A human rights advocacy group is calling for a new Indonesian government to end human rights abuses by previous governments, and bring those responsible to account.

The East Timor and Indonesia Action Network, or ETAN, says the government in power following next weeks election in Indonesia should rein in military activity in West Papua.

The statement is supported by 32 organisations in 12 countries. ETAN's American co-ordinator John Miller says the new government should compensate the families of those killed and survivors of torture.

"We also think it's important to give those people some closure and make clear that that kind of behaviour is no longer acceptable in Indonesia. Some of those that were responsible for ordering or carrying out those violations be brought to justice."

John Miller says that could happen in Indonesia but an international tribunal is needed to address the invasion of Timor-Leste in 1975.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/pacific/248569/advocate-wants-papua-abuses-addressed

MSG seeks pro-activity on West Papua

Radio New Zealand International - June 28, 2014

Melanesian Spearhead Group leaders say they want to take a more proactive approach alongside Indonesia to help address the development needs of West Papuans.

The leaders have just concluded their summit in Port Moresby where issues regarding the indigenous Melanesians of Indonesia's Papua region featured prominently on the agenda.

According to the summit's communique, the MSG seeks greater awareness on the situation in Indonesia's Papua and West Papua provinces in regard to special autonomy arrangements and their impact on the local population.

Elsewhere the leaders note the progress on greater autonomy in Papua and a recent announcement by the President of Indonesia to withdraw the military from Papua region.

However the MSG appears to have brushed off a formal application bid by the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation for membership in the MSG.

The coalition lodged its application over a year ago, and submitted documents of support from over seventy representative groups in Indonesia's Papua region.

The MSG had postponed its decision on the application pending the report from January's MSG Foreign Ministers fact-finding mission to Papua.

Vanuatu boycotted that trip because it was of the view that the mission's programme would not allow the MSG to obtain credible information to fulfil the MSG Leaders mandate, around making a decision on the membership bid. The mission visited Papua region for less than a day.

The MSG leaders who attended this week's summit were Solomon Islands Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo, his Vanuatu counterpart Joe Natuman, PNG's Peter O'Neill and the current MSG chair, Victor Tutugoro, representing the FLNKS of New Caledonia.

While the communique didn't include a formal decision on the Coalition's membership bid, Mr O'Neill, earlier indicated that West Papuans would need to re-apply for membership as an "inclusive and united" group.

Mr O'Neill says the group would also have to consult with Jakarta. Indonesia has observer status at the MSG.

Among other points of the communique, the MSG endorses more regular meetings with Jakarta on bilateral cooperation with specific focus on social and economic development and empowerment for West Papuans.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/248454/msg-seeks-proactivity-on-west-papua

MSG defers to Jakarta on West Papua bid

Dateline Pacific - June 27, 2014

Melanesian Spearhead Group leaders meeting in Port Moresby have indicated that the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation's bid to join the group will have to return to the drawing board.

The coalition lodged its application over a year ago. The MSG had postponed its decision on the application pending the report from an MSG Foreign Ministers fact-finding mission to Papua.

Johnny Blades reports:

MSG leaders have indicated that West Papuans would need to re-apply for membership as an "inclusive and united" group. The response to a membership bid which captured international attention seems to reflect the influence on Melanesian governments of Indonesia which itself enjoys observer status at the MSG. PNG's Prime Minister Peter O'Neill says the West Papuan group would have to consult with Jakarta in future about applying to join the MSG.

Peter O'Neill: We feel that it must be representative of all Melanesians that are living in Indonesia, and that the application be made in consultation with the Indonesian government just as we have done with FLNKS membership in the MSG.

West Papuans have long argued that their case gument for membership is similar to the FLNKS organisation, representing the indigenous Kanaks of New Caledonia, which joined the MSG years ago despite not being an independent country.

A spokesman for the coalition, Andy Ayamiseba, points out that the FLNKS didn't have to ask permission of France when it became a member of the MSG. He questions the merits of consulting with Jakarta when he says it has attempted to sabotage the coalition's bid all along. Mr Ayamiseba also distinguishes the West Papuan position from other Melanesians in Indonesia.

Andy Ayamiseba: We have nothing to do with the Malukans. Our fight is in regard to our right that has been manipulated during the Act of Free Choice. We don't speak for the malukans, we don't speak for the Timorese.

Andy Ayamiseba says the MSG Foreign Ministers fact-finding mission, which Vanuatu boycotted, didn't even get close to hearing from the right people.

Andy Ayamiseba: This report of the Foreign Ministers is totally misleading... totally misleading. I mean, how could they take the report that we are not representing the majority when it's never met with any one of the representative groups or even civil society.

Although the coalition presented documents of support from over seventy representative groups in Indonesia's Papua region, questions linger over its validity as a representative group. An organisation calling itself the Federal Republic of West Papua, while affiliated with the Coalition, claims it is the representative body for West Papuans. Melkias Okoka is the media liaison from this organisation's Department of Foreign Affairs.

Melkias Okoka: WPNCL is part of the Federal Republic of West Papua. But I think last year, it made a mistake by applying for MSG membership under its own name instead of the Federal Republic of West Papua. So I think that is the problem.

The Federal Republic of West Papua's top leadership remains incarcerated in an Indonesian prison for declaring independence.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/programmes/datelinepacific/20140627

Police and TNI in Papua seize firearms, bullets from PNG

Jakarta Globe - June 27, 2014

Banjir Ambarita, Jayapura – Police said that two firearms, some traditional weapons and a thousand rounds of ammunition seized in a Jayapura raid had been smuggled in from Papua New Guinea and was destined for anti-Jakarta groups in Puncak Jaya.

Local residents reported hearing gunshots during Wednesday's joint military and police raid at Holtekamp Beach near Jayapura, during which three alleged smugglers were arrested. Police said three suspects, Tiba Tabuni, 42, Edy Wakur, 37 and Denu Wetipo, 19 were being detained at Jayapura police headquarters.

According to a report in Vivanews, at least one of the arrestees was shot in the leg by officers during the raid.

Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian, accompanied by Cendrawasih military commander Maj. Gen. Christian Zebua, said that the firearms and ammunition had been brought across the PNG-Indonesia border over a number of trips, and were to be carried to the highlands town of Wamena before being sent to separatist groups in remote areas of Puncak Jaya via couriers.

Papuan language groups thousands of years old pre-exist the colonial partition of Papua Island, leaving families and ethnic groups split by the modern PNG-Indonesia border which runs unmarked for most of its length through some of the most difficult terrain in the world. People cross relatively freely on a daily basis.

Many Papua New Guineans are sympathetic to West Papuan calls for self- determination and are inclined to turn a blind eye, or even to assist, anti-Jakarta separatists taking refuge on the PNG side of the border.

Police said that Wednesday's arrests stemmed from a month-long joint operation with the military designed to ensure the smooth running of the upcoming presidential elections.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/police-tni-papua-seize-firearms-bullets-png/

Dutch New Guinea veterans 'angry' over flag ban

Radio New Zealand International - June 27, 2014

The Free West Papua Campaign says Dutch New Guinea veterans are angry they have been stopped from carrying the West Papuan Morning Star flag during a a march this week in The Hague.

The Netherlands celebrates National Veterans Day on Saturday and veterans will march through the city but for the first time in 10 years New Guinea veterans will not be allowed to carry the flag.

The campaign's coordinator in the Netherlands says the Dutch Veterans Day Committee is apparently responsible for banning the flag and the Government has denied any involvement.

But Oridek Ap says veterans believe the Indonesian Embassy is behind the ban and they plan to protest by displaying it anyway. "A lot of them are angry and most of them – they decide not to walk in this parade but just to stand outside with the flag."

Oridek Ap also says the protest will be a good opportunity to tell people in the Netherlands, especially the younger generation, about the West Papuan struggle for independence.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/248387/dutch-new-guinea-veterans-%27angry%27-over-flag-ban

MSG leaders likely to knock back West Papuan bid

Radio New Zealand International - June 26, 2014

Melanesian Spearhead Group leaders meeting this week in the Papua New Guinea capital are expected to formulate a decision on a West Papuan bid to join the grouping.

The leaders have been briefed on the outcomes of the MSG Foreign Ministers delegation to Indonesia's Papua region in January.

The trip, which was boycotted by Vanuatu, was aimed at fact-gathering for the MSG decision on the West Papuan National Coalition for Liberation membership application which was lodged a year ago. The Solomon Islands Foreign Minister Clay Forau was part of the delegation.

"We provided them with our findings during the recent trip to West Papua, and so it's for the leaders to decide whether for them to become a member of MSG or one other option for the leaders is to regard Indonesia's membership (MSG observer status) as representing the whole of Indonesia."

Clay Forau has indicated the leaders are likely to reject the West Papuan bid.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/pacific/248290/msg-leaders-likely-to-knock-back-west-papuan-bid

West Papua's plea to MSG

Post Courier - June 26, 2014

Port Moresby, PNG – The Free West Papua Campaign PNG chapter is appealing to the members of Parliament for the West Papua's membership in the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG).

In a letter to the Papua New Guinea Minister for Culture and Tourism Boka Kondra, the group has targetted the Melanesian Spearhead Group Meeting which starts today to appeal for West Papua's application for membership.

The Post-Courier understands the application for membership will be deliberated at the special MSG meeting. The group said the PNG government has agreed with other MSG leaders on three significant decisions on West Papua's right at last year's MSG meeting.

These are to: recognise West Papua's right to self determination, recognise human rights abuse taking place in West Papua and to raise the issues through international mechanisms and for West Papua to become a member of MSG by the West Papua National Coalition for liberation.

The group is aware that MSG countries are supporting the plight for self determination advocated by churches through the PNG Council of Churches, the Pacific Council of Churches and World Council of Churches.

They stated it would be a historical decision if MSG supported the plight for self-determination. They have urged the support the Vanuatu Government, for a resolution on a Special Rapporteur on West Papua.

Vanuatu government presented the West Papua Human Rights issues to the UN calling for a resolution on Special Rapporteur on West Papua.

The group also dismissed Foreign Minister Rimbink Pato's claims that he did not see any evidence of human rights abuse during the MSG Foreign Ministers' fact finding mission to West Papua early this year.

The letter has raised serious concerns of human rights abuses in Papua and that the abuses are real and may lead to the extinction of West Papuans.

Further, the group states that interventions such as the free trade policy between Indonesia and PNG, the establishment Fiji Military and police academy and Indonesian observer status in MSG is a clear sign of Indonesian influence in the Melanesian region.

Meanwhile, Melanesian Prime ministers, ministers and 362 participants arrived in Port Moresby to participate in the 5th Melanesian Festival of Arts and Culture and to attend the Melanesian Spearhead Group meeting.

Solomon Island's Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo, Vanuatu Prime Minister Joe Natuman along with their ministers and a total of 256 participants from New Caledonia and 106 from Fiji all arrived Wednesday at the Jacksons International airport.

On hand to welcome the visitors on behalf of the government was the Minister for State Owned Enterprises, Ben Micah.

"I represent the PNG government to give a kind welcome to these two PM's and other foreign ministers that travelled along with them," Minister Micah said. He said the politicians have been anticipating the good meeting today to discuss many issues relating to the region and countries in the Melanesian zone.

"We have adjourned the parliament seating because approximately thousands of visitors would come into the city as well our own provinces in PNG," said Minister Micah.

Minister Micah said the festival as well as the MSG meeting would be the biggest gathering for the Melanesian people and it would be good if they focused more on hosting for the visitors.

Source: http://www.islandsbusiness.com/news/papua-new-guinea/5647/west-papuas-plea-to-msg/

Keep out: Indon on West Papua

Fiji Times - June 25, 2014

Siteri Sauvakacolo – The Indonesian embassy in Fiji says no one has the right to interfere in matters relating to West Papua.

Responding to questions from this newspaper yesterday, it stated the embassy's stance on the issue of West Papua was that it was "entirely an internal matter of Indonesia".

The embassy's comment was in response to earlier comments by Fiji Women's Crisis Centre executive director Shamima Ali regarding a police directive to remove the "Free West Papua" posters on their fences in Suva.

"Regarding the 'Free West Papua' posters, sometime in the late afternoon, one of the Indonesian Embassy's staff saw the posters, and then the embassy simply informed the matter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation of Fiji," the Indonesian Embassy said.

"It was merely to inform the ministry that there were posters written 'Free West Papua' placed on the fence of the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre right across Indonesian Embassy."

Ms Ali claimed she was issued a directive by police to remove the posters over the weekend. She has also called on Pacific Islanders to take a stand with their West Papuan brothers and sisters.

She joined a chorus of voices around the world by displaying posters to free the men and women whose rights have allegedly been violated by Indonesia. Ms Ali said the centre had been receiving good responses in regards to West Papua as they had a wide range of network.

"I don't think the ordinary people in Fiji are aware of what is happening in West Papua and the struggles and I think that is the privilege of those of us that travel and those who have made contacts on human rights movement," Ms Ali said.

"It is a shame that Pacific Island countries are not doing more for West Papua. "We need to make a stand and make our West Papuan brothers and sisters voices heard."

Source: http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=272453

West Papua supporters open office in Australia

ABC Radio Australia - June 24, 2014

A new office for the self-declared Federal Republic of West Papua has been opened in Australia.

The office in Melbourne's Docklands business area is funded by Australian supporters and aims to promote dialogue about the political future of the Indonesian Province of Papua. Ronny Kareni, a West Papua independence advocate, says the office will lobby for support for an independent state.

"The aim of this office is basically to seek support of the UN Secretariat, as well as Australia who is also in the UN as a temporary member," Mr Kareni told the ABC's Pacific Beat.

"[And] to negotiate with Australian Government and even Indonesia Government to enter third party mediation and to look for West Papua's future."

Mr Kareni says he believes momentum for West Papua's self-determination is building. "I'm very hopeful with the physical presence, it shows that the movement is alive and people, if they want to speak, there is an office they could contact."

"Also, in terms of the campaign as well, it's to maximise and get more support from the grassroots and it is the key. From the people, that's where pressure will be pushed upward."

Activists call for action

In October last year, three West Papuan activists briefly occupied Australia's consulate in Bali in a bid to push Australia's Government to take up their cause.

Student activists Rofinus Yanggam, Yuvensius Goo and Markus Jerewon climbed over the wall of the consulate bringing with them a letter addressed to the Australian people.

In it, they asked Prime Minister Tony Abbott to push the Indonesian government to release at least 55 political prisoners jailed in Indonesia's disputed Papua region. The letter also called for greater press freedom for international journalists reporting on the province.

In March, Vanuatu's Prime Minister Moana Carcasses Kalosil delivered a speech at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, saying his country was committed to the independence of West Papua. It followed a rift among Pacific nations over Indonesia's administration of West Papua.

An earlier meeting of the foreign ministers of Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands in Jakarta released a statement acknowledging 'Indonesian control of West Papua'. But Vanuatu, the fourth member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group, boycotted the talks and remains committed to West Papuan independence.

Source: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2014-06-24/west-papua-supporters-open-office-in-australia/1332428

West Papua 'government' opens Melbourne office

Radio New Zealand International - June 23, 2014

The organisation calling itself the Federal Republic of West Papua is today opening an office in Melbourne.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs of the organisation, Jacob Rumbiak, says the new office in Melbourne's Docklands business district will help build relations between West Papua, Indonesia and Australia.

He says these relations were hijacked by the UN's New York Agreement in 1962, which provided for the transferral of the former Dutch New Guinea to Indonesia.

The Prime Minister and President of the so-called Republic, Edison Waromi and Forkorus Yaboisembut, are currently incarcerated in an Indonesia jail in Papua province for declaring West Papuan independence at a rally in Jayapura almost three years ago.

The new office is funded by Australians who have assembled themselves into a "West Papua Rent Collective".

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/247961/west-papua-%27government%27-opens-melbourne-office

Human rights & justice

Dino Patti Djalal comes to Prabowo's defense

Jakarta Globe - June 30, 2014

Yeremia Sukoyo – Indonesian voters must not be swayed by a recent statement by the US ambassador appearing to call for a rights probe into presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, says Dino Patti Djalal, Jakarta's former envoy to Washington.

"Don't give any room to outsiders to make guerrilla maneuvers in our domestic politics," Dino, who mounted his own unsuccessful bid for the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party, said in Jakarta on Sunday.

He said it was common for foreign powers to try to sway opinion on the ground through accusations and aspersions, and stressed there was no need for Indonesians to be outraged at such attempts. "Overreacting may signify our low self-confidence and undetermined nationalism," Dino said.

His statements come amid a furor over an e-mail from Robert O. Blake Jr., the US ambassador in Indonesia, to the Wall Street Journal, in which the envoy said that while the United States did not take a position on the candidates in Indonesia's July 9 presidential election, "we do, however, take seriously allegations of human rights abuses, and urge the Indonesian government to fully investigate the claims."

The statement is understood to refer to Prabowo, the former head of the Army Special Forces (Kopassus) and Army Strategic Reserves (Kostrad), who is accused of rights abuses in East Timor in the early 1990s and the abduction of pro-democracy activists in Jakarta in 1997 and 1998.

Dino denied that he was speaking out in support of Prabowo – who has the backing of most senior Democrat officials, despite the party officially adopting a neutral line – saying instead that he wanted to see both candidates "unite over this principal matter" of foreign meddling.

Prabowo, who has spooked foreign investors with his nationalist rhetoric, embellished that standing even further with comments at a discussion in Jakarta on Saturday in which he called for Indonesia to reject Western ideals such as direct elections.

"Consciously or not, our [political] elites were all educated by the West, including [former president] Sukarno, [former vice president Mohammad] Hatta, [former prime minister Sutan] Syahrir, and even myself. We're products of the West," Prabowo said as quoted by Kompas at a culture dialogue at the Taman Ismail Marzuki cultural center in Central Jakarta.

He said that as a result, Indonesia had adopted Western cultural and political ideals and held them above Indonesian ones, "even though they're not appropriate."

"But we've gone too far," he said as quoted by Merdeka.com. "Like direct elections – we've already gone down that path. It's like someone addicted to smoking; if we ask them to stop, the process will be difficult.

"I believe much of our political and economic systems go against [Indonesia's] fundamental philosophy, laws and traditions, but what's done is done. We need a new consensus." If Prabowo becomes president, it will have been through a direct election – the very concept he questioned.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/dino-patti-djalal-comes-prabowos-defense/

In US envoy's e-mail, an undiplomatic furor amid presidential election

Jakarta Globe - June 26, 2014

Erwida Maulia & Made Arya Kencana, Jakarta/Denpasar – The US ambassador to Indonesia has come under fire after calling for a probe into presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto's human rights records – move blasted by some as meddling by Washington in Jakarta's affairs.

Ambassador Robert O. Blake Jr. wrote in an e-mail to The Wall Street Journal last week that while the United States did not take a position on the candidates in Indonesia's July 9 presidential election, "we do, however, take seriously allegations of human rights abuses, and urge the Indonesian government to fully investigate the claims."

The statement is widely understood to refer to Prabowo, the former commander of the Army Special Forces (Kopassus), who is accused of rights abuses in East Timor and in the early 1990s and the abduction of pro- democracy activists in Jakarta in 1997 and 1998.

Blake is hardly the first person to have called for an investigation – a litany of rights groups, including the government's National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM), have also demanded a full probe into both incidents – but the fact that he did so while an envoy of a foreign power is "unethical," says Teuku Rezasyah, the executive director of the Indonesian Center for Democracy, Diplomacy and Defense, a think tank.

"He's made a fatal mistake. An ambassador's duties include establishing good relations with local communities where he is assigned. He should not interfere with domestic affairs, at all," Rezasyah said in Jakarta on Thursday. "[The statement] is disrespectful to Indonesia's democratic process. It's also ironic, considering America's claim to being a champion of democracy," he added.

Rezasyah, whose brother, Teuku Faizasyah, is President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's spokesman for foreign affairs, said the Indonesian government should not [let] Blake's statement slide without doing anything. He urged the Foreign Ministry to at least summon the US ambassador to seek clarification, or file a diplomatic note of protest.

He said the United States had a long history of interfering in Indonesian affairs, citing the 1955 bombing of an oil facility in Riau by the CIA in support of anti-communist groups critical of then-president Sukarno's left-leaning tendencies.

But this latest incident, Rezasyah said, should be considered an alarming attempt to interfere. "The Indonesian government must be alert. As a sovereign, democratic nation we should never let others interfere in our domestic affairs," he said.

"America should be careful; they may be playing with emotions of Indonesians who are looking for their next leaders. [Blake's statement] could be a double-edged sword; his criticism of the candidate may be interpreted as support for the other candidate, which could spark conflict."

Aleksius Jemadu, the dean of Pelita Harapan University's School of Social and Political Sciences, also expressed his surprise at the "explicit statement" by Blake.

"At the beginning they said they would respect whoever was chosen by the people of Indonesia. They had never been this explicit before. This may indicate their strong preference for the candidate," Aleksius said, referring to Joko Widodo, the current front-runner in the presidential race.

Aleksius said that given how strong nationalist sentiment among voters was, this tacit endorsement of Joko by the United States could cost him votes. "That is, unless Joko issues a statement to counter the suspicions," he said.

Prabowo, on the other hand, may enjoy a boost, with the US criticism seen as affirming his nationalist credentials. "Prabowo may play the issue [to sway voters]," Aleksius said.

The candidate's camp has already seized on the controversy, with a senior campaign official saying in Denpasar on Thursday that Prabowo was "the only one who dares to stand up to America."

"God willing, he will be able to end the economic imperialism in this country. That is the most important issue, among other problems," said Amien Rais, a founder of the National Mandate Party (PAN), whose chairman, Hatta Rajasa, is Prabowo's running mate.

Aleksius said it was also entirely possible the United States was playing the human rights card to conceal its "real intentions" of securing its "strategic interests" in Indonesia, including business investments and security interests.

"The nationalism espoused by Prabowo may be seen as an antithesis to the spirit of globalization and trade liberalization that the United States wants to see in this region," Aleksius said.

Other, though, say Blake's statement bears little importance. "You could indeed see it as meddling," Makmur Keliat, an international relations expert at the University of Indonesia.

"But on the other hand, democracy and human rights will always be part of US foreign policy, just as Palestinian independence is a calling card of Indonesian foreign policy."

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/us-envoys-e-mail-undiplomatic-furor-amid-indonesias-presidential-election/

SBY's adviser recommends rights tribunal for Prabowo

Jakarta Post - June 26, 2014

Ina Parlina and Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Amid mounting pressure on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to resolve the alleged human rights violations that took place during the May 1998 riots, an official has recommended an ad hoc rights tribunal be established to hear the case.

Head of legal and human rights affairs at the Presidential Advisory Council, Albert Hasibuan, said he had submitted the recommendation to the President.

An ad hoc human rights tribunal can be set up with a recommendation from the House of Representatives and a Presidential decree, as stipulated in Article 43 of the 2000 Human Rights Law.

Despite the House sending its recommendation to Yudhoyono in 2009, the outgoing President has yet to make any significant moves to settle the case.

"The recommendation concerns the establishment of the ad hoc rights tribunal," Albert told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday, without elaborating on the recommendation or if a deadline had been proposed.

Although the Presidential Advisory Council's recommendations are non- binding, the move could mark the reopening of the case, especially following a statement made by retired military officer and politician Maj. Gen. (ret) Kivlan Zen, who said those still missing were all dead and he knew where they were buried.

Presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha has confirmed that the Palace had received the letter of recommendation. However, Julian said, he could not comment on whether Yudhoyono would decide on the tribunal before his term ends in October.

