Camelia Pasandaran, Arientha Primanita & Antara – Police on Friday said a group of Indonesians would not be allowed to host an event on Saturday to mark Israel's independence day.

National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Anton Bachrul Alam said the Jewish community group had been denied a permit to observe the anniversary. "We did not grant the group permission to hold the event because [the request] was filed with very little time," he said. "It should have been filed at least a week before."

According to Anton, the police will also prevent the group from raising the Israeli flag.

Even though Israeli independence day, or Yom Ha'atzmaut, this year fell on Tuesday – the fifth day of the Jewish month of Iyar – the Indonesian group planned to hold its event on Saturday, corresponding with the date the Jewish state was founded according to the Gregorian calendar: May 14, 1948.

The State Palace has backed the police's decision, with presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha saying that activities with the potential to create "public unrest" should not be allowed.

The planned celebration outraged several Islamic organizations, with the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) and the Islam-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) urging the government to put a stop to the celebration.

Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali also warned against marking the event, saying it would not be appropriate because Indonesia did not formally recognize Israel and has long called for it to cede control of the occupied Palestinian territories.

"It would be strange to celebrate it because we don't have diplomatic relations with Israel and there's a psychological gap between the Indonesian and Israeli people," he said.

"There should be regulations in which the interests of the nation and people should come before the freedom of others."

Ifdhal Kasim, chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), however, said there was no reason to prevent the group from holding the event.

"Just because we don't have formal diplomatic relations with Israel doesn't mean we should ban [a planned celebration by] citizens with different views from the government's official stance," he said. "It's part of the freedom of expression that's guaranteed under the law."

However, he said the celebration should be banned if its aim was to provoke certain groups.

Constitutional Court Chief Justice Mahfud M.D., meanwhile, called for the dispute not to be blown out of proportion. "I don't think this issue should be sensationalized," he said. "Just let them be. If we make this an issue, then the [group] can question the planned celebrations of other groups."

Police rejects group's request to celebrate Israeli day

Jakarta Globe - May 13, 2011

Camelia Pasandaran & Antara – The National Police on Friday denied a group of Israeli descendants permission to host a party to celebrate Israel's day of independence.

"We did not grant the group permission to hold the event because [the request] was filed with very little time," National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Anton Bachrul Alam. "It should have been filed at least a week before," he said, adding the police also forbid the group from waving the Israeli flag.

Meanwhile, the Presidential Palace said that activities with the potential of creating public unrest would not be allowed. "There should not be any parties that could create public unrest," said presidential spokesman Julian Pasha on Friday. "It should be controlled."

The plans to celebrate the Israeli day has outraged several Islamic organizations, with the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) urging the government to put a stop to the group's plans.

The head of the committee representing the Jewish Community in Indonesia, Unggun Dahana, had earlier created a Facebook event titled "Hari Kemerdekaan Israel, ke63 - 14 Mei 2011 - Jakarta - Indonesia" ("The 63rd Commemoration of Israel's Independence, May 14 2011, Jakarta Indonesia"). The page does not reveal where the event is going to be held, with participants required to send an email to Unggun.

Actions, demos, protests...

Thousands rally for lawmakers to settle land dispute

Jakarta Globe - May 11, 2011

Thousands of people from a village in Bogor rallied outside the House of Representatives in Jakarta on Wednesday, demanding the government hand back land they claim is rightfully theirs.

The protesters, from Sukamulya in Rumpin subdistrict, demanded the government revoke a 2009 ministerial decree that, according to them, states 1,000 hectares in Sukamulya belongs to the Indonesian Air Force.

Calling themselves the Association of Sukamulya Residents, they arrived in trucks and posted banners in the gates to the House. "The land belongs to us, the Sukamulya residents," said one demonstrator, as quoted by Kompas.com.

"We are coming here to put a stop to the Air Force's greed. They want to take 1,000 hectares of our land. We are saying no to them, the land is ours. We have been intimidated but we're not afraid."

Two lawmakers, TB Hasanuddin, from the House's Commission I, and Ganjar, Pranowo from Commission II, met with the demonstrators.

"We are going to work until all of you can sleep peacefully on your land. I will take you directly to the military and fight for your land," Hasanuddin told the demonstrators.

One of the residents said that he hoped the lawmakers would keep their promises.

"It is important that the promises are kept and what they have said is not empty talk. We have been intimidated for the last three days. Two Air Force planes have flown very low above our village, terrifying the villagers."

Legalization supporters call for objective talks

Jakarta Post - May 8, 2011

Hans David Tampubolon, Jakarta – The Nusantara Marijuana Network (LGN) staged a march Saturday to campaign for the legalization of marijuana.

"As a first step, we call on the government to provide objective information about marijuana," LGN chair Dhira Narayana said at the march at the Tugu Tani monument in Central Jakarta.

"People need to be informed that marijuana can be used to cure cancer. Marijuana is also no more addictive than coffee or tea," he claimed. Medical marijuana has been clinically tested to alleviate the suffering of cancer patients, not cure them.

March organizers originally planned to go from Tugu Tani to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, however, police blocked marchers from gathering at the traffic circle because of the ongoing ASEAN summit, which began Saturday morning.

The march brought together 50 LGN members, most dressed in white T-shirts and wearing green ribbons on their chests. The march was led by a pick-up truck covered with posters of Bob Marley. "Not all of [the participants to the march] are active marijuana users," Dhira said.

One self-proclaimed non-user, Soraya Cassandra from the LGN's education team, said the public needed to know that marijuana and hemp could be used in numerous industries.

"There is a lot of biased information about marijuana and this is the reason why much of the public does not understand the substance," she said. "The Cannabis plant can be used to produce paper. This will save a lot of trees because the Cannabis plant can be harvested three times a year," she added. Soraya said marijuana was also used by AIDS patients as a painkiller.

On Friday, National Narcotics Agency (BNN) official Brig. Gen. Indradi Thanos said LGN activists should stop their campaign to legalize marijuana because the substance was defined as an illegal addictive drug in the narcotics law. Indradi said the BNN would hold talks with the LGN to determine if there were any vested interests backing them.

Aceh

Organizers fire back at critics, hold miss Aceh pageant

Jakarta Globe - May 14, 2011

Nurdin Hasan, Banda Aceh – Organizers of a beauty pageant in Aceh defied opposition from a conservative Islamic group by staging the event on Friday evening.

Organizing committee member Poppy Amalia said claims that the Miss Aceh Fair 2011 pageant went against Islamic values were nonsense.

"It's not like Miss Universe, where contestants wear revealing clothing," she said. "Here, they're fully covered. And the contestants aren't sashaying [as claimed by pageant critics], they're just walking down a stage."

Poppy said the 31 contestants from universities across the province were judged mainly on their knowledge of local products and how well they could promote the province, with little focus on their appearance.

She also stressed that the winner, Lia Aditia, 19, from Syiah Kuala University in Banda Aceh, would not go on to take part in any other national or international pageant.

The pageant was part of the ongoing Aceh Fair, a trade show to promote local products and tourism. The winner will go on to promote those products outside Aceh, as part of a government-sponsored effort to boost the local economy.

However, the group Rabithah Thaliban Aceh, which purports to represent Islamic primary school students, said the pageant went against the province's Shariah law.

Hasbi Al Bayuni, head of the group, said he only found out about the pageant the day before. "We immediately urged the organizers to call it off," he said.

"Islam forbids women from sashaying around in public, even if they're appropriately covered, and especially if there are men watching. What makes it worse is that this public display is being staged by the government.

"If the pageant's purpose is to improve tourism, there are many other Islamic activities to attract people to visit Aceh," he added. "We call on the government to put an end to activities like this that debase the dignity of Acehnese women."

Poppy said the group's accusations were flawed. "I'd really like to know what definition of Shariah law these detractors are using," she said.

"How is it that simply by trying to promote Acehnese products and places, we are accused of violating Shariah? As an Acehnese woman myself, I don't want the image of Aceh to be tainted [by conservatives' views]. I want to help Aceh build up an image that's good and positive," Poppy said.

Islamic organization opposes Miss Aceh pageant

Jakarta Globe - May 13, 2011

Islamic students organization Rabithah Thaliban Aceh (RTA) has opposed plans to hold a Miss Aceh pageant as part of the 2011 Aceh Fair at Blang Padang in Banda Aceh.

According to the fair's official Web site, the 2011 Aceh Fair will be held from May 8 to 15, with the Miss Aceh pageant held on Friday.

"We have received information about an upcoming Miss Aceh contest, and RTA strongly oppose the event to be held in Aceh," the organization's chairman Hasbi Al Bayuny told state news agency Antara. Hasbi asked the fair committee to cancel the contest because it was against Shariah.

"Whatever it is, the event is not in accordance with Sharia because Islam forbids women from displaying their bodies in public," he said. "If its purpose is to improve tourism, there are many other Islamic activities to attract people to visit Aceh," Hasbi said.

According to the Web site, the auditions for the Miss Aceh pageant will start at 12 p.m. It is open to women between the ages of 18 and 22 with good proficiency in Acehnese language. The winner, who will be an ambassador to promote the province, will be announced on Friday evening. (Antara, JG)

NGOs accused of missionary work in Aceh Jaya banned

Jakarta Globe - May 12, 2011

Nurdin Hasan, Banda Aceh – The Aceh Jaya district administration has banned four nongovernmental organizations from conducting relief work after the groups were accused of carrying out missionary and conversion activities.

Aceh Jaya district head Azhar Abdurrahman told the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday that residents had filed complaints against the organizations, saying they were actively trying to convert Muslims.

"The MPU [Ulema Consultative Assembly] of Aceh Jaya conducted investigations on the ground and verified these claims," Azhar said. "They evaluated the claims made by people. It was found that there were indeed indications that these foundations were attempting to put down and shove aside the essence of Islamic teachings in Aceh Jaya."

Azhar declined to say what religions the organizations were attempting to convert residents to. The four foundations were identified as the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, the Tangan Peduli Foundation, the Fajar Harapan Foundation and Cipta Fondasi Komunitas.

All four organizations have been performing relief work in Aceh Jaya – one of the worst-hit regions in the deadly 2004 tsunami that killed about 170,000 people in the province

ADRA is tacitly linked to a religion, having been established by the Seventh-Day Adventist Christian church. However, according to the ADRA's Web site, the organization has a strict non-proselytizing policy.

CFK has ties to Baptist World Aid Australia, a nonprofit Christian organization.

It is unclear whether the Tangan Peduli and Fajar Harapan foundations have any religious affiliations.

But Ronald Richard Simaela, from Tangan Peduli, denied his group was trying to convert Muslims. Tangan Peduli, he said, is only focused on irrigation work and providing farmers with seeds.

"Please go out into the field and see what kind of work we do," Ronald said. "We are not involved in missionary work. We are waiting for the Aceh Jaya administration to give us a chance to explain ourselves."

Evi Mardiana Sitio, from CFK, also denied any involvement in missionary work and questioned Azhar's claim of an "on the ground" investigation by the MPU.

"We are so disappointed with Aceh Jaya's district head," Evi said. "Nobody has come to conduct verifications on the ground or have a dialogue with us. We have been conducting humanitarian work here in Aceh Jaya since April 2005."

"It is false to say that we have been involved in missionary or conversion activities," she continued. "Ask our local staff. Ask the people of Krueng Sabe. We have done no such activities. We have done so much relief work in the Mentawai Islands as well."

Evi said the ban would only hurt the people of Aceh. "We are not the ones losing out here. We can always take our program somewhere else," she said. ADRA and Fajar Harapan could not be reached for comment.

West Papua

Implementation of Papua special status 'needs to be evaluated'

Jakarta Post - May 14, 2011

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Despite having special autonomy for 10 years, Papua has been compared to a sick person in need of the right therapy, with a forum held to discuss the urgency of evaluating the implementation of special autonomy.

The chairman of the special autonomy evaluation committee at the Papuan legislative council, Weynand Watori, said Thursday an evaluation on the implementation was needed to avoid the failure of special autonomy and address the continued poverty suffered by most Papuans.

Special autonomy was designed to help increase the welfare of indigenous Papuans in the education, health, economy and infrastructure.

In August 2005, however, Papuans held a mass rally against special autonomy over its failure in bringing in prosperity to the people. Similar rallies were held in July 2010, with protesters calling on the legislative council to revoke special autonomy.

"This is an indication that the people are not benefitting from special autonomy," Weynand said.

He added that special autonomy was a new concept as no other provinces in the country had been granted the status. As such, it was unclear whether to define it a success or failure due to a lack of indicators.

"This is why an evaluation of the implementation is needed, so we can find the right way to implement special autonomy," he told the forum that was attended by members of the special committee and local media.

Special autonomy, Weynand added, was like a sick person who needed a thorough general checkup, which would allow doctors to analyze his illness and prescribe the right medicine and treatment. "We need the right therapy and so an examination is needed," he said.

The forum agreed that an evaluation of the implementation of special autonomy was needed by involving all stakeholders with the council's special committee as facilitator.

The forum also agreed that Cenderawasih University in Jayapura and the Papua University in Manokwari, West Papua, would be entrusted to prepare the right evaluation method.

The evaluation would be conducted through asking Papuans. "Doing so will enable the team to get firsthand information," Weynand said, adding that the evaluation would be conducted this year.

DPRP never keeps its promises

Tabloid JUBI - May 12, 2011

The chairman of Papuan Anti Militarism Solidarity, SRPAM, Elias Petege, has called the DPRP, the provincial legislative assembly, a body that always breaks its promises. So no one should be surprised that many of the people's aspirations have not been met.

He said that to this day, the DPRP has failed to keep its promise to meet the SRPAM in order to discuss ways of solving the violation of human rights in Dogiyai. "Yesterday the DPRP accepted a request by our demonstration and promised to meet us today but they didn't keep their promise, without explaining why."

Petege said that during an action that took place yesterday, 11 May, SRPAM called on the chief of police to dismiss the chief of police in Papua, the chief of police in Nabire and the chief of police in Moenamani because they had done nothing to halt the gambling that is believed to have the support of the police in Moenamani in the sub-district of Dogiyai.

As a result, a fight broke out between the local police and the local community during which several members of the community were killed.

The DPRP was also called upon to immediately mediate between the two sides in order to solve the problem. Via the intermediary of the deputy chairman of commission A, the DPRP promised to hold a meeting with SRPAM to discuss measures that need to be taken, but unfortunately this turns out to have been nothing more than lip service.

In the opinion of Petege, the DPRP is simply not bothered about the matter and has failed to respond to the aspirations of Papuan people. "The DPRP just allows human rights violations to go on happening in Papua without lifting a finger," he said.

"We feel very disappointed indeed and have lost all confidence in the DPRP. Just imagine, we arrived at their office at 9am and stayed there until 3pm, but there was no one at all at the office and no one there to explain why they were absent."

Indonesia unity at expense of Papua: Activist

Jakarta Post - May 10, 2011

Jayapura – Jakarta frequently intimidates Papua in the name of the unity and integrity of the Republic of Indonesia, even though such a stance creates a culture of fear among Papuan officials with strategic positions in regional administrations, an activist says.

The statement was made by Papua Human Rights Working Network coordinator Fien Yarangga on Monday.

Fien made the remarks at a press conference in connection with the rejection of prominent Papuan figure Hana Hikoyabi as a member of the Papuan People's Assembly (MRP) for the 2011-2016 period by the home minister.

Fien said that a culture of intimidation had curtailed the development of democratization in Papua.

She cited the refusal to accept Hana Hikoyabi as a member of the MRP after she was declared not to be loyal to the state ideology Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution despite the fact that Hana had met all the requirements for the position.

"There was no legal basis for this. It is more political intimidation and character assassination against Hana and even against all the Papuan people who selected Hana," she said.

"The way taken by the home minister was also aimed at curbing critical Papuan women in defending their own people," Fein said.

Human rights & democracy

Unresolved cases 'hinder Indonesia's international role'

Jakarta Post - May 14, 2011

Bagus BT Saragih and Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – The country's failure to resolve past human rights cases will hinder its attempts to play a greater role on the global stage, says UK-based rights watchdog Amnesty International.

"If the Indonesian government wants to be taken seriously by other countries, it will have to take immediate steps to deal with a range of human rights issues in the country," Josef Roy Benedict, Amnesty's campaigner for Indonesia, told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Indonesia is currently seeking a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council, and is confident its ASEAN chairmanship will boost its chances. It chaired the council in 2006, and was a member between 2007 and 2010.

Josef said Amnesty would continue documenting and reporting any human rights abuses in Indonesia should the country be elected as a member of the council.

"The Indonesian government has the duty to resolve past human rights issues, such as the killing of human rights defender Munir [Said Thalib], and bringing the perpetrators to court. We will keep reminding [Indonesia of the duty]," he said.

On Friday, Amnesty released its annual global report, The State of the World's Human Rights, which is an overview of human rights in 157 countries. In the report, the NGO expressed concern about the considerable number of human rights violations in Indonesia last year.

One incident included in Amnesty's highlights was the ongoing persecution of Islamic minority sect Ahmadiyah, the latest chapter of which occurred in Cikeusik, Pandeglang regency, Banten, in February, in which three Ahmadis were killed after more than 1,500 people brutally attacked an Ahmadi house.

Josef suggested that moderate Muslim groups, like Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, improve their role in reducing intimidation and discrimination against Ahmadiyah.

"We had meetings with leaders from these two organizations in April 2011 and they shared our concerns. Because of their large numbers, they can give a strong voice and play an important role in educating their members that violence is never justified and that they should respect the rule of law," he said.

Amnesty also highlights the "torture and ill-treatment" of suspected separatists in Papua and Maluku by Indonesian security forces.

The release of Amnesty's report coincided with the commemoration of the May tragedy 13 years ago when four Trisakti University students were shot dead by security authorities during a rally against Soeharto's authoritarian regime.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, according to National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) chief Ifdhal Kasim, claimed he was committed to resolving past cases of human rights violations and looking for mechanisms to speed up the process.

"The President has a strong political commitment to resolving the cases, including the 1998 May riots, before his tenure ends in 2014," Ifdhal said after meeting with Yudhoyono on Friday.

Key highlights of Amnesty's annual report on Indonesia:

Torture and ill-treatment of poor detainees and suspected pro- independence activists in Papua and Maluku.
The police's excessive use of force during arrests and to quell demonstrations.
The suppression of freedom of expression, with activists and journalists intimidated, harassed and killed.
Violence and discrimination against religious minorities and LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people.
The policies that deny unmarried women access to reproductive health services.
The absence of proper and full-ranging legal protection for 2.6 million domestic workers.
The impunity for past gross human rights violations in Aceh, Papua, and Timor-Leste.

[Source: Amnesty International.]

Rights activists press government to act on May 1998 tragedy

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2011

Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) pressed the government to take concrete action concerning the May 1998 riots that killed more than 1,000 civilians.

"We will unite in our fight for justice so that the government take action on severe human rights violations," Kontras monitoring officer Daud said Friday.

