Jakarta – Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold said its Indonesian unit may need to declare force majeure on copper concentrate sales if a dispute with the government over export taxes drags on for a prolonged period.

Freeport and fellow US miner Newmont Mining have refused to pay a progressive export tax introduced last month as part of package of new mining rules aimed at forcing miners to build smelters and process raw materials in Indonesia.

Freeport has reduced copper production at the world's fifth-biggest copper mine in Papua, and its nearby mill was operating at half its normal capacity.

"In the event that PT-FI [Freeport Indonesia] is unable to resume normal operations for an extended period, we plan to consider further actions, including constraining operating costs, deferring capital expenditures and implementing workforce reductions," the firm said in a filing dated Feb. 27.

"PT-FI may also be required to declare force majeure under its concentrate sales agreements."

Executives from Freeport and Newmont, which together produce virtually all of Indonesia's copper, have been in talks with the government for weeks over the tax and the building of smelters.

The first major breakthrough between the two sides seemed to have been reached on Monday, with Indonesia's industry minister saying that Freeport had agreed to obey all the new regulations and concentrate exports would soon resume. The energy and mines ministry said the government would ease or even eliminate the export tax for companies that prove they are serious in building smelters in Indonesia.

Freeport Indonesia CEO Rozik Sutjipto has said the company would build a copper smelter. But company officials have declined to elaborate.

Vanuatu's prime minister to raise Papua human rights violations in Geneva

Suara Pembaruan - February 28, 2014

Jayapura – Vanuatu's Prime Minister (PM), Mr Moana Kalosil Carcasses will raise demand of completion of the Papua issue to the international world.

For that, Prime Minister of Papua Moana plans to bring the issue to the Commission on Human Rights (HAM) at the meeting of United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland on March 4, 2014.

It was revealed Coordinator Papua negotiator, Octovianus Motte to the Suara Pembaruan correspondent in the United States on Friday (28/2) morning. Octovianus Motte was elected as a negotiator abroad in Papua Peace Conference (KPP) in 2011, which was held on 5-7 July in Jayapura.

"Later, on March 4, PM Moana will make a speech about human rights conditions in Papua and this is a struggle he reveals what happened in Papua, " said Motte Residents who have opted into the United States.

According to him, Mr Moana will speak around 12:00 Geneva time. Described, which again revealed persolaan is the condition of human rights in Papua and Papua historical rectification.

" Importantly also PM Moana will reveal about the error that occurred in the Pepera Act of 1969, Act of Free Choice in West Papua people, " he said.

The annual session will be attended by UN Secretary General, Ban Ki – Moon, President of the UN Human Rights Council, Baudelaire Ndong Ella, John W. Ashe President of the United Nations, and UN High Commissioner Navi Pillay

Source: http://www.suarapembaruan.com/nasional/pm-vanuatu-angkat- pelanggaran-ham-papua-di-jenewa/50290

Three cops nabbed for Freeport cables theft

Jakarta Post - February 24, 2014

Jayapura – Three police officers have been arrested for stealing cable belonging to gold and copper mining company PT Freeport Indonesia (FI) in Timika, Papua.

"Yes, they stole cable owned by PT FI. Their motive was solely economic. I have ordered their detainment at the Mimika Police precinct," Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian said on Sunday. The three officers were arrested on Friday near Mozes Kilangin International Airport, Timika, along with four others.

They were digging up pipeline to strip of its copper when company security officers apprehended them. The four others, whose identities remain unknown, escaped. Two of the officers are members of the Sorong Police while the other officer is a member of the Mimika Police.

Letter to the Editor: Serious objections to Papua policeman article

Jakarta Globe - February 24, 2014

Tomy Winata – In response to an article published on the Jakarta Globe's website on Feb. 21, with the headline "More Outcry Over Papua Cop's Light Punishment," I'd like to note the following.

This article outlined critical reactions by the head of the Judicial Commission, Suparman Marzuki, and Indonesia Police Watch chairman Neta S. Pane to the lenient sentence received by Adj. First Insp. Labora Sitorus, accused of money laundering. The article also mentioned a money transfer from Labora to several National Police officials and adds:

"He [Papua Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Sulistyo Pudjo Hartono] refuted claims that Tito [Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian] received money from Labora during a 2013 visit to the Raja Ampat area along with controversial businessman Tomy Winata and former Deputy National Police chief Comr. Gen. Nanan Sukarna. Labora was previously stationed at Raja Ampat."

I would like to make clear:

First of all, I haven't been to Raja Ampat in more than 20 years. I have never been to Raja Ampat with the former National Police deputy chief, Comr. Gen. Nanan Sukarna, and Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian. Therefore this report about me is absolutely not true.

I also deeply object to being called a "controversial businessman." The Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language (KBBI) defines "controversial" as "sparks debates" and it is commonly perceived as a negative word, particularly because it was used in an article with a negative connotation. I do not understand on what basis the Jakarta Globe chooses to label me as "controversial."

Lastly, it is really regrettable that the Jakarta Globe never tried to contact me to confirm whether or not I went to Raja Ampat – as it should have, based on the 1999 Law on the Press and the journalistic code of ethics.

Jakarta Globe would like to thank Tomy Winata for this clarification and regrets not having contacted him for confirmation. The word "controversial" has been deleted from the article in question.

Human rights & justice

Oscar-nominated 'Act of Killing' scrapes at raw wound in Indonesia

Reuters - February 28, 2014

Kanupriya Kapoor & Jonathan Thatcher, Jakarta/Madiun – A chilling documentary about one of the worst massacres since World War Two is up for an Academy Award this weekend. If it does win, don't expect the Indonesian co-director to go on stage to receive an Oscar: he's worried for his life.

The nearly three-hour "The Act of Killing" centers on one of the killers in Indonesia's bloody purge of what was then the biggest communist party outside China and the Soviet Union, as he re-enacts for the camera, with no apparent sign of remorse, the way nearly 50 years earlier he had dispatched his victims by strangling them with a loop of wire.

It touches on the darkest period of Indonesia's already violent early years as an independent state and which even after almost half a century is so raw a memory that it remains largely brushed from mainstream debate. The version in school textbooks still adhere to the line propagated by the autocratic leader Suharto who initiated the purge and who was forced to step down 15 years ago.

At least 500,000 people are thought to have died in the rampaging violence that started in late 1965 after then-general Suharto and the military took power following an abortive communist coup. A million or more people were jailed.

"It's a tragedy and we, just like anybody else, despise those in the movie and the reenactment of the atrocities. These people don't belong in Indonesia today," said presidential spokesman Teuku Faizasyah. He added: "It requires a lot of revisiting but... I don't think we are mature enough [yet] as a nation."

In a sign of how sensitive the topic remains, the Indonesian co-producer of the documentary and the other Indonesian members of the film crew say they do not want their names to be made public.

"Maybe we are too paranoid, but we discussed with various activists groups about the risk, the possibility of going from a threat to a real attack on our lives, and we really don't know what would happen if we revealed our names," the co-director told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Triggered in the midst of the Cold War when the West feared that communism was sweeping through decolonizing Asia, much of the slaughter was in the populous main island of Java and the now-resort destination of Bali.

Initially, it was the military that led efforts to crush the communist party. The operation was headed by a general, Sarwo Edhie Wibowo, the father of the country's current first lady, and whose son is thought to have an eye on the presidency.

'Still divisive'

The campaign mushroomed into an orgy of killing that saw the country's biggest Muslim group, landowners, paramilitary organizations and those simply with a grudge against a neighbor, go after communist party members and their supposed sympathizers.

"To this second, I don't know what I did wrong, why I was held, why I was beaten every night for six years, why they tore out my nails and... electrocuted me," Parmoen Soedjarwo told Reuters, sitting in his simple, red-roofed house in Madiun in the agricultural heartland of East Java where much of the violence occurred.

"The military asked me if I belonged to the PKI [Communist Party of Indonesia]. Whatever they asked me, I just said 'yes, yes, yes' to everything, even though I didn't understand what they were asking. I would have said anything to survive and be freed quickly."

Soedjarwo, who served in the military before he was detained, was finally released in 1978. Like many other victims and their families, he found himself shut out of the system. He was unable to get a job in the public sector or secure a bank loan to start a business.

He said he got by for years on handouts from his community. Now 70, he has saved enough to start a small fish farm.

For decades, children of alleged communists were kept at arm's length by the government. One of Suharto's closest advisers at the time even sent his daughter abroad after she developed a relationship with the son of a supposed communist.

Some observers worry the film does little to show the political context of the period and the tension at the grassroots level between religious groups and landowners and the communists which was already seething before the attempted coup.

"The issue is still divisive in society and nobody has ever really tried to reconcile," said Agus Widjojo, a retired army lieutenant-general who heads a think-tank on policy and strategic issues.

"Indonesian society is not brave enough to start the endeavor to face the truth of the past... But it's the only way we can learn lessons about what we have done wrong and to correct it so that we can assure future generations of Indonesia that those mistakes will not be repeated."

For the film's Indonesian crew, the anonymity will not end any time soon, according to the co-director. "Revealing our identities would need a genuine structural change in Indonesia... and that genuine reconciliation will take a long time, but the time to start that is now," the co-director said.

The Act of Killing has helped Indonesia reassess its past and present

The Guardian (Australia) - February 25, 2014

'When I showed my footage to the massacre survivors, many said: you are onto something important, keep filming the perpetrators.'

Joshua Oppenheimer – For more than a year I have been presenting my film, The Act of Killing, to audiences around the world. The documentary investigates how 500,000 Indonesians were murdered in the 1950s and 60s, at the hands of a government that is still in power.

Often after screenings, viewers approach me to say they had been afraid to see the film, because they'd heard the film is graphically violent – one commentator has even likened it to a snuff movie – or that survivors play themselves in re-enactments. Then they tell me they're glad they came, because neither of those things are true: the film is not violent, and all those appearing in the re-enactments are perpetrators, paramilitary leaders, and their immediate family members – that is, there are no survivors in the dramatisations. And there are certainly no scenes documenting actual physical violence. Viewers recognise that, while the film is emotionally impactful, it is not viscerally impactful or violent.

Making The Act of Killing, I spent eight years collaborating with survivors of a genocide to expose a present-day regime of fear, corruption and thuggery that the killers have built – and over which they continue to preside. When you spend so long working with survivors to expose the horrors they continue to face, the last thing you want is somehow to repeat the violence you intend to counter and expose. For that reason, it was a principle that there be no survivors in any of the re-enactments.

This was particularly important for me given the film's genesis. The Act of Killing began as a documentary about survivors, not perpetrators: survivors asked me to make a film with them about why they are afraid; about what it's like for them to live with former death squad leaders all around them, still in positions of power, with the threat that this could happen again at any time. This was in early 2003, but the army, which is stationed in every village in Indonesia, found out what we were doing and threatened the survivors about participating. The survivors urged me: "Before you give up and go home, try to film the perpetrators. They may tell you how they killed our relatives." I did not know if it was safe to approach the killers, but when I did, I found all of them to be boastful, immediately recounting the grisly details of the killings, often with smiles on their faces, in front of their families, even their small grandchildren. With this contrast between survivors and perpetrators, I felt I'd wandered into Germany 40 years after the holocaust, only to find the Nazis still in power.

When I showed this material back to those survivors who wanted to see it, and to the broader Indonesian human rights community, many people would say something like: "You are on to something terribly important. Keep filming the perpetrators, because anybody who sees this will be forced to acknowledge the rotten heart of the regime the killers have built."

From that point on, we felt entrusted by the survivors and human rights community to do a work that they could not safely do themselves: I spent two years filming every perpetrator I could find across North Sumatra, working from death squad to death squad up the chain of command, from the countryside to the city. Everybody was boastful, everybody would invite me to the places where they killed, and launch into spontaneous demonstrations of how they killed. Often, they would complain that they had not thought to bring along a machete to use as a prop, or a friend to play a victim.

We developed the film's central concept – allowing perpetrators to make fiction scenes about the killings – not as a trick to get these men to open up, but in response to their boastful openness, and as a means to understand its motives and consequences. Our "pitch" was straightforward: "You have participated in one of the biggest killings in human history," I would say. "I want to understand what it means to you and your society. You want to show me what you've done. So go ahead, in any way you wish. I will also film you and your fellow death-squad veterans discussing what you want to show and, just as importantly, what you want to leave out. In this way, we will be able to document what this means to your society, and what it means to you." I understood instinctively that if we could show how these men wished to be seen, we would also glimpse how they really see themselves, and the whole facade that genocide is heroic would come crumbling down.

Throughout those two years of filming, I was in constant dialogue with the survivors and human rights community. Anwar Congo, the film's main character, was the 41st perpetrator I filmed.

Perpetrators in film normally deny their atrocities (or apologise for them), because by the time filmmakers reach them they have been removed from power, and their actions condemned and expiated. Here, I was filming perpetrators of genocide who won, who built a regime of terror founded on the celebration of genocide, and who remain in power. They have not been forced to admit what they did was wrong. There is a "surreal normalcy" to their boasting, as Jeffrey Winters, a Northwestern University professor of Indonesian politics recently wrote, "[because] the men in The Act of Killing are not afraid – they are feared... They either received a hero's burial with full state honours if they were the commanders, or they thrived as celebrated local heroes like Anwar Congo if they were the minor thugs doing the actual killing (as in North Sumatra)."

It is in this sense that The Act of Killing is not a documentary about a genocide 50 years ago. It is an expose of a present-day regime of fear. The film is not a historical narrative. It is a film about history itself, about the lies victors tell to justify their actions, and the effects of those lies; about an unresolved traumatic past that continues to haunt the present.

The film has had exactly the impact the survivors hoped for. It has been screened thousands of times in Indonesia, and is available for free online. This has helped catalyse a transformation in how Indonesia understands its past. The media and public alike are now able, for the first time without fear, to investigate the genocide as a genocide – and to debate the links between the moral catastrophe of the killings and the moral catastrophe of the present-day regime built, and still presided over, by the killers.

In October 2012, Indonesia's most important news publication, Tempo Magazine, published a special double edition dedicated to The Act of Killing, including 75 pages of boastful perpetrators' testimony from across Indonesia. The magazine's editors gathered this testimony to show that the film could have been made anywhere in Indonesia, that there are thousands of feared perpetrators enjoying impunity around the country, and that the problems of corruption and gangsterism are systemic. This special edition broke a 47-year silence about the genocide in the mainstream media.

Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights issued its statement about the film: "If we are to transform Indonesia into the democracy it claims to be, citizens must recognise the terror and repression on which our contemporary history has been built. No film, or any other work of art for that matter, has done this more effectively than The Act of Killing. [It] is essential viewing for us all."

The opponents of the film inside Indonesia are limited to apologists for the atrocities, including the military and paramilitary thugs, who continue to violently attack gatherings of survivors across Indonesia. A paramilitary group has attacked newspapers supporting the film, and I cannot return safely to Indonesia.

