Helen Davidson, Darwin – A group of West Papua activists has been evicted from the grounds of the Northern Territory Parliament House in Darwin after they erected a hut as an "embassy" and spent two days protesting against Indonesian human rights abuse.

The group of West Papuans and Australians told Guardian Australia they had applied to the parliament for the hut to remain on the site as a cultural embassy, but the application was rejected by the NT speaker, Kezia Purick, on the grounds that it was a protest. Purick has been contacted for comment.

On Tuesday afternoon the group put the structure – a traditional Honai hut – on the back of a ute and parked it outside the nearby Indonesian consulate on Tuesday afternoon, where they continued to protest. "The Honai is a symbol of the movement we have going in Australia," said activist Peter Elaby.

"Especially because elders from Larrakia [Darwin's traditional owners] allow us to build the house, which means they welcome us and [recognise] our struggle in West Papua, which we've been fighting for 60 years, is not only West Papuans' struggle," he said.

Elaby, who said he came to Australia three years ago, told Guardian Australia the group wanted to draw the attention of the government and taxpayers of Australia to the treatment of West Papua by Indonesia.

"The Indonesian government sends a lot of troops to Australia to be trained and funded, then after that they go back. This military kills West Papuans, which is why we want the Australian government to see this situation."

More than 100 Indonesian soldiers studied in Australia last year, News Corp reported in March, at a cost of more than $2.5m to Australian taxpayers.

West Papuan nationalist groups, under the banner of the United Liberation Movement, were given observer status in the Melanesian Spearhead Group at a summit last month, but not full membership.

"The Melanesian Spearhead Group is recognised in the United Nations so it means our voice, our cry, is going to be listened to around the world," said Elaby.

The Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, has pledged to prioritise West Papua and improve the lives of its people, and in May released five political prisoners. Widodo also said his government would lift the decades-long ban on foreign journalists entering the region.

However, there have been continued reports of abuses, including Indonesian forces targeting West Papuan people and villages with mass arrests and the destruction of houses.

In December, five student protesters were killed, allegedly by Indonesian forces, at a protest in Paniai.

On a Pacific island tour by Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi, journalists were reportedly banned from asking any questions about the province.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/08/west-papua-activists-evicted-from-northern-territory-parliament-grounds

Court indicts former Papua governor

Jakarta Post - July 7, 2015

Haeril Halim, National – Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors at the Jakarta Corruption Court on Monday indicted former Papua governor Barnabas Suebu for graft involved in the construction of a hydro power plant project on the Mamberamo River, Papua, in which the state recorded a loss of Rp 43 billion (US$3.2 million).

KPK Prosecutor Fitroh Rohcah-yanto said in the indictment that the prominent Papuan politician, who served two terms as governor, doctored budget allocations for the production of detailed engineering design (DED) for the power plant in the 2009-2010 provincial budget.

"He violated the law by instructing the project committee to assign the project to the defendant's company, PT Konsultansi Pembangunan Irian Jaya [KPIJ], without going through any tender process," Fitroh said on Monday.

Prosecutors allege that Barnabas committed the crime together with other individuals including KPIJ director La Musi Didi and Papua Energy and Mining agency head Jannes Johan Karubaba.

The renewable energy hydro project was intended to protect forest areas and reduce emissions in Papua, but was abandoned following discovery of the graft, KPK prosecutors said.

According to an audit conducted by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) in June, irregularities in the project resulted in state losses totaling Rp 43 billion, part of which was funneled to Barnabas himself and scores of other individuals.

The indictment alleges that the state lost around Rp 10 billion in the production of DED in Sentani and Panai, as well as losses of Rp 15 billion and Rp 17 billion from DED works in Urumuka and Memberano respectively.

KPK prosecutors said that Barnabas received Rp 500 million in cash, while Jannes received Rp 4.8 billion in addition to Rp 5 billion that was wired to La Musi.

Other individuals who have allegedly benefited from the graft are: Geri Wicaksono with Rp 1.5 billion, Imam Wicaksono with Rp 1 billion, Presetijo Adi with Rp 760 million, Toto Purwanto with Rp 300 million, Philipus Waromi with Rp 546 million, Ibahim Badarudin with Rp 100 million, Leo Hehanusa with Rp 54 million, Linda Saebu with Rp 157 million and Robert Dimalouwe with Rp 45 million.

Prosecutors also allege that Barnabas channeled as much as Rp 4.6 billion from the project to the procurement committee, project supervisors and examiners and scores of other Papua administration officials.

In the indictment, the KPK also alleges that Barbanas gave Rp 20 billion to KPIJ and Rp 2 billion and Rp 532 million to PT Indra Karya and PT Geo Ace, respectively, "Due to the defendant's offenses the state has suffered losses as high as Rp 43 billion," Fitroh said.

In addition to the graft case, the KPK accuses Barnabas of violating Articles 2 and 3 of Law No. 31/1999 on corruption for enriching himself and other parties, as well as abusing his authority as Papua governor with regards to the hydro water project.

If found guilty of violating both Articles 2 and 3, Barnabas could be sent to jail for a maximum of 20 years.

The KPK have also invoked Article 55 of the Criminal Code (KUHP) on collective crimes in their prosecution against Barnabas.

The use of Article 55 implies that other parties may have played a role in the case, but so far the KPK said that the former governor is the only suspect in the case.

The trial was adjourned to Monday next week, when Barnabas and his team of lawyers will present their defense statement.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/07/court-indicts-former-papua-governor.html

Transparency Vanuatu welcomes government position

Radio New Zealand International - July 6, 2015

Transparency Vanuatu has welcomed Prime Minister Sato Kilman's clarification of his government's position on West Papua's recent bid to become a member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group.

This comes after scathing criticism from the prime minister over a Transparency article calling for the government to make its position known.

The Transparency chair, Willie Tokon says the prime minister's call for the body not to stir up trouble over West Papua is misdirected. He says the harshest criticism of the government is coming via social media and talk back radio.

"Some people are using very, very harsh language, some of them threatening language, some vulgar language. But there is a way to deal with these kind of issues. So I think with his statement on Saturday morning it has put everybody in clear picture of where we stand"

Dr Tokon says Mr Kilman announced at the weekend that his government fully supports West Papua's push for recognition and the achievement of MSG observer status by the United Liberation Movement for West Papua as an important first step.

MSG leaders last month granted the ULM observer status to the sub-regional body and elevated Indonesia's status from observer to associate member.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/278066/transparency-vanuatu-welcomes-govt-position

Papua situation similar to East Timor prior to independence, activist says

ABC Radio Australia - July 6, 2015

Alyssa Betts – The situation in the Indonesian province of West Papua is similar to East Timor just before independence, a West Papuan activist has announced at a protest in Darwin.

A group of about 60 people have erected a temporary hut embassy outside Parliament House, calling for West Papuan independence from Indonesia.

Jacob Rumbiak, who said he was now in self-imposed exile after spending 10 years as a political prisoner, said the situation in West Papua had worsened recently.

"In April, Indonesia caught 447 of the student movement," he said. "Last month, after Indonesian president [Joko Widodo] released five political prisoners, they caught another 500 of the student movement. Also, they killed three people, including one secondary student."

A Darwin Aboriginal elder taking part in the protest said Indigenous people there are being subjected to rights abuses.

Larrakia woman June Mills said the hut embassy was about giving a voice to the voiceless and she called on governments around the world to intervene in the West Papua situation.

"We have laws in this country that protect indigenous rights and children's rights... if the Government isn't going to stand up and do the right thing, well the people of Australia are going to," Ms Mills said.

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-06/west-papua-similar-to-east-timor-prior-to-independence-activist/6597886

Papua needs safe houses for female, child victims of violence

Jakarta Post - July 5, 2015

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – An NGO activist has said Papua needs safe houses as it has quite a high incidence of violence against women and children.

Few cases of violence against women and children can be brought to justice because of the absence of safe houses, she said.

"The number of victims of violence against women and children in Papua is quite high and one of obstacles impeding prompt solution of the violence is the unavailability of safe houses for the victims," said Levina Kalansina of the Papua Women and Children Empowerment Agency.

"A child victim of violence may still suffer psychological trauma even if his or her physical wounds have been treated. In such a situation, he or she really needs a safe house to help him or her to recover from psychological trauma. Unfortunately, Papua has no safe house," she went on.

Levina was speaking at the close of a violence victim assistance training event held on Saturday by World Vision Indonesia (WVI) and Yayasan Sobat Perduli, a Jakarta-based NGO that works to protect children from violence.

Levina said the Papua Women and Children Empowerment Agency had prepared a safe house at the Papua Police headquarters. However, it was not yet able to function.

"The safe house's developer has not yet handed over the keys to us so we cannot yet use it," she said.

WVI area manager for Jayapura and Merauker Radika Pinto said rates of violence against women and children in Papua were getting high and most of them were sexual violence.

"Data from Dok II Hospital in Jayapura shows that it received victims of violence against women and children, which reached 515 cases throughout 2014. Most of the cases were committed by someone known to the victim," he said.

Radika said WVI aimed to make Papua a child-friendly province by providing training programs to improve skills in introducing violence prevention measures and forms of violence against children to the public.

In the four-day training, which ended on Saturday, WVI trained 22 violence victim assistants from three regencies, namely Jayapura, Merauke and Keerom, and Jayapura City. They are to work building awareness in society of the importance of child protection, including publicizing treatments needed to be taken once they encounter cases of violence against children.

"One of reasons that leads to a lack of reports on violence against children is the fact that violence against children is still perceived as a domestic problem outsiders should not interfere in. This shows people still don't know and understand Law No.35/2013 on children protection," said Radika. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/05/papua-needs-safe-houses-female-child-victims-violence.html

Group detained after attempting to hold ceremony following MSG appointment

UCAN News - July 3, 2015

Ryan Dagur, Jakarta – At least 40 Papuans were arrested on Friday in Fakfak district, West Papua, before holding a thanksgiving ceremony in the secretariat of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) following the recent 20th Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Leaders summit.

The summit, which was held June 18-26 in Honiara, Solomon Islands, granted the ULMWP an observer status to the MSG, an intergovernmental organization comprising the states of Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji and Vanuatu, as well as the Kanak Socialist National Liberation Front, a political party from New Caledonia.

"The arrest occurred at around 10am local time. They were brought to the district-level police. The reason was that they wanted to hold a thanksgiving ceremony after the ULMWP was granted an observer status to the MSG," Freddy Warporpor, coordinator of the district chapter of the Institute for Human Rights Study and Advocacy (Elsham), told ucanews.com.

"They were just gathered [in the secretariat] and were about to start praying. But then the police came in and dismissed them. The police also seized a computer, some posters of Bintang Kejora [independence flag] and other attributes," he said.

According to Warporpor, there was no physical violence during the arrests. As of Friday evening, some have since been released while others remain detained by district police.

West Papua police chief Brigadier General Paulus Waterpauw said he did not know about the arrests. "I will check it first. I haven't received any report," he told ucanews.com.

Coordinator for the Papua Peace Network Father Neles Tebay said the group had done nothing illegal. "Their reaction shows their support for the ULMWP. Nothing's wrong with this. It's just a reflection of the real problem," he told ucanews.com.

"Such arrest will not resolve the political issue. So if the government wants to deal with the problem, hold a dialogue with the ULMWP instead of arresting Papuans," he suggested. "This is evidence that there's no freedom of expression, in which [Papuans] can express their opinions," he said.

On Thursday, the foreign ministry spokesman Armanatha Nasir told reporters in Jakarta that the inclusion of independence group ULMWP as an observer group should not be a cause for concern.

"They're an NGO and they're an observer. They're not part of the decision making process. They speak when they are requested to speak. So that's the limit," he said, as quoted by The Jakarta Post

Source: http://www.ucanews.com/news/dozens-arrested-in-west-papua/73880

Indonesia denies monitoring Papua through MSG

Jakarta Post - July 3, 2015

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has denied speculations that it is trying to weaken the influence of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) over Papua after the MSG granted a Papuan resistance group an observer status.

The Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that the government had no ulterior motives in its effort to join as the newest member of the MSG.

"We have 11 million Melanesians. If you combine the whole population of the MSG countries, I don't think they reach 11 million. So, if we talk about Melanesians, we're talking about Indonesia. We are the biggest Melanesian country. So we will be the biggest elephant in the room if we're not part of the MSG," the ministry's spokesman, Armanatha Nasir, told reporters on the sidelines of a press briefing in Jakarta.

Foreign ministry officials have made a round of diplomatic trips in the region in recent months as MSG member governments are struggling to balance their growing ties with Jakarta while providing support to regional grassroots movements dedicated to securing rights to the indigenous people of West Papua, where a separatist conflict has been simmering for decades.

The Indonesian Foreign Ministry has denied any connection between Jakarta's recent diplomatic push and the bid of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) to become a full MSG member. The ministry have claimed that Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and her counterparts had only discussed "Indonesia's commitment to the US$20 million capacity-building program for MSG countries".

"I believe that this is a strategy by Indonesia to be able to more closely detect any separatist movements through the MSG. They are concerned that the MSG could support separatist movements or include the agenda of Papua in its discussion," Indonesia Defense University's international relations expert Bantarto Bandoro told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

The ULMWP was formed last year when Vanuatu hosted a reunification summit for West Papuan representative groups. The summit included groups that desire independence from Indonesia.

Regular bouts of violence continue to occur in Papua, where insurgents are fighting on behalf of the mostly ethnic Melanesian population. Jakarta took control of Papua, which forms the Western half of the island of New Guinea, in 1963 from former colonial rulers the Netherlands.

The ULMWP, which had also been seeking membership to the MSG, was ultimately granted observer status to the regional body. In December last year, the ULMWP set up an office in Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, a country which frequently criticizes alleged human rights abuses in West Papua and Papuan provinces.

Vanuatu also declined to join a mission of high-ranking representatives from MSG nations to visit Jakarta, Maluku and Papua in January last year.

Armanatha said that the inclusion of the ULMWP as an observer group should not be a cause for concern. "They're an NGO and they're an observer. They're not part of the decision making process. They speak when they are requested to speak. So that's the limit," he said.

Furthermore, the MSG has agreed that it would only focus on economic cooperation, according to Armanatha. "It's clear in the mandate of the MSG that the sovereignty of members of the MSG must be respected. The prime ministers of Fiji and Papua New Guinea have also made it clear," he said.

Armanatha said that if the issue of West Papua continued to be debated within the MSG, the group would unlikely accept Indonesia as one of its members.

"If the MSG remains doubtful on Indonesia's commitment on Papua, then they wouldn't have accepted us as an associate member," he said. "We have 11 million Melanesians. If you combine the whole population of the MSG countries, I don't think they reach 11 million."

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/03/ri-denies-monitoring-papua-through-msg.html

For Papua, Indonesia's entry into MSG stirs up concerns about hidden agenda

Jakarta Globe - July 1, 2015

Andreyka Natalegawa, Jakarta – The admission of Indonesia into the Melanesian Spearhead Group last week has sparked concerns over the future of central government policy in the West Papua region, analysts say.

"My first reaction of the inclusion of Indonesia to the MSG is that Indonesia needs to clarify its motives. Is it trying to dilute the position of the MSG over Papua? Or is it about cooperation?" said Yuyun Wahyuningrum, a senior adviser on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and human rights with the Jakarta-based Human Rights Working Group.

Indonesia's bid to join the MSG, an intergovernmental organization composed of representatives from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and the Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front of New Caledonia, has been interpreted as a preemptive move in halting discussion on West Papuan efforts for self-determination.

"The United Liberation Movement for West Papua [ULMWP] expects that the MSG could be a platform where discussion on human rights, sovereignty issues and development concerns in the Papuan provinces could be raised," Yuyun said.

"But having Indonesia's leverage in MSG may be a stumbling block in addressing Papuan issues on a regional platform," Yuyun said.

The ULMWP, which had also been seeking membership to the MSG, was ultimately granted observer status to the regional body.

Rafendi Djamin, representative of Indonesia to the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) believes that Indonesia's admission into the MSG could lead to the greater involvement of Melanesian states in discussing issues relevant to human rights abuses in Papua.

"The MSG needs to work with Indonesia to establish a dialogue between Papua and Jakarta that works towards a better future in terms of protecting human rights and development," Rafendi said.

Indonesia's entrance into the MSG marks the culmination of months of heightened national interest in the Melanesian region.

In March, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi embarked on back-to-back visits to Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Fiji – three countries that had earlier threatened to recognize West Papua as an occupied member state of the MSG.

Moreover, President Joko Widodo visited MSG member state PNG in May, calling for closer ties with the country.

Human rights and development

According to Rafendi, issues of human rights abuses and slow economic development within Papua remain critical in addressing tensions in the region.

"The reports from last year have been very concerning, in that they've raised a lot of issues. The fact is that some fundamental principles and freedoms that are enjoyed in other parts of Indonesia are not enjoyed in Papua," Rafendi said.

"People are being arrested for expressing for their opinions," Rafendi added.

According to a 2015 report by Amnesty International, an estimated 60 political activists from the Papua region and Maluku province remain imprisoned by the national government.

Efforts to forge a solution between the central government and dissenting political factions in West Papua have been complicated by the slow progress of development and economic growth in the region.

"A lack of economic development triggers a lot of dissatisfaction among political groups in West Papua," Rafendi said. "You have a region with huge economic potential, but a lot of work needs to be done to make sure the benefits are felt all throughout the province."

Tomi Soetjipto, communication analyst with the United Nations Development Program, notes Papua's slow progress in development across multiple indicators.

"The Papua region is rich in natural resources, but in terms of human development, it is lagging behind other provinces in Indonesia," Tomi said on Monday. "Take a look at poverty figures in the Papua and West Papua provinces. They are the worst out of all of Indonesia's 34 provinces."

According to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the percentage of poor people in Papua and West Papua stands at 31.53 and 27.14 percent respectively, distinctly higher than the national average of 11.47 percent.

Meanwhile, United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) findings claim that West Papua has the highest rate of HIV infection in the country, at 15 times Indonesia's national average.

"When you have a population that has decent access to health, you'll have a positive ripple effect," said Tomi. "But if you have a population that doesn't have access to healthcare, you'll see a negative ripple effect, with things like high mortality rates and child deaths becoming more common."

Despite setbacks and slow progress, central government leaders must resolve to improve living standards in Papua, as a means of securing a more constructive relationship between local leaders and Jakarta.

"Desire for political self-determination is strong and is fueled by the sense among Papuans that they are treated badly," said Michael Bachelard, former Indonesia correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. "Economic solutions would reduce some of that."

Policy contradiction

If equitable change is to be brought to West Papua, central government officials must work towards consolidating their policies into a consistent plan of action, analysts say.

Michael Bachelard cites opposition from within the president's camp as being an obstacle in shifting policy on Papua, saying: "Jokowi is genuine about opening up, but the hardliners in his own cabinet and in the military will try to stop him."

"Jokowi will need to follow through and be firm if he wants his policy enacted properly," Bachelard added, referring to the president by his popular nickname.

Recent months have been marked by a series of contradictory statements regarding central government policy in Papua, confusing efforts to ease tensions in the region.

On May 10, Joko issued a landmark statement inviting foreign correspondents to Papua, reversing years of press restrictions.

"Starting from today, foreign journalists are allowed and free to come to Papua, just as they can [visit] other regions," Joko said at a press conference in the city of Merauke.

His statements regarding freedom of the press were almost immediately dismissed by Coordinating Minister for Political, Security and Legal Affairs Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno, who indicated that foreign reporters would still face considerable restrictions on their activities in the region.

"We'll allow it, on the condition that they report on what they see, not go around looking for facts that aren't true from armed groups," said Tedjo.

Similarly, Joko's drive to end the nation's controversial transmigration policy in Papua has been met with opposition from within his cabinet, with Minister for Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Marwan Ja'far instead calling for an acceleration of the program.

Transmigration has long been a point of contention among indigenous populations in Papua, who allege that the program is designed to wipe out local groups.

According to 2010 estimates, the ratio of non-Papuans to Papuans was 52-48, with annual growth rates of the migrant population outstripping the growth of the indigenous Papuan population by nearly tenfold.

In order to contend with rising calls for independence and self- determination, Indonesia must work harder to establish an environment of transparency and accountability in the West Papua region, analysts say.

Human rights observer Yuyun Wahyuningrum notes that Indonesia's admission into the MSG could foster open communication among involved parties, saying: "I hope MSG can be a forum where the state's accountability is discussed openly."

Bachelard concurred, citing a lack of transparency regarding violent conflicts in the region as a critical stumbling block for reconciliation.

