Arientha Primanita – The president called out his cabinet on Thursday for its wholesale failure to push through needed programs, slapping a failing grade on the ministers in an impromptu job review.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, in perhaps his most damming assessment, said the ministers had failed to follow up on his written and verbal instructions.

"In the report that I received, you've done about 50 percent less [then what was instructed]. My concern is that some of you no longer remember the instructions and therefore have failed to implement them," he said, without mentioning any specific ministers or projects by name.

Yudhoyono said a performance review of the ministers would be done by the Presidential Working Unit for Development, Supervision and Oversight (UKP4), headed by Kuntoro Mangkusubroto.

"Let's consolidate and make sure priorities and important issues are properly handled," he said. "We should use our time to be more productive in taking care of important issues."

By the second anniversary of the current cabinet lineup in October, the president said he expected that all the ministers would have made significant improvements to their work.

After the cabinet meeting, Kuntoro told reporters that since January only 17 of the 34 ministries had completed their assigned projects on schedule.

The government will conduct an official midterm evaluation of the ministers in July, with the final report to be handed over to the president.

But not all was bad news, with Kuntoro saying ministries involved in the Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesia's Economic Development 2011-2025 (MP3EI) were performing well.

For the upcoming Ramadan and Idul Fitri, the government will seek to stabilize food prices, which tend to double because of the surge in demand during the celebrations, said Hatta Rajasa the coordinating minister for economic affairs.

He said the government was also in the process of improving the country's slaughterhouses to meet World Organization for Animal Health standards.

Domestic beef consumption is around 35,000 tons per month while domestic production is only 25,342 tons, which means the country needs to import beef to meet demand.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights will complete the construction of 31 new penitentiaries nationwide and increase the capacity of the existing 43 penitentiaries, said Djoko Suyanto the coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs.

Agung Laksono, the coordinating minister for people's welfare, said the ministries under his authority would prioritize improvements in forest fire and disaster response management.

He added that a moratorium on sending workers to Saudi Arabia, due to start on Aug. 1, would effect at least 15,000 workers. "The president said the workers must have an income and training so they will have the skills to attain better lives," he said.

Golkar to hold ritual ceremony to combat Indonesia's 'moral crisis'

Jakarta Globe - July 8, 2011

Surabaya – The Golkar Party is set to hold a traditional Javanese ceremony at one of Indonesia's most revered archeological sites on Friday night in response to what is says is the nation's deteriorating "moral crisis."

The ceremony at the Majapahit archaeological site in Trowulan, East Java, will be attended by party chairman Aburizal Bakrie and advisory board chairman Akbar Tanjung.

The Majapahit empire one extended throughout present day Indonesia and at its peak during the rule of Hayam Wuruk and his prime minister Gajah Mada from 1350 to 1389 incorporated what is today Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, southern Thailand, the Philippines, and East Timor.

Ridwan Hisyam, chairman of the event's organizing committee, said it could conduct a 'ruwatan' ceremony, which is described on Javanese culture and spiritually Web site Jagad Kejawen as a "traditional ritual ceremony to free people from all kinds of bad luck and bad fate in life."

"After misfortune driven out in the ruwatan rite, it is expected that life will be safe and prosperous," it says.

Ridwan said the ceremony would be held at the same location Gajah Mada made his famous "Palapa Oath," which was a vow to continue eating the bitter palapa fruit until the empire became unified and prosperous.

He said the ruwatan was in response to the "present breakdown in the nation's morality." "The moral crisis that has hit the nation is a source of great concern and a very serious problem to our party," Ridwan said.

"The Golkar Party wants to follow in the footsteps of [Prime Minister] Gajah Mada who was able to unify the archipelago and the ruwatan will hopefully also spur party cadres to help unify the nation that is now in a moral crisis," he said.

A wayung shadow puppet play titled "Rama Tambak Overcomes the Nation's Moral Crisis" would be performed by puppet master Ki Manteb Sudarsono. Female vocalists from Hungary and Japan are also expected to take part in the performance.

Bakrie, a controversial businessman who has designs on the presidency in 2014, is expected to deliver speeches. (Antara & JG)

179 Indonesians face death penalty in Malaysia: Task Force

Jakarta Globe - July 7, 2011

Arientha Primanita – There are 179 Indonesians on death row in Malaysia, with most cases involving narcotics offenses, an Indonesian government spokesman said on Thursday.

The comments came after a meeting of a special task force convened to look into Indonesians facing the death penalty in other countries.

Humphrey Djemat, the task force's spokesman, said that during the meeting members received a rundown on the number of death penalty cases and demographics of the convicted from a number of Indonesian embassies.

"First, we heard from the Indonesian Embassy in Malaysia. They said there are 179 Indonesians facing death penalties [there]. Most of them are charged with drug abuses," he told reporters after the meeting at the office of the coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs.

Humphrey said that of the 179 Indonesians on death row in Malaysia, 138 had been convicted of drug offenses, 37 had been found guilty of murder and four had been sentenced for illegal gun possession.

"From the total numbers, 27 are Indonesian [migrant] workers. However, there is no difference between workers and regular citizens, we help all," he said.

Humphrey said the task force would be exploring different ways to win possible appeals or reprieves for the convicts. However, he said that 13 of those were likely beyond help.

"So far, 13 out of the 179 can no longer file for court appeal" because their appeal request had already been refused by Malaysia's highest court, he said.

The last resort for those convicts, he said, would be a task force- submitted request for pardon from the head of state or sultan where. the convicts are held

The task force was established following the execution last month of Indonesian migrant worker Royati binti Sapubi in Saudi Arabia. She was beheaded for the murder of her employer.

Tax office to conduct census in search for millions of dodgers

Jakarta Globe - July 5, 2011

Dion Bisara – The government plans to conduct a nationwide census that could boost the number of tax-paying residents by more than 25 percent by 2013, in a bid to increase revenue after less than half of registered taxpayers submitted income statements last year.

"The goal is to get as many Indonesians as possible to pay taxes... there are still many people who do not pay taxes," Fuad Rahmany, the Finance Ministry's director general for tax, told reporters on Tuesday.

In 2010, of 20 million registered taxpayers, only 9 million submitted income statements.

The ministry forecasts registration – of individuals and corporations – to increase to 25 million in 2013 from 19.9 million in 2010. From January through May, the figure already rose 4.5 percent to 20.7 million, which consisted of 18.4 million individual taxpayers and 2.3 million companies.

In the first phase of the census, Fuad said, his officers would focus on companies.

With the data to be collected the tax office hopes to also be able to tax people in the so-called informal sector, such as street vendors. Under the plan, tax officers would visit businesses door-to-door and ask questions to determine whether tax obligations had been fulfilled.

Apart from boosting taxpayer registration, the census is also expected to help improve compliance with regard to tax report submission, Fuad said. He declined to say when the census would start, leaving that decision to the finance minister, Agus Martowardojo.

In the state budget for 2011, the government forecast collecting Rp 764 trillion ($89 billion) in taxes, excluding duties and excises. That figure represents an increase of 13 percent from last year's Rp 661.5 trillion collection.

Darussalam, a tax expert from the University of Indonesia, said that despite the tax office only having around 30,000 people at its disposal, he believed it was capable of conducting the census.

"Tax offices are regularly canvassing new taxpayers," Darussalam said. "Now they have decided to scale it up with a census."

He said he hoped that the census would lead to amnesties for tax violators and focus mainly on getting more people to pay taxes in the future.

After the government decided to waive penalties for those who opted to register in 2008, there was an increase of more than two million taxpayers in that year alone. Last year's government census put the country's population at 237 million.

Bringing Indonesia's sex workers out of the shadows

Jakarta Globe - July 5, 2011

Ade Mardiyati – Feraldo "Aldo" Saragi is a human rights activist who fights for the rights of sex workers and other marginalized groups in Indonesia.

He founded a nonprofit group dedicated to social change and has spoken at the United Nations in New York about the unjust criminalization of sex workers. It's a personal issue for Aldo. Although he is passionate about defending the rights of others, he makes no secret of the fact that he is a sex worker himself.

The path that led Aldo to sex work, and eventually human rights activism, started with the Asian financial crisis.

Born to a poor family from Pematangsiantar, North Sumatra, he had to move to South Korea in 1995 to work as a migrant laborer for two years to save up enough money to attend a private university in Jakarta. While in university, he also worked as a laborer for a private company to support himself. But when the financial crisis hit the country in 1998, he lost his job and his ability to pay for his schooling.

"It happened everywhere. A lot of companies shut down, so it was an extremely hard time. Getting another job was impossible," the 35-year-old said. "On the other hand, the show must go on. Life keeps on rolling, no matter what."

Confused, Aldo said he decided he had to do something in order to survive. "Inspired" by an article he read in a lifestyle magazine about one spot in the capital where male sex workers hung out, he decided to join them.

"The situation made it difficult for me to choose. And really, at that time there was no other choice if you wanted to survive," he said.

Although it was not what he wanted to do, Aldo began his new profession as a sex worker, trading his services for anywhere between Rp 150,000 ($18) and Rp 200,000 ($23) per client. "But I didn't have clients every day. There were just too many competitors and, with a lot of younger men joining, it made it even harder," he said.

Aldo said it took about two years before he was able to make peace with himself and what he did for a living. "It was not easy to get to the stage where I could get over my internal conflict. I went through a lot of things to compensate, including seeking comfort in drugs," he said.

Twelve years have passed, and Aldo still does sex work. But he now considers himself an "empowered sex worker." "I have a good bargaining position where I can, for example, choose not to take clients who refuse to use condoms when having sex. I am not financially desperate, like I was before," he said.

Even as Aldo's situation improved, he became more and more concerned about the way the government treated sex workers. He become increasingly involved in activism and in 2009, together with some friends, he founded the Indonesia Social Changes Organization (OPSI).

According to Aldo, the group represents and advocates for marginalized groups such as sex workers, homosexuals, transvestites, people with HIV/AIDS and drugs addicts. OPSI also addresses issues of discrimination and human rights violations caused by, among other things, government institutions and policies.

"For example, regional laws that call for the demolition of prostitution complexes. But the question is, does that solve all the problems? Those sex workers will find other ways to keep doing what they do because this is their livelihood, which helps them feed their babies, pay for their children's school tuition and so on," he said.

"The prostitution complex may be demolished, and, as a result, sex workers go to narrow alleys or boarding houses to look for clients. This is even more dangerous because the spread of HIV/AIDS is out of control."

There are currently around 1,500 sex workers registered as members of the OPSI, Aldo said, spread across 22 provinces. That number, he said, includes males, females and transvestites, although the majority of the organization's members are female.

Aldo was in New York in April and June to speak at the United Nations on the issue of sex workers' rights.

"I was a speaker at the UN Civil Society Hearing, which was part of their preparations for a high-level meeting on HIV/AIDS policy," Aldo said. "I was representing sex workers in Asia Pacific, not only Indonesia. My presentation was on 'decriminalizing key affected populations,' specifically sex workers."

Criminalizing sex workers is not a solution to the problem of HIV/AIDS, he said. It only makes their situation worse, since then they have no bargaining power.

"The UN made 'zero new infections, zero discrimination and zero HIV/AIDS- related deaths' one of their Millennium Development Goals. How can they reach that goal by 2015 if criminalization still occurs?" he asked.

Labeling female prostitutes wanita tuna susila, or women without morality, is also another form of criminalization and a violation of human rights, he said. The term WTS, he said, is still frequently used at the Ministry of Social Affairs. This, he said, is one of the things his organization has been fighting against.

"We urge [the government] to take sex workers out of the discrimination box and run programs that treat them like human beings. Look at how the officers treat sex workers during raids. That is not human at all," he said. "We have been trying to get sex workers accepted by the government. That is all we want."

The recognition of sex workers by the government will help combat HIV/AIDS, he said. When sex workers are recognized, the government will have the ability and authority to offer programs such as health reproduction awareness campaigns or programs encouraging the use of condoms in prostitution complexes.

Aldo said Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih shared his concerns. In a book, Endang wrote about her experiences working with sex workers in North Jakarta's Kramat Tunggak prostitution complex, which was tolerated by the government for years until it was turned into an Islamic center. Endang, Aldo said, stated in her book that turning the red-light district into a religious center did not solve any problems.

"She said that there are now houses around the [Islamic] center where prostitution continues to takes place," he said. "When regulated, not only would we be able to reach everyone involved in awareness campaigns, but it could also create other job opportunities in the area, such as parking attendants, food vendors, and more."

The challenges, however, do not only come from the government and outside institutions.

"Internal conflicts are also a part of the challenges of our work," he said. "Religious values and cultural norms have managed to make them [sex workers] believe that they are society's trash. So getting beaten up by the police or public order officers is considered 'natural' because they believe they deserve that."

Aldo admitted that he sometimes felt exhausted from all of his efforts to get sex workers more rights and recognition from the government.

"But I can't stop here. I believe that the state will never give you your rights, you have to take them. You have to fight for them," he said. "Few people realize that human rights apply to everybody equally – they don't say, 'Everyone except sex workers, gay and transvestites.'"

President wants youth to build nation's character

Jakarta Globe - July 3, 2011

Teluk Gelam, South Sumatra – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has turned to an unlikely source to help the nation deal with a number of its serious problems, including terrorism – the Indonesian version of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides.

With his personal approval ratings at an all-time low as his alleged fight against corruption continues to falter, Yudhoyono asked Pramuka to revitalize activities aimed at building the nation's character, and combat radicalization and drug abuse among youth.

"Reinforce the role of the Scouts' movement as part of the national education system, make the scouts movement as a protective element for the youths from terrorist radicalism and drug abuse," President Yudhoyono said as he opened the scouts' national jamboree in South Sumatra on Saturday.

Established in 1961, Pramuka – an acronym for the Sanskrit words praja muda karana, which translates into young people who are willing to work – is the Indonesian version of Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of the United States.

Pramuka executive board chairman Azrul Azwar claimed 22 there were 22 million members throughout Indonesia, comprising 317,091 individual groups. The Jamboree involves about 25,000 participants, including 100 foreign guests. (Antara/JG)

International solidarity

Protesters demand end to attacks on freedom of speech, release of activists

Democratic Student Front (FMD) - July 1, 2011

Democracy in South-East Asia is currently under attack. After the Thai Embassy in Jakarta was the target of a demonstration on June 27 because the Thai government arrested Red Shirt activist leaders, today it was the turn of the Malaysian Embassy on Jl. HR Rasuna Said in Kuningan, South Jakarta, to be the target of demonstrators.

The solidarity action was held following the arrest of some 30 Malaysian Socialist Party (PSM) activists, who are accused by the government of violating Article 122 of Malaysia's anti-democratic penal code on waging war against the monarchy and attempting to revive communist ideology.

For the sake of solidarity and to prevent the wave of anti- democracy becoming an epidemic across other ASEAN countries, around 50 or so demonstrators descended upon the Malaysian Embassy demanding the release of the PSM activists.

The protesters came from several different groups including the Working People's Association-Organisational Saviours Committee (KPO-PRP), the People's Democratic Party-Political Committee of the Poor (KPRM-PRD), the Political Union of the Poor (PPRM), the Cross-Factory Labour Forum (FBLP), the Free Women National Network (JNPM), the Student Struggle Center for National Liberation (PEMBEBASAN, formerly LMND-PRD) and the NGO grouping Red Frame (Bingkai Merah).

In their demands the protesters called on the Malaysian status quo regime to stop its attacks and violations against freedom of speech and to release all of the PSM activists unconditionally. They also demanded an end to all forms of repression and intimidation against the Malaysian people in their struggle for democratic rights.

The action was also a call for and to express support with the PSM's Udahlah-Bersaralah (It is Enough, Time to Retire) national awareness campaign, which the Malaysian Socialist Party (PSM) has been conducting in the framework of building the people's awareness of the need for reform in the lead up to the coming Malaysian election and against the anti-democratic ruling United Malay National Organization-National Front (UMNO-BN).

"The arrest of the PSM activists shows that Malaysia is totally undemocratic. This is a solidarity action for all activists struggling for democracy in Malaysia", shouted action coordinator Sulthoni in a speech.

One of the speakers informed the protesters that the arrests were accompanied by harassment and intimidation, with the arrested PSM members not allowed family visits or clean drinking water and locked up in terrible conditions. "Our demands are clear. End the attacks and violations on freedom of expression. Release the PSM activists immediately and unconditionally", said Sulthoni.

Speaking sharply in a speech, KPO-PRP General Secretary Asep Salmin said that democratic values in Malaysia will only be realised if the UMNO and the BN resign from the throne. The current situation, according to Salmin is being felt by the Malaysian people because the UMNO and BN have ensconced in power for too long. It is this background that has made the regime in Indonesia's neighbouring country upset with opposition, particularly the PSM. "We pledge to continue actions such as this until the PSM activists are released", shouted Salmin at the end of his speech.

Taking turns, protesters gave speeches in front of the Malaysian Embassy, the essence of which were expressing their solidarity with the PSM activists and other members of the people's movement who have been arrested and charged under Malaysia's catchall anti-democratic articles. The protest disbanded at 11.30am.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Solidarity action in Jakarta condemns arrest of Malaysian socialists

Detik.com - July 1, 2011

Ari Saputra, Jakarta – The Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta has been 'attacked en masse' by scores of labour and youth activists condemning the arrest of 30 Malaysian Socialist Party (PSM) activists by the Malaysian government.

The arrested PSM members were arrested under Section 122 of Malaysia's anti-democratic Penal Code on waging war against the monarchy by reviving the ideology of communism.

"The arrest of the PSM activists demonstrates that Malaysia is totally undemocratic. This is a solidarity action for all activists that are fighting for democracy in Malaysia", said Sultoni, one of the action coordinators from the Indonesian Trade Union Congress Alliance (KASBI) in front of the Malaysian Embassy on Friday July 1.

The demonstrators also believe that the arrests were accompanied by harassment and intimidation, saying that the arrested PSM members were prevented from being visited by their families, were not allowed access to clean drinking water and are being held under deplorable conditions.

"Our demands are clear. Stop the harassment and the violation of the freedom of expression. Release the PSM activists unconditionally right now", said the group.

During the action the demonstrators unfurled a banner and several posters calling for the release of their comrades. The protest action also created traffic congestion on Jl. Rasuna Said as it took up one lane of the road. Because the Malaysian embassy is located on the intersection of Jl. Satrio, it held up the flow of traffic from the direction of the ITC Ambassador Mall.

As of 10.30am the action was still continuing watched over by police. "Stop repressing democratic of Malaysian people", said one of the posters carried by a demonstrator. (Ari/rdf)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Rally at Malaysian Embassy protests arrest of activists in KL

Jakarta Post - July 1, 2011

Jakarta – Activists from several local NGOs have urged the Malaysian government to release Malaysian activists from the Socialist Party of Malaysia who were captured by their government for allegedly campaigning for communism.

The 30 activists from the Socialist Party of Malaysia were allegedly captured and harassed by Malaysian police on June 28, amid an upcoming parliamentary election.

Around 25 activists are currently gathering in front of the Malaysian Embassy on Jl. Rasuna Said in Kuningan, South Jakarta. The group were heard shouting "Malaysia anti-democracy!" at 10 a.m. on Friday.

Mahendra Kusumawardhana, a spokesperson for the protest, told The Jakarta Post that they were demanding for the Malaysian government to stop its assault on people's freedom of expression and to release the activists immediately. "We give them two days to release the activists," he said.

Mahendra said that fellow democracy activists at Australia, Thailand and the Philippines were also protesting to Malaysian representatives in their respective countries.

Activists joining the rally were from several groups, including the Political Committee of The Poor (KPRM-PRD), Reorganize Committee – Working People Association (KPO-PRP), Political Union of the Poor (PPRM), Inter- Factory Labor Forum (FBLP) and Perempuan Mahardika. (rpt)

West Papua

Papuans gear up for peace talks with Jakarta

Tempo Interactive - July 8, 2011

Jakarta – A widely publicized conference aimed at seeking peace in Papua concluded on Thursday that the best way to seek long-term resolutions to problems faced by Papuans – ranging from human rights abuses to exploitation of natural resources – was to engage in an open dialog with central government officials in Jakarta.

At least five primary points have been set as prerequisites in order to be selected as mediators for the Jakarta-Papua talks, none of which have been openly publicized thus far.

The three-day Papua Peace Conference held in Jayapura saw 1,000 participants in attendance, including prominent government officials. Coordinating Minister for Political, Security and Legal Affairs Djoko Suyanto spoke on the first day of the conference, pointing out that "existing problems have to be resolved peacefully, through constructive communication."

The conference was spearheaded by the Papua Peace Network (PPN), an informal group of Papuan leaders advocating peaceful dialog.

In a PPN press statement received by Tempo, it was stated that a Declaration had been adopted by the conference's participants. This declaration specified that talks with Jakarta would comprise of the primary challenges Papuans faced – security, law and human rights, and the environment.

The conference's co-chair, Father Neles Tebay, called on the "people of Papua in Indonesia and abroad," including the migrants, the local administration and the private sector, the Papua Freedom Organisation (OPM) and the National Liberation Army (TPN) and the central government to find solutions for the various problems in Papua.

Neles Tebay said in his concluding remarks that "For too long Papua have had to live a miserable life. We carried the burden of many problems for such a long time and many of these problems haven't been solved." "Therefore, we should be the ones to help Papua."

Leaked letter reveals Indonesian army scare tactics

New Matilda - July 7, 2011

Alex Rayfield – From the outside looking in, the latest church conflict in West Papua might look like just another example of factional Protestant politics. A little sordid perhaps, but irrelevant to all but the parties involved. Dig a little deeper, however, and one finds something far more disturbing.

A leaked letter from the head of the Indonesian Army in Papua obtained by New Matilda reveals that far from being an internal church matter, the conflict between Kingmi Indonesia, a Protestant church that has parishes across Indonesia, and the breakaway Kingmi Papua Church, goes to the heart of the Indonesian government's attempt to repress movements for cultural pride and autonomy in the country's restive Pacific periphery.

In a nutshell, the conflict turns on whether Kingmi Papua has the right to separate from Kingmi Indonesia and set up an autonomous synod, reverting to an arrangement that existed prior to 1982.

The question is this: why has the Indonesian Army become involved? Major- General Erfi Triassunu has waded into a conflict that he himself acknowledges is an internal church matter. In the letter (File Number: R/773/IV/2011) addressed to the Governor of Papua, Barnebus Suebu, dated 30 April 2011 and marked "secret", Triassunu "respectfully requests" the Governor to arrange a meeting between Kingmi Indonesia and Kingmi Papua. The General also offers himself as a mediator.

The letter continues: "if the conflict cannot be resolved through discussion then assertive action must be taken".

Let me translate "assertive action". In East Timor when the Indonesian Army took "assertive action" against the Church, they murdered church workers, massacred parishioners, raped women and burnt churches to the ground. In West Papua too the Indonesian Army has a history of killing pastors from the Kingmi Papua Church, as well as other churches. This dates back to 1 May 1963 when the Indonesian government took administrative control of the territory and has continued up to the present.

Last October a video filmed on soldiers' mobiles phones and circulated widely on the internet, showed several soldiers from Kostrad, the Indonesian Army's Strategic Command – Triassunu's own division – torturing a Papuan church worker by burning his genitals with a stick.

