The call by the Pacific Conference of Churches comes after the killing of a student in Timika and Indonesia's denials at the UN General Assembly of human rights abuses in the territory it annexed in 1961.

The organisation's general secretary, the Reverend Francois Pihaatae, says the situation in Papua is made worse by Indonesian denials when the evidence of abuse was clear.

He says social media makes it impossible for Indonesia to hide the atrocities committed by its security forces on a people who want to determine their political future for themselves.

The Reverend Pihaatae says despite the obvious and overwhelming evidence, the Indonesian government insults the intelligence of Pacific people by its denials.

He says Papuans are killed and tortured merely because they want self- determination, a right guaranteed by the UN of which Indonesia is a member.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/287219/churches-criticise-indonesia's-papua-record

Papua legislator cast doubts on OPM commander's reported resignation

Tabloid JUBI - October 15, 2015

Jayapura, Jubi – Papua legislator Laurenzus Kadepa cast doubts on reports that a commander of West Papua Liberation Army/Papua Free Movement (OPM), Goliath Tabuni, has laid down arms and become a timber businessman.

He questioned the accuracy of the reports about Tabuni, who is based in Tinggi Nambut, Puncak Jaya Regency, saying that the desire for independence is not something that could be easily abandoned.

As the OPM Commander, Tabuni would not accept offers easily. "I am not sure that Goliat Tabuni has come down. Because the ideology is priceless," Kadepa said on Tuesday (13/10/2015).

He also had other reason that some times ago the Papua Police has named Goliath Tabuni in the wanted list. Even the Inspector General Yotje Mende who acted as Papua Police Chief at that time said although Tabuni was surrender himself, he would still facing the legal process.

"So, I doubt it. However, if this is true, I hope there is no more shooting incident happened in Puncak Jaya in the future," he said.

Kadepa, who's the member of Commission I of the Papua Legislative Council for Politic, Legal and Human Right Affairs, further said the story of Keli Kwalikm the OPM Commander in Mimika is the lesson learned.

At that time, the security forces shot dead Keli Kwalik, someone who accused being responsible on several acts of shooting in Mimika region. But after his dead, the shooting still continues to happen in that region.

"It means there are those who play the game, and Keli Kwalik was only become the scapegoat. Now, Goliath Tabuni was reportedly step down. But is that guarantee for there is no more shooting? However, the steps taken by Puncak Jaya Regent Henock Ibo to ensure the security of his territorial should be appreciated," he said.

Earlier, in a number of media coverage, Goliath Tabuni was reported to change his way of life to a businessman of timber. Puncak Jaya Regent Henock Ibo said the local government has donated a chainsaw and fuels for him. (Arjuna Pademme/rom)

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/en/2015/10/15/papua-legislator-cast-doubts-opm-commanders-reported-resignation/

Tonga hints at visit to Papua over human rights concerns

Radio New Zealand International - October 14, 2015

Tonga's Government has responded to Indonesia's accusation that claims by Tonga's Prime Minister at the United Nations were misleading.

Pohiva told the UN General Assembly in New York that the UN should investigate allegations of human rights abuses in the provinces of Papua and West Papua.

He said the UN has the moral obligation to follow up the issue and take any necessary action to stop the "brutal and inhumane activities".

However Indonesia responded saying it strongly rejects the references and the comments by Mr Pohiva as well as the Solomon Islands Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare.

The Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Va'inga Tone, told Radio Tonga the government wants to work together with Indonesia to seek clarification bilaterally or through a joint visit to the country on a fact finding mission.

He says it's the joint concern of Pacific countries not to leave anyone behind and it is within the power of leaders to take action.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/286944/tonga-hints-at-visit-to-papua-over-human-rights-concerns

Rights group condemns police's 'brutal and arrogant acts'

Tabloid JUBI - October 14, 2015

Jayapura, Jubi – A human rights group condemned Jayapura Municipality Police for mishandling a peace protest to demand justice over the Paniai Case, 8 December 2014.

"We regretted that in the forced dissolution of peace demonstration, there are numbers of students, activists, youths, and seminarians had been arrested, tortured and dumped into the Police's truck to be brought to the Abepura Police Station," said Solidarity for Papua Human Right Violation Victims (SKP-HAM).

"The Police also acted arrogantly and violently to the pressmen (reporters from Jubi, Cepos) who wanted to cover the demonstration," the Coordinator of SKP-HAM Papua, Paneas Lobber said in KontraS Papua Office on Friday (09/10).

The observer on International Affairs from Cenderawasih University, Marinus Yaung said the rally held on last Thursday (08/10/2015) was not against the Law of the Republic of Indonesia, so the Police could not disperse it with easy. "We are still asking and demanding the President Joko Widodo to fulfill his promise on resolution of Paniai Case when he came to Papua on National Christmas event last year. Thus, the Police must know and understand the flow of the rally," he said.

In order to respond the action of forced dissolution, SKP-HAM made statements as follows: (1) the demonstration on Thursday (08/10) have been conducted in a peaceful, in which the mass did not delivery speeches of separatism and did not conduct anarchy, thus it couldn't be forcedly dispersed by the Police; (2) The act of forced dissolution by the Police is a cruel act that stain the value of humanity and makes people no longer dare to express their opinion and voice the truth in public though it's guaranteed by Indonesian Constitution; (3) Condemns the forced dissolution by the Police because it does not respect the freedom of gathering, the freedom of expression and the freedom to voice aspirations that guaranteed by the principles of democracy; (4) Demands the responsibility and professionalism of the Police officers in tackling the peace demonstrations; (5) Asks the Papua Police Chief to dismiss the Jayapura Municipal Police Deputy Chief Albertus Adreana who had been careless and anarchy in tackling the peace demonstration by SKP-HAM. (Abeth You/rom)

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/en/2015/10/14/rights-group-condemns-polices-brutal-and-arrogant-acts/

Aceh

Ten suspects named behind Aceh church burning

Jakarta Post - October 16, 2015

Fedina S. Sundaryani and Hotli Simanjuntak, Central Tapanuli, North Sumatra – Police have named 10 people suspects for their alleged role in burning a church in Aceh Singkil regency, Aceh, an incident that has triggered an exodus of thousands of residents leaving to take shelter in neighboring North Sumatra.

National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Agus Rianto said on Thursday that the Aceh Singkil Police had named 10 suspects since the church burning on Tuesday.

"The total number of suspects is 10. Three have been detained while the remaining seven are on the run," Agus said at the National Police headquarters in South Jakarta.

All 10 suspects could be charged with vandalism and property damage under the Criminal Code, he added. "We are still determining who is the mastermind [behind the clash]," Agus said.

Meanwhile, thousands of Aceh Singkil residents were still staying in shelters and houses in regencies in North Sumatra on Thursday, reluctant to go home despite government guarantees of security.

"I'm safer here than if I go home. We are afraid there will be violence in the future," Nuraini Berutu, a resident of Pertabas village, Aceh Singkil, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Nuraini is among 2,500 residents staying in a Catholic school in Tumbajae village, Central Tapanuli regency, North Sumatra.

"Many people are still coming from [Aceh Singkil]. We are still collecting data. Many of them have not been recorded," Jimmy Tarigan, a coordinator of Tumbajae shelter, told the Post.

According to data from the North Sumatra administration, about 7000 Aceh Singkil residents have taken shelter in Central Tapanuli and Pakpak Bharat regencies.

The residents, mostly Christians, left their homes after almost a thousand people grouped under the Islamic Youth Movement attacked Suka Makmur village and burned down the Huria Kristen Indonesia (HKI) church.

One of the attackers was shot dead and three others were injured when the residents tried to defend their church. The church is one of 10 opposed by the group.

Despite lingering fears, Central Tapanuli Regent Sukran Jamilan Tanjung said that some 4,280 residents in the regency would return home on Friday.

"The residents who took shelter here are willing to go home. According to the plan, they are to go home at 2 p.m. tomorrow," Syukron told the Post on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said that the situation in Aceh Singkil had returned to normal after the police and Indonesian Military (TNI) members secured the conflict zone on Thursday.

"The Singkil incident is an old problem that flared up in 1979, 2011, 2013 and now. The evacuees who fled to the Pakpak region have been asked to return home," Luhut told reporters at the KPK headquarters on Thursday.

After finding that the conflict was sparked by a building permit policy discriminatory toward Christians, the National Police have instructed the local administration to review the regulation.

"The National Police chief has said that the local administration should evaluate existing local regulations to ensure there are no future violations," Luhut added.

Meanwhile, Interfaith Harmony Forum (FKUB) chairman Lipiyus Biniluk asked the government to immediately rebuild the church burned down in Aceh Singkil.

"We hope the house of worship or church will be rebuilt immediately after the incident and handed over for use by the community," Lipius Biniluk said at a meeting of religious leaders facilitated by Papua Police chief Ins. Gen. Paulus Waterpauw in Jayapura on Thursday.

The country was rocked by an incident on July 17 when a Christian mob attacked the Islamic community in Tolikara regency, Papua, setting fire to kiosks, with the blaze spreading and destroying an Islamic house of worship.

[Apriadi Gunawan, Haeril Halim and Nethy Dharma Somba contributed to the story from Medan, Jakarta and Jayapura.]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/16/ten-suspects-named-behind-aceh-church-burning.html

One dead in Aceh brawl over church burning

Jakarta Post - October 14, 2015

Jakarta – The National Police said on Tuesday that one person has died and others are injured after a brawl between two mobs over the burning of a church in a village in Aceh Singkil district in Aceh province.

Spokesperson for the National Police Sr. Cmr. Suharsono said that the incident took place in Dangguran Village in Aceh Singkil district. "One man died from a gunshot and four others are injured," he said as reported by kompas.com.

Suharsono said that the deceased was from the mob that set fire to the church. An officer of the Indonesian Military (TNI) was among the injured. The police are still investigating the incident and are questioning at least 20 people.

"We still have not found the gun that was used. Our officers in Aceh will try to find out who opened fire," he said. He added that currently police and TNI officers were on guard around the location.

Based on the information gathered by thejakartapost.com, the victim was Samsul, 21, who was shot in the left temple. The police report said that the gun was a homemade gun. After the brawl, local police secured 52 people and confiscated various sharp weapons, 20 cars, two trucks and 30 motorcycles.

The incident was ignited by the burning of a house that had been used as a church without a proper permit. According to a kompas.com report, the mob had gathered on Monday following a protest on Oct. 6 calling on the Aceh Singkil administration to tear down the building.

The brawl took place at noon on Tuesday after a mob that called themselves the Aceh Singkil Islamic Youth Movement tried to break through a barricade at a HKI Christian church at Dangguran village. The villagers of Dangguran resisted the mob, leading to the brawl. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/13/one-dead-aceh-brawl-over-church-burning.html

'Lesbianism' and detention in Aceh

New Mandala - October 9, 2015

Kate Walton, Guest Contributor – In the same month that 12 UN agencies called on all states to end violence and discrimination against LGBTI people, two young women have been arrested in Aceh, northwest Indonesia, on suspicion of being lesbians.

Their crime? Sitting together and hugging in public, and supposedly possessing incriminating photos of their relationship on their mobile phones.

Aceh's sharia-based criminal code forbids same-sex relationships and sexual activity, and instructs a punishment of 100 lashes and 100 months in jail. So far, the two women – aged 18 and 19 – appear to have escaped fairly lightly. According to the police, they will undergo a 'rehabilitation' program run by the local Social Ministry office, although what that might involve is anyone's guess.

What happened during their four days of interrogation is also unclear. In previous arrests of heterosexual couples, the sharia police (Wilayatul Hisbah) have been known to carry out 'virginity tests' on women; it is possible that similar tests were conducted on the two women in question, but I suspect this did not occur in this case, mostly for the fact that neither the police nor the sharia police are likely to know how lesbians actually have sex.

Aceh is the only province in Indonesia that has the national government's permission to create sharia by-laws. This is because Aceh has had 'Special Status' since 1999, introduced as part of a peace deal with Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM or the Free Aceh Movement).

Controversially, the by-laws apply to all residents and visitors to the province, regardless of their religion. In addition to same-sex relations, other activities that are forbidden under Aceh's criminal code and by-laws include zina (all sexual relations outside marriage), khalwat ('seclusion' or indecency), gambling, and avoiding Friday prayers.

Human Rights Watch LGBT rights program director, Graeme Reid, has said that "The arrest of two women in Aceh for everyday behaviour is an outrageous abuse of police power that should be considered a threat to all Indonesians. The Indonesian government needs to press Aceh to repeal its discriminatory new by-laws."

The fact that the women were accused of lesbianism for simply hugging in public is extremely worrying. Will all teenage girls – for that's what these two women really are – now face counselling and re-education for hugging their friends?

Why is hugging deemed to be a sexual activity rather than a friendly behaviour? I'd hate to ask an Acehnese police officer what they think about teenage female friendships in Australia – full of hugging, playing with each other's hair, and lying about on school ovals all over each other.

Straight, lesbian, bisexual, or somewhere in-between, everyone should be allowed to hug their friends. And their partners, for that matter.

Arresting two women for hugging shows just how anxious the Acehnese powers-that-be are about controlling their residents' sexuality. It is one more worrying sign of increasing religiosity and conservatism in Aceh.

[Kate Walton works on women's rights and health in Indonesia.]

Source: http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2015/10/09/lesbianism-and-detention-in-aceh/

1965 mass killings

PDI-P criticized over hesitation on govt apology to Sukarno

Jakarta Post - October 11, 2015

Jakarta – Crescent Star Party (PBB) chairman Yusril Ihza Mahendra has criticized the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) for repeatedly urging the government to making a formal apology over the accusation that former Indonesian president Sukarno supported communism.

"On whether or not the government is ready to apologize to Bung Karno, it is its authority to decide. If the government wants to apologize, just go ahead. It was Megawati who should have apologized to Sukarno, particularly when she was president. Now, it is Jokowi [President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo] who should do so," said Yusril as quoted by kompas.com on Sunday.

The constitutional law expert said there was something wrong with the attitude of the PDI-P, which had continued to speak up about the need for the government to apologize.

Yusril said the decision to approve or reject the idea was in the hands of the government. The PDI-P's tendency to continuously voice support for an official apology had created a sense that the current administration, which was controlled by the PDI-P, did not know what it had to do as a government, he said.

"The PDI-P is the ruling party, but it continues to act like a party outside the power circle," said Yusril, adding that Jokowi should immediately make a decision on the matter.

Earlier, PDI-P deputy secretary-general Ahmad Basarah said the government must a formal apology for claiming that Sukarno supported the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

He said Sukarno was the victim of the 1965 attempted coup. He said the former president had lost power because of the government's claim that he supported the PKI, which was followed by the issuance of the Provisional People's Consultative Assembly (TAP MPRS) Decree No.XXXIII/1967 dated March 12, 1967 on the revocation of his mandate as president. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/11/pdi-p-criticized-over-hesitation-govt-apology-sukarno.html

Kineforum screens films on 1965 tragedy

Jakarta Post - October 9, 2015

Jakarta – In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the 1965 communist purge, the Jakarta Art Council's (DKJ) Kineforum will screen 30 films, themed "Memori dan Suara yang Terpinggirkan" (Memories and Marginalized Voices), throughout October.

The feature films include Garin Nugroho's Puisi Tak Terkuburkan (Unburiable Poetry), Riri Riza's Gie, Ifa Isfansyah's Sang Penari (The Dancer), Andre Vitchek's Terlena: Breaking of a Nation, Robert Lemelson's 40 Years of Silence: Indonesian Tragedy, Maj Wechselmann's The Women and the Generals and Joshua Oppenheimer's The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence.

Other films to be screened include compilations of short movies, including Hafiz Rancajale's Menggali Buaya (Digging the Crocodile), Andrew Dananjaya's R.I. and Lexy Junior Rambadeta's Mass Grave.

"We created the program to help the public understand how the human rights tragedy occurred in 1965," Kineforum manager Alexander Matius said in a press release made available to The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

He hoped the program would trigger discussion on the tragedy, an event rarely talked about in public. Alexander said that the program, a continuation of the #50tahun1965 program that ended in September, would focus on reconciliation.

"After the New Order collapsed, information on the discrimination and violence in 1965 to 1966 was revealed. One of the mediums used to unearth this information was film," he said.

According to Alexander, a discussion of the events would be held on Oct. 24 at 5 p.m. The complete schedule can be accessed through kineforum.org.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/09/greater-jakarta-kineforum-screens-films-1965-tragedy.html

Can prison songs help heal the wounds of Indonesia's 1965 massacre?

Jakarta Globe - October 9, 2015

You arrived, my child, in the darkness of misery; You cried, but your father did not hear you; Only with your mother's tears, noble tears, embracing you; You came to life with many wounds – "Si Buyung" (My Child) by Amirudin Tjiptaprawira

In Indonesia, several hit songs, beautiful and powerful, were actually written inside prison cells. The songs originated in 1965 when military-led massacres and round-ups left 500,000 or more alleged communists and communist-sympathizers dead and hundreds of thousands more in prisons and prison camps.

Fifty years ago, a campaign of mass slaughter was started in Indonesia. On the evening of Sept. 30, 1965, military officers kidnapped and killed seven army generals in Jakarta. They argued that they wanted to save the then- president, Sukarno, from a planned military coup attempt.

The army responded by attacking the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) – and anyone seen as connected to or sympathetic to the PKI – accusing the PKI of being involved in the murder of the generals.

Military propagandists claimed that pro-communist women were partying, half naked, while mutilating the bodies and dumping them in a well, claims later shown to be fabricated. The military prepped journalists to paint all communist sympathizers as atheists, a serious social stigma in predominantly Muslim Indonesia.

Then the real hunt began. Special Forces units arrested alleged communists, labor and farmer activists, leftist intellectuals, artists and teachers. Muslim militias killed them and dumped their bodies in rivers or buried them in mass graves on plantations.

Joshua Oppenheimer, who directed two extraordinary documentaries, "The Act of Killing" and "The Look of Silence," argues that half a century later it is also the least internationally known massacre because "the perpetrators still hold power throughout the country, and many people in Indonesia remain afraid.

Survivors continue to face discrimination and physical violence, while Indonesian school children are still taught that the mass-killing was heroic and, in effect, the victims deserved to be killed."

Thanks to Oppenheimer's films, more people, especially outside Indonesia, are aware of the mass killings, but fewer people know of the fate of the political prisoners – up to 100,000 of whom were held well into the 1970s. These victims of the same anti-communist purges were not killed, but carted off to remote prisons in Indonesia, where they suffered torture and imprisonment for decades.

Bali, the white-sand-and-serene-temple island popular with foreign tourists, is the site of Pekambingan prison where up to 400 political prisoners were imprisoned between 1965 and 1977. They wrote songs and sang to survive their torture and their uncertain fate.

Ida Bagus Santosa, a Balinese intellectual, wrote about how he missed his wife and their baby daughter, when the military arrested and jailed him without trial. He wrote their nicknames on his cell, "Tini and Yanti," asking them not to be upset and not to lose hope. In December 1965, prison guards brought Santosa out of his cell, handing him over to "men in black" who took him away. He never returned to the prison or his family.

