Rabby Pramudatama, Jakarta – A police watchdog wants the police to investigate Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum for allegedly using unauthorized license plates on two of his cars.

"I think the police should take this case to court in order to educate people on traffic law enforcement," Johnson Panjaitan from the Indonesian Police Watch (IPW) told reporters on Wednesday.

Johnson said the police have not launched a criminal investigation of Anas since the story was only broadcast by the media and that officers did not personally observe the license plates.

Using cunauthorized license plates, Johnson said, was a "very serious" offense and no exceptions could be made in enforcing the law.

Anas and his wife, Athiyyah Laila, were seen driving a Toyota Innov with a license plate bearing B1716 SDC to the Corruption Eradication Commission last week.

A media report noted that the same license plate number was observed on Anas' Toyota Alphard Vellfire when he attended a Democratic Party event in Cibubur, East Jakarta, in early March.

According to the police, the B1716 SDC license plate was assigned to neither of the vehicles. The Jakarta Police have declined to confirm if Anas or his driver would be liable for using the allegedly unauthorized plates.

Religious leaders in North Sulawesi deem E-ID project heretical

Jakarta Post - May 2, 2012

Jakarta – Several religious leaders from the Pentecostal Church of Indonesia Alpha Omega in Bunaken District, Manado, North Sulawesi have rejected the electronic identity card, or e-ID card project or E-KTP, saying that it is contrary to their beliefs.

The church leaders met with Manado Mayor Vicky Lumentut on Tuesday evening to express their unwillingness to participate in the project.

"Based on our faith, we do not trust the E-KTP project. We believe that the use of a chip in the e-ID cards is associated with the Satanic 666 symbol," said one of the followers as quoted by tempo.co.

Roy Lengkong, chairman of the local interreligious group Association who accompanied the worshippers, said that the followers of the church asked related parties to understand their decision not to be involved with the e-ID card project.

In response, the mayor Lumentut asked the followers of the Pentecostal Church to make an official statement regarding their decision to reject e- ID cards. "I will send your official statement to the central government," he said. (asa)

Government faces problem enforcing noise limit on 'adzan'

Jakarta Post - May 1, 2012

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – In spite of its potentially being a nuisance in local neighborhoods, no regulations should be drawn-up to force mosque caretakers to lower the volume of their speakers used to broadcast adzan (the Muslim call to prayer), lawmakers have said.

Chairwoman of the House of Representatives' Commission VIII overseeing religion and social affairs, Ida Fauziah, said the obligation to turn down the volume during the call to prayer should be left to the management at mosques and prayer houses.

"I don't think we need an official regulation, be it a local ordinance or law, to regulate the volume of speakers used in broadcasting the call for prayer. Let the mosques' managers decide for themselves how loud the volume should be. There shouldn't be one standard level because each mosque has a different environment," she said.

The National Awakening Party (PKB) lawmaker encouraged mosques to communicate the issue with people living in their vicinities.

Commission VIII deputy chairman, Surahman Hidayat, of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) added that reducing the volume of speakers during a call to prayer would lessen the meaning of the Muslim prayer ritual.

"The point of using speakers is to be loud so that people can hear the call to prayer. If they can already hear us, than we don't need the call to prayer. Adzan is part of the Muslim ritual, and that ritual is a given, so I don't think we need to limit the volume," he said.

Surahman also said that criticism of loud adzan was outrageous. "I disagree that a loud call to prayer is annoying because it's only five to 10 minutes for five times-a-day. The loud broadcasts in fact help to remind people of prayer times," he said.

Contacted separately, Jakarta administration spokesman Cucu Ahmad Kurnia said it would be impossible to introduce a strict regulation to limit the volume of adzan, adding that it was a very sensitive issue.

"There are some local ordinances regarding public order, including one passed in 2007. However, adzan is not regarded as a public disturbance given the sensitivity of the issue. Some people might be annoyed by it but most of us, who live in a predominantly Muslim country, still need it," he said.

The 2007 Bylaw on Public Order includes provisions on noise produced by business activities, firecrackers and motorized vehicles.

Late last week, Vice President Boediono criticized the high volume of speakers used to broadcast the call for adzan, saying that while all citizens could "understand that adzan was very sacred for all Muslims", he preferred "adzan with lower voices" rather than "loud ones".

Cucu said the Jakarta administration had never received any serious complaints demanding mosques lower the volume of their call to prayer. He said that most complaints that did arise could be settled within the neighborhoods themselves.

"We leave it to those people who are disturbed by the loudness of their local mosque's speakers to just consult the mosque's caretaker," he said. He added, however, that mosque managers could adjust the volume of their adzan to suit their local environment.

A 1996 Environment Ministry regulation stipulates that noise levels in each residential area should be no higher than 55 decibels.

According to research carried out in 1993 and published by the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, personal and situational variables affect the annoyance levels of a sound.

In this case, beliefs about noise prevention, the importance of the noise's source and annoyance at the cause of the noise have a significant impact on what most people consider to be noise or not. (aml)

May Day 2012

Workers stage rallies in cities across the nation

Jakarta Post - May 2, 2012

Jakarta – Thousands of workers from various organizations staged rallies in big cities across the nation on Tuesday in conjunction with the commemoration of International Workers' Day.

In Medan, North Sumatra, workers blocked the road leading to Polonia International Airport for five hours, thereby leaving many passengers to be stranded. Scores of arriving passengers were also forced to walk on foot for hundreds of meters to exit the arrival terminal.

Despite the blockade, however, the rallies did not disrupt any flights. "All are running normally and there was no instruction to halt the airport's activities," said Bram Bharoto Tjiptadi, general manager of the airport's management company PT Angkasa Pura II.

In Yogyakarta, workers commemorated labor day by visiting the national hero cemetery to pray for their predicament. "Our best generation is the 1945 generation and we want to inherit their spirit," said Bugiakso, head of the central board of the Labor Party.

He said Indonesia was a rich country, but unfortunately its people were mostly poor. "There must be something wrong with its leadership," he said.

In Cirebon, West Java, May Day was marked with a massive prayer and Koran recital by workers, mostly from the labor union of state railway company PT KAI. The spokesman of PT KAI's Cirebon chapter, Sumarsono, said that the action was aimed at asking for a blessing from God for the workers' welfare.

"Aside from asking for blessing, the action is also intended to strengthen brotherhood among the workers," he said. A similar request was aired in Surakarta, Central Java.

In Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, the workers gathered in front of the govenor's office, demanding an improvement of welfare.

"We want the government to omit the outsourcing system, which tends to cause losses on the part of the workers," Lalu Wirasakti, the rally coordinator, said of a system that sees many firms pay wages far below regional minimum wages.

In Bandung, workers demanded that labor day be declared as a national holiday. The demand was aired by representatives of the Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union, the National Labor Union Confederation and the Committee for Labor Solidarity Action.

"If the world community has labor day as a holiday, why don't we?" asked Ajat Sudrajat, head of the central board of the Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union.

Similar major rallies to mark labor day were also held in Surabaya in East Java, Padang in West Sumatra, Batam in Riau Islands, Palu in Central Sulawesi and Makassar in South Sulawesi.

Apriadi Gunawan, Slamet Susanto, Fadli, Nana Rukmana, Arya Dipa, Kusumasari Ayuningtyas, Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, Andi Hajramurni, Agus Maryono and Ruslan Sangadji contributed to this article.

Lots of passion on May Day, no clashes

Jakarta Globe - May 2, 2012

Farouk Arnaz, Ronna Nirmala, Ismira Lutfia & Bayu Marhaenjati – More than 160,000 people took part in Labor Day rallies across the country on Tuesday, demanding better pay and working conditions and more care from the government.

Despite the size of the rallies, and the passion with which workers pushed their demands, the police said there were no major incidents and everything proceeded smoothly.

"Thanks to the cooperation of everyone involved, there were no big incidents," said Brig. Gen. Muhammad Taufik, head of the National Police's public information office.

He said reports of workers blocking access to the airport in Medan were wrong. He explained that the police had restricted access to the airport as a precaution during the protests.

Besides North Sumatra, May Day rallies to mark International Labor Day took place in 17 provinces, Taufik said.

There were rallies in Jakarta and the other five provinces on Java, Riau, South Sumatra, Bali, North Maluku, Central Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Jambi, Gorontalo, East Kalimantan, South Kalimantan and West Kalimantan.

The largest rallies were in Jakarta and involved an estimated 36,000 people. North Sumatra saw an estimated 25,000 protesters, while East Java and West Java had about 30,000 and 22,000, respectively.

"The other locations only involved between 5,000 and 6,000 people," Taufik said. "They mainly rallied for better working conditions, a ban on outsourcing and for May 1 to be declared a public holiday."

Each province, he said, deployed two-thirds of their police forces to safeguard the rallies but none of the officers carried guns. In Jakarta, thousands of protesters gathered at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta before marching to the State Palace, with a police escort.

The police had prepared for the march by diverting traffic to alternative routes that kept vehicles away from the march and the demonstrators.

"They voiced their opinions in an orderly manner," Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said of the demonstrators. "There were some who left right after the rally, while others marched to other locations." All of the rallies had to finish by 6 p.m., as required by law.

Unlike previous years, when President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono spent Labor Day touring industrial areas, he stayed at his office this year, said Daniel Sparringa, a member of the president's communication staff.

"The president expressed his appreciation that the protests went smoothly," he said. He added that there were already mechanisms in place to allow people to make their desires known, and the government did not have to wait for them to hold demonstrations.

Muhaimin Iskandar, the manpower and transmigration minister, met with groups of workers. The minister told them that "the struggle of labor is the same as the struggle of the government."

Responding to one of the workers' demands for a ban on the practice of outsourcing, Muhaimin said that, in principle, the government agreed.

May Day marks a year of advancement for Indonesia's workers

Jakarta Globe - May 2, 2012

Several pro-labor reforms have taken effect in Indonesia in the past 12 months.

In November, the House of Representatives enacted the National Social Security Law requiring all workers' insurance and pension schemes to be managed by a single entity, the BPJS.

The body, set to begin operations on Jan. 1, 2014, will provide health insurance to all Indonesians and expatriates who have worked here for at least six months.

Currently, 117 million Indonesians have some form of health insurance, but domestic workers and contract-based laborers are not covered. A second stage, to be implemented by July 2015, will provide accident and life insurance as well as a pension scheme.

Another milestone came in January, when the Constitutional Court declared outsourcing unlawful. The court found that Indonesian workers had "the right to a decent job and a decent life," a ruling that should be the basis of the Labor Law.

Muhaimin Iskandar, the minister for manpower and transmigration, swiftly pledged to enact a ministerial decree to support a court ruling limiting the use of outsourcing. The ministry, he said, would ensure the decree stipulated that companies could outsource only peripheral work and not core jobs and that they have to provide their outsourced workers with the same benefits as permanent employees.

The minister did not elaborate on the exact timing of the expected decree but said it would include "tight monitoring on outsourced workers and the kind of work that can be outsourced."

Early last month, the government also vowed to build cheap housing for laborers in industrial areas across the country. The government on Monday announced more plans to improve workers' conditions. "This May there will be gifts from president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for the workers," Muhaimin said.

Muhaimin said the government would increase the threshold before which a salary is taxed from Rp 1.3 million toRp 2 million ($142 to $218). The government, he said, was also building hospitals and providing laborers with cheap transportation.

Propserous Justice Party (PKS) lawmaker Indra SH said the tax plan would increase laborers' welfare and had his support. But Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker Rieke Dyah Pitaloka said the pledge was like "giving toys to children" and urged workers not to be swayed. She said the government should do more.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) last year arrested a West Java judge for accepting a bribe from an electronics company in exchange for a favorable ruling in a labor dispute. The arrest confirmed longstanding allegations by labor activists that corruption plays a part in labor dispute rulings.

Indonesian workers take to streets on May Day

Jakarta Globe - May 1, 2012

As more than 160,000 workers held rallies across the country to mark May Day on Tuesday, an economist said the government had its own work to do in improving the welfare of laborers.

Enny Sri Hartati, an economist with the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef), said one of the reasons companies were reluctant to raise the wages of their workers was the prevailing red tape and high-cost economy.

"The high-cost economy is caused by a complex bureaucratic process and bribery. The government should be able to address this through bureaucratic reform," she said.

The rallying cries from workers on May Day were for better wages and an end to outsourcing, and demands that May 1 be declared a public holiday. There were no reports of violence as of press time.

Enny said that with energy accounting for 15 percent to 20 percent of employers' costs, "if there were cheaper alternative energies, then industries would be more efficient and workers' wages would be more appropriate too." It is the government's responsibility to facilitate the development of these cheaper energy alternatives, she added.

The manpower and transmigration minister, Muhaimin Iskandar, said on Monday that the state would introduce several initiatives to improve the lives of workers, but Enny was not impressed. She said the proposed schemes and their targets were limited in scope.

Muhaimin said the government would raise non-taxable income to Rp 2 million from the current Rp 1.3 million, build three hospitals for workers, ensure cheap transportation in industrial zones and provide housing for laborers.

Enny said these incentives needed to be accompanied by social and health insurance for workers. She acknowledged that the government was making progress in preparing the Social Security Organizing Body (BPJS) to manage the National Social Security System (SJSN).

On the labor side, she said one block to better pay was the low skill level of many workers. "More than 50 percent of workers are only primary school graduates, so there are lots of workers with low pay. But there are also skilled workers [who are] still paid below minimum standards," she said.

The latest official data, from August 2011l, put the work force at about 110 million people, 49.4 percent of them with only a primary school education.

The same data showed the average minimum monthly wage in the country was Rp 988,829 ($107), among the lowest in the region. In Thailand the average minimum pay is $9.75 per day and in Malaysia it is $297 a month. Vietnam, while paying its workers less than Indonesia, recently raised the minimum wage by 27 percent to about $50.

Sofjan Wanandi, chairman of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo), said the organization was encouraging members to provide skills development for their workers. Apindo, he said, is also in discussions with the Manpower Ministry to conduct skills improvement training.

"Apindo," he said, "is ready to facilitate access for anyone willing to provide guidance, training, exercise and partnership to hold training programs." Sofjan cited the case of the Singapore Labor Foundation, which provides skills training coordinated by companies, the government and labor unions.

A report on global economic competitiveness, issued by the World Economic Forum, placed Singapore as the world's third most competitive economy.

The World Bank also named the city-state as the country where it is easiest to conduct business in 2012. Although it does not have a statutory minimum wage, Singapore's work standards and requirements are said to provide the opportunity for higher earnings.

Workers call on Balinese government to form supervisory committee

Antara News - May 1, 2012

Denpasar – Scores of workers in the Balinese provincial capital of Denpasar from the Unity for a People's Independent Nation (Perkasa) demanded that the Bali provincial government immediately form an independent labour supervisory committee.

"We are calling on the government to immediately form this committee and be prepared to do this and signify it in writing", said Bali Indonesian National Front for Labour Struggle (FNPBI) chairperson Ikhsan Tantowi in conveying their demands before Bali provincial government regional secretary I Wayan Suasta in Denpasar on Tuesday.

Tantowi said that the current supervision of labour cases in the Island of Gods is very low, as are the number of supervisors. Yet, according to Tantowi, there are a huge number of labour problems in Bali which represent a time bomb that could explode at any time.

"In addition to demanding the formation of the committee and resolving labour cases, we also call for the nationalisation of mining companies that are under the control of foreign parties", he said. Tantowi explained that this is in order to establish and independent nation in different sectors of national live and to uphold Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution.

The workers, he continued, also reject the harmful National Social Security Program Law and are calling for the abolition of contract labour systems. "We are prioritising many things, particularly in realising the standardisation of a national reasonable living cost index. We are also demanding the realisation of free healthcare and schooling", he said. (KR- IGT/B012)

[Slightly abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Student injured after May Day action in Lampung ends in clash

Detik News - May 1, 2012

Adan Bakar, Lampung – A May Day action in the South Sumatra city of Lampung ended in chaos on Tuesday after scores of protesters were involved in a clash with public order agency officers (Satpol PP). As a result one student was injured.

The clash began when hundreds of demonstrators from the Lampung Peoples Movement (GRL) marched towards the entrance to the Lampung governor's office. They were unable to get near because of a security line setup by Satpol PP officers. The protesters stopped and contented themselves with giving speeches and shouting slogans through a megaphone.

All of a sudden a scuffle broke out between the demonstrators and Satpol PP officers with both sides punching and kicking each other, which was provoked by a Satpol PP officer taking out a bayonet. Feeling under pressure, the demonstrators fought back by hitting out with bamboo flag poles. In response the Satpol PP officers counterattacked and several protesters broke ranks and ran.

A student, Isnan Subkhi, was injured as a result of the clash. "I can't be sure whether [I] was cut by a knife or a bamboo stick", said Subkhi. As a result of the clash, anti-riot police with riot shields and helmets took over security at the governor's office and the Satpol PP officers were moved behind the police line.

The GRL, which is made up of 14 labour, student and farmer organisations, began the action at the Adipura Airport then marched to the Bandar Lampung Labour office and finally the governor's office. Throughout the march, the protesters shouted slogans and sang using megaphones.

The workers were demanding that the government abolish all forms of outsourcing. "The government must close down companies that channel outsourced labour because it harms workers", said labour activist Rifki Indrawan.

The GRL also called on the government not to agree to low wages for workers saying the minimum wage in Lampung is still far below standard being less than 900,000 rupiah a month. (try/try)

[Slightly abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Students and workers in Medan blockade Polonia Airport

Viva News - May 1, 2012

Ismoko Widjaya, Harry Ondo Saragih, Medan – Around 2000 workers blockaded a road directly in front of the Polonia Airport in the North Sumatra provincial capital of Medan on the afternoon of Tuesday May 1. As a result traffic from the city center was paralyzed causing a 5 kilometre traffic jam in both directions.

The workers and students blockaded a length of Jl. Imam Bonjol with the demonstrators concentrating the action immediately opposite the airport's main entrance.

The Polonia Airport had already prepared for the demonstration and closed the main entrance and a water cannon and Barracuda armoured vehicle were also deployed. As a result, passengers had to proceed on foot from the main entrance to the departure and arrival terminals.

North Sumatra police chief Inspector General Wisjnu A. Sastro then held a dialogue with the demonstrators. "Don't cause a riot. We hope that the action will proceed peacefully. If there's a riot it could disrupt airport activities", he told the demonstrators.

The protesters, which as well as workers also included students, came from a number of groups including the Indonesian Youth Solidarity Movement (GSPI), the 1992 Indonesian Prosperous Labour Union (SBSI) and the Indonesian Student Union (SMI).

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

13 arrested on May 1 as thousands of West Papuans demand independence

Viva News - May 1, 2012

Elin Yunita Kristanti, Banjir Ambarita (Papua) – Hundreds of Morning Star flags of various sizes were flown when thousands of Papuans held a protest action to demand national independence for Papua in Manokwari, West Papua, on Tuesday May 1.

The protesters held a long-march around Manokwari city carrying hundreds of Morning Star flags – the symbol of Papuan independence – as a call for and demand on the Indonesian government to immediately restore the sovereignty and independence of the Papuan nation.

According to the demonstrators, the dialogue offered by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is not a solution to resolve all the problems in Papua. Although the Morning Star flag was flown openly, police took no action whatsoever.

The long-march began at the Papuan Traditional Council (DAP) office on Jl. Trikora Wosi then proceeded through Jl. Yos Sudarso and Jl. Merdeka and ended in Kwawi. Traffic in Manokwari city was totally paralyzed by the protest action.

13 arrested

The Morning Star flag was also flown during a protest at the grave of Papuan figure They H Eluay in Sentani, Jayapura. In the end police moved in and pulled down the flags after deploying troops and a Barracuda armored vehicle. As many as 13 people were arrested and taken in for questioning by the Jayapura municipal police.

Papua regional police spokesperson Assistant Superintendent Yohanes Nugroho Wicaksono, when sought for confirmation as he was taking part in securing a protest in the vicinity of Imbi Park in Jayapura city, confirmed the arrests. "Yes, there were 13 people arrested because they flew flags that were similar to the Morning Star, but there status is still as witnesses", he said.

According to Wicaksono, actions in which the Morning Star flag was flown took place in several Papuan regencies including Manokwari, Biak, Sorong, Jayapura and Jayapura city, in which thousands demanded Papuan independence.

"The protest actions in these regencies definitely had no permits, because the organisations that held the actions, are not registered with the National Unity and Social Protection Agency (Kesbang Linmas), but we still tolerated them, as long as they did not disturb the public order", he asserted.

Flying the Morning Star flag is in fact a criminal violation, although the only people arrested were those in Sentani. "In other areas meanwhile, it is currently under investigation", he added.