In the letter, Triassunu, who previously served in Aceh, makes a number of accusations. He accuses Kingmi Papua of trying to access as much money as they can from the government's Special Autonomy programme in order to create new churches. However, the real purpose of building a network of churches, Triassunu insists, is "to strengthen Papuan civil society aspirations for freedom". He then argues that the Kingmi Papua Church's desire to be independent of the Indonesian Church is "just an excuse" for "the church to become a political vehicle" that supports Papuan independence.

Triassunu then goes on to make a number of recommendations. He specifically says that Kingmi Papua pastors should stick to Biblical "dogma" and not stray into politics. The General is on solid ground here, following in the footsteps of numerous dictators from Marcos to Pinochet, all notorious for their attempts to stifle meddlesome priests. Triassunu specifically names Reverends Benny Giay (the current moderator of the Kingmi Papua Church), Seblum Karubaba (the former moderator) and Noakh Nawipa (the Rector of the Pos 7 Theological College) as malcontents, mentioning several seminars organised by the trio where "Papua Merdeka" (freedom) was discussed.

All this has echoes of Suharto who systematically depoliticised (read: violently repressed and disbanded) all independent organisations, including religious ones, for fear they could become bases for organised opposition against the regime. Indonesian democrats may have overthrown Suharto but West Papua is not part of a new democratic Indonesia. What is deeply concerning is that in the Papuan context the label "separatist" is regularly applied to Papuan leaders as a pretext for justifying extra- judicial action by security forces.

This is where the plot thickens. According to the letter, the General decided to become involved in the Kingmi conflict after a Kingmi Indonesia pastor, Reverend Karel Maniani, personally asked the Army to protect his parishioners. But Reverend Maniani himself was previously a member of "Group Nine" of the Papuan Freedom Movement (or OPM). In the 1980s Maniani was jailed for four years in the notorious Kalisosok Prison. What happened to Maniani on the journey from freedom fighter to Army petitioner?

To make things stranger, the conservative US-based evangelical Christian Missionary Association backs Maniani and Kingmi Indonesia against Kingmi Papua. At stake is not only valuable church property and access to Special Autonomy funds, it is also over influence of a broad Papua base. Kingmi Papua has half a million members. Virtually all of them are indigenous Papuans from the fractious Highlands, around a third of the entire Papuan population.

When I asked Benny Giay about all this his reply was revealing. For years he said he was part of a church that was more concerned with "saving souls" than the day-to-day oppression of the Papuans. "The Kingmi church has been complicit with the suffering of the Papuans. We need to confess our sins and follow the narrow path of Jesus. This Gospel is very clear; we must stand with the oppressed and work to alleviate their suffering. I hope we can cast off our fear and stay firm to this path."

Giay has a vision for an independent Papuan church; a uniquely Papuan church that makes space for Papuans to begin to articulate their own theology, one that sees God present in Papuan history and culture. Giay and his colleagues are slowly building up a church that commits itself to solidarity with the poor and oppressed; one that is led by the Papuans themselves. That may not sound much to a reader unfamiliar with Papuan politics, but in West Papua it is a big deal. Just ask the General.

Peace Conference recommendations should include Freeport

Bintang Papua - July 6, 2011

At a press conference in Jayapura, a coalition of human NGOs and Komnas HAM called for the Peace Conference now underway in Jayapura to include Freeport in its recommendations.

Although the Peace Conference has discussed a wide range of issues, a coalition of NGOs and Komnas HAM drew attention to the human rights violations committed by Freeport in economic and political affairs. The coalition includes ALDP, Father John Jongga, a religious leader, Mama Yosepha Alomang, human rights activist Mathius Murib of Komnas HAM-Papua, Olga Hamadi of Kontras Papua, Victor Mambor of the Alliance of Independent Journalists, and Abina Wasanggai of Papuan Women's Solidarity.

They said in a statement: "The problems caused by Freeport have been with us since the beginning of the company's operations in Papua. The contract with the company was first concluded in 1962 whereas Papua was not incorporated into Indonesia until 1969. The company has never shown any respect for the laws in Indonesia."

Furthermore, the company is not transparent in its dealings with the local communities. "As a result, there have been conflicts since the very start and up to the present day."

Olga Hamadi said that conflicts have occurred in almost all the mining projects. "This is because discussions about development have only involved the government and the businessmen or investors. The communities living close to the mining projects have not been involved at all."

According to Mathius Murib, human rights violations have occurred in Papua almost every year, yet Komnas HAM, the National Human Rights Commission has only be able to investigate three cases, the Wasior case on 13 June 2001, the Wamena case and the bloody Abeputa case on 7 December 2000. "The only case that that came before a court of law was the Abepura case."

She said that the legal processes have failed to inspire members of the Komnas HAM and has and has had a deleterious effect on the energies of the Komnas HAM.

She said that the only way to solve these problems would be for the government to speedily implement all the provisions contained in the special autonomy law, and in particular to set up the three institutions, the Commission for Truth and Reconciliation, the Human Rights Court and a Komnas HAM in Papua.

Three soldiers wounded in Papua fire-fight

Antara News - July 6, 2011

Jayapura, West Papua – Three Indonesian soldiers were shot during a clash with unknown attackers in Kalome village, Tingginambut district, on Tuesday evening.

State news agency Antara reported that the attack occurred as a group of Indonesian Military (TNI) officers patrolled the village.

A number of armed men reportedly appeared and attempted to prevent them from carrying out a routine patrol. During the shoot-out, Private 2nd Class Kadek was shot in the right arm.

As reinforcements and medical assistance arrived some time later, the group of soldiers again came under fire, leaving another two soldiers, First Sgt. Deni and Private Fauzi, with wounds to their limbs.

The soldiers have been evacuated to Mulia General Hospital in Puncak Jaya before they were transferred to Jayapura Hospital for more specialized treatment.

The last such incident in Puncak Jaya took place on June 24, when a police officer from Puncak Jaya Police Headquarters Jayapura, First Brig. Muhammad Yasin, was shot by unknown assailant.

Striking Freeport workers march to Timika

Jakarta Post - July 6, 2011

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Thousands of PT Freeport Indonesia workers, engaged in a work stoppage for a second day, occupied a checkpoint in Kuala Kencana.

The number of workers involved in the labor action increased compared to the previous day after thousands of workers marched from Tembagapura to Timika, the capital of Mimika regency, arrived at checkpoint 1 in Kuala Kencana in the early hours of Tuesday, with some in poor health.

"Some of our friends were taken to hospital after they collapsed," a Freeport employee, speaking on condition of anonymity, said.

As thousands of the picketing workers assembled, Sudiro, Obed Lolo, Juli Perorongan, Frans Okoseray, Albar Sabang and Subianto from the Freeport Indonesia chapter of the All Indonesia Labor Union (SPSI) central leadership board, Sinta Airait, Simon Morin, Anderson Worobay and John Rumainum from the Freeport management and Mimika Manpower Agency head Dionisius Mameyao attended a closed-door meeting at the OB1 office in Kuala Kencana.

In a text message to The Jakarta Post, Freeport spokesman Ramdani Sirait said that as part of the work stoppage on July 4, many workers used the mining road for their long march, despite calls by the management not to do so as it was dangerous.

"The company provided 60 buses and food and drinks for the workers for their march, but the workers turned down our offer," Ramdani wrote in the text message. He added that Freeport also provided medical services. "All the workers who required medical attention have now left the health facility."

Ramdani said the company was engaged in talks with SPSI leaders to resolve the issue in the best interests of both parties.

The local and provincial administrations, as well as the central government, have received reports on the latest situation, while the transportation of concentrates has not been affected so far.

Papua Governor Barnabas Suebu expressed hope that both parties would seek an immediate solution. "The issue can be discussed internally between workers and the management. I think it's normal if workers stage a rally to demand a salary hike," he said.

Suebu added that the government would hold further talks with Freeport so that in the future its presence would bring real benefits to the local people and government.

Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Bekto Suprapto urged workers not to resort to "anarchy". He expressed hope that both parties would arrive at a mutually beneficial solution. "A work stoppage would be unfavorable for the company as well as the workers," he added.

The work stoppage launched by Freeport employees, most of whom work in the production unit, was part of their proposed one week strike in protest at the recent firing of six of their colleagues.

They are also demanding a pay rise from US$1.50 per hour to $3 per hour, saying they were paid very low rates compared to employees in other units of Freeport McMoran, who receive on average $15 per hour.

Papuans to meet for conflict talks

Jakarta Post - July 5, 2011

Jayapura – Some 300 indigenous Papuans from all regions in Papua and West Papua provinces are expected to join a peace conference from July 5-7 in Jayapura to seek solutions to conflicts in the region.

Papuan Peace Network (JDP) coordinator Pastor Neles Tebay said that the first conference was intended for indigenous Papuans to discuss way to make and manage peace in the region. "We need to listen to the concepts and indicators of a peaceful Papua according to the indigenous Papuans to show respect to them." Neles said.

Representatives of associations and other mass organizations from outside Papua will be invited but only as observers, he said. "Peace in Papua will never materialize if it only involves indigenous Papuans."

"All people who live in Papua, regardless of their professions, have to take part in the fight for a peaceful Papua," Neles said, adding that they all would be invited as participants at the next conference.

The conference will feature Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto as a keynote speaker representing the government.

Strike cuts 90% of Freeport's production: Workers

Jakarta Post - July 5, 2011

Jakarta – Thousands of workers of PT Freeport Indonesia, the local unit of US giant mining corporation Freeport McMoran Copper & Gold Inc., claim that the strike they began on Monday is limiting the company's production by 90 percent.

About 8,000 workers of Freeport Indonesia, most of whom work in the production unit, launched the proposed one week strike in protest against the recent firing of six of their former colleagues.

They are also demanding a pay rise from US$1.50 per hour to $3 per hour, saying they are paid very low compared with their counterparts working for other units of Freeport McMoran, who receive, on average, $15 per hour.

"Production isn't at full capacity at the moment. Before our strike, it was at full capacity: 100 percent. But during the strike nearly all production activities have ceased; perhaps leaving only 10 percent still functioning," Virgo Solossa, an executive at Freeport Indonesia labor union, said Tuesday as quoted by kontan.co.id.

Freeport Indonesia spokesman Ramdhani Sirait admitted that the strike was disrupting production activities, but added other operational activities, including shipping, were running as normal.

Arrested for rallying people without permission

Bintang PPU - July 4, 2011

Jayapura – According to the police, the arrest of five activists who were attending the commemoration of 1 July, OPM Day, was because they had mobilised people but had done so without having the necessary permit.

"They were not praying at the time they were disbanded," said a police officer. "If they want to pray, they can go to any place but they don't need to gather lots of people together nor do they need to unfurl banners," said police chief of Jayapura, AKBP Imam Sietiawan.

He said that the five activists, Marthen Goo, Herman Katmo, Bovit, Yulian and Sakarias Tamikai, had rallied people together without having the necessary permission to do so from the police. "When they saw this, my men arrested the five and took them to the police station, interrogated them for a while, and later that day, we sent them home."

He said that a permit from the police is necessary if you want to rally people. He said that 20 or 30 people were holding up banners, although they said that they were only going to go to the grave of Theys Eluay to say prayers.

Asked about notification that had been given by the committee, he said that there was no notification about gathering together a lot of people in Abepura.

"It would be okay in Sentani. If they want to carry out these activities, please go ahead and do so. But they shouldn't all gather together and wave banners. That's not right. That is what is not allowed," he said.

Thousands of Freeport Indonesia mine workers start 7-day strike

Reuters - July 4, 2011

Samuel Wanda, Timika, Papua – About 8,000 workers at Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold Inc's Indonesian unit kicked off a seven-day strike on Monday, a union head said, in a move that could potentially disrupt operations.

Freeport said it was not anticipating any impact on production at the mine it claims on its website contains the world's largest single gold reserve.

Freeport's Indonesia unit runs the Grasberg mine in the remote Papua province, where a separatist insurgency and struggle over resources has lingered for decades.

The workers have called for a re-negotiation of their working contract, demanding a wage rise from $1.5 to $3 per hour, since they said other Freeport workers around the world are paid at least $15-30 per hour, a union official said.

"We see that from eight companies Freeport owned, Indonesia is the biggest contributor in terms of revenue... We deserve something more," Virgo Solossa, the organisational head of Freeport Indonesia's Labor Union, told Reuters by telephone.

"We are not going to rally, we are just going on a strike, sitting tight doing nothing," Solossa added.

Thousands of workers marched from Timika city to Kuala Kencana, the Freeport town complex, on Monday morning, although many have yet to reach the Freeport complex since roads are being blockaded by police.

"We are not anticipating any impact to production," Freeport's Jakarta- based spokesman Ramdani Sirait said in an emailed statement, in response to a question on potential disruption to gold and copper output.

"The management calls all employees to keep working... the company sees there is no legitimate justification for any form of strike, therefore it is unlawful because it is not due to failed negotiation nor the company's unwillingness to negotiate," Sirait said.

Freeport, which also has mines in North America, South America and the Democratic Republic of Congo, expects its copper output to fall 17 percent this year to about 1 billion pounds by weight.

[Additional reporting by Olivia Rondonuwu.]

After clash, security heightened in Timika

Jakarta Post - July 1, 2011

Jakarta – Security was heightened in the town of Kwamki Baru, Timika, on Friday after two groups of local residents were caught in brawl, putting the city in fear of further violence.

The two groups used stones and arrows in the fight, which broke out on Thursday's afternoon, tempointeraktif.com reported Friday.

A number of police officers were seen firing warning shots to disperse the opposing sides. The brawl also forced police to reroute traffic to avoiding Jl. Trikora. Most stalls and stores in the neighborhood of Jl. Trikora were closed.

The strained tensions between two groups was allegedly triggered by an affair involving the Okto Kelabegme family and Kuk Nebegelen, the wife of Kemen Obagame.

The Obagame family demanded a fine of Rp 50 million (US$5,850) and three pigs, based on local traditions, but the Kelabegme family apparently failed to meet the demand.

"[The Obagame family] demanded Rp 50 million, but the other family only managed to collect Rp 17 million," said a resident, Meno Imbir.

Politics & political parties

PKS blasts cabinet reshuffle talk as Nazaruddin 'distraction'

Jakarta Globe - July 8, 2011

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The Prosperous Justice Party said the Democratic Party was attempting to distract attention from the ongoing Muhammad Nazaruddin scandal by once again raising the specter of a cabinet reshuffle by the president.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono upbraided his cabinet on Thursday, accusing them of failing to carry out even 50 percent of his directives. Some Democratic Party officials have voiced they would support a reshuffle of underperforming ministers.

The party's deputy secretary general, Saan Mustopha, said on Friday that fellow Democrats could understand the president's vocal display of anger during Thursday's cabinet plenary.

"It is better for the president to reshuffle them rather than [let them] become a burden," Saan told the Jakarta Globe.

However, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said the reshuffle idea was merely a tactic to distract the public from the growing graft case in which fugitive Democrat lawmaker Nazaruddin is a prime suspect.

"The reshuffle idea initiated by the Democrats will surely be the new hot and controversial issue but as always, we can't make head or tail of this," PKS deputy secretary general Mahfudz Siddiq said. "I think what will happen is the distraction of issues from the legal case [Nazaruddin's] to a reshuffle," he said.

Dems' newbies uprooting old guards

Jakarta Post - July 8, 2011

The Democratic Party has not seen its founding members and only seen a few of its senior politicians take a key role in deciding the party's course.

Newcomers with vast financial resources have seemed to sideline the party's old guards, who are mostly comprised of less-affluent people, the party's senior and former politician claimed.

Core party founders who fought hard to set up the party and promote the party's chief patron Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (now the President) to gain nation-wide recognition no longer have direct roles in the party.

The founders include Ventje Rumangkang, Ahmad Mubarok, the late A. Yani Wachid, Subur Budhisantoso, Irzan Tanjung, RMH. Heroe Syswanto Ns (Sys NS), R.F. Saragih, Dardji Darmodihardjo, Rizald Max Rompas and Rusli Ramli.

Ventje, Mubarok, Subur and Irzan are accommodated into the party's advisory board, but without authority to manage the party.

Ventje, a businessman and the party's initiator and early financier, was among the first to jump ship in 2005. But he rejoined the party in 2010 at the request of Yudhoyono. His move was also followed by celebrity Sys NS, who left the party in 2007. Sys was known as Yudhoyono's stage director during the 2004 election campaign.

Both Ventje and Sys had set up their own parties to compete in the 2009 general election, but without success.

Allegations of graft in the party's recruitment of politicians, coupled with Yudhoyono's poor leadership, are blamed for igniting disappointment among the party's founders.

"The root causes of the current infighting are none other than the poor recruitment process from the very beginning," said Ventje. As a new party that promptly leapt to power, the Dems have attracted many figures with vested interests.

"Many local leaders and politicians from other parties joined the Dems merely to seek protection against corruption prosecution," said Ventje. "And there are also many politicians who failed to gain a strategic post at their previous parties buying their way into joining us."

A spike in such practices occurred when Yudhoyono's brother-in-law Hadi Utomo served the party's chairman between 2005 and 2010.

Politician Marzuki Alie is an example of how a newcomer can easily clinch a strategic post at the party. Marzuki, now the House of Representatives' speaker, was appointed by Hadi as the party's secretary-general despite reports of his alleged involvement in a graft case.

The Attorney General's Office, however, terminated in 2009 an investigation into Marzuki's alleged role in inflating the cost of a factory construction project of state cement company PT Semen Baturaja, citing a lack of evidence.

Muhammad Nazaruddin, a former United Development Party (PPP) politician who failed to secure a legislative seat during the 2004 election, also joined the Dems in 2005 and was given the deputy treasurer post.

Nazaruddin, who is now a fugitive for a series of graft allegations, was brought into the party by Jhonny Allen Marbun, who is currently mired in a graft case. Jhonny's case is still being investigated by the Corruption Eradication Commission.

"Back then there were just too many people with dubious backgrounds flocking into the party and receiving strategic posts. This has created a kind of rift among the party's senior politicians," said Sys NS. One of the party's senior politicians said the newcomers could secured top jobs at the party because they had greater financial resources than the party's earliest activists.

"As the party's chief patron, Yudhoyono could not prevent Hadi from recruiting and promoting people with dubious backgrounds despite pledging to keep graft out of his very own backyard," said the politician. "He seemed to be powerless when dealing with members of his wife's family."

Power play at the Dems shifted in May 2010 when Anas Urbaningrum was elected as chairman, bringing in a compartment of a newer and younger generation of politicians into managing the party. But the party's politicians deemed to have dubious backgrounds remained the party's management backbone.

Jhonny was appointed deputy chairman with Nazaruddin as chief treasurer. Former General Election Commission deputy chairwoman Andi Nurpati was also recruited last year and was given a top post at the party, but only to create a bad name. The police are currently investigating Andi's role in faking a verdict document issued by the Constitutional Court.

Analysts have cited Anas' inability to well accommodate the party's senior members is one reason for the prolonged infighting.

Yudhoyono's failure to have his hopeful Andi Mallarangeng as the party's chairman during the 2010 chairmanship election race has also ignited a kind of "cold war" between Yudhoyono, supported mostly by senior politicians, and Anas, supported vastly by junior politicians.

"How to resolve the fighting? I believe it is time for the party to root out the bad apples and overhaul its recruitment process. Just look at the Golkar Party. While they give opportunities for new members to join, the party's management could only be run by senior politicians already with long carriers in the party," said Ventje.

How much of the raging fire will the Dems put out?

Jakarta Post - July 8, 2011

A shooting spree targeting top Democratic Party officials by the party's fugitive legislator, Muhammad Nazaruddin, from his hiding place overseas has further shaken the ruling party of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The Jakarta Post's Hasyim Widhiarto explores how the party is trying to deflect Nazaruddin's loaded charges as well as resolve prolonged infighting.

Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum may have thought he would be spared Nazaruddin's accusations of accepting bribe money from funds earmarked for the construction of a dormitory project for athletes participating in the upcoming SEA Games.

Since fleeing the country on May 23, Nazaruddin has regularly sent text messages to people alleging close colleagues were involved in the SEA Games bribery case, and that opponents within the party were involved in different graft cases.

No barbed allegations were aimed at Anas, Nazaruddin's close pal, until June 30 when he claimed Anas had accepted a Rp 2 billion (US$235,000) bribe. The allegation was made by Nazaruddin through text messages sent to various news outlets.

Nazaruddin, known as Anas' financial backer during the party's 2010 chairmanship race, also accused Anas of embezzling another Rp 7 billion that was supposed to be allocated to "tame" the media.

Anas, who had shielded Nazaruddin from the party's senior politicians demanding his ouster, reported him to the police Tuesday for libel.

A source within the party said Nazaruddin was disappointed with Anas after the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) declared him a suspect in a graft case linked to the SEA Games project on June 30. Nazaruddin had repeatedly asked Anas to intervene to have the KPK's legal proceedings against him dropped. Anas, however, turned down the request.

"Anas' rejection greatly upset Nazaruddin and he lashed out with the graft allegations against Anas a few hours after being declared a suspect," said the source.

The incident marks a turning point in the infighting within the Democratic Party between politicians supporting Nazaruddin, who is the party's former chief financier, and those demanding his ouster. For the time being, the divided camp is uniting to pin down Nazaruddin, who contributed huge financial backing for the party to operate.

"Nazaruddin's recent remarks that further damage the party's name have united us. We have now agreed to drop our pledge to provide legal assistance to Nazaruddin if he returns home," said Kastorius Sinaga, the party's head of development and planning.

The party on Thursday also agreed to process Nazaruddin's dismissal, which will automatically annul his position as a legislator, according to legislator Ruhut Sitompul, a stout supporter of Anas and Nazaruddin.

Nazaruddin and his family fled on May 23 to Singapore, which has no extradition treaty with Indonesia, just a day before the KPK issued a travel ban on him over the SEA Games bribery case, and a number of other graft cases.

But the Singaporean government said Wednesday that Nazaruddin had left Singapore before he was declared a suspect.

The Nazaruddin case and the blatant infighting within the party over his case has lost the party popularity.

In a nationwide survey held last month, the Indonesian Survey Circle found that the party's popularity had fallen to second place behind the Golkar Party. This is the first time Golkar regained its top rank since the 2009 general election.

But signs emerged that the Democratic Party would not sit still and watch itself be weakened. Efforts are currently under way to root out the bad apples in the party as well as to accommodate its senior politicians into having some authority in running the party's day-to-day operations, according the party's politicians.

Among the party's politicians deemed as liabilities are public communication department head Andi Nurpati, who has been implicated in a document forgery case involving the Constitutional Court when she served as deputy chairwoman for the General Elections Commission (KPU).

Deputy chairman Jhonny Allen, who is still under KPK investigation involving a graft case, economic department head Soetan Bhatoegana, who often recruits party members with dubious backgrounds, and communication department Ruhut for making controversial remarks, are among those proposed to be stripped of their posts.

The party's leaders meeting on July 23 will be a turning point for Anas to show the extent of reform within the party that he is prepared to enforce. Unlike the previous meetings, the upcoming one will also be attended by representatives of regional branches, indicating the urgency and the significance of any outcomes.

"It's not a regular meeting. We're likely to see some adjustments in the party's management," said Kastorius. "But we have no plan yet to have Anas removed."

The party's chief patron, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, even called in one of the party's founders, businessman Ventje Rumangkang, to organize a showdown of the party's founders and old guard from across the archipelago to help pressure for an overhaul of the party, according to a source.

The showdown was held on Monday at the Sultan Hotel, South Jakarta, where Ventje declared an immediate need to root out party officials deemed to be liabilities.

