The head of Papua's Family Welfare and People's Empowerment Agency, Donatus Mote, said on Tuesday that the region's medium-term development plan had faced difficulties caused by illiteracy among local officials.

This had led to the failure of many districts to submit their budget plans in relation to development programs, he said.

Of 4,788 villages in Papua, he said, only 14 villages had submitted their budget plans and were ready to start the government's development programs.

"Those villages are all located in Jayapura," Donatus said as quoted by tempo.co.

The latest data from the Education Ministry showed that Papua accounted for 36.31 percent of the nation's illiterates, with 3.6 million people in 2013, the highest in the country.

To tackle the problem, Donatus said his agency had deployed 1,000 assistants to every district in Papua to help local officials compose their budgets.

Papuan legislator Tan Wei Long Karnan, meanwhile, has recommended that local officials must be, at a minimum, graduates of junior high school (SMP), as they are responsible for the distribution of a local budget worth up to Rp 3 billion (US$224,711) per year. (ika)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/30/low-literacy-rates-hamper-papua-development.html

Vanuatu NGOs shocked by MSG outcome

Radio New Zealand International - June 29, 2015

NGOs in Vanuatu says the Melanesian Spearhead Group decision not to admit West Papua as a full member, but upgrade Indonesia's membership, is a slap in the face for ni-Vanuatu.

Chiefs and the trade union movement also say they are in shock at last week's decision.

The chairman of Vanuatu's West Papua support group, Pastor Alain Nafuki, says he wants the MSG leaders to revisit their decision not to give full membership to the United Liberation Movement for West Papua.

"The purpose of establishing MSG is totally to assist our people who have not gained their rights yet, independence. That was the main reason and I would tell them that they would revisit the reason of why we establish MSG."

The MSG upgraded Indonesia from observer status to associate member status, while it admitted the United Liberation Movement as an observer.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/277465/vanuatu-ngos-shocked-by-msg-outcome

Papuan shot dead for blocking road

Jakarta Post - June 29, 2015

Jayapura – Manase Agapa, 22, a resident of Ugapuga village, East Kamu district, Dogiai regency, Papua, has been shot dead by an unidentified man while participating in a blockade of Jl. Nabire-Paniai.

Papua Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Patrige Renwarin confirmed on Saturday that Menase had been shot while blockading the road with his friends on Thursday.

"Menase and his friends blocked the roads and stopped cars passing toward Nabire," Patrige was quoted by Antara news agency as saying. Manase and his friends were reportedly asking for money from the passing cars.

One of the cars' drivers refused to give money and, instead, shot the man in the hand and torso. Police deployed officers to the crime scene where they found a projectile and a bullet. However, the identity of the gunman is still unknown.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/29/islands-focus-papuan-shot-dead-blocking-road.html

Bainimarama commends Indonesian President

Fiji Times - June 27, 2015

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has commended the Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his government for the steps they are taking to improve conditions in West Papua for its Melanesian population.

Mr Bainimarama commended Mr Widodo and the Indonesian Government while addressing the Melanesian Spearhead Group meeting in Honiara, Solomon Islands yesterday.

He said it was incumbent on the MSG countries to support Mr Widodo in the effort and engage with Indonesia on West Papua in a positive and constructive manner.

"From Fiji's perspective, the best way to achieve this is to bring Indonesia closer into the workings of the MSG," he said. While Indonesia has been elevated from observer status to associate member of the MSG, the United Liberation Movement for West Papua has been granted observer status at the group.

Source: http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=311512

Indonesia is associate member, West Papua observer in MSG

Vanuatu Daily Post - June 27, 2015

Godwin Ligo – The Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) has accepted the United Liberal Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) as Observer in the regional organisation on the basis that it represents West Papuans living outside West Papua.

According to international media, that was the announcement made yesterday by the MSG Chair, Solomon Islands Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare. The MSG Chair also announced that Associate Membership was accorded to Indonesia who is representing "the five Melanesian provinces in Indonesia".

That was the decision of the leaders of the Melanesian Spearhead Group at the MSG Summit in Solomon Islands that ended yesterday.

Indonesia will be represented in MSG by the governors of the five provinces in West Papua. The ULMWP application for full membership in MSG was held back.

While Vanuatu was the beacon of hope for West Papua in the world in the past, at this stage the people of Vanuatu do not know how Vanuatu voted at the MSG in the bid for ULMWP's application for full membership.

But in a statement released by the Office of the Prime Minister yesterday, it stated that the United Liberation Movement for West Papua representatives have expressed appreciation to Melanesian Spearhead Group leaders in an address to the MSG Plenary on Friday.

The Vanuatu Prime Minister, Sato Kilman, who did not attend the MSG meeting following the political situation in the country stated: "The 20th Summit ended on Friday 26th with a Plenary which also saw addresses from newly admitted Associate members Indonesia, and the United Liberation Movement for West Papua as Observers.

"In a much-anticipated communique which was signed by Leaders on Thursday evening at the Mendana Hotel in Honiara, among other important decisions, Leaders approved that ULMWP be admitted as an Observer to the MSG under the regional and international organizations category and representing Melanesians living abroad.

"In addition, leaders also approved that Associate membership be accorded to Indonesia who will also be representing the five Melanesian Provinces in Indonesia.

"These two decisions were arguably quite historical as well as progressive in their own right, rendering the MSG as a platform for greater dialogue between the Government of Indonesia and the ULMWP.

"In his address to the plenary on Friday morning, representative of the ULMWP expressed their appreciation to leaders for endorsing their bid for membership and for their unification under the ULMWP umbrella which was made possible under the auspices of the Government, the Chiefs, Church Leaders and people of Vanuatu.

"It is important to note that the Vanuatu Government's strong stance, support and advocacy for self-determination for all indigenous peoples and the universal principles of human rights which all MSG members subscribe to have been instrumental in the inclusion of La Couse Kanak and now West Papua in the agenda of the MSG, and for the inclusion of the FLNKS representing the Kanak people of New Caledonia, and now ULMWP the people of West Papua.

"To that end, the Vanuatu Government wishes to congratulate both the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) and the Government of Indonesia for choosing the MSG as a conduit or platform whereupon they may dialogue and in reconciling any differences.

"The spirit of the MSG and the Melanesian way encourages closer dialogue cooperation and the spirit of comradeship and collegiality and in a reconciliatory manner than confrontational.

"Leaders of the MSG, including Vanuatu, therefore encourage the ULMWP and the Government of Indonesia to make the most the space and opportunity rendered by their inclusion in the MSG for dialogue and in a reconciliatory and progressive manner.

"This is a position which the Government of the day will rally behind and support to be more pragmatic and progressive, as opposed to a confrontational approach.

"The 20th MSG Leaders' Summit also saw the signing of a myriad of documents and declarations which included, the Agreement Establishing the MSG (Revised 2015), the Declaration on the MSG 2038 Property for All Plan and implementation Framework. Agreement Establishing the Regional Police Academy (RPA), Legislative Framework Agreement of the Formed Police Unit (FPU), Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Humanitarian and Emergency Response Cooperation Center (HERCC), Melanesian Declaration on the Transshipment of Nuclear Waste and Trans-boundary Movement of Hazardous Waste (previously the 1995 Lakatoro Declaration on Denuclearization on the Pacific), Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Technical Cooperation in Coastal and Aquaculture Development between members of the MSG, and the MSG Roadmap for inshore Fisheries Management and Sustainable Development.

"The leaders also considered and endorsed a paper on Recovery Support for Vanuatu in the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Pam which would comprise pledges of support in areas identified in the recently concluded National Recovery Plan, and on a bilateral basis," the statement ended and signed by the Vanuatu Prime Minister Sato Kilman.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Vanuatu Christian Council, Bishop James Ligo, told the Daily Post that the VCC accepts the decision by the MSG leaders in granting West Papua an Observer status in the MSG as a first step.

At the same time he questions the granting of Associate Member to Indonesia. However, the VCC Chairman said, the VCC will continue to put pressure on the MSG for eventual full membership of West Papua under ULMWP into the MSG.

Source: http://www.dailypost.vu/news/article_5922c439-24a1-5653-bb03-476f793ea9c7.html

Indonesian delegates protest at MSG speech by pro-independence leader

Tabloid JUBI - June 27, 2015

Honiara, Jubi – Indonesian delegation reacted strongly to a speech by the General Secretary of the United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP) at a meeting of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG).

Oktovianus Mote said ULMWP stood before MSG to affirm that the group have fulfilled the requirements demanded by MSG at a meeting in Noumea, New Caledonia in 2013.

"The people of West Papua are united under the leadership of ULMWP. And our unity is supported by the Melanesian people. Our leadership has been legitimized by more than 55,000 people who signed the petition supporting ULMWP application for full membership. Many of the applicants had been arrested, imprisoned and tortured, "Mote said in his speech.

He said for 53 years Papua nation has been struggling against the colonial rulers of Indonesia and suffered human rights abuses. He claimed that at least 500,000 have been killed.

He also claimed the Indonesian crimes against Melanesians in West Papua has been widely recognized in various international and regional levels such as the European Union, the Human Rights Council of the United Nations, the Pacific Islands Forum, and MSG.

"Ten years ago, Juan Mendes, UN special rapporteur for the Prevention of Genocide mentioned that West Papua is as one of ten countries around the world that could be extinct unless there's international attention. Various academics and international human rights organizations have detailed the genocide that occurred in West Papua. In the next 5 years, Papuans will be less than 29% of the population in our own land. Our Melanesian identity, our Christian identity is under threat of a large wave of migrants from Indonesia and the Muslim-dominated Asia, "he explained.

Mandy Setyawati, who led the Indonesian delegation, released a statement denouncing the speech.

"We reject all accusations that are unfounded and false submitted by an organization calling themselves ULMWP. We have absolutely no interest in taking advantage of this forum in things that are not productive and constructive, " the Indonesian delegation said in the statement released to reporters in Honiara.

The Indonesian delegation also said that, as a democracy, Indonesia respects the law and quality under the rule of the Indonesian state.

"Through our records, we requested that we refrain from giving statements relating to the goals and objectives of MSG's organization," wrote the Indonesian delegation, at the end of the press release. (Victor Mambor/Tina)

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/en/2015/06/27/indonesian-delegates-protest-at-msg-forum-over-speech-by-papuan-pro-independence-leader/

West Papua formally recognised by Melanesia group

ABC News - June 26, 2015

Mark Colvin: For the first time a coalition of West Papuan nationalist groups has been given formal diplomatic recognition.

The United Liberation Movement of West Papua has been granted observer status at a regional grouping of Melanesian countries. It happened at the Melanesian Spearhead Group leaders' summit in Solomon Islands.

The West Papuans say the move will help shine light on human rights abuses committed by the Indonesian military and open the door for negotiations with the Indonesian government.

The ABC's Pacific Affairs reporter Liam Fox is at the conference in Honiara. I asked him if the West Papuans were disappointed at not getting the full membership of the MSG that they'd been pushing for.

Liam Fox: No they're not, and that's despite the fact that all week they've been saying full membership is what they wanted, despite the fact that three of the MSG members – the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Papua New Guinea, their governments had said that they won't be backing full membership of West Papua, but when the decision was made public this morning they weren't disappointed.

The – being granted observer status that the MSG allows observers to speak at the final meeting of the leaders' summit of the MSG and they took that opportunity with both hands this morning. They used it to outline the oppression of West Papuans by the Indonesian government, the Indonesian military and police and they also said that this now paves the way for equal negotiations with Indonesia at future MSG meetings.

Here's a little bit of what the liberation movement's Octavianus Mote had to say.

Octavianus Mote: For 53 years we have endured the most severed human rights violations – torture, killing, disappearance, rape, arbitrary arrest and detention. The lives of at least 500,000 people have been taken. There are women, children and men. That is why today is so important to ask. We might not be a full member of the MSG but a door has opened to us. We will sit across in a table from Indonesia as equal.

Mark Colvin: So obviously that brings up the question of Indonesia's position. It's had its membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group upgraded from observer to associate member. So how does that leave the balance of power between the two?

Liam Fox: Well given associate membership is a rank higher on the rung of the ladder of membership status if you like. There's full membership then associate membership then observer. So Indonesia currently sits above West Papua.

The, as I mentioned, there were a number of speeches at the final session this morning. Each of the five leaders of the MSG countries were given an opportunity to make a short speech and perhaps the most insight into the decision making process came from Fiji's prime minister Frank Bainimarama. He said there were a number of core elements around which Fiji made its decision to grant West Papua observer status and to grant Indonesia associate membership status.

Here's a little bit of what he had to say.

Frank Bainimarama: For our part Fiji has been guided by a number of overriding principles in approaching the West Papua issue. The first and foremost of this is that Indonesian sovereignty over West Papua cannot be questioned. The province is an integral part of Indonesia so that when we deal with West Papua and its people, MSG has no choice but to deal with Indonesia in a positive and constructive manner.

Mark Colvin: That's Frank Bainimarama from Fiji.

Well Liam Fox, what about on the ground? It's all very well for these things to happen in a talk fest in the Solomon Islands but will it make any difference in West Papua itself?

Liam Fox: That remains to be seen I guess. What it will allow is for some negotiations, they may be indirect to start with, but negotiations to start between Indonesian representatives and West Papuan representatives at the MSG.

What the MSG have said about the nature of the memberships handed to both Indonesia and West Papua is that West Papua will be there to the West Papuan Liberation Movement rather will be there to represent West Papuans who live outside Indonesia and that Indonesia will be represented at the MSG in future by the governors of the five Papuan provinces.

Now it's interesting, the West Papuans were asked will they be able to talk to these governors? They said in a press conference after their speech this morning that they don't regard these people as representatives of the West Papuan people. They're not, they don't have a mandate to represent them, as some members of the MSG have said. But they've said they will talk to them.

They won't view them as West Papuan leaders though, they will view them as representatives of the Indonesian government and it's yet to be seen how direct those negotiations were but even this morning when these speeches were being made by various people, the vice minister for Indonesia's foreign affairs was there in the room and he had to listen like everybody else to what the West Papuans had to say, so some form of negotiations has really already started.

Mark Colvin: Pacific Affairs reporter Liam Fox.

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2015/s4262745.htm

West Papua group welcomes MSG appreciation

Radio New Zealand International - June 26, 2015

The United Liberation Movement for West Papua has expressed gratitude for progress made but still intends pursuing full membership of the Melanesia Spearhead Group.

The Pacific sub-regional agency held its summit this week in Solomon Islands and granted observer status to the ULMWP and made Indonesia an associate member.

It also placed a qualification on the ULM saying it was there to represent Melanesians from outside, amid continued claims it does not represent the people of Papua and West Papua.

But the organisation is taking a positive view, and as one of the ULM leaders' Benny Wenda, says they appreciate the recognition at last.

"You know 53 years we, our voice never recognised and in the regional and international fora so this is why this is the first step for West Papua to become an observer in the Melanesian Spearhead Group."

Benny Wenda says the ULMWP will still seek full membership.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/277316/west-papua-group-welcomes-msg-appreciation

Indonesia granted 'associate member' status of MSG, Papua bid unsuccessful

Jakarta Globe - June 25, 2015

Jakarta – Indonesia has been bumped up to an associate member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), while a pro-independence coalition from West Papua has been granted observer status.

Leaders from Fiji, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia's pro-independence movement, the Front de Liberation Nationale Kanak et Socialiste (FLNKS), signed a joint communique in the Solomon's capital Honiara on Thursday.

The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULM), which represents a number of pro-independence groups in Indonesia's two easternmost provinces, had sought full membership in a bid to push for self determination and to air human rights grievances.

PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill said in a statement that the ULM was given observer status a "development partner representing the welfare of Melanesian people living outside," Radio New Zealand International reported.

Indonesia – which was granted observer status in 2011 – will be represented by leaders of from its ethnic Melanesian provinces of Papua and West Papua, according to AFP.

The ULM bid is the second time West Papua's pro-independence movement has attempted to gain membership to the MSG. A similar bid in October 2013 by the West Papua National Coalition for Liberation (WPNCL) was rejected.

Indonesia stepped up its lobbying of Melanesian states to prevent the ULM proposal succeeding this year. President Joko Widodo visited MSG member state PNG in May and called for closer ties with the country.

Foregin Affairs Minister Minister Retno L.P. Marsudi, meanwhile, took a whirlwind tour of three Melanesian states to discourage support of the ULM bid in March.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/indonesia-granted-associate-member-status-msg-west-papua-bid-unsuccessful/

PNG hails Indonesia's admission into Melanesian group

Agence France Presse - June 25, 2015

Sydney, Australia – Indonesia has been admitted to a Melanesian intergovernment group, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill announced Thursday, welcoming the move as an important way to strengthen peace and security in the region.

Indonesia last month announced plans to join the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) and has been welcomed as an associate member. It will be represented in the regional bloc by elected leaders of its ethnic Melanesian provinces Papua and West Papua.

The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) – an umbrella body representing resistance groups in the province – would also be given observer status, O'Neill added.

"Today is very a important day for peace and goodwill for our brothers and sisters living in Indonesia's Melanesian provinces," the PNG leader said in a statement after a meeting of MSG leaders in the Solomon Islands capital Honiara, where Indonesia's application was approved.

"I believe we have the respect of Indonesia for the honesty and genuine nature of our offer to offer cooperation on this sensitive issue. I further believe that groups such as ULMWP appreciate that our intentions are genuine."

The Melanesian Spearhead Group has Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and the French overseas territory of New Caledonia's independence movement FLNKS as members.

It was formed in 1986 to support the decolonization process and help regional liberation groups, but has since evolved into a regional body discussing trade and security issues.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo's move in May to remove reporting restrictions in Papua was seen as a sign that Jakarta was easing its tight grip on the mineral-rich province, where poorly armed fighters have for years fought a low-level insurgency against the central government.

Widodo has taken a keen interest in Papua, pledging to improve livelihoods in the heavily-militarized area which lags behind other parts of Indonesia in terms of development.

There are still regular bouts of violence in Papua, where insurgents are fighting on behalf of the mostly ethnic Melanesian population.

Jakarta took control of Papua, which forms half of the island of New Guinea, in 1963 from former colonial power the Netherlands. (iik)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/25/png-hails-indonesias-admission-melanesian-group.html

MSG knocks back West Papua bid, elevates Indonesia

Radio New Zealand International - June 25, 2015

The Melanesian Spearhead Group has knocked back West Papua's bid to become a full member of the group, while elevating Indonesia's status.

In a statement, Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister, Peter O'Neill, says the United Liberation Movement for West Papua will be given observer status as a "development partner representing the welfare of Melanesian people living outside."

Mr O'Neill says the decision reaffirms that representation at the sub- regional level must be made by mandated leaders elected by their people.

The ULMWP had hoped to follow in the footsteps of New Caledonia's FLNKS in obtaining full MSG membership without being a sovereign government, thus giving it its first recognition in an international fora since it was incorporated into Indonesia.

But Indonesia has embarked on a diplomatic push in the region in recent months, trying to prevent the West Papuans' bid and to increase its status in the MSG.

Jakarta's outreach has been successful, with Indonesia being elevated from observer status to that of an associate, to be represented by the elected leaders of the Asian country's five provinces with significant traces of Melanesian stock.

Mr O'Neill says this decision will pave the way for consultation between PNG and Indonesia, saying he believes the MSG has Jakarta's respect for the honesty and nature of its offer of cooperation over the sensitive issue of Papua.

The decision was brought forward by one day so Fiji's Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama, could depart on Friday.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/277208/msg-knocks-back-west-papua-bid,-elevates-indonesia

House cautious over planned OPM amnesty

Jakarta Post - June 24, 2015

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – Lawmakers want a guaranteed surrender by members the Free Papua Organization (OPM) as a precondition for giving political support to the government's proposal to pardon political prisoners in Papua.

House of Representatives Commission I overseeing defense and foreign affairs asked for a comprehensive road map for the country's easternmost regions and expected it to include strategies to safeguard the unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) from separatist movements above all else.

"The NKRI is non-negotiable," stated Commission I deputy chairman Tubagus Hasanuddin from the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) on Tuesday.

He cited the lack of clear measures that the government would launch to tackle the OPM as part of the reason for Commission I's reluctance to grant its political support for the proposal to free political prisoners in Papua, although the discussions were still ongoing.

Tubagus argued that Commission I was still carefully examining all aspects before making a final decision, including by holding discussions with legal experts, as well as human rights campaigners.

"We won't be hasty in supporting the plan because granting amnesty [to political prisoners] would mean that the state recognized the integrity of the OPM," Tubagus said, arguing that several of the recently detained political convicts in various prisons in Papua and West Papua were affiliated to the separatist group.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has officially asked for political support from the House for the proposal to grant amnesty to Papuan convicts, which has so far hit a stumbling block as lawmakers remain unconvinced about the benefits the country would reap from doing so.

Commission I, which supervises problems in the resource-rich provinces, kicked off a series of meetings on Monday with Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi, Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Moeldoko and National Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Lt. Gen. Marciano Norman to gain their inputs in a follow up to the President's request.

Commission I is expected to involve legal experts as well as human rights watchdogs in the discussion during hearings slated next week before presenting its findings in a joint meeting with House Commission III, which oversees law, human rights and security affairs for a final decision to be forwarded to Jokowi.

According to Commission I deputy chairman Hanafi Rais of the National Mandate Party (PAN), his commission is carefully obtaining information regarding the status of political convicts in Papua and West Papua in order to see whether some of them might have been involved in crimes instead of political activities.

However, concurring with Tubagus, Hanafi strongly suggested Jokowi's administration should provide a well designed plan of action for the provinces, particularly in dealing with the OPM.

"We want the OPM to also positively respond to the government's plan to free the political prisoners, for example by giving up their weapons or declaring an end to promoting independence," said Hanafi. "We don't want the separatists to disadvantage the state," he added.

There are currently around 90 political convicts detained in prisons around the conflict-prone region, including prominent political activist Filep Samuel Karma.

Filep is serving a 15-year sentence for raising the banned Bintang Kejora (Morning Star) flag during a rally in 2004.