The riots from May 13-15 in 1998 saw angry masses destroy shops and other buildings, as well as kidnapping, raping and killing innocent civilians.

The riots began the day after the killing of four Trisakti University students by state forces in a reform demonstration against Soeharto's New Order regime.

The Kontras has teamed up with other human rights activist groups, such as the Victim Solidarity for Justice Network (JSKK) and Families of Missing Persons Association (IKOHI), in voicing their three demands to the government.

The first demand is for the President to instruct his administration to support the fight for human rights and justice. The second demand is that the chief attorney immediately investigate the incident. The third demand calls on legislators to recommend the establishment of a temporary human rights court to the President.

"The Attorney General's Office has always refused to investigate because they said the documents were not complete and because the human rights court was not yet established," Kontras impunity monitoring officer Putri said. "We will keep fighting for this case through campaigns and warnings," she added.

On Friday Kontras and families of May '98 victims paid their respects by spreading flowers in Citra mall, Klender, the site of the killings, and the Pondok Rangon cemetery, where the victims are buried.

Kontras will also hold a "reform tour" on Sunday morning at Kebon Singkong followed by a relaxed walk themed "against forgetfulness" towards the Klender museum.

Families of May '98 victims gather in solidarity

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2011

Jakarta – Families and friends of victims of the May 1998 riots gathered Friday at Pondok Rangon cemetery to pray for their loved ones and speak about the largely unresolved events that preceded the tragic riots that occurred 13 years ago.

The event was partly organized by the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), which has been involved in efforts to seek justice in relation to the riots that caused the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians.

"We are not here to cry or mourn, but to pray for our loved ones and to strengthen our fight for justice," Kontras program coordinator Daud said.

Around 30 people sat in front of the graves, each holding up a black umbrella with the words "demand justice" written on them.

Before sowing flowers on graves, the families of victims took turns to speak and express their feelings. "We don't ask for much, just listen to us," one mother said, addressing the government.

Kontras says that after 13 years the government has not made any serious attempt to resolve the riots, which came about after the killing of four students in a demonstration against Soeharto's authoritarian regime.

Earlier, the government formed a fact-finding team to investigate the riots, and the team found that the riots had been carefully masterminded by members of the political elite.

The National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has on several occasions taken the case to the Attorney General's Office (AGO) for prosecution, but each time it has been rejected.

"We have been fighting for so long and we are tired, but the government is still ignoring this case," said Ibu Darwin, who lost her son Eten in the riots. "Our demand is that the culprits confess." (awd)

Trisakti remembers the May 12 killings

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2011

Dina Indrasafitri, Jakarta – Thirteen years after the deadly May 1998 riots, Trisakti University students continue to fight for justice and held a vigil for four colleagues killed in the tragedy, as the Attorney General's Office announced it would soon look into the incident.

On Thursday evening, students were to end their vigil by lighting 1,998 candles at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle after holding a series of events including erecting a free speech arena at the university, blocking roads and meeting with the AGO.

"We have good news this year as Deputy Attorney General Darmono promised us the AGO will look into the incident along with the House of Representatives to find out why progress in the case has stalled," Trisakti student president Sutan Nalendra said Thursday.

This would mark a step forward in the case, in which four Trisakti students – Elang Mulia Lesmana, Hafidin Royan, Hendriawan and Hery Hartanto – were killed on May 12, 1998, during a demonstration, Sutan said.

But despite signs of progress, the students were also fighting against a threat that could again hamper the case progress: that of the incident becoming less relevant. "We held a road show at the university today," Sutan said. "We want to encourage other students to never forget the incident."

Dea, one of the students who chose not to participate in the commemoration, said she had little faith there would be any progress in the issue.

"There's nothing new. For years, rallies have been carried out but the case remains stalled. They said some parties managed to evade [responsibility], so how could it possibly be settled?" she said.

However, Putri Violetta, a student who has participated in the rallies four years in a row, said her faith and adoration for the four students who died remained strong.

"I was still in elementary school when [the deaths] occurred, but there's an emotional bond for me. I see them as our brothers who died unjustly. At least this rally could nudge the government into action," she said.

Sutan said that this year participation in the event was limited to Trisakti students, unlike in previous years. "We are adopting a more intellectual method," he said of his meeting with the AGO.

Activists from various organizations are also scheduling various activities to "fight against forgetting", Haris Azhar from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) said.

The activities scheduled include exhibitions, visits to cemeteries, a walk "against forgetting" and a mass cycling event in memory of victims.

Indonesia to take fresh look at past human rights abuses

Jakarta Globe - May 13, 2011

Camelia Pasandaran – The Attorney General's Office indicated it would re- examine a number of human rights abuse cases involving the Indonesian Military, including the May 1998 tragedy, during a meeting with the president, the National Commission for Human Rights said on Friday.

Ifdhal Kasim, chairman of the commission, known as Komnas Ham, said Attorney General Basrief Arief said it would take a fresh look at the commission's findings tabled in 2003 but gave no assurances the investigation would be formally reopened.

"The Attorney General might have a different position to ours," Ifdhal warned, "it might issue an SP3 [an order to cease an investigation] as it is has the authority."

More than 1,000 people were killed during the final days of then President Suharto's rule in 1998 but despite Komnas Ham findings that serious human rights violations had occurred, the AGO has consistently failed to take any meaningful action. This is despite the AGO being mandated by the law to do so.

According to the Asian Human Rights Commission, the AGO has also halted a number of other "serious human rights violations cases," including the Trisakti case, the Semanggi I and II cases, the kidnappings and enforced disappearances of activists in 1997 and 1998 and the Wasior-Wamena case in Papua.

AHRC has also criticized the House of Representatives (DPR) for its "bad track record" in relation to the cases.

In the meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Komnas Ham said it had urged the president to resolve the case by "pushing the AGO to accelerate" the process, "or through other mechanisms."

Ifdhal said that though the case was not discussed in any detail, Yudhoyono had responded seriously and agreed to accelerate resolving the May 1998 tragedy and other cases, including the 1989 massacre of 130 Muslims by soldiers in Talangsari, Lampung.

Komnas HAM commissioner Yoseph Adi Prasetyo said a presidential decree was needed to allow a full investigation to proceed.

"The president only said that he was fully committed on past human rights violation," Yoseph said. "But he should think whether it should be done through the courts or other ways, such as with a truth and reconciliation commission."

Ifdhal said the president had ordered Djoko Suyanto, the coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, to hold comprehensive meetings with the commission every three months to discuss the problems.

The president said he would also hold meetings with the commission every six months, he said. "It shows the president has the political will to resolve these old cases. We only need to find the mechanism to achieve this."

Often deadly land disputes between the military and citizens were also another pressing issue, Ifdhal said. Indonesia is currently bidding to be re-elected to a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Bid for UN rights council finds activists' support

Jakarta Globe - May 13, 2011

Nurfika Osman – Despite its patchy record of violations, the country's bid to be re-elected to a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council won activists' backing on Thursday.

Rafendi Djamin, executive director of the NGO Coalition for International Human Rights Advocacy (HRWG), said the country should not balk at pursuing a seat because as a member of the council, Indonesia would be able to demonstrate its commitment to further promote and protect human rights.

The election of 15 members to the council is scheduled to be held on May 20 during the 65th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Rafendi said that while there were still human rights issues that needed to be resolved, particularly the May 1998 tragedy in which more than 1,000 people were killed during the chaos of the final days of President Suharto's rule, it was important to keep moving forward.

"We need to show that as a country, Indonesia is far from being a Burma, Pakistan or North Korea; that Indonesia has hopes to uphold human rights," he said.

Rafendi said Indonesia, the Philippines, India and Syria had already put themselves forward for the four seats open to the Asian region this year. The countries elected to the council will serve through 2014.

"Indonesia's position is strong because we are a member of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Historically speaking, countries that are members of these organizations have had an easier time getting selected," he said.

Indonesia was elected to the Human Rights Council in 2006 when it was convened as the successor to the UN Commission on Human Rights. It was also elected for the 2007-10 term.

Rafendi said that now was a good time for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to finally issue a decree to establish an ad hoc human rights tribunal to address the May 1998 tragedy, in line with the Law on Human Rights issued in 2000.

"The president should immediately issue the decree and he must be firm and fully committed to this," he said. "We have to continue to strengthen human rights mechanisms not only at the national level, but also at the provincial, district and municipal levels."

Nur Kholis, deputy chairman of the National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM), sai it would meet with Yudhoyono today to discuss the issue. "The May 1998 tragedy was truly a gross violation of human rights and we have a lot of evidence regarding this case," he said.

Even though Komnas HAM recorded a steep rise in human rights violations in recent years, from 4,800 incidents in 2008 to 6,700 in 2010, Nur Kholis said the country was much more transparent now and the political rights of civilians were generally protected.

SBY praises 'improvements to human rights' in Indonesia

Jakarta Globe - May 13, 2011

Camelia Pasandaran – Before a meeting with the National Commission on Human Rights on Friday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that Indonesia had taken steps in the right direction to improve its human rights record.

"Although we realize that there are still human rights problems in our nation, in numerous places that require a lot of homework to be done, in comparison to our human rights record 10 to 15 years ago, there have been much improvements," Yudhoyono said.

He said that while Indonesia had often been "attacked" in the past over human rights abuses, this was no longer the case.

"The situation has systematically changed, and we have been selected with full support to be a member of United Nations Human Rights Council," he said. "We need to maintain and improve this condition, correcting human rights abuses."

Yudhoyono's statement parallels a report on human rights recently released by the United States government, in which Indonesia was listed as a country that had made significant improvements to human rights.

The report, however, noted that Indonesia faced problems, including political and judicial corruption, limitations to freedom of expression, violence towards religious groups and human trafficking.

"Indonesia boasts a vibrant free media and a flourishing civil society at the same time as it faces up to challenges in preventing abuses by its security forces and acting against religious intolerance," said US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton at the time.

13 years after: Victims still push for justice

Jakarta Post - May 12, 2011

Elly Burhaini Faizal, Jakarta – Families of victims and human rights activists began a campaign this month to remind the people and government about the tragedy that occurred 13 years ago, when thousands took to the street while fires burned buildings.

"The government turns a blind eye and we've never got the justice we wanted," Ruyati Darwin told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Ruyati lost her son, Eten Karyana, to the May 1998 riot, also known as the May Tragedy. Her son was trapped in the blazing Yogya Plaza (now Klender Mall) in East Jakarta. The May 1998 riots surrounded the fall of Soeharto's regime, and occurred in several cities in Indonesia.

Ruyati asked that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono push the Attorney General's Office to follow up on the dossier that has been stagnant for years.

Ruyati was among the campaigning families of victims, who along with human rights activists, participated in several events such as film screenings and discussions to remind Indonesians about the dark past.

Supported by the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), they organized events to observe the May 1998 riot from May 6 to 25.

"We want the state to declare that [former president] Soeharto was responsible [for various incidents in the past]. That will make a huge difference to the victims," Haris Azhar, Kontras coordinator, said.

According to a recent survey held by the Chinese Youth Network (JTM), only a few school students could remember the May Tragedy. The survey was carried out from April 7 to 27 with a total of 1,000 respondents.

Citing the survey, JTM coordinator Alexander Ferry said about 80 percent of respondents believed that similar tragedies might occur sometime in the future, although most acknowledged that the current security situation was far better than in 1998.

Eighty-five percent of respondents believed the tragedy was engineered since it was executed professionally. They also believe that the May 1998 riots were racially motivated although they said it was difficult to prove this claim.

Having been traumatized by terrifying violence during the tragedy, 61 percent of respondents said they wished the May Tragedy be commemorated every year. "They also think that education can prevent a recurrence of such a tragedy," he said. Only four percent of the respondents learned about the tragedy from educational forms.

Wanmayetti, the secretary-general of the Indonesian Association of Families of Missing Persons, said the organization invited the participation of history teachers and students to join the campaign. "We are exhausted, but after years of struggling we can see changes even if they are little. What we are doing now is keeping it from vanishing," Wanmayetti said.

Andy Yentriyani from the National Commission on Violence Against Women said the government had made few efforts to have the May Tragedy recognized as a critical episode in Indonesian history.

"It only says the tragedy involves a string of mass protests initiated by students, leading to the fall of the Soeharto regime. It does not explain the horrible mass rapes against Chinese women and mass killings against innocent people during the riots," Andy told a press conference ahead of activities to commemorate the May 1998 tragedy." she said. (swd)

Repeat Of May 1998 violence a likelihood, poll claims

Jakarta Globe - May 11, 2011

Nurfika Osman – Violence on the scale of the May 1998 riots that marked the downfall of former President Suharto could occur once again amid the growing climate of intolerance, activists warned on Wednesday.

Alexander F.W., from the Chinese Indonesian Association, said a survey of 1,079 people last month found that most believed the bloody pogroms and mass rapes targeted against the ethnic Chinese community 13 years ago could happen again.

"Eighty percent of respondents believe that a similar bloody tragedy can happen in the future because they've seen much violence in the country with little attempt to enforce the law," he said.

He also said 84 percent of respondents believed the May 1998 riots were racially motivated, while 38 percent believed there were political factors at play.

"We need to fight to never forget this tragedy," Alexander said. "Sixty-one percent of our respondents agree that we need to have an annual commemoration of the tragedy. Eighty-five percent of respondents also believe that the tragedy was orchestrated and that the government was responsible for it."

Andy Yentriyani, from the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan), said the best way to keep the lessons of the tragedy current was through education.

"The May 1998 tragedy should be included in the national school curriculum so that future generations can learn the lessons of those events," she said. "These lessons, such as the importance of solidarity, tolerance, the values of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika [Unity in Diversity] and respect, can bring about a better future where such tragedies will no longer occur."

She added that while history textbooks mentioned the political reforms following Suharto's downfall, they failed to touch on the more prickly topics of looting, sexual assault, attacks and arson.

Andy said Komnas Perempuan was working with organizations such as the Chinese Indonesian Association, the Solidarity Network of Victims and their Families (JSKK) and the Indonesian Association of Families of the Disappeared (Ikohi) to compile a history of the events.

She said this history would be submitted to the National Education Ministry for possible inclusion into the school curriculum.

"The government says it doesn't have the material to put together such a curriculum, but now it won't be able to use that excuse again because we can say 'We have the material.'? And even if they reject it, we'll never stop fighting because we can teach this in non-formal ways."

Andy said Komnas Perempuan was working with teachers' organizations in Jakarta to include this subject in their curriculum. "When the students study the [political] reform, these teachers will teach them about the tragedy," Andy said, adding that some schools had already unofficially adopted this in their curriculum.

Ruminah, whose son was killed when the Yogya Department Store in East Jakarta was burned down during the riots, said the tragedy 13 years ago should never be allowed to happen again.

She also said she had long sought justice from the government, but to no avail. "The government has not spoken about this tragedy," Ruminah said. "I keep waiting and hoping."

Alexander agreed. "The country owes so much to the victims and their families, and the government has an obligation to get to the bottom of this case."

Freedom of expression & press

PDI-P promises to question police chief over violence against journalists

Jakarta Globe - May 10, 2011

Anita Rachman – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle on Tuesday promised that it would take a serious look into cases of violence against journalists, stating that the party would question the National Police chief on the poor follow-up given to such cases.

Eva Kusuma Sundari and M. Nurdin, PDI-P lawmakers at the House Commission III overseeing legal affairs, met with the Indonesian Human Rights Monitor (Imparsial) and the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) on Tuesday, along with Banjir Ambarita, a Papua-based contributor to the Jakarta Globe who was stabbed by an unknown assailant in March after uncovering a high- profile case of police abuse.

Due to a worsening trend of violence against journalists, Imparsial and the AJI sought support from the House to push for better protection for journalists in the course of their job and better law enforcement in cases of violence.

Asep Komarudin, a general program officer at AJI, said the organization's data showed that 46 cases of violence against journalists had occurred in the country in the past year, with three cases resulting in death. "None of the 46 cases were resolved or well-handled by police," Asep said.

Both groups predicted that the trend would get uglier in the future, especially at the regional level, if nothing was done to push law enforcement institutions to seriously follow through on such cases. Bharata Ibu Reza from Imparsial said it was important to stop the trend of violence in its tracks.

"We want serious law enforcement for cases that have already occurred, but we also want to ensure that journalists are protected in the future," he said.

Eva recognized that the trend toward violence was worsening and that there had been no improvement by police in better handling such cases. She vowed to write an official letter to the police detailing the journalists' complaints.

"The trend is getting worse," she said. "We will urge the National Police chief to take a serious look at these cases [of violence against journalists]. I will ask him directly about the issue when we meet in the commission hearing. This issue, among others, is of high priority [in the hearing]."

Eva added that lawmakers could also play a role in protecting journalists when the House deliberates the bill on Human Rights Defenders. She said journalists could be included as defenders of human rights, thereby providing them with protection in carrying out their jobs.

However, she also recommended that Imparsial and the AJI should file a separate request for journalists' inclusion in the bill at the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.

Police questioned over attack on journalists

Jakarta Post - May 10, 2011

Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Surabaya – The East Java Police internal affairs division is currently questioning 21 police officers for allegedly attacking journalists who were covering a Falun Gong march in Surabaya on May 7.

The four journalists who were allegedly victims of police brutality were identified as Lukman Rozaq from Trans7, Septa Rudianto from Radio El Shinta Surabaya, TVRI cameraman Joko Hermanto and New Tang Dynasty Television contributor Eko Oscar Nugroho.

Lukman suffered the most from the attack. His right eye was bruised and swollen after being hit and kicked by police.

"Suddenly, police in plain clothes attacked the crowd with helmets, including the journalists. I was hit from behind. I retaliated but the number of policemen in uniform was higher," Lukman said.

Septa said he was beaten on the head despite yelling that he was a journalist covering the event.

TVRI cameraman Joko was also kicked by a number of police officers but he was lucky to have been able to film the perpetrators, including the police officer who gave the order to seize journalists' cameras.

The incident prompted strong reactions from journalists in Surabaya – They immediately protested in front of the East Java Police headquarters and met with East Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Untung Suharsono Radjab.

Representatives from the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI), the Radio Indonesia Journalists Alliance (Alwari), the Television Journalists Association (IJTI) and the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) urged Untung to thoroughly investigate the case.

"We will certainly impose sanctions. No one is above the law, even an officer," Untung said at the meeting with 100 journalists at East Java Police headquarters.

After the meeting, East Java Police spokesperson Comr. Rachmat Mulyana said the restrictions on the Falun Gong movement in Indonesia were apparently upon the request of the Chinese government through its envoy in Indonesia.

"The movement is banned in China. We are concerned that if we allow it to exist, it would have a negative impact on the Chinese-Indonesian community in East Java. If it's just a parade, it's okay. We respect the relationship between Indonesia and China," Rachmat said.

East Java Falun Gong chair Abdhy Yozari said the Chinese government was pressing the Indonesian government to take repressive measures against all the activities of the Falun Gong community in East Java.

Abdhy Yozari told The Jakarta Post on Monday that the march included over 300 Falun Gong members from across the country and representatives from Singapore and Taiwan.

