It turned into a piteous meme however, when a student from a mildly prestigious university in Jakarta made a name as the kid dauntless enough to try and intimidate TransJakarta officers into opening the busway- exclusive lanes for him to pass through.

Under the guise of one of a privileged few – the son of a general, impervious to the laws of the land – 18-year-old Febri Suhartoni literally pulled out a name card that stated the name of his father's alter ego.

What happened next was almost comically predictable. An officer snapped a picture of the car and uploaded it to a Transjakarta-affiliated twitter account, where it then spread like wildfire.

Febri was allegedly bullied by the digital crowd into closing off his various social media accounts; meanwhile his self-appointed moniker became a humorous term synonymous with self-entitled and cringeworthy behavior.

Web developer Andrayogi, or simply Yogi, was doing his regular scroll through his Twitter feed during one of his off hours when the buzz about the "general's son" began. Along with a friend, Ratri Wibowo, Yogi had started the @infobusway Twitter account, amassing over 16,000 followers wanting to be updated about all things busway-related. His personal interest in all-things-busway made him feel agitated enough to do something about it.

And so Yogi setup masukbusway.com (literally, "into the busway"), as a means to discomfit traffic offenders into shaping up their road behavior. The website began by featuring a few self-uploaded photos by Yogi of drivers using the busway lanes. With the assistance of his similarly themed Twitter account (@masukbusway), the blog-styled site rapidly became popular.

"The goal is to get people to think twice before they go through the busway: 'Will somebody snap a picture of me doing this?'" Yogi said.

Contributors who share his frustration actively upload their snapshots of these lawbreakers, often accompanying their contribution with snarky commentary. Everyday, the Twitter account is flooded with people sharing live shots of busway offenders. If anything, the fast pace of these contributions act as a tangible, instant testament to the normalcy of lawful disobedience in the country.

The website veils its aggravation in humor. Most of the commentary takes the position of the perpetrators as being either blissfully ignorant or arrogantly misplaced. It also showcases just how disparate people who drive through the busways are.

The prevalence of motorcyclists within this collection of pictures is expected but everyone else makes an appearance, including diplomatic and official cars, as well as plenty of motorcades and police vehicles.

A picture of an army truck riding alone through the lane simply has the caption "Maybe they are in a rush to go to a war." Another reads, "There's no holiday when it comes to trudging through the busway lane, man."

Other posts are more succinct: A photo of a lone car riding through the lane is uploaded along with the line "Forever alone."

Perhaps most amusing are pictures taken of motorcyclists who, midway through surfing the busway realize that police officers wait to ticket them at the end of the lane, and are desperately trying to turn back. A recent upload shows a car with a government license plate driving through the busway behind a motorcade with a terrifying horde of motorcycles behind it.

The picture was snapped by someone riding on a Transjakarta bus right in front of the mess, and is accompanied with the exact date and time of the "incident" and a caption that reads in part "... it sure is nice being an official.... But look behind you, lots of other riders are following your lead for sure."

"I feel like the public's awareness and concern about the traffic laws are very low. That's the biggest reason why people go through the busways. On top of this, there is also a significant lack of control and regulation from the police, even when these types of violations occur," said Yogi, a 31-year-old father of two.

"What happens is, people feel that as long as the police aren't there, they are free to go through the lanes," he added. "It isn't unusual for people who are pulled over by the police to say 'Well, a policemen back there told me to go through here,'?" a practice that sometimes happens when traffic congestion becomes too much and traffic officers are forced to use every alley they can.

"Sometimes those [traffic] police use, at their own discretion, the ability to let chosen vehicles go through the busway," Yogi said, highlighting a problem that is all too familiar to Indonesians.

Almost all of the photos focus on the license plate numbers to personalize and arguably humiliate their owners.

Yogi is reminded of his dissatisfaction everyday, when he passes by the lanes in the Daan Mogot area on the city's west corner as he heads to work.

"It's what they call the Skeleton Lane. Motorcyclists populate the busway lane, and often ride against the direction the vehicles are supposed to be heading," he said. Suffice it to say, accidents, often fatal, occur almost daily in the area, hence the lane's morbid name.

As Yogi's site has shown, this illegal and dangerous behavior is the norm. What's more worrying than the regularity of it is the incessantly bizarre sense of comedy and pride a few drivers possess.

"We actually had a person take, then post a picture of themselves riding through the busway with a cheery caption that read 'Riding through the busway is totally godly... hihihihi'," recalls Yogi of a website contributor who may have completely misunderstood the goal of masukbusway.com.

Not long after the post was uploaded on the website, the person received plenty of harsh words, both serious and jokingly condescending, from others. "Hopefully next time that driver will think twice before driving through the lane," Yogi laughed.

[For more information: Masukbusway.com.]

Yudhoyono's proposed ambassadors raises eyebrows

Jakarta Post - September 4, 2013

Bagus BT Saragih and Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has submitted to the House of Representatives the names of candidates for the new Indonesian ambassadors, some of whom observers said may not be suitable for the job.

Among the 22 candidates are legal practitioner and former lawmaker Yusron Ihza Mahendra and former Jakarta governor Fauzi Bowo, who will be posted in Tokyo and Berlin, respectively.

Yusron, seen as having no significant business expertise particularly given Japan's status as Indonesia's second biggest trading partner, will replace Muhammad Lutfi, a businessman who formerly served as the chairman of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM).

The President also proposed Nurul Qomar, a former comedian who is now a lawmaker also from the Democratic Party, as Indonesia's ambassador to Brunei Darussalam.

Qomar has four wives and once sparked public outcry for saying to the media that he wanted to have at least one wife in each of Indonesia's 34 provinces, a statement he later claimed was merely a joke.

Yusron, Fauzi and Qomar, along with 19 other new envoy candidates, attended a briefing led by Deputy Foreign Minister Wardana at the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

Yusron said he deserved the position because Japan is no stranger to him. "I spent 12 years in Japan. My masters and doctorate degrees are from Japanese universities," he said, as quoted by tempo.co. Yusron also once worked for Kompas as a correspondent in Japan.

As for Fauzi, political observer from the University of Indonesia, Donny Gahral Adian, said he doubted the former governor's diplomacy skills regardless of the fact he had spent several years in Germany to achieve his doctorate degree on urban planning. "Many Jakartans would agree that Fauzi has a temperamental character which is not suitable for diplomatic missions," he said.

But Democratic Party deputy secretary-general Ramadhan Pohan defended Yudhoyono's decision. "[Fauzi] has strong knowledge on Germany and its culture. He also speaks fluent German," he said.

Golkar lawmaker Tantowi Yahya urged the President to pay serious attention to the House's recommendation on the candidates. "As mandated by the law, the House will issue recommendations after interviewing all 22 candidates. We want the government to pick the best people because ambassadors are this country's official representation."

"Last year, we considered 11 out of 34 ambassador candidates proposed by the government as incompetent and therefore should be turned down. However, the President still inaugurated most of the 11. It's like downplaying the House's hard work and I hope that will not happen this time," Tantowi added.

Foreign Ministry's secretary-general Budi Bowoleksono, meanwhile, has been nominated as the replacement of Dino Patti Djalal, whose term as the ambassador to the US will end later this year.

Sugeng Rahardjo, the ministry's inspector general, has been proposed as the new ambassador to China. Sugeng is expected to replace Imron Cotan, Budi's predecessor as ministry secretary general who was once implicated in a corruption case at the ministry.

PPP defends Suryadharma's actions

Jakarta Post - September 4, 2013

Jakarta – A senior United Development Party (PPP) politician defended the decision from party chairman Suryadharma Ali to walk off stage after his speech was cut short by a call for prayer during an event in Tasikmalaya, West Java on Monday.

"He wasn't angry. He left because he already had another appointment," said a member of the PPP's board of experts, Ahmad Yani, as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Yani blamed social media for exaggerating reports of Suryadharma storming off from the podium after being told to cut his speech midway through by members of local organizers. "It was just a miscommunication between members of the organizing committee," Yani said.

On Monday, during an event held to welcome former members of the Ahmadiyah sect who had "returned" to mainstream Islamic teachings, Suryadharma had to stop his speech to allow the call to prayer to end from a nearby mosque.

Suryadharma fuming after adzan interruption

Jakarta Globe - September 4, 2013

Carlos Paath – Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali has come under fire for reportedly getting riled by the call to prayer, or adzan, that interrupted a speech he was giving at a mosque on Monday.

Suryadharma was speaking prior to the inauguration of the newly built Bojong Koneng Grand Mosque in Tasikmalaya, West Java, when the call to prayer, a reminder for Muslims present at the mosque and those in the surrounding neighborhood to observe their dzuhur or midday prayer, was announced.

Suryadharma reportedly fell quiet and bowed his head as he waited for it to end. However, on completion of the prayer, the minister did not resume his speech and left the premises without officiating the grand opening of the mosque.

Asked by reporters why he was leaving in a rush, Suryadharma said he "shouldn't have been interrupted." "I should have been allowed to finish without being cut off by the adzan," he said as quoted by Detik.com.

Tasikmalaya district head Uu Ruzhanul Ulum subsequently offered his apologies to the minister over the incident. "The minister was angry and he let all of us know," he said on Monday as quoted by Detik.com.

Ace Hasan Syadzily, a Golkar legislator from the House of Representatives' Commission VIII, overseeing religious affairs, said he was thunderstruck by the news. He said there was no forbidding the adzan from resounding whenever the time for prayer came.

"It is our duty as Muslims to stop all our activities and listen to the call for prayer. This means we are supposed to adjust things to the adzan," he said.

The Golkar deputy secretary general added that Suryadharma should not have been disappointed by the adzan. "He should have listened to it solemnly instead of publicly expressing his disappointment," Ace said.

The United Development Party (PPP) denied that Suryadharma, its chairman, had been riled by the call to prayer. PPP legislator Ahmad Yani said the reaction to the incident was nothing more than a misunderstanding.

"He was not throwing a fit. He immediately left the venue because he had other things on his schedule," Yani claimed. He added it was common for meetings at the party or at the House to be cut off by the adzan, upon which all activities were required to be put on hold until after the prayers had been held. "That was all just a miscommunication with the organizers," Yani said. "He was giving his speech and when the adzan sounded, he stopped."

Suryadharma's reaction to being cut off by the call to prayer comes in stark contrast to his standing as a staunch defender of conservative Islam who has even been touted by a hard-line group, the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), as a potential presidential candidate in 2014.

Lawmaker rejects Soeharto as street name

Jakarta Post - September 2, 2013

Jakarta – A lawmaker has blasted a proposal to change the name of one of the capital city's main thoroughfares, Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat, to Jl. Soeharto, after the country's second president.

Lawmaker Eva Kusuma Sundari of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and member of the House of Representatives Commission III on legal and human rights said that Soeharto did not deserve the honor, given the rampant human rights violations he had facilitated during his 32-year reign.

"The government should not undertake any efforts that would free Soeharto from scrutiny," Eva said, as quoted by tribunnews.com. The name change had been proposed by a government-sanctioned team.

West Papua

Timika airport to be publicly run

Jakarta Globe - September 6, 2013

Public ownership of infrastructure in the eastern part of Indonesia has moved a step forward with agreement by US-owned gold and copper mining company Freeport Indonesia to hand over management of its Mozes Kilangin Airport in Mimika district, Papua province, to the Indonesian government.

The deal to put the airport in public hands was signed in Jakarta on Thursday by representatives from Freeport, the Mimika district government and the Transportation Ministry.

Herry Bakti S. Gumay, the ministry's director general for air transportation, said the development would allow the government to better service the country's easternmost districts. "We welcome this and hope [improvements] will be finalized within the next one or two years, so that the airport can be immediately be used to serve the larger public," Herry said.

Freeport Indonesia managing director Rozik B. Soetjipto said the company had agreed to the deal because it recognized the rapidly growing need for transportation to the Mimika area.

The airport was built at Timika, now the capital of Mimika, by Freeport in 1970 to serve its Grasberg mine in nearby Tembagapura. However, in recent years, it has also been utilized as a stopoff by general commercial flights headed from Denpasar to Jayapura's Sentani Airport. The airport reportedly serves an average of 200,000 passengers per year.

With the signing of the deal, management of the airport will be taken over by the public airport management unit, which will develop it to better support the local economy. It is expected the airport will focus on trade and tourism facilitation, and be expanded into a hub that connects the rest of the Indonesian archipelago with Mimika district.

Herry said that despite being put into public hands, the airport would still provide special facilities for Freeport.

"We want this to be turned into a public airport, but later there will be a special terminal for Freeport," he said as quoted by Detik.com. "So Terminal 1 will be for the public while Terminal 2 will be for Freeport."

Herry said with sufficient funds, the developments could be finalized soon. "If the budget is there and everything goes well, then it can be done in one year," he said.

He added that funds would be provided from the national and regional budgets, in addition to a contribution from Freeport as part of its ongoing corporate social responsibility programs.

Abdul Muis, the Mimika district chief, said upgrades to the airport had long been awaited by the people of Timika and that he hoped construction would soon begin. "The people of Timika have been waiting for this, hopefully it will come through," he said.

Indonesia accused of buying Solomons vote over trip

Radio New Zealand International - September 6, 2013

Indonesia is being accused of buying the support of Solomon Islands over the prime minister Gordon Darcy Lilo's recent trip to that country.

Mr Lilo has faced strong criticism from civil society groups and others for not giving concrete reasons for the trip, which he says Indonesia has funded, as well for the size of the delegation he took with him.

The interim head of the Joint Civil Society Group says Solomon Islands has no formalised bilateral agreement with Indonesia but his group has documents showing Mr Lilo has issued invitations to Indonesian investors.

Barnabas Henson says it appears Indonesia is trying to buy support for its stance on West Papua. "Indonesia has had a long record of human rights abuses in West Papua and so that is one issue I can assure you that the country is not with the prime minister on."

Barnabas Henson says his group is finalising a people's petition calling on Gordon Darcy Lilo to resign.

PNG promotes engagement with Indonesia over West Papua

Islands Business - September 6, 2013

Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister Peter O'Neill has called for engagement with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as the way forward for the issue of West Papua.

Attending the Pacific Islands Forum in Majuro this week, the PNG Prime Minister said: "We are generally encouraged by the response that we are getting from the Indonesian government – especially the President – where he has stated to us very clearly that he wanted to engage with us to resolve issues in West Papua, so there is a level of autonomy for the people of West Papua."

The issue of West Papua was high on the agenda at the June 2013 summit of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) in New Caledonia, where delegations from the Indonesian government and the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation (WPNCL) both addressed the summit plenary.

However the topic of West Papua was not on the Forum agenda in Majuro and there was no mention of human rights concerns in the final Forum communique. At the time of the MSG Summit, Prime Minister O'Neill and PNG Foreign Minister Rimbink Pato were leading a major delegation to Indonesia.

This week, O'Neill stressed the importance of engagement with Indonesia, given their opposition to independence for the western half of the island of New Guinea, which Jakarta administers as the provinces of Papua and West Papua.

"I want to make it very clear again that any resolutions we may have to come to in respect of West Papua will always include Indonesia," O'Neill said. "It pays for us to stay engaged with Indonesia."

The major focus of O'Neill's June visit to Jakarta was trade and investment, but security issues and border relations were discussed.

"We look forward to working closely with them and also developing joint economic areas with the border area," O'Neill said. "Some of the vast natural resources we have around the border area we can develop together."

The PNG Prime Minister said that over time there has been improved dialogue on the issue: "I'm encouraged by the events that are taking place, including the Melanesian Spearhead Group ministers are going to have a tour to West Papua. But I'm also happy that the Indonesian government has asked us, the Papua New Guineans, to resolve some of the issues in West Papua.

As yet, details of the proposed MSG Ministerial Mission to Jakarta and Jayapura have not been finalised. In Majuro, Vanuatu's Deputy Prime Minister Edward Natapei confirmed to Islands Business that no dates have yet been set for the visit.

In unprecedented language, the final communique of the MSG Summit in Noumea supported "the inalienable rights of the people of West Papua towards self-determination" and criticised "human rights violations and other forms of atrocities relating to the West Papuan people."

The West Papuan nationalist movement has been lobbying for the Forum to follow the MSG's example, and address these issues in their meetings, as occurred at the time of the "Papua Spring" in the early 2000s.

In the lead up to the Majuro Forum, the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation (WPNCL) said the Indonesian government was unlikely to allow a ministerial visit, despite the commitment given to MSG leaders.

WPNCL Secretary General Rex Rumakiek told Radio Australia: "Their way of breaking MSG solidarity is a divide and rule policy. They've done that to the West Papuan people and been very successful, and they think they can do it to the MSG leaders as well."

He says the agreement was for MSG Foreign Ministers to visit West Papua for an inspection tour together, but, Jakarta is "using the tactic of divide and rule by inviting the Group's leaders one by one."

For the Vanuatu government led by Prime Minister Moana Carcasses Kalosil, the MSG's engagement with Jakarta must be conducted together. The leader of Vanuatu's delegation in Majuro, Deputy Prime Minister Natapei told Islands Business: "We believe that the MSG should conduct this ministerial mission together, with all of us intact."

Last month, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo made a state visit to Indonesia – the first Solomon Islands leader to visit the South East Asian nation.

In a statement after the visit, the Solomon Islands government said: "Prime Minister Lilo's recent trip not only produced greater technical cooperation, trade commitments and people-to-people relations, but has been hailed by Indonesia for the country's ongoing active role in multilateral forums such as the Coral Triangle Initiative, the G7 Plus and also APEC."

'Free Papua activists,' says Amnesty International

Jakarta Globe - September 5, 2013

Anushka Shahjahan – The right to peacefully advocate referendums is a part of freedom of expression and Indonesian authorities must drop charges brought against Papuan activists, Amnesty International demanded on Tuesday.

This would include Apolos Sewa, Yohanis Goram, Amandus Mirino and Samuel Klasjok, members of the Sorong branch of the Papuan Customary Council who were arrested on August 28 following a peaceful gathering at the Maranatha Church in West Papua.

The event was intended to raise the profile of Freedom Flotilla, an Australian organization that, as per its website, aims to create a link between indigenous people in Australia and Indonesia and shed light on the reasons why alleged human rights abuses in West Papua don't draw the attention of the international community.

The "Morning Star" flag, a symbol of Papuan independence, was raised alongside Australian aborigine flags at the church. The four men, who Sorong Police arrested and interrogated without legal counsel present, were charged with rebellion, which can carry a life imprisonment sentence.

Amnesty, while not taking a position on the political status of any province, claims that the right to freedom of expression includes the right to peacefully advocate independence and other political solutions except where it would involve incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.

"Amnesty International believes the four men were arrested and charged solely for their peaceful political activism," the organization said in a statement on Wednesday. It also claimed that the Indonesian authorities continue to curtail access of international human rights organizations and foreign journalists to the provinces of Papua and West Papua. Even so, human rights abuses have been frequently documented there.

"Allow international journalists into Papua and facilitate visits by the Special Rapporteurs of the UN Human Rights Council," Navanethem Pillay the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, urged in May, the same month Indonesian security forces reportedly opened fire on a gathering commemorating the 50th anniversary of the handover of Papua to the Indonesian government.

The violent turn of events resulted in the killing of Abner Malagawak and Thomas Blesia on the spot, and the death of Salomina Kalaibin, six days later, due to gunshot wounds.

According to Amnesty, there are currently at least 70 people imprisoned in Indonesia for attending, organizing or participating in peaceful political activities or protests in Papua. The "special autonomy plus" program recently touted by President Yudhoyono would see the release of more than 50 people arrested for participating in protests coinciding with the date Papua became part of Indonesia.

TNI road construction project in Papua raises eyebrows

Jakarta Post - September 3, 2013

Margareth S. Aritonang – The government's ambitious plan to deploy the Indonesian Military (TNI) to build 1,500 kilometer-long roads connecting Papua and West Papua in less than a year could escalate violence in the country's easternmost provinces, which could lead members of the House of Representatives to reject a funding proposal for the massive project.

Members of the House's Commission I overseeing defense and foreign affairs expressed their concerns over the urgency to involve members of the TNI's combat engineering detachment (Denzipur) in the program to Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro, saying the deployment could impact on ongoing efforts to maintain security in both provinces.

"We are talking about Papua here. We can't underestimate this area," lawmaker Tri Tamtomo from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said in a hearing with Purnomo on Monday.

Tri said that since the project would only last for 3.5 months, it would require a massive deployment of military personnel, which could be seen as a heightened threat aimed at separatist groups in the region.

Commission I deputy chairman Tubagus Hasanuddin of the PDI-P faction further questioned Purnomo on whether the construction project, which is part of actions aimed at accelerating development in Papua and West Papua, could be seen as a maneuver to corner the Free Papua Movement (OPM) in the provinces.

The House decided to have a closed-door meeting with Purnomo soon after Tubagus fielded the question. Speaking after the conclusion of the meeting, Purnomo maintained that the road construction projects would not interfere with the governments' efforts to curb the OPM.

"The TNI is appointed to carry out the plan due to geographical and security reasons, in addition to the short time available [to get it done]," Purnomo said. "We can start working in early September and finish the construction by the end of this year if the House agrees to our proposal," he said.

The Presidential Decree No. 40/2013 on the acceleration of development in Papua appointed the TNI to help the Presidential Unit to Accelerate the Development of Papua and West Papua (UP4B) to build roads in both provinces, clearing the way for more than 1,000 soldiers from the Army's engineering detachment to become involved in the work.

The UP4B earlier said the infrastructure project would open the isolated provinces at a cost of Rp 1.5 trillion (US$154 million) with the help of the Public Works Ministry and local administrations.

In the Monday meeting with Commission I, Purnomo asked for additional funds of Rp 425.5 billion to pay for supplies and salaries for soldiers dispatched to join the massive construction projects. The new proposal surprised the House members.

Commission I chairman Mahfudz Siddiq from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said the House would study the feasibility of the project given the high security risk in the area.

"My assessment for the time being is that the [road construction] plan will unlikely materialize anytime soon. Nonetheless, we will summon other relevant parties, including the Army and the UP4B next week to comprehensively assess the possible threat that could emerge if the construction finally takes place. We don't want the road construction plan to provoke more problems [in Papua and West Papua]," Mahfudz said.

The Freedom Flotilla will go down in history

New Matilda - September 3, 2013

[Shirley Shackleton was on board the Lusitania when it sailed to East Timor in 1992 to protest the Indonesian occupation. She offers words of solidarity for the West Papuan Freedom Flotilla.]

When I heard the shadow foreign affairs spokesperson Julie Bishop comment recently on the Freedom Flotilla sailing peacefully to West Papua, I experienced a moment of dej'a vu. In Bishop's opinion, "If this Freedom Flotilla breaches Indonesia's territorial sovereignty, Indonesia is entitled to use whatever means it wishes to protect it."

In 1992 I sailed on the Lusitania Peace Ship to East Timor, which had similar objectives to the Freedom Flotilla, and was blocked by warships, a military plane, three helicopters, and threats to "shoot us out of the water". The rhetoric at that time was similar to that which is being promulgated at present. We were insulted and threatened in what were obvious canards.

Nevertheless youthful volunteers came from France, Guinea-Bissau in Africa, Japan, Germany, Canada, Cape Verde, China, Indonesia, Holland, Austria, Vietnam, Italy, Brazil, India, Sweden, the United States of America, Britain, Australia and Portugal. Some of the volunteers on board had not been born when Indonesia invaded East Timor.

Reports from 2 March 1992 quote Australia's ambassador to Indonesia, Philip Flood, as saying, "Australia will not sacrifice good relations with Jakarta". He threatened to take "appropriate measures" if "they [the peace mission members] act illegally". Apparently it didn't occur to Flood to suggest to the Indonesian dictator Suharto that it would be unwise from public relations point-of-view to sink a civilian ship.

We wanted to alert the world to the parlous situation in East Timor by walking from Dili port to the Santa Cruz cemetery to place flowers on the graves of victims of the Santa Cruz massacre.

To have the guts to protest without being armed is a frightening affair. Twenty-one years ago, on 10 March at 11am, a RAAF plane flew over us. At 2.40pm an Indonesian Caribou aircraft swooped us twice. At 5pm two more aircraft made two more sweeps. Next morning, 11 March, I woke at 4am to see the outline of eight warships and a frigate following us. When the sun came up one student rubbed his eyes and exclaimed, "I've never seen a more exciting sunrise".

The parallels between the present Flotilla and the Lusitania are obvious. One sincerely hopes for as good an outcome. After negotiations our captain turned his ship. He instructed us to make our way to the stern where we threw our wreaths and flowers. At no time had anyone on the Lusitania made so much as a rude gesture towards the bullying warships. As we sailed back to Australia many voiced their pleasure to have taken part. I overheard a Japanese girl and a German youth promising to work all the harder for freedom for the Timorese from Javanese oppression.

I heard a report that thousands of Timorese had flooded into Dili to welcome the Lusitania. The boost to Timorese morale had clearly rattled the occupying army. We had struck a blow against the dictatorship's capacity to rely on propaganda. It also helped to instil immense pride both in Portugal and East Timor and among the passengers who returned to their homelands to great acclaim.

When I went to the South Melbourne Market to replenish my empty refrigerator I was not allowed to pay for a single item. All kinds of articles including a silk shirt were pressed on me. I was with one of my nephews and when I protested he wisely counselled me, "I think you should just accept, Shirley".

Another consequence of the Lusitania which I hope will be repeated for the Flotilla was that even school children knew the truth about East Timor after we returned.

For the West Papuan Flotilla the truth is again very simple: money is the root of all evil. The same morning as Bishop made her comments, news broke that America has agreed to sell Apache helicopters worth $500 million to Indonesia. Who is likely to invade Indonesia? Tonga? Tasmania?

I don't know anything about Julie Bishop except her chosen field of work, but I don't believe for a moment that she can be as ignorant of the plight of the subjugated citizens of West Papua as her comments suggest. She is backed up by Foreign Minister Bob Carr, who is quoted as referring to the protestors as "fringe activists" in several reports.

As far as my experience as an activist is concerned, Carr is guilty of tautology.

Perhaps the brave souls manning the flotilla are aware that Australian foreign aid to Indonesia is $647 Million – a 350 per cent increase over seven years. Australia also provides military and other hardware above this amount. Indonesia's expenditure on military is $8 billion – a 300 per cent increase over the same seven years.

Australia gives more foreign aid to Indonesia than the whole of Africa and the Middle East combined. Australia's aid to Indonesia has increased while aid in all other areas including Pacific neighbours has been cut.

In other words, Australian taxpayer dollars could be helping to finance the purchase of Apache attack helicopters for the Indonesian military – the same military that is responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths in occupied West Papua.

