Prodita Sabarini, Jakarta – A new traffic law that legalizes motorcycle taxis (ojek) will add to the chaos on Jakarta's roads and undermine passenger safety, a transportation expert says.

Chairman of the Institute of Transportation Studies (Instran) noted that articles in the recently passed bill acknowledge motorcycles as a form of public transportation.

He pointed out that the new law defines a public motor vehicle as "any vehicle used for transporting people or goods for a fee". Another article of the law clearly states that public transportation includes motorcycles.

"The article on public vehicles includes all vehicles used to transport people for a fee. That means it includes ojek because people pay the ojek drivers to take them places," he said.

He objected to the legalization of ojek as a form of public transportation as, he said, it would increase the chaos on the city's streets. "Ojek drivers do not have routes. They can wait for passengers anywhere, eating up room on the streets," he said.

He gave the example of Jl. Bendungan Hilir in the vicinity of Jl. Sudirman. in Central Jakarta. "There are always lots of ojek drivers waiting for passengers there and it causes traffic jams."

Furthermore, he said, ojek do not assure the safety of passengers. "I think the most crucial thing is passenger safety. If an accident happened, who would take the responsibility?"

Most traffic accidents in Indonesia involve motorcycles. According to the Jakarta Statistics Agency, the death toll from traffic accidents in the capital stands at around 1,000 people a year, mostly aged between 22 and 40. Traffic accidents are the number three killer in Indonesia (after heart attacks and strokes) with some 30,000 deaths related to traffic accidents annually.

Ojek have become increasingly popular as a mode of transportation for Jakartans, as they can navigate between cars during traffic jams.

Jakarta resident Zulhayani, who takes ojek everywhere he goes, said that with the city's traffic conditions, taking motorcycles taxis saves a lot of time. "It's faster, more efficient and practical."

Zulhayani said she would not like to live in the city without them and that even though she owns a motorcycle, she prefers taking ojek. "It would be really troubling if ojek were not around. I don't mind that the government has legalized them," she said.

She noted that ojek charge less than taxis and can go faster. Meanwhile, she said that while public buses are the cheapest option, they usually take the longest time.

Darmaningtyas said the emergence of ojek as an alternative mode of public transportation could be blamed on the failure of the mass transportation system.

"Our system does not provide convenient door to door travel. A transport feeder should serve people coming off buses at the bus stop to their destination. This feeder should be in the form of non-motorized vehicles," he said.

He said pedicabs (becak) or bicycles, which travel no faster than 3 kilometers per hour, would be appropriate options. "However since becak were prohibited, ojek took their place," he said.

Transportation experts have criticized the lack of pedestrian facilities between Transjakarta shelters and residential areas. Such shortage makes Jakartans reluctant to walk from bus stops to their houses.

"Instead of making something wrong right by legalizing ojek, what should be done is to fix the public transportation system, including the feeder system, so that people's needs for door-to- door transportation are fulfilled," he said.

Protests that killed chief councilor were planned: Witnesses

Jakarta Post - June 3, 2009

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – A riot that caused the death of North Sumatra Council speaker Abdul Azis Angkat in February was premeditated, and had been detected by intelligence agents two days earlier, witnesses in court said Tuesday.

During the trial of Djoko Subiyanto, one of 16 suspects accused of inciting the Feb. 3, 2009 riot, two witnesses – Abdul Muluk Siregar and Elmadon Ketaren – said they had been informed of the planned unrest and had notified the chief councilor.

Elmadon, a local executive from the Golkar Party, said the violent demonstration that pushed for the formation of a new Tapanuli province, had been planned.

"I was contacted (on my cell phone) by an intelligence agent telling me there would be an anarchistic demonstration by people (supporting the creation of a Tapanuli province) at the North Sumatra provincial council," he said at the trial presided over by judge Indra Waldi at the Medan District Court, North Sumatra.

Elmadon said he then promptly passed on the information to Azis, but Azis was determined to go to the council building to chair a plenary meeting. The meeting was scheduled to swear in three interim council members and to pass three local ordinance bills.

Abdul Azis Angkat died of a heart attack hours after he was set upon by the mob who were protesting the council's decision to postpone a plenary meeting to discuss the formation of Tapanuli as a new province on Sumatra island.

Muluk, a close friend of Azis and Elmadon, said he had received the same information about the plan to incite violence during the demonstration from another intelligence agent.

He called Azis immediately, asking him not to attend the plenary meeting. Muluk said Azis did not respond positively to his call. Muluk, who was present when the riot occurred said Azis had phoned North Sumatra Governor Syamsul Arifin, asking him for advice on whether he should stay in the meeting room during the riot.

The governor told Azis to stay, Muluk said. "Azis informed the North Sumatra governor that the situation in the council building had become serious. However, the governor advised Azis to continue his job," he said.

Muluk said Azis finally left the council meeting after several minutes of standing firm. Protest leaders then forced him to sign a letter stating his agreement to the establishment of Tapanuli province.

"When he left the building the crowd of protesters started to attack and beat him," Muluk said.

Azis's adopted son, Agung Wibowo Angkat, who was also a witness, said he saw marks of severe scratches on his father's back. He said his late father had a medical history of heart problems, but claimed his father "probably would have survived had he not been beaten by the mob".

The judges adjourned Djoko's trial until Thursday, when they will hear from more witnesses from the prosecution.

Indonesian government told to reinvent Pancasila

Jakarta Post - June 2, 2009

Erwida Maulia and Slamet Susanto, Jakarta, Yogyakarta – Several social events held to commemorate the birth of Pancasila on Monday saw experts renewing calls for the national ideology to be revived and transformed to fit in with the modern day Indonesian state.

Many celebrating the day did not miss the opportunity to remind the public of the importance of upholding the five-pluralistic values of Pancasila – belief in one and only God, just and civilized humanity, national unity, democracy guided by discussion and social justice for all.

Noted Islamic scholar and political observer Azyumardi Azra said Pancasila should be adopted as a key issue for debate by presidential and vice presidential candidates ahead of the July 8 presidential race.

He said raising the theme during campaigns could help awaken the public's "collective memory" and awareness of Pancasila.

Azyumardi said Pancasila should be transformed to fit into a modern context, thus reducing public scepticism about the philosophy.

"Pancasila should be revitalized, reinterpreted and reintroduced in accordance with today's challenges, and those of the future. Otherwise a conflicting ideology may emerge, promoted by certain groups as the new foundation of the nation," he said.

Chairman of Pancasila Spirit Movement Guruh Soekarno Putra said Pancasila had now become "an unfamiliar idea" to Indonesians, with children only learning to memorize the points but not to adopt and implement them in everyday life.

Guruh's elder sister Megawati Soekarnoputri was seemingly the only presidential candidate to pay attention to remembering Pancasila's origins. She attended an event to reflect on Pancasila that ran from Sunday night until dawn Monday.

Chairman of the steering committee of Pancasila Congress, Sutaryo, read a statement Monday in Yogyakarta outlining a joint declaration produced in the congress, which included a call for the government to "reinvent, preserve and develop" the values of Pancasila.

"Pancasila is the foundation of the country that should serve as main source of values and moral parameters in defending the country and producing regulations," Sutaryo said before an audience of around 400 teachers, researchers and observers at Gadjah Mada University.

Actions, demos, protests...

Thousands march against air pollution in Jakarta

Jakarta Post - June 6, 2009

Jakarta – Around 3,000 people participate in a peace march against air pollution in Central Jakarta on Saturday.

The march, which started at the National Monument to Bundaran HI traffic circle and back, was started at around 7:30 a.m..

Fajar Suryanto of the organizing committee told Antara news agency that similar marches were hold simulatneously in Bandung (in West Java), Semarang (Central Java), Surabaya (East Java), Medan (North Sumatra), Makassar (South Sulawesi) and Denpasar (Bali).

"These provinces are areas with the highest air pollution in Indonesia," he said.

Fajar said the campaign, which was aimed to promote the danger of air pollution, was held in commemoration of the World Environment Day. (dre)

Two silent actions, one protest to colour Jakarta today

Detik.com - June 5, 2009

Moksa Hutasoit, Jakarta – As many as three public demonstrations will accompany the activities of Jakarta residents today. Two among them will be silent protests.

Based on data from the Metro Jaya Regional Police Traffic Management Centre for Friday June 5, the Hotel Indonesia roundabout in Central Jakarta will be the main objective for the protest actions.

At 9am, the Pancasila University Faculty of Law Community of Students Senate will hold a silent protest at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout.

At 4pm, an organisation calling itself Indonesia Goes Green will also hold a silent protest at the same location.

Employees form the Blue Bird Indonesia Employees Union will also hold an action at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout at 9am. However they will not just be protesting there. Later they will head off to the PT Jamsostek (workers insurance scheme) office, the Department of Labour and Transmigration and finally at the Blue Bird Taxi central office.

It is not yet known how many demonstrators will be joining the individual actions, although it would be advisable to avoid the areas were protests are taking place. (mok/amd)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Youngsters rally against pollution

Jakarta Post - June 5, 2009

Luh De Suriyani, Denpasar – Dozens of young people from the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Wahli) staged a rally by riding their bicycles along the crowded and polluted streets of Denpasar to mark World Environment Day, which falls this Friday.

On Jl. Sudirman, one of the city's busiest streets, 25 young people performed a theatrical show calling on people to open the windows of their air-conditioned vehicles. "Open your car windows and feel the grueling heat of Denpasar," shouted one participant, saying that air-conditioners had created serious air pollution and affected the ozone layer.

Many car owners felt aggravated by the road blockade and honked their horns. Protest coordinator Kadek Dwi Dharmawan reminded car owners and Denpasar residents of severe pollution threats in Bali.

"Denpasar has transformed from a quiet city into the island's worst city, packed with cars and motorcycles that produce abundant carbon dioxide emissions in the city."

The rapid growth of high-rise buildings has worsened the city's landscape. "Many construction developers have violated existing regulations by constructing buildings more than 15 meters high," he said.

Darmawan also said that both provincial and regency administrations had been working hard to boost vehicle taxes to generate more revenue for the local government.

Data from the provincial tax office revealed that 85 percent of the province's Rp 1.08 trillion (US$1.08 billion) revenue was generated from vehicle tax. Bali currently has 1.5 million cars and motorcycles, a 13 percent increase from 2008.

The proposed spatial plan, to be used as a guide for future development in Bali over the next 20 years, does not include any plans for pedestrians, bicycle and public transportation routes, or public parks. I.B. Suryaatmaja, deputy chairman of the Bali Legislative Council, said Denpasar faced serious traffic problems due to poor development plans.

Activists demand police finish Situ Gintung case

Jakarta Post - June 4, 2009

Andra Wisnu, Jakarta – Dozens of activists gathered Thursday at Jakarta Police headquarters, demanding that the police finish their investigation of the Situ Gintung case they reported a month ago.

"We have not received a single update on the case so far," Asfinawati, the activists' spokesperson, said. "We want the police to give us an update on their investigation as we found indications that a crime had been committed," she said.

Situ Gintung, a dam in Cirendeu, Ciputat district, Tangerang, Banten, burst on the morning of March 27, killing 100 people, injuring 135 and displacing hundreds of residents who lived near the dam. Hundreds more buildings and homes were destroyed.

The government has promised to give compensation for the resident's losses.

Many activists blamed the Tangerang government and the Ministry of Public Works for the incident, saying that they failed to prevent the dam from bursting.

In response, police spokesperson Adj. Sr. Comr. Chrysnanda told the protesters to be patient and urged them to stop looking for people to blame.

Protests force company to delay new plant

Jakarta Post - June 3, 2009

Suherdjoko, Semarang – State-owned cement producer PT Semen Gresik has had to postpone its plan to build a cement plant in Sukolilo district, Pati regency, Central Java, due to strong protests from local residents.

"We are temporarily delaying (our plan), while we wait for the situation to become more conducive to our project," Semen Gresik communication division head Syaefuddin Zuhri told The Jakarta Post.

"Moreover, the situation is heating up ahead of the presidential election," he added.

The construction of Pati plant was initially scheduled to start May 19, with an estimated investment of Rp 4.5 trillion (US$441 million) and produce 2.5 million tons of cement per year by 2012.

But local farmers have strongly opposed the construction plan, arguing the new plant's presence would cause water shortages for their agricultural fields, and would not improve the welfare of residents living close to the new plant.

Syaefuddin, however, said the planned project had obtained its environmental impact analysis (Amdal) report from experts at Diponegoro University in Semarang, Central Java.

The Amdal report, which was approved by Central Java Governor Bibit Waluyo, recommended a hill in the North Kendeng mountainous area as an appropriate location to build a cement plant, he said.

Protesters reacted positively to the company's decision to delay the cement plant, shutting down their "Reject Cement" post on the Pati-Grobogan highway, where they gathered for meetings.

The protests also upset the governor of Central Java. "I'm really upset about the resident's rejection (of the plant) because the Amdal report says the project is feasible," he said. "I'm puzzled. Why do residents trust non-governmental organizations, and not experts who conducted the Amdal study?"

As a result of the plant construction delay, the company has switched its focus instead on a plan to build another cement plant in Tuban regency, East Java, said Syaefuddin.

"We are going to build a new plant in Tuban, near an existing one," he said. "The investment (required to build the Tuban plant) is also much smaller than the one required to build the Pati plant. We already have the land (for the construction of a new plant) in Tuban."

Syaefuddin said the Tuban plant was expected to produce 2.5 million tons of cement annually by 2012, while refusing to disclose the investment required for this project.

"We'll continue waiting for any development. However, we'll build the plant in Pati, once cement production starts at the Tuban plant," he said. "This is all necessary for the long term as there is a large demand for cement."

Protests mar eviction at Army's housing complex

Jakarta Post - June 3, 2009

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – Conflicts continued between officers of the Army's Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) and residents of the Kostrad housing complex in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta, with residents refusing to leave the houses they have lived in for years.

The officers maintained that 33 families should be evicted from the housing complex because the houses had to be handed over to families of other active officers.

Some families did not even have the right to live there because they had no connection with Kostrad, the officers said. Out of 658 houses in the complex, only 183 of them are occupied by officers' families.

On Tuesday, some officers were accused of locking up two children and three housemaids in a house on Jl. Dharma Putra I. The house used to be occupied by the family of Siregar, a retired Kostrad officer, but is now occupied by Siregar's relative.

Kostrad spokesman Lt. Col. Inf. Husni denied they had intended to locked up Lisa's children and housemaids, saying Lisa and her family only made up the scenario to delay the eviction.

"We did not lock them up, we have told them (the family) before that we would lock the house gate at 5 p.m., and they said it was OK because they could get out of the house using the back door," he told reporters at the scene.

"So why did they then accuse us? We have conducted the eviction based on the procedures. We have give them time to prepare and we have listened to their excuses. I think they made up the reasons because they did not want to move out."

Husni called on the families who should have moved out of their houses to comply with the procedures, because families of many other active officers were waiting to move into the houses.

Husni said the evicted families had to leave the houses by July 31 at the latest. Last week, some residents also protested by burning tires at the housing complex entrance.

Aceh

Aceh people support SBY-Boediono: Ex-rebel

Antara News - June 6, 2009

Jakarta – A former Free Aceh Movement (GAM) separatist group member pledged Saturday to rally support for presidential candidate Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, or SBY, and his running mate Boediono in the July 8 election, Antara news agency reported.

M. Adam, an advisor of the GAM-founded Aceh Party, said Aceh people deemed Yudhoyono had proven his leadership, particularly in maintaining security and political stability.

"We promise to help the duo of SBY and Boediono win 90 percent of the votes in Aceh," Adam told a press conference at the President Center Indonesia in South Jakarta. The center groups volunteers who campaign for the incumbent president and his running mate.

Also declaring their support for Yudhoyono during the media conference were coordinator of the Network and Lobby in Aceh, Suryanto, Aceh community figure Aminuddin and Aceh student leader M. Wahyuddin.

The Aceh Party won the most seats at the provincial legislative council in the April elections, with Yudhoyono's Democratic Party coming a distant second.

West Papua

Police raid airstrip in Indonesia's Papua, three killed

Reuters - June 7, 2009

Jakarta – At least three people were killed after police from Indonesia's anti-terror unit stormed an isolated airstrip occupied by a group of unidentified gunmen in Papua province, state news agency Antara reported on Sunday.

The three killed included two suspected separatist rebels after failed negotiations to end an occupation of the airstrip, Papua Police Chief F.X. Bagus Ekodanto was quoted as saying.

Several police officers also suffered serious wounds after being attacked by bows and arrows, Ekodanto said.

The group, which media reports said was linked to the secessionist Papua Free Movement, had occupied the airstrip in Papua's Kasepo sub-district for about two weeks.

Police arrested a suspected rebel and a 14-year-old boy for further interrogation, Ekodanto said.

Independence activists in Papua have waged a campaign for decades to break away from Indonesia, while a low-level armed rebellion has also simmered, often related to disputes over the sharing of rich natural resources.

Papua prison said to torture prisoners

Jakarta Globe - June 6, 2009

US-based Human Rights Watch on Friday called on Indonesia to look into the reported torture and abuse of prisoners in a jail in the province of Papua.

In a press release, Human Rights Watch singled out brutality by prison guards at the state jail in Abepura, near the Papua capital of Jayapura.

"How can the government turn a blind eye to beatings and torture in one of its prisons?" said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "Jakarta needs to put an end to this disgraceful behavior, punish those responsible and start keeping a close eye on what is happening there."

The watchdog cited reports of more than two dozen cases of beatings and physical abuse since Anthonius Ayorbaba, a former official of the Jayapura office of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, became the prison warden in August 2008.

It called on the government to replace the prison administration, open the penitentiary to international monitoring and set up an independent team to probe the reports of abuse in Abepura prison, which currently has about 230 prisoners, including more than a dozen incarcerated because of their political activities.

Human Rights Watch cited cases that took place between September and May, including the alleged beatings of prisoners for trivial offenses, often with the offending prison guards in a drunken stupor and sometimes leading to serious injuries.

It said that although the country has the 1995 Law on Rehabilitation, setting out procedures for prisoners to complain about mistreatment in prison, efforts to lodge complaints so far have been fruitless and Ayorbaba has been unwilling to address any abuse complaints.

Prior to Ayorbaba's posting as warden, prisoners and their relatives often reported incidents of abuse by guards to the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, but no action was ever taken.

Prisoners say they have stopped reporting abuses because they lack faith in the system and because they fear retribution if they speak to Ayorbaba's former employer.

"The Indonesian government needs to replace the Abepura prison management," Adams said. "But this is not just a failure of one prison warden. It's a failure of Jakarta to set proper standards and enforce them."

Access to Papua has been strictly limited. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also ordered the International Committee of the Red Cross to close its field office in Jayapura. The ICRC ran sanitation projects in Papua and also visited detainees, including political prisoners, in Abepura prison.

Human Rights Watch said that international monitors such as the ICRC and independent human rights groups should be able to visit prisoners in Abepura to investigate reports of abuse.

Papua has seen a low-level separatist movement since the 1960s but pro-independence sentiments have been on the rise in the face of perceived injustice in the economy and alleged abuses by security forces in their drive to rid the province of separatism.

