Linda Yulisman and Indra Harsaputra, Jakarta, Surabaya – Dyan Asthira, 32, has never missed serving beer when she gathers with her friends. She usually buys the drink two or three times in a month from nearby minimarkets, with 10 to 15 bottles in her basket every purchase.

"It's very convenient to buy beer from minimarkets. I can get it while it's cool and don't need to face a long queue," said Dyan, an owner of a food stall in Yogyakarta, one of the most attractive tourism destinations in Indonesia.

Beer lovers like Dyan will soon miss the light alcoholic drink from racks of nearby minimarkets and kiosks as the government has banned its sale through the retailers nationwide.

Under a Trade Ministry regulation issued last week, beverages with an alcohol content ranging from 1 to 5 percent can only be sold in supermarkets and hypermarkets.

Distributors are required to withdraw existing stocks in the next three months, according to the copy of the rule obtained by The Jakarta Post.

The new arrangement, made in consideration of the "protection of morals and culture in society" for tightened supervision of alcoholic drink sales, faced protests not only from retailers, but also from antidrug activists.

The drinking of alcoholic beverages has been a sensitive issue in the past in Indonesia, the country with the world's largest Muslim population, but beer has been an increasingly popular drink, particularly for urban dwellers who usually consume it in their daily lives, often with snacks like peanuts.

Association Indonesian Retailers (Aprindo) deputy chairman Tutum Rahanta said he regretted the policy, saying the authority to allow or prohibit sales of beverages with low alcohol contents should be left to regional administrations. Adjustments could be put in place according to the characteristics of the regions.

"Some places, such as Bali, may need to sell beer in highly accessible shops to meet strong demand from tourists, while others like Banten prefer bans for religious reasons," he said.

Minimarkets in general account for 1 or 2 percent of total beer sales, but in certain tourism areas they can account for between 10 and 20 percent of distribution, according to the business group.

Tutum further said a scarce supply of beer might also stimulate the circulation of bootleg liquor, which would be counterproductive to the goals of the rule.

Widespread and surging sales of bootleg liquor have also become a concern raised by antidrug activists. East Java Action, a non-profit organization that runs therapy houses for victims of bootleg liquor, said that even before the ban was put in place, sales of this type of liquor have consistently risen.

"The upward trend in bootleg liquor sales is in line with the increasing number of victims who have died drinking it," said Rudhy Wedhasmara, the coordinator of the organization.

At least 147 regulations passed by local governments since 2013 have been unable to lower the number of deaths connected to the drinking of bootleg liquor, which reaches 18,000 each year, he added.

Some areas in West Java, such as Cirebon, prohibited sales of all alcoholic beverages in supermarkets and minimarkets last year, but the figures related to liquor more than doubled before the arrangement became effective.

Separately, Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama said that he had not been informed of the trade minister's new regulation. However, the city administration would comply with the rule and revise its bylaws when needed.

Currently, sales of light alcoholic drinks in minimarkets and convenience stores are allowed in Jakarta.

[Dewanti Wardhani contributed to this story.]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/24/beer-soon-disappear-minimarkets.html

Bandung activists initiate movement critical of Jokowi

Jakarta Post - January 23, 2015

Arya Dipa, Bandung – Questioning the government's outlook and policies during the first 100 days of the administration, activists in Bandung, West Java, have initiated the Jan. 22 Movement to prevent reforms from furthering the growth of business oligarchies.

Activist Donny Setiawan of the Initiative Association said that the government's 2015-2019 national middle-term development plan (RPJMN) only protected the economic interests of a few groups of big investors.

"Future economic development only pursues high economic growth and large- scale investment. This will not narrow the economic gap," Donny said in Bandung on Thursday.

Apart from the Initiative Association, a number of other elements of the community were involved in initiating the Jan. 22 Movement. They included the Legal Aid Institute (LBH) Bandung, the West Java branch of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), the Independent People's Federation, the West Java University Students Front and the Bandung Activists' Forum.

In the rural economic development sector, according to Donny, the new government's policies also had not yet guaranteed the people's independence in managing the production process.

In its budget, Donny said, the government needed Rp 3.9 trillion (US$312.5 million) in funds until 2019. Of this, however, only some 10 percent could be provided by the government, while the rest would be procured through the use of third-party interventions.

"Some are also to be funded using foreign loan schemes. How could we be independent?" Donny asked.

Another activist, Sapei Rusin, said that all the policies made by the government of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo were only beneficial to industrial practitioners with big capital. The infrastructure development policy, similarly, would only decrease the number of households working in the agricultural sector, he said.

The Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) reported in 2003 that there were 14.2 million households working in the agricultural sector. In 10 years, the figure decreased to 14.1 million because of changes in occupation and a decreasing number of agricultural fields caused by land conversions.

Budiana of the Bandung Activists' Forum said that the public had placed big hopes on Jokowi and Vice President Jusuf "JK" Kalla to thoroughly complete the reform agenda.

Yet, he said, instead of developing a slim and professional government, implementing pro-people policies by avoiding corporate interests and putting an end to past violations against human rights, the current government was just continuing the agenda of the former administration's development policies.

"We consider that the Jokowi-JK's administration is denying the people's trust and has no will to finish the reform agenda," said Budiana.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/23/bandung-activists-initiate-movement-critical-jokowi.html

West Papua

Soldiers sold ammunition to armed groups

Jakarta Post - January 30, 2015

Nethy Dharma Somba and Nani Afrida, Jayapura/Jakarta – The Cenderawasih Military Police Command in Papua is currently questioning five Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel from the Cenderawasih Military Command Adjutant General's (Ajendam) unit, allegedly involved in the sale of ammunition to armed civilian groups.

"Two of them have been proven to be directly involved, while three others are still undergoing interrogation. They provided ammunition to the armed civilian groups, which used it to shoot TNI and National Police personnel and civilians. They are traitors to the state, a thorn in the flesh, they are enemies within the military," Cenderawasih Military Command chief Maj. Gen. Fransen G. Siahaan said at military headquarters in Jayapura on Thursday.

Since three TNI personnel were arrested in Wamena last year for selling ammunition to the armed group led by Puron Wenda, the military has intensified internal and external supervision. The group, which committed violence and vandalism, was active in the Pegunungan Tengah region in Papua.

"We uncovered the five traitors in an internal investigation. I didn't expect them to come from this unit. In line with orders, soldiers involved in ammunition sales must be dismissed from the unit and punished severely, even sentenced to death, or to life in prison," he stated.

Separately, Indonesian Military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Fuad Basya told The Jakarta Post that the military was very careful to safeguard its ammunition and it was impossible for soldiers to take bullets from the armory directly. Officers recorded the exact number of bullets removed from the armory and how many were returned.

He assumed the bullets that had been sold would have been secreted away during shooting training.

Two of the suspects were arrested by a TNI-police joint team while in a transaction with three members of an armed civilian group at Papua Trade Center in Jayapura on Jan. 28. The joint team seized 500 rounds of 5.56 mm caliber ammunition. The three other persons are believed to be involved in hoarding ammunition.

The evidence, said Siahaan, was still being examined to determine whether they came from the Ajendam unit or other units.

The five suspects, identified only by their rank and initials, are First Sergeants NHS, 25, and MM, 46, Privates First Class S, 27, and RA, 29, and Sergeant Maj. S, 39.

The suspects, added Siahaan, were currently undergoing intensive questioning to find out how many times they had sold ammunition to armed civilian groups and whether other soldiers were involved in the syndicate.

Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Yotje Mende confirmed that the 500 bullets purchased by the three civilians from the soldiers for Rp 10 million (US$793) were intended for the Puron Wenda group in Lanny Jaya regency.

"The three civilians were tasked with operating in the city to find ammunition and to deliver it to the jungle. They have been named as suspects for arms possession and charged with violating the Emergency Law," said Yotje.

Separately on Thursday, two residents in Popome village, Popome district, Lanny Jaya regency, Papua, were shot by members of an armed civilian group at around 6 a.m. The victims, Gurik Murib, 25, and Markus, 26, are employees of PT Nirwana. The armed group also set fire to an excavator.

When contacted by phone, Lanny Jaya regency secretary Chris Sohilait said the two victims had been taken to Wamena hospital in Jayawijaya regency for medical treatment.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/30/soldiers-sold-ammunition-armed-groups.html

Three more members of armed group arrested in Jayapura

Jakarta Post - January 28, 2015

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Three more members of an armed group led by Puron Wenda were arrested at a trade center in Jayapura, Papua, on Wednesday.

The three, identified as Rais Wenda, 27, Albert Jikwa, 29, and Fredi Kagoya, 15, were arrested as they traveled on a minibus in the Papua Trade Center in the city.

Papua Provincial Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rudolf Patrige said the three were still undergoing an intensive interrogation in connection with their alleged involvement in recent bloody assaults in Timika and Jayapura.

"But the three are being grilled on their status as witnesses to the incidents," he said.

The arrest of the three was conducted by the police following the arrest of two other members of the armed group in Wamena on Saturday. Patrige denied spreading rumors that an Army soldier had been arrested for selling guns and ammunition to the armed group.

Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Fransen G. Siahaan, chief of the Cendrawasih Military Command overseeing Papua and West Papua, also denied the rumors and said that only the three members of the armed group were arrested in a joint raid launched by the police and the military in the province. (rms)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/28/three-more-members-armed-group-arrested-jayapura.html

There are continued calls for freedom as villages burn in West Papua

vice - January 27, 2015

Paul Gregoire – Earlier this month, Indonesian forces reportedly burned down villages and conducted mass arrests across the province of West Papua. VICE spoke to Independence leader Benny Wenda about reports of worsening repression.

According to Wenda, the attacks took place in the region surrounding the West Papuan mountain town of Timika, where troops burned down a village named Banti on January 14, forcing many villagers to flee into the jungle. It was the second such incident in the week, as earlier reports told of up to 116 villagers being arrested and tortured in the town of Utikini.

Benny Wenda, who received these reports, labeled these actions as a "collective punishment" dished out by Indonesian forces in response to the shooting of two Indonesian officers and a Freeport mine security guard in the Timika region on January 1.

The Indonesian army and police have dispatched 500 personnel into the area to pursue a group of men, led by Ayub Waker of the West Papua liberation army (TPN), who they claim carried out the shootings. While Papua police chief inspector general Yotje Mende told the Jakarta Post that only 13 people had been detained as part of the raid on Utikini.

These are the latest incidents in a continuing cycle of violence in the restive region of West Papua, since Indonesia began its occupation 53 years ago.

"We are under constant watch by the Indonesian military, who are on the lookout for more excuses to kill us," said Wenda, international lobbyist for the Free West Papua Campaign. "There are over 40,000 Indonesian soldiers in West Papua and that figure is increasing."

According to Wenda the extra troops are being sent into the Timika region in an attempt to "draw the world's attention away from the five West Papuan children who were murdered by the Indonesian military last month."

On December 8, five high school students were killed in the town of Enarotali, after Indonesian security forces allegedly shot into a crowd of 800 West Papuans. The crowd was protesting a scuffle that occurred between troops and children putting up Christmas decorations the previous evening, which resulted in a 13-year-old boy being beaten by officers. Up to 20 other civilians were also injured in the incident.

On January 14, the National Police Headquarters announced they have set up a fact-finding team to investigate the shootings. The team has been established under the orders of Indonesian president Joko Widodo, who called for the investigation during a visit to the province on December 27.

This tragedy and the response of Widodo, who was elected last July, have dashed hopes that he will bring about promised improvements and ease political tensions in West Papua. Wenda believes that Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, will continue in the same pattern as previous governments, occupying the resource-rich region and repressing the people for financial purposes.

"What kind of president allows the murder of five children by his military and does not even make a single statement until there is a lot of international pressure for him to do so?" Wenda questioned. "I don't believe that Jokowi will be of any benefit to West Papuan's human rights or for our self-determination."

Prospects of improvements were further quashed when in late October the newly-appointed Indonesian minister of villages and transmigration, Marwan Jafar, announced that he would be continuing the government's transmigration program into West Papua.

Wenda said that the program is an attempt to marginalise the West Papuan people by moving large amounts of Indonesian migrants into the region. He's heard reports that a ship carrying migrants is on its way to West Papua at the moment.

"In 1971, we West Papuans made up 96 percent of the population. But now they make up only 49 percent due to Indonesia's systematic mass transmigration. We're forcibly evicted out of our villages and our forests are cut down to make way for transmigration camps," he said. "The government began to send masses of transmigrants just after 1969."

1969 was the year that the Act of Free Choice was carried out. In 1962 the New York Agreement resulted in Indonesian rule of West Papua, after the Netherlands, the former coloniser, left. Following widespread resistance to this rule, the UN brokered Act of Free Choice referendum was undertaken. It was supposed to give the West Papuan population a choice between remaining part of Indonesia or becoming an independent nation. But only 1062 West Papuan representatives were allowed to vote and under threat of death, all of them voted to stay with Indonesia.

The human rights organisation Australian West Papua Association Sydney recently released its West Papua 2014 Year in Review report. And AWPA Secretary Joe Collins said the report shows that the situation is not getting any better.

"From January till the end of December there have been shootings. Every time there is a shooting, the military will respond and all they're doing is traumatising the people," he said.

The report also outlines the increased intimidation of journalists. Two French journalists Valentine Bourrat and Thomas Dandois were arrested in August and initially faced up to five years in jail for reporting on the West Papuan separatist movement. They were eventually given a shorter sentence and released at the end of October. Collins sees this as a change in tack for Indonesian authorities.

"Normally when overseas journalists are arrested they are just deported and that's it. The fact that they were kept for two and half months and could have faced a lot longer sentence is almost like the Indonesians are upping the ante and trying to send a message to international journalists," he said.

A Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Wenda now lives in Oxford after being granted political asylum by the British government in 2003. He fled West Papua after being imprisoned by Indonesian troops on charges he that his statments were politically motivated because of his involvement in the independence movement.

"The only way forward for West Papua is the fulfilment of our self- determination and independence. We're campaigning every day to bring international pressure to the United Nations so that a free and fair referendum on independence will be held for all West Papuans," Wenda said.

Although the Indonesia government split West Papua into two provinces in 2002, this article refers to the whole region as West Papua, as the indigenous people of West Papua do.

Source: http://www.vice.com/en_au/read/there-are-continued-calls-for-freedom-as-villages-burn-in-west-papua

Police grill armed-group, members in Papua

Jakarta Post - January 27, 2015

Jakarta – The Papua Police intensively interrogated on Saturday two members of the Puron Wenda-led armed group arrested in Wamena, Papua.

Papua Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Patrige said in Jayapura on Tuesday that the two, identified as Wayunga and Nesmi Wenda, had been arrested near the Sinakma market in Wamena.

"The pair were arrested accompanied by a third man, but because of a lack of evidence, this latter was released," he said as quoted by Antara news agency.

Patrige said the two had been arrested on suspicion of involvement in a number of shootings in Lanny Jaya regency that targeted security apparatus.

Wayunga and Wenda were allegedly involved in the shooting of a police patrol in Lanny Jaya on July 18, 2014, killing two police officers and leaving two others wounded.

The two are also accused of attacking several soldiers of Battalion 756 in the regency on Aug. 1, 2014, as well as a Police Mobile Brigade group in Wuringgambut on Aug. 4. (rms)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/27/police-grill-armed-group-members-papua.html

Papuans to ask for MSG membership

Radio New Zealand International - January 27, 2015

The West Papua National Liberation Front will submit its application for West Papua to become a full member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group by the end of the next week.

Spokesman Benny Wenda says all the members of the Front representing different political groupings are currently in the Vanuatu capital, Port Vila.

Mr Wenda says they will submit their application on February the 5th. He says it will be an historic moment.

"This is the first time back in our history because our elders also signed an agreement, few times, many times, but failed because of enemy trying to divide that but now this new generation come in and okay this is now we are one voice to form this group to liberate our people."

Mr Wenda says he is confident the group will get full membership sometime this year.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/264590/papuans-to-ask-for-msg-membership

Little progress in Papua shooting probe, says Amnesty

Radio New Zealand International - January 26, 2015

The Indonesia researcher for Amnesty International says there is little sign of progress being made in the investigation into five students who were killed by the military in West Papua.

In December, security forces opened fire on about 800 protesters gathered outside a police station in the town. Five people were killed, and at least 17 others – including children – were injured.

Josef Benedict says three investigations were launched and the President, Joko Widodo, condemned the shootings. However, he says little progress has been made since then.

"We know that there have been investigations initiated by the authorities, but again we are concerned that those investigations will again be swept under the carpet like many other investigations, leaving the victims without any access to reparations or justice."

Josef Benedict says international pressure needs to be put on Jakarta, and a more independent investigation is needed into the shooting, as currently the military and police are investigating the military and police.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/264553/little-progress-in-papua-shooting-probe,-says-amnesty

Aceh

Aceh student expelled from school over marriage

Jakarta Post - January 23, 2015

Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – A senior high school in Sabang, Aceh, expelled an 11th grade student last month after she got married, saying it did not permit married students to study at the school.

The official expulsion letter acknowledged there was no written law barring married students from going to school. The parents and parents-in-law of the student, Syarifah, protested the school's decision, insisting that marriage should not limit a student's access to education.

"I want my daughter-in-law to continue going to school, despite her marriage, because there is no law banning students from getting married," Syarifah's father-in-law, Sayed Jamaluddin, said.

Syarifah, 16, was initially a student of state-run SMAN Krueng Barona Jaya in Aceh Besar. She was transferred to SMAN 1 Sabang in early August in order to marry Sayed Shah, 36. They got married on Aug. 11, 2014. In December, the school returned Syarifah to her parents and she has not attended school since.

"We broke no law. They got married legally because according to Islamic teachings a grown-up woman is allowed to get married," Sayed Jamaluddin said.

"Initially the marriage was not a problem," he said. "My daughter-in-law went to school as usual. Her husband took her to school. Indeed, as a polite wife she kissed her husband's hand when entering the school. But that is a usual practice." Sayed added that his family had reported the case to the heads of both the Sabang and Aceh education agencies, as well as to the Sabang Legislative Council. The Aceh Education Agency said that the right to expel Syarifah fell within the schools "autonomous rights".

Separately, Aceh Legal Aid Institute's program manager, Rudy Bastian, said there was no rule banning a married student from going to school and continuing her education through senior high school.

"This is a form of discrimination against a child's rights and access to education," Rudy Bastian said, pointing to Law No. 23/2002 on child protection.

Law No. 1/1974 on marriage, he added, also stipulated that it was legal for a 16-year-old girl to marry. "The school, therefore, has no right to expel the student," he said.

Meanwhile, administrators from the SMAN 1 Sabang school denied the accusation of having violated rights. The school's principal, Nur Cahaya, said that students who got married while in school could negatively influence their fellow students.

"Children of that age are not yet permitted to know about sexual relationships between a husband and a wife. We worry about a married student sharing stories about her relationship with fellow students in her class," Nur Cahaya said.

Another factor behind the expulsion, Nur said, was the local custom whereby parents took their children out of school if they married at an early age.

School administrators said they would not allow students to marry while still studying and recommended that Syarifah's parents transfer her to a different school willing to admit her.

"For sure in Sabang, there is no precedent [for such a case]. We will help with the transfer process if that is what they decide," Nur Cahaya said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/23/aceh-student-expelled-school-over-marriage.html

Human rights & justice

Human Rights Watch to Jokowi amid execution revival: Make rights matter

Jakarta Globe - January 31, 2015

Jakarta – Human Rights Watch has lamented President Joko Widodo's insistence on reviving executions of condemned inmates, calling it a "cruel" position to take with no proven deterrent effect.

"HRW is seriously disappointed with the executions carried out by Joko's government," HRW Asia director Phelim Kine said in Jakarta on Friday. "It is cruel, it is irreversible," he added.

Kine was speaking at the local launch of the organization's "World Report 2015," which highlighted the promise of greater respect for human rights that was part of Joko's campaign platform in his election win in 2014. It did not, however, address the execution in the early hours of Jan. 18 of five foreigners and one Indonesian convicted of drug trafficking.

Kine said Indonesia should follow the example set by other countries that had abolished the death penalty, and questioned the government's argument that executing traffickers would serve as a "deterrent" to other would-be traffickers.

The group asked Joko, who has vowed not to grant clemency to drug offenders on death row, to reconsider his stance.

The Attorney General's Office said earlier this week that seven more foreigners and four Indonesians, most of them on death row for drug offenses, would face the firing squad soon.

HRW Indonesia researcher Andreas Harsono said several local and international rights groups had spoken with Justice and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly, urging him to abolish the death penalty.

Harsono said the groups presented numerous studies that capital punishment was both wrong and ineffective in deterring crimes. "Joko is somebody who works based on facts and evidence. By doing this, we believe that the government can ensure a moratorium on death penalty," Kine said.

The group urged Joko to start making the protection of human rights a priority, saying that the challenges inherited from his predecessor, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, were immense.

HRW said sectarian attacks and impunity by the security forces had worsened over the years.

Last year, Joko explicitly promised to investigate past instances of gross human rights violations, including the disappearance of pro-democracy activists in 1998 and the 1965-66 anti-communist purge.

Joko also indicated in July that he would seek to end the government stranglehold on foreign media access to Papua. He had not done any of this so far.

HRW said Joko should also address the impunity enjoyed by hard-line groups, which have launched attacks against religious minority groups, tolerance and LGBT rights activists and advocates, freely and without fear of prosecution.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/human-rights-watch-jokowi-amid-execution-revival-make-rights-matter/

Jokowi told to bring focus back on human rights

Jakarta Post - January 31, 2015

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo not to lose focus on human rights issues now that his government is focusing more on reviving the country's economy.

In its 656-page world report, where the organization reviews human rights conditions in more than 90 countries, the organization's executive director, Kenneth Roth, warned human rights violation could spark or aggravate serious security challenges.

"The short-term gains of undermining core values of freedom and non- discrimination are rarely worth the long-term price," he said in a press statement made available to The Jakarta Post on Friday.

The report said that while Jokowi had made commitments on some pressing human rights issues he had inherited, those commitments were vague and had yet to be backed by specific directives or policy measures.

Some of Jokowi's pledges were to investigate the disappearance of 13 pro- democracy activists in 1998 in the dying days of the Suharto dictatorship and lifting restrictions on foreign journalists traveling to and reporting from Papua and West Papua provinces.

"Although Jokowi indicated in July 2014 that he would seek to end the government stranglehold on foreign media access to Papua, he had not done so by year's end," the report said.

Jokowi's decision to execute death-row drug convicts also cast doubt on his commitment to human rights protection.

"Indonesia is on the wrong side of history. It really should join the global [movement on abolishing the death penalty]," HRW deputy Asia director Phelim Kine said during a press conference in Central Jakarta on Friday.

Kine said the organization was "extremely disappointed" by the government's decision to reintroduce executions. "The death penalty is something that is inherently cruel, barbaric [and] unacceptable. It's irreversible," Kine said.

"We feel that the government of Indonesia has made a serious mistake by informing the public that executing drug traffickers is a deterrent to crime because all studies indicate that the death penalty is not a deterrent," Kine said.

Kine urged the government to immediately suspend executions – "something it can do tomorrow" – and analyze the data to find out whether or not the death penalty had a deterrent effect.

In the report, HRW also said Jokowi needed to focus on religious intolerance and women's rights.

In May 2014, seven people were left injured after Islamist militants attacked the home of book publisher Julius Felicianus in Yogyakarta while his family conducted an evening Christian prayer meeting.

Police arrested the alleged leader of the attack but later released him after local authorities pressured Felicianus to drop the charges to maintain religious harmony.

"The government should move quickly to defend religious minorities from harassment, intimidation and violence by militant groups," the report said.

Religious intolerance fueled by discriminatory local regulations remained a serious problem in the country.

In September, Aceh passed two Islamic bylaws that imposed Islamic law on non-Muslims, criminalizing alcohol drinking, consensual same-sex relations and all sexual relations outside marriage. The bylaws permit punishment of up to 100 lashes and up to 100 months in prison.

In terms of women's rights, discriminatory regulations continued to proliferate, with 23 new discriminatory regulations passed by central and local governments in 2014.

In total, the country has 279 discriminatory local regulations targeting women, with 90 of those requiring girls and women, mostly students and civil servants, to wear the hijab.