Papua clash leads to death of TNI soldier

Jakarta Globe - September 1, 2013

Banjir Ambarita & Farouk Arnaz, Jayapura/Jakarta – A clash between security personnel and armed separatists in Papua on Saturday led to the death of an Indonesian Military (TNI) soldier.

Private First Class Andry was on duty at a military post in the Tingginambut subdistrict of Puncak Jaya, Papua, on Saturday afternoon, when a group of armed civilians reportedly attacked the post.

TNI soldiers and some 10 members of the armed group allegedly operating under the command of Goliat Tabuni and Terius Tabuni, who lead the armed wing of the rebel Free Papua Movement (OPM), then proceeded to exchange gunfire. It was during the attack that Andry was shot in his stomach. He died immediately at the scene.

"The victim's remains were immediately brought to Mulia Hospital [in Puncak Jaya]," Col. Lismer Lumbar Siantar, a spokesman for the TNI's Papua and West Papua Command, said.

"Due to bad weather, however, we couldn't immediately take him to Jayapura onboard a plane. We'll probably be able to do that tomorrow." Lismer added that the armed group managed to flee into the jungle after stealing some weaponry belonging to the soldiers.

Meanwhile, Papua Police spokesman Sr. Comr. I Gede Sumerta Jaya said he was saddened by the incident because Andry, along with some other TNI soldiers, was helping police guard the distribution of some basic necessities for people living in the Puncak Jaya district.

"This incident will surely hinder the distribution of necessities and make prices soar even further," Sumerta said. "Suppliers of those basic necessities will be traumatized and be afraid to channel goods to the region."

Aceh

Ministry backs genitalia health check

Jakarta Post - September 7, 2013

Jakarta – The Health Ministry is supporting the move by local administrations – including Sabang city in Aceh – to make it a requirement for high school students to record the shape and size of their genitalia for its health status reports.

"The measurement requirement is part of the national school-health improvement program regulated by the Health Ministry in 2010," the Ministry's director of child health, Jane Supandi, told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Jane added that under that program, the government, represented by the Health Ministry, planned to educate students about reproductive health and their rights.

The government hopes, through the collection of information on the shape and size of students' genitalia, the scheme would assist in the detection of abnormalities at an early stage, she said.

"However, we have a very limited number of health workers able to examine students one at a time. So, to solve this problem, we are asking students to check their own bodies and write the results on health report forms," she said.

Jane said that students who measured their own bodies would get information about their right to sexual and reproductive health. "The measurement results are confidential. Only health workers from the health agency are allowed to read the reports," she said.

If health workers found any reproductive health abnormalities, they would inform the schools and parents directly to consult on how to tackle the matter, Jane explained.

She questioned the public's criticism of how the reports contained graphics of human genitalia. "It's scientific and can help children learn about their reproductive health and avoid diseases," she said.

Seto Mulyadi, a psychologist who is currently the head of the National Commission on Child Protection's (Komnas Anak) supervisory board, said that genitalia measurement violated children's privacy.

"I don't think measuring students' genitalia in a school environment is appropriate even though it aims to improve students' awareness of their sexual and reproductive health and rights," he added.

Seto said it could trigger sexual harassment including molestation, rape and pregnancy before marriage. "Most children are not able to identify what actions are health checks and what are sexual abuse. That's why genitalia measurement would be better done in community health centers, not in schools."

Meanwhile, Badriul Hegar Syarif chairman of the Indonesian Pediatricians Association said that the genitalia measurement had been developed and used by international health centers to know children's reproductive health status.

"The method, known as Tanner method, consists of checking the size and shape of human genitalia at the early stage," he said, adding that each country had its own policy on genitalia measurement.

Hegar added that the genitalia measurement on junior high school students as seen in Sabang, Aceh, was appropriate. He said that junior high school students had the capacity to learn about their reproductive and sexual health rights.

"However, the government should watch its implementation carefully. Students need to be assisted by health workers and to have sufficient information on reproductive health," he said.

Recently, the Aceh Health Agency shocked the public by giving questionnaires to students of state SMP 1 junior high school, which contained pictures and questions regarding the size and shape of genitalia.

One mother, Nurlina, said that the five-page questionnaire contained images depicting breasts, vaginas and penises and under each of the images were four options – from small to large – for a student to circle. (tam)

Aceh city tells 11-year-old schoolchildren to assess genital size

Jakarta Globe - September 4, 2013

Nurdin Hasan, Banda Aceh – Parents in Aceh were demanding answers from education officials on Wednesday after it emerged that children as young as 11 were told to fill in a survey that included questions about the size of their genitals and whether they had experienced any sexual dreams.

"Actually there was no problem with the questionnaire, but I was very shocked when I opened page five and saw images of women's breasts and female and male genitalia," Nurlina, a parent of a student at Sabang 1 State Junior High School, told the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday.

Nurlina said that the page in question included pictures of male and female genitals of varying size and asked the student to circle whichever they felt was the closest approximation to their own.

In addition, boys were asked whether they had experienced a "wet dream," and girls were asked to assess the size of their breasts. Children as young as 11 were told to complete the survey.

The head of the Sabang Education Agency confirmed that the questionnaire had been distributed to six junior high schools in Sabang, Indonesia's westernmost city with a population of around 30,000. The legal framework of the semi-autonomous Indonesian province of Aceh includes elements of Shariah law.

Misman said the local education body had included the questions on the recommendation of local health officials. "It was a recommendation from Puskesmas [community health center] to collect information on the children's health," he said.

Nurlina was not persuaded by the view that the authorities' efforts to document the health of Sabang's children necessitated asking the kinds of questions with the attendant visual aids found in the survey.

"There were also questions as to whether or not the girls have menstruated and if the boys have experienced sexual dreams," she said. "Those questions were meant for children who have just graduated from elementary school – that's improper."

Nurlina, a civil servant in Sabang, prohibited her child from answering those questions and said she would file a complaint to the school and the local education office. "The teachers should have checked the questionnaires before they were distributed to see if the pages came with indecent images," she said.

Misman said the schools distributed similar questionnaires last year but there was no public outcry because the questions were not accompanied by a set of pictures.

"[The surveys] have been distributed and some of them have been returned because children did not want to answer that particular page," he said. "After I saw the questionnaires I can see not only that they asked about their genital sizes, but that there were some very vivid images of genitals – this is too vulgar."

Misman said his office would discuss the issue with Sabang's mayor to find the best solution.

Human rights & justice

Activists demand justice for Munir on 9th anniversary

Jakarta Globe - September 7, 2013

Dessy Sagita – It has been nine years since Munir Said Thalib was silenced by arsenic poisoning as he sat on a Garuda Indonesia flight, but justice for the murdered political activist continues to elude his family.

"In the presidential decree signed by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, it was mentioned that the result of the investigation carried out by the fact- finding team would be reported to the president, and that the president would reveal the result to public," Haris Azhar, the coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), a human rights advocate group established by Munir himself, told the Jakarta Globe on Saturday.

"We demand that the investigation be revealed immediately," he said. Haris said Indonesia's international credibility would remain questionable while questions surrounding Munir's death remained unanswered.

"Right now, the European Union is drawing up guidelines on future cooperation with Indonesia," he said. "Some factors will be highlighted, including how we are handling Munir's case.

The president has sufficient legal resources to re-open the case, this is crucial to show our people how a country takes responsibility."

On Sept. 7, 2004, Munir died on board a Garuda Indonesia flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam. Investigators concluded he died of arsenic poisoning. Off-duty pilot Pollycarpus Priyanto was convicted of Munir's murder in 2005. The conviction was invalidated in 2006 for insufficient evidence, but was reinstated in 2008.

To date, however, none of the alleged planners of the murder has been jailed. Muchdi Purwopranjono, the former National Intelligence Agency (BIN) deputy chief, was acquitted of murder charges.

"The Judicial Commission has said there was an abnormality in Muchdi's acquittal, therefore the Commission and Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) must investigate the bank accounts of the judges responsible for the acquittal," Haris said.

In a written statement released on Saturday, Amnesty International also criticized Indonesia's failure to deliver justice for Munir's murder.

"President Yudhoyono, who has himself described Munir's case as a "test of our history," has just one year of his presidency remaining, in which to ensure full justice and reparations are delivered. The President's failure so far to do so, at a time the protection of human rights defenders across the country remains seriously under threat, raises serious questions about his legacy," the statement read.

Along with Amnesty, several international regional and local civil society organizations from Cambodia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Philippines, Singapore and the United Kingdom, have also signed the joint statement demanding Yudhoyono take action.

Komnas HAM under fire as AGO continues to ignore its findings

Jakarta Post - September 5, 2013

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Despite the impressive performance from the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), the House of Representatives declined to increase the budget for the institution.

In a meeting with the House's Commission III overseeing human rights, Komnas HAM requested an increase in the budget to Rp 68.25 billion (US$5.60 million) from last year's Rp 58 billion, a proposal swiftly rejected by lawmakers.

The lawmakers, however, had no qualms about earmarking Rp 40 billion to support the work of the Attorney General's Office (AGO) special crimes division, which also handles cases of gross human rights violations, late on Tuesday.

During the Wednesday hearing, lawmakers blasted Komnas HAM for what they considered to be a poor performance and waning stature in the public eye. As for the AGO, only a few lawmakers questioned its accountability over the budget used to investigate cases of past rights abuses.

Commission III chairman I Gede Pasek Suardika told reporters the commission had not made an assessment of whether the AGO had made progress in dealing with cases of gross human rights violations. "We haven't really examined whether it [the AGO] really did something on cases of gross human rights violations or not," Suardika said.

The AGO has frequently ignored findings from Komnas HAM and resisted against any attempts to resolve past human rights abuses.

The majority of the lawmakers, however, scolded Komnas HAM commissioners, arguing that the body had been specifically mandated by Law No. 39/1999 to handle cases of human rights violations in the country.

"It's almost two years since the appointment of the new commissioners but we've heard nothing other than them fighting each other for the leadership as well as about perks from the office," Suardika said.

Commission III member Syarifuddin Suding from the People's Conscience Party (Hanura) said he could not approve a budget increase for Komnas HAM unless it solved its leadership problem. "Resolve your internal problem. Prove your work first and then come to us for a budget," Suding said.

In recent months. Komnas HAM has unveiled its reports from investigations into past atrocities and declared them as gross violations of human rights, including the 1965 anti-communist purge, the early 1980s Petrus (mysterious shootings) and the 1998 May riots.

In its recommendations, Komnas HAM said the AGO must conduct further investigations before alleged perpetrators from the cases could be brought to trial.

The AGO has repeatedly ignored the recommendations as well as calls from rights campaigners. The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), for example, has repeatedly called for the AGO to take action on Komnas HAM's findings, to no avail.

Lawmaker Eva Kusuma Sundari from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said the House, Commission III in particular, was partly to blame for the slow progress in promoting justice for survivors and victims of past human rights abuses.

"We must understand that lawmakers don't have the same stance on the matter. I therefore call on all campaigners and those who are concerned about human rights in the country to join hands and continue fighting. I'm afraid that survivors, particularly those of the 1965 purge, may not witness justice being restored due to their old age," she said.

Labour & migrant workers

Jakarta workers rally for 50% minimum wage increase, employers say no

Jakarta Globe - September 6, 2013

SP/Edi Hardum, SP/Hotman Siregar, SP/Mikael Niman & Bayu Marhaenjati – Some 20,000 Greater Jakarta workers rallied on Thursday to demand a 50 percent increase in regional minimum wage for 2014.

"We refuse the Presidential instruction that increasing the 2014 minimum wage would violate the 2003 law on manpower," said Teguh Maianto of the All-Indonesian Workers Trade Union.

The protestors, drawn from several union and labor groups, gathered at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, the State Palace, the Ministry of Manpower and the Ministry of Health.

The wage increase was necessary, Teguh said, because of increases in commodity and subsidized-fuel prices. The protesters also demanded no salary deductions for workers in the new social security plan to be implemented on January 1.

On August 29, the government issued a stipulation that the minimum wage should not grow at a rate that exceeded yearly inflation by 10 percent.

Indonesian minimum wage is set at the provincial and district level. Vice President Boediono urged local leaders to resist pressure to raise the minimum wage in the run-up to the 2014 election.

Said Iqbal, president of Confederation of Indonesian Workers Unions, said workers rejected the presidential decree because they believed it was derived from pressure the business lobby had applied on the government.

"They issued a decree, while the regional wage council had not conducted a Reasonable Living Cost Index survey and the governors had not set anything yet," he said. Low wages have meant low purchasing power and continued poverty," he said. "We have to cut the circle of poverty."

Employers said an increase in minimum wage to Rp 3.7 million, as the protestors demanded, would not be realistic and could threaten business and cause layoffs in the current economic climate.

"The depreciation of the rupiah really affects investment and consumption," said Sarman Simajorang, the deputy chairman of the Jakarta branch of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce. "The request to raise the minimum wage by 50 percent is very immoderate and only takes into account the interest of the workers, without looking at the business sector's capabilities."

Sarman said the 44 percent increase in 2013 forced companies to move outside Jakarta and fire staff. He said that falling demand would impact labor-intensive industries such as garment, shoe and textile production.

Muhaimin Iskandar, Minister of Manpower and Transmigration, said the putative increase was impossible for companies. "Workers do not think if they push their request that many companies will close down," said Chairman of Indonesia's Employers Association Sofjan Wanandi. "If that's what happens, there will be mass layoffs."

During the protests, 12,000 police officers secured the streets and diverted traffic. Smaller protests also occurred in Bandung, Cinahi and Subang.

Workers want more than 10 percent hike

Jakarta Post - September 6, 2013

Jakarta – An estimated 7,000 workers from the city and surrounding areas staged a mass rally, demanding the government significantly raise the provincial minimum wages and retract a recent presidential instruction, which set the ceiling of wage increases to 10 percent.

The demonstrators, mostly members of the Confederation of Indonesian Workers' Union (KSPI), marched from the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle to the National Monument (Monas), causing traffic to back up along Jl. Thamrin, Jl. Sudirman and the streets around Monas Square for hours.

They also besieged the Presidential Palace but to no avail as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is out of the country on a visit to Poland and Russia.

However, the labor rally was not sullied by violence as the police deployed 11,000 personnel – including those from the Jakarta Military Command – to maintain security and order as well as to help ease the traffic congestion.

Jakarta Police operational division head Sr. Comr. M. Chairul lauded the peaceful rally and said demonstrators complied with the police's instruction to disperse at 6 p.m.

A large group of protesters, mostly wearing black shirts coupled with red headbands, marched with a large banner that read: "1 Januari 2014, jaminan kesehatan national harus dijalankan tanpa syarat di bawah BPJS. Tolak upah murah. Jangan berbohong pada rakyat and tolak politisasi jamsos" (the national healthcare program must be implemented without any reserves as of Jan. 1, 2014. We reject the cheap wage policy. Do not lie to the people and do not politicize social security programs).

Nurdin, a unionist speaking from the back of a truck, called on the government to show its commitment to the nationwide implementation of the national social security program from January 2014 to help protect workers, especially those in labor intensive industry and the informal sector.

"If the national healthcare is not implemented in January, all workers will stage a national strike," he said. He also said that workers rejected the newly-issued Presidential Instruction on wage-hike ceiling, which was considered to be against the 2003 Labor Law and the 2004 Regional Autonomy Law.

The Labor Law stipulated that the wage hike would be set by the provincial tripartite wage committee, after the completion of a provincial index price survey. Once the provincial wage committee proposed a wage hike to the provincial government, governors are given the final say as it is deemed to be related to labor matters, which are decentralized.

Similar to earlier in the year, workers and labor unions demanded a significant wage hike in response to the government's decision to cut the fuel subsidy, the soaring price of basic commodities and the planned implementation of the national healthcare program.

The Indonesian Employers' Association (Apindo), believed to be behind the presidential instruction, threatened further downsizing if regional heads, especially those in provinces with industrial estates, raised their provincial minimum wages by more than 10 percent.

Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo played down the workers' demands, saying workers should be more rational with their demands, especially in the current economic environment.

However, he did say his administration would conduct a survey on wage components in the city before it made a decision regarding wage increases in January 2014.

The governor raised the minimum wage by 48 percent to Rp 2.2 million from Rp 1.5 million in 2012. Workers now demand that the minimum wage for 2014 be raised by 68 percent to Rp 3.7 million. (ian)

Wage, labor issues annoy investors in Batam

Jakarta Post - September 5, 2013

Fadli, Batam – Workers' rallies, ahead of the 2014 City Minimum Wage (UMK) discussion in Batam, Riau Islands, have raised concern among various parties, especially foreign investors.

The Batam Free Trade Zone Management Agency (BPK FTZ) has received complaints, especially from Japanese investors, on the unpredictable wage increase as well as rallies, which often ended in anarchy, and would eventually cause them to relocate their businesses to other regions.

Director of the Batam One-Stop Integrated Services (PTSP) and BPK FTZ spokesman, Dwi Djoko Wiwoho, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday that his office conveyed to the consulate general of Japan in Medan, North Sumatra, Yuji Hamada, on Aug. 26, that labor issues in Batam, such as the wage scheme and rallies were the main issue Japanese investors faced.

"The UMK, which is unpredictable, should not be adjusted every year. These issues, according to the Japanese consulate in Medan, have raised the concern of Japanese investors. But, we cannot say how many of them have expressed view," said Djoko.

He added that he and BPK FTZ marketing and investment director Purnomo Andiantono met Hamada to consult about the evasion of three top executives of PT Sun Creation Indonesia (SCI), a Japanese electronic manufacturing company in Batam in early July.

As a result, the fate of 732 workers the company's remains uncertain as they have not received their salaries and severance payment. "Regarding SCI, the consulate general requested Batam BPK FTZ to go to the company headquarters in Japan. We will go to Japan on Sept. 5 to resolve the issue," said Djoko.

According to Djoko, Japan is ranked third in terms of the highest number of investors in Batam, after Singapore and Malaysia. Batam is home to 65 foreign investors with a total investment value of more than US$132 million.

"The statement is a warning to us all and it should be responded to wisely. We also hope the labor force could refrain from fighting for their aspirations," said Djoko.

Besides SCI, which closed its plant in Batam, PT Shin-Etsu Magnetics Indonesia has also closed its factory in the Batamindo Industrial Zone in Batam, Riau Islands, as of Aug. 23. It has an investment value of $13.2 million.

The company produces magnetic circuit parts, magnet holders and general magnets. It is a joint-venture between Singapore and Malaysia, with its parent company in Japan.

Separately, Batam chapter Indonesia Metal Workers Federation (FSPMI) secretary Suprapto said his union strongly criticized the limited increase in UMK which would be implemented by the government. He added on Sept. 12 members from FSPMI and other trade unions would take to the streets in response to the wage issue.

"We will mobilize up to 6,000 workers to protest the presidential instruction. Why should the wage increase be restricted? This is inappropriate and the wage issue has always been made a scapegoat in every investment problem, whereas in fact the foreign investors have fled due to high economic costs from illegal levies in lengthy licensing procedure as well as other bureaucratic red tape. The wage scheme in Indonesia is still lower compared to other countries in Asia," said Suprapto.

According to Suprapto, FSPMI has set the 2014 UMK at Rp 3.3 million ($300), based on the prices of 60 basic needs items as the basis of determining the Decent Living Needs (KHL) and impacts from the fuel price hike of 40 percent.

"If it refers to the KHL based on a survey conducted by the Remuneration Council, it does not make sense. They noted that the 2014 KHL amounts at a monthly Rp 2.1 million, whereas in fact the fuel price increase has a huge impact on workers. We want the 2014 UMK in Batam to be set at above Rp 3 million," said Suprapto.

Thousands of workers protest for higher pay

Jakarta Post - September 5, 2013

Jakarta – Around 20,000 workers from the Confederation of Indonesia Workers' Union (KSPI) staged a mass rally on Thursday from the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle to the State Palace to demand higher wages.

Kompas.com reported that the workers began to take to the streets around the traffic circle at 11 a.m., and proceeded to the Arjuna Wijaya statue (also known as the Horse statue) in Central Jakarta before carrying on to the State Palace.

Motorists were forced to divert to alternative routes due to the severe gridlock caused by the rally. Dozens of traffic police deployed to the area faced tremendous challenges to keep the traffic flowing.

Anti-riot police and water cannon were also on standby near a police post at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle. After the rally's start, an influx of newly arrived workers joined the mass protest. (apt/ebf)

Domestic workers in Yogya demand rights

Jakarta Post - September 4, 2013

The Archipelago – Dozens of activists of the Domestic Workers Protection Network (JPPRT) staged a rally in front of the Yogyakarta State Palace Gedung Agung on Tuesday to demand that the government honor its promise to ratify International Labor Organization Convention No. 189 on decent work for domestic workers.

They also demanded the House of Representatives approve the bill on domestic workers. "We demand they honor their promise before their term of office ends," JPPRT's spokesperson Sayuti said on the sidelines of the rally on Tuesday.

The rally started at 9:30 am with speeches made in front of the state palace. They then marched to the nearby post office to mail parcels to the President, the House and the Manpower Ministry. Each parcel contained a mop and a duster to demonstrate their concern that the government did not pay attention to the fate of domestic workers.

Rally coordinator Moertini said that even though the government's and legislators' terms of office would soon end, they still struggled to maintain their political power instead of listening to the wishes of the people.

"President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has been in office for two terms, but no action has been taken to protect the rights of domestic workers," Moertini said.

Basuki supports raising the minimum wage as living costs increase

Jakarta Globe - September 4, 2013

Lenny Tristia Tambun & Hotman Siregar – Thousands of workers staged a demonstration in front of City Hall to demand a monthly minimum wage increase of 68 percent in the Jakarta area and 5 percent nationwide.

Protestors said the minimum wage hike to Rp 3.7 million ($337) from Rp 2.2 million per month was in accordance with the real wage needs based on the latest government survey.

Muhamad Rusdi, secretary general of the Confederation of Indonesian Workers Unions (KSPI), said a meeting by the Jakarta Wage Council in Ancol, North Jakarta, did not accommodate workers' interests.

"We, from the workers' forum, reject the result of the meeting held in Ancol by the wage council. The meeting didn't represent the workers' interests," Rusdi said on Tuesday.

Mohammad Toha, secretary general of the Workers Forum, said that criteria – accommodation, transportation, electricity, and water – set among 60 other items in the Reasonable Living Cost Index (KHL) for Jakarta were still too low.

"First of all the room rent. Before the subsidized fuel price was increased, it was still around Rp 500,000 per month. But surveys in the field show that it ranged between Rp 800 and Rp 900 thousand per month. Rent for tenement housing in South, East and Central Jakarta were the most expensive," Toha said.

He said the figure set in the KHL for accommodation was no longer relevant because it was short by between Rp 200,000 and Rp 300,000.

The cost for transportation as outlined in the KHL was set at Rp 7,000 for both ways using the TransJakarta bus as a standard. Workers going to and from work, though, were not only using TransJakarta but also minivans and motorcycle taxis. "That's why our calculation for transportation is Rp 20,000 per day," he said.

Toha also suggested that the benchmarks for the costs of electricity and water be raised because the latest levels were "no longer relevant."

Toha said he was filing a vote of no confidence in the meeting held between the Jakarta Wage Council, the Jakarta administration, entrepreneurs and workers' unions, claiming that the meeting had been arranged and the result had been decided in advance.

"Those who were invited were selected people. So, we consider the meeting as illegal because not all members of the wage council were invited. We strongly reject the result, whatever the result is because we consider it as a tool to legitimize cheap wage politics," Toha said.

In response to the workers' protests, Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama agreed that workers could not rely on their Rp 2 million monthly salary to live in the capital. That's why the Jakarta administration called on people who earned Rp 2 million per month not to live in Jakarta because they would not be able to have a decent life.

Basuki said the KHL was based on surveys in the field and that the figures for the 60 items also took into consideration Jakarta's productivity and economic growth.

Basuki said the Jakarta administration had no authority to increase the number of components to 122 in the KHL as it has happened in other countries, adding that such a decision was the responsibility of the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration.

However, Basuki promised that he would fight to increase the figure set for accommodation, transportation, electricity and water.

"We have decided to fight for the four components in the KHL survey so that it can be raised. So, this is not about feelings on whether it should increase by 50 percent. Let's make a survey. We can sit together, and we can see from the survey. Let's be scientific. A good organization should be scientific," Basuki said in a meeting with 20 people who represented their fellow workers.

Basuki said the administration was in the process of trying to purchase water operator PAM Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja) because the administration wanted to build a water piping system.

"One house needs about 10 cubic meters of water per month. Ten cubic meters for 5,500 units of apartments is equal to 55,000 cubi c meters per month. That's the calculation for water. Two cubic meters is not enough for a month. Yes, this component needs to be considered," he said.

Regarding the housing component, the city administration is aggressively building low-cost subsidized apartments. "We are preparing to build more subsidized apartments in the heart of the city," he said.

Basuki told workers that they should sit down with the administration to solve problems and said that he would ask the head of the Jakarta Manpower and Transmigration Office to give his views about the four KHL components.

"I don't want to see slavery in Jakarta. We will give an update in the next two weeks before the minimum wage is set. We will hold a meeting here," he said.

Prioyono, the head of Jakarta Manpower and Transmigration Office said his office has conducted KHL surveys as many as five times between March and July this year and that based on the surveys, they concluded that the KHL for Jakarta was Rp 1,915 million per month.

Priyono said they were planning to hold another survey in August but canceled it because of Ramadan. "We have conducted surveys up to five times. We canceled the sixth one because it was the fasting month. Now we have two more KHL surveys to carry out," he said.

Priyono said that the two surveys will be conducted this month and next month and it will cover the transportation and housing components, adding that adjustments are needed in both components following the subsidized fuel price hike.

"For transportation, there had been an increase in the fuel component. We don't know if it will affect the KHL. We will adjust it according to the survey. The same also applies for housing because it's related to electricity and water [tariffs]. The regulations are already there but we will make another survey. We will include it in this month's and October surveys," he said.

Workers go on strike, again, call for wage hike

Jakarta Post - September 4, 2013

Fikri Zaki Muhanmadi and Sita W. Dewi, Jakarta – Around 3,000 workers on Tuesday took to the streets, besieging City Hall in Central Jakarta, in a second attempt to pressure the governor into raising the minimum wage.

The demonstration, organized by the Jakarta Labor Forum, was the second after the city wage committee in July began discussing the 2014 minimum wage. It was aimed to air participants' rejection of the recent presidential instruction that said wage hikes would be based on inflation levels and limited wage hikes to a maximum 10 percent. The presidential instruction was issued to support the government's economic policy aimed at defusing the economic downturn.