"I have yet to read the letter and the recommendation. [But] of course the President will review what it said," Julian said on Tuesday. Last month, relatives of the missing people – including Maria Katarina Sumarsih, the mother of Bernardus Realino Norma "Wawan" Irmawan; 18-year-old Novridaniar Dinis Puspahati Muhidin, the daughter of Yadin Muhidin; and Paian Siahaan, the father of Ucok Munandar Siahaan – met with Albert and demanded Yudhoyono set up the tribunal before his term ends.

The group also met with the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and demanded it summon Kivlan and question him about the alleged involvement of Prabowo Subianto, Gerindra Party's presidential candidate, in the kidnapping of pro-democracy activists during anti-Chinese riots in Jakarta in 1998, which preceded the end of former president Soeharto's regime. Nine activists were returned and some joined Gerindra.

In one of the televised presidential candidates debates, Prabowo, in response to a question on the issue from vice presidential candidate Jusuf Kalla, said that he had carried out his duty.

Hendardi of rights watchdog Setara Institute said he doubted Yudhoyono would act on the recommendation. "With or without Abert's recommendation, Yudhoyono should have acted since the House made the recommendation in 2009," he said on Wednesday.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/06/26/sby-s-adviser-recommends-rights-tribunal-prabowo.html

10-year old slams Prabowo, Wiranto over rights violations

Kompas.com - June 26, 2014

Jakarta – A 10-year old boy, Markus Yernirkolaus, suddenly appeared in the middle of a Kamisan (Thursday Action) and gave a speech about human rights violations by presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto.

"Indonesia is a disreputable human rights violator!", shouted Yernirkolaus in front of the State Palace in Central Jakarta on Thursday June 26.

Yernirkolaus taunted the Indonesian government that has over the years failed to take action against human rights violators saying that Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is callous and inhuman because he fails to prioritise the ordinary people by allowing human rights perpetrators to remain free.

Yernirkolaus said that he is convinced that Prabowo was involved in the abduction of political activists in 1997-98. The cousin of Ucok Munandar [one of the 13 activists who have not been found], also slammed Prabowo for fleeing the country [to Jordan] after he was dismissed from the military.

Because of this therefore, Yernirkolaus believes Prabowo is unsuitable to be running as a presidential candidate for the Republic of Indonesia. "It's inappropriate to praise Prabowo, a coward will become president", shouted Yernirkolaus.

Although he does not support Prabowo, the class V primary school student is also suspicious of people behind the candidacy of presidential candidate Joko Widodo, specifically People's Conscience Party (Hanura) general chairperson former armed forces chief retired General Wiranto. "Jokowi [Widodo] should think about [the fact] that behind him is Wiranto. Wiranto is dangerous. He was Prabowo's senior officer", added Yernirkolaus.

The bespectacled boy conceded that he would be happier if Jokowi expelled Wiranto from the ranks of his coalition partners because Wiranto is one of the masterminds behind past human rights violations.

Yernirkolaus' speech was welcomed by the other protesters and several people took turns in asking him to be photographed with them.

Notes

Kamisan – Roughly translated as "Thursday Actions", every Thursday since January 18, 2007 the Solidarity Network for Victims and Families of Victims (JSKKK) has been organising silent actions in front of the State Palace calling on President Yudhoyono to resolve past human rights cases.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Source: http://nasional.kompas.com/read/2014/06/26/1834157/Bocah.Ini.Lantang.Berorasi.tentang.Pelanggaran.HAM.Prabowo.dan.Wiranto

NGOs file report on KPU over Prabowo's eligibility

Jakarta Post - June 23, 2014

Jakarta – A number of NGOs, united under the Coalition Against Forgetting Movement, have filed a report with the Elections Supervising Agency (Bawaslu) against the General Elections Commission (KPU) for allowing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto to run for president despite his alleged involvement in the kidnapping of activists in 1998.

The activists were accompanied by family members of the victims, as reported by tribunnews.com.

"Long before the registration period was opened [for presidential candidates], several mothers [of the victims] went to the KPU to tell them that they would not accept a presidential and vice presidential candidate who had violated human rights," the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) coordinator, Haris Azhar, said at the Bawaslu headquarters in Jakarta on Monday.

Haris added that the group had already sent a formal report to the KPU as a form of public participation in accordance with Law No. 42/2008 on the presidential and vice presidential elections. The KPU regulation No. 15/2014 regarding presidential and vice presidential candidates nominees grants the general public with the right to respond to the candidates that have been nominated by political parties.

"Through the Coalition Against Forgetting Movement and the families of the victims, on March and June 2 we sent written recommendations to the KPU to make sure that violators of human rights were barred from becoming presidential or vice presidential candidates," Haris told Bawaslu commissioner Nelson Simanjuntak.

Kontras and the victims' families had also previously sent a letter to the KPU asking for the topic of human rights to be included in one of the presidential debates. Haris concluded that the KPU should be investigated because they had accepted someone who had violated human rights.

Recently, former Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) commander Gen. (ret) Wiranto confirmed Prabowo's involvement in the abductions of pro-democracy activists in 1998.

Wiranto, who was a member of the Officers Ethics Council (DKP) in 1998, on June 19 revealed that Prabowo, who was then the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) chief, ordered the kidnapping on his own volition. (fss)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/06/23/ngos-file-report-kpu-over-prabowos-eligibility.html

Labour & migrant workers

Government and big business conspire against Indonesian workers

Red Flag Newspaper - June 29, 2014

Paul Keys – Apple Corporation contractor Foxconn, infamous for its deplorable working conditions in China, now appears to be undermining civil freedoms in Indonesia.

After the announcement of plans for a multi-billion-dollar factory at the Marunda Export Processing Zone in north Jakarta, a highly unusual security deal was struck with the Indonesian military on behalf of foreign-owned factories.

The agreement provides for the deployment of 60 soldiers to the factory complex for a period of three years. The troops will be responsible for training and supervising private security services – an arrangement reminiscent of the repressive Suharto era, when military and state conspired to violently suppress workers forming unions or asserting their rights.

Suharto's discredited 32-year authoritarian rule was ended by popular revolt. The dictator resigned in ignominy in May 1998, opening the possibility of reform and demilitarisation.

The relative freedoms have provided space for unions to organise and support workers. Unionisation rates, though low, are rising rapidly, and independent unions – ones that are not an extension of management – are starting to make headway in many industries.

Yet worker activists continue to face intimidation, persecution and dismissal when they fight for workplace rights. Almost every campaign for union recognition is harassed by some combination of union-busting tactics.

The presence of soldiers will completely change the atmosphere in the factory zone, adding to the difficulty of building unions and making it much easier for employers to disregard workers' rights.

The security agreement, signed on 21 May, is not the first or only case of military interference in civil affairs in the current era. However, it is the most glaring because its purpose is to please global giants Foxconn and Apple, the world's largest electronics manufacturer and the world's largest corporation, respectively.

Foxconn has indicated that it is looking for more security and favourable terms before making a final commitment to opening a factory in Indonesia, particularly after anti-Chinese riots forced its Vietnam factory to close.

Labour lawyer Emma Liliefna considers the agreement ominous, a trial balloon for Indonesian industrialists and right wing politicians, who are likely to seek similar deals with the military if the Marunda agreement goes unchallenged.

"It has the appearance of a pilot project and, if successful, it will be used in industrial enclaves all over Indonesia", says Liliefna, who is public relations officer of the Indonesian Prosperity Trade Union (K-SBSI), Indonesia's most successful independent union.

She adds that the Indonesian president and government may attempt to quell the growing union movement, especially if the new president, who will be elected in July, is from a military background.

The stakes are high. Indonesian voters face a choice between law and order candidate Prabowo Subianto and reformer Jakarta Mayor Joko Widodo. The elections are likely to affect the fate of a repressive parliamentary bill allowing for military intervention in civil affairs, which is stalled for now, but could be enacted by the next government as it remains active in the legislative process.

The bill provides for military force to be used at workers' demonstrations specifically. "If enacted by the next government, [the bill] would mean the death of the trade union movement", says Liliefna.

Source: http://redflag.org.au/article/government-and-big-business-conspire-against-indonesian-workers

Workers in Jakarta injured after police forcibly break up protest action

Viva News - June 28, 2014

Eko Priliawito – A protest action by hundreds of PT Super Steel Indah workers in the West Cakung area of East Jakarta was forcibly broken up by officers from the Metro Jaya regional police and the East Java district police on the evening of Friday June 27.

The action by police resulted in nine workers suffering injuries. According to observations by VIVAnews, police officers, which had been guarding the action since morning, began forcing the workers to disperse at around 10pm.

At least nine Company Level Unit officers were mobilised to disburse around 250 demonstrating workers. The police also deployed two water cannons. As result of the police's actions, one workers suffered a fracture to the their right leg and was taken by comrades to the Jayakarta Hospital in East Jakarta.

The PT Super Steel Indah workers have been protesting since last month demanding the payment of outstanding severance pay after being arbitrarily dismissed. And it was not just workers that joined the action, their wives and children also gave support by joining the protest. When police were dispersing the workers, one of the workers' wives could be seen crying hysterically as her husband was beaten by police.

Nevertheless, Metro Jaya regional police tactical Unit who were in the front ranks and personnel from the mobile brigade (Brimob) who in the rear continued to disperse the workers. Although they tried to fight back, they were outnumbered they were eventually forced to disperse.

As many as 15 workers were taken to the district police for questioning in relation to the actions they had been holding. One of them was chairperson of the PT Super Steel Indah All Indonesian Workers Union (SPSI), Sofyan. "I can't brother, I'm being taken to the police station. I can't provide any information yet", said Sofyan. The workers' families are still standing firm demanding the payment of severance pay.

From the information gathered by VIVAnews, the workers' action is related to a court decision that declared that the company was bankrupt. Workers however were not willing to accept the decision before all of the company's workers employed in the steel smelter received their wages.

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Source: http://m.news.viva.co.id/news/read/516774-buruh-pt-steel-indah-cakung-bentrok-dengan-polisi

Migrant care says Prabowo 'jumped in last minute' on Wilfrida case

Jakarta Globe - June 23, 2014

Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Jakarta – Migrant workers' advocacy group Migrant Care on Monday accused presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto of trying to score easy political points by taking public credit for efforts to save Indonesian domestic worker Wilfrida Soik from facing the death penalty for killing her 60-year-old Malaysian employer, in a case that riveted Indonesia.

"Prabowo only joined the case in September 2013," Migrant care director Anis Hidayah said. "It's safe to say that he jumped in last minute." Advocacy work on Wilfrida's case began in 2010 with her arrest in Kelantan, Malaysia. Migrant Care, along with Malaysian activist Alex Wong, were involved from the beginning.

When the issue was brought before the House of Representatives, Prabow's party – the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) – did not want to get involved, the NGO said.

The legislator's response on the issue was facilitated by Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker Rieke Diah Pitaloka – a member of the same party as Prabowo's opponent in the July 9 presidential election, Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo – along with Lerry Mboik from the East Nusa Tenggara Regional Legislative Council (DPD), as a representative from Wilfrida's province of origin.

Deputy Speaker of the House Pramono Anung sent a letter to the Malaysian government asking for clemency. "Once the reporting of this Wilfrida case got big, Prabowo joined the advocacy, especially after Migrant Care managed to prove that Wilfrida was sent abroad when she was still underage and within the moratorium period," Anis said.

Prabowo's contribution was limited to providing an additional lawyer to the legal team sent by the Indonesian Embassy, she said.

"Migrant Care is protesting Prabowo's gesture to make Wilfrida's case a tool in his campaign, let alone if he uses it as a compensation for the lack of migrant workers' protection plans in his program," she said.

In the third presidential debate on Sunday, Prabowo cited his role in the Wilfrida case as evidence of his strength on migrant workers' issues.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/migrant-care-says-prabowo-jumped-last-minute-wilfrida-case/

Political parties & elections

Would-be Indonesian VPs score an F for education

Jakarta Globe - June 30, 2014

Dessy Sagita, Jakarta – Educators have lambasted Indonesia's two vice presidential candidates for pandering to the masses following their televised debate on Sunday in which they expounded on their education policies.

Both Hatta Rajasa, who is running with Prabowo Subianto, and Jusuf Kalla, the running mate to Joko Widodo, agreed on the need for increased education spending to build a more competent workforce to boost Indonesia's global competitiveness – but experts said this oversimplified what was in reality a far more complex set of problems.

"When the candidates present their platforms, especially during a debate, they will of course tend to tout popular policies for the sake of looking good," Muhammad Abduhzen, the executive director of the Education Reform Center at Jakarta's Paramadina University, told the Jakarta Globe on Monday.

During Sunday's debate, which centered on human resources and science and technology, Hatta emphasized the importance of improving the education system, and proposed increasing the number of teachers nationwide by 800,000 over the next five years.

"With a sufficient number of teachers, everyone will get a decent education and the quality of our human resources as well as technology and research will improve," Hatta said.

He also promised to increase their certification allowance – a bonus for teachers who pursue higher qualifications – to Rp 4 million ($334) a month.

But the plan, says Retno Listyarti, secretary general of the Federation of Indonesian Teachers Associations (FSGI), "is unrealistic". "The plan will put a huge dent in our education budget," she told the Globe.

She pointed out that under the law, the certification allowance cannot be higher than a teacher's basic salary, which is typically much less than Rp 4 million a month.

"If their salary is less than Rp 4 million the government will have to increase their basic salary first, then add the allowance, and this additional expense will have to be taken from the state budget," Retno said.

Indonesia currently allocates 20 percent of the state budget to education, the bulk of which already goes toward teachers' salaries, Retno said. "Increasing the teachers' salaries will mean other education programs will lose their funding," she said.

She also took issue with Hatta's call to increase the number of teachers, arguing that there were already enough teachers, but that their distribution across the country was far from ideal, with Java home to three out of every four teachers.

"According to a World Bank report, each teacher teaches on average almost 20 students, but this ratio is so much better compared to some other countries where one teacher must teach up to 50 students," Retno said, adding that the government must provide additional incentives to get teachers to serve in remote areas.

The teachers aren't just poorly distributed – many are simply unqualified to teach, says Jumono, a member of the Alliance of Concerned Parents for Education (APPI).

"The vice presidential candidates should know that during the competency test conducted for teachers some time ago, many teachers performed very poorly," he told the Globe. "Despite the massive funding for the teacher certification allowance, many of our teachers are not getting any better as educators."

Jumono said many teachers still used outdated teaching methods that were no longer suited to today's curriculum. "If our children are smart nowadays it's not because they're learning in the classroom; they're learning from the internet and form the extracurricular classes they take outside school," he said.

Jumono said the presidential and vice presidential candidates should focus on building teacher capacity. "It should start with better recruitment, involve the professionals such as education experts and psychologists in recruiting teachers," he said.

He added that to achieve a more competent workforce, Indonesia needed teachers who could challenge students' intelligence by running interactive classes where students and teachers could engage more closely.

Retno said the Indonesian teachers were in dire need of training. "Increasing their allowances won't automatically improve the teachers' quality as long as they still lack training," she said.

She cited a 2012 FSGI survey that found that 62 percent of Indonesian elementary school teachers had never undergone training.

"In Singapore they give their teachers 100 hours of training every year – that's how they achieve a high quality of education," Retno said. "In Indonesia, even in the big cities, most teachers have less than half that amount of training hours."

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/indonesian-vps-score-f-education/

Hatta clarifies Prabowo's use of 'leakages'

Jakarta Globe - June 30, 2014

Muhamad Al Azhari, Jakarta – Vice presidential candidate Hatta Rajasa clarified a question by rival Jusuf Kalla on what Prabowo Subianto repeatedly said when the nation suffers "leakages", or losses, with up to Rp 3 trillion ($248 million) per day saying that the reference was to money lost, including from less profitable contracts of the nation's natural resources.

Prabowo said in previous debates that Indonesia suffers up to Rp 1,000 trillion in losses a year, and he has been criticized for not making clear what he was referring to. His comments also undermined the current government under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, of which Hatta was part of the cabinet as chief economics minister in the second term.

"I am clarifying for Mr. Prabowo. Our presidential candidate did not say the leakage was from the state budget. How can it be possible? Our state budget [spending] is only around Rp 1,800 trillion," said Hatta.

Hatta went on to say that Prabowo was referring to potential loss in state revenue if the country keeps selling raw materials, namely if the country cannot negotiate better terms with buyers of the nation's natural resources.

"If we sell raw materials, we will not get any benefit of selling value added [goods].... If we don't manage our natural resources well, if we sell our gas, our coal at low prices compared to the market and we cannot do renegotiations, then we suffer potential losses," said Hatta.

Hatta was head of the government's team is tasked with renegotiation of contracts with some foreign companies, including with US gold mining giant Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold and Newmont Mining.

Kalla also asked of other sensitive issues, as to whether the Prabowo-Hatta ticket refers to leakages caused by mafias, including oil mafias, sugar mafias, meat mafias.

Hatta answered in a normal tone: "Mafia, or whatever it is called, whether in oil, and other things is a crime. We must let that be handled by law enforcers."

In previous occasions, Kalla often mentions that there is mafia that benefits from Indonesia's oil and gas imports, a factor as to why Indonesia keeps importing oil. He last made that reference on June 20, when both pairs of candidates faced each other in a forum sponsored by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin).

Indonesians go to the polls on July 9, with either Prabowo or Joko poised to become president, succeeding Yudhoyono, whose second five-year term ends in October.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/hatta-clarifies-prabowos-use-leakages-citing-less-profitable-resources-contracts/

Indonesian presidential election offers Suharto family political comeback

Sydney Morning Herald - June 30, 2014

Michael Bachelard, Jakarta – Sixteen years after being deposed in disgrace, the family of former president Suharto is making a political comeback which could take one of its scions all the way to Indonesia's presidential palace.

If the hopes of many are realised, Suharto's second daughter, Siti Hediati Harijadi, universally known as Titiek, will remarry her ex-husband, presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, that he will win next week's election and she will become the nation's first lady.

It's a popular idea among Prabowo's hardline Muslim supporters, who fear a man without a wife is somehow deficient.

But even in Indonesia's culture of denial about its past, a Suharto in the palace again would be extraordinary, especially at the side of a candidate promising to end corruption.

Titiek amassed a multimillion dollar private art collection and a string of lucrative hotels and business assets under the corrupt and nepotistic system run by her father. She has never faced trial for it.

Titiek married Prabowo in 1983 when her father was at the height of his presidential power and Prabowo was a high-born and ambitious military captain. Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Harsono calls it a "political marriage" between two big families.

They divorced in 2001 when both father and husband were in disgrace. There was one son, Ragowo "Didiet" Hediprasetyo, now a fashion designer in Paris.

Prabowo has been single since the divorce, but in May, the women's wing of PAN, an Islamic party in Prabowo's coalition, began agitating for the couple to reunite so that Indonesia would have a first lady. "This is for our nation," Erwina Yunarti, the head of PUAN, the party's women's wing, told Antara.

The idea moved from the gossip columns to the political stage when Titiek appeared on the podium at one of Prabowo's noisy stadium rallies on June 22.

He introduced her as "the daughter of the big general" and the crowd roared its approval, setting up a chant of "Su-Har-To, Su-Har-To". Later, popular singer Rhoma Irama called her the "candidate for first lady".

Then, on prime time TV last Sunday, Prabowo prolonged the tease, sitting with Titiek to watch the debate between vice-presidential candidates Jusuf Kalla and Hatta Rajasa. The pair looked uncomfortable together and left separately.

Whenever she is asked about it, Titiek plays a dead bat, but Prabowo's campaign manager, Tantowi Yahya, told Fairfax Media, "of course the reunion is everybody's wish", and was certainly not a political strategy to reduce a Prabowo negative. "Oh no, we'd never do that ... It's very private matter and none of us here talk about it," Tantowi insisted.

Nostalgia for the Suharto era has boomed in the second, indecisive, term of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, partly feeding Prabowo's appeal as the "strong" candidate. Titiek herself rode the sentiment into national parliament – she won a central Java seat in the April parliamentary elections for her father's old party, Golkar.

But for Prabowo, who promises on the stump: "We will fight poverty, we will fight corruption," the irony of a Suharto hook-up is crushing.

A 1999 Time magazine investigation revealed that at least $73 billion of Indonesia's money had passed through Suharto family's hands and that, despite the Asian financial crisis of 1998, the family still controlled $15 billion worth of "cash, shares, corporate assets, real estate, jewellery and fine art".

Titiek was the family's art collector as well as being the business partner of her brother-in-law – Prabowo's brother Hashim Djojohadikusumo – who now co-ordinates and funds Prabowo's campaign and contributes unlimited use of his private jet.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/indonesian-presidential-election-offers-suharto-family-political-comeback-20140630-zsqtz.html

Kalla, Hatta spar over science, technology in third debate

Jakarta Post - June 29, 2014

Jakarta – Rival vice-presidential candidates Jusuf Kalla and Hatta Rajasa covered science and technology, a topic rarely discussed on the campaign trail, in the third televised presidential candidate debate at Bidakara Hotel, South Jakarta, on Sunday evening.

While Kalla highlighted the need for state-owned science agencies to driver innovation in science and technology, Hatta, said a 12-year compulsory education system would develop expertise in the sector.

"State research institutions, such as the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology [BPPT], the Indonesian Institute of Sciences [LIPI], the National Nuclear Energy Agency [BATAN], and universities, should spearhead science and technology development," said Kalla.

The debate, which was moderated by Dwikorita Karnawati, a geology professor from Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, began at 8:30 p.m. and was shown live on RCTI and MNC TV.

Kalla said the allocation of 20 percent of the state budget for education would support scientific research and technological development, adding that the private sector's involvement in research should continue.

Hatta said a 12-year compulsory education system should ensure all children had access to quality education, he further said. "As much as 46 percent of Indonesia's workforce is elementary school graduates only. We should strive to ensure that all children can have access to 12 years compulsory education to increase their productivity," said Hatta.

Sunday's debate, which focused on human resources, development, and science and technology, was the forth in a series of five debates – and the only one to pit the two vice presidential candidates against each other – held by the General Elections Commission (KPU).

The last debate, which will focus on food energy and environment, is slated for July 5. (gda/ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/06/29/kalla-hatta-spar-over-science-technology-third-debate.html

Indonesia's presidential front-runner battles the puppet image

Reuters - June 29, 2014

Kanupriya Kapoor and Jonathan Thatcher, Jakarta – When one of Indonesia's most powerful politicians wanted to be part of a new government, he did not approach Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, the front-runner in next week's presidential election.

Instead, sources say, he went to the home of Jokowi's political patron, a former president who did not impress in her short tenure and who many fear will be the power behind the throne if the favourite wins the July 9 election. The politician, Aburizal Bakrie of the Golkar party, was rebuffed by ex-President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

But the fact Bakrie went to Megawati, not Jokowi, to seek an alliance underlines the biggest worry about the front-runner – he may become president but will not be in charge. Critics say he will defer to Megawati and she will call the shots in the new government in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.

It is an image Jokowi does little to dispel with his public displays of deference to Megawati. Interviews with senior members of his camp suggest frustration with his modest mien, but they were adamant he will not be anyone's stooge.

"One thing I can assure you, you cannot dictate to Jokowi, he has his own mind," said Luhut Panjaitan, a former trade minister who quit Bakrie's Golkar party to help run the Jokowi campaign.

"People say he's a puppet of Megawati, but I promise you, no. He's very polite and very humble but that doesn't mean that he'll say yes to everything you say,"

Jokowi has a filmstar following in Indonesia. Born in poverty, he has stormed his way to the top rungs of leadership with a clean image and a reputation for competence in local government, a reversal of the autocracy, corruption and power politics that have weighed down the country for decades.