Filep's controversial arrest, as well as those of other political prisoners, has attracted the attention of the international community, including the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), which slammed Indonesia during a quadrennial Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in Geneva in 2012.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/24/house-cautious-over-planned-opm-amnesty.html

MSG summit opens in Solomon Islands

Islands Business - June 24, 2015

Nic Maclellan, Honiara – In a vibrant cultural display, Solomon Islands dancers, pan pipers and customary presentations welcomed Melanesian Spearhead Group delegations at the official opening of the 20th MSG summit in Honiara.

Summit host Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare was joined in the opening ceremony by Fiji Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama, FLNKS leader Victor Tutugoro, PNG Minister for Public Enterprise Ben Micah and Vanuatu's Johnson Naviti, Director General of the Office of the Vanuatu Prime Minister.

The ceremony included a formal presentation to each of the delegations from the host island of Guadalcanal, known as chupu, including pigs, root crops and betel nut. The cultural welcome was acknowledged by a Fijian spokesman on behalf of the leaders and the FLNKS delegation made a customary presentation, acknowledging the welcome from the land owners and the people of the Solomon Islands.

The theme of this week's summit is: "Let us build a strong Melanesia in the Pacific where peace, progress and prosperity is ensured and sustained for all".

In his opening address, Prime Minister Sogavare highlighted the challenge of meeting the MSG's ambitious strategy "MSG 2038 Prosperity for all." Before his latest term of office, Sogavare served as a member of the MSG Eminent Persons Group (EPG) that reviewed the first 25 years of the sub- regional organisation, and developed the new 2038 plan as a vision for the next 25.

Already committed to an ambitious – and expensive – range of activities, the MSG is considering its relationship with the Council of Regional Organisations of the Pacific (CROP). With MSG member Papua New Guinea also preparing to host the next meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum in September, Sogavare said: "It is important that in considering any new initiatives and programs under the MSG, we must not duplicate the role of other regional organisations in the Pacific."

Sogavare also spoke out strongly on one of the key decisions facing this week's summit: the application for MSG membership by the United Liberation Movement of West Papua (ULMWP) and a proposal to upgrade Indonesia's current observer status to associate membership.

"All eyes will be on Honiara and the world is watching us and eagerly anticipating what the outcome will be when we deliberate on the application for new membership to the MSG," Sogavare said.

In the stand of dignitaries, the opening ceremony was witnessed by a large Indonesian delegation, led by Vice Foreign Minister Dr. A.M. Fachir, and by an equally large delegation of leaders and members of the ULMWP.

Sogavare stressed that the "deliberations on these applications will test our commitment to a caring, progressive, peaceful and inclusive MSG."

In a departure from his prepared text, he added: "They are not ordinary applications – they are applications that challenge many of the fundamental values that we in Melanesia profess to uphold as members of the United Nations and countries founded on the principles of Christianity."

Sogavare said: "Let us not forget the dreams and wishes of our people to be part of our Melanesian family; the desire of our people for an inclusive MSG – an MSG that is able to stand for what is right in the world where such values are now struggling to survive."

At the end of the ceremony, the Solomon Islands Prime Minister greeted members of the West Papua delegation, including ULM Secretary General Octo Mote and spokesperson Benny Wenda.

Sogavare's strong public rhetoric reflects the widespread public support for the West Papuan movement shown by church, community and customary leaders in Solomon Islands. At Thursday's leaders' retreat, however, the MSG host must forge a consensus with his fellow leaders, who have publicly expressed divergent views on the applications.

As Sogavare noted, the decisions on Indonesia and West Papua will be "a test of our genuineness to solve a problem between two next door neighbours in the interest of regional peace and stability."

With PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill still to arrive in Honiara, the MSG leaders will hold a retreat on Thursday and a plenary on Friday receiving reports from senior officials and ministers, and forging a consensus on more challenging issues.

As one delegate noted wryly to Islands Business: "We finished the Foreign Ministers' meeting early. We've done all the easy ones, but have handballed a few tricky ones to the boss!"

Source: http://www.islandsbusiness.com/news/melanesian-spearhead-group/6670/msg-summit-opens-in-solomon-islands/

House rebuffs plan to pardon Papuans

Jakarta Post - June 23, 2015

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The House of Representatives has rejected a government proposal to pardon political prisoners in Papua, citing fears that they would go on to inflame separatism in the resource- rich region.

The House on Monday met to discuss President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's plan for a second release of Papuan political convicts, summoning Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi, Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Moeldoko and National Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Lt. Gen. Marciano Norman to a closed-door meeting with House Commission I overseeing defense and foreign affairs.

Despite holding only a preliminary meeting to a discussion expected to bring in more officials, including Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Tedjo Edhi Purdijatno, to meet Commission I and Commission III overseeing law, human rights and security next week, Commission I refused to support the government's plan to grant amnesty to around 90 political prisoners in Papua and West Papua provinces.

"There are, as yet, no comprehensive programs by the government in Papua [to develop the region]. It's clear that the government institutions dealing with the matter have so far carried out only individual, ad hoc initiatives," Commission I deputy chairman Tantowi Yahya told the press after the meeting.

"We require the government to first elaborate measures to be taken in Papua in a comprehensive roadmap. We will not give our support unless the government provides a clear and broad roadmap to be implemented in Papua," the Golkar politician added.

According to Tantowi, the House received an official letter from Jokowi on May 7 seeking political support from the House for a plan to free more political prisoners following the release of five political detainees in Jayapura: Apotnalogolit Lokobal, who was serving a 20-year sentence, Numbungga Telenggen, serving a life sentence, Kimanus Wenda, serving 19 years, Linus Hiluka, serving 19 years and Jefrai Murib, serving a life sentence.

There are currently around 90 political prisoners detained in prisons around the restive region, including prominent political activist and former civil servant Filep Samuel Karma, who is serving a 15-year sentence for raising the banned Bintang Kejora (Morning Star) flag during a political rally in 2004.

In the press conference that followed the meeting, the ministers declined to discuss the plan, but did stress that Papua was not off-limits for foreigners, including foreign journalists.

"We've explained our responsibility in Papua, which is related to access to the land," Retno said, explaining that her ministry had recorded an increase in permits issued to foreign journalists since 2011.

The House's summary rejection of the plan to free Papuan political prisoners disappointed human rights campaigners, who expressed hope that the legislature would come round.

"We recommend that lawmakers politically support the government's proposal, because the prisoners are not guilty. Set them free, for the sake of humanity," said Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch.

Andreas highlighted Filep's case as an example of wrongful arrest that contravened international law.

Poengky Indarti of Imparsial said that granting amnesty to political prisoners in Papua would help to regain the trust of the region's people. "It is part of a solution to solve problems in Papua peacefully," she said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/23/house-rebuffs-plan-pardon-papuans.html

Indonesian military personnel may accompany press in Papua

Antara News - June 23, 2015

Jakarta – Indonesian Military Chief General Moeldoko said his institution was considering implementing a policy of having security personnel accompany foreign journalists in Papua to avoid untoward incidents.

"I am considering appointing guards to accompany foreign journalists so we can guide and protect them in case any dangerous situation arises," Moeldoko stated here on Monday.

The military chief was attending a hearing with Commission I of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi and Chief of the State Intelligence Agency Marciano Norman. They discussed the amnesty and abolition policy applied to political prisoners in Papua.

Moeldoko added that the effort to provide assistance to foreign journalists was to ensure their safety.

The Indonesian Military will support all policies of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) for unity in Indonesia, he affirmed. "At the hearing, we will further discuss the potential of the policy," Moeldoko remarked.

In addition, a member of Commission I of the House of Representatives, Tantowi Yahya, pointed out that the hearing was a follow-up to the letter the president sent on May 7 regarding granting amnesty and the abolition policy for political prisoners in Papua.

Furthermore, the Deliberative Body of the Indonesian parliament decided to refer the case of the Papuan political prisoners to Commission III. (Uu.B019/INE/KR-BSR/H-YH)

Source: http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/99293/indonesian-military-personnel-may-accompany-press-in-papua

Students arrested at fundraising rally in Papua

Radio New Zealand International - June 23, 2015

14 members of a student group have been arrested by police in the Papuan town of Abepura, as they raised funds for a probe into the shooting deaths of fellow students last year.

The shooting in December, at a peaceful rally in Paniai, has led to accusations against police and military for opening fire on uniformed school children.

The students, from the Independent Student Forum, were fundraising to support the National Commission on Human Rights team, which was formed to look into the incident.

According to a report in Step Magazine, police told the students to disband, but they formed again in another part of town and were then arrested.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/276933/students-arrested-at-fundraising-rally-in-papua

Human rights & justice

Civil servants contribute to rights abuse

Jakarta Post - June 30, 2015

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – In an effort to raise awareness among civil servants of the significance of human rights, the Home Ministry will work closely with the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) to educate government officials throughout the country about upholding the rights of the people they serve.

According to Komnas HAM, civil servants were among the three most reported groups for violations of human rights over the last five years, along with the police and corporations.

"Knowing that civil servants are in third place in the chart of human rights violators is very shocking. We want to stop this. We want our officials to be more aware of human rights," Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo said on Monday, when his office officially sealed a five-year partnership with Komnas HAM on the issue.

"Prospective civil servants studying at the Institute of Public Administration [IPDN] in particular must be fully aware of human rights values in order to serve the people. I will discuss this further with the head of the school," Tjahjo added.

According to Komnas HAM's data, last year saw the highest number of complaints with 7,000 cases reported to the national rights body; 20 percent of which related to land disputes, which involved the police and corporations.

Komnas HAM deputy chief Roichatul Aswidah said that regional governments also participated in abuses regarding land disputes due to the questionable land permits they issued.

"We are still comprehensively studying whether the three actors: the police, corporations and local governments are directly connected regarding this particular issue as we see a tendency reflecting toward that," Roichatul said.

She cited the police's involvement in forcibly evicting people following land clearance orders issued by government officials.

Besides agrarian conflicts, complaints over abuse by civil servants also include discrimination against minority groups, including forced closure of places of worship; threats and physical violence against followers of minority faiths; and obstruction of worship.

In addition to local heads, a year-end report by Komnas HAM last year cited officials from the Religious Affairs Ministry and Home Ministry as well as members of law-enforcement agencies, including members of the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) and the National Police who were all responsible for all kinds of religious discrimination against minority groups nationwide.

The report specifically blamed those state actors in the prolonged discrimination against the Ahmadiyah community in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara; the Sampang Shiites in East Java; and parishioners of the Bogor- based Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) Yasmin and the Bekasi-based Congregation of Batak Protestant Churches (HKBP) Filadelfia in West Java.

Besides reviewing problematic regulations that justify discrimination against such religious communities, as well as those that encourage abuses in other walks of life, the partnership between the Home Ministry and Komnas HAM is expected to push resolutions to end ongoing discrimination.

Pro-human rights civil servants are also expected to further advocate the rights of other vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities; and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals.

"The partnership will allow Komnas HAM and the Home Ministry to carry out operations needed to reduce conflicts causing inequality imposed by state actors," Komnas HAM chief Nur Kholis said. "We want a strong state that protects its people, not harms them," he added.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/30/civil-servants-contribute-rights-abuse.html

US report highlights police abuse in JIS case

Jakarta Post - June 27, 2015

Jakarta – The US' latest report on human rights practices has listed the Indonesian police's alleged unlawful torture of suspects in the Jakarta International School (JIS) sexual assault case as a form of cruelty carried out by law enforcers.

The report noted that the Jakarta Police general crimes unit had allegedly tortured the suspects for hours during questioning to elicit confessions.

The officers allegedly covered the suspects' eyes with duct tape, beat them with fists and metal chairs and burned them with cigarettes. One of the suspects, Azwar, reportedly died during police questioning, yet the officers claimed that his death was a suicide.

The case, which broke out in April 2014, started when a mother of a victim held a press conference claiming that her son had been molested in the prestigious school. A few days later, the Jakarta Police arrested six outsourced cleaners as suspects in the case.

Overall, for this kind of abuse, the report concluded that the Indonesian government had failed to conduct transparent public investigations into some allegations of unjustified killing, torture and abuse by security forces.

The report also noted that generally, officers who were found to be using torture were rarely tried, even though the law criminalizes the use of violence or force by officials to elicit confessions.

The trial for the JIS case ended in April. The South Jakarta District Court sentenced Canadian teacher Neil Bantleman and Indonesian Ferdinant Tjiong each to 10 years' imprisonment for repeated sexual abuse toward three students between January 2013 and March 2014, despite outcry of irregularities in the investigative process and a lack of evidence. (fsu/ika)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/27/us-report-highlights-police-abuse-jis-case.html

US report highlights Indonesia's poor law enforcement

Jakarta Post - June 27, 2015

National – Despite progress as one of the world's biggest democracies, Indonesia's law enforcement is still substandard and rampant with human rights violations, a report by the US government states.

Released on Thursday, the 2014 US Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices highlighted the Indonesian government's failures in conducting transparent public investigations into some allegations of unjustified killings, torture and abuses by security forces.

The report mentioned a number of examples, including the 2013 killing of pro-independence campaigners at a prayer service and flag raising ceremony in Sorong, West Papua, which allegedly involved security forces.

Another case mentioned in the report involved the murders of three individuals during the forced dissolution of the Third Papuan People's Congress. The case remains unsolved with no officials held accountable for the crimes.

The report labelled Papua as an area prone to violence, mainly in relation the separatist movement there. Internal investigators from the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police were also criticized in the report for rarely disclosing the findings of internal investigations into crimes committed by military personnel and police.

Another issue highlighted in the report is the rampant use of torture by officers in the investigation process, and also cases of abduction.

The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) reported that it had received 108 reports of torture between July 2013 and July 2014 with a high proportion of these cases allegedly involving police officers.

This report will be used by the Department of State and other US government agencies as a guide for American foreign police. US congress will also use the report to determine the allocation of foreign aid and security sector assistance. (fsu/ika)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/27/us-report-highlights-indonesia-s-poor-law-enforcement.html

Families of disappeared activists seek changes to human rights tribunal law

Jakarta Globe - June 26, 2015

Kennial Caroline Laia, Jakarta – The families of the political activists who disappeared in connection to the May 1998 riots have asked the Constitutional Court, or MK, for a judicial review on the 2000 Law on the Human Rights Tribunal.

A resulting ruling that forces the Attorney General's Office to act on long-ignored reports of human rights abuses in 1998 could have bearing on the resolution of other human rights abuses in Indonesia.

Payan Siahaan and Yati Uryati, along with other parents of disappeared political activists, on Friday lodged the motion. Payan is the father of Ucok Munandar, while Yati is the mother of Eten Karyana. Ucok and Eten are among 13 reformasi activists whose bodies still remain unaccounted for.

Chrisbiantoro, the petitioners' lawyer and advocacy staffer at the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS), said his clients filed the review because the government had disregarded their constitutional rights.

"The government has failed to recognize my clients' right to know what really happened to their children in 1998."

'We want justice'

Specifically, the parents requested that the MK review Part 3 of Article 20 of the law. It states, "in the event that the investigator considers the inquiry findings insufficient, the inquirer shall immediately re-submit the inquiry findings to the investigator accompanied by guidelines for their completion, and within 30 days of receiving the inquiry findings, the investigator is required to consummate these insufficiencies."

Tioria Pretty Stephanie, another lawyer from KontraS, considers this article problematic because it gives law enforcers a leeway not to proceed with reports of human rights abuses. In the case of the disappearances in 1998, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) began submitting such reports to the Attorney General's Office in 2003, to little follow-up action.

"For 13 years, the Attorney General's Office has been using this article as an excuse to look the other way on these reports of human rights abuses," Tioria said on Friday, as quoted by news portal Gresnews.

Tioria said uncertainty had disrupted the victims' families' pursuit of justice, and she hoped the MK would grant the petition to avoid future repeats of inaction. "We want certainty so we can move on with our lives," principal petitioner Yati said. "We want justice."

A long list rights violations

Bejo Untung, chair of the 1965 Murder Victims Research Foundation, said apart from the 1998 episode, the government must also recognize the victims of other tragedies, including those who perished in the 1965-66 purges. An estimated 500,000 Indonesians, suspected of having communist sympathies or otherwise, were murdered during the period.

"The 1965 victims have an interest in this case, too. They also want to the Attorney General's Office to proceed with the investigation reports written by Komnas HAM," Bejo said.

Previously, human rights activists have lambasted the Attorney General's Office for proposing reconciliation as one option to solve gross human rights violations in Indonesia. The Office claimed it could not proceed because most cases were too old.

Instead of following up on the Komnas HAM reports, Attorney General H.M. Prasetyo said the court should call on the president to form a special commission of reconciliation to handle severe human rights abuses from the past.

KontraS coordinator Haris Azhar said that the solution that Prasetyo proposed would not provide justice for the victims.

A 2012 Komnas HAM report covers seven severe human rights violations. They are the 1989 tragedy in Central Lampung; the Trisakti Event; the Semanggi Events I and II; the 2001 killings in Wasior, Papua; the 1963 human rights violations in Papua; the 1965 atrocities; and the mysterious Petrus killings circa 1983-1985.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/families-of-disappeared-reformasi-activists-seek-changes-to-human-rights-tribunal-law/

Families of 1998 tragedy victims seek justice

Jakarta Post - June 26, 2015

Jakarta – The families of May 1998 tragedy victims filed a judicial review of the 2006 human rights tribunal law with the Supreme Court to seek justice.

Chrisbiantoro, a lawyer of Payan Siahaan, father of Ucok Munandar Siahaan, who went missing between 1997 and 1998, and of Yati Uryati, mother of Eten Karyana, who was killed in the May 1998 tragedy, said Friday that his clients filed the judicial review because the two cases befalling their children were declared by the National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas HAM) as gross human rights violations while the Attorney General's Office (AGO) has declined to process them in accordance with the law.

"The dossiers have been submitted by Komnas HAM to the AGO but according to our clients, the two cases have not been followed up as is mandated by the 2000 human rights tribunal law," he said as quoted by Antara news agency.

He said his clients have submitted the cases seven times and the found that their constitutional rights have been breached.

He said his clients' constitutional rights were not fulfilled, since they did not get legal certainty about the fate of their relatives victimized in the tragedy.

The government and AGO have recently tried to reconcile with the families of those killed in unresolved human right abuses in the past.

The reconciliation will be offered to the families of those killed in Talangsari, Trisakti, Semanggi I and II, Wasior and the mysterious shooting tragedies. (rms)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/26/families-1998-tragedy-victims-seek-justice.html

Sexual & domestic violence

Parents, teachers main actors in child abuse

Jakarta Post - June 24, 2015

Jakarta – Child abuse in Indonesia is on the rise and the majority of perpetrators are those close to their victims, data from the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) has shown.

"Cases of violence against children have shown a steep increase, with most cases occurring within families [...] other common perpetrators are teachers," KPAI chairman Asrorun Ni'am Sholeh told the press at KPAI headquarters on Tuesday.

KPAI recorded 485 cases of violence against children in 2012, increasing to 632 cases in 2013 and 970 cases in 2014.

The cases were divided into physical, psychological and sexual abuse, with sexual violence heavily outnumbering the other forms of abuse.

The commission recorded 412 sexual abuse cases in 2012, 343 cases in 2013 and 656 cases in 2014. "The rising number of reports could be due to people's increasing willingness to report violence, especially with increasing media coverage of violence against children," Asrorun said.

He urged people to report any indications of violence against children.

"Children who are sexually exploited are often seen as a disgrace to the family. It doesn't help the children, and it risks causing them long-term trauma," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/24/national-scene-parents-teachers-main-actors-child-abuse.html

Unicef reports progress, but poverty and abuse remain problems for children

Jakarta Globe - June 23, 2015

Andreyka Natalegawa, Jakarta – A recent report by a United Nations agency reveals that nations across the world, including Indonesia, have made significant strides in ensuring the basic rights and needs of children, but local activists say that child poverty and abuse remain significant issues in Indonesia.

The United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) on Monday issued its latest report, The Progress for Children, which charts international efforts to fulfill the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in relation to the world's youth population.

According to the report, Indonesia has made vast progress in certain sectors of child protection and security.

Since the creation of the MDGs in 2000, Indonesia has worked to reduce its mortality rate for children under five years old – from the 1990 baseline of 84 deaths per 1,000 live births to 29 per 1,000 live births in 2015.

Indonesia's success in reducing child mortality is part of a bigger picture of progress in the East Asia and the Pacific region. Over the same period, countries in East Asia and the Pacific reduced the average number of deaths per 1,000 live births from 58 in 1990 to 17 in 2015.

Indonesia has also made strides in reducing its total fertility rate, which has decreased by an average of 1.3 percent between 1990 to 2013, contributing to greater maternal safety overall. Improvement in maternal health has been impacted by an increase in skilled attendance at births, up from from 36 percent in 1992 to 83 percent in 2012.

Indonesia now also boasts a primary school net enrolment ratio of 95 percent, equal to the East Asia and the Pacific regional average.

Yet, despite measured successes, Indonesia still has significant steps to take in creating better lives for children.

Tata Sudrajat, Families First director at Save the Children, noted childhood poverty remains endemic to Indonesia.

"Although Indonesia is already a middle income country according to World Bank standards, nearly 44 million Indonesian children still live on under $2 per day. That's about 50 percent of Indonesia's child population," Tata said on Tuesday.

Tata's remarks mirror the findings of the Unicef report, which noted that 47 percent of all people living in extreme poverty are 18 years old or younger.

Tata said child abuse was a key issue that Indonesia needs to address in order to ensure equitable conditions for its children.

"According to data from government studies on the prevalence of sexual violence against children between the ages of 13 to 18, one in twelve boys are affected. For girls, one in nineteen are affected," Tata said. "Research on sexual violence against children often finds that the perpetrator is someone who is personally close to the child, which makes children very vulnerable to these sorts of crimes."

Indonesia, the fourth most populous nation in the world, is home to a vast number of youth. According to 2013 estimates from Unicef, 34.2 percent, or approximately 85 million of Indonesia's population is under the age of 18.

In comparison, the percentage of under 18 year olds in relation to total national population in neighboring countries like Malaysia and Singapore is 31.7 percent and 20.1 percent, respectively.