"There is also still brutality, such as the incident at Enarotali, that Indonesia does not fully acknowledge," said Bachelard, who has visited Papua in his capacity as a foreign correspondent twice in the last three years.

Last December, Indonesian police and armed forces were accused of opening fire on demonstrators in the city of Enarotali, killing six and wounding at least 17 others.

Subsequent probes into the incident invited criticism over doubts on the credibility and impartiality of the investigation.

Speaking on the possibility of renewed positive engagement between the central government and local West Papuan leaders, the AICHR's Rafendi Djamin believes that "in general, with the new president, there is some hope."

"But it's not clear whether this hope will be translated into action that will improve the West Papuan human rights situation within the near future," Rafendi concluded.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/west-papua-indonesias-entry-msg-stirs-concerns-hidden-agenda/

Police chief bans people to celebrate the anniversary of the Free Papua

Antara News - July 1, 2015

Ernes B Kakisina, Manokwari (AFP) – Police Chief of West Papua Province, Paulus Waterpauw prohibits people from celebrating the anniversary of the Free Papua Movement.

"On July 1 in Papua is not only celebrated as the birthday of Bhayangkara Indonesian Police Day), but also considered by a group of people as the founding of the Free Papua Movement (OPM)," said Police Chief Paulus Waterpauw in Manokwari on Wednesday.

Therefore, the police chief asked that people do not perform activities commemorating the anniversary of the Free Papua Movement because contrary to the law.

He said that the police did not give permission to any head group in West Papua Police jurisdiction to conduct activities commemorating the anniversary of the Free Papua Movement.

"If there are certain groups who conduct the activities commemorating the anniversary of the Free Papua Organization they will be prosecuted," said the police chief.

He explained that the police are currently process law against KNPB activists who some time ago held a demonstration against the country' of Indonesia sovereignty.

"Four activists are currently undergoing interogation by the Manokwari Police investigators to further legal proceedings to the court," he said.

He hopes that people in West Papua be an example not four activists to influence others to demonstrate against Indonesia sovereignty.

Source: http://www.antaranews.com/berita/504475/kapolda-larang-masyarakat-rayakan-hut-papua-merdeka

Human rights & justice

Former TNI general warns against government apology over 65 killings

Panjimas.com - July 6, 2015

Surabaya – Retired TNI (Indonesian military) general Kivlan Zen says that a plan by the government of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla to apologise to former Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) members in a speech next August 15 will give a green light to the reemergence of the PKI.

Zen also related how the group supporting the idea of a government apology argue that number of victims killed by the masses affiliated with the PKI reached the hundreds of thousands and are asking why was our party disbanded.

"Moreover in [the Central Java cities of] Solo and Semarang, they have been exhuming graves and erecting monuments to remember the victims, and they are also cooperating with the UN Human Rights [Commission] in Switzerland, [the group] which is chaired by Nur Syahbani Kanca Sgkana and [Albert] Hasibuan, have called for the people involved in the PKI killings to be brought before an international tribunal in the Den Haag, Netherlands, and tried", said Zen at the Emi Hotel in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya on July 4.

"Imagine if such a thing actually happened, this country would become the target of others, and we would break up like Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union, the people accused of involvement would be arrested", he said.

PKI people would openly take revenge, against the military and figures who in the past were involved in putting down the PKI rebellion, because they would be deemed to have committed mass murder, moreover they have already sent the names there.

"Many generals were also involved, particularly the alumni of 1965, including [former TNI chief] Wiranto, because in 1968 he was still assigned to the 18th Infantry Brigade as the second section head of operations and Operation Trisula in Blitar [East Java]", he added.

According to data he has obtained, Zen said that if the demand is for an apology, the rehabilitation of their names, and 2.4 billion rupiah compensation per person, then the state would have to pay how much, if multiplied by the total, perhaps around 2,000 trillion.

"So this is evidence that they (PKI) are rising up again, because in 2010 a new PKI leadership board was formed in [the village of] Grabag [in Central Java], and a structure has been established from level I down to the village", he explained.

Zen also claimed that the government would trigger national disintegration if such an apology was made. "Because it is clear that they would seek revenge, in accordance with the 10th congress in Grabag which stated they would carry out agitation, propaganda, sabotage and revenge", he said.

The former Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad, Green Berets) Chief of Staff suspects there is pressure being put on the government to make the apology to former PKI members.

"It think that there has indeed been domestic pressure, namely from former PKI who have joined various [political] parties, including the PDI-P [the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle], this isn't prejudice, but based on data, the clear example being [Dr Rifka] Ciptaning in the PDI-P who is well known for refuting the G30S-PKI [the alleged September 30 Movement-PKI coup in 1965], and several other ex-PKI who are pressuring the president to make an apology", he asserted. "Within [President Widodo's] inner circle you can already start to see who is pro-PKI, and their way of thinking, because when the incident happened they were still infants, including the concepts from the foundation for the victims of 65 whose leadership board includes members of Gerwani [the PKI-affiliated Indonesian Women's Movement]", he said accusingly (GA/SPNews)

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Pemerintah Jokowi Akan Minta Maaf Kepada Eks PKI, Waspadai Kebangkitan PKI".]

Source: http://panjimas.com/news/2015/07/06/pemerintah-jokowi-akan-minta-maaf-kepada-eks-pki-waspadai-kebangkitan-pki/

Police must join rights committee: Badrodin

Jakarta Post - July 4, 2015

Jakarta – National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti has said that it is important for the police force to join the government-sanctioned human rights committee tasked to probe past rights abuses.

Badrodin said on Friday that the police must be involved in the committee because many officers had been accused of gross rights violations in the past, especially in the Semanggi I and II student shooting incidents in 1998.

"Of course we have to be involved [in the committee] because we have been accused in the Semanggi I and II incidents. However, the National Commission on Human Rights [Komnas HAM] failed to categorize these acts as gross human rights violations without the attorney general's approval," he said at the National Police headquarters in South Jakarta.

Badrodin said that with the help of investigators from the police force and the Attorney General's Office (AGO), past rights abuses could finally be resolved.

For the past two months, the Joko "Jokowi" Widodo administration has discussed the possibility of establishing a truth-finding committee to investigate seven major incidents of rights abuses and set up a reconciliation team for victims, their families and the country.

Attorney General M. Prasetyo announced that a 15-member committee would soon be proposed to Jokowi and would be made up of Komnas HAM members, AGO prosecutors, retired police and military personnel, civil society groups and families of the victims.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/04/national-scene-police-must-join-rights-committee-badrodin.html

Indonesia's human rights law enforcement not optimal: Komnas Ham

Jakarta Post - July 3, 2015

Local human rights law enforcement is not optimal, with law enforcers acting only in the name of security and public order, a report released by the National Commision on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) states.

The commission's quarterly report on religious tolerance says that law enforcers are half-hearted in their commitment to protecting human rights as their measures against intolerance are only for public disorder prevention.

"They are relatively responsive in dealing with such violations, but their moves are not aimed specifically at protecting religious minority groups against rights abuses," Komnas HAM commisioner M. Imdadun Rahmat said during a press conference on Friday in Jakarta.

Imdadun was referring to a recent case of religious intolerance against the Ahmadiyah minority group.

The case emerged after dozens of people stopped Ahmadis from praying at their own mosque in South Jakarta. The Ahmadis were forced to instead pray on the street in front of the mosque.

"Police officers were quite responsive in handling the case by directly meeting the local preacher leading the protest and reminding the group of its actions, but this action was only aimed at preventing a security disturbance," Imdadun said.

With such action, he said, the police had failed to uphold the rights of Ahmadis as they did not bring the perpetrators to justice. "There was no legal measures taken against those who destroyed the gate of the mosque," Imdadun said.

In its previous report, Komnas HAM said that even though the country had regulations to promote religious tolerance, they were ineffective or weakly enforced. The commission has demanded the government properly enforce prevailing laws on religious tolerance. (alm/ika)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/03/indonesia-s-human-rights-law-enforcement-not-optimal-komnas-ham.html

Rights committee to involve TNI, police

Jakarta Post - July 3, 2015

Fedina S. Sundaryani, Jakarta – The government has said that a 15-member committee tasked with investigating past human rights abuses will be ready shortly after the Idul Fitri holiday.

The committee will investigate the causes of past human rights abuses and propose non-judicial resolutions.

The decision was made following a closed-door meeting between Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno, Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H Laoly, Attorney General M Prasetyo, National Intelligence Agency (BIN) head Marciano Norman, Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Moeldoko and National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) chairman Nur Kholis.

Nur revealed that the committee would include retired Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Police personnel.

"We discussed the establishment of a truth-finding committee. We will propose a 15-member committee that will answer directly to the President," he said on Thursday at the Attorney General's Office (AGO) headquarters in South Jakarta.

Nur said that it was important to involve the TNI and the National Police on the committee, as many accusations had been directed against them.

He added that the presence of Moeldoko in the meeting, after the latter had missed two previous meetings, was a good sign. "This is the first time Pak Moeldoko has joined. It shows that Pak Moeldoko is becoming more open to it." The committee will also comprise members of the AGO, Komnas HAM, civil society groups and families of victims.

It will not investigate individual cases, focusing instead on detecting patterns of wrongdoing committed by the state against civilians. "It is important to find out what went wrong and why before we can try to resolve [the cases]," Nur said.

The committee is also expected to suggest ways to compensate victims and their families.

Following years of investigation, Komnas HAM published reports in 2013 citing seven unresolved cases of past rights abuses, namely the 1989 Talangsari massacre, the disappearance of anti-Soeharto activists in 1997- 1998, the Trisakti University shootings, the Semanggi I and II shootings in 1998 and 1999, the mysterious killing of alleged criminals in the 1980s, the communist purge of 1965-1966 and abuses in Papuan towns Wasior in 2001 and Wamena in 2003.

Komnas HAM has submitted the reports to the AGO for further investigation, but no further steps have been taken as prosecutors debate technical issues regarding the implementation of recommendations from the report.

Separately, Prasetyo said that he hoped that the establishment of the committee could resolve major rights abuses in the country.

"We hope that everyone agrees that these past human rights abuses must be resolved as soon as possible, at the very least by the time the current administration ends its term," he said. After the committee submitted its findings, the attorney general said, the government was expected to make a public apology to the victims of the past rights abuses and make a commitment to ensuring that such events were not repeated.

"In past meetings, we tended to agree that non-judicial mechanisms would be much more effective," he added.

Meanwhile, Moeldoko said that the TNI had agreed to help the committee in its tasks. Moeldoko, who is to retire in August, acknowledged that many had accused the TNI of playing a central role in past gross human rights abuses. However, he said that such a negative outlook would not help the country resolve its problems.

"We should never forget our history, but we should forgive, in order to bring about closure," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/03/rights-committee-involve-tni-police.html

Sexual & domestic violence

Religious teacher nabbed for molesting five girls in Riau

Jakarta Post - July 2, 2015

Jakarta – Indragiri Hilir Police in Riau province revealed on Thursday that they had apprehended Sugito, 63, for allegedly molesting five underage girls who he taught as a religion teacher.

"Most victims are elementary school students with ages ranging from 7 years old to 10 years old," Riau Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Guntur Aryo Tejo was quoted as saying by Antara news agency.

Guntur added that the police apprehended the suspect on Wednesday following a report from one of the victims' parents to the Kemuning Police station.

The suspect reportedly told police investigators that he groped the private parts of the girls, identified only by their initials of DP, 8, SN, 7, DE, 10, SR, 7, and WD, 7.

To cover up his acts, he gave Rp 2,000 (15 US cents) to each girl, telling them to keep quiet. One of the victims, however, reported the incident to her parents who later took the case to the police. (dmr)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/02/religious-teacher-nabbed-molesting-five-girls-riau.html

Yogyakarta sees increase in cases of sexual violence against children

Jakarta Post - July 1, 2015

Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – The number of cases of sexual violence affecting children, or those under 18 years old, has continued to rise in Yogyakarta, showing that existing measures to protect children against violence are inadequate and ineffective, an agency has said.

The Women's and Social Empowerment Agency (BPPM) Yogyakarta said Yogyakarta's administration and residents had not made serious efforts to prevent violence against children such as the case involving Engeline, 8, who was found buried in the backyard of her family's house in Denpasar, Bali.

"We have striven to introduce measures on the elimination of violence against children but the results are not good so far. Maybe our measures are not yet optimal because of limited funding," the agency's children and women's rights protection division head, Wati Marlinawati, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

According to BPPM data, 280 cases of sexual violence against children occurred in Yogyakarta throughout 2014, 145 of which were molestation, followed by sexual harassment (72) and rape (63). The figures showed significant increases as only 43 cases of sexual violence against children were reported in 2013, up from 33 cases in the previous year. "The trend of sexual violence against children has increased but the number of unreported cases might be much higher," said Wati.

Data collected by the Women's Crisis Center (WCC) Rifka Annisa also showed a similar trend. In 2014, WCC Rifka Annisa handled 38 cases of sexual violence against children. Until the middle of this year, it had handled 21 cases.

"We can only hold one event to introduce preventive measures on sexual violence against children in one regency or municipality per year. It's clearly inadequate for the high exposures of sex-related global information received by Indonesian children," said Wati.

She said the budgetary allocations for child protection in Yogyakarta reached around Rp 2 billion (US$150,000) annually, which was very small. Of the total, around Rp 500 million was used for advocating cases while the allocated budget for preventive measures was less than Rp 500 million, she added. "Preventing sexual violence against children has not yet become a priority," said Wati. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/01/yogyakarta-sees-increase-cases-sexual-violence-against-children.html

Labour & migrant workers

New pension scheme burdens workers: Lawmakers

Jakarta Post - July 7, 2015

Dylan Amirio, National – Lawmakers have reaffirmed their position of rejecting the sudden amendment of Government Regulation no. 46/2015 on pension funds.

House of Representatives Commission IX overseeing labor affairs said the provision that allows workers to withdraw their pension funds only after 10 years violated workers' rights.

Commission IX member Irma Suryani said that the new regulation had triggered complaints from workers, especially workers whose contracts will expire in less than 10 years.

Irma also criticized the government for not running a public information campaign to familiarize workers with the new regulations.

"The government should have coordinated with Commission IX in their campaigning about the revisions. Any revisions must consider the conditions of workers," said Irma, a NasDem party lawmaker, during the meeting held to discuss the revisions on Monday.

Fellow commission IX member and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker Rieke Pitaloka said that until the government came up with a new regulation, it should continue to apply the old regulation, which allows workers to withdraw their pension benefits from the Workers Social Security Agency after five years.

"The government should backtrack on their decision and stick to the old minimum of five years for the benefit of the workers," Rieke said. She appealed for the government to revert to the old regulation within the next 48 hours.

Manpower Minister Muhammad Hanif Dhakiri was not at the meeting with Commission IX on Monday at the House of Representatives. Hanif reportedly had to attend an urgent cabinet meeting with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. Many members of the commission IX criticized his absence.

"Commission IX has decided that we can't make any decisions without him present at this meeting. What we are seeing now is workers that are restless because the government is not communicating with them about the revision, and the minister needs to respond to their reactions," chairman of Commission IX Dede Yusuf said.

The minister was represented by Manpower Ministry secretary general Abdul Wahab Bangkona and Workers Social Security Agency director Elvyn G. Masassya during the meeting.

Elvyn rebuffed the lawmakers' statement that the government's public relations campaign had been insufficient. Elvyn argued that there was simply not enough time between the completion of the revision on June 30 and its implementation on July 1.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/07/new-pension-scheme-burdens-workers-lawmakers.html

Workers criticize government plan to revise new pension scheme

Jakarta Post - July 6, 2015

Haeril Halim, Headlines – Labor unions have rejected the government's plan to revise the new pension scheme regulations and have urged it to protect the basic rights of workers across the country.

After mounting criticism from the House of Representatives Commission IX overseeing labor issues and labor unions following the issuance of Government Regulation No. 46/2015, which stipulates that workers can withdraw their pension funds only after 10 years of enrollment in the program, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo announced on Friday that the scheme did not apply to contract workers or those who resigned from their jobs.

Confederation of Indonesian Workers' Union (KSPI) chairman Said Iqbal said the minimum enrollment requirement of 10 years should be scrapped from the new regulation and all workers, regardless of their employment contract, should be able to directly withdraw their old-age benefit (JHT) fund without having to wait too long.

Under the previous pension fund regulation, workers could withdraw their money after five years enrollment in the program as mandated by the 1992 Social Security Law, the basis for the old social security programs.

"If the revision only accommodates laid-off workers then it is certain that workers will reject it because this is against what workers have demanded regarding the pension fund regulation," Iqbal said in a statement on Sunday.

Workers have made three demands regarding the pension program, with the primary demand being that they be able to withdraw the benefit without any delay because JHT is aimed at helping workers with urgent needs in the future.

In their second demand, workers demanded that they be able to withdraw 100 percent of their JHT fund at once, not just 10 percent of the total fund in the initial withdrawal as stipulated by the current regulation.

"It will be pointless if workers can only withdraw the funds periodically," Iqbal said. Iqbal added that workers who resigned from their jobs should have the same rights as those being laid off in withdrawing their JHT fund without delay.

Earlier the government and the Workers Social Security Agency (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan) defended the new regulation, saying that it was aimed at protecting workers when they retired.

"If a worker is laid off and then all of their JHT funds are withdrawn at once, then it would be against Law No. 40/2004 on national social security," Manpower Minister Muhammad Hanif Dhakiri said last week, referring to articles 35 and 37 of the legislation which stipulates that old-age benefit funding can only be withdrawn after 10 years of premium payments.

Hanif said that laid-off workers should not withdraw their pension funds as they would have already been given a severance payment.

However, as the opposition to the new regulation grew stronger, President Jokowi on Friday summoned Hanif as well as BPJS Ketenagakerjaan president director Elvyn G Masassya to the Presidential Palace to discuss the issue.

After the meeting Jokowi told Hanif and Elvyn that the government would revise the new pension fund regulation.

"For workers whose contracts have been terminated or are no longer working for their respective companies, then they can withdraw their JHT fund within a month. To accommodate the President's instruction the government will revise the new regulation," Hanif said at the palace on Friday.

Hanif added that the government would also accommodate workers who had resigned from their companies in the revision plan, adding that all active workers should comply with the 10-year enrollment requirement. "The new regulation still applies to active workers," Hanif said.

Meanwhile, Elvyn said that BPJS Ketenagakerjaan would follow up on the President's instruction immediately.

"There will be follow-ups soon. In the media, we have announced that the exception only applies to laid-off workers and those who resigned from their jobs," Elvyn added.

The BPJS Ketenagakerjaan's assets amount to Rp 170 trillion (US$12.76 billion), a large part of which is JHT funds that will be paid to workers in due course, in accordance with the regulations.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/06/workers-criticize-govt-plan-revise-new-pension-scheme.html

Government backtracks on new rules for workers' savings scheme

Jakarta Globe - July 4, 2015

Ezra Sihite, Jakarta – The government has backed down on a controversial new regulation on a workers' savings scheme, saying it will now allow policy holders to cash out after five years instead of 10, but with conditions attached.

Manpower Minister Hanif Dhakiri said late on Friday that President Joko Widodo had acknowledged the public outcry over the change in policy governing the Social Security Administration Body for Employment, or BPJS Ketenagakerjaan, and would cede to workers' demands, after an online petition calling for a rollback of the regulation drew more than 100,000 signatures in three days.

Under its previous iteration as Jamsostek, the government-run savings scheme saw workers pay in with a mandatory 2 percent cut of their salary each month, for which they were entitled to cash out in full after five years of continued work.

Under the new regulation, which took effect on Wednesday, along with the full transition of Jamsostek into BPJS Ketenagakerjaan, policy holders may only receive 10 percent of their money after 10 years, and the full amount only upon reaching the retirement age of 56 years.

"The president has heard the aspirations of the people," Hanif told reporters in Jakarta on Friday night. "That's why workers who have been laid off [and worked at least five years] will now be able to claim their full payment one month after being laid off, instead of waiting 10 years."

To be eligible, though, claimants must have been laid off no later than July 1. Those who resign or are fired for cause are not eligible, Hanif said. He added the government was considering revising the regulation so that those laid off after the July 1 deadline could still access their money.

Workers took to the streets and to social media in hordes this past week, accusing the government of blindsiding them with the change in regulation from the previous policy.

