The girl, Zha Kania, wrote that she was 20 years old and did not consume drugs or alcohol. She placed the ad on the free site www.pasangiklangratis.com.

She cried on the phone when she was trying to tell her story to the Jakarta Globe. "I really want to tell you... but maybe later in the evening when I'm not at work," she said between sobs.

Kania runs a small t shirt shop in Bandung. Previously, she told detik.com she wanted to sell her kidney to help her father get out of debt after the family's garment business collapsed earlier this year.

"He has to pay tens of millions of rupiah in debts and we don't have any money," she was quoted as saying.

Kania is the oldest of two. Her sibling is still in senior high school. Her mother is a part time Koran teacher. "My mother does not make much money and saving will take a long time. We need instant money," she said.

Indonesia 81st in global tourism survey

Jakarta Globe - October 19, 2009

Nurfika Osman – Indonesia ranked 81st out of 133 countries in a global tourism competitiveness report, indicating that the country needed more improvements to boost the tourism sector, an analyst said.

"More focused, integrated promotions are needed to boost tourism, especially during the global economic downturn," said Ben Sukma, the head of Association of Indonesia Tours and Travels.

The survey was conducted by the Switzerland-based World Economic Forum. It was called the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2009.

As a first step toward greater competitiveness, Sukma said, the government should create tourist maps for all regions based on their potential, population, infrastructure, accessibility and tourist destinations as a first step.

"Mapping will help make government efforts in tourism more effective, which should result more income from tourism," he said, adding that Indonesia ranked 82nd last year.

Among Southeast Asian countries, Singapore topped the list at 10th, Malaysia was ranked 32nd, Thailand 39th, and Brunei 69th. The Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia finished 86th, 89th and 108th, respectively.

Topping the international list overall were Switzerland, Austria and Germany.

Sukma also criticized the government for not properly protecting tourist and heritage sites such as temples and beaches. "Many sites are not well taken care of. The central government needs to cooperate more closely with their counterparts at local government levels to preserve the sites," he said.

For example, based on figures from the ministry's archeological heritage department, up to 5,800 cultural sites across the archipelago have been left in disrepair. Many are in danger of falling apart due to continued neglect.

There were some 7,400 cultural heritage sites registered across the country, but only 1,600 of them were well-maintained, usually by local residents.

Sukma said the lack of maintenance was partly caused by the country's decentralization, which made the central government less responsible for the protection of the sites.

Separately, the ministry's spokesman, Surya Dharma, said the survey was unfair.

"Indonesia is a big country and the facilities to support tourism vary greatly from region to region," Dharma said. "Singapore can get a high ranking because, as a small island country, it is much easier for their government to manage the tourism sector."

Actions, demos, protests...

Rallies across the country greet Yudhoyono's 2nd term

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2009

Febriyan and Apriadi Gunawan, Bandung/Medan – A number of mass demonstrations took place in Jakarta as well as in other regions on Tuesday as the People's Consultative Assembly held a plenary session to swear-in President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Boediono.

More than 500 members of 23 NGOs staged a rally near the Assembly compound, to protest Yudhoyono's election for a second term. Traffic around the Assembly compound in Senayan was rerouted from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m., causing massive traffic jams in other parts of the city.

The People's Struggle Committee (KPR), which comprises 14 NGOs, and the Indonesian Political Absenteeism Association (PGS), which comprises nine NGOs, said Yudhoyono's first term had failed to improve worker's prosperity.

KPR spokesman Akril Prasetya said the government had failed to increase minimum wages to level set by the World Bank (US$200). This year, the minimum wage is set at Rp 1,069,865 ($110.00) per month.

Akril said the government's economic policies, including cutting subsidies on gasoline, kerosene and electricity, had made it more difficult for the poor to make ends meet.

He also protested the implementation of the 2009 Education Legal Entity Law. "Instead of making education affordable to the poor, the law led to the commercialization of education," Akril said.

Separately, in Bandung, West Java, hundreds of university students staged a rally in front of the Gedung Sate provincial administration office, expressing their readiness to monitor Yudhoyono's administration as an opposition force.

In Medan, North Sumatra, several student organizations staged a rally at the Fountain Monument, saying the 2003 Manpower Law was outdated. Reza Prasetya, the chairman of the Medan-based Indonesian Student Association (SMI), said the law did not benefit the people.

During a rally at Gadjah Mada University traffic circle in Yogyakarta, hundreds of students also demanded the government revoke the manpower law. The students also demanded the government restore the authorities of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Legal experts have said Yudhoyono's intervention with KPK by issuing a regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) as a legal basis to appoint KPK interim leaders was inappropriate, because it was not passed by the House of Representatives.

In Palembang, South Sumatra, more than 100 university students grouped under the Indonesian Nationalist Students' Movement (GMNI) staged a rally against Yudhoyono's swearing in for a second term.

They marched from the Raden Fatah State Islamic Institute to the South Sumatra gubernatorial office and regional legislative council, carrying banners that read: "Neoliberalism: Our oil, gas and coal is sold very cheaply to overseas countries".

"The new administration should resolve the Bank Century debacle. This was one of Yudhoyono's failures during his first administration," student leader Eka Subakti said. (nia)

[Slamet Susanto and Khairul Saleh contributed to the article from Yogyakarta and Palembang respectively.]

Protesters warn of neoliberalism under Yudhoyono

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2009

Denpasar – Protesters gathered Tuesday at the Bali Legislative Council to denounce what they claimed was neoliberal economics under newly inaugurated President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The protesters claimed Yudhoyono, who was sworn in earlier in the day for a second term in office, was a supporter of the policy. "The policy will drive more people into dire poverty and marginalize the poor," said protest coordinator Tanthowi.

The protesters tried to enter the legislature and meet with councilors, but were prevented by the Denpasar Police's riot squad. "They don't have a permit to hold a public gathering," said the police's Comr. Tommy Bambang Erawan.

The protesters later met with councilors outside the building, and asked them to critique all government policies.

Bandung students barred from rallying in Jakarta

Antara - October 21, 2009

About 400 students from the students executive board (BEM) throughout Bandung who intended to hold a rally in Jakarta during Tuesday's presidential inauguration were prevented from leaving by police.

"Police blocked 10 buses which we had planned to use to go to Jakarta and they sent the vehicles back to their owners," said the coordinator of the All-Bandung BEM, Mei Susnato, on Tuesday.

The buses were sent back to their owners by police moments before the students were to board them at about 5 am, he said adding that the students had been waiting for the buses since 3 am.

"Some students had gotten on the buses but police asked them to get off again," he said. "We were going to tell them our aspirations. Why did we have to be disturbed?"

Bandung Police Headquarters' chief Senior Commissioner Imam Budi Supeno denied barring the students from traveling. "We did not forbid them to go to Jakarta, but why should they go at a time like this?" Supeno said.

Yudhoyono was installed as the president of the Republic of Indonesia for the second consecutive term for the 2009 – 2014 period on Tuesday. Students held numerous small rallies across the country on behalf of various causes.

Thousands of protesters to target Yudhoyono's inauguration

Detik.com - October 20, 2009

Hery Winarno, Jakarta – The inauguration of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and Boediono as the president and vice president of the Republic of Indonesia for the period 2009-2014 will be the target of thousands of protesters. Scores of mass organisations will hold protest actions in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) building.

As reported by the Metro Jaya regional police Traffic Management Center (TMC) on Tuesday October 20, the demonstrators will arrives in waves at the DPR building on Jl. Gatot Soebroto, Jakarta.

8am

1. Indonesian Trade Union Congress Alliance (KASBI): FBSKU, SPEK, GSBN, PROGRESIF, Jamsostek Workers Union-RMM (SPJ-RMM), National Solidarity Committee (KSN), Working People's Association (PRP), Indonesian Independent Union (SMI), JGM, Carrefour Indonesia Trade Union (SPCI) and Gemerik Trade Union (SP Gemerik).

2. Street Parliament Alliance: Indonesian Poor People's Union (SRMI), Indonesian Student League for Democracy (LMND), Indonesian National Front for Labour Struggle (FNPBI), Betawi Traditional Buggy Struggle Front (PPDB), Volunteers of the People's Struggle for the Liberation of the Motherland (SPARTAN), Jakarta Artists, National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas) and the Political and Social Sciences Institute Union (IISIP) Students Association.

3. People's Alliance for the SBY Current (ARSBY-ARUS).

9am

1. People's Struggle Committee (KPR): Workers Challenge Alliance (ABM), Greater Jakarta Workers Federation of Struggle (FPBJ), Indonesian Student Union (SMI), KPOP, Indonesian Transportation Trade Union of Struggle (SBTPI), GESBURI, Solidarity Alliance for Labour Struggle (GSPB), Indonesian Buskers Union (SPI), Union for the Politics of the Poor (PPRM), Greater Jakarta Railway Workers Trade Union (SPKAJ), the Independent Trade Union (SBI), Karawang Peasants Union (SEPETAK) and the Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA).

2. People's Struggle Front (FPR): Migrant Care, Association of Independent Trade Unions (GSBI), All Indonesia Workers Organisation (OPSI), Indonesia Workers Solidarity (SBB), Cengkareng Labour Forum (FBC), Indonesian Workers Association (ATKI), National Students Front (FMN), Bung Karno University Student Movement Centre (CGM-UBK), Indonesian Christian Students Movement (GMKI), Indonesian Association of Catholic Students (PMKRI), Indonesian Buddhist Students Association (Hikmahbudhi), Bekasi Youth League (LPB), Indonesia People's Movement (GRI) and Green Indonesia Union (SHI).

3. Greater Jakarta Student Action Union (KAMRJ): Islamic State University (UIN), Bung Karno University (UBK), APP, BSI Bekasi and the Victims of the Palimanan Toll Road Construction (Cirebon).

4. University of Indonesia Student Executive Council (BEM-UI).

5. Indonesian Muslim Students Action Front (KAMMI): Jakarta, Bekasi, Depok, Bogor, Banten, Purwokerto, Socialist Youth and Students Movement, At-Tahiriyah.

6. Red-and-White Movement (GPM): KM LASKI, Jakarta Muhammadiyah University (UMJ), Atma Jaya University (UAJ), Muhammadiyah Prof. Dr. Hamka University (UHAMKA), Borobudur University (BU) and Jayabaya University (JU).

7. Joint Forum: National Forum of Young Indonesians (FKPI), Youth Movement Network (JAMPER), RPM, Christian University of Indonesia (UKI), Indonesian Administration Foundation Student Action Front (FAM-YAI), Volunteers of Democracy in Struggle (REPDEM), Gunadharma University (Gunadharma), Pro-Democracy Activists (PRODEM), Anti-Debt Coalition (KAU), Indonesian National Students Movement (GMNI), People's Democratic Defense (Bendera), Democrat Youth Front (BMD), National Gathering of 1998 Activists (PENA 98).

8. All Indonesia Student Executive Council: Padjadjaran University (Unpad), Jakarta State University (UNJ), Islamic State University (UIN), Surabaya Institute of Technology (ITS), University of Airlingga (Unair), UK Petra, August 17 University (Untag), University of Wijaya Kusuma (UWK), University of Diponegoro (Undip) and Indonusa Esa Unggul University (UNESA).

10am 1. Jakarta Workers Federation of Struggle (FPBJ)

2. Arrest the BLBI Corruptors People's Alliance (ARTK-BLBI)

3. Indonesian Student's Forum (FMI)

In addition to the protest actions during Yudhoyono's inauguration, the TMC also notes that there will be an demonstration in support of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). Organised by the Anti Corruption Youth and Students Action Network (JAM'S), the protest is planned to start at 12noon in front of the KPK building on Jl. Rasuna Said in South Jakarta. JAM'S is made up of elements from the Borobudur University Community of Students (KM-UB), the Trisakti Student Action Front (FAM Trisakti), the August 17 University Community of Students (KM-Untag), the Anti Corruption Volunteers (RAK), the Anti Corruption Youth Movement (GPAK) and the Anti Corruption Functional Youth (PKAK). (her/irw)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Thousands of workers in Jakarta reject Yudhoyono's inauguration

Detik.com - October 20, 2009

Ari Saputra, Jakarta – Hundreds of workers from various labour organisations held a protest action at the front gates of the House of Representatives (DPR) building in Jakarta on October 20.

The demonstrators were opposing the inauguration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and Vice President Boediono. "Reject SBY-Boediono!", shouted one of the speakers during the action on Tuesday.

The 500 or so demonstrators from the Indonesian Trade Union Congress Alliance (KASBI) walked on foot from the Republic of Indonesia TV station to the DPR. In order to anticipate anything "undesirable" occurring, hundreds of police officers kept guard over the march.

Appearing cohesive, they wore bright red shirts and headbands. Several also carried flags identifying their organisations.

At around 2.30pm the demonstrators disbursed peacefully and the earlier traffic jam in front of the DPR on Jl. Gatot Subroto began to flow soothingly again. "We will continue to reject the SBY-Boediono leadership who are capitalist lackeys. We are the opposition", asserted one of the demonstrators from KASBI.

The hundreds of police guarding the DPR drew a sigh of relief and disbanded. A vehicle carrying razor wire was withdrawn and three water cannons were also secured.

[Slightly abridged translation by James Balowski compiled from two reports in Detik.com.]

Yudhoyono and Boediono inauguration convoy greeted by protesters

Detik.com - October 20, 2009

Ari Saputra, Jakarta – Around 100 demonstrators succeeded in reaching the road opposite the House of Representatives (DPR) on Tuesday October 20.

As soon as the convoy transporting President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and Vice President Boediono to the DPR for their inauguration passed by, the protesters immediately began shouting and yelling.

The demonstrators from the People's Struggle Front (FPR) and the Association of Independent Trade Unions (GSBI) were able to reach the location by crossing the Farmasi flyover then following the Slipi-Cawang toll road until they arrived across from the DPR. When the president and vice president's entourage along with invited guest passed by, the demonstrators shouted accusing Yudhoyono and Boediono of being US lackeys. "SBY-Boediono are American puppets!" shouted the demonstrators as they held up posters and pamphlets containing their demands.

Hundreds of police officers could be seen on guard who had setup a fence to block the protesters. The VVIP entourage meanwhile was not disrupted and continued on its journey.

According to information the action will be continued in front of the DPR. Traffic in the direction of Cawang meanwhile was congested because one of the lanes was being used by the protesters. (mok/nwk)

[Slightly abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Anti-Yudhoyono protesters in Bali blocked by police

Detik.com - October 20, 2009

Gede Suardana, Denpasar – Demonstrations during the inauguration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Boediono on October 20 also occurred in the resort island of Bali.

The planned action by scores of people from the Anti-Neoliberal Social Union (PMAN) was take place in front of the Bali Regional House of Representatives (DPRD). Before being able to move off from the East Renon Square in Denpasar however, the protesters were blocked by police who said that they did not have a permit to march to the DPRD.

Determined to reach the DPRD building, the demonstrators used motorbike on the pretext of wishing to hold a public hearing with legislators. However they were again stopped by police when they tried to enter the lobby of the parliament building. As a result the protesters sat and waited patiently on the DPRD grounds until regional assembly speaker Nyoman Parta came out to meet with them.

Action coordinator Iqbal Tanthowi said the action opposing Yudhoyono's inauguration was to warn the public about the dangers of neoliberalism that is being practiced by the Yudhoyono administration. This they said endangered the ordinary people's standard of living and the government should be criticised by the people and the legislator. (gds/djo)

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Students demand Yudhoyono solve five key issues in first 100 days

Detik.com - October 20, 2009

Didi Syafirdi, Jakarta – Only half a day after being inaugurated as the president and vice president for 2009-2014, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Boediono are being urged to solve five key problems in the first 100 days of the new administration.

This request was conveyed during an action by the All Indonesia Student Executive Council (BEM-SI) in front of the State Palace on Tuesday October 20.

The five demands took up a number of issues. First, the allocation of 20 percent of the budge for education, the annulment of the Education Legal Entity law and opposing the national exam system. Second, following up the Supreme Audit Agency's audit of Century Bank and maintaining the powers of the Corruption Eradication Commission. Third, an even distribution of development, particularly in less developed areas. Fourth, improving the people's welfare and finally, upholding human rights.

During the action, around 500 students wearing university jackets brought a huge banner reading "We will be a permanent opposition" and posters reading "We want to meet the president".

The protest was closely guarded by around 100 police supported by military police and fully soldiers wearing camouflage uniforms. (amd/nrl)

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Students in Makassar accuse Yudhoyono of being 'neoliberal lackey'

Detik.com - October 20, 2009

Muhammad Nur Abdurrahman, Makassar – It has not just been in Jakarta and Java that mass actions opposing the inauguration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and Vice President Boediono have taken place.

On Tuesday October 20, some 500 people calling themselves the Makassar Parliament of the Streets Alliance (APJ) also held a demonstration in front of the Mandala Monument in the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar.

The protesters, who said that Yudhoyono and Boediono are neoliberal lackeys and pro-foreign capital, warned that they would again bring suffering to the ordinary people as was the case over the last five years.

According to action coordinator Wahida, the signs of the Yudhoyono administration's failures were easy to recognise, namely fuel price increases on at least two occasions, the abolition of education subsides along with the high cost of education for the poor and the law on foreign investment that emasculate workers' rights.

"The parliament and cabinet that have just now been put together by SBY really make us even more doubtful about their quality and support for the people. They are in fact only lackeys of foreign powers labeled neoliberal, moreover Boediono is a member of the International Monetary Fund," said Wahida. (mna/djo)

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Spartan demands government free of foreign intervention

Detik.com - October 20, 2009

Triono Wahyu Sudibyo, Semarang – Around 100 activists from the Volunteers of the People's Struggle for the Liberation of the Motherland (Spartan) demonstrated in the Central Java provincial capital of Semarang on October 20 calling on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to reject foreign intervention in his administration.

Starting in the Simpang Lima area, the protesters then moved off to the Waterfall traffic circle then on to the Central Java Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) carrying posters reading "End foreign intervention" and "Don't let the country be pawned off".

The demonstrators, who released red-and-while coloured balloons when they reached the DPRD, said that over the last five years the Yudhoyono administration has depended upon foreigners and said they hoped that in his second term, he and Vice President Boediono would show more courage.

After the Spartan activists disbanded, a second wave of demonstrators from the Indonesian Student Secretariat (SMI) then held an action at the waterfall traffic circle at 12.30pm, also condemning the inauguration of Yudhoyono and Boediono.

Police remained busy throughout the day dealing with the waves of student actions. As one group disbursed, another started protesting. Some even occurred at the same time. Aside from Spartan and the SMI, three different groups held protest actions to condemn Yudhoyono's inauguration, namely the Central Java Love the Corruption Eradication Commission Movement (Cicak Jateng), the Central Java Indonesian Islamic Students Movement (PMII Jateng) and the Semarang Axis. (try/djo)

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Papuans demand SBY fulfill promise to improve regional welfare

Detik.com - October 20, 2009

Elvan Dany Sutrisno, Jakarta – Twenty 'black pearls' formed an orderly line in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) Gelding Nusantara Building on October 20 demanding that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono fulfill his promise to improve the welfare of their country.

"We are waiting for what was promised by SBY, that after the inauguration we will hold a meeting to discuss Papuan development," said Abdul Rahman Kossay, one of the leaders of Suku Lembah Baliyem, a group concerned with poverty in the western corner of Papua, speaking in front of the DPR building in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Standing in a line wearing black suits, the group said that they wanted the fortunes of their sisters and brothers to improve and hoped that with the regional decentralisation promised by Yudhoyono, they could eat better. "We want our region to be split up so we will advance more," said Kossay.

Kossay said they would remain in Jakarta until Yudhoyono granted their request and realised his promise. "We will wait in Jakarta until it comes true", he asserted. (van/nrl)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Students in Palembang demand SBY abandon neoliberal policies

Detik.com - October 20, 2009

Taufik Wijaya, Palembang – The inauguration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Boediono on October 20 was also greeted by protest actions in Palembang, South Sumatra, demanding that Yudhoyono and Boediono prove that they are not adherents of neoliberalism.

The action by around 100 students from the Indonesian National Students Movement (GMNI) began at around 9am with a long march to the South Sumatra governor's office then on to the Palembang Regional House of Representatives (DPRD). The protests also brought leaflets, pamphlets and a red-and-blue banner reading "Oil, gas and coal, sold cheap overseas."

During the action at the governor's office, two GMNI representatives read out a statement condemning the slow pace of the investigation into the Century Bank scandal and saying that the government officials involved in the case – including Boediono as the then governor of the central bank – must be purged. They added that the Century Bank case was just part of Yudhoyono's administration's failures along with economic, social and security problems that occurred due to the application of neoliberal policies.

The group also accused Yudhoyono of seeking loans from colonialist countries, which have not only placed a burden on the state budget, but have also become an entry point for the neoliberalism, privatisation, trade liberalisation, bank deregulation and unemployment. (tw/djo)

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Yogya students protest by burning presidential campaign T-shirts

Detik.com - October 20, 2009

Bagus Kurniawan, Yogyakarta – Hundreds of students from various groups in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta held an action opposing the inauguration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and Vice President Boediono on October 20. The protest was marked by the burning of T-shirts with pictures of Yudhoyono and Boediono.

Members of the Gadjah Mada University Student Executive Council (BEM) held an action at the campus traffic circle in Bulaksumur. The other action by members of the Yogyakarta Muslim Students Association for Reform (HMI-MPO), Yogyakarta People's Solidarity (SRY), the National Student League for Democracy (LMND), the National Alliance and the Muhammadiyah Students Association (IMM) was concentrated at the Yogyakarta Monument and in front of the central post office.

In opposing Yudhoyono and Boediono's inauguration, the demonstrators said that the new administration was like the New Order Volume II (referring to the New Order regime of the late President Suharto), foreign and colonial lackeys, pro-capitalist and neoliberal. They also brought posters with messages such as "SBY, your homework isn't finished", "SBY, where are your promises" and "Alas SBY if you lie disasters will come".

The demonstrators also questioned Yudhoyono's campaign promises demanding that the government restore the function of the Corruption Eradication Commission, sack National Police criminal investigation agency chief Susno Duadji and resolve human rights violations such as the assignation of Munir and the 1997-98 abduction of student activists, revoke the Education Legal Entity law and fully investigate the Century Bank corruption scandal.

Following speeches, National Alliance members set fire to presidential campaign T-shirts with pictures of Yudhoyono and Boediono, which were placed on posters reading "Reject neoliberalism". (bgs/djo)

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Police break up student demonstration in before it even starts

Detik.com - October 20, 2009

Muchus Budi R., Solo - A demonstration by students in the Central Java city of Solo on October 20 against the inauguration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was broken up by police before it could even start.

Around 30 students calling themselves the Greater Solo Student Movement (GMS), which is comprised of Student Executive Councils from various Solo universities, the Indonesian Association of Catholic Students and the Indonesian Christian Students Movement, arrived at the Gladag traffic circle at around 10.30am. They were immediately intercepted by police and taken away to the Surakarta (Solo) Municipal Police Headquarters.

Although police asserted that the students had held the action without providing the police with prior notification, the students said that they had already informed the police verbally. They added that they were arrested before they had even done anything. Police also secured a number of posters brought by demonstrators condemning Yudhoyono and Boediono as being neoliberal lackeys.

A short time later, scores of Islamic Students Association (HMI) held an action at the same location, but were not stopped by police on the grounds that they had already provided notification. (mbr/djo)

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Student protests mark Indonesian president's inauguration

Jakarta Globe - October 20, 2009

Jakarta Globe – Students around the country marked the inauguration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Boediono on Tuesday with protests, making demands ranging from the establishment of a government free of corruption to revocation of the controversial education law.

The number of students participating in the protests was relatively small and the rallies proceeded peacefully, except in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, where police officers arrested four student protesters for burning a photograph of the president in front of the Provincial Legislative Council building. According to state news agency Antara, the four students, who were not named, were still undergoing police questioning late on Tuesday afternoon.

In Semarang, Central Java, more than 100 students calling themselves the Semarang Students Organization and Volunteers for the Country's Freedom, staged a protest rally at the city's Jalan Pahlawan Semarang traffic circle before marching to the Municipal Legislative Council building.

The students demanded that the upcoming cabinet establish a democratic, clean government and independent economy that empowered all Indonesians. They also called for continued reform of the National Police and the Armed Forces.

In Tasikmalaya, West Java, members of the Indonesian Moslem Students Action Group (Kammi) demanded that the new cabinet be free from corruption, with no more "internal and external" matters allowed to hamper the pursuit of graft.

In Yogyakarta, hundreds of students also held a protest rally, saying they would give the incoming government 100 days to resolve the country's problems and that they would declare Yudhoyono's administration a failure if it did not meet this deadline.