Amirudin Tjiptaprawira, a musician, himself jailed in Pekambingan from 1965 until he died in 1975, used the writing on the wall to compose the song "Tini and Yanti." Tjiptaprawira also wrote "Si Buyung" (My Only Child). A song about his wife, who was pregnant with their only child, when the military arrested him.

Another prisoner, Ni Ketut Kariasih, who was jailed three times between 1965 and 1977, wrote about her loneliness after her husband was arrested and forcibly disappeared. Punk rocker I Gede Ari Astina a.k.a. Jerinx of the Superman Is Dead band, recorded this ballad "Di Kala Sepi Mendamba" (When Feeling Lonely).

The jailings began to generate international concern and in 1977 newly elected US president Jimmy Carter asked president Suharto, a former general who had led the anti-communist campaign, to release an estimated 55,000- 100,000 political prisoners. Jakarta, still dependent on US aid and support, reluctantly released them all by 1979.

In 1983, Pekambingan prison was demolished. The site was used to build a shopping mall. But the songs survived the Suharto regime. In 1998, Suharto stepped down from power and a slow democratization process began in Indonesia.

Indonesian prison songs from the 1960s and 1970s started to emerge on YouTube. Young musicians in Bali, then later in Jakarta, embraced the songs, singing them on TV, and talking about the 1965 mass killings. Taman 65, a community of artists and activists, released an album of prison songs in July of this year.

Indonesia has struggled to address the legacy of 1965 and its aftermath. There has been no truth commission, no trials, no redress for the many victims.

In August, President Joko Widodo announced a plan to set up a "reconciliation commission" to find a "permanent solution for all unresolved human rights abuses" of the past 50 years, including the 1965 massacre – but left out details. He backed off when the military and some Muslim organizations widely opposed the idea.

In the face of continued intransigence by successive Indonesian governments, the release of the 1965 songs of political prisoners is a vivid and moving reminder of the horror of 1965. It is important to keep the memories of these victims alive until their families can see justice done.

[Andreas Harsono is senior Indonesia researcher at Human Rights Watch.]

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/opinion/commentary-can-prison-songs-help-heal-wounds-indonesias-1965-massacre/

Labour & migrant workers

Many handicraft workers underpaid, lacking insurance

Jakarta Post - October 12, 2015

Slamet Susanto and Ganug Nugroho Adi, Bantul, Yogyakarta/Surakarta, Central Java – The majority of workers in the handicraft industry in Yogyakarta and Central Java are paid below the regional minimum wage (UMR) and enjoy neither health nor employment insurance coverage through the national Social Security Management Agencies (BPJS).

"It's impossible for us to cover or coordinate BPJS insurances for workers," Immaroh, the owner of the Sri Kuncoro batik workshop in Wukirsari, Imogiri, Bantul regency, Yogyakarta, told The Jakarta Post recently.

She said the handmade batik industry that she works in was facing several challenges, including the uncontrolled flood of cheaper foreign products into the country.

"Financially we cannot afford coverage for BPJS employment insurance for our workers. We feel lucky if we can survive these uncertain economic conditions," said Immaroh, who employs six female workers in her batik production.

She said she considered the payment procedure for BPJS insurance premiums complicated and time-consuming and that she felt uneasy about cutting workers' wages for the purpose, as the wages were everything to them.

Jumakir, a producer of various handicraft products made of seashells, said that it was impossible for an employer to cut a worker's wage by subtracting BPJS insurance premiums, because most of the workers' income was already below the UMR.

"When orders increase, they also receive more. But this does not happen every day," said Jumakir from Bantul.

At the same time, he as the employer could not pay for the premium on his workers' behalf, he said, because doing so was overly burdening. "Most of my products indeed are for export, but I am just a producer. It's the exporters that earn high profits," Jumakir said.

Yogyakarta province is home to more than 10,000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) making handicraft products. Each employs between four and 10 workers, with total revenues amounting to tens of millions of US dollars.

In the city of Surakarta, Central Java, the story of workers in the handicraft industry was much the same. Most of them are paid below the UMR and are not covered by health or employment insurance from the BPJS.

Umiyatun, 43, who works for a home industry producing woven sarongs in Semanggi village, Pasar Kliwon, Surakarta, for example, earns only Rp 30,000 (US$2.14) per day, which she receives every weekend.

If orders were good, she said, she could work for six days a week. Otherwise, she could only work for three to four days a week. She earns an average of Rp 1 million a month while this year's UMR for Surakarta is Rp 1,222,400.

It is therefore not surprising that Umiyatun has to seek additional income when a member of her family is admitted to hospital for medical treatments, as she was not covered by BPJS health insurance, while the company she works for did not give her working safety or health allowances.

Widodo, 45, who works as a rattan souvenir home industry in Trangsan subdistrict, Gatak district, Sukoharjo regency, Central Java, and earns Rp 960,000 monthly while the regency's UMR was Rp 1,223,000, told the same story.

"My kid was sick once. I had to go here and there to seek for a loan. I know very little about BPJS," said Widodo, an elementary school graduate.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/12/many-handicraft-workers-underpaid-lacking-insurance.html

Abolition could help Indonesia migrant workers

Jakarta Post - October 11, 2015

Fedina S. Sundaryani and Tama Salim, Jakarta – More groups have pressed the government to abolish capital punishment in the country, arguing that such a move could help ease the process of saving migrant workers from facing execution overseas.

Anis Hidayah, director of the NGO Migrant Care, said on Saturday that Indonesia was among only 37 countries worldwide that continued to use capital punishment. At the same time, the country had hundreds of migrant workers facing the threat of being executed abroad.

"Apart from showing how weak our commitment is to enforcing human rights, the practice also weakens our diplomatic position in negotiating for the freedom of migrant workers who are facing the death penalty," Anies told reporters.

According to data from Migrant care, there are currently 281 Indonesians who have either been sentenced to death or might be given a death sentence abroad. The largest number of Indonesian migrant workers facing the death penalty abroad are located in Malaysia. 212 Indonesians are presently undergoing trial, and 73 have already been sentenced.

"The government's actions so far have only ever been reactive; when foreign authorities plan to carry out the punishment, the government pays a hefty sum for diyat [blood money]. There are many more that the government were unable to save," she said.

Anis said that the government had failed to save two migrant workers, Siti Zaenab and Karni, from execution in April in Saudi Arabia, shortly after Indonesia's first batch of executions took place in January.

Anis acknowledged that the government had made some efforts to protect migrant workers by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) earlier this year that banned the export of newly recruited migrant workers to 21 countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

The MoU was signed in response to a long list of problems, including those related to rights violations and legal issues. However, Anis said that the move would be ineffective if the government did not show any commitment toward abolishing the death penalty.

When asked whether Indonesia would ease off on its application of capital punishment for the sake of migrant workers on deathrow, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said that there was no correlation between the two issues.

"Those two points should not be directly compared to one another. The first issue has to do with the rule of law that applies in one particular country, while the other is a nation's responsibility to put in the maximum effort to protect the rights of its citizens. This is a responsibility that all nations share; Indonesia is no exception," she told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

Previously, the ministry's director for the protection of Indonesian nationals and entities abroad, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, said the only way to protect migrant workers was to ban Indonesia's informal workers from working in a number of Middle Eastern countries.

Iqbal said that the policy should be implemented in concert with improvements in the system that provided protection for workers in foreign countries.

Theresia Sri Endras Iswarini, a programme officer for the non-governmental development organization Hivos, said that the agreement signed by the Indonesian government and the Middle Eastern countries had only made it more likely that migrant workers would become victims of trafficking.

According to an ongoing survey conducted by Hivos, 765 out of 1,650 migrant workers interviewed at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport were new recruits that would work in the informal sector, which violated the MoU because it only allowed re-entry workers to work in Middle Eastern countries.

"This situation shows that the moratorium on the Middle East has not been put into practice and lacks any supervision," she said.

The survey also shows that a whopping 610 responders had limited means of communication as they did not own cellular phones, while 99.3 percent of those who owned the device relied only on text messaging services.

"Migrating to work is a right and the MoU violates that right. Abolition of the death penalty would definitely bring benefits to the government in its efforts to save its people," she said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/11/abolition-could-help-ri-migrant-workers.html

Government reaches out to labor-intensive businesses

Jakarta Post - October 10, 2015

Jakarta – Textile and footwear businesspeople have welcomed the government's launch of the so-called "investment desk" on Friday, calling it an effort to reach out to labor-intensive industries at a difficult time that has seen layoffs and shutdowns.

The desk – physically present at the Coordinating Investment Board (BKPM) office – will receive, identify and verify problems experienced by textile and footwear companies and offer specific solutions, which include site inspections and coordinating with local administrations if required.

"The desk is proof of the government's presence in this difficult situation," Indonesian Textile Association (API) supervisory board chairman Benny Soetrisno said on Friday at the launch event at the BKPM office in South Jakarta.

The launch is to follow up President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's program to create more jobs by boosting investment in labor-intensive sectors to revive economic growth that has slowed to a six-year low.

Textile and shoe industries, according to estimates, can absorb some 17,000 workers per Rp 1 trillion of investment, or 6.5 times as many as other industries' average absorption of 2,642 employees.

Earlier this week, Jokowi launched an investment program that will monitor 16 companies in the labor-intensive industry, mostly apparel, footwear and garment businesses, in an effort to increase employment.

Indonesia's economic growth slowed to 4.67 percent in the second quarter of this year, the slowest since 2009, with weak purchasing power weighing on domestic consumption, which makes up more than half of the country's GDP.

A handful number of textile and footwear businesses, mostly small and medium enterprises, have suspended production as stocks piled up, causing tens of thousands of workers to temporarily lose their jobs.

"Certainty [...] stronger purchasing power would attract investors to invest in the shoe industry and encourage existing companies to recall their employees," said Eddy Widjanarko, chairman of the Indonesian Footwear Producers Association (Aprisindo).

BKPM head Franky Sibarani, Trade Minister Thomas Lembong and Industry Minister Saleh Husin attended the investment desk launching event on Friday as their offices would team up with the Manpower Ministry, Finance Ministry, API and Aprisindo in running the desk.

Franky elaborated that services offered by the investment desk would include, among other things, loan and tax payment restructuring.

"For example, a company can pay its taxes at a later time after undergoing an audit by the team and receiving approval," he said. He went on to say that companies could ask to pay their electricity bills in installment should they face liquidity problems.

The businesspeople also pointed to domestic cotton production and competition with Vietnam as issues the government needed to address. They expressed concern that the lack of local cotton supply caused textile companies to fully rely on imports, which were prone to volatile prices.

Meanwhile, Vietnam's recent move to join the US-led Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) also brought concern to the industries as the neighboring country would be more lucrative, given the facilities and incentives that come with being a member of the pact.

The textile and footwear industry recorded Rp 16.8 trillion worth of exports last year, accounting for 14.3 percent of the country's total non- oil and gas exports. (prm)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/10/govt-reaches-out-labor-intensive-businesses.html

Political parties & elections

Dangdut King Rhoma to serenade voters with new Idaman Party

Jakarta Globe - October 14, 2015

Jakarta – Dangdut legend Rhoma Irama officially launched his own party on Wednesday and decided to play some tunes to explain his supporters what his new political vehicle stands for.

Named the Peaceful and Safe Islamic Party or Idaman ('dream' in Indonesian), Rhoma, who was dubbed the country's King of Dangdut, said the party stands for Islamic virtues, corruption eradication, national unity and Pancasila – the very same principles he has been advocating in many of his songs.

"I will explain [the party's] mission statements through songs, proving that I have been committed to these issues for decades. Such methods are more effective than oration. Idaman will be different from others," he said before strumming his iconic headless guitar to the cheers of fans attending the launch, held at the Proclamation Monument in Central Jakarta.

Rhoma, who named himself chairman of the new party, said Idaman will advocate a more peaceful side of Islam and will work to combat terrorism and religious intolerance.

Party members "must uphold Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution, and support a tolerant Islam, regardless of others' views... or denominations," he told his supporters as he introduced his line of party officials.

But this view is a far cry from one of his sermons made in the run up to the 2012 Jakarta gubernatorial election, during which Rhoma urged his followers not to vote for then-candidate Joko Widodo because he is pairing with Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, a Christian and an ethnic Chinese.

Joko won the election and became president a mere two years later, leaving Basuki to lead the capital.

Rhoma, who has switched parties three times before establishing his own political vehicle, left the National Awakening Party (PKB) last year after it backtracked on its promise to support Rhoma's presidential ambition and joined Joko's coalition.

Attending Wednesday's declaration were members of the United Development Party (PPP), the People's Conscience Party (Hanura) and the Democratic Party.

"More parties means more options for the people of Indonesia," Hanura's Jakarta chapter chairman Ongen Sangaji told reporters. "The presence of a new party will only encourage us to work even harder."

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/dangdut-king-rhoma-serenade-voters-new-idaman-party/

Surveys & opinion polls

Survey: Less than half of Indonesians trust House of Representatives

Jakarta Globe - October 9, 2015

Jakarta – Less than half of all Indonesians support the House of Representatives, a survey conducted in September by political pollster Indo Barometer has found.

The House scored 44.5 percent and the House of Regional Representatives Council by 48.8 percent trust ratings, lower than even the National Police – widely believed to be Indonesia's most corrupt institution.

The survey found the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has earned the highest level of public trust at 82 percent, the National Military at 81 percent, and President Joko Widodo with 78.6 percent.

Despite the high level of trust, Joko has a low level of public satisfaction with 51.1 percent of respondents declaring their dissatisfaction at the end of his first year in the presidency.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court, National Police, People's Consultative Assembly, and Attorney General's Office received a result of medium levels of trust by scoring 58.7 percent, 56.6 percent, 55.2 percent and 53.5 percent respectively.

"This clearly shows there are many Indonesians who do not believe in either institution [the House and the House of Regional Representatives Council] compared to the other institutions," M. Qodari, executive director at Indo Barometer, said in Jakarta on Thursday.

The House has faced criticism after a drafting revision to amend the law governing the powers of the KPK on Tuesday which would see cases which lose the state less than Rp 50 billion ($30.6 million) turned over to the Attorney General's Office or National Police for investigations. The KPK would have to gain permission from the courts to wiretap potential graft suspects under the revisions.

Six out of ten parties at the House – the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Golkar Party, National Democratic Party (NasDem), People's Conscience Party (Hanura), National Awakening Party (PKB) and United Development Party (PPP) – have aired their support for the revision and the President must now decide if the bill will be deliberated.

Indo Barometer conducted the survey from Sept. 14 to Sept. 22 with 1,200 respondents in 34 provinces across the country with a margin error of 3 percent.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/survey-less-half-indonesians-trust-house-representatives/

Environment & natural disasters

Study reveals Indonesia's capability to cut emissions below official target

Jakarta Post - October 15, 2015

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Rationalizing the emission reduction capabilities of each region in the country should be a government priority after the Paris climate summit as scientists predict that the country's 29 percent emission reduction target by 2030 is unattainable.

Based on a study by Conservation International Indonesia in partnership with USAID, Indonesia was predicted to fail in meeting its ambitious target, said University of Indonesia (UI) environmental researcher Mahawan Karuniasa.

"There's no way for us to meet the 29 percent target because we still have to take into account the rationality of [local] context. From Papua to Java, typologies are very different in the context of development," he said on Tuesday.

According to the study, conducted in Mandailing Natal and Tapanuli Selatan regencies in North Sumatra in 2014, both regencies were found to have limited capacities in reducing carbon emissions.

"We only have the capability to reduce land-based carbon emissions by 12 to 13 percent. That's the figure after intervention, meaning that people cannot be poor, the economy has to grow and education has to improve," Mahawan said. Seeing how other regions might also have limited capabilities in reducing their emissions, things are looking dire for Indonesia's commitment.

"Looking at this [study], it is quite challenging to meet the 29 percent target, especially taking into account the need to change how we develop our national development plan, state budget, mid-term regional development plan and regional budget plan," said Mahawan.

Therefore, it is crucial for the government to measure each region's' capabilities, according to him.

"We could work together with the association of climate change experts. We need to look at the situation in the subnational context. We have just submitted [Indonesia's Draft Climate Plan] and we will ratify it in 2020. Prior to that, we have time to do carry out further studies at the subnational level so that we can assess our true capabilities [in reducing carbon emissions]," Mahawan said.

He said that one region could have vastly different capabilities from another owing to the country's diverse geography and ecosystem.

"It is highly likely that Papua and Kalimantan have greater capacities [in reducing emissions] because they have smaller populations. But take a look at Sumatra. The land-cultivation permits for plantation area below 1,000 hectares are issued by the regional governments, but they don't have the maps and thus there are no clear land boundaries. So there are lots of challenges in this region," said Mahawan.

By understanding each region's characteristics and capabilities, the government would be able to measure the range of the country's true capacity and could use that as a bargaining chip when it requested international assistance.

"So when we have a range, we don't limit ourselves to a rigid target of 29 percent," Mahawan said. "If it turns out that we can't reach the target, we have to have reasons. Let's say we're only able to reduce 26 percent, we could negotiate and ask for international support to reduce an additional 3 percent."

Wahjudi Wardojo, a senior advisor on conservation policy at The Nature Conservancy, also pointed out the importance of having detailed calculations on the country's plan to achieve its target,

"How much will we have to gain and loose for sustainable development? Actually, we can measure that since we already have the tools and technology," he said on Tuesday. "The next stage will be budget planning because policies [to reduce emissions] are not often followed by fiscal and tax policies."

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/15/study-reveals-ri-s-capability-cut-emissions-below-official-target.html

New palm oil council would drop 'no deforestation' pledge: Indonesia

Reuters - October 14, 2015

Jakarta – A new palm oil producer grouping being set up by Indonesia and Malaysia would replace "no deforestation" pledges made by major palm companies in favor of a joint set of standards proposed by the two countries, an Indonesian minister said late Tuesday.

Indonesia wants big palm oil companies to row back on the historic pledges made at a climate change summit last year, arguing that they are hurting smallholder producers who cannot afford to adopt sustainable forestry practices.

Indonesia is the world's biggest producer and exporter of palm oil producer, a key driver of economic growth, and legions of smallholders account for about 40 percent of its palm output.

"Indonesia and Malaysia have agreed to harmonize and combine our two standards," Indonesia's chief natural resources minister Rizal Ramli told parliament.

"This is an example of how to fight for our sovereignty. We are the biggest palm oil producer. Why [should] the consumers from the developed countries set the standard for us as they want?"

Indonesia and Malaysia, which account for 85 percent of the world's palm output, have since late August been discussing the plan to set up an intergovernmental organization called Council of Palm Oil Producer Countries.

The move comes after major palm oil firms, including Cargill, Golden Agri- Resources and Wilmar International, signed the Indonesian Palm Oil Pledge (IPOP) following pressure to adopt better practices.

