Tabita Diela, Jakarta – Indonesia's Investment Coordinating Board, or BKPM, has vowed to accelerate land clearing and power generation permits to support nine investment projects worth a combined $1.3 billion in Papua's Special Economic Zones.

The projects – consisting of fishery, plantation and petrochemical developments in Merauke, Sorong, Teluk Bintuni and Raja Ampat – have been on hold for several years, due to land clearing issues and a lack power supply, Franky Sibarani, the BKPM chairman, said on Friday.

"One of the requirements to develop the Special Economic Zones is the availability of investors who are ready to place their investment," he said in a statement in Jakarta.

"Currently the four Special Zones in Papua and West Papua have potential investors who have planned to invest but are still hampered in realization."

Franky said the Indonesian government had long identified Papua and West Papua provinces as a priority for development, meaning the government will direct investors to develop the area before investing in other parts of Indonesia.

Franky noted that five investors had shown serious interest in investing a total Rp 9.8 trillion ($754 million) in the plantation sector and Rp 2.4 trillion in the oleochemical sector in Papua between October 2014 and February this year.

Foreign investment in Papua and West Papua in 2014 amounted to $1.41 billion, lower than 2013's $2.41 billion. Investment flowed into the mining sector, agriculture, food industry, storage, telecomunications and energy.

Indonesia saw foreign direct investment across all sectors, except oil and gas and banking, rise 14 percent to Rp 307 trillion up from Rp 270.4 trillion a year earlier.

The BKPM expects FDI – which accounts for about two-thirds of last year's total investment – to grow to Rp 320 trillion this year.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/business/papua-projects-get-needed-push/

Human rights & justice

Amnesty International presents Jokowi with lengthy to-do list

Jakarta Globe - February 25, 2015

Jakarta – President Joko Widodo, already under increasingly heavy fire over the imminent execution of 11 drug convicts, on Wednesday was presented with a lengthy to-do list courtesy of Amnesty International.

The human rights organization in its Annual Report for 2014 noted a host of violations, ranging from torture and ill-treatment by the nation's security forces to imprisonment of political activists and attacks against religious minorities.

Joko assumed the presidency in October last year, taking over from Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

In the section on Indonesia, Amnesty mentioned a number of violent incidents involving members of the Indonesian police and security forces, including the shooting of demonstrators in Papua's Paniai district in December that left at least four young men dead.

Regarding the freedom of expression, Amnesty said that peaceful political activists continued to be arrested and detained, "particularly in areas with a history of pro-independence movements such as Papua and Maluku." The group mentioned also that at least nine people "remained detained or imprisoned under blasphemy laws solely for their religious views or the manifestation of their beliefs, or for the lawful exercise of their right to freedom of expression."

The organization specifically mentioned continued harassment of members of the Ahmadiyah and Shiite minority groups in Indonesia.

Amnesty in its report also raised the issue of impunity for past human rights abuses, which Joko had pledged to tackle as part of his campaign promises. However, according to the NGO, "there was a lack of progress in ensuring truth, justice and reparations for victims of past human rights violations."

Aceh and some of its Shariah-inspired laws came in for criticism under the subheading "Cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment," with the activists mentioning that at least 76 people were caned in the province throughout the year.

Amnesty also called on the House of Representatives to pass the Domestic Worker Protection Bill and on the government to "pass specific legislation prohibiting female genital mutilation," among other issues.

'Muzzle on free speech'

With regards to the Asia-Pacific region, Amnesty is particularly worried about the freedom of speech in countries like China, North Korea, Vietnam and Laos, rising religious intolerance and the refugee crisis that is mainly due to instability in Afghanistan and the persecution Rohingya people in Myanmar.

"There's a muzzle on free speech across the Asia-Pacific region," Richard Bennett, Amnesty's director for the region, said in a press release. "Speaking out is becoming a crime in too many countries, leaving media and civil society less space to operate."

"Over the past year, we saw governments use draconian security laws to suppress civil society, locking up and punishing critical voices on the pretext of 'national security.' States are growing increasingly fearful of the power of new technology and are suppressing the use of online tools," Bennett said.

On a global scale, Amnesty secretary general Salil Shetty said "2014 was a catastrophic year for millions caught up in violence."

"The global response to conflict and abuses by states and armed groups has been shameful and ineffective. As people suffered an escalation in barbarous attacks and repression, the international community has been found wanting," Shetty said in a press release.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/amnesty-international-presents-jokowi-lengthy-list/

FPI disrupts seminar for victims of Indonesia's 1965 communist purge

Jakarta Globe - February 24, 2015

Jakarta – A seminar held to discuss accessibility to health services for victims of Indonesia's 1965-66 anti-communist purge was disrupted by Indonesia's most notorious hardline Islamic group on Tuesday.

Members of the Islamic Defenders Front, or FPI, rallied in front of the Central Java Cultural Park in Solo where the seminar was due to take place, claiming the forum was an effort to revive communism, news website Tempo.co reported.

"Do not disrupt the peace in this town," said Khoirul Rus Suparjo, head of FPI's Solo chapter.

The group that organized the event, 1965 Victims' Joint Secretariat, was forced to cancel the seminar to prevent further clashes. Winarso, one of the events' coordinators, said the FPI's protest was unfair and discriminatory. "We, too, have a right to hold this seminar," he said.

The FPI are notorious for its campaigns of violence and intimidation. Members of the group injured 16 police officers with rocks, cow dung and a samurai sword during a violent demonstration against Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama in October last year. The group was protesting Basuki's inauguration, Jakarta's first ethnically Chinese and Protestant governor.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/fpi-disrupts-seminar-victims-indonesias-1965-communist-purge/

Local mob backed by TNI and police disband meeting of 1965 massacre

Harian Terbit - February 22, 2015

Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) has slammed the disbanding of meeting of victims of human rights violations in West Sumatra on Sunday February 22.

The event, which was attended by victims of the 1965/66 killings, was closed down by hundreds of residents of the Bukik Cangan Kayu Ramang village and security personnel from the TNI (Indonesian military) and the Bukittinggi district police at 10.30am.

Kontras coordinator Haris Azhar said that the meeting of 1965/66 victims was also commemorating the 15th anniversary of the West Sumatra branch of the Institute for the Study of the 1965-1966 Massacres (YPKP 65). However the event had not even started before it was closed down by the mob and security personnel. This is despite the fact that it was attended by representatives from Kontras, the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM), the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) and the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK), who were to hold a meeting with the victims.

As a result, more than 200 victims of 1965/66 that were attending the event suffered intimidation and violence in the form of threats, abuse and insults as well as being forced out of the venue by being pushed and pulled by residents.

As a consequence of this action, several of the victims who are aged between 65-90 years old suffered shock and fainted at the scene", said Azhar in a written message on Sunday evening.

According to Azhar, over the last year, Kontras has recorded three such incidents that were accompanied by intimidation and attacks against victims of the gross human rights violations in 1965/66. On February 16 last year a meeting of 1965/66 victims in the Central Java provincial capital of Semarang was broken up by the Anti-Communist Front (FAKI).

In addition to this there was the closure of screenings of the Joshua Oppenheimer film Senyap (The Look of Silence) in the East Java city of Malang and the Central Java city of Yogyakarta.

A screening held at the offices of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) and the faculty of social and political sciences at the Gajah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta in December was also closed down.

"These forced closures, which are being accompanied by the involvement and tacit support of police, clearly violates Articles 28E Paragraphs 3 and 28F of the 1945 Constitution on the right of citizens to gather, associate and express an opinion", said Azhar.

Azhar believes that the repetition of such incidents clearly shows that the government is failing to safeguard the rights of its citizens, in this case the victims of 1965/66 and their families along with members of the public that have an empathy with past human rights violations.

Moreover the repetition of such incidents at the beginning of the administration of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo confirms that the state's commitment to fully guaranteeing citizen's rights, in this case the victims of gross human rights violations, allowing with the repeated promises to do so in Jokowi's mission statement, have not been implemented at all.

"We call on the police to take firm action against the perpetrators of this forced closure", he asserted. (Safari)

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "KontraS Kecam Pembubaran Paksa Acara Temu Korban Pelanggaran HAM".]

Source: http://www.harianterbit.com/2015/read/2015/02/22/20227/25/25/KontraS-Kecam-Pembubaran-Paksa-Acara-Temu-Korban-Pelanggaran-HAM

Sexual & domestic violence

Eight out of 10 children in Indonesia experience violence: study

Jakarta Post - February 26, 2015

Nurfika Osman, Jakarta – Child rights non-governmental organization Plan International and the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) on Thursday released a shocking report saying that seven out of 10 children in Asia experience violence at school, with Indonesia scoring at an alarming rate of 84 percent.

The violence included physical and sexual abuse, emotional violence and the threat of violence, perpetrated by teachers, school staff, among students themselves and by family members.

"Every child has the right to a quality education, free from violence and the threat of violence. Plan is committed to working with educators, governments, parents and students to enact recommendations in this report, and to start to make sure that everyone knows that violence has no place anywhere in a child's life," Mark Pierce, Plan International regional director for Asia, said Thursday.

According to Plan International Indonesia communication specialist Irsyad Hadi, the report in Indonesia was based on a study involving 1,742 students, both boys and girls, aged between 12 and 15 in 30 government-run junior high schools across Jakarta and Serang, Banten, from January to March 2014 through quantitative and qualitative studies.

In line with Pierce, Irsyad said that Plan in Indonesia was committed to working with the government, schools and communities to help combat violence against children by running a number of programs, such as the School Improvement Program (SIP) and Community-Based Child Protection (CBCP), in the country.

CBCP, for instance, has encouraged the local governments and communities in 235 villages in Indonesia to establish a Village Child Protection Group (KPAD) as an integrated forum to better enhance child protection.

The villages are located in eight regencies, including Timor Tengah Selatan regency in East Nusa Tenggara and Rembang regency in Central Java, and in Surabaya in East Java.

In addition, Pierce said that most of the children did not report the violence since they did not regard it as wrong.

Thus, he said, the report included specific recommendations, such as school-based programming, to change behavior and attitudes regarding gender and violence, the establishment of services to improve child protection, and the enactment of policies and laws to enforce regulations abolishing violence against children.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/26/eight-out-10-children-ri-experience-violence-study.html

Police to drop rape case against Solo king

Jakarta Globe - February 23, 2015

Solo – Police have announced that an investigation into allegations of child trafficking and sexual abuse against the King of Solo, Pakubuwono XIII, will be discontinued due to lack of evidence.

Sukoharjo Police in Central Java revealed they did not have grounds to interrogate Pakubowono XIII, who has been accused of raping a 16-year-old girl and fathering her child.

Police have questioned several witnesses in the case, but none gave sufficient testimony about the king's involvement in the alleged rape other than the victim.

Without additional testimony, the allegations are too weak to prove, Sukoharjo Police chief, Adj. Sr. Cmr. Andy Rifai said. "We need at least one additional witness who can confirm the victim's accusations before we can bring the king in for questioning," he added.

Police have also searched for evidence in the hotel room where the rape allegedly took place. However, investigators were unable to retrieve the necessary CCTV footage as the hotel's security device automatically overwrites previously recorded videos every two months.

The victim claims she was raped in March last year but did not report the incident to the police until July. Investigators are still searching for a former hotel employee who may be a key witness of the alleged assault.

The 10th grade vocational high school student claims a woman with the initials W.T. offered to give her a job working for the king but instead "sold" her for Rp 2 million ($155). W.T. is currently being held in a Solo, Central Java, prison, but her testimony did not correspond to that of the victim's.

The student also claims she lost consciousness in car after eating candy given to her by the king. She then woke up naked in a hotel room with Pakubowono XIII, who proceeded to give her money.

The girl fell pregnant and gave birth to a son in Solo Central Hospital in November. The king, through his lawyer, has refused to provide a DNA sample to conduct a paternity test.

Sukoharjo Police are reluctant to name a suspect due to the severe lack of evidence, Andy said. As the girl was allegedly raped while unconscious, her testimony requires further corroboration, he added.

The victim's lawyer has called on the king to undergo a DNA test, but police have yet to follow up on the demands. Investigators have earlier said they would approach Pakubowono XIII with a request for a DNA sample should he refuse to come in for questioning.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/police-drop-rape-case-solo-king/

Political parties & elections

Court annuls ministerial decree, brings back PPP to the old guard

Jakarta Post - February 26, 2015

Margareth S. Aritonang and Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – In a compromise to resolve a dispute in the United Development Party (PPP), the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN) granted on Wednesday party chairmanship to senior politician Djan Faridz, the successor appointed by former leader Suryadharma Ali.

The court annulled a decree made by Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H. Laoly that had validated the chairmanship of Djan's rival, Muhammad Romahurmuziy, the leader of a splinter group that defied Suryadharma's leadership after the presidential election.

"[We] oblige the defendant [Minister Yasonna] to revoke the decree on the recognition of the changes in PPP central executive board membership," reads the verdict statement.

Issued just hours after Yasonna was inaugurated as minister in October, the decree recognized changes to the structure of the party's central board based on a decision made in a national congress (muktamar) in Surabaya that had unanimously appointed Romahurmuziy as chairman.

Romahurmuziy later changed the party's direction to supporting President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo that resulted in the party placing its cadre, Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, as Religious Affairs Minister.

The President later also appointed Suharso Monoarfa, another politician and former minister from Romahurmuziy's faction, as a member of The Presidential Advisory Council (Wantimpres).

The swift change of party allegiance led by Romahurmuziy had drawn ire among senior party members, who were still devoted to Suryadharma and held prominent posts in the government during former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono administration.

Djan then filed the lawsuit to challenge the controversial ministerial decree to the PTUN. Djan, a businessman-turned-politician and former public housing minister during the Yudhoyono administration, was elected PPP chairman during the party's national congress held in November.

Responding to the verdict, Romahurmuziy said on Wednesday that he would file a cassation petition to appeal the case to the Jakarta High State Administrative Court.

The former party secretary-general during Suryadharma's chairmanship said the PTUN's ruling is plagued with irregularities, such as the panel of judges' decision to not consider his faction's legal standing.

Another peculiar thing is the fact that presiding judge Teguh Satya Bhakti was crying while delivering the verdict. "It shows that he was under pressure from hundreds who were being sent to press the judges," Romahurmuziy said.

PPP politician Fernita Darwis, one of Djan's deputies, said that there was no such intervention. She claimed that the judge was moved to tears because he was sad that Muslims were torn apart due to the conflicts in the PPP.

"[Romahurmuziy] cannot represent the PPP anymore as a result of the legal standing. Let's get back together as one and close the rift," she said.

Meanwhile, on the same day, Golkar's internal dispute panel held a hearing at the party's headquarters in Slipi, West Jakarta, where the two quarreling camps, for the first time, attended.

The Wednesday hearing saw testimonies by 13 witnesses representing various party branches presented by Aburizal's camp, who all highlighted that "they had freely voted for Aburizal during a national congress in September last year" although one of the witnesses, M. Ali Sangadji, who headed Golkar's branch office in Morotai, admitted that the rival camp, led by Agung Laksono, paid him to attend a "shadow" congress in Ancol a week later.