The UN special rapporteur for torture visited Indonesia in 2007 and found that police used torture as a "routine practice in Jakarta and other metropolitan areas of Java."

Indonesia told to stop prison brutality in Papua

Associated Press - June 5, 2009

Jakarta – Indonesia should investigate allegations of prison brutality in insurgency-wracked Papua province, a rights group said Friday, citing rampant reports of torture, beatings, and mistreatment by guards.

The government "needs to put an end to this disgraceful behavior, punish those responsible," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

The Abepura prison holds about 230 inmates, more than a dozen of whom were jailed for peaceful political acts such as participating in anti-government demonstrations and waving the flag of a small, separatist movement.

The government – which is extremely sensitive to secessionist threats, no matter how small – bars foreign human rights monitors and foreign journalists from entering Papua unless they have special police permission, and prohibits them from carrying out research.

In March, the Red Cross was ordered to leave the easternmost province after its workers visited several suspected rebels in jail.

Officials with the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, which overseas prisons, could not be reached for comment Friday. And prison warden Anthonius Ayorbaba told The Associated Press "I can't talk about it now."

The New York-based rights group said it had received more than two dozen reports of beatings and physical abuse in the last year, including a Sept. 22, 2008 attack on one of the political prisoners, Ferdinand Pakage that caused him to lose an eye.

"The prison's security chief hit the prisoner with a rubber club six times in the head," the rights group wrote in a statement Friday. It said that two other guards pummeled him until he was unconscious, one while holding a key that penetrated his right eye.

The inmate was thrown into an isolation cell, it said, and waited more than 24 hours to get medical help.

The rights group detailed several other cases of abuse, including an attack on a prisoner for possessing a mobile phone, causing his left ear to bleed and resulting in partial hearing loss. Another guard forced an inmate to put his hand into boiling water, the group said.

Adams urged President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to set up an independent team to investigate the abuses.

Indonesia took over Papua from the Dutch in 1963 and formalized its sovereignty over the region six years later through a stage- managed vote by about 1,000 community leaders.

A small insurgency has battled Indonesian rule in the impoverished province ever since. About 100,000 Papuans – a sixth of the population – have died in military operations.

Merauke five snared as Jakarta took control

Sydney Morning Herald - June 4, 2009

Tom Allard and Karuni Rompies in Merauke – The extraordinary pursuit of five Australian tourists trapped in the Papuan town of Merauke for almost nine months has been directed by Indonesia's Attorney-General, Hendarman Supandji, "since the start", the lead prosecutor on the case, Yafeth Bonai, has revealed.

Dubbed the Merauke five, the Australians – aged between 51 and 63 – made the one-hour journey from Horn Island to Merauke in September.

While they had not pre-arranged a special flight clearance and visas, they were still instructed to land by air traffic controllers, told everything would be "OK" and they could return home, as planned, after three days.

Instead, they have been imprisoned after being handed sentences between two and three years for immigration and aviation breaches, briefly released on appeal, and then placed under city detention as the matter went to the Supreme Court, where it still lies.

"Since the start, everything must get approval from the superiors, from the Attorney-General," said Mr Bonai. "Everything must get instruction from the Attorney-General." Mr Bonai said the interest arose because "it is about foreigners and also because it is a high-profile case".

Almost all violations of immigration in Indonesia result in swift deportation, unless the unauthorised arrivals are asylum-seekers or criminals.

Regular crackdowns on Thai and Chinese prostitutes in Jakarta, for example, see them detained for a few days and then sent home. The treatment of the Australians has been in stark contrast.

Court submissions from prosecutors, revealed in the Herald last week, lambasted Australia for destroying Indonesian fishing boats, shedding light on a diplomatic subtext to the detention of the Merauke five. The fact that the Australians arrived in Papua, a politically sensitive region due to a struggling separatist movement, is also believed to be at play.

Australia granted asylum to 42 Papuan independence activists in 2006, leading to the recall of the Indonesian ambassador.

Meanwhile, the manager of Merauke airport, Herson, said yesterday that, after the five paid a $US4000 fine for landing without approval, "as far as the aviation issue was concerned, they were not under our detention".

But Freddy Manus, head of Merauke Immigration, said it was the aviation offences that led to the matter going to court. "Should it have been solely an immigration violation, the case wouldn't have been pursued," he said.

The five Australians are the pilot, William Scott-Bloxam, his wife, Vera, Karen Burke, Keith Mortimer and Hubert Hofer.

Crean 'talks tough' on the fate of Merauke Five

Melbourne Age - June 4, 2009

Tom Allard, Merauke, and Daniel Flitton – Australia has been talking tough to Indonesia about the fate of five Australians detained in West Papua, according to acting Foreign Minister Simon Crean, despite claims the Government's approach so far has been spineless.

In Indonesia, lead prosecutor Yafeth Bonai has revealed that the case has been directed by Indonesia's Attorney-General, Hendarman Supandji, since the beginning.

"Since the start, everything must get approval from the superiors, from the Attorney-General," Mr Bonai said. "Everything must get instruction from the Attorney-General."

Mr Bonai said the interest arose because "it is about foreigners and also because it is a high-profile case".

Mr Crean yesterday defended Australia's official support for the group held in the town of Merauke since last September after making an unauthorised landing in the sensitive Indonesian province.

"I wouldn't like to be in their position," Mr Crean said. "But the fact of the matter is they landed without flight security or immigration checks, they were found guilty in the District Court, they were acquitted and now it's been appealed. This is what's called the legal system."

More than a dozen representations had been made by Australia to the Indonesian Government on behalf of the group, Mr Crean said. A spokesman for the Foreign Affairs Department said Australia's ambassador to Indonesia, Bill Farmer, last met senior Indonesian Government officials on May 29. A consular official was sent to Merauke on Tuesday to provide help for the group.

Keith Mortimer, one of the so-called Merauke Five, told The Age this week that the group needed more than a kind word from a visiting official and that the Australian Government had so far been "spineless".

The Foreign Affairs spokesman said consular officers were in Merauke from after the detention of the five Australians until late January, and had since made regular visits to check on their welfare.

Mr Crean told ABC radio he would like to see quick progress in the case but the circumstances related to Indonesian laws. "When people go into other countries, they've got to accept the consequences of that legal system," he said.

Why the Merauke Five feel betrayed by Australia

Sydney Morning Herald - June 3, 2009

Tom Allard, Merauke – Ask five Australians in the Papuan town of Merauke to name the worst thing about being detained for almost nine months and the responses vary.

Karen Burke joined the planned three-day trip at the last minute and fears she will never see her ailing father, 83, again.

Keith Mortimer believes he will not survive another stint in an Indonesian jail. "I am absolutely petrified." William Scott- Bloxam heard that his son Konrad had died in a surfing accident in Australia. He could not attend the funeral.

Hubert Hofer nominates the moment when, after being told they would be free to go home in March, prosecutors launched an appeal and the Attorney-General slapped a travel ban on them.

But Vera Scott-Bloxam perhaps best sums up the peculiar and prolonged agony of the so-called Merauke Five: "We have no idea what's happening. We have no idea where the next blow is coming from. The mental anguish is leaving us all in a very bad state."

The five, under city detention in the town of some 50,000 people in the country's far south-east, spoke to the Herald at their ramshackle home.

Next door lives a family of indigenous Papuans, some of the many – from senior officials to taxi drivers – who have extended their kindness. "They brought us food every single day when we were in jail," Mr Hofer said. "People we don't know, even the authorities, say: 'Are you still here? Why are you still here?"

It is a question the Merauke Five wish the Australian Government would ask more often. "We came here with honest intentions to visit our next-door neighbour and explore its potential tourism opportunities," Mr Scott-Bloxam said.

"We spoke to air traffic control before we came in. We hid nothing. We have always co-operated with the authorities. I made a mistake in not checking the information I was given. But we are not drug dealers, we are not criminals. We didn't come to steal. We didn't come to smuggle."

When he was Opposition foreign affairs spokesman, Kevin Rudd issued a press release demanding the Howard government do more to help the Gold Coast beautician Schapelle Corby after 4 kilograms of marijuana was found in her possession. As Prime Minister his only remark on the Merauke Five came last week: consular assistance is being afforded to them.

But Mr Mortimer said they needed more than care packages and a kind word from the odd embassy visitor. A stern protest to Indonesia from Mr Rudd would help, but "they have been spineless".

The five – aged 51 to 63 – flew to Merauke from Horn Island in Mr Scott-Bloxam's light plane, a journey of less than an hour. A flight plan had been forwarded, but special clearance for the sensitive province of Papua had not been organised. Mr Scott- Bloxam said he tried twice to find out from the Indonesian embassy in Canberra about the requirements before flying out.

The five thought they would be allowed to go home as planned after three days once they paid the fine – almost $US4000 ($5000). But they were charged with immigration violations and sentenced to two to three years in prison.

They were acquitted on appeal. But prosecutors launched another appeal to the country's highest appellate court, where the matter still lies.

Religious leaders ask for more time to negotiate with 'OPM'

Jakarta Post - June 2, 2009

Angela Flassy, Jayapura – Religious leaders in Papua have asked for more time to negotiate with a group of armed people who have been occupying Kapeso Airstrip in the newly established Mamberamo Raya regency, Papua.

Dora Balubun, a priest at the Injili Christian Church (GKI) Synod in Tanah Papua, said synod secretary, priest Albert Yoku, was still negotiating with the armed group who are allegedly led by Cosmos Makabori, Deky Imbiri and Nela Yansenem.

"The last time he informed us, he said the negotiations were difficult. But, he said he would be able to end them as soon as possible," said Balubun. "The GKI hopes the whole (negotiation) process will end peacefully today," she said.

Balubun also said that although the Papuan Police had officially declared that the group belonged to the separatist Free Papua Organization (OPM), her church believed they were part of a Papuan sect called Mandar Makeri.

The sect, according to Balubun, believes the Messiah will arrive only when the people fight against the government.

"We expect the police to be patient because the negotiations are still in process," Balubun said.

Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. F.X. Bagus Ekodanto said Monday that a deadline for the peaceful process involving the Kapeso Airstrip occupation was Friday this week. Otherwise, he said, the police would take other measures.

"We're still waiting for negotiations with a third party. If no solution is reached soon, we will take action," said Ekodanto, adding that disappointment with the government could be the reason for the occupation.

An armed group has occupied Kapeso Airstrip since May. Apart from blocking off the airstrip, the occupation has also prevented local residents from leaving the region.

Police hold fire on Papua separatists

Jakarta Globe - June 1, 2009

Farouk Arnaz & Christian Motte – Despite having surrounded an airfield in Papua that has been occupied by suspected separatists for weeks, the police are still trying to persuade the group to leave the site voluntarily, officials said on Monday.

"We choose a persuasive approach rather than force," National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Abubakar Nataprawira told journalists at National Police headquarters in Jakarta. "We don't want bloodshed there because we know that most people there don't know what is happening. The separatists are using local young residents as human shields.

"We will ask local residents associating with suspected separatists to return to their respective homes."

A group of suspected members of the Free Papua Movement (OPM) have occupied an isolated airstrip at Kasepo village in Mambramo Raya district, about 300 kilometers from the provincial capital Jayapura, since mid-May. Police dispatched three units from the Detachment 88 antiterror squad on May 20, but have so far refrained from launching a raid on the group.

Abubakar says only three people in the group are separatists, "but they are able to force local people to occupy the airport."

"The problem now is that the number of local people occupying the airport has gone up to 150 and that is the reason why we are taking persuasive action rather than force," he said without naming the suspects.

The group seized the airstrip on May 18, raising the banned OPM independence flag, which is considered a separatist symbol. Mambramo Raya is a new district, established in March 2007 by the joining of the previously separate districts of Sarmi and Waropen.

Previously, Papua Police Chief Insp. Gen. Bagus Ekodanto had said the Detachment 88 officers were traveling by river, accompanied by local tribal leaders, prominent figures, local administration officers and religious leaders. The area is only accessible by air or by speedboat and the operation had been hampered by geographic obstacles and poor infrastructure. The expedition team is using shortwave radio and communication has been erratic.

Bagus welcomed local tribal leaders being involved in the negotiations, as was suggested by Papua Customary Council member Fadel Al Hamid, who said "the police should not be in a hurry to make any judgment regarding those local peoples."

Three years on, Papuans win the right to a life

Melbourne Age - June 2, 2009

Andra Jackson – For the past four-and-a-half-years, life in Australia for West Papuan asylum seeker Izack Marani has meant constant worry that the Australian Government might give in to Indonesian demands and return him to West Papua.

But that cloud of uncertainty has disappeared thanks to the Immigration Department granting permanent residency to him and the 38 countrymen with whom he arrived by boat in 2006.

The 46-year-old former sailor said he felt "free and safe". He has been working on a banana plantation near Cairns, and feels he can now look for a permanent job.

Marike Tebay was 17 when she boarded the large outrigger canoe that was to carry her to an unknown future in Australia. "It changes everything," she said of gaining residency. "I can now choose a study course. Before I couldn't."

The people she met on her arrival had been helpful, she said. "Now I feel like I have a home."

The group's final visa was received last week by student David Wainggai, the son of leading independence figure Thomas Wainggai, who died in an Indonesian jail.

David's cousin, Herman Wainggai, leader of the group, who is studying English, said: "For me and my friends it now feels like we are living permanently in Australia. They (the Australian Government) respect our position."

He said it was sad that four of their original party – a couple and a father and daughter – had returned to West Papua, but said they were offered inducements by Indonesia.

Mr Wainggai said the group wanted to show their appreciation to the Australian community by inviting them to a celebration this Thursday night at Northcote Uniting Church.

Freeport investors voice environmental fears over goldmine

Jakarta Post - June 2, 2009

Jonathan Wootliff – One of the world's largest gold, silver and copper mines can be found deep in the heart of one of Indonesia's most remote landscapes.

Located in the isolated highland area of West Papua close to Puncak Jaya, the highest mountain in the province, the multibillion-dollar Grasberg mine has more than 8,000 employees and is a major contributor to the economy.

Producing more than a quarter of a million tons of ore each day, the crater-like open pit mine measures nearly 2 kilometers across its surface on a site close to 10,000 hectares in size.

But the financial value of this massive operation, which represents an estimated 2 percent of Indonesia's entire gross domestic product, appears to come with a large environmental price tag.

Every day, hundreds of thousands of tons of slimy residue finds its way into the nearby Aikwa River and Arafura Sea, causing alarm among naturalists keen to preserve one of the world's last untouched jungle landscapes.

They contest that the soot-colored acidic waste, comprising an acidic runoff, poses a serious threat to the biodiversity of this environmentally sensitive area. Its majority owners, the giant US Freeport-McMoRan mining company, say that the discharges meet regulatory requirements.

The Grasberg mine is close to rare equatorial mountain glaciers that serve as indicators of climate change in the region. Steepening of slopes related to mining activities, as well as earthquakes and frequent heavy rainfall, has resulted in deadly landslides.

While the company has introduced various environmental protection programs and reclamation projects to mitigate possible damage, conservation groups are becoming increasingly concerned about the potential for copper contamination and acid rock drainage into the extensive surrounding river systems. Freeport argues that its actions meet industry standards and have been approved by the requisite authorities.

But their defense has not succeeded in placating a coalition of some of the world's biggest pension fund investors from Europe and the United States, which is campaigning to persuade the company to clean up its controversial pollution record by appointing an environmental expert to its board.

From the other side of the globe, such reputable institutional investors as the New York City pension funds have joined forces with such reputable investors as the Dutch ABP pension fund for civil servants, the Swedish government pension funds and the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits of the United Methodist Church in the US to put the proposal on the ballot at Freeport's annual general meeting, due to be held next week in Wilmington, Delaware.

The investors are going head-to-head with Freeport's board of directors, which has unanimously recommended that shareholders oppose the motion.

But the company's environmental record has been a regular target of institutional investor discontent. In 2006, the huge Norwegian Government Pension Fund blacklisted the company over its disposal of waste residue into the local riverine system.

Investors contest Grasberg's waste management practices are illegal in many other countries where Freeport operates. Earlier this year, the Norwegian fund also withdrew more than $600 million in investments from Rio Tinto, the London-listed international mining group, because of a joint venture with Freeport at the Grasberg mine. It is worth noting that the Indonesian government is a major shareholder in this enterprise.

In the latest campaign, the Freeport investors say the company has been slow to issue what they consider to be full information on its assessment and monitoring of the environmental and health risks associated with the residue disposal at Grasberg. The funds say this is damaging to their interests as shareholders because of risks that the company's environmental performance falls short of internationally accepted standards leading to difficulties in accessing capital for new projects and obtaining necessary regulatory licenses.

Grasberg is no stranger to controversy, having been the target of significant criticism for its questionable human rights issues, which it has since resolved.

"We believe it could be highly beneficial for the company to address the environment at the most strategic level in the same way that it has addressed human rights – in other words, to appoint an appropriate specialist to the board," states the coalition of institutional investors.

Taking on the role of environmental activists, the consortium of concerned investors says, "We envisage a board director whose background combines acknowledged environmental commitment and expertise with leadership experience in a business or other appropriate context. This appointment would place Freeport at the forefront of board-level practice on environmental and social issues in the mining industry."

The investors hope to mirror the success of a 2005 campaign led by institutions including the New York City pension funds that was critical of Freeport's human rights practices and links with the Indonesian military.

As a consequence of that shareholder campaign, Freeport commissioned independent audits of Grasberg and appointed an eminent judge as a director and special counsel on human rights.

Freeport appears to have responded positively and transparently on human rights. Now it's time for this world-leading mining corporation to address these serious environmental concerns.

Conservationists have the right to be worried about Grasberg's potential threats to nature. The company must convene more discussions with environmental NGOs and local communities in a bid to allay their fears. And if Freeport is to protect its reputation and prove its credentials as a responsible company, it must surely meet what appears to be a quite reasonable demand of some of its key investors.

[Jonathan Wootliff is an independent sustainable development consultant specializing in the building of productive relationships between companies and NGOs. He can be contacted at jonathan@wootliff.com.]

Human rights/law

Minister admits chaos in prisons

Jakarta Globe - June 7, 2009

Nivell Rayda – Despite an ongoing reform program, Justice and Human Rights Minister Andi Matalatta openly acknowledged on Sunday that the country's prisons were plagued by corruption, drug abuse and trafficking, and human rights violations by both guards and inmates.

But the minister told reporters that efforts to improve the system were already under way, including dealing with overcrowding and a frighteningly low ratio of guards to inmates.

"The root of the problem is overcrowding in our prisons, which causes inmates to fight over facilities and privileges," the minister said. "These circumstances lead to another problem, in which the facility is a form of business for the prison guards, and [guards] also often resort to violence to restore order."

Matalatta highlighted Cipinang prison in East Jakarta, which on paper should house a maximum of 1,000 inmates but in actuality has three times that number. The ministry plans to transfer some Cipinang prisoners to less-crowded prisons, such as the one in Makassar, South Sulawesi, which only has 400 prisoners in a facility that can accommodate 1,000 inmates.

"But even this is not enough. Nationwide, our prisons should only hold 80,000 prisoners, while the total number of inmates today is 130,000," he said.

