Jakarta (Australian Associated Press/Pacific Media Watch/WikiLeaks) – Award-winning US journalist Allan Nairn has temporarily escaped a five-year jail sentence in an Indonesian prison after the Indonesian police announced that they were unable to find him.

Nairn was charged almost two months ago after he published parts of a conversation he had held, off-the-record, with Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto. Prabowo, a former general in the Indonesian army at the time it carried out human rights abuses in East Timor, is the son in law of deceased former Indonesian dictator Suharto.

The conversation between Prabowo and Nairn, which centred on human rights abuses committed by Prabowo in East Timor, happened 13 years ago but Nairn only published extracts this year after becoming concerned about Prabowo standing in the presidential elections.

Prabowo, who has since lost the election, laid charges of "dangerous provocation" against Nairn two months ago after the interview was published, claiming that Nairn was "inciting hatred" against him. If convicted, Nairn could have been sentenced to five years in prison.

Investigation still open

Although the police have been unable to locate Nairn, Indonesian National Police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar told the Australian Associated Press that the the investigation was still open.

"In July, Nairn blogged that he was in Indonesia and challenged authorities to question him. He hasn't blogged since August 4 or tweeted since August 6," the Australian Associated Press reported.

Nairn is an award-winning journalist who reported on the brutal Indonesian military occupation of East Timor. He was badly beaten by Indonesian soldiers, along with Democracy Now producer Amy Goodman in East Timor in 1991 after they witnessed the Dili massacre, where more than 270 East Timorese were killed by the Indonesian army in the Santa Cruz cemetery in Dili.

Nairn later helped found the East Timor Action Network (ETAN) which campaigned for independence for the country.

Source: http://www.pmc.aut.ac.nz/pacific-media-watch/indonesia-police-fail-find-journo-who-was-charged-after-exposing-abuses-8965

District chief who ordered airport blockade evades charges

Jakarta Globe - September 9, 2014

Yoseph Kelen, Kupang – Indonesian police have not charged a district chief for ordering the closure of an airport in East Nusa Tenggara province after he failed to obtain a flight ticket, but have charged the public order officers who carried out the blockade.

The case files submitted to prosecutors by provincial police in the case of the blockade last December of Turelelo So'a Airport in Ngada district lists 22 people as being charged under the 2009 Aviation Law. Missing from that list, however, is Marianus Sae, the Ngada district chief, who has been named a suspect in the case.

"We still haven't received the case file on Marianus, who ordered the blockade, from investigators," Sr. Comr. Muchammad Slamet, the provincial police's director of special crimes, said on Tuesday in Kupang, the provincial capital. "When we get it, we'll immediately hand it over to the prosecutors to process."

The police investigation is being led by officials from the Transportation Ministry. The lead investigator declined to say why his team had not submitted its report on Marianus to the police.

A spokesman for the prosecutors' office confirmed the receipt of the case files from the police but would not say how soon the case could go to court.

The 22 public order officers are charged with endangering aviation safety after they blocked the airport runway. They did so on Marianus's orders after the latter got angry that he was unable to get a ticket for a flight home from Kupang because the flight was fully booked.

The blockade lasted two hours and prevented the Merpati Nusantara flight that Marianus wanted to fly on to land at the airport. The plane was forced to turn back to Kupang. Under the charges against them, the suspects face up to 15 years in prison and Rp 1 billion ($85,100) in fines if convicted.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/district-chief-ordered-airport-blockade-evades-charges/

West Papua

Will Indonesia's new president end one of Asia's oldest conflicts?

Global Post - September 13, 2014

Marie Dhumieres – Jakarta, Indonesia – "It's safe here in Papua. There is nothing to hide."

That's what Indonesian President-elect Joko Widodo said when asked on the campaign trail whether foreign journalists would be allowed into West Papua. "Why not?" he said.

It was as if foreign journalists and activists hadn't essentially been banned for decades from Indonesia's easternmost province, a rugged jungle outpost replete with oppression, rag-tag insurgents and wildly destructive mineral exploitation.

If Jokowi, as the future president is known, honors his promise to allow scrutiny of Papua after he assumes office in October, it will be a sharp departure from the preferences of Indonesia's entrenched security apparatus.

Currently, the authorities say they restrict access to the province for safety reasons, due to ongoing conflict with the Free Papua Movement, a lightly armed separatist movement. The Indonesian military has a strong presence in the region, and the few foreign journalists granted permission to visit are constantly shadowed by local officials.

Jokowi, a populist political neophyte with a man-of-the-people image, is one of very few Indonesian leaders not hailing from the military. Already, the security forces appear to have called his bluff.

Weeks after he was elected, they arrested two French TV journalists, Valentine Bourrat and Thomas Dandois, for illegally working on a tourist visa. The pair were researching a documentary for Arte on Western Papua's separatist movement.

While unauthorized journalists are usually deported immediately, the pair have now been in police custody since early August. The local authorities have said they were present at an exchange of ammunition by a separatist group. They face possible criminal charges and five years in jail.

To Human Rights Watch, "Indonesia's Papua censorship obsession" aims to cover recurrent human rights abuses. "Over the last three years alone," says Phelim Kline, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, his organization has documented "dozens of cases in which police, military, intelligence officers, and prison guards have used excessive force when dealing with Papuans exercising their right to peaceful assembly and association."

Western Papua was annexed by Indonesia in the late 1960s, after a lengthy independence struggle. Papuans campaigning for self-determination are still at serious risk.

Two weeks ago, the body of Marthinus Yohame, a 27-year-old Papuan activist with a local non-violent committee, was found floating in the sea, tied up in a sack. Human rights organizations report "a litany of violence and abuses," police firing into crowds, torture, unlawful detention and the killing of activists.

"Democracy in Western Papua is very superficial, Human rights are very weak," says Jim Elmslie, co-convener of the University of Sydney's West Papua Project.

With Jokowi's election though, some hope change is coming. Elmslie says Jokowi, who "has expressed a desire for a more open and democratic Indonesia," and his non-military background is grounds for optimism.

Jokowi visited the province twice during the electoral campaign. Outgoing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has been there only three times during his 10-year term. In Papua, Jokowi insisted he wasn't just fishing for electoral support. "This is not about votes. It's about giving attention to Papua," he said in June.

Last month, he met with political and religious Papuan leaders and unveiled a plan to build a presidential palace in West Papua. He says he wants to hold regular meetings with Papuan leaders.

Damien Kingsbury, a political analyst who has written extensively about Indonesia and Papua, says that if Jokowi really goes down the path of dialogue with the Papuans, his task will be "extraordinarily difficult."

Papuans "definitely want more autonomy, most of them want independence," he says. "Assuming that's not possible, they will want proper negotiations around an alternative. That can only happen if the president is prepared to go into these negotiations, and if he has the power to do it."

He says Jokowi will have to face opposition from both the parliament, where he lacks a majority, and the military, which "has much more influence in national politics than it's actually given credit for."

Leonie Tanggahma, a Papuan activist who lives in the Netherlands, says she feels Jokowi does want dialogue. "The question is whether he can do it. He's not going to have to fight us, he's going to have to fight his own people."

Source: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/indonesia/140910/indonesian-president-jokowi-papua

West Papua's Ondawame buried in Port Vila

Radio New Zealand International - September 12, 2014

The body of one of West Papua's most prominent freedom fighters, John Ondawame, was buried in Port Vila Thursday afternoon. Dr Ondawame, who has been living in Vanuatu, died last week.

Both Vanuatu's Prime Minister Joe Natuman and the Opposition Leader, Moana Carcasses, referred to him as a freedom fighter for West Papua when they paid their last respects at the funeral service.

They say his death is a great loss for the people of West Papua but his struggle has been taken up by Vanuatu as it aims to help the push to self determination.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/254386/west-papua%27s-ondawame-buried-in-port-vila

French journalists' legal case continues

Jakarta Post - September 10, 2014

Jayapura, Papua – The immigration office in Jayapura, Papua, is continuing to work on the legal process for two French journalists who have been detained for abusing their tourist visas.

"[The two journalists] have to comply with the legal process. We have to complete the dossiers and hand them to the prosecutor's office before their detention period ends on Oct. 13," Jesaya Samuel Enok, the head of Jayapura Immigration Office's immigration status section, said on Tuesday.

He stated that the two journalists, Thomas Dandois, 40, and Valentine Bourrat, 29, entered Indonesia on tourist visas but conducted journalistic activities during their stay.

According to Law No. 6/2011 on immigration, perpetrators of visa abuse and people who instruct or enable others to do so could face five years in prison and be fined Rp 500 million (US$42,545).

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/10/french-journalists-legal-case-continues.html

French journalists arrested in West Papua face five years jail

Sydney Morning Herald - September 8, 2014

Michael Bachelard, Jakarta – Indonesian authorities are seeking the maximum five-year jail sentence for a pair of French journalists arrested last month for working on tourist visas in the province of West Papua.

The call by Indonesia's Immigration Department highlights the country's paranoia about foreign media scrutiny of affairs in the restive province.

Local police also say they are still investigating Thomas Dandois, 40, and Valentine Bourrat, 29, for the possible criminal charge known as makar, which can be translated as treason or subversion.

The two, who were working on a documentary for the French TV station Arte, have been in police custody since their arrest on August 5. They were caught in the highlands town of Wamena working while on a tourist visa.

Indonesia insists reporters gain a journalist's visa, plus difficult to obtain permission to travel to West Papua. In most cases, journalists caught without a valid visa are simply deported.

The head of the Immigration Office in Papua, Garda Tampubolon, told Fairfax Media that the French documentary maker and camerawoman would remain in custody until the start of their trial, which he hoped would be in October. "It's our wish that they get the maximum penalty [of five years] but... everything depends on the panel of judges," Mr Garda said.

Police spokesman Sulistyo Pudjo said the criminal subversion investigation was under way but "this is a very complicated case, it is not easy". The charge carries a 20-year jail sentence.

Police have indicated in the past that Dandois and Bourrat are under suspicion over an ammunition swap gone wrong in the Papua highlands, during which two police officers were shot.

However, the only evidence of their alleged involvement appears to be that they interviewed political separatists. The incident took place on July 28, two days before the reporters landed in Sorong, West Papua.

Mr Sulistyo said police were suspicious that the two may have been acting under the orders of exiled independence leader Benny Wenda because "there were some SMSs telling [the reporters] to come here".

The Indonesian government is sensitive about the Britain-based Mr Wenda, against whom they once issued an bogus Interpol arrest warrant, which has since been overturned.

Through their lawyers, the reporters have apologised for breaching Indonesia's immigration laws. Their production house, Memento, has guaranteed it will not "produce or distribute material which may discredit Indonesia's reputation on the international stage".

The Indonesian journalists' union, AJI, and the Press Council have both called for the reporters to be released and then deported.

AJI head Eko Maryadi said the detention of the journalists was "not in line with the climate of press freedom which president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono always speaks of".

Treating Papua differently from the rest of Indonesia would "just give the impression that something wrong is going on there, that there is something the government attempts to cover up", he said.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/french-journalists-dandois-and-bourrat-arrested-in-west-papua-face-five-years-jail-20140908-10e0o4.html

Jokowi told to disband UP4B in Papua

Jakarta Post - September 8, 2014

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – President-elect Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is being urged to dissolve the current government's Special Unit of Acceleration of Development in Papua and West Papua (UP4B), an institution that activists and analysts have deemed a failure.

Analysts say the agency has failed to promote fruitful and peaceful dialogue between the central government in Jakarta and Papua, which is needed for development projects to take place in the country's easternmost province.

"It [UP4B] did successfully run a few programs. But, it has failed to implement programs that tackle cultural and political issues, which are fundamental for dialogue between Jakarta and Papua to take place. Dialogue is long overdue," Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) researcher Cahyo Pamungkas told The Jakarta Post on Sunday. Cahyo himself has carried out research on Papua.

Cahyo said that one of the small successes of UP4B was its affirmative action policy in education, which set aside seats for Papuan students at various schools and universities in the country.

According to UP4B data, as a result of the policy, 500 Papuans were given the opportunity to study at numerous high schools in Bali and Java in 2013 while 1,370 students pursued higher education at a number of universities throughout the country.

Sixty-four Papuans joined the Indonesian Military Academy (Akmil) and the National Police Academy (Akpol) thanks to the policy. The program has also allowed 1,875 Papuans to join the police rank.

As part of the strategy to bring prosperity to the region, the government also issued a regulation in 2012 that permitted only native Papuan business owners to make bids on government construction projects to enable local businessmen to join a massive road construction project the government aims to finish by 2014.

But in spite of the development projects, Cahyo said that the central government had never dealt with human rights issues in Papua.

"The government will never successfully develop Papua no matter how great the social and economic plan as long as it refuses to resolve human rights abuses in the region and recognize the locals' political rights," Cahyo of LIPI said.

He said that given the agency's failure to address rights abuses, he suggested Jokowi's incoming government not to extend its term, which would expire in December.

"The new president should instead set up a special unit that would be under his direct oversight to focus on cultural and political issues in Papua," Cahyo said.

In a separate interview, Papua Presidium Council secretary-general Thaha Alhamid cited distrust as the real problem that hampered the peace process between Jakarta and Papua.

"We know that the central government has prepared 'good' [development] programs for us but we can't trust them because they have been imposing what they think is good for us for so long. This breeds distrust," Thaha told the Post. He said that the central government always failed to fulfill its promises.

"Then president Megawati [Soekarnoputri] began rolling out the special autonomy policy, but Theys Hiyo Eluay was also murdered during the year," Thaha said, referring to the former Papuan Presidium Council leader who was murdered in November 2011 for his alleged role in supporting the independence of Papua from Indonesia.

He further cited the prohibition of foreign journalists from entering Papua as part of the effort to prevent the truth from being revealed. "When will you stop suspecting us?" Thaha said.

The Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam) recorded that 139 cases of violence had taken place in Papua in 2012, claiming the lives of 40 locals; while 151 cases last year claimed the lives of 106 locals.

Meanwhile, to affirm his commitment to prioritize Papua, Jokowi appointed last week a politician from the National Awakening Party (PKB), Eko Sandjojo, to lead a division that would also focus on Papua.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/08/jokowi-told-disband-up4b-papua.html

Human rights & justice

TNI generals on Komnas HAM's 'negative list'

Jakarta Post - September 15, 2014

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has submitted a "negative list" of individuals implicated in past human rights abuses to president-elect Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, to prevent them from assuming public office.

On the list, Komnas HAM compiled the names of 174 people, including some prominent individuals who had access to or were expected to join the Jokowi administration.

The individuals include losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto; former vice president Tri Sutrisno; former National Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Gen. (ret.) A.M Hendropriyono; former BIN deputy chief Maj. Gen (ret.) Muchdi Purwoprandjono; former Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. (ret) Wiranto; former Jakarta Military commander Maj. Gen (ret.) Sutiyoso; Deputy Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin; State Secretary Sudi Silalahi and former National Police chief Timur Pradopo.

"The political situation has allowed these individuals, who are implicated in human rights violations, to gain power in this country due to the lack of legal process in resolving past rights abuses," said Roichatul Aswidah, the leader of the Komnas HAM team tasked with handling past rights abuses.

Roichatul said that if they were given access to public office, the individuals could once again block legal processes that were being taken forward against them.

"By being at the center of power, such individuals could use their influence to block the [legal] process that has been long overdue. Thus, the list aims to provide recommendations to Pak Jokowi and Pak JK [Jusuf Kalla] on the people who must not be involved in their Cabinet so that the new administration can set up a clean government," she said.

According to Komnas HAM, Prabowo, Wiranto, Sutiyoso, Sjafrie, Muchdi and Sudi are allegedly responsible for 1998 May Riots as well as the kidnapping of pro-democracy activists during the riots.

Wiranto and Timur were also said to be allegedly responsible for the Trisakti University shootings as well as the Semanggi I and Semanggi II student shootings.

Meanwhile, Try Sutrisno and Hendropriyono were being targeted for their alleged roles in the 1989 Talangsari tragedy in Lampung, during which TNI soldiers raided the homes of villagers following allegations that the residents were attempting to set up an Islamic state. Twenty seven local residents died in the raid.

The development marks the first time that Komnas HAM has officially published such a list. The rights body had prepared a similar list for the July 9 presidential election but declined to make it public over concerns it could be politicized.

However, the commission decided to go public the list after learning that some of the individuals on it may secure positions in the Jokowi-Kalla Cabinet. Komnas HAM submitted the list to Jokowi's transition team late last week.

The transition team has been under fire for appointing Hendropriyono as one of its advisors. Jokowi's campaign promise to solve past human rights abuses has been overshadowed by the roles played by Hendropriyono, Hanura Party chairman Wiranto and Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKPI) chairman Sutiyoso. Hanura and the PKPI officially backed Jokowi's candidacy in the recent presidential election. President-elect Jokowi is expected to announce his Cabinet on Sept. 15.

Hendropriyono earlier told The Jakarta Post that he could guarantee he would decline an offer to be in Jokowi's Cabinet. "Rights activists don't need to worry," he said. "I won't be in Jokowi's Cabinet."

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/15/tni-generals-komnas-ham-s-negative-list.html

Justice for victims of 1965 communist purge as pressing as ever

Jakarta Globe - September 10, 2014

Adelia Anjani Putri, Jakarta – Joshua Oppenheimer, the director of the award-winning documentary "The Act of Killing," about the 1965-66 anti- communist purge in Indonesia, has struck again with his follow-up film "The Look of Silence," which last week won the Grand Jury Prize at the prestigious Venice International Film Festival.

While "Killing" explored the still sensitive topic through the eyes of the perpetrators, "Silence," which will be released on Nov. 28, does so from the perspective of the survivors.

Through the documentary, Oppenheimer and his anonymous team remind the audience that the crimes of that dark period remain unresolved, with little being done to bring clarity to the Indonesian people and closure for the victims.

"When the state doesn't do its work, it's time for expression to take over," says Haris Azhar, coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence, or Kontras, a human rights advocacy group.

He says although the purge occurred decades ago, it still mattered, given that up to half a million people may have been killed in the military- sponsored pogrom against suspected members and sympathizers of the Indonesian Communist Party, or PKI.

"It might have happened a long time ago, but it's big and we can still see the crumbs are still everywhere," Haris says.

An oblivious society

In the documentary, the mother of a victim says there is no use in raising the issue now, and that the victims will get their revenge in the afterlife.

"I don't want to remember it," says Kemat, a survivor of a massacre in Dili Serdang, North Sumatra, in 1965. "It's already covered up. It's up to God to punish those who hurt our family and friends."

Forgetting – or in some cases forgiving – is not exclusive to those who were hurt, but also to the perpetrators. "I don't like deep questions," says a former death squad leader in the film when asked about the massacre. "It's over now."

Another tries to make some sense of it. "If we keep asking the same questions, it will happen again, sooner or later," a former leader of a killing squad, who now holds a prominent position in a local legislature, says firmly.

Bonnie Triyana, a historian, admits that Indonesians are dismissive of the past. "Ours is an oblivious society. For nearly 50 years nobody has ever taught us what really happened in 1965. Almost nobody knows that there were millions killed. They only know that some high-level generals were brutally murdered," Bonnie says, referring to the alleged PKI abduction of the generals that sparked the purge.

"The brainwashing has been going on for so long and has influenced almost every political decision. The New Order felt the need for an enemy so that it could cling to power, when in fact it was not communism or the PKI that ruined the country – it was corruption and restrained democracy."

Bonnie says talking about the tragedy is still important. "Of course it's important. Those saying that talking about the tragedy will only reopen old wounds are mostly the perpetrators. They're afraid," he says.

"It's not about rebuilding communism, defending anyone, or reopening old wounds. It's about justice. People were killed and the state sponsored it. They have wives, husbands and children. Where's the justice? We need to push the discussion and call for action so that in the future people will not be as negligent and will respect other human beings and humanity."

Persistent propaganda

In 1984, the New Order released "Penghianatan G305/PKI" ("The Treason of the PKI's Sept. 30 Movement"), a propaganda movie accusing the PKI of kidnapping and murdering seven generals as part of a coup attempt.