He became mayor of his hometown Solo in 2005 and governor of Jakarta in 2012 after his populist approach and willingness to stand up to powerful regional officials won national attention. The only real worry about him, analysts say, is his relationship with Megawati and how it may affect state policy if he wins.

Panjaitan, who was present at the meeting between Bakrie and Megawati, said after the rebuff, the Golkar party chief went over to the rival camp of the other presidential candidate, former general Prabowo Subianto.

"I said to Bakrie... Why do we always have to make transactions like this? It doesn't set a good example for the public, to the young generation," Panjaitan said.

A spokesman for Bakrie told Reuters the Golkar chairman had conveyed to his party that negotiations with both sides had gone well. "What Bakrie told us was that during the meeting with Prabowo, they discussed national interests and deals were not discussed," said Lalu Mara Satri Wangsa, who is also vice secretary general of Golkar.

But a senior politician in his Golkar party, Fahmi Idris, said Prabowo has promised about seven seats in the cabinet in exchange for support. "Yes, Bakrie was upset (by Megawati's rebuff)," Idris said.

Puppet president

On the campaign trail, Prabowo repeatedly warns against electing a "puppet" president, suggesting Jokowi is little more than a president-for-hire who would be tightly on the leash of his chief political backer. Opinion polls say Jokowi continues to lead the former special forces general, although the gap has narrowed and many voters are undecided.

Megawati is the daughter of Indonesia's founding president, Sukarno, and dominates the Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle, the country's biggest party and Jokowi's main source of support.

She failed three times to be elected herself but did become president in 2001, when as vice president she stepped up to replace the impeached President Abdurrahman Wahid. Her short term was characterised by indecisiveness, a rise in corruption and a failure to crack down on militancy after the Bali bombings of 2002 that killed more than 200 people and were blamed on Islamic extremists.

She was widely expected to make a fourth try this July but in the end threw her party behind the hugely popular Jokowi, tipped by opinion polls at the time to win easily. Some analysts say she may be happier wielding power behind the scenes.

Jokowi, 53, is from central Java, a populous province on Indonesia's central island that is known for the hierarchical Javanese culture which prizes a reserved, respectful manner.

"He is his own man. But he is Javanese and always listens to input from his seniors... In his eyes, Megawati is his senior," said one close aide to Megawati, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue.

"He would seek advice on certain issues from Megawati, but he is not being guided by her. That is crucial. He also seeks advice from other senior people that he feels have more experience than him, not just Megawati."

Tougher than Prabowo

Campaign manager Panjaitan is one of a group of former generals who make little effort to hide their antipathy towards their former colleague Prabowo, the other presidential hopeful. "(Jokowi's) a tough guy. He's more persistent than Prabowo," Panjaitan said, briefly mimicking the ex- general's portly physique.

If elected, the furniture businessman-turned-politician would be Indonesia's first president not to have come from an elite or military background. By contrast, Prabowo comes from a prominent Indonesian family, has studied and worked overseas and his brother is one of the country's richest men.

If he wins, Jokowi would also be the first elected president in Indonesia's nearly 70 years of independence to have to rely entirely on other people's political parties for his power base.

Megawati's party teamed up with three other parties to muster the necessary numbers to be allowed to nominate a presidential candidate.

But there has been no talk of deals on cabinet posts and other top appointments before the election. Jokowi camp sources say they realise they will have to accommodate allied parties but will only take into the cabinet individuals who are qualified by skills and not by political affiliation.

Few believe Jokowi will be able to pull off a truly technocratic cabinet free of the politically-motivated appointments that are widely seen to have tarnished the outgoing coalition government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

"Jokowi keeps saying this time has to be different from the past, different from the previous government," said the aide to Megawati. "(He) wants to put the right people in the right place. I think whether they come from different parties, that's part of the plot and he needs to consider that. But most importantly the people who are chosen should be capable of doing the job."

Jokowi's vice-presidential running mate is well respected – Jufuf Kalla, a prominent businessman from the resource-rich eastern island of Sulawesi.

Kalla won a reputation as a reformer when he held the vice presidency during Yudhoyono's first term from 2004 to 2009. He has since remained in the public eye as head of the Indonesian Red Cross, a humanitarian organisation.

"There will have to be political appointments," said Paul Rowland, a Jakarta-based analyst. "Jokowi's track record shows that he doesn't play into... deal-making. The thing is he's never had to have political appointments in his team before, but so far at least he's been firm on not making any deals. We'll have to see if that holds if he is elected."

[Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan.]

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/indonesias-presidential-front-runner-battles-puppet-image-022820676 – business.html

NU to remain neutral during elections

Jakarta Post - June 28, 2014

Jakarta – Nahdlatul Ulama executive council (PBNU) chair, Slamet Effendi Yusuf, said that the NU would remain neutral in the upcoming presidential election on July 9 and that NU members were allowed to vote for either ticket.

"So if there are claims that the NU supports a candidate or a political party, they are sorely mistaken," Slamet said at a discussion on Islam and the election in Jakarta on Saturday, as reported by kompas.com.

He said that the NU, the country's largest Muslim organization, had stayed out of politics since a conference in Situbondo, East Java, in 1984. Slamet added that he did not want the 2014 presidential elections to taint this decision.

"If there are Muslim preachers joining the Prabowo [Subianto] camp or the Jokowi [Joko Widodo] camp then it is their personal decision and they just happen to be NU members," he said.

Furthermore, Slamet urged NU members to base their voting decision on who they believed would be a democratic leader with a virtuous character and was willing to secure the sovereignty of the country.

Finally, he said that he was sure that the NU members would choose a leader that would be beneficial to society. (fss)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/06/28/nu-remain-neutral-during-elections.html

Campaign fray shifts to mosques

Jakarta Post - June 28, 2014

Ina Parlina and Hasyim Widhiarto, Jakarta/Malang – As the country readies for the holy month of Ramadhan with the election just two weeks away, presidential candidates and their supporters are likely to take political advantage of increased activity in mosques.

Gerindra Party top official Mahdi Alatas, who heads the party's wing that manages Muslim communities, said the party would deploy all resources to campaign for its presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto in mosques to capitalize on Ramadhan, which will start on Sunday.

"Mosques are our campaign grounds. I do not see a problem with that as Prophet Muhammad started out his political journey in a mosque," Mahdi said. "It is also the obligation of religious leaders to tell the public what is bad and what is good."

Although his mother and three siblings are Christian, Prabowo has managed to win massive support from the Muslim community, as evidenced by the joining of three major Islamic parties – the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the United Development Party (PPP) – to his coalition.

As the race between Prabowo and rival Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is likely to be tight, both candidates will have to campaign through the fasting month until July 5, when the General Elections Commission (KPU) puts a stop to any campaign activities ahead of the poll on July 9.

PPP deputy chairman Emron Pangkapi said that all Muslim parties in the Gerindra coalition would "use the fasting month as momentum to mobilize support in each stronghold." "This will be done during Koran recitals, fast-breaking events, and kultum [seven-minute sermons]," he said.

The Prabowo camp has been capitalizing on smear campaigns aimed at Jokowi, who has seen his electability ratings plateau due to extensive and malicious smearing that has questioned the authenticity of his claims of being a Muslim.

"Smear campaign tactics employing racial and religious issues have been massive, but I think it will backfire on the one who launched them," said Teten Masduki, the deputy secretary for Jokowi's campaign team.

"We are aware of the fact that Prabowo's family members are non-Muslims, but we chose not to use that issue to attack him because that is contradictory to our principal of upholding pluralism," he added.

Home to the world's largest Muslim population, religious issues are nearly always at the top of the list of voters' concerns.

The Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) warned the candidates and their supporters not to use religious issues in campaigns, and that holding activities in places of worship was prohibited under the election law.

Bawaslu commissioner Nasrullah said that the agency would send letters to various organizations and religious figures requesting them to refrain from any campaign activities in mosques during the holy month.

"Recently, Bawaslu has also approached several religious figures telling them to make sure that religious sites, whether they are mosques or churches, are not used as campaign facilities," he said.

Nasrullah added that Bawaslu had coordinated with major Islamic organizations, such as the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, to help prevent the delivery of overtly political sermons that solicit votes for certain candidates. "We are deploying our personnel and volunteers to actively monitor such activity," he said.

Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI) deputy chairman Masdar Farid Mas'udi said his office had released instructions last month demanding mosques be prevented from engaging in any campaign activity.

While promising that he would not misuse Ramadhan to relay his campaign messages, Jokowi said he would spend the final days of the campaign season performing Ramadhan rituals that included mass tarawih (extra prayer service), fast breaking and eating pre-dawn meals with his supporters.

"Mosques are holy places. We should not mix religious rituals with campaign activities," Jokowi said, before wishing all Muslims in the country a very peaceful Ramadhan.

The Jokowi team has made a final push against smear tactics by emphatically countering stories published in the Obor Rakyat tabloid that claimed Jokowi was a Christian of Chinese descent.

State-Owned Enterprises Minister Dahlan Iskan, who has officially declared his support for Jokowi, distributed a tabloid called the Obor Rahmat bagi Semesta (Torch for the World) to several boarding schools in West Java and Central Java that had previously received the Obor Rakyat tabloid.

[Sita W. Dewi also contributed to the story.]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/06/28/campaign-fray-shifts-mosques.html

Aburizal Bakrie claims responsibility for Prabowo letter to teachers

Jakarta Globe - June 28, 2014

Jakarta – Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie said on Saturday that he was behind a letter sent to teachers asking them to support Prabowo Subianto's presidential bid, Indonesian media reported.

"Yes, it's my idea. It's good, isn't it?" he said at Taman Ismail Marzuki, a cultural center in Central Jakarta, as reported by newsportal Merdeka.com.

Aburizal emphasized that sending letters should not be perceived as a campaign violation. "It's only to ask for people's blessing, nothing special," he said as quoted by Kompas.com. "Why are you not allowed to ask for a blessing?"

The Federation of Indonesian Teachers Associations (FSGI) has reported Prabowo to the Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) after several members received the letter.

Retno Listyarti from the FSGI said the letter was in breach of campaign regulations because political campaigning in education institutions is prohibited under Indonesian electoral law.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/aburizal-bakrie-claims-responsibility-prabowo-letter-teachers/

Ahmad Dhani brands world press 'stupid' over Nazi video criticism

Jakarta Globe - June 27, 2014

Jakarta – Despite apologizing earlier this week for dressing up like a mass-murdering Nazi war criminal for a Prabowo Subianto campaign video, Indonesian Idol judge Ahmad Dhani went on the offensive on Friday, branding the international press "too stupid" to properly appreciate his sense of fashion.

Dhani and three finalists from the Indonesian Idol TV show filmed a music video for Prabowo's presidential campaign in which the singers covered Queen's "We Will Rock You" with the lyrics "Who will awaken Indonesia from its misery if not us? Prabowo-Hatta!" Dhani was widely criticized for dressing up in a replica Henrich Himmler jacket and styling the video production on Nazi aesthetics with transparently violent undertones. Prabowo endorsed the video on his official Facebook page on June 20.

"Fake foreign journalists don't know the rules of journalism... Indonesian journalists you should teach them about the right to reply. Come and see me if you dare," Dhani tweeted on Friday afternoon.

"Fake foreign journalists need to be taught about the freedom of art... if I want to dress up as a pocong or kuntilanak [Indonesian ghosts]... I have the right," he wrote in another tweet.

A reporter from BeritaSatu – a sister company of the Jakarta Globe – tried to talk to Dhani at a nightclub in North Jakarta on Thursday night where he was performing, but Dhani ducked an attempt to interview him. The Jakarta Globe tried unsuccessfully to contact Dhani on Wednesday and Thursday, but was finally able to reach him on Friday.

"I deeply regret the international media articles about me," Dhani told the Globe on Friday afternoon. "They throw sh!t at me – then they hide their hands. None of them tried to contact me. I want to reiterate to the foreign [media] that I don't care about their opinion on what I wear," he added.

"They're too stupid to actually think that there is fascism in Indonesia," he said. "Too stupid. Nazi uniforms and accessories, Jewish and even devil's accessories are commonly used in Indonesia as part of fashion. I have several military uniforms from various countries, such as Italy. I wear whatever is available."

Dhani's latest comments are a curious change of heart given that he had already apologized for dressing up as Himmler in a music video for the presidential campaign of Prabowo – a former Army Special Forces (Kopassus) commander who has been accused of ordering the disappearances of student protesters in 1998 and involvement in human rights abuses in East Timor.

"I will never wear it again. I've learned my lesson," Dhani told a Globe journalist in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta, earlier in the week. "This was purely about fashion and was not related to ideology – the Western media knows I am a real pluralist."

Creative force

Indonesian news magazine Tempo reported that Prabowo was scheduled to meet with Dhani on Friday, but whether this had taken place could not be confirmed at the time of writing. Former Constitutional Court justice chief Mahfud M.D. was the latest senior figure in the Prabowo campaign team to praise Dhani for his "creativity."

"What is wrong with Ahmad Dhani?" Mahfud, Prabowo's campaign manager, asked on Thursday. "Why make a fuss about it? It was very creative. If you wear a robe are you automatically a follower of Abu Jahl?" he added, drawing an illogical allusion to the enemy of the prophet Muhammad.

Mahfud said that the criticism around Dhani was being used by a section of the media that wanted to damage the credibility of Prabowo and running mate Hatta Rajasa. "It [the costume] was his form of creativity, it's fine and it did not break any law, what sanctions can you impose for that?" he told Merdeka.com.

After using the furor yesterday to paint rival presidential candidate Joko Widido as a closet communist, Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) deputy chairman Fadli Zon continued to use Dhani's regrettable Nazi affair as a sinister springboard to warn of the dangers of communism. "I have been an opponent of communism for a long time, a utopian ideology responsible for the slaughter of 100 million people," he tweeted.

Hashim Djojohadikusumo, Prabowo's brother, attempted to cool the scandal on Friday, saying that the incident was being overplayed in the press, while Prabowo himself remained silent over the affair on Friday, refusing to comment on whether an overtly Nazi-themed video had damaged his campaign to lead the world's fourth most-populous country.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/ahmad-dhani-brands-world-press-stupid-nazi-video-criticism/

Give us jobs, not rock songs, say Indonesia's young voters

Reuters - June 27, 2014

Eveline Danubrata and Heru Asprihanto, Jakarta – To attract Indonesia's army of young voters, one presidential candidate is hoping a "Two Finger Salute" will do the trick.

It's a song by top Indonesian rock band Slank, and refers to the serial number two on the ballot paper allocated to the front-runner in the July 9 presidential election, Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

His only rival Prabowo Subianto, who received the number one, is being backed in a Nazi-themed music video by a different rock star, Ahmad Dhani. The singer has been sharply criticized for the song that paints former general Prabowo as a strong leader, with music adapted from Queen's "We Will Rock You" and performers in quasi-military uniforms.

But setting aside the questionable taste, these songs and forays into social media provide little evidence that either candidate has had any success in attracting the youth vote. Nearly a third of Indonesia's 187 million voters are between 17 and 29, and will be crucial in deciding the close race to run the world's third-largest democracy and Southeast Asia's biggest economy for the next five years.

Jeany Hartriani, a 21-year-old student at the University of Indonesia, said neither candidate had laid out a detailed plan on issues that were important to her, such as job opportunities.

"As someone in the young generation, I do wonder: When I get married, get a job and have a child, will we have a good economic condition?" she said.

"Young people should participate more because this involves our future, we cannot just be hands-off," said Hartriani, who will vote in a presidential election for the first time.

In India, a country which shares many characteristics with Indonesia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a huge majority last month after a campaign that focused on growth, jobs and youth.

Like India, Indonesia was among the world's fastest growing economies before a sharp slowdown in recent years. Growth in the first quarter in Indonesia fell to the lowest in four years. As growth slowed, unemployment has risen, putting jobs at the top of the agenda for most young adults.

There were 7.39 million unemployed Indonesians as of August 2013, representing 6.25 percent of the labor force, according to the government. Around five million young adults are enrolled in colleges or equivalent institutions, creating a huge pool of jobseekers when they graduate.

"The two candidates are still focusing on the big, general issues such as sovereignty and corruption," said Firman Noor, a political analyst at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences.

"Their campaign to attract the young also tends to be symbolic in nature. But they are facing an increasingly critical youth population that is not easily swayed by symbolic methods."

Just hope to sell more porridge

Besides what they hope will be popular rock ballads, the two candidates have a strong presence on social media, hoping to strike a chord with the under 30's.

Indonesia has more than 69 million active Facebook users, placing it fourth globally behind the United States, India and Brazil, a spokeswoman for the social network said.

The country also ranked as the world's fifth-biggest Twitter population with 29.4 million users, according to a 2012 study by Paris-based social media research firm Semiocast.

Prabowo's online team, numbering just five at the last election in 2009, now stands at 60 and will grow even more after the election, said Noudhy Valdryno, digital strategist for the candidate's Gerindra Party.

"The role of online media in the Indonesian election is huge," he said. "It is developing and it is also the only medium that allows full freedom for people to interact with a political party or political figures."

The battle for the youth vote is also played out on stage, with Slank holding concerts in a number of cities to drum up support for Jokowi.

"First-time voters like political outreach that is fun," said Zuhairi Misrawi, media center coordinator for the Jokowi campaign. "Songs such as the Two Finger Salute by Slank are very effective. YouTube, Twitter, games too."

Even if the songs prove popular, many in the 20-30 age group feel the candidates are missing the point.

Jamalianuri, a 22-year-old student at the University of Indonesia, said: "Slank has many pretty fanatical fans called "Slankers" so this could sway their vote towards Jokowi. But I feel that the candidates should engage with us more on issues such as facing globalization."

For Thoyib, a 26-year-old rice porridge seller in Jakarta's business district, the proof of the candidates' commitment will be in their actions, not words.

"I hope that whoever becomes president will not make empty promises," he said. "But I don't have big hopes for the election. I just hope to sell more porridge."

[Additional reporting by Dennys Kapa, Editing by Jonathan Thatcher and Raju Gopalakrishnan.]

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-jobs-not-rock-songs-indonesias-young-voters-025433326.html

Prabowo upset, happy with US media

Jakarta Post - June 26, 2014

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The camp of presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto was said to be outraged by one US news media report on Wednesday, but was pleased with another made by a different news outlet, although the latter was later discovered to be a hoax.

Prabowo-Hatta Rajasa campaign team spokesman Tantowi Yahya lambasted the US Ambassador to Indonesia, Robert O. Blake Jr., following his interview with US publication The Wall Street Journal, in which the US envoy called on the Indonesian government to look into reports of human rights abuses allegedly committed by Prabowo before and around the fall of his former father-in-law and president Soeharto in May 1998.

"It's unethical for a foreign diplomat such as the US ambassador to be involved in the matter because allegations surrounding Pak Prabowo's role in human rights violations are an Indonesian domestic affair, thus, we must solve them in our own way," said Tantowi.

The Golkar legislator and well-known country singer added, "I believe that the US would also get angry if our ambassador intervened in issues regarding any US public officials. "

Citing Blake, the Journal reported on June 22 that although the US did not favor either of the two presidential candidates contesting the July 9 election, it took allegations of human rights abuses seriously.

"We do not take a position on Indonesia's presidential candidates. We do, however, take seriously allegations of human rights abuses, and urge the Indonesian government to fully investigate the claims," Blake said as quoted by the Journal in an email.

The US Embassy's press attache, Troy Pederson, declined to comment on the matter, saying only "We don't have anything to add" when asked for clarification on the issue by The Jakarta Post.

The Prabowo camp has accused the growing movement against the candidate of being the result of smear campaigning. The Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu), however, cleared Gen. (ret) Wiranto on Wednesday of any wrongdoing for his statement that, as a military chief in 1998, he was aware that Prabowo had committed crimes in relation to the kidnapping of anti-Soeharto activists.

Meanwhile, supporters of Prabowo's rival Joko "Jokowi" Widodo were said to have been shocked late Tuesday night upon reading on social media about results that were allegedly collected by the highly respected US survey agency Gallup.

The Gallup findings, which appeared on CNN online, claimed that a recent survey found the presidential candidate pair of Prabowo-Hatta was trumping competitors Jokowi and Jusuf Kalla in the popularity stakes, with 52 percent of respondents supporting the former to win over the latter's 41 percent.

However, netizens later found the article to be false, as it had been doctored based on a report about the 2008 US presidential race between the Democratic Party's Barack Obama and Republican politician John McCain. CNN pulled the post from its website.

The survey company also denied the report. "[The] Prabowo prediction [was] fake and not released by Gallup, Inc., headquartered in Washington, DC," Gallup's global communications director, Johnathan Tozer, said in an email to the Post on Wednesday evening.

The Prabowo camp, however, chose to ignore the denials and continued to use the bogus report to promote its candidate.

Tribunnews.com reported that Baron Basuning from the Prabowo camp repeatedly told Prabowo's supporters at the candidate's office in East Jakarta on Wednesday that the former lieutenant general would easily win the July 9 presidential race, quoting the fake Gallup report.

"According to the results of CNN survey, Prabowo-Hatta will gain 52 percent and Jokowi-Kalla is lower," Baron said. (tjs)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/06/26/prabowo-upset-happy-with-us-media.html

Wiranto cleared for saying Prabowo thrown out of the TNI

Jakarta Globe - June 26, 2014

Hotman Siregar & Erwin Cristianson, Jakarta – Indonesia's electoral supervision body said on Wednesday that former army chief of staff General Wiranto had not committed a campaign violation by going on the record to say that presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto was responsible for abducting pro-democracy activists in 1998.

"Wiranto has not been proven to have been conducting a campaign," said Nelson Simanjutak, a commissioner of the board, better known as Bawaslu. "Therefore, it could not be categorized as a campaign and is not an election violation."

Black campaigns, a literal translation of "kampanye hitam" are ubiquitous in Indonesian elections. The scale of the country makes it difficult for election supervisors to sanction those found to have conducted dirty tricks, while the speed with which scandalous news spreads over social media means the benefits often outweigh the risks.

On June 20, Wiranto told reporters that Prabowo Subianto had not received an honorable discharge when he was fired from the military. The former special forces commander left the military disgraced, after he was found to have ordered the kidnapping of pro-democracy activists during 1998. Prabowo has denied the allegations, opaquely referring to himself as a defender of Indonesia's standing and saying anything he did was done under orders.

The subject of Prabowo's allegedly murky past came up in the first televised presidential debate, when Joko Widodo's vice presidential running mate Jusuf Kalla went after the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) candidate.

"He [Wiranto] set the record straight," Nelson said. "Whether it was a black campaign or a crime, Bawaslu must match it with the Election Law. Even though it is not satisfactory for the party that made the complaint – Bawaslu cannot go beyond the Law."

Wiranto held a press conference last week saying that Prabowo, the chief patron of Great Indonesia Movement Party, was discharged from the military after conducting abduction to pro-democracy activists in 1997 and 1998 that was not based on order from the military.

The explanation came following the leaking of a dismissal letter from the Soldiers' Honorary Council (DKP)that revealed Prabowo was thrown out of the army.

"I held the press conference because there are so many requests," Wiranto said after being questioned by Bawaslu on Tuesday. "I have given a proportional explanation. The point is there was no intention of me committing a black campaign."

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/wiranto-cleared-saying-prabowo-thrown-tni/

'Off the record' Prabowo interview details Indonesia 'not ready democracy'

Jakarta Globe - June 26, 2014

Benjamin Soloway, Jakarta – American investigative journalist Allan Nairn, who made a name for himself covering the Indonesian military's killing of civilians in East Timor during Suharto's rule, released on his personal blog on Sunday an interview he conducted in 2001, off the record, with Prabowo Subianto saying that a 1991 massacre was a mistake and that Indonesia was "not ready for democracy."