On Friday, US-based Human Rights Watch released a report that exposed brutality by prison guards at the state prison in Abepura, near Papua's provincial capital Jayapura.

The watchdog cited reports of more than two dozen cases of beatings and physical abuse by guards since August 2008.Matalatta said he had not read the Human Rights Watch report, but said the beatings could have been perpetrated by assistant guards selected from the prison population, known as tampi.

"On average, the inmates outnumber the guards 50 to 1, so wardens use the prisoners as tampis," he said. "These tampis are worse than the guards. They don't have the same ethical standards, training or education levels as the official guards."

To ease overcrowding, Matalatta said the ministry was trying to increase the capacity of existing facilities and was also building new ones. Four prisons have been built since the ministry launched the reform program last year, and the minister has vowed to double the capacity of prisons nationwide by 2010.

The ministry also wants to increase the training and salaries of guards to curb corruption, as some guards had offered better living quarters, air conditioners, cellphones and other luxuries to inmates in exchange for cash.

"We have dismissed more than 100 rogue [prison] officials for corruption, drug trafficking and human rights violations," Matalatta said. "Some of them were high-ranking officials."

Andi Hamzah, a legal analyst at Trisakti University, said the prison system had largely failed.

"With the current guard-to inmate ratio, it's hard to impose any correctional programs. There's hardly enough guards to stop [prisoners] from escaping and fighting each other," he said. "Once ex-cons leave the prison system, more often than not they are worse than when they first came in."

Hamzah said that to cope with overcrowding, the government had released some inmates before their sentences were up, and that prisons had failed as a deterrent to crime.

"Going to prison is not a scary thing anymore," he said, "especially for people who have the money."

Court watchdog questions judges in Muchdi case

Jakarta Globe - June 7, 2009

Heru Andriyanto – The Judicial Commission has questioned the three judges who acquitted former top intelligence official Muchdi Purwoprandjono of charges that he orchestrated the murder of prominent rights activist Munir Said Thalib, a commissioner said at the weekend.

"They were questioned by the commission on Friday over allegations that they have breached criminal procedures in arriving at the verdict," said Zainal Arifin, a member of the commission tasked with overseeing the conduct of judges.

A lawyer for Muchdi denounced the questioning and described the judges as intelligent and professional.

The judges from the South Jakarta District Court – Suharto, Ahmad Yusak and Aswandi – cleared Muchdi of all charges on Dec. 31 on the grounds that prosecutors had failed to prove he had a motive to assassinate Munir, who died of arsenic poisoning aboard a Garuda Indonesia plane in September 2004.

Zainal declined to elaborate on the results of the questioning, saying the commission would hold an internal meeting in about two weeks time to draw up a conclusion.

"The commission will recommend sanctions if the judges are proven to have violated criminal procedures," said Zainal.

The judges were invited by the commission two weeks ago but Judge Suharto, who presided over the case, failed to show up.

Luthfie Hakim, the head of the defense team for Muchdi, said the commission's move was pointless because the judges had independently delivered the verdict based on the evidence and testimonies put forward during the trial.

"The judges were under pressure from various quarters such as the government and the Supreme Court from the day the trial began, which caused us to underestimate their credibility," Luthfie said.

"But after a series of hearings, I could see from the manner in which the judges questioned the witnesses and examined the evidence, that they were professionals. Now, it's the commission that underestimates them," he said.

A group of legal experts and academics from four universities in April launched an examination into the not-guilty verdict, concluding that the judges had wrongly interpreted the law in acquitting Muchdi.

The prosecution, who had sought a 15-year imprisonment term for Muchdi, have lodged an appeal with the Supreme Court, which has yet to reach a verdict.

Jail for email exposes the law's heavy hand

The Australian - June 6, 2009

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Jakarta – A Jakarta housewife facing six years' jail simply for writing an angry email to friends has become a cause celebre for opponents of Indonesia's retrogade defamation laws, its opaque criminal prosecution system and its poor level of medical care.

The case against mother of two Prita Mulyasari, 32, has energised the nation, with news crews camping outside her home in Tangerang, on Jakarta's western outskirts, for hourly live updates after her temporary release from jail this week.

Former president Megawati Sukarnoputri had earlier taken journalists to visit the hapless Ms Mulyasari in her prison cell, current leader Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono urged prosecutors to review the case and Jusuf Kalla, the third presidential hopeful in next month's general election, declared it should always have been settled outside court.

A support group on the social networking site Facebook has attracted more than 150,000 members.

The Attorney-General Hendarman Supandji was forced this week to concede his own staff had behaved "unprofessionally" in the matter, and promised they would go to trial if found to have taken inducements to lay charges against Ms Mulyasari.

Mr Supandji's admission showed how little control his office has over district prosecutors, who are regularly accused of ignoring the letter of the law in favour of profitable agreements negotiated between parties.

Five Australians still detained in the Papuan town of Merauke for entering by air without the proper visas last year, despite being acquitted by the High Court there in March, can attest to that lack of control.

The so-called "Merauke Five" were supposed to be able to leave quietly and quickly after their acquittal, under a deal done at the highest levels in Jakarta but stymied by local officials who felt angry and snubbed.

The five now await the outcome of a Supreme Court review, expected in the next few days; the worst likely to happen to the prosecutors responsible for the quintet's continued and pointless detention is that they will eventually be moved on.

The prosecutors in Ms Mulyasari's case, however, are under greater scrutiny to prove their case.

So, too, are officials at the Omni International Hospital, where Ms Mulyasari went for treatment after suffering a fever for three days last August. After being misdiagnosed with the mosquito- borne dengue virus – in fact, she had mumps – she was given a series of injections that quickly made her condition worse. She suffered major swelling to her hands and neck, breathing difficulties and damage to one eye.

In an angry email to friends later she warned them to watch out for hospitals boasting "luxury" and an "international title, because the more luxurious the hospital is, and the smarter the doctors are, the more frequent the patient tests, drug sales, and injections".

Omni should have treated her as an outpatient and given her a minimum of medication, she claimed. Hospital care in Indonesia, where medical insurance is minimal, is an expensive and unregulated business, with profits made on each prescription.

The long email, initially sent only to friends, became a hot item on Indonesian blogs, which led the hospital to launch a civil defamation suit against Ms Mulyasari. She lost that case last month and was fined 312 million rupiah ($38,512). Two days later, prosecutors arrested her on the heavier criminal charges, carrying a maximum six years' jail.

Kalla, Wiranto pledge to uphold human rights

Jakarta Post - June 6, 2009

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – residential candidate Jusuf Kalla and his running mate Wiranto have pledged to uphold human rights as part of their commitment to quality democracy in the country.

"For us, there is no improvement of democracy without respect for human rights. Kalla and Wiranto have a strong commitment to upholding human rights," a campaign team member for the presidential ticket, Yus Usmagera, said Saturday.

Asked about Wiranto's link to past human rights abuses when he was the military chief, Yus said the allegation was part of a smear campaign against the vice presidential candidate.

"I think the fact that he contested the 2004 presidential election proved that Wiranto has nothing to do with the alleged human rights violations," Yus, who is also the secretary general of Wiranto's People's Conscience (Hanura) Party.

Wiranto was the Indonesian Military chief when riots erupted in Jakarta in 1998 and in the former Indonesian province of East Timor in 1999.

No debate on human rights

Jakarta Globe - June 5, 2009

Camelia Pasandaran – The General Elections Commission says human rights had been left off the list of official topics for discussions during the upcoming presidential and vice presidential debates because of objections from the campaign teams of the three candidate pairings.

KPU Chairman Abdul Hafiz Anshary was responding to criticisms on Thursday about the omission of the topic in the commission- organized debates.

Abdul did say, however, that he would again discuss the issue with the campaign teams, and that they could "replace one of the debate topics" to include the subject.

Earlier in the day, several leading human rights organizations criticized the KPU for the omission, demanding the election organizer include the topic during the five public debates to be aired on separate television stations.

The groups said that due to the weak rule of law and poor enforcement of human rights violations, it was important to learn about the vision of the candidates regarding these issues.

"It's important to know the candidates' point of view on these subjects, because none of the candidates are free from past human rights violations," Syamsuddin Radjab, chairman of Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association, alleged on Thursday.

The controversial human rights records of vice presidential candidates Prabowo Subianto and Wiranto, both former generals, are well known, but a group statement alleged that Yudhoyono's government had a low-level commitment to protecting its citizens, citing the Lapindo mudflow disaster and unresolved human rights abuses, including those allegedly involving Prabowo and Wiranto.

The organizations said that the human rights topic's absence from the planned presidential candidates' debate is possibly a way to avoid the public demand for better human rights enforcement in Indonesia.

"Debate on this topic will be valuable for the public to see their commitment on law and human rights enforcement," Patra M. Zen, director of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation, said on Thursday. He said that problem regarding unsolved cases of human rights and law enforcement should be solved as soon as possible.

"Without highlighting this issue, the next government may run from its responsibilities and repeat human rights violations again in the future," Patra said.

Human rights at issue in Prita case, top judge warns

Jakarta Globe - June 6, 2009

Muninggar Sri Saraswati – The law governing electronic transmissions, under which housewife Prita Mulyasari was charged for e-mailing a complaint about her treatment by a hospital, should not be used in isolation when considering defamation cases, a Supreme Court deputy chief justice said on Friday.

Abdul Kadir Mappong said other laws must be taken into account, including the Human Rights Law.

Prita, a mother of two who was detained on May 13 and charged with violating the Information and Electronic Transmission Law for complaining about her treatment at the hands of Omni International Hospital in Tangerang, was freed on Wednesday amid widespread public outrage. She appeared in court on Thursday in a brief televised hearing and media circus.

"There are other laws that allow [Prita] to express such an opinion. They're related to human rights," Mappong told reporters. He called on all judges and justices to be aware of what he called the limitations of the electronic information law in handling such cases.

However, with Prita now the subject of a criminal defamation case in Tangerang District Court, Mappong said the high court was barred from giving guidance to the judges handling the case. "This case is still ongoing. We are not allowed to intervene," he said.

The Human Rights Law guarantees every person the right to "own, express and spread opinions in accordance with his/her conscience in speech or in writing through print or electronic media."

Prita was sued by Omni for allegedly defaming the institution after she sent an e-mail to friends saying Omni's doctors were "impolite and unprofessional" in treating her for dengue fever in August 2008. The Tangerang court ruled in the hospital's favor in a civil case and fined her Rp 261 million ($26,000). After she refused to pay, she was jailed to await her trial.

The case has dominated media attention for several days after an online campaign to free her gained momentum on Facebook.

Prita faces a possible six years in jail under the defamation section of the electronics law as well as four years under the defamation clause of the Criminal Code.

Justice and Human Rights Minister Andi Mattalata said there was a need to synchronize the defamation laws. "Laws on the same charge should all carry similar penalties," Andi said. "For similar offenses, the penalty should not differ very much."

Bachtiar Aly, an authority on communications at the University of Indonesia, said the government and the House of Representatives must inform the public about the nuances of the law in a bid to prevent misinterpretation.

"On one hand, we have this information law, but on the other we also have the Constitution, Human Rights Law and press laws that guarantee freedom of expression," Bachtiar said.

"The Information and Electronic Transaction Law must be applied comprehensively in relation to other laws to prevent possible misinterpretations like this."

KPU asked to raise rights issues in debate

Jakarta Post - June 5, 2009

Jakarta – An alliance of civil society groups has urged the General Elections Commission (KPU) to raise human rights issues during the presidential debates.

The NGO alliance consisted of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), the Center of Indonesian Law and Policy Studies (PSHK), the Public Legal Aid Foundation (LBHM), the Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam), the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam), and the Indonesian Human Rights and Legal Aid Association (PBHI).

The KPU is scheduled to organize a series of debates on a number of issues between presidential and vice presidential candidates throughout the campaign season.

They said the KPU could draw explanations from the candidates on issues such as the Lapindo mudflow tragedy, the Talangsari case in Lampung, the Tanjung Priok case, the May 1998 riots and cultural rights.

"The Lapindo mudflow case, which has displaced thousands of people, should be included in the debates," Siti Maemunah, executive director of Jatam, said Thursday.

Taufik Basari, from LBHM, said the public needed to know how the presidential candidates would solve human rights issues in the future.

I Gusti Putu Artha, the commission's member, said the commission was still discussing with the presidential hopefuls on whether to include human rights issue during the debates.

Surabaya, Malang 'hubs for child sex exploitation'

Jakarta Post - June 5, 2009

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Malang – The government has highlighted an alarming rise in sexual exploitation of children in Surabaya, Malang municipality and Malang regency, all in East Java.

Elvi Hendrani, head of advocacy over violence against children at the Office of the State Minister for Women's Empowerment, said Thursday in Malang that extra attention had been focused on the three areas' roles as sources, transit points and destinations for children being sexual exploited in Indonesia.

Malang municipality and regency were recently identified as the source of much of the country's victims of trafficking, while Surabaya is notorious as being a source, a transit point and a destination for child trafficking victims.

"The Malang area is not like Surabaya, where everything is obvious," Elvi said. "However, we believe Malang is rife with child sexual exploitation cases. What we see is only the tip of the iceberg."

Elvi's claims echoed the results of investigations conducted in Malang by the NGO Paramitra.

"In the two months of April and May, we detected six child sexual exploitation cases in the greater Malang area," said Paramitra coordinator Yoga Adianto. "Victims are generally sent outside the area to be employed as sex workers."

He added the six victims came from Kepenjen, Sumberpucung, Gondanglegi and Wonosari districts, and were aged between 14 and 22 years. None of them had a post-elementary-school education, and they were all from low-income families.

"The dominant factors (fueling this) are poverty, people's mind- set and behavior," Yoga said. "They seek an immediate escape from poverty, and end up in prostitution as the quickest and easiest means to earn money."

Jailed mother set free after public outrage

Jakarta Globe - June 4, 2009

Dessy Sagita, Muninggar Saraswati & Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Following a public outcry, judicial authorities in Tangerang on Wednesday released a mother-of-two who had been detained for complaining in an e-mail about the standard of care at an exclusive Tangerang hospital.

Attorney General's Office spokesman Jasman Panjaitan told the Jakarta Globe that Prita Mulyasari had been released but was placed under city arrest, meaning she must not leave the city until her legal situation has been resolved.

The case of Prita, who is being sued by the Omni International Hospital in Tangerang for allegedly defaming them in a complaint she e-mailed to friends, prompted a barrage of public indignation and protests after she was detained on May 13.

Officials, lawmakers, activists and other citizens called for her release. A Facebook campaign in her support had garnered more than 90,000 members as of this morning.

Jasman said that prosecutors should learn a lesson from the case. "We want all prosecutors to be more sensitive to fairness and humanity, and more responsive in following up a case," he said.

Upon leaving the prison in Tangerang, Prita knelt down and kissed the ground, images from the private Metro TV showed. "This is God's will, I'm so happy," she said, adding that she only wanted to return home to her children. "I just want to hug them and say sorry for leaving them."

Heribertus Hartojo, a lawyer for the hospital, said "the legal case will proceed regardless of her status." The hearing starts today in Tangerang.

Jasman said that Attorney General Hendarman Supanji had ordered the deputy attorney for special crime and the deputy for internal supervision to launch an examination of Prita's case to determine whether the Serang district prosecutor had properly used the Electronic Information and Transaction Law as the basis for the case. "The attorney general has requested a report by Friday at the latest," he said.

The AGO will also question the Serang prosecutors' office about its decision to take Prita into custody. "We need to re-evaluate whether or not what Prita did is classified as a cyber crime and we also need to dig deeper into the defamatory issue," Jasman said.

The actions, he said, came as a result of the massive reaction in the media to the case. Vice President Jusuf Kalla labeled Prita's detention "unfair" and said the police and prosecutors should have examined the case more thoroughly before detaining her. "She could have been given a city arrest status instead of being directly detained. How come writing an e-mail like that led her to be detained?" he said.

Sabam Leo Batubara, the deputy chairman of the Press Council, said that Prita's detention was "an authoritarian act." "How could she be detained for writing a complaint? The hospital should have considered it as input from a client," he said.

Sabam said the use of the Information and Electronic Transaction Law against Prita was a threat to freedom of expression. "The country should revise the defamation article in the law. It could be used to limit freedom of speech. She is only a citizen who expressed her criticism of a hospital's service," he said.

Constitutional Court chief Mahfud MD said the defamation article in the Information and Electronic Transaction Law was constitutional, but called on the police and prosecutors to be careful in applying it, to prevent "possible innocent victims."

Labour/migrant workers

Ex-workers rally for severance pay

Jakarta Post - June 2, 2009

Bekasi – Hundreds of former PT Lestari Santika Garmen workers rallied Monday in front of their garment company in Bekasi to ask for their severance pay, following their dismissal last year.

The rally attendants closed the company's main gates located on Jl. Kaliabang Tengah.

In August last year, the company dismissed 405 workers citing financial constraints. The former workers protested against the dismissal as they found the company had later recruited some 200 new workers and built new houses for workers coming from out of town.

The dismissed employees have yet to receive their severance pay, amounting to two months salary. "The dismissal is a one-sided decision and has violated our rights," Wana, one of ex-workers told tempointeraktif.com.

Producing garments like clothes, shirts and jacket, Lestari exports its products to the Netherlands, Japan, Germany and Thailand.

Environment/natural disasters

Forest fires, haze continue to smother Jambi province

Jakarta Post - June 6, 2009

Jon Afrizal, Jambi – The Jambi Forest and Peatland Fire Response Center (Pusdalkarlahut) announced Friday that forest and peatland fires had flared up again in the province.

Satellite imagery from the US North Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) show at least 200 hotspots in the province between January and June this year, said the center's secretary Frans Tandipau.

"We're still checking whether the fires were set by farmers and plantation companies," he said.

The highest number of hotspots was recorded in May, with 91 spots, and the lowest was in June, with 17.

The hotspots were located in eight of Jambi's 11 regencies and municipalities: Muarojambi, East and West Tanjungjabung, Batanghari Tebo, Bungo, Merangin and Sarolangun. Most of the hotspots were located in Tebo (48), followed by Bungo and Merangin (39 each), Sarolangun (20), East Tanjungjabung (17), Muarojambi (15), Batanghari (13) and West Tanjungjabung (9).

The number of hotspots will likely increase this month, given the current dry spell and clear-cutting of forests for farmland and estates, carried out by local residents and plantation companies. Burning trees is the cheapest and easiest method of clear- cutting.

Despite most of the fires being set intentionally by people, Frans admitted there had been a drop in the number of fires from year to year, showing that people and plantation companies were now more aware of the danger of razing down forests.

"We hope there won't be any more forest fires, so the number of hotspots will fall," he said.

Jambi Governor Zulkifli Nurdin said recently that forest and peatland fires would had adverse impacts on local communities.

He pointed out fires affect the potentials of the agricultural, forestry and other economic sectors, cause health hazards for humans, and severely damage the biodiversity of huge swaths of forest areas.

However, Zulkifli also said forest fires had gradually dropped in number over the past several years in Jambi.

In 2006, 6,692 hotspots were detected, while in 2007 that figure had dropped to 2,782. It surged again in 2008, with 20,010 hotspots detected.

