Alfian, Jakarta – Now the PT Medco E&P Indonesia contract in the Block A gas field in East Aceh will be extended, the local authority wants a new state regulation to clarify the 70:30 revenue split between local and central administrations.

Aceh's deputy governor Muhammad Nazar said that the Law on Aceh Governance stipulated the local administration has the rights to 70 percent of the government's revenue from oil and gas produced in the country's westernmost province, but a supporting regulation is still needed to validate the split.

"Now, we need a derivative regulation stipulating detailed mechanisms for the 70:30 percent revenue split between Aceh's provincial government and the central government. This is very important to assure the Acehnese that the sector is managed in a transparent manner," Nazar told The Jakarta Post Saturday.

Natural resources-rich Aceh Province had been in conflict for more than 29 years in part because the protracted unfair revenue split in the revenue from the resources produced by the province. In 2005, the government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) signed the famous Helsinki peace agreement, ending the conflict, which had claimed thousands of lives.

The agreement stipulated that 70 percent of oil and gas revenue from Aceh would go to the province while the remaining 30 percent would be directed to the central government. This article now has been incorporated into the Law on Aceh Governance.

"Now, the 70:30 revenue split is no longer only a political commitment, but it has become a law of the Republic Indonesia and everyone must abide by it," Nazar said.

He added that the Aceh Provincial administration had been told by the Finance Ministry that as of 2007 the province had received 70 of the government's revenue from oil and gas sector.

"But, we are not involved in the calculations. We don't know how big the cost recovery spending is for instance? We are simply told that we have received 70 percent," said Nazar, adding that the awaited implementing regulation, which was due to be issued, was expected to help make the process more transparent in the future.

The cost recovery scheme is one by which central government reimburses some spent funds to oil and gas operators to help cover agreed and eligible expenditure during the exploration stage in a given block. Eligible costs can be recovered by the company or consortium holding the concession for exploration and development. This scheme is an incentive to attract investment into the expensive upstream oil and gas sector.

According to Nazar, Aceh last year received about Rp 2 trillion from oil and gas.

The development of the huge Block A gas field is very important for the economic development of the province as the production from the Arun gas field, operated by ExxonMobil, has been declining due to the aging of the oil and gas fields concerned.

Block A contains an estimated 120 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (MMSCFD) with Medco E&P Indonesia holding a 41.67 percent participating interest in the block.

Medco partners with Premier Oil Sumatera (North) BV and Japex Block A Ltd which hold participating interests of 41.67 percent and 16.67 percent, respectively.

The contractors have finished the exploration stage and are now ready to move forward with the development stage. But, they are still waiting for the government approval for the extension of the contract which will expire by 2011, although they are now assured this will happen.

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said the Block A contract extension was a government priority.

"This is one of our priorities, because the block will supply gas for PT Pupuk Iskandar Muda (a local fertilizer producer)," he said last week.

Upstream oil and gas regulator BPMigas confirmed that the block will begin production in the third quarter of 2010.

West Papua

Police aim to free Papua airstrip from OPM control

Jakarta Post - May 30, 2009

Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – Police said Friday they are pursuing peaceful means to retake a remote jungle airstrip that was seized by armed separatist rebels in Papua province two weeks ago.

A group of Free Papua Organization (OPM) members along with local villagers armed with traditional weapons, including bows and arrows, as well as automatic weapons, have blockaded the airstrip in Kasepo, Memberamo, about 500 kilometers from the Papua provincial capital of Jayapura, since mid May.

The group has taken control of the airstrip and raised the outlawed Bintang Kejor (Papuan Morning Star flag).

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Abubakar Nataprawira confirmed Friday that the Kasepo airport was still under the occupation of OPM separatists.

He said police in Papua were under intensive negotiations with OPM leaders. The negotiations were being conducted in order to avoid armed clashes with a group of Papuan villagers who were at the airport along with the separatists, Abubakar said.

He said the police believed the OPM members was using young villagers as "human shields" to take over the small airport. "There are only several OPM members in the field right now, while the remaining people there are just those new recruits who basically know nothing about the OPM's hidden agenda.

"Maybe it would be different and much easier if there ware only these separatists in the field, we could just aim and shoot them and then free the airport," he told a press conference at the National Police headquarters.

Around 150 youngsters were reported to have joined an OPM faction currently under the leadership of Deky Imbiri and Alex Wakabori in occupying the airport, which is located on the banks of the huge Memberamo lake. Most of the youths were armed with bows and arrows but a few were equipped with automatic machine guns.

Abubakar said the ongoing negotiations involved two groups of police officers - one comprising personnel from a special squad with the Mobile Brigade (Brimod) from Papua and Makassar, South Sulawesi, and a special antiterror detachment from force from Jakarta.

"We hope that no Papuans fall victim to this operation, thus we prefer to take more time to negotiate and pursue peaceful talks, instead of using police action," he said.

A noted criminologist from the Indonesia University, Adrianus Meliala, said the police's decision to negotiate was on the "right track"."The global trend is for police or any other authorities to prioritize the use of soft skills such as hostage negotiation techniques rather than to combat separatists or perpetrators directly," he said.

But, he added, if the police find the pro-separatist group insists on occupying the airstrip, then there is no other way than to take firm action to stop them from continuing their action. "But off course it all depends on how good the police are at negotiating with the separatists. These negotiators must work hard to win the separatist's trust so this conflict can be settled once and for all," he said.

Local police chiefs warned the OPM leaders to end the blockade or face the consequences from the security personnel.

The OPM has been waging a low-level insurgency in Papua since the early 1960s.

Indonesian court to fast-track detained Australians' appeal

Melbourne Age - May 30, 2009

Tom Allard, Jakarta – Indonesia's Supreme Court will fast-track the appeal that will decide the fate of five Australians detained in Papua for more than eight months for visa violations, the judge overseeing the case revealed yesterday.

And separately, the court has assured the lawyers for the five North Queensland residents that its deliberations will ignore submissions from prosecutors highlighting Australia's policy of burning Indonesian fishing boats.

In an extraordinary tangle with Indonesian authorities, William Scott-Bloxam, his wife Vera, Karen Burke, Keith Mortimer and Hubert Hofer have been placed under arrest, found guilty and sentenced to two to three years in prison, freed and told to go home, and then placed under city detention.

They are currently awaiting a final appeal by prosecutors, who want their prison terms reinstated for the offence of flying a light plane to Merauke for a sightseeing trip without the proper paperwork.

The pilot, Mr Scott-Bloxam, had submitted one fight plan but not a second plan required for the politically sensitive region of Papua, where a low-level separatist movement has simmered for decades.

He landed the plane after being told by air traffic controllers that he was clear to do so and would only be fined and questioned for the infringement. "I have told my team to act quickly. I have told them to prioritise the case," Judge Djoko Sarwoko told The Age yesterday.

Judge Sarwoko, who is the most senior of three justices examining the case, had yet to see submissions but said the judges would decide soon. A verdict is expected next month.

Judge Sarwoko's undertaking follows revelations in The Age yesterday that the prosecutor's submission to the Supreme Court slammed Australia's treatment of Indonesian fisherman who breached its territorial waters. Reaffirming their guilt was "in accordance to the law... unlike our neighbouring country who, without legal process, burn and sink Indonesian fishing boats that enter their territorial borders".

The submission highlighted how the case of the so-called Merauke Five has been infected by broader political and diplomatic issues, explaining why prosecutors from the Attorney-General's office are relentlessly pursuing the Australians.

A lawyer for the five Australians, Muhammed Rifan, said he had met Supreme Court justices yesterday.

Revealed: payback row snares Papua tourists

Sydney Morning Herald - May 29, 2009

Tom Allard, Jakarta – Five middle-aged Australians trapped in Papua for more than eight months after arriving without visas have become the unwitting victims of Indonesian hostility about Australia's treatment of Indonesia's citizens.

The hidden agenda behind the drawn-out proceedings against the so-called Merauke five, revealed in court documents obtained by the Herald, highlights how the case has moved beyond a simple immigration matter to the realm of diplomatic relations.

Arrested, sentenced to prison, exonerated on appeal and then placed in detention again, William Scott-Bloxam, his wife, Vera, Keith Mortimer, Hubert Hofer and Karen Burke have been through an extraordinary and harrowing ordeal.

The five had planned a sight-seeing trip in and around the small town of Merauke on Papua's remote south coast in September last year, making a one-hour trip in a light aircraft piloted by Mr Scott-Bloxam from Horn Island, in the Torres Strait.

They were given permission to land by air traffic controllers aware they had no visa or prior flight clearance.

A recording of the exchange between the plane and Indonesian controllers, obtained by the Herald, reveals they were told before landing that they would be detained for a few hours, pay a fine but be free to leave, as planned, after three days.

The subsequent scale of their punishment and their pursuit by Indonesian authorities have been at odds with what appears to be a relatively innocent infringement. The latest submission by prosecutors to the Supreme Court sheds light on why.

It urges judges to recognise the prison sentences as "in accordance to the law, unlike our neighbouring country who, without legal process, burn and sink Indonesian fishing boats that enter their territorial borders".

Australian authorities have impounded or destroyed hundreds of Indonesian fishing vessels in the past few years, preventing them from going to traditional fishing grounds that extend into Australian waters. The fishing boats have been visiting the waters for centuries and the crackdown on their activities has destroyed livelihoods of impoverished villagers, causing deep resentment across Indonesia.

Many fishing vessels and their crews have recently been co-opted by people smugglers. The captains of boats carrying human cargo have received prison sentences of several years in Australia when caught. This, too, has caused angst in Indonesian Government ranks.

Another factor believed to be behind the treatment of the Merauke five is the continuing sensitivity in Indonesia about Australia granting asylum to 43 Papuan separatists.

The Indonesian Government withdrew its ambassador and complained bitterly about the decision. In contrast, Australia has refused to express any public anger about the fate of the Merauke five.

The five Australians – aged between 50 and 60 – have remained quiet on the advice of diplomats. But the entreaties of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Stephen Smith, and the Australian ambassador in Jakarta, Bill Farmer, on the issue have been ignored.

Calls to the offices of both men yesterday were referred to a spokesman at the Department of Foreign Affairs. "The judicial process is continuing," the spokesman said. "We are waiting for the Supreme Court to make its decision."

But the fate of the Merauke five is subject to forces outside purely judicial considerations.

After being found guilty of immigration offences and jailed for two to three years, the five were exonerated in an appeal to a higher court this year. The court not only overturned the conviction but ordered that they be permitted to return home, regardless of any appeal.

The Attorney-General's office then placed a travel ban on the five, in effect putting them under house arrest in Merauke until a final appeal is heard. "This has gone on far too long," said the Opposition's foreign affairs spokeswoman, Julie Bishop.

"The Attorney-General's intervention takes it beyond the legal process and it's become a political issue. The Federal Government must make official representations to the Government of Indonesia to get this order overturned."

Merauke Five pilot hit turbulence on the tarmac

Sydney Morning Herald - May 29, 2009

Tom Allard, Jakarta – As he approached Merauke's airport from the sky that fateful Friday, William Scott-Bloxam began to realise there could be consequences for his quickly planned weekend adventure.

A failure to submit a flight plan, or apply for a visa, was likely to result in a fine, he was told by air traffic control.

A few hours of answering questions and filling out forms for Indonesian authorities should be expected.

It was likely to be a nuisance but nothing for Mr Scott-Bloxam to fret about as he anticipated exploring Merauke, a southern outpost in the Indonesian region of Papua, close to the border with Papua New Guinea.

Certainly, Mr Scott-Bloxam did not expect that his sloppy preparation would lead to an emotionally-wrenching and financially devastating eight months in detention, some of it in prison, for himself and four passengers, with no clear prospect of returning home any time soon.

The experienced pilot and tourism entrepreneur from Far North Queensland had decided to come to Merauke on something of a whim, corralling some friends for the one-hour joy ride from Horn Island, just an hour away by plane.

An acquaintance, Thomas Allen, another pilot based in the Indonesian province, had suggested he swing by for a few days of sightseeing and perhaps examine any tourism potential in the spectacularly rugged but politically troubled region.

He had booked the hotel rooms and assured them the arrangements were in place. As he cruised at 1000 metres, an Indonesian air traffic controller alerted him to his failure to prepare the correct paperwork.

While a visa can be obtained on arrival in most parts of Indonesia, Papua – subject of a long-running but poorly organised separatist movement – is an exception. And the plane needed flight and security approval in advance, too.

"Will it be in order for us to land? Will it be OK to land?" asked Mr Scott-Bloxam. "Will we be able to sort it out and get back on Monday?"

In a recording of his conversation with the airport's communications tower, obtained by the Herald, the air traffic controller tells him not to be unduly concerned.

"That will be OK from airport manager but you are gonna have additional, like, taxes, and you know, like, fine," he says.

Mr Scott-Bloxam was apologetic but calm as he was told of the possible other "consequences". He coolly reported his position and the number of people on board between sorting out his lack of prior flight approval and security clearances.

The aircraft could be held, he was told. An air force and immigration official would like to see them.

His wife Vera, who was the plane's steward, and their passengers – Keith Mortimer, Karen Burke and Hubert Hofer – may be inconvenienced for a few hours.

"They are probably going to be held for several hours, just only at airport," the air traffic controller said.

"OK. Well I guess we will just have to live with that. I hope we can get it sorted out. We are happy to return to Horn Island if there is going to be a problem," Mr Scott-Bloxam replied.

"Standby," was the response from the tower, before the Australians were told they were "clear to land".

No doubt, Mr Scott-Bloxam now wishes he had taken up his own offer and just turned back. He had more than enough fuel to make the return journey.

Transcript

Air traffic control audio: September 12, 2008

Air Traffic Controller: [indistinct]... from the Indonesian air force. We hear that they cannot receive any request of your flight from Horn Island to Merauke

William Scott-Bloxam (pilot): All right. I'm not sure what happened to it. Will it be in order for us to land? Will it be OK to land?

AT: Standby, yeh.

WB: Standby tower. Papa foxtrot papa. We are now at one zero GPS to the southeast at 3500 ft.

AT:... [indistinct] Report again right downwind

WB: [indistinct]... Will it be OK for them to transfer?

AT: We are ready. I ask the airport manager, sir. He say that you can land here but the consequences is that your aircraft probably gonna be held here sir because you don't have any sufficient data that we have like flight approval and security clearance. So probably you are going to be held here. And my further question is endurance sir.

WB: The answer is four hours. Yeah, we intend to stay here until Monday. Will we be able to sort it out and get back on Monday?

AT: That will be OK from airport manager but you are gonna have additional, like, taxes and, you know, like, fine.

WB: Ok Well we will sort it out. Sorry about that. We are unaware of the other clearances. We thought we had all the paper. Anyway, we will call you downwind shortly.

AT: [indistinct]. We have our ground personnel that are going to ask you when you are down here, sir. And we have already contacted the MIF so we insist that he would show up to meet you there.

WB: Ok that's fine. Hopefully we can sort it out when we get on the ground. You have got all the details of our passengers, I believe.

AT: OK. Request your p.o.b

WB: Say again

AT: Request your person on board

WB: We have a total of five p.o.b, five p.o.b. Two crew and three passengers.

AT:... Two crews and three passengers. They are probably going to be held for several hours just only at airport.

WB: OK. Well I guess we will just have to live with that. I hope we can get it sorted out. We are happy to return to Horn Island if there is going to be a problem AT: Standby

WB: Papa foxtrot papa. We are just joining right downwind. Runway one six.

ATC: [indistinct]

WB: OK, Pak [sir]. Papa foxtot papa is turning final one six

ATC: [indistinct]... you are in indonesia now [indistinct]. and clear to land [indistinct]

WB: Clear to land. Papa foxtrot papa..

ends 3.27 minutes

Rudd assures Papua five will get help

Australian Associated Press - May 29, 2009

Australian officials are doing what they can to secure the release of five Australians held in West Papua since last September, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says.

Consular staff had provided extensive assistance to the five since shortly after their detention, he said.

"They have maintained a continuous presence in that part of Papua since September 2008 until January 2009 after which... (they) made frequent visits to the area to check on their welfare," Mr Rudd told Fairfax Radio Network on Friday. The next visit is due in June.

Australia was working with Indonesian authorities on what Mr Rudd described as a complex case.

The five – pilot William Scott-Bloxam, his wife Vera, and passengers Keith Mortimer, Hubert Hofer and Karen Burke – say they visited West Papua on September 12 last year to investigate tourism opportunities. They were arrested after landing and charged with immigration offences.

The five were jailed for two to three years, then freed on appeal, but a travel ban was placed on them by Indonesia's attorney-general until prosecutors could appeal to the Supreme Court.

Indonesia justifies process for holding Australians in Papua

Radio New Zealand International - May 29, 2009

Indonesia denies it's pushing tough jail sentences for five Queenslanders held in Papua as revenge for Australia's treatment of Indonesian fishermen.

A spokesman for Indonesia's attorney-general says there's no hidden political agenda behind the prosecution and continued detention of the Australians, arrested last September for flying into Papua without visas.

New court documents, obtained by Fairfax newspapers, show prosecutors urged the Supreme Court to uphold the sentences because they were lawful unlike a neighbouring country who, without legal process, burn and sink Indonesian fishing boats that enter their territorial borders.

Australian authorities routinely impound or destroy boats belonging to Indonesian fishermen caught in Australian territorial waters.

Australia's prime minister, Kevin Rudd, says Australian officials are doing all they can to secure the group's release.

TNI views Papua airport seizure as police matter

Radio New Zealand International - May 29, 2009

The National Chief of Indonesia's military, or TNI, says the military will not take short-shrift action against the gunmen from the separatist Free Papua Organisation, or OPM, who have been occupying Kaisiepo airport since May the 19th.

The Antara news agency quotes General Djoko Santoso as saying the TNI won't take on the gunmen because there are also civilians involved and the military runs the risk of coming under the international spotlight.

He says the TNI has coordinated with Papua police to use a persuasive approach to the OPM gunmen, explaining that the deadline given to the group to leave the airport would entirely depend on the police.

Meanwhile, the Papua Police chief Inspector General Bagus Ekodanto says he has deployed extra police to the Membramo Raya District where the occupation is taking place.

Inspector General Bagus says the police had coordinated with the local church and community figures to negotiate with the gunmen. He says if negotiations fail, the Papua police will manage to retrieve the airport and normalise the situation.

Rudd under fire as Australians 'rot in Papua'

ABC News - May 26, 2009

Steve Holland – Five Australians stranded in Indonesia for almost nine months believe the Australian government is not doing enough to secure their release.

The five were detained in September 2008 for allegedly flying into Papua province without valid visas. In April they thought they were on their way home, but the case is still before the courts.

It was supposed to be a weekend joyride when William Scott- Bloxam, his wife Vera and friends Karen Burke, Hubert Hofer and Keith Mortimer left north Queensland in a light plane bound for Papua. Now the so-called Merauke Five are still stranded after being detained for illegally flying their plane in the province.

Mr Scott-Bloxam said the Australian Government is doing little to help, aside from ensuring the five have a healthy supply of Vegemite. "That is the only thing we are sure of," he said.

Mr Scott-Bloxam and the four he is trapped with have been stranded for almost nine months, including six weeks in jail for allegedly violating visa laws. He says he is baffled by the case.

"We're obviously criminals of the first class, whilst we did not steal anything, or anything like that," he said. "We have spent time in jail. I just have no words to describe it, none of us can understand."

In north Queensland friends of the Merouke Five, like Mark Bousen, want answers.

"I just appeal to everyone who understands and can sense the total injustice of this issue of five people who have done nothing wrong other than being silly, to pressure the government, to pressure their local representatives and say 'what the hell are doing about this," he said. "These people are rotting in a foreign country with no support."

