Nethy Dharma Somba and Ina Parlina, Jayapura/Jakarta – Muslim and Christian communities in Tolikara, Papua, reached a peace agreement on Wednesday following last week's riot in which angered masses burned down several kiosks and the fire spread to a musholla (small mosque).

Taking place at the Karubaga Military Command (Koramil) in Tolikara, leaders from the two communitues shook hands in the traditional pegunungan tengah way, in which the middle finger of a person is squeezed by the middle and fore finger of the other person and then tugged to create a sound.

After shaking hands, they hugged each other as residents from the Muslim and Christian communities witnessed the truce agreement. The settlement was preceded by community work to clean up debris from last Friday's fire.

The Muslim party was represented by Muslim preacher Ali Muchtar, while the Christian party was represented by Marthen Jingga and Nayus Wenda.

"Peace has been reached this morning at the Koramil office, where they [Muslim and Christian leaders] shook hands and hugged each other. The situation was calm and economic activity has returned to normal. The event took place for only two hours," said Tolikara Regent Usman Wanimbo in Jayapura after visiting victims receiving treatment at the Dok II regional hospital on Wednesday.

During the reconciliation, Ali Mochtar appealed to other Muslims to refrain from making provocative statements. "Muslims in Java and Sumatra and other places should not take to revenge because positive measures have been taken as an alternative," said Ali.

Separately, six victims who were shot during the Tolikara incident in July are presently receiving treatment at the Dok II regional hospital in Jayapura. Three of them, identified as Perenus Wanimbo, 28, Keratus Kogoya, 30, and Yulianus Lambe, 28, who were all hit in the thigh, have undergone surgery. Three others, Erendinus Jikwa, 21, Galibuli Jikwa, 50, and Amaten Wenda, 31, will undergo surgery on Thursday.

According to hospital director Yeremias Mzen, the gunshot victims must undergo surgery due to the shrapnel that is embedded in their wounds. Yeremias said that the bullets that hit them had likely ricocheted off other objects. "The bullets may have ricocheted and then hit the victims," said Yeremias.

The six victims claimed that they were not involved with the group that set fire to the stalls, which in turn then spread to the musholla, but rather that they were only bystanders who were watching the incident from the sidewalk. Galibuli, who is hearing impaired, was standing on the sidewalk when he was hit by a bullet. The bullet lodged in his thigh and it came out by itself when he was at the hospital.

Four other gunshot victims are presently receiving treatment at the Wamena regional hospital in Jayawijaya, and another victim is undergoing treatment at the Tolikara regional hospital. The deceased has been identified as Endi Wanimbo, 15. Cenderawasih Military Command chief Maj. Gen. Fransen G. Siahaan was also seen visiting victims at the Dok II regional hospital.

Meanwhile in Jakarta, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo will soon to host a dialogue between religious leaders, indigenous leaders and Papuan figures to ease tensions in Tolikara, and at the same time, restore trust among the people nationwide.

The plan was made following a meeting between Jokowi and a number of government officials, including Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo, National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti and Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo, who discussed the Tolikara incident on Wednesday at the State Palace.

Gatot revealed that Jokowi also disbursed Rp 1 billion (US$74,418) in financial aid to help rebuild the kiosks and the musholla. "We will also build 15 more kiosks in addition to rebuilding the 70 kiosks [which were burned and destroyed during the incident] for the locals there," he added.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/23/muslims-christians-reach-peace-papua.html

Criticism of BIN over tolikara arson misguided: Intelligence chief

Jakarta Globe - July 22, 2015

Jakarta – Indonesia's newly inaugurated intelligence chief, Sutiyoso, has dismissed criticism that his agency failed to prevent a small-scale sectarian incident in Tolikara district, Papua last week in which a mosque was torched.

Sutiyoso claimed that the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) had detected signs of religious tension between the mostly indigenous Christian majority and the predominantly migrant Muslim community since July 11, six days before a group of 200 men attacked shops and houses belonging to Muslims during the Idul Fitri celebration.

"BIN's job is to provide information. And we have provided [intelligence] on July 11," Sutiyoso said after attending a meeting between President Joko Widodo and senior security officials at the State Palace on Wednesday. "The criticisms were misdirected," he said.

"These critics don't understand BIN's roles and functions. Police were guarding [the local Muslim community] on July 17. It wouldn't happen without information from us. "BIN is not an executive, it's job is to provide information."

Sutiyoso stressed, however, that his remarks did not mean that the local police were doing a bad job with the intelligence they were provided, saying that the local police have very limited resources." A small town like that, the officers are limited. There are only 42 officers there," he said.

Sutiyoso added that critics and opponents of the president were quick to heap blame on the government, possibly to deligitimize Joko's leadership. "There are those who are using this incident to attack Jokowi, attack the government, me as BIN chief and attack the National Police chief [Badrodin Haiti]," he said referring to the president by his popular nickname.

Sutiyoso has also instructed BIN officials across the country to anticipate a possible backlash in the aftermath of the incident, "particularly in areas which have radical groups."

Joko on Wednesday met with Sutiyoso, Badrodin, military chief Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo, Coordinating Minister on Security Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno, Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin and Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo.

Teten Masduki, a member of the president's communication team, said Joko issued three instructions in light of the incident at the meeting. "Firstly, [Joko said] the law must be upheld," Teten said.

The president also said officials in Jakarta and Tolikara must work together to rebuild the damaged facilities. The central government has earmarked Rp 1 billion for the reconstruction and military personnel will assist with the work.

"The president will stage dialogues with religious, tribal and community leaders in Papua to calm the situation there," Teten continued.

Regulation scrutinized

Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo said his office has formed a team to investigate the existence of a regional regulation that supposedly bars Muslims from performing mass prayers like the one on Idul Fitri.

The regulation was cited in flyers circulated to Muslims in Tolikara, purportedly from the Evangelical Church of Indonesia (GIDI), the largest religious group in the district. GIDI has denied issuing the flyer but confirmed that its members were there to stop Muslims from violating the said regulation.

Tolikara district chief Usman Wanimbo denied the existence of the regulation during a meeting with Tjahjo in Jakarta on Tuesday. However, Usman acknowledged another discriminatory regulation, which bars Christian denominations aside from GIDI from establishing a church in Tolikara.

Tjahjo said his office will send a team to Tolikara and examine documents related to all regional regulations. "We have asked this to the district chief and the leaders of the regional house of representatives.

"They said they will scour through their files but even they couldn't find [the regulation] because their filing system is a mess," he said. "All regional regulations must be sent to the Home Affairs ministry so we can verify whether it is in line with the Constitution and other [national] laws and regulations," he said.

"I have repealed 139 regional regulations but none of it is from Tolikara. We have certainly never heard of such regulation let alone signed off on it."

Tjahjo said the district could face an administrative sanction for enforcing a law that has not secured ministerial approval – a step necessary to get a regional regulation to enter into force.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/criticism-bin-tolikara-arson-misguided-intelligence-chief/

Police to name suspects in Tolikara arson case: Chief

Jakarta Globe - July 22, 2015

Jakarta – Police on Wednesday were set to charge several suspects linked to the torching of a mosque in Papua's Tolikara district last week as officials rushed to contain the fallout of the incident and prevent violence from spreading elsewhere.

"Law enforcers have examined 30 witnesses. Today, there are five more witnesses [questioned]. After [all witnesses] are questioned, we will name the suspects," National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti told reporters on Wednesday. The general however remained tight-lipped on when the announcement would be made.

Police earlier said "some individuals" had been provoking a group of around 200 people, pelting stones and setting fire to shops owned by Muslim migrants as local Muslims were absent from the area while taking part in a mass Idul Fitri prayer. Almost 60 shops were destroyed in the flames, while 211 people were left homeless and a local mosque destroyed.

Badrodin said that police were investigating all claims surrounding the incident, including the spreading of flyers purportedly from the Evangelical Church of Indonesia (GIDI) – the largest religious group in the district – barring Muslims from performing Idul Fitri prayers en masse because the holiday coincided with a national conference held by GIDI.

GIDI has denied distributing the flyers and instead accused police of inciting the riot by firing at some GIDI youths "peacefully protesting" the use of loudspeakers in the mass prayer. A dozen people were shot by police in the incident, with one killed.

Badrodin said a team of experts from the National Police headquarters in Jakarta had been examining the flyers.

Police, he said, also investigated GIDI's accusations of excessive use of force and determined members of the local precinct had followed "proper procedure" by firing warning shots into the air and then down to the ground to prevent protesters from advancing. "But [these warning shots] were ignored," he said. "The investigation is still ongoing."

Badrodin also defended Tolikara Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Suroso, who has been criticized for failing to prevent violence, with the threatening flyers being circulated up to a week before the incident.

"The district police chief has taken some measures. Once the flyers circulated he immediately confirmed it with GIDI president [the Rev. Dorman Wandikmbo]. The GIDI president said he never authorized it," the general said.

Suroso also consulted the matter with Tolikara district chief Usman Wanimbo, who assured police that Muslims could still perform their mass prayers. "Which is why [Suroso] confidently told the Muslim community: 'go ahead with the prayer, I will keep you safe,'" Badrodin said.

Badrodin said he instructed all officers across the country to prevent violence from spreading as provocative messages continued to circulate in the aftermath of the incident.

A church in Purworejo district, Central Java, sustained minor damage after its front door was set on fire early on Tuesday. A threatening letter was left for its congregation.

Meanwhile, police in Jakarta were stepping up security to prevent Papuan students and churches from becoming a target of hate crimes, Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian said.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/police-name-suspects-tolikara-arson-case-chief/

Golkar lawmaker says PKI communists masterminded Tolikara tragedy

Intelijen - July 22, 2015

Teropong Senayan – The razing of an Islamic prayer room in the Tolikara district of Papua was carried out by a group pursuing the agenda of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) to re-implant its ideology in Indonesia.

This was reveled by the deputy chairperson of the House of Representatives' (DPR) Commission VIII, Deding Ishak. Ishak said that it is impossible that religious people would commit arson when another religious congregation was conducting prayers for the 1436 H Idul Fitri celebrations at the end of the fasting month on Friday July 17.

"I'm not convinced it was done by a religious community, religious congregations, all religions teach love and compassion so the razing of the prayer room in Tolikara was definitely carried out by the PKI", said Ishak when contacted by Teropong Senayan (Senayan Focus) on Monday July 19.

Ishak's suspicions are based on a plan by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to apologise to the PKI over the 1965 killings. So people who still hold to a communist ideology are taking advantage of this to divide the Indonesian people.

"Just look at the common thread. Because of this the president must be careful about issuing such a statement, particularly in relation to an apology to the PKI", he said.

The Golkar Party politician is also urging the government to immediately and fully investigate the masterminds behind the incident so that other regions are not affected. "It must be immediately and fully investigated by law enforcement agencies so that it does give rise to distrust", he said.

[Abridged translation by James Balowski. The second part of the article goes on to describe the incident in Tolikara. The original title of the article was "PKI, Dalang di Balik Tragedi Tolikara?".]

Source: http://www.intelijen.co.id/pki-dalang-di-balik-tragedi-tolikara/

Spy chief claims foreigners using Tolikara riot to attack government

Peka News - July 22, 2015

State Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Sutiyoso says that the riot in Tolikara, Papua was aimed at attacking President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

"Those people took advantage of the incident to attack Pak Jokowi, attack the government, attack me as the head of BIN and attack the national police chief. This is becoming commonplace", he said at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on July 22.

Sutiyoso declined however to name the intellectual actors that are attacking Jokowi by causing uproar in Tolikara, but did not deny the possibility of foreign involvement.

"Yeah I've asked the police. There must be an investigation to answer this and we can't just go accusing people at random. The police investigation will still take a long time. It may well be that foreign parties were involved", he said accusingly.

Sutiyoso refused to be blamed for the riot that ended in the burning down of an Islamic prayer room and shop-houses in Tolikara. The reason being that BIN provided information related to the threat on July 11.

"The security forces responded, the regional police immediately held a regional consultative council meeting, involving the regent and religious figures. Everyone was involved including the president of the GIDI [Evangelical Church of Indonesia], there was a good response", he said.

As a result, by July 17 large numbers of police and military were on alert in the area. "If they didn't get the information from us where else did they get the information from", he said by way of defending himself. According to Sutiyoso, the riot broke out because security forces were confronted by a brutal mob. "This has happened not just in Tolikara, but anywhere where [the security forces] are confronted by brutal mobs like this".

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "KaBIN Sutiyoso: Pembuat Rusuh di Tolikara untuk Menyerang Jokowi dan Saya".]

Source: http://pekanews.com/2015/07/kabin-sutiyoso-pembuat-rusuh-di-tolikara-untuk-menyerang-jokowi-dan-saya/

Officials fear backlash after Papua mosque burning

Jakarta Globe - July 21, 2015

Security across the country has been raised as provocative messages spread online in the aftermath of the burning down of a small mosque in Karubaga, in Papua's Tolikara district last week.

Several firebrand clerics have even been calling on Muslims to wage jihad against Christians in Papua, and at least one church in Central Java has already received threats.

Meanwhile, conspiracy theorists speculated that the burning of the mosque, which occurred just as local Muslims were preparing to perform their Idul Fitri prayers on Friday, was the work of "intelligence agents."

The possible motives, the theorists suggested, varied from further destabilizing the restive province for the benefit of security rackets to fanning intolerance and spreading conflict elsewhere in the archipelago.

In 2001, a wave of sectarian conflicts across the country paved the way for the impeachment of president Abdurrahman Wahid, better known as Gus Dur.

The Jakarta Police and the Jakarta Military Command on Tuesday met with leaders of various Muslim organizations to try and prevent such provocative and speculative messages from spreading.

"We must examine the incident in Tolikara rationally and wisely, putting forward unity and tolerance," military commander Maj. Gen. Agus Sutomo said. Agus added that he believed various groups across the capital must work together with security officials "to monitor, communicate and proactively take preventive measures so people wouldn't get provoked."

'Isolated incident'

The chief of Jakarta Police, Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian, who previously led the Papua Police, said the burning of the mosque was an isolated incident.

"Papuans are very moderate and tolerant in religious affairs. There has never been any sectarian conflict there. Many churches [in Papua] were also quick to condemn the incident," he said.

Tito, a former chief of the National Police's counterterrorism unit Densus 88, told the Muslim groups attending Tuesday's meeting to stop using the incident to fan hatred and intolerance.

"This is a very sensitive issue. We hope [Muslim leaders] can calm their followers down and examine the Tolikara incident wisely. We don't want people to take the wrong step based on a misunderstanding of what happened," he continued. "We will also monitor [activities of] radical groups that often commit acts of terrorism."

Police chiefs in other provinces have taken similar measures, trying to convince local Muslim leaders of the need to spread messages of peace in the wake of the incident.

Dozens questioned

The deputy chief of the Papua Police, Brig. Gen. Rudolf Alberth Rodja, has said the mosque was burned by accident and that no Muslims were hurt. "The mosque was not burned down [intentionally]. There was a riot and a few stores were set on fire and the mosque, which is located nearby, caught fire as a result," he said.

"The mosque was also empty at the time. Local Muslims safely performed their Idul Fitri prayers on a field near a military compound. When the attack happened, officials immediately secured the area."

Rudolf said there were flyers, purportedly from the Evangelical Church of Indonesia (GIDI), which barred Muslims from performing Idul Fitri prayers en masse because the holiday coincided with a national conference held by GIDI. The church group has however denied issuing such flyers.