Nairn set up the interview as part of an investigation into murders involving the Indonesian Army, on the condition that it would not be attached to Prabowo's name. There was no recording of the discussion – which had been conducted at a low point in the trajectory of Prabowo's political influence – and Nairn relied on his notes. No other person was present during the interview.

Nairn said he reached out to the former general for permission to publish the interview and received no response. Since publication, the Prabowo campaign has denied the validity of the material.

Tantowi Yahya, team spokesman for Prabowo's campaign, on Tuesday declined to comment about of the interview, released with less than three weeks remaining before the presidential election.

"I don't know who Allan is. Secondly, did the interview really happen?" he said. "If he is a journalist, it should be clear where he works," said Tantowi, who is also a deputy chairman of House of Representatives Commission I, which oversees foreign affairs.

Budi Purnomo Karjodihardjo, the coordinator of the Prabowo media center, told kompas.com that Nairn's statement was "part of a coordinated black campaign by foreign journalists who don't want Prabowo to be president."

The release of the interview also constitutes a breach of a fundamental principle of journalism: anonymous sources remain anonymous.

At the time of the interview, Nairn did not attach much importance to the material, he said, because it did not yield the information he was looking for.

"I think the harm of breaking my anonymity promise to the general is outweighed by what would be the greater harm of Indonesians going to the polls having been denied access to facts they might find pertinent," Nairn wrote on his blog.

Thirteen years later, in the run-up to the July 9 presidential election, he said that the content took on a whole new meaning with Prabowo poised for a possible victory at the polls and a chance to wield state power.

Latest polls suggest that Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo's lead over Prabowo is narrowing. A poll conducted on June 1-10 by the Indonesia Survey Institute (LSI) showed Joko in the lead with 42 percent, followed by Prabowo at 39 percent. Just six months ago, most pollsters including the LSI put that gap on average at about 20 percent.

"I did hesitate to release the interview; it is a serious matter, even when the promise is made to someone like Prabowo, who has been implicated in mass murder, those kinds of promises are necessary for journalists," Nairn told the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday. "But in the end, I felt like I really didn't have much choice, because it's a big choice before the people in Indonesia right now."

In the interview, the former general said that the Santa Cruz massacre of 1991, in which at least 271 civilian were killed by the Indonesian armed forces in Dili, East Timor – an event that Nairn witnessed at great risk to his own life and brought to the attention of the world – had been a mistake, but not for the killing of innocents.

"Santa Cruz killed us politically," Prabowo said, according to Nairn. "You don't massacre civilians in front of the world press.

"Maybe commanders do it in villages where no one will ever know, but not in the provincial capital!" he added.

A soldier hit Nairn in the head with a gun during the events of the massacre, fracturing his skull. He documented the event and other atrocities in a radio report that won him and collaborator Amy Goodman the Peabody award – the most prestigious accolade in American radio journalism. Goodman would go on to host Democracy Now!, a progressive radio show in the United States.

The story was considered instrumental in the US Congress's 1993 decision to withdraw military support from the Indonesian government.

Nairn said that Prabowo did not seem optimistic about the prospects for Indonesian democracy at the time of the interview.

"Indonesia is not ready for democracy," he said, according to Nairn. "We still have cannibals, there are violent mobs." Prabowo said that "a benign authoritarian regime" would serve better.

Prabowo has been implicated in the military's crackdown on pro-democracy protestors in the final months of the Suharto regime in 1997 and 1998. Thirteen who were kidnapped remain missing. Wiranto, Prabowo's longtime rival and the commander of the Army at the time, said recently that Prabowo was discharged from his position as special forces commander for kidnapping activists of his own initiative.

Nairn said that Prabowo expressed admiration for Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who seized control of Pakistan in 1991.

"Do I have the guts?" Prabowo asked himself, according to Nairn. "Am I ready to be called a fascist dictator?

"Musharraf had the guts," he added.

Nairn told the Globe that he had a "fair amount" of material from the interview that he had not yet released but planned to in the coming days.

"I want to be careful to present it very well, with a lot of context, so people will see the significance of it," he said. "I am trying to work carefully on it so the ideas get across."

Nairn said that he was in Indonesia and would soon make his way to Jakarta, where he would be able to defend his claims against Prabowo, in court if need be.

"They have threatened me with [legal action] a number of times, but they've never gone through with it," he said. "If they want to go through with it, I would welcome it. I would welcome the opportunity to testify before an Indonesian court about the Indonesian army's killing of civilians and the role of the United States."

Nairn, who was working as a freelance journalist, was imprisoned in Indonesia multiple times during the Suharto years. Suharto stepped down from power in 1998 after a 32-year rule, amid a financial crisis that sent the economy reeling and caused riots across the country. In 2010, the military said Nairn could face charges after he published articles accusing the army of assassinating activists.

The next piece of the interview to be released, Nairn said, would include information about Prabowo's relationship to the US during his time in East Timor – a potentially damaging issue given the candidate's emphasis on standing up to the influence of foreign powers.

"He is the single Indonesian officer who was closest to the United States, he was the most heavily trained by the United States and he was Washington's man," Nairn said.

[Additional reporting by Markus Junianto Sihaloho.]

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/us-journos-2001-record-prabowo-interview-details-indonesia-ready-democracy/

Prabowo Subianto asks supporters to pull-down video using Nazi-era images

ABC Radio Australia - June 26, 2014

The campaign team behind Indonesian Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto has asked supporters to pull-down a video which uses Nazi-era images to promote him.

Youthful supporters of former General Prabowo appeared in a music video dressed in militaristic uniform, wearing badges similar to those of SS commander Heinrich Himmler.

After first defending the clip, Mr Prabowo's team responded to growing criticism and later asked the singers to pull-down the video.

It wasn't the only reference to Nazi Germany to feature in the last 24 hours of the campaign, with the editor of newspaper Tempo Koran, also likening Mr Prabowo's rise to Hitler's.

Negativity is becoming a feature in campaigning as polls show the race between Mr Prabowo and Joko Widodo is tightening. Polls suggest support for Mr Prabowo is surging.

Indonesians head to the polls on July 9 to elect a new president to replace Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Source: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2014-06-26/indonesian-election-presidential-contender-prabowo-subianto-asks-supporters-to-pulldown-video-that-u/1333216

Allan Nairn challenges Prabowo to face him in court over alleged defamation

Merdeka.com - June 26, 2014

Laurencius Simanjuntak – Experienced US journalist Allan Nairn has spoken up over accusations by the Prabowo Subianto camp that the Indonesian military (TNI) once wanted to arrest him because he entered Indonesia illegally on seven occasions.

Nairn, a journalist who was arrested by the regime of former President Suharto when covering [the 1991 Dili massacre] in East Timor has in fact issued a counter challenge.

"I'm currently in Indonesia, so if the TNI want to arrest me, they can", said Nairn as quoted from his blog by merdeka.com on Thursday June 26.

Nairn said that if Prabowo wants him arrested for writing about him, "I ask him (Prabowo) to say so himself". The statement that the TNI had in the past wanted to arrest Nairn was made by the Prabowo-Hatta election campaign team media and communication director Budi Purnomo Karjodihardjo.

With regard to accusations that Nairn is working with the US, the journalist who has received a number of awards believes that this is amusing.

"Anyone familiar with my work knows that I am an opponent of the US and US corporate interests", he wrote. "One of my main criticism against the US is that over the last 40 years they have exploited and murdered the poor throughout the world, including in Indonesia", said Nairn.

Moreover, said Nairn, he has called for every US president that is still alive to be tried and jailed for sponsoring forces that kill civilians.

One of the many US-backed forces that kills civilians is the TNI, and General Prabowo was the US's closest protege in the TNI (Prabowo described himself to me as the Americans' darling)", said Nairn. Because of this therefore, Nairn has issued three challenges to the general who is now running as the next president of Indonesia.

"General Prabowo, will you join me in calling for the US president to be put on trial", said Nairn of his first challenge.

Second, continued Nairn, on US exploitation of Indonesia and the issue of mining contracts, "General Prabowo, will you join me in calling call for the expulsion of Freeport McMoRan from Indonesia?".

Nairn insists that his writing on Prabowo is accurate. "If the general denies this, I invite him to face me in the Indonesian courts by filing charges of defamation against me". (ren)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Source: http://www.merdeka.com/peristiwa/ngaku-di-indonesia-allan-nairn-ajukan-3-tantangan-ke-prabowo.html

Journalist Nairn challenges Prabowo to day in court

Jakarta Globe - June 26, 2014

Andrea Wijaya, Jakarta – The controversy surrounding American award- winning journalist Allan Nairn and his 2001 off-the-record interview with Prabowo Subianto ratcheted up a notch on Thursday afternoon after Nairn invited the presidential candidate to sue for libel.

Nairn called on Prabowo to say whether he wanted him arrested and that he would be glad for the opportunity to accuse Prabowo of crimes against humanity in a court of law.

"I am currently in Indonesia so if the TNI [Indonesian military] would like to capture me, they can," Nairn wrote on Thursday.

Nairn recently published a segment of his 2001 interview with Prabowo on his blog. The interview was conducted on an off-the-record basis, but Nairn has decided to break this bond 13 years later on public interest grounds.

Nairn cited a statement put out by Prabowo campaign spokesman Budi Purnomo on June 26.

"Allan Nairn is an American journalist who is known to not have a good relationship with the TNI," Budi said as quoted by Merdeka.com. "[The] TNI has even said that they are going to capture Allan if they learn he has returned to Indonesia."

Nairn was imprisoned repeatedly during the Suharto era for reporting on rights abuses by the security forces in what was then the Indonesian province of East Timor. He dismissed accusations that he was now working as a puppet of an anti-Prabowo United States.

"One of my main criticisms of the US for the past 40 years has been of their practice of exploiting and killing poor people around the world, including in Indonesia," Nairn wrote, adding that the TNI was "one of the many" US-backed forces utilized to kill civilians.

"In my view, the two most important facts about Prabowo are, first, that he killed civilians, and second, that he killed them while being sponsored by the United States," he wrote.

In 2012, Prabowo told Reuters that he was still being denied entry into the United States due to allegations that he had instigated riots in the aftermath of the May 1998 resignation of Suharto, who was Prabowo's father-in-law.

Prabowo's former commanding officer, Wiranto, told journalists last week that Prabowo had been thrown out of the military for exceeding his authority by ordering the kidnapping of pro-democracy activists.

"As to my writing about Prabowo, it is accurate," Nairn wrote. "If the general wants to deny this, I invite him to face me in the Indonesian courts by filing criminal libel charges against me."

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/journalist-nairn-challenges-prabowo-day-court/

Prabowo campaign disgraced by Ahmad Dhani's shameful Nazi music video

Jakarta Globe - June 25, 2014

Jakarta – International coverage of Indonesia's presidential election campaign took a worrying turn on Wednesday after the German weekly Der Spiegel published a story on the disgraceful decision by candidate Prabowo Subianto to support a chilling Nazi-themed music video as part of his campaign.

The video is fronted by Indonesian Idol judge and rock star Ahmad Dhani dressed in a black jacket worn by the SS – Nazi Germany's paramilitary organization that carried out the genocide of some six million Jews as well as the wholesale murder of disabled people, homosexuals and intellectuals.

The campaign advertisement features Dhani and three Indonesian Idol contestants – Husein, Nowela and Virzha – covering Queen's "We Will Rock You," with the lyrics "who will awaken Indonesia from its misery if not us? Prabowo-Hatta!"

Dhani's jacket is nearly identical to that worn by Heinrich Himmler, a chief architect of the Holocaust and someone who once said: "Clashes with Asia and Jewry are necessary for evolution."

The three Indonesian Idol contestants are also arranged in black military garb, with Nowela, the lone female, dressed in a black mermaid gown that does little to detract from the overall Nazi look and feel of the video.

Prabowo's Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) said that Dhani made the video on his own initiative – but still retweeted the video on June 19 in an apparent endorsement. Prabowo himself thanked Ahmad Dhani on his Facebook page for the video, saying "Thank you Nowela, Husein, Virzha and Ahmad Dhani for the song and video clip for me and my partner Hatta Rajasa. This video will increase my spirit to fight. Rise up Indonesia!"

"There is a general fantasy about uniforms," American public intellectual Susan Sontag wrote in the New York Review of Books in 1975 about the aesthetics of fascism. "The SS was the ideal incarnation of fascism's overt assertion of the righteousness of violence."

The righteousness of violence is a topic that has threatened to become a nuisance for Prabowo's presidential campaign, but never more than that. In the first presidential debate, rival Joko Widodo's running mate Jusuf Kalla made a few pointed jibes at Prabowo's human rights record, but the accusations have done little to trouble the momentum behind Prabowo's campaign.

Even when Wiranto, Prabowo's former commanding officer in the military, said on June 20 that Prabowo had been discharged from the Army because he gave the orders on his own initiative for men under his command to abduct pro-democracy student activists and protesters in 1998, there has been no indication that such a profound accusation would necessarily preclude a Prabowo presidency. This is despite some 13 Indonesians still remaining unaccounted for, presumed killed by Prabowo's feared Army Special Forces (Kopassus).

Der Spiegel writes that the Third Reich is admired by some in Indonesia for its "efficiency and strength" – and ends by warning that many believe the elevation of Prabowo to the presidency would mark a descent for Indonesia back into the "dark days of dictatorship."

The German newspaper references the reopening of a cafe in Bandung, West Java, as an example of Indonesia's regrettable affinity for Nazi iconography. The Soldatenkaffe in the West Java capital was shut last year after the wall-to-wall shrine to the Third Reich gained more and more opprobrium, ending in international headlines and, eventually, closure.

Its owner reopened the cafe this month, diversifying the decor with the odd Stalinist trinket and knick-knacks from Imperial Japan to stave off criticism that it was intended as a hagiography to Hitler.

Below the line of the Der Spiegel article, readers have written that "political education in Indonesia has completely failed" and "as a person who grew up in Indonesia, this has shocked me."

Queen's guitarist Brian May also took a dim view of the video, Tweeting on Wednesday, "Of course this is completely unauthorized by us." The Jakarta Globe was able to reach Dhani's manager, but the musician himself was unavailable for comment. "The video has been released for a while," his manager said. "There hasn't been a problem with it."

Joshua Oppenheimer, the Oscar-nominated director of the documentary "The Act of Killing," disagreed that the video was unproblematic. "This is not a clever foreign policy move for Prabowo," Oppenheimer told the Globe. "Unless he really wants to alienate all of Europe – and the rest of the human community."

A leader of Indonesia's small Jewish community said he felt that video must have been made in ignorance.

"Every time I saw the SS uniform, it really hurts me, as my family were the victims of Shoah [the Holocaust]," United Indonesian Jewish and Hebrew Community chairman Benjamin Meijer Verbrugge said in an email. "I guess Dhani is not aware about the Shoah story behind the SS uniform. Trust me, once he... visits Yad Vashem/Holocaust museums, he will never wear such monster uniforms anymore."

Dhani disgrace

Dhani represents a dubious choice of associate for a presidential candidate who already stands accused of highly questionable associations. Dhani has been a solid supporter of Prabowo, writing previously "I think all real men will vote for Prabowo. Anyone who doesn't – their masculinity should be questioned."

Dhani – a man in his forties who wears sunglasses indoors – has made a successful career out of releasing generic plodding rock records and has, perhaps most lucratively, landed a gig as a judge on Indonesian Idol. He was fortunate, however, not to find himself in front of a judge after his entirely vicarious relationship with even the most basic parental instincts led to a horrendous incident last year that cost seven lives.

In September last year, his 13-year-old son was driving at at least 176 kilometer per hour in the early hours of a Sunday morning on the Jagorawi toll road when he lost control of the car, flew over the road's lane divider and plowed into oncoming traffic. Seven people were killed, most of them from a minivan that took the brunt of the impact, while Dhani's son was lucky to be alive.

The father admitted to having given his son a Mitsubishi Lancer as a gift when he was a 12 year old, five years below the legal driving age.

Rather than reflect on his obvious culpability in allowing his young son to drive himself around on one of the most dangerous roads in Indonesia late at night, Dhani chose instead to blame everyone else for the horrific incident, including the state-run toll road operator and the government.

Dhani previously supported the National Awakening Party (PKB) in April's legislative election. The party later backed Joko and Kalla, but Dhani jumped ship, throwing his support behind Prabowo's presidential bid.

Daniel Ziv, the director of "Jalanan," a critically acclaimed documentary that tells the story of three people living below the poverty line in Jakarta, said that there were no winners to have emerged from the video incident.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/prabowo-campaign-disgraced-ahmad-dhanis-shameful-nazi-music-video/

Teachers group reports Prabowo for allegedly campaigning at schools

Jakarta Globe - June 25, 2014

Dessy Sagita, Jakarta – A teachers association reported presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto to the Election Supervisory Body, or Bawaslu, after several schools received a letter urging teachers to vote for the former general.

"We decided to file a report after receiving reports from our teachers and school staffs that they have received letters from Prabowo Subianto," Retno Listyarti, secretary-general of the Federation of Indonesian Teachers Associations (FSGI), told the Jakarta Globe on Thursday.

Ratna, who is also a principal at a high school in East Jakarta, said the letter – signed by Prabowo – was mailed to teachers and staff at the address of the school.

"I did not receive one, so I asked permission from one of the teachers to see what's written in the letter and it contained the mission and vision of Prabowo Subianto for the country's education system as well as a suggestion to vote for him as president," she said.

"This should be classified a campaigning and according to the [election] regulation the political campaign has no place in educational institutions."

Retno said that the FSGI also received reports from several other high schools in Jakarta and outside the capital that their teachers and staff received the same letter.

"If the letters were addressed to the teachers and staffs' home, I would not make a fuss. But those letters were sent directly to the schools. This is a violation of the election regulation," she said.

Retno said FSGI demanded that Bawaslu immediately summon Prabowo and ask him to stop campaigning in educational institutions.

Should Bawaslu decide to take up the case, it is then passed on to the National Police to investigate. If found guilty, penalties for violation of election rules range from a warning to dismissal of candidacy, which would be the harshest.

Prabowo faces Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo in the July 9 presidential election. The winning candidate will succeed President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, whose second five-year term ends in October.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/teachers-group-reports-prabowo-allegedly-campaigning-schools/

Golkar purges Jokowi supporters from its ranks

Jakarta Post - June 25, 2014

Margareth S. Aritonang and Ina Parlina, Jakarta – In a move to convince presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto of his party's unified support for his bid, Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie has kicked out three lawmakers who publicly expressed support for rival Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

The leader of Golkar's faction at the House of Representatives, Setya Novanto, confirmed on Tuesday that the party had officially dismissed senior lawmakers Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, Nusron Wahid and Poempida Hidayatulloh after stripping them of their posts in key House commissions.

"The decision complies with the faction's and the party's central executive board's [DPP] regulations. We had issued warnings twice before taking this action, but were ignored," Setya said on the sidelines of a House plenary meeting on Tuesday.

Setya, a lawmaker for House Commission III overseeing law and human rights, added that Golkar would dismiss more members who supported Jokowi and running mate Jusuf Kalla, a former Golkar chairman, instead of Prabowo and his running mate Hatta Rajasa.

Besides the three lawmakers, Golkar has also dismissed the leader of the party's representative council in West Sulawesi, Governor Adnan Saleh.

"All party members must obey the party," said Setya, who was acting as the official spokesperson for Aburizal. Prabowo has promised a senior ministerial position for Aburizal if he is elected president.

As punishment for breaking from the party line, Golkar previously removed Agus – the son of Ginandjar Kartasasmita, a senior Golkar member and a former minister under Soeharto – from the chairmanship of House Commission I overseeing defense and foreign affairs. Country musician Tantowi Yahya is expected to replace Agus.

Golkar has also removed Nusron and Poempida from House Commission XI, which oversees finance, banking and national development planning, as well as from Commission IX overseeing manpower and transmigration.

Golkar's move to dismiss the three lawmakers, who will leave the House at the end of the term in October, was in response to their "rebellious" support for the Jokowi-Kalla ticket.

Poempida has been acting as a spokesperson for Kalla, while Agus has been campaigning for the Jokowi-Kalla ticket particularly in his hometown in West Java, where he and his father have a strong support base.

Agus' father Ginandjar has also pledged his support to Jokowi, citing the former Surakarta mayor's humble and modest personality as the reason for his decision.

Several of the party's elites, such as Golkar executive and Coordinating People's Welfare Minister Agung Laksono, have expressed regret over Aburizal's move to dismiss "rebellious" members. "If the dismissal includes removing their [party] membership, I believe it is too harsh. They are good and capable senior party members [...] this is merely about differences of ideas," Agung said on the sidelines of an event at the State Palace on Tuesday.

"I think all the Golkar leaders [should] focus on efforts to win the election. Don't [focus] on matters such as this. It will only create internal turmoil," he added.

Poempida, meanwhile, express-ed outrage over his dismissal from Golkar, criticizing the party's rising "authoritarian" style of leadership.

"Golkar is used to differences because Golkar is well-known for its democratic atmosphere. I don't know why everything has suddenly changed," Poempida said.

Poempida further questioned Aburizal's decision to kick out him and his two colleagues instead of party members who were implicated in graft cases.

"Why us? If Golkar wants to be professional, it should have dismissed problematic members that are implicated in corruption cases instead of those who have a different political stance."

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/06/25/golkar-purges-jokowi-supporters-its-ranks.html

Campaign heats up, mudslinging continues

Jakarta Post - June 25, 2014

Margareth S. Aritonang and Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Two weeks before the July 9 presidential election, the two opposing camps of Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa and Joko "Jokowi" Widodo-Jusuf Kalla have turned up the heat by directly attacking each other.

On Tuesday, the legal team of the Prabowo-Hatta ticket filed a complaint with the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) against Jokowi, who they alleged had campaigned within zones restricted from political campaigning – the National Monument (Monas) and the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle – last Sunday.

According to a spokesperson for the legal team, Habiburokhman, the two areas are supposed to remain free of any campaign activities as stipulated in Jakarta Gubernatorial Decree No. 1389/07/17 and the Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPUD) Regulation No. 39/2013.

Jokowi was further accused of a violation for presenting his vision, mission and programs, as well as asking people to vote for him, outside of areas designated for campaigning.

"Jokowi is a governor, although he is a non-active one, who should have understood the rules in his own region. How could a governor not understand his own decree?" Habiburokhman said.

A member of Jokowi's campaign team, Arif Budimanta, rejected the accusation, saying that the event was in fact a fun walk. "It's a normal activity that Jokowi often does. He went for a morning jog and greeted his supporters. Coincidentally, there were lots of supporters who organized the event," Arif said.

Tensions also increased between the two camps with former Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) commander and chairman of the Hanura Party Gen. (ret) Wiranto calling the Prabowo's camp bluff on threatening him with violence following his move to expose details of Prabowo's alleged involvement in the kidnapping of pro-democracy activists during the tumultuous events of 1998.

"There are people who protested my move with harsh words and even threats," Wiranto said after being questioned by Bawaslu on Tuesday. "Threats will not make me back down. I will continue speaking the truth," he said.

Prabowo's campaign team has filed a complaint with Bawaslu over what it called a smear campaign against its presidential candidate.

During his questioning, Wiranto said that he revealed Prabowo's alleged role in the kidnapping due to pressure from many quarters, which wanted to prove the statement made by Prabowo during a televised debate that he received orders from his superiors to carry out the kidnappings.