Mark Bousen is also the editor of Torres News. He questions why the Australian Government's role in the recent release of a woman accused a stealing a bar mat in Thailand seemed far more effective than diplomatic efforts to help the Merauke Five.

"The situation with the bar mat lady... there are far more votes to be had in Melbourne, there are far more seats in Melbourne, [Prime Minister Kevin] Rudd was a prime mover in getting that lady home, according to her legal representatives," he said.

"Rudd has been conspicuous by his absence since this thing came to the surface on the 12th of September last year. "I don't even know whether Rudd knows about it because he never talks about it."

The circumstances surrounding the case of the Merauke Five appear murky. They were arrested for arriving in Indonesia's Papua province without a valid visa.

After a stint in jail, they were released from prison on humanitarian grounds in March, although confined to Merauke, while their lawyer prepared their appeal.

Last month the High Court in Jayapura overturned their convictions and they were permitted to return to Australia in their plane. But prosecutors blocked their departure, launched action to overturn the High Court's decision and effectively left the Merauke Five stranded again.

Their lawyer, Mohammed Rifan, believes the actions taken by prosecutors contradicts the law. He says the prosecutors should not have been permitted to take such a course, and now he is taking the case to the Supreme Court.

"We got the information from the Supreme Court staff and this case must be handled sensitively," he said. "It is our concern too – why is this case taking so long? For a normal criminal case like this it is usually very quick, below six months."

The Merauke Five's lengthy stay is partly the result of complications within Indonesia's legal system. It is unusual for a case of this nature to take so long to filter through Indonesia's justice system.

Mr Ifran points out that, under article 244, prosecutors should not have been permitted to challenge the High Court's decision.

But Professor Tim Lindsey Director of the Asian Law Centre at the University of Melbourne, believes the crux of the problem rests with geographical issues rather than legal complications such as debates concerning the use of article 244.

"I think the problem is not so much to do with that particular provision in the Code of Criminal Procedure but more to do with the situation on the ground in Papua," he said.

"What I mean by that is that the situation might not be so dramatic if it had occurred somewhere else in Indonesia. "I think you have to keep in mind that Indonesia regards Papua as a no-go area for foreigners except with permission. It's a closed area."

Shots fired at Democratic leader's home in Papua

Jakarta Globe - May 25, 2009

Nurfika Osman & Christian Motte – The Puncak Jaya home of the Democratic Party's chairman in Papua was fired upon over the weekend, but it was unclear whether the attack was politically motivated.

Provincial police spokesman Adjutant Chief Comr. Nurhabri said on Sunday that three shots had been fired at the home of Lukas Enembe, who also serves as the Puncak Jaya district head. A security was the only person injured in the incident.

Nurhabri declined to comment on possible links to opponents of the Democratic Party's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is running for re-election in the July 8 poll.

"There were three shots fired at the house from a road at the back of the house," Nurhabri said. "The perpetrators are still at large, and we are still investigating the case."

Police said one shot had been directed at the house and two others at a security post on the property. The incident happened at about 8 p.m. on Saturday.

Nurhabri said one bullet struck a security guard on duty at the house in the hand, but that he had received medical care and was now recovering and in good condition. "Lukas [Enembe] and his family are safe," Nurhabri said.

He said that Enembe and his family had remained at the house after the incident.

Nurhabri said police suspected the perpetrators fled into the nearby Abea mountains. "We are deploying personnel from the National Police's Mobile Brigade to secure the house and its surrounding area," he said. "The situation is under control now and everything is fine."

A day earlier, a group of people who remain unidentified engaged in a skirmish with soldiers in Wandegobak village, in Papua's Wamena district.

Sgt. Edaus Enumbri was shot in the hand during the violence and is being treated in the intensive care unit of Mulia General Hospital. On April 15, six days after the national legislative elections, armed men attacked seven Mobile Brigade police personnel in the province, killing Brig. Musa Aninam.

The Free Papua Movement (OPM) has denied that it masterminded the attack. "[Police] are facing this kind of incident in Papua almost every day," Nurhabri said.

Human rights/law

Amnesty paints gloomy picture of Indonesian human rights

Jakarta Post - May 30, 2009

Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – Despite it being 11 years since Indonesia entered the reform era, attacks on freedom of expression and excessive force are still rampant across the archipelago, according to the latest report from Amnesty International.

The report, released Thursday in London, said the number of prisoners of conscience rose sharply to 117 people, while the number of people arrested and detained for peacefully expressing their views increased to at least 32 people in 2008. An additional 85 people imprisoned in previous years remained in jail, it added.

"It remained a criminal offence to raise the 'Morning Star' flag in Papua, the 'Benang Raja' flag in Maluku, and the 'Crescent Moon' flag in NAD," the report said.

Amnesty highlighted the fact that excessive force was used by both the police and military when handling demonstrations and other activities.

The report said the situation in the two conflict areas, Papua and Maluku, continued to deteriorate. Papuan community leaders were intimidated and threatened by the military and police, it said.

"There were reports of torture and other forms of ill-treatment, excessive use of force and extrajudicial executions by security forces."

Twenty-one men in Maluku, who performed a traditional war dance in front of the President and then unfurled the outlawed "Benang Raja" flag, were sentenced to between seven and 20 years' imprisonment for "rebellion" in trials in 2008, Amnesty said.

It said freedom of religion was similarly under attack, with the Jamaah Ahmadiyah religious minority continuing to face discrimination, intimidation and violence.

Commenting on the report, police affairs expert Bambang Widodo Umar from Indonesia University said both the police and the military continued to operate under a mentality of safeguarding the state. He added that the top priority of security forces was making the government the representation of the state, and not the people.

"Thus it is no wonder that if, whenever the government pits itself against the people as conflicting parties, automatically the authorities such as the police and the military will defend the government by using firm actions against those opposed to it, as the representation of the state," he told The Jakarta Post.

Bambang added that issues related to people's welfare were often the key factor behind such violence.

Prominent criminologist Adrianus Meliala concurred, saying that such incidences in Papua were always related with local people's welfare, which has so far not been properly addressed by the government.

"The government has always suspected demonstrations or any level of freedom of expression to be movements to seek independence, but in fact the government forgets that dissatisfaction continues because the government has always failed to seek a comprehensive solution to increase the local people's wellbeing," he said.

Politicos may talk human rights

Jakarta Globe - May 30, 2009

Febriamy Hutapea – After discussing their economic policies at a previous forum, the three presidential candidates may tackle human rights issues next, their campaign teams said on Friday.

The independent National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has proposed holding a forum for the candidates to discuss how they would deal with human rights issues if elected, said Ifdhal Kasim, the commission's chairman.

While the forum could open up the candidates' track records on human rights to public scrutiny, Ifdhal said that was not the purpose. "We want a constructive dialogue," he said. "What we need is to solve human rights issues in the near future."

At least two of the vice presidential candidates – Gen. (ret.) Wiranto and Gen. (ret.) Prabowo – are widely believed to have been involved in major human rights violations during their military careers.

Both were allegedly involved in the fatal shooting of students in Jakarta and the May 1998 riots, and have also been accused of responsibility for the violence surrounding the UN-sponsored referendum in East Timor that led to the territory's separation from Indonesia in 1999.

Many human rights violations were also reported when the government placed Aceh under effective martial law from 2003 to 2005.

Martial law in the province came into effect during Megawati Sukarnoputri's presidency, when the current president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, served as her coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs.

The candidates on Thursday formally agreed on the format, topics and moderators for the five presidential and vice presidential debates scheduled during the campaign. Topics range from good governance and supremacy of the law, but do not include human rights.

Ifdhal said the proposed forum would gauge the candidates' commitment to human rights issues. The forum would consist of a speech from each candidate and a question and answer session between the candidates and the audience, which would include family members of human rights victims. There would be three sessions, one for each candidate, similar to the recent economic forums with Kadin.

Indra Piliang, a member of Vice President Jusuf Kalla's and Wiranto's campaign team, said that the two were ready to provide a clear explanation of their human rights commitment. "It's a good event," Indra said. "We will give the answers just as they are, not based on the claims from biographies or political books by some authors."

Anas Urbaningrum, from Yudhoyono's and former Bank Indonesia Governor Boediono's campaign team, said they welcomed the idea. "Yudhoyono will attend the forum as long as his schedule permits," Anas said.

Hasto Kristianto, a member of the campaign team for Megawati and Prabowo, said that the event could be used to clarify Prabowo's role in past cases of alleged human rights abuses.

Police charge Antasari with premeditated murder

Jakarta Post - May 30, 2009

Jakarta – Police have charged suspended Corruption Eradication Commission chief Antasari Azhar with the premeditated murder of businessman Nasruddin Zulkarnaen, which carries a maximum penalty of death.

Spokesman for the National Police, Insp. Gen. Abubakar Nataprawira, said Friday the investigation into Antasari's alleged role in the crime was nearing completion and the file would soon be handed over to the Attorney General's Office.

Abubakar said Antasari, along with former South Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Wiliardi Wizar and media businessman Sigid Haryo Wibisono, had been charged under Article 340 of the Criminal Code in relation to the March 14 murder. If charged, the maximum sentence is death.

"However, the real sentences will depend on the judges, who could also hand down penalties of life or 20 years imprisonment," Abubakar said.

The other six suspects – Eduardus Ndopo aka Edo, Jerry Hermawan Lo, Hendrikus Kia Walen, Fransiskus Tadon Keran, Heri Santosa, and Daniel Daen – will be prosecuted under article 338 of the Criminal Code on murder, which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in jail. All nine suspects are still in police custody.

Earlier in the day, National Police Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri said detectives had almost finalized investigations into the case. "The suspects charged under article 338 will be processed by the Jakarta Prosecutor's Office next week. Those charged under article 340 will be processed the week after," he said.

Nasruddin, the director of state-owned pharmaceutical company PT Putra Rajawali Banjaran, was shot inside his car by two men on a motorcycle in Tangerang, Banten.

"The suspects who took part in providing the motorcycle and operational money, and giving the orders to kill, and so on, will be considered as premeditated murderers," Abubakar said. "Those who were on the motorcycle and who shot the victim or bought the gun, will be charged as perpetrators."

The police have stated they believe Antasari was the mastermind behind the murder. Nasruddin was allegedly involved in a love affair with golf caddy Rhani Juliani while she was also reportedly dating Antasari.

When asked if the police had found any other motive beside the love conflict, National Police Chief Bambang said, "Please, just attend the upcoming trials. The courts are open to the public, right?"

According to Jakarta Police Chief Insp. Gen. Wahyono, Antasari was suspected of having asked Sigid to assist in dealing with Nasruddin, who had allegedly been blackmailing the former KPK chief and his family.

Sigid allegedly accepted the request and asked Wiliardi to "take care" of Nasruddin, paying him Rp 500 million (US$47,000) for operational costs. The former police officer then allegedly passed the money on to Edo, who recruited five hitmen, including the alleged shooter Heri.

The lawyers for all the suspects are denying the accusations. Juniver Girsang, Antasari's lawyer, said that charging his client with planning murder simply over an alleged love affair was ridiculous.

"That is not enough of a reason to kill Nasruddin. I believe there is a conspiracy involving top officials to frame my client," Juniver said.

Yohanes Jacob, the lawyer for Wiliardi, denied that his client had ordered Edo kill Nasruddin. "The man was hired for a 'special job'. What the job was exactly, I don't know. But I guarantee that it was not murder," he said recently.

Sigid's lawyer Deni Pamungkas said his client's relationship with Antasari was purely related to a project involving Sigid's newspaper.

Corruption watchdogs have expressed concern that this case is an attempt to undermine the country's fight against corruption. (bbs)

History lessons lack objectivity, activists say

Jakarta Post - May 29, 2009

Jakarta – Human rights activists deem history education materials as biased, especially toward the families of individuals who became victims of the nation's bloodiest events in the past.

"All history lesson materials are written from the perspective of the perpetrators, not from the victims," Andhy Panca Kurniawan, an activist, said during a workshop for history teachers in Jakarta on Friday.

"For example, every single victim who was killed during such tragedies as the 1965 Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) rebellion and May 1998 riots, is always depicted as the bad guy in history books," he added.

1965 saw mass arrests by the state of anyone related to the PKI. The state claimed that the PKI had masterminded a coup attempt on Sukarno's governance following the systematic murders of high- ranking army officers.

The alleged PKI supporters were then imprisoned, and anyone related to them, including their children and relatives, were neither allowed to work as state employees nor participate in general elections throughout the New Order era under the dictatorship of Soeharto.

The era spanned 32 years and was ended in 1998 by another bloody incident, known as the May Tragedy. Nongovernmental organizations on human rights said that around 1,000 people were killed during the tragedy.

Both the government and the House of Representatives have never acknowledged that a massive number of human rights violations took place during that incident.

"We have to remember that these victims are also humans and have husbands, wives and children," Andhy said. "That is why it is important for history teachers to teach and show their students that history is multidimensional," he added.

Suciwati, the wife of deceased human rights warrior Munir, said she hoped that history teachers would empower themselves to teach the true essence of history.

"All of the victims are only viewed as numbers in history books. I hope that in future, teachers will be able to fully explain the whole background and the reasons for a historical event," she said. (hdt)

Law will make disabled wear signs in traffic

Jakarta Globe - May 27, 2009

Farouk Arnaz & Febriamy Hutapea – Lawmakers on Tuesday unanimously voted to update a 1992 Traffic Law, but ran into immediate controversy over a clause in the new version that requires disabled pedestrians to wear signs to warn others of their condition.

"All [political] factions agreed without any objection," said Muhaimin Iskandar, deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, who led the plenary session.

Transportation Minister Jusman Sjafii Djamal, who was also present, said the new Traffic and Road Transportation Law was needed as the 1992 version was no longer adequate.

"There has been a change in the paradigm that influences the transportation sector," Jusman said, adding that there was a need for a clearer definition of the responsibilities of those involved in road traffic.

The new law contains 326 articles, but it was the second clause of Article 80 that was met with anger from activists who protested its requirement for disabled pedestrians to wear warning signs.

"Handicapped pedestrians are obliged to wear special signs that can be easily recognized by other road users," the clause stated. It also said that further details would be determined by a regulation.

"This law is to protect pedestrians, including those who are handicapped," Malkan Amin of the Golkar Party said. "It is for their own protection."

But to many activists, the clause smacks of discrimination. "I am very disappointed. This is an infringement on human rights and will particularly affect the handicapped because they have to wear signs while on the streets," said Saharuddin Daming, a blind member of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM). "This is marginalizing the handicapped."

He said the law should aim to make public spaces more accessible for people with disabilities.

Saharuddin cited Bandung, West Java, where local authorities provided special traffic lights near an institute for the visually impaired, allowing its members to change the lights to red to ensure a safe crossing.

"That is what should have been regulated, things like traffic signs signaling the presence of blind people, so that people drive more carefully," he said.

Darmaningtyas, chairman of the Institute of Transportation Studies, was quoted by Agence France-Presse as saying that the law was preposterous and that the government should focus on providing facilities such as level footpaths and wheelchair ramps.

"It is strange when handicapped people are asked to carry extra burdens," Darmaningtyas said.

The law will come into effect when signed by the president or after three months have passed.

Little progress made in Antasari probe, lawyer says

Jakarta Globe - May 25, 2009

Heru Andriyanto – The investigation of Antasari Azhar's alleged role in the murder of Nasrudin Zulkarnaen had made little progress in the three weeks since his arrest, Antasari's lawyer said on Monday.

"[Antasari] has only been questioned four times so far and the substance of the case has not even been touched on," said Juniver Girsang, a lawyer acting for the suspended Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman. Antasari is accused of orchestrating the assassination of Nasrudin, former director of state-run pharmaceutical company PT Putra Rajawali Banjaran, last March.

"We hope the case will go to trial sooner than later. There have been too many opinions that will only harm us all and confuse the public," Juniver told reporters at the South Jakarta District Court.

"If police are lacking evidence [to charge Antasari], the law allows them to drop the case," he added.

Juniver said that his client had asked for police protection after he was blackmailed and threatened by Nasrudin prior to the murder. The police responded to Antasari's request and allegedly investigated the claims.

"The police said my client had a motive to kill [Nasrudin]. If they were right, why should my client ask for protection from the police before the murder was carried out?" Juniver asked.

While the police have not officially come out with a statement regarding the motive behind the murder, several officers have linked it to a love triangle involving Antasari, Nasrudin and female golf caddie Rani Juliani, 22.

Jakarta Police have extended the detention period of Antasari and eight other suspects in the case to another 20 days as their original terms have expired with the dossiers remaining incomplete. Police recently announced several new suspects, including a navy officer and three policemen, who were allegedly responsible for supplying the pistol used in the mafia-style hit.

Labour/migrant workers

PAL's 800 workers on the edge of dismissal

Jakarta Post - May 28, 2009

Indra Harsaputra, Surabaya – Up to 800 of the 2,400 employees of the state's largest shipping company PT PAL Indonesia in Surabaya are facing possible dismissal due the financial difficulties it has experienced since 2008.

PT PAL Indonesia decided to give 800 of its employees one day-off every Friday indefinitely, before they were likely be eventually dismissed, PAL Indonesia Worker Union chairman Kartiko Widodo said Wednesday.

Kartiko said the 800 employees were managerial assistant level staff from the technology, finance, design, logistics and equipment divisions.

The decision – which was reached at a 12-hour meeting held Tuesday between the company's board of directors and workers' union – would officially come into effect this week. Kartiko added it was aimed at reducing the operational costs of completing 18 vessel orders by next year.

Of the 18 vessels, nine vessels ordered locally and from abroad must be finished and delivered by the end of this year, while the remaining nine must be completed by 2010, he said.

"However, the company does not guarantee it will (be able to) keep its 800 employees (forever, despite the 18 vessel orders) because the office of the State Minister for State Enterprises is expecting to reduce the number of PT PAL (employees) this year by 1,000," Kartiko said.

State Minister for State Enterprises Sofyan Djalil said last year, as quoted by Antara, that PAL actually had good business prospects, but its management had made a mistake by signing 20 vessel contracts at once at flat prices, despite the US dollar's fluctuating behavior.

Kartiko said the company had actually suffered from financial difficulties since mid 2007, when its 100 best experts resigned after working for the company for five to 10 years, and moved to shipping companies in Malaysia and Singapore with 10 to 15 times higher salaries than they earned from working at PAL Indonesia.

"The company has since lost its competitive advantage over other shipping companies in Malaysia and Singapore," he said.

President director Harsusanto said PAL Indonesia needed to post at least Rp 1.8 trillion in sales every year to break even.

"(But) the fact is our total sales have never been able to reach the target in the past years. (We) have suffered losses instead," he said.

PAL Indonesia posted losses of Rp 443 billion (US$42.97 million) in 2007 and Rp 46 billion in 2008, according to Harsusanto.

The company is unlikely to meet its Rp 6.4 billion profit target this year because it has not received any orders since last year, he said.

He said the company had also asked the government for a total of $60 million in bailout funds, including $45 million the government had pledged last year, to be channeled through state asset management firm PT Perusahaan Pengelola Aset, but had met no response so far.

To help the ailing company and keep workers, Harsusanto said PAL Indonesia had not paid its directors their salary and only paid managers half their salaries in May.

Migrant workers sent Rp120 trillion home last year

Jakarta Post - May 27, 2009

Millions of Indonesians working abroad contributed significantly to the country's economy last year with a total remittance value of Rp 120 trillion (US$11.64 billion), a manpower official said.

"Their remittances enabled the Indonesian economy to continue recording positive growth. Indonesian migrant workers overseas contribute considerably to the sustainability of the national economy," said Jumhur Yusuf, head of the National Migrant Workers Placement and Protection Agency (BNP2TKI).