President Joko Widodo's chief of staff, Luhut Panjaitan, has provided account of the incident, saying that several Christians were offended by the use of loudspeakers near their church.

Prior to Idul Fitri, which marks the end of Ramadan, Muslims traditionally celebrate by chanting prayers, an activity that often lasts all night and into the morning.

Rudolf said whatever the motive, police have recorded some individuals provoking a group of 200 strong, pelting stones and setting fires to shops owned Muslim migrants.

"Including a shop selling gasoline. This is what caused fire to rage and get out of control," he said. "Police have questioned 32 witnesses... No one has been arrested yet. As instructed by the president, we must act carefully to prevent [violence] from spreading."

Papua Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rudolf Patrige said 58 shops were destroyed in the flames, while 211 people were left homeless.

Tolikara Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Suroso said police were still investigating the origins of the provocative flyers. "The GIDI's president never sanctioned such a restriction," he said.

Regulations scrutinized

Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo said that his office was seeking clarification from district chief Usman Wanimbo about several discriminatory regulations in the province (perda). "I personally have repealed 139 perda [across the country], particularly those that are against pluralism," he said.

Tjahjo was referring to a perda cited in a press release from GIDI president the Rev. Dorman Wandikmbo. In the statement, Dorman said several GIDI youths were merely reminding the Muslims that according to a perda all religious activities must take place indoors, without the use of loudspeakers.

The youths, Dorman claimed, were protesting peacefully before they were shot at by security officials. One of the 12 youths who were shot died.

The church had also sent a letter to Suroso, the Tolikara Police chief, two weeks before the incident reminding him of the perda.

Usman denied the existence of such regulation during a meeting with the minister in Jakarta on Tuesday but acknowledged that of another discriminatory regulation, which bars other Christian denominations (aside from GIDI) from establishing a church in Tolikara.

"Yes, there is such a regulation. It is the [local] people who forced us not to allow any other denomination from entering," he said. The regulation was passed by the local Regional House of Representatives in 2013, Usman explained.

The Home Ministry's director general for politics and governance, Soedarmo, said the ministry has not endorsed the regulation, which is needed for the perda to enter into force.

"Exclusivity will create resistance from other religious groups. We want the [Tolikara] government to review the perda. Especially since the minister has not signed off on it," he told Usman.

'Unacceptable'

Neles Tebay, a Catholic priest and Papuan community leader, called the attack "unacceptable" and said it could not be justified by any religious person. Neles, who also coordinates the Papuan Peace Network (JDP), said the attack has no place in Papuan culture.

"Our cultural traditions teach us that Papuans are not allowed to disturb places seen as sacred," he said. "When you do disturb a holy place, according to Papuan beliefs, there will be consequences in the lives of those who interfered in that place. As a Papuan, I ask for forgiveness for this event that violated the norms of our tradition [adat]," Neles said.

Calling for restraint, the priest also urged police to quickly get to the bottom of the case, finding not only those responsible for the attack, but also establishing what triggered it.

The freedom of religion in Indonesia has in recent years been under pressure from both hard-line groups and even government officials, with minority groups like Shiites, the Ahmadiyah sect and various Christian denominations usually bearing the brunt.

Nusron Wahid, general chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama's youth wing GP Ansor, said that a lesson can be learned from the Tolikara incident for all of Indonesia, namely that a tyranny of the majority is not acceptable anywhere.

"There has to be empathy. In mainly Islamic areas, the Muslim majority cannot just do whatever it wants, and neither can the non-Muslims in their areas," he said.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/officials-fear-backlash-papua-mosque-burning/

Who orchestrated the Tolikara incident

Global Indonesian Voices - July 21, 2015

Felix Utama Kosasih, Jayapura – Amid the festivities surrounding the Eid al-Fitr celebration in Indonesia, the peace and happiness characteristic of the holiday was broken by an attack in Tolikara, a regency in the island of Papua.

Six houses, eleven kiosks, and a mushala (small mosque) were burned, and a man was shot dead. The conflict started when several people from the GIDI (Gereja Injili di Indonesia), a Christian church denomination, confronted the Muslims who were conducting their Eid prayers.

GIDI claimed the sound amplifiers used by the mushala was disturbing a nation-wide seminar held by the church at the same time. By this point, different versions of the story are told by the differing parties. GIDI says its members burned only the kiosks after one man was shot dead by the police guarding the Eid prayers, but the fire later spread to the mushala as well. Another version of the event maintains that not only did the GIDI people burned the mushala, they also threw stones at the mushala.

Then, there is also rumors of a letter issued by GIDI, numbered 90/SP/GIDI-WT/VII/2015. The letter forbids the Eid prayers in its entirety, plus banning the building of any houses of worship in Tolikara, including churches not affiliated to GIDI. It was signed by Pastor Nayus Wenda, Chairman of GIDI Tolikara. The selfish ruling has been slammed by representatives of all religions in Indonesia, as no one should be allowed to prevent anyone from exercising his religious beliefs.

External influence?

All these uncertainties, combined with the loss of life and the fact that this unfortunate incident occurred on the usually highly tolerant Papua, has sparked the theory that the entire conflict was orchestrated by someone outside Papua. This perpetrator is believed to aim for chaos by causing sectarian conflicts in Papua, a region which has only recently started to improve its relationship with Jakarta, under the support and leadership of President Widodo.

The strongest opinion so far came from Fahmi Habsyi, Executive Director of the Trisakti Evaluation Center (Pusaka Trisakti), who believed that what happened in Tolikara was purely an intelligence operation. Habsyi trusts that the Papuan people are tolerant and very polite, and thus the incident cannot be seen on its own. He also thinks that the attack may be related to Widodo's policy of accelerating development in Papua.

"The sequence [of events] must be seen from several one-sided actions which have demanded a referendum on Papua... Someone is trying to create trouble, and also offers the solution through another motive and aim for a compromise. This is a classic style. Hopefully [President Widodo] can see it. Do not underestimate the incident. Remember the riot in Ambon 1999, it was sparked by a mere fight in a terminal. What happened in Papua is more serious than that," explained Habsyi to Berita Satu.

Habsyi's sentiment is echoed by Laode Ida, Chairman of the Presidium of East Indonesia Association (PPIT). "Violence towards a religious group is not the character of Papuans. The Papua people are not like that. They are tolerant and respectful of other people's religious freedom. We strongly believe there are groups who come from outside Papua and then spread a provocative propaganda." Ida also demanded the government to mediate a formal reconciliation process in Tolikara to prevent a cycle of revenge, as reported by Kompas.

The possibility of an outsider whispering to the GIDI congregation has not escaped the attention of General Badrodin Haiti, head of the National Police. "Someone deliberately set the riot. However, we can't confirm yet the existence of a foreign power in the incident. But there are several people from out of the region who were involved in the riot. We are still looking for the intellectual actor."

Meanwhile, state leaders and religious elders alike have called for restraint and peace among all elements in society. In Papua, 15 Christian and Muslim leaders have conducted a meeting and issued a joint apology on the attack. Furthermore, they also requested the law-enforcing authorities to completely investigate the incident and punish the perpetrators in full accordance to the law.

"We regret the burning of mushala and the attack on Muslims in Tolikara, which caused the loss of life in Eid al-Fitr celebrations. In regard of this event, we also push the authorities to immediately solve the problem completely and professionally by processing the actors according to the law. We also ask the people not to be provoked by false issues [spread by] irresponsible people. [We ask] security officals to immediately calm down the situation through strict acts, but without violence, to identify the perpetrator and the cause, so that riots would not expand and repeat itself," said Pastor Herman Saud in the leaders' joint statement.

Other than the 15 elders, pleas for calm have also been voiced by President Widodo, VP Kalla, the Minister for Religious Affairs Lukman Hakim Saifuddin, National Police General Badrodin Haiti, and various religious organizations including the Muhammadiyah, PGI (Indonesian Council of Churches), KWI (Indonesian Conference of Churches' Representatives), and MUI (Indonesian Council of Ulema).

In such a time of great celebration of victory for the Muslim people, it is such a shame that several people saw fit to spread violence and hatred. What they did was a great mistake, and they deserve a just punishment. Nevertheless, revenge acts and more riots will not solve anything, neither will it rebuild the burned houses, kiosks, and mushala. Let us spread love and compassion instead, and pray together for a more tolerant and peaceful Indonesia.

Source: http://www.globalindonesianvoices.com/21680/who-orchestrated-the-tolikara-incident/

Tolikara incident: One killed and 11 wounded

Tabloid JUBI - July 20, 2015

Jayapura, Jubi – The Indonesian Fellowship of Churches and Evangelical institutions (PGLII) has condemned the destruction and arson attack on an Islamic house of prayer (mushola) on Friday, along with kiosks and homes in Tolikara district, Papua.

"PGLII deplored the incident that hurt inter-religious harmony and the holiness of Idul Fitri celebrated by our brothers and sisters in Tolikara. We do not justify any kind of violence that would harm our brotherhood," PGLII general chairman Ronny Mandang said at a press conference held in Jakarta on Saturday (17/7/2015) as reported by Antara News.

PGLII made the statement in its capacity as an institution that oversees the Evangelical Church in Indonesia (GIDI). This follows an attack on Muslims who were performing Eid prayers at the yard of the 1702/JWY Sub- District Military Command.

Apart from expressing regret, PGLII also extended its sympathy to the Muslims whose Eid prayers were disrupted. "We also wish to express our sympathy to one GIDI member who died and 11 others who were wounded in the incident," Ronny said.

PGLII considered the incident to be a local event that did not reflect national conditions. In view of that, Ronny appealed to the authorities to settle the case through fair law enforcement. "The government must also investigate the root cause of the incident," he added.

At 7am on Friday a crowd believed to be GIDI members attacked a group of Muslims who were conducting Eid prayers in Karubaga, the capital of Tolikara district.

Meanwhile, The National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM) found several facts in an incident that happened in Karubuga, Tolikara Regency, Papua, on Friday, July 17, 2015.

The commission revealed that the incident did not only involve the burning of a mosque by the Evangelical Church of Indonesia (GIDI) congregation but also a shooting incident done by the police.

Natalius Pigai, a Commissioner of Komnas HAM said that eleven people were injured and one primary school student, Edi Wanimbo (15 years old) was killed in the incident. Nine of peoples where injured are Altelu Yanengga, Edi Wanimbo (died), Perinus Wanimbo, Geratus Kogoya, Ketilu Yikwa, Erdinus Yikwa, Alies Kogoya, Emison Pagawak and Yulianus Lambe.

According to Pigai, the victims were injured by the police' shooting before a group believed to be GIDI members set fire on Baitul Mutaqin mosque.

"The police who tried to blockade the GIDI protestors directly shot at them. Later on, the congregation vented their anger to the mosque. In fact, they were angry to the police because the police shot at some of the residents," Pigai said on Saturday (18/7/2015).

Responding to the news and information that being circulated in Social Media, President of the Evangelical Church in Indonesia (GIDI), Rev. Dorman Wandikmbo said is not true if GIDI's members forbids the celebration of Eid Mubarak for Muslims in Tolikara. He also denied that GIDI's members have set a plan to burn a mushola during the incident.

Rev. Wanimbo said, about three weeks before implementing the event, local church officials had issued a notification letter claimed to have been approved and recognized by the local government and local army and police.

"When the day came, we were surprised that the police and army allowed worship to carried out in the field and using loudspeakers. We have already conveyed (our plans) in the letter," he said.

Therefore, GIDI's members come to negotiate with muslims who are preparing to run the Eid prayer. Negotiations have not started yet, suddenly someone of GIDI's members was shot.

"The unrest was initially caused by the police shooting indiscriminately at residents who asked Muslims practice Eid prayers without loudspeakers," he said on Saturday (18/7/2015). Unhappy with the drastic response, some people vented their anger by burning kiosks, which are located not far from the mosque.

"There was never any desire to burn the mosque. Some youths who annoyed anger lashed out to nearby stalls, to show resistance against the repressive attitude of the police. No one ever thought that the fire rapidly spread to the houses and mosque," he added. (Victor Mambor)

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/en/2015/07/20/tolikara-incident-one-killed-and-11-wounded/

Komnas HAM probes Tolikara incident

Tempo.co - July 20, 2015

Putri Adityowati, Cunding Levi, Jakarta – The National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM) is currently investigating the perpetrators behind letters from the Gereja Injili di Indonesia (GIDI), which inflicted riot in Karubaga, Tolikara, Papua.

Komnas HAM Commissioner Natalius Pigai said that the riot on Friday July 17 was caused by several perpetrator, aiming to disrupt tolerance and peace in Papua. "We are investigating the case. We have also asked the State Intelligence Agency to help us, as the content of the letter has caused public outrage," said Pigai.

On July 11, GIDI Chief of Tolikara, (Rev.) Nayus Wenea, and GIDI Secretary, (Rev.) Marthe Jingga, issued a letter to all Moslems in Tolikara. The letter asks them not to celebrate Eid Mubarak and not to wear veil. Moreover, Nayus also forbids other religions to set up religious shrines in Tolikara.

Natalius said that the letter should not be out on social media, as it contains provocative wordings. "The letter is not fake, but the content is totally wrong," he said.

He then questioned the social media outbreak, as Tolikara is isolated from network service. Natalius suspected that the letter was used as a provoking measures by authorities in Papua. "I am concerned that the letter was sent out by local journalist, affiliated with state's interest," he said.

Source: http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2015/07/20/055685084/komnas-ham-probes-tolikara-incident

Tolikara incident: Police accused of circulating provocative letter

Suara Papua - July 20, 2015

Oktovianus Pogau, Tolikara – The president of the Indonesian Evangelical Church (Gereja Injili di Indonesia, GIDI), Reverend Dorman Wandikmbo insists that the letter issued by the regional GIDI in the Tolikara highland district of Papua that has been circulating in the mass media and social networks is forgery or hoax.

"From the beginning I have explained that the letter being circulated by a certain group is a forgery, and the actors behind the circulation of the forged letter need to be found. Because on account of its leak in the social media is in fact stirring things up", said Wandikmbo when contacted by Suara Papua on Monday July 20.

According to Wandikmbo, the GIDI central board must be advised of all letters that are issued by and are received in areas served by GIDI churches.

"My signature is not on the letter, nor is there the signature of the chairperson of the seminar organising committee and the KKR [Spiritual Awakening Service], so we can say that the letter is a forgery, and untrue, so because of this I am asking that people not be provoked", he asserted.

Wandikmbo suspects that the source of the forged letter is the security forces, namely the Indonesian police (Polri), because it appears from the letter that it is addressed to the police.

"Please check with and ask the Tolikara chief of police and his officers, also ask the Papuan regional police, we were surprised at how only one hour after the incident the letter was already being circulated in the media, it is a manipulation by the security forces", he asserted.

According to Wandikmbo the internet and cell phone network in Tolikara is very poor, so what surprised him is that the letter and the photographs could be circulated so quickly.

"We suspect there are people who planned this scenario, and in fact the letter is intended to legitimise and at the same time justify brutal actions by the TNI [Indonesian military] and Polri who shot 12 youths from the church, this approach cannot be justified", he said.

