Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Former Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum is set to release his new book, "Janji Kebangsaan Kita" ("The Promise of Our Nationalism"), on Friday, the same day President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is due to release his autobiography.

Anas, who is currently being detained by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) over his involvement in the Hambalang sports center graft case, wrote the book last year after being discharged from his post as the ruling party's chairman.

Gede Pasek Suardika, a member of Anas's Indonesia Movement Association (PPI), said on Wednesday that the launch would be held at the organization's headquarters in Duren Sawit, East Jakarta.

Pasek denied that the book's release date was chosen to go head-to-head with Yudhoyono's "Selalu Ada Pilihan" ("There Will Always Be Choices").

"We set the date way before, but Anas was summoned by the KPK [last week]," Pasek said. "So the launching will go on without him being present."

"Janji Kebangsaan Kita" is a compilation of essays Anas wrote during his tenure as Democratic Party chairman.

"The pieces in this book were written when I was the chairman of the Democratic Party," Anas said last November as quoted by the state-run Antara news agency, when he first announced that he would be publishing a new book.

He said that the contents of the book would not discuss the Hambalang corruption case. Pasek also dismissed rumors that Anas's supporters scheduled the book's release date to irritate Yudhoyhono, whom Anas name dropped after his arrest.

"Most of all, I would like to thank SBY. Hopefully this incident will be meaningful and will be a 2014 New Year's gift," he said as he emerged from the KPK building after his arrest last week.

Anas published a more SBY-friendly tome in 2009 entitled "Bukan Sekedar Presiden: Daya Gugah SBY Sebagai Seorang Pemimpin" ("Not Just a President: SBY's Compelling Power as a Leader"), where he praised the president's leadership – and the KPK's bold stance against corruption.

The KPK in recent years has arrested high-profile members of Yudhoyono's Democratic Party, including former party treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin, legislator Angelina Sondakh and former sports minister Andi Mallarangeng.

Soeharto family rises with MNC TV victory

Jakarta Post - January 13, 2014

The daughter of former president Soeharto, Siti Hardijanti "Tutut" Rukmana, has officially taken over Media Nusantara Citra (MNC) TV, part of a media empire owned by media mogul and vice presidential nominee of the People's Conscience Party (Hanura) Hary Tanoesoedibjo.

On Saturday, several executives of Indonesia Education Television (TPI), the original name of the station, moved in to the channel's headquarters in East Jakarta, after the Supreme Court had returned the majority share of the broadcasting company to Tutut last October.

"Dandy Rukmana [Soeharto's grandson] and Muhammad Jarman, the [company's] legitimate directors based on a general shareholders meeting on March 17, 2005, will start working from today," TPI lawyer Harry Ponto said Saturday. The Supreme Court ruled in October last year in favor of Tutut in her share dispute with Hary concerning the ownership of the station.

The dispute originated when Tutut accused Hary of swindling her out of shares in the broadcasting company in 2005, reducing her stake to only 25 percent of the company's total shares.

The takeover of the television station marked another step in the Soeharto family's return to prominence 15 years after the reform movement toppled the former president of 31 years.

In March last year, the family opened a monument and museum to display the achievements of the country's former strongman in his birthplace of Bantul, Yogyakarta. The family has also released a number of books reminiscing about the "halcyon days" of the Soeharto regime.

One of Soeharto's daughters, Siti Hediyati Hariyadi, the former wife of Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party chief patron Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto, is now running for a legislative position on a Golkar Party ticket in one of Yogyakarta's electoral districts.

The takeover of MNC TV is considered significant as the country enters an election year. University of Indonesia political communication expert Effendi Ghazali said that the return of Tutut to TPI could do much to improve the stature of the former strongman's family.

Effendi said that TPI could once again be used by members of the Soeharto family to promote nostalgia for the economic and political stability enjoyed during the peak of the former president's New Order regime.

"The return of the TPI can be used to build momentum for the family to campaign for a return to the glory days of Soeharto's era. We have seen many banners reminiscing about that time," Effendi said on Sunday.

He was referring to a circulating picture of Soeharto with the statement in Javanese – "Piye kabare? Iseh penak jamanku to," which is roughly translated as: "How are things going? Was it not better in my time?" Effendi said, "Regardless who first released the advertisement, its wide circulation reflects an apparent aspiration of supporters of Soeharto to bring back his rule especially through existing members of his family."

As private television stations are mostly tuned into by Indonesians from the lower to middle class, MNC TV had been a tool used by Hary to boost the popularity of Hanura as well as the party's presidential aspirant, former Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. (ret) Wiranto.

Political analysts said that the nomination of Hary as Wiranto's running mate in the upcoming presidential election was the bargaining chip that lured Hary away from the National Democrat (NasDem) Party, following a rift with fellow media mogul Surya Paloh, who now runs the party.

The dispute

March 18, 2005: PT Berkah Karya Bersama officially becomes the majority shareholder of Televisi Pendidikan Indonesia (TPI) television station via a debt-to-equity conversion.
March 21, 2005: Law and human rights minister approves debt-to-equity conversion from PT CTPI to PT Berkah Karya Bersama (BKB). Shares of PT BKB transferred to Media Nusantara Citra Tbk.
Oct. 14, 2009: Jakarta Commercial Court declares PT TPI bankrupt after request from Crown Capital Global Limited (CCGL).
Dec. 15, 2009: Supreme Court rules in favor of PT TPI, annuls decision by Commercial Court.
Oct. 20, 2010: Televisi Pendidikan Indonesia (TPI) officially renamed Media Nusantara Citra (MNC) TV.
April 14, 2011: Central Jakarta District Court decides to return some of television station TPI's shares to one of former president Soeharto's daughters, Siti Hardiyanti "Tutut" Rukmana, who previously owned 100 percent of the company. Judges said BKB's ownership of the shares and the shareholders' meetings were unlawful. The trial also granted several compensatory demands.
April 20, 2012: Jakarta High Court annuls Central Jakarta District Court.
Oct. 2, 2013: Supreme Justice (MA) annuls Central Jakarta District Court.

[Source: JP, Kompas]

SBY deserves five-star general status

Jakarta Post - January 11, 2014

Jakarta – The deputy secretary-general of the Democratic Party, Ramadhan Pohan, said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono deserved the honorary five- star general status.

"Such an appreciation is justifiable. Pak Harto and Pak Nas were both five-star general and I think SBY should join them in getting the honor," Ramadhan said as quoted by tribunnews.com referring to the country's president for 32 years Soeharto and former Indonesian Armed Forces commander Gen. Abdul Haris Nasution.

Ramadhan said that Yudhoyono was being polite when he turned down the offer.

Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Moeldoko proposed Yudhoyono be given a honorary five-star general status. "The President has shown a strong will to build the capacity of the TNI and we agree [he] should be bestowed with [the] status," Moeldoko said.

West Papua

Vanuatu defends boycott of MSG mission

ABC Radio Australia - January 16, 2014

He says it is now unlikely the Vanuatu-based West Papuan separatist group will be admitted as a full member. Last week Mr Natapei boycotted an MSG foreign ministers mission to Indonesia, saying it's agenda had been hijacked by Jakarta. But he says Vanuatu won't be giving up on its quest to have the West Papuans admitted.

Presenter: Hiliare Bule

Edward Natapei, Vanuatu's Foreign Minister

Natapei: Soon after the meeting, the MSG meeting in New Caledonia, we had actually made it very clear to the MSG leaders and the government of Indonesia that we were going to participate only if the visit involved civil society in West Papua, and if in the visit we will be given the opportunity to speak to civil society, the church leaders and people who actually were concerned about human rights violations in West Papua. So we had made that clear to the Indonesian authorities, and to the MSG Secretariat. Just one day before we were to depart Vanuatu to travel to Indonesia, we got the program of the visit, which neglected, it did not involve a meeting with civil society, it did not involve a meeting with the West Papuan people, the leadership in West Papua, who are concerned about human rights and who could give us more information about the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation that is based in Vanuatu. We realised that in fact it was being hijacked by the government of Indonesia to work on another issue, which was to promote economic ties and development cooperation with the government of Indonesia. We felt that we were going to fail in the mission.

Bule: Do you think that it is necessary to plan for another visit?

Natapei: I do not believe it's going to be worth trying to organise another meeting to Indonesia. Perhaps another alternative or another option would be to actually organise to meet with the leaders of West Papua at a different venue.

Bule: There were also some MSG countries who were not sharing the same view as Vanuatu. Do you think that MSG is still one on the issue of the independence of West Papua?

Natapei: I think it is going to be difficult this time round basically because after the MSG meeting in New Caledonia there were some other visits organised by Indonesia where they invited the head of the government of Fiji, head of the government of Papua New Guinea, in fact Papua New Guinea Prime Minister was in Indonesia during the MSG meeting in New Caledonia, and much later the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands was also in Indonesia. Now Vanuatu is going to still push ahead for the admittance of the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation to be admitted as a member of the MSG, but considering that the three leaders of MSG have been in Indonesia and they have entered into some agreements with the government of Indonesia, I believe it's going to be a lot more difficult this time to try and push this agenda forward. But that is not to say that Vanuatu will give up, Vanuatu will continue to push for membership of the WPNCL in the MSG, membership of the MSG.

Bule: It has... West Papuans was arrested during the visit of the MSG ministerial meeting in West Papua?

Natapei: Yes we are also very concerned about that. We believe that the reason West Papuans were put on this demonstration was basically because they knew that the visit was not going to achieve what the MSG had set out to achieve. And so they are protesting because they are not involved in the visit and they were not allowed to meet the MSG leaders during the visit.

Melanesians respect Indonesia's sovereignty

Jakarta Post - January 16, 2014

Ina Parlina and Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) member nations that have often voiced concerns over alleged human rights abuses in Papua said on Wednesday they fully respected Indonesia's sovereignty.

High-ranking representatives of MSG nations made the comment after they witnessed the latest developments in the country's most remote and backward provinces of Papua and West Papua, earlier this week.

The move increased speculation the group may oppose a membership bid into the bloc by a West Papua pro-independence group, the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation (WPNCL).

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono received the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Foreign Minister Rimbink Pato, Fiji's Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, Solomon Islands' Clay Forau Soalaoi and Yvon Faua, an envoy from the Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS), a pro-independence group from French- ruled New Caledonia, in a courtesy call meeting at the State Palace.

In a joint statement, Indonesia and the MSG concluded they "supported respective sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and the principle of non-interference in each other's internal affairs, consistent with the Charter of the United Nations".

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, who attended the meeting, said the final statement produced during the visit had emphasized the fundamental principle of cooperation between Indonesia and the MSG countries. "Mutual respect of sovereignty and territory is a fundamental principle of cooperation," said Marty.

Melanesia is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western end of the Pacific Ocean to the Arafura Sea and eastward to Fiji.

Indonesia had invited the officials to Papua and Jakarta to receive briefings on development in Papua between Jan. 11 and 16, a move that could be seen as a way of obtaining international support for the country's sovereignty following the bid by the WPNCL.

The WPNCL is pushing for independence from Indonesia and sees membership of the MSG as a step toward international recognition, while human rights watchdogs have often criticized Indonesia for state violence against Papuans.

In June last year, an MSG summit meeting deferred the WPNCL bid by at least six months, saying it was important to engage with Indonesia.

They agreed to establish a consultation with Indonesia and welcomed the invitation to visit the country, although they also concluded that the group fully supported the rights of the people of West Papua to self- determination and mentioned concerns about human rights violations.

During Wednesday's press conference, PNG's Pato said the delegation had formed "a definite opinion" on their findings and would forward it to the MSG leadership, who he said would then "determine what is to be done in relation to a certain application the MSG group has received".

Yet, the call and visit were made without the presence of Vanuatu's representative. Several foreign media have reported that Vanuatu's absence was due to the argument that the visit would not give the delegation the opportunity to meet civil society groups in West Papua.

Vanuatu, which harbors several high-ranking Free Papua Movement (OPM) officials, has also internationalized the Papuan human rights issue by discussing it in the UN General Assembly last September.

Without revealing the reason behind Vanuatu's absence, Pato however said that Vanuatu would be informed of the results of the visit before MSG leaders reached a decision on the WPNCL membership application. Pato also refused to reveal his recommendation. "Unfortunately, I cannot say because I will preempt the decision of the leaders," he said.

When asked about the human rights issue, Pato said: "I have not seen the evidence. As I've said, we have a clear mandate and we have conducted an investigation. The report will go back to the leadership in terms of the mandate that we've come to exercise and our mission has been completed."

MSG ministers 'witness repression' as protesters call for free Papua voice

Pacific Scoop - January 15, 2014

Pacific Media Centre news desk – The West Papua National Coalition for Liberation says foreign ministers from the Melanesian Spearhead Group have been able to see first hand Indonesia's suppression of the Papuans, reports Radio New Zealand International.

West Papuans have sought self-determination since Indonesia seized control of the former Dutch colony in the 1960s.

On Monday, Indonesian police reportedly arrested more than 40 people in Jayapura when the MSG ministers briefly visited on a mission to vet a formal application by the coalition to become an MSG member.

However, Papua police denied there were arrests, beatings or intimidation, adding that some people were taken in for questioning.

The Free West Papua Campaign reported police had arrested 47 West Papuan activists gathered at the Office of the Papuan Legislative Council (DPRP) in the capital of Jayapura to welcome and support the MSG group n their arrival. The campaign reported on social media networks:

"Approximately 35 Indonesian police offices, which can be seen in this video, arrested and forced into police vehicles 47 West Papuan protesters including the elderly.

"In the video, an elderly Papuan woman can be seen being physically harassed and pulled by the police. This is Mama Yosepha who is an environmental activist who won The Goldman Environmental Prize in 2001.

"She was also among those arrested after her clothes were torn by the police as she was trying to stop them taking away others."

Hundreds of West Papuan students also gathered outside the Cendrawasih University (UNCEN) in Jayapura and demanded that West Papua join the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

In this video, hundreds of Papuan student can be seen demonstrating in front of UNCEN and by coincidence, hundreds of Western English speaking tourists were outside taking photos.

As English speaking protesters tried to explain the situation to the tourists, Indonesian police and plainclothes police (who are everywhere in West Papua) tried to move the tourists back into their tour buses before they could discover the truth of what is really happening n West Papua.

Radio NZI reported that the WPNCL's Vanuatu-based vice-chairman, Dr Otto Ondawame, said that while Indonesia shifted the purpose of visit to one about economic co-operation, the ministers' lack of access to Papuan civil society was obvious.

"It has become clear that Indonesia kills or suppresses the people on the ground for demanding political change. So they are very happy they witness the true colour of the Indonesian government as the colonial master," he said.

Dr Ondawame said he appreciated the stance of Vanuatu, which pulled out of the visit just days before it was to go ahead.

Military escorts for MSG, arrests curb free expression of civil society

Pacific Media Centre - January 15, 2014

Jayapura – Indonesian military attack helicopters and dozens of armed soldiers "secured" the travel route in an attempt to stop Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) officials from seeing West Papuan protesters, activist sources reported.

A statement by the West Papuan National Committee (KNPB) said "Indonesia is so scared of a delegation" which it had entirely coordinated "that they did not even meet with any Papuan civil representatives".

Tempo magazine reported more than 30 arrests, but activist sources on social media gave figures as high as 47 arrests.

KNPB has praised Vanuatu for refusing to participate in this "sham delegation" organised by Indonesia and led by the Fijian foreign minister have described how the MSG delegation has failed to monitor West Papua.