For a long time, the Indonesian government ignored The Act of Killing, hoping it would go away. When the film was nominated for an Academy award, the Indonesian president's spokesman acknowledged that the 1965 genocide was a crime against humanity, and that Indonesia needs reconciliation – but in its own time. While this was not an embrace of the film, it was incredible, because it represents an about-face for the government: until then, it had maintained that the killings were heroic and glorious.

It has been moving to witness audiences around the world discover, through moments of identification with Anwar Congo, that we are all closer to the perpetrators than we like to believe. There is a scene in The Act of Killing in which I accuse Adi Zulkadry of committing war crimes, and he responds by accusing the west of hypocrisy, noting that the US slaughtered the native Americans. More to the point, the US and the UK helped engineer the Indonesian genocide, and for decades enthusiastically supported the military dictatorship that came to power through the slaughter.

When The Act of Killing was awarded a Bafta, I used my acceptance speech to note that neither the UK nor the US can have an ethical relationship with Indonesia (or so many other countries across the global south), until we acknowledge the crimes of the past, and our collective role in supporting, participating in, and – ultimately – ignoring those crimes.

Recently, we were able to make similar points on Capitol Hill. We screened the film at the Library of Congress for senators, members of Congress and their staff. The screening was introduced by Senator Tom Udall of the foreign relations committee, and afterwards, visibly moved, the senator told US News and World Report: "The United States government should be totally transparent on what it did and what it knew at the time, and they should be disclosing what happened here."

We still hope that the Indonesian government will finally acknowledge the 1965 genocide – and the present-day regime of fear built on it – as a moral catastrophe. We hope that the renewed attention to the film will encourage ordinary Indonesians to demand that their leaders be held accountable for their crimes. And we hope that it will inspire all Indonesians to work together for truth, justice, and reconciliation.

Labour & migrant workers

Plight of domestic workers in Indonesia is seen as mirroring slavery

Jakarta Globe - February 25, 2014

Vita A.D. Busyra, Jakarta – The allegation that a retired police general and his wife held 16 domestic workers in captivity and tortured them in their Bogor, West Java, mansion, is a form of modern-day slavery that is only one of countless such incidents occurring behind the high walls of luxury homes in Indonesia.

Anis Hidayah, executive director of Jakarta-based Migrant Care, told the Jakarta Globe on Monday that such practices are physically concealed but occur all around us, stripping those silent victims of their most basic of human rights: freedom.

"Many of us are still trapped in the feudalistic mentality, always wanting to be served," she said, comparing the situation to the early years of the American colonies, when Europeans desperate to cross the ocean ended up signing contracts of debt bondage or indentured servitude.

"Although indentured servants are needed to work only for a limited period, as stated in the signed contract, many were exploited as low-cost laborers and severely maltreated. Ironically, such cases occur in Indonesia today," she said.

Mutiara Situmorang and her husband, retired police general Mangisi Situmorang, were reported to the police after one of their 16 domestic workers – half of whom were under the legal working age of 17 – fled the mansion last week, claiming she had suffered from physical abuse.

The 17-year-old, Yuliana Lewer, said she was forced to work more than 12 hours a day, and Mutiara would beat her if she made any mistake.

Anis said this case was not unique as many domestic workers in the country have similar experiences.

Similar cases

In June last year, 18-year-old Siti Nur Amalah, a housemaid working in Jatinegara, East Jakarta, went to the police after her employers, husband and wife couple Usman and Dina, had been beating her since 2012, resulting in permanent blindness. Usman had also frequently sexually abused the teenager.

"I was often told to strip naked, and he then touched my private parts," she told MetroTVnews.com. Police said they were still investigating the matter.

In October, the Supreme Court handed down a longer jail term to Lidya Natalia and her mother Tan Fang May for torturing their maid, Marlena, 16. "She was chained like a dog, and beaten and soaked in the bathtub," a judge told Detik.com.

Also in October that year, the same court punished Sri Sunarti, 29, and Yudaka, 63, for torturing their 17-year-old housemaid, Kaminah, since 2008.

Semarang-based Perisai, a child labor advocacy group, said they received reports from 30 house workers in 2012 alone who were victims of abuse at the hands of their employers. "They have been raped, beaten and scolded almost every day of their employment," the group said in a statement.

Anis said based on data from Walk Free Foundation's inaugural Global Slavery Index 2013, "some 29.8 million [people] are still forced to live in slavery around the world, with some 21 million slaves in Asia, including Indonesia."

Data from the National Network for Domestic Workers Advocacy (Jala PRT) stated 1,273 abuse cases [of domestic workers] were reported from 2011 to 2012 nationwide. In 2013, they received 650 reports of maid abuse.

Jala PRT estimates more than 10 million people currently work as maids in Indonesia.

Human trafficking

Alvon Kurnia Palma, chairman of the Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) feared these cases might indicate human trafficking, though further investigation was still needed.

"These cases of abuse not only involve torture, but also forced captivity and perhaps even human trafficking. In the latter, young domestic workers are recruited, transported, delivered and finally cheated out of their wages and freedom," he said on Monday.

In the Bogor case for instance, Alvon questioned how Mutiara was able to recruit so many girls, and more importantly, who supplied them. "We need to find out whether these workers were taken from a broker or formal agency. And if a broker was involved, we need to find out whether he or she had the legal authority to do so."

Alvon doubted the recruiting agency was legal. "If they have a [proper] license, why did they recruit children of under the age of 18?" he asked.

Alvon demanded the police to investigate every lead, every person who was involved, up to the recruiting agency to prevent similar cases in future. "No one is exempt from the law, whoever the abuser may be – even the wife of a well-known general, for example, will not be given legal leeway," he said.

Sri Nurherwati, a commissioner at the National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan), condemned Mutiara for mistreating her domestic workers and holding them hostage. Sri also urged the police to punish the guilty accordingly, so they may never commit the same atrocities again.

Weak protection

Sri said no form of legal protection exists for household workers in Indonesia. Any law that applies to them are weak at best, making them dependent on the "kindness" of their employers – a situation similar to slavery.

"Many of these housemaids live with their employers. They are placed in a 'lower' position and feel they cannot speak up for their rights," she explained. "They are dependent on their employer. So, we must establish a legal means to protect them."

She lamented the continued 10-year delay in the deliberations of the domestic worker protection bill in the House of Representatives. The bill, she said, would cater to the main interests of Indonesia's domestic workers by touching on issues including minimum wage and working hours, with clear punishments outlined for employers who violate the regulations.

"We [Komnas Perempuan] have urged the House many times to discuss and then pass the bill. But the lawmakers somehow believe cases tortured maids can be resolved through existing laws," Sri said.

However, the increasing number of abuse cases against domestic workers proves current laws fail to protect them. "Maids, who fall into informal sectors, will still be vulnerable to mistreatment. If we do not have a form of legal protection emphasizing domestic workers as being part of the wheel of economic development, how can we consider a housewife's job as honorable?" she said.

Anis Hidayah added that household maids work within the obstructing walls of a home; no one would bear witness to any form of abuse, and the government would not be able to intervene unless the victim voluntarily approached the police.

"There is no reason for holding back the draft bill as this [abuse] truly degrades human kind," she said.

Saudi Arabia migrant moratorium still stands

Jakarta Globe - February 23, 2014

Jakarta – The Manpower and Transmigration Ministry said on Friday that the moratorium on Indonesian migrant workers seeking employment in Saudi Arabia had not been lifted, despite the signing of a memorandum of understanding touted as a step toward reconciliation on the issue.

"We want to confirm that up until now the status of the moratorium on migrant worker placement in the domestic sector in Saudi Arabia is still on, so sending migrant workers [there] is not allowed," Secretary General of Manpower and Transmigration Abdul Wahab Bangkona said.

He said the moratorium remained in place because the details of a potential agreement had not yet been hashed out fully. "The moratorium... is still on until there's agreement on better systems, mechanisms, conditions and working contract standards which provide protection and welfare to Indonesian migrant workers," he said.

The points that remain to be agreed upon include: authorized types of work, working hours, work placement procedures, salary and payment methods, time off, leave, contract requirements, contract extension and termination procedures, and other rights and obligations of employers and employees.

The Indonesian government has also asked for guarantees that workers would have communications access, the right to keep their own passports, insurance and medical treatment, control over their placement fees, an online recruitment and placement system, placement and protection guidelines, a 24-hour call center to deal with problems and an established process for repatriation.

"Revocation of the moratorium... will be decided later after the Indonesian and Saudi Arabian governments and all stakeholders can implement all points in the agreement and agree on all conditions," Wahab said.

A joint working committee consisting of representatives of both countries will be responsible for working out the remaining specifics, according to the ministry.

National police urged to take over Bogor abuse case

Jakarta Post - February 22, 2014

Theresia Sufa, Bogor – The Bogor Legal Aid Institute (LBH Bogor Raya) has recommended that the case involving the alleged physical abuse and forced servitude of 16 domestic workers by the wife of a retired police general be taken over by the National Police, rather than the Bogor Police, so that the investigation could be handled "professionally and transparently".

LBH Bogor Raya representative Sugeng Teguh Santoso said that 15 domestic workers had been physically abused and kept confined by Mutiara Situmorang, while the remaining worker acted as her enforcer and the workers' supervisor. He said the Bogor Police should not treat the last worker the same as the 15 other maids.

"We want the police to be professional and not take sides, but it seems that the Bogor Police chief has acted as the spokesperson for Mutiara and announced that no evidence of physical abuse had been found," he said on Friday.

"Also, the police chief publicized the explanation of [Mutiara's] enforcer, when it should have been kept confidential by the investigators. Therefore, we ask that this case be handled by the National Police to ensure transparency and professionalism," added Sugeng, who is also the acting legal representative of one of the victims, Yuliana Leiwer.

Among the 15 workers, seven are reportedly underage. LBH Bogor Raya explained that they should have been accompanied by a family member, a legal representative or a psychologist during questioning by the Bogor Police to ensure that admissible statements were made.

Bogor Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Bahtiar Ujang Purnama said the police had questioned 21 witnesses, but were having difficulties because two of the abused workers were mute.

Bahtiar also said that because some of the victims showed no physical evidence of abuse, a forensics examination should be required to confirm the allegations.

In a press conference on Thursday, a spokesman for the Situmorang family denied the allegations that the wife of retired police general Monang Situmorang abused the workers and kept them confined to the house. "They were free to buy food outside the house and take out the trash when needed," said Situmorang family spokesman Victor Nadapdap in a press conference.

In response to the case, the Women's Institute Foundation has urged the House of Representatives to pass the bill on domestic workers' rights. The demand was made because the bill, which has been included in the National Legislation Program since 2010, has not yet been deliberated.

The foundation said the recent discovery of abuse in Bogor showed that the government had not met its obligation to protect domestic workers. The foundation also urged the National Police to continue investigating the Bogor abuse case and allegations of human trafficking in the case.

"In the period between 2007 and 2011, there were 726 cases of severe mistreatment of housemaids in Indonesia, including 536 unpaid salaries," said chairperson of the foundation, Rotuah Valentina Sagala.

Political parties & elections

KPU sets rules for April election campaign

Jakarta Post - February 28, 2014

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – The General Elections Commission (KPU) has finished drawing up campaign schedules for political parties contesting the 2014 legislative election.

The KPU has decided that each of the 12 political parties will have the opportunity to hold seven campaign events in each of the country's 77 electoral districts between March 16 and April 5. In total, a party will be able to stage up to 539 campaign events over 21 days.

"For a province with one or two electoral districts, the number of campaign slots in that province is fewer than those with more electoral districts," KPU commissioner Ferry Kurnia Rizkiyansyah said on Thursday.

For example, a party would only be allowed to hold two campaign events in a province with two electoral districts. Meanwhile, the number of campaign events that a party could organize in a province with more than five districts was five.

In Jakarta, Banten and North Sumatra, parties can hold three campaign events. In West Java, Central Java and East Java, parties will each have five non-consecutive days of campaigning.

"In remaining provinces there will be only two opportunities to campaign. East Java has 11 electoral districts, which is why a party can campaign there five times. In the case of small provinces like Bali where there is only one electoral district, a party can only campaign twice there," Ferry said.

Ferry said the schedule had been approved by the KPU and would not undergo any major changes, except on March 31, when Hindus celebrate Nyepi (Hindu Day of Silence). "We [the KPU and regional branches] have agreed there will be no campaigning [on Nyepi]," he said.

As a consequence, the KPU has made adjustments in campaign schedules in four provinces, namely West Nusa Tenggara, Bangka-Belitung, Bengkulu and Bali.

To anticipate potential clashes between political parties, he said the KPU would continue coordinating with local elections commissions (KPUDs) and local branches of political parties to find the most suitable locations for outdoor gatherings of party supporters.

The KPU anticipates potential glitches in Lampung as the gubernatorial election was likely coincide with the legislative election. The Lampung gubernatorial election was initially scheduled for Oct. 2 last year, but was postponed due to a lack of funding.

Ferry said it was important for the KPUD Lampung to make sure that campaigning for the gubernatorial election did not coincide with that of the legislative election.

KPUD Lampung commissioner Solihin said the local election body would try to avoid simultaneous campaigning. "But there are some issues that we have to consult with the KPU, like the issue of gubernatorial candidates attending campaign events of the political party backing them," he said.

Parties have yet to submit campaign fund reports

Jakarta Post - February 26, 2014

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – All 12 political parties contesting the 2014 legislative election could face the prospect of being disqualified from the race as none have submitted their second campaign fund report only days before the March 2 deadline.

KPU legal bureau head Nur Syarifah said on Tuesday that of the 12 parties, only the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) had pledged to submit all three reports on Friday, two days before the deadline.

"The PDI-P has said that it will submit the reports on Feb. 28," she told reporters in her office at KPU headquarters in Central Jakarta.

Nur said that the PDI-P had made the right decision by planning to submit the reports before the deadline. "It wants to take advantage of the extra time [before the deadline] to fix any possible errors in its report, such as a lack of signatures."

The KPU requires all political parties to submit three reports on donations they received for campaign funds, on bank accounts used solely to pool funds used in their political campaigns and details on how the money would be spent on campaigns.

"The harshest punishment will be handed down to parties who fail to submit reports on how they will spend their campaign funds," Nur said. "The deadline is March 2 at 6 p.m. If they miss the deadline, they will be disqualified from the election."

Nur said that there would be leniency for parties that submit complete reports on their campaign donations as well as their bank accounts. For example, if some of the signatures of legislative candidates who made donations were not available, then the KPU would allow them to send the documents via email even after the deadline has passed.

While no parties have submitted all three reports, the Crescent Star Party (PKB) and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) have submitted reports on their bank accounts.

The KPU earlier required political parties to disclose details on individuals or companies that provided campaign donations.

The parties will not be allowed to hide the identity of their donors. The poll body also required campaign donors who contributed more than Rp 30 million (US$2,571) to provide their tax numbers on the list.

The KPU has also struck a deal with the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) regarding a joint investigation into possible campaign fund violations.

Political parties have often ignored demands to release details of their financial management, although Law No. 14/2008 on public information stipulates that political parties are obligated, as public institutions, to provide the public with information within 30 days of receiving a request.