The money sent home by the migrant workers, in fact, serves as a lifeline to economies in many regions, he said.

At present, about six million Indonesians are making their living as migrant workers overseas, approximately 4.3 million of them with work permits. The six million workers, Jumhur said, supported some 30 million Indonesians who were their next of kin living at home.

With such a contribution to the economy, Yusuf said the government was determined to improve public services for people seeking work abroad by, among others, setting up a one-stop immigration service for migrant workers in each province, such as the one that already exists in Mataram, West Nusatenggara (NTB).

"The one-stop migrant workers service office in Mataram issues all the required official papers to a would-be migrant worker in just one day. The process there is quick, easy and cheap," he said.

Migrants return home from working abroad to debt and hardship

Jakarta Globe - May 24, 2009

For Risti Ariyani, the dream of working abroad and helping her family is over. Her contract with a computer components factory in Malaysia was abruptly canceled because of the global financial crisis, leaving her no choice but to return home to Central Java.

"My family was counting on me," the 20-year-old said. "Everyone, including my sisters now in school, depended on the money I sent back."

In 2008, some 200,000 Indonesian nationals were sent home from Malaysia because of the recession. Most come from rural areas of the country, where poverty is particularly rife.

"Due to the global crisis, I see more migrant workers from other sectors returning," said Choirul Hadi, secretary general of the Indonesian Migrant Workers Trade Union.

Between 1,500 and 2,000 migrants are now returning through Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport every day, he said, with serious implications for thousands of families.

Earlier this year, the United Nations Development Program warned that the financial crisis threatened to undermine the government's ability to meet its poverty reduction and employment targets.

A large segment of the population is vulnerable to shocks and at risk of falling below, or further below the poverty line, according to a March 31 statement from the UN agency.

"You can only imagine the impact this will have," said Albert Bonasahat, national project coordinator for the International Labor Organization.

He noted the importance of remittances not just on the immediate family, but the extended family as well. "This will, of course, stop the development of the local economy," he said.

Eighty percent of labor migrants are the only breadwinner for their families, with the vast majority women from poor rural families, he added.

For those who only recently went abroad to work, including Risti Ariyani, retrenchment can be particularly bitter.

Many had borrowed heavily to pay agent fees and other charges to secure their employment and have had the least amount of time working to recoup those costs. When work visas are cancelled, there is little chance of a refund.

The government estimates that there are approximately 2.7 million documented Indonesian migrants working overseas, while the number of undocumented workers could be four times that.

Approximately 700,000 documented migrant workers go overseas annually to help their families and send back much-needed remittances – a policy the government has actively supported.

According to the World Bank, the registered remittances Indonesian migrant workers send home account for more than $6 billion annually, comprising the second-highest source of income after oil and gas.

Environment/natural disasters

Law enforcement on illegal logging remains weak: Government

Jakarta Post - May 29, 2009

Adianto P. Simamora, Bali – Indonesia admitted that law enforcement on illegal logging activities remained poor since most of the jailed violators were low-ranking staff, punished with less than two years in prison.

The Ministry of Forestry said that of the 597 people sent to jail for illegal logging activities in the last two years, as many as 326 people were sentenced to less than a year, and another 128 got less than two years.

"About 76 percent of the people sent to prison are still from lowest level, like drivers," Puspa Dewi Liman, deputy director for the program and evaluation of investigation and forest protection at the ministry said in a forest conference in Bali. "We are not happy with the results", she said Friday.

The Indonesian government has long been under pressure to tackle illegal logging which leads to high deforestation, causing the loss of more that one million hectares of forest per year.

Forestry Minister MS Kaban told the conference on Thursday that illegal logging cases had dropped significantly in the last four years under his term.

The World Bank said that illegal logging in Indonesia caused between US$10 billion (Rp 100 trillion) and $15 billion in lost revenue to the government in 2006.

A 3-year muddy fight and still no closer to justice

Jakarta Globe - May 28, 2009

Amir Tejo & Anita Rachman, Sidoarjo (East Java) – With sadness and increasing despair, former residents of dozens of villages engulfed by mud will today mark the date three years ago that sludge began gushing out of a crack in the earth near an oil and gas drilling well in East Java.

Thousands of hectares of industrial and agricultural land, as well as settlements in this densely populated district, have been inundated by an ever-gushing mud volcano that has come to be known as the Lapindo mudflow.

While more than 15,000 residents were left homeless as a result, the company whose name and reputation is tied to the mudflow, PT Lapindo Brantas, which is controlled by the Bakrie group, is yet to finish compensating victims for the loss of their land and homes.

Their suffering is likely to be turned into a political issue as the presidential election approaches, political analyst Fadjroel Rachman said, adding that candidates would certainly court mudflow victims.

Meanwhile, victims like Iva Hasanah, whose home in a housing complex in Renokenongo was destroyed by the mud, continue to wait for help. "We are going to hold a joint prayer session on the [mudflow] embankment [this evening]," Iva said.

Not one of the 13 people – mostly drilling firm executives – named as suspects in the police's investigation into the incident has been brought to court.

"We have already submitted our case files to the East Java Prosecutor's Office, but they have always returned the documents demanding that they be corrected and completed," said Pudji Astuti, a spokeswoman for the East Java Police. "Police have not yet concluded that the investigation will be stopped," she added.

A last-ditch appeal by the Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) to get the case heard was rejected by the Supreme Court in April. Lower courts had rejected the YLBHI's suit against the government and Lapindo accusing them of failing in their obligations to the victims.

The government has ordered that Lapindo, which has been accused of causing the mudflow through negligence in the drilling process, compensate victims for damages. Lapindo maintains the mudflow is a natural phenomenon triggered by an earthquake in Yogyakarta a few days before the mud began gushing from the ground.

The global financial crisis has caused a whole new set of problems. Many victims are yet to receive the 20 percent advance on their property's value promised to them.

The Bakrie group subsidiary given the responsibility of handing out compensation said in February that as a result of the crisis it could only afford to pay the balance to victims in monthly Rp 15 million ($1,455) installments.

All compensation will be paid out by 2010, said Yuniwati Teryana, a company spokeswoman.

As the presidential election approaches, Taufik Basari, the founder of Community Legal Aid Agency, called on voters to take into consideration the way the candidates have dealt with victims of the mudflow.

Siti Maimunah of the Mining Advocacy Network said the mudflow issue should be included in the presidential debates.

Future of nuclear power in limbo

Jakarta Post - May 28, 2009

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – State Minister of Research and Technology Kusmayanto Kadiman said on Thursday that tenders for nuclear power plants, which were initially targeted for completion by the end of this year, have been postponed indefinitely.

The decision to postpone was made in light of an absence of political support since the legislative election in April, the minister said.

Kusmayanto said that, despite the postponement, nuclear power will continue to be pursued. He cited as an example the case of residents who initially opposed the construction of a nuclear station in Jepara, Central Java, but are now asking that the project be "revived".

The minister reiterated that, in terms of technology and economy, research on the possibility of utilizing nuclear power in Indonesia has been satisfactory, but added that, unfortunately, decision making for it is hindered by political and social problems.

He expressed concern over the recent use of the nuclear issue in campaigning, saying candidates were not considering the benefits of its development.

"Its security and safety are good; it's a matter of working out political and social issues. Now, during the legislative and presidential elections, the nuclear issue is being used as a commodity by some who say they are against it even though, after any agreement is reached, it will be them who will deal with it," the minister said on the sidelines of the launch of fractal batik software designed by creative youths at Pixel People, with the support from USAID in Bandung.

Kusmayanto said that there should have been new negotiations with the government and new members of the House of Representatives to discuss the construction of nuclear power generation. Frankly speaking, the minister said, his office has been going all-out to reassure politicians of the benefits and safety of the technology.

"All major decisions will be made through new negotiations, we will see, as at the legislative body there will be many newcomers. It's better to wait until the presidential election," he said, adding that all over the world the nuclear issue is seen from four perspectives: technological, economic, social and political.

As has been widely reported, the office of the minister of research and technology has designated the base of Mt. Muria in Jepara as the most suitable site for a nuclear power plant.

The decision to choose the location was made in 1979 by state electricity company PT PLN and the state National Atomic Energy Agency (Batan)

Based on Law No. 17/2007 on the national long-term development program, the operation of a nuclear power plant in Indonesia is set to be established between 2016 and 2019.

Kusmayanto said that certainty on the decision on tenders will unlikely be taken under the current SBY-Kalla government, referring to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

"It's impossible to decide now. For the fastest, it will possibly take at last six more years," Kusmayanto, a former rector of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), said.

Women & gender

Record number of female legislators elected into the House

Jakarta Post - May 27, 2009

Jakarta – The House of Representatives welcomes a record number of 102 female legislators for the 2009-2014 period, or around 18 percent of the total seats.

Some of these elected legislators have beaten their male rivals in the last legislative elections in April.

In West Java II district, for example, Rieke Diah Pitaloka from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) gathered more votes than Taufik Kiemas, an incumbent legislator and also husband of former president Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Actress Nurul Arifin from the Golkar Party, Megawati's niece Puti Guntur Soekarno and daughter Puan Maharani, both from PDI-P, earned the highest votes in their respective districts.

Puan even managed to gain more votes than Hidayat Nur Wahid, who is the People's Consultative Assembly Speaker from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

According to the Center for Electoral Reform (Cetro), Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party (PD) contributes the highest number of female legislators with 37 out of the total available 150 seats for the party. PDI-P comes in second with 19 out of the available 95 seats for the party.

Meanwhile, Islamic based party PKS becomes the least contributor of female representatives with only three out of the available 57 seats for the party.

The highest number of women seated in the House was recorded during the 1987-1992 period, when 65 women, or 13 percent, won the House seats. This number dropped to 9 percent in the 1999- 2004 before rising slightly to 11 percent during the 2004-2009 period. (fmb)

Agriculture & food security

The cost of smoking: How the farmers are left fuming

Jakarta Globe - May 28, 2009

Hera Diani, Bojonegoro (East Java) – The clock struck an hour past noon; the field was sweltering hot, without the hint of a breeze. But the tobacco farmers from Samberan village, a three- hour drive from the East Java capital of Surabaya, still went out to work the second shift that day.

The month of April is when the farmers start the five-month-long process of farming tobacco.

"It's much easier to take care of a baby than to handle a tobacco plant," said Iskak, who has been growing tobacco for more than 30 years and owns less than a hectare of land.

Tobacco is high maintenance, he said, and it takes several processes to get it to harvest, from land tilling to nurturing seedlings for a month before they take root. The plant requires just the right amount of water and is highly sensitive to the weather, especially rainfall patterns. Climate change has created headaches for the farmers, causing some of their crops to fail and degrading the quality of the surviving plants.

Then there's the numerous attacks by pests in the past few years. "It used to be only caterpillars, but now there are fleas as well," said Kadi, another farmer. "And insecticide just doesn't work."

On top of these troubles, after decades of growing and supplying tobacco to cigarette producers in Bojonegoro, including Gudang Garam, Dji Sam Soe, Wismilak and 369, the farmers seem little better off.

Insufficient incomes

Government officials and tobacco companies argue that millions of people are dependent on the industry for their livelihood, but research shows that the farmers' incomes are far below the national average and many of them, stuck in a cycle of poverty, seem eager to switch crops.

Tobacco use has increased almost sixfold from 35 billion cigarettes consumed in 1971 to 202 billion in 2004. However, land for tobacco cultivation only increased from 170,000 hectares in 1971 to 200,000 hectares in 2004.

Less than half of the 466 farmers in this village of 2,000 people own their land; the rest are peasants, earning Rp 30,000 ($2.85) or less a day. Many farmers are still living in homes with dirt floors.

Even those who own land say they wind up with meager profits. Farmers need to have at least Rp 18 million to plant a hectare of tobacco, Iskak said, with the money sometimes obtained by taking out a loan.

"A hectare of land produces about 1.5 tons, and if the quality is good, it's sold for about Rp 13,500 a kilogram, or a total of Rp 20 million," he said. "That only leaves us Rp 2 million profit, or Rp 400,000 a month."

Big producers like Gudang Garam hold sway in villages like Samberan, leasing the farmers the land, lending them fertilizers and seeds, and deducting money from their crop payments.

But farmers say they have no say in the selling price and are at the mercy of the companies in other ways. Last year, Gudang Garam declined to buy the entire harvest of tobacco in Samberan, saying the quality was not good enough. The farmers were then forced to sell their tobacco for only Rp 3,000 to Rp 4,000 a kilogram, far below the market price, to traders who apparently resold the supply to the tobacco factories in the area, also below market price.

Last year's losses forced Abdul Somad, a middleman between the farmers and the factories, to quit. He had received fertilizer and seeds from Gudang Garam to distribute to the farmers and later collected the harvested tobacco, receiving a commission from the company.

"I collected tobacco produced by 60 farmers, covering 25 hectares. Last year was tough because the company didn't want to buy tobacco, leaving me with millions of rupiah in losses," he said, adding that he would rather find a new job.

Not worth the risks

Farmers in other regions face the same situation, according to recent research by the Demographic Institute at the University of Indonesia's School of Economics. Indonesia has 198,000 hectares of tobacco plantations, the vast majority in East Java, Central Java and West Nusa Tenggara, where the research was conducted.

The study shows that most farmers have worked for an average 16.82 years, farming 7.14 hours a day, but only earn Rp 413,374 a month – less than half the national minimum wage of Rp 883,693 a month. Women and children also work on the plantations and receive smaller wages.

Most of the farmers, regardless of whether they own their land, stay in modest houses with either dirt or cement floors.

"Such a low income is not worth it compared to the risks taken by farmers, like climate change, pests and price decreases," said researcher Abdillah Ahsan. "Buyers also decide the prices and quality of tobacco and there is no standard set on them."

There are about 40 grades of tobacco, according to the research, but no set determining standard, so it's up to buyers to decide. In many cases, he said, they manipulate farmers by saying the tobacco they sell is of the lowest grade.

Farmers also complain, Abdillah said, that the price of fertilizers, insecticides and seeds are rising but the price of harvested tobacco remains stagnant. The maximum price is Rp 25,000 a kilogram.

Widening wealth gap

The farmers' lack of fortune is in strong contrast to those of the cigarette giants. PT Hanjaya Mandala Sampoerna reported Rp 9.10 trillion in sales in the first quarter of 2009, while Gudang Garam had Rp 7.65 trillion in sales.

Cigarette czars Michael Hartono and brother Budi Hartono, producers of Djarum, are the richest men in Indonesia with a collective wealth of $1.7 billion, earning them a place on Forbes magazine's global billionaires list for 2009.

The Indonesian Clove Cigarette Producers Association and Gudang Garam could not be reached for comment.

Tulus Abadi, from the Indonesian Consumers Foundation, said new regulations on tobacco farming were urgent given how it's practically controlled by the cigarette industry without any intervention by the government.

"Tobacco farmers have only been used as politicking tools and [ammunition] against tobacco critics," he said. "The cigarette industry always manipulates the number of farmers."

Figures from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) in 2005 showed that there were 683,000 tobacco farmers, 258,000 people working in the cigarette factories and some one million more involved in distribution and trade.

But Industry Minister Fahmi Idris said that at least 12 million people depended on the cigarette industry for their livelihoods, and cited this as the reason why it was difficult for Indonesia to sign the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which provides a framework for controlling tobacco production and sale. State revenues from the tobacco industry totaled Rp 52 trillion in 2006, making it Indonesia's largest taxpayer.

Indonesia joined 167 other countries in signing the treaty in 2004, but remains one of only four nations that have failed to ratify it. Without ratifying the treaty, there are no limits on tobacco production, while farmers remain powerless and have no bargaining power in setting tobacco prices.

"Cigarette producers can stock up tobacco for two years, unlike farmers. When asked to pay a higher price, they say they won't buy the tobacco and that importing it is much cheaper," Tulus said.

About 35 percent of Indonesia's tobacco supply is imported, mainly from Zimbabwe.

Difficult switch

The Demographic Institute's research shows that about 65 percent of tobacco farmers want to find other jobs or businesses, even when they own their own land.

In Samberan, some farmers have already tried planting other crops. Last year, Bojonegoro district launched a project for farmers to plant melons and corn. The harvest was good but no marketing strategy was in place, so they couldn't sell their produce at premium prices. Some melons and corn were never sold and rotted.

"There is also a problem with a lack of infrastructure, particularly water. So when the dry season comes, we can only plant tobacco," Iskak said, adding that fertilizer was also scarce because most supplies were going to newly established plantations in the area.

The farmers' dependency on cigarette factories remains high. Many women work as cigarette rollers, earning Rp 20,000 a day.

"If the cigarette factories are closed, for example, the economy of this village will subside and the unemployment rate will soar as tens of thousands of people in this district work at the factory," said Azis Zainul Abidin, a teacher in Samberan who helped with the Demographic Institute's research. "But farming [other crops] can be empowering; it can replace the cigarette factory in the economy."

Abdillah urged the government to issue policies that can improve farmers' welfare, for example, by providing alternative jobs. These, he said, can be combined with an increase in the tobacco excise tax and the additional state revenue can be allocated to help farmers switch to other crops.

Health & education

Regency told to avoid free sex in bid to slow HIV/AIDS rate

Jakarta Post - May 26, 2009

Markus Makur, Timika, Papua – An HIV/AIDS commission senior official who claimed Mimika regency, Papua, had the highest HIV/AIDS rate increase in the country and in the world, advised residents to avoid free sex.

"The disease has been spreading here for 13 years. It (the cases) has increased 100 percent every year and is endangering people's lives. We should act on this and advise people not to have free sex," the Mimika HIV/AIDS commission secretary Saiful Takim said at an event Saturday evening.

According to Takim, the number of HIV/AIDS cases in the regency reached 1,973 between December last year to March this year, the "highest rate of increase in Papua and in Indonesia."

He added heterosexual intercourse was responsible for the disease spreading in the regency. He said most people with HIV/AIDS were between 15 and 36 years old. The event's committee chairman Rolando Tamtalihitu said he was disappointed local officials did not support the event.

"Not a single official attended the event, although they were all invited. They don't care about preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS," Tamtalihitu said.

He said it was ironic Mimika, the world's largest gold producer, was also witnessing the highest HIV/AIDS rate increase.

Students, activists demand no discrimination, transparency

Jakarta Post - May 25, 2009

Luh De Suriyani, Denpasar – Hundreds of students, social workers and NGOs activists celebrated the Nusantara AIDS Vigil (MRAN) 2009 on Saturday night by issuing a five-point statement, demanding that the health institution stops discriminating against people with HIV/AIDS and asking the government to be more transparent in developing AIDS mitigation programs.

The local Drugs' Victims Association (IKON) initiated the statement in the annual gathering that took place at the Puputan Badung square in downtown Denpasar.

The first point of the statement asked all the relevant government agencies to be more thorough in developing their HIV/AIDS mitigation programs so as to create a more effective and coherent program and to prevent unnecessary duplications and overlappings.

In the second point, they demanded that hospitals and health care providers cease discriminatory practices targeting people with HIV/AIDS. One of those practices included pooling all patients with HIV/AIDS into one single ward regardless of their clinical symptoms and specific illness. The activists argued that people with HIV/AIDS must be treated in accordance with their specific illness, thus, must be placed in the ward specifically assigned for that illness.

"We hope the prison authority will issue a special policy that will enable an inmate, who falls ill due to HIV, to receive hospital treatment," IKON's member Ida Ayu Rupini said.

The fourth point concerned the role of the local AIDS Mitigation Commission (KPA), an inter-agencies body funded by the government. The activists demanded the commission to be more transparent in its process of drafting and designing HIV/AIDS mitigation programs.