"The MSG delegation was escorted by the Indonesian military at all times. Does Indonesia really think that West Papuans wanted to kill their fellow Melanesian brothers and sisters?," the KNPB said.

"All of the meetings the delegation attended were held in secret with almost only Indonesian government officials and not one of the delegates were even seen by a single West Papuan activist and 47 people who just protested peacefully were arrested and held until the delegation was already on its way back to Jakarta.

"This is hardly the "fact finding" mission to West Papua as was promised by the MSG in Noumea, Kanaky last year."

The KNPB said events of this week showed a clear symbol to the world that Indonesia still had "much to hide in West Papua from the rest of the world".

"Their evil being committed by Indonesia behind closed doors within West Papua [means] Indonesia is by no means a democracy," KNPB said.

"The only hope now for democracy within the MSG is a resounding yes vote for West Papua's membership. We must not let Indonesia interfere with our internal Melanesian politics ever again."

According to Tempo, a total of 30 Free Papua activists were arrested by police when demonstrating outside the House of Representatives Office of Papua (DPRP) in Jayapura. During the action, the demonstraters asked the MSG delegates to support Papuan membership.

One Papuan human rights activist, Markus Haluk, was seen taken to Jayapura Police Station. The police claimed that the demonstrators did not have a permit for the demonstration.

"We just asked them for clarification... Nobody arrested, no beatings and intimidation when we conducted demonstrations of security," Jayapura police chief Alfred Papare told reporters. (West Papua Media/Pacific Media Watch)

MSG's Papua visit defeated purpose – Ondawame

Radio New Zealand International - January 15, 2014

The West Papua National Coalition for Liberation says the Indonesia visit by the foreign ministers from the Melanesian Spearhead Group has defeated the mandate given at the last MSG summit.

The ministers were tasked to visit Papua to vet a formal application by the Coalition to become an MSG member. The visit to Papua's capital only lasted a few hours and was marred by dozens of arrests.

The Coalition's Vanuatu-based vice-chairman, Otto Ondawame, says the purpose of the visit was defeated.

"Without meeting affected people, particularly the resistance movement, tribal council, women's organisations – civil society at large. This shows clearly to the world that Indonesia is not serious with the request by the MSG leaders during the summit in Noumea of June 2013."

Otto Ondawame says Indonesia shifted the visit to one about economic cooperation. Vanuatu pulled out of the visit, just days before it was to go ahead.

Papua separatists say MSG ministers witnessed repression

Radio New Zealand International - January 15, 2014

The West Papua National Coalition for Liberation says foreign ministers from the Melanesian Spearhead Group have been able to see first hand Indonesia's suppression of the Papuans.

Papua has seen an insurgency since Indonesia took control of the former Dutch colony in the 1960s.

On Monday, Indonesian police arrested dozens of people in Jayapura when the MSG ministers briefly visited on a mission to vet a formal application by the Coalition to become an MSG member.

Papua police are quoted as saying there were no arrests, beatings or intimidation, adding that some people were taken in for questioning.

The Coalition's Vanuatu-based vice-chairman, Otto Ondawame, says while Indonesia shifted the purpose of the visit to one about economic cooperation, the ministers' lack of access to Papuan civil society was obvious.

Otto Ondawame says he appreciates the stance of Vanuatu, which pulled out of the visit just days before it was to go ahead.

Setback for admission of West Papuan group into MSG

Radio New Zealand International - January 15, 2014

Vanuatu's Foreign Minister Edward Natapei believes recent events will make it more difficult to push for the admission of a West Papuan group into the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

The Vanuatu government pulled out of an MSG Foreign Ministers delegation to Indonesia this week to discuss and visit West Papua because it believes the trip is being used by Indonesia to promote economic ties.

Mr Natapei says the visit was supposed to assist leaders in making a decision about whether the West Papuan National Coalition for Liberation, based in Vanuatu, should become a full member. He says trips to Indonesia by the heads of government of Fiji, PNG, and the Solomon Islands, in the past few months, is sending the wrong message.

"Considering that three of the leaders of MSG have been in Indonesia and they have entered into some agreements with the government of Indonesia I believe it's going to be a lot more difficult this time to try and push this agenda forward."

Edward Natapei says he's concerned about reports of protesters being arrested in West Papua this week during the visit of the MSG group.

Arrest of activists overshadows MSG leaders' Jakarta visit

Jakarta Post - January 15, 2014

Bagus BT Saragih and Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is set to receive foreign ministers from Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) member nations at the State Palace on Wednesday, in a move seen by many as part of the government's attempt to woo the group, which has often voiced concerns over alleged human rights abuses in Papua.

The MSG includes foreign ministers – Fiji's Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, Papua New Guinea's Rimbink Pato and Solomon Islands' Clay Forau Soalaoi – while two other member nations, Vanuatu and the Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS), a pro-independence group from French-ruled New Caledonia, only sent special envoys.

"The meeting will take the format of a courtesy call, without the signing of agreements," presidential spokesman for foreign affairs Teuku Faizasyah told The Jakarta Post on Monday. He brushed off reports that Yudhoyono and the MSG officials would sign an agreement on the group not interfering in Papuan issues.

The Pacific officials are in Indonesia to assess the application of the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation (WPNCL), a pro-independence group, to become a member of the MSG, as mandated by the MSG's 19th Leaders' Summit, held in the New Caledonian capital of Noumea in June last year. The WPNCL, which is based in Vanuatu, is currently an observer to the MSG, as is Indonesia.

From Monday to Tuesday, the delegation visited Papua, West Papua and Maluku provinces "to observe the development in the provinces and receive briefings on the implementation of the special autonomy by the local government," Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto told the Post on Monday.

At least 21 activists were arrested by police when they staged demonstrations upon the arrival of the MSG ministers in Jayapura – They were urging the MSG officials "to take a closer look at the handling of human rights cases in Papua and West Papua by having discussions with particular Papuan groups."

Jayapura Municipality Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Alfred Papare, however, claimed that the force only detained Markus Haluk, the coordinator of the demonstration. The other activists were reportedly released immediately.

The coordinator of the National Papua Solidarity (NAPAS) rights group, Zely Ariane, said that civil society voices were important in keeping alive the hope of promoting human rights in restive Papua. "The government has always been paranoid about NGO moves to get international attention. They are afraid the eyes of the world could glimpse the state of human rights in Papua."

Lawmaker Yorrys Raweyai, who chairs the House of Representatives' Caucus on Papua, lambasted the government's "closed" arrangement during the Pacific officials' visit.

"I heard that the delegates had asked to meet political prisoners, a request that was quickly turned down. This kind of intransparency only confirms suspicions surrounding prolonged human rights violations in the area," said Yorrys, who claimed that he was only informed about the visit when the delegates had reached Jayapura.

The visit was made on the heels of a series of fatal shootings in the country's eastern region of Papua. At least two people have been killed this month.

A series of shootings by unknown armed assailants in December forced the police and the Indonesian Military (TNI) to conduct crackdown operations. A person believed to be a separatist was killed in a gunfight with the TNI in Timika, Papua, last Thursday.

MSG delegation intercepted by West Papua protesters in Jakarta

Liputan 6 - January 15, 2014

Donvito Samartha dan Desa Apridini, Jakarta – A group of West Papuan students tried to block a vehicle transporting state guests from the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) as it was exiting the Borobudur Hotel in Central Jakarta on January 15.

The students were calling on the ministers to cancel a meeting with the Indonesian government.

As aired by Liputan 6 Petang SCTV on Wednesday, the action was opposed by hotel security personnel and as a result the vehicle was able to return and reenter the hotel grounds.

The West Papua students expressed their disappointment with the Melanesian group or MSG for its failure to respond to the wishes of the West Papuan people to join the MSG.

Meanwhile a meeting between Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and foreign affairs ministers from the MSG proceeded without incident. The meeting was held at the presidential offices in Central Jakarta.

In addition to discussing economic cooperation, the ministers also visited Papua and West Papua, two provinces with a total population of 11 million.

The MSG emphasized that Papua and West Papua are part of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) and will continue to support Papua as part of Indonesia. (Ans)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Pro-independence activists reportedly arrested amid MSG visit

Jakarta Post - January 14, 2014

Bagus BT Saragih and Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – At least 21 activists were reportedly arrested by the police when they staged a number of rallies during a visit made by the foreign minister of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) to Jayapura, West Papua.

The demonstrators were urging the MSG officials "to take a closer look into the handling of human rights cases in Papua and West Papua by having discussions with some Papuan groups", said one activist.

Jayapura Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Alfred Papare, however, claimed that his force only nabbed Markus Haluk, the coordinator of the demonstrations. The other activists were reportedly immediately released.

The coordinator of rights group National Papua Solidarity (NAPAS), Zely Ariane, said that civil society voices were important in keeping alive the cause of promoting human rights.

"The government has always been paranoid of NGO moves to get international attention. They are afraid the world's eyes could directly view the state of human rights in Papua," she said.

The visiting officials were Fijian Foreign Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola; Papua New Guinean Foreign Minister Rimbink Pato; and politician Clay Forau Soaloi of the Solomon Islands. Two other MSG member states, Vanuatu and the Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS), a pro-independence group from French-ruled New Caledonia, only sent special envoys.

The MSG Summit in June 2013 had been scheduled to decide on the application submitted by the the separatist West Papua National Council for Liberation (WPNCL) to join the MSG, but it was delayed, thanks to Indonesian lobbying to Fiji, the grouping's current chair.

"The outcomes of the WPNCL's application would be subject to the report of the foreign ministers' mission [to Indonesia]," the summit's communique reads. Both WPNCL and Indonesia are observers to the MSG.

Melanesian foreign ministers visit Papua

Jakarta Globe - January 13, 2014

An intergovernmental delegation of Melanesian countries arrived in Papua on Monday on an official visit to assess the Indonesian province's application to become a member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

"We are happy to undertake this important visit at the invitation of the Indonesian Government to be able to assess the application by WPNCL to become a member of the MSG to enable us to present a recommendation to our leaders," Fijian Foreign Affairs Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola said.

"We fully respect Indonesia's sovereignty and territorial integrity and we further recognize that West Papua is an integral part of Indonesia."

The Melanesian Spearhead Group represents Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Three foreign ministers, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, Papua New Guinea Foreign Minister Rimbink Pato and Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Soalaoi Clay Forau arrived at Sentani airport on Monday morning. The Vanuatu foreign minister did not join the delegation.

It is understood that the Melanesian delegation will assess Papua's human- rights record and infrastructure progress as a precursor to joining the MSG. The existing member states have also signed an inter-state preferential trade agreement.

Yan Ciristian Warinusy, a human rights activist in Papua, said the visit was in line with the preliminary agenda of the MSG summit held in June 2013 in Noumea, Kanaky-New Caledonia.

"This is an important matter, a prerequisite for them to determine how they will consider the membership of Papua into the MSG membership," he said, "as based on the application by the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation (WPNCL)."

Scores of activists arrested as MSG delegation arrives in West Papua

Tabloid Jubi - January 13, 2014

Arnold Belau, Jayapura – Papuan Central Highlands Indonesian Student Association (AMPTPI) General Secretary Markus Haluk, along with scores of other Papuan activists, were arrested by police in front of the Papuan Regional House of Representatives (DPRP) as they were holding a demonstration to welcome the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) delegation that arrived in Jayapura on Monday January 13.

The arrests were confirmed by a human rights activist in Papua, Usman Yogobi. "That's correct, this morning Markus Haluk and scores of Papuan activists were arrested by police in front of the DPRP offices", Yogobi said when Tabloid Jubi spoke with him at the Imbi Park in Jayapura this morning.

Yogobi said that the arrests were a consequence of the arrival of the MSG delegation to Papua so the MSG must take responsibility. "Mr Markus Haluk and the scores of activists were arrested because of the arrival of the MSG delegation so the MSG must take responsibility", asserted Yogobi.

In a text message sent to Jubi, West Papua National Committee (KNPB) General Secretary Ones Suhuniap said that 42 KNPB members were arrested by police in front of the DPRP. "Forty two people were arrested. Those arrested were AMPTPI Secretary General Markus Haluk, KNPB First Chairperson Agus Kosay, KNPB Intelligence Commissariat Ucak, KNPB Chairperson for Diplomacy Ogram Wanimbo and 42 other people from the protesters. [They were arrested] when the demonstrators were protesting against the arrival of the MSG team which had been kept under wraps", said Suhuniap.

According to Jubi's observations, the area around Imbi Park is currently under the close guard of police and it appears that there are no other protesters planning any actions.

Another Papuan activists, Yulianus Mabel, told Jubi that the arrested activists are currently at the Jayapura municipal police station. "They're currently at the Jayapura municipal police station", Mabel told Jubi on Monday by mobile phone from the grounds of the Jayapura municipal police station. According to Mabel, as well as arresting the activists police also seized items such as banners, megaphones and a camera.

In Abepura, Jayapura city, students from the Cenderawasih University (Uncen) held a demonstration in front of Uncen campus. "We are calling on the MSG to meet with the Papuan people, political prisoners and victims of human rights violations", said action coordinator Alfares Kapisa.

When sought for conformation by phone meanwhile, Jayapura municipal police chief Alfred Papare did not respond. Jubi send three separate text messages in all but no response was forthcoming as of going to print. (Jubi/Arnold Belau/Benny Mawel)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Dozens arrested as Papuan governor holds closed meeting with MSG delegation

Tempo - January 13, 2014

Cunding, Jayapura – As many as 30 Free Papua activists were arrested by police at a demonstration on the grounds of the Papuan Regional House of Representatives (DPRP) in Jayapura city, Papua, on Monday January 13.

During the action, the protesters called on the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) delegation, which is currently visiting Jayapura, to support Papua's membership of the Asia-Pacific nation block.

One of the Papuan human rights activists, action coordinator Markus Haluk, was seen being escorted by police to the Jayapura municipal police station. Police said the arrests were on the grounds that they did not have a permit to demonstrate.

"We're just questioning them. There were no arrests, beatings or intimidation when the protest action was being secured", Jayapura municipal police chief Assistant Superintendent Alfred Papare told journalists in Jayapura city.

Papare said that according to Law Number 9/1998 on the expression of views in public, the action had violated regulations and could be disbursed. "[But] we didn't disburse them. I merely proposed to the protesters, do you want to stop and we'll take Markus Haluk into custody as the person responsible for the action", he said.

One of the activists taken away by police, Elias, protested the arrests. "We held a protest action, it was not anarchistic and proceeded in an orderly manner. We intentionally held the action at the DPRP offices because it is an office of the people", he said.

According to Elias, they held the protest action at the DPRP offices so that members of the house could facilitate [a meeting between] the protesters and the MSG delegation. "But before even entering the grounds of the DPRP offices, police intercepted us straight away. [We] tried to resist. Our handy cam and camera were taken and the pictures erased by police", he said.

During the arrests, police seized a banner with a picture of the Morning Star flag in the left corner and the writing "West Papua people support WPNCL [West Papua National Coalition for Liberation] for MSG membership". Another banner had the message, "Full support for the Papuan nation's application as a member of the MSG in order to obtain recognition of independence and sovereignty".

Following the more than two-hour closed meeting with the MSG delegation at the governor's offices, Papua Governor Lukas Enembe called on the Papuan people not to dwell on the past in which there were alleged human rights violations. Because currently the region is being reorganised collectively.

"I understand, during the New Order [dictatorship of former President Suharto] many human rights violations occurred and history has a record of this. But reformasi [the reform era that began in 1998] is underway and Indonesia is more open with the birth of Law Number 21/2001 on Special Autonomy for Papua. It is better to promote development in Papua with all its existing potential so that there are advances for the Papuan people", Enembe told journalists in Jayapura on Monday.