When the media questioned a statement by the head of the Tolikara regional department of religion, Yusak Mauri, on the authenticity of the letter, Wandikmbo asked which letter Mauri had declared was authentic, because the regent and himself as the president of the GIDI had already given permission to the Muslim community to celebrate the Idul Fitri holidays at the end of the fasting month.

"The letter that we knew about contained an appeal not to use loudspeakers or megaphones during prayers because it could disturb the 2,000 or so youth taking part in the church activities and all parties were aware of this appeal".

"For almost 30 years Islamic houses of prayer in Tolikara have always [been allowed to] use loudspeakers, only this time round did we forbade it because there were thousands of youths from churches outside of Tolikara, the local regent who is a leading GIDI church member has also provided assistance to the Muslim community", said Wandikmbo.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Surat Edaran Ternyata Palsu, Presiden GIDI: Tangkap Pelaku Penyebaran!"]

Source: http://suarapapua.com/mobile/read/2015/07/20/2715/surat-edaran-ternyata-palsu-presiden-gidi-tangkap-pelaku-penyeberan

No plans to burn mosque: GIDI Tolikara president

Tempo.co - July 19, 2015

Dini Pramita, Jakarta – President of the Evangelical Church in Inonesia (GIDI), Rev. Dorman Wandikmbo, said the unrest was initially caused by the police shooting indiscriminately at residents who asked Muslims practice Eid prayers without loudspeakers.

Unhappy with the drastic response, some people vented their anger by burning kiosks, which are located not far from the mosque.

The incident began when GIDI initiated an international meeting near the location of the incident. Earlier, about three weeks before implementing the event, local church officials had issued a notification letter claimed to have been approved and recognized by the local government and local army and police.

"When the day came, we were surprised that the police and army allowed worship to carried out in the field and using loudspeakers. We have already conveyed (our plans) in the letter," he said.

Dorman said, the speakers made the seminar uncomfortable. The distance between the loudspeakers at the venue of the seminar is only about 250 meters, he said. Therefore, some youths took the initiative to ask the people to pray inside the mosque. But, he said, police dispersed the youths with gunfire.

After the shooting, the situation became chaotic and uncontrollable. "People at the seminar became involved and ran helter-skelter, leaving the location," he said. Upset with repressive treatment, they burned kiosks as a form of resistance.

"So it was not burning of the mosque. People need to know that even homes of non-Muslim Papuans also caught fire. No one thought the fire would quickly spread and burned the mosque," he said.

According to Dorman, the most responsible party in this incident was the police and military. "When we coordinate with the mosque staff, they said they never got a notice from the police and military that the field that will be used for the seminar," he said.

He also said that for Muslims in Tolikara are used to worshipping inside the mosque without loudspeakers. "They have understood and never protested. With the efforts of this provocation, we also pity them. However, we are more sorry that Papuans are considered anti-tolerant," he said.

Source: http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2015/07/19/055684919/no-plans-to-burn-mosque-gidi-tolikara-president

As officials react, Papua mosque burning labeled 'accident'

Jakarta Globe - July 18, 2015

Jakarta – The burning down of a small mosque in Karubaga, in Papua's Tolikara district on Friday, just as local Muslims prepared for Idul Fitri prayers, was an accident – with perpetrators merely targeting food stalls nearby, President Joko Widodo's chief of staff has said.

Luhut Panjaitan said late on Friday that the mosque that caught fire was not the main target of the attack, by a local Christian group that apparently was offended by the use of loudspeakers near their church.

"They set fire to stalls owned by [non-Papuan] immigrants," Luhut said, "and there happened to be a small mosque nearby."

The chief of staff added that the Christian group had been holding a conference in a nearby church and had complained about the volume of the sound coming from the mosque's loudspeakers.

"All of a sudden people from the church started throwing rocks or stuff like that," Luhut said, adding that warning shots were fired by security forces and that several people had been hurt and taken to Jayapura for treatment of their injuries.

'Police to blame'

Local news portal Tempo.co quoted an official from the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) as saying that the trouble really started when police opened fire.

"There is a misunderstanding here, as if the GIDI [Evangelical Church of Indonesia] people are hostile toward Islam," Tempo quoted commissioner Natalius Pigai as saying. "But in fact they didn't plan to burn the mosque. The people were angry because they were shot at by police."

Media reports said a total of 12 attackers were injured on Friday, and one of them died later. The Jakarta Globe was not able to verify on Saturday the condition of the injured.

In a seemingly unrelated incident last month, a GIDI church went up in flames in Yambi, in Papua's Puncak Jaya district, with fingers being pointed at the time to a local separatist group.

Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo, meanwhile, on Saturday warned people in Papua against being provoked to take part in any act of intolerance. "The people don't need to become emotional, caught up in this situation. Be careful of provocateurs," Tjahjo said.

Papuan traditions

"As a Papuan, I ask for forgiveness for this event that violated the norms of our tradition [adat]," Neles said. Calling for restraint, the priest also urged police to quickly get to the bottom of the case, finding not only those responsible for the attack, but also establishing what triggered it.

Freedom of religion

Maruarar Sirait, from the president's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), stressed that it was the state's task to guarantee the freedom of religion for every citizen.

"Indonesia is ruled by the law on the basis of Pancasila," he said, referring to the five-tier state ideology. "Religious freedom has to be protected, as mandated in the first principle of Pancasila."

Maruarar emphasized that all citizens should be able to safely carry out religious activities in their places of worship without being disturbed by others.

Another young politician, Grace Natalie from the newly founded Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), lamented the apparent lack of dialogue between different religious traditions and ethnic groups in Indonesia today, which she said was at the core of tragic events like that in Tolikara on Friday.

"The result is that vandalism and violence often become solutions," Grace said. "This is caused by religious understanding that is increasingly exclusive and intolerant – and that happens in almost every religion."

Grace also said the Tolikara incident should not be seen as representative of the situation across the archipelago, however, as people in most places are able to peacefully practice their religion.

Top officials, like Vice President Jusuf Kalla, remain adamant however that Indonesia is among the most religiously harmonious countries in the world.

'Tyranny of the majority'

Nusron Wahid, speaking as the general chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama's youth wing GP Ansor, argued that the law should prevail.

"The freedom of religion and the freedom to worship are guaranteed by the constitution of this state. Nobody, in whoever's name, can disturb others, let alone set fire to a place of worship," he said.

GP Ansor has in recent years been playing an active role in protecting churches and minority groups like Ahmadis during times of tension. Nusron also heads the National Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI).

"Don't let this become a religious conflict," he added. "The law has to be enforced and the state has to protect its citizen when they practice their religion."

He also said that a lesson can be learned from the Tolikari incident for all of Indonesia, namely that a tyranny of the majority is not acceptable anywhere.

"There has to be empathy. In mainly Islamic areas, the Muslim majority cannot just do whatever it wants, and neither can the non-Muslims in their areas," Nusron said.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/officials-react-papua-mosque-burning-labeled-accident/

Labour & migrant workers

Death toll from Bekasi factory explosion hits 17

Jakarta Globe - July 23, 2015

Bayu Marhaenjati & Mikael Niman, Bekasi/Jakarta – The death toll from an explosion at a cosmetics factory on the outskirts of Jakarta has reached 17, with 12 victims dying in hospital as a result of their injuries, police said on Thursday.

Five factory workers were immediately killed in the explosion in Bekasi, West Java on July 10. A total of 53 others were injured and immediately rushed to hospital. As of Thursday, 12 of them died due to severe injuries.

Bekasi Police chief Sr. Comr. Rickynaldo Chairul said 17 people had died and 41 others are still being treated.

Sr. Comr. Musyafak, the head of Jakarta Police's medical and health unit, said the injured victims were treated at several different hospitals in Jakarta and Bekasi. He said 21 people were still in intensive care units, while 20 others had been moved to regular rooms.

"But their conditions are getting stable now," Musyafak told reporters in Jakarta. "The critical period has passed. All of the victims treated in the ICU are now conscious." The victims were suffering from moderate to severe burn injuries, he said.

The cosmetics factory, which reportedly was manufacturing hair spray, is owned by Mandom Indonesia and located in the MM2100 industrial zone in Cibitung subdistrict.

Rickynaldo said a gas canister exploded in the factory, causing an inferno. He added that police suspected negligence was a cause of the fatal accident, but were still investigating the case.

Mandom Indonesia spokesperson Alia Dewi said the company would cover all medical costs for all the victims. "As for [each family] of the deceased, we've given Rp 10 million for funeral expenses and Rp 200 million in compensation. Jamsostek compensations and others will follow, according to the prevailing regulations," she added.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/death-toll-bekasi-factory-explosion-hits-17/

Political parties & elections

Golkar camps agrees to new KPU rules, PPP says no

Jakarta Post - July 22, 2015

Jakarta – As the General Elections Commission (KPU) has revised regional election regulations to accommodate parties with dual leadership, camps within the Golkar Party have agreed to jointly nominate their candidates. A senior politician from Agung Laksono's camp, Yorrys Raweyai, confirmed the joint selection team within the party.

"The two camps have come up with mostly the same candidates. Only 10 percent of the total need to be surveyed [because they are different] and we plan to finalize the list on July 23," he told The Jakarta Post.

Aburizal Bakrie's camp spokesman Tantowi Yahya said that he welcomed the regulation changes. "There was a very positive turning point when all the parties' leaders and secretaries-general met at Vice President Jusuf Kalla's house [before Idul Fitri] and agreed that each faction in the conflicted parties, especially in Golkar, could nominate candidates for the local elections," said Tantowi.

He went on to say that should the names of the nominees be different, the joint selection team would hire public survey bodies to select the candidates that were most popular in the eyes of the public.

"If there are differences, the two camps have agreed to choose the [candidates] with the highest electability based on survey results. Hence there is no subjectivity in the selection method," the politician said.

While the two factions agreed to cooperate in order to join the 269 regional elections, infighting over the party's legal leader is continuing. Tantowi said that the Aburizal camp's lawyer, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, had appealed a Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN) ruling that validated Agung Laksono as Golkar chairman.

Following political pressure to accommodate Golkar and the United Development Party (PPP), which are currently undergoing leadership disputes, the election committee revised regulations regarding candidate endorsement.

"If the camps [in one political party] propose two different candidates, the KPU will reject them and they cannot participate in the election," KPU commissioner Hadar Nafis Gumay told the Post.

Furthermore, according to the new KPU regulation, they cannot withdraw a registered candidate even if the court issues a legally binding ruling on one leader during the election process.

PPP camp leader Muhammad "Romy" Romahurmuziy, who has been supported by the government, denied that his faction had made a joint selection team with rival camp head Djan Faridz. "I have not and will never talk about it [nominating potential regional heads together with Djan's camp]," he told the Post.

Romy insisted that his faction would still submit candidate names under his endorsement because the PTUN recognized him as the party's official leader in a recent ruling.

Djan's camp has appealed the ruling at the Supreme Court. Djan earlier claimed that the two PPP camps had agreed to select candidates jointly.

"[The selection teams from each faction have not met yet but] Romy and [our] secretary-general have met to discuss about the candidacy. [The two] teams are set to meet up on July 21. We will discuss uniting our voices to get the same names," Djan told reporters. But he remained prepared to hear Romy's rejection.

Djan said his faction could still ally with other parties in nominating potential regional heads. "For us, it's easy. To join the elections, we will ally with parties in the Red-and-White Coalition," he said.

The Red-and-White Coalition is an opposition caucus formed during the presidential election last year. Djan's PPP and Aburizal's Golkar have become part of the coalition.

Romy redirected the party to support the government right before President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo selected his Cabinet ministers.

Agung later announced a split from Aburizal after a failed succession in which Aburizal was accused of using an "iron fist" to secure a second term leading the party.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/22/golkar-camps-agrees-new-kpu-rules-ppp-says-no.html

Idul Fitri proves Megawati still very powerful

Jakarta Post - July 22, 2015

Margareth S. Aritonang and Ina Parlina, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo apparently tried to avoid public attention on his visit to former president and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri during Idul Fitri, to deprive his critics of the chance to repeat their allegations that the real president is her, not him.

The President was in Aceh and in Central Java during Idul Fitri. His close aides refused to comment on his meeting with the country's fifth president. Jokowi has now returned to Jakarta and on Wednesday he plans to meet with his Cabinet ministers and senior government officials at the Presidential Office. "The meeting is restricted to government officials only," Teten Masduki, a staff member of the President, said on Tuesday.

Despite Jokowi's low-key visit, Megawati has once again proved that she is a center of power, attracting many of the country's leaders. She seemed to play down the event, having her house closed to the public with a sign on the front gate announcing "No open house". The announcement, however, did not prevent various high-ranking officials as well as politicians, including Vice President Jusuf Kalla, visiting her Jl. Teukur Umar residence in Central Jakarta.

Her guests included politicians from the opposition Red-and-White Coalition such as Prabowo Subianto of the Gerindra Party and Aburizal Bakrie of the Golkar Party. She also received leading figures from pro-government political parties such as the NasDem Party's Surya Paloh, Golkar's Agung Laksono and the United Development Party's (PPP) Muhammad "Romy" Romahurmuziy.

Cabinet ministers also seen among the crowd included: Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi; Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Minister and National Awakening Party (PKB) politician Marwan Jafar; Trade Minister Rahmat Gobel; Industry Minister and Hanura Party politician Saleh Husin; as well as PDI-P ministers, Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo and Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly.

"It is an absolute fact that Ibu Megawati is still publicly recognized," PDI-P deputy secretary-general Ahmad Basarah said. "We hope that she will be the glue that unites the country."

Basarah later emphasized that the presence of leading figures at Megawati's residence was due to her cultural power rather than her political influence.

Amid rumors about an upcoming Cabinet reshuffle, which is said to be planned for sometime after Idul Fitri, the coming of the flock to Megawati seemed to also reflect her significant authority in determining the make-up of the Cabinet, being as she is the chief of the party that led the coalition that endorsed Jokowi and Kalla.

Megawati, however, denied that she was instrumental in the Cabinet formation and reshuffle. "I have nothing to do with [the reshuffle]," Megawati responded when journalists asked her on Wednesday on the sidelines of a PDI-P gathering.

The daughter of the country's first president Sukarno, however, acknowledged that Jokowi had asked her opinion on why the economy was moving so slowly under his government.

Megawati openly disclosed the results of her recent meeting with the President. She pointed her finger at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) as one of the country's main problems because government officials were too scared of the antigraft body. Another problem, she said, was the corrupt mentality of the bureaucracy.

"They are scared to make a mistake, so they don't want to work. They are afraid that if they do [anything very noticeable], they will be targeted by the KPK, so they keep quiet, because they don't know what is right and what is wrong," Megawati said when opening the party gathering in Depok, West Java.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/22/idul-fitri-proves-megawati-still-very-powerful.html

Opacity, violations mar Indonesia's political parties public funding

Jakarta Globe - July 21, 2015

Jakarta – Indonesia's legal frameworks fail to enforce transparency in the use of public funding for electoral campaigns by political parties, while abuses are rampant and remain unaddressed due to the limited authority of oversight bodies – a new study has found.

Washington-based Global Integrity, which disclosed the result of its study last week, puts Indonesia at the 25th place out of the 54 countries surveyed in its "Money, Politics and Transparency Integrity Indicators" study – conducted between 2013 and 2014.

Georgia, Argentina, Costa Rica, Mexico and the United States – in respective order – are the top five performers in the survey, which examined countries' legal frameworks on public funding for political campaigns and how the laws are implemented. At the bottom of the list are Malaysia, Botswana, Sri Lanka, Solomon Islands and Malawi.