"Despite the significant drop (between 2006 and 2007), forest fire management and coordination remains weak," the governor said.

He added forest fire handling was subject to human resources, equipment and funding constraints. He said the best way to reduce the number of hotspots was to develop the rural communities' human resource capacity.

"They should be given alternatives other than farming, and be educated on the dangers and impacts of forest fires and haze," Zulkifli said. "They should also be encouraged to play an active role in fighting fires."

He called on regency and municipal administrations to increase funding for quality fire fighting programs and equipment, and improve coordination with local fire command posts.

The governor also called for the formation of district-level task forces and an increase in the number of fire brigades and teams in fire-prone areas. Residents of Kerinci regency have complained of the haze from forest fires, despite the local administration's claims the regency is free of hotspots.

The haze is believed to have come from other areas where forests were being clear-cut and farmers were burning straw after the rice harvest.

The thick haze has curtailed visibility and led to a rise in eye and respiratory problems.

"My eyes feel very sore when I ride my motorbike," said Anto, an ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver in Sungaipenuh.

Kerinci Forestry Office head Erwan said satellite imagery had shown no hotspots in the regency, adding the haze could have been blown there from elsewhere.

"We in Kerinci don't produce haze. It has likely been carried over from other areas by the wind," he said.

Forest fires continue to rage on in the Kumun forest in Kumun Debai district, believed to have been started by farmers in Koto Lebu Kumun.

Earlier fires burned in the Pendung forest in Air district, East Ai Hangat, and Tanjung Pauh in Keliling Danau district, razing dozens of hectares of forest.

The provincial administration is on high alert for forest fires, due to the current dry spell that could fuel bigger and more frequent fires.

Papua official sounds warning on illegal logging

Jakarta Globe - June 6, 2009

Christian Motte – Papua Deputy Governor Alex Hasegem said illegal logging in the province had reached alarming levels and that the police needed to act against those responsible.

"I hope the police will arrest and prosecute anyone caught logging illegally," Hasegem said.

Authorities in Papua have taken steps to curb illegal logging, Hasegem said, citing a prohibition on the export of logs from the province. The authorities have also encouraged the development of local wood industries and regulated logging concessions.

Septer Manufandu, who heads the Cooperation Forum of Papua's NGOs, said the province's forests were threatened with extinction from expanding palm oil plantations, continued logging by concession holders and the permission given to cut down trees to make way for the 1,650-kilometer-long Trans Papua Highway.

Septer said illegal loggers had little reason to fear the courts, with most people arrested for the crime being acquitted.

Figures from the Ministry of Forestry showed that there were 28 concession holders sharing 5.9 million hectares of forest in Papua, while in neighboring West Papua, 4.6 million hectares of forest were divided among 25 concessions.

The most recent case of illegal logging in the province occurred in April, when police confiscated 190 cubic meters of Merbau logs at Jayapura harbor that were being readied for shipment to Surabaya, East Java.

Bambang Rudi Pratiknyo, the chief detective at the Papua Police, said the logs were accompanied by forged documents and the drivers of the 38 trucks owned by PT Anugerah Bucend Cendrawasih, which had transported the logs to the harbor, were being questioned.

In Sorong, West Papua, police are investigating a case of illegal logging in the West Papua Natural Resources Conservation Center. The case is believed to involve several officials from the Sorong Prosecutor's Office, as well as the office's former head. Police have so far confiscated some 500 logs, or about 2,500 cubic meters, of the termite-resistant Merbau wood.

In 2008, police confiscated 13,000 cubic meters of Merbau logs believed to have been illegally felled in the Kaimana district of West Papua. Six suspects have since been arrested in the case.

In Wamena, Papua, prosecutors have recommended between two and three years in jail for four men accused of illegal logging there. Prosecutors also demanded that the suspects, who are accused of felling trees without proper permits, be fined Rp 30 million ($3,000) each.

Indonesia needs $4 billion to avert deforestation

Jakarta Post - June 3, 2009

Jakarta – The government is upbeat that Indonesian deforestation could be averted if international communities grant US$4 billion until 2012 to finance the livelihood of local people and stop forest conversions.

The Forestry Ministry said the money would be used to address the main causes of deforestation prior to the implementation of the reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) mechanism.

"We need an investment of $4 billion to address the causes of deforestation. The fund should be from world communities as deforestation has become a global problem, especially concerning climate change," Nur Masripatin, secretary for the ministry's forestry research and development agency told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

"Tackling deforestation is not merely about law enforcement, money talks here, including on how to finance the livelihood of local communities around the forests or how to deal with the expansion of plantations."

She said the government only had a limited budget to handle deforestation. She did not elaborate the exact amount.

"Deforestation in developing counties will continue to increase if there is no policy intervention that enables the countries to reduce emissions from forests without sacrificing their national development."

The world countries have long eyed Indonesia's forests as one of the lungs to "clean" the atmosphere from rising greenhouse gas emissions.

Many have criticized the Indonesian government for its failure to combat high rates of deforestation, which have risen to over one million hectares per year.

Indonesia has about 120 million hectares of rainforest – the third-largest on the planet after Brazil and Congo. Deforestation contributes about 20 percent to global greenhouse gas emissions, with about 75 percent from developing countries.

Seeing the impact of the deforestation, the world countries have adopted the use of the REDD mechanism to help protect the forests by providing financial incentives to forest nations.

The government hoped the upcoming REDD mechanism would also cut the country's illegal logging. Forestry Minister Malam Samat Kaban said illegal logging cases, which also caused deforestation, had declined sharply over the last four years with only hundreds of cases currently compared to about 9,600 in Soeharto's era.

Executive Director of Greenomics Indonesia Elfian Effendi said the illegal logging practices remained rampant in the country due to the government's poor monitoring.

"Yes, there is a decline in term of illegal logging cases but such practices remain rampant in places," he said. "The fact is that illegal logging and illegal trade along the borders of Kalimantan-Malaysia, Riau-Malaysia-Singapore and in Papua remains unresolved."

He said illegal logging could also be seen from the expansion of oil palm estates in protected areas and conservation forests in the country. Even worse, he said the local administrations still awarded licenses for forest conversion, including for plantations.

Animals' shrinking natural habitat

Jakarta Post - June 2, 2009

Hotli Simanjuntak – The great forests of Aceh are home to numerous species of Indonesian animals, many of which are facing possible extinction. The elephants might be the biggest (and most noticeable), but the forests are the natural habitat for many other endangered species.

However, the area of Aceh that is covered by forest decreases every year because of logging – much of which is illegal and goes undetected. Many different groups are cutting down trees, with activity increasing since the 2004 tsunami and the 2005 peace agreement signed between the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the Indonesian government.

Illegal logging – and the consequent destruction of wild animals' natural habitat – is the main reason for the growing number of incidents relating to the territorial struggle between animals and humans. If the wild animals are causing trouble, it is believed to be because people have ventured too far into their habitat.

Driving illegal logging is a need for timber to rebuild houses and other facilities that were destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami in 2004. Demand for timber in Aceh for reconstruction is at 215,000 cubic meters a year. In 2006, police seized about 120,209 cubic meters of timber in a crackdown on illegal logging.

In a bid to save Aceh's forests, the Aceh governor issued in June 2007 a logging moratorium, which orders logging to cease for a specified time. The government has also stopped issuing forest management permits (HPHs) to businesspeople in the logging industry.

But despite the presence of such laws, enforcement remains weak.

In an annual report, the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) claimed that each year, 226,000 hectares of forested land in Aceh is destroyed – equivalent to an area four times larger than Singapore.

Agriculture & food security

Nuclear-engineered rice to double productivity

Jakarta Post - June 5, 2009

Jakarta – The office of the State Minister of Research and Technology will soon introduce irradiated rice using nuclear technology that is expected to double productivity from 7 to 14 tons per hectare.

"Besides the higher productivity, Bestari rice is more resistant to pests and has a shorter growing period," National Nuclear Energy Agency (BATAN) PR head Dedy Miharja said Thursday.

He added the rice, with a sowing-to-harvest period of 115 to 120 days, was soft and firm – a common characteristic of good- quality rice.

Regular Pandanwangi rice has a sowing-to-harvest time of 170 days. "The technology used is the irradiation of seeds by gamma ray," Dedy said.

Research on irradiated rice has been ongoing for four years, he said, adding the new rice had been tested in at least 20 locations, as required by the Agriculture Ministry for every new variety of rice.

Harvests at some test locations had yielded 7 tons of dry rice grains per hectare, with a potential of about 9.5 tons, while harvests at other sites showed 14 tons was obtainable.

"Its strength is not merely in the yield. The important thing is this rice is resistant to all kinds of diseases and pests, like the brown wereng and the leaf hawer," Dedy said. "Pests like these grow stronger each year, and this variety of rice is resistant to them."

BATAN has since 1982 produced 15 rice varieties using nuclear technology. One of them, Mira rice, is already on the market. BATAN is also testing nuclear technology on cotton and soybeans. The Mitani soybean and Kharisma 1 cotton are varieties tested last year.

"They are premium-class varieties, and more resistant to diseases and pests," Dedy said.

Mitani soybean yields an average of 2 tons per hectare, with a potential of 3.2 tons, while other varieties yield about 1.5 tons per hectare.

Bestari rice will be one of the highlights of the 14th annual National Technology Awakening Day celebrations on Aug. 10. Related events will be organized in eight cities by the Office of the State Minister for Research and Technology, from May to August.

Richard Mengko, the minister's defense technology assistant, said his office would hold an expo, Ritech, on creativity and technology. "If we lack creativity, we end up aping others' technology," he said.

"Ritech will showcase the latest achievements of the country's sons and daughters."

Syachril Anas, the ministry's science and technology PR head, said only the newest technologies would be presented, adding the ministry would also award creativity and innovation at the grassroots level.

Professor Engkos Koswara, one of the minister's adviser, said the ministry had to select from about 3,000 research proposals each year.

"Last year we selected 350 proposals for grants of a maximum of Rp 500 million," he said.

Richard said technology and science were intangible, therefore hard to assess, adding the results of research were not always visible. "But don't forget, we're investing in the human mind," he said. (iwp)

Health & education

HIV/AIDS cases soar in Indonesia: official

Agence France Presse - June 3, 2009

Jakarta – The number of known HIV/AIDS cases in Indonesia has almost tripled since 2005, AIDS commission head Nafsiah Mboi said Wednesday. There were 26,632 HIV/AIDS cases in March, up from 9,565 in 2005, she said.

The actual number of people with the disease was far higher as 85 percent of sufferers did not know they were infected, she said. "The number of infections is increasing and it's worrying," Mboi added.

Representatives from more than 60 countries from around Asia and the Pacific will gather in Bali in August to discuss joint efforts to prevent the spread of the disease.

Education ministry accused of covering up exam scandal

Jakarta Post - June 3, 2009

Jakarta – The House of Representatives has accused the National Education Ministry of covering up rampant cheating during the recent National Exam.

Deputy chairman of the House's Commission X on education, Heri Akhmadi, said Wednesday the lawmakers had found the entire third year students from 14 senior high schools failed the exam, bringing the toll of schools with zero percent passing grade to 33.

"The ministry knows about the findings, but refuses to admit them, saying the official result of the exam would be announced according to the schedule," deputy chairman of the Commission Heri Akhmadi told The Jakarta Post.

The House claims to obtain the data during its own field investigation and from the National Education Standard Agency (BSNP). The House said the students failed because the answer sheets they obtained prior to the test were all wrong. The result of the exam will be officially made public on June 16.

"We have held a meeting with the ministry and we insist that test rerun in the 33 schools is out of question. The ministry has agreed to delay the planned remedial test until an investigation into massive cheating during the exam is conducted," Heri said.

The ministry was supposed to hold a press conference to clarify the findings on Wednesday, but was delayed indefinitely.

"We want to avoid confusion and misunderstanding. We need to look deeper into the matter. We cannot confirm on the test rerun either or anything else because the official result has not been announced yet," a spokesman for the ministry, Muhadjir, said. (hdt)

Corruption & graft

Parties accused of $62 million poll frauds

Jakarta Globe - June 7, 2009

Nivell Rayda – Indonesia Corruption Watch has reported all the major political parties to the General Elections Commission for possible campaign fraud totaling Rp 621.5 billion ($62.7 million).

The allegations include illegal campaign contributions, under- reporting of campaign funds and unreported campaign spending on advertising.

Officials from all of the nine parties elected to the House of Representatives refused to comment on the ICW's findings when contacted by the Jakarta Globe on Sunday.

A statement released by the ICW over the weekend alleged that at least Rp 161.3 billion in donations to several major political parties competing in the April 9 legislative elections were suspected to be illegal and therefore potentially fraudulent.

A study by the leading antigraft watchdog showed that out of the nine parties that secured seats in the House, only the campaign funds of three parties – the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) – had originated from legitimate sources.

The rest of the parties, including President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party, had funds that originated from fictitious individuals and companies, and anonymous sources.

The ICW also found that two parties – the Golkar Party, chaired by Vice President Jusuf Kalla, and the Islam-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) – had underreported their funds by Rp 33.9 billion.

ICW said it had also uncovered Rp 426.3 billion of unreported advertising campaign spending involving five major political parties. The allegations have been forwarded to the elections commission (KPU).

The Elections Supervisory Board (Bawaslu) had previously published a similar report and lodged a complaint with the KPU, but it did not include the results in its final report on campaign accounts and electoral spending.

"The campaign funds audit by the General Elections Commission does not accurately explain the true origins of the political parties' funding," ICW researcher Ibrahim Fahmi Badoh said.

"The KPU appears to have only carried out a minimum standard of auditing." KPU commissioner Andi Nurpati said that "our audit showed indications of illegal funding activities but the data was not enough for the KPU to take action against the parties."

On Wednesday, Bawaslu also said it had uncovered three types of alleged violations of campaign funding regulations involving more than one presidential candidate participating in the July 8 presidential poll.

Bawaslu is currently investigating the cases by checking the campaign funding data submitted by candidates to the KPU.

Lawmakers the poll winners for Indonesia's most corrupt group

Jakarta Globe - June 3, 2009

Nivell Rayda – The apparent disdain Indonesians feel for their lawmakers was highlighted again on Wednesday when a study by Transparency International was released showing that the country's legislatures are seen as its most corrupt institutions.

The antigraft watchdog's 2009 Global Corruption Barometer was conducted in 69 countries worldwide and surveyed more than 73,000 respondents. In Indonesia, 500 people surveyed in Jakarta and Surabaya concluded that their legislatures leave much to be desired, with the judiciary also judged a poor lot.

Worldwide, political parties are perceived to be the most corrupt institutions, the study found, followed by civil servants, lawmakers and the private sector.

Indonesians gave their lawmakers a grade of 4.4, with 5 being very corrupt. Next on the list was the judiciary with a 4.1 rating.

The rating seems to reflect other actions, including the arrests of 12 members of the House of Representatives by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), eight of whom have already been convicted by the Anti-Corruption Court. The court has also brought many provincial and district legislative councilors to trial for extortion, abuse of power and bribery.

Gayus Lumbuun, deputy chairman of the House honors committee and PDI-P lawmaker, said the survey was no surprise. "I don't reject the findings of the survey. Even I view the House as one of the institutions that deserves to be put on the list. I hope that political parties show responsibility... by taking action against their corrupt members."

Teten Masduki, the secretary general of Transparency International Indonesia, said "the House must show it is serious about fighting corruption by passing the Anti-Corruption Court bill."

The current Anti-Corruption Court, hailed as a key weapon in the battle against corruption, has its legal basis in a 2002 law that created the KPK. The Constitutional Court has ruled that mechanism unconstitutional and ordered that a new law be drawn up before Dec. 19 if the court is to continue. So far, the bill is languishing in the House.

"Politicians are not serving and fighting for the public's best interests but only for their own personal and collective gain," said Rocky Gersung, a political analyst at the University of Indonesia.

"Legislative candidates are not chosen based on competence and integrity but rather on loyalty to the party and the willingness to protect the interests of those who have made contributions and donations to their respective parties."

Islam/religion

Religious leaders regret police arrests of 'defiant' sect figures

Jakarta Post - June 6, 2009

Yemris Fointuna, Kupang – Leaders of the Timor Evangelical Church (GMIT) expressed disappointment over the arrests of alleged defiant Sion City of Allah sect leaders as suspects of religious blasphemy, regretting the police for not involving the church's experts in the legal process.

GMIT synod's secretary Robert Litelnoni said the police should have involved the church, the biggest Protestant one in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), before naming the seven leaders of the sect as suspects.

"The police was too rushed to name suspects," Robert said in Kupang on Friday.

Police have named seven figures of the alleged defiant Christian sect, including its leader Nimrot Lasbaun, as suspects in the case. According to Robert, if the charge was religious blasphemy, then it must be clear which religion had been blasphemed.

"If it is the Protestant Christian that is blasphemed, then who has reported them to the police for arrests," he went on. "GMIT has never felt of having been blasphemed."

Robert suggested that there was no need for the police to charge the Sion City of Allah leaders with articles on religious blasphemy, arguing that the church had never considered the case as a problem.

He added that GMIT had its own special rules on how to disciple its followers. He said the followers of the sect considered defiant would first have to undergo an internal supervision and would not be directly considered as wrongful.

The same concern was also expressed by GMIT's lawyer John Rihi, who said that it was too premature to use the religious blasphemy article because no expert from the church had been involved to give testimony. "GMIT is very disappointed with the naming of the seven as suspects," John said.

Separately, head of Kupang police's Supervision Affairs First Inps. Dedy Iskandar said his office had conducted the investigation process according to the prevailing laws because the case was seen as having created anxiety in the community. "We hope the church will not interfere into the case," he said.

Kupang police chief Sr. Comr. Heri Sulistianto previously said that the suspects were detained because the teachings they were preaching were defiant. "They are blaspheming the religion in Indonesia and thus could face five years of imprisonment," Heri said, Thursday.

He said the sect, whose teachings were based on the book of Jeremiah, for example, ban its followers from joining church masses on Sunday.

It also rejected the holy communion conducted by the GMIT and forbid its female followers from wearing underwears while attending prayers. It as well rejected the wedding ceremonies held by the church.

"The leader (Nimrot Lasbaun) even said that his wounded right palm hands would cure themselves by 2011 after marrying to seven women," Heri said.

He added the sect had also given different titles to Nimrot and the six other elites of the sect, each wore a different color of robes. Nimrot, for example, was also given the title as White Horse and wore a white robe.

Kupang Mayor Daniel Adoe separately agreed the sect was defiant and thus he supported the police's probe into the case.

"This is clearly defient. How can a (Christian) teaching ban people from going to church?" Daniel said, adding that such teaching was not just against the religious teachings but as well the positive laws.

Indonesia may ban Aussie beef imports

Australian Associated Press - June 5, 2009

Indonesia has threatened to ban Australian beef imports amid concerns some of the meat doesn't meet Islamic halal standards.

A large amount of Australian beef is being held at Jakarta's main port because the country's Islamic Ulema Council, or MUI, has declared it no longer recognises several of Australia's halal certifying bodies.

Indonesia, which imports an estimated 70,000 tonnes of beef from Australia and New Zealand every year, requires all beef imports to be certified halal.