The protest actions were still continuing as this report was filed. (umi)

[Slightly abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Soldier assaulted as thousands of Papuans take to the streets on May Day

Detik News - May 1, 2012

Chazizah Gusnita, Jakarta - May 1 is not just for celebrating International Labour Day. In Papua, people commemorated May as the day Papua was annexed into the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI). More than 1300 people took to the streets.

"In Sentani (the number of protesters was) 300 people, and in Jayapura around 1000", said Papua regional police public relations chief Senior Commissioner Johannes Nugroho when contacted by Detik.com on Tuesday May 1.

According to Nugroho, the protesters in Sentani held a protest action at the grave of Papuan figure Theys Hiyo Eluay. Meanwhile the protesters in Jayapura demonstrated in the Kotaraja area. After several hours they shifted to Jayapura.

"In Kotaraja (they have been demonstrating) since 2pm local time. They then moved off to Jayapura. The action is continuing in Jayapura and is still peaceful", he said.

When the demonstrators were marching from Kotaraja towards Jayapura, the demonstrators assaulted a member of the Indonesian military (TNI). The reason of the assault is still unclear.

"We have not yet arrested the perpetrators because there are a huge numbers of protesters. A local person was also assaulted by demonstrators in the middle of the street", he explained.

A Detik.com source at the Cenderawasih regional military command (Kodam) meanwhile said a member of the headquarters detachment was assaulted by a demonstrator from the West Papua National Committee (KNPB). The person concerned was rescued and has returned home.

Earlier, the Papuan regional police prohibited the KNPB from demonstrating today. Last week however, the KNPB insisted that they would go ahead with the planned actions. (gus/nrl)

[Slightly abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Workers in Aceh call for ratification of labour law, social security

Atjeh Post - May 1, 2012

Taufan Mustafa, Banda Aceh – A demonstration commemorating International Labour Day in the Achenese provincial capital of Banda Aceh on Tuesday May 1 began with a convoy from the Raya Baiturrahman Mosque to the Aceh governor's office.

The protest was then continued at the Aceh House of Representatives (DPRA). In speeches the workers conveyed their wishes to DPRA Deputy Speaker Amir Helmi. One of the workers' demands was for the DPRA to immediacy ratify a qanun (bylaw) on labour.

"Hopefully these aspirations will be conveyed to the concerned party, the qanun on labour will be deliberated again. Workers also have to be covered by Jamsostek (workers social security program)", aid Helmi.

After protesting at the DPRA, the demonstrators continued the action at the Simpang Lima traffic circle in Banda Aceh.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Bandung trade unions call for reasonable wages, reject fuel price hikes

Detik News - May 1, 2012

Baban Gandapurnama, Bandung – Thousands of workers and other groups, which took to the streets to commemorate International Labour Day or May Day at the Gedung Sate governor's office in the West Java Provincial capital of Bandung, voiced almost identical demands.

The protest action by workers from the All Indonesia Trade Union (SBSI) 1992, the National Trade Union Confederation (KSN) and the Solidarity Alliance for Labour Struggle (GSPB), proceeded peacefully with workers' representatives taking turns giving speeches.

"Make May 1 a national holiday. We also demand a reasonable national wage to be given to all workers", said the chairperson of the West Java branch of SBSI 1992, Ajat Sudrajat, when speaking at the action on Tuesday May 1.

Sudrajat said that workers will not stop struggling for their rights and that the momentum of May Day will be used by workers to demand prosperity. "Workers' demands are all the same. Namely, rejecting increases to fuel prices and electricity rates, abolishing contract labour and outsourcing, and providing social security", said Sudrajat.

The workers brought several posters to the demonstration with messages such as, "A reasonable wage now", "Stop union busting" and "Stop muzzling trade unions". As of 11.30am the action was still continuing. (bbn/ern)

[Slightly abridged translation by James Balowski.]

100 thousand workers in Jakarta descend on State Palace for May Day

Republika - May 1, 2012

Jakarta – As many as 100,000 workers from an alliance of trade unions held May Day action in front of the State Palace in Central Jakarta on Tuesday May 1 demanding welfare for the working class.

The protesters came from the All Indonesia Workers Union (SPSI), the Confederation of the All-Indonesian Workers Union (KSPSI), the Confederation of Prosperity Labor Unions (KSBSI), the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI), the National Network for Domestic Workers Advocacy (JALA PRT), the Indonesian Association of Trade Unions (ASPEK) and the Indonesian Metal Trade Workers Federation (FSPMI).

The protesters, who packed the area north of the National Monument in front of the State Palace, demanded that the government pay serious attention to workers' welfare, including establishing life-long universal healthcare insurance by January 1, 2014 (including for assistant, honorary and contract teachers) and establishing a compulsory pension insurance shame for workers by July 1, 2015.

They also demanded that the reasonable living cost index (KHL) be raised through a revision to Department of Labour and Transmigration Regulation Number 17/2005 on KHL. In addition to this they called for the abolition of outsourcing systems (contract labour), providing subsidies to workers and their families through state and regional budgets (housing, education, healthcare and transportation subsidies) and for May 1 to be made into a national holiday.

At 1pm the protesters disbanded and moved off to the Bung Karno Sports Stadium after giving speeches for around one-and-a-half hours. The protest action proceeded in an orderly manner without any disturbances. As of filing this story, traffic was still being redirected since a number of demonstrators were still in the vicinity of the State Palace.

[Slightly abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Trade unions in Semarang reject minimum wage, outsourcing

Detik News - May 1, 2012

Angling Adhitya Purbaya, Semarang – Commemorating May Day, thousands of workers from the Workers Challenge Movement (Gerbang) held a protest action at the Central Java governors' office on Jl. Pahlawan in the Central Java provincial capital of Semarang.

The protesters came from a number of different organisations including the National Trade Union (SPN), the Kahutindo Trade Union (SPK), the Federation of Independent Trade Unions (FSPI), the People's Democratic Party (PRD) and the Indonesian Workers Federation (FPI).

During the action, the protesters gave speeches and demanded their rights in front of the governor's office. Earlier, they also blockaded a road in the vicinity of the Mangkang weigh bridge.

They demanded reasonable wages, an end to contract labour and outsourcing, law enforcement and for May 1 to be declared a national holiday. "We feel that the determination of the UMK (municipal minimum wage) by the Central Java governor does not side with workers", said Semarang city Gerbang coordinator Heru Budi Utoyo.

The protesters said that the 991,500 rupiah a month wage set by governor in November 2011 is only sufficient for unmarried workers without families. "If workers are deemed to be troublesome then quick action is taken, but if a company is in the wrong action takes a long time or is even permitted", said Utoyo.

The demonstration brought traffic between Siranda and Simpang Lima to a standstill and vehicles had to be redirected. Police kept a close watch over the action with five water cannons prepared to anticipate anything undesirable occurring. (alg/try)

[Slightly abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Protesting workers in Surabaya blockades governor's office

Media Indonesia - May 1, 2012

Faishol, Surabaya – Thousands of workers from various parts of East Java poured into the grounds of the State Grahadi Building in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya.

They also blockaded the road in front of the East Java governor's official office where they gave speeches, forcing a number of lanes of traffic to be redirected.

The commemoration of this year's May Day was uses as a momentum by the Indonesian Metal Trade Workers Federation (FSPMI) to articulate their demands, namely the abolition of outsourcing, rejecting low wages and for revisions to Ministry of Labour Regulation Number 17/2005, which only includes 46 reasonable living cost index components.

Hery Mardyanto, the head of the FSPMI Surabaya branch, said that the trade union is asking for a total of 86 reasonable living cost index components. The most crucial of which is schooling fees and the price of fuel. They also called on the government to immediately realise social security services that are planned to be socialised in February 2014, particularly for workers.

A short time earlier, around 50 protesters from the Federated Indonesian Trade Union Alliance Front (FASBI) joined the FSPMI action in front of the State Grahadi Building. (FL/OL-10)

[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]

May Day action in Yogya slams outsourcing as 'modern form of slavery'

Detik News - May 1, 2012

Bagus Kurniawan, Yogyakarta – Thousands of students and workers in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta commemorated International Labour Day or May Day on Tuesday May 1.

The action, which was organised in a series of waves, was centered on the Malioboro shopping district, the Yogyakarta Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) building and kilometer point zero or the intersection in front of the Yogyakarta central post office.

A number of different organisations took to the streets including, among others, the Bantul branch of the Indonesian Independent Trade Union Federation (FSBII), the Yogyakarta Workers Alliance (ABY), the Indonesian Trade Union Action Committee (Kasbi), the Yogyakarta Special Province Non- Government Organisation Forum (Forum LSM DIY), the Yogyakarta People's Alliance (ARY), the People's Challenge Alliance (ARM), the Kemudo Workers Association (PBK), the Gendong Workers Association (PBG), the Gadjah Mada University Student Executive Council Community of Students (BEM-KM UGM), the Islamic Students Association (HMI) and the Indonesian Youth Front for Struggle (FPPI).

All of the actions began at the Abu Bakar Ali parking lot on the northern side of the Inna Garuda Hotel followed by a long-march to the grounds of the Yogyakarta DPRD on Jl. Malioboro and ending at the central post office.

In addition to taking turns giving speeches, what also made the action interesting was a recital of the song "Iwak Peyek" (a popular hit song), the lyrics of which were changed to words articulating the misfortunes of the working class.

The lyrics of the song became, "Iwak peyek, iwak peyek, an ear of corn, fuel prices go up, fuel prices go up, the people are blunted. Here we call in the promise, why is outsourcing legalised, why are workers' wages lowered", which were sung as they few the flags of their respective trade unions.

During the march through the Malioboro area, the protesters also held a theatrical action. Four for the demonstrators played the role of workers with their bodies smeared in red paint and their feet tied to a box made from black cardboard pushing a trishaw carrying an employer.

During an action on the grounds of the Yogyakarta DPRD meanwhile, other protesters held a sleep in and a "walking backwards" action. This was an expression of protest against the president and vice-president who just sleep and pay no attention to the misfortunes of the workers. The walking backwards action was an expression of the degeneration the ordinary people and workers' quality of life.

In a speech, ABY Secretary General Kirnadi said that they reject and are demanding the abolition of contract and outsourcing systems because they only benefit employers and are not in accordance with wage regulations. Workers' labour is squeezed out of them and when they finish their term of employment, their contracts are terminated.

"Outsourcing systems are a form of modern or new style of slavery, it must be abolished", shouted Kirnadi. He also criticised the low level of Yogyakarta's province minimum wage (UMP), which is lower than other areas, and the muzzling of trade unions in several companies, some of which were even prevented from joining the May Day actions.

"We also call on the government not realise the fuel price hikes (which were delayed on April 1), bring down the price of basic commodities, provide social security for workers and reject discrimination against women workers", he said.

There was only a limited security presence during the actions with police mainly regulating the flow of traffic along the length of Malioboro. (bgs/nrl)

[Slightly abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Higher pay the issue on May Day in Indonesia

Jakarta Globe - May 1, 2012

Dion Bisara & Muhamad Al Azhari – With tens of thousands of workers across the country set use May Day protests today to demand better wages, business leaders and economists say any rise in pay must be matched by an improvement in productivity.

Citing increasing living costs, labor unions are rallying for higher pay and a halt to some outsourcing practices. Data from the International Labor Organization shows that Indonesian workers are among the region's lowest paid.

While ILO data for 2009 showed the average monthly wage to be at $432 in China, $282.80 in Thailand and $685.70 in Malaysia, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) placed Indonesia's figure at $127.80. That had risen to $135.80 by 2011.

"We oppose the low wage policy in Indonesia," Said Iqbal, president of the Indonesian Trade Union Confederation (KSPI), said in Jakarta on Monday.

Iqbal said that as many as 100,000 workers from manufacturing plants in Greater Jakarta – including in Tangerang, Bekasi, Bogor and Depok – would take part in a May Day march in the capital.

The rally will pass the National Monument (Monas), the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, Tugu Tani, Salemba and Tugu Proklamasi, all in Central Jakarta, he said. Rallies will also take place in other major Indonesian cities, he added.

Businesspeople and economists said that they agreed with the need to increase wages, but that productivity also needed to improve.

Indonesia's worker productivity lags some of its neighboring nations. ILO data from 2010 show that Indonesia's labor productivity – measured in annual gross domestic product per working person – was $10,587, compared to $25,058 in Malaysia and $12,593 in China. US workers had the highest productivity at $68,126 per person.

Kodrat Wibowo, an economist from Padjajaran University in Bandung, said labor productivity in Indonesia lags behinds its peers in the region.

"I don't think that is because of a lack of education or lack of training. That issue has been here for decades," Kodrat said, blaming the low productivity on "poor work ethics". "We are quick and unified to demonstrate but not to work," he added.

A lack of infrastructure, he said, such as poor roads and transportation, also contributed to low labor productivity. "A business cannot boost its production when it faces bottlenecks on roads or at ports," he said, adding that this in turn, would create indifference among workers.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong voiced the same concerns on Monday in his annual May Day message. Singaporean companies and workers must improve their skills to increase productivity and help expand the economy, the Associated Press reported him as saying.

Harry Warganegara, secretary general of the Indonesian Association of Young Entrepeneurs (Hipmi), said he hoped workers could see the bigger picture.

Businesses, he said, face high "miscellaneous" costs – a reference to illegal payments – that eat into profit and therefore prevent adequate pay increases. "It's not like we are refraining from paying higher wages," he told the Jakarta Globe on Monday. "I can understand that living costs are higher now."

Harry said the lack of infrastructure coupled with rampant corruption had increased operating costs. "Such things have eaten up the money that is supposed to go to their wages," Harry said. "If workers keep demanding a rise in wages, they might scare off investors who would be better off investing in Vietnam, Laos or Burma."

May Day protesters stop at Constitutional Court

Jakarta Post - May 1, 2012

Jakarta – May Day protesters briefly stopped their 100,000-people march, from the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle to the Bung Karno stadium, at the Constitutional Court, in order to voice opposition to the government's fuel policies, on Tuesday.

"We workers are legitimate Indonesian citizens. Our taxes contributed 35 percent to this year's state budget. And what do we get? The farmers get fertilizer. The fishermen get diesel. The poor get direct cash assistance (BLT). We get a big zero. A big zero," chairman of the Confederation of Indonesian Workers' Union (KSPI), Said Iqbal, said via loudspeaker.

"The government says that they have to cut fuel subsidies because of increased global fuel prices. We reject that," said the chairman of the Confederation of the All-Indonesian Workers' Union (KSPSI), Andi Ghani Nena Wea. "We reject Article 7, Clause 6a."

Andi referred to the clause in the 2012 revised state budget which allows the government to increase the price of subsidized fuels if Indonesian Crude Prices (ICP) increased by 15 percent within six months.

The government has been struggling to find a way to avoid overspending on fuel subsidies.

The government was forced to suspend plans to implement a policy to increase fuel prices by one-third from Rp 4,500 (49 US cent) a liter, initially scheduled for April 1, after mounting public pressure and a political drama within the House of Representatives.

Now it is seeking another option – banning subsidized fuel for private cars with engine capacities greater than 1,500 cc. A cabinet meeting led by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was held last Tuesday but no decision was made.

The government previously considered implementing a ban on official cars using subsidized fuel on May 1 and on private cars in Greater Jakarta in August. (png/swd)

Actions, demos, protests...

Mesuji government paralyzed after regent's office burned down

Jakarta Post - May 5, 2012

Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung – The work of the Mesuji regency administration in Lampung province ground to a halt on Friday after the regent's building was burned down by an angry mob a day earlier.

The mob started the fire after the dismissal of deputy regent Ismail Ishak over a corruption conviction.

Mesuji Regent Khamamik and other regency administration officials have been forced to work from home in fear of further attacks. Hundreds of police were guarding the office compound on Friday while others, with the help of regency administration officers, were building checkpoints in preparation of a visit by Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi on Saturday.

"The home minister's visit hopefully will result in the best solution to the problem," Khamamik said.

Khamamik, who is also the provincial branch chairman of the National Democratic Party (PDK), suggested the ministry appoint a member of Ismail's family to replace him as Mesuji's deputy regent. "This is a win-win solution that we can offer to the minister. Otherwise, we will not be able to work if these conditions continue," he said.

Appointing an Ismail relative, he said, would help his family overcome their disappointment about the dismissal. The appointment, he said, had to be proposed by nominating parties the PDK and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

Khamamik also said that public services could not be provided as most of the documents had been burned in the fire started by Ismail's supporters. Among them, he said, were 2009-2012 finance documents.

The mob, he said, also looted a number of administration properties, including safe deposit boxes and computer units. Even before setting the office alight, the mob had sealed the office and stopped officials from entering it for several days

The violence was triggered by Ismail's dismissal by Gamawan after being convicted over a 2006 corruption case, worth Rp 1.4 billion (US$152,600), in a state enterprise belonging to Tulangbawang regency. Ismail was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment and fined Rp 396 million.

The swearing in ceremony of Khamamik and Ismail, who were, elected lasted September 2011, was done in Menggala detention house in Tulangbawang on April 13. Ismail was returned to his cell afterwards.

Lampung Police's public relations division head, Adj. Comr. Sulistyaningsih, said police would tighten security in Mesuji, especially at the regent's official residence and offices.

"We have identified the perpetrators of Thursday's burning but have yet to conduct examination or name the suspects," Sulistyaningsih said.

She added that the attack was committed by about 300 Ismail supporters, 100 of whom came in three trucks from Register 45 Sungai Buaya regions, namely the Karyatani and Karyajaya subdistricts. The rest were Ismail's family members from Wiralaga, Gajahmati and Sungai Ceper subdistricts.

Separately, head of Mesuji regency administration's public relations division, Hary Prasetyo, estimated that the fire had caused Rp 2 billion in state losses. "We have been unable to work since Tuesday last week. We keep moving from one house to another," he said.

Hundreds demonstrate in front of Malaysian embassy

Antara News - May 4, 2012

Hundreds of Indonesians staged a rally in front of the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta on Thursday, urging the Malaysian government to investigate local police who shot and killed three Indonesian workers in Malaysia in March.

Thursday's rally follows a demonstration on Sunday, when activists in Central Jakarta took to the streets over the shooting. The case that has reopened a contentious debate about the treatment of Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia.

The demonstrators' coordinator, Rudi Prayitno, outlined the demands before the demonstrators peacefully dispersed. Dozens of police guarded the demonstrators, who continued condemning the killing of the three workers.

Previously, Malaysian officials said the three migrant workers, identified as Herman, Abdul Kadir Jaelani and Mad Noor, were shot dead after Malaysian police caught them stealing and attempting to attack police officers with machetes in Port Dickson.

But many Indonesians are suspicious of the Malaysian authorities' account. Anis Hidayah, the executive director of Migrant Care, said at least eight Indonesians have been shot at close range and killed by Malaysian police on three different occasions prior to the March killing of three migrant workers last month.

"Even if their claim of a robbery is true, they should not have been shot from close range," Anis said.

The victims' family members in Lombok have demanded an thorough investigation, and several lawmakers and activists said they plan to sue Malaysian authorities through an international court.

Residents refuse new Lapindo drilling

Jakarta Post - May 2, 2012

Surabaya – Around 500 residents from Banjarasri village and surrounding villages in Tanggulangin district in Sidoarjo, East Java, rallied Wednesday against Lapindo Brantas Inc.'s plan to drill a new gas well.

They are afraid of facing mudflows like the one in nearby Porong district, which is located only three kilometers from their villages.

The rally started Wednesday morning in front of the Tanggulangin I well area. Residents pasted banners and posters on the fences surrounding the well to express their disagreement.

Action coordinator Khoirul Umam said the residents were against the drilling because the site was in the middle of their settlements.

"All of a sudden, they plan to drill. There were no announcements beforehand about this, or security issues. What if what happened in Porong happens here?" he said.

"The land was bought from my grandfather. He was told the buyer wanted to use it for a krupuk (crackers) business, but they made it into a well instead. So from the beginning there was no information [on the drilling plan]," he said. (nat)

West Papua

Papuans plan flying banned flag for July commemoration

Radio New Zealand International - May 4, 2012

The separatist OPM Free West Papua Movement is planning to fly the banned Morning Star flag throughout Indonesia's Papua region for three days from July the 1st.

The chairman of a so-called Street Parliament, Yusak Pakage, says the flying of the Papuan flag will mark the 43rd anniversary of the proclamation of the State of West Papua which Indonesia disbanded later in the year.

Mr Pakage, who was jailed for ten years in 2005 for flying the banned flag before receiving a Presidential Pardon in 2010, says authorities have been notified of the plan. He says the aim of the flag-raising is to remind people that West Papuans exist.

Mr Pakage says he is seeking assurances regarding the security of the events from police and armed forces. He also says the OPM's military wing, the TPN National Liberation Army, will guard the streets where the Morning Star flags are being flown.