Child protection under review

The release of the Progress on Children report has shed light on the condition of children in Indonesia, at a time when the protection of children has become a focal point of public discourse.

Recent debate on the effectiveness of child protection policies was sparked by the tragic murder of an 8-year-old girl in Bali, whose disappearance in May attracted national attention.

Angeline, who was reported missing on May 16th by her adoptive mother Margaret Christine Megawe, was found buried in the backyard of her family home earlier this month.

Since the discovery, police have detained a former domestic worker for the family, named Agus, as the primary suspect in Angeline's murder. Authorities also apprehended Margaret, on suspicion of child neglect.

The murder and subsequent police investigation has led to many observers calling for a review of existing child protection laws.

In a statement delivered earlier this month, Social Services Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa said that Margaret and her late husband, who was a foreign national, did not follow official adoption procedures when they took in Angeline shortly after her birth.

Meanwhile Hidayat Nur Wahid, a member of the House's Commission VIII, which oversees religious affairs, social issues, women's empowerment and children's welfare, said the commission was preparing a revision of the child protection law.

However Tata, of Save the Children, believes a comprehensive review of existing child protection laws may not be necessary.

"The child protection laws that are in place are already enough," Tata said. "But in terms of law enforcement and implementation, there is still a problem.

"For example, we need to work harder in training our law enforcement officials to become better prepared to deal with instances of child abuse, and the investigation protocol that should follow."

Tata is also advocating for greater public awareness of child abuse and its socio-cultural causes, as a means to better understand and curb violent incidents.

"Many people still think violence against children is allowed by tradition and culture. But tradition cannot be interpreted for all acts of discipline against children," Tata said. "If parents continue to punish their children with violence, particularly physical violence, they must be persecuted by law."

The Indonesian government's drive to secure the rights of children is rooted in the nation's constitution.

Chapter X Article 28B2 of the Indonesian Constitution states "every child shall have the right to live, to grow and to develop, and shall have the right to protection from violence and discrimination."

The legal foundation for the protection of children Indonesia was further expounded on with the creation of the 2002 Law on Child Protection.

The law was amended last year and multiple provisions were revised, including the definition of children in Indonesia, the right of children to be protected from abuse, and the obligation of government to support parents and guardians.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/unicef-reports-progress-poverty-abuse-remain-problems-indonesian-children/

Labour & migrant workers

Jokowi orders BIN to probe rallies

Jakarta Post - June 23, 2015

Fadli, Batam – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has instructed the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) to investigate alleged foreign involvement in labor rallies in Batam, Riau Islands, that have led to investors leaving the Batam Industrial Zone.

"Competition is no longer between companies, cities or provinces, but between countries. I've already sensed this. Industrial zones are not only found in Batam [...] The industrial zones may be competing for investors in an unfair manner. I've told the intelligence agency to look into the matter. This shouldn't have happened," Jokowi said to dozens of investors in a dialog at PT Anggrek Hitam Shipyard in Batam, Riau Islands, on Sunday evening.

Jokowi's remarks were in response to a report by Riau Islands chapter of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) head Cahaya regarding indications of other countries' involvement in recent labor protests in Batam.

"I've learned about the violent rallies and have entrusted the matter to the Riau Islands Police and Military Command chiefs to be firm. If the rallies are anarchic and disturb the public order, they should not be tolerated. Why are the protests only directed at foreign investors? That's the question. I'm of the same view as Apindo," said Jokowi.

Apindo had seen first-hand that the labor groups were targeting foreign companies, said Cahaya.

"Where do the funds come from every time a rally is held involving hundreds of people? That's one indication. Currently, three major companies have left Batam as a result of the violent rallies," said Cahaya.

In response to Jokowi's instructions, Cahaya added that Apindo was ready to work with BIN to discover which countries were involved in the chaotic labor protests in Batam. "If you ask which country we suspect, that's too much. I cannot say, or guess," said Cahaya.

Separately, Indonesian Metal Workers Federation (FSPMI) leader Suprapto hailed the President's order to investigate suspicions regarding Batam's labor rallies. "It's an old suspicion. We applaud the presidential instruction – let's hope all becomes clear," said Suprapto.

Allegations of foreign support for workers have been made by the government since a massive and chaotic rally in 2011 involving at least 10,000 workers on the island. At least six were injured, including one person who was shot and three cars were severely damaged during the rally, which demanded a minimum-wage increase.

The strike brought much of Batam's industrial activity to a standstill as local labor organizations called on workers to join the protest. The city police said they were unable to break up the protesters as they were heavily outnumbered.

Since then, every year, especially at the end of the year when the government sets the new minimum wage, workers conduct large-scale rallies.

In November last year, workers blocked the main access to a number of industrial areas, such as the Tunas Industrial Zone at the Batam Center, where the main road was closed and guarded by security personnel.

The situation is reported to have affected foreign investment in the island. Recently, Japanese electronic-motor manufacturing company PT Nidec Seimitsu Batam announced that it was relocating its factory operations from Batam to more cost-efficient Vietnam in response to higher production costs.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/23/jokowi-orders-bin-probe-rallies.html

Political parties & elections

House welcomes plan to increase party subsidies tenfold

Jakarta Globe - June 26, 2015

Jakarta – The government appears to be seeking a compromise after rejecting the House of Representatives' proposed pork barrel scheme, by increasing government subsidies to political parties by at least 900 percent.

Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo, a politician from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said his office was proposing that current subsidies be increased gradually starting next year.

"We are proposing [that the subsidies] be increased 10 to 20 times from where it is today," he said. "If for example, the PDI-P receives Rp 2 billion [annually], in the future we will receive Rp 20 billion."

Parties at the national, provincial and district levels are entitled to government subsidies depending on the number of seats they have secured at the different levels of legislatures. The PDI-P is the largest party in the House of Representatives (DPR).

However, Tjahjo said the increase would not be given priority. "The state budget will continue to prioritize spending for infrastructure, health, education and the people's welfare. Once we have fulfilled those priorities, we can talk about increasing the subsidies."

The 10-fold increase in subsidies is just the beginning, Tjahjo said. "If the economy improves, we can increase the subsidies by 20 times."

The minister's proposal needs approval from the Ministry of Finance and the DPR. But Tjahjo need not worry about the latter. On Friday, House Commission II, which oversees home affairs and the bureaucracy, immediately gave its consent.

"Commission II concurs with the plan to increase subsidies 10-fold," said Rambe Kamaruzzaman, Commission II chair. "In fact, don't stop at 10-fold. It should 1,000- or maybe 10,000-fold!" The Golkar Party politician said parties have been struggling to finance their operations through donations and members' fees. "Parties can't do it alone; we require help from the government."

Agus Hermanto, a Democratic Party politician, agreed, saying more state funding would mean "parties can focus on developing cadres," instead of looking for donations.

Activists, who have criticized the lack of transparency in the way parties manage and report their finances, will likely condemn the government's proposal. Strong public disapproval could foil the scheme.

President Joko Widodo this week rejected lawmakers' proposal to include Rp 11.2 trillion ($814.6 million) of so-called aspiration funds in next year's state budget after public outcry.

The proposed fund was to be distributed among all 560 House members – meaning each would receive Rp 20 billion – and used for any development project of their choosing in their respective electoral districts.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/house-welcomes-plan-of-10-fold-increase-in-subsidy-to-political-parties/

Tjahjo seeks more funding for parties

Jakarta Post - June 26, 2015

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – Although the government is still reviewing the House of Representatives' controversial constituency fund plan, it has pressed ahead with plans to increase funding for political parties.

Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo said that he had officially submitted a request for an increase in annual funding for political parties to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

Tjahjo said that the proposal to raise the current party funding, which sits at Rp 108 (0.8 US cents) per valid vote for each party each year, could be seen as a way to bring in more money to political parties to help politicians carry out programs in a more accountable way.

He said that the proposal would be to add a 10 to 20 percent increase to the current amount granted to each political party annually.

"We do hope that our proposal will not compromise government programs for education, health or infrastructure. We will wait for discussions [with President Jokowi] later," Tjahjo said.

State funds are one of three legitimate financial resources for political parties as stipulated in a 2011 law. The law also mandates that state funding is given to each political party based on the number of votes it secures in a legislative election.

After the 2009 general election, the Home Ministry issued a regulation granting each party Rp 108 in state funding per valid vote per year.

Under the current scheme, the state has allocated a total of Rp 13.17 billion ($1.03 million) to finance the 10 political parties that secured positions in the legislative institution in last years election.

As the winner of the 2014 legislative election, for example, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) gets around Rp 2.55 billion for the 23.8 million votes it secured in last year's election that translated into the majority 109 seats that the PDI-P has in the House.

Despite strong objections from three political party factions in the ruling coalition, the House of Representatives passed a legislative bill that provided legal basis for allowing lawmakers to make use of a total of Rp 11.2 trillion in so-called constituency funds in a recent plenary session.

State Secretary Pratikno hinted on Thursday that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo would not give his approval to the constituency fund plan, citing the country's current economic slowdown.

"The President expects all members to direct their concerns toward the condition of the people [who are affected by the economic downturn] and to be judicious in their use of the state budget and to ensure it is spent as efficiently as possible," Pratikno said.

He said that the government could not foot the bill if the new spending scheme sat outside of existing programs.

Earlier that day, presidential communications team member Teten Masduki, however, said Jokowi would first consult the finance minister on the constituency funds issue.

"The President will first ask for input from the finance minister," said Teten. However, both Pratikno and Teten declined to comment on Tjahjo's proposal.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla was reportedly quoted as saying that an increase was right given the Rp 108 amount was set six years ago.

Political observer Yunarto Wijaya, however, said Tjahjo's proposal had potential to do good. The political party funds, he said, could provide parties with better funding, thus preventing them from resorting to illicit practices.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/26/tjahjo-seeks-more-funding-parties.html

In poll budget row, Golkar fans opposition against KPU

Jakarta Post - June 23, 2015

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – In an apparent move to put further pressure on the General Elections Commission (KPU), lawmakers from the House of Representatives Commission II that supervises the national election body unexpectedly cornered KPU commissioners over alleged irregularities discovered in the use of money budgeted between 2013 and 2014.

Commission II lawmakers, particularly from the Golkar Party, slammed the KPU over the discovery by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) that allegedly involved Rp 334 billion (US$24.93 million) in irregularities during a meeting on Monday, which was marred by a war of words between KPU chairman Husni Kamil Manik and the lawmakers.

A tough debate involving several members of Commission II, which oversees home affairs, and Husni instantly emerged as soon as Commission II chairman Rambe Kamarulzaman of Golkar announced that the meeting would discuss the BPK's findings, over which the KPU quickly raised objections.

"According to the invitation, we were summoned here to discuss the PKPU [the KPU's regulation on the simultaneous elections that are slated to take place on Dec. 9]," Husni said while approaching the seats of the Commission II chairman to show the letter as soon as Rambe completed his opening remarks.

Husni's move immediately provoked stronger criticism from several lawmakers, such as Golkar's Misbakhun, who is a member of Commission XI on finance but assigned by the party to attend the meeting as a temporary aide and said that the "KPU intentionally attempts to avoid discussing the matter with us".

The KPU, however, won support from other lawmakers, particularly from parties within the ruling Great Indonesia Coalition, such as Luthfi A Mutty of the NasDem Party, who showed a text message from the House directorate general showing that the meeting was scheduled to discuss the KPU's regulation on the local elections, not the BPK's findings.

Golkar has been split since it underwent a leadership schism last year and is currently on the brink of being disqualified from participating in the upcoming concurrent local elections in December because of its dual leadership with both Aburizal Bakrie and Agung Laksono vying for the helm.

The move to audit the election body was initiated by the House not long after the KPU declined to comply with the House's demand to revise the 2015 Local Elections Law and the 2011 Political Parties Law – a condition required to revise the KPU's regulation on local elections in order to allow the split parties to participate in them.

The KPU regulations, also known as PKPU, have been seen as a burden for Aburizal's camp, which later initiated the audit of the KPU.

The KPU was eventually forced to comply with Commission II's demand to address the BPK report, which found around 14 irregularities in the disbursement of the KPU's budget that included fictitious spending, double payouts, price mark-ups and spending on personal interests during the 2014 general elections.

Citing the BPK's findings, Rambe of Golkar, for example, detailed that fictitious spending for procurement, as well as official travel by commissioners, cost around Rp 900 million, double payouts reached around Rp 32 million and improper procurements amounted to around Rp 20 billion.

Rambe also cited unpaid salaries for honorary staffers within the KPU and its branch offices that accumulated to around Rp 993 million in an apparent move to highlight the amount of irregularities in the KPU.

KPU commissioners did not provide elaborate responses to Commission II throughout the meeting, but stressed to lawmakers that the institution was carrying out its own review to follow up on the BPK's findings.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/23/in-poll-budget-row-golkar-fans-opposition-against-kpu.html

Surveys & opinion polls

Public wants more pros in Cabinet: Survey

Jakarta Post - June 29, 2015

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – A new survey launched by an independent Jakarta- based pollster has found that the public wants President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to give more ministerial seats to professionals and academics instead of politicians in the upcoming Cabinet reshuffle.

Jokowi's Working Cabinet, which has received criticism mainly due to a poor law enforcement record coupled with an economic slowdown in the first half of the year, consists of 18 professionals and 16 political figures.

A total of 80.8 percent of respondents surveyed by the Indonesian Public Opinion and Discussion Group (KedaiKOPI) on June 3 urged Jokowi to reduce the number of politicians in his Cabinet and replace them with professionals and academics to improve the government's unsatisfactory performance.

"Only around 13.6 percent of the respondents agreed that Jokowi should give ministerial seats to [opposition parties] and [pro-government ones]," said Hendri Satrio of the KedaiKOPI.

The communication and political analytics firm from Paramadina University said that the survey had been conducted in Jakarta business districts like Sudirman and Kuningan.

Respondents also mentioned a number of ministers who they perceived to have performed poorly and deserved to be replaced.

Among them were Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno of the NasDem Party, Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Yuddy Chrisnandi and Industry Minister Saleh Husin of the Hanura Party, Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Minister Marwan Jafar of the National Awakening Party (PKB) and Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Puan Maharani and Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H. Laoly of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

Meanwhile, the non-politically aligned ministers recommended for replacement were Coordinating Economic Minister Sofyan Djalil, Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Indroyono Susilo, Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel, Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman, State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno, National Development Planning Minister/National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) chief Andrinof Chaniago and Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan.

"[Despite their poor performance] I think Yasonna and Puan will remain as ministers after the reshuffle because they are staunch cadres of PDI-P," Hendri said.

Pollster Populi Center political observer Nico Harjanto said that a number of factors contributed to the perceived failures of Jokowi's current crop of professional ministers, including the lack of political skills needed to successfully lobby the House of Representatives.

"That makes them unable to launch political lobbies [to support their programs]," Nico said.

Contrary to the views of pollsters, PDI-P deputy secretary-general Ahmad Basarah said that Jokowi should appoint more politicians as ministers from both pro-government and opposition parties.

"It is necessary [for Jokowi's administration] to get support from outside [the pro-government caucus] so that political support for Jokowi-Kalla [in the House] becomes significant and political stability can be sustained," said Basarah on Sunday.

Basarah said that the government needed more support in the House of Representatives because Indonesia's system of government "is more like a parliamentary system than a presidential [system]", despite the fact that the country actually operates under a presidential system of government.

Basarah also urged the President to ax ministers from the Cabinet's economic team in the upcoming shake-up.

"We have a moral and ideological responsibility [to advise the President]. If ministers have yet to show their best performance then it means that a reshuffle is inevitable," Basarah said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/29/public-wants-more-pros-cabinet-survey.html

Peace in Indonesia most improved in Asia-Pacific: Survey

Jakarta Post - June 26, 2015

Jakarta – Indonesia is the most improved country in the Asia-Pasific region in terms of peace, according to the 2015 Global Peace Index (GPI) report.

Launched by a think tank called the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), the report shows that Indonesia jumped 12 places from 58th last year to 46th this year, with an overall GPI score of 1.768.

The report states that the country's peace improvement is attributable to, among other things, the "reduced impact of terrorism".

The report surveyed 162 countries and measured each nation's peacefulness with 23 indicators. Included on this list was the level of safety and security in a society, the number of international and domestic conflicts and the degree of militarization.

Overall, the report noted that the world's peace remained stable over the year, yet it was still worse than in 2008, with escalations in civil strife and the refugee crisis among the key issues.

"[The year of] 2014 was marked by two contradictory trends: on the one hand, many countries in the OECD achieved historic levels of peace while on the other, strife-torn nations, especially in the Middle East, became more violent. This is a real concern," IEP executive chairman Steve Killelea said in an official statement released recently.

Europe is listed as the most peaceful region in this year's report, with 15 of the 20 most peaceful countries located in Europe.

Iceland ranks number one on the list this year; meanwhile, the Middle East and North Africa are noted as the world's least peaceful regions, due to an increase in civil unrest and terrorist activity.

Neighboring countries such as Malaysia and Singapore fare better in the index than Indonesia, with Singapore ranking 24th and Malaysia 28th. However, compared to last year's report, both countries have not improved much.

However, some countries such as China, Vietnam and the Philippines, show worsening scores, following their involvement in the South China Sea dispute. (fsu/ika)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/26/peace-indonesia-most-improved-asia-pacific-survey.html

Environment & natural disasters

Activists call for more female leaders

Jakarta Post - June 24, 2015

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Female activists have called on women all across the country to be at the forefront of environmental movements, arguing that it is women who are affected the most from environmental degradation.

Siti Maimunah, a coordinator at the Network for Mining Advocacy (Jatam), said on Tuesday that it was important for women to become leaders in movements to protect the environment because they were underrepresented at the moment.

"Women's role in decision making is small while the effect [that environmental degradation has] on them is big," she said during a media discussion at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta. "For example, women need clean water to bathe their children and to cook." Polluted water also posed more risks to women as it could cause cervical cancer, added Siti.

Another example is the loss of forests in which people could extract herbal medicines to use as natural contraceptives.

"When forests are destroyed, family planning becomes more difficult [for people living around the forests] because contraceptive pills are more expensive," Siti said.

While there are not enough women taking charge in environmental movements at the moment, some women have decided to take initiatives in protecting the environment and thus set examples for how women could contribute, according to Siti.

An example is human rights activist Eva Susanti Bande, who was jailed for leading a rally of farmers in Banggai, Central Sulawesi, in 2010, against an oil palm plantation.

"In 2010, the process of land acquisition [by the company] was so massive that it would destroy the environment, including water sources. Therefore, me and other farmers tried many things [to stop the company], including reporting them to the police. But they did nothing," she said on Tuesday.

The company then employed the military to help them secure the land for plantation. This action triggered the rally.

"I had the chance [to escape], but I stood by [the farmers]. I chose to be with them when they were in crisis. As a result, I was arrested along with 24 farmers. But we are just one out of thousands of agrarian conflicts," Eva said. "That's the peak of my sadness, that the state could do such a thing to farmers, who are the backbone of the country."

Luwuk District Court in Central Sulawesi then sentenced Eva to three-and-a-half years in prison under Article 160 of the Criminal Code (KUHP) for instigation and vandalism relating to her involvement in the rally. She was eventually granted clemency by President Joko Widodo.

While Eva urged more women to become leaders like her, she warned the public not to conflate environmental activism led by women with feminist movements. "By linking environmental movements to gender equality issues, it will belittle the movements," she said. "So what I do instead is just lead. I don't need to preach about gender concepts." Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/24/activists-call-more-female-leaders.html

Health & education

In exorcising ills of education system, still no silver bullet

Jakarta Globe - June 26, 2015

Andreyka Natalegawa, Jakarta – Civil society organizations and education experts have called on the national government to employ a holistic plan of action in reforming the Indonesian education system.

"Indonesia has a very strong education system, and it has worked well in the past. The challenge is now to reform it, so that it meets the needs of Indonesians today," said Nabendra Dahal, chief of education at the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) Indonesia.

"The system that has served us well up until now will not serve us well tomorrow. It needs redirecting," Dahal said on Monday.

According to figures from Unicef, 97 percent of Indonesia's children were enrolled in primary education programs in 2012.

Though major successes have been made in improving access to education, ensuring a standard of quality across the nation seems to be a stumbling block for reformers.

"If we look at the quality of education from any indicator, there seems to be no significant progress, even with budget increases," said Sutarum Wiryono, education officer at the Indonesian resident mission of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

"If we look at the results of the PISA, there's still no improvement in quality over time," Sutarum added.

Launched by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a worldwide study which tests students' aptitudes in various subjects.

The latest PISA report, released in 2012, found that Indonesian students performed dismally on the international level. In mathematics, Indonesian students ranked 63rd out of the 64 PISA-participating countries. Indonesians students ranked 63rd in science and 59th in reading.

"Around 50 percent of Indonesia's students do not meet the minimum international standard. There is a huge problem of quality, despite heavy investment in education," Dahal said.

According to data from the World Bank, the Indonesian government spent 20 percent of its total government expenditure in 2012 on education, amounting to nearly Rp 310.8 trillion ($23.3 billion).

Disparities in access

Though Indonesia boasts robust figures in primary school enrolment, difficulties in ensuring equitable access to education still exist, particularly among the nation's rural poor.

Dahal noted "at the primary level, 96 percent of children from the poorest households are enrolled. But by the time it goes to secondary school, only 38 percent of children from the poorest 20 percent of households are enrolled.

"The biggest barrier today is cost of education. It's not the only barrier, but it is the biggest one."

Monik Harahap, a project coordinator with non-profit Taman Bacaan Pelangi, believes that more initiative is needed in distributing educational materials throughout the archipelago.

"The government needs to reach children in rural areas. There are children in eastern Indonesia who don't receive the quality books they need," Monik said on Tuesday.

"There has to be stronger regulations on the distribution of teachers to rural sectors." said Monik.

Unicef findings have further reported deep disparities in the availability of teachers across the nation.

Chief of education Dahal said "when Unicef supported a study conducted by the SMERU research institute, we found that 33 percent of school teachers were absent."

"We then decided to complain to the school directors, only to find that 50 percent of the directors were also absent."