In the last point, the activists asked the Bali Provincial Legislative Council to allocate sufficient funds from the the provinces' annual budgets to finance HIV/AIDS mitigation programs.

"The epidemic will not go away if we just sit here and do nothing," Rupini said to the scores of government officials that attended the virgil.

With "Together We Are the Solution" as its major theme, the vigil aimed at stimulating stronger government and general public participation in efforts to fight the epidemic.

During the vigil, several people with HIV/AIDS performed an art "happening". Wearing masks and with a cardboard sign around their necks, they sat on the grassy field of the square. The cardboard signs displayed different messages; from "Stop (wearing) Masks, Yes to Conscience" to "Stop Stigmatization and Discrimination."

"Its ironic; as the number of AIDS's victims increases so does the frequency of discrimination," Yayasan Hatihati's counselor Yusuf Rey Noldy said.

Up to March, the number of people with HIV/AIDS in Bali has reached 2,660, more than half of that number are within 20-29 year age group. However, Bali's KPA estimated the actual number is around 4,000.

The vigil ended with a joint prayer session, during which all the participants lighted their candles and offered a homage to their friends and associates who had passed away due to the deadly disease.

Corruption & graft

Indonesia anti-graft agency says on track for now

Reuters - May 26, 2009

Olivia Rondonuwu, Jakarta – Indonesia's anti-corruption agency is able to conduct its business as usual despite the suspension of its chief, who is a suspect in a murder investigation, a deputy chairman of the agency told Reuters.

But the operations of the Corruption Eradication Commission, known as KPK, faced uncertainties if parliament did not approve soon a law to extend the life of a special corruption court, deputy chairman Mochammad Jasin said in an interview on Monday.

KPK currently submits cases only to the corruption court, but the court's mandate is due to expire in December and the current term of parliament ends in September leaving a narrowing window.

"(I am) a little pessimistic, hopefully members of parliament can still discuss it within these months," said Jasin, who is one of four deputies running KPK after Antasari Azhar's suspension.

Jasin said the four met President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last week to explain the problems KPK faced if the court closed. Yudhoyono has been praised for pressing hard on corruption and is seeking a second term in office in elections in July.

The corruption court, which has a 100 percent conviction record and is considered clean due to its use of ad hoc judges, is now threatened after the constitutional court said parliament should draw up a new law by December to give it a legal basis.

Jasin said if parliament failed to pass the law in time, Yudhoyono would have to issue a regulation to allow the court to continue its work. If this was not done, experts say the cases might have to be heard in regular courts, which can be more easily manipulated by corruption.

"Of course, it depends on the political will of the president, whether or not to continue the corruption eradication movement."

The deputies had also urged the president to push ahead with reform of the country's bloated bureaucracy, Jasin said, adding the process had only been "partially done".

Under Yudhoyono, notoriously corrupt agencies such as the customs and tax offices have been cleaned up but graft remains rife in institutions such as the judiciary and police.

KPK has built up something of a "cult" status in Indonesia for arrests and conviction of top officials including members of parliament and central bankers, but it suffered a blow this month after its head was detained as a suspect in a murder case.

The case against KPK chairman Azhar, who has denied any wrongdoing, has shocked and gripped Indonesia in equal measure because of its combination of alleged murder, corruption and sex.

Azhar was detained as one of several suspects in the mafia-style killing of businessman Nasrudin Zulkarnaen, who had been a witness in a corruption case investigated by KPK.

Local media have reported that both Azhar and Zulkarnaen were involved with a 22-year-old female golf caddy.

"Whether Antasari is present or not, we are building a system here, so we will work as usual," said Jasin.

KPK, which has more than 100 investigators, is currently working on several big cases, including one related to money that disappeared from a fund of billions of dollars set up to support banks during the Asian financial crisis and another over alleged graft at the Attorney General's office.

KPK's performance improved since Antasari's arrest

Jakarta Globe - May 24, 2009

Nivell Rayda – The Corruption Eradication Commission has performed better since its head, Antasari Azhar, was suspended over his alleged involvement in a murder case, the country's most prominent antigraft watchdog, the Indonesia Corruption Watch, said on Sunday.

Four weeks ago today, Antasari was named the suspected mastermind behind the murder of Nasrudin Zulkarnaen, former director of state-owned PT Putra Rajawali Banjaran, who was gunned down outside a golf course in Tangerang on March 14.

Since his arrest and subsequent suspension, the commission (KPK) has declared seven people as graft suspects in several cases, including former Health Minister Ahmad Sujudi and three active members of the House of Representatives Commission IV, overseeing forestry.

Emerson Yuntho, ICW head of legal and judiciary affairs, told the Jakarta Globe that the KPK was performing better without Antasari.

"Antasari's rise to power was controversial," Emerson said. "His track record is questionable, but with the support of a major political party, he secured the most votes during an election process at the House Commission III [overseeing legal and judiciary affairs]."

Under Antasari, he said, the KPK was involved in a lot of political bargaining in cases involving former and current lawmakers, ministers and businessmen close to politicians.

For instance, the ICW pointed out that two lawmakers jailed in connection with the controversial amendment of the Bank Indonesia Law case had told the Anti-Corruption Court that 50 other members of the House financial commission at the time received bribes of between Rp 250 million ($24,250) and Rp 1 billion each, including current State Minister for National Development Planning Paskah Suzetta and Forestry Minister MS Kaban. However, the KPK has not looked into these allegations.

Also, in the alleged corruption in the appointment of Miranda Goeltom as the central bank's senior deputy governor, Emerson said the KPK has so far failed to file charges against anyone, despite the presence of what critics have called abundant evidence. Dozens of lawmakers allegedly received illegal contributions to approve Goeltom's appointment.

Islam/religion

Yudhoyono shoots down jilbab issue during coalition meet

Jakarta Globe - May 31, 2009

Ferry Iwanto – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called on his coalition partners over the weekend to steer clear of using symbols related to religion or race during the campaign.

Yudhoyono was apparently reacting to criticisms of his wife's failure to wear a Muslim headscarf, or jilbab, every day.

"It is not constructive if we offer political symbols related to ethnic, religious and racial issues, whereas we already passed through [all of those issues] during the development of our state," he said on Saturday.

Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) deputy secretary-general Zulkieflimansyah earlier said that though his party's leadership supported Yudhoyono, a number of supporters could vote for his rivals – Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Wiranto – because their wives wore headscarves daily.

Yudhoyono said people from certain groups were using such issues to seek short-term goals, which were detrimental to the advancement of the nation.

He was accompanied by running mate Boediono when he addressed 2,700 representatives of the Democratic Party and its 24 coalition partners.

He promised to discuss the use of political symbols related to ethnic, religious and racial issues in a closed occasion, in accordance with rules of the General Elections Commission (KPU).

He said that criticism over headscarf use was one of 12 urgent negative issues against his and Boediono's candidacy, including ideology, neo-liberalism, pluralism, competency, leadership, economic growth, foreign debt, budget for the farming sector, infrastructure development and good governance.

Meanwhile, Boediono said his biggest considerations in joining Yudhoyono in the poll race were his familiarity with the president and their similar backgrounds.

"We both come from ordinary, common people," Boediono said. "That can happen only in this country. That's why I would like to repay everything I have to this country by doing my best for the people."

PKS president Tifatul Sembiring and United Development Party (PPP) chairman Suryadharma Ali were in attendance at the gathering. However, Soetrisno Bachir, chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN), was absent.

In a previous leadership meeting in Yogyakarta, PAN's chief patron Amien Rais officially said the party would be on Yudhoyono's side. But Soetrisno has very close ties with Prabowo Subianto from the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), who is now the vice presidential candidate of former President Megawati Sukarnoputri of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

SBY party laments 'religious exploitation'

Jakarta Post - May 30, 2009

Jakarta – The Democratic Party (PD) has criticized other parties contesting the upcoming presidential race for allegedly exploiting Islam for political gain.

All election participants should respect the dignity of religious values during their political campaigns, said the deputy chairman of PD, the party founded by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2004.

"We kindly ask for all participants, including our own allies, to fully respect the value of religion because exploiting them for short-term political gain will not only endanger the dignity of religion itself, but also the pluralistic character of our nation," PD deputy chairman Anas Urbaningrum told a press conference Friday.

Recently, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), aligned with the PD's coalition, claimed its conservative Muslim voters could be deterred from casting a ballot for the SBY-Boediono ticket because their wives were rarely seen wearing the traditional Muslim headdress, known as the jilbab, in public. The Islamic PKS said a recent internal survey had confirmed this claim.

PKS deputy secretary general Zulkieflimansyah said his party's grassroots voters might prefer supporting Jusuf Kalla and Wiranto, nominated by the Golkar Party, because their wives regularly wear the jilbab in public.

A recently published book titled, "Istri Shalihah Pasangan Pemimpin Masa Depan" (Devoted Wives of Future Leaders) depicts the wives of Kalla and Wiranto wearing the jilbab on its front cover.

PD secretary general Marzuki Ali said the jilbab issue was settled during a recent talk with PKS president Tifatul Sembiring.

"I have contacted him and there is no problem. The issue was simply another internal matter for the party and we have no right to directly interfere. But as leaders we are morally obliged to communicate with each other for the sake of the coalition," he said.

Asked to comment on the PD call for a halt to "exploiting religion", Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) political expert Burhanuddin Muhtadi said the party had overreacted to the matter.

"I think PD is overreacting to the matter. Our society is smart enough to judge which candidates are exploiting values to their own advantage and which are not," he told The Jakarta Post.

Religious issues traditionally pop up during elections, Burhanuddin said, causing debate.

"However, history has provided enough evidence to show that such an issue is not significant enough to influence voters' preference. For example, MUI (the Indonesia Ulema Council) told the country's Muslim population not to vote for Megawati Soekarnoputri, from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), in 1999 because she was a woman and most of her party legislators were non-Muslim. She still won the general elections," he said.

"There were also rumors about SBY's wife being a Christian in 2004, but as we all know, her husband managed to become the President," he added. Speculation surrounding the religion of SBY's wife was sparked due to her name, Kristiani.

However, Anas Urbaningrum denied the PD reaction was designed to respond to one certain issue. "Our only wish is to uphold the value of religion together with our allies and our competitors as well. This statement has nothing to do with voter's preference or anything else," he said. (hdt)

Politics of religion 'no longer significant'

Jakarta Post - May 28, 2009

Jakarta – Islamic symbols will be nondeterminant factors for Indonesians electing the president and vice president in July, just as in April, an observer says.

Burhanuddin Muhtadi, an analyst at the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI), expressed doubts that any presidential ticket could exploit religious symbols to win the election.

"The current trends show that there are more and more voters whose choices are driven by rational considerations rather than primordial symbolism. Religious-based politics is dead, the evidence is clear in the massive decline of votes gained by Islamic parties during the legislative elections," he said.

In the legislative elections none of the Islamic parties gained a two digit vote percentage. The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) fared the best by winning 8 percent of the votes.

An internal survey conducted by the PKS, one of the 23 parties that will nominate the duo of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Boediono, found that the electability of rival presidential candidate Jusuf Kalla and his running mate Wiranto had increased because their wives were seen to wear headscarves.

Deputy secretary-general of the Muslim-based United Development Party (PPP), Muhammad Romahurmuziy, agreed with Burhanuddin, saying that although religious symbols would still play a role in the election, their significance was steadily decreasing.

"Voters are exercising common sense. They can now tell the difference between their responsibility to the state and religion," he said.

Director of the Research Institute for Democracy and a Prosperous State (Pedoman), Fadjroel Rachman, insisted however that religion still remained relevant in Indonesian politics.

"I believe that Jusuf Kalla and Wiranto are seen as the true representation of moderate Islam because their families live a very 'Islamic' way of life," Fadjroel said.

He added that conservative Muslim voters who did not vote for Kalla's Golkar Party and Wiranto's People's Conscience Party in the legislative elections would switch to the duo in the presidential election.

Indonesia is the country with the world's largest Muslim population, but they are mostly moderate.

National Mandate Party (PAN) member Drajad Wibowo warned, that religious symbols could not be taken lightly in the elections. "We cannot deny that there is a possibility for a major upset in the coming election, especially after SBY chose Boediono as his running mate," he said.

Surveys have tipped SBY as the favorite to win reelection, but his choice of Boediono ignited anger from some of PD's Islamic party coalition partners due to his perceived links to Western neo liberalism. (hdt)

Elections/political parties

Insurgencies litmus tests for SBY, may challenge reelection

Jakarta Post - May 26, 2009

Lilian Budianto, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is coming under scrutiny over his credentials in making peace with separatists in Papua, as well as quelling sectarian conflicts in the predominantly Muslim country.

Although pollsters predict he will prevail in the July 8 presidential election SBY's wariness in cracking down deep-rooted separatism and his tendency to bow to Muslim groups' pressure in handling sectarian conflicts will undermine his quest for presidency, analysts say.

SBY has only played a second fiddle in ending the 30 year-old insurgency in Aceh, home to huge reserves of oil and gas. He credited the peace deal, signed in 2005 in Helsinki, to Vice President Jusuf Kalla, his rival in the upcoming election.

Kalla navigated Indonesian delegations in negotiating the peace terms with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) from Jakarta. Kalla accomplished a job that four previous presidents had failed, including Megawati Soekarnoputri, who will also seek a five-year mandate in the coming polls.

"Kalla managed to ensure the separatists to cease their armed fighting and remain with the Republic of Indonesia in return for a number of autonomy offers," said Ahmad Syafi'ie Maarif, the former chairman of influential Islamic organization Muhammadiyah.

Kalla offered a special autonomy deal that included 70 percent of shares yielded from Aceh natural resources, implementation of sharia, existence of local parties and amnesty for rebels.

Although the special autonomy deal had been met with protests by opposition party, the peace pact was touted by the international community as a model to end separatism worldwide, as against use of military force.

"Kalla succeeded where his boss had failed. and the highlights of the Aceh peace deal will put SBY in a very weak position ahead of the polls," Syafi'ie said Sunday.

As the chief security minister under Megawati's presidency, SBY failed to maintain a 2002 ceasefire negotiated with GAM. The government then imposed a martial law in Aceh in mid-2003 due to worsening tensions with the rebel group.

Peace talks resumed after Aceh was devastated by tsunami in December 2004, which claimed up to 150,000 lives.

As the chief welfare minister under President Megawati, Kalla successfully brought conflicting parties in the Central Sulawesi town of Poso and Maluku to sign peace pacts in 2001 and 2002 respectively.

SBY had only a minor portfolio in securing the peace deals, which ended almost four years of Muslim-Christian conflicts that killed up to 8,000 people and displaced more than 520,000 others.

"SBY has been proved weak when it comes to handling pressure from Muslim groups," said Bantarto Bandoro, who chairs the Indonesian Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). "In contrast, Kalla is able to strike a more balanced position as a mediator."

Bantarto said SBY's chances to prove his leadership in tackling insurgency and sectarian conflicts would rest on how he would quell tensions in the volatile province of Papua.

The country's easternmost province of Papua is underdeveloped but rich in natural resources with a majority of Christian population. Although Papua was given special autonomy in 2002, tension continues to run high as a low key separatist movement still wages independence campaigns. Clashes between security personnel and rebels of the Free Papua Organization have erupted occasionally out of trivial disputes.

In a sign of embracing defiant Papua, SBY invited exiled founder of the Free Papua Movement Nicolas Jouwe to Jakarta in March to ask him to help end the four-decade of rebellion. However, a chance for long-standing peace remains bleak as Nicolas's return to fulfil the government's invitation has enraged separatist leaders in Papua, stoking even more tension with the military.

"SBY has to show a clear platform in following up Papua issues, which will remain the key factor to judge his capability to rule," Bantarto said.

"He should pay attention to the sensitivity of Papuans, majority of whom are non-Muslims, in offering a settlement over grievances that they have been abandoned by the government."

The geographically-isolated Papua has become the center of attention from major powers like the United States, whose copper and gold mining company Freeport has been operating for some 40 years on the island while the natives have lived in poverty and illiteracy.

"SBY still has lots of space to work on Papua as grievances still simmer below the surface," Bantarto said. "This could be a chance for SBY to outstrip Kalla's international popularity".

Prabowo's intelligence contacts give him an edge

Jakarta Post - May 29, 2009

Jakarta – The presidential candidate with the strongest links to experienced intelligence experts will have an edge in the upcoming presidential election, political expert Arbi Sanit says.

Although the presidential partnerships of Kalla-Wiranto and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono-Boediono are made up of strong figures with either direct or indirect access to the military, with former intelligence personnel on their team, Megawati and Prabowo definitely have an advantage, Arbi said.

The Megawati-Prabowo team will probably have more access to pertinent intelligence, he said at a discussion on the participation of former generals in the election and the reform of the defence sector in Jakarta on Thursday.

Megawati and Prabowo have Muchdi, a former deputy of the country's intelligence agency (BIN). Muchdi is deputy chairman of Prabowo's Gerindra party, and was also a suspect in the murder of prominent human rights activist Munir. Despite the allegations, he was exonerated of all charges by the state court at the end of last year.

Arbi said the advantage of having military influence in a campaign team would be the links to the intelligence sector. "With intelligence operations, the skeletons in your enemy's closets can be investigated easily."

He said the campaign period would most likely see tough battles between the former generals.

"Even if the presidential election goes smoothly and safely, what remains worrying is what will happen after the result is announced. The danger lies in the money being sourced from tycoons, or the use of military influence through families, to get an advantage," he said.

Whether or not the candidates are still active in military duty is not important, he argued. "I see these generals as having the same working methods. They still have the same culture of discipline and ability to organize people."

Generals also have power over military territory, whereas political parties must share areas with other parties. "True they [political parties] have branches, but they are different from military bases."

Another dangerous possibility would be if active military personnel joined the campaign team, Arbi said.

Asrian Mirza, deputy director of the Megawati Prabowo Media Center, said the generals backing their team were all former military men who were aware that to contribute to politics in civil society they should be civilians themselves. "There are no active military personnel in our campaign team or in the party," Asrian said.

Mufti Makarim, executive director of the Institute for Defense Security and Peace Studies, said all three teams had former intelligence officials in their ranks. Mufti said there were two factors that could influence participation by generals in the campaigns.

"First, there is the feudalistic nature of society that perceives a strong government as coming from a strong leader, and while a strong leader in the past was a king, in modern times the society sees this in a military figure," he said.

"Secondly, there is the belief among the political elite that votes supported by the military will bring more influence in politics," said the former secretary-general of Kontras, the Commission for Disappearances and Victims of Violence.

"There is a view that if you don't give the military a bargaining position, then you will lose support in politics," he said.

One positive aspect of military involvement, however, is that "they are more aware that if they still want to contribute to the country, they have to follow the rules of democracy and enter politics via a party". (iwp)

SBY-Boediono largest initial campaign fund, Prabowo richest: KPU

Jakarta Post - May 29, 2009

Jakarta – Registering some Rp 20.75 billion (around US$2 million), the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono-Boediono candidate pair have declared the largest amount of initial campaign funds compared to other candidates, the General Elections Commission (KPU) announced Friday.

The commission revealed that the Megawati Soekarnoputri-Prabowo Subianto pair had declared the second-largest initial campaign fund amount, with some Rp15.5 billion, followed by the Jusuf Kalla-Wiranto ticket with around Rp10 billion.

Auditing candidates' campaign funds is a legal requirement necessary for candidates to be cleared to run in the July 8 election.

"The commission declares that all candidates have met all of the requirements," KPU chairman Abdul Hafidz Anshary said Friday.

The candidates were asked to satisfy 32 requirements, including medical checkups, and wealth reviews conducted by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

The KPU also announced vice presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto was the richest among the candidates, while incumbent president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was the "poorest".