They also urged the government to revoke the controversial Education Legal Entity Law, which scraps government subsidies for state-owned universities, raising fears of commercialization of learning in the country, and the Foreign Investment Law, which they said promoted a neoliberal economy.

Students in Tulungagung, East Java rallied to demand that Yudhoyono and Boediono appoint non-party ministers in the next cabinet, which the president said would be unveiled on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, in Pekanbaru, Riau, residents conducted two separate rallies asking the new leaders to fulfill their election promises.

Week kicks off with more protest actions across greater Jakarta

Detik.com - October 19, 2009

Moksa Hutasoit, Jakarta – For the start of the week, Jakarta and surrounding areas will again be treated to widespread demonstrations, with five protest actions being held at a number of different locations.

Based on the Metro Jaya regional police Traffic Management Centre (TMC) website for Monday October 10, a succession of demonstrations will be held at the offices of the Directorate General for Oil and Gas (Ditjen Migas), the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the state-owned oil company PT Pertamina. The actions will begin at 10am.

The next protest will be held in front of the South Tangerang Mayor's office, which will also start at 10am.

The State Palace in Central Jakarta will also not be spared. Based on a received schedule, an action will begin at 11am.

The "favourite" location for protest actions, the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle will still be the "Prima Donna" today. Two actions will be held there, the first starting at 11am and the second at 1pm.

It is not know exactly how many people will take part in the demonstrations at these locations, however it is advisable to avoid these areas if you do not wish to be caught in traffic. (mok/amd)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Aceh

Aceh stoning law may be revised

Jakarta Globe - October 20, 2009

Nurdin Hasan, Banda Aceh – Responding to a public outcry over the bylaw that mandates stoning to death for adulterers, Aceh Legislative Council members have agreed to review the Islamic criminal code endorsed by previous councilors in September, a provincial lawmaker said on Tuesday.

"Qanun Jinayat is still controversial and the Acehnese people are not ready for it, they need a better understanding of their religion," said Hasbi Abdullah, acting council chairman, referring to Aceh's Islamic criminal code bylaw.

Abdullah, an Aceh Party lawmaker tipped to lead the provincial legislature for the next five years, said current councilors were generally against the bylaw and eager to revise it. The Aceh Party, which was set up by former leaders of the now defunct Free Aceh Movement, controls the local legislature.

On Sept. 14, the legislative council passed into law the controversial bylaw that calls for stoning adulterers to death and 100 lashes to be delivered for premarital sex.

It also mandates punishment for rapists, molesters, users of alcohol and gamblers, as well as people who are caught alone with persons of the opposite sex who are not their immediate family.

The bylaw received considerable opposition from human rights organizations in Aceh and abroad, claiming that the law violated human rights. Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf has refused to sign it.

Muslim Ibrahim, chair of the Aceh Ulema Assembly, has asked the government and councilors to revise clauses that sparked the controversy and publicly announce the articles that both the government and the legislature agree on.

Ibrahim said it was not an easy matter to dole out punishment by stoning and the bylaw would need to have the procedures clearly laid out. "The mechanism should be clear so that there is no longer any doubt [as to the appropriateness of the sentence]," he said.

"There is no Muslim who is opposed [to the law], especially because it is God's law. It's just a matter of time, whether to implement it now or in the future. The important thing is to first fulfill the rights of Muslims."

He said that Islam does not focus on the punishment itself. "It gives Islam grief to have to sentence a person," said Ibrahim, who is also a professor at Ar Raniry Institute of Islamic Studies.

However, a council member from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Moharriadi Syafari, said the bylaw would come into effect 30 days after it was passed regardless of the governor's refusal to endorse it.

Syafari advised people who are against the bylaw to apply for judicial review to the Constitutional Court. "If a revision is to be made by the zAceh legislature, it has to wait for a year. That's the rule," he said.

NGOs to file review of Aceh stoning bylaw

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2009

Jakarta – NGOs will request a judicial review of the newly endorsed bylaw in Aceh that condemns adulterers to be stoned to death.

Norma Manalu, coordinator of the Women's and Children's Division at the Aceh Coalition of NGOs for Human Rights, said Thursday the coalition would file a judicial review request to the Supreme Court next month if the newly appointed members of the Aceh Legislative Council did not provide a resolution.

The coalition, which represents 15 NGOs in Aceh, expects the newly installed council to review the new bylaw, which was passed on Sept. 14.

Norma told The Jakarta Post that she had been approaching the newly appointed council members and that many of them had responded positively to her calls for the bylaw to be reviewed.

Although members of the Aceh Legislative Council passed the bylaw, Deputy Governor Muhammad Nazar said the local administration had objected to the final result and would not implement the bylaw.

The recently installed council, which is dominated by supporters of the current administration under Irwandy Yusuf and the Aceh Party, mostly comprises of former members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), whose leadership is known for not supporting sharia law in Aceh.

Norma said the coalition would also talk to officials from the State Ministry for Women's Empowerment to support the possibility of reviewing the new bylaw.

Article 24 of the bylaw states that unmarried citizens that commit adultery will be whipped 100 times, while married people caught committing adultery will be stoned to death.

In addition to the controversial Article 24, Norma said, paragraph 14 to paragraph 32 of Article 1 of the bylaw included ambiguous statements about adultery and alcoholic drinks that could interpreted in numerous ways by political parties, social organizations and the Acehnese.

She said the bylaw was contrary to the 1999 Human Rights Law and the 2002 Child Protection Law.

Nazar acknowledged the government could intervene if it believed the bylaw contradicted national legislation. "The provincial administration 'prefers a more educational penalty' for adulterers rather than stoning," Nazar said.

Norma said the bylaw did not clearly state the local administration's role in resolving any problems arising from its implementation.

She said that although the government had granted Aceh special autonomous powers in 2001, allowing the province to implement sharia law into its criminal code, the issuance of bylaws should be in accordance with social conditions.

According to the coalition's survey, many Acehnese are ignorant of the content of the bylaw, including Article 24. "We have been raising people's awareness about this bylaw and its impact if it is fully implemented," said Norma.

Nazar confirmed Norma's statement, saying the ordinance could be revised, as it was impossible to apply at this time. "Improvements and adjustments are needed before the bylaw is fully implemented in Aceh," he said.

Legislator turned legal expert, Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, criticized the local council's ignorance in addressing the problem.

"They didn't even conduct a public assessment before the endorsement of the bylaw," she said. She said the local administration and council members had to have the political will to address the problem.

Agung Pambudhi, executive director of the Regional Autonomy Watch (KPPOD), told the Post earlier this month that the government needed to set up a systematic institutionalized monitoring system to control the implementation of bylaws. (nia)

Relatives demand justice for past human rights abuses in Aceh

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2009

Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – Hundreds of relatives of Acehnese people who went missing during the conflict, which lasted from 1976 to 2005, have strongly urged the provincial government to establish a special court to settle unresolved human rights abuses and provide them with compensation.

The coordinator of the Association of Acehnese Families of Missing Persons (Kagundah), Roukayah, said recently that the establishment of an ad hoc human rights court and a truth and reconciliation commission should have been conducted following the signing of the 2005 Helsinki Peace Agreement between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), but so far, the government has shown no political gestures to do so immediately.

She said more than 2,000 people were killed and hundreds of others went missing during the 29-year conflict between GAM rebels and the Indonesian Military.

The peace deal recommended a thorough investigation into human rights abuses and the rehabilitation of ex-combatants so that they were able to re-enter society.

The 2007 Aceh Special Autonomy Law also mandated the establishment of a truth and reconciliation commission to deal with unresolved human rights abuses and provide compensation for human rights victims in the province.

"The formation of an ad hoc human rights court and a truth and reconciliation commission will prevent such incidents from recurring in the future," Roukayah said during the first congress of the association held early this week in Banda Aceh.

She added that the establishment of the court and the commission would pave the way for the Acehnese to see justice and claim compensation from the Indonesian government, which deployed thousands of soldiers during the military operation and formed an emergency government in the deeply Islamic province.

The association has 200 families whose members were killed, abducted and raped during the conflict. The families come from 10 remote regencies.

During the meeting, participants also submitted a petition to acting chief councilor Hasbi Abdullah, who represented the provincial legislative council.

Aceh Governor Irwandy Yusuf has frequently pledged to take initiatives to establish a truth and reconciliation commission to settle the unresolved human rights abuses.

However, the provincial government has faced difficulties doing so following the annulment of the 2007 Truth and Reconciliation Law by the Constitutional Court.

Amir Helmi, a deputy chairman of the provincial legislative council, pledged to follow up the petitions to deliver justice to victims and forge reconciliation between the government and the victims' relatives.

He said the provincial legislature would invite the governor and the central government to seek a win-win solution to the unresolved human rights abuses.

Meanwhile, the coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) in Aceh, Hendra Fadli, lambasted the government for its slow response to the increasing demand for justice, saying Indonesia should feel ashamed seeing as the international community has long expressed deep concern over the unresolved cases.

"It is astonishing that the international community cries out against the human rights abuses while we turn a blind eye to the incidents," he said in an anti-violence campaign here on Friday.

Hendra said the abduction of innocent people over the course of the conflict was a crime against humanity.

Furqan Muhammad Yus, head of Kontras' Aceh advocacy division, said Kontras and the missing persons' relatives would continue commemorating missing loved ones and campaigning against the violence committed against the Acehnese until an independent court upheld justice for the human rights abuses.

The anti-violence campaign reached its peak at the launching of the book Mereka Yang Dilupakan (Those Who Were Forgotten), at a dicussion featuring human right activists on Friday.

Pageant queen failed to represent Aceh: Official

Jakarta Globe - October 16, 2009

Nurdin Hasan, Banda Aceh – The Aceh government said on Friday that it would not let recently crowned Putri Indonesia Qori Sandioriva represent the province as she had failed to comply with the conditions set for her to be allowed to enter the competition.

Qori, 18, who was born in Jakarta but has an Acehnese mother, beat out 37 other contestants from across the country to win the Putri Indonesia pageant earlier this month and will thus represent Indonesia at the 2010 Miss Universe Pageant.

But a spokesman for the Aceh government, Abdul Hamid Zein, said they had told the Miss Indonesia Foundation that they would only support Qori's representation of the province provided that she promoted Acehnese culture and norms, including observance of Shariah law.

"We will not let Qori use the Aceh name in her activities [as Putri Indonesia], especially at the Miss Universe Pageant – [she must] never mention the name of Aceh," he said.

Senior Aceh clerics have also denounced Qori for "bringing shame" to the province by abandoning its conservative Muslim values, particularly for not wearing a jilbab, or headscarf, during the competition. Under its special autonomous status, Aceh has imposed partial Shariah law since 2001.

Zein said the provincial government regretted Qori's actions, and was planning to meet with her and with Miss Indonesia Foundation officials in the near future to discuss the reasons why she did not follow the terms they had set.

According to Zein, the pageant selection process was handled by a national committee and event organizers established in each province. However, as there was no event organizer in Aceh, the foundation approached several Acehnese women in Jakarta.

Zein said the foundation then sent a letter to the Aceh governor to ask for his and the province's tourism and cultural office's support.

"Based on several considerations, the office gave its approval, but set terms to be followed by Qori and the foundation," he said. "From the start, the Aceh government had reminded Qori and the foundation to obey the terms of the recommendation."

Although Zein acknowledge that government had no authority over Qori's actions, he did say it was reasonable to expect Qori to respect the culture of the province that she was representing, particularly after they had given her their support.

On Thursday, dozens of students from Syiah Kuala University in Banda Aceh held a demonstration at the Aceh governor's office, urging him to withdraw the support given to Qori.

Echoing the sentiments of the Aceh clerics, the protesters said her appearance at the competition did not reflect the Islamic nature of the province or comply with the region's strict Shariah regulations.

Former Aceh rebel leader returns to promote peace

Jakarta Globe - October 16, 2009

Nurdin Hasan, Banda Aceh – The aging former leader of the disbanded Free Aceh Movement is expected to arrive in the province on Saturday for the second time since he fled the country in 1977.

Tengku Hasan Muhammad di Tiro, 84, who founded the separatist movement, also known as GAM, in 1976, remains widely respected in Aceh, where a three-decade guerrilla war was waged against Indonesian rule until a peace deal in 2005 following the Indian Ocean tsunami that devastated much of the resource-rich province.

Tiro, who has lived in Sweden since 1980, made his first visit to Aceh since 1977 last year. His supporters hope he will remain for good this time to help cement peace in the province.

Komarudin Abubakar, also known as Abu Razak, the spokesman for the Aceh Transitional Committee (KPA) in Banda Aceh, said on Friday that Tiro was coming to Aceh to meet with family members and to reconnect with the Acehnese people.

"Besides that, he also wants to see how Aceh is doing after four years of peace and what the obstacles are in maintaining peace in Aceh," Abu Razak said.

The KPA was established to help reintegrate former GAM guerillas into Acehnese society and to reinforce the peace agreement signed between the Indonesian government and the rebel group in August 2005.

Tiro and his contingent, including former GAM Prime Minister Malik Mahmud and former Foreign Affair Minister Zaini Abdullah, are scheduled to arrive in Aceh at 2:30 p.m. after a one-hour flight from Kuala Lumpur. Tiro has been in the Malaysian capital since Sept. 12.

Abu Razak said preparations to welcome Tiro had already been finalized. The KPA and the Aceh Party will dispatch some 250 security officers, including some trained in Libya. The Aceh Police have also been asked to help provide security during his visit.

While in Aceh, Tiro will hold meetings with former GAM field leaders, Aceh Party officials, Aceh Legislative Council members and civil society groups working to strengthen peace and development in the province.

The Aceh Party, which was established by former GAM fighters, won the legislative elections in April. The party gained 33 of the 69 seats in the provincial legislative council. The majority of its lawmakers come from districts that were GAM strongholds during the conflict.

Abu Razak said he did not know how long Tiro would be in Aceh, "But I and most Acehnese hope that he will stay here for good due to his age." "Besides, Aceh is now a more conducive place for peace," he added.

Tiro, who now holds Swedish citizenship, is known among former GAM guerillas as "w ali n angroe" ("guardian of the nation").

Last year, on his first visit to Aceh since his exile, Tiro met with Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

The Indonesian government signed a peace agreement with GAM in Helsinki, Finland, on Aug. 15, 2005, ending a 30-year armed conflict that left some 25,000 people dead, including many civilians. The agreement was prompted by the devastating 2004 quake and tsunami that killed about 170,000 people in Aceh.

West Papua

One killed, three hurt in two Papua shooting incidents

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2009

Nethy Dharma Somba and Markus Makur, Jayapura, Timika – One person was killed and three others injured Tuesday in two separate attacks blamed on unidentified gunmen in restive Papua province.

In one shooting incident in Puncak Jaya regency, a construction worker for PT Karya Agung was shot and killed by a group of gunmen reportedly led by Peniron Kogoya, who has been blamed for shooting at civilians in the regency.

Puncak Jaya Police deputy chief Comr. Marselis said the body of the worker, identified only as Thamrin, had been taken to Mulia General Hospital.

"We're still questioning witnesses, so we can't say yet what we think might be the motive for the attack," Marselis said. "But it was allegedly carried out by a group hiding in the jungle."

He added the attack took place at around 12:30 a.m., local time when Thamrin and other workers were working on the Kalome bridge.

Marselis said the gunmen approached the construction workers to ask for money, using their native dialect, which none of the workers understood.

"At the time, the workers were baking corn and there was a fire," Marselis said. "The armed men immediately shot at them."

Besides killing Thamrin, the attackers also stabbed another worker, Epiles, in the ear. The worker is now being treated at Mulia hospital.

Thamrin's body will be flown to Pati, Central Java, for burial in his hometown, Marselis said.

Since early 2009, at least six shooting incidents blamed on unidentified gunmen have taken place in Puncak Jaya.

Also Tuesday, gunmen shot and wounded two employees of US mining company PT Freeport Indonesia as three company buses drove down a road to the world's largest gold mine in Timika, Mimika district, police said.

Papua Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Agus Rianto confirmed the attack on Freeport employees between Mile 41 and 42 leading to the Grasberg mine.

He said two miners, Rudi Palandeng and Kristian Karanga, were wounded when the security-escorted buses were ambushed by unidentified gunmen.

The injured men are now in stable condition at the Kuala Kencana clinic. Rudi was shot in the thigh and arm, and Kristian in the hand and waist, police said.

"The incident will not affect our mining production and operations, and we continue to fully support and cooperate with the police in their investigation," Freeport's Indonesian spokesman, Mindo Pangaribuan, told the Associated Press.

Freeport has been targeted by a string of shootings since mid- July that left three people dead and more than 20 injured. Police arrested several suspects for earlier ambushes, but it is unclear who is behind the latest violence.

The mammoth Grasberg mining complex, run by a subsidiary of Phoenix-based Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., has long been a source of tension in Papua, a remote and underdeveloped region that is also home to a low-level insurgency seeking independence from the government.

Military, police begin hunt after latest Freeport shooting

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2009

Markus Makur, Timika, Papua – Papua Police are cooperating with the military as they begin hunting for gunmen responsible for a shooting incident that wounded two employees of US mining company PT Freeport Indonesia in Mimika, Papua.

Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Bagus Ekodanto said Wednesday the unidentified gunmen were very mobile.

Two miners were wounded when three security-escorted buses were ambushed between mile 41 and mile 42 of a road leading to the Grasberg mine, the world's largest gold and copper mine.

Bagus said they were having difficulty with the terrain in the area where the shootings occurred.

The area is notorious for ambushes. Earlier this year, a 29-year-old Australian, an Indonesian security guard working for Freeport and a policeman were killed in separate attacks. In 2002, two American teachers and their Indonesian colleague were killed on the same stretch of road.

Two shot in renewal of Papua Freeport violence

Associated Press - October 20, 2009

Violence flared again near the Freeport gold mine in Indonesia's Papua province as gunmen shot and wounded two of the company's employees, police said on Tuesday.

The injured men were in stable condition after being taken to a hospital, said police spokesman Agus Rianto. One was shot in the thigh and arm and the other was hit in the hand and waist while traveling on a security-escorted bus carrying 60 employees, he added.

"A group of unidentified men ambushed Freeport's bus," said Rianto "Police are still searching for the perpetrators who ran into the dense jungle."

Freeport has been targeted by a string of shootings since mid- July that have left three dead and injured more than 20 people. Police arrested several suspects for earlier ambushes, but it is unclear who is behind the violence.

The sprawling Grasberg mining complex, run by a subsidiary of the Phoenix-based Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc., has long been a source of tension in Papua, a remote and underdeveloped region that is also home to a low-level insurgency seeking independence from the government.

"The incident will not effected our mining production and operations, and we continue to fully support and cooperate with the police investigation," Freeport's Indonesian spokesman Mindo Pangaribuan said.

NZ human rights group maintaining tough stance over kwila import

Radio New Zealand International - October 19, 2009

A New Zealand based Indonesian human rights group says it's totally opposed to the importation of the tropical hardwood, Kwila, regardless of whether it is certified sustainable or not.

Ten-thousand metres of the wood, which is certified by New Zealand's Forest Stewardship Council, is due to be imported from Malaysia shortly and more is planned.

Marie Leadbeater from the Indonesia Human Rights Committee says uncertified-Kwila is still being sold in New Zealand, some of it from Papua, where the local people are powerless to stop in being felled.

She says Kwila is a threatened species. "Given that it's such a precious tree, it's so important to the old growth forests and it's a tree that isn't easily replaced. It takes up to 80 years to grow to maturity. Given all those things, we believe the simplest and most important message is simply, Don't Buy Kwila."

Human rights/law

Ex-police head may be key to solving Munir murder

Jakarta Globe - October 20, 2009

Farouk Arnaz – A human rights group expressed hope on Tuesday that the president would appoint a new intelligence chief who could solve the case of murdered activist Munir Said Thalib.

Sutanto, the former National Police chief who pursued the link between the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) and the prominent human rights campaigner's murder, has been rumored to be President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's choice to lead the country's espionage agency.

"There is hope," said Choirul Anam from the Committee of Action and Solidarity for Munir (Kasum).

While he was police chief, Sutanto ordered his head of criminal investigations, Bambang Hendarso Danuri, who eventually succeeded him, to look into the poisoning of Munir during a Garuda Indonesia flight to Amsterdam on Sept. 7, 2004.

Police alleged that Muchdi Purwopranjono, a former BIN general, orchestrated the murder as revenge for the activist's role in his ouster from the top post of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) in 1998. Police said Munir's fierce criticism of the alleged kidnapping of activists by the elite unit lead to Muchdi's dismissal.

He was also implicated in the case during the trial of Polycarpus Priyanto, who was convicted of carrying out the murder. Evidence showed Muchdi had allegedly held more than 40 telephone conversations with Polycarpus prior to the killing.

But in December, the South Jakarta District Court dismissed the case against Muchdi and acquitted him of all charges due to a lack of evidence. Since then, activists have been pressing for the case to be reopened.

Choirul told the Jakarta Globe that if Sutanto became BIN chief, he could possibly uncover evidence related to Munir's murder that might have been buried in the intelligence body's archives.

Yudhoyono is expected to announce his government agency appointments today.

Refugees/asylum seekers

A tour of Indonesia's detention centres

Crikey.com - October 23, 2009

Sophie Black – The 255 asylum seekers docked at the port in Merak in West Java are still refusing to leave their boat and be processed by Immigration Officials. Meanwhile the Oceanic Viking, promised permission to dock by Indonesia after Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's "breakthrough" talks on Tuesday is being towed to a port near Singapore and the latest boat to be picked up has been sent to Christmas Island.

At least the Sri Lankans, led by spokesperson Alex, have made it back to dry land. So why won't they get off the boat? They may have heard about the between one and 3000 asylum seekers currently being held in Indonesian jails, compounds and detention centres.

Jessie Taylor is a lawyer, refugee activist and documentary maker who recently returned from Indonesia after interviewing over 250 asylum seekers in 11 different detention centres across the country.

Taylor told Crikey that there's a vast difference between the different centres. In North Sumatra they provide hostel style accommodation: "... nothing fancy but not appalling in terms of physical conditions. But there's no medical care, education, or adequate food."

In other places, "... babies and children reside in maximum security third-world jails."

Taylor says she saw asylum seekers "treated like animals. There are beatings fairly frequently at the hands of Indonesian military and Immigration officials. If anyone escapes the rest who are left behind will be beaten as a warning." Taylor continues:

At the Pontianak jail there was an escape of a few people in late July and the people left behind have been in lock down without permission to leave their cell since that day. There are children in there.

In places like Mataram, Lombok, there are rats running around, very young babies and children in putrid houses. One mother from Iraq that I spoke to, who also teaches English, was so embarrassed to tell me about the rat infestation in her house.

Some people reside in extremely cramped conditions. In Jakarta... there's a small office with two prison cells attached on the third floor of the immigration building. People can't lie down at the same time so they can't sleep at the same time.

In a prison in Pontianak... around 50 men and unaccompanied boys are locked up in a big cell just smaller than a tennis court, a concrete cell behind bars. It's very hot and steamy and when the men do their business it flows into a ditch behind the building and just sits there and the stench is unbelievable.

The women and kids are kept in a three room house with no walls or windows or doors that you can lock, a shell of a house.

At the time there was a strange bunch of illegal Thai fisherman who'd been caught and put in jail. They were not under lock and key and had full access to the women and children... One of the mothers came up to me with tears in her eyes and said that very often she can't find her daughters and she's horrified at the prospect of them being sexually assaulted."

Detention and case processing in Indonesia is managed by a combination of the Indonesian government, the International Organization for Migration and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) with some funds funnelled from the Australian government.

Pamela Curr of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre told Crikey that there are currently 2107 registrations with UNHCR in Indonesia. "If they trigger a claim while in detention then IOM is to notify UNHCR and UNHCR is supposed to visit them. People are waiting months for those visits. Currently, UNHCR are only processing around 40 people a week."

IOM, as distinct from the UN, is an NGO with diplomatic immunity. It specialises in logistics and voluntary return.

Kaye Bernard, another refugee advocate, was recently in Lombok, Indonesia and told Crikey she visited some "long term asylum seekers who are housed there by IOM with money provided by Australia."

Below is a picture she took of the ablutions in one of the facilities she visited. This is used by a large extended family group of 21 men women and children who have been in Lombok since 2003: Bernard told Crikey that she was "... advised by the asylum seekers who wake up to this every morning, that these ablution facilities are far more preferable to the Indonesian Immigration Detention facilities that they experienced after being randomly picked up by Indonesian Police and taken to at various times during their six years [on Lombok]."

Spokesperson from Senator Evans' office Simon Dowding told Crikey, "...the department has committed about $5 million over the next two years to provide community accommodation for intercepted irregular migrants in Indonesia. The Australian Government recently announced a further $1 million funding to provide ongoing detention support to Indonesia over the next two years."