Jakarta Labor Forum secretary-general Muhammad Toha said workers would regularly go on strike until the presidential instruction was revised.

"This [Inpres] is against the law, and we hope the administration focuses on the 2003 Labor Law when it comes to raising the minimum provincial wages [UMP]," Toha said on Tuesday in a dialogue with Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama.

Toha said workers should be paid Rp 3.7 million (US$323) next year, an increase from the current Rp 2.2 million, due to expenditure increases along with the fuel-price hike in July.

He also said that the government, as well as employers, should accept the 86 wage components that have been proposed by labor unions. Ministerial Decree No 13/2012 outlines only 60 wage components. "This is a win-win solution. In other countries, the list of standard cost of living [KHL] consists of 120 items," he said.

Toha suggested that companies claiming to be unable to pay their workers the minimum wage due to financial hardships should be audited by independent auditors.

Meanwhile, Association of Indonesian Labors Confederation (KSPI) secretary-general Muhammad Rusdi said the presidential instruction came about due to angry businesspeople who wanted to exploit workers and maintain the "low wage regime".

"The KHL survey was conducted this year to determine next year's wage. This is not right," he said. Rusdi added that some items in the current wage components were still too low.

"For transportation, for example, workers are given Rp 7,000 a day, just to take a Transjakarta bus. But in fact they also need to get a ojek [motorcycle taxi]," he said.

In the meeting, Ahok said that workers could not demand an amount before looking into the KHL survey from the central government. "Wage should be based on the KHL components, not simply based on what workers need," Ahok said in the meeting.

Separately, Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo was pessimistic that the city administration would be able to accommodate the workers' aspirations.

"The country is expecting a budget deficit. Imports are being held yet we are still arguing about minimum wage. I guess this is not the right time," he told reporters on Tuesday. "Companies are struggling to survive. I hope workers can understand this situation," he added.

The Jakarta administration has predicted an economic slowdown in the capital during the second half of this year, forecasting that growth will stand between 6.3 and 6.7 percent this year.

Jakarta Manpower Agency head Priyono said that the agency had conducted a number of surveys on standard living costs in the capital to set the new minimum wage for next year. "We have conducted six surveys and will conduct two more in September and October," he said.

More than 30,000 workers are expected to participate in another protest on Thursday in front of the Presidential Palace.

Migrant workers protest Indonesian ID cards in Hong Kong

Jakarta Globe - September 3, 2013

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Thousands of Indonesian migrant workers marched through the streets of Hong Kong on Monday in protest at the Indonesian government's migrant worker identification card program, which despite being launched with good intentions has allegedly been exploited by officials to extort money from the workers.

The identification card, known as KTKLN, was initially launched to identify that the worker to whom it belonged had completed the proper procedure to work abroad. The card also works as a security instrument before and after the holder is appointed to an assignment.

A contactless smartcard with a microprocessor chip, the KTKLN can be scanned to obtain the digital data of migrant workers, and can be updated and read using a card reader.

Among the protesters was migrant worker Tri Sugito, who said the card was initially introduced as a free-of-charge facility but in reality, workers had to pay up to Rp 5 million ($455) for the card, pointing to corruption in the program.

Tri said only a few places in Hong Kong could facilitate the issuance of the card, thus limiting worker access. According to Tri, the uses of the card had also become unclear as it was only utilized by workers upon leaving Indonesia.

"When workers experience problems abroad, the KTKLN is not needed. Why would the government defraud their own people?" Tri said. "We heard President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is currently out of the country. Why not visit Hong Kong and listen to what the migrant workers have to say?"

In his written statement, Tri called on the president to remember the people he governed instead of focusing solely on next year's elections. "Don't be too busy with the party convention; remember your people," he said.

During the migrant workers' march from Victoria Park to the Indonesian Consulate in Hong Kong, the protesters also demanded that the Indonesian government offer protection for Kartika Puspitasari, a migrant worker currently fighting a court case against her employers.

The latter are allegedly to have forced Kartika to wear a diaper before tying her to a chair for five days while they went on a vacation, leaving her without food or water. The case came to light only after she managed to escape.

Political parties & elections

SBY seeks return of Suharto-era elections

Jakarta Globe - September 5, 2013

SP/Robertus Wardi & SP/Carlos Paath – Under Suharto's presidency, universally denounced as undemocratic, there was no such thing as direct elections for regional leaders. And if President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has his way, that could once again be the case by the end of this year.

That is when the government hopes the House of Representatives will pass a set of proposed amendments to the 2004 Regional Governance Law to eliminate the election of mayors and district heads – a plan widely criticized as a throwback to the days of Suharto's New Order regime.

Djohermansyah Johan, the director general of regional autonomy at the Home Affairs Ministry, said on Wednesday that the measure was needed in light of the spiralling costs of holding regional elections as well as the growing number of violent conflicts linked to elections.

"We're proposing this [ban on direct elections] for the sake of effectiveness and cost efficiency," he said. "We also want to prevent community conflicts from breaking out, and we can do this by putting an emotional distance between candidates for district chief or mayor and their supporters."

Under the government's plan, district heads and mayors will be appointed by their respective regional legislatures, while governors will still be chosen through direct elections.

Djohermansyah said the rationale for this was that governors needed to be given greater legitimacy and power to run their provinces, whereas lower- level leaders such as mayors and district heads did not have to have the same kind of popular legitimacy in order to work effectively.

"The relevance and significance of retaining direct elections for governors and instating legislative appointments for mayors and district chiefs are based on empirical evidence and [lessons from] the negative aspects of regional elections," he said.

"There's no positive correlation between having direct regional elections and effective decentralization."

Reign of graft

The government also contends that this proposed system will reduce instances of moral and ethical misconduct by those seeking public office. One of its arguments is that because candidates often borrow large sums of money to win elections, they tend to commit corruption once in office in order to pay it back, or rig public contracts in favor of their financial backers.

Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi has acknowledged the problem, revealing in July that 298 governors, district heads and mayors had been jailed since regional autonomy was introduced in 1999, 251 of them for corruption.

"The tendency by candidates to abandon moral and ethical norms has undermined the quality of regional elections," Djohermansyah said. "Democracy at the local level is distorted by these compromised direct elections, in which anything goes, as far as the candidates are concerned."

He added he was confident that the raft of amendments to the 2004 Regional Governance Law would clear the House later this year, despite legislators' reluctance to banish direct elections for mayors and district heads.

"The House has no problems with the proposal to retain direct elections for governors, but they're not all in agreement on the mechanism for choosing mayors and district chiefs," he said.

Another sticking point is the question of the candidates' running mates. The government is proposing that the candidates run on their own and that the winner be allowed to select their own deputy – contingent on approval from Jakarta.

However, most legislators are against such a system and are holding out for the status quo, in which the candidate and their deputy run as a pair.

"We'll discuss these two points with the legislators during our scheduled hearings with the House this month and next month," Djohermansyah said. "If everything goes smoothly, then we can expect the amendments to be passed by the end of the year."

House opposition

Arif Wibowo, a deputy chairman of House Commission II, which oversees domestic affairs and is deliberating the proposed amendments, said he agreed with the need to keep election costs down and prevent poll-related violence, but added that elections by local legislatures had the potential to be riddled with corruption.

"Electing an official through a regional legislature would, by its very nature, be transactional. So too are direct elections. That's something we need to fix," he said.

He refuted the notion that the system could be changed by the end of the year, saying the issue required lengthy deliberations and could not realistically be introduced for at least another 10 years.

"I think you'd have to wait 10 years before you see a return to the system of elections by legislatures. That's how long it will take to improve the party system and tighten up the mechanism," said Arif, from the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

He also denied that regional elections tended to devolve into violence, saying that those that did were the exception rather than the rule.

"We have nearly 500 regional administrations, and if elections in 300 of them turned violent, then you could safely say that there was a problem with direct elections," he said. "But we don't see that. The violence is limited to just a few regions."

Rahadi Zakaria, another PDI-P legislator serving on House Commission II, said that as flawed as they were, direct elections were still an infinitely better choice than legislative appointments.

"We shouldn't be fixated on the negative aspects of direct elections. We're still making the transition into a proper democracy. We shouldn't revert to the old way of doing things," he said. He conceded that the way elections were held needed to be improved and that this would take time.

However, Akbar Tandjung, a former House speaker and three-time minister under Suharto, said he could understand the desire to give regional legislatures back the power to elect regional heads.

"There are so many issues with direct elections that point to pervasive vote buying, that I often wonder if it wouldn't be better to return to a system of regional legislatures selecting the regional heads," he said as quoted by Kompas.com.

He acknowledged the potential for regional legislatures to also engage in vote buying, but said this could be addressed through greater oversight.

KPU bans billboards for legislative candidates

Jakarta Post - September 4, 2013

National – The General Elections Commission (KPU) has decided not to allow legislative candidates to use billboards in their political campaigns. The KPU has included the regulation in its regulation No. 15/2013, which officially took effect on Sept. 2.

The regulation also restricted legislative candidates from putting up banners, but allows political parties to use billboards and banners for the campaign, while restricting them to just one for each area.

Members of the House of Representatives objected to the KPU's new campaign regulation, saying it would not only favour incumbents but would also deal a severe blow to advertisement businesses.

"The KPU should know better. The business is mainly run by small-scale entrepreneurs," said Democratic Party (PD) lawmaker Nurhayati Ali Assegaf.

Nurhayati said lawmakers would abide by the new rule. "We can't do anything but abide by it, but I want to ask the KPU to also discipline those political parties that own media companies," she added.

Gerindra biding time to nominate prabowo as presidential hope

Jakarta Globe - September 4, 2013

Carlos Paath – The Great Indonesia Movement Party says it hopes to get the support of the country's main opposition party as it waits for the right moment to officially declare its chief patron and founder, Prabowo Subianto, as its presidential candidate.

"We are still assessing this and waiting for the right time or moment," Ahmad Muzani, the secretary general of the party known as Gerindra, said on Tuesday.

"There will be a time for us to show force. Prabowo has continuously carried out consolidation efforts in the regions as well as meeting with guests from various other parties."

Ahmad added that Gerindra was currently focused on winning the most votes in the 2014 legislative elections and ensuring that its legislative candidates were prepared to fight hard.

He acknowledged that while Prabowo was polling well in opinion surveys, his presidential bid would "still fail if the party is not solid."

Ahmad also expressed hope that Prabowo's imminent presidential nomination would earn the support of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the main opposition bloc. In the 2009 presidential election, Prabowo was the running mate to Megawati Sukarnoputri, the PDI-P chairwoman.

Ahmad also spoke to clarify a statement by Gerindra deputy chairman Fadli Zon, who urged the PDI-P to return the favor and support Prabowo's bid rather than nominate its own presidential candidate. He stressed that Gerindra would not be against the PDI-P should it move forward with nominating its own candidate.

"In principle, I think Gerindra would respect the right of every political party to nominate a candidate, because that is the right of all parties. Gerindra will not interfere on that issue," he said.

On Monday, Fadli said he hoped that Joko Widodo, the PDI-P politician who tops opinion polls of potential presidential contenders, would honor his earlier vows to see through his term as the Jakarta governor and not seek the presidency in 2014.

"Joko has decided to focus on taking care of Jakarta and that has been proven by his efforts. We believe that," Fadli said as quoted by the Jawa Pos News Network.

"Our hope is that because in the 2009 election Gerindra supported Megawati, then we expect that in the 2014 election the PDI-P would also offer their support to Prabowo Subianto."

His statement quickly drew ire from PDI-P executives, who insisted Gerindra should not interfere with their plans. "Whoever will be nominated will be the PDI-P's decision. That is our prerogative," said Puan Maharani, a senior PDI-P member and Megawati's daughter.

Puan said Gerindra had no business worrying about whether the PDI-P would nominate Joko. "Joko is a member of the PDI-P," she said.

She added that by asking the PDI-P to support Prabowo, Fadli had given the impression that political decisions were always a matter of reciprocity. "Does every political decision have to be based on such negotiations?" she said.

Puan, who has also been mentioned several times as a potential PDI-P presidential candidate, said political parties should mind their own business and discuss their issues internally. "The fact is that Joko Widodo is still the governor of Jakarta. Every political party should just mind their own business," she said.

PDI-P secretary general Tjahjo Kumolo called Fadli's remarks unethical. "Where are their ethics? What makes them think they can forbid [Joko from running]?" he said, as quoted by Okezone.com. "Joko is a PDI-P member."

In response to the PDI-P's reaction, Ahmad said his party was merely reminding Joko of his promises to the people.

"We simply wanted to remind the PDI-P that Joko once made a promise to us and to the people of Jakarta to concentrate on taking care of Jakarta," he said. "This is not said out of fear with regard to Joko's electability."

Joko has consistently emerged as the most popular and well-regarded public figure in various polls ahead of the election, with Prabowo following in second.

Meanwhile, Gerindra legislator Martin Hutabarat warned that certain parties could try to scupper Gerindra's plan to nominate Prabowo, claiming they felt threatened by Prabowo's corruption eradication plans.

"Those corruptors will not be happy with Prabowo's strategy to eliminate corruption if elected president," he said on Monday, adding that Prabowo would not be fazed by the opposition.

"If Prabowo is elected, he will have no fears. Prabowo will feel that he is elected by the people and will therefore carry out the people's mandate."

According to Martin, Prabowo will be promoting a reform of the justice system as part of his program, in addition to strengthening anti-corruption efforts.

"We will be consistent in supporting the KPK [Corruption Eradication Commission]. If Prabowo is elected, he will build an exceptional partnership between the government and the KPK," he said.

Andrianto, secretary general of the Activists for Democracy Network (Prodem) said efforts by "shady conglomerates" to undermine Prabowo's presidential bid would be inevitable.

"They will try stop him, that's for sure. Especially conglomerates whose businesses are violating the law and are used to practicing KKN [corruption, collusion and nepotism], because he has a clear vision." he said.

Andrianto said Prabowo had a nationalist vision. "His track record is clean. Because Prabowo also comes from a well-off family he is a team builder who can face future challenges coming from the globalization era," he said.

Separately, Prabowo himself called on the young generation not to be afraid of being involved in politics.

"I am not sugarcoating things. You will face plenty of challenges in trying to do good. But you will have to realize that if no one tries to fight for goodness, then politics will be filled by bad people," he said last week to students from Surabaya's Airlangga University who were visiting Gerindra's Jakarta headquarters.

Prabowo told the students that Gerindra was the only political party that had laid out a clear vision for the next generation.

Ondy A. Saputra, Gerindra's communications chief, said the students had visited Gerindra's headquarters to learn more about the party's platform and work programs.

"The visit by those students is something positive. They are learning about how politics works and we have also received a lot of input from them. Students are the future generation who will be taking on our fight to build the country and the nation," Ondy said.

Joko seen inching closer to nomination

Jakarta Globe - September 3, 2013

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Carlos Paath – The country's main opposition party has given its strongest indication yet that it may nominate Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo as its presidential candidate next year, ahead of a key national caucus that gets underway this weekend.

Puan Maharani, a senior member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said on Tuesday that the caucus that begins this Friday will discuss, among other things, the criteria for the party's presidential candidate. She added that with the election just 10 months away, the PDI-P needed to determine what kind of leader it wanted to put forward.

"What's going to come up [at the meeting] are the names of the potential candidates," she said. "Of course Joko is one of the PDI-P members whose name crops up daily [as a presidential candidate], so of course we will take him into consideration."

Puan did not say whether her mother, Megawati Sukarnoputri, the PDI-P chairwoman, would also be considered for a run at the presidency, but stressed that she would have the final say on who the party's candidate would be. "This is all about evaluating the political dynamics so that we can determine when and who [to nominate]," she said.

Arya Fernandes, an analyst with the think tank Charta Politika, said the party's upcoming national caucus would be important in determining how the PDI-P approached the issue of the election over the next several months.

"This meeting is the right time for the PDI-P to show which potential candidate Megawati supports," he said. "It will be an important opportunity for Megawati to declare once and for all whether she still wants to run."

The PDI-P has been coy on the question of its candidate for the 2014 presidential election, even as opinion polls continue to affirm Joko as being the most popular contender by far.

Observers say that in deference to Megawati, who ran in and lost the last three elections, the PDI-P must make a show of conducting a thorough selection process before it can finally give the nod to Joko – with Megawati's blessings.

"My prediction is that the PDI-P won't come out of this caucus with a clear declaration of its candidate. It will only give a signal," Arya said. He added it would be inconceivable for the party not to seriously consider putting Joko on its ticket, given his immense popularity and universal name recognition.

Tubagus Hasanuddin, a veteran PDI-P legislator and the chairman of the party's West Java chapter, acknowledged that Joko was a huge asset to the party. "He's going to be a vote-getter in 2014, so this is obviously something we'll have to consider," he said.

Puan also acknowledged Joko's high poll ratings, but said the party's candidate would also have to be someone who was widely respected by the PDI-P's regional chapters as much as the voters.

"We're not just looking at the results of the polls, but also the input from each of our 33 provincial chapters," she said. Even then, she added, the final decision would be up to Megawati.

Puan, who has also been touted as a potential candidate, said she would go along with the selection process if called upon by the party. "Anyone can be freely nominated, and as a member I will abide with the party mechanism [for choosing a candidate]," she said.

With Joko looking increasingly likely to win the PDI-P's nomination, officials from other parties have begun speculating about possible tie-ups with their own presidential candidates.

Aburizal Bakrie, the chairman and declared candidate from the Golkar Party, said last week that he could possibly run with Joko, although he indicated that the governor would be his running mate.

This appears a highly unlikely scenario, however. Not only does Aburizal trail in the polls to Joko, but he also faces mounting opposition from within his own party over his candidacy.

Golkar stalwart Akbar Tandjung has repeatedly called into question the party's decision to rule out any other candidate but Aburizal, while polls suggest that the former chairman, Jusuf Kalla, would be a far more popular choice.

Ray Rangkuti, the director of the Indonesian Civic Network (Lima), said Joko and Kalla would make the ideal pair, with Kalla having already experienced a successful stint as vice president in President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's first term.

Ray said that put together, the pair would comprise the crowd-pleasing idealistic candidate, represented by Joko, and the no-nonsense state administrator getting things done, a role in which Kalla had long proven adept. "You would get a balance between idealism and pragmatism," Ray said.

He added that Joko's current rise mirrored that of Yudhoyono ahead of the 2004 election, when the non-establishment retired general was emerging as the popular choice to take on the likes of Megawati, retired general Wiranto and the other holdovers from the Suharto era.

Given the similarity, he said, Kalla would be the ideal choice for a vice presidential candidate, having already proven successful in an identical supporting role for Yudhoyono.

Ray also said that unlike many of the other candidates vying for prominence, both Joko and Kalla had clean track records and had managed to remain free of corruption allegations. This, combined with Joko's record for promoting clean governance and Kalla's knack for getting things done, would prove to be a key advantage for the pair, Ray said.

"These two figures won't have problems in terms of fighting corruption or improving welfare," he said. "With their mix of pragmatism and idealism, this is a ticket that should be seriously considered."

However, not everyone is convinced that Joko should run. Fadli Zon, a deputy chairman of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), which backed Joko's gubernatorial bid last year, said the PDI-P owed his party a favor.

"In 2009, we supported Megawati," he said, referring to the decision by Prabowo Subianto, the founder and chief patron of Gerindra, to run as the PDI-P chairwoman's running mate. "So in 2014, we hope that Megawati will support Prabowo."

Prior to Joko's arrival on the scene, Prabowo was considered the front- runner to win next year's election. But Puan refuted the notion that her party was beholden to Gerindra, saying the choice of its presidential candidate did not hinge on what other parties wanted.

Islamic parties seek savior for 2014 ballot

Jakarta Globe - September 2, 2013

Carlos Paath – Election fever has gripped the political establishment as parties busy themselves with finding presidential candidates – but the bug has conspicuously not spread to the nation's Islamic parties.

The Democratic Party recently kicked off its much-ballyhooed convention to pick a candidate, while the Golkar Party and the People's Conscience Party (Hanura) have already named their respective chairmen as their candidates.

The opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) appears increasingly certain to back Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo, the clear frontrunner according to most polls, and the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) continues to try building support for its chief patron, Prabowo Subianto.

By contrast, none of the five Islamic parties eligible to contest the elections has put forward a serious candidate. The problem, analysts say, is multi-faceted and to a large extent of the parties' own making.

For a start, says Ray Rangkuti, director of the Indonesian Civic Network (Lima), the parties, though nominally sharing the same broad religious ideology, are fractured units with no unifying figure.

The United Development Party (PPP), for instance, is the country's oldest Islamic party, but shares little with the newer National Mandate Party (PAN), which espouses a more moderate platform.

"It's almost impossible to find a time when these parties were united or formed a coalition. And there's no one who can unify them now," Ray said on Monday.

In addition to their differences with each other, some of the parties are wracked by internal strife. The National Awakening Party (PKB), most notably, continues to be riven between those supporting its original founders and those loyal to the current chairman, Muhaimin Iskandar.

The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the biggest of the five, is also dealing with a similar rift while reeling from a massive corruption scandal that has seen its former president dragged into court, with more members looking set to follow.

Preaching to the choir

Even if they could muster the effort to unite or form a coalition, the Islamic parties would stand little chance against the nationalist party candidates, particularly Joko, if they stick to their stilted and increasingly old-fashioned voter engagement method of moralizing, Ray said.

"Taking on Joko will require more than just ideological slogans. He's already shown in the Jakarta gubernatorial election last year how he can defeat such jargon," he said.

He added that by continuing to tout their religious-based platform, the parties were quite literally preaching to the choir and not attracting more voters.

If anything, he warned, the moralizing would cost the parties valuable support, leaving them with a combined 20 percent of votes at the most in the legislative election next April.

The same five parties, including the Crescent Star Party (PBB), won just under 26 percent of votes in the 2009 election.

"Joko is already rating above [20 percent] in the polls. And that's just on his own. Obviously he'll get more votes if he teams up with a running mate who is popular in the Islamic community," Ray said.

Said Salahuddin, coordinator of the group Public Synergy for Indonesian Democracy (Sigma), agreed that even with a united effort, the Islamic parties would not be able to match Joko's popularity.

"Even if they formed a coalition and nominated one of their chairmen to be their candidate, I doubt he would be able to compete against Joko," he said.

Voters, he went on, had grown tired of the dichotomy between Islamic-based and nationalist parties, and would turn out to vote for the individual who best met their aspirations, regardless of the party nominating them.

"Voters are looking for a leader who is clean, honest, has a good track record and is down-to-earth," Said added. "For them, that's far more important in determining their decision than whether the candidate comes from an Islamic or a nationalist party."

Coalition of the faithful

Senior officials from Islamic parties say they are currently working toward building a coalition, calling it their only chance to be eligible for nominating a presidential candidate next year.

Only parties or coalitions that win a minimum of 20 percent of seats at the House of Representatives in April's legislative poll can go on to nominate a candidate for the presidential ballot in July.

"The plan for all the Islamic parties to get together has been around for a long time, but there hasn't been any lobbying yet to that effect," Hasrul Azwar, a legislator from the PPP, said last week.

"Now the plan is back on the table, but there's still nothing concrete. We need to see how each Islamic party fares in the legislative election [before deciding whether to form a coalition], because that's the basis for determining how we proceed in the presidential election."

He added he was confident that by presenting a united front, the Islamic parties could defeat the nationalist parties, and said the PPP would seek to be the driving force behind any future coalition.

B.M. Wibowo, the secretary general of the PBB, also praised the idea, which was first mooted by the PKS. "In 2014 and after, the requirements for nominating a presidential candidate will be quite stringent, and all parties are expected to go into coalitions to be able to comply, whether Islamic or not," he said.

Others, however, have shot down the idea of an Islamic coalition. Hatta Rajasa, the PAN chairman, argued that such a coalition did not fit with the notion of Indonesia as a pluralist state, while the PPP said there should be no distinction made between Islamic and nationalist parties.

Theoretically extraordinary

Siti Zuhro, a political analyst from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said that while an Islamic-based coalition would in theory be a considerable force to contend with, in reality it would likely never materialize.

"They just don't have a history of joining forces and standing behind a common candidate," she said. "The question now is, are these parties at the point where they can form an effective coalition and unite behind a single candidate? If that were to happen, it would be extraordinary."

Jazuli Juwaini, a legislator from the PKS, conceded that the idea of bringing the Islamic parties together would be difficult to implement because each party would strive to wield control over the others.

"The key to making it easy is for all the parties to put their egos aside," he said. "The idea of uniting all Islamic parties is actually quite a good one. It would be the ideal solution and it must be carried out."

Ahmad Norma, an expert on political Islam at Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University in Yogyakarta, said the parties needed to radically change how they engaged with voters if they were to remain relevant in 2014 and beyond.

He listed their three main problems as their inability to grow their support base, their pursuit of unpopular policies, and their reluctance to put forward respected Islamic figures for key posts.

He also said that because they clung to a moralistic and religious viewpoint, they often overlooked economic and development-based solutions to problems such as poverty and unemployment.

Local elections are a violent business

Jakarta Post - September 2, 2013

Jakarta – Recent research conducted by The Habibie Center has revealed that violence has occurred during direct regional administrative elections in most provinces and regencies in nine areas across the country surveyed by the organization.

The research analyzed data of incidents of violence during regional administrative elections in the period between June 2005 and April this year, in nine areas comprising eight provinces: Aceh; West Kalimantan; Maluku; North Maluku; Central Sulawesi; Papua; West Papua; East Nusa Tenggara; and the Greater Jakarta metropolitan area consisting of Jakarta; Bogor; Depok; Tangerang and Bekasi (Jabodetabek).

The analysis was conducted by a number of researchers together with The Habibie Center. They obtained the data from the National Violence Monitoring System (SNPK), which was launched by the Office of the Coordinating People's Welfare Minister last year.

The team found that violence during regional administrative elections occurred in 104 locations, or 73 percent of the total 143 locations in 11 provinces and 132 regencies. From the total 104 places, there were 585 incidents of violence resulting in at least one person being killed in 6 percent of the places, one person injured in 58 percent of the places, and buildings damaged or destroyed in 65 percent of the places.

Sopar Peranto, one of the researchers, said late last week that the total 585 incidents had resulted in the deaths of 47 people, injuries to 510 people, and 416 damaged buildings. He added, however, that most of the incidents saw low-scale violence, such as destroying political parties' campaign materials, followed by persecution, destructive demonstrations and clashes between supporters of rival candidates.

"These low-scale incidents of violence took place across all the areas, but the incidents resulting in death or serious injury mostly occurred in conflict areas, such as Papua and Aceh," he said.