The government's backtrack on the BPJS regulation marks the latest in a long list of U-turns it has been forced to make on controversial and ill- planned policies. Another regulation that went into force on July 1 was a requirement that all financial transactions taking place in Indonesia use the rupiah as the default currency – a requirement that the energy minister immediately conceded would be virtually impossible to enforce in the oil and gas and mining sectors.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/government-backtracks-new-rules-workers-savings-scheme/

Dismissed workers can withdraw JHT funds instantly

Jakarta Post - July 4, 2015

Jakarta – Only workers who are dismissed and can no longer work with other employers, will be allowed withdraw their deposits from the old-age risk scheme, says president director of Workers' Social Security Management Agency (BPJS TK) Elvyn G. Masassya.

The revision to the pension policy was agreed upon in a meeting between Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Manpower Ministers Hanif Dhakiri and Elvyn at the vice presidential office in Jakarta on Friday evening. The meeting was conducted in accordance with the government's review of Government Regulation No. 46/2015 on withdrawal of JHT funds.

"Workers will be allowed to withdraw their JHT funds a month after their dismissal and only those who can no longer work in other places are allowed to withdraw their JHT funds," Masassya told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

The new regulation, which requires workers to contribute 10 years of participation in the program or reach 56 years of age before they being allowed to withdraw JHT benefits, has met with strong opposition from workers who have demanded that the government revoke the regulation.

He said that the early withdrawal of JHT funds was an exception for workers who were dismissed or had resigned and were unable to find additional work. He added this new policy was better than the previous regulation that allowed dismissed workers to withdraw their JHT funds after only five years of employment and participation in the program. Hanif said that his side would immediately reconsider the new regulation.

Bambang Purwoko, a social security expert at Pancasila University, regretted the pressure placed upon the vice president to revise the new regulation, and said that the main stakeholders in social security programs were workers. He added that before the regulation was revised, workers should be given a chance to present their commonly held views on the issue.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/04/dismissed-workers-can-withdraw-jht-funds-instantly.html

Workers rally against controversial pension scheme

Jakarta Post - July 4, 2015

Hans Nicholas Jong and Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Hundreds of workers rallied on Friday along the capital city's main thoroughfares to protest against the government's new pension scheme regulations that they claim violate labor rights.

"This is just a warm up. We will keep fighting against capitalism to seek justice for workers. This wave of protests will not stop if the government doesn't change the regulation," said one of the female protesters.

The protester was referring to Government Regulation No. 46/2015 on the withdrawal of old-age benefit (JHT) funding. Under the regulation, subscribers of the JHT scheme could withdraw their pension fund only after 10 years of enrolment in the program, as opposed to the five year minimum period mandated by the 1992 Social Security Law, the basis for the old social security programs.

After the regulation took effect on July 1, a great number of workers and lawmakers have filed a petition to protest the regulation.

In response to the brouhaha, the House of Representatives Commission IX overseeing labor issues and health, plans to summon Manpower Minister Hanif Dhakiri and executives from the Workers Social Security Agency (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan) to seek clarification about the regulation.

Commission IX member Okky Asokawati, a politician from the United Development Party (PPP) and a former catwalk model, said the new regulation was in contradiction with the 2004 national social security system itself.

"Under the old regulation, workers could withdraw their JHT funds after five years of membership in the program, but under the new regulation, the JHT funds can be withdrawn only after 10 years of membership, and withdrawals are limited to ten percent. This will definitely affect workers," she said.

The government and BPJS Ketenagakerjaan have defended the new regulation, saying that it was aimed at protecting workers when they retire.

"If a worker is laid off and then all of their JHT funds can be withdrawn at once, then it would be against Law No. 40/2004 on national security systems," Hanif said on Thursday, referring articles 35 and 37 of the law which stipulated that old-age benefit funding can only be withdrawn after 10 years of paying premiums.

Hanif said that laid-off workers should not withdraw their pension fund as they were already given a severance payment.

"If the problem is termination of employment [PHK], then there's already the severance payment scheme as a means of protection. The JHT is often perceived as a regular savings scheme. That's what participants of the program should understand," said Hanif.

Social security expert Bambang Purwoko expressed his concern over the lack of understanding between lawmakers and the workers protesting the new regulation.

"The JHT and pension programs are designed to protect workers approaching retirement age. The JHT benefit will be paid in a lump sum while the pension benefit will be received on a monthly basis. Of course, the funds belong to workers and they have the right to take it but if the funds are withdrawn long before their retirement, they will be left unprotected and this is what the law seeks to address," he told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Bambang, also a professor of social security studies at the University of Indonesia and Pancasila University, said the BPJS Ketenagakerjaan could face financial problems and difficulty rolling out their other programs like affordable housing if workers were allowed to withdraw the social security funds earlier. "Like banks, the BPJS Ketenagakerjaan could face a rush," he said.

The BPJS Ketenagakerjaan's assets have reached Rp 170 trillion (US$12.76 billion), a large part of which is JHT funds that will be paid to workers in due course, in accordance with the regulation.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/04/workers-rally-against-controversial-pension-scheme.html

Anger and protests as govt blindsides public with new pension restriction

Jakarta Globe - July 2, 2015

Ezra Sihite, Jakarta – Thousands of Indonesians have taken to the Internet and the streets in protest at a new government regulation requiring employees and former employees to wait until retirement age to withdraw their pension funds.

An online petition challenging the government's decision to revise the longstanding regulation on the state-pension fund withdrawal system was launched on Change.org and within less than two days garnered nearly 60,000 signatures.

The petition was initiated by Gilang Mahardika, a Yogyakarta resident who resigned from his job after working for five years.

Gilang had planned to start his own business with his pension fund, deducted from his monthly salary and managed by the Social Security Administration Body for Employment, or BPJS Ketenagakerjaan, which used to be known as Jamsostek.

Gilang, who resigned in May this year, went to a BPJS Ketenagakerjaan office to withdraw his funds only to be told that the rules had changed since the institution began full operations on Wednesday under a new regulation.

"My happiness to finally get the money I planned to use for business ended with a bitter pill," Gilang wrote.

An official at the BPJS office told him that only those who have been paying into the pension fund for at least 10 years would be allowed to withdraw – and even then, the withdrawal is capped at 10 percent of the total fund. The full fund can only been withdrawn once the policy holder turns 56 years old. The life expectancy in Indonesia is 70 years.

Previous rules governing the Jamsostek scheme stipulated that the full fund could be withdrawn after five years of paying into the scheme.

Gilang's online protest spread quickly, with thousands of social media users echoing their disappointment on Facebook and Twitter, and demanding the government rescind the new regulation. Angry protesters claimed the government was effectively robbing the public with the revised rules.

Despite the outcry, though, Manpower Minister Hanif Dhakiri insisted that the new regulation was in line with prevailing laws.

"There's no such thing [as] the government taking advantage of the people. This is all about management," he said on Thursday. "After 10 years they will be allowed to access 10 percent of funds for miscellaneous necessities and an additional 30 percent for housing."

BPJS Ketenagakerjaan president director Elvyn Masassya said the new regulation was more in line with the scheme's intended purpose to provide a pension fund than the previous setup under Jamsostek.

"A pension fund is meant for people who have retired. A 10-year wait is more ideal," he said on Thursday as quoted by CNN Indonesia. (Yes, Elvyn is a man.) "The funds are still there and can be claimed in full when a worker is 56 years old."

Democratic Party legislator Dede Yusuf, who chairs the House of Representatives' oversight commission in welfare, said the new regulation was needed to prevent BPJS Ketenagakerjaan from becoming cash-strapped like its health insurer counterpart, BPJS Kesehatan.

While disgruntled citizens in Jakarta opted to raise a ruckus online, workers in the industrial island of Batam, in the Riau Islands province, took to the streets on Wednesday to protest the new regulation, Batamnews.co.id reported.

Some 200 workers marched on the local BPJS Ketenagakerjaan office demanding to meet with officials there. A scuffle ensued when the workers were denied entry into the office.

The local BPJS office eventually agreed to postpone the implementation of the new regulation until after the Idul Fitri celebration which falls on July 17.

There was a similar protest in Bogor, just south of the capital, where hundreds of BPJS Ketenagakerjaan policy holders protested what they denounced as the government's negligence in informing them about the drastic change in policy.

The Bogor office said there was nothing it could do to change the rules but to forward the people's grievances to the BPJS Ketenagakerjaan head office in Jakarta.

Andy Sinaga, of the workers' rights advocacy group Labor Institute Indonesia, said the regulation went against the spirit of Indonesia's universal social welfare scheme, which is supposed to work for the benefit of the people.

Andy also said that labor unions and workers' groups had never been consulted during the drafting of the new regulation. The government, he added, had showed itself to be insensitive toward the impact that Indonesia's economic slowdown was having on the workforce, including mass layoffs in various industries.

"Workers need cash to survive. With Idul Fitri just days away, there's an extra need for cash," Andy said as quoted by Rakyat Merdeka Online. "President Jokowi must act and revoke this one-sided decision because it victimizes the participants of BPJS Ketenagakerjaan themselves."

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/anger-protests-government-blindsides-public-new-pension-restriction/

Political parties & elections

'Political dynasties legalized' as court allows relatives to run for office

Jakarta Globe - July 8, 2015

Yustinus Paat & Carlos Paath, Jakarta – The Constitutional Court has come under heavy criticism after it revoked a provision in the Regional Elections Law that is meant to prevent the formation of political dynasties.

The Court on Wednesday "partially granted the plaintiff's motion to declare article 7 as not in line with the 1945 Constitution," Constitutional Court Chief Justice Arief Hidayat, who presided over the case, said in the court's ruling.

The provision of the law bars those "with blood or marital ties to the incumbent [regional leader]" from running for governor, district head or mayor, or the respective deputy positions.

The restriction was introduced after many expressed worries about the emergence of political dynasties across the country in the wake of the decentralization push that began in 1998.

Experts and activists have long championed the restriction, saying that through the practices of patronage, cronyism and bid-rigging, political dynasties across Indonesia have long been used to embezzle massive amounts of money from regional budgets.

But the plaintiff, Adnan Purichta Ichsan, said that the provision violated his constitutional rights to vote and get elected.

Adnan, a member of the South Sulawesi Regional Representatives Council (DPRD) is the son of the incumbent Gowa district head Ichsan Yasin Limpo and nephew of the incumbent governor Syahrul Yasin Limpo. Adnan's grandfather Muhammad was also a former Gowa district head.

Adnan is considering replacing his father as Gowa district chief and run in the upcoming regional election in December. The Limpo family also has brothers, sisters, sons and in-laws in key posts in regional legislatures and the House of Representatives (DPR).

There are least 25 such families that rule in different parts of Indonesia, according to a 2014 analysis by the Republika newspaper.

But no dynasty approaches the scale of that of Ratu Atut Chosiyah, the now-jailed former governor of Banten, who reportedly has at least 30 family members in influential posts, including those of district head, mayor, regional legislator and party chapter leader throughout the province.

Atut and her brother Wawan, a businessman, are now in jail for corruption. Atut's sister in law is now being investigated for another corruption case.

Judge Patrialis Akbar acknowledged that "an incumbent has access to the budget and power to make policies as well as facilities and privileges which could be used to get himself or members of his family elected," while reading his arguments. However, Patrialis continued, the article was also discriminative.

"Article 7 violates article 28 of the 1945 Constitution. The article is also against the law on human rights and violates the principles of civil liberties as stipulated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Right [ICCPR] which [Indonesia] has ratified," the judge said.

Meanwhile another judge, Anwar Usman, said the law has failed to clearly define the term "incumbent" which, according to him, could result in legal ambiguity.

Experts and activists were quick to condemn the court's decision, arguing that it legalizes the forming of political dynasties and basically will prevent people with no ties to the status quo from getting elected.

"The Court should have not only considered the restriction from a formal standpoint but also the people's sense of justice," political expert Hendri Satrio of Paramadina University told news portal Detik.com.

The decision, he said, "will also prevent the emergence of new and qualified figures. Because political dynasties will flourish and give birth to small kings and their puppet leaders."

Nico Hardjanto of think-tank Populi Center said the ruling would allow oligarchies to expand. He added that it would ultimately destroy democracy, as allowing privileged people with ties to power to run for office will lead to unfair elections.

By law, presidents, governors, district heads and mayors are limited to two five-year terms, but Veri Junaidi of watchdog Constitution and Democracy Initiative (Kode) said the de-facto legalization of political dynasties would mean power would increasingly be controlled by a small number of families.

"This will violate other people's constitutional right to honest and fair elections," he said.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/political-dynasties-legalized-court-allows-leaders-relatives-run-office/

Appointing loyalists, SBY ousts Marzuki Alie from Democrats' leadership

Jakarta Globe - July 5, 2015

Carlos Paath, Jakarta – Former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has named his loyalists as new members of his Democratic Party's leadership boards, ousting the outspoken former speaker of the House of Representatives, Marzuki Alie, in the process.

Yudhoyono announced new members of the party's executive board, high assembly, advisory board and others during a national meeting of the party (Rapimnas) in Jakarta on Saturday.

The former president himself was unanimously re-elected as the party's chairman for the 2015 to 2020 period during a party congress last month in Surabaya, after taking the reins in 2013 from former chairman Anas Urbaningrum, who was facing graft allegations and has since been jailed.

Having previously retreated as the chief patron of the party he founded in early 2000s, Yudhoyono has been forced to take the helm again as a string of graft scandals involving senior party officials – including Anas – put the party in a leadership crisis, while damaging its reputation and costing votes in last year's legislative elections.

The Democrats only finished fourth last year, after taking the top place in 2009.

Yudhoyono appointed his loyalists across the party's leadership boards, including senior party figure and former state administrative minister E. E. Mangindaan as his deputy in the party's high assembly, as well as the party's chief patron.

Yudhoyono is the head of the assembly, the highest decision-making body in the party that was formed halfway through Anas' reign.

In the executive board, which Yudhoyono also chairs, he appointed six deputies, including former cooperatives minister Syarief Hasan, former sports minister Roy Suryo and the head of the Democrats' faction at the House of Representatives, Nurhayati Ali Assegaf.

Lawyer Hinca Pandjaitan has been named the party's secretary general, a post previously held by the former president's youngest son, Edhie Baskoro Yudhoyono.

Edhie has been appointed the head of the Democrats' election campaign commission, with a former commissioner at the General Elections Commission (KPU), Andi Nurpati, as his deputy.

Time to say goodbye?

Meanwhile, Marzuki, a senior politician of the party, has been ousted from the new boards. The former speaker of the House said he had not even been invited to Saturday's meeting.

"I didn't attend [the Rapimnas] because I hadn't been invited... It's pity that I wasn't event told," Marzuki said. He added it might be time for him to say goodbye to the Democratic Party.

"By not including me anywhere in the [leadership] structure, the party has given me no room to continue to serve at the party. It's not because I don't want to, but it's SBY who has decided on those who are no longer needed at the Democratic Party," said Marzuki, who last served as the deputy head of the party's high assembly.

Party spokesman Ruhut Sitompul declined to explain why Marzuki was ousted. "Basically we care about our members. But they must be disciplined, polite and ethical," he said when questioned by journalists. Marzuki had been previously quoted as saying he hoped the party would have a new chairman, not Yudhoyono again, prior to the May congress.

'Intact and solid'

Meanwhile, in his address during the Saturday meeting, Yudhoyono said the party's solidity was vital for preparations ahead of elections of regional heads, hundreds of which will be held across Indonesia in December.

He said among the party's strong points was that it was not being afflicted by leadership crises, which have torn apart two of the country's oldest political parties, the Golkar Party and the United Development Party (PPP), and are currently threatening their eligibility to participate in the regional head elections.

"We don't have any problems concerning our legality, unlike [that arising from] dual leaderships in central executive boards [in other parties]," Yudhoyono said. "We must be thankful that we stay intact and solid; there should be not much problems in dealing with the regional elections later."

He also said that the Democrats should not use dirty tactics to divide and destroy other parties. "[There should not be attempts] to destroy the strength of other political parties using power, legal maneuvers, defamation, character assassinations and other bad ways," the former president said.

"Let's do good politics. With good intentions and by doing good politics, God willing we will have good outcomes," he added.

Yudhoyono may be referring to the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which has been accused of breaking Golkar and PPP apart in an alleged attempt to weaken the opposition bloc.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/appointing-loyalists-sby-ousts-marzuki-alie-democrats-leadership/

Environment & natural disasters

Land, forest fires continue to spread in Sumatra, Kalimantan

Jakarta Post - July 8, 2015

Jon Afrizal, Jambi – Land and forest fires have continued to spread in Sumatra and Kalimantan over the past several days in the midst of the dry season, prompting local authorities to go all-out to curb the impact of the fires on local people and the environment.

In Jambi, local conservation initiative Muarojambi Bersepakat Movement (GMB) reported on Tuesday that fires had started in Pematang Damar forest in Maro Sebo district, Muarojambi regency, over the past several days, burning some 10 hectares of the forest, which serves as a conservation area for various rare orchid species.

GMB deputy chairman Adi Ismanto said the flames came from a number of areas around the forest, including Jambi Tulo, Mudung and Bakung.

"Pematang Damar forest is surrounded by fire. Unless something is done about it, the forest will be burned to the ground in just a few days," he said.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) in Jambi on Tuesday spotted 29 wildfires across the province, 14 of which were detected in Muarojambi, six in East Tanjungjabung regency, five in Tebo regency and four in Sarolangun regency.

"Of the 29 hot spots, 14 have a confidence level of over 70 percent, meaning that they are almost surely on fire," Jambi BMKG officer Dian Anggaraini said.

In anticipation of haze, East Tanjungjabung Regent Zumi Zola Zulkifli said his administration had prepared 20,000 face masks to be distributed to local residents.

"We have also prepared paramedics," he said, adding that he had instructed all district chiefs in the regency not to leave their respective jurisdictions and to anticipate land and forest fires.

The dry season normally takes place between April and September. The BMKG, however, recently warned that the dry season could last longer this year as a result of the El Niqo weather phenomenon, whose effect will last until November.

In Pekanbaru, Riau, many people in the city were seen donning masks to prevent them from inhaling haze-filled air triggered by forest and land fires from several areas in three neighboring provinces, including Jambi.

"I'm wearing a mask because the air is not fresh as it is polluted with smoke from land fires," 57-year-old Idral, a local resident, said on Tuesday as quoted by Antara news agency.

Acting Riau governor Arsyadjuliandi Rachman has also called on locals to join hands in preventing land and forest fires as the dry season could last until the end of the year.

In Pontianak, West Kalimantan Police chief Brig. Gen. Arief Sulistyanto has instructed local police chiefs to deploy personnel to help local people extinguish land and forest fires that have began to occur in a number of regencies over the past week.

He said that based on his own observation, no district or subdistrict administration agencies were participating in ongoing fire-fighting efforts.

West Kalimantan Provincial Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) data showed that six hot spots had been spotted by Saturday.

The number increased to nine on Sunday, four of which were spotted in Kubu Raya regency. The remainder were in Sambas, Bengkayang, Landak and Melawi regencies.

Agency head Sustyo Iriyono earlier said that, as of Monday, the four fires in Kubu Raya had not been extinguished.

"A plantation company has also asked us to help extinguish fires on its plantation over fears that it would not be able to do so," he said as quoted by Antara.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/08/land-forest-fires-continue-spread-sumatra-kalimantan.html

Rampant crime threatens Indonesia forests

Jakarta Post - July 3, 2015

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Recent data from the government has shown that rampant environmental crime in Indonesia is posing an extraordinary threat to the country's ecological sustainability.

The Environment and Forestry Ministry revealed on Thursday that it is currently handling 169 cases of environmental crime, spanning from Aceh to Papua and including offences such as illegal logging, wildlife trafficking, poaching and waste dumping.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are still many other cases [unreported or still in process]," the ministry's law enforcement director-general, Rasio Ridho Sani, told reporters after a press briefing at his office in Jakarta.

Of these 169 cases, 10 of them are administrative, while 25 are disputes and 134 are crimes. "These numbers do not represent the whole country as this is just the data from seven units out of 77," Rasio said.

He highlighted some major disputes to demonstrate the sheer volume of state losses caused by environmental crime.

For example, the case of wildfires destroying 20,000 hectares of vegetation at Ogan Komering Ilir regency in South Sumatra, allegedly caused by PT Bumi Mekar Hijau (BMH).

The government estimated a Rp 2.7 trillion (US$203 million) loss as a result of the fires and are seeking to be reimbursed, and also demanding that the Palembang state court order the company to rehabilitate the damaged land at an estimated cost of Rp 5.3 trillion. That trial continues.

Forest fires are a major driver of climate change. According to the World Resource Institute (WRI), greenhouse gases (GHGs) from forest and peatland fires in Riau contributed to 27 percent of all GHGs emitted from Indonesia in 2009.