"The IOM network, established in 2007, has offices located throughout Indonesia, from Medan in the west to Kupang in the east, adjacent to the main people smuggling routes," says Dowding.

"The new funding over the next four years will enable the IOM to continue to provide assistance to Indonesian authorities to monitor and manage irregular migration flows and gather information on people smuggling activity. It will also reinforce the cooperation between the governments of Indonesia and Australia to control irregular migration and ensure the suitable treatment of irregular migrants. The office network will enable IOM to continue to refer intercepted irregular migrants to community accommodation arrangements and refer irregular migrants with protection needs to UNHCR for assessment," says Dowding.

"From 1999 to January 2009, payments to IOM under these arrangements have totalled some $30 million."

But on the ground, says Taylor, "...no one is sure where the lines of power lie between IOM and Indonesian officials. IOM has a very marked presence... and IOM as an organisation does not have a protection mandate."

Taylor told Crikey, "...the bad end of the scale has people waiting 2 1/2 years. That's the process between arrival, then registration, then an interview with UNHCR then status determination with UNHCR. There's also the horror story of a young man whose been waiting more than nine years."

But just because people are determined by the UNHCR to be refugees doesn't mean the wait is over.

"The single most common question that we got asked when we there was, 'UNHCR has found me to be a refugee. What am I still doing here?'," recounts Taylor. "We would explain that you have to wait for a country to invite you, and that's when they said 'Oh.' There's a feeling that they're going to be waiting a long time which is why they're then getting on boats."

Most of the people that Taylor met were very reluctant to risk their lives on a boat journey to Australia. But increasingly, says Taylor, as people fell victim to depression, anxiety and hopelessness their language became "quite dramatic". "'Look I can't stay here,' they'd say, 'If I get to Australia and live that's great, if I sink in the ocean and die that's fine too.'"

The Rudd government has been reluctant to name a figure attached to the latest talks between Indonesia and Australia, but this morning The Australian is reporting that Indonesian immigration officials have told the paper that they would need about $50 million to cover processing, detention and the cost of training.

Meanwhile, IOM is coming under increasing scrutiny for its role in actively persuading asylum seekers to return home.

Some asylum seekers refer to the IOM approach as "demotivation", says Taylor. "What it consists of is a Good Cop/Bad Cop approach. People who come in and say, 'Oh Indonesia is a bad place to live, they're Sunni muslims and you're Shia muslims... It's taking 10 years for people to be processed. You can't stay here... why don't you just let us help you go home?'

"This is before UNHCR status determination and often before a UNHCR interview which mean no one has yet assessed the viability of safe return," says Taylor.

Taylor told Crikey that she witnessed one of these approaches. Taylor watched an IOM official convince a group of young Afghan Hazara men to return home after arriving in Lombok. The man said "in a caring and paternal way that it was not a good idea to stay here and they should just go home," says Taylor.

And they did. Most of them went back to war-torn Afghanistan with the help of IOM.

"But two kids escaped," says Taylor. "The last I heard they were heading for a boat. The worst thing is that people know that the best thing is to get on a leaky boat and make it to Christmas Island."

Asylum seeker pact starts a new deal

Sydney Morning Herald - October 21, 2009

Ben Doherty, Lindsay Murdoch and Karuni Rompies – Indonesia will take the 78 asylum seekers on board an Australian Customs ship in a diplomatic breakthrough following talks last night between the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, and the Indonesian President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The two nations also decided to work on an agreement to deal with future vessels.

A spokesman for Dr Yudhoyono said the boat would be allowed to dock in Indonesia for "humanitarian reasons". "There is a sick child on board the boat. The President is quite concerned about the fate and welfare of the child," the spokesman said.

The Customs ship, Oceanic Viking, would dock at the port of Merak in West Java, where a boatload of 255 Sri Lankan asylum seekers is also berthed, he said.

Indonesia's agreement to take the boat followed an unexpected stand-off yesterday, in which Jakarta said the 78 people on board were not its responsibility.

The deal was struck during almost an hour of talks at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta between Mr Rudd, Dr Yudhoyono, the Foreign Minister, Stephen Smith, and his Indonesian counterpart, Hassan Wirajuda.

"It's a very good example of co-operation between Australia and Indonesia," Mr Smith said afterwards. "And it's a very good example of Australia quite correctly discharging its humanitarian and safety at sea obligations."

The President's spokesman said officials from both nations, including naval officials, would meet within a week to start developing a new framework on how to deal with asylum seekers.

He said a proposed framework would be presented to the two leaders before the APEC meeting in Singapore in November. "There is recognition that we're going to face this problem again in the future, and we need a better framework so we don't deal with this on an ad hoc basis."

The asylum seekers contacted the Australian Maritime Safety Authority by phone four days ago, saying they were in trouble off the Sumatran coast. At Indonesia's request, the boat was intercepted by the Australian Navy on Saturday, and the asylum seekers were transferred to the Oceanic Viking on Sunday.

With a storm brewing at home over the number of asylum seekers arriving by sea, Australia was desperate for Indonesia to take the boat.

Australian officials thought a deal had been struck, but a spokesman for Indonesia's Foreign Ministry said earlier yesterday Jakarta was under no obligation to take the asylum seekers because they were picked up in international waters (although the boat was inside Indonesia's search and rescue zone).

The spokesman had said it was a different situation to the 255 Sri Lankans docked at Merak, who were picked up in Indonesian waters after a direct plea from Mr Rudd to Dr Yudhoyono.

The Opposition Leader, Malcolm Turnbull, said that under international maritime law the people should have have been taken immediately to the nearest safe port, "in this case in Indonesia".

Australia bends over for the 'Indonesia Solution'

Crikey.com - October 21, 2009

Damien Kingsbury – As we learned from foreign minister Stephen Smith last night, there is now an agreement between the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, and Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for Indonesia's to accept asylum seekers bound for Australia. Move over John Howard's "Pacific Solution", and make way for Rudd's "Indonesia Solution".

Rudd will take considerable satisfaction from his visit, formally to mark Yudhoyono's swearing in for a second term, producing what he will no doubt regard as a diplomatic coup.

Australia's sometimes difficult relations with Indonesia are travelling fairly well at the moment, in large part due to Yudhoyono's democratic reformist tendencies. That Rudd is also comfortable with regional leaders, and has taken an active interest in Indonesia since at least 1997, further assists the relationship.

Smith hesitated to put a dollar figure on Australia paying for this new arrangement, but there is little doubt that funds will be diverted from existing humanitarian projects to help support Indonesia holding the asylum seekers.

Smith indicated this when he discussed the range of humanitarian projects that Australia currently supports in Indonesia, identifying the government's new Indonesia Solution as also based on humanitarian principles.

The second "price" issue for Australia will be what diplomatic concessions will have been granted in order to secure Indonesia's co-operation. In this, there is little doubt that the Lombok Treaty will have been invoked, in particular that part that refers to non-interference in Indonesia's internal affairs.

For this, read that Australia has been told to butt out of any lingering concerns about the continuing abysmal human rights situation in West Papua and not to accept any further West Papuan refugees. Oh, and the Australian government might want to reconsider its approach to the Australian Federal Police investigation into the 1975 Balibo murders while we're at it.

Australia, always more than a little obsequious to Indonesia, has prostrated itself even further.

Given that this Indonesia Solution reflects Australia's much- vaunted humanitarian concerns, as a third issue, one wonders why Smith has put so little effort into the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka, which is pushing so many people into boats.

Not only has the predominantly ethnic Sinhalese Sri Lankan government won the war against its Tamil separatists, it is keeping a quarter of a million Tamils in concentration camps, from which outside access is barred.

The reports that do filter out from the camps tell of regular extrajudicial murders, rape and torture. And then there is the expropriation of tens of thousands of Tamils from their homes. The Palk Straights with India, too, are heavily patrolled, so the Indian Ocean and Australia is the safer option.

In short, the "sailing season" combined with "push" pressures in Australia's part of the world have led to an increase in asylum seekers getting into boats. Compared to the early 1980s, however, and certainly by current international standards, the number of asylum seekers remains small. This, then, is not an issue of border control or illegal immigration, which is far more taxed at Australia's airports.

The fourth, domestic political issue, then, is that the motivating factor for this Indonesia Solution is not the government's supposed humanitarian concerns, but the "dog-whistle politics" of racism in the immigration debate.

Australia's politicians arguing about who is the toughest on immigration is simply code for who will sink to this lowest common denominator.

Labor promised a more humanitarian approach to asylum seekers. What we now have is just a shift of its geographic focus.

[Associate Professor Damien Kingsbury is with the school of International and Political Studies at Deakin University.]

Children frightened, confused as parents starve in protest

Sydney Morning Herald - October 17, 2009

Tom Allard, Merak (Indonesia) – They are promised a bright future awaits, that the gods will take care of them, but the 31 Tamil children among the 255 asylum seekers moored in Merak are deeply traumatised and confused.

While some of the adults on board say they will die rather than disembark, many of the children just want to get off the wooden cargo ship, as the one toilet on board emits a stink and their parents grow more disoriented in the baking heat, refusing to eat or drink.

"My son says: 'Mama, Mama. I don't want this. Why are you taking me? Why am I on this boat?' It is very difficult for them to understand," says Varshini, a mother of two from Jaffna who says she had no choice but to leave Sri Lanka after her husband was abducted.

"I say: 'Please don't worry; the gods, God, will save us. Please wait. There will be good food and drinks, good futures and good study."'

One moment sobbing, the next proclaiming coolly her willingness to stay on board the boat "forever" while waiting for a country other than Indonesia to take them, Varshini is erratic and at times irrational. Indonesia is not a safe place, she says, "because of big problems with tsunamis".

Marthavan, her seven-year-old son, and Amirtha, her four-year-old daughter, spend most of their time below decks on the crowded 30-metre boat. They are taking food and water, as are some of the breastfeeding mothers and a pregnant woman.

Coming up with the adults briefly, Marthavan and Amirtha stare and smile shyly, clasping their hands together in the Hindu greeting.

Below, the 31 children are out of the stifling heat but there is no place to play. And there is no hope of reaching Australia any time soon, despite the desperate actions of their parents.

Nine-year old Brindha, the girl who tearfully pleaded for asylum this week, told how her family was fleeing death threats and that her father was a builder.

Varshini admits: "There are lots of problem with the children. It's very difficult. We can't manage all of them. Some are very, very thin and we can't manage this problem." She said her children believed they would see their father soon. She has yet to tell them that he was taken away by "criminals" – Sinhalese security forces – while they were asleep 18 months ago.

Tamils often say that members of the dominant Sinhalese ethnic group that triumphed in the recent Sri Lankan civil war extort money. In Varshini's case, she says "the men always coming to my house" forced her to flee, spending the family's savings, about $US20,000, to arrange a passage to Australia with an "agent".

Sri Lankans agree to end hunger strike

The Australian - October 17, 2009

Stephen Fitzpatrick in Merak and Patrick Walters – The Sri Lankan asylum seekers holed up on board a boat in Indonesia intend to end their two-day-old hunger strike and are considering stepping ashore.

The 255 ethnic Tamils had refused to leave the boat since last Sunday, when it was intercepted by the Indonesian navy en route to Australia and taken to the Javan port city of Merak.

The adults began a hunger strike on Thursday, saying it would not end until a third country agreed to resettle them, or they started dying.

But after two days without food and water in the scorching Indonesian heat, the group's spokesman, known as Alex, said the hunger strike could end on Saturday afternoon.

"My people on board the ship are prepared to end the hunger strike," Alex said. "I think we have made a negative impact, and that's not what we were looking for."

The decision came as more asylum seekers succumbed to sickness, including an eight-month-old baby who was taken to hospital with breathing problems.

The baby, like the other 30 children on the boat, was not participating in the hunger strike and was returned to the boat after several hours.

Two male hunger strikers were also taken to hospital after passing out.

Alex said the asylum seekers would agree to finally come off the boat if a UNHCR representative agreed to meet with them and explain what was likely to happen next. "People want to start living their lives. We don't want to live like this anymore," he said.

Most refugees in Indonesia, which is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention, are forced to spend many years in legal limbo while they wait to be resettled.

"We don't want to wait nine or 10 years in Indonesia because our children need education," Alex said. "As soon as we discuss that, we can get things rolling. My people are ready."

The asylum seekers have been taking advice from top Australian refugee lawyer David Manne, Alex said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is seeking a new strategic compact with Jakarta to halt the transit of asylum-seekers through the Indonesian archipelago to Australia.

A massively expanded Australian aid package to fund detention centres and training and broader intelligence-sharing between the two nations lies at the heart of Mr Rudd's sweeping plan.

The Prime Minister wants a new bilateral dialogue that would make Indonesian co-operation the foundation of Australia's strategy to stop the tide of boats and boatpeople.

Mr Rudd's proposal echoes John Howard's Pacific Solution, which relied on co-operation with the smaller Pacific states in managing the Australia-bound refugees. But in this case Jakarta is expected to insist on an equal partnership in administering any new arrangements.

A key aim will be to assist Jakarta with the long-term resettlement of all asylum-seekers currently held in detention centres in Indonesia.

Mr Rudd will discuss the terms of the plan with President Bambang Susilo Yudhoyono when he travels to Jakarta early next week to attend the Indonesian leader's inauguration.

News of the compact comes as the Rudd government seeks to toughen its stance on border security amid fears the rapidly escalating tide of arrivals will soon overwhelm Australia's strained detention facilities.

Yesterday, Mr Rudd brushed aside threats of self-harm by the majority of the 255 Sri Lankans aboard the asylum boat intercepted by Jakarta at his request, saying Australia would not be blackmailed into accepting asylum-seekers.

"These processes, nor the approach of the Australian government, will be moved by any particular tactics deployed by any particular person," the Prime Minister said.

Mr Rudd's uncompromising rhetoric follows clear signs that the Coalition will move to harden its stance on asylum-seekers, with former immigration minister Kevin Andrews publicly calling for a return to temporary visas for refugees.

Australia is already helping Indonesia cope with a steady flow of asylum-seekers, with annual aid worth more than $20 million, but this is set to vastly accelerate under the new proposal.

Under the Rudd government's plan, Australia would fund the cost of Indonesian naval pursuits of asylum boats and boost financial support for the detention centres, deportations and voluntary returns.

Australia would also boost training and intelligence-sharing arrangements with Jakarta and would upgrade military and police co-operation.

Documents obtained exclusively by The Weekend Australian reveal the plan was discussed at a cabinet-level meeting at Dr Yudhoyono's Jakarta residence a week ago.

Indonesia is enthusiastic about the plan, with a briefing document prepared this week noting that its only reservation was ensuring "equal position and advantage (for both countries) in the co-operative arrangement".

The Australian offer also includes the formation of a joint cabinet-level working group on illegal migration and a guarantee to work on resettling all illegal immigrants currently held in Indonesia.

Jakarta's response, which will be discussed when Mr Rudd visits Indonesia for Dr Yudhoyono's inauguration on Tuesday, is framed entirely within the context of the Lombok Treaty – the bilateral accord underpinning the security ties between Jakarta and Canberra.

The moves come amid mounting concern over the huge spike in asylum-seekers attempting to reach Australia through Indonesian waters.

Briefing notes prepared this week for General Widodo AS, the Co- ordinating Minister for Politics, Justice and Security and under whose responsibility immigration falls, quote confidential figures by the Immigration Department detailing asylum seeker apprehensions.

They show that over the past 12 months there have been 66 separate raids resulting in the arrest of 1642 illegal immigrants, most of whom were preparing to board or already onboard Australia-bound boats. Of these, 1096 have been from Afghanistan.

They also note that Australia "views the rise in activity very seriously, and in the past two months have actively pushed discussions on greater co-operation and assistance".

According to an Indonesian-language translation of the Australian offer prepared for General Widodo, Australian officials are concerned that people-smuggling through Indonesian territory "will become increasingly sophisticated and advanced, and be carried out through a range of tactics and routes, unless efforts to prevent them are implemented".

According to the ministerial briefing, the Australian request last week to seize a wooden cargo boat containing 255 Sri Lankan asylum-seekers was specifically driven by a desire to send a warning to traffickers.

[Additional reporting: Paul Maley, AAP.]

Australian prime minister unmoved by asylum seekers' pleas

Agence France Presse - October 16, 2009

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Friday refused to be swayed by hundreds of Sri Lankan asylum seekers who declared a hunger strike after their boat was stopped in Indonesia en route to Australia, even as two were taken to hospital.

Rudd said the 255 migrants, many of whom were refusing to leave the boat until they were granted refugee status in a third country, would have to be processed through normal channels by UN officials in Indonesia.

That process could take months or even years, but Rudd said any compromise would encourage human trafficking.

"It is irresponsible for any prime minister of Australia to send out a message of positive encouragement to people smugglers in the region," he told Australia-based Fairfax Radio.

"It creates an industry which is one of the vilest on Earth and, secondly, it is potentially very dangerous for people putting their lives into the hands of such people."

Two of the asylum seekers were hospitalized with symptoms of dehydration as about 150 men on the boat continued a hunger strike for a second day. They claim to have fled Sri Lanka's war- torn north and face persecution back home.

Indonesian immigration and Navy officials were trying to negotiate with the migrants, who were intercepted in the Sunda Strait on Sunday, reportedly after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono received a tip-off from Rudd.

Rudd expressed sympathy but remained unmoved after being played a recording of one of the migrants, a 9-year-old girl, pleading for them to be given asylum.

The migrants' spokesman, who called himself Alex, brought the girl out again on Friday to speak to the mainly Australian media assembled at the dock in Merak, Banten.

"They always kidnap, kill, shoot. I am scared," she said, referring to the situation in her homeland. Alex has told reporters the asylum seekers are in danger in Sri Lanka in the wake of the government's defeat of Tamil Tiger rebels, although he denies they are separatists.

"We are very weak and we don't know how long we can survive like this," he said.

Alex earlier threatened to set fire to the boat, before withdrawing the threat.

Harry Purwanto, the immigration chief in Banten, said that the boat was roughly divided between those who wanted to accept temporary accommodation and go through the normal refugee processing, and those who favored continuing the standoff.

Those on hunger strike had "refused to leave the boat unless there's a guarantee that refugee status will be given to them by the UNHCR," he added, referring to the UN refugee agency.

The arrival of about 1,650 asylum seekers by boat to Australia this year has placed pressure on Rudd over his government's moves to ease the tough policies of his conservative predecessor, John Howard.

Labour/migrant workers

Mayor endorses recommended minimum wage, sparks protest

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2009

Agnes S. Jayakarna, Surabaya – Surabaya Mayor Bambang Dwi Hartono said recently he agreed with the local payment body's minimum wage recommendation, sparking a protest from labor unions in the city.

The People's Worker Union (SBK) of the Workers Alliance Congress (Kasbi), which is part of the payment body, rejected the recommendation.

The union demanded the mayor fire Surabaya Manpower Agency head Achmad Syafi'i for failing to "accommodate the aspirations of labor leaders" in the recommendation.

However, Bambang claimed the recommendation was already based on workers' aspirations, adding he would send it to the East Java governor for approval.

Bambang said he was happy the body had eventually reached an agreement on the recommended minimum wage.

After a heated debate last Friday, the body, consisting of 17 municipal administration officials, two academics, 12 labor representatives and 12 businessmen, proposed that the municipality set next year's minimum wage at Rp 1,031,500.

The amount was determined on the basis of real conditions, or prices of basic commodities at three big traditional markets in the city: Soponyono, Wonokromo and Tambak Wedi.

According to the payment body, that cost in Surabaya would be Rp 1,017,618 in October, and with an inflation rate of 1.34 percent, would increase to Rp 1,031,253 by December.

Based on the calculations, the body recommended Rp 1,031,500 as the 2010 minimum wage for Surabaya.

Bambang said he did not need to revise the body's recommendation. He added the recommendation represented Surabaya laborers' real needs.

"We need to appreciate the payment body's work, as it has managed to accommodate all the parties' aspirations in the body, so that it can offer a certain amount for the minimum wage in the city," he said.

SBK Kasbi, however, said the decision was "unclear and unfair". Hundreds of the SBK Kasbi members staged a rally in front of the municipality office Friday, protesting the minimum wage recommendation. The protesters demanded the mayor review and revise the recommendation.

According to SBK Kasbi, the payment body had broken a 2005 manpower regulation on the determination of minimum living costs.

SBK Kasbi Surabaya coordinator Andy Kristiantono said the body's recommendation for the costs and minimum wage in Surabaya did not represent the real conditions faced by workers.

He added the body had failed to accommodate laborers' aspirations. He said that based on SBK Kasbi's survey at the three traditional markets, the minimum living cost was Rp 1,093,532, and with the inflation set to hit 3.5 percent, the minimum wage should have been Rp 1,131,804.

"We suspect there was some political maneuvering in deciding the 2010 minimum wage, because the amount was determined without any transparency," Andy said. He added that until the last meeting, several labor union delegates had yet to agree on the minimum wage.

Thousands of teachers demand clear job status

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2009

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Malang – Contract teachers and employees in Malang regency, East Java, have demanded that Malang Regent Sujud Pribadi issue a decree to clarify their status as teachers.

Thousands of teachers from kindergarten to senior high school have complained about the high concentration of teachers in certain areas and those teaching the same subjects in particular schools.

"As a consequence, many teachers don't get teaching experience. They come to work but are not given teaching schedules, which is the same as not earning money, because of their temporary status," Malang Temporary Teachers Forum head Ari Susilo said Tuesday.

The teaching schedules of the temporary teachers often overlap with full-fledged teachers or those appointed as civil servants because, after passing their certification tests, the full- fledged teachers are obliged to meet the minimum requirement of 24 teaching periods per week.

Representatives from the temporary teachers and employees forum held talks with Malang Regent Sujud and Malang Education Office head Suwandi.

"We were relieved by the issuance of a decree banning schools from dismissing temporary teachers and employees with no teaching experience, and by the decision to post new civil servants based on demand, to prevent the high concentration of teachers in one place," said Ari.

Ari said the agreement was very encouraging, despite not touching on the fundamental issue, however, they would not complain as long as the decree was implemented in accordance with the underlying issue.

Temporary teachers could not take part in teacher certification tests because their appointment letters were issued by their respective school principals, whereas, in fact, the appointment letters of those teaching in state schools should be issued by the regent, and those teaching at private schools by their foundations.

The current number of temporary teachers and employees in Malang regency stands at 5,196, but Malang regency administration has only certified 1,508 of them. This figure is based on the number of temporary teachers and employees who have received allowances from the Malang regency administration of Rp 500,000 (about US$50) per year.

Those who have yet to be certified are mostly elementary school teachers due to a mistake in proposing a quota on the number of teachers submitted by the provincial civil service agency to the national civil service agency.

The temporary elementary school teachers and employees receive no more than Rp 450,000 per month in allowances and many of them only get between Rp 150,000 and Rp 250,000 per month.

"It is definitely not enough, especially for those who have families. Just imagine how they live on such a salary at a time like this," said Ari.

School authorities will post those who have not been allotted teaching schedules to other divisions not related to the teaching profession, such as the administration division, libraries or school cooperatives.

Ari said the current number of teachers reaching retirement age in Malang regency was 75 people per month, while the demand for teachers will reach 1,500 in 2010.

Regent Sujud said he would probably accede to the temporary teachers' demands next year because, currently, he lacked the legal means to issue a decree regarding the fate of the temporary teachers and employees.

"The regent can only issue a local ordinance after the new regulation has been endorsed by the new education minister next year," he said.

Indonesian cabinet urged to shield migrants

Jakarta Globe - October 20, 2009

Anita Rachman – Nongovernmental organizations on Tuesday urged the incoming cabinet to establish a new policy protecting the rights of migrant workers and to ratify the UN's 1990 Migrant Workers Convention within 100 days.

Thaufiek Zulbahary, coordinator of the People Alliance for 1990 Migrant Convention Ratification, said that the new minister of manpower and transmigration and the state minister of women's empowerment should be able to resolve basic protection standards for about six million Indonesian migrant workers overseas.

"One of the most important points we want the new cabinet to resolve within the first 100 days is to ratify the 1990 convention, which was already signed by the government in 2004," Thaufiek said.

Resta Hutabarat, of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute, said the UN convention promotes migrant workers' rights and provides a deportation mechanism in the event they face troubles overseas. It also guarantees their right to retain their own documents, including passports.

Resta said that, under outgoing Minister Erman Suparno, the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration had been reluctant to ratify the convention, arguing that the move would have little effect on Indonesian migrant workers as they were mostly dealing with employers overseas, many in destination countries that had not ratified the convention.

"The ministry has refused to understand that although destination countries have not ratified it, the convention is still important to set a mechanism on how to dispatch migrant workers overseas and how the destination country deals with foreign workers" she said.

"Look at Mexico and the Philippines, which have ratified the convention, they have better regulations on migrant workers."