That story has long been debunked as a cover for the military's own successful coup against then-president Sukarno, but the movie continues to color Indonesians' perspective of the PKI, its supporters, and communism in general.

Patrya Pratama, a graduate of the London School of Economics, remembers watching the movie on state television every year until the third grade. He says it conditioned him to balk at the very thought of communism. Though he still objects to the ideology today, his reasons are more rational.

"I've never agreed with the PKI or communism in general," Patrya says, "but the reason is different now. I used to hate them because of what the movie showed me and the New Order's propaganda. Now that I've learned about what communism really is, I still dislike it, but with a whole different reason, not because the alleged atheism or cruelty."

It's still uncommon to talk about the tragedy, Patrya says. "Even now, people still think that discussing the 1965 tragedy means that you support communism."

He says that as long as Indonesians reflexively reject communism without really understanding why, "it will be really hard for us to apologize for the massacre."

For the survivors, just the recognition that they were never villains is enough. "Unlike the perpetrators, we are not asking for our brothers fathers, mothers, relatives, victims to be made as heroes even though some of them deserve it," Adi Rukun, a brother of one of the victims, says in a press statement for "Silence."

"We just want the perspective [of us] as bad people as described in students' history books to be stopped. We want the label of being a despicable group or traitors to be stopped."

Bonnie says even this is unlikely, and doubts that education alone will suffice to reverse the decades of propaganda.

"It's different from Munir's case where people know about it but just neglect it," he says, referring to the 2004 murder of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib.

"In the PKI case, people don't even know about what really happened since they didn't get the right version of history. Even now, when we try to tell them, they're reluctant to accept it. They refuse the new information. The stigma has been there for years and it's created a sense that those murders were reasonable and therefore not a crime."

Achieving a real resolution – legal recognition, restitution, and even an institutional apology from the state – will be much more complicated, Bonnie says.

In November 2012, the Attorney General's Office rejected a plea by the National Commission on Human Rights, or Komnas HAM, to launch an inquiry into the purge.

Komnas HAM's report, which includes interviews with 349 eyewitnesses, declared the massacre a gross human rights violations, but stopped short of naming any perpetrators. That, the AGO argued, meant a formal investigation could not be done.

"We've done what we could," Bonnie says. "There's been a lot of research into it. Legally, the process was stopped abruptly. Now we only can hope for the political will to continue the case. We need recognition and it requires legal consequences. Just accepting that the did massacre happen isn't enough.

"It's a state matter," Bonnie added. "It's not attached solely to the government. The government changes every five years. This problem is bigger than that."

Human rights law expert Frans H. Winata notes that any action by the government will require the formation of a truth and reconciliation commission.

"G30S/PKI, Talangsari, Tanjung Priok cases – none of the human rights abuses of the past can be solved if the government doesn't want to form a commission of truth and reconciliation," he says, adding that an attempt to do so by the late former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid was halted by the military.

"The very first thing to do is to form the commission. Let them find the perpetrators, then we can pardon the mid-level ones and put the masterminds on trial. Without it, nothing will ever get resolved, especially when those who are involved are still lingering near the power holder."

Even making an institutional apology is hardly plausible, Frans says. "Without the commission, it's impossible for the president to announce an apology from the state. It's like corruption – nothing would ever happen if there's no KPK," or Corruption Eradication Commission.

Optimism in the new generation

There were at least three elements of Indonesian society involved in the massacre: the military; grass-roots organizations such as Pemuda Ansor, Nahdlatul Ulama's youth wing, and thugs-for-hire Pemuda Pancasila, as seen in "Killing"; and political parties, namely Golkar.

All three still wield enormous power in Indonesia. Activists and experts acknowledge the difficulty in revealing the truth because these forces will try to block any attempt to get to resolve the issue.

But there is optimism that the incoming administration of President-elect Joko Widodo will prompt an inquiry and reconciliation, given his lack of ties to the New Order.

There is also the factor of Joko's patron, Megawati Soekarnoputri, who has for decades tried to exonerate her father, Sukarno, of New Order accusations that he sided with the PKI. "Joko once promised that his government will conduct an ad-hoc trial for human rights violations," Bonnie says. "I guess we can only wait and see."

Haris of Kontras believes the optimism must be dialed back. "Let's not talk about optimism or pessimism. We're now facing a time of political transition. Joko has to sit with his team to talk about human rights issues. Let's not rush things," he says.

In the mean time, civil society organizations are still pushing for reconciliation. Victor Da Costa from the Indonesian Association of Families of Lost Persons, or IKOHI, says his CSO and others like Kontras are trying to get the government to show some political will to tackling the issue.

"Even after Komnas HAM's recommendation was rejected, we're still pushing the government through pressure and lobbying to make it a main agenda. We demand rehabilitation from the state and for the truth to be revealed," he says. "Especially when we see that there has been no significant improvement in SBY's term."

Many have suggested that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will not and cannot do anything because his father-in-law, the late Gen. Sarwo Edhie Wibowo, was one of the generals who spearheaded the anti-PKI purge.

IKOHI is also trying to tackle the decades of propaganda through education. The organization holds regular discussions to set history straight and try to get rid of the stigma against the victims.

"We can't explicitly change the curriculum, so we conduct discussions for youths, teachers and students. It may be limited, but we do it continuously, so hopefully it can set the record straight," Victor says.

IKOHI says it aims for the younger generation, because trying to sway older Indonesians seems unlikely. "For those aged above 60, it's difficult. They have their own political and historical resistance. That's why we hope the next generation, who will later fill the public space, will right the wrongs," Victor says.

Bonnie shares the same sense of optimism about the next generation of Indonesians. "I'm confident with today's generation. They are open for this kind of discussion," he says.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/justice-victims-1965-purge-pressing-ever/

Jokowi told to target Muchdi for Munir's murder

Jakarta Post - September 9, 2014

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The Solidarity Action Committee for Munir (KASUM) has urged president-elect Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, once he assumes office, to instruct the Attorney General's Office (AGO) to challenge the controversial acquittal of former National Intelligence Agency (BIN) deputy chief Muchdi Purwopranjono, who was once charged with masterminding the murder of prominent human rights campaigner Munir Said Thalib.

The group made the demand during a meeting with one of Jokowi's transition team deputies, Andi Widjajanto.

"Pak Jokowi must offer political support to the AGO to file a case review of Muchdi's acquittal, as [new evidence] connecting him [Muchdi] to the murder exists," KASUM's Choirul Anam said after a one-hour closed-door meeting with Andi.

Choirul said that the evidence included recordings of telephone conversations between Muchdi and a former pilot of flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, that had been kept by the National Police.

"The AGO has acknowledged the existence of the recordings, but their whereabouts remain unknown," he said.

Polycarpus was sentenced to 20 years in prison for putting arsenic in Munir's tea at a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf outlet at Singapore's Changi Airport, where Munir was transiting en route to Amsterdam in September 2004. Last year, the Supreme Court reduced Pollycarpus' sentence to 14 years.

While Pollycarpus was sentenced for his role in the murder, Muchdi was acquitted by the South Jakarta District Court in 2009 due to a lack of evidence and also because key witnesses who had initially made statements against him recanted their accounts.

The link between Muchdi and Pollycarpus was revealed following evidence presented at Muchdi's trial, showing that the two men had made more than 40 calls to each other. Some of the calls were made on a private number, while the remainder were made from BIN telephone numbers.

The relationship between the two men was further revealed by statements made by former BIN agents, who later retracted, saying that the statements had been given under duress.

A government-sanctioned fact-finding team also reported the Muchdi- Pollycarpus telephone conversations, highlighting that Pollycarpus had on several occasions rung a BIN telephone number, using direct inward dialling (DID), which could only be accessed with the permission of the owner, Muchdi.

The team's report further alleged that former BIN chief AM Hendropriyono was also responsible for the murder due to the "compartment" system used within the institution, which gave free rein to any deputy leading a division within the institution to conduct operations and to recruit members without answering to anyone other than the chief.

Hendropriyono, who is an advisor to Jokowi's transition team, has repeatedly denied the allegation.

Andi, one of the transition team's deputies who also oversees human rights issues, said he would brief Jokowi on KASUM's demands.

Separately, presidential spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had instructed the reopening of the investigation into Munir's murder.

"Efforts to solve the case were taken during President SBY's administration, but we don't know whether everything will be completed [before Yudhoyono leaves office] or not. But I have received information that an instruction has been issued to reopen the investigation into the murder of Munir," Teuku told reporters at the State Palace on Tuesday.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/09/jokowi-told-target-muchdi-munir-s-murder.html

US Secretary of State honors slain activist Munir Said Thalib

Jakarta Globe - September 8, 2014

Ezra Sihite, Jakarta – US Secretary of State John Kerry has called for the protection of all who work for peace, democracy, and human rights around the world, on the 10th anniversary of the murder of renowned Indonesian human rights activist Munir Said Thalib.

In a State Department press release issued on Saturday in Washington, DC, Kerry said Munir spent his life working to make his country more democratic, more free, and more humane, and that he was assassinated because people feared he might succeed.

Kerry's praise for the Indonesian human rights activist came on the eve of the anniversary of his Sept. 7, 2004, death on board a flight to Amsterdam.

Munir was poisoned by a Garuda Indonesia pilot widely believed to be an intelligence agent using arsenic-laced coffee at Singapore's Changi International Airport during a stopover from Jakarta. He died later in the air above Hungary.

Kerry said that justice for Munir's death had still not been served. "Full accountability for all those allegedly involved remains elusive," he said.

Kerry said that in 2004, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono recognized that the credible resolution of Munir's murder case would be a key test of Indonesian democracy. "That is still true today. We support all efforts to bring those who ordered Munir assassinated to account," he said.

He described Munir as a voice of conscience and clarity, inspiring a generation of activists, scholars and public servants who today are transforming Indonesia. "So many today, including his widow Suciwati, serve his memory by carrying on his mission," Kerry said.

Teuku Faizasyah, Yudhoyono's spokesman for international affairs, said he understand Kerry's sympathy for Munir but denied that the Yudhoyono administration had done nothing to solve the case.

"The case can be reviewed if there are opportunities to do it in the future, for example with new evidence [implicating] others. But that doesn't mean the current administration didn't try to solve the case," he said on Monday. He added that with the perpetrator jailed, Yudhoyono had done what he was supposed to do.

Three people were convicted for their roles in Munir's death: Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, an off-duty Garuda pilot and suspected State Intelligence Agency (BIN) operative who spiked Munir's drink with arsenic; and two accomplices who played minor roles in arranging for Pollycarpus to be on the same flight as Munir.

But those who masterminded the murder, giving Pollycarpus his orders, remain beyond the reach of law enforcement. And activists blame this travesty on the reluctance shown by the Yudhoyono administration, which came into office the same year that Munir died, to bring those responsible to justice.

"At the beginning of his rule, SBY promised to resolve [Munir's] case and even said that it would be 'the test of our history,'" said Choirul Anam, the executive secretary of the Solidarity Action Committee for Munir (Kasum). "But now at the end of his administration the case is not fully resolved."

After two months of intense pressure from human rights activists and international media, Yudhoyono formed an independent fact-finding team on Nov. 23, 2004, to monitor the police investigation into the case and conduct its own inquiry.

Witnesses on board the flight noted Pollycarpus was seated next to Munir on the flight from Jakarta to Singapore, where it picked up more passengers. The passenger manifest indicated Pollycarpus disembarked in Singapore and didn't continue on to Amsterdam. But before leaving Changi airport, he was seen offering Munir a cup of coffee, which was spiked with arsenic.

Munir's health deteriorated from that point on. He died on board the plane hours before landing in Amsterdam.

The fact-finding team found Pollycarpus had communicated extensively with Muchdi Purwoprandjono, then-deputy BIN chief, prior to Munir's death. In court testimony, several intelligence officials said Pollycarpus often visited the BIN headquarters and met behind closed doors with Muchdi. In at least one of those meetings, Abdullah Mahmud Hendropriyono, the BIN chief at the time, was also present.

Pollycarpus is now serving a 14-year prison term after the Central Jakarta District Court found him guilty on Dec. 1, 2005, of murdering Munir.

The South Jakarta District Court, however, acquitted Muchdi of all charges on Dec. 31, 2008, despite the judges' ruling in Pollycarpus' trial that Pollycarpus acted on Muchdi's instructions. Police never questioned Hendropriyono for his alleged involvement in Munir's killing.

On Sunday, a new generation of socially conscious Indonesians took up the late Munir's fight through performance and visual arts. Munir and his lifelong fight for justice became a muse for musicians, poets and performers, pantomime artist, graphic designers and others who commemorated his death anniversary.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/us-secretary-state-honors-slain-activist-munir-said-thalib/

Kerry calls for justice for Munir

Jakarta Post - September 8, 2014

Margareth S. Aritonang and Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – On the 10th anniversary of the death of prominent human rights defender Munir Said Thalib, the international community has joined calls for the government to bring his "real killers" to justice.

Adding their voices to those of human rights campaigners in Indonesia, the United States government and international rights groups have called on the Indonesian government to open a new investigation into Munir's murder case.

"Ten years ago today someone assassinated him because they feared he just might succeed," US Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement commemorating the 10th anniversary of Munir's murder on Sept. 7.

"Still today, full accountability for all those allegedly involved remains elusive," Kerry said in a statement published on state.gov.

Kerry later pledged that the US government would support all efforts to bring to justice those who ordered the assassination of Munir. He went on to remind the Indonesian government of a promise made by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the latter's first year in office in 2004 to resolve the case.

"President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono recognized that the credible resolution of Munir's murder case would be a key test of Indonesian democracy. That is still true today," he said.

A number of national and international human rights groups have issued similar statements, calling on the government to find the people behind the killing.

"With only a month remaining in office, we ask you to use the power in your hands to order a new investigation into Munir's case directed at identifying the mastermind," said Mugiyanto, chairman of the Phillipines- based Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD).

Mugiyanto also urged the outgoing President to go public with the findings from an investigation conducted by a fact finding team (TPF) into Munir's murder case.

Munir was found dead on a Garuda Airlines flight from Jakarta to Amsterdam on Sept. 7, 2004. An autopsy carried out by the Dutch authorities showed that he died as a result of arsenic poisoning.

Although three Garuda Airlines staff have been convicted of the killing, there are credible allegations that those responsible at the highest levels of government have not yet been brought to justice.

Munir was a prominent human rights campaigner who took up the cause of dozens of activists who disappeared during the last months of the Soeharto government in 1998.

He also played a leading role in uncovering evidence of military responsibility for human rights violations in Aceh and Timor Leste. Munir also drew attention to the role of former chief of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) Gen. Abdullah Mahmud Hendropriyono in a military crackdown on civilian protesters in Talangsari, Lampung, in 1989, which claimed the lives of 45 people. Hendropriyono was commander of the local military division at the time.

Hendropriyono, who maintains that he is innocent, has declined to cooperate with the National Commision on Human Rights (Komnas HAM)'s probe into the Talangsari massacre. He now serves as an adviser to president-elect Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's transition team.

Another military figure who was frequently targeted by Munir was former BIN deputy and commander of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) Muchdi Purwoprandjono, who was accused of being involved in the kidnapping and disappearance of pro-democracy activists in 1998.

In 2008, Muchdi was acquitted of ordering the killing of Munir. Human rights groups found that the trial did not meet international standards of fairness after key prosecution witnesses retracted their sworn testimonies and failed to testify in court. In February 2010, Komnas HAM also identified flaws in the police investigation, prosecution and trial of Muchdi and recommended a fresh investigation.

US diplomatic cables leaked by WikiLeaks allege that Hendropriyono "chaired two meetings at which Munir's assassination was planned". A witness at those meetings told police that "only the time and method of the murder changed from the plans he heard discussed; the original plan was to kill Munir in his office."

Meanwhile, London-based Amnesty International has marked the 10th anniversary of Munir's murder by urging Jokowi to ensure that his plan to resolve past human rights violations includes justice for Munir.

"Amnesty International urges Jokowi to initiate a new, independent investigation into the murder of Munir and bring perpetrators at all levels to justice in a manner consistent with international human rights standards," the organization stated.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/08/kerry-calls-justice-munir.html

Sexual & domestic violence

House amends law to protect children

Jakarta Post - September 10, 2014

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The government and the House of Representatives kicked off on Tuesday a discussion to amend the 2002 Child Protection Law in order to guarantee the rights of children regardless of background, including those who have links to terrorism.

"The current law excludes protection for children who have links to terrorism. They must be protected from any stigma. Also, we must protect them from dangerous ideologies that are banned here," Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Linda Amalia Sari said on the sidelines of a discussion with House Commission VIII overseeing religious and social affairs on Tuesday.

Linda added that revisions to the bill would also include providing rehabilitation and counseling programs for children caught up in terrorism.

The revision also aims to crack down on pedophiles and sex crimes against children, obliging central and regional governments to provide physical and psychological treatment for victims of sex crimes.

The draft revision also aims to protect children from legal procedures, mandating central and regional governments to provide protection and assistance for children undergoing legal processing from the very early stage.

"We want government at all levels to get involved in the efforts to protect children. So this bill will mandate decentralized efforts in protecting our children," said Commission VIII chairperson Ida Fauziah of the National Awakening Party (PKB).

Once approved, the bill is expected to reduce sex crimes against children. A recent study by the Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry and Social Affairs Ministry revealed that 1.5 million children between the ages of 14 and 17 were victims of sex crimes last year.

The majority of them, 900,000 of the total victims, were boys. The study also found that one in 13 teenage boys experienced sexual violence, while it was less common among teenage girls, with one in 18.

According to the study, a lack of information leaves children prone to sex crimes, which are mostly perpetrated by people close to them, from relatives to family friends.

In order to protect child victims of rape, Linda said her ministry would strive for the inclusion of Article 45 in the draft revision, which would allow abortion for rape victims, but only with careful monitoring and performed under strict medical procedures.

"We don't intend to legalize abortion. It is only aimed at giving a solution for children who are raped so that they can move on with their lives," Linda said.

In order to give a deterrent effect for crimes against children, the draft bill proposes to increase the prison term from three to five years and levy a Rp 5 billion (US$424,760) fine.

Ida of Commission VIII said the amended bill would also guarantee the rights of children regardless of the marital status of their parents. The amendment also aims to protect the rights of children who marry young.

"We emphasized 'regardless of marital status' in the draft because we want to provide protection for all children, including those born to parents who fail to register their marriage," said Ida.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/10/house-amends-law-protect-children.html

Survey shines light on parental abuse of kids

Jakarta Post - September 8, 2014

Jakarta – A government survey has found that parents and other relatives are the most common perpetrators of physical violence against children.

The survey, jointly produced by several institutions led by the Social Affairs Ministry, estimated that two in every five teenage boys experienced physical violence, while for teenage girls it was one in 10.

Ministry director of child welfare Edi Suharto told The Jakarta Post the findings showed that, while parents and their relatives were the closest to their children, most did not understand children's rights.

"[Most parents] still have the mind-set that their children are their private property," he said, adding that violence usually took place in families that faced economic hardship, or in cases where parents were experiencing troubles of their own. "In such situations, children are easy prey," he added.

Edi further said that this was exacerbated by the culture of some regions, which viewed that violence against children, such as corporal punishment, was necessary to teach discipline. "Parents often think that pinching and hitting children are ways of educating them so they can be good children, but this is wrong," he said.

The survey was conducted on people between 18 and 24. They were asked about the violence they had experienced before they turned 18. The survey was conducted in 25 provinces in 2013.

The study also estimated that one in 13 teenage boys experienced sexual violence, while it was less common among teenage girls, with one in 18. Most perpetrators were friends, the survey found.

"Friends are some of the closest people [to us], but the victims are clueless on how to resist the violent actions of these [kinds of] perpetrators," Edi explained.

He said sexual violence often occurred between peers due to the fact they could access pornography on the Internet and also due to the influence of wider society.

According to Edi, the effects of physical or sexual violence on victims were worrisome, as victims could become the perpetrators of the future, creating a vicious circle of violence in society.

"Based on the results of studies conducted by countries around the world, they consistently revealed that around 70 percent of victims of violence could grow into perpetrators," he said.