PKS secretary-general Taufik Ridho said that his party was in the process of finishing the remaining two reports. "I am sure that we will be able to meet the deadline," he told The Jakarta Post, adding that the PKS was committed to being transparent in its campaign fund reports.

However, Taufik acknowledged that some of the party's legislative candidates were facing difficulties in completing their financial reports as most Indonesians were not accustomed to conducting financial transactions through banking institutions and, thus, found it difficult to make proper financial reports.

Muhammad Arwani Thomafi, spokesperson for the United Development Party (PPP), said that the Islam-based party would submit the campaign fund reports to the KPU before the deadline. "But we can't give an exact date," he said.

The KPU said that it would provide technical assistance to political parties that required it to prepare the campaign fund reports.

"Starting last Tuesday, we opened a one-on-one consultation session for parties or political candidates experiencing problems with their reports. We have assistance from the Indonesian Accounting Association [IAI]," Nur said. She said that all parties have attended the one-on-one consultation sessions.

Nasdem and Gerindra reported for violations

Jakarta Post - February 26, 2014

Jakarta – The Independent Election Monitoring Committee (KIPP) has filed a report against two political parties, the Nasdem Party and the Gerindra Party, with the Election Supervisory Committee (Bawaslu) for allegedly violating campaign regulations.

The reports, filed on Tuesday, accused the parties of staging an outdoor campaign, an activity permitted to only be carried out between March 16 and April 5.

"The Bawaslu has to study the case and forward it to the General Elections Commission [KPU]," KIPP deputy secretary-general Girindra Sandino said at the Bawaslu headquarters in Central Jakarta.

He said that Nasdem was guilty of gathering supporters in an outdoor venue, Gelora Bung Karno stadium in Senayan, Jakarta, on Sunday.

Gerindra deputy secretary-general and legislative candidate Aryo Djojohadikusumo was also accused of violating campaign regulations for gathering more than 20,000 people for an event on Sunday.

Both Nasdem and Aryo are also suspected of involving children in the events. "We submitted photos of children participating [in those events]. We also submitted proof of vote-buying," Girindra said.

Nasdem secretary-general Rio Patrice Capella denied the accusations, arguing that the gathering had taken place indoors. He also said that only party members attended the rally.

"We have also discussed the matter with the Bawaslu. After we got a recommendation from the Bawaslu, we decided to proceed with the event," Rio said. Aryo did not return a phone call from The Jakarta Post.

Gerindra petition on election baseless

Jakarta Post - February 26, 2014

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – In the first hearing on bringing forward simultaneous elections to 2014 on Tuesday, the Gerindra Party failed to come up with a strong argument against the recent Constitutional Court ruling.

The court ruled that legislative and presidential elections be held simultaneously from 2019 and Gerindra petitioned for simultaneous elections to start this year.

Many have slammed the Gerindra petition given that the court's ruling is final and binding, and could not be challenged in such a way.

Gerindra chief patron Prabowo Subianto is among those who will benefit most if the court grants the petition to hold simultaneous elections this year and scrap the presidential threshold.

Court justice Muhammad Alim criticized Gerindra for filing the petition: "Where is the legal ground to file this petition?"

"As you know, in the Supreme Court a judicial review has to be overseen by a different panel of judges," Muhammad said. "So how can a judicial review be conducted if all the eight justices presided over the original case?"

Gerindra lawyer Habiburokhman earlier argued that the Constitutional Court law, which gave it the authority to adjudicate disputes on the interpretation of national laws, actually opened room for such a judicial review, citing that even the Supreme Court recognized such a mechanism for a judicial review.

He also argued that "having simultaneous elections in 2019 while still holding separate presidential and legislative elections in 2014 was a contradiction." Muhammad told Habiburokhman that a transitional phase was normal.

In its previous ruling over a petition on simultaneous elections filed by political communication expert Effendi Ghazali, the court insisted that the simultaneous presidential and legislative elections could only start in 2019 because immediate changes would disrupt the ongoing election preparations.

Presiding justice Arief Hidayat also told the Gerindra lawyer not to misinterpret his media statement that a court ruling could be challenged. "I said justices could change their views over time, but not on the same cases," he said. Don't use my quote from the media, the statement may not be complete, just read the whole statement in my scientific paper."

Recently, a former law and human rights minister and presidential hopeful from the Crescent Star Party (PBB) Yusril Ihza Mahendra also questioned why the court was yet to hear his petition again after the first hearing in late January, saying it was "unusual".

Yusril filed a similar petition to Effendi's, which demanded that simultaneous elections be held this year. "The court seems to be deliberately delaying the judicial review, while the campaign session for the legislative election starts on March 16," he said. "It seems that the ruling on Effendi's petition will be enforced after all. That also means that the presidential threshold will remain valid."

Surabaya mayor touted as presidential candidate

Jakarta Globe - February 25, 2014

Carlos Paath, Jakarta – Amidst controversy surrounding rumors of her resignation, Surabaya mayor Tri Rismaharini rose as another potential presidential candidate for the upcoming election.

"Risma is a phenomenal figure that has won the public's heart, it's just about synchronizing that with a political party. A figure like Risma has the potential to be vice president or at least a minister," Arie Sudjito, a political analyst at Gadjahmada University, said on Monday.

Arie said Risma has set an example as a leader who has put the public interest first and that her naivety as a politician could be to her advantage. He said political parties should focus on recruiting cadres such as Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo or Risma to lead the country.

"Democracy has to be enhanced by competent leaders. If political parties want to have any chance, they must recruit good people such as Joko and Risma. If we can't pick a good leader who is willing to work hard, this nation will sink," he said. Arie said political parties should put the brakes on their political egos, which only harm the country.

Despite praise and recommendations of support in the upcoming election Risma denied that any political parties had approached her.

She also denied rumors that she intended to resign as mayor because she had received an offer from a certain political party to run in the election as vice presidential candidate. "Nobody has offered me anything, I swear to God, I don't even know a thing about being a vice president," she said.

But aside from praises and accolades, Risma also faces opposition and criticism. Puan Maharani, chairwoman of the central executive board of the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), on Monday slammed the mayor for her emotional outburst and over reports that she wanted to resign.

Puan said Risma should not publicly vent her problems to gain sympathy. "As a part of the PDI-P family, Risma should be careful, she has to be able to control her emotions and ambitions. As a human being venting is allowed, but please don't worsen the situation,' she said.

Speculation has mounted in the past week that Risma, Surabaya's first female mayor, plans to leave office amid the PDI-P's meddling in municipal affairs.

In a widely watched interview on Metro TV last week, she broke down in tears as she spoke of the pressure and frustration she faced on various fronts in trying to run the country's second-biggest city.

Polls reiterate Joko's likability

Jakarta Globe - February 25, 2014

Carlos FS Fana & Faisal Maiki Baskoro, Jakarta – Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo's immense popularity makes him the most promising candidate to win the presidential election, regardless of who is chosen as his running mate, an analyst said on Monday.

Gun Gun Heryanto, a political analyst from Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic State University (UIN), said with his current level of likability, Joko would be able to win against any opponents, including former general and coordinating minister for economic affairs, Prabowo Subianto; Golkar party chairman Aburizal Bakrie; and former army chief, Pramono Edhie Wibowo.

"If Joko decided to run for president against the pairings of Prabowo-Hatta or Aburizal-Pramono, he would still win, even though he is paired with someone from the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle [PDIP]," Gun Gun said.

Gun Gun said Joko would be favored by associative voters who place more emphasis on the presidential candidate instead of the political party. "The number of associative voters is extremely high and most of them are swing voters who have not determined their choice," he said.

However, Joko's popularity would be a waste if he was paired as the vice presidential candidate for PDI-P's chairwoman, Megawati Sukarnoputri, he added.

"If PDI-P decided to support Mega-Joko, it would be hard for them to contend with other candidates, especially if Prabowo decided to start a coalition with the Democratic Party and the National Mandate Party [PAN]," he commented. "Joko's presence would not make an impact on the public if he were appointed as a mere sidekick for Megawati; this pairing would be the wrong move."

Gun Gun said despite the high level of electability nurtured by Joko's reputation, the PDI-P should anticipate any possible political maneuvers of other parties.

"A new trend has emerged recently. Some parties have been tempted to recruit other regional icons similar to Joko, such as Risma," he explained, referring to well-liked Surabaya Mayor Tri Rismaharini.

"It's possible Prabowo may ask Risma to be his running mate," he added. "If she was [recruited] by him or any other party, it will drastically change the map of the presidential election."

Gun Gun also criticized the PDI-P's decision to wait until the legislative election in April to officially name their candidate. The party's inability to make a definite decision could be used as a weapon against it, he explained.

Meanwhile, a report released by survey institute Roy Morgan showed Joko was, once again, at the top of the list for favorite presidential candidate. In the survey conducted in January, Joko was chosen by 39 percent of the respondents, far above Prabowo, who only garnered 16 percent of the votes.

Other presidential hopefuls including the People's Conscience Party (Hanura) founder Wiranto, State-Owned Enterprise Minister Dahlan Iskan and former vice president Jusuf Kalla were chosen by less than 10 percent of the respondents.

Debnath Gubaroy, director of Roy Morgan Asia, said the PDI-P has a large chance of dominating the government seats, if they let Joko run in the election.

The survey, joined by 1,131 potential voters in 24 provinces, also found that PDI-P's electability was still above Golkar or Prabowo's party, the Great Indonesian movement (Gerindra).

Despite frequent encouragements and strong recommendations to immediately name Joko as its presidential candidate, PDI-P is adamant with its decision to wait until after the legislative election before making a formal announcement.

PDI-P's politician Maruarar Sirait said the party's cadres were convinced that as the chairwoman, Megawati is more than capable of choosing the party's best candidate despite external pressures.

"PDI-P is placing the responsibility [of selecting a candidate] in the hands of its chairwoman and we support that; we believe she will make a wise choice," he said.

Puan Maharani, chairwoman of the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) central executive board – and Megawati's daughter – said even though the Jakarta governor is highly favored in various surveys, the party would not necessarily jump to name him as its presidential candidate.

"There's a procedure in place within PDI-P, so please don't force your opinions on us. Supporting one particular figure is fine, but remember to respect the process [of choosing a candidate]," she said.

Indonesia money watchdog warns of bureaucratic mafia after polls

Bloomberg - February 25, 2014

Berni Moestafa & Novrida Manurung, Jakarta – Indonesia officials stepped up warnings of corruption ahead of elections this year, as the anti-money laundering watchdog said the country risks a "bureaucratic mafia" if dirty candidates get into parliament.

Suspicious money transfers in Indonesia could more than double this year, according to the Indonesian Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK). Reports of such transactions during the election years of 2004 and 2009 were 125 percent higher than in the years before and after, Agus Santoso, deputy chairman of the PPATK, said in Jakarta.

The flow of suspicious money – transfers that deviate from normal patterns or are designed to avoid detection – shows the struggle by agencies such as PPATK to combat corruption, with a new parliament and government set to take charge of Southeast Asia's biggest economy for the next five years. Graft usually escalates around elections with officials taking advantage of their posts and candidates seeking to fund campaigns, Adnan Pandu Praja, vice chairman at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), said in an interview Feb. 12.

"I'd like to warn people: do not vote for dirty candidates," Santoso said in an interview Feb. 21. "Once they are elected, they will commit graft and build a bureaucratic mafia."

He declined to specify the amounts of the suspicious transactions beyond saying it totaled billions of rupiah. "We see the flow of funds as unbelievable," he said separately in a mobile phone message yesterday.

The PPATK is tightening supervision of transactions ahead of the polls. In March financial institutions such as banks and insurance companies must for the first time report all accounts and services they provide to every customer, said Santoso, who previously worked at the central bank.

Naming candidates

Heads of government administrations tend to avoid suspicious transfers themselves once in power, instead using family or staff members, Santoso said. Legislators are more likely to make transactions directly, involving the budget or marking up project values, he said.

Indonesia ranked 114th among 177 countries in a 2013 Transparency International survey on corruption perceptions. Of the 500 heads of local administrations, about 300 are implicated in various graft cases, Santoso said.

The first order impact of corruption is that money could have been put toward things like hospitals, said Wellian Wiranto, a Singapore-based economist at Oversea-Chinese Banking. "No less importantly, however, is the second order impact," he said by e-mail. "Because of the perception among the population that such problems remain endemic, it would make it that much harder for the government to broaden their tax base, which would have helped to reduce dependence on raising debt to cover deficits." Bank accounts

The world's fourth-most populous nation will hold legislative elections in April and a presidential vote in July. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, re-elected in 2009 on a platform to fight graft, cannot stand for a third term.

Candidates are encouraged to list bank accounts used for campaigns and PPATK will publish the names of those who haven't done so, Santoso said at his office, where visitors pass through high gates and vehicle checks before being escorted by a security guard to his room.

Reports of suspicious financial transactions in January rose 20 percent from a year earlier to 160,301, data from the PPATK's website show. About 59 percent of these reports were filed by banks and about 43 percent originated from Jakarta, the data show.

The PPATK doesn't have the legal ability to penalize those doing illicit transfers, forwarding its analysis to agencies such as the KPK and police, Santoso said. The KPK prosecuted 72 members of parliament, eight government ministers, six central bankers and dozens of CEOs, with a 100 percent conviction rate, in the decade since it was formed in 2003.

Property deals

The PPATK plans to add 50 staff as it gets more reports than it can handle, Santoso said. The Jakarta-based agency may set up an office in Batam, an island near Singapore, to better tap fund transfers linked to coal smuggling and illegal logging, he said.

While those above the age of 45 tend to buy property to hide illicit money, younger people often purchase insurance and financial market products, Santoso said.

Since January, banks must report funds going in and out of the country regardless of the amount, allowing the PPATK to trace worker remittances and exporter earnings, he said.

BIN spies on groups posing threat to poll

Jakarta Post - February 25, 2014

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The National Intelligence Agency (BIN) has said that it was spying on radical, separatist and terror groups as well as activists discouraging voting in the 2014 general election, as the groups could pose threats to the election, which is only 44 days away.

BIN chief Lt. Gen. (ret.) Marciano Norman said on Monday that the agency had been gathering information on potential threats that could disrupt the upcoming election, including campaigns and intimidation initiated by radical groups.

"Existing threats [to the election] have come from certain fringe groups such as radicals, terrorists and separatists," Marciano told reporters after a five-hour closed door meeting with lawmakers from the House of Representatives Commission I overseeing defense, foreign affairs and information.

Marciano said that BIN had particularly singled out groups that were discouraging voting in the 2014 general election.

"Groups discouraging voting can be seen in elections all over the world, not only in Indonesia. But I hope in this democratic era that these sorts of acts stop. We must eliminate [efforts] to decrease the number of voters in the elections," Marciano said.

Marciano further called on elections organizers, including the General Elections Commission (KPU) and the Election Supervisory Committee (Bawaslu) to carry out their duties well so that these groups would not be able to drive undecided voters away from the polling stations.

Marciano also warned political parties to guard against sinister plots designed by their rivals to weaken one another. He called on political parties to secure their lines of communication and provide extra protection for their candidates.