Not all known developed democracies perform well in the study. Germany and Sweden, for example, ranked 32nd and 37th, respectively. Russia, on the other hand, finished at the 20th place.

Indonesia recorded a moderate score of 65 in terms of the legal aspect. In comparison, the United States scored 71 and Malaysia scored 26. When it came to the practical aspect, Indonesia's score dropped to 47. Here the United States recorded 67 points and Malaysia 15.

Global Integrity acknowledges that Indonesia's political finance framework makes public funding available for parties. The money is distributed according to how many votes were received by each party during the previous election. Unfortunately, the law does not guarantee public access to information.

"In practice, obtaining information on how much funding parties received is nearly impossible, as doing so requires filing information requests with parties themselves," Global Integrity says on its website.

The organization also highlights "third-party actors," namely non-political party, non-candidate actors who solicit contributions and/or make expenditures directly related to an electoral campaign.

"Third-party actors exert influence during campaigns, but as their independent political activities are not regulated by law, little information on their actions is available," Global Integrity says.

The study also scrutinizes the issue of unregulated spending by Indonesian political parties, saying: "Spending during campaigns is not capped. Nevertheless, the MPT evidence indicates that actual spending during the campaign season far outstrips the figures reported by parties."

Unequal media coverage, regular abuses of non-financial state resources to support re-elections of public officials, as well as weak regulations concerning wealth reports by candidates and public donations, are among other things highlighted in the Indonesian section of the report on the survey result.

Indonesia's law fails to address these abuses, with the country's two election oversight bodies, namely the General Elections Commission (KPU) and the Elections Supervisory Body (Bawaslu), being largely toothless.

"Both agencies are independent, with appointees possessing sufficient merit for their positions, but lack the capacity to completely carry out their functions," Global Integrity comments. "In practice, Bawaslu does conduct investigations transparently, and KPU does impose sanctions, but violations continue to occur."

"The KPU's sanctioning authority is limited to administrative fines, and is too weak to deter repeat violators. The limited authority of the oversight bodies hamstrings their ability to meaningfully enforce many political finance regulations," it adds.

The survey report came out just a few weeks after the Indonesian government disclosed a plan to raise state subsidies for the country's political parties by at least 900 percent.

"We are proposing [that the subsidies] be increased 10 to 20 times from where it is today," Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo, a politician with the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said last month.

"If for example, the PDI-P receives Rp 2 billion [annually], in the future we will receive Rp 20 billion," he added, claiming though that the subsidy increase would not be a priority plan of the government.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/study-opacity-violations-mar-indonesias-political-parties-public-funding-scheme/

Health & education

Economic slowdown snuffs out growth in Indonesia's smoking industry

Reuters - July 23, 2015

Bernadette Christina & Randy Fabi, Jakarta – Indonesians are smoking less than before, and that poses a dilemma for a government that faces a budget shortfall as well as rising unemployment and counts on tobacco taxes for about 10 percent of state revenue.

President Joko Widodo's government needs to decide whether to significantly raise tobacco taxes in 2016, something Indonesian authorities have done for years.

The industry association representing Indonesia's huge cigarette industry – the world's fifth largest – says a big hike will bring further declines in sales and heavy job losses. It says small factories already laid off 10,000 workers last year.

The issue has arisen amid Indonesia's worst economic slowdown since 2009. That has hit consumption of everything from cars to noodles, and forced President Joko to backtrack on his get-tough tax campaign and instead embrace policies to promote consumer spending.

In recent weeks, the government has removed luxury taxes from most goods, raised the minimum taxable income threshold for individuals, and promised no new types of tax this year.

Tobacco taxes have been raised an average 11 percent annually since 2010. Joko set ambitious tax collection targets for this year, including one of Rp 139 trillion ($10.42 billion) for cigarette taxes, and if that's not met, the government's budget gap will widen.

At this stage, the government is undecided on what to do with the cigarette tax for 2016.

In Indonesia, where about 60 percent of men smoke, cigarette production increased at an annual 7 percent average between 2007 and 2013. Last year, it declined 0.5 percent and this year will see a 2 percent fall, according to the Association of Indonesian Cigarette Producers.

"If [production] is declining and we are not careful on imposing the tax, production will decline further," Heru Pambudi, the Finance Ministry's director general of customs and excise, told Reuters.

The ministry earlier this year announced plans for an additional 10 percent value-added tax on cigarette sales, but has yet to impose it and may scrap that proposal.

A leading economic indicator

The producers' association maintains that higher taxation in 2016 will make conditions much harder for factories. "The industry must be protected," spokesman Hasan Aoni Aziz said. "Smoking is often the indicator of the economy."

A statistics bureau survey of low-income households found the only item they spent more on than cigarettes was rice, the staple food.

Last year, Indonesia made 344 billion sticks, of which more than 90 percent were distinctive kretek cigarettes, containing cloves to spice up the taste. The big listed makers are Hanjaya Mandala Sampoerna, Gudang Garam and Wismilak Inti Makmur.

The number of cigarette factories has dropped to 600 from more than 3,000 five years earlier.

Heru of the Finance Ministry said declining consumption "may have been caused by a variety of factors like consumers' awareness of the dangers of smoking, cigarette price hikes and declining purchasing power."

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/economic-slowdown-snuffs-growth-indonesias-smoking-industry/

Government to feed students at schools to fight stunting

Jakarta Post - July 23, 2015

Jakarta – The government plans to start providing meals at certain state and private elementary schools around the archipelago to fight malnutrition and stunted growth.

"We plan to provide free balanced meals starting this 2015 school year to supplement Indonesian children's nutrition. The practice will be different for each school, depending on its readiness. The program will be funded by the government and the schools," the Health Ministry's nutrition development director, Doddy Iswardy, said recently.

He added that the program would complement the government's efforts to prevent and detect stunted growth in children. "Pregnant women and babies can get free biscuits at every community health center. We also measure babies to detect stunted growth," he said.

Pediatrician Damayanti R Sjarif from the department of children's health at the University of Indonesia's Medical School and Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM) explained the nutritional standards for preventing and treating stunted growth.

"Children need food with high protein, iron, zinc and calcium to reach a normal height. Animal protein, such as meat, egg, fish and milk, has more complete essential amino acids, which contribute to vertical growth, than vegetable protein," Dayamanti told reporters at a talk show.

Infants should start consuming foods other than breast milk at the age of six months, she added, to ensure they got all the calories they needed. "Babies of six to 12 months old need 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, while those who are one to three years old need 1.05 grams," she explained.

Stunted growth occurs as a result of proper nutrition during the first 1,000 days of infants' development, including during gestation. During those 1,000 days, infants' brains grow 95 percent and the trunk of their bodies grows faster than during anytime afterwards.

The best way to prevent stunted growth is to ensure the proper nutrition of the mother during pregnancy and of the child after birth. If stunted growth has already occurred in an infant, the best way to treat it is to introduce animal protein into the child's diet as soon as possible.

"We can fix stunting the best during puberty because that is when another growth spurt occurs," she said.

"In the short-term, stunted growth reduces children's growth, immunity, cognitive thinking and fat-burning. In the long-term, children can suffer from obesity because they can't burn fat properly. This brings about other ailments, such as diabetes, coronary heart disease, hypertension and osteoporosis," she said.

On a national scale, she went on, stunted children would lose four to 10 percent of their lifetime's productivity. "They will be limited to menial work because their intelligence is hindered. Worse, if they also don't have enough iron, they will not have the strength for hard labor and might be reducted to begging," she said.

She added that immediate action was required because of the high incidence of stunting nationwide. "One-third of children in Indonesia suffer stunted growth. According to World Health Organization [WHO] data in 2013, 37.2 percent of minors in Indonesia suffer from it," she said.

According to UNICEF data in 2013, Indonesia had the fifth-highest number of stunted children in the world.

Doddy added that the eastern part of Indonesia, including Papua, Maluku and NTT, had the highest rates of stunted growth. The region has an abundance of seafood, which could address the problem, but most is exported to other regions or abroad. (rbk)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/23/govt-feed-students-schools-fight-stunting.html

Poor cost control will worsen JKN deficit: Study

Jakarta Post - July 22, 2015

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – As the government expects more and more people to register for its National Health Insurance (JKN) program, a recent study has predicted a disastrous future for the healthcare program due to financial mismanagement.

The study, conducted by the University of Indonesia (UI) public health department using data from the Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) covering up until May 2015, predicted an accumulated deficit of Rp 173 trillion (US$12.9 billion) by 2019 if the government continues using the current payment scheme for the JKN program.

"In 2015 alone, there will be a deficit of Rp 12 trillion. If the government is unwilling to take risks and overhaul the JKN program, then it should prepare that amount of money to keep the program going. But that's [...] only a temporary [solution]," UI public health expert Budi Hidayat said during a presentation of the study in Central Jakarta.

BPJS Kesehatan has been stricken with financial difficulties since late last year. It suffers from a deficit of claims it has paid against premiums it has received. In 2014, the deficit stood at Rp 1.54 trillion, with Rp 42.6 trillion paid out in claims and Rp 41.06 trillion received in premiums, the agency reported.

In an effort to bridge the deficit, BPJS Kesehatan has sought to increase subscriber premiums. The proposal is currently being discussed by relevant parties including the Health Ministry, the Finance Ministry, the National Social Security Board (DJSN) and experts.

BPJS Kesehatan has proposed a hike in premiums for both low-income participants, known as contribution assistance recipients (PBI), who have their premiums paid by the government, and non-PBI participants, consisting of wage-earning workers and their family members, as well as unemployed workers and their family members who have paid their own premiums.

It is proposed that monthly PBI premiums be raised to Rp 27,500 next year, up from Rp 19,225. The agency could not confirm the premium hike for non- PBI participants.

Budi said that the hike in premiums had to be accompanied by a revision of the standard healthcare tariff system (INA-CBG), which follows a fee-for- diagnosis reimbursement model. He said the current tariff is too high while the premium is too low and thus not sustainable for the future of the JKN program.

"Right now, the most government spending on the JKN program goes to the INA-CBG, almost 34 percent, while only 18 percent goes to funding primary healthcare providers under the capitation system," said Budi.

Through the capitation system, the government pays a fixed amount of money for primary care to promote preventive services. Citing data from the BPJS Kesehatan in November, for example, the medical cost for each non-PBI beneficiary was Rp 282,139, while each paid an average premium of Rp 27,062 per month, resulting in a claim ratio of an astounding 1,380 percent.

PBI beneficiaries average Rp 21,977 for each medical service that they receive, while their premiums, paid by the government, are Rp 27,478 per person a month, which translates to an 88 percent claim ratio.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/22/poor-cost-control-will-worsen-jkn-deficit-study.html

Graft & corruption

Jokowi responds to Megawati's graft concerns

Jakarta Post - July 23, 2015

Ina Parlina and Fedina S. Sundaryani, Jakarta – In an apparent response to the concerns of his party's boss, Megawati Soekarnoputri, over the impacts of the antigraft war, President Joko"Jokowi" Widodo emphasized on Wednesday that corruption eradication efforts should not hinder development.

Speaking at an event marking the Attorney General's Office (AGO) anniversary, the President said Indonesian people were eager to see success in the development of existing programs.

"My message is to not let efforts to eradicate corruption and enforce the law make government officials and businesspeople afraid to make innovations for development," Jokowi said.

The President called on the AGO to do its best in reforming its internal structure and performance. He warned law enforcers against naming suspects only to extort them.

"Therefore, leaders and all members of the AGO should accompany government officials in improving the bureaucracy to accelerate national development programs," he added.

According to data collected by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) from 2004 to May 2015, of 459 people named as graft suspects in the past decade, 116 were from echelon I, II and III positions. This was closely followed by those who worked in the private sector, with 114 suspects.

Speaking at a gathering of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) on Tuesday, party chairperson Megawati blamed the KPK for being one of the main causes of the country's sluggish economic development.

The former president said government officials were often so afraid of the antigraft body that they refrained from performing their best as state officials. Megawati also criticized the corrupt mentality of the bureaucracy.

"They are scared to make a mistake, so they don't want to work. They are afraid that if they act, they will be targeted by the KPK, so they keep quiet, because they don't know what is right and what is wrong," said the daughter of country's first president Sukarno.

Meanwhile, Attorney General M. Prasetyo assured the President that the prosecutors under the AGO were all closely supervised to prevent such occurrences.

"We will work with maximum [effort]. We already have a junior attorney general for supervision at the AGO who always monitors, follows and supervises the performance of our prosecutors in each of their assigned regions," he said.

Separately, Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Yuddy Chrisnandi said his office had already finalized the drafts of two government regulations on the acceleration of budget disbursement.

According to Yuddy, the two government regulations would stipulate administrative penalties that public officials would face should they cause state losses in issuing policies. Under the regulations, they would also only be required to repay the losses without having to face prosecution.

"Because, the 2014 law ensures that [a public official exercising] discretion cannot be prosecuted if the policy causes state losses, as long as there is no intention to enrich himself or other persons, no abuse of authority, no personal reasons [behind the policy], and as long as it is for the public interest.

"Instead, [he or she] will only get administrative sanctions and be required to repay the state losses," Yuddy said on Wednesday at the State Palace.

"So, local officials should not be worried about issuing policies to speed up budget spending to boost development," the minister said, adding that the President had discussed the matter with the AGO and the police.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/23/jokowi-responds-megawati-s-graft-concerns.html

Minister Tedjo steps in Sarpin defamation case

Jakarta Post - July 16, 2015

Fedina S. Sundaryani and Ina Parlina, Jakarta – As controversy surrounding criminal allegations against two Judicial Commission members heats up, the government says it will mediate between conflicting parties to end the case in peace.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno said on Wednesday that he would try to persuade judge Sarpin Rizaldi to drop his report on the two commission members, Suparman Marzuki and Taufiqurrohman Syahuri, who the judge has accused of defaming him in public. The police have named Suparman and Taufiqurrohman suspects in the case.

"Hopefully I can meet with him [Sarpin] before Idul Fitri," Tedjo said after an event at the State Palace on Wednesday. "I am trying to mediate so there won't be an uproar."

Tedjo's initiative is in line with Jokowi's instruction for all parties to not create another rift between law enforcement institutions. According to Tedjo, he has also informed National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti and police detective chief Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso about the issue.

"The police say that they carry out investigations based on the legal process. Should the person who filed the report [Sarpin] withdraw [his lawsuit], [the case] will be stopped. That's all; the police are professional," Tedjo said.

Commission chairman Suparman and commissioner Taufiqurrohman were reported by Sarpin in March after the two criticized the judge's controversial decision to annul the suspect status of then-police chief candidate Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan in a pretrial hearing in February.

Shortly after the ruling was made in favor of Budi, who now holds the deputy police chief position, the commission recommended that the Supreme Court, which supervises all judges across the country, impose six months non-hearing status on Sarpin for allegedly violating ethics in the case.

Responding to Tedjo's plan, one of Sarpin's lawyers, Dion Pongkor, said that Sarpin wanted to assess the situation first before attending the planned mediation session with the commission.

"Pak Sarpin said that he wanted to know the reasons behind the push to conduct the mediation, whether it was for the greater good and so long as it doesn't violate Pak Sarpin's personal rights," he told The Jakarta Post.