Ventje, a member of the party's advisory board (the party's highest body), said the root of the recent infighting dated back to 2005 when it recruited members without thorough screening.

"With some money, these members could easily climb their way up the party's ranks no matter how corrupt they were. The Nazaruddin case is something that I worried about for several years," said Ventje, who reconciled with Yudhoyono last year after leaving the party in 2005.

Party members close to Yudhoyono and his family, with Youth and Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng as their frontman, have grown dissatisfied with the way Anas has managed the party even though their representatives have been accommodated well by Anas in the party's structure.

Among the contentious issues that ignited the infighting, as raised by the members, are reports that several of Anas' cronies were too dominant in the party, particularly in relation to the appointment of party officials at the regional level, candidates for local elections and deliberations of the state budget at the House of Representatives.

"If we don't finish the internal conflict by this year, it will be very hard for the party to run in the 2014 general election."

Clerics' support will bring PPP victory in 2014: Suryadharma

Jakarta Post - July 7, 2011

Yuli Tri Suwarni and Arya Dipa, Bandung – Incumbent candidate Suryadharma Ali retained his post as United Development Party (PPP) chairman on Tuesday and vowed to return the waning Islamic party to its glory days with fresh support from clerics who defected to new Islamic parties after Soeharto's downfall.

In a vote preceded by a fierce contention, Suryadharma won in a landslide with 859 votes, leaving behind his competitors, Akhmad Muqowam and Ahmad Yani, with 281 votes and 39 votes, respectively.

According to election committee head Hasrul Azwar, 1,184 PPP members representing the party's branches in 33 provinces cast their votes in the seventh PPP congress that ended on Wednesday.

Speaking to journalists shortly after his election, Suryadharma said he was optimistic that the PPP would be able to increase its membership to 12 million under his leadership, which would help it compete with other parties in the upcoming elections. "The target should be reached within three years," he said.

The PPP is one of three parties formed under Soeharto's authoritarian regime, along with Golkar and the Indonesian Democratic Party, which changed their names to the Golkar Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle.

Established in 1973 by four major Islamic parties – the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Party, the Islamic Education Movement (Perti), The Indonesian Muslim Party (Parmusi) and the Islamic Association Party (PSII) – the PPP was initially intended to serve as the sole channel for political Islam in the predominantly Muslim country. With the new Islamic parties formed after Soeharto's fall, PPP popularity declined.

During the 1999 polls, it made it into the big four with 10.71 percent of the votes. A decade later, the party only garnered 5.32 percent and was outdone by the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), a party led by young Muslims inspired by Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood.

Suryadharma said a number of clerics who left the PPP to form or join new Islamic parties in the reform era had returned to the party. This would significantly boost party performance in 2014, he added.

Suryadharma, in his capacity as the Religious Affairs Minister, met with pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) leaders. In February, 120 clerics heading Islamic boarding schools in North Sumatra expressed willingness to join the party. Critics, including leaders of the Muslim-based National Awakening Party (PKB), accused him of neglecting his duties and abusing his ministerial position to seek political support.

Though several PPP politicians believe he is to blame for the poor showing in the 2009 elections, most party members believe he did well as minister and improved party leverage in the Democratic Party-led government coalition.

The PPP is aiming to become a unifier for the fragmented political Islam forces, which many said led to the demise of Islamic parties including the Crescent Star Party (PBB) led by Yusril Ihza Mahendra.

PPP and PBB leaders are reportedly discussing an alliance to balance the dominant nationalist parties in the 2014 general election, though no official statement has been made on whether the two parties will merge.

Suryadharma said that unity was the key to success and that he would include his competitors, Yani and Muqowam, in the new lineup in the party's executive body. "Internal political reconciliation is essential. To manage a party, we need cadres who share the same vision," he said

Yani conceded his defeat and congratulated Suryadharma after the election. "I respect democracy and concede Suryadharma's victory. I call on Muqowam to do the same," he said.

PPP and Muslim parties' chances

Jakarta Post - July 7, 2011

Jakarta – The 7th Congress of the United Development Party (PPP) concluded on Wednesday with Suryadharma Ali being reelected to another five-year term. Practically securing his second term unchallenged, he won the party's chairmanship through 2016 with 859 votes, leaving behind Akhmad Muqowam with 281 votes and Ahmad Yani with only 39 votes.

Suryadharma was added to the list of reelected PPP chairmen since the party's establishment in 1973 after Jailani Naro, Ismail Hasan Metareum and Hamzah Haz.

Addressing a media conference after official confirmation of his win, Suryadharma vowed to supporters and fellow party members that he would work harder in his second term to make the PPP better.

He did not elaborate further what "a better political party" meant, but it was likely he was aiming at better achievement in the next general elections in 2014.

The question is whether his ambition is on par with reality, particularly in reference to the PPP's performance in the past three general elections, which saw a declining trend of party success at the national electoral level from 10.7 percent of the vote in 1999 to 8.15 percent in 2004 and to 5.32 percent in 2009.

Another concern is whether Suryadharma, who is also the Religious Affairs Minister, can consolidate his party members for the upcoming elections with only three years left.

The statistics show the PPP's failure to win the hearts and minds of first-time or young voters, including during Suryadharma's first term, and indicate that the party relied on the loyalty of aging voters. The data reflects the party's failure to introduce down-to-earth programs that are acceptable and attractive to a younger generation that is intellectually more sensitive and critical of the country's political affairs.

Despite the popularity that led to his reelection, Suryadharma's chairmanship is not without risk for the party either, as the PPP under his leadership had been considerably less critical of the government – a significant factor that might have made the PPP less attractive to young voters and could hamper the party's efforts to significantly pump up its electoral achievement in 2014.

Another significant factor that may bury Suryadharma's dreams of improving the electoral achievement of the Muslim-based political party is the fact that members of key traditional religious groups such as the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Masyumi, which had also been the supporters of the PPP, had scattered and voted for other Muslim-based parties such as the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), or moderate political parties with close links with the NU or Masyumi such as the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the National Mandate Party (PAN), or even nationalist parties such as the Democratic Party, the Golkar Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). Worse is the fact that Muslim-based and moderate political parties have also been tainted with corruption cases with their politicians in the House of Representatives having been charged and convicted.

These also explain why not only the PPP but the other Muslim-based parties are struggling to increase their electoral achievements, let alone win the majority of the votes. Unless they take drastic and bold actions to improve their images and offer tangible programs for the betterment of the country and the people, expectations for better electoral achievements will remain dreams for them.

Nazaruddin being used: Democrats

Jakarta Globe - July 6, 2011

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Ulma Haryanto – Top officials of the Democratic Party, after dismissing allegation of graft among its cadres made by Muhammad Nazaruddin, said on Wednesday that the rogue former treasurer was being used by someone intent on discrediting the party.

Gede Pasek Suardika, a member of the party's leadership board, said an investigation by the party found Nazaruddin did not act alone in using inaccurate information to attack Democrats.

Pasek said a person he dubbed "Mr. L" was working with a "Mr. A," who was identified by another senior Democrat, Ramadhan Pohan, as being responsible for a text message claiming to have come from Nazaruddin that threatened to expose the "rot" involving Democrats. Among those named in the text message was the party's chairman, Anas Urbaningrum.

Pasek said the party's investigation found Mr. L gave instructions to Mr. A. "By exploiting Nazaruddin, they are aiming to weaken the popularity of President SBY, lower our vote at the next election, and scuttle any attempt at making Anas Urbaningrum a potential candidate for national leadership," Pasek said, referring to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a Democrat.

Ramadhan, the party's deputy secretary general, said Nazaruddin was "dancing to the beat of someone else's drum". "Nazaruddin is being provoked by someone. It was very surprising that he took it as far as slandering Anas. What he did to the Democrats was outrageous," Ramadhan said.

He claimed the person behind Nazaruddin's attacks on fellow Democrats, who he said was a party outsider, had an agenda to defame the Democratic Party and Yudhoyono. "Of that, we are certain. But we will not say [who the person is]," Ramadhan said.

He claimed that his party had not had any recent contact with Nazaruddin. "It's been at least a week since there was any communication with Nazaruddin," Ramadhan said. Pasek dismissed Nazaruddin's claims as "only lies," accusing him of a history of speaking untruths.

He said Nazaruddin had claimed publicly not to know Mindo Rosalina Manulang, a broker arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) over alleged links to bribes paid to Ministry of Youth and Sports officials over the building of an athletes' village in Palembang. Nazaruddin, he said, later admitted to a close relationship with Mindo.

Nazaruddin had also publicly claimed he never met with Janedri M. Gaffar, the secretary general of the Constitutional Court, but later admitted the two had met.

"His best lie is the claim about the Rp 9 billion ($1 million) bribe from the Sports and Youth Affairs Ministry's project. First he said it was Rp 9 billion, then he changed the amount to Rp 7 billion. Now, he claims the bribe was Rp 2 billion for Anas Urbaningrum and Rp 4 billion for Andi Mallarangeng. He keeps changing his claim. Why? Because it is a lie," Pasek said.

Pasek said the party had received complaints about Nazaruddin using the reputations of Yudhoyono, Anas or the party itself for his own benefit. Nazaruddin could not be reached for comment.

Older parties can skip ministry verification

Jakarta Post - July 6, 2011

Jakarta – The Constitutional Court held a press conference Tuesday to clarify its decision on the verification process for political parties following misleading reports in the media.

Chief justice Mahfud MD said the Court decided on Monday to annul an article of the 2011 Political Parties Law that stipulates that all parties, old and new, had to undergo a verification process. "If they have been verified by the same ministry, why go through the process again?" Mahfud said.

However, he was quick to explain that the exemption only applied for the verification process run by the Law and Human Rights Ministry of the legal status of political parties, not the verification process to be eligible to take part in the 2014 elections.

"Parties that have been verified by the ministry would not automatically pass verification by the KPU [General Elections Commission]. The commission has different requirements," Mahfud said.

Fourteen small parties, which were verified before the 2009 elections, filed a judicial review request with the Court earlier this year. The parties argued the article, which forced them to undergo verification several times, was a violation of the Constitution, which guaranteed the freedom of assembly.

The political parties law sets out the verification requirements that oblige parties to have branch offices in all provinces, in 75 percent of the country's regencies and municipalities and in 50 percent of all districts. Parties that do not meet these requirements would not be issued a legal license for political parties from the ministry.

The petitioners, which include the Crescent Star Party (PBB), the Marhaenism Indonesian National Party (PNIM), Patriot Party, Prosperous Peace Party (PDS) and New Indonesia Party of Struggle (PPIB), said the article was undemocratic as it made it more difficult for small parties to participate in elections.

Law and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar said Tuesday that parties that passed the ministry's verification before the 2009 elections should now focus on the verification process at the KPU to be able to take part in the 2014 elections. He said the ministry would only verify parties that did not participate in the 2009 elections.

"The verification process run by thr ministry is based on the 2011 law, while the verification process run by the KPU is based on the general elections law, which is still being deliberated by the House of Representatives," Patrialis said.

He said that in 2009, the ministry verified and approved 74 parties, 34 of which went on to take part in elections that year. Registration to undergo the verification process at the ministry was opened on Jan. 17 and ends on Aug. 22.

University of Indonesia political analyst Zulfikar Ghazali said the verification process favored larger parties and was a waste of money. "We have several verification processes for different purposes, but they never produce qualified parties that contribute to society," he said.

National Mandate Party (PAN) deputy secretary-general Viva Yoga Mauladi said Tuesday that PAN had canceled plans to undergo the verification process at the ministry following the Court's ruling.

"The ruling is final and binding, so there is no need for us to register [for verification]," he was quoted as saying by news portal tempointeraktif.com. (fem/lfr)

Lawmakers cool on MK decision on parties

Jakarta Post - July 6, 2011

A recent Constitutional Court (MK) decision on the Political Parties Law will have a limited effect on legislative elections in 2014, according to several lawmakers.

The court issued a judicial review of the Political Parties Law on Monday that covered elections at the House of Representatives and Regional Representatives Council.

According to the court's decision, parties that failed to win seats would not automatically forfeit their legal status and would retain the right to run candidates in future elections.

Chairuman Harahap, a legislator from the Golkar Party, the second largest party in the House, said that the court's decision would not automatically allow parties to participate in the election in 2014.

"We are still discussing new requirements for political parties that want to stand in the general election. Everything could change," Chairuman said on Tuesday.

Ganjar Pranowo of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said the number of political parties needed to be reduced to avoid confusing voters. "No matter how many parties out there, it won't be easy for them to participate in the general elections," he said.

Incumbent Suryadharma Ali reelected as PPP chief

Antara News - July 6, 2011

Bandung, West Java – Incumbent minister for religious affairs Suryadharma Ali was reelected as the general chairman of the United Development Party (PPP) after gaining 859 votes (72.55 percent) at the party's convention in Bandung, West Java on Wednesday.

Suryadharma earned the party's top post for the second time, garnering more votes than his rivals Akhmad Muqowam, with 281 votes (23.71 percent), and Ahmad Yani, with 39 votes (3.29 percent).

In his victory speech, Suryadharma said he was humbled by the win. "Thank you to everyone who voted for me. Let's all work together to make PPP a bigger and better party," he said.

Days before the election, Ahmad Yani alleged that Suryadharma's camp was engaged in "aggressive and abusive" strategies to sabotage his candidacy.

He accused the chairman's campaign team of threatening to bar his rivals' regional supporters from participating in the caucus. "They're making efforts to ensure that Suryadharma will win the seat by acclamation," Yani said.

However, Romahurmuzy, deputy secretary general of the PPP and a spokesman for Suryadharma's camp, denied the accusation and called it "just another smear campaign" against the chairman.

PPP plenary session marred by chaos

Jakarta Post - July 4, 2011

Jakarta – An accountability report delivered by United Development Party (PPP) chairman Suryadharma at a party plenary session at Panghegar Hotel in Bandung on Monday was marred by walkouts and interruptions. Suryadharma is hoping to be reelected chairman at the party congress.

"There are so many military officers inside. How can this be? This is a political party meeting," Zainuddin Isman, member of the party's consultative assembly, said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

Zainuddin walked out of the room while the chairman was addressing the party members. The meeting was closed to journalists.

Zainuddin said the chaos broke out when party district executive board (DPC) representatives complained that Suryadharma had not allowed regular party members to comment on his report.

The meeting, presided over by the party's secretary-general Irgan Chairul Mahfiz, only allowed high level regional executive board (DPW) representatives to ask questions, he said.

The participants said the people assigned to safeguard the meeting were not party members, which they said violated the party's statute.

Anas remains silent amid crisis

Jakarta Post - July 3, 2011

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – Amid the growing political turmoil within the ruling Democratic Party, front man Anas Urbaningrum continues to remain silent by refusing to clarify graft allegations against himself and party colleagues.

Counting on the paternal guidance of party chief patron President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Anas has not addressed the corruption allegations surrounding a Southeast Asian (SEA) Games construction project and an election document fraud case implicating party elites.

Given his lowered profile, fellow party elites and even the President have taken the helm to steer the party.

The latest allegations come from party member and fugitive graft suspect Muhammad Nazaruddin, who accused Anas of receiving Rp 2 billion (US$234,900) in bribes in the SEA Games project from Rp 9 billion in total that was channeled to the party.

Anas refused requests to clarify the allegations and responded briefly on Twitter. "I do not have any knowledge of the allegations. A slanderer may be 'fertilizing dirt' for farmers' soil," he posted.

"[The allegations] are certainly lies. The amount [I am said to have accepted] also keeps changing, from Rp 9 billion to Rp 7 billion and now Rp 2 billion."

Calling for a quick end to the allegations against him, Anas called on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) "to prove the accusations... by tracing the channeling of funds".

Former party treasurer Nazaruddin is implicated in corruption cases in three ministries and at the Constitutional Court.

After fleeing to Singapore shortly before an investigation into the cases, he sent text messages alleging that party colleagues were also involved in the SEA Games scandal. Other party members he accused were lawmakers Angelina Sondakh and Mirwan Amir as well as Youth and Sports Minister Andi Mallarangeng.

Yudhoyono called the "slanderous" messages "lies" while on Friday, presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said the President had instructed the National Police to hunt for Nazaruddin despite an on-going parallel investigation by the KPK.

Because of repeated moves to contain the party's internal rifts, the President has been criticized for not separating his role as the country's top official and his role in the party.

Anas' lack of active roles in curbing the crisis were criticized by the Youth Community of Real Democrats (KAUM Demokrat Sejati), which has called for a special congress to review his chairmanship.

Party executive and House of Representatives Speaker Marzuki Alie called the string of scandals a "political tsunami" for the party, but said it was not indicative of leadership issues.

Marzuki also dismissed calls to hold a congress, calling it "an undemocratic New Order method" in reference to the 32-year reign of former strongman Soeharto.

Party spokeswoman Andi Nurpati said Anas was doing a good job of keeping the party united.

She said the party's central executive board had regular meetings at the party offices in Jakarta to close ranks and prevent internal rifts.

Elections

More politicians cry foul over 2009 poll

Jakarta Post - July 5, 2011

Jakarta – A number of politicians who failed to win seats at the House of Representatives in the 2009 polls claimed they were victims of a conspiracy by members of the poll body and Constitutional Court officials.

On Monday, eight former legislative candidates from various political parties came to the Constitutional Court claiming they should have been elected as legislators in 2009 but the General Elections Commission (KPU) and Court officials conspired to curb their rights.

The politicians have come forward with the allegations in the wake of a major forgery scandal implicating former Constitutional Court justice Arsyad Sanusi and former KPU member Andi Nurpati, who last year left the commission to join President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party.

Arsyad and Andi were accused of forging a letter to favor a politician from the People's Conscience Party (Hanura).

Soepriadi Azhary, also from Hanura, said the scandal was the tip of an iceberg and that election fraud during the 2009 polls may have been widespread.

"My colleagues and I have spent almost two years complaining about this issue, but no one has responded to it," he said. "Now, as the nation is gripped by the forgery case, we think it is finally time to raise our objections."

Azhary said he spoke on behalf of 16 politicians who lost out on seats at the House after the poll body scrapped them from the list of elected legislators, although the Court ruled they should have won. "The KPU ignored the Court's verdicts," he said.

On June 10, 2009, the Court ruled in favor of several political parties that requested the KPU count votes from all constituencies to determine which candidates should be awarded House seats. "I should have won a seat," Azhary said, adding that he had filed a report with the police, who he claimed practically ignored it.

The Court rulings were controversial as several politicians claimed the Court had no right to issue such rulings. The KPU, however, said it would stand by the rulings.

Azhary, from East Java's sixth electoral district, is leading a group of politicians who faced similar challenges. Initially, 16 politicians wanted to take the case to the police and the Court.

Later, only nine of them – Marissa Haque of the United Development Party (PPP), Sahril and Farok Sunge of Hanura, Sapto Murtiyono and Suhardi of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), Dedi Djamaludin of the National Mandate Party (PAN), Dudung of the National Awakening Party (PKB), and Supomo of the Democratic Party – continued to challenge the rulings.

"The other seven gave up to our justice system and said they didn't want to be involved any longer," Azhary said. "However, we still consider them victims of election fraud."

The politicians plan to appear at a hearing with the House's Commission II overseeing internal affairs, which has set up a working committee to probe the Andi Nurpati case and so-called "election mafia" practices in the country.

"We want to get the support – perhaps in the form of a letter of recommendation – from the Court before we meet the House members," Azhary said.

Court spokesman Akil Mochtar said the Court could not do much for the politicians as the dispute was now between them and the KPU.

Working committee member Ganjar Pranowo of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said the committee would welcome the politicians' testimony. The committee claims to have found indications of widespread fraud during the 2009 polls.

"The committee will use the forgery case [at the Constitutional Court] as a platform to uncover other election fraud," committee member Arif Wibowo of the PDI-P said. (lfr)

Labour & migrant workers

Migrant protection budget too low: FITRA

Jakarta Post - July 7, 2011

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – The government has been criticized for allocating "too low" of a budget for protecting Indonesian workers overseas, setting aside merely Rp 26 billion (US$3.04 million) in 2011, compared with Rp 44.4 billion budgeted for a ministry's "institutional image program".

The Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (FITRA) said on Thursday that the Rp 26 billion consisted of Rp 16.6 billion allocated to the National Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI) and Rp 9.4 billion to the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry.

"This falls short the budget for the image perception program at the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry, which is Rp 44.4 billion [in 2011]," FITRA's coordinator for advocacy and investigation, Uchok Sky Khadafi, said in a press statement sent to The Jakarta Post.

Uchok said, assuming the protection funds were allocated for just the 168,108 Indonesian migrant workers sent abroad between January and April this year, it meant that each was protected with only Rp 155,267.

That does not take into account the workers already overseas, who number in the millions.

Uchok said FITRA obtained the figures from the 2010 presidential decree on the central government's 2011 expenditures.

Activists push government as maids face Saudi Arabia death sentence

Jakarta Post - July 5, 2011

Elly Burhaini Faizal and Mustaqim Adamrah, Jakarta – Although the Foreign Ministry received a letter from the Saudi Arabian government halting visas for Indonesian maids, other government branches seemed to be in the dark, conducting business as usual with the kingdom.

Instead of persuading the Saudi Arabian government to enforce a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to protect the 1.5 million Indonesian maids in Saudi Arabia from torture and death, Coordinating People's Welfare Minister Agung Laksono spoke about how Indonesia's moratorium on sending workers to Saudi Arabia, in affect on Aug. 1, was temporary.

"It's only a temporary policy. Once we have improved maid protection systems that cover a large of number issues, including working conditions and occupational safety, we may revoke the moratorium," Agung said after a meeting at the ministry office.

Saudi Arabi has taken quick action against Indonesia by announcing that, as of last Saturday, they would not issue visas for Indonesian maids.

Saudi Arabian officials said that an MoU was unnecessary after the visa halt. Saudi Arabian Ministry of Labor spokesman Hattab Bin Salah Al-Anzi said last Wednesday that the kingdom would focus instead on recruiting workers from "other sources".

Human rights activists and experts expressed concern for the fate of the thousands of workers left stranded by the ban and the stalled negotiations, saying it could lead to the continued abuse of Indonesian workers already in there.

They demanded that the government compensate the stranded migrant workers, as most of them had come from poor families and spent millions of rupiah to secure jobs abroad.

On Monday, dozens of students from Samawa College and the School Students Forum (FPPMS) staged protests in Mataram, urging the government to take tougher measures to save a maid from Sumbawa – Sumartini binti Manaungi Galisung, 33 – who was facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia.

"We urge both the central government and the local administration to quickly save Sumartini and provide adequate protection for all Indonesian migrant workers," said Syamsi Hidayat, who led the demonstration.

Experts said that Saudi Arabia had no reason to jail Sumartini binti Manaongi Gaisung and Warnah, who were both sentenced to death for practicing black magic.

In a Saudi Arabian lower court, Sumartini and Warnah were found guilty in 2010 for "bewitching" their employer's son, Tasim, by using "spells" they wrapped in fabric. The two remained in prison and faced capital punishment, although Tasim reportedly went missing for 10 days and was later found alive at home.

University of Indonesia Islamic criminal law expert Neng Djubaedah said on Monday that practicing black magic was indeed taboo, the problem was how to legally prove that black magic really inflicted something on the son of the convict's employer.

"With the return of the employer's son, do [Sumartini and Warnah] still deserve capital punishment? Moreover, with the prayers they wrapped in fabric, it's a normal practice for many Indonesians. It's not black magic," she said.