Indonesia, which is home to the world's third-largest tropical forests, has been criticized by green activists and other Southeast Asian nations on forestry policy and for failing to stop the region's annual "haze" problem from forest-burning.

Rizal said IPOP protected the interests of developed countries' vegetable oil markets, and the new council would set a standard that would also consider the welfare of smallholders. Top palm buyers India and China would be lobbied to accept the new standard, he said.

IPOP officials could not be reached for comment on Wednesday, a national holiday in Indonesia, but have previously said they are working with smallholder suppliers to help them meet the pledges.

The new Council would also look to promote the image of palm oil, stabilize prices, improve cooperation between top producers, and coordinate on production, stocks, biodiesel mandates and re-planting schemes, industry groups have said.

Further details are expected to be announced from late October. Previous attempts to develop better palm relations between the two countries have had limited success.

"It really depends on the will power of both governments, and I suspect they will come together more when prices are low than when prices are high," said Ivy Ng, analyst at CIMB Investment Bank.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/new-palm-oil-council-drop-no-deforestation-pledge-indonesia/

Two foreign firms blamed for fires, haze

Jakarta Post - October 14, 2015

Nani Afrida and Haeril Halim, Jakarta – National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti announced on Monday that the police had named two foreign companies suspects in clearing land by burning in Sumatra and Kalimantan, a practice that has led to thick haze covering the two islands, as well as parts of neighboring countries.

"The two companies are from Malaysia and China," Badrodin told reporters during a press conference at the Office of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Ministry in Jakarta. The police, he said, would investigate the two foreign companies' possible motives for burning land in Indonesia.

"One company from Singapore is still under our investigation for its involvement, too. However, I cannot give anymore information now," Badrodin said, adding that the companies were all involved in the plantation business. He refused to give the names or initials of the companies.

"We do not intend to involve foreign police forces in our investigations yet," Badrodin said. He added that the investigations would continue and that more suspects might be named in coming days.

Separately, National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Suharsono said that the police had named 16 domestic and multinational companies suspects for their roles in burning land in Sumatra and Kalimantan. The spokesman refused to reveal the names of the suspects.

Suharsono further said that the National Police were currently investigating a total 244 cases with regard to peatland and forest fires in the two islands.

"Some 122 cases are already in the primary investigation phase and another 24 cases are still in the preliminary investigation. Of the 122 cases, 78 involve individuals and 44 involve corporations," Suharsono told The Jakarta Post on Monday night.

Most of the cases relate to alleged crimes in South Sumatra and West Kalimantan provinces.

The National Police said they had named 16 corporations suspects, while police investigators were still working to collect evidence on another 28 companies, both domestic and foreign-owned, before naming them suspects.

The police will charge the suspects under Law No. 32/2009 Article 108, with any parties found guilty liable to face a 10-year prison sentence and Rp 10 billion in fines.

Badrodin said, however, that the police could not directly blame the landowners. "It is possible that it was not the landowners themselves who burned the land," he said.

Previously, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has called for heavy punishment for companies responsible for starting forest fires, including prosecutions and revoking their licenses. Jokowi stressed that the police would not be severe only with low-profile individuals.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has reportedly spent Rp 500 billion to extinguish hot spots. The agency has asked for an additional Rp 750 billion, a request approved by the Finance Ministry.

The hazardous haze has forced the closure of thousands of schools, grounded hundreds of flights and caused transboundary air pollution affecting Indonesia's neighbors, Malaysia and Singapore.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan acknowledged that it would take some time to extinguish all hot spots in the country.

"I don't think we will manage [to extinguish] the fires within two weeks. But [the hot spots] will be reduced significantly. I'm holding out hope that heavy rains will come," Luhut said.

He added that the government would focus on the Ogan Komering Ilir Area of South Sumatra, where much of the haze was coming from. Luhut insisted that the government was pulling out all the stops to deal with land and forest fires, and that efforts were on the right track.

Meanwhile Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said that more foreign countries were planning to aid efforts to deal with the haze. Japan for instance, is expected to help by providing a chemical substance to extinguish the fires.

Russia, meanwhile, is preparing to send two BE-200 amphibious aircraft, which can carry 12,000 liters of water.

Malaysia, Singapore and Australia have already stepped in with support to help Indonesia to put out the fires and end the haze.

Thailand and China have also expressed their intention to help. Foreign efforts have, as of Monday, been concentrated in South Sumatra.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/13/two-foreign-firms-blamed-fires-haze.html

Indonesian government poised to sue over Montara oil spill

Sydney Morning Herald - October 14, 2015

Jewel Topsfield, Jakarta – The Indonesian government is poised to sue the oil company responsible for the worst oil spill in the history of Australia's offshore petroleum fields.

Fishermen and seaweed farmers in Nusa Tenggara Timur – one of Indonesia's poorest provinces – say their fish stocks and seaweed crops were devastated after the 2009 Montara oil spill in Australian waters in the Timor Sea.

However PTTEP Australasia, a subsidiary of Thai state-owned oil company PTTEP, has repeatedly said it has not received any credible evidence that oil from Montara caused damage to the environment in West Timor.

Fairfax Media was told the Indonesian government summoned Australia's Ambassador Paul Grigson on September 23 and asked the Australian government to put pressure on PTTEP to pay compensation.

"I said we will wait for the Australian (government) and if they don't return with tangible action we will sue (PTTEPAA). The problem has been going on for years," the senior government official told Fairfax Media. He said the case would be heard in the Central Jakarta District Court.

"PTTEPAA has never shown any goodwill with their behaviour."

Greg Phelps, the Australian Lawyers Alliance national president, is this week also taking detailed statements from affected villagers on Rote island in West Timor with a view to taking separate legal action in Australia. "We are contemplating a class action, that's for sure," Mr Phelps said.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the Australian government had been active in encouraging the parties to re- establish discussions to resolve any outstanding issues.

"But at the same time, we (the Australian Government) have no jurisdiction to compel an Australian company to settle a dispute with another government," she said.

"The Australian government remains willing to assist and is in contact with the Government of Indonesia on this issue."

However West Timor Care Foundation president Ferdi Tanoni said that under international law a country is meant to ensure that damage from activities in its own state does not impinge on the sovereignty of another. "This has never been the case in the Montara Oil spill," he said.

For more than 10 weeks in 2009 oil and gas flowed unabated into the Timor Sea, about 250 kilometres off the northwest coast of Australia. Estimates of the surface coverage of the hydrocarbons range from 6000 to 25,000 square kilometres.

The 2010 Montara Commission of Inquiry, which had nearly all the powers of a Royal Commission, found "the way that PTTEPAA operated the Montara Oilfield did not come within a 'bulls roar' of sensible oilfield practice".

Commissioner David Borthwick said it was unlikely the full environmental consequences of the blowout would ever be known.

"The evidence before the Inquiry indicated that hydrocarbons did enter Indonesian and Timor Leste waters to a significant degree," the report said.

The West Timor Care Foundation has repeatedly asked the Australian government to fund an environmental assessment of the impact of the Montara oil spill on the Nusa Tenggara Timur community.

"We ask for very little and certainly nothing more than the Australian government should have done many years before now," the foundation's president, Mr Tanoni, said in a letter to the office of Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.

"The spill commenced in Australian waters under the regulation of the Commonwealth and Australia has not taken a single step to investigate the impact in waters of NTT. Your government chooses to turn a blind eye."

PTTEPAA refused to comment.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/indonesian-government-poised-to-sue-over-montara-oil-spill-20151014-gk8mz4.html

Government sanctions 4 companies for involvement in lighting fires

Jakarta Post - October 13, 2015

Jakarta – The government has revoked the forest concession license of one company and suspended the licenses of three others for their alleged involvement in starting the land and forest fires currently affecting several provinces across Kalimantan and Sumatra.

"The companies cannot operate anymore," the Environment and Forestry Ministry's director general of environment and forestry law enforcement Rasio Ridho Sani said as quoted by tempo.co in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The company sanctioned with a license revocation is plantation company PT Hutani Sola Lestari while the three companies hit with license suspensions are PT Langgam Hibrindo Inti, PT Tempiray Palm Rosources and PT K. Agro Jaya.

Rasio further explained the ministry was still investigating 18 other companies. "We cannot yet publish [their names] as we are still in the process of collecting data," he said.

Rasio said license suspensions and permit revocations were among the forceful measures the government had planned to take against companies allegedly involved in lighting land and forest fires. It was hoped that the sanctions would serve as a deterrent for the perpetrators, he added.

Rasio further asserted that the ministry would take tough measures against any company, either from Indonesia or abroad, involved in lighting forest fires. "Every fire starter has an equal position before the law," he said.

The Environment and Forestry Ministry says it has also targeted individual perpetrators of the forest fires. Rasio said the ministry's investigators were looking into 21 people allegedly involved in the fires. He refused to give details on their identities.

"It's still in the hands of the investigators. Criminal law enforcement is a long process, from the investigation to the prosecution and trial," Rasio said.

Meanwhile, National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) chief Willem Rampangilei stated that the government had disbursed Rp 500 billion (US$37.3 million) to solve haze problems in South Sumatra and several other provinces in Sumatra and Kalimantan over the past two months.

"Of the six provinces affected by haze during this year's dry season, South Sumatra is the province absorbing most of the funds," he said. (ami/ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/13/govt-sanctions-4-companies-involvement-lighting-fires.html

Relaxing timber rules raises fears for forest governance

Jakarta Post - October 13, 2015

Ayomi Amindoni, Jakarta – The government's plan to relax certification requirements for downstream timber products has raised concern from environmental groups.

Eyes on the Forest (EoF) activist Ian Hilman said a relaxed certification policy would worsen illegal logging activities and aggravate forest governance in Indonesia.

"Illegal [logging] still occurs in the upstream timber industry. It is possible that a relaxed certification regulation will open the possibility of illegal activity in the downstream industry," he said at a discussion in Jakarta on Monday.

The environmental activist was speaking in response to the government's plan to revise Trade Ministerial Regulation (Permen) No.66/2015, which replaced Permen No.97/2014 on the export of industrial forestry products.

Through Permen 66, the government removed an export declaration (DE) requirement, which will come into effect on Dec. 31, 2015.

The Trade Ministry said Permen 66 still needed to be revised to ease the timber exporting process for small and medium enterprises. The ministry and several timber associations started to discuss the revision of Permen 66 in a meeting last week.

During the meeting, they agreed that small and medium enterprises should be allowed to export their timber products without meeting the criteria of the timber legality verification system (SVLK).

SVLK is applied to reduce illegal logging and timber trading and to improve management of industrial timber products and allow better timber legality assurance.

Ian said the government's plan to relax the certification policy had forgotten a long history of illegal logging in Indonesia and only accommodated the interests of certain parties. "It will also open up the chance of illegal logging and weaken forest governance efforts," he said.

Zainuri Hasyim of the Indonesian Independent Forest Monitoring Network (JPIK) said that if they relaxed the certification process, all forest governance efforts that had been conducted recently would come to nothing. "The SVLK should be maintained as it is an attempt to improve forest governance," he said.

Earlier, the Trade Ministry's director for agriculture and forestry exports, Nurlaila Nur Muhammad, said that several ministries and timber- related business associations had agreed to the ministry's proposal for the revision of timber export requirements.

Nurlaila said parties in the meeting had agreed to simplify procedures on ironwood exports and revoke SVLK requirements on 15 downstream timber products, including furniture. The revision was aimed at helping local timber producers export their products, she said. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/13/relaxing-timber-rules-raises-fears-forest-governance.html

Humans, animals biggest losers in haze crisis

Jakarta Post - October 10, 2015

Jon Afrizal and Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, Jambi/Padang – Fires that razed extensive forest areas and peat lands in Sumatra and Kalimantan over the past few weeks have caused local residents to struggle with deteriorating air quality and have instigated cases of conflict with animals displaced from their natural habitat.

In West Tanjung Jabung regency, Jambi, forest fires in the Betara district forced a wild sun bear to escape from its habitat and roam a neighborhood in Serdang Jaya subdistrict, damaging residents' houses.

"Some 20 houses have been damaged because of the bear's attack," subdistrict head Darmayulis said on Friday, adding that the bear usually entered the neighborhood at night.

Swiss-based environmental organization the International Union for Conservation Nature (IUCN) has listed the sun bear as a vulnerable species since 2008.

According to the IUCN, tropical evergreen rainforests are the sun bear's main habitat on the islands of Borneo, Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia. The bears are unlikely to survive in deforested areas or in agricultural areas with no nearby forest.

Darmayulis said the bear had also attacked houses in the neighboring Pematang Buluh and Muntialo subdistricts. He said that he had reported the case to the Jambi Provincial Natural Resource Conservation Agency (BKSDA), which later provided local residents with wild animal traps to catch the bear.

BKSDA head Abdul Haris Sudjoko confirmed that the ongoing peat land and forest fires in the province had led to potential conflicts between displaced animals and local residents.

"Recently, we have received a number of reports regarding encounters between local residents and wild animals, including elephants, crocodiles and bears," Haris said.

Over the past few months, many regions in Indonesia, including Riau, Jambi, North Sumatra, South Sumatra and Central Kalimantan, have been struggling to cope with the impact of smoke produced by both man-made and natural land and forest fires.

The ongoing disaster has been exacerbated by this year's long dry season, triggered by the El Niqo weather phenomenon.

In South Sumatra, haze caused 3,074 people in the Ogan Ilir regency to suffer from acute respiratory infections (ISPA) in September alone.

Ogan Ilir Health Agency's disease mitigation section head Mulyadi said community health centers (Puskesmas) across the region were prepared to work a round the clock to help local residents who needed emergency medical assistance due to haze-related diseases.

In West Sumatra, thick haze had decreased visibility in the Padang, Bukittingi and Padang Panjang municipalities below 900 meters, according to Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Padang station spokesperson Budi Iman Samiaji.

The BMKG also reported that Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, had become the city with the worst air quality in the country after its level of particulate matter (PM10) was measured at over 1000 5g/m3 on Friday afternoon.

According to the government's existing guidelines, air quality is considered "healthy" if its PM10 level stands below 50 5g/m3, "moderate" when the level stands between 50 and 150 5g/m3, "unhealthy" between 150 and 350 5g/m3, "very unhealthy" between 350 and 420 5g/m3 and "dangerous" when it surpasses 420 5g/m3.

Meanwhile in Boyolali, Central Java, local authorities have also struggled to put out fires that have razed the forests on the slope of Mount Merbabu since Sept. 27. The fires, as of Friday, had burned some 270 hectares of land including a protected forest and agricultural fields in Ampel district.

An Air Tractor AT-802F aircraft was deployed to help extinguish the fires by dropping water bombs.

"The bombing was started on Thursday afternoon. Three hours later some of the fires were extinguished. Today [Friday], we are checking the affected areas while at the same time extinguishing remaining fires we find along our way," Mount Merbabu Park head Wisnu Wibowo said.

[Ganug Nugroho Adi from Boyolali contributed to this article.]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/10/humans-animals-biggest-losers-haze-crisis.html

Health & education

House drops cigarette provision in culture bill

Jakarta Post - October 15, 2015

Jakarta – Facing fierce public criticism, the House of Representatives decided on Tuesday to drop articles endorsing kretek (clove cigarettes) in the current culture bill legislation.

Antitobacco campaigners have lambasted new provisions in a culture bill recognizing kretek as a part of national cultural heritage and obliging the government to safeguard their existence.

Article 37 of the draft law, for instance, stipulated that the state acknowledge, appreciate and protect kretek as part of cultural heritage, while Article 49 ordained support through the inventory, documentation, facility development and promotion via festivals of the cigarettes.

House Commission X overseeing education, youth affairs, sports, tourism, art and culture made the decision after giving political parties two weeks to discuss the new provisions in the bill.

"An internal meeting of Commission X, which was attended by all factions, agreed to eliminate the cigarette provisions in the culture bill. So the bill, which was proposed by the House, no longer contains 'traditional clove cigarettes', said Commission X chairman Teuku Riefky Harsya as quoted by kompas.com.

The government is working to curb tobacco consumption, with the number of smokers standing at around a quarter of the country's population. The latest effort involves a plan to raise cigarette duties, with the funds to be channeled directly to the national health insurance (JKN) program.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/15/national-scene-house-drops-cigarette-provision-culture-bill.html

Disability rights

Lawmakers trim planned provisions for people with disabilities

Jakarta Post - October 9, 2015

Jakarta – The government and lawmakers have eliminated almost half of the articles in a draft bill on people with disabilities, raising concerns that the bill will fail to address the needs of disabled people.

"My deaf friend was once lost on his way to Yogyakarta – Instead of taking the train that went there, he got on one that went to Semarang [Central Java]. His train was delayed but he couldn't hear the announcement and Jakarta's Gambir station didn't have any running text. Coincidentally, another [train] going to Semarang arrived earlier on the same line so he took it," Election Committee for the Disabled chairwoman Ariani Soekanwo said recently in a press conference.

"If only this country provided cards for the disabled [KPD] for every one of us to show to officials so they could assist us better, that wouldn't happen. We already mentioned the need for KPD in our draft of the law on people with disabilities but now the lawmakers have scrapped it," said Ariani, who is blind.

She went on to say that the 268 articles in the draft recommendation had shrunk to only 151, eliminating 117 articles, making it lose its substance. "The draft was good because it described the details of how the government could fulfill our rights. It was made by an all-disabled team of people who come from various civil society groups, so we know our needs better."

"But now it's shrunk and the content has become too general. We're not sure if the government will implement it because the content has becomes unspecific," Ariani said.

Besides the KPD, lawmakers also scrapped details of discounts the government should give people with disabilities on public transportation fees, electricity and water bills. They demanded a 25 percent concession on each bill.

An article about a minimum quota of employees with disabilities that companies ought to employ was also scrapped. The draft also does not mention anything obliging schools to train teachers in how to teach students with disabilities.

Another big issue, according to Center for Policy and Legal Studies researcher Fajri Nursyamsi, was that Article 1 of the new draft implied that the implementation of the law would be fully coordinated by the Social Affairs Ministry.

"There are at least 19 ministries and institutions that are in charge of the implementation. Why should it all be coordinated by only one ministry? We know that some of the needs that we demand be fulfilled have been arranged by other laws or ministry regulations but in the field, the ministries will throw responsibilities to each other if it's not clear at the start from the law," Fajri, who uses a prosthetic leg, told The Jakarta Post.

"The draft also implies that other details will be arranged under government regulations [PP] but we know the making of a PP also takes a long procedure. It can take a year or more and it might be canceled in the middle if the government doesn't reach an internal agreement," he said.

On the bright side, Fajri said, the draft still detailed a minimum term of imprisonment and fines for those who abused people with disabilities.

A lawmaker from House of Representatives Commission XIII overseeing religion and social affairs, Ledia Hanifa, who headed the working committee for the draft, said that the appointment of the Social Affairs Ministry on the issue did not mean that other ministries would not cooperate to implement it. "The Social Affairs Ministry will be the head of the coordination."

She also explained that the shrinkage of the new draft was because "The old draft recommended by the civil society groups was a detailed law style adopted from the United States".

