Willy Masaharu, Solo – Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle chairwoman Megawati Sukarnoputri has accused President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of closely surveilling her activities in the party.

Although she did not mention a specific name, the former president blatantly implied an intelligence officer was assigned to listen to her speeches and report immediately to Yudhoyono.

"He is assigned to spy, to listen to my speeches. In just one minute, the leader of this republic already received my speeches. This is certain! It's okay, let [him know]. I like this so he can understand that he should lead like this.

"But I'm against violence, I don't like lies," Megawati said on Sunday during the declaration of Ganjar Pranowo and Heru Sudjatmoko as the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's (PDI-P) candidates for the Central Java gubernatorial election.

Megawati said the ideological conception of Trisakti, launched by her late father, President Sukarno – political sovereignty, economic self- sufficiency and cultural independence – had not been achieved.

"Today, beef is imported, shallots are imported, salt is imported, fruits are imported, rice is imported, soybeans are imported. What else is imported?" Megawati asked.

Megawati also criticized the involvement of state apparatuses in getting certain regional head candidates to win the regional elections. State officials were assigned to convince eligible voters in their areas to vote for certain candidates, she said.

Megawati expressed concern about the current political system in the country, which she said did not provide opportunity for potential legislative candidates to run in the election as they did not have enough money.

She said changes were needed to create an equal opportunity for politicians that possessed quality more than money. "Yes, that's how our system works. Those with money can run while those who do not will have problems," she said.

Megawati attributed the defeat of the party's gubernatorial candidates in West Java and North Sumatra to several factors, including money politics.

"Can you imagine that an official could take social assistance funds or others just like that. An official should be examined half a year before he or she runs [in an election]," Megawati said.

Megawati told the gathered PDI-P cadres that Ganjar and Heru were the best candidates for Central Java because the party had thought carefully about them and they were chosen based on their performance.

"If there are still doubts and voices which said I was unfair and I did not listen to the aspirations of the grass-roots, I want to stress that that's not true. "Why is this [one] being picked and the other is not? Well that's because I monitor their performances," Megawati said.

Megawati called on all PDI-P members to give their full support to Ganjar and Heru. The selection process to pick PDI-P's candidates drew controversy because many expected the party to give the gubernatorial candidacy ticket to incumbent Central Java Deputy Governor Rustriningsih, a party loyalist since it broke away from the Indonesian Democratic Party and became PDI-P.

Don Murdono, another PDI-P cadre, quit the party after he received a ticket to run for the governorship from a coalition of six political parties: Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), National Awakening Party (PKB), Ulema National Awakening Party (PKNU), People's Conscience Party (Hanura) and United Development Party (PPP).

Megawati was president of Indonesia from 2001 to 2004.

Report finds billionaires stashing their cash offshore

Jakarta Post - April 11, 2013

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – A report released on Wednesday brings to light secret documents claimed to be evidence that some of the country's richest people and top firms use tax havens to avoid taxes, a practice that has gone on since the days of the New Order regime, causing state losses of trillions of rupiah.

According to the report by The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), published on its website on Tuesday, nine of Indonesia's 11 richest families have taken shelter in tropical tax havens, owning more than 190 offshore trusts and companies.

The billionaires are among nearly 2,500 Indonesians found by the ICIJ in the files of Singapore-based Portcullis TrustNet. The billionaires were closely allied to the late president, Soeharto.

The documents show the number of new offshore companies and trusts set up for Indonesians has significantly increased since Soeharto's rule came to an end in 1998.

The family of Mochtar Riady, whose US$2.2 billion put them in 11th place on Forbes' 2012 list of Indonesia's richest, have at least 11 offshore companies and trusts. The Cook Islands in the South Pacific were a preferred destination for the Riady family's offshore entities from 1989 until at least 2009, according to the report.

The Riady family own the giant Lippo Group whose business includes property, retail, media, healthcare and hospitality. The files also supposedly show that Lippo "does not want to be seen dealing offshore".

When contacted by The Jakarta Post, a secretary to James Riady, son of chief executive and patriarch Mochtar, said that he was out of town and unavailable.

Another billionaire in the ICIJ report, Eka Tjipta Widjaja, was second on Forbes' 2012 list, with $7.7 billion of net worth. The tycoon runs the Sinar Mas Group with interests in pulp and paper and affiliated Golden Agri-Resources, run by son Franky Oesman Widjaja. Golden Agri-Resources is the world's second-largest oil palm plantation company with a planted area of 459,500 hectares.

Eka Tjipta, along with three other Indonesian tycoons, are said to have over 140 offshore companies, mostly in the British Virgin Islands.

The managing director of Sinar Mas, Gandi Sulistiyanto, denied the reports. "It is true that our companies have assets overseas but all practices are legal and transparent," he told the Post.

He claimed all foreign business activities were reported to the authorities, as required by law. "We wouldn't dare engage in illicit practices because we are public companies," Gandi said.

Other billionaires on the list are Marimutu Sinivasan, chairman of Texmaco, a textile and industrial conglomerate, and tobacco tycoons, the Sampoerna family. Both are said to have used the Cook Islands for their offshore affairs.

The family of former president BJ Habibie is also in the report. His son, Thareq Kemal Habibie, was one of many Indonesians to set up offshore in 1998. He formed two companies in the British Virgin Islands immediately before Soeharto's resignation.

Ten years later, another son, Ilham, organized at least seven offshore companies to support domestic enterprises including mineral exploration and mining. The ICIJ said Sinivasan was not available for comment, while Habibie's sons and Sampoerna did not respond to a request for comment.

University of Indonesia (UI) tax expert Gunadi believes many companies went to countries with low or even zero taxes to evade their tax obligations. "The companies could be criminally charged but it is difficult to investigate them," he told the Post.

Bogor MUI rejects Miss World pageant

Jakarta Globe - April 9, 2013

Vento Saudale, Bogor – The Bogor chapter of the Indonesian Council of Ulema voiced its opposition on Tuesday to the planned holding of the Miss World 2013 beauty pageant at the city's Sentul International Convention Center.

Though the pageant has already received the endorsement of the general public and West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan, the ulema council (MUI) stated its firm rejection of the contest.

"If [the pageant] takes place, it will certainly hurt and sully Indonesia's Muslim community," Mukri Aji, the chapter's chairman, said.

Mukri argued that the beauty contest was just an excuse to flaunt body parts that should remain covered, adding that it was also impolite and against local religious norms.

He also said that such hedonistic and material contests run contrary to Indonesia's culture, which upholds morality and civility. "Hedonism is a way of life that focuses solely on pleasure and materialism," Mukri said.

He suggested that the Jakarta and West Java administrations consider the long term implications of holding the pageant. "Indonesia should refuse to send a representative to the event. The government should understand the voice of the people, because Islam does not protect events engineered by Islam's enemies," he said.

The Bogor chapter of Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), a hard-line Islamic group, also voiced its opposition to the beauty pageant and called for the event to be moved elsewhere.

West Papua

Protesters say government to blame for deadly epidemic in West Papua

Lensa Indonesia - April 15, 2013

A group of West Papuan students from Solidarity for Papua (SUP) held a demonstration in front of the Abu Bakar Ali Park in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta on April 15.

The protesters held the action to express their disappointment over the government's slow response in handling the epidemic in Tambrauw regency, West Papua. The disaster has claimed the lives of scores of people and left hundreds of others in a critical condition.

"We demand that SBY-Boediono [President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono-Vice President Boediono] be held accountable for this calamity. It is deeply saddening that the people are powerless in the face of this epidemic because they are unable to obtain the healthcare services that should be provided by the government and health officials", said SUP spokesperson Marciana Dede during the action on Monday.

The group said that the Yudhoyono government must be held accountable for the disaster because they have intentionally neglected the epidemic.

"The epidemic struck in November 2012 and has continued until this day, without any serious efforts by the government to cope with the epidemic that has afflicted the people there", said Dede.

This intentional neglect on the part of the government in dealing with the epidemic was demonstrated by a local government statement by the head of the West Papua health office that the epidemic was not a health emergency. Because of this, the group said, fifteen people died unnecessarily.

"They (the government) also failed to verify information released by one particular non-government organisation that carried out an investigation on the ground and found that as many as 95 people had died and hundreds of others were still in a critical condition", she added.

Dede also said that the government's justification in saying that the villages were extremely isolated and difficult to reach was a cliche that is always used as an excuse for avoiding responsibility.

"Are there not infrastructure projects under Otsus [Special Autonomy] and the UP4B [Special Unit for the Acceleration of Development in Papua and West Papua] with funds of billions of rupiah that should be allocated to respond to these issues, so why to this day in the five villages of Jocjoker, Kosefo, Baddei, Sukuwes and Krisnos is there not one healthcare facility?", she asked.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Yapen treason trial accused testify of torture in custody

West Papua Media - April 15, 2013

Defence witnesses have revealed the extensive and systemic use of casual torture and inhumane treatment by Indonesian police, whilst testifying at the Makar (treason) trial of two West Papuan peaceful political activists in Yapen District Court, Serui, on April 9.

The activists had been threatened with twenty years jail for organising a nonviolent march about media freedom in West Papua. The two men, Edison Kendi (38) and Yan Piet Maniamboi (36) were arrested for their involvement in organising peaceful demonstrations in Yapen on May 1, and August 9, 2012 for World Day of Indigenous Peoples, and have been held in atrocious conditions in Serui prison and have been subjected to routine and regular torture since their arrest.

The treason trial has been beset by procedural mistakes and the failure to appear of several police officers as prosecution witnesses. Edison Kendi is the National Federated Republic of West Papua's Governor of Saireri region.

According to independent observers present at the April 9 hearing, the four defence witnesses testified that they were beaten and tortured during detention and interrogation by Yapen police, and were forced to provide false information to stop the torture. The presiding judge suspended the trial for five minutes to talk with witnesses as the BAP (Case Records) were in danger of being revoked by the judge, legally inadmissible as they were based on testimony extracted under torture.

One of the witnesses, named John, answered Prosecutor Matius Matulesi's questions on the validity of the Case Records version of testimony, the prosecutor disagreed with John and called him "Swanggi" (Devil or Ghost). Matulesi also began to threaten both the witnesses and defendants with hoax charges for testifying about their mistreatment. Matulesi, a Christian native of Maluku, is known as a hard-liner and being "very inhumane in demanding punishment to the fullest extent on native Papuans in Serui, according to human rights observers at the trial.

Edison Kendi had previously testified about the brutality inflicted on him and Maniamboi whilst being held at Yapen police station, and then after their transfer to Serui prison on December 9, 2012. Kendi wrote in statement provided to observers:

"Since we were arrested we were tortured, kicked, pierced with wood, hit with wood, so we suffered extraordinary bruises and swellings, but (we were) never treated (for injuries) during our detention at the Yapen police station. Police did not allow us to be treated, for the reason we are OPM (Free Papua Movement)."

Failure to provide medical attention for injuries whilst in custody is a grave human rights violation in and of itself, under the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, and also the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment – obviously in addition to the torture suffered by the defendants.

Matius Matulesi has also come in for heavy criticism over his violations of basic prisoner rights to medical treatment in this case, for injuries sustained by the defendants whilst under torture by Yapen police.

According to Edison Kendi, "On December 19, 2012 I submitted an application to the clinic in the Prisons for medical treatment, but I was not allowed to go out (to the hospital) by the Attorney on behalf of Matius Matulesi, SH – so we just keep quiet and bore the pain. I've been treated at the clinic LP/prisons but with no improvement. I was sick when swelling on both my legs because of torture when captured and examined at the police Yapen station. I have repeatedly applied for treatment outside of LP/prisons but it's all just all in vain since the detention December 6, 2012 – January 21, 2013 is not permitted by the prosecutor Mathius Matulesi, SH".

Matulesi also allegedly prevented Kendi from attending the funeral of his father, allowing him only two minutes with his father's body before being taken back to prison, despite other Indonesian prisoners, including prisoners convicted of violent terrorism offences, routinely granted this basic right.

The trial was adjourned for the prosecutor to present two investigators from the police station at the next session to be confronted with the witnesses' testimony.

[With local sources.]

Arbitrary arrests, disappearance by police in Tolikara and Mulia

West Papua Media - April 13, 2013

Independent human rights workers in Puncak Jaya regency have reported that Indonesian police and army in the remote highlands district of Tolikara have been continuing to arbitrarily arrest civilians, allegedly to fill arrest quotas required for promotion, as part of routine crackdowns on civilians harbouring pro-independence thought in Papua.

Three civilians were also arrested by a combined Indonesian army (TNI) and Police platoon on March 9, at the Pasar Lama market in Mulia town, Puncak Jaya. Nonggop Tabuni, Delemu Enumby and Jelek Enembe, were arrested based on false allegations according to witnesses interviewed by human rights workers, though the exact nature of the false allegations was unreported.

Credible sources have also reported that the same motive was behind the arbitrary arrest and an alleged beating by Papua Police (POLDA) in Tolikara on April 1.

Police from Tolikara station arrested a 35-year-old farmer, Josiah Karoba, 9,.25 am on April 1, while he was standing in front of a kiosk on Jalan Irian Tolikara. The victim was arrested on the pretext of failing to carry his KTP (National Identity Card), a Suharto-era law designed to identify Communists that has been relaxed everywhere but Papua.

Karoba was then arrested "roughly" and taken to the police station Tolikara, according to witness reports, however Karoba's family have no information about his current status or whereabouts since his arrest. Karoba's family and human rights workers hold grave fears for his safety and freedom from torture.

Human rights sources have told West Papua Media that the Tolikara arrests are motivated in the interest of police promotion, by arresting innocent civilians and continuing to make victims of innocent Papuan civilians.

There is no indication as yet that the arrests are connected with a massive operation currently ongoing targeting National Liberation Army fighters under Goliat Tabuni, hunted after their killing of six Kopassus special forces soldiers on February 21.

With independent media heavily restricted by the operation, details of sweep arrest of other civilians during the operation has been unverifiable, but local sources have reported that hundreds if not thousands of civilians have been detained or forced to flee from their villages during the operation.

Lack of care in Papua proves deadly

Jakarta Globe - April 11, 2013

Robert Isidorus, Jayapura – Sixty-one people have reportedly died in the past three months in the Samenage district of Yahukimo, Papua, due to the lack of health-care facilities.

Father John Jonga, winner of the Yap Thiam Hien Award 2009 on human rights, said that the long distance to health-care facilities made it difficult for local residents to receive help when they become ill.

"Residents' [lives] could not be saved because the access to a health-care facility is far. Although [we] have a small community health-care facility unit, there aren't any medical officers available. This has made it difficult for the residents to get medical help," John said on Wednesday.

John said that he reported this situation to Jayapura bishop Leo Laba Ladjar and Yahukimo district head Ones Pahabol.

He said that the people who died of illnesses came from nine kampungs in the area, namely Pona, Haleroma, Ison, Muke, Hugi Lokon, Astapo, Notnare, Hirin and Samenage.

John said that the government should pay attention to these cases and put some priorities to provide health-care facilities.

John regularly made visits to the areas from January to March and received the reports from local residents. "Last week, I sent two text messages to the district head about this problem, but the district head didn't reply," he said.

Based on information from the field, district head Ones never visited the kampungs during his 10 years in office. It has also been reported that during the past two years, the kampung chiefs were also rarely in attendance of their areas.

The local chapter of the nation's human rights agency in the West Papuan province said last week that as many as 95 people have died of hunger in Tambrauw district from November to March this year, with hundreds more still at risk.

Frits Bernard Kamuki Ramandey, the acting secretary of the Papua branch of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), said that it was inconceivable that the authorities would have allowed people to starve to death.

"Obviously the local authorities have let the situation get out of control," he said. "How can so many people be suffering from this? This is no natural disaster."

Gabriel, the Tambrauw district chief, acknowledged that there was a malnutrition problem in the area but refuted Komnas HAM's figure, saying that only 15 people had died during that period. He said he ordered medical teams to visit and was preparing to evacuate residents to areas where they would have better access to medical care and food.

61 Papuans die in remote hamlet

Jakarta Post - April 11, 2013

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Sixty-one residents of Samenage hamlet in Helenga district, Yahukimo, Papua, are reported to have died between January and March this year due to a variety of illnesses, some of which are related to malnutrition, a source said on Wednesday.

The data was provided by a pastoral team that paid a visit to the area during the recent Easter celebrations, said human rights activist and Catholic priest John Jonga of the Hepuba parish, which serves the mountainous Central Highlands area of Papua.

Yahukimo, which has a population of more than 164,000, was originally part of Jayawijaya regency before it was hived off as a separate entity, and is located some 800 kilometers from Jayapura, the Papuan capital. The hamlet can only be reached by light aircraft.

"We have recorded 61 deaths due to health issues such as respiratory problems, liver problems, diarrhea, guinea worm disease and swollen limbs," said Jonga.

Jonga, winner of the 2009 Yap Thiam Hien human rights award, claimed that the sick villagers did not have access to healthcare.

Samenage has no puskesmas (community health center) as it only has an auxiliary health center with one medical worker, known locally as mantri. However, the mantri has reportedly been absent for two months due to sickness.

The villagers, Jonga said, relied heavily on sweet potatoes, known as batatas, and bananas grown in their gardens for their daily nutrition. Apart from these two sources of food, they also consumed coconuts taken from nearby forests.

Earlier this month, the Sorong Raya chapter of the Nusantara Traditional Community Alliance (AMAN) reported that as many as 95 people in three villages – Baddei, Jokjober and Kosefa – in Tambrauw, West Papua, died of illnesses with symptoms ranging from headaches, fever and skin irritation between November 2012 and March 2013.

The NGO claimed that the villagers failed to recover from their illnesses due to a lack of healthcare in the three villages. In 2010, the three villages' puskesmas ceased providing healthcare to residents due to a lack of personnel.

In Yahukimo regency itself this is not the first report of multiple fatalities. Previously in 2005, at least 55 people died from malnutrition and 112 others fell sick from related illnesses in the mountainous regency between November and December. The failure of the sweet potato crop was blamed for the widespread malnutrition.

Four years later 92 people died of malnutrition between January and August 2009. The local government reported that a failed harvest had caused devastating food shortages in the region.

Regarding the recent deaths, Jonga said that this time around the villagers had not faced a harvest failure as had occurred in the past years.

Jonga said he hoped the government would provide a nutrition-improvement program, especially for children and pregnant women, as well as training volunteers as medical assistants in the village.

Separately, in response to the report, Papua Health Agency head Joseph Rinta said that he had dispatched a team to check out the report. "We need to check the exact number of deaths because so far we have not yet received any reports of epidemics or force majeure," said Joseph.

Joseph said that the remote location hindered the government's efforts to provide health services and ensure that the province had enough medical workers to serve its people.

Aceh

35 women in Aceh netted for straddling motorcycles by shariah police

Jakarta Globe - April 13, 2013

Thirty-five women in Aceh's city of Lhokseumawe have been let off with a warning after the Shariah police caught them straddling a motorcycle and not wearing appropriate Islamic dress.

The Shariah police were conducting a raid on the main roads of Lhokseumawe on Friday, to monitor the administration's bylaw that prohibits female passengers from straddling motorcycles.

"The aim of the raid today [Friday] is to uphold and inform people the regulation on straddling motorcycle issued by the mayor," Irsyadi, the acting chief of the Lhokseumawe Shariah police, told the Atjehpost.com on Friday. "We also warned people who were not dressed up in an Islamic way. With what we did today, people will be more aware [of the regulation]."

While the women were not arrested, they were warned to not straddle a motorcycle again and to not wear tight outfits.

"As we saw today, many of our people were still straddling motorcycles, probably they don't understand the regulation, that's why we informed them," Irsyadi explained.

Lhokseumawe mayor Suadi Yahya explained that the bylaw was expected to discourage women from wearing pants in public. He said that the bylaw was needed because he had seen people's behavior and morals straying too far from Aceh's Islamic cultural values.

"We want to save women from things that will cause them to violate Shariah law," he said. "We wish to honor women with this ban, because they are delicate creatures."

Islamic police net 35 women for straddling motorcycles in Aceh

Tempo.co - April 12, 2013

Imran MA, Lhokseumawe – Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) officers and Sharia police (Wilayatul Hisbah) began conducted raids on motorcycle riders on the main roads of Lhokseumawe city in Northern Aceh on April 12.

They were upholding an order prohibiting women passengers from straddling motorcycles that came into force last January. As many as 35 women were netted in the raids.

The acting head of Satpol PP and WH Lhokseumawe, Irsyadi, said that the raid was the start of a campaign to uphold the prohibition. "This is the start of the implementation of the order. Through our actions today perhaps people will know better", said Irsyadi on Friday.

In the future, he added, officials will continue to conduct raids while socialising the policy. If there are residents that fail to obey, Satpol PP will provide advice and ask them to comply with the order.

The appeal or advice to women motorcycle passengers not to straddle motorcycles in Lhokseumawe, which mayor [Suaidi Yahya] has began campaigning for since January 1, has received support and opposition from residents in the city near the former PT Arun natural gas plant.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Activists slam Bireuen plan to issue bylaw on how Muslims should dress

Jakarta Globe - April 11, 2013

Nurdin Hasan – A plan to draft a bylaw on how Islamic men and women in Aceh's Bireuen District should dress as Muslims is a wasteful effort that nobody needs, activists say.

"We demand the Bireuen Legislative Council drop the qanun [Islamic bylaw] about how a Muslim should dress, because the indicators used in the bylaw are very abstract, it is very elusive to be implemented," Sudarman, team leader of BIMA, a Bireuen-based non government organization focusing in economy, education and peace advocacy, told the Jakarta Globe on Thursday.

"I believe if the qanun is passed it will be ignored by people in Bireuen because it is not what they need," he said.

Ridwan Muhammad, head of the Bireuen Legislative Council (DPRK), told the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday that they were discussing the content of the qanun with the local ulema, ethics assembly and public figures. He also said that the council would seek public opinion before passing the bylaw.

"The heart of the qanun on Islamic dressing is for all Bireuen residents, male and female adults to cover their aurat [entire body except the hands and face]," Ridwan explained. "The implementation [of the bylaw] is being studied and enhanced by involving several parties."

Ridwan said that the councilors decided to bring up the bylaw for discussion after they discovered several people in the Bireuen district were not dressing in the "Islamic" way, such as women wearing jeans and tight outfits and men wearing shorts outside their homes.

The draft bylaw states that females should wear loose outfits and should not show their body shape, while men are told to wear outfits that cover their aurat, Ridwan explained.

Sudarman said people in Bireuen knew how to dress properly, therefore a bylaw regulating how to dress would be useless. "The DPRK should have focused on producing regulations to improve the economy instead of controversial qanun," he argued.

Nursiti, head of the presidium of BSUIA, a union of Aceh activists from various backgrounds, said the Bireuen Legislative Council had set the wrong priority by telling people how they should dress. "They should be focusing on accelerating the welfare, because that's what our people need," she said.