Echoing Neng, University of Indonesia Islamic criminal law expert Topo Santoso said the casualty relations between black magic and someone's death were "absurd" because there were uncertainties in the legal proceedings. The government has appealed Sumartini and Warnah's verdict and is seeking forgiveness from the employer.

[Panca Nugraha contributed to this story from Mataram.]

SBY forms taskforce to protect migrant workers

Jakarta Post - July 2, 2011

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has appointed several noted figures to sit on a special taskforce on migrant workers in a bid to heighten protection as well as improve advocacy for those with legal issues.

Yudhoyono, slated to issue a decree on the taskforce next week, said there were complex problems involved in freeing migrant workers from the death penalty because of fears of intervening in a country's laws, as many countries have laws that allow for execution.

"It is not an easy job. Many say it is an impossible mission but [for me] with hard work, God has a way for [something] impossible to become possible," Yudhoyono said Friday.

There are 21 people, from retired ministers, senior officials and activists, listed as on the presidential taskforce on migrant workers.

Among the figures are former religious affairs minister Maftuh Basyuni, former National Police chief Bambang Hendarso Danuri, former foreign minister Alwi Shihab, former attorney general Hendarman Supandji and former Indonesian ambassador to Qatar Abdul Latief.

President Yudhoyono said he would summon Indonesian ambassadors in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, China and Singapore to get accurate data on the total number of Indonesian workers facing execution in the four countries.

The latest data showed that about 200 Indonesians are facing the death penalty in four countries, of which 70 percent of them were related to drug cases and 20 percent murder, Yu-dhoyono said. The remaining cases had to do with other issues.

There are about 5 million Indonesians staying or working abroad, of which 1.5 million work as migrant workers in Saudi Arabia.

It is not clear how many migrant workers are currently facing the death penalty there.

President Yudhoyono created the taskforce on migrant workers after the beheading of Indonesian maid Ruyati binti Satubi by the Saudi Arabian government last month.

Many then criticized Yudhoyono for failing to protect Ruyati from death.

Following her beheading, the Indonesian government is now making efforts to free another worker, Sumartini binti Manaungi Gaisung, from a similar fate.

The 33-year-old migrant worker from Moyo Utara in Sumbawa, West Nusa Tenggara, was scheduled for execution on July 3.

She was accused of using black magic to murder her employer's 17-year-old son, Tisam, and was imprisoned at the Maalaz Penitentiary.

"Until now there is no verdict of capital punishment for Sumartini," Law and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar said.

He said the ministry is planning to dispatch a team to seek forgiveness from families of the victims killed by Indonesian convicts in Saudi Arabia as it is the only way to cancel out a capital punishment ruling in qishash, a strict Islamic law that says a soul must be paid with a soul.

"We coordinated with Saudi Arabian apology institutions in the provinces to facilitate our aim to accept forgiveness from the victims' families," Patrialis said.

He said if a family offered forgiveness, the Saudi government would automatically release the migrant worker.

University of Indonesia international law expert Hikmahanto Juwana said all taskforce members should understand Saudi Arabia's legal system and they should find out if there were ways for migrant workers to accept forgiveness from victims' families.

"Afterward, they should report all results to the President or ministers so government officials can continue bilateral efforts," he said.

Migrant workers should also be trained before leaving the country. According to Hikmahanto, the training should provide knowledge about what migrant workers might face overseas.

"If they are angry about their employers' treatment, they should report it to Indonesian representatives and not commit murder," he said. (fem)

Environment & natural disasters

Government's forest map panned as incomplete

Jakarta Globe - July 6, 2011

Fidelis E. Satriastanti – A new map that identified 72 million hectares of primary and peatland forest as off limits to loggers failed to highlight key details necessary for ensuring its usefulness, activists said on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Forestry's Moratorium Indicative Map was described during its release on Monday as an integral part of the country's two-year forestry moratorium, in exchange for which the Norwegian government has promised $1 billion in funding for schemes to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.

But Yuyun Indradi, a Greenpeace Southeast Asia campaigner, pointed out that although the map identified the 55 million hectares of primary forest and 17 million hectares of peatland where no logging was permitted, it did not highlight the vast swaths of degraded areas available to businesses.

"The map was drawn up halfheartedly because it just colors in the areas of primary forest and peatland, but it doesn't include the 35.4 million hectares of degraded land," he said.

"It's just as important to see where these degraded areas are that the government keeps talking about, so that businesses can manage them."

He also said that simply coloring in an area on the map did not necessarily mean that the area in question was still pristine forest.

"The map still doesn't distinguish between primary and secondary forests," he said. "It shows primary forests in green, but there's no guarantee that these areas will remain forested. The map should have been overlaid with maps for concessions, especially for mining, logging and plantations."

The map comprises 921 smaller maps of forest areas on a scale of 1:250,000, and is a revised version of a similar map released in May that garnered criticism from environmental activists because it was on a far smaller scale of 1:19,000,000.

The total combined area of protected forest is also much lower than the previously announced figure of 96.1 million hectares, including 64.2 million hectares of primary forest and 31.9 million hectares of peatland.

Hadi Daryanto, the Forestry Ministry's secretary general, said his office had already released a map of degraded areas two years ago. "So what we're doing now with this new map goes above and beyond our agreement with Norway," he said.

"Under the terms of the letter of intent signed between the two countries, we are required to do four things for the transformation phase starting in February 2011. One of them is to set up a database of degraded lands, and we've had that in place since two years ago."

Hadi said there were 42 million hectares of open areas but only 35.4 million hectares were considered economically feasible for investment.

He added that the ministry had opted not to include the degraded land data in the moratorium map because it could have made it seem that Norway was being too pushy in imposing terms on Indonesia.

"We'll keep those maps separate, otherwise everyone will start making a fuss, saying that it's all being done on Norway's orders and not on our own initiative," he said.

Abdon Nababan, secretary general of the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN), said the map was still far from ideal because it failed to show ownership of the land.

"It lists the areas as state forests, but within these forests are large areas of ancestral forests," he said, referring to areas where indigenous groups are permitted to carry out subsistence logging and farming.

"And we don't have the kind of technology to interpret the map," he said. "We're still checking whether the map shows any overlaps between state and ancestral forests."

Groups suspect graft in plantations

Jakarta Post - July 6, 2011

Jakarta – The Coalition of Anti-Plantation Mafia in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, allege corruption in oil palm plantations belonging to five companies in Sambas and Bengkayang.

The coalition of NGOs suspect the companies of clearing forests for palm plantations without the necessary permits.

One of the NGOs, Borneo People's Contact, said the violations caused state losses of around Rp 70 trillion (US$8.1 billion) from the 1.3 million hectares of land cleared in the province.

The coalition said in a release made available on Tuesday the corruption included bribes to obtain permits, granting licenses for the officials' families or cronies, unlicensed operations, price inflation in the procurement of oil palm seeds and tax evasion.

The coalition will report these cases to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and Anti-Judiciary Mafia Taskforce.

Currently, Indonesia has about 7.5 million hectares of oil palm plantations, 45 percent of which are managed by smallholders.

Nuclear power plants to be built in Bangka Belitung, governor says

Jakarta Post - July 6, 2011

Bangka Belitung Governor Eko Maulana Ali insisted on Wednesday the construction of nuclear power plants in Bangka continue as part of efforts to meet the national electricity needs.

"The government is now searching for alternative energy sources to meet national electricity needs, as petroleum and natural gas reserves are depleting", he said as quoted by Antara news agency.

He admitted that Indonesia had enormous coal production, but it was not only used to meet domestic needs but international demands. "This makes it harder for the country to fulfill its energy needs," he said.

The governor said he hoped the power plants could be established from 2025 to 2030 depending on the pre-feasibility and planning studies on the project for implementation from 2013 to 2015. The nuclear power plants will supply 40 percent of electricity needs in Sumatra, Java and Bali.

He explained that the central government was currently assessing the future power plant sites to assure that the development would proceed without significant obstacles.

"To build a 1-gigawatt power plant, we need approximately Rp 35 trillion. As we are planning to build two power plants in the Muntok and Permis areas, Rp 70 trillion is needed. The government is not concerned on the cost as many foreign investors are ready to support the project" he said.

He added that if the project succeeded, his province would play vital and strategic roles in supporting national development.

Four Indonesian primate species facing extinction

Jakarta Post - July 3, 2011

Jakarta – At least four out of Indonesia's 40 primate species are in danger of extinction, in large part because they are hunted for their meat, which is a traditional medicine, animal protection group ProFauna Indonesia said Sunday.

ProFauna chairman Rosek Nursahid said the four endangered species were the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), Javanese slow loris (Nycticebus javanicus), Siau Island tarsier (Tarsius tumpara) and Simakubo pig-tailed langur (Simias concolor).

"They're still being traded; Only a few are intended for domestication, most are consumed, especially their brains and their meat," Rosek said during a rally against ape trading in Denpasar. He added that thousands of apes were traded in Indonesia every year.

Rosek said another factor threatening the apes' existence was the destruction of their natural habitats due to logging, kompas.com reported.

At least four out of Indonesia's 40 primate species are in danger of extinction, in large part because they are hunted for their meat, which is a traditional medicine, animal protection group ProFauna Indonesia said Sunday.

"They're still being traded. Only a few are intended for domestication, most are consumed, especially their brains and their meat," Rosek said during a rally against ape trading in Denpasar.

He added that thousands of apes were traded in Indonesia every year. Rosek said another factor threatening the apes' existence was the destruction of their natural habitats due to logging, kompas.com reported.

Coral sea paradise faces ruin from mining

Sydney Morning Herald - July 2, 2011

Tom Allard – One of Australia's richest men, Clive Palmer, is buying nickel laterite ore for his Yabulu refinery from an Indonesian company that is defying a ban and mining in Raja Ampat, the world's most ecologically diverse marine environment.

An investigation by the Herald has discovered that as well as threatening the environment that is home to 75 per cent of the world's coral species, the supplier under-compensates landowners, has allegedly paid bribes for its licences and created deep rifts in the traditional communities of Raja Ampat.

Conservationists and activists have fought hard to have Raja Ampat, in West Papua province, protected but the mine on the island of Manuran where Queensland Nickel gets its nickel, PT Anugerah Surya Pratama, remains open.

And its sister company continues to work at another disputed concession on the island of Kawe, despite a court order to desist.

Obtaining nickel laterite involves strip-mining the soil, leaving the steep hills bare. When heavy rains come, villagers near Manuran say the sea "turns red" from the runoff. The environmental impact is devastating as heavy soil smothers the coral.

West Papua is one of two provinces in the restive Papua region where the Indonesian government has granted special autonomy to boost development in the face of persistent sentiment for independence.

But allegations of corruption by local officials, a heavy security presence and the perception that Papua's vast trove of natural resources is being plundered by outside interests have undermined the deal.

PT ASP and its sister company PT Anugerah Surya Indotama, which operates on Kawe, both bribed the district head for their permits, according to police documents. Landowners receive less than 0.3 per cent of estimated revenue from the Manuran mine and the military has been deployed to protect the commercial interests of the supplier and, say local villagers, intimidate them.

After promising interviews, Queensland Nickel and Yos Hendri, the director of PT ASP and PT ASI, withdrew their offers and declined to answer detailed emailed questions.

Chipping away at paradise

Sydney Morning Herald - July 2, 2011

Tom Allard – About once a month, a ship from Townsville makes the long journey to Raja Ampat, a seascape of astonishing beauty and diversity.

In the far western reaches of the island of New Guinea, where the westerly currents of the Pacific flow into the Indian Ocean, hundreds of improbable, domed limestone pinnacles rise from the sea, encircling placid, turquoise lagoons.

Fjord-like bays cut deep into the hinterland of mountainous islands, framed by vertiginous jungle-clad cliffs that drop steeply into the water. There are oceanic atolls, shallow bays with fine white sand beaches, snaking rivers and mangrove swamps.

If the numerous islands and countless shoals and reefs of Raja Ampat take the breath away, they only hint at the treasures below. This remote part of West Papua province in Indonesia is the world's underwater Amazon, the hub of the world's marine biodiversity, home to 75 per cent of its coral and 1500 fish species, including huge manta rays; epaulette sharks that walk on the sea floor with their fins; turtles and an array of weird and wonderful fish.

Yet the vessel that makes the regular trip to and from Townsville does not bring tourists or divers. There are no scientists on board to study this marine wonderland.

Rather, the vessel carries tens of thousands of tons of the red clay soil, rich in nickel and cobalt, which is destined for the Yabulu refinery owned by one of Australia's richest men, Clive Palmer.

Conservationists and marine scientists say this mining activity and the prospect of more exploitation puts one of the world's most precious ecosystems under threat.

As the environment is imperilled, the impact on local communities has been devastating. Once close-knit villages are divided as competing mining companies offer financial inducements to residents for support. And, in a sadly familiar tale for the Papua region, where separatist sentiments linger, the benefits of exploiting its resources are largely flowing outside the region. Derisory royalties go to landowners and minuscule salaries are paid to locals who gain employment.

"I'm appalled by what's going on," says Charlie Veron, the former chief scientist from the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences, who has surveyed the region on many occasions.

"If you had a rainforest with the most diverse range of species in the world and people started mining there without doing any kind of proper environmental impact study, there would quite rightly be outrage... Well, that's what's happening here."

The vessels sent to collect the nickel and cobalt for Palmer's Queensland Nickel company dock at Manuran Island, where the mining has continued unabated despite a decree by the West Papua governor, Abraham Atururi, banning all mining activity in Raja Ampat.

"The mining started in 2006. There were protests but the military and police came and they stopped them," says Yohannis Goram, from Yayasan Nazareth, a local group that opposes mining.

The operator of the mine, PT Anugerah Surya Pratama (PT ASP), has promised environmental safeguards, but according to one local from nearby Rauki village they are ineffective.

"When it rains the sea turns red and sometimes even yellow," a village elder says in a phone interview. "The runoff is supposed to go into a hole but they come out [into the sea]."

Yosias Kein hails from Kapidiri, another island near Manuran that claims customary ownership. "The mining waste damaged the coastal areas and covered up the coral reefs. Besides, it is difficult for people to get fish now. Fishermen in Kabare village, also in Rauki village, saw the waste went down into the seas near Manuran. Now they have to go fishing a bit further to the east or west."

The strip mining for nickel leaves the landscape barren and the steep cliffs of Raja Ampat's islands mean heavy rainfall overwhelms the drainage systems and sends the heavy soil into the water.

The impact is twofold and "really nasty" for coral, Veron says. "Sedimentation sinks on to the coral and smothers it. But worse is 'clay fraction', where very fine particles are suspended in the water, blocking the sunlight."

Photos taken from Manuran and supplied to the Herald show murky water and dead coral after heavy rain.

PT ASP, based in Jakarta, owns PT Anugrah Surya Indotama (PT ASI), another mining outfit that operates on Kawe Island in Raja Ampat, despite a court order to desist due to a conflict over mining rights with a West Papua- based company.

The ultimate ownership of the companies are a mystery, although West Papua is rife with speculation that senior politicians and military figures have a stake in them. That is easy to understand, as the Jakarta firm seems to have extraordinary pull at the highest levels of government in Jakarta and Raja Ampat.

The rival mining company PT Kawei Sejahtera Mining (PT KSM) is owned by a local man, Daniel Daat. When it began loading its first shipload of nickel at Kawe in 2008, PT ASI, which also claims a mining licence for Kawe, complained. Three gunships and a plane were deployed to stop the consignment and Daat was thrown into prison.

The mines at Manuran and Kawe are guarded by military and police who locals say are on the company payroll. And while 15 mining companies have been pushed out of Raja Ampat after the governor's decree, PT ASP and PT ASI have stayed.

Korinus Ayelo is the village chief of Selpele, which has customary ownership of Kawe, and supports Daat's PT KSM. But PT ASI engineered the highly contested elevation of another chief, Benyamin Arempele, who endorsed its right to mine. Repeated legal cases have found in favour of Daat, but PT ASI continues to develop its mine and conduct exploration.

"They are still working today, guarded by the police," Ayelo says. Villagers who were previously close now don't talk to each other.

"There's a distance between our hearts," he continues. "The people are uneasy. PT ASI uses the military. There are TNI [armed forces] everywhere. People must face the presence of TNI every day."

Daat says high level political and military support from Jakarta is behind PT ASI's continued operations. "It is impossible to get such support for nothing. I believe the profits from Manuran Island are shared by several parties, parties that support this company. I won this case at the district court, at the provincial court and at the Supreme Court. How great is the Indonesian law system? They are still in Kawe doing exploitation despite the court's rulings."

At the very least, the two companies appear to have a cavalier approach to doing business in Raja Ampat. Police documents obtained by the Herald reveal the company allegedly bribed the bupati (regency head) of Raja Ampat, Marcus Wanma, to gain mining licences.

Wanma was paid $36,000 to issue the licences in 2004, and a further $23,270 for "entertainment" purposes, the report said, citing police interviews with 16 witnesses, including Wanma's staff and Yos Hendri, a director of PT ASI and PT ASP.

The report finds that about 670 million rupiah (then worth about $122,000) was paid to Wanma in 2004 for nine mining licences and only 197 million rupiah deposited in the regency's bank accounts. "The rest of the 500 million was used for the personal interest of [official] Oktovanius Mayor and Marcus Wanma" the report says.

Wanma escaped prosecution and remains the regency head. He has been incapacitated with a serious illness and is believed to be recuperating in Singapore. He was unavailable for interview and Raja Ampat officials declined to comment.

Whether the licences were corruptly obtained or not, the sum paid for them is derisory. The open-cut mining undertaken on Manuran is cheap and low tech. After clearing the vegetation, workers simply dig up the soil, haul it into trucks and take it to the docks, where it is sent for processing to extract pure nickel, used in stainless steel. The mine's wharf is nothing more than a tethered barge with no cranes. Costs for the company consist of little more than maintaining about 40 trucks, heavy moving equipment and the simple wharf.

Villagers and employees say most of the mine's labourers earn between $170 and $200 a month. Customary landowners receive a royalty, but an investigation by the Herald has discovered that it is tiny.

Soleman Kein, an elder from Kapidiri, a village with customary rights over Manuran Island, says a new deal was negotiated last year increasing landowners' share of the mine's income from 1000 rupiah (11") a tonne to 1500 rupiah a tonne.

An industry expert with knowledge of Raja Ampat's high-grade nickel laterite ore deposits says PT ASP would have been getting between $US40 ($37) and $US100 a tonne, depending on the fluctuating world price. The average would be about $US60 a tonne, he says.

At that price, a single 50,000-tonne shipload earns the miner $US3 million. The mine at Manuran Island typically sends at least two shiploads a month. On those figures, the locals are getting less than a 0.3 per cent share.

"These companies want a lot of money for not much effort," says one miner with two decades of experience in Papua. "They pay as little attention as they can to environmental standards and take the money and get out... The amount the locals get is pitiful."

Hendri, a director of both PT ASI and PT ASP, pulled out of an interview at the last minute and declined to respond to detailed questions.

But one source intimate with the Manuran operation and the compensation deal says the local government gets another 3000 rupiah a tonne, and a further 2000 rupiah per tonne was devoted to infrastructure. All up, the insider says, about $200,000 has been spent on local villagers in royalties and infrastructure since 2007.

In that period the company has earned more than $150 million from sales, although between 4 per cent and 5 per cent of that revenue should flow back to the central government's coffers.

Some of the villagers are happy with the arrangement. Soleman Kein is delighted with his new house, paid by the infrastructure fund.

"My house used to be made of sago leaves, but now the company has renovated it, our walls now are made of bricks, we have a roof made of zinc and the interior part of the house is beautifully painted," he says.

But villagers from Rauki say only 10 of 76 homes promised in 2009 have been built. And disputes rage between clans over who gets the money offered by the company.

"Conflicts emerge because certain groups of families claim ownership of Manuran Island, while others reject their claims," Yosias Kein says. "Sometimes, there have been physical conflicts, sometimes an exchange of arguments. The problem is that the company does make some payments but the amount is not equal."

The squabbles have torn apart what were once tight-knit communities. The simmering discontent is "like a volcano" that "will erupt one day", one Rauki native says.

"Corporations are the ones that get the profits," says Abner Korwa, a social worker from the Belantara charity who has tracked the mining closely. "Once the deposit is exhausted, once it is gone, the big corporation leaves and we will be left alone with the massively damaged environment."

Queensland Nickel has a sustainable development policy that strives for "minimising our impact on the environment" and commits to "pursue honest relationships" with communities. The company declined to respond to questions. "We don't comment on the business of our suppliers," says Mark Kelly, Queensland Nickel's external relations specialist.

Korwa says companies such as Queensland Nickel should not shirk their responsibilities for the behaviour of their suppliers, given they make considerable profits from the arrangement. "They don't have to invest too much in Raja Ampat. They don't have to be troubled by mining concessions, the way business is done here," he says. "But they can still get the nickel".

Oxfam Australia, which runs a mining ombudsman, says there is a clear obligation for companies that process raw minerals to be held accountable for their suppliers.

Oxfam Australia's executive director, Andrew Hewett, says: "Australian companies need to make sure that they are only buying minerals from other companies that respect workers' rights, community rights and the environment. If there's a good reason to believe that a supplier is causing harm, the company should undertake a thorough assessment.

"If any issues are found, the company should in the first instance work with the supplier to try to rectify the problem. If this doesn't work, the company should reconsider its business relationship with the supplier."

Queensland Nickel should be well aware of the issues in Raja Ampat.

It bought the Yabulu refinery from BHP Billiton in 2009 when the mining giant pulled out of Raja Ampat, selling its mining rights for the region's Gag Island, amid concern about the ecological and social impacts of mining. The simmering discontent is not restricted to the villages around Manuran, but is ripping apart others that have been the custodians of Raja Ampat's wonders for centuries, nourishing the sea and jungle with animist ceremonies.

For them Raja Ampat – literally Four Kings – was created by eggs that descended from heaven to rest in the water. Many villagers and conservationists want mining stopped at Kawe and throughout Raja Ampat.

Kawe has huge environmental significance. It is close to the stunning Wayag archipelago of karst limestone pinnacles and hosts 20 world class diving sites, as well as breeding grounds for green and hawksbill turtles, and shark pupping grounds.

Photos obtained by the Herald show earlier mining activity at Kawe led to the heavy red soils flushing into the sea, covering the reefs, a problem that will get worse once full operations resume.

Dr Mark Erdmann, a senior adviser to Conservation International's marine program in Indonesia, says: "We are very concerned about the potential for sedimentation and metal deposits to be transported by Kawe's strong currents and moved up to Wayag and down to Aljui Bay."

Raja Ampat is theoretically protected by seven marine parks and a shark conservation zone. Controls on illegal fishing are actively enforced, but land-based threats such as mining on nearby islands continues unabated.

Indonesia's government has recognised the extraordinary habitats in Raja Ampat. It put the region on the "tentative list" to become a UNESCO world heritage area, like the Great Barrier Reef, in 2005. But the application has stalled due to government inaction. Many suspect that is because it wants to exploit the area's natural resources through mining and logging.

In a deeply worrying development for conservationists, nickel and oil exploration restarted this year after the local government issued new exploration permits

Raja Ampat's significance to the world is immense. It is the heart of the famed coral triangle and the strong currents that rush between its islands help seed much of the 1.6 billion hectares of reefs and marine life that spreads from the Philippines across to the Solomon Islands.