The BIN chief said that he was aware of the accusation that officials from his agency were allegedly involved in spying operations against a number of politicians, including Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. Marciano maintained, however, that BIN was innocent.

"I declare that BIN is and will forever be neutral in safeguarding the elections. We have never been involved in wiretapping or in carrying out operations to terrorize political leaders, including Pak Jokowi," said Marciano, adding that BIN would punish officials who were partisan during the election.

The Commission I Monday hearing also endorsed BIN as the coordinator for all intelligence operations conducted by state institutions, including in the Indonesian Military (TNI), the National Police and the Attorney General's Office, to secure the 2014 general election.

Commission I deputy chairman Tubagus Hasanuddin expected that with the endorsement, all intelligence operations could be better managed.

"Differences [among agencies] can be settled if there is a single coordinator. This will also be very helpful,particularly because we are approaching the elections," said Tubagus, a politician from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) leader Insp. Gen. (ret.) Ansyaad Mbai said earlier that the BNPT would step up its efforts to deal with potential terror threats that were expected to escalate in the run-up to the April legislative election.

"The main enemy of terrorism is democracy. And we are about to celebrate democracy in two months," Ansyaad said. He said the agency had improved its mechanism to deal with potential threats.

"We are definitely improving measures to prevent threats during the elections," he said, emphasizing that the BNPT was closely monitoring suspected individuals.

Meanwhile, lawmaker Susaningtyas Kertopati of the Hanura Party urged BIN as well as all antiterrorism agencies to carefully and comprehensively analyze intelligence gathered regarding groups deemed to be potential threats so that it would not discriminate against subscribers of certain religions.

"Be careful when associating radical or terror groups with certain faiths because doing so could cause more problems. BIN must comprehensively examine all collected information regarding the groups," Susaningtyas said.

Surveys & opinion polls

Jokowi dips in popularity, Prabowo on the rise: Poll

Jakarta Post - February 22, 2014

Jakarta – A new public opinion poll has found that Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's electability rating is sliding while that of his strongest rival, Gerindra Party chief patron Prabowo Subianto, is on the up.

The latest survey conducted by the United Data Center (PDB) said Jokowi's electability rating for the 2014 presidential election was 31.8 percent, Prabowo's was 12.8 percent.

Although Jokowi remains on top of the polls, his electability rating decreased by 4.2 percent from 36 percent since the survey was first conducted in October, 2013. Prabowo's electability rating, on the other hand, has increased by 6.2 percent from 6.6 percent.

For its latest survey, the PDB interviewed 1,200 respondents by phone between Feb. 7 and 10 in 15 large cities in Indonesia: Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar, Medan, Palembang, Balikpapan, Banjarmasin, Mataram, Kupang, Makassar, Ambon and Jayapura.

The survey, however, only asked for a straight-forward preference without requesting them to elaborate on their preferences. "The survey we conducted did not include why the candidate was deemed electable or not," PDB researcher, Agus Herta Sumarto told a press briefing Friday.

PDB cofounder Peter F. Gontha said that Jokowi and Prabowo had benefitted from heavy media coverage. "Jokowi is the media darling. The press write about him every day, whereas Prabowo is putting a lot of money and effort into television exposure," he said.

The survey found that State-Owned Enterprises Minister Dahlan Iskan came in third place with an electability rate of 5.8 percent. Hanura Party chairman Wiranto came in fourth with 5.6 percent.

The survey also found that 27 percent of respondents were still undecided. "We should pay close attention to this 27 percent. They will be our swing voters in the upcoming elections and ultimately decide the results," Peter added.

The survey, conducted between Feb. 7 and Feb. 10, mostly targeted middle- to upper-class respondents because people from the low-income bracket had no access to land-line telephones, Agus said.

The PDB will conduct their next survey in March, this one will include people from the lower classes to gleam a more accurate interpretation of who might win the 2014 presidential election in July.

Responding to the survey's findings NasDem party executive, Ferry Mursyidan Baldan, said that it was not a true representation of the current political condition.

"I think it is important to analyze what parties respondents would choose and then who they would vote for in the presidential election. If we can do that, we can see whether or not their choices are consistent," he said.

A public opinion poll conducted by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in December found that Jokowi would get 34.7 percent of votes if the presidential election were to take place then.

In the survey, Prabowo came in second position (10.7 percent) and Aburizal Bakrie in third (9 percent). More than 22 percent of respondents said they were undecided. (fss)

Media & journalism

Journalists protest petrol-bomb hurling

Jakarta Post - February 26, 2014

Yogyakarta – A solidarity rally was organized in Yogyakarta on Tuesday as a mark of protest against an incident in which a petrol bomb was thrown at the house of Frietqi Suryawan, a journalist from newspaper Radar Jogja, early on Monday.

Several media workers participated in the rally to show their solidarity against violence toward journalists and to condemn those who had committed the crime, emphasizing that journalism was a respectable profession that aims to fight for justice.

"Therefore, we urge the police to take immediate action in this case and find the culprits, in order to stop all forms of violence and terror against journalists," rally coordinator Bagus Kurniawan said, as quoted by Antara news agency.

Early on Monday, several unidentified men hurled three Molotov cocktails at Suryawan's house in the city of Magelang, burning a chair on the veranda.

Speculating that the incident might be related to Suryawan's profession, Kurniawan urged those who were frustrated by media reports to seek clarification from the media through peaceful means.

"If disputes related to media reports occur, the parties can use a resolution mechanism facilitated by the Indonesian Press Council. Please don't resort to acts of violence, terror or intimidation to solve your disputes," he reiterated.

Environment & natural disasters

Indonesian palm oil groups claim Greenpeace report 'totally wrong'

Jakarta Globe - February 28, 2014

Alina Musta'idah, Jakarta – Indonesia's palm oil industry has denied green activists' claims that it was behind the deforestation that has driven the highly endangered orangutan from its natural habitat.

"The claim is totally wrong and misdirected, we did not open the land at a protected forest and therefore it was impossible for us to kill engendered species in the forest, including the orangutan," Tungkot Sipayung, head of legal affairs and advocacy at the Indonesian Palm Oil Producers Association (Gapki), said on Thursday.

Tungkot said the land concession permits granted by the government were never given for a protected forest. Tungkot criticized environmental group Greenpeace for accusing the palm oil industry as being the main offender in the destruction of Indonesia's rain forests, saying it was committed to a program of reforestation.

On Wednesday, Greenpeace Indonesia slammed the palm oil industry for irreparably damaging the orangutan and the Sumatran tiger's natural habitat. The group also accused US consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble of getting some of its palm oil from "dirty" sources in a report titled "Procter & Gamble's Dirty Secret."

Secretary general of the Indonesian Palm Oil Growers Association (Apkasindo) Asmar Arsjad, said Greenpeace's accusation could potentially kill the livelihood of many palm oil farmers. "The black campaign by Greenpeace will hurt the state and farmers and therefore the government should be cautious of the foreign NGO," he said.

Tungkot said the call for Procter & Gamble to stop purchasing CPO from Indonesian firms was unethical because it would hurt palm oil firms operating legally. He claimed the Greenpeace accusation was driven by a desire to protect the trade in Europe and the United States.

"Europe and the US are not producers of crude palm oil, so this is a trade war. The price of their vegetable oil cannot compete with our CPO price, we need to understand this," he said.

Procter & Gamble purchased some 462,000 tons of palm oil from 2012-2013 according to Greenpeace, much of it derived from plantations located in Indonesia.

Greenpeace wants firms to stop deforestation

Jakarta Post - February 27, 2014

Nurfika Osman, Jakarta – Greenpeace Indonesia has called on consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble (P&G) to stop sourcing palm oil from firms responsible for destroying the natural habitat of the orangutan and Sumatran tiger.

Greenpeace Indonesia found that orangutan and tiger habitats had been cleared for plantations linked to P&G's suppliers, including publicly listed PT BW Plantation and Malaysian multinational Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad (KLK), in West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, parts of Sumatra and Belitung Island.

"They need to immediately stop supplying from producers who destroy the forests and habitats of protected animals. They have to realize that forests are of extreme importance to our lives in many ways," Greenpeace's forest campaigner and researcher, Annisa Rahmawati, said on Wednesday.

Greenpeace has been confronting P&G over the last eight months, urging the firm to comply with the government's forest conservation policy and change its products to forest-friendly ones.

P&G produces brands such as Head & Shoulders, Gillette, Pampers, Wella and Oral-B. "Some 144,000 hectares of orangutan habitat were cleared for plantations between 2009 and 2011, and the figure is rising as we continue to discover deforested areas at many sites in Kalimantan and Sumatra," she said.

Five years ago, the number of orangutan in Sumatra and Kalimantan stood at 6,500 and 55,000, respectively, while today's figure is estimated to have decreased by more than 20 percent.

The rampant clearance of forests has also reduced the number of Sumatran tiger to fewer than 400.

Both the Sumatran tiger and orangutan are on a list of the world's most endangered animals, compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Meanwhile, senior forest campaigner Wirendro Sumargo said they had found several dead orangutan near the Tanjung Puting National Park in Central Kalimantan, where BW Plantation's subsidiary, PT Bumi Langgeng Perdanatrada (BLP), operated.

Wirendro said the firm was responsible for the deaths of many orangutan in that area.

"We also found [BW Plantation's] subsidiaries, PT Adhyaksa Dharma Satya and PT Wanacatur Jaya Utama, clearing thousands of hectares of forested areas where orangutan live on their plantations. Both companies are likely to continue destroying the forests since they have been given concession rights to manage these vast areas," he said, adding that Adhyaksa Dharma and Wanacatur Jaya had respective concession rights for 5,446 hectares and 9,400 hectares of forests.

Contacted separately, BW Plantation's corporate secretary, Kelik Irwantoro, rejected the claims.

Kelik said the company always promoted sustainable development in its business practices.

"We are responsible for developing our business; we are not destroying the forests and animal habitats as Greenpeace is saying. We believe in order to further our business, we need to take care of the environment," he told The Jakarta Post.

Indonesian province declares emergency due to haze

Reuters - February 27, 2014

Jakarta – Indonesia's Riau province declared a state of emergency on Thursday as haze from raging forest fires, often deliberately set, disrupted flights and marine navigation and authorities reported a sharp rise in respiratory problems.

The national disaster mitigation agency said the province of 5 million, a major palm oil growing region, had been experiencing haze for several weeks due to illegal land clearing and prolonged dry weather.

"According to the data we have, the fires have gotten worse and need to be extinguished with water-bombing planes and we are ready to do that," Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for the disaster mitigation agency, said in a text message.

Reuters TV images showed smoke rising from swathes of burning land as firefighters struggled to contain the blazes, complaining of limited equipment and water supplies.

Provincial authorities handed out masks and urged residents to stay indoors. "The situation is worrying...because we have seen an increase in cases of respiratory problems from 5,000 in January to 22,000," Zainal Arifin, head of the provincial health department, told reporters.

Several flights were cancelled or diverted from airports in Riau as visibility dropped to less than 1 km (half a mile), the disaster mitigation agency said.

The Indonesian Palm Oil Association told Reuters that haze had caused delays to shipments from airports and ports in neighboring North Sumatra province, but give no details.

Haze is a recurring problem for Indonesia and its neighbors, often caused by farmers and companies burning forests to make way for palm oil plantations.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had to apologize to neighbors Singapore and Malaysia in mid-2013, when those countries were blanketed with thick smog from forest fires in Indonesia.

Analysts estimated last year that Singapore faced nearly $1 billion in financial losses in what was Southeast Asia's worst air pollution crisis in 16 years.

The Indonesian meteorology agency said winds were moving in a southwesterly direction, away from Singapore. But a shift in wind direction, which usually occurs near the end of the Indonesian monsoon season in April or May, could affect the city-state again.

Police arrested 26 people last week in connection with fires and illegal land clearing, which have affected about 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) of land.

(Reporting by Kanupriya Kapoor and Yayat Supriatna, Editing by Ron Popeski)

Greenpeace calls out procter & gamble for dirty palm oil sourcing

Jakarta Globe - February 26, 2014

Ethan Harfenist, Jakarta – Greenpeace accused Procter & Gamble on Wednesday of sourcing palm oil from environmentally destructive firms, finding the US consumer goods giant complicit in the encroachment of Sumatran tiger habitats, slash-and-burn clearing and the presence of an "orangutan graveyard."

The environmental NGO criticized the company for sourcing "dirty" palm oil from allegedly unscrupulous suppliers in a report titled "Procter & Gamble's Dirty Secret."

The report, the result of a yearlong investigation by Greenpeace International, uncovered evidence that Procter & Gamble-linked palm oil companies were involved in the destruction of orangutan and Sumatran tiger habitats and the kind of slash-and-burn land clearing methods responsible for the region's annual haze.

"The maker of Head & Shoulders needs to stop bringing rainforest destruction into our showers," Bustar Maitar, head of the Indonesian forest campaign at Greenpeace International, said in a press statement. "It must clean up its act and guarantee its customers that these products are forest friendly."

Greenpeace urged Procter & Gamble to adopt a "zero deforestation" pledge and undergo a serious review of its supply chain. "Procter & Gamble should follow the lead of other palm oil using companies like Unilever, Nestle and L'Oreal, which have already promised to clean up their supply chains," Bustar said.

Palm oil is the world's most ubiquitous vegetable oil and a main driver of deforestation in Indonesia. The oil accounted for roughly 40 percent of the world's vegetable oil production from 2012-2013, and it is a key ingredient in many household products, such as Procter & Gamble's Head & Shoulders shampoo and Gillette shaving gel.

Procter & Gamble purchased some 462,000 tons of palm oil between 2012-2013, much of it derived from plantations located in Indonesia.

One of the companies Greenpeace zeroes in on in its report is BW Plantation, a Jakarta-based firm that is a third-party supplier for Asian Agri – a palm oil company owned by Sukanto Tanoto's RGE Group. BW Plantation is allegedly responsible for the recent clearance of orangutan habitats in Central Kalimantan. The company is also linked to a police investigation into an "orangutan graveyard" next to the province's Tanjung Puting National Park, a 416,000-hectare nature reserve known for its orangutan conservation activities.

"We've been confronting P&G over the last eight months with how it's exposing consumers to forest destruction," said Areeba Hamid, forest campaigner at Greenpeace International. "Instead of taking urgent action, the company has been greenwashing its actions."

Procter & Gamble pledges, according to its website, to "confirm that all palm oil purchases have originated from responsible and sustainable sources by 2015." In its 2012 sustainability report, Procter & Gamble promised to achieve zero net deforestation, in accordance with the Consumer Goods Forum. Proctor & Gamble and BW Plantation were not immediately available for comment.

Greenpeace has been engaged in a highly vocal campaign against destructive and unsustainable agricultural business practices in Indonesia for decades. The group has been successful in forcing corporate change through campaigns raising awareness of the involvement of large multinational companies in deforestation in Indonesia and abroad.