Nursiti said the council should instead, focus their energy on stopping religious intolerance in the district. "Why can't they learn from the experience of other districts in Aceh who came up with such bylaws but in the end the regulations could not be implemented?" she said.

Aceh's Bireuen district prepares bylaw on how Muslims should dress

Jakarta Globe - April 10, 2013

Nurdin Hasan, Banda Aceh – The Bireuen Legislative Council in Aceh are preparing a draft bylaw on how Islamic men and women in the district should dress as Muslims.

Ridwan Muhammad, head of the Bireuen Legislative Council, told the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday that they were discussing the content of the Islamic bylaw, also known as a qanun, with the local ulema, ethics assembly and public figures, adding that the council would seek the public's opinion before passing the bylaw.

"So the purpose of coming up with this qanun is for the benefit of the Bireuen people to dress up according to the Islamic teachings in which all adult Muslims should cover their aurat," said Ridwan, a politician from the Aceh Party. "We hope that after the qanun is passed, it won't discredit women because we also stipulate the Islamic way to dress up for males."

The draft bylaw states that females should wear loose outfits and should not show their body shape, while men are told to wear outfits that cover their aurat, Ridwan explained.

"We don't want to be said as violating human rights when it is being implemented," he said. "That's why before passing it, we are involving many parties to discuss the qanun draft."

Ridwan said that this qanun would be the foundation for Shariah police to monitor dress codes.

Military head urges Aceh to comply with government review of new flag

Jakarta Globe - April 9, 2013

Ezra Sihite & Nurdin Hasan, Jakarta/Banda Aceh – Military chief of staff Adm. Agus Suhartono has urged the people of Aceh to refrain from flying the Free Aceh Movement flag for at least the next two weeks while the Home Affairs Ministry reviews the provincial bylaw allowing for a change in its flag and symbol.

"Yes, we will see what the decision [from the Home Affairs Ministry] is like. If [the flag is] not allowed, then we will pull it down," Agus said in Jakarta on Monday.

He added that the army is not deploying additional personnel to maintain security in Aceh, and said that the local military command (Kodam) was capable of keeping the situation under control.

"We will settle the problem through discussions to reach an agreement. The bylaw is currently being evaluated and the regional administration has demanded an answer in 15 days," he said.

Aceh Legislative Council (DPRA) chief Hasbi Abdullah said the DPRA is hoping that the central government will allow Aceh to use the new flag, which was once a symbol of struggle by Free Aceh Movement (GAM) guerillas.

Hasbi said that Commission A of the DPRA, which oversees legal, security and administrative matters, was discussing the home affairs minister's recent clarification about the symbols used in the flag.

Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi last week submitted a 13-point clarification about the bylaw on the Aceh flag and symbol. The minister said that the bylaw violated a 2007 government regulation and other laws, as well as Islamic Shariah rules, because an animal is used in the symbol.

The new provincial seal features the buraq, a mythical winged horse with a human face that was associated with the GAM.

"We ask the government to let the [new] Aceh flag remain as it is, because it's been declared in the bylaw and reflects the aspirations of the Aceh people," said Hasbi, a senior politician with the Aceh Party, a local political party set up by former GAM guerillas.

"We will explain to the central government that the intention to declare the star and crescent flag as the Aceh flag does not mean that Aceh wants to gain independence. We have no intention whatsoever to free Aceh," he added.

He said that the movement to make Aceh an independent state had been buried since the Indonesian government and GAM leaders signed a peace treaty in Helsinki, Finland, in 2005.

The peace treaty ended the 30-year armed conflict in Aceh in which more than 25,000 civilians died, he said.

"I need to stress that the red and white flag will still be hoisted in Aceh because that's the national flag. The Aceh flag is not the sign of sovereignty, but a [sign of] unity for all Aceh people," he said.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has reiterated his disapproval of the Aceh authorities' decision to adopt the flag of a defunct separatist group as the provincial standard, calling it a step backward.

Yudhoyono said at a media conference in Jakarta on Friday that the move was a clear infraction of national laws banning the use of separatist insignia in official flags or seals.

"I don't want us to go backward. I want us to move forward together in developing Aceh and making it safer and more prosperous," he said. "Let us not give rise to new problems by digging up past conflicts."

Human rights & justice

Kontras report Komnas HAM to ombudsman

Jakarta Post - April 9, 2013

Jakarta – Rights group the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) has filed a report with the Indonesian Ombudsman complaining about the poor performance of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).

Kontras chairman Haris Azhar said that the internal conflict within Komnas HAM had prevented the commission from carrying out its functions. Haris said that Komnas HAM had not made any decisions regarding some high-profile cases.

"So far, Komnas HAM has not completed dossiers of past human rights abuses after they were returned by the Attorney General's Office," Haris said as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Komnas HAM commissioners recently voted for Siti Noor Laila to become the body's chairperson replacing Otto Nur Abdullah, whose term was cut short following a revision to an internal regulation that allowed for an annual turnover of leadership.

Rights groups have suspected that the decision was the result of a political bargaining process between the commissioners and powerful individuals who were linked to human rights abuse cases, including cases that related to the deprivation of economic rights or gross violations of human rights.

Sexual & domestic violence

Child protection a low priority in Indonesia

IRIN News - April 11, 2013

Efforts to protect children in Indonesia from abuse are obstructed by barriers to crime reporting, which may worsen with the threatened closure of police-run units that handle crimes against women and children.

Usman Basuni, assistant deputy minister for child participation at the Women Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry, told IRIN these specialized police units – known by their local acronym, PPA – are at risk of closing because crimes against women and children are rarely reported, which has led police to shift their resources elsewhere.

Last year, 12-year-old Riri – not her real name – was sent from her village in Central Java to live with her uncle and aunt two provinces away, in Jakarta.

Over a period of four months, she was repeatedly raped by her uncle, who threatened to kill her and possess her with evil spirits if she reported the abuse. He then forced her to become a sex worker. For two weeks, Riri was forced to charge $21 per sexual encounter in East Jakarta, according to the head of the shelter where she is now recovering. After fleeing from her uncle's house, she happened to rest mid-escape near the home of a local community leader, who brought her to the government-run shelter.

The extent of such abuses is unknown, Basuni said. Even if they are reported, they rarely make it up to the national level for recording.

Attitudes to abuse

According to the National Commission for the Protection of Children (Komnas PA), a child-rights NGO based in Jakarta, there were 2,637 reports of domestic abuse against children in 2012, up from 2,509 the previous year.

World Vision's child protection specialist in Indonesia, Pitoyo Susanto, said child abuse is severely under-reported, what he called an "iceberg phenomenon," because of the public's view of child abuse as something to be resolved in the home.

"People still believe it's a private thing," said Susanto. "If neighbors know what's going on next door, they won't intervene. Even in the cases that are reported, we see that the abuse has been going on for years."

And should family members or survivors make a public claim, they risk being stigmatized, said Santi Kusumaningrum, co-director of the Centre on Child Protection at the University of Indonesia (UI). "Families have been asked to move out of villages by the rest of the community, with schools even refusing to accept the child."

In addition, Kusumaningrum said parents often turn to violence when disciplining their children. "The only way many parents know to deal with their children, if their child is misbehaving, is to hit them," she said. Influencing parent behavior at the national level is near impossible, said the government's Basuni.

"When the government says 'don't beat your child,' parents say it's their business, and the number of people who think this way is huge," he said. "The ministry doesn't have enough resources to make 240 million people aware of this issue."

A remote crime scene

Abuse can be reported at police-run units for women and children; there is one such unit in each of Indonesia's 500 districts. Reports can also be made at hospitals and at the NGO-run Child Protection Institute, which has locations in each of Indonesia's 34 provinces.

However, World Vision's Susanto says many families live far from reporting centers and public service providers able to offer life-saving medical and psychological care.

"There's a lack of access at village level," he said. "We're trying to improve this by training community volunteers to [triage] victims and their families, and help them report to police or service providers at the district level."

The University of Indonesia's Kusumaningrum said that despite laws protecting children – instituted in 2002 – and criminalizing domestic violence – instituted in 2004 – difficulties filing abuse claims and bringing cases to court have largely deterred reporting.

"When people report [at the village level], sometimes they need to finance transporting the evidence to district level [for investigations]," she said, adding that the police may face budgetary constraints in such cases. "It's already emotionally difficult to report, but for poor families this cost makes it even harder."

What to do?

Basuni said the Women Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry is trying to change attitudes toward child-rearing.

"We'll only solve this problem by going to its source and promoting good parenting skills, and through creating child-friendly cities," said Basuni. Sixty Indonesian cities are trying to achieve "child-friendly" status by meeting criteria tied to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which Indonesia has ratified. Cities must prove their commitment to fulfilling the UNCRC.

The ministry has also introduced an Indonesian Association of Child- Friendly Companies, with at least six major companies participating by agreeing to put children's rights at the centre of their corporate social responsibility programs.

But still largely unaddressed is why convictions for child abuse are so rare. This past February, an 18-year-old man was sentenced to five years' imprisonment for raping his girlfriend, a minor, but such successful prosecutions are an exception.

In local media, abuse victims, their families and supporters have spoken of threats and intimidation by friends, family members and even neighbors of alleged perpetrators, who have pressured witnesses to withdraw testimony mid-trial. Police have been called "sluggish" and "insensitive" in their investigations.

Police spokesman Senior Commander Rikwanto, who goes by one name, said child abuse cases were sometimes slow to reach trial because of difficulty establishing evidence of abuse.

"It's necessary to convince witnesses to come forward, and make sure we have sufficient physical and scientific evidence of the abuse," he said. "Sometimes this can slow the progress of cases down."

In addition, the 2004 regional autonomy law transferred powers to local governments to handle basic services, including health, education, infrastructure and security. Basuni acknowledged child protection was a low priority for local government officials.

He added that he was trying increase the priority of children's issues nationwide by meeting with and convincing district heads to promote children's rights. While most of those consulted agree in theory, he said, they say their budgets are already overstretched.

In Jakarta, victims of sexual abuse struggle to stay in school

Jakarta Post - April 10, 2013

Indah Setiawati, Jakarta – As if recovering from rape or molestation was not enough, teenage survivors of sexual abuse in Jakarta are saying that they have to fight for the right to continue school.

Early in March, ESR, an eighth grade junior high school student in South Jakarta, was gang raped and held prisoner for several nights by around 10 men. ESR met one of her assailants on Facebook.

However, when ESR and her uncle went to school to report the horrific incident, officials suggested that the girl transfer to another school.

"They were afraid that she would be mocked by her friends," ESR's uncle told The Jakarta Post over the telephone on Tuesday. "I think it was just a softer way to expel her."

The uncle, who has not been named to protect the identity of ESR, said that his niece's close friends remained kind, visiting the girl at his house in Depok, West Java, to which she moved from East Jakarta after she was raped.

ESR's mother later tried to register the girl at a private school in Depok, only to be rejected given the impending end of the school year, the uncle said.

"She is currently getting assistance from Komnas Anak [National Commission on Child Protection] to continue her studies." The guidance counsellor at ESR's school did not return telephone calls and text messages asking for comment.

Unfortunately, ESR is not alone. In October, a 14-year-old girl in Depok was also reportedly abducted and repeatedly raped by a Facebook acquaintance and his friends.

The teenager, identified as SAS, returned to school after a one-month absence following her ordeal, only to be humiliated in front of other students by the principal. SAS chose to take her mid-term tests at home.

Mohammad Abduhzen, an education expert from Paramadina University, said that schools should have in place standard procedures for their students who are survivors of violence. The first move, he said, would be to create a secure environment so that abuse survivors could study in comfort.

"Many schools still consider a sexual abuse as a taboo topic that can tarnish their image," Mohammad said. "This is wrong. These minors are victims and they need to be protected."

Mohammad also suggested giving survivors the option, not requirement, to transfer to other schools.

Jakarta Education Agency head Taufik Yudi said he was not sure whether officials at ESR's school gave her such a choice.

"I will tell the principal of the school to reinstate the student," Taufik told the Post. "The victim's family can send a letter to the school asking for re-enrollment and, if she wants, distance learning at home."

Taufik said a school "request" for a student survivor of sexual assault to transfer to another school should not be viewed as an expulsion. "It is an option. The schools should follow the victim's decision", he said.

Taufik said the agency would be ready to assist the ESR if she wanted to transfer to another school at the start of the next school year.

Ni Made Martini Puteri, a criminologist from the University of Indonesia who focuses on child protection, said that the reluctance of school officials to support students who have survived sexual assault was proof of the poor system of protection offered children.

Puteri said that girls suffered discrimination after surviving sexual assault, with people considering them bad girls who asked for it or otherwise provoked their assailants.

"Schools should not just hand over the problem to the victims and their families. These victims should get a psychosocial support, instead of getting forced to defend their rights to an education."

Martini also urged Jakarta to implement a protection system in the neighborhood level to prevent children becoming the victims and perpetrators of violence.

Recent student-related sex abuse cases

January: A 14-year-old rape victim drops out after she is bullied by classmates in North Timor Tengah, NTB. The girl was allegedly held in a house in Kefamenanu and raped by six men, including her boyfriend.
Feb. 9: A 46-year-old former senior high school vice principal is reported to the East Jakarta Police by a third-grader for allegedly forcing her to perform oral sex on four occasions.
March: A 13-year-old girl tells police she was held for several nights and repeatedly sexually assaulted by a group of boys and men in Condet, East Jakarta. Two of seven men allegedly involved in the case remain at large, police say.
April 8: A 17-year-old in North Kolaka, North Sulawesi, commits suicide by drinking poison. The senior high school student was reportedly humiliated after she was raped by three men from North Pakue village.

[From various sources.]

Transparency questioned in high-profile molestation case

Jakarta Post - April 9, 2013

Fikri Zaki Muhammadi, Jakarta – Cleric Hasan Ja'far Assegaf's molestation case might have escaped the national and local media spotlight, but anxiety among the victims and their families remain, thanks to the sluggish pace of the police investigation.

The Jakarta Police claim that cases of molestation are difficult because most of the testimonies can only be gathered from victims and suspects.

Hasan, leader of the Nurul Musthofa group, was accused of sexually abusing some of his male students in December 2011 and is said to have abused students since 2002, groping his disciples and performing oral sex on them in what he claimed was "therapy". The victims filed reports with the Jakarta Police in December 2011.

At the time police summoned 12 people, including victims, their families and Hasan's circle. While the Criminal Code stipulates a penalty of seven years in prison for sexual abuse of minors, no developments have been reported by the police since and Hasan remains free.

Jakarta Police's Adj. Sr. Comr. Hando Wibowo, said on Monday that his team would continue with their investigation until "the case is clear".

University of Indonesia criminologist Bambang Widodo Umar has pointed out the need for the police to disclose their investigation progress to the public. "Molestation cases are difficult to investigate, but the police have to be transparent," Bambang told The Jakarta Post recently. He said police should have thought of ways to overcome the difficulties of such cases.

"They can actually dispatch their intelligence agents to the field, for instance, to observe the alleged suspects' behavior," he said, adding police transparency proved to the public that they feared no one in their investigations.

"But if they think this is difficult, or might be impossible to reveal, then they should be brave enough to close the case," he said. "They can reopen the case if they have new findings."

The National Commission on Child Protection (Komnas PA) criticized the police for being "too careful" in handling this case when they said that Hasan was a "noted figure". The commission also said the law should know no boundaries.

The National Police Commission (Kompolnas) urged the Jakarta Police to immediately announce the status of Hasan.

Like Bambang, commissioner Edi Hasibuan said on Sunday that police should close the case if they could not reach a conclusion.

On transparency, Komnas PA said that police were not serious in their handling of the case, despite the evidence to start investigating Hasan intensively.

"We see that the evidence is complete: videos, photos, testimonies from witnesses. But police are not moving anywhere, even just to reveal the development of the case to the victims' families," commission chairman Arist Merdeka Sirait said, confirming that the families have heard nothing from the police lately.

Labour & migrant workers

Thousands of workers rally in Jakarta for better health care, wages

Jakarta Globe - April 10, 2013

Lenny Tristia Tambun & Bayu Marhaenjati – Thousands of workers on Wednesday marched together in Jakarta to protest against low wages and to demand that the government implement health care coverage for Indonesians.

Protestors from the Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union Confederation (KSBSI), All Indonesia Labor Union Confederations (KSBI), Indonesian Metal Workers Federation (FSPMI) and the Confederation of Indonesian Workers Unions (KSPI), marched from the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta to the Health Ministry's office in South Jakarta, causing traffic jams in from Jalan Jend. Sudirman to Jalan MH Thamrin.

Said Iqbal, the president of KSPI, said on Tuesday that the protestors were demanding the government provide health care coverage for all Indonesians by January 2014. They were also requesting that workers who received the minimum wage to be included in the Premium Payment Assistance (PBI) program.

The workers also planned to march to the State Palace, Coordinating Ministry for People's Welfare, the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry and the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry.

Sr. Comr. Rikwanto, the Jakarta Police spokesman, said the police would redirect traffic if necessary. "Traffic redirection will be done according to the situation," he said.

Cheap labor sustains palace pomp

Jakarta Post - April 9, 2013

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – There is a reason the Presidential Palace remains clean, tidy and grand-looking, especially during the visits of state leaders. Behind all the pomp of these visits are those who toil in obscurity, with some underpaid even after working for 15 years at the palace.

On a hot and sunny Monday afternoon, Eman (not his real name), was sitting with several of his colleagues on the floor of a corridor near the palace. They were relieved after accomplishing the tough job of keeping litter out of the sight of members of Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's delegation.

Eman was asked if he was aware that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, in January, had said that the government promoted improvements in labor welfare nationwide. "Of course I remember the President's words," he said.

"It's our moral obligation to fight for [labor welfare]. The era of cheap labor and injustice is now over," said Yudhoyono in a speech before governors, regents, mayors, police chiefs and military commanders.

His statement responded to massive rallies by labor unions demanding the government force employers to comply with minimum wage increases set by regional administration at the beginning of this year. But to many contract workers at the palace, the pledge rang hollow.

Eman was one of thousands of workers in Jakarta who were supposed to be happy with the decision from Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo to increase the minimum wage from Rp 1.6 million (US$164.42) per month to Rp 2.2 million.

"We knew that Rp 2.2 million would not be enough to cover basic expenses, particularly for some of us who have spouses and children. However, the increase would significantly ease the burden," Broto, another worker, said.

But their hope died when they received Rp 1.8 million for their salary in January, a slight increase from last year's Rp 1.5 million. "I could hardly use the remainder to buy food for my family, let alone pay for my kids' education," he said.

To add to their salary, some sold snacks and hot drinks to fellow workers and journalists, Broto went on. "But our boss said no to that because it could disrupt our main job."

Some of the workers said that they collected meal boxes and mineral water cups disposed from meetings at the palace to be sold in recycling plants.

Some of the workers preferred to speak in anonymity over concerns that they might be targeted by palace officials.

"We've been trying to talk to our employers as well as to relevant officials here about our low wages, but we had no response. Palace officials said they could no nothing because our salaries are on the payrolls of our employers, but our company claimed it was not able to pay our minimum wage," Eman said.

Eman said the State Secretariat outsourced about 60 workers at the palace, comprising cleaning workers, gardeners and general office support. A separate company was used for each line of work.

These outsourced employees work in a 7-hectare area, consisting of the Presidential Palace, where Yudhoyono and First Lady Ani Yudhoyono live during workdays; Merdeka Palace, where the President usually meets state guests; and the Presidential Office.

The toughest job for the gardeners is taking care of the garden, about half the size of a soccer field, located between the two palaces. The main yard in front of the Merdeka Palace, which is usually used to conduct state ceremonies, also requires attention. Eman said the workers received similar salaries.

When contacted by the The Jakarta Post, State Secretary Sudi Silalahi said that the palace had no responsibility over the outsourced workers. "The outsourced workers don't directly work for us. They are paid by their employers," he said.

Sudi said the State Secretariat appointed the companies via open tenders and that the state funds earmarked for the workers had taken minimum pay into consideration. He said he would evaluate the companies' compliance with the minimum wage.

Political parties & elections

SBY: Ministers running in 2014 elections can keep their posts

Jakarta Globe - April 12, 2013

Yeremia Sukoyo & Ezra Sihite – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will not rein in his cabinet members' legislative ambitions, after a media report indicated that up to 10 ministers will run as candidates in next year's national elections.

"As long as it doesn't hinder their performance or limit their time as cabinet ministers, we feel it is acceptable. If it seems there is something disrupting their duties, the president can assess that based on their performance," said presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha.

According to tribunnews.com the list of ministers planning to run as lawmakers include five from Yudhoyono's own Democratic Party.

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik, a Democrat, confirmed that he would run as a legislative candidate in the 2014 election.

"There is no rule barring a minister from becoming a legislative candidate. It will not disturb [my duties as minister]. I will not use state facilities. I'll buy my own tickets, I have a commitment to the president, the people and God," he said.

Joining Jero as legislative candidates from the Democratic Party are Transportation Minister E.E. Mangindaan, Justice Minister Amir Syamsuddin, Cooperatives Minister Syarifuddin Hasan and newly appointed Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Roy Suryo.

Running as Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) candidates are Communications Minister Tifatul Sembiring and Agriculture Minister Suswono, while Minister for Underdeveloped Regions Ahmad Helmy Faishal Zaini will run as a candidate from the National Awakening Party (PKB).

Administrative Reform Minister Azwar Abubakar and Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan will run as candidates from the National Mandate Party (PAN).

Meanwhile, Golkar Party's Agung Laksono, who serves as coordinating minister for people's welfare, said that he was not interested in running in the elections.

"I have been a lawmaker for four terms. Let the younger generation run," said the minister, who was recently questioned by anti-corruption investigators in relation to the Riau-hosted National Games bribery case.

University of Indonesia political commentator Reni Suwarso suggested the unseemly rush to get their names on next year's ballot papers may be because the ministers were worried about being out of a job when Yudhoyono ends his final term in October next year.

"After the 2014 election, a new president will be elected and a new cabinet will be named. This is the main reason why a lot of ministers are running as legislative candidates," she said. "I think [the ministers] should focus on doing their job and completing their term," Reni added.

But Jero said such criticisms were "exaggerated" and maintains his candidature will not disrupt the execution of his ministerial duties. "[Ministers] are used to dividing their time. State affairs will be our priority. Campaigning for a lawmaker post will come second," he said.

SBY surrounded by loyalists, son in new Dems lineup

Jakarta Post - April 12, 2013

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – The new lineup of the Democratic Party's central board is expected to be filled with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's loyalists, while his son, Edhie "Ibas" Baskoro Yudhoyono, will stay on as the party's secretary-general.

Yudhoyono is also expected to announce his resignation as chair of the party's board of patrons and honorary council, party patron and Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik said on Thursday.

"He [Yudhoyono] has listened to the people, who were concerned that he would be too preoccupied with the running of the party. So, it is has been confirmed that he will let go two of his four leadership posts within the party," Jero told reporters at the State Palace.