[Josh Dye contributed to this report from Jakarta.]

Read report here: http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2015/country- chapters/indonesia

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/31/jokowi-told-bring-focus-back-human-rights.html

Government may avoid trials for past human rights abuses

Jakarta Post - January 23, 2015

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Contrary to a previous commitment to set up an ad hoc human rights court to hear cases of past human rights violations, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's officials have signaled the government may instead create a non-judicial mechanism to settle the outstanding matters, dashing years of hope held by many of finally seeing justice done.

In a seminar discussing challenges to law enforcement in Indonesia held at the House of Representatives on Thursday, Attorney General HM Prasetyo suggested that the government might rule out using a judicial process in its attempt to resolve past abuses, explaining that "reconciliation is the best option".

Addressing an audience that consisted of lawmakers and law enforcers, Prasetyo, a former NasDem politician, cited the often prolonged length of time that had passed since the occurrences as the most challenging factor in any attempt to reopen investigations.

"Reconciliation is the best solution to settle [cases of rights violations that occurred in the past]," Prasetyo said, without elaborating. He was reluctant to further discuss the matter and avoided more queries from the press regarding the issue.

Prasetyo made his remarks on the same day that human rights abuse victims and their relatives, as well as rights activists, entered the eighth year of the weekly Kamisan (Thursday) rally across from the Presidential Palace.

His statement during the discussion at the House backed up Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H. Laoly, who on the previous day had said that the government would focus on a bill to set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (KKR), since attempts to establish a rights tribunal had faced political stumbling blocks.

"The problems include whether [the investigations] will encompass cases that took place since the Dutch colonial period, or since the 1965 communist purge," Yasonna said on the sidelines of a meeting with lawmakers from the House's Commission III overseeing legal affairs, human rights and security on Wednesday.

"Focusing on this KKR bill is the best option," he said, adding that his ministry had already prepared a draft.

The National Commission on Human Rights has cited seven cases of past rights violations that it declared "gross violations" after conducting years of investigations.

The unresolved cases consist of the 1989 Talangsari massacre, the forced disappearance of anti-Soeharto activists in 1997 and 1998, the Trisakti University shootings, the Semanggi I and Semanggi II student shootings in 1998 and 1999, the mysterious killing of alleged criminals in the 1980s, the anti-communist massacres of 1965 and various abuses that took place in Wasior and Wamena in Papua in 2001 and 2003 respectively.

Komnas HAM has submitted the results of its investigations to the Attorney General's Office for further investigation, but to no avail until today since both institutions have been bogged down in years of back-and-forth debate over technicalities.

Despite his recent statement, Yasonna announced in December last year, in the midst of criticisms concerning the paroling of Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, the convicted murderer of prominent human rights defender Munir Said Thalib, that the Jokowi administration was determined to establish an ad hoc human rights tribunal.

The government's latest proposal for a non-judicial mechanism to solve the cases has raised doubts among human rights campaigners.

Haris Azhar from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) said that "reconciliation is a situation, not a mechanism [to solve the problem]".

"Reconciliation can only be achieved if the government has fulfilled the principles of truth, justice and recovery of the rights of the victims. And the [rights] tribunal is the most fruitful way to do so," Haris said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/23/government-may-avoid-trials-past-human-rights-abuses.html

Labour & migrant workers

Adidas clothing factory workers stage rally

Jakarta Post - January 27, 2015

Batam, Riau Islands – Workers of PT Yee Woo, a garment company producing Adidas brand clothing operating in the Tunas Industrial Zone, Batam, Riau Islands, converged on the City Council on Monday to demand protection of their rights after the firm's management ceased operations and fled the city. The company management abruptly shut down operations and abandoned 305 of its employees on Jan. 12.

The workers demanded attention and protection from Commission IV members of the City Council, who had already paid a visit to the factory.

"During a surprise visit a few days ago, Commission IV members promised to monitor the issue, but they have not done anything. We have sent a letter to ask for an update, but we haven't received a reply," said Fendri.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/27/adidas-clothing-factory-workers-stage-rally.html

Political parties & elections

Checkmate: Jokowi gets the go-ahead from opposition

Jakarta Globe - January 30, 2015

Ezra Sihite, Kennial Caroline Laia & Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Jakarta – President Joko Widodo on Thursday met with his former rival and opposition leader Prabowo Subianto, which analysts say could signal that Joko will not bow down to pressure inside his own party for him to inaugurate a graft suspect as the next National Police chief.

Despite calling the meeting a mere courtesy visit, Prabowo admitted that the candidacy of Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan was among the topics discussed.

"We briefly spoke about [Joko's] commitment to strengthen and preserve all state institutions," he said at the Bogor Palace, south of Jakarta, shortly after meeting the president

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) declared Budi a graft suspect just days after Joko nominated the police general as his sole candidate for National Police chief, following an investigation into suspiciously large transactions made through his bank accounts.

Despite the move, the House of Representatives endorsed Budi's nomination, leaving Joko with tough choices: inaugurate a graft suspect as police chief and lose public support, or face a political backlash for disrespecting the parliamentary endorsement process.

The strongest call for Joko to go ahead with the inauguration came from his Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). Budi was the security aide of party chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri during her time as president in 2001-2004. She is also Joko's chief patron.

Prabowo on Thursday aired his support for whatever Joko's decision may be. "An inauguration is in the hands of the executive. I told him that we will respect whatever decision the president makes as bearer of the people's mandate," he said. "I reminded him to put the people's interest above all else and choose what is best for the country."

The president on Thursday also met with former President B.J. Habibie, a senior politician from Golkar, another opposition party. Habibie said Joko, as the second Indonesian president to be directly elected by voters, answers to no one but the country's people.

"Today there is not a single party in Indonesia that received more than 20 percent of people's votes. Not a single one. But a president should be elected by no less than 51 percent [of the vote]," he said stressing the fact that Joko has more public support than his own party.

Political analyst Arya Fernandez of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, saw Joko's move in meeting the two political figures, particularly Prabowo who lost to Joko in last year's election, as a possible warning to Megawati and the PDI-P.

"It is a way for Jokowi to show [...] some political elites inside the PDI-P that he is not afraid to leave them if the PDI-P keeps interfering with the government's performance," he said, referring to the president by his popular nickname. "This is a strong gesture because Prabowo and Jokowi fought fiercely in the presidential election."

The meeting came after a call by PDI-P lawmaker Effendi Simbolon for Joko's impeachment. The politician criticized a range of Joko's policies, particularly his decision to delay Budi's inauguration. Effendi added that many in the PDI-P were unhappy with the president, and believe he had strayed far from their vision.

Several PDI-P politicians have retaliated against the KPK for its dogged pursuit of charges against Budi. The KPK has arrested dozens of PDI-P politicians in recent years for their alleged involvement in a range of graft cases.

PDI-P deputy secretary general Hasto Kristianto has accused KPK chairman Abraham Samad of pursuing a vendetta against Budi, whom he says sabotaged Abraham's ambition to become Joko's running mate. Abraham has denied seeking – or even entertaining overtures – to become Joko's running mate in the presidential election.

Fellow PDI-P politician Sugianto Sabran has similarly filed a police complaint against KPK deputy Bambang Widjojanto for allegedly suborning perjury from a client he represented as an attorney in an election case that the Constitutional Court tried five years ago.

Bambang was subsequently charged by the National Police's Criminal Investigation Division, a unit led by Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso, whose son is reportedly engaged to Budi Gunawan's daughter.

Observers have noted that the PDI-P politicians' retaliation against the KPK and Joko could not have been done without the knowledge and consent of Megawati, whose power has gone virtually unchallenged since she founded the party in 1999.

Joko this week formed an independent team tasked with reviewing the legal processes within the nation's two top law enforcement agencies, particularly steps that led each to pursue criminal charges against the others' leadership.

Political analyst Cecep Hidayat of the University of Indonesia said the president could use the team, which has recommended that Budi be suspended and not installed as police chief, to defy his party's elites.

"With many political pressure from his coalition, there's an option for Joko to leave the KIH," Cecep said, referring to Joko's six-party Awesome Indonesia Coalition. "However, it is hard for Joko to be entirely independent from political parties. That's the reality."

Another University of Indonesia analyst, Arbi Sanit, said instead of seeking political support, Joko could also forge stronger ties with the Indonesia Military (TNI).

"Joko needs a new power to back him up in running his administration, including in Budi's case," Arbi said. "And the only exit for Joko now is the military, which could rival the power of the police."

Tempo.co news portal reported that Prabowo summoned all opposition leaders on Thursday night, just hours after meeting the president. Fadli Zon, deputy chairman of Prabowo's Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) emerged from the meeting saying the "opposition parties are ready to support the president."

Fadli said Joko's first 100 days in office had been ineffective because of "intervention from parties supporting him" and pledge the opposition's support "as long as it is for the good of the people."

Also present at the meeting were Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) chairman Anis Matta, National Mandate Party (PAN) chairman Hatta Rajasa and Golkar chairman Aburizal Bakrie.

House leaders, who once threatened to launch an inquiry against Joko's decision to delay Budi's inauguration, also seemed to soften after the meeting.

"The House can only approve or disapprove of the candidate [provided by the president]. It is up to Joko whether or not he will proceed installing [Budi] as National Police chief," said House Deputy Speaker Fahri Hamzah, of the PKS.

Senior PDI-P politician Trimedya Panjaitan also maintained that the president would not be breaking the law if he doesn't proceed with Budi's inauguration.

The Law on the National Police stipulates that the president must first seek parliamentary approval before installing a new police chief, but it does not say it is illegal if the president refuses to proceed despite securing approval from the House.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/checkmate-jokowi-gets-go-ahead-opposition/

Ruling alliance in chaos

Jakarta Post - January 30, 2015

Ina Parlina and Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Political elites in the ruling coalition have launched a salvo of warnings against each other in an apparent ploy to reshape the political landscape in the next few months.

As the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has stepped up its pressure against President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, the former Jakarta governor met on Thursday with his rival from last year's presidential election campaign, Prabowo Subianto – the Gerindra Party patron and a key figure in the opposition camp.

The meeting at the Bogor Palace in West Java coincidentally took place amid reports suggesting the PDI-P was threatening to withdraw its support from Jokowi's presidency, following his decision to postpone the inauguration of Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan, a former aide of PDI-P chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri, as the National Police chief.

Some PDI-P politicians had earlier criticized the President's performance in his first 100 days and threatened to start impeachment proceedings.

The meeting took place upon Prabowo's request to pay the President back for what he called a gesture of goodwill and hospitality: the visit Jokowi paid him days before the President's inauguration in October last year.

Speaking after the hour-long meeting, Prabowo reiterated his "commitment to support our [his and Jokowi's] collective efforts", in moving the country forward.

"He is the leader of the executive [branch], while we are outside the executive, but together [we both] want to build the nation. [We] both want to maintain the nation's unity, commit to reducing poverty and maintaining the nation's wealth," said Prabowo.

Prabowo also said the meeting only briefly touched on current affairs, including the standoff between the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the National Police.

"His commitment, which I also support, is that both the police and the KPK are equally important and we must maintain them both," he said.

Jokowi has been the target of criticism for his apparent indecisiveness regarding Budi's fate, which many saw as encouraging the standoff between the KPK and the police. Last week, Jokowi set up an independent team to help him make a decision regarding the fate of Budi. The team wanted Jokowi to drop Budi's nomination.

Prabowo said he would support any decision made by Jokowi regarding Budi's fate. "I'm sure he put the interests of the people above all other interests and he will choose the best for the nation."

When asked if he had struck a deal with Prabowo, Jokowi said: "It was already addressed by Pak Prabowo that he fully supports the current government, the Jokowi-JK [Vice President Jusuf Kalla] administration."

Prabowo met Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie and other key leaders of the opposition camp later in the evening to discuss the outcome of his meeting with Jokowi.

The Bogor meeting took place a day after Megawati gathered all of her inner circle at her official residence on Jl. Teuku Umar in Central Jakarta for several rounds of talks.

Megawati, who has sour relation with Prabowo, was said to have briefed members of her inner circle to fight for Budi's inauguration and warned that PDI-P lawmakers at the House could withdraw their support for Jokowi's current and future policies.

Publicly, PDI-P's lawmakers declined to comment on the standoff and reiterated that "as a party that nominated Jokowi, PDI-P will always support the President and all of his policies as long as they don't violate the Constitution".

Some PDI-P politicians, however, have called on Jokowi to uphold the Constitution by proceeding with the inauguration of Budi, a move that many see as a threat against Jokowi.

PDI-P lawmaker Effendi Simbolon, who was recently in the spotlight for his harsh remarks criticizing Jokowi's mediocre leadership qualities, repeatedly made statements demanding that "Budi be inaugurated".

The party's senior politician, Pramono Anung Wibowo, meanwhile, blamed the current standoff between the KPK and the police on the President's indecisiveness.

"Our political situation has become too complicated so that we can't fully work on solving problems, which the public has been waiting to see," Pramono said.

Pramono later slammed Jokowi's decision to consult the nine-member independent team instead of established state institutions, such as the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court or the Judicial Commission, in deciding the fate of Budi.

"I do respect the individuals in the team, but Pak Jokowi should have consulted the state institutions," Pramono said.

Later on Thursday, Jokowi summoned members of the National Police Commission (Kompolnas), which is mandated by law to provide the President with its considerations regarding the appointments of police chiefs.

He also held another meeting with deputy police chief Comr. Gen. Badrodin Haiti and the police's detective division chief, Insp. Gen. Budi Waseso.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/30/ruling-alliance-chaos.html

First 100 days as much a referendum on Jokowi as on Megawati

Jakarta Globe - January 28, 2015

Jakarta – Analysts and politicians have called for President Joko Widodo to break away from his political patron, Megawati Soekarnoputri, after a politician in the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle that she chairs called for Joko's impeachment.

"This is the right time to impeach Jokowi," PDI-P legislator Effendi Simbolon said on Monday, referring to the president by his nickname.

Effendi criticized a range of Joko's policies, including his decision to eliminate the fuel subsidy scheme and vow to tightly monitor public officials' performance.

"I think [Joko] won't last two years; at the earliest, in a matter of months, he will resign," Effendi told a press conference. Effendi added that many in the PDI-P are unhappy with Joko, who believe the president has strayed far from their vision.

The party's biggest disappointment, Effendi said, stems form Joko's decision to delay the inauguration of Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan, the president's sole nominee for the job of National Police chief, days after Budi was named a graft suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Effendi said PDI-P supports Budi for the job, in large part due to the three-star graft suspect's prior work as a top security advisor in Megawati's presidency.

Effendi also said Jokowi has put too much trust on Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto, whom he called a traitor. "Andi is a traitor," he said. "A new kid who is trying to run this country."

A source inside the PDI-P who requested anonymity for this story confirmed that Andi has been shielding Joko from senior PDI-P members' lobbying efforts on behalf of Budi.

Counter attacks

Several PDI-P politicians have retaliated against the KPK for its pursuit of charges against Budi. The KPK has arrested dozens of PDI-P politicians in recent years for their alleged involvement in range of graft cases.

PDI-P deputy secretary general Hasto Kristianto has accused KPK chairman Abraham Samad of pursuing a vendetta against Budi, whom he says sabotaged Abraham's ambition to become Joko's running mate.

Abraham has denied seeking – or even entertaining overtures – to become Joko's running mate in the presidential election. Hasto also called on the KPK to form an ethics tribunal to dismiss Abraham.

Bambang was subsequently charged by the National Police's Criminal Investigation Division, a unit led by Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso, whose son is reportedly engaged to Budi Gunawan's daughter.

The investigation against Bambang is led by Brig. Gen. Herry Prastowo, the head of the police's general crimes directorate, who has been summoned to testify against Budi Gunawan by the KPK.

Herry reportedly transferred up to Rp 300 million ($23,950) into Budi's bank account between January and May 2006 – a fraction of the Rp 54 billion that the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center, or PPATK, the government's anti-money-laundering watchdog, traced through Budi's accounts from 2005 to 2006.

Senior PDI-P politician T.B. Hasanuddin called on colleagues in the party not exacerbate their conflict with the KPK. "With all do respect, I urge them to restrain themselves from making comments that are inappropriate," he said.

Hasanuddin also lamented Effendi's impeachment call, saying that during a party meeting this month, chairwoman Megawati "firmly stated that the PDI-P must fully support the president the PDI-P backs, which is President Jokowi." "So there is no other option. Whatever President Joko decides must be fully supported by PDI-P members."

Agus Sudibyo, executive director of think tank Matriks Indonesia said the president must demonstrate that he is able to step out of the PDI-P's shadow.

"Jokowi must prove his quality as a leader and act wisely and independently despite huge pressure [from the PDI-P]," he said. "This is the time for Jokowi to slowly let himself step out of the PDI-P's influence, Megawati's and others.'"

Andar Nubowo of think tank IndoStrategi echoed the sentiment, saying that the president must put the people ahead of political elites' demands.

"If he chooses the people, then 240 million Indonesians will be on his side," Andar said. He added that Joko needs to take firmer action by recalling Budi Gunawan's nomination and replacing "cabinet members who contribute to diminishing public support for the government by showing no support toward the fight against corruption in Indonesia."

Andar was referring to Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Tedjo Edhy Purdijanto, who last week called demonstrators rallying in support of the KPK "unimportant people."

Vice President Jusuf Kalla said on Tuesday both he and the president warned Tedjo against using such controversial term. "I have presented my views to Tedjo to use more appropriate terms," Kalla said.

Waning popularity

The president's popularity plunged sharply on the eve of his 100th day in office, which was Tuesday.

Pollster Puspol Indonesia said in a press conference last week that 74.6 percent of respondents were dissatisfied with Joko's job performance in the first three months of his term in office. "Only 25.4 percent indicated that they were satisfied," Puspol Indonesia executive director Ubedilah Badrun said.

A total of 756 respondents from Jakarta, West Java and Banten were surveyed from Jan. 6-16. The polling period ended three days after the KPK revealed the president's sole pick for top cop was a graft suspect, suggesting broader dissatisfaction with the president's leadership than the instant scandal.

Joko has drawn public censure for his failure to support the KPK, whose four senior leaders now face criminal charges that critics say amount to a systematic scheme to "criminalize and incapacitate" the antigraft body.

A poll on the president's first 100 days in office at the Jakarta Globe's website as of Monday night indicated more than half of 1,181 respondents were dissatisfied with Joko's job performance. Almost 39 percent considered the president's leadership "very poor," 12 percent deemed it "poor," 19.3 percent called his performance "fair," 11.5 percent said it has been "good," 11.25 percent believed it was "very good," while 7 percent called it "excellent."

'Not that simple'

Supporters first grew critical of the president's decisions late last October, when Joko announced a cabinet lineup studded with political appointees.

Joko's performance as Jakarta governor departed from that of most politicians in Indonesia, in that he attained a reputation in his short tenure here for focusing on service delivery and accountability for the city's civil servants.

Supporters invested heavily in what they believed was Joko's promise of a competence-based technocracy; it soon became apparent this promise was largely based in supporters' projections.

Many had apparently expected Joko to appoint non-partisan technocrats to take key positions in his administration. These hopes were dashed by political realities when Joko instead tapped members of political parties that supported his administration's Awesome Indonesia Coalition (KIH), as well as close associates of Megawati.

Personnel picks that raised eyebrows included that of former National Democratic Party (Nasdem) politician H.M. Prasetyo as attorney general and, more recently, nine members of the Presidential Advisory Board (Wantimpres), nearly all of who are senior politicians with Awesome Indonesia Coalition-affiliated parties.

Members of disenfranchised political parties quickly capitalized on the opportunity to leverage Joko supporters' disappointment in the president's failure to realize their dreams of a patronage-free Indonesian technocracy by complaining that the administration was excluding members of the Red and White Coalition – which supported losing presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto in the election – from leadership posts that they saw themselves as nonetheless entitled to enjoying.

Lawyer Petrus Selestinus said PDI-P is trying to control all important public posts, including that of the National Police chief, and could soon move to take over the KPK. "The PDI-P has shamelessly and repeatedly said that they have been absent from power for 10 years," Petrus said.

The lawyer noted that Joko has yet to suspend Budi Gunawan from active duty on the police force, as had been the case with past top officials named as suspects in criminal investigations. The PDI-P's long absence from power, Petrus said, "has prompted attempts to seize absolute control of the government, if need be by force."

Political observer Idil Akbar of West Java's Padjajaran University said PDI-P politicians' retaliation against the KPK and Joko could not have been done without the knowledge and consent of Megawati.

"Megawati is greatly feared, and no PDI-P politician is brave enough to challenge her authority," Idil said. "Jokowi may be president, and he may be backed by the PDI-P, but disobeying Megawati is not that simple."

Independent team

Joko summoned several prominent political figures to the State Palace in Central Jakarta on Sunday to form an independent team tasked with reviewing the legal processes inside the nation's two top law enforcement agencies that led each to pursue criminal charges against the others' leadership.

After the meeting, members of the ad hoc team said they understood it as their mission to quell tensions between the KPK and the National Police.

The group "will try to support, improve and ensure that the police and KPK remain strong and committed to enforcing justice," said Jimly Asshiddiqie, a former chief justice of the Constitutional Court.

Joko also tapped Bambang Widodo Umar, a member of the National Police's oversight commission; Comr. Gen. (ret.) Oegroseno, a former National Police deputy chief; Tumpak Hatorangan Panggabean, former KPK chief; Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas, a former KPK deputy; Muslim scholar Ahmad Syafi'i Maarif; and law professor Hikmahanto Juwana.

Hikmahanto said the team met on Tuesday to gather as many facts as they can about the investigations inside both the KPK and the National Police. "The facts that have been made public may be just part of the whole story," he said.

On Tuesday, team invited University of Indonesia sociologist Imam Prasodjo and former intelligence and police chief Sutanto to join the panel. "We decided [Syafii] will lead the team," Jimly said, adding that the team's secretary will be Hikmahanto.

Jimly said the team has just 30 days to conclude their findings. The team can extend their fact-finding mission for a further 30 days, but only once. "We hope that we will be done in the first 30 days," he said.

Antigraft activists are split on whether the president can earn back the public's trust by acting on the advice of such an independent team, or whether irreparable harm to the public's trust has already been done by Joko's failure to show early, decisive and independent leadership.

Former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono formed a similar team in 2009 after police arrested and charged KPK deputies Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra Hamzah with accepting bribes. That independent panel found numerous irregularities in the allegations and recommended the police put a stop to all investigations against the KPK deputies.

The charges were eventually dropped, no thanks to Yudhoyono, who did not act on the team's suggestions.

Syarifuddin Sudding, of the People's Conscience Party (Hanura) said Joko may be using the team to give political cover for a later decision to recall Budi's nomination. "Joko will use the panel as an excuse to defy the demands of his party, which is so eager to appoint [Budi Gunawan]," Syarifuddin said.

Democratic Party politician Ruhut Sitompul shares Syarifuddin's expectations for the panel, which he said is stacked with known KPK supporters.

Panelist Syafii denied partiality: "What we want is to save both the KPK and the National Police. Don't let this country be ruined by a number of corrupt officials. We can't allow this," he said.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/first-100-days-much-referendum-jokowi-megawati/

Police vs KPK

Budi Gunawan lawyer boasts of evidence of KPK technical violations

Jakarta Globe - January 31, 2015

Jakarta – The lawyer for police chief candidate Budi Gunawan said on Saturday his client had strong evidence of procedural impropriety against the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK.

Fredrich Yunadi, the lawyer of Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan, said he would present a former KPK investigator to testify during the hearing of a pre- trial motion brought by Budi against the KPK in a South Jakarta district court next week.

"Just wait for showtime, there will be a big surprise," Fredrich said on Saturday. Fredrich claimed his witness would detail several technical violations.

"[The witness] was once ordered by a commissioner to write a legal document declaring someone a suspect," Fredrich told Indonesian new portal Tempo.co on Saturday.

Fredrich said KPK commissioners frequently ignored the proper procedures needed to name someone a suspect. The KPK has repeatedly denied this allegation, saying it has followed the law to the letter.