Forestry-related crimes still dominate legal cases handled by the ministry, with 90 cases having occurred from 2014 to 2015, consisting of 59 illegal logging cases, 27 wildlife trafficking cases, 20 encroachment cases, five forest fires and two illegal gold mining cases.

"In terms of progress, there are 34 preliminary investigations going on, 10 full-blown investigations, six cases on trial and eight just completed," the ministry's forest security and protection director, Istanto, said on Thursday.

He admitted that many of the verdicts were far below what the ministry aimed for.

An example is the hunting of critically endangered black macaque monkeys, also known as yaki, in North Sulawesi, where 12 monkeys were recently killed. The small monkey is protected under Law No. 5/1990 on the conservation of natural resources and the ecosystem, yet a penchant for the taste of the yaki's flesh among the people of North Sulawesi is pushing the protected primate toward extinction.

The population of the crested black macaque is between 4,000 and 5,000 in the province.

"We arrested four people [for hunting and killing the monkeys] and they have been sentenced to one year in prison," said the head of North Sulawesi Natural Resources Conservation Agency, Sudiyono.

Rasio said that all people, especially law enforcers, needed to understand that these crimes were extraordinary ones.

"Environmental crime involves every kind of crime, from causing state losses to harming people's wellbeing," he said. "With the crimes becoming more complex, organized and harmful, we have to prepare more robust law enforcement entities at a regional level. We don't know the form yet," he admitted, but said it had to happen.

According to the ministry's environmental dispute settlement director, Jasmin Ragil Utomo, law enforcement at regional level was still weak because many regional law enforcers are reluctant to file lawsuits in court.

"First, they are reluctant because suing someone costs money. Furthermore, they are confused about where to put the money returned by convictions as it falls into the category of non-tax state income. Regions' incomes are generally only taxes and fees," he said on Thursday.

At the moment, agencies handling environmental law violations are still split as regional governments have agencies that handle environment and forestry separately, just like the central government used to have until President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo decided to merge the forestry ministry and the environment ministry last year.

"Now that [that] merger has been finished, we can focus on similar agency mergers at regional level. We have talked with the Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Ministry about this plan and hopefully we can execute it this year," said Rasio.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/03/rampant-crime-threatens-ri-forests.html

Health & education

JKN penalties increased, fees raised

Jakarta Post - July 2, 2015

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – In a bid to increase company compliance with the National Health Insurance (JKN) program, from July 1, the Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) will start giving strict sanctions to companies that fail to enroll their employees.

The JKN provider said on Wednesday that while the government had required all employers to enroll their employees in the program since Jan. 1, as stipulated by Presidential Decree No. 111/2013, it has been lenient in implementing the policy.

For example, members of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) were exempt from the policy until the end of June due to a memorandum of understanding between the group and the BPJS Kesehatan. Starting from July 1, all employers have to enroll their employees with no exceptions.

"I would not call it a stricter policy. We are just implementing existing regulations, but we prefer to be persuasive," BPJS Kesehatan spokesman Irfan Humaidi told The Jakarta Post. "We don't want them to comply because of the punishment."

He acknowledged that there were still some companies that had not enrolled their workers despite being mandated to do so.

"We have actually given sanctions to companies in some regions, especially those that are not members of Apindo," said Irfan. "There have been around 100 so far."

According to him, the sanctions, which come in the form of warnings, have so far been effective in encouraging companies to enroll their workers.

"The punishments come in various forms, with the lightest being a written warning. A written warning is usually enough to make companies comply," said Irfan.

Bambang Purwoko of the National Social Security Board (SJSN), tasked with monitoring the JKN program, said that there were still some companies, usually small-scale, that refuse to enroll in the JKN program due to a perceived lack of facilities.

"They're not used to a system where they have to go to primary medical facilities first [as required in the JKN program]," he told the Post. "They usually already have their own doctors."

Starting from July 1, the premium contribution by wage-earning workers was also increased to 5 percent of their salaries, in which 4 percent is paid by their employers and the remaining 1 percent by the workers themselves. The payments used to be 4.5 percent, with 4 percent paid by companies and 0.5 percent by employees.

"It was supposed to be 5 percent [from the beginning], but because of the policy's transition period, we decided on a 0.5 percent figure. It was proposed by workers because in some companies, their employees did not want to pay and thus all of the premium was paid by their employers. Therefore, we had to compromise," Irfan said.

He added that the decision to increase the premium contribution of wage- earning workers by 0.5 percent was stipulated in Presidential Decree No. 111/2013.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/02/jkn-penalties-increased-fees-raised.html

Gender & sexual orientation

Indonesia 'too religious' for gay marriage

Jakarta Post - July 3, 2015

Jakarta – Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin has said that same-sex marriage is unacceptable in Indonesia because of the religiousness of its citizens.

"I think it's something difficult to allow in a country like Indonesia. Indonesia has a very religious society. The state and society perceive marriage as not only a civil affair," he said on Thursday as quoted by Antara news agency.

Lukman said that Indonesian people see marriage as a sacred thing and a part of religious ritual. Hence, as religions have forbidden homosexuality, same-sex marriage cannot be accepted.

Following the step taken in several nations like the Netherlands and Ireland, the US Supreme Court recently legalized same-sex marriage in all states in the country.

The move has sparked new excitement in Indonesia for similar recognition of equal marriage rights, allowing everyone to marry regardless of their sexuality. Support for same-sex marriage is vast on social media such as Facebook and Twitter.

Many, however, expressed skepticism that such recognition would soon occur in Indonesia as little effort has been made to reform marriage rights here.

The Indonesian Constitutional Court has recently refused to explicitly legalize interfaith marriages and also refused to raise the minimum marriage age for females from 16 years old.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/03/national-scene-ri-too-religious-gay-marriage.html

Graft & corruption

In Kalla's latest policy push, another slash at KPK'S authority

Jakarta Globe - July 8, 2015

Novianti Setuningsih & Fana Suparman, Jakarta – Regional chiefs who break the law when pushing through infrastructure projects will soon be granted immunity from prosecution by Indonesia's antigraft commission, thanks to the latest in a growing list of government policies essentially undermining the fight against corruption.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla first made the call for immunity last week, and on Tuesday announced that a presidential regulation on the matter would be issued imminently.

He denied that the move was "pro-corruption," saying instead that local officials had for years been reluctant to embark on much-needed infrastructure projects because of concerns that they would fall foul of the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK.

"If the government issues a presidential regulation, no one can oppose it. How could they?" he said. "What business has the KPK got opposing a presidential regulation issued by the government? Who says it's pro- corruption? This is pro-nation so that [development] can progress," he added.

Kalla said the law on state administration clearly authorized regional chiefs such as governors, mayors and district heads to implement development policies for the betterment of their regions, but that there were currently no provisions to protect them in the event that such policies violated anti-corruption statutes.

"Don't criminalize the policies. Don't press charges at random. If they break the law, arrest them, but don't fault their policies," he said.

Kalla has for several months now touted the need to go easy on regional chiefs who flout prevailing laws to expedite infrastructure projects – a case of the ends justifying the means – and famously gave a glowing testimony earlier this year in the trial of a party colleague and former district chief from West Java who was charged with corruption in connection with a project to build a power plant. The defendant, Irianto "Yance" Mahfudz Sidik Syafiuddin, was later acquitted of all charges, with Kalla's testimony seen as key in swaying the court.

Trump card

KPK officials, however, remain unfazed by what appears to be yet another move by the administration to undermine its authority, saying they would not relent in going after corrupt officials, regardless of the upcoming presidential regulation.

"The KPK will continue to refer to the anti-corruption law if public officials, including regional chiefs, subvert policies or if there are clear indications of criminal intent behind their policies," Indriyanto Seno Adji, an interim deputy chairman of the KPK, said on Tuesday.

He also pointed out that in Indonesia's legal hierarchy, the anti- corruption law trumped any presidential regulation. "So if there is any criminal intent behind public policies, the anti-corruption law will apply," he said.

Johan Budi, another interim KPK deputy chairman, said separately that the presidential regulation, if issued, would go against the spirit of the anti-corruption law. "I feel it's not necessary to have this regulation," he said. "If regional chiefs comply with the rules, there should be no problems."

Systematic undermining

The anticipated presidential regulation has been bandied about by a handful of senior officials, with the glaring exception of the president himself, and appears to be the latest policy move from the administration to hack away at the authority of the KPK.

Kalla last month persuaded President Joko Widodo to drop his opposition to the submission of a bill to parliament aimed at reining in the KPK's powers, in particular its authority to wiretap suspects' phone calls without the need to obtain a warrant from Indonesia's notoriously corrupt judiciary.

"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, said on June 23.

"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?"

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.

Joko himself has also been roundly criticized for effectively setting up the KPK to be targeted by the police in a series of attacks based on trumped-up charges.

Tensions between the antigraft commission and the National Police, widely perceived as the most corrupt institution in the land, escalated in January when the KPK named police general Budi Gunawan, Joko's sole nominee for police chief, a suspect for corruption and money laundering.

Budi, a former close aide to Joko's political patron, Megawati Soekarnoputri, and in possession of bank accounts holding undeclared millions of dollars, subsequently won a dubious court ruling that bizarrely threw out the charges against him despite the fact that he had not yet been indicted, but Joko's insistence on maintaining his nomination long after he was charged was seen as precipitating a series of blatantly fabricated probes by the police against KPK officials.

Two commissioners – KPK chairman Abraham Samad and deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto – and a veteran investigator, Novel Baswedan, were charged by police in cases going back up to a decade. Abraham and Bambang were subsequently suspended, as per the KPK's statutes for any commissioner facing criminal charges.

Budi, meanwhile, was eventually dropped from the running for police chief – only to be inaugurated later as the deputy to a new chief, Badrodin Haiti, who retires early next year.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/kallas-latest-policy-push-another-slash-KPKs-authority/

Legal protection for officials encourages graft

Jakarta Post - July 8, 2015

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – The central government's plan to encourage better regional budget absorption by providing more legal protection to public officials against graft convictions could likely be exploited by corrupt bureaucrats, antigraft activists have warned.

Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Yuddy Chrisnandi said on Tuesday that the ministry was currently drafting a Government Regulation (PP) to implement Law No. 30/2014 on government administration that would allow public officials to use their discretion to spend regional budgets as long as it was for the public interest.

"We have a legal umbrella that is enough to protect government officials so they won't be sent to jail. As long as an official carries out a tender with no intention to enrich himself or other people and carries out the project for the greater good, then he or she will only get administrative sanctions if he or she is proven to be guilty," Yuddy told reporters on Tuesday.

Yuddy said that while conducting tenders and procurements, if government officials inadvertently caused losses to the state, they would only be required to repay the losses without having to face prosecution.

"If the mistake was not meant to enrich himself or other people and it was purely due to carelessness and a lack of due diligence, then they cannot be imprisoned. They will only be asked to return the state losses [they caused]," he said.

Donal Fariz of the Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) said that the legal protection could be a setback in the country's battle against corruption.

"If irregular regional budget spending is considered only administrative snafu, then ill-intentioned officials would not think twice about committing graft," he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday. "In spite of the antigraft law, people still misappropriate regional budgets; what would happen if the central government gave them legal protection?"

According to Yuddy, the legal protection is necessary to prevent government officials from being prosecuted by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) or the Attorney General's Office (AGO) for making errors in budget spending.

Currently, many government officials in the regions have been reluctant to spend regional budgets for capital expenditure, including infrastructure development such as roads and bridges and other public services in the health-care and education sectors.

This reluctance had caused up to Rp 255 trillion (US$19 billion) of regional funding to sit idle in the accounts of regional administrations, Yuddy claimed. At least 32 percent of total spending in the revised 2015 state budget has been earmarked for transfers to regions, set at Rp 643 trillion this year.

"That's a huge number and we ask all regional policy makers to immediately spend this money and speed up tenders," he said.

Last year at least Rp 116 trillion that was meant for regional spending was never disbursed because there was no demand, according to data from the Regional Autonomy Watch (KPPOD). A year earlier, in 2013, the figure was Rp 99 trillion, suggesting that the amount of unused funding is increasing.

The Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (FITRA), meanwhile, said that the central government should not shift the blame for slow budget absorption onto regional governments.

"This problem has dragged on for a long time. Why? Because the central government is often late in disbursing the funds. They transferred the money in April. So if the budget has failed to be absorbed until today, then blame the central government," FITRA secretary-general Yenny Sucipto told the Post on Tuesday.

She said that legal protection which allowed discretionary regional budget spending could encourage officials to commit graft.

"If a public official violates existing regulations and his or her actions lead to state losses, then he or she could be taken to court," Yenny said. "Any project worth more than Rp 200 million has to go through a tender. You can't get around the regulation."

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/08/legal-protection-officials-encourages-graft.html

KPK investigator receives terror threat, again

Jakarta Post - July 7, 2015

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has once again faced another terror threat with an unidentified assailant placing a bomb-like package at the house of one of its investigators, Apip Julian Miftah, who is currently working on a number of high profile graft cases at the antigraft body.

Earlier in February, some KPK investigators and its legal team members working on a number of high-profile bribery cases and the pretrial hearing of then National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan received similar threats.

After receiving an order from President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, the National Police moved to investigate the threats but so far they have failed to find those responsible for them.

During a press conference at KPK headquarters on Monday, acting KPK commissioner Johan Budi confirmed that Apip was currently working on six high profile graft cases.

"The investigator contacted the local police after he found the package in front of his house. Shortly thereafter, a bomb squad came to handle the package and later the squad found pieces of cable in it. The case in now being handled by the police," Johan said.

Johan further stated that the antigraft body did not want to speculate whether the terror threat had any connection to the graft cases handled by Apip, adding that prior to the threat, the investigator also faced some incidents of intimidation from unidentified people.

"For example, someone slashed his car's tires and acid was poured on his car's windshield," Johan said, adding that the KPK had worked with the police to ensure the safety of Apip following the incident. Apip's house is located in Bekasi, one of Jakarta's satellite cities. Bekasi is under the jurisdiction of the Jakarta Police.

After receiving reports about the threat, National Police chief Comr. Gen. Badrodin directly instructed Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian to investigate the terror threat, adding that the Jakarta Police office had sent a number of personnel to Apip's home following news about the incident.

"I have given an order to the Jakarta police chief to find the perpetrator," Badrodin said at the State Palace on Monday.

Meanwhile, Bekasi police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Siswo said that Apip reported the threat to the Bekasi police shortly after the KPK investigator arrived at his home at 10 p.m. on Sunday. Siswo also confirmed that it was not the first threat directed against Apip.

The KPK is currently investigating a number of high profiles cases including cases involving former Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) chief Hadi Poernomo, former Makassar mayor Ilham Arief Sirajuddin, former energy and minerals minister Jero Wacik and former religious affairs minister Suryadharma Ali.

The KPK is also currently stepping up efforts on the money laundering case of former Democratic Party treasurer Muhammad Nazauddin, who was convicted in a graft case in 2013.

The KPK is tracing the assets of Nazaruddin allegedly bought with dirty money he embezzled while serving as ruling party House of Representatives lawmaker under the leadership of former president Susilo Bambang Yuhoyono, the current chairman of the Democratic Party.

Earlier, Nazaruddin admitted that he and former Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum established a company called Permai Group to hide slush funds collected from ministries and state institutions led by Democratic Party politicians under the tenure of Yudhoyono. Every year, Permai Group collected up to Rp 800 billion from allegedly rigging state projects.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/07/KPK-investigator-receives-terror-threat-again.html

KPK selection team urges public to restrict criticism to official site

Jakarta Post - July 6, 2015

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – Despite its pledge to conduct a transparent selection process, the committee tasked to select Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) commissioners hopes the public will not publicly criticize the 194 candidates who passed the first stage of the process.

The team spokesperson, Betti S. Alisjahbana said on Sunday that criticizing the candidates by revealing any confidential information about the candidates in the media would not only be ineffective but could also lead to defamation.

Betti said the selection team could be held responsible if any of the candidates filed a defamation report to the police, if they felt that criticism made in the media about their track records was offensive.

"It is not part of our responsibility [to tell the candidates not to respond to public statements in the media]. That's why [it is better] not to talk to the media because we have already provided a special hotline for the public to send us their opinions regarding the candidates at capimKPK.setneg.go.id," Betti told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

Betti said the team would keep all public criticism of the candidates posted on capimKPK.setneg.go.id confidential in a move to protect the privacy of the 194 candidates. "All criticism posted online will only be read by the team members," she said.

The selection team announced on Sunday that 194 candidates had made it to the second round of selection.

Among the well-known candidates who passed the first round on Friday are former Constitutional Court (MK) chief justice Jimly Asshidiqie, Judicial Commission commissioner Imam Anshori Saleh, United Development Party politician Ahmad Yani, Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Yotje Mende, KPK acting commissioner Johan Budi as well as KPK prosecutor Yudi Kristiana.

"We'll wait for the public to send us their criticism or comments on the 194 candidates until Aug. 3," Betti said.

In addition, on Friday the team posted the names of the 194 people, who were screened from a total of 611 candidates in the first round of the selection process, on the State Secretary Office's website.

The team only provides names and address of the candidates without giving any background information. In the selection process for the current batch of KPK commissioners during then president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's administration, the KPK selection team provided details of identities on each candidate who passed the first round of selection.

Betti defended the committee's careful handling of candidates' backgrounds saying "there was no ulterior motive behind the move."

One of the candidates who moved to the second round, Imam of the Judicial Commission urged the team to allow members of the public to criticize the 194 candidates through conventional media outlets and social media.

"I have no problem with it. If I am being criticized through the media then the team can ask me for clarification. I am ready to face any criticism. As long it is not slander, go ahead share the information with the public," Imam told the Post on Sunday.

The selection team, which was established by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in May, will select five new commissioners from the 194 candidates to replace the current KPK leaders whose tenures wrap up in December. It will propose eight final candidates to the President, who will submit the names to the House of Representatives for deliberation later this year.

The eight will join two candidates picked by a selection team set up under Yudhoyono's administration last year: former KPK commissioner Busyro Muqoddas and Cabinet Secretariat international relations division head Robby Arya.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/06/KPK-selection-team-urges-public-restrict-criticism-official-site.html

KPK's future leaders must complete BLBI investigation

Jakarta Post - July 5, 2015

A researcher from the Indonesia Study and Advocacy Center (PAS Indonesia) Taufik Riyadi has said the new Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leaders must prioritize conducting thorough investigations of Bank Indonesia liquidity support (BLBI) cases.

"These cases will become a latent danger unless they are resolved completely," he said as quoted by Antara in Jakarta on Sunday.

Taufik said it was hoped that the KPK selection committee could choose candidates for leaders who were ready to place priority on the thorough investigation of old cases, such as the BLBI cases, that had drawn public attention.

The BLBI cases inflicted Rp 422.6 trillion (US$31.69 billion) worth of recapitalization bond burdens upon the state. These include Rp 279.4 trillion worth of recapitalization bonds for four state-owned banks, Rp 141.96 trillion for private banks and Rp 1.23 trillion for 12 regional development banks.

Taufik said the ongoing selection of candidates for the KPK leadership positions could be used as momentum to choose the best commissioners for the antigraft body.

"We hope the KPK selection committee can carry out its duties along with what is expected by the Indonesian people," he said.

Dahnil Anzar, head of the youth wing of Muhammadiyah, Indonesia's second largest Muslim organization, said it was time for the KPK to uncover big corruption cases that involved big actors using sophisticated criminal methods and that inflicted massive financial losses on the state.

"It should no longer work to discover corruption cases related only to bribery and markups in procurement processes. To discover high-profile corruption cases, there should be strong and brave law enforcers. Corruption eradication efforts must be conducted collectively," said Dahnil.

He said the Muhammadiyah youth wing encouraged the KPK selection committee to work proactively, objectively and purposefully in seeking KPK leaders who were brave and professional in safeguarding the corruption eradication agenda in Indonesia.

"We also ask President [Joko "Jokowi" Widodo] not to compromise with BLBI debtors by any means. He should put those who are found guilty in the BLBI cases on a list of risky businesspeople," said Dahnil.

"It's important to put them on such a list because they are striving to take back their assets that were seized by the state via legal processes," said Dahnil. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/05/KPK-s-future-leaders-must-complete-blbi-investigation.html

Supreme court backs Sarpin in Budi ruling

Jakarta Post - July 2, 2015

Haeril Halim, National – The Supreme Court has defended South Jakarta District Court judge Sarpin Rizaldi following the Judicial Commission's recommendation that the judge be sanctioned for ethics violations in a controversial pretrial ruling earlier this year.