"Whatever the decision will be, we have promised that whoever will lose the dispute will not set up a new [political] party," Idrus Marham, secretary- general of Aburizal-led Golkar, told the press on the sidelines of the hearing.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/26/court-annuls-ministerial-decree-brings-back-ppp-old-guard.html

Police vs KPK

Police tell suspended KPK boss to attend interrogation – or else

Jakarta Globe - February 27, 2015

Farouk Arnaz & Fana F.S. Putra, Jakarta – National Police Deputy Chief Comr. Gen. Badrodin Haiti gave suspended antigraft fighter Bambang Widjojanto an ultimatum on Friday, saying police would likely arrest him if he misses another interrogation session with investigators.

Bambang, who until recently was deputy chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), snubbed a police summons for the second time on Friday. Instead, his lawyers arrived at the National Police headquarters to inform them he was not coming.

Muhammad Isnur, a member of Bambang's legal counsel, said despite being suspended from active duty by President Joko Widodo due to his ongoing legal case, Bambang was "assigned [a task] by the acting KPK commissioners" to perform some undisclosed work at the KPK office in Kuningan, South Jakarta.

Another lawyer for Bambang, Lelyana Santosa, said the antigraft agency would send a letter to the National Police's detectives unit justifying his absence, which she declined to explain to reporters.

Bambang had already snubbed one summons earlier. Deputy police chief Badrodin warned, however, that police would not be so tolerant the third time. "If he doesn't come [again, police] will be ordered to bring him in [by force]," he said.

Bambang, who was arrested once before on Jan. 23, is accused of compelling witnesses to commit perjury in an election dispute case he handled as a lawyer in 2010.

The arrest – and subsequent criminal probes against other KPK commissioners – was widely seen as a retaliation by the police against the KPK for naming Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan, a police chief nominee, a corruption suspect.

KPK officials allege that between 2003 and 2006, some Rp 54 billion ($4.2 million) flowed through Budi's personal bank accounts, and have charged him with bribery and money laundering.

When summoned for questioning on Tuesday, Bambang arrived with a letter explaining his grounds for rejecting the summons. He argued the police had not given him the results of several witness examinations, which a suspect is entitled to by law.

Bambang has also objected to his Jan. 23 arrest, reporting it to the National Commission on Human Rights and the Indonesian Ombudsman.

The Ombudsman on Tuesday announced several irregularities in the arrest including the presence of Sr. Comr. ViKtor E. Simanjuntak, of the National Police's Education Institute (Lemdikpol), which Budi Gunawan currently oversees.

National Police chief of detectives Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso confirmed Viktor's presence during Bambang's arrest, adding that he had instructed Viktor to attend.

Viktor's presence "was legitimate. There was an instruction letter [for him]. When I need additional force, I can use [officers] from any unit across the country," said Waseso, a Budi Gunawan acolyte.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/police-tell-suspended-KPK-boss-attend-interrogation-else/

Combative KPK chairmen see shorter tenures

Jakarta Post - February 27, 2015

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – History has proven that two out of three sitting chairmen of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) have been forced to pay for their aggressiveness in the job and have not just been ousted from the antigraft body, but have also faced prosecution and in one case have been found guilty of murder.

The second KPK chief, Antasari Azhar, lost his position almost halfway through his four-year tenure. He was sent to prison for 18 years after being found guilty of masterminding the murder of a businessman. His tenure was expected to last until 2011.

The third chairman, Abraham Samad, recently lost his position after the police declared him a suspect in a document-forgery case. Among the three KPK leaders, Abraham had been the most aggressive and had enjoyed success, placing several big names behind bars, but he will not be able to finish his term in December due to his suspect status.

As the first KPK chairman, Taufiequrachman Ruki was successful in leading the antigraft body for four years until 2007, without any serious obstacles or controversies.

Ruki's track record clearly impressed President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. Last week, he appointed the retired police general as acting KPK chairman along with adding two acting deputies, after the National Police declared Abraham a suspect.

For Antasari, who was a senior prosecutor at the Attorney General's Office (AGO) before his promotion to the KPK, his expulsion from the antigraft body came after the South Jakarta District Court sentenced him to 18 years' imprisonment for masterminding the murder of businessman Nasruddin Zulkarnaen in February 2010.

According to the verdict, Antasari decided to end Nasruddin's life because the latter was blackmailing him, after Nasruddin caught Antarasari in a hotel room with the former's third wife, Rani Juliani. The businessman was killed in a drive-by shooting in Tangerang in May 2009.

Prosecutors claimed the hotel-room incident led to Antasari wanting Nasruddin killed, with help from former South Jakarta Police senior officer Williardi Wizard, businessman Jerry Hermawan Lo – who allegedly recruited the hit men – and Sigid Hermawan Wibisono, a media tycoon who allegedly provided financial backing.

Suspicions grew that Antasari was set up following his aggressive moves to bring former Bank Indonesia deputy governor Aulia Pohan, an in-law of then president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, to court in an embezzlement case.

Antasari also launched an investigation into alleged corruption plaguing the procurement of an IT project at the General Elections Commission (KPU) that was worth billions of rupiah, a move that could have further exposed alleged vote rigging in the controversial victory of Yudhoyono and his Democratic Party in the 2009 presidential race.

Antasari's aggressiveness reached its peak when he declared he would take control of an investigation into the Rp 6.7 trillion (US$521 million) bailout of Bank Century, which at the time was being investigated by the National Police. Yudhoyono strongly denied all allegations leveled against him.

Meanwhile, Abraham faced numerous allegations concerning breaches of ethics before his status as a suspect was confirmed earlier this month.

Abraham was widely considered the most aggressive KPK chairman in history. During his tenure, the KPK netted three active ministers, two active party chairmen, two active police generals, one active Constitutional Court chief justice, one active Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) chairman as well as scores of governors, lawmakers and high-profile businessmen.

Abraham also said the KPK would name former vice president Boediono a suspect in the Bank Century case. He was also accused of having affairs with at least two women, which he strongly denied.

Gadjah Mada University Corruption Studies Center director Zainal Arifin Mochtar said that presidents should protect KPK leaders from any form of criminalization during their four-year tenures. "There must be a system [that protects them from legal attacks] launched by those who want to weaken the country's anticorruption efforts," Zainal said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/27/combative-KPK-chairmen-see-shorter-tenures.html

Besieged, beaten, KPK punching below its weight

Jakarta Post - February 27, 2015

Haeril Halim and Hasyim Widhiarto, Jakarta – Since its inception in 2003, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has endured a series of attempts to erode its power and deter future graft crackdowns following its successful prosecution of corrupt officials, judges, generals, businessmen and politicians.

But nothing compares to the overwhelming effort currently being made by police to criminalize the commission's leaders and investigators under the very nose of newly elected President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo – a clean figure who won the presidency partly for his campaign to establish a clean government.

The KPK has already lost its chairman, Abraham Samad, and a commissioner, Bambang Widjojanto, both of whom resigned after the police named them suspects in separate cases many say were engineered by police.

Around 21 investigators assigned by the police to the commission will be named suspects by the National Police for their inability to renew their gun licenses.

The commission's highly decorated investigator, Comr. Novel Baswedan, also faces the possibility of detention in connection with an alleged murder case when serving in the police.

Attacks against the KPK came after the agency named National Police chief candidate Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan, a confidant of Jokowi's patron and chairwoman of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), former president Megawati Soekarnoputri, a graft suspect.

While President Jokowi has issued a decision ending a month-long dispute between the KPK and the graft-ridden National Police, the move has apparently put the agency at a disadvantage.

Jokowi rescinded Budi's nomination, issued a decree to accept the resignations of Abraham and Bambang due to their suspect-status and appointed two questionable figures to replace them.

Taufiequrachman Ruki, a retired police general and the KPK's first chairman, as well as lawyer Indriyanto Seno Adji, who has represented a number of graft suspects – were appointed last week as the commission's acting leaders.

But given their backgrounds, concerns are rife that the KPK is being forced into compromising with the police.

"I'm very concerned about the current situation because there seems to be some kind of effort to defeat or minimize the KPK," former commissioner of Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) Tony Kwok said recently.

After acting KPK chairman Taufiequrachman blamed the police's moves against the KPK on Abraham last Wednesday, such concerns seemed at least partly founded.

"It is because [Abraham] did not do things the right way," said Taufiequrachman, who shied away from prosecuting police officers during his tenure as KPK chairman between 2003 and 2007.

The KPK, under third-generation leader Abraham, is widely celebrated for its unprecedented and aggressive clampdown on corruption as compared to previous KPK leaders.

Established in December 2003, the KPK was formed under the administration of then president Megawati. The move was made in accordance with a law passed in 2002 on the establishment of the KPK as an ad-hoc agency with authority to root out high-profile corruption.

The law authorizes the KPK to wiretap and record telephone conversations, prevent a person from traveling abroad and request banks and other financial institutions to reveal necessary financial information in order to support open investigations.

Unlike the police and the Attorney General's Office (AGO), the KPK is exempt from a requirement to seek approval from the President before investigating lawmakers or other high-ranking government officials.

The KPK, collectively run by five commissioners serving four-year-terms, only investigates and prosecutes cases that have triggered potential state losses of at least Rp 1 billion (US$77,640).

Equipped with such broad authority, it did not take long for the KPK to become a leading law-enforcement agency in the much-needed fight against corruption.

With a nearly perfect prosecution success rate, where almost all suspects have been found guilty in court, the KPK earned much-needed public trust and support, but made many enemies.

It was not until the second generation of KPK leaders under former prosecutor Antasari Azhar that efforts were taken to impair the commission after its successful netting of powerful politicians and police generals.

In October 2008, Antasari named former Bank Indonesia (BI) deputy governor Aulia Pohan, the father-in-law of then president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's eldest son, a graft suspect. The court sentenced Aulia to four-and-a-half years in prison for his role in approving an illegal disbursement of BI funds.

However, less than a year later, Antasari was dismissed as KPK chief after the Jakarta Police named him a suspect in the murder of state company executive Nasruddin Zulkarnaen. In 2010, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Antasari's arrest and conviction did not deter other leaders in his generation from aggressively clamping down on high-profile corruption.

In September 2009, efforts to undermine the commission continued when the police declared KPK deputies Chandra M. Hamzah and Bibit Samad Rianto suspects for abusing their power for imposing a travel ban on Anggoro Widjojo, who had previously been declared a suspect by the KPK for bribing legislators to secure a project with the Forestry Ministry.

The dispute between the police and the KPK was later dubbed "Gecko vs Crocodile" – "gecko" referring to the KPK and "crocodile" to the police, which is a much older, larger institution.

Attacks by the police stemmed from the KPK's wiretapping of National Police detective division chief Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji, who at the time was widely expected to become the next police chief.

The tapping of Susno's cell phone revealed a conversation where he demanded Rp 10 billion in fees from Boedi Sampoerna to clear the businessman's savings, which were stuck in the troubled Bank Century.

Yudhoyono stepped in to resolve the case by stopping the prosecutions against Bibit and Chandra. However, following the settlement, the KPK emerged bruised and battered, seemingly reluctant to go after the big fish.

During the tenure of the third iteration of leaders headed by Abraham Samad, the KPK made an unprecedented effort to prosecute more high-profile figures.

Three serving ministers – former youth and sports minister Andi Mallarangeng, former religious affairs minister Suryadharma Ali and former energy and mineral resources minister Jero Wacik – were named suspects between 2013 and 2014, severely tarnishing Yudhoyono's administration in its second and final tenure.

Many of Yudhoyono's Democratic Party leaders also ended up in jail as a result of cases investigated by the KPK.

The KPK found itself in another showdown against the police after declaring head of the police's traffic directorate, Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo, a suspect.

After several hours of questioning at KPK headquarters in South Jakarta, dozens of officers from the Bengkulu and Jakarta Police surrounded the KPK building in an attempt to arrest Comr. Novel Baswedan, a leading investigator from the police assigned to work with the KPK.

After hundreds of civilians and activists flocked the KPK headquarters to defend Novel, the police canceled the arrest plan.

The police alleged Novel was responsible for the shooting of six robbery suspects in 2004 when he served as Bengkulu Police chief detective.

After the case was considered closed in 2012, the National Police summoned Novel for questioning this week in connection his role in the case. Novel has refused to attend for questioning.

As attempts to criminalize KPK leaders continue, many are convinced that attacks against the commission from the National Police, which were launched in lockstep with the PDI-P, were designed to prevent the KPK from ramping up its investigation into the Bank Indonesia liquidity support (BLBI) scandal that could implicate Megawati, who served as the nation's president between 2001 and 2004.

"The BLBI case implicates a number of people, including a high-ranking figure in a political party. If the KPK is weak then it will not be able to finish the investigation," said Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) researcher Emerson Yuntho.

"There is a systematic attack to prevent the KPK from stepping-up its investigation into [what is a] bigger scandal," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/27/besieged-beaten-KPK-punching-below-its-weight.html

KPK to focus on Century, sidelines BLBI

Jakarta Post - February 27, 2015

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leadership has said that for the remainder of its 10-month tenure, it will sideline the probe into the Bank Indonesia liquidity support (BLBI) case, which could have implicated former president Megawati Soerkarnoputri and will instead focus on finishing the investigation into the Bank Century and Bank Central Asia (BCA) cases.

KPK deputy chairman Zulkarnain said the new leadership, under the interim chairmanship of Taufiequrachman Ruki, would focus on completing investigations that were already half-way complete including the Bank Century and the BCA cases, while cases only at a preliminary stage like the BLBI, would be put on the back-burner.

Former BI high-ranking Bank Indonesia (BI) officials, including former vice president Boediono, have been implicated in the Bank Century case, with former BI deputy governor Budi Mulya being convicted.

The BCA tax case has so far seen former Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) chairman Hadi Poernomo being named a suspect.

"We'll focus more on the cases that have reached primary-investigation stage, especially those that we have been conducting for more than six months. [The BLBI case] is still at the preliminary-investigation stage," Zulkarnain said on Thursday.

The new statement was in stark contrast to that made by suspended KPK chairman Abraham Samad on December, 29, 2014, two months prior to being a named suspect by the police in a document-forgery case, which led to his suspension by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

Abraham said the BLBI case was one of the anti-graft body's top-priority targets before his tenure expired in December this year.

"We are stepping up the investigation into the BLBI scandal. It is one of the priority cases for 2015. As you see, we recently sent summonses to many people in the case and this means that we are stepping up our investigation into the case," he said.

Many have speculated that efforts to oust Abraham were connected to his initiative to step up the probe into the BLBI scandal, which centers on Megawati's decision as president in 2002 to issue "release and discharge" letters, freeing recipients of the funds from obligations to fully repay their debts.