"From my experience, it will take too long to reach an agreement between us and the government in approving detailed rules. The ministries wouldn't always agree on what the old draft demanded, hence leading to a never- ending debate," she added.

On the rejection of the idea of the KPD, she said that the country issued too many cards, from identity cards to public health insurance cards, thus it would be more effective if the government integrated its systems so an existing card could show if cardholders had a disability.

The Social Affairs Ministry's People with Disabilities Division director Nahar said that the issue was a cross-sectoral problem, hence it would be better to ensure that all related ministries would fulfil their responsibilities in the future.

Lawmakers have targeted to validate the draft into law by the end of the year. (rbk)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/09/lawmakers-trim-planned-provisions-people-with-disabilities.html

Gender & sexual orientation

KPI accused of being biased toward LGBT

Jakarta Post - October 12, 2015

Ayomi Amindoni, Jakarta – Television watchdog Remotivi has accused the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) of being biased when it comes to minority-related issues, including on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual (LGBT) persons.

Remotivi coordinator Muhammad Haikal said the KPI had functioned as a mediator instead of a regulator, in which it should have amplified the voices of minority groups.

"There is a tendency among those holding public positions to adopt values only of the majority. This is why the KPI functions as a mediator instead of the regulator that it should be," said Haikal at a workshop held by the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) in Jakarta on Sunday.

He further criticized the absence of broadcasting regulations that protected marginalized groups.

Meanwhile, AJI member Luviana voiced appreciation for the progress made in the drafting of the broadcasting code of conduct and program standards (P3SPS), which included articles prohibiting violence and stereotyping minority groups, including LGBT people, in the media.

"In this matter, AJI takes the position of supporting minorities, which means AJI respects LGBT minority issues that are widely considered taboo in the newsroom," she added. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/11/kpi-accused-being-biased-toward-lgbt.html

Same-sex wedding confuses Boyolali residents

Jakarta Post - October 12, 2015

Boyolali – A wedding reception of a same-sex couple has confused residents of Cluntang village, Musuk, Boyolali regency, Central Java. Saturday's wedding reception had reportedly been opposed by relatives of one of the marrying pair, kompas.com reported.

Just like other wedding couples, Ratu Airin Karla aka DRN and Dumani aka DMN wore wedding outfits. Karla (not her real name) wore a Javanese wedding dress and had her hair styed in a sanggul (knot), decorated with jasmine flowers.

Dumani wore a beskap (traditional Javanese shirt). The bridal couple was seated on a stage to welcome guests. A banner emblazoned with the message "the celebration of the union of Ratu Airin Karla and Dumani. Give us your blessings", was the backdrop of the stage.

Just like other wedding couples, DRN and DMN participated in a string of wedding rituals. One thing that made it different from other wedding parties was that both DRN and DMN are male.

One of DRN's friends, who identified himself only as Ratno, said the event was simply to celebrate the couple's union. "It's just to express thanks to God. But about their marriage, I don't know how to explain it," he said.

Meanwhile, a Cluntang village official, Suryati, said the couple had not applied for a marriage permit. She said it would have been impossible for village officials to issue a permit as the union violated both state regulations and religious norms.

"It would be impossible to permit such a marriage. If permitted, it would mean that we legalized same sex marriage," she said in Boyolali on Saturday.

Suryati claimed that guests at the reception were acquainted with each other and the event was simply to celebrate their gratitude; that it was not a wedding reception.

Indonesia does not recognize same-sex marriage. However, in September, an American and Balinese gay couple was reported to have married in Bali. Footage of their wedding ceremony went viral on social media and YouTube, sparking a national outcry. (ags/ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/11/same-sex-wedding-confuses-boyolali-residents.html

Graft & corruption

Government insists on law amendment, KPK relents

Jakarta Post - October 16, 2015

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan maintained on Thursday that the government and the House of Representatives had no intentions to drop their controversial plan to amend Law No. 20/2002 on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Luhut said that the recent decision made by the two sides was only to postpone the revision plan in view of strong protests from the KPK and antigraft activists. He said that the government would start working on the planned amendment again next year.

"The amendment of the KPK Law is postponed until the next sitting session, which is expected to take place next year," Luhut told reporters at the KPK headquarters after attending the inauguration of his former expert staff member Insp. Gen. Heru Winarko, who is a former Lampung Police chief, as the KPK deputy for prosecution. Heru is the third police officer installed by the KPK to occupy an important post at the KPK this year.

The House continues to consider a plan to limit the tenure of the anti- graft body to another 12 years, in addition to other provisions that would diminish the KPK's power and autonomy, including one that would allow graft investigations to be halted, which the KPK is currently prohibited from doing in order to avoid backroom deals between commissioners and officials.

The House also aims to prevent the KPK from prosecuting cases involving less than Rp 50 billion, with the AGO or National Police instead taking over such cases. Critics contend that the 17 articles in the revision plan, if passed, would weaken the KPK's authority in curbing corruption.

However, Luhut said that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration did not agree with all new articles proposed by the House on the plan, adding that the government would only focus on revising articles in four areas: investigation stoppage, wiretapping, supervision and recruitment. "We are still discussing the four aspects with the Supreme Court," Luhut said.

Despite the fact that the current KPK Law prohibits any investigation stoppage to avoid trade-off practices between its commissioners and officials, Luhut said it was important to lift the ban because there were certain conditions in which the KPK should halt a graft investigation when a suspect being investigated died during the probe.

"Consideration for investigation stoppage should be based on human rights. Also, a monitoring team will be set up by the government, because there should not be an organization that goes unsupervised," Luhut added. Luhut also said that the oversight body could issue a warrant whether the KPK could wiretap potential graft suspects.

KPK deputy chairman Indriyanto Seno Adji has urged the government to forestall the amendment. However, after meeting with Luhut on Thursday, KPK chairman Taufiequrachman Ruki, who decried the plan last week, said that the KPK would provide its input regarding the revision if the government insisted on pressing ahead with the plan.

Ruki said the input would ensure that the government would not revise articles in the KPK Law in a way that would weaken the KPK's authority.

Meanwhile, Luhut praised the KPK for appointing his former aide to an important post at the KPK. "It is good because it shows that he is trusted for the post," Luhut said.

Luhut also emphasized that the government would go ahead with its controversial plan to issue a regulation that would grant pardons for financial crimes.

The KPK and the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) earlier stated their rejection of the plan, which they claim would weaken the country's fight against corruption.

Luhut defended the tax amnesty plan against criticism that it would give a privilege to tax offenders in the future, adding that it would only apply to "suspects, not convicts".

"Those whose cases have been sent to prosecutors will not be eligible [to apply for a pardon]," Luhut said, adding that the plan, if implemented, would increase the country's tax ratio from 11.9 to 14 percent. Luhut claimed that the tax amnesty could encourage tax offenders to return their assets parked abroad to Indonesia to help build the economy.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/16/govt-insists-law-amendment-KPK-relents.html

KPK names NasDem official a suspect in bribery case

Jakarta Post - October 15, 2015

Jakarta – The antigraft commission named Patrice Rio Capella, secretary- general of the NasDem Party, as a suspect for allegedly taking gifts related to the bribery case at the North Sumatra administration, one of the commissioners said on Thursday.

Johan Budi, acting Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) commissioner, said that the institution suspected Patrice of taking gifts in regional funding, revenue-sharing arrears and funds injected into several provincial-owned enterprises.

"Investigators found preliminary evidence that is enough to name PRC as a suspect," Johan said at the KPK building as reported by kompas.com.

The investigation against Patrice, who is also a Lawmaker from NasDem, was a part of the development of the case related to suspended North Sumatra Governor Gatot Pujo Nugroho, a politician from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and his second wife Evy Susanti as suspects in the bribery case in the province.

KPK named the couple suspect in late July following their alleged roles as financial bankers in a bribery case involving two Medan State Administrative Court (PTUN) judges.

Prominent lawyer OC Kaligis had also been named as a suspect in the case for allegedly facilitating the bribe.

"GPN and ES allegedly gave gifts or promises while PRC allegedly received the gifts," Johan said refusing to mention the figure of the gifts taken by Patrice. (rin).

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/15/KPK-names-nasdem-official-a-suspect-bribery-case.html

President requests delay of KPK Law revision: Minister

Jakarta Post - October 14, 2015

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo requested a delay to the revision of Law No. 30/2002 on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), according to Law and Human Rights Affairs Minister Yasonna H. Laoly.

The request was made directly by Jokowi to House of Representatives (DPR) heads during a consultation meeting at the State Palace on Tuesday.

"The President has requested that we [jointly] agree that [the revision] is not a priority. Let's delay [the revision], don't [do it] during the House Legislative Body [Baleg] meeting," said Yasonna on Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com.

Yasonna added that the revision was delayed due to more important priorities, such as economic issues. "Since the beginning, there was no discussion regarding the weakening [of the KPK]," said Yasonna.

Following Jokowi's request, the DPR heads later agreed to discuss the revision of the KPK Law in the next Baleg meeting. "It is a joint decision between the government and DPR," said Yasonna.

Yasonna asserted that the initial draft revision came from the DPR; he saw it for the first time when it was circulated in the Baleg meeting on Oct. 6. The government never made the draft nor proposed it.

According to Yasonna, the discussion of the KPK Law revision did not have to follow the initial version; the article that limited the lifetime of the KPK to only 12 years, for instance, could be erased. "It doesn't have to be based on the first concept," said Yasonna.

He later questioned the existence of the presidential letterhead on the first page of the draft. He said that the letterhead should not be included in a draft compiled by the DPR. "But the letterhead can be made by anyone," said Yasonna.

Previously, PDI-P lawmaker Masinton Pasaribu reportedly said that the draft revision was proposed by the government, which later turned into an initiative by the DPR.

Forty five DPR members from six factions proposed the revision of the 2002 KPK Law during a Baleg meeting on Oct. 6, kompas.com reported. They are factions of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the NasDem Party, the United Development Party (PPP), the Hanura Party, the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the Golkar Party.

In the draft revision, the antigraft body would no longer have surveillance or prosecution rights. The draft revision also stated the KPK would have the authority to issue investigation termination warrants or SP3, like the ones issued by the National Police and the AGO.

The draft revision also states that wiretapping or recordings cannot be conducted without court consent.

In another article, the draft revision states that the KPK is only allowed to handle a corruption case that has inflicted Rp 50 billion (US$3.7 million) worth of financial losses to the state.

The KPK is also not allowed to recruit employees, including investigators, independently. The draft revision says the KPK must recruit employees from the National Police, the AGO and the Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP). (kes)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/14/president-requests-delay-KPK-law-revision-minister.html

Government defends plan to amend KPK law

Jakarta Post - October 13, 2015

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, has insisted the House of Representatives' plan to amend Law No. 20/2002 on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) will not weaken the authority of the antigraft body.

Amid mounting protests from a public that suspects the plan aims to weaken the KPK, House leaders held a meeting with Luhut to discuss the plan on Monday.

"The President has said he wants no measures that will weaken the KPK. The President wants to maintain the KPK as a body able to conduct strong law enforcement in curbing corruption," Luhut said on the sidelines of a different event at the Presidential Office.

According to Luhut, the House has no plan to limit the lifetime of the antigraft institution to 12 years. "No, there is no such plan [...] I don't know if there will be in upcoming days," Luhut said, adding that the revision focused on three new provisions.

The first is a plan to grant the KPK the power to halt an investigation into graft suspects by issuing a warrant known as an SP3, a provision criticized by the public and antigraft activists.

The two other provisions planned by the House, according to Luhut, aim to introduce a team to monitor the KPK and to ensure the KPK may only conduct wiretapping after obtaining permits from the monitoring team. The House is also considering allowing the KPK to have independent investigators.

However, despite the meeting, Luhut said the government was still waiting for the official draft from the House before making any decision to reject or approve the plan.

The House has mulled a plan to limit the lifetime of the antigraft institution to 12 years, in addition to other provisions that would diminish the KPK's power and autonomy, including one that would allow graft investigations to be halted, despite the fact that the KPK is prohibited by its own law from doing so in order to avoid trade-offs between commissioners and officials.

The House also aims to stop the KPK prosecuting cases involving less than Rp 50 billion, with the AGO or National Police instead taking over such cases.

The KPK has reacted with fury to the House's plan, which was initiated by lawmakers from six factions: the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the Golkar Party, the NasDem Party, the National Awakening Party (PKB), the United Development Party (PPP) and the Hanura Party.

According to Luhut, granting the KPK the power to stop investigations aimed to prevent abuses. "Supreme Court chief justice [Hatta Ali] said that lacking that authority entailed a violation of human rights. Should we really allow cases against the dead or stroke sufferers to continue?" he asked.

Luhut also argued that monitoring the KPK was essential, as it remained the only unsupervised state body, while requiring the commission to obtain a permit before conducting wiretapping would similarly prevent violations. "It will not hamper [the KPK]. Wiretapping already requires certain procedures," he said.

According to Luhut, the monitoring team would comprise prominent disinterested public figures or former officials selected by the government in a vetting process.

The coordinating minister revealed that the President might hold a consultation meeting with the House this week or next week.

Deputy House Legislation Body (Baleg) head Firman Soebagyo said separately that the plan to deliberate the bill had been postponed because the PDI-P, the plan's main driving force, had yet to submit a final draft bill, Antara reported.

"As yet, an improved [final] draft bill has not been submitted. We will discuss further once there have been improvements [to the plan]," Firman said as quoted by Antara.

Deputy House Speaker Agus Hermanto of the Democratic Party, meanwhile, said the KPK Law needed no amendments. "The Democratic Party faction believes that such amendments are unnecessary. Any amendment must aim to reinforce the KPK," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/13/government-defends-plan-amend-KPK-law.html

Don't vote for parties backing KPK Law revision in December: Group

Jakarta Post - October 12, 2015

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – The Anti-Corruption Civil Society Coalition is encouraging eligible voters nationwide to not vote for regional head candidates endorsed by political parties supporting an amendment to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law in the upcoming simultaneous regional elections in December.

Coalition member Emerson Yuntho, who is a researcher with the Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), said that the call aimed at imposing social punishment on several political parties for their insistence on crippling the KPK's authority to eradicate corruption through the revision of Law No. 30/2002 on the KPK.

"Names of the regional head candidates are available now and it's clear which parties they come from. The public also knows which parties support and reject the plan. Some of them are still in the grey area due to their indecisiveness over the plan," Emerson said.

The majority of lawmakers from the 10 political factions at the House of Representatives have endorsed the plan. However, the amendment proposal was formally initiated by lawmakers from six political parties: the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the Golkar Party, the NasDem Party, the National Awakening Party (PKB), the United Development Party (PPP) and the Hanura Party.

The coalition said that if approved, the bill would effectively kill the authority of the KPK as the antigraft body would not only lose its power to prosecute but would also meet its dissolution in 12 years after the bill was passed into law.

In addition, the House also plans to grant the KPK the right to halt graft investigations despite the fact that the KPK is prohibited by its own law from doing so in order to avoid trade-off practices by its commissioners or officials.

It also instructs the KPK to keep its hands off graft cases worth less than Rp 50 billion (US$3.6 million), as Article 13 of the bill requires it to hand such cases over to the National Police or Attorney General's Office (AGO).

Emerson said that if the House refused to withdraw the plan, the coalition would step up its efforts to raise public awareness of the House lawmakers supporting the bill by placing a huge banner displaying pictures of the antagonistic lawmakers at the main gate of the House building.

"We will let the public judge whether their move will strengthen or weaken the KPK," Emerson said, adding that the antigraft activists would also put up such banners at local councilor offices nationwide.

The coalition will meet with House lawmakers in the near future to ask them to annul the bill.

House Legislation Body (Baleg) member Hendrawan Supratikno, who is a senior politician from the PDI-P, shrugged off the threats, saying that people who opposed the bill should directly express their concerns to their respective representatives, not through antigraft activists.

"Did those detractors vote for political parties [during the 2014 legislative election]? Did they vote for particular legislative candidates? Then go talk to them directly," Hendrawan said as quoted by kompas.com.

The government initially requested a revision to the KPK Law in June but it later withdrew its intention after drawing the same condemnation from the public. After the government withdrew its amendment proposal, the House initiated a new move to revise the law in October.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has yet to issue a statement on the House initiative but State Secretary Pratikno reportedly said that as the President had yet make an official statement, the government would maintain Jokowi's earlier stance on the bill.

Proponents of the amendment defended the plan, saying that the initiative was designed to allow the antigraft body to work more efficiently.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/12/don-t-vote-parties-backing-KPK-law-revision-december-group.html

Jokowi will not intervene in Bambang's case

Jakarta Post - October 10, 2015

Jakarta – Attorney General M. Prasetyo said that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo would not interfere in the legal process against former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto.

"I'm convinced that the President will not intervene in the ongoing legal process," Prasetyo said on Friday. Prasetyo also said that there had been no talk of dropping the prosecution of Bambang.

Jokowi said last week that he would consider instructing prosecutors to stop investigating the case involving Bambang, who has been accused of demanding a witness to falsify testimony in a 2010 regional election dispute case in Central Kalimantan.

Jokowi made the statement following a call from dozens of scholars from various disciplines who said that the police had no adequate evidence to continue with Bambang's case. The scholars also said that the police had violated existing regulations both when they listed Bambang a suspect, and when they carried out the investigation.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/10/national-scene-jokowi-will-not-intervene-bambang-s-case.html

Government shifts blame over KPK Law revision

Jakarta Post - October 10, 2015

Ina Parlina, Tama Salim and Fedina S. Sundaryani, Jakarta – Following public outcry over a proposed amendment that would weaken the KPK, the government has shifted responsibility for the plan to the House of Representatives.

On Friday, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung declined to reveal the government's stance on the proposed amendment of Law No. 20/2002, saying the government would only give its opinion if the House made an official request.

"It is not yet the time for us to disclose our stance since it is still under an internal process [discussion] at the House," Pramono said on Friday.

The State Palace has declined to comment about the House's plan, but maintained that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo would continue his support of the antigraft body.

In June, Jokowi, through Presidential chief of staff Teten Masduki, then member of the presidential communication team, rejected a House plan to amend the 2002 KPK Law, saying that the government had no intention of undermining the work of the KPK.

The proposed revision would have limited the KPK's power to investigate and prosecute graft cases However, Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H. Laoly denied that the recent draft bill proposed by the House was the same as the one presented earlier this year.

"From the beginning, it was the House that proposed the general outline, based on our understanding that the House would agree to a KPK Perppu [government regulation in lieu of the law]. Now, everybody thinks that the proposal for the amendment came from us," he said as reported by Antara news agency.

Meanwhile, House lawmakers have continued to play down the amendment plan. House deputy speaker Agus Hermanto of the Democratic Party claimed the bill was still an unofficial draft and that it had not been officially taken on by the House for deliberation.

He said that the planned revision was still being deliberated by the House Legislation Body (Baleg).

"You should understand that the draft is not the actual bill; it is a draft bill that is currently being proposed as a bill. It still needs to be synchronized at the Baleg and discussed with the government," Agus said, adding that not all factions had agreed to the amendment.