When reached by the Post, the Chinese vice consulate in Surabaya, Sun Guo Yuan, denied the Chinese government had asked the police in Indonesia to suppress Falun Gong in Indonesia.

"I absolutely don't know anything about the incident. We were closed on Saturday and Sunday so we don't know about the matter at all. And, it is not true what they accused us of," Sun said.

Andhy Yozari said the Falun Gong community in Indonesia had planned to file a case of violence against the police over the incident.

Transparency & freedom of information

Scant progress on freedom of information law: ICW

Jakarta Globe - May 9, 2011

Elisabeth Oktofani – Indonesia Corruption Watch on Sunday expressed distress at what it said was the slow implementation of the year-old freedom of information law.

According to the details of the Public Disclosure Act, ratified last May, each province must within two years establish a commission tasked with handling information requests from the public.

However, after one year, only eight out of 33 provinces have set up such information commissions, said Agus Sunaryanto, head of the investigative unit at ICW.

Agus, speaking at a discussion on the implementation of the law, known as the KIP, said a lack of funding was responsible for the slow progress. He also said there needed to be a campaign to educate the public on the benefits and uses of the KIP law.

The measure is considered a breakthrough for governance reform in this nation. Indonesia is the seventh country in Asia to enact such a law. It obliges all bodies funded by taxpayer money to regularly disclose and update information regarding their institutions, and to provide easy access to information for those who request it.

The eight existing provincial commissions are located in Central Java, East Java, West Java, Banten, Garontolo, Riau Islands, South Sulawesi and Lampung. But according to Agus, only four of those are operating effectively.

"Unfortunately, although there are eight provincial commissions for public information, there are only four that work properly by handling the public information," Agus said.

"It works in Central Java, East Java, Banten and also Riau Islands province." ICW researcher Tama Satrya Langkun said provincial governments needed to make a commitment to provide the commissions with enough funding.

"Central Java for instance, although the Central Java Commission for Public Information has been working properly and the government has been responsive to responding to the public's demand to establish [the commission], the regional government has reduced the funding for them from Rp 2 billion to Rp 1 billion [$234,000 to $117,000] in 2011," he said.

The KIP also called for the central government to establish up a commission within one year of the issuing of the regulation. That body has already been established.

Politics & political parties

Activists turned politicians yet to make their mark

Kompas - May 14, 2011

M Hernowo – Case of human rights violations that took place around the time of the fall of the New Order regime have still not been fully resolved. Moreover President Suharto's decision on May 21, 1998 to release his grip on the reigns power, which he held for 32 years, has been taken advantage of by some groups.

Among those who benefited from Suharto's resignation 13 years ago were former activists who fought against the New Order regime. The political space that opened up during the reformasi era provided opportunities to these activists to move more freely, such as becoming members of the House of Representatives (DPR), political party leaders and member of the government.

Moreover, these activists became part of a new Indonesian generation in the political, social and economic arena. They include, among others, Budiman Sudjatmiko, the former general chairperson of the People's Democratic Party (PRD) who is now a lawmaker and member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction in parliament. One of Sudjatmiko's colleagues in the PRD, Andi Arief, is now a special staff member to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Two victims of the abduction of activists in 1997-98, Pius Lustrilanang and Desmond J. Mahesa, have also become DPR members from the Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra). Among others, Gerindra was established by Suharto's former son-in-law Prabowo Subianto, who was dismissed from the army's elite Special Forces (Kopassus) after it was declared that he was involved in the abduction of these activists. Anas Urbaningrum, the general chairperson of the Islamic Students Association (HMI) in 1997-1999 has even become the general chairperson of Yudhoyono's ruling Democrat Party.

Mugiyanto, also a former member of the PRD and one of the victims of the 1997-98 abductions, who to this day is still fighting to discover the whereabouts of 13 of his colleagues who are still missing, said there are two reasons why his colleagues became involved in practical politics. First, it was triggered by exhaustion from building the movement. This resulted in some former activists becoming involved in politics without looking at the background of their political partners. Second, because there was a desire to continue the ideals of reformasi.

If asked about their reasons for becoming involved in practical politics, former 1998 activists generally answer that it is to carry on the agenda of reformasi, such as creating an administration that is free of corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN). "Practical politics is one of the ways to struggle, to fight for ideals. The struggle must also be carried out from within the system, not just from outside the system", said Sudjatmiko.

Within the DPR, Sudjatmiko has been fighting for things that were of concern to him when he was a student, such as agrarian reform. He is also actively fighting for the village law, which he is convinced is one of the ways to empower communities.

Other former 1997-98 activists who are now in the DPR are known for having other concerns. Lustrilanang, who is now the Deputy Chairperson of DPR's Household Affairs Committee (BURT) has become known through the house's plan to construct a new parliamentary building, which has created such heated public controversy of late. Former 1998 activist Fahri Hamzah, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the DPR's Commission III on law and security affairs from the Prosperity and Justice Party (PKS), is known for his courageous stand on law enforcement in Indonesia [he was one of the strongest proponents of the divisive 2008 anti-pornography law – JB].

Sudjatmiko concedes that there have been many "political roads" taken by his former 1997-98 colleagues in struggle. However the diversity of paths is quite normal and has not given rise to animosities.

Public profile

M. Qodari, a political observer from Indo Barometer, said that the political performance of some former 1997-98 activists have indeed become known by the public. This is related to their ability to manage issues and speak, which was obtained from their experience as activists.

"In general however, their presence has yet to provide new political colour in Indonesia. They still tend to follow and have yet to influence their political party's policies. As a consequence, as a group their presence is still relatively similar to politicians who emerged from other backgrounds, such as business people, professionals, even celebrities", he said.

This has occurred because in general these former activists have yet to hold central positions in their political parties. "Anas is indeed the Democrat Party's general chairperson. However there is still a debate about weather he holds real power in the party", said Qodari.

This situation is even more difficult because these former activists must compete with other politicians who often have more experience and capital. "Reformasi has allowed the old [political] figures to continue to exist. This is different from the events of 1966 [when Suharto and the military seized power]. Then there was a complete break with the old regime", said Qodari.

Haris Azhar, the coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), even likens practical political practices to an octopus that is it is slippery and large. As a consequence, many of the former activists have ended up being enslaved or have lost their way thought their involvement in politics.

In addition to creating exhaustion, this situation has also started to make some former activists think practically or pragmatically after they become involved in politics. Moreover, the world of politics is not cheap in economic terms, although it promises many things.

It is unwise however for these challenges to become grounds for former activists to "surrender" to politics.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

New political parties face tough challenges: Analysts

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2011

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – With limited resources and time and stricter electoral rules, new political parties may find it difficult to obtain votes in the 2014 elections, analysts say.

One key challenge for new parties is the fact that many Indonesians perceive politics negatively, according to Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) political analyst Ikrar Nusa Bhakti.

"Most of the new parties were formed by politicians from existing parties, which makes things worse. It's like merely 'changing clothes'. New parties must address this matter very seriously."

At least four new political parties – the Nasdem Party, the National Republic Party (Nasrep), the National Union Party (PPN) and the Indonesia Nation Sovereignty Party (PKBI) – have registered with the Law and Human Rights Ministry to qualify to run in the 2014 general elections. Nasdem and Nasrep are filled with many former politicians from the Golkar Party.

The PKBI is a splinter group from the National Awakening Party (PKB), while the PPN was formed by 10 small parties that failed to meet electoral threshold requirements in the 2009 general elections.

Ikrar said of all the new parties, Nasdem was the one that was the most prepared to face the polls. The party is linked with the National Democrats, a mass organization founded by media mogul and former Golkar Party patron Surya Paloh.

The organization has used Surya's media outlets, Metro TV and Media Indonesia, to extensively promote its activities across the nation. Many Golkar politicians also fill the organization's elite positions.

Although Golkar chair Aburizal Bakrie played down Nasdem's existence, Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) political analyst Burhanuddin Muhtadi said that Nasdem might "steal Golkar's votes a little".

He said Nasdem would still find it difficult to compete with bigger parties like President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

"New parties need to show radical change in their strategies to lure voters. With old faces at the wheels and conservative ways in gaining votes, they will surely be facing difficult times," Ikrar said.

Siti Zuhro, another LIPI analyst, predicted that the new parties would hardly be able to gain more than one percent of the vote, calling them "decimal parties".

"Nasrep's establishment, for example, was not expected by anybody. I had never heard of it but all of a sudden it registered with the Law and Human Rights Ministry. It proves that the party never planned to develop political strongholds," she said.

Siti argued that the emergence of new parties would only make elections ineffective as they had little chance of gaining votes. She said that out of the 38 political parties that ran in 2009, 23 obtained less than 1 percent of the vote. "So what's the point of those small parties? It only made the ballot so big that voters found it difficult to unfold it."

Siti reiterated that a simple multi-party system would fit Indonesia's democracy the best. "It's cheaper and more efficient, and it suits the presidential system that we adopted."

Many think that the 2011 Political Parties Law made it more difficult for new parties to run in elections. The law stipulates that a party can run in elections if it has branch offices in all 33 provinces, 75 percent of the cities and regencies in each province and 50 percent of the districts.

The House of Representatives is now deliberating a revision to the legislative general election law that will likely increase the legislative threshold to 3 percent from the 2.5 percent used in the 2009 polls.

Center for Electoral Reform political analyst Hadar Nafiz Gumay said he agreed with a simpler multi-party system, but he disapproved of stricter electoral rules, saying they could violate citizens' political rights.

New parties aim big despite tougher rules, competition

Jakarta Post - May 11, 2011

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – Four new political parties have announced they would join the 2014 elections, claiming they had every reason to be optimistic about meeting stricter electoral requirements and competing with bigger, more established parties.

As of this month, four new political parties – the Nasdem Party, the National Republic Party (Nasrep), the National Union Party (PPN) and the Indonesia Nation Sovereignty Party (PKBI) – have registered with the Law and Human Rights Ministry to qualify to run in the 2014 general elections.

Under the 2011 Political Parties Law, all parties, including those with seats in the House of Representatives, must register with the ministry by the second week of August at the latest.

Analysts said the law, which required parties to have branch offices in all 33 provinces, 75 percent of the cities and regencies in each province and 50 percent of the districts in each city and regency in order to join elections, was too high a requirement for new parties. However, the new parties told The Jakarta Post that this was not their main concern.

"As of today, we have met all the legal requirements," Yus Usman Kusumaningrat, a cofounders of the Nasrep Party, said.

"We already established branches in all provinces. We are now finalizing some branches at the city and regency levels to meet our target, which is 100 percent of cities and regencies," Yus Usman, the former secretary- general of the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), said.

Nasrep was cofounded by Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra, the son of former strongman Soeharto, who was ousted in 1998. The party has not announced its structural organization, pending an official declaration later this month.

Yus claimed that by bringing Tommy on board he wished to draw to the party those who missed out on "the political and economic stability during the Soeharto era".

Didi Supriyanto of the PPN said a series of porn and graft scandals involving politicians from the major parties at the House was one of the reasons why smaller parties were confident of success in the polls. "The House has lost its dignity due to recent scandals and corruption cases," he said.

The PPN was formed by 10 small parties that failed to meet electoral threshold requirements in the 2009 general elections. Didi, the former secretary-general of the Democratic Renewal Party (PDP), one of the PPN's forming parties, claimed the party had established regional branches as stipulated by law.

Zanuba Arifah Chafsoh, better known as Yenny Wahid, the founder of the PKBI, declined to comment about her election strategy. "Everything will be revealed at the declaration ceremony on May 20," she said.

Yenny is the daughter of late former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid. The PKBI was established following Yenny's split from the National Awakening Party (PKB), one of the nine parties in the House. Yenny claimed many former PKB supporters who admired her father, backed her new party.

Nasdem is affiliated with the National Democrats, a mass organization founded by media mogul and former Golkar Party patron Surya Paloh. The organization's secretary-general, Syamsul Muarif, is also a former Golkar politician. The organization has also courted politicians from other parties but most have not confirmed whether they would join the Nasdem Party.

Nasdem Party secretary-general Achmad Rofiq said the party's vision and mission would be in harmony with the National Democrat slogan of "Indonesia's Restoration".

"This party was formed in response to the aspirations of many of the organization's supporters, who wanted us to enter the political arena," he said.

Democrat official denies Indonesia ruling party rift

Jakarta Globe - May 10, 2011

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – A Democratic Party official on Monday said an investigation into a graft case allegedly involving some of its members was not the result of divisions between rival camps in the party.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) plans to summon Muhammad Nazaruddin, a Democratic lawmaker and the party's treasurer, to answer allegations he took Rp 25 billion ($2.9 million) in relation to a construction project for November's Southeast Asian Games in Palembang.

The case has raised speculation that a widening internal rift is ratcheting up tensions that could potentially split the party.

"I hope law enforcers will immediately investigate the case so it can be cleared up," said Melani Leimena Suharli, a Democrat and deputy speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).

Melani denied speculation that the probe was the result of problems within the party that started after Anas Urbaningrum was appointed the party's chairman last year.

She said the party factions that had supported the three candidates for the chairmanship – including Andi Mallarangeng, the state minister for youth and sports affairs – were all now united behind Anas and the party's national leadership board.

In its most recent issue, Tempo magazine reported that some lawmakers from the House Commission X, which oversees youth and sports affairs, had allegedly received bribes linked to the building of an athletes' village ahead of the Games.

The article alleged that some of the commission members, including Democrat lawmaker Angelina Sondakh, had asked for gratuities from Duta Graha Indah, the construction company who won the bid for the project.

Both Nazaruddin and Angelina are supporters of Anas. Angelina, however, has not been sought for questioning by the KPK.

On Monday, the Democratic Party's faction in the House held an internal coordination meeting at Senayan. Melani said the meeting covered the bribery case among several other issues, but declined to elaborate.

Jafar Hafsah, the chairman of the faction, also said he would not be drawn on what was discussed at the meeting.

In a statement released to the media on Monday, Nazaruddin urged the KPK to resolve the case quickly so he could clear his name and that of the party.

Responding to speculation that the case was the result of a party dispute, Nazaruddin defended Andi, the sports minister.

"I am sure he's not taking revenge for his loss in the party's last congress. We are still unified as a party," he said, adding that he was certain Andi was not behind the push to investigate the case.

Nazaruddin said he had nothing to hide and would cooperate fully with investigators. "I hope the KPK can be fair and base the case on legal evidence," he said in the statement.

According to the lawyer who formerly represented Mindo Rosaline Manullang, the suspected broker linked to the case, Nazaruddin received Rp 25 billion in kickbacks from the project.

Kamaruddin Simanjuntak, who has since been fired by Rosaline, said she once told him that Nazaruddin, who was her boss at a little-known company called Anak Negeri, had received a commission equal to 13 percent of the total value of the SEA Games construction project.

Another 2 percent, or roughly Rp 3.82 billion, was allegedly set aside for the secretary general of the Youth and Sports Ministry, Wafid Muharram, who was detained last month by the KPK in relation to the case.

Rosaline's new lawyer, Djufri Taufik, however, has dismissed Kamaruddin's assertions as false.

Labour & migrant workers

Repatriated migrants say 'never again' to Saudi Arabia

Jakarta Globe - May 9, 2011

Fitri R., Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara – Indonesian migrant workers from West Nusa Tenggara expressed relief and happiness upon returning home on Friday, after having spent months surviving without work in Saudi Arabia.

"I am very happy to be back. I felt exhausted abroad, living in uncertainty and chased [by the local authorities]," said Novi, a mother of two from Spakek, Central Lombok.

Novi was one of 2,349 migrant workers who were repatriated by the government on Thursday. Of those, 163 were from West Nusa Tenggara. Many of them had been living under a bridge in the city of Jeddah, penniless and with little chance of improving their own lot.

The migrant workers had been forced into their desperate conditions after overstaying their visas and encountering problems related to their employment contracts. Some of them misused minor hajj visas to work in the country.

The government began repatriating the workers this year, first by plane and then by state-chartered ships. Novi's group was the last to leave Jeddah.

When asked whether she would consider going back to Saudi Arabia to work, Novi replied, "Never again."

She said a private worker placement agency had sent her to Saudi Arabia in February 2010 to work for a family in Medina.

She said had been promised a salary of 800 riyals ($215) a month for cleaning the house and looking after her employer's six children. But over the next two months she would only receive half of what she had been promised. She also described a tense relationship with the mother of the family, who insisted Novi wear a head-to-toe abaya.

"[The women] are the jealous kind. They feel threatened by us foreign workers. They said their husbands like Indonesian women," she said.

After two months, she fled, using her last 400 riyals to take a taxi to an Indonesian hajj dormitory. Novi said her daily life over the course of the next year was dominated by fear. "Every day I felt scared that the authorities would arrest me for escaping from my employer."

Numerous workers returning from Saudi Arabia have reported being beaten or raped. Many more have complained that they were underpaid for their work. Some of the woman who returned to West Nusa Tenggara with Novi were pregnant, an official said.

"There are 15 who came back pregnant. We do not have the official statement of why they are pregnant. We do not know if they were married in Saudi Arabia or if they were raped or any other reason. We will find out," said Muchlish, head of the province's manpower department.

Another returning worker, Martini, from Pujut village in Central Lombok, said that while she was not beaten in her year spent working in the eastern port city of Dammam, she was overworked and paid 25 percent less per month than she had been promised.

Like Novi, she ran from her employer and hid in a boarding house where her cousin stayed until she heard of the government's repatriation plan. "I didn't bring anything home," Martini said. "No presents, no money, only my clothes. But I am grateful to be back home and reunite with my family."

Environment & natural disasters

Haze from Sumatra fires blankets KL

Straits Times - May 13, 2011

Zubaidah Nazeer & Carolyn Hong – The haze is back, with parts of Malaysia and Indonesia blanketed in choking smoke; Singapore could be affected soon too. And the haze could be around for the next three months.

A combination of large numbers of land-clearing fires and scorching weather, which sparks brush fires, has seen the number of hot spots in Sumatra go up in recent weeks.

From 60 hot spots detected on Sunday, the number rose to 136 on Monday and 156 on Tuesday before dropping to 119 on Wednesday and 45 yesterday because of sporadic rainfall. The situation this time last year was better because of wet weather hitting the region.

The effects of the heat and haze are being felt acutely in the Klang Valley, including Kuala Lumpur, driving many Malaysians as well as tourists indoors.

Emma George Francis, 22, a Swede who has spent five days in Kuala Lumpur, said the air was smokier yesterday compared to earlier this week. "My throat feels dry in this haze," Francis said. "I've been drinking lots of water, and shopping mostly in the malls."

Port Klang, about 40 kilometers southwest of Kuala Lumpur, hit an "unhealthy" level of 104 on the pollution index yesterday morning before falling back into the "moderate" range of 99 at 5pm after a late afternoon downpour. The readings of five surrounding areas at 5pm were above 80, the high side of moderate.