National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas PA) chairman Arist Merdeka Sirait said the government should seriously consider how to cope with violence against children, as to date no method adopted had been able to reduce the number of cases.

"Komnas PA is suggesting that the government involve society groups, such as youth clubs or Family Welfare Movement [PKK] members, in supervising every neighborhood unit or community unit. They should act as a fast response unit on violence against children," he said.

Komnas PA secretary-general Samsul Ridwan added that the next government should pay more attention to this issue as Komnas PA had seen that the trend was increasing. "Multiple killings and the mutilation of four children in Riau has shown this," he said.

The Riau Police have apprehended four members of a gang in the Siak and Bengkalis regencies, Riau province, who are believed to have murdered and mutilated seven people, mostly children. Six of the mutilations took place in 2013, with five carried out in the Bengkalis and Siak regencies. (ask)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/08/survey-shines-light-parental-abuse-kids.html

Labour & migrant workers

10,000 workers demonstrate in Central Jakarta

Antara News - September 15, 2014

Jakarta – Around 10,000 workers from 30 labour federations that make up the Indonesian Trade Union Congress Alliance (KASBI) Confederation held a demonstration at the Hotel Indonesia (HI) traffic circle in Central Jakarta on Monday afternoon.

"This represents a national action by the KASBI Confederation from all across Indonesia. It represents our criticisms of the current government that has failed to bring prosperity to its people", said KASBI Confederation general chairperson Nining Elitos.

Elitos emphasised that the action is also input for the new administration of president elect Joko Widodo to give greater priority to the interests of the ordinary people, welfare, justice and law enforcement.

During the action the KASBI Confederation issued a series of demands called the SEPULTURA (10 Demands of the People). Included among this are the abolition of contract labour systems (outsourcing), the implementation of a reasonable national wage, protection for women workers and opposing the privatisation of [state-owned] industries.

"This action is also a warning to the new government. If our demands are not heeded, we will continue criticising, demonstrating and making demands of the government, regardless of who leads it", said Elitos.

At 11am the demonstrating workers wearing red uniforms held a 'long-march' from the HI traffic circle towards the nearby State Place. During the march they shouted demands and sung songs of labour struggle.

Traffic in vicinity of HI on Jl. Thamrin and adjacent to the National Monument on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan in the direction of the State Place was closed to traffic.

The workers also stopped at the United State Embassy for around 15 minutes and gave speeches criticising US economic policies in Indonesia.

As of going to print, the demonstration was still continuing with workers slowly starting to move off towards the State Place. (rr)

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service.]

Source: http://www.antaranews.com/berita/453647/buruh-demonstrasi-di-jakarta-tuntut-sepultura

Special gate scrapped after airport raid

Jakarta Post - September 12, 2014

Haeril Halim and Yuliasri Perdani, Jakarta – In an effort to eliminate pervasive fraud against migrant workers, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and 16 government institutions have agreed to close a special gate for migrant workers at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport by the end of October.

KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto says that immigration services for arriving migrant workers, which are currently managed at Selapajang gate, will be moved to the general immigration facility at the international arrival gate of the airport.

"At the airport's common use lounge, there will be a crisis center to help workers with health problems or those who don't have enough money to return their hometowns," Bambang told a press conference at KPK headquarters in Jakarta late on Wednesday.

The center will be jointly managed by state-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura II and the Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI).

The integration of immigration services will significantly reduce the role of the BNP2TKI, which has controlled the operation of the Selapajang gate since 2008.

Bambang added that starting October, migrant workers could obtain their overseas working card, also known as KTKLN, from the BNP2TKI at the end of their training program. Under the current system, the agency issues the card only moments before workers depart at airports or seaports.

The move came after a surprise inspection at the airport in July, in which the KPK and the National Police detained 18 men, including two low-ranking police officers and a soldier, for allegedly extorting migrant workers by forcing them to use specific travel services and foreign exchange services.

KPK chairman Abraham Samad, who led the inspection, did not rule out the possibility that some BNP2TKI officials were involved in the fraud.

The National Police, however, released the 18 men as they were not caught red-handed committing any crimes during the inspection. The two police, identified only by their initials WD and ET, are currently undergoing questioning at the Jakarta Police over their alleged criminal offences and disciplinary violations.

National Police detective chief Comr. Gen. Suhardi Alius said on Tuesday that the force had arrested two other police officers for their alleged involvement in the extortion scheme. One of the two has been dishonorably dismissed from the force. Suhardi declined to reveal their identities.

Separately, Angkasa Pura II spokesperson Achmad Syahir said that the airport would strengthen security to protect migrant workers from scams. "We will ensure that migrant workers with no administrative issues can go home, just like other passengers," he said on Thursday.

Anis Hidayah from the NGO Migrant Care welcomed the gate closure. "We have advocated for the terminal closure for years. The terminal became a medium for discrimination and systematic extortion against the workers. They were forced to rent expensive cars and exchange their money at outrageously high rates," she said on Thursday.

Following the gate closure, Anis called for an investigation to identify and prosecute public officials and individuals who have benefitted from illicit activities at the terminal. Anis said that following the KPK's raid at the airport, extortion practices had continued.

"Just two days ago, we received a report from two migrant workers who had just landed from Qatar that under the assistance of a BNP2TKI official, they chartered a car for Rp 450,000 (US$38) to reach their hometown in Blitar, East Java. In the middle of the journey, the driver asked them to pay an additional Rp 3 million," she said.

The driver dropped the migrant workers off in Surakarta, Central Java as they refused to fulfill his demand.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/12/special-gate-scrapped-after-airport-raid.html

New wage system to be based on productivity, company profitability

Nefosnews - September 11, 2014

Jakarta – Starting in 2015, the wage remuneration system will be revised. Workers will be paid based on education level, productivity, length of employment, achievements and position. Demands for wage increases will only be implemented if a company is profitable.

The changes are currently be deliberated by the government through the Department of Labour and Transmigration (Kemenakertrans). The new system will compliment the existing stipulations on provincial, regency and municipal minimum wages (UMP/UMK).

Business groups have expressed support for the new system with Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) chairperson Suryo Bambang Sulisto saying that it is time for workers to be paid based on productivity.

"Don't let wages get more and more expensive but productivity remain the same. People (investors) will over time become increasingly reluctant [to invest] in Indonesia. What will we do if the country isn't competitive", said Sulisto at the Kartini building in Jakarta on Thursday September 11.

Meanwhile the Department of Labour's director general of industrial relations and social security, Irianto Simbolon, said that starting next year they will be using a system of "scaled wages".

There are several important points in this new scaled wages system. First, it will use indicators such as education, achievements, length of employment and position to determine workers' wages.

So wages will become very 'personal', unlike the determination of wages currently being used, which is based on the provincial and minimum wage.

Second, the scaled wage system will also be determined by employers by using company performance indicators, meaning that if a company's performance is poor or unprofitable, then workers will not have the right to ask for wage increases.

Third, companies will be obliged to pay non-wage income. Non-wage income means things such as holiday bonuses, bonuses related to religious affairs, compensation for employment facilities and the like.

Fourth, wage levels will be based on 84 components that make up the new reasonable living cost index (KHL). Under the old regulation, Department of Labour Decree Number 13/2012, the KHL is only made up of 60 components.

The additional components that make up the new KHL will include drinking water dispensers, washing machines, brooms made from sugar palm fiber, plastic cutting boards, mats, televisions measuring a minimum of 19 inches, deodorants, perfume, lipstick, hand and body lotion and mobile phones.

The fifth and last point is that the new wage system will adjust how often wage increases are set, changing from annually to once every two years. (anila/bim)

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service.]

Source: http://www.nefosnews.com/post/ekbis/sistem-upah-buruh-2015-diubah-ini-dia-poin-poinnya

Lay-offs and closures hit tobacco firms

Jakarta Post - September 10, 2014

Indra Harsaputra, Surabaya – The declining cigarette market and the implementation of tighter regulations have led to the loss of tens of thousands of jobs in the cigarette industry in East Java, a trade associations says.

The Association of Cigarette Employers (Gapero) said that currently there were 1,970 small-scale cigarette factories, down from 3,000 in 2007. Of this figure, 563 are located in East Java, a significant drop compared to that of 2007 with 1,100 factories.

Jhony, chairman of the Malang branch of Gapero, said there were some 400 cigarette companies operating in Greater Malang in 2009 but the figure plunged to 77 in 2013, adding that only 40 companies had a "healthy" financial status.

"The [financially] healthy cigarette companies still have routine production, while others are under-performing. Today, the cigarette business in Malang is sluggish, making it impossible to recruit new workers," he said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Cigarette Factory Association coordinator Said Abubakar Lutfi said various cigarette companies were likely to downsize the number of employees in an effort to save their businesses.

"Cigarette companies in Malang will cut some 20 percent of employees on average. These efficiency measures are being applied not only to contract- based workers, but also to regular employees. This is being done to prevent business closures," he said.

Lutfi said besides declining sales, another factor that would threaten the industry was the increase in tobacco excise in 2015.

One of the employers that has reduced its number of staff is the Bentoel Group, the fourth-largest cigarette manufacturer in Indonesia. The company has offered voluntarily redundancy to 1,000 of its 8,000 employees.

The Bentoel Group's head of corporate and regulatory affairs, Shaiful Bahari Mahpar, said the voluntary redundancies had been on offer since Monday. He said they would not affect the company's production volume.

Cigarette companies having to cut staff to save their businesses Bentoel has offered voluntarily redundancy to 1,000 of its 8,000 workers Bentoel says cuts will not affect production volume in remaining factories

Shaiful said the company would work with only three to four factories to produce the same amount of cigarettes as previously produced by its 11 factories.

He said, however, the company had set a target to produce more than 20 billion cigarettes of all types this year, which is more than were produced in 2013.

"The voluntary redundancy program has nothing to do with a decrease in cigarette production. We can still produce the same amount of cigarettes in fewer factories," Shaiful said.

The program, he said, was offered as a consolidation measure following a decline in the national cigarette market and production, as well as an increase in production costs due to the implementation of new regulations regarding cigarette packaging.

"Other influencing factors include inflation, higher fuel prices and changes in city or regency minimum wages," Shaiful said.

Head of the East Java Manpower, Transmigration and Population Agency, Edi Purwinarto, said the provincial administration had prepared a special retraining program for cigarette factory workers such as training in entrepreneurship and transfers to other types of work.

"Governor Soekarwo has also sent a letter to the finance minister to ask for postponements in the imposition of some regulations considered as burdens on tobacco companies in East Java with regard to the fate of laid off tobacco workers," Edi said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/10/lay-offs-and-closures-hit-tobacco-firms.html

Yogya workers say ending direct elections huge step back for democracy

Tempo.co - September 9, 2014

Pribadi Wicaksono, Yogyakarta – The Yogyakarta Workers Alliance (ABY) has slammed the draft law on regional elections (RUU Pilkada) saying it will bring suffering to workers in the future.

"If the RUU Pilkada becomes a reality, workers' prospects will become even more uncertain, and we have agreed to reject it", ABY secretary general Kirnadi told Tempo on Tuesday September 9.

Kirnadi said that one of the impacts of returning to the mechanism of Regional Legislative Councils (DPRD) choosing regional heads would be a lost of control into the hands of those in power and the government in their commitment to improving the welfare of workers. "Regents or mayors who are chosen by the DPRD will no longer be bound to political contracts to fight for workers' interests", said Kirnadi.

Kirnadi said for example that under the direct election of regional heads, candidates can be bound to political contracts. If they succeed in being elected, the candidates have a moral obligation to fight for a better future for workers. "Such as revisions to the reasonable living cost index (KHL) in determining an ideal minimum wage", he said.

Aside from this, the workers also slammed the draft law because they predict it will only perpetuate executive transactional politics with the DPRD. "To date, those who have become regional heads, if they aren't [political] party members they're businesspeople with big capital recruited by the parties. They usually aren't pro-worker, but the opposite".

Kirnadi said that the RUU Pilkada was a huge step back for democracy. It also represents a muzzling of the political rights of marginal groups that need to fight for their interests. "Workers will no longer be able to put forward candidates that are suitable and fulfill a criteria, because it will all be taken over by the DPRD".

As a response to the RUU Pilkada, Kirnadi said they would be coordinating with trade unions around the country to reject the law with one voice and to push for a judicial review if the law is ratified. "We will be in the front line rejecting [the law] up until a challenge with the Constitutional Court. Dirty politics such as this cannot be allowed to happen", said Kirnadi

Yogyakarta city DPRD speaker Sudjanarko said that the RUU Pilkada is sure to attract strong criticism from the public at large. Like the recent presidential election campaign, he believes that huge numbers of people will become organised [to fight the law].

"Not just party [supporters], but members of the public will come out by themselves, because this process is an extraordinary step back for democracy", said Sudjanarko, who is also the chairperson of the branch leadership board of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service.]

Source: http://www.tempo.co/read/news/2014/09/09/058605578/Buruh-Yogyakarta-Tolak-RUU-Pilkada

Political parties & elections

PPP names Emron Pangkapi new chairman

Jakarta Post - September 15, 2014

Jakarta – The third national leaders meeting (Rapimnas) of the United Development Party (PPP) has announced that Emron Pangkapi will be the party's new chairman, according to a PPP official.

The PPP's executive board deputy secretary-general, Ichsan Muchsin, said on Monday that Emron's appointment as chairman, who is replacing former chairman and graft suspect Suryadharma Ali, was valid.

He said the executive board had instructed Emron to register new PPP officials with the Law and Human Rights Ministry to obtain legal standing.

"[The executive board] has instructed [newly elected] chairman Emron Pangkapi and secretary-general Romahurmuziy to register the new officials to the ministry," he said on Monday as quoted by kompas.com.

On Sept. 9, an executive meeting at PPP headquarters voted in favor of dismissing Suryadharma, who had led the party since 2007, and appointed its deputy chairman, Emron, who was a staunch opponent of Suryadharma's, to head the party.

However, Suryadharma said on Sept. 12 that his dismissal from the party was invalid. He then hit back by dismissing secretary-general Romahurmuziy and his deputies, Emron Pangkapi, Lukman Hakim Syaifuddin and Suharso Monoarfa, for allegedly violating the party's charter by attempting to dismiss him. (alz)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/15/ppp-names-emron-pangkapi-new-chairman.html

Indirect elections based on Pancasila, says Gerindra

Jakarta Post - September 13, 2014

Jakarta – Gerindra Party deputy chief Fadli Zon says the country's founding philosophy, Pancasila, legitimizes indirect elections. He added if people did not agree, then they should change Pancasila first.

He then cited the fourth principle of Pancasila: "Democracy guided by the inner wisdom in the unanimity arising out of deliberations among representatives," as blatant proof of the need for indirect elections.

"It is clear that the kind of democracy we practice here in Indonesia is representative democracy. Thus for those who still want to maintain direct elections, please change Pancasila first," he said as quoted by kompas.com on Saturday.

Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) political expert Sri Nuriyanti said associating indirect elections with Pancasila was misleading and incorrect.

"The context of the fourth principle of Pancasila is the way we mull our policies rather than the procedure of organizing elections," she said as quoted by tribunnews.com recently.

She said the current direct elections had adopted the value of "one man, one vote", which was the essence of democracy where individuals had the same chance to determine the fate of their regions.

The Red-and-White Coalition, comprising Gerindra, the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the United Development Party (PPP) and the Golkar Party, has changed its position, from supporting direct elections to defending the idea of electing regional leaders via regional legislative councils (DPRDs).

The shift is suspected to be an attempt to disturb the incoming administration led by Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Jusuf Kalla. (alz/dic)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/13/indirect-elections-based-pancasila-says-gerindra.html

PDI-P calls for people power

Jakarta Post - September 13, 2014

Yuliasri Perdani and Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – As the six factions under Prabowo Subianto's Red-and-White Coalition maintain their stance, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and its three coalition party members have placed their hopes on the government and public to maintain the direct election of local leaders.

The PDI-P, the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the Hanura Party have not succeeded in their effort to ward off a move by a majority of factions in the House of Representatives to reinstate the Soeharto-era election system, where regional legislative councils (DPRDs) elect local heads.

The three parties, which all belong to president-elect Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's Gotong Royong Coalition, only have two weeks before the fate of direct elections is decided in a plenary meeting at the House. PDI-P's coalition looks to civil society, regional heads to block indirect elections Time for Red-and-White Coalition to 'listen to the people'.

If the plenary session decides to hold a vote, the Gotong Royong Coalition will likely face defeat. The Red-and-White Coalition controls 420 seats in the current House, 150 of which come from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party. The PDI-P and its coalition members hold a total of 140 seats.

While underlining that his party is still soliciting support at the House, PDI-P deputy secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto has embraced increasing sentiment from civil society and a score of regional heads to resist the bill. "The public has moved [into action]. We will lobby the factions. It is still in process," he said.

Many regional heads from the Red-and-White Coalition are defending direct elections and are ready to quit their political parties as a consequence of their stance.

Among them are the outspoken Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, who recently left the Gerindra Party, and Singkawang Mayor Awang Ishak, who recently left the National Mandate Party (PAN).

"It's time for the factions to listen to the voice of the people, mayors and governors. Their decisions at the House must reflect the people's demand. They will lose credibility if they decline to do so," said PDI-P lawmaker Maruarar Sirait.

Meanwhile, PKB lawmaker Abdul Malik Haramain, a member of the working committee in charge of the bill's deliberation, placed his hopes on Yudhoyono and the home minister to annul the legislation process.

"The bill was proposed by the government, so it holds the right to revoke its proposal. Yudhoyono must realize that the bill has put our democracy at risk. In addition to that, our two proposals for the bill are not ready yet. They are still lacking detail," he said.

The first proposal, which stipulated a representative-based election, did not clearly regulate the roles of the General Elections Commission (KPU) and the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) in the voting process of regional heads in DPRDs, Abdul said.

As for the second proposal, the working committee has not determined the limit of campaign funds. "We have just asked the Home Ministry to make a recommendation on the figure," he added.

Should the Gotong Royong Coalition fail in its struggle, Abdul claimed that the coalition, with support from the public, would file a judicial review to challenge the new law.

Another Red-and-White Coalition member, the Islamic-based United Development Party (PPP), remains adamant in its stance of scrapping the direct-election system, noting that the party has consistently endorsed the idea at the House since 2010.

"A number of PPP elements, including those from the Indonesian Ulema Council [MUI] and Nahdlatul Ulama [NU], believe that direct elections cause too many disadvantages, such as large spending to hold each election," Ahmad said on Friday.

Late on Thursday, the chairman of PAN's consultative board, Amien Rais, gathered his members to remind them of the party's commitment to supporting the bill.

The meeting was conducted only a day after Awang's resignation from the party and an endorsement of the direct elections from its member, Bogor Mayor Bima Arya Sugiarto. After the meeting, Amien said he allowed PAN members to have "different opinions", but reminded them not "to challenge" the party's stance. (idb)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/13/pdi-p-calls-people-power.html

Government defends direct elections

Jakarta Post - September 12, 2014

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The government will arrange a high- ranking lobby of political party leaders to endorse the direct election of local heads in an attempt to stave off the moves by a majority of factions at the House of Representatives to abolish the mechanism.

As of Thursday, six factions, comprising the Democratic Party, the Golkar Party, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the National Mandate Party (PAN), the United Development Party (PPP) and the Gerindra Party were still insisting on pushing the proposal to bring back elections through provincial and regional legislative councils (DPRDs).

The six factions are all members of the Red-and-White Coalition of parties that supported losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto in the July presidential election.

Only the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the Hanura Party, all of which belong to president-elect Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's Gotong Royong Coalition, are seeking to keep the direct-election system.

"We are still working on reaching common ground on the matter. I can see some of us appear to be reconsidering and reviewing [their stance]. The decision is not final," the Home Ministry's director general of regional autonomy, Djohermansyah Djohan, said on the sidelines of a closed-door discussion on the regional election bill on Thursday.

Djohermansyah further expressed his confidence in a change of heart among critics of the direct-election system, highlighting that the fate of the system to elect regional heads would be in the hands of party leaders. "It would be good if we can meet [party leaders] to talk about it. So, arranging a high-level meeting appears to be an excellent idea," he said.