That means the meat has been taken from cattle slaughtered in a manner deemed suitable for consumption by Muslims. But it's up to the MUI, Indonesia's top Islamic body, to decide which overseas institutions can certify the meat.

Indonesia this week temporarily banned beef imports from New Zealand after the MUI announced it no longer recognises any of that country's certifying bodies.

According to the state-owned news agency Antara, Agriculture Minister Anton Apriyantono said Australian certifying bodies had to meet new MUI standards or Australian beef would face a similar ban.

A spokesman for the Trade Minister Simon Crean said the government was concerned that Australian beef was being held up at Jakarta's Tanjung Priok port.

"Mr Crean is hopeful that Australian and Indonesian officials can work together to ensure that the free flow of trade in Australian beef is restored as soon as possible," the spokesman said.

Mr Crean will raise the issue with his Indonesian counterpart Mari Pangestu at a trade meeting in Bali at the weekend.

Halal Australia executive director Muhammad Khan said it was disappointing to see the beef held up. "There's a bit of a communication gap going on," he said. "If it's not allowed in, exporters should be told at the port of departure in Australia."

If the matter is not resolved, the meat already in Jakarta will either be re-exported or destroyed, Indonesia's agriculture department said.

Hard-liners seek out pair willing to ban Ahmadiyah

Jakarta Globe - June 2, 2009

Muninggar Sri Saraswati – Hundreds of protesters from several hard-line Islamic groups rallied on Monday, and declared support for presidential candidates who would support Shariah law and formally ban the Ahmadiyah religious movement.

"We reject presidential tickets who do not support Muslims and instead support the United States," said Chep Hermawan, who led the rally outside the Presidential Palace complex in Central Jakarta, without mentioning any specific ticket.

The rally was held on the anniversary of the Indonesian Defender Front (FPI) attack on a peaceful demonstration organized by the National Alliance for the Freedom of Faith and Religion at Monas in Central Jakarta last year.

The protest was marked by 70 Ahmadiyah followers renouncing their beliefs and pledging to become mainstream Muslims. The protesters were mainly drawn from members of the hard-line FPI and Islamic People's Forum (FUI) from around Jakarta.

FPI Secretary General Sobri Lubis said there was no reason for them to vote for presidential candidates who could not promise that they would ban Ahmadiyah, an Islamic sect declared as heretical by the Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI) in 2005.

"We demand that Ahmadiyah be banned through a formal presidential decree instead of merely a joint ministerial decree," he said. "We will vote for a candidate who can guarantee that."

The high-profile attack on the Monas demonstration drew widespread condemnation and resulted in FPI chairman Habib Rizieq being sentenced to 18 months in prison. But rather than seize popular support and take action against FPI, the government simply issued a joint ministerial decree ordering Ahmadiyah restrict its religious activities.

FPI and FUI are known for their fundamentalist views of Islamic teachings, and have been labeled as thugs with little real influence. FPI has been involved in a number of raids on night clubs and bars that sell alcohol, and has also used violence to threaten and intimidate minority groups, such as the destruction of mosques and houses belonging to Ahmadiyah followers.

Sobri said that the 70 former Ahmadiyah followers wished to revert to the true faith. "We did not force them to exercise Islamic teaching. We will accompany them to go back to the right path," he said, explaining that they practiced Ahmadiyah teachings without really understanding what they followed.

One of the converts, Etik, 40, from Tejowaringin in Tasikmalaya, West Java, said they returned to Islam "because of our conscience; not because of the FPI."

Ahmadiyah spokesman Mubarik said it was up to the individuals concerned whether they wanted to change their beliefs as Ahmadiyah did not want to force anybody to follow them if they no longer wished to – just as the Ahmadiyah followers did not want to be forced to change their beliefs.

Candidates campaign at Islamic schools to win religious vote

Jakarta Globe - June 1, 2009

Muninggar Sri Saraswati – Despite the waning popularity of Islam-based political parties, presidential candidates and their running mates have continued to stress their religious values and openly court the religious vote.

Religion has never been far from the forefront of debate ahead of July's presidential election and has created tensions even within the coalition of parties forged by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, including the well-publicized reservations expressed by the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), which objected to Yudhoyono's running mate on the grounds that he wasn't religious enough.

However, the real reason for the coalition's opposition to Boediono may lie in the fact that Yudhoyono chose a technocrat free of political baggage, rather than a lawmaker from one of the coalition partners.

Yudhoyono has traditionally been seen as the most Islamic of the three presidential candidates and has the backing of all the major religious parties, making regular appearances at religious events and establishing the Islamic prayer group, SBY Nurussalam, which has branches across the country.

In an apparent bid to overcome reservations by some in the religious community and to prove his piety, Boediono on Sunday visited the Lirboyo Islamic school in Kediri, East Java, and received support from cleric Idris Marzuki, who heads the school.

Jusuf Kalla and running mate Wiranto also recently visited another influential Islamic school in East Java and held a dialogue with the school's leaders.

Kalla, a member of Nahdlatul Ulama, the country's largest Muslim organization, has also been active in visiting and giving donations to Islamic schools.

Megawati Sukarnoputri and her running mate, Prabowo Subianto, have followed suit. Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has set up a party wing, Baitul Muslimin Indonesia, to target the Muslim vote, while Prabowo has been active in visiting Islamic schools and leaders since the legislative election campaign.

Ahmad Bakir Ihsan, an Islamic political expert at Jakarta State Islamic University, said it was common practice in the country for presidential candidates to approach Islamic schools and clerics to get their support in elections.

"Clerics are opinion leaders, particularly for traditional Muslim voters in the regions," he said. "They will follow what the clerics say about the presidential candidates. For the presidential candidates, approaching Muslim clerics is considered a concrete measure, as the clerics have influence over their pupils, families and the Islamic schools' communities."

Headscarf issue causes election controversy

Jakarta Post - June 1, 2009

Irawaty Wardany, Makassar – The issue of headscarfs looks to drag-on in the lead-up to the presidential election on July 8, although many have learned that appearances can be deceitful.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who will contest the polls along with running mate Wiranto, could not hide his disappointment with the public reaction to his and Wiranto's wives decision to wear headscarves, which he said was an intrusion into a personal decision.

"It (the intrusion) is very dangerous. The critic must not be a democratic person," Kalla said. "People have no right to determine the way others dress, not even their spouses."

An executive of the Prosperous Justice Party, which is supporting incumbent president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's reelection, said last week the electability of Kalla and Wiranto had increased since their wives, Mufidah and Rugaya, had been seen wearing headscarves in public.

Kalla's campaign team has also distributed a book about the two ladies: The devout wives of future leaders.

In response to the headscarf issue, Democratic Party (PD) deputy chairman Anas Urbaningrum called on all campaign teams not to politicize religious matters as, he said, it would hurt religious plurality and, in turn, Indonesia's ideal of unity in diversity.

Despite his call, Yudhoyono's PD handed out Saturday posters depicting the President and his wife Ani Yudhoyono, who appears to wear a green headscarf, during the party's coordination meeting with 22 protesters of the coalition at Kemayoran Fair Ground on Saturday.

A group of ulemas from North Sumatra visited Kalla on Saturday to express their support for his election bid and his wife's way of dressing.

Previously, South Sulawesi's Muhammadiyah Youth and several religious groups in Makassar also confirmed their commitment to Kalla and Wiranto at an official meeting in his hometown on Friday.

Kalla stands a great chance of winning the support of Muslim voters, due to his links to the country's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU). Kalla comes from a NU family, while his mother was a member of Muhammadiyah.

Religious politicization should be rejected

Jakarta Post - June 1, 2009

A. Junaidi and Slamet Susanto, Bandung – Activists have called upon the nation to reject any politicization of religion aimed at replacing the Pancasila state ideology and threatening the country's diversity.

While issuing a petition in Bandung on Saturday, activists from various civil society organizations also appealed against all kinds of violence justified in the name of religion, such as church closures and traditional rite banning.

The petition was issued at the end of a three-day meeting organized by the Unity and Diversity National Alliance (ANBTI).

ANBTI coordinator Nia Sjarifuddin said the West Java capital had been chosen as the location for the gathering because of the recent incidents of religious intolerance that took place in the province.

"We have an obligation to remind people to defend our united Indonesia based on diversity in terms of religions and cultures," Nia said.

Several Christian houses of worships have been forcibly closed in Bekasi while in Depok, Mayor Nurmahmudi Ismail, who was nominated by the Islamist Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), annulled a building permit for a place of worship in the city.

Last year, several mosques across the country belonging to the Ahmadiyah Islamic sect – including in Kuningan, Parung and Bogor in the province – were sealed off and destroyed by Muslim militants.

Several regencies in the province have issued bylaws requiring students and civil servants to wear Muslim attires on certain days.

West Java Goverrnor Ahmad Heryawan, who is also a PKS politician, recently asked Jaipong traditional dancers to be more "polite" when wearing their costumes and performing moves.

Nia said the activists also deplored the governor's banning of cultural expression in the name of morality and religion. "We also urge the state to ratify the convention on indigenous people and reject discrimination based on race, religion, gender and sexual orientation," she said.

After the meeting, the activists, along with about a thousand of people, held parade to celebrate cultural diversity. Performing a variety of dances, they marched from the municipality building to the Bandung Lautan Api monument.

Constitutional Court Chief Mahfud MD admitted several bylaws had violated the Pancasila state ideology and the state Constitution.

"Many bylaws have deviated from the values of Pancasila and the Constitution, but so far, nobody has filed a judicial review on the bylaws," Mahfud said in his opening speech at the three-day Pancasila Congress held at Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, on Saturday.

Based on the Constitution, he said, the Supreme Court could conduct the bylaw review. "But so far, the Supreme Court has not responded yet and people are not asking for a review either."

Mahfud said many state officials, including local officials, did not abide by the Pancasila values when managing their administrations.

The Congress was held to commemorate the Pancasila's anniversary, observed on June 1.

In Jakarta, activists commemorated the Pancasila anniversary at Ismail Marzuki Cultural Park on Monday. They earlier planned to meet at Monas Park, but cancelled their gathering to avoid clashes with certain radical groups, like the ones that occurred last year.

Elections/political parties

Aburizal Bakrie being positioned to take Golkar chair

Jakarta Globe - June 7, 2009

While Vice President Jusuf Kalla spent the weekend campaigning, senior officials from his Golkar Party held a second round of meetings to discuss replacing him as party chairman, possibly with cabinet minister Aburizal Bakrie.

House of Representatives Speaker Agung Laksono, the party's deputy chairman, confirmed on Sunday that he hosted a meeting at his home on Saturday afternoon, which was attended by Bakrie, a member of Golkar's supervisory council and the coordinating minister for people's welfare, and former Golkar chairman Akbar Tandjung.

Those officials also held a similar meeting last month, prompting speculation they were planning to call a special party meeting to unseat Kalla as chairman before the July 8 presidential election, rather than wait for a scheduled congress later this year. "It was only an informal, common meeting," Agung said.

But Agung said that during Saturday's meeting, several Golkar officials from the influential district offices threw their weight behind Bakrie to run for party chairman, and asked that the congress be moved forward to just after the presidential election.

Kalla has been under fire since Golkar's poor showing in the April 9 legislative elections, and has been warned that he should be ready to resign if he loses in the presidential poll.

Agung, Bakrie and Akbar are known to have wanted to remain in a coalition with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, but Kalla pulled out and secured Golkar's presidential nomination.

Yuddy Chrisnandi, a spokesman for Kalla's campaign team, said Agung and Bakrie had informed Kalla about the latest meeting. "Based on Agung and Ical's [Aburizal] explanation, there was no discussion about the acceleration of the party's national meeting or an extraordinary national meeting," he said.

But a Golkar official, who declined to be named, said Bakrie, Agung and other officials planned to hold the congress in July or August if Kalla lost in the first round of the presidential poll. "Even if there's a second round, the meeting would be held shortly after... in September," the source said. "Aburizal is projected to replace Kalla and lead Golkar to coalesce with the Democratic Party." (JG, Antara)

Kalla takes offense at Yudhoyono's remarks on family business

Jakarta Globe - June 6, 2009

Keno Gunawan & Muninggar Sri Saraswati – Presidential candidate and businessman Jusuf Kalla struck back on Friday against a statement by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that a president whose family engaged in business would not be able to govern well.

A day earlier, Yudhoyono also said the 1997-98 financial crisis had been made worse by the involvement of government officials whose families ran large businesses.

Kalla, who is the incumbent vice president, responded on Friday by saying that "if there was a ban on the families of state officials trading or doing business, I think it would be discrimination and a violation of human rights."

Speaking while campaigning in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Kalla said that the involvement of state officials' relatives in business should not be a problem if they conducted their activities in accordance with the law.

"An entrepreneur is doing a good job," he said. "If there is no entrepreneur, there is no trader, so who will pay taxes and who will provide jobs for others?"

The Kalla family business, NV Hadji Kalla, controls automobile distribution in eastern Indonesia.

In Jakarta, Kalla spokesman Bambang Soesatyo said that Yudhoyono's speech was "full of prejudice."

"Currently, there is talk in public that Yudhoyono has made use of his power to employ his relatives, his brothers-in-law and close aides, in a number of important and strategic positions, be it in the military, banks or state-owned enterprises. "Indonesia needs a leader who is free from nepotism," he said.

Bambang referred to Yudhoyono's brother-in-law, Maj. Gen. Pramono Edhie Wibowo, who became the commander of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) last year.

Another Yudhoyono brother-in-law, Gatot M. Suwondo, was installed as the president director of state-owned Bank Negara Indonesia in 2008.

And yet another brother-in-law of the president, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Erwin Sudjono, was named the military headquarters chief of staff for general affairs in 2007 before his retirement.

Bambang said Indonesia needed a leader who "could set up employment opportunities, instead of a leader who manipulates numbers as if there is an economic improvement, although the numbers reveal that many companies and factories have closed down."

Yudhoyono, whose two sons are not involved in business, openly referred to the negative aspects of state officials' relatives being involved in business while addressing supporters for his presidential campaign in Jakarta on Thursday evening.

Yudhoyono also irked his other opponent in the election, former President Megawati Sukarnoputri, when he said in his speech that his government had inherited problems from the previous administration, including rampant corruption, collusion and nepotism.

Yudhoyono did not mention Megawati by name, but she was his predecessor in the office. "Go ahead, name [whose government] he mentioned," Megawati said on Friday in Jakarta, responding to questions about Yudhoyono's statements.

Tjahjo Kumolo, a lawmaker from Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said that Yudhoyono should have been open in naming the government in question as Megawati's.

"His government inherited nothing from the previous government," he said. "Megawati's government work was based on the Broad Guidelines on State Policy [GBHN], while his government is based solely on his own political promises," Tjahjo said.

Before the amendment of the Constitution in early 2000, the government was required to work within the GBHN, which were produced by the People's Consultative Assembly.

Presidential hopefuls: Reality economic limits policy option

Jakarta Post - June 6, 2009

The Jakarta Post's senior editor, Manggi Habir, and reporter, Aditya Suharmoko, recently met with several economists to get their views on recent economic policy statements made by the three presidential candidates, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), Jusuf Kalla (JK) and Megawati Soekarnoputri (Mega) and their respective running mates.

Economists met were Faisal Basri, a lecturer at the University of Indonesia, Aviliani, Commissioner at Bank Rakyat Indonesia, Fadhil Hasan, senior economist at the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF), Fauzi Ichsan, senior economist at Standard Chartered Bank and Anton Gunawan, chief economist at Bank Danamon.

The presidential candidates and their running mates have lately been talking about their economic platforms, although still in broad and general terms. Not surprisingly, all stressed economic growth as their main objective and even went further, projecting growth targets.

The incumbent SBY had the lowest and most conservative target, a 7 percent per year average for the 2009-2014 presidential term, JK was higher at 8 percent, while Mega promised the highest target, 10 percent, a double digit target, which the country has never reached. However, each candidate is mapping different paths to get there.

Mega and her running mate, retired special forces commander, Prabowo Subiyanto, at one end is promoting the "people's economy," where the emphasis would be on improving the livelihood of those at the bottom end of the income scale, for instance, farmers, fishermen, and small traders in traditional markets. Their economic policies are populist and nationalist in nature.

Foreign loans and investment will be restructured and priority will be given to local companies or state-owned enterprises to own and control the country's natural resources, which is raising concerns in some business circles.

At the opposite end is SBY with former central bank governor and coordinating minister for economy Boediono as his running mate, who will continue current economic policies, but with an increased emphasis on a cleaner and more effective government.

In some circles the economic policies of SBY and Boediono have been labeled as neoliberal economic policies, sparking a lively debate between proponents of neoliberal and people's economic policies.

Jusuf Kalla and retired General Wiranto are somewhere in between. JK feels there is a stronger role for government and is promoting a closer public and private initiative in key areas of the economy.

Question: How do you think the debate between neoliberalists and people's economists is faring?

Fauzi: The ongoing debate on Kerakyatan (populist) against Neoliberalism policies is misleading. This debate is not one of economic policies but more of perception. It has nothing to do with economic platforms.

We have to remember that all three candidates Mega, SBY and Kalla have worked together in Mega's cabinet with Boediono as finance minister, which means that there is no ideological divide.

What exists are character differences. Prabowo is the only new person, but remember, his brother is a major capitalist (businessman) as well. In other words, reality limits the option of coming out with economic policies that are too different than what is currently in place.

So long as you run a budget deficit (to spend on populist programs) the large multilateral (IMF, World Bank, ADB) and private financial institutions (Wall Street), investors (Asia and Middle East) and governments (US, Europe, Japan and Australia) will play a big role in funding this gap and cannot be ignored.

Faisal: Unfortunately, people like to talk about outer appearances rather than inner content.

In Europe, there is a party called the Anti-Capitalist Party and interestingly it still lets the market mechanism work, but focuses on providing a stronger social safety net for those in society that is most impacted during bad times.

What is your assessment about the candidates' respective economic plans?

Fadhil: The candidates have similarities and differences. All agree that there are certain preconditions for economic growth. One of them is bureaucratic reform and how to make government more efficient or good governance.

The difference is in the role of the state. SBY is more market oriented, where the role of the government is more limited and ends up more as a regulator.

At the other extreme, is Mega, where the state is expected to play a more significant role vis-a-vis the market. There will be more intervention and protection. However, even here the market will still play a role, but to a lesser degree than in SBY's case.

It is a matter of degree. In JK's case, there is more balance. He is not anti-market. Where the market works, that approach will be adopted, but where there is market failure then the state has a role to play.

On investment and trade, SBY will be more open. Bilateral and multilateral trade agreements will be encouraged. In contrast, Mega will be more restricted in this area, for example in foreign investment. JK again will be somewhere in between.

On macro-economic stability, SBY, will try to achieve this at all cost. In JK's case, economic stability plays more of a supporting role. For example, he would be more expansive (i.e. increasing government spending) and more tolerant toward the resulting rise in budget deficits and inflation.

Mega would go further and be more expansive on government spending, given her more interventionist stance, and tolerate larger budget deficits, at the cost of macro-economic stability.

Aviliani: This is where there is some contradiction on Mega's program as larger budget deficits require financing to cover the gap, which needs to come from the market and often comes from foreign sources.