Budi filed a pretrial motion against the KPK one week after he was named a suspect on Jan. 13. But he withdrew his application one day prior to the controversial arrest of KPK deputy chief Bambang Widjojanto, only to re- file the motion several days later.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/budi-gunawan-lawyer-boasts-evidence-KPK-technical-violations/

Police quiz 'witness' who claims to have hosted KPK chief, PDI-P officials

Jakarta Globe - January 31, 2015

Yustinus Paat & Farouk Arnaz, Jakarta – The National Police on Friday began a criminal investigation into a second antigraft commissioner in what many see as a systematic attempt to weaken the much-feared anti-corruption body.

Police summoned their first witness for questioning against Abraham Samad, the chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK.

Abraham was reported by a previously unheard-of group calling itself KPK Watch Indonesia, which accuses him of trying the vice presidential slot on Joko Widodo's ticket from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDI-P, last year.

The group said the move violated the 2002 KPK Law, which bars serving KPK commissioners from meetings that could cause conflicts of interests. The law, however, also states that the task of investigating such a violation rests in the hands of an ad hoc ethics committee, and not the police.

The witness, Supriansyah – who claimed to be an activist from Makassar, South Sulawesi, from where Abraham also hails – said Abraham came to his home in Jakarta twice between March and April last year.

The venue was chosen so he could meet the PDI-P's then-secretary general Tjahjo Kumolo and his deputy, Hasto Kristiyanto, in secret to discuss his bid, it was alleged. "Abraham asked me if he could borrow my apartment to meet some friends. I told him, no problem," Supriansyah said.

He said Abraham showed up at the meetings wearing a surgical mask, which he suspected was a way to avoid detection from his KPK colleagues. "A few moments later Hasto came with a man whom I later discovered was Tjahjo Kumolo," Supriansyah said.

Hasto, who was previously part of Joko's campaign team, was the first to make the allegation against Abraham, just a few days after the KPK charged Joko's sole candidate for National Police chief, Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan, with bribery. Budi was the security aide to former president Megawati Soekarnoputri, the PDI-P chairwoman.

Abraham has dismissed the claims as lies, while Tjahjo, now the home affairs minister, has denied Hasto's story that the PDI-P planned or even considered putting Abraham on Joko's ticket.

The investigation into Abraham came after the police abruptly reopened a cold case against KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto, based on a report refiled recently by another PDI-P politician.

Allegations of attempts to criminalize the antigraft body grew louder last week as another KPK deputy, Adnan Pandu Praja, was also reported to police in an old case.

A third KPK deputy, Zulkarnain, also faces a criminal probe after PDI-P politician Zaenal Abidin accused the former prosecutor of taking a bribe in a 2008 case.

Police claim they are not retaliating against the KPK for naming Budi a suspect, saying they are only acting on complaints filed by members of the public. They have not said why they are reviving cases that are up to 10 years old, or moving with uncharacteristic swiftness to investigate them.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/police-quiz-witness-claims-hosted-KPK-chief-pdi-p-officials/

Police defend arrest of KPK commissioner

Jakarta Post - January 31, 2015

Fedina S. Sundaryani, Jakarta – National Police detective division chief Insp. Gen. Budi Waseso defended on Friday his decision to arrest Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto, saying that the move was backed by solid evidence and was not motivated by a personal vendetta.

Budi said that the arrest of Bambang had nothing to do with the anti graft body's decision to name his colleague Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan a suspect.

Budi made the statement after being questioned by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) for alleged human rights abuse in the arrest of Bambang late last week.

"There is no conflict between the KPK and the police force. After we received the report [on Bambang], we were able to gather enough evidence so that we could name him a suspect after only four days," he said.

Last week, the National Police's detective division named Bambang a suspect for allegedly ordering a witness to commit perjury at the Constitutional Court in 2010 in a case related to a regional election dispute in West Kotawaringin, Central Kalimantan.

Bambang claimed that he had been handcuffed and was not presented an arrest warrant.

Many have speculated that Bambang's arrest was in direct response to the KPK's decision to name Budi, the National Police chief nominee, a suspect in a graft case. Due to the KPK's move, Budi's inauguration has been postponed until the KPK's investigation is complete.

Budi said that he had submitted the arrest warrant and a video of the arrest to the Komnas HAM commissioners to review. "According to the law, the investigators have the right to arrest and handcuff a suspect if they deem it necessary," he said.

Budi also said the Criminal Law Procedures Code (KUHAP) gave the same treatment to all suspects during an arrest regardless of their position as government officials, which explained why National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Badrodin Haiti was briefed on the arrest of the KPK commissioners.

Komnas HAM questioned Budi in its probe to see if the police had abused their authority in Bambang's arrest. Komnas HAM commissioner Nur Kholis said that the commission would submit its report to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo next week.

Nur said a team in the commission would review the materials Budi had submitted and added that it might request further documents. Bambang is not the only KPK commissioner facing legal problems as the remaining three commissioners had police reports filed against them last week.

NGO KPK Watch Indonesia filed a report last Thursday against KPK chairman Abraham Samad after Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician deputy secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto accused Abraham of abusing his power in his bid to become vice president.

On Friday, the police questioned a man who identified himself as Supriansyah, who claimed to own the apartment in which Abraham allegedly met the PDI-P politicians.

"AS and I were old friends back in Makassar and he asked me if it was possible for him to meet some of his friends at my apartment," he said, referring to Abraham by his initials.

Supriansyah said that Abraham met with Hasto and Tjahjo Kumolo, who is currently Home Minister, twice at the apartment. "The meetings were in March or April [last year] and lasted only between 30 to 40 minutes," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/31/police-defend-arrest-KPK-commissioner.html

Budi Gunawan knocks back KPK summons

Jakarta Globe - January 31, 2015

Fana F.S. Putra, Farouk Arnaz & Ezra Sihite, Jakarta – National Police chief candidate and graft suspect Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan refused to attend questioning at the headquarters of the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK, on Friday morning, indicating what kind of law enforcer he would be had he been inaugurated.

Budi's lawyer, Razman Arif Nasution, said his client would not comply with the KPK's summons because of several discrepancies. Razman claimed the summons was undated and not properly signed.

"It is true that Budi Gunawan has been summoned based on the KPK's letter," Razman said on Friday at the National Police headquarters. "I have to tell you that the letter is not in accordance with the SOP [standard operating procedure].

"It's also unclear who received the letter. None of [Budi's] aides or staff received the letter. It was dropped off [at his house] just like that. [The courier] just came and went away. This is strange."

Razman also said Budi had not received a letter stating he was a suspect. He said both he and Budi first heard about it in the media. "Does it even have a legal standing? It's a violation of ethics," he said.

Razman added that Budi was waiting for a court to decide on a pretrial motion he had filed challenging the charges against him. "Let's just wait for the result," he said. "Our client will not come today."

KPK official Johan Budi said the KPK had not sent a letter after it named Budi Gunawan suspect. The summons Budi is disputing confirmed his status, however, as a suspect in a criminal investigation.

"The pretrial motion doesn't stop the investigation process," Johan said. "We can only stop the investigation if there's already a ruling from the court."

KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto, who was arrested and then released by the National Police last week in a move widely seen as a reprisal against Budi having been named a suspect, said he was confident Budi would cooperate with the KPK investigation.

"The KPK still believes that Budi Gunawan will come because it is his chance to explain his alibi by providing hard evidence. The questioning will be a time for him to deny the allegation," he said. "The dignity of a law enforcer lies in his will and competence to respect the law for the good of the people."

The State Palace also lamented Budi's decision not to cooperate with the KPK, Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto said, adding that as a law enforcer Budi "should respect the legal process against him." The palace, Andi said, also gave the same reminder to several police officers who have refused to testify against Budi.

Legal expert Gandjar Laksmana Bonaprapta from the University of Indonesia said Budi and the other officers could be charged with obstruction of justice. "[Budi] could face [additional] prison terms. This is a crime on its own," he said.

KPK spokesman Priharsa Nugraha said the KPK would summon Budi for a second time. "By law, if [Budi] doesn't come the second time then there is a chance [the KPK] will use force. That is up to the investigators," he said.

But Razman signaled that Budi would not adhere to any summons from the KPK until the South Jakarta District Court issues a ruling on his client's pretrial motion to drop the charges against him.

Court spokesman Made Sutrisna said the court was scheduled to begin hearing the motion on Monday.

The lone judge presiding the hearing is Sarpin Rizaldi. The announcement prompted several human rights and antigraft groups to request an audience with members of the Judicial Commission, or KY, the government's court watchdog.

"According to our record, Sarpin was once reported [...] to the KY on suspicion that he had taken bribes in the handling of a case in 2014 [...] during his time as a judge at the Medan District Court," said Baharin, a researcher from the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation.

Sarpin has also been investigated by the Jakarta High Court over several suspected ethical violations.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/budi-gunawan-knocks-back-KPK-summons/

KPK faces total paralysis

Jakarta Post - January 28, 2015

Haeril Halim and Ina Parlina, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) warned on Tuesday that the National Police's moves in handling criminal reports against its commissioners could cause a total paralysis of the antigraft body's leadership.

KPK prevention unit deputy Johan Budi said the total paralysis could take place if the National Police pressed ahead with processing the criminal reports filed against all KPK commissioners and named them as suspects, as it would automatically result in the suspension of KPK commissioners as regulated under Article 32 of Law No. 30/2002. The article stipulates that KPK commissioners must be suspended if they are facing criminal charges.

"It is difficult to understand that the series of criminal reports against KPK commissioners is not coincidental. After Pak Bambang Widjojanto was named a suspect by the police on Friday, then Pak Adnan Pandu Praja and Pak Abraham were reported afterward. I also hear that a police report will be filed against Pak Zulkarnain [on Wednesday]. It's a perfect scheme, isn't it?," Johan said at the KPK headquarters on Tuesday, referring to KPK commissioners.

Johan then called on the National Police to act professionally and avoid conflicts of interest in handling reports against KPK leaders.

"Now, it depends on the National Police whether they can soon find strong evidence to support their claims and declare KPK commissioners as suspects. If that's the case, one by one, the KPK commissioners will be suspended from their posts."

Unlike the KPK, which looks into corruption reports for months or even years before declaring someone a suspect, it only took four days for the police to process a criminal report, filed by Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician Sugianto Sabran. The police also moved swiftly to arrest Bambang late last week. Bambang was released from detention early on Saturday.

The controversial move against Bambang came after the antigraft body declared on Jan. 13 National Police chief nominee Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan a graft suspect for amassing Rp 95 billion (US$7.6 million) when serving as head of the Career Development Bureau at the National Police headquarters from 2004 to 2006. The antigraft body started investigating Budi in July last year.

National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said that police investigators were still working to find evidence that could implicate Abraham and Adnan in criminal cases. "We have not yet determined when to summon them for questioning, it all depends on the evidence we collect," Rikwanto said.

An NGO from East Java is expected to file a report against Zulkarnain on Wednesday on allegations that he mishandled a graft case when he served as East Java chief prosecutor in 2009.

Soon after arresting Bambang, the National Police opened a new investigation into another deputy chairman, Adnan Pandu Praja, who was reported to the police for illegally taking over the shares of a logging company, PT Desy Timber, in Berau, East Kalimantan.

Currently, the police are also looking into a possible abuse of authority involving Abraham for his alleged efforts to recommend a lenient prison sentence for PDI-P lawmaker Emir Moeis.

The Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced Emir to three years in prison in April 2014 for accepting bribes in a graft case surrounding the construction of a power plant in Lampung.

Although Jokowi has yet to officially issue a presidential decree to establish an independent team to probe the standoff between the KPK and the National Police, the team started work on Tuesday while Jokowi took a trip to Medan, North Sumatra.

Members of the team include former KPK commissioners Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas and Tumpak Hatorangan Panggabean, former Constitutional Court chief justice Jimly Asshiddiqie, University of Indonesia professor and international law expert Hikmahanto Juwana, prominent Muslim scholar Ahmad Syafii Maarif, as well as former chairman of Indonesia's second largest Islamic organization Muhammadiyah and former National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. (ret) Oegroseno.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/28/KPK-faces-total-paralysis.html

KPK to summons police generals by force

Jakarta Post - January 28, 2015

Haeril Halim and Fedina S. Sundaryan, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said it would bring by force a number of police generals and middle-ranking officers who skipped questioning on Tuesday to complete the dossiers of National Police chief candidate Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan.

The antigraft body made the decision after the police officers failed to turn up twice for questioning and its request to the National Police to allow them to testify went unheeded.

KPK spokesman Priharsa Nugraha said KPK investigators had rescheduled for next week, questioning for Insp. Gen Andayono, currently the East Kalimantan police chief, Adj. First. Insp. Revindo Taufik Gunawan Siahaan and Brig. Gen. (ret.) Heru Purwanto after they failed to show up on Tuesday.

Earlier on Monday, National Police general crime investigations director Brig. Gen. Herry Prastowo, Sr. Comr. Ibnu Isticha, who is Budi's subordinate at the Police Education Institute (Lemdikpol), and Jombang deputy police chief Comr. Sumardi also failed to meet their summons after ignoring the KPK's first request to testify last week.

Priharsa said KPK investigators had the legal grounds to bring the high- ranking police officers by force.

"If investigators decide that they intentionally defied the summons without strong reason, we could [bring them by force next week]," Priharsa said, citing the Criminal Law Procedures Code [KUHAP].

Priharsa said some of the police generals failed to notify the KPK about their absence. "Andayono and Revindo did not notify us. As for Heru, he claimed he was sick today. His lawyer brought his letter today," Priharsa said.

On Monday, the KPK said it would issue a third summons letter for Herry, Ibnu and Sumardi as well as send copies of the summonses to the President and Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno to inform the State Palace about the defiance.

Meanwhile, despite President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's order that the National Police cooperate in the KPK's investigation into Budi's graft case, the National Police headquarters defended the no-shows of their personnel, saying that they could be justified.

National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said that since many of the officers being called to testify were active personnel, they might have had other commitments that were far more pressing than meeting their summons.

"Their absence should not be a problem as long as the witnesses and the investigators follow the proper procedures. If a witness can't meet the first summons then he or she must disclose their reasons," he said.

Rikwanto said, however, with regard to a second summons, a witness could ignore it without informing the KPK. He also called on the KPK to check if the summonses had reached police officers targeted for questioning.

"We should find out why they failed to show. The investigators must first check whether or not the summonses reached their hands because their absence might have been because of these technicalities," he said. Witnesses could only be brought by force if they received a summons but chose to ignore it, Rikwanto said.

Separately, National Police deputy chief Badrodin Haiti, who was recently named acting National Police chief by the President, said all witnesses from the police force must meet the summons. "I have already ordered that the witnesses from the police force meet the KPK's summons," Badrodin said on Tuesday.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/28/KPK-summons-police-generals-force.html

Presidential team asks Budi Gunawan to quit police chief bid

Jakarta Post - January 28, 2015

Jakarta – Chairman of the presidential fact-finding team, Syafi'I Maarif, said his team had asked President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to cancel the inauguration of Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan as police chief and called on Budi to quit his bid to become police chief to end the mounting conflict between the police and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

"The most elegant solution is for BG [Budi Gunawan] to quit the nomination and this will likely happen," he said at the Presidential Palace on Wednesday.

Syafi'I, also former chairman of Muhammadiyah, the second largest Muslim organization in the country, said the nine-member team was of the opinion that Budi should quit the nomination voluntarily to end the conflict.

He commented that implementing the idea introduced by certain legislators that Budi be sworn in and then dismissed would be difficult.

"To me, this would be very difficult. The problem would become even more complex if Budi declined to step down. The House of Representatives has its own agenda, doesn't it? It is politics," Syafi'I said, as quoted by kompas.com.

The House recently asked the President to swear in Budi as the new National Police chief since he had already passed the fit and proper test, despite his status as a graft suspect. The President was expected to make a decision on Budi's fate by the end of this month, he added.

Syafi'I also said that the President should dare to take political risks when he decided not to inaugurate Budi and should propose someone else for the position of police chief.

"Of the utmost importance is the President build better political communications [with the House and political benefactors]," he said. (rms)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/28/presidential-team-asks-budi-gunawan-quit-police-chief-bid.html

Budi's lawyer turns to extortionist in latest assault on KPK

Jakarta Globe - January 27, 2015

Jakarta – A lawyer for corruption suspect Budi Gunawan claims to have access to "stacks" of evidence indicating wrongdoing by graft busters, courtesy of another client – one who is currently standing trial for extortion after impersonating an antigraft official.

Fredrich Yunadi, one of several lawyers representing Budi in a case brought by the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK, said on Tuesday that another client, Madun, had "authentic evidence amounting to six boxes" of documents against five KPK officials.

He did not name the officials, nor did he know where Madun was being held while on trial at the South Jakarta District Court for posing as a KPK official and extorting several people.

Fredrich also denied that Madun's reported allegation was part of a wider effort to undermine the KPK after it named Budi a corruption suspect earlier this month, claiming his client only wanted to help "clean the KPK of dirty officials."

"Madun said he wanted to unveil this case but he doesn't know where to file the report. He may report this case to the Attorney General's Office or the National Police," the lawyer said.

Madun was arrested by police in October after demanding Rp 500 million ($40,100) from a public official implicated in a graft case.

If he does file a report against the KPK, it will be the latest in a series of filings that critics say is meant as a reprisal against the KPK after it named Budi a graft suspect and thwarted, at least temporarily, his bid to become the National Police chief.

Police have dug up cold cases against at least two KPK deputy chairmen, while a third may be reported to the police this week.

Bambang Widjojanto stands accused by a legislator from the Indonesian Democratic Party, or PDI-P, of compelling witnesses to perjure themselves during hearings over a district election dispute in 2010. Bambang at the time was a lawyer for one of the parties in the dispute, who was eventually declared the winner of the election. Police dropped the case after the Constitutional Court ruled on the dispute, but was refiled by the PDI-P official, Sugianto Sabran, earlier this month.

Similarly, fellow KPK deputy chairman Adnan Pandu Praja has been reported to the police by the lawyer for a timber company who accused him of illegally acquiring shares while advising the company during a management feud in 2006.

A third KPK deputy, Zulkarnain, faces the prospect of also being reported to the police, this time by a former East Java provincial legislator he helped convict back in 2008.

Joko, from the PDI-P, has put off the process of naming a new police chief. Budi previously served as the security aide to Joko's political patron, PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri. Unlike Bambang, he has not opted to step down pending the KPK investigation.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/budis-lawyer-turns-extortionist-latest-assault-KPK/

Police defy Jokowi's orders, again

Jakarta Post - January 27, 2015

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – Despite President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's order that the National Police cooperate in the fight against graft, some high- ranking police generals for the second time defied summons sent by Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigators for questioning to complete the dossiers of National Police chief nominee Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan.

National Police general crime investigations director Brig. Gen. Herry Prastowo and Sr. Comr. Ibnu Isticha, who is Budi's subordinate at the Police Education Institute (Lemdikpol), and Jombang deputy police chief Comr. Sumardi, who also declined to meet the summons last week, again failed to show up for their rescheduled interrogation on Monday.

The KPK has named Budi a suspect for financial misdeeds after finding that in his capacity as head of the Career Development Bureau at the National Police headquarters from 2004 to 2006 he amassed a total of Rp 95 billion (US$7 million) that he allegedly collected from bribes and gratuities, including bribes paid by officers in pursuit of higher positions in the force.

Since Monday last week, the antigraft body has attempted to summons a number of active police generals and middle-ranking officers, who allegedly paid bribes to Budi to get their promotions, but none of them have turned up for questioning.

Frustrated with the no-shows, the antigraft body said that it would issue a third summons letter for Herry, Ibnu and Sumardi as well as send copies of the summonses to the President and the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno to inform the State Palace about the defiance.

"We will summons them again," KPK prevention unit deputy Johan Budi said when asked whether KPK investigators would bring the police officers by force for the third summons, as has been practiced by KPK investigators in the past. But KPK investigators were said to have had problems trying to bring police generals by force for questioning.

Analysts have said that the senior officers' rejection to meet the summons was part of an orchestrated effort to hamper the probe into Budi.

University of Indonesia (UI) legal expert Gandjar Laksmana Bonaprapta said that the decision not to show up for questioning was the next step from the police following their decision to name KPK commissioner Bambang Widjojanto a suspect in a perjury case.

Gandjar encouraged KPK investigators to bring the three witnesses by force if they had enough evidence to prove that the police officers made deliberate efforts to ignore the third summons.

"Under the Criminal Law Procedures Code [KUHAP], the KPK investigators could bring them by force for the third summons. If the witnesses have adjutants who try to stand in the way of KPK investigators to pick up [their bosses] then these underlings could be charged with Article 21 of the Criminal Code [KUHP] of on obstruction of justice," Gandjar said.

Gandjar, however, warned the antigraft body against seeking help from the Army in dealing with the police generals as it could escalate tensions.

"I believe that KPK investigators have the courage to bring them by force for questioning. The problem remains if the witnesses use weapons or physical force to block KPK investigators from summoning. In that situation, the public could then judge for themselves who is in support of the antigraft campaign and who isn't," Gandjar said.

Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) researcher Emerson Yuntho said that the police generals' failure to meet the KPK summons indicated that Budi Gunawan was in fact the National Police chief although he had yet to be sworn in by the President.

"This is not something unintentional. We can see that Budi is already the de facto leader of the National Police. The KPK must struggle hard to deal with these challenges," Emerson said on Monday.

Many have suspected that Jokowi's decision not to drop Budi's candidacy was due to the police general's close relationship to ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Analysts have also said that the sustained attack against the KPK was also possible because of Budi's role in the force.

On Saturday, KPK commissioner Adnan Pandu Praja was reported to the National Police for alleged fraud that took place in 2006.

Also on Monday, the National Police disclosed that they had received a criminal report against KPK chairman Abraham Samad and that they were currently studying the report.

While no reports have yet been filed against another KPK commissioner, Zulkarnain, he is likely to be reported for an allegation that he mishandled a graft case while serving as East Java's chief prosecutor in 2009.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/27/police-defy-jokowi-s-orders-again.html

Bambang resigns from KPK, tells Budi to follow suit

Jakarta Post - January 27, 2015

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto tendered his resignation to the KPK collective leadership on Monday, only days after being named a suspect in a perjury case by the National Police.

Later on Monday, the KPK leadership decided to reject Bambang's proposal and allow President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to decide the fate of Bambang in the commission.

Bambang said that his resignation, if accepted, would only be temporary and that he made the decision in order to maintain the integrity of the antigraft body.

He said that although he was convinced that the case against him was orchestrated to weaken the KPK, he had a moral responsibility to resign from his post due to an internal regulation which requires the suspension of a commissioner if he or she is implicated in a criminal case.

Bambang also said that his decision should serve as an example for others in public office, a thinly veiled attack on Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan, who declined to withdraw from his candidacy for the role of the country's top cop in spite of the KPK's decision to name him a suspect in a bribery case earlier this month.

"This is the manifestation of my responsibility as a leader. I am afraid that this kind of example is no longer being practiced. I just try to do what a good leader must do as the consequence of the mandate that he has been given," the 56-year-old former lawyer said during a press conference on Monday.

The National Police declared Bambang a suspect on Friday for allegedly encouraging perjury in a local election dispute in 2010.

Bambang said that if the KPK leadership approved his resignation proposal, the antigraft body would soon submit a formal letter to the State Palace requesting the issuance of a presidential regulation on his temporary suspension.

The KPK has yet to issue any official information on Bambang's proposal, but its chairman Abraham Samad earlier suggested that he would reject the proposal given the fraudulent nature of the charges against Bambang.

As suspicion grew that the case against Bambang was orchestrated, calls have mounted for the police to drop their probe on the KPK deputy chairman.

As Bambang's team of lawyers continues to look for ways to force the National Police to issue a warrant to terminate the investigation (SP3) into his case, respected figures nationwide are currently trying to lobby Jokowi to instruct the National Police to halt the investigation.

KPK prevention unit deputy Johan Budi said that Bambang's suspension would affect the KPK leadership's work in finishing its high-profile cases in the remaining 11 months of its tenure in office. The resignation of Bambang, if approved, would leave the KPK with only three commissioners.

"Learning from past experiences, the KPK must at least have three commissioners. If you said this turbulence stops us from conducting high- profile graft cases the answer is no. But if you asked whether this case slows down the KPK's work, it is definitely yes. Each commissioner has their own responsibilities," Johan said.