The Bank Century case centers on the controversial Rp 6.7 trillion (US$520 million) bailout of Bank Century by BI, at that time led by Boediono, who, along with former BI senior deputy governor Miranda Goeltom, and then BI deputy governors Siti C. Fadjrijah, Budi Rochadi, Muliaman Hadad, Hartadi Sarwono and Ardhayadi Mitroatmodjo, have been collectively accused of abusing their authority in disbursing the funds to the bank.

Budi is currently appealing his verdict, which saw him sentenced to 12 years behind bars, at the Supreme Court, and the KPK under Abraham's leadership had pledged that it would soon charge other individuals implicated in Budi's case.

The BCA case revolves around the decision by Hadi, as director general of taxation at the Finance Ministry from 2002 to 2004, to approve a request by BCA, now the nation's third-biggest lender, for special tax privileges.

Following the appointment of Ruki and senior lawyer Indriyanto Seno Adji as replacements for Abraham and suspended KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto, who has also been named a suspect by the police in a perjury case, many question the KPK's independence.

Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) director of advocacy Bahrain questioned Jokowi's decision to appoint Ruki, a former police general, and Indriyanto as interim commissioners, given their possible conflicts of interest.

Bahrain said Indriyanto could be a problematic figure as he was a lawyer in the Bank Century and the BLBI cases. "The question is who whispered to the President and recommended them as acting KPK leaders. Another concern is who the acting commissioners are working for," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/27/KPK-focus-century-sidelines-blbi.html

KPK chief cedes ground in the wake of top cop crisis

Jakarta Post - February 26, 2015

Haeril Halim and Ina Parlina, Jakarta – Acting Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Taufiqurrahman Ruki has vowed to pursue corruption cases less aggressively "to help government programs keep running" in the wake of the crisis between the antigraft body and the National Police.

He blamed the police attacks on suspended KPK leaders and detectives on former KPK chief Abraham Samad, whose last act led to the prosecution of Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan, a candidate for National Police chief.

"It is because [Abraham] did not do things the right way," Taufiqurrahman said on Wednesday after a meeting with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Badrodin Haiti and Attorney General M. Prasetyo at the Presidential Palace.

"The President says law enforcement must support government programs, not arouse the fear of prosecution among regional leaders looking to spend their budgets on development," he added.

Abraham, suspended KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto and two other leaders, Adnan Pandu Praja and Zulkarnain, declared Budi, Jokowi's initial pick for National Police chief, a bribery suspect two days before the House of Representatives approved Budi's nomination.

The police responded by naming Abraham and Bambang suspects in separate cases. Jokowi later rescinded Budi's nomination and proposed Badrodin, but the police have continued their prosecution of the KPK's suspended leaders.

A pretrial ruling at the South Jakarta District Court, meanwhile, ordered the KPK to annul Budi's suspect status and discontinue its investigation into his alleged corruption.

Taufiqurrahman, the KPK's first chairman when the body was established in 2003, said the KPK would, from now on, only prosecute state officials if they "could not be prevented from corruption."

After his inauguration on Friday, Taufiqurrahman appeared dominant, approaching the police and the Attorney General's Office (AGO) confidently.

Many have expressed doubt that Taufiqurrahman, a retired police general, will continue the KPK's investigation into Budi, as he showed no inclination to do so prior to his inauguration.

He has repeatedly hinted at the possibility of handing over Budi's case to the AGO or the police following the pretrial decision.

"[The KPK], the police and the AGO are currently involved in intense discussions regarding the KPK's response to the decision. There will be further meetings to discuss it," Taufiqurrahman said.

His statement undercuts earlier statements from the KPK legal team, which is seeking to challenge the pretrial decision through a case review at the Supreme Court.

Taufiqurrahman has also managed to mollify other KPK leaders, including acting deputy chairman Johan Budi, who has strongly criticized the police's move to charge Abraham and Bambang.

"Whether it is [a result of] rash prosecution or not, we stick to the point that we respect what the police are doing as a law-enforcement institution," Johan said on Wednesday.

Following the meeting at the Palace, Jokowi called on the KPK, the police and the AGO to put aside their institutional rivalries and create better synergy.

"I also asked the KPK and ordered the AGO and the police not to [let] 'sectoral egos' [take control]," he said. "[The three institutions] must support each other and build public trust so that they can work in accordance with the public's expectation."

Jokowi later highlighted the importance of prioritizing prevention efforts. "If indeed it constitutes misconduct and a crime, act firmly," he said. "And of course, we should all consider corruption a common enemy that threatens the progress and development of our nation."

Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) researcher Ade Irawan criticized Taufiqurrahman's rush to reform and his request for more investigators and prosecutors from the police and the AGO, just one day after being inaugurated.

"But a harmonious relationship with the AGO and the police does not necessarily make the KPK toothless [in its conduct toward the two bodies]," Ade said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/26/KPK-chief-cedes-ground-wake-top-cop-crisis.html

Police's charges against KPK unclear

Jakarta Post - February 25, 2015

Haeril Halim, Fedina S. Sundaryani and Andi Hajramurni, Jakarta/Makassar – The National Police have continued to fire a barrage of charges against suspended Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leaders Abraham Samad and Bambang Widjojanto, who helped prevent Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan from becoming the top cop.

Bambang's lawyer team found that the police have conducted "irregular" investigations on Bambang, including adding charges against him in every summons. The police have also refused to give him a copy of his dossiers.

Bambang came to the National Police headquarters on Tuesday to deliver two formal letters intending to seek clarification regarding the police's moves; but he did not receive a clear response, prompting him to refuse to attend a questioning session scheduled that day.

"It is interesting, as today is my third questioning session for the case and every time I am summoned the article slapped on me is different. As a suspect, I have the right to receive clarification about it, how can I defend myself in such a situation?" he asked.

The suspended KPK deputy chairman said police investigators had violated Article 72 of the Criminal Law Procedures Code (KUHAP) that ordered the police to provide a copy of dossiers in the first and second interrogation.

"In the previous questioning, they said that there were no more questioning sessions for me in the future, but I was surprised that there was one more today," he said.

Bambang was charged with Article 55 and Article 242 on perjury of the Criminal Code when he was arrested on Jan. 22 in relation to his role as a lawyer during an election dispute in West Kotawaringin in 2010.

However, his first summons letter mentioned Article 242 Point 1 in conjunction with Article 55 Point 1, narrowing his alleged role as the mastermind of the perjury case. In the second summons, the police added Article 56 of the KUHAP, accusing him of being an accomplice.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo dropped the nomination of Budi after the antigraft body, under the leadership of Abraham, Bambang and two other commissioners, declared the Police Education Institute (Lemdikpol) director a suspect in a bribery case.

A pretrial ruling to drop Budi's suspect status does not affect the President's decision to replace him with National Police deputy chairman Comr. Gen. Badrodin Haiti, who is now awaiting approval from the House of Representatives.

In Makassar, the police grilled Abraham for allegedly helping falsify documents to help a woman identified as Feriyani Lim get a passport in 2007, four years before Abraham became KPK chairman.

The police questioned Abraham for one and a half hours, requiring him to return again for further questioning the following week. The police denied that they tried to buy time in investigating Abraham, who flew from Jakarta to Makassar on Tuesday.

"At the fifteenth question, [Abraham] felt unwell, which forced investigators to stop the interrogation," South Sulawesi Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Endi Sutendi said.

Abraham faces eight years behind bars for allegedly violating Article 262 of the KUHAP on forgery for including Feriyani on his family card in Makassar for her to be able to apply for a passport while in fact they did not have any family relations.

Observers saw that Abraham's case was not worth going to trial for and the charge against him was doctored to prevent him from stepping up investigations into the Bank Indonesia Liquidity Assistance (BLBI) scandal, which could implicate President Jokowi's patron Megawati Soekarnoputri, the chief of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

The National Police also said they had stepped up investigations into KPK senior investigator Novel Baswedan in an assault case, which was stopped in 2012, but reopened recently following tense relations between the two institutions.

A police detective who handles Bambang's case, Sr. Comr. Daniel Bolly Tifaona, said Bambang's refusal was an act of deviance and the police would issue another summons for him on Friday. He said police investigators refused to give a copy of dossiers to Bambang because they feared that Bambang and his team of lawyers would disclose it to the public.

"The dossier cannot be given until prosecutors finish crafting the indictment," Daniel said.

Daniel insisted that investigators had sole authority over what a suspect was charged for, adding that there was another suspect named in Bambang's case, but he refused to disclose the name.

The Indonesian Ombudsman announced that the National Police had violated the KUHAP for arresting Bambang on Jan. 22, ordering the police to punish two police officers involved in the arrest.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/25/police-s-charges-against-KPK-unclear.html

Police to resume probes into KPK detective, former leaders

Jakarta Post - February 24, 2015

Fedina S. Sundaryani, Jakarta – The National Police will question suspended Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) commissioner Bambang Widjojanto as a suspect for the second time on Tuesday at the National Police headquarters in South Jakarta.

"He will be questioned on Tuesday for the second time since he was first named a suspect on Jan. 13," National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said on Monday.

Bambang's questioning has resumed despite the two institutions' vow last week to mend ties allegedly strained by the KPK's move to name previous police chief nominee Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan a graft suspect.

Rikwanto added that a KPK investigator, Novel Baswedan, would also be questioned as a suspect on Tuesday for an assault case that allegedly occurred in 2004 during his tenure as the Bengkulu Police's detective division chief.

Former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had requested in 2012 that Novel's case be postponed because of a heated conflict between the police and the KPK that arose when the antigraft body named police general Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo a graft suspect.

Rikwanto added that the Attorney General's Office (AGO) had already declared Novel's case dossier complete. This has led to some speculation that Novel will be detained after Tuesday's questioning and subsequently handed over to the AGO to prepare for his trial.

The police declared Bambang Widjojanto and fellow suspended commissioner Abraham Samad as suspects just days after the KPK named Budi a bribery suspect, resulting in their automatic suspension in line with the 2002 law on the KPK. They were recently replaced by Taufiqurrahman Ruki, Indriyanto Seno Adji and Johan Budi.

Bambang was accused of perjury in a 2010 regional election dispute at the Constitutional Court, while Abraham was accused of forging citizenship documents.

The head investigator of Bambang's case, Sr. Comr. Daniel Bolly Tifaona, said that investigators had collected strong evidence and statements from 46 witnesses against the former deputy chairman.

"We won't be detaining him after we have finished questioning him, but he has already been prohibited from traveling abroad," he said, declining to describe what questions would be asked of Bambang.

Daniel also expressed confidence that the Bambang's case dossier would be submitted to the AGO next week to be reviewed.

On Sunday, National Police detective division chief Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso said the police force would not drop Bambang or Abraham's cases and their suspensions would not affect the investigations.

Current commissioners Zulkarnaen and Adnan Pandu Praja also had police reports filed against them last month. However, neither have been named a suspect as the investigators were still gathering evidence.

Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo said that he had not yet received news that the AGO had declared Novel's case dossier complete.

The police force's determination to continue investigating the KPK members' cases has led to protest from civic groups. On Monday, members of several different civic organizations met with National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Badrodin Haiti to demand the cases be dropped.

"We asked the police deputy chief to drop the cases and to explain to us how criminal cases would be investigated in the future [...] We're worried because if you can prosecute KPK commissioners, think about how easy it would be to prosecute [rights] activists and citizens," Haris Azhar, of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), said after the meeting.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/24/police-resume-probes-KPK-detective-former-leaders.html

New KPK leaders seek help from AGO, police

Jakarta Post - February 24, 2015

Fedina S. Sundaryani and Haeril Halim, Jakarta – The new interim leaders of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) have continued to reach out for allies and to mend fences, requesting the Attorney General's Office (AGO) to provide more prosecutors to accelerate investigations.

"We have to admit that the number of corruption cases at the KPK has piled up rapidly and it isn't something we can handle on our own. We will communicate and cooperate much more intensely in the future with the AGO and the National Police in order to be more efficient," acting KPK chairman Taufiqurrahman Ruki told reporters after a meeting with Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo at the prosecutors' headquarters.

Taufiqurrahman and two other deputy chairmen Johan Budi and Zulkarnaen met with Prasetyo following the intensive conflict between the KPK and the police over the nomination of Police Education Institute (Lemdikpol) director Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan as National Police chief.

The nomination became controversial after the KPK named Budi a suspect in a bribery case, a move that led to police prosecution, and the subsequent suspension, of two KPK leaders, Abraham Samad and Bambang Widjojanto.

A pretrial ruling by judge Sarpin Rizaldi in the South Jakarta District Court annulled Budi's suspect status but President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo nonetheless decided to drop his nomination to ease tensions between the two institutions.

Taufiqurrahman, a former police officer and first chairman of the KPK, also met with National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Badrodin Haiti last Friday to smooth out relations and ask for 50 more investigators from the police. Taufiqurrahman said the KPK was considering the handover of several graft cases located outside Jakarta to the AGO to increase efficiency and minimise investigation and prosecution costs.

"If a suspect from eastern Indonesia is to be tried, why don't we hand the case over to the local prosecutor's office instead of bringing the suspect to Jakarta? Trials must be cheap, quick and simple," he said.

The KPK commissioners also asked Prasetyo to provide 50 additional prosecutors as there are currently only 95 prosecutors working at the anti-graft body, the Attorney General immediately agreed to this.

Meanwhile, KPK legal division head Catharina M. Girsang said KPK leaders had yet to decide what steps the anti-graft body would take following the rejection by South Jakarta District Court of a cassation petition against Sarpin's ruling. Chatarina said another option on the table was to file a case review to the Supreme Court.

South Jakarta District Court spokesman Made Sutrisna said the KPK's petition was rejected because Article 45 of the Criminal Law Procedures Code (KUHAP) stipulated that a pretrial verdict could not be challenged through a cassation mechanism.

Arsil, a researcher at the Institute for Research and Advocacy for Independent Courts (LeIP), lambasted the court for rejecting the KPK's proposal as approximately 130 cassation petitions challenging pretrial verdicts were submitted by primary courts to the Supreme Court between 2009 and 2011.

"If it's true the KUHAP prohibits it, why were there around 130 petitions registered at the Supreme during the period?" said Arsil.

Miko Susanto Ginting from the Center of Indonesian Legal and Policies Studies (PSHK) said the South Jakarta District Court should deliver the KPK's petition to the Supreme Court and let the latter decide on it.

"The Supreme Court must resolve the mess resulting from Sarpin's controversial ruling. People are now confused whether someone's legal status can be challenged through a pretrial mechanism because such a mechanism is not regulated by the KUHAP," Miko said.

Taufiqurrahman, who supported the pretrial before being appointed KPK chairman, said he respected Sarpin's ruling. "The KPK will respect the legal process. Even though there is a lot of debate on the legality of challenging a suspect's status but, as we saw, it was accepted by the court," Ruki said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/24/new-KPK-leaders-seek-help-ago-police.html

Ombudsman finds ethical violations in arrest of anti-graft deputy chief

Jakarta Globe - February 24, 2015

Jakarta – The Ombudsman Commission announced it had found National Police's arrest of an antigraft deputy last month violated ethics rules.