Prabowo controls around Rp1.5 trillion and $7.5 million in foreign currency, followed by Jusuf Kalla with Rp314.5 billion and $25,668; Megawati with Rp256.4 billion; Wiranto with Rp81.7 billion and $378,625; Boediono with Rp22 billion and $15.000; and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono with Rp6.8 billion and $246,389.

Verdict mars mudflow anniversary

Jakarta Post - May 29, 2009

Jakarta – It was more bad news and a black anniversary gift for the thousands of displaced people commemorating three years since the Lapindo mudflow disaster destroyed their livelihoods in East Java.

The Supreme Court announced its verdict publicly Thursday, despite making its decision on April 3, ruling in favor of the government and Lapindo Brantas Inc., the corporation widely blamed for the disaster.

Mud begun erupting on May 29, 2006, displacing thousands of residents from the East Java provincial town of Sidoarjo.

Lapindo, partly owned by the family of chief welfare minister Aburizal Bakrie, claims the mudflow occurred because of a 6.3 Richter-scale earthquake which struck hundreds of kilometers away. Activists and many scientists however say the eruption was triggered by errors committed during the company's gas drilling activities.

The court said it had dismissed an appeal from the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) against the Lapindo company. YLBHI claims Lapindo has denied the mudflow victims their rights through negligence.

Supreme Court spokesman Nurhadi said a panel of judges, led by Paulus Lotulung, found the government and Lapindo not guilty of any charges.

"Basically, the legal grounds presented by the plaintiffs this time around is the same as the first and second appeals. Furthermore, the evidence cannot be verified for this level of court," Antara news agency quoted him as saying.

Representing the mudflow victims, the YLBHI demanded the court declare the government and Lapindo guilty of neglecting the victims' economic, social and cultural rights.

The verdict upheld an earlier decision by the Central District Court in November last year.

The lower court argued that the government and Lapindo, through Rp 1.6 trillion (US$155.2 billion) worth of funding, had exhausted all measures at its disposal trying to assist the victims and halt the mudflow.

The district court said Lapindo had provided shelters for the refugees, paid their rent and offered financial aid for their children's education.

However, several NGOs grouped under the Justice Movement for Lapindo Mudflow Victims, attacked both the government and Lapindo for ignoring the victims.

"The various steps taken by the government and Lapindo to stop the mudflow have been a complete failure. The uncertainty of whether or not the mudflow will ever cease still plagues these victims," said NGO activist Siti Maemunah.

"The conditions there are worsening as the dams holding back the mudflow are weakening," she added.

Siti will lead a protest event this Friday to commemorate the mudflow tragedy in Jakarta, with a similar activity to be held in Sidoarjo.

Disloyalty in SBY bloc 'only for bargaining'

Jakarta Post - May 28, 2009

Jakarta – Apparent displays of disloyalty toward President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono by a number of parties in his coalition recently are simply a political ploy to increase bargaining power in the cabinet, experts said Wednesday.

Out of the four Islamic-based parties allied with SBY's Democratic Party (PD) – the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the National Mandate Party (PAN), the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the United Development Party (PPP) – only PKS joined PD in rejecting calls for an inquiry into the legislative elections during a plenary session at the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

Chair of the PD at the House, Syarif Hasan, said following the session he was very disappointed with the conduct of the other coalition parties.

Following the successful vote for an inquiry, the House can now scrutinize the government over the April 9 legislative elections, particularly regarding the 40 million voters who were unable to cast their ballot due to the severe mismanagement of the electoral roll.

"That issue (of going against PD) is all in the interest of bargaining power for future cabinet seat allocations," an expert from Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University, Ari Sujito, told The Jakarta Post in Jakarta on Wednesday.

"I am sure this issue will not develop any further. The coalition will deal with it through negotiations with all the stakeholders," he said.

Leaders from 23 political parties, including PAN, PKB and PPP, signed a political contract on May 9 to support Yudhoyono's re- election.

A political analyst from the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI), Burhanuddin Muhtadi, said there was another factor besides power that drove the parties to take individual stances.

"Other than power sharing, the parties are also pushing PD to provide them with more money. They will use the excuse of 'mobilizing machinery' for campaigning to get the expected funds," he said.

The PD coalition was established to support the presidential ambitions of Yudhoyono (SBY) and his running mate, former Bank Indonesia governor Boediono, in the July 8 election.

However, chair of PKB at the House, Effendi Choirie, said there was no political motive behind the parties' decision to disagree with the PD on the issue of inquiry.

"The ability to vote independently is the most basic right of any democratic system. It is very important for us, as the people's representatives, to get to the bottom of the matter," he said.

PPP Deputy Secretary General Muhammad Romahurmuziy told the Post that the disappointment expressed by PD following the plenary sessions suggested the incumbent party did not truly understand the reason behind the move.

"The inquiry aims to fully investigate the confusion with the voter list. We did not mean to discredit anyone, and this has nothing to do with the current coalition."

"The inquiry allows us to conduct an inter-institutional investigation into the havoc caused by problems with the electoral roll, and to improve the overall demographic administration system," he said.

The drama behind the support for an inquiry highlights the weaknesses in PD's newly formed coalition, observers have said.

The coalition almost fell to its knees when SBY choose Boediono as his running mate instead of a political representative from one of the allied parties. Following a direct meeting between SBY and representatives from PKS, things however seemed back to normal.

But within a matter of days, PKS deputy chairman Zulkieflimansyah said that despite the party elite being behind SBY all the way, voters were more likely to cast ballots for the Golkar Party's Jusuf Kalla and running mate Wiranto because their wives appeared more "Islamic".

Voters list probe may backfire on parties

Jakarta Globe - May 28, 2009

Febriamy Hutapea – The House of Representatives' proposed investigation into the flawed voters list used for the legislative elections may backfire on the parties that supported the inquiry, an analyst said on Thursday.

Irman Putra Sidin, an administrative law expert, said that if the House could be professional in investigating the voters list, it could reveal systemic manipulation of the list by the same parties that initiated and supported the inquiry.

The House voted on Tuesday to investigate the government's policy regarding the list, which allegedly prevented millions of people from voting.

The proposal was initiated by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) but dozens of lawmakers from the Democratic Party's coalition supported the inquiry into the handling of the voters list, including lawmakers from the United Development Party (PPP), the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the National Awakening Party (PKB).

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party voted against the investigation, with its House faction arguing that the General Elections Commission (KPU) was to blame for the list's errors, rather than government policy.

Irman said the investigation could reveal the involvement of various party members at the provincial, district or municipal levels in manipulating the list to their advantage.

He said that the investigation into the flawed voters list was likely to be used by parties as a political bargaining tool in the lead-up to the July 8 presidential election.

"The House's move to investigate the case is admirable, but it might be used by certain presidential candidates to gain power," Irman said. He said that the House should be transparent about its progress in investigating the voters list complaints.

Separately, House Speaker Agung Laksono said that he expected the investigation into the voters list to be completed before the House's current sitting period ended in September. "I hope that it can be finished before we dissolve," Agung said in the House.

Neoliberalism' becomes empty campaign rhetoric

Jakarta Post - May 28, 2009

Pandaya, Jakarta – Neoliberalism? While many laypeople may think it's an evil ideology just as unsuited to Indonesia as communism, top politicians do not really know its essence but love saying it in their desperate bids to kill the reputation of their rivals.

"I'd rather turn off my TV when politicians start grumbling about the dangers of 'neoliberalism' and why the next government should be free from 'neolib' elements," a bemused friend says.

Ironically, the anti-neolib propaganda which has been bombarding public space since the presidential campaigns unofficially started several weeks ago has served to catapult its target, Boediono, to stardom. Budiono is a low-profile American educated economist that Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) picked as his vice-presidential running mate.

Although the hard-working fella has served different regimes as a Cabinet minister, with an undented record, and has just quit his job as the Bank Indonesia governor after joining the more prestigious race, Boediono remains media-shy.

When SBY and Boediono declared their candidacy at the Bandung Institute of Technology on May 15, anti-neolib protesters staged a comical street demonstration a few kilometers away from the tightly guarded campus.

With the famous golden arches of McDonald's, an icon of American capitalism, in the background, protesters put up images of SBY, Boediono and the President's best-known aides, such as State Secretary Hatta Radjasa, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, and presidential spokesmen Andi Mallarangeng, and Dino Patti Djalal.

The group humorously captioned these pictures "McBY," "McBoed," "McHatta," "McMulyani," "McMallarangeng" and "McDino".

According to economist Dradjad Hari Wibowo, many politicians do not really comprehend the essence of neoliberalism. At a recent seminar in Jakarta, Dradjad said you could call a powerful politician "neoliberal" if they prioritized macro-economic stabilization over anything else, liberalized the economy, privatized public assets and had a penchant for selling state wealth to foreign interests.

Never mind if you still don't get it, or if you just don't believe it. The fact is politicians have been trumpeting the neolib issue simply to attack their foes by portraying them as agents of global capitalism, and technocrats who glorify western economic concepts and sell Indonesia short.

So the neck and neck three-horse race for presidency has succeeded in creating a common enemy called neoliberalism, reminicent of the communism-phobia generated by the authoritarian Soeharto regime to intimidate his (potential) political enemies.

Boediono has, on some occassions, expressed bewilderment at why he has been labeled a neoliberal economist. "I graduated from a rural university and have no intention of becoming 'neoliberal'," said the alumnus of Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University.

The anti-neolib sentiment was stirred up by leaders of Islamic parties like the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the United Development Party (PPP) and the National Mandate Party (PAN) to express their disappointment at SBY's decision to pick Boediono as his running mate, since Boediono is not affiliated with any political parties.

Interestingly, the Islamic parties, which each gained less than 8 percent of votes in the April 9 legislative elections, have never hesitated to swallow their pride. They forget their threat to pull out of a coalition with Yudhoyono unless he picked his running mate from their ranks.

It seems that the more conservative Muslims abhor anything "liberal". In July 2005, the Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI) raised eyebrows when it issued a fatwa that made liberalism, along with pluralism and secularism, haram (forbidden under the Islamic law).

But, obviously, this time around the political pie of SBY stands to gain is too tempting to label haram, although they know it's been "tainted" with liberalism... er, neoliberalism.

Ironically, presidential hopeful Jusuf Kalla, who hails from a fabulously wealthy business clan, has jumped onto the anti-neolib bandwagon. On Saturday, he called on people not to vote for a candidate who embraces a free market, or who would risk seeing the country fall apart.

"Look at America," Kalla said. "They elected the wrong president, (George) Bush, who didn't know what his country really needed. Americans have seen their economy ruined."

Of course Kalla, SBY's estranged deputy, who proudly recalls the days when he resisted International Monetary Fund pressure when Indonesia's economy was in a shambles, was referring to SBY.

From the other camp, Megawati Soekarnoputri (who had Boediono as her finance minister when she became president from 2002 to 2004) seems to have refrained from attacking neoliberalism outright, for obvious reasons. Promoting populist economic "ism", she promises never to sell state assets again if elected.

Wow! Never before has a school of thought exerted so much of our politicians' energy as neolib has recently. We only fear that at the end of the day all they will be able to offer is neo-lip service.

Democrats appeal for coalition unity on SBY bid

Jakarta Globe - May 26, 2009

Febriamy Hutapea – Following reports of rifts within the parties supporting President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's re-election drive, a Democratic Party leader on Tuesday called on the coalition members to deal with their internal disagreements.

Syarif Hasan, chairman of the House of Representatives' Democratic faction, said the coalition should be more grounded in supporting the candidacy of Yudhoyono and his vice presidential candidate, former Bank Indonesia Governor Boediono, in the July 8 presidential polls.

"We hope the issues can be resolved soon," he said. "I understand that the political dynamics in each party need time [to settle], but I hope the process will not take too long."

Some key parties in the Democrat-led coalition have displayed dissent within their ranks, raising fear among Democratic leaders that Yudhoyono's re-election chances may be undermined.

In one of the latest examples of the instability, some members of the National Mandate Party (PAN) unexpectedly attended the recent launch of the campaign of former President Megawati Sukarnoputri of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and Prabowo Subianto of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra).

At the launch on Sunday, a PAN member walked onto the stage and told the audience that his party had made the wrong decision by supporting Yudhoyono. "The members of PAN are now ready to support Megawati and Prabowo," he said.

Dozens of supporters of the United Development Party (PPP), another member of the Yudhoyono-led coalition, also reportedly attended Sunday's event.

Syarif said he hoped that the push to raise parties' awareness of the need to toe the line in supporting Yudhoyono's bid would resolve any issues. "We hope that it can be conducted soon because we want to form a permanent coalition," he said.

Meanwhile, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), which so far appears to be the only party other than the Democrats solidly in support of the Yudhoyono-Boediono pairing, said power sharing with the Democrats would only be discussed in detail once the election was concluded.

"We've discussed the principles of power sharing, which will be proportional," said Mahfudz Siddiq, PKS's faction chairman. "But as for details like how many people and who the people are will only be decided after the presidential election." Mahfudz said that PKS was still "processing and preparing as many names as possible," to propose for cabinet appointments if Yudhoyono and Boediono were to achieve victory in July.

While PAN officially backs SBY, some members stray

Jakarta Globe - May 26, 2009

Several National Mandate Party (PAN) members may have been spotted recently supporting other presidential candidates, but the party's leaders say they remain firm in their support for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of the Democratic Party in his bid for re-election on July 8.

Former PAN chairman Amien Rais said on Tuesday that although the party's support for Yudhoyono would not waver, it would not sanction party members who backed other presidential candidates.

"It's the members' right and we won't sanction or dismiss them," Amien said on the sidelines of PAN's national coordinating meeting at the Sultan Hotel in Jakarta.

PAN secretary general Zulkifli Hasan said the party could do nothing if rank-and-file members decided to back other candidates, but the party would act if it found that PAN leaders had supported other candidates.

Zulkifli said it would not be possible to force all of its members to back Yudhoyono, but that PAN was behind the pairing of Yudhoyono and Boediono, the former Bank Indonesia governor.

He said he was sure that PAN chairman Sutrisno Bachir, who did not attend the meeting, agreed with PAN's decision to back Yudhoyono and Boediono.

Several PAN members attended the official announcement of the candidacy of Megawati Sukarnoputri of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and her running mate, Prabowo Subianto of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), in Bekasi on Sunday.

PAN legislators Dradjad Wibowo and Alvin Lie were seen among the supporters of the Golkar Party's presidential candidate, Vice President Jusuf Kalla, when he registered his candidacy with his running mate, Wiranto of the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), at the General Elections Commission (KPU).

PAN advisory board deputy chairman Hatta Rajasa said the party's support of Yudhoyono had been made clear at the PAN leadership meeting in Yogyakarta.

He said the party would form technical teams to support the Yudhoyono-Boediono ticket.

Alvin, who attended the PAN meeting, said his support for Kalla and Wiranto was personal. He decided to back them after Yudhoyono picked Boediono, not Hatta, as his running mate.

Coalition parties move to quiz government over election

Jakarta Post - May 27, 2009

Jakarta – Several parties aligned in a political coalition with President SBY spearheaded a move Tuesday by the House to scrutinize the government over the electoral roll fiasco, which marred the April legislative elections.

Of the more than 200 House lawmakers attending the plenary session, 129 voted for and 73 against the call for an inquiry, which may test the cohesiveness of the coalition bloc built by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for the upcoming presidential election.

SBY's Democratic Party (PD) and the Prosperous Justice Party unanimously challenged the calls for an inquiry.

But lawmakers from the National Mandate Party (PAN), the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the United Development Party (PPP) joined forces with those from the Golkar Party and the self- styled opposition group the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) in pushing for the investigation into allegations of fraud involving the electoral roll.

The vote was inevitable after all 10 parties in the House failed to reach a compromise.

"The decision to launch an investigation reflects the House's political stance regarding the electoral roll fiasco," chairman of the PDI-P representatives at the House, Tjahjo Kumolo, said after the vote.

Leaders of 23 political parties, including PAN, PKB and PPP, signed a political contract to support Yudhoyono's re-election on May 9.

Golkar, which officially supports the current government, decided to quit the coalition and nominate party leader Jusuf Kalla as its presidential candidate and People's Conscience Party (Hanura) chairman Wiranto as his running mate for the July 8 polls.

Kalla is the Vice President and was Yudhoyono's running mate in the 2004 polls, though speculation suggests ties between the two have weakened in the run-up to the election.

The majority vote, Tjahjo said, confirmed the general opinion at the House that fraud played a key role prior to and after the legislative election.

"As legislators, we have the right to summon and question all related institutions held responsible for the fiasco, including the government," he said.

PD's faction chairman, Syarif Hassan, said he was disappointed with the apparent disloyalty demonstrated from the coalition partners.

"I am very upset, especially with Golkar, as it is still officially in the coalition supporting the current government," he said.

"I am also disappointed with PAN, PKB and PPP. Their legislators need to understand that coalitions can only work if all elements involved in it are fully committed. All I can say now is that I will report to SBY directly regarding this situation."

PPP House leader Lukman Hakim denied accusations that his party had betrayed the PD by approving the push for an inquiry.

"The House measure will instead serve as a gateway to ensure better administration of the general elections in the future. There is no political interest at all in our stance to vote for a right to an inquiry," he said.

The government survived a House move to launch an inquiry into alleged irregularities in the fuel price policy in 2007, but is facing a hearing in April over allegations of revenue misuse in the energy sector. (hdt)

Headscarves help Kalla up electability

Jakarta Post - May 27, 2009

Jakarta – Presidential candidate Jusuf Kalla and his running mate Wiranto have closed their popularity rating gap with the leading ticket of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Boediono, thanks partly to their persistence in luring Muslim voters.

An executive of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), one of the 23 parties committed to supporting Yudhoyono's re-election in July, expressed his concern about the rising electability of Golkar Party leader Kalla and his People's Conscience Party (Hanura) counterpart Wiranto.

"Despite our official allegiance to the Democratic Party to support President SBY and his running mate Boediono during the election, our internal party survey shows the popularity of the Kalla-Wiranto duet has been increasing due to their wives wearing the jilbab," PKS deputy secretary general Zulkieflimansyah said Monday, referring to the headscarf many Muslims believe is mandatory for women.

"Our party's top brass are definitely loyal to our coalition deal with the Democratic Party, but we cannot fully control the hearts of our grass roots constituents. Therefore, we will do everything we can to help them understand the jilbab is not a big issue," he added.

Kalla's wife Mufidah and Wiranto's wife Rugaya have always appeared in public wearing head-scarves, unlike First Lady Kristiani Herawati and Boediono's wife Herawati.

Zulkieflimansyah said the most recent internal survey the Muslim-based PKS conducted showed although SBY had taken lead, Kalla was moving closer, with the other presidential candidate Megawati Soekarnoputri trailing a distant third.

Prior to the candidates' official bids, a pollster predicted Yudhoyono's unstoppable run. Predominantly Muslim Indonesia will hold the direct presidential election on July 8.

Director of Indo Barometer survey institute Muhammad Qodari acknowledged Kalla and Wiranto appealed more to Muslim voters than the other candidates.

"Kalla is actively involved in Nahdlatul Ulama (the country's largest Islamic organization), and that can be used as a major drawing card for Muslim voters," Qodari said.

"Symbolically, the jilbab is visually very attractive for conventional Muslim women. The clothes will do all the talking without Kalla and Wiranto needing to utter a single word."

Qodari said had Yudhoyono chosen a more "Islamic" running mate, the jilbab would remain a nonissue. "SBY should have picked Hatta Rajasa, who represents Muslim voters because of his background with the Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals Association (ICMI)," he said.

Yudhoyono's coalition bloc, which includes of a number of Islamic-based parties, had lashed out at SBY's decision to name Boediono, an apolitical figure and a former Bank Indonesia governor, as his running mate.