According to Enembe, the MSG delegation visit is to strengthen bilateral relations. "This is the first visit and we are certain that we will hold a reciprocal visit to their [countries]. The relationship that will be developed is more orientated towards a cultural and economic relationship and carrying out reciprocal visits", he said.

One of the leaders of the MSG delegation, Papua New Guinea Foreign Minister the Hon. Rimbink Pato said that many things were discussed during the meeting with the Papuan governor. "We discussed everything in detail, including an agreement to develop the economy, Papuan regulations, and a program in Indonesia along with joint ventures in the field of trade. We from the MSG delegation also recognise that the application of special autonomy in Papua, which has been given by the Indonesian government, is proceeding extremely well. We consider this to be very interesting", said Pato.

The MSG delegation entourage is being led by three foreign affairs ministers from several MSG member states, namely Fiji Foreign Affairs Minister Ratu Noke Kubuabola, Solomon Islands Foreign Affairs Minister Soalaoi Clay Forau and Pato. The visit to Papua is to meet with Papuan government officials and conduct visits to a number of locations, namely the Jayapura 1 Vocational School and Papua Bank in Jayapura city. Following this the delegation will return to Jakarta.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Member of armed gang killed in Timika

Jakarta Post - January 11, 2014

Papua – A member of an armed group, which is believed to have threatened security forces between miles 45 and 50 at PT Freeport Indonesia's mining area on Thursday, was shot and killed by a joint team of Indonesian Military (TNI) and police personnel, who also seized an M-16 assault rifle and its magazine.

"The deceased is believed to have been a member of an armed group that has been operating between the Mile 41 and Mile 50 area of PT Freeport's mining zone in Timika," said Papua Police deputy chief Brig. Gen. Paulus Waterpauw in Jayapura on Friday.

The armed group, added Paulus, was the John Botak gang, which has at least 10 members and is armed with around four firearms.

Papua Police chief spokesman Comr. Pudjo Sulistyo said the firefight ensued when security personnel, who were conducting a patrol early on Thursday around the Kali Kopi dike, encountered the armed group who were fleeing into the forest.

Vanuatu withdraws from MSG mission to Indonesia, West Papua

Radio New Zealand International - January 11, 2014

The Vanuatu government has withdrawn from a Melanesian Spearhead Group Foreign Ministers delegation to Indonesia to discuss and visit West Papua.

The delegation was to arrive in Jakarta on Sunday for a four-day visit which stems from a resolution by the MSG to engage more closely with Jakarta over issues raised about extensive alleged human rights abuses in Indonesia's Papua region.

A decision on the formal bid for MSG membership by the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation was deferred pending the outcome of this visit.

However, Vanuatu's Foreign Minister Edward Natapei has pulled out of the visit because his government believes its scheduled programme shows that the mission is highly unlikely to achieve what MSG leaders wanted it to achieve.

MSG leaders had wanted to meet various West Papuan groups, including some leaders of pro-independence movements, in order to enhance its understanding of the WPNCL's membership bid.

However, the programme offered by Indonesia only provides for fleeting, restricted visits by the MSG Foreign Ministers to Papua and West Papua provinces, and visits to various projects in Bali and Jakarta.

Vanuatu's government says there is no point in visiting Bali or in going ahead with the entire visit if the MSG is unable to meet with the right people.

It's also taken exception to a Joint Statement prepared between the MSG Countries and Indonesia, saying it fails to mention the purpose of the visit or anything to do with the plight of West Papuans.

MSG delegation to visit Jakarta and Bali only, not West Papua

Tabloid Jubi - January 10, 2014

Victor Mambor, Jayapura, 10/01 (Jubi) – A delegation of foreign ministers from Melanesia Spearhead Group (MSG) member states will reportedly be visiting Indonesia in the next few days. The visit should have taken place last year.

The visit, which represents a resolution adopted by the MSG Summit in Noumea in June last year, was decided after the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation (WPNCL) submitted an application for MSG membership.

The MSG member states were forced to postpone the membership application after Indonesia proposed a visit to Jakarta and Papua to take a closer look at the issue of human rights violations allegedly perpetrated by Indonesia.

The visit is planned to occur on January 11-15 and representatives from the Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) reportedly flew to Jakarta last night.

Contrary to the hopes of many however, Jakarta has only invited the delegation to visit Jakarta and Bali, not Papua. This has triggered protests from Vanuatu, an MSG member that has expressed concern about the issue of self-determination for the Papuan people. When contacted by Jubi, Vanuatu Deputy Prime Minister Edward Natapei, who is also the foreign minister, said that Vanuatu has sent a letter of protest to the MSG secretariat about the invitation.

"The invitation does not include Papua but instead just Jakarta and Bali. We have asked the MSG chairperson to confirm that Jakarta will include a visit to Papua in the agenda before Monday (13/1 – Ed)", Natapei told Jubi on Friday morning January 10.

At a meeting attended by MSG foreign ministers prior to the MSG Summit in June, Fiji Foreign Affairs Minister Ratu Inoke Kubuabola said the MSG visit to Indonesia was an initiative of the Indonesian government. "We all agreed that the mission would be to depart for Jakarta at the invitation of the Indonesian government then go to West Papua. This year (2013 – Ed), depending on the date that is agreed to by the Indonesian government", said Kubuabola at the time.

Speaking before an MSG Summit plenary meeting on June 21, Indonesian Deputy Foreign Minister Wisnu Wardhana said Indonesia's relationship with the MSG must be strengthened and improved, and one way to do this was by inviting MSG member state foreign ministers to come to Indonesia.

"In order to strengthen Indonesia's relationship with the MSG, Indonesia has invited MSG member state foreign ministers to come to Indonesia. To exchange experiences and provide an opportunity to see and better understand developments in Indonesia, including in Papua and West Papua", said Wardhana.

Papuan political prisoner Filep Karma meanwhile has asked that the MSG delegates also meet with Papuan political prisoners who are currently spread across several different jails in Papua.

"I'm asking that during the visit the MSG leaders go to Papua in order to visit Papuan political prisoners", Karma told Jubi from the Class IIA Correctional Institution in Abepura, Jayapura, on Thursday January 9. Karma said they should not just visit his prison but prisons in other Papuan cities that have political prisoners such as the correctional institutions in Biak, Nabire, Manokwari, Sorong, Wamena and Fakfak.

"I also hope that the MSG will not just meet with Papuan people who have been prepared by the Indonesian government but also meet any Papuan person who wants to speak with the MSG leaders", said Karma hopefully.

The West Papua National Committee (KNPB) meanwhile has called on the Indonesian government to be completely open without isolating the reality of the problems that are occurring in Papua. The MSG leaders must be given the freedom to meet with any Papuan person in order to understand the problems faced by the Papuan people since its integration with Indonesia.

"We welcome and are awaiting the MSG leader's presence in Papua", KNPB chairperson Victor Yeimo told Jubi from the Class IIA Correctional Institution in Abepura. (Jubi/Victor Mambor/Aprila)

[Slightly abridged translation by James Balowski.]

Aceh

Aceh reports fewer abuse cases by Islamic police in 2013

Jakarta Globe - January 12, 2014

Nurdin Hasan, Banda Aceh – A rights group on Sunday reported a significant drop in the number of abuse-of-power cases in 2013 involving religious police officers enforcing shariah-inspired bylaws in Aceh.

The Aceh office of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) said there were only five cases involving members of Aceh's shariah police last year, compared with 50 cases in 2012 and 47 cases in 2011.

"Members of the Wilayatul Hisbah (Wi-Ha), or shariah police, engaged in raids to apprehend violators of Islamic shariah, but those [raids] didn't trigger as many cases of violence as in the previous years," Destika Gilang Lestari, the coordinator of Kontras Aceh, said on Sunday.

"This is probably because of an improvement on the side of [Wi-Ha] members in performing their duties safeguarding Islamic shariah bylaws in Aceh."

Aceh is the only province in Indonesia adopting some shariah-inspired bylaws, which are principally concerned with acts such as gambling, consumption of alcohol and extra- or non-marital relationships.

"There were actually 47 [potential] cases monitored in 2013, but only five cases were eventually classified as violent..." Destika said. The five cases, Destika said, included three assaults on people alleged to have been found in violation of the religious laws.

In the fourth case, a person was paraded around their village after they were allegedly found to have engaged in non-marital sex. In the fifth, effluence was thrown at a person for the same offense.

Last year saw an "interesting trend", Destika said, as many people demonstrated a lack of respect for the authority of the Wi-Ha. "They fought back by throwing stones and the attack on the Wi-Ha office in Langsa, for example," Destika said.

An incident in Langsa made headlines last month when several young people descended on the local Wi-Ha office to free four of their peers who were earlier taken into custody after being arrested at a music event.

Amnesty calls for strengthening of Aceh truth and reconciliation bylaw

Jakarta Globe - January 9, 2014

Amnesty International has praised the Aceh parliament for passing a bylaw in December to establish a truth and reconciliation commission to investigate the abuses that took place during 30 years of conflict between Acehnese rebels and the Indonesian military, but emphasized that more needed to be done before the process could begin in earnest.

"The establishment of truth commissions is an important step toward understanding the circumstances that led to past violations, learning from the past to ensure that such crimes will not be committed again, and ensuring that shared experiences are acknowledged and preserved," Amnesty said.

The Aceh House of Representatives passed the bylaw on Dec. 27, 2013. It has since been submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs, where it will wait for approval.

The establishment of the commission forms part of the 2005 Helsinki peace deal and the 2006 Law on Governing Aceh to end the conflict – between the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the Indonesian military – which began in 1976, at a cost of between 10,000 and 30,000 lives.

"Addressing these past crimes would not only contribute to healing the open wounds of the civilian population, it would also help strengthen the rule of law in the country which can help secure the peace process in the long term," Amnesty said.

"However some provisions in the bylaw fall short of international law and standards and should be strengthened to ensure that the truth commission operates effectively."

The organization said the definition of human-rights abuses should be expanded beyond those defined in the 1999 Indonesian Law on Human Rights to include all violations set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other treaties that Indonesia has ratified.

In a recent interview with the Jakarta Globe, Samsul Bahri, a spokesman for a victims group in North Aceh, said he expected the bylaw to provide answers to victims and their families.

"The victims of the conflict demand justice for what has happened to their families, such as why their father was killed, and why their brother was kidnapped," Samsul said. "We also want better welfare, as mentioned in the peace pact between the government and GAM. The conflict victims need business capital to live decently and for the education of our kids."

Murdiah, a house wife from a village in North Aceh suburb, said she wanted the commission to uncover what had happened to her husband, who was reportedly kidnapped by the soldiers in 1990.

"I was two months pregnant when it happened," she said. "I have five kids, and they often ask where their father is. If he has died, I hope we can be told where he is buried so we can go there. I also want to know what mistake my husband, my brother and my father made that meant they could be kidnapped..."

Human rights & justice

'Act of Killing' gets Academy Award nomination for documentary feature

Jakarta Globe - January 16, 2014

Acclaimed documentary "The Act of Killing" was nominated for an Academy Award on Thursday.

The movie, directed by Texas-born Joshua Oppenheimer, was nominated in the Best Documentary Feature category alongside "Cutie and the Boxer," "Dirty Wars," "The Square" and "20 Feet From Stardom."

The chilling documentary focuses on Anwar Congo and Adi Zulkadry, two Medan-based gangsters, who re-enact their brutal roles in the mass killings of 1965 that left up to a million dead nationwide.

Premiering in 2012 at the Toronto Film Festival, the movie has since made waves and swept awards at film festivals around the world, although at home, the creators of the film opted for underground screenings before eventually making it available for free download in October.

In an official statement following the nomination, Oppenheimer acknowledged members of his crew and his co-director, all of whom have opted to remain anonymous for security reasons.

"The crews of The Act of Killing have dedicated eight years of their life for this film, despite knowing that without a substantial political change, they will not be able to receive acknowledgement for their work," he said.

"Hopefully this nomination would push the Indonesian government to eventually acknowledge the 1965 genocide... as a moral disaster. May this nomination push more Indonesians to demand their leaders to take responsibility for their crimes."

Indonesia urged to endorse anti-involuntary disappearance bill

Jakarta Post - January 16, 2014

Margareth S. Aritonang – The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) has called on the House of Representatives to endorse the bill on anti-involuntary disappearance.

House Commission I overseeing defense and foreign affairs completed deliberation of the bill last year, involving the Indonesian Military (TNI, the National Police, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) as well as civil society groups and experts, but postponed its endorsement to allow longer discussion.

Among the nine party factions in the House, the Great Indonesian Movement (Gerindra) Party and the People s Conscience Party (Hanura) were the two factions that urged the delay.

Commission I is set to make a final decision whether to ratify the United Nations Convention Against Involuntary Disappearances later next week.

In a release sent to The Jakarta Post on Thursday, AFAD called for lawmakers to keep their promise to uphold human rights and speed up the long overdue vote on the endorsement.

Chairman Mugiyanto, a prodemocracy activist who was abducted during the 1998 May riots in Jakarta, cited a lack of understanding on the nature of the convention as the reason for lawmakers request for further discussion.

"We have high hopes that the legislature will decide favorably, for this will be an important gift to the nation for a common commitment that in the future no one should be subjected to forced disappearance. No more," Mugiyanto said.

Commission I chairman Mahfudz Siddiq previously told the Post that endorsement of the bill was among the commission's priority during the newly resumed House session starting Jan. 15.

To date, 21 countries have ratified the convention and 88 others have signed a commitment to do so. Indonesia signed the treaty on Sept. 27, 2010.

Dutch government facing lawsuit over post-1945 violence

Jakarta Post - January 16, 2014

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The Committee for Dutch Honor Debts (KUKB) Foundation will file a fresh lawsuit with the United Nations Security Council against the Netherlands, demanding the Dutch government give de jure recognition of Indonesia's Independence Day on Aug. 17, 1945.

Through the lawsuit, the KUKB expects the UN Security Council to set up a rights tribunal to bring Dutch veterans to trial for "gross human rights violations" committed by the Dutch government following the 1945 independence declaration by Indonesia's first president, Sukarno.

The Dutch government officially recognized Indonesia's independence on Dec. 29, 1949.

"It's really important for us to have de jure recognition from the Dutch government as it will force the Netherlands to admit that what the government referred to as a 'police action' during the years after independence was actually military aggression against a sovereign country," KUKB chairman Batara Hutagalung said recently.

"By admitting such military aggression, the Dutch government must take responsibility for the war it caused," he carried on. "History shows that the Dutch began a second military campaign in Indonesia on Dec. 19, 1948, just nine days after it signed the UN Declaration of Human Rights. How can we stay silent on the massacre of thousands of Indonesians?"

The KUKB has previously assisted a group of widows and relatives of victims of the Rawagede massacre, for which the Dutch government has been found guilty, as ruled by a Dutch court. The Dutch government has officially apologized to the families of the victims and paid $20,000 in compensation.

Batara cited the progress made in the Rawagede case as a platform for further moves. "We have conducted years of thorough studies before we came to this decision. Many individuals and groups from both Indonesia and the Netherlands have supported us. But we need to also gain official support from the government," he said. The KUKB is setting up a legal team to prepare the lawsuit.

University of Indonesia international law professor Hikmahanto Juwana said "the state's support is crucial as it is only the state that can officially endorse the lawsuit at the UN."

"The KUKB has started the initiative and it is important for the government to officially back it, otherwise it will hard for us to submit the lawsuit. Once submitted, the road to setting up ad hoc tribunals like the Nuremberg or Tokyo tribunals will be opened," Hikmahanto said.