In October, a report titled "License to Kill: How deforestation is driving Sumatran tigers toward extinction," focused on questionable sourcing by Wilmar – the world's largest palm oil trader. The Singapore-based company has since announced a zero deforestation policy.

Asia Pulp & Paper, the world's largest pulp company, caved to similar pressure after losing several high-profile clients to Greenpeace's once- active campaign against the paper company. APP has now adopted similar sustainability goals and invited Greenpeace to oversee the process as an independent observer.

"Greenpeace believes palm oil must make a genuine contribution to Indonesia's development," Bustar said. "Progressive palm oil producers in the Palm Oil Innovation Group, along with ambitious commitments from big palm oil players GAR and Wilmar, prove that there is a business case for responsible palm oil.

"There is no excuse for companies like P&G, Reckitt Benckiser and Colgate Palmolive to delay immediate action on deforestation."

Palm oil production is the largest cause of deforestation in Indonesia, one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. The country was home to nearly half of the world's palm oil plantations in 2006 after years of concession land grabs, illegal logging and lax law enforcement, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

Respiratory illness and flight disruptions as Riau haze worsens

Jakarta Globe - February 24, 2014

Jakarta – Some 20,000 people have reported respiratory illnesses in Riau as forest fires and the resulting haze continued to worsen on Monday, the local health agency reported.

"That is the data we've compiled from a number of districts and municipalities since late January to Sunday [Feb. 23]," Zainal Arifin, the head of the Riau Health Agency, said in Pekanbaru on Monday.

Last month, fewer than 5,000 people reported respiratory problems in Riau. Last week, however, the figure jumped to 15,000 before surpassing 20,000 on Sunday, the health authority reported.

"We've been focusing only on patients with respiratory problems because they are the focus of the Ministry of Health," he told Indonesian news portal Bisnis Indonesia.

Zainal urged people in Riau to minimize their time outdoors, citing the poor air quality, especially in the town of Dumai and in the Pelalawan and Siak districts. "Toddlers and people with asthma should avoid outdoor activities," he said. "Workers should wear masks in anticipation of respiratory illnesses."

Officials with Sultan Syarif Kasim II Airport in Pekanbaru said at least 12 flights were delayed, canceled or rerouted because the haze had reduced visibility in the province.

"Between 5 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. [on Monday], the visibility was only 500 meters," airport manager Baekuni said on Monday. "The minimum visibility for safe flights is at least 1,000 meters."

Affected routes included those to and from Malaysia and Singapore, as well as Bandung, Batam, Jakarta and Medan, on flights operated by Aviastar, Citilink, Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air and Tigerair Mandala. A Citilink flight from Jakarta, which was supposed to land at Pekanbaru airport at 7:20 a.m., was diverted to Batam.

Forests in Riau began burning again earlier this month, with officials blaming local farmers for using the slash-and-burn method to clear land. On Monday, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said 1,398 hotspots were detected across Sumatra, with most of them concentrated in Riau.

Ahmad Agus Widodo, an analyst with the Pekanbaru office of the BMKG, said Bangka-Belitung and Lampung each reported one hotspot. South Sumatra reported two, Aceh five, Jambi 24, Riau Islands 43 and North Sumatra 85.

"Most hotspots were recorded in Riau province," Ahmad told liputan6.com. "[NASA's] Terra and Aqua satellites detected 1,234 fire hotspots across eight districts and municipalities in Riau."

He added the figure marked a significant rise from the roughly 80 hotspots detected in Riau on Sunday. Ahmad said that with the wind blowing toward the south, haze was spreading to the neighboring provinces of Jambi and West Sumatra.

Health & education

After two months, national health care still unpopular

Jakarta Post - February 28, 2014

Jakarta – With the majority of the public still unaware of the national healthcare program (JKN), the government initiative remains unpopular, two months after being implemented.

According to statistics provided by the Social Security Provider Agency for the health sector (BPJS Kesehatan), the number of participants has fallen short of the government's projections.

The current number of participants is around 117 million, out of Indonesia's total population of 240 million, while the target set by the government is 140 million people by the end of this year.

BPJS Kesehatan's service director, Fajriadinur, said that all stakeholders, including his institution, would put in effort to raise public awareness on the program. "BPJS Kesehatan is not only a cashier for this program," he said on Wednesday.

The institution is planning to add more health services and partner hospitals to reach more people. BPJS Kesehatan, however did not have details on new health services.

To boost its subscription rate, the State-Owned Enterprise Ministry has also gathered all state-owned enterprises managements to sign a commitment to raise national healthcare awareness. They agreed to register all their employees and family members in the program.

Out of the 117 million now covered, 790,351 participants registered independently. The remaining 116.2 million are civil servants, soldiers, police officers and fully-subsidized poor people, who were automatically registered in the government's list, as well as private employees formerly covered by PT Jamsostek.

"We are optimistic that we can achieve our target of 121.6 million people this year," said Ikhsan, spokesman of BPJS Kesehatan.

Fajriadinur also said that the low-subscription rate was also caused by glitches experienced by BPJS Kesehatan itself. He acknowledged that some patients with chronic illnesses, particularly those who had been covered by PT Askes, the former state health insurance company, had complained of late prescription deliveries.

"The Health Ministry has ordered additional supplies of medicine that will be provided within 30 days of patients filling their prescriptions," he said.

Fajriadinur also said that his institution was working on ensuring quick hospital claim payments. "If payments are slower than expected, it is because we have to verify the documents first," Fadjrianur said, adding that hospitals should provide complete information concerning all charges.

According to data from BPJS Kesehatan, 985 hospitals have already filed claims with BPJS Kesehatan, out of the 1,750 hospitals partnered with the institution. However, out of the 985 hospitals, only 155 hospitals have been paid a total amount of Rp 68 billion (US$5.84 million).

The institution had estimated that the total amount of claims from all hospitals in January would be around Rp 2 trillion. The total premium collected was around Rp 2.5 trillion. (gda)

Bali to improve sex education campaign

Jakarta Post - February 22, 2014

Jakarta – Bali is to strengthen its Planned Generation (GenRe) project by establishing teen- and student-counseling information centers (PIK-R/M) to spread information on reproductive health and inform the youth of the dangers of free sex, drugs and HIV/AIDS.

"That way, Bali's teen population can be healthy, aware and independent," said the head of the National Family Planning Agency's (BKKBN) Bali office, I Wayan Sundra, in Denpasar on Friday.

For this to happen, continued Sundra, teens have been urged to focus their attention on their education, giving leeway for the GenRe campaign to raise awareness through counseling centers being established in schools.

High school officials have expressed huge interest in and support for the project. "GenRe will raise awareness of these counseling centers in schools in Bali, starting with informing junior high school students of the concepts of reproductive health," he said, as quoted by Antara News Agency.

He expected that school students would spread information to their peers so that no more teenagers would drop out of school and could plan for a family.

Meanwhile, the runner-up for GenRe's national student ambassador award (Putra Duta Mahasiswa) 2013, I Putu Surya Adi Praga, is ready to spread the word about GenRe programs to the youth and encourage them to be mindful of reproductive health.

"Issues like this are just the tip of the iceberg. I'm concerned about the problems teenagers are facing today, so as student ambassador of the counseling center at Yowana Bhakti Poltekes Denpasar, I'm planning to implement GenRe's programs to develop quality youth," said Surya.

In Bali, 158 teen- and student-counseling centers have been established to help teenagers. Around 103 counseling centers are still at the preparatory stage, 29 are in the proficiency stage and 26 centers have reached the activism stage.

The centers inform the youth of mature-age coupling as well as preparing them to become a generation of qualified, resilient and self-sufficient individuals that are able to compete nationally and globally, said Sundra. (tjs)

Refugees & asylum seekers

Australian navy blew up asylum boat: Indonesia police

Agence France Presse - February 26, 2014

Cilacap, Central Java – Asylum-seekers who washed ashore in Indonesia have claimed the Australian navy blew up their vessel after forcing the would-be refugees into a lifeboat and turning them back to Java, police said Wednesday.

Indonesian police found the orange lifeboat and 26 asylum-seekers Monday on Java island's south coast. The would-be refugees said they were turned around attempting to reach the Australian territory of Christmas Island.

After setting off from the port of Pelabuhan Ratu in southern Java, they were intercepted by the Australian navy entering Australian waters and transferred to the lifeboat, police said.

Australia has purchased the lifeboats as part of its military-led operation to stem the influx of would-be refugees by returning them to Indonesia, a policy that has angered Jakarta.

After putting the asylum-seekers in the lifeboat, the navy destroyed their vessel, Wasidi, police spokesman in Kebumen district where the stranded boat was found, told AFP.

"After they transferred the migrants to the Australian ship, the wooden boat they took from Pelabuhan Ratu was then blown up by the Australian navy," said the spokesman, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. Wasidi said the boat's Indonesian crew, who have also been detained, had given him the accounts.

The Australian navy has previously faced accusations that its personnel verbally and physically abused asylum-seekers as it returned them to Indonesia, claims fiercely denied by Canberra.

The asylum-seekers that arrived this week, from countries including Iraq, Iran and Bangladesh, each paid 30 million rupiah ($2,850) for the voyage to Australia, said Wasidi, citing an account by the boat's captain.

Three of the asylum-seekers have escaped and the remaining 23 have been detained at an immigration detention centre in the town of Cilacap, on Java's south coast.

Monday's lifeboat arrival was the second this month, with asylum-seekers on the first also claiming they were put on the boat by the Australian navy and turned around.

As well as putting asylum-seekers into the lifeboats, similar to those carried by cruiseships, the Australian navy has also been turning round wooden boats when it is safe to do so.

Returned vessels are usually escorted towards Indonesian waters by the Australian navy. Hundreds of asylum-seekers have died making the dangerous sea voyage from Indonesia to Australia in recent years.

Plan to house asylum seekers in Sumba stirs controversy

Jakarta Globe - February 25, 2014

Yoseph Kellen – The Kupang immigration office in East Nusa Tenggara has prepared 5,000 square meters of land on the island of Sumba as a temporary shelter to house asylum seekers denied entry to Australia, an official said.

"Today, the shelters in the Rudenim [Immigration Detention Center] and at the Kupang Immigration Office are full," Kupang Immigration office chief Silvester Sili Laba said. "We have prepared the area, in the Central Sumba district to temporarily host illegal immigrants."

According to Silvester the measures had been discussed since the 1980s, in anticipation of the Australian government turning back asylum seekers to Indonesian waters.

Responding to the announcement, the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) regional government dismissed reports about the construction of a temporary immigrant shelter in the region, saying such a plan was not possible as Indonesia was not the asylum seekers' final destination. The regional administration did, however, admit the current facilities were full.

Sisilia Sona, chairman of the Political Nation and Public Protection Union said that additional immigrants were being accommodated temporarily at the Inna Boi Hotel in Kupang, funded by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Sisilia underlined that illegal immigrants' entrance into NTT had been caused by strict patrols by the Australian government, which has recently moved to turn back asylum seekers to islands including the Sumba, Sabu, Rote and the Sikka-Flores area.

She also cited reports that said an estimated 70,000 more illegal immigrants from the Middle East were now being held in Malaysia and may be transferred to Indonesia as the UNHCR and IOM offices in Malaysia were not operating.

"If we don't anticipate this, then NTT may eventually be a destination for illegal immigrants," Sisilia said, adding that the government of Indonesia should improve its air and water security so as to control the entries. "The security is still very week, and the central government needs to take this issue seriously as part of its responsibility," she said.

Reports of the temporary immigration shelters' construction have also received mixed responses from other officials.

Central Sumba district head Umbu Sappi Pateduk confirmed that the local immigration office possessed a certificate stipulating its ownership of the 5,000 square meters of land.

But he emphasized that further talks will need to be held prior to construction. "This needs to be discussed with the public... especially considering many of the people in Sumba are still deep in poverty and need the government's aid," he said.

Umbu said the plan had been initiated prior to the splitting of Central and East Sumba into two separate districts. The official also said that there had been talks about moving the location of the shelter to Galang Island.

"But there was no follow-up on the plan and people started living on that land and turned it into a settlement," Umbu said. "This is why we need discussions – to make sure the shelter is not built somewhere packed with residents," he added.

Separately, chief of immigration for NTT's regional justice and law department Weisner Sitompu played down the reports, saying there was yet to be any real plans on the matter. "It's just talk right now, to say it's going ahead isn't true," he said.

Diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Australia have been difficult since that country's prime minister, Tony Abbott, took office last September, promising to have Australia's navy turn asylum-seekers away at sea and break the business of people traffickers operating from Indonesian ports.

The Australian government was forced to apologize last month after Australian Navy and Customs vessels repeatedly trespassed several kilometers into Indonesian waters as they escorted boats containing asylum seekers.

Graft & corruption

KPK criticizes house over flawed draft criminal code bill

Jakarta Globe - February 23, 2014

Noviani Setuningsih & Edi Siprianus Hardum, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission has slammed the House of the Representatives for pressing on deliberations on a controversial revised criminal code, which among other impacts would curtail the antigraft body's scope for tackling corruption cases.

The deputy head of the body known as the KPK, Busyro Muqoddas, said the government and the House of Representatives were deceiving the public by proceeding with revisions to the criminal code (KUHP) and criminal procedures code (KUHAP) despite a massive public outcry.

"Are they [lawmakers] certain about the quality of the revisions when 80 percent of them are too preoccupied with the thought of securing their position in the house? This is perfect political hypocrisy," Busyro said on Saturday, referring to the upcoming national elections.

The KPK has consistently criticized a proposed amendment to the KUHAP that stipulated it must obtain a court order before tapping an individual's phone; and another provision transferring sentencing request authority for graft defendants from the KPK to the Attorney General's Office.

The current draft has also been lambasted for outlawing cohabitation by unmarried couples and the dissemination of ideas based on Marxism – potentially criminalizing millions of lovers and trade unionists alike.

Busyro warned that if lawmakers and the government continued to ignore public concerns over the draft criminal provisions, they would meet stiff opposition. "It's not the time to relive the new order era where political lies were common, people now have become more politically conscious," he said.

House speaker Marzuki Ali said despite criticisms the discussion on the draft code must proceed, although he denied a hidden agenda to undermine graft-busters. "We certainly do not want the KPK's authority to be weakened," he said Sunday.

Marzuki said the KUHP and KUHAP were in need of revision because they were outdated and no longer relevant. "Even the Netherlands is no longer using those laws, that is why we need to immediately conclude the amendment and endorse the laws," he said.

The proposed revised KUHP and KUHAP have been criticized by not only the KPK but other organizations, including Indonesia Corruption Watch and Gadjah Mada University, which have urged the House to temporarily halt discussions. Many of the articles were potentially counterproductive with the country's effort to modernize and eradicate corruption, critics said.

Activist hits out at government antigraft strategy

Jakarta Post - February 22, 2014

Jakarta – Graft activists have questioned the government's corruption eradication strategies following the ongoing deliberation of the Criminal Law Procedures Code (KUHAP) bill, which no longer sees corruption as an extraordinary crime.

Oce Madril of Gadjah Mada University's (UGM) Center for Anti Graft Studies (Pukat), said that if passed, the bill would undermine the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK).