The plan to abolish the direct election of local heads was initially promoted by the government through an amendment to the 2004 Regional Elections Law, against the wishes of a majority of political factions that had previously preferred to maintain the direct-election system.

As the legislation progressed after the presidential election, the government swung back to supporting direct elections, along with the Gotong Royong Coalition led by the PDI-P.

Outside the House, however, the Gotong Royong's stance has more support. Regional heads, who have often benefited from the direct-election system in the past decade, have defended direct voting as an essential factor in resisting the hegemony of political parties.

In his defense of the current direct elections, and in opposition to his former party, Gerindra, outspoken Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama recently resigned from the party. He has been supported by other regional heads.

On Thursday, regional heads, through their associations – the Regency Administrations Association (Apkasi) and the Association of the Indonesian City Administrations (Apeksi) – gathered in Jakarta to solidify a plan to support the Home Ministry in upholding direct elections.

Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil, whose candidacy was backed by Gerindra and the PKS in 2013, is in open opposition to the political parties that once supported him. "The Constitution states that the country's sovereignty lies in the people's hands," he said.

Kutai Timur Regent and Apkasi chairman Isran Noor argued that if the House's Commission II overseeing domestic governance abolished direct elections, instability in local administrations would ensue.

"I saw the implementation of indirect regional elections [through the DPRDs]. At that time, many regents and mayors were under the control of DPRDs because they felt indebted to the members of the regional councils," Isran, who also leads the Democratic Party's East Kalimantan chapter, said.

Besides Isran, several other regional heads, who are members of parties in the Red-and-White Coalition, have also voiced their rejection of the plan, regardless of the consequences.

The regent of Solok, West Sumatra, Syamsu Rahim, a Golkar member, said he was prepared to be dismissed by his party in his fight for the people's rights. "The people can correctly judge our capacities, while regional legislators only judge us on a monetary basis," Syamsu said.

The mayor of Bogor, West Java, Bima Arya Sugiarto of PAN concurred. He said elections in which only members of the DPRDs got to vote were not good for Indonesia's democracy as they would eliminate the chance for the people to directly interact with their regional leaders.

"Political parties should listen to the people's voice," he said, adding that PAN would hold a meeting to discuss its position regarding the bill on Thursday night, and he hoped the party's stance would change. (ask)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/12/govt-defends-direct-elections.html

Mayors and district heads unite to reject regional elections bill

Jakarta Globe - September 11, 2014

Jakarta – After Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama quit his party on Wednesday in fury over its support for the regional elections bill, mayors and district heads from around the country have started voicing similar objections.

Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil is one of the most outspoken opponents of the bill that aims to eliminate direct elections of sub-national level executives.

On Thursday, he posted a petition letter online that was issued by the Indonesian Regional Government Association (Apkasi) and Indonesian Municipalities Association (Apeksi). In the letter, the organizations state their objections to the idea of handing the authority to choose local leaders to regional legislative councils (DPRD).

Bogor Mayor Bima Arya spread the same letter through his Twitter account: @BimaAryaS.

"The 1945 constitution says that the country's sovereignty belongs to the people. We agree that after this, we'll march to the HI traffic circle [in Central Jakarta] – district heads and mayors rejecting indirect local elections," Ridwan said during a meeting with Apkasi and Apeksi on Thursday morning, as quoted by Tribunnews.com.

However, the protest march had to be canceled due to the lack of a permit. "It's canceled. There's no permit from the police because [the demonstration schedule is] already full. They proposed to postpone until tomorrow, but we'll be gone by then," Ridwan told Metrotvnews.com.

The officials decided to protest inside the building where they met by taking pictures with protest signs. "The point is that we showed our aspirations and how we feel. We did it, even though it was indoor," Ridwan said.

Should the House of Representatives pass the controversial bill, Ridwan said earlier on Thursday that mayors and district heads would file a judicial review request with the Constitutional Court. "A survey has shown what the people really want: 75 percent rejects the bill," he told Detik.com

Poll results released this week by the Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI) showed that 81.25 percent of respondents felt that a local leader must be elected directly by the people.

"Returning the mechanism of local elections to the DPRD is a step back for this country's democracy," Apkasi chairman Isran Noor told Detik.com. "Moreover, it's like robbing the people of their political sovereignty."

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/mayors-district-heads-unite-reject-regional-elections-bill/

Party lines blur in local election bill

Jakarta Post - September 11, 2014

Margareth S. Aritonang and Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – When it comes to the controversial plan to abolish direct regional elections, political factions have no clear-cut position on whether or not to make the drastic decision.

The Red-and-White Coalition, which nominated losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto and his running mate Hatta Rajasa, has been the subject of criticism for its insistence on returning to the system whereby local heads are elected by regional legislative councils (DPRDs), prompting suspicion that the coalition, which secured a majority of seats in the legislative body, aims to control power in local governments.

However, members of the coalition, as well as supporters of the rival Gotong Royong Coalition led by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) were split over other crucial stipulations in the controversial bill, including the issue of requirements for candidates of regional leaders and their deputies.

Among the nine political factions at the House of Representatives, the PDI-P and the Golkar Party proposed a ban on family members of incumbent local heads running in local elections, a move they said was aimed at putting an end to political dynasties.

Unlike the stance of other members of the Red-and-White Coalition, Golkar shared the view of "rival" PDI-P in opposing nepotism and put an emphasis on the capacity and acceptability of candidates in local elections.

Such stipulations are included in the two different versions of the draft bill; article 7 and article 165 of the draft on direct regional elections; and in article 13 and article 50 of the draft on regional elections by DPRDs.

Each of the articles have similar wordings that "gubernatorial and regent candidates must not have family ties with incumbents" and "candidates for deputy governor/regent/mayor must not have family ties with regional leaders".

Meanwhile, the remaining members of the Red-and-White Coalition – the Gerindra Party, the Democratic Party, the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the United Development Party (PPP) – and those of the Gotong Royong Coalition – the National Awakening Party (PKB) and Hanura Party – do not want the ban included in the bill.

Members of the two coalitions have also taken different positions on the procedure to nominate deputies for local heads.

Unlike the other members of its coalition, the PDI-P has teamed up with Golkar, the Democratic Party, PAN and the PPP in opposing a one-package nomination, which would allow candidates for local heads to pick their own deputies.

However, the Democratic Party wants the bill to give the mandate to the home minister to pick candidates for deputy governor positions, while Golkar wants candidates for deputy governor to be selected by provincial legislative councils. Meanwhile, Gerindra, Hanura, the PKB and the PKS proposed that elected local heads be allowed to freely appoint their own deputies.

Despite their different stances regarding key articles in the bill, all political parties agree that the bill should mandate simultaneous elections.

Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) executive director Titi Anggraini said that in the draft bill, lawmakers appeared not to have thought through the mechanism of the indirect-election system.

"In the draft of the bill, the concept of screening by the public is not clear. The accountability and the measurements are also not clear," she told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, referring to a stipulation that political candidates needed to undergo screening.

Meanwhile, the People's Voters Education Network (JPPR) said laws on elections were rife with inconsistencies and were urgently in need of codification. "There is indeed a need to unify the laws. Actually it is an urgent matter," Muhammad Afifuddin of the JPRR said.

By unifying the laws, the government could aim for simultaneous elections to elect presidents, vice presidents, lawmakers and regional heads to avoid conflicts of interest among regional heads during presidential elections.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/11/party-lines-blur-local-election-bill.html

Ahok quits, coalition alarmed

Jakarta Post - September 11, 2014

Headlines – Political parties in Prabowo Subianto's Red-and-White Coalition have warned their members against following in the footsteps of Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, who gave up his Gerindra Party membership to voice opposition to the party's support of scrapping the direct election of local heads.

Executives of the parties demanded their members toe the party line in supporting the proposal to bring back indirect elections for local heads through local legislative councils.

"We have a clear rule on this. We won't compromise. All members must support the party's stance or leave us," Golkar Party deputy secretary- general Tantowi Yahya said Wednesday.

Separately, Hidayat Nur Wahid, a senior executive of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and leader of the party's faction at the House of Representatives, said that the Muslim-based party would apply the same method against rebellious members. "Golkar imposes strict punishments on [rebellious] members and so does the PKS," Hidayat said.

On Wednesday, Ahok tendered his resignation to Gerindra's central executive board in protest against the party's support of reinstating indirect elections for local heads.

"The Gerindra Party seems to be adamant [...] I had the resignation letter delivered to the central executive board by members of my staff today. I decided to do this because to me, what Gerindra's fighting for is not consistent with my principle of giving people the best option. I won't support the party's policy, as I was obliged to, if it means regional heads will be slaves to the councilors," Ahok told reporters at City Hall.

Gerindra executives were quick to denounce Ahok. "Ahok doesn't know anything about [political] parties. It's unethical for him to abandon the party. He is just looking for reasons [to jump ship]," Gerindra deputy chairman Fadli Zon said.

Fadli, however, added that Gerindra respected Ahok's decision no matter how "disappointing" it was. Prabowo said that Ahok had not personally approached him to discuss his move, but that it was his prerogative to quit the party.

Meanwhile, Gerindra's Jakarta branch chairman, M. Taufik, furiously responded to Ahok's move, saying it would not significantly impact the party. "He [Ahok] hasn't done anything impressive for the party. Gerindra will move on without him," Taufik said.

Besides Gerindra, Golkar and the PKS, the Red-and-White Coalition also includes the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the United Development Party (PPP).

The five parties, along with the Democratic Party, has endorsed what could be seen as an "undemocratic" system in the election of regional leaders by granting regional legislative councils (DPRDs) the power to select candidates through a bill on regional elections. The House is expected to endorse the bill on Sept. 25.

The deliberation of the controversial bill has triggered protests nationwide over concerns that such an election system could take the country back to the New Order era.

Approaching the deadline for the bill's deliberation, activists have initiated a civil movement, encouraging critics of the bill to send messages to PAN lawmaker Abdul Hakam Naja, who heads a working committee in charge of the deliberation, to demand that the plan be dropped.

Critics of the bill also called for populist Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil to follow Ahok's move and reject the endorsement.

Meanwhile on Wednesday evening, executives of parties within the Red-and- White Coalition gathered at the residence of Golkar's advisory council chairman, Akbar Tandjung, to further consolidate their stance in the deliberation of the crucial bill.

If approved, the Red-and-White Coalition, which controls the majority of seats at the House and local legislative councils, would be able to nominate and elect local heads of its choice.

Earlier, the coalition challenged an internal mechanism within the House that would allow it to control decision-making in the legislative body.

The coalition has endorsed a voting mechanism in the selection of the House speaker through a revision of the Legislative Institutions Law (MD3), which is aimed at preventing the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) from directly securing the position as the winner of the legislative election.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/11/ahok-quits-coalition-alarmed.html

Public supports Ahok's departure from Gerindra

Jakarta Post - September 11, 2014

Sita W. Dewi, Jakarta – The public gave a positive response to Deputy Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama's decision to leave the Gerindra Party after the the party's Red-and-White Coalition insisted on going ahead with the controversial local election bill.

The bill, which is still being deliberated by the House of Representatives' Commission II on domestic governance, aims to return the election of local heads to the Regional Legislative Councils (DPDs).

In a move to defend direct elections, Ahok on Wednesday submitted his resignation letter to Gerindra's central executive board.

East Jakarta resident Januar Kuwado said he supported the deputy governor's decision to dissociate himself from Gerindra.

"Ahok is known as a democrat and what Gerindra is fighting for contradicts his principles. Moreover, Gerindra – which supported Ahok – won the gubernatorial election in 2012 in a direct election, so the party should be consistent," he said.

Januar was upbeat that Ahok's move would not harm his performance as the soon-to-be governor. Ahok will replace Governor Joko Widodo, who will be inaugurated as Indonesia's seventh president in October.

"If Ahok's programs aim to improve the people's welfare and the council does not support it, then we know who the real bad guy is. Voters are smarter now," he said.

Another resident, Halimah, shared this sentiment. "I think it's Gerindra's loss, not Ahok's. As a voter, I root for direct elections so of course I support Ahok's decision," she said.

Meanwhile, Charta Politika political analyst Yunarto Wijaya said Ahok's move should be seen as a lesson learned by Gerindra and other political parties.

"It's been a common understanding that political parties in Indonesia are mostly authoritarian, exclusive in their decision making and feudal. Ahok is the evidence – parties should have asked for the opinions of regional heads before drafting the bill because they understand the challenges. Ahok's bold move can also be a signal for other regional heads to not yield easily to the council's pressure," he told The Jakarta Post.

Yunarto added that Ahok's resignation would instead affect Gerindra more than Ahok. "Gerindra is digging its own grave. The party has used Ahok to establish an image as a reformist party but this development is a setback," he said.

Further, he suggested that Ahok should remain independent until the end of his tenure "unless his name is touted as a potential candidate in the 2019 presidential election."

A fierce reaction came from Ahok's colleagues in Gerindra. Gerindra Jakarta chapter chairman M. Taufik lamented Ahok's move, calling him ungrateful.

"Ahok was nobody before Gerindra touted him as the deputy governor candidate in 2012. Even Belitung residents didn't really know him. He should be thankful for Gerindra and not the other way around," he said.

"Gerindra will be fine without Ahok. The party has become this big because of [chief patron] Prabowo [Subianto], not Ahok."

Meanwhile, newly-inaugurated councilor Prasetio Edi Marsudi of the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) was upbeat that the council would get along with Ahok' administration.

"The presidential election is over. There should be no more talk of 'Indonesia Hebat' or the 'Red-and-White Coalition'. I assure you that 106 newly-inaugurated councilors will work together to solve the capital's problems," he told reporters. "We will say Ahok is right if he's right and wrong if otherwise."

From 106 seats at the City Council, PDI-P garners the most with 28 seats, followed by Gerindra with 15.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/11/public-supports-ahok-s-departure-gerindra.html

After Ahok, Singkawang mayor also resigns from Red-and-White Coalition

Jakarta Post - September 11, 2014

Jakarta – The mayor of Singkawang in West Kalimantan, Awang Ishak, said on Thursday that he had tendered his resignation from the People's Mandate Party (PAN) following the party's decision to call an end to direct regional elections.

"The party's decision to support Regional Legislative Councils choosing regional heads has made me resign," Awang said in West Kalimantan on Thursday, as quoted by tribunnews.com.

"If there were any defects in the direct elections system, I believe they would improve in time." Awang said he felt that what he was fighting for was no longer in line with the party's views.

The Red-and-White Coalition led by Prabowo Subianto's Gerindra Party – which holds a majority in the House of Representatives – is fighting to reinstate the defunct regional system in which regional leaders are elected by Council members.

In response to Gerindra's stance, Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama on Wednesday tendered his official resignation from the party, saying that the proposed system would hurt Indonesia's democracy. (fzm/nfo)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/11/after-ahok-singkawang-mayor-also-resigns-red-and-white-coalition.html

Bandung protest slams election law as return to Suharto's New Order

Kompas.com - September 10, 2014

Rio Kuswandi, Bandung – An alliance of social groups from various sectors of society held a protest action in front of the Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) building on Jl. Diponegoro in the West Java provincial capital of Bandung on Wednesday September 10 to oppose the draft law on regional elections (RUU Pilkada). They also set fire to a bier at the front gate of the DPRD building.

"We emphatically reject the draft law on Pilkada by the House of Representatives, whether it be on the election of regional heads at the provincial, regency or city level", said the coordinator of the People's Action Movement for Direct Elections, Azhar Hariman, during a break in the action.

According to Hariman if the RUU Pilkada is ratified and the election of regional heads returned to regional assemblies, then it will eliminate the ordinary people's right to directly elect their local leaders.

"This does not conform with the spirit of democracy, if it is ratified and [the election of regional heads] returned to the [regional] assemblies, the democratic system in Indonesia cannot be said to have advanced, but retreated back to the New Order era [of former President Suharto]", he asserted.

If the draft law is ratified, continued Hariman, it would mean that the people's struggle to create a democratic country will have been for nothing. The people have already fought to the last for the ratification of Law Number 32/2004 on regional administration and direct elections by the people.

"Yes, we have gone to great lengths to build this democratic system, before we looked forward eagerly for some time and fought for the direct election of regional heads by the people, now suddenly they want to change it again", he complained.

Hariman added that the current democratic system has given birth to many benefits. "The direct election of regional heads has given birth to political maturity, we can sift through candidates for the national leadership", he said.

Police officers were on guard to watch over the protest action. After a short wait, members of the DPRD came out to meet with the demonstrators, including among others, Waras Wasisto, Surahman and Yunandar from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction, Abdul Rozak Muslim from the Golkar Party faction and Sunatra from the Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) faction.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service.]

Source: http://regional.kompas.com/read/2014/09/10/13320751/Tolak.RUU.Pilkada.Demonstran.Bakar.Keranda.di.Depan.DPRD.Jabar

PKS: End to direct local elections is in people's best interest

Jakarta Globe - September 10, 2014

Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Jakarta – Despite widespread resistance to the regional elections bill, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) says an end to direct elections of governors, district heads and mayors would be in the people's best interest.

The secretary of the PKS fraction at the House of Representatives, Abdul Hakim, said that the party will work hard to make sure the House of Representatives passes the bill it previously rejected.

Abdul said the party's national board decided on Wednesday that even though direct elections have increased the party's chances to win public office, the PKS would still support the plan to have regional legislative councils (DPRD) select local leaders.

"Direct local elections offer better chances for PKS members to become local leaders, but we think it's in the people's best interest that elections are held by the DPRD," Abdul said on Wednesday.

A poll of 1,200 respondents in 33 provinces released on Tuesday showed that eight out of 10 Indonesians prefer direct elections of sub-national executive offices.

Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI) researcher Adjie Alfaraby said the poll found 81.25 percent of Indonesians felt that local leaders should be elected directly by the people. Only 10.71 percent of respondents said they thought the authority to elect local government heads should be returned to local lawmakers, LSI said.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/pks-end-direct-local-elections-peoples-best-interest/

Fadli Zon calls Ahok an opportunistic politician

Jakarta Post - September 10, 2014

Jakarta – Gerindra Party deputy chairman Fadli Zon said Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama's announcement that he would resign from the party proved that he was an opportunist politician.

He said that Ahok should not oppose the party chief patron Prabowo Subianto's proposal to eliminate direct elections for regional heads.

Ahok's resignation, he said, was unethical because he had been able to become the capital city's deputy governor only because the party nominated him in 2012.

"His move is unethical. His contribution to Gerinda is small and people will look at his track record as a kutu loncat [a jumping flea, which symbolizes disloyalty]," Fadli said in Jakarta on Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com.

"We can accept his resignation if that is his choice. But if he opposes our move to return the election of regional heads to legislative councils, saying this mechanism is unconstitutional, then it means he does not understand the party's principles."

He said, however, that Gerindra was not worried about the former East Belitung regent's resignation because it would remain strong after he left.

Ahok jumped ship from the Golkar Party to join Gerindra in 2012 prior to the Jakarta gubernatorial election. (alz/nfo)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/10/fadli-zon-calls-ahok-opportunistic-politician.html

I have officially left Gerindra: Ahok

Jakarta Post - September 10, 2014

Jakarta – Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama said Wednesday that he had officially resigned from the Gerindra Party, which nominated him for the city's gubernatorial race in 2012.

"I have officially resigned from Gerindra. Since I submitted this [resignation] letter, I am not a member of a political party anymore," he said at City Hall, as quoted by kompas.com.

Ahok, who was the head of Gerindra's executive board (DPP) overseeing politics, said that he had decided to resign because he disagreed with the move of the Red-and-White coalition led by Gerindra chairman and losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, which wanted to eliminate direct elections for regional heads.

"I think that Gerindra's principals are no longer in line with my battle to give the people the right to choose their leaders," he said. He said that Martina, a member of DPP Gerindra, had received his resignation letter on Wednesday. (alz/nfo)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/10/i-have-officially-left-gerindra-ahok.html

Ahok defends direct elections, slams coalition

Jakarta Post - September 9, 2014

Dewanti A. Wardhani, Jakarta – Following president-elect Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama has thrown his support behind the effort to maintain direct elections for regional heads amid attempts from political parties affiliated with the Red-and- White Coalition to return the vote to the regional legislative councils.