OPM to fly flags for three days throughout West Papua

Tabloid JUBI - May 3, 2012

The TP/OPM [National Libration Army/Organisasi Papua Merdeka] is planning to fly Morning Star flags throughout the territory of West Papua for three days from 1-3 July this year, said Yusak Pakage, chairman of the Street Parliament. He said that the State of West Papua was proclaimed on 1 July 1969 but was disbanded by Indonesia on the orders of President Soekarno when he proclaimed the People's Three Commands (Trikora)

He went on to say that various institutions in West Papua such as the DPRP (Provincial Leislative Assembly), the chief of police and the MRP (Papuan People's Council) have been notified of this plan. as well as church leaders, student organisatons and the Governor of Papua, along with a statement of their views.

"Flags will be flown for three days and the authorities will be notified. We will seek assurances regarding the security situation from the chief of police and the armed forces," said Pakage. He went on to say that they hoped that no one would become victims during these events.

Pakage also expressed the hope that everyone now living in the Cenderawasih Homeland, indigenous Papuans as well as migrants, would preserve an atmoshere of harmony and avoid being provoked by issues spread by irresponsible sources. "We hope that there will be no loss of life during this event."

Flags will be flown in public places around midday for three days running. He added that the TPN/OPM would guard the streets where the Morning Star flags are being flown. "The aim of this plan it to remind people that we continue to exist," said Pakage.

When the head of the public relations office of the Papua Police was asked whether he could confirm this plan, he said he was unaware of it. "I will check later on. At the moment, I am in a meeting," he said briefly.

[Translated by TAPOL.]

Human rights & justice

Activists call on government to solve Marsinah murder case

Liputan 6 - May 7, 2012

Rochmanuddin, Jakarta – The Marsinah FM Radio Community together with the Free Women National Committee (KNPM), the Cross-Factory Labour Forum (FBLP), the Indonesian Trade Union Congress Alliance (Kasbi), the Solidarity Alliance for Labour Struggle-United Indonesian Labour Movement (GSPB-PPBI) and the Student Struggle Center for National Liberation (Pembebasan) is urging the government to immediately resolve the Marsinah murder case.

"We demand that the government immediately and fully resolve the Marsinah case and arrest all those who have interfered with or concealed material evidence in the Marsinah case", said KNPM public relations officer Vivi Widyawati at the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) offices in Central Jakarta on Monday May 7.

They are also urging the government to immediately try all human rights criminals and the perpetrators of sexual violence during the New Order regime of former President Suharto. In addition to this, they are demanding that the government disband the Indonesian military's (TNI) territorial commands, which they said are used as an institution of terror against the people.

"All of the efforts that were carried out failed because none of the governments in the reformasi (the reform process beginning in 1998) era have had the will to seriously resolve the Marsinah case. Marsinah represents an illustration of women workers who have become the victims of collaboration between employees and the military", said Vivi.

After 14 years of reformasi and 19 years since her murder, the Marsinah case is still being neglected. Marsinah's grave has been exhumed three times and a fact finding team formed, but the case has never been resolved. Moreover in 2002 the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) attempted to reopen the Marsinah case but failed to reveal the real killer.

On May 8, 1993, Marsinah's body was found sprawled in a hut on the edge of a rice paddy near a teak forest in the Jegong hamlet, Wilangan village, Nganjuk regency. Her body was discovered four days after she disappeared on May 5.

Her death followed an altercation with the Sidoarjo district military command (Kodim) after the military arrested 13 of her colleagues. She had also been threatened physically and psychologically.

It is believed that in addition to suffering physical injuries she was also abused sexually before being killed. Her body was found with numerous injuries, abrasion on her wrists as a result of being bound and her pelvic bone and vagina damaged. (AIS)

Notes

Marsinah was a women activist who led a strike at the PT Catur Putra Surya watch factory in Surabaya, East Java. On May 8, 1993, three days after the strike, her body was found in a remote hut. The medical examination found that she had died as a result of injuries inflicted during torture. Although there was considerable circumstantial evidence that she had been kidnapped and killed by the military, in 1994 nine managerial personnel and security guards from the factory were tried and convicted of the murder. All of the defendants claimed that they had been tortured in order to extract confessions. On May 5, 1995, all nine were released.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Statute of limitations on Marsinah murder case expires next year

Viva News - May 7, 2012

Ita Lismawati F. Malau, Oscar Ferri – After 19 years and 14 years of reformasi (the reform process beginning in 1998), Marsinah's killer has still not been found. The government is being called on not to neglect the case until the 20-year statute of limitations for murder cases expires.

According to Free Women National Committee (KNPM) spokesperson Vivi Widyawati, after 19 years the impression is that the government is going to leave the Marsinah case unsolved.

"Next year the Marsinah case will be exactly 20 years old. After 20 years the statute of limitations will expire if it is not resolved", said Vivi during a press conference at the offices of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) in Jakarta on Monday May 7.

Vivi believes that the government is not serious about catching Marsinah's killer. In her view the government has no interest in resolving cases of human rights violations and women's rights.

Marsinah, said Vivi, represents and illustration of a women worker who became a victim of collaboration between employers and the military. According to Vivi, this kind of collaboration is not unusual. Because under the concept of the state that sides with capital, the military are always needed and used to protect the capitalist's means of production.

Vivi explained that the New Order government of former President Suharto did indeed attempt to resolve the case by trying the alleged perpetrators. "However, this was only a drama. Just lies, manipulation, because justice during the new Order always attempted to cover up the military's involvement", she said.

A similar view was expressed by Marsinah FM Radio public relations officer Dian Septi Trisnanti. Dian also accused the government of not being serious about resolving gross human rights violations. "There is an impression that the government wants to let the Marsinah case expire", she said.

Even though the Marsinah case remains a mystery, these activists continue to demand that case be reopened. Because of this, continued Dian, they are demanding that the government fully investigate the case and arrest all those who have attempted to interfere with or conceal material evidence related to the Marsinah case.

On May 8, 1993, Marsinah's body was found sprawled in an open hut on the edge of a rice field near a teak forest in Jegong hamlet, Wilangan village, Nganjuk regency, East Java. Her body was found after she went missing on May 5 after leading a strike at the PT Catur Putra Surya watch factory. There were numerous injuries on her body and it is suspected that she suffered severe physical violence and sexual abuse before she died.

Prior to her death, Marsinah had made a protest with the Sidoarjo district military command (Kodim) over the arrest of 13 of her colleges who were physically and psychologically pressured into signing letters of resignation. On the same year that she was killed, Marsinah received the Yap Thiam Hien human rights award. (umi)

Notes

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Sorry state of affairs as Indonesia faces the ghosts of its past

Sydney Morning Herald - May 5, 2012

Michael Bachelard – Unlike many of his countrymen, Mohamad Achadi cannot forget the bloodbath that attended the birth of the modern nation of Indonesia.

For 12 years in the 1960s and 1970s, he languished in prison while outside the country's leader, Suharto, was consolidating his power with the massacre of 300,000 or more people.

Achadi's only crime was to be a minister in the cabinet of Suharto's predecessor, Sukarno. Those who died in the massacres were Communists, left-wingers and anyone else Suharto perceived as an enemy.

It was just the first of many atrocities during Suharto's 32-year regime. Kontras, Indonesia's Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence, has identified 11 different sets of killings, including the invasion of East Timor, the suppression of separatists in Aceh, the violence in West Papua.

But now, inspired in part by Kevin Rudd's apology to the stolen generations of indigenous Australians, the current President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, wants to make amends, to acknowledge the past crimes of the Indonesian government and apologise to the victims.

Dr Yudhoyono and his advisers have gone quiet since raising the issue last week, but Usman Hamid, a Kontras activist who has been involved in three years of official discussions over the issue, believes the President is genuine.

Dr Yudhoyono, known throughout Indonesia as SBY, has told confidants that he wants it as part of his legacy after his term ends in 2014. It is rumoured that he hopes to be appointed UN secretary-general in 2016, and an apology, it is believed, could only help.

According to Mr Hamid, however, there are many hurdles still in the way. Even talking about past human rights abuses has raised the awkward issue of Indonesia's current crop of political prisoners, particularly from West Papua, Mr Hamid told the Herald.

The existence of these 30 or 35 people "undermines Indonesian democracy", and the only way to resolve it would be to release them – a policy the military would be likely to oppose.

"The first step should be to talk with the military and police and make sure they are willing to support the policy of release of political prisoners," Mr Hamid said. "Of course, there is some debate about that."

The military no longer has a formal role in politics in Indonesia, but it still wields considerable influence. SBY is a former army general, as is at least one of the potential candidates for the 2014 election.

From 1965, the army carried out Suharto's dirty work and most in the military are still taught in their academies that the victims, members of the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI), were to blame for the violence. So powerful has this propaganda proven that there are still no left-wing political parties in Indonesia, and it remains a criminal offence to teach Marxism and Leninism.

In this culture of forgetting, former political prisoners still suffer from a deficit in civil rights.

Wiryanto, the son of another Sukarno minister, Setiadi Reksoprodjo, says his family, like hundreds of thousands of others, had their land and other assets stripped from them and never returned. After their release, prisoners were denied work and public servants were excluded from government pensions. They were forced to seek permission for international travel and had trouble obtaining loans.

Until 2005, Wiryanto's father's identity card, which all Indonesians must carry, had the letters E.T. (for eks tahanan politik, or former political prisoner) stamped in the corner, so every official who checked it would know his shame. "Being labelled PKI was worse than the condition of a bastard child," Witaryono told the Herald.

The courts have not helped. Nurlan was a prisoner who witnessed torture and spent the rest of his career as a journalist hiding behind a pseudonym, Martin Aleida. He tried suing for compensation, but the court said it was not its place to intervene.

Victims do not want an empty or partial apology, such as those made by Dr Yudhoyono's predecessors, Megawati Sukarnoputri and Abdurrahman Wahid. They want a public acknowledgement that opens the way to compensation, and to have their full civil rights restored. "The idea [of the apology] is how to have an entry point for a general rehabilitation policy," Mr Hamid said.

But for Dr Yudhoyono, sorry still might prove too hard a word to say. His father-in-law, Sarwo Edhie Wibowo, was one of the generals centrally involved in the massacres. (He once boasted that 2 million people were killed, "and we did a good job".)

Muridan Widjojo, an activist and author of the Papua Road Map, says political prisoners such as Filep Karma are serving up to 15 years in prison. "If you express the apology that's fine, but the violence, the oppression [is] still going on. If the conflict is still there, it means nothing," Mr Widjojo said.

Mr Witaryono and Mr Achadi both believe the obstacles are too high. "To announce my father's innocence, it will never happen," Mr Witaryono said. "He'll always be tainted."

Activists 'concerned' over Ongen's death

Jakarta Post - May 4, 2012

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – Activists have expressed concern over the sudden death of Raymond "Ongen" J Latuihamallo, a key witness in the case of slain human rights activist Munir Said Thalib.

Usman Hamid of the Solidarity Action Committee for Munir (Kasum) urged the authorities to be transparent regarding Ongen's health before his death.

"Ongen's family has the right to be informed about the cause of death. It must be medically proven that he really suffered from a heart attack," Usman said.

Another activist Haris Azhar emphasized that the efforts to solve Munir's murder depended on the government's political will.

"This matter is now a political case. The President, the Attorney General's Office and the police are those who hold the most responsibility for the stagnancy of the investigation into Munir's death," Haris said.

"We actually have enough evidence to reveal the truth. So this is pretty much no longer about Ongen," he added.

Ongen died at 56 on Wednesday. As a witness, Ongen once controversially withdrew his testimony on Munir's death. Munir was poisoned on Sept. 7, 2004, while en route to Amsterdam from Jakarta.

Munir murder case witness dies

Jakarta Post - May 3, 2012

Jakarta – Raymond "Ongen" J Latuihamallo, a key witness in the case of slain human rights activist Munir Said Thalib, died of a heart attack on Wednesday. He was 56 years old.

"He suddenly collapsed while on his way home," Ongen's wife, Eta Latuihamallo, told reporters at the Gatot Subroto Army Hospital on Thursday.

She said that she, Ongen and their daughter, were on their way home from Mangga Dua, North Jakarta, when he suddenly lost control of the car near Blok M. "He tried to pull the hand brake twice," she said.

Eta asked for help from local residents who then rushed Ongen to Pertamina Central Hospital. "It was too late," Eta said, as reported by kompas.com.

Munir was poisoned on Sept. 7, 2004, while en route to Amsterdam from Jakarta. Ongen was seen talking to Munir and Garuda pilot Pollycarpus Priyanto at a coffee shop in Singapore's Changi Airport before the flight. Pollycarpus, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison, has denied that he met Munir at the coffee shop. (swd)

Freedom of speech & expression

Manji undeterred by hard-liners, warns of Saudi 'foreign imperialism'

Jakarta Globe - May 7, 2012

Fidelis E. Satriastanti & Ismira Lut Fia – "I have always said that if you want to see an example of religious pluralism, look at Indonesia," Irshad Manji said.

So it came as a nasty surprise to this award-winning Muslim reform advocate from Canada when Jakarta Police, egged on by the hard-line Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), broke up a discussion on Friday evening of her latest book, "Allah, Liberty and Love."

"I'm surprised at the rise of such groups, and I know that what happened at Salihara [the site of the discussion] was not the first time such a thing has happened," she said on Saturday at a discussion hosted by the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI).

In an interview on Sunday, Manji warned that Indonesia was "going more in the direction of Pakistan than in the direction of real democracy," adding that she saw a more conservative climate now than in her last visit four years ago.

While Muslim radicals here have often complained of imperialism on the part of the United States, Manji said that there was another form of foreign imperialism creeping into Indonesia.

"If you want to talk about foreign imperialism, believe me, it's not America or Israel that is the problem in this part of the world," she said. "It's Saudi Arabia."

She cited growing calls for more conservative women's clothing, among other things, espoused by Wahhabi Islam.

Nevertheless, Manji, who was nominated for an Emmy Award for her documentary film "Faith Without Fear," said Friday's incident would not change her mind about Indonesia and moderate Islam. She also called on Indonesians not to be tyrannized by hard-liners such as the FPI, who were clearly in the minority.

"I am not saying that extremists or fundamentalists should not exist. They have the right to their point of view," she said. "What they don't have the right to do is steal choices from those who have another point of view and do wish to hear it."

We reject all foreign artists revealing skin, not just Gaga: FPI

Jakarta Post - May 6, 2012

Jakarta – The Islamic Defender Front (FPI) insist that the group has been protesting the presence of all foreign artists who they deemed as promoting "revealing clothes" in Jakarta, not just American singer Lady Gaga.

FPI spokesman Munarman said on Saturday his organization demanded the promoter cancel the controversial singers' upcoming concert in June. "Who said that we were just protesting her [Lady Gaga's] concert? That was the journalists' fault for not asking us about the matter in the first place," he said.

Munarman was responding to a question on why did not his group reject other performers such as Japanese band L'Arc en Ciel and South Korean group Super Junior who recently held a concert in Jakarta. One of the members of the all-male group Super Junior reportedly took off his shirt before the audience in the group's concert on April 27, while L'Arc en Ciel's vocalist, Hyde, is famous for his seductive attitude while performing.

Commenting on this, Munarman said that the FPI would raise their voice to reject all artists they deemed as "indulging porn".

"People already have this so-called negative sentiment against the Muslim community. I believe that other religions will reject them as well. The rejection is not about Islam, but for the good of the society," he said.

Lady Gaga, who will perform in the capital on June 3, is well-known for her unconventional style of clothing. The singer is also famous for her advocacy towards homosexuality in her music.

Conservative Christian groups in South Korea, for example, staged a series of protests against Lady Gaga during her recent concert in Seoul, accusing her of advocating homosexuality and pornography, The Korea Herald has reported.

South Korean artists and critics, however, called for cultural tolerance among the conservative churches. (asa)

No religion endorses homosexuality, says FPI

Jakarta Post - May 6, 2012

Jakarta – A spokesman of the Islam Defender Front (FPI) says that residents rejects Canadian liberal Muslim activist Irshad Manji for her angle that Muslims should embrace lesbianism.

FPI spokesman Munarman said Saturday that his group disregarded Irshad's sexual identity but rejected her way to spread her principle, adding that her liberal standpoint is unacceptable.

"We don't mind her sexuality as long as she keeps it to herself. However, as she decides to spread her views [that Islam should accept homosexuality], it is a different story," he told The Jakarta Post.

Munarman was responding to a query over the termination of Manji's book launch at Salihara venue in South Jakarta, on Friday evening.

While the police were claiming that the disbandment was because the committee had no permit to invite a foreign national in the event, dozens claiming to be residents complained the activist's sexual orientation.

Munarman, a former activist with the Legal Aid Institute (LBH), said that some residents who were members of the FPI rejected Manji because of her stance that Islam should be open on homosexuality issues.

He insisted that the Muslim community was not the only group who refused Manji's viewpoint, citing that "not a single religion in the world endorses lesbianism or homosexuality."

"If there are people who support lesbianism and homosexuality, they are sick people,"he said. "Let's say that there is someone who promotes corruption practices, wouldn't people reject him?"

When asked if he was aware whether Manji's book, entitled Allah, Liberty and Love, was talking about lesbianism, Munarman claimed that he had read the book and reckoned it as "something random."

"She [Manji] is just like those Jewish people who were described in the chapter of Al-Baqarah in of the Koran as the group who always question Allah's orders," he said.

Manji is a Canadian author who advocates a "reformist and progressive" interpretation of Islam. The New York Times described her as the late al- Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden's "worst nightmare". (asa)

Groups denounce Irshad Manji incident

Jakarta Post - May 6, 2012

Sita W. Dewi, Jakarta – Various groups condemned Friday evening's incident at a Salihara venue in Jakarta, where the police broke up a book launch for Canadian liberal Muslim activist Irshad Manji.

The author was supposed to discuss her new book, Allah, Liberty and Love at the event.

"The police's way to disband the event was unacceptable. Why didn't they arrest people who disrupted the discussion, but granted their wishes instead?" the groups said in a joint statement sent to The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

The groups, which included the Salihara community, said that the discussion was part of citizens' rights to gather, to get information and to express opinion, as guaranteed by the 1945 Constitution.

"The police's argument that the event was illegal because it didn't have permit is baseless," they said, adding that the police had violated laws by allowing hard-line groups, such as the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR), the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) and the Betawi People's Forum (Forkabi) – who were at the venue during the incident – to trespass on private property and to launch threats.

Manji is scheduled to speak at several other occasions in Jakarta on Saturday, including those hosted by the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Jakarta branch and the feminist Jurnal Perempuan Foundation, and in Surakarta, Central Java.

The committee says that its legal team has proposed to change the venues. "In Surakarta, those hard-line groups have expressed their rejection of Irshad Manji," the committee said.

Manji was about to begin to speak on Friday evening when a police officer stepped in and announced that the book discussion should be called off, citing "residents' complaints and rejection" as the reasons. The hard-line groups were among the protesting residents.

"The local residents disapproved of this activity, and this activity involves a foreigner, therefore it requires a special permit from the Jakarta Police," Pasar Minggu Police Chief. Comr. Adri Desas Furyanto, said Friday night.

The joint statement represents the Salihara Community, the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute Foundation (YLBHI), human rights watchdog ELSAM, the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta), the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), LGBT group Our Voice, AJI Jakarta, the Indonesian Women's Voice, publisher Rene Book, Perempuan Mahardika, KEMI, Peace Women Across the Globe and SEJUK.

Police question activist's book-launch organizers

Jakarta Post - May 6, 2012

Jakarta – South Jakarta Police are questioning the organizers of Canadian author Irshad Manji's terminated book launch and discussion at a Salihara venue in South Jakarta, which was broken up shortly before the liberal Muslim was due to speak.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said Saturday that committee members were being questioned about why they held an event involving a foreign national without requesting a permit from police. According to Rikwanto, such permits are necessary for those who wish to hold a public event, including events involving foreign nationals.

He also said the event was not terminated because of pressure from hard- line group the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) and that police took full responsibility for the action.

"In fact, only around 20 [FPI] members were present there and most of the people protesting the event last night were residents living in the neighborhood," he added.

On Friday, Manji was scheduled to speak at the launch of her new book titled Allah, Liberty and Love. The event sparked protests from Pasar Minggu residents angry that Manji was known as a lesbian activist, with some FPI members joining them to voice their opposition.

According to a press release from the committee, Pasar Minggu police precinct chief Comr. Adri Desas Puryanto and his entourage came to the venue at around 6:30 p.m., followed by FPI South Jakarta branch chief Heri and Salihara neighborhood unit leader Khaeruddin. They demanded that the committee cancel the discussion because they thought the event was held by transgendered people.