Kalla has visited a number of influential Muslim clerics across Java recently, as well as top leaders of the country's mainstream Islamic organizations Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah. (hdt)

Ex-generals form ranks behind Kalla

Jakarta Globe - May 25, 2009

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Indonesia's Armed Forces of yesteryear returned to politics on Monday when 10 retired generals pledged their loyalty to Vice President Jusuf Kalla's bid to win the nation's top job in the July 8 presidential election.

However, a spokesman for Kalla's campaign was quick to point out that the former top soldiers, sailors and airmen would be mainly deployed in campaigning for the continued political neutrality of currently serving military personnel.

Their announcement followed a closed meeting with Kalla at his Jakarta home at which they agreed to join the Jusuf Kalla-Wiranto Campaign Team, or JK-Win, a play on words linking Kalla with his vice-presidential running mate, yet another retired general, Wiranto.

The 10 include retired Navy Chief Adm. Bernard Kent Sondakh, former Air Force Deputy Chief Rear Marshall Basri Sidehabi, former TNI Insp. Gen. Rear Adm. Sosialisman, former Army military Police Cmdr. Maj. Gen. Djasri Marin and former Navy spokesman Malik Yusuf.

Basri later told a news conference that more retired generals would soon follow in joining the JK-Win Campaign Team, calling themselves the Garuda Team. "Not only these 10 generals, we will also gather other high-ranking generals in a team, named the Garuda Team," Basri said.

Sondakh said they had decided to support Kalla and Wiranto because of their commitment to rejecting foreign countries' interests that represented intervention in Indonesian affairs.

However, JK-Win Campaign Team spokesman Yuddy Chrisnandy said the retired generals would be mainly be asked to work at ensuring the political neutrality of serving soldiers. "They will tell their juniors in the military to remain neutral," Yuddy said.

They also would be given roles closely watching the presidential election process around the country, filing reports if they found any military personnel actively involved in politics, he said.

"By this, we remind the campaign teams of other presidential candidates to compete fairly, by not involving active military personnel during the campaign," Yuddy said.

Meanwhile, Kalla's ex-military backers are not the only retired generals reemerging because of the election.

Retired military chief Marshall Djoko Suyanto has become the vice chairman of the campaign team for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is also a former general. The team runs several subordinate networks involving many retired generals.

Across at the campaign team for yet another rival presidential- election duo, that of former President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Prabowo Subianto, the chief operative is retired Maj. Gen. Theo Syafei while retired Maj. Gen. Muchdi Purwohadipranjono is also involved.

Kalla should resign party chair if he loses election

Jakarta Globe - May 26, 2009

Febriamy Hutapea – Golkar Party chairman Vice President Jusuf Kalla should prepare himself to step down as party chairman if he fails to win the presidency in the July 8 election, one of his most senior supporters said on Monday.

Golkar senior board member Muladi said Kalla should be gentlemanly enough to acknowledge defeat by resigning from the chairmanship.

"I'm not expecting Kalla to lose but, if he does, it would be better if it is he who initiates the idea to bring forward the date of the party's national meeting and resign," he said, referring to the Golkar practice of holding a special five-yearly review in the December of each presidential-election year.

The idea of an earlier meeting already has been canvassed. Dozens of senior national and district-level party officials met last week at the home of Golkar advisory board member Aburizal Bakrie and considered convening an extraordinary meeting earlier than planned. Bakrie is also the coordinating minister for people's welfare. The meeting was attended by House of Representatives Speaker Agung Laksono, Golkar central board members Firman Subagyo and Priyo Budi Santoso among other leaders.

Agung, Firman and Priyo are known to have favored the idea that Golkar should have formed a coalition with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party for the July election. Instead, Kalla parted ways with Yudhoyono and secured Golkar's presidential nomination.

Former Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung, who also attended the meeting, said it was suggested at the meeting that the party should hold an extraordinary congress to evaluate Golkar's poor showing at the April 9 legislative elections. However, the idea of ousting Kalla from the party chair had not been discussed.

Although Golkar officials who attended the meeting denied they were seeking to challenge Kalla, Muladi admitted there had been calls from elsewhere in the party to hold such a meeting.

However, he suggested that party leaders should at present focus on the presidential election and avoid any further talk of attempts to sack Kalla. "If Kalla fails to win [on July 8], we may speed up the national meeting to choose a new party chairman, but the idea should come from Kalla himself," Muladi said.

He said it would protect Kalla's pride if the idea to speed up the national meeting came from Kalla himself, and not from demands by party members who might later urge the holding of an extraordinary national meeting aimed at unseating Kalla.

According to Muladi, Kalla at one stage did want to resign from the chairmanship after reflecting upon Golkar's poor performance in the April legislative election. However, he had decided to run for president for the sake of party's solidarity, Muladi said.

Golkar garnered about 14.45 percent of the national popular vote in the April polls, down from the 21.6 percent it obtained in the 2004 legislative elections.

Kalla was elected party chairman after winning more than 50 percent of the votes against his rival, Akbar, at the party's national congress in December 2004. Kalla secured the role after he was picked as Yudhoyono's running mate in the 2004 presidential election.

Megawati-Prabowo ticket pledges relief for the poor

Jakarta Globe - May 25, 2009

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Presidential hopeful Megawati Sukarnoputri and her running mate, Prabowo Subianto, delivered important political promises to their supporters at the launch of their candidacy in Bekasi, West Java, political analyst Effendy Ghazali said after Sunday's huge rally.

The former president and retired general promised to improve social welfare for their mainly poor supporters by managing the country's resources more effectively and fairly, he said.

But Effendy, who attended the campaign launch, also said that promises alone would not help the poor. He said that people who lived in Bantar Gebang in Bekasi usually voted for Megawati's party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

"Megawati and Prabowo should promise more specifics, such as the provision of free insurance and health benefits for everyone," he said. "For the people, the important thing is action, not just words."

Renowned Indonesian poet WS Rendra, however, said that the candidates' promises to take full control of the country's economy deserved support. He said Megawati and Prabowo adequately represented the views of Indonesians who felt that the country still remained under excessive foreign influence and control.

"They have a good plan for how to build the economy based on the needs of the people, farmers, fishermen and laborers. They deserve support," Rendra said.

Meanwhile, members of the National Mandate Party (PAN) unexpectedly attended the Megawati-Prabowo campaign launch. PAN supports the Democratic Party's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in his bid for re-election on July 8.

A spokesman for the PAN group walked onto the stage and told the audience that his party had made the wrong decision by supporting Yudhoyono. "The members of PAN are now ready to support Megawati and Prabowo," he said.

Yudhoyono and his running mate, former Bank Indonesia Governor Boediono, are expected to strengthen the government's commitment to fight corruption – concerns that Megawati and Prabowo did not mention in their speeches on Sunday.

But Pramono Anung, the PDI-P secretary general and an adviser to the Megawati-Prabowo campaign, said that opposition to corruption had been always part of Megawati's vision. One indication of this is that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) was formed during Megawati's 2001-04 presidency, he said.

"Megawati has never politically opposed the anticorruption effort," he said. Megawati and Prabowo have their own ideas about how to stamp out corruption, particularly in the government, he said, "by applying a punishment and reward system and improving salaries and welfare."

Pramono said that Megawati had always respected the concepts of democracy and freedom of the press. "Neither she nor anyone in her administration has ever called any media organization just because they were broadcasting or publishing bad news," he said.

Her approach contrasted sharply with common practices during the New Order regime of former President Suharto, when the government exercised tight control of the media.

SBY, Kalla busy seeking support for election

Jakarta Post - May 25, 2009

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla have been busy travelling and meeting groups of people across the country in the last several weeks, leaving the capital "empty".

With a full travel schedule on the agenda for both leaders over the next few months, concerns have been raised over whether they can still perform state tasks during the administration's last five months.

On Sunday, President SBY and his wife Ani Yudhoyono made a surprise visit to the Sukawati market in Bali, the island's largest trading site for handicrafts and souvenirs.

During their one-hour visit, both traders and visitors were competing with each other to get the first glimpse at the couple and trying to shake hands with the president.

"Since yesterday, I have visited places like this, such as Tampaksiring and Kintamani. The number of tourists has increased. We should maintain this condition so the economy will keep moving and the people's earning swill keep increasing," said SBY, who was in Bali since Saturday after touring Surabaya.

SBY and his running mate former Bank Indonesia Boediono have declared their bid for the presidency.

Earlier, rival presidential candidate Kalla made a series of visits to traditional markets, including Tanah Abang in the central Jakarta.

Since declaring their bid for presidency, SBY and Kalla are said to have not communicated or attended cabinet meetings together.

Kalla, who is also chairman of the Golkar party, participated in many activities over the weekend in order to meet thousands of people, from ordinary citizens to politicians.

Kalla inaugurated the launching of Grand Mangku Putra Hotel in Cilegon, Banten on Sunday. Banten Governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah is among the high-ranking officials attending the launching.

After the launching, Kalla accompanied by his vice presidential hopeful Wiranto to meet Muslim clerics, local people and members of the Golkar party in Cilegon. The clerics and the local people read out declarations supporting Kalla and Wiranto in the presidential election.

In his speech, Kalla promised to improve the people's welfare and make Indonesia an internationally respected country if he was elected as president.

The tour to Cilegon was made after Kalla received support from the Ulema National Awakening Party (PKNU) and Federation of Transport Workers in Indonesia on Sunday.

"I promise a better government. The people's mandate must be fulfilled by a fair, honest and dignified government," Kalla said at the PKNU's leader meeting Sunday.

On Saturday, Kalla also inaugurated his winning team consisting of 100 women of the party's member to garner support from female voters.

Both Kalla and Wiranto, however, strongly denied the intensive meeting was part of their early campaigning for the presidential election. "This is not part of the campaign, it is merely a bond of friendship," Wiranto said.

The presidential election will be held in July 8 with three contestants – SBY, Kalla and Megawati Soekarnoputri – to compete in the election.

The General Elections Commission (KPU) planned to push forward the start of election campaign to May 30, from the initially scheduled June 13. (Mar)

[Wasti Atmodjo contributed to the story from Gianyar, Bali.]

Kalla, Wiranto reap more support for presidential election

Jakarta Post - May 24, 2009

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – Though the polls body has yet to open the campaign for the presidential election, the duo of Jusuf Kalla and Wiranto garnered support from ordinary people, clerics and politicians on Sunday.

Dozens of Muslim clerics in Cilegon, Banten read out a declaration to support Kalla and Wiranto in the July presidential election.

Before touring Cilegon, Kalla who is also incumbent Vice President, reaped political support from the Ulema National Awakening Party (PKNU) and the Federation of Transport Workers in Indonesia.

"I promise to create a better government. The people's mandate to have a fair, honest and dignified government must be fulfilled," Kalla said in his speech at the PKNU's leader meeting on Sunday.

Kalla promised to improve the welfare of people once he was elected president.

In separate event, hundreds of young people launched the so- called Indonesian Young Porous (PMI) to support the candidacy of Kalla and Wiranto. The launching of the PMI was directly witnessed by the head of Kalla and Wiranto's campaign team, Fahmi Idris, who is also the Minister of Industry.

The presidential election is slated for July 8 when three presidential candidates – Kalla, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Megawati Soekarnoputri – will compete for the country's top job.

Government/civil service

Neo-liberalism accusations fly in DPR

Jakarta Globe - May 29, 2009

Febriamy Hutapea – The campaign team of former President Megawati Sukarnoputri on Friday used a discussion in the House of Representatives to accuse the government of taking a neo- liberalist approach to its economic policies.

Hasto Kriatianto, a member of the campaign team backing Megawati and her running mate Prabowo Subianto, said that over the past five years, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's government had proposed several neo-liberalist ideas when forming policies.

Hasto, also a member of Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said his party had evidence to prove that neo- liberalism was at work in the formation of the country's economic policies.

"We have repeatedly seen that existing policies are aimed at liberalizing our international trade policies," Hasto said. "The government has even proven receptive toward overseas products in the agricultural field."

He said the PDI-P had repeatedly opposed the policies and had managed to scuttle several laws and regulations that smacked of neo-liberalism.

Hasto cited the investment bill, which proposed a free trade zone in Bintan, Batam and Karimun islands, and the bill on the 2009 state budget.

"The absence of restrictions on rice imports was actually a criticism of our food policies but the debate that followed went into the technical aspects... and failed to consider the issue of why we are importing rice," he said.

The government, Hasto said, has also failed to intervene during rice harvest period, leading to a drastic fall in the price of unhusked rice.

"We have proven that neo-liberalism is at work and has influenced the mind-set of our people with regard to the economy."

Zulkiflimansyah, a member of the campaign team for Yudhoyono and his running mate, former Bank Indonesia Governor Boediono, said that neo-liberalism had some positive aspects.

"Not everything related to a market-oriented economy is wrong. Some concepts can be applied but of course there is also a need to protect our markets," said Zulkiflimansyah, who hails from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). "Don't just say that neo- liberalism is bad if you can't provide a solution," he said.

Zulkiflimansyah said that even if the initial concept for a policy was neo-liberalist in nature, "If we look at the end product, a lot has been changed and those policies are running against the concept of neo-liberalism."

He, too, cited the case of the investment bill. "In that law, we have an article that stipulates that we provide incentives for investors who use local products," he said.

"Whoever the candidates are, they would have difficulties separating themselves from the market. The important thing is how we interact with this policy," Zulkiflimansyah said.

Dynastic tendencies: Top politicians' offspring head vote tally

Jakarta Globe - May 28, 2009

Yuki Mariam – In what could mark the beginning of the next generation of two political dynasties, the youngest son of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the daughter of former President Megawati Sukarnoputri were the top vote-getters in the April legislative elections, the General Elections Commission (KPU) says.

Edhie Baskoro Yudhoyono, running for his father's Democratic Party in East Java District VII, topped all candidates nationwide with 327,097 votes. The district covers Ponorogo, Pacitan, Magetan and Ngawi districts, and Edhie cruised to victory even though the April 9 polls was his first try at public office and he was not reared in the district. His father was born in Pacitan, though.

Puan Maharani, Megawati's only daughter and the granddaughter of founding President Sukarno, continued the family tradition by winning a seat in Central Java. Her 242,504 votes was the second most nationwide, exceeding the 2004 total garnered by Prosperous Justice Party's Hidayat Nur Wahid, who topped the list at the time.

Like Edhie, it was Puan's first run at office and she was also not raised in the district in which she won. She represented the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), chaired by her mother.

The son of Alex Noerdin, governor of South Sumatra and a senior Golkar Party member, got the fourth-most votes of any legislative candidate. Dodi Reza Alex Noerdin, who was born in South Sumatra's provincial capital Palembang and ran for Golkar, secured 218,991 votes in District 1.

New faces stir doubt over House quality

Jakarta Post - May 27, 2009

Jakarta – With many veteran legislators in the current House of Representatives about to be replaced by newcomers with little or no experience, doubt has been cast over the future ability of the legislative body.

The Center for Electoral Reform (Cetro) reported Tuesday that nearly 400 new legislators from various backgrounds, or around 70 percent of the total 560 members, will soon dominate the House.

The United Development Party (PPP) has the most new members entering the House with almost 90 percent, or 30 newcomers out of the total 37 seats available for the party.

The new legislators taking seats are primarily from the business sector, along with a number of celebrities and children and relatives of former high-level officials.

Celebrities, such as soap opera star Primus Yustisio from PAN, will be working side-by-side with Edhie Baskoro, the youngest son of incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

"The 70 percent turnover shows that this year's legislative elections were an open competition. But the number also raises doubt about the quality of the House's upcoming performance," Cetro director Hadar Navis Gumay said.

Recently, the House of Representatives' Performance Appraisal Team rated the performance of the 2004-2009 legislators as being poorer compared to that of the 1999-2004 term. The outgoing round of legislators only managed to pass 157 of a targeted 284 bills in the past five years.

Political analyst Bonny Hargens said this situation could worsen as the majority of incoming legislators were largely inexperienced in politics.

"The legislative and the budgeting function of the house are at stake if there are no serious efforts taken to upgrade the capacity of these new legislators," he said.

The presence of fresh faces does not particularly translate to a positive reform for the House, he said.

However, another analyst, Lili Romli, said the changeover of legislators represented fresh hope for democracy in Indonesia.

"This new batch comes from various backgrounds. But overall, they have higher education levels and are younger and of a more productive age as compared to the outgoing legislators," he said. According to research data from Kompas daily, almost 50 percent of the new legislators have bachelor degrees, with around 41 percent holding master degrees.

PDI-P's Arif Wibowo, an incoming legislator, said analysts had the right to question the capability of the new legislators.

"Proper capacity building is essential to equip us future legislators with the right organization skills and knowledge," he said. (fmb)

Too many parties in the house: Lemhanas

Jakarta Globe - May 26, 2009

Febriamy Hutapea – An influential state-funded defense think tank advocates a tighter requirement for political parties that seek to secure seats in the House of Representatives.

National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas) governor Muladi on Monday suggested that the electoral threshold be increased from the current 2.5 percent of the vote to 10 percent to trim the number of parties that win representation in the House.

"The parties that can enter the House will be reduced through raising the electoral threshold to 10 percent," Muladi said during a hearing with House Commission I overseeing defense, information, foreign and political affairs.

According to Muladi, the country has conducted 500 regional elections in three years, which he said was too many and costly. He claimed that a more simple system in conducting the regional, national and presidential elections was necessary to decrease the impact on the state budget.

He said the recent ruling by the Constitutional Court, that paved the way for a majority-vote system in the April legislative election, had had a serious impact on Indonesia's political parties as it was applied in the absence of a transition process.

He said that a majority-vote system made the election too costly because parties and legislative candidates had to spend too much money during their campaigns to attract voters.

He said the court decision, which was issued only months before the April legislative election, did not give political parties enough time to ensure they provided qualified candidates.

He cited the House Commission I as a good example of this lack of preparation, because only eight of the about 50 members had been able to secure reelection.

He claimed that the new system benefited candidates who may not have the capability to do the job but had the money to bankroll their campaigns.

Legislator Sidarto Danusubroto from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDI-P, said that he was worried about the current majority-vote system, which made for an unhealthy political situation. "Many fellow legislators who are smart were eliminated because of the difficult and costly election system," Sidarto said.

Legislator Andreas Pareira, who is also from PDI-P, said that the majority-vote system had changed the legislative candidates' attitude because of the different system of competition.

The House of Representatives is often rated as one Indonesia's most corrupt institutions. A number of high-profile corruption cases have uncovered the illicit costs of passing even the most basic pieces of legislation.

Fragile coalitions to weaken government offices

Jakarta Post - May 26, 2009

Jakarta – Fragile political coalitions may restrict opportunities to improve presidential governance in the next five years, experts and party members said.

"The effectiveness and efficiency of presidential governance will heavily depend on the process taking place during both the legislative and presidential elections.

However, as we have witnessed, there have been a lot of strange things going on during those processes," Charta Politika Indonesia executive director Bima Arya Sugiarto said during a political discussion in Jakarta on Monday.

"For example, the three presidential candidates officially announced their respective running mates at the very last minute. The decision to choose a running mate should have been made after a long process, not as a sudden thought. How can we expect to have a solid presidential team with such short-sighted decisions?" he said.

Despite parties having already officially signed coalition contracts, there have been reports of some elites blatantly contradicting their parties' official stance.

"I saw the flags of the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the United Development Party (PPP) during the presidential candidacy declaration of Megawati Sukarnoputri from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) at Bantargebang on Sunday," he said.

"PAN and the PPP have signed a coalition agreement with the Democratic Party (PD) to support President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) in the election. What's the meaning of those flags at his rival's declaration?"