Bambang Widjojanto, the suspended deputy chief of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), was arrested and detained for more than 15 hours on Jan. 23 as part of a police investigation.

Police accused Bambang of compelling witnesses to commit perjury in an election dispute case he handled as a defense lawyer in 2010.

Bambang was subsequently charged and suspended from active duty. Many saw the police's move as a retaliation against the KPK's investigation against Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan, the president's previous pick to serve as the nation's top cop.

Budi is the target of a investigation for alleged bribery and money laundering. KPK officials say that between 2003 and 2006, Rp 54 billion ($4.2 million) flowed through Budi's personal bank account.

Bambang reported to the Ombudsman on Jan. 29 that there were irregularities in his arrest.

Ombudsman commissioner Budi Santoso announced on Tuesday that among the officers arresting Bambang was Sr. Comr. Victor E. Simanjuntak, of the National Police Education Institute (Lemdikpol), which Budi Gunawan currently oversees. "The presence of Sr. Comr. Viktor E. Simanjuntak during the arrest is not warranted," Santoso said.

Another irregularity was the presence of two heavily armed police officers, which the Ombudsman found to be excessive. Bambang was driving his daughter Izzat Nabilla to school at the time.

The armed officers' presence as well as the fact that Izzat was also taken to the National Police headquarters, Ombudsman commissioner Santoso said, shocked the small girl.

The Ombudsman also found other irregularities. The arresting letter was signed by the National Police's special economics subdivision chief Sr. Comr Daniel Bolly Tifaona.

The agency recommended the police sanction Daniel for not following proper procedure and Viktor for exceeding his authority. The Ombudsman also recommended all officers involved in the arrest be investigated by the police's ethics tribunal.

Bambang answered a summons for questioning by the National Police on Tuesday – arriving with a letter explaining his grounds for rejecting the summons. In it, he argued the police had not given him the results of several witness examinations, which a suspect is entitled to by law.

"Today we came to the National Police headquarters to submit three complaint letters. The first being that the summons was [technically] flawed," Bambang's lawyer Lelyana Santosa said.

Bambang's team of lawyers also questioned additional charges lodged against their client while the third letter demanded police conduct a cross examination between police, prosecutors and Bambang's legal team.

Hundreds of KPK officials came to the KPK office's main lobby to see Bambang off to the National Police headquarters, shouting words of encouragement for their former leader.

Police have launched an investigations into four KPK leaders, as well as 22 of its investigators, for cases dating back up to 10 years, further deepening suspicion that the police are retaliating against Budi's naming as a suspect.

The National Police have charged former KPK chief Abraham Samad for allegedly helping a prominent graft convict receive a reduced sentence last year in exchange for political backing from the convict's political party to support Abraham's supposed ambition to become vice president.

In a separate case, the South Sulawesi Police also charged Abraham with document forgery after assisting a woman, Feriyani Lim, in obtaining a passport in 2007.

Meanwhile, KPK senior investigator Novel Baswedan was charged with abusing a prisoner during his time at the Cirebon district police.

Also on Tuesday, Abraham, who was last week suspended from active duty, was summoned by the South Sulawesi Police. After failing to abide the first summons made by the South Sulawesi Police, Abraham arrived at police headquarters in Makassar at 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday.

Abraham was welcomed by hundreds of friends and supporters when he arrived at Makassar's Sultan Hasanuddin airport that morning.

Abraham, a Makassar native, also gave a speech to his supporters when he arrived at his former office of the Makassar Anti-Corruption Committee, where he served as chairman before becoming a KPK chief.

The interrogation lasted two hours before police suspended the session because Abraham said he was not feeling well.

Abraham said he is glad to be back home particularly since during his active duty as KPK chief, he didn't have much opportunity to go back to Makassar.

After the questioning, Abraham visited his father's grave. "This is my ritual. Every time I go to Makassar, I always make time to visit my father's grave," he said.

President Joko Widodo last week suspended Abraham and Bambang from active duty due to their legal status. The president appointed Taufiequrachman Ruki, Indriyanto Adjie Seno and Johan Budi as interim KPK commissioners.

Several analysts have speculated that Ruki's appointment was intended to mend ties with the National Police. Ruki, a retired two-star police general, was the KPK's inaugural chief between 2003 and 2007.

The interim KPK chief visited the National Police headquarters last week, just hours after Ruki and the other two were sworn into their new posts by Joko. Ruki met with deputy police chief Comr. Gen. Badrodin Haiti, whom the president recently named a candidate for the job of police chief.

However, the police's chief detectives Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso said the meeting will not stop investigations into the KPK leaders, including active KPK deputies Adnan Pandu Praja and Zulkarnain.

Adnan is accused of fraudulently acquiring shares in a timber company while advising it during an ownership dispute in 2006; deputy chairman Zulkarnain is accused of receiving bribes when he was chief prosecutor in East Java in 2009.

The complainant in the latter case is the former provincial council speaker who Zulkarnain successfully prosecuted and jailed for four years.

Ruki has also indicated the KPK is looking to resume the case against Budi Gunawan following the South Jakarta District Court's decision to revoke the KPK's investigation letter for technical reasons.

On Monday, former minister Suryadharma Ali filed a similar pretrial motion against the KPK for naming him a graft suspect last year, proving predictions that Budi has served as an inspiration for other graft suspects.

Zulkanain said the agency is considering lodging a plea for a case review in the Supreme Court (MA) against the South Jakarta District Court's ruling.

"We will see what we will do exactly. Although we respect the ruling, the people's sense of justice must also be fulfilled. This is more important than the technical legal arguments," he said. JG

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/ombudsman-finds-ethical-violations-national-polices-arrest-anti-graft-deputy-chief/

Police, KPK resume legal battle

Jakarta Post - February 23, 2015

Haeril Halim and Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Despite recent gestures of rapprochement, the National Police has decided to proceed with its dual investigations into former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leaders Abraham Samad and Bambang Widjojanto.

National Police crime investigation director Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso said on Sunday that reconciliation efforts between the two institutions following President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's twin moves to appoint acting KPK commissioners and cancel the inauguration of National Police Education Division (Lemdikpol) chairman Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan as National Police chief would not influence its investigation into Abraham, who has been named a suspect of forgery and Bambang, who has been named a suspect of perjury.

The police declared Abraham and Bambang suspects just days after the KPK named Budi a bribery suspect, resulting in their automatic suspensions in line with the 2002 Law on the KPK.

Waseso said investigators were currently working to collect evidence to bring charges against KPK commissioners Adnan Pandu Praja and Zulkarnain following the filing of criminal reports. He added that police had also received a report against KPK acting commissioner Johan Budi.

"We have involved experts to help review the cases [of Abraham and Bambang]. It is untrue that we have criminalized them. I have never even thought of doing so," Budi said, adding that his office had received a total of four reports against Bambang and five against Abraham.

The National Police are slated to bring both Abraham and Bambang in for questioning on Tuesday. In the summons letter sent to Bambang, fresh charges were listed.

The barrage of investigations launched against KPK leaders has not dissuaded the antigraft body from pursuing its case against Budi.

Prior to the inauguration of the new KPK acting leaders, the antigraft body's legal team filed an appeal with the Supreme Court over last week's controversial pretrial verdict that annulled Budi's status as a graft suspect and ordered a halt to the KPK investigation.

KPK spokesman Priharsa Nugraha confirmed on Sunday that the antigraft body had filed an appeal with the Supreme Court. "We filed the petition for cassation on Friday," Priharsa said.

South Jakarta District Court judge Sarpin Rizaldi granted Budi's pretrial petition last Monday to void his graft-suspect status and declare the KPK's investigation of him invalid. In the days since, the verdict has been lambasted as legally dubious and as an overreach of judicial authority.

The Criminal Law Procedures Code (KUHAP) does not authorize a judge to challenge someone's legal status in a pretrial court.

The erratic proceedings prompted the KPK to respond accordingly, filing an appeal with the Supreme Court that it may be forced to reject, as Article 45 Point A of the KUHAP stipulates that a pretrial verdict, including those for criminal cases carrying less than one-year punishments, cannot be challenged at the Supreme Court.

Law experts have suggested, however, that the Supreme Court could invoke other mandates to accept the appeal.

Article 32 of the 2009 Supreme Court Law, for example, stipulates that the court has the highest supervisory authority over the country's judicial system, including over the authority of judges and their verdicts.

Arsil, a researcher at the Institute for Research and Advocacy for Independent Courts (LeIP), said Point A of Article 45 of the KUHAP was merely aimed at preventing case-overload at the Supreme Court, not stymying important cases.

"Leaving such a controversial verdict as legal and binding would have serious legal consequences resulting from Sarpin's controversial acts. The intent of Point A has more to do with administrative concerns than the essence of a criminal case," Arsil said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/23/police-KPK-resume-legal-battle.html

New police detectives may hamper KPK investigations

Jakarta Post - February 23, 2015

Haeril Halim and Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Doubts have mounted over the Corruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) future commitment to pursuing high-profile cases following a plan to assign new police investigators to assist the antigraft body at the request of its new leadership.

Antigraft campaigners have voiced pessimism over the future of high-profile graft probes under the leadership of acting chairman Taufiqurrahman Ruki and acting deputy chairman Indriyanto Seno Adji because of perceived potential conflicts of interest in a number of cases being investigated by the KPK.

National Police Criminal Investigation Directorate (Bareskrim) director Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso said on Sunday that his office was preparing 50 of its investigators to be immediately deployed to help the KPK, a move Budi cited as evidence of a truce between the two institutions after weeks of battles.

"The KPK is asking for an additional 50 investigators from the National Police. We have agreed. Is this a form of weakening the KPK? I don't think so," he said.

But activists fear that the appointment of the two acting leaders will hamper certain cases, including the ongoing investigation into the Bank Indonesia liquidity support (BLBI) case that could implicate President Joko "Jokowi'" Widodo's patron Megawati Soekarnoputri, as well as the Bank Century scandal implicating former vice president Boediono.

The planned deployment comes after the police named 21 KPK investigators suspects for illegal firearm possession.

Ade Irawan of Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) lambasted Taufiqurrahman who he said, might have a conflict of interest in the current investigation into alleged corruption at publicly listed Bank Jabar Banten (BJB), in which the acting KPK chairman currently serves as a commissioner.

Ade argued Taufiqurrahman was wrong to ask the National Police to supply 50 more investigators to the antigraft body just hours after being sworn in on Friday.

"Why did he on his first day in office ask for more investigators from the police without even studying the internal situation at the KPK after the KPK-police standoff? Yes, the KPK needs more investigators, but such a decision should be made collectively with other commissioners," Ade said on Sunday.

Taufiqurrahman, Indriyanto and former KPK deputy for prevention Johan Budi are the new acting leaders that Jokowi has chosen following the suspension of two former leaders, Abraham Samad and Bambang Widjojanto, after the police named the pair suspects in separate cases.

The police investigation into Abraham and Bambang came after the KPK named National Police Institute (Lemdikpol) head Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan a suspect in a bribery case.

Ade added that the influx of police investigators at the antigraft body would influence the handling of graft cases, including the investigation into Budi, whose nomination as police chief led the KPK to announce his suspect status.

Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) director Bahrain also questioned Jokowi's decision to appoint the two acting leaders, especially Indriyanto, who, he said, had worked as a lawyer in the Bank Century scandal and the BLBI case.

"The question is who whispered to the President to recommend them as acting KPK leaders because there are many other figures who have clean track records who could replace Abraham and Bambang. Another concern is who the acting commissioners work for," Bahrain said.

Bahrain also criticized Taufiqurrahman for suggesting that the KPK might hand over Budi's case to the graft-ridden AGO, warning that such a move could mean the end of the investigation, given the AGO's notorious habit of shutting down high-profile graft cases.

Meanwhile, former KPK commissioner Bambang Widjojanto encouraged his successors to free themselves from any vested interests to allow them to carry out the job.

"I was once a lawyer and it was used to continuously bully me and impose injustice upon me," Bambang said during a rally to promote support for the KPK on Sunday.

He also called for cooperation with other law enforcers and a comprehensive plan to endorse accountability and transparency within the KPK.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/23/new-police-detectives-may-hamper-KPK-investigations.html

Environment & natural disasters

Haze begins to envelop Riau capital

Jakarta Post - February 28, 2015

Rizal Harahap and Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, Pekanbaru/Padang – Haze from forest and land fires in several regencies in Riau has started covering Pekanbaru, the provincial capital, reducing visibility to only about 3 kilometers on Friday morning. It is the worst haze since fires returned to the region in mid January.

Based on the direction of the wind, the haze covering Pekanbaru is most likely to have come from the eastern coastal regions of Bengkalis, Pelalawan and Siak regencies.

The latest satellite data at the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency's (BMKG) Pekanbaru station showed 15 hot spots in Riau on Friday morning. Of them seven were detected in Siak, three each in Pelalawan and Bengkalis and two others in Rokan Hulu.

"Nine of the hot spots have been identified as fires with a reliability level of over 70 percent," station head Sugarin said.

Seen from four observation sites, he said, only Pekanbaru was covered in thick haze on Friday morning while Pelalawan, Rengat and Dumai had thin haze with visibility ranging between 3 and 6 kilometers.

"The air quality in Pekanbaru has declined, touching 80 on the pollutant- standards index, or categorized as medium," he said.

Cumulatively, according to Sugarin, the number of hot spots in Riau would tend to increase as the peak of the dry season approached.

This month the number of hot spots increased dramatically to 337 from 138 last month, of which 139 were identified as fires. In some areas, he said, rain had not fallen for up to over a month, making them very vulnerable to fires.

Sugarin expressed the hope that the government could extinguish the fires before the peak of the dry season in March and April.

"Otherwise, the impact will disrupt economic activities here just like previously," he said.

In April the wind usually changes direction, blowing to the east. If forest and land fires are not properly dealt with during that time it is feared that once again haze will spread to neighboring countries.

To deal with the problem, the Riau administration has asked the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) to help extinguish fires.

Head of Riau Environment Agency (BLH), Yulwiriati Moesa, said that together with other government institutions, the provincial administration had scheduled artificial-rain programs in coastal regions for the whole month of March.

"We are preparing all we need," said Yulwiriati, adding that the forest and land fire coordination still had some 25 tons of salt powder and 43 tons more would be added for the artificial-rain program.

The program is expected to cost Rp 16 billion (US$1.2 million), including the cost of operating two Hercules C-130 and a Cassa 212 aircraft to seed the cloud with salt.

Separately the West Sumatra Forestry Agency said it continued to monitor hot spots in the region although their number had decreased. Head of the agency's forest security and protection division, Faridil Afrasy, said that as of Thursday satellites had detected 12 hot spots, a drop from the 26 detected in January.