Human capital

Issues in the Indonesian education system could threaten the growth of the nation's human capital resources, experts say. Dahal highlights the intertwined relationship between development and education.

"The best way to think about education is to focus on the children themselves. Thirty-five percent of children in Indonesia are stunted, which means they could have problems in cognitive development."

"By the age of 2, 80 percent of the brain's connections have already taken place. If children do not receive adequate support during the golden 1,000 days, their development potential is severely limited," Dahal said, referring to the crucial time period between conception and a child's second birthday.

ADB's Sutarum notes that inefficient education programs could produce serious consequences for Indonesia, a nation with a booming youth population.

"We need to be careful. If we do not teach the youth productive skills, and if there aren't any employment opportunities, then the demographic bonus could be a threat," Sutarum said, noting that the size of Indonesia's working-age population has increased dramatically in recent years.

Dahal agreed, saying "disparity leads to discontent, which can lead to problems of peace and security". "If governments do not build schools, they will end up building prisons in the future," Dahal added.

The necessity of reforming Indonesia's education sector will become apparent as the nation edges closer to the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Economic Community (AEC) at the end of 2015.

Under the AEC, the migration of labor will face considerable liberalization, opening up new markets to workers.

In response to changes in the global economy, Sutarum said "it's hard to imagine what could happen ten years from now if we don't improve our education system". "The global market may have fewer boundaries, and competition among nations will be even tougher."

Handoko Widagdo, a whole school development specialist at World Education concurs, saying "if Indonesia fails in improving its education system, we won't be able to take on an active role in the globalization process."

"If we keep moving forward this way, we will only be consumers in the global market," he said on Thursday.

A new hope

As challenges continue to mount, the national government has instituted a series of different policies to help clear a path towards accessible quality education.

Last November marked the launch of the hotly anticipated Indonesia Smart Card (KIP), a program that provides cash transfers for education to families in need.

Recipients of the card are eligible to earn Rp 225,000 per semester for elementary students, Rp 375,000 per semester for junior high students and Rp 500,000 per semester for senior high or vocational school students.

According to Unicef's Dahal, the KIP program succeeds in that it targets both children who are in danger of dropping out of school, and those who are not enrolled in school at all.

Unicef estimates that nearly 6.8 million Indonesian children between the ages of 7 and 18 remain out of school systems.

The Education Ministry has also tightened regulation on teacher certification, in the hopes of improving the capacities of school employees.

In discussing various programs designed to improve public education in Indonesia, Dahal notes "when it comes to improving the quality of Indonesian education, there's no silver bullet. These problems must be addressed holistically."

"There needs to be a change not just in the Education Ministry, but at all levels and sectors of government."

Sutarum agrees, believing that consistency across government in designing education policy could be the key to healthy reform.

"It's important that the government improves its grand strategy by having concerted efforts. Because so far, there's a tendency of inconsistency of policy," Sutarum said, referencing shifts in government position over the controversial 2013 curriculum.

"I'm not saying that we should stick to one system and use it forever, but I think consistency is important. Whatever investments we have made in the past, we should use as capital to build the system up better," Sutarum concluded.

In light of recent efforts to address key issues, Dahal believes that progress could be made.

"[Anies Baswedan] has very clear strategies in empowering stakeholders in education, improving access and quality, and reforming bureaucracy," Dahal said, speaking about the education minister.

"We are seeing very competent leaders within the Education Ministry, and we are very excited by these new developments."

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/excorcizing-ills-education-system-still-no-silver-bullet/

Campaigners call for ban on tobacco ads near schools

Jakarta Post - June 25, 2015

Sita W. Dewi and Dewanti A. Wardhani, Jakarta – Antismoking campaigners have called for a ban on cigarette advertisements near schools after a study found high prevalence of such targeted campaigning in big cities.

The study was held by the Children Media Development Foundation (YPMA), an NGO set up by communications researchers concerned with the influence of media on children, Lentera Anak Indonesia (LAI), an independent organization that advocates child-friendly policies, and Smoke Free Agents (SFA), a community focusing on tobacco control.

Hendriyani, a member of the YPMA, said that the team's recent study showed a staggering number of cigarette advertisements deliberately placed near schools or other areas popular with the young.

"The ads were placed near snacks, candy and soft drinks, falsely insinuating that cigarettes were as harmless as snacks and so on," she told a press conference in Central Jakarta recently.

The study was conducted in 360 schools – from elementary to senior high – in five large cities in the country, namely Jakarta, Bandung in West Java, Mataram in West Nusa Tenggara, Makassar in South Sulawesi and Padang in West Sumatra, from January to March this year. The research found cigarette ads placed near 85 percent of the schools monitored, with 69 percent of the ads placed in stores frequently visited by students. Billboards showing cigarette ads were also found near one in every three schools the researchers monitored.

Promotional tobacco-price displays, Hendriyani said, were also found near 54 percent of the schools.

The University of Indonesia lecturer said the study also took into account banners on events, including sporting, artistic and cultural events, sponsored by cigarette producers.

"Cigarettes are marked today to project a falsely positive image, particularly among teenagers, making the students regard smoking as popular, mature and related to friendship," she said.

The more students were exposed to the ads, she added, the stronger their urge to take up smoking.

Various studies have shown that every year, 200,000 people in Indonesia die of smoking-related illnesses. The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) Indonesia Report 2011 said 40 percent of 13-to-15-year-old adolescents in Indonesia were smokers, up from 20.3 percent in 2010 and 7.1 percent in 1995.

"Teenagers are seen as the future consumers. That's why we found a lot of cigarette ads near schools," Hendriyani said.

Psychologist Liza Marielly Djaprie said teenagers could not be held responsible for their own choices.

"Teenagers do not have the capacity or capability to think critically and decide whether or not they want to smoke. They are also prone to fall victim to irresponsible influences and peer pressure," she said.

The campaigners called on the central government and regional administrations to pay more attention to the issue and ban the placement of cigarette ads near schools.

Separately, Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama said that cigarette advertisements were forbidden in all public places, including kiosks and small stores.

"Those banners are not allowed. The Tax Agency is responsible for the supervision," Ahok told reporters at City Hall recently.

Ahok signed Gubernatorial Regulation (Pergub) No. 1/2015 on the prohibition of outdoor billboards promoting cigarette products on Jan. 7. The prohibition took effect on Jan. 13.

However, billboard companies that had secured permits before the regulation took effect could continue displaying their outdoor advertisements until the end of the permit period, which would not be extended. Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/25/campaigners-call-ban-tobacco-ads-near-schools.html

Gender & sexual orientation

Indonesia won't progress because of stigma, discrimination against LGBT

Jakarta Post - June 30, 2015

Jakarta – The chairman of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) Hafid Abbas has called for an end to discrimination and stigma against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, urging the government to issue more supportive regulations.

"They have been marginalized, inflicted with violence, isolation. It cannot be justified. [...] We can't build this country with persistent stigmatization of and discrimination against the LGBT community," Hafid told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

He said the government had a lot of work to do, one task of which was to have an operational regulation on the treatment of LGBT people as citizens of this country.

"There should be a more technical procedure on the protection of the LGBT community because much of the violence they have suffered is inflicted by legal authorities," Hafid said.

Currently, Indonesia has no specific law on the protection of the LGBT community except the 1945 Constitution.

Komnas HAM is also calling for more massive information dissemination that the LGBT community is part of the responsibility of the entire society both to protect their rights and to provide recovery programs to heal physical and psychological wounds they are suffering from past abuse.

Forum LGBT Indonesia, a coalition of LGBT individuals, recorded 47 cases of abuse against gay individuals across the country in 2013.These included bullying, physical attacks, verbal abuse and murder, as well as exclusion in the workplace and criminalization. Some of the cases were perpetrated by state actors such as policemen and public order personnel.

When he was asked to comment about the recent US Supreme Court ruling in favor of same-sex marriage, Hafid said Indonesian society was not ready for that. "It's not the time yet," he said. (fsu/ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/30/ri-won-t-progress-because-persistent-stigma-discrimination-against-lgbt-commission.html

LGBT activists praise US ruling on same-sex marriage

Jakarta Post - June 29, 2015

Jakarta – Indonesia will enter a new era in the fight for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people following a recent US Supreme Court ruling in favor of same-sex marriages, an NGO focusing on LGBT rights has said.

"I feel like it's a victory for me and my fellow peace-loving friends. I feel like I'm being protected by the international community. [...] The ruling is a green light for countries' struggle to uphold the rights of LGBT people to marry," Suara Kita director Hartoyo said on Monday.

He was speaking in response to a US ruling issued on Friday with a narrow vote margin, which will put an end to same-sex marriage bans in the 14 US states that still maintain them.

Echoing support voiced by gay rights advocates in Australia, India, the Philippines and many other countries, Hartoyo believed that the ruling would also impact the attitude and policy toward LGBT people at home.

He said that as the center of the world's political and social affairs, the US would support the promotion and protection of the rights of LGBT people in other countries through systematic global regulation.

"They might use the United Nations [UN] as a channel to do that, or to make a convention to protect the LGBTs like the Yogyakarta Principles back then," he said.

The activist referred to the international principles on the application of international human rights laws in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity, signed in 2006.

Hartoyo also predicted that the US would integrate LGBT issues into the policy of its cooperation with other countries, including on financial aid and scholarships, where sexuality and gender issues were predicted to be prioritized in the near future.

Indonesia, which still faced problems concerning LGBT rights through its policies and reported acts of discrimination, would face a huge wave of change, he said, although he admitted that it would face resistance from some groups.

"There will be resistance, violence. I could be killed, my organization might be terrorized. But then groups that use violence wouldn't attract sympathy from the people. [...] It would prompt people, even those who oppose the LGBT preference, to say that it isn't right to hurt people," he said. (fsu/ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/29/lgbt-activists-praise-us-ruling-same-sex-marriage.html

Marriage & polygamy

Minister backs MK ruling on interfaith marriages

Jakarta Post - June 24, 2015

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin has expressed his support for the recent Constitutional Court ruling that upholds a provision in the 1974 Marriage Law that was deemed by some to be ambiguous and fuel opposition to interfaith marriages.

The Constitutional Court (MK) rejected last week a judicial review of the law's Article 2 that regulates interfaith marriage, maintaining its current provision that stipulates that a marriage can only be considered legitimate if it is conducted in line with the rituals of a religion to which both the bride and groom adhere.

The ruling resonated with the majority opinion of the Indonesian people that a marriage was not merely about legal procedure, but was also a sacred religious event, said Lukman.

On Monday, Lukman, who has been praised for his progressive stance on many issues, especially religious minority rights, said he appreciated the ruling.

"We are grateful. It's a ruling we should be grateful for because it reflects our Indonesia; our society is a religious society," he said as quoted by the Antara news agency, adding that a religious society considered marriage as a part of religious teachings.

"Therefore, it cannot be separated from the religion itself, so there is no possibility for interfaith marriage to occur," he added.

However, Lukman called on everyone to respect people who were already in an interfaith marriage.

In the ruling, the bench concluded that a citizen should abide by a limit set by the Constitution when exercising his or her liberties and rights, in a manner of respect and recognition of others' rights and liberties, saying that it should also be done to fulfill justice, which fits moral and religious values, security and public order in a democratic country.

The court also rejected the argument of the petitioners – who consisted of a number of law students – that the provision forced people to choose a specific religion as a basis of their marriage.

Article 2 is often criticized for causing an ambiguous interpretation of interfaith marriages.

Aside from obliging couples to follow religious rituals to officiate their vows, the article does not explicitly say that both couples should follow same religion to do so. It often triggers resistance to such unions since religious teachings do not allow them.

A Supreme Court decision in 1986 allowed a couple who followed different religions to get married, arguing that their differences in faith should not be an obstacle.

The court also found that a number of interfaith marriages existed and that some Islamic schools and Christian churches tolerated such practices, although they stopped short of endorsing them.

Interfaith marriage appeared to remain a sensitive topic in the world's largest Muslim population. The issue has also caught the attention of netizens and sparked debates on Twitter.

Some of them even put actor Lukman Sardi on the spotlight, criticizing Lukman whom they discovered had converted to Christianity after a video clip showing him in a Christian church went viral.

Lukman, who was previously a Muslim, recently converted to his wife's Christian faith after years of marriage.

"I've chosen to believe since six years ago. Not because of my wife's beauty; not because she made me. I'm a person who cannot be pushed into anything. I have to see it myself, experienced it, and I've been through all that," he said in the YouTube video.

Many despised the actor for his decision, comparing him to American singer and actor Tyrese Gibson who was rumored to have converted to Islam. Many Indonesian Twitteratis praised Gibson over the past few days.

However, Gibson, through his account @Tyrese, dismissed the rumor on Monday. "Rumor going around that I converted to Islam and its accompanied by a video – respectfully guys. I'm not Muslim. I am a born-again Christian," he wrote.

Moderate Muslim intellectual Zuhairi Misrawi said the government should be able to protect the rights of each citizen in terms of marriage, including also civil rights and the right to procreate.

"Our society is plural. Interfaith marriage is a logical consequence of a plural society," he said on Tuesday. "The government should not turn a blind eye to the phenomenon of interfaith marriage. The marriage law should be revised in order to accommodate and protect the rights of every citizen."

Although he said he respected the ruling, he added that the court should have granted the judicial review petition.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/24/minister-backs-mk-ruling-interfaith-marriages.html

Refugees & asylum seekers

'How much?' Why bribes to people smugglers could revive a dying trade

The Guardian (Australia) - June 25, 2015

Beh Lih Yi in Pelabuhan Ratu, Indonesia – Business has been bad for Gandi, a fisherman who rides the waves off Indonesia's rugged southern Java coast.

The 44-year-old's meagre catches are sometimes too small to cover the cost of the fuel he needs to power his 7.5-metre blue and white wooden boat.

Added to that, a lucrative sideline in helping ferry asylum seekers for people smugglers has been all but snuffed out after a crackdown by the Indonesian authorities and their threats of arrest. But things may be about to change.

"I could take them from here," he says, gesturing at the dark sand beach fringed with palm trees and ramshackle, red-tiled huts used by the local fishermen. His sudden optimism comes after hearing the allegations that Australia paid members of a smuggling crew US$5,000 each to turn a boatload of asylum seekers back to Indonesia.

The boat in question had reportedly set off from the port of Pelabuhan Ratu, close to Gandi's village, last month and was stopped in international waters by the Australian navy.

"How much is US$5,000 in rupiah?" Gandi asks. Told it is more than 30 times the amount he used to earn from ferrying migrants a short distance out to sea, his eyes light up. The father of three says he was "very scared" when he transported asylum seekers in the past, typically loading about 20 into his small boat in the dead of night – on one occasion nearly getting caught by the police. "But I need money," he says. "The money eclipses the fear."

The rugged coastline of southern Java, where dense jungle rolls down to the beaches and colourful wooden fishing boats dot the shore, used to be a major staging ground for people smuggling.

But the Australian prime minister Tony Abbott's hardline policy of turning back asylum boats, helped by increased policing and campaigns to educate people about people smuggling in Indonesia, has largely stemmed the flow of boats.

In Pelabuhan Ratu and the surrounding area, only 15 migrants bound for Australia have been arrested so far this year and one in 2014, a huge drop from nearly 1,000 reportedly detained in 2013. Pelabuhan Ratu is a day's journey from the Australian territory of Christmas Island.

But Indonesian immigration officials fear the allegations of payments for those who are caught trying to enter Australian waters could undermine the progress of the past two years by tempting more people to get involved in the trade.

"This could become a headache for us," says a senior local official, Irfan Sapari. "We have been trying our best to stop boat departures."

It is not just local officials who are annoyed but also the Indonesian government in Jakarta, which has angrily hit out at Australia and demanded an explanation after Abbott repeatedly refused to deny or confirm the payment.

Indonesia's foreign ministry has said that if confirmed, the payments would mark a "new low" in Australia's handling of asylum seekers.

Police in eastern Indonesia, where the boat carrying 65 mostly Sri Lankan asylum seekers came ashore late in May, have displayed stacks of cash they say was paid by Australia, describing the money as a "bribe".

The row risks becoming a serious diplomatic crisis, further straining ties between the neighbours that are already under pressure owing to the execution in April of two Australian drug smugglers.

Critics fear that coastal settlements of Java could once again become targets for people smugglers, who have previously found recruits among the fishermen and villagers of the area who are fighting to survive on low incomes.

The village of Cibangban, a short journey down the coast from Pelabuhan Ratu, is typical of the area, a collection of modest houses on a jungle- covered hillside that leads down to paddy fields and a palm-fringed beach, where boats struggle through crashing waves to reach land each morning.

Up until a year ago, people smuggling agents used to regularly walk the beaches, fishermen and other villagers tell the Guardian, offering locals money to take migrants out to bigger vessels.

These vessels were the ones that would carry the asylum seekers towards Australia but they were too big to leave port loaded with asylum seekers without attracting attention.

The asylum seekers would be dropped off at night before being ferried out to sea and the agents would pay the fishermen on their return. Locals said they would be offered between 2 million rupiah (A$193, #95) and 10 million rupiah each time they took migrants out – more than they could normally earn in several weeks.

Many claim they did not know anything illegal was going on. "We didn't know they were illegal migrants," says Yus, a fisherman who goes by only one name and says he did not transport the asylum seekers himself. "The people who offered money said these passengers had been invited by Australia.

"We only found out it is illegal to transport them after the authorities told us." Asked whether he would risk taking migrants out after the alleged Australian payment, Yus hesitates then replies: "The police have warned us that we will be sent to jail immediately if we are caught transporting migrants."

Others say they would not take the risk but authorities are nevertheless concerned.

A local fisheries official, Arip Gustia, tasked with educating the locals to "be a good fisherman" by not breaking the laws, admits he has a tough job. Catches are at their lowest level for three months and fishermen are tempted to find any way they can of earning money.

Respected local figures have also been given the task of informing law enforcement agencies if they spot anything untoward. Under Indonesian laws, anyone found guilty of aiding people smuggling operations faces at least five years in jail and a fine.

Even Gandi admits he found the trips harrowing on occasion, recalling how one group of women and children became hysterical as he took them through stormy waters to a waiting boat.

"I remember until today how they cried and screamed, how frightened they were," he says. "I helped a woman to hold her baby, only a few months old. She was so nervous."

Nevertheless he says he would be willing to transport asylum seekers again, as he earned so little as a fisherman.

He returned from an overnight trip – many of the fishermen in the area work at night – on a recent Sunday morning and sold his catch for 75,000 rupiah (A$7, #4), not even enough to cover the 135,000 rupiah he spent on fuel. "I haven't had any money to give to my wife for three days," he says.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/25/how-much-why-bribes-to-people-smugglers-could-revive-a-dying-trade

Graft & corruption

Tax pardon weakens graft fight

Jakarta Post - June 29, 2015

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's plan to pardon past financial crimes in exchange for repatriating dirty assets parked overseas by criminal offenders has been met with rejection from the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

The government seeks to coax criminal offenders, including money laundering, corruption and tax evasion perpetrators, to bring home their assets parked abroad, including around Rp 4 quadrillion (US$300 billion) in Singapore alone, in exchange for clearing them of legal charges, in the hope of having a slice of around 10 to 15 percent of the would-be repatriated assets to help build the economy.

PPATK deputy chairman Agus Santoso said that instead of helping the economy, such a policy would encourage the birth of more financial violators in the future.

"This policy sends messages to criminal offenders that they are about to be given a 'red carpet' facility and they will be considered economic heroes. This will hurt the feelings of the public whose money has been stolen by criminal violators," Agus told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

Agus said that the PPATK rejected the plan because implementing such a policy would not be feasible in Indonesia, a country which has rejected illegal money for development.

Agus said it was not easy to repatriate dirty assets from abroad because most of the funds had been channeled into properties and companies, and could no longer be wired back to the country in a short time.

The former Bank Indonesia (BI) official said as Indonesia applied a free foreign exchange policy, BI could not hold any in-and-out funds from abroad, meaning that financial criminals could immediately move their assets overseas again as soon as they had been pardoned by the government.

"This policy will only benefit investment management companies in Singapore, which have the ability to send and take back money from the Indonesian capital market, and securities companies in Indonesia," he said.

Agus added that the amnesty plan would not help the economy because around 60 percent of regional heads committed corruption and laundered their ill- gotten gains abroad.

Thus, he said, if their assets were repatriated under the proposed scheme, the government would only get around 10 to 15 percent of the assets, adding that it was better for the government to intensify efforts to fully seize dirty assets abroad and charge the financial violators for their offenses instead of welcoming them back home and getting only a slice of their assets.

"In the last three years, the dirty asset task force has actively hunted ill-gotten gains parked abroad including in Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and England," Agus said.

Instead of going ahead with the amnesty policy, the government, said Agus, should increase the current tax ratio which only stands at 11 to 12 percent over GDP, unlike other countries which managed to stand at around 26 percent to 30 percent.

Separately, acting KPK deputy chief Indriyanto Seno Adji said that if the government went ahead with the plan, it would create legal discrimination for those financial violators who had been convicted and whose assets had been fully seized by the courts.

"The plan has been subject to debate since the early Reformation Era. Legal experts still question the effectiveness of the plan including what kind of crimes should be pardoned and which others should not be," Indriyanto said.

Earlier, Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said that a bill on a tax amnesty was expected to be deliberated this year. The bill would allow financial crimes to be exempt from all criminal and financial charges, in exchange for the beneficiaries repatriating their assets.

According to McKinsey, which was hired by Bank Mandiri to carry out a study, the Rp 4 quadrillion in Singapore comprises Rp 2 quadrillion in assets and another Rp 2 quadrillion in cash, besides funds in Hong Kong, Switzerland, Luxembourg and the Cayman Islands.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/29/tax-pardon-weakens-graft-fight.html

Indonesia taken off money-laundering list

Jakarta Post - June 27, 2015

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – The Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) announced on Friday that Indonesia had been removed from the global money-laundering and terrorist-financing list following an audit conducted by an international body.

The PPATK said Indonesia earned the status after an evaluation team from the Financial Action Task Force on money laundering (FATF) reporting to the Brisbane-based International Cooperation Review Group (ICRG) concluded that the country's financial system had succeeded in preventing terrorist- related financial crimes.