Aware of the importance of engaging the state in the matter, KUKB representatives met the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) last Monday to ask the MPR to discuss the matter with the government, as the KUKB's previous discussions with the country's executive were deadlocked.

On Wednesday, MPR chairman Sidarto Danusubroto promised he would press the matter with the government during a meeting later in the year. "We fully support the significance of the plan for this lawsuit. We are with the KUKB on this matter. Now, we need to also ensure the government supports it," Sidarto said.

Labour & migrant workers

Migrant workers' remittances amounted to Rp 88.6 trillon in 2013

Jakarta Post - January 14, 2014

Surabaya – The National Labor Placement and Protection Agency (BNP2TKI) said the realization of overseas remittances by Indonesian migrant workers amounted to Rp 88.6 trillion (US$7.35 billion) during the period of January-December 2013, with an exchange rate assumption of Rp 12,000 per dollar.

The amount is greater than the money remitted by foreign workers in the same period of 2012, which amounted to Rp 67.87 trillion according to BNP2TKI head Jumhur Hidayat.

Nationally, he said, there were around 6 million migrant workers who contributed a great deal to the foreign exchange reserves to Indonesia.

"The money remitted by the Indonesian overseas workers in 2013 does not include cash they brought by themselves or entrusted to their colleagues when they returned home," said Jumhur in Surabaya on Monday as quoted by Antara news agency. "It also does not include money they sent through services other than banks," he went on.

In total, Indonesian migrant workers send around Rp 120 trillion back home every year.

To optimize the use of such a high amount of remittances, Jumhur said the BNP2TKI aimed to empower the 'foreign exchange earners' by initiating various financial education entrepreneurship programs. "This is in line with the continuous growth of the national economy, especially the domestic business sector," said Jumhur.

He further said the programs were directed to not only toward the foreign workers but also their families who received the overseas remittance. "This year, we will increase the number of participants empowered through the programs to 32,000," Jumhur said.

Both migrant workers and their families would be equipped with necessary skills they could use to benefit from the remittances received to run their own businesses. "Through such programs, we're sure that those who used to seek jobs overseas won't have to go back there anymore," said Jumhur. (ebf)

Freeport Indonesia union says layoffs 'inevitable' due to export tax

Reuters - January 14, 2014

Michael Taylor and Yayat Supriatna, Jakarta – US miner Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold will be forced to lay off workers from the world's fifth- biggest copper mine in Indonesia to offset an unexpected increase in export taxes, a union official said on Tuesday.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono rushed through a last-minute regulation on Saturday giving copper miners Freeport and Newmont Mining Corp a reprieve from a controversial mineral export ban, but imposed an escalating tax to limit the amount of mineral concentrate exports over the next few years.

Freeport has halted copper concentrate exports from its port in Papua and is seeking more clarity on the new policy. It also needs a new export permit to resume shipments.

Under the regulation, the tax for copper concentrate exports has been raised to 25 percent from 20 percent, and will gradually go up to a maximum 60 percent by the end of 2016.

"With the export tax at 25 percent, layoffs are inevitable," Papua-based Freeport union official Virgo Solossa told Reuters on Tuesday. "Freeport Indonesia will certainly minimise operation costs with lay offs. We still don't know how many workers will be laid off by Freeport."

When asked to confirm the possible layoffs, Freeport Indonesia CEO Rozik Soetjipto told Reuters that "so far we have no such plan". The company employs about 24,000 workers, including contractors and staff, in Indonesia.

The country's second-largest copper producer, Newmont, was continuing to run mining operations at its Batu Hijau mine as usual, while the firm waited for official notification from the government, a spokesman said on Sunday. Newmont did not comment on its copper exports.

Indonesia introduced the controversial ban on Sunday on a range of raw mineral ores in order to force companies to build processing plants on its soil.

The higher export taxes diminished the president's last-minute relief to the major miners. Although the government has yet to publish all the regulations clarifying the export rule changes, mining and finance ministry officials said concentrate with a minimum of 15 percent copper content will be allowed to be exported despite the ban. The Freeport website says that concentrates produced in Indonesia "generally contain 27-30 percent copper".

Rating agencies Moody's and S&P said state-controlled nickel miner PT Aneka Tambang (Antam) was under review for a possible downgrade due to the ban. The export halt is expected to cost Antam an estimated $300 million in revenue this year, as unprocessed nickel ore shipments represent around 30 percent of its revenue.

Political parties & elections

PDI-P stalls nomination to avoid negative campaigns

Jakarta Post - January 16, 2014

Margareth S. Aritonang, National – The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said the recent attacks launched against Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, for what critics say is his failure to prevent floods from recurring in the capital, was proof it was better for the party to postpone its nomination.

PDI-P secretary-general Tjahjo Kumolo said such a move was part of the party's strategy to win the presidential race.

"Every party has its own strategy to win the election. We, for example, chose to delay the announcement [of our presidential candidate] because he would be severely attacked if we announced the bid today," Tjahjo said when asked why the party had yet to nominate Jokowi.

"He [Jokowi] is already facing harsh attacks, even now when he tops the political surveys [and is not yet nominated]."

He said much criticism of Jokowi's handling of flooding problems in Jakarta was politically motivated and was likely aimed at undermining the governor's electability.

"The floods have nothing to do with a presidential candidacy, but people have continuously brought up the issue," Tjahjo said. "I understand if those who expected him to solve the flooding issues feel disappointed as we are still struggling with the matter. But please remember it takes time and collective effort to do it."

Considered a newcomer in the national political arena, Jokowi, a former Surakarta mayor, has won the hearts of many Indonesians following his 2012 election as Jakarta governor.

Approaching the elections, his name has continued to appear at the top of the list of almost all surveys as the most popular presidential candidate, although his party, the PDI-P has yet to nominate him to officially represent the party in the election.

A recent survey released by Kompas daily, for example, showed Jokowi would win 43.5 percent of the vote if an election were to take place today, followed by Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party chief patron Prabowo Subianto with 11.1 percent; while Golkar Party chairman and presidential candidate Aburizal Bakrie came in third with 9.2 percent.

Another survey by the Jakarta-based think tank – the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) – also reached a similar conclusion, showing that if an election were held today, Jokowi would secure 34.7 percent.

Despite these conclusions, the PDI-P has refused to officially nominate Jokowi, a decision that has apparently upset the party's grass roots members.

A group of Indonesian transvestites staged a rally to express support for Jokowi's nomination last Sunday. On Wednesday, the PDI-P branch in Tasikmalaya, West Java, officially gave its support to Jokowi.

PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri has signaled she may support Jokowi's candidacy. Senior PDI-P politician Panda Nababan said he was sure Megawati would not run again in the 2014 presidential election, considering her age and that her two most recent presidential bids had failed. Megawati will turn 67 this year.

Jokowi has often appeared with Megawati in what analysts say could be a move to shape Jokowi into a presidential hopeful.

Pluralist icon turned into political gimmick

Jakarta Post - January 16, 2014

Nurfika Osman and Hasyim Widhiarto, Jakarta – The surprise move by businessman Rusdi Kirana to join the National Awakening Party (PKB) has fueled an already heated political debate over which party has the right to display the image of former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid to attract the supporters of the iconic Muslim cleric and pluralist.

Gus Dur's family has criticized Rusdi, president director of the Lion Air Group, for claiming that he had joined the PKB because he admired the former leader of Indonesia's largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), which is believed to have 40 million members.

The family had severed ties with the PKB under the leadership of Muhaimin Iskandar, whom they believed had betrayed Gus Dur, his own uncle.

Inayah Wahid, one of Gus Dur's daughters, said the PKB could not use any pictures of her father in its campaigns. "That is in line with his personal request. He said every party could use his picture except the PKB under Muhaimin."

Gus Dur's widow, Sinta Nuriyah Wahid, said the family now supported the United Development Party (PPP), which held a ceremony on Tuesday commemorating the fourth anniversary since Gus Dur's death in 2009. "The PPP can display Gus Dur's picture wherever they want and I hope this party will become the pioneer of democracy, pluralism, humanism and human rights."

The PPP's move to embrace Gus Dur, known for his staunch opposition to religious intolerance, is widely viewed as nothing but a political gimmick by the party's chairman, Suryadharma Ali. As religious affairs minister, Suryadharma is largely blamed for rising intolerance in the country in the past few years.

The PKB insists that the party promotes the ideals championed by Gus Dur and that is why Rusdi joined the party. "I asked Pak Rusdi several times why he chose to join the PKB. He said he wanted to serve the party and continue Gus Dur's efforts [to promote pluralism]," Muhaimin said in a press conference.

PKB secretary-general Imam Nahrawi said Rusdi's encounter with Gus Dur dated back to late 2004, not long after party lawmaker and NU cleric Yusuf Muhammad died in a Lion Air plane crash at Adi Sumarmo International Airport in Surakarta, Central Java "He felt he owed the party, so he joined it."

When asked about Gus Dur's family's request to the PKB, Imam said: "Gus Dur did not teach discrimination. But, we have instructed our members not to use banners emblazoned with his picture."

Political analyst with the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Syamsuddin Haris, said the number of NU members that supported Gus Dur's ideals was great enough for parties to compete for their support.

"These parties need the masses to survive the election, and since Gus Dur is a magnetic icon in the country and he still has a lot of followers today, using his name will attract these people to support the parties."

Between the two parties, the PPP stood a better chance of attracting the NU followers because Gus Dur's family was supporting the party.

Political researcher Firman Noor said the PKB needed to accommodate the political aspirations of Gus Dur followers to boost its chances in the election.

Female candidates will face uphill battle in 2014 election

Jakarta Post - January 13, 2014

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Despite efforts to increase the number of women in politics, they still face an uphill battle to join the male- dominated political world, a political expert has said.

Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) political analyst Siti Zuhro said women in general were still victims of discrimination.

"So many challenges hamper women: Some are related to competence, others to outside influences such as a culture that discourages [women from politics]," she said.

According to Siti, women still face the social stigma prevalent in patriarchal society that perceives men as more dominant and capable than women.

Siti also said that the Islam further put women in a difficult position. "It's not true that Islam restricts women. But in Indonesia, not all Muslim give equal opportunities to women," she said.

A 2012 study by LIPI says that in Aceh, women were found to be discouraged from entering politics and becoming community leaders because of local conservative Islamic values. Aceh is one of the provinces with the lowest number of women at the local council level. In Aceh, only four out of the 69 council members are women.

By law, underscoring affirmative action, women must account for a minimum 30 percent of a political party's list of candidates for the House of Representatives and local legislatures (DPRD) and the Regional Representatives Council (DPD).

Currently, 108 of 506 lawmakers at the House are women – which equates to only 18.06 percent. This number is much lower than neighboring Timor Leste, which has 38.5 percent female representation at its parliament.

The survey found that in Papua, female councilors constantly struggle against local values, which deem women as objects for men that have no right to make their own decisions.

In Aceh and Papua, like in many other patriarchal societies, politics is seen as the domain of men and women are not allowed to enter, the study says.

Besides social stigma, female politicians face constraints from the government and political parties' lack of commitment to the improvement of the quality of female political candidates.

She said political parties were more concerned with increasing the number of female councilors and lawmakers rather than the polices or legislation they champion.

"For example, what are the 108 female lawmakers actually doing? What are their programs?" she said. "We need professional female lawmakers [...] What's the use of an affirmative action policy if you [a female lawmaker] end up in jail [for corruption]?"

General Elections Commission (KPU) commissioner Sigit Pamungkas, meanwhile, said that the minimum requirement of 30 percent did not necessarily translate in to pro-women policies.

"[What's important is] individuals who are competent and are concerned about gender issues," he said. "So just because the legislative candidates list has met the minimum requirement of 30 percent, it doesn't necessarily mean they are individuals with pro-gender ambitions."

Coalition demands MK give quick verdict on threshold

Jakarta Post - January 13, 2014

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Only three months before the legislative election, a coalition of NGOs called on the Constitutional Court (MK) to issue a ruling on a judicial review it filed on the Presidential Election Law.

The group, the Coalition of Civil Society for Simultaneous Elections, accused the court of being involved in politics and dishonest in its tardy deliberation of the judicial review, filed over one year ago.

The coalition filed the judicial review on Jan. 10, 2013, to challenge Law No. 42/2008, demanding the legislative and presidential elections be conducted simultaneously.

The coalition argued that by holding the elections simultaneously, the General Elections Commission (KPU) could prevent possible horse trading and transactional politics. A simultaneous election could also help improve voter turnout, the group argued.

The court has yet to announce its ruling, although it had completed its hearings on the petition back in April last year.

The coalition demanded the court announce its verdict before Jan. 21, when it is scheduled to deliver a ruling on a judicial review request on the same law filed by Yusril Ihza Mahendra, a presidential hopeful from the Crescent Star Party (PBB).

"We are confused why the court hasn't announced its verdict until now while Mahfud MD [former court chief justice] had said that court had made the decision since April last year," Effendi Ghazali, a member of the coalition, told a discussion on Sunday.

Effendi, a political analyst from the University of Indonesia, added that the coalition had written to court three times asking when it would issue a verdict.

Coalition member Ray Rangkuti suspected politics to be behind the delay. "We don't want politics involved in the decision because it would be very dangerous," Ray said.

In late December, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono suggested that the court has used the amendment of the Presidential Election Law as a bargaining chip in the debate over reform at the court.

"I heard – I hope this is not true – that the Perppu [the regulation in lieu of law] is being linked to a petition currently being handled by the court; the [judicial review] of the Presidential Election Law regarding the current [electoral system] and the presidential threshold," Yudhoyono said, referring to the Perppu to reform the court following the arrest of former chief justice Akil Mochtar for graft.

The coalition said it would not revoke its judicial review request, unless the MK delivered its verdict immediately.

On Dec. 13 last year, Yusril also submitted a request to challenge the Presidential Election Law, demanding the court scrap several articles in the law, including the stipulation that a party must gain 20 percent of the seats at the House of Representatives or 25 percent of the national legislative votes in order to nominate a presidential candidate.

The former Law and Human Rights minister deemed the legislative threshold to nominate a president unnecessary as the legislative and presidential elections should be held simultaneously as mandated by Article 22e of the Constitution.

Jokowi moves closer to PDI-P's Megawati

Jakarta Post - January 11, 2014

Hasyim Widhiarto, Jakarta – Megawati Soekarnoputri, chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), has sent a signal that she might support the presidential candidacy of popular Jakarta Governor and PDI-P politician Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

Party members who attended the PDI-P's 41st anniversary reception in South Jakarta were in for a surprise when Megawati handed the first slice of tumpeng (cone-shaped rice dish) to Jokowi and subsequently shook his hand. Upon receiving the rice, Jokowi put Megawati's right hand to his forehead, a symbol of deference in Javanese culture.

Many at the celebration began to speculate whether the gesture, meant to show respect for a person with higher status or power, may mean that Jokowi had finally secured Megawati's blessing to become the party's presidential candidate.

Jokowi, once again, denied that the gesture was an indication of support from Megawati. "What blessing? It's just a normal anniversary [for the party]," he said.

Public opinion polls have shown that Jokowi holds a comfortable lead against other presidential hopefuls. According to a survey released by Kompas daily earlier this week, Jokowi was the most electable candidate with 43.5 percent of respondents saying they would vote for him if an election were to take place today.

Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party chief patron Prabowo Subianto came in a distant second with 11.1 percent. Golkar Party chairman and presidential candidate Aburizal Bakrie came in third with 9.2 percent.