"If the KUHAP bill is passed, the work of the KPK and PPATK will be pointless," he said. He asked for transparency in the bill drafting process and said the public should be aware of what was happening in the process.

Hasrul Halili, another UGM researcher, suspected that corrupt individuals and their allies could be behind the process. "We urge lawmakers and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to review the KUHAP bill," he said.

Former judge Sahlan Said agreed that the KUHAP bill in its current form could undermine the KPK's fight against corruption. (idb)

Government, House ignore KUHP, KUHAP demands

Jakarta Post - February 22, 2014

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – The government and the House of Representatives has ignored the Corruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) demands to drop the plan to amend the Criminal Code (KUHP) and the Code of Criminal Procedures (KUHAP), which it deemed would weaken antigraft efforts.

The Law and Human Rights Ministry and the House said it would go ahead with their amendment plan.

The KPK officially sent on Wednesday letters to Law and Human Rights Minister Amir Syamsuddin, as well as the House and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, calling for the withdrawal of the draft bills. "No, it is impossible [to withdraw the bills]," Amir said earlier this week.

In the letter, the KPK also insisted that a different group of lawmakers should deliberate the bills so an unbiased decision can be reached.

The KPK said that the House had under three months to complete the job. The KPK also said that deliberation of the bills should also involve all law enforcement agencies, academics and the public.

The antigraft body demanded the government scrap all articles concerning prosecution of graft cases from the draft bills, arguing that they were already covered by the anti-corruption law.

Amir accused the KPK of playing a political game. "Why raise the issue now?" Amir said. "If the issue was raised when the government was about to submit the draft bills to the House in March last year, the KPK should have raised the issue then. We did not secretly submit the draft bills."

Democratic Party lawmaker Ruhut Sitompul said that the House would continue deliberating the draft bills. "Our tenures will not expire in April, we will still be working until early October," Ruhut said.

Ruhut said that the KPK should not see itself as a privileged institution. "It's not all about the KPK, we also need to strengthen the police and the Attorney General's Office to support the fight against corruption," Ruhut said.

Some lawmakers have said that they will continue deliberating the draft bills, unless the government decides to cancel the deliberations.

Antigraft watchdogs have rejected the planned amendments due to concerns that it will weaken the antigraft body since the bill on the KUHAP in particular, has a number of "contentious" articles.

In the KUHAP bill being deliberated at the House, the right of law enforcement agencies to perform preliminary investigations has been removed.

It also aims to create a new post called the commissioner judge, to independently determine whether a law enforcement agency can investigate, search and detain suspects, seize evidence or conduct surveillance.

Separately, presidential advisor on law and human rights Albert Hasibuan said that he supported the KPK's move to reject the planned amendment.

"I believe the government truly wants to eradicate corruption," he said. "Therefore the KPK's concerns should be taken seriously and firmly by eliminating articles [that undermine its role] by making amendments to the draft. Withdrawing the draft could also be another way."

Terrorism & religious extremism

House passes nuclear terrorism bill

Jakarta Post - February 25, 2014

Jakarta – The House of Representatives passed a draft bill on the ratification of the Nuclear Terrorism Convention into a law in a plenary meeting on Tuesday.

Agus Gumiwang, the head of Commission I, which oversees defense, said the law would regulate nuclear terrorism prevention and control. The convention also listed activities that could be classified as nuclear terrorism.

"Someone can be considered to be complicit in terrorism if he or she obtains radioactive substances illegally, damages a facility or participates in those actions," said Agus as quoted by kompas.com.

He further said the ratification of the convention would be beneficial to the nation and confirm the country's commitment to world safety and peace. Agus said the ratification was in line with the nation's free and active foreign policy.

"With the ratification of this convention, it will be possible to develop infrastructure related to nuclear security; multilateral cooperation and collaboration on terrorism prevention and control; nuclear safety; institutional capacity building and information sharing," he said.

Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said the law was part of Indonesia's commitment to ensure the country was free from nuclear weapons and radioactive substances. "This is our effort to protect society from nuclear threats," said Marty. (ebf)

Freedom of religion & worship

Surabaya court hands down 6-month sentences for Jember pesantren attack

Jakarta Globe - February 26, 2014

Jakarta – The Surabaya District Court sentenced 10 men to six months in prison over their roles in a violent rampage in Jember, East Java, that left a popular Islamic boarding school and mosque badly damaged last year and strained ties in a district embroiled in a deep-seated rivalry between two Islamic leaders.

"The Surabaya District Court has handed down sentences to the defendants in the destruction case in the Puger conflict," said Mujiarto, the general crimes division head of Jember Prosecutors Office, according to the state- run Antara News Agency. "All have been given six months imprisonment."

The prosecution initially demanded at least two years in prison for the defendants. The office immediately filed an appeal with the district court, adding that the six-month sentence was too lenient.

The Sept. 11 violence was reportedly the latest boiling over of a decade- long dispute between two Islamic leaders that has become steeped in religion baiting and accusations of jealousy.

Ali al-Habsyi, the head of the Darus Sholihin Islamic boarding school, has long been at loggerheads with Muhdor al-Hamid, an Islamic leader from the neighboring Tanggul subdistrict. The rivalry took a turn when Muhdor accused Ali of being a Shiite Muslim because he quoted from Shia texts during sermons.

Both Ali and the prominent Shia organization Ahlul Bait Indonesia (ABI) have refuted the allegation. But the denials have done little to calm tempers in Jember or head off anger at Ali's plan to lead his community on an Independence Day parade through Puger Kulon village.

The parade's permit was revoked twice before it was finally held nearly a month after Indonesia's Independence Day celebrations concluded. As the school paraded through Puger Kulon, residents from Tanggul stormed the school, damaging classrooms and a mosque while police stood watch.

Ali's followers, angered by the destruction of the school, attacked a local fishermen and vocal critic of the school in a savage revenge beating. The men set Eko's fishing boat on fire before turning on the man. He later died of his injuries at an area hospital.

Seven people have been arrested in connection with Eko's death. That case is still ongoing at the Surabaya District Court, where they each face up to eight years in prison.

Islam & religion

Ulema council denies halal certification graft

Jakarta Globe - February 26, 2014

Jakarta – The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), the country's highest Islamic authority, denied on Wednesday accusations that foreign organizations hoping to sell food in Indonesia had been extorted for bribes during the halal-auditing process.

"For the [halal] certificate issuance, it's free of charge," MUI chairman Amidhan Shaberah said, as quoted by state-run Antara News Agency. He said that companies were asked to pay travel expenses for MUI auditors and nothing more.

Indonesian news portal Tempo.co reported on Monday that the MUI had accepted large payments from Australian institutions hoping to receive certification.

Sydney Halal Certification Authority chairman Mohamed El-Mouelhy said that his organization and six other Australian institutions had together paid Aus$26,000 ($23,418) to MUI officials in 2006. He said his own organization had paid Aus$4,000 but had not received a license. "I have to pay all, starting from the food, airplanes, hotel and pocket money," he said.

The operations manager of Australia's Al-Iman Society made the same complaint, saying that his organization paid Aus$4,000 without receiving certification. The money, according to Tempo, was transferred directly to Amidhan.

Australian Halal Food Service, a major Australian halal provider, allegedly transferred Aus$10,000 to prevent MUI from revoking its license, according to the Tempo report.

Amidhan denied the allegations. He said that some organizations did not receive certification because they failed to meet requirements, which include Islamic community service, Islamic education, permanent offices and the presence of a commission consisting of three certified halal auditors and consistent operating procedures. "They should also have good administration that makes the auditing process easy," he said.

Certified institution should also be members of the World Halal Food Council, he said, and have the capability to work with the MUI in monitoring products. "The MUI has 44 institutions which it has licensed to issue halal certification worldwide," he said.

He said that Australian Halal Food Service had its license suspended for failing to slaughter animals correctly, and not for monetary reasons. Animals must be slaughtered according to the specific prescriptions of Islamic jurisprudence, as determined by clergy, for their meat to be considered lawful for observant Muslims to consume.

MUI, government wrangle over halal certification

Jakarta Post - February 28, 2014

Margareth S. Aritonang and Ina Parlina, Jakarta – The Religious Affairs Ministry and the Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI) are at loggerheads over the authority to issue certification of halal products, causing a long delay in the deliberation of the halal certification bill, which has languished at the House of Representatives for more than eight years.

The Religious Affairs Ministry has demanded that the authority to issue halal certificates be given to the government rather than the MUI. The MUI, which currently holds the sole authority, insists that it is the only institution capable of performing the role.

Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali said that taking over the authority to issue halal certification from the MUI was part of an effort to uphold the principle of fairness.

"Other [Islamic] organizations will be jealous and demand the same role. Besides, it is the government that has the mandate to issue a regulation, not a mass organization," he said on Thursday.

He proposed that in a new arrangement for halal certification, the MUI would be still be involved in providing recommendations but only from the religious perspective.

Suryadharma, who is the chair of the Islamic-based United Development Party (PPP), said that by eliminating the role of the MUI, the government could also reap additional non-state tax revenues from the issuance of halal certificates.

Under the current arrangement, the MUI gets to keep all proceeds derived from the issuance of the certificates. Currently, the MUI charges Rp 5 million (US$450) for a halal certificate.

Similar concerns were also raised by lawmaker Hasrul Azwar, a member of the House Commission VIII overseeing religious and social affairs, which is tasked with deliberating the bill, who said that the MUI had never been transparent about what it earned from the halal certification.

Hasrul, also a PPP politician, said that once the government controlled the halal-certification process it would not only reap more revenues for the state but also could help curb extortionate practices.

"We plan to break down the components of costs involved in the issuance of each certificate to prevent businesses from being charged illegal levies. We have to control it," Hasrul said.

Fellow Commission VIII member Raihan Iskandar, however, rejected the government's proposal. He said that the MUI did not have to disclose how much it collected from the halal-certification fees, arguing that not only was the MUI a privately run institution but also an organization that served the Muslim population, which currently made up 88 percent of the country's 250 million population.

Raihan, a politician from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), wanted the MUI to keep its job. "The government is seen in a negative light by the public these days. It would be no problem if the government could win our trust in performing the job. But, we want a trustworthy and professional institution to handle halal certification."

The halal certification bill was initiated in 2006 by lawmakers in an attempt to protect Indonesian consumers, the majority of whom are Muslim, from products that contain non-halal ingredients, such as pork-derived products or alcohol.

In the current draft bill, halal certificates and labels would be required for three sectors; food and beverages, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. It would also cover ingredients and the equipment used to make the products.

Lawmakers are still debating over who should hold the authority to issue certification and whether it should be mandatory or voluntary. The draft bill also proposes the establishment of an independent halal-certification body.

Each of the nine political parties at the House is expected to present their final take on the contentious issue on Tuesday next week.

MUI chairman Amidhan Shaberah said the organization must maintain its current halal-certification role given that it was the only suitable organization. "The issuance of a halal certificate requires a combination of religion and science."

Agriculture & rural life

Village Law: A change is going to come

Jakarta Post - February 22, 2014

The newly-passed Village Law is expected to bring change to the grassroots level, after being neglected for years under the New Order regime, a lawmaker has said.

Chairman of the House of Representatives special team tasked to deliberate the law, Budiman Sujatmiko of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said that for decades the country's technocratic mode of development had ignored those living in rural areas.

He said that the aspirations of the people had been all but ignored in favor of foreign debt, foreign direct investment and revenue from oil.

Despite economic growth, rural areas – where the majority of the population lives – have not prospered from the "trickle-down" effect and are now mired in poverty. "A lot of land in rural areas has been sold or rented to investors, so the once fertile land is now the site of shops, malls and quarries," he said.

Budiman also said that the government neglected rural development in terms of budget allocation. Last year, only 2.6 percent of the Rp 1,600 trillion (US$136 billion) state budget was assigned to rural areas, despite about 60 percent of the population calling the countryside their home.

But with the 2013 Village Law, he said, would come change as residents would now be involved in the development of their villages. "The law enables every village to decide what kind of entrepreneurship to employ to develop their villages into sustainable, or even rich, villages," he said.

Budiman acknowledged that the law could be dismissed as utopian by some, but in some countries such a breakthrough was not impossible. He said that three nations China, Brazil and Israel had developed strategies to improve the lives of the people in rural areas.

"Huaxi village in China, for example, proves the participatory technique proposed in the Village Law can be successful. It has been under a project such as this since the 1960s and now its income per capita is $100,000. "It seems impossible but it's true. It is the richest village in China," Budiman said.

Budiman, who is a member of House of Representatives Commission II overseeing home affairs said that the law was actually the brainchild of Megawati Soekarnoputri, the PDI-P chair and daughter of former president Sukarno, who aspired to facilitate a prosperous agrarian country.

"Indonesia could still be an industrial country, but its industrial policy should run parallel to the development of rural areas," Budiman said during a visit to The Jakarta Post earlier this week. (gda)

Social security & welfare

Falling through the free housing cracks

Jakarta Globe - February 28, 2014

SP/Fana FS Putra, Jakarta – Forty-three-year-old Lestari had no choice but to move from her home on the banks of the Sentiong River in North Jakarta's Sunter Agung ward after it was demolished as part of the city administration's efforts to reclaim the riverbanks.

Jakarta Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) officers brought Lestari and her husband along with their seven children to the Komarudin tenements in East Jakarta, a move she claimed she had agreed to after being promised a unit in the building.

"I was told that I would be given a unit in the apartment block, so I didn't even take the compensation money," she said. But she soon realized that reality was far from what she expected.

Along with dozens of others who were relocated from the Sentiong River, Lestari has had to make do with sleeping in the halls of the apartment building or in the parking lot, while the furniture they had brought from their old homes remained stuffed in the building's hallways. Come night time, they sleep on their beds, although many others are forced to rest on a carpet or mattress.

Lestari, who holds the mandatory Jakarta identification card, said she had been confident she would be given a housing unit, as district and subdistrict officials had included her data in their records.

"They recorded my details, but I don't know if the data has been submitted to the Jakarta Housing Agency," she said. "Our life is now unstable. I feel bad for the kids. It gets cold sleeping here, and there are so many mosquitoes."

Like Lestari, Hoko Tampubolon also said he had relocated to the apartment block upon being promised proper housing by officials.

"We didn't get a unit. Our only option is to sleep in the halls like this," he said, adding that he was not sure just how long his family would have to bear living under such conditions. "They're abandoning us and now we don't know where to go."

Jefyodya Julian, the head of the city housing agency's Area III Low-Cost Apartment Management Unit, said the relocation process of residents from Sention River to the Komarudin tenements had been conducted based on the data received by his office.

After receiving the information, he said, individuals who had been registered would then have to participate in a drawing process to obtain their designated units, after which they would be handed a key to an apartment unit.

"According to records from the ward office, 185 families from the Sentiong River will be relocated to the Komarudin apartments. They will receive their keys after the draw," Jefyodya said. "If others are still scattered [abandoned], we're not sure. Go ahead and check whether this is true with the ward office or the related subdistrict office."