The team also found that 71 percent of the incidents were perpetrated by political parties' supporters, while 15 percent were caused by clashes between local government and political parties' supporters.

The most recent violence was a riot that occurred in Palopo, South Sulawesi, right after the Regional General Elections Commission (KPUD) had announced the winner of the election. Supporters of the runner-up party burned down local offices belonging to the Golkar Party; the Palopo mayor; the transportation agency; the Election Supervisory Committee (Bawaslu); and the Palopo Pos daily.

The incident sparked a swift response from Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi, who publicly stated that he would recommend the government employ the former indirect system if violence continued to rage during or after elections.

Senior researcher at The Habibie Center, Indria Samego, said that a large number of incidents occurring during elections should not be deemed as a fault of the direct electoral system, however, but rather as a lack of awareness among the people who caused trouble. "It is clear that the core of the problem is not the system, but the lack of knowledge among the public, political parties and government officials. If we return to the old system, our democracy will take a step backward," he said.

The research team found that security officers intervened in only 11 percent of the total 585 cases, while 78 percent of the interventions were successful in calming the situations down. Sopar said that the findings should be considered by local security officers, including police forces, to be more proactive in handling election-related violence. (koi)

Surveys & opinion polls

Graft-riddled house now seen as inept

Jakarta Globe - September 6, 2013

SP/Yeremia Sukoyo – According to survey results released on Thursday, 42.1 percent of Indonesians said that the legislature had played no role in representing their aspirations.

Of the remainder of respondents, 23.4 percent said the legislature had not done enough to fulfill the will of the public and 34.5 percent said that they were happy with the legislature.

"Almost 65 percent of the people did not feel that the House of Representatives play a role in the production of laws that defend the people's welfare," said Sutisna, data director of the Indonesia Network Election Survey, which carried out the poll.

Over the second half of August, INES questioned 8,280 people in 33 provinces, with a margin of error of 1.1 percent, Sutisna said.

The majority of the public, according to the survey, felt that the legislature produced laws for the benefit of a small group rather than the general public.

The survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews. The findings come on the back of another study that rated the House as among the most corrupt the government institutions, alongside the police force.

Some 89 percent of Indonesian respondents in Transparency International's "Global Corruption Barometer" report, released in July, said they perceived the House as corrupt, second only to the police with 91 percent. Eighty-six percent said political parties were corrupt.

Basuki more popular than Joko, poll finds

Jakarta Globe - September 6, 2013

SP/Yeremia Sukoyo – Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo may have stolen the spotlight from senior politicians eyeing the presidency in 2014, but his deputy, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, has proven to be a more popular figure in addressing Jakarta's chronic woes, according to the results of a survey released on Thursday.

Basuki rated favorably with 98.3 percent of the 8,280 respondents polled by the Indonesia Network Election Survey, slightly ahead of Joko, who got 96.9 percent.

"In our findings, the public sees Basuki as the one who has been doing most of the work in solving Jakarta's issues, as well as the person who is moving fast in working on the problems such as the Pluit dam and the relocation of street vendors in Tanah Abang market, among others," Sutisna, the head of data for INES, said at a press conference to announce the findings.

He added that the respondents were all people eligible to vote in the 2014 elections, in which most polls paint Joko as the firm favorite ahead of other more established political figures.

Among those overshadowed by Joko is Prabowo Subianto, the co-founder and chief patron of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), of which Basuki is a member.

The latter's recent high profile and growing popularity has fueled speculation that his no-nonsense leadership style that has led to tangible results may be engineered by Gerindra to undermine Joko and thus boost Prabowo's chances at winning the presidency next year.

But Basuki said he fully supported Joko as governor. "The instructions are clear: to help Joko be a successful governor. There are no other instructions," he said on Wednesday as quoted by Merdeka.com.

He added he had no problems with the idea of Joko pursuing a presidential bid. "That's a good thing. I think the majority of Indonesians believe in a leader who is honest and hard working," he said.

However, Basuki recently indicated that he was not ready to take over as governor should Joko decide to run for the nation's highest seat in 2014. "I'm not ready to move my office downstairs. The view is better from up here, I can see the National Monument," he said last week, in reference to his office being one floor above Joko's at City Hall.

Meanwhile, tensions are mounting between Gerindra and the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), of which Joko is a member, following calls by Gerindra deputy chairman Fadli Zon for the PDI-P to support Prabowo in the presidential election.

"In the 2009 election, we supported Megawati," Fadli said on Tuesday, referring to the decision by Prabowo to stand as running mate to PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Sukarnoputri. "So in 2014, we hope that Megawati will support Prabowo."

The PDI-P has refuted the notion that it is beholden to Gerindra, saying the choice of its presidential candidate did not hinge on what other parties wanted.

However, an anonymous source quoted by Merdeka.com said there was an actual deal made to that effect prior to Prabowo allying with Megawati in 2009. "The meeting took place a day before the window for registering presidential candidates for the 2009 election closed," the source said.

The coalition was reportedly agreed upon by both parties under the condition that Megawati would support Prabowo in the 2014 election. The source said that Fadli was among the senior Gerindra and PDI-P officials present at the meeting.

However, Suhardi, the Gerindra chairman and another of those said to have attended the meeting, denied the claim and said relations between the two parties were fine.

Indonesians see legislature as ineffective: Survey

Jakarta Post - September 5, 2013

SP/Yeremia Sukoyo – According to survey results released on Thursday, 42.1 percent of Indonesians said that the legislature had played no role in representing their aspirations.

Of the remainder of respondents, 23.4 percent said the legislature had not done enough to fulfill the will of the public and 34.5 percent said that they were happy with the legislature.

Over the second half of August, INES questioned 8,280 people in 33 provinces, with a margin of error of 1.1 percent, Sutisna said.

The majority of the public, according to the survey, felt that the legislature produced laws for the benefit of a small group rather than the general public. The survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews.

Health & education

Killer gap in healthcare for kids in Indonesia persists: WV

Jakarta Post - September 6, 2013

Nadya Natahadibrata, Jakarta – Indonesia has been ranked 100th out of 176 countries worldwide in terms of health equality for children, according to a report released by humanitarian organization World Vision (WV).

The report, released on Tuesday, "The Killer Gap: A Global Index of Health Inequality for Children" ranked 176 countries around the world according to the size of the gap between those who have access to good healthcare and those who do not. A large gap in a country means its most vulnerable children have less chance of accessing much-needed treatment and health facilities, despite national progress, the report said.

The study used four indicators: life expectancy, out-of-pocket expenses for using health services, adolescent fertility rate and coverage of health services.

The top five countries with the most equal access to healthcare are France, Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg and Finland, while countries ranked among the bottom five in the global health gap index are Chad, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Mali and Equatorial Guinea.

World Vision Indonesia spokesperson Teresia Prahesti said that the wide gap would hamper the Indonesian government's attempt to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to reduce the number of post-natal deaths to 102 per 100,000 live births by 2015.

"We collected data in all regencies in the country and compared the situation between cities such as Jakarta, where access to healthcare for pregnant women and children is more evenly distributed, and remote areas such as East Nusa Tenggara, for instance," Teresia told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

"People who live in cities tend to be more aware that the government has programs such as Jampersal for pregnant women, while people living in rural areas are unaware about such programs and have no access to them," she continued, citing the government-funded Jampersal childbirth plan that provides coverage for women who seek services at community health centers or use third-class facilities at hospitals to give birth.

The report says that the main causes of the gap include a lack of equal investment in the early years of life, as well as policies and practices that prioritize urban growth, leaving rural communities to suffer the effects of chronic underinvestment in infrastructure and amenities.

"Should the government really aim to meet the MDGs, it should have the political will to improve services for those in remote areas. Otherwise it will fail," she said.

Separately, Health Ministry spokesperson Murti Utami said she was unsure about the indicators used by the organization to measure the gap, saying that the ministry would study the report.

Indonesian government education spending falls short

Jakarta Globe - September 3, 2013

Dessy Sagita – Despite the government's commitment to allocate one-fifth of the state budget to the education sector, there is still a long way to go before all children receiving a quality education, according to a comprehensive new study on local governance.

The Indonesian Governance Index 2012, released by community group Kemitraan (Partnership) on Monday, revealed none of Indonesia's 33 provinces were spending the intended 20 percent of their budgets on education, with one province allocating a mere 1 percent.

The report said some cities and districts were meeting the minimum, but the bulk of the money went toward paying salaries and overhead costs.

"Most provinces only scored around 3.02 in term of commitment to the education sector, and a score of 3 is at the lowest end of the scale while 7.8 is at the higher end. Yogyakarta got the highest score with 6.8," Lenny Hidayat, the principal researcher of the survey told the Jakarta Globe.

The score was based on factors such as transparency, effectiveness and fairness.

In terms of government spending per child per year for nine years of basic education, Aceh scored highest with Rp 954,510 ($84), while West Nusa Tenggara spent just Rp 4,511 per child per year.

Lenny said the survey showed regional autonomy was often misinterpreted by provincial governments. "Provincial governments claim they can't do much because municipal and district authorities set the budgets. But provincial governments need to ensure there are no disparities and that there is greater equality in spending," Lenny said.

Under decentralization, districts and cities are authorized to managed 25 out of 31 regional responsibilities, including education, but Lenny said they could not always cope with the extra workload.

"The districts are often overwhelmed and the provincial government needs to step in and help. The districts cannot be left alone," she said.

Activists protest tobacco forum in Bali

Jakarta Globe - September 1, 2013

Made Arya Kencana – Several academics, doctors and nongovernmental organization activists gathered in Bali on Sunday to petition the government to halt the World Tobacco Asia Forum, slated to be held in Nusa Dua next year.

The forum showcases tobacco products and provides an opportunity for industry professionals in the Asia Pacific region to network.

"We disapprove of the forum and we do not want it to be held in Bali or anywhere in Indonesia," said Putu Ayu Swandewi Astuti, a lecturer for the school of public health at Udayana University in Bali.

"We have managed to gather nearly 186 signatures, with supporters coming from several countries including India, the Netherlands and Australia," she said.

Putu noted that Indonesia was the only country among 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Group of 20 that had not ratified the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

She said the forum also went against efforts by the Indonesian government to control air quality due to cigarette smoke, and Bali's efforts to develop a smoke-free zone program.

"Why would we want to host those cigarette producers? The government shouldn't forget its commitment to minimize the danger of smoking for the sake of profit," Putu said.

Tara Singh Bam, technical advisor at the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, said Indonesia ranked third among countries with the highest number of smokers in the world, after China and India. Data from 2010 show that 34.7 percent of the population were cigarette smokers, with 76.6 percent admitting to smoking inside their homes with other members of the family.

"Smoking is one of the strongest factors behind non-communicable diseases. It is also one of the biggest causes of death. As such, our commitment to tobacco control is very important," Bam said.

Titik Suhariyati, secretary of the Bali Child Protection Agency (LPA), noted that Bali's smoke-free zone program has been poorly implemented despite being ratified more a year ago.

She said impromptu inspections conducted by LPA have not complied with the policy. These include offices and places of worship. The World Tobacco Forum hosts events annually in cities worldwide.

Graft & corruption

KPK intervention in logging graft lauded

Jakarta Globe - September 6, 2013

An international environmental group that documented illegal logging activities linked to a rogue police officer in Papua has welcomed the decision by antigraft investigators to probe the case.

The London-based Environmental Investigation Agency made the statement in response to an announcement by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) that it would investigate allegations that Adj. First Insp. Labora Sitorus, an officer with the Sorong district police in West Papua province, kicked back sums amounting to $1 million to senipr officers between January and April this year.

"We warmly welcome the KPK's intervention in the Labora Sitorus case," Faith Doherty, the head of the EIA's forest campaign, said in the statement.

"Police corruption has facilitated the illegal decimation of Indonesia's forests for years and undermined the government's wider efforts to reform the timber trade. EIA has been campaigning for real enforcement against those such as Labora Sitorus for over a decade; perhaps, with the KPK involvement, justice may finally be served in this one case."

The EIA describes Labora as "a key timber smuggling kingpin [who] controlled the illegal merbau wood trade in West Papua, Indonesia's last significant forested region."

He was arrested in May after the police revealed that the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), the government's anti- money-laundering watchdog, had traced transactions worth Rp 1.5 trillion ($134.8 million) passing through his bank accounts between 2007 and 2012.

The money was believed to be linked to his alleged fuel smuggling and illegal logging activities. Among the evidence seized were 115 shipping containers – traced to one of Labora's companies, Rotua, and bound for China – holding a total of 2,264 cubic meters of merbau wood, a rare hardwood prohibited for commercial logging and for export as rough-sawn timber.

In May, the EIA released video footage of illegal loggers harvesting merbau and other species for Rotua from forests on Batanta Island in the Raja Ampat archipelago of West Papua, an ecologically important area with high biodiversity. Rotua also reportedly received timber from the forests of Sorong, Aimas, Bintuni and other regions of West Papua, the EIA said.

In releasing the footage, EIA called on the KPK to investigate police corruption in the case, following the collapse of previous similar cases of police involvement in the illegal merbau trade in West Papua.

Revelations have emerged that Labora transferred about $1 million in multiple payments to police chiefs between January and April 2013.

The EIA says his network transferred approximately $100,000 to the National Police headquarters in Jakarta and a similar sum to the Papua province police chief. Further multiple payments amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars were made to local chiefs of police in Raja Ampat, Sorong, Aimas and Bintuni districts – all sources of the illegal timber smuggled by Labora's gang.

While his lawyers claim the transfers are "gratuities," the KPK has pledged to investigate the payments as clear indications of high-level police corruption.

While much of the attention in the case so far has been focused on Labora, sources in the police force say most of the money was being kicked up the chain of command to senior officers in exchange for being allowed to operate unhindered for years.

"Indonesia's international timber customers, particularly the European Union, Australia and the United States, can have little confidence in forest sector reform until corrupt police profiting from illegal logging and timber smuggling are seen to be held accountable," Doherty said.

"Indonesia's people, forests and biodiversity have a bleak future if the rule of the jungle continues to trump the rule of law."

Hambalang probe revved up

Jakarta Post - September 5, 2013

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – The Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) handed a key audit report on the graft-tainted Hambalang project to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Wednesday, allowing the latter to expedite its investigation into the graft scandal that has rocked the ruling Democratic Party.

The report outlines state losses due to alleged illegal dealings surrounding the project's approval. BPK chief Hadi Purnomo said the agency estimated that the project, which was transformed from a modest Rp 125 billion (US$11.25 million) single-year project into a multi-year project worth Rp 1.2 trillion, had caused state losses of Rp 463.66 billion.

"The losses were mainly caused by the failure of the construction of the project," he told a press conference at the KPK's headquarters in Kuningan, South Jakarta. "The money the government was supposed to spend on the Hambalang construction totalled Rp 1.2 trillion, but it only spent Rp 463 billion."

The estimated state losses almost doubled from what was outlined in the BPK's first audit, where the agency found that the government lost at least Rp 243.6 billion. Hadi said the agency took a long time to calculate the losses as it had to coordinate with KPK investigators first.

The KPK has repeatedly said the investigation into the Hambalang scandal, which implicates two former Democratic Party politicians Andi Mallarangeng and Anas Urbaningrum, depended on the results of a BPK audit of the project.

KPK chairman Abraham Samad said the antigraft agency would speed up its investigation into the case, including its attempt to detain Andi and Anas, now that it had the report in its hand. "We will take progressive steps, including detention, in the following days," he said.

Andi and Anas were the two most promising politicians within President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's party before their fall from grace following their naming as graft suspects for their alleged roles in the Hambalang scandal.

Both Anas and Andi are protesting their innocence in the case. Anas, who won the race to chair the party in 2010, went further by saying the case against him was linked to infighting within his party. He severed his ties with Yudhoyono, known to be his political rival, after he was officially charged by the KPK.

Anas was accused of accepting a gratuity in the form of a Toyota Harrier SUV in 2009 from state-owned construction company PT Adhi Karya, the firm that won the tender to build the sports complex. Meanwhile, Andi was named a suspect for allegedly abusing his authority as youth and sports minister in the project.

Abraham said his agency had yet to send summonses to Andi and Anas, but added it would summon Andi first.

KPK spokesperson Johan Budi said the KPK would submit the report as evidence to the court to show that the Hambalang project cost the state losses of more than Rp 460 billion. The KPK, Abraham said, would also use the report to unravel other cases related to the Hambalang scandal.

The BPK submitted the much-awaited report after several delays, sparking speculation it had been compromised. The audit agency triggered controversy recently after two different versions of its second audit report circulated in public. In one version, 15 members of the House of Representatives were reported to have endorsed the "ballooning" budget for the sports complex construction. In the other, none of the 15 lawmakers were implicated in the case.

Hadi said the 15 names were not included in the official report submitted to the KPK, as the law prevented it from doing so. "The names were included in the working paper examination and the paper was part of the audit report," he said. "The paper could not be given [to other parties] by the BPK," he added.

Soft verdict for Djoko

Jakarta Post - September 4, 2013

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – The Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced on Tuesday former National Police Traffic Corps (Korlantas) chief Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo to 10 years in prison for graft, a verdict which many said is too lenient given the significant losses suffered by the state to pay for his lavish lifestyle.

The sentence is much lighter than the 18-year prison term sought by Corruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) prosecutors.

Presiding judge Suhartoyo said in his verdict that Djoko was found guilty of colluding with Brig. Gen. Didik Purnomo – and a whole host of others – to inflate the budget of the driving simulator procurement project. The scheme caused Rp 144.9 billion (US$13 million) in state losses.

"The defendant has been proven guilty of corruption as stipulated under Article 2 of Law No. 31/1999," the panel of judges said in their verdict.

Awaiting the verdict, Djoko appeared tense, and held tightly on the arm of his chair. Upon hearing the sentence, Djoko slowly released his grip and rested his back against the chair.

Suhartoyo said that the prosecutors' demand was too harsh. "Prison is not an instrument to exact revenge on the defendant. But it should be used as a momentum for the defendant to redeem his mistakes" he said.

Djoko, the first active police general to be charged by the KPK, was also found guilty of enriching himself by embezzling Rp 32 billion from the project, which he allegedly rigged.

He then tried to hide the ill-gotten money by spending it on properties and cars, which made him guilty of money laundering, judge Amin Ismanto said. Beside laundering money from the driving simulator project, Djoko was guilty of collecting ill-gotten money from 2002 to 2010.

Djoko, an officer with no additional income to his Rp 28 million monthly salary, had a fortune larger than his financial profile as a two-star general, the judges said.

Shortly before his arrest last year, Djoko amassed Rp 54.6 billion and US$60,000 in assets from 2002 to 2010, despite his total earning as a police officer and from his other business ventures amounting to a measly Rp 407 million and Rp 1.2 billion respectively.

Between 2010 and 2012, Djoko amassed a further Rp 63.7 billion in assets, earned Rp 235.7 million from his job as a police officer and Rp 1.2 billion from his many businesses.

In its sentence demand, the KPK called on the panel of judges to order Djoko to return the money he embezzled. The panel of judges, however, decided to spare him from having to return Rp 32 billion to the state arguing that some of Djoko's ill-gotten assets, such as cars, land and apartments, had already been confiscated by the KPK.

The KPK said that the value of Djoko's confiscated assets was Rp 120 billion, the largest amount ever seized by the antigraft body. In total, the state seized 48 assets, including lavish houses and apartments in Jakarta, Bogor and Depok in West Java; Semarang and Surakarta in Central Java; and Bali.

The remainder of his assets, which were not confiscated, would be returned to some of his relatives – including his three wives, Suratmi, Mahdiana and Dipta Anindita whose names were used by Djoko to purchase the assets.

In response to the verdict, KPK prosecutors said that the court should have demanded Djoko to pay Rp 32 billion to the state despite the asset confiscation.

KPK prosecutor KMS Roni argued that Djoko was subjected to multiple charges, one of which was the corruption in the project that should result in him returning the money, while the assets confiscation was a result of his money laundering charges.

In addition to the prison term, Djoko was ordered by the court to pay a fine of Rp 500 million, or spend an additional six months in prison should he fail to pay.

KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto said that he was disappointed with the lenient sentence, saying that he initially expected the court to deliver a maximum sentence.

Bambang also lambasted the judges for not requiring Djoko to pay back the state losses he caused. "Since Djoko did not have to return the embezzled money, [we have to question] whether his assets had already been drained out?" he said.

Assets of Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo

Djoko's monthly salary is Rp 28 million
He amasses Rp 54.6 billion and US$60,000 in assets from 2002 to 2010
He accumulates a further Rp 63.7 billion in assets from 2010 to 2012
KPK confiscates Rp 120 billion of his assets
Court orders him to pay a fine of Rp 500 million

[From various sources.]

More details emerge about shady dealings around Palace

Jakarta Post - September 3, 2013

Yuliasri Perdani and Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – Following the disclosure that a close friend of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, identified as Sengman Tjahja, could have played a role in the bribery case surrounding the government's beef-import policy, more questions were asked about the possible role of more influential individuals in the scandal.

Other than Sengman, last Friday's testimony from Ridwan Hakim, son of Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) chief patron Hilmi Aminuddin, indicated that more members of the First Family's inner circle could be involved in the beef importation scandal.

In a hearing at the Jakarta Corruption Court last week, prosecutors played a wiretapped phone conversation between Ridwan, former PKS chairman Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq and a woman referred to by both as Bunda Putri.

In the conversation, Luthfi told Ridwan that "Bunda influences [mengkondisikan] decision makers." Ridwan declined to reveal the identity of Bunda, only saying that she was his business mentor.

Several news outlets, however, reported that Bunda refers to Sylvia Sholehah, a close friend of First Lady Ani Yudhoyono, who was speculated to have also played a go-between role for politicians and government officials with project contractors for the graft-ridden Hambalang sports complex project.

She was first mentioned in the investigation report of Mindo Rosalina Manulang, former marketing director of PT Anak Negeri, a company owned by former Democratic treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin.

"Wafid Muharram [former secretary to the Sports and Youth Affairs Minister] said that there was a businesswoman recommended by Angelina Sondakh [former Democratic Party lawmaker] who wanted to do the project," Mindo said in a copy of the report, which was made available to The Jakarta Post recently.

"And there was also an entrepreneur who was recommended by the Cikeas household department, whose name I forgot," she said. In the conversation, Cikeas referred to Yudhoyono's family estate in Bogor, West Java.

On May 28, Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigators summoned Sylvia, who is also affectionately called Ibu Pur, as a witness in the Hambalang case.

In its July 15, 2013, edition cover story, Tempo wrote that Sylvia, whom it referred to as a "mysterious woman" in the Hambalang case, was the wife of Purnomo, a retired military official who graduated from the Armed Forces Academy (AKABRI) in 1973, the same year as Yudhoyono.

Also on Monday, more details emerged about Sengman's notoriety. A Jakarta- based lawyer, who filed a graft allegation report on Sengman to the KPK, said that Sengman, a native of Palembang of Chinese descent, had known Yudhoyono when the latter served as commander for the Sriwijaya territorial military command in South Sumatra.

The lawyer recently told the Post that Sengman played an important role as one of SBY's early supporters in his 2004 presidential bid. He said that in return for the favor, Sengman got a plot of land for a cheap price located in a strategic location in the capital city of South Sumatra.

Responding to the claim that Sengman was acting on behalf of Yudhoyono, the State Palace denied the charge. "It's not true that the person named Sengman was a special envoy [for the President]," presidential spokesperson Julian Aldrin Pasha said late last week.

KPK Deputy Chairman Bambang Widjojanto said that, if true, the roles of Sengman and Bunda could prove that there were many power brokers who peddle their influence to rig government projects.

During the trial, one of the KPK prosecutors said that they would summon Bunda. Bambang, however, ruled out the option simply because the names of both Sengman and Bunda did not appear in the dossier.

"Ridwan should have given the information earlier in the investigation and not during the trial. It appears that he tried to trick us," Bambang told reporters on Monday. (koi)

KPK delves into public servants' wealth, begins demanding proof

Jakarta Globe - September 3, 2013

Novianti Setuningsih & Carla Isati Octama – By making proactive use of money laundering and anti-corruption laws, Indonesia's graftbusters are managing to snare a greater number of corrupt officials, and just as importantly, return to the public purse a fortune in stolen funds.

Prosecutors in corruption cases are comparing officials' compulsory personal wealth reports (LHKPN) and personal bank account data collected by the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) with official wage income, often finding wild discrepancies.

By using provisions in money-laundering laws, the onus of proof can be placed on the defendants to demonstrate a legitimate source for fabulous wealth accumulated far beyond their government salary income.

The next official to face this strategy is likely to be Waryono Karyo, the secretary general of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) announced on Monday that Waryono's assets would be assessed in connection with a graft case involving SKKMigas, the country's upstream oil and gas regulator.

"We will dig deep and inspect everything relevant, including his wealth," Zulkarnain, the deputy chief of the KPK told the Jakarta Globe on Monday.

Based on his 2011 LHKPN report, which every senior public servant submits to the KPK annually, Waryono possessed cash totaling Rp 41.9 billion ($3.9 million) and owned 200 plots of land in South Jakarta, West Jakarta, South Tangerang, Tegal and Brebes, worth Rp 37.7 billion.

KPK agents seized a bag containing $200,000 in US currency from Waryono's office in mid-August, shortly after the arrest of SKKMigas chief Rudi Rubiandini on bribery suspicions.

Rudi was charged with accepting hundreds of thousands of US dollars as a bribe from the Singapore-based Kernel Oil company in an alleged attempt to break into Indonesia's oil industry. More than $300,000 in cash and gold was later found in Rudi's office and safety deposit box. Two others, Simon Gunawan Tanjaya, of Kernel Oil, and Deviardi, a golf trainer and alleged bagman, were also detained in the Aug. 13 bust.

The reverse burden of proof was most recently applied in the case of former head of National Police Traffic Corps. Insp. Gen Djoko Susilo, recently tried over corruption in the procurement of driving simulators in 2011, which caused Rp 121 billion in losses to public funds. Prosecutors pointed out that Djoko's income had for many years far outstripped his official salary.

"The defendant's total income as a member of the National Police from 2003 until 2010 was Rp 407 million and his additional income was Rp 1.2 billion. But the assets he bought amounted to Rp 54.6 billion," said prosecutor Rusdi Amin during Djoko's hearing. "We came to the conclusion that his wealth was illegitimate," Rusdi said.

The verdict in Djoko's case is due today, with prosecutors seeking an 18- year sentence for the top officer on corruption and money laundering charges.