Jero also said the new party lineup was due to be finalized this week. He said Yudhoyono would retain only two positions: head of the party's supreme assembly and party chairman. Yudhoyono was appointed the party's new chairman, replacing Anas Urbaningrum who is now a graft suspect, at the party's extraordinary congress in Bali last month.

Jero also made it clear that Ibas would remain as secretary-general of the party despite criticism that his presence would reflect his family's stranglehold of the party.

The new lineup is expected to include three new deputy chairs. Party spokesman Andi Nurpati said the five deputy chair positions were to accommodate different factions in the party.

Speculation is rife that Yudhoyono has selected Democratic Party politicians to fill four of the posts. The four are lawmakers Max Sopacua, Jhonny Allen Marbun, East Java Governor Soekarwo, and head of the Democratic Party's faction at the House of Representatives, Nurhayati Assegaf.

Both Andi and Jero, however, refused to comment on the speculation. They also claimed not to know whether Max and Jhonny, currently deputy party chairmen, would retain their positions.

When asked about the future for Zannuba "Yenny" Arrifah Chafsoh, daughter of late president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, within the party, Jero said that only Yudhoyono could make any decision regarding her position on the party's central board.

Yenny and her New Indonesian National Sovereignty Party (PKBIB) are said to have reached a deal to join the ruling party. Parts of the deal include Yenny being given one of the three new deputy chairs, and several PKBIB legislative candidates running in the 2014 legislative election under the Democratic Party's banner.

Sources within the Democratic Party have claimed, however, that the deal had created resentment within the party.

There have reportedly been a number of complaints about Democratic candidates being removed from the party's list of candidates to make way for the PKBIB candidates.

There are also rumblings about Yenny being ineligible for a deputy chairmanship, given her short stint within the party. "Yenny is a national figure. We hope that if she does join us, she will bring more supporters to the Democratic Party," Jero said.

Jero also confirmed that there would be a reshuffle of the heads of departments. "Some positions will be juggled and swapped. Almost no one will be expelled," he said, dismissing rumors that Yudhoyono would launch a massive reorganization by kicking out all Anas' supporters from the central executive board.

Andi said the party would submit its new organizational structure to the Law and Human Rights Ministry within the next few days. "We are working hard to finish it as soon as possible," Andi said.

House extends talks on presidential election bill

Jakarta Post - April 11, 2013

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – A deadlock between political factions at the House of Representatives over a plan to amend Law No. 42/2008 on presidential elections has forced the House Legislation Body (Baleg) to extend talks on the bill to August this year.

After months of discussions and lobbying, majority factions including the three main political parties, the Democratic Party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the Golkar Party, stuck to their guns and argued against amending the law.

The major political factions are concerned that a lowered threshold would reduce their chance of winning the 2014 election.

"It's not the right time to revise the law because lawmakers are preoccupied with preparing for the legislative election. We won't have enough time to revise it. To force the House to make a revision [now] would be pointless," PDI-P lawmaker Honing Sanny told a Baleg meeting on Wednesday.

Members of Baleg from the Democratic Party, Golkar, the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the National Awakening Party (PKB) backed the PDI-P's position. "We share the same view that we should not discuss an amendment to the law," Taufiq Hidayat of the Golkar Party said.

The current Presidential Election Law stipulates that in order to nominate a presidential candidate, a political party or a coalition of parties must secure 20 percent of seats in the House or win 25 percent of the popular vote in the legislative election.

Smaller political parties, including the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) and the People's Conscience Party (Hanura) have called the provision unconstitutional, however, as it could effectively block the candidacy of the two parties' respective leaders, Lt. Gen. (ret.) Prabowo Subianto and Gen. (ret.) Wiranto.

"The high presidential threshold will only promote the same old individuals for the presidential election. It will shut out popular figures, such as Pak Prabowo, from the contest. So, we believe that revising the current law is a must," Gerindra lawmaker Martin Hutabarat said.

Prabowo has consistently topped the lists of the most electable presidential candidates. The Indonesian Network Election Survey (INES) found that Prabowo had an electability rating of 39.8 percent in March this year, up from 19.8 in October last year.

Gerindra has also begun to gain popularity. INES found that support for the party had grown from 14 percent in October last year to 18 percent in March. Support for Golkar, meanwhile, continues to drop due to graft cases involving their politicians.

Several other surveys, including one by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), have found that Prabowo was the most electable candidate for the next presidential election.

Meanwhile, other political parties in the House have proposed that a new provision be added to the bill.

The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the United Development Party (PPP) have called for the inclusion of a provision that would make it mandatory for the country's next president to leave his or her position in a political party.

"We have seen what happens when a president is preoccupied with his party and abandons his main duties. It is, therefore, crucially important to force the next elected president, whomever that might be, to relinquish his or her position in a party and focus on their job as leader of the country," PPP lawmaker Ahmad Yani said.

Government to ensure political stability ahead of 2014 general elections

Jakarta Post - April 11, 2013

Linda Yulisman and Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Vice President Boediono has promised that the government will work extra hard to maintain political stability ahead of the general elections next year so that the possible escalation of political tensions does not affect business.

Speaking in his address during the closing of the Indonesian Employers' Association (Apindo) congress on Wednesday, the Vice President said that the government would not allow labor protests and other forms of security disturbances to cause political instability.

Boediono said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had ordered Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto and all ministers, as well as the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police, to enforce the law and ensure security for all businesspeople.

Similar instructions have been given to Coordinating People's Welfare Minister Agung Laksono and Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Radjasa to solve all labor and economic issues so that the country's target of achieving economic growth of over 6 percent a year will be achieved.

"The government gives the business community a security guarantee and legal certainty to maintain our economic momentum, international confidence in Indonesia and to ensure a smooth transition to the next government," he said.

Indonesia will hold general elections and its third direct presidential election in 2014. Yudhoyono, now in his second term, is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term in office.

The Vice President said that the government vowed to sustain a conducive business climate through all necessary measures so that businesspeople could still go about their business activities well in the coming years.

"I agree with Apindo that we have to develop strong team working skills to avert shocks that are detrimental to all of us during this transition period. We want everything to run smoothly," he said.

He admitted that the fuel subsidy had become a contentious issue, heavily affecting political stability, but said the excessive consumption of subsidized fuel had worsened the country's trade balance to record an accumulative deficit of US$402.1 million in January and February.

The trade deficit has put heavy pressure on the rupiah since late last year, given its limited supply. The country's forex reserves fell to $104.8 billion at the end of March from $112.8 billion in December, according to Bank Indonesia (BI).

He said the government would decide on the issue in the near future in a bid to eliminate uncertainty and negative impacts.

Apindo chairman Sofjan Wanandi previously warned the government of labor rallies, anarchism and illegal levies. Such activities could cause political instability if they were not properly handled, he added.

According to him, the government had no choice but to enforce the law and give investment certainty to maintain economic growth. He said a number of workers' protests had turned chaotic, which had seriously affected foreign investors' confidence in doing business in Indonesia.

Businesspeople were also prone to extortion by politicians and political parties, as they would seek funding to help them during the incoming general and presidential elections.

"We will reconcile with labor unions and go back to the national three- party forum [LKS Tripartite] and deal with labor issues and industrial disputes through social dialogues, provided the government stays neutral," he said.

Apindo has boycotted the LKS Tripartite meetings in the past five months after many regional heads politicized labor issues to win local elections, with minimum wages raised significantly in Jakarta and surrounding areas in the past two years due to pressure from labor rallies.

Sofjan said the next president should have an economic vision similar to Apindo on Indonesian corporations, and added that he or she should also be business-friendly.

PDI-P-Dems coalition a possibility

Jakarta Post - April 10, 2013

The chief patron of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Taufiq Kiemas, said there was a possibility that his party could join in a coalition with the ruling Democratic Party.

"There is a great likelihood that we will have a coalition with the Democratic Party," Taufiq said as quoted by tribunnews.com. Taufiq said that such a coalition would be necessary if both parties wanted to see their candidates elected in the 2014 presidential election.

"There's no way a single political party can contest [the election] alone. At least two political parties have to join forces, and the presidential election threshold should be set at 20 percent," Taufiq said.

He added that the animosity between PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono could be overcome. "I believe Ibu Megawati would bow to the wish of the people," he said.

Indonesia needs business-friendly leader: SBY

Jakarta Post - April 9, 2013

Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who ends his second term in October 2014, said that Indonesia needed a leader with a strong commitment to improving the investment climate.

Speaking to around 1,000 employers, foreign businesspeople and union members at the opening of the Indonesian Employers Association's (Apindo) national congress on Monday, Yudhoyono said that the country's next president should concentrate on the role of investment in economic growth.

Yudhoyono's statement was an apparent swipe at Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party chief patron Prabowo Subianto, who is seen as the strongest contender in 2014. Prabowo campaigns for a pro-poor economic development program to eradicate poverty.

Yudhoyono's Democratic Party (PD) has yet to pick a candidate, while the Golkar Party has decided to nominate business tycoon Abrurizal Bakrie, well known as a supporter of generating growth through domestic and foreign investment.

In his speech, Yudhoyono also applauded the role of business in building the country's economic resilience, stating that his government would continue to support market-friendly programs.

The President warned that despite the good macroeconomic performance, a number of problems, including industrial relations and labor unrest, could undermine the economy. Yudhoyono has ordered all regional heads and security authorities to maintain the security situation.

"Let us all take an active role in maintaining the political, social and security conditions. Anarchy, vigilantism, factory lock-outs and the blockading of vital assets can no longer be tolerated. Regional heads and security authorities have to take responsibility," Yudhoyono urged.

Many employers in garments, textiles and footwear have closed down their companies and laid off workers. Others plan relocation to low-wage regions after requests for exemption from the minimum wage increase was turned down. Only 49 of more than 900 companies requesting exclusion were accepted.

Chairman of Apindo Sofjan Wanandi said that the country's next president should have sound economic and labor policies plan given that violent strikes had started to get out of hand.

"Our next leader who will be nominated by political parties, must have understanding about the important role of the economy in sustaining the state and the government, and therefore, he or she has to take measures to eradicate all obstacles to economic growth, the investment climate and the generation of jobs," he said.

Later in the Apindo meeting, Coordinating for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto called on employers and labor unions to continue promoting dialogue to settle their industrial disputes. Djoko also said that security authorities would no longer tolerate violent strikes and rallies.

Surveys & opinion polls

Jokowi most talked-about candidate for presidential poll

Jakarta Post - April 15, 2013

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – In spite his public assertion that he will not run in the 2014 presidential election, Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has become the most popular presidential hopeful due to the negative media coverage of most established political parties, a study has revealed.

Constant media reports on the turmoil within President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party and the corruption allegations leveled against Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) leader Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq, among others, have not only engendered a poor image of those two parties but has also driven up the popularity of alternative candidates like Jokowi, the Pol- Tracking Institute has revealed.

"People want new figures rather than to focus on those who have been officially nominated by political parties. Jokowi's performance as Jakarta Governor has managed to grab the media's attention, which constantly runs stories about him. As a result, the public wants him to be president even though he has never declared himself a presidential candidate," Pol- Tracking Institute Executive Director Hanta Yudha told a press conference on Sunday.

The Pol-Tracking Institute released on Sunday its study of media coverage of political parties and presidential candidates between February and March this year.

The pollster analyzed 15 media outlets, five each in the print, online and television categories. The study found that there were 86 news stories run by these media outlets discussing a potential run by Jokowi in 2014.

Lt. Gen. (ret.) Prabowo Subianto, the presidential candidate from the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party, only received coverage in 55 news stories.

The Golkar Party's Aburizal Bakrie, who has also been named his party's presidential candidate, came in third place with 52 stories in spite of a massive media campaign aimed at polishing his image.

Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa, the official presidential candidate of the National Mandate Party (PAN), only had coverage in 27 news items.

Jokowi, who is an Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician, has repeatedly shrugged off survey results that put him on the top of the list of most popular presidential candidates. "I don't want to think about surveys. I want to focus on tackling floods and gridlock," he has said.

Some PDI-P politicians, including the party's secretary-general Tjahjo Kumolo, however, have hinted that the party might be warming to the idea of nominating Jokowi in 2014.

Hanta, however, said that the fate of Jokowi in the 2014 presidential election would be in the hands of PDI-P chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri. The party's last congress decided to give Megawati the sole power to name the party's presidential candidate.

"If Jokowi really runs in the 2014 race, it will greatly affect the political situation. One of the most likely possibilities is that many parties will approach the PDI-P to build a coalition," he said.

The Pol-Tracking study also showed the embattled Democratic Party received massive media coverage with 60 percent of all 6,205 media reports surveyed mentioning the ruling party. But the massive media coverage mostly focused on the party's internal rifts.

"The conflict involving Yudhoyono, Anas and their Democratic Party was in the headlines for a quite long period of time," Hanta said, referring to Yudhoyono and former Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum.

Survey finds judiciary perceived as most corrupt

Jakarta Post - April 11, 2013

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – A new survey showed that the country's courts remain mired in corruption, in spite of efforts to improve the welfare of its officials.

Judiciary watchdog the Indonesian Legal Roundtable (ILR) released on Tuesday what it called the 2012 Law Perceptions Index that highlighted that 60 percent of respondents believed judges were prone to bribery. Twenty three percent of the respondent believed otherwise.

For the survey, the ILR interviewed 1,200 respondents in the country's 33 provinces between Dec. 4-16, last year.

Prominent lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis of the ILR said the findings indicated that the country's judiciary remained one of country's weakest institutions.

"With so many corruption cases implicating judges, no wonder only 23 percent of respondents believed judges could not be bribed," he said, adding that 47 percent of respondents did not view the judiciary as independent when handling court cases.

Thirty-two percent of respondents indicated that they believed businessmen could easily influence the judiciary and another 30 percent were of the opinion that political parties also held influence.

Respondents also believed that members of the judiciary were well-paid, thus, could have maintained their independence.

"More than 57 percent of the respondents thought the judges' salary is more than enough," Lubis said.

Recently, Bandung District Court deputy head Setyabudi Tejocahyono was caught by investigators from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rp 150 million paid by a defendant in an embezzlement case currently being heard at the Bandung Administrative Court.

During his 11-month tenure as Bandung District Court deputy head, Setyabudi handled a number of major corruption cases.

The Judicial Commission said that bribery in the judiciary, especially after the recent salary raise for judges, should no longer be a problem.

As a result of the widespread concern about corruption in the judiciary, the government decided to give ad hoc corruption judges a pay rise after the Judicial Commission, which along with the Supreme Court, the Finance Ministry, the State Secretariat and the Administrative Reforms Ministry, called for a better standard of living for judges.

Under the new 2013 Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 5, which was signed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Jan. 10, an ad hoc corruption judge in a lower court would receive a Rp 20.5 million (US$2111.50) monthly allowance, a high court judge would receive Rp 25 million and an appellate court judge Rp 40 million.

Previously, an ad hoc corruption judge in a lower court received an allowance of Rp 13 million a month, whereas a high court judge received Rp 16 million and an appellate court judge Rp 22 million.

The Supreme Court developed a Blueprint on Judicial Reform in 2003 that was renewed in 2010 as guidelines for judicial reforms until 2035.

Overall, the survey gave the country 4.53 out of a maximum score of 10 for perceived corruption.

"4.53 out of 10 is bad considering that we gained our independence 65 years ago," Todung said.

Mass organisations & NGOs

Mass organizations bill still alive at House

Jakarta Post - April 13, 2013

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The House of Representatives and the government will continue deliberating the contentious mass organization bill despite protests from civil society groups.

The House's plenary session on Friday decided to postpone the approval of the bill, bowing to demands from several Islamic groups, including Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama, which say the bill, if enacted, would restrict their activities.

"We, leaders of the House, have asked lawmakers from the special committee discussing the bill to arrange further discussions with the country's mass organizations, especially the big ones such as Nahdatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah, for their input," House of Representatives speaker Marzuki Alie said.

The lawmakers and the government refused to bow to public demand that they drop the bill, saying that they planned to pass it into law in the next sitting session.

Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi said the bill should be passed into law because the existing law was outdated and even more repressive than the much- decried bill.

"We've discussed the bill for nearly two years, but it is obviously far from satisfying for the majority of the people, even though we've made some changes," the minister said on the sidelines of the plenary.

"Therefore, we will continue discussion with the country's existing mass groups to raise suggestions as well as to ensure them that the bill aims not to restrict their freedom of association."

Several Islamic groups, including Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), which promotes the creation of a trans-national caliphate, opposed the bill as they believed it would be used by the government to force them to recognize Pancasila as their core ideology. They said the bill would bring back the ghost of Soeharto, who cracked down on Islamic organizations that refused to accept Pancasila as their sole ideology.

Gamawan said the Islamists have got it wrong. The existing law on mass organizations, he said, was the one that is repressive as it only recognized organizations that were based on Pancasila. "This law is still in effect unless we amend or revoke it," he said.

He said the opposition to the bill was based on a misunderstanding and that he was upbeat the bill would be endorsed in the next sitting session when people understand the purpose of the bill's enactment.

"We will use the time to further talk about this, especially with those groups that continuously reject the endorsement, including the Muhammadiyah. We are confident that they will understand when they get the whole picture," he said.

Committee member Michael Wattimena said the committee needed more time to discuss the bill with the public.

"We've decided to delay the endorsement in order to get more feedback from the public to make the bill suit their needs," he said. "We will use the one month recess to assess for more empowering aspirations so that we can include them in the draft as soon as we return to the deliberation [in Mid May]."

The bill initially drew protests from human rights activists, who called it draconian and a threat to democracy. The lawmakers, however, ignored the protest. Their stance changed when the Islamic groups voiced their opposition to the bill.

Muhammadiyah, the country's second largest Islamic organization, is one of the staunchest critics of the bill. It has threatened to file a judicial review against the bill if the House endorses it.

On Friday, members of the Muhammadiyah Youth and Muhammadiyah Students Association (IMM) rallied in front of the House demanding the lawmakers and the government drop the bill.

House drops contentious bill

Jakarta Post - April 12, 2013

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Bowing to public pressure, the House of Representatives finally halted the deliberation of the controversial mass organizations bill on Thursday.

Political factions in the House openly suggested they had to stop deliberating the bill as they could not risk losing the support of voters ahead of the 2014 legislative election.

"We're now approaching the election so it's better to listen to the public," said Deputy House Speaker Pramono Anung Wibowo of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said that it was too risky to endorse the bill today. "We see that this bill will bring more harm if we continue pushing for its adoption," PKS faction leader at the House, Hidayat Nur Wahid, said.

Civil organizations have rejected the bill, saying that it would bring back repressive government control on mass organizations as experienced in the New Order era.

The bill has been met with scorn by both rights groups and Muslim groups, which in a rare show of solidarity, rallied against the draft. Rights groups stood against the bill, saying that it would have restricted freedom of association.

Meanwhile, Muslim groups were concerned that the bill, if endorsed, would have been used by the government to crack down on them based on the stipulation that Pancasila (the country's five founding principles) must be the only ideology adopted by all mass organizations in the country.

Muslim organizations also rejected the bill because they said it had the potential to be used by the government to spy on their activities.

Muhammadiyah, the country's second-largest Muslim organization, warned lawmakers against endorsing the bill and urged its members not to vote for politicians who supported it.

Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsuddin warned that the organization would keep records of its members who served as lawmakers and supported the bill. Din said the lawmakers would be the subject of a campaign by Muhammadiyah to promote them as "anti-people" lawmakers.

The House had planned to vote on the bill at a plenary session scheduled for April 12 after several weeks of deliberation that was punctuated by criticism from mass organizations, specifically Muslim groups, NGOs, students and workers, that the bill might infringe on people's rights to association.

Human rights activists have also criticized the bill, calling it draconian and a threat to democracy. The bill would have given the government the power to freeze or disband organizations.

Activists said the bill could have been used by officials to silence critics by accusing them of behaving in ways that ran against Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution.

Articles 2 and 3 of the bill stipulate that all mass organizations, including foreign organizations operating in the nation, must conform to the 1945 Constitution and Pancasila.

Chairman of a special committee tasked to deliberate the bill, Abdul Malik Haramain of the National Awakening Party (PKB), said that the House would continue to discuss the bill in the next sitting session.

"We have decided to extend the deliberation until the next House session in order to allow for the public to air their aspirations," he said.

However, Abdul Malik denied that the House had bowed to mounting public pressure and attributed the decision to a technical problem.

"Only yesterday did we manage to finish the draft after we included suggestions from several groups including Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama [NU]. We obviously need more time to discuss the draft with the government before officially endorsing it," he said.

The special committee has also received suggestions from other Muslim groups.

To give the impression that the bill would not pose a threat to Islam, as was suggested by Muslim groups, including the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), the committee recently added new details in the draft that the only ideologies banned in the country were atheism, communism, Marxism and Leninism.

However, such provisions failed to change the stance of Muhammadiyah. "We reject the bill, whatever changes the lawmakers make, especially if those changes favor only a small number of groups. A law should treat all of us equally," Din told the The Jakarta Post.

Lawmakers press talks on mass organization bill

Jakarta Post - April 10, 2013

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Lawmakers plan to bring a bill on mass organizations before a plenary session this week, despite concerns from Muslim and human rights groups.

Abdul Malik Haramain, the lawmaker who chairs the House of Representatives' special committee deliberating the bill, said that the bill would undergo last-minute revisions to address its critics before it was presented to the full House on Friday for enactment into law.

"We have made some changes, and we will include more empowering aspirations in the draft bill before we finally endorse it in the plenary meeting," Abdul said. "We will show the public that we never meant to restrict freedom at all."

The proposed changes appeared to be principally addressed at the bill's critics from Muslim organizations such as the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia, who have balked at making the national ideology of Pancasilia their core principles.

Meanwhile, lawmakers have amended the bill to prohibit atheism and Marxism of every stripe. Article 2 of the bill says that mass organizations can be based on ideologies that do not violate Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution.

The committee has also included a provision that would exempt from registration mass groups that were established before independence or that contributed to the anti-colonial struggle.

The passage was said to have been added to assuage the country's largest Islamic social organizations, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, which has threatened to challenge the bill at the Constitutional Court if it is enacted.

The committee also dropped a requirement for mass organizations to reveal the identities of those who donate more than Rp 100 million. "The paragraph will discourage many hamba Allah [servants of God] out there who do not want their donations made public," Indra, a lawmaker from the PKS, said.

Passage of the bill at the plenary session on Friday, however, is not guaranteed. The leaders of several political parties in the House have asked the special committee to continue deliberations and seek more input from their critics.

Deputy House speaker Pramono Anung from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), for example, said that it would be better to extend deliberations until the next House session to produce a more pro-people bill. "It's a must to listen to the people, especially approaching the election," Pramono said.

Meanwhile, the leaders of other political parties in the House, including Hidayat Nur Wahid from the PKS and Teguh Juwarno from the National Mandate Party (PAN), concurred with Pramono, saying that their lawmakers would reject the bill.

"We need more time to promulgate the bill to the public," Hidayat said. "It's the only way to settle the different understandings about what the bill really aims to achieve."