"After [an organizer] Guntur explained that [the allegation was not true] and that it was a book discussion, they diverted the issue to permits and Manji's nationality," the committee said, adding that the police later requested the committee to halt the event until they had the permit.

Irshad Manji rushed out of book-launch

Jakarta Post - May 6, 2012

Jakarta – Canadian liberal Muslim activist Irshad Manji was escorted out of the Salihara venue in South Jakarta on Friday, where she was supposed to launch her new book, Allah, Liberty and Love.

"I love you all and I am proud of you all," she said to the people who attended the event, which was abruptly stopped by police following demonstrations outside. She added that she would not be deterred by such intimidation.

Dozens of people claiming to be residents and members of mass groups shouted derogatory words at her as she climbed into her car. A police car followed behind.

"I really hope the police will protect her because she is a Canadian national. If the police do something wrong, which can trigger protest from Canada, then shame on us," Indonesian writer Goenawan Mohamad said.

The event began at around 7 p.m. A police officer stepped forward around 15 minutes after Manji began to speak to announce that the event should be called off. Moments later, a number of people were heard shouting their disapproval of the event.

"The local residents disapproved of this activity, and this activity involves a foreigner. Therefore, it requires a special permit from the Jakarta Police," Pasar Minggu Police Chief. Comr. Adri Desas Furyanto, said. He added that members of FBR, FPI and Forkabi were among the protestors.

Akse, one of the protesters, complained of Manji's sexual identity, which the latter has confessed that she was a lesbian. "This Irshad is a lesbian, do you want this country to be a lesbian?" he said.

Ulil Abshar Abdhalla, an activist known for his liberal stance towards Islam who was attending the event, said that its disbanding was unfair. "Freedom of speech not only belongs to the conservative groups," he said. (asa)

Hardline group urges government to deport liberal Canadian Muslim activist

Jakarta Globe - May 5, 2012

Ardi Mandiri – The Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) urged the government to deport visiting liberal Canadian Muslim activist Irshad Manji, saying she is trying to promote homosexuality among Indonesian Muslims.

"Irshad Manji is a gay and lesbian activist. She wants to make Islam open to gays and lesbians. Islam would never accept gays and lesbians," Habib Novel, the secretary of the Jakarta branch of the FPI, said on Saturday.

Manji was in Jakarta to attend the launch of her new book "Allah, Liberty and Love" at the Salihara cultural center in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, on Friday evening.

She had only spoken for about 15 minutes when police interrupted her, announcing that the event should be called off because hundreds of members and supporters of the FPI had gathered at the center and demanded an end to the event. Manji was escorted out of Salihara under heavy police guard.

Habib said Salihara had not sought a permit from Pasar Minggu Police before the event. "The local neighborhood and community units were not informed, so they were shocked when the discussion took place. That upset the [Pasar Minggu] police chief and that's why they dispersed the forum," he said.

Manji is a Canadian author, journalist and an advocate of a progressive interpretation of Islam. She is a critic of traditional mainstream Islam.

She serves as the director of the Moral Courage Project at the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University, and she is the founder and president of Project Ijtihad, a charitable organization promoting a "tradition of critical thinking, debate and dissent" in Islam. (BeritaSatu/JG)

Jakarta police defends quashing visiting Canadian Muslim activist's speech

Jakarta Globe - May 5, 2012

Bayu Marhaenjati & Ismira Lutfia – The police on Saturday defended its forced canceling of a speaking event in Jakarta featuring liberal Canadian Muslim activist Irshad Manji, saying her alleged mission to promote homosexuality among Indonesian Muslims threatened the public order.

Manji was in Jakarta to attend the launch of her new book, "Allah, Liberty and Love: The Courage to Reconcile Faith and Freedom," at the Salihara cultural center in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, on Friday evening.

She had only spoken for about 15 minutes when the police interrupted her, announcing that the event should be called off because hundreds of members and supporters of hardline Muslim group the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) had congregated outside the building and demanded an end to the event. Manji was escorted out of Salihara under heavy police guard.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said Salihara had breached a regulation by failing to report to the police when it planned to feature Manji as a speaker in the forum.

"There have been rejections from the local neighborhood and community units as well as an organization [FPI] against the book discussion. The locals urged that the event be ended because it discussed a sensitive issue," Rikwanto said in Jakarta on Saturday.

"Besides, Irshad Manji is a lesbian activist and she was going to talk about a book that will offend what the majority of Muslims believe. We saw a potential for a public order disruption," he added.

Salihara co-founder Goenawan Mohamad said he regretted the incident and called it a violation of the freedoms of speech and of peaceful assembly. "The accusation that Irshad is trying to spread a misleading idea on lesbianism and gays is slander," Goenawan said.

The claim that events featuring foreign speakers must first be approved by the police was a lie, Goenawan added. "I've invited speakers from abroad numerous times but was never required to seek a permit," he said.

In a statement issued after the incident, Manji praised Salihara and the some 150 audience members at the Friday night event. She stopped short of directly addressing the FPI and others involved in the disruption of the forum.

"Last evening at Salihara, progressive Indonesians showed why there is hope in Islam; they stood for liberty and love in the face of thuggery and hate," Manji said.

"In so doing, these brave citizens of Jakarta lived up to the best ideals of the Koran: 'God does not change the condition of people until they change what is inside themselves,' " she added. (BeritaSatu/JG)

FPI angry over Lady Gaga's Jakarta concert

Jakarta Post - May 4, 2012

Jakarta – The hard-line Islam Defender Font (FPI) says it will take to the streets if US singer Lady Gaga does not cancel her upcoming Jakarta concert. Lady Gaga will perform in the capital on June 3.

"FPI is strongly rejecting Lady Gaga's concert because we know very well how she is during the performing in concerts everywhere," FPI chairman Habib Rizieq said in Jakarta on Friday.

He promised that he would join FPI members in taking to the streets if the concert went ahead. "If you want chaos in Jakarta, just continue to hold the concert," he said.

Rizieq said that he would directly convey the group's opposition to the President, tempo.co reported. (swd)

Media & press freedom

Government, media groups 'fail' to protect journalists

Jakarta Post - May 6, 2012

Jakarta – The reason why press freedom in Indonesia is under attack is because the government and news organizations often fail to protect journalists, according to press advocates on Friday.

"The government and news companies should be to the forefront in aiding journalists, not watchdog groups," said Agus Subidyo, a member of media rights group Press Council.

Agus also lashed out against individuals who attacked journalists. "If you have a problem with a published work, complain to the editors. Don't attack journalists. Once an article has been printed, it becomes a collective work."

These criticisms come fresh on the heels of reports from watchdog groups that violence against Indonesian journalists is a pressing issue in the country.

The Legal Aid Center for the Press (LBH Pers) said that there were 45 cases of physical attacks on reporters so far in 2012. They added that there were 95 reported incidents of violence in 2011, up from 66 in 2010, most of which LBH Pers chairman Hendrayana said remain unresolved.

Similar reports from groups like the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) and the France-based Reporters Without Borders presented grim results.

According to Fachry Ali, a political scientist, violence against journalists is a result of the country's democratization process.

"As the press gets stronger, there are always individuals or groups who feel threatened by what they see. These are the types who are not yet ready to accept democracy and a free press," Fachry said.

He, however, noted that Indonesian press freedom is much better compared to the past, despite the watchdog reports. "The violence is sporadic, not systematic. During the New Order period, the press had to go against an organized state. Today it goes against unorganized individuals," he said.

He added that the press was now on more equal terms with the state. "For example, if there was a political issue, whose word does the public trust? Is it the word of politicians in Senayan? Or is it the word of a political discussion on, say, TVOne? Of course people trust the word of the media more," Fachry said.

Agus, too, shared Fachry's praise for the way press freedom has grown and criticized Reporters Without Borders for placing Indonesia as the third- lowest ranked country in Southeast Asia for press freedom, just above Laos and Vietnam. Reporters Without Borders does not present an accurate picture of press freedom in Indonesia, the perceptions of which depend on what is being measured, they said. From a violence point of view, Indonesia may be worse.

"But from a freedom-from-state-control point of view, is Malaysia or Singapore freer [than Indonesia]? Obviously not," Agus said. "If they're going to evaluate press freedom in this country, they should also take into account the ways that the press has fought hard to expose corruption."

"In Malaysia, you have state-controlled media. Whenever you read a story about opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, you'll always find points of view that are favorable to the state," Fachry said. "This is why Indonesia actually has very good press freedom, violence aside." (png)

Political parties & elections

Tough requirements to run for president set to limit the field

Jakarta Globe - May 5, 2012

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Robertus Wardi – With the electoral requirement that a political party or coalition of parties win at least 20 percent of votes in the legislative election in order to nominate a presidential candidate, only three pairs of candidates are likely to compete in the 2014 race.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party, the Golkar Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) are the three major parties considered capable of achieving that threshold.

But whether each of those parties nominates a candidate by itself or ends up the lead member of a political coalition to nominate a candidate depends on their performances in the 2014 legislative elections, which will be held several months before the presidential election.

"I think the results of the [legislative] elections will likely be the same as 2009," said Fachry Ali, a political analyst at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), on Friday. The Democrats topped those elections with 21 percent, followed by Golkar and PDI-P with 14 percent.

Fachry said that despite several scandals hitting the party, Democrats would retain their support as long as Yudhoyono devotes time to campaigning for the party.

As for the Democrats' candidate, Yudhoyono has the final say. Among those mentioned as possible candidates are Hatta Rajasa, Yudhoyono's in-law and the chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN), Gen. Pramono Edhie Wibowo, the president's brother-in-law and the Army chief of staff, and Djoko Suyanto, the coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs.

Regarding candidates from his family, Yudhoyono has said publicly only that his wife and sons will not run in the election. "But [he] is still waiting because the available candidates are not popular enough to win the presidency," a source close to the State Palace said. "He will only jump to the figure that is likely to win."

With Yudhoyono constitutionally prohibited from running for a third term, PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Sukarnoputri, whom many surveys put at the top of voters' lists behind only Yudhoyono, may be best positioned to seek a nomination.

"That is if she has no shame, because she has been defeated twice in the last two elections," Fachry said. Megawati has yet to announce whether she will run or whom she might endorse.

PDI-P would only need to join with two or three smaller parties to nominate Megawati, with likely opposition partners in the People's Conscience Party (Hanura) and Prabowo Subianto's Great Indonesian Movement Party (Gerindra).

However, Prabowo has declared that he will run for president; his business tycoon brother, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, has stating that he has put aside Rp 100 trillion ($10.9 billion) for Prabowo's campaign.

Fachry said that if Gerindra gets more than 10 percent of votes in the legislative elections, Prabowo could run by persuading PDI-P to support him. But a showing comparable to the 2009 elections would put a serious damper on those plans, he added.

Another possible candidate is Golkar chairman Aburizal Bakrie, still struggling to unite his party behind him in the face of party infighting. Aburizal, also a business tycoon, has declared his candidacy, with the party's central board announcing he will be nominated at a national meeting in June despite rifts within the Golkar leadership.

Charta Politika analyst Yunarto Widjaya said Aburizal would nonetheless emerge as Golkar's presidential standard bearer.

Yunarto said word that Democrats were considering nominating former Vice President Jusuf Kalla, a former Golkar chairman, was part of a strategy to divide Golkar. Several national polls have shown Kalla ahead of Aburizal, trailing only Yudhoyono, Megawati and Prabowo.

Political parties in a battle of the stars

Antara News - May 5, 2012

Political parties are engaging in a game of celebrity one-upmanship as they rush to sign on stars for the 2014 elections.

The United Development Party (PPP) is just the latest to scour the ranks of singers and actors for candidates who can trade in on their name recognition for a run at the House of Representatives.

Arwani Thomafi, chairman of the Islamic party's central executive board, confirmed they were approaching celebrities, including some who have already been contacted by the Golkar Party.

"The PPP is asking celebrities to run for the legislature because a celebrity's popularity can have a great impact and bring in more votes for the PPP in the 2014 elections," he said on Friday.

Among those already given the PPP pitch, he said, are senior actor-producer Dedi Mizwar, singer Cici Paramida and singer-actress Desy Ratnasari.

"The PPP will give them political training to help them prepare to do the work of legislators," said Arwani, who is also the party's House secretary. A final list of candidates will be drawn up in coming months, but he didn't say how many celebrities would be on it.

"The party will prepare 1,200 candidates for the legislature," he said. Former models Ratih Sanggarwati and Okky Asokawati and actor Rahman Yacob are already PPP lawmakers.

The House last month passed a law that will see voters in 2014 casting ballots for individual candidates, not political parties, making name recognition vital.

Earlier this week, Nurul Arifin, Golkar's deputy secretary general, said the party had started a program to recruit and provide political training to celebrities so they could run for office in 2014.

Desy, singers Ari Lasso and Katon Bagaskara, and former beauty queen Artika Sari Devi are already undergoing Golkar's yearlong "internship" program, meant to prepare them to run for the House.

"We recruit them as interns to provide them training in politics so they can be ready to run in the legislative elections," said Nurul, a former actress.

Golkar has formed a special team whose sole purpose is to deal with celebrities. It is led by senior lawmaker and former television presenter Tantowi Yahya.

Of course, celebrities don't always work out for parties. Angelina Sondakh, a former beauty queen turned Democratic Party lawmaker, has been named a suspect and detained in a graft case.

Parties covet celebrities' star power despite growing public skepticism

Jakarta Globe - May 1, 2012

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The Golkar Party has started a program to recruit and give political training to celebrities so they can run for office in the 2014 elections.

Actress Desy Ratnasari, singers Ari Lasso and Katon Bagaskara and former beauty queen Artika Sari Devi are already undergoing Golkar's yearlong "internship" program, meant to get them ready to run for positions in the House of Representatives.

Nurul Arifin, Golkar's deputy secretary general, said on Tuesday that the program had started earlier this year. "We recruit them as our interns to provide them training in politics so they can be ready to join the legislative elections," said Nurul, herself a former actress.

Golkar has formed a special team whose sole purpose is to deal with the celebrities. It is led by senior lawmaker and former television presenter Tantowi Yahya.

The celebrities, Nurul said, have been asked to take a break from show business during the training period so they can concentrate on becoming politicians.

For that, Golkar will pay them a monthly salary, she added. The exact amount wasn't clear, but one party official said the celebrity trainees had received tens of millions of rupiah each month.

The same official also said the party was targeting actresses and singers because they came out on top of recent surveys conducted by Golkar asking people who they wanted as lawmakers. "The latest survey shows that Ayu Ting Ting tops others," the official said, referring to the 19-year-old dangdut singer.

Golkar isn't the only party chasing celebrities. The National Mandate Party (PAN), President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party, Prabowo Subianto's Greater Indonesian Movement Party (Gerindra) and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) have all recruited top actresses and singers in the past few years.

The PAN has several celebrity lawmakers, such as comedian Eko Patrio, actor Primus Yustisio and actress Raslina Rashidin. The Democrats have singer Tere, actress Vena Melinda and former beauty queen and current graft suspect Angelina Sondakh.

Gerindra has actress Rachel Maryam and singer Jamal Mirdad. The PDI-P has actor Rano Karno, actress Rieke Dyah Pitaloka and comedian Dedi Gumelar. The PAN has even been jokingly labeled the National Actress Party because it counts so many of them as members.

Political analysts have been divided in their opinions of the trend. Some argue celebrities shouldn't be lawmakers because they lack the necessary skills and knowledge. Others say they bring different views and fresh ideas to politics.

The general lack of initiative from celebrity lawmakers and Angelina's recent arrest for graft seem to have dampened prior public enthusiasm for electing famous entertainers.

Aburizal 'oligarchy' undermining Golkar: Analyst

Jakarta Post - May 2, 2012

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – The "oligarchic" leadership that Aburizal Bakrie is developing within the Golkar Party is threatening democracy and undermining the party itself, according to University of Indonesia political analyst Iberamsyah.

"Aburizal is supposed to be righteous and have the highest authority in doing the best for the party, including the nomination of a presidential hopeful," he said during a public discussion in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Professor Iberamsyah said that Aburizal's statement about how his presidential bid won political support from the party's leadership was a claim designed by a small group of party elites who remained loyal to him as his presidential bid has met widening opposition from other factions in the party and regional functionaries.

In his roadshow to Cilacap in Central Java, Aburizal, the owner and president of the Bakrie Holding Group also known as Ical, said the main agenda in the party's special leadership meeting in June was to declare him the single presidential hopeful from the party. The declaration was to be made by the party's executive board and provincial functionaries, who Ical claimed supported his presidential bid in a leadership meeting in Ancol, North Jakarta, last year.

Iberamsyah said other party elites should remind Aburizal of the risk of having an internal-party oligarchy apparently aimed at fighting for the interests of a small group of elites with him as main figure, as the party would be deemed undemocratic and have no sellable competent cadres or figures for the presidential race in 2014.

"I am disappointed by Aburizal's strong ambition for the presidency and his ignorance of potential figures having a better capability than him. Many people will no longer give their votes to the party if it picks Aburizal as the sole presidential candidate," he said.

Iberamsyah challenged Aburizal to conduct an internal convention to select presidential and vice presidential candidates if his bid has truly won support from local functionaries.

He said that Aburizal was in a major panic when he threatened to dismiss Aceh municipal branch chairman Muntasir Hamid, who revealed mounting opposition among party functionaries to his presidential bid.

He also said many surveys have been already conducted, including the two from the university's social and political science department, and Aburizal's popularity remained low.

"From two surveys conducted by the university, Aburizal's electability is far below that of former vice president Jusuf Kalla and therefore the former should know better and give the opportunity to the party to determine the best candidate," he said.

Labour & migrant workers

Family of slain migrant workers join rallies seeking answers from Malaysia

Jakarta Globe - May 2, 2012

Dessy Sagita & Fitri – Workers used nationwide rallies marking Labor Day on Tuesday to call on the government to push for a full investigation into the recent shooting deaths of three migrant workers in Malaysia.

Thousands of workers from several labor unions urged President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to respond to the March shootings, in which three men from Lombok were shot by the police in Malaysia as they allegedly attempted to carry out a robbery.

"Indonesia's migrant workers are the largest foreign exchange contributors in the country. As fellow workers, we must defend them," Said Iqbal, the president of the Indonesian Trade Union Confederation (KSPI), told a massive rally at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta.

He urged the government to withdraw all Indonesian migrant workers from Malaysia until their protection could be guaranteed. "We strongly condemn the inhumane action by the Malaysian police. If necessary, we can mobilize a solidarity movement to occupy the Malaysian Embassy," Iqbal said.

Indonesian police are seeking an explanation from their Malaysian counterparts for the deaths of the Lombok migrant workers – Herman, 34, Abdul Kadir Jaelani, 25, and Mad Noon, 28.

Dozens of activists held a rally in front of the Malaysian Embassy to protest the shootings. "Today we are here to condemn this police action," said Hartoyo, secretary general of the activist group Ourvoice, one of those organizing the protest at the embassy.

Among the protesters was Maksum, the father of Herman. "It was clearly savage and inhumane. Despite doubts over the actions of the workers, they were shot dead," Maksum said.

Nurmawi, the elder brother of Jaelani, said he had accepted the death of the brother, but not the way he died.

Anis Hidayah, the executive director of Migrant Care, said the activist group was planning to report the three deaths, as well as the alleged unresponsiveness of officials at the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, to the United Nations Universal Periodic Report meeting on May 23.

The Indonesian Council of Workers (MPBI) demanded the government declare Labor Day on May 1 as an official holiday. The group also called for a ban on labor outsourcing.

[Additional reporting from Antara.]

Unemployment increases by 1.3 million every year: Kadin

Jakarta Post - May 2, 2012

Jakarta – The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) says that the number of unemployed Indonesians increases by 1.3 million every year due to the gap between available jobs and new workers.

"There are 2.91 million new workers every year and yet we only get 1.6 million new jobs per year. That's why there is always a gap of 1.3 million unemployed individuals," Kadin chairman Suryo Bambang Sulisto said on Tuesday, as quoted by Antara News Agency.

Aside from the discrepancy between new workers and available jobs, Suryo said that another factor leading to unemployment was a lack of qualified workers. "Out of about 8.14 million unemployed Indonesians, only 5.7 percent of them have a bachelor's degree," Suryo said.

In order to allow these workers to contribute to Indonesia's economy, Suryo said that the country had to grow 8 percent every year. (png/swd)

New tax plan, a May Day gift for labor: Minister

Jakarta Post - May 1, 2012

Bagus BT Saragih and Hans David Tampubolon, Jakarta – Despite the potential for a substantial loss of tax income, the government says it will implement a policy to exempt workers with a monthly salary of no more than Rp 2 million (US$218) from income tax.

In the policy, which Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar called, as 'a gift' to the country's workers this International Labor Day, the government will raise the threshold on non-taxable income (PTKP) to Rp 24 million, from the current Rp 15.8 million per year.