There will be some reprieve as more rain can be expected next week, according to a Meteorological Services Department officer. Thick haze began to envelope parts of Sumatra late last month, causing breathing difficulties and forcing people to cut back on outdoor activities.

A meteorologist in Sumatra's Riau province, Ardi Tama, said on Thursday the haze could be around until August.

Of the 156 hot spots detected on Tuesday, almost half – or 77 – were in Riau. The province has also seen some of the highest temperatures this year.

Ardi said: "We have seen temperatures peak at 36.5 deg C in Riau, the highest on record. It has since gone down to 34 deg C, which is still above the normal 32 deg C for this period."

Contacted on Thursday, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said air quality in Singapore remained in the 'good' range, although "some slight haziness may be expected... under light wind condition."

Late morning or early afternoon showers could help dispel the haziness, NEA said, adding it is monitoring the situation in the region closely. But there are signs that the winds could carry the thick smoke to Singapore.

"The winds are blowing in a north-easterly direction towards Singapore and Malaysia," Ardi said. Riau is one of the Indonesian provinces closest to Singapore.

For now, the worst-hit areas remain those in Sumatra. On April 27, it prevented a SilkAir flight from landing in Pekanbaru, local reports said. Last Saturday, a Garuda plane was diverted from Jambi to Palembang also because of poor visibility caused by the haze. There have been no reports of airport closures as yet.

In the subdistrict of Rokan Hilir, Surya Arfan, the head of an environmental impact control agency there, told Antara news agency that his officials had found several pieces of idle land burning.

"In the next few days, if the condition gets worse, we will distribute face masks especially to elementary students who are taking the national exam at present."

The haze season usually occurs each year from June to September, which is the dry season in Indonesia and also a time when farmers clear their land using the slash-and-burn method.

The worst haze to hit the region took place in 1997. In 2006, it was so bad that Malaysia was forced to close Port Klang and declare a state of emergency in Klang and Kuala Selangor.

Asean's efforts to tackle the annual haze problem saw nine of its members ink the 2002 Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution. Only Indonesia has yet to ratify the accord.

Indonesian forest fire haze blankets parts of Malaysia

Agence France Presse - May 12, 2011

Kuala Lumpur – Haze caused by fires burning in Indonesia blanketed parts of Malaysia on Thursday, sending air pollution at its largest port up to unhealthy levels.

Skies over Kuala Lumpur were gloomy, and the Air Pollutant Index reached 104 in Port Klang, within the band of 101-200 considered unhealthy. Elsewhere in central Selangor state, which surrounds the capital, 29 other areas had "moderate" readings and the remaining 21 areas were "good."

When readings reach the 300-mark the air is considered "hazardous," forcing school closures and wearing of protective masks.

An official with the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry said air quality had decreased since earlier this week because of a lack of rainfall and numerous fires on Indonesia's Sumatra island.

"We conclude that this haze situation is caused by transboundary haze pollution from Sumatra," said an official who requested anonymity. She said authorities would increase patrols of peat swamp lands to prevent illegal burning.

Haze, mostly caused by fires in Indonesia, builds up during the dry season, affecting tourism and contributing to health problems across the region. Indonesia's government has outlawed land-clearing by fire but weak law enforcement means the ban is largely ignored.

Activists want end to West Timor mining

Jakarta Post - May 12, 2011

Kupang – The East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) is asking the government to shut down all manganese mining in West Timor in a bid to help preserve the environment.

The request was made after a recent survey showed that excess mining had caused landslides in the regencies of Kupang, Timor Tengah Selatan, Timor Tengah Utara and Belu.

"It's time for the government to encourage the development of other industries besides mining, like agricultural development and livestock development in the western part of Timor," Walhi NTT program manager Herry Naif said Wednesday.

He said mining should be conducted sustainably rather than disregarding ecological elements like hydrology systems and health.

Polluted flood canal offers poor residents tainted catch

Jakarta Globe - May 11, 2011

Elisabeth Oktofani – When 80-year-old Madi has no money to buy food for him and his wife, he casts a net in the polluted waters of the East Flood Canal hoping to haul in fish.

The waters are often caked with foam from detergent used by nearby houses or even industrial waste dumped in rivers flowing into the canal, also known as the BKT.

However, this doesn't bother Madi, a resident of Duren Sawit in East Jakarta, who will settle for a tainted catch. "I have learned my lesson," he said on Tuesday. "I cannot cook the fish immediately because if I do, I will get stomach aches."

The health hazards caused by this practice have not stopped impoverished communities around the canal from fishing there. Madi said that after he fell ill from eating fish caught from the BKT, he learned to soak the catch in a bucket for several days before cooking it.

Aos Rosyidin, 55, a resident of Malaka Sari subdistrict in Duren Sawit, has also learned how to avoid disease even if he eats fish caught from the canal.

"The problem is that [the people who get sick] do not handle the fish properly," he said. "The fish need to be cleaned first by putting them in a bucket with fresh water for three or four days before they are ready to be cooked."

The 23 kilometer-long BKT, built to ease flooding in East and North Jakarta, pools water from the Ciliwung, Cililitan, Cipinang, Sunter, Buaran, Jati Kramat and Cakung rivers.

However, authorities said those rivers had become polluted by industrial and household waste, making fishing for food at the BKT dangerous.

According to October 2010 data from 45 monitoring posts of the Jakarta Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD), 82 percent of the capital's rivers are "heavily polluted." The rest were categorized as either slightly or moderately polluted.

Pitoyo Subandrio, head of the Public Works Ministry's Ciliwung-Cisadane Agency, which oversees the flood canal, has confirmed that pollutants have tainted the BKT.

Though the government has not issued a ban on fishing at the BKT, officials said last month that they were trying to address water quality problems by threatening suspensions or water-pipe blockage to companies that continued to dump waste into rivers.

Dian Wiwekowati, head of natural resources management at the BPLHD, said all industrial or commercial activities disposing of wastewater needed a valid permit from the governor. Peni Susa n ti, head of the BPLHD, said the permit was necessary to limit the amount of wastewater being dumped into the city's 13 rivers.

For now, though, concerns about water-borne diseases or food poisoning fail to discourage poor residents from using the BKT, which has seen marine life grow since the long-delayed project was completed in 2009.

Ratim, a waiter from Pondok Bambu, said fellow residents went to the canal "almost daily" to bring home fish for their families. For him, however, fishing is a hobby, and he claims to have once caught four kilograms of fish at the canal. "Before the BKT was built, I used to go fishing at the river near the [mosque] in Pondok Bambu," he said on Tuesday.

Ratim has frequented the BKT enough to know when the fish taste good based on the canal's water level.

"I usually don't get many fish when the water [level is low], but the fishes usually taste better," he said. "I think it is because when the water is receding, the water is cleaner so the fishes do not have a weird taste, like oil."

Endangered Sumatran tigers frolick on forest video

Associated Press - May 9, 2011

Jakarta, Indonesia – Video cameras captured 12 critically endangered Sumatran tigers, including mothers with their cubs, in Indonesian forests slated to be cut down, wildlife activists said Monday.

One of the videos shows three young cubs playfully chasing a leaf. Another, triggered by an infrared sensor, recorded giant cats strolling across a clearing at night.

Sumatran tigers are on the brink of extinction because of the destruction of forests, poaching and clashes with humans.

Their numbers have dwindled to about 400 from 1,000 in the 1970s, according to the World Wildlife Fund, which set up the cameras in Riau and Jambi provinces just three months ago.

Karmila Parakkasi, who heads the group's tiger research team on Sumatra island, said capturing a dozen cats in such a short period is astonishing.

"What's unclear is whether we found so many tigers because we're getting better at locating our cameras or because the tigers' habitat is shrinking so rapidly here that they are being forced into sharing smaller and smaller bits of forests," he said.

The cameras were set up in a corridor – not officially protected by the government – between the Bukit Tigapuluh National Park and Bukit Rimbang Baling Wildlife Sanctuary.

The WWF said timber permits are pending in the corridor. Forestry Ministry spokesman Masyhud, who uses one name, could not yet determine which company already is licensed for the area, but said permits would not be issued for a known location or crossing area of an endangered species.

Sidoarjo mudflow erupting at slower rate, but no end in sight: Government

Antara News - May 9, 2011

The rate at which the Lapindo mudflow is spewing in East Java might have slowed, but there is still no telling exactly when it will cease, the Sidoarjo Mudflow Mitigation Agency said on Sunday.

"The mud is now flowing at around 10,000 to 15,000 cubic meters per day," said Sofyan Hadi Djojopranoto, the deputy of operations at the agency known as BPLS. "However the BPLS cannot predict when it will stop."

Five years ago when the disaster began, the mud was gushing at a rate of at least 150,000 cubic meters per day, Sofyan said. Thousands of residents living on the edge of the disaster zone have since been displaced.

Scientists have long blamed a 2006 gas-drilling venture by Lapindo Brantas, part of the Bakrie Group, for triggering the disaster, claiming the company was negligent in its feasibility studies before drilling.

Lapindo, however, has maintained that it followed all necessary technical procedures before and during the drilling project and has insisted the mudflow was caused by a 6.3-magnitude earthquake that occurred in Yogyakarta days before.

Sofyan said more studies were needed, including on seismic activity in the area, before deciding what to do next. "We can only take action once we are certain that the mudflow is manageable and will not pose a future threat [to human health]."

Separately, in a discussion to commemorate Earth Day in Bandung, Akhmad Zaenuddin, who led a team from the Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Agency (PVMBG) researching and monitoring the disaster, said the flow would continue to decline after reaching its peak in 2008-09.

According to Akhmad, hardening mud had helped to close in the crater around the eruption site.

At the same event, Hermanto Dardak, the deputy public works minister, said the government would continue to strengthen the embankments around the mud lake until the eruption stopped.

Health & education

99% pass rate for national exams

Jakarta Globe - May 13, 2011

Nurfika Osman – The new grading system for the national exams has seen a staggering 99.22 percent of senior high school students pass the recently concluded tests.

Of the 1.46 million senior high school students who took the exams last month, 11,443 did not pass, National Education Minister Muhammad Nuh said in a statement on Friday. Only 5,117 registered students did not take the tests. This year, 60 percent of each student's final grade was based on the national exam and 40 percent on the weighted score from end-of-term tests and reports in the past two school years.

The new system was implemented to better take into consideration students' actual academic performance following criticism it was unfair to determine graduation solely on one standardized exam when the quality of teaching varied from region to region.

By way of comparison, 89.6 percent of about 1.5 million senior high school students passed the national exams last year. After the remedial test, however, the total passing rate still ended up at 99.04 percent.

"If we compare this year's passing rate with last year's, there was still an increase in the number of students who passed the national exams," Nuh said. According to the new system, there will be no remedial exam offered this year.

East Nusa Tenggara had the highest percentage of students nationwide that failed with 5.57 percent. "Bali province has the smallest percentage of students who failed with 0.04 percent and Jakarta is second-best with 0.08 percent," the minister said.

That reflected a trend in which students from the two provinces had consistently scored better than the national average. Nuh added that there were 14,131 schools that had a 100 percent passing rate, while there were five schools where all the students flunked.

"In Jakarta, there is one school with only one class and all seven of its students failed the test," he said, declining to mention the name of the school.

In Simeulue, Aceh, a school with 26 senior high school students also had a 100 percent failure rate, as well as a school in Jambi with two senior high school students. Two other schools with 100 percent failure rates were in Kian Darat, Maluku, and Urei Fasei, Papua.

For vocational schools, an even higher 99.51 percent of students passed the national test, but that was only marginally higher than last year's figure of 99.2 percent. Results for the junior high school exams are expected next week.

Arief Rachman, an education expert who chairs the National Commission for Unesco, said the results showed improvement in national education.

"This new system does not mean that it was easier to pass the exam, but it shows that the new system has helped the government evaluate education in a better way," Arief said. "The new system has evaluated the students' performance objectively and comprehensively. That is what it shows from the result."

However, Edy Halomoan Gurning, from the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH), which has been at the forefront of campaigns to cancel the exams, disagreed.

"The government has used a different exam system almost every academic year. Different methods cannot be compared to one another, so this is not a better system," Edy said. "All this is only victimizing the students, which is very sad."

Graft & corruption

No let off for democrats in Games graft case

Jakarta Globe - May 13, 2011

Camelia Pasandaran, Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Ulma Haryanto – A key witness might have retracted her allegations against Democratic Party members in relation to the Southeast Asian Games corruption scandal, but investigations into the two figures are set to continue.

Mindo Rosalina Manulang on Thursday formally withdrew her claim that Muhammad Nazaruddin, the Democratic treasurer, had taken a hefty cut of the contract to build the SEA Games athletes' village in Palembang.

She had alleged that Nazaruddin took Rp 25 billion ($2.9 million) for mediating between the government and the winning contractor, and that Democratic legislator Angelina Sondakh took a 13 percent cut to provide kickbacks for her colleagues at the House of Representatives Commission X, which oversees sports and youth affairs.

Rosalina, who has been named a suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), claimed the allegations were made under the instruction of her former lawyer, Kamaruddin Simanjuntak.

Kamaruddin on Thursday denied Rosalina's claims, and countered that his former client was out to protect certain parties. Rosalina's new lawyer, Djufri Taufik, rejected such suggestions. "We are not [protecting Nazaruddin], that is a fact."

Syarief Hasan, a Democrat and the minister of cooperatives and small and medium enterprises, said initial results from the party's internal investigations showed the two officials were innocent, but another party member said the scrutiny would continue.

"There is no strong evidence of involvement of the two people," Syarief said. "But we should wait for the results of the KPK's investigations."

The party has established a special team to look into the case, consisting mostly of Nazaruddin's fellow members of House Commission III, which oversees legal affairs, such as Benny K. Harman, Ruhut Sitompul, Didi Irawadi Syamsuddin and Edi Ramli Sitanggang.

A member of the Demoratic Party's Honorary Council, E.E. Mangindaan, said Nazaruddin had been questioned by the team three days ago and the treasurer had denied all accusations. However, the internal investigation would continue, he said.

"If the KPK finds proof of the allegation, there's a big possibility we will dismiss him from his position," Mangindaan said.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Wednesday said that he would not protect his party members if they were guilty, but requested a proper investigation by law-enforcement officials including the KPK.

But Chandra M. Hamzah, KPK deputy chairman, said no Democratic politicians would be called as yet. "When we summon someone, it means that we already have specific purposes and questions for that person," Chandra said. "We will summon them, regardless of who they are, if we need them for investigation."

Meanwhile, the House Ethics Council said it also planned to summon Nazaruddin over his role in the case. "The case is attracting a huge amount of public attention, almost all media outlets are covering the story," said Nudirman Munir, the deputy chairman of the council. "This is the main reason we will summon him, so we can investigate whether it's true or not."

Besides, he added, the council already planned to question Nazaruddin over two other issues. The first is his alleged rape of a female sales clerk at a hotel in Bandung during the party's national congress, and the second relates to a troubled coal procurement project.

FBI says large US companies suspected of paying graft in Indonesia

Jakarta Globe - May 12, 2011

Made Arya Kencana, Nusa Dua, Bali – Several listed US companies with operations in Indonesia were involved in bribery, an official of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Wednesday.

"There are cases that involve companies from our country in Indonesia," Gary Johnson, head of the FBI's antigraft department, said on the sidelines of a two-day conference on combating bribery in international business transactions in Nusa Dua, Bali.

However, Johnson declined to name the companies. He said laws in the United States prohibited revealing bribery suspects before they were charged. "They are companies that are listed in the US stock market," he said.

Johnson said the cases are being handled by the legal attache at the US Embassy in Jakarta and in cooperation with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Chandra Hamzah, deputy chairman of the KPK, said the authority to investigate cases involving US companies "lay fully in the hands of the FBI."

He also declined to give further details, saying: "In line with the laws governing the FBI, cases under investigation cannot be disclosed to the public and therefore cannot be divulged [here]."

Chandra said one of the outcomes of the conference was an agreement between all participating countries that regulations related to anticorruption efforts should be simplified so that the cases could be processed faster and more efficiently.

"Cooperation in corruption eradication sometimes deal with the bureaucracy of other countries where the procedures and regulations are different. Therefore we agreed to simplify them," Chandra said.

Gunther Puhm, a delegate from Germany, agreed that streamlining regulations would boost cooperation between countries, enabling them to work faster and more efficiently on graft cases.

"We will always answer the telephone and the next morning we will be ready with the competent officials who are able to provide the necessary information," Puhm said.

Gregory A. Coleman from the FBI's international corruption unit, cited a memorandum of understanding with the KPK as evidence that the two agencies were pursuing similar goals.

Present at the conference were representatives of law enforcement from the G-20, OECD, APEC and Asian Development Bank, as well as national and foreign observers.

KPK seeks authority to probe foreign bribe payers

Jakarta Post - May 11, 2011

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – The country's top antigraft body is seeking international support at an international conference in Bali to gain the authority to probe foreigners who bribe government officials.

"We need to be able to investigate foreigners bribing government officials and not just the bribe receivers," Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Busyro Muqoddas said at a press conference during the International Conference on Foreign Bribery in International Business Transaction, which has drawn 400 participants from 55 countries and is supported by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono delivered a speech, backing the KPK bid.

A similar mechanism in the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention encourages punishing bribery in international business transactions carried out by foreign public officials based in signatory states to the convention.

Armed with such authority, the KPK would be able to probe and prosecute foreign public officials linked to bribery in business transaction with Indonesian officials. "Foreign public officials" is a term in the OECD Convention referring to both foreign state officials and foreign private actors.

In this case, bribery is conducted mainly to gain business licenses or win a project over bidding. "Or should I say a kickback," KPK deputy chairman Mochammad Jasin said.

"For example, alleged kickbacks in the delivery of used railway coaches from Japan to Indonesia involved the Indonesian Transportation Ministry and a Japanese firm," he said.

"If we can tackle the giver [bribe payer], it is easier to deal with the bribe taker," Richard A. Boucher, deputy secretary-general of the OECD, said.

Indonesia has acknowledged a similar provision by ratifying the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) in 2006, but has failed to adopt it into law. Boucher claimed the hardest part was "drafting the law and dealing with political and corrupt interests".

Busyro said the KPK currently had no authority to probe such foreign actors, which hampered Indonesia's fight against corruption as the business sector, like political parties, had transformed into a "corruption machine".

However, he said a recent plan to amend the anticorruption law was "a good momentum to push the government to grant us the authority to probe and prosecute foreign public officials". He added that such efforts also need commitment from many stakeholders, including the House of Representatives.

"That is also why we invited them to the event: to talk about finding solutions to graft," he said, adding that such international discussions brought stronger pressure that could make them more aware of their responsibilities.

The KPK would also initiate regular discussions with the House to "enlighten" legislators on the importance of tackling corruption through the legislative process, Busyro added.

House Speaker Marzuki Alie, a politician from Yudhoyono's Democratic Party, welcomed the idea to grant the KPK such authority, saying he believed it may help eradicate corruption.