The task force conducted its audit in May.

The Indonesian government decided to step up reforms of the country's financial system after the country was put on the blacklist in 2012 for failing to comply with the FATF's recommendations to adopt international conventions on terrorism as well as failing to prevent terrorist-related transfers in the country or to freeze terrorist-related assets in and outside Indonesia as mandated by the United Nations.

Following the passing of Law No. 9/2013 on terrorism funding and the establishment of a mutual agreement involving the chief justice of the Supreme Court, the National Police chief, the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) chief and the PPATK chairman on the freezing of terrorist- related assets, financial authorities have been granted the authority to seize any funds suspected of having links to terrorist activities in Indonesia. "This means that regulations in Indonesia and their implementation in the field have met international standards," PPATK deputy chairman Agus Santoso, who is currently in Brisbane attending the forum, told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

The Brisbane Forum kicked off on June 24 and is expected to wrap up on June 26. In its report to the forum, the ICRG emphasized that "Indonesia is a jurisdiction no longer subject to FATF's on-going global compliance process."

The FATF is a body that was established by a mandate issued by the G7 and G20 members aimed at establishing efforts to eradicate money laundering and terrorist financing around the globe.

In April, the PPATK announced that it had frozen at least 20 bank accounts, containing billions of rupiah, belonging to al-Qaeda and Taliban-affiliated terrorist groups operating in Indonesia, thanks to the establishment of the multi-institution mutual agreement in 2013.

"For better institutional coordination between the police, the Foreign Affairs Ministry, PPATK and BNPT in the future, we are currently developing an electronic coordination system for prompt action in the future," Agus said.

In a separate press conference held in Jakarta on Friday at the PPATK headquarters, PPATK chairman Muhammad Yusuf said the achievement would boost investor confidence in the country.

Jusuf added that the PPATK along with the financial authorities had frozen a total of Rp 2 billion (US$150,000) in cash transfers in 26 bank accounts in May.

"With this achievement we have been placed on the same level as developed countries such as Singapore. Another benefit is that with this achievement we can expect to see more capital invested in the country especially in infrastructure such as railway and maritime highway development," Yusuf said.

Director of the multilateral division at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Hasan Kleib, said now that Indonesia had been removed from the FATF blacklist, it could increase the number of transfers in and out of Indonesia.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/27/ri-taken-money-laundering-list.html

KPK fights law revision plan

Jakarta Post - June 27, 2015

Haeril Halim and Tama Salim, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has accused a number of lawmakers who had been put under its surveillance program of hijacking the House of Representatives' legislative program by proposing an amendment to the 2002 KPK Law that could weaken the antigraft body.

Acting KPK deputy chairman Indriyanto Seno Adji said on Friday that the voices calling the loudest for the revision belonged to members who had been put under surveillance as part of graft investigations.

"I'm not entirely sure why these elements are so keen to revise the KPK law, especially the KPK's wiretapping authority. They may be worried about becoming victims of future KPK sting operations," said Indriyanto, who is also a prominent legal expert.

One of the key provisions that the House plans to amend is the commission's authority to conduct surveillance or wiretapping during the preliminary phase of investigations. Without that authority, the KPK would be prevented from launching sting operations aimed at catching suspects red-handed accepting bribes.

The KPK has so far arrested scores of lawmakers in such operations, including Indonesian Democratic Party Politician (PDI-P) politician Ardiansyah, Chairun Nisa of the Golkar Party and former Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) chairman Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq.

In addition, a number of lawmakers are implicated in KPK investigations, if only as witnesses for now, including Bambang Soesatyo and Aziz Syamsuddin of the Golkar Party, who serve, respectively, as a member and as chairman of House Commission III on legal affairs, which is overseeing the revision plan. Another staunch supporter of the amendment is Fahri Hamzah of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), a House deputy speaker.

Fahri has made frequent attacks on the KPK, especially after the antigraft body arrested Luthfi in 2013.

Other House lawmakers summoned by the KPK include PDI-P treasurer Olly Dondokambey and Golkar members Zainuddin Amali and House speaker Setya Novanto. There was no just reason to scrap the KPK's wiretapping authority, Indriyanto said, as since its establishment in 2004, the privilege had been strictly monitored and evaluated by the Communication and Information Ministry.

The KPK had been unfairly targeted, he added, as other law enforcement agencies had the same authority. "The 1999 law on corruption stipulates that all law enforcement agencies have the authority to wiretap," he said.

Last week, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, who had earlier backed the House's projected revision, publicly decried the plan as "unnecessary".

Leaders of the House of Representatives professed bafflement at the President's vacilitating. Fahri, for one, blasted Jokowi for what he called a "face-saving maneuver".

"The demand to revise the KPK Law has come from all sides, including the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the government. Even the KPK's leaders have spoken out about this." Fahri told reporters at the House compound in Jakarta on Friday.

"Now that there's a window of opportunity to apply these changes, [the government] has decided to alter its stance."

Fahri further blamed the government for the crisis engulfing the KPK. "This cowardliness must stop [...] How else to explain that, throughout the 13 years since the KPK Law was passed, all [KPK] leaders have been arrested for causing trouble?" he said.

Meanwhile, House deputy speaker Taufik Kurniawan said that the House would wait for an official letter from Jokowi explaining his stance. "We'll see if the [request to withdraw the revision] can be brought up in the next plenary session and what the government will substitute it with," Taufik said.

Despite Jokowi's about-face, a House plenary session earlier this week decided to include the revision of the KPK Law in its 2015 priority legislation list.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/27/KPK-fights-law-revision-plan.html

Development fund for Indonesian MPs a setback to war on graft

Reuters - June 25, 2015

Kanupriya Kapoor, Jakarta – Indonesia's parliament has voted to allow MPs use of nearly a billion dollars in state funds to develop their constituencies, which a minister said on Wednesday would only encourage more graft in one of the world's most corrupt countries.

At the same time, the house pressed ahead with debating a bill that would further weaken the country's anti-corruption agency.

Indonesia consistently ranks among the most corrupt countries in the world, according to Transparency International, which also rates its parliament, the house of representatives, as one of its most corrupt public institutions.

The moves late on Tuesday deals another blow to President Joko Widodo, who is already under fire for a flagging economy and perceived failure to stand up to vested interests and to protect the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

"These funds are prone to corruption because it is difficult to control and oversee how they are spent in the regions," Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo told reporters.

Parliament this week also moved to prioritise a proposed bill that would take away from the KPK one of the key weapons in its limited arsenal – wiretapping graft suspects without a warrant.

Critics say the legislation will cripple the agency, which has already been severely weakened by attacks from the police, the Attorney General's Office, the vice president and members of Widodo's own political party.

Members of parliament have tried in previous terms to limit the agency's powers but have failed due to public opposition.

Widodo's coalition controls only 37 percent of seats in parliament and by law the president does not hold veto power over parliament.

Source: http://www.irrawaddy.org/asia/development-fund-for-indonesian-mps-a-setback-to-war-on-graft.html

Abraham only guilty of ethics breach, not crime, says lawyer

Jakarta Post - June 25, 2015

Fedina S. Sundaryani, Jakarta – Former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Abraham Samad has maintained his innocence after the National Police accused him of abusing his power as leader of the antigraft body in a bid to become a vice presidential candidate last year.

Abraham, who underwent five hours of police questioning as a suspect on Wednesday, said investigators questioned him about a meeting he had with then-presidential candidate Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in Yogyakarta last year.

"It finally became clear that they wanted to clarify whether or not I really met with Pak Jokowi in Yogyakarta – However, it is still unclear why I have been named a suspect because there really is no problem," he told reporters at the National Police headquarters.

Abraham said his meeting with Jokowi was open to the public. "There was no political agenda behind it," he said.

Police investigators also questioned Abraham about several meetings he had with Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto at the Capital Residence apartments in the Sudirman Central Business District in March and April last year.

Abraham said he had agreed to meet with Hasto because the PDI-P politician proposed a discussion on irregularities that took place in the regional election in Bali.

One of Abraham's lawyers, Saor Siagian, said that by meeting a presidential candidate, Abraham could only be accused of an ethics violation, not a criminal one.

Saor also said the police should also drop their prosecution of Abraham as KPK commissioners, most notably interim chairman Taufiequrachman Ruki, had written to National Police Gen. Badrodin Haiti requesting that the police halt their probe.

"The letter from the KPK leaders said that Abraham clearly violated an ethics code [not a criminal one] but the police continued to summon him," he said.

Saor said that Abraham's legal team had shown the letter to the investigators, who claimed that they were in the dark over the letter.

The police moved against Abraham following a claim made by Hasto earlier this year that Abraham had met with officials from the PDI-P on a number of occasions to lobby for the position of Jokowi's running mate in the 2014 presidential election.

Hasto's announcement followed the KPK's decision to name then police chief candidate Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan a graft suspect.

Although Abraham has vehemently denied the accusation, NGO KPK Watch filed a police report against Abraham to back up Hasto's claims that he had helped PDI-P politician Emir Moeis, who had been implicated in a graft case in connection with a geothermal power development case in Lampung in 2004, to get a lenient sentence in a bribery case last year. Hasto claimed that Abraham extended the favor as a bargaining chip.

The police have named Abraham a suspect for allegedly meeting with a graft suspect or someone connected to the graft suspect, which violated Law No. 30/2002 on the KPK.

The South and West Sulawesi police have also named Abraham a suspect for allegedly forging documents four years prior to assuming the top job at the KPK.

Fellow former commissioner Bambang Widjojanto was also named a perjury suspect in a 2010 case following the KPK and National Police standoff.

The National Police's detective division's director of general crimes, Brig. Gen. Carlo Tewu, could not be reached for comment.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/25/abraham-only-guilty-ethics-breach-not-crime-says-lawyer.html

Interest lacking in KPK jobs

Jakarta Post - June 24, 2015

Ina Parlina, Fedina S. Sundaryani and Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – The government-sanctioned committee tasked to select candidates for the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leadership positions has extended the deadline for candidates to apply for the jobs until July 3 amid concern that no credible candidates have registered themselves for the process.

The registration process was expected to wrap up on Wednesday, but the team decided to extend the deadline with the hope that big-name candidates would submit applications.

The selection team's chairperson, Destry Damayanti, said that of all the applicants who had registered themselves, most had backgrounds as lawyers and civil servants. "There are also a number of scholars," she said.

Destry added that the deadline was also extended for technical reasons. "One of the reasons was that roughly 54 percent of the 234 applicants have yet to complete the paperwork for the administrative requirements," Destry said on Tuesday.

The team decided to extend the deadline after getting input from various groups in 10 cities in Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Sumatra.

The team has engaged in a discussion with the groups in the past few weeks. Under the new timeline, the team will announce the short-listed candidates who will undergo interviews between August 24 and 27. "The team will submit the final names to the President on Aug. 31," Destry said.

Destry reiterated that the committee would welcome active police officers, Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel as well as prosecutors from the Attorney General's Office (AGO) joining the selection process.

Separately, TNI chief Gen. Moeldoko said the military would recommend retired army general Hendardji Soepandji as one of its strongest potential candidates. "I am currently drafting a recommendation letter for Pak Hendardji to the selection team," Moeldoko said.

Meanwhile, acting KPK commissioner and former spokesman Johan Budi announced that he would join the selection process. "Following my meeting with my mother and after much consideration, I have decided to apply," he told reporters on Monday night.

However, incumbent commissioners Zulkarnain and Adnan Pandu Praja, as well as interim commissioners Taufiequrrachman Ruki and Indriyanto Seno Adji, all said they would not reapply for their jobs.

"I'm not going to register again because I'm just not interested. I'm already too old and will not meet the mandatory maximum age requirement. I just want to retire," Ruki said, adding that he only took the job because President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo had asked him to. Indriyanto said that he would like to return to academia and become a teacher.

Separately, Attorney General M. Prasetyo said that the AGO had approved and was recommending five prosecutors to apply to become KPK commissioners.

"We have reviewed their track records and I consulted with my deputy and all the junior attorneys general and former prosecutors to see if those who wish to register are fit to apply for the positions," he told reporters at the AGO headquarters in South Jakarta.

The five prosecutors are secretary to the AGO's education and training department, Paulus Joko Subagyo, acting junior attorney general of supervision M. Jasman Panjaitan, director of state administrative lawsuits Sri Haryati and deputy head of the Papuan Prosecutor's Office, Muhammad Rum.

All five prosecutors also held positions as heads of a provincial or regional prosecutor's office at least once. Prasetyo maintained that the AGO was making no efforts to influence the selection team into favoring its candidates.

"I have to emphasize that there is absolutely no collusion [between the AGO and the KPK selection team], but we do hope that at least one of them will be part of the KPK's fourth generation," Prasetyo said.

The National Police have also recommended three officers who had expressed their wishes to apply: the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Ministry's deputy of coordination and national security, Insp. Gen. Syahrul Mamma, Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Yotje Mende and a lecturer at the police force's High Staff and Command School (Sespimti), Brig. Gen. Basaria Panjaitan.

Two other officers, Traffic Police deputy chief Brig. Gen. Samuel Budiono and the National Police Chief's facilities assistant Brig. Gen. Tubagus Anis Angkawijaya, also wish to apply but are still awaiting approval from the National Police chief.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/24/interest-lacking-KPK-jobs.html

Jokowi said to cave to Kalla on issue of watering down KPK law

Jakarta Globe - June 23, 2015

Novianti Setuningsih, Jakarta – A bill to rein in the powers of Indonesia's vaunted antigraft commission will go before a parliament historically inclined to that end, after President Joko Widodo reportedly relented to his deputy on the matter.

The bill, a package of amendments to the 2002 Law on the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK, was on Tuesday formally included in the docket of priority legislation, or Prolegnas, for this year, during a plenary session of the House of Representatives.

President Joko, whose advisers insisted was against any effort to amend the law on the KPK in the near term, apparently caved in to the persuasion of Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who painted the KPK's fearsome reputation as discouraging government officials from administering much-needed development projects, according to a spokesman.

"J.K. basically said it was necessary [to amend the KPK law] so that government officials aren't afraid to get things done when the KPK is around," Husain Abdullah, a spokesman for the vice president, told reporters in Jakarta on Tuesday.

"Keep in mind that a lot of officials are scared of the KPK even before a project gets underway. And if we don't get things like infrastructure projects started right away, when else can we start?"

Kalla earlier his year trotted out a similar argument – justifying bending established regulations for the sake of expediting a power plant construction project – when testifying in the corruption trial of a party colleague, who was later acquitted of all charges.

Husain said that Joko was "of the same mind" as Kalla on the issue of amending the KPK law. "Both of them feel it's necessary. The president accepted the explanation, according to J.K.," Husain said.

The statement contradicts all previous remarks by officials close to Joko, who said the president was adamant that the KPK law should not be included in this year's Prolegnas.

"The president's most recent stance is that he has no intention of revising the law," Pratikno, the state secretary, told reporters last Friday. "The government never proposed any amendments to the KPK law," added Andi Widjajanto, the cabinet secretary.

The submission of the bill to the House is seen by some as the latest effort by Joko's party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDI-P, to undermine the KPK, which has prosecuted and jailed more PDI-P politicians than those from any other party throughout its 12-year history.

Yasonna Laoly, the justice minister from the PDI-P, said it was necessary to amend the law to give the antigraft body's activities a sound legal basis.

He said the most pressing matter was to define the extent of the KPK's wiretapping powers – something that legislators have repeatedly tried to curtail in the past, to no avail. The KPK's success rate in going after corruption suspects has been attributed in part to its ability to listen in on suspects' phone calls without the need to obtain a warrant from Indonesia's notoriously corrupt judiciary.

Yasonna also said there needed to be a "standardization" of the KPK's prosecutorial powers with those of the Attorney General's Office. The KPK is currently the only body apart from the AGO authorized to prosecute corruption cases, and boasts a near-100 percent conviction rate.

Kalla, whose policy views have aligned less with Joko's than with those of the president's political patron, the PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, argued that the KPK's high success rate in going after corrupt officials was the very reason its powers needed to be scaled back. He said that despite so many governors and ministers being jailed for graft over the past decade, there seemed to be no end to corruption scandals coming to light, and for that a rethink of the KPK's powers was warranted.

"If the Constitution can be amended [then so can the KPK law]," he said on Monday. "The only things that can't be amended are the Koran [...] and the Bible."

The frequent disagreements between the president and vice president on key issues have not gone unnoticed, with a senior legislator suggesting it was time for Joko to dump Kalla – who is said to have been foisted on Joko by Megawati ahead of last year's election in exchange for campaign funding from a prominent business lobby.

Ruhut Sitompul, from the Democratic Party, said Kalla had exhibited a similar rebellious streak when he served as vice president to the Democrats' Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

"J.K. also used to express different views during SBY's time as president. That's why he was never picked up again" as vice president for Yudhoyono's second term, Ruhut said.

He added that Kalla should realize that the Indonesian public had voted for Joko as president, and that as such he should dial down his insubordination. "When he comes up for re-election, Joko won't run with J.K. again," Ruhut warned.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/jokowi-said-cave-kalla-issue-watering-KPK-law/

Freedom of religion & worship

WikiLeaks 'Saudi Cables' reveal secret push to stop Ahmadiyya in Indonesia

The Rabwah Times - June 28, 2015

Whistle-blowing website Wikileaks has published more than 60,000 secret documents from Saudi Arabia and said that it had more than half a million additional documents that it will be releasing in the upcoming weeks as part of the "Saudi Cables".

The secretive organization, headed by 43-year-old Australian Julian Assange, was launched in December 2006. The organization facilitates the anonymous leaking of secret information through its website to expose the wrongdoing of governments and corporations.

The Saudi Cables include identification cards, visa requests and summaries of news media coverage of the kingdom. The most informative are diplomatic cables from Saudi embassies around the world to the foreign ministry, many of which are then passed along to the office of the king for final decisions.

The files, in Arabic, have mostly received a minimal amount attention in the United States press. However, multiple independent journalists around the world have been translating the documents to uncover revelations. Two of the cables reveal the secret role Saudi Arabia has been playing in stopping the spread of the persecuted Ahmadiyya Muslim sect, specifically in Indonesia.

One of the cables which is dated March 14, 2012 and is written by the late Saudi Crown Prince Naif bin Abdil Aziz in reply to the several letters and reports received by the Prince from the Head of the Royal Court, Minister of Foreign Affairs and The Saudi Embassy in Jakarta relating to the activities of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Indonesia.

The cable reads that "the issue of the Ahmadiyya was discussed by the preparatory committee of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs which came up with a plan to set up practical programs with the help of the Foreign Ministry, Ministry of the Islamic Affairs and the Supreme Islamic Council of Indonesia to stop the spread of Ahmadiyya in Indonesia."

The cable further reads that "Saudi Embassy in Jakarta should be instructed to explain the danger of Ahmadiyya to the Indonesian Government".

On 23rd April 2012 just a month after the letter from then Crown Prince Naif bin Abdil Aziz a mob of Islamic extremists brutally attacked an Ahmadi mosque in the village of Cipakat in the town of Singaparna in West Java, Indonesia. The attack was attended by at least 80 people affiliated with local Islamic extremist movements, the building was repeatedly hit with rocks and stones, while some of the assailants stormed into the building destroying objects.

The second cable is from the former Saudi King "Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud" and is in reply to the first cable by the Crown Prince "Naif bin Abdil Aziz". In the cable which is dated 15 May 2012 the King recommends that the Crown Prince take following actions concerning the Ahmadiyya in Indonesia.

1. Monitor and follow up on the developments occurring in Indonesia concerning the Ahmadiyya Community by the Kingdom's Embassy in (Jakarta).

2. (Have) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs advise the international Islamic organizations to issue a statement that clarifies where they stand on this (Ahmadiyya) community.

3. Follow up with Ministry of Islamic Affairs and ask Preachers for Endowments, Call and Guidance and the Muslim World League to warn against this (Ahmadiyya) community and its ideologies, while avoiding violence against its members.

4. Have The Kingdom's Embassy in (Jakarta) continue its support of the Supreme Islamic Council of Indonesia for Islamic Propagation (Islamic Dawa) in order to face this (Ahmadiyya) community and inform the Indonesian government of their position (beliefs).

The author of the first cable Crown Prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz who served as Deputy Prime Minister and President of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs died in June, 2012 while the author of the second cable King Abdullah died aged 90 in January, 2015.

After his death his half-brother Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud became the King of Saudi Arabia. And In April 2015 King Salman appointed Prince Naif bin Abdul Aziz's son Muhammad bin Nayef as Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia which makes him first in line to the throne of Saudi Arabia.

Hardline Islamic groups in Indonesia want the Ahmadiyya Muslim sect to be banned – they say it deviates from the tenets of Islam, and therefore has no place in Indonesian society.

Over the past few years these hardliners have become increasingly vocal in their demands – holding rallies in central Jakarta and airing their views in the media.

In August 2010 then Indonesian Minister of Religious Affairs Suryadharma Ali was quoted as saying that Ahmadiyya "must be disbanded immediately". If not, "problems would continue".

In February 2011, a violent mob bludgeoned three Ahmadi Muslims to death. Since then, houses and mosques have been attacked and protesters have vowed to escalate the violence if they do not get their way.

It is these Hardline Islamic groups that the Saudi Government wants to use to exert pressure on the Indonesian government to restrict the Ahmadiyya activities in Indonesia.

Another separate cable notes various items of payment to a range of publications in Indonesia, with amounts ranging from $US3,000 to $10,000. There is talk about expanding the involvement of the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information via massive subscriptions to newspapers such as Kompas and the Jakarta Post.

Source: https://www.rabwah.net/wikileaks-saudi-cables-reveal-secret-push-to-stop-ahmadiyya-in-indonesia/

Islam & religious affairs

Mosques turning down volume

Jakarta Post - June 26, 2015

Sita W. Dewi, Jakarta – Until last year, Cahyo Sukaryo, 40, a Muslim resident of Kramat Jati, East Jakarta, was often irritated by mosques in his neighborhood abusing their loudspeakers, particularly during Ramadhan.

"Some mosques used loudspeakers to wake up the neighborhood for sahur [pre-dawn meals] starting at 2 a.m.," he said recently. And that was not the worst of it.