Megawati, meanwhile, was ranked in fifth place with only 6.1 percent. She came behind People's Conscience (Hanura) Party chairman Wiranto, who came in fourth with 6.3 percent.

Despite his soaring popularity during the past several months, Jokowi, however, has yet to secure an official endorsement from the PDI-P for his presidential bid, allegedly due to resistance from a party faction that still wants Megawati to run again for a third time.

Last week, Jokowi created a stir after saying nggih ("yes" in Javanese) in response to a group of residents who asked him about his willingness to run as a presidential candidate.

Earlier this week, Jokowi visited Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the country's largest Muslim organization; a move seen by analysts as an early attempt to woo Muslim voters.

Many are also convinced that Megawati's frequent trips with Jokowi is part of a move to groom Jokowi to become the party's presidential hopeful.

Meanwhile, senior PDI-P politician Panda Nababan said he was sure Megawati would not run again in the 2014 presidential election, considering her age and that her two most recent presidential bids had failed. Megawati will turn 67 this year. "She is firm that she won't run again for president," Panda said.

Megawati, however, has repeatedly said that her party would only announce its presidential candidate after the April 9 legislative election.

"The PDI-P has its own strategy [for the presidential election]. It is not a rash decision for us to endorse a presidential candidate, as he or she would be leading a large country with abundant resources," she said.

Political analyst Hanta Yudha of the Pol-Tracking Institute said he believed that Jokowi's gesture symbolized nothing more than his deep respect for Megawati.

"Such a gesture is common in our political circles. The former chairman of the Democratic Party, Anas Urbaningrum, for example, did the same thing to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono [the party's chief patron] on several occasions," he said.

Jokowi and Prabowo woo Muslim voters, visit NU, Muhammadiyah

Jakarta Post - January 9, 2014

Hasyim Widhiarto and Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The two strongest contenders in the 2014 presidential election – popular Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and chief patron of the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto – each made overtures to the country's two largest Muslim organizations on Wednesday, apparently to attract the support of Muslim voters.

Jokowi, a member of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), attended a closed-door meeting with leaders of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), including chairman Said Aqil Siradj, at the organization's headquarters in Central Jakarta to discuss the organization's upcoming national assembly scheduled for May, one month before the presidential election.

NU treasurer Bina Suhendra, who was present at the meeting, said in the meeting NU leaders formally asked Jokowi to open the assembly, an honor that had been performed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in recent years.

Bina said that the presence of Jokowi, who is currently the most popular politician in the country, would be of great importance to the Muslim organization.

Prabowo meanwhile paid a visit to Muhammadiyah headquarters in Central Jakarta, located only three kilometers away from that of NU. During his meeting with leaders of the organization, Prabowo talked about his presidential campaign platform.

Prabowo later had a 30-minute closed-door meeting with Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsuddin. Prabowo, however, denied that his visit was intended to curry support for his presidential bid.

"It is important for us to talk with other relevant organizations or figures before making an important [party] decision," he said.

Prabowo said that no political deals were made during the meeting as Muhammadiyah was a social and cultural organization that would not be allowed to endorse a candidate for president.

Jokowi and Prabowo are currently the most popular presidential hopefuls, according to a number of pollsters.

In a survey released by the news daily Kompas on Wednesday, Jokowi has a commanding advantage over other potential candidates, with 43.5 percent of respondents saying they would vote for him.

Prabowo came in a distant second with 11.1 percent. Golkar Party chairman and the party's presidential candidate Aburizal Bakrie came in third with 9.2 percent.

People's Conscience (Hanura) Party chairman Gen. (ret) Wiranto was the choice of 6.3 percent while former president and PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri came in fifth with 6.1 percent.

The survey found that 20.7 percent of the 1,400 respondents had yet to make up their mind.

Prabowo, whose Gerindra Party supported Jokowi's gubernatorial run last year, shrugged off the results of the survey. "In a democracy, it is the people who vote, not pollsters," he said.

Although Jokowi's popularity continues to skyrocket, the PDI-P has yet to officially declare whether it will nominate the former Surakarta mayor as its presidential candidate. Megawati has previously said that the PDI-P would wait until after the legislative election before announcing its nomination.

Responding to questions about his soaring popularity on Wednesday, Jokowi waxed poetic. "Just like the rain and water, everything will flow and eventually end in estuaries," he said.

Dems' presidential hopeful rages against KPK

Jakarta Post - January 9, 2014

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – The four-day "Meet the Press"-style promotional campaign held by the Democratic Party's (PD) presidential convention committee finally got the attention it deserved albeit for all the wrong reasons.

On Wednesday, one of the convention's 11 participants blasted the country's top antigraft body for hampering the government's work.

Regional Representatives Council (DPD) Speaker Irman Gusman, one of the party's presidential hopefuls, said on Wednesday that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) shared the blame for the country's poor and slow development.

"We always hope that the KPK will make a positive contribution to the nation's development but what has happened is the exact opposite," Irman said in the event, which was attended by scores of Jakarta-based journalists.

"The KPK has created fear among government officials particularly those in charge of projects. Today, officials are reluctant to manage certain procurement processes or projects because they are afraid they will be investigated by the KPK," he said.

Irman also said that the KPK had actually been designed as an ad hoc body that should eventually be disbanded some time in the future.

Irman added that irregular fund flows during election seasons should not always be considered as graft. He also suggested that some of those who misappropriated state funds should have their corruption charges dropped if they have paid a certain amount of fines.

Two other convention participants who also appeared on the program Wednesday were former Army chief Gen. (ret) Pramono Edhie Wibowo, who is also the brother of First Lady Ani Yudhoyono; and North Sulawesi Governor Sinyo Harry Sarundajang.

Earlier on Monday, convention participant and former Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Endriartono Sutarto made a bold move by criticizing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Endriartono, whose membership in the National Democrat (Nasdem) Party had been suspended after his decision to join the PD convention, slammed Yudhoyono's repeated claims of success in maintaining the country's strong economic growth.

"What is the point of having strong growth while the disparity or economic gap continues to increase? The poor stay poor while the rich get richer," he said.

Also making an appearance on the first day were senior PD lawmaker Hayono Isman and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Dahlan Iskan.

On Tuesday, Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) member Ali Masykur Musa and Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan fronted the media.

The "Meet the Press" is part of the ruling party's attempt to gain more media coverage for the convention. Each participant is given one hour for their discussion with journalists at the committee's secretariat in South Jakarta from Monday to Thursday.

Surveys & opinion polls

Voters rely on TV news, not campaign ads

Jakarta Post - January 15, 2014

Jakarta – A new public survey has found that most people rely on news reports rather than campaign advertisements in determining which parties they will support in upcoming elections.

Conducted by the Jakarta-based pollster Pol-Tracking Institute, the survey, which was released on Tuesday, showed that 75 percent of respondents said that mass media was highly influential in their political choices.

Pol-Tracking conducted the study from Dec. 16 to Dec. 23 last year, involving 1,200 respondents from the country's 33 provinces, with a margin of error of 2.83 percent.

Pol-Tracking executive director Hanta Yuda said that the most influential aspect of media was not political advertising, but rather media coverage on political parties.

"I urge parties to not spend too much on political advertisements, as news is much more influential," he told reporters after the launch of the survey at the Morrisey Hotel in Central Jakarta.

According to the findings, the ruling Democratic Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) are two of the most frequently reported-on parties in the country. The media, however, mainly shed negative light on the two parties, with the PKS receiving a great deal of negative coverage due to the beef import bribery scandal implicating some of the party's top leaders and their polygamous lifestyles.

The Democratic Party, meanwhile, suffered from bad press throughout last year in relation to many major graft cases, resulting in public perception of it as the most corrupt party.

Voters want younger candidates

Jakarta Post - January 13, 2014

Jakarta – A survey conducted by Jakarta-based pollster the Indonesian Research Institute (Insis) found that the 2014 presidential election could see a greater turnout if younger candidates were fielded by political parties.

More than 81 percent of survey respondents said that they would vote in the 2014 presidential poll if younger candidates such as Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Priyo Budi Santoso or businessman Hary Tanoesoedibjo ran in the election.

However, when asked if they would vote if older politicians such Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chair Megawati Soekarnoputri, Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie and Greater Indonesian Movement (Gerindra) Party chief patron Lt. Gen. (ret) Prabowo Subianto were running, only 63 percent of the respondents said that they would vote.

"What does this means? It means that people are tired of the same old politicians," Insis researcher Mochtar W. Oetomo said in a press briefing.

Health & education

Indonesia's universal healthcare – will it work?

IRIN News - January 14, 2014

The rollout of universal health coverage in Indonesia has been greeted with public enthusiasm, but health experts warn that inadequate funding could undermine the quality of care.

The government aims to have every Indonesian covered by health insurance by 2019 under a new scheme called Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional (JKN), with nearly 20 trillion rupiah (US$1.6 billion) allocated to cover premiums for the poor in 2014.

Around 65 percent of the country's 240 million people, including 86 million categorized as poor, are covered by some form of regional or national health program and are automatically entitled to comprehensive coverage under the JKN, which has replaced the previous health schemes.

"This is a great program. It should mean that people will no longer be denied treatment because they don't have money," said Wawan Mulyawan, a neurosurgeon and medical insurance consultant who works at a private hospital in Jakarta, the capital.

The World Bank estimates the insurance scheme will cost $13-$16 billion each year once fully implemented, while Jakarta has said it will double its spending on health to 16 trillion rupiah ($1.64 billion) in 2014 to cover the poor and "near poor".

Challenges and concerns

The rollout began on 1 January 2014, but implementation has not gone smoothly, with many workers at referral hospitals poorly informed about the program's details.

"Hospitals are afraid they will lose money by not being reimbursed like in the past, while health workers are afraid they will make mistakes," Mulyawan conceded. "As a result, quality of treatment has been compromised because it doesn't follow clinical pathways set by the hospitals."

Under the previous national insurance for the poor, hospitals, both state and private, complained the government delayed payments for more than a year, and some hospitals refused patients unless they made partial payment in advance. However, the government says it has learned from its mistakes.

"We are strengthening the primary care system across the country by improving infrastructure and adding more health workers," Deputy Health Minister Ali Ghufran told IRIN.

Indonesia has 25 health workers per 10,000 people, which meets the World Health Organization's minimum of 23, but they tend to be concentrated in urban centers, leaving parts of the archipelago without an adequate number of health personnel.

More than 1,700 state and private hospitals are participating in JKN, with over 9,000 state-funded community clinics, known as Puskesmas, serving as the backbone of primary care, Ghufran said.

The government plans to build 150 new hospitals in 2014, and says all hospitals will be required to serve JKN patients by 2019. People's welfare minister Agung Laksono said the challenges facing the health system in implementing universal coverage include a poorly functioning referral system, poor quality services at primary and referral levels, and high treatment costs.

Patient safety is also a concern, as not all hospitals are accredited, he said. Only around 65 percent of Indonesia's hospitals are accredited, with the majority of them being state-run.

Problematic payments

"Indonesia is undergoing a transition in disease epidemiology, marked by the still high prevalence of communicable diseases, and yet at the same time degenerative and non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and cancer are on the increase," he said.

The rate of mortality from non-communicable diseases rose from 41.7 percent in 1995 to 59.5 percent in 2007 – an increase of 42 percent – the latest figure available from the Health Ministry.

According to the Health Ministry's Basic Health Survey, the prevalence of diabetes was 2.1 percent in 2013, compared to 1.1 percent in 2007. Hypertension was prevalent among 31.7 percent of the population, up from 25.8 percent in 2007.

A report released in 2013 by Novo Nordisk, a global healthcare company, says 7.6 million people in Indonesia are living with diabetes, with millions more are at risk.

By 2030, the number of people with diabetes in Indonesia is projected to top 11.8 million, a 6 percent annual growth that by far exceeds the country's overall population growth.

Muhammad Imran, whose elderly father was receiving treatment for diabetes and high blood pressure as an outpatient under a previous insurance plan, said the Central Army Hospital had been inundated with patients referred by primary healthcare clinics.

"My father had to wait for hours to be seen by a doctor," he said. "After that we had to queue again for hours at the pharmacy. This is ridiculous."

While the government pays 19,225 Indonesian rupiah per month for treatment in a third-class hospital ward for each poor citizen, individuals can also purchase one of three insurance options: 25,500 rupiah per month for third-class treatment, 42,500 rupiah for second-class and 59,000 rupiah for first-class.

The 110,000-member Indonesian Medical Association says the amount the government is paying for the poor is too low, and has warned that this could compromise the quality of healthcare.

What about the doctors?

"There will inevitably be problems. Doctors will not be adequately paid and they won't be able to provide the maximum quality of care," said association chairman Zainal Abidin.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said he was aware of the potential problem, and the government would issue an additional regulation providing financial incentives for doctors and other medical workers. The premium paid for the poor would also gradually be increased.

"An evaluation will be conducted after three months, and [again after] six months, to ensure that its implementation will be better in the future," the president said.

The JKN specifies that government doctors and dentists working at public clinics (Pukesmas) be paid according to "capitation", meaning that healthcare providers are paid a set amount for each enrolled person assigned to them during a period of time (usually a month), whether or not that person seeks treatment.

Under the program, doctors and health facilities at the primary care level, both public and private, will have to treat all persons assigned to them, regardless of whether patients come to them for treatment or not. But Abidin said the amount a primary care provider or family doctor receives for each enrolled person assigned to them – 8,000 rupiah, about 68 US cents – is too low.

For example, public and private clinics or family doctors will receive 40 million rupiah ($3,328) for 5,000 enrolled citizens in advance per month, regardless of how much they spend on treating those patients, and whether or not they seek care.

According to a 2013 paper by Australia's Nossal Institute for Global Health, there were potential inequalities in implementing universal health coverage in Indonesia.

Experience with the previous national health scheme, Jamkesmas, had shown that despite nominal comprehensive coverage for the poor, patients had difficulty accessing certain services, and sometimes had to pay for medicines not available at the facility, particularly in rural areas.

"Poor quality and unequal distribution of government health facilities have been issues with which the ministry of health has been struggling with for some decades, without much progress. Significant further government investment in health infrastructure and workforce will be needed," the paper said.

The Health Ministry says Indonesia needs more than 12,000 new doctors to meet its goal of 40 per 100,000 people. The country has 88,000 doctors, with a ratio of 33 doctors per 100,000 people, and its universities produce 7,000 doctors annually, the ministry noted.

"The majority of doctors are civil servants. If there's a surge in patients while... [the doctor] has to juggle working in two or three places to make a decent living, you can imagine the stress," said Mulyawan, the neurosurgeon and insurance expert.

The unequal distribution of health workers would not be a problem if they were adequately paid wherever they work, he said. "Most doctors choose to work in cities because that's where the money is."

Refugees & asylum seekers

Asylum seekers say they were given small boat and forced back to Indonesia

Australian Associated Press - January 16, 2014

A group of asylum seekers say they were given a boat by Australian authorities in which they were forced to return to Indonesia under their own steam after their own vessel's engine failed.

The development appears to be confirmation that Australian border protection authorities have begun using lifeboats to return asylum seekers to Indonesia, after the commander of Operation Sovereign Borders confirmed on Wednesday that a number of such vessels had been acquired.

One asylum seeker has said he was with about 50 others from Bangladesh and Pakistan when they were intercepted close to Christmas Island about 10 days ago, after their boat's engine stopped working.

The man, from Bangladesh, who spoke through a translator, said they had then been transferred to an Australian navy vessel, where they remained for several days, before being escorted back towards Indonesia.