Nunun was close to Megawati: Witness

Jakarta Post - May 10, 2011

Jakarta – Ari Malangjudo, a witness in a vote-buying case involving the appointment of Miranda S. Goeltom to Bank Indonesia senior deputy governor in 2004, said that Nunun Nurbaeti – a key witness in the case – was known to have had a close relationship with former president Megawati Soekarnoputri.

"I saw Nunun attending activities at the Bogor Presidential Palace. She also asked the former president to appoint her husband Adang Daradjatun to National Police chief," Ari said at a trial at the Jakarta Corruption Court on Monday, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

He was testifying in another hearing session of the same vote-buying case that has implicated 25 lawmakers and former lawmakers from several parties, including the Golkar Party (see photo).

Ari was a former executive director of Esa Wahana Sejati, Nunun's company. He said Nunun had collected campaign funds for Megawati and had coordinated several companies to support the campaign.

The case was revealed when Agus Condro, a former legislator of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which is chaired by Megawati, admitted that he had received a cheque. Nunun's whereabouts remain unknown despite several summonings by the antigraft body. Her husband said Nunun was being treated for "severe forgetfulness".

War on terror

Three dead in Sukoharjo terrorism raid

Jakarta Post - May 14, 2011

Jakarta – The National Police Detatchment 88 anti-terror unit gunned down two suspected terrorists during a raid in Sukoharjo, Central Java, in the early hours on Saturday morning.

One resident, a food stall waiter, died when struck by a stray bullet from the shootout between the police and the suspects.

Central Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Edward Aritonang confirmed the raid. "Yes, we've conducted a raid in Sukoharjo," said Edward as quoted by metrotvnews.com.

The suspects were identified as Sigit Qordowi and Hendro Yunianto. Edward said the suspects exchanged gunfire with the police. He claimed that the bullet that killed the food stall waiter came from the suspects.

From the suspects, police seized six firearms, books and two bags containing pellets and bolts.

'Don't revive New Order' to fight terror

Jakarta Post - May 9, 2011

Jakarta – A lawmaker from the House's commission overseeing security and defense said over the weekend that Indonesia would not revive the New Order's anti-subversion law amid rising calls for stronger legislation to combat terrorism.

University of Indonesia intelligence expert Wawan Purwanto told a discussion held by think tank Soegeng Sarjadi Syndicate in South Jakarta, Saturday, the government should revive the anti-subversion law to strengthen its efforts to fight terrorism.

"The combination of the current anti-terrorism law and the intelligence bill would not be as strong as the anti-subversion law in fighting anti- government movements," Wawan said.

The anti-subversion law, passed in 1963, was deemed by many to be draconian because it was often abused during Soeharto's 32-year presidency to silence political activists critical of the government. The law was revoked by former president B.J. Habibie following the New Order's downfall in 1998.

According to Wawan, a revival of the anti-subversion law would be an effective preventive strategy against terrorism.

"Currently, the authorities are too afraid to apprehend those suspected of terrorist activities because they are afraid of infringing upon human rights," he said,

TB Hasanuddin, deputy chairman of the defense and security commission at the House of Representatives, doesn't share Wawan's sentiment, saying that it would be overkill to revive the law to fight terrorism.

"A revival of the law would seriously affect public freedoms," Hasanuddin said, adding that reviving the law would be no different than reviving the New Order.

The government should uphold current laws to create an effective anti- terror strategy. "If we want a stronger anti-terror strategy, we should only improve the current laws," he said. "There is absolutely no need to revive the anti-subversion law."

Coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence, Haris Azhar, said that a revival of the anti-subversion law would emphasize the government's uncreative ways of thinking about fighting terrorism. "A revival of the law would mean a resurgence of authoritarian tyranny," he said.

Haris said the government should not focus too much on legislation, but should be more comprehensive in the fight against terror. A comprehensive strategy, he said, would also be comprised of professional field officers and a governmental paradigm that separates politics and security.

"We need this separation so that those who oppose the government would not be seen as enemies," Haris explained.

He added that the professionalism of field officers is far more important than creating anti-terrorism laws. "No matter how good the laws are, it won't matter if the field officers are not professional," Haris said. (mim)

Indonesia drops most serious terror charges against Abu Bakar Bashir

Agence France Presse - May 9, 2011

Indonesian prosecutors today dropped the most serious terror charges against radical cleric Abu Bakar Bashir for lack of evidence, leaving him facing a possible life sentence instead of death.

Prosecutors at Bashir's trial in Jakarta said the charge of providing firearms and explosives for terrorist acts, for which the 72-year-old preacher could have faced the death penalty, "could not be proven convincingly".

The charge of inciting acts of terrorism was also dropped, leaving only the accusation of providing funding to a terrorist group, for which the prosecutors sought a maximum life sentence.

As he was led away Bashir said he rejected the charges and condemned the prosecutors as "friends of the devil".

"Friends of the devil are always like that, always at war with people who try to defend Islam," he said. "Such insolence. These people should be called terrorists, may Allah immediately send them a disaster." He said the charges were bogus. "I should have been freed," he added.

Hundreds of Bashir's radical followers erupted into chants of support for the man who is widely regarded as a spiritual leader of south-east Asian jihadists.

Some 2500 heavily armed police were on hand to prevent violence, but Islamist hardliners at the court instead welcomed the stiffest charges being dropped as a victory.

Bashir now stands accused only of providing funds to the so-called al- Qa'ida in Aceh group that was planning Mumbai-style attacks in Indonesia, according to police.

Its operations leader, Indonesian bomb maker Dulmatin, was killed by police in March last year. Scores of other members of the group have been killed or captured.

Indonesia's firebrand cleric praises bin Laden

Associated Press - May 9, 2011

Ali Kotarumalos, Jakarta, Indonesia – Osama bin Laden was a "warrior" who will be rewarded in heaven for the "great sacrifices" he made for Islam, Indonesia's best-known radical cleric said Monday.

Abu Bakar Bashir, accused of helping set up a terror training camp in westernmost Aceh province, made the comments before proceedings at his ongoing trial in Jakarta.

Prosecutors on Monday demanded life in prison for the fiery 72-year-old cleric, saying he helped plan and fund terrorist activities in the world's most populous Muslim nation.

Bashir, who was co-founder of the al-Qaida-linked network Jemaah Islamiyah that is blamed for some of the country's deadliest suicide bombings, had no immediate comment about the sentencing request.

Bashir had earlier told reporters that bin Laden was "a great mujahid (Muslim warrior)." "If it's true that he's been killed, his face destroyed and disposed of in the sea, he will get a great honor from God and will get a great reward," he said.

Bashir, who has twice escaped terror charges, is now accused of helping set up, fund and recruit foot-soldiers for an Aceh-based terror cell that was allegedly planning Mumbai-style gun attacks on foreigners and the assassination of high-profile moderate Muslim leaders like President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The white-bearded, bespectacled cleric has denied involvement, but has said repeatedly he approved of its aim.

Chief prosecutor Andi Muhammad Taufik said Monday that testimony from dozens of witnesses during the course of Bashir's trial prove that he not only incited others but played an active role in terrorist activities.

Indonesia, a secular nation of 237 million with more Muslims than any other in the world, has made strides in fighting terrorism since the first and deadliest Jemaah Islamiyah-linked attack on Bali island. More than 260 people have died altogether, many of them Western tourists.

But the country still faces pockets of radicalized Islamists and a small but increasingly vocal hard-line fringe has rattled nerves in recent months with violent attacks on minorities and police.

NII links do not mean a person is a terrorist: Experts

Jakarta Globe - May 8, 2011

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Not everyone connected to a movement to establish an Islamic state in Indonesia should be painted as a terrorist, a reformed radical said on Friday.

Nasir Abbas, a former member of the Al Qaeda-affiliated Jemaah Islamiyah, said it was baseless to accuse all those linked to the Indonesian Islamic State (NII) movement of being terrorists unless their actions showed such an intent.

"Someone could be the son of an NII activist or even a member of the NII network, but we must see their true personality," he said at a discussion. "It's more important to criticize someone who, through their sermons, deems others infidels and condones their killing. This kind of person is much more dangerous."

Nasir was responding to claims made a day earlier by Imam Supriyanto, a former NII member, that Hilmi Aminuddin, a co-founder of the Islamic-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), was linked to the extremist movement because his father was part of the original group that espoused it in the 1950s and 1960s.

Imam also claimed Hilmi was influenced by the ultraconservative Muslim Brotherhood while in the Middle East, and upon returning set up the Tarbiyah movement, aimed at spreading and promoting the supremacy of an Islamic state. The PKS has denied Hilmi or the party were ever involved with the NII.

Speaking at Friday's discussion, terrorism expert Al Chaidar claimed some variants of the NII were created and used by government officials to counter the extremist threat.

"Such organizations are effective enough to detect any terror threat and serve as an effective method to counter radicalism in Indonesia," he said, citing the NII KW 9 cell as one such group.

He said the real NII movement pushing for an Islamic state only comprised 14 cells across the country.

"This real NII isn't protected, and its members live in fear," Chaidar said. "They can't [expand] but they remain in existence."

Budi Susilo Supandji, the governor of the National Resilience Institute (Lemhannas), agreed that the NII had done little in the way of radicalization, but he said the movement still remained a threat because it sought to change people's mind-set.

"We'll support the National Police's efforts to fight all forms of radicalization in society, including terrorism," he said. He also warned against taking the threat lightly, saying that Lemhannas would carry out research into whether the NII posed a short- or long-term threat in order to better devise policies to tackle the movement.

Budi said his institute would meet with government institutions and civil society groups to discuss the issue.

He added that Lemhannas would also recommend the National Education Ministry intensify the teaching of Pancasila, the state ideology, at schools to encourage tolerance. "In order to be a strong, unified society, we need to be tolerant of one another," he said.

Extremist & hard-line groups

Al Zaytun no training ground for radicals, minister says

Jakarta Globe - May 13, 2011

Anita Rachman & Antara – Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali on Wednesday vouched for an Islamic school accused of grooming hard-liners, insisting it taught tolerance and hence could not be radical.

At a press conference at the Al Zaytun pesantren, or boarding school in Indramayu, West Java, the minister said it was unlikely that it was connected to the Indonesian Islamic State (NII) movement, which advocates the establishment of a ruling caliphate to impose Shariah law nationwide.

"It's very difficult to link the Al Zaytun Islamic boarding school with the NII, which is radical," he said. He added that radical movements tended to abhor modern thinking, whereas the teachers that he had seen at the school employed modern tools.

Suryadharma also said the fact that school head Panji Gumilang – himself alleged to be an NII proponent – had invited him to lead afternoon prayers during the visit "proves that there's no radicalism being developed at this school."

At the same press conference, Panji denied any links to the NII movement. "I'm not connected with the NII's history," he said. He added that as far as he knew, the movement thrived in Indonesia shortly after independence and died down in 1962. "After that, there's no such organization called the NII," he said.

Panji also said seven classes of students had gone on to graduate from the school, with no reports of any of the graduates becoming caught up in criminal activity.

"In one TV interview, an Al Zaytun graduate said he was grateful for following the system of education here, which helped him become a successful businessman," he said.

However, Effendy Choirie, a legislator from the National Awakening Party (PKB), said on Thursday that Panji had in the past been close to key members of the NII. He added it was not certain if the school also adopted the same hard-line ideology, saying only an investigation could reveal that.

Separately, Lukman Hakim, a deputy speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), said the NII was about more than simply wanting to promote hard-line Islamic ideology. He said there must be some other motivation at play behind the ultraconservative movement.

"Or at the very least, the NII proponents' inchoate understanding of Islam is being used or manipulated for certain purposes," he said, adding these ends could be political, economic or social in nature.

Lukman also said the government should act decisively in uncovering the interests driving the radical movement, while Islamic leaders and clerics should see the growing problem as criticism of their failure to teach the public mainstream values of the faith.

A.M. Fatwa, a member of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD), said radical movements such as the NII were taking advantage of the large number of youths lacking guidance in their lives.

He urged the government to identify the root of the NII and eradicate it, adding other elements of society should also be involved in that effort.

"The government alone can't be expected to carry out a deradicalization campaign," he said. "Islamic schools and their teachers should be involved in promoting programs to counter radical indoctrination."

President to write guidelines to convert radical Muslims

Jakarta Globe - May 12, 2011

Camelia Pasandaran – As part of efforts to halt the spread of radical Islam, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has promised to write guidelines for religious leaders to convert Muslims back to the true path, the Indonesian Islamic Propagation Council (DDII) says.

"He [President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono] will write guidelines for preachers working to convert people," council chief Syuhada Bahri said after a meeting with the president on Thursday.

"The guidelines will be handed to us to explore and to deliver them to our preachers in all Indonesian regions.

"The council and the president agreed that if we understood Islam correctly, then there wouldn't be any violations or religious problems. A misunderstanding of Islam has tainted the religion." Presidential spokesman Julian Pasha on Thursday said the president fully supported the efforts of the council, but that they should be conducted according to true Islamic teachings.

Last month, the president acknowledged that religious-based violence posed a serious threat to the nation – especially considering a spate of book bombs this year, a suicide attack at a mosque inside Cirebon Police headquarters and an observed threat posed by the Indonesian Islamic State (NII).

Syuhada said the council would train Ulemas to understand Islam according to the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. "We told the president that regulations and laws relating to religious harmony should be prioritized, as it is the obligation of a nation of many different religions," he said.

Islamic hard-liners plan massive Pancasila rally

Jakarta Globe - May 11, 2011

Nivell Rayda, Cianjur, West Java – After failing to kick-start a revolution through massive protests echoing those in the Middle East this year, hard-line Muslim groups are now plotting an even bigger rally next month, this time claiming they have forged an unlikely alliance with nationalists.

Speaking from his home in West Java, Chep Hermawan, the leader of the Islamic Reform Movement (Garis), said that 40,000 protesters were expected to rally in front of the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on June 1.

"Basically everyone who is a staunch critic of SBY will be on board," Chep said, referring to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. "It will be like Cairo, where everyone who didn't like Mubarak joined forces to topple a corrupt government."

Chep named Sri Bintang Pamungkas, a Suharto-era political activist, and Andi Mapetahang Fatwa, a member of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD), as being among the nationalists who had expressed an interest in taking part in the rally.

"We plan on doing this on the anniversary of the Pancasila," Chep said, referring to the state ideology first articulated by former President Sukarno on June 1, 1945.

Chep said Muslim groups were hoping to return the Pancasila to its original state, as outlined in the Jakarta Charter of June 22, 1945. The first principle of the Jakarta Charter, which was ultimately incorporated into the preamble of the constitution, was the "obligation for all followers to observe Shariah law." It was later changed to "Belief in the one and only God," by then-Vice President Mohammad Hatta.

"We want the Pancasila to return to its original state," Chep said. "We don't reject the Pancasila, rather we want to restore it to its intended purpose."

The protest, Chep added, would also cover other topical issues. "Basically our plan is to stage a rally that appeals to all, not just Muslims," he said. "We have been talking with the nationalists and they agreed to join our rally, but they will be pushing labor issues, agricultural reform and so on."

Demonstrators, he said, would also demand the dissolution of Ahmadiyah, a minority Islamic sect considered deviant by mainstream Muslims.

In February, a massive rally by hard-line groups demanded Yudhoyono issue a decree banning Ahmadiyah, threatening a revolution if he failed to do so by March 1. Nothing has happened since the deadline passed. Chep blamed a lack of coordination and funds for the failure of the February protests.

For the June protest, Chep said that meetings had been, and would continue to be, held with leaders of opposition parties and former presidential candidates, asking them for political and financial support. "I have also prepared Rp 2 billion [$234,000] to finance the rally in the hope that opponents of the government will be convinced to invest as well," Chep said.

Executives of the hard-line Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and the Islamic People's Forum (FUI) said they had not yet heard of the plan.

Hardliners want end to Bintan beach party

Jakarta Post - May 12, 2011

Fadli, Bintan – A group of Muslim organizations are protesting a planned beach party organized by a five-star hotel in Bintan and have asked the local authorities to put a stop to the event.

The groups said they consider beach parties a form of pornography, thus violating the Anti-Pornography Law.

"A beach party isn't in line with our culture. And besides, it clearly violates the Anti-Pornography Law. Thus there is no reason to continue the plan, including the reason to consider such a party part of our tourism. There are other ways to support tourism," Riau Islands Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI) head Tengku Azhari Abbas told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Riau Tourism Agency head Akib Rahman said the local government supported the beach party as it could help promote local tourism. "Besides, the hotel is located far from resident's houses. There is nothing to worry about," he said.

Academics band together to stop radicals in school

Jakarta Globe - May 10, 2011

Nurfika Osman – A newly established organization of scholars has declared war against the extremism that has penetrated the academic world.

"Radicalization and fanaticism, if they flourish among academicians, will be very dangerous and disadvantage Indonesia because this country has put its hope on the shoulders of academics," Franz Magnis-Suseno, a Catholic priest and prominent theologian from Driyarkara School of Philosophy, said on Monday at a discussion in Jakarta.

"The academic world should be a place where people can study pure, clear ideas; become an open-minded person; competitive and brave – and all these values are threatened by radicalism," Franz said.

Franz is a one of the 72 intellectuals who form the Academic Guardians of the Nation's Pillars (APPI), an organization established at the end of April specifically to counter the perceived rise in radicalism in schools and universities.

The group also counts former Constitutional Court chairman Jimly Ashiddiqie and Azyumardi Azra, a professor of history at Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic State University (UIN), among its members.

Recent weeks have seen increasing concern over the presence of radicals, such as members of the outlawed extremist Indonesian Islamic State (NII) movement, in the country's boarding schools and universities.

Rumadi Ahmad, program coordinator at the Wahid Institute and an academic from UIN, said that this serious threat should be fought immediately.

"[The NII] labeling Indonesia as a thogut [infidel] cannot be ignored by anyone, especially when they have penetrated campuses," Rumadi said. "Allowing this radicalization and agreeing with the idea of establishing NII is an extreme idiocy."

Rocky Gerung, a philosophy expert from University of Indonesia, said that as citizens, the people of this nation should recall the Sumpah Pemuda (Youth Pledge) from 1928.

"We have agreed that we are the sons and daughters of Indonesia, recognize one motherland and nation and respect one language. We have never made any agreement that religion should be one. This is our commitment," Rocky said. "Our county is lacking ethics of care and justice, that is why violence continues to occur," he said.

He said that four pillars of the country – Pancasila, or the state ideology; the 1945 Constitution; the national motto, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity); and the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) – were an absolute.

"We cannot debate something that has been put in our Constitution," he said, adding that religious radicalism in Indonesia was a result of a war between those who supported and protested religious freedom.

Nasaruddin Umar, the Ministry of Religious Affairs' director general for Islamic affairs who also joined APPI, said that UIN Syarif Hidayatullah had changed significantly compared to the time when he studied and became deputy rector between the 1970s and 1990s.

"Yes, we [at UIN] have always thought progressively and our campus used to be a place where students could do any activity for 24 hours, but now I do not know what is happening between the corridors of the campus," Nasaruddin said.