He also explained that in order to be eligible for an apartment unit, one would have to have be registered as a Jakarta citizen – proven by their Jakarta identification card – and they would also have to register with the ward and subdistrict offices.

"Every move needs to follow the proper procedure. Otherwise, they [residents] will not receive their number [for the draw] and, therefore, will not get a housing unit," he said. "It is possible that some have been registered but did not participate in the draw. If that's the case, then of course they will not get a unit."

However, additional issues remain. Jefyodya said that his agency was never requested to allocate units for residents living along the stretch of the Sentiong River that is part of Sunter Agung ward in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, saying they were merely asked to allocate two blocks of apartments for residents of the Sentiong River that are part of Kebon Kosong ward in Central Jakarta.

"This is outside our scenario. They are indeed from the Sentiong River, but from a different ward. Those two blocks have been allocated for residents of Kemayoran in Central Jakarta," he said.

Additionally, Jefyodya said officials discovered numerous individuals coming from Sunter Agung had failed to bring an official letter from the ward, an issue he conceded was the result of miscommunication between officials and his agency.

"I will try to provide units for them, but we will prioritize those who are now already in the field [the apartments]. There has indeed been a mistake. Some [officials] have relocated residents without proper coordination," he said.

The Komarudin low-cost apartments have been a subject of complaints in the past few weeks, not only from residents who have yet to receive their housing units, but also from those who have moved into the homes. Reports of apartment units in poor and unsuitable conditions continue to surface. Governor Joko Widodo last week conceded the city was still in the process of renovating and improving the apartment blocks.

Armed forces & defense

More revealed about alleged Indonesian incursions into PNG

Radio New Zealand International - February 28, 2014

Reports in Papua New Guinea say the government has details of incursions across the border by armed Indonesia soldiers earlier this month.

The Post Courier newspaper says residents of six villages along the Torasi River have left their homes, after threats from the soldiers.

The paper reports that in the first incident, on the 11th of February, Indonesians in civilian clothing, but thought to be soldiers, went into Balamuk village which is about 27 kilometres from the border. The Indonesians questioned the village's ward councillor.

In the second incident, the following day, Indonesians in full military uniform and armed, travelled up the Torasi River on a highpowered boat that was flying the Indonesian flag.

TNI eyes closer cooperation with China

Jakarta Post - February 26, 2014

Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) asserted its readiness to cooperate with any country, including China, to maintain stability in the region.

"The TNI is ready to cooperate to maintain regional security based on the principles of mutual respect and equality," TNI chief Gen. Moeldoko said during a meeting with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) chief of general staff, Gen. Fang Fenghui, as reported by Antara news agency on Tuesday.

During the meeting at the PLA headquarters, Moeldoko said he expected that good bilateral relations would also increase military-to-military cooperations.

"Indonesia and China agreed to become strategic partners in 2005, which was followed by the signing of the Strategic Partnership Action Plan in 2010 as well as the Joint Communique," he said on Tuesday, the second day of his five-day visit.

Both countries upgraded the strategic partnership to become more comprehensive in 2013. "In the defense sector, Indonesia and China agreed on the Defense Consultation Forum in 2007 and defense industrial cooperation in 2011," Moeldoko said.

China, for example, agreed to assist Indonesia in the local manufacturing of the C-705 anti-ship missile in a transfer-of-technology scheme.

Moeldoko, who was installed as TNI chief on Aug. 30, 2013, said cooperations between both countries included visits by high-ranking officers, military service student exchanges and joint anti terror exercises.

The Indonesian Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) and the Indonesian Air Force's Special Forces (Korpaskhas) have held joint exercises with their Chinese counterparts.

Both countries' navies in 2013 agreed on a biennial navy-to-navy cooperation meeting, while Indonesia sent its pilots to train in Sukhoi Su-27/30 jet fighter simulators in China.

Meanwhile, Fang welcomed the TNI's commitment to increase relations and cooperations with the PLA. "Improving relations in various sectors, especially politics and trade, are supported by good military cooperation between [our] militaries," he said.

Fang added that Indonesia took China into consideration in every development in the region, including involving China in the Komodo multilateral joint exercise in March.

Other than China, the Komodo multilateral joint exercise will also involve all 10 ASEAN member states plus Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea and the US.

The exercise will be held in the waters off Natuna and Anambas Islands in the Riau Islands and will involve 28 warships and 4,000 personnel. "China respects Indonesia in various interests to maintain regional security, stability, peace and prosperity," Fang asserted.

Earlier in the morning, Moeldoko visited the Beijing Air Defense Command Center and was welcomed by commander Brig. Gen. Zhang Peng. The command center oversees the cities of Beijing and Tianjing as well as Hebei and Shanxi provinces and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

Moeldoko is also scheduled to meet National Defense Minister Gen. Chang Wangquan and Central Military Commission vice chairman Gen. Fang Changlong. Visits to the PLA Air Force base and PLA Navy base in Tianjin were also in the cards, Indonesian military attache to Beijing, Col. Samuel Kowaas told Antara.

Judicial & legal system

Fate of 14 regional heads depend on the outcome of Akil Mochtar's trial

Jakarta Globe - February 26, 2014

Novianti Setuningsih & Edwin Firdaus, Jakarta – The country's antigraft body will probe 14 regional heads who are suspected of bribing former Constitutional Court chief justice Akil Mochtar to fix regional election disputes.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said in Akil's indictment that he received or was promised more than Rp 60 billion ($5 million) in exchange for fixing regional election disputes in 10 districts, cities or provinces, plus offering consultations on regional election disputes to five districts in Papua.

The KPK has so far named several persons as suspects in the cases. They are Akil, Tubagus Chaeri Wardana – brother of Banten Governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah – who is accused of giving bribes, and Susi Tur Andayani, who is accused of receiving them.

Tubagus, known as Wawan, allegedly paid Susi Rp 1 billion in connection to a Lebak regional election dispute with Atut being suspected of providing the funds. The KPK has only named two regional heads as bribery suspects, Atut and Central Kalimantan's Gunung Mas district head Hambit Bintih.

KPK deputy chairman Zulkarnain said the KPK was instead focused on collecting evidence against Akil to support the prosecutors' indictment. Zulkarnain said the KPK still needed to study the motives behind the gratification and whether or not it could be categorized as a crime.

"With regards to the gratification, we need to delve into whether they were given voluntarily or if blackmail was involved. Whose initiative it was to provide [the bribes], will be clear in the trial," Zulkarnain said on Tuesday.

He said it was important to clarify the motivation for the payments, whether it was initiated by Akil or whether it was made out of fear. "In the indictment, for instance, the vote count [of a certain regional head] was already high but he got scared after it was challenged at the Constitutional Court," Zulkarnain said.

He said 14 other regional heads would be probed after Akil's case is finalized. KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto also confirmed that the antigraft body would follow up bribery allegations regarding 14 other regional heads after Akil was indicted.

"Most of them have been summoned for questioning [over Akil's case.] It's important to follow the trial process," Bambang said in a text message.

Another KPK deputy chairman, Busyro Muqoddas, made an assurance that his office would probe regional heads who paid bribes or promised Akil money.

KPK prosecutors have named some of regional heads in their indictment, including Empat Lawang district head Budi Anthoni Al Jufri, Palembang Mayor Romi Herton, Central Tapanuli district head Bonaran Situmeang, East Java Governor Soekarwo and Banten Governor Atut. "So, it will be done gradually," Busyro said on Sunday.

Meanwhile, KPK spokesman Johan Budi said the KPK investigators were still developing Akil's bribery case and that the case will not stop at Akil and Hambit, who has also been named as a suspect for bribery.

Johan added that the KPK was waiting for facts to emerge in court to implicate other regional heads in bribing Akil. "We are waiting to see what kind of facts will emerge from the court and whether there will be new facts to support the claims and on – whether or not we could use the judges' ruling to develop the case or to launch a new investigation," he said.

Akil has been charged with several counts of bribery and money laundering.

House fully in control of MK justice selection

Jakarta Post - February 26, 2014

Ina Parlina and Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – An independent team of experts tasked with supervising the ongoing selection of two new Constitutional Court (MK) justices by the House of Representatives has called on lawmakers to fully engage them in the process.

The experts, backed by activists, slammed lawmakers for making them mere tokens in the selection to give the impression that the process was transparent.

Lawmakers on House Commission III overseeing legal affairs set up the team of experts "to ensure an accountable selection". Yet as of Tuesday afternoon, when 12 applicants for justices submitted their papers, members of the team were in the dark over their roles and authority.

Wahyudi Djafar of the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM) accused the House of playing politics by sidelining the experts. Wahyudi said the credibility of the court was at stake following the arrest of former chief justice Akil Mochtar on bribery charges.

"They must ensure that the team is fully involved in the selection instead of making it a mere tool to justify their selections. The result of the team's assessment should be used to help determine the winners," Wahyudi said on Tuesday.

Previously, the House was criticized for promoting politicians to join the race after lawmakers had supported a call to bar politicians from becoming justices at the court.

Former Constitutional Court justice Laica Marzuki, who is also a member of the team, said he had yet to receive details about his role in the selection of justices. "I want to use the mandate to the maximum so that we can come up with the best results," he said.

Another member, former justice AS Natabaya, said: "To pick someone with integrity requires transparency."

Other members of the team are legal expert Saldi Isra; the former chairman of Indonesia's second-largest Islamic organization Muhammadiyah, Ahmad Syafii Maarif; and the former chairman of the largest Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama, Hasyim Muzadi.

Two figures with political backgrounds, former law and human rights minister Andi Matalatta – who is also a former Golkar Party lawmaker – and former United Develompent Party (PPP) lawmaker Zain Badjeber, are also on the team, along with Lauddin Muzani.

The House set a schedule from Monday to Friday to hold confirmation hearings for the 12 candidates. On the night of the last hearing, the lawmakers will hold a meeting with the team of experts to discuss the results and will decide on a justice either through consensus or a vote.

Commission III deputy chairman Al Muzammil Yusuf of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said the team would be given time to interview the candidates during the hearings. However, the ultimate decision will be in the hands of the lawmakers.

"Later, on Thursday, we will have a mechanism on the technical matters," he said. "In general, the team will have more time to question them than the lawmakers. And later, the team will tell us its judgment, which will be used by us to assess the candidates."

Police & law enforcement

Lawmakers seek better monitoring of Indonesia's police force

Jakarta Globe - February 26, 2014

Carlos Paath, Jakarta – The Indonesian government and legislators have been discussing ways to strengthen monitoring the police force following rampant abuse of power conducted by cops across the country in a number of high-profile cases.

As officials, lawmakers and legal experts discuss revising the 2002 Police Law, many have even been proposing to put the police under the auspices of the Home Ministry, a move flatly rejected by National Police chief Gen. Sutarman.

"The National Police prefer the current condition where we are directly under the president. He or she as the highest executive then delegates some of the security authority to the police," Sutarman said on Wednesday. He said as Indonesia practiced the presidential system, the national police therefore should answer directly to the president.

Neta Pane, chairman of the Indonesia Police Watch, shared Sutarman sentiment, saying placing the police under a ministry would compromise the institution's neutrality.

"You can imagine if the police comes under a ministry and the minister is with a certain political party, the police could be made the party's soldiers," he said adding that the scenario would likely put the opposition figures in danger because the police could abuse their power against them.

The debate on who the police should answer to came during deliberations of the police bill by the legislative council of the House of Representatives. The bill has been included in the priority list of bills, which is expected to be concluded this year.

Adrianus Meliala, a commissioner of the National Police's supervisory commission (Kompolnas), agreed that it would not be possible to push for putting police under the Home Ministry.

"We were asked to finish the draft in April and therefore we will be focusing on strengthening Kompolnas's supervisory function, we won't be focusing on the reposition," he said.

Most experts, activists and legislators agree that the nation must put its police force in check following widespread public complains against police officers who conduct many violations, including accepting bribes, extortion, arbitrary arrests, violence and corruption.

Police behavior again sparked anger when cops in Bandung, West Java, imposed a much criticized night curfew in the light of a deadly brawl in an entertainment center.

The police were criticized after an assault on the vocalist of a popular band in Bandung, who received at least 20 stitches after allegedly being hit on the forehead with a glass bottle by a plainclothes police officer.

According to data compiled by the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) the police shot dead 115 people in 2013. Those killed were often suspects of petty crime or even those exercising their right to freedom of speech and protest.

Hendardi, chairman of PBHI's national membership council, said the watchdog recorded 595 cases of police violence against suspects in 27 provinces last year, with 446 incidents where police officers fired on people with injuries or fatalities recorded.

A number of surveys have consistently found the police to be one of the country's most corrupt institutions.

Weak monitoring

Since separating from the military in 2002, the police have been given a bigger role to play because they will be the ones responsible for any security problems within the country, and answer only to the president.

Fearing that the police may become ever more powerful and uncontrolled, the government established Kompolnas to monitor alleged violations by police officers. However, the current Kompolnas has been criticized as a lame duck without any real power to bring bad cops to justice.

The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) stated that such a weak outfit has caused an increase in the number of human rights violations occurring very year.

Kontras coordinator Haris Azhar said the poor supervision was partly caused by the lack of outreach by Kompolnas, because the commissioners could only conduct the monitoring activities from their office in Jakarta.

"Kompolnas members have said that they have started working together with some universities in Indonesia but we hope Kompolnas could create a communication mechanism from the regional to the national level," he said.

Haris said Kompolnas has a strategic role in monitoring the police officers, especially those who have committed violations.

Some of the points being discussed during the deliberation of police law revision include imposing harsher punishments on police officers found to have broken the rules.

Kompolnas chairman M. Nasser said the House had agreed on the need to create a professional, independent and clean force. "This could be started by moving it from government control. Kompolnas should have the proper function and authority to conduct investigations and to impose sanctions on officers committing violations and crimes," he said.

He agreed that Kompolnas had to be expanded gradually, with at least a branch in every province so that they could monitor police conduct in the regions.

Internal moves

Sutarman said the police were paying special attention to the quality of future officers who would be recruited, vowing to crack down on bribery in the recruitment process to the police academy. "A competence-based management system should be implemented," the national police chief said.

Many people have also complained about the amount of money they have to pay to enter the academy. Some of them claim that they have to pay up to Rp 300 million ($26,000) for the academy and an additional Rp 150 million for the nine-month police training course.

With a monthly salary of Rp 2 million to Rp 5 million, many officers have taken to accepting bribes, conducted extortion or stolen state money to recoup the money they had spent to become officers. Sutarman promised that the recruitment process would in future be open to public supervision from registration to the conclusion.

'Glassed' in the name of Bandung's invalid curfew

Jakarta Globe - February 24, 2014

Jakarta – Systemic police violence has been highlighted after an assault on the vocalist of a popular band in Bandung, who received at least 20 stitches after allegedly being hit on the forehead with a glass bottle by a plainclothes police officer.

The incident occurred when Satrio Bambang, of indie band Pure Saturday, who is referred to as Iyo by his colleagues, was relaxing at the Camden Bar and Lounge in Bandung's Dago area. A patrol from Bandung Wetang Police station arrived at the lounge at midnight to order customers home in accordance with a curfew of dubious validity established by the provincial police ahead of the general elections.