"Based on the short dry season's climatic pattern this year, the situation is relatively secure, but we continue to watch and be prepared," Faridil said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/28/haze-begins-envelop-riau-capital.html

Graft & corruption

Loophole for crooks is Pandora's Box for graft-busters

Jakarta Globe - February 26, 2015

Hotman Siregar, Fana F.S. Putra & Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Jakarta – The Supreme Court must order all judges not to accept pretrial motions challenging a person's suspect status, a legal expert has said, following a controversial ruling that has opened an avenue for corruption suspects looking to charges against them dropped before they are even indicted in a court.

In what is now widely being called the "Sarpin Effect" – after Sarpin Rizaldi, the South Jakarta District Court judge who earlier this month declared flawed the Corruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) naming of police chief nominee Budi Gunawan as a graft suspect – at least three more corruption suspects are mulling taking advantage of the newly opened loophole.

The Supreme Court can stamp out this "bad precedent," says Agustinus Pohan, a criminal law expert from Parahyangan University in Bandung, by issuing an edict barring other judges from following in Sarpin's example.

Although such an edict will not reverse the ruling in the Budi case, "it will at least help stop the negative impact" of the controversial decision, Agustinus said.

He blasted Sarpin's ruling as hindering law enforcement in the country, particularly Indonesia's fight against corruption, with law enforcers now expected to spend much of their time and resources contending with pretrial hearings instead of pursuing criminal charges against offenders.

"We have Judge Sarpin to thank for this. He made his own interpretation [of the law] in Budi Gunawan's pretrial hearing," he said.

Legal experts have since the ruling last week pointed out that the court's decision to revoke Budi's suspect status is not a legally recognized move under the Criminal Code Procedures, or KUHAP.

According to code, a pretrial motion is only authorized to hear technical aspects of an investigation, such as the processes leading to arrest and seizure of assets, and not weigh on the substance of the criminal charge itself, which can only be determined after the indictment of the suspect.

And so it begins

On Thursday, former Democratic Party legislator Sutan Bhatoegana became the latest graft suspect to invoke his right to file a pretrial motion against his booking and arrest by the KPK.

Sutan, who was arrested by the KPK on Feb. 2 after being named a suspect in May 2014 for allegedly taking kickbacks from companies bidding for government oil contracts, has appointed Razman Arif Nasution, who represented Budi during his pretrial hearing, to represent him in court.

The pretrial motion is the third to be filed against the KPK since the South Jakarta District Court ruled in favor of Budi on Feb. 16. Former religious affairs minister Suryadharma Ali and Fuad Amin Imron, a former speaker of district legislature in Bangkalan, East Java, are also preparing to file pretrial motions.

Suryadharma was charged last May with embezzling funds meant for sending Indonesian Muslim pilgrims on the hajj. Fuad was arrested in December on charges of bribery and money-laundering in connection with his position in the local legislature.

'A legal accident'

The KPK said on Wednesday that it was bracing for a barrage of legal challenges from individuals it had named suspects in a wide range of corruption cases.

"It's impossible to forbid these corruption suspects from filing a pretrial [motion]," Taufiequrachman Ruki, the acting KPK chairman, said after a meeting with President Joko Widodo, as quoted by Detik.com.

"While a case is still under investigation, suspects may file such a motion at any time. So there's little room for the KPK to avoid them in court. We're putting in extra effort to prepare our legal team and investigators."

But Agustinus said it was the police who would face the most challenges, "because the police force is the institution with the most number of suspects on its books."

Sarpin's ruling "will also be a burden for the courts," he added. "Maybe, in the future, courts will only hear pretrial motions because no cases will actually reach the stage of an indictment."

Former Supreme Court justice Benyamin Mangkudilaga said he was convinced that the Supreme Court would resolve the matter, possibly by overturning Sarpin's decision. "Just wait. The court will ultimately have to sort this controversy out," he said.

Supreme Court spokesman Suhadi, though, said the court could only do so if an aggrieved party, in this case the KPK, filed an appeal against the decision. Without an appeal, he said, the Supreme Court has no power to strike down a lower court's ruling.

The Judiciary Commission, the government body tasked with overseeing the conduct of the country's judges and judiciary, said separately that it would act on a complaint filed by several anti-corruption groups against Sarpin and could summon the controversial judge for questioning next week.

"After we have questioned the plaintiffs and relevant witnesses and obtained a copy of the ruling, we will likely summon Sarpin," said commissioner Anshori Saleh. "We will also ask several experts to weigh in their opinions. It will take time. Summoning someone cannot be done that quickly. Maybe next week."

Meanwhile, KPK interim deputy chairman Johan Budi said the antigraft commission would not stop its ongoing investigations just because of the controversial ruling.

"We respect the [suspects' right to file a] pretrial motion. But I must stress that the motions lodged will not stop the investigation processes currently being conducted," he said. "There has been no decision to temporarily halt any investigation pending a pretrial motion."

Another KPK deputy, Zulkarnain, said the commission was still examining Sarpin's ruling, which he called "a legal accident."

"Of course we want to return the law to its correct state," said Zulkarnain, a former senior prosecutor with the Attorney General's Office. "We are trying to find ways to fix this, but I can't give any details at the moment."

KPK won't stoop to that level

Although acknowledging that the court acted beyond its jurisdiction, prominent lawyer and former justice minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra agreed that a pretrial hearing was a legitimate avenue for suspects to challenge the legality of the investigation against them.

Sarpin's ruling "is a step in the right direction," he said, adding that law enforcers were "also human who can make mistakes or abuse the authority vested in them, so why can't we challenge their decisions?"

"We are no longer living in a colonial era where [law enforcers] can do whatever they want, without fear of repercussion," Yusril said. "Law enforcement should be fair, honest and free of the abuse of authority."

Yusril said the government should amend the KUHAP, last revised in 1980, to grant courts the authority to revoke an individual's suspect status. He also claimed that the antigraft activists who have been among the most critics of the Sarpin ruling were almost certain to invoke the new loophole if it benefited them.

This, however, has not been the case for suspended KPK commissioners Abraham Samad and Bambang Widjojanto, who were named suspects by the police in a series of dubious cold cases that are widely seen as retaliation for the KPK's naming of Budi as a suspect.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/loophole-crooks-pandoras-box-graft-busters/

After Suryadharma Ali, Sutan Batoegana follows suit

Jakarta Post - February 26, 2015

Jakarta – Following on from former religious affairs minister Suryadharma Ali, former House of Representatives Commission VII overseeing energy and environment chairman Sutan Batoegana, who was implicated in a graft case, is taking his turn to file a pretrial petition with the South Jakarta District Court.

Razman Arif Nasution, a lawyer who accompanied Sutan in the graft case, said he has been appointed by Sutan to represent him in filing the pretrial petition. "Sutan appointed me to file the pretrial petition with the district court," kompas.com quoted him as saying in Jakarta on Thursday.

Sutan, who has undergone several questionings at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) building, has been accused of accepting US$200,000 from former Oil and Gas Regulatory Special Task Force (SKKMigas) chairman Rudi Rubiandini in bribes to endorse the revised budget of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry in 2013.

Previously, several public officials implicated in graft cases have filed pretrial petitions in an attempt to repeat suspended police chief candidate Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan's recent victory at the South Jakarta District Court, which invalidated the KPK's move to name him a graft suspect.

Suryadharma filed a pretrial petition at the same court early this week because he has been named a graft suspect in connection with the organizing of haj pilgrimages in 2012 to 2014 but so far, the commission has yet to calculate state losses in the case.

After that, former Bangkalan legislative council chairman Fad Amin Imron and Sabu Regent Raijua Marthen Dira Tome also filed similar petitions with the court after they were named corruption suspects.

Acting KPK chairman Taufiqurrahman Ruki said the KPK could not prevent graft suspects from filing pretrial petitions after the South Jakarta District Court accepted Budi's petition to invalidate his suspect status. (rms)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/26/after-suryadharma-ali-sutan-batoegana-follows-suit.html

Suryadharma files pretrial petition

Jakarta Post - February 23, 2015

Jakarta – Former religious affairs minister Suryadharma Ali filed a pretrial petition at the South Jakarta District Court on Monday in an attempt to have the court invalidate his suspect status in connection with alleged graft in the organizing of haj pilgrimages in 2010 through 2013.

Humprhey R. Djemat, a member of the legal team accompanying Suryadharma in the case, said he submitted the pretrial petition because the charges laid against his client were not clear and the KPK was apparently lacking evidence to bring the case to court.

He said the commission had never revealed the losses the state suffered from the case. "Bambang Widjojanto said in January, the losses caused in the case to the state would be checked. The commission has yet to find state losses from the case," he said after registering the pretrial petition at the court in Jakarta on Monday.

Suryadharma filed the pretrial petition after he failed to show up to undergo questioning at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) building in Kuningan, South Jakarta.

Humprhey said his legal team and his client had obtained the impression that the KPK's move to name his client a suspect was apparently based on political pressure.

Johnson Panjaitan, another member of Suryadharma's legal team, said his client's suspect status was linked with an article on the Kompasiana website entitled "Abraham Samad's Glass House" about the suspended KPK chairman.

"The name of Suryadharma has been mentioned in the first paragraph. At that time, [Suryadharma] supported presidential hopeful Prabowo Subianto," he said as quoted by Antara news agency.

According to him, Suryadharma's suspect status was political because the KPK named him a suspect only two days after Prabowo and running mate Hatta Rajasa registered as presidential and vice-presidential candidates, respectively, with the General Elections Commission (KPU). The two lawyers said the case was also related to the "Abraham Samad's Glass House" post because the latter wanted to be Jokowi's running mate as vice-presidential candidate. (rms)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/23/suryadharma-files-pretrial-petition.html

Hard-line & vigilante groups

FPI reports Miss Indonesia to police for wearing hammer-and-sickle T

Merdeka.com - February 27, 2015

Parwito – The Solo chapter of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) accompanied by leading members of the Boyolali branch of the Pancasila Youth (PP) visited the Central Java regional police headquarters on Friday to report Miss Indonesia 2015, Anindya Kusuma Puteri, to police.

The FPI is accusing Miss Indonesia, who originates from East Java, for influencing and spreading communist ideas after she uploaded a photo of herself wearing a red T-shirt with a picture of the hammer-and-sickle on it.

According to FPI Solo coordinator Raya Khoirul RS, by wearing a red T-shirt with a picture of the hammer-and-sickle on it, which is a symbol of communism, Miss Indonesia is spreading communist ideas.

"Because the PKI [the outlawed Indonesian Communist Party] is a danger in Indonesia and truly is on the rise. And now also there is Miss Indonesia 2015 who is being widely discussed by the media in Indonesia. Our official report is because this involves Central Java as well. In legal terms it will be discussed by my attorney later", said Khoirul when Merdeka.com ran into him at the Integrated Police Service Centre (SPKT) on Jl. Pahlawan in the Central Java provincial capital of Semarang on Friday February 27.

The attorney for the Greater Solo FPI, Pongky Yoga Wiguna, explained to journalists that wearing communist paraphernalia violates Law Number 27/1999 prohibiting the use and development of communist teachings in Indonesia.

"We are here because Miss Indonesia is alleged to have worn communist paraphernalia. Because this is suspected to violate Law Number 27/1999 prohibiting the use and development of communist ideas in the territory of the Republic of Indonesia. This could carry a sentence of a maximum of 12 years in jail", he explained.

In addition to this, one of the FPI's visions and missions is ensuring that communist ideas do not develop in Indonesia. Because of this therefore, Wiguna hopes that firm action will be taken against Miss Indonesia and that all those concerned be questioned as soon as possible.

"One of the [reasons] it violates the law is because communists don't recognise God. We hope that this will be deemed as violating criminal provisions so it can be processed and that firm action is taken against all those concerned, the perpetrators. In accordance with prevailing laws in Indonesia", he concluded.

Notes

In a separate article Merdeka.com reported that Anindya Kusuma Puteri said in a press conference that she was given the T-shirt by Vietnamese friends who she knew from a student exchange program. Anindya defended the photograph saying that she had not intended to support any particular ideology and that she feels that there should be tolerance for the diverse ideas that exist in the world. She has since deleted the photo that was uploaded over five months ago.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "FPI polisikan Puteri Indonesia karena pakai kaos gambar palu arit"]

Source: http://www.merdeka.com/peristiwa/fpi-polisikan-puteri-indonesia-karena-pakai-kaos-gambar-palu-arit.html

Jakarta & urban life

Basuki serves up 'proof' of budget fixing by Jakarta city council

Jakarta Globe - February 27, 2015

Lenny Tristia Tambun, Ezra Sihite & Kennial Caroline Laia, Jakarta – Indonesia's antigraft commission has vowed to follow up on a report by Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama alleging budget irregularities by the City Council, with Basuki saying the chamber's members added to the capital's 2015 spending plan without City Hall's approval.

Basuki said on Friday afternoon that he had deposited printouts of the city's budget with the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK – amounting, in the governor's words, to "two boxes of instant noodles," or roughly 60 linear centimeters of paper, by the Jakarta Globe's calculations.

"The team will follow up on the governor's complaints by first reviewing the report," said Johan Budi, an interim KPK commissioner. "We'll look at what information and data is valid and accurate, and conclude if there are indications of corruption [to investigate]."

If the KPK finds indications of criminal activity, the commission will launch an investigation, Johan added.

Basuki said the two boxes presented to the KPK contained evidence of "stealth spending" inserted after the budget had been approved, as indicated by separate audits conducted by the Jakarta Supreme Audit Agency (BPKP) and the Regional Development Planning Agency (Bappeda) of the budgets approved by City Hall, totaling Rp 78 trillion ($6 billion), and that approved by the City Council, which amounts to Rp 90 trillion.

"I've come here to the KPK with evidence of differences in the budget that I submitted to the City Council, which was drafted through the e-budgeting system, and that approved by our colleagues in the council," Basuki said. "There's quite a big difference – Rp 12 trillion."

Basuki has since submitted his own version of the budget to the Home Affairs Ministry.

Prominent backing

His hard-line approach to what he believes is unauthorized spending inserted by rogue councilors has provoked threats among the council's members this week to launch proceedings that, if realized, could result in the governor's impeachment.

Basuki has said that, if faced with impeachment, he would rather lose his job than let members of the City Council manipulate the capital's budget.

The governor would appear to have backing, however, from at least one well-placed supporter; Basuki met with President Joko Widodo at the State Palace on Friday.

Joko, Basuki said, offered unconditional support for his struggle to reject the Rp 12.1 trillion allegedly inserted by councilors without the administration's knowledge or consent.

"The president said that e-budgeting must go ahead [to avoid such schemes from happening again]," the governor said. "Yes, e-budgeting is still new, but it must be implemented."

Taking the budgeting process online is seen as a measure to stop councilors and rogue officials from adding programs of their own under dubious circumstances and for unjustifiable amounts.

Among the items that the councilors allegedly inserted was the procurement of uninterruptible power supply systems to 55 schools across the city – at a cost of nearly Rp 6 billion each. The schools say that they neither need nor requested the devices.