In order to curb radicalism, he said that the Ministry of Religious Affairs was in the process of discussion with the rectors of Islamic state universities nationwide as well as Islamic schools on what kind of concrete steps could be taken.

"The key is in the management of each campus and school, and the curriculum, especially for Islamic studies," he said. "We are now rushing with the time and we do not want our actions to be too late."

A week ago, Education Minister Muhammad Nuh summoned 60 rectors of state universities and 20 coordinators of private colleges nationwide to discuss strategies to clamp down on radicalism on campus.

Musliar Kasim, the chairman of Indonesia's Council of State University Rectors [MRPTNI] said that they had taken several actions so far.

"We are now guarding each student by seeking help from their academic lecturers, including to report their daily activities regularly," Musliar said. "We have asked lecturers and student executive bodies to be active to make all students participate in campus activities."

He also said it had become compulsory for students to participate in activities outside of the classroom. "And when the extracurricular groups are going to invite groups from outside the campus, they have to secure permits," Musliar said.

Freedom of religion & worship

GKI church in Bogor still locked out of its building

Jakarta Globe - May 9, 2011

Vento Saudale, Bogor – A church community at the center of an ongoing dispute with the Bogor administration on Sunday was again forced to hold its services on the roadside because its building has remained sealed despite the Supreme Court having ruled it should be opened.

The service was held three days after a meeting between presidential staff members and the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) Yasmin congregation was postponed until next week.

The central government previously stated that it was evaluating whether the Bogor authorities abused their power in repealing the church's building permit and sealing the site in direct violation of a Supreme Court order.

Phil Robertson, the Human Rights Watch Asia deputy director, who attended the prayer services on Sunday, said that his visit served an important purpose.

"We, HRW, truly believe this case demands the immediate attention of the government. No more time should be wasted," Robertson told reporters at the scene. "This case should have been closed with the unsealing of the church, as ordered out by the Supreme Court. The Bogor administration should obey the Supreme Court ruling."

The city administration has cited fears of violence as the reason for its refusal to abide by the ruling. It has offered the congregation an alternative building. "It is time for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to decide on this case," Robertson said.

Bona Sigalingging, spokesman for the GKI Yasmin congregation, told the Jakarta Globe they were insisting on getting access to the building through legal means.

"We are a test case. If we give up, this would set a precedent. Then other [hard-line] groups in other regions might do the same thing, knowing that, in the end, the churches will cave in," Bona explained.

Land disputes & evictions

Constitutional court told plantation law criminalizes farmers

Jakarta Globe - May 11, 2011

Ulma Haryanto - A revision of the law governing plantation farming is needed to stave off increasing land disputes and protect indigenous communities and farmers across the country, experts said.

Agricultural and legal experts said at a hearing at the Constitutional Court on Tuesday that an urgent review was needed because the existing legislation was unconstitutional.

The request to review two sections in the 2004 Plantation Law – Article 21 and Article 47 – was filed by four farmers from West Kalimantan, East Java and North Sumatra, each of whom had received jail terms of between six months and a year for protest actions they took to reclaim ancestral lands.

The court heard that the two articles had criminalized farmers when, according to the Constitution, "the land, water and natural resources are to be controlled by the state and used for the people's welfare at large."

"Under Dutch colonial law, foreigners came to buy up land. After independence, these lands were reclaimed by the Indonesian government, only to again be purchased by private companies," said Suharningsih, an expert on agricultural law at Brawijaya University in Malang, East Java. "The law should focus on improving the people's welfare, so why is it pro-private companies?"

The plaintiffs were identified as Sakri, a 41-year-old farmer from Blitar, East Java; Japin, 39, and Vitalis Andi, 30, from Ketapang, West Kalimantan; and Ngatimin, 49, from Serdang Bedagai, North Sumatra.

Sakri received six months of probation in 2008 for forcefully trying to reclaim land that he believed was his.

Japin and Vitalis each served 10 months in jail for "displacing" an excavator that was about to be used to clear land they were contesting in 2009. The pair filed an appeal in March.

Ngatimin was sentenced to one year in jail for planting trees in a disputed area in an effort to reclaim it in 2007.

"Indonesia has nurtured political ignorance toward the rights of indigenous farmers and communities," said Wahyu Wagiman of the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam), which is representing the plaintiffs. "Regulations that are set up through different regimes always ends up marginalizing indigenous people."

Wahyu said such criminalization had successfully traumatized indigenous groups, making them reluctant to defend their rights when confronted by corporations, the police and the judiciary.

"The effects of the articles are real. If we do nothing, there will be more conflicts. More farmers and more people from indigenous communities will become victims," he said.

Article 21 of the law prohibits any efforts to damage plantations or other assets, any use of plantation land without permission and any other action that disturbs plantation businesses.

Article 47 regulates the punishment for violating Article 21, setting a maximum jail term of five years and fines of up to Rp 5 billion ($585,000).

Afrizal, an expert in social conflict from Andalas University in Padang, said that during his research he found that for every plantation company in Sumatra, an average of seven communities were in dispute with it.

"I recorded at least 357 agricultural land disputes between 1998 and 2010," he told the court. "My research shows that most of the conflict or resistance from indigenous communities is caused by improper negotiations. These communities have traditional rules, but they are neglected by both companies and the government."

Wahyu said communities were often forced to take drastic measures because they were cut off from alternative administrative channels to resolve disputes, with more protection being given to corporations than farmers. "In practice, Article 21 has never been used against a company. Law enforcers use these regulations against the people," he said.

Suharningsih said the Plantation Law marginalized indigenous communities and took away their rights. "The Constitution upholds indigenous land rights," he said. "When a right is acknowledged, it means that it should be protected, and therefore it is non-negotiable. It cannot be negotiated," she said.

Regional autonomy & government

Confusion over term extension for Yogya governor

Jakarta Globe - May 10, 2011

Candra Malik & Camelia Pasandaran, Yogyakarta – First Jakarta ruffled feathers in the special territory of Yogyakarta by pushing for the direct election of the governor there instead of the traditional appointment. Now it is causing confusion with a proposal to extend the governor's term by two years.

The current governor, Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, and his deputy governor, Prince Pakualam, are due to see their terms end on Oct. 9. But the Home Affairs Ministry is now talking about the possibility of extending their terms to Oct. 9, 2013.

"Jakarta is caught in a web of complexity that it created," Joyokusumo, a younger brother of the sultan, told the Jakarta Globe. "They themselves created the problem and now they are at a loss to find a solution," he said, referring to the central government. "They fell victim to their own political engineering."

Joyokusumo said he believed Jakarta was now thinking about extending the terms because of the unlikelihood that it would be able to pass the controversial bill on the special status of Yogyakarta by the end of the year.

The draft bill seeks to do away with some of Yogyakarta's privileges as a special region, a status it received for its key role in the country's independence fight.

Among the privileges it would scrap is the direct appointment of the reigning sultan as governor, and the head of the minor house of Pakualaman as deputy governor.

The central government said governors should be elected, including in Yogyakarta, raising the ire of residents in the region, where the sultan is revered by much of the population.

The Yogyakarta Legislative Council has said that it will ignore any attempt by Jakarta to do away with the system of direct appointment for governor and deputy governor.

Janu Ismadi, deputy chairman of the provincial council, said the extension of the two leaders' terms had been recommended by the director general of regional autonomy and the director in charge of assisting regional heads at the Home Affairs Ministry, during a consultation meeting with Yogyakarta's provincial legislature this month.

However, the legislature has said it will settle for nothing less than Jakarta backing down on its attempt to change the system of direct appointment.

The chairman of the legislature, Yoeke Agung Indra Laksana, said until that happened they were not interested in implementing the recommendations of the ministry.

"We are sticking to the aspirations of the people, that the sultan be automatically appointed as governor," he said. "We made a decision on this issue during a plenary session on December 18, 2010, and our vote was unanimous."

Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi told the Globe that extending the term of the sultan was not a new idea. Gamawan, a staunch proponent of gubernatorial elections in Yogyakarta, said extending the terms was part of the preparations for the implementation of the law on the special status of Yogyakarta if it is passed.

"It is part of the draft bill," the minister said on Monday. "If the bill is passed, we will need preparation time in order to implement the law."

Gamawan said the term of the sultan would be extended for two years, which would be about the amount of preparation time required to put the law in place. "The bill is still in the deliberation stage at the House," he said. "Once again, extending the term is not a new policy."

Legislation & parliament

50 rupiah million paycheck for DPR members

Jakarta Globe - May 13, 2011

Anita Rachman – How much money do Indonesian lawmakers actually take home every month? Judging from what one lawmaker has to say about it, the figure exceeds Rp 51 million ($6,000) – too much, many would think.

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, from the Golkar Party, said that every month, he receives Rp 51.5 million in take-home pay after taxes. This includes his basic salary, allowances and benefits.

He said that the various sums of money he received each month included an intensive communications stipend, a monitoring and budgeting allowance, a committee allowance, a phone and electricity allowance, an aspiration allowance (for meeting with constituents) and even an honor allowance.

House leaders, he said, had even more pay and stipends, with a commission chairman taking home Rp 54.9 million per month and deputies Rp 53.6 million.

Roy Salam, from the Indonesian Budget Center, told the Jakarta Globe that based on their current performance, members of the House of Representatives did not deserve such high wages.

He cited a slow legislation process, poor attendance of meetings and wasteful trips overseas. "Why are we paying them that much for their poor performances?" Roy asked. "It must be revised, it must be adjusted to their performance."

Basuki said political parties usually garnished the salaries of their lawmakers. Golkar, for instance, took Rp 3.3 million from him each month.

Basuki added that since the completion of a housing complex for lawmakers, they no longer received a Rp 12.5 million monthly housing allowance. However, he said that other sources of state funds had been found or were being sought to offset the loss.

"They have been looking for new [budget] posts, so our total take-home pay has only been reduced by about Rp 6 million."

Basuki said that he even heard that lawmakers were trying to add more budget posts so that they would still receive the same allowance as before the housing complex was completed.

Syarifuddin Sudding, from the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), told the Globe that he never paid attention to the details of his salary and allowances.

"All lawmakers receive about the same income," he said, adding that the amounts were not regulated by the lawmakers themselves. "It's the Household Affairs Committee [BURT] and the House Secretariat that sets the standard," Syarifuddin said.

He added that the allowances received by lawmakers were reasonable, given the fact that they needed financial support to communicate with constituents as well as pass laws.

However, Refrizal, BURT deputy chairman, denied it was his committee that set salaries and allowances, saying it was the House Secretariat, which was just following state guidelines. Refrizal also said the take-home pay was not as high as Basuki claimed.

House is most transparent institution: Deputy speaker

Jakarta Post - May 12, 2011

Jakarta – House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Anis Matta on Thursday questioned the ongoing public criticism of the House of Representatives, saying the House was the most transparent public institution in Indonesia.

"You all know about the House budget, even the House phone bills. I think this can only happen because the House is a political institution, so everyone can monitor it. I think the most transparent institution in this country is the House [of Representatives]. Its legislators are few, and yet it is the most transparent," Anis said as quoted by kompas.com

Earlier, the Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (FITRA) released a report that each House legislator had received a cell phone allowance of up to Rp 14 million (US$1,600) a month.

Anis, however, denied the allegations. "That's not true. The phone allowance was not even half [of Rp 14 million]," he said.

House Speaker Marzuki Alie also denied the statement on the phone allowance and criticized FITRA for not seeking House confirmation of its data. He added that the phone allowance allocated to the official residence of each legislator was around Rp 2 million.

Lawmakers receive Rp151 billion annually for phone credit: NGO

Jakarta Globe - May 11, 2011

Anita Rachman – A state budget watchdog has released another eyebrow- raising report, showing House members collectively spend Rp 151 billion ($18 million) on phone bills each year.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, The Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (Fitra) stated that House members were allocated exorbitant funds for cell phone credit. It stated that the House members received Rp 14 million each month for phone credit and an additional Rp 102 million each year for during the recess periods.

"Every year, each lawmaker receives Rp 168 million for phone credit and Rp 102 for recess periods. Therefore, in total, each lawmaker receives Rp 270 million per year for phone credit alone," said Ucok Sky Khadafi, from Fitra.

In total, the state allocates Rp 151 billion to lawmakers to spend on phone credit. "This is a total waste of state funds, it's too much," Ucok said. "In fact, it might end up in their pockets and not for communications."

He said that the allocation was extremely unfair given that there were still so many people in Indonesia living below the poverty line.

However, a lawmaker from Democratic Party Roy Suryo, said that each lawmaker got Rp 1.5 million to Rp 2 million for communications. "I forget the exact figure, but it's around that amount," he said, adding that it was House staffers that managed lawmakers' personal budgets.

Drama, no-shows, as new House session begins

Jakarta Post - May 10, 2011

Jakarta – Legislators questioned a plan to construct a new House building, while protesters threw pamphlets on them during the first session after a month-long recess at a half-empty House of Representatives on Monday.

House Speaker Marzuki Alie opened the new session at around 10 a.m., but many of the seats designated for House members were empty.

Marzuki addressed several issues in his speech, including bills, junkets, and rising radicalism among the nation's youth. He referred to public concern about the Islamic State of Indonesia (NII) group, which has been in the spotlight recently for recruiting university students.

House members applauded Marzuki when he said, "Pancasila and the Republic of Indonesia are the basis and the final form of our country."

Then, when Marzuki finished his speech, several House members raised their hands to speak on crucial matters.

A legislator from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Maruarar Sirait, immediately drew Marzuki into a debate about the construction of the new House building.

Maruarar asked the speaker to explain why a press briefing had been informed that the PDI-P had agreed to the construction of the new building. Maruarar, who is usually called Ara, said his party's representatives had walked out of the consultation meeting that approved the new building on April 8.

"However, it was then announced that seven factions agreed to the construction, including the PDI-P, and two factions opposed it. I'd like the speaker to clarify this. My party stands strongly for postponing the construction," Ara said.

Marzuki replied, "The House speaker did not announce the deal on the new building's construction, but the deputy leader of the House did. I will ask the House secretariat general to produce evidence that the PDI-P took part in the decision-making."

The new building debate has dominated national politics since the beginning of the year. At one point, the budget proposed for the project was Rp 1.8 trillion (US$210.6 million), but was later reduced to Rp 1.1 trillion after a public outcry.

Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto said on Monday that the latest plan for the new building required a budget of Rp 800 billion, kompas.com reported. The slimer budget, he said, was achieved by cutting down the height of the building and cutting out the swimming pool.

Nudirman Munir from the Golkar Party said the new building was necessary because most legislators had to work in cramped office conditions.

"We legislators have to queue for many things – sitting, eating, filing and even going to the toilet," he said. "Please ask the secretariat general to take a look at the spacious offices of the House leaders and compare them to the 555 legislators' rooms," he said.

As the clock struck midday, a number of people threw postcard-sized pamphlets picturing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, US President Barack Obama and Finance Minister Agus Martowardojo dining on gold bars from the spectators' balcony. The pamphlets read "Let the people judge. Hand over our gold. West Nusa Tenggara people".

Security and police officers soon apprehended the intruders, covering their mouths with their hands when they began to yell in protest. (rcf)

Transport & communication

Officials seek answers on MA-60 cost, certification

Jakarta Globe - May 15, 2011

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Camelia Pasandaran – Saturday's crash of a Merpati Nusantara Airlines flight in Papua in which all 25 aboard were killed has raised questions about the murky purchase of the aircraft and its lack of certification by US authorities.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday ordered an inspection of all the remaining Chinese-made MA-60s in the country and ordered ministers to explain the deal by state-owned Merpati to purchase 15 of them.

Former Vice President Jusuf Kalla had called for a broader probe into the purchase, and the House of Representatives finance commission announced on Thursday that it was planning to establish a committee to investigate possible mismanagement at the carrier.

On Friday, Tjahjo Kumolo, secretary general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said he supported the probe, adding that all ministers involved in the procurement of the planes should be summoned for questioning.

Priyo Budi Santoso, the House deputy speaker from the Golkar Party, said the investigation would help the country improve its air transportation safety. "We will support the step to investigate the case, whether it is through a special commission or through joint commission," Priyo said.

Price problems

Under the terms of the 2006 contract signed by Merpati and Xian Industrial Aircraft Corp., the maker of the MA-60s, each plane was priced at $14.1 million. However, airlines in the Philippines, Ghana and Nepal had bought the same type of aircraft for only $11 million each.

The deal was financed by 1.8 billion yuan ($227 million) from the China Import Export Bank, repayable over 15 years with annual interest of 2.5 percent. Merpati took delivery of the first two planes in mid-2007. But after finding cracks in the fastener of the vertical stabilizer and facing worsening finances, it considered canceling the purchase.

The move reportedly prompted China to retaliate by halting a loan for an electricity development project in Indonesia. In response, Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu was sent to China to renegotiate the plane purchase agreement.

Mari has since declined to comment on the issue, insisting that it should not be turned into "polemics." "We need to wait for the results of the ongoing investigation," she said on Thursday. "All will be explained in time."

Presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha, said on Wednesday that, at the time of the deal, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was aware of the purchase but was not familiar with the details.

No certification

In addition to the high price and mechanical flaws, the deal was also dogged by concerns that the MA-60s were not certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration, whose guidelines, though not mandatory in Indonesia, are nonetheless the de facto standard for airlines.

Former President B.J. Habibie, an aerospace engineer by training and former head of state aircraft manufacturer Dirgantara Indonesia, said all airplanes should be FAA-certified. But this was dismissed by Transportation Minister Freddy Numberi, the former fisheries minister.

"Why should we use American [standards] when we could use our own?" he said. "Even Europe doesn't use them. They don't like American standards. Our standards already fulfill [requirements set by] the International Civil Aviation Organization."

Freddy said that after assessing the MA-60, the plane was found to exceed the DI-built CN-235, which is FAA-certified, in some respects.

"We have the capacity and equipment to issue certification," Freddy said. "So in 2006 we issued it because we considered it to have no technical problems. Why should we let Indonesia be ruled by America when we have strong qualifications? We don't need to go to America for that."

MA-60 still in flight

In spite of the crash and the revelations about the inflated price and lack of certification, which prompted the House to call for all MA-60s operating in the country to the grounded, the government has insisted the planes will stay in the air.

"The Transportation Ministry is now conducting research and investigating [the issue]," said Mustafa Abubakar, the state-owned enterprises minister. "The results will be used for us to decide whether the airplanes will be grounded or not."

Merpati operates 12 of the aircraft and is set to take delivery of another two. The carrier is struggling with trillions of rupiah in debt and disputes with its workers. It underwent a restructuring in 2008 and 2009, which was when the issue of the high price paid for the MA-60s was first raised by auditors.

Aris Munandar, a representative of the Merpati workers' union, said the crash was a reflection of the company's ailing financial condition. Merpati is the only domestic airline that uses the MA-60.

Film & television

Bandung bows to FPI protests and tells cinemas to stop screening '?'