Arsul Sani, a lawmaker from the United Development Party (PPP), said that several House members had proposed the revision be included in the 2015 National Legislation Program (Prolegnas) due to its ambiguous status.

"This is just a continuation of what happened in June between Baleg and the Law and Human Rights Ministry. At the time, the minister agreed that the bill should go in the 2015 Prolegnas. However, Pak Jokowi disagreed. The [bill's] status has been left hanging; it's both in and out," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/10/government-shifts-blame-over-KPK-law-revision.html

More than 31,000 people support a petition to reject KPK law revision

Jakarta Post - October 9, 2015

More than 31,000 people have expressed their support for a petition to reject the revision of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) law.

The petition, entitled "Don't Kill KPK, Stop KPK Law Revision", was initiated by Surya Bagus through change.org. By 2:37 p.m. on Friday, 31,599 people have supported the petition.

Through the petition, people sent open letters to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and leaders of the House of Representatives to oppose efforts by lawmakers to revise Law No. 30/2002 on the KPK.

Through the letter, the people also call for the revoking of the revision bill from the national legislative program.

"They continuously try with various efforts to kill the KPK or at least to weaken the KPK. Currently the KPK is under threat of being weakened through the revision of the KPK law that will be heard in the House of Representatives," says the petition.

The petition also rejects the 12-year limit for the KPK. "The KPK should continuously exist as long as Indonesia exists. It was formed to cure Indonesia from its illness, corruption. The KPK is needed to free the country from corruption," he added.

Meanwhile lawmaker from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Masinton Pasaribu said the House of Representatives had set a target to complete the KPK law revision in December.

According to Masinton, as reported by tribbunnews.com, the target was in line with the process of the election of new KPK members, whose candidates would face interviews by lawmakers.

He said if the revised bill was approved into law, new KPK members would have to abide by it. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/09/more-31000-people-support-a-petition-reject-KPK-law-revision.html

Fadli Zon to lead global graft-fighting forum for lawmakers

Jakarta Globe - October 9, 2015

Jakarta – Fadli Zon, a deputy speaker of Indonesia's House of Representatives, has been appointed to lead the Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (Gopac).

Fadli, a politician from the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party, was appointed by acclamation by the organization's board of directors during the 6th Gopac conference that is being held in Yogyakarta this week.

Gopac is a forum in which lawmakers from around the world join hands to eradicate corruption. Fadli replaces Mexican legislator Ricardo Garcia Cervantes and is the first Gopac chairman from Indonesia.

"I was chosen by them [the board of directors] by acclamation and the deputies will be Paula Bertol [from Argentina] and Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu from Ghana," Fadli told reporters late on Wednesday, as quoted by Antara news agency.

The forum, dedicated to integrity, democracy and the rule of law, was established in October 2002 after a conference attended by 170 members of parliament from all over the world.

The forum works through what it calls Global Task Forces to work on certain issues as proposed by members, including ways to combat money laundering and improve parliamentary oversight.

Fadli, who made headlines recently because of a much-debated work trip to the United States during which he appeared at a campaign rally for the controversial presidential hopeful Donald Trump together with House Speaker Setya Novanto, joined Gopac's board of directors earlier this year.

The Gerindra lawmaker also threatened to sue a prominent US-based Indonesian religious leader over the latter's criticism of the trip.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/fadli-zon-lead-global-graft-fighting-forum-lawmakers/

Indonesia loses up to $9 billion from timber clearing: KPK

Reuters - October 9, 2015

Jakarta – Unreported forest clearing cost Indonesia up to $9 billion between 2003 and 2014 in lost timber royalties – about three times the royalties it actually received, an investigation by the country's main anti-graft agency showed on Friday.

An eight-month investigation by the country's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) estimated the value of the lost timber at up to $81 billion, with the cleared land often used for growing crops or mining.

A copy of its report, seen by Reuters and due to be handed to government ministers on Friday, will put further pressure on President Joko Widodo who has been criticized by green groups and other Southeast Asian nations on forestry policy and for failing to stop the annual "haze" problem from forest-burning.

"Where does the money go – it goes to the corrupters," Dian Patria, group head of corruption prevention for natural resources at the KPK told Reuters. "It could be $9 billion, it could be more, because these are quite conservative figures. "This is not only a corruption issue, it's also about the long-term environmental impact."

Home to the world's third-largest tropical forests and a major palm oil and pulp and paper producer, Indonesia will be in the spotlight at the UN's climate change conference in Paris in December.

Unregulated land clearing has long been a problem in the country, which lost 1.5 million hectares of tree cover last year, up from 1.1 million hectares in 2013.

The KPK report cited ineffective law enforcement, inaccurate production data and auditing by timber plantations, a lack of transparency on royalties data within government ministries, and poor coordination between central and regional governments as causes for the lost timber revenue.

Over the 12 years to 2014, Indonesia earned just $3.2 billion from timber royalties, said the report, which comes as Joko's government battles sluggish economic growth.

Late last month, Indonesia announced it would borrow $4.2 billion from international agencies to cover a widening budget deficit.

The report, which did not name any companies or individuals, highlighted rising timber prices and land clearing for the rapid expansion of palm oil and pulp and paper production, as well as mining.

The worst year for state losses was in 2012, it showed, one year after the government signed off on its ban on primary forest clearing.

The KPK will hand its report to the forestry and finance ministries and the country's audit agency, and will monitor the development of action plans to correct problem areas, Patria said.

If no action was taken within 12 months it could hand its findings to its corruption investigations arm, he added.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/indonesia-loses-9b-timber-clearing-KPK/

Land & agrarian conflicts

50,000 sign petition for murdered anti-mining activist

Jakarta Post - October 13, 2015

Jakarta – A petition for murdered activist Salim Kancil has been supported by 50,000 people and Rp 42 million (US$3,138) has been raised for his child's education.

According to a joint press release from change.org and kitabisa.com, the petition and fundraising were initiated by the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) in coordination with the Women and Mining Working Team (TKPT) following a deadly assault that claimed the life of Salim, or Kancil, on Sept. 26.

The 52-year-old villager was allegedly beaten to death by a group of people in Selok Awar-Awar subdistrict, Pasirian district, Lumajang regency, East Java. The same group also allegedly assaulted Tosan, 51, another villager, leaving him in a critical condition.

Three days before the incident, the two victims, along with dozens of fellow villagers, staged a rally to protest against sand-quarrying on Watu Pecak Beach, also in Selok Awar-Awar subdistrict.

The protesters claimed that the mining damaged the environment, leaving holes 5 meters in diameter and a meter deep on the beach. The protest halted the quarrying and blocked dozens of trucks from transporting sand.

Initially the target amount for the fundraising was Rp 20 million, but strong solidarity from netizens boosted the fund to Rp 42 million on Monday.

"An outstanding achievement, which exceed our expectations. This transboundary solidarity is what makes the fighting spirit live on," said Walhi's representative, Voni, as quoted by Antara news agency.

The fund will be given as scholarships to Salim and Tosan's children. Salim had one child currently studying at junior high school, while Tosan had three children, one at elementary school and one at high school.

Another petition, titled "Mr. Badrodin, please investigate the murder of Salim Kancil", has also received support from more than 50,000 people. It was addressed to the National Police chief Comr. Gen. Badrodin Haiti, the Lumajang regency administration, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK) and the Indonesian Commission on Child Protection (KPAI). (kes)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/13/50000-sign-petition-murdered-anti-mining-activist.html

Parangtritis development 'must not violate human rights'

Jakarta Post - October 13, 2015

Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has warned the Yogyakarta administration not to violate residents' rights in its development of the Parangtritis coastal area in Bantul.

"All developments must have a human rights perspective," deputy Komnas HAM chairman Ansori Sinungan said after joining a dialog with Parangtritis residents in Bantul on Monday.

Besides the dialog, representatives of the commission also visited residents' houses in Parangkusumo after receiving reports from local villagers afraid of being evicted.

The provincial administration plans to empty the area because it is home to rare sand dunes. "The administration has to communicate with the people in order to avoid human rights violations," Ansori said.

Komnas HAM, he added, would mediate communication between residents and the administration regarding the matter.

Local community leader Wahtin of Parangkusumo said that people living in the coastal area had been repeatedly threatened with eviction.

"Following the endorsement of the law on Yogyakarta's special status in 2013, we have been threatened with eviction, since the land we are living on belongs, to the Yogyakarta Palace," said Wahtin, who claims to have lived in Parangkusumo for dozens of years.

Meanwhile, activist Kus Sri Antono of the Agrarian Community Communication Forum (FKMA) said land belonging to the Yogyakarta Palace and Pakualaman Principality during the Dutch colonial era now belonged to the state, as stipulated in Law No. 5/1960 on agrarian rights, which had been fully implemented in Yogyakarta since 1984.

"The law on Yogyakarta's special status is being used to try to reclaim land that during the Dutch colonial era belonged to the Yogyakarta Palace," Kus said.

The agrarian conflict in Parangkusumo is just one of many disputes that have emerged following the implementation of the 2013 law.

On Sept. 9, Yogyakarta Governor and Sultan Hamengkubuwono X placed a peg on Depok Beach, not far from Parangkusumo Beach, marking that the sand dunes in the area belonged to the palace.

"This land belongs to Yogyakarta Palace," the sultan said, as he officially launched Parangtritis Geomaritime Science Park.

According to Hamenkubuwono, the area needs to be cleared of trees and building that could change the direction of the wind and in turn threaten the existence of the rare sand dunes.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/13/parangtritis-development-must-not-violate-human-rights.html

East Java village chief admits to bribing police in illegal mining case

Jakarta Globe - October 12, 2015

Jakarta – A village chief in East Java has admitted to paying off three officers for protecting an illegal sand mining operation in his village.

The illegal operation, in the village of Selok Awar Awar in Lumajang district, was unraveled after a farmer, Salim, also known as Kancil, was brutally murdered last month after leading a series of protests against it. The mine has been operational for a year.

Three officers from the Pasirian subdistrict police: a former chief Adj. Comr. Sudarmanto, the current criminal investigation unit chief Second Insp. Samsul Hadi and chief of public order and security Second Adj. Insp. Sigit Purnomo are now facing an internal ethics tribunal at the East Java Provincial Police headquarters in capital Surabaya.

Prosecutors at the tribunal brought in village chief Hariyono to testify against the three officers on Monday, during which Hariyono admitted to providing Rp 1 million ($74.50) per month to Sudarmanto and Rp 500,000 each to both Samsul and Sigit.

"We provided [the officers] with incentives [for protecting the mining activities]," Hariyono told the hearing as quoted by Detik.com news portal. "The payment was made to the public order chief."

Prosecutors also presented Harmoko, a backhoe operator in the mine, who told the hearing that the village chief was given Rp 270,000 per truck carrying sand from Selok Awar Awar. The miners also gave Hariyono Rp 27 million, which Hariyono claimed to be for road maintenance. Harmoko said he doesn't know what the Rp 270,000 truck fee was used for.

East Java police chief Insp. Gen. Anton Setiadi said the officers could also be charged criminally if found guilty by the ethics tribunal.

"The criminal case will follow the disciplinary hearing, because they are receiving bribes which is a criminal offense," he said during a visit to the National Police headquarters in Jakarta on Monday. Police have charged 23 people for the murder of Salim, including Hariyono who police identified as the mastermind behind the killing and the illegal mining operation, since the murder received nationwide attention.

Police also suspected that more were in on the action because officers in the area allowed the mine to operate for over a year, and failed to provide protection to protesting farmers despite repeated reports having of receiving death threats and intimidation.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/e-java-village-chief-admits-bribing-police-illegal-mining-case/

Police accused of racketeering in death of activist

Jakarta Post - October 10, 2015

Fedina S. Sundaryani and Wahyoe Boediwardhana, Jakarta – The National Police's Internal Affairs Division (Propam) suspects that top members of the Pasirian Police in Lumajang, East Java, accepted payments from an illegal sand quarry operator accused of masterminding the murder of an antimining farmer last month.

"We have questioned three personnel: the [Pasirian] Police chief, the [Pasirian] Police detective chief and a member of their Babinkamtibmas [police officers assigned to a village as advisors on security and public order]," Propam head Insp. Gen. Budi Winarso told reporters on Friday.

Budi said that Propam investigators suspected that the three men regularly received around Rp 100,000 (US$7.45) to Rp 200,000 per shipment of sand indirectly from the sand quarry operators.

Although the allegedly illegal sand quarry had been in operation since early last year, the three men admitted to only taking money for the past six months.

"There's a portal near [the sand quarry] where the [money] is distributed. They call it money for preman [thug]. [Receiving such money] is prohibited and that's what we are investigating," he said.

The three officers, Budi said, were currently still on duty as Propam had yet to decide whether to impose disciplinary sanctions.

Propam investigators also discovered that the sand quarry operators also gave money to local government officials.

A little over a week ago, 52-year-old Samsul, also known as Salim Kancil, was beaten to death three days after organizing protests against a sand quarry at Watu Pecak Beach in Selok Awar-Awar, Pasirian.

The protestors said that the mining operation damaged the environment and left holes on the beach 5 meters wide in diameter and a meter deep.

The murder sparked nationwide outrage and the demand that the authorities find those responsible for his death.

Fellow villagers also claimed that they had asked the local police for protection before Samsul's death because they had received threats, but their pleas were not acted upon. Samsul was assaulted alongside fellow protestor 51-year-old Tosan. Tosan is in a critical condition.

In the wake of the attack, the police named 37 people suspects in the case. 24 of them, including village head Hariyono, have been named murder suspects while the rest have been named suspects for operating an illegal quarry.

Meanwhile, National Police Commission (Kompolnas) members Edi Hasibuan said that the police internal affairs division should severely punish the three officers if they discovered enough evidence of foul play.

"If there is enough evidence of an ethical violation then [the policemen should face disciplinary sanctions]. It is all up to the internal supervisors to take steps and impose firm sanctions on police officers found guilty of such violations," he said.

Separately, the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) said that only three out of the 12 witnesses in the death of Samsul had filed for protection with the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK).

"The three witnesses are two relatives of Pak Tosan and one more is a key witness in the murder," director of Walhi's East Java branch, Ony Mahardika, told The Jakarta Post.

Ony said that the majority of locals in Selok Awar-Awar were reluctant to give testimony because they believed that many local thugs connected to Hariyono and his bodyguards continued to run free.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/10/police-accused-racketeering-death-activist.html

Police officers investigated as accessory to murder of activist Kancil

Jakarta Globe - October 9, 2015

Jakarta – The National Police have launched an investigation against three police officers from a Lumajang precinct in East Java for their alleged role in last month's brutal death of local anti-mining activist Salim Kancil.

National Police Chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti ordered the police's internal investigation unit to interrogate the Lumajang precinct chief, his chief detective and head of the public order unit after allegations emerged they had received kickbacks and allowed a mob to attack Salim.

"They received a share [of the blood money] from the attackers; that's why we're investigating them," Badrodin said in Jakarta on Friday.

Salim, a farmer and anti-mining activist from the village of Selok Awar- Awar in Pasirian subdistrict, died last month after he was attacked and tortured by at least a dozen men. He was reportedly electrocuted and beaten with a stick and a hoe before his neck was slashed with a saw.

Tosan, a coordinator for the Anti-Mining Farmers Forum, was also attacked and remains in critical condition. The victims had been leading a series of protests against a sand mining operation at the nearby Watu Pecak beach.

The violent attacks made national headlines and reports were widely shared by Indonesian netizens, triggering condemnation and demands for a thorough investigation.

Mining activities in the area have damaged crops belonging to local farmers since operations began in 2014, said Muhammad Haryadi, a student activist supporting farmers.

Muhammad claimed the mob was hired by the local village chief to intimidate protesters.

Badrodin on Friday said the three officers have admitted to receiving kickbacks for the past six months. If proven guilty, they could face disciplinary charges and be convicted for accessory to murder and allowing illegal mining activities.

"The chief detective was aware the mining activities were illegal, but they did nothing to stop them," Badrodin said.

Police in East Java have arrested at least 18 people for their role in the case.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/e-java-police-officers-investigation-accessory-murder-activist-salim-kancil/

Parliament & legislation

Trump fiasco: Ethics council find anomalies as speakers duck questioning

Jakarta Globe - October 12, 2015

Jakarta – The House of Representatives Ethics Council has found several anomalies in the controversial work visit of senior lawmakers to New York last month, during which House leaders also appeared with US presidential candidate Donald Trump.

House Speaker Setya Novanto and his deputy Fadli Zon were leading a group of legislators from Indonesia to attend the Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament hosted by the International Parliamentary Union, a United Nations agency, in New York.

But Ethics Council deputy chairman Junimart Girsang said Setya and Fadli were among twenty Indonesian lawmakers attending the event although the House has officially agreed to send only seven. The lawmakers also attended events and meetings not on the official agenda, including one with Trump.

Many lawmakers also did not immediately return home, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician added, including Setya and Fadli. The conference lasted from Aug. 31 to Sep. 2 and the Trump meeting occurred on Sept. 3.

The Ethics Council on Monday summoned Setya and Fadli to verify the discrepancies, but both failed to appear.

Ethics Council member Syarifuddin Sudding said Setya wrote to the Council that he had to attend "other activities." Fadli also notified the council of his absence, asked it to explain the accusations against him before he would appear voluntarily.

However, the People's Conscience (Hanura) Party politician said the council would do no such thing. "There is no requirement for us to do so," Syarifuddin said. The hearing will now be rescheduled for next Monday.

Setya and Fadli, who both have said that they will cooperate with the Ethics Council's investigation, have snubbed repeated calls to explain what happened during the trip.

Junimart earlier warned the pair that the Council could call the police to haul the two speakers in front of the Council or impose sanctions without a formal ethics hearing if the pair continued to dodge questioning.

Setya and Fadli's appearance at a press conference at the Trump Tower in New York, during which Trump signed a loyalty pledge to the Republican Party, sparked an uproar in Indonesia, with many labeling their presence as inappropriate.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/trump-fiasco-ethics-council-find-anomalies-speakers-duck-questioning/

Jakarta & urban life

Experts laud merger of tap water, wastewater firms

Jakarta Post - October 12, 2015

Dewanti A. Wardhani, Jakarta – Experts have hailed the city administration's plan to merge city wastewater management firm PD PAL Jaya and water operator PD PAM Jaya as a step toward better water management in the city.

The Jakarta administration recently announced that it would merge the two firms to improve the management of both clean water and wastewater in the city.

Urban water spatial planner Prathiwi Widyatmi Putri lauded the plan, saying that it was the right step to ensure efficiency in water management. "From a business management perspective, this merger is the best step," Prathiwi told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

However, she pointed out that the city administration should also strengthen the Water Management Agency as a policymaker in the water sector to reinforce wastewater treatment. Prathiwi said the agency should oblige all commercial and real estate developers to build wastewater treatment plants.