The price tag is also questionable. According to online retailers, consumer-grade UPS machines sell for between $40 and $1,800. The most advanced consumer-grade model has an output power capacity of 2,700 watts and a run time of 15 minutes, enough for 10 computers.

"This is why we need to take [these irregularities] to law enforcement so we'll know which [officials] are manipulating [the budget] and which councilors are getting rich because of this," Basuki said. "I asked for [the president's] commitment to implement e-budgeting across Indonesia. The president agrees. He wants to stop regional budgets from being tampered with."

Intrepid governor

In an unprecedented move, Basuki refused to submit the Rp 90 trillion budget proposal approved by the City Council to the Home Affairs Ministry – submitting instead what he says is the lower-cost version that his administration had initially proposed.

Regardless of the irregularities, the council remains adamant that the governor's move to submit a budget proposal that it hadn't signed off on violated at least three separate laws.

In a floor vote conducted on Thursday, all 91 council members present voted in favor of launching a probe – a move that could result in Basuki's impeachment.

According to the 2014 Regional Administration Law, the council can recommend the president fire Basuki for disobeying regulations with a floor vote attended by a quorum of at least two-thirds of council members. At least 75 percent the councilors present must vote to recommend impeachment.

The council's impeachment indictment would then be forwarded to the Supreme Court for a trial on the council's bill of indictment that would weigh the circumstances and ultimately decide the governor's fate.

Should the court endorse the council's recommendation, the president would, by law, have no choice but to dismiss Basuki.

'Other leaders must speak up'

Indonesia Corruption Watch chairman Ade Irawan applauded Basuki for sticking to his guns and facing down the council's impeachment threat in order to expose the truth behind the council's manipulation of the budget.

"Jakarta isn't the only one that has embezzlement issues. We rarely hear of them just because the leaders prefer to stay silent and follow the requests or even cooperate with the councilors. All for their own interests," Ade told the Jakarta Globe on Friday. "Now that Basuki has brought this up, other leaders must learn to speak up too, unless they're also corrupt."

Political expert Hamdi Muluk of the University of Indonesia (UI) said Basuki could purposely break the rules to say: "We need change."

"What's happening between Basuki and the council actually generates good momentum toward eliminating [many] budgeting violations by lawmakers, not just in the capital but throughout Indonesia," he told the Globe.

For years, allegations of corruption in the budgetary process has amounted to little more than unsubstantiated rumors, Hamdi said, with all involved keeping silent while profiting from such schemes.

Even when regional leaders are not in on the action, "no one has guts to reveal it," Hamdi said, lest they face a backlash from lawmakers.

"Should there be an impeachment, the public will likely support Basuki. The public must watch this process closely to know who is wrong and who is right."

Senior political researcher Siti Zuhro of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), however, said it would be difficult for Basuki to evade impeachment, but added that Basuki was well aware of the risks he was taking: "Legally speaking, Basuki is wrong for submitting an unapproved document," she said.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/jakarta/basuki-serves-up-proof-of-budget-fixing/

Jakarta city council striking back at 'loudmouth' Basuki

Jakarta Globe - February 26, 2015

Lenny Tristia Tambun & Deti Mega Purnamasari, Jakarta – The Jakarta City Council on Thursday unanimously decided to launch an inquiry against the capital's governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, for submitting a budget proposal the council had yet to revise.

The governor has fully acknowledged that the draft budget had not been approved by the council upon its submission to the Home Affairs Ministry, but argued that the council-approved version was filled with initiatives not unauthorized by City Hall.

These unsanctioned programs, Basuki argued, inflated the city's initial 2015 budget of Rp 78 trillion ($60.89 billion) by a further Rp 12.1 trillion. The governor earlier estimated a budget inflation of Rp 8.8 trillion.

However, the council remains adamant that regardless of these irregularities, the governor's move to submit a budget proposal without its consent violated at least three separate laws.

In a floor vote conducted on Thursday, all 91 Council members present voted "yea" for launching a probe – a move that could result in Basuki's impeachment.

"This is a serious violation," said Fahmi Zulfikar of the People's Conscience Party (Hanura) when presenting his party's views to the plenary. "In our view, the governor has insulted the council as a state institution."

Before the plenary session, 102 out of the 106 council members signed a petition supporting the inquiry, in a rare display of harmony between the pro-government Awesome Indonesian Coalition (KIH) and opposition Red-White Coalition (KMP).

Johnny Simanjuntak of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), a KIH party, said the remaining four council members "did not sign [the petition] because of technical matters. One of them is from Hanura who is away in Papua.

"The PDI-P wants to show the people of Jakarta that the governor is not always right. He is a loudmouth who cares more about his image," Johnny said of the PDI-P's support for the probe.

According to the 2014 Regional Administration Law, the council can recommend the president fire Basuki for disobeying regulations with a floor vote attended by at least two-thirds of council members. It also requires at least 75 percent of the vote from councilors present to recommend an impeachment.

The case would then go to the Supreme Court, which will weigh the circumstances and ultimately decide the governor's fate.

Should the court endorse the council's recommendation, the president would, by law, have no choice but to fire Basuki. But the Jakarta governor, known for his outspoken and uncompromising leadership style, said he would stand his ground and refuse to accept the Rp 12.1 trillion worth of additional programs made by the council in an effort, he said, to funnel funds into their pockets.

"I think it's better not to lose sleep over this," he said about the council's plans for an inquiry.

"I just concentrate on my work. Jakartans will find out for themselves who's right and who's wrong; whose [version of the budget] sides with the people and whose does not." Basuki said the council had added its own programs during the budget's deliberation process.

The governor cited irregularities for the city's education agency to exemplify his point, pointing out that the program to spend Rp 4.5 billion on audio equipment for elementary school classrooms, and the plan to purchase Rp 15 billion worth of teaching aids for kindergarten teachers, were not proposed by his administration.

Also on the initial budget was a bid to use Rp 6 billion for uninterrupted power supply systems for junior high schools and Rp 25 billion for teacher training.

Neither had been approved or put forward by City Hall, but "all were included in the City Council's budget proposal," Basuki said. " This is why I refused to submit their version to the Home Affairs Ministry.

"The education agency never proposed these programs. Yet they appeared [on the budget], as if out of nowhere. That is a manipulation [of the system]."

"Is it even appropriate to ask for such unnecessary items when our schools are crumbling? Of course not. Forty-eight percent of schools in Jakarta are dilapidated. And [the council] wants us to buy Rp 6 billion worth of UPS machines?"

The governor said he was actually looking forward to the council's inquiry, saying that it would offer him the chance to expose the various "corruption activities" that have become the norm in legislatures across the country.

It would also allow him to determine which council members were behind the additional programs and report them to the National Police, the Attorney General's Office and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), he said.

"We'll see. I can go to jail [for administrative violations] or the council members can go to jail [for budget manipulation]," he said. "Or better yet, we can all go down together."

Basuki added that he had gathered evidence from the Financial Development Comptroller (BPKP) and the Home Affairs Ministry that would prove the practice of budget manipulation had been taking place for years – long before he took up the governor's seat last November.

He noted that plans he put forward last year take would have taken the entire budgeting process online to avoid costly discrepancies, but they were rejected by councilors and several city officials.

"This year, I am not accepting any excuses. The city [administration] will be using an e-budgeting system from now on," Basuki said.

Council member Johnny denied Basuki's allegations of attempts at manipulation on the legislature's part, claiming that all programs had been discussed by both sides during the deliberation process.

Basuki "never objected [to the programs] during deliberation. Besides, if the Jakarta administration objects to proposals made by the council, then don't execute them. But don't go around and change [the revised budget]," Johnny said. "Let [the governor] says what he wants. He is just panicking because 102 council members petitioned to launch an inquiry."

University of Indonesia political expert Arbi Sanit urged Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo to step in to resolve the escalating conflict between the governor and the City Council.

"Conflict and disagreements between the executive and legislature in Jakarta are not uncommon. But in this case, both sides failed to reach a peaceful agreement, which has culminated in the current political showdown," Arbi said. " The Home Affairs Ministry must intercede. [The administration and the council] cannot resolve this on their own."

Regional Representatives Council (DPD) Speaker Irman Gusman called the motion for an inquiry "excessive," and urged both sides to exercise reason.

Budget deliberations are now nearly two months behind schedule. City Council members failed to even start discussions on Jakarta's financial plans for 2015 by mid-December, largely due to fractured council politics that led to a delay in convening the necessary committees.

As a result, the Home Affairs Ministry's Dec. 31 deadline for regional governments to finalize their 2015 budgets and related regulations came and went, triggering censure measures against council members that included suspension of their pay.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/jakarta/jakarta-city-council-striking-back-loudmouth-basuki/

Film & television

New app available for viewers to slam 'bad' TV shows

Jakarta Post - February 23, 2015

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Tired of an endless barrage of celebrity gossip on your TV? Now you can complain about it from the palm of your hand.

A new Android app, Rapotivi, was launched on Saturday for anyone with a smartphone who wants to report negative content on their TV. Rapotivi can also be accessed at rapotivi.org.

"It's designed to make it easier for people to report bad TV shows," Rapotivi program manager Septi Prameswari said in a statement. "The app is based on the fact that most TV channels in Indonesia today fail to fulfill the rights of people to quality, healthy and beneficial content."

According to data from Remotivi, a television watchdog that launched Rapotivi, even when a sinetron (drama series) is rated R for remaja (teenagers), it still contains lots of violence.

Article 37 Point 4A of the Broadcasting Standard Code says that shows should not promote inappropriate behavior.

For example, three episodes of popular teenager series Ganteng-Ganteng Serigala (Handsome Wolf) from Oct. 27 to 29, 2014, contain four physical violence scenes and 13 scenes of verbal abuse.

Another TV series, Manusia Harimau (Tiger Man), in the same period contained 33 scenes of violence and one scene of verbal abuse.

Data from Remotivi also shows an imbalance between child content and gossip shows.

For example, 11.66 percent of the content on SCTV is deemed to be gossip, while only 0.83 percent is for children. The same goes for RCTI, with 16.15 percent gossip and 11.53 percent for children.

With such levels of negative content, people may be confused where to report.

"If people don't know where to report and they already have smartphones, why don't we utilize that situation?" said Remotivi director Roy Thaniago. "With this app, we want the public to develop a new habit of reporting problematic content."

While there is already a public institution tasked with monitoring broadcasting, the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI), it often fails to act quickly on people's complaints.

"Besides not being widely known, its performance also leaves a lot to be desired. That's why Rapotivi is here to act as a bridge the public and the KPI so that it can work faster and be more responsive," Septi said.

Therefore, every report made via the app would be forwarded to the KPI. "We will verify first whether reports actually happened or not. Then we will send the reports once a week to the KPI and go to the KPI once a month to have a dialogue with them," Roy said.

As feedback to the public, Remotivi will give updates on the status of the complaints to whoever sends the reports. "We will inform you of the status of every sanction that the KPI issues. We can guarantee that the public's complaints will have an impact," said Roy.

Besides that, Remotivi will also publish infographics and data based on complaints it receives from the app. "Every month we will know which show, which program and which TV station receives the highest number of complaints," Roy explained.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/23/new-app-available-viewers-slam-bad-tv-shows.html

Armed forces & defense

TNI issues social media warning to its personnel

Jakarta Post - February 28, 2015

Nani Afrida, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) has warned its personnel against using social media, as it says doing so may compromise national security.

On Friday, the Indonesian Air Force issued a letter reminding personnel active on social media of the dangers of using such platforms.

The order stipulates that Air Force personnel are not allowed to post comments on social media that contradict government and military policy.

The letter also bans personnel from posting information about their activities and says personnel are forbidden from commenting on social, political, economic and cultural issues, as well as military affairs, on any social media platforms.

Officials from the Air Force, however, declined to give details on the reasons behind the order.

"This letter is a concrete step to follow up on a previous letter issued by Indonesian Military chief Gen. Moeldoko on how military personnel should use social media," Air Force spokesperson Commodore Hadi Tjahjanto told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Hadi was quick to add that the letter was not an outright ban on TNI personnel using social media. "This is actually not a ban, but they [military personnel] should know better what is proper to say and what is not," Hadi said.

TNI spokesperson Maj. Gen. Fuad Basya said that guidelines for TNI personnel on using social media were normal, as many countries were now engaged in cyber-related conflicts. He said the rule could be a preventive measure to anticipate the leaking of state and military secrets.

"The punishment for revealing state secrets is very harsh. For me, death is not enough," Fuad said, adding that not many experienced soldiers could use social media wisely.

He complemented the Air Force for issuing the order and said the Army and Navy had to follow suit. Army spokesperson Brig. Gen Wuryanto acknowledged that Army personnel had also been warned about their social media habits.

"The Army allows its personnel to use social media, but only if they can do so responsibly. They know what to do with social media," he said.

The letter was issued after a number of social media misadventures involving military personnel emerged.

In one case, First Lt. Zulfikar Rakita Dewa was reported to the Military Police after allegedly deceiving a woman who he met via Path, a social media outlet. Zulfikar is the son of West Java Deputy Governor Deddy Mizwar.

The woman, who identified herself as Riana Rara Kalsum, claimed Zulfikar had used Path to seduce her, including by offering her a trip to Europe. Zulfikar and Riana did travel to Europe but the woman later claimed she had been abandoned by the TNI member.

Riana then publicly claimed she was pregnant as a result of her affair with Zulfikar. With the case on local TV gossip shows, the Army was forced to clarify any possible wrongdoings committed by Zulfikar. The case remains under the investigation of the Military Police.

Social media is also popular among the military's top brass. Moeldoko, for instance, has his own Twitter account, @Generalmoeldoko, from which he updates his 66,000 followers on military affairs.

Recently, the social media scene was abuzz with a tweet many attributed to Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu. Recently, the Twitter handle @Ryamizard_R gave details on the TNI's capability to survive an attack in the event of warfare.

The Defense Ministry later clarified that Ryamizard had never had a social media account and that the account was likely bogus.

"We're trying to close this account as it doesn't belong to minister Ryamizard," one official from the ministry told the Post. The account was suspended on Friday.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/28/tni-issues-social-media-warning-its-personnel.html

Indonesia, Singapore hope to mend military ties with new cooperation

Jakarta Post - February 26, 2015

Nani Afrida, Jakarta – Indonesia and Singapore are working to improve defense relations after last year's spat over the naming of a Usman Harun Navy corvette.

A joint press announcement from Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen and Indonesian Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu revealed the two nations would engage in joint exercises, joint patrols and regular dialogue.

"Both ministers are on the same page, that it is very important to maintain cooperation and friendship between Singapore and Indonesia," Indonesian Defense Ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Djundan Eko Bintoro told The Jakarta Post in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Ryamizard visited his Singaporean counterpart on Jan. 28, as well as several strategic companies. During the trip, the respective defense ministers discussed strategies for strengthening defense cooperation.

Djundan said both countries would work together to curb terrorism and piracy and to enhance disaster management.

On Monday, Singapore's Navy chief, RADM Lai Chung Han, visited Ryamizard to discuss implementation of the cooperation.