"The mosque caretakers even called out all of our names one by one. For example, 'Mrs. A, wake up and please prepare a good meal for sahur because your husband complained the other day!' That's really inappropriate and unnecessary," Cahyo said.

However, he realized that something had changed this year. "It feels quieter and they don't do it anymore. Some of my neighbors and I had filed complaints in previous years. I think they decided to tone it down as per JK's remarks, calling on mosques to limit loudspeaker use especially during Ramadhan," he said, referring to Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

At a recent national Fatwa Commission meeting of the Indonesia Ulema Council in Tegal, Central Java, Kalla, who is also the chairman of the Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI), criticized the overuse of mosque loudspeakers during Ramadhan, saying that Muslims should also respect those who need to rest at night.

He also criticized mosque caretakers who often play recordings of Koran recitations an hour prior to the adzan (call to prayer), saying that it was unnecessary.

It was not his first time criticizing the exploitation of mosque loudspeakers. Last year, he even started a nationwide program aimed at reducing noise from amplified sermons. In his capacity as DMI chairman, he dispatched 50 cars, manned by more than 150 technicians, to help mosque caretakers improve the sound quality of their amplification systems.

However, not all Jakarta mosques exploit their loudspeakers. Caretakers of Al-Ihsan Mosque in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, have chosen to stay humble for decades for the sake of religious tolerance.

"Some ulemas say it's okay to use loudspeakers to amplify sermons, thinking it as a syiar [spreading religious values]. However, we think that waking up neighbors for sahur at 2 a.m., for example, can instead annoy people, including those who conduct solemn prayers at home," Al-Ihsan Mosque caretaker Badruddin Noor, 48, said.

Badruddin also cited religious tolerance as a reason behind their policy. "Half of the population in this neighborhood is non-Muslim so we have to respect them too," he said, pointing out that the caretakers only broadcast Koran recitations 15 minutes prior to the call to prayers in accordance with government regulations.

During Ramadhan, the mosque is opened almost 24 hours a day as it hosts various religious activities, including tarawih mass prayers, Koran recitations and itikaf, or the act of staying in a mosque and devoting oneself wholly to the worship of God. It usually begins at sunset on the evening of the 20th day of Ramadhan, lasting until the sighting of the Idul Fitri moon. Each activity can attract up to 70 people from inside and outside the neighborhood.

Instruction No. 101, released by the Public Guidance Directorate General at the Religious Affairs Ministry in 1978, stipulates that amplified Koran recitations can be broadcast, at the earliest, 15 minutes prior to the call to prayer, while sermons should not be broadcast unless the attendants overflow from the mosque itself. Many mosque caretakers, however, ignored the instruction, attracting complaints from Muslims and non-Muslims.

Despite complaints, some residents find Koran broadcasts, especially throughout the fasting month, soothing.

"I came from a small town of Boyolali [Central Java] and Koran broadcasts during Ramadhan created enthusiasm and it was also very nostalgic. It really makes it feel like the fasting month," Annisa Rini, 24, a Muslim resident of Karet Tengsin, Central Jakarta, said.

Some points in instruction Dawn

Before dawn, mosques may use loudspeakers 15 minutes before the dawn prayer, at the earliest.
Adzan (call to prayer) for dawn prayer may use loudspeakers
Dawn sermons and prayers may only use speakers inside mosques

Noon and Friday prayer

Loudspeakers may be used five minutes before the noon prayer and 15 minutes before noon and Friday prayer
Other activities may only use inside speakers
Afternoon, dusk and evening prayer adzan may use loudspeakers
After adzan, only inside speakers to be used
Takbir (Idul Fitri and Idul Adha calls to prayer) may use loudspeakers
Koran recital during Ramadhan at noon and evening may only use inside speakers
Tabligh (mass prayers) may only use inside speakers except during Islamic festivals

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/26/mosques-turning-down-volume.html

Indonesia bids to muffle noisy mosques

Agence France Presse - June 25, 2015

Jakarta – Indonesia has set up a new team to reduce noise from mosques, an official said on Thursday, as places of worship go into overdrive during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

There are about 800,000 mosques in the world's most populous Muslim- majority country, but residents living nearby have long complained that their speakers are too loud.

Places of worship become particularly active during Ramadan, which this year runs from mid-June to mid-July, when mosques blare out religious sermons even earlier than usual.

In an attempt to tackle the issue, Indonesia's vice-president, Jusuf Kalla, who also heads of an umbrella group for many of its mosques, has formed a team to sample the noise from mosque loudspeakers across the country, his spokesman Husain Abdullah said.

"The idea is for mosques to turn down the volume a little so that the sound can be heard only by residents in the immediate area," he said, adding that the aim was to have a "more harmonious, melodious sound coming from mosques".

He also said that mosques should ensure that the sounds they produced did not clash with other local noise. There was often a "loudspeaker war" between places of worship in the same area trying to outdo each other, he said.

The group, set up earlier this month, has already collected many samples and will send a report to the vice-president, who plans to sit down with Indonesia's top Muslim clerical body and Islamic organisations and discuss how to tackle the issue.

The group will complement a previous initiative, which saw about 100 teams of technicians deployed across the country to help fine-tune mosque loudspeakers and give advice on how best to arrange them to reduce noise.

Abdullah acknowledged that regulating the country's noisy mosques would be difficult and called on the Indonesian Council of Ulema to issue a fatwa on the issue.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/25/indonesia-bids-to-muffle-noisy-mosques

Governance & administration

Home minister claims disharmony in working cabinet

Jakarta Post - June 29, 2015

Jakarta – Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo has disclosed there is disharmony among the ministers in President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's Working Cabinet.

"There are certain ministers who like to belittle the President from behind the scenes [...] they do not thank him for being given positions as his assistants," Tjahjo wrote in a message received by Antara news agency on Sunday evening.

Tjahjo said a number of ministers were opposing the President, but he declined to mention them by name.

"The President's assistants (the ministers) are intact, meaning they should no longer be limited by their parties. They are all the President's assistants in their respective fields," he said.

Tjahjo said that the President had instructed all of his ministers to focus on governing. Therefore, they should not make any statements to the media that conflict with the President's policy.

"He (the President) has instructed his ministers to focus on work. I also ask them not to make statements that conflict with the President's," Tjahjo said as quoted by Antara.

If the ministers have any differences in opinion on government policy, Tjahjo said he urged them to talk directly with the President.

"I think President Jokowi will be open to accept any correction of his policy. Indonesia is democratic. Let them give their opinions directly to the President, not by making statements through the press," he said.

The Home Minister made the statements in response to questions on a possible reshuffle of the Working Cabinet.

"With regard to a Cabinet reshuffle, the ministers have to realize that it is the prerogative of the President when he wants to do it or not. That has to be appreciated," Tjahjo added.(hhr)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/29/home-minister-claims-disharmony-working-cabinet.html

Parliament & legislation

Lawmakers lash out at Jokowi's rejection of 'aspiration funds'

Jakarta Globe - June 25, 2015

Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Jakarta – Lawmakers fuming over President Joko Widodo's decision to reject their proposed "aspirational funds" have played down criticism that the funds are vulnerable to misuse and have accused the president of stymieing the program for political ends.

Jazulli Juwaini, head of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) faction in the House of Representatives, or DPR, on Thursday called the president's move "politically motivated." He also said the funds, which have been dubbed the "Electoral Region Development Fund," or UP2DP, did not have to conflict with the government's development goals.

While explaining the president's disapproval with the legislative proposal on Wednesday, Cabinet Secretary Pratikno said the funds would clash with the government's vision and plans for regional development.

However, Jazuli said lawmakers would discuss how they planned to use the funds with the government in order to match regional and national programs.

"If they fit middle- and long-term development plans, the government will have the right to accommodate [lawmakers' proposals].

"If not, then the government can reject. We call it political if [the aspiration funds] are rejected beforehand. People who reject this fiercely are only seeking a political stage."

Jazuli claimed no PKS legislator would abuse the funds and lamented the government's failure to see how the program would enable lawmakers to give back to their constituents. "Imagine you've been elected by the people, but don't bring anything for them."

Under the UP2DP proposal, legislators are pushing the government to include Rp 11.2 trillion ($814.6 million) in so-called aspiration funds in next year's state budget.

The proposed fund is to be distributed among all 560 House members – meaning each of them will receive Rp 20 billion – and used for any development project of their choosing in their respective electoral districts.

A House team working on details of the plan have said there would be "no special supervision" of the use of the funds – something that has worried critics, including the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK)

Yandri Susanto, a lawmaker with the National Mandate Party (PAN), said just because no special supervision of the funds was planned, it was not a reason for rejection.

He said each lawmaker would ensure careful use of the funds by examining every proposal. The chance of corruption would be "minimal" because the government was supposed to be the executor of all the projects, he said.

Yandri, secretary of the PAN faction at the House, said he would simply blame the president if the public asked why lawmakers could not help them finance local development.

"We will just tell them that Jokowi doesn't approve," he said, referring to the president by his popular nickname.

However, lawmaker Tubagus Hasanuddin, of Joko's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), has questioned how committed his fellow legislators really are to regional development.

"To be honest, along my [previous] five-year term at the House, there had never been requests by individual lawmakers to build roads, bridges or schools," he said.

"There had never been such things. Those large-scale proposals usually come from regional administrations."

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/lawmakers-lash-jokowis-rejection-aspiration-funds/

Jokowi rejects house's proposal for 'aspirational funds'

Jakarta Globe - June 24, 2015

Novy Lumanauw, Jakarta – President Joko Widodo has rejected the controversial "aspirational funds" proposed by legislators, an official announced on Wednesday, saying the scheme would "clash" with his vision.

"The president disagrees," State Secretary Pratikno said after a cabinet meeting in Jakarta, adding the House of Representatives (DPR) should understand that the government's development programs were designed to reflect the president's vision and mission.

"If we provide these so-called aspirational funds, it would clash with the president's vision. We have to be consistent with the current system and we hope the House can understand," Pratikno said.

Legislators are pushing the government to include Rp 11.2 trillion ($814.6 million) in funds, which they are calling the "Electoral Region Development Fund" or UP2DP, in next year's state budget.

The proposed fund is to be distributed among all 560 House members and used for any development project of their choosing in their respective electoral districts. A House team working on details of the plan says there would be "no special supervision" of the use of the funds.

The plan has been received criticism from a number of corners, including the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK, which said on Tuesday that there was potential for misuse of the funds.

Pratikno urged the DPR to focus on deliberating the state budget and other pieces of legislation, and let the executive body do its work.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/jokowi-rejects-houses-proposal-aspirational-funds/

House deals severe blow to Jokowi

Jakarta Post - June 24, 2015

Tama Salim and Margaret S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The ruling coalition of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo suffered a severe blow on Tuesday after it failed to stop two controversial initiatives in the House of Representatives.

In spite of opposition from Jokowi's Great Indonesian Coalition, House lawmakers in a plenary session passed a legislative bill that provided the legal basis that would allow lawmakers to make use of a total of Rp 11.2 trillion (US$843.7 million) in so-called constituency funds.

This sum is a portion of state funds that have been earmarked for regional development projects proposed by lawmakers, using a mechanism that they have yet to decide upon.

The decision to pass a House internal regulation allowing lawmakers to make proposals for projects funded by the budget was made despite strong objections from three political party factions from the ruling Great Indonesia Coalition: the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the People's Conscience Party (Hanura) and the NasDem Party.

By striking the gavel bringing an end to the plenary session and any objections raised against the motion, House Deputy Speaker Fahri Hamzah shifted the burden on to President Jokowi, who will have to deal with the influx of basic infrastructure project proposals resulting from the bill.

According to the bill, all 560 legislators of the House will have up to Rp 20 billion of state funds earmarked each year to develop their respective electoral districts.

"All things considered, the public will soon see the goodwill behind our decision to pass [the bill]. Don't forget that everything will go through a governmental mechanism – we're just here to listen to the people's needs," Fahri said in his closing speech at the House on Tuesday.

PDI-P lawmaker Arif Wibowo said the party rejected the proposal because members of the House were no longer representatives of their electoral districts, but rather a representative of all people in the country.

"In the medium and long term, this program will actually make it more difficult for the nation's integration process – it will widen the discrepancies among regions," Arif explained in his protest on Tuesday.

PDI-P lawmaker Hendrawan Supratikno revealed that the decision to reject the proposal was a direct order from the party's chairwoman, Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Responding to the House's decision, Yenny Sucipto from the Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (FITRA) said there remained no basis upon which legislators could justify adding a new component to the state budget.

"Responding to the people's aspirations is one thing, but it doesn't mean that it's ground for proposing a new component of state spending, especially since the legal basis is only an internal agreement on the matter," Yenny said.

In the plenary session, the House also decided to press ahead with its plan to start the amendment process of the 2002 Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law, ignoring Jokowi's stance rejecting the proposal.

House Legislation Body (Baleg) chairman Sareh Wiryono had asked the government not to withdraw its support for the KPK Law revision.

Sareh said that it was urgent to amend the KPK Law to strip the anti graft body of its wiretapping authority and mandate the institution to synchronize its work with other law-enforcement agencies.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/24/house-deals-severe-blow-jokowi.html

House gives nod to constituency fund bill

Jakarta Post - June 23, 2015

Dylan Amirio, Jakarta – The House of Representatives approved on Tuesday a bill allowing the distribution of funds worth Rp 20 billion [US$1.5 million] to each member for the development of their respective electoral districts.

Seven out of 10 party factions voted yes to the plan during a voting session at the House's legislative body (Baleg), with only three factions dissenting: the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Hanura and NasDem.

During the following plenary meeting, several members of the losing side voiced their disapproval of the scheme.

PDI-P lawmaker Arif Wibowo said that the program would exacerbate regional wealth disparities, as some areas, such as West Java, had more representatives at the House than other areas, such as Maluku.

This would result in more funds being spent in the better-represented regions, Arif noted.

"A program that does not result in fair and proportionate treatment for all regions will limit and stifle development in the long run. Development should not only happen in major and highly represented areas of Indonesia," he said at the plenary meeting on Tuesday.

Before Tuesday, the PDI-P had not revealed an official stance on the constituency fund plan, unlike NasDem and Hanura.

Meanwhile, Golkar lawmaker Agun Gunanjar, whose party approved the plan, also voiced his disapproval.

Echoing Arif, Agun said the plan would result in discrepancies in development across Indonesia. He also voiced suspicions over the House's seeming rush to get the bill into law.

"Something feels wrong about the fact that the House is trying to approve this plan so hastily. Inequality of fund distribution is inevitable, which will make equal development very difficult. Why go through with the plan?" Agun asked. (ika)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/23/house-gives-nod-constituency-fund-bill.html

Jakarta & urban life

Women fend for themselves on unsafe public transportation system

Jakarta Post - June 27, 2015

Dewanti A. Wardhani, Jakarta – Jakartans, especially women, have no one but themselves to rely on for safety on public transportation amid messy management and an absence of law enforcers.

Tini, 35, a shopkeeper at Sarinah shopping mall in Central Jakarta, said that she preferred being picked up by her husband or boarding the Transjakarta bus than taking a public minivan (angkot) if she happened to go home late from work.

"It's [taking a Transjakarta bus] much safer although it's not a guarantee of safety either," she said.

Last Friday at midnight, a female worker, identified as NA, 35, was raped by an angkot driver, identified only as DAS, 21, in his minivan on Jl. TB Simatupang, East Cilandak, South Jakarta. The driver had offered to transport the victim to her house in Pasar Rebo, East Jakarta, from her workplace in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta. DAS was detained by the South Jakarta Police last Saturday while the victim continues to suffer from trauma.

Rika Rosvianti, one of the founders of perEMPUAan, a group that combats sexual assault against women in public places and on transportation, expressed her concern over the recent case.

"Actions taken by the authorities are usually just temporary and forms of moral panic," she said on Friday.

Rika suggested that victims were usually reluctant to report their experiences to the police because officers sometimes blamed the victims themselves, citing mistakes they'd made such as going out at night or being good-looking.

"In 2014, we decided to write a guide on the prevention of sexual abuse in public places and on transportation," she said, adding that the booklet, which was written in Indonesian, could be freely downloaded via a link on the bio of @_perEMPUan_, the community's Twitter account.

She said that the reluctance of victims to report abuse caused only a small number of cases to be recorded. From 2011 to 2015, at least five cases of sexual abuse on angkot were reported.

On Aug. 16, 2011, a student of Bina Nusantara University in West Jakarta, LP, was raped and murdered by four minivan drivers. The perpetrators then took her cash and cell phone before leaving her body in a ditch in Cisauk, Tangerang, Banten. The West Jakarta District Court punished the perpetrators with life sentences.

After that and other sexual abuse cases on angkot, the Jakarta Transportation Agency obliged the drivers, among others, to wear uniforms and display their details on their minivans' dashboards. However, the regulations enforcement was weak.

Jakarta Organization of Land Transportation Owners (Organda) chairman Shafruhan Sinungan said on Thursday that his office could do nothing but ask their operators to comply with regulations.

"Only the Transportation Agency and the police can legally take actions against operators," he said, adding that passengers' safety was the operators' responsibility.

Jakarta Transportation Agency head Benjamin Bukit said on Thursday that his team only held responsibility for bus terminals until the end of their working hours, which was 7 p.m., after which they should be handled by the police.

South Jakarta Police spokesman Comr. Aswin said that his office did not deploy more officers following the recent rape case. The police would only intensify patrols at crime-prone areas.

Separately, Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama acknowledged that traveling using public minivans late at night was unsafe, adding that he would continue to improve Transjakarta's services and add more buses so that residents could stop using minivans.

"We will also add more CCTV across the city so that the police can easily monitor dangerous areas," he said. (prm)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/27/women-fend-themselves-unsafe-public-transportation-system.html

Long waits, poor bus condition drive passengers from busway

Jakarta Post - June 24, 2015

Indra Budiari, Jakarta – Increasingly infrequent service on most corridors of the Transjakarta bus network has contributed to falling passenger numbers, according to a think tank.

Data from the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy (ITDP) show substantial decreases in the average number of Transjakarta buses per hour on eight of the network's 12 corridors this year compared with 2012.

This year, an average of 27 buses per hour connected Blok M in South Jakarta and Kota in West Jakarta on Corridor 1, while in 2012, the route was plied by an average of 40 buses per hour.

"The most significant decrease can be seen on Corridor 2 connecting Harmoni in Central Jakarta to Pulogadung in East Jakarta, from 43 buses per hour in 2012 to only nine buses per hour in 2015," ITDP country director Yoga Adiwinarto told The Jakarta Post via email recently.

Based on the data, Transjakarta buses could serve an average total of approximately 15,200 passengers per hour in 2012, and only 14,100 passengers per hour in 2015.

According to Yoga, blockages in Transjakarta lanes, which cause the buses to use the congested normal lanes, and the large number of damaged buses are among the main factors behind the worsening service.

"A lack of skilled human resources and technology have also caused poor operational planning on the Transjakarta system," he said.

Yoga added that decreased frequency meant additional waiting time for passengers, especially during peak hours, forcing some passengers to use other forms of public transportation such as Metromini and Kopaja buses.

More worryingly, transportation observers fear that further declines in the Transjakarta service will lead passengers to opt for private vehicles.

Launched in 2004, the Transjakarta bus network was designed as a transitional mode of transportation that the city could afford with its own budget in response to the sluggish progress of the construction of the mass rapid transit (MRT) system, which involved the central government.

Transjakarta was expected to lure the middle classes to switch to public transportation and leave their private vehicles at park-and-ride facilities located near certain bus shelters.

Jakarta Transportation Council (DTKJ) head Ellen Tangkudung said the council had received repeated complaints about Transjakarta, including regarding broken air conditioners on a number of buses.

"We fear passengers will give up on the Transjakarta buses and use their cars or motorcycles if there is no improvement in the service," Ellen said.

David Tjahjana of the Suara Transjakarta passengers' community said a lot of passengers had complaints about the system, especially regarding the buses' condition and lengthy waiting times.

"There are a lot of factors that make them unhappy, from the long waiting time to security issues. This makes passengers consider switching to other forms of public transportation or even private transportation," David said over the phone.

According to the group, the emergency doors on some Transjakarta buses have been welded shut and cannot be opened.

Many passengers were hoping for an improved service, or at least a return to the previous level of service, after the bus management was taken over by PT Transportasi Jakarta, David said.

"The city can start by keeping Transjakarta lanes clear of other vehicles," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/24/long-waits-poor-bus-condition-drive-passengers-busway.html

Armed forces & defense

Army inches back into civilian sphere

Associated Press - June 27, 2015

Jakarta – Nearly two decades after the fall of dictator Soeharto forced Indonesia's military out of politics, the army is inching back into civilian roles, risking a setback for democracy in this Southeast Asian nation and perhaps even for the turbulent region.

The vast Indonesian archipelago is one of the world's most-populous democracies and also among the youngest. Many Indonesians welcomed the army's retreat from politics after Soeharto's often brutal 32-year rule was ended by mass protests in 1998. But years later, analysts and former generals say the military's national defense role is still not fully accepted among officers or the rank-and-file.

Now, the army is creeping into areas beyond defense as inexperienced President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo relies on it to strengthen his hand against the powerful and unruly police and political parties allied to former President Megawati Sukarnoputri.

Megawati, the daughter of Indonesia's first president, Sukarno, positioned herself as the power behind Jokowi's presidency by letting her party back him during last year's election.

The army has signed agreements with government ministries and state companies that involve it in areas such as providing security for airports, bus stations and railways and helping farmers increase their crops. Some officials have called for army involvement in Indonesia's anticorruption agency to counter attempts by police and their political allies to neuter an institution that is effective and feared.

Jokowi recently nominated an army general to head all military forces, breaking with the schedule of a reform-minded convention of rotating the post between the navy, air force and army.

"I think it is obvious that the move is calculated to bring the army on side given that the president is having so much trouble from friends and foes alike," said Vedi Hadiz, an Indonesia expert at Murdoch University in Perth, Australia. "It is only the army that can scare the police."