The recommendation related to a pretrial ruling that effectively ended the Corruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) investigation into the National Police's Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan. The Judicial Commission found that Sarpin falsely quoted expert testimony in his ruling and received free legal assistance from lawyer Hotma Sitompul.

Sarpin used the lawyer's assistance to file a defamation report against the commission with the National Police after it made a public statement saying that his ruling in the Budi case was controversial.

Supreme Court spokesman Suhadi, who is also a justice, said the commission had gone beyond its remit by citing Sarpin's misquoting of a witness.

"We have yet to receive the official recommendation on the sanction. However, the way a judge quotes an expert in his ruling has nothing to do with the Judicial Commission because it only deals with ethical matters," Suhadi told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Suhadi added that as a citizen Sarpin had the right to be accompanied by a lawyer in any legal matters.

Asked whether the Supreme Court, which oversees judges across the country, would move to impose a six-month suspension on Sarpin as recommended by the commission, Suhadi said the court chief justice Hatta Ali would first have to examine recommendation.

"The Supreme Court will analyze the recommendation to ascertain whether it is correct then the court chief will make a final decision," Suhadi said, adding that the court would not sanction Sarpin if it disagreed with the recommendation.

Despite the fact that Sarpin's ruling in Budi's pretrial hearing was marred by irregularities as claimed by legal experts and former Supreme Court justices, the court said it did not launch any investigation into Sarpin because it received no report that could support the launching of an investigation.

The police later dropped the investigation into Budi, who is now the deputy National Police chief.

The Constitutional Court has since made it part of the remit of a pretrial hearing to examine criminal allegations against a suspect, which had not been the case at the time of Budi's hearing in February.

Separately, Judicial Commission deputy chairman Imam Anshori said that if the Supreme Court had any objection or second opinion about the recommendation, the commission would be ready to discuss it.

"If the Supreme Court has no objection to the recommendation then it must comply with it, but if it has something to argue about then the commission is open to a joint forum to examine the recommended sanction," Imam said on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, acting KPK commissioner Johan Budi said the KPK would not use the Judicial Commission ruling to file a case review challenging Sarpin's ruling to the Supreme Court to open the way to taking back Budi's case from the National Police.

"The Judicial Commission's ruling will not change anything regarding the KPK's decision to transfer Budi's case to the AGO. The transfer indicated that the KPK no longer had a connection to the case," he said.

Following the case the KPK suffered two further defeats in pretrial hearings.

In May, the South Jakarta District Court released former Makassar mayor Ilham Arief Sirajuddin and former Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) chief Hadi Poernomo from two separate high-profile graft investigations.

In contrast to Budi, the KPK later reopened an investigation into Ilham. With regard to Hadi, the KPK has filed a case review with the Supreme Court challenging his pretrial decision.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/02/supreme-court-backs-sarpin-budi-ruling.html

KPK presses ahead with probe on BLBI graft

Jakarta Post - July 1, 2015

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – The interim leadership of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has denied reports that it has dropped the probe into the Bank Indonesia liquidity support (BLBI) case which could implicate President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's patron and former president Megawati Soekarnoputri.

The KPK leadership issued a statement on Tuesday defending its handling of the case, which has seen no progress since the installment of interim commissioners Taufiequrachman Ruki, a former KPK chairman under Megawati's tenure, Johan Budi and Indriyanto Seno Adji. "The investigation into the BLBI case is still ongoing. We haven't dropped it," Indriyanto said.

Many have doubted if the interim leadership will be able to prosecute the BLBI case given its political nature. The last time the KPK worked on the BLBI case was in December when it questioned former coordinating economic minister Rizal Ramli.

At the time of the probe, then KPK chairman Abraham Samad vowed that he would complete the BLBI investigation before his tenure ended in December 2015. Abraham also hinted in August 2014 that the KPK would summon Megawati in the case.

Following a standoff between the KPK and police, Abraham was dismissed from his post in February. Speculation was rife that the appointment of Ruki was part of a plan to halt the probe into the BLBI graft.

However, Indriyanto said that the KPK would resume questioning witnesses in the case as soon as KPK leaders had met with the BLBI investigation team in the near future. "I have yet to receive an update from the team handling the case," he said.

During the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis, the government, through the central bank, provided liquidity support of Rp 144.5 trillion (US$10,82 billion) to assist 48 commercial banks in coping with massive runs, but 95 percent of the money was eventually embezzled. After his questioning in December last year, Rizal, a former minister under the tenure of Megawati's predecessor Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, blamed Megawati for the massive financial losses from the BLBI scandal.

Rizal said that the debtors lobbied the Soeharto administration, convincing high-ranking officials to allow them to pay back their debts to the state using assets, whose value was constant, rather than cash.

Rizal said that Gus Dur deplored the Soeharto administration's decision, which he said would cause the state to suffer massive financial losses, as the value of the assets would decrease overtime.

"To make sure that the tycoons paid back the same amount as they had borrowed from the state, we issued what we call a personal guarantee notes policy. The policy meant that if the tycoons couldn't pay their debt, then their families, until the third generation, bore the responsibility to pay," he said. Rizal said Megawati's government reversed the policy.

To replace the personal guarantee notes policy, Megawati, after receiving input from her Cabinet ministers, including former finance minister Boediono, coordinating economic minister Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti and state-owned enterprises (SOE) minister Laksamana Sukardi, issued Presidential Decree No. 8/2002, which regulated these "release and discharge" letters, freeing recipients of the funds from any obligation to fully pay back the debts.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/01/KPK-presses-ahead-with-probe-blbi-graft.html

KY recommends sanction for judge Sarpin

Jakarta Post - July 1, 2015

Jakarta – The Judicial Commission (KY) has recommended penalizing South Jakarta District Court judge Sarpin Rizaldi with a six month suspension because he has been found to have breached ethics in his controversial verdict on the pretrial of National Police deputy chairman Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan in February. The KY revealed the conclusion of an investigation into Sarpin on Tuesday before delivering it to the Supreme Court, which supervises all judges across the country. If the court approves the KY's recommendation, Sarpin will be forbidden from presiding over any court hearings for six months.

"A plenary session today agreed to issue a recommendation about the sanction. Our investigation confirmed that he violated a number of judicial principals including mistakenly quoting expert testimony in his verdict," KY deputy chairman Imam Anshori said on Tuesday night.

Imam said that the KY also found Sarpin guilty for his decision to receive legal assistance from lawyer Hotma Sitompoel, an act that violates a judge's code of ethics. Sarpin used the lawyer's assistance to file a defamation report against the KY to the National Police after the commission made a public statement saying that his verdict was controversial.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), which had handled Budi's bribery case, was later forced to transfer the three star police general's probe to the Attorney General's Office (AGO), after Sarpin declared that his suspect status was illegitimate. Budi's case has since been dropped for good.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/01/national-scene-ky-recommends-sanction-judge-sarpin.html

Freedom of religion & worship

Komnas HAM finds religious freedom still under threat

Jakarta Globe - July 5, 2015

Andreyka Natalegawa, Jakarta – Government institutions on all levels still have plenty of work to do if they want to end religious intolerance in Indonesia, observers say in response to a new report on religious freedom released by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).

The quarterly report, released on Friday by the Komnas HAM division focusing on the freedom of religion and belief, cited 14 specific cases of religious intolerance and injustice in Indonesia during the April to June period this year.

Notable cases discussed include the persecution of members of the Ahmadiyah religious minority group in South Jakarta, the closure of churches in Banda Aceh and Aceh Singkil, and the criminalization of Shiites in Bogor.

"These cases present a serious problem," Komnas HAM commissioner M. Imdadun Rahmat said at a press conference on Friday. "When they happen year after year, they aren't just individual events. They indicate a greater problem across the entire country."

"It means there is a problem within the system, in relation to the state's minimum obligation to protect religious freedom in Indonesia," Imdadun added.

Ismail Hasani, a researcher with the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace, noted that issues of religious freedom are still widespread throughout the country.

"We record approximately 200 events [relating to violations of religious freedom] every year," said Ismail. "The situation is still the same. It's not good." 'Just the tip of the iceberg'

Representatives from Komnas HAM also spoke on the extensiveness of religious intolerance, saying that their report underrepresented the true scope of violations.

"The cases that are included in the report, especially those on the closure of places of worship, are just the tip of the iceberg," Imdadun said. "There still cases that are developing, and those that are undergoing review by Komnas HAM. And there are new complaints coming in all the time."

"This only represents a small section of religious issues in Indonesia today. We cannot be satisfied yet," Imdadun added.

According to a 2015 study by the Pew Research Center on global trends in religious restrictions and hostilities, Indonesia attained the dubious honor of having a social hostilities index figure of 7.8 out of 10, the highest in Southeast Asia.

Indonesia's elevated social hostilities figure indicates moderately high occurrences of various discriminatory acts, ranging from the "vandalism of religious property and desecration of sacred texts to violent assaults resulting in deaths and injuries," according to the study.

Intolerant groups

As Indonesia struggles to prevent acts of religious intolerance, the challenges ahead are obvious, observers say.

"Based on our experience, the challenges to religious freedom in Indonesia are the same as before," Ismail said. "There are intolerant groups that are increasingly widespread in both Jakarta and beyond, such as the Islamic Defenders Front [FPI], the Islamic People's Front [FUI], and others."

"These intolerant groups are like a virus. They influence the public to also become intolerant," Ismail added.

The Komnas HAM report also highlighted the role of intolerant fringe groups in impeding religious freedom, noting the considerable strain they put on local governments.

"In the mediation cases that Komnas HAMs took part in, local governments were often unable to deal with pressure from intolerant groups," the report said. "Although administrators were not directly responsible for the violations of religious freedom committed by fringe groups, they were ultimately involved as they allowed them to happen."

Interactions between local administrators and religious groups are further complicated by conflicts of interests, said Jayadi Damanik, coordinator of the Komnas HAM division responsible for the report.

"In cases regarding the licensing of places of worship, many officials could not differentiate between their function as public servants, and their interests as adherents of a particular faith," Jayadi said.

Places of worship

The lack of impartiality among local officials dealing with conflict between religious groups has also impacted the issuance of land permits for places of worship.

"Permits that are requested by minority communities often go unprocessed. What's more, permits that are already granted are sometimes revoked," Imdadun said.

"If a religious community doesn't have the right papers, intolerant groups may try to enforce permit regulations by prohibiting and closing their place of worship. These groups believe that their actions are justified and in line with the proper enforcement of law."

"So there are instances where the implementation of law becomes a way to target people," Imdadun added.

In order for religions freedom to truly take root in Indonesia, a comprehensive review of discriminatory laws is needed, Ismail argued.

"Making any progress will be difficult, because of discrimination within the Indonesian legal system," he said. "These laws need to be changed."

'The minority should respect the majority'

Komnas HAM's report comes at a time of heated debate on religious tolerance and freedom in Indonesia.

On June 18, the Constitutional Court rejected a petition for a judicial review of Indonesia's 1974 Marriage Law, thwarting efforts to revise restrictions on interfaith marriage.

The court's decision prompted outcry from human rights activists, who criticized the law for failing to protect the rights of Indonesians who wished to marry across religious divides.

Meanwhile, Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin recently faced a backlash after issuing a benign statement calling for mutual respect between religious groups during Ramadan.

Lukman, who implored Muslims to not force food vendors to close during during the Islamic holy month, was denounced by conservative politicians and religious figures alike for attempting to promote tolerance and understanding.

"The minority should respect the majority. The minister is [talking] nonsense. The Islamic faithful in East Java will never do as he instructs," Ali Badri Zaini, the head of the East Java chapter of the Islamic Dakwah Forum, was quoted as saying by Metro TV.

'Most religiously harmonious country'

Komnas HAM's findings on religious intolerance also contradict recent statements made by Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who claimed that Indonesia was the most religiously harmonious country in the world, in a speech delivered at the Asian Conference of Religions for Peace on June 3.

Kalla, who praised the Indonesian government for officially recognizing six religions, said: "tell me which country is more democratic than Indonesia. Even the United States, the largest democracy, doesn't have [an Islamic holiday as a national holiday]."

Despite mixed messages from leaders, observers still believe progress can be made in the fight for religious freedom and understanding.

Friday's report notes that "there is a willingness from some local governments to work together with Komnas HAM in ending rights violations cases related to the freedom of religion and belief."

"This fact is evidenced by the desire for dialogue and mediation processes [in times of religious conflict]."

Setara's Ismail also highlighted the role that players from the new administration of President Joko Widodo could have in securing tolerance and understanding across different religious groups, saying: "we must have hope for the new era. We need political leadership from the president."

"In many regions, local political leaders are very decisive in managing religious freedom. We hope that, on the macro-level, President Joko Widodo will be capable of addressing issues of intolerance and violations of religious freedom."

"His political leadership is the final key to fix the problem," Ismail concluded.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/komnas-ham-finds-religious-freedom-still-threat/

Police say they're too scared to fight religious hard-liners

Jakarta Globe - July 5, 2015

Erwin Sihombing, Jakarta – The Indonesian police are reluctant to crack down on hate speech, including by hard-line Islamic groups, because there are no "rewards" for doing so and they fear a backlash, an official has admitted.

Sr. Comr. John Hendri of the National Police's legal division acknowledged during a discussion in Jakarta on Friday that there was a widely held public perception that the police were unwilling to take on purveyors of hate speech such as groups hostile to minority religious groups.

"The truth is that police officers who see, hear or experience such incidents can file a report [for subsequent investigation], but tend to be scared to because there's no reward or guarantee of safety for themselves," he said.

He did not specify what he meant by "reward," although it is almost universally believed that the Indonesian police typically demand money from anyone filing a report before they will proceed with an investigation.

John said the police were drafting a regulation that would protect officers when taking on cases of hate speech. "We hope that with this regulation, our officers won't be scared anymore," he said.

"Without it, all they'll have to work on are the existing laws, which require that a member of the public file a complaint [about the hate speech]. But there's no way a member of any congregation is going to rat on a religious leader who threatens them."

The claim that the police need protection against purveyors of hate speech is hugely ironic, given that some of the worst perpetrators, in particular the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), have long been championed by the police as providing a community policing service.

Leaked US diplomatic cables dating from 2006 allege that the FPI, responsible for attacks on minority Islamic communities and Christians, receives funding from the police and acts as the force's "attack dog."

Senior officials at the Jakarta Police and National Police levels have for years defended the FPI as a "partner" to the police and attempted to downplay its litany of transgressions.

Sr. Comr. Chrysnanda Dwi Laksana, the head of the doctorate studies department at the police academy, said the police needed encouragement, not criticism, if they were to do their job of protecting persecuted minority groups.

"We need to make police officers braver, but they'll only be more afraid if they keep getting criticized," he said.

Adrianus Meliala, a member of the National Police Commission, a government-sanctioned watchdog for the force, countered that what the police really needed to do was stop making excuses and start protecting minorities.

"The problem isn't the perpetrators who can't be controlled, or the regulations that aren't comprehensive, but the police themselves," he said.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/police-say-theyre-scared-fight-religious-hard-liners/

Islamic Jihad Front disperses Christian camp in Yogyakarta

Jakarta Post - July 3, 2015

Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – The Islamic Jihad Front (FJI), with police backing, has broken up a camping event of 1,500 Christian elementary and junior high school students at the Wonogondang camping ground in Cangkringan, Sleman, Yogyakarta.

Members of the FJI claimed that the event, organized by a church from Surakarta, Central Java, was not equipped with a full permit from the police.

"Local residents were restless about the presence of Christianization and unauthorized activities," Yogyakarta chapter FJI commander Abdul Rohman told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

The dispersal took place on Wednesday, as the event was about to begin, when dozens of FJI members and those from other Islamic groups arrived at the location and demanded to see permits from the organizers.

The group members also removed banners, blocked the road and prevented participants from outside the city from entering the camping ground, located on the foot of Mount Merapi.

The camp, themed "Reclaiming Her Love," was organized by an Advent church in Surakarta and was scheduled to run from July 1 to 5. Participants arrived from various cities outside Yogyakarta, and from districts as far away as Central Java, East Java, Jakarta and Sumatra.

"Had the permits been completed, it wouldn't have mattered," said Abdul, who claimed that he came to the location at the invitation of the local residents of Wonogondang.

Separately, Sleman Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Faried Zulkarnean said that he deployed 80 police personnel after receiving information that FJI and other Muslim groups would meet at the location. "We arrived to provide security for every camping participant," said Faried.

He said that apparently the camping organizers were not yet equipped with a complete permit from the police, and had a permit only from the Cangkringan district police.

"It is a religious activity which involves participants from outside the province. They should have notified the Sleman, Yogyakarta and National Police headquarters and the Religious Affairs Ministry," said Faried.

During mediation between FJI and event organizers, Faried asked the organizers to meet licensing requirements. The organizers left the location on Thursday morning. As yet, none of them could be reached.

Wonogondang Campgrounds manager Bambang Kotir claimed that he had arranged a permit for the event only up to the police sector.

"The organizers claimed they had requested permission from top-rank police officials at the National Police headquarters, and that they had received verbal permission, but this verbal permission had not yet being written down," said Bambang.

He added that residents providing tour, lodging and food services around the site feel deprived by the cancellation. According to plan, the participants would enjoy nature excursions and learn how to make batik.

Meanwhile, Friends of Freedom of Religion and Faith (Sobat KKB) activist Dwi Rusbiyati expressed regret over the incident. She said that the Yogyakarta Police should be more willing to protect minority groups.

"If something was lacking in the licensing procedures, the police should have helped to complete it," said Dwi.

Dwi added that FJI's claim that the camp constituted a Christianization effort was a baseless fear that could not be proved, because the event was only intended for elementary and junior high school pupils.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/03/islamic-jihad-front-disperses-christian-camp-yogyakarta.html

Islamic law & morality

West Java district to ban TV in favor of more Islamic studies for kids

Jakarta Globe - July 5, 2015

Jakarta – A district chief in West Java province has ordered a TV blackout for local children after sunset in favor of more Islamic studies and Koran recitals.

Dedi Mulyadi, the head of Purwakarta district, told Tempo on Sunday that the ban would run from maghrib, the fourth prayer of the day that Muslims are obliged to conduct and which coincides with sunset, until after isya, the fifth and final prayer, which at this time of year falls shortly after 7 p.m.

"Right now, the custom of praying in a congregation and reciting the Koran and studying from maghrib until isya has been badly degraded," he said.

He blamed "useless" TV programming during that period for children's reluctance to immerse themselves in Islamic studies, and said the holy month of Ramadan, when most people ramp up their piety, was the perfect time to roll out the new policy.

Dedi acknowledged that the ban would not be popular, but said he had already discussed it with community leaders and ward and subdistrict chiefs. "I've ordered them to promote this program of no television between maghrib and isya," he said.

It is unclear how he plans to enforce the ban, which as it currently stands is not even in the form of a bylaw or regulation, rendering it legally toothless.

Dedi said it was important for that his policy, part of his "save the children" campaign, should succeed, and called on parents to take part in it.

The campaign apparently does not extend to the district head himself, who was accused earlier this year of fathering a baby with a ninth-grade student at an Islamic school. Police said in April that they would conduct a paternity test on Dedi after the allegations surfaced, but there has been no follow-up since.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/west-java-district-ban-tv-favor-islamic-studies-kids/

House talks alcohol control

Jakarta Post - July 4, 2015

Tama Salim and Dylan Amirio, Jakarta – The alcohol prohibition bill is one step closer to being passed into law, with political factions at the House of Representatives agreeing in a plenary session on Friday to start its deliberation.

All 10 political party factions gave written approval to the deliberation of the bill during the plenary meeting, giving the House full authority in the drafting of its contents.

The House is expected to start deliberating the bill in the next sitting session, which commences next month after the Idul Fitri holiday.

Deputy chairman of the House's legislative body (Baleg), Firman Soebagyo, said the next step in the deliberation of the bill would be what he called a "harmonization" stage, during which some of its clauses would be evaluated and further discussed by lawmakers.

Firman said the alcohol prohibition bill would be an important piece of legislation that needed to be passed soon in order to provide a legal basis for the control of the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

"The reason this bill is so important to pass is that it will fill a legal void that has affected how people consume alcoholic beverages. We are aware of its pros and cons, but we need a legal foundation for the management of alcoholic beverages," Firman, a Golkar Party politician, told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Firman added that the bill was geared more toward "the control of illicit alcohol production and consumption", especially in terms of overcoming the distribution of moonshine.

