues dealt with here are forced or slave labor, mostly male, and military-directed sexual slavery, the very matter on which former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe so discredited himself.

Indonesia was the scene of one of the greatest mobilizations of unfree labor in history; only black slavery in the Americas and the Caribbean, Nazi-occupied Europe, Stalin's Soviet Union and Mao's China in the 1950s Great Leap Forward compare, in my opinion.

To begin with, Japan's military in seeking to conquer such a vast swath of Asia and the western Pacific had a vast need for manpower to replicate and replace the huge numbers of its own men recruited for war and occupation.

To many of the essentially fascist elements in the Imperial officer corps, the brown-skinned and black-skinned Asians of the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaya, Java and Sumatra were untermenschen (subhumans) and beneath their respect. Depriving them of their rights was thus easy.

Labor was "recruited" in Java but also elsewhere in the Indonesian archipelago, even from the two tiny groups of islands north of Manado, Talaud and Sangihe. "Allied administrators" found at least 4,200 men from Sangihe on forced labor projects outside their islands, some 3,000 in the shipyards of Bitung where they built wooden vessels in the ancient manner of their people. As Japanese shipping came more and more under Allied attack, the need to replace it put greater and greater pressure on these skilled boat builders, who, like all the other forced labor, existed on starvation diets.

"With so much consumed by Japanese projects, living conditions on Sangihe deteriorated rapidly," Remco Raben records.

It was, however, the peoples of Java, the Javanese and Sundanese, who suffered the most. And it was only to them that the term romusha was applied. The forced labor of Manado was deceitfully referred to as sukarela, or "volunteer," a dreadful example of newspeak.

President Sukarno claimed postwar that there were millions of them and it is difficult to dispute this or even doubt it. The Japanese undertook numerous mining projects as well as irrigation schemes, airstrip building and railway projects, all of them labor-intensive. Many of these were on the outer islands as well, as far away as the Solomons, the Andamans and, of course, Japan itself, where the romusha were deployed to fill the male labor gap, when it could not be wholly filled by Japanese women.

Add to these projects the compulsory planting by farmers in Java of fiber crops such as cotton for purchase at artificially low prices and we get a big picture of suffering and misery. Readers may be particularly interested in the railway works such as the Pekanbaru railway and the line covered in chapter of "Asian Labor" called "The Road to Hell: The Construction of a Railway Line in West Java During the Japanese Occupation." This latter line was meant to transport coal from the brown coal mine at Bayah near Pelabuhan Ratu; it cost an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 lives.

Critically, the Japanese Army force in Java was never more than 15,000, a figure far too low to both garrison the island and provide back-up labor where it was needed. Thus the Imperial Army would cashier its own supply of local labor by whatever means it could. Thinking that the reservoir of such manpower was inexhaustible, the occupiers treated them with total disregard.

Of course, this begs a serious question about collaboration by Indonesian officials, especially village headmen who were instrumental in the recruitment drives. Did they have no means of staunching the flow of manpower, of inhibiting it, delaying it?

Equally, one is bound to ask what means, if any, were available to the future leaders of Indonesia, Sukarno in particular, to disrupt labor mobilization. While I reject the label "quisling," I am bound to ask if more could have been done by the future president and his colleagues.

In "Asian Labor," there is in the Dutch writer Henk Hovinga's piece another controversy, but one which is never framed as such. In "Reception and Repatriation of Romusha," he implies British interference in Dutch efforts to return these unfortunate people, the survivors, that is, to their homes, which is a continuation of the tension that characterized Anglo-Dutch relations postwar. In fact, in making imputations of British bad faith, Hovinga has completely overlooked the very real problem that the British had with lack of Allied shipping, which, in any case, had been prioritized for the movement of ex-POW, civilian internees and others.

The British were under tremendous pressure in 1945-46 to "demobilize" and repatriate their own conscripts as well as Indian servicemen. Unable to meet their demands, the British authorities were faced with mutinies, including one at Kluang in Malaya and another at RAF Seletar in Singapore. The Kluang mutiny in particular excited a great deal of public support in the United Kingdom for the men and became a cause celebre that the government simply could not ignore.

The American journalist Martha Gellhorn recorded in her "Face of War" seeing would-be returnee romusha at the railway stations of Java in 1946 in the most pitiful conditions of emaciation. Dressed only in gunny sacks, they reminded her of the Jewish survivors of the Nazi death camp at Dachau, which she had reported from immediately after the Liberation.

Indonesia seems to have consigned the extraordinary mobilization of forced labor to the memory hole. One small, undistinguished memorial to the romusha stands at Bayah, near the south coast of West Java, close to the brown coal mine. But, nationally, no monument stands to remind younger generations of the huge sacrifice of lives made by their fellow-countrymen. No light shines on this dark and dismal episode. This is surely remiss.