Dion explained that Sarpin had felt it was within his rights to report the two commissioners because they had criticized him before he delivered the ruling on Budi's case.

The police investigation into Suparman and Taufiqurrohman has drawn public ire, with several activists and public figures calling on President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and National Police chief Badrodin to dismiss detective division chief Waseso from his current post.

The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), a human rights NGO, said it was evident that Waseso, a close acquaintance of Budi, had a bias against those he had recently named suspects, who had either criticized the police or were fierce supporters of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

"The people [who had recently been named suspects] were all of those who criticized the National Police or supported the KPK," he said. Since he was inaugurated as detective division chief in January, suspended KPK commissioners Abraham Samad and Bambang Widjojanto have both been named suspects for separate crimes, alongside top KPK investigator Novel Baswedan.

The country's second-largest Muslim organization, Muhammadiyah, also called on Jokowi to sack Waseso following a statement the organization deemed as offensive toward Muhammadiyah chairman Ahmad Syafi'i Maarif, who had vocally criticized the detective division chief, as reported previously by a number of media outlets.

Badrodin defended his subordinate's action, claiming that Waseso had been working according to the rules.

"The police already have a set of guidelines on how to work, how to judge an officer's performance. This is all written down. We are not a civil society group where they lack guidelines and are able to revoke someone's position willy-nilly," he told reporters on Wednesday at the Jakarta Police headquarters in South Jakarta.

In relation to the cases against the two commissioners, Badrodin said that Sarpin had every right to report his accusations.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/16/minister-tedjo-steps-sarpin-defamation-case.html

PDI-P denies bribe money goes to congress

Jakarta Post - July 16, 2015

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Wednesday grilled Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle's (PDI-P) secretary-general Hasto Kristiyanto amid revelations that a former PDI-P lawmaker had asked for money from a businessman to fund the party's national congress in Bali in April.

KPK investigators questioned Hasto in his capacity as a witness for Adriyansah, a PDI-P politician who was nabbed by KPK investigators accepting bribes from businessman Andrew Hidayat on the sidelines of the party's national congress in Bali, where President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and party chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri were present.

A witness during the trial of Andrew at the Jakarta Corruption Court on Monday confirmed that the Rp 500 million bribe money from Andrew was intended to be funneled to the congress.

KPK spokesman Priharsa Nugraha confirmed the questioning of Hasto on Wednesday, saying that KPK investigators needed to collect testimony from the politician to complete the dossiers on Adriyansah.

"He was questioned in his capacity as a witness in the case," Priharsa said on Wednesday, adding that he had yet to speak to KPK investigators on what kind of information they wanted to dig out of Hasto.

After the questioning, Hasto said that it was impossible that the party had instructed Adriyansah to collect funds for the congress because one month before it was held, the congress committee agreed that it needed no more additional funds from PDI-P members.

"Before the congress, the party emphasized that we no longer received funds from members for the congress," Hasto told reporters at the KPK headquarters on Wednesday.

Hasto said further that it was normal that the KPK asked him to give testimony as a witness in the case given his status as the PDI-P secretary-general who knew well about the congress.

"KPK investigators did not ask me about it [about the connection between the bribe money and the congress]. The revelation was made by Adriyansah's lawyer [in public]," Hasto added.

The revelation about the connection between the confiscated money and the PDI-P congress in Bali was first revealed by Andrew's lawyer Bambang Hartono at the Jakarta Corruption Court on June 29, when KPK prosecutors indicted the businessman in the case.

Bambang revealed that the money that the KPK confiscated in Bali was related to the PDI-P congress.

"The money was about to be given to the congress committee, but to no avail because [Adriansyah] was already arrested in the first place," Bambang said.

Bambang's statement was later confirmed by the president director of PT Indo Mineral, Suparta a.k.a Keta, during the trial of Andrew on Monday. Keta said that prior to the arrest of Andrew and Adriansyah in Bali, Andrew told him that the politician had asked him for money to help fund the party congress.

"Before the arrest I was told that the money was for the PDI-P congress in Bali," Keta told the court on Monday.

Hasto said that the congress was funded through contributions made by all party members. However, when asked whether Adriyansah had contributed financially to the congress given his status as a party member, Hasto said that he had not "because he was not a party regional chapter head at that time."

"During the questioning there was no question about to whom the money was intended. It might be that [Adriyansah] wanted to use it for shopping because you know Bali is a tourism island and that is something unrelated to the PDI-P," Hasto went on.

Hasto said that following the arrest, the PDI-P had swiftly moved to revoke Adriyansah's party membership due to his offence of tarnishing the image of the party.

KPK prosecutors have indicted Andrew for bribery, accusing him of paying multiple bribes, including the US$50,000 confiscated in Bali, to secure a mining permit in Tanah Laut regency, South Kalimantan.

Adriansyah, before being elected as a lawmaker in 2014, was regent of the resource-rich Tanah Laut between 2003 and 2013.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/16/pdi-p-denies-bribe-money-goes-congress.html

Freedom of religion & worship

Church told to shut down after arson attack

Jakarta Post - July 23, 2015

Bambang Muryanto and Suherdjoko – The Bantul regency administration in Yogyakarta has requested members of an Indonesian Baptist Church (GBI) congregation in Saman hamlet, Sewon district, to temporarily close down their church, which recently survived an arson attack, while the regency reviews the church's building permit application.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Bantul Regent Sri Surya Widati said that the request had been made during a recent joint meeting attended by the regent, Bantul Police chief, Bantul military command (Kodim) chief, members of the local Interfaith Communication Forum (FKUB), GBI Saman church management and activists from the NGO Friends of Freedom of Religion and Association (Sobat KBB). The meeting, according to Sri, was held to respond to protests from local Muslim groups against the presence of the church, which they claimed lacked a proper building permit as a place of worship.

"Church services will be temporarily relocated to one of the houses in the neighborhood," Sri said. "We will guarantee the security of members of the congregation in carrying out their religious activities. Please pick the place and we will give them a permit [to perform services]."

In the early morning of Monday, unidentified persons lit a used tire and placed it at the church's front door. The burning tire was quickly extinguished by residents living near the church. The arson attack took place only several days after dozens of members of the Yogyakarta Islamic Jihad Front (FJI) came to the church to inquire about the church's construction permit.

Earlier in the month on July 5, representatives from the Yogyakarta Islamic Congregation Forum (FUI) also met with Muslim residents in Saman hamlet and asked them to stage protests against the establishment of the church.

Sewon district chief Kwintarto Heru Prabowo claimed that local residents had no objection to the presence of the church, which has been operating in the hamlet for 20 years. "Those who object [to the church's presence] are coming from outside the region," he said.

The church's reverend, Joni Teguh Hariyadi, said that he welcomed the local authorities' request. "I think that the solution is fair enough. We are willing to temporarily stop using the church and pull down its signboard while the local government processes our building permit application for the church," he said.

According to a 2006 joint ministerial decree, a new house of worship must have the support of at least 90 congregation members and 60 local residents of different faiths. The decree also suggests that regents or mayors must facilitate the issuance of permits for houses of worship that were built before 2006.

Separately, Bantul Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Dadiyo said that the police were still investigating the arson attack on the GBI church. He also said that the police had no plan to summon members of the FUI or the FJI in their investigation.

Meanwhile in Semarang, Central Java, the police pledged on Wednesday that they would provide security for churches in the province in response to a recent arson attack on a Javanese Christian Church (GKJ) in Grabag district, Purworejo regency. "The police force will secure their respective jurisdictions," Central Java Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Liliek Darmanto said.

Unidentified persons set fire early Monday on to the front door of the church. The attack, however, was immediately extinguished by the church's reverend and sextons.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/23/church-told-shut-down-after-arson-attack.html

Government seeks to revoke divisive local bylaws

Jakarta Post - July 23, 2015

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The Home Ministry is planning to curb discriminatory bylaws that have become the source of conflict in regions throughout the archipelago.

The ministry revealed the plan following a recent clash in Tolikara, Papua, which was said to be driven by a rumored bylaw in the region that limits religious activities of minority groups.

Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo said that he had instructed local officials and legislators to set up a special committee to further investigate it due to debates among local authorities over the existence of such bylaws.

At the same time, Tjahjo said that his office was heightening efforts to evaluate other existing bylaws in order to avoid similar incidents common in other parts of the country.

"I want to underline that Indonesia is not a religiously-based country. It is based on Pancasila. We have laws concerning religion and other issues. All bylaws thus must refer to them," Tjahjo said at his office on Wednesday.

According to Tjahjo, his office has identified 139 problematic bylaws that were issued between November last year and May, which violate the law and are considered a threat to the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI), and thus need revision.

The Home Ministry is currently evaluating another 70 bylaws, said the politician from the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). However, he did not elaborate on the details of such bylaws, only citing a bylaw that bans women in Aceh to go out after 11 p.m. as an example, and further highlighting that discriminatory bylaws would jeopardize the identity of the NKRI if ignored.

The ministry has never revealed details of bylaws that have been issued until today, such as the exact number of existing bylaws and how many of which have been deemed problematic and why. Different groups however have presented their own studies on the bylaws.

The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan), for example, announced in March that it had indicated as many as 365 bylaws in Aceh, West Sumatra, West Java and Sulawesi that are discriminatory against women and other minority groups.

Some controversial bylaws that have reached the public's attention include a regulation issued in 2009 that gives the Gorontalo government in North Sulawesi the authority to build values of community life based on the teachings of Islam, a bylaw issued in 2012 that requires Koran literacy mandatory in Gorontalo, a 2012 bylaw that obliges students in Tasikmalaya, West Java, to attend Islamic Religious classes and a 2012 bylaw issued by Bandung authorities that mandates elementary school students learn at the Diniyah Takmiliyah, a non-formal Islamic education institution, as a complement to general education.

Siti Zuhro from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) said that Indonesia should expect consequences from problematic bylaws that have been ignored by the government for years.

"Discussion on problematic bylaws only emerges when an incident, such as the recent one in Tolikara, occurs. We have no comprehensive system to anticipate regulations from being violated," she said.

Besides omission by the central government, she also blamed the growing discriminatory bylaws on the lack of coordination between central and regional governments following the implementation of decentralization.

"The [central] government must not leave regional governments without assistance or monitoring. I personally believe that regional governments know well that all regulations they issue in regions must comply with the higher laws. That is why close monitoring by the central government is necessary," Siti highlighted.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/23/govt-seeks-revoke-divisive-local-bylaws.html

For Ahmadiyah in Indonesia, persecution remains unaddressed

Jakarta Globe - July 22, 2015

Andreyka Natalegawa, Jakarta – Members of the Ahmadiyah community in Indonesia continue to be discriminated against and religious leaders say a comprehensive, multi-pronged approach is needed to address persecution against the group.

"In general, the marginalization and stigmatization of Ahmadiyah groups have evolved into acts of discrimination," said Yendra Budiana, spokesman for Jemaat Ahmadiyah Indonesia (JAI). "Our beliefs are now criminalized and a cause for persecution."

Members of the Ahmadiyah, an Islamic religious movement deemed heretical by Indonesia's Sunni majority, have faced increased hostility in recent weeks, with a number of local communities being targeted across Java.

The closure of an Ahmadiyah mosque in Bukit Duri, South Jakarta by local officials on July 8 ingnited a firestorm of controversy, launching anti- Ahmadiyah activities into the national spotlight.

"It's become very difficult for Ahmadiyah communities in Indonesia to follow through on their religious beliefs, especially as violence and intimidation continue against them," said Febi Yonesta, director of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH).

"They're victims of intolerant acts from communities that do not approve of their existence here in Indonesia."

As hardline extremists groups like the Islamic Defender's Front (FPI) and the Islamic People's Front (FUI) have become more vocal, persecution against Ahmadis has increased in recent years. The Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace recorded 11 cases of violence and intolerance against Ahmadiyah groups in 2014.

A quarterly report issued by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), which looked at religious freedom for the April to June period this year, noted multiple incidents of discrimination against Ahmadiyah groups, specifically in Bukit Duri and Depok.

"There is cause for concern here because the problem still hasn't been solved," said Zuhairi Misrawi, director of the Moderate Muslim Society. "In these cases, the government has not been able to provide enough protection and support for the Ahmadis in their pursuit of their right to worship."

Information from the Association of Religion Data Archives indicates that there are an estimated 400,000 Ahmadi Muslims in Indonesia, with some communities dating as far back as the 1920s.

Violence and intolerance

"Attacks against Ahmadis occur in many places, the most severe and frequent of which happen in West Java," said Yendra, of the JAI.

Recent incidents and disputes have centered on access to places of worship, as members of the minority group find themselves unable to properly conduct their religious rites.

"Many Ahmadiyah mosques have been sealed and closed, sometimes even by police lines," Febi said on Wednesday. "Moreover, there are also mosques that have faced difficulties in obtaining land permits because of discrimination by local officials."

According to Yendra, local leaders have been unable to remain impartial in handling cases involving Ahmadiyah groups, resulting in discriminatory action.

"All government officials must take a strong stance as public officials in working to resolve these conflicts. They must be able to distinguish between their duties as officials, and their own personal belief systems," Yendra said.

Beyond the closure of mosques, members of the Ahmadiyah community also face considerable obstacles in accessing key social benefits.

According to the JAI, Ahmadi Muslims in Kuningan, West Java have found themselves unable to obtain proper marriage licenses, while authorities in the Manislor district have halted the issuance of identity cards (KTP) to followers. Ahmadi Muslims often face discrimination in the workplace, Yendra said.

"If an Ahmadi Muslim has a career in the bureaucracy, they cannot hope to attain a high position because of the obstacles that exist as a result of their beliefs," Yendra said. "We are also seeing significant pressure against Ahmadiyah students and teachers in schools."

Zuhairi said although there was increasing awareness of discrimination against the Ahmadiyah community in Indonesia, he noted followers were treated better than in other countries.

"We should remember that the status of the Ahmadiyah in Indonesia is still much better than conditions in other countries," Zuhairi said. "In Pakistan, government ordinance bar Ahmadiyah communities from even calling themselves Muslims."

Ahmadiyah groups, which trace their origins to British India in the late 19th century, have experienced persecution and hardship across the globe, in part because their beliefs differ from mainstream Islam.

Solutions ahead

Ahmadi leaders say a comprehensive, multi-pronged approach is needed in order to address persecution.

"First, there must be a firm crackdown by the police against anarchist groups and preachers of hate who act in the name of religion," Yendra said. "The police must be fair, without hesitation, in providing protection to all communities."

Zuhairi concurred, noting that "the government must strengthen its law enforcement, particularly against extremist groups who seek to harm minorities". "We need to work harder in strengthening the proper enforcement of law," he added.

Calls to strengthen law enforcement against discriminatory acts come in the wake of controversial statements from the National Police acknowledging weak police presence in combating religious intolerance, due to a lack of incentive to take action among officials

Sr. Comr. John Hendri of the National Police said: "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 do so because there's no reward or guarantee of safety for themselves."

Protecting the rights of the Ahmadiyah community in Indonesia would also require a comprehensive review of existing law, experts say.

"We have to repeal the 2008 Joint Decree of the Minister of Religious Affairs, the Attorney General and the Minister of the Interior that addresses the status of Ahmadiyah communities in Indonesia," said the LBH's Febi. "It has granted legitimacy to discriminatory acts against the Ahmadiyah," he added.