Separately, human rights activists have asked that the House drop the bill, which they said was unnecessary. Observers have said that the latest draft of the bill contains articles that could hamper freedom of assembly.

The bill, for example, would allow the government to freeze or disband organizations through court rulings, raising fears that such powers would be used to silence critics by accusing them of separatism and going against the Constitution and Pancasila.

Haris Azhar from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) criticized lawmakers for continuing to deliberate the bill.

"We don't need the bill because it will restrict freedom of association, regardless of the changes the House adopt in the draft," Haris said. "The bill aims only to take control over mass groups that are gaining support from the public," he added.

Internet & social media

Yudhoyono's arrival on Twitter lets down pundits, porn star

Jakarta Post - April 15, 2013

Jakarta – Those who wonder why President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has opened up a Twitter account in the waning days of his administration should remember the old saw "If you can beat 'em, join 'em".

After his critics have derided his policies, actions and inactions for years on social media platforms, Yudhoyono joined the popular micro- blogging site Twitter over the weekend. Quite predictably, the President raked in more than half a million followers almost overnight.

However, instead of receiving praise for his social media savoir faire, Yudhoyono received a harsh introduction to life online shortly after posting his first message.

"Hello, people of Indonesia. I have joined Twitter to exchange greetings, views and inspirations. Nice to meet you," the President said.

Local Twitter celebrity Sudjiwo Tedjo, who is also a dalang (puppeteer) and singer, quickly replied, riffing on Yudhoyono's trademark statement, "Saya prihatin". (I am concerned), and mixing it with his typically irreverent language.

Sudjiwo also renamed his account @SBJiwoyono, a jibe at Yudhoyono's Twitter handle, @SBYudhoyono.

The President's decision to join Twitter was met by disappointment from the Norwegian-born porn star and webmaster Vicky Vette, who poked fun by saying: "Sad @SBYudhoyono hasn't followed me yet, maybe he doesn't like my movies."

Other Twitter users noted the similarity of Yudhoyono's profile to that of US President Barack Obama, especially in the use of "sby" if a Twitter message was written by the President himself, the way Obama uses "bo" in all his personal messages on the site.

However, Yudhoyono's arrival on Twitter might have been part of a larger outreach campaign: First Lady Ani Yudhoyono has also created an account for the popular photo-sharing application Instagram.

The State Palace previously opened the Twitter account @istanarakyat, run by Palace staffers, to publicize the President's day-to-day activities, while Yudhoyono's two sons, Eddhie "Ibas" Baskoro and Agus Harimurti, each have personal Twitter accounts.

Separately, Twitter verified the account of Yudhoyono on Sunday, giving it a literal seal of authenticity.

"The management of Twitter appreciated the President's decision to join the social media platform, and they also suggested that his family members should join, too," Presidential spokesperson Julian Aldrin Pasha told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

"They even offered to verify these accounts," Julian added. The State Palace has denied rumors that Yudhoyono had to pay US$15,000 to have his account verified.

Analysts said that Yudhoyono's sudden interest in social media during the last year-and-a-half of his administration was motivated partly by his desire to leave office on a high note.

"He probably doesn't want the public to only remember negative things about his presidency," Andrinof Chaniago of the University of Indonesia (UI) said. "He is certainly aware that the public will judge his performance, especially in terms of leadership, as inadequate."

Separately, political communications expert Effendi Ghazali agreed with Andrinof, saying that Yudhoyono has realized that he needs to leave an indelible mark.

"Leaders feel a strong urge to create a positive image of themselves near the end of their terms. Obama already has a specific program, which is Obamacare, as his legacy," Effendi said. Term limits bar Yudhoyono from seeking reelection in 2014.

Effendi said that Yudhoyono must prepare for the onslaught on criticism, both substantial and irrelevant, that comes with posting to Twitter. "Twitter users tend to be spontaneous when they send messages. Their criticism is not based on careful thinking," Effendi said.

Andrinof said that there would be little that Yudhoyono could do about attacks delivered via Twitter. "People tend to be very critical on social media, because it provides people with freedom with almost no constraints," Andrinof said. (ogi)

Yudhoyono aims to stay in touch with everyday people through Twitter

Jakarta Globe - April 14, 2013

Hundreds of thousands of people have signed on to follow President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's newly launched Twitter account, which he says will facilitate closer communication with everyday Indonesians.

Yudhoyono launched his personal Twitter account @SBYudhoyono at Cipanas Palace, West Java, on Saturday night.

"I joined the Twitter world so that every day I could greet, share and give inspirations and other important things that might be useful for our people who want the country to be better and more advanced," he said, as quoted by his official website PresidenRI.go.id.

Twitter users responded to the new account with welcoming messages, criticisms of policies and requests to chat privately. User @MissanDhilaw tweeted: "I proud you Mr. @SBYyudhoyono."

Another user, @mkusumawijaya, tweeted: "It should be the president @SBYudhoyono who follows us, not us following him. A leader must listen and ask his people, not the other way around."

User @SleepyPill tweeted: "Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of the internet Mr. President @SBYudhoyono.1 important tip 'please do not be easily offended here.'"

During the launch on Saturday, Yudhoyono said that he was aware that the platform could be used as a means for people to directly criticize him.

"Just like SMS, there are good, neutral and excessive messages. But I'll let the Twitter world be the judge. What I will respond is the contents, this is a democratic country, so it will be okay," he said, as quoted by Metrotvnews.com.

Yudhoyono said that being in communication with the people of Indonesia was a priority for him. Since taking office in 2004, he said he generally communicated and interacted with people directly through visits to regions in the country.

He also opened PO BOX 9949 and text message 9949 channel for people who want to share reports, complaints or information. Yudhoyono said that since they were opened in 2005, the PO BOX and text message channel have received 115,000 letters and 3.5 million text messages.

Yudhoyono said biweekly reports show that 40 percent to 50 percent of messages are supportive of government policy, around 30 percent are neutral while the rest are negative.

He acknowledged that there is a need to have direct communication with the people beyond conventional channels like mail and telephone.

Yudhoyono said he would be tweeting from his account most of the time, but a special team will take over during busier periods. Tweets directly from him would be marked with *SBY*.

He denied a rumor that he had to pay $15,000 to get his Twitter account verified. "I wonder how come there are people who easily thought negatively. There is no such thing [paying to get verification]," he said.

Yudhoyono added that another reason he decided to join Twitter was because all but four G20 country leaders used the platform.

There are more than 483,000 followers of Yudhoyono's account, which posted seven messages as of Sunday afternoon.

Despite his many followers, Yudhoyono is following just nine other users: Vice President Boediono, his two sons Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono and Edhie Baskoro Yudhoyono, his daughters-in-law Anissa Pohan and Siti Ruby Aliya Rajasa, the official State Palace account and three journalists.

To bolster image, SBY set to join Twitter

Jakarta Post - April 11, 2013

Nadya Natahadibrata, Jakarta – It may be too late for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to bolster his public image by joining Twitter, but netizens will nevertheless soon be able to interact directly with the President on the social networking website, and may even receive a reply from him.

Presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said on Wednesday that the President felt the need for his own Twitter account, as he wanted to engage more with the public.

"There will be a special code to let people know if a message has come directly from him. However, there will also be a team managing the account," Julian told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. He declined to reveal when the President's official Twitter account would be launched.

The President has long been a target of criticism on social media outlets, with people choosing to vent their disappointments against the government via Twitter or Facebook.

But it appears prominent Twitter users have been waiting for Yudhoyono's first message on Twitter. An anonymous account, @TrioMacan2000, posted a message on Wednesday: "If SBY really is setting up an official Twitter account, what should we tell him first? Any ideas?"

It remains to be seen whether having a personal Twitter account will help Yudhoyono repair his image on social media websites.

Yogyakarta-based Gajah Mada University sociologist Arie Sujito said on Wednesday that Yudhoyono's move would only trigger further criticism against him.

He said if the account was going to be used to boost his image, it would bring further disappointment to the public, which had been waiting for concrete action from the President.

"I think people have grown weary of politicians using social media to strengthen their public image. We certainly don't need the President doing that too," he said.

Arie added that Twitter would not be an effective way of engaging with the public due to the nature of the President, who would unlikely respond quickly to public's aspirations.

"The question is what will he do with the account? Will he only use it to complain? Or will he react based on the public's aspirations?" Arie said. "It's very unlikely as he rarely responds to public outcries through rallies or criticism in the media."

On April 8, the palace had already launched a verified Twitter account called @IstanaRakyat to accommodate communication between the public and the palace.

The account has so far only posted messages on lighter issues and the day- to-day activities at the palace, ranging from the history of the palace to what the President was having for lunch. A picture posted on Wednesday morning showed the President and First Lady Ani Yudhoyono donning sports outfits while jogging around the palace with the caption: "Starting the day with sport to be healthy".

In 2005, Yudhoyono set up SMS center 9949 for the public to send him text messages about their criticisms and aspirations. Four years later, he opened mail address P.O. Box 9949, to which people could be whistle blowers against corrupt judges by reporting them directly to him.

"These communication channels are well-maintained up to this day," Julian said. (ogi)

Environment & natural disasters

West Java governor points finger at wealthy Jakartan's villas for floods

Jakarta Globe - April 13, 2013

Yuli Krisna, Bandung – West Java has been seen as key to solving Jakarta's annual flooding problems, with experts calling for more cooperation between the neighboring provinces.

But West Java governor AhmadHeryawan pointed the finger at Jakartans as the cause of their own problems, and called upon his neighbors to take responsibility for solving problems they themselves have caused.

Ahmad said he supports Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo's plan to restore the Puncak area, a popular weekend destination for Jakarta residents, to its original function as a watershed, in an effort to prevent downstream flooding in Jakarta.

However, he noted that cracking down on illegal properties would be difficult, given that most of them were owned by wealthy or influential Jakarta residents and officials.

"The ones building the villas [in Puncak] are Jakartans," Ahmad told the Jakarta Globe in his first exclusive interview since being re-elected for a second term.

"I think everyone must make sacrifices. Everyone should abide by the law. Each time there is a crackdown [on illegal weekend homes] the Bogor district government is met with resistance by owners who are said to be wealthy and well-connectedpeople," he said.

Ahmad added that villa owners have hired locals to protest against the crackdown and demolition of illegal weekend homes.

Streams winding through Puncak collect to form the Ciliwung River, the main waterway that passes through Jakarta. It is also responsible for most of the flooding that paralyzed the capital in mid-January.

But Puncak has seen its watershed area reduced considerably as a result of deforestation and the illegal construction of private homes.

The area originally drained by the river and its tributaries is around 29,186 hectares, according to Forest Watch Indonesia, an environmental group.

However, the amount of that area still covered by forest is just 3,565 hectares, or 12 percent of what it should be. The rest of the river's watershed has been deforested or developed on, thereby severely diminishing its capacity to absorb rainwater.

The Public Works Ministry has said that the problem lies with the local planning authorities' failure to ensure each new development's compliance with a minimum required proportion of open green space.

The ministry said a re-evaluation of zoning bylaws in the Puncak and Cianjur highland areas, which are the sources of the capital's main rivers, is necessary.

House, Government endorse environment protection laws

Jakarta Post - April 11, 2013

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The House of Representatives and the Indonesian government have endorsed on Thursday two international conventions that to protect the country's biological diversity and environment.

The two conventions are the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization and the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade.

The Nagoya Protocol is a global agreement that implements the access and benefit-sharing obligations of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). By endorsing the protocol, Indonesia will get firm control over its biodiversity richness.

With the Rotterdam Convention, the government will get a wider global reach to save the country from imported hazardous waste.

"The endorsement of both international agreements creates momentum for our efforts to save the environment," Environment Minister Balthazar Kambuaya said.

"We will have stronger power to control over our own biodiversity resources. Moreover, Indonesia will be no longer a dumping site," he added. (ebf)

House to endorse controversial deforestation bill

Jakarta Post - April 9, 2013

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The House of Representatives is expected to endorse the bill on combating deforestation later this week despite mounting criticisms that the bill could be used by the authorities to prosecute members of indigenous communities who have lived off the country's forests for generations.

The bill, which has been discussed at the House Commission IV overseeing forestry, agriculture, plantations and fisheries since 2010, will grant the Forestry Ministry the authority to determine forest areas, issue permits for business exploitation of the forests, as well as bringing criminal charges against those carrying out illegal activities in the forest area, including illegal logging.

Article 15 of the bill, for example, makes it mandatory for anybody conducting any activity in forests to secure permit from the ministry.

The article also obliges any individual or party to secure permit from the ministry to open a plantation project.

Other articles, including Article 82, 83 and 84 also require people to obtain a permit from the ministry in order to carry out activities in the country's forests, including in using timber, or risk of being sentenced to 15 years in prison or fines of up to Rp 14 billion (US$1.43 million).

Article 82 of the bill carries a penalty of between five and 15 years in prison for anybody found guilty of running illegal plantations in the forest.

Meanwhile, those found guilty of running illegal logging will be sentenced between two and 15 years imprisonment or a fine of between Rp 1 billion and Rp 7.5 billion, according to Article 84.

A coalition of environmental and rights groups has called for the House to put off the endorsement of the bill, saying that it was indigenous communities that are targeted by the bill.

Data from the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) said that currently, there were 33,000 villages set up inside or in the vicinity of forests.

The coalition said that the bill would encourage the government to neglect indigenous communities in favor of business.

"The bill has to give a clear definition of those who could be prosecuted for forestry crimes in order to protect indigenous groups from over being criminalized for living forests. These people are not a threat to the forests, these people have in fact helped protect our forests," Rahma Mary from the Society for Ecology-based Law Reform (Huma) told Commission IV in a meeting on Monday.

Rahma said that the bill, if endorsed, could easily be a target of a judicial review given its flawed provisions. The coalition also accused the House of running a "clandestine" operation to pass the bill.

"It seems that Commission IV has discussed the bill in secrecy to deny participation from members of the public. We became aware of this bill only very recently," she added.

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has also called on the House not to endorse the bill, saying that it could violate the basic rights of indigenous communities.

Commission IV said that they could accept proposals for a change in the bill before Thursday.

"Please don't have doubt on our commitment to uphold the rights of the people. We know what we're doing. We are representatives of the people so of course we will fight for the people," Commission IV deputy chairman Herman Khaeron of the Democratic Party said.

Health & education

Minister to blame for national exams fiasco

Jakarta Post - April 15, 2013

Nadya Natahadibrata, Jakarta – The Education and Culture Minister Mohammad Nuh is in the spotlight again, this time for the massive failure in distributing materials as scheduled for the 2013 High School National Examinations, prompting exam delays in 11 provinces.

The ministry, which was recently under fire for its half-baked new curriculum, was scheduled to distribute the materials three days before the exam to allow for all provinces to simultaneously kick off the National Examinations on April 15.

But as of Sunday afternoon, no shipments of the exam materials had arrived in 11 of the country's provinces; Bali, East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, Gorontalo, North Sulawesi, West Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi and Central Sulawesi.

For the 11 provinces, the National Examinations would start on Thursday, the ministry said.

However, Nuh shifted the blame for the delay to Bogor-based printing company PT Ghalia Indonesia Printing, which won the tender for printing and distributing exam materials for the 11 provinces.

"This is solely a technical problem on the part of the printing company," Nuh said in a press conference on Sunday.

Nuh said students could prepare more in the intervening period. He also said that the ministry would cooperate with the Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU) to deliver the exam materials to the 11 provinces to ensure they would be ready by Thursday.

"All materials are ready. We only need to speed up the packaging process," Nuh said.

Meanwhile, Hamzah Lukman, the director for Ghalia Printing Indonesia, said the delay was due to minor problems. Hamzah said that workers at his company had failed to pack all questions and answer sheets on time for delivery.

"This is a technical problem. We have printed the materials for all provinces but we incurred problems while loading them in the right boxes," he said.

He said that although this was the second time his company had won the tender, it had wrongly estimated the time needed to both print and distribute the exam materials. Hamzah said there were now 20 different exam material packages, more than last year's five.

Retno Listyarti, the Indonesian Teachers Unions Federation (FSGI) secretary-general, said the ministry was responsible for the fiasco. "It's the ministry's fault for trusting the company to print and distribute the materials," Retno told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

Retno suspected that there had been foul play in the tender for the project. "How could this company, without a known reputation, win the tender?" Retno said.

Retno said that this was the worst problem to have ever affected the National Examinations. "There have been times when some provinces did not hold the exam simultaneously with other provinces, but this is definitely the worst," Retno said.

The Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (FITRA) previously alleged that irregularities occurred during the tender for the printing and distribution of materials for the national exams that reached Rp 94.8 billion (US$9.76 million).

Responding to the delay, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono posted a message on his official Twitter account @SBYudhoyono on Sunday: "[Regarding] the delay to the start of the national exams in 11 provinces, I have instructed the education and culture minister to immediately resolve and investigate it."

Some local officials have decided to visit Ghalia printing facilities in Bogor to check on the materials themselves.

One of the officials, head of South Sulawesi Education and Culture Agency, Abdullah Jabbar, said he was disappointed with what he found in the city. "The materials are still being packed [in Bogor] and will not be ready to be sent to Makassar today," he said on Sunday.

[Andi Hajramuni and Syamsul Huda M. Suhari contributed to this report from South Sulawesi.]

Teachers, graft activists call on SBY to drop new 'confusing' curriculum

Jakarta Post - April 13, 2013

Jakarta – Representatives of the Indonesian Teachers Union Federation (FSGI) delivered a letter to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the Presidential Palace on Friday, urging him to order the Education and Culture Ministry to cancel the implementation of the new curriculum.

Retno Listyarti, the general-secretary of FSGI, said enhancing the capacity of teachers to teach was more important than changing the curriculum. She also said there were many incorrect approaches in the new curriculum, such as mixing the subjects of science and religion.

"How could teachers teach the Earth's history by using holy verses from five different religions? If they teach that material in elementary school, it will confuse the students," she said.

Teachers also believe there might be political reasons behind the budget increase for the new curriculum, from Rp 684 billion (US$48.1 million) to Rp 2.49 trillion. "That's the most money ever budgeted for education in Indonesian history, and it is solely for creating the new curriculum," she said.

Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) accompanied and supported the teachers in their demands, as the group saw the potential for corruption with such a large budget. ICW public service monitoring division head Febri Hendri said that ICW did not want another Hambalang scandal.

"I'm afraid that the money for the new curriculum will be embezzled by the people handling the curriculum to fund campaigns for next year's election," he said.

On March 21, ICW asked the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to investigate the Education and Culture Ministry in connection with the budget increase.

ICW has joined with FSGI, Sekolah Tanpa Batas (Schools Without Borders), and the Alliance of Parents Concerned with Indonesian Education (APPI) to create a coalition to reject the new curriculum and monitor the budget.

"We have sources at the Education and Culture Ministry that support our suspicions and we hope the KPK will reveal the truth," Febri said. "ICW and the KPK will monitor the use of the funds with special attention to the allocation of Rp 1.09 billion for teacher training and Rp 1.2 billion for book procurement."

Retno said the teacher training and book procurement funds would be the most vulnerable to embezzlement.

"They'll only have one month to order the printing of the books before they have to be distributed to the teachers, so the quality is bound to be poor. We demand that the President cancel the new curriculum because we have read the new curriculum's documents and it is not viable. I believe the President will be embarrassed if the government implements the new curriculum, because it is such a bad curriculum and too costly," she said.

Retno said their letter was their last formal action after visiting the House of Representatives, the Education and Culture Ministry and the Finance Ministry to check the budget.

"If the Education and Culture Ministry insists on implementing the curriculum in June, we suggest that it starts with a pilot program to determine feasibility before full implementation," she said.

The letter was accepted by the Presidential Palace staff, who said they would pass it on to the President.

The police officer handling security at the palace, AKP Kasmono, said: "We only do what people request, so we asked the palace staff to accept their letter. I hope the President will read it. My wife is a teacher too, so I know that there are suspicions that the curriculum budget will be misused. That's why they have reported it to the KPK." he said. (ian)

Teachers, parents urge SBY to drop new school curriculum

Jakarta Globe - April 12, 2013

Dessy Sagita – A coalition of parents, educators and activists have urged President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to drop the new school curriculum, scheduled to roll out in July, as they believe it will not improve the nation's education system.

"Today [Friday], the coalition against the 2013 curriculum is filing a letter requesting the plan to implement a new curriculum to be dropped," Siti Juliantari Rachman, a researcher from Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), said on Friday.

The president had previously said that he wanted education officials to do thorough research before implementing a new national curriculum, adding that he would listen to ministry officials and education experts before the plan went ahead.

The national plan, which drops mandatory English, science and social sciences in favor of Bahasa Indonesia, nationalism and religion, has come under fire from education experts who warn that the move will make Indonesians less competitive in a global job market.

The Ministry of Education had previously said that elementary students could still study basic science and social studies, adding that they would be integrated into Indonesian-language lessons.

Despite claiming that the new curriculum would mean less of a burden for the students, the ministry has also decided to increase the school hours to 38 per week to 32.

No pregnant students allowed to sit for exams

Antara News - April 10, 2013

Palu, Central Sulawesi – No pregnant students are allowed to sit for national examination even though they have been registered, a local education official said.

"That's the rule we must abide by altogether," Rustam Akkas, the head of the secondary education section at the Palu city education and teaching office, said here on Tuesday.

Rustam said the pregnant students should not have been registered for the exams. It is most likely when they were registered they had been pregnant but their pregnancy was still unknown, he said.

If they were known to have been pregnant they would certainly be expelled from their schools, he said. "Despite being pregnant they do not often confess in the hope they can sit for the exams," he said.

He also said students who are sentenced for their involvement in various cases such as drug abuse, theft and other criminal offenses are not allowed to sit for the exams. "But they still have a chance to take package C exams in the same way as the pregnant students," he said.

Meanwhile, the students who cannot sit for the exam for being sick can take exams to be held a week after the national exams, he said. But they must show a written statement issued by the doctor or hospital, he said.

A total of 6,167 senior high school students in Palu will sit for the national exams on April 15-18.

Indonesian family planning program a failure: Minister

Jakarta Globe - April 9, 2013

Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi has called Indonesia's family planning program a failure for its inability to control the country's fertility rate.

"In 2012, the fertility rate in Indonesia was still at 2.6, which means our family planning program over the last 10 years has failed," Nafsiah said on Tuesday in Batam, as quoted by the state-run Antara news agency.

As mentioned in the country's Millennium Development Goals, Indonesia aimed to reduce its fertility rate to 2.1 by 2014. The rate indicates the average amount of births per Indonesian woman.

"Currently, instances of early marriage are increasing, and teenagers under 20 years old are sexually active," she said, noting that rural areas were more likely to produce child brides.

"Early marriage increases the risk of mothers dying in labor, since they are giving birth to a baby when their reproductive organs are not fully developed," she said.