They were then given a smaller boat that they used to make their own way to Pelabuhan Ratu in West Java, which they say took about three hours. The smaller boat was crewed by by the same Indonesian men who had attempted to take the asylum seekers to Christmas Island. The group arrived at Pelabuhan Ratu about 11am on Wednesday morning.

It is believed they could be from a group of about 54 asylum seekers from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Burma who had reportedly set out for Christmas Island on about 5 or 6 January.

The development comes after the immigration minister, Scott Morrison, on Wednesday refused to comment on whether Operation Sovereign Borders had involved towing back or turning back boats into Indonesian waters.

But the operation's commander, Lieutenant General Angus Campbell, speaking at the same media conference, confirmed that customs had bought a number of lifeboats for its operations. He would not say how they would be used.

The incident, if confirmed, is likely to prompt an angry response from the Indonesian government after its foreign minister, Marty Natalegawa, warned against the measure earlier this week.

"Developments of the type that has been reported in the media, namely the facilitation by way of boats, this is the kind of slippery slope that we have identified in the past," he said in response to the government's admission that lifeboats have been bought.

The asylum seekers involved were not in custody on Thursday night, with many having already made their way back to Bogor, near Jakarta.

Some of group said they had been on another boat which was turned back to Indonesia by Australia in December. At least three other asylum seeker boats are believed to have been towed back to Indonesia by Australian authorities since 13 December.

A spokesman for Indonesia's co-ordinating minister for politics, security and law, Djoko Suyanto, said his office was aware that two asylum,seeker boats had been turned back by Australia, in December and on 6 January.

TNI chief denies backing Oz policy

Jakarta Post - January 10, 2014

Ina Parlina and Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Moeldoko denied that he had bowed to Australia's "turn back the boats" policy, clarifying his two earlier statements that contradicted Jakarta's rejection of Canberra's hard-line measure.

Indonesia is again in the midst of a row with Australia over the issue following reports that the Australian navy had turned back at least two boats with undocumented migrants onboard attempting to enter the country to seek political asylum since December, with the latest incident occurring Monday.

Recalling his phone conversation with Australian Defence Force chief Gen. David Hurley two weeks ago, Moeldoko said on Thursday that he had never made a statement that could be used to justify Australia's policy.

"My statement did not indicate that I agreed [with the policy], but that I understood such tactical moves. And my reasoning was that the UN declaration says that every country has the right to protect its sovereignty. If it were my responsibility, I would have done the same thing. So, that's the context," he said.

Moeldoko said that he did not want to get involved in politics over the statement. "I am not talking about foreign policy. I am talking about tactical matters in the field."

Jakarta has opposed Canberra's "turn back the boats" policy and has refused to receive undocumented migrants sent back by Australia. Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa has also said that Indonesia opposed Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's so-called Operation Sovereign Borders.

Moeldoko said that as TNI commander, his actions "must be in line with the country's policy". He denied that he contradicted Marty on the issue. He also played down his earlier statement that he made an agreement with Hurley during the phone conversation on the issue of boat people.

He said the context of the conversation was that the Australian commander informed him that he would send back boats from Indonesia that had Indonesian crews on board.

Agus Barnas, spokesman for the Office of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister, has denied that such an agreement existed. However, Australian media reported that Abbott and the Australian Defence Force had indicated that such a discussion had taken place.

The Associated Press news agency also reported that local media group Fairfax Media said that Australia was buying 16 engine-powered and enclosed lifeboats, similar to the lifeboats carried by cruise ships and other large vessels, to prevent migrants attempting to enter the country through Indonesian waters.

When asked whether he would reject boats that had no Indonesian crews in the future, Moeldoko said: "The Australian commander did not bring up the issue. What he said was about boats coming from Indonesia with Indonesian crews on board."

House of Representatives' Deputy Speaker Priyo Budi Santoso, who oversees security and military affairs at the House, said that although the House backed the government's firm policy on the issue, Moeldoko's move (to agree with Hurley's proposal) was acceptable to ease tension between the two countries.

"I've heard about it [the agreement between Moeldoko and Hurley]. Let the two generals maintain a good relationship. What he [Moeldoko] has done is acceptable because it was meant to halt the worsening relationship between the two countries," he said.

Priyo, however, urged the TNI to take drastic measures if the country's sovereignty was compromised. "But when it relates to the sovereignty of the nation, the TNI commander must not hesitate to take firm action," the Golkar politician said.

The University of Indonesia's defense expert, Andi Widjajanto, said such an agreement might actually exist. "The boat people problem is a huge national issue in Australia, so they have a special task force to coordinate every action. But not in Indonesia; therefore, we have so many coordination channels. The military can coordinate with Australia, and the Navy can do so separately."

Graft & corruption

The $8 million mayor: 'My wealth comes from god'

Jakarta Globe - January 16, 2014

South Tangerang Mayor Airin Rachmi Diany remained philosophical on Wednesday after digesting the news that her husband, Tubagus "Wawan" Chaeri Wardana, would be charged with money laundering over his alleged involvement in a crooked medical equipment procurement scheme.

"One's job, wealth and challenges all come from Allah and belong to Allah," she said.

Anti-corruption investigators are not so sure. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) believes at least some of Airin's substantial wealth – a staggering Rp 103.9 billion ($8.7 million) – came from a far less virtuous source.

Wawan, the brother of detained Banten Governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah, has been charged in connection with two high-profile graft cases: the rigging of medical equipment contracts and an attempt to pay-off disgraced Constitutional Court chief justice Akil Mochtar for a favorable verdict in a disputed election in Lebak district, Banten.

Wawan is currently detained in one of the KPK's detention centers. Airin has been questioned twice by the KPK but has not been charged in connection with any of her husband or sister-in-law's alleged criminal activities.

Charges are mounting against the family. On Monday, Ratu Atut learned that she would face an extortion charge in addition to charges that she attempted to bribe Akil Mochtar, the former chief of the Constitutional Court, to fix an electoral dispute in the Lebak district of Banten province.

Charging Wawan with money laundering was a significant move on the part of the KPK. The emboldened antigraft commission has used the charge to track down the combined wealth of corruption suspects in the past, compiling a thorough docket of charges and seizing the assets of those convicted of their alleged crimes. Investigators used the law to uncover Rp 200 billion in assets belonging to convicted two-star police general Djoko Susilo – the richest corruption suspect caught by the KPK to date.

A rich seam

The KPK has not begun to seize the couple's assets and, judging by the family's wealth, an investigation into possibly graft-tainted purchases will likely take some time.

Airin and her husband have a declared wealth of Rp 103.9 billion, according to official wealth reports (LHKPN) filed last year. The couple own 102 plots of land and property worth Rp 59,8 billion in Bandung, Bogor, Jakarta, Serang and South Tangerang. They also own apartment units in the Capital Residence in Jakarta valued at around Rp 2.4 billion, according to the Indonesian investigative news magazine Tempo.

Wawan and Airin own an eye-rolling 16 cars between them, including a 2007 Ranger Rover Sport (Rp 2.1 billion), a 2008 Mercedes Benz (Rp 1.58 billion), a 2009 Lamborghini (Rp 9 billion), a 2010 Toyota Alphard (Rp 1.3 billion), a 2008 Mini Cooper (Rp 600 million) and a 2010 Toyota Fortuner (Rp 459 million).

The KPK earlier this week raided his house in Jalan Denpasar in Kuningan, South Jakarta, and found more cars: two Ferraris, a Lamborghini Aventador, a Nissan GTR, a Bentley, a Rolls Royce, a Lexus, a Toyota Innova, a Toyota Land Cruiser, a Toyota Camry and one Harley Davidson motorbike.

In another raid of Wawan's Bali Pacific Pragama company office in Mega Kuningan, South Jakarta, KPK investigators found 200 land certificates for addresses in Banten, Jakarta and Australia.

It's a sizable haul for a family of public officials, but in-line with the KPK's allegations that Ratu Atut and her brother are guilty of widespread corruption in Banten province. The governor has had the province sewn-up for years, allegedly parachuting members of her family and inner circle into mayoral and district-head seats as a way of consolidating what antigraft activists and national law enforcers say amounts to a family fiefdom.

The KPK maintains that industrial-scale corruption was a family affair for Ratu Atut.

Data from Indonesia Corruption Watch indicates companies owned by Ratu Atut's family controlled public projects in Banten worth $100 million. The antigraft watchdog alleged that Banten government officials successfully stole Rp 34.9 billion in public funds in a single year, skimming off some 30 percent of the central government's allocation for community organizations and social aid programs in the province.

Married to the dynasty

Airin Rachmi Diany was born on Aug. 28, 1976. She studied law at University of Padadjaran, in Bandung, before taking a Master's degree in corporate law at the same university. She married Wawan in 1997.

Airin began her career as an assistant to a partner at law firm Imas Tarisyah. In 2004, she became a solicitor in the Tangerang district government and was promoted in 2008, gaining the authority to sign off land transfers in the district.

She ran for office in and was elected mayor of South Tangerang – by a tight margin of only 1,000 votes – for a five-year term in 2011.

Graft defendants get leniency

Jakarta Post - January 13, 2014

Jakarta – Antigraft watchdog the Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) said in its annual report that the majority of defendants in graft cases received lenient prison terms in 2013.

"The average prison term handed down to corruptors in 2013 was 35 months or 2 years and 11 months," ICW researcher Lalola "Lola" Easter told reporters on Sunday.

The ICW divided the sentences into three categories: zero to four years, four to ten years and more than ten years which are considered lenient, moderate and heavy respectively.

Lola said the ICW recorded that 279 graft defendants from 184 cases were sentenced in 2013, of which 232 defendants or 78.64 percent got lenient sentences, 40 defendants or 13 percent received moderate terms and only seven defendants were sentenced to more than 10 years.

The ICW said the 184 cases had resulted in Rp 3.46 trillion (US$28.3 million) in state losses, while total bribes paid amounted to Rp 13.18 billion. Meanwhile, the state only received Rp 36.95 billion and Rp 515.5 billion in fines and confiscated assets from the cases.

Anas detained by the KPK over Hambalang corruption case

Jakarta Globe - January 10, 2014

Rizky Amelia – Former Democratic Party chair Anas Urbaningrum was detained by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) over his alleged role in the Hambalang sports center corruption case on Friday evening, marking the latest arrest of a high-profile graft suspect on the antigraft authority's "Hallowed Friday."

"For the sake of the investigation the KPK detained A.U. [Anas Urbaningrum] at the KPK detention center for the first 20 days," KPK spokesman Johan Budi said.

Anas arrived for questioning earlier Friday afternoon after the KPK, tired of the graft suspect's repeated refusal to respond to the antigraft body's summons, mobilized a team of investigators and police officers to forcibly escort him to the South Jakarta office.

He was named a suspect last February over allegedly receiving kickbacks from the graft-tainted Hambalang construction project. Anas is the latest member of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's ruling Democratic Party to be detained in a corruption investigation.

Terrorism & religious extremism

For Indonesian jihadists, Syrian civil war beckons

Associated Press - January 10, 2014

Chris Brummitt and Niniek Karmini, Jakarta, Indonesia – The young Indonesian was raised in an extremist household and graduated from a boarding school notorious for teaching generations of terrorists. So it was perhaps no surprise that when Muhammad Fakhri Ihsani left to study in Pakistan, the lure of jihad proved inescapable.

But the 21-year-old didn't sneak into nearby Afghanistan or the lawless border areas, as scores of other foreigners have in recent years. Indonesian authorities believe that after flying to Turkey, he and three other Indonesian students traveled overland to Syria to fight there with fellow countrymen and jihadists from all over the world.

Their journey in August shows how determined some Indonesians are to join what has become the new theater of choice for international jihadists. It also points to an emerging threat for Southeast Asian authorities, who have successfully clamped down on militants in recent years, largely preventing them from forging links with their brethren overseas.

While security agencies in Europe and beyond are worried about militants returning from Syria, Indonesia knows only too well how foreign battlefields, training opportunities and contact with al-Qaida can lead to deadly results. Indonesian veterans of the Afghan jihad spearheaded attacks in the 2000s against local and Western targets, including nightclub bombings on the resort island of Bali that killed 202 people.

The Syrian conflict is also helping fuel an increasingly bitter hate campaign against Shias in Sunni-majority Indonesia, where until a few years ago sectarian divisions, let alone conflict, were largely unheard of. Syrian veterans are only likely to exacerbate this.

"We have to learn from our bitter experience in the past," said Ansyaad Mbai, head of the country's anti-terror agency. "Every Indonesian who ends up in Syria needs to be watched. We have to anticipate the fact that when they return they will have new abilities and skills in warfare."

In interviews, Mbai and two other Indonesian anti-terror officials estimated there were around 50 Indonesian militants fighting against the regime of Bashar Assad, out of up to 11,000 foreigners believed to have become opposition fighters. They said that number is expected to grow. Many were already living or studying in the Middle East when they left. The estimate was based on information from Syrian authorities and their own investigations in Indonesia and Turkey.

Indonesian humanitarian groups staffed by hardliners or those with known links to extremists have been raising funds across Indonesia with little transparency. Some are traveling to regions of Syria under the control of militants, treating fighters and handing out cash and relief funds to civilians and local authorities. One organization has traveled at least eight times to the front line in Latakia region, a stronghold of the al- Qaida-linked Nusra Front, according to their literature.

Indonesia has more Muslims than any other nation, but the brand and practice of Islam is markedly different from the austere version common in parts of the Middle East and South Asia. Militant Islam has a long history in Indonesia, dating back to the country's birth in 1945, but it has struggled to gain significant followers even as the torch of jihad has been handed down through the generations.

The Ngruki boarding school, on the main island of Java, and its network of teachers and ex-students have been central to militant activity in the country since the early 1990s. A close look at those taking part – and advocating for – the war in Syria reveals it remains a central node of extremism, apparently intent on making Syria a new venue for those wishing to take part in jihad.

Ihsani and the three other Indonesians who left Pakistan with him attended Ngruki. The first Indonesian known to be killed in the conflict, Riza Fardi, was also a graduate. His death was reported on Arabic jihadi websites in late November, along with a photo of him taken in the region, smiling with other fighters.

Bambang Sukirno, another Ngruki graduate and a Bashir associate, took part in a humanitarian mission to Latakia last year, according to video interviews he gave to Islamist media on his return. Sukirno published the autobiography of Bali nightclub bomber Imam Samudra, who writes lovingly of his experience fighting jihad in Afghanistan.

"We have learned that some of our alumni are involved in the struggle in Syria, but once again I reiterate that we can't monitor or follow what our students do after they graduate," said Wahyudin, Ngruki's principal. The cleric, who goes by a single name, used a similar defense when confronted with the fact that former students and teachers were convicted of carrying and planning out terrorist attacks inside Indonesia in the 2000s.

Ihsani's father, Sholeh Ibrahim, has been a teacher at the school for years, and heads the extremist Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid organization in Solo, where the school is located. JAT is campaigning for Islamic law in Indonesia, is anti-Christian and supports al-Qaida's vision. At least 30 members have been convicted for terrorist offenses over the last four years, and the US State Department declared it a foreign terrorist organization in 2012.

The head of the organization nationwide, Abu Bakar Bashir, is serving a 15-year jail sentence for supporting the establishment of a militant training camp. From behind bars, the cleric issued a call for jihad to Syria year.

Ibrahim said he last spoke to his son Aug. 21. He didn't mention any travel plans, but asked about his family in Indonesia and spoke of his activities at college in Islamabad, Pakistan, a popular destination for Indonesians looking for cheap degrees in Islam. Ibrahim said neither he nor any of his son's friends have heard from him since.