"The city administration must also enforce a tough policy to require not only individual homeowners but also commercial and real estate developers to install wastewater treatment pipes. Without such a policy, it would be difficult for the city administration to improve wastewater management," she said.

She added that the city should push commercial and real estate developers first and individual homeowners later.

Separately, water expert Firdaus Ali also lauded the step, despite it being "40 years late". "The merger is absolutely compulsory, and many experts have urged the city administration to carry out the merger since Sutiyoso was governor," Firdaus told reporters on the sidelines of a discussion on the merger at a hotel in Central Jakarta recently.

He said that with the merger, the city administration could more easily install sewerage pipes in neighborhoods and commercial buildings to recycle wastewater.

Firdaus pointed out that Jakarta's rivers were too polluted to be used as a source of water for consumption and domestic use. Meanwhile, he said, water supply from Jatiluhur Dam in West Java was limited as other areas also needed supplies from the dam. "This step is more than 40 years late, but it's better late than never," he said.

Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama said that although PAM Jaya and PAL Jaya had their own tasks, merging the two would be effective in terms of processing the city's wastewater into reusable domestic water.

"Our decision is final; PAM Jaya and PAL Jaya will be merged. No matter how big lakes and rivers are, if we do not recycle our water, the sources of water will dry up," Ahok said at the same occasion.

According to data from the city administration, service coverage for clean water in Jakarta was up to 60 percent, while wastewater treatment was only 4 percent. He said a lack of integration between the two services had resulted in low wastewater management.

"Almost all wastewater in Jakarta is channeled into the sea instead of being processed into reusable water for domestic use," Ahok said.

He pointed out that it would take more than 10 years as well as trillions of rupiah of investment for Jakarta to be able to manage and recycle 100 percent of wastewater produced by residents. However, he said, such an investment was necessary in order to fulfill the city's target of processing all wastewater into reusable domestic water.

"With the merger, hopefully the city administration can better manage water, both clean water and wastewater. We aim to have the merger take place by the end of the year," Ahok said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/12/experts-laud-merger-tap-water-wastewater-firms.html

Presidential regulation issued to establish new transportation body

Jakarta Post - October 10, 2015

Dewanti A. Wardhani, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has issued a presidential regulation to establish the Greater Jakarta Transportation Body (BPTJ) under the Transportation Ministry in order to better manage transportation in the capital region.

According to Presidential Regulation No. 103/2015, signed by Jokowi on Sept. 18, the BPTJ's function would be to develop, manage and improve all modes of public transportation in Jakarta province, Depok city, Bogor city, Bogor regency, Bekasi city, Tangerang city, South Tangerang city and Tangerang regency.

"We are currently holding internal discussions in the Transportation Ministry to determine the officials and officers who will be appointed to run the BPTJ," Transportation Ministry spokesman JA Barata told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

The regulation states that the BPTJ is a special organizational unit headed by an intermediate high official, and is responsible to the Transportation Minister. The unit will have one head, a maximum of four directorates and a secretariat.

The President will have the prerogative to appoint the head of the BPTJ on the recommendation of the Transportation Minister, while directors and secretaries may be appointed and dismissed by the minister. BPTJ officials and officers may be civil servants, professionals or experts.

The BPTJ has six main tasks, which include coordinating and synchronizing plans of ministries, agencies and regional governments for the development and improvement of integrated transportation services in Greater Jakarta based on the Greater Jakarta Urban Transportation Master Plan as set up in the presidential regulation. The BPTJ will also be responsible for issuing permits for public transportation between regions.

The unit will be funded by the state and/or regional budgets, or by other legitimate sources of finance.

The regulation was enacted by Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna H. Laoly on Sept. 22. It stipulates that the BPTJ must be up and running a maximum of three months after being enacted.

Separately, the Jakarta governor's assistant on industry, trade and transportation, Sutanto Soehodho, said that although the city administration praised the establishment of the BPTJ, he said that the city had hoped for an authoritative body instead of a management body.

He said that the city administration hoped that the BPTJ would be able to integrate and synchronize transportation development between regions.

"The development of transportation infrastructure should not be limited by regional borders," Sutanto said. He said that the BPTJ must have regional offices throughout Greater Jakarta to better manage transportation in the area.

Further, Jakarta Transportation Council (DTKJ) chairwoman Ellen Tangkudung said that the BPTJ must be able to reorganize public transportation in Greater Jakarta in order to ensure effectiveness and ease of access for passengers.

Ellen said that with the development of the mass rapid transit (MRT) and light rail transit (LRT) systems, as well as the Transjabodetabek bus services, it was an appropriate time for the unit to be established.

"The establishment of the BPTJ is important because transportation in Jakarta cannot function alone without integration with transportation in satellite cities. It should have been established years earlier," Ellen said.

She said that hopes were high for the BPTJ to speed up and ensure integration of Greater Jakarta's complicated public transportation services.

Greater Jakarta Transportation Body's tasks

a. Coordinate and synchronize plans of ministries, agencies and regional governments for the development and improvement of integrated transportation services in Greater Jakarta based on the Greater Jakarta Urban Transportation Master Plan as set up in the presidential regulations.

b. Coordinate and synchronize budgeting plans for the development and improvement of integrated transportation services in Greater Jakarta

c. Provide technical facilitation, funding and/or management in order to improve public transportation services and its facilities and infrastructure in Greater Jakarta

d. Give recommendations to relevant institutions on mass transportation- based spatial planning

e. Issue permits to public transportation that provides services between regions and provide recommendations for feeder services

f. Monitor, evaluate and report on the development of integrated transportation in Greater Jakarta

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/10/presidential-regulation-issued-establish-new-transportion-body.html

Film & television

Soap operas, gossip shows drive Indonesia television industry

Jakarta Post - October 10, 2015

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – A study conducted by the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) has concluded that the quality of local television programming has been held back by the endless supply of cheap sinetron (soap operas) and gossip shows.

The study, conducted between July and August this year, asked 810 respondents from 90 cities to rank programs aired by 15 television stations. When respondents were asked to give television programs a score between 1 and 5, the majority of them put sinetron and gossip shows at the bottom of the list.

"[The findings from the survey] ask the country's broadcasting stations to think about the future of our young generation. The greater public appear to want quality content at the moment," KPI commissioner Bekti Nugroho said during the launch of the survey in Jakarta on Friday.

Gossip shows, locally known as infotainment, ranked lowest out of nine types of shows subjected to the study, scoring 3.0, one full point lower than the minimum threshold of 4.0 set by the KPI for a show to be deemed of a good quality.

Infotainment scored especially low in the aspect of respecting private life, only getting 2.57. Soap operas did not fare much better, scoring 3.02, with the educational aspect receiving the lowest score of 2.65.

Bekti also said that some of the respondents who have to watch soap operas on a daily basis were aware of its bad quality and the toll that it took on the character of the country's youth. He claimed that sinetrons were responsible for a decline in youth morality.

"I just came back from Aceh, and many cases of sexual violence could be attributed to youth exposure to crummy television," he said. "Then in Jakarta, there are elementary school students who got into brawls and got kicked in the head and died. Where did this behavior come from? Most likely it was from imitating others. But from where? Did it come from their surroundings?"

Sinetron has been considered a cash cow for local television since the early part of the last decade with simple and melodramatic storylines designed for the middle and lower classes.

Rajawali Televisi's program creative development department head Fred Suban said that low-quality content continued to dominate the television industry due to the outsize role played by the ratings system.

"[The TV industry is] still driven by ratings," he said on Friday. Fred claimed that low-quality content was what people demanded.

"To improve things, the viewers' mindset has to be shaped. In order to do that, we have to design quality programs. But the trend hasn't shifted in that direction because [the content] is programmed to follow what is liked [by audiences]," he said.

In order to change the paradigm of the TV industry, the KPI is lobbying the Association of Indonesian Advertising Agencies (P3I) to start putting ads on quality programs.

"We are slowly trying to shift the paradigm so that when advertisers are looking to advertise their products, the paradigm is to look for quality shows," he said on Friday.

Fred said that it would not be easy to break the habit. "The key [to improving the quality of TV content] is [to persuade advertisers]. But [the lobbying] is still in the early stages and it will be difficult for advertisers to want to change their behavior. But there's no harm in trying," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/10/soap-operas-gossip-shows-drive-ri-television-industry.html

Literature & the arts

Translation is key to Indonesian literature going global

Jakarta Post - October 16, 2015

Endy M. Bayuni, Frankfurt – Indonesian writers have had a grand and stylish coming-out party here at the Frankfurt Book Fair this week, as Indonesia is featuring as guest of honor at the world's biggest and oldest book festival.

The global publishing industry is giving Indonesia a warm welcome as it becomes privy to the richness and diversity of Indonesian literature and culture.

Many writers who have hitherto been known only to Indonesian readers are now set to go global as their works have suddenly become available in many foreign languages.

"Translation is everything," remarked John McGlynn, the chairman of the Jakarta-based Lontar Foundation, a small outfit that has painstakingly struggled to introduce Indonesia to the world by translating works by Indonesian writers.

The Indonesian National Committee for the Frankfurt Book Fair had originally planned to translate as many as 300 books for this once-in-a- lifetime event; you get invited as guest of honor once only. The Committee did not meet the target, but there were enough books eventually to present at the Indonesian Pavilion.

Three books being promoted had already received wide acclaim before Frankfurt, thanks to their translations. They are Leila Chudori's Pulang (Home), Laksmi Pamuntjak's Amba (The Question of Red), and Eka Kurniawan's Cantik itu Luka (Beauty is a Wound). Another book making the circle is Andrea Hirata's Laskar Pelangi (Rainbow Troops), which has been translated into 20 languages. These four and many other writers are in big demand during the four-day fair.

If translation has been the answer all along for Indonesian writers to go international, then why didn't anybody think of it before? McGlynn did, but it was almost like a one-man fight against the odds. And he did it out of his love and passion for Indonesia and its literature.

McGlynn has been translating Indonesian works for 35 years, including the last 28 years under Lontar, which he founded with help from several Indonesian writers. Lontar has now translated over 200 titles, mostly into English. With Frankfurt, it has started to do German translations.

It is difficult to imagine Indonesia being made guest of honor at Frankfurt had it not been for Lontar's work, which gave the organizers a sample of Indonesian literature.

Although he must now feel that his work and dedication has been vindicated, McGlynn is keeping a low profile in Frankfurt. He is seen in the background making sure that writers come prepared and appear at book discussions at their appointed times.

"This is the culmination of Lontar's work," McGlynn told The Jakarta Post when he had time for a break. "I don't mean it in the sense that this is the end of our work. But this is something that we at Lontar have been working on."

McGlynn is not all that optimistic about the future, despite the government saying it plans to launch a translation fund to seize on the momentum of Frankfurt. They should give the management of the fund to a private agency, he said.

Goenawan Mohamad, chair of the National Committee, endorsed the idea of a non-government translation agency. "This is not the government's money. It's the public's money," Tempo's senior editor said.

McGlynn's doubts about the way bureaucracy works is not unfounded: He had a bitter experience working with the government in preparing the translations for Frankfurt.

The works were delayed as the government haggled about the fees to pay foreign translators, which were four times higher than the local rate. After several meetings, the government approved the high European rates, and Lontar signed contracts with translators for 30 books. Then the government went back on its word and refused to pay.

Lontar, which already pays the European rates for its translators, ended up having to pay to make up the huge difference.

"The government needs to step back," McGlynn said pointedly, somewhat contradicting the complaints that the government does not pay enough attention to the literary world.

On the bright side, however, Lontar now has a larger pool of German translators in addition to the existing English translators.

Admittedly, part of the burden of translating Indonesian books should be carried by foreign publishers. This will be the job of Indonesian publishing houses, to market and promote Indonesian writers. Most large publishing houses in the past came to Frankfurt to buy the rights to foreign books. Now in Frankfurt they must do some selling too.

Indonesian Ambassador to Germany, Fauzi Bowo, has spent most of his time in Frankfurt this past week giving his support. He is already thinking about seizing the moment by planning a roadshow of Indonesian writers and their books.

But to increase the sales of Indonesian book overseas, there is no alternative other than to translate even more titles into foreign languages. For this Indonesia must be prepared to fork out more money and pay the international rates for translators.

"If we can pay translators the appropriate rates, we can get a lot more books translated," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/16/translation-key-indonesian-literature-going-global.html

Armed forces & defense

Indonesia's highest body endorses civilian forces program with conditions

Jakarta Post - October 16, 2015

Ayomi Amindoni, National – The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) said on Friday it supported to the Defense Ministry in initiating the defense state program, as long as it matched the present context.

MPR speaker Zulkifli Hasan supported the Defend the State program, as long as the program was adjusted to the present context.

"The concept will be discussed later, but the methods and contents should be adjusted to our current development," said MPR speaker Zulkifli Hasan in Surakarta, Central Java.

According to Zulkifli, who is also the National Mandate Party (PAN) chairman, the state defense program is not related to military activities but is merely in place to support nationalism, which is in line with Article 27 of the Constitution that stipulates Indonesians have a right and duty to defend the country

"This program is necessary to be implemented due to the lack of national values. There are so many corrupted values in our country nowadays. Hence the need to strengthen national values through national insight," Zulkifli asserted.

In this case, MPR is willing to make contributions to the program by implementing national insight, he said, adding that this was in line with MPR efforts to socialize the four pillars of the assembly. "MPR is willing to fill the national insight of the four pillars," he added.

The four pillars of the MPR are Pancasila (Indonesia's five-point ideology), the 1945 Constitution (UUD 1945), the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) and the state motto, Bhineka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity).

Earlier, political expert at Padjadjaran University Muradi called on the plan of Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu to recruit and train 100 million civilians for the program within the next 10 years.

According to Muradi, the government should clarify a number of points, including the program's goals, legitimacy, required infrastructure, funding and endorsement from the reserve component bill.

Meanwhile, the head of the human rights group Setara Institute, Hendardi, said that the program was not in line with the constitution, adding that the program would only waste money and time.(dan)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/16/indonesia-s-highest-body-endorses-civilian-forces-program-with-conditions.html

Defense program marches on amid public concern

Jakarta Post - October 15, 2015

Nani Afrida, Ina Parlina and Haeril Halim, Jakarta – Despite public criticism, the government of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has insisted on moving forward with its national service program.

Jokowi is scheduled to attend the opening of the first phase of the program on Oct. 19, which will involve 4,500 personnel from 45 regencies in Indonesia.

"We have prepared the curriculum, so that all participants will get the same training in each province," said Defense Ministry director of state defense Commodore M Faizal.

It is reported that the Defense Ministry plans to train 100 million civilians in a state defense program within a decade.

The program aims to inspire nationalism and is in line with Article 30 of the Constitution, which stipulates that Indonesians have a right and duty to defend their country.

Faizal said that the training would be held at each regiment military area (Rindam) or military battalion headquarters in every province. Although the Indonesian Military (TNI) will train the participants, the government has said it will not be military training. The participants will attend classes on several subjects including national concepts, nationalism and discipline.

Adults aged under 50 years are obliged to join the program, as long as they are strong and healthy. After the training, the participants will be listed as cadres in the National Political Unity Office (Kesbangpol).

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan voiced support for the program, saying that it aimed at instilling "discipline in our children so that they have a [strong] mental state; just like [Jokowi's concept of] mental revolution".

According to Luhut, the move also aimed to raise awareness about security threats such as narcotics and terrorism. "It won't be like [compulsory military service]," Luhut said on Monday. "Of course, [the instructors] will be a combination of the military, the police and other elements."

TNI chief Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo said the military was ready to take part in the initiative. "We are ready and we will gladly carry it out," he said on Monday.

Human rights watchdog Setara Institute said on Wednesday that members of the public should reject the government's plan because not only would the program waste tax payers' money, but it also would not make any contribution to the current situation in Indonesia, which was no longer under military rule.

Setara chairman Hendardi said the government's claim that the program would improve the loyalty of citizens to the state was irrational and irrelevant.

"Financially, the state budget cannot afford to pay for the program. Also, national defense education is not a project attributed to one particular ministry but is an education-based strategy integrated into our national education system that seeks to create strong citizens who love their country," Hendardi told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Hendardi said that if the government claimed that the current national education system had failed to produce loyal citizens with strong national pride then it should fix the country's education system instead of requiring civilians to serve in such a quasi-military program.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/15/defense-program-marches-amid-public-concern.html

Expert slams minister's 'state defense' program for all civilians

Jakarta Globe - October 14, 2015

Jakarta – The idea proposed by Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu to launch a training program for all Indonesians, young and old, to help "defend the state" has created a "public scare," a political observer said on Tuesday.

Ryamizard proposed the idea on Monday, explaining that the whole nation would "rise or fall" together and that there would be a role for everyone, starting with children in kindergarten.

And those who do not want to take part, and "don't love the homeland," should "get out of here," local media quoted the minister as saying.

He has stressed however that the move was not aimed at making military service mandatory, even though the program was to be run by the Defense Ministry. Details on what the program would actually entail remain scarce, sparking widespread concern.

"There is a sense of fear among the public because the idea is that those refusing to join the program must leave the country," Muradi, who heads the Politics and Security Study Center (PSPK) at Padjajaran University in Bandung, said on Tuesday.

The expert also said that the Defense Ministry had neither the infrastructure nor the budget ready for such a large-scale program, as it is focusing on the modernization of the arms and equipment of the Indonesian Military (TNI).

The new program is supposed to be targeting 100 million Indonesians over the next ten years.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/expert-slams-ministers-state-defense-program-civilians/

Government under fire for state defense program

Jakarta Post - October 13, 2015

Nani Afrida, Jakarta – The Defense Ministry has been lambasted for a plan to train 100 million civilians in a state defense program within one decade.

The ministry argues that the program will ignite nationalism and that it is in line with Article 27 of the Constitution that stipulates that Indonesians have a right and the duty to defend the country.

The ministry will launch the program on Oct. 19, recruiting 4,500 people in 45 regencies to participate in a one-month training program. The ministry believes that the 100 million recruited citizens will help overcome threats such as narcotics and terrorism.

Tubagus Hasanuddin, a legislator from House Commission I overseeing foreign affairs and defense, called the plan ambitious but one that lacked details for execution.

"There are so many issues that need to be considered, including the target number, the budget and the regulations to implement the program," said the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician on Monday.

According to Hasanuddin, if the government targets 100 million people within ten years, that would constitute at least one million people a year.

"We don't have the budget to accommodate the training," Hasanuddin said, adding that the government would need a huge amount of money to hold training programs, as well as strong regulations to support and control the program.

Meanwhile, the executive director of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) Harris Azhar said that the state defense program would not solve any problems in the country.

"Many people have their own ways of defending the country. The state should not be involved," Harris said, adding that the program would only waste money and time.

He argued that instead of spending money for the program, the government should give money to improve people's welfare. "We step backwards with this program," he said.

Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu revealed Monday that the program to defend the state was very important because Indonesia had inadequate weaponry systems compared with other countries.

"The most powerful force is support from its people. It will make our nation strong and ready to face any threat," Ryamizard said.