"There is tremendous wealth in the natural environment from fishing, pearling and tourism," Erdmann says, citing a State University of Papua survey that found the long-term benefits from these eco-friendly economic activities outweighed the short-term gains from mining.

"Mining and this precious, pristine eco-system can't coexist in the long term."

Environment Watch: Lampung Bay coast polluted by heavy metals

Jakarta Post - July 1, 2011

Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung – Industrial and domestic waste originating from the outskirts of Bandarlampung are strongly believed to have polluted the coast of Lampung Bay. Heavy metals, such as lead, mercury, copper and cadmium, have also contaminated the wells of residents living along the coast of Lampung Bay.

Lampung chapter Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) director Hendrawan said the industrial and household pollution had taken place in the past several years.

"The case came to light again following a study by the Lampung University, despite taking place since 2003. The industrial polluters are still allowed to operate 'til now," Hendrawan said recently. He added that the pollution in Lampung Bay was quite severe now.

"Lately, many turtle hatchlings have swum ashore because sea water has been polluted. As they are caught by residents, environmentalists have to buy them back from residents. Now, the hatchlings have been moved to safer waters at Kubur Island, near the Sunda Strait," Hendrawan said.

Based on a research conducted by a lecturer at the Marine Cultivation Study Program of the School of Agriculture at Lampung University, Indra Gumay Yudha, the coastal pollution was caused by polluted rivers that emptied into Lampung Bay, including the Sukamaju, Way Belau, Wau Kuala, Way Galih, Way Keteguhan, Way Kunyit and Way Lunik rivers.

In the Way Keteguhan River, for instance, lead levels have exceeded the tolerable levels regulated in Government Regulation No. 82/2001 of 0.042 parts per minute (ppm) for Class III quality water.

"Contents of heavy metals, such as copper and cadmium found in all the rivers showed that the levels are far below that of Class III quality water. The main source of pollution of heavy metals is urban domestic and industrial waste," Indra said.

According to him, a number of metals contained in domestic waste come from metabolic waste and corroding water pipes.

"The waste produced by the industries is often heavy metals. They can have a fatal impact when they enter the coastal ecosystem, be it the marine biota or humans. Heavy metals are known to cause poisoning, paralysis, genetic disorders and death," he said.

As many as 12 residents' wells located along the coast were also contaminated by lead and copper pollutants due to sea water intrusion, Indra said.

Bandarlampung Maritime and Fishery Office head Agustinus Sinaga said one of the sources of the pollution was industrial waste from a number of factories located not far from the coast.

"We believe a number of industries have dumped their waste into the sea without processing it beforehand," he said.

Agustinus said he would coordinate with the Bandarlampung Environment Management Agency (BPLH) to immediately conduct an investigation.

"We would use the outcome of the investigation to impose sanctions against recalcitrant companies," he said.

A member of the Lampung Fishermen Association, Muhammad Yamin, said it was too late for the Bandarlampung municipality to deal with the pollution in Lampung Bay.

"We have voiced our complaints for years and frequently staged protests, but they have never been followed up. Pollution is still taking place today and getting worse," Yamin said.

Yamin said that besides the turtle hatchlings swimming back to shore, many fish had died due to sea water pollution.

"The pollution is not only produced by industries located near the coast, but also hospitals in Bandarlampung that dump their waste into the rivers. As all the rivers are polluted, the coast is automatically polluted," Yamin said.

He said the income of fishermen in Lampung Bay had dropped in the past five years due to sea water pollution around the bay area.

Health & education

Government allocates Rp14.5 trillion more on education

Jakarta Post - July 8, 2011

Esther Samboh, Jakarta – The government said it would significantly increase state budget allocations for education as a result of the surge in total budget spending caused by the increase in energy subsidies.

In its proposed revision to the 2011 state budget, the government raised the education budget by almost Rp 14.5 trillion (US$1.6 billion) – excluding Rp 2 trillion allocated for the National Education Development Fund – to a total of more than Rp 262 trillion.

The increase is needed because under the existing law, at least 20 percent of the annual state budget must be allocated for educational purposes other than teachers' salaries and funds for ministry training.

However, the government remains hazy on what programs the additional funds will go to. "We are still working on that. There will be at least two [recipients], probably the National Education Ministry and Religious Affairs Ministry.

But I don't know yet what the programs will be," Deputy Finance Minister Anny Ratnawati said after a plenary session at the House of Representatives in Jakarta on Thursday. "Further discussions will be held by an education committee chaired by the Vice President," she added.

Agus Suprijanto, the Finance Ministry's director general of budgets, referred journalists to the fiscal policy office (BKF) when asked about the additional funds.

Acting BKF chief Bambang Brodjonegoro said the large increase was a consequence of the increase in total budget expenditure as a result of the increase in spending on fuel subsidies.

In the 2011 state budget, the government planned to spend Rp 1,229.6 trillion, of which Rp 246 trillion was allocated to education.

The government will have to increase the total spending to cope with the sharp increase in spending on energy subsidies as a result of the increase in oil prices.

The government sought the House's approval to increase energy subsidies by Rp 57 trillion in the revised state budget, which is being discussed by legislators.

In addition to the subsidy, the government also sought an increase in other spending items, which would result in the state budget increasing by Rp 83.8 trillion to Rp 1,313.4 trillion with 20 percent to go to education programs.

Paramadina University rector Anies Baswedan said that the additional budget should be spent under the coordination of the National Education Ministry. He said that the additional funds should be properly used to improve the quality of the country's education system

"In Indonesia, there are more than 140,000 elementary schools. However, there are only 26,000 junior high schools and 16,000 senior high schools – a huge disparity," Anies said, urging that the additional funds be invested to increase the capacity of schools.

Budget disbursements from the National Education Ministry were low in the first half of this year, reaching only 18.9 percent of the total budget – lower than last year's 29.7 percent in the same period.

Boost family planning or face a population explosion: Experts

Jakarta Globe - July 7, 2011

Nurfika Osman – With the United Nations warning of rapid world population growth, experts are calling on the government to increase people's awareness of and access to family planning services.

"The government should be able to guarantee that every family has access to birth control and that people from every region get the same service at facilities," said Sonny Harmadi, director of the University of Indonesia's Demographic Institute.

Sonny said many of the problems faced by the country were actually the result of a population growing too rapidly. He added that this fact was not properly understood by many of the country's leaders.

"The problems of transportation, traffic jams, fuel subsidies, food insecurity and so on, they emerge because of the population being too large.," Sonny said. "We can never meet these needs if we cannot control the population."

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said on Wednesday that the world's population would reach seven billion by the end of October. Indonesia ranked fifth in population growth rate after India, China, Nigeria and Pakistan, with four million babies born every year and approximately 700,000 deaths a year.

Sonny says that urgent steps need to be taken to revitalize family planning programs because they are central to controlling the population.

Family planning programs were widely enforced during the three decades under the rule of former President Suharto, but they quickly fell out of favor after the autocrat stepped down in 1998.

Sonny said that to successfully reboot the country's family planning program, the participation of local government leaders was important. However, he continued, more often than not, those leaders did not share the view that family planning services were necessary.

"They still think family planning is only about birth control, while it is much more than that because almost every issue starts from population," he said.

Martha Santoso Ismail, the UNFPA assistant representative in Indonesia, said that cultural issues presented the biggest challenge to family planning programs.

"There are people who refuse the idea of birth control because they still think the more children you have, the more fortune you stand to get. Or they simply refuse it because they think children are gifts from God and we have to accept them," she said.

The segment of the Indonesian population older than 60 years old accounted for 21.4 million people in 2010 and is expected to reach 73.5 million in 2050, meaning the country could face a double population burden.

"Without proper income and health insurance, families will not have enough resources to fulfill their basic needs," Ismail said. "Everything will be more expensive for them."

Sugiri Syarif, the head of the National Family Planning Coordinating Agency (BKKBN), said it had allotted Rp 2.4 trillion ($281 million) for family planning programs across the country this year.

However, he warned that the budget was far from enough and thus local leaders would have to pitch in.

Cigarettes second only to rice for nation's poor

Jakarta Globe - July 4, 2011

Camelia Pasandaran & Dion Bisara – As Indonesia struggles to address poverty and an overburdened health sector, a recent survey has found that spending on cigarettes is the second-biggest expenditure in poor households.

Rusman Heriawan, head of the Central Statics Agency (BPS), said on Sunday that the proportion of poor people's income spent on tobacco was second only to rice.

Urban poor spent 25.44 percent of their income on rice, while rural poor spent 32.81 percent. Meanwhile, city-dwellers spent 7.7 percent of their earnings on cigarettes, with the rural poor spending 6.3 percent.

"This is disappointing. Expenditure on tobacco is the second-highest," Rusman said. "Cigarettes are not calories."

The survey showed some families had prioritized spending on tobacco over sending their children to school.

"It's the only affordable way for them to have fun and set aside their daily stresses," Bambang Shergy Laksmono, dean of University of Indonesia's School of Social and Political Science, said on Sunday. "As poor people tend to have more spare time, they tend to gather to chat to kill time. Smoking is part of that."

The problem was, Bambang said, that the "escape from reality" led to them becoming even poorer.

Henny Warsilah, a sociology expert from the Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI), blamed the phenomenon partly on the government.

"The government encourages people to smoke by clearing the way for the tobacco industry," Henny said. "There are massive cigarette advertisements and no effective smoking ban. Children here start smoking at elementary school age, something that we do not see in other countries.

"This is more about habit, rather than escape. Only a small number of people might use smoking as an escape, to relieve their frustrations."

Women & gender

Violence against women highest in city

Jakarta Post - July 4, 2011

The capital recorded its highest number of cases of violence against women in the first quarter of 2011, according to the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan).

The commission reported that 395 cases were recorded between January and April this year. "Jakarta is a place of transit for everybody and this explains the high number of cases," said Ninik Rahayu, deputy chairperson of Komnas Perempuan, as quoted by kompas.com.

Data from the city government said that in the first quarter of 2011 alone, there were 300 reported cases of violence against women, compared to a total number of 1,200 cases in 2010.

Head of the Agency for Women and Public Empowerment and Family Planning, Asep Syarifuddin, said that the city expected only around 800 cases this year.

Female circumcision 'not obligatory'

Jakarta Post - July 2, 2011

Jakarta – The Health Ministry says that its regulation on female circumcision does not oblige girls to undergo circumcision but merely regulates the standard operating procedure.

Several NGOs such as the Legal Aid Foundation of the Indonesian Women's Association for Justice (LBH APIK), the National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan) and Kalyanamitra urged the government to annul the regulation as it condoned female circumcision.

Murti Utami, the ministry's public communication center head, said the ministerial regulation was made to protect girls from illegal circumcision practices, if they wanted to be circumcised.

"If it is not regulated, we are worried that traditional female circumcision can harm the girls' health," Murti said in a press release made available to newsportal detik.com.

She said the regulation guaranteed the safety of girls as it stipulated that female circumcision could only be performed by female licensed doctors, nurses and midwives.

Disability discrimination

Disabled man's airline discrimination suit prompts questions

Jakarta Globe - July 1, 2011

Fidelis E. Satriastanti – Following a lawsuit filed against Lion Air over its alleged discrimination against disabled people, experts said on Thursday that the country's transportation services were still far from adequate even though facilities for the disabled were required by law.

The lawsuit was filed on Thursday by Ridwan Sumantri in the Central Jakarta District Court following what he perceived to be discrimination by Lion Air against the disabled. He said he felt discriminated against when flying with the carrier from Jakarta to Bali on April 11.

Ridwan, who is in a wheelchair, told media he was denied a request to be have a seat near the door and that he had to be carried to his seat in the middle part of the plane. He was also asked to sign a letter agreeing that he would shoulder the medical costs of other passengers who fell ill because of him.

"The law already accommodates the needs of disabled people, including their need to have special facilities. There should never be any discrimination," Kamis Martono, an air law expert at Tarumanagara University, said on Thursday.

Kamis cited the 2009 Aviation Law, which states that airlines and airport services are required to provide special services for people who are disabled, elderly, younger than 12 years old and those who are ill.

Those services, he added, included prioritizing them for certain seats, providing facilities to make it easier for them to board and deplane and also provide assistance for those unable to communicate verbally.

Dudi Sudibyo, an aviation expert, said the suit was needed to raise awareness of providing help for people with special needs.

"I am quite happy that someone filed a lawsuit about this because there is still no awareness on providing services to people with special needs. They may have wheelchairs in the airport for elderly people, but that's just about it," Dudi said. "There are no facilities for disabled people. To be honest, we are not friendly towards them," he added.

Disability services should also apply to other transportation, he argued, such as the TransJakarta busway. Lion Air said it could not comment on the matter as it had not received the legal documents.

Graft & corruption

In court, graft defendants use religion to woo judges

Jakarta Post - July 7, 2011

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – About 150 people in Muslim attire attended a recent hearing of former United Development Party (PPP) legislator Sofyan Usman's trial in a vote-buying scandal.

The men and women were members of a Koran reading group at the Asy-Syafaqoh mosque, located in a residential complex for lawmakers in East Jakarta.

One group member, Yanti, said the members voluntarily took buses to the Jakarta Corruption Court to watch the proceedings. "[Sofyan] is a very nice person," she said. "We just want to show our support." According to the court, Sofyan donated money to build the congregation's mosque.

Djoko Sarwoko, a Supreme Court justice for special crimes, said such religious displays in the courtroom were not illegal but might influence judges.

"The judges should not be affected, but the pressure coming from those who try to influence judges, by begging for mercy, are too big," Djoko told The Jakarta Post. "Sometimes the judges cannot do otherwise."

The court found Sofyan guilty of accepting bribe to support the appointment of Miranda S. Goeltom to a senior Bank Indonesia position in 2004 and sentenced him to 15 months' imprisonment – the lowest sentence levied on any of the 28 other lawmakers implicated in the vote-buying scandal.

Displays of religious piety also marked the investigation and trial of Bekasi Mayor Mochtar Mohamad. Mochtar was tried on three counts of corruption, including allegedly paying a bribe to ensure Bekasi would win an Adipura cleanliness award in 2010.

Hundreds of Mochtar's supporters from a mosque in Bekasi were on hand to lend "moral support" when the mayor's ongoing trial at the Bandung Corruption Court began in April.

According to media reports, hundreds of members of the congregation, mostly women wearing white Muslim attire, made the 130-kilometer journey from Bekasi to Bandung, and chanted shalawat badar (Islamic praise song) as Mochtar entered the courtroom during a later trial session in May.

Members of the congregation followed Mochtar throughout the investigation of his case, including when Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) summoned Mochtar for questioning and on one occasion when an investigator searched Mochtar's official residence in Bekasi.

On each occasion, Mochtar's supporters wore Muslim attire and staged performances, singing traditional Islamic songs and delivered sermons that said Mochtar was innocent.

The use of Islam in the courtroom is not new. The Denpasar District Court in 2005 acquitted Australian model Michelle Leslie, who converted to Islam while in pre-verdict detention, of "possessing, carrying or keeping an illegal psychotropic substance", which carried a sentence of up to 15 years in prison.

The court sentenced Leslie to three months in jail on a lesser charge considering her remorse. Leslie wore a Muslim headscarf to the courtroom – once showing up in a burqa full body covering.

Djoko said defendants used different strategies to win sympathy. "Some use tears, while others stage rallies in front of the court building or yell and shout during the trial," he said.

Djoko said the government was preparing a bill to regulate actions that could be considered as unduly influencing the decision of judges.

Legislators question KPK over 'stalled' Century probe

Jakarta Post - July 6, 2011

Jakarta – Several members of the House of Representatives special working committee on the Century bailout case visited the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in Jakarta on Wednesday to ask for details on its investigations.

Talking to reporters before attending a closed meeting with KPK commissioners, National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo and Attorney General Basrief Arif, legislator Bambang Susatyo said the KPK had not made any recent progress in its investigation.

"We feel the KPK has handled this case too slowly, if it hasn't stalled completely. Our visit today is to ask why," Bambang said. He added that the KPK statement that it had not found any indications of corruption "was strange and unusual".

The House working committee had "obtained sufficient evidence indicating there was corruption". "If the KPK cannot handle the case any more, please tell us so we can find another channel to investigate the case," Bambang said. He added that the House could use its right to summon state officials allegedly implicated in the case.

"If the KPK has come to a dead end, let's use political means [through the involvement of the House] to disclose its findings," he said.

The Commission had invited the legislators and other related state agencies to discuss its progress in the Century bailout investigations. House members, including Ramadhan Pohan, Gayus Lumbuun, Akbar Faisal and Chairumam Harahap also attended the meeting.

Earlier this year, the House of Representatives, through its special working committee, announced that it suspected the Rp 6.76 trillion (US$716 million) bailout inflicted state losses. The house then recommended that the KPK to conduct an investigation.

However, the KPK later announced it had found no indications of graft behind the government decision to bail out the now-defunct Bank Century, since the move had not inflicted state losses, it said. (lfr)

Nazaruddin left Singapore 'weeks' ago, Singaporean officials say

Jakarta Globe - July 5, 2011

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the surprise announcement on Tuesday that contrary to statements from Indonesian lawmakers and officials, Democrat lawmaker Muhammad Nazaruddin was not in the city-state and in fact had not been for weeks.

"Mr. Nazaruddin is not in Singapore and has not been here for some time," a ministry spokesman said. "This information was conveyed to the Indonesian authorities several weeks ago, long before he was named a suspect by Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission [KPK] on 30 June 2011."

The spokesman said that talk of possibly extraditing the Indonesian lawmaker had been in vain, "since Mr. Nazaruddin had not been charged with any crime or even named as a suspect at the time he was in Singapore and had a valid Indonesian passport, there was no reason to stop him from entering or leaving the country."

When asked about Nazaruddin's present whereabouts, the spokesman said: "I do not know as we do not track people after they leave Singapore. The Indonesian authorities were informed of his destination at time of departure which is all the information we had."

The announcement came one day after the KPK announced it would be seeking the help of Interpol in an effort to force the errant lawmaker to return to Indonesia. Earlier on Tuesday, Nazaruddin's own party announced it would be reporting him to the police for defamation against fellow Democrats.

Sea Games graft and Nazaruddin: A refresher

Jakarta Globe - July 5, 2011

The graft case linking errant Democrat lawmaker Muhammad Nazaruddin to corruption surrounding the construction of the athletes' village in Palembang for November's Southeast Asian Games has gripped the nation's attention for three months now.

The case started with the arrest of Nazaruddin's assistant, Mindo Rosalina Manulang, at the lawmaker's company, Anak Negeri, in April. Also arrested were Sports Ministry secretary Wafid Muharam and Muhammad El Idris, an executive from private construction firm Duta Graha Indah, which had won the contract to build the athletes' village in Palembang, South Sumatra.

Envelopes full of cash in different currencies were found inside Wafid's office, and Rp 3.2 billion ($375,000) in checks from Duta Graha to Wafid were also seized.

In the days following the arrest, Rosalina's lawyer, Kamaruddin Simanjuntak, alleged that Nazaruddin took Rp 25 billion for mediating between the government and the winning contractor, and that Democrat legislator Angelina Sondakh took a 13 percent cut to provide kickbacks for her colleagues at the House of Representatives' Commission X, overseeing sports and youth affairs.

April 29: Rosalina withdrew her statement, saying that it was made by Kamaruddin and she did not have any knowledge about it. She fired the lawyer the next day.

May 10: The Democratic Party questioned Nazaruddin and Angelina. The party said they did not find any evidence to support Rosalina's claims about the lawmakers' involvement in the graft.

May 23: Nazaruddin left Indonesia to allegedly seek medical treatment in Singapore for a heart condition. House Speaker and Democrat Marzuki Alie said the party knew and had given him permission to leave.

May 24: Immigration officials imposed a travel ban on Nazaruddin, hours after he boarded a flight to Singapore.

June 1: Nazaruddin wrote on a personal blog that accusations toward him were "part of a big scenario to bring down the party." The blog was taken off the Internet shortly thereafter. The month of June also saw Nazaruddin accusing Democrat officials of being party to bribery case, claiming they had knowledge of the graft and had received portions of the money.

June 30: The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) named Nazaruddin as a suspect in the Sea Games graft case.

July 4: The KPK sent a request to the Immigration Office to revoke Nazaruddin's passport which would render him stateless, and thus any country he was found in would have to deport him.

July 5: The Singapore government announced that the Democratic lawmaker was no longer in Singapore, and had left weeks earlier. A spokesman for the country's Foreign Ministry also alleged that Indonesian authorities had been informed of Nazaruddin's departure.

Nazaruddin not going to budge, his lawyer says

Jakarta Globe - July 2, 2011

Camelia Pasandaran, Farouk Arnaz, Ulma Haryanto & Amir Tejo – High-profile graft suspect Muhammad Nazaruddin is not convinced he will get a fair trial in Indonesia so would prefer to face justice in Singapore, his lawyer said on Friday.

"I had a conversation with Nazaruddin at around 2 a.m.," said Otto Cornelius Kaligis, his lawyer. "He said the case against him didn't make any sense. He plans to hire lawyers from Singapore.

"If his lawyers in Singapore believe he will face an unfair trial, [the allegations] can be brought to the courts in Singapore."

Otto said that the Singaporean justice system allowed foreign suspects to request a review of the charges brought by their own country, and such a principle was internationally accepted.

Nazaruddin believed the case against him had been manufactured by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Otto said, and that was why he had chosen to stay in Singapore. He said Nazaruddin knew from the beginning that he would face a travel ban, be summoned as a witness and named a suspect.

"Nazaruddin told me, 'You will no longer be my lawyer but rather my witness, because I will hire Singaporean lawyers. I will lodge a case saying that the KPK selectively targeted me while I continue to stay in Singapore,' " Otto said. Nazarudidn also believed that Indonesian courts would conduct a trial in absentia in an attempt to convict him, he added.

Otto said there was no way that Indonesian law enforcers could arrest Nazaruddin in the city-state. "They have no authority to make an arrest," he said. "If they do so, they will be held by Singaporean officials because it is a matter of security."

The KPK has charged Nazaruddin, former treasurer of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party, under the Anti-Corruption Law, alleging he was involved in bribery relating to the construction of the athletes' village for the SEA Games in Palembang – He could face life in prison if convicted.

Bambang Irawan, head of the Immigration Office, said Nazaruddin's passport had been blacklisted in all Indonesian offices across the world since a travel ban was issued on May 24. Even though the ban came a day after Nazaruddin left Indonesia, Bambang said it would make it difficult for Nazaruddin to extend his stay in Singapore.

"He is now in a foreign country with an [illegal passport]," Bambang said. "He does not have a residential permit and must leave the country."

Meanwhile, M Jasin, KPK deputy chairman, said the commission would do everything in its power to restrict Nazaruddin's mobility, including revoking his passport.

National Police Chief Gen. Timur Pradopo said police were fully behind the KPK's efforts to arrest Nazaruddin. "We will do everything [we can] to bring him home to face justice," he said. "We are helping the KPK by coordinating closely with international law enforcement agencies."

He claimed police knew where Nazarudin was hiding, but refused to provide details, given that the hunt was still ongoing. "I don't want to talk about it. But we know where he is," he said.

Asked whether police had been sent to Singapore, Timur called for patience. "We are trying as fast as we can to bring him to KPK investigators."

Presidential spokesman Julian Pasha said on Friday that Yudhoyono had ordered the National Police to search for, arrest and bring Nazaruddin back home from Singapore. It was important to make this information public, Julian said, to counter the perception that Yudhoyono had not paid attention to the case.