We will soon be listening to presidential election campaigns. What further topics would you like to see debated to help voters make their choice?

Aviliani: All presidential candidates campaign for the people. But what the candidates forget are that economic liberalization policies, starting in the late 80s, with the banks and later extended to the capital markets, were never properly reviewed as to its impact on the public (especially the lower income segment).

They have never differentiated and reviewed those liberalization policies that were detrimental. If this is not done, there will be no significant change to economic policy. For example, our open foreign exchange system, results in a volatile currency.

This makes it difficult for businesses large and small to operate effectively. We need to review our open economic policies and change those that ultimately hurt the public.

On growth, they all talk about their different targets, but don't explain how this will be achieved. There are exports minus imports, government spending, consumption and investment. If we look at the last four years, government spending has been very low.

They have not discussed what kind of spending can stimulate growth. Next is how to promote exports. None have talked about what industry will be promoted to push exports. This is important to see which sector absorbs more labor. On investment, none have talked about what kind of incentives will be put in place to attract more investment.

None have talked seriously about the government budget. Our government has been in deficit for some time, which has increased the government's debt burden. If we talk about people's economy we need to talk about the government budget.

On foreign loans, SBY is relatively comfortable with foreign loans, while Mega-Prabowo talks about restructuring foreign loans to become more fiscally self reliant.

But we can't talk about budget deficits without talking about government debt. Not much has been said on how debt should be managed and how it links up with the government budget. My concern is that all this will be difficult to implement. We have difficulty becoming fiscally more independent with the informal sector, in terms of work force, being larger than the formal sector. The large informal sector keeps tax revenue low and thus government debt is still needed to cover the gaps in government spending.

Also, we need to remind ourselves that 44 percent of the labor force is in agriculture. And when we talk about the agricultural sector, it is impossible not to talk about subsidies. The argument again is the strength of the government budget to cover subsidies in a sector that employs most of the country's manpower.

Another issue is regional autonomy, which provides significant power to the regional government. If the regional autonomy laws are not amended then directives from the central government might not be carried out effectively if the regional government comes from a different political party than that of the central government.

Going forward, whoever wins, what does the new president need to worry about when it comes to economic policy?

Anton: On growth, I don't care much about the numbers (candidates' growth targets). What is important is the reality and the constraints we are facing. I think a more useful approach would be to discuss the quality of growth.

For example, what sector and how does it link with employment? Growth has to be supported by a better balance between tradable and non-tradable sectors, with a stress on sectors that better absorbs labor.

Also, what is the growth impact on equity for the poorer segments of society? The government should improve farmers' welfare by increasing food productivity, economizing on fertilizer usage that doesn't degrade the soil, helping farmers' move up the production chain, and cut the middle man.

Policies on education, health, water (not just limited to clean water) and the environment should be strengthened to improve the quality of life. Here, improving water management is becoming a strategic and urgent concern.

The price of accessing clean water is rising and periodic water shortages are faced by many of our dams, which are used to generate electricity and irrigate paddy fields.

Another important area of concern is how to gradually integrate the informal sector into the formal economy and thus enlarge the fiscal funding base, as Aviliani has argued earlier, thus making the country less reliant on government debt, both foreign and local.

Faisal: My major concern is the lack of integration in our national economy and how to expedite bureaucratic reform. For instance, the price of an orange from Brastagi sold in Jakarta is much higher than from China.

This is because our infrastructure needs significant development, improvement and continued maintenance to bring transportation and transaction costs down.

On our bureaucracy, my concern is that we need to strengthen our regional government capabilities more and not just add people in the central government. I observe that the "echelon" rank in the central bureaucracy keeps on rising.

It is also time we review the effectiveness of having coordinating ministers and consider doing away with it.

We are the only country that has coordinating ministers, which I think creates additional layers in the decision-making process and ultimately is not efficient.

In the end, what do you expect economic policies to look like?

Fauzi: I look at things in a much simpler way. At the end, whoever wins, realism will kick in.

Whoever becomes president, businesspeople would support the new government and, in the process, influence it to adopt economic policies that would be more business friendly.

So, at the end, I don't expect to see a major change in economic policy.

Dita Sari: Workers support Kalla-Wiranto presidential ticket

Tempo Interactive - June 7, 2009

Kurniasih Budi, Jakarta – A group of workers who have declared themselves as a voluntary team to support Jusuf Kalla and Wiranto believe that Kalla's performance has been better than the other presidential candidates.

"I feel comfortable with JK (Kalla's) style of working, which is quick to act, quick to find solutions and dynamic. In addition to this, he has the courage to be himself and has his own way of resolving problems", said labour activist Dita Indah Sari following the declaration of the Courageous Volunteers for Resurrecting Self-Sufficiency (Relawan Berani Bangkit Mandiri, Relawan BBM) at the Perwari Building in Jakarta on Saturday June 6.

Hundreds of workers took part in declaring themselves as a volunteer team to support the Kalla-Wiranto presidential bid. Dita said that the political stand taken by the labour group supporting Kalla represents a positive step. "Increasingly large numbers of workers are becoming involved in politics so political policies will be pro-worker", she said.

Sari is also optimist that Kalla will not break his promises because his concepts are the same as those of the working class. Moreover Kalla will prioritise the development of small- and medium-scale enterprises by keeping down interest rates on credit for small businesses. In addition to this, the Kalla-Wiranto ticket has a program to develop the agricultural sector. These two programs, said Sari, will support those economic sectors that absorb large amounts of labour. "If lots of people have jobs then purchasing power will increase," she said.

Labour representative Adam Syah Wahab said, "We are ready to ensure the victory of Pak (Mr) JK as president."

Kalla and Wiranto, who have the backing of the Golkar Party and the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), will be competing with candidates championed by the Democrat Party and several other political parties, incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and former Central Bank governor Boediono, and the candidates put up by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), Megawati Sukarnoputri and Prabowo Subianto in the July 8 presidential elections.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Dita Sari's reasons for supporting the Kalla-Win presidential bid

Pemiluindonesia.com - June 7, 2009

Up until now, Dita Indah Sari has been known as a labour activist, while Vice President Jusuf Kalla is known as a business person. Sari however has formed the Courageous Volunteers for Resurrecting Self-Sufficiency (Relawan Berani Bangkit Mandiri, Relawan BBM), which represent a group of volunteers who will campaign for the Jusuf Kalla and Wiranto presidential bid. So what are Sari's reasons for giving her support to Kalla?

"We feel comfortable with his ideas of self-sufficiency and a people's economy", said Sari prior to the declaration of Relawan BBM at the Panti Trisula Perwari Building in Central Jakarta on Saturday June 6.

Up until now, said Sri, Kalla's vision and mission is seen as supporting workers' welfare. Moreover according to Sari, Kalla has promised to safeguard domestic industries and is concerned about labour problems. "So that workers will not be dismissed in large numbers", said the Chairperson of the Indonesian National Front for Labour Struggle (FNPBI).

Dita also believes that Kalla is the type of leader who can communicate in a simple language. In addition to this, Kalla is also considered to be prepared to act quickly. "We're tired of leaders who are indecisive, normative and impractical", said the former Chairperson of the People's Democratic Party (PRD).

Kalla and Wiranto's diverse backgrounds have also not been lost on Sari. "Because this is a 'pilpres' [presidential election], not a 'pilres' or residence election [sic], that only covers Pacitan, Madiun, and surrounding areas," said Dita.

Source: Ismoko Widjaya, Bayu Galih - VIVAnews

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Dita Sari: Kalla-Win presidential ticket connects with workers

Kompas.com - June 6, 2009

Caroline Damanik, Jakarta – Labour activist Dita Indah Sari believes that presidential and vice presidential candidates Jusuf Kalla and Wiranto (JK-Win) are the partnership that most connects with workers. It is because of this that workers and youths who have joined the Courageous Volunteers for Resurrecting Self- Sufficiency (Relawan Berani Bangkit Mandiri, Relawan BBM) and are ready to support the pair's victory in the coming presidential elections.

"We feel compatible with their [idea of] economic self- sufficiency. To the degree that their concepts very much connect [with us]", said Sari prior to the declaration of Relawan BBM at the Panti Trisula Perwari Building in Menteng, Central Jakarta on Saturday June 6, which was attended by Jusuf Kalla.

The concept of economic self-sufficiency being offered by the JK-Win ticket, according to Dita, satisfies the points that up until now have been longed for by workers, including among other those related to the JK-Win program to protect domestic industry and to introduce outsourcing and contract labour systems that truly side with workers.

In addition to this, Sari believes that Kalla is the type of leader who is prepared to take a stand, does not get caught up in communication formalities with the people and is quick to act. "[They] suit us. We are tired, right, with leaders that are so often pragmatic and [only] talk about general issues", said Sari.

Another element of Kalla's leadership that Sari considers to be positive is the practical solutions that are often offered by Kalla to respond to the ordinary people's problems related to the economy. Kalla's background as a businessperson is not a problem for Sari.

"What's important is the system. Although he is from business circles, he has a good system. How he oversees the system to regulate himself as a government official and a businessperson. [Even] if there conflict of interests, right, this could arise in any kind of profession", said Sari.

During the declaration today, workers will present a political contract to JK-Win, covering guarantees of protection to domestic industry, improvements to outsourcing systems and contract labour, along with a commitment to develop political communication that is egalitarian and open to the people.

Relawan BBM will be declared in 25 cities including Solo, Semarang, Banten Tangerang and Yogyakarta. As the coordinator of Relawan BBM, Sari is positive that workers throughout the archipelago will be able to be brought in to support a JK-Win victory.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Survey says SBY to win election in a single round

Jakarta Post - June 5, 2009

Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is likely to win the July 8 presidential election in a single round victory, with 70 percent of votes, a survey by Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) revealed Thursday.

But another survey by the Policy and Development Strategy Research Center (Puskaptis) showed the election might extend to a second round.

LSI Research Director Kuskrido Ambardi said the survey showed Yudhoyono would likely win 70 percent of votes. He added presidential candidates' running mates had "no significant impact on the voters' preference".

"SBY's popularity among voters has steadily risen in the last couple of months, no matter who his running mate is," he said.

SBY has teamed up with former Bank Indonesia Governor Boediono for the presidential race.

LSI senior researcher Burhanuddin Muhtadi confirmed, however, that the survey was funded by Fox Indonesia, a political consultancy firm hired by SBY's Democratic Party.

"I can guarantee that Fox has nothing to do with the result. LSI never tries to please its clients. Besides, we also serve other political parties," he said.

Burhanuddin was responding Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) executive Maruarar Sirait, who questioned the source of the survey's funding.

"I had asked Burhanuddin yesterday where the funding for the survey came from. You answered it was funded by Fox Indonesia," he said.

Yudhoyono's camp is competing against the Golkar Party's Jusuf Kalla and Wiranto of the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), as well as Megawati Soekarnoputri of the PDI-P and Prabowo Subianto of the Greater Indonesian Movement Party (Gerindra).

The Megawati-Prabowo camp, known as Mega-Pro, argued SBY-Boediono supported neoliberalist economic policies that prioritized the welfare of the rich rather than the poor. The Mega-Pro team, however, has yet to clarify its ekonomi kerakyatan (people's economy) vision.

Jusuf Kalla and his running mate Wiranto, meanwhile, have gained more popularity as a result of their wives wearing jilbab (headscarves). The issue has attracted Muslim grassroot voters, showing their support for candidates projecting a "religious" image.

The LSI survey, however, shows that neither religious attire nor unclear economic jargon are a factor in determining how people vote. "Voters place a higher priority on integrity, empathy and competence. They see only SBY and Boediono fit such criteria," Kuskrido said.

The Puskaptis survey showed a different result. "Our survey shows there is a strong possibility the election will end in two rounds. The margin of difference between the most popular and the most unpopular candidates is only between 7 and 8 percent," Puskaptis Executive Director, Husni Yazid, told The Jakarta Post.

The presidential election rules stipulate a candidate must be able to garner at least 50 percent of votes to win in the first round. If no candidates reach the threshold, the election will enter the second round. (hdt)

Top survey firm draws flak over party funding

Jakarta Globe - June 4, 2009

Camelia Pasandaran – A top polling organization said that it received funding from a campaign consulting firm working on behalf of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's campaign team, in a dramatic confrontation during a press conference on Thursday.

The charge was raised by the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), chaired by former President Megawati Sukarnoputri, during a press conference held by the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) to release its latest poll, which showed Yudhoyono leading the presidential race with 70 percent of the vote.

Megawati was in second place with 16 percent and Vice President Jusuf Kalla had just 6 percent, according to the poll, which involved 3,000 respondents from 33 provinces.

Drawing gasps from onlookers, Maruarar Sirait, an official with Megawati and running mate Prabowo Subianto's campaign team, stood up to challenge the data on the basis of LSI's alleged ties to the Yudhoyono campaign. "We have to question their [LSI's] independence as it is funded by Fox Indonesia," he said.

Dodi Ambardi, research director at LSI, admitted after the press conference that the firm had been commissioned by Fox Indonesia, a campaign consultant working on behalf of the president's re- election campaign team.

"The latest research was fully funded by Fox Indonesia," Dodi said, claiming that the funding did not influence the group's findings. The LSI has previously denied any association with political parties.

"There was no intervention from Fox Indonesia in gathering the data for the poll," he said. "We did the survey according to the right methodology."

Burhanuddin Muhtadi, a researcher with LSI, said Fox paid about Rp 500 million ($49,000) for the latest survey since the cost of conducting research nationwide was expensive.

"The funding did not influence the result," he said. "We're a member of the World Association for Public Opinion Research and we're independent."

Anas Urbaningrum of the Democratic Party said that Fox was a Democratic Party consultant and that it cooperated with the survey organization. "All campaign teams use pollsters," he said. "But the pollster itself is not connected directly to the Democratic Party."

Effendi Gazali, a political analyst at the University of Indonesia, said that it was appropriate for pollsters to receive funding from parties or consultants but that the relationship should be disclosed to the public.

"If they did not disclose the funding, it means they are lying," he said. "There are two important things for a pollster. First, they have to reveal the funding source. Second, they have to be accurate."

Effendi said the recent legislative elections revealed flaws in LSI's surveys. "It predicted the Democratic Party would win 26.6 percent. However, in the end the Democratic Party only got 20 percent. The gap is outside of the margin of error."

The chairman of the General Elections Commission (KPU), Abdul Hafiz Anshary, said that it was unethical for pollsters to present results to the public if the pollsters were paid by political parties for the research.

"We have no regulation to stop them from announcing the result, but they should reveal the funding source."

Extra 5 million on voters list still a 'mystery': JPPR

Jakarta Globe - June 4, 2009

Febriamy Hutapea – The five million people added to the new national voters list for the July 8 presidential election will remain a mystery until the General Elections Commission (KPU) reveals its methodology for revising the list, an election watcher said on Thursday.

"The KPU may not have had a satisfactory mechanism for updating the data because it has not allowed us to access the detailed information over its voters list," Muhammad Turmudzi, monitoring coordinator of the People's Voter Education Network (JPPR), said on Thursday.

The commission announced last week that it was updating the voters list, which resulted in a total of 176.4 million names being included, an increase of five million from the previous list.

KPU member Syamsul Bachri said on Thursday that the voters list could only be accessed at the district level. He said that the universal data could not be accessed because "it's still under an ongoing process."

Turmudzi said that, so far, access to the newly revised list had not been universally provided.

Turmudzi said that 32 percent of 195 JPPR volunteers, who each had been sent to one of 195 sub-districts across the country, had reported that people still could not access the list. "This can create a conflict on the day of the presidential election, if people still cannot cast their votes," Turmudzi said.

He said that the final voters list data announced by the KPU should be open to the public in both soft- and hard-copy form so that people could learn the reasons for the large increase in the number of voters.

Adnan Anwar, a researcher from the Institute for Social and Economic Research, Education and Information (LP3ES), said on Thursday he had warned that the voters list could be used as a tool to maintain someone in power if the KPU did not seriously resolve the problems with the list.

He suggested the government give the authority to manage the voters list to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) instead of the Home Affairs Ministry.

Meanwhile, a special committee of the House of Representatives that was formed to investigate the list will be led by Gayus Lumbuun of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

The deputies are Lena Maryana from the United Development Party (PPP), Rustam Tamburaka from the Golkar Party and Ignatius Mulyono of the Democratic Party.

House Speaker Agung Laksono said that he hoped the committee could start the investigation immediately. "We want to be better prepared, so that the presidential election can be much better than the April legislative elections," he said.

Neoliberalism 'remains the clear winner'

Jakarta Post - June 4, 2009

Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – Economists said the current debate presidential hopefuls were partaking in, about the virtues of a "people's economy" versus so-called neoliberalism, was actually pointless and irrelevant.

These economists assured that whoever won the executive seats later on would have no other choice but to implement policies strongly influenced by neoliberalism.

"All of our country's ongoing economic policies are based on the philosophy of liberalism that praises free markets," Revrisond Baswir from the Gadjah Mada University told a seminar about the people's economy held Wednesday. "Thus, it could be said it is neoliberalism that will win the upcoming presidential election."

Therefore, he said, as the current economic situation narrowed the range of options available to policy makers, it was critical to ensure president hopefuls had no hidden agendas that would encourage more neoliberalist policies.

"It is our historical duty, today, to make sure presidential hopefuls do not have hidden neoliberalist agendas," Revrisond said. "If it can be proved they will develop policies supporting liberalism, we should withdraw our political support (for them) and then fight them back."

The heated debate about neoliberalism started when incumbent Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) officially announced he had chosen Boediono – the then central bank governor – as his running mate, at a ceremony held in Bandung on May 15.

Yudhoyono's decision immediately sparked criticisms mainly from his coalition parties that argued Boediono could not be picked as a vice presidential candidate since he was a supporter of neoliberalism. So-called neoliberalist policies are known as economic practices that prioritize the market above state welfare. Therefore within this practice, the less the government takes control over economic activities, the better.

Ichsanuddin Noersy shared the same view as Revrisond, saying the "people's economy" platform currently being promoted by presidential hopefuls was very similar to programs the state was already implementing.

"What has been introduced to us as the 'people's economy' actually still contains elements of liberalism, as several matters such as fuel subsidies might soon be retracted," he said.

Ahmad Daryoko, chairman of the state-owned power firm PT PLN labor union, acknowledged he also doubted whether any of the presidential hopefuls would save state-owned companies once they were elected.

"Looking at the current trend, the will to strengthen state-owned companies appears to still be weak," he said. "I'm quite sure whoever wins the competition would only do less to win our stolen state-owned companies back."

Irregularities reported in campaign funds

Jakarta Post - June 4, 2009

Jakarta – Various watchdog bodies have reported irregularities in the campaign funds of presidential candidates.

The Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) discovered an irregularity in one of the campaign funds after it began investigating Tuesday.

"We suspect that a company that donated Rp 5 billion (US$490,000) to one of the candidates might be fictitious," Bambang Eka Cahya Widodo, a Bawaslu member, said Wednesday. He refused to name the company or the candidate that received the donation, until more evidence had been gathered.