Ryamizard said he believed that the program would create personal discipline, good personal performance, unity and solidarity among people, and would be able to reduce conflict among people. "These goals will be possible to achieve using this program," he said.

According to him, people under 50 years of age should join the program, no matter what their backgrounds were.

"This is a never-ending process. It should begin when an Indonesian is just a toddler and should last until he or she reaches university and goes to work," Ryamizard said.

Ryamizard said that the threats were mostly non-military such as narcotics, diseases, cyber-crime, separatism and natural disasters.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/13/govt-under-fire-state-defense-program.html

Citing Israel as an example, Ryacudu champions national defence program

Tribune News - October 12, 2015

Jakarta – Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu has reaffirmed his commitment to realising a national defence movement.

This will moreover be demonstrated through an education program for movement trainers in 45 regencies in Indonesia. Through the Training and Education Board, On October 19 the Ministry of Defence will be promoting a national defense education and training program for 4,500 selected cadre across these regencies.

There will be 100 cadres chosen from more than 500 regencies in Indonesia that will be brought together in the 45 regencies. The program, said Ryacudu, will be a pilot project to train cadre as trainers, which will be followed up by proclamation of the national defence movement on January 1, 2016.

"The cadres will be fashioned to create an Indonesia that is strong in the midst of the complexity of various forms of concrete threats", said Ryacudu at his office in Central Jakarta on Monday October 12.

According to Ryacudu, this movement is important because he sees Israel as a benchmark where with a total population of only around 7 million it is able to withstand attacks from Palestine. This kind of defense has only been able to be realised because all citizens have consciousness of the need to defend the state.

The former army chief of staff imagines that similar conditions could be put into effect in Indonesia. With a total population of 250 million or more, he believes that the fatherland has a huge potential to defend the state.

If just half of the population is able to mentally digest the importance of national defense then it is certain that Indonesia's defense forces will not be disparaged.

"We have 100 million of the population that has the potential to become national defense cadre. Imagine if 100 million Indonesian citizens had the personal capacity to defend the state, it would be the same as having 100 million soldiers", he said.

Ryacudu hopes that the cadreisation process will be a success and the national defense movement will be able to proceed. The target over the next 10 years is for half the population or 100 million Indonesians to join the program. Ryacudu however insists that the program will have no relationship with military conscription as applied in other countries.

In order to ensure its success, the Ministry of Defence has already drafted a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with other ministries such as the Ministry of Culture and Education (Kemendikbud).

In order to put state defense into practice as an element of the education curriculum, this will be done by cultivating an attitude of state defence early on in the Indonesian nation.

"This program is not military conscription, but the cultivation of a consciousness of national defense. So we are preparing to develop individual discipline, from which will emerge group discipline, which will develop into a consciousness of national defence", said the minister.

The implementation of this movement, according to Ryacudu, is in accordance with Article 27 of the 1945 Constitution pertaining to the rights and obligations of citizens in national defense.

The supervisors of the state defence cadres will be made up of local government personnel and social and religious figures from around the country. Because of this therefore, Ryacudu will also bring in Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) in order to take advantage of local governments in the fatherland.

"So later on regional governments will cooperate with local Kodam [regional military commands] and Kodim [district military commands]. In the initial stage we can call on governors and regents to get things warmed up. What's important is how to synchronise citizen's minds, namely to love the state", he said.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Contoh Israel, Ryamizard Komitmen Realisasikan Gerakan Nasional Bela Negara".]

Notes

Ryamizard Ryacudu is a former army general known for his hardline stance on separatism and xenophobic remarks and criticism of rights activists. In 2001 he praised the killing of prominent Papuan independence leader Theys Eluay, saying the Kopassus (Special Forces) soldiers who murdered him were "heroes". He is a close ally of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairperson Megawati Sukarnoputri and as army chief of staff during her presidency oversaw military operations in Aceh and Papua resulting in countless civilian casualties.

Source: http://m.tribunnews.com/nasional/2015/10/12/contoh-israel-ryamizard-komitmen-realisasikan-gerakan-nasional-bela-negara

Judicial & legal system

Court ruling weakens Judicial Commission

Jakarta Post - October 9, 2015

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – The Constitutional Court handed down a ruling on Wednesday stripping the Judicial Commission of its role in the selection of judges for district courts, religious courts and state administrative courts.

The ruling was a response to a judicial review filed by the Indonesian Judges Association (IKAHI) in March this year, which requested the court review several articles in a number of laws that sanctioned the role of the commission in the recruitment process of judges.

The Supreme Court argues that Article 14 Point 2 and 3 of Law No. 49/2009 on general courts, Article 13 Point 2 and 3 of Law No. 50/2009 on the religious courts and Article 14 Point 2 and 3 of Law No. 51/2009 on the administrative courts, all stipulate that the commission has no right to be involved in selecting candidates for judge positions at the courts.

The Constitutional Court said that the commission's role in the selection of judges was unconstitutional and that the Supreme Court was the only institution that had the authority in question.

The panel of justices at the Constitutional Court said in its ruling that the 1945 Constitution only stipulated that the Judicial Commission had the authority to monitor judges and help maintain their credibility.

The ruling allows the Supreme Court to select judges without having to be accountable to other state bodies.

The Constitutional Court also cited Law No. 14/1970 on judicial power, which regulates the one-roof court management system, claiming that the regulation only gave the Supreme Court the authority to select judges.

Supreme Court spokesman Suhadi said his institution applauded the ruling. "The recruitment process for judges is supposed to be only in the Supreme Court's hands, with no intervention from the Judicial Commission," he said.

Watchdog groups, however, blasted the ruling. Constitutional law expert Feri Amsari, also a researcher at the Center of Constitutional Studies at Andalas University in West Sumatra, criticized the ruling, saying the reforms were "counterproductive, and dealt a blow to a breakthrough in the country's judicial system".

"Giving the [sole] authority to select judges to the Supreme Court will make judges lose their independence as they will consider themselves to indebted to the Supreme Court justices who selected them," Feri said.

"Another potential problem is that it may create judicial kinship, since the door for the Supreme Court justices to select their own family members has now opened," he said.

Judicial Commission commissioner Eman Suparman said his office had given its best arguments during the Constitutional Court hearing and presented its best expert witnesses to support their arguments, including former Constitutional Court chief justice Mahfud MD and constitutional law expert Saldi Isra.

"We have done our best and deployed our best arguments, but, the Constitutional Court has made its decision," Eman said.

In their defense, the Judicial Commission argued that its role in selecting judges was the implementation of a checks-and-balances principle, in the same way the House of Representatives played a role in the selection process of several public officials, including the National Police chief, Indonesian Military (TNI) chief and Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leaders, although the Constitution only gives it the authority to select Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) leaders, justices and Judicial Commission commissioners.

In spite of the ruling, the commission pledged that it would continue its work. "We will not slow down [our work of] ensuring that all judges show independence and integrity and act according to their code of ethics. We will now focus on playing our role monitoring the judges," Eman added. (foy)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/08/court-ruling-weakens-judicial-commission.html

Criminal justice & prison system

Rights groups criticize Indonesia's criminal proceedings

Jakarta Post - October 16, 2015

Erika Anindita – Death penalty convicts in Indonesia were frequently not given access to lawyers and were forced to confess after being severely beaten, says Amnesty International in its report released in Jakarta on Thursday.

The report says that during the investigation, prosecutors often used violence to force the suspects to admit to their crimes and did not perform a professional investigation instead.

The Amnesty International's report is similar to the results of a study conducted by local civil society groups, such as the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) and the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR).

ICJR executive director Supriyadi said Amnesty's report strengthened its institutional findings in 2014 that unveiled flaws in Indonesia's criminal proceedings.

Meanwhile, head of Kontras' civil and political rights division Putri Kanesia, who assisted death penalty convicts, said that the government should have understood whether they implemented the right criminal proceedings for death penalty convicts. "Our goal is to enforce law, not to force it," Putri said.

"What can be done now is to force the implementation of the moratorium for the death penalty and to review the death penalty executions that had been implemented in the past," Putri added.

Amnesty International campaign director for Southeast Asia Josef Benedict expressed his disappointment with the bad record of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

"Jokowi went to the Palace on the back of human rights promises. [Therefore, this is] hugely regressive," Josef said, referring to the executions of 14 convicts this year, 12 of them being foreign citizens. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/16/rights-groups-criticize-indonesia-s-criminal-proceedings.html

Amnesty report offers grim view of Joko Widodo's death penalty record

The Guardian (Australia) - October 15, 2015

Melissa Davey – In the year since the Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, assumed office, 14 prisoners have been executed, 12 of which were foreign nationals, an Amnesty International report has found.

The report, entitled Flawed Justice, was released on Thursday and said half of all prisoners on death row interviewed by Amnesty claimed they had been beaten, tortured and coerced into "confessing" to their crimes.

The report includes claims from a Pakistani national on death row, Zulfiqar Ali, that police kicked, punched and threatened him with death for three days, only stopping when he confessed.

Ali's confession under duress was used as evidence against him, even though there was no independent investigation into his allegations. The beating was so severe he required kidney and stomach surgery.

All 14 executions in Indonesia over the past year were for drug-related crimes, the report said.

Amnesty revealed foreign death row prisoners were often denied an interpreter during or before trial, were made to sign documents in a language they did not understand, or were refused access to consular services, which are all breaches of international human rights laws.

In January, the Bali Nine drug smugglers Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan learned that they would face execution by firing squad, after their appeals for presidential clemency were rejected.

Lawyers for the pair criticised Widodo for rejecting their subsequent appeals, which contained new evidence about their rehabilitation, before those appeals had even been submitted, read or reviewed. The men were executed in April.

Since assuming office last October, Widodo has taken a hardline stance against drug-related crime, saying all clemency applications from death row prisoners on drug charges will be rejected.

It was a marked shift from his predecessor, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who did carefully consider clemency petitions and who introduced a de facto moratorium on the death penalty between 2008 and 2013.

Josef Benedict, Amnesty south-east Asia campaigns director, said while the death penalty was always a human rights violation, issues around how it was being applied, and haphazard legal processes in Indonesia, made it more tragic.

"Indonesia's callous U-turn on executions has already led to the death of 14 people, despite clear evidence of flagrant fair trial violations," Benedict said.

"President Joko Widodo has promised to improve human rights in Indonesia, but putting more than a dozen people before a firing squad shows how hollow these commitments are."

Greg Barton, a professor of Indonesian studies at Monash University in Victoria, said despite Widodo's views on drugs-related crime, it was still too early in his presidency to say this stance would prove immovable. "In Widodo we have actually do, by most measures, have a progressive and democratic president," Barton said.

"However he is also socially conservative in some respects, which has manifested itself in this seemingly unswerving commitment to the death penalty for drug crime.

"Once he settles into the role and feels more self assured, we may see more of his progressive elements influence his policy in this area. There are members of his inner circle who he trusts and listens to who are more progressive."

Widodo's policies around economic reform to help the poor, his disdain for pomp and ceremony, and his intolerance of corruption indicated he was someone who at times favoured a progressive and moral approach, Barton said.

"He went into office without a strong majority, and wanted to be seen as strong and as sticking to his convictions on drugs, and that is where we see his social conservatism at his worst. It's his greatest blind spot. "He may though still be capable of realising that capital punishment is not the great panacea he thought it would be."

According to figures obtained from the Law and Human Rights Ministry, there were 121 people known to be on death row in Indonesia in April, including 54 people convicted of drug-related crimes, two convicted on terrorism charges and 65 convicted of murder.

There have been no executions in Indonesia since April, when Chan and Sukumaran were executed along with Nigerian men Okwuduli Oyatanze, Martin Anderson, Raheem Agbaje Salami and Silvester Obiekwe Nwolise; Brazilian Rodrigo Gularte; and Indonesian Zainal Abidin. Gularte had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

Australia withdrew its ambassador to Indonesia, Paul Grigson, in protest, and he resumed his position there in June.

Matthew Goldberg is the president of Reprieve Australia, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the international abolition of the death penalty.

He fought for Chan and Sukumaran as part of the Mercy campaign, and said Reprieve was continuing to support lawyers in Indonesia trying to keep their clients from execution.

"We believe that their dedication to a transparent and fair system of justice will prompt reform and the eventual abolition of the death penalty," he said.

Flawed Justice: Unfair trials and the death penalty in Indonesia - Amnesty International. October 15, 2015: https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/ASA2124342015ENGLISH.PDF

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/15/amnesty-report-grim-view-of-joko-widodo-death-penalty-indonesia

Top prison official in hot seat after second Gayus photo leaked

Jakarta Globe - October 12, 2015

Jakarta – A lawmaker on Monday demanded the ousting of the Justice and Human Rights Ministry's penitentiary director general after another photograph was circulating online that seemed to be showing a high-profile graft convict driving a car while he is supposed to be behind bars.

The undated photograph, uploaded on Friday on the Kompasiana web forum, shows graft convict Gayus Tambunan, who is serving a combined sentence of 30 years in prison for tax evasion, document forgery and bribing law enforcers, driving a car with a woman sitting in the back row of the vehicle.

The photo came less than a month after another photograph of Gayus having lunch at a Jakarta restaurant with two women led to nationwide criticism of the Indonesian penal system, which often grants special privileges to wealthy inmates.

In the newly released photograph both Gayus and the unidentified woman appear to be wearing the same clothing as in the photograph that went viral last month, suggesting it was likely taken on the same day.

"These are two fatal mistakes made by the Director General of Penitentiary [I Wayan Kusmiantha Dusak] which should have been enough for the minister [Justice and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly] to replace [Wayan]," Sufmi Dasco Ahmad of the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party said in a statement.

Wayan had earlier said Gayus was allowed to leave his cell to attend his divorce trial hearings, but added that Gayus was not supposed to also have lunch in a restaurant – or, presumably, drive around town.

The director general had promised a full investigation into the first incident, which Sufmi argued had not been completed, highlighting the fact that the director general was not even aware that Gayus had apparently also had been driving a car.

"We don't know what other trips Gayus was allowed to make by prison officials," the lawmaker said.

Years ago, a wig-wearing Gayus, a former tax official, was spotted enjoying a tennis match in Bali while he was supposed to be in his cell.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/top-prison-official-hot-seat-second-gayus-photo-leaked/

Govt, House told to eliminate capital punishment

Jakarta Post - October 11, 2015

National – Marking the 13th World Day against the Death Penalty on Saturday, the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM) has called on the government and the House of Representatives to eliminate the death sentence.

ELSAM researcher Wahyudi Djafar said that the elimination of the death sentence should be included in the revision of the Criminal Code that was presently being conducted by the House and the government.

"ELSAM sees a hope for Indonesia eliminating the death penalty through the revision of the Criminal Code, which is being deliberated on in the House of Representatives," said Wahyudi on Saturday as reported by tribunnews.com.

He referred to article 90 of the Criminal Code that opened up the possibility of delaying the implementation of the death penalty for up to 10 years, and if the convict showed reform, the death sentence could be altered to a life sentence or even to imprisonment for 20 years.

In connection with those presently on death row, Wahyudi called on the government to impose a moratorium and to revisit all cases to make sure that those facing the death penalty had been given a fair trial.

Indonesia executed 14 drugs convicts, mostly foreigners, in January and April of this year. The executions sparked strong criticism from international communities and caused the souring of diplomatic ties with Australia and Brazil. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/10/govt-house-told-eliminate-capital-punishment.html

Amnesty raps 'regressive' Indonesia on World Against Death Penalty Day

Jakarta Globe - October 10, 2015

Jakarta – An alarming number of states across the globe, including Indonesia, continue to violate international law by executing people convicted on drug-related charges, Amnesty International said on the occasion of World Day Against the Death Penalty, which falls on Oct. 10.

"At least 11 countries across the globe – including China, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia – have handed down death sentences or executed people for drug-related crimes over the past two years, while dozens of states maintain the death penalty for drug-related offenses," the global human rights watchdog said in a press release issued on Friday.

The administration of President Joko Widodo has declared a war on drugs and so far this year has executed 12 men and two women convicted of narcotics- related crimes. Two of those killed were Indonesian citizens, the others hailed from a variety of countries, including Nigeria, Brazil and Australia.

"It's disheartening that so many countries are still clinging to the flawed idea that killing people will somehow end addiction or reduce crime," said Chiara Sangiorgio, a death penalty expert working with Amnesty. "The death penalty does nothing to tackle crime or enable people who need help to access the treatment for drug addiction."

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Indonesia is a party, allows for the death penalty to be used only for the "most serious crimes." This is generally understood to only mean murder, but a number of countries, including Indonesia, maintain that drug offenses also fall into this category.

"These states are ignoring evidence that a response focused on human rights and public health, including prevention of substance abuse and access to treatment, has been effective to end drug-related deaths and prevent the transmission of infectious diseases," Amnesty says in its press release.

"Even in relation to violent crime, there is not a shred of evidence that the threat of execution is more of a deterrent than any other form of punishment."

Amnesty says the Indonesian government's decision to execute drug convicts is "a regressive step for a country that had looked to be moving to end executions just a few years ago, and which has successfully made efforts to seek commutations of death sentences for Indonesian citizens on death row in other countries."

The organization added: "The use of the death penalty in Indonesia is riddled with flaws, as suspects are routinely tortured into 'confessions' or subjected to unfair trials."

Besides China and Iran, Amnesty also specifically mentioned Malaysia, where drug trafficking carries a mandatory death sentence. "Malaysia does not publish information on executions, but Amnesty International's monitoring suggests that half of the death sentences imposed in recent years are for drug trafficking convictions," the press release says.

Drug-related executions were also carried out in Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand and several other countries beyond the Southeast Asia region in recent years.

The exact number of people put to death in China is unclear, as its capital punishment figures are treated as state secrets, but the country is believed to be executing more people than the rest of the world put together, and according to Amnesty "people convicted on drug-related offenses make up a significant proportion of those executed."

The rights watchdog says Iran is the world's second-most prolific executioner, having put to death "thousands of people to death for drug- related crimes over the past decades," while executions for drug-related offenses have also "skyrocketed in Saudi Arabia over the past three years."

Amnesty says it opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception because the death penalty violates the right to life, as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. "It is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment," the organization says.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/amnesty-raps-regressive-indonesia-world-death-penalty-day/

Groups want abolition of death penalty

Jakarta Post - October 9, 2015

Jakarta – In conjunction with the 13th World Day Against the Death Penalty, local rights groups have renewed their call for the government to abolish the death penalty, especially for drug convicts, as the penalty has failed to offer any meaningful deterrent effect.

Data from the Community Legal Aid Institute (LBH Masyarakat) revealed that from May, or a month after the government conducted the second round of this year's executions, to August, the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) carried out 10 large-scale drug raids, seizing 70 kilograms of methamphetamine, 235 kilograms of marijuana and 700 ecstasy pills.

"If we include data on raids by the police. The number would be higher," Ricky Gunawan of LBH Masyarakat said Thursday in Jakarta. He said the data showed that the application of the death penalty was not an effective measure to combat drug-related crimes.