Ahok, a Gerindra Party politician and former Golkar Party member, slammed the coalition's plan, stating that it would be prone to corruption and would only benefit the council members and a handful of wealthy candidates.

"[The plan to return the regional elections back to polling at the regional legislative councils] is ridiculous. Frankly, I think they [the Red-and- White Coalition] have forgotten the essence of reformasi," Ahok told reporters at City Hall in Central Jakarta on Monday.

Ahok said that the purpose of reformasi was to allow the people to directly elect their leaders, instead of electing leaders indirectly through regional legislative councils.

The Red-and-White Coalition has blamed the current regional voting mechanism for the existence of money politics, high election costs and the emergence of permanent conflicts.

However, Ahok disagreed with the coalition's suggestion, saying that the mechanism itself did not cause money politics and that it was the politicians who tarnished the votes.

"Dumb and incapable and power-hungry politicians are what cause money politics. Capable politicians don't need money politics. The people will vote for them because of their track records," he said. "Moreover, Pak Jokowi and I would not have won in the 2012 election if it wasn't for direct elections," Ahok said.

In the 2012 Jakarta gubernatorial elections, Jokowi and Ahok, supported only by two parties, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and Gerindra, was able to defeat incumbent governor Fauzi Bowo, who was supported by several major parties, including the Democratic Party. During the 2009-2014 period, the Dems had the most seats in the Jakarta Legislative Council.

Ahok further added that the mechanism would only benefit the councilors and a would-be candidate would only need to satisfy the council members in order to be elected as leader.

"The candidates would not even think about the people. They would not even care about their constituents because they don't need to service the people in order to win. They can just give the council members some money and they'll be elected," Ahok said. "Whoever suggested it does not care for the people, or the constituents. They only care for themselves," he said.

In an unprecedented move, a majority of members of the House of Representatives, all of whom belong to the Red-and-White Coalition, have voiced support for a proposal that seeks to reinstate the defunct system based on voting by members of the Regional Legislative Councils. The proposal is part of the regional elections bill currently being debated in the House.

Prior to the presidential election on July 9, members of the Red-and-White Coalition had agreed to maintain the direct election system in the bill. But after Jokowi was declared the winner of the presidential election, the Red-and-White Coalition reneged on its pledge and is now seeking to do away with direct elections, echoing reform policies floated by Prabowo during his campaign.

Red-and-White Coalition parties, however, have said the sudden change of heart stemmed from the recognition that direct elections are too expensive, encourage money politics and lead to the emergence of permanent conflicts.

Golkar Party lawmaker Bambang Soesatyo said his party had conducted a thorough study that concluded the direct-voting system had more downsides than upsides. "Whoever wins will [usually] commit graft to reacquire his or her campaign funds," he said.

The argument that direct elections trigger high costs and result in inefficiency had been voiced for some time, particularly by government figures who criticize them for encouraging regional heads seeking re- election to fudge the numbers of regional budgets in order to illegally finance campaigns.

The Constitutional Court, meanwhile, had been burdened in recent years with hundreds of election disputes at the regional level. Many of those disputes were adjudicated by disgraced former chief justice Akil Mochtar, who accepted billions of rupiah in bribes to rig the verdicts. Akil has since been sentenced to life in prison for those crimes.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/09/ahok-defends-direct-elections-slams-coalition.html

Direct elections should be stopped for president's sake: Dems

Jakarta Post - September 9, 2014

Jakarta – Lawmaker Khatibul Umam Wiranu from the ruling Democratic Party said that his party proposed stopping the implementation of direct elections for regional heads because the elected leaders frequently troubled the government in running the country.

Therefore, he said that, along with some other political parties in the Red-and-White Coalition, his party proposed that regional heads should be elected by councilors.

He said that the ruling party supported such a proposal because it had learnt from the experience of its chairman, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who has served as the country's leader for 10 years.

For example, Khatibul said, when Yudhoyono wanted to increase the price of subsidized fuel, his proposal was rejected by five regional heads, one of whom was president-elect and Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, who will replace Yudhoyono on Oct. 20.

"Like Jokowi, [Central Kalimantan Governor] Teras Narang also rejected Yudhoyono's proposal [on raising the price of subsidized fuel]," Khatibul said on Tuesday as quoted by kompas.com.

He said that such an example proved that regional heads frequently refused to comply with the president's instruction. According to Khatibul, such refusals occur because the regional heads, after having been elected by the people, felt that they had equal power with the president.

If councilors elected regional heads, the possibility of rejecting presidential instructions could be minimized, which would then smooth the president's efforts to rule the country, said Khatibul, who is also the deputy chairman of House of Representatives Commission II overseeing home affairs and elections.

"Another benefit if regional heads were elected by councilors would be saving state funds of up to 41 trillion [US$1.1 billion]," he said.

The Democratic Party, along with its partners in the coalition led by losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, began to make serious efforts to remove direct elections for regional heads after the Constitutional Court declared Jokowi the winner of the presidential election on Aug. 21. (alz)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/09/direct-elections-should-be-stopped-president-s-sake-dems.html

Golkar: Local elections bill no setback for democracy

Jakarta Globe - September 8, 2014

Jakarta – The bill that would eliminate direct elections of local leaders, which the House of Representatives is set to pass this week, would not be a setback for democracy, Golkar Party politician Nurul Arifin said on Monday.

Nurul, who is a member of Commission II, which drafted the controversial bill, said the lawmakers involved only had good intentions. She stressed that the law would save the state budget, end money politics at the local level and prevent conflict in the regions.

Also, she said that trusted organizations such as the General Elections Commission (KPU) and the Elections Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) would be monitoring the selection of district heads and mayors by regional legislative councils (DPRD).

Critics say Nurul's commission is rushing through the bill before the end of the current House term, next month. "Every policy always has its pro and cons," Nurul said on Monday, adding that the bill also calls for candidates to undergo a public competency test in front of the DPRD.

Abdul Hakam Naja, another Golkar politician from Commission II, said that the bill would prevent election disputes. As the selection process would involve only local lawmakers and not an entire district or city, Abdul said, it would be much easier to make sure nobody is trying to tamper with results.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/golkar-local-elections-bill-setback-democracy/

Surveys & opinion polls

LSI: Vast majority of Indonesians want direct elections of local leaders

Jakarta Globe - September 9, 2014

SP/Robertus Wardhy & SP/Yeremia Sukoyo, Jakarta – As the House of Representatives prepares to pass a bill that would put an end to direct elections of local leaders, a poll released on Tuesday shows that eight out of ten Indonesians would prefer to keep the practice in place.

The Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI) asked 1,200 respondents in 33 provinces about the controversial regional elections bill.

Adjie Alfaraby, a researcher at LSI, said the poll revealed that 81.25 percent felt that a local leader must be elected directly by the people, and not by regional legislative councils (DPRD) – as is proposed in the bill to be passed this week.

Only 10.71 percent of respondents proposed that the authority to elect local government heads be returned to local lawmakers, LSI said. Another 4.91 percent of respondents said the president should appoint local chiefs.

"The average support for direct elections among supporters of political parties is 78 percent to 86 percent," Adjie said. "Even supporters of [losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto's] Red and White coalition agreed that local administration chiefs must be elected directly by the people."

No less than 81.53 percent of respondents who voted for Prabowo in the July 9 presidential election supported direct elections, he added. "Looking at this massive... rejection of the bill, the people's representatives should realize that their plan... does not have the public's support," Adjie said.

Meanwhile, the National Awakening Party (PKB) on Tuesday called the regional elections bill a setback to democracy.

"We are opposed to scrapping the direct elections," said Marwan Jafar, the leader of the PKB fraction at the House. "Don't discard direct elections to save money. Electing leaders through the DPRD can be more expensive than direct elections."

Marwan stressed that direct elections are part and parcel of the nation's reform agenda, adding that a greater role for the DPRD would increase the likelihood of transactional politics in the regions. "We urge all factions in the House of Representatives to support the blossoming democracy in our beloved country," he said.

Separately, the chairman of the Golkar Party's executive board, Hajriyanto Y. Thohari, said the party was still undecided on the matter, even though several of the party's lawmakers on Monday defended the bill.

"There is remains the dilemma of trying to uphold the people's sovereignty while attempting to curb the excesses of regional elections," Hajriyanto said, citing money politics in the regions and high costs to organize local elections.

On Monday, Golkar politicians Nurul Arifin and Abdul Hakam Naja, both from House Commission II, which drafted the controversial bill, argued the law would save the state budget, end money politics and prevent conflict in the regions.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/lsi-vast-majority-indonesians-want-direct-elections-local-leaders/

Mass organisations & NGOs

Civil society organizations gather for conference in Jakarta

Jakarta Globe - September 10, 2014

Jakarta – More than 120 representatives of Asian civil society organizations gathered for a three-day conference in Jakarta in support of the role of regional CSOs.

The conference is co-hosted by the US Agency for International Development, Indonesian government, UN Development Program and two Indonesian civil society groups, the Asia Foundation and Kemitraan.

US Ambassador to Indonesia Robert O. Blake Jr. said at the conference's opening on Monday that the gathering "reflects both Indonesia's and America's commitment for government and civil society to work together, as exemplified by the Open Government Partnership."

"All democratic governments around the world to [should] stand with civil society, [and] show our support for peaceful, constructive participation in public life by ordinary citizens," he said.

The US Embassy in Jakarta said that the conference followed on President Barack Obama's "Stand with Civil Society" event, held on the sidelines of the 2013 UN General Assembly in New York last September. Civil society organizations remain a relatively recent feature of political and social life in post-Suharto Indonesia. Instrumental in supporting democracy and public welfare, CSOs flourished in the years following the New Order regime's collapse.

Recent years, though, have seen Indonesian civil society's influence stagnate and its foundations begin to decay. Many organizations, built originally around individuals and private fortunes, now suffer from eroding institutional capacity as their leadership ages and funds dwindle.

Observers point to ambiguities in Indonesia's laws that regulate foundations – requiring annual financial reports, for example, or governance standards in relation to profit-making enterprises – and their lax enforcement with weakening civil society. Many also complain rules for partnering with foreign CSOs are too onerous.

However, a 2013 UNAIDS report highlighted innovative ways many Indonesian CSOs are developing plans for sustainable financing and business processes.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/civil-society-organizations-gather-conference-jakarta/

Environment & natural disasters

Thousands in Java heartland endure drought, clean water crisis

Jakarta Post - September 13, 2014

Suherdjoko and Slamet Susanto, Semarang, Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta – Residents of Gunungkidul regency in Yogyakarta and in 12 regencies in Central Java have begun to feel the pinch of a prolonged drought.

Central Java Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) declared an emergency water crisis in the regencies on Friday. The agency's emergency response affairs head Gembong Purwanto Nugroho said on Friday that the worst drought was taking place in Rembang, Pemalang, Klaten, Kendal, Demak, Kebumen, Magelang, Purworejo, Blora, Wonogiri, Grobogan and Semarang regencies.

His agency has deployed 3,000 water-tanker trucks to deliver clean water to the affected areas. As many as nine trucks arrived in Degan village, Winong Kidul district, Pati regency on Thursday, where village residents have been unable over the last month to use the increasingly murky groundwater to meet their daily water needs.

Meanwhile, in Gunungkidul, some 45,000 families suffering from a clean water crisis have been forced to buy clean water to meet their daily needs. "Drought has occurred in all 18 districts in Gunungkidul regency," head of the agency's social affairs division, Susyatmiatun, said recently.

The worst-hit regions include the districts of Rongkop, Girisubo, Tepus and Semin. To help ease the burden, the regency administration said they had been dropping clean water in affected areas since July. "This year, we allocated Rp 800 million [US$67,396] from the regency budget for the [clean water] program," Susyatmiatun said.

She added that rainwater, local residents' primary source of water, had been depleted for months and that other sources of water, including lakes, had by now also mostly dried up. Should residents still have groundwater, she could, it could only be used for washing purposes. "Of some 200 lakes in Gunungkidul, about 70 percent have dried up," he said.

Central Java Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) declares emergency water crisis in 12 regencies in Central Java In Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta, some 45,000 families suffering from clean water crisis

Meanwhile, locals complained that the administration only occasionally supplied clean water and that the overall contribution was not enough to meet their daily needs.

To meet the demand for water, most locals have been buying 5,000 liter tanks for between Rp 150,000 and Rp 200,000, depending on their distance from the buying location.

"A tank of clean water is sufficient for 10 days," Karjono of Wunung, Wonosari, Gunungkidul, said. He said that if no rain fell in the next month, people in his area would be forced to sell their belongings to buy water. "I am running out of savings," he said.

To help conserve water, Karjono said that people in Wunung mostly used the water they bought for eating and drinking, with many preferring to walk some two kilometers to the shrunken lake for washing. Semarang Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency's (BMKG) data and information section head Reni Kraningtyas said the peak of the dry season this year was expected to occur in August and September, with high temperatures of between 33 and 34 degrees Celsius.

"The highest temperatures will occur in Rembang, Pati, Blora, Demak, Semarang and areas along the northern coast of Java," said Reni. Several areas will see a transitional season sometime around October and the rainy season is expected to arrive in November.

[Ainur Rohmah also contributed to this story from Semarang.]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/13/thousands-java-heartland-endure-drought-clean-water-crisis.html

Sidoarjo victims still striving for justice

Jakarta Post - September 12, 2014

Indra Harsaputra, Sidoarjo – Despite the threat of overflowing hot mud that may engulf their house at any time, Suwandi, 75, and his wife, Saniakah, 70, insist on staying in Gempolsari village, Porong district, Sidoarjo regency, East Java.

They even remained indifferent to news that some embankment spots had been recently damaged. "On Wednesday morning, a section of the embankment was damaged and the mudflow almost reached my house. I've lost count of the number of times damage has been caused to the embankment," he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Sidoarjo Mudflow Mitigation Agency (BPLS) spokeperson Dwinanto Hesti Prasetyo said there were dozens of vulnerable spots in the mud reservoir. They included spot No. 34, where the mudflow surface was only 50 centimeters lower than the top of the embankment, and spot No. 22, which was only 25 cm lower.

"Spot No. 21 is the riskiest because it is located by Jl. Raya Porong and the railway track. This is worrying because according to the BMKG [the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency], we will enter the rainy season in October," he said.

He explained that the embankment that surrounded the mudflow remained damaged because his agency could no longer channel the mud into the Porong River as it was prevented from doing so by the affected residents.

"Residents who have not yet received compensation have blocked BPLS workers from channeling the mud into the Porong River to ease the burden of the mud reservoir," Dwinanto said.

Reno Kenongo subdistrict secretary Subakri said people had blocked the agency workers as they were dismayed by the government's and PT Lapindo Brantas' promises of compensation. "We will continue our struggle by doing whatever is necessary to fight for our rights," Subakri said.

On May 29, 2006, the lives of residents in Porong were changed forever following an eruption of a mudflow. The previously green area was turned into a huge, deserted expanse covered with dried mud.

The eruption took place near a drilling site belonging to Lapindo Brantas. This triggered speculation that Lapindo may have been negligent during its drilling process.

Lapindo, however, cited a number of scientists' arguments that the mudflow was triggered by a 6.3 Richter scale earthquake that had hit Yogyakarta two days before the eruption took place.

A spokesperson of the joint secretariat of Lapindo mudflow victims, Khoirul Huda, said 3,200 of 13,200 documents proposed compensation worth Rp 780 billion (US$65.7 million) that had not yet been paid by PT Minarak Lapindo Jaya as the cashier of Lapindo Brantas.

Ahmad Khozin, another victim of the mudflow, said the victims were glad to learn that the Supreme Court had told the government to take responsibility for the payment of the compensation.

"Yet up until now, there's been no clarity on this," he said.

In frustration, he said the compensation had to be paid soon or all activities on the embankment must cease immediately.

Suwandi said if the mudflow did not exist, he and his wife would have been spending their old age peacefully by taking care of a chicken farm, but they had to forget that dream amid the mud-strewn landscape.

He said Lapindo Brantas had stopped supplying clean water to local residents in 2010. Since then, he had bought clean water for daily consumption. "We just want justice from the government and Lapindo Brantas," he said.

Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) East Java branch executive director Ony Mahardika warned that the government should consider giving attention to the residents' health as the groundwater had been heavily contaminated with metal and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) that had surpassed the normal level.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/12/sidoarjo-victims-still-striving-justice.html

Health & education

Suicide still silent killer in Indonesia

Jakarta Post - September 12, 2014

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – In the absence of data on suicides in the country, the Health Ministry will attempt to compile statistics based on figures from related institutions.

The ministry's director of mental health, Eka Viora, said on Thursday that the ministry had signed a deal with the World Health Organization (WHO) as the first stage in its efforts.

"We will use a special international form [to collect data on suicides]," she told The Jakarta Post at the ministry's office in South Jakarta. "The form will be used by many sectors, such as the police [to identify a suicide case]."

She said the data-gathering process was needed urgently as the government had no data on suicide rates in the country. The lack of data has hindered the government's efforts to effectively prevent suicides as well as to detect people with mental illnesses that may lead to suicide.

While the WHO had already reported in 2010 that the suicide rate in Indonesia stood at 1.6 to 1.8 per 100,000 people or 5,000 people per year, Eka said the data might be inaccurate as suicide cases in the country tended to be under-reported.

The problem was exacerbated by the fact that there was still a stigma attached to suicide in society, which caused people with mental problems and suicidal tendencies to refrain from coming forward for help with their conditions, she said.

"Mental problems are usually associated with people who get treated in mental hospitals, when in fact, the range of mental health issues is really wide," Eka said.

Eka also attributed the difficulties in collecting data on suicide to the fact that Indonesia was a country deeply rooted in religion.

"In Islam, it is said that committing suicide is a sinful act, which is why family members [of suicide victims] are usually too embarrassed [to tell the truth]," she said.

Moreover, hospitals also often frequently fail to accurately diagnose a suicide attempt, according to Eka. "Drinking Baygon mosquito repellent is never diagnosed as attempted suicide unless there is a consultation with a psychiatrist," she said.

According to Albert Maramis, a mental health consultant for World Health Organization (WHO) Philippines, in order to get reliable and accurate information on suicide cases in the country, there is a need for the government to collect a large amount of data.

Besides collecting data, Albert also hoped the government would be able to provide necessary help to those with suicidal tendencies as well as educate people on the need to help others.

He said the stigma attached to people with mental problems prevented them from getting the necessary help. "I hope that we can be more sensitive and willing to lend a helping hand to those around us in need and who have suicidal tendencies," he said.

Albert added that it was actually dangerous to downplay the gravity of the condition of someone with suicidal tendencies.

"Don't ignore them. Don't say 'hush, you can't say such a thing! It's a sin!' when they tell you their condition. If that's the case, then the communication will be stopped and they will be silenced," he said.

Danardi Sosrosumihardjo, the chairman of the Indonesian Psychiatrists Association (PDSKJI), said on Thursday that on top of the lack of data, the country also suffered from a lack of psychiatrists.

"The number of psychiatrists in the country is a mere 820. Of course it is not enough," he said. "Moreover, these psychiatrists are available only in major cities."

Eka said that the government would discuss with the WHO next week to decide on when the government would implement the WHO's system to collect suicide data. "At least next year we can have a rough picture that we can present to the WHO," she said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/12/suicide-still-silent-killer-indonesia.html

Marriage & polygamy

Review opens way to higher minimum age for marriage

Jakarta Post - September 11, 2014

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – A group of activists who are currently challenging the minimum age for marriage of 16 years old for females at the Constitutional Court are optimistic they will win their case, as lawmakers have begun to amend the definition of a minor in the 2002 Child Protection Law.

The House of Representatives' Commission VIII overseeing religious and social affairs has proposed defining a minor as anyone below 18 years of age.

Five plaintiffs – including women and children's rights activists – and the Children's Human Rights Foundation (YPHA), have asked the court to raise the legal minimum age for marriage as stipulated by the 1974 Marriage law, from 16 to 18 years for females as they fear such a low minimum age leads to child marriages and forced-child marriage cases.