"That's why I decided to make the statement. Actually my explanation has been very proportional. If [Prabowo] disagrees, then he could just tell me which part of my statement is not correct," he said.

Further increasing the tensions, the Youth and Sports Ministry decided to break up a recent discussion hosted by former 1998 student activists. Personnel from the National Police could also be seen dispersing participants at the event venue.

The activists were scheduled to hold a discussion on the possible revival of the New Order regime if Prabowo is elected president. Activists later accused the ministry of playing politics based on the fact that the ministry is led by Democratic Party politician Roy Suryo. In recent weeks, the Democratic Party has leaned toward the Prabowo-Hatta ticket.

Ministry spokesperson Gatot S. Dewa Broto rejected the accusation, saying: "We gladly [offered to] host the event in the beginning. But later we got the message that politics was involved."

The presidential race has also claimed other casualties, with the Golkar Party announcing on Tuesday that it had dismissed three of its lawmakers for supporting Jokowi instead of complying with the party's stance to back Prabowo.

A similar decision was made by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party, which moved lawmaker Ruhut Sitompul from House Commission III overseeing legal affairs to Commission IV overseeing plantations for his public support of Jokowi.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/06/25/campaign-heats-mudslinging-continues.html

Silence of the polls as Prabowo pulls ahead in Jakarta race

Sydney Morning Herald - June 25, 2014

Michael Bachelard, Jakarta – Former military strongman Prabowo Subianto has for the first time pulled level or even slightly ahead of the previous favourite, Joko Widodo, in the Indonesian presidential race, credible polling apparently shows.

But in a twist, one or more of those polls has been withheld from publication, apparently for fear of disheartening the Joko camp and shifting more votes to Mr Prabowo.

A number of sources contacted by Fairfax Media have confirmed that three credible polling organisations have now measured the gap between the two candidates at either within the margin of error, or with Mr Prabowo in the lead.

It's a remarkable turnaround. Until the campaign began, Mr Joko, the popular Jakarta governor, had a double-digit lead.

But Mr Joko has been flat-footed by his opponent's populist rhetoric, bolstered by a big-spending advertising campaign, blanket media coverage from TV stations owned by Mr Prabowo's allies, and a successful "black" campaign of racial and religious smears against Mr Joko.

In early June the Indonesian Survey Institute said his lead had narrowed to 6.3 per cent – down from over 20 per cent earlier in the year. And on Monday, another (less credible) polling company, the Indonesia Survey Institute, showed Mr Prabowo with 51.2 per cent compared to Mr Joko's 48.8 per cent.

But Lowy Insitute research fellow Aaron Connelly wrote on Tuesday that Indonesia's most credible pollsters – the international group CSIS, Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting, and Indikator – had now judged the race to be neck and neck.

"Prabowo Subianto must now be considered the favourite to win the July 9 presidential election, a result that was unthinkable just a month ago," Mr Connelly wrote.

Fairfax Media has now confirmed with a number of sources that CSIS finalised a poll on June 15 showing a negligible gap between the two campaigns, but has refused for 10 days to release it.

Sources say the reason may be because all three have a foot – either financial or philosophical – in the Joko camp. CSIS executive director Rizal Sukma, a respected international relations expert, briefed Mr Joko for his presidential debate last Sunday.

They fear that publishing the information may prompt even more support to flow to Mr Prabowo in a country where analysts believe a strong "back the winner" mentality exists.

Neither Mr Rizal nor Burhanuddin Muhtadi, of Indikator, responded to calls or texts on the subject, and Saiful Mujani of Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting was in hospital, according to a spokesman.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/silence-of-the-polls-as-prabowo-pulls-ahead-in-jakarta-race-20140625-zslof.html

Jokowi wins on Prabowo's turf

Jakarta Post - June 23, 2014

Haeril Halim, Headlines – Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's (PDI- P) presidential candidate Joko "Jokowi" Widodo gave an impressive performance during the third televised debate organized by the General Elections Commission (KPU) on international affairs and defense issues, two subjects considered strong suits for his rival, Gerindra Party's Prabowo Subianto.

Early in the debate, Jokowi showed off his wonkish understanding of foreign affairs by outlining several priorities in his overseeing of foreign policy, if elected president.

In his opening statement, Jokowi said that he would make the protection of Indonesian citizens abroad and the protection of the country's natural resources priorities.

Prabowo, meanwhile, spoke in platitudes with emphasis on prosperity as the key to improving the country's standing on the international map.

In an apparent move to win the hearts of Muslim voters, many of whom believed in but abandoned him following a smear campaign questioning his faith, Jokowi said that he would support an independent Palestinian state. "We will support the independence of Palestine and its membership of the United Nations," Jokowi said in his opening statement.

Jokowi also said his administration would promote dialogue and restrain from using military power even in international conflicts. "Border conflicts should be resolved through intense diplomacy. I believe if we could send our best diplomats to handle it, it would be easily resolved," Jokowi said.

Jokowi, however, said his administration could go the extra mile if foreign countries infringed on the country's sovereignty. "But if it's a serious violation, don't think that I can't be firm. If it warrants not being taken lightly then I will seriously cause a rumble. Being firm means having the courage to make a decision and accept the risk," Jokowi said, delivering a blow to Prabowo's crafted image as being a firm and resolute leader.

Prabowo, meanwhile, consistent with his nationalistic view on the economy, said that he would protect the country's natural resources against being plundered by foreign powers and use them to improve the people's welfare.

"Foreign policy is nothing if we are weak internally in terms of economy. One thing that I have repeatedly said is how to secure our national security and our national wealth. This is a fundamental to have in order to have a strong bargaining position on the global stage," Prabowo said.

Prabowo appeared to tone down his nationalistic rhetoric by pledging that he would not take drastic measures and would continue many of outgoing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's foreign policies, if elected president. Just like Jokowi, Prabowo said that he would promote dialogue as a tool to solve any dispute with regional neighbors as part of his "good neighbor policy".

On another regional issue, the country's rocky relationship with Australia, the two candidates approached the problem differently. While Prabowo said that the roller-coaster of Indonesia-Australia relations resulted from the latter's phobia toward its northerly neighbor, Jokowi attributed the problem to a lack of trust.

"The wiretapping incident reflects that it is a matter of trust. If we continue to build on G2G [government to government], B2B [business to business] and P2P [people to people] relations, we could reduce conflict," said Jokowi, adding that cultural diplomacy and education cooperation could work further to reduce tension.

Prabowo also used the issue of foreign policy to attack PDI-P chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri, when she served as president between 2001 and 2004 for her decision to divest valuable state assets, including state telecommunication firm PT Indosat. "Indosat was sold during the administration of Ibu Mega, yet we know it has strategic value. What do you think of this?" Prabowo asked.

Jokowi defended Megawati, saying that she made the decision when the government was cash-strapped. "Let's not talk about the past but focus on the future. If necessary, we have the buy-back option," Jokowi said.

Foreign affairs analyst Wiryono Sastrohandoyo said the two candidates attempted to be nationalistic in their views to woo voters, which could scare off foreign investors. "Bringing up this nationalistic sentiment will create fear among foreign investors," he said.

Key excerpts from the third debate

Prabowo Subianto

The foundation for our foreign affairs and defense is the prosperity of the nation. Foreign affairs will mean nothing if domestically we are weak. If we are poor, then we will not be highly regarded by other nations. Domestic conditions reflect the strength of our foreign policy. Indonesia should secure its national resources as too many of them are flowing overseas. We should improve our domestic economic strength. Indonesia does not want to have enemies; 1,000 friends are not enough but just one enemy is too many.

Resolving disputes with neighboring states. The government's core national interest is to protect the integrity of our nation. If that interest is disrupted by others, we must defend it. If there is a dispute, we need to resort to dialogue. We need to build friendships with other nations. We will impose a "good neighbor" policy, promote tolerance and forge mutual understanding.

Migrant worker protection. To prevent unskilled workers from going overseas, we need to improve education. Such an improvement will need money and that can only be provided if the economy is strong.

On SBY's foreign policy. The policy is on track and we see no need to change it.

Greatest foreign threat. There are certain countries that will try to claim our territory. We must be prepared.

Greatest domestic threat. Poverty has weakened the strength of our nation.

On the purchase of the Leopard main battle tanks (MTBs). The MTB is suitable for our terrain, and we need them.

Relations with Australia. Honestly, the problem does not lie within Indonesia. The problem is on the Australian side. Australia has a phobia about us, as it sees that in the past, we conducted several military operations. We have to convince our friends in Australia that we are a good neighbor. We are not a threat to Australia.

Joko "Jokowi" Widodo

The foundation of our foreign policy is to be "free and active". This would be carried out with four strategies: Protect migrant workers; protect natural and maritime resources; improve productivity and competitiveness; and participate in improving regional and global security. Around 80 percent of our ambassadors' time should be spent on marketing our products. The world's geopolitics has shifted from the West to the East. This has created a greater chance for Indonesia to play a significant role.

Palestinian issue. We will support the independence of Palestine and its membership within the United Nations.

Defense policies. Improve the welfare of military personnel; modernize military equipment; modernize the defense industry; and aim to win battles on sea and land. Economic growth of more than 7 percent will allow for greater defense spending. There is a need for a military draft.

Maritime safeguards. We would deploy drones to detect stolen resources, and prepare for future battles using these devices. Drone command centers could be established in Jakarta, Kalimantan and Sulawesi.

Resolving disputes with neighboring states. Border conflicts should be resolved through intense diplomacy. I believe if we send our best diplomats to handle such cases, they can be speedily resolved.

Migrant worker protection. Before their placements, migrant workers should receive training and undergo a strict selection process. Our embassies should actively collect complete data on our migrant workers and closely monitor their situations. We should not send our migrant workers to countries that do not have a migrant treaty with Indonesia.

On World Trade Organization (WTO) issues. There are pros and cons to joining the WTO. If we do not join, then our goods may be subjected to barriers. We need to improve our productivity and competitiveness in order to compete against imported products. The problem is not with the WTO, but with our lack of competitiveness.

On the sale of PT Indosat (formerly a state company) to a foreign entity. The Indosat sale was a direct result of the 1998 financial crisis, when the government needed money. There was a clause in the sale agreement that would allow us to buy back Indosat, and in the future we should do that.

South China Sea. This issue involves other countries. We should be careful about getting involved in that as we do not want to ignite the wrath of other countries, particularly China. But we would always be ready to contribute to a peaceful resolution. If our help is not needed, we should not force a contribution on others.

Relations with Australia. There is an issue of trust between us, which has been ignited by the wiretapping incident. There should be more interaction between people. Diplomacy through education and culture should be prioritized. Australia also seems to regard us as a weak country; this is something that should not be taken lightly.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/06/23/jokowi-wins-prabowo-s-turf.html

Surveys & opinion polls

Jokowi holds on to lead ahead of Indonesia presidential vote: poll

Reuters - June 27, 2014

Jakarta – Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is holding on to his strong lead in the race to become Indonesia's next president though it is narrowing ahead of the July 9 vote, a new opinion poll showed on Friday.

Analysts say Jokowi has been hit by an aggressive negative campaign by supporters of ex-general Prabowo Subianto, his only rival. The possibility of a win by the heavily nationalist Prabowo has unnerved investors and weighed on an already weakening rupiah, which is now around 4-month lows against the dollar.

The state-funded Indonesian Institute of Sciences survey of 790 voters between June 5-24, found 43 percent support for Jokowi, 34 percent for Prabowo. But illustrating how much is still to play for, it said 23 percent of voters have yet to make up their mind.

Jokowi's own campaign team says it is making a push in two or three major provinces which it believes could swing either way. In particular, it sees Jokowi as vulnerable in the biggest province of West Java where conservative Muslim parties have strong influence and which are backing Prabowo.

Indonesia is home to the world's biggest Muslim population. The political party linked to the country's biggest Islamic group supports Jokowi, but three other Muslim-based parties are on the side of Prabowo.

The latest poll supports most other recent polls showing Jokowi ahead, but with the size of his lead narrowing. Most also show a sizeable percentage of undecided voters.

At stake is leadership of Southeast Asia's biggest economy whose rapid growth has begun to moderate in the face of declining prices for many of its major commodity exports.

The outgoing government has been criticised for failing to do enough to promote manufactured exports and make the economy less vulnerable to cyclical commodity prices or to cut into a huge fuel subsidy bill.

The cost of subsidising fast growing demand for fuel means that whoever does become president will have little room in the budget to implement many of their proposed policies. However, both candidates have pledged to cut back on the subsidies.

[Reporting by Kanupriya Kapoor and Fransiska Nangoy, Writing by Jonathan Thatcher.]

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/jokowi-remains-frontrunner-indonesias-presidential-race-poll-022722202.html

Survey shows voters satisfied with KPU performance

Jakarta Post - June 26, 2014

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Despite logistical problems and reported cases of vote manipulation, voters consider the General Elections Commission (KPU) to have done a good job in organizing the 2014 legislative election.

A survey conducted by Washington-based International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) and the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) found that the majority of respondents were satisfied with the election body's performance and the quality of the election.

The survey found that 74 percent of respondents were satisfied with the KPU's efforts in ensuring a free and fair election. It also found that 82 percent of the respondents were either satisfied or very satisfied with how the election went.

"The majority of Indonesian people have a positive evaluation on the process of the general election on April 9," IFES said in a statement made available to The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. From this figure, 9 percent said they were very satisfied with the election, while 73 percent said they were somewhat satisfied.

"Eighty-eight percent of them also said that the legislative election was well organized, while 80 percent deemed the election to be honest and fair," the survey report said.

The margin of error of the survey, in which 2,009 people in 33 provinces were interviewed from June 1 to 10, is 2.3 percent.

The survey also found that 67 percent were satisfied with the KPU's efforts not be influenced by political pressure and to stay independent. However, 26 percent of the respondents were convinced that the election's final result had been manipulated in one way or another.

"The concerns of vote manipulation could become a blemish, which in turn would decrease public trust in the election organizers," the report said. "So whether they want to or not, the attempt to decrease election fraud should be the KPU's main focus for the next elections."

In spite of the opinion that the quality of elections was improving, 34 percent believed that vote-buying was more rampant this year than in the 2009 election. Only 10 percent of the respondents thought otherwise, the survey found.

Other findings included that 15 percent claimed they had been offered money in exchange for their vote while other 5 percent said that they knew someone who had been offered money.

Twenty-nine percent of respondents also claimed that many legislative candidates helped local people by building public facilities as well as funding public events. Forty-four percent of this figure said they voted for certain respondents as a result of such persuasion.

"These things show that these kinds of activities can affect the election's results significantly," the report said.

In response to the survey, KPU commissioner Hadar Nafis Gumay said the findings were vindication of the election body for its hard work.

"All this time, many people said that this year's election was the most 'brutal' and most disorganized. It turns out that the survey shows a different judgement," he told the Post.

Hadar also said that the survey would motivate the KPU to work hard for the July 9 presidential election. The survey showed that 94 percent of the respondents said they would vote in the presidential poll.

"I hope that they will show up and we will have a higher level of participation than in the legislative election," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/06/26/survey-shows-voters-satisfied-with-kpu-performance.html

Polls paint tight finish as Prabowo surges

Jakarta Globe - June 25, 2014

Josua Gantan, Jakarta – New polls suggest presidential candidate Joko Widodo's initial lead over Prabowo Subianto has narrowed, or possibly even disappeared, with some pollsters choosing to keep results confidential, apparently to avoid affecting impressionable voters.

Dodi Ambardi from the Indonesia Survey Institute (LSI) told the Jakarta Globe that according to an LSI survey conducted from June 1 to 10, Joko was at that time still in the lead with 42 percent, followed by Prabowo at 39 percent. The survey results have a margin of error of 2.2 percent, with 2009 respondents across the country.

That means the LSI survey's margin of error is almost as large as Joko's ostensible 3 percent lead over Prabowo in terms of respective electability. By contrast, just six months ago, most pollsters including the LSI reported that the margin between Joko and Prabowo, on average, hovered at about 20 percent.

Meanwhile, two of Indonesia's most reliable pollsters have refused to publicize their latest survey data.

Saiful Mujani Research & Consulting (SMRC) was the first to refuse to disclose its most recent results. "[The survey] is only for internal purposes, not for publication," Djayadi Hanan, research director of SMRC told the Globe.

When pushed to reveal the general trend from his most recent poll, Djayadi only replied, "It's getting closer and closer." "If you look at the developments of the available data from credible pollsters, the battle is getting fiercer," he added.

Chilling results

Pundits speculated that the SMRC refused to publicize its latest data for fear that it might negatively affect Joko's electability.

Similarly, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) – another pollster that is generally considered reliable – refused to release its most recent survey data. The suspicion is that the reasons for keeping the results secret are the same as for the SMRC.

Rizal Sukma, CSIS's executive director has a close relationship with Joko and serves as the candidate's foreign policy adviser, preparing Joko for the presidential debates organized by the General Elections Commission (KPU).

Joko's running mate, former vice president Jusuf Kalla, said on Wednesday that Indonesian voters were easily influenced by poll results. They are prone to voting for winners – those who are shown to be already in the lead by poll results.

"Psychologically, survey [results] can influence people. People will potentially follow the winner," Kalla said.

He added, however, that both he and Joko would not allow their spirits to be dented by poll results. "Regardless of that, we will continue to work hard. We are not dependent on surveys," he said.

Dubious surveys

Not all survey outfits in Indonesia are considered unbiased and reliable, says Andrinof Chaniago, a political analyst from the University of Indonesia.

"I was the chairman of the association of Indonesia's public opinion survey firms [Persepsi], so I know which ones [pollsters] can be trusted, and which ones not to trust," Andrinof told the Globe.

"It would be right to conclude that the trend shows that there is a slight decrease for Joko and there a slight increase for Prabowo," he added.

"A 5 percent difference is sensible. Look at the aggressive steps that have been taken by Prabowo's team." He said, however, that he believed Joko was still ahead.

"My estimate is that Joko is still leading by a margin of 6 percent to 8 percent. That's based on data that I have from pollsters that I can trust," he said. He said that Prabowo's true popularity was probably about 42 percent at the most, while Joko's was 48 percent at the least.

Andrinof further predicted that the margin would not change much before July 9, when some 190 million Indonesians are registered to cast their votes. He predicted that the final results would be 53 percent for Joko and 47 percent for Prabowo, with the margin of difference at 5 to 6 percent.

Strongman figure

Prabowo's success in branding himself as a firm leader, and the solid political machine in the form of establishment political parties backing him up are considered the twin reasons behind Prabowo's ability to close the gap on Joko.

Aleksius Jemadu, a political analyst from Pelita Harapan University, attributed Prabowo's growing popularity to his campaign team's aggressive moves. "His message is quite effective, a firm, nationalist leader who wants to improve Indonesia's dignity," Aleksius said.

Indonesians long for firm leaders, Aleksius said, while noting that the general public presently perceived the current president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, as prone to vacillation. Hence it is only to expected that many prefer a figure that exudes a stronger character in the coming election, he said. "Prabowo fulfills the public longing for a firm leader, and that affects voters," Aleksius said.

Prabowo has successfully branded himself as a firm and brave leader, an ex-military general who will not hesitate to make difficult choices. "Meanwhile, that image does not exist for Joko. He is more of a humble leader," Aleksius said.

Further, Prabowo has the backing of some the most solid political parties in Indonesia. The Golkar Party, which has never been in the opposition since its founding as former dictator Suharto's political vehicle, has thrown its considerable regional network behind the ex-general.

The relatively new political Islamist vehicle the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) is another of the several key parties supporting Prabowo's presidential bid.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/polls-paint-tight-finish-prabowo-surges/

Environment & natural disasters

Greenpeace criticizes SBY over 'trashing' of Indonesia's rainforests

Jakarta Globe - June 30, 2014

Harry Pearl, Jakarta – Greenpeace has described a recent study that shows Indonesia has the highest rate of deforestation in the world as "an urgent wake up call" and has called on the country's next president to recognize "development does not mean destroying forests."

Yuyun Indradi, a forest campaigner at Greenpeace Southeast Asia, made the comments following a report published in science journal "Nature Climate Change" on Sunday, which said Indonesia had surpassed Brazil when it came to annual loss of tropical forests.

Of more concern, the article said deforestation was increasing despite President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono implementing a moratorium on logging in 2011 that aimed to protect wildlife and combat climate change.

"Forest destruction is driving Indonesia's greenhouse gas emissions, pushing animals like the Sumatran tiger to the edge of extinction, and creating the conditions for Southeast Asia's devastating forest fires and haze wave," Yuyun said.

The article in "Nature Climate Change" said that in 2012 Indonesia lost 840,000 hectares of forest compared to 460,000 hectares in Brazil. It also said Indonesia's primary forest loss was 6 million hectares between 2000 and 2012 and it increased on average by 47,600 hectares per year over the period.

Yuyun said it was clear that Indonesia's forest moratorium had not worked. "Law enforcement is weak and even the country's national parks are being logged – but now is a critical time for action," he said.

Indonesia's two presidential candidates Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto will discuss food, energy and environment in the final presidential debate on Sunday.

Yuyun said whoever was elected on July 9 had to recognize that "development does not mean destroying forests, but creating responsible land use practices." "This means strengthening the forest moratorium to protect all forests and all peatlands, and respecting the rights of local communities," he said.

Greenpeace also called on corporations working in Indonesia to play their part to halt deforestation. "Industrial plantation companies are trashing Indonesia's forests for commodities like palm oil and pulp paper which go into products on supermarkets around the world," Yuyun said. "The scale of the problem demands action from government and corporations."

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/greenpeace-criticizes-sby-trashing-indonesias-rainforests/

World's worst illegal logging in Indonesia

Sydney Morning Herald - June 29, 2014

Michael Bachelard – Indonesia is destroying its tropical rainforests faster than Brazil, and the rate is soaring despite a five-year moratorium on new clearing.

Exhaustive new figures show Indonesia is probably the single largest deforester in the world, and that most destruction is happening in lowland and peat forests in Sumatra and Kalimantan, the only habitat in the world where tigers, orangutan, elephants and rhinoceroses live together.

The University of Maryland study, derived from satellite data and published in Nature, gives the lie to official Indonesian figures that claim the rate of deforestation has slowed under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's national forest moratorium, imposed in 2009.

Researcher Belinda Arunarwati Margono said between 2000 and 2012, Indonesia lost 6.02 million hectares of primary forest, and the rate of loss was accelerating. Indonesia overtook Brazil – which is four times the size – in 2011 and the highest rate of clearance, 840,000 hectares, was measured in the final year of the study, 2012.

Ms Margono, who works for the Indonesian forestry ministry but is on secondment to the University of Maryland, has collected raw data showing the rate to 2014, but that is not yet ready to release and she would not speculate on whether it showed a continuing upward trend. Until now it has been virtually impossible to get accurate, up-to-date figures.

The study shows that 40 per cent of the clearing was happening illegally, "in limited production, conservation and protection forests". "Sumatra is more advanced in the rate of clearing, Kalimantan is behind that, and Papua far behind," Ms Margono said. "But if there is no action, probably, some day Kalimantan or even Papua will have the same fate as Sumatra."

Indonesian forests contain 10 per cent of all the world's plants, 12 per cent of its mammals, 16 per cent of reptiles and 17 per cent of bird species.

Deforestation and forest degradation, particularly in peatlands, drives greenhouse gas emissions. According to the World Bank, Indonesia's rate of destruction makes it the third largest emitter in the world after China and the US.

As he introduced his logging moratorium in 2009, Dr Yudhoyono promised to cut emissions by 26 per cent from business-as-usual by 2020, or 41 per cent with global assistance. The Norwegian government pledged $1 billion, and the Indonesian agency charged with reducing deforestation has recently said it needs $5 billion in global funds.