Previously, Sudibyo Alimoeso, the acting chief of the National Family Planning Coordinating Board (BKKBN), voiced concern over Indonesia's high maternal mortality rate, which recently reached 17,520 cases per year, or two people per hour. He attributed child marriage as one of the contributing factors to the number.

The BKKBN set up an information and counseling campaign to provide more information about the risks of childbirth for sexually immature women, though the program has only been introduced in non-Islamic schools.

Though the country has seen a major decline in its number of child brides, 22 percent of Indonesian women aged 20 to 24 were married before the age of 18, according to a United Nations report.

The report, called "Marrying Too Young," was released in October of last year by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) to mark the inaugural International Day of the Girl Child. It warned that 142 million girls worldwide could be married before the age of 18 within the next decade if current global trends continued.

From 2000 to 2011, the report noted, an estimated 34 percent of women aged 20 to 24 in developing regions were married or in union before their 18th birthday. "In 2010 this was equivalent to almost 67 million women. About 12 percent were married or in union before age 15," it said.

It also identified Indonesia as one of 48 countries worldwide where the prevalence of child marriages had declined by more than 10 percent in recent years, but noted that the prevalence still remained high, particularly in rural areas.

Marriage & polygamy

East Java sees increase in early marriages

Jakarta Post - April 12, 2013

Indra Harsaputra, Surabaya – The early marriage rate has reportedly been increasing from year-to-year in some East Java regencies, raising concerns from local administrations that a baby boom could be triggered.

Malang Regent Rendra Krisna said that the early marriage rate had increased by up to 30 percent over the past two years, which has resulted in population growth.

"Teenagers under 20 years of age are not prepared to get married as they are not yet mentally and economically mature. They don't have the means to settle down, but there is a large chance that they'll produce more than two children," Rendra told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

"The early marriage increase also triggers population growth, currently at 0.8 percent annually. Despite a drop from 1.1 percent in 2009, the figure of 0.8 percent is still above the average population growth in East Java of 0.7 percent," said Rendra.

The population of Malang regency as of Dec. 31, 2012, was more than 3 million. Based on data from the Malang Family Planning Board (BKB), the number of early marriages among teenagers below the age of 20 in 2011 and 2012 was 7,716 and 8,515 respectively.

The 2012 Indonesian Health and Demography Survey showed a rise in the number of births by young mothers between the ages of 15 and 19, be they through wedlock or out of wedlock. A study conducted by the University of Indonesia Health Research Center in 2010 also showed similar findings.

In Indonesia, according to Law No. 1/1974 on marriage, females over the age of 16 are allowed to marry. However, the 2002 Child Protection Law stipulates that anyone below 18 is a minor.

The Malang, Kediri and Madura regency administrations are also making efforts to suppress the rate of early marriages.

Data at the Kediri Religious Affairs Office showed a rise in marriage applications involving teenagers. The number of early marriages in 2011 and 2012 stood at 109 and 167 respectively.

Kediri Religious Court deputy clerk Mohammad Kamali said the early marriage applications had been consented by both the families of the bride and the groom.

The youngest prospective bride was listed as 14-years-old and still attending junior high school, while the youngest age for a groom was 16- years-old and still attending high school.

"Based on the Marriage Law, getting married at such ages is considered too young. However, the Religious Court could not forbid them if they have met the requirements and their parents have given their consent," said Kamali.

Kamali added the increase in marriage applications among teenagers was also comparable to the high divorce rate.

In 2011, it was recorded that 3,717 couples had filed for divorce, while in 2012, 315 divorce cases were reported in January and 334 cases in February. "The main factors for the divorces were mainly due to extramarital and financial issues," said Kamali.

Malang BKB head Sukowiyono said in an effort to curb population growth due to early marriages, his office was working together with community figures and the local chapter Interfaith Communication Forum (KKUB) to urge parents to postpone their children's marriages.

"Obviously, we cannot forbid 16-year-old women from getting married because the Marriage Law consents marriage at that age. We call on parents to postpone early marriages as they could trigger poverty," said Sukowiyono.

Graft & corruption

Better protections urged for witnesses, whistle-blowers

Jakarta Globe - April 13, 2013

Novianti Setuningsih – The antigraft body and witness protection agency have argued for a revision of the law to better protect witnesses and motivate more people to come forward.

Bambang Widjojanto, deputy chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), said on Friday that his office needed clearer legal criteria about those who could become whistle-blowers or justice collaborators for KPK investigations.

He also called for clarity on how his office could cooperate with other agencies, especially the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK), in executing its duties.

"The 2002 KPK Law only says that the KPK must protect witnesses and those who file reports about graft cases. But we don't have enough details," he said.

He added that while the 2006 Law on Witness and Victim Protection offered protection for witnesses and victims of crimes, it did not adequately cover justice collaborators, a term including those convicted in a case who help authorities solve it.

Bambang said the KPK needed help from the LPSK in getting more witnesses to cases it handles.

Abdul Haris Semendawai, LPSK chairman, separately said on Friday that his office had pushed for an amendment to the law to the House of Representatives, saying it would provide greater protection to individuals instrumental in uncovering major corruption.

"We have failed to protect many justice collaborators because the law is not clear about our jurisdiction. We hope we can have the law amended sometime this year so we can protect more collaborators," he said.

Supporters of the bid to protect justice collaborators have cited the case of Agus Condro Prayitno, a former legislator from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), who revealed a Rp 24 billion bribery racket to select the senior deputy governor for Bank Indonesia in 2004, as highlighting the need for legal clarity.

Agus, whose testimony led to the conviction of 29 other legislators as well as the official in question, Miranda Goeltom, and the briber, Nunun Nurbaetie Daradjatun, was controversially ordered detained just moments before being released on parole.

Minister of Justice and Human Rights Amir Syamsuddin blocked the move, saying that as a graft convict Agus was not entitled to early release.

Tax office under spotlight for graft, again

Jakarta Post - April 11, 2013

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – A tax official in Central Jakarta has been charged with extortion for demanding bribe money from a businessman who claimed to have paid his taxes.

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) spokesperson Johan Budi said that the taxman, Pargono Riyadi, allegedly tried to extort Rp 125 million (US$12,900) from Asep Hendro, owner of motorcross spare parts and accessories manufacturer Asep Hendro Racing Sports (AHRS).

"Pargono is accused of extorting money from Asep with the excuse of there being a problem in the tax payment," Johan said on Wednesday.

Pargono was caught accepting a bribe from Rukimin, the middle man, at Gambir station in Central Jakarta, on Tuesday. "The also KPK confiscated Rp 25 million in cash found inside a plastic bag during the arrest," Johan said, adding that Asep allegedly promised a total of Rp 125 million to Pargono.

Besides Pargono and Rukimin, the KPK also separately arrested Asep, Wawan, a manager at AHRS, and S, a tax consultant. The KPK released Rukimin, Asep, Wawan and S after questioning.

Asep, a former motocross racer, founded Depok-based AHRS in 1997. Following the arrest of its owner, the AHRS showroom on Jl. Tole Iskandar in Depok, West Java, was raided by the KPK late on Tuesday. The 2,500-square-meter showroom was closed to customers on Wednesday but some employees could be seen working.

Pargono's case is the latest in a series of cases in which tax officials have accepted bribes from companies or individuals to fix their tax problems,

The case shows that graft remains in the tax office after the arrest and conviction of several tax officials, such as Gayus Tambunan, Bahasyim Assifie, Dhana Widyatmika, Tomy Hendratno and Anggrah Suryo, for their involvement in major graft cases.

Pargono reportedly owns Rp 870 million in assets, according to a wealth disclosure report in 2008 retrieved by the KPK. He owns Rp 757 million in non-movable property in Bogor, Cilacap, Tegal and East Jakarta.

He also has a transportation unit worth around Rp 153 million, but is Rp 60 million in debt.

According to the Finance Ministry's Tax director general, Fuad Rahmany, the KPK operation was a collaboration between his office and the KPK. "This is the result of a tip-off from a whistle blower inside the tax office," he said.

According to Johan, the KPK would not cease its investigation into Pargono and would continue digging to see whether the taxman had extorted money from other taxpayers.

Freedom of religion & worship

Islamic hard-liners attack three Ahmadiyah mosques in Cianjur

Jakarta Globe - April 13, 2013

Camelia Pasandaran – Three Ahmadiyah mosques in Cianjur, West Java, were shut down and damaged by a group of Islamic hard-liners and local residents on Friday, the latest act of intolerance in the province.

Firdaus Mubarik, a spokesman from the Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation (JAI), told the Jakarta Globe on Saturday that police officers and soliders witnessed all three incidents but did nothing to stop members of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) from attacking the mosques that were located in three different subdistricts in Cianjur – Campaka, Ciparay and Neglasari.

"Three mosques, located close to each other, were sealed and damaged in less than three hours yesterday," Firdaus explained. "They also shut down our mosque in Ciparay. Some of them threw stones at the windows, door and the roof tiles. The police were there, but did nothing to stop them. A police officer named Dedi from the Campaka Police even was the one that placed an announcement stating that activities of the mosque should be terminated."

Prior to the attacks, an Ahmadiyah member, Jamal, was summoned to the Campaka subdistrict's office to explain why his shop had been built without a permit. Jamal reportedly could not afford a permit as a local official had allegedly asked him to pay Rp 4 million.

But when Jamal arrived at the office, hundreds of FPI members were waiting. While the issue was originally about Jamal not holding a valid permit to operate his shop, some 300 FPI members decided to march from the office to the Ahmadiyah mosque in the Campaka subdistrict to shut down the place of worship. The FPI members placed a plank of wood on the door to prevent people from entering the mosque.

Firdaus explained that after members of the FPI shut down the mosque in Ciparay, they continued to Neglasari to shut down another mosque. He claimed that Adj. Sr. Comr. Lanjar Guntoro, the intelligent head of the Cianjur Police, witnessed the attack but did nothing.

Firdaus added that when they told the hard-liners that they had no legal right to close down the mosques, an FPI member told the Ahmadis that they were simply just helping the police.

Meanwhile, the government and police officers said that they were only on- site to prevent any big clashes between the Ahmadiyah and the FPI.

In 2005, all three mosques were attacked by hard-liners and more than 60 houses belonging to Ahmadis were destroyed. More houses owned by Ahmadis in Cianjur were set on fire several years later, however the perpetrators remain unknown.

Firdaus said that in 2011, the government placed an announcement in front of all Ahmadiyah mosques forbidding members from spreading the Ahmadiyah teachings.

"The announcement increases awareness of people that the mosques were belong to Ahmadiyah," he explained, adding that he was concerned that Friday's incident could pave the way for a bigger attack.

Bonar Tigor Naipospos, the deputy director of human rights group Setara Institute, said on Saturday that the FPI might have taken justice into their own hands because of their alleged closeness with West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan.

"I believe it is related to the memorandum of understanding between the FPI and Ahmad Heryawan when he was campaigning as a governor candidate," Bonar said. "The FPI told him that they would support Ahmad only if he agreed to stop all Ahmadiyah activities in West Java."

While Ahmad once denied that he had signed such an agreement, he did not deny that he was in a meeting with FPI members during the campaign.

Bonar said that even if the police did shut down the mosque, it was still illegal as the gubernatorial regulation only banned the spread of Ahmadiyah teachings, not activities.

"This is insane, why ban people from praying," Bonar said, adding that his organization had not decided whether to provide legal support to the Ahmadiyah or not. "They tend to be passive, and they use civilized way in handling the pressure."

Ahmadiyah and Bekasi government fail to ink a deal to reopen mosque

Jakarta Globe - April 12, 2013

Camelia Pasandaran – The Bekasi administration says they will only open the sealed Ahmadiyah mosque in Pondok Gede if the congregation agrees to let the local government select an Imam and preacher for the mosque's Friday prayers.

Firdaus Mubarik, a spokesman from the Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation (JAI), told the Jakarta Globe that they refused to accept the request during a discussion on Thursday between the Bekasi government and members of the beleaguered Ahmadiyah sect.

"Of course we don't buy it, it is the same as giving away our faith," Firdaus said on Friday. But Firdaus said that they would not object if the Bekasi government wanted to educate them on religion.

"If ulema from the Indonesian Ulema Council [MUI] or from the Religious Affairs Ministry came to the Ahmadiyah mosque and taught us the right Islamic teachings according to their version, it won't be a problem for us," Firdaus explained. "But if they're telling us what to do and not to do, it is unacceptable."

The Al-Misbah mosque, located on Jalan Pangrango inside the Jatibening housing complex, has been sealed three times by the Bekasi government since February 2013. In the latest case on April 4, the Bekasi government put iron sheets around the mosque to prevent the congregation from entering, as well as blocking the exit for around 30 Ahmadis who were still inside at the time.

The government has refused to open the seal with the Pondok Gede Police in Bekasi supporting the decision, forbidding members from going in or out of the mosque.

Firdaus explained that they had to reject the government's offer as they did not want a repeat of "Operation Sajadah" ("Operation Prayer Mat") in West Java in 2011, where members of the Ahmadiyah sect were forced to embrace mainstream Islam.

"That time, the West Java government, hand in hand with the West Java military confiscated Ahmadiyah mosques in Bandung, Cianjur and Majalengka by firstly taking over the role of Friday prayers' Imam and preacher at Ahmadiyah's mosques," Firdaus said. " This is also what the Bekasi mayor wants."

Religious minorities band together for tolerance

Jakarta Globe - April 9, 2013

Sandra Siagian & Rebecca Lake – So often the victims of intolerance in Indonesia, Christians, Ahmadiyah and Shia Muslims on Monday marched together in Central Jakarta to urge the government to take a stand against religiously motivated violence and discrimination.

The 300 protesters held a shared prayer service before singing the national anthem as the marched along Jalan Gerag Pemuda toward the gates of the House of Representatives.

Pastor Torang Simanjuntak, from the HKBP Taman Sari church in Bekasi, which was demolished after an order from the regional government on March 21, was among the demonstrators. The pastor said he was there to send a message to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

"I can't give you an answer to what the government is thinking about this situation, but in a few areas across Indonesia, our brothers and sisters are hoping that the government will take the right step toward religion," Torang explained, adding that his congregation continues to hold services where their church once stood despite it being destroyed almost three weeks ago.

"We are very simple, and we just hope that the government can guide us to help minorities in the country," the pastor said.

Monday's protest comes after international rights group Human Rights Watch released a damning report in February criticizing the Indonesian government for its ignorant and at times "complicit" approach toward increasing instances of religious discrimination and violence.

Indonesia-based research organization the Setara Institute cited 264 instances of violence directed at religious minorities last year alone.

Anna Nenoharan, a pastor from the Evangelical Christian Church (Gekindo) in Jatimulya, Bekasi, was also present at Monday's demonstration.

In 2005, she was stabbed with a knife by members from the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) who claimed the church did not hold a valid building permit to hold services.

Not long after the attack, Anna and her congregation were evicted from their church, which was then demolished. The pastor has since been a vocal advocate for religious tolerance.

"I was knifed in my neck and my tummy," Anna explained at the protest. "The FPI attacked me and the law didn't do anything to protect me. They [the FPI] are still free and yet they attacked our church and ruined all our equipment. We have protested in front of the state palace but nothing has been done."

Despite suffering such a vicious attack and enduring continual threats from the vigilante group, Anna said that she was not intimidated and was not afraid to fight for the rights of religious minorities.

"Our church can be pulled down but our spirit will always remain high," she said. "The government has done nothing and they just act deaf and turn a blind eye. But we believe that a miracle of god will fix this. We are ashamed of our government but we are proud to be Indonesian."

Emilia Az, a Shia Muslim from the non-profit organization Organization of Ahlulbayt for Social Support and Education (OASE), which provides tools for the resolution of conflict between religious groups, expressed the importance for minorities to band together.

"I don't only just work for Shia, I've worked for the churches and for the Ahmadiyahs. We have to fight back for our rights. Everybody has their right to live in peace," Emilia said at the protest.

Emilia, who has spent time mediating with hard-liners to persuade them to adopt more peaceful and tolerant attitudes, said that through dialogue a better understanding can be reached.

However, she admitted that without a strong stance from the government and tougher law enforcement this approach is limited.

"I believe that these extremists are being ordered by others outside of Indonesia. I don't believe this is really Indonesia as this is not part of our habits, our social life or our identity," she said. In February, Bahrul Hayat, secretary general of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, said that "Indonesia is a good place to see religious harmony."

The bureaucrat admitted that there were cases of religious violence in the country but that it was not a cause for alarm. The ministry did not respond to a request for comment on Monday's protest.

Clerics take to street for religious freedom

Jakarta Post - April 9, 2013

Fikri Zaki Muhammadi and Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Around 200 clerics in Greater Jakarta took to the street on Monday to vent their criticism against the government's negligence over the ongoing cases on religious intolerance.

The clerics in their cassocks along with the representatives of Shiites, Ahmadis and practitioners of indigenous faiths marched from the Bung Karno Stadium to the House of Representatives' compound in Senayan, Central Jakarta, calling for the government to heed the 1945 Constitution that guarantees religious freedom for the minorities.

Tanah Abang Precinct Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Suyudi Ario Seto said that police dispatched 375 personnel to safeguard the rally, with an additional 26 members from Nahdlatul Ulama's youth wing, Banser.

They eventually met with People's Consultative Assembly speaker Taufiq Kiemas and the deputy speakers for discussion.

"Religious freedom is not for negotiation and we condemn all kinds of violence and intimidation committed under the name of religion," said Erwin Marbun, the rally coordinator of the ecclesiastic Forum Rohaniwan Se- Jabodetabek. "As of now, the state is omitting to counter the violence and we urge them to take strict measures."

The forum asked the state to fulfill 10 requests, which include the need for regional administrations to protect the citizens despite their religious beliefs and allow them to worship freely. "The state stands by various races and religions, not by the interest of a certain group," Erwin added.

In a discussion with the clerics, Taufiq said that the assembly would thoroughly discuss the solutions to the escalating discrimination against religious minorities with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as well as leaders of other state high institutions, including the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court, in a meeting slated for next month.

"I hope we will come up with a concrete and peaceful solution to the matter," Taufiq said.

He added that the assembly would also engage local leaders to search for comprehensive solutions to religious conflict in their areas in order to uphold the country's core ideology Pancasila, the Constitution, the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) and the Unity in Diversity (Bhinneka Tunggal Ika) principle.

"We must remember that it is impossible to uphold human rights here without the four pillars," he added.

Separately, the assembly's deputy speaker Melani Leimena Suharli concurred with Taufiq, emphasizing that a peaceful talk would help all groups to approach religious issues in Indonesia wisely.

"I believe that Indonesia upholds religious harmony. However, some groups apparently feel neglected [by the government]. Thus, we must sit together to accommodate the needs of all groups," Melani said.

The long march and discussion were in response to the destruction and sealing off of several prayer houses in the city lately, and the violence of hard-line believers against them.

The report shows that the number of religious intolerance cases in 2012 stood at 274, up from 267 in 2011. In 2010, the record shows 184 cases and 121 cases in 2009.

Major cases of religious intolerance include the banning of church congregations from worshipping at the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) Taman Yasmin in Bogor and the Batak Protestant Church (HKBP) Filadelfia in Bekasi.

Recently, the Bekasi administration sealed Ahmadiyah's Al-Misbah Mosque a few weeks after demolishing the unfinished church building of HKBP Taman Sari in Setu district due to objections from the predominantly Muslim neighborhood.

Meanwhile, spokesman to the forum, Binsar J. Pakpahan, said that the discussion with the Assembly leaders was the first small step to fight for religious freedom.

Most Indonesian mosques don't have building permits: Komnas HAM

Jakarta Globe - April 9, 2013

The National Commission on Human Rights on Tuesday said that 85 percent of Indonesia's houses of worship do not have building permits, with most of them being mosques.

"The majority [of houses of worship without building permits] are mosques," Imdadun Rahmat, the deputy of chairman of the commission (Komnas HAM), said on Tuesday, as quoted by Tempo.co. "If you check, most religious buildings in villages have no building permits, even if their buildings are close to the urban ward chief."

Imdadun noted that most religious buildings that obtained building permits were located in major cities. Many houses of worship are built based on the needs of nearby residents, and the processes of obtaining a permit and conforming to building codes are often overlooked, he said.

Regardless, Imdadun said that rather than dismantling the buildings, the government should protect them given their importance to local populations.

Several churches have been shut down or destroyed by local governments over the past few years for not having proper building permits. The HKBP Taman Sari church in Setu, Bekasi district, was demolished last month by the Bekasi district administration. Established in 1998, the church was in the process of obtaining a building permit, but the district chief, Neneng Hasanah Yasin, decided to demolish the building amid demonstrations by the hard-line Taman Sari Islamic Peoples Forum (FUIT).

Earlier this month, the GKI Gembrong church, located in Bekasi, was sealed by the government for the same reason.

The issuance of a building permit does not guarantee a structure's existence, though. GKI Yasmin, a protestant church in Bogor, obtained the correct license but was later stripped of it by the city's mayor, who claimed that the church fabricated an agreement with local residents.

The Supreme Court ordered the local government to reopen the church, but the city hasn't followed through yet.

Poverty & social inequity

Social disparity my biggest worry: Joko

Jakarta Globe - April 12, 2013

Abdul Qowi Bastian – The most troubling issue Jakarta faces is the enormous social disparity between the haves and the have-nots, Governor Joko Widodo said on Thursday.

"The biggest challenge is the gap between the rich and the poor. The gap is huge, it's very dangerous," Joko told students at Universitas Pelita Harapan (UPH) during a public lecture.

That was why, he explained, the first six months of his term had been focussed on policy measures to narrow the social and economic gap.

Health and education prioritized

The governor said the two key planks in his social justice initiative were free health care via the Jakarta Health Card (KJS) and a monthly educational support stipend via the Jakarta Smart Card (KJP).

"To me, health and education are top priorities. Without them, don't expect to see productivity and creativity in Indonesia," he said.

Supporting measures include the building of low-cost apartments and a stated determination to enhance public transportation by starting work on the city's long-awaited mass rapid transit system.

The Jakarta Legislative Council passed in late February the Rp 49.9 trillion ($5.2 billion) budget required to support Joko's plans, with 27 percent – the biggest allocation – earmarked for education.

But a few months into the welfare initiative's implementation, reports of Jakarta hospitals refusing to treat patients have made headlines.

Jakartans with long-term ailments they could not afford to have treated have flooded health care facilities, resulting in an approximately 70 percent increase in patients. Community health care posts and hospitals were unprepared for the surge in patients.

The tragedy of a newborn baby denied treatment by 10 hospitals in February raised questions about hospitals' and government's commitment to the plan.

On Thursday Joko acknowledged to some extent the charge of implementing the policy without sufficient preparation, but argued that the welfare principle was sound and the cost of inaction was morally unsupportable.

"The KJS system is on the right track. But the puskesmas [community health centers] and hospitals aren't ready," he said. "But if we didn't launch KJS right away, it would have cost patients their lives. There [were previously] thousands of people dying untreated in their homes. So don't make a fuss if there's now one or two people going untreated in hospitals," he said.