"[Keeping the current minimum age for marriage] shows that while others recognize that those below 18 years old are minors, the Marriage Law is still outdated. It is now the time to fix it," one of the plaintiffs, women's rights activist Indri Oktaviani told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

The plaintiffs have argued that Article 7 paragraph 1 of the law, which regulates the minimum age for marriage has created legal uncertainty and contravenes the Child Protection Law.

In their petition, they argue that child marriage denies children their right to grow and develop, as well as their right to an education. They also say that teenage pregnancies often end in miscarriage, premature births and maternal deaths.

"The psychological and the physical conditions of a child are different from those of an adult. A girl at a young age is not prepared for childbearing as she is still growing. In two years, there are a lot of changes, including in terms of their maturity," Indri said. "So, such a provision will only be harmful to girls and their babies."

Indri added that the provision contravened two international human-rights treaties, which are the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

The petitioners have also asked the court to scrap Article 7 paragraph 2, which allows younger people to marry if their parents request permission from the Religious Court and a dispensation from the court in lieu of parental consent if the parents are already deceased.

Indonesia has one of the highest percentages of child marriage in the world and the second-highest in ASEAN after Cambodia.

The number of married females aged between 10 and 14 years amounts to more than 22,000 or 0.2 percent of the population, while married females aged between 15 and 19 account for 11.7 percent.

The 2012 Indonesia Demographic and Health Survey (SDKI) found that the maternal mortality rate in Indonesia stood at 359 per 100,000 live births, up from 228 per 100,000 live births in 2007.

Since 2000, the government has aimed to reduce the maternal mortality rate to 102 per 100,000 live births to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.

The hearing will resume next Friday. The court is currently also processing another judicial review of the minimum age for marriage filed by the NGO Yayasan Kesehatan Perempuan (Women's Health Foundation) in April.

The National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan) has also called on the government to raise the legal minimum age for marriage from 16 to 18 years old for females in order to help reduce maternal mortality rates.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/11/review-opens-way-higher-minimum-age-marriage.html

Graft & corruption

Police seize luxury cars from FPI leader over money-laundering case

Kompas.com - September 15, 2014

Wijaya Kusuma, Yogyakarta – Investigators from the municipal police Special Crimes Detective Unit (Dit Reskrimsus) in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta have seized two luxury cars from the Yogyakarta-Central Java chairperson of the Islamic Defenders Front, Bambang Tedy. The seizure was in relation to a case of fraud involving the purchase and sale of land valued at billions or rupiah.

Dit Reskrimsus chief Senior Commissioner Kokot Indarto from the Yogyakarta regional police explained that the two cars that were seized were a Mazda Sport and a Mitsubishi Pajero. The Mazda Sport is currently being held at the Yogyakarta regional police headquarters.

"The seizure was related to a money laundering (TPPU) case involving the concealment of criminal proceeds", explained Indarto on Monday September 15.

Indarto said that Dit Reskrimsus investigators are still searching for an additional vehicle, a Hammer. The luxury car is believed to have been bought by the suspect Tedy from the proceeds of a [land] scam. He hopes that a witness will come forward who knows the whereabouts of the Hammer and that they will be cooperative and not attempt to conceal it. Indarto is appealing to anyone who knows the whereabouts of the vehicle to hand it over to investigators immediately.

"I hope [they'll be] cooperative. Yeah, if they intentionally conceal it, it's quite possible that person could be involved", he asserted. According to Indarto, anyone who conceals a vehicle obtained from the proceeds of money laundering could be charged under article 55 of the Criminal Code.

As reported, Tedy was arrested by Yogyakarta regional police on Wednesday September 6. the arrest was in relation to a case of fraud involving the purchase and sale of land valued at billions or rupiah.

Tedy is alleged to have committed fraud, embezzlement and money laundering. Tedy could be charged under articles 378, 372 and 263 of the Criminal Code and articles 3, 4 and 5 of Law Number 8/2010.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service.]

Source: http://regional.kompas.com/read/2014/09/15/18444061/Polisi.DIY.Sita.2.Mobil.Mewah.Milik.Ketua.FPI.DIY-Jateng

Jokowi wants to overturn law curbing anti-graft drive

Reuters - September 11, 2014

Kanupriya Kapoor & Yayat Supriyatna, Jakarta – Indonesian President-elect Joko Widodo wants the top court to overturn legislation that makes it more difficult to investigate lawmakers for graft, an advisor said, referring to a law passed with little publicity in one of the world's most corrupt countries.

Joko's team echoes the concerns of civil society groups that have challenged a law requiring investigators to get approval from a special parliamentary council before investigating lawmakers for corruption or other crimes.

Many Indonesians see their parliament as one of their most corrupt institutions, according to the anti-graft group Transparency International.

"We are critics of this law," Hasto Kristiyanto, a senior member of Joko's transition office, told Reuters late on Wednesday, adding that they hoped it would be overturned. "We must establish efforts to eradicate corruption and these must begin in this circle of power. The law should not be used as a tool for protection."

Parliament approved the bill on July 8 but it got little media coverage as it came a day before the presidential election won by Joko. It was signed into law a month later by outgoing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, whose son will be a member of the new parliament, which takes office on Oct. 1.

Yudhoyono's ruling party has been hit by a series of graft scandals including, most recently, one involving Energy Minister Jero Wacik, who was identified as a suspect in a case involving extortion and kickbacks worth about $841,000.

Under the law, any law-enforcement agency that wants to investigate a member of parliament for corruption or other crimes needs the written approval of a special parliamentary council within 30 days of making the request.

"This kind of council will have a duty to protect members of parliament," said Eva Kusuma Sundari, a member of Joko's Indonesian Democratic Party- Struggle (PDI-P), which walked out of the assembly during the vote on the bill in protest.

The law is the latest in a series of attempts by parliament to protect its members from the aggressive anti-corruption drive led by the KPK graft- busting agency.

KPK spokesman Johan Budi said the law was "a step backwards... and not in keeping with the anti-corruption spirit that requires everyone to be equal before the law".

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/jokowi-wants-overturn-law-curbing-anti-graft-drive-advisor/

Ministry grants parole to more graft convicts

Jakarta Post - September 10, 2014

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – After previously denying the reports, the Law and Human Rights Ministry acknowledged on Tuesday that it had released four graft convicts on parole despite the Corruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) decision not to recommend their release.

The ministry released the four graft convicts in August, the same month it made a controversial decision to grant parole to business tycoon Siti Hartati Murdaya. On Monday, officials from the ministry denied that a decision had been made to release more graft convicts on parole.

"Yes, it is true that there are five people, including Hartati, who received parole in August. We treat graft convicts fairly and if they meet all the requirements then we will give them their right [to parole]," the ministry's director-general of penitentiaries, Handoyo Sudrajat, said on Tuesday.

The four graft convicts included Fahd el Fouz, a businessman who was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison in December 2012 for bribing a lawmaker to get access to regional development funding; and Sumartono, the head of the Democratic Party faction at the Semarang City Council (DPRD II), who was sentenced to 2 and a half years in prison in May 2012 for accepting bribes in connection with city-budget allocations at the council.

The other parole-grantees are Agung Purno Sarjono, a National Mandate Party (PAN) lawmaker from Semarang, who in the same case that implicated Sumartono was sentenced to 2-and-a-half years in prison in June 2012; as well as I Nyoman Suisnaya, an official at the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry, who was sentenced to 3 years for accepting bribes related to a government project at the ministry.

Earlier, the KPK warned the Law and Human Rights Ministry not to grant any more paroles to graft convicts, especially those whose cases had been handled by the KPK, without first receiving its recommendation.

The KPK said that in order to be eligible for parole, a graft convict must first be granted justice collaborator status from the antigraft body.

However, Handoyo insisted that the ministry had the right to go ahead with the granting of paroles for graft suspects even without a recommendation from the KPK.

"They are not justice collaborators, but they meet all the necessary requirements to be eligible for parole because they had served two-thirds of their prison terms," Handoyo said. Handoyo had earlier blamed the KPK for the release of Hartati from prison.

Handoyo said that his directorate had written to the KPK asking for a recommendation on whether to grant Hartati parole, but the KPK's response arrived too late.

Handoyo said that he had sent the letter to the KPK on June 30 but that the ministry only received the commission's reply on July 16. "Had the KPK said 'no', of course we would not have released her," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/10/ministry-grants-parole-more-graft-convicts.html

KPK reveals four other 'ineligible' graft convicts paroled with Hartati

Jakarta Globe - September 9, 2014

Novianti Setuningsih & Ezra Sihite, Jakarta – Indonesia's antigraft commission has denied approving the Justice Ministry's recent decision to free five corruption convicts on parole, saying none of them should have qualified for early release.

Johan Budi, a spokesman for the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK, confirmed in Jakarta on Monday that the Justice Ministry had sought to have the convicts in question categorized as "justice collaborators," or helpful witnesses in uncovering graft cases, which is one of the requirements for a corruption convict to be eligible for parole.

"But that request was denied. We didn't give the recommendation" for the convicts to be recognized as justice collaborators, Johan said.

Among those granted early release last week was Siti Hartati Murdaya, a businesswoman who bankrolled President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's 2009 re- election bid and was jailed last year for bribing a district chief in exchange for a plantation concession.

In addition to not qualifying as a justice collaborator, Hartati had also not served enough time to be eligible for parole. She was released 18 months into a 32-month sentence, but a 2012 regulation on parole stipulates that a convict can only qualify for early release after serving at least two-thirds of their sentence, or 21 months in Hartati's case.

Justice Minister Amir Syamsuddin, who served alongside Hartati, 70, on the Democratic Party's board of advisers before the latter resigned after being charged, claimed that the parole was granted in consideration of her age.

"There are special things for those who are elderly," he said earlier this month as quoted by Detik.com, but did not elaborate on what those "things" were. He did, however, concede that "this policy is not popular."

Other convicts who were granted parole in spite of not meeting the requirements were I Nyoman Suisnaya, a former official from the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry, and Fahd El Fouz, a businessman and fixer in various government projects. The pair were convicted for their roles in bribing members of the House of Representatives to approve funding for certain regions.

Also approved for early release were former Semarang city councilors Sumartono and Agung Purno Sarjono, who were jailed for embezzling funds from the Central Java capital's budget.

Handoyo Sudrajat, the Justice Ministry's director general for corrections, whose office is responsible for handling parole requests, denied that his office had done anything wrong.

"In principle, any convict who meets the administrative and substantive requirements [...] has to be processed fairly," he said on Monday. He did not comment on the KPK's refusal to recognize the five convicts as justice collaborators.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/kpk-reveals-four-ineligible-graft-convicts-paroled-hartati/

Freedom of religion & worship

Witnesses in religious violence case fail to show up at court

Jakarta Post - September 9, 2014

Bambang Muryanto, Sleman, Yogyakarta – Five witnesses in a religious violence case in Sleman regency, Yogyakarta, failed to show up at the Sleman District Court on Monday.

The trial, in which Abdul Kholiq is the defendant, was scheduled to examine the witnesses. The five witnesses were Hendricus Subandono, Nur Wahid, Sri Amini, Y. Supriyadi and Cornelia Puji Listyowati.

They were all at the crime scene in May when Kholiq and his accomplices reportedly attacked the house of Julius Felicianus in Sleman when the victim was hosting a rosary prayer. Julius and Nur Wahid were severely injured and required medical attention.

During the previous hearing, the prosecutor said that Kholiq had become irate at seeing many worshipers' motorcycles parked outside Julius' house when he passed by. Besides damaging the house and injuring a few people, Kholiq reportedly also demanded that the prayers be stopped.

"As prosecutors, we have tried our best by sending subpoenas to the witnesses through the investigators. The subpoenas were received by the witnesses but they cannot yet show up," Sugana told the panel of judges. Kholiq's supporters immediately chanted Allahu Akbar (God is great) in response.

Presiding judge Mariliyus then asked the prosecutors to show him the receipts for the subpoenas and found that only one had been signed by a potential witness.

"Based on the Criminal Law Procedures Code [KUHAP], subpoenas have to be directly delivered to the respective witnesses," the presiding judge told the prosecutor.

Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Sugana said that Julius had not been subpoenaed as a witness because he was not questioned by the police and was not mentioned in the dossier on the case.

Responding to the mention of a teleconference to question the witnesses, Sugana said he had yet to work on it. "We are still trying to present the witnesses at the trial. If they don't show up after a third subpoena then we will ask for the police's help to present them at the court," Sugana said.

Separately, Julius decline to say why his son, Hendricus Subandono, would not go to the courthouse to testify.

Last week, the panel of judges granted a request that Kholiq be released on bail after receiving a letter of assurance signed by Ihya As Sunnah pesantren (Islamic boarding school) leaders, the defense team and the defendant's wife. Kholiq is the caretaker at the pesantren. His supporters have been attending hearings in his trial since day one.

The trial was adjourned until next Monday, when witnesses ares scheduled to be examined. As in previous hearings, Monday's hearing was tightly guard by the police.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/09/witnesses-religious-violence-case-fail-show-court.html

Land & agrarian conflicts

Land repossession in Makassar turns ugly

Jakarta Post - September 13, 2014

Makassar – Attempts by the Makassar District Court to settle a land dispute in an area consisting of 46 households on Jl. Pandang Raya, Makassar, were met with resistance on Friday, with clashes between the police and residents, who were supported by university students.

Hundreds of residents, who have lived at the location since the 1980s, blockaded the road, tossed rocks and Molotov cocktails at police officers and brandished sharp weapons. A workshop and motorcycle located close to the location was engulfed in flames from the Molotov cocktails.

Police responded by firing tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd, causing the residents to flee as a officer from the Makassar District Court read the Supreme Court's ruling in favor of Goman Wisan, who claimed the land. The houses were later demolished.

From 2009, the court has attempted to repossess the land three times, but has failed in the face of strong resistance from residents. Residents deemed the repossession wrong and some even claimed to hold land ownership titles to the land.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/13/land-repossession-makassar-turns-ugly.html

Regional autonomy & separatism

Kings, sultans want government recognition

Jakarta Post - September 11, 2014

Panca Nugraha, Bima, Nusa Tenggara Barat – Kings and sultans grouped under the Communication and Information Forum of Indonesian Palaces (FKIKN) have asked the central government and local administrations where their kingdoms and sultanates are located to respect and recognize their existence.

The call emerged during the three-day Indonesian Palace Festival (FKN) held in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), which ended on Tuesday.

Representatives from 42 kingdoms and sultanates from across Indonesia joined the ninth festival, which was opened by a parade of palace troops. Speaking at the opening ceremony, FKIKN chairperson Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Kusmurtiah said that ancestors of the palaces, kingdoms and sultanates in Indonesia played vital roles in the establishment of the unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia.

She regretted that after 69 years of independence, the roles of the palaces were ignored and set aside. "This is very tragic," she said.

She added that the kingdoms and sultanates could take part in the preservation of culture and local wisdom and at the same time strengthen national culture.

Article 18 of the 1945 Constitution, according to Kusmurtiah, supports their struggle for existence, as it stipulates that the state acknowledge indigenous administration units and recognize their rights.

"The FKN 9 is expected to come out with a declaration for a civilized Indonesia within the frame of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity)," she said.

Ruma Mari Siti Maryam, the daughter of Sultan Muhammad Salahuddin of the Bima Sultanate, said the presence of palaces, kingdoms and sultanates should be protected through a provincial-level bylaw. She added that she hoped the participants would propose a law to regulate the roles of kings and sultans.

The biennial FKN was first held in Surakarta, Central Java, in 1995. Since then, the 47 member palaces have continued to seek recognition by the central government, especially in the field of culture and tradition.

This year, the festival featured 700 participants representing 42 palaces, kingdoms and sultanates from across Indonesia.

A series of programs, including a sacred weapon exhibition, a fashion exhibition, art performances and seminars were on hand during the event, which was centered at the Asi Mbojo Museum – the former venue of the Bima Sultanate.

Ruma said that the essence of the FKN was to underline that culture was not just a tourist attraction but embodied the essence of the values of the Indonesian nation.

"Many of the local wisdoms, values and the spirits of solidarity and empathy [among the people] have been fading away. As a result, horizontal conflicts occur everywhere, although the trigger is usually nothing worth fighting for," she said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/11/kings-sultans-want-govt-recognition.html

Governance & administration

Government meetings costing $1.5 billion are too much: Jokowi

Jakarta Globe - September 12, 2014

Ezra Sihite, Jakarta – President-elect Joko Widodo says he was shocked to learn the outgoing administration allocated more than Rp 18 trillion ($1.5 billion) for government meetings in the 2015 state budget.

"Really? For what kind of meetings? How can [the costs] for meetings reach Rp 18 trillion? I don't understand," Joko said at Jakarta City Hall on Thursday, adding that the amount was too high. Joko said that after assuming office he would ask his ministers to optimize the use of facilities in their office.

Holding off-site meetings in expensive hotels is a common government practice, as any noon-time visit to an upscale Jakarta hotel would likely attest. Joko argued that the practice did not make sound fiscal sense, as meeting rooms in ministries were in good condition and suitable for coordination meetings.

He said he would cut ministries' meeting budgets and reallocate funds toward priority programs like the Healthy Indonesia Card and Smart Indonesia Card, as well as to build infrastructure in villages.

"Efficiency [measures] must be taken on things like that, especially when there are strains on our cash flow. [Everything] has to be [explained] in detail so that we can understand whether the use is logical or not," Joko said.

His transition team found that Rp 18.1 trillion had been allocated for government meetings in the 2015 state budget, which comprises Rp 6.25 trillion for meetings in town and Rp 11.9 trillion for out-of-town meetings.

The team also learned that next year's budget allocates Rp 15.5 trillion for official trip expenses, Rp 14 trillion for IT expenses and Rp 263.9 trillion on salaries for civil servants – a figure that swells to Rp 340 trillion when local civil servants and education budgets are included.

"We calculated that the government allocated up to Rp 18 trillion on meetings," Joko transition team deputy Hasto Kristiyanto said.

Hasto added that the money would be more wisely invested in improving government efficiency and programs to improve the people's welfare. "If it can be reduced by 40 percent, it would bring a huge direct impact on the people," he said.

Aside from the meeting budget, efficiencies can also be made from IT spending and building maintenance budget. "The figure is just fantastic. The spirit is how to cut the budget and make them efficient," Hasto said.

On Tuesday Joko rejected a plan to spend almost Rp 92 billion in state funds to procure ministers' vehicles.

The State Secretariat announced late last month that Mercedes-Benz Indonesia had won the tender to provide new cars for the next batch of ministers, but later scrapped the plan in favor of leaving the decision for the incoming administration.

State Secretary Sudi Silalahi said the deal could easily be scrapped because no contract had yet been signed with the carmaker.

For perspective on just how much the 2015 state budget had earmarked for meetings, Rp 18 trillion, construction of the north-south route for Jakarta's Mass Rapid Transit project, which Joko championed as governor, cost only Rp 16 trillion.

Jakarta's MRT is funded by the government through offshore loans from the Japan International Cooperation Agency. The project is part of the city administration's effort to overcome chronic traffic congestion in the capital.

The money planned for meetings could also have funded infrastructure projects such as the Suramadu (Surabaya-Madura) Bridge that spans 5.4 kilometers across the Madura Strait at a cost of Rp 4.5 trillion or the double-track rail project spanning 727 kilometers between Jakarta and Surabaya to the tune of Rp 10.78 trillion.

Asked about the whopping meeting budget, presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said he did not handle, nor could he discuss, technical aspects of the budget. "I don't know. That's very technical," Julian said.

He added that the budget was already approved by legislators and its figures were calculated as a nominal increase on baselines set in previous years' budgets.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/govt-meetings-costing-1-5b-much-jokowi/

SBY administration backs down on new cars for Jokowi's cabinet

Jakarta Globe - September 11, 2014

Ezra Sihite, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has scrapped the planned purchase of nearly $8 million worth of Mercedes sedans for the incoming cabinet of President-elect Joko Widodo, following widespread criticism from the public, including Joko himself.