Rarely used

Earlier this year, Attorney General Basrief Arief gave public encouragement for his staff to more frequently force officials suspected of corruption to prove that their wealth was legitimately earned.

Supreme Court Justice Salman Luthan confirmed that prosecutors still rarely asked the court to reverse the burden of proof, despite legal provisions allowing the strategy. "In the history of the fight against corruption, such articles are used in less than 0.1 percent of the total corruption cases," Salman said.

Salman lamented an article in the corruption law which allows convicts to serve an additional prison term rather than pay back stolen public funds. As a result, corruptors often chose to serve extra time rather than hand over their money, he added, and called for a revision of the article.

Screening tool

Wealth reporting data should be used to screen for potential corruption even before particular cases come to light, campaigners say. Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (Fitra) secretary general Yuna Farhan on Monday urged the KPK to use the data it already collects annually to begin more investigations.

"The LHKPN could serve as an entry point to question officials who may be committing graft. The KPK could investigate officials based on their suspicious degree of wealth," Yuna said.

Yuna added that other instruments would be required in order to constitute proof of wrongdoing. "LHKPN can be the entry point, but cross checks and verification of documents such as tax returns, suspicious financial transactions and others are needed," Yuna added.

Yuna said that because LHKPN reports were only updated annually, it could sometimes be difficult to track graft funds which may be moved before reports could be compiled. "LHKPN is updated on a yearly basis, so it makes it difficult to trace. Therefore, additional documents are needed to back up KPK's suspicions," Yuna said.

Indonesia has about five million civil servants, some of whom live in conspicuous luxury way above that which could be afforded on their official incomes.

Former police Gen. Djoko Susilo sentenced to 10 years

Jakarta Globe - September 3, 2013

SP/Novianti Setuningsih – The Jakarta Anti-Corruption Court sentenced Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo to 10 years in prison and confiscated most of the two-star police general's Rp 200 billion ($18 million) in illicit assets in a verdict heralded as a potentially vital step in the nation's fight against endemic corruption on Tuesday.

Djoko was declared guilty of corruption and money laundering by a panel of five judges after a marathon three-hour reading of the nearly 3,000 page indictment detailing his involvement in a graft-tainted driving simulator procurement project that cost the state some Rp 121 billion in losses. He was ordered to pay Rp 500 million in fines or face an additional six months in prison.

The sentence was less than the 18 years in prison and Rp 1 billion in fines requested by prosecutors. Prosecutors had also demanded that he return Rp 32 billion to the state – the same amount as his alleged bribe.

Prosecutors charged Djoko with money laundering in an effort to confiscate the Rp 200 billion in assets the former National Police Traffic Corps. chief accumulated during his tenure as a police officer.

The implementation of the little-used law was championed as a milestone in the increasingly bold Corruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) uphill fight against graft in a country routinely ranked as one of the most corrupt nations on earth.

Indonesia has historically struggled to stem the flow of illicit money in a nation where corruption has permeated all levels of society, from public school teachers to senior members of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's ruling party.

Corruption charges brought against prominent officials, especially ranking police officers, rarely result in serious jail time or the confiscation of graft funds. The system, instead, allowed corrupt officials to serve short prison sentences without fear of losing the very funds they were convicted of stealing.

The money laundering charge, which allows the prosecution to seize a graft suspect's illegal wealth, represents a step forward for the KPK. Most of Djoko's assets – more than 30 properties and seven cars – will be seized. The deeds to four properties, and two marriage certificates, will be returned, the court ruled. The remaining properties and seven vehicles will remain the property of the state.

Djoko's attorney Juniver Girsang said his client planned to file an immediate appeal in a televised press conference from the courthouse. Another lawyer, Teuku Nasrullah, told MetroTV that the defense took exception with several of the facts forming the foundation of the charges.

Indonesia Corruption Watch campaigner Tama S. Langkun urged the KPK to file an appeal. "He was a law enforcer, his punishments should have been harsher that civilian corruptors," he said. "And his political rights must definitely be revoked to prevent people like him running in the future legislative election, I can't imagine what's going to happen to this country if a person like him became a lawmaker," he said.

The KPK may appeal the verdict, KPK Deputy Chief Bambang Widjojanto said in a short televised press conference.

"The KPK thinks the sentence is debatable but we respect the decision and we are going to use the seven days given by the court to think it over Because we think the verdict isn't momentous enough," Bambang said.

"The legal construction of the prosecutors' demands was really good, but the result has not managed to accommodate everyone's wishes. We are grateful for the public's attention to this case. The public's attention has helped [us] guide this case to the end."

The case was closely watched by legal observers and anti-corruption activists as a litmus test for future graft cases, including the ongoing investigation into several public officials implicated in a scandal centered on the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and state oil and gas regulator SKKMigas.

Investigators are currently comparing the official wealth report and bank accounts of Waryono Karyo, the secretary general of the energy ministry, with the combined wealth of all assets that can be traced back to him.

Calls to widen probe on beef scandal said to reach the top

Jakarta Globe - September 2, 2013

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Calls are mounting for antigraft investigators not to cease in expanding their probe into a corruption scandal that a witness claims reaches as high as the nation's president.

Bambang Soesatyo, a member of the House of Representatives, said on Sunday that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) should not stop at the suspects already named in the case centering on the awarding of a lucrative government contract for importing beef.

He said that all the allegations arising from the ongoing trials of the two main suspects in the case must be followed up on, and all the individuals implicated must be investigated.

The scandal, for which Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq, the former president of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), and his aide, Ahmad Fathanah, are standing trial, stormed back into the public spotlight last week with witness testimony suggesting that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono might have been implicated.

In clarifying the subject of a wiretapped conversation he had with Fathanah, witness Ridwan Hakim told the Jakarta Anti-Corruption Court on Friday that Sengman, a person referred to in their conversation, was a courier for the president.

Sengman was alleged to have delivered Rp 40 billion ($3.7 million) to a man referred to as Engkong, said to be Ridwan's father, Hilmi Aminuddin.

While presidential staff and members of Yudhoyono's Democratic Party have rushed to refute any allegation linking the president to the corruption scandal or to the mystery figure Sengman, critics say the protestations are disingenuous.

Rizal Ramli, a former finance minister, said it was well-known that there was a businessman named Sengman in Yudhoyono's inner circle.

"He's the businessman who was the first person to finance SBY's foray into politics," Rizal was quoted as saying by Kompas.com. "So they're very close. Why is the State Palace denying it?"

He said Sengman hailed from South Sumatra but did not elaborate on what business he was in or how much he was alleged to have contributed to Yudhoyono.

This is the second time that people apparently close to the president have been named in the case. The first person mentioned was Wisnu Agung Prasetya, an assistant to Andi Arief, the president's adviser on disaster management.

SBY 'envoy to PKS' sparks speculation

Jakarta Post - September 1, 2013

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – A Palembang businessman who is said to have played a key role in President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's political career and who has now been dragged into a corruption case could be the President's Achilles heel, a political analyst says.

The businessman, identified as Sengman Tjahja, is alleged to be involved in the beef import graft case, which has implicated political bigwigs from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the nation's largest Islamic party that is widely seen as a pebble in the shoe of the coalition government.

The revelation of his alleged involvement in the graft scandal is sparking speculation that it could have been the reason why Yudhoyono was reluctant to get tough with the PKS, despite the party having repeatedly undermined his policies and sided with the opposition in many political battles at the House of Representatives.

"This is a case of the government being steered by people outside of the government, which is unhealthy," Agus Herta Sumarto, a researcher at the Political Research Institute of Democracy Indonesia (PRIDE Indonesia), told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

The PKS has survived numerous attempts by its political rivals to get it kicked out of the ruling coalition for its many acts of defiance, the latest of which was its attempt to block the government's policy to raise fuel prices.

Despite the squabbling, the Islamic party managed to keep its politicians within Yudhoyono's Cabinet, including Agriculture Minister Suswono, whom observers say should be dismissed in the wake of beef graft case. The President's inaction led to speculation that the PKS might have a trump card up its sleeve that could be used against him, Agus said.

"Some [PKS] ministers should have been fired, but that did not happen. Therefore, there is a big question mark," he said. He added that Sengman could be that trump card, though such conjecture would be hard to prove.

Sengman's role in the beef graft case was revealed in a wiretapped phone conversation between Ridwan Hakim, the son of PKS chief patron Hilmi Aminuddin, and the main suspect in the case, Ahmad Fathanah. During the conversation, which was played at a trial session on Thursday, Fathanah told Ridwan that Rp 40 billion (US$3.6 million) in kickbacks had been delivered by Sengman and his friend, Hendra.

It is suspected that the money was a bribe by meat-import company PT Indoguna Utama to the PKS to exert its influence over Agriculture Minister Suswono, who is also a member of the PKS' religious council, to increase the beef import quota. Ridwan told the judges that Sengman was an "envoy" from Yudhoyono to the PKS.

The State Palace and Democratic Party officials have denied Ridwan's allegation, saying that the President had no "envoy" named Sengman and that whatever he (Sengman) had done, had nothing to do with the head of state.

House of Representatives' Speaker Marzuki Alie, who is also a deputy chairman of the Democratic Party, argued that Ridwan's allegation was ridiculous. "Why would the President send an envoy to be a broker for the beef import quota?" he told the Post on Saturday. "This is just a case of someone using the President's name."

Responding to the suspicion that Yudhoyono was powerless against the PKS because of Sengman, Marzuki said it was merely a rumor spun by people who wanted to undermine the President. He added that Yudhoyono had not fired the ministers from the PKS because he was too kind to do such a thing. "He likes to give second chances," Marzuki said.

The House speaker also dismissed a claim made by former finance minister Rizal Ramli that Sengman had helped Yudhoyono in the early days of his political career. The President, Marzuki said, was nobody on the political stage when he ran for office in 2004. "Who would have helped him if he was not a household name [in politics]?" he asked.

Rizal was quoted by kompas.com as saying, "Sengman is a businessman who first made a donation to Yudhoyono to help him enter politics. So, [they are] very close."

Terrorism & religious extremism

Army to play bigger role in combating terrorism

Jakarta Post - September 6, 2013

Yuliasri Perdani, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) will have a greater role in domestic security following the signing of an agreement with the nation's counterterrorism agency, which will allow the Army to help collect information about terror activities.

The National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) and the Army (TNI AD) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on counterterrorism at the former's headquarters on Thursday.

Under the agreement, soldiers will be allowed to actively assist members of the public in tracing any terror suspects or activities. They will also be permitted to share information regarding alleged terror activities with the National Police.

The agency's deputy head of prevention, protection and deradicalization, Agus Surya Bakti, said he hoped the Army could easily apply its terrorism prevention program across the country, given the presence of Army command posts at village, subdistrict and regency levels.

"As we know, the Army holds a territorial function that reaches even to the furthest village [...] There is an assumption that the BNPT and the National Police are solely responsible for terrorism prevention. The truth, however, is that we are all obliged to play a part," Agus said after the signing in Central Jakarta.

Following the ceremony, the Army's territorial assistant, Maj. Gen. Meris Wiryadi, said he would order non-commissioned officers, known as Babinsa, at territorial commands to collaborate with local police forces to introduce the program to the public.

"This MoU provides a legal basis for [the Army] to order its Babinsa to conduct a familiarization program [about terror prevention], in cooperation with local police. Hopefully, we can reduce the movement of terrorists," he said.

Agus said he also hoped the Army would help curb the distribution of illegal firearms, especially in the nation's border areas. In recent months, terrorists have used illegal and homemade firearms to launch a wave of fatal attacks against police officers. "In many cases, the firearms have come from the Philippines and Vietnam," Agus said.

The BNPT will soon sign similar agreements with the National Police and the Home Ministry to synergize the nation's efforts in tackling terrorism.

The MoU is part of the TNI's attempt to widen its role to respond to what it says are new kinds of threat to national security.

TNI commander Gen. Moeldoko said during an interview with members of the House of Representatives last month that the country should revisit the concept of national defense with the emergence of new security threats from non-state actors, including terrorism and communal conflicts.

He argued that a review was needed, as there were possible security threats in "gray areas" that could be subject to military operations, albeit in a form quite different to all-out war.

"The TNI is concerned about the possible occurrence of asymmetric warfare due to the archipelagic nature of the country – which makes it prone to infiltration, democratization, the pluralistic nature of [our] society and globalization, which has had a multidimensional impact on the country," he said. "The TNI must be ready for asymmetric conflicts that have unusual, unexpected or irregular characteristics."

Moeldoko later said that he aimed to form a special force to back up the National Police's Densus 88 counterterrorism squad in hunting terrorists. The special force will comprise Army, Navy and Air Force personnel.

Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro supported Moeldoko's plan, saying that the police had failed to fight terrorism alone.

Al Araf, an employee with human rights group Imparsial lambasted the TNI's increasing role in terrorism prevention, saying it could open the way to abuses of power.

"The agreement will create diverse interpretations that eventually become a basis for the military to abuse its power. The military may end up spying on citizens – that has happened in the past – on the grounds of terrorism prevention," he said in a telephone interview.

To regulate the military's role in counterterrorism, Al Araf suggested the government and the House draft a supporting tasks law, as mandated in the 2002 National Defense Law.

"The supporting tasks law would stipulate the situations in which police would seek support from the military. Any military deployment must gain police approval," he said.

TNI to establish anti-terror squad

Tempo.co - September 4, 2013

Indra Wijaya, Jakarta – Commandant General of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) Major General Agus Sutomo said he was formulating several formats for the planned armed forces (TNI)'s anti-terror squad.

Agus said this was in response to Indonesian Armed Forces Commander General Moeldoko's recent statement that he wanted to form an anti-terror squad similar to the police's Special Detachment 88 (Densus 88) for the TNI.

"We could emulate the anti-terror squads in several nations that unite the navy, army, and air force" Agus told reporters in Sentul, Bogor, West Java on Tuesday, September 3, 2013.

He said the TNI planned to follow the format of the Singaporean military that combined the three forces. So, he added, the anti-terror squads from each force would be merged when deployed in an anti-terror operation.

He said the three elite squads comprised the Kopassus' Satuan 81/Gultor (army), Detachment Bravo 90 of the Special Forces Corps (Paskhas-air force), and Detachment Jala Mengkara of the Marine Corps (navy). "By the order of the president, the commandant general of the Kopassus will spearhead the joint squad," Agus said.

Agus said he was upbeat the format was flexible and economical as the forces would only be combined in anti-terror operations. "In peaceful situations, soldiers from the three forces will return to their units," he said.

TNI needed in war on terror: Minister

Jakarta Post - September 4, 2013

Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) should be given a greater role in the war against terror to back up the National Police's Densus 88 counterterrorism squad, a top official says.

Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said on Tuesday that the military was needed to help fight terrorism when the police failed to do it alone. "There are times when the police cannot carry out counterterrorism activities alone; when the difficulty is beyond the police's ability," he added.

Purnomo also said he welcomed the military's plan to form a special anti- terrorism squad consisting of personnel from the special forces of the Army (TNI AD), the Navy (TNI AL) and the Air Force (TNI AU).

He added that he had no problem with the plan because difficult anti- terrorism operations, such as the attempt to rescue Indonesian Sinar Kudus ship when it was hijacked by Somalian pirates in 2011, needed to involve such elements.

New TNI Commander Gen. Moeldoko stated during his inauguration that he wanted to form a special force involving all elements of the military to handle terrorism. He said, however, that he had not decided on the form the joint force would take, whether it would be a special unit or a joint task force that functioned as an anti-terror squad only in cases of emergency.

Army Special Forces (Kopassus) Commander Maj. Gen. Agus Sutomo said on Tuesday at the Indonesian Peace and Security Center (IPSC) in Sentul, West Java, that the Army would propose forming a special unit comprising personnel from the three branches of the military to deal with terrorism, with the Army being in command during an operation. "We will discuss it with the new military commander in the near future," he announced.

The TNI recently demonstrated its stronger presence in the public. In July, the Army signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Trade Ministry to join the latter's efforts in preventing smuggling along borders and to ensure the smooth distribution of goods across the country.

The TNI will also host the first Counterterrorism Exercise (TCX), which is aimed at exchanging practices of combating terrorism among ASEAN and its eight partner countries in the Pacific comprising the US, Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Russia.

The event, which will last from Sept. 9 to 13 at the IPSC, is part of a counterterrorism working group of the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting (ADMM) Plus. ADMM Plus oversees five working areas: counterterrorism, maritime security, military medicine, peacekeeping operations and disaster management. (koi)

Freedom of religion & worship

LBH lambastes acquittal of alleged church attacker

Jakarta Post - September 6, 2013

Jakarta – The Makassar Legal Aid Institute (LBH) has lambasted the acquittal of Nur Ansari, the suspect in the firebombing of five churches in the city, on all charges saying that the verdict is a slap in the face for prosecutors and the police.

"The verdict also reflects on the weakness of our judicial system," Makassar LBH deputy director Zulkifli Hasanuddin said in Makassar on Friday as quoted by Antara news agency.

He said that the court failed to convict the suspect although the evidence and supporting information in the case was solid. The rights activist said that the verdict had disappointed the public who expected a conviction.

He claimed that the dossier should have told the panel of judges very clearly of the string of bombings allegedly committed by the suspect. He said that other convincing evidence was the fact that the defendant himself had acknowledged what he had done. (hrl)

Government pledges to uphold rights of Ahmadiyah

Jakarta Globe - September 5, 2013

Arientha Primanita – The government has no plans to disband the Ahmadiyah congregation in Bekasi, despite a request from the municipality.

"The government's position is to uphold the constitution, which guarantees religious freedom and freedom to one's own beliefs," Coordinating Minister of Security, Political and Legal Affairs Djoko Suyanto told the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday. "There must not be any coercion or violence by anyone to anyone else."

Djoko, who is on a state visit to Poland alongside President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, said that his office came to its conclusion yesterday in a meeting led by the ministry's secretary. Officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Attorney General's Office, the National Police and the Military and State Intelligence Agency were in attendance.

Djoko said that the government would uphold a joint ministerial decree to preserve religious tolerance.

In a letter dated July 26, the Bekasi municipality requested that President Yudhoyono disband the local Ahmadiyah congregation. If the denomination were to be allowed, Bekasi asked that Yudhoyono reclassify it by presidential decree as an accepted religion other than Islam.

"The request is the result of the community of believers and its leaders, in their discussion of the Ahmadiyah presence," Bekasi Mayor Rahmat Effendi told Indonesian news portal Antara.

Jumhana Lutfi, Bekasi's municipal assistant, said that the city had brought the request to the central government because local authorities did not have the power to decide. Calls from local clerics, along with social unrest, prompted the request, he said.

In Jumhana's view, disbanding the Ahmadi group would serve to protect it. "It is not discrimination," he told the Globe. "They are minorities and the protestors outnumber them. This is our way to protect them from being attacked by the masses."

Preventing a minority group from practicing its religion, even as a supposedly protective measure, is an act of religious intolerance according to the UN's definition.

Jumhana said that Bekasi hopes to avoid a direct attack against the Ahmadi. Such an attack killed three adherents in Cikeusik, Banten province, in 2011. Nonetheless, the city will adhere to the central government's decision. "It is the government's authority to decide, and we just follow it through and try to convince the public," he said.

Deden Sudjana, Ahmadiyah's Bekasi chairman, said that Ahmadiyah representatives were not invited to the meeting in which the group's fate was decided.

"We only practice what we believe in," he said. "If they oppose it, they can have a dialogue with us or go through the legal process, because Indonesia is a state of the law." He said that members of the group had suffered enough.

He also said that the Ahmadi had filed a suit with the State Administrative Court in Bandung against Mayor Rahmat Effendi, over the municipality's March 8 decision to seal the Al-Misbah mosque, which the group said violated their fundamental right to worship.

Since a 2008 joint ministerial decree, the Ahmadiyah have been prohibited from proselytizing and worshiping in public.

The Ahmadis have been under attack from hard-line Muslim elements in several regions, including in West Java and West Nusa Tenggara, with their mosques burned or vandalized and some adherents killed in violent attacks. In July, two Ahmadiyah teachers were ousted from a school in Cianjur. Despite these hardships, the congregation in Bekasi celebrated the Idul Fitri holiday just as they have done every year, and they continue to worship as a community.

The Ahmadiyah follow many of the central tenants of mainstream Sunni Islam, but they also have distinctive beliefs and practices.

Yudhoyono had said that he opposed religious intolerance against the Ahmadiyah and other groups. "It cannot be justified if an individual or a group forces its beliefs onto others," he said in a speech preceding Independence Day. "And certainly not with threats, intimidation or violence."

The president said that diversity is in the best interest of the nation. "I want to remind all Indonesian people that the state fully guarantees the existence of individual or minority groups," he said. "We have to prevent violence that disturbs the social fabric and national unity."

Cases of religious intolerance in the country have caught the eye of international watchdog groups, and many minorities here face discrimination in the practice of their beliefs and the construction of places of worship. Such groups include the Ahmadiyah, Shiites in Madura, the embattled church of GKI Yasmin and others.

Indonesia's rising intolerance

CNN - September 3, 2013

Phelim Kine – My preparation for a news conference in February launching a Human Rights Watch report on Indonesia's rising religious intolerance included an emergency escape drill. We weren't concerned about fire. Instead, we had been warned that an Islamist militant group might try to disrupt our event in Jakarta.

So we made sure we could exit the premises quickly if the group showed up. One of our speakers, a member of the Ahmadiyah religious community who has needed extensive facial reconstruction surgery following an attack by Islamists in western Java two years earlier, needed no convincing. Thankfully, the group stayed away.

Fast forward to August 22, and Indonesia's religious affairs minister, Suryadharma Ali, had an encounter with one of the country's most violent Islamist organizations, the Islamic Defenders Front (Front Pembela Islam, or FPI). But rather than confiscating the FPI's weaponry-of-choice – machetes and spears – or serving its members with arrest warrants, Ali opted to make the keynote speech at the FPI's annual congress in Jakarta.

In a feat of bewildering understatement, Ali chided the FPI for their reputation for "kejawaraan" or "criminality" and reminded them of Islam's doctrine of peace. The audience, a who's who of the country's most intolerant Islamist politicians and clerics, listened politely before turning to the meeting's real focus: the FPI's pursuit of a nation ruled by Islamic law instead of the country's secular constitution.

Ali should not have been surprised: the FPI has long sought to justify violence by espousing an interpretation of Sunni Islam that labels most non-Muslims as "infidels," and Muslims who do not adhere to Sunni orthodoxy as "blasphemers."

Ali couldn't claim ignorance of the FPI's 15-year record of bigotry and criminality. The FPI and kindred groups are implicated in multiple serious acts of harassment, intimidation, threats and increasingly, mob violence against religious minorities, including several Protestant groups, Shia, and the Ahmadiyah.

The group is also notorious for attacking nightclubs, bars and other purveyors of alcoholic drinks, particularly during the annual Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. (Such attacks are not limited to the FPI – Indonesia's Setara Institute, which monitors religious freedom in Indonesia, documented 264 cases of violent attacks on religious minorities in 2012, up from 216 in 2010).

But perhaps Ali has forgotten about the FPI attack on representatives of the interfaith National Alliance for Freedom of Faith and Religion (AKKBB) at the base of the National Monument in Jakarta in June 2008. The FPI injured dozens of AKKBB campaigners in that incident.

But the FPI's more recent victims should have been fresh in his mind. They include a man allegedly stabbed in the back and head on August 11 by rioting FPI members in East Java's Kandang Semangkon village, and a woman killed on July 19 when an FPI vehicle fleeing a confrontation with local residents in Kendal, East Java, ran down her motorcycle.

Ali's presence at the FPI event did more than just debase his office, and make a mockery of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's recent assertion of being "very concerned" about religious intolerance. It lent official legitimacy to a group that has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to violently undermine Indonesia's constitutional guarantees of religious freedom.

Ali's presence at the event – and his failure to take the FPI to task for their religious bigotry and violence – was the Indonesian equivalent of a senior US politician attending a Klu Klux Klan rally and tut-tutting unsafe cross-burning practices. It misses the point, adds insult to the injury of the FPI's victims, and emboldens the group to continue its campaign of religious intolerance and violence.

Sadly, Ali's willingness to rub elbows with Islamist thugs is not out of character. Human Rights Watch noted in its February report that Ali has been outspoken against religious minorities and has repeatedly made discriminatory comments about the Ahmadiyah and Shia.

In January 2012, after a meeting with lawmakers, Ali publicly stated that the Shia faith is "against Islam." Yudhoyono has not only failed to censure Ali for such bigotry, on August 13 Yudhoyono awarded Ali the Bintang Mahaputera Adipradana medal, the country's second highest civilian honor.

Yudhoyono's tolerance of such statements from a senior minister is part and parcel of his wider failure to confront the FPI and other agents of rising religious intolerance. In February 2013, Yudhoyono's spokesman tried to dismiss Human Rights Watch's reporting of violations of religious freedom as "naove."

Meanwhile, the situation in Indonesia has become increasingly menacing for religious minorities. On August 4, a bomb planted by unknown perpetrators exploded inside a Buddhist temple in downtown Jakarta while congregants worshipped, injuring three men. Police are investigating.

The violence comes just weeks after Indonesian Islamist militants vowed vengeance against Buddhists for attacks in Burma by members of the Buddhist majority against the local Rohingya Muslim population. A day later, unknown perpetrators tossed Molotov cocktails into the yard of a Catholic high school in Jakarta. Staff scrambled to extinguish the flames and kept the devices from igniting by dousing them with water from a bathroom.

Yudhoyono needs to take steps to extinguish the fires of religious intolerance, which have spread under his failure of leadership. He should enforce the law, uphold constitutional protections for religious freedom, and make it clear that he will no longer condone the excesses of the FPI and similar groups. And to prove he means business, he should fire Ali and appoint a new religious affairs minister – one prepared to confront, rather than coddle, Indonesia's forces of religious intolerance.

Indonesian churches hold palace service for the displaced

Jakarta Globe - September 2, 2013

Worshipers from displaced church congregations took their anger to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's door on Sunday, calling for him to take a leaf out of Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo's book and stand up against religious intolerance.

Congregations from the shuttered Yasmin church in Bogor, West Java, and the Filadelfia Church in Bekasi, also in West Java, voiced their concerns after a Sunday service held in front of the State Palace in Central Jakarta.

Yasmin church spokesman Bona Sigalingging slammed the president's reluctance to deal with a dispute over the church's permit, vowing the protestors would return to the palace every other Sunday until their case was resolved.

"SBY should learn from Jakarta's governor in his tackling of the ward chief case in Lenteng Agung. Joko was able to set aside intolerant sentiments," Bona said, as quoted by Kompas.com.