However, this study suggests the moratorium and its associated climate policy has failed. Population increases in Indonesia and the global demand for logs, pulp for paper and palm oil, is driving an unprecedented rate of forest clearance – much of it illegal. It's facilitated by corruption in national and local governments in Indonesia and little or no attempt at law enforcement.

"Large wetland clearings are probably not caused by small holders, but by agro-industrial land developers," the study concludes.

As lowland forest runs out, particularly in Sumatra, companies are moving on to drain and clear carbon-rich peatlands. This releases into the atmosphere carbon dioxide that has been stored for thousands of years.

The rate of clearing is also increasing in mountainous areas as easily accessible lowland forest runs out. The study shows that 98 per cent of total forest losses were in "primary degraded forest", which has been affected by human activity.

Ms Margono said that, typically, local populations or commercial operators move illegally into a primary forest and selectively log, floating trees down waterways to sell. The forest is degraded, but still stores significant carbon and biodiversity. But it is then cleared for plantations to supply pulp and paper mills, or simply burned to open up land for legal and illegal palm oil plantations.

A senior adviser with the Nature Conservancy, Wahjudi Wardojo, said the figures would allow new policy to be built. "To some extent, we in Indonesia fail to account for natural values; we don't account in a good way for natural infrastructure, or realise that even degraded natural forest is high value," Mr Wardojo said.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/victoria/worlds-worst-illegal-logging-in-indonesia-20140629-zsq5j.html

Indonesia fires spark Singapore, Malaysia haze warning

Agence France Presse - June 25, 2014

Jakarta – Indonesia's disaster agency warned Wednesday that haze could return to neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia after a huge jump in forest fires in a province at the centre of a smog crisis last year.

Fires in Riau province, on western Sumatra island, caused the worst outbreak of haze in Southeast Asia for more than a decade in June last year, affecting daily life for millions and sparking a heated diplomatic row.

June is the start of the forest fire season – when slash-and-burn techniques are used to clear land quickly and cheaply, often for palm oil plantations – and disaster officials said the number of blazes in Riau was rising quickly.

A total of 366 "hotspots" – either forest fires or areas likely to soon go up in flames – had been detected in the province on Wednesday, up from 97 the previous day, according to disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

"We must be on alert as the wind is travelling east-northeast. The likelihood of the smog reaching Singapore and Malaysia is getting higher," Nugroho said.

Experts have said that an expected El Nino weather phenomenon later this year is likely to fan the forest fires as conditions become drier than usual.

El Nino drags precipitation across the Pacific Ocean, leaving countries including Indonesia drier and parts of the Americas wetter.

However the latest outbreak of forest fires was yet to have any serious impact on daily life in Sumatra, and the skies over Singapore were still free of haze.

Authorities said that most of the forest fires last year were deliberately lit to clear land. Slash-and-burn is a traditional farming technique, but environmental groups also accuse big companies of using the method. According to the Washington-based World Resources Institute, a large number of the fires detected recently have been within the concessions of paper and palm oil companies and their suppliers.

It found 75 hotspots in the concessions of suppliers to Asia Pulp & Paper between June 17 and June 23, and 43 hotspots in zones of suppliers to Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL) in the same period, using data from satellite mapping tools.

APRIL said it had agreed to support the fire-fighting effort, lending its water pumps and a company helicopter. APP did not immediately comment.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/06/25/indonesia-fires-spark-singapore-malaysia-haze-warning.html

Presidential candidates fail to mention climate issues

Jakarta Post - June 24, 2014

Fikri Zaki Muhammadi, Denpasar – Environmentalists lamented that neither of the presidential candidates contesting the July 9 election had mentioned plans to manage the issue of climate change if elected to lead the country for the next five years.

National Council on Climate Change (DNPI) secretary Agus Purnomo said that the presidential candidates had shown almost no commitment to reducing the country's greenhouse gas emissions, which had been on the government's agenda since 2009.

"But indeed there is still time for them to reveal their plans on the issue on July 5 [the last pre-election debate]," Agus said on Sunday.

During the 2009 G-20 meeting in Pittsburgh, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono pledged his commitment to reduce greenhouse emissions with government funds by 26 percent by 2020 – equivalent to around 767 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) – or up to 41 percent with foreign aid.

Greenhouse gas concentration in an area should not exceed 450 parts per million (ppm) in order to maintain the temperature of the earth. However, in Bali, the level has reached around 427 ppm, although the Bali Environment Agency (BLH) said that the island's air condition was still considered good.

The level did drop to 375 ppm during the 2013 Balinese Hindu Day of Silence, Nyepi, as no activities were conducted for 24 hours, but the overall level of greenhouse gas emissions on the island was still high on normal days.

Therefore, Agus expected that both candidates would show their clear commitment toward continuing the existing government's plans on the issue during the last two debates, scheduled for June 29 (for vice presidential candidates) and July 5 (for both pairs).

According to him, there were still many groups of voters that had yet to decide their preference in the presidential election and expected candidates to present their views on the issue beforehand. Thus, a clear sign of commitment on environmental issue would help attract these swing voters, he said.

"There are groups that are confused which candidate they will choose. I believe a clear sign of attention to the environment may make them decide," he said.

Two pairs, Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa and Joko "Jokowi" Widodo-Jusuf Kalla, will vie for the country's top posts on July 9.

Meanwhile, manager for Indonesia Climate Change Center (ICCC), Farhan Helmi, said his side – along with the DNPI and several environmental NGOs – would hold a survey to ask the public what was needed for a candidate to show commitment to environmental issues.

Through the survey, Farhan hoped that the candidates would state their plans during the next televised debates to let the public know and to make sure that the environmental programs would be implemented.

In addition, Farhan said he would collaborate with environmentalists to gather public opinion related to the issue and present it in advertisements to help create awareness among the public.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/06/24/presidential-candidates-fail-mention-climate-issues.html

Health & education

Indonesia's school system faulted for Dhani's Nazi stunt

Jakarta Globe - June 28, 2014

Vita A.D. Busyra, Jakarta – When pop singer Ahmad Dhani ponced around as Heinrich Himmler, the Nazi war criminal and mass murderer, in a music video for presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto last week, it prompted an international outcry.

The incident, coming on the heels of the reopening of a Nazi-themed restaurant in Bandung, has also raised questions about why Indonesians in general seem so inured to symbols and imagery that elsewhere in the world would be tantamount to hate speech and liable to criminal charges.

The problem, says Bonnie Triyana, the founder and chief editor of the history magazine Historia, is that few Indonesians know about the Holocaust, and those who do more often than not will tend to deny that it happened.

European World War II history is not taught in schools here, and Holocaust denial is not a crime as it is in some European countries. "In Indonesia, such regulations doesn't exist," Bonnie told the Jakarta Globe on Friday.

"But if everyone [in Indonesia] was equally educated, they would be able to put social pressure and sanctions on people like Dhani, to make it clear that stunts like wearing Nazi costumes whether to cause offense or just for fun are a bad idea."

He said it was lack of education more than anything else that accounted for the lack of sympathy among Indonesians for victims of the Nazis' atrocities. "Those people are ignorant. If [Dhani] truly understood history, he would never have worn the SS jacket in the first place," Bonnie said.

Asvi Warman Adam, a researcher at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), called Dhani "a product of an education system" that failed to inculcate Indonesian youths in the horrors of fascism.

"Fascism occurs when one group thinks that his side is more advanced, in terms of power, intelligence, rightness," he said. "That's just not right."

Dhani's stunt has been widely reported on in the international media, with Time headlining it as "one of the worst pieces of political campaigning ever."

The singer, who previously claimed to be part Jewish, says he sees nothing wrong with the video, and has instead lashed out at the "stupid" international media for trying to stifle his "creativity."

"Fake foreign journalists need to be taught about the freedom of art... if I want to dress up as a pocong or kuntilanak [Indonesian ghosts]... I have the right," he tweeted on Friday.

"I deeply regret the international media articles about me," Dhani told the Globe later in the day. "They throw sh@t at me – then they hide their hands. None of them tried to contact me. I want to reiterate to the foreign [media] that I don't care about their opinion on what I wear," he added.

His statements on Friday were a complete flip-flop from earlier in the week, when he apologized for dressing up as Himmler.

"I will never wear it again. I've learned my lesson," Dhani told a Globe journalist in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta, on Wednesday. "This was purely about fashion and was not related to ideology – the Western media knows I am a real pluralist."

Bonnie said the whole sorry episode highlighted the need to overhaul the national education curriculum to give students a better grounding in history.

"Forget about European history being left out of the school curriculum – we were never properly taught Indonesian history at school, so we easily forgot what we learned," he said. "It's no wonder, then, that human rights issues in this country are neglected or cast aside."

The furor over Dhani's video has drawn even more scrutiny to the rights record of Prabowo, a former military general who has for years had to fend off widespread allegations of gross rights abuses against civilians in East Timor and pro-democracy activists in Jakarta.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/indonesias-school-system-faulted-dhanis-nazi-stunt/

No excuse for tobacco industry not to comply with pictorial health warnings

Jakarta Post - June 25, 2014

Jakarta – The Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA), a regional network of anti-tobacco advocates, says it fully supports the Indonesian public health community in its fight against the health impact of tobacco use and is calling on the tobacco industry to comply with pictorial health warning regulations in the country.

"The Indonesian tobacco industry has no excuse but to be 100 percent compliant with the government's regulations. Anything less than 100 percent compliance is breaking the law," SEATCA senior policy advisor Mary Assunta said in a release made available to The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

She urged the government to step up enforcement to ensure the law was fully implemented. The authorities must send a firm, clear message that Indonesia is very serious about law enforcement and protecting the welfare of its people, particularly children.

Studies show that pictorial health warnings are more effective than text- based warnings in reducing tobacco use, particularly in preventing children from starting this lethal habit.

According to official data, 10,800 children between the ages of 10 and 14 have started smoking in Indonesia. Every year, 3.9 million new smokers are added to the current 65 million in the country.

"The tobacco industry in Indonesia has the longest implementation time in Asia – 18 months. During the time, 285,000 people died of tobacco-related diseases in the country," said Assunta.

"June 24 is the deadline and the industry must be compliant, but it looks like it has no respect for the law or the Indonesian people," she added.

In other ASEAN member countries, pictorial warnings have been introduced in a much shorter time frame, namely six months in Brunei and Singapore and one year in Malaysia and Vietnam.

"Tobacco companies in Indonesia have been exporting cigarette packs with pictorial warnings to Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore over the past 10 years; so, they have no excuse at all," said Assunta. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/06/25/no-excuse-tobacco-industry-not-comply-with-pictorial-health-warnings-says-activists.

Big tobacco ignores Indonesia health warning law

Associated Press - June 25, 2014

Margie Mason, Jakarta – Tobacco companies on Tuesday largely ignored an Indonesian deadline to put graphic health warnings on all cigarette packs, another setback for anti-smoking efforts in a country that's home to the world's highest rate of male smokers and a wild, wild west of advertising.

Despite having a year and a half to prepare warning photos that are to cover 40 percent of cigarette packs, most tobacco companies failed to meet Tuesday's deadline, according to the National Commission for Child Protection. It found little sign of change in brands being sold in Jakarta and 11 other cities across the sprawling archipelago.

"This clearly indicates that the cigarette industry has defied Indonesian law," said commission chair Arist Merdeka Sirait. "The government has been defeated by the cigarette industry."

Only 409 of the more than 3,300 brands owned by 672 companies nationwide had registered the photos they plan to use on their products as of Monday, according to the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency. They were given a choice of five images last June.

Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi said companies that missed the deadline will be issued warnings, and those that fail to comply could eventually be fined up to US$42,000 and face five years in prison.

Indonesia's biggest cigarette producer, Philip Morris-owned Sampoerna, said it began distributing products with the new warnings on Monday, but needed more time to clear out existing stock. But the law states that the labels must be displayed on shelves by Tuesday.

"We believe the government will implement the regulation consistently and fairly, so as to realize a climate of healthy competition among cigarette manufacturers, as well as providing clear information about the impact of smoking on health," Sampoerna spokesman Tommy Hersyaputera said.

Indonesia has a long history of delaying tobacco regulations – the graphic warnings are part of health regulations that passed five years ago – and it is one of the few countries that has not joined a World Health Organization tobacco treaty. The order has taken years to reach President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's desk, and he still has not signed it. He will leave office in October after elections next month.

Tobacco control is particularly contentious in Indonesia, the world's fifth-largest cigarette producer and a growth market for the industry. Farmers hold rowdy protests when restrictions are proposed, and lobbyists maintain tight connections with politicians in a government rife with graft.

Many forms of tobacco advertising long banned in the West remain ubiquitous here. Towering billboards and LED screens scream messages such as, "Marlboro Ice Blast... crush it, unleash it." At the main international airport, a bright blue advertisement for Clas mild cigarettes urges, "Act Now! Talk less do more." Tobacco commercials are still on television, and companies continue to sponsor sports and entertainment events.

Tobacco-related illnesses kill at least 200,000 each year in the country, which has a population of around 240 million. A national survey in 2012 found that 67 percent of all males over age 15 smoke – the world's highest rate – while 35 percent of the total population lights up, surpassed only by Russia.

Most Indonesian men buy strong and pungent kreteks, filled with a mix of tobacco and cloves. But so-called white cigarettes, such as US-based Philip Morris International's Marlboro, have become more popular in recent years. All brands are cheap, selling for about $1 a pack, making it easy for children to take up the habit.

Source: http://www.irrawaddy.org/asia/big-tobacco-ignores-indonesia-health-warning-law.html

Sex workers & prostitution

Indonesia prostitutes resist red-light shutdown

Associated Press - June 24, 2014

Dita Alangkara, Surabaya, Indonesia – The mayor of Indonesia's second- largest city has officially shut down "Dolly," one of Southeast Asia's biggest red-light districts, but the world's oldest profession is still working despite warnings to stop.

Dolly – believed to have been named years ago after a colonial Dutch madam – was supposed to have closed June 18, but on the main drag, young women in skin-tight miniskirts and heels continue to lure guests into rooms lit only by faint red and pink lights.

Pimps made no attempt to hide as they stood outside, greeting potential customers. When a sex worker in a karaoke parlor spotted journalists walking past, she ran out with a raised fist and shouted, "Dolly will stay open!"

Surabaya's reformist mayor Tri Rismaharini has vowed to shutter the area, and the government is offering $425 to each of the estimated 1,500 sex workers to help them get out of the business.

Rismaharini plans to ease the women out of the work, and gave them until Monday to collect the money. She has not attempted to use force but said she wants the entire complex closed down by the end of the holy month of Ramadan in late July.

But the sex workers, pimps and local business owners have taken to the streets in protest, saying the city is offering too little compensation for yanking them away from their livelihoods.

"The government just doesn't care about us," said Suyatmi, 43, a prostitute who uses one name like many Indonesians. "We need a more permanent solution. They can't just solve the prostitution problem by handing out money to prostitutes."

Prostitution rings operate openly in all major Indonesian cities despite opposition from Islamic conservatives, some of whom want to replace the country's secular system with one bound by Islamic law. Most of Indonesia's 246 million people are Muslims.

Rismaharini, the first female mayor of Surabaya, has pledged to shut down all brothels in the city.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/indonesia-prostitutes-resist-red-light-shutdown-052531940.html

Graft & corruption

Court goes easy on bribery convict Wawan

Jakarta Post - June 24, 2014

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – The Jakarta Corruption Court handed down a lenient five-year prison sentence on Monday to Tubagus Chaeri "Wawan" Wardana, the politically wired Banten businessman who is the younger brother of suspended Banten Governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah.

Wawan was found guilty of having bribed disgraced ex-Constitutional Court chief justice Akil Mochtar. The sentence was half of the 10-year prison term sought by Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors.

In the same hearing, the Jakarta Corruption Court also sentenced lawyer Susi Tur Andayani to five years in prison for serving as a go-between who helped Wawan pay a Rp 1 billion (US$83.386) bribe to Akil in return for a favorable ruling in the Lebak regency election dispute being heard by the Constitutional Court. The KPK prosecutors had sought a seven-year prison term for Susi.

In what came as a surprise to many observers, the panel of judges deemed Susi the most important actor in the bribery case, and considered Wawan only a minor player.

"Both defendants committed criminal corruption in the Lebak election case. If we look at their roles, Susi was more active than Wawan in the case. Susi actively contacted Akil to talk about the bribery scheme," read judge Matheus Samiadji from the verdict at the court on Monday.

Matheus also said that Susi had asked Wawan to provide the Rp 1 billion for Akil to help Amir Hamzah and Kasmin, regent and deputy regent candidates respectively in the Lebak regency election who challenged the victory of winning ticket Iti Octavia Jayabaya and Ade Sumardi at the Constitutional Court.

The panel of judges also argued that Wawan could see his prison term increase due to other graft cases currently being handled by the KPK.

"The defendant still has other graft and money laundering cases being handled by the KPK," Matheus said, referring to cases centering on the graft-ridden procurement of medical equipment in Banten and South Tangerang, where Wawan's wife Airin Rachmi Diany serves as the mayor.

Wawan faces a maximum sentence of 20 years behind bars for graft and money laundering in those cases.

On Monday, the judges also found Wawan guilty of playing a role in giving Akil Rp 7.5 billion to guarantee the victory of his sister Atut in the 2011 Banten gubernatorial election, which was being challenged at the Constitutional Court.

Despite the lenient sentence, Wawan said he was considering filing an appeal. "I will use the time given to think about the verdict and discuss a plan with my family and my team of lawyers," Wawan told reporters after the sentencing.

Separately, KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto said that it was highly likely the antigraft body would file an appeal challenging the light sentence. "We will make a decision within the next seven days," Bambang told a press conference at the KPK headquarters on Monday.

Bambang also said the KPK would appeal Susi's sentence, as the court sentenced her for paying out bribes but not for receiving them, as the KPK prosecutors charged she had done in their indictment.

"Although both the judges and the KPK agreed that Susi had committed a crime in the Lebak case, we will challenge the ruling so that it will be consistent with our indictment regarding her role in the case as a bribe taker working on behalf of Akil to collect money from regional heads, and not only as a bribe payer," Bambang said.

Monday's sentencing also saw two of the five judges voice their dissent regarding Susi's role in the case.

The dissenting judges said KPK prosecutors had made errors in using Article 12 of the 2001 Corruption Law on receiving bribes and demanded the panel of judges acquit Susi.

Due to the dissent, the panel of judges compromised by applying Article 6 of the 2001 Corruption Law on paying bribes to Susi, not Article 12 invoked by KPK prosecutors in their indictment.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/06/24/court-goes-easy-bribery-convict-wawan.html

Freedom of religion & worship

Yogyakarta police chief replaced after criticism mounts

Jakarta Post - June 28, 2014

Jakarta – The National Police replaced on Friday Yogyakarta Police chief Brig. Gen. Haka Astana Mantika Widya with Brig. Gen. Oerip Soebagyo, due to several violent incidents that threatened security in the city.

However, Yogyakarta Police spokeswoman Adj. Sr. Comr. Anny Pudjiastuti denied reports that the rise of violence in the city was the reason behind Haka's replacement, who had served as provincial police chief since April 8, 2013.

"Pak Haka was promoted by one rank. He was one of 17 senior police officers who were promoted and rotated," she said as quoted by tempo.co on Friday. Anny said the National Police routinely promoted and rotated senior officers to fill empty positions and to offer a chance to low-ranked officers to advance their careers.

A confidential telegram from the National Police headquarters issued on Tuesday referred to Haka's promotion to become an expert staff member to the National Police chief on management issues, replacing Insp. Gen. Jody Rooseto. Meanwhile, Oerip was previously the deputy chief of the South Sumatra Police.

Separately, Kusno Utomo, head of supervision and investigations for Jogja Police Watch, said the National Police had done the right thing by replacing Haka, who had been deemed incapable of resolving the recent cases of religious violence and crimes in Yogyakarta.

"We thank [National Police chief] Pak Sutarman for what he has done; our voices have been heard. We hope that the new Yogyakarta Police chief will be firmer and can solve the cases so that security can be enforced once again," he said.

Previously, National Police Commission (Kompolnas) member Syafriadi Cut Ali said the Yogyakarta Police had not yet introduced significant measures to prevent religious-based violence in the province, incidences of which have increased recently.

On May 31, a mob attacked a Catholic congregation in a house in Sleman regency. The house belongs to Julius Felicianus, director of the Galang Press publishing house and a campaign manager for presidential hopeful Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. The following day, the Islamic Jihad Front (FJI) and the Islamic People's Forum (FUI) stoned a Pentecostal church in Pangukan, Sleman, claiming the absence of a building permit. (gda)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/06/28/yogyakarta-police-chief-replaced-after-criticism-mounts.html

Ahmadiyah mosque sealed by Ciamis regency ahead of Ramadhan

Jakarta Post - June 27, 2014

Arya Dipa, Bandung – The Ciamis regency administration in West Java banned members of the Ahmadiyah community from undertaking religious activities at Nur Khilafat Mosque in Ciamis on Thursday morning, just a few days ahead of Ramadhan.

Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) officers placed white banners on the door to the mosque that stated it was closed. The banners also said the action was authorized by a local consultative forum (Muspida) and the Ciamis administration.

Regency officials said the ban was based on a joint ministerial decree signed by the religious affairs minister, the attorney general and the home minister and was aimed at the mosque's followers and members and/or Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation (JAI) board members.

The ban also mentioned West Java Gubernatorial Decree No. 12/2011 on the prohibition of JAI activities in West Java and a Ciamis gubernatorial circular dated March 18, 2011 that was issued based on the gubernatorial decree.

The officials ordered the Ciamis chapter of JAI to stop all religious activities that deviated from basic Islamic teachings at the mosque. If JAI failed to heed the warning, regency officials would impose sanctions in accordance with existing law.

Meanwhile, Ciamis JAI head Kamal Abdul Aziz expressed his objection against the ban. "Every closure must be accompanied by a report and a letter from the court. We believe the sealing carried out by regency officials is legally flawed and invalid," said Kamal in an email to The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

He added the Ciamis JAI committee would meet Ciamis Regent Iing Syam Arifin to question the ban. He said Ahmadiyah members would continue to pray in the mosque and ignore the closure.

"Indonesia is an independent country, so it should not bow to pressure from any group and the government must implement the Constitution, which guarantees the freedom to worship all faiths," said Kamal, referring to articles 28 and 29 of the 1945 Constitution.

JAI cleric Syaeful Uyun said the Ciamis JAI did not breach the joint ministerial decree and gubernatorial decree. "We are not spreading teachings. The joint ministerial decree does not ban worship," said Syaeful.

Previously on Monday, around 300 people from the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) held a rally at the regency office and demanded that the Ciamis regent close the mosque.

After holding a closed-door meeting with the rally's coordinators, the regent reportedly held a speech at his office, saying his administration would take concrete steps regarding the people's demand to ban JAI activities in Ciamis.

West Java provincial administration spokesman Rudi Gandakusumah said his office had yet to receive information regarding the closure of the mosque.

"I've not yet received the report, so I cannot comment. But based on existing regulations, I believe the ban was not arbitrarily imposed," he told the Post over the phone. Commenting on the West Java gubernatorial decree used as a legal basis to seal the mosque, Rudi said the regional decree was issued based on the joint ministerial decree.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/06/27/ahmadiyah-mosque-sealed-ciamis-regency-ahead-ramadhan.html

Land & agrarian conflicts

Ten injured in clash between farmers, police in land dispute near Jakarta

Jakarta Globe - June 27, 2014

Camelia Pasandaran, Jakarta – Ten people were injured on Wednesday in a clash between hundreds of farmers and thousands of police officers south of Jakarta over a land dispute between farmers and a company owned by property developer Agung Podomoro.