Indonesia is by far the most populous nation and biggest economy in Southeast Asia. The resilience of its democracy has extra significance at a time when China's authoritarian leaders are testing US primacy in the region and American relations with Thailand, a key regional ally, have chilled.

The region of some 600 million people is accustomed to rule by autocrats and Indonesia is not alone in struggling to nurture faith in the messy processes of democracy while also meeting expectations for improved living standards. Last year, generals overthrew civilian rule in perennially unstable Thailand and have no firm timetable for elections. The military remains deeply embedded in Myanmar's nascent democracy, while Malaysia's opposition alliance has collapsed, dimming chances of a change in government after decades of rule by one party.

The risk of greater army involvement is that it "might cause failure in the progress of the transition to democracy for Indonesia," said Agus Widjojo, a retired Indonesian army general who helped lead reforms of the military. "If this is a relapse and a counter-reaction, especially if it starts from the military, it can cause a ripple effect."

Widjojo sees weaknesses on both sides: Jokowi, who lacks confidence without the army at his side, and in the military where many still "cling to the extensive role" of the past.

Jokowi, who is military supreme commander, caused a stir earlier this month when he was photographed at the presidential palace wearing army fatigues rather than a neutral military uniform that would show him as an impartial leader of the armed forces' three branches. He says his nomination of army Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo as military commander was based on the "latest geopolitical and geostrategic situation."

Despite a reputation for brutality, the image of Indonesia's armed forces, known as the TNI, has improved since Suharto's departure, when it relinquished control of internal security, though gray areas remained.

According to the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict in Jakarta, the military benefits from favorable comparisons with the poor image of the police, which has worsened this year as it attacked the anti-graft agency. That has allowed the army to portray itself as honest, civic minded and loyal to the president.

Separated from the military after the Suharto era, the police grew into a powerful institution and also one of the most loathed as low wages encouraged corruption and lack of professionalism worsened communal conflicts.

The army is "definitely moving into civilian spheres no question," said Sidney Jones, the institute's director. But the institute does not believe the TNI is intent on returning to the center of the political stage. Instead it aims to claim internal security roles such as counter-terrorism from the police and secure more opportunities to bring in cash outside of the national budget.

The money-making opportunities extend to the local level where the military and police compete for lucrative alliances with criminal gangs in the drug trade and other illegal activities, said Hadiz. Jokowi's appointment of Nurmantyo to head the military suggests the president's tacit backing of the army in that rivalry, he said.

As the army tests how far it can extend its authority, particularly if it gets involved with anti-corruption policing, it will face opposition from activists and politicians who prospered in a democracy where the military were comparative outsiders, said Hadiz.

"However, these same politicians seem to instinctively reach out to the military when they are in trouble," he said. (ren)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/27/army-inches-back-civilian-sphere.html

Intelligence & state security

NGOs, activists fret new role for Indonesia's spy agency

Monga Bay - June 29, 2015

Cory Rogers – A mysterious new partnership between Indonesia's spy agency and Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) to boost foreign investment has civil society wary of deepening agrarian conflict in the post-authoritarian country.

As per an agreement the two institutions struck in March, the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) will begin compiling data for investors on the business climates of specific regions – data on which the BKPM often lacks "accurate information," BKPM chief Franky Sbarani announced after the signing. Outgoing BIN head Marciano Norman added that such information would include data on local sympathies and grievances toward proposed projects.

Riyatno, the BKPM's head of legal assistance, told Mongabay the partnership was meant to "ensure a smooth process for firms granted business licenses, so that if a problem arises, a solution can quickly be found." He declined to elaborate on what kinds of problems might be forestalled by working with the BIN, but said similarly aimed agreements already existed with agencies in charge of taxation, customs and statistics, among others.

While little is known about the specifics of the new arrangement, activists point to Indonesia's long history of repression by state security forces – before and after the 1998 fall of the dictator Suharto – to warn that intelligence reports on local sentiment could be manipulated to stymie community opposition to development projects.

"I really worry about areas where there isn't already a big spirit of opposition to (problematic) projects," said Widodo, a land-rights activist with the Farmer's Society of Coastal Kulon Progo (PPLP-KP) and the author of Planting is Resistance. "There (government) spying could have a big effect."

Spies and repression

Ning Fitri, executive director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment's (Walhi) Central Java branch, said the long history in Indonesia of company-hired "spies" being used to sway opinion at contested sites meant the new agreement was cause for alarm.

"Historically it's been local preman (thugs) who are given lots of duties for the companies," she said. "One of those is to look for information on the local people and send it to the companies." The BIN-BKPM agreement, Ning added, marked the first time government had formally enlisted in the effort.

Aan Wijaya, an activist fighting against a cement mine in Rembang, Central Java, said that after anti-investment leaders were identified in his village by company-hired spies, preman were paid to intimidate them at their homes.

"For minor 'actions', preman are hired from the 'inside'. But for the major ones, they are hired from outside, because then they can leave," Aan said. "If there's an 'action', they get between Rp50,000 and Rp200,000 ($4 and $15)."

Sometimes, preman receive police protection. In Kulon Progo regency, Yogyakarta – the site of a long-running conflict over a coastal iron mine – police were caught on film forming a protective ring around dozens of preman as they burned 12 village guard posts to the ground.

Development push

Runaway land conflict might seem an ineluctable fact of life in a country where powerful investment interests mix with poor land titling and overlapping zoning authority. But the scale of the problem today – with thousands of communities involved in conflict with companies, the state or each other, according to government estimates – not only imperils nearly a million households and stains new President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's populist credentials: It is a big thorn in the side of Jokowi's plan to double foreign investment for his grand infrastructure push.

The acquisition of a principle license is the first step for any investment project. As licenser, it is the BKPM's job to "oversee companies that have been granted a principle license, in order to order to help them realize the project," the BKPM's Riyatno explained. The permit accords firms exclusive rights to buy land and carry out impact assessments at the proposed site and gives them up to three years to acquire 51 percent of the land needed, according to a report by London-based NGO the Environmental Investigation Agency. (Enforcement of the 2012 Land Law would impose a two-year deadline.)

Ning Fitri criticized the principle license system for giving investors a foothold on what might be contested land. The system, she argued, allows firms to start acquiring the rights to plots piecemeal, often through fraudulent means, well before a project's viability has been established, thus sowing conflict.

"BIN wouldn't be asked to go there (investment site) if the government didn't give investors these principle licenses, which 'gets the ball rolling'," she said. "For BIN to be assigned to play a special role here goes against the rights of the people. It proves the government considers land a state's right rather than a people's right."

Riyatno declined to say whether the new agreement was an effort to curtail agrarian conflict, but since land disputes are a chief impediment to investment in Indonesia, it's safe to say doing so is at least one of its aims.

A misplaced strategy?

Carlo Nainggolan, head of the environmental department at Sawit Watch, a local NGO that monitors Indonesian palm oil – expansion of the crop is linked to half of Indonesia's land disputes, government statistics show – said the BIN-BKPM agreement would likely exacerbate agrarian conflict, not alleviate it. "There's going to be more disputes, because the (agreement) permits the state security apparatus to involve themselves in land conflicts to protect concessions," he said.

Rendi Witular, managing editor at the Jakarta Post, doubted that BIN spies would significantly influence the outcomes at conflict sites, given the agents' limited numbers and questionable competence.

"Since the fall of Suharto, the capacity of BIN has been overrated," he explained. "Those stationed in the (provinces) are of poor quality, mostly TNI (Indonesian military) officers about to retire."

In Rendi's view, the entrance of BIN spies on its own is less consequential than the ongoing influence of the security forces more broadly. Where these interests converge, he said, could prove significant. "It's the police and the TNI that are on the front line of every land procurement dispute," he said. "I don't believe BIN agents will have the power to challenge the interests of the police and the TNI." Indeed, the malefactions of the Indonesian security apparatus was the subject of a 2014 year-end survey of land conflicts by the Jakarta-based Consortium of Agrarian Reform (KPA). The survey highlighted a host of rights violations, including 19 deaths, in 417 agrarian conflicts where security forces got involved. Masinton Pasribu, a legislator from Jokowi's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), publicly supported the study's conclusions and backed the KPA's call to remove the security forces from the agrarian theater.

Iwan Nurdin, the KPA's secretary-general, said that even by its own logic, the BIN-BKPM agreement was unlikely to buoy investor confidence. "I think it actually is a negative, as it makes investors wonder: Is it possible to invest in Indonesia without committing human rights violations? It signals to investors that there is something wrong with the investment board," he said.

According to Iwan, covert strategies will only make it easier for firms to carry out "land grabs," making it harder to resolve land conflicts that incapacitate development and uproot families.

"The government should bring all stakeholders together, not create a partnership just with BIN to solve this problem," he said. "Without more transparency, land conflicts in Indonesia are not going to be resolved."

Source: http://news.mongabay.com/2015/0629-rogers-bin-bkpm-partnership.html

Mining & energy

Indonesia seeks to mend fences with wary investors in resources

Reuters - June 23, 2015

Michael Taylor, Jakarta – Nationalistic policies imposed by Indonesia's previous administration – including a ban on unprocessed mineral exports – threw the resources sector into turmoil last year.

Now, there are signs under President Joko Widodo that the government is trying to mend fences with wary investors and entice more money back into resources.

Indonesia's resources sector contributed about 12 percent of GDP last year, or about $101 billion, but investment slipped and the ban on exporting minerals cost $6 billion in lost revenue.

The government now plans to relax parts of the ban, as well as pushing to resolve some protracted mining disputes and dealing with a backlog of expiring energy contracts that have frustrated foreign investors.

"There are still lots and lots of difficult hurdles to overcome, but we are seeing something of a change in mindset and that's good news," said mining law expert Bill Sullivan, foreign counsel at Christian Teo Purwono & Partners.

The more open approach was on show at a recent global coal conference in Bali, where Indonesia's energy and mining minister, Sudirman Said, candidly answered questions on a host of issues concerning the packed auditorium after his speech.

Indonesia is a top producer of metals such as copper, as well as coal and gas, but foreign firms often complain about legal uncertainty, red tape and haphazard implementation of policies.

This policy uncertainty came to a head last year when Jakarta pressed on with the ban on mineral exports, even though there was not enough smelting capacity yet to process shipments.

While supporting the plans, Joko's government now admits there were mistakes implementing them and is looking to push back a 2017 deadline banning copper concentrates exports and could ease its ban on bauxite exports.

Disputes

Joko, who took office in October, will need to win the trust of the industry to meet a target of increasing mining revenue by about 50 percent this year to support a flagging economy.

Indonesia's foreign direct investment in mining slipped to $4.67 billion last year from $4.82 billion.

According to a source familiar with the negotiations, London-listed Churchill Mining is in talks with the government aimed at reaching a settlement in a long-running arbitration dispute over the licensing of a Borneo coal project.

The government and Freeport-McMoRan Inc also said this month that they were closer to agreeing a new contract to operate the US miner's giant Papua copper mine after earlier threats to remove its permit over a smelter dispute.

Still, enticing investment at a time when most commodity prices have slumped won't be easy, particularly without co-ordinated policy making.

"Among high level officials in the government, they still don't have a consensus," said Tato Miraza, former CEO at state-owned miner Aneka Tambang.

The mining and energy ministry says it is holding regular meetings with other ministries, state-owned enterprises and industry bodies in a bid to fix this.

Obstacles to reforms

The government has also been pushing plans to overhaul Indonesia's oil and gas sector and tackle a so-called "oil mafia" accused of skimming money in oil deals.

But Joko still faces obstacles to his policies, particularly since he lacks a majority in parliament, as well as facing legal challenges from Muslim groups such as Muhammadiyah over private participation in the oil, gas and water sectors.

Nonetheless, in another sign that issues are being fixed, Indonesia last week said it would allocate Total and Japan's Inpex a 30 percent stake in the Mahakam oil and gas block once the French major's operating rights to the country's top gas field expire in December 2017.

The decision resolves a more than seven-year tussle over the block, and follows calls for it to be handed over entirely to state-owned energy firm Pertamina.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/investors-mineral-export-ban-indonesia/

Economy & investment

BI relaxes lending regulations

Jakarta Post - June 25, 2015

Tassia Sipahutar, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia (BI) has eased loan requirements for the purchase of property, cars and motorcycles in a move designed to spur the country's weak economy, which has been under pressure amid the decline in the country's exports and domestic consumer spending.

Yati Kurniati, BI's director of macroprudential policy, said on Wednesday that the revision was expected to boost the sale of houses, apartments, cars and motorcycles to get the economy on the move again.

"As you know, the economy has been in a slowdown and that has impacted loan growth quite significantly," she said, adding that increased purchases in the automotive and property sectors were expected to revive economic activities.

According to Yati, both the property and automotive sectors have significant roles in the cooling economy because leverage in either sector created a series of ripple effects. Indonesia's economic growth rate slowed to 4.7 percent in the first quarter this year, its weakest annual pace since 2009.

The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have also lowered their forecasts on Indonesia's economic growth to 4.7 percent this year, down from 5.2 percent.

"Property is heavily related to other sectors. A boost in property will create higher demand for raw materials, electrical equipment, furniture and many other goods," she said. Property-related loans have indeed been impacted by the slower economy, as shown by the latest banking statistics.

The new policy, stipulated in PBI No. 17/10/PBI/2015, has raised the loan- to-value (LTV) ratios imposed on purchases of property, cars and motorcycles. The new LTV regulations, which revised similar regulations issued in 2012 and 2013, became effective as of June 18.

A higher LTV means lower down-payment requirements for purchasers. For example, first-home buyers for houses larger than 70 square meters are now required to pay only 20 percent of the property price as down payment, as opposed to 30 percent stipulated by previous regulations.

The purchases of second and third homes require 30 percent and 40 percent down payments, respectively, whereas before the down payment requirements were set higher at 40 percent and 50 percent.

Meanwhile, people wanting to buy motorcycles or cars can also do so with lower down payments. The down payment has now been fixed at 20 percent of the motorcycle price, lower than the previous 25 percent.

However, the revision is only applicable to banks with total gross non- performing loan (NPL) ratios of lower than 5 percent. In the property and automotive loan segments, their NPL ratios must also be lower than 5 percent.

Property sales amounted to Rp 347.54 trillion (US$26.17 billion) as of April this year, rising by only 1.6 percent from December 2014, or 12.1 percent from the same period last year, in recent years annual growth has reached around 20 percent.

In the case of automotive sales, Yati said that BI viewed motorcycles and cars as major supports for various productive activities. As with property, however, automotive sales and related loans have also been on the downturn as economic growth has slowed.

According to data from the Association of Indonesian Automotive Manufacturers (Gaikindo) and the Indonesian Motorcycle Industry Association (AISI), domestic car sales fell 16.6 percent year-on-year (yoy) to 443,181 units in May, while motorcycle sales were down 24.7 percent yoy to 2.6 million units in the same month. Meanwhile, loans related to vehicle ownership were flat at around Rp 123 trillion in April, the same figure recorded in December.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/25/bi-relaxes-lending-regulations.html

Impacts of tax pardon questioned

Jakarta Post - June 23, 2015

Satria Sambijantoro, Jakarta – The government's plan to implement a tax amnesty for financial criminals might bring more harm than good to the Indonesian economy, analysts are warning.

Yustinus Prastowo, an executive director for the Center for Indonesia Taxation Analysis (CITA), said on Monday that the plan could potentially create "moral hazard", which could discourage existing compliant taxpayers from fulfilling their future obligations.

"I'm not against a tax amnesty, but I disagree with the idea of broadening the pardon to include crimes committed by corrupt officials and money launderers," said Yustinus, a former member of the Tax Revenues Optimization Team (TOPP).

He said that if it went ahead with the plan, Indonesia would be the first to implement a tax amnesty that pardons politically sensitive crimes such as corruption and money laundering. "Instead of boosting revenues, this controversy might discourage compliant taxpayers from paying their obligations – it's a moral hazard," he added.

A tax amnesty has been widely debated as it would waive prosecution for past offenses for citizens who failed to comply with previous tax obligations, to lure them to reinvest money in the country.

In an interview with The Jakarta Post on Sunday, Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said that the policy, which could be implemented as soon as this year, would not be an ordinary tax amnesty, as it would cover pardons for general financial crimes such as corruption and money laundering.

When asked his response to possible criticism of the policy's moral hazard, Bambang said, "Do we want the status quo or do we want to change things? If we want the status quo, fine. But who's happy? Tell me, who is happy for the funds to stay overseas? Singapore, that's who. Once this policy is implemented, [Singapore] will be affected."

Bambang cited as an example Italy, which used to enact regular amnesties to repatriate proceeds parked by organized-crime groups in Swiss banks.

The Bank of Italy has estimated that in the first six months after its implementation in Sept. 2009 its country's tax amnesty policy attracted $97 billion (US$110.5 billion) back into the country, or almost 20 percent of the total Italian assets parked overseas of $500 billion, as estimated by the central bank.

The tax amnesty implemented in Italy only gave pardons to tax evaders under tax-related crimes, not for general crimes, which is the proposal floated by the Indonesian government, said Yustinus, who once acted as advisor to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in the President's TOPP.

Euben Paracuelles, a Singapore-based economist with Nomura Holdings, noted that an amnesty was voluntary by definition so its successful enforcement – even after granting pardon to general crimes – would remain an open question. "I think market participants will be skeptical about this," he noted.

"The government needs to convincingly establish the extent of these so- called funds from financial crimes and whether this will have a significant impact. Otherwise, this policy will be seen as barking up the wrong tree," explained Paracuelles.

Indonesia's tax-to-gross domestic product (GDP) of around 11 percent is among the lowest in Southeast Asia. This year, Jokowi has instructed his ministers to broaden the country's tax base, with the President aiming for a 30-percent year-on-year increase in tax collection, which is expected to hit Rp 1.29 quadrillion this year.

However, with the Finance Ministry already declaring that 2015 would be an "education year" for compliant taxpayers, the implementation of a full- fledged tax amnesty would be a contrast to such a mission and, particularly, would tarnish Jokowi's anticorruption commitment, economists have said.

"There is the risk that – while not the intention of the policy – this could be interpreted as legitimizing corruption," Philip McNicholas, an economist from BNP Paribas, commented on Monday.

"In turn, that could damage the Jokowi administration's credibility and popularity, ultimately hurting the President's capacity to deliver on his reform agenda," he warned.

Proposals for the amnesty

1. The amnesty will take the form of a special law.

2. The bill on the amnesty will be submitted to the House of Representatives this year after the deliberation of the revision of the general tax system (KUP) law.

3. If passed, the law will be implemented this year.

4. The repatriated funds will be locked for a certain period, preventing them from being sent back overseas.

5. Financial crimes related to taxes, money laundering and corruption will be covered by the measure.

6. The amnesty is supposed to trigger a kind of national reconciliation.

7. The measure is the idea of many, including the President.

8. Proponents of the amnesty will need to convince law enforcement agencies to support it.

9. Those willing to repatriate the funds are still required to pay taxes on the funds, but will be exempt from any charges.

[Source: Excerpted from interview with Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/23/impacts-tax-pardon-questioned.html

In 'jihad' for nationalism, Muhammadiyah plans an Indonesian car

Reuters - June 23, 2015

Randy Fabi, Palembang – Fed up with capitalists plundering Indonesia's riches, members of the country's second-largest Islamic group have drawn up plans to launch a "people's power" movement. On top of their list: build a national car.

If realized, the Muhammadiyah group's ambition would revive a project launched by autocratic leader Suharto's son, Tommy, in 1996 but halted during the Asian financial crisis just two years later. As yet, though, its plans for the car are sketchy.

A century-old Islamic group in the country that has the largest number of Muslims in the world, Muhammadiyah is known mainly for its ubiquitous schools and hospitals. But it also has ambitions to break into tourism, food and the fishing sectors.

The group's push to become a force in the economic and corporate spheres has been spurred by the success of its so-called "constitutional jihad," which has dealt legal blows to private participation in the energy and water sectors and now threatens to reverse the convertibility of the currency.

Muhammadiyah, which has some 30 million followers, believes it has a mission to protect Southeast Asia's largest economy from globalization and capitalistic policies that favor foreign investors over Indonesians. But its campaign could derail President Joko Widodo's already stumbling efforts to attract desperately needed investment from abroad.

"Muhammadiyah is now in the middle of a struggle between a capitalist economic system and a socialist economic system," said Syafrudin Anhar, head of the group's economic committee.

"The world will not reach peace and prosperity through political intrigue, but rather through economic balance."

'Constitutional jihad'

Indonesia's largest Islamic group, Nahdlatul Ulama, also funds schools and hospitals, but is not overtly political.

Muhammadiyah, three years ago, challenged parts of the oil and gas law, saying they violated a constitutional tenet that all land, water and natural resources must be controlled by the state. Its victories in that case became the opening salvo in what became known as a "constitutional jihad."

The group now has 115 laws in its sights, including legislation on foreign exchange, investment and the power sector, and also plans to challenge Joko's decision to scrap fuel subsidies, his boldest policy step so far.

"We are not against foreign investors as long as there are clear limitations on foreign involvement in economic sectors," Syafrudin said.

Syafrudin and a small group of mainly Muhammadiyah economic professors gathered this month for a three-day conference in the town of Palembang to draft an economic battle plan for the next five years.

Once finalized, the blueprint will be submitted for approval at the group's national congress in August.

The plan is to consolidate small Muhammadiyah businesses into industry- specific companies that will receive initial funding through a network of micro-financing cooperatives. Muhammadiyah sees opportunities to cash in on the growing demand for halal food and halal tourism in Indonesia.

As for the national car, its vocational schools have already built several prototypes of a model called the Esemka, which was used by Joko as his official vehicle when he was mayor of the city of Surakarta or Solo. One proto-type can run on solar energy, said Bambang Setiadji, professor at Solo's Muhammadiyah University (UMS).

"To establish such an industry, it is not that difficult," he said. "UMS has given birth to many automotive industry engineers whose quality competes with those of China's."

The group hopes to get Joko's backing to start mass production of the Esemka this year under a partnership between an Indonesian and a Chinese company that would aim to source up to 80 percent of its components from Indonesia.