Navies from both countries have been discussing strategies for reducing piracy in the Malacca Strait and the South China Sea.

Indonesian Navy chief of Staff Ade Supandi said the government was still reviewing the plan. "Both navies are still seeking new innovation to [spur] cooperation," he told the Post.

The new defense cooperation between Singapore and Indonesia is a hopeful sign after a last year's row.

In February 2014, relations between Singapore and Indonesia hit a new low after Indonesia named one of its Navy corvettes, an Usman Harun 359, after Second Sgt. Usman bin Haji Muhammad Ali and Second Cpl. Harun bin Said, who were executed in Singapore in 1965 after carrying out an Orchard Road bombing three years earlier that killed three and injured 33. Indonesia had previously named them national heroes.

The Singaporean government later canceled a bilateral meeting concerning defense cooperation. The Indonesian Defense Ministry retaliated by cancelling a plan to attend the Singapore Airshow.

Despite the deleterious effect on bilateral ties, Indonesia stressed it would not rename the ship.

Djundan said Indonesia found no problem in the relationship between Indonesia and Singapore. "If the relationship does not improve, we won't stop trying with this cooperation," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/26/ri-s-pore-hope-mend-military-ties-with-new-cooperation.html

Poso selected as training ground for TNI

Jakarta Post - February 25, 2015

Nani Afrida, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) has rolled out its plan to use the restive region of Poso in Central Sulawesi as the training ground for its quick reaction strike force (PPRC).

The PPRC has the ability to carry out combat operations anywhere in the country as it is designed for deployment at a moment's notice. Members of the unit come from the Army, Navy and Air Force and they are all trained to carry out the primary objective of destroying an enemy.

"In Poso, we found several security problems that should be addressed by our friends in the police force. And it is a coincidence that we will train our PPRC personnel in Poso," Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Moeldoko said at the TNI headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta.

The military unit can be deployed on order from the President to handle threats of terrorism, both domestic and international.

Moeldoko said Poso had been selected mainly because it was a hotbed for terrorism. "Poso is an area where the radical group felt comfortable," he said.

The TNI chief said the planned training in Poso was also designed to deter terror groups from running their operations. Counterterrorism operations have been staged in Poso for the past 14 years, with no significant results.

It has been reported that Santoso, one of the most wanted terrorists in Indonesia, is currently in Poso and members of his terror group frequently launched terror attacks in the area.

The police have yet to arrest members of the Santoso group, which has been operating in the region for the last four years.

The military is currently joining the police in conducting anti-terror operations in the area. "We support the police by deploying intelligence personnel," Moeldoko said.

Meanwhile, TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. Fuad Basya said the presence of military personnel in Poso, especially members of the PPRC, could be used as backup in case the police failed to handle terrorism problems in the area.

"If Poso cannot be handled by the police, it is possible for the military to take control of the fight against terrorist groups there," Fuad said.

Fuad declined to give details on how many personnel under the PPRC would be deployed to join the war on terrorism in Poso.

Earlier, Fuad told The Jakarta Post that the military was waiting for President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's instruction to start its operation in Poso.

"Currently, the police are conducting a security operation in Poso and the TNI is supporting by deploying intelligence personnel. The police operation will end on March 26," Fuad said.

He suggested that the order for the TNI to join the war on terror could be issued in March.

Poso was rocked by a sectarian conflict between Muslims and Christians from the late 1990s to the mid-2000s. Thousands of Christians and Muslims became the victims of the conflict. Although the conflict officially ended with the signing of the Malino Accords in 2001 and 2002, the region remains a hot spot for terrorism.

Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu has reportedly set a deadline for the conflict in Poso to be resolved in three years, assuming that the Defense Ministry and the Office of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister could work well together.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/25/poso-selected-training-ground-tni.html

Judicial & legal system

Judiciary facing 'severe' shortage of judges

Jakarta Post - February 26, 2015

Fedina S. Sundaryani, Jakarta – The country's judiciary is suffering a shortage of judges and is struggling to fill positions mostly in district courts, a problem that if left unchecked will lead to a crisis, says a commissioner from the Judicial Commission.

Commissioner Imam Anshori told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday that the shortage resulted from the fact that no new judges had been recruited in the past four years.

"On average we should recruit around 250 new judges annually. However, since we haven't recruited anyone new in the past four years, we must hire at least 1,000 judges to reach the ideal number," he said.

Data from the commission said there were currently 8,300 judges in district, religious, military and state administrative courts across the nation as well as justices at the Supreme Court.

Imam said he was concerned that if no new judges were recruited, the country's judiciary would be badly crippled by 2017. Even today, some of the country's far-flung regions already experienced judge shortages, he said.

"For example, the district court in Raha, Southeast Sulawesi, only has four judges. [Since there needs to be three judges per panel] what would happen if two of those judges were ill or on leave? All the work at that court would have to be suspended," he said.

To add to further problems at Raha District Court, the commission discovered that two judges there were set to be transferred to other regions as their tenures had expired, according to the Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Ministry.

Problems were also affecting courts in remote areas in the country, as judges mostly wanted to be assigned to developed regions.

"It's difficult to find judges for remote areas such as Raha, because more experienced judges who have worked at higher-caliber district courts are unwilling to be transferred to courts in disadvantaged regions," he said.

There were also problems in the recruitment of judges, with a lack of applications for the job. The commission had to recently lower the entry requirements for judge candidates in the written test due to a lack of participants, which further reduced the quality of judges, if selected.

"We were forced to lower the passing grade a little, but if we kept on trying to find the ideal judges we would never be able to find them," he said.

The judicial watchdog also made the same move when tasked with selecting Supreme Court justice candidates before they were proposed to the House of Representatives.

The number of applicants for justice positions had reduced, with the commission also being forced to lower entry requirements for these positions. "We have started this year's selection process. Around 50 people have applied," he said.

Imam, however, acknowledged that the task of finding honest and capable judges and justices remained a difficult undertaking in the country's graft-prone judiciary.

The commission was set up in 2005 to monitor the judiciary. Throughout its existence, the commission has launched investigations into the alleged misconduct of justices and judges. The commission, however, has no authority to dismiss judges or justices for misconduct or criminal offenses.

University of Indonesia legal expert Chairul Huda said he trusted the commission's assessment of the situation and warned a continued judge shortage would increasingly bring the quality of legal decisions into question.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/26/judiciary-facing-severe-shortage-judges.html

Criminal justice & prison system

Indonesian bishops, migrant activists reject death penalty

Jakarta Globe - February 27, 2015

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – The death penalty is an inhuman form of punishment and not effective in deterring crime, the Indonesian Bishops Conference (KWI) said on Friday, ahead of the pending execution of 11 drug convicts.

"Apart from moral considerations, we deem the death penalty ineffective and inhuman," Pastor P.C. Siswantoko, the executive secretary of the KWI's Commission for Justice and Peace, said at a discussion on Friday.

The pastor said that to tackle drug-related crime, consistency in the rule of law should be the government's priority. "Crime, especially the problem of drugs, will not decrease as long as law enforcers are not even-handed in carrying out their duties," Siswantoko said.

He added that the government should also try to make the market for drugs smaller – by developing strategies to prevent youths from falling prey to substance abuse – instead of merely trying to cut supply.

The religious leader also described capital punishment as a violation of human rights that causes immense suffering and amounts to torture of the convict, citing in particular the long wait before execution.

"This is extraordinarily vicious, to make someone wait for death instead of freedom," Siswantoko said, mentioning also the possibility of convicts becoming the subject of political maneuvers or the fatal victims of miscarriages of justice.

A total of 11 drugs convicts, including two Australian ringleaders of the so-called Bali Nine gang, are awaiting imminent death by firing squad. A date for their execution has not been publicly announced but Joko as well as other senior state officials have been adamant that the killings would go ahead despite mounting international pressure.

The Australians have been on death row since 2006. Six people, five foreigners and one Indonesian national, were already executed last month.

The pastor said the KWI had asked President Joko Widodo to reconsider his decision to proceed with the executions.

Anis Hidayah, who heads Migrant Care, said at the same discussion on Friday that her advocacy group absolutely rejects the death penalty, citing the right to live and flaws in the Indonesian legal system among the reasons for the group's position.

She added that the president's refusal to grant drug convicts clemency also hampered the work of her organization.

"In the years 2004-14, three Indonesian nationals have been executed abroad. Another 360 could face the death penalty and 17 among those have already been convicted," Anis said.

"If Indonesia applies the death penalty, that means negotiations with other countries [to prevent Indonesian migrant workers from being killed] will be more difficult."

"Jokowi shouldn't look at this purely from a legal perspective, but also value the lives of people who are set to be executed, both here and abroad."

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/indonesian-bishops-migrant-activists-reject-death-penalty/

NU reiterates support for drug convict executions

Jakarta Post - February 26, 2015

Ina Parlina, Bogor, West Java – Indonesia's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, reiterated on Thursday its support for President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to press ahead with the government's plan to execute a number of death row inmates convicted on drug trafficking charges, some of which are foreigners.

The remarks were made after NU leaders came to the Bogor Palace in West Java on Thursday to discuss several matters, particularly their upcoming national meeting, which Jokowi was invited to attend.

NU chairman Said Aqil Siradj said matters related to the execution and the death penalty for drug offenses were already on the table.

"The NU has always supported him [Jokowi]. The NU is also behind the President all the way for his rejection of the clemency requests filed by those death-penalty drug convicts," he said.

When asked about the pressure and efforts being made by foreign countries to save the lives of their nationals facing the firing squad, Aqil said Indonesia should stick to its stance. Such pressure would not affect the execution plan, he added.

Aqil pointed out domestic politics in Australia and Brazil could be driving Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff to make the appeals to save their citizens in order to raise their popularity ratings at home.

"No problem, go ahead, it's only pressure," Aqil said. "He [Jokowi] said in Australia and Brazil, the political ratings of their state leaders are currently down," he said. "The stern reactions were made so that their popularity ratings would go up."

Aqil later argued that such executions had nothing to do with human rights, since drug abuse caused great losses to the Indonesian people, especially the young generation.

"Instead of raising concerns about the humanity value of a person, or 64 persons [all the death-row convicts whose clemency requests have been rejected by Jokowi], we should defend the humanity of 250 million people [Indonesians]," he said.

Australian media outlets have reported a phone call to Jokowi on Wednesday night to appeal for clemency for its two nationals on the execution list, drug smugglers Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/26/nu-reiterates-support-drug-convict-executions.html

Sukhoi jet squadron readied for transfer of Bali Nine death-row

Jakarta Post - February 23, 2015

Kupang – Ninth Regional Military Command (Kodam IX) Udayana commander Maj. Gen. Torry Djohar Banguntoro said on Monday that the Indonesian Military had prepared a squadron of Sukhoi fighter jets to guard the transfer of two Australian drug traffickers on death row from Kerobokan Penitentiary in Bali to the Nusakambangan prison island in Cilacap, Central Java.

"We have also prepared the Army's Raiders and Cavalry forces to provide security for the two death-row convicts, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, in their journey from Kerobokan Penitentiary to Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali," he said as quoted by Antara news agency in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, on Monday.

Eleven death-row convicts including the two Bali Nine members, Chan and Sukumaran, are scheduled to be executed after President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo rejected their clemency requests.

Torry said he had received an order from Indonesian Military commander Gen. Moeldoko to help secure the transfer of the Australian death-row convicts.

"A squadron of Sukhoi fighter jets is ready to guard a Hercules aircraft that will transport the death-row convicts [to Nusakambangan]. We have also prepared sea patrols and land-security measures," he said after a meeting with members of House of Representatives Commission I overseeing security affairs in Kupang.

Torry refused to give details on when the death-row convicts would be transferred to Nusakambangan.

"On the exact date [of the transfer], it's beyond our responsibility. What we can confirm is that security precautions for land, sea and air are all ready," he said. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/23/sukhoi-jet-squadron-readied-transfer-bali-nine-death-row-convicts.html

Protests continue against Abbott's 'hurtful' comments

Jakarta Post - February 23, 2015

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Calls are mounting for Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott to apologize for his controversial demand that Indonesia pardon two Australians currently on death row as a mark of gratitude for his country's aid for victims of the 2004 tsunami.

Following an ensuing campaign in Aceh to collect coins to repay the aid, a coalition of community groups in Jakarta calling itself the Pro-Indonesia Coalition has followed suit, staging a rally at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle to criticize Abbott on Sunday.

The protesters encouraged passersby to donate coins to help repay the A$1 billion that Australia donated to Indonesia to help the country recover from the 2004 tsunami.

"Don't let Tony Abbott hurt our dignity. Australia's money cannot buy us," coalition coordinator Andi Sinulingga urged. Andi added that the coalition would continue the fundraising movement until Abbott personally apologized for his statements.

In an apparently desperate attempt to gain 11th hour clemency for two Australians, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, who were sentenced to death for drug smuggling, Abbott pointed to Australia's tsunami aid as a reason for the Indonesian government to show mercy.

As reported by Reuters, Abbott claimed that Australia would feel "grievously let down" if the executions proceeded despite the assistance given after the 2004 disaster.

"I was pointing out the depth of the friendship between Australia and Indonesia and the fact that Australia has been there for Indonesia when Indonesia has been in difficulty," Abbott told reporters in Tasmania.

The change-collection movement sprang up in Aceh on Saturday as soon as Abbott's statement was reported by Australian media. Since then, the campaign has attracted supporters nationwide following a Twitter campaign using the hashtags #KoinuntukAustralia, #coinforAustralia and #coinforAbbott.

With Abbott's remarks drawing stinging criticism, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said that Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop had called him to clarify that Abbott had not meant he expected a "return of the favor", but wanted merely to emphasize the good ties between the two countries.

Meanwhile, amid heated political fallout from the government's obdurate execution plan, the relatives of Chan and Sukumaran arranged a joint press conference, said to be the first of its kind ever, in Bali on Sunday, applauding the services the Indonesian government had provided to help both convicts face the current situation.

"Our brothers are grateful for the kindness of all people. They are faithful in facing this situation. We are also thankful for the government of Indonesia and all of the presidential staffers for arranging the holistic rehabilitation program," Michael Chan, Andrew's brother, told a press briefing at the Kerobokan prison as quoted by Antara news agency.

Chintu Sukumaran added that "they [Myuran and Andrew] respect Indonesians, the Indonesian culture and the judicial system of the country. They were willing to prepare programs to help locals have a better future while serving their sentence in prison".

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/23/protests-continue-against-abbott-s-hurtful-comments.html

Last rites denied for prisoner executed before Bali nine duo

Sydney Morning Herald - February 23, 2015

Jewel Topsfield and Tom Allard – Indonesian authorities executed a Brazilian man last month without allowing a priest to perform the last rites as he waited for the firing squad.

The distressing mix-up, and horrific last minutes of Marco Archer Cardoso Moreira, were relayed to Fairfax Media by Cilacap priest Father Charles Burrows, who was supposed to be called upon to comfort the man.