"The president, as the head of the party's supervisory board, always ensures that all Democratic Party members are clean and not involved in corruption," he said. "Members who are proven to be guilty should face legal proceedings, no special treatment."

Gotcha! KPK says it nabs judge holding bag of cash

Jakarta Globe - July 2, 2011

Ulma Haryanto, Agus Triyono & Made Arya Kencana – Less than a month after a judge was allegedly caught red-handed receiving a bribe, antigraft investigators say they have caught another judge in a similar situation.

Imas Dianasari, an ad hoc judge at the Bandung Municipal Court's industrial relations tribunal, was arrested late on Thursday, and was declared a graft suspect the next day, said Priharsa Nugraha, a spokesman for the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Also arrested and declared a suspect in the same case was Odi Juanda, a human resources manager with Japanese-owned electrical wire manufacturer Onamba Indonesia.

"[Both] are named as suspects for receiving and giving something related to a ruling and the handling of a case at the Supreme Court," Priharsa said.

M. Jasin, the antigraft body's deputy chairman, said KPK investigators arrested Imas at a restaurant. He alleged that she had Rp 200 million ($23,400) on her.

"[Odi] was inside a restaurant. A while later, [Imas] showed up. [Odi] approached her with a plastic bag and gave it to [Imas], and afterwards [Odi] came back inside the restaurant. That was when our investigation team stepped in and arrested both people," Jasin said.

He said the team had monitored the suspects the previous day. The case concerned an industrial dispute between the company, located in Karawang, West Java, and a union representing staff, after more than 200 of its workers held a strike at the factory in October.

Irman Nur, a coordinator of the labor union at the factory, said the protest – to demand better health benefits, life insurance and transportation facilities – had lasted for three weeks.

"We had a meeting mediated by the [West Java] manpower office and they advised the company to negotiate with us over the demands. But the company was dissatisfied with this and instead filed a lawsuit against us at the industrial relations tribunal for holding an illegal strike," Irman said.

In April, the court ruled in favor of the company and allowed them to discontinue the employment of those who joined the strike. The union filed an appeal to the Supreme Court in the same month.

Priharsa alleged the money exchange was intended to ensure that the Supreme Court rejected the union's appeal.

Both Imas and Odi could face charges of bribe taking that carry up to 15 years in jail and up to Rp 750 million in fines.

Speaking in Denpasar, Supreme Court Chief Justice Harifin Tumpa said Imas would be immediately suspended. "We have suspended the concerned person," Harifin told reporters, adding that "her status will be decided later, after there is a final and binding verdict."

Imas's arrest came a month after the arrest of Jakarta commercial court judge Syarifuddin Umar at his home shortly after he allegedly receiving at least Rp 250 million from the curator of a company whose bankruptcy he handled.

In March 2010, KPK investigators said they had caught Jakarta administrative court judge Ibrahim shortly after accepting a Rp 300 million bribe from the lawyer of a businessman in whose favor he had ruled in a land dispute.

KPK names Nazaruddin suspect in bribe scandal

Jakarta Post - July 1, 2011

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has named Democratic Party politician Muhammad Nazaruddin a suspect over allegations of accepting bribes involving a Southeast Asian Games construction project in Palembang, South Sumatra.

"We accused Nazaruddin of accepting bribes, which has violated the 2010 Corruption Law," KPK deputy chair Bibit Samad Rianto said on Thursday during a press conference. He declined to elaborate on the politician's role in the case.

During a series of scandals involving elites associated with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's political party, Nazaruddin has become the focal point of accusations over his alleged involvement in multiple graft cases implicating three ministries and the Constitutional Court.

Nazaruddin left for Singapore hours before the KPK slapped a travel ban on him to allow the investigation to take its course. Nazaruddin has ignored at least three KPK subpoenas in the case.

Bibit said the KPK would apply a forced summons to apprehend Nazaruddin in the absence of an extradition treaty between Indonesia and Singapore. He also said Indonesia is considering issuing a red notice.

Nazaruddin allegedly demanded 13 percent of the project's Rp 191 billion (US$22 million) cost for arranging a victorious tender for construction company PT Duta Graha Indah in the development of an athletes' dormitory for the SEA Games, which will take place in November.

The series of accusations have prompted Nazaruddin to spread text messages to the mass media, claiming his innocence and accusing party colleagues Angelina Sondakh and Mirwan Amir as more responsible for improprieties involving the case.

In text messages made available to the media on Thursday, Nazaruddin accused party chairman Anas Urbaningrum of accepting bribes related to the SEA Games project.

He said that Rp 9 billion from the project money was about to be transferred to the ruling Democratic Party through several lawmakers. "The allocation for the party was not transferred to me, but directly to Democratic Party chair Anas," he said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com. Nazaruddin also said a careful political conspiracy was behind the case.

A political renegade from the United Development Party (PPP), Nazaruddin earned a strategic position as the party's treasurer from Anas, who reportedly helped Anas secure the party's leadership last year. Nazaruddin, who is also known as a businessman, has also reportedly made a monthly contribution of Rp 1 billion to the party.

"For the time being, Nazaruddin won't return to Jakarta. We were afraid that once he got there, the KPK would directly detain him and political maneuvering would silence him right away. We needed protection from such political moves," Nazaruddin's lawyer, OC Kaligis, said.

Democratic Party delegate Ruhut Sitompul said his party could not guarantee his return, but vowed to persuade him to return home. "Of course, we will help the KPK by persuading him [Nazaruddin] to return to Jakarta soon," he said.

House of Representatives Speaker Marzuki Alie said Nazaruddin would not be dismissed from the House until he was named as a defendant.

War on terror

Police confirm 11 arrested in Java-wide terror sweep

Jakarta Globe - July 8, 2011

Ronna Nirmala – The National Police announced on Friday that they had arrested 11 suspected terrorists and seized several firearms during a three-day operation across Java Island earlier this week.

Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Anton Bachrul Alam said that the arrests began on Monday, when officers from Densus 88, its counterterrorism unit, arrested five people in Jakarta, Bogor and Surabaya.

"The first arrest was of two suspects, Ahmad Ismi and Iwan Kurniawan, in Surabaya's Tanjung Perak subdistrict," he said. "From those suspects, we seized an assault rifle and five handguns, as well as 158 rounds of ammunition." Anton said that later in the day, police in Bogor arrested Ikhwan Zulfikar, who was allegedly found in possession of a sniper rifle, handgun and 50 rounds of ammunition.

Also on Monday, police arrested Wandoyo Fajrudin Yunus and Asmudi in separate raids in North Jakarta.

On Tuesday, four suspects were arrested in Jakarta – Mahmud Irsad in North Jakarta, Taufik Hidayat in South Jakarta and Ali Akbar and Mansur Samir in West Jakarta – with officers seizing two assault rifles and 13 rounds of ammunition.

"While on Wednesday, Densus 88 arrested two suspects in West Jakarta, identified as Priyatmo and Suparmin," Anton added.

He said the suspects were all believed to be affiliated with existing terrorist cells but did not appear to be linked to one another. "Some of them have allegedly operated in the southern Philippines, in East Kalimantan, in Surabaya and in other locales," he said. "We're still looking into their possible roles in a new group."

Anton said the weapons, believed to have been smuggled in from the Philippines via Malaysia, might have been destined for use in attacks against the police.

Over the past few months, dozens of detained suspects have been linked to a new terrorist cell thought to be behind a series of recent incidents, including the sending of book bombs to Muslim moderates and counterterrorism officials.

The cell has also been linked to a suicide bombing at a mosque at a police compound in Cirebon, West Java, in April. Police also foiled a bid to set off a bomb near a church on the outskirts of Jakarta at Easter.

Densus 88 raids terror suspect's home in West Jakarta

Jakarta Globe - July 7, 2011

The National Police's counterterrorism unit, Densus 88, raided the home of a terror suspect on Jalan Cendrawasih, Cengkarang, West Jakarta.

The house belonged to a man identified only as S. He was arrested by Densus 88 at 3 a.m. on Wednesday.

The raid took place at noon. Densus 88 officers arrived at the house with a man in an orange detention uniform. His face was covered with a mask. After 30 minutes, they were gone. According to the neighborhood head Suganda, Densus 88 confiscated a few objects from the house.

"They took books on jihad, a sword, a rifle and pipes," Suganda told news portal Detik.com.

It is still unclear if the suspect is linked to seven terror suspects who were nabbed early this week. They allegedly smuggled weapons into the country from the Philippines via Malaysia, the national police spokesman said Tuesday.

"They were rounded up in Jakarta and Surabaya for their alleged involvement in firearms smuggling from the Philippines," Boy Rafli Amar said, adding that they had passed through Tawau in Malaysian Borneo.

Hard-line & vigilante groups

Setara: FPI has no right to raid nightclubs

Jakarta Globe - July 4, 2011

Dessy Sagita – Human rights group Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace on Monday lambasted Islamic vigilante's plans to raid entertainment establishments in the lead-up to the holy month.

"They are civilians, they have absolutely no business in conducting any raid, Ramadan or no Ramadan, It's the police responsibility so let them do their job" said Hendardi, chairman of the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace.

The Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), the country's self-proclaimed morality police, announced on Sunday their plans to raid nightclubs and crack down on pornography retailers. Habib Salim, head of the Jakarta chapter of the FPI, said such actions were needed to "respect the holy month," which starts on Aug. 1.

The FPI chapter in Makassar, South Sulawesi, kicked off its own crackdown on Friday by visiting nightclubs in the city and warning owners to shutter their establishments a week before the start of Ramadan.

Hendardi said the police needs to be very strict because any raid conducted by civilians, let alone a group like FPI, could generate serious social unrest.

"Last year former national police chief Bambang Hendarso Danuri already stated prior to Ramadan that he would not tolerate any illegal raid and the holy month went relatively peaceful, this year the police should be even stricter," he said.

"Police is the key," he said. "If the police make a serious commitment I believe FPI or any other group wouldn't dare to act like that." Hendardi said law enforcement is the police's responsibility and the police should not let any group usurp their duties.

Last year, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that the Islamic holy month should be free of violence, calling for harmony among the country's various religious groups. "If there is any sign of violence, it should be prevented by police," he said at the State Palace.

Police pledge to protect residents against FPI raids

Jakarta Globe - July 4, 2011

Nurfika Osman – National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Anton Bachrul Alam said provincial police across the country were preparing for vigilante raids in the lead-up to the holy month.

"All police forces have been coordinating together in order to prevent violent raids and clashes between the FPI and residents," he told the Jakarta Globe late on Sunday.

"We're going to protect the residents since we all know the FPI's activities." He was referring to the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), the country's self-proclaimed morality police that on Sunday announced plans to raid nightclubs and crack down on vendors of porn videos.

Habib Salim, head of the Jakarta chapter of the FPI, said such actions were needed to "respect the holy month," which starts on Aug. 1.

"We're going to meet with the owners and customers of nightclubs and ask them to respect the holy month by not operating during Ramadan," he said. The FPI had made "similar preparations" in recent years.

"We're going to persuade them in a polite way. We're going to sit down and talk to them." He added that any nightclubs that refused to comply would be sent a series of warnings, after which the FPI would forcibly shut them down.

"If they're naughty, the FPI and all Muslims are going to shut them down by force," Salim said.

On Saturday, the group kicked off its annual morality drive by raiding vendors of porn videos in East Jakarta. "We destroyed all the seized DVDs in front of the vendors, to show them that such videos can damage a Muslim's morals," Salim said.

More raids would be forthcoming throughout the rest of July, he said. "We won't let anyone damage the holy month of Ramadan."

The FPI chapter in Makassar, South Sulawesi, kicked off its own crackdown on Friday, visiting nightclubs in the city and warning owners to shutter their establishments a week before the start of Ramadan.

"We're instructing the nightclub owners to respect the holy month of Ramadan by not operating," Abdurrahman, an FPI leader, was quoted as saying by Antara. "If there are any nightclubs still open during Ramadan, we shall pay them another visit."

FPI 'visits' nightclubs ahead of Ramadan

Antara News - July 2, 2011

Makassar – The hard-line vigilante group Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) visited nightclubs in the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar Friday night, warning owners to shutter their clubs a week before the fasting month of Ramadan starts.

"We are instructing the nightclubs' owners to respect the holy month of Ramadan by not operating," Abdurrahman, an FPI leader told state-run news agency Antara. The nightclubs are located along Jalan Nusantara, the center of Makassar's nightlife, and other locations along Jalan Sulawesi, Jalan Diponegoro and Jalan Gunung Latimojong.

"We are doing the canvassing to inform them in advance," Abdurrahman said. "If there are nightclubs which are still open in Ramadan, we shall pay them another visit."

The Islamic vigilante group has been criticized for conducting violent raids on nightclubs and against religious minorities like the Ahmadiyah sect. Members of the public are now calling on the government to fulfill its promise to protect religious freedom by cracking down on such organizations.

Last year, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that the Islamic holy month should be free of violence, calling for harmony among the country's various religious groups.

"If there is any sign of violence, it should be prevented by police," he said at the Presidential Palace, in his first public comments to address a recent string of violent acts against religious minorities.

Freedom of religion & worship

Activists cry foul at 'lenient' prosecutors in Ahmadiyah trial

Jakarta Globe - July 8, 2011

Elisabeth Oktofani & Chrestella Tan – Rights activists expressed outrage on Thursday over the light jail terms sought for suspects in the deadly attack on Ahmadiyah followers in Banten in February, saying such leniency would not deter future violence.

"There is a lack of seriousness from law-enforcement officials in handling sectarian clashes, and this could pose a danger to national unity," said Bonar Tigor Naipospos, the deputy chairman of the Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy.

His remarks came shortly after prosecutors at the Serang District Court in Banten recommended sentences of between five and seven months for 12 defendants accused of having a role in the Feb. 6 attack in Cikeusik subdistrict. Three followers of Ahmadiyah, a minority Muslim sect, were killed in the attack and five more were seriously injured.

"The seven-month demand is really weak," Bonar said. "This was because the prosecutors saw the case as a spontaneous incident instead of a systematic attack.

"More than that, pressure from outside groups during the trial was also a factor in the weak sentencing demand. The state failed to provide adequate protection for prosecutors and judges during the trial."

He was referring to the defendants' vocal supporters who have crowded the courtroom throughout the trial. Bonar said trials involving sectarian clashes needed the same high level of security provided for terrorism cases.

The prosecution was also criticized by activists for failing to charge the defendants with incitement of hatred, which carries a heavier maximum punishment.

"The prosecutors didn't prepare the sentencing demand based on the evidence and the magnitude of the crime," said Haris Azhar, the executive director of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras).

"They should have seen this as a very serious case because [the attack] occurred because of hatred spread by certain groups of people," he said.

"It is clear to see that there is a lack of courage and ability on the part of the prosecutors to bring the hatred issue to trial, while [inciting hatred] is a very serious and important issue."

The defendants have been charged with crimes ranging from provoking violence to assault. Still, the lesser of the charges, provocation, allows punishment of up to six years in jail.

Meanwhile, prosecutors have said the sentencing recommendation was light because the group of 25 Ahmadis involved in the incident was believed to have played a part in provoking the attack.

Prosecutors said the evidence showed members of the banned sect not only provoked the riot, but also filmed it and distributed the videos.

Sentences of seven months were sought for 10 defendants, while sentences of five and six months were sought for two others during the marathon hearings in Serang, the capital of Banten.

European parliament voices 'grave concern' over religious violence

Jakarta Globe - July 8, 2011

The European Parliament has chimed in on incidents of religious persecution in Indonesia with a resolution that expresses "grave concern" over the recent string of attacks against Christians and Ahmadis, according to a religious rights group.

The resolution, released on Friday, details "grave concern at the incidents of violence against religious minorities, particularly Ahmadi Muslims, Christians, Baha'is and Buddhists... at the local blasphemy, heresy and religious defamation by-laws, which are open to misuse."

The resolution also calls for the revision or repeal of the 2008 Joint Ministerial Decree prohibiting the dissemination of Ahmadiyah Muslim teachings, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

Mitro Repo, a Finnish member of the European legislative body, said: "While Indonesia's national ideology 'Pancasila' has been a great example of enshrining pluralism, cultural harmony, religious freedom and social justice, there is a deep concern that the blasphemy, heresy and religious defamation by-laws are open to misuse. Such laws do not have a place in a state that truly respects human rights and engages in an open dialogue with its civil society."

The past few years have seen continued acts of violence against Ahmadis in Indonesia, culminating in the killing of three sect members by a mob in Cikeusik, Banten, in February.

And Christians in Bogor have been locked out of their own church by that city's administration in defiance of a Supreme Court order. Tensions in that city between members of the GKI Tasmin Church and hard-line Muslims led to the stabbing of two church elders last October.

The resolution follows similar moves by legislative bodies in the United States, United Kingdom and Sweden highlighting the violent persecution of religious minorities in Indonesia.

CSW's special ambassador Stuart Windsor said: "We hope that this resolution, taken together with the actions in the UK and Swedish parliaments, will increase the pressure on the Indonesian government to take firm action to protect Indonesia's religious minorities from violent attacks.

"We urge the Indonesian government to uphold the nation's proud tradition of religious pluralism, freedom and harmony enshrined in the country's guiding philosophy of 'Pancasila', to promote peaceful co-existence between different religious groups, and to combat religious extremism and violence."

Amnesty urges for protection of Bogor church group

Jakarta Post - July 7, 2011

Mariel Grazella, Jakarta – International human rights group Amnesty International has once again drawn the plight of the Taman Yasmin Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) into the spotlight, following fresh threats against the congregation.

"The congregation of the GKI in Bogor, West Java, is at risk of attacks, harassment and intimidation at their weekly Sunday service on July 10, after receiving threats from members of the local community," Amnesty International told The Jakarta Post in a written statement.

The congregation has been facing ongoing opposition from the local administration and community for several years.

The administration revoked the church's building permit and sealed off the building in 2008, following protests from hardline groups. While the Supreme Court ordered authorities to re-open the church in 2010, it has remained closed. The church has been attacked at least six times since 2008, Amnesty noted.

According to Amnesty, the congregation had received a copy of a letter from certain residents on July 2 calling on the local government and police to halt all religious activities and services by the congregation.

"The letter, dated June 28, warns that the ongoing situation 'invites the community and others to react in a way that could spark a potential disturbance', and demands that all of the church's activities stop by July 3," the statement reads.

The church faced public protests when they ignored earlier demands and a community leader warned of "anarchy" if the congregation continued to hold services, which they hold on the pavement next to their church building.

"The local residents have now given the congregation a new deadline of July 10 to cease their activities. They fear they will be intimidated and attacked when they arrive for Sunday services on July 10 and afterwards," Amnesty writes.

Amnesty urges the Indonesian authorities to "take adequate measures to guarantee the safety of the GKI congregation, in accordance with their right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion."

It also urges the government to "conduct prompt, independent and impartial investigations into all reports of intimidation, harassment and attacks against members of the GKI and bring the perpetrators to justice in accordance with international fair trial standards."

Amnesty also calls upon the government to "immediately comply with the Indonesian Supreme Court ruling and reopen the GKI". "And take steps to ensure that all religious minorities are protected and allowed to practice their faith free from fear, intimidation and attack."

Ahmadiyah trial continues with extra security

Jakarta Post - July 7, 2011

Jakarta – A court case centered around a fatal attack on members of a religious minority group, Ahmadiyah, continued Thursday at Serang District Court in Banten, with the court set to hear prosecutors read out their sentence demands.

The hearing is being guarded with extra security, with personnel from the police and the military seen ready with a water cannon and antiriot vehicles in the court parking lot, kompas.com reported Thursday prior to the hearing.

Security screening has also been tightened for people wanting to enter the court. Ambulances were also seen near the court building.

In February, about 1,500 people attacked members of the Ahmadiyah sect in Cikeusik, Banten, killing three.

Eleven defendants are being jointly tried for an assault causing death, inciting violence, mistreating others, participating in an assault and illegally possessing sharp weapons. However, prosecutors have declined to charge anyone with the murder or manslaughter of the three Ahmadis.

Legal activists monitoring the trial including from the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam) previously said the prosecutor involved in the case had show a substandard performance. (rpt)

Bogor church members told to get out or face 'anarchy'

Jakarta Globe - July 4, 2011

Vento Saulade, Bogor – Community leaders in West Bogor subdistrict warned on Sunday of anarchy if the GKI Yasmin congregation continued to hold weekly services outside of their sealed-off church.

"We are disturbed by the fact that they hold their services every week on the pavement, which is supposed to be a public facility," said Hambali, a local neighborhood unit head who led scores of residents in a rally outside the church building.

He added the mainly Muslim residents did not mind the fact that they were holding church services, but insisted such activities must be held "in the appropriate place."

"We're not against them worshiping. We just don't want them doing it on the sidewalk. There are other places they can go to, such as the empty lot around the corner or the Harmony function hall," Hambali said, referring to a multipurpose building about half a kilometer farther down the street. "Just so long as they don't disrupt public order."

The congregation has been forced to hold services on the street since the Bogor administration has refused to open their building, in direct violation of a Supreme Court ruling.

Police deployed 200 crowd-control officers to the site on Sunday in anticipation of a possible outbreak of violence against the beleaguered congregation. The officers eventually managed to convince the residents to leave the churchgoers in peace for their services.

"At the end of the day, we want this long-running dispute to be resolved and for the law to be upheld. Above all, we are committed to ensuring security in the area," said Adj. Sr. Comr. Hilman, the Bogor Police chief.

Hilman, however, declined to say if that included enforcing the Supreme Court ruling ordering the Bogor administration to allow the congregation back into their church.

The city administration had earlier issued a building permit for the GKI Yasmin church, but then revoked it over allegations that church elders had falsified the signatures required to obtain the permit.

In December, the country's top court ruled in favor of the church, annulling the revocation and ordering the site in the Taman Yasmin residential complex to be reopened immediately. The city, however, has refused to comply, citing fears that it would spark social unrest, and has instead offered an alternative location.

Harianto, another local community leader, warned of "anarchy" by residents if the churchgoers continued holding services on the pavement.

"It's going to have a negative impact on the community, because the sidewalks are a public facility where the ojek [motorcycle taxi] drivers park to wait for customers," he said. "So don't blame us if the people resort to anarchy because their sidewalks are being hogged."

He added that if the congregation was still praying on the sidewalk next Sunday, residents would "take matters into our own hands."

Bambang Gunawan, the city secretary, said the city administration would stick to its decision to relocate the church, including issuing a decree on the matter later this week. "We insist that the church be relocated to a new site in South Bogor subdistrict," he said.

Bona Sigalingging, a church spokesman, said the congregation was not happy about holding its services on the sidewalk.

"Of course we want to be able to worship in an appropriate place, which in this case is our church building," he said. "So any protests that the locals have should be directed at the Bogor administration, which continues to refuse to abide by a legally binding Supreme Court ruling."

He said that Bogor Mayor Diani Budiarto was fully to blame for the protracted dispute. "Directly or indirectly, he has flouted the four pillars of the state," Bona said.

Islam & religion

'Preacher to 1 million followers' Zainuddin MZ passes away

Jakarta Post - July 5, 2011

Jakarta – Prominent Muslim preacher Zainuddin Muhammad Zein (Zainuddin MZ) passed away on Tuesday morning at the Pertamina Hospital in South Jakarta. Zainuddin was 60 years of age.