"We want our own companies and to make products for the middle and lower class," said Nadrattuzaman Hosen of the group's economic council. "The difference will be that our profits will not go to the rich overseas, but will remain at home and go to our people."

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/jihad-nationalism-muhammadiyah-plans-indonesian-car/

Analysis & opinion

Fiji, PNG lead betrayal, but still West Papuans triumph

Cafe Pacific - June 28, 2015

David Robie – The Melanesian Spearhead Group leaders' summit in Honiara this week must go down as the most shameful since the organisation was founded two decades ago.

It had the opportunity to take a fully principled stand on behalf of the West Papuan people, brutally oppressed by Indonesia after an arguably "illegal" occupation for more than a half century.

Host nation Solomon Islands Prime Minister and chair Mannaseh Sogareve set the tone by making an impassioned plea at the start of the summit, predicting a "test" for the MSG. He said it would be an issue of human rights and the rule of law. In the end, the MSG failed the test with a betrayal of the people of West Papua by the two largest members. Although ultimately it is a decision by consensus. Instead, the MSG granted Indonesia a "promotion" to associate member status – an Asian country, not even Melanesian?

And the recently formed United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), which had been forced to jump through many hoops over the past year or so provide a united "one voice" Papuan front, was given observer status as a "development partner" for overseas Papuans – the same level occupied by Jakarta since 2011 until its elevation.

Political bribery was at stake. Lucrative aid promises from Jakarta trumped blood ties between Melanesians.

Brave face

Most media and some commentators see this as a huge achievement by the West Papua lobby movement, and even the ULMWP is putting a brave face on it.

A statement circulated by the Free West Papua Campaign has praised the MSG decision as "making history" with political recognition – but at what price?

"After 53 years of political struggle for the right to self-determination, the ULMWP representing West Papuans, was today granted observer status," said the statement.

Thanking the Melanesian leaders, ULMWP secretary-general Octovianus Mote said: "We applied for full membership at the instruction of MSG leaders in 2013 and 2014. Despite not getting full membership [then], we welcome the decision of the leaders as it is our first step to full political recognition."

Mote added that it was a welcome first step, and the struggle wouldn't end there.

But the truth is the West Papuans have been betrayed, especially by the Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill and Fiji leader Voreqe Bainimarama. For the Fiji and PNG delegations, Indonesian-funded aid is more important than human rights for their Melanesian brothers.

The West Papuans should have been granted full membership now.

But at least the Melanesian nations are actually trying to engage with Indonesia over West Papua, so much better than the wimpish Australian and New Zealand approach.

The Solomon Islands had declared support for a compromise of observer status before the summit began while both Vanuatu and the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) of New Caledonia both supported full membership.

The ULMWP had hoped to follow the FLNKS precedent in obtaining full MSG membership without being a sovereign government.

West Papuan petition

More than 150,000 West Papuans signed a petition supporting MSG membership and an under-cover Dutch journalist visiting the region shortly before the MSG summit reported overwhelming support for the ULMWP cause in spite of a crackdown by security forces.

Perhaps the wisest message made during the week was by former Solomon Islands Prime Minister Ezekiel Alebua who described the involvement of Indonesia in Melanesian political space as a mistake.

In an interview with Joey Tau of the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG), who was media adviser for the ULMWP camp, Alebua declared that the founding fathers of the MSG founded the bloc on the values of promoting Melanesian common interests such as heritage, culture and traditions of peace and harmony.

"With due respect to the current Melanesian leaders, we have a new wave of leaders in this region who are more interested in trade and commerce, and give very little attention to our true Melanesian recognition," he said.

"There are economic interests with Indonesia, but our fellow Melanesians are being abused and tortured, and we must act morally."

One of the great mysteries of all the hype is about "five Melanesian provinces" in Indonesia. This is patently misleading, there are only two: Papua and West Papua. Previously there was one, but it was split into two to make it easier to divide and rule.

While the other three provinces, Maluku, North Maluku and East Nusa Tenggara, may have Melanesian minorities, they cannot be genuinely characterised as Papuan.

Face value

Why were journalists in Honiara not challenging such statements? Defending the MSG decision, Bainimarama said: "Fiji believes we are acting in the best interests of the people in West Papua."

He added: "For our part, Fiji has been guided by a number of overriding principles in approaching the West Papua issue. The first and foremost of these is that Indonesian sovereignty over West Papua cannot be questioned. The province[s are] an integral part of Indonesia."

Bainimarama even commended President Joko Widodo for the "steps they are taking to improve conditions in West Papua for its Melanesian population".

Frankly, it seems that Bainimarama and O'Neill and their advisers have been either conned or seduced by the promises of development aid from Jakarta.

The sovereignty argument is a false one. The so-called Act of Free Choice in 1969 was a fraud.

Timor-Leste was invaded illegally by Indonesia in 1975 and for the next 24 years, Jakarta argued the territory was "Indonesian sovereignty". But Timor independence was restored in 2002.

'Untrue statements' Andrew Johnson, a 20-year veteran with the Australia West Papua Association, specialising in historical research and analysis, has taken issue with "untrue statements" in the Fijian and Indonesian "spin" at the MSG summit.

Writing in Pacific Scoop, he noted that:

The Indonesian delegate has claimed that the United Nations has made a resolution granting Indonesia sovereignty over West Papua, "Kita harus tahu, resolusi PBB telah mengakui Papua Barat adalah bagian dari Indonesia."

And Fiji's Prime Minister is telling the MSG gathering that "Indonesian sovereignty over West Papua cannot be questioned. The province is an integral part of Indonesia."

But neither of those statements are true.

I wrote a draft UN General Assembly resolution that the Vanuatu Parliament wanted to tender five years ago asking that the International Court of Justice be allowed to give its advice whether West Papua is legally part of Indonesia or is a non-self-governing territory.

As it happens, I also believe West Papua is a UN Trust Territory due to Indonesia asking and the UN General Assembly putting UN Charter article 85 part 1 into effect when it made General Assembly Resolution 1752; the result of which would mean that New Zealand and other UN members are legally required to promote West Papua towards independence under article 76 of the Charter.

Whether I am correct, or the Fijian PM is correct, is a matter that only the International Court of Justice (ICJ) can answer.

The MSG has raised the issue of the sovereignty of West Papua, and I think it is long overdue that our governments asked the ICJ to answer the question whether West Papua is a UN trust territory or not.

Source: http://cafepacific.blogspot.co.nz/2015/06/fiji-png-lead-betrayal-but-still-west.html

Failure to protect

Jakarta Post Editorial - June 25, 2015

The Constitutional Court on June 18 announced its ruling on the 1974 Marriage Law, rejecting requests to change the marriageable age for girls from 16 to 18 and to make it possible to legalize interfaith marriages.

The legal marriageable age for girls thus stands at 16 and couples of different faiths will likely remain unregistered by the state and so will their children.

On the marriageable age for girls, plaintiffs had pointed out the need to adjust the age to 18 because 16 years remained within the bracket of the definition of a child in the laws on child protection, pornography, manpower and others. As the defeated plaintiffs said, we must now strive harder to prevent child marriages by delaying marriages and pregnancies through the 12-year compulsory education program.

The court, which has issued a few progressive rulings regarding children, had raised different interpretations on the marriageable age across different faiths, arguing that changing the marriageable age is part of the legislature's authority. It added that progress in areas such as nutrition and technology may speed up a child's sexual drive, which "should be channeled through legal marriage as ruled by religion, so that a child is not born out of wedlock".

The only woman on the nine-member panel, Maria Farida Indrati, dissented, citing the dangers of child marriages, saying that "the understanding [...] of human rights has progressed far beyond the time when the Marriage Law was passed". Yet the court seemed more concerned to avoid the cardinal sin of altering the Marriage Law, even at the risk of more child marriages and the virtual state protection of pedophiles.

Regarding interfaith couples, the plaintiffs had requested that the clause in the Marriage Law stating that a marriage is legal according to religious rules be dropped, given the problems generated by this clause for couples of different beliefs.

Many agonize for years over who should convert to the other's faith – a violation, the plaintiffs said, of the constitutional guarantees on freedom of worship and the right of each citizen to establish families.

The plaintiffs included law students who said that the Marriage Law should be adjusted given the more reformist 2006 law on population administration, which recognizes marriages of different faiths. The court, however, ruled that "religion determines the validity of marriage while the law determines the validity of administration [...]."

The plaintiffs have tried their best in the interests of children and citizens who fail to find happiness because of their different faiths. An older generation of Indonesians might agree with religious leaders who stipulate that prospective brides and bridegrooms should stick to spouses of the same faith to better ensure family harmony. But life is not like clockwork.

The court has upheld respect for religious beliefs, but in doing so has failed to protect children and provide legal certainty and the possibility of happiness to citizens in interfaith unions.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/25/editorial-failure-protect.html

Is Indonesia inching toward justice?

Jakarta Post - June 25, 2015

Richard Bennett, Hong Kong – As far as Indonesia has come on human rights since the repressive Soeharto years, the authorities have stubbornly refused to deal with crimes of the past.

Across Indonesia, hundreds of thousands – if not more than a million – victims and their loved ones are denied truth, justice and reparations and still carry open wounds from the country's bloody past.

The 1965 killings, the brutal decades-long Aceh conflict, the 1999 Timor- Leste independence struggle – the list of violence is long, but all too often those who suffered the worst have been left to fend for themselves, while perpetrators of human rights violations continue to walk free and in some cases hold positions of power.

Amnesty International and many other human rights organizations have for decades been campaigning for victims to get the truth, justice and reparation they are entitled to under international law, but it remains an uphill struggle.

Successive Indonesian governments have clearly lacked the political will to tackle the issue of crimes of the past, and victims face insurmountable obstacles in seeking access to justice before the courts.

Instead, a chilling culture of silence has prevailed, where even discussing these issues poses tangible risks.

There has been some incremental progress. In December 2013, for example, the Aceh legislative council passed the Aceh Truth and Reconciliation bylaw that calls for the establishment of a truth commission, which offered a glimmer of hope for victims and their family members. However, it has yet to be established.

On the national stage, the central government has failed to enact a new national truth commission law after it was struck down by the Constitutional Court in 2006.

There has yet to be a comprehensive reparation program specifically aimed at addressing the harm suffered by victims and families of human rights violations over the last decades.

Last year, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo took office on the back of lofty promises to make human rights a priority – including providing justice for gross human rights violations in the past.

The past few weeks have finally seen some action to back up those words. On May 21, the attorney general (AG) announced that the government will establish a non-judicial mechanism to resolve past human rights violations through "a reconciliation committee".

Disappointingly, the AG stated that criminal investigations and prosecutions could not proceed in these cases due to a lack of evidence. The reconciliation committee would consist of related government institutions, civil society groups and families of the victims.

The committee will look into seven "gross violations of human rights" cases in particular – the 1989 Talangsari massacre, the enforced disappearance of anti-Soeharto activists in 1997-1998, the Trisakti University shootings, the Semanggi I and II shootings in 1998 and 1999, the mysterious killings of alleged criminals in the 1980s, the communist purge of 1965-1966 and abuses in Wasior in 2001 and Wamena in 2003, both in Papua.

Following decades of impunity, the proposed reconciliation committee is potentially a small, positive first step that demonstrates some intent on behalf of the Jokowi administration to finally tackle this issue.

However, is Indonesia really inching toward justice? The answer is that it is too early to tell.

There are still many unanswered questions: What exactly will the Committee do? Will it establish the truth about these crimes? Will it recommend reparation for victims? Will it be truly independent and fully transparent in its work? Will it have sufficient powers to summon witnesses and evidence? Will it protect witnesses? Will its findings feed into on-going criminal investigations or will there be a political effort to grant amnesties that will only further entrench the impunity it purports to address?

As the answers to these questions and others emerge in the coming weeks or months, we will see whether the government is genuinely committed to taking some steps towards justice, truth and reparation or whether the process is simply political window dressing.

At the same time, sight should not be lost of the thousands of other unresolved cases that cannot move forward due to systemic flaws in the justice system and the failure of the parliament to adopt a new law providing for an effective national truth commission.

Much broader efforts are required. These include revising the military tribunal law to ensure that military personnel suspected of committing serious human rights violations can be brought before civilian courts, revising the flawed human rights court system so that they are accessible by all victims of serious human rights violations and ensuring that such violations, including torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions, are included as offenses in the revised Criminal Code.

Healing the wounds of Indonesia's past violence is not something that will be achieved overnight.

The government may at last be taking an important step in the right direction – we hope so and that it will be followed by the huge strides that are much needed.

[The writer is Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific director.]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/25/is-indonesia-inching-toward-justice.html

The president and the Papua powder keg

New Mandala - June 24, 2015

Jenny Munro, Guest Contributor – Jokowi's actions, whether those of the powerless or duplicitous, could lead to disaster in Papua.

Over the past few months the actions of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo demonstrate that the rhetoric on the troubled provinces of Papua has not matched the reality of policy changes and political moves taking place in Indonesia.

Whether or not the president is deliberately misleading Papuans or powerless to implement progressive change, Jokowi is contributing to tensions amid a military build-up that could spell disaster.

Flashback to May and things seemed a little more promising. Responding to calls for media freedom in Papua, Jokowi announced that foreign journalists would no longer require special permits to visit Papua and West Papua, and that he had informed all the relevant ministers and officials, including the military, of his decision.

Yet within a day of the announcement, two ministers and a high-ranking military official made pronouncements contradicting Jokowi's decision, effectively stating permits would still be required, and that journalist's content would have to be screened to ensure 'balanced' reporting in line with 'codes of conduct'.

Critics say that the permit requirement, coupled with intimidation and detention of journalists, has been used to enforce a de facto ban on foreign media in Papua.

That same month, Jokowi pardoned five political prisoners. However, just today Indonesia's House of Representatives rebuffed the President's plans to grant more pardons – claiming it could lead to increased calls for separatism.

Jokowi has also recently announced an end to the controversial transmigration program that sees mainly Javanese farmers relocated to Papua and contributes to a feeling among locals of becoming a minority in their own land. But again his ministers publicly contradicted his announcement. These incidents affirmed that there are divergent interests and agendas at work in Indonesian politics.

Jokowi came to his presidential campaign with a reputation for being a humble problem-solver during his time as governor of Jakarta. He turned his attention to Papua, perhaps naively, as a problem worth solving.

After making history as the first presidential candidate to open his campaign in Papua, Jokowi spoke of the need for a new era of openness. His attention to the region left some Papuans and others thinking that he could generate some progress on longstanding grievances. Yet after winning the election, he appointed Ryamizard Ryacudu, a former general, as Minister of Defense, and signed off on far-reaching security policies.

These new policies take the military into more regions of Papua and West Papua, in greater numbers, with permanent bases, and with less oversight from Jakarta – exactly the opposite of what most analysts say is needed to overcome abuses of power.

Jokowi also failed to address an incident that occurred in Papua a few weeks after he took his presidential oath when unarmed school students were reportedly shot by police during a protest against military abuses.

Hopes in Jokowi were, for many, dashed, as police began to deny involvement, and there was only silence from the president, affirming what many Papuans had said during the election: that no Indonesian politician would ever really stand up for them.

Jokowi acknowledged Papuans' feelings of marginalisation within the nation during the 2014 election campaign. Yet he and Foreign Minister Marsudi then spent the first few months of his presidency challenging Papuans' claims to Melanesian cultural identity, arguing that Papuans have no special relationship to Melanesia; rather, there are about 9.5 million other Melanesians in Indonesia.

This claim emerged as the government redoubled its efforts to thwart Papuans' bid for member status in the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) – an informal regional organisation in which several member states support Papuan independence. Instead, Jokowi proposed that Indonesia's 'five Melanesian provinces' bid together for member status under Indonesia. Jokowi and Marsudi campaigned against the bid by the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) in the Pacific, dropping millions in 'aid' promises in several MSG countries.

Indonesia must be deeply concerned about the prospect of the ULMWP gaining political recognition from the MSG, because politicians such as Jokowi are suddenly eager to embrace the Melanesian heritage that is often the butt of racist taunts and discriminatory practices in Indonesia.

These actions do not seem to fit the pattern of a president who is powerless or naive. Rather, they show a continuation of practices towards Papua that say one thing and do another, even if Jokowi is bent on saying and doing more than his predecessor, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Contradiction, or, some might say, duplicity, continues to define Indonesian governance in Papua, especially in matters of decentralisation and development.

There are government officials, such as Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno, who continue to argue that Indonesia is implementing a 'welfare' policy in Papua, not a 'security' policy, in the face of potent evidence to the contrary, including statements from within the military.

But these sorts of views are not contradictory if government officials actually believe in the myth of Indonesian benevolence in Papua. Recent comments concerning media freedom similarly reflect this myth, as officials argue that the only real problem in Papua is foreign journalists looking for bad news.

There is a reason why 'straightening out history' and 'telling the truth' are among Papuan activists and scholars foremost political demands. In the past, an atmosphere of political contradictions, elevated hopes, and high levels of militarisation contributed to the worst documented clashes between indigenous locals and Indonesian migrants in Papua's history.

The stakes are high for ULMWP activists and their many supporters who have been working towards political recognition by the MSG, which is set to make a decision in the next few days. Jokowi has been fanning the flames of optimism by visiting Papua, and through announcements on media freedom and transmigration. But he and those around him are also working to advance repression, particularly by expanding military powers, putting pressure on the MSG, and arresting activists.

We could give Jokowi the benefit of the doubt, and say that so far his progressive, problem-solving intentions have failed to gain traction because of his lack of political capital. But the end result looks much like a continuing tradition of broken promises, stirring rhetoric, and duplicitous actions.

It is time to look more critically beyond the progress that Jokowi represented when he stood next to rival presidential candidate and former army General Prabowo Subianto. Now, as Jokowi needs to prove his nationalistic, conservative, and pro-security credentials, it seems more likely that Papua is helping him than the other way around.

[Jenny Munro is a research fellow in the State, Society and Governance in Melanesia Program (SSGM) at the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, ANU. This article is based on a paper in the SSGM In Brief series.]

Source: http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2015/06/24/the-president-and-the-papua-powder-keg/

The Indonesian government cannot stand in the way of West Papuan people

The Guardian (Australia) - June 24, 2015

Benny Wenda – For more than half a century, my people have suffered under a repressive military occupation that is estimated to have claimed 500,000 West Papuan lives. This is not something Indonesians read about every day, but it is a significant stain on Indonesia's international reputation and its standing in the region.

Like many of you, I held great hopes for the new presidency of Joko Widodo. During his election campaign, he promised a fresh start for the relationship between Jakarta and the people of West Papua, including through the offer of a new political dialogue and the withdrawal of Indonesia's military presence. Unfortunately, President Widodo has failed on both counts.

At this week's meeting of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), the region's leaders will gather in Honiara to decide whether to welcome the West Papuan people as the newest member of their preeminent political forum.

West Papua's membership of the MSG is long overdue. For more than 38 years, we were denied the right to refer to ourselves as Melanesians, but my people have stood steadfast in the face of a campaign to stamp out our culture, our human rights, and our dignity as a people. A majority of West Papua's population remains ethnically Melanesian, and throughout the Pacific the sentiment is strong that we must have a seat at the MSG table. Unfortunately, the Indonesian government has sought to stand in our way.

In recent months, Widodo and foreign minister Retno Marsudi have toured the region with empty promises of aid and diplomatic cooperation, making the case to Melanesian governments that West Papuan membership of the MSG would somehow be a threat to Indonesia's interests and the region more broadly. They have even gone so far as to suggest that it would be more appropriate for Indonesia's provincial governors to be granted associate membership of the MSG, while conveniently overlooking the fact that West Papua's Melanesian population needs to be represented by its own political leadership.

The only legitimate representatives of West Papua are the West Papuans themselves. For too long, provincial "governors" imposed by Jakarta have engaged in iron fist administration, and not in the interests of the people they purport to represent. Many have been personally implicated in serious human rights abuses, which MSG leaders have previously condemned. And with Indonesian's provincial governors now set to be directly appointed by Jakarta this will only get worse.

Ultimately, the Indonesian government has no right or basis – legal or political – for standing in the way of a decision by Melanesian leaders for Melanesia, and only Melanesia. West Papua's application for MSG membership is grounded firmly in the MSG's own founding principles, including respect for and promotion of Melanesian cultures, traditions and values, the inalienable human rights of the indigenous peoples of Melanesia, and most of all, the spirit of Melanesian solidarity. As an observer of the MSG, Indonesia must adhere to these principles.

West Papua's request for membership has been considered by MSG leaders at their meetings in 2013 and 2014. On both occasions, MSG leaders raised serious concerns about human rights violations and atrocities committed against the people of West Papua, and in June 2014, they invited West Papua to form an inclusive and united umbrella group in anticipation of a fresh application for MSG membership this year. The political leadership in West Papua responded quickly. In December 2014, we formed the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), and it is this new political platform that is seeking MSG membership for the people of West Papua.

While we have worked hard to respond to MSG leaders, we remain frustrated and dismayed that there has been no parallel progress on Indonesian undertakings to allow greater autonomy in Papua and to draw down its military presence in West Papua.

As recently as March this year, Papua New Guinea prime minister Peter O'Neill confirmed that former Indonesian president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, had personally promised him that Indonesian forces would be withdrawn from West Papua. But on the contrary, Widodo last month took an additional 6,000 armed personnel with him during a visit to West Papua. Even the president's own announcement that West Papua would now be opened up to visits from foreign journalists is seemingly being reversed by Indonesian ministers who seem hell-bent on preventing international eyes from seeing what is really happening on the ground to my people. In the minds of many Melanesian leaders, Indonesia simply can no longer be trusted.

This week's meeting in Honiara is a significant test for Melanesia's leaders in the face of heavy pressure from a nervous Jakarta. But Indonesia has nothing to fear, other than the damage a continuation of the status quo will mean for its standing throughout the region. Just as the Kanak people of New Caledonia were granted full MSG membership before us, the West Papuan people need and deserve to be part of the Melanesian family, and the political grouping that handles its affairs. A positive decision in Honiara is in West Papua's interest. It is in Indonesia's interest too.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/24/the-indonesian-government-cannot-stand-in-the-way-of-west-papuan-people