Meanwhile, Bambang's team of lawyers has stepped up its fight against the prosecution of the KPK deputy chairman.

Bambang's legal team said that it would file a criminal report against Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician Sugianto Sabran, who filed a complaint against Bambang in the perjury case.

Bambang was also expected to file a report with the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) for being subjected to harsh treatment during his arrest on Friday.

Bambang claimed that he was handcuffed and verbally assaulted in front of his 10-year-old son Muhammad Yattaqi. Bambang also said that the police arrested him without a warrant.

Earlier on Monday, a number of NGOs also filed a report with Komnas HAM regarding the alleged harsh treatment of Bambang.

Separately, Gajah Mada University Center for Anticorruption Studies (Pukat Korupsi) chairman Zainal Arifin Mochtar said that Budi Gunawan ought to voluntary give up his nomination as the National Police chief, as he no longer had the moral grounds to remain in the race.

"From a moral point of view, he [Budi] should have made the same decision [that Bambang has made] after being named a suspect," Zainal said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/27/bambang-resigns-KPK-tells-budi-follow-suit.html

Activists report security minister to police over demeaning remarks

Jakarta Globe - January 26, 2015

Farouk Arnaz, Jakarta – Activists have filed a complaint with the police against the chief security minister, Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno, over remarks he made over the weekend belittling supporters of the national antigraft commission.

"Fellow advocates and myself as the representatives of the Indonesian people would like to report Tedjo, the minister for political, legal and security affairs, because he has insulted the people of Indonesia," Azas Tigor Nainggolan, the chairman of the Jakarta Citizens Forum, or Fakta, said after filing a report at the National Police headquarters in South Jakarta on Monday.

The controversy centers on Tedjo's mocking of Abraham Samad, the chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK, who called on the public to rally around the antigraft body after one of its deputy chairmen was arrested by police in a case dating back to 2010.

"Do not provoke the masses by telling them 'Let's do this!' or 'Let's do that!'," he said at the State Palace in Central Jakarta on Saturday, prior to a meeting with President Joko Widodo. "That statement is childish."

He added the KPK would only be strong if it "complies with the Constitution" instead of "getting support from those unimportant people."

Thousands of Indonesians took to Twitter to slam the minister for his remarks, with hashtags such as #Tedjo and #SaveKPK among the top trending topics on Twitter in Indonesia on Sunday.

Supporters of the KPK also took to the streets of Jakarta, Bandung and Makassar on Sunday, many of them holding banners that read "Unimportant People in Support of KPK, #SaveKPK."

Azas said Tedjo's statement was demeaning to the Indonesian people. "This is an insult. I was also there at KPK office on Friday night, and I thought the police would have done something to respond to the insult but they didn't. That's why we're filing a report," he said.

Tedjo has since clarified his statement, saying he only meant that the KPK should avoid ratcheting up the tensions with the police.

"There shouldn't be any mass movement on behalf of the people. Which people? It's all unclear because there are people who have also declared their support for the National Police," he said in a statement on Sunday.

The furor stems from the KPK's naming of Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan, Joko's controversial nominee for National Police chief, a corruption suspect earlier this month. In an apparent reprisal, the police last Friday arrested KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto in connection with a perjury complaint first filed in 2010.

Bambang stands accused by a legislator from the Indonesian Democratic Party, or PDI-P, of compelling witnesses to perjure themselves during hearings over a district election dispute in 2010. Bambang at the time was a lawyer for one of the parties in the dispute, who was eventually declared the winner of the election.

Police dropped the case after the Constitutional Court ruled on the dispute, but was refiled by the PDI-P official, Sugianto Sabran, earlier this month.

A third KPK deputy, Zulkarnain, faces the prospect of also being reported to the police, this time by a former East Java provincial legislator he helped convict back in 2008.

Joko, from the PDI-P, has put off the process of naming a new police chief. Budi previously served as the security aide to Joko's political patron, PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/activists-report-security-minister-police-demeaning-remarks/

Muhammadiyah universities oppose criminalization of KPK

Jakarta Post - January 26, 2015

Bambang Muryanto and Slamet Susanto, Yogyakarta – Muhammadiyah-affiliated universities from across Indonesia, together with elements of Muhammadiyah, the country's second-largest Islamic organization, declared their opposition Monday to any criminalization of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

"Indonesia has been long held hostage by this dark activity, namely corruption. Currently, there is a systematic attempt to paralyze the KPK. It should not happen. Letting this happen means that this nation is digging its own grave," Ahmad Syafii Ma'arif, a Muhammadiyah leader, said at a rally held at the Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta (UMY) on Monday.

Rectors and lecturers of Muhammadiyah universities, leaders of Muhammadiyah organizations, and a Regional Representatives Council (DPD) member, Afnan Hadikusumo, attended the joint declaration of support for the antigraft body. Students attending the event brought banners emblazoned with statements like "Muhammadiyah #Save KPK", "Save the Nation", and "The President Must be Decisive".

"Muhammadiyah ought not to stand still [...] in corruption eradication," said Syafii. The former Muhammadiyah central board chairman is one of seven leaders appointed to an independent team established by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to resolve conflict between the KPK and the National Police.

Syafii said the National Police's move to arrest KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto could not be justified. The conflict between the KPK and the National Police must be immediately ended and the independent team must work fast to make reconciliation a reality, he added.

On Friday, the National Police named Bambang a suspect for allegedly ordering a witness to commit perjury at the Constitutional Court in 2010 in a regional election dispute case in Waringin Barat, Central Kalimantan.

Noorjanah Djohantini, the chairwoman of Aisyiyah, the independent women's organization of the Muhammadiyah, said she regretted the string of attempts perpetrated by institutions and individuals to disrupt corruption eradication efforts conducted by the KPK.

"We, along with all women in Indonesia, are opposed to the criminalization of the KPK. We must unite to save Indonesia by saving the KPK," she said.

UMY rector Bambang Cipto, representing Muhammadiyah academics, said he fully supported the KPK's efforts to eradicate corruption in Indonesia, as they were consistent with Muhammadiyah's organizational vision.(ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/26/muhammadiyah-universities-oppose-criminalization-KPK.html

KPK, under attack, finds strength in the public

Jakarta Globe - January 26, 2015

Jakarta – Protests are mounting against what some observers increasingly believe now to be systematic efforts to incapacitate the Corruption Eradication Commission – Indonesia's last bastion of hope against systemic corruption – which seems to have been cast adrift now with only the public as its faithful ally.

Allegations of attempts to "criminalize" the antigraft body, known as the KPK, became louder over the weekend as a second deputy chief of the commission was suddenly reported to police over an old case. Adnan Pandu Praja was reported for alleged ownership of illegal shares in Desy Timber, a company operating in Berau, East Kalimantan.

"We have brought data of the crimes he committed in Berau. He stole from a family company," the company's lawyer, Mukhlis Ramlan, said shortly before filing the report to the National Police's criminal investigation unit at the police headquarters in South Jakarta on Saturday.

Mukhlis accused Adnan, who served as a lawyer for Desy in 2006, of illegally taking over 85 percent of shares in the company while the management was involved in a family feud.

Adnan on Sunday denied the allegations, calling them an attempt to undermine the institution he now works with.

"Now it's my turn to be reported to the police," Adnan said in a speech before a large crowd that gathered to voice their support for the KPK on Jalan Sudirman in Central Jakarta on Sunday, as quoted by Tempo.co.

"If I must go through what B.W. [another KPK deputy chief, Bambang Widjojanto] did, then that's the cost of fighting corruption in Indonesia," he added.

Adnan was reported to police just a day after Bambang's arrest on Friday in connection with a refiled perjury complaint dating back to 2010. That case had been dropped by the police after the Constitutional Court ruled on the regional election dispute at the center of the case, but was recently refiled by Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician Sugianto Sabran.

Bambang was given a conditional release several hours later, after widespread public protest against his arrest and calls for support for the KPK.

Adnan, who joined the KPK in 2013, alleged that the old case against him was dug up to weaken the KPK, noting that he had already clarified the matter during his vetting before the House of Representatives.

The two old cases were filed out of the blue against the two KPK leaders following the antigraft body's naming of police general Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan as a suspect over his suspiciously hefty personal bank accounts.

The suspicion was first flagged by the government's anti-money-laundering watchdog, the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center, or PPATK, in 2010. The KPK also reportedly issued a red flag against Budi when President Joko Widodo mulled recruiting him as a member of his cabinet prior to his announcement of the cabinet lineup in late October last year.

It was only early this month, however, that the KPK decided to name Budi a suspect, alarmed by the president's nomination of him as the sole candidate for National Police chief.

But despite the KPK's announcement of Budi's suspect status earlier this month, Joko did not retract his nomination and the House nearly unanimously – with the Democratic Party as the only exception – endorsing Budi's nomination just a day after he was charged. Only after a public backlash did Joko finally say he was postponing, though not scrapping, Budi's nomination.

Critics have lambasted the president for allegedly bowing to the pressure from his party patron, PDI-P chairwoman and former president Megawati Soekarnoputri. Budi is known to be close to Megawati, having served as her security aide during her presidency from 2001 to 2004.

Besides the legal issues faced by Bambang and Adnan, KPK chairman Abraham Samad has also faced mounting attempts at character assassination.

Photos of him in intimate poses with the current Miss Indonesia, Elvira Devinamira, began circulating on the Internet as soon as Budi's suspect status was announced. Most experts have dismissed the pictures as doctored, although less-knowledgeable people have accepted them as genuine.

In the past week, PDI-P acting secretary general Hasto Kristiyanto, a close adviser to Joko, accused Abraham of naming Budi a suspect out of spite.

Hasto claimed that Abraham had a personal vendetta against the party for its decision not to support his reported bid to be picked as Joko's running mate in last year's presidential election.

BLBI linked?

Antigraft activist Adhie Massardi said on Sunday that the whole mess was not limited to the long-running hostilities between the KPK and the police but stemmed from the PDI-P's fears that its chairwoman would be the target of a KPK probe.

Adhie accused the PDI-P of trying to weaken the KPK and criminalize its leaders in the wake of an investigation into alleged irregularities in the issuance of letters of discharge for Bank Indonesia Liquidity Support (BLBI) debtors in 2002.

Adhie, from the Clean Indonesia Movement, said the PDI-P's elites were concerned that the probe would settle on Megawati, who as president during that period approved the issuance of the letters.

A total of Rp 144.5 trillion ($12 billion) of funds were distributed to 48 banks under the BLBI program during the height of the Asian financial crisis in 1997-98.

Virtually none of the funds was repaid, with many bank executives absconding with the money. The Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) estimates the state's losses from the fiasco at Rp 138.4 trillion.

The KPK announced in April 2013 that it launched an investigation into the BLBI case; in August last year, Abraham said the KPK would summon Megawati for questioning, though it has not done so yet.

"This [situation] has something to do with the KPK's intensifying probe into the BLBI letters of discharge," Adhie told a public discussion in Jakarta.

"There is a suspicion that if the KPK is allowed [to proceed with the probe], it will target Mega. There's speculation that the KPK is being undermined so it can't summon Mega and name her a suspect. Rumor has it that the PDI-P is using the police to fight the KPK," he said.

Wanted: Independent team

With the PDI-P making no secret of its hostility toward the KPK – with the PDI-P-backed president showing little support for the antigraft body, and Hasto, the party's number two, accusing its leader of having an axe to grind – and politicians from other parties largely silent on the whole affair, the public appears to be the only font of support for the beleaguered agency.

Critics have accused the House of having weak, if not zero, political will to support the KPK, with many legislators having been among the targets of the KPK's antigraft war.

Legislators from both the pro-government Awesome Indonesia Coalition and the opposition Red-White Coalition – who have agreed on virtually nothing since their inauguration in October – found common ground on endorsing Budi's nomination despite his suspect status; some legislators have even threatened Joko with impeachment for failing to follow through on inaugurating Budi.

Observers, including Adhie, have suggested that Joko form an independent fact-finding team consisting of law experts to scrutinize the thinly veiled criminalization of KPK leaders, similar to the team set up by former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2009 when police named then-KPK deputy chairmen Bibit Samad Riyanto and Chandra M. Hamzah as suspects.

With the help of the so-called Team of Eight, the charged were found to have been trumped up, and the police general behind them, Susno Duadji, was later tried and convicted on two separate corruption charges.

On Sunday night, Joko held a press conference at the State Palace in Central Jakarta to address the issue. But although he trotted out a group of prominent legal experts to the televised event, the president mentioned nothing about forming such a fact-finding team.

He again issued a statement that critics said lacked any substance and that feigned to be neutral but instead steered clear of the core of the problem, which was the series of retaliatory attacks against the KPK – the most highly regarded government institution in Indonesia – by the police, which vies with the House each year for the ignominious honor of being the most corrupt public institution in the land.

"There should be no more criminalization. I repeat, no more criminalization," Joko said. "The legal process against both KPK and police personnel must be made clear as day, must be made transparent," the president added, not elaborating on any real measures to clear up the situation.

Former Constitutional Court chief justice Jimly Asshiddique was among the six senior law experts present at the press conference – alongside University of Indonesia law professors Hikmahanto Juwana and Bambang Widodo Umar, former National Police deputy chief Oegroseno, and former KPK deputy chiefs Tumpak Hatorangan Panggabean and Erry Riyana.

Jimly said they had been asked to provide counsel to the president regarding the conflict between the KPK and the police but that there was no immediate plan to set up a fact-finding team.

"We've been invited here personally. There's no decision yet to make us a formal team, but we've been asked to tentatively give advice concerning this matter," Jimly told the same press conference.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/KPK-attack-finds-strength-public/

Public outraged by Minister Tedjo's derogatory remarks

Jakarta Post - January 26, 2015

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – The public's rising anger toward the police and a growing impatience with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo have been partly channeled against Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno, who has acted more like the spokesman of his Nasdem Party than as Jokowi's chief security minister.

His confrontational remarks have frequently triggered public outrage, reminding people that he tends to defend the interests of his party boss, Surya Paloh, who often overshadows Jokowi's government.

His most recent contentious statement was one that lashed out at supporters of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), who decried the National Police's controversial move to arrest and name KPK commissioner Bambang Widjojanto as a criminal suspect on Friday.

Tedjo described the supporters as "absurd" and said that KPK leaders were being "childish" for encouraging the supporters, who voluntarily came to the KPK headquarters on Friday to show their support for the antigraft body and denounce the police's move against Bambang.

Arif Susanto, who initiated a petition that was featured on the Indonesian page of change.org, a US-based website that promotes social change through online petitions, said that Tedjo's statement had disparaged the dignity of the Indonesian people and, therefore, he had no choice but to voluntarily step down from his post.

"On Jan. 24, 2015, Minister Tedjo said that the pro-KPK civil movement is 'absurd support'. It hurts citizens, who represent the country's highest sovereignty. It is also an attack on freedom of expression. His statement has eliminated the moral foundation of his legitimacy as minister of Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs," Arif wrote in the petition.

The petition quickly received signatures just minutes after it was posted on Sunday. Netizens gathered on the page to express their anger toward Tedjo.

"It is time for him to resign so that he will not besmirch President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration," an Indonesian netizen from Frankfurt, Germany, Imelda Box, said on the petition.

Another comment from Antasari Hidayat of Central Kalimantan's Palangkaraya read: "Just kick him out of the Cabinet because there are lot of people who are more capable than him in this country."

Meanwhile, Puput Wantorojati of Central's Java Cilacap posted: "As a minister he is not supposed to utter such a statement. It is clear that he is speaking on behalf of the interests of one particular party. His statement makes the current situation [the conflict between the KPK and the National Police] get worse."

Tedjo's way of responding to dissident opinions is similar to the terminology used in the New Order Era under the rule of the country's former strongman president Soeharto, whose administration labelled dissidents' criticisms as voices from "absurd or formless organizations".

In December, Tedjo also drew anger from human rights campaigners after making a statement stressing that unresolved human rights cases were things of the past that should not be resolved.

"It happened in the past. Now, we should continue with a reconciliation process and not go backwards. This country needs to be prosperous instead of looking for others' mistakes," Tedjo said at that time.

Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) researcher Ade Irawan suspected that Tedjo, who was Navy chief of staff in 2008 and 2009, might be speaking on behalf of his former party, the pro-government Nasdem Party, not in his capacity as Jokowi's minister.

"As Tedjo's boss, Jokowi must reprimand him. If Tedjo remains the same afterwards, then the President should go ahead and replace him. This is not his first controversial statement, as earlier he also made remarks that also hurt the feelings of the public," Ade said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/26/public-outraged-minister-tedjo-s-derogatory-remarks.html

President's men chastise anti-graft activists for 'inflaming the masses'

Detik.com - January 25, 2015

Elvan Dany Sutrisno, Jakarta – At a time when the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is in a precarious position with hundreds of pro-KPK activists calling on the ordinary people to unite and safeguard the fight against corruption, it is ironic that efforts by the ordinary people to save the KPK have in fact drawn criticism from government ministers and the political elite that support President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

This lop-sided view was conveyed bluntly by Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno who considers the speeches by pro-KPK activists to be provoking the ordinary people.

"Don't inflame the masses, call on the ordinary people, inflame the people. Come on we're not allowed to things like that, it's a childish position. [The KPK should be] independent, strong. The constitution will support it, not the bogus support of the ordinary people", asserted Purdijatno at the Presidential Palace on Saturday January 24.

Purdijatno is not alone. A similarly questionable view of anti-corruption activists was also conveyed by former State Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief retired General A.M. Hendropriyono, who is also among the ranks of President Widodo's supporters. This is also regrettable because Jokowi should be maintaining his commitment to eradicate corruption.

"I think all the demagogy by observers and paid demonstrators and the like who are sowing hate, hostility and always blaming others without having any real solutions, is just anti-establishment, they should be thrown in jail!", wrote Hendropriyono in a written message.

The Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language (KBBI) defines the term demagogy (demagog) as a motivator (leader) of the ordinary people who knows how to incite and arouse the spirit of the people to gain power.

If Mr Jokowi does indeed have a commitment to eradicate corruption, why does he remain silent when the KPK is in such a precarious position while his own people join in inflaming the situation?

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Ironi Aktivis Pro KPK Disebut Demagog hingga Rakyat Tak Jelas"]

Source: http://news.detik.com/read/2015/01/25/123923/2813162/10/ironi-aktivis-pro-KPK-disebut-demagog-hingga-rakyat-tak-jelas

Calls mount for immunity for KPK leaders from police prosecution

Jakarta Globe - January 25, 2015

Jakarta – Indonesia's antigraft commission has called on President Joko Widodo to issue an emergency measure granting immunity from prosecution for its leaders, following two criminal complaints filed in quick succession against two of its deputy chairmen.

"KPK leaders need immunity, especially at times like this," Adnan Pandu Praja, a deputy chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK, said on Sunday as quoted by Detik.com.

Adnan and fellow deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto face criminal investigations after reports were filed against them with the police this month following the KPK's decision to name Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan, Joko's sole nominee for National Police chief, a graft suspect.

"The request [for immunity] has been submitted to the president," Adnan said. "We want it to take the form of a regulation in lieu of law," or perppu, which does not require approval from the House of Representatives.

"If the president wants this crisis to be over soon, he needs to issue an SP3" – an order to halt the police's ongoing investigation – "and then the perppu," Adnan added.

He said such a measure was not meant to put the KPK leadership above the law, but to protect it from its "enemies," given the police's history of going after KPK commissioners when its own top officials face an antigraft probe. "Criminalizing the KPK means hampering corruption eradication efforts," Adnan said.

The call was echoed by the Indonesian Ombudsman, which said it would demand immediate passage of a regulation granting immunity to the KPK leaders.

"On Monday we will appeal for the leaders of the KPK to have [legal] immunity," Budi Santoso, an ombudsman, said on Sunday as quoted by Republika.com.

"In the laws, the KPK [leaders] don't have immunity, which leaves the commission prone to criminalization," he added, referring to a previous episode in which trumped-up charges were leveled, and later debunked, against KPK deputy chairmen Bibit Samad Riyanto and Chandra M. Hamzah.

"The right to immunity needs to come into effect immediately – at least issue a perppu," Budi said.

Denny Indrayana, the deputy justice minister under former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, agreed that a perppu on immunity for the KPK's leaders was urgently needed in such an emergency situation.

"One by one the KPK leaders are being targeted. The president must issue the perppu to grant the KPK leaders immunity during their tenure," he said.

Adnan was reported to the police's detectives unit on Saturday by Mukhlis Ramlan, a representative for Desy Timber, a company operating in Berau, East Kalimantan. The report accuses Adnan, who served as a lawyer for the company in 2006, of illegally taking over 85 percent of shares in the company while the management was involved in a family feud.

Bambang's case has been brought forward under similarly murky conditions. He stands accused by a legislator from the Indonesian Democratic Party, or PDI-P, of compelling witnesses to perjure themselves during hearings over a district election dispute in 2010. Bambang at the time was a lawyer for one of the parties in the dispute, who was eventually declared the winner of the election.

The case was dropped by the police after the Constitutional Court ruled on the dispute, but was refiled by the PDI-P official, Sugianto Sabran, earlier this month, following the KPK's decision to name police general Budi Gunawan a graft suspect.

President Joko, from the PDI-P, has since put off the process of naming a new police chief. Budi previously served as the security aide to Joko's political patron, PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/calls-mount-immunity-KPK-leaders-police-prosecution/

Adnan: Latest allegations designed to destroy KPK

Jakarta Globe - January 25, 2015

Jakarta – A second antigraft deputy facing a criminal probe under suspicious circumstances has denied the allegations against him, calling them an attempt to undermine Indonesia's vaunted anti-corruption agency.

"Now it's my turn to be reported to the police," Adnan Pandu Praja, a deputy chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK, said in a speech before a large crowd on Jalan Sudirman in Jakarta on Sunday, as quoted by Tempo.co.

"If I must go through what B.W. [KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto] did, then that's the cost of fighting corruption in Indonesia," he added, referring to Bambang's arrest by the police on Friday, and conditional release several hours later, in connection with a refiled perjury complaint dating back to 2010.

Adnan, who joined the KPK in 2013, said the old case was dug up to weaken the country's prominent antigraft body, noting that he had already clarified the matter during his vetting before the House of Representatives. "Therefore, all of this is designed to destroy the KPK," he said as quoted by Kompas.com.

He added he was ready to be questioned by the police at any time. "I'm ready to face any legal risks," Adnan said, adding the KPK would help him during the legal process.

Joko, from the PDI-P, has since put off the process of naming a new police chief. Budi previously served as the security aide to Joko's political patron, PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/adnan-latest-allegations-designed-destroy-KPK/

Jokowi offers no help to KPK

Jakarta Post - January 25, 2015

Fedina S. Sundaryani and Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – While resisting attacks from the National Police on its commissioners, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is still getting no help from President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, who refuses to intervene in the attempts by police to engineer legal cases against the agency's leaders.

President Jokowi met with Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno, Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H. Laoly, Attorney General HM Prasetyo and National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Badrodin Haiti on Saturday, but did not invite any representatives from the KPK to the discussions.

Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto denied that the exclusion of the KPK from the meeting was related to the recent cases that have hampered its commissioners. He said that the meeting was aimed at discussing new methods to strengthen efforts to fight corruption.

"The KPK should still function [in the fight against corruption] and should not be distracted by the current legal processes [against its commissioners]," Andi told reporters after the meeting.

After naming National Police chief candidate Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan a suspect in a bribery case two weeks ago, in the past two days two criminal allegations have been filed against two of the antigraft body's commissioners.

The National Police named on Friday KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto a suspect for encouraging perjury in an election dispute case, while another deputy chairman, Adnan Pandu Praja, was reported to the police for illegally taking over the shares of a logging company, PT Desy Timber, in Berau, East Kalimantan.

"Adnan Pandu Praja and an associate, Indra Wargadalem, took the company's shares illegally in 2006 by forging notary certificates when they were the company's lawyers," said Mukhlis Ramlan, a lawyer representing the company. He said the company had filed police reports with the Berau Police and the East Kalimantan Police, but they were ignored.

The legal processes may put the antigraft body into paralysis as only two KPK leaders will remain to lead the institution if Bambang and Adnan are forced to resign because of the cases. Another deputy chairman, Busyro Muqoddas, ended his term in December.