RCTI television reported that the preacher, affectionately known as dai sejuta umat (the preacher to 1 million followers), was taken to the hospital's emergency room at 9:20 a.m. in critical condition. His remains were later taken to his residence in Gandaria, South Jakarta.

Born on March 2, 1951, Zainuddin entered into politics after joining the United Development Party (PPP). In 2003, Zainuddin resigned from the party as a result of an internal conflict, and founded the Star Reform Party (PBR), which later split into two factions.

Zainuddin eventually rejoined the PPP, only to jump ship again to join Gerindra in the 2009 election.

Last year, Zainuddin made headlines amid allegations of sexual assault on dangdut singer Aida Saskia. He flatly denied the allegations. Zainuddin is survived by his wife and four children.

Poverty & unemployment

Decline in poverty rate raises questions over government's definition

Jakarta Globe - July 4, 2011

Camelia Pasandaran & Dion Bisara – With recently released government data showing that the number of poor people in Indonesia is declining, once again questions are being raised among experts over the government's definition of poverty.

According to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), based on the one-dollar-a-day poverty line, there are about a million fewer poor Indonesians this year.

The new BPS statistics released on Friday showed that the poor now constitute 12.5 percent of Indonesia's population, down from 13.3 percent last year. BPS says this translates to 30.02 million poor Indonesians, as opposed to the 31.02 million in March last year.

Rural areas accounted for 950,000 of those who emerged from poverty, while only 50,000 came from urban areas. BPS head Rusman Heriawan said this drop was recorded even though the government raised the poverty line to Rp 233,740 ($27.35) per capita per month from Rp 211,726 last year.

Despite the raised figure, the definition of poverty still worried experts. "The poverty line indicator is the minimum income for people to survive," said Bambang Shergi Laksmono, dean of the University of Indonesia's Social and Political Science Faculty. "[But the standard] is still too low. It might be the minimum standard, but it doesn't mean it can meet the basic needs of humans."

Sri Palupi, director of the Institute for Ecosoc Rights, said these figures meant little as the indicators were ridiculous. "Could we really live with less than one dollar a day?" Sri Palupi said.

"The indicators don't accurately paint a picture of the reality of poverty in Indonesia. So, I think the data does not represent the truth of poverty conditions."

The one million reduction was also considered small in the light of the government's seemingly large poverty reduction efforts, ranging from nine free years of basic education and health insurance schemes to cash handout programs and microcredit schemes.

"With an annual economic growth of 6.5 percent, a decrease of one million is very small in comparison to the effort made by the government to reduce it," Bambang said.

"We can't be happy with the percentage, because it only reflects absolute poverty. We need to analyze the relative poverty, the gap between the rich people and the poor people that is getting wider and wider."

Bambang said the small reduction rate could be because thousands more are being marginalized and pushed beneath the poverty line. "Government programs to tackle poverty are only directed at the critically poor," he said. "On the other hand, there are increasingly new poor people, those that have been marginalized by development."

Henny Warsilah, a sociologist from the Indonesian Institute of Science, said the poverty programs were also not entirely effective. "Those who get the cash, for example, are those who are close to the community leaders," Henny said. "Many school-age children in cities are still on streets instead of studying at schools. Many poor people are still being rejected by hospitals."

To handle this problem, Bambang said the government needs to develop programs to not only solve but to also prevent poverty.

"Pro-people programs such as protecting farmers is needed in terms of land management and limiting agriculture land conversion," Bambang said. "Many paddy fields turn into housing that shift people's occupation from productive work into service work, such as security."

Poverty reduction slows despite high economic growth, says BPS

Jakarta Post - July 2, 2011

Esther Samboh, Jakarta – The number of low-income people in the country continues to slide this year but the reduction is slowing in an irony contrary to Indonesia's globally lauded rapid economic growth.

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) announced Friday that in a year to March, the number of low-income people fell by a million, lower than 1.51 million last year.

As of March this year, the number of low-income people reached 30.02 million, representing 12.49 percent of the 240 million population. That compares to 13.3 percent in March 2010, 14.15 percent in March 2009, 15.42 percent in March 2008, 16.58 percent in March 2007 and 17.75 percent in March 2006.

"It shows that economic growth does not affect poverty. The impact is very weak," Wijaya Adi, a senior economist at the Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI), told reporters in a teleconference.

Indonesia's economy grew 6.1 percent, higher than the global average growth, with economists attributing the robust growth to surging investment – perceived to create jobs as new business means more new labor is needed.

When asked on the latest figure, Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa illustrated a dilemma of high economic growth that increases people's purchasing power.

"There's been an increase in living costs, therefore the poverty line increased. The people's income and purchasing power increased," Hatta told reporters.

According to Rusman, Indonesia's poverty line – the minimum level of income deemed necessary to achieve an adequate standard of living in a country – increased 10.3 percent in the past year to Rp 233,740 per person per month from Rp 211,726 last year.

"Come to think of it. It means Rp 8,000 per capita per day. What could you spend Rp 8,000 on?" Rusman said. But poverty lines differ from one city to another, he added, with Jakarta's at Rp 360,000 per month or about Rp 12,000 per day.

LIPI's Wijaya coined a simple method for the government to effectively reduce poverty – allocating the state budget directly to low-income people such as through direct cash transfer. However, he added, the government's tens of trillions of budget to lift low-income people from the poverty line had been ineffective.

"Based on the poverty line, lifting 1.5 million low-income people from the poverty line will need about Rp 4.5 trillion budget. If I don't work, for instance, just give me Rp 250,000 per month or Rp 3 million per year, and then I am no longer poor," he said.

The poverty rate decline was predominantly seen in villages, with 935,000 people lifted from the poverty line, compared with 51,000 people in cities. "Although the number of low-income people in villages went down sharply, the largest amount of low-income people still came from there [18.97 million]," Rusman said.

Legislation & parliament

House refuses to name disgraced lawmakers

Jakarta Globe - July 5, 2011

Anita Rachman – The House of Representatives declined during Tuesday's plenary to name three disgraced lawmakers that are facing sanctions from the House Ethics Council, due to personal considerations.

Deputy House Speaker Anis Matta said during the plenary session that House leaders had received letters from the Ethics Council informing them of the verdicts.

"Actually there's a mechanism to announce the names," he said. "However, when it comes to personal [information] we don't announce it [in session]," Anis said.

He did, however, confirm the identity of one of the lawmakers being punished. "Pak Izzul is being dismissed," he said, referring to Izzul Islam from the United Development Party (PPP), who was convicted of diploma forgery.

Anis refused to confirm if another lawmaker who was punished was As'ad Syam of the ruling Democratic Party. Last year, As'ad began serving a four-year prison term in a Rp 4 billion ($468,000) corruption conviction from early 2009.

NGOs ask DPD to ditch pricey office plans

Jakarta Globe - July 4, 2011

Anita Rachman – An alliance of nongovernmental organizations urged the Regional Representatives Council on Monday to drop its plan to build 33 provincial constituent offices across the archipelago, saying the offices would be a waste of money as the council members were based in Jakarta.

The Civil Society Alliance (Aliansi Masyarakat Sipil) – consisting of NGOs such as Transparency Indonesia and the Concerned Citizens for the Indonesian Legislature (Formappi) – said the council, known as the DPD, was ignoring more pressing concerns regarding poor infrastructure and subpar education at the local level.

"The DPD is worse than the [House of Representatives], it doesn't even have such authority but is forcing to push the plan," said Sebastian Salang from Formappi. He was referring to a plan to build a new office tower for the House that was canceled amid fierce public outcry over its Rp 1.13 trillion ($132 million) price tag.

The 33 DPD offices are projected to cost Rp 823 billion in total. Besides the AMS, House Speaker Marzuki Alie has also lambasted the project as exorbitant, saying it had a higher cost per square meter than the now canceled new House tower.

Jakarta & urban life

Traffic taking toll on Jakarta taxi operators

Jakarta Post - July 6, 2011

Jakarta – Gridlock, which has become synonymous with life in Jakarta, has not only brought traffic to a standstill, but also taxi businesses, operators say.

Several companies have reported seeing their profits dwindle because of an increase in expenses and reduction in revenue resulting from the choking daily congestion.

PT Express Transindo Utama (Express Group) president director Daniel Podiman says his company's net profits had fallen "largely because of a whopping 30 percent increase in maintenance costs and spare parts."

Congestion makes cars consume more fuel, as well as shortening the lifespan of autoparts, he said. "Normally, a cab only consumes 20 liters of fuel per day, but traffic jams can make it [consume] 30 liters," Daniel said Wednesday as quoted by kontan.co.id.

Currently, the most taxi driver earns is around Rp 400,000 per day from 13 passenger fares, adding that there was a time when taxi driver could earn Rp 600,000 from 15 passenger fares.

PT Blue Bird Group spokesman Teguh Wijayanto shared similar views, adding that the increasing operating costs were seen in oil use. "Because of the the traffic jams, we now we have to change vehicles' oil much sooner, before cars have done 4,000 kilometers," Teguh said, adding that jams also shortened the lifetime of brakes and clutches.

Indonesian capital faces $3 billion traffic nightmare

Agence France Presse - July 3, 2011

Alvin Soedarjo – Jakarta's traffic chaos costs Indonesia billions of dollars a year in a depressing reminder of the gap between the country's ambitions for growth and its daily realities, analysts say.

The Indonesian capital ranked last of all in a global survey of commuter satisfaction in 23 cities published last month by business research firm Frost & Sullivan.

The Journey of Experience Index poll of almost 15,000 people around the world found that travelers in Jakarta were the most miserable of all, gloomier even than those in Rio de Janeiro and Cairo – notorious for its dire gridlock. Respondents in Copenhagen, Seattle and Sydney were most satisfied with their commuting experience, based on criteria such as speed, cost and overall comfort.

But Jakarta scored less than half the marks of New Delhi. One traveler who recently learned the hard way how frustrating and costly Jakarta's traffic can be was Australian songstress Kylie Minogue, who had to delay a concert by 30 minutes because her crew were late.

Minogue herself avoided the traffic by flying to her June 27 gig in a helicopter, an expense that would be unnecessary in a city with a coherent transport system.

"The economic loss from traffic congestion problems in Jakarta is Rp 28.1 trillion ($3.25 billion) per year, based on a study I made in 2007," University of Indonesia environmental engineering expert Firdaus Ali told AFP.

So what went wrong? Officials say they have been unable to keep up with the city's huge growth over the past three decades and the daily influx of millions of workers from the surrounding urban sprawl.

The challenges are indeed immense. National annual growth of private vehicle ownership has averaged 11 to 13 percent for the past decade, well above similar rates in developed countries, according to data from the University of Gadjah Mada.

But Institute of Transportation Studies chairman Darmaningtyas said successive Jakarta administrations needed to shoulder the blame for ignoring warning signs and failing to build public transport infrastructure.

"What they did was just facilitate the private vehicle industry. The Jakarta administration has to build a good mass transportation system, bike paths and pedestrian walkways," he said.

Parts of the city are still studded with grimy concrete pillars – the remnants of a plan to build an inner-city monorail that stalled due to mismanagement and funding problems.

Haphazard commercial property development makes matters worse, leaving office blocks and shopping malls in places they never should have been, analysts said.

"The Jakarta administration still issues permits for commercial buildings such as malls in areas where they are no longer suitable, creating more congestion," Indonesia Transportation Society expert Muslich Asikin said.

"The average speed of vehicles in the city is now about 20 kilometers per hour. From the business perspective, that's not acceptable."

Indonesia has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, with output expansion expected to top six percent this year and next. Yet its ports, roads and airports are hopelessly inadequate for the pace of growth it hopes to sustain, according to investors and analysts.

The government has announced plans to spend $140 billion on infrastructure until 2014, more than half of which will have to come from the private sector.

That is the year some experts predict Jakarta will reach "total gridlock", the point at which every main road and back street is almost permanently clogged with barely moving, pollution-spewing cars.

So a key item on the infrastructure shopping list is a Jakarta urban rail link, known as the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project. The first, north-south phase, costing $1.78 billion and funded by Japanese aid loans, will stretch 15.2 kilometers with 13 stations.

A second section with more than eight stations is targeted for completion in 2018. But an east-west corridor is currently only in the study phase and may not be built until 2027.

Jakarta MRT spokesman Manpalagupta Sitorus said phase one construction would begin around mid-2012 and it would be operational in late 2016 – too late to avoid some analysts' 2014 doomsday scenario.

Now Jakarta plans color-coding for cars to beat jams

Jakarta Globe - July 2, 2011

Zaky Pawas & Elisabeth Oktofani – Three-in-one. Truck bans. Electronic road pricing. With the capital's traffic woes continuing unabated, the police are now considering a radical new scheme to restrict car use: color.

Sr. Comr. Royke Lumowa, the Jakarta Police's traffic chief, said they were studying a plan to only allow cars of particular colors on the streets each day.

"If the study is completed this month, then in August it might be publicized and hopefully by the end of August it can be implemented," he said, adding a trial period would last until October.

The scheme has gained favor with the police after they dropped an earlier plan to restrict cars based on whether their license plates ended in odd or even numbers.

"For the odd and even numbered plates, it would have been difficult to implement because not only are they small, they can also be faked," Royke said.

Nonetheless, the color restriction scheme would only go ahead if the public approved of it, the traffic chief said.

"If this study is accepted by the public, then we will go ahead with it. If not, then we won't," he said, adding that the restriction would only apply to private vehicles.

Royke said the classification of cars would be dark and light colors, although he added the police were yet to determine which colors belonged to which group. "Where multiple colors are concerned, we will see which color is dominant," he added.

Royke said a list of colors for each category would be announced during the introductory period. Where and during which times the restriction would apply would also be determined at a later date, although the scheme would most likely cover major thoroughfares that also accommodated busway lanes, including Jalan Gatot Subroto, Jalan M.H. Thamrin and Jalan Sudirman, as well as the Kuningan, Warung Buncit, Daan Mogot and Pondok Indah areas.

He also said the restriction would initially only be utilized two days a week and only during rush hour.

Meanwhile, Royke said his office was still working with the city on a study to determine the appropriate price for an electronic road pricing system.

He said the police wanted the fee to be high enough to discourage private car use. "Between Rp 50,000 and Rp 100,000 should be the ideal range," he said, adding that it should not be cheaper than traffic fines otherwise "it would be nonsense."

Royke said both schemes should be accompanied by better parking facilities and improved public transportation.

Jakarta's deputy governor, Prijanto, said the city was looking to expand the busway network with as many as 44 buses to be purchased this year.

The city is also awaiting the first stage of a rail-based mass rapid transit system, he said. Construction is scheduled to begin next year, with the system expected to be in operation by 2016.

Danang Parikesit, chairman of the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI), a nongovernmental group, told the Jakarta Globe that the planned restrictions should only come into effect after adequate, comfortable and reliable public transportation was made available.

"There are about 20 million commuters, but only 4.8 million seats available on public transportation in Greater Jakarta every day," he said.

Danang said it was important for the government to improve public transportation, particularly the busway network, by adding more routes, more vehicles and increasing capacity.

Udar Pristono, head of the Jakarta Transportation Office, said they were looking at Singapore's ERP system to help determine an appropriate price. They will also consider toll road fees and the cost of hiring "jockeys" to get around the 3-in-1 carpool rule, he said.

Armed forces & defense

New army chief: My family tie to SBY is no problem

Jakarta Globe - July 1, 2011

Camelia Pasandaran & Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The newly installed Army chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Pramono Edhie Wibowo, on Thursday said he did not feel burdened by the fact that he was the brother-in-law of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Speaking shortly after his swearing-in as the head of the Army, Pramono – a brother of Ani Yudhoyono, the first lady – said he was her brother long before she was married to the man who is now the president.

"When Yudhoyono married Ani, I became his in-law. But whether this is nepotism, that's up to my superior, [outgoing Army Chief of Staff Gen.] George Toisutta, to decide. There's a mechanism for this."

Pramono is replacing George because the latter has reached his retirement age. He edged out two other candidates for the post: Lt. Gen. Budiman and Lt. Gen. Marciano Norman. Pramono said that instead of burdening him, the connection with the presidential family would make him a better leader.

Born in 1955, Pramono has held significant posts. He became deputy commander of the Army's elite Special Forces unit (Kopassus) in 2007 and commander of the unit a year later. He also led the Army's Central Java Command. He also served as head of the Army's Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad), as well as being an aide to President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

George said Pramono was the best of the candidates. "I have three lieutenant generals, but there's one who does not meet the age requirement," George said.

"[Pramono] is the best in the Army." Pramono said he would continue the programs initiated by his predecessor, but added that "it will be my priority to develop a professional army that is loved by the people.

"He said he would also work on the Army's weapons systems and planned to train soldiers in the use of new technology. Questioned whether he would use the top post as a stepping stone to run in the 2014 presidential elections, Pramono said: "I will only focus on developing the Army professionally."

Poengky Indarti, from rights group Imparsial, said there was nothing significant that could be expected from Pramono in terms of his vision and mission to develop the Armed Forces.

During his years as a commander of Kopassus and Kostrad, Pramono did nothing out of the ordinary, Poengky said. However, she said, the general has been accused of involvement in human rights abuses before, during and after East Timor – a former Portuguese colony invaded by Indonesia in 1975 – opted to secede in a 1999 referendum.

Poengky said that Pramono, along with Deputy Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, were also rumored to be barred from entering the United States because of their human rights records. "This should have actually been considered by the president before appointing him," she said. "But what can we do? The decision is up to the president."

However, Poengky said Pramono could do away with negative sentiments by showing he was willing to change the Army for the better. "He must show his commitment to military reform. We are challenging him to show that he's really capable of that," Poengky said.

Tubagus Hasanuddin, deputy chairman of the House of Representative's Commission I, which oversees defense affairs, said that nearly all of its members agreed that Pramono was the best candidate for the job.

"Not every soldier would be able to hold all the strategic positions he has held [but] Pramono has a complete set of skills," Tubagus said. "It's just a coincidence that he's a brother-in-law of the president. We must be fair." Lawmakers, Tubagus said, would always closely monitor developments within the Armed Forces, including the Army.

New Army chief nixes nepotism claims, defends appointment

Jakarta Post - July 1, 2011

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono installed his brother-in-law Lt. Gen Pramono Edhie Wibowo as Army Chief of Staff on Thursday amid speculation that Yudhoyono's Democratic Party will nominate Pramono for president in 2014.

"I will focus on developing the Indonesian Army professionally. Please support me," Pramono told reporters when asked if he would run.

Pramono said that among his priorities as Army chief would be to improve the capability of soldiers and upgrade the service's primary weaponry defense systems.

Yudhoyono installed Pramono to replace outgoing Army chief Gen. George Toisutta, who retired on Thursday. Pramono was previously chief of the Army Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad), a position he assumed in September.

Pramono said nepotism was not behind his appointment. "I have been the younger brother of Ibu Ani since I was born. I was her brother before she married Yudhoyono. After their marriage, I was still the brother of Ani. That's the problem," he said, referring to First Lady Ani Yudhoyono, also regarded as a potential Democratic Party presidential candidate.

Pramono said he would let his superior, Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Adm. Agus Suhartono, and George, his predecessor, judge whether or not he deserved his appointment.

Several members of the First family attended the ceremony installing Pramono, including his mother, Sunarti Sarwo Edhie Wibowo; Yudhoyono's son Agus Harimurti and his wife, Annisa Pohan; and his other son, Eddhie Baskoro, a Democratic Party legislator.

Also at the Palace were several top officials, including Speaker of the House of Representatives and senior Democratic Party politician Marzuki Alie and Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly Taufik Kiemas, also chief patron of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

Pramono was previously an aide to former president and current PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soe-karnoputri.

Observers have speculated that the PDI-P and the Democratic Party would back Pramono in 2014, given that Yudhoyono was constitutionally barred from a third term, while others said that Megawati lacked the popularity needed to lure younger voters.

Marzuki said Pramono's appointment showed that the process of recruiting a new Army chief had been "well run".

George echoed Marzuki's comments, saying that Pramono was now the Army's best soldier. Critics, however, said the appointment was based solely on politics.

A representative from human rights watchdog Imparsial said Pramono's appointment was made to boost Yudhoyono's waning influence. "Such nepotism will only serve to reinforce the President's power, considering that lately his leadership has been deteriorating," Imparsial program director Al Araf told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

"The installment shows that the President needs loyal people to control the Army... It is also a way to minimize groups in the Army that are dissatisfied with the President," Al Araf added.

Imparsial also questioned Pramono's "poor" track record on human rights. "He may have been involved in Timor Leste when the military violated human rights," Al Araf said. Pramono commanded an Army Special Forces (Kopassus) team that was deployed to Timor Leste in 1999 in the run up to a referendum on independence when more than 1,000 civilians were killed.

Police & law enforcement

Indonesia's celebrity police officer angers bosses

Jakarta Globe - July 8, 2011

The wacky world of Indonesian Youtube sensation First Brig. Norman Kamaru got a whole lot whackier on Thursday night when he was "kidnapped" from the set of popular talk show Hitam Putih.

"Chaos!!," tweeted host Deddy Corbuzier, "Briptu Norman was kidnapped by 20 people on the set of Hitam Putih when my show was about to start! And this is not a joke!"

The alleged kidnappers, however, turned out to be from the National Police's Bureau of Professionalism and Security Affairs (Propam) because he had not secured permission from his superiors to appear on the show.

"Every member [of the National Police] must follow the rules," Propam head Brig. Gen. Budi Wasesa told news portal Detik.com. "If he is on leave, go ahead but he still has to have a permission."

Perhaps sensing what was a looming public relations disaster for arguably the police's biggest star, Budi then said that Norman, a member of the armed Mobile Brigade (Brimob), must exercise more discipline to avoid becoming a target for terrorists.

"We know that we have to be aware of the terrorism threat to the National Police and we don't want any unwanted things to happen," Budi said.

Norman shot to fame after a video of him lip-syncing and dancing to a Bollywood song went viral on the Internet. When the video first emerged police expressed anger and threatened administrative sanctions given he was wearing his uniform and appeared to be on duty when it was recorded.

National Police however, sensing a much needed dose of positive publicity in the wake of scandal after scandal, were quick to cash in, bringing him to the capital as part of a massive public relations drive. He even recorded an album and presented with a house by the governor of Gorontalo. Norman was flown back to his base early on Friday morning.

Kompolnas receives 339 police complaints

Jakarta Post - July 6, 2011

Jakarta – The National Police Commission (Kompolnas) said Wednesday it received 339 police complaints from the public from April to June.

Kompolnas followed up 322 of those complaints. It said it did not follow up on the remainder because they did not fulfill the necessary report requirements or were beyond Kompolnas' authority.

Kompolnas secretary Adnan Pandupraja said the number decreased from 403 complaints in the same period last year.

"There could be two opinions behind the decrease: Citizens see that the police are working better or they think that Kompolnas plays no important role," Adnan said.

According to the report, most complaints regarded bad services and abuses of power. The report also cited that police detectives received the most complaints. (rcf)

On police anniversary, top cop says SBY wants action on religious violence

Jakarta Globe - July 1, 2011

Farouk Arnaz, Banda Aceh – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has singled out religious-based conflict and violence in his latest call for a crackdown on crime.

National Police Chief Gen. Timur Pradopo said on Friday at a ceremony in Aceh's capital to mark the 65th anniversary of the force that the president had ordered him to target radicalism, terrorism and social conflicts.