The coalition comprising of the PAN, the PPP, the PD, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the National Awakening Party (PKB) are vying for around 45 percent of seats at the House of Representatives.

However, Bima said considering the lack of discipline among the parties and various political stances, such a majority would be largely ineffective.

"Within each party, there are separate factions with different interests. So, having a majority advantage in the House will be virtually useless, unless the parties are able to improve the discipline of their own elite," he said.

Basic changes were essential in order to improve the efficiency of the future government, Bima said.

"We need to improve the power of both the constitution and legislative body. My suggestion is to reduce the number of parties within the House."

"We can do that by increasing the current parliamentary threshold to 5 percent from 2.5 percent. Such an increase will result in the House only consisting of five to six parties. Those numbers are perfect for presidential governance," he said.

A PDI-P executive, Budiman Sudjatmiko, told the panel discussion that a future president would also need the power to "veto" any regulation aiming to increase the government's bargaining power against the House.

"Countries in South America have successfully applied such mechanisms within their presidential governance, but we would need to set limits to manage the usage of such a power," he said. (hdt)

Aid & development

Indonesia 'still struggling' to improve health for the poor

Jakarta Post - May 29, 2009

Jakarta – Indonesia's infant and child mortality rates have declined, but maternal mortality rates remain "among the highest in East Asia", a World Bank report said.

Indonesia has made "major improvements", but "struggles to maintain and continue to improve important health outcomes for the poor and achieve the Millennium Development Goals," said the report released Thursday titled "Health financing in Indonesia."

The World Bank noted that infant and child mortality rates had fallen by 50 percent since the early 1990s, "but the decline appears to have slowed since 2002".

Targets of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals include reducing the ratio of maternal mortality by three quarters from 1990 to 2015. There are currently 420 deaths for every 100,000 births.

"Indonesia's growing economy, political stability and decentralization prospects now allow it to think expansively about healthcare," said the report, which reviews the government's ongoing efforts to improve the health system.

World Bank director for Indonesia, Joachim von Amber, said he believed the country could become a rare example among fellow middle-income countries.

"Indonesia could potentially become one of the very few middle- income countries to successfully provide universal health insurance for its population. Already we are seeing the government make positive headway on this agenda through programs for the poor," he said.

"However, the country still faces significant challenges in developing and implementing an effective and sustainable health financing reform," von Amsberg added.

The government is preparing a highly ambitious plan to provide free medication for all citizens by intensively expanding its community health insurance Jamkesmas program by 2013, according to an official from the Welfare Ministry.

The Jamkesmas program is a new health insurance scheme for poor people launched by the government in early 2008 to replace a previous program.

"Currently, around 115 million people, which represent 50 percent of the total population, are included in the program," said Welfare Ministry secretary Dwi Suryo Indroyono Susilo.

The World Bank report also suggests three approaches to support the government's goal of health insurance for the every citizen by 2013.

The first approach is similar to the national health service in Sri Lanka and Malaysia, and involves expanding the current government's health insurance for the poor.

The second approach is funded through both wage-based contributions for public and private sector workers, along with government contributions to the poor and other disadvantaged groups.

The third approach is a combination of the two, in which the poor and other disadvantaged groups will be covered by a government- financed system, while others are covered through multiple funding of mandatory health insurance on a contributory basis. (hdt)

Health Outcomes and Trends in Indonesia

Life expectancy at birth, total (years) - 65 69 Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births) - 45.7 34.0 Under 5 mortality rate (per 1,000) - 58.2 45.0 Maternal mortality ratio (per 100,000 live births) - 425 228/420 Births attended by skilled health staff (% of total) - 49.1 73 Birth delivered at a health facility (% of total) - 20.7 46.1 Under 5 underweight malnutrition (% of total) - 29 27

Source: Health financing in Indonesia, World Bank

Indonesia's water coverage way far behind MDGs

Jakarta Post - May 28, 2009

Jakarta – The government admitted Wednesday that water services across the archipelago are unlikely to meet the 2015 target set by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Director General of Water Resources at the Public Works Ministry Iwan Nursyirwan said that Indonesia currently provides piped water to just 24 percent of its population, or 50 of the 220 million Indonesians, of which 55 percent are located in urban areas.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1.1 billion people worldwide have no access to clean water; 4.5 percent of that number are in Indonesia.

Oswar, a senior official at the National Development Planning Agency, said recently that access to safe drinking water in Indonesia is increasing at a rate of less than 1 percent per year. That means Indonesia is nowhere near meeting its MDG target of bringing water to 80 percent of the population by 2015.

"We have to work hard to meet the target, I know that it seems impossible," Iwan said during a Seminar about Water Resources Management and Development in South Jakarta.

The government has set a target of bringing piped water to 10 million households within the next five years as part of its commitment to meet the MDGs, Iwan said.

Indonesia, the fourth most populous nation in the world, joined 191 other nations when it signed the MDG agreement in New York in 2000. Along with 23 participating international organizations, member nations have agreed to achieve the set targets, which include reducing poverty, improving access to clean water, reducing child mortality rates and fighting disease epidemics, by the year 2015.

The MDG seeks to halve the number of people in the world without access to safe drinking water by 2015.

According to data from the Public Works Ministry, the government has allocated Rp 7.4 trillion (US$720 million) this year to improve the quality of tap water.

Other relevant ministry programs include the construction of communal septic tanks in 80 cities and a toilet use campaign being implemented in 500 villages across the nation.

However, according to the World Bank, Indonesia would need about US$4.6 billion to reach the MDG target.

Iwan said that pouring money into public works would be very important but would not be enough to handle water problems in Indonesia. "The growing population has made it much more difficult to overcome," he said.

Rampant population growth in urban areas has played a major role in escalating water pollution, Iwan said. "Beside that, the lack of proper maintenance of water infrastructure has also degraded water quality."

The ministry's data shows that only about 65 percent of Jakartans have piped water services; the rest use ground water. The massive use of ground water has led to serious problems, such as the intrusion of salt and chemical pollutants into water people then consume, Iwan said.

The WHO has warned that dirty water causes deadly diseases including diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid, and dysentery. According to WHO data, such diseases killed 1.6 million children as of 2005, with an annual mortality rate of 4,500.

A study conducted by the Amrta Institute for Water Literacy in Bantul regency, Yogyakarta, earlier this year indicated that water samples taken from a water source used by local people for their daily use contained E-coli bacteria two to 32 times above the level tolerated by the Health Ministry.

It concluded that it means that small towns and villages that were once described as healthy and green are now polluted.

Observers have said that this finding is likely to be the tip of the iceberg on the pollution level of water in small towns and villages in Indonesia, with the possibility that the level of water pollution there is similar to that in major cities in the country.

They said one of the reasons is the presents of industry in rural areas. (bbs)

Successful water supply does not depend on privatization

Jakarta Post - May 27, 2009

Indah Setiawati, Jakarta – The success of a water supply management scheme does not depend on whether it is privatized, but on its operator's corporate performance, a research publication by the Water Dialogue revealed Tuesday.

The case study says both public and private water companies could enhance their performance depending on the following four factors: water source quality and availability, the local political situation, accessibility to loans and their communication strategy.

"The water source availability will influence service coverage and the rates of illegal connection, while the local political situation will affect how much rates can be ad-justed," Krishna S. Pribadi, the research team coordinator, said in his presentation.

He said accessibility to loans played an important role in the fulfillment of performance indicators and the service coverage.

Communication strategy, as he went on to say, was key to gauging customer satisfaction and understanding when rates could be adjusted.

Last October, Krishna's research team compared Tirta Pakuan Bogor, which represents a state water company (PDAM) to PT Adhya Tirta Batam (ATB), a private company representing the private sector. Both entities supplied over 75,000 connections, or a population of 750,000.

The research was conducted to determine the pros and cons of private participation in water supply services, and included a survey of 150 customers and 75 non-customers, document reviews, interviews and focus group discussions.

According to the research, ATB's annual service coverage growth reached 17 percent compared to 7 percent for Tirta Pakuan.

Krishna said water accessibility was a deciding factor, as people in Batam had no other choice but to buy water from the company. "Meanwhile, Bogor has a big source of water and a supporting topography," he said.

The research says the bill collection period in Tirta Pakuan was 46 days, 16 days shorter than ATB's, which may have been the result of better customer satisfaction for Tirta Pakuan that reached 62 percent, 14 percent higher than the private ATB. Public enterprise Tirta also responded to complaints twice as fast as ATB.

Riant Nugroho, a member of the regulatory body of water service for Jakarta, said there was a clear difference between how public and private water companies proposed rate adjustments.

He said public service companies were hesitant to ask for a rate adjustment because the directors' appointment often involved a conflict of interest, while private companies were more aggressive in asking for water rate increases because they strived for profits.

Economist Faisal Basri said the most important thing to retain private companies was a clear contract and terms of condition. He said if PDAM had the money and competency, there would be no need for privatisation.

"The thing is, many PDAM are not bankable, so they cannot get loans to broaden their service coverage," he said, adding their small service coverage resulted in high operational costs.

He said the public water companies needed an independent financial audit as a first step to becoming bankable.

Armed forces/defense

Yudhoyono acknowledged the need to increase defense budget

Jakarta Globe - May 26, 2009

Ferry Irwanto, April Aswadi, Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Febriamy Hutapea – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono acknowledged the need to increase the nation's defense budget, following criticism that budgetary shortfalls for the maintenance of military equipment were at the root of the crash of an Air Force Hercules C-130 transport plane in East Java last Wednesday that killed 101 people.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Monday that the government should increase the defense budget once the global economic crisis ended to meet the minimum operational requirements of the Armed Forces.

Yudhoyono acknowledged the current defense budget was well below ideal levels.

"God willing, after we pass through the [global economic] crisis this year and next year, we can increase the budget," he said during an inspection of a Presidential Security Forces residential development in Bogor, West Java.

"Whoever the next president will be, we hope the budget can be drawn closer to the essential amount needed to fund the 'minimum essential forces,'?" he said.

While acknowledging that the 2009 defense budget of Rp 33 trillion ($3.2 billion) remains far bellow the minimum required for the military's operational needs, Yudhoyono said, "I ask the forces to use the budget efficiently, whether for operations, education, training, maintenance, personnel welfare or procurement."

His comments followed recent criticism in the media by politicians and analysts that budgetary shortfalls for the maintenance of military equipment were at the root of the crash of an Air Force Hercules C-130 transport plane in East Java last Wednesday that killed 101 people. The cause of the crash, the Air Force's second deadly accident in two months, remains under investigation.

Separately, Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono said on Monday that the ministry would attempt to increase the 2009 weapons and equipment maintenance budgets for each of the Armed Forces' three branches from the current Rp 600 billion back to Rp 700 billion, which was the allocation for 2008.

Juwono also said he hoped the 2010 maintenance budget for each branch would be increased to Rp 1 trillion.

"That is the minimum essential funding for 'minimum essential forces,' so that the safety of the weapon systems... of the Air Force, Army and Navy are totally supported by the budget," he said, noting that the ministry and Armed Forces were aware of the government's decision to keep defense and security spending to 25 percent of the state budget.

Muladi, governor of the National Resilience Institute, a government-run defense think tank, claimed that lack of money had led to inadequate maintenance and poor training of military personnel, ultimately causing the recent crashes of military aircraft.

"The root is because of the minimum budget for military forces, which was allocated by the government and the House of Representatives," he said.

Muladi noted that Indonesia's military strength was below that of other Asean countries. "So far, the government only talks about pro-poor or pro-jobs [programs], but the fact is that pro-defense programs are no less important," he said.

Foreign affairs

Indonesia rejects Rudd's Asia plan

Melbourne Age - May 27, 2009

Daniel Flitton, Jakarta – Indonesian Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono has dismissed Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's push for an all-encompassing "Asia-Pacific community" to tackle regional security threats, suggesting the idea is too broad to have a realistic chance of success.

Mr Rudd is expected to again raise his proposal – aimed at strengthening ties to combat common security, economic and political problems – at a meeting of regional defence ministers in Singapore this week.

Dr Sudarsono said Indonesia preferred to work through forums such as the Association of South-East Asian Nations. "Our view in Indonesia is we have to work out (problems) region by region," he said. "Australia will lead the southern flank. ASEAN will tackle the south-east Asian cluster, and we have to see what happens between China and Japan, and Korea, in North-East Asia. That we feel is much more realistic, regionally."

Dr Sudarsono also questioned fears raised following the release of the Australian defence white paper of a budding arms race across the region to counter the rising military might of China.

"If you look at China's internal problems, I wouldn't worry too much about their so-called military rise," he told Australian journalists in Jakarta.

He said Indonesia's biggest military concern was transporting troops and supplies across the archipelago of islands that make up the country, whether for the delivery of disaster relief or other civil assistance such as logistics to support the coming presidential elections.

He said Indonesia's defence budget amounted to $3.5 billion a year – only 0.6 per cent of the national economy.

But Dr Sudarsono backed assessments that US military presence in the Asia-Pacific region was undergoing a "recalibration" and said this justified Australia's plans to strengthen its naval strike force with extra submarines and frigates.

He said Australia would remain a constant target for people smugglers trying to move people illegally around the region.

"I think you are condemned by your prosperity to be a magnet for all kinds of people, illegal fishermen, refugees and so on," he said. "I can't really find a really long-term solution for you. "The best we can do is increase our capacity to interdict, to intercept. We will need more co-operation."

On the disputed province of West Papua, he said the presence of the Indonesian military was small and its role was aimed at supporting local authorities and fostering a sense of Indonesian national identity.

[Daniel Flitton is visiting Jakarta as a guest of the Australia- Indonesia Institute.]

Economy & investment

116 dumping acts filed against Indonesia under WTO rule

Jakarta Post - May 27, 2009

A total of 116 cases of dumping have been filed against Indonesia by 32 export destinations between the establishment of the World Trade Organization in 1995 and 2007, a trade official said Wednesday.

Indonesian Anti-Dumping Commission (KADI) chairwoman Halida Miljani told reporters in Jakarta that she and various other related groups had disseminated anti-dumping information to a number of parties in an effort to overcome unfair trade competition.

"We want to have direct communication with other parties concerned, namely the business community, universities, legal practitioners, and nongovernmental organizations assigned to apply anti-dumping regulations," she said as quoted by Antara state news agency.

Through direct communication, Halida said a common understanding about international trade competition issues could be realized. She said that KADI would carry out similar activities in a number of areas to make people aware of its existence.

"Compared with other countries such as India, the number of dumping cases allegedly committed by Indonesia is small because India is accused of having committed 372 dumping acts during the same period," Halida said.

Economy to expand 6 percent next year: Government

Jakarta Post - May 28, 2009

Jakarta – The government expects Indonesia's economy to expand as much as 6 percent next year, widening the 2010 budget deficit to accelerate growth.

In achieving the growth, the government aims to slow the inflation to between 4.5 percent and 5.5 percent, estimating the central bank's benchmark rate at 6 percent to 7 percent. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati told a press conference Wednesday.

The proposed 2010 state budget deficit will be set at 1.3 percent although may be stretched up to 1.5 percent in consideration of some priorities needed to boost economic recovery.

"I think conditions in the financial market will allow us to get good financing." Mulyani said as quoted by Antara.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla have agreed to tolerate a widening deficit should some priorities need to be realized.

The proposed budget, to be submitted to the House of Representatives on June 1, will have the rate of rupiah against the US dollar set at between Rp 9,500 and Rp 10,500, while the Indonesian crude oil price (ICP) per barrel is estimated to hover from $45 to $60, with productions of between 950,000 barrel per day (bpd) and 970,000 bpd.

Mulyani said the government's priorities in 2010 is economic recovery, therefore the real sector will continue to receive income tax cut.

The government will also provide stimulus to raise people's purchasing power, while creating labor-intensive programs to absorb employment, including the empowerment of people living in rural areas.

To finance the programs, the government will intensify bureaucracy reform, particularly in the taxation and customs sector, she added.

"Bureaucracy reform should be done with a good monitoring and planning so that bureaucracy works can increase in line with an improvement in administrative side and salary side," she said.

This year, the economy may only expand by between 4 and 4.5 percent, down from 6.1 percent posted in 2008. the Finance Ministry said.

The central bank has predicted a lower rate of between 3 and 4 percent. The economy grew by 4.4 percent in the first quarter of 2009 from a year earlier, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).

Analysis & opinion

Toxic mud flies in Indonesia poll lead-up

The Australian - May 30, 2009

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Jakarta – Election candidates often throw political mud hoping some will stick, but Indonesia's presidential aspirants are using the real thing.

Exactly three years ago a punctured oil and gas well in East Java began oozing toxic hot sludge. Since then, more than 15,000 people have been made homeless, countless businesses have gone under, thousands of hectares of land have been rendered unusable and the company at the centre of the fiasco has remained above the mire.

That firm, PT Lapindo Brantas, is owned by the family of People's Welfare Minister Aburizal Bakrie, a wealthy leading light in the Golkar party, which rules in coalition with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democrat Party.

Mr Bakrie's fortunes have declined with the global crisis, but those affected by his company's "mud volcano" disaster have had an absolutely rotten few days.

The Supreme Court announced it had thrown out a case brought by the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute calling for criminal prosecutions against 13 executives in the firm.

And despite government demands that Lapindo compensate victims, the company says the financial crisis means it can only do so in small instalments.

Many despair of ever receiving anything. The candidates for the July 8 presidential poll know this is all fertile, if murky, ground for campaigning.

Megawati Sukarnoputri, the former president described this week by a member of Dr Yudhoyono's re-election team as "a housewife who deals with chilli", says the Government has done too little.

"We have to know whether the mud's going to stop flowing or not," she said indignantly, promising that if elected she would end the empty promises.

Golkar vice-president Jusuf Kalla, now running on his own presidential ticket, told the newspaper Koran Tempo: "The Government must be stronger towards Lapindo, must be more firm."

That would, of course, be his Government, which remains in office until October.

Dr Yudhoyono, trying to avoid mud references altogether, read some of his own poetry at a campaign stop. The warrior-poet is also dealing with a dirty campaign against accusations of "neo- liberalism" – a bit of mud-slinging that seems to suggest he and running mate Boediono, a respected economist and former central bank chief, will sell the country to the highest bidder.

About a dozen rag-tag protesters gathered in the CBD during the week to add fuel to this fire.

To veil, or not to veil, and the political clothes hanger

Jakarta Post - May 29, 2009

Ati Nurbaiti, Jakarta – The veil, says one political researcher, does "all the talking". One look at the wives of election candidates Jusuf Kalla and Wiranto and they're bound to win a lot of votes, he said, offering an explanation for the reported internal survey of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). We're so sorry, says a PKS leader, we're definitely loyal to the coalition of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), but we can't control the hearts of our grass roots.

It's up to everyone else outside the PKS to determine whether the veil should matter so much. PKS itself had garnered 8 percent of the total votes in the last legislative election, way below the nationalist parties. It might not realize that it's now getting a backlash, judging from comments and mockery going around cyberspace.

Their percentage inched up 1 percent from the 2004 polls, but respect remained for the disciplined, cadre party with the cleanest reputation among others. The same cannot be said in the wake of the recent "veil" comments of PKS leaders.

Every one of us has a girlfriend in a veil, and that piece of cloth does not come between our friendships. So it is not really amusing to have politicians from a minority party imply that the better leaders or their spouses are the explicitly "Islamic," and that it would be so nice if Ibu Ani Yudhoyono donned one.

The First Lady must spend a considerable amount of time doing her hair, coming a close second to Amy Winehouse, and if that was covered it would send only an unpleasant message.

The message would be one of an intolerant Indonesia – and the desperation of Bu Ani and SBY to maintain their status as the First Couple.