Although the 2008 Joint Decree recognizes the right to freedom of religion for the Ahmadi Muslims, it maintains strict controls on the spread of their religious views.

Conservative groups have since used this clause as justification for attacks on minority communities, with dubious claims as to whether any proselytization has occurred. "These frameworks have both become triggers for conflict among Indonesians," said Yendra.

Indonesia's method of granting official recognition to a select few religions was a cause for discrimination, according to Zuhairi. "Although Indonesia is said to be a plural nation, the state only recognizes six religions. This is in spite of the fact that there are many different types of religions and beliefs here in Indonesia," Zuhairi said.

The recent attacks on Ahmadiyah communities have elicited a strong reaction from Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, who has been the target of intolerance and discrimination himself by hardline groups for being a Christian.

"I've already talked to local leaders; I've told them about city regulations," Basuki was quoted as saying by news portal Inilah.com on July 11. "I said, places of worship should be closed if they have been around for years, as long as they do not cause disturbance."

Basuki has since doubled down on his support of the Ahmadiyah community, pledging protection for those in Jakarta who wish to worship at members' homes instead of mosques. "We'll let them get around the zoning restrictions so that their houses may be used as places of worship," Basuki said last week.

According to observers, violence against the Ahmadiyah community strikes deeply at the heart of Indonesia's stability as a pluralistic and multicultural society.

"The government needs to facilitate better dialogue between religions and cultural groups in Indonesia," said JAI spokesperson Yendra. "This sort of dialogue is necessary to protect the country's belief in Bhinneka Tunggal Ika," he added, referring to the Indonesian national motto of unity in diversity.

Meanwhile, Zuhairi advocates for a return to a culture of "gotong royong," referring to traditional Indonesian values of mutual benefit and communal cooperation.

"Despite our differences, we must not threaten or harm others. If we work together, we can build a strong and united Indonesia. We all need to take an active role in establishing a sense of brotherhood in Indonesia, among people of different beliefs," Zuhairi concluded.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/persecution-of-ahmadi-muslims-in-indonesia-remains-unaddressed/

Islamic holiday Ahmadis perform Idul Fitri prayer peacefully

Jakarta Post - July 22, 2015

Jakarta – Among a line of empty houses on Jl. Madrasah 1 in Duren Sawit, East Jakarta, on Friday morning, a two-story green building was crowded with dozens of men and women flocking onto its porch and into its front yard.

Wearing Muslim clothes, like the baju koko (long-sleeve collarless shirt for men) and gamis (long skirt), the group of Ahmadis smiled brightly while shaking each other's hands. "Happy Idul Fitri. Allah bless all of us," a middle-aged follower said warmly to a younger fellow Ahmadi.

Around 40 Ahmadi community members had just performed the Idul Fitri prayer in the green building that also served as an Ahmadiyah mosque. Named the At-Taqwa Mosque, the place was a grant from Abdul Somad and his family who had moved to another place.

"This place has been used for performing Friday and Idul Fitri prayers since 2000," Aryudi Muhammad Shadiq, the head of the East Jakarta branch of the Ahmadiyah community, told The Jakarta Post.

He said in 2011 an intolerant group intimidated the community and shortly after that the city administration sealed the mosque, saying that the building was not being used in an appropriate way. The Ahmadiyah community in the area, he said, has been trying to take care of the administrative process to legalize the building as a mosque, but to no avail.

The At-Taqwa Mosque is not the Ahmadis' only praying house in Jakarta that has been sealed by the city administration. On July 8, the South Jakarta Administration sealed the An-Nur Mosque in Bukit Duri, South Jakarta, following protests from people claiming to be local residents and a Muslim group wearing Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) uniforms.

"A number of our members from Bukit Duri have been praying here [in Duren Sawit] since the incident, along with those from Kramat Jati [in East Jakarta]," Aryudi said, adding that Ahmadis had eight mosques in Jakarta, including on Tidung Island in the Thousand Islands regency.

He said only the An-Nur and At-Taqwa mosques had encountered obstacles getting building permits from the city administration and been forced to deal with intolerant groups of people.

Muhammad Diantono, an Ahmadi preacher from the An-Nur Mosque, said the recent dispute in Bukit Duri did not affect the peacefulness of the Idul Fitri prayers this year.

"We have become accustomed to being intimidated and confronted since many years ago," he said, adding that the community had experienced worse incidents than a mosque closure.

Ahmadis have been the target of violent attacks from hard-line Islamic groups in Indonesia since 2005. (agn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/22/islamic-holiday-ahmadis-perform-idul-fitri-prayer-peacefully.html

Two churches in Yogya, Central Java survive arson attacks

Jakarta Post - July 22, 2015

Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – In the early morning of Monday, local residents in Bantul, Yogyakarta, and Purworejo, Central Java, managed to foil attempts by unidentified persons to burn down two churches in the two regencies.

Residents living around the Indonesian Baptist Church located in Saman hamlet, Bangunharjo sub-district, Sewon district, Bantul, worked together to save the church after it was set on fire by three unidentified persons.

"The incident took place at around 2:45 a.m. on Monday," the church's reverend Joni Teguh Haryadi told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Joni said that three unidentified persons, according to some witnesses, lit a used tire and placed it at the church's front door. "Fortunately, local residents immediately came to extinguish the fire, otherwise the church would have been gutted by fire," he said.

On Tuesday, several police personnel were seen securing the front part of the church, which had been blackened by the burning tire. The main hall of the church, meanwhile, was filled with water used to douse the fire.

The arson attack took place only several days after dozens of members of the Yogyakarta Islamic Jihad Front (FJI) came to the church to inquire about the church's construction permit.

Last Tuesday, which was also the 27th day of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadhan, FJI members said that they would shut down the church over a claim that the church lacked a proper building permit from the Bantul regency administration.

The Bantul police, however, managed to prevent the group from forcibly shutting down the church after exchanging heated arguments with members of the group.

Local authorities, however, have so far declined to comment on the incident. Sewon Police chief Comr. Heru Setiawan, for example, did not reply to text messages and telephone calls from the Post. Bantul Regent Sri Surya Widati, meanwhile, could not be reached for comment.

Heru, who was present when FJI members attempted to close down the church last week, said earlier that the police would continue to secure the church and conduct patrols in Saman.

Earlier on July 5, representatives from the Yogyakarta Islamic Congregation Forum (FUI) also met with Muslim residents in Saman hamlet and asked them to stage protests against the establishment of the church.

Saman hamlet chief Kuat Slamet, meanwhile, said that local residents had no objection to the presence of the 75 square-meter church, which has been operating in the hamlet for 20 years.

At least five churches, including the one in Saman, and a religious tourist site in Yogyakarta are on the cusp of being forced into closure this year following pressure from local Muslim groups, according to a recent report from NGO Friends of Freedom of Religion and Association (Sobat KBB).

Separately, in Purworejo regency, unidentified persons on Monday set fire to the front door of the Javanese Christian Church (GKJ) in Tlepok, Tlepok Wetan sub-district, Grabag district. The incident was discovered by church reverend Ibnu Prabowo.

"At around 5:30 a.m., after morning exercises, we smelled gasoline and saw the front door of the church scorched," Ibnu said on Tuesday, as quoted by Antara news agency.

Ibnu, with several church sextons, then inspected other parts of the church. They later found that the church's west entrance had been singed. Ibnu also found a threatening letter placed at the front of the church.

Purworejo Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Theresia Arsida Septiana said that the police had questioned several witnesses in the case. Theresia also said that the police had collected evidence from the crime scene, including a piece of paper containing a message and seven matchsticks.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/22/two-churches-yogya-c-java-survive-arson-attacks.html

Police prevent hardliners from closing down Bantul church

Jakarta Post - July 16, 2015

Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – The Bantul Police in Yogyakarta on Tuesday managed to prevent a local Muslim group from forcibly shutting down an Indonesian Baptist Church in Sewon district after exchanging heated arguments with members of the group.

The incident started when dozens of members of the Yogyakarta Islamic Jihad Front (FJI) arrived on motorcycles at around 5 p.m. local time at the church, which is located in Saman hamlet.

Most of them had their faces covered with turbans, while others wore blue vests with the words "Jamaah Hizbullah" written on the back.

Hundreds of Bantul Police personnel formed a human barricade to stop them from approaching the church. The police then searched them and seized several iron pipes from them. A quarrel occurred at one point when one of the protesters took pictures of police who were standing guard.

The group insisted the church be closed down, saying that it did not have a proper building permit (IMB) from the Bantul regency administration. "We want the church closed and its signboard pulled down," Yogyakarta FJI leader Abdul Rohman said to police.

Sewon District Police chief Comr. Heru Setiawan and Bantul Police operational unit head Comr. Qori Handoko then approached the protesters to negotiate with them. Negotiations, however, became tense as the protesters were hellbent on sealing off the church that day, which was also the 27th day of Ramadhan.

"The church must be sealed and can no longer be used because it has no permit. A large house next to the church is often used for religious activities on Wednesdays and Saturdays," Rohman argued.

Heru, however, pointed out that it was the Bantul regency administration that had the authority to close houses of worship in the area as the police were only tasked with securing public order and preventing conflict.

"I will convey your wishes to the regency administration. The police, however, are not authorized to close a place of worship," he said.

FJI members finally decided to leave the church soon after dusk. Police did not make any arrests although the protesters came close to breaking the law.

"We deployed around 200 personnel to secure the church in anticipation of FJI's arrival. We will continue to secure the church and conduct patrols," said Qori.

In 2011, the Yogyakarta office of the Religious Affairs Ministry reported that 3.2 million, or 92 percent, of the province's 3.5 million residents were Muslims.

Saman hamlet chief Kuat Slamet, meanwhile, said local residents had had no objection to the church's presence over recent decades. However, following the commotion, some residents now lent their support to the church's closure.

According to a 2006 joint ministerial decree, a new house of worship must have the support of at least 90 congregation members and 60 local residents of different faiths.

Eko Riyadi, director of Yogyakarta-based Indonesian Islamic University's Center for Human Rights (Pusham UII), recently said that the decree had made it difficult for religious minorities in Muslim-majority Indonesia to build new houses of worship.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/16/police-prevent-hardliners-closing-down-bantul-church.html

Land & agrarian conflicts

Sink or swim: Jatigede dam poses key test for Joko's infrastructure push

Jakarta Globe - July 21, 2015

Adi Marsiela, Cipaku Village, West Java – The Cipaku village square is located, fittingly enough for this agrarian heart of West Java, in the middle of rice fields ringed by thickly forested hills.

To get to it last Friday morning, the village's 2,200 inhabitants had to trudge single file along the narrow embankments demarcating the paddies, or risk soiling their Idul Fitri finery in the knee-deep mud of the fields on either side.

For all the joy and bonhomie engendered by the holiest and most festive occasion in the Islamic calendar, the mood of the Idul Fitri prayer this year in the village square was particularly somber; in two weeks' time, the entire village, and seven others nearby as well as parts of a further 20 villages in Sumedang district, would disappear forever beneath the waters of the Cimanuk River, rushing in to fill up a structure more than half a century in the making: the Jatigede reservoir.

The reservoir was first planned in 1963, under Indonesia's founding president, Sukarno. But it was only in 2004, under the country's sixth president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, that the government finally declared the project would go ahead. The flooding of the reservoir is set to commence on Aug. 1 this year, and once filled, Jatigede will represent perhaps the closest thing to fulfillment of the lofty development programs underpinning the administration of President Joko Widodo.

Set to hold 980 million cubic meters of water and covering an area of 41 square kilometers, Jatigede will be the second-biggest reservoir in the country (dwarfed only by the 3-billion-cubic-meter Jatiluhur dam, on the Citarum River in West Java). The water in the reservoir will help irrigate 90,000 hectares of land, while a hydroelectric power plant, to be built by China's Sinohydro and set to go into operation in 2019, will generate 110 megawatts of electricity.

'Last Lebaran in Cipaku'

But none of those goals may see the light of day if the residents of Cipaku have their way, says village chief Didin Nurhadi.

Didin was mutedly defiant about the village's fate when he opened his Idul Fitri sermon on that clear Friday morning: "Let us hope that this is not our last Lebaran here in Cipaku."

The villagers, he later tells the Jakarta Globe, are not against the dam and the opportunities for social and economic progress that it represents; their issue is with the manner in which the government is shooing them off their land.

In a telling indication of how important this project is to the Joko administration, the first presidential regulation he signed in 2015 was a set of guidelines for expediting the relocation of affected residents from the Jatigede flood plain.

But it is that regulation, and its broad, sweeping injuctions – "any social or communal disputes that arise from the construction of the dam need to be resolved immediately so that the flooding of the reservoir may be carried out as scheduled" – that the Cipaku villagers are holding out against.

"What we want from the Jokowi administration is to be relocated in a humane manner," Didin says. "We're not sheep, we're not animals. Even trash has its place, so why can't we be moved somewhere appropriate?"

Two-tiered payout

The problem with the government's relocation program is that there isn't one: the presidential regulation instead lists a two-tiered cash payout for residents, leaving them on their own when it comes to finding new homes and land to farm.

When the government relocates an entire community, it is obliged to ensure that they can continue with their old way of life, says Arip Yogiawan, the director of the Bandung Legal Aid Institute (LBH), which is challenging the presidential regulation at the Supreme Court on behalf of the villagers.

"These people are all farmers. If you're going to move them, then you have to ensure that they can continue farming, and not compel them to turn to other forms of livelihood. You have to look out for their interests over the long term," he says.

Under the scheme, the villagers are divided into two groups: those whose land is included in a 1975 inventory of areas to be affected by the reservoir, and those whose land is not on the list. The first group is entitled to a Rp 122 million ($9,100) payout per household – which comprises compensation for any buildings, land and loss of income – while the second group gets Rp 29 million per household.

For the villagers, who are demanding a "fairer" price based on each household's respective acreage, the flat sums offered are inadequate. They also note that many of the residents who agreed to eventually give up their land in the 1975 inventory were coerced into doing so through the strong- arm tactics of Suharto's New Order regime, and that the price agreed on was much lower than the market price. The villagers have also denounced the use of police, soldiers and public order officers to notify residents about the relocation and compensation, saying it verges on intimidation.

For its part, the government argues that the deal is a generous one. The Public Works and Housing Ministry says the money being offered to the upper-tier villagers is sufficient to buy a 400-square-meter plot of arable land, build a 36-square-meter house, and cover food and living expenses for six months.

But in Cipaku, there's a third group of residents, comprising a quarter of the village's households, or 550 people, who have not been offered any compensation, despite ostensibly qualifying for the lower-tier payout under the presidential regulation's rather vague definition of "other residents in the area of the Jatigede reservoir not referred to" in the 1975 inventory.

Delay danger

For the government, there is a very real concern that the scheduled flooding of the reservoir will be delayed, denting the Joko administration's already battered reputation for not being able to get much-needed infrastructure projects off the ground. Protests by the Cipaku villagers last November forced the administration, just weeks into the new president's term in office, to hold off on the flooding that month.

Joko has experience dealing with a similar issue, though not on the same scale. While governor of Jakarta, he initiated a project to evict squatters from around the heavily silted Pluit polder, as part of efforts to bolster the city's flood defenses. However, he left the execution of the project to his deputy, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, who is now the governor and who drew a firestorm of criticism and condemnation from the squatters and his political opponents.