Bona was referring to recent protests in the South Jakarta ward of Lenteng Agung regarding the appointment of Susan Jasmine Zulkifli as the new ward chief.

Some local residents opposed her appointment on the basis that she was a woman, and non-Muslim to boot. They claimed that in selecting a woman, the government had not taken into account the sociocultural history of their district, saying she would not be able to participate in men-only activities and adding that her religion set her apart from the majority of residents.

Governor Joko and his deputy Basuki Tjahaja Purnama showed moral leadership by speaking out strongly against the discriminatory protests. Joko emphasized the administration had elected Susan strictly based on her capability and competency, while Basuki threatened to legally process protesters should their rally take a violent turn.

Such leadership has, however, been conspicuously absent in the case of discrimination against non-Muslim places of worship in Bekasi and Bogor.

Members of the Yasmin church in Bogor have been locked out since 2008 as municipal authorities stubbornly ignore two Supreme Court rulings and an order by the government ombudsman to reopen the church's doors.

Similarly in Bekasi, district authorities have since 2007 denied a permit for the operation of the Filadelfia church, forcing members to worship on the street, where they have been subject to assaults.

Yudhoyono's home affairs minister, who exercises authority over regional heads, has repeatedly claimed he is powerless to compel the Bogor and Bekasi administrations to abide by Supreme court rulings, citing the principles of regional autonomy.

When it came to the hot-button issue of Aceh province wishing to adopt the flag of the disbanded Free Aceh Movement, however, the Ministry did not hesitate to intervene.

Bona said the demands made at Sunday's protest could be simply met. "All we want is to once again to worship in our church. We are not asking for much. All we're asking for is to have our church unlocked so we can worship."

Islamic law & morality

Hardline Muslims burn effigies of Miss World backers

Agence France Presse - September 7, 2013

Hardline Islamists in Indonesia have burnt effigies of Miss World beauty pageant organisers and branded them "infidels" during an angry protest ahead of Sunday's show.

Hundreds of protesters in traditional Islamic skullcaps and robes marched through the nation's capital Jakarta on Friday.

The 700-strong crowd gathered at the head office of MNC media group, which will broadcast the show and is the local organiser, brandishing banners reading "From infidels, by infidels, to ruin Indonesia".

Some demonstrators used red spray-paint to write "pimp's office" on the building surrounded by barbed wire and heavily guarded by police.

Chanting in Arabic, the crowd staged a mock trial of MNC chief Hary Tanoesoedibjo and Bali governor I Made Mangku Pastika, and burnt straw effigies of the pair. "We will fight until the last drop of our blood is spilled," one protester shouted to the chanting crowd.

Hundreds of hardliners also took to the streets in other major cities across Indonesia, including Bandung on the main island of Java, Medan on Sumatra island, and Banjarmasin on Indonesian Borneo.

Nana Putra, from MNC and the head of the local Miss World organising committee, defended the contest saying it did not run counter to Indonesian Muslim culture.

She says the protests sent a bad image of Indonesia to the world. More than 120 contestants have already arrived for the pageant.

While there is little danger of protests in Hindu-majority Bali, hardliners have vowed to stage huge demonstrations when the final takes place outside Jakarta on September 28.

Anger has been mounting despite an attempt by the British-based organisers to appease radicals by dropping the famed bikini round from the contest this year, with contestants instead set to wear more conservative sarongs.

A vocal hardline group has succeeded in getting events cancelled in the past. Last year, pop sensation Lady Gaga axed a concert after hardliners threatened to burn down the venue and criticised her for wearing only "a bra and panties".

Government weighs decision on Miss World as condemnation mounts

Jakarta Globe - September 4, 2013

Made Arya Kencana & Farouk Arnaz, Denpasar/Jakarta – The government is still weighing its decision on holding the Miss World Beauty Pageant amid opposition from several Islamic groups, according to a report on Tuesday.

"The government is still reviewing it while the regional administrations have supported it," said Linda Agum Gumelar, the minister for women's empowerment and child protection.

"We will also take into consideration the length of time that has gone into its preparation and the number of countries participating in the pageant."

The Miss World event is scheduled to be held in Bali and Bogor. The participants will be quarantined in Nusa Dua, Bali, for two weeks and the winner crowned at the final on Sept. 28 at the Sentul International Convention Center in Bogor.

Linda said the organizers had agreed to requests that the event respect Indonesian culture and ethics, including assurances there would be no bikini section.

"We have been assured participants will not be required to wear bikinis. The participants will even wear Indonesian products. However, at this time, we are still gathering public opinion," she said.

On Monday, Bali Governor I Made Mangku Pastika voiced his support for the event, arguing that it would present Bali and Indonesia in a positive light.

"What is wrong with the Miss World pageant? What are the reasons behind the protests and objections?" he asked.

"Participants will act in accordance with Balinese tradition and culture. The Miss World pageant will not bring any losses to Bali or Indonesia," he added, sentiments that were echoed by Linda in Jakarta on Tuesday.

It will, instead, Pastika said, boost Bali's, and by extension Indonesia's, international reputation and profile.

The Miss World contest has drawn criticism from the hard-line Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), the Islamic People's Forum (FUI) and the more moderate Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI). "We reject Miss World and immoral acts. We want to uphold shariah in Indonesia," said Muhammad Al Khaththath, the secretary general of the FUI, referring to Islamic law.

On Tuesday, 200 people associated with various groups protested at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle and the MNC Tower, both in Central Jakarta.

The MNC Tower belongs to media tycoon Hary Tanoesoedibjo, the owner of RCTI, a national television channel that will air the pageant. Some 150 police officers were deployed to monitor the protests.

Khaththath said that the protesters would continue their demonstrations on Friday and march from the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle to the MNC Tower, before going to the National Police headquarters in South Jakarta.

The MUI said it opposed the event because exposing a woman's body violated Islamic teachings, according to an official.

The official said the decision by contest organizers to exclude the traditional bikini contest did not overcome the problem because the contestants would still have to wear tight dresses showing their figures.

Suryadharma Ali, Indonesia's minister of religious affairs, and Maneger Nasution, an official at the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), have also condemned the contest as not being compatible with Islamic teachings and for putting women's bodies on display.

Pastika dismissed concerns about the contestants exposing body parts normally required to be clothed according to Islamic regulation, saying it was illogical.

The vocal hard-line fringe has succeeded in getting events cancelled in the past. Last year, US pop star Lady Gaga cancelled a concert in Jakarta after protesters threatened to burn down the venue.

Protests against Miss World continue as contestants arrive

Jakarta Globe - September 3, 2013

Farouk Arnaz & Made Arya Kencana – Islamic hard-liners intensified their protests against this year's Miss World beauty pageant on Tuesday as contestants started to arrive in Bali for the September 28 event.

"We reject Miss World and immoral acts. We want to uphold shariah in Indonesia," said Muhammad Al Khaththath, the secretary general of the Islamic People's Forum (FUI).

First held in 1951 as a bikini contest, the pageant is a competition for 130 pageant winners from around the world. As a concession to Indonesian culture, organizers have struck bikinis from this year's event.

On Tuesday, 200 people associated with various hard-line groups, including the FUI, the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), the Islamic Reform Movement (Garis) and the Islamic Defenders' Troops (LPI), protested at the Hotel Indonesia roundabout and the MNC Tower, both in Central Jakarta.

The MNC Tower belongs to tycoon Hary Tanoesoedibjo, the owner of RCTI, a national television channel that will air the pageant. Some 150 police officers were assigned to monitor the protests.

Khaththath said that protesters will continue demonstrating on Friday and march from the Hotel Indonesia roundabout to the MNC Tower and then to the National Police headquarters.

The pageant will begin in Bali and continue at the Sentul International Convention Center in Bogor, West Java. Protestors said they would swarm the building during the event.

The protests echoed mounting criticism of the event from some state officials. Suryadharma Ali, Indonesia's minister of religious Aafairs, and Maneger Nasution, an official at the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM), have condemned the contest as incompatible with Islamic teachings.

However, Bali Governor I Made Mangku Pastika voiced his support for the pageant, saying that it would have a positive impact on tourism and the nation's image.

Contestants arrive

Eighteen contestants arrived at Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport on Tuesday, and local police officers increased security measures to ensure the participants' safety.

"They came through a VIP room at the international arrival terminal," said Ngurah Rai police chief Cmr. Ida Bagus Artha. Artha said that armed security officials are in place at the airport. "We increased alertness so that unwanted incidents would not occur," he said.

Hard-liner threat

The vocal hardline fringe has succeeded in getting events canceled in the past. Last year, pop sensation Lady Gaga axed a concert after hardliners threatened to burn down the venue and criticized her for wearing only "a bra and panties."

Certain areas of West Java are considered strongholds for radicals. While Indonesia is a Muslim-majority nation, its constitution is not Islamic and recognizes several religions.

[Additional reporting from Agence France-Presse.]

Bali governor airs support for Miss World pageant

Jakarta Globe - September 2, 2013

Made Arya Kencana, Denpasar – Despite mounting calls by state officials and mass organizations for the upcoming Miss World beauty pageant to be canceled, Bali Governor I Made Mangku Pastika voiced his support for the event, arguing that it will present Bali and the whole of Indonesia in a positive light.

"What is wrong with the Miss World [pageant]? What are the reasons behind the protests and objections?" Pastika asked on Monday. He said that the contest would be conducted in line with his island's customs and not be a showcase for indecent displays of the female figure.

"[Participants] will follow our ethics and procedures. They will also act in accordance with Balinese tradition and culture," he said. "The Miss World pageant will not bring any losses to Bali or Indonesia."

It will, instead, he said, boost Bali's, and by extension Indonesia's, international reputation. "For Bali, the event could act as a free promotion. The [contest] could lead to economic benefits and encourage tourism to the country," he said.

The Miss World contest has drawn criticism from the hard-line Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and the more moderate Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI).

An MUI official said the group opposed the event because exposing a woman's body violated Islamic teachings. He said the decision by contest organizers to exclude the traditional bikini contest did not overcome the problem as contestants will still be required to wear tight dresses that showed their curves.

The FPI has also vowed to disrupt the event, which is scheduled to include a gathering in Bali before the main ceremony on Sept. 28 at the Sentul International Convention Center in Bogor, West Java.

Suryadharma Ali, Indonesia's Minister of Religious Affairs, and Maneger Nasution, an official at the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM), also condemned the contest as not being compatible with Islamic teachings and for putting women's bodies on display.

Pastika, meanwhile, dismissed concerns that the contestants will expose their aurat, or body parts that are supposed to be clothed as stipulated by Islam, as illogical.

Echoing the governor's sentiments, dozens of college students and youths in Bali held a demonstration in Denpasar on Monday in support of the pageant.

"We don't think the MUI should meddle [in this issue]," Gede Mas Megantara, a protest coordinator, said. "Such an attitude is against the principles of [Indonesia's state ideology] Pancasila."

The protestors also asked for security officials to ensure that the event runs smoothly.

Agriculture & food security

Farming households being squeezed out by agribusiness

Tribune News - September 3, 2013

Palmerah – The number of farming households over the last 10 years has declined by 5.04 million. Over the same period, the number of agribusinesses has grown by 1,475 companies. Meaning a formalisation (formalisasi) has taken place. What is alarming however is that the number of marginal farmers is increasing.

National Statistics Agency (BPS) chief Suryamin, in an official press statement in Jakarta on Monday September 2, outlined the preliminary results of the 2013 agriculture census. This included data on farming households, which in BPS terminology are referred to as 'household agricultural enterprises', and are defined as households in which one or more of its members are farmers.

Based on a census carried out in May 2013, BPS recorded a decline of 5.04 million farming households, from 26.13 households in 2003 to 26.13 million households in 2013. Meaning the number of farming households is declining by an average of half-a-million a year.

The largest decrease occurred in Central Java with as many as 1.47 million farming households, and the smallest was in Bengkulu province with as many as 3,500 farming households.

Over the same period, the number of agribusinesses grew by 1,475 companies, from 4,011 companies in 2003 to 5,486 companies in 2013. This trend in the growth of agribusinesses has shifted to outside Java Island.

Lampung University Professor Bustanul Arifin is of the view that the decline in the number of farming households and the increase in the number of agribusinesses represents a formalisation of the agricultural sector. This is a general phenomenon of development in many countries.

According to Arifin, this formalisation proceeds positively as long as the level of marginalisation (guremisasi) also declines and a significant absorption of labour occurs in the industrial and service sectors.

If not, then formalisation is the same as farming households being squeezed out by the presence of agribusinesses. Marginal farmers are farmers who own 0.5 hectares of land or less.

"I suspect that if indeed this is running parallel (linier) with the level of marginalisation, I think this is a red light. Meaning agrarian reform is just a fantasy and political commodity", said Arifin.

According to the 1993 agricultural census, the number of marginal farmers stood at 52 percent of the total number of farmers. In 2003 this increased to 53.5 percent and in 2009 increased again to 54.2 percent.

"This structural transformation has not occurred smoothly. What has taken place is mostly a marginalisation", said Arifin (LAS/WIE/ADH)

Source: Kompas Newspaper

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Armed forces & defense

Kopassus accomplice to murder will not be discharged from military

Jakarta Globe - September 7, 2013

Dessy Sagita – The special forces sergeant who drove his Kopassus colleagues to Cebongan prison to execute four inmates was told by a military tribunal today that assisting in multiple counts of premeditated murder was not sufficient grounds to be discharged from Indonesia's armed forces.

"The defendant has been found convincingly guilty of assisting a murder," presiding judge Lieut.Col. Joko Sasmito told the court.

Second Sgt. Ikhmawan Suprapto drove Second Sgt. Ucok Tigor Simbolon, Second Sgt. Sugeng Sumaryanto and First Corporal Kodik to Cebongan prison, where the latter three men killed four prison inmates as they stood in their cells.

The prosecution was able to prove that Ikhmawan was guilty of "assisting a murder" but it demanded only an 18-month prison sentence for the special forces sergeant. In the end, Ikhmawan received just 15 months jail time.

Haris Azhar, the coordinator for the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (Kontras), said the sentence was far too lenient.

"I believe he knew exactly what his comrades were planning to do. It's impossible for him to be totally ignorant. It was a shared responsibility so the sentence should be just as harsh, but instead he was not even discharged from the service," he said.

"He will be back in the military in a few months." Amnesty International concurred. "He should obviously not serve in the armed forces," said Isabelle Arradon, Amnesty's Asia-Pacific deputy director. "But the whole system needs to change."

The three remaining soldiers to be tried for the killings were found guilty, but told by Lieut.Col. Faridah Faisal that they were free to go because of time served.

"We command that the defendants be released from their temporary detention," Faridah told the Yogyakarta military court Friday, as reported by Indonesian news portal Tempo.co.

Second Sgt. Rakhmadi, Second Sgt. Zaenuri and Sgt. Sutar were found guilty of failing to report a violation of the military code – they knew Ucok was on his way to kill the four prison inmates. "Because of their actions, their superiors failed to prevent the incident," Faridah said.

Sutar was guarding a security post on Mar. 22 when a car carrying Ucok left the military compound. Sutar reported this to Rakhmadi and Zainuri, who later went to Yogyakarta to try to reason with Ucok, the court found.

Prosecutors had demanded an eight-month jail term for the three men for failing to report what was about to happen to their superiors, but the judge handed down only four months and 20 days.

The defendants' lawyer, Lieut.Col Syarif Hidayat said his clients were still considering whether to file an appeal.

While acknowledging that an open court, albeit one run by the military itself, handing down prison sentences to members of the armed forces was instructive of a degree of progress in TNI transparency and accountability, activists emphasized that the narrow remit the military had given itself in investigating the crime was to be regretted.

Haris said the investigation should not have stopped at the 12 defendants convicted. "I don't understand why the trial focused on what happened on Mar. 22, which was actually triggered by a series of occurrences on Mar. 19," he said.

Shortly after the fight at Hugo's cafe that led to the death of First Sarg. Santoso, a SMS spread among military personnel said the perpetrators would be targeted.

Amnesty also warned that the case should remain under the microscope. "Some have been convicted yesterday and today, but many are acquitted on appeal. It's the responsibility of everyone to keep monitoring these cases."

Eighteen people convicted by an ad-hoc Human Rights Court in Jakarta for human-rights abuses during the 1999 referendum in East Timor later had their convictions overturned by the same court.

Lawyers for Ucok, Sugeng and Kodik said on Thursday that they would be appealing their respective jail sentences of 11, eight and six years. On the question of whether the government could have handled the case differently, the verdict from Amnesty was that more needed to be done.

"We respect the independence of the Indonesian judiciary, but what President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono could do would be to send a stronger message," Arradon said. "He could take further steps toward a Truth Commission for Aceh and revise the law on military courts to have personnel tried in civilian courts."

Indonesia aims to have strongest military in Southeast Asia

Jakarta Post - September 6, 2013

Fadli, Batam – Indonesia will continue to modernize its main weapon systems to become, by 2014, Southeast Asia's strongest military power in accordance with its strategic plan.

Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said the modernization drive was related to the United States' decision to station littoral combat ships (LCS) in Singapore and Australia's move to relocate its main naval base from Sydney to Brisbane.

He added, however, that the defense policies of both countries were not aimed at Indonesia, but were a response to the South China Sea disputes.

Purnomo was speaking at a press conference after officiating at the launch of two PC-43 fast patrol vessels, manufactured by PT Palindo Marine Shipyard, at Batu Ampar Port in Batam, Riau Islands, on Thursday.

One of the boats, the KRI Pari 849, will be deployed to the Navy's Eastern Fleet, while the KRI Sembilang 850 will be deployed to the Western Fleet's Padang Naval Base.

Purnomo said the two patrol boats were part of an order of four PC-43s, having been 10 to 15 years since Indonesia last modernized its weapon systems. "Now, Indonesia has the wherewithal to update its weapon systems," he said.

The 43-meter patrol boats are 7 meters wide with a displacement of 250 tons. Their maximum speed is 24 knots, with a cruising speed of 17 knots and economic speed of 15 knots and four-day endurance.

Each comes with rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) that are powered by a 75-horsepower outboard engine.

While PC-43s are similar in appearance to KCR-40 fast-missile boats, the patrol boats are not designed to carry missiles. Both types of vessel have a steel hull with an aluminum superstructure.

Meanwhile, Army chief of staff Lt. Gen. Budiman outlined the Army's plan to modernize its weapon systems, including the acquisition of 16 assault helicopters, 12 light armed scout helicopters and eight AH-64 Apache attack helicopters.

The Army also aims to procure 45 Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks, a number of Leopard 2A Evolution tanks and 50 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs).

The Army is also purchasing two battalions of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) with a range of 115 kilometers and nine batteries of short- range air defense weapon systems for three battalions. "The Apache attack helicopters will only be delivered in 2017, but the other systems will be deployed to their respective units in the near future," said Budiman.

Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Moeldoko said the TNI's main weapon systems would reach 53 percent of the strategic plan total by 2014, adding that it had reached 37 percent this year.

Support for Kopassus continues as verdicts read

Jakarta Post - September 6, 2013

Slamet Susanto and Bambang Muryanto, Archipelago – Hundreds of supporters of members of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) being tried at the II-11 Yogyakarta Military Court staged a rally when the verdicts were read on Thursday.

Twelve Kopassus members were tried for their alleged role in a prison attack killing four detainees at the Cebongan Penitentiary in Sleman regency, Yogyakarta.

Military prosecutors charged the defendants with premeditated murder and sought eight months to 12 years' imprisonment for them.

The supporters held up banners and burned tires, blocking the Eastern Ring Road in front of the military court building. They also threw tomatoes at the building over disappointment that the panel of judges found the defendants guilty.

The main perpetrator, Second Sgt. Ucok Tigor Simbolon was sentenced to an 11-year prison term and discharged from military service.

In the same dossier, Second Sgt. Sugeng Sumaryanto was sentenced to eight years behind bars and First Cpl. Kodik six years. Both were also discharged from military service. In another dossier, five defendants received 21- month prison terms.

"Panel of judges, please use your conscience. Please notice how Yogyakarta is free from thuggery after the four thugs were killed by Kopassus members," Akbar, one of the protesters, said.

Another protester said that the thugs had been involved with drug distribution in the region. "Don't let drugs destroy younger generations," he said.

Since the trials, divided into four dossiers, started on June 20, Kopassus supporters have packed the military court building. "The court is usually empty because we mostly handle desertion cases," Yogyakarta military court chief, Lt. Col. Faridah Faisal once told The Jakarta Post.

Also showing support during the trials were members of Kopassus Group 2 Kandang Menjangan, who usually arrived early to save seats for the families of Kopassus members or high-ranking officers attending the trial. Rally speeches outside were also often heard from inside the courtroom.

In their speeches, supporters would urge the panel of judges to ignore statements from the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and Kontras regarding possible serious human rights violations in the killings of Hendrik Angel Sahetapi, Yohanes Juan Mambait, Gameliel Yermianto Rohi Riwu and Adrianus Candra Gajala.

Some of the supporters also yelled at Komnas HAM chairwoman Siti Noor Laila, who attended the case's first trial, and accused her for being an accessory of foreign interests. However, no stern action was taken against them despite their disturbances.

Spokesperson of the People's Coalition for Military Court Monitoring (KPRM), Sumiardi, said that what Kopassus supporters did could be categorized as intervention.

"Approaching the reading of the verdict, it was getting clearer that there was pressure and intervention from both outside and inside the courtroom," Sumiardi said, referring to the blocking of the court's fence by supporters after a trial.

Chronology of Cebongan prison attack

March 19:

12:30 a.m.: Chief Sgt. Heru Santoso dies from a stab wound sustained at Hugos Cafe, Yogyakarta – Hendrik Angel Sahetapi, 31, Yohanes Juan Manbait, 38, Gameliel Yermianto Rohi Riwu, 29, and Andrianus Candra Galaja, 33, are named suspects.

6 a.m.: Kopassus Group 2 Kandang Menjangan commander Lt. Col. Maruli Simanjuntak during morning roll call tells his troops not to be inflamed by the incident and say that police are handling the case.

March 21:

First Sgt. Sriyono, former Kopassus Group 2 commando and member of the Yogyakarta Military Command, is fatally stabbed in the head, reportedly by Marcel and accomplices in Lempuyangan, Yogyakarta.

March 22:

4 p.m.: At a training ground on the slopes of Mt. Lawu, Second Sgt. Ucok Tigor Simbolon asks Second Sgt. Sugeng Sumaryoto and First Cpl. Kodik to accompany him to Yogyakarta to look for Marcel and friends to exact revenge.

5:45 p.m.: The three men leave in Ucok's car, armed with three AK-47 assault rifles, two replica AK-47s, a pistol, balaclavas and vests.

6:30 p.m.: They arrive at the Kopassus Group 2 headquarters in Kartasura, Central Java, and go to their respective homes.

8 p.m.: They meet Kopassus commandos First Sgt. Trijuwanto, First Sgt. Anjar Rahmanto, First Sgt. Mathius Roberto P Banani, First Sgt. Suprapto, First Sgt. Hermawan Siswoyo and Second Sgt. Ichmawan Suprapto at a canteen.

They leave in two cars for Yogyakarta, where they drive around Lempuyangan and Malioboro looking for but failing to locate Marcel and accomplices.

11 p.m.: They take a break at a police post near the Yogyakarta Technology University (UTY) and get information on the transfer of police detainees to Cebongan Penitentiary and decide to go to there.

March 23:

12:15 a.m.: Upon arrival at the penitentiary, Ucok tells the others to distribute the firearms, don masks and enter the penitentiary. Ichmawan waits in the car. Four prison detainees are shot dead.

12:30 a. m.: The commandos leave the penitentiary.

3:15 a.m.: They arrive at Kopassus Group 2 headquarters and burn the CCTV video recording that they seized from the prison in a garbage bin near the shooting range and dump it in the Bengawan Solo River.

5:30 a.m.: Ucok, Sugeng and Kodik return to the training ground, feigning to be sleepy as if nothing has happened.

Kopassus Special Forces soldiers guilty over Cebongan murders

Jakarta Globe - September 6, 2013

A military tribunal jailed three members of Indonesia's Kopassus special forces for the extrajudicial executions of four prison inmates in the conclusion of the closely watched trial on Thursday.

The men stood in ranks as presiding judge Lieu. Col. Joko Sasmito delivered the verdict before the Bantul, Yogyakarta, courthouse, admonishing the soldiers for their involvement in March's revenge killings.

"They committed a crime when they were supposed to be training," he said. "It was carried out in prison and four people died, causing a deep wound for the victims' families and a deep trauma for the prison warden and other inmates. They have tainted the military's good name."

Military prosecutors said the three were guilty of the murders of Adrianus Candra Galaga, Gamaliel Yermiayanto Rohi Riwu, Hendrik Angel Sahetapi and Yohanes Juan Mambait.

Second Sgt. Ucok Tigor Simbolon, the ringleader of the rogue soldiers, was sentenced to 11 years in prison. Second Sgt. Sugeng Sumaryanto was sentenced to eight years and First Corporal Kodik to six years. All were dismissed from military service.

Lawyers for the disgraced soldiers immediately said they would file appeals with the court.

The three men stormed the Cebongan Prison, in Sleman, Yogyakarta, under the cover of darkness on March 23, gunning down four men awaiting trial for the stabbing to death of a fellow soldier in a barroom brawl.

Five other soldiers involved in the raid were sentenced to 21 months in prison at a separate tribunal.

The murders, which have been described as both an act of cold-blooded revenge and a justified example of esprit de corps, further exposed the dark side of the Indonesian military – an organization with a checkered human rights record and a history of violent power struggles with police.

Human rights groups have criticized President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for allowing the military to investigate itself. The president, a former four- star army general, has been reluctant to reform Indonesia's powerful armed forces.

Investigators repeatedly characterized the slain prisoners as "thugs," and said the soldiers were acting out of loyalty to their fallen friend when they murdered the four men.

Maj. Gen. Hardiono Saroso, who was ousted from his command in the wake of the killings, threw his support behind the narrative, telling reporters he was proud of the soldiers.

"I respect them and I am proud of the 11 soldiers who are currently being investigated," he told the Indonesian newspaper Tempo in April. "[They] honored the esprit de corps by standing up for what they believed in and being honest about their actions."

The major general was not alone in his views. In the months following the slayings, images painting Kopassus soldiers as caring members of society began to crop up on social media. One Facebook page titled "Dukung Kopassus Berantas Premanisme" ("Support Kopassus in Eradicating Thuggery") ridiculed the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and accused the police of acts of brutality. The page had received nearly 16,000 "likes" by Thursday.