"Ten were seriously injured, one of them suffered an injury caused by a rubber bullet," Galih Andreanto, spokesman of the Consortium for Agrarian Reform, told the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday night.

Thousands of police officers came to Margamulya village in Tangerang on Tuesday morning to secure discussions of acquiring land from some 300 farmers by Sumber Air Mas Pratama (SAMP), which is owned by Agung Podomoro. When negotiations between farmers and Sumber Air's representatives failed, police used water cannon, tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the farmers who had been living there for years.

Galih said he did not understand why Karawang district court ordered a letter to execute the handover of the land because farmers were still in the process of filing a case to the Supreme Court for review. "The legal process is still ongoing," Galih said. "They should wait until there's a final and binding decision."

He said around 1,200 people – farmers and their family members – would have to find new houses and schools for their children. "The whole village will be evicted, including houses, schools and a mosque," Galih said. "Where will they live?"

Chief of Kawarang district court Marsudin Nainggolan was quoted as saying by Tempo.co that Sumber Air received rights to the land in 2007. "PT SAMP won the case from the district court to the Supreme Court," Marsuddin said, without discussing the review filed by the farmers.

Marsudin also said that they had informed the residents eight days before the scheduled handover. He said Sumber Air had agreed to give Rp 40 million ($3,300) to each resident, but some refused and expected a higher amount.

Galih said that the farmers held land certificates and copies of their tax payments as evidence of ownership.

House of Representatives Commission II – which oversees domestic governance, regional autonomy, state affairs and agrarian issues – plans to summon the National Land Agency (BPN) to explain the case.

"We will soon summon BPN to meet the House of Representatives Commission II to explain the status of the land which belongs to the residents – who are being evicted – and claimed by Sumber Air Mas Pratama, part of Agung Podomoro. A mere inch of soil owned by the residents should not be [illegally] taken over by the corporation," Khotibul Umam Wiranu, deputy chairman of Commission II said, as quoted by news portal JPNN.com on Thursday.

He wants the Judicial Commission to investigate whether any of the judges had received a bribe related to the ruling. He also condemned police officers who forced residents to leave their land, instead of mediating through dialogue.

"Police officers appeared as the defender of the corporation," Khatibul said. "We want the National Police chief Gen. Sutarman to check this case to ensure that police officers can be people's protectors."

About 30 million people reside in Jakarta and the city's surrounding areas. To meet growing demand for land and homes, property developers have been converting farm areas into residential projects.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/ten-injured-clash-farmers-police-land-dispute-south-jakarta/

Jakarta & urban life

Jakarta reform not perfect but hope abounds

Jakarta Post - June 23, 2014

Corry Elyda, Jakarta – During the 20 months of their tenure, acting Jakarta governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama and non-active governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo have made many breakthroughs in their bid to reform Jakarta's bureaucracy, considered by many to be inefficient and rife with corruption.

Almost two years after Ahok posted a YouTube video, in which he revealed alleged markups in the budget proposal of the Public Works Agency, reform has yet to turn the administration into a potential winner of a good governance award. However, hope exists, and the key to success, according to Ahok, is the right human resources who want to work with him for a better Jakarta.

Ahok said recently that he was far from satisfied with what he had achieved so far. "However, at least I can recognize who are good civil servants who want the city administration to change for the better," he said.

Ahok, who has been disappointed by many agency heads for their fraudulent actions and lackadaisical behavior, said he firmly believed that there were many good civil servants out there. "The problem is how to spot them," he said. He added that civil servants in Jakarta were smart. "Once they are prepared to sincerely help me, all problems can be handled well and quickly," he said.

He gave as an example Jakarta Education Agency head Lasro Marbun, who was appointed several months ago. "He found hundreds of items in the 2014 city budget that we did not need, so we could save at least Rp 1.2 trillion [US$101.52 million] from that agency alone," he said.

Ahok said the findings showed that there were many good people in the administration who had the same vision to make the administration better.

Lasro previously reported that Rp 700 billion was from double-listed items, while the remaining Rp 500 billion was from markups and inefficient spending.

During his and Jokowi's tenure, many breakthroughs have been made in revamping the bureaucracy. They include conducting open recruitment for positions related to public services to ensure that employees can change the face of the city's services.

They also centralized corruption-prone activities, such as bids, by creating the Jakarta Goods and Services Procurement Unit (ULP), and business permit issuance by forming the One-Door Integrated Service Agency (BPTSP). Both the ULP and agency took over the authority of various agencies so that monitoring became easier.

Ahok has also implemented an electronic budgeting system to create accountable financial dealings in the city administration. However, the implementation of the plan is far from perfect. Bids, for example, have not run smoothly as many agencies are not ready for the new system.

Ahok said the city administration would conduct another open selection for civil servants who shared the same vision as him. "I also plan to give them adequate rewards through a regional working benefits program," he said. With the new program, each employee will be evaluated based on individual achievement.

Employment Agency head I Made Karmayoga said the results of the selection would be used as a database for his agency to seek potential candidates when positions became vacant.

Made said the selection, just as with other changes, had attracted resistance from some employees, especially those who did not pass the test or felt that their positions were endangered. "I think all the employees feel unsafe now. They have to work hard to ensure that their positions will not be taken, especially by young civil servants," he said.

Ied Sabilla, a 28-year-old staffer at the Communications, Information and Public Relations Agency, said the change in the procurement system offered would-be young employees the opportunity to rise through the ranks faster. Ied, who has worked for the administration for four years, said giving benefits based on performance was fair. "When the system is competitive, our working spirit rises," she said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/06/23/jakarta-reform-not-perfect-hope-abounds.html

Armed forces & defense

TNI to get first delivery of Leopard tanks

Jakarta Globe - June 23, 2014

Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Jakarta – Indonesia is preparing to receive the first batch of armored vehicles it procured from Germany – from an order of 164 units – as the archipelagic nation strives to meet its minimum essential force requirement amid rising tensions in the region.

A total of 52 combat vehicles, consisting of 26 Leopard main battle tanks and 26 medium-sized Marder infantry fighting vehicles, will be shipped from the city of Unterluss following a brief ceremony early this week, which will be attended by Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Indonesia's deputy defense minister, and Gen. Pramono Edhie Wibowo, retired Army chief of staff.

Pramono said he initiated the deal to purchase the 164 German combat vehicles – inked last year – before retiring.

"We will be in Unterluss to oversee the final preparations – including technical inspections and testing – involved in shipping the Leopard tanks to Indonesia," Pramono said in a statement on Sunday before departing for Germany.

The former general declined to give the exact expected delivery date for the first batch of combat vehicles, but mentioned they would be arrive in time to be displayed in Jakarta for the Indonesian Military's (TNI) anniversary on Oct. 5.

The purchase is part of the government's larger plan to modernize Indonesia's aging military equipment and weaponry – an overhaul that was last carried out over 30 years ago.

"Indonesia has fallen behind in terms of armory, even compared to several of our Asean neighbors," Pramono said, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, of which Indonesia is a leading member. "We have been relying on light tanks, such as Scorpions and AMX-13, which are getting on in years."

Germany had given defense firm Rheinmetall the green light in 2012 to export 104 Leopard 2 tanks, 50 Marder 1A2 infantry fighting vehicles and 10 other military carriers – including armored recovery vehicles, mobile bridges and military engineering vehicles – to Indonesia, German news portal Spiegel Online reported.

According to Indonesian officials, the initial agreement for 130 tanks was valued at $280 million, while Rheinmentall's press released placed the figure at 216 million euro, or $293.7 million. The deal includes training sessions, logistical support services and an initial supply of practice and service ammunition. The deliveries are scheduled to be concluded between 2014 and 2016.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono launched strategic plans in 2010 to help Indonesia meet its minimum essential force (MEF) – an effort to revamp the country's aging weaponry and military equipment. Under the program, the country's military procurement plans are divided into three phases – the first stretching from 2010 to 2014 – until the MEF is reached, which is targeted for 2024.

The archipelago's domestic defense industry will also be fostered to grow under the program.

The Ministry of Defense has been among the largest recipients of government funds over the past several years. In addition to the annual budget, which amounted to Rp 86 trillion ($7 billion) this year, the government has also allocated some Rp 156 trillion toward modernizing military equipment throughout 2014.

Nevertheless, Indonesia only spent 0.8 percent of its gross domestic product on defense in 2012. Though the figure adds up to a substantial amount of money in real terms, the spending still pales in comparison to those of Indonesia's regional peers.

The ideal budget, according to Sjafrie, would be 1 percent to 2 percent of GDP, which is the amount being spent by many of the world's developing nations. The deputy defense minster said he hopes Indonesia is able to reach that level of spending by 2024.

After dedicating more than $15 billion to building the country's defenses system since 2010, Indonesia has managed to reach 40 percent of its MEF – well above phase one's goal of 30 percent, Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said.

Achieving these goals, he added, are crucial for tackling security challenges of the 21st century, with the global security focus shifting from the Middle East to the Asia-Pacific region, where disputes over resource-rich areas have continued to escalate, involving major players such as China, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/tni-get-first-delivery-leopard-tanks/

Police & law enforcement

Police brutality, torture still rife: Activists

Jakarta Globe - June 28, 2014

Kennial Caroline Laia, Jakarta – Yeni remembers the day in 2011 when police stormed her home and arrested her brother on trumped-up charges. "It was never clear why they arrested him," she says.

Once in police custody, she says, he was tortured and killed. "I wanted justice. Why did my brother die? Why did the police kill him? What had he done?" she says. "So I took the case to the court. But during the trial I realized one thing: that justice is hard to find in this country."

Only two low-ranking police officers were charged with killing Yeni's brother. They were eventually convicted and sentenced to two and five years in prison.

Stories like Yeni's remain common despite Indonesia's claims to democracy; a culture of impunity for the security forces remains deeply entrenched in a country that only emerged from authoritarian rule in 1998, with observers warning of a growing nostalgia for a return to the iron-fisted ways of the strongman Suharto.

During his 32-year reign, Suharto relied primarily on the military to silence his critics. But since the start of the reform era 16 years ago, the military has been stripped of its powers over civilian policing, while the police have only grown in strength – and in their use of violence.

The police were responsible for 80 out of 108 recorded cases of torture of civilians between June 2013 and June 2014, according to a report published on Thursday by the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), a human rights watchdog.

Prison officials were responsible for 18 cases, and the military for 10, the report said. In all, Kontras said, there were 283 victims: 20 died, 155 were severely injured, and one has gone missing.

The total number of cases is up from 100 in the 2012-2013 period, 84 from 2011-2012, and 28 from 2010-2011. "Violence has long been a habit for law enforcement officers in this country," says Haris Azhar, the Kontras coordinator. "For them, the use of violence and torture is like a sanctioned shortcut."

He says much of the violence takes the form of torture of the victim during interrogation, usually to extract a confession, as in the case of Yeni's brother.

"So even before the person has been formally charged or named a suspect, they're already prone to falling victim to police brutality," Haris says. "This is a serious issue that both the police force and the government need to pay attention to. But if they continue to overlook these cases, the violence will never end."

The police have acknowledged the problem, but insist that instances of police brutality are far from common, and that the actions of a handful of rogue officers should not reflect on the police force as a whole.

"It's certainly true that some of our personnel have deviated," says Adj. Sr. Comr. Jayadi, the head of the general crimes sub-unit at the National Police's detectives' unit. He cites the case of Yeni's brother, saying it was an incident that "really shook us all."

"But I have to remind people that the crimes that these kinds of officers perpetrate are not a legitimate reflection of the Indonesian police force as an institution," he says. "The National Police is an institution that stands strictly against the violation of human rights and prevailing laws," Jayadi adds.

He concedes that the police brutality still being committed today has its roots in Suharto's New Order era, when the police force was part of the dreaded military. "It's certainly not an excuse, but there's no denying that there's a sort of cultural holdover from military that persists in the police force until now," he says.

Jayadi says that unlike in the past, when police brutality was shielded by impunity, there is now a mechanism in place to duly punish errant officers. "If any of our personnel commits a violation, the police will investigate it and hand down the necessary sanctions, depending on whether they face a criminal conviction," he says.

He also welcomes reports from the public about instances of police brutality, promising that the police will be serious about following up on any complaints.

"If we compare the situation we have now with the situation during the New Order, the mechanism for filing a complaint is much better now. But the public has to be proactive in reporting any violence to us, to help us tackle this issue," Jayadi says.

Kontras's Haris says an important part of the solution is to ramp up the pace of reforms in the police force. "Both the National Police and the Indonesian Military must ensure that the internal mechanisms they have in place to deal with allegations of torture and ill-treatment of civilians are properly enforced, and that a mechanism of accountability exists," he says.

He adds the same goes for the Justice Ministry, which is in charge of the country's prisons. He also says government oversight bodies – such as the National Police Commission, the Indonesia Ombudsman, Judicial Commission (for the country's judges) and the National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM) – need to be strengthened.

Haris also urges the government, which has ratified the United Nations Convention Against Torture, to sign and ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture.

The latter, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2002, supplements the 1987 convention by establishing an international inspection system for places of detention.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/police-brutality-torture-still-rife-activists/

Foreign affairs & trade

Indonesia may be less neighbourly under new leadership, says analyst

The Guardian (Australia) - June 30, 2014

Kate Lamb, Jakarta – Canberra should prepare to deal with a less accommodating northern neighbour, analysts have warned, as Indonesia awaits the departure of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the arrival of its first new president in a decade.

Political analyst and vice-presidential adviser Dewi Anwar Fortuna suggested that Tony Abbott may have squandered his best chance of rebuilding bridges.

"It's a pity Abbott has not done more to restore trust regarding wiretapping and asylum seekers," Fortuna told Guardian Australia. "Canberra has never had such a good friend as SBY," added Fortuna. "And may not have one in the next five years."

Yudhoyono, Indonesia's first directly elected president, has served a maximum two five-year terms and is ineligible to run in a 9 July election that is looking an increasingly tight contest. The two presidential hopefuls, former special forces general Prabowo Subianto and the Jakarta governor, Joko Widodo, both say they view Australia as a friend, but their statements have been marked by caveats.

During a televised election debate on foreign affairs last Sunday, strongman Subianto declared that Australia had a "phobia" of Indonesia.

"Honestly, I think the problem is Australia's not ours," he said when asked about the bilateral ups and downs. "I think the problem may be that Australia has some sort of suspicion or phobia of us."

Widodo – who has seen his once comfortable lead over Subianto whittled down to single digits in recent weeks – described the problem as a deficit in trust and respect. "Don't let us be underestimated because we are considered weak," he told viewers.

The former furniture salesman and mayor of Solo, a relative outsider in Indonesia's oligarchical-style politics, called for stronger government, business and people-to-people links to diffuse existing frictions.

Australia has been viewed unfavorably in Indonesia since the Guardian and the ABC reported Australian involvement in attempted spying on the president and his inner circle. Abbott's response to the revelations was seen as lacking tact, and his Coalition government's insistence on turning back asylum seekers' boats has not helped matters.

The spying scandal precipitated a public breakdown in relations between the two countries. Yudhoyono declared a withdrawal of Indonesian co-operation in key areas and recalled its ambassador from Australia.

The recalled ambassador, Nadjib Riphat Kesoema, has since returned to Canberra and Abbott did meet with Yudhoyono earlier in June, but the effects of the spy scandal linger.

Indonesia has demanded Australia sign a code of conduct before suspended joint defence and intelligence activities can be resumed. Indonesian government sources say that to ease any burden on future relations it would be beneficial for Canberra to agree on the code before October, while Yudhoyono is still in office.

And Endy Bayuni, a senior editor of the Jakarta Post, said Indonesia's next president would be more cautious about trusting Australia the next time around.

"It is almost definite the next president will be less accommodating than SBY," Bayuni said. "He [SBY] invested personally in that relationship, which is why he was very disappointed at the revelations that he and his wife were the target of the snooping."

Even with both candidates acknowledging that Australia is an important neighbour, he said that in the future "the relationship will be cordial, but it's not going to be warm".

A less accommodating president is unlikely to go out his way to help Australia on the asylum seeker issue. Bayuni said when it came to policy "the asylum seeker issue is a priority for Australia, but is not even in the top 10 for Indonesia".

Amid attempts to weed out rampant corruption and pull millions of its citizens out of poverty, the issue rarely makes front-page news in the Indonesian language press.

The new president may also cause Australia difficulties with regards to trade. Heavy doses of economic nationalism from both camps during the campaign – Subianto, for example, has decried foreign investors as "thieves" – has also raised concerns the next president might be more protectionist, especially in the mining, agriculture and energy sectors.

In the short term, financial markets are expected to react negatively if Subianto is elected, but economists say the market will bounce back in the mid-term.

Fauzi Ichsan, a senior economist at Standard Chartered in Jakarta, says that when a country is running current account and fiscal deficits it will understand it needs foreign investment to finance them. "So all the election rhetoric will be irrelevant as economic reality bites," says Ichsan, "whoever is president."

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/30/indonesia-may-be-less-neighbourly-under-new-leadership-says-analyst

Jakarta not a claimant to South China Sea as Prabowo suggests: Marty

Jakarta Globe - June 24, 2014

Vita A.D. Busyra & Ezra Sihite, Jakarta – Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa has emphasized that Indonesia has no claims to disputed territory in the South China Sea, despite remarks to the contrary by presidential contender Prabowo Subianto during a nationally televised debate on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters at the State Palace in Jakarta on Monday, Marty said that while other member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations had rival claims with each other and with China over parts of the oil- and gas-rich territory, Indonesia was not one of the claimants and saw itself more as an advocate for defusing tensions in the area. "Of course, it should be measured and realistic if we can succeed," he said.

This remarks came a day after Prabowo and rival candidate Joko Widodo sparred in their third of five debates, this time on the theme of foreign policy.

Prabowo claimed that the biggest external threat faced by Indonesia was a claim to its territory in the South China Sea by "a certain country," in an apparent reference to China, which is also embroiled with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei – all four of which are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – in separate disputes over territory in the region.

Joko, however, refuted that Indonesia had overlapping claims in the area. "We're not involved in any dispute there," he said, adding that Indonesia should instead continue its role of advocating for a de-escalation of tensions and a peaceful resolution to the disputes involving the other countries.

"If we can play a role and benefit our Asean friends, we will [get involved]," Joko said. "But if we can't provide a solution, it's best not to be involved because nothing will come out of our diplomacy."

Marty welcomed Joko's pledge to keep diplomacy at the spearhead of Indonesia's growing regional prominence, in a continuation of the policies of the outgoing administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. "Joko has said that diplomacy will be at the forefront, and we have done just that and we will continue to do so," he said.

Supporters of Prabowo, however, insist that China has made claims to Indonesian maritime territory.

"The fact is that Indonesia is one of the countries that is involved in a dispute with China over its maritime borders," Romahurmuziy, a member of Prabowo's campaign team and secretary general of the United Development Party (PPP), said as quoted by republika.co.id. "The disputed [waters] that I refer to are the ones surrounding the islands of Natuna. How could Joko say that we [Indonesia] are not involved?"

An Indonesian Navy official earlier this year claimed the country was seeking clarification from Beijing over a map appearing to show part of the Natuna waters falling inside China's so-called nine-dash line, which China says shows the maximum extent of its claims, but that the international community has denounced as violating established maritime borders.

China's Foreign Ministry issued a statement in April saying Beijing had no dispute with Jakarta over the Natuna Islands in response to some reports that a row might be brewing.

That was a view backed by Marty in an interview with Reuters: "It must be made crystal clear that between Indonesia and China there are no outstanding or overlapping maritime territorial disputes," he said a day after the statement from Beijing.

He later told Bloomberg News that there needed to be greater clarity over a map outlining China's assertions in the South China Sea that appears on the nation's passports.

"What needs to be better communicated is the intent behind these steps so that they don't become inadvertently a new source of problem and challenge," the minister said.

Foreign policy observers have also played down the perceived Natuna claim as a non-issue. "The only action the government needs to take is to increase its presence and activities on the Natuna Islands," Makmur Keliat, an international relations expert from University of Indonesia, told the Jakarta Globe on Monday.

"There's no need to talk about the nine-dash line," he said, but added that Joko's call for diplomacy to be maintained was a crucial point. "We're not a disputing party in this," Makmur added.

Teuku Rezasyah, a foreign policy expert whose brother, Teuku Faizasyah, is Yudhoyono's spokesman for international affairs, said Prabowo had played up the Natuna issue unduly.

"Indonesia has indeed neglected some of our territory to which other countries have laid claim, but Prabowo always thinks of the worst," he said. He added that if Prabowo had his way, Indonesia's response to the unlikely claim to the Natunas by China would be military action.

Aleksius Jemadu, the dean of the School of Social and Political Sciences at Pelita Harapan University, said it was paramount that Indonesia advocate for a peaceful solution between its Asean neighbors and China, and try to prevent any military conflict.

"Indonesia's only interest in the matter should be to carry out diplomatic efforts to maintain regional stability, and to thwart all efforts for military mobilization," he told the Globe.

He said that as one of the founding members of Asean, and as the biggest country and economy in the bloc, Indonesia carried a lot of sway in the region. "The other countries really look up to Indonesia as a respected and tolerant partner in bridging gaps between the member states," Aleksius said.

Both Prabowo and Joko have called for a continuation of the Yudhoyono administration's emphasis on diplomacy, although both have also indicated they might break from the historically close engagement with the Asean region to position Indonesia as a more prominent power in its own right not just in Southeast Asia, but in the Asia-Pacific region in general.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/jakarta-claimant-south-china-sea-prabowo-suggests-marty/

Australia has Indonesia 'phobia', says presidential candidate

Sydney Morning Herald - June 23, 2014

Michael Bachelard, Jakarta – Australia has a "phobia" about Indonesia and is to blame for the poor relationship between the two countries, strong-man presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto said during a nationally televised debate on Sunday.

His opponent, the favourite Joko Widodo, proposed taking Australia to an international court over asylum seekers if diplomacy failed to solve the disagreement.

The subject of Australia came up twice in the international relations and defence debate between Mr Prabowo and Mr Joko, just over two weeks before the crucial July 9 presidential election.

Both candidates agreed that the relationship between the two countries was poor, but when Mr Joko asked his opponent why it was so unstable, Mr Prabowo answered: "Honestly, I think the problem is Australia's, not ours."

"Maybe there is some kind of suspicion or phobia towards us, perhaps because we're such a big country with a big population, and we're sometimes regarded as emotional," he said. "Also, we've engaged several times in military action, so maybe they think we're a problem."

Mr Prabowo, a former army special forces general who is running on a platform of firm leadership, said he wanted the two countries to be good neighbours, and to "assure Australia that we are not a threat".

"However, we have to be firm in protecting our core national interest... When you play chess you have a number of pieces on the board, but when talking about a country, you're talking about how many planes you have, how many submarines," Mr Prabowo said.

He has promised to bolster Indonesia's armed forces using money saved by stopping corruption and international, neoliberal traders from "stealing" from the country. Mr Prabowo also said more than once during the debate that Indonesia should not "surrender one centimetre of territory" to a hypothetical enemy.

Mr Joko, the narrow favourite and currently the governor of Jakarta, agreed there was a "lack of trust" between Indonesia and Australia, as illustrated by the phone tapping issue late last year. He said it stemmed in part from a general lack of respect shown to Indonesia.

"I think we are always regarded as a weak country... we have to show that we are a country with dignity, and not let other countries treat us as weaklings," he said.