She said that to date 42 countries had ratified the convention, including Congo, Uruguay, Mexico and the Philippines.

Resta said that destination countries usually take into account the sender country's commitment to protection of migrant workers. Negotiations on standard salaries and protections should be initiated by country sending workers, she said.

Thaufiek said several related ministries, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Law and Human Rights, had already shown their commitment to ratifying the convention, "but the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration has shown little interest. Therefore, we urge the new minister to resolve this issue soon."

Thaufiek said that the alliance would send an official recommendation to the new cabinet.

200,000 may lose jobs after huge quake in Padang

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2009

Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, Padang – As well as displacing thousands of residents, last month's earthquake that devastated much of West Sumatra is likely to render many workers in the province jobless.

About 200,000 workers are expected to lose their jobs in the province following the 7.6-magnitude quake, West Sumatra Industry and Commerce Chamber (Kadin) head Asnawi Bahar said on Saturday.

He said a number of hotels, malls and hospitals toppled or severely damaged by the Sept. 30, 2009 quake in Padang have started to lay off their workers. So have scores of companies, small businesses and traditional markets, Asnawi added.

"The impact is huge to the future of the economy, particularly for businesspeople whose factories and other buildings have been destroyed," he told The Jakarta Post.

"Therefore, we expect the government to declare the quake a national disaster so special assistance can be allocated toward economic recovery in West Sumatra, especially Padang," he added.

Earlier, the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry had predicted that as many as 170,000 residents in the quake-rattled province could lose their jobs after the disaster.

Business entities, which have begun laying off their workers in Padang, include The Ambacang Hotel, Rocky Plaza Hotel and Bumiminang Hotel, as well as the Ramayana shopping center at Plaza Andalas, data from Kadin shows.

The Ambacang, which was severely damaged by the quake, had to lay off 130 of its workers, the Rocky Plaza Hotel 120, and Bumiminang 200.

Ramayana has meanwhile moved 76 of its permanent employees to its branches in other regions and terminated the contracts of all of its casual staff.

In a related development, around 200 workers of the BMC (Bunda Medical Center) public hospital in Padang staged a protest Saturday as their company forced them to resign because it could no longer afford to pay them.

Asnawi said the impact of the collapse in business activities caused by the powerful quake on the socio-economic life would start to be felt in the next three months.

The closure of some hotels, hospitals, shopping centers and traditional markets will impact thousands of small businesses and farmers who supplied them with their products, he added.

"The central government and the local administrations must immediately discuss this issue and start putting in place recovery efforts," Asnawi said. "We don't want businesspeople in West Sumatra to go bankrupt and lose their assets or flee to other regions," he added.

Kadin suggested that as part of the economic recovery efforts, the government should ease banking and tax rates for businesses.

Workers' wage cut following court verdict

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2009

Achmad Faisal, Surabaya – Thousands of workers from the PT Maspion Group in Surabaya, Sidoarjo and Gresik, had their wage cut over the weekend after the East Java High Court won the case filed by the Association of Indonesian Employers (Apindo) regarding a 2008 governor decree on the province's 2009 city/regency minimum wage (UMK).

The workers found out about the Rp 50,000-a-month cut after receiving their fortnightly wages on Saturday. While the company was previously paying wages according to the minimum wage decree – Rp 948,500 for Surabaya, Rp 971,200 for Gresik and Rp 955,000 or Sidoarjo – now it is paying its workers an average of Rp 905,500 per month in the three regions.

"We're not cutting the wages. We're just implementing the law," PT Maspion Group's human resources manager, Adi Chandra, said on Saturday. With the higher court verdict, Adi said, his company could not apply a UMK of Rp 948,500 a month as stipulated in the governor decree, and had decided to apply the one previously agreed by the provincial payment body. He added that if the governor's appeal to the Supreme Court won the court's support, his company would reimburse the unpaid wages.

Adi, also a member of the payment body representing Apindo, said the association was not pushing its other members to do the same. "They are free to decide whether they will keep using the governor's decree as a reference, or follow the way PT Maspion pays its workers."

Coordinator of the Association of Indonesian Workers' (SPSI) Maspion unit, Sudiyono, said the workers were forced to accept the new wage because they needed the money to support their families. "What will we eat if we do not accept it?" Sudiyono asked.

He said his association had tried to protest the company management's policy by organizing a small rally, discussion and filing a complaint to the local manpower agency, but without success.

Thousands of workers in Palu not insured

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2009

Palu – At least 2,443 of 20,000 workers in Palu, Central Sulawesi, are still not registered with state-owned worker insurance firm PT Jamsostek, according to data from the city's manpower agency.

Under a 1992 law, all companies employing more than 10 people for more than a year are required to insure them with Jamsostek. The law threatens violators with fines and punitive measures.

But despite the requirement, the Palu administration has refrained from taking firm action against violators of the law.

"We have always reminded companies that haven't insured their workers with Jamsostek about doing it," said Maswati, from the local manpower office.

Environment/natural disasters

Greens call on president to stand by emissions pledge

Jakarta Globe - October 19, 2009

Fidelis E Satriastanti – Green groups on Monday called on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to fulfill his stated commitment to reducing carbon emissions during his second term, which starts today.

On Sept. 25, Yudhoyono announced during the Group of 20 meeting in the US city of Pittsburgh that Indonesia would reduce carbon emissions by 26 percent and up to 41 percent if international assistance was offered.

"Now is the right moment for the president to begin implementing his own pledge on emissions," said Joko Arif, a forest campaigner for Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

"If he's serious, that target could easily be reached just by focusing on the forestry sector because forest fires, illegal logging and deforestation are the biggest contributors to most of the country's emissions."

A forum of green groups, including Greenpeace, the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) and the Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam), sent an open letter to the president asking him to review several regulations related to the agriculture and forestry sectors.

The groups want Yudhoyono to strengthen law enforcement, increase peatland protection and accommodate the rights of indigenous people.

However, Rino Soebagyo, executive director of the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law, said it was not the first time Yudhoyono had given commitments on forestry sector reforms.

In 2005, Yudhoyono issued a presidential instruction assigning 12 ministries, the Attorney General's Office, the National Police, the Armed Forces, the State Intelligent Agency, provincial governors and district heads to coordinate and curb illegal logging.

"It seems that the president makes pledges early in his administration, however, his instruction failed to have any significant impact [on preventing illegal logging]," Rino said.

He said it was still not clear where the emissions cuts the president promised would come from and voiced suspicion the pledge may have only been "lip service" to secure international assistance.

"Logically, if the government was serious about implementing the president's 2005 instruction, then Yudhoyono would not now have to come up with new figures because emissions from the forestry sector would have automatically decreased," he said.

Furthermore, Rino said, with or without the pledge, it is already the government's responsibility to deal with forest-related crimes, including forest fires and illegal logging.

"We are pinning our hopes that the new [Environmental Protection and Management] law will be fully implemented according to its mandate, so that the related sectors will be forced to review their destructive regulations," he said.

However, Siti Maimunah, national coordinator of Jatam, said the new environment law was still untested, adding that it was up to the president to ensure that his new administration would oversee a decrease in environmental destructive, which would in turn bring about a drop in carbon emissions.

SBY's policies have damaged environment, say activists

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2009

Jakarta – Policies implemented during President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's previous tenure have severely damaged the environment, bringing the country to a state of ecological crisis, a group of environmentalists say.

Executive director of the Indonesian Environmental Forum (Walhi), Berry Nahdian Forqan, said on Sunday that several laws deliberated between 2004 and 2009 allowed private companies to own or manage the country's natural resources.

"This has led to (companies) systematically controlling our natural resources without proper consideration for environmental sustainability and the needs of the Indonesian people," he said.

One of the controversial laws includes the 2007 law on the management of coastal areas and small islands. A supporting regulation on coastal water concessions (HP3) enables certain parties, be it individuals, companies or ethnic groups, to obtain rights to use coastal waters for specific purposes.

Berry argued that the concessions had hampered the welfare of 20 million traditional fishermen, on top of another 127 million people living in coastal areas.

"The HP3 allows companies to take over the management of our coastal areas, cutting off access and control of the surrounding communities to the areas that people have been depending on to earn a living."

The condition of coastal areas is also degrading, due to reclamation projects to establish industrial, commercial and residential areas. According to Walhi, construction has caused damage to and destroyed nearby mangroves.

Berry also urged the government to review the 2009 law on minerals and coal mining. Berry said the law did not limit the number of mining permits companies could hold in each area.

"The total mineral and coal mining areas, based on the issued contracts of work, has reached more than 44 million hectares, that's 44 percent of the total area of Indonesia's forests," he added.

The environmental activists also urged the government to pay more attention to the ecological impact of expanding palm oil plantations.

"Almost all of the multinational companies that own palm oil plantations in the country have converted river basin areas and even rivers into plantations," Abetnego Tarigan, the executive director of Sawit Watch, said.

The conversion, he added, polluted the waters, creating water shortages for locals. The monocultural palm oil plantations have also led to swarms of pests in several regions. "Monocultures require high amounts of chemicals, which degrade the quality of soil."

He said 20 million hectares of land had been allocated to palm oil plantations, but so far only 7.8 million hectares were planted.

The activists urged for ecological restoration projects to protect the country's remaining natural resources.

"The President has often spoken to international audiences about how Indonesia is committed to addressing environmental problems in the country, now it's time to actually do something," Berry said. (adh)

Unplugged Australian oil spill leaking into protected waters

Jakarta Globe - October 18, 2009

Fidelis E Satriastanti – As attempts to contain an oil spill from a well operated by Thai and Australian companies proved futile, a conservationist warned on Sunday that the disaster would not only affect local people but also threaten the country's largest marine conservation area.

The Montara oil well began spewing a reported 400 barrels of oil a day into the ocean on Aug. 21, creating an oil slick at least 100 times the size of Sydney Harbor. The well, which is operated by Thailand's PTT Exploration and Production Australasia, is located 690 kilometers west of Darwin.

Almost two months after the oil spill started, efforts to stop the leak have yielded little result, with oil now spreading to at least 6,000 square kilometers.

"The impact is high for Indonesia, starting with the livelihood of locals in coastal areas, biodiversity, investment in the fisheries sector, and tourism," said Wawan Ridwan, director of the marine program of WWF-Indonesia.

"The biggest loss for Indonesia [as the oil spill spreads closer to its territory] is the Savu Sea conservation area because the cost for rehabilitation will be huge if the oil reaches the Coral Triangle areas," Ridwan said.

The Coral Triangle, with an area of about six million square kilometers, spans waters of six countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands and East Timor. It is considered a biodiversity hotspot rich in coral and marine life. It is also home to six out of seven turtles which are known to migrate through these parts to Australia.

The Savu Sea marine conservation area, located in the Coral Triangle region, has a total area of 3.5 million hectares. It is made up of ten regencies and estimated to be home to at least 500 coral species and endangered sea turtles such as the hawksbill turtle, green turtle and leatherback turtle.

Ridwan added that about 7,000 fishermen at the southern coastal areas of East Nusa Tenggara and the country's 130,000 ton-per-year fishing industry will be badly affected by the oil spill. "We are hoping that the Indonesian government will coordinate with the Australian government to immediately resolve the issue. Montara should be forced to deal with this spill because it will harm local people and the environment," Ridwan said.

Early this month, the East Nusa Tenggara government reported that the oil spill had already affected Rote island near Australia with dead fish found in the area.

Teuku Faizasyah, a spokesman of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, declined to comment on the issue because it was still waiting for the report from the delegation sent by the transportation ministry to Darwin to discuss the issue with Australian officials.

Activists push government to punish polluting firms

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2009

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – Green activists have demanded the government fine polluting firms that perform poorly under the Proper rating system, in accordance with the newly enacted environmental law.

According to activists, the new law is a policy the government must push to manage the deteriorating environment. They said regardless of the Proper rating system, polluters must be punished as a deterrent and to encourage "green" practice.

"The law must be applied to polluters with or without a Proper rating system," executive director of the Indonesian Environmental Forum Berry Furqon told The Jakarta Post on Friday. "The environment minister and the government would be deemed law violators if they did not enforce it," he said.

The Office of the State Minister for the Environment announced Thursday the result of the environmental performance ranking, or Proper rating system. Of 627 companies, 56 firms were rated as black and 130 were red.

Companies in the black category were firms that did nothing to manage hazardous waste's effect on air and water. Companies in this category were thought to have minimum corporate social responsibility. The red and red minus rates were given to companies that failed to meet minimum environmental standards.

Article 99 of the 2009 Environmental Protection and Management Law stipulates anyone who intentionally conducts activity that causes pollution exceeding water- and air-quality levels, will face a minimum three-year jail sentence, with a fine between Rp 3 billion (US$320,000) and Rp 10 billion (US$1 million).

State Minister for the Environment Rachmat Witoelar, who declined to take action against polluting companies, said the voluntary Proper rating system was a tool to encourage companies to improve their environmental impact rather than to penalize.

The Proper rating, first launched in 1995, ranks companies on a color scale. Gold is the highest, followed by green, blue, minus blue, red, minus red, and lastly, black. It assesses companies' compliance with environmental regulations and their pollution management such as the effect of hazardous waste on air and water.

The Proper rating did not assess environmental damage caused by mining companies.

Around 183 mining companies joined the Proper rating and only two firms were included in the black category. About 83 percent of mining companies received a green rating.

Executive director of the Mining Network Siti Maimunah said the Proper rating system gave mining companies a "green" image.

"We have long criticized the system's criteria used to examine companies," Siti said. "The green label will only give mining companies more access to bank credit."

Siti said the government needed to upgrade the criteria by better evaluating companies' impacts on the environment. "It does not make sense when companies expand their mining activities into protected forests just because they have received a green label under the ranking system," she said.

Siti said there was no reason the government should avoid imposing fines on excessive-polluting companies.

She also warned the law might encourage government officers and companies to involve themselves in power abuse in their efforts to receive a green rank. She said many banks required companies to possess a green rank to be eligible for bank loans.

Green activists were confused by the government's decision to award a gold label to publicly listed cement company, PT Indocement Tunggal Prakarsa, in Citeurup, for receiving a green rank for achieving zero pollution over the past three years.

Thousands of families still homeless as UN steps in

Jakarta Post - October 16, 2009

Erwida Maulia and Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – Around 90,000 families are still homeless in Padang, West Sumatra, two weeks after the 7.9-magnitude quake hit the province as the UN pledges to disburse US$38 million to help victims, the government says.

Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BKPM) Syamsul Maarif said in a press conference that while the quake victims' basic needs, such as drinking water, energy, electricity and telecommunications had been met, providing them with shelters was still a problem.

"There are still 90,000 families without a shelter. We will meet about two-thirds of the need for shelter by the end of this week," Syamsul said, after attending a Cabinet meeting on the aftermath of the earthquake with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

"As for the remaining [victims], the governor has started to distribute tools to the communities so they can use them to build their own shelters until their houses are repaired.

"I've seen how people in outlying areas build shelters from the remains of their houses," he added.

Syamsul said his agency had actually prepared huge makeshift tents to be used as temporary shelters for large groups of quake victims. But, he added, the victims had refused to use them, demanding individual family shelters instead.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Crisis and Emergency Relief Coordinator, John Holmes, who visited West Sumatra on Wednesday, also agreed that the quake victims needed shelters as thousands of houses had been badly damaged.

"We will be helping the government provide a large number of tents," the UN official told The Jakarta Post on Thursday. "The victims do not want to go to camps and want to stay where they are. That means they need some kind of temporary shelter."

The UN has asked the international community for $38 million for immediate relief efforts in the devastated province. "I have already authorized $7 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund," Holmes said.

He said the initial response from the Indonesian government and the international community to the disaster had been "good and effective".

For the rice aid program, West Sumatra Governor Gamawan Fauzi said a total of 6,000 tons of rice had been distributed to quake victims, 5,000 tons would soon be handed out, and 14,000 tons were still in stock – enough for the next five months.

As for the cash aid program, over Rp 45 billion ($4.5 million) has been disbursed in total, he said.

Syamsul said emergency measures had been taken over the last two weeks, and that the government was still considering whether they would last for two months or be cut to a month.

Gamawan said that as of Thursday, the death toll from the West Sumatra quake had reached 1,117 people, 907 of whom had been identified.

Yudhoyono said that emergency measures should be completed soon so that rehabilitation and reconstruction activities could start immediately.

He said that West Sumatra and neighboring Jambi, which was also hit by a smaller-magnitude earthquake, should be better prepared to face similar disasters in the future.

"We hope that West Sumatra and Jambi will not just recover, but also be better equipped to face similar disasters, by constructing quake-proof buildings, mentally preparing their citizens, and implementing early responses to disasters," the President said.

Mangroves disappearing fast with global appetite for shrimp

Jakarta Post - October 16, 2009

Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung – A large area of mangrove forests in Lampung, which acts as a buffer for coastal residents from tidal waves, has been depleted rapidly over the past year, especially in South Lampung, East Lampung and Tanggamus regencies, where only 25 percent of the original forests remain.

Of the 160,000 hectares of mangrove wetlands that previously covered these regencies, only 20,000 ha remains. A large portion of these has been turned into traditional shrimp farms, many of which are owned privately.

The shrimp farm operators, who generally come from Jakarta, Tangerang and as far away as Central Java, now own land titles, having bought the land from coastal residents.

"Two years ago, up to 136,000 ha of the 160,000 ha of mangrove forest was badly damaged, indicating that 20,000 ha had been subject to clearing... Surprisingly, the provincial and regency administrations have not taken any action against (the destruction)," Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) Lampung chapter director Hendrawan said recently.

A number or regency administrations and Lampung provincial administration had initiated a mangrove replanting programs, Hendrawan said.

"The central government has even provided funds from the state budget worth billions of rupiah for the purpose, but most of the mangrove seedlings have died because of a lack of maintenance and supervision, such as in Sragi and Ketapang districts in South Lampung," Hendrawan said.

Lampung Walhi data shows that of Lampung's mangrove forests converted into large-scale commercial shrimp farms, most were in South Lampung and East Lampung regencies.

"A large portion of these areas is believed to have been cleared by two large-scale hatchery companies," added Hendrawan, who declined to name the companies.

The presence of the large-scale shrimp farms in Lampung had led traditional fish farmers to clear more mangrove forests to make way for shrimp farms, he said.

Ketapang resident Sumarno, 45, said many coastal residents had sold their rice paddies to newcomers in the past two years. Sumarno, who owns 2.5 ha of rice paddies, sold his land last year because it could no longer be used to grow rice.

"We were forced to sell our (land) because it was no longer productive and sea water had permeated the groundwater because of severe coastal abrasion," Sumarno said.

South Lampung Environmental Office head Hasanuri said the regency had virtually no mangrove forests left, and many areas of its remnant mangrove wetlands were in a critical condition.

"Of the 505 ha of mangrove area in Ketapang village, South Lampung, no more than 10 ha remains, spanning at a width of only four meters from the coastline," he said.

Lampung is recognized as a windu shrimp exporter. Each year the province exports between 60,000 and 70,000 tons of shrimp to the United States, Canada, Australia and a number of European and Asian countries.

Time needed for Indonesia environment law: official

Reuters - October 16, 2009

Sunanda Creagh, Jakarta – Indonesia's tough new environment law, passed last month and aimed at any firm with an effect on the environment, may take as long as two years to implement, a senior government official said on Friday.

The law allows the government to revoke polluters' business licences, which environmentalists said could lead to more effective enforcement.

Indonesia's rapid economic growth has been accompanied by widespread pollution of its waterways, soil and air, and destruction of forests and wildlife by firms in the mining, timber, palm oil and manufacturing sectors.

Law enforcement remains generally weak in many areas, including the environment, and despite efforts to curb graft, Indonesia ranks as one of the world's most corrupt countries.

According to a draft seen by Reuters, the law requires companies whose operations impact the environment to obtain an environmental licence and undergo an environmental assessment before starting operations. It sets tough fines for polluters.

However, Dana A. Kartakusuma, an assistant Environment Minister, told a mining conference in Jakarta that it could be two years before industry would know exactly what had to be done to comply with the law.

"I foresee that the regulations under this law will be done in one or two years, and the implementation of this law will be executed stage by stage during the next five years," he said in a speech.

Under the law, companies that breach the terms of the new environmental permit could have their operating licences for those projects revoked.

Anyone deliberately polluting the environment could face up to 10 years in jail and a fine of up to 10 billion rupiah ($1.07 million).

Those two aspects of the law have been welcomed by environmentalists, but Kartakusuma told Reuters it could be a year before details about the environmental permit are released.

"We will target to have it within one year but sometimes it takes longer," he said. "Theoretically, companies have to comply with the new law, but in order to implement it we need the government regulations. On that we have to wait."

The environmental group Greenpeace has expressed concern that even with the implementing regulations, the law may not be uniformly or strictly enforced. ($1=9350 Rupiah) (Editing by Ron Popeski)

State firms among worst for Indonesia's environment

Jakarta Globe - October 16, 2009

Fidelis E. Satriastanti – The State Ministry for the Environment on Thursday released its annual list of ratings of 627 companies based on compliance with environmental regulations, and many state-owned enterprises were among the worst.

The 56 companies on the "black list" of worst offenders included 10 state-owned enterprises and 12 foreign companies. They operated across a range of industries, including oil and gas, coal mining, pulp and paper, textiles, fish processing, plywood and palm oil. They included an oil and gas joint venture of PT Pertamina in South Sumatra, six state-owned plantations, nine plywood companies, 10 palm oil concerns and a leading milk producer.

The Corporate Environmental Performance Ratings, also known as the Proper list, assessed the environmental performance of 627 companies over the past year. Last year's list covered 516 companies.

The list is based on simple criteria, including assessments of water quality, air quality and the management of toxic chemicals. The ratings are divided into five color categories – gold, green, blue, red and black – with gold for best compliance and black for the worst. The black list included 56 companies, while the red list accounted for 130, including 48 firms that had poor compliance.

"This is a wake up call for those who are still labeled as black or red companies, because based on the new [environment] law, they are facing big penalties," said Surna Tjahja Djajadiningrat, head of the Proper Advisory Council.

The 130 companies on red list, which had only partial compliance, included 43 state-owned companies and 24 foreign firms. They included 13 in the oil and gas sector, eight of which were linked to Pertamina; five power plants operated by state electricity firm PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara; two units of the state tin mining company PT Timah; and 55 plantations, of which 29 were state-owned.

The only firm to secure a gold rating was cement company PT Indocement Tunggal Prakarsa, for its plant in Citeureup near Bogor, West Java.

Surna said the Proper Advisory Council had raised the requirements for this year's ratings, and the list reflected the fact that many companies, especially new firms, had difficulties keeping pace.

"These new companies have had very poor performances, which goes to show that they are not actually concerned with environmental issues," he said.

Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar said the list was supposed to encourage companies to improve their performance and become more aware of the environment.

"I realize that many companies failed to meet the standards after they were raised," he said.

"But I think that if we want to be more advanced, it should be done with sustainability and environmental compatibility in mind."

Surna said the public should also feel free get involved, whether identifying violations or pointing out errors in the list. "We are more than happy to accept criticism," he said.

West Sumatra quake cost $694 million: Reports

Jakarta Globe - October 16, 2009

Anita Rachman – Four districts and a municipality in West Java have submitted reports estimating the total damage caused by the Sept. 30 West Sumatra earthquake at Rp 6 trillion.

The areas do not include the provincial capital, which alone is estimated to have caused damage totalling as much as Rp 6.5 trillion ($694 million).

Ade Edward, the head of West Sumatra's Disaster Management Agency, said the districts and municipality had submitted their estimate of financial losses, which would be verified by a government team.

"We have received reports from Padang Pariaman, Agam, South Pesisir and West Pasaman districts and Pariaman municipality, with losses at Rp 6 trillion," he said. "We are still waiting for a report from Padang."

Ade said it would verify the estimates in coordination with several related government departments and agencies.

He said the four districts, municipality and Padang were among the areas worst damaged by the earthquake, which measured 7.9 on the Richter scale.

Ade said the team would check the reports, including damage to schools and public works, including roads, and utilities.

"We will need time to finish this and we will only have the team to calculate the destruction for next week," he said.

The agency also estimated that there were about 135,000 houses badly damaged by the earthquake.

Ade said that by calculating the total losses, it would be easier for the provincial government to act and begin reconstruction.

"Not that the number will give us an idea of how much money we need to rebuild the area... but because we still need the figure to estimate how long we need."

Separately, Padang Deputy Mayor Mahyeldi Ansyarullah told the Jakarta Globe that the provincial capital alone was estimated to have suffered losses of Rp 6.5 trillion.

He said that almost 110,000 houses in Padang were damaged, about 40,000 of them severely. He said that the earthquake had also destroyed 1,188 classrooms in the city, mostly in elementary and junior high schools.