Muhaimin admitted 'the gift' was aimed at easing planned mass rallies on May 1. "The government hopes workers will continue working to ensure industry productivity," he said.

Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi said that although the policy was not yet in effect, "principally it has been approved." Gamawan said that the government had never stopped paying attention to labor. "So during May Day no significant issues [will be raised]," he said.

Finance Minister Agus Martowardojo has criticized the plan, saying it could create state losses of Rp 12 trillion annually in foregone tax income. Agus said that the government needed to calculate the policy's potential impact on the state budget since subsidized-fuel prices could not be raised despite the fact that global fuel prices remained high.

The Finance Ministry's fiscal agency interim head, Bambang Brodjonegoro, said on Monday the new policy would boost consumption, eventually yielding higher value-added tax revenues. However, the increase in revenue would not be enough to cover potential losses from the policy, he said, "Our net tax income will still be lower," Bambang said.

Separately, University of Indonesia taxation expert Gunadi, has said that the potential loss in income taxes, if the policy was implemented, could be even higher than Rp 12 trillion. "According to my calculations, if the PTKP is raised from Rp 15.8 million [annually] to Rp 24 million [....] then the potential tax loss could be between Rp 16 trillion and Rp 30 trillion," Gunadi said.

Despite a potential loss of income tax, Gunadi said that he believed the loss could be compensated by an increase in value added tax.

In response to Agus' statement, presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said that the Finance Ministry had been instrumental in preparing for the implementation of the planned policy.

However, coordinating economic minister Hatta Rajasa said on Monday that if Yudhoyono's policy was implemented, the state would have many other ways to compensate the potential loss of income tax revenues.

"Although we will lose Rp 12 trillion, we will receive income from various other sources, such as coal mining royalties. The policy will also drive purchasing power, which will trigger the economy due to increased consumption," Hatta said.

Hatta said that the government would take this policy to the House of Representatives as soon as the legislative body's recess period had ended.

"I believe the House will approve this policy because it is designed to increase people's welfare" Hatta said. The House will reconvene on May 13.

From the streets to the ministry, a fight for labor

Jakarta Globe - May 1, 2012

Dewi Kurniawati – After spending 18 years as a staunch labor activist, including three years in prison, Dita Indah Sari shocked many in 2010 when she decided to join the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry.

But to Dita, a recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership, the move made sense. After evaluating the results of years of rallies, she came to a conclusion: To make the changes she wanted, she needed to get inside the system.

Now the ministry spokeswoman and a 40-year-old mother of a young child, she must juggle preparations for May Day from the other side of the fence as she manages public outrage over the controversial death of three Indonesian workers in Malaysia. In the middle of it all, she took time talk to the Jakarta Globe.

I still remember you leading a protest with a baby bump. You got up in a truck and gave a fiery speech. When was that?

Ah, sure, that was back in 2008 when I led a protest against the rising of fuel prices. I was eight months pregnant.

You were militant. What made you decide to change lanes?

After a decade of reform, activists started to wonder what had been achieved... We realized activists were never part of the decision-making process; our role was mostly out on the streets – giving speeches, making statements and tearing down gates.

We never thought of actually taking power because our main goal was just to take down [former President] Suharto. We were all so naive; it's no wonder they left us behind.

That's when we decided to join political parties and be part of either the legislative or executive branches of government. Some activists chose to stay outside the system to keep the balance.

Why did you choose to join the Reform Star Party (PBR)?

Big parties are only interested in taking activist leaders and then leaving out their members. I was the head of PRD [People's Democratic Party, an opposition party she co-founded in 1992] and did not want that. The PBR not only agreed to accommodate all of us, but it also allowed us to be ourselves. We could keep our activist spirit. It's too bad I didn't get into the House [of Representatives].

Then what happened?

I sat down and thought about it for a year. I thought, 'I have been in the labor movement for 18 years, and with all my knowledge and experience, I should be able to do something.' This was in 2010.

Then there came an offer from the minister [Muhaimin Iskandar, also known as Cak Imin]. My first task was to fix the long-running battle between the ministry and the National Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers [BNP2TKI] over who is in charge of what. Trust me, the road was not easy. It's good that I'm a longtime friend with Jumhur Hidayat [the head of BNP2TKI] because we were both labor activists.

What challenges are you facing now that you are 'part of the furniture?'

I've been criticized about that, but at least I believe I'm doing something good. I handle issues on migrant workers and laborers, which I have always been passionate about.

One important thing people should remember before criticizing is that this ministry has been around for a long time. There are many problems that won't be resolved instantly just because Dita Indah Sari has now joined. It's not easy to change the mind-set and bureaucracy that's around for decades. There have been several temptations [to take bribes], but I manage to refuse. I sincerely think that compared to five years ago, the government is now more proactive on worker issues.

What are the main problems you must tackle?

On migrant workers issues, the main challenge is to convince all stakeholders, including different ministries, to work together. In the spirit of regional autonomy, it's also crucial to urge local leaders to protect their own citizens. Don't send people out if they're underaged or unprepared.

On labor issues, we're still juggling problems related to minimum wage, insurance and outsourcing. Wages are small because we have a high-cost economy due to the lack of infrastructure and corruption.

When you reminisce on the past – being battered, jailed, harassed – what does it all mean to you now?

I was jailed several times. The longest was three years in Surabaya, from 1996 to 1999, after leading 20,000 in labor demonstrations in Sidoarjo, East Java. During my detention, I was sexually harassed and beaten just like a male detainee. I forgive, but I will never forget.

Environment & natural disasters

Indonesia may have lost 5 million hectares of forest cover since moratorium

Jakarta Globe - May 3, 2012

Fidelis E. Satriastanti – Indonesia may have lost a staggering five million hectares of forest since President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono announced a two year moratorium on deforestation last year, Greenpeace Indonesia said on Thursday.

The moratorium, part of the president's Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Plus (REDD+) program, failed to include five million hectares of forest in maps of protected areas, said Kiki Taufik, a geographical information specialist with Greenpeace Indonesia, during a press conference in Jakarta.

"These areas haven't been protected by the moratorium because their statuses are unclear," Kiki said. "The regions overlap with existing concessions."

Kalimantan was hit hardest in the last year, where 1.9 million hectares of forest disappeared. Papua lost some 1.7 million hectares of lost forest. "In Kalimantan, most of the destroyed forest was in regions where coal concessions were already granted," Kiki said. "In Papua, the forest was cut down under pre-existing logging concessions."

The deforestation moratorium promised to protect nearly half of Indonesia's existing tree cover – an area totaling 64 million hectares – when it was passed last year. But one year later, only 13 million additional hectares have been placed under protection, Kiki said.

While the moratorium has placed some 64 million hectares of forest under the government's protection, 46.7 million hectares of these protected forests were already part of conservation areas when the moratorium was announced, he said. "So the moratorium only successfully added 13 million hectares of protected forests," Kiki said.

The two-year moratorium came into effect last May as Norway pledged $1 billion in aid to Indonesia as part of a larger UN-backed plan to reduce emissions produced by deforestation. According to estimates, one million hectares of burning forest can produce as much as 290 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.

Indonesia lost five times that amount in the last year alone. (BeritaSatu/JG)

Green groups say Indonesia deforestation ban 'weak'

Agence France Presse - May 3, 2012

A coalition of green groups in Indonesia on Thursday criticized a moratorium on deforestation as "weak," saying the year-long ban still excludes large tracts of the country's carbon-rich forests.

Greenpeace, which is leading the coalition, said government maps that mark protected areas exclude 3.5 million hectares (8.6 million acres) of peatland – biodiverse swamp-like forests that hold rich carbon reserves.

Greenpeace said the government must review all existing logging permits on the country's natural forests and peatland, and improve governance based on an accurate set of maps.

"The government cannot hope to improve forest governance and ensure the effectiveness of the moratorium without taking these crucial steps," Greenpeace Southeast Asia political campaigner Yuyun Indradi said in a statement.

An earlier review of the maps by the Union of Concerned Scientists found that the moratorium leaves almost 50 percent of Indonesia's 100 million hectares of natural forest and peatland unprotected.

"The current moratorium is weak and does very little in effect to protect the forests," said Deddy Ratih, a forest campaign manager for Friends of the Earth Indonesia.

The two-year moratorium came into effect last year as the centerpiece of a deal with Norway, which pledged $1 billion to Indonesia under a UN-backed scheme to reduce emissions from deforestation.

That deal was part of a larger commitment made by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2009 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from levels that year by 26 percent by 2020, or 41 percent with international support.

The coalition charged that the moratorium – which was originally supposed to include all natural forests – had been watered down to protect just older primary forests and peatland because of pressure from big business.

Indonesia is often cited as the world's third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, due mainly to rampant deforestation by the palm oil, mining and paper industries.

A grim portrait of palm oil emissions

New York Times - May 1, 2012

Joanna M. Foster – Indonesia ranks right behind the United States and China in the lineup of the world's top 10 greenhouse gas emitters. It's not because of smokestacks or freeways, but massive deforestation starting in the 1990s – driven In large part by the expansion of plantations for palm oil, an edible vegetable oil used in cookies, crackers, soap and European diesel fuel.

In January, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a proposed finding that biofuels derived from palm oil feedstocks failed to meet the standards set by the agency's 2007 renewable fuels mandate. While they were found to have lower life-cycle emissions than conventional gasoline and diesel, palm oil came up short of the 20 percent reduction in related emissions that is required for inclusion in the new biofuel blends.

A public comment period on the finding ended last week after being extended by two months to accommodate the deluge of feedback. Many of the comments submitted came from the palm oil industry, which asserts that the E.P.A.'s estimates of palm oil-related emissions are seriously exaggerated.

Yet there is growing evidence that, if anything, the E.P.A.'s life-cycle emissions calculations for palm oil were too conservative.

A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences used socioeconomic surveys, high-resolution satellite imagery and carbon mapping to plot past and future patterns of land conversion for a representative region in Indonesia, the Ketapang district of West Kalimantan Province in Borneo.

The researchers found that about two-thirds of the land outside protected areas in the study region are now leased to oil palm companies. If these conceded lands are converted to palm-fruit plantations at current expansion rates, one-third of the land in the area will be growing palms and intact forests will shrink to less than 4 percent of land cover by 2020.

One of the most striking trends, in terms of emissions, was a shift toward the development of carbon-dense peatlands for palm oil production, the researchers found. Peatland soils store significant amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

Their study said that by 2008, 70 percent of new plantations were being developed on peatlands; it predicted that up to 90 percent of emissions from palm oil plantations will come from peatlands by 2020.

Recognizing the climate dangers posed by the draining of peatlands for cultivation, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono issued a moratorium on the granting of new palm oil concessions in peatlands last year. This does nothing, however, to prevent development on previously allocated leases on peatlands, which make up an estimated 61 percent of all as-yet undeveloped concessions.

Currently, half of all palm oil in the study area is being grown on peatlands, according to the study, a number that sharply contrasts with the E.P.A.'s estimate of only 13 percent for all of Indonesia.

Kimberly Carlson, a doctoral candidate at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and a co-author of the study, suggested that the outlook was pretty bleak. She said that while she hoped that more palm oil producers would join the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil – currently only 5 percent of the region's producers take part – it was important that laws already on the books be enforced.

"We could talk about new protections and conservation schemes, but there are already laws on the books protecting against the development of peatlands that are more than three meters deep and laws against burning to clear land for palm oil," she said. "But they are not enforced. We do need more protections, but a good place to start would be enforcing the rules that already exist."

Ms. Carlson also drew attention to the impact of palm oil production on local communities. "This isn't just a story of carbon and forests," she said. "There are people who live here and are trying to make a living who are seriously affected by the palm oil industries' land grabs."

Refugees & asylum seekers

160 Afghan asylum seekers launch hunger strike in detention center

Jakarta Globe - May 4, 2012

Tanjungpinang – As many as 160 Afghan asylum seekers detained in the Indonesian city of Tanjungpinang have been holding a hunger strike for over two weeks in protest of their prolonged detention. The detainees are demanding they be released to Australia.

M. Yunus Junaid, the head of Tanjungpinang immigration detention center, said on Friday that some of the detainees had to be hospitalized as a result of their hunger strike.

"This morning, 12 immigrants were rushed to hospital because they lost consciousness," Yunus said, adding that 15 Afghans and three Burmese immigrants had been admitted to a hospital two weeks ago at the beginning of the hunger strike.

Yunus said most of those hospitalized lacked appropriate levels of sugar in their blood. "The standard medical procedures oblige them to undergo a health check if they don't eat for 24 hours. But they refused [the check- up]."

Yunus added more of the immigrants would likely be hospitalized if the strike continues, but said there was little the detention center officers could do other than urging the detainees to eat and monitoring their condition.

The strike, according to Yunus, is meant to pressure the Indonesian government and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to immediately determine the immigrants' statuses as refugees, and fly them to Australia.

Many of the immigrants have been living in the detention center for as long as two years, and some have reportedly threatened to riot if the UNHCR fails to answer their demands.

"We and some officers from the UNHCR have talked them out of the anarchistic actions. [We told them] if they do so, they will face the police," Yunus said.

Indonesia has been a traditional transit point for asylum seekers from western Asia and Africa trying to reach Australia.

At the end of December last year, Indonesia's immigration office reported that the country hosted over 3,600 foreign asylum seekers pending the processing of their statuses by the UNHCR. (Antara/JG)

Australia boat people policy 'causes trouble' for Indonesia: Hajriyanto

Jakarta Globe - May 3, 2012

Hajriyanto Thohari, deputy chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), on Thursday backed away from earlier comments in which he called Australia's policy on towing asylum seeker vessels back to Indonesia "arrogant."

But Hajriyanto didn't completely rescind his criticism, saying the policy "causes trouble" for Indonesia, Australia's National Times reported on Thursday. "The impact of a strong policy will add more problems to Indonesia," he told the National Times.

"It is impossible for Indonesia to deal with the illegal migrant issue alone. We have a very long coastline. It is impossible for us to guard inch by inch of our coastline.

"So Indonesia and Australia should work together well. We hope Australia discusses this problem more with Indonesia to eliminate the implication to our country."

Hajriyanto's earlier comments, which he conceded were "a slip of the tongue on my part," according to the Straight Times, were made during an official meeting with Julie Bishop, Australia's opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman, who was in Jakarta on her first official visit to Indonesia.

The comments were a result of misunderstanding, Hajriyanto said, according to the National Times. While he initially thought Bishop had referred to Australia's "high per capita income" as a reason for its rejecting asylum seekers arriving by boat, he acknowledged later that she had actually referred to its already "high per capita intake" of refugees.

"In my opinion, that view is a view that is solely focused on Australia's perspective, without considering Indonesia at all as the country that experiences the negative impacts of the illegal immigrant issue," Hajriyanto said earlier, Radio Australia reported on Thursday.

Bishop also met with Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, who called Australia's asylum seeker policy "unworkable," Radio Australia said.

Graft & corruption

Who's next as Indonesia's KPK follows money in Angelina case?

Jakarta Globe - May 6, 2012

Ezra Sihite, Rizky Amelia, Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Arientha Primanita – More politicians and businesspeople look likely to be formally implicated in graft cases involving Angelina Sondakh as the Corruption Eradication Commission investigates money transfers to and from her accounts.

The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) submitted on Saturday the names of seven people who received money from Angelina's accounts to the antigraft body, known as the KPK.

"Our investigators are now verifying the names. Some may have been confirmed by now, we will know soon," KPK spokesman Johan Budi said on Sunday.

Additionally, he said, the KPK found that from March to October 2010, there were 16 transfers involving billions of rupiah from several different people to accounts owned by Angelina, the beauty queen turned lawmaker at the center of some high-profile graft scandals involving the ruling Democratic Party.

PPATK head Muhammad Yusuf said on Saturday that the center's analysis of Angelina's bank records had uncovered seven people who had received money transfers from Angelina. He declined to disclose the names, but said the information had been reported to the KPK. "The KPK is still handling the case. I don't want to comment," he said.

Yusuf also would not say if any of the people were lawmakers in the House of Representatives, as is Angelina, a former deputy secretary general of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democrats.

According to Yusuf, the KPK might be able to charge Angelina and the seven other people under both the anti-money laundering and anti-corruption laws.

Angelina, 34, who was Miss Indonesia in 2001, was named a suspect by the KPK in February for allegedly receiving bribes in the Rp 198 billion ($21.6 million) construction of an athletes' village in Palembang, South Sumatra, for last year's Southeast Asian Games.

During the trial of the Democrats' former treasurer, Muhammad Nazaruddin, several witnesses testified that Angelina had received Rp 2 billion from Nazaruddin's Permai Group.

Nazaruddin was recently found guilty and sentenced to four years and 10 months in prison by the Jakarta Anti-Corruption Court for his role in the scandal.

Angelina was arrested last week after being implicated in a second case, this on involving an Education Ministry lab equipment procurement project for several universities. The project involved 16 state universities across the country and Rp 600 billion in public funds.

At the time of both alleged crimes, Angelina was a member of the House Budget Committee, which approves allocations for the state budget.

Oce Madril, from Gadjah Mada University's Center for Anti-Corruption Studies in Yogyakarta, urged the KPK to use both the anti-corruption and anti-money laundering laws to expand its probe.

"By using the combination of both laws, the KPK could root out Angelina's network, either government officials, politicians or businesspeople," he said in Jakarta on Saturday.

According to Oce, if Angelina cooperated, many more people would be implicated in both the SEA Games and Education Ministry scandals. "The KPK should not hesitate to investigate politically wired figures if it has strong preliminary evidence," he said.

Deputy house speaker quizzed by KPK

Jakarta Globe - May 3, 2012

Rizky Amelia – Deputy House Speaker Anis Matta from the Prosperous Justice Party was at the Corruption Eradication Office on Thursday for questioning as witness in the 2011 Infrastructure Development Acceleration [PPID] program.

"[He is] being questioned in relation to the suspect WON [Wa Ode Nurhayati]," KPK spokesman Priharsa Nugraha said on Thursday.

Wa Ode was accused of accepting bribes to ensure the Development Acceleration funding was allocated to projects in three districts in Aceh. Wa Ode allegedly received approximately Rp 6 billion ($654,000) between October and Nov. 2010 in exchange for her help in securing Rp 40 billion in funds for the three districts.

But recently, Wa Ode said that Anis initiated the allocation, regardless of the criteria for disbursing funds for the less developed regions in Aceh. Anis alledgedly instigated the decision by sending a letter explaining to the finance ministers that the regions deserved the funding.

Anis has denied the accusation, saying that he was not involved in the budget talks in 2011. "Wa Ode Nurhayati's case is a bribery matter personally given to her for her capacity as member of the House budgetary body," Anis said on Thursday.

Anis said that starting from the budget discussion and its ultimate approval by the House and Finance Ministry, he and other House leaders were not involved. "It is not the domain of the House leaders, it is the domain of budgetary body of the House and the Finance Ministry," Anis said.

Indonesia's graftbusters offer Angelina a leniency deal

Jakarta Globe - May 1, 2012

Ezra Sihite, Rizky Amelia & Natasia Christy Wahyuni – Lawmakers, including some from the ruling Democratic Party, welcomed the antigraft agency's offer on Tuesday to enlist graft suspect Angelina Sondakh as a justice collaborator to track down others implicated in her case.

In the proposed deal, Democratic lawmaker Angelina would share information with prosecutors in exchange for as-yet undefined leniency, said Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK)deputy chairman Zulkarnain.

"The KPK is clearly convinced that Angelina is not the mastermind of the corruption case related to the athletes' village or corruption cases at the Education and Culture Ministry," said Martin Hutabarat, a member of House of Representatives Commission III, which oversees legal affairs.

The Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) lawmaker said the offer showed that the KPK believed there were other bribe-recipients on the House Budget Committee, of which Angelina was formerly a member, or House Commission X, which oversees youth and sports affairs.

Deputy House Speaker Pramono Anung welcomed the offer, saying the KPK should use whatever strategy it saw fit to eradicate corruption.

"It is up to them, not to us. The KPK knows better than anyone, including myself," the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) official said. "How Abraham Samad wants to untangle the web is for him to decide," he said, referring to the chairman of the KPK.

He said achieving results was vital, as reports of corruption continued and cases seemed to be getting increasingly sophisticated. He noted that when people with political influence were implicated, the law appeared ineffective.

Democratic Party secretary general Saan Mustopa said the party would support Angelina if she decided to accept the deal.

"Even without the offer to act as a whistleblower, she certainly would have helped to solve the case. There is nothing she would cover up, as this is a part of the commitment by all to unravel the truth," Saan said.

He asked that the KPK be transparent in the investigation. "The Democrats will have no problem with it if it is to uncover the truth," Saan added.