Taufik Sukasah, the secretary of the State Secretariat, which announced late last month that Mercedes-Benz Indonesia had won the tender to provide new cars for the next batch of ministers, said on Wednesday that the secretariat would accede to the public's rejection of the deal.

"In accordance with the public's aspirations and the directive from state secretary [Sudi Silalahi], we decided not to continue the procurement," Taufik said. "The specification and price of ministers' vehicles will be decided by the incoming administration."

He added that the deal could easily be scrapped at this early stage because no contract had been signed yet with the carmaker, which put in a Rp 91.944 billion ($7.81 million) bid to beat out Toyota, which supplied the previous batch of limousines for cabinet members.

Joko himself has balked at news of the planned purchase, saying he had asked the State Secretariat to cancel it. "I told [Sudi] it would be better not to buy new cars. We can use the old cars," he said on Tuesday as quoted by Detik.com.

However, Sudi argued that there was nothing untoward in the whole process, and noted that the funding had long been approved by the House of Representatives.

Some observers have painted the decision to announce the tender winner publicly as an effort by the current administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to undermine the image of the incoming government, which takes office on Oct. 20. "This is a blow and a trap for Joko's administration," Sugiharto, a researcher at the Indonesia Budget Center, told Kompas.com.

He said the procurement appeared to be a political effort to weaken Joko's administration. He also called the procurement of new cars unnecessary, especially given that Joko was expected to announce a hike in subsidized fuel prices as one of his first policy moves.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/sby-administration-backs-new-cars-jokowis-cabinet/

Mercedes or Toyota for new ministers? Neither, says Jokowi

Jakarta Globe - September 10, 2014

Ezra Sihite & Novianti Setuningsih, Jakarta – A political furor has broken out that threatens to tarnish President-elect Joko Widodo's image as a man of the people – all because Mercedes makes a cheaper car than Toyota.

The brouhaha stems from the State Secretariat's decision last month to pick the Indonesian unit of the German automaker as the winner of a tender to supply cars for ministers in the incoming administration.

Mercedes-Benz Indonesia put in a bid of Rp 91.944 billion ($7.81 billion) to beat out Toyota, which supplied the previous batch of limousines for cabinet members.

But the switch from the Japanese make, with its workmanlike image, to Mercedes, a luxury brand, has irked politicians and observers alike, who argue that it hurts Joko's reputation for humility – even though State Secretary Sudi Silalahi and Finance Minister M. Chatib Basri have stressed that the cars to be supplied by Mercedes are cheaper than those offered by Toyota.

It is not yet clear what type of Mercedes the tender calls for, but the cheapest variant of the S-class, the model typically used by ministers and senior state officials, has a list price of Rp 1.819 billion. The Toyota Crown Royal Saloon, which is currently used by ministers, sells today for Rp 1.897 billion.

"It's the cheapest option and they're throwing in five years free maintenance," Sudi said on Tuesday, but declined to say how many cars would be purchased. "It's cheaper than what we're [currently] using. And [the cars] are made in Indonesia," he added, referring to Mercedes's assembly plant in Bogor.

But the cost argument has failed to fend off criticism over the purchase, with a top antigraft official saying the move is not "pro-people," a term that Joko and his party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDI-P, are fond of spouting.

Bambang Widjojanto, a deputy chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK, said Mercedes was synonymous with luxury and prestige, and was thus inappropriate as the everyday vehicle for a minister serving the public. "This excessive facility is an abuse of common sense," he said on Wednesday.

However, Sudi argued that there was nothing untoward in the whole process, and noted that the funding had long been approved by the House of Representatives.

Sugiharto said it was not too late for the Yudhoyono administration to annul the purchase as long as it had not signed a contract with Mercedes- Benz Indonesia.

"If it's only at the stage of announcing the tender winner, then the purchase can still be cancelled because they haven't signed a contract yet. The law allows for a cancellation, and the government isn't obliged to spend the allocated funding," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/mercedes-toyota-new-ministers-neither-says-jokowi/

Jakarta & urban life

New toll road draws ire from regular road users

Jakarta Post - September 15, 2014

Dewanti A. Wardhani, Jakarta – Motorists and residents have complained that the newly completed Jakarta Outer Ring Road (JORR) W2 North toll road has caused severe traffic congestion on Jl. Ciledug Raya – one of the main roads connecting Jakarta and Banten – especially during rush hour.

The toll road, for which construction began in 2011 and was completed in July this year, is the last section of the JORR W2 North toll road, connecting Ciledug and Ulujami in southwest Jakarta to provide greater access to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten.

The JORR connects several toll roads in Greater Jakarta, namely the Jakarta-Cikampek, Jagorawi, Jakarta-Tangerang and Sedyatmo toll roads. Residents from Bekasi and Bogor can now travel directly to the airport, without taking the Jakarta inner-city toll road.

Although the toll road is beneficial for many people, motorists and commuters traveling along Jl. Ciledug Raya, which serves as one of the exit and entry points for the JORR W2 North toll road, have experienced its negative effects.

While hundreds of vehicles exit and enter the toll road from Jl. Ciledug Raya, many Bianglala buses, Kopaja and Metro Mini minibuses and private vehicles also use the road to travel to and from various places in Banten.

The road is also an access point for motorists from Banten traveling to Jakarta's main protocols, which are the centers of Jakarta's office activities.

One motorcyclist, 26-year-old Retno Astrini, said that traffic congestion had worsened since the toll road started operating. "Before the toll road was completed, Jl. Ciledug Raya was already crowded. But now it has gotten worse. There are times when the traffic just stands still," Retno said.

She said that she usually drove her motorcycle from her boarding house in Ciledug to her office on Jl. Sudirman in South Jakarta. "The road is especially crowded during rush hour. Sometimes I choose to go home late to avoid the traffic congestion," Retno said.

Forty five-year-old Metro Mini bus driver Yanus echoed Retno, adding that the city administration should take action. Yanus drives Metro Mini number 69, which travels around 12 kilometers from Blok M in South Jakarta to Ciledug in Tangerang.

"The traffic congestion is severe. It should only take 45 minutes to get from Blok M to Ciledug, but now it could take up to two to three hours with traffic congestion," Yanus said.

He added that morning traffic jams lasted from 6 a.m. until 9 a.m., while afternoon traffic jams started from 5 p.m. and continued until as late as 10 p.m.

"The city administration should do something about the traffic congestion here. The toll road was made to ease access to the airport, but what about the road beneath the toll road?" he asked. Yanus suggested that the city administration widen the road, which is currently around four lanes wide.

Meanwhile, traffic police officer First Brig. Bambang said there were many factors that contributed to traffic jams on Jl. Ciledug Raya.

"Jl. Ciledug Raya connects many neighborhoods in Banten to Jl. Jendral Sudirman, where many offices are located. Moreover, there is the Cipulir textile market and ITC Cipulir Mas [shopping center] along Jl. Ciledug Raya," Bambang said.

"Now that the JORR W2 toll road has started operating, many people from Bekasi and Bogor also use the toll road as an alternative to travel to Kebayoran Baru, Kebayoran Lama and Jl. Sudirman," he said.

Moreover, Bambang said, the narrow road, which is only about 10 meters wide, was too small to function as a four-lane road.

Critics have said that instead of easing the traffic, toll roads sometimes cause congestion, especially if exits and entrances are too close to each other or if the roads that serve as the exit points are not designed to accommodate increased traffic.

The Public Works Ministry, in cooperation with the Jakarta administration and a private consortium, is planning to build six new toll roads within Jakarta, which has drawn harsh criticism from urban planning and transportation experts who say that more toll roads would not help ease congestion in the city.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/15/new-toll-road-draws-ire-regular-road-users.html

Toll road plans spark further protests

Jakarta Post - September 13, 2014

Corry Elyda and Dewanti Wardhani, Jakarta – Experts and activists from various urban organizations and communities sent postcards to Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama to convey their opposition to the planned construction of six inner-city toll roads.

Agus Pambagyo, a public policy expert, said in a press conference on Friday that the postcards were the latest way to remind the deputy governor of his promise during his deputy-gubernatorial campaign that he would not approve the long-stalled toll road project.

"We have tried many ways, including grumbling in social media and even meeting directly with the deputy governor but the efforts have been fruitless," he said, adding that the postcards might change Ahok's mind.

Agus said building new roads in the capital city would not solve the congestion problem that has dogged the city for decades. "The city needs to focus on revamping public transportation to make it cheap, safe, comfortable and integrated," he said.

Activists and experts have been expressing their objections to the plans since 2012. At that time, Ahok and Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo suspended the projects.

However, without public consultation, the city administration, the Toll Road Regulatory Agency (BPJT) and consortium PT Jakarta Tollroad Development (JTD), signed a joint agreement in July to execute the project. The agreement was witnessed by Ahok, who said he wanted the roads' construction to begin simultaneously.

PT JTD is a consortium formed from city-owned enterprises PT Jakarta Propertindo (Jakpro), PT Pembangunan Jaya, PT Hutama Karta, PT Adhi Karya and a private company PT Citra Marga Nusaphala Persada.

Experts, activists send postcards as last resort to protest planned construction of six inner-city toll roads They urge city to speed up provision of cheap, safe and comfortable public transportation Ahok plays down opposition, pledges to go on with project

Agus said he suspected that the project, costing around Rp 42 trillion (US$3.55 billion) in total, would be funded from the city budget. "City- owned enterprises are taking part in the megaproject. The city administration could inject funds to the city-owned enterprises as its investment participation [PMP] to enable them to carry out the project," he said.

In a revision of Bylaw No 12/2004 on PMP in Jakpro, the company received an additional Rp 8 trillion in initial capital for its participation in the project.

Institute of Transportation Studies (Instran) director Darmaningtyas said building toll roads would only lead to an increased number of private vehicles, which have contributed to the congestion problem.

According to the City Police's 2013 data, the number of vehicles in Jakarta amounted to 16 million, including 11 million motorcycles. At least 18 million trips occur in the city every day while toll roads accommodate only 30 percent of more than 5 million vehicles.

"The toll road construction will affect thousands of residents who will be evicted," he said.

Darmaningtyas said the toll roads would also disrupt the operation of public transportation like commuter trains and Transjakarta buses because of their overlapping lanes in certain areas.

He cited as an example the toll road connecting Ulujami in South Jakarta to Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta, which overlaps with Transjakarta corridor VIII, serving Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, to Harmoni in West Jakarta.

Groups including Public Protest, Instrans, the Public Virtue Institute, the Rujak Center for Urban Studies, Save Jakarta, the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute and the Committee for Leaded Gasoline Eradication all expressed their strong opposition to the toll road project.

Separately, Ahok, who will be sworn in as new governor to replace president-elect Jokowi, said he was not too concerned about the experts' objection the toll road projects.

"Whatever. We've already made our calculations [...] Besides, they can't reject [the toll road development], because we are not funding it from the city's budget," Ahok said. He added that he would not take the objections into consideration and would go on with the project.

Ahok said the toll roads would have busways for Transjakarta, which would ease transportation for commuters. "Moreover, by the time the toll roads are finished, the MRT [mass rapid transit] will also have been completed. We will facilitate commuting so residents will shift from private cars to public transportation," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/13/toll-road-plans-spark-further-protests.html

Armed forces & defense

Paspampres chief new Kopassus commander

Jakarta Post - September 11, 2014

Jakarta – Indonesian military commander Gen. Moeldoko has announced that Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres) commander Maj. Gen. Doni Monardo has been promoted to commander of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus).

"I have signed the documents. We just have to wait for the official inauguration," Moeldoko said on Wednesday as quoted by tribunnews.com.

However, Moeldoko said that he would not make any decision regarding who would be the new Paspampres commander because the decision could only be made by president-elect Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. "The Paspampres commander will be decided by the president-elect," Moeldoko said.

Besides Doni, other officers who will take up new posts include the current Kopassus commander Maj. Gen. Agus Sutomo who will soon take over as the new Jakarta military commander. Agus will replace Maj. Gen. Mulyono, who will take up the post of Army Strategic Reserve (Kostrad) commander.

The post of Kostrad commander has been vacant since President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono installed the previous commander Lt. Gen. Gatot Nurmayanto as the Army chief of staff on July 22.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/11/paspampres-chief-new-kopassus-commander.html

Judicial & legal system

Court reaffirms bar association's status

Jakarta Globe - September 13, 2014

Erwin Sihombing, Jakarta – The Constitutional Court has thrown out a legal challenge seeking to contest the state's recognition of a sole bar association, in a spat that goes back to 2008.

The court ruled on Thursday that the challenge brought by a group of lawyers, including veteran O.C. Kaligis, against two articles in the 2003 Law on Advocates did not infringe on their constitutional rights and would remain in place.

The plaintiffs had been seeking to strike down articles 2(1) and 28(1) of the law, which state, respectively, that all lawyers must pass a bar examination, or PKPA, administered by a recognized bar association; and that the state will only recognize one bar association.

The law stops short of identifying that association, but the government has since 2005 recognized the Indonesian Bar Association, or Peradi, as the country's only official association of lawyers.

The lawyers challenging the article, most of them from the rival Indonesian Advocates Congress, or KAI, had argued that the law unfairly disqualified lawyers who had passed the PKPA administered by the KAI or any organization other than Peradi.

In hearings during the judicial review, officials from Peradi testified that they had permitted law firms such as Kaligis's to administer the PKPA, but later rescinded that authority after finding that some of the firms had falsified the signatures of those taking the test.

Kaligis's firm was authorized to administer the bar exam from 2009 to 2013, but Peradi found 37 instances during that period in which it falsified the identities of those actually taking the test. Peradi reported Kaligis to the police in January 2013 over the matter, and an investigation is pending.

The spat between Peradi – which was established in 2008 following the merger of eight bar associations and subsequently recognized by the state as the sole authorized bar association in the country – and the KAI dates back to 2008, when the latter was set up.

Lawyers who passed the bar exam administered by the KAI found they were forbidden by the Supreme Court from representing clients in court unless they obtained Peradi certification.

KAI members claim Peradi is legally flawed because it was established by only a few individuals instead of a congress of lawyers, which was what prompted a group of KAI lawyers to seek a judicial review of the 2003 law with the Constitutional Court in 2011.

When the Supreme Court in 2010 reaffirmed Peradi as the only state- recognized bar association, lawyers from the KAI ran amok outside the courthouse, vandalizing the front gate and hurling insults at the chief justice.

Source: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/court-reaffirms-bar-associations-status/

Economy & investment

BI on alert as bad loans increase

Jakarta Post - September 15, 2014

Tassia Sipahutar, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia (BI) will closely monitor the increase of bad loans, particularly in four business sectors, as they are slowly approaching the benchmark set by financial regulators.

In a statement issued on Friday, the central bank said that by the end of July it had detected growing non-performing loans (NPL), especially in the construction, mining, trading and social services sectors.

In July, the NPL ratios climbed to 4.43 percent and 3.09 percent in construction and mining, respectively, from 4.24 percent and 2.49 percent recorded a month before.

Meanwhile, in trading, the NPL ratio surged to 3.06 percent in July from 2.92 percent in June, and it stood at 2.96 percent in July for the social services sector, up from 2.48 percent in the previous month.

BI, along with the Financial Services Authority (OJK), sets the NPL ratio benchmark at 5 percent. BI deputy governor Halim Alamsyah said the central bank would coordinate with the OJK to monitor the four sectors to prevent increasing bad loans from affecting other business segments.

"It seems that loans under the collectability 2 category are tending to rise. We are now trying to find out if it's only temporary," he told reporters.

At present, regulators classify loans according to their quality or collectability. Loans under collectability 1 or "pass" are those with on- time payments and loans under collectability 2 or "special mention" are those with 90 days in arrears.

Meanwhile, collectability 3 or "substandard" classifies loans with 90 to 120 days in arrears, collectability 4 or "doubtful" with 120 to 180 days in arrears, and collectability 5 or "loss" with more than 180 days in arrears.

Halim said BI was also assessing whether increasing bad debts in construction were related to specific projects. "For the mining sector, we know that the loans were disbursed to projects outside Java," he said.

However, despite the increase, the overall NPL ratio was still below the benchmark as it stood at 2.24 percent as of July, according to BI's statement. It emphasized that the financial system's stability was still solid, citing the banking industry's resilience and the manageable performance of the money market.

"The banking industry's capital adequacy ratio or CAR remained high in July as it reached 19.39 percent, much higher than the minimum requirement of 8 percent," it said.

OJK commissioner for banking supervision Nelson Tampubolon also acknowledged the increase in bad loans, but said it was still "within the tolerable level".

"We will communicate with banks that show a high NPL increase. That is part of our supervisory approach. One way is by asking them to review their credit growth," he said.

Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) finance director Achmad Baiquni said the state lender had also seen a rise in its overall bad loans and that it would provide higher provision to cope with the increase.

"Everything is still on track. There is an increase in the provision, but it is not very significant. Hopefully it won't affect our bottom line," he said.

Separately, Bank Mandiri president director Budi Gunadi Sadikin said its NPL ratios in the four sectors had not exceeded 3 percent and that it had low exposure to the mining sector.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/15/bi-alert-bad-loans-increase.html

Analysis & opinion

From 'military reform' to 'defense transformation' (Part 1 of 2)

Jakarta Post - September 15, 2014

Evan A. Laksmana, New York – As president-elect Joko Widodo – popularly known as Jokowi – prepares his first Cabinet and plans to govern, it is perhaps a good time to take a step back and consider the broader picture of Indonesia's military reform. After all, he did campaign on a reformist platform; he even had more detailed defense policy ideas than his rival, Lt. Gen (ret) Prabowo Subianto.

What have we accomplished thus far in reforming the military following the end of Soeharto's authoritarian New Order? How has the process of military reform evolved and what should we expect next?

What would defense policy and military reform look like under Jokowi's first administration? Should we expect more continuity rather than change from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono era when it comes to military reform?

After the fall of Soeharto, military reform between 1999 and 2004 under presidents B. J. Habibie, Abdurrahman Wahid and Megawati Soekarnoputri essentially focused on erasing the legacies of authoritarian rule.

The Indonesian military changed its name from the Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) to the Indonesian Military (TNI) when the separation from the police officially took place in 1999.

The TNI then abolished the "dual function" doctrine that had previously allowed officers to hold various political and economic posts throughout the country. Its non-elected legislative seats were eliminated by 2004, along with any official ties to any political parties.

Additionally, Law No. 34/2004 on the Indonesian Military not only banned military officers from running for office but also mandated the eventual transfer of the TNI's recorded business and commercial enterprises by 2009.

In short, the focus has been on getting the military out of politics and business, ending its domestic security and policing roles, and returning its function as the primary actor for national defense. By one account, the TNI issued 29 institutional reform policies to follow these broad visions from 1998 to 2006.

Believing that the New Order's legacies had been erased, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (2004-2014) went on to focus on rebuilding the TNI's overall combat effectiveness and readiness. Indeed, then-defense minister Juwono Sudarsono claimed in 2008 that military reform was 85 percent complete.

As Indonesia's economic strength grew during Yudhoyono's presidency, soldiers' welfare was gradually increased in terms of salaries and benefits; education and training began to gain importance (as seen from the establishment of the Indonesian Defense University), and technological modernization took center stage.

Indeed, with the Minimum Essential Forces (MEF) as the main guiding vision, the defense budget more than tripled, from approximately US$2.1 billion in 2003 to about $7.7 billion in 2012. It is further estimated that completing the MEF shopping list requires around $7 to $10 billion.

Arguably, MEF is the centerpiece of Yudhoyono's defense modernization vision, which represents the next step in Indonesia's post-authoritarian military reform. The passing of the 2012 defense industrial law further cemented this vision.

What should we expect therefore from the president-elect? According to Jokowi's campaign platform documents, he has four main defense priorities.

First, continue supporting the professionalism of the Indonesian military by improving soldiers' welfare and its main weapons systems by increasing the defense budget to 1.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) within five years.

Second, seek defense independence by reducing foreign technological imports, strengthening the domestic defense industry and diversifying Indonesia's defense partnerships.

Third, complete the MEF blueprint and build the military to eventually become a respectable maritime force in East Asia.