The 2002 KPK Law stipulates that KPK commissioners who have been declared suspects in criminal cases should be suspended, while the same law also regulates that a decision by the institution can only be made with a quorum of at least three KPK commissioners.

Andi said the President has ordered the National Police to proceed with the lawsuits according to the law and to refrain from taking other actions during the process. "The President is currently preparing steps to guarantee the KPK will maintain its function of ensuring a clean government," said Andi.

He said the steps include the possible issuing of a warrant to terminate the investigation (SP3) into Bambang's case. "The President wants to make sure the legal steps taken on the [Budi] and [Bambang] cases are based on current laws," said Andi.

The palace, however, is also considering issuing a regulation to suspend Bambang from his post in the KPK should the police send confirmation of his status as a suspect.

During an interview with Kompas TV on Saturday, Jokowi said he refused to intervene in the legal processes involving the KPK and the National Police as he was giving both institutions the chance "to do the right thing and avoid acting above the law".

"If I intervene the people will also protest. The KPK and [National Police] should both be saved," he said. He also demanded political parties, his ministers and civil society groups not to intervene the process.

While expecting both institutions to act according to law, he also encouraged police officers to answer the KPK's summonses to testify in Budi's case.

Meanwhile, Bambang said he was considering resigning as KPK commissioner because of his status as a suspect.

"I have to demonstrate that I have a moral and ethical responsibility as a suspect to resign from my position during an investigation. However, I will discuss it first with the other commissioners and if they agree, they will send a letter to the President," he said.

Although so far only two commissioners have been accused of crimes, speculation is rife that fellow KPK commissioner Zulkarnain will likewise face legal battles intended to prevent the KPK from completing the Budi investigation.

Attacks against KPK leaders

Chairman Abraham Samad

A day after the KPK declared National Police chief nominee Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan a graft suspect on Jan. 13, several tampered photographs from an unidentified sender were circulated. They purported to show Abraham having an affair with "Miss Indonesia" pageant winner Elvira Devinamira Wirayanti. On Thursday, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) accused Abraham of abusing his power in retaliation for the failure of his bid to become Jokowi's vice presidential candidate.

Deputy Bambang Widjojanto

Bambang was arrested by the police on Friday for allegedly encouraging perjury in a local election dispute in 2010. He was freed later in the day. Bambang was reported by PDI-P politician Sugianto Sabran, who is known as a timber kingpin in Kalimantan.

Deputy Adnan Pandu Praja

He was reported on Saturday to the National Police by executives of a timber company. Adnan was accused of illegally taking over the shares of PT Desy Timber in 2006.

Deputy Zulkarnain

While no reports have yet been filed against him, the former prosecutor is also prone to being accused of criminality. His opponents recently alleged he tampered with a graft case while he served as East Java chief prosecutor in 2009. The case revolved around the disbursement of provincial funds under the so-called P2SEM program.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/25/jokowi-offers-no-help-KPK.html

Security minister roasted for belittling KPK supporters as 'unimportant'

Jakarta Globe - January 25, 2015

Jakarta – Activists have lashed out at chief security minister Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno after he accused the national antigraft commission of inciting the public into taking its side in a contentious spat with the police force.

"We are ashamed of having a coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs who acts like this," Emerson Yuntho, from Indonesia Corruption Watch, a nongovernmental group, said at a rally on Sunday in support of the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK.

"[Tedjo] should be working to safeguard the political and security conditions instead of stirring up problems. That was a misleading statement," Emerson added.

Tedjo drew the ire of activists and the Indonesian public alike on Saturday when he chided KPK chairman Abraham Samad for rallying the public to support the antigraft commission, following the police's arrest on Friday, and conditional release several hours later, of KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto in connection with a refiled perjury complaint dating back to 2010.

Abraham had implored hundreds of people who had flocked to the KPK building on Friday in a show of support to trust in the KPK and help safeguard the justice system in Indonesia. Tedjo, though, called Abraham's statement "childish."

"Do not provoke the masses by telling them 'Let's do this!' or 'Let's do that!'," he said at the State Palace in Central Jakarta, prior to a meeting with President Joko Widodo. "That statement is childish."

He added the KPK would only be strong if it "complies with the Constitution" instead of "getting support from those unimportant people."

Thousands of Indonesians took to Twitter to slam the minister for his remarks, with hashtags such as #Tedjo and #SaveKPK among the top trending topics on Twitter in Indonesia on Sunday.

Supporters of the KPK also took to the streets of Jakarta, Bandung and Makassar on Sunday, many of them holding banners that read "Unimportant People in Support of KPK, #SaveKPK."

ICW's Emerson, speaking at one such rally in Jakarta, denounced Tedjo's remarks as going against President Joko's own injunction on Friday for officials to refrain from making any statements that would inflame the tensions between the KPK and the police.

The KPK has also responded to the minister's statement. "Let the public be the judge of whether it is proper for a minister to make such a statement," said Johan Budi, the KPK deputy for corruption prevention, adding that the antigraft commission had not organized the huge outpouring of support shown for it.

The crowd outside the KPK office on Friday also blocked police from raiding deputy chairman Bambang's office in connection with their surprise investigation.

Joko, from the PDI-P, has since put off the process of naming a new police chief. Budi previously served as the security aide to Joko's political patron, PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/security-minister-roasted-belittling-KPK-supporters-unimportant/

KPK: The arrest related to Gen. Budi's suspect status

Jakarta Post - January 24, 2015

Haeril Halim and Fedina S. Sundaryani, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) declared the arrest of its commissioner, Bambang Widjojanto, on Friday had been marred by a conflict of interest.

National Police general crime investigations director Brig. Gen. Herry Prastowo, who is handling Bambang's case, was one of the police generals under the KPK's investigation in Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan's case.

"We strongly condemn the arrest. We hope that the National Police is not being used to serve the interests of any particular group of people," KPK commissioner Adnan Pandu Praja said.

"According to Article 12 of [the National Police law], there is a potential conflict of interest here between he [Herry] and Pak Bambang," Pandu added.

KPK chairman Abraham Samad, who said that Bambang had hinted the previous day that he might be facing a legal problem following a string of attacks that the antigraft body had been continuously facing since naming Budi a suspect, described the National Police's move against his colleague as a tyrannical act.

"I call on all people across Indonesia to be united to support the fight against any act of tyranny. We cannot let this kind of behavior grow. Believe me, the truth will win," said Samad.

A senior Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician on Thursday accused Samad of misusing his power to declare Budi a graft suspect in revenge for his failure to become the running mate of Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in last year's presidential election.

KPK deputy chairman Zulkarnain said the National Police knew that the attack would disturb the antigraft body's work to complete all the high- profile cases, including Budi's, that it had to resolve in the remaining 11 months of the current leaders' tenure.

"The attack is right on target. We four, including Bambang, have 11 months to finish all the work, and now the attack will consequently result in the suspension of Bambang, which means that we will only have three people remaining until the end of our tenure," Zulkarnain said.

Meanwhile, National Police spokesperson Ins. Gen. Ronny F. Sompie confirmed that the police had deployed 15 officers to arrest Bambang.

"He was arrested for allegedly ordering a witness to present false testimony in violation of Article 242 of the Criminal Code," Ronny said, adding that Bambang could face a maximum seven-year prison sentence if found guilty.

Ronny insisted there was no relation between Bambang's arrest and the status of Budi as a graft suspect. "We have three pieces of evidence and that's enough to name him a suspect," said Ronny.

Separately, the head of Bambang's legal team, Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, said her client had not been questioned by investigators until 4 p.m. because he refused to speak without a lawyer.

"This questioning is forced. Legally, the police presented an arrest warrant. However, it was also stated in the warrant that the investigators could question the suspect until the case was solved, even though they should only legally be allowed to detain him for 24 hours," she said.

In the meantime, Sugianto Sabran, a member of the PDI-P, acknowledged that he had filed a similar report in 2010 but denied that the party's leader had ordered him to re-file the report on Jan. 19.

The former lawmaker explained that he filed a report against Bambang for allegedly asking witnesses to present false testimonies in a regional election dispute hearing at the Constitutional Court in 2010.

At that time, Sugianto had won against incumbent Ujang Iskandar to become West Kotawaringin regent in Central Kalimantan. However, the court overturned his victory in favor of Ujang, who was then represented by Bambang. "I am purely searching for justice and I believe he's guilty. If not, you can arrest me," Sugianto said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/24/KPK-the-arrest-related-gen-budi-s-suspect-status.html

Another KPK commissioner reported to police

Jakarta Post - January 24, 2015

Jakarta – After Bambang Widjojanto, another deputy chairman of Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Adnan Pandu Praja, was reported by a timber company on Saturday to the police for the alleged takeover of the company's shares.

"Representing the holders of the shares, we have been at the National Police headquarters to report the case," Antara news agency quoted Mukhlis Ramlan, a lawyer of timber company PT Desy Timber, as saying on Saturday.

He said the alleged takeover by force of his clients' shares in the company took place in 2006 when Adnan was acting as a lawyer of the company holding a concession of a 36,000-hectare forest in Berau, East Kalimantan in 1970.

On Friday, KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto was arrested by the police for allegedly giving false testimony when the Constitutional Court heard the West Kotawaringin election dispute case in July 2010. Bambang was released at dawn on Saturday but remains a suspect.

Bambang was reported by a legislator of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), whose victory in the regent election was annulled by the Constitutional Court.

Previously, PDI-P acting secretary general Hasto Kristiyanto alleged that KPK chairman Abraham Samad had lobbied the party's figures for him to pair with then presidential candidate Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to contend the July 9, 2014, presidential election, a move prohibited by the KPK's code of ethics.

Many analysts have said the criminalization of KPK leaders is connected with the antigraft body's recent move to name police chief candidate Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan as a graft suspect. (rms)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/24/another-KPK-commissioner-reported-police.html

Jokowi risks public backlash after arrest of KPK deputy chairman

Jakarta Globe - January 23, 2015

Jakarta – President Joko Widodo and his Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle could lose public support in the next election for not standing behind the beleaguered Corruption Eradication Commission.

The antigraft agency, known as the KPK, has been under fire from politicians particularly, Joko's PDI-P, after naming Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan, Joko's sole candidate for the National Police chief post, as a graft and money-laundering suspect.

The National Police responded by arresting KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto on Friday for allegedly forcing a witness to provide a false testimony under oath during his time as a lawyer in 2010.

National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto identified the person reporting Bambang to the National Police as Sugianto Sabran, a PDI-P legislator.

Sugianto lost the West Kotawaringin district election in Central Kalimantan in 2010. Bambang represented his rival, Ujang Iskandar, in an election dispute filed with the Constitutional Court by Sugianto.

Rikwanto said Sugianto reported Bambang to the National Police on Jan. 15, two days after the KPK named Budi a suspect.

Adjie Alfaraby, a researcher from the Indonesian Survey Circle, said Sugianto's involvement in getting Bambang arrested could be seen as an attack by the PDI-P against the much-feared antigraft body.

A day before Bambang's arrest, another PDI-P politician, Hasto Kristiyanto, accused KPK chief Abraham Samad of retaliation in naming Budi a suspect, claiming the party had refused to endorse Abraham's reported desire to become Joko's running mate in last year's election.

"The public can see that there are attempts by the PDI-P to delegitimize the KPK," Adjie said.

Vested interests

The researcher said the party had a lot of interest in ensuring Budi that would become the nation's top cop. Budi served as a security aide to PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri during her presidency from 2001 to 2004.

Budi was also spotted having a meeting with several PDI-P elites during Joko's election campaign, suggesting that the close ties between Budi and his former boss have been maintained.

The PDI-P's move to revive a four-year-old election complaint that was already settled by the country's highest court will only hurt the party's image, Adjie warned, given the strong public support that the KPK has earned for uncovering massive corruption scandals that have cost the country billions of dollars.

"The public will fight back if there is any indication that the KPK is under attack," he said.

Hasto has denied that he was speaking on the PDI-P's behalf in criticizing Abraham, while the National Police insisted that Bambang's arrest was not linked to Budi's naming as a suspect.

But Lucius Karus of watchdog Concerned Citizens for the Indonesian Legislature (Formappi) said the timing of Hasto's revelation and Sugianto's report "suggests that they are very political."

"The PDI-P and its coalition will suffer because the public will see this as a testament that they really want to see [Budi] become the police chief," he said.

Sugianto denied that he had any political motives in filing his report. He said he first reported Bambang to the police in 2010 but renewed the complaint recently without explaining why.

Public outcry

The National Police's decision to arrest Bambang met with outrage and skepticism on social media on Friday.

Hashtags such as #SaveKPK, #WhereAreYouJokowi and #BambangWidjojanto topped the Twitter trending list in Indonesia. Tweets about "Cicak dan Buaya" or "Gecko vs Crocodile" even topped the world Twitter trending topic list.

The term was coined by a former chief detective of the National Police, Susno Duadji, who referred to the KPK as a powerless gecko trying to fight a crocodile – the police force – during a similar standoff in 2009. That episode saw the police charge two KPK deputies with bribery, only to see their case revealed by the Constitutional Court as trumped-up. Susno was himself later convicted on two counts of corruption.

Dozens of anticorruption activists visited the KPK headquarters in South Jakarta on Friday to show their support for Bambang, as a message spread on social media calling on people to gather there.

Former deputy justice minister Denny Indrayana said Joko should immediately step in to resolve the dispute between the police and the KPK. "Let's save the police and the KPK. Jokowi as the head of state must immediately intervene to maintain security for the sake of law enforcement," Denny said, referring to the president by his nickname.

Siti Zuhro, a political analyst at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said Bambang's arrest could affect the KPK's ability to investigate pending graft cases. "Please do not let the interests of a few weaken the KPK," Siti said.

No friction, please

Following the shock arrest, Joko on Friday urged the police and the KPK to avoid any further "friction." And after meeting with KPK leaders and other senior officials at the Bogor presidential palace, Joko called on both institutions to respect the law.

"I just had a meeting with the vice president, the coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, the attorney general, several ministers, KPK leaders, and the police deputy chief," Joko said.

"I have told the KPK chief and the National Police deputy chief that as the head of this nation I ask the National Police and the KPK to ensure an objective legal process based on the law."

Joko also said he would not intervene in the legal processes involving Budi or Bambang. Activists were far from satisfied with Joko's stance.

"Jokowi's statement is not much firmer than that of a neighborhood unit chief," said migrant worker advocate Anis Hidayat, who came to the KPK office to show her support for the agency. "We need a president, not a politician. Jokowi must be bold to show he supports corruption eradication."

Ismail Hasani, research director of rights group the Setara Institute, said Joko's weak stance would only "prolong tensions between police and the KPK."

All but the PDI-P

Members of the opposition Red-White Coalition, even those who earlier criticized the KPK's naming of Budi as a suspect, were quick to air their support for Bambang and criticize Joko.

"If Bambang Widjojanto is not happy then he should file a pretrial motion against the police," said Nasir Djamil of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

The National Mandate Party's (PAN) Taufik Kurniawan, a deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, said the House would scrutinize the police's decision to name Bambang a suspect.

"Hopefully all will be revealed to the public," he said. Taufik said he was shocked by the news but refused to speculate on the possible motive behind the arrest.

Regional Representatives Council (DPD) Speaker Irman Gusman said Joko must scrutinize the police investigation into Bambang's case, as well as end the hostilities between the two institutions.

Golkar's Aziz Syamsuddin, chairman of House Commission III, which oversees legal affairs, pledged his continued support for the KPK following Bambang's arrest. The House, he said, will ensure the KPK can perform its duties without Bambang.

The sentiments of support differed from the response from PDI-P legislator Junimart Girsang. Police "have enough evidence. Don't link this with an attack against the KPK. Please respect the law," he said.

National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Badrodin Haiti said on Friday afternoon that there was no political motivation behind the arrest of the KPK deputy chief.

Instead, he said, the belated arrest in a case dating back to 2010 was a result of the police following "correct investigatory procedures" and because they had only just gathered all the necessary evidence.

"It's because we just found enough evidence," Badrodin said when asked about the timing of the arrest.

He said someone had recently reported the case again to the police. The police then used the old case file as supporting evidence to reopen the case.

"I don't see his or her political party affiliation, only the person," Badrodin said when reporters asked whether the report came from someone in the PDI-P.

Badrodin called on the public to not see the case in the context of the KPK naming Budi Gunawan a suspect three days after his nomination as police chief by the president.

Relations between the KPK and the police are fine, he said. "Institution- wise, there is no problem between the National Police and KPK," he said. "There is no friction."

Inappropriate

Bambang was taken into police custody on Friday morning as he was about to drop his children off at school. Several witnesses reported that police cuffed the KPK deputy with his children watching.

Police reportedly also took Bambang's children to the National Police headquarters, where he is being held.

Former National Police deputy chief Oegroseno said the police should have treated Bambang with more respect, considering he was a public official.

"This is against procedure, treating a state official like a terrorist," he said, "particularly with the arrest conducted with a summons for inquiry. The way the arrest was carried out will cost the police public sympathy."

KPK chairman Abraham said Bambang knew of the risk of police retaliation from naming Budi a suspect, given past cases. "[Bambang] even joked, if police tried to arrest him, he wants to be kept in custody at the [National Police's Mobile Brigade] headquarters in Kelapa Dua [in Depok] so he can be close to his house," he said.

Abraham said the KPK would continue to support Bambang even though the case against him centers on events before he joined the antigraft commission.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/jokowi-risks-public-backlash-arrest-KPK-deputy-chairman/

Police arrest KPK deputy chief Bambang Widjojanto over election dispute

Jakarta Globe - January 23, 2015

Jakarta – The National Police arrested Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy chief Bambang Widjojanto on Friday, citing an election-dispute case in 2010.

Bambang was taken by police on Friday morning when he was taking his children to school. KPK deputy for corruption prevention Johan Budi could not confirm where Bambang had been taken.

"It's true, [Bambang] was taken by the National Police's crime investigation unit [Bareskrim]. Maybe he is now at Bareskrim [the police's detectives unit]," Johan said.

The Jakarta Globe could not confirm this, but National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Ronny F. Sompie said Bambang had indeed been arrested. "The evidence we collected consists of documents, witnesses and experts' testimonies," Ronny said.

It is understood that police have arrested Bambang on the charge that he instructed witnesses to perjure themselves at a Constitutional Court hearing in 2010. During that case Bambang served as a lawyer for candidates Ujang Iskandar and Bambang Purwanto in a district head election in West Kotawaringin, Central Kalimantan.

The police and KPK have a long-standing dispute, which escalated again when Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan was named a suspect by the KPK on Jan. 13. Budi, a top aide to Megawati Soekarnoputri during her presidency, was nominated to become chief of National Police by President Joko Widodo on Jan. 10, despite concerns about several suspicious transactions in his banks accounts, which were investigated by Indonesia's money-laundering watchdog in 2010.

http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/KPK-deputy-chief-bambang- widjojanto-arrested-police-motive-unclear/

PDI-P launches reckless attack on KPK boss

Jakarta Post - January 23, 2015

Hans Nicholas Jong and Ina Parlina, Jakarta, Bogor – In a move perceived by many as a cavalier counterattack against the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has accused the antigraft body's chairman, Abraham Samad, of abusing his power in retaliation for the failure of his bid to become vice president.

The KPK has strongly denied the allegations and threatened to sue the party for slander. However, it also vowed to examine the claims in order to publicize the truth.

The commission recently named National Police chief hopeful Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan a graft suspect, a move the PDI-P insists was motivated by Abraham's resentment of the police general, who was allegedly instrumental in thwarting Abraham's ambition to be the running mate of Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in last year's presidential election. Jokowi instead picked Jusuf Kalla, the pair that went on to victory.

PDI-P deputy secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto said on Thursday that he had urged the KPK to set up an ethics committee to probe allegations that Abraham had had several meetings with PDI-P politicians to talk about the possibility of him being paired with Jokowi.

"I, Hasto Kristiyanto, Pak Hendropriyono and other witnesses, some of whom serve as ministers in the current Cabinet, are ready to provide testimony as witnesses," he said during a press conference, referring to Gen. (ret) Hendropriyono, the former chief of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), who was involved in Jokowi's campaign team as an advisor.

"The initiative [for the meetings] was pushed by one of Abraham's campaign team members. Two of them, D1 and D2, actively lobbied us," he said, identifying the two confidants by their initials only.

In the first meeting, Hasto alleged, Abraham said that he had a good relationship with the PDI-P, pointing out that he had greased the wheels of justice for a number of PDI-P members convicted of graft, resulting in more lenient sentences.

"Therefore, we designed a scenario where Pak Abraham could meet with Pak Jokowi at [Adisucipto] Airport's Blue Sky lounge," Hasto said. The meeting at the airport in Yogyakarta, which occured in early May 2014, was claimed by Abraham to be a coincidence.

The night before Jokowi declared Kalla his running mate, Hasto said he met Abraham to give him the bad news, which the latter claimed he already knew.

"I know [that I was not chosen] because I have tapped [some cell phones]. I know the one who caused my failure is Pak Budi Gunawan," Hasto said, imitating Abraham's response. He declined, however, to state categorically that the KPK's move against Budi was Abraham's way of taking revenge.

Separately, the KPK's deputy chairman for prevention, Johan S. Budi, said that Abraham had labeled the allegation as "slander". "[But] if there is firm evidence against Abraham Samad, we will take all necessary measures," he insisted.

Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto said it was unlikely that Jokowi's campaign team had met Abraham, citing his experience as a former member of a team that helped Jokowi during the election campaign.

Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo also voiced doubts over Hasto's claim, saying that, as PDI-P secretary-general at that time, he had not heard of any meetings with Abraham.

"To my knowledge, such meetings would not have been possible because Abraham could not act alone without [being monitored] by KPK officials," Andi said on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Poltracking Institute executive director Hanta Yuda said that Hasto's allegations appeared politically motivated.

"It might be a political strategy. A case like this can be divided into two components: the legal aspect, which emphasizes facts and evidence; and the political aspect, where facts and evidence are less important than constructing a certain public perception," Hanta said on Thursday.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/23/pdi-p-launches-reckless-attack-KPK-boss.html

Surveys & opinion polls

Big fish Susi by far the most popular minister: Survey

Jakarta Globe - January 31, 2015

Jakarta – Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries Susi Pudjiastuti is the most popular member of President Joko Widodo's cabinet, according to one survey released Saturday.

The survey by the Populi Center found Susi was voted the most popular by 31.3 percent out of a total 1,200 respondents.

Susi was a colourful entrepreneur before being selected as fisheries minster. Susi ran a successful fisheries business in her home town of Pangandaran on the southern coast of Java.

Out of frustration at not being able to deliver fresh products to Jakarta because of the lack of road infrastructure between Jakarta and Pangandaran, she started an airline, Susi Air.

The minister calculates that illegal fishing costs Indonesia $25 billion and her policy of blowing up ships seized in Indonesia's waters has played well with voters.

Social affairs minister, Khofifah Indar Parawansa, and education minister Anies Baswedan ranked second and third, respectively, with 8.2 and 6 percent of the votes respectively. Transport minister Ignasius Jonan was preferred by 1.7 percent of the survey participants.

The survey, conducted from Jan 16-22, also revealed that the House of Representatives was deemed the most corrupt institution by 39.7 of the respondents, followed by the National Police with 14.2 percent.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/big-fish-susi-far-popular-minister-survey/

Indonesia weighs in on Jokowi's poor start

Jakarta Globe - January 27, 2015

Jakarta – President Joko Widodo's popularity was plunging sharply on the eve of his 100th day in office, which is today, while analysts scrutinize his cabinet's poor performance obscured behind a series of increasingly scandalous policies.

Poll institute Puspol Indonesia said in its press conference last week that 74.6 percent of respondents were dissatisfied with Joko and Vice President Jusuf Kalla's leadership in the first three months of their term in office.

"Only 25.4 percent indicated that they were satisfied," Puspol Indonesia executive director Ubedilah Badrun said.

Among the policies that contributed to Joko's plunging popularity was the subsidized fuel price hikes, where 44 percent of respondents said it was the wrong move to make amid falling global crude oil prices and only 20.64 percent gave their nod of approval.