On Tuesday, the KPK allowed Angelina to receive medical treatment for a sinus infection, KPK spokesman Johan Budi said, adding that she was due to return to detention later in the day.

He said the KPK had not received a demand for a stay of detention from Angelina's lawyer, who had previously said her rematernal responsibilities meant she should be released.

[Additional reporting from Suara Pembaruan]

Hard-line & vigilante groups

Is Indonesia's hard-line FPI immune to the long arm of the law?

Jakarta Globe - May 7, 2012

Ezra Sihite, Bayu Marhaenjati, Dessy Sagita & Farouk Arnaz – Tantowi Anwari never thought the T-shirt he wore, reading "Fight the tyranny of majority," would get him into trouble, let alone land him in a local police station.

The pro-religious freedom activist was set upon by hundreds of members of the hard-line Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) on Sunday for standing up for his beliefs. The FPI has also in recent days clashed with a local community in Solo when they tried to sweep a local neighborhood for alcohol and disrupted a book discussion in Jakarta.

The FPI's routine disregard for the law and well-documented tendency to ride roughshod over local communities has been widely criticized, but to date only minimal action has been taken against its members by the authorities.

In Bekasi, hundreds of people from the FPI forced Tantowi to take off the T-shirt while a few hard-liners landed punches and kicks to his body as police struggled to get him to safety. When police took him to a nearby police station, he was questioned but his assailants remained untouched.

The incident is just one of many cases of special treatment that the FPI and other hard-line groups are accused of enjoying from law enforcers.

On Friday, the FPI – labeled by human rights activists and security groups as a band of vigilantes – broke into a discussion at Salihara in South Jakarta, where a Canadian author, Irshad Manji, was supposed to talk about her latest book, "Allah, Liberty and Love."

It was evident that police had prior knowledge of the FPI's intent to harass people attending the discussion. Minutes before the FPI broke in, police ordered the event to be disbanded. "Police said that they would not provide protection if the discussion continued," Salihara program manager Ening Nurjanah said.

The FPI is notorious for interrupting such forums. Last year in Surabaya, the local FPI branch harassed a discussion on pluralism. Police were there to bring a halt to the discussion, claiming that the event had not secure a required permit.

"These [cases] show that police are facilitating demands from Muslim groups and not acting as law enforcers," Salihara curator and writer Sitok Srengenge said.

Police again used the permit excuse to justify halting the Salihara discussion. "There were complaints from the local community and a particular group against the book discussion," Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said. "After police checked, [the discussion] had no permit."

He said Salihara should have sought a police permit, given the sensitivity of the issue discussed. "Irshad Manji is a lesbian discussing a book that would offend common Islamic beliefs," the police officer insisted.

LGBT activist Hartoyo said minority groups were often left unprotected by police in the face of hard-line groups. "There is no protection for groups considered to be 'amoral,'?" he said.

Besides human rights considerations, such unlawful acts carried out by mass organizations with impunity, according to Aviliani, an economist at the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef), could scare off potential investors.

Aviliani, who is also a member of influential think tank the National Economic Committee (KEN), called on the government to re-evaluate the existence of such mass organizations. "The government must start now. Once the size of these organizations grows bigger, it will create more problems," she said.

Analysts have also presciently warned that authorities' lack of action might create further unrest and force those harassed to take the law into their own hands.

Two people were seriously injured when residents of Gandekan village in Solo attacked FPI members on Friday and Saturday. But the resentment toward the FPI took an even more violent turn in Bogor when some 30 unidentified people attacked and killed 36-year-old FPI member Mustofa on Sunday.

"We have never been violent, but we always become the target," claimed Muhammad Zaini, the head of the FPI in Bogor. "Don't blame us if we search for these killers ourselves."

[Additional reporting by Hangga Brata, Vento Saudale & Zaky Pawas.]

Lawmaker: Police powerless against FPI

Jakarta Globe - May 7, 2012

Ezra Sihite – A member of House Commission III that oversees legal and human rights affairs, demanded on Monday that the National Police chief admit being powerless when dealing with intolerant groups, including the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI).

"The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) sent a note to the National Police chief about his first year of leadership because intolerant groups are escalating with worsening violence," Eva Kusuma Sundari, a lawmaker from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, said on Monday.

"After a year of his [Timur Pradopo] leadership, the intolerant groups are getting worse. Meanwhile, during his fit and proper test, he answered my question that he would prioritize legal enforcement as a norm, and whoever committed a crime would be jailed."

According to Eva, there were several recent incidents when police failed to prevent or resolve clashes.

The first case was a clash between the FPI and a group in Solo, Central Java. Police allegedly did not act when people were carrying weapons.

The second incident happened in Jakarta when South Jakarta police and the FPI disbanded a discussion by Canadian feminist Irshad Manji in Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta.

Another incident was a conflict between locals and church members of HKBP Filadelfia, Bekasi. Tantowi Anwari, an activist from the Journalists Union for Diversity (Sejuk), was beaten at the conflict allegedly by FPI members.

"The attackers were not touched and victims were sacrificed, showing the bad attitude of the police," Eva said. "This is against the law and it triggers dangerous and long conflicts."

She said police did not do anything when intolerant groups "hijacked" police authority, leaving the impression that police were afraid of the groups. "So, in the upcoming working meeting with police in two weeks, we will put this issue as the main agenda to be discussed," Eva said.

Bogor police arrest man who allegedly killed FPI member

Antara News - May 7, 2012

Bogor – In a quick move, Bogor police arrested a man believed to have killed a member of the Islamic Defenders Force, a unit of the FPI.

"Thank God, in less than 24 hours, we successfully arrested the perpetrator," Bogor police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Hilman said. The alleged perpetrator, Ival Reza Yulia Mahendra, alias Bolang bin Hendrawan, was arrested in his house in Cijeruk, Bogor.

Mustofa, 36, was attacked and killed when he and his friends tried to mediate between two groups involved in a brawl early on Sunday. He was stabbed in the back with a silver machete by Ival.

Mustofa, a member of the Islamic Defenders Force (LPI), a unit of the FPI, was on his way home with an entourage of 30 people on 10 motorbikes and two cars after attending a Koran reading when his group encountered an ongoing brawl between two groups.

The groups did not want FPI members, who were wearing white uniforms, to intervene in the conflict, so they attacked them.

Chairman of the FPI Bogor chapter, Muhammad Zaini, had earlier threatened the police to immediately find the murderer. "We'll let the police find the murderer," Zaini said. "If not, don't blame us if we search [for the murderer] ourselves."

Murder suspect claims FPI initiated clash in Bogor

Jakarta Globe - May 7, 2012

Vento Saudale, Bogor – The alleged murder suspect in the killing of an Islamic Defenders Force (LPI), a unit of the FPI, member said on Monday his group was only defending themselves after LPI members threw stones at them.

"We were hanging out in a group consisting of four to seven people," suspect Ival Reza Yulia Mahendra said. "But then that group [LPI] came and threw stones. So we fought with that group."

Based on statements from four LPI members given to police, the LPI claimed they tried to mediate a brawl between two groups. Instead of making peace, the people involved in the brawl shifted their target and attacked LPI members.

Ival said he spontaneously stabbed Mustofa with a 80-centimeter long machete. Mustofa died from the injury. "I didn't know that he died," Ival said.

Bogor police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Hilman said Ival was arrested at his house when he was sleeping at 1 a.m. Police said the suspect would be charged with article 351 on abuse that carries a maximum sanction of seven years.

Freedom of religion & worship

Bekasi church victims skip local level, file report with National Police

Jakarta Post - May 7, 2012

Mustaqim Adamrah, Jakarta – A journalist says he is avoiding local police and has filed a complaint with the National Police claiming that the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) disrupted services at the Batak Protestant Christian Union (HKBP) Filadelfia church in Bekasi, West Java, on Sunday.

Tantowi Anwari, a member of the Association of Journalists for Diversity (Sejuk), said he filed his complaint on Sunday night, just after members of the hard-line group allegedly assaulted him.

The journalist told the police that several men under the FPI Tambun's branch allegedly detained, questioned and abused him for wearing a t-shirt that said "Say no to tyranny of the majority."

"My back was scuffed, my hair was pulled and my hands were scratched. I don't know who did what to me because it was so chaotic," Tantowi told The Jakarta Post.

"There was actually a police officer from the Tambun precinct next to me when they [the FPI] interrogated me, but he could do nothing because we were outnumbered."

The FPI's members also allegedly forced him to take off his t-shirt, as well as to produce his ID card to make sure he was a Muslim, Tantowi said.

Tantowi said he filed his report with the National Police following what he said were inaccurate statements made by Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto.

Rikwanto previously said that Tantowi was not assaulted, but was "almost hit", because he wore a "provocative" t-shirt, and that a group of people who attacked Tantowi did not come from any particular mass organization.

Tantowi said he gave police a hospital report listing the injuries and trauma he sustained from the FPI on Sunday. "The medical record says I sustained trauma from blunt force," he said.

Tantowi said a female churchgoer, identified only as Rajagukguk, and the congregation's head, Rev. Palti Panjaitan, also filed reports with the National Police. He said one of the Public Order Agency officers (Satpol PP) allegedly "threatened" Rajagukguk should she refuse to leave.

"A group of people and a number of public order officers chased her, and one of the officers asked her if she already had kids or not," Tantowi said. "The officer said to her, 'if you don't want to leave, you may lose your life here'."

Meanwhile, Palti said he told the police about the ban his congregation had to deal with every Sunday. "The [Bekasi] administration and mass groups have banned us from praying. This is what we reported to the police," he told the Post.

Palti said that several members of the crowd shouted that he was to blame for the congregation's woes. The construction of HKBP Filadelfia's church was halted by the Bekasi administration in 2010, claiming that residents living near the church site objected to it.

Activist stripped, beaten in defense of churchgoers

Jakarta Post - May 6, 2012

Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – A rights activist from the Association of Journalists for Diversity (Sejuk), Tantowi Anwari, was stripped and beaten by dozens of members of the notorious Islamic Defender Front (FPI) in the midst of his efforts to support the Filadelfia Batak Protestant Church congregation's right to attend a controversial mass.

"The FPI members were apparently angry because I wore a t-shirt with the statement, 'say no for majority's tyranny'. They considered my t-shirt against Islam as the country's majority," he told The Jakarta Post on Sunday. "They didn't want to listen to any word I say that I am here to defend the congregation's right to perform ritual."

He said after FPI members found him they dragged him and stripped him of his shirt. He recalled being beaten by the crowd. He said he was then brought to the FPI Tambun branch leader Nurhali Barda and then questioned surrounding his motives to wear such a 'provocative' t-shirt and advocating the rights of churchgoers.

He acknowledged that Nurhali had in fact confiscated his ID card and told him that he would keep the ID card until he could determine Tantowi's role. In the middle of the interrogation, I was saved by a police officer who brought me to the Tambun Police precinct," he said.

When asked about whether he would like to take any legal action regarding the incident, Tantowi said he had to discuss the matter first with other activists before announcing future action.

Indonesia fears growing intolerance due in part to what some critics perceive as an idle state apparatus and central administration.

Bekasi church again barred from services

Jakarta Post - May 6, 2012

Jakarta – Worshippers from the Filadelfia Batak Protestant Union (HKBP) church in Bekasi regency, West Java, again were stopped from performing Sunday services by a mob of local residents.

Some 150 members of the Filadelfia HKBP congregation who had arrived at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday found several hundred protesters had blocked all roads leading to the church in Jejalen Jaya village, North Tambun district.

Despite the presence of eight trucks' worth of Bekasi Public Order Agency officers stationed around the church to maintain security, HKBP leaders said they had to cancel services due to the tense conditions.

This follows a trend of the congregation constantly being blocked from accessing the church grounds. On April 22, about 500 protesters cordoned off the church's entryways. A lawyer for the church, Saor Siagian, blamed local leaders for creating conditions that allowed the protests to take place.

"These local residents are taking advantage of the Bekasi regency administration's stance over our right to worship," Saor said on Sunday, referring to the way that local leaders had halted construction for the church in 2010.

Saor also criticized protesters for taking their anger out on worshipers. "If local residents have a problem with our church, they should complain to the government. They shouldn't mob us or prevent us from worshiping," Saor told The Jakarta Post.

Filadelfia HKBP pastor Palti Panjaitan said his flock would continue to fight for their right to worship. "Asking that we move out of the area and worship somewhere else won't solve the problem," Palti said.

"If we appease the people who disagree with us being here, it is logically no different from having President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono step down in order to appease people who don't like his presidency."

Palti said that they will conduct next week's Sunday services in front of the Presidential Palace. They will be joined by churchgoers from the Yasmin Indonesian Christian Church (GKI), another church congregation that has similarly been barred from worshipping and building a church.

Construction for Yasmin GKI church in Bogor was halted by the Bogor city administration in 2008, despite the fact that the church had secured a building permit. (png/cor)

Churchgoers refuse relocation plan

Jakarta Post - May 5, 2012

Theresia Sufa, Bogor – The congregation of the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) Yasmin in Taman Yasmin, Bogor, West Java, demanded on Friday that the city administration abide by the law and open the church for services.

"We are against the relocation plan offered by the Bogor administration because it contravenes the law," church spokesman Bona Sigalingging told The Jakarta Post. "The Supreme Court has ordered the reopening of our church."

He was responding to a statement made by Ade Sarip Hidayat, administrative affairs assistant to the Bogor mayor, about the relocation plan.

Ade Sarip told the Post on Friday that the administration had made several offers to GKI Yasmin to relocate the church, citing pressures from local residents as the reason.

The first option was to move the church to a plot of land on Jl. Suryakencana; the second was to offer the churchgoers Harmoni building, for which the rental fees would be borne by the administration; and the last option was to move the church to a 1,000-square-meter plot of land on Jl. Semeru.

"All of the options have been rejected by the church," he said. "We also offered another solution in which a mosque would be built adjacent to the church, but the church has dismissed that, too."

According to Bona, however, the administration had never made the offers to the churchgoers.

"We didn't know anything about those offers; we only found out about them from the media. But the point is, if the solution is relocation to anywhere, anytime, we can't accept it because we consider it to be illegal, violating the Supreme Court's ruling and the ombudsman's recommendations," Bona said.

The dispute over the church building began in 2001, when the congregation purchased land in Curug Mekar, West Bogor.

Despite obtaining a building permit from the Bogor administration in 2005, Mayor Diani Budiarto later revoked GKI Yasmin's permit in 2008, saying the church forged documents to gain it, which the caretakers have always strenuously denied.

Diani ignored a Supreme Court ruling ordering the reopening of the church and a recommendation from the National Ombudsman Commission saying that members of the GKI Yasmin congregation should be allowed to perform religious practices in their own church.

In February, the House of Representatives also ignored the Supreme Court's ruling and told the churchgoers to try to resolve the dispute with the local administration. The House also mandated the central government to step in and provide room for mediation of the conflict.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Advisory Council and the National Defense Council (Wantannas) brokered a month's negotiations between the disputing parties, but Diani skipped all meetings.

Diani sent an official letter to be read during the last meeting on Wednesday which, according to Wantannas' secretary-general, Lt. Gen. Junianto Haroen, was in line with the council's idea of building a mosque next to the church as a solution and, therefore, concluded that the dispute was nearly settled.

The next day, however, the administration rejected the mosque idea, saying that the offer they had made to GKI Yasmin churchgoers and local residents was obsolete.

University of Indonesia (UI) social science and politics professor, Otho Hernowo Hadi, said Thursday that Diani had only exacerbated tensions between his administration and GKI Yasmin by his absence at the mediation sessions.

"It is the responsibility of officials like Diani to lead mediation whenever there are social tensions. Diani's absence has also reduced the public's faith in the law."

Clerics urge vigilance against Shia teachings

Jakarta Post - May 4, 2012

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – Clerics from various Islamic organizations in West Java affiliated with the Indonesian Ulema and Ummah Forum (FUUI) have called on the public to be wary of Shia teachings that they claim are heretical and deviating from Islam.

FUUI head Athian Ali, representing 200 clerics from organizations like Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Muhammadiyah, Hidayatullah, Al-Irsyad and Indonesian Muslim Unity (PUI), discussed the issue last week at an event in Bandung, which West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan attended.

"There are at least three objections to Shia teachings. Firstly, Shia considers that the current Koran has been corrupted," Athian told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. "Secondly, it recalls that only Shiite clerics hold the ultimate authority to interpret the hadiths,"

"Thirdly, contractual marriage is consented to and can be carried out for two hours, 10 days or 10 years, which according to us is legalizing prostitution. Such matters are deviating from and have tarnished the religion."

Athian also urged the government to close all "Iranian Corners" programs set up by Iranian diplomats in a number of universities across the country. The ulemas claimed the presence of Iranian Corners was part of a campaign to promote Shia through educational programs.

Athian said the propagation of the sect was also carried out through a scholarship program for 200 children annually, in which they are obliged to be Shiite.

The appeal to be alert of Shia was also expressed by Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) secretary Rafani Akhyar, who said although an edict declaring Shia as heretical has not been issued, the state should watch out for its political movements as he believed the establishment of Shia state is among the pillars of the faith.

"There are apparently basic differences as well as resistance but MUI has yet to issue an edict on heresy. From the religious aspects, I am not too concerned, because teachings among Sunni Muslims are already strong. What we need to be worried about instead is from the political aspects. If Shia thrives, it could change our state system," Rafani said.

In regards to Heryawan's presence in the event, West Java provincial spokesman Ruddy Gandakusumah said the governor did not comment on a decision on Shia ban in West Java. But Ruddy said the governor could not ignore the aspirations of the ulemas.

"So far, there is not yet any plan to issue a gubernatorial decree on banning Shia in West Java," Ruddy said.

Previously, the East Java provincial administration disclosed it may go ahead with its plan to issue a bylaw on the spread of religion regarded as capable of causing sectarian strife and disturbing public order.

"The bylaw is still being discussed. It doesn't mean that the government bans a person from embracing a religion, but we will ban the spread of faiths that are capable of disrupting peace and order within the community," East Java Deputy Governor Saifullah said on Friday.

The idea to enact the ordinance is part of the response to demands from Sunni clerics in Madura and the local MUI chapter to ban Shia.

Government to keep an eye on alleged anti-Shiite movements

Jakarta Post - May 3, 2012

Jakarta – The government will monitor anti-Shiite groups in the regions of West Java and East Java "very seriously", Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar has warned.

Nasaruddin said that outlawing the Shia sect would be "a very serious problem", arguing that even conservative Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia have never banned the denomination.

"We must also be very careful with this issue, because it may disturb our relations with countries like Iran, which has many citizens who follow the Shia teachings," he said in response to anti-Shiite sentiments in West Java and East Java.

In East Java, several Sunni clerics in Madura and other areas in the province have asked the local administration to issue a regulation limiting the spread of Shia Islam, arguing that the sect matched the criteria for heresy issued by the Indonesian Ulema Council in 2007.

Last December, hundreds of people burned four houses, a prayer house and other facilities at a boarding school run by Tajul Muluk, a Shiite leader. Tajul is standing trial on blasphemy charges. In West Java, Sunni clerics have warned people to avoid the spread of Shia Islam in the area.

Nasaruddin, a lecturer of Koran interpretation, said that while all citizens were free to propose regulations for local administrations, bylaws should not oppose the Constitution.

In response to complaints of bylaws restricting religious teachings, mainly those of the Ahmadiyah sect, the Home Ministry has said they do not violate the Constitution and the regional autonomy law.

Contacted separately, Muslim scholar Komaruddin Hidayat said that Shiite followers have always been a part of the history of Islam, citing that people debating their existence "had never studied history".

"Shia followers in the past contributed a lot to Islam, in terms of knowledge. Therefore, Sunni ulema, particularly in Saudi Arabia, have never debated their existence," he said.

He urged the government to protect Shia followers from any attack, saying that the government must preserve inter-faith harmony by avoiding bylaws that could destroy the nation's unity.

Meanwhile, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) executive board chairman Said Aqil Siradj said that while Shiite teachings differed from mainstream Islam in Indonesia, the NU has never asked the government to ban Shia followers.

"The Prophet Muhammad has told us that we must not fight each other regardless of our differences," he told the Post. (asa)

Church dispute solution: 'No need to appease majority'

Jakarta Post - May 3, 2012

Jakarta – Human rights activists and political observers have criticized the outcome of a recent meeting between the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) Yasmin in Bogor, West Java, and the city's administration in which "win-win" compromise will see a mosque built adjacent to the church.

This followed a series of mediation sessions between church representatives, the administration, members of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Advisory Council and the National Defense Council, which ended on Wednesday.

According to Indonesian Human Rights Committee for Social Justice's (IHCS) chief executive, Gunawan, the government should not have required GKI Yasmin to accept the construction of the mosque.

"The state should not prescribe requirements on individuals or communities in what they worship or where they worship," Gunawan said on Thursday.