Finally, place defense policy as an integral part of a comprehensive and resilient national security system that reorders various defense, internal security, public safety and human security functions managed by the National Security Council (DKN).

Assuming Jokowi takes his campaign promises seriously, these priorities suggest that he would build on and continue many of Yudhoyono's defense modernization policies. This vision, however, should be taken with an extra pinch of salt.

First and foremost, with more money being spent on technology, personnel development is taking a back seat – despite the fact that a military is only as effective as the men and women running it.

According to IHS Jane's projections, spending on personnel between 2010 and 2017 will, on average, be around $4.79 billion annually. While these figures represent around two thirds of the defense budget, they seem minuscule when we think about the level of expertise needed to boost technological innovation and to effectively run and maintain high-tech military systems.

This is particularly the case when we consider Indonesia's mediocre human capital development. In 2013, we were ranked 61 globally by the World Economic Forum's education measures. Presumably, the low quality of our human capital spills into the TNI's manpower quality as well.

Additionally, a review of the TNI's educational curricula – from the academy to the National Resilience Institute (Lemhannas) – suggests that while sociopolitical courses are fewer now than under the New Order, they continue to make up a significant proportion of available classes.

And even though overseas education and training opportunities have expanded, messy personnel policies have created promotional logjams, with the number of posts shrinking while the officer corps grew from 46,168 in 2004 to 52,940 in 2009.

Consequently, tours of duty have become increasingly shorter and higher educational qualifications are becoming less relevant, if not detrimental, for officers competing for a small number of billets. All of these are counterproductive to the long-term development of a professional modern military career pattern.

Secondly, the Yudhoyono-led process of technological modernization for the past decade has had some harmful, unintended consequences for the TNI's weapons platform readiness and maintenance.

As defense planners have been more concerned initially with procuring weaponry from suppliers who would not impose political conditions of usage, the military has been incrementally stocking up platforms from various different countries.

As of 2006, the TNI had been operating 173 different medium and advanced platforms imported from 17 different countries. While "partner diversification" sounds politically convenient, complex weapons systems do not work that way. Indeed, such a "rainbow mix" entails significant costs in terms of maintenance and personnel training and has affected operational readiness due to inter-operability problems.

[The writer is a researcher with the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta and a non-resident fellow with the German Marshall Fund of the United States.]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/15/from-military-reform-defense-transformation-part-1-2.html

Ahok and the people's power

Jakarta Post Editorial - September 12, 2014

An ungracious, ungrateful politician is the image portrayed of Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama by his former party, Gerindra, which was founded by losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto.

On Wednesday, Ahok presented his resignation letter to the party, whose officials reminded everyone that it was thanks to Gerindra's backing that Ahok became deputy governor to the capital, and its governor in a month or two, replacing president-elect Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

Prabowo also said Ahok had not had the grace to face him personally to bid farewell. Ahok had said a day earlier that he was considering resigning from Gerindra, the leader of the Red-and-White Coalition that will dominate the future House of Representatives and many provincial and local legislative councils. The trigger for Ahok's decision was the coalition's move to end direct local elections in the ongoing deliberation of the regional election bill.

Ahok does indeed look ungrateful and ungracious – however, respectful politicians are not exactly what people are looking for nowadays. What citizens want is that their regional leaders deliver the public services they are entitled to.

Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil also knows that he is popular not because he was championed by the Islamic-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) – a main ally of Gerindra that helped Prabowo top the poll in West Java – but because of his efforts in improving the chaotic and once-pretty provincial capital.

This seems to be the reason why Ridwan called on all mayors and regents on Thursday to rally together around Jakarta's Hotel Indonesia traffic circle to protest the coalition's decision to push for indirect local elections. Ahok and Ridwan are both being egged on by much of the mainstream media ahead of the last days of the current House's tenure when the law could be passed.

We are witnessing a tug-of-war between the people's power and political party leaders, who have yet to present a solid voice. For instance, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono would not want to be marked as the president who ended the nation's democracy by bringing back the indirect elections of the Soeharto years.

However, his Democratic Party is part of the Gerindra-led coalition, which Yudhoyono said would be a "balancing" force in the new legislature.

Since the first direct local elections almost a decade ago, things have not become automatically better for voters, as Ahok noted. Yet citizens have discovered the power of their votes, regardless of all the efforts at bribing them – the vote-buying that is part of the excesses of direct elections, which its opponents seek to end. Ahok and other local leaders sense where the power is shifting to; "I won't be a slave of the local legislative council, but a slave of the people," Ahok said.

Amid frequent rifts, political parties are trying to show their credibility and consistency regarding their rules. But as a recent survey suggested, the parties are not representing the needs of many, who do not need political parties ending citizens' power of choosing their own leaders.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/12/editorial-ahok-and-people-s-power.html

'Jilbab' phenomenon: Religious or cultural?

Jakarta Post - September 12, 2014

Azis Anwar Fachrudin, Yogyakarta – How do we deal with the so-called jilboobs, an Indonesian term for Muslim women wearing the jilbab (Islamic headscarf) while at the same time wearing clothes that emphasize their breasts (boobs)? The phenomenon of jilboobs would not be startling if we properly understood the case.

First, let's raise again the old question: Why is the jilbab (the popular Indonesian name for hijab) a religious obligation for Muslim women? Most Indonesian Muslim women would not know the rational answer, the raison d'etre or, in terms of Islamic jurisprudence, the 'illat al-hukm.

Many Indonesian Muslim women most likely wear the jilbab only to follow the mainstream trend – the tradition, or rather the popular culture within the Muslim community.

Hence, the emergence of jilboobs. Many would answer that the jilbab is a religious obligation only because it is God's command, regardless of His reason. Others do not want to just criticize and they ask why their hair is considered aurat (a part of the body that should not be exposed to sight).

Precisely on the latest point, a paradoxical reasoning emerges and should be examined. If a woman's hair is aurat because it could spark a man's lust, what if her face accentuates her beauty more than her hair? Should it be veiled, too, as many Muslim women today wear the niqab?

Again, what about her voice if it could arouse a man's desire? Or why should not men take care of their dirty minds rather than coop up women?

However, to many Muslims who literally interpret "Islam" as "submission", such a criticism against what Islamic law has been ruling could be considered as opposing God's command.

That is, just raising critical questions is sometimes, or even often, prohibited. Many Muslim women, therefore, seek to take the middle way: wearing veils while featuring their breasts as they, by nature, want to keep fashionable.

Second, looking back at the context of when wearing the jilbab was originally required through spiritual revelation, it could be concluded that the jilbab is most related to the sociocultural system of earliest Islam.

Muslims can find two verses on the jilbab in the Koran: al-Ahzab 33:59 and an-Nur 24:31. Many classical Islamic references state that an-Nur 24:31 was a response toward the dress traditions of the Arab women of jahiliya (pre- Islam, literally meaning "ignorance").

In the jahiliya period, women went out in public with naked breasts and revealed their necks to show off their adornments. Their veils were drawn backward while leaving the front parts wide open.

Al-Ahzab 33:59 was revealed after the Battle of Khandaq (5 hijriyah), while an-Nur was revealed long after that; so, Muslim women were obliged to wear jilbab just from the last years of Muhammad's era as a Prophet.

The context of the al-Ahzab revelation was that the munafiqin (hypocrites) attacked Muslim women who, at that time, wore no jilbab and so both free- born and slaves dressed the same. Al-Ahzab's verse was then revealed to protect free women – their jilbabs distinguished them from slaves and saved them from disrespect.

The verses were very connected to a past social system in which there were slaves. The limits of aurat for slave women was the same as for men at the time: from knee to navel. Slave women were allowed to perform prayers while keeping their breasts naked.

The second caliph Umar ibn al-Khatthab once even ordered a female slave to take off her veil because the veil, or jilbab, was an item of dress reserved for free women (libas al-hara'ir). And, at that time, there was no discourse on whether the slaves' naked breasts incited men's desire and lust.

This stipulation could be found in many classical books of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) – but for many the era of slavery is part of a lost memory. The substance of the obligation for the jilbab, according to contextual interpretation, was to satisfy a sense of public decency.

This kind of interpretation is, of course, rejected by conservatives who favor the strict word of the scriptural sources – or the text rather than the context.

The epistemological interpretation of this conservative fiqh, in terms of the philosophy of Islamic law, is that what should be given more consideration is the generality of the text, not the particularity of the context.

So in this way we can know why a majority of Muslims scholars still persist in saying that the jilbab is an obligation, even though we no longer live in an era of slavery.

There is a kind of scripturalism that embodies conservative clerics' methodology of interpretation and is more dominant among Muslim communities. The result is that Muslim women take the middle way. Time shows the evolution of the Indonesian Muslim woman's veil.

Before the 1980s, many Muslim women, including the wives of clerics and former first lady Sinta Nuriyah Wahid, the wife of the late president Abdurrahman Wahid, wore veils, but their hair and neck were still visible.

As the reformasi approached wearing the jilbab became predominant among Muslim women (and since then this term became popular). And now, the hijab has become more popular than the jilbab and even more and more women are wearing the niqab.

In the past, the jilbab as a religious obligation was not an overwhelming subject of discourse even among Islamic scholars.

Some consider the phenomenon of the hijab and the niqab as being related to the rise of the politics of identity within the Muslim community as a way to fight against the influence of Western culture.

It reveals that the dress code is very related to culture or tradition rather than religion. And it is not unique to Islam. Christianity and Judaism have had similar codes. According to Nasaruddin Umar in his article in the Journal of Ulumul Quran, the concept of the hijab as a head covering had been established in the Code of Hammurabi (2000 BC) and then in the Code of Assura (circa 1075 BC).

As we see, there is an evolution in female dress codes. It might be the very nature of sociocultural systems that dress codes always deal with the places and times of various cultures and civilizations. The jilbab is no exceptional. So, in the light of this way of thinking, jilboobs may not be a problem at all.

The jilbab and its various interpretations will ultimately be judged by human history. We know today many Indonesian Muslim women are not veiled. There are also many who are veiled but not considered shar'i (to be adherent to the sharia stipulation), which means there are many Muslim women who may voluntarily sin – or be considered sinful?

Public rationality will determine the survival of the jilbab. As we know, religion is revealed for the sake of human benefit and interest.

[The writer is a graduate student at the Center for Religious and Crosscultural Studies (CRCS), Gadjah Mada University.]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/12/jilbab-phenomenon-religious-or-cultural.html

Prabowo revenge? New bill puts voting rights at risk

Rappler.com - September 11, 2014

Jet Damazo-Santos, Jakarta, Indonesia – After losing in the July 9 presidential elections, as well as in subsequent attempts to challenge its results, Prabowo Subianto and his allies have taken the battle to the legislature. This time, it's not the presidency at stake, but the right of Indonesians to directly elect their governors, mayors and district heads.

A committee in the outgoing House of Representatives (DPR) – which will end its term on September 30 – is currently deliberating a Regional Elections Bill (RUU Pilkada) that seeks to have these regional executive leaders be chosen by the local legislature (DPRD). This was the way it used to be, until post-Suharto era reforms led to Indonesians being able to directly vote for them for the first time in 2005.

The controversial bill's proponents tout the budget savings that could be made if Indonesia does away with the costly direct elections, which are held separately by each province. They also say indirect elections through the DPRD reduces the likelihood of election-related violence and "money politics". Those against it – more than 80% of Indonesians according to a recent survey by the Indonesian Survey Circle – decry the threat to democracy and point out it's unlikely "money politics" would actually decline.

But arguments on the merits of either system aside, the issue here, really, is politics. It's still about July 9

"This is a political game," R. Siti Zuhro, a political analyst at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), explains. "This competition is a continuation of the presidential election."

Pushing for the bill on the red and white corner of the legislature are Prabowo and the 6 political parties that supported his failed bid for the presidency.

The Red and White Coalition consists of Gerindra (Prabowo's party), the Suharto-era political vehicle Golkar (which is still led by tycoon Aburizal Bakrie), losing vice presidential candidate Hatta Rajasa's National Mandate Party (PAN), and the graft-tainted ruling Democratic Party and Islamic parties United Development Party (PPP) and Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

On the minority side stands President-elect Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), and the two smaller parties that supported him during the election, Hanura and National Awakening Party (PKB).

The bill was first proposed by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2010, but it has found no strong political support over the past 4 years. About two weeks ago, however, members of the Red and White Coalition – which control 63% of the legislature – began expressing support for it.

"This is their revenge for Jokowi winning, because he's the product of direct elections," University of Indonesia political analyst Arbi Sanit says.

Another way of looking at it, Siti adds, is that these political parties allied with Prabowo are trying to find a way to still play an important role over the next 5 years. That can either be in the legislature as part of the majority opposition or with Jokowi's government, whose term begins on October 20.

The 'problem' with Jokowi

The problem is that Jokowi – who has maintained he would not trade ministerial seats for political support – and PDI-P are not giving them enough political reasons to change alliances.

PDI-P and its chairwoman, former President Megawati Sukarnoputri, have no history of being flexible or good at negotiating, explains political analyst and academic Dodi Ambardi. "This was seen in 1999 (when Megawati backed out of a coalition with PAN and PKB). And today she's still the head of PDI-P, so she's not changing the way she handles party politics, she's not sharing power," he says.

"Jokowi, at the same time, promises to do the same thing. He wants to have a lean cabinet, and doesn't want to share power with an oversized coalition."

Most political parties came knocking on PDI-P's door before the election, but they went away and ended up siding with Prabowo. Even Vice President- elect Jusuf Kalla, who was seen to be the seasoned political hand who would help Jokowi on the negotiating table, has so far been ineffective in this regard because he has no bargaining chips to offer, Dodi says.

"If Jokowi shares political spoils, Merah Putih (Red and White) will fall apart. But he isn't," he adds. This is why, Dodi says, Prabowo's coalition has remained intact thus far, defying pundit predictions that it would start falling apart after Jokowi was officially declared the election winner.

They're doing this – pushing for the controversial RUU Pilkada – to force Jokowi and Megawati to think about negotiating, he adds.

Rock vs hard place?

So which is the lesser evil? For Jokowi to "share political spoils" or to risk allowing this bill to pass?

Tempo newspaper looked at the party representation in the DPRDs of Indonesia's 33 provinces and found that 31 of them were controlled by the Red and White coalition.

If the bill is passed, therefore, Prabowo and his allies would not only reinforce their control over the House of Representatives – and likely block Jokowi's programs over the next 5 years – but also wield executive and legislative control over most of decentralized Indonesia.

Over the next two weeks to Sept. 25, the date the bill is expected to go to a vote in a plenary session, Indonesians will hold street protests and campaign online and offline against the bill, while politicians meet behind closed doors and negotiate the future of the country.

The missing factor so far here is President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who has so far stayed mum on the issue despite calls for him to step in and withdraw the bill.

If the bill does go to a plenary vote, the glimmer of hope, analysts say, is that lawmakers may not all toe the party line.

"If closed voting is done during the plenary, there's a chance of the bill being rejected," Dodi says. "If it's open voting, there will be pressure from party leaders and it's more likely the bill will pass."

Source: http://www.rappler.com/world/regions/asia-pacific/indonesia/68796-voting-rights-prabowo-jokowi-ruu-pilkada

Falling in love as a crime

Jakarta Post Editorial - September 10, 2014

The post reformasi generation is leading the way forward toward a new Indonesia where falling in love should not be tantamount to a crime.

Four graduates and a law student filed a request for a judicial review of the 1974 Marriage Law with the Constitutional Court last Thursday. The law says that weddings must be conducted according to the religious beliefs of the bride and groom, thus, making it legally impossible for interfaith marriages to occur, although the law does not actually ban such unions.

Many can point to friends and family members whose interfaith romantic relationships have been in a bind for over a decade, or have ended because of religious differences and fears of upsetting parents. Many have opted to wed overseas or have converted only for the formality of the wedding ritual, while others have taken the risk of marrying regardless and have been disowned by their families.

The hardships of all these Romeos and Juliets have largely been treated as private problems, considered as the consequences couples must face when they happen to be of different faiths. Stories of love, conflict and despair are popular materials for movies and novels, but changing state policy is an entirely different ball game.

As citizens interact in increasingly urban settings, not necessarily within the country, relationships involving diverse backgrounds become inevitable and several websites now address interfaith relations, complete with tips for individuals from different nationalities and different religions on how to get married when neither wishes to convert to his or her partner's belief.

These young adults who filed the judicial review are reminding us that the state, as declared in the amended Constitution, has a fundamental obligation that they say contradicts the 1974 law: ensuring freedom of worship under a marriage law that forces someone to convert to another, mainstream faith not his or her own in order to be able to wed legally.

However, the plaintiffs, as one judge reminded them, will need to offer realistic alternatives to a society that is more religious than secular in its thinking. As the state ideology Pancasila implies, judge Arief Hidayat said, faith in the One Almighty God "should be applied to our social lives".

If the court decided to revoke the article in the law requiring religious rituals for marriages, he said, all marriages in Indonesia would lack a sacred foundation while many believe weddings should be religious commitments.

Meanwhile, couples of different faiths may find their deep unhappiness, ironic in the context of the euphoria of reformasi, is somehow linked to more people becoming more devout and unwittingly following the teachings of conservatives who remind us more loudly nowadays to stick to our religious flock, despite world praise for our progressing democracy.

The experts will debate whether the law is still relevant if it is aimed at preserving interfaith harmony by respecting each religion in isolation and what being neither a religious nor a secular state entails. The court's verdict is crucial to this request for a judicial review to answer how the state should facilitate citizens who wish to enter into marriage while remaining true to their beliefs.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/10/editorial-falling-love-a-crime.html

Elites vs the people

Jakarta Post Editorial - September 9, 2014

The elite's betrayal of reformasi is visible through its "structured, systematic and massive" efforts to pass a regional election bill that will allow it to seize back sovereignty from the people in electing regional leaders.

But for the coalition of parties that supported the losing presidential candidate pair of Prabowo Subianto and Hatta Rajasa, the country's indirect regional electoral system gave them a well-deserved equalizer after the Constitutional Court flatly rejected their claim last month about "structured, systematic and massive" fraud in the presidential election and, thus, upheld the victory of Joko Widodo and his running mate, Jusuf Kalla.

The Red-and-White Coalition alliance of the Gerindra Party, the Democratic Party, the Golkar Party, the National Mandate Party (PAN), the United Development Party (PPP) and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) holds 420 of the 560 total seats in the House of Representatives and will outvote the rival coalition in passing the bill if no compromise is achieved.

They may call it the art of politics, setting out to teach a lesson to the opposing camp, which remains euphoric looking ahead to the inauguration of Jokowi and Kalla on Oct. 20. But what use is a law if it strips away at democracy?

Surely it will be the elite that will benefit from the regional election law. Regional leaders will fall under the control of party bosses and be obligated to serve their interests without having to attend to people's aspirations. It will be a dej'vu of the New Order era.

Supporters of indirect regional elections have expressed their concern about vote-buying practices in direct elections; but reinstating the old mechanism will only revive bribery by those who are out to win the votes of legislative council members.

Direct regional elections were introduced in 2005 to minimize vote-buying, albeit ineffectively due to weak law enforcement. The existing law, for example, does not require the disqualification of candidates found guilty of buying votes.

High-cost politics is another justification for repealing direct elections, although in fact it is the political elites themselves that create extra expenditure, both in building the image of their candidates and in securing party endorsements.

Political parties do not have to spend too much if they nominate figures with proven track records, as evident from numerous past regional elections. It is crucial that improvements be made in the recruitment and regeneration of political party members seeking public posts.

Communal conflicts have indeed marred direct regional elections as the Red-and-White Coalition has claimed, but this argument alone is insufficient to restore indirect elections. Most of the direct regional elections held since 2005 have passed off peacefully. It was, in fact, losing political elites who incited hatred and fueled conflicts or, at the very least, failed to control their supporters.

One can easily find imperfections in direct regional elections, but that does not mean the democratic way of electing leaders has failed; nor does it mean that leadership choices should be re-entrusted to political parties or, more precisely, power-hungry oligarchs.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/09/09/editorial-elites-vs-people.html