"Most of the respondents, or 51.58 percent, were unsure if diverting funds from fuel subsidies would spur developments in more productive sectors," Ubedilah said.

He added that Education Minister Anies Baswedan's decision to suspend the 2013 school curriculum – despite its controversy – also appears to be unpopular, with 27 percent of respondents saying the change would create confusion, 19 percent claiming it would only be detrimental to both teachers and students, and 25 percent giving their approval.

"Of the ministers' performance, only Maritime and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti's policy of sinking foreign boats is considered positive by the public," Ubedilah said, referring to Susi's aggressive measure to fighting poachers in Indonesia's waters by foreign-flagged fishing vessels.

A total of 756 respondents from Jakarta, West Java and Banten were surveyed for the poll that took place on Jan. 6-16, three days after the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) named the sole candidate for the post of National Police chief, Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan, a suspect over his "fat" personal bank accounts.

The KPK made the announcement mere days after Joko submitted Budi's nomination to the House of Representatives and a day before lawmakers – with the exception of former President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party – endorsed the nomination despite Budi's troubling status.

The drama surrounding the chain of events has deepened into a crisis since then, turning into a full-blown conflict between the police and the KPK.

Joko, meanwhile, has been widely censured over his failure to show appropriate support for the KPK, whose four leaders are now facing legal charges by the police on cold cases critics have seen as a systematic scheme to "criminalize and incapacitate" the antigraft body.

The public has understandably thrown their weight behind the KPK, a highly regarded institution deemed Indonesia's last bastion of hope against systemic corruption; as opposed to the police, which vies with the House each year for the ignominious honor of being the most corrupt public institution in the land.

Joko, meanwhile, has been seen as either directly or indirectly defending the police, believed by some to be led by Budi behind the scenes. The police general is a close associate of Joko's patron, Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman and former President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Critics have slammed Joko's perceived inability to defy Megawati's orders even when the stakes are high – namely completely losing the public's trust.

Observers had begun criticizing Joko when he announced his cabinet lineup in late October – as it is studded with political appointees, either those who are direct members of political parties under the pro-government Awesome Indonesia Coalition (KIH) or close associates of Megawati.

But although it is a direct deviation to his campaign promise of no horse- trading politics, observers understood Joko's move to secure political backing in order to face the opposition Red-White Coalition, which controls majority seats at the House of Representatives.

More and more of his personnel picks, though, raised even more eyebrows, including the appointment of former National Democratic Party (Nasdem) politician H.M. Prasetyo as attorney general and, more recently, nine members of the Presidential Advisory Board (Wantimpres) – nearly all of who are senior politicians with the Awesome Indonesia Coalition.

In his first 100 days in office, transactional politics under Joko has already been seen by some as even worse than that under former President Yudhoyono. The former president had at least appointed real technocrats with vast experience in their respective fields as his Wantimpres members – although he reportedly more often ignored their advice – and he named no one with apparent political associations or legal problems as the attorney general and the police chief.

And now Joko's decision to only "postpone, not cancel" Budi's nomination, as well as his insistence that he should play fair in addressing the police vs KPK squabble – despite the political intrigues obvious to many, is increasingly seen as proof to his incompetence or lack of will to fight the pressures placed upon him by Megawati and other senior politicians.

A poll on the president's first 100 days in office at the Jakarta Globe's website as of Monday night indicated more than half of 1,181 respondents were dissatisfied with his performance – 38.9 percent considered it "very poor," 12 percent deemed it "poor," 19.3 percent called his performance "fair," 11.5 percent said it has been "good," 11.25 percent believed it was "very good," while 7 percent called it "excellent."

In comparison, the former Jakarta governor and mayor of Solo led popularity polls with more than 50 percent of votes – compared with some other presidential hopefuls – in dozens of polls conducted during the peak of his popularity in late 2013 and in the first quarter of 2014.

Lesser-known policies

While controversies and critics surrounding the police chief nomination, the tension between the KPK and police, and Susi's ship-sinking policy continue to make media headlines, some observers scrutinized the Joko administration's performance in sectors that have garnered less media attention.

Irwan Suhanto of the National Strategic Study Center criticized the performance of Joko's economic team, citing its inability to bring prices of staple foods back to normal in the wake of fuel price hikes, even though the price of fuel was once again slashed on Jan. 16 following continued fall of global crude oil prices.

"This is really confusing. When the fuel prices were hiked, prices of staple foods automatically rose, too. But after the fuel prices dropped, the prices of staples have not lowered, afflicting the poor people," Irwan pointed out.

He also scrutinized the lack of work done by the coordinating minister for human development, Puan Maharani, whose appointment for the cabinet post has been largely attributed to her status as Megawati's daughter.

Puan's office should be spearheading Joko's "Mental Revolution" movement, which he had loudly touted during last year's presidential campaign, "but where is this so-called revolution?" Irwan asked rhetorically.

He also scrutinized Industry Minister Saleh Husin's allocation of a mere Rp 27 billion ($2.2 million) to supposedly support Indonesia's shipbuilding industry, saying operating a shipyard alone requires at least Rp 100 billion.

"What does he want to do with the Rp 27 billion budget for the shipbuilding industry?" Irwan questioned, adding that he had told Joko not to hesitate if he is faced with the option of conducting a cabinet reshuffle should his minsters continue to fail at their jobs.

"Jokowi should evaluate the performance of his ministers in his first 100 days in office," Irwan said, referring to the president by his popular nickname. "That is a form of responsibility to the people that have voted for him."

Melli Darsa, chairwoman of the Alumni Association for the University of Indonesia's School of Law, said Joko's political appointments in the legal sector resulted in his administration's inability to formulate a blue print on the national legislation program and of the new laws it must prioritize or old laws it must revise before others.

"Senior officials appointed in the legal sector simply don't have enough experience and are thus unable to make proper contributions [to legislation planning]," Melli said as quoted by Republika.co.id.

"President Jokowi has been completely inconsistent with his [campaign] promises," she added.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/indonesia-weighs-jokowis-poor-start/

Health & education

Turning the tide for Indonesia's unsettled education sector

Jakarta Globe - January 29, 2015

Alicia Barker & Eva Corlett, Jakarta – In the leafy surrounds of Menteng, Central Jakarta, nestles St. Theresia high school, an educational institution that is luckier than most. Teachers at the Catholic school regularly show up at classes, are able to provide one-on-one support to students and air-conditioned classrooms are well-supplied and in good repair.

Most St. Theresia pupils recognize their privilege relative to students across Indonesia, with these simple requirements unable to be fulfilled at many schools across the archipelago.

Grade 12 student Rafael Damara, 18, holds high hopes of studying chemical engineering at the University of Indonesia, one the country's most prestigious institutions, after he graduates.

While most of St. Theresia's pupils will go on to tertiary education, for many Indonesian students study will stop after a few years in elementary school.

Rafael said he felt the quality of teaching at St. Theresia is high compared to most schools because of its focus on academic subjects and "character building." "We're not just taught a formal education, but we're given education about life, what it is to be a person, to have great mental ability," he said.

Private schools such as St. Theresia, which make up 48 percent of schools in Indonesia, charge tuition fees that are unaffordable for most Indonesian parents. Less affluent students must pass exams to gain admission to some of the country's exclusive public schools or attend regular state-run schools.

While private and selective public schools seem to have their pick of high-quality teachers, regular public schools often miss out on educators with proper training and qualifications.

According to a 2010 World Bank report, the education of Indonesian teachers is very low, with as little as 37 percent of teachers holding a four-year degree. There seems to be little incentive for teachers to upgrade their skills and many must work multiple jobs to earn a living, jeopardizing their daily attendance at school.

Executive principal of "National Plus" school PKSD, Mandiri Wendy Armunando, said she felt many teachers were not receiving proper instruction from trainers, particularly in some of the country's more remote islands.

"They know the theory but some of them do not know how to practice it in the field, how it is done, so they just talk about the theory," she said. "When teachers talk about a problem they face in the field, most of them cannot answer. [Teachers] need to be trained by teachers, not by people sitting in their offices."

'Teaching to a test'

St. Theresia student Rafael said he felt a general focus on rote learning and memorization was a "fault" in the Indonesian education system.

"It's not encouraging us to be problem solvers; instead we're just trying to memorize all the questions available," he said. "We prepare for national exams just by repeating and repeating the same type of questions and that's not really education for me. I think the government could fix that with a better method."

Culture and Primary & Secondary Education Minister Anies Baswedan announced last week that national exams would no longer be the sole factor in determining a high school student's graduation, but rather they would become a "learning tool" for students – a change hailed by some as a step in the right direction for education reform and criticized by others as too conservative a measure.

Principal Wendy said she felt in the past Indonesian teachers were simply "teaching to a test." "I think what we need is to develop the students' problem-solving skills and higher-level thinking skills, those kinds of things, because that's where we fail."

2006 vs 2013 curriculum

Many schools are now reverting to the 2006 curriculum, following the minister's suspension of the 2013 curriculum, which removed English, science and social studies from elementary schools and added additional hours of Indonesian language, religious studies and national ideology in their place.

The removal of science from the curriculum was criticized by some, as Indonesian students placed second to last in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's 2012 Program for International Assessment (PISA) test of global numeracy, literacy and scientific skills, failing to compete with their counterparts in Singapore and China.

Principal of St. Theresia, Godeliva Kris Saptariningsih, said her teachers preferred the older curriculum.

"With the 2013 curriculum, teachers have a lot of administration work and technical problems and so on and so forth," she said. "If we have to change to the 2006 curriculum, we believe teachers will be given the space to evaluate students better and more comprehensively, more personally."

While the 2013 curriculum had its merits for Wendy's students, she said it often disadvantaged them by introducing as many as 17 subjects per semester, extending school hours for some pupils. "There are so many things that have to be covered, but [the learning] is not deep enough, so mastering something is quite rare," she said.

While some students, such as St. Theresia's Stella Monglia, 16, said they liked the ability to study and specialize in an area of preference, such as social sciences, the extra hours spent at school were ultimately draining on students.

Chalkboards to collaboration

While the government may be making efforts toward reforming the education sector, a growing number of nongovernmental organizations and grassroots projects have already emerged, hoping to enrich the prescribed national curriculum.

Programs are initiating a move away from a chalkboard approach, where children are provided little opportunity to engage with the topic critically or creatively, toward a collaborative one.

But shifting the ingrained norms of Indonesia's classroom culture will be a seismic task. One such initiative, Literasi Anak Indonesia, aims to challenge traditional classroom culture and address a lack of literacy resourcing.

The program, started four years ago by educators at Bali's Dyatmika School and now an independent yayasan (foundation), emerged to fill a noticeable gap in Indonesian literacy development.

Head of early years and primary at Dyatmika School, Aprile Denise, says the gap became evident when the dual-language school realized the English reading program had a plethora of books and resources compared with that of the under-resourced Indonesian counterpart.

What was available for the Indonesian children were generally translated texts and there was little that spoke to the identity of the Indonesian child.

Part of the hurdle surrounding literacy is shifting cultural attitudes to reading, she says, particularly in a country where reading hasn't become a widespread cultural norm, as may be the case internationally.

A lack of Indonesian texts for children at bookshops, for example, risks hindering and denying further engagement with texts in school programs.

Coupled with a fixed curriculum and standardized approach to learning across a large country, this only adds to a weakened reading culture in Indonesia, Aprile said.

To remedy this, they purposefully engaged Indonesian writers, artists and photographers to work alongside the educators in establishing more than 75 homegrown titles and support texts. Children, she hoped, would connect to the ideas in the stories and therefore feel proud and connected to their identity.

"They are very much ideas that children would be [engaging with] and experiencing... not something pulled out of another country and planted here."

The program, which is unique in Indonesia, was something very new for teachers to engage with, Aprile said.

Despite Indonesian schools being allowed the freedom to deliver the prescribed curriculum how they wish, this is often restricted through the standard traditional training methods for teachers.

Much guidance and teaching methodology was needed with a focus on interactivity – how to ask good questions and engage response to the text, questioning back and encouraging this within children, as well as reading stories to class – which was considered "unusual."

But there is receptiveness growing within the emerging middle class toward alternative pedagogical styles.

"Parents want to see something different for their children," Aprile said. "There's a desire to have innovative teaching approaches. I think there is a change in the tide. We've come to a point where there is a lot of interest and it seems to be creating its own energy."

Furthermore, schools are utilizing their networks to speak to one another and impart new knowledge – something the Literasi program hoped to see. "Ultimately, that will be a really positive thing," Aprile added.

Local champions

But it isn't just teachers and the government that need to fulfill their role in education, said public engagement manager for Indonesia Mengajar (Indonesia Teaches) Rahmat Danu Andika.

Indonesia Mengajar, an NGO founded by Anies Baswedan in 2010, deploys trained teachers to 132 remote villages in 17 provinces across Indonesia.

The aim is to equip local teachers, or "local champions" as they are referred to, with the skills to teach, lead and encourage communication and participation within a child's education at a community level.

"[The quality of education] depends on behavioral changes from parents, teachers, principals and elders in the village," Rahmat said. A common challenge, he added, is not so much in the infrastructure and resources, but within the community expectations of their children.

An example being when he proposed to take a group of children from the remote village, Pelita in West Java, to a science competition in the district capital – a three-hour boat ride away.

Initially, he was met with resistance from parents who believed their children would not be smart enough to compete against children from the district capital and would, therefore, bring shame upon their families. When his persistence prevailed and eventually the parents agreed to the trip, two of three of the students reached the semifinals, and "just like that, the expectation changed," he said. The following year, parents wanted their children to enter the competition, Rahmat said.

The organization receives no government or international funding and is "non-transactional" within the communities it assists. When teachers volunteer to be sent to a village, they do not expect anything in return from the local government, Rahmat explained, adding that "it is forbidden to receive or transfer funds."

Despite the NGO's links with the minister, Anies's involvement now remains purely at a volunteer level. "Even though [Anies] has moved into politics, he made his position clear that Indonesia Mengajar should continue as a non-partisan organization," Rahmat said. "We are fighting for the same goal in different paths."

Helping hand from Australia

The central government has accepted funding from Australia to help "build the capacity" of principals and school leaders.

Australian-Indonesian education partnership Professional Development for Education Personnel, or ProDEP, covers 250 districts across Indonesia's 34 provinces and aims to provide improved professional development for school leaders.

ProDEP senior professional development advisor Yaya Kardiawarma said better training for principals would have a trickle-down effect on teachers and students, and big-picture support for government education planning was also on the ProDEP agenda.

"We've started with supporting national strategic planning in education and then we also work with the government of Indonesia, especially with the Ministry of Education and Culture, and the Ministry of Religious Affairs to support their strategic planning," he said.

There is still a need within government-prescribed teacher training for good working models and research to see how teaching methods will impact children, Dyatmika School's Aprile said.

But Aprile, like other educators, appears hopeful the new administration alongside education minister Anies will deliver on policies required to strengthen these areas, as well as tackle issues like misuse of school funds and corruption in the education system.

"There seems to be a lot of openness from this new government and especially from this new minister to listen to innovative ideas. He set up something innovative himself – Indonesia Mengajar – [so] he has a desire to see change happen, especially in the early part of education curriculum," she said.

There are high expectations upon the minister to elicit change and deliver reform within the education sector. But similarly, there is a pervading trust that a systemic shift, pioneered by Anies, will be realized.

"We believe he is a real educator," Godeliva said. "We hope that the minister is able to improve mostly the quality of the teachers, because... from the starting point of the teachers we believe the quality of students is able to be improved."

"There is a lot out there that has to be weighed up in terms of 'will this work in Indonesia'," Aprile added.

"But if you can show that it is working, is sustainable and it is making a difference in schools – he will sit up and start to take note of that," she said. "We are excited about the change, which seems to be around the corner."

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/turning-tide-indonesias-unsettled-education-sector/

Parenting directorate 'unnecessary'

Jakarta Post - January 26, 2015

Fedina S. Sundaryani, Jakarta – The Culture and Elementary and Secondary Education Ministry is currently brewing up the details for a new directorate on parenting education, which critics have said is unnecessary amid the country's education reform.

Federation of Indonesian Teachers Associations (FSGI) secretary-general Retno Listyarti said that it was not only unusual for the ministry to establish a parenting education directorate, but also unnecessary and would detract focus from the ministry's other ongoing projects.

"The establishment of the new directorate would be ineffective and just make the ministry's bureaucracy even more complicated," she said.

In a spirit of reform, Culture and Elementary and Secondary Education Minister Anies Baswedan announced that the ministry would establish a parenting education directorate to would help guide parents in assisting children in the learning process. The plan was another breakthrough from the new minister, who has been in office for just three months.

Anies has already suspended the 2013 Curriculum due to many components failing to be applied by teachers at schools and has introduced a new national examination system, which is no longer used to determine students' graduation. Despite gaining praise for his bold moves, Anies has also been criticized for not introducing better policies.

The revised curriculum draft still includes piety as part of students' grading, making the frequency that Christian students go to church or whether Muslim students conduct prayers five times a day continue to be part of teachers' evaluations.

The current system of national exams gives full authority to schools to grade their own students' exam papers and determine their graduation status, a system that may open the chance for teachers to be generous in grading students. In the past, schools usually swapped students' national exam papers for marking in order to keep grading prudent.

Another plan on Anies' agenda is the setting up of a teachers' welfare directorate, which would provide training to teachers. The role of providing teacher training has a potential to overlap with initiatives under the ministry's Human Resources Development Agency (BPSDMPK-PMP).

Education expert Arief Rachman said setting up the new directorates would not be a problem as long as the ministry had a clear vision.

"As long as they are prepared well, the new directorates can be a good thing. It is a better way to encourage parents and teachers in assisting children," he said. Anies said on Thursday that the parenting education directorate would be an information center for parents who want to understand the school curriculum and involve themselves more in their children's education.

"We want parents to be more involved in the way their children are developing mentally and physically. Teachers are given guide books on how to make sure children improve in the education system, but parents aren't," he said.

Anies said that because the directorates were still in the planning stages, he could not disclose when they would be ready. "We are still waiting for the President's approval on the new [directorates]," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/26/parenting-directorate-unnecessary.html

Teachers criticize 'piety grades'

Jakarta Post - January 23, 2015

Jakarta – Teachers have complained about the inclusion of piety as a category of student assessment in the 2013 curriculum.

During a meeting held Thursday to review the curriculum at the Culture and Elementary and Secondary Education Ministry, Federation of Indonesian Teachers Associations (FSGI) secretary-general Retno Listyarti said that most teachers present denounced the inclusion of student piety as a category of assessment.

"We were so shocked when they told us that students would be graded by how religious they were. The ministry is supposed to organize the education system, not control how religious children are," she said.

The curriculum is currently being revised after Culture and Elementary and Secondary Education Minister Anies Baswedan scrapped it in December. Currently, 6,221 schools are permitted to use the new curriculum. The rest are required to revert to the 2006 one.

Retno said that ministry officials said students would be graded on how often they attended their respective houses of worship and how well they did in their religious studies.

She added that the heavy focus on religion could create conflict among classmates of differing faiths and undermine the principle of pluralism.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/23/teachers-criticize-piety-grades.html

Debunking the dangerous myths about vaccination to Indonesians

Jakarta Globe - January 23, 2015

Yuli Krisna, Bandung – Like a lot of people in Indonesia, 35-year-old Bayu is suspicious of the government's immunization programs, mostly because of rumors he has heard from social media and religious Muslim leaders.

Bayu said he had opted to keep his three children from receiving vaccination that are designed to prevent illnesses like polio, small pox and hepatitis.

Among the many theories he heard is vaccines will only make a child sicker, since they are developed from the virus. He is most concerned about the unsubstantiated rumors that swine is involved in the production of vaccines, which Muslims considered to be haram, or forbidden in Islam.

Bayu is not alone. Many, particularly in rural areas, hold the rumors and misinformation true, trusting the words of their clerics instead of government officials, doctors and scientists which say otherwise.

This has become a source of concern for a number of parents in West Java, who later formed the social media drive "Immunization Awareness Movement," or Gesamun, in May 2012.

The group chose Facebook as its platform for spreading information about immunization and dismissing the many myths surrounding it, since the social media site is commonly used by those living in poor urban areas and villages.

"We realize that a lot of people find this misinformation about immunization online," said Gesamun co-founder Alifah Cavida. "Which is why we decided to form an online based movement to spread credible information [on immunization] from world leading scientists and organizations."

Alifah, 32, is one of four administrators for Gesamun's Facebook page and through the years, Alifah found countless myths surrounding immunization from those calling it "a Jewish conspiracy," haram, or being a cause of autism. "Fact is, none of these claims are ever proven scientifically," she said.

In the beginning, Gesamun's Facebook page was also attacked by Internet trolls, posting various myths on immunization. The page's administrators also have to brace themselves for possible propaganda wars, tirelessly countering the trolls and the myths they write one by one.

Eventually, Alifah said, Gesamun administrators managed to slowly convince skeptics, particularly after they invited several doctors and scientists to join the group and shed light and answer people's questions.

Gesamun also invited legal experts, ministry officials and even members of the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI), the country's most prominent Muslim body. Today, the Facebook group has 48,000 members from all walks of life.

"From the group's discussion, it shows, that people are slowly changing their attitudes [towards immunization] at the very least, some people began to look for the truth and verify the many myths they have read and heard from credible sources," she said.

"They are many who became aware [of the importance of immunization] and give non-subsidized vaccines to their children." Alifah said the hardest thing about being a Gesamun administrator is juggling her time between her venture, work and her two children.

"But seeing more and more parents opting not to give vaccination shots to their children because of unconfirmed rumors compelled me to do something about it," she said. "For me, immunization is a way for parents to prove that they care about their children's future." Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/debunking-dangerous-myths-vaccination-indonesians/

Graft & corruption

Prosecutors pursue fugitive Papua policeman with fat bank account

Jakarta Post - January 28, 2015

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – The Sorong Prosecutor's Office said it was continuing to pursue Labora Sitorus, a Raja Ampat Police precinct officer with a bank account containing Rp 1.5 trillion (US$119.8 million), who had fled after he was sentenced to 15 years in prison and ordered to pay a fine of Rp 5 billion.

"Sitorus has been included on the Sorong Prosecutor's Office most wanted list [DPO] because he vanished when we wanted to execute the Supreme Court verdict after it ruled against his appeal," Sorong Prosecutor's Office head Damrah Muin told The Jakarta Post in Sorong, Papua, on Wednesday.

He said the Prosecutor's Office issued the DPO after its officers, who were going to execute the court verdict, could not find Sitorus at either the Sorong Penitentiary or his home in Sorong.

Originally, the Sorong District Court sentenced Sitorus to two years in prison and fined him Rp 500 million. The prosecutors appealed the verdict and the Papua High Court accepted the appeal and sentenced the policeman to eight years in prison.

Sitorus' lawyers then filed an appeal with the Supreme Court, which rejected the appeal and increased both the sentence and the fine.

Damrah said the verdict should have been executed on Nov. 4, 2014. "Anyone who sees or knows the whereabouts of Labora Sitorus ought to immediately report it to Sorong Prosecutor's Office," said Damrah, citing the DPO letter.

Sorong Penitentiary warden, Maliki Hasan, said Sitorus had left the detention facility on March 17, 2014, saying he wanted to seek medical treatment. The prison's physician, who had examined Sitorus, said the policeman suffered pains in his waist while his right leg was numb.

"Since then, he has never returned to the prison; consequently Sorong Prosecutor's Office issued a DPO letter," said Maliki. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/28/prosecutors-pursue-fugitive-papua-policeman-with-fat-bank-account.html

Terrorism & religious extremism

Military ready to fight terrorism in Poso

Jakarta Post - January 23, 2015

Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) has said it is ready to launch a military operation to quell terrorism in Poso, Central Sulawesi, if required to do so.

"We are ready. There is no negotiation on this matter," Maj. Gen. Bachtiar, chief of the Wirabuana Military Command overseeing South, West, Southeast and North Sulawesi, said in Palu, Central Sulawesi, on Friday.

He added that his side was still coordinating with the Poso regency administration and the local police to restore security and public order to Poso. Bachtiar said further that the military was still conducting territorial operations to restore security to the regency.

He urged authorities in the province to ask for people's active participation in helping monitor the situation in the province. "If local people are empowered, terrorism in Poso could be vanquished," he said as quoted by Antara news agency.