"Suppose I was trying to build a mosque in Bali. Am I automatically required to build a Hindu temple right next to my mosque? Of course not. Religious minority groups should not be obligated to appease majority groups for the right to worship."

"If the state wants to use my taxes to build such things, that's fine, so long as they follow the proper procedures. In this case, they didn't."

Driyarkara School of Philosophy sociologist B. Herry-Priyono said Thursday that the proposal was "a very ridiculous idea" that would create even more tension.

"According to the Constitution, the government must protect minority groups. However, such a policy could be a time bomb for us because the government did not consider the needs of religious followers to have their own space," he told The Jakarta Post over the phone.

"What will the government do if there was a battle of loudspeakers there?" he said, adding that the followers of each religion need at least 200 to 300 meters of space from the other group.

A University of Indonesia social science and politics professor, Otho Hernowo Hadi, said that Bogor Mayor Diani Budiarto exacerbated tensions between his administration and GKI Yasmin by his absence at the mediation sessions.

"It is the responsibility of officials like Diani to lead mediation whenever there are social tensions. Diani's absence also lowers the public faith in the law."

There are ways for leaders to prevent violence without having to limit religious liberties, Otho said.

"The government has to be vigilant in promoting mediation forums to resolve social disputes. In this case, the regional administration should open up religious tolerance forums. And in this case, of course, Diani should help lead them," Otho said.

However, despite their criticisms of the recent outcome, both Gunawan and Otho were optimistic that the Bogor and GKI Yasmin communities can coexist peacefully.

"Look at Nusa Dua in Bali. There they have an entire row of religious worship buildings next to one another. There is no conflict there. A Hindu can worship next door to a Muslim or any other religion without any problems. They're relaxed. Religious harmony is a practical reality," he said.

Meanwhile, Abdul Muti, secretary of Muhammadiyah, the country's second- largest Muslim group, said that the solution "would be okay" as long as it was in line with the procedures of building a prayer house.

"I think it will not be deemed as an act of coercion if they follow the law. Look at the case of the Jakarta Cathedral standing side-by-side with the Istiqlal Mosque, or other cases such as in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, where a churche's walls sometimes fuse with a mosque's," Abdul said.

Separately, Ahmad Suaedy, executive director of the Wahid Institute, a nongovernmental organization focusing on pluralism, said moving the church building was a better option.

"They need to be wise. Building the church in that location, even though it has been ordered by the Supreme Court, will only lead to further conflict," he said The dispute over the church building started in 2001, when the congregation purchased land in Curug Mekar, West Bogor.

Despite being able to get a building permit from the Bogor administration in 2005, Diani later revoked GKI Yasmin's permit in 2008, saying that the church forged documents to gain the permit, which the caretakers denied.

Diani ignored a Supreme Court ruling ordering the opening of the church and a recommendation from the National Ombudsman Commission saying that members of the GKI Yasmin congregation should be allowed to perform religious practices in their own church. (png/asa)

Indonesian police investigate alleged Ahmadiyah mosque attack in West Java

Antara News - May 2, 2012

Police in Tasikmalaya, West Java, said they were investigating whether an attack on a mosque belonging to the Ahmadiyah minority Islamic sect in Kotawaringin village actually occurred.

Adj. Sr. Comr. Irman Sugema, the Tasikmalaya Police chief, said on Wednesday that his office was questioning several people in the case, including members of the sect.

Unknown attackers are reported to have ransacked the mosque in the early hours of Wednesday, but Irman said police were still looking for proof that the attack took place.

"The area now is clean, so we have to check whether anything was ever damaged to begin with," he said.

A joint police and military patrol has been posted to the mosque. The building is two kilometers from the nearest villagers' homes.

GKI Yasmin church can reopen if a mosque is built next door: Bogor Mayor

Jakarta Globe - May 2, 2012

Camelia Pasandaran – Bogor's embattled GKI Yasmin church can reopen, as long as a mosque is built next door, Bogor mayor Diani Budiarto said in a letter to the Presidential Advisory Board (Wantimpres) on Wednesday.

Bogor's administration sealed the church in April of 2010, forcing the beleaguered 300-member congregation to hold mass in front of the church or, at times, in private. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the church in 2010, but Diani ignored the ruling, leaving the congregation without a house of worship.

Now, as long as a mosque is built next door, the church may reopen. Diani said that he coined the idea adding that he floated the idea to GKI Yasmin's congregation in September 2011. The church decline the offer, the mayor said.

But Bona Sigalingging, spokesman for the GKI Yasmin church, said that exchange never happened. GKI Yasmin officials still welcomed the idea.

"Let's think positively that the mayor might try to communicate his idea to build a mosque near by GKI Yasmin, like the Cathedral and Istiqlal mosque [which sit side by side in Jakarta]," Bona said. "But for GKI Yasmin, this [will hopefully] solve the case." Albert Hasibuan, of Wantimpres, heralded the idea as a break through in solving the conflict.

"This is new and promising solution," Albert said. "A mosque built near to the location of GKI Yasmin is an implementation of the law [that says the] country [should] maintain the concept of unity among diversity."

It is unclear when the church will reopen, but Wantimpres will meet with Diani to discuss the move, Albert said.

Legislation & parliament

Indonesian lawmakers defend Berlin visit, say it cost Rp 1 billion

Jakarta Globe - May 7, 2012

Ezra Sihite – Indonesian lawmakers defended last month's highly criticized trip to Berlin on Monday, stating that visiting lawmakers were in Germany to attend meetings about defense contracts and that politicians used their own money to bring family members along.

Eleven lawmakers, including members of the House of Representatives Commission I, were in Germany from April 22 to 24 when, during a visit with Indonesian students studying abroad, they were ridiculed and asked how much tax payer money was spent on the trip.

The students accused the lawmakers of wasting Rp 3.1 billion ($337,900) on the trip and likened them to wide-eyed "country bumpkins" visiting Jakarta for the first time on a video posted on YouTube.

But Hayono Isman, head of the House Commission I, said that the criticism was unfair on Monday, explaining that lawmakers only spent Rp 1 billion on the trip and had clear reasons for being in Germany. House politicians met with executives of Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) to discuss Indonesia's controversial purchase of Leopard tanks.

Lawmakers also met with the spokesman of Germany's ruling Christian Democratic Union (to discuss democracy in Indonesia) and the Indonesian ambassador in Germany (to discuss building an Indonesian Embassy in Berlin).

The Berlin embassy is currently in a rented building next to a prison, Hayono said. "The Commission I supports the Indonesian embassy's plan to build its own office in Berlin, given that the current location is too near a women's prison and is not representative of our mission in Berlin," Hayono said.

Among the eleven lawmakers in Berlin were: Nurhayati Ali Assegaf and Vena Melinda from the Democratic Party, Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq and Salim Mengga from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Muchamad Ruslan from the Golkar Party and Heri Akhmadi from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). (BeritaSatu/JG)

Indonesian lawmakers sent off to recess with $105,000 in their pockets

Jakarta Globe - May 7, 2012

Agus Triyono & Ezra Sihite – Each lawmaker in the House of Representatives will reportedly receive Rp 963 million ($105,000) in recess budget funds this year, a 57 percent increase from the Rp 611 million allocated in 2011.

Uchok Sky Khadafi, from the Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (Fitra), slammed the increase, saying lawmakers did little of value for the people during recesses.

"All the programs and activities during recess are very ceremonial and boring, as boring as listening to President SBY's speeches, and the people don't get any benefit from the activities," he said on Saturday.

Uchok also said many lawmakers who took the budgeted recess funds didn't bother holding any activities during their breaks from the legislature in Jakarta.

"It was some lawmakers themselves who said that," he said. "They took the money but didn't engage in any recess activities. But we haven't investigated that yet." Uchok declined to name the lawmakers who had taken the money and pocketed it instead of using it for events.

Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker Eva Kusuma Sundari denied that recess funds were so lavish, but declined to say how much they did get. "It can't be Rp 1.5 billion, you can buy a house with that," she said.

Eva said the House secretary general required lawmakers to submit a report and documentation to support their claims about recess activities that made use of state funds.

She added, however, that she couldn't say for sure whether her colleagues complied with the requirement. "As for myself, I make a narrative report," she said.

'Evil spirit' in the House: Lawmaker

Jakarta Post - May 3, 2012

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Lawmaker Martin Hutabarat from the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) says the presence of an "evil spirit" at the House of Representatives has prompted many lawmakers to become corrupt.

"There is an evil spirit here. That is why many of us are also evil," he said Thursday at the House during a discussion, following the arrest of graft suspect Angelina Sondakh.

Angelina is implicated in alleged bribery over the construction of the last year's SEA Games athletes' village, along with former Democratic Party treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin and fellow lawmaker I Wayan Koster from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

He added that the presence of the evil spirit also moved corrupt lawmakers to "sacrifice" others in their evil deeds. "A lawmaker who is proven guilty of any irregularities will immediately find that others are also punished," he said.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has also detained National Mandate Party (PAN) lawmaker Wa Ode Nurhayati over her alleged involvement in the illegal disbursement of the Regional Infrastructure Development Acceleration (PPID) funds in 2010.

While confessing to wrongdoing, Nurhayati urged the anti-graft body to question fellow lawmakers Melchias Markus Mekeng (Golkar), Tamsil Linrung (PKS), Olly Dondokambey (PDI-P) and Mirwan Amir (Democratic Party) for their alleged roles in the scandal. (dmr)

Scrap house foreign travel fund: Fitra

Jakarta Globe - May 1, 2012

A budget watchdog is urging the House of Representatives to scrap its budget for trips abroad.

The Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (Fitra) says the trips are a waste of public funds, citing a team of lawmakers who went to Germany and were found by student associations to have traveled with their families and taken time out for shopping.

The Indonesian Student Association of Berlin (PPI) and the German chapter of Nahdlatul Ulama last week ridiculed the lawmakers visiting the German capital, likening them to "country bumpkins" and calling the trip a waste of state funds.

"The Indonesian community there saw them shopping, and this is clearly tourism disguised as duty," said Uchok Sky Khadafi, a Fitra investigation coordinator.

Though the lawmakers said their families' travel expenses were separate from their own, Uchok aired doubts. "Did they all eat separately? Didn't they all go together? Doesn't that mean it all gets paid for by the state?" Uchok said.

If the trip was really for work, he said, the lawmakers should have traveled solo. "How can they say that their families weren't distracting them from their jobs? It would clearly be a distraction," he said.

In addition to the Germany trip, Fitra says lawmakers have visited the United States, Poland, the Czech Republic and South Africa, while others are still in Denmark, among other countries.

The budget allotment this year for House overseas visits is Rp 140.9 billion ($15.3 million), Rp 3.4 billion more than last year's allotment of Rp 137.5 billion, Uchok said.

These trips have been widely criticized after lawmakers in March rejected the government's proposal to bring the budget deficit under control by swiftly raising the price of subsidized fuel.

Jakarta & urban life

FPI 'black' operations meant to undermine Jokowi: Lawmaker

Jakarta Globe - May 5, 2012

Ezra Sihite & Hangga Brata – Opposition lawmaker Eva Kusuma Sundari on Saturday accused the Islamic Defenders Front of trying to sabotage Solo Mayor Joko Widodo's bid for the Jakarta governorship.

After 500 members of the hardline group known as FPI instigated a conflict with locals in Solo's Gandekan village on Friday and injured two people, Eva said the incident was part of a "black campaign" to undermine the security credentials of Joko, better known as Jokowi.

Jokowi and his running mate Basuki "Ahok" Purnama are backed by Eva's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) in the upcoming elections, scheduled for July 11.

"As we've suspected, attacks on Jokowi-Ahok are intensifying ahead of the gubernatorial election. They are aimed at lowering the electability of the pair as they're getting more popular," Eva said in a press statement on Saturday.

The FPI mob was hunting members of a local gang led by one Iwan Wallet, according to Solo-based Seruu Radio.

"The clash between FPI and Wallet had been planned nearing the weekend, when Jokowi was scheduled to campaign in Jakarta. It was intended to create an impression that Jokowi is unable to maintain security," Eva said. "This is a black campaign," she added. Jokowi is one of six candidates running for Jakarta's governorship.

The others are incumbent Fauzi Bowo, South Sumatra Governor Alex Noerdin, former People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) speaker Hidayat Nurwahid, economist Faisal Basri and retired military general Hendardji Soepandji. The latter two are running as independents. (BeritaSatu/JG)

Jakarta road 'jockeys' help motorists skirt the rules

Jakarta Globe - May 3, 2012

Arlina Arshad – Jakarta's carpooling laws were meant to ease traffic jams. Instead, they have spawned an industry of professional hitchhikers who help drivers comply with highway rules – for a fee.

Hundreds of men, women and children line the main arteries of the Indonesian capital every weekday, offering to ride in private vehicles during rush hours, when cars are obliged to carry at least three passengers on key stretches.

The "jockeys" – as they are known – do not stick out their thumbs like typical hitchhikers around the world. Here, one finger signifies a jockey working solo, while two offers a pair, usually a mother with a child in tow or a baby in a batik sling.

In a country where millions are struggling to climb out of poverty and into an expanding middle class the jockeys – who charge about a dollar a ride – have turned their services into a career.

Jimmy, 22, has jockeying down to a fine art. In the hodgepodge of roadside competitors waiting for a ride, he stands out with his silver-rimmed spectacles and blue chequered shirt tucked neatly into a pair of black trousers.

"Chauffeurs in BMWs and Mercedes cars often pick me up because I can pass off as their employer's friend or relative. Motorists don't want to get caught by police so jockeys have to help them minimise the risk," said Jimmy, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

Cars picking up jockeys can face fines of up to one million rupiah ($109). But in a country where official corruption is rife, a Rp 200,000 bribe is usually enough to get off the hook.

"Generally, nobody wants to get stuck in a jam with someone with smelly armpits. For my efforts, I ask for an extra Rp 5,000 (54 cents) and I usually get it," Jimmy said.

He makes around five trips a day and pockets about $7.50 daily – a good sum in a country where about half of the 240 million population lives on less than $2 a day.

But not all jockeys are as savvy or fortunate as Jimmy. Many female jockeys are often sexually harassed in private vehicles, and police regularly lock up riders in squalid cells. By law, they can be jailed for up to 12 months.

Nuraini, 39, has worked as a jockey for the past three years to supplement her husband's meagre income as a motorcycle-taxi driver.

"One time when I was still pregnant a driver asked if I wanted some fun. It was very uncomfortable so I quickly got out of the car," she said, carrying a baby in one arm and holding an eight-year-old daughter by the hand.

Nuraini rises at dawn to make the hour-long journey from her village in the suburbs to the city for the morning rush hour, returns home to cook for her four young children and is back on the streets to work the evening.

"It's exhausting. The weather can change from sweltering hot to terribly stormy. Some days, I earn nothing, even if I wait for hours," she said. The jockeys know they are violating the law and could be fined or detained for several weeks if caught. But for the most part police turn a blind eye to the hundreds on the streets each day.

"I don't have a family. I never went to school. If I don't do this, how will I eat?" asked Praspardi Putra Wibisono, a 16-year-old who was arrested last year and detained for two months.

Herlina, 36, has been arrested twice and was detained for six weeks in 2006. "My time in prison was terrible. Eighteen of us were crammed in a stuffy cell full of mosquitoes. We slept on thin bamboo mats and the toilet stank," she said. "So, why am I still doing this risky job? Simple, I need to live."

The carpooling rule, introduced in 1992, has done little to ease the traffic snarl in Jakarta, which has a population of around 10 million.

During the week, millions more from the capital's outskirts join the rat race, meaning eight million cars ply Jakarta's streets every day, and at least 1,000 new vehicles are added daily to the grind.

Analysts warn that the city could become totally gridlocked by 2014 if major infrastructure changes are not made.

Armed forces & police

Fears fuelled that military and police enjoy culture of impunity

Jakarta Globe - May 3, 2012

Bayu Marhaenjati & Markus Junianto Sihaloho – A brush between his car and a motorcycle prompted an Army captain to pull out his gun and fire it into the air before striking the biker's head in West Jakarta on Monday.

But only when the assault became a hot topic after a video of it was uploaded to YouTube did authorities begin investigating.

On Tuesday, 15 drunk police officers assaulted customers at a bar in Manado, North Sulawesi, before pointing their guns at them and trashing the establishment. While not confirming the attack, the Manado Police said they would look into the report.

The disdainful official response to the two cases, and others like them, have fuelled fears among rights activists and lawyers that police and military personnel are being allowed to act with impunity.

Those concerned point to last month's killing of two people by motorcycle gangs as they rampaged across Jakarta. Despite the killings and assaults by hundreds of gang members, believed to be from the Navy, only eight servicemen were ordered detained, and only for a few weeks.

"A lack of punishment and the very lenient sentences guarantee that military and police attacks against civilians will continue," said Hariyadi Wirawan, a political expert at the University of Indonesia, on Wednesday. "The culture of impunity among the police and military still reigns, 14 years after the collapse of the New Order era."

During the 32-year reign of Suharto, who was supported by the military establishment, extra-judicial killings against civilians were common incidents.

"Bad habits die hard. Example after example of military impunity encourages more violent conduct," said Haris Azhar of the National Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras).

Hariyadi said weak law enforcement, relatively low living standards and a culture of arrogance among many personnel let the military and police assaults continue.

"It's time for the government and military authorities to uphold the law while gradually increasing soldiers' salary. If not, it will be chaotic because they will take the law into their own hands," Hariyadi said.

Opposition legislator Eva Kusuma Sundari called for the government to improve the welfare of soldiers while moving their barracks to border areas and places far from cities.

"They have a duty to defend the country by continuing to train themselves. The state has a responsibility to guarantee their basic needs," the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) legislator said.

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) said the 1997 Military Tribunal Law was undemocratic as it prohibited soldiers from being tried in civilian courts, even if the victims were civilians. It called for harsher punishments for such soldiers as a deterrent to others.

Slaps on wrists for police mired in Gorontalo clash

Jakarta Globe - May 1, 2012

Farouk Arnaz – An internal trial for nine Gorontalo Police officers involved in the shooting of military personnel that left one of the latter dead has delivered seemingly mild sentences, but the police insisted the matter was far from over.

"They have undergone a disciplinary trial. One officer received a written warning and a 21-day detention. Eight non-commissioned officers received 21-day detentions and will have their education postponed for one year," National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Muhammad Taufik said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

When asked why the sanction for killing an officer was only a 21-day detention, Taufik said the ruling was that of an "internal disciplinary trial," with criminal court proceedings still to come.

Police have not identified the suspects, but said one is a mid-ranking officer and eight are non-commissioned officers. They were named suspects after a joint investigation by the National Police internal security team, the Gorontalo Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) and the Kostrad strategic reserve command of the Indonesian Military (TNI).

The April 22 clash between Brimob and Kostrad personnel broke out in the province in northern Sulawesi after bottles were thrown at several Brimob officers by a group of people, injuring two officers.

The incident prompted Brimob to launch a raid, ending in a brawl that left one military officer dead and five others injured. The National Police and TNI have moved to prevent future conflicts between their personnel by drafting a six-point agreement.

Military area commander Muhammad Nizam said the TNI would not issue any statement on the cause of the shooting. "We don't want to speculate because the ballistics test results are still not out. Let the joint team make the clarification and [announce] the investigation results," Nizam said in Makassar, South Sulawesi.

Nizam said a joint team of military and police officers are still examining the bullet that penetrated the chest of the deceased military officer, Firman Baso.

Nizam, who had just returned from Gorontalo, said he had spent his time there calming military officers and urging restraint.

"Thank God, the incident didn't spread and let's hope it doesn't go on for too long. In South Sulawesi, particularly in Makassar, we have set up regular joint sports and mass prayer activities between the military and police officers to build brotherhood," he said.

Firman, who died on Thursday, was buried on Friday in his hometown of Bone, South Sulawesi.

[Additional reporting from Antara.]

Police & law enforcement

As bullets fly, a plea for help in getting guns off street

Jakarta Globe - May 5, 2012

Zaky Pawas, Bayu Marhaenjati & Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Indonesia has been doing its best Wild West impression recently. Police officers, soldiers and civilians have been pulling out guns, waving them around and popping off shots at an alarming rate, raising the question of just how many firearms are out there and what can we do to get them off the street.

In the latest incident, a man was shot dead in a residential complex in Bandung on Friday, with witnesses reporting four shots fired from a black Daihatsu Xenia MPV into a car driven by the victim. The police are still trying to determine a motive for the shooting.

In Medan, the police arrested a suspect after a man was shot and killed in broad daylight on Thursday in what is believed to have been a drug dispute turned deadly. And in Jakarta, the police shot and killed the suspected leader of a gang of armed robbers in Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, on April 28.