Lawmakers will likely focus on the control and management of alcoholic beverages instead of a complete ban, Firman said. "The draft adopted by the House today is not final as there are several changes that need to be made," he said.

Among the possible changes to the bill is a clause that stipulates that people caught consuming alcohol could face a minimum of three months and maximum of two years' imprisonment, or a fine of between Rp 10 million (US$750) and Rp 50 million.

"That clause has been the subject of debate because of its major implications on basic rights and tourism," Firman said.

The bill has a clause allowing exemptions, which includes "consumption for customary use, religious rituals, tourism, in pharmaceutical use and in places authorized under the regulations".

In the current bill, however, there is no information on whether the consumption of alcohol is prohibited only in public or whether it would include private consumption.

The current bill also has no stipulation on the dangerous methanol-based alcohol that is often used in moonshine.

The bill also does not mention the role of the government in raising awareness of the dangers of alcohol consumption.

Because of the urgency of controlling the spread of bootleg liquor, Firman hoped the bill would be passed by the end of the year.

Although all 10 factions at the House support the bill, some factions, especially Muslim-based political parties, wanted more stringent rules against alcohol.

Almuzzammil Yusuf, spokesperson for the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) faction, recently said the party backed the bill and want tighter control given that 18,000 people died every year as a result of alcohol consumption. Based on the statistics, he said that Indonesia should strictly regulate alcoholic beverages because it was "a religious country".

Even so, the PKS faction acknowledged the concerns of tourism players. Almuzzammil said the bill needed to accommodate the interests of all stakeholders.

Contacted separately, Tjandra Yoga Aditama, who is the chairman of the National Institute of Health Research and Development (NIHRD), emphasized the dangers of alcohol consumption, which he said had caused around 3.3 million deaths per year globally.

He did, however, also highlight the fact that only 34 percent of the UN's World Health Organization member countries were reported to have national policies on alcohol.

Earlier, Tjandra warned against the hazards of methanol-based bootleg liquor, stating that it could damage the nervous system, the digestive tract and lead to blindness.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/04/house-talks-alcohol-control.html

Alcohol prohibition bill could soon become law: House

Jakarta Post - July 3, 2015

Dylan Amirio – Indonesia's alcohol prohibition bill is one step closer to becoming law with the House of Representatives agreeing on Friday to further discussion of the bill.

All party factions handed over written approvals on the deliberation of the bill during the House's plenary meeting on Friday.

Deputy chair of the House's legislative body, Firman Soebagyo, said that the decision would enable the bill to go into a harmonization period, during which some of its clauses would be evaluated and discussed further.

"The reason why the law is important is more toward the control of illicit alcohol production and consumption. The draft that was given to the House today is not final as there are several changes that need to be made," Firman told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Among the possible changes are a clause that says those caught consuming alcohol will face a minimum of three months and maximum of two years' imprisonment.

"That clause has been the subject of debate because of the large implications it will have on rights and the tourism industry. It is one of the clauses that should be modified because it doesn't specify the exceptions," the Golkar Party politician added. Due to the urgency to control the spread of illicit alcohol, Firman hoped the bill would be passed by the end of the year.

"After the President issues a mandate on this bill, the House can begin further deliberations. As of now, it is not final," he said. (ika)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/03/alcohol-prohibition-bill-could-soon-become-law-house.html

Islam & religious affairs

Restaurants lay low during Ramadhan

Jakarta Post - July 8, 2015

Tangerang – South Tangerang municipality has begun to crack down on restaurants that have violated the city's regulation regarding opening hours during Ramadhan, in order to "maintain the holiness of Ramadhan and interfaith tolerance".

In June, the South Tangerang administration and South Tangerang Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued a joint announcement letter prohibiting any food stalls to operate before 12 p.m.

In the announcement letter, both institutions say that tourism-related businesses, such as restaurants and cafes, should respect fasting Muslims by not operating from 4 a.m. to 12 noon. If they open after 12 p.m., they are obliged to install barrier curtains.

In line with the enforcement of the letter, the Public Order Agency and South Tangerang Culture and Tourism Agency sealed eight restaurants at the Flavor Bliss food court in Alam Sutera last week because they started operating before noon.

When representatives of the two agencies inspected the restaurants around 10:30 a.m., Papa Jack was caught serving two customers at two tables, employee Bimo said, admitting that the restaurant had opened at 8 a.m. that day.

Wendy's assistant manager Sugi said that they thought the municipality's letter was just an appeal, not an obligation. "We misunderstood the regulation," he said.

A McDonald's restaurant in Ciputat put an announcement on its doors saying that in compliance with the administration's letter, the restaurant would only serve "drive thru" and delivery service from 5 a.m. to 12 p.m.

However, many restaurants in South Tangerang, like Bakmi Pelangi, continued to open in the morning in spite of the ban.

"We have a permit from the tourism agency to begin our operation in the morning as long as we put curtains in front of the restaurant," said employee Sella, adding that the agency also allowed her restaurant to operate in the morning because its owner is non-Muslim.

Separately, Acintya Indracara, a non-Muslim resident of Jombang in South Tangerang, said that she did not know about the regulation because during Ramadhan she found that many restaurants were open in the morning.

"I can easily find breakfast and lunch during Ramadhan as most restaurants are open. That's why I wasn't aware of such a regulation," she said. She criticized, however, South Tangerang's regulations as discriminatory.

Mayor Airin Rachmi Diany said that the regulations were introduced four years ago and had so far not negatively impacted the business climate.

The authorities decided to allow restaurants to start operating at 12 p.m. because South Tangerang is a transit city and many long-distant travelers pass through the city during long-distance trips.

"We allow the restaurants to open at 12 p.m. because we would like to respect long-distant travelers who are fasting for a half day," Airin said.

In addition, Airin denied that the regulation was unfair to non-Muslims. "This is a form of interfaith tolerance. How difficult it is to uphold tolerance by not eating outside until 12 p.m.? You can eat at home, anyway." (agn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/08/restaurants-lay-low-during-ramadhan.html

Agriculture & food security

Rice output soars, Jokowi's policy successful: BPS

Jakarta Post - July 1, 2015

Satria Sambijantoro, Jakarta – The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) has said Indonesia will see a significant increase in rice production this year, giving a push to the no-imports vision of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo as his ambition to secure food sovereignty might materialize sooner than expected.

It is estimated that the production of unhusked rice (ARAM), a leading indicator of farmers' output, will soar by 6.64 percent to 75.5 million tons this year from 70.85 million tons last year.

That would be the biggest annual output increase in the last ten years, according to BPS data. For comparison, rice output in 2014 fell by 0.6 percent year-on-year.

"The significant increase in rice output this year could happen because of various initiatives undertaken by the government, notably in the distribution of pumps, tractors and fertilizers," BPS head Suryamin told a press briefing on Wednesday.

"The involvement of the Indonesian Military in securing the smooth distribution of fertilizers to farmers also played a crucial role," he added.

In 2015, farmers' productivity is predicted to rise 2.8 percent year-on- year to 1.45 quintal per hectare, while harvest size would increase 3.7 percent to 512,060 hectare, data from the BPS showed.

Jokowi has pledged that he will lead the country to become self-sufficient in rice production with the country aiming to require no more rice imports within three years.

Jokowi has stated that he would fire Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman if such a target could not be achieved, with Andi reportedly included on the President's list of ministers he would remove in a Cabinet reshuffle that might take place next month.

Indonesia, through the State Logistics Agency (Bulog), imported at least 425,000 tons of rice from Thailand and Vietnam last year. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/01/rice-output-soars-jokowi-s-policy-successful-bps.html

Land & agrarian conflicts

New ruling upsets forestry firms

Jakarta Post - July 8, 2015

Khoirul Amin, Jakarta – Forestry companies have raised concerns over a new ministerial regulation that requires them to allocate at least 20 percent of their existing concession areas to local people, saying the ruling would severely hurt their plantation operations.

Association of Indonesian Forest Concessionaires (APHI) executive director Purwadi Soeprihanto said the regulation would make their forestry business no longer economically viable because it would significantly squeeze their plantation areas.

"We do understand the government's purpose to provide greater benefits to the people, but we're concerned that the rule could possibly ruin companies' efforts to achieve business goals," he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Under the previous regulation, an industrial forest concession holder is required to allocate up to 70 percent of its concession areas for industrial forests, 10 percent for ingenious plants, 5 percent for use by local or indigenous communities, 10 percent for forest conservation areas and 5 percent for utility area.

Under Environment and Forestry Ministerial Regulation No. 12/2015, which was issued in March, the percentage of areas dedicated for local people increased to at least 20 percent. While technical details of the regulation are still being formulated, the association is worried that the government would require its members to reduce the size of their existing industrial forest area to fulfill the 20 percent quota for use by local communities.

Purwadi said that if the regulation was not changed, it could significantly squeeze their existing industrial forestry areas. For this reason, he said, the association had proposed to the government to impose the new regulation only on a new concession area, not the areas that have been planted.

As many as 154 of the association's members are involved in the industrial forestry business, with total concession areas of 7.45 million hectares. They are mostly involved in timber, sago and rubber plantations.

Publicly listed agriculture company PT Sampoerna Agro – part of conglomerate Sampoerna Group – stated that it was still studying the new policy when contacted separately by the Post.

Apart from its palm oil business, Sampoerna Agro currently runs sago and rubber plantations in Riau and South Sumatra, respectively.

Meanwhile, publicly listed palm oil and wood producer PT Dharma Satya Nusantara (DSN Group), which holds a forest concession for a timber plantation, said that it would welcome the new regulation despite its business being affected.

According to the company, revenues from its wood production dropped 6.9 percent year-on-year to Rp 344 billion (US$25.7 million) during the first quarter of the year.

"Basically, we will comply with any of the government's regulations," said DSN corporate secretary Paulina Suryanti in a text message.

The government has set a target of allocating 5.5 million hectares of forest to local people in the next four years, the majority of which will be taken from around 30 million hectares of existing forest concession areas.

The move is aimed at meeting the government's target to allocate 12.7 million hectares of forest areas for use by local and indigenous people, as stated in the National Mid-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) for 2014 to 2019. This year alone, the government plans to give 2.5 million hectares of forest to local people, with 20 percent from concession areas.

The Environment and Forestry Ministry argues that the redistribution of forest will prevent conflict and create justice in forest management, which has long been dominated by large companies.

As many as 48.8 million people and 30,000 villages around and inside Indonesian forests do not have access to forest management, according to the ministry's data.

Meanwhile, the Alliance of Indigenous Peoples (AMAN) said that the increase in the allocation of the land area to local people would not restore the rights of indigenous people to manage their customary forests.

AMAN secretary-general Abdon Nababan said the increase was too small given the fact that the size of the customary forests used for plantation activities was estimated to reach 40 million hectares nationwide.

The Environment and Forestry Ministry's secretary-general, Bambang Hendroyono, said the new regulation would be able to reduce the size of industrial forests to about 4 million hectares within the next five years.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/08/new-ruling-upsets-forestry-firms.html

Government to redistribute land

Jakarta Post - July 7, 2015

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – To deal with rampant land disputes involving indigenous communities, the government has unveiled a plan to allocate at least 20 percent of current concession areas operated by private companies for management by local people.

The Environment and Forestry Ministry said on Monday that the government had set a target of allocating 5.5 million hectares of forest to local people within the next four years, the majority of which will be taken from around 30 million hectares of concession forest.

"The 30 million hectares of forest consists of 10 million hectares of concessions for HTI [industrial forest permits] and another 20 million hectares for HPH [production forest concessions]," the ministry's secretary general, Bambang Hendroyono, said.

Bambang said that the move was necessary to meet the government's pledge to give 12.7 million hectares of forest for use by local and indigenous people in the country.

"From these 12.7 million hectares, almost half of them will come from partnership forests in areas with long-standing conflicts [between indigenous people and private firms]," Bambang said.

"This year, 2.5 million hectares of forests have to be given to local people. Therefore, 20 percent of them, or 500,000 hectares have to come from concession areas."

He said the 5.5 million hectares of partnership forests, as stipulated under the so-called "kemitraan" (partnership) scheme, provided an opportunity for local indigenous people to take part in industrial timber plantations by managing areas of around 20 percent of the total concession area.

The allocated 20 percent is intended to encourage life-support plantation development in partnership and collaboration with local communities. According to Bambang, the 20 percent allocation quota has already been stipulated in a recently issued ministerial decree.

Prior to the current plan, Decree No. 246/1996 issued by the Forestry Ministry on spatial planning arrangements for industrial timber plantations had already allocated about 5 percent of concession areas for local people.

The rest of the 12.7 million hectares of land will come from open-access areas (production forests with no existing permits) in the forms of village forests, community forests or customary forests, according to Bambang.

Once the plan is fully implemented, private firms will only control a fraction of land that they now manage.

This will result in a situation where "forest permits for large-scale [firms] within the next five years will cover 4 million hectares at most", he said, adding that even now the ministry rarely issues permits for production forest concessions.

Despite the decision to increase the proportion of land allocated for local communities from 5 to 20 percent, the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN) said that it still fell short of restoring the rights of indigenous people to manage their customary forests, estimated to encompass 40 million hectares across the country, since the new policy only covered land in partnership forests, not customary ones.

"It doesn't follow the Constitutional Court's landmark 2012 ruling that invalidated the government's claim to the millions of hectares of customary forests that have been the habitat of indigenous and local communities," AMAN secretary general Abdon Nababan told The Jakarta Post on Monday. "I don't think he [Bambang] has read the court's ruling."

The court's ruling was a response to a request for a review by indigenous people, who felt that their rights to manage their own lands have been denied by the government for decades with only the Forestry Ministry having the power to issue licenses for logging and plantations, even when the forests had been managed for generations by their inhabitants.

Forest areas have regularly been used by large corporations for industrial logging, pulp and paper and palm oil plantations. These forest conversions have been the major cause of conflicts between government and local communities, who feel victimized by land seizures and the lack of benefits received from forest conversions. Data from AMAN shows that 143 customary land disputes occurred throughout the country last year. According to National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) data, last year saw the highest number of complaints, with 7,000 cases reported; 20 percent of which related to land disputes that involved police and corporations.

Meanwhile, the Environment and Forestry Ministry's social forestry and partnership directorate general said that the plan to provide 12.7 million hectares of forest for local people aimed to provide livelihoods for 32 million people living around forest areas.

"The program also aims to reduce the number of land conflicts around forest areas," the directorate general's tenurial and customary forest conflict management director, Rosa Vivien Ratnawati, said on Monday.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/07/govt-redistribute-land.html

Governance & administration

Indonesia's president Joko Widodo wants an end to 'flip-flops'

Bloomberg - July 8, 2015

Rieka Rahadiana, Jakarta – The flip flops have to stop. That's the order handed down by Indonesian President Joko Widodo to ministers and top officials following several policy U-turns that are denting investor confidence in south-east Asia's largest economy, said Sri Adiningsih, the head of the president's advisory board.

Mr Joko, better known as Jokowi, has struggled to govern effectively since he took office in October pledging to spur an economy growing at its slowest pace in more than five years. His government has announced and then scrapped policies including a language test for expats, a toll road tax, and a ban on government officials meeting in hotels.

"The president has said this shouldn't be happening any more," Ms Adiningsih said, a day after meeting Mr Joko. "They have to be comprehensive, so that when policies are launched they don't have to be taken apart and put back together, all of which raises questions of uncertainty."

Mr Joko, a former furniture salesman, is under pressure to improve the government's performance by reshuffling his cabinet, a mix of politicians from parties that supported his presidential bid and professional experts. Ministerial changes could come after the Eid al-Fitr holiday in mid-July, Luhut Panjaitan, the president's chief of staff, said in May.

Ms Adiningsih, a university economics lecturer and candidate for finance minister after Jokowi took office, highlighted tax as an area that had seen erratic policy making. The government is trying to lift tax revenues to fund projects to improve dilapidated infrastructure.

Mr Joko approved a long-delayed plan to charge a 10 percent tax on toll fees in order to generate at least 500 billion rupiah ($50 million) of state revenue, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Sofyan Djalil said on March 5. A week later, Mr Joko asked the finance ministry to shelve the plan because it clashed with a plan to increase toll road tariffs.

The country's Manpower Minister Hanif Dhakiri said in February he expected to implement a law this year requiring foreigners to pass an Indonesian language test to get a job, yet this, too, was dropped after complaints from foreign companies.

Mr Joko's most significant economic policy move, the curtailing of fuel subsidies to free up budget funds, is also being rowed back as rebounding crude prices and a weakening rupiah are leading the government to avoid letting costs at the pump fully rise in line with the market.

"The flip-flops are definitely not helping, at a time when sentiment on the economy is weak, and confidence on the government is waning," said Gundy Cahyadi, Singapore-based economist at DBS Group Holdings. "They are probably just another indication that there is room for improvement in policy coordination – one reason that may explain the disappointing pace of government spending this year."

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/indonesias-president-joko-widodo-wants-an-end-to-flipflops-20150708-gi7ivo.html

Jokowi needs 'effective ministers' to restore public trust

Jakarta Post - July 7, 2015

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – The Presidential Advisory Board (Wantimpres) told President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Monday that the President needed to replace politically-wired ministers in the next cabinet reshuffle if he wanted to regain the public trust.

Wantimpres chairman Sidarto Danusubtoro made the statement following his meeting Jokowi at Merdeka Palace amid speculations that a Cabinet reshuffle was imminent.

"President Jokowi's administration needs to build trust and in order to build trust the President needs assistance from those who are not preoccupied with themselves and their families. People who are no longer focusing on their personal interests," Sidarto said.

Sidarto, however, declined to give details on whether he and other board members had discussed the imminent cabinet shake-up with the President.

"I don't comment [on reshuffles]. The point is that trust must exist [because] the country's economy is also about trust, whether that trust comes from the public in the country or from people outside of the country," Sidarto said.

Sidarto, a former People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) speaker and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician, also declined to give his assessment on whether or not he believed that the current members of the cabinet had failed to build trust.

Last week, Jokowi held a meeting with a number of economists to seek advice on how to improve the performance of his economic ministers who have been unable to stop the current economic slowdown.

The economists, at that time, revealed to media that Jokowi fully understood that reform was needed within the Cabinet's economic team. The President acknowledged that although the economic ministers had good skills, they had failed to gain market confidence as a result of poor communication abilities.

Another member of the board economist, Sri Adiningsih, also declined to confirm if they had talked about a possible cabinet reshuffle. "We did not specifically discuss the performance of ministers but we gave advice on how to fix our economic performance," she said.

The Palace had previously played down speculation. On Monday, however, presidential communication team member Teten Masduki said that a signal on a possible reshuffle was imminent.

"The signal that the President needs to reshuffle is quite clear. However, the President has not yet discussed specifically about when and who would be the candidates," Teten said.

Jokowi's recent statement revealing his intention to fire officials, including ministers, for their failure to overcome problematic dwelling times at Tanjung Priok Port, has also increased speculation over a possible Cabinet shake-up.

After a meeting with Jokowi last week, Ahmad Syafii Maarif, the former leader of Muhammadiyah, the country's second-largest Islamic organization, also said that he believed a reshuffle was imminent.

Speculation over a Cabinet reshuffle was also rife last week after Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo revealed that there was a minister who liked to belittle the President behind his back. However, Tjahjo, a member of the ruling party PDI-P, declined to mention the person by name.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/07/jokowi-needs-effective-ministers-restore-public-trust.html

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Parliament & legislation

House performance lackluster yet again

Jakarta Post - July 8, 2015

Dylan Amirio, Jakarta – The House of Representatives wrapped up its fourth sitting period for 2015 on Tuesday with none of its scheduled bills being passed into law over the past six weeks.

The House held a plenary session on Tuesday to officially end its sitting period by merely announcing that its members would continue deliberating the 2016 state budget.

House Legislative body (Baleg) deputy chairman Firman Soebagyo said that some of the reasons the House was unable to pass any bills this period was the fact that lawmakers were still adjusting to their first year in office.

He also mentioned that the House suffered bureaucratic setbacks in working on the draft for the constituency funds program, which he claimed had taken more time than it should have, ultimately taking time away from the drafting of other bills.

"I've told the House speakers that in 2016 we will invite experts and academics to help us draft the bills quicker. That way it will improve the quality of the laws we make and hopefully it will be better for the public too," Firman, who is a member of the Golkar Party, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, in his concluding speech during the House's final plenary meeting for the period, House Speaker Setya Novanto said that on the issue of legislation, lawmakers had mostly spent their time on finishing making the three scheduled bills congruous.

The three bills are the public housing bill, the financial security bill and the controversial alcohol prohibition bill, which the House previously said would be subject to change before it was endorsed.