On Tuesday, the General Elections Commission (KPU) reported that PT Sohibul Barokah had donated Rp 5 billion to the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono-Boediono campaign team. The report does not note any other companies donating that amount of money.

PT Sohibul Barokah is a bank equipment and supplies company located in Sunter, North Jakarta. "How can a company that has only two computers donate Rp 5 billion?" Bambang said.

He said illegal accounts were the most common way to donate large sums of money to candidates.

"Illegal accounts are hard to trace. We have gathered information about mysterious groups, outside of the campaign team structure, working for and donating to the candidates," he said.

"But it's hard to prove these groups are connected to the candidates because we lack access to their bank accounts," he added.

He said the 2008 presidential election law did not have strong control mechanisms for these groups.

The law does not stipulate whether funds donated by individuals or companies to political parties can be channeled to the candidates. This creates a loophole for individuals or companies wanting to donate more than the limit stated in the law.

"Using outside groups to fund campaigns through illegal accounts has occurred since 2004," Bambang said.

Bambang said the Bawaslu would work together with the Financial Transaction Reports Analysis Center (PPATK) to investigate the illegal accounts.

"The Bawaslu does not have access to the suspicious accounts, but the PPATK does. The investigation can be carried out with its help," he said.

Yunus Husein, chairman of the analysis center, said Tuesday, as quoted by Antara, that even though the law stated a donation limit from individuals or companies, attempts to bypass the law persisted.

"There were several suspicious transactions prior to the presidential election. Several political parties put Rp 10 billion into the account of an insurance company," he said.

"Politicians even use their wife's or driver's accounts to receive illegal funds." He also said that candidates' political consultant funds had come under suspicion. "The funds for the consultants came from foreign bank accounts," he said. The law states candidates are not allowed to receive foreign donations.(fmb)

Farmers unions split in presidential race

Jakarta Post - June 3, 2009

Jakarta – Two farmers associations will likely split in the upcoming presidential election, with the Indonesian Farmers Council (DTI) backing the incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

DTI chairman Ferry J. Juliantono, who was put under city arrest for his role in the violent demonstrations against the fuel price hike in March 2008, said most members of the association had expressed their support for the SBY-Boediono ticket.

"Only a few of them will likely vote for Megawati-Prabowo. Almost none said they supported Kalla-Wiranto; I don't know why," he said, adding the DTI could provide up to 1 million votes for the incumbent President.

The DTI's siding with Yudhoyono clashes with the Indonesian Farmers and Fishermen Association's (HKTI) support of HKTI chairman Prabowo Subianto.

Ferry denied the DTI was officially affiliated with SBY, saying, "The political supports for SBY comes from the grass roots."

Ferry, previously sentenced to a year in prison by the Central Jakarta District Court, is now under city arrest pending the outcome of an appeal lodged with the Jakarta High Court.

He added he was not seeking victory in court as compensation for his support of the incumbent.

"This has nothing to do with my case," he said. "When I rallied, I protested against the government's raising of fuel prices. But I didn't hate SBY personally."

Megawati gives Yudhoyono the cold shoulder

Jakarta Globe - June 1, 2009

Ferry Irwanto – Former President Megawati Sukarnoputri was criticized on Sunday for failing the day before to respect the office of the president after she appeared to twice snob incumbent president and bitter political rival Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman has never forgiven her former Coordinating Minister for Security Affairs for running against her in 2004, but the depth of her displeasure was apparent for all to see as the General Elections Commission (KPU) drew the campaign numbers for the three presidential candidates on Saturday.

It was the first time Megawati, who drew No. 1 and only recently began the process of reconciliation with fellow presidential candidate Vice President Jusuf Kalla of Golkar, has been seen in public with Yudhoyono since 2004.

Prior to the drawing, the candidates greeted one another and shook hands but it was Yudhoyono who had to approach Megawati after she had shaken hands with the other candidates. Her expression during the handshake was described as a "cold smile."

Tjipta Lesmana, a political communications analyst from the University of Indonesia, said Megawati's attitude was impolite.

"Whether you like it or not, Yudhoyono is still our president: your president; my president. We should respect him. Megawati should respect him by approaching him first," he said, adding that Megawati acted as if she were Yudhoyono's superior.

The second apparent breach of protocol came after a photo opportunity in which the candidates displayed their campaign numbers.

Megawati turned to leave the other candidates again without shaking Yudhoyono's hand. It was only when she was urged to by the gathered media that she turned and did so, although the duration of the handshake was much shorter than the first and this time she did not smile at all.

Maswadi Rauf, a political analyst from the University of Indonesia, said the handshakes were "insincere" and "unnatural." "That's why they didn't mean a lot."

Maswadi said the two only shook hands because the commission asked them to do so. "I could see their awkward body language, especially on the part of Megawati," he said.

There was no personal animosity, however, on display when Yudhoyono met Kalla, with the men kissing each other on both cheeks.

Not everything went badly for Megawati, who drew the coveted No. 1 – the position she will appear on the ballot papers – with Yudhoyono No. 2 and Kalla third.

After the event, Fadli Zon, the secretary-general of the Megawati and Prabowo campaign team said the No. 1 was appropriate for the pair. "This is a sign that we will finish No. 1. That is what we hope and now I am sure of it," Fadli said, adding that they had expected to draw the top number.

Yudhoyono's Democratic Party deputy chairman Anas Urbaningrum said that 2 was a numerical inspiration for Yudhoyono and Boediono. "[No. 2] is suitable for our motto, which is "Continue!" Two also means we will win a second term in office," he said.

Kalla's Golkar Party senior executive Priyo Budi Santoso saw it differently. He believed No. 1 was the past, No. 2 was the present and No. 3 was the future. "Anyway, three is the highest number, the biggest one," he said.

Political elite lacks 'political maturity' in campaigning

Jakarta Post - June 1, 2009

Jakarta – The recent tantrums between elite politicians ahead of the presidential election have failed to address the nation's crucial issues, showing their lack of political maturity, experts say.

"The main challenge for all the presidential candidates is whether or not they are capable of providing more meaningful substance during their campaigns," Yogyakarta's Gadjah Mada University academic Ari Sujito said Saturday.

"The candidates also need to understand they are not campaigning merely for their own victory but mainly for the people's interests."

All three pairs of presidential candidates – Susilo Bambang Yudhoono and running mate Boediono; Jusuf Kalla-Wiranto; and Megawati Soekarnoputri-Prabowo Subianto – have often stated they would prioritize political and economic welfare issues.

But recent developments show they and their rival campaign teams have often launched verbal attacks and innuendos on private matters, including religious issues, as the main ingredients in their campaigns.

Another political expert, Bima Arya Sugiarto, said innuendos and "light sarcasm" were normal in politics. "However, personal innuendos must not dominate the political debates among the candidates."

Bima said the nation's culture might play a role in the rising trend of personal innuendos thrown among the candidates.

"Our politicians never mention any names whenever they try to criticize their contenders. They always talk using disguised satire to throw their political punches.

"In the United States, for example, the situation is completely different. When Obama disagreed with one of McCain's programs, he uttered McCain's name clearly during his speech."

Ari said he hoped all the candidates would help one another to politically mature during their presidential campaign debates.

At a talk show Saturday, other political experts similarly criticized the candidates and their campaign teams for not embracing ethical campaigns by attacking their opponents' personality or even making slanderous comments.

"In my opinion, all the candidates are now seeking public attention so they will be closer to the people. But they often mislead the public," said Rocky Gerung, from the University of Indonesia.

He cited a candidate pair who rode pedicabs or walked to show the public that they were low profile.

"They are not used to riding becak or walking. That is a fake identity that fools the public. The campaigns should reflect who they really are."

Rocky also criticized candidates who attacked the "labels and images" of their rivals instead of their ideas or programs. "That way, they look more like traders not politicians or leaders."

Political ethics expert Alois Agus Nugorho said negative campaigns could be used as long as the candidates attacked ideas and programs, not personalities.

"If you campaign against platforms and accountabilities that would be very healthy and positive for the public."

Film director and arts critic Garin Nugroho said attacking competitor's personalities via the media might be entertaining but failed to politically educate the public. (hdt/bbs)

Police/law enforcement

NGO asks for public order agency dismissal

Jakarta Post - June 2, 2009

Triwik Kurniasari, Jakarta – The city administration should close down public order agencies across the country, locally known as Satpol PP, following repeated incidents of alleged violence committed by its officers, an NGO said Monday.

The Indonesian Human Rights Monitor (Imparsial) said the existence of the agencies had led to an overlapping of roles between the organization and the city police, as public order officers could arrest people without a warrant.

"There has been a military characteristic to the agency, which has been present since the organization was established during the colonial era.

"The agency was previously deployed to fight the public," managing director of Imparsial, Rusdi Marpaung said. "This militaristic culture did not change after independence," he said.

Imparsial claimed the jurisdiction of public order officers was quite disorderly, as they only applied partial leadership.

Public order officers have been repeatedly linked with violent attacks during their policing of illegal street vendors, squatters and sex workers.

While conducting their duties, officers are armed with water cannons and electrical equipment, identical to those used by police officers and other military forces.

The recent death of an alleged prostitute called Fifi, who died on May 18 in Cisadane River, Tangerang, occurred after she ran away from public order officers who were conducting a raid on street prostitutes.

Some witnesses said the officers pelted Fifi with stones as she jumped into the river. Instead of helping her, the officers allegedly continued to pelt her with stones. Fifi died of exhaustion trying to get out of the river.

In May, Surabaya Public Order officers chased street vendors on Jl. Raya Boulevard. One of the vendors, Sumariyah, tried to escape, but her meatball cart collided with the officers' car. Sumariyah's daughter, 4-year-old Siti Khoiriyah, received burns from the boiling meatball broth in her mother's cart. Sumariyah was also burnt from the broth and was injured after one of the officers pulled her hair. Siti later died from severe burns.

Rusdi claimed the Home Ministry had empowered public order officers to enforce bylaws.

"Regional autonomy may fail due to the inability of the ministry to control the large jurisdiction of public order officers," he said. "Their main task is to reinforce public order and the decisions of regional heads," he added.

Some laws stipulate that public order officers function similarly to the police, including Law No.32/2004, which gives public order officers the authority to perform security and intelligence roles.

Based on this, the officers can legally take any action, even if it violates the law, if it is based on the premise of maintaining public order.

This ruling actually secures the power of regional authorities, Imparsial said. Rusdi also criticized the weak monitoring of the agency by the Home Ministry, and the absence of an external monitoring system, claiming violent actions could occur when officials could not be adequately punished. (nia)

Foreign affairs

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono steps ups threat in Malaysia sea dispute

The Australian - June 4, 2009

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Jakarta – Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has thrown down the gauntlet to Malaysia as tensions rise over a disputed maritime zone, declaring there will be "no compromises" and ordering an increased show of military force.

Malaysia sent another warship across the sea border near northeastern Borneo on Tuesday, the 10th time it has done so this year, according to Jakarta. Indonesia responded by stepping up naval patrols in the area and ordering extra seapower to stand by at the main port of Surabaya.

In South Korea for an ASEAN summit, Mr Yudhoyono declared yesterday that the oil- and gas-rich Ambalat area, on the border between Indonesian Kalimantan and Malaysian Sabah near the southern Philippines was "sovereign territory".

Mr Yudhoyono, who hopes to be re-elected next month and was playing partly to a domestic audience, said he had presented his demands to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak on the sidelines of ASEAN.

"I will emphasise to all people, our position is clear: what (Malaysia) is claiming is Indonesian territory," he said. "There will be no compromise or tolerance – this is the bottom line."

The latest maritime infraction triggered outrage in Jakarta, with parliamentarians demanding that Indonesia recall its ambassador to Malaysia – the former police chief Da'i Bachtiar – and expel his opposite number.

"Until the issue is cleared, there is no need for an embassy," said Tjahyo Kumolo, from presidential hopeful Megawati Sukarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle.

The Golkar party's head of the powerful parliamentary commission on foreign affairs, Theo Sambuaga, urged Malaysia's "parliament and Government... not to do anything provocative and transgressive in Ambalat".

Mr Sambuaga warned that such actions would result in a "harsh response, and if the good relationship between Indonesia and Malaysia deteriorates, Malaysia must take responsibility for that".

Indonesia's Home Secretary Hatta Radjasa joined the fray, saying Mr Yudhoyono's administration would be "extremely firm on this". "Don't think we will be weak and just allow this to happen. This country is not like that," Mr Radjasa said.

Conflict between the two countries last resulted in war more than 40 years ago, although in recent times there have been more symbolic areas of conflict. These included disputes over the countries' shared Malay cultural heritage, such as which nation had the greater claim to particular songs and dances, as well as more significant issues such as the poor treatment of Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia.

Mr Yudhoyono gave a veiled warning that even ASEAN, generally the forum most appropriate for addressing such grievances, might not be enough to contain this quarrel.

"We are both ASEAN nations. We have an ASEAN treaty, we have diplomacy and we have peaceful resolution," he said.

"So there is no need for rhetoric in order that a leader be regarded as brave and strong, always sparking war everywhere. Remember, war is the final solution. We don't invite problems on developing nations."

His military leaders were more direct yesterday. "Our exercises are already focused on war, in line with the increasing Indonesian-Malaysian conflict in the Ambalat waters," said Second Lieutenant Denny Aprianto, head of a marines forward strike force patrolling the area. "We've received orders from above to step up our guard."

The 15,000 sqkm zone contains an estimated 30 years' worth of oil and gas reserves. Malaysia refuses to back down on its claim to Ambalat, but has not spoken publicly, with its news media staying out of the controversy, Jakarta's Koran Tempo reported yesterday.

The newspaper quoted Rear Admiral Anuwi bin Hassan, from Malaysian navy headquarters, as saying: "We will not make a statement or clarification on the Ambalat issue. It does not need to be addressed."

Anger in Indonesia over Ambalat, runaway wife

Straits Times - June 4, 2009

It usually blows hot and cold in Indonesia-Malaysia ties. And it has turned decidedly chilly here over two issues – a longstanding territorial dispute over Ambalat, off Borneo, and the runaway Indonesian teen wife of a Kelantan prince.

The Indonesian media has been swamped with daily front-page stories and television talkshows about the latest "intrusion" into Ambalat by Malaysian warships, and the teenage model Manohara Odelia Pinot who claimed to have been abused by her husband.

In the midst of the Indonesian presidential campaign, Dr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono himself commented on both issues on Tuesday. The President vowed there would be no compromise on Indonesia's sovereignty over Ambalat, and expressed his concern over the model's troubles.

Said analyst Bantarto Bandoro of the University of Indonesia: "Indonesians tend to view the two issues from purely nationalist eyes. It is only natural that nationalist sentiments are whipped up and anti-Malaysia sentiments are fanned."

The Ambalat issue flared up again when Indonesia's navy claimed it intercepted a Malaysian naval vessel encroaching 12 nautical miles into Indonesian waters in the Sulawesi Sea last Saturday. The disputed area is an oil-rich region.

Media reports here, quoting a naval spokesman, said Indonesian vessels were on the verge of opening fire on the Malaysian ship, which was chased back into Malaysian waters off Sabah. Kuala Lumpur has not commented on the incident. Jakarta claimed it was the ninth "encroachment" this year.

Indonesian Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said talks over the Ambalat issue with Malaysia had been on hold since April last year. "We are preparing a protest note to be sent to Malaysia" over the latest incident, he added.

Indonesian activists yesterday gathered in front of the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta, protesting against the alleged mistreatment of Indonesian workers by Malaysian employers and referencing it to the Ambalat dispute, French news agency Agence France-Presse reported.

The case of 17-year-old Manohara, who at the weekend claimed to have "escaped" from her husband of nine months, the Kelantan prince, also elicited a stream of bad vibes in the local media and the Internet. Many expressed anger at the Malaysians, repeating past contentious issues between both sides.

These include the controversy over what Indonesia sees as Malaysian claims of ownership of the folk song "Rasa Sayang", claims over batik and Javanese mask dance reog ponorogo, as well as alleged abuse of Indonesian workers in Malaysia.

Comments in the media on Ambalat and Manohara have focused on getting the authorities to take a hardline stance against Malaysia. One blogger, Arman Effendi, said: "It is still fresh in our minds the loss of Sipadan and Ligitan islands (to Malaysia) and the exploitation of Indonesian migrant workers."

The oil blocks in Ambalat are close to Sipadan and Ligitan islands, whose ownership was disputed for years by Indonesia and Malaysia. The International Court of Justice awarded the islands to Malaysia in 2002. Shortly before returning to Indonesia from the Asean-South Korea summit, Yudhoyono told Indonesian reporters that Jakarta would not tolerate Malaysia's claim over Ambalat.

"Malaysia's claim is unacceptable because the area is within Indonesia's territory," he said. "There will be no compromise but we will resolve the matter without risking peace and the relationship between Indonesia and our neighbouring country, Malaysia."

On the Manohara case, he said he had told Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda and Indonesia's Ambassador to Malaysia Dai Bachtiar to look into it. "I told them to handle this issue fully and to be aware of the line between domestic affairs, spousal – or family – issues and human rights violations," the Jakarta Globe quoted him as saying on Tuesday.

Both issues have also been taken up by parliamentarians, with deputy parliamentary commission chairman Yusron Ihza Mahendra saying yesterday that they were matters of concern.

Saying that Parliament would also summon Wirajuda for an explanation, Yusron said: "We don't consider the Manohara case as a domestic issue. She is an Indonesian citizen who deserves to be protected. The Ambalat case is also getting hotter now. The manoeuvres by Malaysian naval vessels in Ambalat are acts of belittling Indonesia."

Deputy Speaker Muhaimin Iskandar took a more hardline approach, warning that if Malaysia "continues to be difficult", the Indonesian Parliament would approve confronting foreign intruders.

Economy & investment

IMF ups estimate as Indonesia proves resilient

Jakarta Post - June 6, 2009

Jakarta – The resilience of Indonesia's economy, which posted the third-fastest growth rate in Asia in the first quarter of 2009, has led the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to revise upward its 2009 growth projection for the country, which is Southeast Asia's largest economy.

The IMF said on Friday it has revised the full-year growth estimate from 2.5 to between 3 and 4 percent, although this is still lower than the government's estimate of 4 to 4.5 percent.

The IMF's senior resident representative for Indonesia Milan Zavadjil told reporters Friday that Indonesia entered the global financial crisis in a strong position and was thereby able to withstand the shocks, especially during the last quarter of 2008.

"There are signs of returning market confidence as indicated by the stronger rupiah, lower interest rates and recovery of the stock market," Zavadjil said at the conclusion of the IMF annual review of Indonesia's economy.

An IMF mission headed by division chief of the Asia Pacific Department Thomas Rumbaugh recently concluded a two-week assessment of the country's economic outlook. The team met with all economic ministers and the central bank's board of governors as part of its evaluation.

"Supported by election-related spending, the economy's resilience is also evident in the stronger-than-expected growth in the first quarter (4.4 percent), making it one of the fastest growing economies within the G20," Zavadjil added.

Therefore, he said, the IMF had raised its projection of economic growth to 3-4 percent for 2009, with inflation expected to fall to 5 percent by the end of the year.

However, Rumbaugh warned against complacency, pointing out there is still a great deal of uncertainty as the signs of the global economic recovery may not hold for the rest of the year.