Iyo, who was inside the cafe, said he was already getting ready to leave when a group of police officers entered the building. "Because they were rather violent when they disbanded [patrons], I was curious and asked, 'What's going on?'," Iyo said in an interview at his home. "Suddenly, somebody hit me in the forehead and I fell. My head bled," Iyo related.

Iyo said he didn't see the face of his attacker but his friends told him it was a police officer in plain clothes. "What I remember was that two people were standing in front of me. They maybe thought I was going to act offensively and they hit me," he said.

Iyo lamented the police's violent behavior in ordering customers out, saying they could have handled it in a better way. "I personally regret the officers' violent behavior. I am a resident of Bandung city, I love Bandung – I also support its government. I am an artist and I am very much against violence. The officers could have taken a better approach with the customers," he said.

Pure Saturday manager Buddy Gunawan said Iyo wasn't the only victim of police violence that night. "Iyo's friends were also assaulted," Buddy said.

He said that before entering the cafe's building, officers had ordered visitors sitting outside the building to go home. "It's true that they gave a warning, but it was outside Camden [cafe]. Iyo didn't hear it," Buddy explained.

The officers then went into the building and began to violently throw visitors out without first warning them. "That's what they should have done [issue a warning], but instead they just struck out," said Buddy.

Extrajudicial killings

Police shot dead 115 people last year, according to data compiled by the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI). Those killed were often suspects of petty crime or even those exercising their right to freedom of speech and protest, according to Hendardi, chairman of PBHI's national membership council.

Hendardi said PBHI recorded 595 cases of illegal police violence against suspects in 27 provinces last year, with most recorded violations involving shootings by officers, both woundings and killings, which totaled 446 incidents, affecting 661 victims.

"Cases that also frequently arise involve hitting and torturing suspects while in police custody, with 61 incidents recorded involving 294 victims," Hendardi said. "Eighteen of those died from their injuries," the public interest lawyer added.

The Bandung curfew that isn't

Bandung City Police often raid entertainment venues in order to enforce what they say is the city's midnight curfew, expected to last until after the general elections. However, it seems the police are acting unilaterally without a valid legal basis.

For his part, Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil denies the existence of a curfew. After his Twitter account was bombarded with criticism in the wake of the assault on Iyo, the mayor tweeted "There is no curfew policy put in place by the Bandung city administration."

Ridwan said he was trying to resolve the problem of violence, and asked the people of Bandung to think positively. Ridwan said it was the West Java Police who had implemented a midnight curfew, and had urged it to be formalized into a city bylaw.

But such a bylaw would not be easy to implement, he said. "I have talked with the DPRD [Provincial Legislative Council] and turning it into a bylaw would require a lengthy time," he said.

Ridwan said the operational hours of entertainment venues were in fact regulated under a 2012 bylaw, which states that entertainment venues can operate until 3 in the morning – and that the city administration will stick to that bylaw.

The police's illegal curfew imposition measures were criticized by sociologist Dudung Durahman, who says that placing a limit on the operational hours of entertainment venues was a poor response to the local administration's failure to provide security for its citizens.

Dudung said authorities should respond to violent incidents in Bandung by increasing security and not by creating a sense of fear of the police among residents.

He said the city administration should identify the cause of violence and that if it indeed stemmed from entertainment venues, the administration should improve security in those areas. After all, he said, Bandung is a metropolitan city where activities can be expected to carry on 24 hours a day.

"This is such a setback if the administration imposes a curfew on the operations of nightlife entertainment venues," Dudung said. Dudung said that the Bandung Regional Revenue Agency claimed nightlife spots didn't contribute significantly to the city's coffers.

But Dudung said that if the businesses didn't make money, then the number of entertainment venues would not have grow to such a degree. Low contributions from entertainment venues was due to poor city administration tax collection measures.

"What's the point of having entertainment venues if the contribution is small or if they only make the city prone to crime?" Dudung called on authorities to take a clear stance to either heighten security to enable Bandung to become a metropolitan city or to close down all entertainment venues if their existence only created a sense of insecurity.

Foreign affairs & trade

Foreign stakes in telcos under scrutiny

Jakarta Globe - February 22, 2014

Ezra Sihite & Hendro Situmorang – A legislator has demanded that the government retake control of foreign-owned stakes in the country's biggest telecommunications companies, following reports that subscriber communications were subjected to broad surveillance by US and Australian intelligence.

"Indonesia must be firm in limiting foreign ownership of local companies, but that doesn't mean it should be protectionist," Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, a deputy chairman of the House of Representatives' Commission I, overseeing defense and foreign affairs, said on Friday.

He said foreign ownership in the country's two biggest mobile carriers was high – 41 percent for Indosat, which has 55 million subscribers, and 35 percent for Telkomsel, with 123 million subscribers. The government's stake in the companies is 14 percent and 65 percent, respectively.

The 35 percent stake in Telkomsel not controleld by the government is held by SingTel, which in turn is majority owned by Temasek Holdings, the Singapore government's investment arm. "That's why we urge the government to take back ownership of Indosat and Telkomsel from foreign hands," said Agus, from the Golkar Party.

The call comes following a report published in The New York Times last weekend, citing documents leaked by former US National Security Agency contractor Edward J. Snowden, that US and Australian intelligence shared "broad access to the Indonesian telecommunications system."

"The NSA has given the Australians access to bulk call data from Indosat," according to a 2012 agency document, The New York Times reported. It added that Australia had "obtained nearly 1.8 million encrypted master keys, which are used to protect private communications," from Telkomsel, "and developed a way to decrypt almost all of them, according to a 2013 NSA document."

Tifatul Sembiring, the communications minister, has ordered a probe into the allegations and threatened heavy punishment if either company was found to be complicit in the alleged surveillance, including "immediate closure."

Both companies have denied any involvement in the alleged wiretapping or submission of subscriber communications to a third party without a warrant.

The Indonesia Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Forum, a watchdog, said on Thursday that it would launch its own probe into the allegations, but warned that other carriers could also have been breached.

Analysis & opinion

It's our Act of Killing, too

The Nation Magazine - February 28, 2014

Brad Simpson – In The Act of Killing, one of the nominees for an Academy Award for best documentary, a group of elderly Indonesian men re-enact their role in the killing of alleged Communists following a purported coup attempt in late 1965. Viewers are rightfully repelled by how little many Indonesians today seem to know or care about the killings, and how those who participated in them not only show no remorse for their actions but are celebrated as national heroes.

"No one cared, as long as they were Communists, that they were being butchered," recalled one observer, whose nonchalance in the face of mass murder should give us pause. This was no Indonesian, however, but rather a State Department official describing the enthusiastic support of Lyndon Johnson's administration for the efforts of the Indonesian army and local militias to exterminate the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), after years of mounting conflict over the direction of the country's domestic and foreign policy.

The United States was no mere observer in these events. After supporting Indonesia's independence from the Netherlands in 1949, US officials grew concerned over the growing popularity of the PKI and the increasing radicalism of the mercurial President Sukarno. In the aftermath of a disastrous US-backed regional rebellion in the late 1950s, Sukarno abandoned parliamentary democracy, and the army and PKI emerged as the dominant political forces in a highly polarized Indonesia.

As President Sukarno committed himself to an increasingly radical domestic and foreign policy, the United States and other Western governments began conducting covert operations aimed at provoking an armed clash between the army and the PKI. Following an attempted purge of the army high command by elements of the PKI leadership and a handful of middle-ranking military officers on September 30, 1965, the army struck, using the events as a pretext for a campaign of mass murder aimed at annihilating the PKI and overthrowing Sukarno. With help from a range of civilian militias and some freelance gangsters, including chief protagonist Anwar Congo's "preman," the army oversaw the slaughter of perhaps 500,000 unarmed civilians in less than six months.

The US response was enthusiastic. Washington provided economic, technical and military aid to the army soon after the killings started. It continued to do so long after it was clear a "widespread slaughter" was taking place in Northern Sumatra (the site of Joshua Oppenheimer's film) and other places, and in the expectation that US assistance would contribute to this end. Other nations, in particular the United Kingdom, assisted as well. Not a single US official, however, ever expressed concern in public or private about the slaughter.

"Our policy was silence," US National Security Adviser Walt Rostow later wrote to President Johnson, a good thing "in light of the wholesale killings that have accompanied the transition" from Sukarno to General Suharto, who would go on to rule Indonesia for thirty-two years.

During Suharto's rule Indonesians were fed a steady diet of state-sponsored history praising as national saviors the forces who murdered their fellow citizens in 1965-66. After his ouster in 1998, survivors of the mass killings (and the imprisonment of hundreds of thousands of alleged Communists that followed) began pressing for acknowledgment of their suffering, and for redress. These efforts have faced stiff resistance from the Indonesian Armed Forces, some Islamic organizations and others with a shared stake in deflecting critical examination of these events.

But false histories have a way of unwinding. In 2012 Indonesia's National Human Rights Commission issued a lengthy official report labeling the 1965-66 killings as state-sponsored crimes, though the report was rejected by the Indonesian Attorney General's office. Indonesia's House of Representatives is currently considering long-stalled legislation to establish a national truth commission to investigate the killings.

Oppenheimer's film, though effectively banned from public viewing in Indonesia, has been shown in hundreds of underground venues. It has sparked a raucous debate in the national media about the deep and troubling legacy of the killings, the need for accountability and the consequences of impunity.

It could do so here as well, where the US role has never officially been acknowledged, much less accounted for, though some of the relevant documents have been made available to the public.

It is tempting to view the disturbing events portrayed in The Act of Killing as the crimes of others, men from an inscrutable time and place with different moral sensibilities than us.

But how different, really, are we? Asked about his own role in supporting the extermination of hundreds of thousands of Indonesian civilians, William Bundy, who was Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the time of the killings, told a biographer, "I don't suppose that certain people would forgive what we did, but I thought that it was eminently justified."

President Obama has written movingly of the heavy shadow cast by the 1965 killings on his early years in Indonesia. He is thus in an unusual position to speak to both Indonesians and Americans about the need for truth and accountability. Both are essential contributions to the deepening democratization of Indonesia's political culture, which still bears the scars of Suharto's reign and the bloodletting that helped him ascend to power.

As Indonesians engage in a broader, deeper debate about the events of 1965-66, the Obama administration could help by pressing the CIA to declassify the so-called "job files" detailing its covert operations during this period. The continued withholding of these documents, now nearly fifty years old, serve no rational national security purpose. President Obama could also acknowledge that the exigencies of the Cold War did not justify support for the mass murder of unarmed civilians or the betrayal of American values.

At the end of The Act of Killing, Anwar Congo remains unrepentant but traumatized by his actions, as the ghosts of his victims continue to haunt his dreams. They haunt our own history as well.

Indonesia and the Act of Forgetting

New York Times - February 28, 2014

Andreas Harsono, Jakarta, Indonesia – I grew up in the shadow of the Indonesian massacres exposed in Joshua Oppenheimer's extraordinary documentary, "The Act of Killing," which has been nominated for an Academy Award.

I was a couple of months old in October 1965, when the Indonesian government gave free rein to a mix of Indonesian soldiers and paramilitaries to kill anyone they considered to be a "communist." Over the next few months into 1966, at least 500,000 people were killed (the total may be as high as one million). The victims included members of the Communist Party of Indonesia (P.K.I.), ethnic Chinese, as well as trade unionists, teachers, civil society activists and leftist artists.

My father, an ethnic Chinese, recognized early on the threat to our family, and we fled our East Java town of Jember to the relative safety of the port of Surabaya. There we took refuge while Jember was the scene of savage killings of our friends and neighbors.

Years later, my father's trusted employee, Man Tuka, would walk with me around Jember and tell me stories about the many lives lost during the massacres. When I was eight or nine years old, he described to me a scene that has haunted me ever since.

Man Tuka told me about how the Jompo River that runs through Jember turned red with the blood of victims dumped into it by paramilitary murderers. He spoke of seeing a raft float by: On it was a baby crying with hunger as it tried to suckle its murdered mother.

In the 48 years since these dark months, the Indonesian government has justified the massacres as a necessary defense against the P.K.I. Its narrative holds that the Communists attempted a coup, murdering six army generals on Sept. 30, 1965, as part of their attempt to make Indonesia into a Communist state. Every Sept. 30 since, a state-owned television station has aired a government-sanctioned film luridly depicting the P.K.I.'s "treachery" and the bravery of the Indonesian soldiers and paramilitaries who "exterminated" that peril.

My generation grew up on this propaganda; we had little or no knowledge of what really happened. Only through Man Tuka and some elderly ethnic Chinese residents of my hometown did I start to learn the truth about what occurred during those months of 1965-66.

"The Act of Killing" has now broken the official silence about the massacres. In response to the government's unwillingness to approve the film for release in Indonesia, Mr. Oppenheimer made it available in Indonesia for free on YouTube. Despite limited Internet access outside of the cities, the film has been a distressing revelation for younger Indonesians. Indeed, it has provoked a public debate about the need for accountability for those crimes.

The past two years have seen tentative steps in that direction. In July 2012, Indonesia's human rights commission produced a report documenting the mass killings of 1965-66. The panel interviewed hundreds of witnesses to massacres, torture and rape. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono responded by instructing the attorney general to assess the findings and report back.

But some government officials are unhappy about moves toward accountability. In October 2012, Djoko Suyanto, the political, legal and security affairs minister, publicly justified the killings, saying, "This country would not be what it is today" had they not occurred.

Mr. Oppenheimer's film and the government's reaction to it are powerful reminders of the culture of impunity and the lack of rule of law that continue to weigh on Indonesia. Impunity expresses itself in a systematic failure to hold accountable members of the security forces and Islamist militants who commit abuses against religious minorities across the country.

The Islamic People's Forum, the Islamic Defenders Front and other Islamic groups are at the forefront of this intolerance. These groups have attacked the places of worship of Shiite and Ahmadiyah Muslims as well as some Christian churches. Although government officials and security forces have played a passive, or even active, role in such violence, Mr. Yudhoyono's government has failed to confront those responsible or to obtain any redress for the victims.

The legacy of impunity for the crimes of 1965-66 also extends to a lack of accountability for abuses by security forces operating in Indonesia's easternmost provinces, Papua and West Papua. Papua is the site of a low- level insurgency by the Free Papua Movement, a small and poorly organized armed group seeking independence. Over the last three years, Human Rights Watch has documented hundreds of cases where the police, soldiers and intelligence officers used unlawful force when dealing with Papuans exercising their right to peaceful assembly. The government's tight control over the flow of information from Papua complicates efforts by foreign media to expose these abuses.

The government needs to provide accountability for the 1965-66 massacres as a crucial step toward justice for families who lost loved ones, and to work to dismantle the toxic culture of impunity that victimizes Indonesians to this day.

On Sunday, I will watch the Academy Awards ceremony to see if "The Act of Killing" wins an Oscar – and remember Man Tuka and the victims of Jember.