"I don't want the state to hold back from prosecuting criminals," Timur quoted Yudhoyono as saying. "The police should stand up and protect citizens."

The police have come under fire recently for what activists have said is an unwillingness to step in and prevent religious-based violence. Some commentators have even accused police personnel of taking sides in social conflicts, merely standing aside when such violence occurs.

According to Timur, Yudhoyono also urged the police to boost their capacity for preventing crimes from occurring, particularly in cases such as rioting and communal violence.

"Be ready at any time so people will feel that they are always safe," Timur read from the president's speech.

Timur said Yudhoyono had called on the police to create an environment where people were not afraid of crime. "The police should also step up their capacity in service and responsiveness in protecting people with empathy," Timur quoted the president as saying.

The president also said police officers should frequently exercise and always employ clear standard operating procedures, the police chief said.

Timur also referred to the need to quickly deal with unrest, adding that if an incident was not contained in a timely manner, "home security may be seriously threatened."

Responding to the president's instructions, the police chief said that his force was ready to treat all cases fairly and protect all citizens without exception.

"We realize that we should be fair in upholding the law, particularly when dealing with radicalism based on religion," Timur said, adding that firm action was needed to prevent the problem from spiraling out of control.

But he also conceded that the police force was not perfect and was still facing a lot of problems. "We apologize for our mistakes. We are always open to constructive criticism," he added.

Rights activists have accused the police of fanning the flames of religious violence rather than protecting victims.

Choirul Anam, deputy director of the Human Rights Working Group, has said the trend has been apparent over the past three years, citing the mob attack on a small group of Ahmadis in Cikeusik, Banten, in February that saw three people killed.

Intelligence & state security

Definition of 'threat' in security bill questioned

Jakarta Post - July 8, 2011

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – In its defense, the government says that the much- criticized national security bill is necessary to protect the country from various threats, an argument that security experts and activists say points to a major flaw in the bill: That it appears to have defined what constitutes a security threat too broadly.

Indonesia in the past decade has faced major security issues ranging from bloody sectarian conflicts, burgeoning radicalism and terrorism to separatism.

But only recently has the government been pushing for the enactment of legislation that aims to empower and enable state apparatus to better protect the people from such threats. Apart from the security bill, the government is also planning to pass an intelligence reform bill and revise the 2003 Terrorism Law.

The move, however, has been met with opposition from activists, who claimed the bill, while drafted with noble intent, might be used to bring the country back to the Soeharto years when freedom of expression was repressed in the name of maintaining national security.

Imparsial program director Al Araf criticized the bill for defining mass strikes as a threat. "This is dangerous," he told The Jakarta Post. "This will surely hamper the freedom of students, workers and farmers," he added.

The bill has been said to be too liberal in defining what constitutes a security threat. It categorizes mass strikes as an unarmed threat along with natural disasters (flood, tsunami, etc.) and non-natural disasters (technological failures, human-caused forest fires, etc.).

"It also puts the destruction of moral values and ethics of the nation, stupidity, injustice, disobedience of law and poverty, and the misconceptions in the formulation of legislation and regulation as means of threats," Al Araf said.

Jaleswari Pramodhawardani, a security expert from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said without a clear definition of threat, the bill may only lead to overlapping authority among existing institutions. This, she argued, would not only render the bill useless when enacted, but it would also hamper democracy.

Tubagus Hasanuddin, a deputy head at the House of Representatives Commission I on defense, concurred with the rights activists, saying that several provisions in the bill could bring back Soeharto's authoritarianism.

One of the most contentious articles in the bill, he said, was the clause that gave special power to non-law enforcement institutions, including the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) and the military, to arrest and wiretap people suspected of being a threat to national security.

The other is the clause that says the President as the head of the National Security Council (DKN) had the authority to determine what is considered a "potential threat", an authority that Tubagus said, "would be dangerous for democracy and very tyrannical."

Col. Hartind Asrin, a spokesman of the Defense Ministry, defended the bill, saying that it clearly defined what constituted a threat and outlined a clear mechanism on dealing with it to avoid overlapping authority.

The bill would not grant BIN and the military authority to wiretap and arrest people, he said. The President would also not act alone in determining the status of the security situation in the country as the DKN would consist of a panel of experts. "I'd say those who criticize the bill do not understand security," Asrin said.

Draft national security law smacks of New Order security approach

Kompas - July 6, 2011

Jakarta – Out-dated perspectives on viewing security problems are being strengthened through the Draft Law on National Security (RUU Keamanan Nasional).

Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) activist Indria Fernida, who was sought out following a public hearing with the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission I on defense, foreign affairs and communication on Monday July 4, explained that the approach used by the draft national security law very much prioritises a security perspective ala former President Suharto's New Order regime and overrides basic humanitarian principles.

"The attention to human rights principles is very minimal. One of the important issues that we are challenging is the protection of citizens' rights and compensation and rehabilitation in conflict areas. There is no regulation related to the restoration of property losses for residents affected by the impact of activities related to national security", said Indria.

President can act arbitrarily

Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial) program director Al Araf, who was contacted following the public hearing, explained that they are critical of Article 17 Paragraphs 3 and 4 on the definition of actual and potential security threats, which are open to multiple interpretations leading to the potential misuse of power. The stipulation of what represents a security threat can be arbitrarily determined by the president through a presidential decree (Article 17 Paragraph 4).

"Thus the president can arbitrarily determine all matters that are deemed to threaten his or her power as a potential or actual threat to national security. The meaning of a threat can be applied to groups that are critical of the state, student actions, labour strikes, actions by farmers and a critical press. The elucidation of Article 17 that categorises mass strikes, the destruction of moral values and national ethics, ignorance, the deconceptualisation of the formulation of legislation and regulations and so forth as a national threat are articles that can be interpreted to one's liking", explained Al Araf.

Al Araf warned that this one article alone represents a threat to civil liberties and human rights. In addition to this, the draft law is also a threat to the rights and freedoms of the parliament in drafting legislation, the freedom of expression, press freedom and in the final analysis is a threat to democracy itself.

Contacted separately, DPR Commission I deputy chairperson Tubagus Hasanudin conceded that there are still many weaknesses in the draft law.

"We regret that the National Human Rights Commission as part of the government was not involved much in the drafting process. The government should open the door as widely as possible for input by different parties, the public in particular, before submitting the draft law to the DPR. Likewise in the case of draft laws that are presented on the initiative of the DPR", said Hasanudin.

In the near future Commission I plans to invite academics from related institutions such as the national police. "We will invite the former national police chief and officials that are still active [to take part] in a public hearing. There are still many weaknesses in the draft law", said Hasanudin. (ONG)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Security bill may lead to power abuse up top: Imparsial

Jakarta Post - July 4, 2011

Jakarta – A human rights watchdog Imparsial says the national security bill currently being deliberated at the House of Representatives has the potential to authorize the president to misuse his power.

"There are ambiguous terms in article 17 paragraphs 3 and 4 of the bill, concerning actual and potential threats," Imparsial program director Al Araf said Sunday as quoted by tribunnews.com.

"These articles potentially allow the president to abuse his power because only the president has the right to determine the 'threat' through a presidential decree."

Al Araf added that the activities of students, laborers, farmers and the press could be perceived as actual and potential threats by the president and would therefore be prone to repressive crackdowns.

The bill also would allow the military and State Intelligence Agency (BIN) to make arrests and wiretap communications, Al Araf said, warning that it could see a repressive political regime returning to Indonesia. (rpt)

Criminal justice & prison system

Sarong thief faces long sentence

Jakarta Post - July 7, 2011

Indra Harsaputra, Pamekasan – The law in Indonesia does not apply to "little people." Just for stealing a used sarong worth Rp 3,000 (about 35 US cents), Amirah, 30, a woman working as a domestic maid from Sokon, Temberu village in Pamekasan, Madura, East Java, is at risk of being sentenced to five years in jail.

Amirah has been held at the Pamekasan prison since March 26. Prison spokesman Rendra Yozar said the case was small compared to corruption cases but the court could not reject case files. The defendant is charged with violating Article 362 of the Criminal Code on common theft.

"We will resolve the case immediately keeping in mind the defendant has a responsibility to work to support her family," Rendra told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Rendra said Amirah had admitted taking the sarong from her employer Mariyem, 41, and selling it to meet the needs of her family. She also admitted to stealing rice to feed her 10-year-old son.

When met at the prison, Amirah requested that she be forgiven for her wrongdoing and not be imprisoned, bearing in mind she must take care of her son who dropped out of school after she was fired from her job and detained in prison.

"If I am imprisoned, my son will be alone at home and will not be able to eat because his father left us when he was three," Amirah told the Post.

Petty crimes, heavy sentences

Rasminah

Rasminah binti Rawan, 60, was detained at Tangerang Penitentiary in Banten for allegedly stealing six plates from her employer's house in Ciputat, South Tangerang, in October 2010. Rasminah was facing a maximum of five years' imprisonment for her crime. The Tangerang District Court acquitted Rasminah of all charges against her, which included stealing valuables from her employer.

Basar and Kholil The Kediri District Court in East Java handed down 15-day suspended sentences to two men for stealing a watermelon worth Rp 30,000 (US$3) in December 2009. Basar and Kholil were taken to the Mojoroto Police station and named suspects without being questioned.

Minah

An elderly woman in Banyumas, Central Java, faced the law for stealing three cacao pods worth only Rp 1,500 (15 US cents) from a plantation. The court handed down a suspended sentence of 45 days in prison in September 2009.

Deli Suhandi

A 14-year-old boy was arrested for allegedly stealing a cell phone credit voucher worth Rp 10,000 (US$1.15). He was released from the Pondok Bambu detention center in East Jakarta in April 2011.

Arrested iPad sellers were part of gray market, police say

Jakarta Globe - July 4, 2011

Zaky Pawas & Dessy Sagita – The Jakarta Police have defended the now- controversial arrest of two men selling iPads, saying the pair was selling a large number of devices without proper permits.

Police had come under fire over the weekend after news of the arrest broke, with lawmakers and commentators accusing them of being heavy-handed as it appeared the men had only tried to resell used units.

But Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Baharudin Djafar insisted on Sunday that the men – Dian Yudha, 42, and Randy, 29 – were arrested on Nov. 24 for trying to sell up to eight iPads.

Undercover policemen had contacted the two, pretending to be buyers, after spotting an advertisement on online forum Kaskus. Baharudin said Randy admitted he had sold 12 other iPads before the arrest.

The two men told police they bought the tablets in Singapore but were not able to produce customs papers. "A person is allowed to bring in goods from overseas if they're worth less than $500 and for personal use, not for sale. Otherwise, the goods must be declared and tax must be paid," he said.

Baharudin also said the arrest was made as part of a police drive to crack down on the so-called "gray market," in which electronics are smuggled in o Indonesia and resold.

"When the iPad was gaining popularity in 2010, it was sold here illegally. The police's special investigation unit was looking into the circulation of illegally sold iPads in the country with the hope of unearthing who was importing the items," he said.

At the time, the Trade Ministry and the directorate general of Post and Telecommunications of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology had yet to issue a permit for the iPad to be sold in the country.

"A requirement for imported goods to be sold in Indonesia is that an Indonesian-language user manual has to be provided," the police spokesman said.

Dian and Randy were charged with illegal sales of electronic devices and imported goods without an Indonesian-language manual and are being tried at the Central Jakarta District Court. If convicted, they could face up to five years in prison, police said. However, the user manual requirements apparently are not common knowledge.

Andi Siregar, an employee of EMAX at Plaza Semanggi, an authorized reseller of Apple products, said the store had already sold its entire stock of iPads without any Indonesian-language manual. He said such a manual was only available for the iPhone, and that the iPad came with an English- language manual.

Andi said EMAX provided valuable assistance, though. "We never let the customer get confused, even if they don't speak English. We always assist them, better than a user manual could do," he said.

Economy & investment

Indonesian consumer confidence highest in years

Jakarta Globe - July 4, 2011

Muhamad Al Azhari – Consumer confidence rose to the highest level in years, as Indonesians report feeling secure about stable food prices and the nation's economic welfare, according to a survey released on Monday.

The survey, conducted by the Danareksa Research Institute, recorded a rise in the Consumer Confidence Index to 91.8 points in June, up 1.2 points from one month prior. The indicator hasn't been this high since September 2009.

The poll surveyed some 1,700 households in six regions, asking questions that, when analyzed, serve as a litmus test for the state of the economy. According to the results, consumer confidence increased in June, with the score edging closer to 100 points.

A score of more than 100 points means that consumers are upbeat about the future of the nation's economy. A lesser score means consumers are less likely to purchase durable goods – big-ticket items like cars, appliances and jewelry.

"With confidence toward the economy improving, consumer plans to purchase durable goods increased in June," the survey said. In June, 29.7 percent of respondents said they planned to buy durable goods in the next six months, compared to 28.1 percent in May.

The poll's results bucked tradition, where consumers typically avoid buying costly items until after Ramadan, which starts in late July. But bolstered by reports that inflation would rise only slightly, consumers are looking to purchase durable goods ahead of the holiday.

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported on July 1 that inflation rates slowed in June to the lowest level in a year, 5.54 percent. Inflation rates reached 5.98 percent in May.

Analysts and central bankers were optimistic inflation rates would remain within the central bank's safe range of 4 percent to 6 percent.

The central bank has yet to release its consumer survey for June. In May, the bank's survey, which sampled 4,600 households in 18 large cities, reported that consumer confidence fell 1.6 points to 105.3. Bank Indonesia said consumers were expecting a rise in inflationary pressures in the next three to six months, peaking in August when costs of goods and services increase during Ramadan and Idul Fitri.

Exports surge to a new record of $18.33 billion in May

Jakarta Post - July 2, 2011

Esther Samboh, Jakarta – Indonesia's monthly exports reached a new record in May, easing four months of pressure on the nation's trade surplus amid an import boom, the national statistics agency said.

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) announced on Friday that the value of May exports reached an all-time high of US$18.33 billion, a 45.29 percent increase compared to the same month last year, largely due to the surging value of Indonesia's oil and gas commodities, as well an increase in overseas demand for fats and animal fats.

Imports increased by 48.5 percent on a year-on-year basis in May, reaching $14.83 billion on the back of the increase of electronic goods and mechanical tools shipments from other countries, BPS chairman Rusman Heriawan told a news conference at his office in Jakarta.

The surge in the exports resulted in a trade surplus of $3.5 billion during the month, the first increase after a three-month slide due the rise in imports, which showed a steady increase in recent months, as the rupiah appreciation prompted manufacturers to increase imports of raw materials.

"[The widening trade surplus] is a clear plus for the growth outlook, although commodity exports may tend to soften as we step into the second half," OCBC Bank Singapore economist Gundy Cahyadi said in a statement.

Surging investment, strong domestic consumption and increasing net exports – total exports minus total imports – have pushed up the country's economic growth to 6.1 last year and 6.5 percent in the first quarter of this year.

"The surge in exports is still mainly due to soaring oil prices, as we export crude palm oil," Rusman said. Indonesia, a widely known hard and soft commodity exporter of coal, crude palm oil and tin, has benefited from the surge in global commodity prices.

In response to the recent Australian government's six-month ban on live cattle exports to Indonesia, Rusman said Indonesia's "deficit with Australia will slide as we always suffer a deficit with them". From January to May, Indonesia's export of non-oil and gas goods reached $802.5 million to Australia, while Indonesia imported $1.54 billion worth of non-oil and gas products from Australia.

China, Japan and the United States remained the top three export destinations of Indonesia's non-oil and gas goods with respective values of $1.8 billion, $1.5 billion and $1.3 billion, accounting for a cumulative contribution of 32.75 percent of the nation's overall exports.

In the first five months of this year, the share of industrial goods in the country's export basket increased to 61.74 percent of the overall exports compared to the same period last year, signaling a contradiction to the widespread assumption of a de-industrialization phenomenon in the country, Rusman said.

Meanwhile, shares of agricultural and mining products decreased to 2.68 percent and 15.61 percent from 2.94 percent and 17.92 percent, respectively.

The top three export destinations are also among Indonesia's 12 major importers – which account for 77 percent of overall imports – other than Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, Australia, Taiwan, Germany, France and England.

"So despite the tsunami and earthquake, Japan remains one of our largest markets," Rusman said, in reference to the worst ever earthquake and tsunami that struck on March 11 and the subsequent nuclear crisis that followed. The BPS chief previously saw a decline in Indonesian exports to Japan.

In January-May imports, the share of capital goods – which is considered the most productive indicator of the nation's imports that could create multiplier effects for the country's economy – continued to slide to 16.98 percent of overall imports, compared with 19.38 percent last year.

Raw materials' share in the five-month period soared to 75.34 percent versus 73.23 percent during the same period last year, while the share of consumer goods increased only slightly to 7.68 percent from the previous 7.39 percent.

Indonesia needs to watch its foreign debts

Antara News - July 1, 2011

Indonesia needs to watch its debts made by the government or private parties that have continued to increase although comparative ratios are showing improvement, Bank Indonesia spokesman Difi Johansyah said.

"Although our economy is stable, economic fundamentals are good, we have to keep monitoring the foreign debts by continuously alerting businesses to manage their debts prudently," he said here on Thursday.

He said although private parties' management of foreign debt has been improving compared to that during the financial crisis in 1997/98 but efforts must continue to be made to reduce risks.

He said although total foreign debts of the government and private sectors kept increasing the present economic conditions are better than during the economic crisis so that the bumper or the economic crisis buffer is better.

"Our bumper is better and we are even going to become an investment grade. Foreign private debts have also entered into growing sectors such as leasing, telecommunications, mining and manufacturing," he said.

Regarding the government's debt he said its composition was also better with debt sources shifting home through increased issuance of state securities.

Indonesia's foreign debt until the first quarter of 2011 reached US$214.5 billion, increasing by US$10 billion from that recorded at the end of 2010. The debt consists of government debt reaching US$128.6 billion and private debt US$85.9 billion.

The government debt is also increasing from the last position in December 2010 reaching US$118/6 billion with the private debt reaching US$83.8 billion. The private foreign debt until April 2011 consists of non-bank debts (US$72.5 billion) and bank debts US$13.4 billion.

"Under the conditions our foreign debt burden is lighter than it was in the years before, based on existing ratios" he said.

The debt ratio to the Gross Domestic Product at present stands at 28.2 percent which is better than 151.2 percent in 1997/98. The short-term debt ratio to foreign exchange reserves meanwhile is recorded at 42.6 percent which is better than 142.7 percent in 1997/98.

Difi said one of the efforts to prevent the foreign debt from turning into a crisis was implementing tight monitoring on private debt which has already been done by BI since October 2010.

"To prevent a crisis private sectors' debts must be monitored. And we have already eased the reporting regulation to make them more compliant," he said.

Analysis & opinion

United they work, divided they don't

Jakarta Globe - July 8, 2011

Nadya Khalife and Aruna Kashyap – The Indonesian government has long praised its migrant workers as "economic heroes" for their immense contributions to the economy in their home country.

But if the government wants to stop mistreatment of workers abroad, then a migration ban after repeated cases of abuse is not enough. Instead, the government needs to place the rights of women like Royati binti Sapubi – the 54-year-old domestic worker beheaded in Saudi Arabia last month for killing her employer – at the top of its agenda at home and pursue multilateral cooperation with other labor-sending countries to protect them abroad.

With the recent adoption of new global standards for domestic workers, labor-sending countries are in a better position to negotiate common minimum protections. As one of the largest labor-sending countries in Asia, Indonesia should help lead the way.

The new presidential task force to help migrant workers on death row abroad is a good step forward, but much more is needed. Since women go abroad for work largely because they do not have adequate job opportunities at home, Indonesia should strengthen female access to education, skill development and jobs.

Royati was not the only Indonesian to suffer injustice at the hands of the Saudi authorities. In another case that was supposed to show that the Saudi courts were serious about protecting domestic workers, the employer of Sumiati Binti Salan Mustapa – a 23-year-old domestic worker hospitalized last year with severe burns – was sentenced to three years in prison. But in March, the sentence was overturned and the employer freed.

These patterns of abuse are not unique to the 1.5 million Indonesians working in Saudi Arabia, most of them as domestic workers. In the Middle East and Asia, domestic workers, regardless of their nationalities, are vulnerable to abuse. Most countries in the two regions leave domestic workers out of the standard protections in their labor laws. Domestic workers often describe endless workdays and delayed wages. Some experience physical and sexual abuse, forced labor and slavery-like conditions.

Migrant domestic workers should be entitled to protections such as limits to working hours, restrictions on salary deductions, and rest days. Given their poor bargaining power, the practice of informally mediating wage disputes means the worker often ends up with less money than is owed. Instead, workers should have better access to labor courts. And authorities should ensure workers' safety by making it easier to report violence and ensuring swift investigations and support services.

The Convention Concerning Decent Work for Domestic Workers, adopted in June by the International Labor Organization, codifies these protections and basic rights for domestic workers.

The convention obliges countries to set rules for work hours, overtime compensation, rest periods and benefits, including social security and maternity protection equivalent to those available to other workers. It requires governments to safeguard domestic workers from harassment and violence. The convention urges both sending and receiving countries to strengthen their international cooperation to protect migrant domestic workers' rights.

Cooperation among labor-sending countries is crucial for improving oversight of migration and reducing risks for workers. A set of regional consultations of Asian labor-sending countries called the "Colombo Process" has been a platform for governments to exchange information. But eight years and four regional consultations later, the Colombo Process is yet to graduate from an information-sharing platform to a bloc that can develop a common bargaining position in negotiations with labor-receiving countries.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono made a pitch for cooperation during the recent ILO conference. But in the aftermath of Royati's execution, the government fell back on the sensitivities of bilateral politics, imposing a ban on sending workers to Saudi Arabia.

Experience shows that temporary freezes on migration and bilateral negotiations result more often in shifting migration patterns – with increased migration from countries that seek fewer protections for domestic workers – rather than securing better employment conditions.

After a string of abuse cases in Malaysia, Indonesia announced a similar freeze in 2009. Indonesia said it would lift the ban once Malaysia agreed on a revised memorandum of understanding with strong worker protections. Indonesian officials spent two years negotiating with Malaysia.

But Malaysian recruiters found an easier way out. They recruited women from Cambodia, whose government demanded fewer protections. Indonesia lifted its ban after winning few concessions and no guarantee of a minimum wage. Within days of the announcement a Malaysian employer killed an Indonesian domestic worker – an indication that little had changed.

Indonesia is not the only country whose attempts to protect its workers have been undercut by unhealthy competition. Earlier this year the Philippines scrutinized working conditions for its domestic workers in Saudi Arabia and considered a ban.

In response, Saudi officials stopped issuing work visas for Filipino domestic workers and announced a plan to recruit workers from Bangladesh, which made fewer demands. Instead of responding to the negative publicity and calls for accountability after Royati's execution, Saudi Arabia announced it would no longer allow new hires of Indonesian and Filipino domestic workers.

To break this trend of shifting recruitment patterns instead of improving working conditions, Indonesia should join with other Asian labor-sending countries to develop common minimum protections for domestic workers, including minimum wages, rest periods, dispute resolution processes and protection in case of abuse. The presidential task force mandate should be expanded to explore a joint response with other labor-sending countries.

The fate of women migrating for jobs will only improve when their countries stop competing for jobs and instead jointly defend and promote their workers' rights. Indonesia's "economic heroes" deserve nothing less.

[Nadya Khalife, Middle East and North Africe women's rights researcher for Human Rights Watch.]