University of Indonesia political analyst Andrinof Chaniago praised Joko's initiatives, saying that the KJS was a breakthrough in cutting through bureaucratic red tape preventing people from accessing health care services they were entitled to.

"We need to judge the governor by the first steps he has taken, which will develop over time. And in that regard, he has done plenty," Andrinof said.

Urban planning

Joko went on to say that his focus extended to revitalizing Jakarta's many impoverished areas and providing adequate public housing for the poor. "There are about 360 slum areas in Jakarta. So far this year we've begun working on 38 areas. If it goes well, we will revitalize 100 areas per year," he explained.

The Jakarta administration plans to improve the lives of shanty dwellers by constructing subsidized apartments for them to move into.

Joko has previously used the language of "vertical" or "tiered" villages, a concept where subsidized apartment blocks will include markets, health care facilities and public libraries.

"Previously, there have been only four to six low-cost apartments built per year. In my term, I will build 200 to 300 subsidized apartments every year," he said.

Andrinof said he respected the governor's enthusiasm, but regarded it as optimistic rather than realistic. "It still needs to be perfected. His target is unrealistic," Andrinof said.

MRT to start soon

Addressing the 6,000 attendees, the governor discussed other aspects of his plans for the nation's capital. Joko stressed that he was serious in his intention to kick off work on an MRT system this month.

"We will begin the MRT [development] this month. Whatever the means, it has to start now," he said, a promise that was met with applause from his audience.

Jakarta's MRT project was first given serious consideration in the 1990s, but faced an uncertain future until Joko decided last year to secure funding and begin work on the plan.

The cost of constructing the first phase of the system – from Lebak Bulus in the city's south to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, a northward run of 15.2 kilometers – has been priced at Rp 15.7 trillion. The central government has agreed to take on 58 percent of the construction cost.

The MRT, which is expected to take seven years to build, will be the first in the country, and Joko has admitted his administration would appreciate more assistance from another place with more experience in this field.

"I met with Singapore MRT companies the other week. Our human resources will be trained there. They will learn about its management and operational procedures," he said.

Joko also promised a parallel strategy to improve the city's road traffic problems by adding 1,000 more Kopaja and Metro Mini buses. He added that his administration had added 102 TransJakarta buses in an effort to optimize the dedicated bus lane network.

Azas Tigor Nainggolan, chairman of the Jakarta Transportation Committee, urged the governor to quickly put the plan into gear. "So far it's only an idea. Studies have been conducted and the budget is there. Why hasn't there been any real progress?" Azas said.

But Joko rejected the claim that he had been slow to tackle the capital's crippling traffic problem.

"The MRT was first conceived of 24 years ago, but nothing was done until now. I've been in office for five months, yet people criticise me for not starting the project sooner," said the governor who was inaugurated last October.

Flooding

Late last year when floods inundated the capital, the Jakarta administration announced a plan to build a deep tunnel to divert seasonal flood waters. But on Thursday, Joko appeared to play down the proposal, saying, "The deep tunnel is only an idea for now."

He acknowledged that Jakarta needed a system, like such a tunnel, to cope with the city's torrential rains. He even submitted a study on the proposed tunnel to the Jakarta Public Works Office in December.

The deep tunnel, with a diameter of 19 meters, would be built at a depth of 40 meters and will consist of three channels. The upper two channels would be for traffic, while the bottom one would be used to transmit water.

The deep tunnel project is estimated to cost Rp 16 trillion, which will come from the city budget and the private sector. It will take up to five years to complete. Once completed, it will run from Cawang in East Jakarta to Pluit in North Jakarta. "We are still processing and calculating the high cost," Joko said.

Azas argued that the deep tunnel was not a viable solution to tackle flood and traffic problems. "What's the point of building a tunnel if the people don't have the awareness of their environment?" Azas said.

During question-and-answer session with the students, Joko played down his desire to run for president next year.

"I want to focus first on Jakarta's problems: subsidized apartments, monorail, MRT, the social gap. Until now, I have not given a single thought to survey results. They don't matter to me," he said.

In a survey by Publica Research and Consultant released last month, Joko was the top choice for president among middle-class and urban voters. He attracted support from 16 percent of voters.

Andrinof did Joko was not likely to run for presidency next year. "We ought to blame those who don't think ahead. These are the people who are supposed to soften the issue and persuade him to focus on Jakarta," he said. "Let Jokowi be comfortable concentrating on Jakarta's issues."

Parliament & legislation

As polls approach, only one priority bill passed in first House session

Jakarta Post - April 13, 2013

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – In yet another sign of poor performance, the House of Representatives endorsed only one from 33 priority bills that should have been passed in the first sitting session of this year, which ended on Friday.

After working 67 days, starting Jan. 7, lawmakers only endorsed the bill on preventing terrorist funding in February, after deliberating it for a year.

In the plenary on Friday, they were forced to delay the passage of two contentious bills – on mass organizations and deforestation – due to public opposition.

The House's plenary only managed to ratify two international conventions: the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from Their Utilization, and the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade.

The House, however, did endorse three minor bills on the establishment of the Konawe regency in Southeast Sulawesi; Tembrauw regency in West Papua, and Morowali in Central Sulawesi. The three bills were not included in the national legislation program.

Previously, a deadlock between political factions at the House had forced lawmakers to prolong discussions on a bill to amend Law No. 42/2008 on presidential elections, which stipulates that in order to nominate a presidential candidate, a political party or coalition of parties must secure 20 percent of seats in the House or win 25 percent of the popular vote in the legislative election.

The House has set a target to pass a total of 70 priority bills by the end of this year, a target that seems increasingly unlikely as lawmakers have virtually abandoned the House in favor of reelection planning a year ahead of the legislative election, slated for April 9, 2014.

Last year, lawmakers completed only 25 out of a total 69 bills in the national program; while in 2011, they completed only 24 from 70.

The long-standing issue of lawmakers' absenteeism, which is worsening as the election moves closer, has raised concerns from House speaker Marzuki Alie over the legislative target that the lawmakers have missed again this session.

"My colleagues had promised to complete at least 16 bills by the end of this session, which has not materialized due to poor attendance. I am deeply concerned, but I don't know what to do because I don't have the authority to force lawmakers to attend meetings. I would fire all lazy lawmakers if I had the authority," he said recently.

Separately, chairman of the House's Legislative Body (Baleg), Ignatius Mulyono, said the division of labor in the House made it difficult for lawmakers to perform.

"It's a huge challenge for political parties with less representation at the House to distribute their limited number of lawmakers to all meetings while, at the same time, they also need to attend bill deliberations with working or special committees," he said.

Mulyono suggested that the House divide the 560 lawmakers into three different groups – one for bill deliberations, one for monitoring and the other for budgeting.

Nonetheless, he cited a lack of a clear legislative concept between the House and the government as a foundational problem that hampered national legislative achievement. "Different stances and interests have often put lawmakers and the government at loggerheads over certain bills, which leads to delays," Mulyono said.

House courts more controversy with planned trip to US, Japan

Jakarta Globe - April 9, 2013

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The House of Representatives is set to send another delegation off on an overseas study trip, this time to the United States and Japan, drawing yet more criticism for its insistence on conducting what many have deemed a series of junkets.

Ignatius Mulyono, the chairman of the House Legislative Council, said on Monday that a team from his council was scheduled to travel to the United States and Japan from April 20-27 as part of ongoing deliberations into bill of proposed amendments to the 2003 Law on Lawyers.

The schedule is not yet fixed, however, because lawyers have asked that deliberations of the bill be postponed until amendments to the Criminal Code and the Criminal Code Procedures are finalized.

Critics were quick to attack the trip. Uchok Sky Khadafi, the advocacy coordinator for the Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (Fitra), said the trip would serve no meaningful purpose in giving the legislators a better understanding of the issue, and accused the legislators of simply wanting an excuse to travel abroad. "To top it all off, the legislators will be traveling with all expenses paid," he said.

Otto Hasibuan, the chairman of the Indonesian Bar Association (Peradi), also questioned the upcoming trip, saying the country's sole guild of lawyers saw no reason why the legislators would need to go abroad to get to grips with the drat bill.

"Such visits are the House's business, but I don't condone them and I certainly wouldn't recommend them," he said as quoted by Detik.com. "If they do end up going, I hope they come back with an understanding of the need for an organization such as Peradi," he said.

If it goes ahead, the US and Japan trip will come on the heels of a trip by another group of legislators to Ukraine and Turkey to discuss possible arms deals.

Legislators from House Commission I, which oversees defense and foreign affairs, are slated to travel to the two countries from April 13-19.

That trip has come under criticism because of the lack of a clear agenda in Turkey, where a previous delegation was reported to have taken in a belly dancing performance in 2010.

Armed forces & defense

Sleman attack 'is a human rights issue'

Jakarta Globe - April 13, 2013

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The attack that killed four detainees at a Yogyakarta prison last month was an extrajudicial killing and a human rights violation for which the government should be held accountable, the national human rights body said on Friday.

"This is clearly a human rights violation. The attack at the Cebongan Prison in Sleman and the killing of four detainees is an attack on the supremacy of the law and can therefore not be justified for any reason," said Siti Noor Laila, chairwoman of the National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM).

Eleven Special Forces (Kopassus) members stand accused of storming the prison on March 23 and executing four men awaiting trial for killing a fellow soldier during a brawl at a cafe in Yogyakarta.

Describing the revenge attack as unacceptable, Siti said Komnas HAM wanted the government to take responsibility because the incident was an attack against a state institution and the state failed to protect its citizens.

"While the incident at Hugo's Cafe was purely criminal, the attack at the prison was an assault against a state institution," she said. The human rights body vowed to continue the investigation until it reached a conclusion.

Siti said Komnas HAM would question the victims' families, witnesses, and several military commanders in the area, as well as the officers named as suspects in the attack. "Komnas HAM is still investigating whether or not their superiors were involved," she said.

She added that while the military announced that 11 people took part in the deadly attack, Komnas HAM believed another three were involved, based on a reconstruction of the incident.

"Every perpetrator had their own specific role during the attack," Siti said. "While someone acted as a look-out, others disabled the closed- circuit television system and held the prison wardens hostage. Someone also drove the cars used by the attackers."

The reconstruction also showed that the perpetrators had used AK-47 assault rifles, handguns and two grenades in the attack. "We found 21 bullets and 31 spent cartridge shells, one of which we have submitted to Yogyakarta Police investigators," Siti added.

Meanwhile, House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Priyo Budi Santoso cautioned Komnas HAM to be extremely careful before labeling the prison attack as a human rights violation. He said a case had to meet certain criteria before it could be labeled as a human rights violation.

"The standard for a gross human rights violation is not just somebody getting killed, but it should also be massive. One thing for certain is that Komnas HAM has to be fair," the Golkar Party legislator said in Jakarta on Friday.

He added that he personally thought the attack was unjustifiable, even if it was committed based on a sense of solidarity referred to as esprit de corps. "Military officers cannot use the law of the jungle," he said.

Yogya police stop Sleman prison killings investigation

Jakarta Post - April 13, 2013

Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – Newly appointed Yogyakarta Police chief Brig. Gen. Haka Astana said that the police would stop its investigation into the Sleman prison killings and would hand over all evidence and witness testimonies to the army's investigation team.

"The army military police will continue the investigation based on what we have," Haka said.

When asked about security conditions in Yogyakarta that had reportedly deteriorated as there were so many hoodlums in town, Haka said that it was not the case.

"Me and my family are used to going everywhere without a guard and we feel ok about that. Yogyakarta is still as safe as before the incident," he said.

Separately, the Yogyakarta Police's general crime unit head Sr. Comr. Kris Erlangga said the police would also halt the investigation into the death of Chief Sgt. Heru Santoso at Hugo's cafe simply because all the suspects had died.

"We couldn't continue the investigation because all suspects have already died," he said. (dic)

Minister rebuked for jumping gun on Cebongan

Jakarta Post - April 13, 2013

Ina Parlina and Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta/Yogyakarta – Human rights activists have criticized Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro for saying the killings of four prison inmates by a group of soldiers in Sleman, Yogyakarta, were not a gross human rights violation.

Yati Andriyani of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) said that Purnomo had no authority to conclude whether or not the raid at Cebongan prison in Sleman by members of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) violated human rights.

The law stipulates that the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) is the sole institution authorized to make that judgment. "The minister seemed to be in a rush to make such a statement. I'm afraid he's intentionally hindered further investigation into the case," Yati said.

The minister argued that the establishment of an ad hoc human rights tribunal for the 11 soldiers involved in the attack was unnecessary as the incident did not fulfill the criteria of a gross human rights violation. He said the attack was spontaneous and not systematic, saying that "no order came from the President, a minister or a commander".

The 2000 Human Rights Courts Law stipulates that perpetrators of gross human rights violations should be brought to a special human rights court. Komnas HAM said on Friday it was still investigating whether there were indications of gross human rights abuse in Cebongan.

The commission, however, confirmed there were strong indications that a human rights violation took place when the soldiers raided the prison and shot dead the four prison inmates. "The case fulfills the criteria for a human rights violation because the perpetrators took away the right to life, the right to freedom from torture and the right to security of the victims," Komnas HAM chairwoman Siti Noor Laila said.

The perpetrators could be charged with violating the 1999 law on human rights, she said.

Families of the victims and human rights activists have lambasted the commission for being sluggish in investigating the incident.

"The Sleman attack meets all the criteria for crimes against humanity stipulated in [the Human Rights Court Law], which is a gross human rights violation," said Yati. "It was carried out against civilians, the perpetrators used weapons owned by the state, and Kontras believes the attack was systematically planned."

Article 7 of the law outlines two categories of gross human rights violations: genocide and crimes against humanity. Article 9 defines crimes against humanity as crimes, including murder, that are committed as part of a widespread or systemic attack against civilians.

Director of rights watchdog Imparsial, Poengky Indarti, slammed Purnomo's lack of understanding on human rights and added it was too early to reach such a conclusion as Komnas HAM had yet to conduct an investigation.

"Komnas HAM should have taken the initiative to carry out such an investigation in order to clarify whether the killings constituted a human rights violation," she said.

Deputy House of Representatives speaker Priyo Budi Santosa backed Purnomo. "A rights violation includes systematic and massive mechanisms. Komnas HAM must be fair. The commission has its credibility at stake [with its findings]," he said. (ogi)

Government insists on military tribunal for Cebongan

Jakarta Post - April 12, 2013

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – As the families of the four brutally murdered Cebongan Penitentiary detainees called for a civilian court trial for 11 members of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) who stand accused of the crime, the government insisted that the soldiers would only be tried in a military tribunal.

Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said the government was firm in its decision to allow the soldiers to be tried in a military tribunal as the prison attack constituted no human rights violation.

"Based on an investigation conducted by the Military Police, the attack inside the prison was spontaneous in nature and did not involve systematic planning. I think we should stick to these findings," Purnomo said in a press briefing at the Defense Ministry on Thursday.

Purnomo also guaranteed that there would be a fair trial under the military court system and that the court proceedings would be opened to the public.

The minister said that the trial for the 11 Kopassus members would neither be a civilian nor human rights tribunal based on Law No. 31/1997, which stipulates that any member of the military accused of criminal misconduct can only be tried in a military court.

With its decision to try the soldiers in military tribunal, the government has slighted the demands of the families of the four victims in the raid, Hendrik Angel Sahetapi, Yohanes Juan Manbait, Gameliel Yermianto Rohi Riwu and Adrianus Candra Galaja.

The four victims were suspected of being responsible for the death of a former Kopassus soldier First Sgt. Heru Santoso, which took place at Hugo's Cafe in Yogyakarta following an altercation.

The families of the victims recently met with senior government officials to voice their demands for the staging of a civilian court to hear the murder case.

After meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's legal and human rights advisor Albert Hasibuan and Deputy Law and Human Rights Minister Denny Indrayana on Wednesday, families of the victims held a meeting with the House of Representatives Commission III overseeing laws and human rights on Tuesday.

With support from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), members of the families urged lawmakers to amend the 1997 Military Tribunal Law. "The only way to have a transparent and accountable legal process is through a civilian court," said Victor Manbait, the brother of Juan.

Families of the victims also called on Commission III to launch a probe into the Hugo's Cafe incident to reveal what really happened during the fateful night. Kontras chairman Haris Azhar said that there were too many unanswered questions in the incident.

"Lawmakers must ensure the investigation covers the incident at the cafe, which was recorded on CCTV [close circuit television] camera. We will never know what was really behind the incident unless we can access the recording," Haris said.

Head of the Defense Ministry's legal division, Brig. Gen. Nurhajizah, said that the military court could issue harsher punishments if the soldiers were found guilty of committing crimes.

"The public perceive the military court to be lenient because they don't see the court's proceedings. We always take incriminating and mitigating factors into account before we issue a verdict," Nurhajizah said. (ogi)

Protesters in military fatigues disrupt Komnas HAM press conference

Detik News - April 12, 2013

Syarifah Nur Haida, Jakarta – Commissioners from the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) were startled when during a break in a Komnas HAM press conference on the Cebongan prison killings, demonstrators wearing military fatigues descended on Komnas HAM's office calling for the commission to be disbanded.

The incident took place around 20 minutes into the Komnas HAM press conference when a speaker from the crowd suddenly startled the people attending the press conference.

"We want the Cebongan to remain an ordinary criminal case, because this case is helping to exterminate thuggery", said one of the speakers through a megaphone in front of the Komnas HAM office in the Menteng area of Central Jakarta on Friday April 12.

It turned out that the demonstrators came from the Communication Forum for Children of Retired Police and Military Officers (FKPPI).

The demonstrators brought banners measuring 1x1 metres with messages such as, "Komnas HAM is a foreign lackey", "Disband Komnas HAM" and "Komnas HAM is never around when their parents rights are violated (sic)". "During the Papua military operation, Komnas HAM never investigated the case (sic)", shouted the speaker.

The demonstration by around 150 people did not disrupt traffic significantly and office security personnel kept watch over the action. The press conference itself had to be halted temporarily because of the protest.

At the press conference meanwhile, Komnas HAM explained that if the attack on the Cebongan prison [by members of the army's elite Special Forces Kopassus] in March was a human rights violation. Komnas HAM chairperson Siti Noor Lalila called on the government to take responsibility, bearing in mind that the incident that took place at Cebongan was an attack on a state institution and that the state had failed to protect its citizens.

"This is clearly a human rights violation. The attack on the Cebongan prison in Sleman was the act of an 'extrajudicial killing' against four prisoners and was an attack against the authority of the law and cannot be justified on any grounds whatsoever", said Lalila. (rvk/nwk)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Kopassus held as 'heroes'

Jakarta Post - April 11, 2013

Yuliasri Perdani and Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – As the 11 members of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) accused of brutally killing four men inside Cebongan Penitentiary in Sleman, Yogyakarta, faced interrogation at the Semarang Military Police headquarters, several groups across the country began hailing them as heroes for standing up to criminal gangs.

In front of the Kopassus headquarters in Cijantung, East Jakarta, on Wednesday, a group calling itself Anak Kolong Bergerak asked passersby to sign a 3-meter banner in support of the 11 soldiers who allegedly stormed and shot dead four detainees in the prison on March 23 in apparent retaliation for the killing of one of their comrades. "Anak kolong" is a slang expression for the children of soldiers.

The group, consisting of local residents from around Cijantung, is aiming to collect 11,000 signatures, according to news reports.

Some major streets in Yogyakarta and Surakarta, Central Java, are adorned with banners praising the elite forces, which were once linked to human rights violation allegations. "Thank You Kopassus. Yogyakarta is safe. Thugs run away," one of the banners states.

Also, thousands of people have "liked" a Facebook page entitled "1 million people giving moral support to the Kopassus soldiers who stormed Cebongan prison".

Sociologist Arie Sujito from Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University (UGM) said the growing support for the soldiers signified public dissatisfaction with law enforcement that had reached a boiling point. "People are aware that violence is wrong, but so many legal uncertainties have forced them to see the shootings as an answer to their problems," he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Arie acknowledged, however, that much of the public opinion was shaped by the Army. During a press conference on April 4, Military Police deputy chief Brig. Gen. Unggul K. Yudhoyono, who led the Army's investigation of the incident, repeatedly said that the soldiers were "brave" for confessing, and that what they did was motivated by esprit de corps.

Unggul also described the four slain detainees as "thugs" who had "sadistically and brutally" killed former Kopassus member First Sgt. Heru Santoso in Hugo's Cafe in Yogyakarta on March 19.

Maj. Gen. Hardiono Saroso, the Diponegoro Regional Military Command (Kodam) chief who was removed following the killings, was the latest to voice support for the soldiers.

"I respect and am proud of the 11 soldiers who are currently being investigated," Hardiono said on the sidelines of his handover ceremony in Semarang. "As a soldier, I've risked my career, rank and position for the 11 soldiers. This is part of my unwavering solidarity," he said.

Arie said that the statements made by Hardiono and Unggul were a knee-jerk reaction to save face. "It is part of their strategy to prevent the public blaming Kopassus," he said.

Family members of the four slain inmates met with presidential advisor on human rights Albert Hasibuan at his office in Jakarta, urging President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to establish an ad hoc independent fact-finding team to probe the shootings.

"There are still many unclear issues regarding the incident because the police have lacked transparency since the beginning," Victor Manbait, the brother of Chief Brig. Johanes Juan Manbait, one of the victims, said. "The authorities, including the Army, have labeled the victims, our brothers, as thugs, as if they wanted to justify the killings."

One of the slain men, Hendrik Angel Sahetapy, alias Deki, was reportedly a recidivist. He had been jailed for five years for killing a college student. After being released in 2011, Deki worked as a pengawal (bouncer) at Hugo's Cafe. The cafe is allegedly notorious for the activities of a drug network that operated with impunity.

The family members later met with Deputy Law and Human Rights Minister Denny Indrayana. "Vigilantism and murder cannot be tolerated for whatever reason. Anyone involved in these things should be held responsible and undergo due process of law," Denny said after the closed-door meeting.

Denny implied that he was concerned that some people of East Nusa Tenggara descent in Yogyakarta had received threats following the murder as they shared the same hometown as the four so-called thugs.

"We should avoid stigmatization. Stereotypes based on ethnic and tribal background, as well as group affiliation, must not be used to justify murder," Denny said. (ogi)

[Ainur Rohmah and Bambang Muryanto contributed reporting from Semarang and Yogyakarta.]

Mystery still shrouds Cebongan prison attack

Jakarta Post - April 11, 2013

The Army has officially announced that 11 commandos from the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) Group 2 based in Kartasura, Central Java, were the perpetrators behind the raid on Cebongan Penitentiary, Sleman, Yogyakarta, which left four detainees dead.

The detainees were suspected of killing former commando First Sgt. Heru Santoso, who was stabbed to death in March. However, many questions remain unanswered. The Jakarta Post's Ainur Rohmah, Bambang Muryanto and Slamet Susanto attempted to get a better picture of the incident.