Central Sulawesi governor Longki Jonggala has called on the military to quell terrorism in the province, mainly Poso regency. He also met Vice President Jusuf Kalla to discuss terrorism in Poso.

In the past two years, four locals have been killed and four others have gone missing in terrorist attacks. The regency has also become a training ground for terrorists.

The police are still on the hunt for a terrorist group held responsible for a series of terror attacks on local people in the past two years. (rms)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/23/military-ready-fight-terrorism-poso.html

Hard-line & vigilante groups

FPI members questioned for flying IS flags

Jakarta Post - January 27, 2015

Andi Hajramurni, Makasar – The Makassar City Police are investigating processions held by the South Sulawesi chapter of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) in Makassar on Saturday, while flying flags typically used by the Islamic State (IS) organization.

South Sulawesi Police chief spokesman Sr. Comr. Endi Sutendi confirmed speculation on Monday that the police had issued a permit to the FPI to hold a seminar and convoy as they claimed they were only campaigning for Muslim leadership.

"Unexpectedly, when they took to the streets in a procession, they carried IS flags. The Makassar City Police are currently investigating the case. We will speak with the rally coordinator," said Endi.

The FPI held the public seminar because they wanted to discuss Muslim leadership at the FPI regional headquarters on Jl. Sungai Limboto, Makassar – There were several speakers including FPI central board nahiy munkar (evil deed prevention) head Munarman. After the seminar, they then held a procession around the city while carrying a black flag, usually flown by IS.

They stopped on Jl. Nusantara in front of the Soekarno-Hatta Port in Makassar, addressed the crowd and installed banners in favor of Makassar Mayor Mohammad Ramdhan Pomanto's policy of converting the area, notorious as a red-light district, into a culinary area.

When questioned on Monday, FPI South Sulawesi chapter legion commander Abdul Rahman, who led the convoy, denied that the rally was done in support of IS, but said the convoy brought along the flag as part of an effort to familiarize the public, most of which has so far regarded the words written on the flag as those of terrorists, whereas in fact the flag is a banner of Islamic.

"We wish to convey to the public that the flag, thus far used by IS, is simply a flag, or banner of Islam. The flag has existed since Prophet Muhammad's era and has always been flown by the Prophet's companions," said Rahman. So far, added Rahman, the public had been influenced by others into believing that the flag was synonymous with terrorism.

"We want to straighten this out. We fear that the public would be afraid, or against tauhid (monotheistic) phrases, whereas in fact such phrases are always expressed by Muslims. So, I emphasize that the rally and the flag have no connection with IS," he said.

According to Rahman, the convoy, involving around 100 people, had three aspirations. Apart from familiarizing the public with the flag, typically flown by IS, as an Islamic banner, the FPI also condemned the cartoonist who insulted the Prophet Muhammad in France and supported the Makassar mayor's decision to convert the area around Jl. Nusantara into a culinary area.

Rahman acknowledged he had received a summons from the Makassar City Police concerning the convoy held on Jan. 24. "I'm ready to fulfill the call and explain the convoy," he said. He added that he would also visit editorial offices in Makassar to clarify reports regarding the act.

Flying IS flags by supporters of the group, which was earlier known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), is not new despite the government ban.

On Aug. 4, last year, the government officially announced the ban on support for IS and warned citizens not to join the rebel group's fight in Syria and Iraq.

Last June, in Malang, East Java, a group named Anharul Khilafah reportedly declared its support for ISIL at an event in a mosque in June despite resistance from local residents. IS flags were found during the arrests of wanted suspected terrorists in Ngawi, East Java, and Jatiasih, Bekasi, West Java, in August.

Two weeks ago, a planned mass gathering of supporters of IS at a mosque in Semarang was canceled. The gathering was reportedly organized Jammah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT), an organization established by cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, who is serving a 15-year sentence for terrorism-related offenses in Nusakambangan prison, Central Java.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/27/fpi-members-questioned-flying-is-flags.html

Freedom of religion & worship

Big meeting fails to resolve GKI Yasmin dispute

Jakarta Post - January 23, 2015

Corry Elyda, Jakarta – The continuing saga of the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) Yasmin has yet to see any light at the end of the tunnel as the latest discussions among stakeholders, facilitated by the Indonesian Ombudsman, have not reached any significant agreement.

Indonesian Ombudsman commissioner Budi Santoso said after a meeting on Thursday that although Bogor Mayor Bima Arya claimed that he was committed to finding a solution during his tenure, no agreement or concrete proposal was produced after the three-hour talks.

Budi said that instead of engaging in further discussions, Bima asked all parties to cool down for a while. "He asked all parties to cool down, especially in the articles and opinions published in mass media and social media, some of which have harassed him," he said.

Besides the Ombudsman, the GKI Yasmin members and the mayor, representatives from the Home Ministry, the Religious Affairs Ministry and the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Ministry also attended the meeting.

Budi said he urged the central government not to wash its hands of the matter and force the Bogor administration to face it alone.

Bima, who reiterated his commitment to resolve the issue, said the case was very sensitive and complicated.

"We need to informally approach and listen to the aspirations of all the stakeholders, including the ones who oppose the church building and another GKI group, like the GKI Pengadilan, instead of blowing up the issue in the mass media," he said during the meeting.

Bima said he had several options for a solution: relocating the church to another place, asking the congregation to start processing the permit all over again, or finding some other possible legal avenue to replace the revoked online building permit (IMB).

The Ombudsman also proposed another solution, namely building a mosque near the church to neutralize the situation.

GKI Yasmin spokesperson Bona Sigalingging said the church would only agree with a solution that complied with the Supreme Court ruling and the Ombudsman's recommendation. Bona said the church refused to relocate because the current site was already their third choice, after having been relocated twice before.

He said, however, the congregation was open to any discussion in order to find a solution to the issue.

Timeline

2006: Several residents of Curug Mekar subdistrict, where Taman Yasmin is located, protest against the church in the housing complex. They accuse GKI Taman Yasmin of falsifying signatures for the IMB.

2008: Then Bogor mayor Diani Budiarto, through the Spatial Planning and Parks Agency, issues a decree to freeze the church's IMB.

2008: The State Administrative Court (PTUN) in Bandung orders the administration to revoke the decree that froze the church's IMB.

2009: The State Administrative High Court in Jakarta upholds the PTUN's ruling.

2010: The Bogor administration seals the church building.

2010: The Supreme Court (MA) upholds the two lower court rulings in favor of the church.

2011: The Bogor Administration complies with the MA's ruling, issuing a decree to revoke the freezing of the IMB on March 8.

2011: Three days later on March 11, Mayor Diani instead revokes the IMB.

2011: Ombudsman issues a recommendation against the March 11 decree, saying that it represents administrative malpractice.

2014: In January, when Bima Arya was still the mayor-elect, he vows to find a solution to the GKI Yasmin dispute.

2014: In December before Christmas, Bima meets with GKI Pengadilan, GKI Yasmin's umbrella church before the latter became independent, to discuss Christmas services at GKI Yasmin. Bona protests because the mayor failed to invite GKI Yasmin representatives.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/23/big-meeting-fails-resolve-gki-yasmin-dispute.html

Governance & administration

Fight against tax evaders escalates

Jakarta Post - January 31, 2015

Khoirul Amin and Tassia Sipahutar, Jakarta – In a move seen as a strong message that the government is serious about fighting against tax evaders, the tax office has imprisoned a high-level employee of a foreign leather- trading company.

The 61-year-old detainee, identified only by the initials SC, works for PT DGP, which has evaded taxes for over five years. Unpaid taxes amounted to Rp 6 billion (US$470,339), said Dadang Suwarna, director general of audit and tax collections, on Friday. "We want to make it clear that if there are those evading taxes, we will actively enforce the law," Dadang said.

Aiming to collect more taxes this year, the government is reinforcing a regulation that allows tax evaders with total unpaid taxes worth more than Rp 100 million to be held in a dedicated debtors prison.

The tax office has already come up with 46 names responsible for evading Rp 1.37 trillion worth of taxes who will be taken to debtors prison.

Seven of them in East Java and South Sumatra will be imprisoned next week, excluding SC and a colleague, as they have evaded Rp 13.6 billion in taxes. SC's colleague fled overseas before the Finance Ministry issued a permit for his imprisonment.

As of Friday, it was planned that SC would be detained in a prison cell next to the children's cells at Salemba Penitentiary in Central Jakarta, said Imam Suyudi, the head of the penitentiary section in the Jakarta division of the Law and Human Rights Ministry.

"SC will be treated like other prisoners, except that he will not be placed in a criminal prison cell. We will provide him with Rp 14,000 a day for meals, the same that other prisoners get," he said.

SC will be imprisoned for six months, but could be released earlier if he pays the taxes before the end of six months, according to the regulation. If, at the end of six months, the taxes have yet to be paid, SC's sentence could be extended for another six months.

Before imprisoning tax evaders, the tax office (the Finance Ministry's directorate general of taxation) first issues warning letters and overseas travel bans then traces the evaders' assets to see if they are capable of paying.

Dadang said the tax office would fully enforce the law to fight tax evaders in an effort to boost the country's tax revenues, which are targeted at around Rp 1.24 quadrillion (non-oil and gas), a 39 percent increase from last year's collection.

Finance Minister Bambang Bro-djonegoro has said that it would need "extra efforts" to meet the target, but his ministry has rolled out several strategies to achieve it, other than imprisoning tax evaders.

Law enforcement improvement might deliver Rp 22.5 trillion in tax revenues by year-end, according to the tax office's calculation.

Closer monitoring of institutional taxpayers in nine priority sectors – real estate, construction, trade, mining, agriculture, financial services, telecommunications, fisheries, health care and pharmacies – will potentially bring in around Rp 140 trillion in tax revenue, data from the office show.

"We will look into the electronic commerce segment to find potential tax sources. Electronic transactions are already subject to taxation in some countries," Finance Ministry's acting director general of taxation Mardiasmo said during a meeting with the budget committee at the House of Representatives on Thursday.

The ministry has also set its sights on numerous transactions in financial services, including insurance. "We may implement taxing on top-up insurance plans," he added.

There were up to 30 million holders of taxpayer numbers (NPWP) in Indonesia by the end of 2014, but less than 2 percent of them had paid their taxes appropriately.

For individual taxpayers, the tax office has planned on simplifying tax payment methods and expanding its tax collection coverage to include purchases of high-end jewelry or private jets and the possession of luxurious lodgings, bags and shoes. "If they are able to purchase such items, they surely have more than enough income to pay their taxes," Mardiasmo said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/31/fight-against-tax-evaders-escalates.html

Researchers push for more evidence-based policies

Jakarta Post - January 26, 2015

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Researchers are pushing for more evidence- based policies from the current government, arguing that the quality of policies born from research are often superior to those born from mere observation or knee-jerk reactions.

Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) political researcher Vidhyandika Djati Perkasa said that a focus on evidence-based policies was needed to transform the way the country was being developed.

"The aim is to transform policies that are usually being driven by politics to maintain political legitimacy into a more rational approach by seeking evidence," he said at the CSIS' office in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta.

Evidence-based policy is defined as an approach that helps people make well-informed decisions about policies, programs and projects by putting the best available evidence from research at the heart of policy development and implementation.

"While it is difficult to gauge the relationship between good evidence and good policy, there's a tendency that good evidence produces good policy," Vidhyandika said.

In terms of the current government, he said that some questions still remain. "Is there any difference between President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in terms of the data being used to make policies?" asked Vidhyandika.

Another CSIS political researcher, Philips J. Vermonte, admitted that the government tended to make policies that would gain public approval. "Decision makers also consider electoral politics. They often pay attention to public perception so that they ignore the best policies," he said.

Vidhyandika also cited some problems that could prevent the current government from shifting to evidence-based policies. "Our expenditure for research and design is so small: only 0.07 percent of the state budget," Vidhyandika said.

Philips pointed out the small number of think tanks in the country. "There is a huge opportunity for think tanks, but the hurdle is also big because our numbers are few, so the competition is not fierce. Therefore, the output is also small," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/26/researchers-push-more-evidence-based-policies.html

Parliament & legislation

Government will not deliberate controversial bills this year

Jakarta Post - January 30, 2015

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The government will postpone the deliberation of bills that are deemed controversial, including a bill on the protection of religious communities, which the Religious Affairs Ministry had touted as a breakthrough in the protection of minority rights.

Although the bill has been included on a list of 84 bills proposed for the 2015-209 National Legislation Program (Prolegnas), the government has left the bill, along with other contentious bills, off this year's priority list.

Also dropped from the priority list are the national security and state secrecy bills, which had been opposed by rights groups as potential threats to democracy.

"We want to avoid any controversies during in this first year so we will not focus on such contentious bills. It's the President's instruction. They remain as our long-term targets although they are not our priority this year," Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H. Laoly said on the sidelines of a meeting with lawmakers from the House's Legislation Body (Baleg) on Thursday.

Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin had previously said that his office had drafted the religious communities bill as an effort to guarantee the freedom of faith for all. Lukman said the bill could be deliberated and endorsed in April next year.

Bills included on the priority list for this year include a bill to set up a truth and reconciliation commission (KKR). The bill, if endorsed, could be a breakthrough in the complicated efforts to establish an ad hoc human rights tribunal to hear past cases of human rights violations.

"I have promised to focus on the KKR bill in particular. So the government will work on it as our efforts to set up the rights tribunal have failed twice. Let bygones be bygones. We'll focus on this [KKR bill] now and let's see how to settle problems later," Yasonna said.

Also included in the top priority list for this year are an amendment to the draconian Criminal Code (KUHP) and a revision to the 2003 Labor Law.

Baleg chairman Sareh Wiyono of the Gerindra Party said that for the 2015- 2019 term, the House expected to discuss 150 bills under the current Prolegnas. "We aim to deliberate 30 bills in a year at the most. We want to make sure they will be of good quality," he said.

The House has frequently been subject to criticism for its poor legislative performance.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/30/govt-will-not-deliberate-controversial-bills-year.html

Jakarta & urban life

Jakarta police chief trumpets city safety following unflattering report

Jakarta Globe - January 30, 2015

Bayu Marhaenjati, Jakarta – A report by the Economist Intelligence Unit ranking Jakarta bottom of a list of 50 global cities has been greeted with a degree of disbelief by the capital's police chief.

"We just caught four rearview window thieves in West Jakarta a few days ago," said Jakarta Police Chief Insp. Gen. Unggung Cahyono.

The Safe Cities Index by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) put Jakarta at the bottom of a list of 50 international cities. The report measured the relative level of safety in four broad categories: digital security, health security, infrastructure security, and personal safety. Some 44 metrics were used in the survey, which included cities such Bangkok, Hong Kong, New York and Rio de Janeiro.

The criteria used by the EIU report looks at everything from pedestrian friendliness to the percentage of computers infected with malware – two categories in which Jakarta was never likely to have fared well. Other factors such as the percentage of people living in slums and access to clean water were priced into the overall calculation.

The Jakarta Police chief was, however, rather more keen to talk about robust policing in Southeast Asia's largest city.

"We use more than four indicators. We also use conventional crime, such as vehicle theft, transnational crime such as drug smuggling, crime against the state...," Unggung said on Friday.

The police said that, from their point of view, Jakarta should serve as a model for safety to its regional peers. "Other countries can look up to us," he said. "Today during night patrols, I can see people are still gathering in the Old Town area at 3 a.m. It means it is still safe."

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/jakarta/jakarta-police-chief-trumpets-city-safety-following-unflattering-economist-report/

Eviction victims stranded with limited options

Jakarta Post - January 26, 2015

Sita W. Dewi and Sumnima Dewan, Jakarta – Rostiana, 46, lost everything when the city administration demolished her house last December.

She was among dozens of illegal squatters living on the riverbanks of the Sekretaris River in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta, whose houses were demolished to make a way for the city's infrastructure program.

"I was literally crying to see my house being demolished [...] I have lived here since 1995," she told The Jakarta Post near her house on Wednesday.

The city's demolition work was unfinished, somehow. "The district leader told the officers to stop when it was just half demolished," said Rostiana, who lived with her husband and four children in the house.

After the demolition, there have been no signs of any projects to be carried out at the site, so Rostiana and her family decided to install a roof over the half-demolished shanty house and continue to live there.

"I can't even sleep well at night for fear of another eviction but I have nowhere to go. I can't find an affordable house to rent around here," she said. The eviction, she said, also cost the family her daily income from selling snacks at a nearby school.

Mariah, 51, another squatter who also lost her home, said she had no choice but to live in a tiny room with her mother, sister and child in the neighborhood. "At least we have a roof to cover us," she said.

Mariah said that the administration had informed the squatters about the eviction plan, but did not set a deadline or give the squatters enough time to prepare or negotiate.

"On Dec. 23, the city demolished my home while I was away in Kalimantan visiting my grandchild. I returned only to see that my home had turned into ruins," she said. Mariah, too, lost her daily income as she used her home to sell vegetables and was forced to look for a new job.

According to the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation, more than 500 families – some of whom were already evicted – had been informed by the city administration about the planned eviction. However, they received no information about the timeline.

Some of the residents who lived by the river then decided to demolish parts of their houses themselves to give the required space. However, they still had no clue about the administration's plans in the area.

Ida Hamidah was among those who demolished the back part of her house to make a space as required by the city. "I don't know how the city will use the space but they said they needed about eight meters from the riverbank," she said.

Ida cited that she refused to leave the area or to relocate to low-cost apartments as the city offered. "I have lived here for more than 10 years and I don't want to go upstairs, say, to the fifth floor every day," she said.

Ladi, 61, a local figure, said that he was struggling to support the residents who wanted to stay in the neighborhood. "We prefer kampung [local village] management, so we don't want to leave," he said.

Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation lawyer Rachmawati Putri said the residents occupying the banks of the Sekretaris River had agreed to a land-sharing option.

"They are willing to live in a smaller space through kampung management, so the administration will have ample space for their projects. This solution requires much less funding than building low-cost apartments to relocate them," she told the Post.

The foundation also voiced concerns about the lack of transparency in eviction programs. "The authorities did not reveal their detailed plan in the area. Whether they will build an inspection road or at which point they are going to build the road. With such information we would know how many squatters will be affected. But we never know," she cited.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/26/eviction-victims-stranded-with-limited-options.html

354 suspected 'thugs' rounded up in latest Jakarta street raids

Jakarta Globe - January 25, 2015

Bayu Marhaenjati, Jakarta – Police in Jakarta rounded up more than 300 people over the weekend in their latest wave of enforcement against street crime and other activities seen as public order disturbances.

Sr. Comr. Martinus Sitompus, a spokesman for the city police, said 354 people were arrested during the two-day "Operation Cempaka" and various contraband seized.

These included bladed weapons, 60 grams of marijuana, 147 bottles of alcoholic beverages, and illegal lottery tickets. Police also confiscated two cars and four motorcycles, as well as Rp 907,000 ($72) in cash.

Martinus said 31 of those arrested had been taken into custody to face criminal charges, while the rest were released after "guidance" – a euphemism for a stern warning.

The operation was the latest in a series of roundups that the Jakarta Police have carried out in the past week on those identified as "street thugs."

On Wednesday, police rounded up 809 people before letting most of them go without charge; the previous Saturday, 625 people were netted in citywide raids.

The police operations seem to be aimed at activities on the streets widely seen by Jakartans as a public nuisance. Such activities range from robbery and extortion to public intoxication and pickpocketing, but also include begging and playing music on public transportation, which on rare occasions can take the form of more or less aggressive panhandling.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/354-suspected-thugs-rounded-latest-jakarta-street-raids/

Intelligence & state security

PBHI wants clean figure for BIN chief

Jakarta Post - January 31, 2015

Jakarta – The human rights watchdog group, the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI), called on President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to pick credible candidates for the position of chief of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) to replace Lt. Gen. Marciano Norman.

The PBHI said that Jokowi must not appoint a candidate who has a dubious human rights record.

PBHI secretary general Suryadi Radjab said, as quoted by tribunnews.com, that Jokowi should not repeat the mistake he made in the appointment of HM Prasetyo, a NasDem Party politician, to be Attorney General, or his decision to nominate graft suspect Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan as the next police chief.

The PBHI said that the four individuals who have been touted as candidates to become BIN chief have checkered human rights records and Jokowi should not consider any of them for the position.

The four individuals are former deputy defense minister Lt. Gen. (ret) Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, former BIN deputy chief As'ad Said Ali, former TNI deputy commander Gen. (ret) Fachrul Razi and former Jakarta Governor Lt. Gen. (ret) Sutiyoso.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/31/pbhi-wants-clean-figure-bin-chief.html

Government revives deliberation on national security bill

Jakarta Post - January 27, 2015

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The Defense Ministry is pushing for the endorsement of the national security (Kamnas) bill, the deliberation of which has been postponed for years as a result of public rejection.

Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu officially submitted the proposal to House of Representatives Commission I overseeing defense, foreign affairs and informatics during a four-hour closed-door meeting on Monday, including two other priority bills related to the country's defense sector: a bill on state secrecy and an amendment to the 2014 law on the Indonesian Military.

Ryamizard declined to elaborate when asked about the details, only asserting that "the deliberation of the Kamnas bill must be completed".

The 2009-2014 House failed to endorse the national security bill that aimed to set a regulation in countering threats against national security following protests from civil society organizations over concerns that the bill would encourage misuse of authority by the state.

Besides its contentious stipulations, the rejection of the bill was based on a lack of a clear definition of a threat to security.

In responding to protests, the Defense Ministry, under the leadership of former minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro, revised the draft bill, identifying threats as attempts, actions or roles that were proven to harm the unity of the nation in terms of security, ideology, politics, economics and culture. He submitted the revised draft to the commission in October of last year.

The latest version has also omitted five articles related to the roles of intelligence agencies in handling threats, including the National Intelligence (BIN), the Police Intelligence Agency and other state intelligence bodies in order to make it correspond with the 2014 law on social conflict and the 2011 law on state intelligence.

It also omitted an article that specified the President's authority in managing national security although it still mandated that the President chair efforts in countering threats against the nation.

Ryamizard said that the draft submitted to Commission I on Monday has also gone through some changes, but turned down queries for further details. "There are only several improvements with the wording but it is basically the same [as the previous draft]," he said.

Aiming to highlight the importance of endorsing the bills proposed, Ryamizard went on to say, "none of the programs I've designed are inconsequential, all of them are arranged to prepare for threats."

Although Commission I has yet to formally kick off the deliberation, the proposal has apparently won nods from several of the commission members, including from the leaders.

Commission I chairman Mahfudz Siddiq referred to the bill as "crucially important" although the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician said the discussion was still a debate among the government authorities.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/27/govt-revives-deliberation-national-security-bill.html

Mining & energy

Freeport slammed for high occupational accident rate

Jakarta Post - January 30, 2015

Jakarta – Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said has criticized PT Freeport Indonesia for what he deemed was poor occupational safety at its mining site in Timika, Papua, with the death toll reaching 30 in occupational accidents over the years.

"I filed a complaint with Freeport, an international company, as 30 employees have died in occupation accidents," he said in his address at the launch of a geothermal infrastructure development project in Batam, Riau Islands, on Friday.

According to the minister, the deaths were avoidable because occupational accidents were preventable.

"It is not a matter of sophisticated technology but a technical issue, such as when a light vehicle hit a heavy equipment vehicle because of reckless driving," the minister said as quoted by Antara news agency.

An employee of PT Panca Karya Dita Abadi, a partner company of PT Freeport, died on Sunday after undergoing intensive medical treatment. The victim was hospitalized after reportedly being hit by a truck at the mining site in Mimika regency.

Sudirman gave a thumbs up to state-owned PT PGN in occupational safety after it reported zero accidents.

He gave as an example the fact that all PGN drivers were compelled wear seat belts when operating vehicles and all employees and guests, including ministers, were required to wear seat belts when riding in vehicles.

"When a driver reprimanded a minister for such a minor but important thing, it was extraordinary. This indicates that the enterprise and its employees have properly applied occupation safety," he said. (rms)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/30/freeport-slammed-high-occupational-accident-rate.html

Freeport asked to build smelter in Papua

Jakarta Post - January 30, 2015

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Papua Governor Lukas Enembe has told PT Freeport Indonesia to establish its planned smelter in Papua or risk being banished from the country's easternmost province.