Outside the courthouse on Thursday afternoon, police worked to quell a riotous demonstration in support of the Kopassus soldiers. The protestors, many dressed in paramilitary outfits, burned tires and shouted slogans as police attempted to extinguish the flames. Indonesian TV news channels carried footage of smoke-filled streets and jostling men in camouflage fatigues staging a typically theatrical protest as the judges prepared to deliver the verdict.

An act of 'street justice'

First Sarg. Santoso was bleeding heavily from a stab would inflicted by a broken bottle after a brawl broke out between Kopassus soldiers and four patrons on March 19 at Yogyakarta's Hugo's Cafe. He would be declared dead a short time later.

What happened next to the four men responsible for the death can be traced to a fatal error of judgement from Yogyakarta Police chief Brig. Gen. Sabar Rahardjo.

Yogyakarta Police charged Adiranus, Gamaliel, Hendrik and Yohanes in connection with the soldier's death. One of the men, Yohanes, was identified as a Yogyakarta Police officer by the press the day after the murder, but the Kopassus soldiers may have known of his identity before. Enmity between the police and armed forces runs deep and is not new, but it is not known whether Yohanes's job as a police officer affected what happened in Cebongan.

Sabar received intelligence that Kopassus soldiers were planning an attack on the Yogyakarta Police compound to avenge their colleague.

Faced with the prospect of a raid on his office by the best-trained soldiers in the Indonesian military, Sabar transferred the men to Cebongan prison on Mar. 22 without putting in place the extra resources needed to give the men a level of protection, a National Police source said in April.

"Sabar is considered to have made a mistake by transferring the detainees. He should have informed the National Police chief, and we could have sent reinforcements – such as Brimob [Mobile Brigade] members – to strengthen the Yogyakarta police," the source said.

At 12:30 a.m. on Mar. 23, hours after the four had been transferred to Cebongan, 11 special forces soldiers led by Ucok arrived at the prison. Masked and armed, they identified themselves to prison wardens as police detectives who needed to speak with the men.

One warden who refused to cooperate was beaten while the Kopassus soldiers held down the perimeter and disabled CCTV cameras to cover their tracks.

Ucok, Kodik and Sugeng then moved to the holding cell of the men indicted over Santoso's murder. Ucok executed each of the four men with a gun shot to the head as they stood in their cell.

By the time the soldiers had left, four men lay dead and two prison wardens – Widiatmoko and Nugroho Putro – required hospitalization for their injuries.

Suspicion of military involvement in the killings was immediate due to the strength of motive together with the high-level of organization and skill required to break into a prison. Nonetheless, military top brass were quick to wash their hands of the affair.

"It wasn't the TNI," Hardiono, the regional commander of the armed forces, said after the attack. "No soldiers were involved." Two weeks later lead investigator Brig. Gen. Unggul K. Yudhoyono said it was indeed Kopassus soldiers who had carried out the killings. Ucok, Kodik and Sugeng confessed to the crime on Apr. 5.

Hardiono was stood down, telling reporters he would gladly sacrifice his position to stand with the soldiers. "It's the manifestation of my unwavering solidarity," he told Tempo.

The wider narrative of the Cebongan case was crystallized by Hardiono's comments to the effect that the armed forces were entitled to operate in an alternative judicial reality in a country where despite more than a decade of civilian rule the military continues to remain a powerful force in the political and commercial landscape.

On April 5, Yudhoyono delivered a speech criticizing the soldiers for taking the law into their own hands, calling the killings an act of "brutality."

"Street justice cannot be justified under the state's law," Yudhoyono said. "It was said the attack happened because of the 'spirit of the corps.' because a group of thugs brutally murdered a member of Kopassus. But brutality in any form cannot be justified."

But further calls to let civilian courts, not the military, conduct the investigation and trial were ignored.

A flawed but open trial

Komnas HAM applauded the military for holding an open trial, a rare show of transparency for the armed forces, but called the proceedings flawed and closed to testimony from human rights monitors.

"Most of the questions asked by the panel of judges were not about what the witnesses heard or saw, but were things like 'what do you think about the case?'" Siti Noor Laila, head of Komnas HAM, said. "If they wanted an opinion, they should have asked experts, not the witnesses."

The Setara Institute, a prominent Jakarta-based think tank, called the verdict fair, but criticized the military investigation for stopping at low-ranking soldiers.

"[The dismissal] is what they deserved as they acted outside the code of conduct for military soldiers," Bonar Tigor Naipospos, deputy director of the Setara Institute, said.

"[But] still, their superiors remained untouched. It seems like the soldiers are being sacrificed to keep the institution's name clean. [The case] was presented like they did this spontaneously."

Kopassus case shows shortcomings of military tribunals: Amnesty

Jakarta Globe - September 6, 2013

The conviction of eight Kopassus special forces members in the brutal jailhouse killings of four men at Cebongan Prison was an important step in ending the culture of impunity surrounding the Indonesian armed forces, Amnesty International said.

But the military tribunals, which were tainted by accusations of witness intimidation and hampered by superficial investigations, illustrated how ill-equipped military courts were to try soldiers for rights offenses, the international human rights group said on Friday.

"Military courts should never be used to try its own soldiers for human rights violations – they lack independence and impartiality, in particular in Indonesia where there's a shocking track record of impunity for security forces' past crimes," Amnesty International's Deputy Asia Pacific Director Isabelle Arradon said.

Indonesian armed forces have a longstanding history of human-rights abuses, including accusations of torture and civilian deaths, and violent power struggles with the police.

Most offenses by soldiers have historically been settled behind closed doors and resulted in sanctions, not jail time. Others, such as accusations of military involvement in several acts of violence following the fall of Gen. Suharto, remain unaddressed.

The Kopassus soldiers were found guilty of staging an undercover raid at the Sleman, Yogyakarta, prison and executing four men awaiting trial in the fatal stabbing of a fellow soldier during a barroom brawl. The extrajudicial killings, which were carried out by Second Sgt. Ucok Tigor Simbolon, were seen as the latest example of armed forces acting as though they were above the law.

Human rights groups and legal observers called on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to demand the soldiers face a civilian court and an impartial investigation. The president, a former four-star Army general, has been loath to reform the military during his two terms in office and declined to respond to the requests.

Instead, the soldiers were investigated by a military team that repeatedly characterized the victims, one of which was a Yogyakarta Police officer, as thugs. The Kopassus members, including those who assaulted two prison wardens and shot four unarmed men in the head, were motivated by loyalty to the corps., Brig. Gen. Untung K. Yudhoyono, the head of the investigation team, said shortly after the killings.

The investigation stopped short of implicating anyone other than those directly involved. Allegations that senior military members in Yogyakarta either knew of or played a hand in the killings were ignored, Amnesty International said.

"We are... concerned that military investigators failed to follow up on reports that police or other non-military personnel may have been complicit in the crimes," Arradon said. "A selective investigation can never provide full justice to victims."

Claims of witness intimidation marred much of the military court proceedings as Kopassus supporters held rallies outside the Bantul, Yogyakarta, courthouse.

"These courts... create an intimidating atmosphere for witnesses," Arradon said. "During this trial, there were reports of pro-Kopassus groups being present inside and outside the tribunal on a daily basis – many witnesses said they were scared to testify. These groups also reportedly intimidated the military prosecutors."

In the end eight Kopassus members were sentenced to jail time, ranging from 21 months to 11 years, and dismissed from the military for their roles in the slayings.

Civilians facing similar charges would have faced a maximum sentence of death under Indonesia's Criminal Code.

Amnesty International urged Indonesian authorities to amend the current law to require that all human rights cases involving military personnel were handled by an independent civilian court. The courts must also provide compensation for the victims' families, Arradon said.

"In addition to bringing the perpetrators of these crimes to justice, the authorities must also provide the families of those killed with satisfactory reparations, including compensation, rehabilitation and guarantees that they will not face reprisals or be targeted again," she said.

SBY and military court face test in Kopassus jail killings case

Jakarta Globe - September 5, 2013

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's reputation is on the line as a military tribunal into the alleged extrajudicial jailhouse killings of four inmates by members of the nation's Kopassus special forces concludes on Thursday, a human rights group said.

"The military tribunal is not only at stake with the verdict of the Cebongan case, but also Yudhoyono," Hendardi, the chairman of Setara Institute, said.

Three soldiers stand accused of storming the Cebongan Prison, in Sleman, Yogyakarta, and gunning down four inmates awaiting trial in the stabbing to death of a Kopassus soldier in a barrroom brawl. The killings, which were conducted under the cover of night, have been described as both an act of cold-blooded revenge and an all-too-real example of the "esprit de corps."

Second Sgt. Ucok Tigor Simbolon, the alleged leader of the gang of rouge soldiers, is facing a maximum sentence of 12 years in prison. His subordinates, Second Sgt. Sugeng Sumaryanto and First Corporal Kodik, face lesser sentences.

The outcome of the tribunal will shine a light on a legal process few activists trust and Yudhoyono, a former four-star Army general, has been reluctant to reform during his two terms in office.

The president could have pushed for a redraft of the nation's Military Law to require members of the armed forces to face civilian courts. He also could have demanded a team of independent investigators handled the case, Hendardi said.

Instead the military was allowed to investigate itself. By allowing soldiers to stand trial in a military court, the investigation stopped short of probing the involvement of higher-ranking officers in the March killings, he said. He feared that the military would offer up these three soldiers as a sacrifice in an effort to protect the top officers allegedly acting behind the scenes the night of the slayings.

"The decision of trying the perpetrators in a military tribunal has closed the valve [on further investigation] and has allowed many of the parties allegedly involved to remain untouched," Hendardi said.

The National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM) is supervising the court proceedings. The military tribunal's integrity is on the line with the verdict of this case, Siti Noor Laila, head of Komnas HAM, told the Indonesian news portal Tempo.

Members of the House of Representatives Commission III, which oversees legal affairs, are also keeping a close eye on the verdict, commission head Gede Pasek Suardik, of the Democratic Party, said.

"If the military tribunal is not capable [of issuing a fair verdict] it needs to be re-evaluated," Gede told the Indonesian news portal Tribun News. "Everyone is equal in front of the law. But if it proves to be effective [at delivering justice], then it's debatable."

A verdict in the trial is expected Thursday afternoon.

Trial draws a vigilante crowd

Sydney Morning Herald - September 5, 2013

Michael Bachelard – As 12 of the Indonesian army's Kopassus special forces troops await sentencing for breaking into a prison and gunning down four inmates in March, some of their strongest supporters are taking a stroll down memory lane.

Adjad Soeharsono and Sapto Arie Widjanarko are reminiscing about the early 1980s, when the dead bodies of criminals would be discovered lying in Indonesian streets in the morning, the victims of brutal overnight justice.

Somewhere between 3000 and 10,000 alleged gangsters died during Petrus, a contraction of the Indonesian words for "mysterious shootings". It later emerged the army was doing the killing.

"At the time, people were happy with the mysterious killings, because the crime rate went down," says Adjad, the Yogyakarta deputy of the Forum for the Children of Police and Army Members.

The expected sentencing on Thursday of Kopassus trigger-man Second Sergeant Ucok Tigor Simbolon and his 11 comrades in arms has brought these memories to the surface. In the process it has become an embodiment of Indonesia's democratic growing pains.

In Jakarta and among human rights organisations, the soldiers' actions are seen as a throwback to the era of dictatorship, when the army often acted with impunity.

In Yogyakarta, though, among many ordinary people, the Kopassus troops' action has been welcomed as a firm strike against criminal networks that police and the courts have proved unwilling or unable to curb.

Adjad, Sapto and their followers are part of what Indonesians call Ormas – civilian "mass organisations", some of which sport uniforms and a paramilitary style.

In the past, such organisations have been used by political parties as a kind of militia. But they are converting the desire for greater security into mass appeal and even political power.

The main target of the prison killings was Hendrik "Diki" Benyamin Sahetapy Angel, a gangster and street criminal who had allegedly murdered more than once, and also raped. His gang was in jail that night on remand for the nightclub killing of a Kopassus sergeant.

The killings, and the subsequent military trial, ask the question of this young democracy: is the rule of law ready yet to prevail over the law of the street? Judging by the breadth and depth of support for Kopassus in Yogyakarta, the answer is belum – not yet.

Worryingly, the most vocal Kopassus supporters threaten a violent response if their heroes are dealt with harshly by the tribunal.

Adjad and Sapto, who is deputy chairman of Pancasila Youth, are among members of a dozen or more "mass organisations" supporting the Kopassus 12. Their members have attended every day of the trial, making speeches, flying banners and cheering the accused.

During these protests, witnesses say they have been intimidated, military prosecutors have been blocked from entering their offices and one had his car tyres deflated.

But this "support" has been welcomed by Kopassus' leadership. Muhammad Jazir, a local religious scholar who supports the accused officers, said that after the backing shown on the trial's first day, the head of Kopassus, Lieutenant-Colonel Maruli Simanjuntak, contacted the civilian groups to say thank you. They had since joined together for some events, including a bike ride around Yogyakarta.

This co-operation between mass organisations and the special forces – infamous in Indonesia for their brutal suppression of separatists in Aceh, Timor and West Papua – may be temporary, and may be restricted to this case and this location. But it is also an expression of a much broader lack of confidence many feel in Indonesia's hopelessly corrupt police and legal systems.

"What people see is the increase of crimes, the increase of corruption," said Muchamad Suhud, the leader of mass organisation Paksi Katon, which sees itself as a guardian of Javanese culture and the Yogyakarta sultanate.

"If the law enforcers are unable to provide security, then of course we have to help the people by any means, including street justice," Sapto said. "Who else will?"

That such people are making friends with Kopassus and talking of "mysterious killings" is telling. "If the government lets this situation continue, this could be a time bomb," Suhud said. "Only God knows what will happen in the future if this lack of law enforcement continues."

Fury on streets as Kopassus officers dismissed, handed jail sentences

Sydney Morning Herald - September 5, 2013

Michael Bachelard – The three soldiers from Indonesia's special forces unit Kopassus who led a murderous attack on a group of prisoners in Yogyakarta in March, have been dismissed from the military and handed sentences of up to 11 years in jail.

The verdict in a military tribunal in Yogyakarta will infuriate the men's supporters in the city's numerous "mass organisations", who believe the men are heroes for killing four preman, or gangsters, and ridding the streets of violence. But the verdict will reassure human rights groups, who had called for a heavy sentence.

The military judges, under presiding judge Joko Sasmito, found the three ringleaders of the 12-man attack convincingly guilty of premeditated murder.

Second Sergeant Ucok Tigor Simbolon was sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment, Second Sergeant Sugeng Sumaryanto to eight, and First Corporal Kodik to six years, close to the prosecutors' demand.

Outside, hundreds of people in paramilitary uniforms immediately roared their disapproval at the process, at human rights groups and at gangsters, setting fire to tyres and signalling their intention to protest. Some hinted at violence.

The men's defence counsel had argued the killing was spontaneous and that Sergeant Ucok, the ringleader and trigger-man, had gone to the prison only to beat up the gangster "Diki" and his friends for murdering another Kopassus sergeant, Heru Santoso, in a nightclub fight three weeks earlier.

They claimed Sergeant Ucok had been spooked when somebody threw a crutch at him upon entering the gangsters' cell. The judges, though, found that from the time the soldiers started driving to the Cebongan prison in Sleman, Yogyakarta, they had formed the intention to kill.

The judges found that the three accused had broken into the prison at gunpoint and shot three of the prisoners immediately upon reaching the cell.

Sergeant Ucok's weapon then jammed. Sergeant Sugeng helped him fix it and he then returned to the cell, asking "which is the other one?" before shooting a fourth man. Judge Kurniawati Syarif said Sergeant Ucok's exit from and re-entry to the cell proved the men had intended to kill.

Other accused men took the video security equipment from the jail back to barracks, where they burned it and threw it in the river.

This case is being closely watched as a test of the strength of Indonesia's democratic institutions.

Kopassus was tasked by then dictator Suharto with carrying out Indonesia's dirty wars against insurgents in East Timor, Aceh and West Papua, but even after his fall, the unit enjoyed wide forgiveness for its crimes.

Five other defendants were given one year and nine months' imprisonment, with no dismissal from the military, also broadly in line with the prosecutors' demand.

Outside the court, a defiant Sergeant Ucok said: "I respect the law, and that's why it's my right to appeal."

He thanked the "people of Yogykarta" for their support. "Once I have served my sentence, me, my wife and children will live in Yogyakarta, and together we will fight the preman," he said.

As the convicted soldiers departed, uniformed protesters gave them a wooden slingshot each, a stone to shoot – a symbol that they would fight the sentence – and a batik scarf.

"The people will fight back against the sentence delivered today," speakers in the crowd said. "The panel of judges do not have a conscience, they only read the law literally so that the sentence is unfair. Kopassus should not give up to preman."

Doubts linger over Cebongan trials

Jakarta Post - September 4, 2013

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – As the trials of 12 soldiers accused of slaying four inmates in a Yogyakarta prison draw to a close, human rights defenders say they have little confidence in the military court to deliver fair verdicts.

The Yogyakarta Military Court is expected to reach verdicts in the high- profile trials on Sept. 5 and 6. The panels of judges handling the case, which is divided into four dossiers, will decide the fate of the 12 defendants and members, of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) Group 2 Kandang Menjangan in Kartosuro, Central Java, for their alleged roles in the killings of four detainees at Cebongan Penitentiary in Sleman, earlier this year.

The defendants are facing between eight months to 12 years' imprisonment for various charges, ranging from insubordination to premeditated murder, as demanded by the prosecutors.

The heaviest sentence demands were made for on Second Sgt. Ucok Tigor Simbolon, Second Sgt. Sugeng Sumaryanto and First Corp. Kodik, who could face 12 years, 10 years and eight years in prison respectively. The prosecutors also demanded the three be dishonorably discharged.

Sumiardi of the Indonesian Islamic University's Center of Human Rights Studies slammed the court and the prosecutors for not being serious enough in prosecuting the defendants. "Judges were not serious in digging up the facts and the prosecutors were not critical enough," he said on Tuesday.

The judges, he said, set aside testimonies from the defendants that they once thought of disguising as police members to get access to the penitentiary and seemed to corner witnesses by asking their psychological conditions several times. "There were also efforts to spin the criminal case into a campaign against thuggery," he added.

The lawyer for Ucok, Sugeng and Kodik, Lt. Col. Rohmad, has asked the panel of judges to free his clients, arguing that although Ucok had taken the lives of other people, he should be excused because the four murdered detainees were thugs who had caused problems in the community. Sugeng and Kodik, on the other hand, were not found to have been involved in the murders, he added.

Sumiardi also slammed the lawyers who claimed in their closing arguments that the defendants were suffering from stress disorders but always rejected plans to examine their mental condition.

Wahyudi Djafar of the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM) highlighted the fact that the panels seemed to allow intimidating supporters of the defendants into the courtroom.

There were also several incidents of loud vocal protests by supporters of the soldiers outside of the courtroom. Komnas HAM chairwoman Siti Noor Laila was also harassed by them at one point.

"Since not a single crucial fact was explored during the trials, we doubt the verdicts will be fair and accountable," Wahyudi said.

Helmy Fauzi, a lawmaker from House's Commission I overseeing defense, said it was now time to reform the military tribunal. "Either the system or the esprit de corps must be changed," he said.

The 2004 Military Law actually mandated to revise the 1997 Military Tribunals Law – the legal foundation of the establishment of military tribunals, which Helmy deemed had yet to reflect justice.

Sriyana, human rights enforcement coordinator at the Komnas HAM, said they would not stop advocating the case after the upcoming verdicts. "Should there be an appeal, we will forward an amicus curiae [a brief filed by someone who is not party to a case] about our findings, which once was rejected by the panels," she said.

Komnas HAM has recently pointed out discrepancies between the facts presented in the trial and those uncovered by the commission in the field, including the number of perpetrators and the weapons they carried.

New TNI commander to deploy troops to safeguard investment

Viva News - September 4, 2013

Anggi Kusumadewi, Erick Tanjung – Indonesia's newly appointed military (TNI) chief, General Moeldoko, will deploy TNI forces to maintain state security and protect investments in Indonesia. This was conveyed by Moeldoko at a ceremony to hand over command at the TNI's headquarters in Cilangkap in Jakarta on Wednesday September 4.

Moeldoko said that there is a need for national economic management in the midst of economic uncertainty and a slowdown in the global economy. This represents a challenge that must be addressed with mental readiness and correct policies. Because of this systematic measures are needed.

"The TNI will deploy all of its facilities and forces in order to provide a sense of security for those investing in Indonesia", said Moeldoko who is replacing Admiral Agus Suhartono as the commander-in-chief of the TNI. He appealed to foreign investors not to be hesitant or concerned about investing in Indonesia.

Moeldoko also appealed to all elements of society to take part in maintaining security and creating a favorable environment for investment in Indonesia. "Let us restrain [ourselves] from clashes and communal conflicts that disrupt social peace and the integrity of the nation and the state", he said.

Moeldoko was chosen as the new TNI commander even though he only held the post of army chief of staff for six months. He is considered to have performed well. Born in Kediri, East Java on July 9, 1957, he received the prestigious Adhi Makayasa Medal as the top military academy (Akabri) graduate in 1981.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

New army chief says he's committed to peaceful polls

Jakarta Globe - September 3, 2013

Yeremia Sukoyo – The new chief of staff of the Indonesian Army has made a strong commitment to ensure a smooth and peaceful national election next year.

Welcoming Lt. Gen. Budiman as the new Army chief of staff on Friday, the former chief of the Indonesian Military Adm. Agus Suhartono on Monday called on Budiman to stay on course with current military initiatives.

"The TNI [Indonesian National Defense Force] must consistently stay true to its commitment to remain neutral and to consistently safeguard the 2014 general elections," he said. "Such neutrality will be key for the TNI's role to oversee smooth and peaceful general elections."

He emphasized that the 2014 general elections and the leadership succession was an important moment for the Indonesian people because the country's national development depended on it.

Budiman agreed that the TNI should keep its neutrality in next year's general elections and vowed to take firm action against members who violated it.

Other initiatives from the new leadership are to engage in active military diplomacy with other countries in order to enhance training and education and perform joint military exercises to build mutual respect and understanding.

Referring to the global and national economic slowdown, Agus said the TNI should prioritize and strengthen its capacity to secure the country's border areas and outer islands, but that it should remain prudent.

"My hope is that all officers, especially in the Indonesian Military, will avoid any form of propaganda and provocation that could disrupt the sovereignty and unity of the Republic of Indonesia," Agus said.

Budiman, replacing Gen. Moeldoko who has now assumed the position of chief of the military, said he would continue to carry out his predecessors' programs which included improving the professionalism of military personnel.

Budiman added his own initiatives, stating that he hoped to also increase the military's engagement with the community to build closer relationships with the public and improve the army's reputation.

"We will increase our involvement so that the people will like us more. This is because we come from the people and are paid by the people. We also have to be accountable to the people so that we can meet the public's expectations," the new chief of staff said.

Budiman was the defense ministry's secretary general before being appointed in his new role based on a recommendation by the chief of the military.

Meanwhile, Moeldoko earned unanimous approval from the House of Representatives last week as the new TNI chief to replace Agus.

Agus approved Moeldoko's appointment, saying he was capable of taking on the new role. "First of all, he is the best graduate [of his class], he also has enough experience as well as capacity for high quality [of work]," Agus said last week.

The outgoing TNI chief advised his successor to "be consistent with what we have planned in order to empower the military."

During his fit-and-proper test prior to being approved by the House, Moeldoko promised to improve the welfare of soldiers, especially that of commanders, by boosting their salaries.

"The increase in their remuneration will be raised from 37 percent to 57 percent," he said, adding that he would also consider providing housing and medical facilities for members of the armed forces.

Moeldoko said his development plan for the military will further include improving the professionalism and welfare of soldiers, maintaining stability, more openness, and modernizing the military's primary weapons systems.

He said procuring primary weapon systems was part of an effort to modernize the Indonesian armed forces and lessening the country's dependence on foreign systems, which risk being subject to embargoes.

The two military leaders assume their new roles at a time of increased public scrutiny of the TNI following high-profile cases of abuse of power, friction with the police and human rights violations.

Intelligence & state security

Foreign intel in Indonesia on the up, warns spy chief

Jakarta Post - September 2, 2013

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – The country's more assertive role in the regional and global arena, on top of its rich natural resources, have turned the country into a magnet for foreign espionage activities, says a top intelligence official.

National Intelligence Agency (BIN) head Lt. Gen. (ret.) Marciano Norman said the number of foreign intelligence officials, both in formal channels and in covert operations, appeared to be on the rise.

"Formally, foreign intelligence agencies operating in Indonesia declare details about their agents to us. Similar procedures apply to BIN agents operating in foreign countries. But there are also many agents in disguise. The BIN knows these people and where they are operating," Marciano told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

He said the intensity of foreign undercover espionage activities had increased as Indonesia's position was elevated at the regional and global levels. Marciano added many of these agents tried to take advantage of the country.

"To these undercover agents, [I say] just go ahead, as long as you do not violate the laws. Otherwise, you will be subject to the law. Any foreigners who don't declare themselves as intelligence agents but carry out intelligence operations must be treated as persona non grata," Marciano said, adding that the agency had always kept an eye on the movement of these individuals.

"All states that are friendly to Indonesia have this kind of agents operating here," he added.

While refusing to give more details, Marciano shrugged off speculation that the number of undercover foreign spies operating in the country was in the hundreds of thousands.

Formal foreign agents, he said, usually operate to serve citizens of their respective countries who reside in Indonesia. "They come to us whenever certain political or security developments occur. They have consultation with us on how the situation could affect the lives of their fellow countrymen currently in Indonesia," Marciano said.

"They even come to us and ask for permission if they want to go to regions for certain intelligence interests," he said.

Helmy Fauzi, a member of House of Representatives' Commission I overseeing defense and foreign affairs, called on the government to improve its surveillance capacities in border areas and points of entrance, to deal with the intensifying operations of foreign agents.

"It's no longer a secret that we have many blank spots that are out of our radar coverage areas. This is an example of how vulnerable we are to the unauthorized entrance of foreign espionage activities," he told the Post on Sunday. "Indonesia is an easy target for foreign remote sensing used for intelligence."

Helmy also urged BIN to enhance its counter-intelligence efforts to compensate for its shortcomings in the border areas.

The House member also suspected most foreign agents were disguised as activists and journalists and ran their operations in the eastern regions of Indonesia.

"Some foreign NGOs, we must admit, must be put under closer scrutiny, particularly those that carry out almost all of their activities in Eastern Indonesia," Helmy said.