It was the afternoon of Friday, March 22 when Cebongan Penitentiary warden Sukamto Harto learned that among the 11 detainees who had just been transferred from the Yogyakarta Police's detention center were the four suspects in the murder of First Sgt. Heru Santoso, a former Kopassus soldier.

Heru, who had previously served with Kopassus Group 2 in Kandang Menjangan, Kartasura, in Sukoharjo, Central Java, had been stabbed to death three days previously in Hugo's Cafe in Yogyakarta.

The transfer seemed ominous to Sukamto as he recalled the recent incident in Ogan Komering Ulu, South Sumatra, where soldiers stormed and burned the local police precinct to vent their anger after the killing of a soldier by a police officer following a traffic violation.

He was worried that a similar attack might be mounted on the 2,974-square- meter prison accommodating some 350 inmates.

His hunch proved correct. Just after midnight, a group of armed, well-built men wearing masks forced their way into the penitentiary and swiftly executed all four suspects: Hendrik Angel Sahetapi (Deki), Yohanes Juan Manbait (Juan), Gameliel Yermianto Rohi Riwu (Adi) and Adrianus Candra Galaja (Dedi).

"They carried it out very quickly, in only 15 minutes," Sukamto told reporters after the incident.

The armed men also seized the hand phones of eight penitentiary guards and took away the CCTV camera and footage from Sukamto's office. The police found 31 bullet casings and a spent bullet of 7.62 millimeter caliber at the crime scene.

The killings were soon linked to the fight at Hugo's Cafe on March 19 between Heru and his two friends and Deki and his 10 friends including Juan, Adi and Dedi.

"Initially it was Deki and Heru who engaged in a bitter argument," Yogyakarta Police's spokeswoman Adj. Sr. Comr. Anny Pudjiastuti said.

The argument developed into a fight that ended up with Heru being stabbed to death. His two friends managed to escape. Deki and friends, who were suspected of being responsible for the killing, were arrested the same day.

"They were the ones considered responsible by investigators. The others might have just looked on at the fight so we did not arrest them," Anny said.

There is no clear information available as to what initially sparked the fight. Many rumors have since circulated. Among them is that the two sides were fighting over the provision of security services at night spots and drug dealing.

Head of the Yogyakarta Provincial Narcotics Agency (BNP), Budiharso, said that Juan, a former police officer, and Deki were once involved in a drugs case but confirmed that they were just users and not dealers.

The same lack of clarity surrounds the presence of Heru at Hugo's Cafe that night. The then commander of the Military Command (Kodam) IV/Diponegoro, Maj. Gen. Hardiono Saroso said that Heru was on duty having been assigned by the Kodam's intelligence unit. "He was a military member who was on duty for 24 hours," he said.

The Yogyakarta Police reportedly got wind of the possibility that Heru's killing might provoke a larger incident. It held a tripartite meeting with Sleman Military District Command (Kodim) 0732 and Military Regional Command (Korem) 072/Pamungkas overseeing the region.

The then Yogyakarta Police chief Brig. Gen. Sabar Rahardjo said that he received assurances from the Korem commander that no serious problems would occur as a result of Heru's death.

Nonetheless, the police decided to transfer the four detainees from Sleman Police headquarters to Yogyakarta Police's detention center on Tuesday afternoon, the day they were arrested. "We were informed that the transfer was made for security reasons," said Rio Ramabaskara, the four suspects' lawyer in the murder case.

He said that on Thursday he heard that his clients would be transferred again. This time to Cebongan Penitentiary in Sleman. The four were transferred together with seven other detainees. So far the exact reason as to why the second transfer was made remains obscure.

Sabar said it was made because their cell in the detention center was to be renovated due to a damaged ceiling, through which it was feared the detainees might try to escape.

However, Yogyakarta Police's detention and evidence center director, Adj. Sr. Comr. Sukarwito said that steel bars were installed above the ceiling so that it would not be easy for detainees to escape. There were also other cells in the detention center that could have been used to accommodate the detainees. Sukarwito said that the cell needed renovation because its four lavatories were not working properly.

Rio does not accept this explanation, saying that if his clients needed to be transferred they should have been transferred to a facility with equal security to that of the Yogyakarta Police's detention center.

"I consider the police to have committed negligence in this case. Even after the raid, they did not mount road blocks in Yogyakarta to prevent the raiders from escaping," Rio said.

Initially journalists were prevented from verifying the condition of the Yogyakarta Police' detention center. Sukarwito explained that this was for security reasons. They were finally able to examine the facility only on Thursday, or almost a week after the transfer. Improvements indeed had been made, including to the ceiling of the cell where Deki and the other three had been detained.

Jumambang, a detainee who was released from the same detention cell a week before Deki and friends were held there said he did not notice any damage to the ceiling in the cell or to the lavatories. "I frequently used the lavatories," said Jumambang who was accompanied by his lawyer, Hillarius Ng Mero, at the Yogyakarta District Court.

It also appears odd that institutions such as the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and the National Police Commission (Kompolnas) did not seem to dig deeper into this issue.

Logan Siagian of Kompolnas even presented a different reason as of why the transfer was made. "It was not because of damage [to the detention cell] but due to overcrowding instead," he said.

This has also raised eyebrows. The National Police's chief spokesman Insp. Gen. Suhardi Alius told a TV program, The Indonesian Lawyer's Club, earlier this week that the Yogyakarta police were holding 16 detainees at the time of the transfer.

If this is true then the detention center would not have been overcrowded as it has seven 72-square-meter cells. Each cell, according to Sukarwito, can accommodate five to six detainees.

Questions have also been asked regarding events surrounding the penitentiary attack. A source told the Post that on the night of the attack, three sedan cars were seen blocking the main road leading to the penitentiary.

The question is why no security personnel were seen guarding the penitentiary even though, according to Sukamto, he had asked for reinforcements from the local police.

Sabar said he had not expected such an incident, declining to comment on whether the police had suffered an intelligence failure as Siagian has implicitly admitted.

"We have great intelligence officers but failure does happen, even in the US, with the 9/11 attack," said Siagian, referring to the 2001 terrorist attack in New York.

Researcher M. Najib Azca of Gadjah Mada University's Center for Security and Peace Studies (PSKP) claims that the police had prior knowledge that such an incident would occur. This, he said, was because leading up to the attack there were rumors in Yogyakarta saying that a sweep would be conducted by unidentified people against residents hailing from East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), the origin of the four slain detainees. "I think the police were just afraid to face this particular group," Najib said.

Prior to the Army's official announcement on April 4, many parties had suspected that the attack was carried out by Kopassus members considering that Heru was a former Kopassus soldier.

The suspicions were based on the professional manner in which the attack was carried out, although Kopassus is not the only military unit in Indonesia to have such capabilities.

Army chief of staff Gen. Pramono Edhi established an independent team to look into the case which was followed by the formal announcement.

The Army said that the attack was conducted spontaneously due to the strong esprit de corps of Kopassus members and said that 11 commandos were involved in the raid. Initial reports said there were 17 attackers.

There remains, however, the question as to how the group of mostly non- commissioned officers could have carried out such an attack without the knowledge of their superiors and commanding officers.

This is especially so given that initially Kopassus said that it had prevented all of its members from leaving their compound in Kandang Menjangan.

Separately, Deputy Law and Human Rights Minister Denny Indrayana said that the penitentiary attackers could be charged with premeditated murder. "From the analysis it is not hard to see that the killings were planned," Denny said in Semarang, Central Java, on Wednesday.

Many have called for the commandos to be tried in a civilian court and not a military tribunal due to concerns that a military trial would not be transparent. The Army's top brass, however, have insisted the commandos will be tried in a military court and have promised transparency.

Air Force anniversary turns sour

Jakarta Post - April 10, 2013

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Adm. Agus Suhartono had a tough choice on Tuesday: attend the Air Force's 67th anniversary celebration or join an Army gathering with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Agus, the nation's highest-ranking military officer, chose the Army function, as did Vice President Boediono and several other Cabinet ministers and high-ranking officials.

Politics may have apparently trumped esprit de corps: The function Agus chose to attend appeared related to the presidential aspirations of Army chief Gen. Pramono Edhie Wibowo in the 2014 presidential election.

The Army event began with the President, himself a retired Army general, joining a mass morning exercise session at National Monument Park in Central Jakarta. Yuudhoyono then moved to the Army headquarters on nearby Jl. Veteran, where he gave a speech to thousands of soldiers.

The President's entourage, comprising in part Boediono, Agus, and National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo, followed, and Agus had to skip the Air Force event.

Meanwhile, the celebration at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in East Jakarta was subdued. Precision flying by the Air Force's top squadrons and skydiving by paratroops were witnessed by a relatively small crowd that included Coordinating Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Minister Air Marshall (ret.) Djoko Suyanto and National Police deputy chief Insp. Gen. Nanan Sukarna.

The Air Force's Jupiter Aerobatics Team and Team Dynamic Pegasus, presented maneuvers they called a "dance in the air", which were seen by only a few outside the immediate vicinity of the base.

A speech that Agus was slated to deliver at the Air Force event was read by Air Force chief Air Marshall Ida Bagus Putu Dunia before hundreds of Air Force members.

Yudhoyono preference to join the Army's morning exercises on the Air Force anniversary was an effective snub, leading observers to say that he might be backing Pramono, the brother of First Lady Ani Yudhoyono, as a presidential candidate in 2014.

Others have said that Yudhoyono has wanted to nominate a relative for president after he steps down in 2014 to protect him from possible political complications in the future.

Yudhoyono also earlier suggested that he would prefer a non-military candidate to run for president in 2014.

Pramono, however, denied that the event was politically-motivated. "We had planned for a gathering with President since 2012. But we could only do it today because of the President's busy schedule," he said.

Presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha also shrugged off a political connection. "This is a regular sports event done by the President with military members. This time, it involved 2,100 military personnel," Julian said.

'Transferred' general respects integrity of arrested Kopassus soldiers

Jakarta Post - April 10, 2013

Ainur Rohmah, Semarang – A top general removed from his post after commenting on the Sleman prison massacre says that he respects the integrity of the 11 commandos arrested in the incident.

"I admire them for confessing to the Army investigative team about the killings," outgoing Diponegoro Military District Command chief Maj. Gen. Hardiono Saroso said at his change-of-command ceremony in Semarang, Central Java, on Wednesday. "They have evinced the mentality of a warrior by doing so," Hardiono said.

When asked about his statement, made hours after an armed team raided Sleman Prison and killed 4 detainees accused of killing a Kopassus commando, Hardiono said it was an honest mistake.

"I had received reports that all soldiers in every military complex were inside their barracks. Therefore I could say with high confidence that none of my soldiers were involved with the killings that day," Hardiono said.

The general said that he asked to be relieved after Military Police investigators determined that soldiers from Kopassus Group 2, which is based in his operational area, were implicated in the raid and murders. "I want to show to the public that I'm responsible for the statement," Hardiono said.

Ironically, Hardiono was replaced by Maj. Gen. Sunindyo, a former head of Kopassus Group 2. (dic)

SBY urged to try army in public court

Jakarta Globe - April 9, 2013

Human rights activists have called on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to issue a special regulation allowing 11 members of the Army to be tried in a public court for their alleged execution of four detainees in a Yogyakarta prison last month.

Hendardi, chairman of human rights organization Setara Institute, said the 11 Special Forces (Kopassus) officers allegedly involved in the March 23 attack in Sleman committed an extraordinary crime.

Hendardi said that Yudhoyono needed to issue a regulation in lieu of the law, known as a perppu, because past experience showed that a military court would not be able to hear the case impartially.

"So, a perppu doesn't necessarily have to be based on a physical emergency situation or based on a legal vacuum. The deliberation on the military court bill had been halted because the military had rejected the draft. The Cebongan Prison incident should serve as momentum to push for an acceleration to the issuance of a new regulation," Hendardi said in a statement on Monday.

He said there was another way to have the Kopassus members tried in a public court: to file for a judicial review seeking to declare them as unconstitutional.

He said the president appeared hesitant to issue the perppu because he was politically weak and relied on protection from the Army.

"This excuse is unacceptable because letting the 11 officers to be tried in the military court means that SBY is condoning [violence] and he's even supporting impunity. There's no guarantee of a fair trial in the military court," the activist said.

In response to the perppu call, presidential adviser Daniel Sparingga said that the main focus of investigations was to reveal details on the case and the chronology and to hold accountable those involved, as well as gather evidence and interview witnesses to ensure that no details are missed.

He said it was not an appropriate time to open debate about trying the officers in public court, and that if the existing law is considered imperfect, then it should be brought to the legislature with proposals for amendment.

He added that the public should not make a habit of seeking the issue of a perppu as a short-cut to a case, because a perppu is only relevant during a legal vacuum or other emergency situation.

"The other priority is to ensure a transparent trial before the public and that the trial mechanism is in accordance with the law."

Former chairman of National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) Ifdhal Kasim called for a halt to statements that glorified the 11 officers because they killed alleged thugs.

"To ensure that the supremacy of the law is enforced, TNI must punish the 11 perpetrators and not turn around the situation by saying that killing thugs was justifiable. This will only open room for legally unfounded justification," Ifdhal said in Jakarta on Monday.

The Army leadership admitted to Kopassus's involvement last week.

Army tries to portray Kopassus killers as heroes, defenders of the people

Kompas.com - April 9, 2013

Yogyakarta – The murder of four prisoners at the Cebongan prison in Sleman, Yogyakarta, could potentially be used for political image building. This can be seen from widespread efforts to garner public support and divert the issue away from one of human rights violations to the eradication of thuggery.

Yogyakarta Gadjah Mada University (UGM) political studies lecturer AAGN Ari Dwipayana said for example that one of the parties that is benefiting politically from the case is the army (TNI AD), particularly TNI AD Chief of Staff General Pramono Edhie Wibowo.

"Previously there were statements from the TNI AD investigation team in which the TNI was cited as one of the parties that was to blame in the case. But, after the investigation team announced its findings, the TNI's position was shifted to one of an institution that should be praised, even portraying Kopassus as heroes", he said on Monday April 8.

According to Dwipayana, this image building was very apparent when the head of the TNI AD's investigation team, Brigadier General Unggul K. Yudhoyono announced the results of the investigation. "Efforts at image building can be seen from the emphasis placed on the sentences conveyed by the head of the investigation team and the stress placed on certain words, such as knights of the people, esprit de corps, a spontaneous act, and so forth", he said.

Attempts to improve the TNI's images, particularly Kopassus, were even more obvious following the investigation team's announcement. This could be seen from postings supporting Kopassus and the eradication of thuggery through the social media, SMS messages, banners and street actions.

On Monday evening in Yogyakarta, a group of people calling themselves the Yogya Anti-Thuggery Youth held an action at the zero kilometer point in front of the central post office where held a "Mubeng [Beteng] Yogya [a traditional Javanese festival] anti-thuggery paste-up action".

The day before they also held a protest action at the Tugu Monument in which they passed around charity collection boxes to drivers and passersby with "A billion coins for First Sergeants Heru Santoso and Sriyono" written on them. They also brought banners criticising the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM), the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission III on legal affairs and praising Kopassus.

UGM sociologist Arie Sudjito added that such provocations and distractions will indeed heat up Yogyakarta's social atmosphere and because of this leading social figures and regional leaders must move immediately to maintain a sense of clam and understanding among people.

Joint team

In Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara meanwhile, Deputy Law and Human Rights Minister Denny Indrayana said that there is no need to form a new team or joint fact finding team to look into the legal process surrounding the Cebongan case. The TNI's investigation team has already done its work and proven itself able to uncover the perpetrators.

Indrayana expressed his full support for the legal process and said he expected it to proceed smoothly, fairly and accountably. Various social groups have been asked to continue monitoring the legal process. (ABK/ANS)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Cebongan prison assailants to face court-martial: TNI

Jakarta Post - April 9, 2013

Yuliasri Perdani, Jakarta – Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Adm. Agus Suhartono said that soldiers responsible for the recent killing of four detainees at Cebongan Prison in Sleman, Yogyakarta, could only be tried before a military tribunal.

"The law clearly states that [such a case] must be heard in a military court, so we will work according to the law," Agus said on Monday. He also denied speculation that he was likely to issue an order that would allow the soldiers to be tried in a civilian court.

Agus added, however, that all TNI personnel implicated in the case, including middle-ranking officers, could be held accountable for the incident. "Let's see the legal process through. If it is found that [the attack] was sanctioned by their superiors, we will follow that up."

On Thursday last week, the Army investigation revealed that nine soldiers assigned to the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) Group 2 in Kartosuro, Central Java, carried out the unauthorized attack in retaliation for the slaying of former Kopassus commando First Sgt. Heru Santoso, allegedly at the hands of the four detainees, in a Yogyakarta cafe on March 19.

Over the weekend, the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) revealed its finding that senior officers from the TNI and Kopassus met with then Yogyakarta Police chief Brig. Gen. Sabar Rahardjo on the night after Heru's murder.

Sabar confirmed on Monday that he had met with officials from the Military Command Post (Korem) 072/Pamungkas in Yogyakarta to discuss the measures to be taken in response to Heru's death.

Sabar said they were concerned about a possible repeat of the scenes in Ogan Komering Ulu, South Sumatra, last month, when TNI personnel torched the local police headquarters following the death of a soldier at the hands of a traffic cop.

"We discussed nothing other than what measures needed to be taken by the police [in handling the four detainees]," he told reporters at National Police headquarters in Jakarta.

In the wake of the prison murders, TNI headquarters decided to remove Diponegoro Regional Military Command (Kodam) chief Maj. Gen. Hardiono Saroso.

The National Police likewise decided to dismiss Sabar as Yogyakarta Police chief, replacing him with Brig. Gen. Haka Astana. Sabar has been assigned to fill the position left by Haka as head of the National Police's human resources division.

In a press conference after the swearing-in ceremony on Monday, National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo denied speculation that Sabar was fired for his poor handling of the murder case. Timur did say, however, that Sabar might be subjected to a future investigation on the prison raid. "It is all part of accountability."

A middle-ranking officer with the National Police revealed that investigators on the prison case had strong evidence that members of Kopassus had committed the execution-style killings of the four detainees.

The officer said the assailants took with them four cell phones belonging to prison guards. "The police located the cellular phones inside the Kandang Menjangan Kopassus headquarters in Kartosuro, Central Java. The perpetrators could not deny this evidence, which was also backed up by the prison officers' testimony," the source said.

When The Jakarta Post sought to clarify this information with National Police detectives chief Comr. Gen. Sutarman, he declined to respond. Timur also denied receiving reports about the information.

Soon after being sworn in, Haka pledged to crack down on gangsters and thugs in Yogyakarta. The four murdered detainees were allegedly members of a gang who ran a drug-dealing operation in the city.

"I will use a cultural approach as instructed by the sultan," Haka said, referring to Yogyakarta Governor Hamengkubuwono X.

Criminal justice & prison system

Criminal Code revision deemed a threat to personal liberties

Jakarta Post - April 12, 2013

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – A coalition of religious freedom activists, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights activists, and human rights and judiciary watchdogs has rejected the current draft of the Criminal Code bill as it could further restrict personal liberties.

The coalition, the National Alliance for Criminal Code Reform, said that the Criminal Code bill had confused morality and human decency with legal norms. The draft would threaten basic civil rights rather than protect them, the alliance said.

Rumadi from the Wahid Institute, a group that advocates religious freedom, criticized the draft saying that it would deal a blow to religious tolerance.

"The draft does not cover religions other than the six religions recognized by the state, it does not protect religious freedom. Other indigenous faiths like Sunda Wiwitan are not protected in the draft," he said.

The 1945 Constitution actually guarantees religious freedom for religious minorities, but Presidential Decree No. 5/2000, officially recognizes only six religions: Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism. If approved, the bill could punish minority groups, Rumadi said.

"The draft expands the current blasphemy provision from one article into eight articles. But, it does not change the substantial issue of religious protection. Instead, it focuses on how to criminalize those who are thought to be involved in blasphemy," he said.

Under the current Code, those who conduct blasphemy could face a maximum of five-years imprisonment. The draft broadens the description of blasphemy and breaks it down into eight different categories with individual charges. Each carries a penalty that ranges between two and seven years imprisonment.

The provision is seen as a setback as a 2010 Constitutional Court ruling that upheld the controversial 1965 Blasphemy Law called for its revision.

"The ruling rejected the request to annul the Blasphemy Law, but it also ordered for its amendment and the current draft regulations out that idea," Rumadi said.

In its ruling, the Court argued that the law was necessary to maintain public order. The Court also decided to take the middle road by suggesting that the government provide an official interpretation of the law.

This interpretation provides new meaning to the explanation of Article 1 of the law, which states that aside from acknowledging six religions, the state "leaves alone" followers of other faiths. The Court said the phrase "leaves alone" had to be interpreted as others should not be considered as "ignored".

Widodo Budidarmo, a program coordinator at Arus Pelangi, an LGBT activist group, said he was concerned that a new provision in the draft, which warrants a maximum five-year jail term for adulterers, could also be applied to sex workers.

Widodo said that the current Code did not clearly categorize prostitutes as criminals. The current Code only targets pimps. "Yet, 230,000 sex workers could be charged with adultery according to the draft as it fails to delineate between an adulterer and a sex worker," he said.

The draft bill,for instance, stipulates that prostitutes who hang out in public places could be fined Rp 6 million (US$600). The penalty for pimps has increased from a maximum one-year prison term to a minimum of three- years and maximum 12-years imprisonment.

Wahyudi Djafar of Elsam said consensual sex should not be categorized as a crime and it has no victim. "If all indecent actions are criminalized, there would be more over-criminalization against 'victimless crimes'," he said. "The draft provides more laws but less justice," he said.

Police & law enforcement

Central Java police launch thug raids

Jakarta Post - April 11, 2013

Ainur Rohmah, Semarang – The Central Java Police have started intensifying raids on preman (local term for thugs), through all the police precincts in its jurisdiction but deny that the measure has been taken because of the recent attack on Cebongan Penitentiary that killed four detainees.

Central Java police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Djihartono said that the penitentiary attack by 11 members of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) in revenge for the killing of First Sgt. Heru Santoso did move the police to work quickly on thuggery but it was not the main reason why they intensified their war against thugs.

"Our actions are because of reports from the community, from our personnel and from other sources. In short, we will act firmly against criminals that cause unrest in society," Djihartono said in Semarang on Tuesday.

Djihartono said measures against thuggery would not only be carried out by implementing tough actions against them but as well by preventing thuggery from being committed and by enforcing the law by sending the perpetrators to court.

He predicted that the number of arrests that the police would make on thugs this year would not be less than that of last year.

In 2012, Central Java police conducted 76 raids during which they arrested 156 suspects. As of this month, the police have already conducted 22 raids and arrested 42 suspects. Of the suspects, 18 were sent for supervision, two were categorized as committing light crimes and two others were sent to court.

But it turns out that the raids somehow have netted the wrong people. Bruno, a street musician who was arrested during Tuesday afternoon's raid, was hysterical knowing that his wife, Yuli, was also among those netted during the raid.