It would also confirm the casual observation that when you're about to become important in the public eye, you display religious attributes. Hence Prabowo Subianto, the running mate of Megawati Soekarnoputri – who would typically sneer at the PKS demands – now goes around in a peci, the cap men often wear for praying. Some day we might forget he used to wear the special forces beret. (The peci is also worn by criminals on trial, to display goodwill and regret.) Bu Rugaya, the wife of former military chief Wiranto, began to wear the veil a few months ago, and we would like to believe it was not conveniently timed for the elections.

Hayrunisa Gul, the first lady of Turkey, had it the opposite way. She was earlier tormented for her choice to wear the veil amid a cultural war, with one side determined to uphold secularism and ban the use of outwardly religious symbols among public officials and their spouses, and in other public institutions. The message from the furor over what Mrs Gul should or shouldn't wear was similar: intolerance. "My scarf covers my head, not my brain," the bemused woman said.

Thus, there are at least two uncomfortable issues stemming from the veil comments of the PKS.

First, the PKS seems to have become more obvious in its imposition of values on everyone else, something their leadership has tirelessly denied all this time.

Second is that while we are striving towards progress, we are reminded of the tired old custom that women have a crucial, role to play – as a valuable political accessory.

It is the role of the "guardian," the clothes hanger, of what everyone supposedly wants. If society wants to be thought of as good, the benchmark is its women: pure, caring (wife and mother) and – more desirably – beautiful (especially those in the spotlight).

Thus, in Aceh in the first days of sharia law, it was the younger women who were hounded for wearing tight jeans, while the moral police left the old uncovered female vendors alone. How old poor women look is not important for those obsessed with symbols of morality.

That's why we laugh with satisfaction at movie scenes like in Chocolat, starring heart-throbs Juliette Binochet and Johnny Depp. The mayor, intent on closing Juliette's "evil" shop of temptation, is caught by locals in the store window, his face smeared with sweets. Juliette, a newcomer to the tiny French town, had refused to go to church, and opened a chocolate shop with mysterious recipes, just as people were fasting for Lent.

We can laugh at such scenes because they provide us with an outlet against the utter hypocrisy that demands displays of morality by women, as symbols of a God-fearing society.

In the current hubbub, don't be surprised if women who feel they chose to put on the veil out of personal conviction are insulted that the jilbab and those wearing them have been reduced to political bargaining chips.

Megawati's cheap political marketing

Jakarta Post - May 28, 2009

Soeryo Winoto, Jakarta – On Sunday at the Bantar Gebang dumpsite in Bekasi, West Java, presidential candidate Megawati Soekarnoputri and her running mate Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto declared their readiness to join the July 8 election race. An unusual place for a political event.

Some described the move as proof of Megawati's care for the poor, but some say it was just a maneuver to draw public sympathy and was aimed at creating the impression of the pair's seriousness in taking sides with Indonesia's low-income earners. Hundreds or perhaps thousands of scavenger families live at the Bantar Gebang site.

The Megawati-Prabowo pair claim to be symbols of the struggles of poor people. Megawati, with her Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), is popular with her jargon, defending wong cilik (the little people), while Prabowo, the founder of the Great Indonesian Movement Party (Gerindra) claims to be concerned with poverty affecting farmers and fishermen.

In her speech in front of thousands of supporters, Megawati promised to improve the welfare of the poor if she is elected. While Prabowo, son of economic guru the late Prof. Soemitro Djojohadikusumo, blasted the government, saying the current administration had failed to bring prosperity to the people.

Amid the pair's flared-up speeches, it was interesting to watch supporters, who seemed to have forgotten Megawati's failure in addressing the fate of the poor when she was in power for three years, replacing Abdurrahman 'Gus Dur' Wahid from 2001 to 2004. Megawati and Prabowo's promises seemed to cure and remedy their prolonged hardships.

Megawati who was the Indonesia's fifth president, and her father Sukarno the first, is trying her luck to regain power. She had been defeated by her former chief security minister Gen. (ret) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the country's first direct presidential election in 2004. Megawati said the loss to Yudhoyono was like a stab from behind.

As a president, frankly, Megawati was not that impressive, except for her smile. She was not a talkative person anyway, but smiled in her official photograph distributed nation wide. Megawati hardly made any speeches and rarely appeared in public. Her silence had made people jokingly compare her pictures to that of Nyonya Meneer, the owner of a traditional herbal medicine company based in Semarang, Central Java. Never speak up but smile everywhere. That was how many people branded her as president. Her motto was probably "silence is golden." But it was not all gold behind her silence.

After the sickening defeat by Yudhoyono, Megawati has changed completely. She probably learned of her weaknesses. At various public appearances Megawati has appeared more aggressive and more vigorous. She is now determined to come back and prove who she really is.

The 2009 election is considered the right time to compensate for what she had not done or had not known.

Megawati is probably now more aware of the cultures and attitudes of most of her supporters (or maybe constituents), who prefer dreams to reality. Most people prefer spending hours in front of televisions – not to miss gossip or sinetron (Indonesian soap operas), which offer dreams more than education.

But Megawati did little to help the poor when she was president. Her recent rhetoric and political promises have likely hypnotized her supporters, who love to dream and yet remain poor all the time. In her Bantar Gebang declaration, Megawati promised to increase the welfare of the poor, a promise that should have been realized while she was in power. The supporters may have forgotten this.

And while the choice of the Bantar Gebang dumpsite was political marketing that the other candidates hadn't thought of, it's not enough to prove that Megawati and Prabowo are real populists.

[The writer is a journalist.]

Vice test nails Indonesian politicians

Asia Times - May 27, 2009

Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar – It's been just 10 years since Indonesia held its first open elections after more than 30 years of president Suharto's authoritarian rule. In that short time, the nation's 175 million voters have matured, making the world's third-largest democracy a model for Asia and the Muslim world.

Unfortunately, Indonesia's politicians haven't progressed as much as its voters. Flailing following last month's legislative elections illustrated just how immature Indonesia's politicians remain. After weeks of meetings to build coalitions strictly focused on the interests of politicians, rather than governing, voters will have the choice of three seriously flawed presidential tickets in the July presidential vote.

Former president Megawati Sukarnoputri holds what is likely a unique distinction in the history of democracy. As party leader, Megawati has led her PDI-P (Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle) into three legislative votes, capturing a lower percentage of votes every time. Yet she has remained party leader, and she's now making her third run for the presidency. That would just be folly on the part of Megawati and her party if it ended there. But it gets worse.

Fingered by fate

Through little fault of her own, Megawati ushered in the reformasi movement that ousted Suharto's New Order regime. In 1993, she was elected leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI), one of two officially sanctioned New Order opposition parties. PDI became mildly critical of the government under Megawati, daughter of Sukarno, Indonesia's first president, who was, coincidentally, overthrown by Suharto.

The empire struck back in 1966, orchestrating a party coup to restore PDI's former chairman Suryadi at a party congress that excluded Megawati and her backers. Megawati's faction didn't recognize the result and occupied PDI's headquarters in Jakarta. The situation escalated when Megawati's side began staging a series of what it termed "democracy forum" meetings, the biggest public display of opposition to Suharto in decades.

On July 27, 1996, thugs officially identified as Suryadi supporters – but widely believed to have been military personnel – evicted Megawati's faction from PDI headquarters. More than 200 Megawati supporters were arrested and dozens are believed to have been killed in what's now known as Black Saturday. The incident made Megawati the symbolic leader of the reformasi movement, leading to her presidency. Yet even during Megawati's administration, there was never an investigation of Black Saturday to determine what actually happened, identify the dead or hold any of the perpetrators responsible.

Few doubt the military, under orders from Suharto, was behind the 1996 attack. The specialist in these kinds of black operations, and implicated in just about every category of abuse that reformasi aimed to end, was General Prabowo Subianto, Suharto's one-time son-in-law and heir apparent. Now the retired general and admitted kidnapper is Megawati's running mate.

Heartbeat away

Never mind the potential danger of giving this brand of human- rights abuser renewed access to the levers of power, nor the stupidity of putting such a nefarious figure a heartbeat away from the presidency, particularly when it's your very own heartbeat in his way. His presence under the PDI-P banner goes well beyond the usual Indonesian political habit of ignoring ideology and policy to create incoherent coalitions. Running with Prabowo, Megawati is telling her 1996 supporters that they were fools, defecating on the unmarked graves of Black Saturday victims and rubbing their families' faces in her mess.

As horrifying as Megawati's choice is, her presidential opponents have done something more despicable. Megawati has merely insulted her supporters and martyrs whose blood set the stage for reforming Indonesia.

The electoral shenanigans of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and Vice President Jusuf Kalla pose a greater danger to the country. For all the evil that the Megawati-Prabowo ticket represents, it has little chance of being elected. Yudhoyono and Kalla have already done their damage.

The quick count results of legislative voting showed SBY is very likely to be reelected. Official results released two weeks ago confirmed SBY's Democratic Party won 20.9% of the vote, up from 7.5% in 2004. Kalla's Golkar party, founded as Suharto's ruling vehicle, received 14.5%, down from 21.6% five years ago.

Kalla's folly

To most observers it appeared that Kalla's plan to run for president was hopeless and that his best option was to remain as SBY's vice president. Even though Golkar under Kalla's leadership had lost popularity, the vote was a clear endorsement of the SBY administration, and Kalla has been an integral part of it. The two make a good team. Yudhoyono is deliberative, a general who never fires a shot in anger, while Kalla is a doer who put his political ambitions on hold to take over the crumbling family business and turn it into one of the most successful companies in eastern Indonesia.

Golkar's partnership with SBY gave the party a place in the governing coalition, a share of the political spoils and the right to claim a share of the administration's success. The latter will be extraordinarily important during a presumed second Yudhoyono term. Indonesia's post-New Order constitution prohibits the president from being elected to a third term. The Democrat Party has no popular elected figure other than Yudhoyono; as a full partner in the SBY presidency, Golkar might stake a claim as its logical successor.

Events were moving toward a reprise of an SBY-JK ticket until egos got in the way. Flushed with victory and undoubtedly resenting Kalla's assertion that he'd be a more active and decisive leader, Yudhoyono insisted that Golkar submit a list of names to be considered for the vice presidency. Kalla took that for the insult it was meant to be and decided he wouldn't swallow it.

So in defiance of many Golkar elders and undoubtedly drawing the curtain on his tenure as party leader and a significant player on the national stage, Kalla embarked on a futile run for the presidency. He's taken retired general Wiranto, another New Order accused rights abuser (and Prabowo's former boss), as his running mate and will soon learn that Golkar's brand is more popular than he is.

We are not amused

Yudhoyono may have only meant to humiliate Kalla, not drive him away. But exacting revenge underscored a pettiness in SBY, a tendency to take things personally. In it, there's a whiff of the Javanese royal pretense that he shares with Megawati. Although it was Megawati who shunned SBY after he left her cabinet to run for president in 2004, he's let the situation simmer for five years and made himself a participant in her feud.

SBY's choice of former economics minister and central bank governor Boediono to replace Kalla on the ticket displays similar hubris, as well his cautious nature. Yudhoyono ignored his coalition partners to make the choice, confident that they need him more than he needs them. His partners are mostly Islamic parties, whose vote total declined from nearly 38% in 2004 to just over 30% this time. Choosing an Islamist could alienate mainstream voters: many voters Asia Times Online spoke with said they favored a second term for SBY as long as he didn't choose an Islamist running mate.

So SBY made a safe choice, a non-politician with whom he wouldn't have to share the spotlight and would minimize the offense to voters and coalition partners, compared with choosing the member of a rival party. The choice also fails to indicate an heir to SBY for the Democrat Party. Boediono's economic credentials seem useful in a global recession, but he may have been more useful in a more specific financial role. Moreover, it remains to be seen whether SBY and Boediono can forge the same kind of complimentary, effective partnership that SBY and Kalla had.

With the world economy in crisis and so much unfinished business for Indonesia, this is no time for Indonesia's leaders to be taking unnecessary chances. Yudhoyono and Kalla could have given voters the opportunity to give a mandate to the team they obviously prefer. Instead pettiness, ego and naked self-interest won the day. It's time for the politicians' maturity to catch up with the body politic.

[Longtime editor of investor rights advocate eRaider.com, Gary LaMoshihas written for Slate and Salon.com, and works a counselor for Writing Camp (www. writingcamp.net). He first visited Indonesia in 1994 and has been tracking its progress ever since.]

Britain's hand in 1965

Jakarta Globe - May 26, 2009

David Jardine – In the recent brouhaha over whether or not Adam Malik had links to the CIA, I was struck by the absence of any commentary on a possible British role in efforts to undermine and overthrow President Sukarno.

Why would the British not have joined with the Americans in their subversion of the "left-leaning" Sukarno? After all, Britain had a long record of colonial-imperial adventures from the creation of the states of Iraq and Jordan, for example, to the role played by British Intelligence in the overthrow of the elected Iranian government of Mohammed Mossadeq in 1953. Mossadeq's "crime" was to nationalize the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company in an effort to divert revenues for the benefit of the Iranian people.

Then there was Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser and his nationalization of the Suez Canal for which "crime" the British response was the Suez invasion.

Mossadeq, Nasser and Sukarno had something in common: They opposed European colonialism and neocolonialism. Had Mossadeq been strong enough to ward off the coup that overthrew him and installed the Shah on the Peacock Throne he might very well have been in Bandung for the founding of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Formal decolonization, such as Malaysian independence in 1957, did not bring an end to British interests in Southeast Asia. Far from it, as Sukarno recognized. The terms of the independence agreement negotiated with Malaysian Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman were favorable to British companies such as Sime Darby in the plantation sector.

Any movement to the left in Southeast Asia raised alarms in London.

As the British researcher Mark Curtis has shown from his study of declassified documents in the UK Public Records Office in London, British Intelligence, specifically MI6, had Sukarno in their sights right through the 1950s and 1960s. In 1962 British Prime Minister Harold "Winds of Change" MacMillan and US President John Kennedy came to an agreement to "eliminate" Sukarno, should "the opportunity arise." We are speaking here of assassination, of course.

If I may introduce some anecdotal evidence of British intelligence gathering in Indonesia, it applies to my father, a middle-ranking British Royal Air Force officer stationed in Singapore for almost three years in the 1950s. He told me much later that an RAF colleague of his sent on a logistics purchasing trip to Palembang had been "buttonholed" by British Intelligence to gather information about the city.

A small detail, perhaps, but one that indicates efforts were afoot to project a possible direct intervention against Indonesia.

Of course, it all came to a head with Konfrontasi in 1963 when British, Australian and New Zealand troops faced off against the Indonesians in Borneo. Konfrontasi was still going on when the epoch-making events that followed the botched power play of Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 1965, got under way.

What Curtis shows is that the British then used the power struggle and the anti-leftist bloodbath in Indonesia both to strengthen their own hand and to facilitate the mass murders going on under the direction of Gen. Suharto.

What British declassified items show, most interestingly, is that British Royal Navy vessels escorted Indonesian troops aboard a Panamanian-flagged ship down the Strait of Malacca to Java to strengthen Suharto's hand.

This brings us to the small matter of the role played in 1965 by the British ambassador to Jakarta, Sir Andrew Gilchrist. Curtis alleges that Gilchrist, having learned of the mass killings, could scarcely contain his glee and wrote to the Foreign Office in London on Oct. 5 to say, "I have never hidden from you my belief that a little shooting in Indonesia would be an essential preliminary to change."

At least one source disputes this. If you go to a search engine you will see that there is a Wikipedia entry referring to Gilchrist that claims the cable was a forgery dreamed up by an agent of what was then Communist Czechoslovakia. How then did it pass Foreign Office scrutiny?

There is clear evidence of MI6 activity directed at Indonesia in this bloody period. An anti-Sukarno propaganda campaign was run from the MI6 listening post at Phoenix Park in Singapore under the leadership of Norman Reddaway, a top operative.

Britain's role in subverting Sukarno is unmistakable and goes back to the early 1950s when the president moved to nationalize Dutch interests in Indonesia, causing serious alarm in London. What Curtis has done is to demonstrate the continuum.

[David Jardine is a freelance writer based in Indonesia.]

Let the games begin

Jakarta Globe - May 25, 2009

Taufik Darusman – The past week saw President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his running mate, former central bank Governor Boediono, on the defensive as they scrambled to fend off their rivals' accusations that they were ardent followers of neo- liberalism.

It didn't really matter whether the majority of voters knew what the term meant; the way the accusation was deftly made left the public perceiving the duo as evil-doers unworthy of holding the nation's highest offices.

Golkar Party presidential hopeful Jusuf Kalla fired the first salvo, citing Boediono's refusal while coordinating minister for the economy to give the go-ahead for a power project and Jakarta's monorail plan as prime examples of the Australian-trained economist's true leanings.

Ever the savvy campaigner, Vice President Kalla repeated the "Boediono the neo-liberalist" mantra for maximum impact and got away with it. Kalla's allies joined in the fray and, for good measure, dubbed Boediono "an IMF and World Bank lackey."

Kalla, however, didn't give the public the complete story, as the two infrastructure projects actually involved private enterprises seeking foreign loans with a government guarantee.

Understandably, Boediono balked at the idea, arguing that the laws clearly stipulate a project is either state or private funded. He reminded Kalla that the days of the New Order regime, when private projects were funded by foreign loans guaranteed by the state, were a thing of the past.

We can be sure of seeing the presidential campaign heat up in ways that Indonesians have never experienced before

Does Boediono's strict by-the-book approach entitle the likes of Kalla to call him a neo-liberalist? Of course not, but the accusations left Boediono having to make rebuttals instead of promoting his views on the economy in ways that would strengthen Yudhoyono's chances on July 8.

Boediono has made it clear that he's no neo-liberal, much less the International Monetary Fund or World Bank's man in Indonesia. He may be conservative and unimaginative to the extent that he adheres to time-honored economic principles, but few of his students now occupying key positions fault him for that.

Indeed, being an economist who believes less government is better and who extols the virtues of a free market doesn't make him a neo-liberal, any more than a politician who believes in a civilian government finds the military reprehensible.

The pre-presidential campaign period has now taken an even nastier tone. The nation had hardly finished mourning the 101 people who died in the crash of an Air Force Hercules C-130 last week when Kalla, again, went on the offensive.

Now, here's a chess player who dearly holds that a good offense is the best defense. Citing Defense Ministry budget cuts as the cause of the crash, Kalla blamed the government, which he is still part of as vice president, for undermining the country's military hardware.

Even by his standards, Kalla was completely off the mark this time. First, the cause of the accident has yet to be determined – whether it was due to human error, technical reasons or weather conditions. In any case, the budget cuts he mentioned didn't include operations and maintenance costs for existing equipment.

Also, whether the antiquated C-130s – once used for the government's transmigration program, flying people from overpopulated Java to the outer islands – form part of the country's weapons systems is highly debatable.

Curiously, Kalla found an ally in two-star Army Gen. Tono Suratman, the military commander of South Sumatra, who somehow found time to support Kalla's contention that defense budget cuts were partly to blame for the tragedy.

Now, why would an Army officer comment on Air Force matters, never mind the dubious reasons behind the decision of certain media outlets to give his opinion coverage?

It turns out that this is the same Tono Suratman who was one of the senior military officers on the ground during the bloody post-East Timor referendum violence. His superior at the time was none other than Wiranto, then a four-star general and commander of the Armed Forces, who is now Kalla's running mate.

Tono and other senior officers were brought to trial for their alleged involvement in the melee but were later acquitted due to military pressure, according to insiders.

It's difficult to prove if Tono's comments were part of a concerted effort by rivals to blame Yudhoyono for policies that may or may not have led to the Hercules crash.

What is increasingly apparent is that we can be sure of seeing the presidential campaign heat up in ways that Indonesians have never experienced before.