The account comes as the Brazilian government took the extraordinary step of refusing to accept the credentials of Indonesia's new ambassador in protest over its refusal to offer clemency to another of its citizens on death row, Rodrigo Gularte. Indonesia responded by recalling its ambassador-designate.

Moreira was executed on January 18, the last of five drug felons shot by firing squads on Nusakambangan, Indonesia's execution island that sits within sight of Cilacap.

"He had to be dragged from his cell crying and saying 'help me'," said Father Burrows. "He actually excremented in his trousers".

The guards hosed him down but, says Father Burrows, he continued to weep "all the time up to his last minutes".

Moreira was a Catholic and Father Burrows was supposed to administer the sacrament of reconciliation and penance and the extreme unction. But there was a mix-up and Father Burrows was not allowed on the island.

"I kept telling them I wanted to be there. The wardens were very polite but the attorney wouldn't give me a letter to get on to the island. The Brazilian embassy was very upset. They told me nobody went forward to look after him.

"Usually there is a time when the minister or spiritual director gets to go forward to console them. Nobody consoled Marco."

Brazil is also deeply angry about the treatment of Gularte, who is a paranoid schizophrenic, and therefore should be exempt from execution under Indonesian law.

Gularte, 42, has been on death row since 2004 for smuggling six kilograms of cocaine into Indonesia in surf boards.

"This is one of the reasons why the clemency should be assessed case by case. There should not be a blanket rejection," said Gularte's Indonesian lawyer Ricco Akbar.

"If it was done case by case, it would be known that Rodrigo was suffering a mental illness. His clemency would not have been rejected in the first place." Mr Akbar called on the "wise" President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, to reconsider the case.

Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff said clearance for Indonesia's representative would be delayed while Brasilia and Jakarta remained at loggerheads over Gularte's execution.

The blanket denial of clemency for drug convicts on death row by Mr Joko will be the subject of an appeal to the administrative court on Tuesday by the lawyers for Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the two Australians on death row in Bali.

Fairfax Media revealed on Thursday that Mr Joko rejected their clemency applications without considering the supporting documentation, which included information on their rehabilitation and efforts to train and counsel hundreds of Indonesian prisoners in Kerobokan jail.

With Mr Joko saying on Friday that he would not bow to international pressure and that there would be no delay in the men's executions, the lawyers for the Australians said they would pursue their case for clemency with unbridled determination.

"There are plenty of reasons why we will never throw in the towel," said Julian McMahon, one of several barristers working on the case. "We are fighting in court, at this stage the Administrative Court. Our government is working hard on other fronts. There is also an international aspect to this. Perhaps most importantly, civil society in Jakarta is certainly now very interested.

"It may only be a few days, but may be longer. This extra time might enable the governments to talk more, to look more deeply at all that is going on and see if some better outcome than killing reformed prisoners is an option."

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/nobody-consoled-marco-last-rites-denied-for-prisoner-executed-before-bali-nine-duo-20150221-13l3o9.html

Intelligence & state security

Jokowi urged to choose BIN chief wisely

Jakarta Post - February 24, 2015

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Human rights campaigners have called on President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to remain independent in his choice of a new chief of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) in order to avoid a repeat of the political controversy that surrounded the recent appointments of the attorney general and National Police chief.

Jokowi has yet to replace current BIN chief Lt. Gen. (ret) Marciano Norman, whereas he has installed new leaders at several state institutions including those considered crucial in determining the fate of cases of past gross human rights violations, such as the Attorney General's Office (AGO) and the Office of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister. Activists are concerned that stalled cases would be permanently ditched should Jokowi bow to political elites and appoint a controversial individual such as former BIN deputy chief As'ad Said Ali, who served at the agency under the leadership of AM Hendropriyono, a member of Jokowi's inner circle.

Hendropriyono is alleged to have masterminded the murder of prominent human rights campaigner Munir Said Thalib, an allegation that he has repeatedly denied.

"We don't want BIN led by a controversial figure who would use his or her power to shut off all efforts to resolve cases of human rights abuses that took place in the past," the chairman of Jakarta-based human rights watchdog Setara Institute, Hendardi, said on Monday. "We don't want the President to make a reckless choice," he added.

Although Jokowi has not yet announced any candidates for the position, 65- year old As'ad is seen as most likely to replace Marciano because of his close ties with Hendropriyono.

Besides As'ad, other individuals believed to be in the running for the BIN top job include former Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS) chief Rear Marshal (ret.) Ian Perdanakusuma and current BIN deputy chief Maj. Gen. Erfi Trianussu.

Other names touted are former deputy defense minister Lt. Gen. (ret) Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and Sutiyoso, the chairman of the Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKPI), a member of Jokowi's ruling coalition.

Activists' concerns over the BIN leadership have grown in wake of the row between the National Police and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) ignited by the nomination of Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan as National Police chief.

Budi's nomination is believed to have been strongly endorsed by Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, who is reportedly continuing to back Budi despite Jokowi's naming a new candidate, Comr. Gen. Badrodin Haiti.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/24/jokowi-urged-choose-bin-chief-wisely.html

Foreign affairs & trade

Australians, reporting on Indonesia

Jakarta Post - February 23, 2015

Hans David Tampubolon, Jakarta – For the last 70-or-so years, Indonesia and Australia have been in a dynamic relationship, frequently punctuated by tensions.

The nations have often gone head to head in disputes, such as during the alleged wire tapping incident several years ago. However, the countries have also stood together, as in the aftermath of the Bali bombings.

However, Australian and Indonesian journalists have always been at the ready to deliver factual reports that might affect either nation.

Looking to explore how our southern neighbors have reported on Indonesia, Ross Tapsell, a lecturer in Asian Studies at the Australian National University (ANU), recently launched his book, titled "By-lines, Balibo, Bali Bombings: Australian Journalists in Indonesia".

The work, which sprang out of Tapsell's doctoral research in 2005, highlights important news events that affected relations between the countries, such as the Balibo Five and the Bali bombings.

Tapsell offers profiles and stories of foreign correspondents stationed in Indonesia during the early 1940s and the tumultuous 1960s. He goes into detail on how local staff works with foreign publications, how governments influence the reporting process and the impact of new technology.

"This book is about the Australian media in Indonesia. It's actually a history of Australian journalism in Indonesia since the Indonesian independence of 1945," Tapsell told The Jakarta Post during the book's launch in Cikini, Central Jakarta, recently.

"I went back and looked at a lot of documents and reports," he said. "They often said that the biggest problem in the bilateral relationship was the Australian media – that the Australian media often deliberately destabilized the relationship."

Tapsell interviewed several Australian journalists previously stationed in Indonesia, such as Tony Rafty, a cartoonist who came to Jakarta in 1945 after independence to draw pictures of then-president Sukarno.

Rafty "actually went straight to the palace and knocked on the door and said 'Can I speak to Sukarno?'" Tapsell said. "They let him in and he drew pictures of Sukarno and Hatta and the first Cabinet."

Sukarno was so happy with Rafty's work that they stayed close friends.

Initial good relations with the Indonesian government soured, particularly after the Balibo Five incident in 1975, when five Australian journalists were killed while reporting in Timor Leste, which was then occupied by Indonesia.

Tapsell says that many Australian journalists have maintained a "vendetta" against the Indonesian government ever since.

Tensions also rose when David Jenkins wrote a headline article for the Sydney Morning Herald about corruption in Soeharto's New Order.

Jenkins, once considered one of Indonesia's best friends in the Australian press, called Soeharto's wife, Tien Soeharto, "Madame Tien Percent", suggesting that she always received a 10 percent commission from whatever projects were taking place under the New Order.

In response, the Indonesian government barred Australian journalists from entering the nation for years. Tapsell, however, downplayed the incident, saying that Australians had typically faced many challenges reporting on Indonesia during the New Order.

"It was a difficult time. There were a number of threats, intimidations, violence and restrictions – particularly in outer regions like Papua and Timor," he said. "Getting information during the Soeharto years was very difficult because of the way the bureaucracy worked and the closed off nature of New Order."

"Then there was reformasi and kebebasan pres [press freedom] and suddenly Indonesia was a wonderful place for access with the exception of Papua. What has been interesting is that, over time, the Australian government has become more closed off and journalists now complain that the Australian government manages their media more tightly."

Constant suspicions and restrictions imposed by both governments on the work of journalists has also made it difficult for Australians to understand their northern neighbor, according to Tapsell.

"A lot of [Australians] still think of Indonesia as a place for terrorism and military dictatorships," he says. "Of course, we only hear bad news about Indonesia in Australia."

Tapsell said he hoped his book would improve understanding between Australians and Indonesians and provide a different perspective on the dynamics of their relations.

"In Australia there is a lack of credible information," Tapsell says. "We don't learn much about Indonesia. Indonesian language in Australia has been in decline since the 1970s. Unfortunately, our educational knowledge about Indonesia is very limited. We are relying on mainstream media to get information about Indonesia and the mainstream is always limited and restricted."

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/02/23/australians-reporting-indonesia.html

Analysis & opinion

Jokowi's supporters are starting to doubt the 'Indonesian Obama'

The Conversation - February 24, 2015

Amalinda Savirani – After a narrow victory that brought someone from outside the country's old guard into office, some supporters of Indonesian President Joko Widodo are starting to become disillusioned with their champion.

Not long ago, Jokowi – as he is popularly known – was riding a horse- drawn carriage on Jakarta's main streets with thousands of people celebrating his inauguration. International observers compared Jokowi, who promised clean government and human rights protection, to US President Barack Obama in his rise to power.

When other countries in the region, such as Thailand, are facing political crisis and others are still dealing with political monopolies, Jokowi was the symbol of a grassroots democratic movement. His supporters – not his party, the PDI-P – managed to help him beat ex-military general Prabowo Subianto, who served in Suharto's dictatorship.

But four months into his presidency, people are appalled by Jokowi's weakness in preventing efforts to undermine Indonesia's anti-graft agency (KPK) by the notoriously corrupt police institution (Polri) and political elites.

Will this scandal lose Jokowi the supporter base that brought him to power? Will the people's grassroots movement sustain their power to challenge the corrupt old guard for years to come?

Mapping the 'relawan'

Post-Suharto Indonesia is dominated by oligarchs, consisting of political elites connected to Suharto's New Order regime. They are dispersed in all sectors, including political parties, parliament and business.

Jokowi's win was a show of people's power to challenge the oligarchy. He came to power mostly on the back of support from volunteer groups, known as relawan. These groups are in a loose alliance, consisting of many elements. It is not a solid entity.

Sociologically and politically, there are at least three elements in the volunteer groups. Although this largely describes Jakarta-based supporter groups, other areas have similar elements.

First is the former activists involved in the 1990s pro-democracy movement to topple Suharto. The second group are activists from various non- governmental organisations ranging from the anti-corruption movement to farmers and indigenous community groups. The third are artists and people in the creative sector. The third group is relatively less experienced in politics than the first two groups.

The former 1990s pro-democracy activists and NGOs have specific political agendas. They want to free Indonesia from possible military domination and want the state to observe human rights principles. With their long experience in the democracy movement, they are generally the main organisers of volunteers. They include as many social groups as possible to create a bigger movement.

However, the first and second groups have no real support from the masses. Despite their lack of political experience, the third group is the magnet of the relawan movement. Their popularity as artists on social media succeeded in drawing more supporters and followers.

It was this group that attracted Indonesian citizens from all walks of life to support Jokowi. They used music, posted memes on social media, created a series of cartoons on Jokowi and made T-shirts and all kinds of campaign merchandise.

But unlike the first and second group, the artists had no specific political agenda. They wanted Indonesia to be better, with no concrete imagination of what it is like to be "a better Indonesia".

Too late and compromised

Four months into office, the Indonesian public is upset with how Jokowi is dealing with the KPK versus Polri saga. In the past month, the police have tried to weaken KPK by criminalising two of its commissioners on flimsy charges. Prior to this, KPK started a case against a candidate for the police chief post, Budi Gunawan – a former aide of PDIP chairwoman Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Last week, Jokowi cancelled Gunawan's candidacy and nominated caretaker police chief Badrodin Haiti as his candidate. He appointed three acting KPK commissioners to replace the inactive Abraham Samad and Bambang Widjoyanto.

But many consider Jokowi's move too late and compromised. The South Jakarta Court last week exonerated Gunawan in a controversial and unprecedented pre-trial hearing. The judge ruled that KPK could not investigate Gunawan because, as head of the police human resources, he was not a law enforcer nor an Echelon I public official. This ruling has opened a way for KPK graft suspects to try to avoid criminal prosecution through pre-trial processes.

Jokowi's choice for acting KPK chairman, Taufiqurachman Ruki, is a former KPK chairman who in his tenure never tried to tackle corruption in the police force. His first move as acting KPK chief is reportedly to request police detectives be sent to serve as KPK investigators.

Return to apathy

Despite public disappointment with Jokowi, there are three reasons why he will not lose his supporter base from this episode in his presidency.

First, Jokowi's supporters are fragmented in their response to the KPK- Polri saga. The former 1990s pro-democracy activists and NGO activists predominantly support the KPK. They are vocal in showing their support in a "Save KPK" campaign. They have rallied for KPK in front of their headquarters. They are also expressing their opinions through Twitter and Facebook.

But the third group of Jokowi's supporters are hesitant to criticise him. They prefer to wait and see what Jokowi will do. They think it's too early to judge Jokowi's presidency.

One of the reasons for this fragmentation is the way NGO activists frame the issue. For some artists who supported Jokowi, the "Save KPK" movement is similar to the "anti-Jokowi" movement.

The alliance of volunteer groups during the presidential election was too broad and too loose. Unity between the activists, NGO workers, artists and the rest of the public happens only when there is a shared goal as well as a rallying point to unite them. Making Jokowi the winner of last year's election was the shared goal. On the KPK-Polri issue, not all of Jokowi's supporters agree that a sense of crisis looms over Indonesia's anti- corruption agenda.

Second, not many citizens can monitor and pay detailed attention to the political problems Jokowi faces every day. They are the amateurs in political terms. They know the issues only on the surface. They are also preoccupied with their own personal lives. Only the activists working professionally on corruption issues have the time and resources to monitor the development of the KPK-Polri rift closely.

Third, some of Jokowi's supporters believe that he should be given a break in consideration that Gunawan's controversial appointment was linked to the web of power of the Indonesian oligarchs that surround Jokowi. This group believes the public should be patient in dealing with the legacy of decades of corruption.

While the KPK-Polri saga will not make Jokowi lose too much of his support base, what is at stake – due to his weakness – is the risk of a return to public apathy and ignorance. The 2014 presidential election was regarded as a moment to bring politics back into the hands of ordinary Indonesian citizens. They believed they have the power to make a change. Now they may think that all of this is business as usual.

[Amalinda Savirani is a Lecturer, Department of Politics and Government at Gadjah Mada University.]

Source: http://theconversation.com/jokowis-supporters-are-starting-to-doubt-the-indonesian-obama-37843