"This kind of organization, regardless of its mission to help local residents, must be suspected of having a hidden motivation to serve the interests of its home country. Assistance to locals could be aimed at generating sympathy for the sake of a foreign country's mission," he said.

Helmy, however, said not all foreign NGOs should be subject to surveillance. "There are international NGOs who are consistently critical, not only of Indonesia, but also of their own nations. These kinds of organizations have little possibility of being infiltrated by foreign intelligence activities," he said.

Mining & energy

How the resources race is institutionalizing poverty

Jakarta Globe - September 7, 2013

Tunggadewa Mattangkilang, Balikpapan/Jakarta – It is not only plantations but also oil and gas companies that threaten to turn parts of Papua into an industrial wasteland.

American multinational ConocoPhillips announced that it was planning to restart exploration, including seismic testing, in the Warim block – located several hundred kilometers inland from Merauke, Papua – in the near future.

The Forum to Care for Papua's Natural Resources, which opposes the move, said ConocoPhillips would only aggravate symptoms of social breakdown and environmental damage if it moved in because most corporations were only interested in profits, without caring about the environment and the Papuan indigenous people.

"As with other corporations in Papua, ConocoPhillips will only destroy the land used for extraction, destroy agricultural land, convert forests into industrial areas and reduce the land available for the local hunter and gatherer people. In the long term, mining [including oil and gas exploitation] is a main contributor to turning land into wasteland, which is then almost impossible to restore," the forum said in a press release.

According to the forum, mining in West Papua has caused land, water and air pollution such as dust, poisonous gases and noise. Coastal fish enclosures and coral reefs have been destroyed, while floods and landslides have wiped out biodiversity.

"Acidic water flows into rivers and eventually the sea, where it has destroyed coastal and marine ecosystems and resources. Mining causes various health problems, and local infrastructure such as roads are severely damaged. Mining also means new migrants move in to the area, either working for the companies or starting their own business in the mining areas," the forum said.

It added that mining creates symptoms of social distress such as prostitution, alcohol abuse, gambling, and other social ills. Land conflicts can occur, bringing with them a shift in sociocultural values. Food sources such as forest gardens are polluted or damaged, meaning harvests fail. These are just some examples of the complex problems which the Papuan people in general suffer.

Uncontrolled mining exploration

Mining activities continue to get out of control as regional administrations easily grant mining companies permits to boost regional earnings without considering the negative impacts on their regions.

The East Kalimantan Environmental Agency revealed that of the 1,386 mining permits issued in the province, most of them were located near public facilities such as schools, community health centers, public service offices and residential areas.

Environment Ministerial Decree No. 4/2012 states a mining site should be at least 500 meters away from public facilities but facts show that many companies have violated the decree.

"Not only in terms of proximity, the [decree] also regulates the width of the concentrated mining holes which should not exceed 20 percent of the whole mining site and 30 percent for fragmented mining sites. The 20 percent and 30 percent hole is already too big and it's environmentally unfriendly," the agency's head of environmental and contamination control Suyitno said on Wednesday.

Suyitno said it was rather difficult to implement the regulation because many of the mining companies were already in operation before the decree was issued and the decree was only effective for new mining companies or miners that wanted to open new fields.

Ahmad Taufik Hidayat, head of Kutai Kertanegara's Environmental Agency in East Kalimantan said the agency continued to create awareness of the decree.

"The case in which a company conducted mining activities near Sangasana high school in Kutai Kertanegara has to be punished. It violated the regulation because the proximity was just 30 meters away from the school. Ibu Rita [Kutai Kertanegara district head] has recommended the company's license be revoked," he said.

Separately, East Kalimantan Energy and Mineral Resources Office's head of mining businesses Markus Taruk Allo said there were thousands of coal miners in the region and hundreds of them were located near public facilities.

Markus said the East Kalimantan provincial administration had difficulties regulating miners because the central government had still not approved the province's proposed mining spatial planning (RTRW).

"We have agreed to stop mining [activities] near public facilities. This is in accordance with Environment Ministerial Decree No. 4/2012 regarding the environmentally-friendly indicator for business and/or opened coal mining activities," he said.

However, Markus said he could not blame companies that conducted mining activities near residential areas because the residences did not exist when they obtained the permit.

"Mining sites near residential areas occurred because East Kalimantan's proposed mining RTRW has still not been approved by the central [government]. The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has actually given the green light but the obstacle comes from parliament," he said.

Forests and mines exploited

A congress by indigenous people called on Kalimantan's provincial administrations to set up a team to study the possibility of making the island a special autonomous region in a bid to narrow the wide revenue gaps the island received compared to the central government.

The congress said Kalimantan has given a lot to the country in the form of mining, plantation and forestry but facts showed its people remained marginalized.

"Our forests have been depleted, the mines are even worse. Oil and coal have been exploited across the island," Sabran Achmad, head of the indigenous Dayak Council said last Sunday, adding the coal and oil were mostly used to generate power on the island of Java.

He added that indigenous Kalimantan people who lived in remote areas were still lagging behind on various sectors. "Many roads are damaged. The condition of Kalimantan remains the same, despite what income is passed on to the central [government]," he said.

Corruptions rampant

Corruption remained rampant in both Kalimantan and Papua with many people saying poverty on both islands was institutionalized by illegal practices condoned by local authorities.

A Papuan Police officer recently made headlines for his vast wealth allegedly raised from illegal logging businesses. An international environmental group, which documented these illegal logging activities, has welcomed the decision by antigraft investigators to probe the case.

The London-based Environmental Investigation Agency released a statement in response to an announcement by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) that it would investigate allegations that Adj. First Insp. Labora Sitorus, an officer with the Sorong District Police in West Papua province, passed on sums amounting to $1 million to senior officers between January and April this year.

"We warmly welcome the KPK's intervention in the Labora Sitorus case," Faith Doherty, the head of the EIA's forest campaign, said in the statement.

Corruption practices are also believed to have plagued the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry. In a recent high-profile case the KPK banned Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry Secretary General Waryono Karno from traveling abroad after investigators allegedly found $200,000 in US banknotes in his office.

Reports also said Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik had been under the KPK's scrutiny for allegedly receiving kickbacks from an oil company that wanted to enter the country's lucrative oil and gas sector although the KPK have denied this.

Indonesia plans to soften foreign miners' divestment rule

Reuters - September 5, 2013

Jakarta – Indonesia plans to relax a rule forcing foreign miners to sell majority stakes and allow those who make downstream investments to keep bigger holdings, a spokesman at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry said on Thursday.

Last year, the Indonesian government said foreign companies must reduce their stake in a mine to 49 percent or less within 10 years of production starting, though it has been unclear how the rules will be applied.

The rule was part of a push by Indonesia, which is the world's top nickel ore, refined tin and thermal coal exporter, to generate more profits and influence in commodities markets.

"For those companies that integrate the upstream and downstream mining activities, they may have that divestment relaxation policy. Instead of divesting 51 percent to be achieved on year 10 of its activity," ministry spokesman Saleh Abdurrahman said in an email.

"They may divest less than that, depends on the negotiation," he said, adding there would be a revision to the current government regulation. He gave no timeframe for the change, but new regulations and rules can often get delayed in the lengthy Indonesian legislature system.

The mineral sector including coal contributes around 12 percent to Indonesia's economy. Foreign firms with mining projects in the country include Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Newmont Mining Corp, Brazil's Vale SA and France's Eramet.

The divestment rules and a ban on ore exports from January 2014 have resulted in uncertainty for miners and dented the country's credibility with foreign investors.

Eramet said in February it was not prepared to give up majority control of its Weda Bay nickel project and delayed a final investment decision to the second half of 2014.

The French company controls about 60 percent of the project, alongside Japanese firms Mitsubishi Corp and Pacific Metal Co Ltd, and Indonesian state-owned mining firm PT Antam.

Last month, Indonesia's government unveiled a fiscal package to promote foreign investment, reduce imports and quotas and prop up its tumbling rupiah currency.

Economy & investment

High logistics costs impede higher economic growth for Indonesia: WB

Jakarta Post - September 6, 2013

Jakarta – High logistics costs are a serious impediment to higher economic growth for Indonesia, says a report released on Friday by Bandung's Institute of Technology in West Java, in partnership with the World Bank.

"The costs of logistics across Indonesia account for some 24 percent of GDP (Gross Domestic Product), higher than in neighboring countries. Cutting costs and improving the quality of logistics and transport systems would vastly improve Indonesia's access to international markets and increase trade," a senior trade specialist at the World Bank, Henry Sandee, said in an official release.

The annual logistics report was compiled by Bandung Institute of Technology's Research Center for Logistics and Supply Chains, the Indonesian Logistics Association (ALI), the STC Group, Panteia Research Institute in the Netherlands and the World Bank Indonesia office. The report provides an analysis and overview of the progress made in tackling logistic problems in Indonesia.

One of the report's case studies examines inefficiencies at Jakarta's Tanjung Priok Port. "The waiting time (dwindling time) for containers at Tanjung Priok has increased from 4.8 days in October 2010, to 8 days in 2013. This is creating more bottlenecks for Indonesia's exports and imports," Sandee said.

Other findings suggest that opening the 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, has not translated into faster processing of documents or of goods.

The report also said that using Cikarang Dry Port – an integrated facility that supports Tanjung Priok in handling import and export shipments, as well as domestic transactions – may reduce costs and time. Yet, due to infrastructural and institutional constraints, Cikarang Dry Port remained under-utilized.

Indonesia at risk of repeat 1997-1998 crisis: Reports

Jakarta Post - September 6, 2013

Satria Sambijantoro, Jakarta – Due to the recent trend of capital outflow, Indonesia was particularly vulnerable to financial stress, economists have said.

Asian countries are now "closer than ever" to another 1997-1998 crisis. Whether history will repeat itself largely depends on policymakers' responses, according to a report by Singapore-based DBS Bank released on Thursday.

The report points to the recent capital outflow and slump in currencies and says that the region is "absolutely" headed for the 1997-1998 financial downturn all over again.

Although most Asian countries have strong external positions – which means that the region is still someway, at least five years, from an economic crisis similar to the 1990s – two specific countries stand out as exceptions.

"India and Indonesia need to be monitored. External balances of both countries have trended south for the past 10 years," DBS Bank economists, led by David Carbon, wrote in the report.

Carbon highlighted Indonesia's current account deficit, which has been posted for seven consecutive quarters since Oct. 2011, due to its large imports of fuel and capital goods.

In the second quarter this year, the current account deficit swelled to a historic high of US$9.8 billion, equivalent to 4.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), and Carbon suggested the government should pursue policy adjustments so that the deficit could be lowered at a more sustainable level of between 1.5 percent to 2.5 percent.

The current account deficit has been blamed for the weakness experienced by the rupiah: already under pressure due to the recent regional capital outflow.

Bank Indonesia (BI) hiked its key interest rate by a cumulative 125 basis points to 7 percent over the last three months to support the ailing currency, with economists predicting that the central bank, at its next board of governors' meeting on Sept. 12, will announce another interest rate hike.

However, higher interest rates also pose a risk to the banking industry, as they could squeeze banking liquidity and hurt mid-sized banks, as well as increase the bad-debt level.

Indonesia fell victim to the 1997-1998 crisis due to the vicious combination of a weak rupiah and high, bad debts, with the plunging currency at that time weighing heavily on private corporations with a sizeable amount of US dollar-based loans.

Indonesia's financial vulnerability was "moderately high" and the country needed to be watchful of multiplying risk in its banking sector, Bank of America Merrill Lynch wrote in its report on the possibility of a repeat Asian 1997-1998 financial crisis.

"Indonesia has had a moderate lending boomlet, and the bad debt cycle is likely next," the US-based bank warned.

Infrastructure boosts Indonesia competitiveness

Jakarta Post - September 5, 2013

Jakarta – The implementation of infrastructure projects planned by the government still need to be worked on, following the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI) report published by the World Economic Forum stating that infrastructure in Indonesia is improving.

Indonesia's ranking jumped 12 places to 38th with an index of 4.53 in the GCI after declining for three years in a row, thanks to infrastructure improvements.

"I'm happy that the ranking went up. But the reality is that we still need to improve," said Indonesian Employer's Association (Apindo) chairman Sofjan Wanandi on Wednesday. "The infrastructure projects [mentioned in the report] are still plans, we can enjoy the results in the next two to three years," Sofjan added.

Infrastructure in the country, considered "largely underdeveloped" in the GCI report 2012-2013, rose sharply to 61st from 78th as the report saw upgrades of roads, ports, water facilities and power. "That's [because of] the vast upgrades, but we [who live] here see it differently," said Sofjan.

The GCI, which is published annually by the World Economic Forum, included over 148 countries in 2013.

"Infrastructure, which includes basic requirement's aspects, accounted for 40 percent of the total survey. Thus, the increase in the category of infrastructure could bring up Indonesia's ranking significantly," said National Development Planning Minister Armida Alisjahbana.

"[People] are starting to feel the effect, after [the government] started to improve infrastructure nationwide over the past three years," said Armida.

As the government has been in the process of constructing better infrastructure throughout the country, it also needs to address the infrastructure of smaller regions in the future, according to Armida. "Otherwise, they [the infrastructures] won't be balance," she said.

Besides infrastructure, Indonesia also increased the quality of public and private institutions by five places to the 67th. "We rose by 12 places, whereas the neighboring countries only increased a little," Armida said.

Following Indonesia is the Philippines, which jumped from the 65th to the 59th because of the country's effort to fight corruption. "In the ethics and corruption category, the country has jumped from 135th in 2010 to 87th this year," the report said, while In Indonesia bribery and security remained "the dark spot".

On top of the index for five years in a row was Switzerland, as reported by Bloomberg. The country, which houses Nestle SA and Novartis AG, was credited for encouraging innovation and an efficient labor market. Its public institutions were the most effective and transparent and the economy is the most stable.

With good result in the GCI report, Armida expected similar grades from World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Index survey, which was usually published in October. The survey ranked countries based on the most conducive place to the start a business.

"Usually our ranking is within the top 100, but over two years we have been making many breakthroughs," she said. (nai)

Bad policies could cause a repeat of 1998

Jakarta Post - September 2, 2013

Satria Sambijantoro and Amahl S. Azwar, Jakarta/Cianjur, West Java – Indonesia has not come up with "good policies" quickly enough as its current account deficit widens and its currency continues to plummet.

And the failure by policy makers to deliver the right responses to investors could lead the country to a repeat of the traumatic 1998 financial crisis, during which the economy also saw an overshooting exchange rate, slumping foreign exchange (forex) reserves, high inflation and a sharp slowdown in growth.

Former Bank Indonesia (BI) governor Darmin Nasution once blamed the deficit, which has occurred for seven consecutive quarters since late 2011, on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's unwillingness to curb fuel subsidies that had enlarged oil imports and created an unnecessarily high dollar demand.

Following seven consecutive quarters of current account deficit, the government finally hiked fuel prices in June and introduced a fiscal policy package last month to help boost exports and reduce imports. These measures are expected to help address the current account deficit and weakening currency.

The current account deficit reached a historic high of US$9.8 billion, equivalent to 4.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), in the second quarter this year, while the rupiah is now trading near its four-year low of 11,000 per dollar.

"The current account deficit is a structural problem, and it will take two to five years just to reverse it back into surplus," warned Eric Alexander Sugandi, a Jakarta-based economist with Standard Chartered. "The policy package is just too late, it should have been introduced a long time ago."

International ratings agency Fitch Ratings, which granted Indonesia investment grade status in December 2011, has warned of "negative rating actions" if there was a "broad and more sustained loss of confidence among investors" toward Indonesia due to its deteriorating macroeconomic indicators.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) economist Iwan Jaya Azis was quoted by Kompas daily as saying: "If we do not act carefully, the 1998 financial crisis could happen again. The problem is not as simple as it looks, such as pressure on the exchange rate or deficits."

Vice President Boediono said he was "optimistic" Indonesia would get through the ongoing economic turmoil, adding he supported the central bank's recent move to raise its benchmark interest rate.

"I'm confident Indonesia will get through this crisis," he said on the sidelines of a media gathering at Cipanas Palace in Cianjur, West Java.

Boediono, a former BI governor, said he had faith in Finance Minister Chatib Basri and BI Governor Agus Martowardojo to address the turmoil, calling it "small storms or small turbulence".

Indonesia was the apple of every foreign investor's eye as it managed to stay strong when the global economy was still struggling to recover from the 2008 recession. At that time, the country also recorded low inflation, a stable political climate and a young workforce.

Two of the so-called "Big Three" ratings agencies granted a prestigious investment grade status to Indonesia's credit rating, which the archipelago had earlier lost following the 1998 financial crisis.

Improved investment grade credentials helped Indonesia to attract foreign investment, which jumped 26 percent to top its historic-high of $22 billion throughout last year.

Global consulting firm McKinsey & Company said Indonesia's economic potential was so high that, if local policy makers succeeded in retaining such a high level of growth, the archipelago would overtake Germany and the UK as the world's seventh-biggest economy by 2030.

But Indonesia must now swallow a bitter pill amid its turmoil. After enjoying 6-plus percent economic growth since 2010, the country surprisingly expanded by a mere 5.8 percent in the second quarter of the year. The central bank estimated the country's GDP could only grow by 5.9 percent by the end of the year from last year.

The situation was aggravated by the huge capital outflow occurring in the region as foreign investors were spooked by the possibility that the Federal Reserve – the US central bank – might soon taper its monetary stimulus that would lead to tighter global liquidity.

The Jakarta Composite Index (JCI), which closed at 4,195.09 last week, has dropped by more than 20 percent since breaching the 5,200-mark on May 20, two days before Fed Governor Ben Bernanke hinted over the possible winding up of the US monetary stimulus.

Bond yields are on an upward trend, driving up the government's borrowing costs that could exert further pressure on the state budget. Indonesia's benchmark 10-year government bonds have seen their yields rising by a cumulative 353 basis points since January, according to Asian Bonds Online data.

BI – which has jacked up its key interest rate by a cumulative 125 basis points to 7 percent this year to calm the restive financial market and save the rupiah – is losing its forex reserves that had depleted since the beginning of 2013 by 18 percent to $92.7 billion by the end of July.

Firms maneuver to survive

Jakarta Post - September 2, 2013

Raras Cahyafitri and Linda Yulisman, Jakarta – Several manufacturers are considering delaying the importing of their raw materials while others are having to increase the prices of their products in order to survive following the depreciation of the rupiah. They are frantically maneuvering to minimize the impact of the crisis.

Rino Bernando, an analyst with Bank Mandiri, said the impact of the weakening rupiah would be seen in the companies' lower output, with the steel and iron industry feeling the impact within one month.

Citing previous Mandiri research, Rino said wholesalers and retailers would face the impact within two months, while the textile industry would see lower production within three months. State-owned steel company PT Krakatau Steel is already feeling the pinch, saying it needs to tighten its belt.

"These days, we are trying to be efficient. We are also looking at what elements of spending, including capital expenditure, can be delayed until the global and domestic situation improves," Krakatau Steel president director Irvan Kamal Hakim said.

The company spends a lot in US dollars to import materials, such as iron ore pellets, while most of its earnings are in rupiah because its products are mostly sold in the domestic market. Hedging was taken to avoid a currency mismatch on imports, he said.

Krakatau Steel is currently working on a number of large, high-cost projects including a blast furnace complex, a port expansion, a power plant and the development of a water-pipe system.

The company has also moved to reduce its dependency on imports by developing a sponge iron production facility in South Kalimantan. The sponge iron will supply material for Krakatau Steel's blast furnace in Cilegon, meaning that the company will no longer need to import iron ore pellets.

Meanwhile, pharmaceutical company PT Kalbe Farma, which imports almost all raw materials to support its production, will likely focus on selling products that offer higher margins to offset greater spending on imports.

"We have around 400 to 500 items with different profit margins. We can also switch our marketing strategy to focus on better markets," Kalbe Farma director Vidjongtius said.

Customers will also share the burden as some companies may pass their increased production costs on to them.

Fitch Ratings said some Indonesian manufacturers with dollar-denominated debts had the flexibility of increasing their selling prices. The companies, all of whom are market leaders, include plastics packaging company PT Berlina, food producer PT Jamfa Comfeed Indonesia and paper maker PT Fajar Surya Wisesa.

National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia would also be able to pass on its growing costs, particularly to corporate passengers, according to Fitch.

Fitch also said that property companies, such as PT Lippo Karawaci, PT Alam Sutera and PT Kawasan Industri Jababeka, which had mismatches in earning and debt denominations, would be able to contain foreign exchange (forex) losses over the next 12 months, thanks to hedging measures and high profit margins, which would absorb short-term impact.

"Nevertheless, a prolonged period of depreciation of the rupiah may heighten negative pressures on their ratings," Fitch said.

Alex Rusli, the president director of telecommunications company PT Indosat, expected the exchange rate fluctuation to be temporary.

"We have no debts due this year. We are ready for short-term disruptions lasting a maximum six months," Alex said, adding that the company had imposed hedging measures for up to 35 percent of its debts.

Despite potential hardships in the coming months, giant textile companies have a slightly better outlook.

Jakarta-listed textile firm PT Sri Rejeki Isman (Sritex), said it was enjoying a slight benefit from the faltering rupiah as earnings from exports could offset the spending on the importing of raw materials, both of which were conducted in US dollars.

"Around 70 percent of the company's revenue is in US dollars. Our spending on raw material imports is about 66-68 percent of that revenue, so there is around a 2-4 percent margin. We are naturally hedged," Sritex corporate secretary Welly Salam said.

Welly said the company welcomed the government's tax incentive policy, part of its recently introduced economic stimulus package. Under the policy, labor-intensive companies that export at least 30 percent of their products will receive tax breaks.

"The company [Sritex] meets this criterion and is now waiting for an update of the policy," Welly said.

Analysis & opinion

What SBY can learn from Soeharto

Jakarta Post - September 6, 2013

Ary Hermawan, Jakarta – We who are concerned about the state of religious freedom in the country are likely enduring what the character Gil Pender suffers from in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris: a mental disorder called "the golden age syndrome".

We tend to believe Indonesia was once more tolerant. This situation, however, changed soon after we deposed Soeharto and embraced democracy, paving the way for Islamists to thrive after decades of suppression. In other words, when it came to ensuring freedom of religion, things were seemingly better under Soeharto. He had many shortcomings, but he was at least a strong leader, a critical trait that is so conspicuously lacking in the current president.

I do not know if that is true. But such a claim begs a few questions: How could there be freedom of religion under an authoritarian government? How do we know no one was persecuted because of his or her beliefs during Soeharto's years when the default policy was a media blackout for any incident involving SARA (ethnic, religious, race and inter-group relations)?

The truth is, things could actually have been worse under Soeharto, and our denial of the painful present has blinded us and made us think that everything was "better" when the smiling general was still around. We are perhaps deluded, just like Gil when he time-traveled to hang out with the Fitzgeralds.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, despite his shortcomings, has done the right thing by sticking with democracy and not being tempted to become a second Soeharto. But there is one thing that Yudhoyono could still learn from the country's longest-serving president, apart from being stronger and less wishy-washy. That is to pick the right man to lead the Religious Affairs Ministry.

It is frustrating to see that even as he approaches the end of his term, President Yudhoyono is still unable to realize that he has appointed the wrong person to lead the ministry. He should know by now that Suryadharma Ali is the perfect candidate for the worst religious affairs minister of all time.

Soeharto, meanwhile, always picked the best people to lead the ministry, which, despite being widely perceived as corrupt, actually played a critical role in keeping religion away from politics.

The ministry is the continuation of the Kantor Urusan Agama or Shumubu, which was established by the Japanese administration to curb the influence of political Islam at that time.

A few years after taking office, Soeharto appointed Mukti Ali to fill the post. Mukti was a respected Muslim scholar who championed pluralism and was responsible for catalyzing the Islamic reform movement led by Nurcholis "Cak Nur" Madjid and Ahmad Wahib in the early 1970s.

Prior to his downfall, Soeharto's choice was M. Quraish Shihab, then rector of Syarif Hidayatullah State Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN), a center of progressive Islamic thought. He was an expert on Koranic exegesis and known for his broad knowledge and moderate views on Islam. He was once accused of being a Shia for being sympathetic to Shia teaching.

Between Ali and Syihab, there were Munawir Sjadzali and Tarmizi Taher, both of whom were known to be progressive Muslims too. Munawir was also the founding chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).

Suryadharma actually graduated from IAIN Jakarta, the same university attended by Cak Nur, but he became a businessman soon after his graduation and then built his political career with the United Development Party (PPP). Unlike his predecessors under the New Order, Suryadharma has never been regarded as an ulema with progressive ideas. He is first and foremost a politician, who might know a little about religion or could not care less about it.

We have the right to question whether Suryadharma really understands the idea of religious freedom after he said the purpose of reconciliation between Shia and Sunni followers was to "enlighten" the former, or to bring their views closer to their Sunni neighbors. We are also justified in accusing him of politicizing the Shia and Ahmadiya issues ahead of the 2014 elections, as members of those minority groups continue to languish in the face of intolerant hardliners, who have been given voice by the minister's political party.

In the past few days, the minister has become a target of mockery on social media for allegedly being angry when his speech at a mosque in Tasikmalaya, West Java, on Monday was interrupted by a call to prayer or azan. The faux pas overshadowed the much more controversial fact that, according to media reports, Suryadharma was at the mosque to grant Rp 1.2 billion (US$109,200) to 880 former Ahmadiyah followers who had renounced their faith and "returned" to Islam. Is this some kind of a bribe?

Human rights activists recently called on Yudhoyono to disengage the minister from efforts to address religious conflicts because as a state official he had failed to remain impartial. The minister always seems to act like he is the minister of Islam, or even worse, the minister for his own version of Islam.

It goes without saying that weak law enforcement is what triggered the rise of religious intolerance. That is a truism. We may forgive Yudhoyono for having trouble eradicating corruption from the National Police that has been too deeply entrenched within the institution. But he could at least pick a qualified religious affairs minister to serve all the people regardless of their faith to minimize the damage.

Indeed, there is no guarantee that a progressive minister would solve the issue of intolerance immediately, but at least he or she would not make the problem worse, as Suryadharma has repeatedly done.

Yudhoyono may have appointed Suryadharma, previously the cooperatives and small and medium enterprises minister, simply to keep the PPP within his ruling coalition. But the many cases of state-sanctioned intolerance against minorities have caused a great deal of damage to his reputation. The President should know that Suryadharma is responsible for that.

There are still a few months left before Yudhoyono ends his term. There is probably still time for the tolerance award-winning President to learn from Soeharto, his authoritarian predecessor, and do the right thing to save his and the nation's image as a tolerant country: show Suryadharma the door.