Rumbaugh said despite the encouraging economic performance, careful economic management should continue due to the potential wave of further adverse swings in the global market.

"The government needs to accelerate the implementation of its fiscal-stimulus measures for the rest of the year to maintain the momentum of economic-growth."

Rumbaugh welcomed the steady decline in the central bank's benchmark interest rate, which currently stands at 7 percent, as it is expected lead to higher credit expansion and help support recovery in domestic investment.

Zavadjil added the monetary-easing cycle may soon run its course and policy adjustments may be needed if global risk aversion or external liquidity risks put pressure on the balance of payments position.

However, Rumbaugh said during the meetings with economics ministers over the past two weeks the government never hinted at the possibility of taking a new loan, even though the IMF had introduced a new flexible credit line facility, which is available without strings attached.

"No, the government didn't mention anything about it, as Indonesia really doesn't have any balance of payments problems and its foreign reserve is in a comfortable position," Rumbaugh added.

The IMF introduced a contingent line of credit facility early this year for countries facing speculative attacks on their currencies. Borrowers which take this facility are expected not to draw on it unless it is essential they do so, although it has the potential to generate market confidence in the borrower's ability to ride out the storm.

Rumbaugh said the soundness of Indonesia's financial sector had been strengthened with profitable and well-capitalized banks and improved supervision.

Rupiah falls below 10,000 with return of confidence

Jakarta Post - June 6, 2009

Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – The rupiah fell below 10,000 against the US dollar Friday for the first time since last October, as strong economic growth amid the global economic downturn instills confidence and lures more capital inflows.

Indonesia's economy scored a respectable growth rate in the first quarter of 2009, third in Asia only behind China and India, at a time when most economies slumped amid the sweep of the global downturn.

Stable political conditions during the general elections, combined with recent cuts in the central bank's benchmark interest rate also contributed to a stronger rupiah.

The local currency strengthened 1.5 percent to 9,935 against the greenback at 5:11 p.m. in Jakarta, Bloomberg reported.

The currency earlier touched 9,920 against the dollar, its strongest showing since Oct. 24 last year at the height of global financial crunch.

Bank Indonesia has hinted it may further cut its rate as inflation continues to slow. Inflation in April rose 6.04 percent from a year earlier, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported.

"Perception of Indonesia has been favorable – there is a rise in investment appetite and investors are looking for places (to put their money)," said Bank Danamon chief economist Anton Gunawan.

"They go to emerging markets, which offer a relatively high yield; but Eastern Europe is still damaged, while Latin America is not too good, partly due to the (H1N1) flu issue. This leaves Asia, where Indonesia has had a quite good performance.

"There's also a euphoria among local investors seeing the rupiah strengthening (who will then buy more of the currency to strengthen it even more)," he added.

"The fundamental rate of rupiah (per dollar) is 9,500. The trend is heading there," said Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, chief researcher at Danareksa Research Institute.

"There are capital inflows, as we have positive growth in Southeast Asia. BI's recent statement that it would not intervene in the strengthening of the rupiah also creates positive sentiment."

Indonesia, Southeast Asia's largest economy, had 4.4 percent growth in the first quarter of 2009 from a year earlier, compared to 0.4 percent in the Philippines and contractions of more than 6 percent in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, Bloomberg reported.

As Indonesia has cushioned itself relatively well from the impacts of the global economic downturn, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) revised its economic growth forecast for Indonesia this year from 2.5 percent to between 3 and 4 percent.

BI also expects full-year growth within that range, saying the economy may expand close to the higher end of the scale, while the government estimates growth of between 4 percent and 4.5 percent.

"The IMF saw our economy was not as bad as expected," Anton said. "Although it isn't actually that bad, the still-strong economy makes it look far better."

While he was not sure whether the rupiah would stay below the 10,000 level for the long term, he said Danamon forecast the rupiah would reach 10,200 per dollar by the end of the year.

The rupiah's advance helped propel the country's benchmark stock index, capping its longest winning streak in almost two years.

The Jakarta Composite Index advanced 46.22 points, or 2.3 percent, to close at 2,078.93, rising for the eighth straight day in the longest rally since July 2007.

Data from Bloomberg shows the measure is the best-performing among Southeast Asian markets.

Indonesia cuts interest rate amid plunging exports

Associated Press - June 4, 2009

Jakarta – Indonesia's central bank cut its key interest rate by a quarter percentage point to 7 percent Wednesday, seeking to spur spending amid a sharp economic slowdown.

It was the seventh month in a row Bank Indonesia cut the lending rate, hoping to counter plunging exports in Southeast Asia's largest economy. The rate stood at 9.5 percent in November.

The bank said it had concluded from close monitoring of international developments that "ongoing pressure on Indonesia's exports persist."

The economy was expected to grow between 3 percent and 4 percent this year, down from an earlier forecast of 6 percent, it said. That was the same forecast as a month ago.

Indonesia is less reliant on exports than other Asian nations, but a more than 30 percent drop this year due to shrinking demand for natural resources and manufactured goods is hitting growth. Imports have tumbled by around 40 percent.

ADB lends Indonesia one billion dollars

Agence France Presse - June 4, 2009

Manila – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said Thursday it has lent Indonesia one billion dollars to help maintain spending on social services in the wake of the global financial crisis.

The Manila-based lender said the loan was one of the biggest it had ever provided to Indonesia.

The loan will allow the country to enhance its safety net, better mobilise funds from commercial markets and maintain financial sector stability, the ADB said in a statement. It will also reduce the government's cost for borrowing from the market.

"Economic recessions in several of Indonesia's major trading partners have negatively affected demand for Indonesian exports and hindered investment inflows," the bank said.

"The global financial crisis has made it expensive for Indonesia to access international debt markets and trade finance, which could constrain spending on essential social services and poverty alleviation programmes," said Jaseem Ahmed, a director of the ADB's Southeast Asia Department.

"This loan will enable the government to maintain public expenditures, and to respond more effectively to the poverty impacts of the financial crisis."

Exports contract for 6th straight month

Jakarta Globe - June 1, 2009

Muhamad Al Azhari & Dion Bisara – Exports contracted in April for the sixth consecutive month, year-on-year, off by nearly 22.6 percent from April 2008 and down 1.8 percent from March to $8.46 billion, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), announced on Monday.

Analysts said the trade picture would likely improve as external demand stabilized. Demand decreased in most major export destinations, with January-April exports down to $31.49 billion, off from $44.7 billion in the same period last year.

Imports also fell, down 2.58 percent from March to $6.38 billion and 45.24 percent year-on-year, as domestic demand decreased with the slowing pace of gross domestic product growth, now expected at about 4.5 percent for 2000.

Oil and gas exports remained relatively unchanged in value at $1.25 billion in April from $1.28 billion in February as crude prices continued to recover. Non-oil and gas exports slumped to $7.21 billion, 14.63 percent off from April last year at $8.26 billion.

"Exports dropped, suffering from the weakened price of some commodities," said Rusman Heriawan, head of BPS, noting that copper and nickel exports fell in value from $676.7 million in March to 592.3 million.

China is now the country's largest export market, followed by the United States and Japan.

A breakdown of trade data shows non-oil and gas exports to China at $830.3 million; $768.4 million to the United States; $687.4 million to Japan; and $869.3 million to 27 EU countries.

Indonesia continued to post a trade surplus as the plunge in exports was smaller than that in imports, with the monthly surplus for April relatively unchanged at $2.08 billion compared to $2.01 billion in March. The country registered a $1.15 billion deficit during the same month last year.

Prakriti Sofat, a Singapore-based economist for HSBC, said that the contraction in exports could be deceiving.

"On a seasonally adjusted basis, [regional] exports rose for the third straight month and were up 4.2 percent month-on-month following on from a 7.4 percent rise previously," Prakriti said. "This is consistent with what we found for exports in the wider region."

Exports remained low in April: BPS

Jakarta Post - June 1, 2009

Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – Indonesia's exports in the first four months of 2009 contracted by 29.51 percent from the same period last year, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) announced Monday.

Exports in April contracted by 22.55 percent from a year earlier, BPS head Rusman Heriawan said. Exports in April slid 1.81 percent from March.

But the drop was compensated by imports. Imports in the first four months this year contracted by 38.42 percent from the same period in 2008. Imports in April slid 2.58 percent from the previous month.

Inconsistent policies keep investors away

Jakarta Post - June 1, 2009

Fadli, Batam – The status of Batam, Karimun and Bintan as being among the country's top investment destinations is under threat as inconsistent regulations are eroding its competitiveness, say businesses.

Declining competitiveness has actually been evident for several years and has not been improved by the introduction of special economic zone (SEZ) status covering the three islands, the Bintan chapter of Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) said on Saturday.

"Nowadays, there are only 22 foreign companies left in Bintan from the 34 companies in 2000," chairman Jamin Hidayat said. Jamin is also the liaison manager of Bintan Inti Industrial Estate.

According to Jamin, many foreign investors have quit the islands mainly because of unpredictable regional administration policies. Policies regarding customs and labor costs have been repeatedly changed since regional autonomy began in the year 2000.

Due to these changing policies, foreign investors could not easily predict and calculate their production and investment costs.

Johannes Kennedy Aritonang, president director of PT Panbil Industrial Estate which operates in Batam, has the same opinion.

Only a small number of foreign investors have made major investments on the three islands. "It is very hard these days for any industrial estate company to get an investment contract worth more than US$1 million," Johannes said.

Both Jamin and Johannes said Apindo's efforts to persuade regional administrations to adopt pro-business policies have not been sucessful in reversing these trends.

In February, Batam, Bintan and Karimun were given SEZ status. Yet, this has led to more bureaucracy and some confusion for local businesses.

According to the scheme, companies operating in Batam, Bintan, and Karimun would no longer pay value-added tax (VAT), import duties and luxury tax.

Oddly, the Customs and Excize Office now imposes levies on goods entering and leaving the Batam port under the new tax regime, while previously charges were only imposed on goods leaving the port.

Jamin said that after introduction of the new status, only two foreign investors have given new business proposals to the Bintan regency. One of them was proposed by a Singaporean company which produces interior cabins for ships. It is willing to invest S$500,000. (mrs)

Analysis & opinion

Little voter enthusiasm for Indonesian presidential candidates

Direct Action - June 2009

Max Lane – Three tickets have been nominated for the Indonesian presidential elections on July 9. The official campaign period for the presidential elections starts in the first week of June. The tickets are: the incumbent president, retired General Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, with central bank chief Boediono as his vice- presidential running mate (Boediono is a former finance minister in both the Yudhoyono and earlier Megawati Sukarnoputri cabinets); Jusuf Kalla (the incumbent vice-president) and retired General Wiranto; and Megawati and retired General Prabowo Subianto.

Yudhoyono was nominated by his Democratic Party (PD), which won more than 20% of the seats in the April parliamentary elections. He is being supported by more than 15 other parties, including several that did not win seats. Among his backers are the Islamic fundamentalist Justice and Welfare Party (PKS) and a number of other smaller Islamic parties, including the Star Reformation Party. Jusuf Kalla was nominated by Golkar (Kalla's party) and Wiranto's People's Conscience Party (Hanura), which together control the 20% of seats needed to nominate a presidential candidate. Megawati was nominated by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), which she heads, and Prabowo Subianto's Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra).

In the parliamentary elections in April, there was a big increase in voter abstention over previous elections. According to the Elections Commission, almost 50 million people or 29% of registered voters did not turn up at the polling stations. There was also a large informal vote. Valid votes were only 61% of registered voters, compared to 76% in 2004. As well, several million people did not bother to register as voters. Taking these into account and allocating 50% of invalid votes as deliberate (relying mostly on anecdotal reports), total eligible voter abstention was at least 40%. The overall vote for Islamic parties declined from 40% in 2004 to 29% in 2009.

The newly elected parliament represents no more than 40-45% of the electorate, because another 15% of voters (18 million) voted for 27 parties that scored below the 2.5% electoral threshold and which therefore did not win any seats. The Democratic Party will have 148 seats, Golkar 108, PDIP 93, PKS 59 National Mandate Party 42, United Development Party (PPP) 39, Gerindra 30, National Awakening Party 26 and Hanura 15.

At the end of May there were few signs that the presidential election will elicit any greater turnout or enthusiasm among the mass of voters. There are no significant differences in ideology or policy between any of the candidates, a fact reflected in the openly stated willingness of all the candidates prior to nominating to consider forming tickets with each other. The rumour mills worked overtime mentioning huge sums of money allegedly being offered to buy support for coalition partners. The image of the parties and their candidates as "money politics" machines was further reinforced.

Once the tickets were confirmed, of course, a game started in which each ticket tried to differentiate themselves from the other. Megawati-Prabowo got off early trying to project themselves as "pro-people's economy" and the Yudhoyono team as an economic "neoliberal". However, early publicity about Prabowo's massive declared wealth and his hobby of collecting US$300,000 per head polo horses and the fact that Boediono was also Megawati's finance minister make this pitch lack credibility.

Furthermore, there has been publicity about the large-scale privatisation of state assets that took place under Megawati's government before 2004. Human rights groups have focused a spotlight on Prabowo's record as a human rights violator, held responsible for the kidnapping and disappearance of democracy activists during the last year of dictator Suharto's rule in 1997-98. By the end of May, most opinion polls and commentators in the mainstream media were predicting a Yudhoyono victory.

Zely Ariane is a national spokesperson for the Political Committee of the Poor-People's Democratic Party (KPRM-PRD), a small leftist party built by activists expelled from the PRD for opposing its electoral tactic of standing candidates under the banner of the Star Reformation Party (PBR), a pro-Yudhoyono Islamist party. She explained that the PRD (and its failed electoral formation, Papernas) stood more than 200 candidates under the banner of the PBR but won no seats. The PBR's total vote dropped from 2.3% to just over 1%.

The PBR has since announced that it supports the Yudhoyono ticket, which is consistent with its stance since 2004. Ariane told Direct Action that some Papernas members are giving tacit support to the Megawati-Prabowo ticket with calls for voters not to back "neoliberal" candidates, without mentioning any names and implying that there are presidential candidates who are anti- neoliberal. At the time they made this call, it echoed the anti- Yudhoyono-Boediono rhetoric from pro-Prabowo circles. Ariane added that the majority of the organised left is maintaining its position of abstention, known as golput, arguing that the election offers only a choice between tickets consisting of corrupt, pro-neoliberal politicians.

What can voters do when choice of candidates is no choice at all?

Jakarta Globe - June 4, 2009

Bramantyo Prijosusilo – As the presidential hopefuls kick off their campaigns, it is time for "we the people" to contemplate our choices. Soon each of us will go to the polling booths to execute our constitutional rights and choose one of the three candidates, or alternatively, we can take the fourth option and elect not to choose.

With one pair of candidates promising a totally new "people's economy," another promising accelerated development and the incumbent and his running mate promising continuation, at face value it all seems straightforward. On the surface it seems that the choice will be between three different economic systems and development strategies.

However, if one were to look deeper into the claims of the candidates, one begins to sense that not all is exactly as it seems and that perhaps what first appears to be choices are not choices at all.

Take, for instance, Megawati and Prabowo's "people's economy." What does this mean? As the wealthiest of the candidates, Prabowo was born with a silver spoon. After being discharged from the military during the fall of his then father-in-law, Suharto, he became a businessman, and a very successful one at that. Currently he keeps a stable of dozens of horses, some of which reportedly cost up to Rp 3 billion ($297,000). Does he really expect people to believe he knows what it feels like for a family of three to survive on Rp 10,000 a day?

His campaign team was swift to say that these expensive horses have actually served the country, representing Indonesia in competitions and such, but surely there are other, more sensitive ways to boost Indonesia's standing in the world of sports.

One of Prabowo's businesses is palm oil and pulp, both of which are notorious for their environmental impact. Is he serious when he talks about sustainable agriculture? A respected economist has warned that this talk of a "people's economy" is risky and that there is a danger that the speaker will prove to be a demagogue who will whip up emotions and take us all for a roller-coaster ride.

Jusuf Kalla claims that he and Wiranto, the retired general, will accelerate development, but if the tragic violence surrounding the East Timor referendum and the horror of Jakarta in May 1998 are any indication of Wiranto's leadership skills, it is impossible to imagine him as anything but a handicap to accelerating development.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's slogan is "Continue!" and again it is not clear precisely what this means. His greatest economic achievement in the eyes of the man on the street was probably lowering fuel prices, but that was because of the fall of oil prices globally.

Surely, he doesn't mean that if he is given another term he will bring oil prices down again, when last year's price drops had nothing to do with him? However, his choice of Boediono as his running mate does allow for hope; at least this professor does know what he is talking about when he speaks of the economy. Thus, for "We the People" it might be safe to say that the incumbent's team offers the most hope, economically.

For those of us who are not squeamish about blood and oppression in our politics, this election is an exciting one, and there should be no problems in choosing the team to lead the country for the next five years. However, not all of us are comfortable with the idea of being responsible for electing a president who disregards human rights. If human rights are an issue, then this election poses a real dilemma, for not one team has a completely clean record.

Although the incumbent has an image of being rather more respectful toward human rights than his other ex-military opponents, Amnesty International reports that in the last year Yudhoyohno's Indonesia imprisoned 85 people for their political views.

News from Papua is rather scarce, but the impression we get from the eastern side of the nation is one of unrest and injustice. In Papua it is common for people to be killed by the state apparatus because of their political beliefs expressed in such peaceful ways as the raising of a flag.

Yudhoyono's reliance on the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), which originated as secret cells designed from the blueprint of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, is a worry to many observers. To the disappointment of many supporters who wanted a truly Islamist party representing them, the power-hungry elite of the PKS have demonstrated that they are prepared to bend their Islamist principles to get a share of power.

This suggests that Islamism in the PKS elite is only skin deep, and when you look beneath the veneer of Shariah, their true colors are those of the chameleon. To the dismay of their supporters, they have acted in ways that portray the idea that they are prepared to use Islam for worldly gain, even to the extent of denying their Brotherhood roots when they see fit. However, many observers agree that if the PKS does get into power it will revert to its original platform of Islamism.

The attack by members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) on supporters of Pancasila last year, the support they received from mainstream politicians and the subsequent lenient sentences that were handed down to their leaders indicate just how fragile our pluralistic society is.

In this respect, it seems that only Megawati and Prabowo have declared their commitment to guarding the foundations of our state, for example with their promise of revoking the discriminative antipornography law, which was pushed through the legislature by the parties of Yudhoyono and Kalla last year.

On Kalla's new campaign team there are also such unsavory characters as Ali Mochtar Ngabalin, who has been recorded as saying the blood of people who are against the antiporn law is halal to spill.

On the issue of human rights some have suggested that we should vote for the candidates with the least problematic rights record. However, when one contemplates the principle that the oppression of one is the same as the oppression of the whole human race, it would be obvious that this presidential race will not bring about the changes "We the People" deserve. For that we might have to wait for the next generation.

Sadly, nearly all the younger politicians who are the next generation have unashamedly latched on to their seniors, proving that for them too, human rights matter little.

[Bramantyo Prijosusilo is an artist, poet and organic farmer in Ngawi, East Java.]