"The total financial loss is Rp 6.5 trillion for the city alone. This might be the biggest in the province because residences in the city are pretty close to each other, unlike those in other areas," he said, adding that there were about 900,000 people living in Padang.

In addition to the housing losses, Mahyeldi said the city also lost office buildings, hospitals and roads.

He said those with insurance should have no problem getting compensation.

"But we haven't discussed the amount of local government aid for each house," he said. "So far, we have only distributed Rp 5,000 worth of food per day for 10 days to each person who lost their home in the earthquake."

He said that at the moment, the Padang administration was focusing on rehabilitation and reconstruction planning.

Mahyeldi said his team was discussing housing issues with experts from Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta.

Women & gender

Sri Mulyani, Mari not enough: Women activists

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2009

Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has to pick more women to sit in his next Cabinet to promote gender equality, say women activists.

Besides Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Mari Elka Pangestu, Indonesia still has Nursyahbani Katjasungkana and Jaleswari Pramodawardani and many other women with competence and integrity who could help the President achieve progress in the next five years, said Saparinah Sadli, former chairwoman of the National Commission for Women's Rights.

She admitted Nursyahbani, legislator-turned law expert, and Jaleswari, a political expert at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) were two women proposed by the commission to the President for the Cabinet.

"These names are only a couple of the female figures the commission has nominated as ministers. These women are competent in their own areas of expertise and have the integrity to help the President achieve advances," she told The Jakarta Post here over the weekend.

Sri Mulyani and Mari Pengestu were two of 17 minister candidates who were briefed by the President and vice-president-elect Boediono and signed an integrity pact at Yudhoyono's private residence in Cikeas, Bogor, on Saturday.

Evita Legowo, director general for oil and gas at the Energy and Mining Ministry, and several other women leading were expected to be part of the 17 others who were scheduled to undergo a fit-and-proper test and briefing at the same place.

"The remaining 17 ministerial candidates will be briefed on Sunday and Monday," Presidential spokesman Andi Alvian Mallarangeng said.

The President said on Wednesday that he would pick more women candidates in his next Cabinet to promote gender equality.

Up to Saturday, Yudhoyono has yet to brief the ministerial candidates who will be entrusted to deal with the portfolios for women's welfare and health affairs.

"If the President is serious with his statement, then he should allocate more than five posts to women in his Cabinet. All we need to do now is wait to see whether he keeps his word or not," Saparinah said.

Saparinah also criticized a statement of Ahmad Mubarok, Yudhoyono's close aide, that it was not the right time for women to take more strategic positions in the next government.

"I think it is a setback to say that women can only take up either the post of women's empowerment minister or that of the social minister," she said.

Women's activist Smita Notosusanto said that Yudhoyono should be willing to have the guts to give strategic posts, such as the defense ministry, to women to show the country's progress in gender equality.

"Jaleswari with her expertise as a defense analyst and intelligence expertise can carry the ball as defense minister. Another suitable candidate is Dewi Fortuna Anwar," she said.

Dewi was once the top advisor to Indonesia's third president, B.J. Habibie. She was in charge of formulating foreign policies and also became the spokeswoman for Habibie.

Commenting on Nuryahbani, Smita said that her past track record as a prominent human rights activist, who fought for women's welfare, was enough to prove her competence for the justice and human rights portfolio or the labor portfolio.

"Most Indonesian migrant workers abroad are women. Nursyahbani has shown in the past that she has a great passion for their welfare and rights," she said.

Meanwhile, Umi Farida from the Legal Aid Institute for Indonesian Women's Association for Justice (LBH Apik), said Yudhoyono should at least allocate 30 percent of his Cabinet ministerial posts to women.

"That is if the President is really serious about ensuring equality between genders in his next Cabinet. The current number of woman ministers, which is four, is still to low," she said.

"I am sure that the country has enough capable women to take up at least 10 posts," she added. (hdt)

Polygamy club opens in Bandung

Antara News - October 19, 2009

Bandung – About 150 guests from throughout the nation attended the launch of the Indonesian branch of a controversial international polygamy club during an upscale get together here on Saturday night.

Chodijah Binti Am, chairwoman of the Malaysian Global Ikhwan Polygamy Club, was also present at the launch at the Grand Aquila Hotel attended by guests from Papua, Jakarta and Tasikmalaya in West Java.

"Polygamy as panacea to win the love of God" was the theme of the night, and the organizers also arranged a music concert and an explanation about polygamy for the uninitiated.

Chodijah said she also planned to open other branches throughout Indonesia. "Before inaugurating this polygamy club in Bandung, I traveled throughout Indonesia to convey the mission of polygamy," she said.

She said the club in Malaysia currently had 300 members from various countries, including Indonesia, Australia, Singapore, the Middle East and Thailand.

However, authorities in Malaysia are reportedly wary of the club, believing it to be a front for the notorious Al-Arqam cult, which was banned in 1994 for teachings practices considered deviant by mainstream Islam.

Al-Arqam was founded in 1969 by Ashaari Muhamad, who claimed to be the Imam Mahdi, or the heir to the Prophet Muhammad.

One of Ashaari's wives, polygamy club co-founder Hatija Aam, told reporters from the New Strait Times that "Polygamy is a most practical approach, an effective cure to a woman's desire."

Democrat accused of belittling women

Jakarta Globe - October 16, 2009

Nurfika Osman – Women activists on Friday criticized Democratic Party's deputy chairman Achmad Mubarok for suggesting that women were not ready to take up strategic ministries in the next cabinet, saying such statement showed that politicians were willing to employ stereotyping to tighten their grip on power.

"People who say that [women are not ready] are those who seek to protect their own positions by typecasting women, turning a blind eye to the fact that we have women in this country who are well qualified to lead strategic ministries," said Sri Wiyanti Eddyono, a commissioner from the National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan).

She pointed to Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, Trade Minister Marie Elka Pangestu and Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari as women who have successfully led strategic ministries.

"Do male ministers perform better than female? How many female corruptors are there in the country compared to male corruptors?" asked Eddyono, taking a swipe at male lawmakers and senior state officials tried and sentenced to jail for corruption.

Mubarok of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party was reported to have said on Thursday that women were not ready for a bigger role in the government.

His statement came as the president-elect was busy finding suitable candidates to join his next cabinet scheduled to be sworn in on Oct. 21.

Eddyono called on Yudhoyono to give equal opportunity to women to head strategic ministries, saying that the country ratified the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women back in 1984.

"Women have equal rights with men in politics," she said. "The country does not have any right to hold us back."

Too early for top female ministers: SBY aide

Jakarta Post - October 16, 2009

Jakarta – While President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has promised a more prominent role for women in his next Cabinet, one of his aides says it is still too early for women to hold more strategic posts.

"One of the most important criteria for a female minister is that she is able to become a pillar of the nation," Democratic Party deputy chairman Achmad Mubarok told The Jakarta Post on Thursday. "For that, it is essential to have women head up the women's affairs ministry or social affairs ministry."

Asked whether he thought women should be given more responsibility by being appointed to lead strategic ministries such as defense and law, he said, "Not yet".

The current Cabinet boasts only four women: Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, who is also the acting coordinating minister for the economy, Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu, Health Minister Siti Fadila Supari, and State Minister for Women's Empowerment Meutia Farida Hatta Swasono. Yudhoyono looks likely to keep Sri Mulyani, Mari and Siti in their current posts.

One prospective call-up to the Cabinet is Evita Legowo, the director general for oil and gas at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, which she is being tipped to head up.

Another prospective new minister is National Awakening Party (PKB) legislator Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, who is widely supported by civil society groups to become the justice and human rights minister.

Usman Hamid, coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), is one of those urging a call-up for Nursyahbani.

"Her track record shows that she deserves to be named the new justice and human rights minister," Usman said. "She initiated many laws to protect human rights, such as the one on domestic violence."

The Democratic Party's Achmad said even though he respected Nursyahbani's credentials as a champion of human rights, now was not the time for her to become the minister.

He added he did not see any worthy female ministerial candidate coming from his party. "We have a lot of women in our party, but they're still just activists, not prominent central board leaders," he said.

Puan Maharani, the daughter of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, has also been touted as a possible minister, following recent political maneuvering by her father, Taufik Kiemas.

Taufik has been cosying up to the President's coalition after the Democratic Party backed his bid to be People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) speaker.

Puan is in with a chance at being either the women's empowerment minister or the social affairs minister. Achmad agreed Puan was a likely choice, but only to "serve as mere political accommodation".

Golkar deputy secretary-general Nurul Arifin said women needed to be given more strategic posts. "I don't think it's appropriate anymore to pigeonhole women into ministries dealing solely with women's or social affairs," she said.

Nurul added she believed Nursyahbani was capable of becoming either the defense or justice and human rights minister.

She also pointed out Golkar had two women worthy of Cabinet posts. "Bu Syarwan Hamid and Dr. Pratiwi Sudharmono deserve to be made ministers," she said.

Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) political analyst Siti Zuhro, meanwhile, said Regional Representatives Council (DPD) secretary-general Siti Nurbaya deserved to be the next home minister. (hdt)

Agriculture & food security

New government faces rice farming paradox

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2009

Aditya Suharmoko, Jakarta – The new government has to improve the policy framework for rice production as many farmers remain poor despite helping to produce a rice surplus, a ministry official says.

The high price of fertilizers is one of the problems burdening rice farmers, which they often complain about, Bayu Krisnamurthi, deputy to the coordinating minister for the economy, in charge of agriculture and maritime affairs, said Friday.

"The new cabinet should work out new rice policies. There are some issues that should be sorted out, like the price of fertilizers, which farmers have asked to be changed," he said.

As an example, farmers in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) are still living in poverty after 15 years of producing a rice surplus in the province, according to the NTB Statistics Agency.

The NTB index of farmer exchange value (NTP) in August stood at 96.24, down 0.14 percent from July, below the minimum NTP of 100, which indicates the lowest level of a healthy exchange value.

Data at the national level shows that only 13 out of the archipelago's 33 provinces had an NTP index above 100 in July and August. NTB province was ranked 31st, the third lowest after Jambi whose NTP index was 95.8, and Bangka Belitung whose NTP index was 93.99.

Bayu said the current government had designed a policy to ensure subsidized fertilizers went to the right farmers. "The subsidy is becoming a targeted subsidy. In 2010 there will be some trial and error, and by 2011 it will be working properly."

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) will provide data on which farmers are eligible to receive the subsidy.

Indonesia has managed to reach national self-sufficiency in rice this year, with an estimate from the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) that there will be 4.5 million tons of rice in stock by the end of the year, enough to meet rice demand for two months.

Another problem facing the new government is subsidized rice to the poor – dubbed as raskin or poor rice – said Bayu. The price of raskin will likely be maintained at Rp 1,600 (17 US cents) per kilogram, which will increase the cost of the rice subsidy as the price of rice has increased.

The new government will also meet obstacles in securing sugar supply without imports. Economists and businesses have complained about the decision of the current government to import sugar, which they say will eventually burden domestic sugar producers and farmers.

The Agriculture Ministry has said farmers will strive to raise the production of staple foodstuffs, including sugar and rice, if the government can achieve price stability.

Stable prices for staple foodstuffs will help ease inflation, avoiding damaging people's purchasing power, the main driver of the economy.

Health & education

Surabaya to issue bylaw on free education

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2009

Indra Harsaputra, Surabaya – In a bid to help prevent misappropriation in the use of the school operational aids (BOS) fund, the Surabaya municipal administration is to draft a bylaw on transparency in the use of the fund.

Head of the municipal education agency, Sahudi, said the bylaw was now in the deliberation process at the executive level. Once issued, he said, it could serve as a legal base for the community to control the use of the fund.

"With the bylaw, schools will be no longer able to withdraw money from the people whenever they want. It will also give sanctions to violators."

This year, the central government increased the BOS fund, which is provided to help achieve the 9-year compulsory education across the country, from previous Rp 11.2 trillion to Rp 16 trillion presently.

With the increase, students of both elementary and junior high schools receive financial educational aid of between Rp 397,000 and Rp 575,000 a year. Apart from this, additional funds are also provided by their respective regency/municipal administrations.

Surabaya, for example, provides between Rp 62,000 and Rp 152,000 per month to students of elementary, junior high and senior high schools in the region. With both funds, the schools are expected to withdraw no more educational levies from the public.

Sahudi said, only privately run schools were allowed to withdraw money from the public as educational investment fund, for example to rehabilitate buildings, school area expansion, buy educational equipments and other needs, especially because their operational funds were not fully supported by the regional BOS program.

"I do hope the bylaw will be issued soon to prevent uncertainty in the allowed educational levies as well as improve transparency in the use of the BOS fund," he said.

Sahudi said to help control the use of the BOS fund, his office had been conducting a routine monitoring once every three months on the use of the BOS fund at the schools across the region.

"The problem is, we will not be able to apply strict actions against misappropriation as we don't have the legal basis," he said.

Sahudi said that what his office could do when discovering fund misappropriation was to halt its distribution. If it was considered a crime then it would report so to the police.

Separately a member of the BOS program technical team at the National Education Ministry's Elementary and High Education Management Directorate General, Budi Susetyo welcomed the planned bylaw, saying it would help create effective, professional, transparent and accountable implementation of the program.

"Some regions including Magelang and Semarang have also had their own bylaws on BOS program," Budi told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

He added that in some regions, such as in the Bangka Belitung's regency of Belitung and in Jakarta, the respective heads of the regions had even issued decrees regulating the use and control of the BOS fund.

House continues probe into missing clause

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2009

Jakarta – The removal of a Health Law clause on tobacco may have occurred within the House of Representative's internal process, the House speaker said on Friday.

"We found an administrative error. However, we still need to investigate whether the removal of the clause was deliberate," said House speaker Marzuki Ali. "Whether the removal took place in the [House] commission [overseeing health affairs] is also still unclear," he added.

Based on information obtained in a meeting with the former chairwoman of the House committee responsible for deliberating the health bill, Ribka Tjiptaning from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Marzuki said he believed the removal of the clause was an administrative error.

"Ibu Tjiptaning explained the issue was only an administrative error. However, we think we still need to probe into the matter further, and if we find the removal [of the clause] was deliberate, then someone is going to be charged," he said.

Marzuki also said that after the meeting, the House decided to set up an internal mechanism to prevent similar administrative errors from occurring in the future. "We want this mistake to be the last one," he said.

Meanwhile, members of the Coalition Against the Corruption of the Anti-tobacco clause (Kakar) said they would report a number of Health Ministry officials, suspected of being involved in the scandal, to the police as soon as possible.

The coalition consists of a number of NGOs, such as the Indonesian Consumers Association (YLKI), Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), the Indonesian Tobacco Control Network (ITCN) and the National Commission for Child Protection.

"We believe there are strong indications the Health Ministry was involved," Tulus Abadi of the YLKI said, as quoted by state news agency Antara on Friday.

One of the coalition members, former chairman of the Indonesian Doctor Association (IDI), Kartono Muhammad, said Kakar would announce the names of the suspected officials in the near future.

"We suspect officials [at the Health Ministry] were involved because the ministry was responsible for checking the health bill's final draft before it was delivered to the President to be signed," he said.

"It is also a fact that the Health Ministry does not have the authority to change any clause or paragraph in the bill during its final checking."

Kartono also demanded National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri be more proactive in investigating the scandal and capture the perpetrators as soon as possible.

"If the police remain silent, then I am afraid there will more cases like this one in the future. Let's not make removing paragraphs of laws a habit," he said.

Constitutional Court chief Mahfud M.D. previously said that if investigations found the removal was deliberate, the perpetrators would face criminal charges and should be given the maximum punishment due to the severity of the manipulation.

Indonesian kids underweight, with stunted growth

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2009

Jakarta – Thirty percent of Indonesia's children are underweight and have a lower-than-average height for their age, mostly because of early childhood malnutrition, an expert says.

Ahmad Syafiq, who chairs the center for nutrition studies at the University of Indonesia (UI) in Jakarta, said Thursday those numbers were too high.

"The number of underweight children with a lower-than-average height for their age is not a matter of genetics, but primarily of malnutrition," Syafiq said, as quoted by Antara, at a forum in Makassar, South Sulawesi's capital.

He suggested the government's budget to address malnutrition in women and children was too low.

A UI study reported that 50 percent of the women in the country suffered from anemia which, Syafiq said, put their fetuses at risk during pregnancy and delivery.

Lawmakers the butt of the joke in the tobacco war

Jakarta Post - October 16, 2009

Pandaya, Jakarta – Outgoing legislators may well be remembered for their crude sense of humor, but their last legacy, losing a contentious provision on tobacco from the health bill they endorsed, absolutely deserves not only a good laugh, but also a criminal investigation.

Over the past week, people have been amused, curious and outraged at the same time about the missing key "tobacco provision", which has become a subject of heated debate during the deliberations in which the interests of many stakeholders were involved.

It was a good thing that some former members of the special legislative committee in charge of deliberating the much- anticipated bill realized that one of the three paragraphs in chapter 113 of the finalized bill was conspicuously missing, while the bundle had already been submitted to the state secretariat for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to sign into law.

The media detailed the sophistication of the omitted paragraph. The original three paragraphs in chapter 113 were reduced to two, in such a way that only people who were directly involved in the deliberations would be able to spot the funny mistake.

The lawmakers vividly remember the disputed provision was there when the bill was endorsed by the House plenary meeting and they share the suspicion the paragraph was deliberately omitted.

The lost provision singles out tobacco as an addictive and dangerous substance the use of which will be more tightly regulated under the law. This was a key issue that had survived bitter debates during deliberations of the bill because it would have wide-ranging ramifications on the multi-billion dollar tobacco business.

Advocates hoped the provision would account for a stronger legal basis for the government to better protect citizens from the danger of cigarettes and to reign in the tobacco industry. But critics, notably the tobacco industry, have always sought lenient laws that will not harm their business.

The omitted paragraph states, "The addictive substances... include: Tobacco, derivative products containing solid, liquid and gaseous tobacco, which are addictive in nature and the use of which can cause health hazards to oneself and/or others".

After a storm of protests, the House assured the disappearance was all unintentional and that the "tobacco provision" has been put back in the draft bill that the President will sign into law.

Missing provisions have never happened before. Well, at least there has never been one that has caused such a national uproar as this one.

The scandalous incident has prompted speculations about collusion between some individual lawmakers or House employees and cigarette companies who had been unsuccessful at having the provision dropped from the bill.

But Umar Wahid, a deputy chairman of the special committee deliberating the bill swore the incident resulted from an honest misunderstanding on the part of the House's secretariat employees, who assumed that after all those fierce debates, the proposition had been dropped.

"The missing paragraph has been restored," Umar told Koran Tempo daily, which also reported that PT HM Sampoerna, Indonesia's largest cigarette maker, claimed it knew nothing about the disputed provision.

The suspicion is only well-founded because it has become a public secret that cigarette makers, who are among the country's biggest taxpayers, had been lobbying hard to ensure the new law would not harm their extremely lucrative businesses.

The commodity is heavily taxed and accounts for 95 percent of Indonesia's excise revenues.

The World Health Organization says that Indonesians spend on average 2.5 times more on tobacco than on education, and 3.2 times more on tobacco than on health. It estimates that 58.3 percent of men and 2.9 percent of Indonesian women smoke.

Indonesia consumes 1,122 cigarettes per person each year, according to the International Resource Center, with the number of female smokers rising especially among professionals in urban areas, where the habit is considered trendy.

Although its citizens are among the world's worst addicts and various measures have been taken to control smoking, Indonesia is yet to ratify the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

Once ratifying the convention, the signatory is bound to implement scientifically proven measures to reduce tobacco consumption.

The government has taken some measures to minimize tobacco consumption by, for example, imposing hefty taxes on tobacco products, regulating cigarette advertisements in the media and in some instances banning smoking in public places with a varying degree of success.

Although the House and the State Secretariat have assured that the missing provision has been recovered and reinstated, the laughing public will have to continue applying pressure for a criminal investigation into the scandal.

Consumer advocates vow to pursue tobacco case

Jakarta Globe - October 16, 2009

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Febriamy Hutapea – Despite calls from some former lawmakers to stop the debate over the controversial deletion of a section identifying tobacco as an addictive substance from the newly endorsed health bill, some activists on Friday vowed to file complaints with law enforcement agencies

Tulus Abadi, from the Indonesian Consumer Protection Foundation (YKLI), said he and other activists, including members of Indonesia Corruption Watch, would take their complaints to the House of Representatives on Monday.

"It will be our first step, reporting the case to the House's Ethics Council," Tulus said. "We want the House's Ethics Council to investigate who was responsible for this controversy."

The next step, he said, will be to file a complaint with the police, alleging that certain persons from the Ministry of Health and the House's Secretariat may have deliberately contrived to delete the reference from the bill.

"The disappearance of the article from the law was intentional and a high-level conspiracy. There are clear indications that it was a crime," Tulus alleged.

The third and final step, he said, will be to file a complaint with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). "We want the KPK to look into whether corruption played any role in this controversy," he said.

Meanwhile, Andi Matalatta, the justice and human rights minister, said on Friday that he had approved the health bill and it would be soon be delivered to the Presidential Palace for final approval.

He said the missing article on tobacco had been restored. "The House must be held responsible for how it [the section] ended up missing," Andi said.

Andi and newly-elected House Speaker Marzuki Alie, however, both said that the deletion of the missing article was likely just an administrative error.

"We are gathering as much information related to the case as possible to see whether this was intentional or not," Marzuki said. "The House executive board met last night to discuss the problem."

M Moeftie, chairman of the Association of White (non-clove) Cigarette Producers, said the group had never objected to the contents of the bill, including the article identifying tobacco as an addictive substance.

"The most important thing for us right now is that all relevant stakeholders must increasingly focus on our common goal, establishing comprehensive control over tobacco in Indonesia," Moeftie said.

Corruption & graft

Suspended KPK deputy Chandra questioned again by police

Jakarta Globe - October 21, 2009

Farouk Arnaz – National Police detectives on Wednesday again questioned Chandra M Hamzah, one of two suspended deputy chairmen of Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission who have been named as suspects in a case of alleged bribery and abuse of power.

The questioning occurred after the Attorney General's Office returned Chandra's dossier to the police for further investigation.

Police detective Sr. Comr. A.J Benny Mokolalu told the Jakarta Globe that further questioning was required because police officers had seized more evidence from the office of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) this week.

National Police Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri on Monday said he was confident that his detectives would complete the case file on Chandra in the near future.

The police on Friday released a key suspect in the case, Ary Muladi, who had initially been arrested on suspicion of fraud, extortion and document forgery, after detectives failed to finalize his case file.

While in custody, however, Ary reportedly told police that he had never actually handed over bribes to either Chandra or Bibit Samad Rianto, the other KPK deputy chairman suspected of bribery. Ary had originally claimed to have given money to the two KPK deputies.

The case revolves around businessman Anggoro Wijaya, a graft suspect who is currently on the run, and his brother, Anggodo, who allegedly recruited Ary to pay off the KPK deputies in order to allow Anggoro to flee the country.

Police investigators have alleged that Chandra and Bibit revoked a travel ban against Anggoro to allow him to flee the country, and later reimposed the ban again after Anggoro had settled safely in Singapore.

Anggoro is wanted by the KPK over a Ministry of Forestry corruption case related to his company, PT Masaro Radiokom.

Ary was suspected of directing payments from Anggoro to the KPK deputies of $404,000 and 124,000 Singapore dollars ($89,000). He later told police interrogators that he had handed the money over to a man identified only as Yulianto, a businessman from Surabaya.

Detectives have reportedly searched for Yulianto, but have not yet dismissed the possibility that he may have been fabricated by Ary to confuse investigators.

Rumors AGO chief may keep job cause uproar

Jakarta Globe - October 20, 2009

Heru Andriyanto – Antigraft groups on Tuesday urged the president to pick a new attorney general.

Of the 37 candidates President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has interviewed for his 34-member cabinet, none have been for attorney general, triggering speculation that he may reappoint Attorney General Hendarman Supandji, who assumed his post in 2007.

"Not him again, please," said Emerson Yuntho, the deputy chairman of Indonesia Corruption Watch. "We have formally asked the president to find a replacement for Hendarman, who has failed to lead his office in fighting corruption and launching sound internal reforms."

Emerson did not recommend any alternate candidates for the job. "We can only say that the next attorney general must be brave, honest and independent," he said.

The Indonesian Anti-Corruption Society (Maki) is also opposed to Hendarman retaining his post. Maki has sued the Attorney General's Office several times for dropping major graft cases.

"The next attorney general must come from outside the AGO if we want to see reforms," said Maki coordinator Boyamin Saiman. "Yunus Husein, the head of the Financial Transaction Reports Analysis Center [PPATK], could be the right person."