For Joko, the Jatigede challenge appears less taxing, observers say; there is increasing public expectation for major infrastructure projects to finally kick off, and the benefits of the new reservoir promise to vastly outweigh any short-term fallout.

As the inhabitants of Cipaku brace for what could be their last week in the only home most of them have ever known, Joko's ambitious infrastructure push hangs in the balance.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/sink-swim-jatigede-dam-poses-key-test-jokos-infrastructure-push/

Police & law enforcement

Pressure mounts for Joko to fire police's 'vengeful' Waseso

Jakarta Globe - July 16, 2015

Jakarta – Calls are mounting thick and fast for President Joko Widodo to fire a controversial police general behind an ongoing campaign to undermine the national antigraft commission and its supporters.

Haris Azhar, a coordinator at the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), a human rights NGO, on Thursday accused Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso, the National Police's chief of detectives, of turning the police force into a public enemy through his "vengeful" criminalization of officials from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and related institutions.

"Everything is being ruined because of this quest for vengeance," Haris said on Thursday, adding that Waseso was acting "as though the police are the only law enforcement institution in the country."

Waseso is a self-professed sycophant to deputy police chief Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan, a one-time corruption suspect who won a severely flawed court ruling that threw out the charges against him before he was even indicted.

When the Judicial Commission, the government-appointed watchdog for the nation's courts, last week recommended that the judge in the pretrial hearing, Sarpin Rizaldi, be suspended for six months for passing down the ruling, Waseso's office immediately accommodated Sarpin's request to press defamation charges against two of the commission's members, chairman Suparman Marzuki and commissioner Taufiqurahman Sauri. Waseso's office has also orchestrated a string of transparently trumped-up charges against KPK officials since the antigraft commission in January named Budi a graft suspect.

Kontras and a coalition of civil society organizations have documented 49 instances in which the police force has pursued dubious charges against individuals linked to the KPK or speaking out in support of the antigraft commission, including former deputy justice minister Denny Indrayana, who, within days of denouncing Sarpin's pretrial ruling, found himself charged with corruption in a years-old project carried out at his ministry.

"It's time to fire the chief of detectives," Haris said. "He's not working the way the chief of detectives is supposed to work, but is instead carrying out a campaign of revenge for a cabal of cronies."

Cherry-picking Waseso claims that in charging the various individuals, including KPK chairman Abraham Samad, deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto and investigator Novel Baswedan, his office is simply following up on complaints filed by members of the public.

What he has failed to mention, though, is that in most of those cases, the said members of the public are in fact affiliated with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), whose chairwoman, Megawati Soekarnoputri, is known to be close to Budi Gunawan, and whose secretary general, Hasto Kristiyanto, is alleged to be the mastermind behind the plot to undermine the KPK.

If Waseso is really responding to public complaints, Haris argued, "then what about all the cases of labor violations, the murder of [human rights activist] Munir [Said Thalib], the cases of violence against the press?"

"Why is it that when the complaints are targeted against the KPK and antigraft activists, the [police's] response is so swift?" Haris said.

Muchtar Pakpahan, a labor rights activist with the Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union (SBSI) who in 2010 ran a failed bid to be appointed as a KPK commissioner, echoed the criticism of Waseso, saying that since he took office in January, "the detectives' unit has been acting erratically."

The demands for Waseso to be fired have escalated since he lashed out this week at Ahmad "Buya" Syafii Maarif, the highly regarded former chairman of Muhammadiyah, Indonesia's second-biggest Islamic organization, accusing him of not understanding the law.

Buya has been one of Waseso's most vocal critics since the latter began going after the KPK officials in January, accusing the police general of not understanding detective work and of not having "the least bit of competence or professionalism."

"That's the sign of an official [Waseso] who lacks confidence. He's mentally unstable if he can so easily name people as suspects," Buya told an audience that included President Joko and the current KPK leadership on Monday. "I hope the nation no longer has to be led by someone as erratic as this."

Waseso, responding on Tuesday, said, "There's no need for him to comment or interfere in law enforcement matters when he doesn't even understand law enforcement. He's not stupid, but he must understand what's good law enforcement and what's bad law enforcement."

Petition

That belligerence appears to have backfired, with many who were once silent on the issue now piling in, outraged at the response to the highly respected Buya.

Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, the chairman of Muhammadiyah's hugely influential youth wing, and Ray Rangkuti, of the voter advocacy group Indonesian Civil Society Circle (Lima), on Wednesday initiated a petition on Change.org calling for Joko to fire Waseso.

They noted that in the same time that his office had pursued charges against 49 KPK members and others sympathetic to the antigraft cause, the detectives' unit had only begun investigating four actual corruption cases, naming only 10 people as suspects – none of whom has yet been indicted.

As of 1 p.m. on Thursday, 21 hours since it was launched, the petition had garnered close to 5,500 signatures and counting.

Kontras's Haris said a major part of the problem was the president's inaction on the issue, despite the blatant attempts by the detectives' unit to undermine the country's antigraft community.

"Given how this situation has escalated as a result of the lack of action [by the president], this bad momentum needs to be put to good use," he said. "So we ask the police chief to evaluate the performance of the chief of detectives, Budi Waseso, who appears to be prioritizing vengeful interests."

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/pressure-mounts-joko-fire-polices-vengeful-waseso/

Budi Waseso represents vindictive, vengeful police force: Coalition

Jakarta Post - July 16, 2015

Jakarta – A number of activists united in the Civil Society Coalition said on Thursday that the National Police had arbitrarily made use of laws to take revenge for the naming of a senior officer, Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan, a suspect in a graft case.

The coalition said that criminalization efforts conducted by the police's criminal investigation division (Bareskrim) led by Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso against Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and Judicial Commission (KY) leaders were motivated by resentment of the legal move against Budi Gunawan.

"The National Police have acted as if they have sole authority to enforce the law. In fact, the police are not allowed to be arbitrary in carrying out their duties and authority," said Haris Azhar, the coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), a member of the coalition, as quoted by kompas.com in a statement in Jakarta on Thursday.

The coalition has recorded that since the KPK named Budi Gunawan as a suspect, at least 49 people have been criminalized, including people who have defended the KPK, promoted corruption eradication and criticized the police. Accusations range from libel to ownership of illegal weapons and document forgery. Activists, academics and state officials, including KY commissioners, have been named suspects.

The coalition is calling on the National Police to cease their intimidation of their perceived enemies, and on President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to intervene.

"The situation has emerged because of [Jokowi's] irresolution. As such, we are calling on National Police chief Badrodin Haiti to evaluate the performance of Bareskrim chief Budi Waseso, who appears to embody the police's spirit of vengeance," said Haris.

Bareskrim has taken legal measures against two KY judges, namely Suparman Marzuki and Taufiqurrohman, after the commission decided to impose a six- month suspension on judge Sarpin, who ruled in favor of Budi Gunawan's plea to have his suspect status overturned. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/16/budi-waseso-represents-vindictive-vengeful-police-force-coalition.html

Mining & energy

Indonesia tin smelters face credit squeeze over shipment failures

Reuters - July 20, 2015

Melanie Burton & Michael Taylor, Melbourne/Jakarta – Indonesian tin smelters are finding it harder to get credit from banks and trading houses after a Singapore-based firm failed to deliver some shipments, in a further blow to an industry reeling from a slump in prices.

More than a third of Indonesia's smelters have already shut over the past year and tougher credit conditions could hasten mergers or closures in the world's top exporter of refined tin.

"It's not easy to get more money like it used to be," said Agung Nugroho, corporate secretary at PT Timah, Indonesia's biggest tin miner.

"Now in order to get credit from the banks, besides a good name and letter of guarantee, we have to show them all of the assets," he said, adding tight credit could force consolidation or mergers between smaller smelters.

A trader at a global trading house confirmed it had cut advances to firms in Singapore and Indonesia to finance tin purchases due to concerns over deliveries not being made.

"We only try to get material from companies that can ship without needing money in advance," said the trader, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.

A banker at an Asian-based Western lender also said the firm was more cautious about lending due to low tin prices and concerns about deliveries to its customers after Singapore-based Uni Bros Metal Pte Ltd (UBM) had failed to deliver some cargoes.

Asked about the issue, UBM did not directly refer to the missed shipments but said in an email that there had been an "unprecedented" fall in tin prices.

Traders noted that steep falls in tin prices can lead to a cash crunch for trading firms that haven't sufficiently hedged against price swings. UBM, a mid-size trader in the tin industry, acted as a middle man, sourcing tin from Indonesian smelters for end-users or major trading houses.

UBM failed to deliver contracted tin shipments to at least two customers in the first quarter of 2015, according to a Taiwanese smelter and a metals trader with direct knowledge of the matter. Reuters could not confirm the reasons for the non-deliveries.

UBM's failure to make the deliveries has led at least three mid-size trade houses – significant players in the small tin market – to stop advancing funds by prepaying for tin shipments from Indonesia, three sources familiar with the matter said.

Prepayments are relied on by many smaller Indonesian smelters for operating capital. Smaller smelters account for more than a quarter of Indonesia's tin exports, traders estimate.

UBM had not delivered monthly 100-ton shipments since March to Taiwan tin smelter Rui Da Hung Technology Materials Co Ltd, according to executive Martin Guo, who said the firm was looking for a new supplier.

Zug-based commodity trader TMT Metals AG did not receive a shipment of 100 tons due earlier this year, a source with knowledge of the matter said. TMT won a freeze on UBM's Singapore assets in the Singapore courts in March, which was later set aside on appeal.

In a separate matter, the Singapore High Court has since appointed a liquidator to UBM over a $2.5 million debt relating to the 2013 termination of a joint venture company, according to court documents.

Indonesia's tin industry has been struggling for several years with sluggish demand growth from solder in electronics and increasing competition from Myanmar, which doubled ore exports to China last year.

The number of active smelters has fallen from 37 in 2014 to 22 at present, while many were working at less than full capacity, said Jabin Sufianto President at the Indonesian Association of Tin Exporters.

London Metal Exchange (LME) tin shed a third of its value to hit $13,600 a ton in mid-April from above $20,500 in December, Prices have since steadied around $15,500 a ton.

Indonesia exported about 75,000 tons of refined tin in 2014, equivalent to about a fifth of global production.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/indonesia-tin-smelters-face-credit-squeeze-shipment-failures/

Economy & investment

Inflation skips pattern on weak consumption

Jakarta Post - July 23, 2015

Satria Sambijantoro, Jakarta – Consumer prices may not greatly increase in July despite the Ramadhan and Idul Fitri festivities, as consumers hold back spending amid domestic economic slowdown, policymakers have forecast.

Month-on-month inflation, an indicator of price levels in the economy, might stand in the range of 0.4-0.6 percent in July, Bank Indonesia (BI) Governor Agus Martowardojo told reporters at the State Palace on Wednesday, quoting the central bank's latest survey.

That was lower than the average pattern during the month of Ramadhan and Idul Fitri, when Indonesians normally boost spending for the festivities and the long holiday. During Idul Fitri in July last year, month-on-month inflation accelerated to 0.93 percent, driven mostly by the increase in food prices.

Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro predicted last week that the inflation rate in July could be the lowest figure during Ramadhan in the last five years.

"There has certainly been a decline in purchasing power," Coordinating Economic Minister Sofyan Djalil said Wednesday, when asked about the lower-than-expected inflation rates.

The minister, however, insisted that the decline in consumption and purchasing power might not prove serious, pointing out that large numbers had performed the mudik (homecoming) tradition, according to the Transportation Ministry.

Ministry data show that at least 5.7 million Indonesians returned to their hometowns, based on data calculated three days prior to Idul Fitri. The number, however, declined compared with the 6 million recorded in the same period last year.

Policymakers normally seek to anchor inflation and keep price levels manageable to safeguard their citizens' purchasing power. However, an inflation figure that is too low also warrants caution, as it may signal declining purchasing power and weaker consumer confidence, a scenario now afflicting Japan and several European countries.

A household survey released by BI earlier this month showed that the Consumer Confidence Index (IKK) fell to 111.3 in June from 112.8 a month earlier.

As recent developments point to sluggish economic activity, analysts say that the economic downturn in Indonesia may continue, the economy having slowed to 4.7 percent in the first quarter, a level unseen since 2009.

Rangga Cipta, an economist from Samuel Sekuritas, said Wednesday that Indonesia's ongoing economic slowdown might depress purchasing power and, ultimately, push down core inflation.

He explained that the declining purchasing power and flat consumption were reflected in the downward trajectory of national income growth, with the economy affected by the weak rupiah and low commodity prices.

In the second quarter, Indonesia's economic growth could decelerate further to 4.3 percent, according to a research team at Nomura Holdings, citing underperformance in several key economic indicators including cement and automotive sales.

"The slowdown cannot be ascribed solely to global woes. Indonesia's very own, once-mighty consumers continue to pull back, judging from lackluster vehicle sales and retail survey results," noted OCBC Bank economist Wellian Wiranto.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/23/inflation-skips-pattern-weak-consumption.html

Indonesian infrastructure promises derailed by bureaucrats

Reuters - July 19, 2015

Eveline Danubrata and Cindy Silviana, Jakarta – Investors hoping for President Joko Widodo to speed up work on Indonesia's infrastructure projects have been disappointed, with a plan for a $2-billion airport railway line in the capital spotlighting the delays and bureaucratic infighting involved.

Nearly half the 10 projects to which Joko gave priority when he took office last year are languishing due to a lack of cooperation among ministries he has been unable to whip into line.

"Somebody has to coordinate the orchestra of stakeholders," said Emma Sri Martini, head of government-owned infrastructure finance firm Sarana Multi Infrastruktur (SMI). "If decisions for infrastructure are slow, there won't be activity in any sector."

Joko is racing against time to create sufficient jobs for the 2 million Indonesians who enter the workforce annually, as he struggles to revive economic growth that has fallen to the weakest pace in around six years.

His promised splurge on roads, ports and power plants is critical as Indonesia's traditional engines of growth, consumption and commodity exports, are faltering, while businesses are shedding jobs fast.

When governor of Jakarta, Joko had managed to break an almost decade-long impasse over construction of a ring road around the Indonesian capital, and investors had hoped to see him, as president, repeat the feat on the national level.

Nine months into his tenure, the signs are not encouraging. The airport railway line, designed to cut the travel time to one of the world's busiest airports to 30 minutes from as much as three hours, has suffered a delay of at least two years in construction.

Officials have locked horns over its route and how to fund it, but in the absence of significant government support, it hardly offers private investors a worthwhile return. "The project is indeed taking quite a long time because of the preparation for all the studies," said transport ministry official Sugiadi Waluyo.

Just last month, for example, newspaper Bisnis Indonesia reported that Transport Minister Ignasius Jonan had sought a route change to take advantage of existing tracks.

But all the authorities involved must sign off on the change, leading to a delay, SMI's Martini said. "A single decision might seem simple, but the consequence can be a delay multiplier."

The route must be hammered out before potential investors from countries such as China, Japan and South Korea will take even the first step, she added.

'Ultimate coordinator'

As the government weighs the merits of one-off or deferred funding for the railway project, it expects private bidders to get returns chiefly from future traffic volumes and fares.

"There's potentially a lot of appetite for the airport train project, but the main question for investors and lenders is, 'How do you make money out of it?'" said Mark Giblett, group head of Asia project finance for Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp.

Many companies prefer to be paid to build and operate railways for a fixed time, as that carries a lower revenue risk, he added, but such a structure meant the government would have to shoulder most of the costs.