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2011

The Bandung administration is urging local cinemas to halt screenings of Hanung Bramantyo's latest pluralism-themed film, "?".

The move came in response to a recent protest staged by the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), which threatened to raid cinemas where the movie was still screened.

"Yes, we have coordinated with related institutions in a meeting hosted by the Bandung Tourism and Culture Agency. Our team has watched [the movie] and reported that there are elements of blasphemy [in it]. We plan to retract the film from circulation in all cinemas in Bandung," Bandung Deputy Mayor Ayi Vivananda said Thursday as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

One hundred FPI members staged a rally in front of the Bandung Tourism and Culture Agency's office on Tuesday, demanding that the movie be retracted from circulation in the area.

Ayi said he was still waiting for the association of cinema owners in Bandung to respond to the administration's decision.

If the movie continued to be screened, he said he would meet with related institutions to figure out the next step. "We'll see the progress," he said.

The Indonesian Union of Cinema Owners (GPBSI) West Java chapter head Edison Nainggolan refused to comment on the matter.

Cinemas live the horror as film boycott slashes profits

Jakarta Globe - May 12, 2011

Elisabeth Oktofani – While film lovers have been missing catching Hollywood blockbusters on the big screen, cinemas have been missing something more substantial: profit.

Djonny Sjafruddin, the head of the Indonesian Cinema Companies Union (GPBSI), said the foreign film distribution boycott in the country had caused a 60 percent drop in the local industry's income nationwide.

"Since the Motion Picture Association stopped exporting their films to Indonesia, we, the cinema industry, have begun feeling the effect, especially in small towns such as in Central Java," Djonny said.

The boycott that began on Feb. 17 was sparked by disagreement over a new royalty tax computation the government wanted to impose but that the MPA said would have a "significant detrimental impact on the cost of bringing a film into Indonesia."

The government had promised a resolution by the end of March, but talks apparently still haven't concluded as major releases like "Thor" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" aren't being shown here.

Syamsul Lussa, the director of films at the Culture and Tourism Ministry, could not be reached for comment on when Indonesia could expect a resolution to the issue as he was attending the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.

To cope with the diminished source of movies to screen, Djonny said cinemas had been making do with second-class foreign films and previously run movies as daily screenings are cut.

"The tax-scheme controversy is slowly killing the Indonesian cinema industry, while the government wants to add more screens across the nation," he said. "But if there is no film, what will be screened in the new screens? Indonesian films have not really been able to attract the market."

"Maybe 15 to 20 percent of Indonesian films can attract audiences, such as 'Tanda Tanya' by Hanung," he said. "But other than that, does the audience really want to watch films with the same ghost concept all the time? I guess not, because the audiences are not stupid."

Dian Sunardi, the head of marketing at BlitzMegaplex cinemas, testified to the decreased audience-drawing power of the films they had been showing.

"We still receive some film stock from major studios, including from Hollywood through other distributors," Dian said. "However, the number of visitors has dropped 15 percent to 20 percent compared with last year."

Even the Jakarta administration is feeling the impact. "So far, cinemas have contributed 20 percent of the Rp 81 billion ($9.5 million) in entertainment tax collected for the first quarter of the year," said Iwan Setiawandi, the head of Jakarta Tax Office. "But in previous years, cinemas have contributed as much as 40 percent to 50 percent of the Rp 350 billion entertainment tax collected annually in Jakarta." Industry representatives and moviegoers like Herda Aprillia, a member of the Indo Harry Potter online fan community, can only hope the matter is resolved soon. "Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2" – the last installment in the hugely popular series – is due to be released in July.

"I am actually staunchly against pirated films. But what else can you do? I am not going to wait until the DVD is [officially] released or fly to Singapore only to watch the film," Herda said.

Judicial & legal system

Little trust in legal system: Commission

Jakarta Post - May 12, 2011

Jakarta – There is still very little public trust in Indonesia's legal system, a member of the Judicial Commission says.

"We know this because 80 of the 90 reports filed at our office each month say so," Judicial Commission monitoring chief Suparman Marzuki said Tuesday as quoted by tribunnews.com.

The majority of the reports questioned the integrity of judges' rulings, Suparman said, adding that the other 10 percent were complaints about what people perceived as improper behavior by judges.

The commission has submitted reports to the Supreme Court, but have not received any comprehensive response, he said.

Police & law enforcement

Mandate for AGO watchdog to be strengthened

Jakarta Globe - May 13, 2011

Heru Andriyanto – A draft agreement was completed on Thursday to pave the way for the Commission on Public Prosecution to receive more power to monitor state attorneys' conduct.

"Among the key points in the agreement with the Attorney General's Office is that we can take over a case from the AGO whenever the internal measures against alleged violations by prosecutors are deemed insufficient," commission chairman Halius Hosen told the Jakarta Globe.

The previous membership of the commission was also allowed to take control of investigations against troubled prosecutors but at that time it was financially dependent on the AGO.

The new agreement could provide a separate budget for the nine-member commission. "Basically, the draft agreement contains procedures in the implementation of Presidential Decree No. 18/2011. The AGO and the commission have agreed with the draft and the signing is scheduled for [May 19]," he said.

The agreement would allow commission members to be present at discussions of major cases being handled by the AGO that gain wide public attention or at the AGO's internal deliberations on alleged violations of the law or the code of ethics by prosecutors. In addition to the new mandate, commission members would be eligible to join the Ethics Board in cases against prosecutors.

Indonesia Corruption Watch, however, warned against expecting too much of the better-armed commission, saying its six-year history had shown no concrete measures being taken against wayward prosecutors.

"Even in the current term, most of [the commission's] members are former prosecutors. So the question continues to center on its effectiveness," ICW senior member Emerson Yuntho said.

Despite the changes in its mandate stipulated in the presidential decree, the commission would still only provide recommendations to the president without having the power to take punitive measures itself, he said.

"What if the president or the attorney general refuses to implement the commission's recommendations?" Emerson added.

The decree was passed on March 4 as part of a push by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for more effective monitoring of the AGO, amid a series of scandals involving rogue prosecutors.

Police agree to monitoring by rights commission

Jakarta Post - May 11, 2011

Jakarta – The National Police agreed on Monday to let the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) monitor complaints of rights violations involving police officers throughout the nation.

Speaking at Komnas HAM's office in Menteng, Central Jakarta, National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo said there were many cases of rights violations committed by police officers.

"An external monitoring system is important for overseeing law enforcement procedures and the reporting of any indications of rights violations," Timur told The Jakarta Post.

Komnas HAM chair Ifdhal Kasim said that the memorandum of understanding signed on Monday by the commission and the police would strengthen their partnership and create a monitoring system for criminal law enforcement and the preservation of public order.

Ifdhal said the National Police's awareness of human rights has changed tremendously.

"They have been trying to really integrate the principles of human rights in their duties," Ifdhal said. "The commission sees this partnership as a way to accelerate change and the integration process."

Rights violations by police officers remain a major issue in Indonesia. Komnas HAM deputy chairman Nur Kholis said the commission received 1,100 complaints about rights infringements allegedly perpetrated by police officers in 2010.

"The most frequent complaints concerned the behavior of the police toward protesters during demonstrations," Nur told the Post on Monday.

Nur said the alleged violations also included cases of spousal abuse, unjustified arrest, the physical and psychological abuse of detainees and the beating of suspects who had already surrendered. "The complaints mostly come from big cities, such as Jakarta, Makassar, Medan and Surabaya," he said.

According to Nur, mid- and high-ranking police officers were already well aware of human rights. "It is the low-level officers, the young cops who operate in the field every day, that have a poor understanding of human rights principles," Nur said.

Both institutions had to educate police officers across the nation on human rights, he added

"It is our intent to give the National Commission on Human Rights as much freedom as possible to identify any indications of human rights violations in the National Police," National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli Amar said.

"We are open to a thorough inspection of all law enforcement procedures as proof that we hold human rights in the highest honor," he added. (mim)

Intelligence & state secrecy

House: No rush to pass intelligence bill

Jakarta Post - May 13, 2011

Jakarta – The House of Representatives is showing no signs of urgency in approving the intelligence bill, despite the government's continuous insistence on strengthening the intelligence agency as soon as possible on the heels of recent terrorist attacks and the radicalization of youth.

The House previously targeted July of this year to pass the bill, which would grant the national intelligence agency wide-ranging interception authority.

However, Mahfudz Siddiq, head of House Commission I which is dealing with the bill, said it had been decided in a commission meeting on Monday that the target was no longer viable. "We should not let public worries over recent threats push the bill through," Mahfudz told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Speaking in a seminar at the Antara news agency building, Mahfudz said that, while the commission still aimed to pass the bill as quickly as possible, it should only be approved after all the issues had been prudently discussed.

House Commission I member Teguh Juwarno, who also attended the seminar, said the commission acknowledged the need to give the intelligence agency authority to tap conversations. "However, there should be clear regulations, including on permission from the courts to do so," Teguh said.

Regarding the authority to make arrests, Teguh said, "The commission is still not convinced about agreeing to this."

Teguh and Mahfudz agreed that the public should broaden its perspective on intelligence, as it dealt with more than just security matters. "Limiting the grounds of discussion to recent security threats may result in the false perception that the intelligence bill deals only with security matters such as terrorism," Mahfudz said.

According to Mahfudz, the state already has adequate institutions to handle terrorism and radicalism, such as the police's Detachment 88 and the National Antiterrorism Agency.

Both institutions were endowed with greater authority and better weaponry than the National Intelligence Agency, he said. "Intelligence regulation should address a much wider scope than just security threats," Mahfudz said.

The director general of Law at the Law and Human Rights Ministry, Wahidudin Adam, shared Mahfudz's sentiment, saying that a regulation on intelligence should envision the bigger picture of national security that also covers financial, socio-political and cultural matters.

"However, establishing an intelligence agency without giving it necessary authority would be absurd," he said.

Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro previously said that law enforcement agencies could not effectively tackle the recent bomb threats and youth radicalization issues because there was no adequate intelligence law.

"We are behind Malaysia and Singapore in terms of national security because they have internal security acts that can prevent terrorism," Purnomo said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com on April 29.

Sutanto, head of the National Intelligence Agency, said the agency must be equipped with an adequate legal basis to work effectively.

"Creating an internal security act similar to Singapore and Malaysia might be unnecessary," Sutanto said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com on April 15. "The important thing is to create an adequate law that can help us fight these terrorist groups." (mim)

Setara issues warning to not rush intelligence bill

Jakarta Globe - May 10, 2011

Elisabeth Oktofani – A human rights watchdog has warned against rushing the passing of the intelligence bill and making revisions to antiterror laws simply because people are more aware of the capabilities of the Indonesian Islamic State movement.

The Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy warned on Monday that even as the nation was in dire need of a well-rounded intelligence law, the bill needed thorough consideration and a number of crucial points – particularly pertaining to human rights – called for careful deliberation.

The bill is being debated by the House of Representatives. Among its main points is to give the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) the authority to preemptively arrest suspected terrorists before they carry out attacks.

Such wide-reaching powers have drawn criticism from rights groups and lawmakers, who say the bill's provisions could be abused in the fight against the Islamic state movement known as the NII.

"To use the penetration of the NII in order to legitimize the passing of the intelligence bills and make considerable revisions to the antiterror law by giving more powers to the BIN is wrong," Setara founder Hendardi said on Monday.

"In truth, intelligence has great authority and scope not just at the BIN but also within the National Police, the Indonesian Military and our ministries."

BIN's duty is to collect information, analyze it and establish what kind of strategic measures need to be taken in relation to threats to the nation, Hendardi continued.

Ismail Hasani, a researcher at Setara, said the right to conduct intensive interrogations of suspects who were apprehended for unclear reasons should be taken out of the intelligence bill.

"A suspect will be interrogated intensively 24/7 and he or she will not be accompanied by a lawyer. Such arrests are essentially, secret," Ismail said.

Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar had said recently that radicalism and increased bomb threats called for the swift passage into law of a draft intelligence bill. "Threats are everywhere, from bomb terror to NII. Is this not making it urgently needed?" Patrialis said.

The NII, a banned organization of hard-line Muslims, has a goal of establishing an Islamic caliphate in Indonesia.

Patrialis said the revival of terrorism and subversion by the NII was attributable to a lack of a strong legal foundation to support the work of intelligence personnel. Without an intelligence law, he said, agents could not work to their full potential.

Tubagus Hasanuddin, the deputy chairman of House Commission I, which oversees security affairs, has argued that the core problem is not lack of intelligence gathering but rather a lack of tolerance training for impressionable youth.

Hasanuddin, an Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker, told the Jakarta Globe that the ministries of education and religious affairs should move to shield students from falling under the influence of the NII to narrow the field of recruits for radicalism.

"The nature of the intelligence bill is repressive. It's not that urgent to deliberate the bill just because of the NII cases," he said.

Criminal justice & prison system

Warden caught on tape with prisoner at drug party: Police

Jakarta Globe - May 13, 2011

Made Arya Kencana, Denpasar – The Bangli Prison warden accused of taking bribes to allow a convicted narcotics dealer out of his cell has been captured on video at a drug party with the prisoner and prostitutes, police said on Thursday.

Police made the discovery after examining closed-circuit television footage from the Boshe VVIP Club Bali in Kuta.

"From the CCTV we know that Widiawan was at a drug party at a club with two escort girls," said Adj. Snr. Comr. Dwi Suseno, head of the Badung Police, referring to the head of the prison.

Widiawan and the two women were joined by Rudi Saputra Siregar, 31, the convicted ecstasy dealer who was serving an 11-year sentence, in room 16 of the club on Saturday night. Rudi was taken back into custody on Sunday.

Police have questioned a number of witnesses, including the escorts, who have only been identified by their initials, S.V. and P. "They admitted that one of the men in the room was the head of the penitentiary," Suseno said.

Despite the strong case against the warden, police have yet to detain Widiawan. "The relevant authorities are still conducting an internal investigation," Suseno said. "When the right time comes, we will arrest him."

Separately, Taswem Tarib, head of the Bali Justice and Human Rights Office, said Widiawan was dismissed from his post on Tuesday, as there was clear evidence he had received bribes.

Tarib said after his office received reports that the head of the prison was suspected of being involved in bribery a team was sent to examine the allegations. He added the team, which was led by Wayan Suendra, the head of prison investigations, found proof that the warden had accepted bribes from Rudi. But Tarib did not elaborate on the team's findings.

Rudi was captured on Sunday after his accomplice, Johan Kaka Ngobi, was arrested for alleged drug dealing and tipped off police. During interrogations, Rudi said he was able to leave detention after paying a Rp 1 million ($117) bribe to Widiawan. "Officials who behave in that way should be fired," Tarib said.

He said that aside from Widiawan losing his position, he would be held accountable in accordance with the law. "Nobody is above the law in this country," Tarib said. "We will hand over all our investigations on the now-dismissed warden to police investigators."

Police had earlier said Rudi had been allowed to leave the penitentiary to sell drugs as many as seven times each month.

Charges dropped against boy on trial over $1 phone credit

Jakarta Globe - May 11, 2011

Elisabeth Oktofani – A preliminary verdict handed down by the Central Jakarta Disctrict Court on Wednesday dropped the case against a 14-year-old boy on trial for allegedly stealing a Rp 10,000 ($1.17) cell phone credit voucher.

Presiding judge Tjokorda Rai Suamba decided to drop the charges against Deli Suhandi, a sophomore at a junior high school, because he considered the case investigation "defective."

"During the investigation, the defendant was not accompanied by a lawyer, hence the investigation is deemed to be defective," Tjokorda told the Jakarta Globe.

The judge said that even though the police investigation report had a letter attached and signed by the teenager stating that he had refused to be assisted by a lawyer, it was a violation of legal procedures.

"The letter should have been signed by his parents because he is still a minor, therefore, the case is defective," he said.

Deli's lawyer said that they were waiting for the prosecutor to respond to the sentence. "The prosecutor has seven days to decide whether or not he will appeal the sentence and if he doesn't file any appeals within that period, the case against Deli will be dropped," Hendra said.

Meanwhile, Prosecutor Agam told the Jakarta Globe that he would appeal the preliminary verdict.

"It is clear in the police investigation report that Deli, the defendant, signed a statement letter stating that he declined to be assisted by lawyer," Agam said. "Therefore, we are going to file an appeals."

Antasari's seized laptop missing

Jakarta Globe - May 11, 2011

Heru Andriyanto – Prosecutors on Tuesday said they had no knowledge of the whereabouts of former antigraft czar Antasari Azhar's laptop, which contains classified information on major corruption cases.

The laptop was among the items seized by police from Antasari's office at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) when he was named a murder suspect in 2009.

However, when the South Jakarta District Court on Tuesday went to return evidence used in the trial against Antasari, the laptop was not among the items.

"We took out [24] items from the evidence locker to be returned to the owners," Yusuf, South Jakarta chief prosecutor, said to journalists. "The laptop is not on the list."

Maqdir Ismail, an attorney for Antasari, regretted that the computer was still nowhere to be found. "The computer has nothing to do with the murder case, so it should have been returned in first place," he said.

Maqdir said police seized the computer and documents from Antasari's office during their investigation into the March 2009 murder of businessman Nasrudin Zulkarnaen, for which he was later found guilty, but the computer was not included in the evidence list during the trial.

"We have officially asked the KPK to return the computer to Antasari but the agency replied that the computer was taken by police and never returned," Maqdir said.

"The computer is very important because it holds the recorded conversation between Antasari and Anggoro Widjojo," he added, referring to the widely publicized conversation apparently used to initiate criminal charges against KPK deputies Chandra M. Hamzah and Bibit Samad Rianto.

Reports said that the computer also holds information about alleged graft in the purchase of information technology equipment by the General Elections Commission (KPU) for the 2009 election.

Attorney General Basrief Arief has previously said that prosecutors only handled items of evidence from police and the computer was not included when police officially handed the suspect, the case documents and the evidence to prosecutors.

Analysis & opinion

Osama's death ripples in Indonesia

Asia Times - May 11, 2011

Sara Schonhardt, Jakarta – The death of Osama bin Laden at the hands of United States Special Forces in Pakistan this month has turned a lens on the sustainability of his al-Qaeda radical offshoots, with analysts weighing the strength of the connections between the group he led and the scores of small jihadi cells that operate across the world.

Some analysts here predict Bin Laden's death will have little impact on terror groups in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country. Islamic fundamentalists have struggled to gain a dominant foothold here amid the syncretic form of Islam practiced by the majority of adherents.

Others suggest it could lead to acts of retribution by hardline groups galvanized by his martyrdom. The mixed threat perceptions are not unusual: in a country often hailed by the West for its religious tolerance and recent democratic development, there are still radical fringes that speak louder than their underlying numbers, witnessed in a series of destructive terrorist attacks.

On May 4, the Islamic Defenders Front, or FPI, a group of thuggish ideologues renowned for attacking bars and nightclubs in defense of Islamic piety, held what they called a mass prayer for Bin Laden. In reality, the gathering revealed the FPI's proclivity for responses that are heavy on rhetoric but weak on action.