Boyamin said he disagreed with widespread media speculation that the president would pick Hendarman, AGO deputy for special crimes Marwan Effendy or prominent lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis to serve as attorney general.

"We oppose Hendarman, as well as his deputy, Marwan," Boyamin said. "As for Todung, he once represented the Salim Group in a corruption case uncovered by the AGO. If he leads the office, it could lead to a conflict of interest."

A series of scandals ranging from corruption to domestic violence have marred Hendarman's tenure. A senior prosecutor last year was sentenced to 20 years in jail for taking bribes. Another official was jailed for spousal abuse.

The AGO again became the target of public outrage this year when two district prosecutors in North Jakarta were arrested for selling ecstasy pills taken from an evidence locker.

Also, prosecutors in Tangerang detained a mother for three weeks for writing an email critical of a hospital in a controversial defamation case.

Presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng on Monday said the president would select officials for the attorney general and cabinet secretary posts in a separate process, but he did not provide a time line.

AGO rejects KPK conspiracy claims

Jakarta Globe - October 20, 2009

Heru Andriyanto – The Attorney General's Office on Tuesday ridiculed claims by a lawyer that prosecutors and the police had conspired to target officials in the Corruption Eradication Commission, calling it groundless gossip that did not warrant a response.

Ahmad Rifai, a lawyer for the commission, known as the KPK, on Tuesday said he had secured an audio recording in which several officials from the AGO and the police allegedly discussed a plot to prosecute KPK officials.

"When the recording is played, I'm sure it will shock the public to hear how law enforcement works," Rifai said.

AGO spokesman Didiek Darmanto said, "the office will refrain from commenting on groundless gossip."

When asked by reporters to confirm the existence of the recording, Didiek said, "you must direct your questions to the KPK official who claimed to be in possession of that recording. For us, it's just a rumor and we don't want to comment on it."

The police recently identified two KPK deputies, Chandra M Hamzah and Bibit Samad Rianto, as suspects in a case allegedly involving corruption and abuse of power.

"Everyone has the right to speak, but as far as the [Chandra and Bibit] case is concerned, we would prefer to wait for progress in the police investigation," Didiek added.

He said the AGO had concluded its examination of documents implicating Bibit and Chandra and would return them to police for review.

"The documents were incomplete, so we will return them to the police along with some suggestions from prosecutors for improvements," Didiek said.

"As for Chandra, we have already returned his d o cuments to the police and are waiting for their response."

Chandra and Bibit have been accused by police of taking bribes from a fugitive graft suspect and abusing their powers in the use of travel bans against graft suspects. They have been suspended from the antigraft agency.

However, the police on Friday released Ary Muladi – the man they believe to be the middleman in the case – due to a lack of evidence. He was suspected of directing $404,000 and 124,000 Singapore dollars ($89,210) from businessman Anggoro Widjaja to the KPK officials.

Anggoro is wanted by the KPK over a Forestry Ministry corruption case related to his company, PT Masaro Radiokom.

Meanwhile, Ary's lawyers recently said their client had never met Chandra and Bibit in person and delivered the money to a businessman identified as Yulianto, who is at still large.

Want to fight corruption? Back the KPK, corruption watchdog urges

Jakarta Globe - October 20, 2009

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono should follow up on the anti- corruption statements in his inauguration speech by firmly backing Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), said the head of Indonesian Corruption Watch on Tuesday.

"Yudhoyono said he wanted to eradicate corruption, but his silence in the KPK's rift with the police rift seems to be a signal that he supports police weakening the commission," said Danang Widoyoko.

Former KPK chief Antasari Azhar is on trial for murder, and two of his deputies are being investigated for abuse of power, in what some see as an effort by the National Police to muzzle the powerful antigraft body.

Yudhoyono has voiced support for the KPK. But he has also reportedly called it a "superbody" whose "power must not go unchecked."

In September, presidential adviser Denny Indrayana said SBY would stay out of the KPK-National Police fight. "Justice is linked to evidence and the president will not enter that territory," Denny said at the time.

Danang said he hoped the president would be clear and unconditional in his support for the embattled commission as he launched his second term in office.

"In 2004, he could say practically anything regarding the subject because we had just started, but now we don't know what his policy will be," said Danang. "I hope it would not translate to the point that it is all right for KPK to arrest corruptors but 'let's not get carried away' or 'don't arrest all of them'."

Indonesia needs new attorney general: Activists, legislators

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2009

Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono must replace attorney general Hendarman Supandji as he has failed to cleanse his office or raise the quality of prosecutors during his leadership, activists and lawmakers said.

Anti-graft activists and lawmakers agreed that not only had Hendarman failed to reform the Attorney General's Office (AGO), he had made it worse in the last five years, with many prosecutors being involved in corruption and the public losing their trust in the institution.

"One obvious example is the internal reform program that aimed to improve the quality of prosecutors, which has failed miserably. Hendarman has simply failed to lead his office in reforming itself," coordinator of Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) Danang Widoyoko told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

The AGO's internal reform program, which was launched at the beginning of Hendarman's tenure as attorney general, was aimed at cleaning its graft-tainted office and raising the capability of prosecutors in handling cases in court.

The reform also aimed to raise the salary and internal monitoring function. Many activists said that they had failed to see the fruit of the so-called internal reform program.

During Hendarman's tenure, a number of prosecutors were convicted of receiving bribes, and others were alleged to have deliberately freed draft suspects.

Danang said that the AGO under Hendarman had never made the necessary breakthroughs in tackling graft cases. He added the situation was much better under Hendarman's predecessor Abdurrahman Saleh.

He said so far the AGO had been unable to compete with the newly established Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in tackling graft cases, pointing to the fact that the AGO recovered much less state assets than the KPK did.

Early this year, the AGO had announced that it had been able to recoup Rp 8 trillion of the state's stolen assets in 2008. However, many civil society groups challenged the validity of the data, with ICW saying that the AGO had only been able to recover Rp 382 billion that year.

Meanwhile, KPK said in the same year it had managed to collect and then return almost Rp 5 trillion to the state account.

"So by looking Hendarman's track record, it is obvious that we are in great need of a new figure who could lead the AGO with clearer objectives and firmer actions," Danang said.

When asked who was considered as the best person to hold the attorney general's post at the upcoming administration, Danang named noted lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis, Bambang Widjojanto and Judicial Commission Chief Busyro Muqoddas as candidates.

"These people are known for their integrity and bravery. These two qualities are exactly what the AGO needs to be able to perform better in the future," he said.

However, Eva Kusuma Sundari, legislator for the Law Commission of the House of Representatives, said integrity and bravery were not enough. She added that the upcoming attorney general's main challenge was to develop communication between the politicians and administrations.

Instead, she suggested Marzuki Darusman, a former attorney general. She said Marzuki had built strong political communication through the Golkar Party without compromising his integrity.

Most judges not independent: Chief Justice

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2009

Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – The Supreme Court Chief Justice Harifin A Tumpa believes most judges under his institution's supervision are not acting independently when handing out verdicts because they often interact with people whose cases they are hearing.

"In the past 30 years, I haven't noticed much change in the credibility of judges," Harifin said on Friday. "Therefore I urge them to become more independent."

He said that only around 50 percent of them were becoming more independent. "We need to change their perspective. We must stop them from compromising their independence, which they do by interacting with many people including the government and people they are trying."

Previously, Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) and the Indonesian Court Monitoring Society (MAPPI) claimed that only three out of 35 Supreme Court judges were credible.

However, they derived their conclusion from observing judges' personal behavior, such as their involvement in domestic violence and extra-marital affairs.

Harifin is hoping that by 2034, the performance of around 80 percent of judges will have improved, as a result of imposing stricter regulations on them.

On the same day, Harifin and his officials met with five Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leaders to coordinate the establishment of corruption courts in seven regions, as ordered by the 2009 Corruption Court Law.

The newly enacted law requires the government establish corruption courts in 33 provinces within two years.

However, due to the lack of funding, the government is initially aiming to establish corruption courts in seven provincial capitals: Bandung, West Java; Makassar, South Sulawesi; Medan, North Sumatra; Palembang, South Sumatra; Samarinda, East Kalimantan; Semarang, Central Java; and Surabaya, East Java.

"We are currently in the process of recruiting 56 ad hoc judges to be assigned to those provinces," Harifin explained. Each province will have eight ad hoc judges, four of them assigned to the first court and four others to the appellate corruption courts.

Harifin said the Supreme Court had established a selection team to shortlist ad hoc judges.

KPK interim leader Tumpak Hatorangan Panggabean said they came to the Supreme Court office Friday to coordinate the establishment of the corruption court in the seven provinces.

"We [the KPK] will prosecute at the courts therefore we need to adjust our plan with the Supreme Court," he said. Tumpak added the KPK had also coordinated with the Attorney General's Office (AGO) to help provide office space at the regional prosecutor's premises.

"We are also asking the AGO to give us additional prosecutors. With our current 25 prosecutors, I think we will find it difficult to handle cases in seven provinces," he said.

However, Tumpak said he had not yet discussed the number of prosecutors the KPK might need. "We will just see how many prosecutors the AGO will provide us with," he said.

Graft cases cause annual state loss of Rp 20 billion

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2009

Khairul Saleh and Apriadi Gunawan, Palembang, Medan – The Supreme Audit Agency's (BPK) South Sumatra office has revealed graft cases in the province have caused an annual state loss of nearly Rp 20 billion (US$2 million) since 2004, with regional administrations' procurement divisions contributing the worst offenders.

Head of the BPK office's state and regional loss secretariat subdivision Eko Setyo Nugroho said the figure could be higher because many of the regencies and municipalities in the province had yet to report graft cases."But the graft trend is decreasing," he said in Palembeng on Friday.

Eko said only about 15 percent of graft cases reported to the BPK from 2004 to 2009 in South Sumatra had been handled.

However, the head of the central office's legal information and legislation sub-directorate, Kukuh Prionggo, said the office faced problems collecting the funds.

"Often when perpetrators are ordered to pay the fine in installments, the payments do not run smoothly," Kukuh said.

He said this was because sometimes the convicted had passed away, and their families refused to pay the installments, or sometimes the collateral went to the wrong party.

Separately, in Medan, North Sumatra Governor Syamsul Arifin ordered head of the provincial inspectorate Nurdin Lubis to investigate an alleged mass graft involving the teachers' incentive fund from the 2009 provincial budget.

The order was issued following reports from a number of parties that said the annual incentive of Rp 600,000 each for the province's 1,750,000 teachers had been cut to between Rp 50,000 and Rp 70,000.

Syamsul said this illegal cut might have been made in almost every regency and municipality across the province, including within the provincial administration offices and institutions. He added the practice might have been occurring for a long time without his knowledge.

"I have made this case a priority to investigate," Syamsul said Thursday.

"The teachers' incentive is provided to ease teachers' economic burdens – I am amazed these cuts were made." In the future, he said, he would invite the 27 regents and mayors of administrations who had received the teachers' incentive fund to clarify the report.

Head of the North Sumatra Communication and Information Agency Eddy Syofian said 27 of the province's 33 regencies and municipalities had disbursed funds. The six remaining yet to disburse funds are Tanjung Balai and Sibolga municipalities, and Nias, Dairi, Batubara and Padang Lawas regencies.

Eddy said if the six administrations did not disburse the funds by Dec. 31, the funds would be sent back to the central government. "The six regencies and municipalities will not receive the same fund next year if they fail to distribute them," he said.

The deputy chairman of the Medan Municipal Education Council, M Joharis Lubis, said Thursday parties including officials at the regency and municipal administrations could be required to pay the teachers' incentive fund levies. "There is a possibility the fund will be misused to fund the regional elections next year," he said, suggesting law enforcers investigate.

War on terror

Radical Islamic groups target university students

Jakarta Post - October 16, 2009

Dicky Christanto and Hasyim Widhiarto, Jakarta – The radical ideology that fueled the recent bombings in Indonesia has a firm rooting in the country's universities and sprouts largely from exclusive religious organizations, according to observers.

"A friend of mine was brought to an exclusive personality development group but upon arriving she was asked to discuss how the world was corrupt and full of infidels," Anindya Febyani, who has just finished her undergraduate degree at the University of Indonesia, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

She acknowledged that she had concerns about the current phenomena of ballooning radical religious organizations that can lead students to the wrong side of Islam and its teachings. "Therefore, one should develop one's own religious knowledge in order to avoid such misleading comprehensions of Islam," she said.

The clearest sign of fast-growing religious radicalization among students and teenagers was realized in the latest attacks in Jakarta.

The terrorist group that masterminded the bombings under the leadership of the late Noordin M. Top of Malaysia manipulated two teenage boys, turning them into suicide bombers.

Dani Dwi Permana and Nana Ichwan Maulana killed themselves and nine others in simultaneous attacks on the JW Marriot and Ritz- Carlton hotels on July 17. Dani and Nana were faithful followers of a Koran study group led by the late Syafuddin Zuhri bin Jaelani Irsyad.

Other members of the study group, Sonny Jayadi, Fajar Firdaus and Afham Ramadhan, are being detained by the National Police for further questioning. National Police chief spokesman Insp. Gen. Nanan Soekarna acknowledged police were still hunting down group members in order to prevent future terrorist attacks.

"We need to know how many members this group has and what kind of influence it has spread," he said.

Commenting on this, noted Islamic scholar Azyumardi Azra said it was time for schools to develop friendlier ways to introduce Islam as one of the world's biggest religions. "A continuous yet comprehensive way to introduce Islam should be developed by lecturers to avoid any misunderstanding," he said.

Komaruddin Hidayat, rector of the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN), agreed with Azra, saying the introduction of liberal Islam should be taught from the student's first year. "I would ask senior professors to teach new students about what Islam is in a broader perspective."

Giving new yet friendlier perspectives of Islam especially to those who are prone to religious radicalization has been considered the top priority for police in their efforts to fight terrorism.

Sr. Comr. Petrus Reinhard Gollose, one of the police officers who is devising the deradicalization program, said the program would serve an important preventative function by identifying and moderating students who may be at risk from terrorist groups.

"It could save a lot of energy for us if we manage to come up with a good deradicalization program. At the end of the day, it will be society who reaps the benefits," he told a seminar recently.

Islam/religion

Reform urged to restore religious ministry

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2009

Jakarta – Religious figures are calling on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to revamp the Religious Affairs Ministry and restore it to its original function of encouraging harmony and providing services to religious institutions.

They claim the ministry's image has been tarnished by graft cases and its discriminatory treatment of minority groups and so-called traditional belief holders, but argue its presence is still needed to provide facilities and administrative services to religious institutions and communities.

Nahdlatul Ulama secretary-general Andi Djamaro told The Jakarta Post that even though the ministry was well known for its corruption scandals, especially in relation to the haj, it did not necessarily mean that it had to be liquidated.

"Corruption is not exclusive to the Religious Affairs Ministry. It has also been rife in other state institutions, such as the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the Attorney General's Office. So, if we want to liquidate the ministry, we'll have to follow with most state institutions as well," he said.

"What the ministry really needs is management reform. As a government agency, it must also realize its role in providing equal treatment and services to all religious institutions and communities. It must also start encouraging all religious institutions to deal with their own internal affairs without any government interference," he added.

The ministry's image has been damaged by a number of graft cases implicating several ex-ministers and high-echelon government officials.

Law enforcers have revealed a number of graft cases at the ministry in the last seven years. In 2009, the ministry allegedly embezzled Rp 1.27 trillion in haj funds.

Secretary-general of Muhammadiyah's Youth Central Board Izzul Muslimin said that one of the breakthroughs the ministry could achieve was eradicating the mismanagement of haj funds by allocating them to an independent agency.

"The ministry can establish a private agency to organize the annual haj pilgrimage as Malaysia has done for many years," he said.

Syafi'i Anwar, the executive director of the International Center for Islam and Pluralism (ICIP), told the Post the ministry should focus on its service to religious institutions and communities. "The ministry must play the role of mediator in settling sectarian conflicts," he said.

Syafi'i also said that it was essential for ministry officials to understand the nation's Pancasila state ideology that is based on the spirit of pluralism and was formulated and accepted by the founding fathers.

Richard Daulay, the secretary of the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) said the ministry should allocate its budget to serve all religious communities proportionally.

"I truly understand that the majority of citizens are Muslims. However, I do think the ministry should allocate more of its budget to minorities," he said. Richard also regretted the state's dominating role in internal affairs, such as recognizing only six official religions.

Rev. Franz Magnis Suseno, a Catholic intellectual and professor, said the government should not intervene deeper into the internal affairs of religious institutions and had no authority to regulate their rituals. (hdt)

Muslim civil servants in Gorontalo obliged to read Koran

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2009

Jakarta – Gorontalo mayoralty administration has obliged its Muslim civil servants to read the Koran every Friday.

Gorontalo mayor Adhan Dambea said Saturday that he was not yet satisfied with the implementation of his instruction. "Some civil servants are still unable to read the Koran fluently," he said.

He said his administration would provide religious teachers to improve the civil servant ability to read the Koran. However, he promised that public service would not be affected with the new Koran reading activity in his administration.

Diversity & multiculturalism

Alliance to discuss common problems

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2009

Jakarta – An alliance providing legal advocacy on religion freedom is to hold a national symposium in December to discuss common social and human rights problems in Central and Eastern Indonesia.

Hermandari, chairwoman of the symposium's steering committee, said the National Alliance for the Diversity in Unity (ANBTI) organized the symposium as all sides have similar concerns over common problems and similar concepts on how to resolve them.

She said delegates from 17 provinces, including Bali and Kalimantan, would attend the event and the committee had made an inventory of the problems to be discussed.

"The issuance of sectarian bylaws is a serious threat to democracy and is contrary to the Constitution and Pancasila state ideology," she said.

Presidential inauguration

Indonesia's Yudhoyono thanks his friends

Sydney Morning Herald - October 21, 2009

Ben Doherty, Jakarta – Indonesia's President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, yesterday pledged "prosperity, democracy and justice" for the world's largest Muslim nation as he was sworn in for a second five-year term.

He said his country had "1 million friends and zero enemies" in the world, and would play an important role in regional and world affairs under his stewardship.

"Indonesia will continue with its free and active politics and will always struggle for justice and world peace," Dr Yudhoyono said.

He said Indonesia remained committed to reforming the global economy through the G20, and to multilateral relations through the United Nations, particularly in tackling climate change and the millennium development goals.

He took time in his speech to thank the Australian Prime Minister for his attendance. Kevin Rudd was flanked by other regional leaders from Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and East Timor. Australia's Chief of Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, was also present.

"The attendance of international friends at the inauguration today is a symbol of goodwill and immeasurable honour for Indonesia," Dr Yudhoyono said.

Mr Rudd was expected to meet the President briefly last night to discuss the recent influx of asylum seekers in Australian and Indonesian waters.

In his first inauguration speech in 2004 Dr Yudhoyono promised "all our effort to prevent and fight against terrorism". "We will not give room for terrorists to develop and perform acts in Indonesia," he said then.

He is regarded as having done most, of all recent presidents, to tackle the extremist threat, in particular helping Indonesia develop closer links with Australian intelligence services and security forces.

But yesterday, with July's bombings at the Marriott and Ritz Carlton hotels still fresh in Indonesian and Australian minds, he did not mention terrorism directly in his 20-minute speech. He said only: "Indonesia will co-operate with anyone who has the same good intentions as us, especially to build a peaceful world order".

However, the threat of terrorism was present at yesterday's inauguration, at the parliament building in central Jakarta, which took place under extraordinary security. Police and soldiers manned intersections all over the city, and main roads were shut off to the notorious traffic. All guests were strictly vetted days before the event.

SBY, as he is known inside Indonesia and out, is the most pro- Australian, and pro-Western, president in Indonesian history. The retired four-star army general studied at the US Forces Academy in Fort Benning, Georgia, and earned a masters in business management from Webster University in Missouri. One of his sons, Edhie Baskoro, studied in Perth for several years.

Dr Yudhoyono first came to prominence in Australian minds in the aftermath of the 2002 Bali bombings. As co-ordinating minister of political and security affairs in Megawati Soekarnoputri's cabinet, he was one of the first government officials on the scene, and his very public comforting of grieving families won him widespread respect.

He led, too, the hunt for and arrest of the bombers, cementing his reputation as a politician committed to fighting Islamic extremism.

While promising structural and institutional change, he was cautious in his first term, with both economic and political reform.

And despite criticism for his apprehensive handling of the global economic crisis, he remains hugely popular across the archipelago, regularly topping 60 per cent approval ratings in opinion polls.

He is seen as a man of the people – he has been known to sing karaoke-style on the campaign trail – but has also carefully forged strong personal relationships with world leaders, including Mr Rudd and John Howard.

Their friendship made it possible for Mr Rudd to pick up the phone two weekends ago and ask that Indonesia intercept a ship of asylum seekers bound for Australia.

Yudhoyono's inaugural speech draws criticism

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2009

Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's inaugural speech on Tuesday prompted a round of criticism from experts and civil society groups here, with most highlighting the needs for him to realize his promises.

Anak Agung Banyu Perwita, a professor in international relations from Parahyangan University in Bandung, told The Jakarta Post that although the president had conveyed positive messages in relation to international relationship in his speech, the policies at home had yet to reflect his good intention.

"Foreign policy begins at home," he said, "when human rights issues are still a major problem in the country, I think it's awkward to talk about upholding democracy in the international face."

In his speech delivered during an inauguration ceremony at the People's Consultative Assembly office in Jakarta, Yudhoyono said he would continue to practice "a free and active politics, fighting for justice and world peace".

"Indonesia will cooperate with anyone with the same intentions and goals to build a peaceful, just, democratic and prosperous world," he said.

Coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), Usman Hamid, urged the government to continue with the agenda stipulated in the National Plan for Action on Human Rights (RANHAM), which is due in five years.

"The government still has the obligation to solve past human rights abuses; this is the root of the problem in which the people's fundamental rights and freedom are neglected," he told the Post.

The country's second biggest Islamic group, Muhammadiyah, urged Yudhoyono to realize the promises he said in his speech. Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsuddin said the speech was impressive, but highlighted that the nation "is waiting for the realization".

"The agenda with the highest urgency is to implement the programs that aim to empower and improve the welfare of the people in the grass root level, improvement of public services and corruption eradication," he said in a press release received by Post.

Masdar Farid Mas'udi, deputy chairman of the country's largest Islamic organization Nadhlatul Ulama, said, however, that he was optimistic that Yudhoyono will be able to realize his promises.

"We believe that with the help of people from all levels of the civil society, he will be able to realize his promises he has been making since his campaign," he added.

"He will also be able to build the ground for an advanced and democratic Indonesia, which is the world's largest Muslim country, and lead Indonesia to becoming a country of justice and respect for pluralism."

Yudhoyono stressed in his speech that Indonesia is a country of pluralism. "Our Indonesian identity is reflected in our pluralism or our unity in diversity, our politeness, tolerance and moderateness, openness and humanitarian senses," Yudhoyono said.

Banyu said in order to achieve his goals in maintaining good international relationships, Yudhoyono had to make use of all the components in the society that can help forge the country's diplomacy.

"Now the question is, how far will the next foreign minister make use of our resources of NGOs and qualified civil societies?" He asked.

Banyu also said that global issues related a lot to the country's policies in defense and security. He hoped that the next defense minister would be from a civilian background who has the competency. (adh)

Miscues at presidential inaugural in draws laughs and frowns

Jakarta Globe - October 20, 2009

Febriamy Hutapea – Although the ceremony to swear in President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for a second five-year term was a historic moment for the leader, People's Consultative Assembly chairman Taufik Kiemas stole a bit of the limelight as he fumbled his way through the inauguration.

Former Vice President Jusuf Kalla smiled and other ministers laughed when Taufik, who presided over the ceremony, failed to mention Kalla several times and made three errors when referring to Yudhoyono.

"Sorry, I forgot. Sorry, I missed it, your honor, Vice President Jusuf Kalla," Taufik said at one point during the ceremony. He also failed to mention former President BJ Habibie, who attended the inauguration.

Taufik again omitted Kalla's name when he thanked everyone who worked in the government from 2004 to 2009 just before ending his speech.

People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) deputy chairman Hajriyanto Tohari, who was seated beside Taufik, had to remind him that he skipped a page of his speech.

Yudhoyono appeared unhappy when Taufik fumbled his name and title several times. Taufik referred to the president once as "Susilo Doctor Bambang Yudhoyono" and another time as "Doctor Susilo Yudhoyono."

While many of those in attendance smiled and laughed, others appeared uncomfortable as the MPR chairman bungled his way through the ceremony.

Some speculated that Taufik may have been distracted by the glaring absence of his wife, former President Megawati Sukarnoputri. Taufik said last week that Megawati, a staunch critic and rival of Yudhoyono who failed to appear for the president's first inauguration, might attend the swearing-in ceremony this time.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which Megawati chairs, has yet to say whether it will join the government or remain an opposition voice.