Other recent cases include a plainclothes soldier waving a gun around during a traffic altercation in an incident that was caught on video, as well as a businessman who allegedly pointed a gun at a waiter after he believed he had been overcharged.

Neta S. Pane, from Indonesia Police Watch, said the increasing use of firearms, including among civilians, was a symptom of the police's inability to guarantee a sense of security and law enforcement, as well as arrogance among firearm users.

He said civilians first had easy access to firearms during the early days of the reform era when the police, unable to assure security, began to issue gun permits to people, including public figures and businesspeople. The police issued some 17,000 permits for firearms, with 8,000 of them in Jakarta, IPW data shows.

The practice ended in December 2006, but since then the police have not collected many firearms with expired permits.

"There are 8,000 firearms without permits or which are otherwise illegal circulating in Jakarta," Neta said. This number, he added, does not include firearms from conflict areas, many belonging to retired soldiers, as well as firearms illegally assembled at home.

He said firearms could be purchased on the black market for between Rp 3 million and Rp 25 million ($325 and $2,700). "They're easy to obtain, and to my knowledge there are even lawmakers carrying firearms without permits," he said.

Weak legal sanctions for firearm violations can help explain the spate of recent incidents involving police officers, soldiers and civilians, he said. "This [weak sanctions] is what should be firmly acted on, but it hasn't been, and so incidents such as these just keep happening again and again," he said.

Jakarta Police Chief Insp. Gen. Untung S. Rajab, said on Friday that the police would continue to take firearms with expired permits off the street. He said only about 1,000 of these guns remained in circulation and 4,000 others had already been collected.

"We are still withdrawing firearms," he said. "On the matter of permits, civilians can still apply for one as long as it's in line with regulations and the [permitted] aims, such as training, sports or hunting."

Muhammad Mustofa, a criminologist from the University of Indonesia, said that psychologically, the effect of carrying a weapon, whether a firearm or a knife, was the same: It makes people feel superior.

He said current guidelines to determine whether someone could legally carry a gun were not effective. This is especially true because some people lie to beat the system, including by claiming to be members of a shooting association.

Mustofa urged the police to be more proactive in collecting firearms with expired permits, noting that they should already have the records of permit holders. "Why don't the police just go to them," he said, "instead of just calling" for the weapons to be returned?

[With additional reporting by Yuli Krisna & Rangga Prakoso.]

Mining & energy

Government delays plan to restrict vehicles using subsidized fuel

Jakarta Globe - May 4, 2012

Arientha Primanita – The government on Thursday postponed a planned restriction on certain types of private vehicles from purchasing subsidized fuel as international oil prices decline.

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik said he and Coordinating Minister for the Economy Hatta Rajasa had consulted with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono about the decision.

"For the time being, [the restriction] is postponed until we find the best formula," Jero said in a statement on Thursday.

The government had planned to limit the use of subsidized fuel to private vehicles with engines smaller than 1,500 cubic centimeters, starting this month. Jero provided no details about the fate of an additional planned restriction on subsidized fuel use by government-owned vehicles.

The House of Representatives in March rejected an initial government proposal for a 33 percent increase in the subsidized fuel price to Rp 6,000 (65 cents) a liter, from the current Rp 4,500.

Instead, lawmakers agreed to allow the price increase only in the event that the six-month average Indonesian crude price exceeded the state budget assumption – $105 a barrel – by 15 percent, which would mean an average price of $120.75 a barrel.

The ICP slipped to $124.63 in April, data from the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry showed on Wednesday, which means the average is just shy of the threshold set in the revised 2012 state budget that would trigger the fuel price increase.

"The ICP could still fall another 1.5 percent to $122.90 in May with the six-month average remaining below the threshold," Nomura Securities said in a report on Wednesday.

The energy minister said restricting private vehicles also posed a massive logistical challenge, requiring staff at gas stations to screen eligible vehicles. "To tell you the truth, we have tested [the scheme] in the field, and it is too hard to implement," Jero said.

Jero said the government would instead limit the number of gas stations selling subsidized fuel, focusing its availability on underdeveloped areas. "We will do this until we find the right formula [for restricting subsidized fuel use]," he said.

The government has allocated Rp 137.4 trillion for fuel subsidies this year, enough to pay for 40 million kiloliters. The government has estimated that without restrictions, subsidized fuel consumption could top 47 million kiloliters.

115 companies mining illegally: Report

Jakarta Post - May 4, 2012

Mustaqim Adamrah, Jakarta – At least 115 companies have carried out mining activities in 471,714 hectares of productive and protected forests without licenses, according to a Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) report.

The BPK, whose report was dated on Jan. 26, found that such activities have resulted in damage to forests and will potentially cost the state. The BPK has recommended that the Forestry Ministry sort out companies that are operating without proper licenses.

In response, forestry and mining NGO Greenomics said the ministry has uncovered illegal mining practices in forested areas, but has yet to take clear follow-up measures.

"The Forestry Ministry should move faster to respond to the BPK's report. Otherwise, forest damage will be bigger, and so will the state's losses due to the forest damage," Greenomics executive director Elfian Effendi said in a press statement on Thursday.

"All stakeholders need to follow up on the BPK's recommendations."

Plan to restrict Indonesia's subsidized fuel sales 'delayed indefinitely'

Jakarta Globe - May 3, 2012

Arientha Primanita – A plan to restrict the sale of subsidized fuel to select vehicles was "delayed indefinitely" by the Indonesian government on Thursday.

"We will temporarily delay the draft regulation until we figure out a workable formula for its implementation," Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik said during a press conference at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta.

The government planned to institute a ban on the sale of subsidized fuel for cars with an engine larger than 1,500 cubic centimeters this month. The ban would also bar new car owners from buying subsidized fuel, restrict its sale in wealthy areas and require the construction of new, non-subsidized fuel-only gas stations.

But officials, after a meeting on Thursday between Jero, Coordinating Minister for the Economy Hatta Rajasa and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, decided the proposed regulation would be too hard to enact. "We've tested new regulations in the field, and found that it would be difficult to implement," Jero said.

The proposal has been in the planning stages since lawmakers rejected the government's planned fuel hikes in March, a move that left Indonesian officials scrambling to find other ways to curb spending. The proposed fuel hikes would have raised the price of subsidized fuel 33 percent, from Rp 4,500 (50 cents) to Rp 6,000 per liter. That plan was scrapped after days of chaotic public protest. (BeritaSatu/JG)

Economy & investment

Consumers wary about the future as prices inch up

Jakarta Globe - May 4, 2012

Indonesian consumers were less confident in the economy in April as they worried about rising prices, according to surveys by the central bank and brokerage firm Danareksa.

Bank Indonesia's survey of 4,700 households in 18 major cities across the country, which was released on Thursday, showed the consumer confidence index was down 4.8 points to 102.5, the lowest level since November 2010, when it stood at 102.2.

A score of more than 100 means consumers are largely upbeat about the future of the nation's economy, while a score below 100 indicates pessimism is more prevalent. "Consumer optimism about economic conditions is falling. It is approaching the pessimistic level," the central bank said.

An index that measures consumers' perceptions of economic conditions fell 4.8 points to 97.6 last month. The index was 102.4 in March. Another index that measures consumers' intention to buy durable goods sank to 92.8 points from 100.3.

A similar survey released earlier this week by Danareksa Research Institute, which polled 1,700 households from six regions, found that consumer confidence had fallen to 83.4, from 84.8 in March. "Concerns over rising prices for food stuffs increased," Danareksa said.

About 73.4 percent of survey respondents said they were worried about possible rises in food prices, up from 65.1 percent in March.

Annual inflation accelerated at its fastest pace in seven months in April following uncertainty about the government's plan to raise the price of subsidized fuel. The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported on Tuesday that consumer prices rose 4.5 percent last month from the same period a year earlier. In March, prices climbed 3.97 percent.

Meanwhile, consumers' faith in the government's ability to perform its duties weakened in April. That index fell to 74.6, from 76.1 the previous month, the Danareksa survey found.

Government to slap export tax on 14 mineral commodities

Jakarta Post - May 2, 2012

Rangga D. Fadillah, Jakarta – Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik on Tuesday announced 14 mineral commodities that will become subject to export tax, varying between 20 and 50 percent, if sold in the form of ore.

The official policy on the tax will be announced on May 6 and followed by the issuance of a new regulation to legally implement the policy, he said. The 14 commodities are copper, gold, silver, tin, lead, chromium, molybdenum, platinum, bauxite, iron ore, iron sand, nickel, manganese and antimony.

Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa also revealed the implementation of the export tax was not intended to increase the country's revenues, but was rather meant to be a disincentive so that mining companies did not sell their commodities in the form of ore.

"We want miners to process and refine the ore in the country and therefore stimulate the construction of more smelters here," he told reporters after a coordination meeting at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry in Jakarta.

The 2009 law on Minerals and Coal stipulates that in 2014 all mining companies in Indonesia will be prohibited from exporting raw materials. To prevent overexploitation of the country's natural resources and excessive environmental hazards before 2014, the government plans to apply the export tax.

"We want to control the exploitation of our natural resources, we don't want companies to exploit them excessively," Hatta explained. The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry also issued a ministerial regulation in February saying that all mining permit (IUP) holders must stop exporting raw materials by May 7, three months after the regulation is enacted.

However, after a wave of protests from mining companies, the government said companies could still export metal ore if they fulfilled three requirements.

The requirements are that their licenses must be clean and clear, they have to sign integrity pacts agreeing that in 2014 they must stop exporting metal ore (as mandated by the 2009 law) and lastly, they must submit a comprehensive proposal on whether they want to build their own smelters, make consortium with other companies to jointly build smelters, or sell their raw materials to smelting companies in the country.

The executive director of the Indonesian Mining Association (IMA), Syahrir Abubakar, said the export tax regulation would create legal uncertainty and confusion among mining companies because the ministerial regulation banned raw material exports in May, but the export tax implied that exports were still allowed.

"If we're prohibited from exporting raw materials in May, why should the government apply export tax," he said.

"If the government wants to implement the export tax, it has to revoke the ministerial regulation first so the legal basis is clear," he continued.

Komaidi Notonegoro, a mining expert from the ReforMiner Institute, argued the export tax might be good to limit exports and exploitation, but that the government had to ensure that the domestic market had to be able to absorb raw materials while waiting for more smelters to be constructed in the country.

Manufacturer production index grows 4.88% in March

Jakarta Post - May 1, 2012

Hans David Tampubolon, Jakarta – The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) says that large-scale and mid-scale manufacturing industry's production growth increased by 4.88 percent in the first quarter compared to the same period last year.

However, production dipped compared to the fourth quarter of 2011. "Based on a quarter-to-quarter basis, large-scale and mid-scale industrial production growth in the first three months of 2012 slid slightly by 0.82 percent," BPS head Suryamin said here Tuesday.

Suryamin added that on a month-to-month basis, production rose 0.27 percent in March.

Analysis & opinion

State vs faith

Jakarta Post Editorial - May 7, 2012

Indonesia has been struggling for decades to address an intriguing debate over whether an individual's religion should appear in official documents such as identity cards.

Only last week the government appeared to move a step closer to resolving the issue, which is obviously particularly sensitive to conservatives, when the Home Ministry decided to allow subscribers of non denominational faiths to leave the religion section on their electronic ID cards blank.

Thousands, or perhaps even millions, of people of traditional beliefs have so far been forced to lie about their faiths, as they have had to choose among one of the government-sanctioned religions, which are Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism. They would otherwise face difficulties in finding jobs or are even denied access to public services.

Senior politician Permadi, who claims to be a follower of a traditional Javanese faith, is another glaring example of the discriminatory practice. He had the religion box on his ID card filled by officials as Islam, while his daughter's marriage was "unrecognized".

Simply put, discrimination is the price minorities have to pay for their adherence to their beliefs, despite the state's commitment to protection of the basic rights of all as enshrined in the Constitution and the numerous international anti-discrimination conventions Indonesia has ratified.

While the Home Ministry deserves recognition for its intentions to put an end to the "dark-ages" practice of discrimination based on religion, it remains to be seen whether the policy will be operable in the field. This situation on the ground becomes even more complex when considering that the regional autonomy regulatory backdrop often provides local leaders and elites with a pretext to ignore central government policies.

Seeing the latest developments as a glass half-empty, the government's initiative to exempt followers of non denominational faiths from declaring their beliefs on their e-ID cards is definitely far from enough. It only amounts to the state's half-hearted intention to protect freedom of religion rather than settling issues of religious discrimination once and for all.

Pluralism activists have long demanded that the government scrap a citizen's obligation to display his or her faith altogether. This motion makes sense, not only because religion is a person's private matter that others, including the state, cannot meddle with, but also because unnecessary external intervention may fuel social segregation.

It is a public secret that religious discrimination is practiced widely throughout the labor market in the form of recruitment of employees with certain religious affiliations, due in part to the citizens' obligation to declare their faith.

There were also reports that forcing mandatory religious identifications contributed to the tragic mass killings that broke out when sectarian conflict erupted in Ambon in 1999. This should remind lawmakers of the dangers of such policies.

It is regretful, however, that the fight against religious discrimination was upended by the Constitutional Court when it upheld the 2006 anti- blasphemy law, which says that religious identification is imperative.

Looking far ahead, the country's policymakers should follow in the footsteps of the Lebanese government, which decided in 2009 to allow its citizens to remove any reference to their religion from ID cards or Civil Registry Records.

Indonesia can only live up to its billing as the third-largest democracy in the world if it can prove that religion cannot spark social divide, or even worse, conflict and violence. Our true respect for religion is evident if sectarian differences no longer matter to us.

Why do the police take orders from Islamic vigilante groups?

Jakarta Globe - May 7, 2012

Bramantyo Prijosusilo – Recently we have witnessed more violence and intimidation under the guise of Islam. While attacks against Shia Muslims in East Java and Ahmadi Muslims in West Java continue, in the past few days, religious thugs attacked a neighborhood in Solo. In Jakarta, they ordered the police to break the law and force a small discussion group to disperse.

The discussion in Jakarta was to present Canadian writer Irshad Manji, who was here to launch her new book. Inevitably, the drama in Jakarta was beamed around the world as events were unfolding. One question that many people asked through various statements and comments in social media was, "Why do the Indonesian police take orders from thugs in religious robes?"

That the police do take orders from religious thug groups – be they from the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) or any other name – is beyond any doubt. Anyone with an Internet connection can within seconds find video and text documentation of how the police just stand aside and allow leaders of violent organizations to whip up hatred, destroy property, wound and even kill people.

The Cikeusik lynching of Ahmadi Muslims last year was but one highlight of police complicity in religious violence, but the reality is that even before those horrific murders, thug groups all over the country enjoyed police blessing and protection in their violent rampages against what they judge to be religious deviances or vice. The new development is that the police don't merely stand by and let the thugs get on with their violent business, but they actually do the dirty work for them.

A day before the attack on Manji in Jakarta, the residents of Solo were terrified by the clashes between a group of religious and local thugs, which then developed into a mass action by those claiming to be fighting for Islam.

Last Friday after prayers, reporters in Solo said, around 1,000 men, armed with clubs and swords and catapults, marched to attack the Gandekan kampung in search of a rival thug who they claimed was responsible for the clash the day before. Failing to find their man, they attacked a local elderly garage worker, chopping several of his fingers off.

The police once again did nothing to stop the armed men's march, even though it is a crime to carry sharp weapons in public. When the police did make arrests, according to press reports, the suspects were not from the religious thugs' group but from the group that the zealots were targeting.

Last February, when I was attacked by the Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI) in Yogyakarta, the police also stood by and gave the thugs an opportunity to rob me of my property and beat me. Then they whisked me away in a truck "for my own safety."

In the police office, they tried to mediate a discussion between myself and my attackers, and not once did they act on the blatant facts that they had witnessed themselves: that I was attacked on a public road for no other reason than the fact that I was questioning their right to organize a jihad in a country where there was an Islamic king (the Sultan of Yogyakarta) and a national head of state (the president). Instead of admitting that they were – according to Islamic tradition – usurpers who should be put to the sword for robbing the Sultan (or the president) of the sole right to organize a jihad – the MMI thugs chose to attack me.

Probably they imagined themselves heroic and Islamic in attacking a lone poet who had visited them to share poetry and a performance intended to be an expression of the Koranic appeal for Muslims to remind each other of the virtue of patience and truth, but unwittingly they proved my point – that they are violent thugs who use Islam as a mask to intimidate others and legitimize their political ambitions. This intimate experience with the way police handle thugs that hide under religious robes obliged me to watch them more closely.

The most obvious and most disturbing facts relating to the connection between the religious thugs and the powers that be in this country were played out in the open for everyone to see during the big demonstration against the fuel price hike at the end of March. Not long before the biggest day of demonstration, the FPI and similar groups also held a demonstration in which they urged people to hunt down liberals, bang on the doors of their homes and evict them.

Rizieq Shihab, the rotund leader of the FPI, can be seen on YouTube urging his audience to kill liberals but not to let police know about it. Another firebrand speaker ranted on how democracy is the enemy of Islam. Speakers mocked the president directly and indirectly and even had the bravado to insinuate that his true sexuality was in question. On the surface it appeared that these thugs hated the president's guts, and one would assume that the feeling was mutual. However, the unfolding of events several days later proved that exactly the opposite was true.

When demonstrating students were locked out of the parliament building and beaten by the police, representatives from the Islamist hard-liners were invited in to the presidential palace to talk to the government. The press caught the coordinating minister for politics, law and security affairs, Djoko Suyanto, hurrying into the palace to meet them. In this small and apparently unimportant gesture, this regime admitted to more than what analysts and observers had been saying all along – the Islamists are on the police payroll.

Obviously recent happenings oblige a review of this analysis because the palace factor cannot be ignored. Until we change the top man in the presidential palace, our police will consistently work for the destruction of our country, under the orders of the religious thugs.

[Bramantyo Prijosusilo is a writer, organic farmer and former broadcast journalist.]

Freedom at risk from intolerance

Jakarta Post - May 7, 2012

Jakarta – Activists have once again blamed the government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for not doing enough to rein in radical groups in the country that have graduated from harassing minority groups with impunity to becoming a scourge of free speech.

Pluralism activist Ahmad Suaedy of the Wahid Institute said that the lack of conviction from the President in dealing with radical elements in the country had allowed groups like the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) to harass minority groups and silence activists who defend minority rights.

"I think the government has leadership problems. [These] people know that the President always has doubts and has little courage to take action. This rubs off on officers in the field, who in turn take a hands-off approach. If he sticks with this type of leadership, things will only take a turn for the worse," he told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

On Friday night, police in South Jakarta broke up a discussion in Salihara that featured Canadian writer Irshad Manji.

The Pasar Minggu police precinct chief announced that Manji's book launch had to be halted because it lacked a permit to hold an event involving a foreign national.

The chief also cited residents' opposition to the author and her background as a lesbian activist among the reasons behind the event's termination.

By halting the discussion, the police had apparently bowed to pressure from members of FPI, who picketed the Salihara Cultural Center hours before the discussion took place.

FPI spokesman Munarman said that his group called for the halting of the discussion because of Manji's promotion of lesbianism.

"We don't mind her sexuality as long as she keeps it to herself. However, as she decides to spread her views [that Islam should accept homosexuality], it is a different story," Munarman told the Post on Saturday.

Munarman, a former activist at the Legal Aid Institute (LBH), said that local residents, who happened to be FPI members, rejected Manji because of her views on the compatibility between Islam and homosexuality.

He insisted that the Muslim community was not the only group who rejected Manji's viewpoint, saying that "not a single religion in the world endorses lesbianism or homosexuality." "If there are people who support lesbianism and homosexuality, they are sick people," he said.

The Jakarta Police denied that they acted on behalf of the FPI. Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said that the police decided to stop the event because its organizers lacked the permit to hold the discussion, which was necessary as the event was a public event and involved a foreign national.

Rikwanto said the Jakarta Police took full responsibility for its action. "The reports [that the FPI conducted a crackdown on the event] were concocted by the media. In fact, only around 20 [FPI] members were present," he added.

Manji held another session on Sunday at the office of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Jakarta branch in Kalibata, with the protection of members of Banser NU, the youth wing of Indonesia's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama.

Manji, who praised the organizers' courage and what she called "progressive Indonesians", said that she considered writing a book discussing the situation in the country.

"I have one experience [or] two experiences... but I decided to not write it immediately after the tour. I will have to talk to more people. Give me one year," she said, adding that Indonesia is a perfect model of pluralistic Islam in the real world.

Contacted separately, Muslim scholar Komaruddin Hidayat, rector of the Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic State University said that the government should do more to rein in firebrand groups in society.

"This is very dangerous. We're like living in the jungle without law. The government is afraid of groups, especially those with religious symbols," he said. (sat) (fzm) (asa)