Yuli usually took care of their 10 month old baby, but that afternoon she accompanied her husband, who was operating at Jl. Siliwangi traffic lights in West Semarang. Bruno blamed the police for not confirming his identity and that he had been wrongly arrested.

Meanwhile, Bakti Buwono, a resident who has been a victim of street thuggery, urged the police to seriously fight against it, saying that violence of any kind could not be tolerated. He said that he was beaten by two unidentified teenagers riding a motorcycle last month.

Bakti said that recently, thuggery had been really disturbing and threatening public security. He blamed law institutions for the condition, saying that they were the ones that were responsible for eradicating thuggery.

"If law enforcement is effective, people will think twice before committing violence. Now, people commit violence just for fun. Something must be wrong for this to happen," Bakti said.

Although he had reported the beating to the police, he said, the perpetrators had not yet been revealed. "How can the police be unable to find the perpetrators?" he said.

Separately, Central Java Buser, a group of people offering security services, has started reducing its negative image as a group considered close to practices of thuggery by organizing religious activities such as mass preaching and sport activities.

"With a religious touch, hopefully the bad image will eventually vanish while it also benefits our members and makes them more peaceful and comfortable living side by side in society," Buser chairman Wahyu Suragading said.

Wahyu said that the group's bad image had come from the fact that its members were bodyguards and thus created a sinister image. "In fact we are not like that," he said.

Established some three years ago, Buser currently has 300 members spread over 15 regencies/municipalities across Central Java.

Police chief on verge of expulsion

Jakarta Post - April 9, 2013

Yuliasri Perdani, Jakarta – National Police chief Gen. Timur Pradopo was not a highly decorated officer when President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono appointed him for the top police job in October 2010.

Critics did not read Timur's appointment as a reward for his performance, but as an outcome of a compromise between factions inside the graft-riddled police force.

Timur, having less experience as a detective, is known to have stayed away from siding with any factions, thus making it hard for him to gain support from fellow generals and mid-ranking officers.

Concerns over Timur's inability to lead, amid intense internal rivalries, have taken their toll on the police's poor performance both in law enforcement and internal anti-graft measures.

Given the risks of retaining Timur on the heels of next year's general election, Yudhoyono has indicated Timur could be removed from his position in August rather than waiting for his retirement in January 2014.

"[The tenure of] the National Police chief will end next January. However, considering that the police chief has an important task relating to the 2014 general election, the rotation should not be conducted next year," the President said in an interview with Tempo magazine, published on Monday.

The dismissal of a police chief earlier than his retirement age is considered rare in the country's bureaucracy. Gen. Da'i Bachtiar was the last police chief to be discharged early, in his case two years ahead of his retirement.

Yudhoyono dismissed Da'i in early 2005 in what critics said was due to Da'i's close ties with former president Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Yudhoyono's announcement on Timur's dismissal was made after the Cebongan Penitentiary killings in Sleman, Yogyakarta on March 23 allegedly by the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus). The four detainees shot dead during the raid were under the police's supervision.

The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) has accused the police of having prior knowledge of the planned raid but still refusing to act. Timur officially removed Yogyakarta Police chief Brig. Gen. Sabar Rahardjo from his post.

National Police Commission (Kompolnas) member Adrianus Meliala said there was nothing unusual about the planned dismissal. "It is ideal timing. Timur, at least, can serve as a police expert official in his remaining six months before retiring," said Adrianus.

He said the commission, an independent institution tasked with supervising the police force, was currently evaluating eight police generals as potential successors to Timur.

Among them is National Police criminal investigations division chief Comr. Gen. Sutarman and National Police education division chief Insp. Gen. Budi Gunawan.

Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Putut Eko Bayuseno and West Java Police chief Brig. Gen. Tubagus Anis Angkawijaya are also on the list, according to a Kompolnas member.

Adrianus said the commission was also compiling information on police chief candidates, including their personal lives, family assets and businesses.

However, most candidates seem to represent the most powerful faction within the police force that is led by deputy police chief Comr. Gen. Nanan Sukarna. Sutarman and Budi are known to have been under the patronage of Nanan, while Putut and Tubagus are still relatively young, without allying to any factions.

Aside from Nanan's faction, others include those led by National Police security management division head Comr. Gen. Oegroseno and National Police intelligence chief Comr. Gen. Imam Soedjarwo, who is known to have broad support from the police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob).

The chances of Oegroseno and Imam becoming the next police chief are slim, as they are slated to retire within a year.

Gaffes under Timur's watch

November 2010: Tax official Gayus H. Tambunan, a graft suspect who is supposed to be confined to the police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) detention center, in Depok, West Java, is spotted by the media watching an international tennis event in Bali. Gayus bribed several police officers to go on the jaunt.
February 2011: A group of residents attack an Ahmadi residence in Cikeusik village, Banten, killing three Ahmadis and injuring another five. Officers at the scene do little to intervene.
February 2011: Mobs destroy three churches in Temanggung, Central Java, as violence erupts following a hearing in a blasphemy trial.
December 2011: Two people are killed at Sape Seaport in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, when members of Brimob try to disperse a crowd rallying against a planned mining activity.
August 2012: The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) names Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo a suspect in a graft case.
October 2012: A dozen police officers enter KPK headquarters to arrest Novel Baswedan, the agency's leading investigator in Djoko's bribery case, for allegedly shooting robbery suspects in 2004. The officers fail in their plan.
March 2013: The police's killing of an Army officer triggers a clash between police and military personnel in Ogan Komering Ulu, South Sumatra. The military torches the police's headquarters building, injuring four police officers.

Economy & investment

Ghost of Suharto seen in boomtowns leading Indonesia's growth

Bloomberg - April 11, 2013

Five years ago, property agent Daisul Akhyar took 20 minutes to drive to work in Pekanbaru, capital of Indonesia's Riau province. Now, he can spend two hours in traffic after a surge in wealth transformed the city.

"If you live in Riau now, it's like living in Jakarta, there are new residential and retail developments all over the city," Akhyar, a director of local developer Asrindo Perdana Mandiri, said in Pekanbaru on Sumatera island. "Selling property in this place is like selling candy to children."

The world's fourth most-populous nation is seeing its economy reshaped as cities on islands including Sumatera and Borneo grow faster than Java, home to the nation's capital, Jakarta. A transmigration program championed by former President Suharto in the 1980s, combined with China's demand for palm oil, coal and iron from Indonesia's rural provinces, helped outlying cities expand as much as 4 percentage points faster than the national average over the past decade.

As China's expansion boosts incomes of miners and farmers in some of the sleepiest and most far-flung corners of Asia, companies from Unilever to Toyota Motors are flocking to Indonesia's second-tier cities to tap their rising demand. At the same time, increasing urbanization raises pressure on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to improve infrastructure and strains environmental resources.

"In future, the nation's economy will be supported by cities outside Java," Perry Warjiyo, the central bank's executive director for monetary policy and economic research, said in an interview. "This is in line with the government's program to spread out economic growth to all the provinces."

Outpacing Jakarta

Smaller cities of 150,000 to 2 million inhabitants will outpace the big conurbations like Jakarta, increasing their share of gross domestic product to 37 percent in 2030, from 31 percent currently, McKinsey & Co. said in a September report. At present, the region around Jakarta covers less than 1 percent of the country and accounts for more than 10 percent of the economy.

Growing incomes in the outlying cities will benefit consumer goods and services companies such as Unilever Indonesia (UNVR), Indofood CBP Sukses Makmur (ICBP) and Telekomunikasi Indonesia (TLKM), said Fadlul Imansyah, head of investment at CIMB-Principal Asset Management in Jakarta, with 2.3 trillion rupiah ($240 million) of assets.

"The fast growth in regions outside of Jakarta has become a priority for these companies," said Soni Wibowo, a director at Jakarta-based PT Bahana TCW Investment Management, which manages about 22 trillion rupiah in assets. Earnings at companies like ACE Hardware Indonesia (ACES) have been aided by that demand and "going forward there's still growth to expect," he said.

Spend, spend

The boom in second-tier cities has helped swell the middle class. Seven million Indonesians joined their ranks each year for the past seven years, according to a 2011 World Bank report. Private spending grew 5.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012 from a year earlier, and consumer confidence in March was 116.8, the eighth straight month the indicator exceeded 115. Pekanbaru, Pontianak, Karawang, Makassar and Balikpapan regions will lead growth, McKinsey says.

"Consumer confidence in Indonesia is very, very high," said Destry Damayanti, chief economist at PT Bank Mandiri in Jakarta. "That's why they spend and spend."

The spread of consumer demand is drawing investment from companies including Nestle SA, Toyota (7203) and Unilever, as well as many from Java. Four-bedroom units at developer Ciputra Group's Citragarden residential complex in Pekanbaru start from 900 million rupiah, compared with 685 million rupiah for the cheapest similar abode at the company's CitraIndah project, 30 kilometers from the center of Jakarta.

Fried chicken

On the fourth floor of Ciputra's mall on Jalan Riau, palm-oil planter Safruddin is eating fried chicken and soup from a fast-food restaurant while his Volvo is being repaired in a local garage. On lower floors, outlets for Body Shop International, Giordano International and other global brands indicate the spread of wealth to the province in the past few years. On the ground floor, a Honda Motor dealership offers the latest Freed, Jazz and Brio models for as much as 1.8 million rupiah a month in installments, more than the average wage in the province.

"In Riau now it's easy to get a job, that's why there are so many new shopping malls," said Safruddin, 52, who like many Indonesians only uses one name. Of his 10 children, two sons help manage his plantations in nearby Bangkinang. A third plans to open a supermarket and an English- language school. "At least I won't need to buy him a car. He can buy it himself."

Oil, timber

Money from palm oil has joined Riau's boom riches from oil and timber industries that drew companies such as Chevron Pacific Indonesia (CVX), Indah Kiat Pulp and Paper, and Surya Dumai Industri. Riau has been one of the country's main oil-producing regions since reserves were first discovered there in the 1930s.

Pekanbaru had 9.8 percent average annual growth over the past 10 years and will sustain a 7.3 percent pace through 2030, McKinsey says. The report predicts similar growth for oil-rich Balikpapan in East Kalimantan, and Makassar in South Sulawesi. National GDP grew at an average annual pace of 5.7 percent in the decade through 2012.

With many of Indonesia's provinces outside Java reliant on oil, minerals or agriculture for revenue, those gains will depend on swings in prices of the commodities. In Riau's case, a slump in palm-oil prices slowed the pace of development.

More roads

The slump reduced demand for new shops and apartments to about 1,500 units for Pekanbaru in 2012, from around 10,000 in previous years, said Akhyar, who is also vice secretary for the Indonesia Real Estate Association in the city. He said sales this year may be about 5,000 units as demand recovers.

As new shops and apartments spring up, the government is trying to keep up, spending more on roads and ports. President Yudhoyono plans to build 30 new industrial zones across the 17,000-island archipelago and to spend $125 billion on infrastructure by 2025, including $12 billion on 20,000 kilometers of roads, enough to go halfway round the world.

The attempt to spread prosperity from Java, home to 62 percent of the population, began during Dutch colonial times with the start of a transmigration program designed to move people to sparsely inhabited islands such as Sumatra, Borneo and Papua. The settlers were given land to help develop plantations and raise income levels.

Rising tensions

The program reached its zenith after independence under Suharto, who died in 2008. In 1982-83, almost 100,000 families were resettled in a single year, according to the World Bank. After 1984 the plan was scaled back as tension increased between immigrants and locals and concerns arose about the environmental damage caused by clearing rainforest for plantations, the bank said.

"The transmigration program succeeded in spreading people from Java and lifting economic activity in new cities," said Agustinus Prasetyantoko, a Jakarta-based economist from the University of Atmajaya. "But it also created conflict."

A second level of migration – from rural to urban areas – is also feeding the growth of cities like Pekanbaru. The proportion of Indonesians living in urban areas will rise to 71 percent in 2030, from 53 percent, as about 32 million people shift to cities, according to McKinsey. The share of Indonesia's GDP generated by urban areas will reach 86 percent in 2030, from an estimated 74 percent currently.

Million shops

The main driver behind the increasing wealth and power of the nation's regional capitals is a decade-long boom in the nation's resources. In the past 12 years, palm oil prices have more than tripled, even after a 34 percent drop in the past year. China-led demand has lifted coal, copper and gold as much as fourfold in a decade.

"There's a lot of new middle-income class popping up in Riau because of palm oil," said Viator Butar-Butar, vice president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Riau and a former senior lecturer in economics at the University of Riau. "The forest has turned into shops. Now, we call Riau the land of a million shops."

Beside the highway from Pekanbaru to the city of Siak, 100 kilometers to the east, construction sites soon give way to rows of oil palms, a monoculture that replaced one of the world's oldest rainforests. The regimented lines of trees occasionally are broken by an oil-company building or a roadside shop selling food, drinks and Indonesia's kretek clove-flavored cigarettes.

Island chain

Even with increased public investment, the roads are congested with trucks carrying palm oil and timber to the ports as the government struggles to connect an island chain that's 5,271 kilometers long – about the distance from New York to Anchorage, Alaska.

"It really depends on infrastructure," said Damayanti at Bank Mandiri. "If there's no infrastructure development in the next two years, then I think we will have a problem."

For the growing number of residents in provinces like Riau, new wealth means new spending. Domestic vehicle sales rose 23 percent nationwide to 1.1 million units last year, according to Astra International, the country's biggest seller of Toyota cars and Honda motorcycles.

The growing consumer market is attracting companies such as bread-maker Nippon Indosari Corpindo, backed by Japan's Shikishima Baking Co., which opened its first plant outside Java in 2011. The company opened factories in Palembang and Makassar in January and plans another in Kalimantan this year.

"Before we decided to build new plants outside Java, we looked at how the economy is doing there," said spokesman Stephen Orlando, who expects sales to rise at least 30 percent this year. "Demand outside Java is high."

Meanwhile, the regional cities continue to expand as more migrants arrive. Akhyar, the real-estate seller in Pekanbaru, said many buyers are from Java and other provinces.

Nearby Siak has grown to more than 420,000 people, from 200,000 in 2000, thanks to an influx of people from Java, West Sumatera, Aceh and other provinces, said Syafrilenti, assistant to the regent for development and economy, who also uses one name. "They come like ants to sugar," he said.

Analysis & opinion

No to 'ormas' law

Jakarta Post Editorial - April 15, 2013

On Thursday, the House of Representatives halted deliberation of the controversial bill on mass organizations, delaying it to the next sitting, only after mounting public resistance to the draft law to amend the 1985 law.

Lawmakers claim the old law needs to be adapted for the decentralized, democratic era and a new law is needed to "discipline" problematic organizations and if necessary, ban them. The thousands of foreign organizations should also be regulated, they say, to ensure accountability and state security.

Both human rights groups and religious organizations have objected to the bill, evoking the repressive past when vague rules were used to trample dissent. Lawmakers have made changes but have not converted the critics who still question loopholes that could be used against any organization.

Changes to ensure, for instance, that all organizations have basic principles "which do not contradict" the state ideology of Pancasila and the Constitution, still leave questions as to how this could be interpreted by authorities.

In short, the New Order's creeds of monoloyalitas, single loyalty to the state, and azas tunggal, the compulsory adherence to Pancasila and only Pancasila, have brought back the trauma experienced by many, whether Islamist groups or those labelled secular and liberal.

These groups are among those who were spied on and arrested, tortured, kidnapped and even murdered on the grounds that they were suspected of treason or jeopardizing stability.

We agree with the protesters – the latest rally against the bill was held on Friday – that the mass organizations bill should be dropped altogether, and the 1985 law annuled.

The law has lost its relevance with progressive amendments to the Consitution, which guarantees freedom of assembly and association. The excuses of regulating the financial affairs of problematic organizations regarding will overlap with other laws such as the laws on foundations and corruption.

The 28-year old law on mass organizations showed a state bent on controlling every sign of dissent. The New Order maintained power for so long by at least a veneer of compliance to the rule of law; it also succeeded in fostering mutual suspicion in society. We see remains of this legacy to this day – like the inability to have a healthy debate to resolve differences – contributing to a fragile democracy. Continuing to have a law regulating which organization is acceptable and which is not, will only strengthen mutual distrust.

In the reformasi era, ideas to amend the 1985 law followed calls to disband religious vigilante groups. People were fed up of violence perpetrated in the name of God, such as those involving the Islam Defenders Front (FPI).

But as others pointed out, disbanding any group would pave the way straight back to state authority to ban any organization or group – while the FPI and similar groups simply rely on the glaring lack of simple law enforcement by the police.

Firm law enforcement, fostering freedom, encouraging independent thought and nonviolent debate, will strengthen society and reduce the remaining distrust in the state.

And as Indonesians are steeped in the teachings of Pancasila, some pointed out, not everyone who looks religous should be suspected of plotting treason. In a healthy society, people must live with the conviction that they are not distrusted.

State-sponsored tyranny

Jakarta Post Editorial - April 12, 2013

As Friday prayers begin today, we might ask if all Indonesians truly enjoy the equal right to worship.

A peaceful rally on Monday was a painful reminder of our rights other than voting. Protesters demanding equal protection of their religions under the law marched on the House of Representatives, comprising 300 followers of minority faiths, including Ahmadis, Shias, Christians and indigenous beliefs.

The adherents have shared experiences of constant harassment, such as in the mob murder of three Ahmadis in Pandeglang, Banten, in February 2011. Surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly, the perpetrators only received a sentence of six months imprisonment.

Then in August 2012, two Shias were killed in Sampang, Madura. Like the Ahmadis in Lombok who were expelled from their homes and have lived in shelters for the past seven years, the Shiites from Madura were driven out. All would be well if the Ahmadis converted to "proper" Islam, the regent said at the time.

Over last weekend, several Ahmadis remained holed up in their mosque in Bekasi. The local administration sealed the mosque, alleging that the Ahmadis had propagated their beliefs in violation of a joint ministerial decree. The Ahmadis, however, said they were only conducting Friday prayers.

Officials in Bekasi also recently demolished a Protestant church, citing objections from the predominantly Muslim neighborhood.

State endorsement of tyranny by a minority of hard-line Muslims continues to embolden brazen mob action against faiths other than Islam. Meanwhile, police and local officials, taking the lead from Jakarta's inaction in protecting minority rights, look on or even lead the closures of churches and mosques.

Given the situation in Indonesia's own backyard, how can the nation expect to maintain any credibility when offering its services as a mediator for ethnic and religious conflict in Myanmar and Sri Lanka?

Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi and Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali have openly stated that local official actions against religious minorities do not breach the rules on regional autonomy.

Suryadharma has even stated that Ahmadiyah and Shiite teachings violate Islam – raising the issue of whether we want to let politicians, ministers or the state decide matters of conviction.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said that the protracted dispute over a church permit in Bogor, West Java, was under the local mayor's jurisdiction.

Surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly, Yudhoyono made his statement despite a Supreme Court ruling ordering the mayor to allow the congregation to build its church.

Silence has led to the enactment of more than 100 local bylaws and central government policies that discriminate against minorities, according to one government commission.

Such discrimination was effectively supported by the Constitutional Court in 2010, when justices upheld the 1965 law on blasphemy, continuing to provide a legal justification to suppress minority faiths by upholding the right of the state to sanction official religions.

Groups alarmed by increasing religious intolerance amid central government impotence say a return to the national ideology of Pancasila would better guarantee religion freedom and human rights, as was originally proposed in the bill on mass organizations soon to be enacted by a House plenary meeting.

However, several influential mainstream groups took issue with such moves, recalling their repression under Soeharto, leading to the creation of an utterly ridiculous divide between Pancasila and Islam.

Indonesia has failed to protect its minorities, who have constantly been denied their rights to worship, marry, declare their faith – and even their right to life.

Except for the handful of Muslim youth who safeguarded the Monday rally and the few residents who helped bring the Ahmadis food and drink to their sealed mosque, our image of harmony is outdated. The state must end this tyranny done in the name of the majority.

The Thinker: Roads to justice

Jakarta Globe - April 9, 2013

Oei Eng Goan – When law enforcement agencies fail to guarantee public safety and security and the judicial process does not work accordingly, it is certain that people will take the law into their own hands. This happens everywhere and will always lead to anarchism.

Anarchic actions in several parts of Indonesia are regularly reported by television stations. These include street brawls and communal clashes, some of which deadly. Firm measures should be taken against the masterminds of the riots.

The government doesn't respond quickly enough to attacks on minority groups and their houses of worship, leaving the impression that authorities have adopted a permissive stance on the issue despite the nation's Pancasila state ideology, which actually allows religious freedom and recognizes pluralism.

Many courtrooms, which used to exude judicial authority, have become brawl arenas for families of the defendants and litigants who, on certain occasions, do not even hesitate to attack the presiding judge for presenting an "unfair" verdict.

Just weeks ago, we watched in disbelief how an unruly mob destroyed and burned down a government building in Palopo, South Sulawesi, and how a group of angry soldiers attacked and set ablaze a police station in Ogan Komering Ulu, South Sumatra, after a traffic policeman shot dead a member of the armed forces.

All these incidents show that the public trust in the nation's judicial system has eroded. Why so? It has become public knowledge that many judges, some of whom even holding a high rank, can be bribed to reverse guilty verdicts into acquittals. Although there are good judges who retain their integrity to uphold justice, the wrongdoings of their colleagues have tainted the image of the entire judicial institution. The same goes for the National Police. As usual, one rotten apple spoils the whole barrel.

Eroding trust in the country's law enforcement was shown in a recent opinion poll. The results, announced on Sunday, showed that some 61 percent of rural poor people, compared to 48 percent of those living in urban areas, were not satisfied with the current system of law enforcement.

The public surely has a point, especially when we take into consideration two incidents that happened within the last few month that saw law enforcers apply discriminatory practices to suspects of two separate fatal incidents because of their social status, prompting people to say that "the blade of the law is sharp for marginalized people but blunt for the haves and powerful."

In the wee hours of Jan. 1 this year, a drowsy young man lost control of his BMW car, which moved with great speed on a toll road before crashing into another car, killing two of its passengers in the process. The son of Coordinating Minister for the Economy Hatta Rajasa was questioned by the police but was never arrested, not even detained.

However, police quickly detained a mini bus driver, Jamal Syamsuri, for days and questioned him intensively, following the death a female passenger who jumped out of the bus while the vehicle was moving fast. It was believed that the girl acted recklessly after she became suspicious of Jamal who took a different road to her destination. (Weeks earlier a rape had taken place in a minibus on a different route).

Following public protests, Jamal was eventually released after he had convinced the police that he took the unusual route only to avoid traffic congestion and had not had the slightest intention to harm the unfortunate girl.

To restore the public trust in the country's judicial process and to prove that every citizen is equal before the law should be more than paying lip service to victims of social injustice.

Police and other law enforcement personnel should tirelessly demonstrate their integrity in preserving the dignity of the state judicature. Otherwise, jungle law will prevail.