Despite being a proponent of jihad, Ibrahim said he was worried. "Honestly speaking, as father, I'm concerned," said Ibrahim. "But I trust in Allah and his will, and I'm sure he (Ihsani) will choose a blessed path."

A sustained crackdown by Indonesian authorities since 2002 has reduced the threat of large-scale terrorism against Western or civilian targets in Indonesia and elsewhere in the region. But small groups of militants continue to plot, train for and carry out attacks, mostly against police targets, across the country of 240 million people.

Syria represents a rare training and battle opportunity for the current generation of Indonesian militants.

Most of the foreign fighters in the country come from the Middle East. Estimates of the numbers of Western European fighters range from 396 to 1,937, according to a recent study by the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization.

It's unclear where or with whom the Indonesians are fighting. According to the center, most of the foreigners are grouped with the Nusra Front or the Islamic State in Iraq, the two opposition brigades that are closest to al- Qaida.

"Anybody coming back from Syria is going to have immediate credibility and legitimacy in the jihadi movement," said Sidney Jones, the director of the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict. "There might be people coming back who can take any of these amorphous, feckless groups of extremists and drill them into shape."

While the country's extremist fringe is rallying around Syria, it is also apparent most mainstream Indonesian Muslims are not signing up to the cause because it means having to embrace the uncompromising – and still unpopular – sectarian vision that is at the heart of the conflict.

Only around 20 people showed up at a recent meeting at a mosque in west Jakarta organized by hardliners who had returned from a Syrian humanitarian mission. A question from a reporter as to why Indonesians should take sides in a civil war in a Muslim country when other causes, for example Palestine, were still pressing, was met with a smattering of applause from those present. Joserizal Jurnalis, a doctor who has led humanitarian missions to help Muslims in Afghanistan, Lebanon and elsewhere, has angered many fellow Indonesian Islamists by refusing to go to Syria or supporting the cause.

He says those rallying around Syria are "those close to al-Qaida only." "It's a sectarian war. It's not clear to me why we should be helping in the slaughter of other Muslims," he said.

Freedom of religion & worship

Religious affairs minister Suryadharma doubts claims of intolerance

Jakarta Globe - January 9, 2014

Josua Gantan – Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali claimed that Indonesia was a bastion of religious tolerance on Thursday, setting off a chorus of critics who accused the controversial minister of ignoring instances of violence in this pluralist nation.

"There are those who said that Indonesia is intolerant," Suryadharma said in an interview with the Indonesian newspaper Kompas. "Is this reality or conjecture? Because I see, all around Indonesia, harmony is still in place."

Suryadharma said claims of widespread intolerance in Indonesia were confusing, emphasizing that the vast majority of Indonesians lived in religious harmony. It's a controversial statement for many rights groups in Indonesia.

While the nation's constitution – the Pancasila – officially recognizes six major religions and the vast majority practice a moderate form of Islam, members of minority religious groups or those not recognized by the state are prone to harassment and intimidation in some of the country's more conservative regions.

Organizations such as Human Rights Watch and the National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas HAM) have accused the government of not doing enough to curb the influence of Islamist hard-liners, such as the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), or punish those who enforced their views with violence.

The minister, for his part, has consistently denied the claims, explaining that inter-faith strife was just "human nature." Suryadharma has called "Indonesia... the best country in the world in terms of religious tolerance."

On Thursday he reiterated his views, telling the newspaper that he attended religious events from all of the six religions in a peci – a traditional men's Muslim cap – as a sign of his acceptance of other religions.

"Now the minister is from an Islamic political party, yet he is willing to attend the religious events held by members of other religions." Suryadharma said, referring to himself.

A recent campaign to promote religious harmony in Jakarta was attended by 150,000 people of different faiths, he said. "So you can see how well harmony is kept here," he said.

The problem, Suryadharma said, is one of perception. Intolerant acts, including terrorism, are committed by a fringe minority, he said. "Yet, us, who are Muslims ourselves, are angry over those acts of terrorism." Suryadharma said.

Critics took exception not with that comment, but with the minister's insistence that religious intolerance was a non-issue in Indonesia. "It's another example of the central government's indifference to the plight of the country's marginalized religious minorities", said Bona Sigalingging, spokesman for the shuttered GKI Yasmin Protestant church in Bogor, West Java.

The problem would persist until those in charge, including Suryadharma, addressed the issue head-on, he said. "In reality, the state is indifferent to, if not responsible for, the intolerant groups in various regions which spread terror and intimidation to Indonesians who are considered minorities in their respective regions," Bona said.

Earlier this week Bona was among the GKI Yasmin and HKBP Filadelfia members forced to hold services outside the Presidential Palace in Central Jakarta.

Despite repeated instances of discrimination against Christian and Muslim minority groups, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the central government has said little – or, in some instances, accepted praise and awards for commitment to religious tolerance.

"GKI Yasmin, HKBP Filadelfia, Ahmadiyah, Syiah, Penghayat, all still face discrimination and the president is silent about it." Bona said.

The Setara Institute said that the situation on the ground improved in 2013. "Overall there is an improvement," said Bonar Tigor, vice chairman of the Setara Institute. "It was recorded that there were 264 cases of violations of religious freedom in 2012. In 2013, there were only 214 cases."

But an improvement in the data does not mean the issue has ceased to exist, Bonar said. "Although our research shows that 70 percent of Indonesians do uphold tolerance and plurality, we cannot be complacent," he said. "There are intolerant groups in many regions which continue to intimidate minority groups and are left unaccountable by the state."

Poverty & social inequity

Rich, poor gap needs reducing, says Paramadina deputy rector

Jakarta Globe - January 11, 2014

Shesar Andriawan – The economic gap between the rich and the poor in Indonesia continues to widen as the nation's wealthiest are expected to take advantage of a bigger share of the country's economy this year, while the poorest will enjoy a smaller share, an academic says.

Wijayanto Samirin, deputy rector for business cooperation and development at Paramadina University, said on Friday that gross domestic product in 2013 amounted to $930 billion, but despite the huge economic pie, the distribution was uneven.

Wijayanto said that Indonesia's richest 10 percent enjoyed 25 percent of GDP today, while the poorest 10 percent only enjoyed 4.3 percent. He predicts that the figure would increase for the rich and shrink for the poor this year, with the richest 10 percent expected to enjoy 30 percent of GDP and the poorest 10 percent to enjoy a mere 3 percent.

"For the richest 10 percent, the 5 percentage point increase won't be very significant. But for the poorest 10 percent, a 1 percentage point drop will make a big difference," Wijayanto said at an event in Jakarta to mark the 16th anniversary of Paramadina's founding.

Wijayanto said that Indonesia had been far too complacent, following praise from international institutions about its economic growth.

"We have been overwhelmed with support. The IMF [International Monetary Fund] predicts that Indonesia's economy will be the seventh [biggest] in the world after China, United States, India, Brazil, Mexico, and Russia," he said.

"The World Bank also said the same. McKinsey gave a more optimistic projection, saying Indonesia would become the seventh-biggest economy in the world by 2030, outpacing Germany and Britain." Economy-wise, Indonesia ranks in the lower half of the Group of 20 nations.

Wijayanto, who is also an economic analyst, said the widening wealth gap could create problems in the future because it could make people feel inferior, which could damage social cohesion.

"Cohesion is a requirement for the country to become great. Mistrust will only widen if the gap between rich and poor gets wider. The country will grow if the gap is closed. Such a condition can only be achieved if economic and political institutions are inclusive. They can all play a role here," he said.

Wijayanto blamed the wealth gap on what he called the government's wrong policies. He said the government issued policies that were not needed but at the same time did not issue those that were necessary.

With regard to the nation's current economic condition, Wijayanto said that Indonesia was like a car that was speeding fast but had left some things behind.

"Do we have to slow down? Or get the car to move backward? No. The solution is to get a bigger car so that everyone that was left behind can come along," he said.

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. So if the country wants its economy to grow fast, ignore the gap. But if the country wants to grow big, then embrace many people, lessen the gap."

Judicial & legal system

House stripped of justice selection authority

Jakarta Post - January 11, 2014

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – The Judicial Commission (KY) and the Supreme Court lauded a ruling Friday that would dissolve the House of Representatives' role in the selection of Supreme Court justices.

The House will only be able to approve or reject candidates proposed by the commission. Commissioner Imam Anshori Saleh said the ruling would free the whole process from politics. Supreme Court spokesman Ridwan Mansyur said the court "hoped the justice shortage could now be resolved".

On Thursday, the Constitutional Court ruled unanimously to scrap the role of the House to select one justice from every three candidates short-listed by the commission.

"Therefore, the commission should now propose one candidate to fill one seat to be later approved [or rejected] by the House," court justice Ahamd Fadlil Sumadi said in his ruling.

Three former justice applicants who were rejected by the House filed a judicial review on the selection of justices.

The move was supported by activists and legal analysts grouped under the Civil Society Coalition for a Professional Judiciary, which set up a legal team to represent the three. They argued the existing mechanism, which allowed the House to select candidates, violated the principles of an independent judiciary.

In September last year, media representatives witnessed an incident – involving a justice candidate and a lawmaker – believed to be a bribery attempt in a toilet on the sidelines of a screening test at the House.

Imam revealed to media that in 2011, a lawmaker had offered Rp 1.4 billion (US$114,933) to commission members in return for their endorsement of a certain candidate.

The fresh ruling, however, would put pressure on the court to nominate better candidates.

In early 2013, Muhammad Daming Sunusi, a justice candidate proposed by the commission, made a joke about rape during his screening at the House, sparking wide public protest.

The commission later admitted it had made a mistake in selecting Daming and as a result ceased to allow candidates who had failed twice from reapplying for a third time. Daming himself failed a medical test during a selection process at the commission in 2010 and a screening test in 2011.

Erwin Natosmal, a legal activists, hailed the ruling, saying that although the commission would now face a larger challenge in the nomination of justices, the process would be more transparent.

Another commissioner, Taufiqurrohman Syahuri, said the selection process would be much improved: "We will also provide the House with detailed background of each candidate."

House Speaker Marzuki Alie supported the ruling although lawmakers had previously tried to seek a greater role in the process by amending the 2009 Supreme Court Law.

"I have to reiterate that [leaders of] legal institutions should not be selected by the House as they eventually would be taken hostages by politics," he said as quoted by Antara news agency. "The selection should be independent."

Police & law enforcement

Police to crack down on bad detectives

Jakarta Post - January 11, 2014

Yuliasri Perdani, Jakarta – National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Oegroseno has vowed to crack down on bad cops who frame suspects in drug cases.

Oegroseno made the statement in response to the Supreme Court's verdicts that stated some members of the force had not been professional in their investigations of at least three drug cases.

"If there have been any wrongdoings, I suggest that the investigators should be dishonorably discharged from the corps," Oegroseno said on Friday.

The Supreme Court has acquitted at least four individuals from drug charges on grounds that they had been framed by police investigators.

In October last year, the court declared Rudy Santoso, a 41-year-old pesticide salesperson, not guilty of the possession of 0.2 grams of crystal methamphetamine, locally known as shabu-shabu. The verdict annulled the Surabaya High Court's ruling from March 2012, which sentenced Rudy to four years in prison.

In Aug. 2011, East Java Police officers searched a room rented by Rudy and alleged that he had tried to flush drugs down the toilet prior to the raid.

In the Supreme Court's verdict, presiding judge Timur P. Manurung stated that, during the search, the police did not ask for statements from locals or from a woman identified as Susi, a guest who occupied Rudy's bathroom minutes before the raid.

"It is impossible that the police do not question someone who is at the crime scene during the raid. In this case, a woman named Susi left the crime scene, passing four police officers who were conducting the search," the verdict reads.

The panel of judges found that the investigators had ordered Rudy to undergo a urine test and had forced him to sign the case dossier.

A similar case involved Benny Ibramsyah and Irwansyah in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan. In May 2011, the South Kalimantan High Court found them guilty of an illegal drug transaction of 0.31 grams of crystal methamphetamine in October 2010. They were sentenced to five years in prison.

In August, the Supreme Court acquitted them of all charges, stating that the South Kalimantan Police, which conducted the arrest and the investigation, only presented statements from police investigators.

"It is common knowledge that the police sometimes try to engineer drug cases, to make someone a main suspect in a drug case," a panel of judges, led by judge Imron Anwari, said in the verdict. "For example, [the police] have prepared the evidence while searching the suspect," the judges said.

In 2010, the Supreme Court also acquitted Ket San, alias Cong Ket Khiong, who was arrested for the possession of two ecstasy pills, of all charges.

Throughout 2013, hundreds of people filed complaints about the police's performance in investigating crimes. The National Police Commission (Kompolnas) received 908 public complaints, with around 90 percent concerning the performance of the force's criminal investigations division.

Accusations also abounded that police provided protection to drug syndicates. Last year, the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) claimed that Comr. Albert Dedi, a middle-ranking officer from the National Police's Criminal Investigations Division, stole two documents from the office of BNN operations deputy Insp. Gen. Benny Mamoto in Jakarta last Thursday.

Speculation was rife that the theft was in response to the agency's efforts to unearth drug syndicates that may implicate some top cops.

Mining & energy

Freeport, Newmont exempted as mineral ban comes into effect

Reuters - January 12, 2014

Kanupriya Kapoor & Yayat Supriatna – Indonesia, one of the world's biggest resource exporters, halted all mineral ore exports on Sunday in a bid to promote domestic processing, but the country's president passed a last- minute regulation to ease the ban's impact on major miners.

In one of his biggest economic policy decisions since taking office nearly 10 years ago, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono approved the ban, but allowed US mining giants Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold and Newmont Mining Corp to continue to ship billions of dollars worth of copper overseas.

The Southeast Asian nation is the world's biggest exporter of nickel ore, refined tin and thermal coal and home to the fifth largest copper mine and top gold mine.

The long-expected ban aims to boost Indonesia's long-term return from its mineral wealth by forcing miners to process their ores domestically. But officials fear a short-term cut in foreign revenue could widen the current account deficit, which has undermined investor confidence and battered the rupiah.

"Starting at midnight on Jan. 12, 2014, raw ore definitely cannot be exported," Energy and Mines Minister Jero Wacik told reporters after a meeting with the president and cabinet.

However, Yudhoyono's last-minute regulation will allow 66 companies, which include Freeport and Newmont, to continue to export processed mineral as they have provided assurances to the government that they will soon build the necessary smelters.

"As long as they can fulfill the requirements, Freeport and tens of national miners are still allowed to export," Industry Minister M.S. Hidayat told Reuters. Details of the regulations were to be released later.

Most of the companies expected to feel the impact of the ban are small domestic miners, numbering in the hundreds, that cannot afford to invest the hundreds of millions of dollars needed to build a smelter.

Mineral shipments totalled $10.4 billion in 2012, or around 5 percent of Indonesia's total exports, according to the World Bank.

Halting shipments

Shortly before the ban took effect, Freeport halted copper exports and would not resume them until there was clarity on which minerals can be shipped, a union official told Reuters.

"There will be no concentrate exports from Freeport Indonesia in Papua as long as there is no government policy providing certainty on concentrate exports," said union official Virgo Solossa, adding that the firm has not made a shipment from its port since Dec. 15.

It was not immediately clear if the government announcement late Saturday would be enough for Freeport to resume exports immediately. A company spokeswoman said Freeport continued to provide copper to its local smelter for domestic use.