After the ceremony, the 65-year-old Taufik said he simply had trouble reading the speech because it had been printed in a particularly small font.

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono sworn in for second term

Agence France Presse - October 20, 2009

Liberal ex-general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has been sworn in as Indonesia's president after winning a second five-year term with promises of economic growth and political reform.

The softly-spoken leader swore on the Koran, Islam's holy book, to uphold the constitution during a ceremony in the national assembly in Jakarta which was broadcast around the archipelago of 234 million people.

"By Allah I swear I will adhere to the constitution as faithfully as possible, and will commit myself to the country and the people," Yudhoyono said.

A massive security blanket descended on the centre of the capital, with about 20,000 police backed by armoured vehicles on hand to secure the inauguration.

The event was attended by the leaders of Australia, Brunei, East Timor, Malaysia and Singapore, as well as senior officials from around the world.

Yudhoyono, 60, trounced former president Megawati Sukarnoputri in 2004 to become the mainly Muslim country's first directly elected head of state since the fall of late military strongman Suharto in 1998.

He did it again in July, easily defeating Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chief Megawati as well as his vice president, the Golkar Party's Jusuf Kalla, to become the first Indonesian leader to be democratically re-elected.

Cementing his place as the figurehead of the post-Suharto reform era, Yudhoyono's centrist Democratic Party won the most seats in parliament in April general elections just eight years after it was founded.

He has promised to crack down on corruption, boost infrastructure spending to unlock economic potential and advance bureaucratic reform.

The doctor of agricultural studies – who likes to pen romantic ballads in his spare time – has also pledged to steer Southeast Asia's biggest economy through the global downturn.

The government has predicted economic growth of 4.0-4.5 percent this year, third only to China and India in the G20 club of rich and developing countries. The economy grew 6.1 percent in 2008.

Strong domestic demand as well as relatively low dependency on exports have insulated Indonesia from the global crisis, and the local stock market has soared almost 80 percent this year.

But about half the population continues to live on less than two dollars a day, according to the Asian Development Bank.

All eyes now turn to the announcement of the new cabinet on Wednesday, after months of behind-the-scenes political horse- trading which has become the hallmark of Indonesian democracy.

The new executive is expected to be a broad coalition government of secular and Islamic parties, combining trusted technocrats in key economic seats with party-political appointees.

Economists have already applauded Yudhoyono's decision to replace Kalla with US-educated economist and former central bank chief Boediono as vice president.

The markets are also hoping to see Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Trade Minister Mari Pangetsu – considered two of Asia's most powerful women – keep their hands on the economic levers in the new cabinet.

But with 34 seats to fill, there is plenty of room for Yudhoyono – who cannot be elected to a third term – to offer places to political appointees to shore up party loyalties, analysts said.

"The old adage 'power corrupts, absolutely' sounds a warning bell to be heeded," The Jakarta Post daily warned in an editorial Tuesday.

Such appointees will include allies of outgoing Welfare Minister and business tycoon Aburizal Bakrie, one of the chief financial backers of Yudhoyono's 2004 election campaign and the newly appointed chief of Golkar.

Bakrie is one of Indonesia's richest men with a family empire spanning interests from coal to property, but he dismisses any suggestion of conflicts of interest.

Other partners in the incoming government are expected to include the secular National Awakening Party and the Prosperous Justice Party, which backs the introduction of sharia or Islamic law.

The PDI-P is likely to remain the main force in an otherwise feeble opposition.

Megawati missed inauguration due to illness, says daughter

Jakarta Globe - October 20, 2009

Former president Megawati Soekarnoputri did not attend Indonesia's presidential inauguration on Tuesday because she was not feeling well, her daughter said.

"She had a health problem so she could not attend the inaguration," Puan Maharani, who is also a member of the House, told TV One.

The general secretary of Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Pramono Anung, said former presidents are not obligated to attend inaugurations.

Megawati also failed to appear at Yudhoyono's inauguration in 2004, after he defeated her in Indonesia's first direct presidential election. Former president Abdurrahman Wahid missed the ceremony as well.

Gus Dur, as he is commonly known, "could not come because he had a stomachache," said his spokesman Bambang Susanto. He added that the former president had gone to Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital to seek medical advice.

"Gus Dur will congratulate President Yudhoyono and Vice President Boediono as soon as possible," said Bambang.

Government/civil service

Emir to chair finance committee despite corruption investigations

Jakarta Globe - October 21, 2009

Febriamy Hutapea – Despite being implicated in at least two major corruption scandals, lawmaker Emir Moeis of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has been appointed chairman of the powerful House Commission XI, in charge of overseeing economic and financial affairs.

Emir has been summoned by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) as a witness in two high-profile bribery cases, including Miranda Goeltom's appointment as senior deputy governor of the central bank.

The Goeltom case began when former PDI-P legislator Agus Condro Prayitno confessed that he and other lawmakers received Rp 500 million ($49,500) in traveler's checks after voting in favor of Miranda.

Emir denied suggestions that he had pocketed any money in connection to the case, to which Agus responded: "If it was a lying contest, Emir would have made it to the semifinals."

Emir is also being questioned in a case involving Abdul Hadi Djamal, a former lawmaker from the National Mandate Party (PAN) who was jailed for five years in jail for his role in a Rp 3 billion ($318,000) bribery case.

The House of Representatives, widely perceived as one of the nation's most corrupt institutions, was plagued by graft scandals during its last term, with legislators labelled as self serving, often absent and incapable of passing quality legislation.

Many hope it will clean up its act this term, but expectations are generally low.

Tifatul Sembiring, chairman of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), was confirmed as chairman of Commission I for defense, information, foreign and political affairs. Tifatul, however, was named to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's cabinet on Wednesday night, meaning his position will be filled by anther PKS legislator.

Senior Golkar Party politician Burhanuddin Napitupulu was named chairman of House Commission II for home affairs, regional autonomy, agrarian affairs and state apparatus.

Burhanuddin said that reviewing the regional elections would be his main focus in leading the commission. "The current regional election system is really exhausted," he said. His comments add further weight to suggestions that the direct elections of governors be cancelled, with the responsibility instead falling to provincial legislative councils.

He also said the controversial creation of new districts, municipalities and districts would be another area to address.

House Commission III overseeing security, legal, and human rights will be led by Democrat lawmaker Benny K. Harman.

Taking care of Indonesia's people

Jakarta Globe - October 20, 2009

Dessy Sagita & Putri Prameshwari – A recent survey by the Reform Institute shows that nearly 72 percent of Indonesians hope the new administration will address their welfare concerns – far more than the 14 percent who want corruption to be the top priority.

The results of the survey are perhaps a reflection of people's dissatisfaction with how the issues of health care, education and poverty have been addressed, despite government claims that as many as 2.5 million people have been lifted out of poverty since 2008.

The UN's recent Human Development Report ranks Indonesia 111th out of 182 countries studied in terms of living standards. Given this, the country's new ministers appointed to tackle welfare issues and poverty have a mammoth task ahead of them.

The Coordinating Ministry for People's Welfare under Aburizal Bakrie was widely criticized for its handling of the Lapindo mudflow disaster in Sidoarjo, East Java. The disaster has displaced about 15,000 people, many of whom are still waiting for promised compensation from PT Lapindo Brantas, a Bakrie group company that was operating oil and gas wells in Sidoarjo when mud began to flow from a fissure close to a well in May 2006.

"The Lapindo mudflow is the biggest failure of the previous government – it should end immediately," said Zainal Abidin, the director of research and development at the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), adding that resolving the compensation dispute should be the next welfare minister's top priority.

Zainal also said the ministry should improve disaster management measures and speed up the recovery and rehabilitation of disaster-affected areas. "The next minister should pay particular attention to the many earthquake survivors in West Java and West Sumatra," he said.

In addition to its handling of major disasters, government action in a number of other sectors – health, education, transportation and environment – has also left much to be desired.

Zainal said that despite government claims that the poverty rate had declined, there was much left to be done by the next minister, including addressing controversial issues such as state health insurance (Jamkesmas) and the National Program for Community Empowerment (PNPM). Bakrie recently said that Jamkesmas coverage for about 16 million people would be reviewed due to the decline in the poverty rate.

"Both are relatively good programs but they are still flawed and need to be fixed and improved, instead of being cut," Zainal said.

In the education sector, school enrollment improved with 94.7 percent of school-aged children now attending elementary school, but Zainal said the distribution of the state budget for education remained problematic. Many contract teachers, he said, still lacked job security and received low wages.

Transportation also remains a major concern. While the EU partially lifted its ban on Indonesian aircraft, accidents remain common across the country's air, sea, road and rail networks.

Environmental issues are in dire need of attention, with the next environment minister faced with reducing carbon emissions, addressing climate change and fighting illegal logging.

Even the Ministry of Religious Affair was not without scandal this year, with a watchdog alleging the annual hajj pilgrimage was mired in graft.

Given all this, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's declaration during his inauguration on Tuesday that the main aim of his next five years in office would be improving people's welfare was a welcome start.

Challenge for SBY: Remove economic 'bottlenecks'

Bloomberg - October 20, 2009

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono starts a second five-year term today with a mandate to speed growth in Southeast Asia's biggest economy. To do that, he must reconcile national and local policies, analysts say.

"Many targets couldn't be reached because of bottlenecks," Yudhoyono said earlier this month. The goal in the second term "is very clear," he said. "Solve these clogs. That's why we will reform bureaucracy, rearrange permits, control programs, and prevent incorrect practices."

Yudhoyono won the July 8 election on pledges to end corruption and rein in terrorism. A July 17 suicide attack on two Jakarta luxury hotels was the country's first in almost four years, and anti-terror squads killed most-wanted terrorist Noordin Mohammad Top last month. The president still must build roads, power plants and ports vital for growth, said Umar Juoro, of Jakarta- based Center for Information and Development Studies.

"The strength of Yudhoyono's economic team has been in the macro level," Juoro, who is also a commissioner at PT Bank Internasional Indonesia Tbk, said in an Oct. 19 phone interview. "When we see the results in the real sector like mining, agriculture and infrastructure, we will find many policies that didn't run properly."

While Indonesia made more key changes in easing business regulations than other East Asian and Pacific economies, as the World Bank's 2010 "Doing Business Report" showed last month, a number of regional laws contradict national policies, creating legal uncertainty for investors, said Chris Kanter, vice president of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Yudhoyono's next cabinet will be a combination of professionals and members of the five parties that have joined his Democrat Party in the ruling coalition. The latter group doesn't represent "something the markets will be cheering over," said Helmi Arman, an economist at PT Bank Danamon Indonesia Tbk in Jakarta, in an Oct. 19 E-mail.

"Partisan politics apparently still played a significant role in the assignment of other key ministerial posts," Arman said. The president has "the added burden" of ensuring a consolidated agenda and "making sure that partisan cabinet ministers don't go their separate ways," he said.

Yudhoyono has told candidates for his next cabinet, which may be announced tomorrow, they should make Indonesia investment- friendly.

PDI-P ready to join SBY Cabinet, chief patron says

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2009

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) will not ask for any posts in the next Cabinet, but will accept any position that might be offered, chief patron Taufik Kiemas said Friday.

Taufik, recently appointed as the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker, said he was optimistic President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono would ask someone senior from the PDI-P to assist in his second Cabinet term in 2009-2014.

"PDI-P is waiting for the President; (to see) who he might ask. If it is for the sake of the nation, PDI-P would give its top people," Taufik said after a meeting with Yudhoyono at the Presidential Office.

"That is his call; PDI-P would not ask, would not make bargains, but we will send our people if asked." Taufik added that the PDI-P was ready to send however many of its senior people the President would ask for, and that he had set up communications on this with him.

"Insya Allah (God willing), he (Yudhoyono) would ask (for ministerial candidates from us)," he said, expressing his confidence.

Taufik denied that the PDI-P's move toward the Democratic Party, more evident since his appointment as MPR speaker with the latter's support, had caused a rift in his relationship with his wife and former president Megawati Soekarnoputri, chairman of the PDI-P and long-time political rival of Yudhoyono.

He said the partnership between his party and the Democrats which had led to his position as speaker was with her prior approval.

Megawati would attend the inauguration of Yudhoyono and his running mate Boediono as the President and Vice President for the 2009-2014 period on Tuesday at the MPR compound, Taufik added.

"It is more comfortable to live in harmony," he said, responding to journalists' queries over his party's political inclination, which is now more towards joining the ruling coalition in government rather than maintaining an opposition stance.

Yudhoyono had said two days earlier that with no one from the PDI-P contacting him regarding the coalition, it looked like the 'partnership' between the PDI-P and the Democrats would go no further than the appointment of Taufik as MPR speaker, which also saw the Democratic Party's Melani Leimena Suharli appointed as one of the Assembly's deputy speakers.

Taufik's statement reopens the possibility the PDI-P may join the government coalition, which already covers Golkar and four original coalition members: with the Democrats (the Prosperous Justice Party, the National Mandate Party, the United Development Party and the National Awakening Party).

If the grand coalition comes about, Yudhoyono's party, along with its coalition partners, would dominate over 90 percent of seats in the House of Representatives.

Taufik, along with his four deputies at the MPR, met with the President to arrange the invitation letters for the latter's inauguration, Tuesday.

Political observer Lili Romli from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences warned that a grand coalition would make the House a mere rubber stamp for government policies.

"On the other hand, lawmakers from the coalition parties might resist government policies after two years just to show to their constituents that they can be critical of the government," he said Thursday. "Both are possible bad outcomes from a grand coalition." (hdt)

House's smallest parties pledge to be critical

Jakarta Post - October 16, 2009

Jakarta – The House of Representatives' two smallest parties – the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) and the People's Conscience Party (Hanura) – have pledged to keep the government in check.

"Our party will be critical, but also constructive. Despite the fact that we are a small bloc, it is not a problem, because that is not the substantive issue of a democracy," Hanura secretary- general Yus Usman told The Jakarta Post in Jakarta on Thursday.

Yus said that his party planned to monitor the government to ensure its agenda was conducted properly.

"President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said many times during his campaign that he would continue the fight against corruption. We want to make sure that such a promise will be fulfilled," he said.

Separately, Gerindra secretary-general Ahmad Muzani said that his party had yet to determine its final political stance, however, he said the party would not have any problems if it chose to play the opposition role. "The decision will be made by our chief patron, Prabowo Subianto," he said.

Like Yus, Ahmad also said that his party would ensure that Yudhoyono would live up to his promises. Gerindra and Hanura occupy only 43 out of 560 seats at the House of Representatives.

Political contract among parties is a conspiracy: Analyst

Jakarta Globe - October 16, 2009

Kinanti Pinta Karana – A political contract signed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party and five other parties on Thursday night amounts to a conspiracy, one political analyst argues.

"It's a political cartel – different parties with a common goal," Ari Dwipayana of Yogyakarta's Gajah Mada University told the Jakarta Globe.

"A cartel-based democracy whose purpose is to prevent opposition will trigger future problems and create a gap between the constituents' political aspirations and party elites."

Besides the Democratic Party (PD), the contract was signed by the United Development Party (PPP), National Mandate Party (PAN), National Awakening Party (PKB), Golkar and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

While the contents of the document were not released, PPP chairman Surya Dharma Ali said the agreement meant there should not be "different perceptions or opinions" among the executive and legislative branches of the government, as well as cabinet ministers. He said that did not mean lawmakers were giving up their right to criticize. PKS head Tifatul Sembiring said the agreement would improve communication.

But according to Ali, in countries like the US, the presidential system functions well because the parliament or legislature keeps watch over the executive branch.

"In a democratic system, the duties of the legislature include monitoring the government. If the monitoring function is inactive, there won't be any checks and balances, which in the end will make the government ineffective and undemocratic," said Ari. "In Indonesia it seems as if the system works by weakening the parliament."

Ari said he believed political parties were already lining up for the 2014 election. By aligning themselves with the palace, he said, they can curry favor with Yudhoyono and claim responsibility for any government successes.

Outgoing Indonesian ministers leave legacy of disappointment

Jakarta Globe - October 16, 2009

Camelia Pasandaran – The smiles, firm handshakes and backslaps that marked Friday's farewell party for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's outgoing cabinet betrayed the fact that despite some commendable achievements, true government reform has failed to materialize.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has stood out for her attempts to modernize the ministry, which includes the notorious Customs and Excise Agency and Tax Department, while Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla have received international recognition for bringing peace and relief to tsunami-ravaged Aceh, stabilizing the nation and combating terrorism.

However, the ongoing level of corruption in the government and the unwieldy bureaucracy, widespread social failures, environmental problems and the failure to rein in the Armed Forces, among other things, will be what most remember the outgoing cabinet for.

A cartel cabinet

The United Indonesia Cabinet, also known as the Rainbow Cabinet, drew immediate criticism when it was revealed on Oct. 21, 2004, with more than two-thirds of the lineup from the military and political parties. Particularly contentious was the appointment of controversial businessman Aburizal Bakrie as coordinating minster for the economy. Only 10 of the 34 ministers came from professional backgrounds.

Rocky Gerung, a philosophy lecturer at the University of Indonesia, said Yudhoyono's desire to satisfy all competing interests muddled his agenda during his first term. "It was a cartel cabinet," Rocky said. "A group of competing interests that had no clear theme."

Yudhoyono, he said, should have first worked out what it was he wanted to achieve before selecting his ministers.

Burhanuddin Muhtadi, a political researcher from the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI), described the grouping of ministers as a "fat cabinet."

"There were too many ministers, which actually is not necessary to represent all interests," he said. "Twenty is enough, because too many ministers made the work ineffective as they had to go through all the bureaucracy of the coordinating ministries and the president before making decisions."

Jimmy Siahaan, a senior researcher from the Center for Public Policy Studies, said that though Yudhoyono had attempted to unite all interests, he should have been aware of the candidates' lack of abilities.

"Not only did many lack the capacity to do their jobs as ministers, but they also had a problem with leadership," he said.

Poor performance

Despite praise for Mulyani, placed under a recent cloud in the murky PT Bank Century bailout, Yudhoyono's cabinet performed as many expected it – given its members' backgrounds – poorly, resulting in eight ministers being replaced or reassigned. The most common reason given for this is corruption.

Ibrahim Fahmy Badoh, coordinator of the political corruption division at Indonesia Corruption Watch, said reports of corruption were widespread, encompassing most, if not all, ministries and departments, including the religious affairs and education ministries.

"We found many irregularities in school operation funds in the Education Ministry," Ibrahim said. "The corruption surrounding the hajj pilgrimage funds is also infamous."

Forestry Minister MS Kaban, who has overseen the widespread degradation of the nation's rain forests, was caught up in a 2004 bribery scandal alongside State Minister for National Development Planning Paskah Suzetta in connection to the appointment of economist Miranda Goeltom as Bank Indonesia's senior deputy governor, though both were able to avoid serious investigation and held on to their positions.

Aburizal Bakrie, demoted from coordinating minister for the economy to the coordinating position for people's welfare, was a consistent embarrassment with a string of incidents, most notably the Lapindo mudflow disaster.

Burhanuddin and Jimmy were particularly critical of Bakrie, saying the only time he appeared to react was "after an earthquake."

Burhanuddin said other apparent shortcomings were the demonstrated lack of coordination within the cabinet, or rather the members' seeming inability to cooperate with each other.

"It's as if they did not have the same perception on how to reach agreements," Burhanuddin said. He cited an incident when the Industry Ministry and the State Logistics Agency called for rice imports, citing lack of supply, while the Agriculture Ministry rejected the idea, saying that there was a production surplus.

Another clash occurred between the Home Affairs Ministry and the State Ministry for Administrative Reform. Reform Minister Taufik Effendi prohibited state employees from participating in regional elections, but Home Affairs Minister Mardiyanto overruled him.

Surabaya's prostitutes pray for first-rate cabinet

Jakarta Globe - October 18, 2009

Amir Tejo, Surabaya – While the president and vice president- elect were busy putting possible cabinet ministers through the fit and proper test over the weekend, some 20 sex workers and 50 madams from a red-light district in Surabaya joined local dignitaries and religious leaders to pray that the new cabinet would be first rate.

The workers of Kremil, the oldest red-light district in Surabaya, all members of the Union of Kremil Residents, gathered at a hall to pray that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice- president elect Boediono would choose their ministers well.

"The future of this country for the next five years is in their hands," said Daniel Lukas Rorong, the union's spokesperson and coordinator. "Most importantly, they should stay away from corruption."

The sex workers prayed side by side with officials, clerics, political party members and other residents. Many shed tears.

"We hope SBY's new administration will pay more attention to the little people like me," Sutini, 55, a madam, tearfully said after the communal prayer.

Siti, 40, a prostitute, said she hoped the government would provide work opportunities that could move her out of the profession.

"If I were given a chance for another job, I would quit. I want so much to stop being a sex worker," Siti said, adding that she had been forced into prostitution by economic necessity after her husband divorced her 10 years ago and left her with two children to raise.

Siti said she and her coworkers were unimpressed with Yudhoyono's first cabinet because prices of basic commodities were still too high. The next cabinet's main job should be making it easier for common people to fulfill their basic needs, she said.

Poverty & development

East Java's development index 'stagnant'

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2009

Surabaya – East Java's development index may stagnate next year, despite an increase in the 2010 budget, a local councilor said Tuesday.

"If compared with the province's 2009 development index, next year's development index looks to increase.

"But if compared with the 2008 development index, it looks as if it may go backward," East Java Legislative Council member Ahmad Nawardi told Antara in Surabaya.

He said the 2008 budget for the East Java administration totaled Rp 7.075 trillion (US$745 million), but it fell to Rp 6.691 trillion in 2009. Next year's budget for the province is predicted to hit Rp 7.017 trillion, added Nawardi.

The councilor said the province's 2010 revenue was projected to be less than in 2009 and 2008. He said the tax collection for East Java also saw a decrease from Rp 4.481 trillion in 2008 to Rp 3.967 trillion this year.

"Although (the tax collection) is projected to increase to Rp 4.082 trillion in 2010, it will only be small," Nawardi added.

Government urged to pick up pace to eradicate poverty

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2009

Jakarta – Religious leaders and NGOs are urging the government to pick up the pace in its effort to end poverty in Indonesia.

Trihadi Saptoadi, the national director of World Vision Indonesia, said that it was the duty of the government to give its citizens the basic rights of financial sustainability, education and health.

"This is mandated by the Constitution; the government must see eradication of poverty as an obligation," he said on the sidelines of an interfaith discussion on poverty eradication Friday.

The discussion was held to recognize the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, which falls on Oct. 17.

Titik Hartini, from the Association for Community Empowerment, a consortium of the country's 27 biggest civil society organizations, said that at the current pace, the government was likely to fail to eradicate poverty by 2015, as required by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

She added the poverty rate in the country "fluctuates depending on the policies that are in effect at the time of the survey".

"For example, when the government distributed cash assistance, the poverty rate decreased, but when the policy was revoked, the rate went up again," she said.

Trihadi said such cash handouts should not be regarded as a means to end poverty. "Handouts only serve as a safety net, they have a short-term effect but don't do you any good in the long run," he added.

In the last three years, Titik said, the government had increased the budget allocated to poverty eradication. "But we have not seen any significant result, the poverty rate only went down by around 1 percent in 2008 to 15.46 percent," she said.

The number is based on the international dollar-per-day standard. If the reference line is set at US$2 per day, the estimated number of people living under the poverty line in the country reaches more than 116 million people, or 49 percent.

In 2006, the government allocated Rp 41 trillion ($4.3 billion) toward poverty eradication. The amount went up in 2007 to Rp 51 trillion, Rp 58 trillion in 2008 and Rp 66.2 trillion this year.

"This means the government's programs to eradicate poverty have either missed their targets or have been ineffective," Titik said.

Trihadi said the government was likely to fail to achieve several other targets outlined in the MDGs, namely the goals to reduce child mortality, to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, and to ensure environmental sustainability.

"If we see the trend of year-to-year achievements, there is little chance the government will be able to meet these targets," he said. "We are only six years away from the deadline."

He also said civil society played an important role in the effort to end poverty in the country. "With the discussion today, we want to show that although we are of different religions, we can all work together for the same goal," Trihadi said.

A mass campaign to end poverty is slated for Sunday at the National Monument in Jakarta. Around 75,000 people from all over Indonesia are expected to attend the event. (adh)

Police/law enforcement

Retirement, promotions see police officers reshuffled

Jakarta Globe - October 18, 2009

Farouk Arnaz – There was a major reshuffle in the ranks of the National Police over the weekend as some officers reached the mandatory retirement age of 55 and others were promoted, an unnamed police source said.

The officer told the Jakarta Globe on Sunday that the provincial police chiefs in Papua, East Java, and South Sumatra had been replaced.