He proposed better government, business and community ties with Australia, including through educational and cultural exchanges.

On the subject of asylum seekers, Mr Joko said if the dispute could not be solved by dialogue, "we can bring them to international courts if necessary". He did not elaborate which court or which jurisdiction he believed would apply.

Mr Prabowo refused to take the bait on people smuggling, reiterating his commitment to not surrender Indonesia's territorial integrity and saying "our national strength is key".

He would adopt Indonesia's current international relations policy, which is to have "a thousand friends and no enemies".

There are two more presidential debates before polling day. Outgoing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is in the last year of his second term and is barred by the constitution from running again.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/australia-has-indonesia-phobia-says-presidential-candidate-20140623-zsi97.html

Mining & energy

First oil, now Indonesia may become gas importer

Jakarta Post - June 26, 2014

Raras Cahyafitri, Jakarta – Delays in a number of gas field development projects may result in imports being the only answer to growing need, a senior official at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry said.

The program director for the ministry's oil and gas directorate general, Naryanto Wagimin, said in Jakarta on Wednesday that if there was no significant improvement to supply within the next few years, Indonesia, once the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer, would become a net importer as of 2020.

Indonesia, former member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), has become a net oil importer due to a continued decline in oil production.

"Some projects are supposed to be delivering gas by that time. However, there are signs of delays. The gap between supply and demand will widen as Masela, Tangguh Train 3 and Indonesia Deepwater Development [IDD] are experiencing setbacks," Naryanto said on the sidelines of the Indonesia Energy Forum on Wednesday.

The gas deficit is expected to hit 7,600 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) by 2028, according to figures presented by Naryanto. Domestic gas demand growth is around 4 percent, he said.

The country is estimated to have 104 trillion standard cubic feet (tscf) in proven and 48 tscf in potential gas reserves, making it the 13th largest owner of proven natural gas reserves in the world and the second-biggest in the Asia-Pacific region after China, according to the International Energy Agency.

Gas production in 2013 reached 6,869 mmscfd in 2013, of which 52 percent was sold overseas, according to figures from the Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Special Task Force (SKKMigas).

Given the expected lack of supply, companies, such as oil and gas giant PT Pertamina and Jakarta-listed gas distributor PT PGN, have been preparing to secure gas supplies from overseas.

Pertamina has signed an agreement with US-based Cheniere Energy Inc., related to supplies of LNG. Meanwhile, PGN recently said that it had purchased a stake in a shale gas field in the US.

Pertamina's director for gas, Hary Karyuliarto, said gas imports would be necessary as in the next five years gas production and infrastructure development would not be able to meet demand. "If we cannot meet demand, there will be slower economic growth," Hary said.

Diverting gas deliveries from expired contracts with overseas buyers to the domestic market will be an option to handle gas deficit, according to Naryanto. A number of gas-selling contracts with overseas buyers will expire within the next two years, he said.

However, poor infrastructure is the main hurdle to increasing deliveries to the domestic market. The deputy minister for infrastructure affairs at the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas), Dedy Supriadi Priatna, said development of gas infrastructure in the country remained slow.

He cited that as of 2009, only two cities had household gas infrastructure. Currently 55 cities are hooked up but this is to expand to 100 cities next year, according to Dedy. "During 2015-2019, under the mid-term development plan [RJPMN], we will accelerate programs so that there is more gas infrastructure," he said.

Under the planned RJPMN, which Bappenas will propose to the government, the board is targeting to see 56 percent to 75 percent of gas used for the domestic market by 2019.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/06/26/first-oil-now-ri-may-become-gas-importer.html

Economy & investment

Jokowi criticizes 'import mafias'

Jakarta Post - June 30, 2014

Jakarta – Presidential candidate Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has aired suspicions that an "import mafia", or group of cartels, was responsible for making Indonesia's economy dependent on imported goods and commodities, even though the country is capable of producing them independently.

"They are gaining a lot of benefits in a system of rent-seeking that tolerates imports. We know that importing many kinds of things is not efficient for the state budget, but we are unable to stop it," he said on Monday, as quoted by Antara news agency.

Many experts observe that the Indonesian economy has been trapped in a rent-seeking system, which is when a company, organization or individual uses their resources to obtain an economic benefit from others without reciprocating any benefits back to society through wealth creation.

According to Jokowi, government officials should possess the political will to cut imports, which he promised to reduce by conducting a transition period in one or two years. "We will not have added-value imports when goods can be sold cheaper if we produce them domestically," he said.

Jokowi also said that domestic production should be supported by enhancing infrastructure through new projects, which he claimed could be financed by funds worth Rp 67 trillion (US$5.64 million) created through savings generated by substituting fuel for coal.

According to the Jokowi-Jusuf Kalla's programs declined in a 41-page document to the General Elections Commission (KPU), the pair have an aggressive approach to reforming the economy and promoteing economic independence by developing domestic strategic sectors, such as cutting energy imports by promoting exploration at home.

The Jokowi-Kalla ticket, designated as the official number-two candidates, are supported by a coalition led by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) that includes the National Awakening Party (PKB), the Hanura Party and the NasDem Party. The coalition secured 207, or 39.97 percent of the 560 seats at the House of Representatives. (gda)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/06/30/jokowi-criticizes-import-mafias.html

Prabowo victory bad for business: Global bankers

Jakarta Post - June 28, 2014

Satria Sambijantoro, Jakarta – Indonesians must brace for an even weaker rupiah if Prabowo Subianto wins the presidential race, global investment bankers said.

A Prabowo victory in the presidential election on July 9 would trigger capital outflows, consequently pushing the rupiah rate further below 12,300 per US dollar, US-based investment bank Morgan Stanley wrote in a report released on Friday.

"Over concern that Prabowo may enforce nationalistic policies that may discourage foreign investments, the rupiah may weaken," Morgan Stanley analysts, led by Geoffrey Kendrick, wrote in the report. "A Prabowo victory would likely increase market volatility in the delicately poised macro environment," he added

Further currency weakness may be problematic for the economy as the foreign exchange reserves held by Bank Indonesia (BI) "are not large enough to protect the rupiah in times of extreme stress", according to the bank.

In contrast, the report said that a victory for frontrunner Joko "Jokowi" Widodo would strengthen the rupiah to 11,000 per dollar, in the event that the influential Golkar Party also switched sides and joined the government's coalition camp.

Furthermore, a Jokowi presidency could encourage capital inflows, with Morgan Stanley predicting that the value of Indonesian equity assets would outperform emerging market peers by around 10 percent in the short term.

Prabowo, once a dark horse in the lead-up to this year's election, has gained popularity recently as his strong oratory ability and nationalistic, pro-poor campaign promises have strong appeal among the public.

While Jokowi remains the candidate to beat, his lead against Prabowo – who is often branded as being anti-foreign investment – has narrowed from around 30 percent earlier this year, to a single digit recently, various pre-poll surveys have shown.

The tighter, neck-and-neck battle between the presidential contenders has prompted uncertainty in the market, creating jitters among investors.

The government's 10-year bonds, the benchmark of a country's borrowing cost, hit a five-month high at 8.3 percent this week. Meanwhile, the rupiah depreciated 1.1 percent this week to trade at 12,103 per US dollar, taking this quarter's decline to 6.1 percent, according to the Jakarta Interbank Spot Dollar Rate (JISDOR).

The rupiah's decline occurred amid the broad-based strengthening that other currencies are enjoying against the dollar. The Bloomberg-JPMorgan Asia Dollar Index, which tracks the region's 10 most-active currencies excluding the Japanese yen, rose 0.2 percent this week and 0.6 percent this quarter.

"We think recent poll results showing Prabowo drawing close to Jokowi have been investor-unfriendly," Tim Condon, an economist with Dutch-based investment bank ING Group, wrote in a report that analyzed the rupiah's recent weakness.

For investors and analysts, there needs to be a "re-pricing" for the increased likelihood of a Prabowo victory due to the recent surge in his popularity, Condon said.

Prabowo was so disfavored by the market that 56 percent of investors questioned in a survey held recently by Deutsche Bank said that they would sell their Indonesian assets if he was elected president.

Meanwhile, in the same survey, only 6 percent said they would do the same if Jokowi was elected president. Expectations of Jokowi's ability to implement reforms were so high that Barclays Bank predicted Indonesia's credit rating could be upgraded to investment grade by Standard & Poor's (S&P) financial services company before year end if he became president.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/06/28/prabowo-victory-bad-business-global-bankers.html

Analysis & opinion

Be prepared for active solidarity with the Indonesian people

Red Flag Newspaper - June 29, 2014

Max Lane – According to most Indonesian polls, former provincial businessman, mayor of Solo and governor of Jakarta Joko Widodo has lost a substantial lead to former general Prabowo Subianto in the current general election campaign. The two are now running neck and neck.

Prabowo is responsible for the kidnapping and torture of more than 20 pro- democracy activists in 1997-98. He continues to defend his actions, although he denies kidnapping 14 of those who were disappeared. He is also held responsible for a massacre and human rights violations in East Timor.

I think he has made up ground because he has repeatedly attacked the foreign domination of the Indonesian economy, claiming that it has caused massive leakage of wealth and is responsible for the poverty of Indonesia's 200 million non-middle class masses.

Of course it is all demagogy – he and his family are super wealthy as a result of the rent-seeking big projects they have acquired. Workers in one of his companies haven't been paid wages for months.

The anti-foreign domination campaign is cover for his campaign for a "strong state", which he claims is needed to show foreigners that Indonesia is not weak. However, Prabowo always refuses to specify which foreign businesses or countries he intends to confront, or who are the "thieves and robbers" working with them to rob Indonesia.

In a recent national TV debate with Widodo, he praised current President Yudhoyono's foreign policy, which aims to have "a thousand friends" but not "a single enemy". He is willing to say anything to anybody as part of his demagogy. He has signed pacts with Indonesia's most active unions promising them whatever they want while also promising business groups whatever they want.

Prabowo combines well-known elements of the oratorical style and presentation of the 1960s left wing anti-imperialist President Sukarno with references to aspects of the right wing Suharto dictatorship. Sometimes he appears on stage with one of Suharto's daughters, who is his former wife.

He attacks politicians in general for being corrupt and deceitful, calls for the end of the direct election of mayors and district heads and says that Indonesia's democracy is destructive. He is preparing the ground to try to return to the dictatorship state of General Suharto if he becomes president.

Widodo's campaign has failed to recognise that the poverty the people endure is structural and deep, and that a massive amount of wealth is sucked out of Indonesia by multinational corporations and foreign banks. The reforms he offers amount to very modest incremental improvements to contemporary capitalism.

His appeal has been his image: honest dealings, simple lifestyle, willingness to visit the grassroots and apparent receptiveness to the people. He has called for a "revolusi mental" aimed at ending corruption and mismanagement through setting a good example and through education on morality and character in the schools.

This has been attacked by the Prabowo camp as inspired by communist ideas. The Suharto-era labelling of opponents as communists has begun already. Communism is still formally banned in Indonesia.

Widodo's appeal is strongest among liberal sectors, who are concerned about the loss of civil liberties and religious freedoms and who are also aware of Prabowo's past. Prabowo is also being backed by the religious conservatives.

Forty years of systematic and intensive falsification of history following the 1965 terror in which Suharto came to power have caused awareness of the past to be very uneven among the masses. History is like a legend: it just depends whether you believe it or not.

Prabowo benefits from this. But the uncertainty as to what he would do if elected also may come into play. Even if Widodo wins – and especially if it is a narrow victory – the contradiction will remain because the coalition of parties supporting Prabowo has a majority in the parliament.

Meanwhile peasants, workers and students in the Karawang region not far from Jakarta have been in a confrontation with 7,000 mobile brigade police over labour and land issues. As far as I can see, no presidential candidate has made any comment on this oppression.

[Max Lane is based in Singapore and visits Indonesia regularly. He is author of Unfinished nation: Indonesia before and after Suharto and is translator of Pramoedya Ananta Toer's Buru Quartet novels.]

Source: http://redflag.org.au/article/be-prepared-active-solidarity-indonesian-people

Indonesia is at a crossroads

Huffington Post - June 27, 2014

Benedict Rogers – A nation "at the crossroads" is a well-worn and overused phrase, but it is one that befits Indonesia today.

On 9 July, the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, third largest democracy, fourth most populous nation and south-east Asia's largest economy will elect a new President. The two candidates, Prabowo Subianto and Joko Widodo (known as "Jokowi") represent a very clear and contrasting choice: between the past and the future, a return to authoritarianism or a deepening of democracy, and between the politicisation of religion and the protection and promotion of genuine religious pluralism.

Over the past fifteen years Indonesia has made a remarkable transition from dictatorship to democracy and chaos to stability. As the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, it has a great tradition of religious pluralism, enshrined in its founding state philosophy, the 'Pancasila'. Rising religious intolerance in the past ten years has put these achievements in jeopardy, and the failures of the incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono have fuelled this, but the forthcoming election represents a crucial test. The choice presents an opportunity to say yes to pluralism, or to continue further down the road of intolerance.

Prabowo, an ex-General and the son-in-law of former dictator Suharto, has tried to conjure up the image of the nation's founding father, Sukarno during his campaign. This nationalist fervour has some appeal, as does his strongman image. One Indonesian taxi driver told me recently that he would vote for Prabowo, because he would stop terrorists. "Under Suharto, we had no terrorist problem. Now we have a lot of terrorists," he said. He is probably right – Prabowo may well deal toughly with terrorists, though one has to ask whether his own blood-stained hands the best ones to protect the country. His recent campaign music video evoking Nazi imagery, and his comments to journalist Allan Nairn about fascism offer a frightening preview of how he might conduct himself in office.

Prabowo is certainly no religious extremist. On the surface, his pluralist credentials are strong. His mother and brother are Christians, and his rhetorical defence of the 'Pancasila', Indonesia's founding state philosophy which protects religious diversity, harks back to the Suharto and Sukarno eras in which secular nationalism trumped Islamist extremism.

However, the coalition supporting him will not make it easy to protect Indonesia's tradition of pluralism and religious tolerance. Hardline Islamist political parties will want a share of power in exchange for the support they have provided, and doing a deal with the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) is more likely to empower and embolden them rather than rein them in. The FPI, a violent vigilante mob known for forcing the closure of churches and attacking the mosques of the Ahmadiyya, a Muslim sect labelled "heretical" by other Muslims, should be sidelined, not given a political platform.

Moreover, Prabowo's election manifesto pledged to "purify religion" – a chilling proposal which, despite his brother Hashim Djojohadikusomo's claims of withdrawal, should serve as a warning of what may follow. His camp's continuous dirty tricks campaign against his opponent, which includes questioning Jokowi's Islamic faith and Javanese ethnicity, shows that Prabowo cares more about winning than he does about protecting what Indonesia stands for.

In addition to support from hardline Islamists, Prabowo has surprisingly won support from some Christian groups. While the Catholic Church and the mainline Communion of Churches of Indonesia (PGI) have carefully stayed neutral, though privately express concerns about Prabowo, the Pentecostal Church declared its support for him. This is unusual in itself, for churches rarely make a collective decision in an election, and are better advised to allow their adherents the freedom to make their own choices. But it is even more surprising, given the Islamist nature of Prabowo's bedfellows. He has built an unholy alliance of religious extremists, bringing together radical Islamists with fundamentalist Christians – a marriage made in hell, leaving moderates and pluralists from all religions on the sidelines.

As if these were not enough to cause concern, persistent allegations of grave human rights violations perpetrated by Prabowo while in the military should give Indonesians pause for thought. That his "excesses" have even been criticised by other Generals, themselves no paragons of virtue, is revealing. Claims by his former superiors that Prabowo acted alone in arranging the kidnapping of activists in the Suharto era and was discharged from the military for acting without orders should concern everyone.

Jokowi, on the other hand, has a proven record as Governor of Jakarta and previously Mayor of Solo for defending pluralism. Churches in Jakarta which faced threats from the FPI received police protection from the Governor. Jokowi dismissed those protesting against the appointment of a Christian as a sub-district head, saying people should be appointed on merit alone. Indeed, his own Vice-Governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (known as Ahok), is a Chinese Christian, making the pair a symbol of the Pancasila. Reports that he would scrap the religion column on identity cards have been denied by his camp, but it is likely that the denial comes from a concern to shore up his Islamic credentials, under fire from Prabowo's dirty tricks.

Jokowi's coalition is not perfect. Among his supporters is General Wiranto, famous for singing karaoke in 1999 while East Timor burned. A few Islamic parties have gone Jokowi's way too. But overall, he himself has no ties to the military, faces no human rights charges and is not beholden to hardline Islamists – three characteristics that distinguish him from his opponent.

Many have drawn comparisons between Jokowi and Obama. Like Obama he has risen fast, coming to national attention only two years ago upon election as Governor of Jakarta. Like Obama, he represents change, his background is in local community politics and he inspires a hope among his supporters that is unparalleled. He even bears a physical resemblance to the US President, and has chosen as his running mate the experienced former Vice- President Jusuf Kalla, who may perhaps be to Jokowi what Joseph Biden is to Obama, matching youth and vision with age and experience.

The election feels similar to Obama-McCain in 2008. To compare Prabowo to John McCain would be stretching the analogy way too far. It would also be a gross insult to Senator McCain, a distinguished war veteran with an exemplary record for speaking up for human rights. But there are some similarities. The military link is one. The decision to rope in hardline conservative elements to shore up the base is another, at the expense of the candidate's own beliefs. The Islamist parties and the FPI could be to Prabowo what Sarah Palin and the Tea Party were to McCain. In addition, both men are well known for having fiery, even uncontrollable tempers.

It is not for me, as a foreigner, to tell Indonesians how to vote on 9 July. The choice of President is one for the people of Indonesia to make. But, if I were an Indonesian, it's clear where my sympathies would lie. And it is legitimate to urge Indonesians to ask some tough questions. Do they want to look to the future, or hark back to a by-gone era of authoritarianism? Do they want to strengthen Indonesia's democracy, or undermine it? Do they wish to defend Indonesia's tradition of pluralism and tackle intolerance, or give the voices of intolerance a stronger platform in government? And is a man with blood on his hands and radical Islamists at his side, widely described even by his friends as "psychologically flawed" and a "megalomaniac", best placed to take Indonesia forward? On these questions hang Indonesia's fate. Its future hangs in the balance.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/ben/indonesia-democracy_b_5536207.html

A response and several challenges to General Prabowo

Allan Nairn - June 26, 2014

General Prabowo's campaign said today that the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) are ready to capture me, and claimed that I am part of a US government/business conspiracy against Prabowo. (See reference links below).

Campaign spokesman Budi Purnomo is reported as saying that "Allan Nairn is a journalist who is known to not have a good relationship with the TNI [Indonesian Armed Forces]. He said that Allan has even been listed as having entered Indonesia illegally seven times.

'TNI has even said that they are going to capture Allan if they learn he has returned to Indonesia,' he stated." ["Allan Nairn merupakan seorang jurnalis Amerika yang dikenal memiliki hubungan yang tidak baik dengan TNI. Menurutnya, Allan bahkan tercatat tujuh kali pernah masuk ke Indonesia secara ilegal. 'TNI bahkan pernah menyatakan akan menangkap Allan jika ia ketahuan kembali ke Indonesia,' jelasnya." (Merdeka.com, June 26, 2014)].

I am currently in Indonesia so if the TNI would like to capture me, they can. (For background on Suharto/TNI banning me from Indonesia as "a threat to national security" see the previous postings about my discussions with General Prabowo).

If General Prabowo wants me to be captured because of what I've written about him, then I request that he say so himself. As to the amusing charge that I am working with the US, anyone familiar with my work knows that I am an adversary of the US state and of US corporate interests.

One of my main criticisms of the US for the past 40 years has been of their practice of exploiting and killing poor people around the world, including in Indonesia.

I have publicly called for every living US president to be tried and jailed for sponsoring forces that kill civilians.

One of the many US-backed forces that kills civilians is the TNI, and General Prabowo was the US's closest protege in the TNI (Prabowo described himself to me as "the Americans' fair-haired boy").

In my view, the two most important facts about Prabowo are, first, that he killed civilians, and second, that he killed them while being sponsored by the United States.

I have some challenges for the general:

General Prabowo, will you join me in calling for the US Presidents to be put on trial?

And regarding US exploitation of Indonesia and the issue of mining contracts, General Prabowo, will you join me in calling for the expulsion of Freeport McMoRan from Indonesia?

As to my writing about Prabowo, it is accurate. If the General wants to deny this, I invite him to face me in the Indonesian courts by filing criminal libel charges against me.

Source: http://www.allannairn.org/2014/06/a-response-and-several-challenges-to.html

This nazi video is one of the worst pieces of political campaigning ever

Time - June 25, 2014

Yenni Kwok – As the candidate who it was made for, Prabowo Subianto, once said, "Do I have the guts, am I ready to be called a fascist dictator?"

A music video made by several singers as a tribute to Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto is causing outrage with its strong Nazi overtones.

In the video, an adaptation of the Queen classic "We Will Rock You," musician Ahmad Dhani sports a fascist-style uniform and holds a golden Garuda – a mythical bird that is Indonesia's emblem but which, against the black of his paramilitary attire, looks uncomfortably like the German imperial eagle that the Nazis incorporated into their iconography.

Bali-based filmmaker Daniel Ziv described the video as bringing "Nazi skinhead imagery to Indonesian politics."

That turns out to be an apt description. German news magazine Der Spiegel pointed out that Dhani's military costume is eerily similar to the uniform worn by SS commander Heinrich Himmler. "Dhani wears the same emblem on the lapel and the same red breast-pocket lining," it said Tuesday, comparing the photos of the two in a photo gallery.

Brian May, Queen's lead guitarist, has waded into the controversy, saying "of course this is completely unauthorised by us."

Despite widespread criticism, including from fellow Indonesian musicians, Dhani, who is partly Jewish, is unrepentant. "What's the connection between German soldiers and Indonesia?" was his baffling comment to Indonesian media Wednesday. "What's the connection between German soldiers and Indonesian musicians? We, the Indonesian people, didn't kill millions of Jewish people, right?"

As the July 9 election is approaching, the campaign has been heating up, with supporters of both presidential candidates using social media to appeal to the young, urban voters. Dhani's music video for Prabowo was released shortly after pop musicians like Oppie Andaresta and rock band Slank, who support rival candidate Joko Widodo, made their own song and music video, titled "Two-Finger Salute."

On his Facebook page on Friday, Prabowo thanked Dhani and other singers for their "contribution," saying: "This video is boosting our fighting spirit!"

While the appeal of Nazi chic is not uncommon in Indonesia and elsewhere in Asia – a Nazi-themed cafe reopened in the Indonesian city of Bandung just days ago – it is particularly telling that fascist imagery has been used to drum up support for Prabowo, who was discharged from military in 1998 over the abduction of pro-democracy activists, and who is given to such strongman gestures as appearing at campaign rallies on horseback before an honor guard.

Over the weekend, American journalist Allan Nairn posted on his blog a 2001 interview, in which Prabowo said that Indonesia needed "a benign authoritarian regime." The former general, who made clear his admiration toward Pakistan's then ruling strongman Pervez Musharraf, told Nairn: "Do I have the guts, am I ready to be called a fascist dictator? Musharraf had the guts."

Hopefully Indonesia won't get a chance to find out.

[With reporting by Stephanie Burnett. The You Tube "Prabowo-Hatta We Will Rock You" is no longer available due to a copyright claim by EMI Music Publishing. It can however be still be viewed from the link to the Time article below.]

Source: http://time.com/2920281/indonesia-ahmad-dhani-prabowo-subianto-nazi-fascist/