"It is obligatory for the company to establish its smelter in Papua and if it declines to do so, it must leave, it will no longer be allowed to mine the province's natural resources because it will continue leaving the Papuan people in poverty," he said after a meeting with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo at the Presidential Palace on Thursday.

When contacted by The Jakarta Post on Friday, Enembe said the Papuan people opposed Freeport's plan to build its smelter in Gresik, East Java.

"Freeport should defend its plan to build the smelter in Gresik. How will Papua progress if all industries are established outside the province? When will the Papuan people be freed from poverty and the backwardness if the giant mining company processes the huge copper and gold deposits in other provinces?" he asked, adding that Papua was an integral part of the Indonesian republic.

The governor, regents and tribal leaders from Mimika were in Jakarta to lobby the central government to force the American company to build its smelter in Papua.

In relation to the petition, the governor said, the Papuan provincial administration had developed infrastructure such as a road leading to a waterfall in Urumka, the potential site for the establishment of a hydropower plant with a capacity of 600,000 megawatts.

"So Freeport has no plausible reasons not to build its smelter in Papua," he argued, adding that the provincial administration had also provided a large area for the construction of a smelter near its mining site.

The governor declined to comment on the security aspect if the smelter were built in the province.

Enembe said that if Freeport declined to build its smelter in Papua, the provincial administration would partner with another company to build similar facilities in Papua and would make a regulation requiring the multinational company to use the facilities.

He added that the construction of a smelter in Mimika would contribute to the wealth of the province and employ more workers. (rms)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/30/freeport-asked-build-smelter-papua.html

Komnas HAM protests government for allowing Freeport Gresik smelter

Jakarta Post - January 27, 2015

Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has protested the government's approval of giant miner PT Freeport Indonesia's plans to build a smelter in Gresik, East Java, saying that the smelter should be built in Papua to help development in the eastern region.

"We have criticized Freeport and the government's agreement to build a smelter in Gresik. The smelter should be built in Papua in order to fairly distribute and balance national development," Komnas HAM commissioner Natalius Pigai said on Tuesday as quoted by kontan.co.id.

Freeport Indonesia, which is a subsidiary of US copper and gold mining company Freeport-McMoRan, has been operating a mine in Papua for decades. Natalius added that the company must also be responsible for opening Indonesia's easternmost region from isolation; not doing so would be an egregious exploitation of Papua.

"Corporate crimes are not only found in civil and political matters, but also in economic and social aspects, as is the case with Freeport," Natalius added, saying that the commission would file a protest to the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry.

The government had previously extended Freeport's memorandum of understanding on its renegotiated work contract, which would allow the company to continue exporting copper concentrate. (dyl/nfo)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/27/komnas-ham-protests-govt-allowing-freeport-gresik-smelter.html

Papuan governor disapproves of Freeport's smelter plan outside province

Investor Daily - January 23, 2015

Rangga Prakoso, Jakarta – Papua disapproves of mining giant Freeport Indonesia's plan to build a smelter facility outside Papua, calling the move indicative of the company's lack of good deeds to the nation's easternmost province.

Papua governor Lukas Enembe said on Friday that for the past 50 years, Freeport Indonesia, the local unit of US mining company Freeport-McMoRan, only wanted to export the raw materials without having the good intention of building an integrated processing industry in Papua.

He said integrated smelter facilities in Papua are needed. Not only can the facilities help eradicate poverty, Lukas said, but they could also create jobs and strengthen Papua's fiscal capacity.

"So, it is obligatory to build the smelter in Papua and not in Gresik, East Java. Freeport's reason of lack of infrastructures is baseless because Freeport had never had strong commitments to help develop Papua," he said at the House of Representatives' building on Friday.

Freeport Indonesia signed on Thursday a memorandum of understanding with state-controlled fertilizer company Petrokimia Gresik, for renting land so that that it can establish a raw minerals processing facility near Petrokimia's plant in Gresik.

Its progress toward construction of the smelter secured Freeport Indonesia's export permit as the government extended the permit for another six months. Its current permit will expire on Jan. 25.

Freeport Indonesia's construction of the copper smelter in East Java is part of its $15 billion expansion in mining operations in the country.

Lukas said that the Papuan administration with local administrative offices are ready to cooperate with Freeport Indonesia for the creation of the integrated smelter facility in Papua. He called for the central government to issue special policies for Papua.

"The policies included investment facilities, fiscal and non-fiscal incentives and capital access," Lukas said.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/business/papuan-governor-disapproves-freeports-smelter-plan-outside-island/

Freeport gives full commitment to Indonesia with $15 billion expansion plan

Jakarta Globe - January 23, 2015

Retno Ayuningtyas, Rangga Prakoso & Kennial Caroline Laia, Jakarta – Freeport Indonesia, a unit of the US mining giant Freeport-McMoRan, has given its full commitment to the government to build a copper smelter in East Java as it prepares to spend $15 billion for the expansion of its mining operations in Papua this year, the company's new chief said on Thursday.

Freeport Indonesia president director Maroef Sjamsuddin admitted that there had been delays in the miner's progress to prove its commitment to government.

"I have pushed the company for these commitments. There are commitments that needed to be made. We made slow progress and I'm angry with my staff, for not speeding up the process," Maroef told journalists at Freeport's offices in Jakarta.

Freeport Indonesia, which operates the Grasberg Mine in Papua – the fifth-largest copper mine in the world and the country's largest gold mine – reportedly was on the brink of losing its export permit after the mining minister said progress on a copper smelter, as required by the government, was not "visible." He accused the company of lacking the will to build the smelter.

Under a memorandum of understanding signed in July, Freeport has a deadline of Jan. 25 to complete the land acquisition for the smelter that has a planned capacity of up to 300,000 metric tons.

Smelter and mining

Maroef, a retired Indonesian Air Force vice air marshal, confirmed Freeport's plan to spend more than $2 billion to build a new copper smelter in cooperation with state-controlled fertilizer firm Petrokimia Gresik in Gresik, East Java.

"Freeport operates in Indonesia, and we will abide by the law and regulations," said Maroef, who was the deputy chief of the Indonesian State Intelligence Agency (BIN) from 2011 to 2014.

The director general of minerals and coal at the ministry R. Sukhyar previously said the requirement for an export permit was that at least 60 percent of the smelter had to be completed.

The facility could take up to three years to build, but the ministry will review the progress every six months. Sukhyar said if Freeport has purchased the land, then the government would consider the progress to be 60 percent. This could secure Freeport's ore export permit for the next six months. The problem was that the government said Freeport had not yet acquired the land, Sukhyar said.

In response, Maroef and Petrokimia Gresik president director Hidayat Nyakman signed the memorandum of understanding on Thursday afternoon, which would see the miner leasing Petrokimia's land for the smelter location. Hidayat said the US-based company had been eying the location for the past two years.

"It all has been a thorough process, and it doesn't happen quickly. In the past three months, Freeport's teams from the US and consultants came to look for the location," he said.

The agreement apparently took time because the land Freeport sought was not for sale. Hidayat explained that Freeport wanted 60 hectares of land belonging to Petrokimia, who was not willing to sell it. "So the agreement is that they lease the land, because we won't sell," Hidayat said.

Freeport already owns a 25 percent stake in Smelting, the only copper smelting and refining plant in operation in Indonesia. It can produce 300,000 metric tons of copper cathode annually. Only 40 percent of the miner's copper concentrate is currently being processed at Smelting's facility, but the government said it was not enough to comply with the regulations.

In January last year, Indonesia banned the exports of raw minerals and imposed export duties for some processed minerals, including copper concentrate in an effort to push miners to add value to their minerals inside the country.

Beside the $2 billion smelter investment, Freeport's Maroef said the mining giant also plans to spend $15 billion to develop its underground mine at Grasberg.

Maroef didn't give much details on the Papua mine expansion, but the company's previous chief, Rozik B. Soetjipto, had said Freeport was planning to invest between $16 billion and $18 billion to make a major shift from open pit to underground mining at Grasberg. Freeport signed its first contract for Grasberg in 1967.

From soldier to mining company boss

Maroef, who was appointed as Freeport president director on Jan. 7 and formally took over the post on Jan. 16, said he had never imagined to work for Freeport.

"My goal was always to be a good and professional soldier until the end, so that I could retire with a good assessment," said Maroef, who is the younger brother of retired Army general Sjafrie Samsoeddin.

Maroef said he realized that he did not have the right background to take the helm of the company but that he got the offer from Freeport-McMoRan president director James Moffett. "He said I don't care about your background, I need you," Maroef said, quoting Moffett, who also served in the military.

His first encounter with the chairman dates back to 2011 when there was a major strike at Freeport. As the deputy chief of BIN, Maroef negotiated with the employees and management to find solutions, which later ended the strike.

Maroef said a raw ore export ban would not only affect the company's business. Just like during the strike, it would also impact society. He claims that Freeport supports the livelihood of the local people.

"If there's an operational shutdown, how do they earn a living for their families? Don't only look at the figures. Also look at the social costs," he said.

The Freeport operation in Papua has been colored with many security and safety concerns, from police killings, shootings, worker protests to fatal accidents.

"Papua has a long story of disparity and injustice about the way the company has treated the indigenous people. While it has slightly improved the welfare of the people of Papua, it has been mining Papua's natural resources since the New Order era," said Hendardi, chairman of the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace.

Hendardi said the government and companies should cooperate in designing a policy to address poverty in Papua, adding that it's been one of the main issues often leading to unrest in the province.

"The policy regarding the activities of foreign companies in Papua has to be more humane. It should take the side of the area's indigenous people. The government and its officers have to treat the Papuans better," Hendardi said.

"Unfortunately, the government and even its officers have always interpreted protest in the province as a separatist movement, whereas their only desire was to find justice," Hendardi said.

[BeritaSatu, Investor Daily & Jakarta Globe.]

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/freeport-gives-full-commitment-indonesia-15b-expansion-plan/

Economy & investment

Easier investment permits to woo investors

Jakarta Post - January 27, 2015

Linda Yulisman, Jakarta – The new one-stop integrated service (PTSP) launched by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Monday is expected to simplify investment licensing procedures and improve ease of doing business, which in turn could bolster economic growth.

Jokowi said the flagship project of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) would help boost economic growth from the 5.1 percent expected last year to 5.8 percent this year, as investment accounts for about a third of the nation's gross domestic product (GDP).

The target is to cut the lengthy period to secure permits and reduce the number of permits, which Jokowi considered "too many".

"Investors now have to get 52 licenses to build a power plant and it may take 930 days. I cannot tolerate this and they should be simplified so that the power crisis in regencies and cities can be resolved," Jokowi said. The electricity sector, natural resource processing and maritime industries are the top priority sectors to be lured into investing.

With the new service, the BKPM has taken over 134 permits from 22 ministries and institutions, including the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) and National Standardization Agency (BSN). These permits include some of those that have often been stumbling blocks for investment, such as land-use permits and environmental impact analysis permits from the Environment and Forestry Ministry.

Investors now do not need to go back and forth to the authorities to process licenses from principal to permanent investment permits as they will be served by dozens of officials, including some of those in charge of making decisions in their respective areas.

The service – which covers 1,198 business sectors, excluding finance and oil and gas – showed the government's commitment to providing better service to investors and putting aside "sectorial ego" among ministries, Jokowi highlighted. In issuing permits, different ministries may have different interests.

However, intergovernmental coordination seems to be a challenging task in Indonesia, particularly with regional autonomy in place. Overlapping bureaucracy at the regional and central levels is a main reason why the World Bank ranked the country 114th out of 189 countries in its Doing Business 2015 report.

Indonesia is ranked 155th in starting a business and 153rd in dealing with construction permits. To begin a business in the country requires on average 10 procedures in 52.5 days, according to the report.

BKPM chief Franky Sibarani said the implementation of the service would be supported by a similar integrated service at the provincial and regency as well as city level.

To ensure transparency, the board has also set up an online monitoring service that can be used by investors to check the progress of their permits.

Business players expect the one-stop integrated service to help accelerate the realization of investment plans. "We expect that simpler, more transparent and cheaper permits will enhance the ease of doing business in Indonesia," Indonesian Employers' Association (Apindo) secretary-general Sanny Iskandar said.

The government this year hopes to realize Rp 519.5 trillion (US$41.5 billion) in direct investment, a main driver of economic growth in Southeast Asia's biggest economy after domestic consumption. That will be a 14 percent increase from the Rp 456 trillion estimated for last year.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/27/easier-investment-permits-woo-investors.html

Plunging oil price poses risk to Indonesia income, output

Jakarta Post - January 26, 2015

Raras Cahyafitri, Jakarta – The plunge in the global oil price presents risks to the country's state budget as income from the sector could fall further and oil output might also drop on cost-cutting strategies especially by small producers.

The decline in the oil price, which has halved from June last year to a five-year low level of below US$50 a barrel, has halved the country's expected revenue from the oil and gas sector this year compared to 2014.

With the assumption of an oil price of $70 per barrel on average for the full year, the Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Task Force (SKKMigas) projected that the oil and gas sector's contribution to state income would be at $14.91 billion, versus $28.33 billion last year.

But many analysts predict that the price of oil will stay low this year. The worst-case scenario for SKKMigas, whereby the oil price averages at $40 a barrel this year, would cause state revenue from the oil and gas sector to drop further to $6.59 billion.

In addition, several oil and gas contractors are considering halting some of their projects because the low oil prices have hurt their profit margins, according to Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said.

This could pose more risks for the oil and gas production targets of 849,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) and 6,592 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd) of gas, both of which are also assumptions in the state revenue equation.

"There are no decisions yet from them. However, given the current ongoing decline, there are risks of declines in production that will [also] impact state income," Sudirman said.

Indonesia, a former member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), has seen failures in meeting its oil output targets in recent years, particularly because the country's oil fields have been depleted due to exploitation in the past. Last year, the country only reported output of 793,570 bopd, lower than a target of 818,000 bopd.

SKKMigas deputy for planning Aussie Gautama said most of the projects that could be halted might be proposed by players running small-sized fields. "Usually, the small-sized fields are the ones impacted. Big projects will go on as they are long-term investments," Aussie said. But big projects, particularly new ones, could also be at risk as contractors renew economic calculations, he added.

The government is currently awaiting the revision of a plan of development for Indonesia Deepwater Development (IDD) projects conducted by Chevron and another deepwater project in the Abadi field at the Masela block by Inpex. Chevron has found new reserves, causing it to revise the IDD development, according to SKKMigas' operational deputy Muliawan. Inpex is also revising its plan as it found bigger reserves that would affect the number of floating trains to be developed on the Arafura Sea which hosts the Masela block, he added.

Global energy think tank Wood Mackenzie said the oil and gas sector would be in full capital discipline amid the pressures and uncertainty surrounding oil prices. It estimated that oil and gas companies worldwide that it assessed needed to cut costs by a total of $170 billion this year to maintain net debt at 2014 levels if the benchmark Brent crude price stands at $60 a barrel.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/20y15/01/26/plunging-oil-price-poses-risk-ri-income-output.html

Analysis & opinion

Budi Gunawan isn't cut out to be chief

Jakarta Globe Editorial - January 31, 2015

Budi Gunawan, the man who President Joko Widodo bizarrely thought would make a suitable police chief, has proved to the country why it's a very good thing that Joko had a last-minute change of heart.

The three-star police general was scheduled to be questioned by investigators at the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK, on Friday, but like several of his subordinates before him, chose to flout the summons on the ridiculous grounds that the paperwork wasn't properly signed or delivered.

Budi, who has been named a bribery suspect by the KPK over his suspiciously "fat" bank accounts, has always claimed that he has nothing to hide. So why did he pull a no-show? Was he scared of being taken into custody, given the KPK's tradition of detaining suspects after questioning on Friday? Or did he fear that the truth about his accounts would come to light?

If this is the quality of officer we can expect to lead the police force, then we're much better off in the current state of limbo where there is no National Police chief.

Budi could learn a lesson or two from KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto in how a law enforcement official should conduct himself. Bambang was arrested by police last week and held for several hours. Upon his release, he had no outlandish excuses to make, no recriminations – instead, he thanked the police for doing their job and for granting him conditional release.

Nor has Bambang – or the other KPK commissioners, for that matter, all of them facing very dubious probes – surrounded himself with heavily armed guards, as Budi has.

One of these men has nothing to hide, and one of them clearly has skeletons in his closet. Or should that be in his bank accounts?

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/opinion/editorial-budi-gunawan-isnt-cut-chief/

Jokowi's good cop, bad cop play yanks chain

Jakarta Globe Editorial - January 30, 2015

It's about time that we see President Joko Widodo push back against the pernicious influence of political forces surrounding him. Several politicians from Joko's own party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDI-P, have tried to bully him in the last few weeks over his decision to delay the inauguration of three-star general and graft suspect Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan as National Police chief.

One PDI-P lawmaker was so bold as to declare that Joko won't last more than two years without the party's support. It may have been a wake-up call.

One saving grace of this week's realization that the very same people who helped Joko become president, whether in the party machinery or in the electorate, no longer support him. It's an opportunity to redefine the terms by which he engages in politics.

Many are disappointed but still idolize him. These folks are his greatest source of strength, without whom he would otherwise still be a furniture trader from a small city in Central Java.

Their pressure possibly sparked his conscience and common sense to decide that he must summon the bravery to shake off the political shackles that have forced him to become just another politician doing backroom deals for political survival.

The president's move to form an independent team of highly regarded figures to advise him in how to extricate himself from the conflict between the police and the national antigraft agency is a fine first step.

On Thursday, Joko invited his archrival Prabowo Subianto, the de facto leader of the opposition, to meet at the Bogor Presidential Palace.

After presumably securing a guarantee from Prabowo that his presidency will be safe until the end of his term in 2019, or at least cultivating that impression, he can show to Megawati Soekarnoputri and her PDI-P cohorts how easily he can change sides.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/opinion/editorial-jokowis-good-cop-bad-cop-play-yanks-chain/

Geckos vs. lots of crocodiles

Jakarta Post Editorial - January 24, 2015

We cannot help recounting the one-sided clash between the National Police and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) back in 2009 – later dubbed Cicak lawan Buaya (Gecko versus Crocodile) – when on Friday police investigators arrested KPK deputy chief Bambang Widjojanto and named him a suspect for allegedly asking someone to commit perjury during a court hearing to settle a regional election dispute in Central Kalimantan in 2010.

It was complete dej'vu to see hundreds of people from all walks of life and various civil society groups rally outside the KPK building in South Jakarta to show their support for the antigraft body, which, whether liked or disliked, has a proven track record of fighting against corruption in the country.

Such a quick, spontaneous response was a testament to the public's confidence in the KPK, which has become the target of persistent attacks from all directions after it declared Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan, the sole candidate for National Police chief post, a graft suspect last week.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo delayed Budi's inauguration pending completion of his legal case in a surprise move that also saw National Police chief Gen. Sutarman honorably dismissed and detective chief Comr. Gen. Suhardi Alius moved to the National Resilience Institute.

Jokowi's response to Bambang's arrest was immediate too, but glaringly inadequate from a head of state in such a crisis. The President looked to play it safe by allowing the police to proceed with their investigation into Bambang's case the same way he allowed the KPK to prosecute Budi, his choice for police chief.

The President's brief appeal, that "there should not be any friction" between the KPK and the National Police after meeting with police and KPK leaders, however, did not demonstrate an awareness of the arrest's adverse effects on the nation's attempt to eradicate corruption – an effort he has pledged to advance. Public hope in the uprooting of corruption has been pinned on the KPK rather than upon other law enforcement agencies simply because of the KPK's time-tested integrity.

In its 14-years the KPK has faced backlash whenever it ensnared a police general, as is seen in the "Gecko vs. Crocodile Part 1" saga and in 2012, when dozens of police officers besieged the KPK office after it arrested the former head of the police's traffic directorate, Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo.

But opposition to the KPK today seems far stronger, with the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) entering the fray after its acting secretary-general, Hasto Kristiyanto, accused KPK chief Abraham Samad of abusing his power in naming Budi a suspect. Hasto claimed that the KPK prosecuted Budi in retaliation for the police general's role in foiling Abraham's bid to become Jokowi's running mate last year.

Whatever the reason behind Bambang's arrest, it could weaken the KPK's efforts to dig deeper into Budi's corruption case, as well as its war on graft in general. We cannot just let that happen.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/24/editorial-geckos-vs-lots-crocodiles.html

Mockery of democracy

Jakarta Post Editorial - January 23, 2015

Our elected representatives can pat themselves on the back after they endorsed a regulation that restores direct election as the method by which leaders of local governments are chosen. Democracy lives on.

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives voted by acclamation, without any dissenting voice, to turn a presidential decree issued in lieu of law into full legislation that ensures the people will continue to vote for their governors, regents and mayors.

The House has also agreed that these elections must be held simultaneously after 2020. There are 34 provinces and more than 500 regencies and mayoralties, so it makes sense both logistically and administratively to hold them all at the same time.

We just wish we could congratulate the House for a job well done.

Wasn't it only last September that the House got us into this big mess in the first place? When it voted to abolish direct elections and hand the power to choose local leaders to the local councils.

Then, the Golkar Party led the campaign in the House to eliminate direct polls arguing that it was "un-Indonesian", exorbitantly expensive and prone to corruption. Golkar assembled a majority coalition to defeat the PDI-P- led group in the vote.

The Democratic Party of then president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, which could have turned the outcome around, abstained. Yudhoyono was overwhelmingly vilified on social media for handing victory to Golkar two weeks before he was due to leave office. Sensing the major blunder, he issued the decree restoring the direct-election mechanism, which was confirmed by the House this week.

Admittedly, now we have a different House, which was inaugurated in October, but that is hardly an excuse for the sudden about-face. They are the same parties and many incumbents who were reelected are today singing a different tune about democracy from that of five months ago and have voted to reinstate direct elections.

Behind all this to-ing and fro-ing obviously was the power play that elected politicians indulged in all throughout 2014, an election year. They still do so to this day. They don't really care whether people choose their leaders directly or indirectly, but they use every single opportunity they find to score a few petty political points.

Golkar, the Gerindra Party and other parties in the coalition wanted to punish President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and his PDI-P for beating them in the presidential election in July. It was an arrogant display of power on their part, and they pulled it off.

This seems to be the game they are playing now and it has essentially turned the House into nothing more than their playpen. More than three months after its inauguration, the House continues to engage in internal power playing with few results to show for it.

These elected representatives, who are on the state payroll paid for out of our tax money and with generous expense accounts, are making a complete mockery of the country's sacred institutions and of our democracy.

Can we still seriously address them as honorable members?

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/01/23/editorial-mockery-democracy.html

Open up Papua to the light of truth

Jakarta Globe Editorial - January 23, 2015

Papua remains a big mystery to the Indonesian public. Even Papuans don't know what exactly happens in their own homeland.

For one thing, we have long been made to believe it is the Free Papua Organization, or OPM, that threatens the area and its people, but we wonder just how many they number and why thousands of security officers have failed to deal with them after years hunting them down.

Our guess is that the unrest is deliberately perpetuated because it benefits the ruling elites in Papua and Jakarta. Another mystery is what is it the authorities are keeping hidden in Papua such that the news media, especially the foreign press, is denied a peek. Are they concealing the mass graves of native Papuans? Or crimes such as illegal logging and the destruction of the environment?

If there are no human rights violations, environmental destruction or illegal logging taking place there, then why the fear of opening up?

We got a glimpse of what really goes on there when in 2013 a low-ranking police officer, Labora Sitorus, was linked to Rp 1.5 trillion ($120 million) bank transactions. He was eventually convicted of illegal logging and fuel smuggling – rackets that could not have been carried out for years without his superiors being aware or involved.

Papua is blessed with abundant natural resources, but its people have benefited little as a result. The biggest single taxpayer in Indonesia, Freeport Indonesia, which operates a copper and gold mine there, has paid $15.2 billion in taxes, royalties, dividends and other direct payments, and $26.1 billion indirectly, from 1992 to 2013 – yet Papua remains the poorest region in the republic.

It is high time we draw back the curtain on these mysteries and bring the truth to light.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/opinion/editorial-open-papua-light-truth/