While calling Bin Laden a hero and martyr, the radical group also said it doubted his death. The FPI has recently been accused of inciting sectarian violence, but has not been linked to acts of terrorism. Other small rallies held here to "avenge" Bin Laden's death carried similarly weak threats of action.

What worries analysts is that Bin Laden's death could give a boost to his brand, which in Indonesia served more as a source of inspiration than operational direction. "If he becomes a myth it would give ideological support to a lot of these new decentralized groups that might not otherwise have a central rallying point," said Evan Laksmana, a security researcher at the Jakarta-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

He argues that the likelihood of that happening is small, noting past swings in support for the al-Qaeda leader and his advocacy of violent jihad. But as past efforts to decapitate radical networks in Indonesia show, charismatic leadership is no longer the most important factor holding them together.

Mission accomplished?

Since 2001, al-Qaeda has decentralized, splitting into regional movements in the Arabian Peninsula and Southeast Asia with diffuse leadership. While Bin Laden did not directly advise the many groups that used the al-Qaeda brand, his death is significant because his icon served to unite members of both old and fledgling extremist groups.

United States authorities claimed after Bin Laden's assassination that he commanded from remote al-Qaeda terror cells in Somalia and Yemen. They have said material recovered from his compound in Pakistan showed that he was rehearsing statements, a sign that he was still active in seclusion.

There is no evidence Bin Laden was directly responsible for any of the attacks, planned or thwarted, in Indonesia. Since the 9/11 attacks on the US, the al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) orchestrated some of Southeast Asia's most violent acts of terrorism, including the 2002 Bali bombing that killed over 200 people, mostly foreign tourists.

In August 2006, Ayman al-Zawahiri, then al-Qaeda's number two, appeared on a recorded video saying that JI and al-Qaeda had joined forces and had formed "one line, facing its enemies". Yet al-Qaeda's brand of large-scale terror, which often caused the deaths of innocent Muslims here, was arguably already on the wane in Indonesia before Bin Laden's death.

Working with the United States and Australia to establish a counter- terrorism intelligence unit known as Detachment 88, Indonesian police have scored several big hits against JI leaders, including the 2007 capture of Abu Dujana, the JI's reputed head of military operations, and the 2009 assassination of JI recruiter and bomb-maker Noordin Top.

Over the past decade, counter-terrorism police have arrested more than 600 suspected terrorists and brought around 500 of them to trial, according to security officials. Last month, a Jakarta court sentenced high-level suspected terrorist Abdullah Sonata to 10 years in prison for providing arms to a militant training camp in Aceh.

Abu Bakar Bashir, a firebrand cleric believed to be JI's spiritual head, is also on trial for funding the camp. The verdict in his case, which could apply the death penalty, is scheduled for mid-June. Some analysts here say a guilty verdict against him would cement the significant losses JI has already suffered.

Unexplained links

Still, there are unanswered questions about the extent of the JI's links to al-Qaeda. Top terror suspect Umar Patek, a JI member suspected of involvement in the 2002 Bali bombing, was arrested in Abbottabad, the same town in Pakistan where Bin Laden was killed.

Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro told reporters last week that Patek planned to meet Bin Laden, but a US counter-terrorism official told the Associated Press it was "pure coincidence" that both men were found hiding there.

Security analysts say Patek could provide significant information about the connections between Southeast Asian terrorist groups like JI and their extremist counterparts in Pakistan. Like many JI suspects, Patek was on the run. But the frequency of his contact and nature of his discussions with Bin Laden remain ambiguous.

What is clear, however, is that terror groups in Indonesia have downsized under pressure. "The violence here is small-group initiated, more aimed at targeted killings than big bombings and more aimed at local targets than foreigners," said Sidney Jones, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group (ICG). ICG released a report last month on how violent extremism increasingly occurs independent of large jihadi organizations like JI.

The shift has been driven by successful law-enforcement activities and changing ideological trends in the Middle East, Jones said. "There can be international changes that have an impact on the definition of enemy and the choice of targets, even in a place as peripheral as Indonesia," Jones said after Patek's arrest. She suggested "Bin Laden's death could change the direction back toward Western targets, at least momentarily".

Images of American youths cheering Bin Laden's demise on television and headlines like the New York Daily's May 2 edition, which read "Rot in Hell", may only inflame radical sentiments. But for now the potential for revenge attacks seems limited by the diminished capacity and perceived disconnect of Indonesia's extremist groups.

Many top JI leaders fought with the mujahideen in Afghanistan in the 1980s, but their younger counterparts now receive more encouragement than training from the old guard. With its leaders detained or decapitated, JI has shifted toward more recruitment activities, including sermons and spreading information on the Internet. As such, the response to Bin Laden's death is expected to be met with more rhetoric than violence.

[Sara Schonhardt is a freelance writer based in Jakarta, Indonesia. She has lived and worked in Southeast Asia for six years and has a master's degree in international affairs from Columbia University.]

The beef conspiracy

Global Asia - May 9, 2011

Joe Cochrane – An outcry is growing over the government's move to restrict imports of cattle and beef. While government officials say the aim is to boost domestic production, Globe Asia finds other, more suspicious, undertones.

In a land already brimming in mysticism and the supernatural, 2008 was one for the books in Java. At some point during that 12-month period, the cattle population of East Java province miraculously grew by nearly 680,000 head. How this happened – cloning, spontaneous reproduction, insertion by tractor beam from hovering UFOs – nobody knows, and the Ministry of Agriculture is fastidiously avoiding questions on the subject.

According to the ministry's own figures, the cattle population jumped from 2.7 million to nearly 3.4 million without explanation. What happened to those cattle remains a mystery, and there hasn't been any evidence to prove they ever existed. The ministry' figures on East Java cattle that were slaughtered or transported live out of the province grew at normal rates between 2008 and 2010, meaning the extra 680,000 somehow remain in hiding, or if you believe in such things, were beamed back up to their alien space ships.

Thomas Sembiring, chairman of the Indonesian Meat Importers Association (Aspidi), doesn't believe in aliens or magical forces. He also doesn't believe the agriculture ministry's figures on the stunning growth of East Java's cattle population. "Can you do that without producing like a pig?" he asked rhetorically during an interview at his office in Central Jakarta. "If you look over the stats, a lot of questions cannot be answered."

Indeed, East Java's curious cattle population boom is just the tip of the iceberg. Indonesian cattle and beef importers, Australian and New Zealand exporters, as well as government officials from those two countries are asking questions about many of the facts and figures coming out of the Ministry of Agriculture these days. Among factors being questioned are the ministry's formula for calculating Indonesia's beef demand for 2011, its system for awarding import quotas for boxed beef and live cattle, its decision to reduce boxed beef imports by 58%, and the actual size of the country's cattle population.

Individually, these figures are troubling, but cumulatively they indicate the country's beef industry is staring into the abyss. Finally making its way onto the front pages after simmering for most of 2010, the crisis centers around the Ministry of Agriculture's controversial blueprint to achieve beef self-sufficiency by 2014. And as with so many cases where Indonesian politics intersects with big business, the beef industry is beset with allegations of political corruption, collusion and nepotism, religious discrimination and conspiracy theories of involvement at the highest levels of the Indonesian government to drive out foreign meat importers and corner the market of a multi-billion-dollar industry. What is true or untrue remains to be seen. But according to Indonesian and foreign industry experts, this much is known: the country has no hope of becoming self-sufficient by 2014, or even by 2020, despite what the Ministry of Agriculture claims. In addition, say the experts, the ministry's self- sufficiency program has instead caused a chain reaction that is making the domestic beef industry less self-sufficient while simultaneously reducing available supply and driving up prices.

Worse, the Indonesian government may find itself dealing with chronic and extended shortages of beef, as well as higher prices, as Australian exporters turn to more open, friendly and reliable markets in Russia, Turkey and Egypt for live cattle and boxed beef. "There is nervousness in Australia about Indonesia as a trading partner," said one Australian agriculture industry official, who would only speak on background given the sensitive nature of Indonesia's beef industry debate.

"The warning bells should be there for Indonesia that they are being by- passed in the international trade system, especially since they want self- sufficiency," the official said. "It's conceivable that Australia could by-pass Indonesia and do shipping contracts with Turkey and Egypt." That would, of course, be tragically ironic given that the Yudhoyono administration touts food security as the main reason for its self- sufficiency drive for beef as well as rice, corn, soya and sugar.

Given Indonesia's growing population growth figures, combined with the millions of expected new entrants into the country's middle class in the coming years, there could be a lot of angry, hungry voters. Indonesian meet processing companies are already angry, warning that the lack of supply for their bakso, beef sausages and other products will force them out of business. More than half of all imported beef into Indonesia is used in the manufacturing sector.

Seeds of disaster

How could it all go wrong for such an efficient industry? Beef and cattle imports were one of the sectors notable for immunity to Indonesian and Australian diplomatic spats, even in the wake of East Timor's independence referendum in 1999 and eventual statehood. Between 2003 and 2009, annual live cattle exports from Australia to Indonesia nearly doubled to 773,000 head, an average increase of 19% a year.

Choice cuts of Australian boxed beef for five-star Indonesian hotels, restaurants and upscale grocery stores grew by 46% during the same period. New Zealand, while a smaller player, doubled its boxed beef exports to Indonesia in the past two years. The formula for success was a no-brainer. Australian cattle breeders are among the most experienced and efficient in the world, and Indonesia's 240 million consumers are increasingly eating more beef as the economy booms.

They also view Australian beef as better quality for acceptably higher prices, and trust that it is healthy and meets halal standards. The industry had run like clockwork for more than two decades. And the benefit is not all one-way. Imported Australian cattle go directly to feedlots in Java and Sumatra to be fattened up before being slaughtered. This has created an agriculture sub-sector for Indonesian farmers who sell leftover corn, grasses, pineapple skins and other refuse to the feedlots. A single feedlot can employ up to 700 young Indonesian men and women.

"The growth in the trade of feeder cattle has led to more jobs in Indonesia, has led to more use of their by-products. It's been a successful way of increasing their production," says Allister Lugsdin of Meat and Livestock Australia. He also notes that the Australian government and the country's meat and livestock industry have spent great time, effort and money helping their Indonesian counterparts improve productivity, efficiency, and health and hygiene within their domestic industry.

Boom-time breakdown

After exports of cattle, boxed beef and offal from Australia and New Zealand exceeded a record $700 million in 2009, giddy producers and importers wondered whether the good times would ever end. Unfortunately, they did. Australian live cattle imports into Indonesia dropped by more than 30% in 2010, and quotas for 2011 were capped at 500,000 head. On several occasions last year, Indonesian agricultural officials announced they were following through on a self-sufficiency plan to increase domestically-born and -bred beef supply to the market to 90% by curbing imported live cattle and boxed beef.

As the Indonesian side spent much of mid-2010 counting how many imported head of cattle it needed, the distribution of import permits began to mysteriously slow down. For 2011, the Ministry of Agriculture capped boxed beef imports at 50,000 tons, a staggering 58% reduction from the previous year despite the fact that beef demand in Indonesia is rising. Sembiring of Aspidi accuses the ministry of estimating total demand for 2010 at 403,000 tons by simply multiplying Indonesia's 237 million people by 1.7 kg, the government's official estimate of per capita annual meat consumption.

"They are only calculating on household consumption, but what about all the other factors? Expatriates, people from international organizations, diplomats and tourists? They are from countries consuming up to 10 times the amount of beef as Indonesians," Sembiring states, adding that the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that Indonesians annually consume 2.4 kg per capita.

He notes that actual beef demand for 2010 was 493,000 tons, but the Ministry of Agriculture's projected demand for 2011 is only 456,000 tons, meaning consumption would have to drop despite all the evidence saying it is steadily growing. "They don't consider economic growth... because (beef) consumption among Indonesians is still so low, but it's growing," Sembiring insists.

Adds a New Zealand trade industry official who asked not to be named: "The import quota numbers are totally out of thin air. The numbers are just so far from reality. An argument can be made that Indonesia is less than 50% self-sufficient in beef." What is clear is that the Indonesian government cannot handle increasing demand for beef while simultaneously curbing imports: Domestic production is simply not capable of filling the gap.

A case in point occurred in September 2010 when beef prices in Jakarta skyrocketed ahead of the Idul Fitri holiday due to undersupply, which local traders blamed squarely on the agriculture ministry's efforts to curb imports. The situation only got worse. Given higher prices and lack of supply, Indonesian cattle owners decided to make a quick buck by slaughtering breeding female cows to meet demand, dealing a major blow to government efforts to increase the country's domestic herd size as part of its self-sufficiency blueprint.

The Ministry of Agriculture rushed to pass a regulation banning livestock owners from slaughtering breeding females, but the damage had already been done. One meat importer estimates that "80% to 90% of what's been killed at the moment in Indonesia is productive breeding females."

Under pressure, the ministry has commissioned a census to determine Indonesia's total cattle population, to help it accurately calculate future domestic supply as well as import needs. Its self-sufficiency blueprint states that the population should be at least 13 million, although many believe the actual current number is at most 9 million. Numbers aside, there is growing belief that agriculture ministry officials are either in denial about Indonesia's inability to become self-sufficient in beef production by 2014, or hiding it to make it look like the country is moving toward self-sufficiency.

During a meeting with visiting Australian Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig in March, Indonesian Deputy Agriculture Minister Bayu Krishnamurti actually spoke about Indonesia becoming a beef exporter to the Muslim world – even though Indonesia currently imports around 44% of its beef supply.

Critical shortages

While the enthusiasm of agriculture officials is admirable, the reality is that Indonesia lacks the appropriate tracts of land, feed, genetic skills for breeding, or experience to create an industry similar to those of Australia and the United States, according to industry experts. By one estimate, 40% of cattle in Nusa Tenggara Timur province are under- nourished. "They don't have a snowball's chance in hell" of becoming self- sufficient, says one expert. That still has not stopped the ministry from curbing imports and bringing forward the expiration dates on import permits.

In April two importers filed a lawsuit against the agriculture ministry after 25 containers of beef were stopped at Tanjung Priok Port in mid- January by inspectors who declared the shipping licenses had expired. Then there are the reported allegations that agriculture ministry officials gave preferential treatment on quota allotments to importers linked to Agriculture Minister Suswono's Islamic-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

Two companies whose owners are Christians had their quota allotments reduced, according to an industry source. Sembiring of Aspidi declined to directly comment on the allegations against the PKS, but said: "The quotas were not being distributed equally. Every time the supply is lower than demand, there is always a problem. You get a lot of importers trying to monopolize the quotas."

While many of the domestic meat importers are angry, players such as Sukanda Djaya Anzindo, Indoguna Utama and Bumi Maestro Ayu are avoiding speaking out, apparently in hopes that the crisis can be resolved behind closed doors. On April 13, the agriculture ministry announced that it had increased the quota on imported boxed beef from 50,000 tons to 72,000 tons.

While this is a step in the right direction, industry experts warn that piecemeal increases will not solve what could easily become a long-term supply problem, as imports can't just grow by throwing a switch. "In the world beef market, there is undersupply due to declines in (production in) the US, Argentina and Brazil," states the Australian agriculture industry official. "It's hard to gear up the live trade – shipping contracts, regulations to export. It's a long lag. The boxed beef trade can respond more quickly, but it's still a lag time of weeks."

Jakarta Journo: Indonesia on the couch with Oprah

Jakarta Globe - May 9, 2011

Armando Siahaan – Speaking at an international conference in Jakarta last week, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono mentioned that he was trying "to get Oprah Winfrey to say something about Indonesia." It was just a joke, but it did get me thinking – what would Oprah say about our country?

A dear friend of the US president, it wouldn't be surprising if Oprah took an Obama-esque approach, lauding Indonesia's commendable economic growth, its thriving democracy and prevailing pluralism – an optimistic view that largely overlooks the reality of what's actually going on here.

She would probably quote Yudhoyono's oft-repeated statement that "in the midst of the global financial crisis, [Indonesia's] economy grew by 4.5 percent." I've lost count of how many times he's mentioned that in his speeches.

We'd have to hope that Oprah's production team wouldn't find out about the 100 or so young men in Solo, Central Java, who said they were ready to die to avenge the death of Osama bin Laden. Wouldn't it be a shame if she brought that up?

But the "Oprah Winfrey Show" is not really about what she says about something. It's about the guests. So here's my list of Indonesians I think should sit on Oprah's couch.

One option is the judges of the Constitutional Court, who last month threw out a request for a judicial review of the contentious 2008 Anti- Pornography Law. The plaintiff, controversial lawyer Farhat Abbas, was seeking to amend the law to make the production and possession of sex tapes for personal use a crime.

Keep in mind that we're now living in a time when individual rights are being jeopardized by a dangerous rise in conservatism. Hard-liners are attempting to impose and enforce their notions of right and wrong on the country by saying those of us who deviate from their moral code should be considered hell-bound sinners. A ban on private sex tapes would have certainly been a huge step forward for such a movement.

In 1998, we collectively chose to follow the path of democracy, of which individual rights are a core element. So when the court upheld the right of people to tape themselves having sex, it was essentially defending Indonesians' constitutional right to pursue practices and beliefs that may go against the moral teachings of the majority.

The rest of my Oprah wish list is, interestingly, is made up of young people.

To show the positive side of Indonesia, I'd definitely send the Rosmansyah siblings, 12-year-old Fahma and 7-year-old Hania, who wowed me with their ability to create software and mobile applications. Remember what Oprah did with Charice and Celine Dion? Perhaps she could introduce the Rosmansyahs to people like Microsoft's Bill Gates, Apple's Steve Jobs or Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, who could help shape these fledgling tech whizzes into future leaders of Indonesia's technology industry.

A lot of Oprah's shows are tearjerkers. I wonder what her audience would say if she talked to Deli Suhandi, the 14-year-old kid who's on trial for allegedly stealing a Rp 10,000 ($1.15) phone card. His minor delinquency has him facing the possibility of seven years in prison – the same sentence given to former taxman Gayus Tambunan.

But if I got to send just one person to meet with Ms. Winfrey, it would have to be a chubby street busker named Nayya. I first saw Nayya in an online competition where the participants posted videos of street buskers from their respective homelands. A guy from Indonesia posted a 3-minute video of Nayya playing a ukulele while crooning Seventeen's "Jaga Selalu Hatimu" ("Always Guard Your Heart"). His voice is heavenly. His smile is like a ray of sunshine piercing the darkness. His performance speaks volumes about this country.

While our leaders boast about our robust economic growth, Nayya remind us that there are still children like him who have to struggle every day just to get an education or even a proper meal.

At the same time, Nayya brings a glimmer of hope to Indonesia. Like the Rosmansyahs, he is a living testament to our country's potential for greatness. But the question is, who will make sure that potential is realized?

[Armando Siahaan is a reporter at the Jakarta Globe and writes a weekly column about current events. Follow @jakartajourno on Twitter or e-mail him at armando.siahaan@thejakartaglobe.com.]