Gen. Bagus Eko Danto, police chief of troubled Papua province, was replaced by Brig. Gen. Bekto Suprapto, the current North Sulawesi police chief, as Bagus had reached the retirement age, the officer said. Bekto's post was filled by Brig. Gen. Herdian, a director at the National Police's intelligence directorate.

East Java Police Chief Insp. Gen. Anton Bahrul Alam was promoted to the National Police chief's expert staff. Anton will be replaced by Brig. Gen. Praktiknyo, who is serving as deputy of the intelligence directorate.

South Sumatra Police Chief Insp. Gen. Sisno Adiwinoto has been replaced by Insp. Gen. Hasyim Irianto, while Brig. Gen. Edmond Ilyas, the National Police's director for financial crimes, has been reassigned as Lampung's new police chief, replacing Brig. Gen. Ferial Manaf, who will be promoted to deputy at the intelligence directorate.

Edmond's position will be taken over by the National Police's deputy director for corruption crimes, Sr. Comr. Raja Erisman.

Central Kalimantan Police Chief Brig. Gen. Syamsu Rizal has been appointed as a high-ranking officer at the School of Police Leaders. Syamsu will be replaced as police chief by Brig. Gen. Damianus Jackie.

West Sumatra Police Chief Brig. Gen. Wahyu Daeni has been replaced by Sr. Comr. Andoyono, who has been working as Riau Islands police deputy. Jambi Police Chief Brig. Gen. Budi Gunawan was replaced by Brig. Gen. Sulistyono.

National Police Marine Chief Brig. Gen. Abdurrahman has been promoted to take up a position with the National Narcotics Agency. Replacing him will be his deputy, Sr. Comr. Budi Untung.

Sr. Comr. Muhammad Iriawan, head of the Jakarta Police's general crime unit, was also promoted.

"I have been named as deputy director at the National Police's transnational crimes unit," he told the Jakarta Globe over the weekend. He will be replaced by West Jakarta Police Chief Sr. Comr. Idham Aziz.

In December, National Police deputy Comr. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara is due to retire.

Mining & energy

Indonesia to remain a net importer of oil this year: Ministry

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2009

Alfian, Jakarta – The government estimates that the balance of trade in oil and fuels will remain negative this year with imports outweighing exports. The fuel trade deficit may reach 273,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd), or slightly higher than last year's figure.

An official report from the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry states that trade balance deficit arises from fuel imports. The country's crude oil trade balance is actually still positive with crude oil exports estimated at 399,000 bopd, much higher than crude oil imports estimated at 254,000 bopd.

"But, when the fuel imports of 418,000 bopd are included in the calculation, the trade balance is changed with exports reaching 399,000 bopd and imports reaching 672,000 bopd ; meaning imports are higher than exports," the report said. The total average daily deficit stood at 272,000 bopd last year.

Indonesia has been a net importer since 2003 due to declining oil production and increasing domestic fuel demand, and problems optimizing local refining for local markets.

The country's oil production was 1.5 million bopd between 1977 and 1991. But, since 2007, output fell below 1 million bopd due to declining production from aging fields without sufficient new exploration and production in increasingly difficult areas. Nevertheless, the government still aims for growth in oil production in the next five years.

"Short term, Indonesia's oil production will increase [again] because of the new reserves found in the Cepu block, but then production will decrease again due to the high overall rate of decline [in our overall production] reaching 12 percent a year," the report said.

The Cepu block is located at the border between East and Central Java. The block is said to hold proven reserves of 600 million barrels of oil and 1.7 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Efforts to find other big oil and gas blocks have yet to show results. Of 16 oil and gas blocks offered for further development between December and April this year, only five blocks won developers.

"If the situation remains like this, my objective to maintain national oil production at about one million barrels per day cannot be achieved," Evita Legowo, director general for oil and gas at the ministry, said on Sept. 11.

In a bid to anticipate soaring demand for fuels, the government has mandated the gradual phasing-in of biofuel usage for manufacturers, commercial businesses, fuel retailers and power plant operators.

The government is also evaluating a coal liquefaction program. Currently, the government is conducting pre-feasibility studies for coal liquefaction at three locations: Mulia (South Kalimantan); Berau (East Kalimantan and Banko (South Sumatra).

Mining regulation generates confusion in Indonesia

Jakarta Globe - October 16, 2009

Janeman Latul & Venisa Tjahjono – Mining industry representatives said on Friday they were confused by a recently issued regulation restricting the work contractors were allowed to perform for mining concessionaires, saying it failed to clearly explain what contractors could and could not do.

Industry representatives said that Article 10 of the Sept. 30 regulation, which provides that "the holder of a mining concession or special mining concession must itself perform mining, processing, and refining work," was particularly problematic, as much of this work was currently carried out by contractors.

The regulation could cause problems for multinational contractors like PT Thiess Indonesia, a unit of Brisbane-based Thiess, which is employed as a mining contractor by PT Bumi Resources, Asia's biggest thermal coal producer. Article 5 also provides that contracting work must be given to domestic companies for a first right of refusal before foreign companies could be involved.

A Thiess representative was not available for comment.

One analyst said that if the regulation was implemented to the letter, many contractors and concessionaires would find themselves in trouble, as they would have to radically reorganize their operations.

Sara K Loebis, corporate secretary of PT United Tractors, the country's largest supplier of heavy equipment, said her company was also confused by the regulation.

"We're unsure about the difference between 'stripping,' which the regulation allows us to do, and mining, which we are prohibited from doing, as it's frequently very difficult to differentiate between the two," she said. "Our legal team is currently studying the regulation."

United Tractors is the parent of PT Pamapersada Nusantara, the country's biggest mining contractor.

Alwinsyah Loebis, president director of PT Aneka Tambang, the state-owned gold and copper miner, said that his company's legal department was also studying the regulation.

Dileep Srivastava, senior vice president of Bumi Resources, the country's biggest coal producer and one of the Pamapersada's main employers, said he was not aware of the regulation and would have to study it first before commenting.

When asked for clarification about whether mining contractors could continue to perform main mining work, Bambang Setiawan, the director general of coal, minerals and geothermal energy, gave an inconclusive response.

"I am not saying they can. As long as they follow all of the requirements in Article 10. What is the process of mining? It's digging, stripping, blasting and transporting. I think that's all clear enough. What more do they want?"

Edwin Sinaga, president director of brokerage PT Finacorporindo Nusa, said the new regulation was intended to prevent small, local government-issued concessions from being sold to contractors, which was already a widespread practice here.

Economy & investment

Rupiah suffers biggest drop since August

Bloomberg - October 21, 2009

Indonesia's rupiah fell the most in more than two months on concern emerging-market central banks will follow Brazil's example in imposing a tax on overseas investment to temper currency gains.

Brazil this week imposed a 2 percent tax on foreign purchases of bonds and stocks to curb the real's appreciation, while an aide to French President Nicolas Sarkozy said yesterday that a drop in the dollar to $1.50 per euro would be "a disaster" for Europe.

A decline in Asian stocks also eroded demand for the region's currencies and supported the greenback.

"The currency comments and Brazil's move to curb the real's appreciation by imposing taxes on foreigners have made investors more cautious on emerging currencies as they fear other central banks could follow this path," said Sebastien Barbe, a Hong Kong- based strategist at Calyon, the investment banking unit of France's Credit Agricole SA. "Since the rupiah is usually correlated with foreign investors' risk appetite, the currency has been dragged along with the rest."

The rupiah slumped 0.8 percent to 9,474 per dollar as of 9:51 a.m. in Jakarta, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It was the biggest drop since Aug. 19.

Sarkozy's counselor, Henri Guaino, said yesterday that the US is "flooding the world" with dollars and that the currency's weakness may become "unbearable."

Cap losses

"Bank Indonesia may come in to cap the rupiah's losses around 9,500," said Joanna Tan, a regional economist at Forecast Singapore Pte. "The central bank is protecting both sides of the market as they want a stable currency." Central banks intervene by buying or selling currencies to influence exchange rates.

The rupiah reached 9,280 on Oct. 15, the strongest level since September 2008. The currency has gained 15 percent this year, Asia's best performance.

The currency's losses today are "marginal," Barbe said, adding that the appreciation trend may resume as the rupiah has fallen to "attractive levels."

Investors still bullish about stocks, expect gain in Q4

Jakarta Post - October 16, 2009

Ika Krismantari, Jakarta – As confidence in the economy continues to rise, investors in Indonesia remain bullish about the stock market – already one of the world's best performing bourses – and still expect sharp gains ahead, says a survey.

The stock market's main index has risen by more than 70 percent so far this year, making it the best performing bourse in Asia.

The index stands a good chance of rising even further as global financial services giant ING stated on Thursday that investor confidence in Indonesia's economy was slightly up in the third quarter from a quarter earlier.

The survey showed that 93 percent of the surveyed investors were taking a wait-and-see approach to re-evaluate their investment portfolio after Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's victory in the presidential election in July, although 36 percent of them planning to make investment decisions only after the new ministerial appointments.

Investment in stocks however are likely to stay strong as the survey found that investors remained bullish about the equity and property markets, with the majority of them believing the two segments would expand by 7.5 percent and 6.9 percent respectively in the fourth quarter, from the previous quarter.

That expectation of further gains in the stock market index is likely to drive more people to adopt a more "aggressive" stance in the fourth quarter. In the third quarter, the proportion of investors deploying an aggressive strategy reached 30 percent, compared to 14 percent posted in the second quarter.

"The shift towards a more aggressive approach indicates investors are considering making an early play in the expectation of sharp market gains ahead," stated the survey.

The Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) index climbed 0.15 percent on Thursday to close at 2,515.38.

Meanwhile, the survey found that investor confidence in the overall economy, on a year-on-year basis, grew more robust in the third quarter than in the same period a year earlier, ING head of research and chief economist Tim Condon said over the phone from Singapore.

"Foreigners are more optimistic about Indonesia as we can see from the foreign inflows," he said. He pointed out that foreign capital inflows to Indonesia had reached up to US$600 million in the third quarter of 2009, or double the figure from a year earlier.

Condon also warned investors about a possible inflation threat at the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010. "We see a short-term inflation issue, as the boom-bust-boom in commodity prices in the last 18 months works its way through the customers' price index," Condon said.

Indonesian liquor makers yet to toast new distribution regulation

Jakarta Globe - October 16, 2009

Muhamad Al Azhari & Dian Ariffahmi – A new Trade Ministry regulation issued on Friday will allow alcoholic-beverage makers to supply their products directly to retailers without having to go through distributors, a move that the government hopes will help reduce costs for producers.

However, liquor producers and distributors have been hit hard by high government taxes. They remained skeptical about whether the move would reduce their costs and make beer, wine and spirits more affordable for consumers.

Under the previous regulation, all producers of alcoholic beverages were required to use independent distributors to supply their products to retailers. The regulation also applied to the country's sole licensed importer of alcoholic beverages, state- owned PT Sarinah.

The new rule gives producers the freedom to decide whether to use distributors, Subagyo, the ministry's director general of domestic trade, said on Friday.

Distribution costs for alcohol usually add about 10 percent to retail prices, said Jimmy M Rifai Gani, the president director of Sarinah. However, he said he was unsure whether the regulation would dramatically reduce costs.

"It may reduce distribution costs, but I don't think it will affect beverage prices that much," Jimmy said. "The high luxury goods tax, value-added tax and import and excise duties charged on alcohol are areas the government will need to review if they want to reduce prices."

The government currently taxes alcohol products, which are categorized as luxury goods, at between 40 percent and 150 percent. Imported beverages also face steep import and excise duties. By the time imported beverages hit the shelves, they often cost up to four times more than their wholesale price, Jimmy said.

Sarinah uses 18 distributors to move its products to restaurants, nightclubs and other licensed premises, he said.

Ipung Nimpuno, a spokesperson for the Indonesian Malt Beverages Association (GMMI), said the complexity of the distribution system meant that producers were unlikely to cancel contracts with their distributors in the near future.

"From a business perspective, it wouldn't bring any benefits," Ipung said. "Can you imagine what would happen if we went head-to-head against our former distributors? Besides, we would have to establish our own distribution networks first."

On Thursday, liquor producers urged the government to ease taxes on alcohol, arguing that the high prices were forcing people to turn to smuggled products and hazardous moonshine, which led to many deaths from alcohol poisoning.

They said illegal liquor accounted for more than 50 percent of the alcoholic beverages consumed in the country.

Analysis & opinion

The nation looks forward to the next government, with hope

Jakarta Post - October 20, 2009

Debnath Guharoy, Consultant – Election fever has died down. A new Cabinet is in the making. And a new poll reflects an upbeat Indonesia.

The big question today many people are thinking: Will President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono live up to his people's expectations?

To gauge people's post-election sentiments, market research company, Roy Morgan Research, recently conducted a poll across Indonesia. There were 2,058 respondents 14 years and older who were asked one overriding question addressing five aspects of Indonesia's incoming government.

"What do you think will happen in the next five years under SBY" the central question asked, relating to five key aspects: the economy, national security, jobs, the price of everyday essentials and corruption.

The results indicated a buoyant national mood. Across the country – young, old, male, female, urban and rural – the survey showed Indonesians have high hopes for Indonesia.

Observations were the youth were more positive than their elders, and women more cautiously optimistic than men – as were rural folk in comparison to their city cousins.

Fifty-one percent said Indonesia's economy in the next five years would be "better than now". Four percent said it would be "much better than now". Another 39 percent expected the situation to "remain the same". Only one in 10 Indonesians expected economic conditions to worsen.

The doom and gloom was shared predominantly by urban males. Indonesia's security situation was also expected to improve, with almost half the country agreeing it would. Despite the recent bombings, this response should have a positive impact on the country and its relations with other countries.

Another 43 percent expected things to "remain the same", with only 10 percent feeling more insecure.

But it was the job market that instilled the biggest amount of hope in the people. Fifty-five percent of respondents believed more jobs would become available and unemployment would ease over the next five years.

People living in rural Indonesia are only slightly more positive than their urban counterparts concerning unemployment levels.

It is anticipated the government's recent efforts to boost the workforce with funding from both federal and local levels, will have a positive effect for Indonesians across the nation. The area Indonesians were most apprehensive about was the issue of commodity prices.

Women were the most affected by the rising prices of everyday essentials. Only 14 percent of women expected the pain to ease while 33 percent believed the situation would "remain the same".

However, 53 percent were convinced prices would continue to rise and conditions would be "worse than now" over the next five years.

This response is sobering and paints a picture of a hopeful but wary nation.

The President struck a chord with the electorate on one of Indonesia's most pressing social issues: corruption.

The survey showed a solid number of Indonesians have faith in the President's promise to continue the battle against corruption. Today, half the country believes the incoming cabinet will continue to combat corruption and conditions will be "better than now". In fact, 14 percent of respondents expected it would be "much better than now".

The President and the incoming cabinet have an opportunity to create history for Indonesia's young and vibrant democracy.

The President has been poised to become a leader of iconic proportions, with the support of optimistic Indonesians behind him. Whether he will live up to their expectations or dash their hopes in the next five-year-term is yet to be seen.

Meeting Indonesia's challenges will require the courage and determination of a man who has good intentions.

However, it has been claimed the world today has little to offer him by way of example. Moral decay continues around the globe, despite promising government structures.

The United States is an example. Wall Street is getting ready to pay some of the highest-paid executives a large payout in bonuses. Some US$140 billion has been set aside for these executives.

The fact this payout was funded by taxpayers has been shoved to one side. Some would say the bonus is akin to rewarding rapists with teaching roles at girls' schools.

Since the global financial crisis began in September last year, 100 million more people were added to world's list of people living on the brink of starvation.

The never-ending juxtaposition of the "filthy rich" and the "filthy poor" will hopefully give the President and his government reason to pause and reconsider.

People's wellbeing cannot be sacrificed due to extreme views, whether they are left- wing or right-wing. Finding middle ground is the key to a successful future for Indonesia, and social justice should not be presided over by free-market principles.

The Indonesian poll, conducted by Roy Morgan Research, is a syndicated survey with over 25,000 respondents 14 years and older interviewed each year. The survey represents almost 90 percent of Indonesia's population. The data is updated every 90 days.

[The writer can be contacted at Debnath.Guharoy@roymorgan.com.]

Give SBY-JK a six for trying

Jakarta Post Editorial - October 16, 2009

On a scale of one to 10, what would be a fair score for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla as they end their five-year term on Monday? We think the pair, and their Cabinet, deserve a mediocre six.

They were not excellent, great or even good, but they were not disastrous either. They missed opportunities as well as avoided situations where the country could have gone down the drain.

Pessimists may say they could have done better, while optimists may say they could have been worse. Under the circumstances, a six seems a fair if not generous score.

What is certain is the SBY-JK partnership did not deliver much of its 2004 election promises that had put them in the nation's two top offices.

They promised prosperity, particularly for the millions who live below the poverty line by creating more jobs and increasing their income. Things did improve for some, but only marginally when measured against the high unemployment and poverty rates and slow growths in the GDP and per-capita income.

For the most part, many people saw their income falling or improving only slightly, while forking out more money for essential services such as healthcare and their children's schooling.

SBY-JK promised a better business environment by amending the investment, taxation and labor laws, but only managed to reform the first two. Foreign investors adopted a "wait-and-see" attitude at best, but most went to China and other Asian countries where they felt more welcome.

The pair promised to build and develop economic infrastructures, but failed to address bottlenecks that limited faster growth. They organized two major infrastructure summits and proposed dozens of projects to potential investors, but only a handful materialized because of the classic land-acquisition problem.

They continued with major political, economic and military reforms but made little headway in reforming the legal system, and with the exception of the Finance Ministry, left the bureaucracy largely untouched by reforms.

They arrested, prosecuted and convicted many corrupt officials, but corruption is as rampant as always, suggesting the anti-graft campaign has had little impact on politicians and bureaucrats' practice.

On the human rights front, they failed to prosecute the murderer of human rights campaigner Munir, even though SBY had personally promised the widow of Munir he would, just after he became President.

Concerning counterterrorism, the National Police has only managed to kill terrorist mastermind Noordin M. Top last month. Noordin had been involved in most of the deadly terrorist attacks dating back to the 2002 Bali bombings.

For these less-than-mediocre achievements, some would give SBY-JK a score of five or even four. But we should recognize the unforeseen challenges they faced, including a devastating tsunami and three major earthquakes, a sharp rise in world oil prices and the global economic crisis. Other leaders might not have performed as well.

This could be the reason SBY received a new vote of confidence during the August presidential election, gaining more than 60 percent of votes, this time partnering with economic professor Boediono.

SBY could not have been elected for his mediocre performance. Instead voters decided to give him a second chance to keep his 2004 promises – in the absence of an alternative credible candidate.

Contrary to his election slogan Lanjutkan! (Continue!), voters do not want a repeat performance of his five years of mediocrity. His re-election meant Indonesians want SBY, with Boediono on his side, to deliver this time. No more excuses.

Book/film reviews

Book review: On Indonesia's Islamic road

Asia Times - October 16, 2009

[My Friend the Fanatic: Travels with a Radical Islamist. By Sadanand Dhume. Reviewed by Ioannis Gatsiounis.]

It can be counted on. First, Islamists in Indonesia leave their mark, through, say, a bombing of a foreign hotel, or by successfully pressing a province to introduce public canings. Then the international media report the incident, before a handful of Indonesia observers bristle that the media have distorted Islam's threat.

They point to opinion polls and election results and a long history of moderation. But, then, the cycle repeats itself and the discomforting fact of the matter becomes impossible to ignore: that Indonesia has undergone an up-tick in religious consciousness over the past few decades – and pronouncedly so since September 11, 2001.

The travelogue My Friend the Fanatic: Travels with a Radical Islamist thus could not be more timely. Author and former journalist Sadanand Dhume crisscrosses Indonesia's archipelago, searching out the prime movers and shakers of a movement that believes Islam holds all of life's answers and aims to impose its intolerant version of Utopia on the country's fledgling democracy.

Dhume's access card is Herry Nurdi, a 27-year-old managing editor of an influential Islamist magazine who counts Jews and America as his enemies. He prays "to make every member of [my] family either the pen or the sword of Islam", believes "every Muslim must know how to fight", and is later scolded by a local journalist for helping Dhume enter "places that might not have been as easily accessed otherwise".

The eclectic main cast includes a televangelist, the soon-to-be head of Indonesia's most influential Muslim organization, and the notorious militant Abu Bakar Bashir, the reputed spiritual head of the Jemaah Islamiyah terror group that has been implicated in various attacks. The book is, ultimately, a sad and disquieting portrait of blind faith, rage, paranoia, personal imprisonment, envy and confusion festering amid the long shadows of globalization.

Dhume is a self-consciously graceful writer who says he falls between two types of observers of Islam: those who quote the Koran and episodes from the Prophet Mohammad's life to prove that Islam is intrinsically violent; and the apologists who subscribe to the tourist-brochure version of Islam as a "religion of peace".

Insofar as he does straddle that divide, Dhume does not disassociate moderate Muslims from orthodox ones. While moderates may not yearn for the imposition of Islamic law, as all Islamists do, they share the dualistic conviction that the Koran is the irrefutable word of God, making for a sometimes blurry and tenuous divide that has abetted extremists around the world in their pursuit of power.

As Dhume notes, "One couldn't escape the irony that on the whole the deepening of democracy [in Indonesia] had gone hand in hand with a darkening intolerance."

The author does not hold all Muslims accountable for the mess in which Indonesia finds itself: "Most Muslims of my acquaintance... were as open-minded and as averse to violence as anyone else. For the most part I felt, with the light condescension of the atheist, that practicing Muslims, like people of any religion, turned to faith for what solace it offered in an imperfect world."

But he is not so naive or politically correct to give Islam a free pass. Moderation in religion can be a slippery slope; moderates are the well from which extremists draw. And, as Dhume implies, Islam, demanding total submission to God and a literal interpretation of the Koran, is arguably more susceptible to extremism than the world's other major faiths. He knows that insofar as the cliche that Islam has been "hijacked" by extremists is true, their swift advance in Indonesia could not occur without indifference, if not ambivalence, among moderates.

Dhume grants that while by comparison to other Muslim countries Indonesia may be a beacon of tolerance – in Jakarta "a certain boldness still belonged in the public square" – he warns that moderation in Islam has been granted a special yardstick and the world would do better by itself to drop its fear of offending Muslims and fix the discrepancy.

Dhume asks pertinently, "[Is] a moderate Muslim simply anyone against settling religious and political grievances by flying an airplane into a skyscraper or blowing himself up in a bar full of tourists?" The same question needs to be asked in neighboring Malaysia, where a Muslim woman was recently sentenced to caning for drinking a beer. Rather than appeal, she has requested that the caning be done in public, to instill in others the importance of being a "good" Muslim. By universal standards, it is the victim's response as well as the punishment that warrants scrutiny.

Like the literary giant V S Naipaul before him (an obvious influence on the author), the point for Dhume is that left unchecked Islamists will strip Indonesia of what's left of its essence and potential, and they need not seize formal power to do so. The difference is that Naipaul's contempt for blind faith was tempered by a great deal of empathy for his subjects. Dhume's fierce determination to understand Islamism tends to crowd out the non-Islamic identity markers of his fanatical companions, discoloring the portrait slightly.

Dhume's preoccupation with the rise of Islamism may also have led him to underestimate the resilience of neutralizing forces at play in Indonesia. Time will tell. For Dhume, the point is not to leave it to chance. As he puts it, "Indonesia was Southeast Asia's pivotal country and no single issue mattered more to its future than the movement Herry had helped me unlock."

One of the more endearing aspects of the book is Dhume's struggle to become a writer in the truest sense of the word – nearly a lost pursuit in the Internet age, where blogs and Twitter feeds manufacture stars at the expense of literary substance.

Dhume's living room sofa is cluttered not with newspapers but short stories from heavyweight literary journals like Ploughshares. He quit his job at the Asian Wall Street Journal and the Far East Economic Review to pursue his book. He references D H Lawrence, quotes Naipaul and gets lost in Ernest Hemingway beside the Indian Ocean.

Inspired by greatness, Dhume yearns to spool together golden sentences, at once muscular and touching, and occasionally the aspiration leads him to overwrite. But on the whole those influences have given rise to a vivid, graceful and astute travelogue, offering an inside look at the high toll politicized Islam is exacting on the world's third-largest democracy.

My Friend the Fanatic: Travels with a Radical Islamist by Sadanand Dhume. Skyhorse Publishing, April 2009. ISBN: 978-1- 60239-643-2. US$24.95; 288 pages.

[Ioannis Gatsiounis is the author of Beyond the Veneer: Malaysia's Struggle for Dignity and Direction, and, later this month, Velvet & Cinder Blocks (ZI Publications), a collection of politically-tinged short stories set about Asia and the West. His blog is breaklines.wordpress.com.]