Separately, Baleg chairperson Sareh Wiyono said that about 10 draft bills would be discussed during the House's fifth sitting period of 2015, which would begin on Aug. 14, along with an additional four draft bills proposed by the government.

"The House currently has another six that are being made congruous. They are scheduled to be passed by the end of this year," the Gerindra Party lawmaker told reporters on Tuesday.

Regarding the House's previous target of passing 37 bills by the end of the year, Sareh said the deadline would most likely be extended to 2016.

During the fourth sitting period, the House paid more attention to the constituency funds proposal and the proposed revision of the 2015 Local Elections Law than deliberating scheduled bills.

Despite objections from the public and the government, the House insisted on proposing the granting of Rp 20 billion (US$1.5 million) annually in constituency funds to each lawmaker to develop their own electoral district.

From the 159 bills included in the 2015-2019 National Legislation Program (Prolegnas), 37 are on the priority deliberation list, which lawmakers and the government are targeting to complete by December.

Lawmakers so far have only passed two bills on the priority list: one on regional elections and the other on regional administrations. Baleg has set a target for each of the 11 House commissions to focus only on deliberating two bills every year.

Political infighting has also been blamed for the lackluster performance. Having commenced their tenure in October 2014, lawmakers have not been able to carry out their main roles in legislation, budgeting and monitoring effectively as a result of a political struggle between the ruling Great Indonesia Coalition and the opposition Red-and-White Coalition.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/08/house-performance-lackluster-yet-again.html

Jakarta & urban life

Stench of duplicity as watchdog accuses ojek apps of breaking laws

Jakarta Globe - July 7, 2015

Jakarta – A transportation watchdog has bizarrely accused ride-hailing apps such as Go-Jek and GrabBike – which provide gainful employment to motorcycle taxi drivers and are registered tax-paying businesses – of operating illegally.

Edi Nursalam, the deputy chairman of the city-funded Jakarta Transportation Council, or DTKJ, said that by providing rides on motorcycle taxis, or ojek, the apps violated a 2003 ministerial regulation on public transportation, which specifically excludes motorcycles as a public transportation vehicle.

He claimed that the only legal aspect of Go-Jek and GrabBike's operations were their motorcycle courier services, which is permitted under a 2014 government regulation on road transport.

Edi did not address the fact that the ojek business has been flourishing for years, long before Go-Jek and GrabBike came on the scene, without any attempt from the authorities to crack down on them under the auspices of the 2003 regulation.

Ellen Tangkudung, the DTKJ chairwoman, attributed the growing popularity of these apps to the city administration's failure to provide safe and adequate public transportation. She said such services should only exist as a "temporary solution," pending meaningful improvements to the existing public transportation networks.

"If we let [the apps] be for too long, then the official public transportation networks will lose their role while these 'in-between solutions' will dominate the market and become out of control," Ellen said as quoted by CNN Indonesia.

The DTKJ's statements come amid an increasingly heated debate about the legitimacy of services provided by ride-hailing apps such as Go-Jek and GrabBike, as well as Uber, which does not pay tax or treat its drivers as employees.

The House of Representatives said last week that it was considering drafting a bill that would regulate the nascent industry.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/jakarta/stench-duplicity-watchdog-accuses-ojek-apps-breaking-laws/

Only the rich, housemaids welcome: Ahok

Jakarta Post - July 4, 2015

Jakarta – Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama said at City Hall on Friday that he did not mind outsiders moving to Jakarta, as long as they were rich or wanted to become domestic workers.

Commenting on the expected influx of people after the Idul Fitri festivity, Ahok said that he would not allow people without skills or money to move to the capital city.

"If you come as a tourist or to buy apartments and houses, I will be more than happy to welcome you," he said, adding that he would grant such newcomers Jakarta ID cards.

By becoming Jakarta residents, Ahok said, such people would contribute income tax to the city's coffers.

He said that he would also permit domestic workers to move to Jakarta, in light of a shortage of maids, drivers and nannies. "I believe the market is huge, so they will not be jobless," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/04/greater-jakarta-only-rich-housemaids-welcome-ahok.html

Armed forces & defense

Moeldoko boasts of feats during tenure

Jakarta Post - July 8, 2015

Jakarta – With his retirement less than a month away, Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Moeldoko has claimed that the military is in better shape today than when it was when he assumed the position.

During a meeting with House of Representative Commission I on security and foreign affairs, Moeldoko claimed that remuneration for military personnel had increased 56 percent and that the base salary had increased 6 percent.

Citing a recent survey by Jakarta-based pollster Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI), Moeldoko said that under his leadership the TNI had grown into one of the most trusted institutions in the country.

On the issue of the TNI's primary weapons system, he claimed that the military had achieved 34 percent of the minimum essential defense power.

"Even though we only achieve 34 percent of the minimum essential power, today we have a tremendous power of armed forces," he said, adding that his successor could further boost the figure to 68 percent.

Moeldoko also said that one of the most notable achievements during his tenure was participating in the rescue mission for the crashed AirAsia QZ 8501 in December last year.

He considered the success of the operation TNI's biggest achievement during his tenure. "We managed to find victims of AirAsia within a short period of time," he said.

Lawmakers have applauded Moeldoko for the achievements made during his three years in office.

Commission I chairman Mahfudz Siddiq of the Prosperous Justice Party said Moeldoko had achieved all the targets that he set out during his confirmation hearing in 2013. "It did not take long for Gen. Moeldoko to make a breakthrough in TNI," Mahfudz said.

In spite of his success, Moeldoko is likely to be best remembered for his abrasive style. During his tenure, Moeldoko made a number of controversial statements.

In May, he said that only female TNI personnel in Aceh could wear hijab. "We have decided there is no prohibition [on wearing the hijab]. If [you] want to wear the hijab then [you will be] transferred to Aceh. End of discussion,"

He also made a controversial comment on Rohingya refugees, saying that they would only cause social ills in the country. "We still have many problems in our country, and should not be burdened by this [Rohingya] problem," he said.

In April last year, Singaporean media ran a story on Moeldoko's lavish wristwatch collection. The first report about Moeldoko's opulent watches appeared on Singapore-based lifestyle website themillenary.com.

In its article, the Army general was seen wearing a Richard Mille RM 011 Felipe Massa Flyback Chronograph "Black Kite" during a recent interview with the Singapore-based Channel News Asia. Moeldoko responded by saying that he only purchased knock-off watches. (ind)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/08/moeldoko-boasts-feats-during-tenure.html

Families demand compensation for civilian victims

Jakarta Post - July 4, 2015

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan/Jakarta – Family members of civilian victims of the C-130 Hercules military aircraft crash in Medan have urged the government to pay them compensation.

"I ask the government not to differentiate between victims of the accident, including in the amount of compensation. They were all victims of the same accident," Rifai, a resident of Tanjung Selamat, Medan, told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Rifai said his daughter, Herdiah, was working at a beauty salon when the plane crashed into it on Tuesday.

Police data reveals that at least eight civilians on the ground were killed in the accident. Three others who suffered serious injuries are being treated at Adam Malik Hospital in Medan.

The Indonesian Military's (TNI) insurance company PT ASABRI's manager in Medan, Kabul Mulyanto, said the company did not provide insurance for civilians. "We don't cover civilians. We don't have a procedure," he said.

A total of 143 body bags had been taken to Adam Malik Hospital by Friday afternoon, according to data of the National Police Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team. From the figure, 99 people have been identified. The plane had 122 people on board.

Every military personnel who died in the accident, Kabul said, would receive Rp 100 million in death insurance and other compensation, including funeral assistance funds.

On Thursday, Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa said the family of each civilian victim would receive Rp 15 million (US$7,800) in compensation from the government.

Referring to a ministerial regulation, Khofifah said such compensation was allocated for victims of natural disasters or social disasters. She, however, said that the compensation would be paid after the completion of the identification of the victims. "It is not good [to pay compensation] while identification is ongoing," she said.

Separately, a new survey conducted by the Jakarta-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has found that 37 percent of the TNI's primary weaponry defense systems is 40 years old.

According to CSIS research conducted in early 2015, the Army ranks first in aging equipment with 37 percent of its weaponry defense system more than 40 years old, while the Navy registered 36 percent and the Air Force 33 percent.

"Operationally, 28 percent of TNI weaponry defense systems has operated for 40 years," CSIS researcher Iis Gindarsah told reporters during his presentation at the CSIS office in Jakarta on Friday.

He explained that it was very dangerous as it could lead to another tragedy like the recent Hercules crash in Medan.

"However, it does not mean that the weaponry systems cannot operate anymore because of age," Iis said, adding that the existing weaponry defense systems would operate well if spare parts were readily available and maintained routinely.

According to CSIS research, the modernization of the TNI weaponry defense systems, which was initiated 15 years ago, has progressed slowly. This is mainly a result of a lack of funding and the government paradigm for the TNI budget.

"The government does not provide a budget allocation for TNI's needs for weaponry defense systems but on the basis of how much money is available.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/04/families-demand-compensation-civilian-victims.html

House endorses Gatot as new TNI chief

Jakarta Post - July 2, 2015

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The House of Representatives confirmed on Wednesday the nomination of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo to replace Gen. Moeldoko as the head of the Indonesian Military (TNI). Gen. Moeldoko is expected to retire in August.

The House Commission I overseeing defense, intelligence and foreign affairs, accepted President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's nomination of Gatot in a closed-door meeting that wrapped up late on Wednesday.

"We accept and support Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo as the candidate for TNI commander as he has convinced us that he is the right person for the job. He gave us a thorough presentation, which reflected his broad knowledge of issues at the global, regional and national levels," Commission I chairman Mahfudz Siddiq announced.

Earlier in the confirmation hearing, Gatot said that he would focus on protecting the country's maritime interests.

"There is no other alternative but a push to simultaneously build up the Air Force as well as the Navy so that we will be powerful at sea and in the air to control and safeguard the archipelago," Gatot said.

Earlier in his presentation, before the House decided to conduct a closed- door session, Gatot also pledged that he would step up efforts to modernize the country's aging weapons systems and military equipment in the wake of the crash of a Hercules C-130 plane in Medan that killed at least 113 people.

Gatot said that he would ensure that weapons and military equipment purchased would be brand new and not refurbished items or granted from foreign governments.

He said that purchasing new weapons and equipment would not be a burden for the government as it would remain consistent with the plan from President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to spend 1.5 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) on the military.

In June, Jokowi unveiled his programs on defense and security issues, which included the modernization of primary weaponry defense systems (Alutsista) and increasing the number of military and police personnel.

Jokowi said he aimed to allocate up to 1.5 percent of the GDP for defense if economic growth stayed at 7 percent. Jokowi said that he would gradually increase the defense budget from US$7.2 billion in 2014 to $20 billion in 2019.

In the confirmation hearing, Gatot also said that in the procurement of weapons and military equipment, he would give priority to domestic suppliers.

Even if the TNI had to purchase weapons from overseas, Gatot said that foreign contractors would have to agree to a transfer of technology and knowledge to local manufacturers.

"In every purchase of weapons and equipment, we must ensure that there will be a transfer of knowledge and a transfer of technology," he said.

In his decision to nominate Gatot, Jokowi has broken an unwritten tradition forged after the 1998 reform movement that the position of Indonesian Military (TNI) commander would be rotated between the Army, Navy and Air Force to prevent one of the three branches from gaining too much power.

Moeldoko of the Army succeeded Adm. Agus Suhartono of the Navy in 2013. The baton should have been passed to Air Force chief of staff Air Chief Marshall Agus Supriatna if Jokowi had wanted to stick to tradition.

Jokowi's decision to propose Gatot went against the recommendation of his own party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which urged the President to maintain the tradition of rotation.

Members of House Commission I overseeing defense, intelligence and foreign affairs said that they would press Gatot on the modernization of military equipment during the confirmation hearing in light of the Wednesday's crash.

"The accident serves as a red light for the military, which urgently needs to upgrade its equipment," Commission I chairman Mahfudz Siddiq of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/02/house-endorses-gatot-new-tni-chief.html

As plane's capacity questioned Kalla defends illicit transport of civilians

Jakarta Globe - July 1, 2015

Jakarta – Vice President Jusuf Kalla has justified the alleged use of a military plane that crashed on Tuesday for the commercial transportation of civilians, even as the Air Force chief denounced the practice as strictly forbidden.

With 141 bodies recovered as of Wednesday from the site of the crash in a residential area of Medan, North Sumatra, Kalla told reporters in Jakarta that the paid passage of civilians on board military aircraft was a valuable contribution to isolated communities from the Indonesian Military, or TNI.

"The military has civilian missions as well [as military ones]," he said, adding that the C-130 Hercules transporter that crashed on Tuesday shortly after takeoff was "not on any special mission."

"So rather than fly empty to Natuna, it took on passengers. I see that as a contribution by the TNI to people in difficult circumstances," Kalla said.

The plane was officially on a mission carrying supplies to a naval base in the Natuna Islands, at the southwestern tip of the South China Sea. Rated to transport a total number of 97 passengers and crew, it was officially listed as carrying 12 crew and 101 passengers, ostensibly military personnel and their families being stationed in the Natuna Islands.

However, the number of casualties and a preliminary investigation indicate that the 51-year-old plane was likely carrying more than the official figure – itself far in excess of the plane's maximum capacity – and that many of those on board were likely civilian passengers paying for a ride to the remote island chain.

Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu, a former Army chief of staff, acknowledged that transporting civilians on military aircraft was a common practice.

"It's been like that since way back," he said in Jakarta. "If they want to go along, they're welcome to. It's been like that for ages, with no problems before."

The statements from the defense minister and the vice president fly in the face of the Air Force's own policy of not allowing civilians onto military aircraft outside of emergency situations.

"No [military] aircraft is permitted to transport civilians," Air Marshal Agus Supriatna said on Tuesday, "unless there are orders from above, for instance for evacuation in the case of a disaster. Family members [of military personnel] are an exception."

He stressed that the "commercialization" of military flights was strictly prohibited. "If that was the case [in the Medan accident], we'll fire the commander," Agus said. "This is definitely one aspect of our ongoing investigation."

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/planes-true-capacity-comes-question-kalla-defends-illicit-transport-civilians/

Two huge planes plough into one street: ten years apart

Sydney Morning Herald - July 1, 2015

Nilufar Rizki, Jakarta – An Indonesian military transport plane that crashed into a northern residential area of Medan on Tuesday was carrying 113 people, an air force spokesman said.

According to reports, the transport plane ploughed into Jamin Ginting street, near Soewondo airforce base, which was once Polonia commercial airport. In 2005, a commercial plane leaving from Polonia airport crashed disastrously into the same Jamin Ginting street, killing at least 147 people.

Known for its difficult takeoff path and short runway, Polonia airport was the site of several plane crashes. Jamin Ginting street is located only a few hundred metres from the runway.

Tuesday's crash is bound to put a fresh spotlight on Indonesia's woeful air safety record and its ageing planes. "According to our data, there were 113 people on board, including 12 crew," said Air Force spokesman Dwi Badarmanto.

The figure is an update of comments by military spokesman Fuad Basya, who was earlier quoted by broadcaster MetroTV as saying there had been 12 crew and about 50 passengers on board.

"We are currently checking who was inside the plane," Mr Basya added. An official at a nearby hospital who declined to be named said that 55 bodies had been brought in so far.

Local television showed a neighbourhood of houses and hotels in flames and black smoke billowing from the area.

The C-130B Hercules aircraft, which went into service half a century ago, was on its way from the airforce base to the remote Natuna islands and crashed a few minutes after take-off, Mr Basya said. Media said the pilot had asked to return because of technical problems.

"It passed overhead a few times, really low," said Elfrida Efi, a receptionist at the Golden Eleven Hotel. "There was fire and black smoke. The third time it came by it crashed into the roof of the hotel and exploded straight away," she said.

She added the plane also hit a massage parlour, where there are normally several people during the daytime.

Black smoke billowed from the wreckage, and crowds of people milling around the area initially hampered emergency services rushing to the scene.

"We have been using heavy equipment like earth movers to clear the wreckage of the plane," said Romali, chief of Medan's search and rescue agency, who has only one name. "We are still evacuating bodies from the rubble and we hope we can finish the operation tonight," he said.

Dramatic pictures on social media showed large crowds and emergency services gathering around the flaming wreckage, with the fuselage of the aircraft visible among thick plumes of black smoke. Buildings in the vicinity of the crash zone were also clearly damaged.

According to the Aviation Safety Network, there have been 10 fatal crashes involving Indonesian military or police aircraft over the last decade.

The accidents put under a spotlight the safety record of Indonesia's aviation and its ageing commercial and military aircraft. Mr Basya said the plane that crashed on Tuesday was built in 1964.

An AirAsia plane crashed less than halfway into a two-hour flight from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore on December 28. All 162 people on board the Airbus A320 were killed.

Pressure to modernise

"It's too early to say what caused today's disaster, but it will again raise concerns about air safety in Indonesia, especially since it comes just half a year after the crash of QZ8501," said Greg Waldron, Asia Managing Editor at Flightglobal, an aviation industry data and news service.

The Indonesian air force has now lost four C-130s, reducing its transport reach in an archipelago that stretches more than 5000 km from its western to eastern tips.

Air force spokesman Dwi Badarmanto said it was unclear what caused the crash and, until it was, eight other C-130Bs would be grounded.

Although Indonesia accounted for nearly one-fifth of defence spending by Southeast Asian countries last year, as a percentage of GDP it was the lowest in the region at 0.8 per cent, according to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute data.

President Joko Widodo, who took office last year, has said he plans to double military spending to $US15 billion ($18.17 billion) by 2020. However, the transport plane accident could bring pressure on the president to spend more on modernising the air force.

"This incident shows us that we must renew our aircraft and our military equipment," Pramono Anung, a lawmaker and member of the parliamentary commission overseeing defence, told Reuters.

"The Hercules is already old, many of our other (weapons) systems are already old. As parliament we will support giving more funding to the military so that they can upgrade." (Reuters, AAP)

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/two-huge-planes-plough-into-one-street-ten-years-apart-20150630-gi1lr9.html

Aging fleet again takes its toll

Jakarta Post - July 1, 2015

Ina Parlina, Dylan Amirio, Tama Salim and Apriadi Gunawan, Jakarta/Medan – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo renewed his pledge on Tuesday to modernize the country's aging weapons systems and military equipment in the wake of the crash of an Air Force C-130 Hercules in Medan, North Sumatra, which killed at least 113 people on board.

Jokowi, who was briefed about the crash during his official visit to Cilacap, Central Java, said his government would launch an audit of the country's defense system, while at the same time pledging that he would step up efforts to modernize weaponry and equipment.

"Since these accidents have occurred frequently, we have to modernize and renew [defense equipment]. We will launch a total audit because accidents have occurred more than once or twice," Jokowi said.

Following the crash, the government has been urged to continue its ongoing efforts to modernize the country's air defense system.

A number of lawmakers in the House of Representatives Commission I, which oversees defense and foreign affairs, renewed their call for the modernization of the country's aging defense systems.

Commission I member Pramono Anung, of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said that most of the Air Force's Hercules aircraft were no longer in good shape due to their age and the lack of quality spare parts.

"We, in Commission I, have asked the government to buy new planes for the Air Force. The current fleet is mostly made up of old, rickety aircraft. It's a shame that our soldiers still have to board them," he said.

According to Air Force chief of staff Air Marshall Agus Supriatna, as quoted by Antara news agency, the Hercules carrying 12 crew members, including the pilot Capt. Sandy Permana, and 101 passengers, believed to be mainly families of military personnel, crashed on its way to Tanjung Pinang, Riau Islands, two minutes after take off from the Soewondo Air Force Base in Medan.

As of 9 p.m. Tuesday night, rescue teams had reportedly recovered the remains of 75 bodies, mostly from the plane wreckage. According to the Air Force, the plane, which was built in the US in 1964, had undergone an inspection before taking off on Tuesday.

Commission I chairman Mahfudz Siddiq said the crash once again highlighted the urgent need for the modernization of the country's military equipment. Mahfudz, a politician from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said Commission I was working to get details on the origin of the doomed Hercules.

"We are still trying to identify if the plane was one donated by other countries or whether it was an old Hercules plane that recently underwent maintenance in Singapore. Whichever it is, it highlights the urgent need to modernize our military's fleet," he said.

Mahfudz also called on the government not to accept any more used aircraft or ships, in light of the manifest risks.

In May 2009, a C-130 Hercules carrying military personnel and their families hit several homes on the ground, bursting into flames and scattering debris across a wide area in Magetan, East Java, killing 101 people, mostly civilians.