[David Jardine is a Jakarta-based writer.]

Indonesia struggles to cast off Suharto's shadow

Reuters - January 26, 2009

Sara Webb, Jakarta – Indonesia's former president Suharto has been dead for a year, but the country he ruled for three decades until his ouster in a populist uprising in 1998, is still dealing with his legacy.

Every day, scores of visitors come to the Suharto family mausoleum near the royal city of Solo, in central Java, to pay their respects to a man known to some as "father of the nation".

Yet even today, Indonesia is struggling to recover from the Suharto regime's culture of corruption, economic mismanagement, and human rights abuses, in order to attract much-needed foreign and domestic investment for infrastructure and other parts of the economy that are starved of funds.

"Yes, Indonesia has made some reforms over the past decade. But the pace of reform has been disappointing," said Prakriti Sofat, economist at HSBC in Singapore.

The outcome of this year's parliamentary and presidential elections will determine the pace of political, social, and economic reform over the next five years.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the former general who won the 2004 presidential election on promises to defeat graft, spur economic growth, and tackle security threats from militant Muslim groups, is the clear leader in the opinion polls, and many see him as Indonesia's best hope for further change.

After Suharto stepped down amid the chaos of the 1997-98 financial crisis, Indonesia embraced democracy.

The armed forces were forced out of parliament, where the military had been allocated a set number of seats under Suharto, and the president is now directly elected by the people.

Political party proliferation

The number of political parties has proliferated – 38 are due to contest this year's parliamentary elections on April 9 – and Golkar, Suharto's army-backed political machine, no longer dominates parliament, thanks to free and fair elections.

This year, for the first time, voters will be able to choose the individuals they want to represent them in parliament, shifting more democratic power to the electorate. Before it was up to the parties to make the selection, a process potentially fraught with corruption.

Following reforms, the military retreated from politics back to the barracks, though it is still involved in a number of businesses both legal and illegal. But the acquittal of a top military intelligence official in the murder of Indonesia's leading human rights activist in December shows the armed forces remain untouchable, political analysts say.

Regional autonomy, another post-Suharto change, has shifted considerable power to the local and provincial governments, and provided Indonesians with further lessons in democracy.

Already some local officials have shown that they can deliver on their promises for better infrastructure, free healthcare and education, and training to help school-leavers and unemployed acquire skills – and those that don't are less likely to be re- elected.

But after just a decade, Indonesia's democracy is immature, and its parliament is plagued by corruption, raising concerns about the way legislation is passed.

Few of Indonesia's political parties are distinguished by clear policies, ideologies, or reform agendas.

Some are built around personalities. Golkar is still associated with the Suharto clan, while PDI-P is based around former president Megawati Sukarnoputri, the daughter of Indonesia's first president, Sukarno.

Wiranto and Prabowo Subianto, two Suharto-era ex-generals associated with human rights violations, each have their own political parties.

Yudhoyono has delivered on several of his promises, but one of his main achievements has been to serve his full elected term, bringing a sense of stability to a country which had three different presidents in the period between Suharto's fall in 1998 and Yudhoyono's election in 2004.

Under Yudhoyono, Indonesia's anti-corruption agency has brought several high-ranking officials to justice, including central bankers and government officials, while the notoriously corrupt tax and customs departments have been the focus of a huge clean- up as part of government efforts to improve revenues.

Top kleptocrat

Yet despite the convictions and crackdowns, graft remains a widespread problem and many of the worst offenders have proved untouchable.

Suharto, who Transparency International ranked as the world's top kleptocrat, with a fortune estimated at $15-35 billion, was deemed too ill to stand trial, while many of his family, inner circle, and close business associates have escaped justice.

Indonesia has failed to fully investigate and account for the billions of dollars that the central bank used to bail out well- connected banks during the 1997-98 financial crisis, while attempts to bring those responsible for human rights abuses have largely faltered.

So far, Yudhoyono's power has been limited because his Democrat Party won only a small number of seats and relies on the support of other, less reformist parties in parliament.

But if Yudhoyono and the Democrat Party win a strong mandate in this year's elections, he may have more scope to push ahead with his anti-corruption policies and reform of several key institutions.

Indonesia still ranks among the world's most corrupt countries, and its judiciary, civil service, and police are regarded by many Indonesians and foreigners as ripe for massive overhaul.

Indonesia's unpredictable courts make it impossible for businesses to operate effectively, while a recent survey by Transparency International found that one out of every two encounters with the police involved a bribe. (Additional reporting by Telly Nathalia)