Another question hangs over the financial feasibility of two railway lines to a single airport, as the state railway firm is set to complete a separate line next year, at a cost of 1.2 trillion rupiah ($90 million).

Government officials say the lines target two different markets, airline passengers and commuters, but investors worry.

"Most airport rail links struggle to make money, more so if there are more than one line servicing the airport," said Raj Kannan, Managing Director of Tusk Advisory, who advises potential investors in Indonesia's infrastructure projects.

Joko must act fast, as Indonesia risks falling behind neighbors who are aggressively building infrastructure.

Indonesia's cost of moving goods was as much as 27 percent of gross domestic product in 2013, outstripping Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, a study backed by the World Bank showed. Investors are eager for the president to speed things up.

"The biggest thing that Jokowi thought he could do, and that he realized that he cannot do, is coordinate all his ministries," said OCBC Bank economist Wellian Wiranto, referring to the president by his nickname. "He has to step up, because at the end of the day, he's the ultimate coordinator."

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/indonesian-infrastructure-promises-derailed-bureaucrats/

June exports surge, but still far below government target

Jakarta Post - July 16, 2015

Grace D. Amianti, Jakarta – The country's monthly exports rose slightly in June, but the surge is still insignificant as export figures for the first half of this year were still far below the government's target.

The agency announced on Wednesday that exports in June rose by 5.91 percent to US$13.44 billion on a month-on-month (mom) basis from May, even though its year-on-year (yoy) performance dropped 12.78 percent yoy.

"The increase in June exports was caused by increases in oil and gas exports by 6.27 percent and non-oil and gas by 5.87 percent," BPS head Suryamin said in a press conference.

The monthly increase in June exports was contributed by the surge in shipment of crude palm oil (CPO) and mineral products, the agency's data said.

The US was Indonesia's top destination for non-oil and gas exports in June with $1.38 billion, followed by China ($1.23 billion) and Japan $1.11 billion, while exports to the EU stood at fourth place with $1.39 billion. "The US remains at the top of the list due to its economic recovery," BPS deputy head for distribution and service statistics Sasmito Hadi Wibowo said.

In the first sixth months of this year, overall exports declined 11.86 percent to $78.29 billion, creating a major challenge for the government to reach its 28 percent export growth target this year.

Based on sectors, Indonesia's non-oil and gas exports in manufacturing and minerals between January and June this year fell 6.36 percent and 9.8 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, the agriculture sector booked an increase of 1.35 percent yoy.

The country's imports fell 17.42 percent yoy in June to $12.96 billion from the same month last year, contributed by the drop in non-oil and gas imports that plunged 15.5 percent yoy and decline of oil and gas imports by 24 percent yoy.

The fall in imports helped the country record a surplus of $477 million in June, the sixth monthly surplus recorded since January. With the June figure, the combined trade surplus enjoyed in the six consecutive months reached $4.35 billion.

The fall in non-oil and gas imports was mainly due to an 82.2 percent slump in purchases of ships and floating structures, while machinery and mechanical equipment rose 26.3 percent.

From January to June, overall imports declined 17.81 percent to $73.94 billion. The drop was mainly contributed by falls in imports of raw materials, capital and consumption goods, which declined 18.78 percent, 13.83 percent and 15 percent, respectively, due to the country's economic slowdown.

The economy shrank to its lowest level in six years in the past few quarters, with the latest first quarter reading showing 4.7 percent growth, a level unseen since 2009.

Speaking during the same event, Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel said the government would try to increase exports to non-traditional markets such as African countries to achieve the 28 percent growth target.

He also hoped Iran would also be able to improve its trade relations with Indonesia after the trade sanctions imposed on the country were lifted in the coming months.

Commenting on the performance, Barclays Singapore analysts Wai Ho Leong and Angela Hsieh said the fall in imports was partly caused by the decline in the ability to consume imported durables due to the sharp decline in rupiah against the US dollar.

"Despite the disappointing export print, we continue to expect manufacturing shipments to improve in the coming months, albeit at a slow pace," the analysts said.

The continuous trade surplus is also deemed as bringing the country's current account to a more sustainable position and within Bank Indonesia's comfort zone, according to Glenn Maguire, ANZ chief economist for South Asia, ASEAN and the Pacific, and Daniel Wilson, ANZ economist for ASEAN and the Pacific.

"The current account and gross domestic product [GDP] growth profile suggest the interest rate can be cut now, but inflation and financial market volatility will delay monetary policy easing until later this year," Maguire and Wilson said in a written statement.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/16/june-exports-surge-still-far-below-govt-target.html

Analysis & opinion

Protect all citizens equally

Jakarta Globe Editorial - July 22, 2015

As a nation, Indonesia has one major piece of unfinished business: providing a solid, unshaken and irreversible foundation for pluralism to flourish across the archipelago.

While our constitution firmly adopts the basic principles needed to support a pluralistic society, we are still far removed from implementing this way of life on a daily basis throughout the country.

The biggest tragedy is that it is the government and the state that are the biggest violators of the constitution in this regard. State officials – presidents, ministers, police officers – have long placed the protection of minority groups at the bottom of their priority list, if at all being taken into consideration.

The recent incident in Tolikara can't be seen as an isolated case. It should be viewed in the light of accumulated problems arising from the state's systematic negligence in tackling violence, radicalism and religious extremism.

The religious intolerance in some parts of our society is just the tip of the iceberg. Groups like the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), to name one example, have been freely roaming the archipelago while launching attacks in the name of religion and thus taking the law into their own hands. No Indonesian government since the fall of the authoritarian New Order regime has been able to stop this.

Vigilantism, radicalism and extremism are like contagious diseases. Once they are allowed to gain a foothold, they will spread. Others will copy the behavior and the situation will be out of control sooner rather than later.

Minority groups, such as the Ahmadiyah, will always be the first to suffer if the state fails to act. Targeted minorities will continue to live in fear in their own country if the government fails to fulfill its most important constitutional obligation: to protect all citizens equally.

That is why we call on President Joko Widodo to quickly provide protection to Ahmadis and other minorities under siege across Indonesia. It is never too late to act, especially when people's lives are at stake.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/opinion/editorial-protect-citizens-equally/

Fragile Papua

Jakarta Post Editorial - July 22, 2015

One death was too many. A 15-year-old died from gunshot wounds while at least 11 others were injured, mostly teenagers, when police opened fire into a crowd in Karubaga, Tolikara regency in Papua, as they were reportedly protesting against Muslims conducting the Idul Fitri prayers on July 17. At least 60 families lost their homes and one mosque was razed, as well as 58 kiosks, while more than 20 other buildings were vandalized.

This single incident showed us that beyond the proud traditions of Idul Fitri, "the day of victory" following the Ramadhan fasting month, social relations are still too fragile. The supposedly joyous day ended in deep insecurity in an entire area.

Even after National Police Chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti's visit to Karubaga, the reason security forces ended the protest with violence remains unclear, while issues between the Muslim and Christian communities could apparently be resolved through dialogue. Badrodin blames the violence on "miscommunication", saying that among those under investigation are the local priest of the Indonesian Church of the Bible (GIDI) congregation Nayus Wenda and his secretary Marten Jingga and that police will hunt the "provocateurs."

The GIDI leaders have acknowledged issuing a letter on July 11 to the Muslim community, requesting that the led prayers be held indoors without a loudspeaker, because an international seminar of church youth was to be held nearby. A protest ensued when the Muslims still held the mass prayers outdoors using loudspeakers, as is the widespread practice to anticipate limited space during Ied prayers. Badrodin has said that dialogue involving the police and GIDI leaders led to an agreement to change the letter, but the corrected letter had not been delivered, he said.

For those outside Papua it is not easy to imagine areas far from the provincial capital of Jayapura; yet certainly the ratio of police to civilians across the vast nation is too low – including in the multicultural Papuan towns and regencies where violence has been traced to many factors beyond religion. In addition, the morale and discipline of the police varies across the force, likewise among the military members boosting security in several areas.

Nevertheless poor anticipation of trouble remains the glaring fact in this case when police are responsible for domestic security, especially as the GIDI letter was issued a week before Idul Fitri – regardless of who will be named suspects in the fatal incident.

On his Facebook account President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said he "severely condemns" the violence in Tolikara and said he had ordered his security and intelligence chiefs to immediately take necessary action for peace in Papua.

At least those necessary actions would need to include institutionalizing preventive measures across the country, such as involving religious and community leaders and the police, to regularly meet and discuss any potential issue of dispute. "Provocateurs" have it easy when on a daily basis "harmony" remains superficial – as reflected in reports of a few church burnings in Central Java following the Tolikara incident. Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/07/22/editorial-fragile-papua.html

Johannes Nugroho: Indonesia can learn from Timor Leste on human rights

Jakarta Globe - July 21, 2015

Johannes Nugroho – Ditching initial plans for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Indonesian government has instead opted for a mere Reconciliation Committee to deal with past state-sponsored human rights abuses.

A committee only needs a presidential decree to be established, but is constitutionally inferior to a legislature-approved commission. As Haris Azhar, the coordinator of human rights organization Kontras, has pointed out, the efficacy of such a committee is highly dubious.

Attorney-General M. Prasetyo said that the committee would seek to resolve human rights violations through "non-judicial means" in the spirit of reconciliation. Haris, however, considered this tantamount to an attempt to absolve perpetrators of their guilt.

To make matters worse, the attorney general also suggested that thorough investigation into each individual case might not be possible owing to the lack of evidence and witnesses after such a long time. But Haris also rebutted this, saying: "The argument that it is difficult to find evidence is specious, considering the Attorney-General's Office has never acted upon the dossiers submitted by the National Commission on Human Rights [Komnas HAM]."

In eliminating the word "Truth" from the committee's name, the Indonesian government seemingly wants to leapfrog towards reconciliation, thereby dispensing with the laborious process of fact-finding and accepting the truth. However, history has proved this to be an implausible feat.

In the aftermath of its independence from Indonesia in 2002, Timor-Leste created an independent body to start investigations into past human rights abuses taking place there during the Indonesian occupation (1974-99). Its name was the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR). The CAVR presented its final report to the Timor-Leste parliament in 2005, a document more than 2,000 pages in full, all of which has now been published as a five-volume edition in both Indonesian and English, titled Chega! (No More! in Portuguese).

In the words of Aniceto Guterres Lopes, chair of the CAVR: "Why did Timor- Leste choose to address its difficult past?... Timor-Leste could have done nothing or opted to forgive and forget. Instead our nation chose to pursue accountability for past human rights violations, to do this comprehensively for both serious and less serious crimes... to demonstrate the immense damage done to individuals and communities when power is used with impunity."

Only after having recorded the statements of 7,669 victims, carried out 1,048 interviews with key perpetrators and witnesses, and submitted its findings to its government, the CAVR deemed itself ready to start the reconciliation process. In other words, the truth-finding part of its work was essential in restoring dignity to the victims, without which reconciliation and forgiveness could only be a charade.

Although CAVR's Community Reconciliation Process (CRP) was similar to the "non-judicial means of reconciliation" currently espoused by the Indonesian attorney-general, it never sought to bypass the judiciary altogether. Before a particular case could be resolved through CRP, the Office of the General Prosecutor's agreement and subsequently a court order had to be obtained first.

Eventually, 1,371 perpetrators of human rights abuse were cleared for CRP. But even then it wasn't a case of "forgive and forget." The violators were required to face their victims and confess their crimes. The victims in turn responded to the confessions. What is noteworthy, this entire process was conducted in public hearings at national, subdistrict and village levels, attended by many and often televised.

In the process, rather than feeling shamed, the victims recovered their dignity because their communities acknowledged and honored their testimonies. The public hearings also saw some of Timor-Leste's society taboos broken for the common good. For example, many victims of sexual violence throughout Indonesia's occupation – the CAVR managed to track down 800 individual victims or witnesses to rape, sexual torture and sexual slavery – bravely spoke about their ordeals on national television.

In light of the scale of Timor-Leste's CAVR successful undertaking, Attorney-General M. Prasetyo's claim that cases which occurred well in the past may be difficult to uncover seems lame at best. Out of the six cases he told the press the government would tackle, the Communist Purge of 1965-66 is the oldest. It is undeniably older than the 1975 Indonesian invasion of Timor-Leste, but it has been subject to many academic works and even documentary films. No doubt there is plenty of historical material to work with for the committee should it wish to unearth the truth.

Timor-Leste's CAVR report says that "a minimum of 102,800 civilians died during the 1974-99 period," while during the 1965-66 Communist Purge alone around half a million Indonesian civilians ere estimated to have been massacred throughout the country. The fact that it remains unresolved after 50 years can only point to Indonesia's unwillingness to come to terms with `its past.

Just last week a German court sentenced nonagenarian Oskar Groening to four years' imprisonment for being an accessory to the murder of 300,000 people more than 70 years ago at the Auschwitz death camp. While the strictly judicial German model of resolving crimes against human rights may not be palatable to most Indonesians, the Timor-Leste experience will perhaps be more suitable. To turn a well-known Indonesian phrase, "A great nation is one brave enough to own up to its misdeeds."

[Johannes Nugroho is a writer from Surabaya – He can be contacted at johannes@nonacris.com.]

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/opinion/johannes-nugroho-indonesia-can-learn-timor-leste-human-rights/

Tolikara incident shows we can't take pluralism for granted

Jakarta Globe Editorial - July 21, 2015

One of the main foundations of modern Indonesia was the awareness that the nation could only survive if it would accept, respect and accommodate differences. Therefore the primary – of not sole – task of the country's elite and all of its people is to protect and nurture this spirit of tolerance and make sure that generation after generation will inherit this way of life.

Our founding fathers have sacrificed their egos, narrow-minded ideals and goals to allow the establishment of a pluralist nation, which we call Indonesia. This former colony could have easily been turned into an Islamic state if the nation's Muslim leaders – who formed an overwhelming majority – had insisted on doing so.

Just a few months before the proclamation of independence on Aug. 17, 1945, there was broad agreement that Islam would be the foundation of the new nation-state. But after long discussion and protests from Christian leaders, who threatened to quit their support for the nation, it was ultimately agreed that Indonesia would be a secular state.

Building a pluralist nation, however, remains work in progress. We can't take peace for granted and we have to have a solid strategy to maintain it.

On the national level, Muslims form the overwhelming majority, but minorities everywhere need to be protected if necessary. Unfortunately, sectarian violence and attacks in recent years have suggested our strategy needs amendment.

Differences of interest at the local level can create clashes between Indonesians of various ethnicities or religions. Fortunately small-scale clashes have over the years remained largely isolated – as long as no outsiders try to fan the flames of conflict. Indeed, conflicts have become political tools for those who seek power.

The history of sectarian conflict in Indonesia is a story of local elites and those in Jakarta playing roles in minor clashes and seeking escalation when they can benefit. We know this from deadly conflicts in Ambon, Poso, Aceh and Kalimantan. Instead of working to contain the clash, elite players take advantage in an effort to gain influence and popularity.

That's why we call on Jakarta's elites to stay away from last week's incident in Tolikara, Papua. The alleged attack on a congregation of Muslims should remind us that a peaceful, pluralist society cannot be taken for granted. We all have a role to play, but de-escalation should be the primary concern.

Source: http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/opinion/editorial-tolikara-incident-shows-cant-take-pluralism-granted/