Freeport, the country's dominant copper produce with 73 percent market share, last month warned that an unrevised export ban would cut output at its Grasberg mine by 60 percent and lead to layoffs of half of its 15,000 Indonesian employees.

Under the proposed regulation being reviewed by the president in the run-up to the deadline, Freeport, Newmont Mining Corp and other miners would be allowed to export copper, manganese, lead, zinc and iron ore concentrate until 2017.

But nickel ore and bauxite exports worth more than $2 billion annually would still be banned, while coal and tin shipments would not be affected. However, it was not clear whether the final regulation had been revised.

"In our discussion (about the ban), our considerations were first about the workforce, which shouldn't face mass layoffs," Energy and Mines Minister Wacik said. "Second was about the local economy, so it doesn't face any burden from the new regulations. Then, domestic companies should be allowed to continue operating."

More than 100 mining companies have been forced to reduce or shutdown operations due to the uncertainty surrounding the mineral export ban.

Along with Freeport, Indonesian miner Perusahaan Perseroan Aneka Tambang (Antam) also stopped nickel ore exports a few days ago, the firm's corporate secretary Tri Hartono said.

Election issue

A major economic impact could make the ban a hot political issue in this year's legislative and presidential elections, especially if it sparks a wave of layoffs in the world's fourth most populous country. Thousands of mine workers have already been laid off ahead of the ban, sparking protests in Jakarta.

"We call on all mining workers to prepare to go on the streets and swarm the presidential palace if the government goes ahead with the implementation of the ban," said Juan Forti Silalahi of the National Mine Workers Union in a statement earlier on Saturday.

Police have been stationed at ports and around mines to secure those places in case of public disturbances, said national police spokesman, Boy Rafli Amar.

Analysis & opinion

Why Indonesia should embrace 'The Act of Killing'

Jakarta Post - January 15, 2014

Daniel Ziv, Ubud, Bali – This week, for the first time ever, an Indonesian film will be nominated for an Academy Award.

The documentary The Act of Killing (TAoK) portrays in raw, chilling detail some of the most shameless perpetrators of Indonesia's 1965 anti-communist genocide as they joyfully and boastfully recreate for the camera their darkest deeds.

In an op-ed I published about the film in the Wall Street Journal just over a year ago, I predicted: "The documentary will hit nearly every top international film festival early next year. An Oscar nomination is likely, which means Indonesia is about to gain notoriety for the wrong reasons."

This forecast has come true, and it is important to fully appreciate the prominence, indeed dominance, that TAoK has enjoyed in the film world since. It has been screened at 120 international festivals, including nearly every top-tier event (Telluride, Toronto, Berlin, SXSW and many others.)

It has won 35 awards, including many of the world's most coveted film prizes: Berlinale, European Film Award, Gotham, Puma Impact, Asia Pacific Screen Awards and two BAFTA nominations.

Film legends Werner Herzog and Errol Morris have thrown themselves passionately behind TAoK, and it scores a whopping 96 percent on internet movie standard-bearer Rotten Tomatoes.com.

TAoK's director Joshua Oppenheimer was even a guest on the hit TV program The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, usually a hot seat for A-list stars, not obscure documentary directors.

In recent weeks TAoK made nearly every Best of 2013 movie list that matters, including The Guardian, New York Times, Indiewire, and LA Weekly. It was often listed not just as the year's top documentary, but as the year's top film in any category.

This sort of renown is unprecedented for a non-fiction movie, and even more unusual given that TAoK had everything working against it: It's abnormally long (two hours 39 minutes) and it's a slow-moving political documentary in a foreign language about an event nearly 50 years ago in a country most international viewers have barely heard of.

In other words, TAoK had all the ingredients to go totally unnoticed. Despite these handicaps, it has become one of the most critically acclaimed films of our time. The attention will only intensify in the lead-up to the Oscars in early March, and Indonesia will be in the spotlight like never before.

What has the Indonesian government's reaction been? Silence. Government officials have no doubt seen the film, but haven't reacted publicly. Contrary to the film's important underlying message – that historical truths must be addressed for the sake of justice – Indonesia's government seems content to bury its head in the sand. This is a great shame.

The disgrace surrounding Indonesia's 1965 genocide isn't that the perpetrators have gone unpunished: anyone familiar with Indonesia's patronage politics knows how unlikely it is that killers from 1965 will ever be investigated and brought to justice.

The real outrage – and surely of far greater pain to the victims – is that the 1965 genocide hasn't even been acknowledged. To make matters worse, the official narrative in Indonesia surrounding the events of 1965 remains one of blatant lies and historical distortions.

Why does Indonesia's reaction to TAoK even matter? The country, now just months from crucial parliamentary and presidential elections, is at one of its most fragile moral crossroads in decades.

The political arena will be contested by morally corrupt figures with direct ties to those involved in 1965, and at least one candidate who personally embodies that legacy of political violence.

But it will also be contested by an enlightened few with a vision of Indonesia governed through honesty, openness and accountability.

There is reason to be optimistic: For the first time since reformasi, Indonesia is seeing the emergence of a new generation of energetic, people-focused leaders bent on battling corruption and entrenched interests.

Jakarta's Governor Joko Widodo and his deputy Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama are the most obvious examples. But we can also look to figures like Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil, Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Mari Elka Pangestu and former finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati as influential leaders who won't settle for business as usual.

Progressive figures like Anies Baswedan and Gita Wirjawan are similarly emerging as potential leaders of the future. Many of these "good guys" weren't even part of the political landscape five years ago.

So Indonesia faces a clear choice: It can slide deeper into the very real landscape of fear and impunity portrayed in TAoK, or it can treat the film as a wake-up call and insist at the polls on the kind of enlightened, honest leadership it deserves.

Oppenheimer has handed a massive gift to Indonesia in the form of some hard medicine to heal its historical wounds and to right some of its greatest wrongs.

In October, Oppenheimer and his team made TAoK available for free download to anyone in Indonesia. Its people have begun confronting the truth through this important film. Now the government must decide whether to be on the right side of history by embracing truth and justice, or continue burying its head in the sand.

The idea of a government embracing and even promoting a film that criticizes its country is not as unlikely as it sounds. Israel, for instance, produces dozens of hard-hitting movies each year that blatantly expose and criticize institutionalized injustice.

Many of these films are not only promoted overseas by the Israeli government, but produced with government funding. This is also true of many films produced in the US with taxpayer money. It's a huge part what art is supposed to do anywhere – to serve as introspection, a social conscience, a devil's advocate.

Some may say Indonesia isn't ready for this kind of introspection. This is nonsense. The country is full of thoughtful, honest, forward-looking citizens comfortable with the world around them and wanting nothing more than to be part of a global society. To suggest they need to be "protected" from controversy or truth is utterly condescending. The Indonesian government needs to become a lot better at trusting the Indonesian people.

Rather than being embarrassed by TAoK, Indonesia's government should champion this film. It should welcome it into theaters and boldly promote TAoK as an important educational tool to compensate for decades of indoctrinating its nation's students with the infamous propaganda film G30SPKI.

Endorsing TAoK would be a sign of a confident, progressive government intent on breaking away from a culture of fear, lies and impunity.

Though Oppenheimer won't be visiting our shores for a while, for fear of reprisals by vigilante groups implicated in TAoK, he isn't going away any time soon.

Oppenheimer and his Indonesian codirector Anonymous are now editing their follow-up film. It's also about the 1965 genocide, but this time from the perspective of the survivors. Its title points poignantly and shamefully at how Indonesia's government has chosen thus far to ignore 1965: The Look of Silence.

[The writer is the director of JALANAN, a new feature-length documentary about Indonesia seen through the lives of three Jakarta street musicians, and author of the urban pop culture book Jakarta Inside Out.]

Kubuabola faces a Melanesian minefield in MSG's West Papua mission

Pacific Scoop - January 12, 2014

Graham Davis, Suva – Foreign Ministers of the Melanesian Spearhead Group are set to tip-toe through a diplomatic minefield with news that a MSG delegation – led by Fiji's Ratu Inoke Kubuabola – will make its long- awaited visit to the Indonesian region of West Papua this week.

The mission is fraught with potential difficulty and will require all the diplomatic skills the ministers can muster as they walk a tightrope between the intense sensitivity of their Indonesian hosts and the equally intense expectations of their Melanesian brothers and sisters in West Papua.

Ratu Inoke is famed for his own political dexterity – a man who has been able to weather successive upheavals in Fijian politics and still be at the centre of decision-making. So arguably no one is better placed to lead this delegation to West Papua and bring it back without fracturing relationships on either side.

The stakes are high and the pitfalls perilous. It will be one of the toughest assignments Ratu Inoke has ever undertaken, arguably more so than his patient to-ing and fro-ing with the recalcitrant Australians and New Zealanders on behalf of the Bainimarama government.

Yet, once again, Fiji has a unique opportunity to demonstrate leadership, judgment and wisdom, not only in our own foreign policy but on behalf of all Melanesians, including the people of West Papua. So our best wishes go with him as he tackles one of the biggest challenges of his diplomatic career. Put simply, the indigenous people of West Papua regard themselves -- quite rightly – as being as Melanesian as their kin across the border in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Fiji – the existing members of the MSG.

Yet they now find themselves outnumbered in their own country by the Javanese and other Indonesian ethnic groups that have flooded into West Papua since what was then a Dutch colony was invaded and annexed by Indonesia in 1961.

That invasion took place in highly controversial circumstances and amid an international outcry. It was eventually agreed that the United Nations oversee a plebiscite of the people of West Papua to finally decide their future.

Two choices

They were given two choices – to remain part of Indonesia or to become an independent nation. But while this vote was officially described as "An Act of Free Choice", it was conducted not by a poll of the entire population but of about 1,000 men selected by the Indonesian military.

This group – described at the time as a consensus of elders – was allegedly coerced into unanimously voting to remain part of Indonesia. And ever since, the result has been rejected by Papuan nationalists, who established what they called the Free Papua Movement (OPM).

The OPM ran a campaign of guerrilla warfare against the Indonesian administration over the years in which many thousands of Papuans have been killed. And while this has since tapered off, the independence movement has continued, mainly through peaceful protest and a campaign of international lobbying.

The main pro-independence group now is the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation (WPNCL) – an umbrella group of several bodies – with a leadership largely outside the country – in Vanuatu, the United States and Europe.

This group has now made a formal application to join the MSG and in doing so, has given the regional grouping a massive headache. It can't really say no altogether because it has already admitted the FLNKS (Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front), which is not a Melanesian country but the pro- independence movement in New Caledonia, once a French territory and still part of the French Republic, though with a degree of internal autonomy as a "Special Collectivity" of France.

The people of New Caledonia are due to be given a vote on full independence from France sometime between now and 2018. But the people of West Papua are in a completely different situation.

Integral part

Indonesia regards Papua and West Papua as two of its provinces and an integral part of the nation – as integral as Java, Sumatra or anywhere else. It says it will never countenance independence and fights the notion at every turn, regarding it as a threat to national sovereignty.

Part of its sensitivity lies in the humiliating manner in which it was forced to surrender East Timor, which it invaded and took from the Portuguese in 1975 one week after a unilateral declaration of independence, but lost in 1999 after a bloody guerrilla war and a similar United Nations vote, although one carried out properly with an overwhelming vote for independence.

In the interim, Indonesia has evolved from a military dictatorship into a robust democracy. Yet the Indonesian military still sees itself as the ultimate guardian of the country's territorial integrity and cracks down hard on any expression of dissidence or revolt over its hold on West Papua.

For Fiji and the other MSG countries, negotiating a way through this minefield is naturally going to be extremely challenging. Philosophically, they cannot exclude a substantial Melanesian population whose representatives want to join the organisation. But neither can they – nor do they want to -upset or damage the relationship of the MSG countries with Indonesia.

That relationship ranges from excellent – in the case of Fiji – to somewhat strained, in the case of Vanuatu, which has close ties to the West Papuan leaders in exile, provides them with a base and has strongly argued their case in global forums such as the United Nations.

Considerable challenge

So in essence, the door has to be kept open to both the Indonesian leadership in Jakarta and the leaders of the West Papuan independence movement, a considerable challenge that now rests at the feet of the MSG Foreign Ministers and Ratu Inoke Kubuabola in particular.

At the MSG summit meeting in Noumea last June, the MSG leaders decided to send a delegation led by Ratu Inoke to Indonesia for talks on the membership application by the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation. It has taken more than six months of delicate negotiations to organise but finally, Jakarta issued a formal invitation for the mission to proceed.

Ratu Inoke will sit down in the Indonesian capital flanked by the Foreign Ministers of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, a Special Envoy from Vanuatu and a senior representative of the FLNKS, which is the current chair of the MSG. In a clear sign of how seriously the Indonesians are taking the mission, across the table from them will be the senior leadership – including the President of the Republic, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his Foreign Minister, Marty Natalegawa.

The tenor of these meetings will be crucial. Neither side wants a showdown over West Papua and both will be working hard to ensure a successful outcome. But it is a challenging prospect indeed to expect the Indonesians to accept West Papua joining the MSG, except as part of the Indonesian Republic, which currently has observer status at the MSG.

Can a formula be hammered out for the provinces to join as a full member, just as the Kanaks of New Caledonia have full membership but France doesn't? Would the pro-independence exiles accept this?

Can they be brought into the tent to both the satisfaction of Indonesia, themselves and the MSG? These are all imponderables at the present time yet must logically be in the mix if a successful outcome is to be achieved.

Sensitive part

After these talks will come the most sensitive part of the visit, when Ratu Inoke and the other Foreign Ministers travel from Jakarta to West Papua itself.

Their official programme for the two day visit hasn't been officially released. Yet there's no doubt that the pro-independence lobby sees the visit as a golden opportunity to press its case.

A senior West Papuan activist, Octovianus Mote, was recently in Fiji lobbying on behalf of the WPNCL. He said the movement was "thrilled" that the MSG Foreign Ministers would be coming to the provinces and pledged that thousands of Melanesians would turn out to line the road from the airport to welcome them.

Just how the Indonesian security forces will respond remains to be seen. But the record shows that they give short shrift to any public manifestation of Melanesian nationalism and especially the raising of the Free West Papuan flag. Octovianus Mote said this would definitely happen at some stage during the visit.

The MSG foreign ministers will be dearly hoping for restraint on both sides. In his official announcement of the visit, Ratu Inoke appeared to play down the prospects of any dramatic outcome, stressing cooperation with the Indonesian government and ruling out any prospect of supporting independence for the Province.

Important visit

"We are happy to undertake this important visit at the invitation of the Indonesian government to be able to assess the application by WPNCL to become a member of the MSG to enable us to present a recommendation to our Leaders," Ratu Inoke said.

"(But) we fully respect Indonesia's sovereignty and territorial integrity and we further recognise that West Papua is an integral part of Indonesia. The visit will provide the opportunity to learn firsthand about the situation in West Papua and understand the aspirations of our fellow Melanesian brothers and sisters in Papua with regards to their representation by WPNCL to become a member of the MSG."

So a softly, softly, vaka malua, approach to this most sensitive of issues -- the foreign minister and his MSG colleagues desperately hoping their visit passes off without incident and that the whole conundrum can eventually be resolved through patient negotiation and dialogue.

From where Fiji sits, it is certainly not the time for rash provocations on the part of the separatist movement, nor a heavy handed, repressive response on the part of the Indonesian security forces.

The leitmotif of Fiji's foreign policy under the Bainimarama government is to be "friends to all" and that includes both Indonesia and our Melanesian neighbours. Ratu Inoke will certainly be approaching his mission in that spirit and the whole nation will be hoping that he can succeed.