In April this year, an F-16 jet fighter burst into flames before takeoff at an event held to honor Jokowi at the Indonesian Military (TNI) headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta.

The F-16 was one of several aircraft that the US recently provided to the TNI in the form of a grant. At that time, the Air Force's Agus said he would review the procurement policy on refurbished jets, adding that it would be better for the government to procure new jets instead of refurbished ones.

Iis Ginarsah, defense expert from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) warned that the latest crash could affect the morale of military personnel.

"The latest accident has caused material and most importantly personnel losses to the TNI. This could be detrimental to our national defense as it affects troops' morale and deterrence ability in critical flashpoints," he told The Jakarta Post.

Iis added that any modernization of the defense systems should also include TNI logistical systems and maintenance procedures.

"Military modernization is not about procurement alone. The TNI should also modernize its logistical systems and maintenance procedures. This is vital for increased operational readiness and rapid deployment to mitigate the potential effects of 'strategic surprises'," he said.

Aging Hercules

1960: 10 units comprising eight C-130B cargo variants and two C-130B tanker variants 1975: Three units of type C-130E
1980: 12 units of type C-130 H (standard), C-130 H-30 (Stretch), L-100-30 Super Hercules and C-130 H/MP (Maritime Patrol)
1995: Five units of type C-130 L-100 Super Hercules version, from Pelita Air Servis and Merpati Nusantara
2013-2014: Three units from Australia

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/01/aging-fleet-again-takes-its-toll.html

Intelligence & state security

Sutiyoso vows to open up intelligence agency

Jakarta Post - July 1, 2015

Tama Salim and Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The House of Representatives has all but cemented its decision to approve President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's nomination of retired Army general Sutiyoso as the new chief of the National Intelligence Agency (BIN).

The head of House Commission I overseeing intelligence, defense and foreign affairs, Mahfudz Siddiq, said that all 10 political party factions had given their approval to Sutiyoso following his four-hour fit-and-proper test on Tuesday.

"In passing judgment on the interview session, Commission I has decided to accept and support Sutiyoso as the sole candidate for BIN chief," Mahfudz said in his closing remarks before striking the gavel to end the meeting at the House complex in Jakarta.

Speaking after hearing of the official support from Commission I, Sutiyoso vowed to make the intelligence agency more open in terms of public participation and information sharing, while at the same time overturning public perception of BIN as a scourge of the masses.

"The people need not see BIN as something to be feared, as BIN belongs to us all," Sutiyoso told reporters. He, however, asked the public to be understanding about his unwillingness to comment on certain intelligence issues, as his future duty prevented him from doing so.

Furthermore, Sutiyoso said he would consult with the House when considering an increase in the intelligence body's 2016 budget, which he deemed "too little for an agency at the frontline of national security".

Before announcing the decision, Commission I conducted the interview in a closed session, leaving it unknown how the lawmakers scrutinized Sutiyoso over his alleged involvement in Kuda Tuli, a fatal incident in 1996 that saw five people dead and hundreds injured during an attack on the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) headquarters in Jakarta.

The retired Army general was the Jakarta Military Command commander at that time and is considered responsible for the incident.

Sutiyoso served two terms as Jakarta governor and once expressed his intention to contest the presidential elections in 2009. Sutiyoso's name first surfaced as a candidate to be BIN director last November, alongside a number of Army heavyweights.

According to Mahfudz, representatives of the Hanura Party, the National Awakening Party (PKB), the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the Gerindra Party have all given their unanimous blessing, while other parties requested of the former Jakarta governor several assurances in exchange for their vote of confidence.

Mahfudz said, for instance, that the Nasdem Party would only approve Sutiyoso if he promised to work to improve communications between BIN and Commission I.

The Democratic Party has asked Sutiyoso – himself a former chairman of ruling-coalition member the Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKPI) – to make the intel body more effective in its coordination role and to put the nation ahead of politics, remaining neutral throughout.

The Golkar Party echoed some of these sentiments, Mahfudz continued, but added that the BIN chief-elect must "adapt his communication style to suit his role as a public figure".

Sutiyoso has also received a nod from the PDI-P. Mahfudz said that the PDI-P had attached a note to its approval, stating that Sutiyoso should only operate within the confines of the law and prioritize the needs of the public over the needs of certain groups.

Earlier that day, PDI-P lawmaker and Commission I member Pramono Anung said that party leader Megawati Soekarnoputri had instructed the party's House faction to secure and support Sutiyoso's candidacy as BIN chief.

Pramono argued that this was because Jokowi has chosen him personally and the PDI-P would support the choice of the President.

Indonesian Human Rights Watch (Imparsial) executive director Poengky Indarti told The Jakarta Post that the House should have issued complaints regarding Sutiyoso's nomination, urging President Jokowi to find someone else to fill the top intelligence spot.

"BIN faces increasingly complex obstacles. House Commission I's decision to accept Sutiyoso with acclamation is troubling, considering his poor human rights track record and his role as a former party leader, as well as his New Order-laced experiences in the military and in intelligence," Poengky said on Tuesday.

[Dylan Amirio contributed to the story.]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/01/sutiyoso-vows-open-intelligence-agency.html

Economy & investment

Storekeepers' siestas sign of weak demand

Jakarta Post - July 6, 2015

Esther Samboh, Jakarta – It is a regular day in Tanah Abang market, the largest wholesale clothing market in Southeast Asia, thousands of customers squeeze into packed 4-square-meter shops sprawled across multiple buildings, eager to buy their Idul Fitri outfits. But storekeepers are not as excited.

Sales have been weaker than in previous years, with storekeepers saying this is the "worst Ramadhan" season in at least the past five years. The fasting month that precedes the Idul Fitri festivities, in the country with the world's largest Muslim population, is normally the time of year when revenues peak.

"I can even take naps because the store is so deserted," said one storekeeper among many at Tanah Abang Blok A when asked about sales.

Consumer spending accounts for 56 percent of the country's economy and its decline will add to issues regarding economic growth, which has slowed to the lowest level in almost six years amid weak government spending and sluggish exports.

Bahana Securities economist Fakhrul Fulvian said June's 0.54 percent monthly inflation, which was lower than the consensus market prediction, was a "reflection of weak demand on the ground" as the core consumer prices index (CPI) remained "flattish" on an annual basis.

Bank Indonesia's (BI) consumer survey has shown downward trends in all indexes so far this year, with the "consumer expectations" index slipping to near the pessimistic level at 100.3 in June. Indexes above the 100 mark show consumer optimism and below 100 show a pessimistic outlook.

"This is a signal, an alarm bell, that growth in the second quarter will not be much different from the previous quarter. The government must prioritize restoring the people's confidence and purchasing power," said Latif Adam, an economist at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).

Policymakers' recent rules that have eased the luxury-goods tax, taxable income and down-payment requirements for mortgages, auto and motorcycle loans should help stoke purchasing power, but the management of food stocks remains the most important, according to Latif.

"Right now there are problems in people's purchasing power. Several policies such as the fuel price and electricity price increase have distorted consumers' perceptions of the economy," Latif added.

As Indonesians adjusted to new market-driven prices for the popular RON 88 Premium-brand gasoline, which has been more expensive than ever since last October, they have also been hit by higher, recently floated, electricity prices, partly as a result of the weaker rupiah, which has slumped about 7 percent so far this year, among the region's worst performing currencies.

"With the higher US dollar, the cost of goods sold rises, and sellers are in a dilemma with only two options; selling at the old prices for volume, or at the new prices with fewer buyers," said Adnan Rio, who owns shops at Tanah Abang and supplies other retail centers in Jakarta, describing the poor business climate.

Sales of cars, motorcycles and cement – which are the main indicators of domestic consumption – had contracted 16.6 percent, 24.7 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively, so far this year up to May, compared with the same period a year earlier, data compiled by Bank Mandiri shows.

"All [retail and domestic consumption] indicators point to a slowdown," said Bank Mandiri economist Andry Asmoro.

Same-store sales growth at Ramayana, which represents the low to medium retail segment, and Ace Hardware, in the medium segment, respectively dropped 6.3 percent and 5.9 percent cumulatively up to April and May.

"The consumption of goods classified as secondary needs [...] are decreasing and we are quite worried about Ramadhan and Idul Fitri this time," said Triyono Prijosoesilo, chairman of the Association of Indonesian Soft Drink Producers (Asrim).

A lot of businesses that deal directly with customers have put a brake on expansion this year. Consumer goods giant Indofood Sukses Makmur and publicly listed taxi operator Blue Bird Group slashed capital expenditure (capex), while rival taxi operator Express Transindo Utama will not be buying any new vehicles this year.

As businesses feel the pinch of the domestic economic slowdown, Apin Tailor in Mayestik in South Jakarta, which makes suits for businesspeople and public officials, has also been hit. Halfway through the year, orders stood at less than 200, while in previous years they could reach 400 to 600.

"It has never been this bad. Normally in a day, at least one or two customers will come. But nowadays I can go two to three days without seeing any customers at all," said Siswanto, who has minded the store for five years.

Nearly 50,000 factory workers in the labor-intensive footwear and textile industries had been laid off as of the end of May this year.

"Normally, we produce a lot ahead of Idul Fitri as demand rises. But, now we are stopping operations because stocks are piling up in warehouses," said Eddy Widjanarko, chairman of the Indonesian Footwear Association (Aprisindo).

In Tanah Abang, storekeeper Yanti, 36, is nervous about her bonus this year, as her store's revenues were cut by a third to around Rp 30 million (US$2,245) per month from Rp 80 to Rp 90 million previously.

"Now I'm worried about my bonus. During last year's Ramadhan I was able to get a Rp 1 million bonus each week. Around this time sales should peak but up until now they are still weak," said Yanti, whose store sells pants starting from Rp 45,000 each.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/06/storekeepers-siestas-sign-weak-demand.html

First half tax revenues fall below annual target

Jakarta Post - July 6, 2015

Business – The government's tax revenues slumped to a four-year low in the January to June period of 2015, falling short of the first-half target of this year's annual tax-collection target due to the ongoing economic slowdown.

The Finance Ministry's tax office recently revealed that tax revenue in the first six months of this year was forecast to amount to Rp 555.2 trillion (US$41.5 billion) or only 37.3 percent of the targeted Rp 1.49 quadrillion by the end of the year.

The amount of tax collected in the first six months of the year is the lowest level achieved during the same period in any of the last four years, which usually hit between 42 percent and 44 percent of their respective annual targets.

"The economic slowdown in the first quarter, declining imports and low commodity prices have been contributory factors to the lower-than-expected tax income in the first half," the tax office explained in a statement.

Revenue from the property tax (PBB) slumped by 33 percent and income from export taxes plunged by 72.5 percent as of June year-on-year (yoy).

Income from import tax also decreased by 1.9 percent yoy in the first half of this year, in line with the economic slowdown as well as declining imports due to the rupiah's depreciation against US dollar and other foreign currencies.

The tax office had earlier predicted that it could collect only around Rp 1.37 quadrillion in tax income by year-end or 91.8 percent of the actual target of Rp 1.49 quadrillion.

Voicing a gloomier outlook, Samuel Sekuritas economist Lana Soelistianingsih said that the government would probably achieve only around 87 percent of the actual tax income target as the economic conditions had not shown any signs of a quick recovery.

"There's a very limited time to achieve the full target, but at the least, people's purchasing power has to be maintained, as tax from trade activities remains the largest contributor of tax revenue," she told The Jakarta Post.

Lana added that the government, for example, should hold back on its plan to raise fuel prices in August so that consumer purchasing power stayed at the current level.

Andreas Eddy Susetyo, a member of the House of Representatives' Commission XI – overseeing finance, said that the tax office should put extra efforts into achieving at least the 91.8 percent target.

The office has carried out renewed efforts to raise as much tax as is liable, demanding registered tax payers fulfill their obligations and ensuring that those eligible to be taxed do pay their taxes.

"By doing so, we expect that the state budget deficit will not be higher than the Finance Ministry's recent estimates of around 2.2 to 2.3 percent," he said.

In its March quarterly report, the World Bank predicted a Rp 282 trillion shortfall in state revenues due to unrealistic tax targets that could swell the nation's budget deficit to 2.4 percent, from 1.9 percent in the official revised 2015 budget.

According to the tax office's projection, the nation's budget deficit reached 0.66 percent in the first six months of this year, a surge from 0.46 percent during the same period last year.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/06/first-half-tax-revenues-fall-below-annual-target.html

Frustrated Indonesian leader launches charm offensive with investors

Reuters - July 2, 2015

Kanupriya Kapoor & Randy Fabri, Jakarta – Exasperated by the performance of his economics team, Indonesia's president has personally taken on the job of promoting Southeast Asia's largest economy to skeptical investors, said palace officials and economists.

Joko Widodo's unusual intervention in a closed-door meeting with fund managers and economists has so far failed to turn the tide of disappointment in his policies, less than a year after his election was hailed as a new era for a country plagued by corruption, red tape and rickety infrastructure.

Palace officials and economists said that over the past two weeks, a "who's who" of fund managers and economists have met with Widodo and his closest advisers as part of a new campaign by the palace to turn around souring sentiment.

The president is considering holding such meetings on a monthly basis, according to economists.

"We need to be better at informing the market on the progress we're making," a palace official who attended one of the meetings told Reuters.

"The ministries are not doing that and the truth is we are making some progress. But nobody's able to see that, so that's why we are holding meetings like these."

Widodo came to power with strong business-friendly credentials and a promise to beef up the country's creaking infrastructure, but has been hamstrung by rifts inside his own political party and squabbles between government agencies.

On Monday, the president met privately with 11 economists to highlight the government's achievements so far, including the ground breaking of the Trans-Sumatra highway.

Economists said Widodo, speaking calmly and softly, told them that the government's economic performance would improve in the second half of this year as it resolves bottlenecks in stalled infrastructure projects.

The president also promised to conduct more on-the-ground inspections to ensure top projects, such as Jakarta's light rail train, were on track.

Presidential chief of staff Luhut Panjaitan held a similar meeting with nearly 20 fund managers, including local representatives from Deutsche Bank, Schroders, and investment firm CLSA.

But some attendees were not immediately swayed by the administration's pledges. "The meeting doesn't really change much," said Anton Gunawan, a Bank Mandiri economist who was at the Jokowi meeting. "The problem cannot be solved quickly."

Participants said the president needed someone with "star power" on his economic team who had the respect of the market and could convince investors to keep their funds in Indonesia.

Some recommended the president appoint World Bank managing director and former Indonesian finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati to his team.

The president's current economics team, led by chief economic minister Sofyan Djalil and finance minister Bambang Brodjonegoro, are under fire for not showcasing the government's achievements better.

Investors have tended to focus on the negative: the weakest economic growth since 2009, sluggish consumer demand, long-stalled infrastructure projects and rising unemployment and inflation.

"The president is of the view that our economic fundamentals are good and that it is the perception that is bad," said presidential spokesman Teten Masduki.

The president has come under increasing pressure, notably from his own party and the vice president, to reshuffle his cabinet due to poor performance.

At the closed-door meeting with economists, Widodo "admitted that there are problems in his cabinet, but he didn't mention anyone," said Destry Damayanti, another Bank Mandiri economist who was among the attendees.

Source: http://www.irrawaddy.org/asia/frustrated-indonesian-leader-launches-charm-offensive-with-investors.html

Analysis & opinion

The upside of Melanesian leaders' West Papua compromise

Tabloid JUBI - July 3, 2015

Gregory B. Poling, Jayapura, Jubi – Ongoing troubles in the West Papua region, and the unwanted attention they have garnered, are a sore spot for Indonesian authorities.

They undermine the larger narrative of an Indonesia finally at peace with itself, consolidating its democracy and putting the ghosts of its past human rights abuses to bed. Indonesia's energetic campaign to engage its Melanesian neighbors and block Papuan aspirations for a seat in the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) was a predictable response. Last week's decision from the MSG leaders' summit also shows it was a successful campaign, but only partly.

The leaders of Fiji, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia's Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front on June 26 finally settled the question of West Papuan membership in the MSG, at least for now. The long-awaited decision turned out to be a compromise that didn't entirely satisfy anyone – the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) was granted observer status in the group, while Indonesia was upgraded from an observer to an associate member. The compromise is messy, but probably better than the alternatives – alienating Indonesia or being seen as forsaking Papuan aspirations.

The MSG has been struggling with the question of Papuan membership for the last few years. Unlike most of the rest of the world, the public and governments in the Pacific in general and Melanesia in particular remain acutely aware of the ongoing human rights situation and supportive of the struggle for greater self-determination in West Papua (referring to the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua). The group set aside the membership bid of the Vanuatu-based West Papua National Council for Liberation in June 2013 pending a fact-finding mission to Jayapura – the capital of Papua Province – and Jakarta. MSG leaders then determined that the bid was not sufficiently representative of Papuan voices.

Papuans in exile responded by submitting another bid under the ULMWP, a new umbrella organization encompassing several Papuan separatist organizations. The back-to-back membership bids helped put the issue of West Papua back on the regional agenda in a way it has not been in decades. Then-prime minister of Vanuatu Moanna Carcasses took to the floor of the United Nations in 2013 to demand that a special representative be appointed to examine human rights abuses in West Papua and an investigation be launched into the legitimacy of Indonesia's 1969 annexation of the region. A diplomatic row erupted when a "Freedom Flotilla" from Australia made a symbolic, and perhaps illegal, visit to Indonesian waters and met with Papuan leaders offshore.

The MSG's decision is certainly a disappointment to many pro-independence Papuans. But the ULMWP made clear before the summit that it would accept observer status as a partial victory. In the wake of the decision, Papuans seem generally pleased, though some ULMWP leaders questioned the fairness of Indonesia's associate membership. Jakarta, on the other hand, remains reticent. Indonesian authorities appear worried that the observer status extended to the ULMWP is a first step toward full membership, even though MSG leaders were clear that the ULMWP will only represent Papuans in exile within the organization. Jakarta also recognizes, correctly, that the group's decision is a recognition that, at least in the eyes of Indonesia's Pacific neighbors, Papuans have legitimate grievances that will not be swept under the rug.

So far, Indonesia's pique at the decision to grant the ULMWP observer status might be outweighing satisfaction with its own upgrade to associate membership. That is a mistake. Admittedly, Jakarta might balk at the conditions placed on its membership – the MSG leaders want to see Indonesia represented not by the president but by the governor of one of the five Indonesian provinces with substantial Melanesian populations: East Nusa Tenggara (which includes West Timor), Maluku, North Maluku, Papua, and West Papua. But this could prove a blessing in disguise.

The waning months of the administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono saw an effort to develop a system of greater local autonomy for Papua and West Papua provinces. The governors of each province developed their own draft plans for the new system, but political attention drifted as Yudhoyono became a lame duck, and the effort has not been picked up by his successor, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. It is worth noting, however, that one of the more creative proposals in the more robust of the two draft plans – and the only one likely to address Papuan grievances – was for West Papua to represent Indonesia in Pacific regional architecture. The MSG has now provided an avenue for Jakarta to fulfill that request.

Since his campaign for the presidency, Jokowi has committed in his rhetoric to address Papuan grievances and improve the human rights situation in the region. But so far, he has nothing to show for it. His own minister rebutted a plan to end Jakarta's long-standing policy of promoting the migration of non-Papuans to the region; his army chief effectively contradicted an announcement that foreign journalists would have unrestricted access to the two provinces; and the House of Representatives rejected a plan to release dozens of Papuan political prisoners. It is therefore unsurprising that cautious optimism regarding Jokowi has turned to cynicism among many Papuans. Appointing a Papuan governor to represent Indonesia in the MSG could offer Jokowi a small but much-needed win.

The MSG could offer a useful avenue for Indonesian authorities to engage the concerns of its Melanesian neighbors as well as pro-independence Papuans. Solomon Islands prime minister and this year's MSG chair Manasseh Sogavare was clear that one reason for the compromise decision by the group was to provide a venue for dialogue between the two sides. Ignoring, and criminalizing, Papuan demands for self-determination has not helped Indonesia end the region's persistent insurgency or improve the lot of average Papuans. Dialogue is worth a try. And by ensuring that Papuans will have a regional megaphone, the MSG has made it harder for Jakarta to ignore the issue. That should make President Jokowi happy.

[Gregory Poling is a fellow with the Pacific Partners Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. This article was published in CSIS's Pacific Partners Outlook Volume V, Issue 6, July 2015.]

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/en/2015/07/03/the-upside-of-melanesian-leaders-west-papua-compromise/