In recent years, Indonesia had appeared to be shifting away from the death penalty, in line with the global trend toward abolition. However, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, decided to embrace the practice, claiming that Indonesia was facing a drug emergency.

Since he took power in October 2014, he has allowed firing squads to execute 14 inmates convicted of drug-related offenses, the highest number of convicts executed since the country first implemented the penalty in 1980.

This year's executions were divided into two rounds. Australians Andrew Chan, 31, and Myuran Sukumaran, 34, the ring leaders of the so-called Bali Nine, were among the executed convicts shot in the second round. Both were sentenced to death for smuggling 8.3 kg of heroin from Bali to Australia in 2005.

They had been detained for years at Kerobokan Prison in Bali before President Jokowi eventually rejected their clemency pleas and let the firing squad pull the trigger on April 29 this year.

The government will likely execute another 14 inmates next year. However, Attorney General HM Prasetyo said that his office had yet to determine the exact number of convicts to be executed.

Poengky, executive director of the human rights watchdog Imparsial, said that President Jokowi's firm stance on executions appeared to be primarily a public relations stunt.

"President Jokowi is trying to show that he promotes clean and firm governance," Poengky said. "He seems to be trying to reduce Indonesia's reputation as a corrupt nation with an unreliable legal system."

She said that it would be better for President Jokowi to allow the convicts to become justice collaborators to uncover more drug cases in the country. By killing them, she argued, the President lost any chance to hunt down more important perpetrators.

Wahyu Wagiman, the executive director of the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM), said that the death penalty inflicted mental suffering on death-row inmates because many spent years in detention fearing for their lives.

"The long detention period prior to the execution shows that the country's legal process lacks humanity," Wahyu said.

A study from the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR) released in April 2015 revealed that the government handed down around 42 death sentences from 2002 to 2013, 11 of which were the result of an unfair judicial process.

Jan Pronk, former Dutch development cooperation minister, said that Indonesian should follow the worldwide trend of ending the death penalty.

"Studies show that about 40 percent of those executed in the US were innocent. And in some countries they say drug abuse is a major disease. But the death penalty does not scare off criminals. In Mexico, the US, the real criminals are never found." Pronk told The Jakarta Post on Thursday (foy)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/09/groups-want-abolition-death-penalty.html

Foreign affairs & trade

Indonesia hopes Australia relations 'even stronger' under Malcolm Turnbull

Sydney Morning Herald - October 16, 2015

Jewel Topsfield, Jakarta – Indonesia hopes its relationship with Australia will get "even stronger and better" with the experience and "walk of life" of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and is buoyed by an Australian government plan to send a minister to the archipelago every month, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has revealed.

In an exclusive interview with Fairfax Media, Ms Retno said communication was key to navigating the often volatile relationship between the two countries and praised her counterpart, Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop, for her accessibility.

She said in August Ms Bishop had shared with her a plan for an Australian minister to visit Indonesia every month, which the government appreciated "very much" because it underlined Australia's strong commitment to strengthen bilateral relations.

Australia's relationship with Indonesia, always tumultuous, was severely tested this year by the execution of Bali nine organisers Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan and allegations – never denied – that an Australian official had paid people smugglers to return asylum seekers to Indonesia.

Former prime minister Tony Abbott also caused anger across the nation when he reminded Indonesians of the $1 billion of aid Australia provided after the 2004 tsunami in a bid to save the Bali nine lives.

Ms Retno said the relationship between the two countries was very intense because they were close geographically but also had many differences.

"So I am very happy that whatever the situation is I always have good communication with Julie BIshop," Ms Retno said in her first Australian media interview.

"We text each other a lot and both of us are people that are very quick to send a text. Whenever we have good communication, then God willing, it will help us to solve the problem, to engage with the difficult situation. I'm sure that in the future we will see a stronger relationship between our two countries."

Ms Retno said that as two big countries in South-East Asia, Australia and Indonesia had a responsibility to contribute to peace and stability in the region.

No country in the region could afford to have instability in the South China Sea, she said, given its importance to international trade.

Tensions are high over Chinese artificial island building in the South China Sea given Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and China all have overlapping claims.

Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne said earlier this month that Australia continued to oppose "intimidation" and "aggression" on competing territorial claims – a clear reference to Beijing's recent behaviour.

Ms Retno said the most important way of achieving stability was implementing a code of conduct in the South China Sea. Indonesia, as a non-claimant, had the ability to play more of a mediating role. "So Indonesia will encourage, push ASEAN and China to start negotiation on the code of conduct."

Next week Ms Retno will meet Ms Bishop again in Padang at the Indian Ocean Rim Association, the only regional forum linking most countries on the Indian Ocean rim through an annual foreign ministers' meeting.

Indonesia, which this year takes over the chairmanship of the association from Australia, will focus on maritime co-operation – a key focus of the Joko Widodo government – and security, Ms Retno said.

"If you look at the Pacific, we have so much co-operation," Ms Retno said. "But if you look at the Indian Ocean, there is no agreement, no convention, no mechanism discussing security co-operation. That's why, during the Indonesian chairmanship, we would like to propose an IORA concord."

She said the aim of the concord would be to maintain peace, stability and prosperity in the Indian Ocean.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/indonesia-hopes-australia-relations-even-stronger-under-malcolm-turnbull-20151016-gkaq0e.html

NGO calls on Indonesia to reject upcoming WTO meeting

Jakarta Post - October 15, 2015

Marguerite Afra, Jakarta - The Indonesian government should reject the upcoming World Trade Organization ministerial meeting as it is irrelevant for the global economy, an organization on global trade and investment has said.

Indonesia for Global Justice (IGJ) research and monitoring manager Rachmi Hertanti said on Thursday that the WTO "is prone to accommodating the interests of giant powers. Lobbying often takes place with only several developed countries and their allies. Trade-offs of interests are done under the table."

The WTO's 10th meeting, scheduled on Dec 15-18 in Nairobi, Kenya, would follow up the unsolved market access for the least developing countries (LDCs) and facilitation issues, and also achieving a permanent solution for a public stockholding proposal.

If the meeting were to take place, Rachmi said Indonesia should push its agenda on food security and defend its agricultural interest from developed countries.

"The issue at stake since the formation of the WTO has always been agriculture. It's the disagreement between developing countries with their ideals of food sovereignty and developed countries with their ambitious market expansions," she said during a press conference.

Initiated at the ninth WTO ministerial meeting by 33 developing countries (G33) in Bali in 2013, this proposal called for new rules on public stockholding for food security purposes and domestic food aid.

G33 asked for more flexible rules for farm subsidies in order to support poor farmers, "but they failed to negotiate with developed countries who held their interests on trade facilitation," Rachmi said.

"President Joko Widodo should better use this opportunity to fight for the public stockholding proposal. A permanent solution on food security should be achieved because it is related to the well-being of our people," she added.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/15/ngo-calls-indonesia-reject-upcoming-wto-meeting.html

Mining & energy

Deal shields government, Freeport from legal row, corrupt politicians

Jakarta Post - October 16, 2015

Raras Cahyafitri and Rendi A. Witular, Jakarta – When it comes to the sanctity of a contract, the devil is always in the detail. With both hands tied by legal constraints, the government had few options other than forging a deal with US mining giant Freeport McMoRan Inc. last week to assure the contract extension of its local unit PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI).

The "high-level deal" has served as an amicable way out of a 1991 contract that has legally positioned Indonesia on the losing end with few legal avenues to negotiate a better position and the threat of international arbitration should the government fail to honor the contract.

The deal has also severed any chances for recalcitrant politicians, bureaucrats and certain Cabinet members to personally profit from Freeport amid circulating reports suggesting that several political elites have demanded shares in PTFI in exchange for helping the company extend its contract.

It was not until a recent meeting between President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Freeport's board chairman and founder James R. Moffett, accompanied only by Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said, that the deal was forged, according to Sudirman.

Under the deal, a copy of which was obtained by The Jakarta Post recently, the government allowed PTFI to submit the proposal of contract extension after a revised 2010 government regulation governing coal and mineral resources was passed, at the soonest. It also said that the "the government would not unreasonably withhold or delay approval".

"It is further understood that the approval will ensure the same rights and the same level of legal and fiscal certainty as contained in the contract of work (CoW)," it said.

After operating the world's biggest integrated gold mine in Indonesia's poorest and most remote province of Papua for over 40 years and directly employing some 11,000 workers, for the past couple of years PTFI has been seeking government approval to extend its contract set to expire in 2021.

The extension request is to guarantee its planned US$18 billion investment in underground mining and copper smelter.

Problems, however, have emerged as the demand goes against a 2010 government regulation on mineral resources and coal operations requiring that an extension application be lodged two years prior to contract expiry at the earliest.

If Freeport complied with the regulation, it could only apply for the extension in 2019, a time when Indonesia will hold both legislative and presidential elections, and issues related with Freeport will be politically sensitive due to company's long-standing stigma as the symbol of US business imperialism in the archipelago.

Nevertheless, Freeport's latest CoW carries serious legal requirements for the government. Signed in 1991 by then energy and mineral resources minister Ginandjar Kartasasmita during the Soeharto dictatorship, the contract was almost a carte blanche for Freeport's operations, including a clause guaranteeing that a contract extension could be lodged at any time.

"If we dig deeper into the matter, we are in a weak [legal] position. If our decisions go against the contract, they can take us to arbitration," Minister Sudirman told the Post recently.

"The deal has nothing to do with the supremacy of the United States. It's more about common sense. We have to abide by the terms of the contract if we don't want to be internationally isolated," he said.

According to Sudirman, the ministry was in the process of amending the 2010 regulation by extending the timeframe to submit a request for contract extension to 10 years from the current two years before a contract is set to expire.

The revision is not only aimed at accommodating Freeport, but other mining companies also facing similar problems.

Contract extension and the company's future tax arrangements remain the most contentious and unresolved issues after PTFI inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government on July 25, 2014, adjusting the terms of its CoW. The MoU was first made during the administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

PTFI has mostly agreed to demands made by the government in the MoU such as an increase in royalty payments to 3.75 percent from 1 percent for gold, 3.25 percent from 1 percent for silver and 4 percent from 3.5 percent for copper.

Conditions relating to smelter construction and surety bond deposits worth US$115 million, as well as the gradual divestment of 30 percent of PTFI's shares to Indonesian holders, are also included in the MoU.

The company has also agreed to lower its working concession areas by around 58 percent to 90,000 hectares, prioritize the use of local materials and hire more local workers.

Settlement of the Freeport issue has preoccupied Jokowi lately. Coincidentally, he is slated to fly to Washington DC next week to meet President Barack Obama for a working visit.

The "high-level deal" is expected to illustrate Indonesia's commitment to honoring contracts and providing a safe business environment for foreign investors.

"I have asked the President four times on different occasions. More or less, he said that not granting the extension doesn't make any sense. For the benefit of the Republic and to ensure a better investment climate, the extension is the most sensible option," said Sudirman.

"We should all return to common sense. We are inviting foreign investors through various breakthroughs in regulations. Logically, those who are already here should be maintained."

While the implementation of the extension deal will still subject to the amendment of the 2010 regulation on mineral resources and coal operations, Freeport has thus far welcome the positive signal conveyed by the government.

"The minister's statement has give a sound signal from the government to PTFI to continue our investment moving forward," PTFI spokesperson Riza Pratama said.

Mining expert Simon Sembiring, former director general for coal, mineral and geothermal at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, warned the government not to hastily approve the Freeport extension, saying that legal details should be thoroughly examined.

"Everything must be evaluated thoroughly, what Freeport will do, in what stages and how much benefit the state will receive," Simon added.

Since 2009, under Yudhoyono's administration, the government has assigned eight different teams to renegotiate contracts with big miners, including Freeport, in order for the country to more greatly benefit from their operations. But, few have ever progressed.

"The government has set up this team and that team since 2009. But in the end, they were only playing around as there were no decisions made and the company [Freeport] was squeezed into an ATM," Sudirman added, declining to speak further on the matter.

The aim of the "high-level deal" was also to ensure that all settlements with Freeport were above-board and transparent.

The deal comes in the wake of reports that certain Cabinet members with no authority to manage the mining sector had allegedly lobbied Freeport to help the firm secure the extension in exchange for a certain amount of PTFI shares.

"This senior minister has demanded stock and several projects from Freeport in exchange for his service," said a Golkar Party politician who claimed to have knowledge of the backroom dealings.

At the recent meeting between Jokowi, Moffett and Sudirman, Jokowi also affirmed his administration's commitment to good governance saying that he had no personal interest in Freeport, a rumor he said was spread by irresponsible individuals.

"The President has conveyed his message to Moffett that Freeport shouldn't take offers from any individuals [outside those authorized in the sector] claiming to be able to help the firm secure the continuity of its operations," said Sudirman.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/16/deal-shields-govt-freeport-legal-row-corrupt-politicians.html

Indonesia wants more royalties from Freeport for longer contract

Reuters - October 14, 2015

Agustinus Beo Da Costa, Jakarta – Freeport-McMoRan Inc should significantly increase the amount it pays in royalty payments to the Indonesian government if it wants to extend a contract to operate one of the world's biggest copper mines, a cabinet minister said on Tuesday.

The US firm last week said it received assurances from Indonesian mining minister Sudirman Said that Freeport's contract for its giant Grasberg copper and gold mine would be extended beyond 2021.

But comments this week from Sudirman's boss, chief Natural Resources Minister Rizal Ramli, have raised questions as to whether contract renegotiations between Freeport and the Indonesian government will be that straightforward.

Rizal, who oversees mining and energy, sharply criticized Freeport's history in Indonesia, telling parliament that the government had not shared enough in the company's profits over the past few decades.

"It is time to rewrite our history," Rizal said. "[Freeport] has to pay 6-7 percent royalty. If Indonesia's government shows its persistence and it won't easily be lobbied by Freeport, I think that Freeport will give up in the negotiation process and follow what we want."

Freeport agreed in July 2014 to start paying 4 percent in royalties on copper sales, up from 1.5-3.5 percent previously.

Freeport spokesman Riza Pratama said a royalty payment increase was one of the issues being discussed with the government. "[The mines ministry] and Freeport are working hard to finalize the contract extension," Riza said.

Freeport, the biggest listed US copper producer and one of Indonesia's largest taxpayers, has been trying for years to obtain a contract extension but the government says legally it cannot start talks until 2019.

An Indonesian government official said on Friday it planned to amend rules on mining contracts by the end of this year, allowing Freeport to apply for an extension immediately.

Freeport plans to invest $18 billion to transition the Grasberg complex from an open pit to underground mining in late 2017. The company currently produces about 220,000 metric tons of copper ore per day, which is then converted to copper concentrate.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/business/indonesia-wants-royalties-freeport-longer-contract/

Economy & investment

Indonesia to court tech giants to help revive economy

Reuters - October 16, 2015

Randy Fabi and Kanupriya Kapoor, Jakarta – Indonesian President Joko Widodo will court tech giants Apple and Google during his first trip to the United States this month, in the hope of attracting much-needed foreign investment to revive growth in south-east Asia's largest economy.

Mr Widodo will travel to Washington and San Francisco on a five-day trip starting on October 25 to seek investment for sustainable mining and greater internet access, a senior cabinet minister said.

Mr Widodo plans to visit Apple's headquarters and have dinner with chief executive Tim Cook to discuss investment in Indonesia's tin industry to ensure the metal used in iPhones and other Apple products is produced in legal mines.

Indonesia is the world's largest tin exporter, with nearly all produced on the Bangka and Belitung islands off the coast of Sumatra.

"Apple wants to invest... in the tin industry in Bangka-Belitung," Chief Security Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, who will accompany Mr Widodo on the trip, said in an interview in his office. "They want to get the tin directly from the source."

Green groups have accused Apple of sourcing tin from suppliers that use child workers and violate environmental laws. Apple says it does not tolerate under-age labour and is dedicated to the ethical sourcing of minerals.

The President, who will mark his first year in office next week, will also visit Google's headquarters and discuss improving wireless internet access to Papua and other remote Indonesian regions by using smart balloons.

Mr Widodo, who is also expected to meet executives from Facebook and Microsoft, wants the tech giants to team up with Indonesian universities to establish education centres that will help make the country a regional tech hub.

"We see a positive change in direction and mood of the government toward a more open investment environment," Lin Neumann, managing director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia, said after a closed-door meeting with Indonesian ministers before the President's US trip.

In Washington, Mr Widodo will meet executives from US mining giant Freeport-McMoRan, which is lobbying Indonesian officials to revise a law that would allow new contract negotiations to take place much earlier than now allowed.

"Invest in Indonesia, but you have to also respect the regulations in the country," Mr Pandjaitan said. "We don't want to disturb any existing contract. But when the contract expires, then it belongs to us."

Mr Widodo will also meet US President Barack Obama and congressional leaders to discuss rising tensions in the South China Sea and the fight to contain Islamic State.

"Indonesia can play a significant role on the IS issue and be a mediator in conflicts involving Muslim countries like Palestine," Mr Pandjaitan said.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/it-pro/business-it/indonesia-to-court-tech-giants-to-help-revive-economy-20151016-gkarxx.html

Indonesia records 4-year biggest trade surplus of $7.13 billion

Jakarta Post - October 15, 2015

Jakarta – Indonesia's trade surplus reached US$7.13 billion in the first nine months of 2015, which was the biggest trade surplus from January to September in the last four years, according to Central Statistics Agency (BPS) data released on Thursday.

According to the agency, the latest January-September (year-to-date) surplus was at September 2012 worth $1.02 billion. Indonesia recorded a deficit worth $6.4 billion (Jan.-Sept. 2013) and $1.7 billion (Jan.-Sept. 2014) in the next two years, the agency stated. BPS' head Suryamin said Indonesia scored the trade surplus due to the steep decline in imports, which were worse than the decline in exports, adding that the amount of the surplus could have been bigger if the local products were strong enough to substitute the import of raw materials and capital goods.

"We need to accelerate this industry. From January to September 2015, the surplus reached $7.13 billion," he was quoted by kompas.com as saying.

In September alone, Indonesia recorded trade surplus of $1.02 billion, as the export reached $12.53 billion while the import amounted $11.51 billion. "The September trade surplus is the fourth [monthly] biggest surplus of the year," Suryamin stated.

Indonesia scored its biggest monthly trade surplus in 2015 worth $1.38 billion in July, followed by May trade surplus ($1.08 billion), and March ($1.03 billion). (ags/dan)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/15/indonesia-records-4-year-biggest-trade-surplus-713b.html

New stimulus package brings new hope for industry

Jakarta Post - October 9, 2015

Grace D. Amianti and Khoirul Amin, Jakarta – The government's latest economic policy package has received a warm welcome from business players and economic observers, who regard the package as an important breakthrough that could revive slowing business activity.

Indonesian Textile Association (API) chairman Ade Sudrajat said on Thursday that the new package, the third launched by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration since late last month, was helpful and "pretty concrete".

He said the new package had brought new hope to textile companies because it would enable them to reduce operating costs.

"The previous first and second policy packages improved the ease of doing business and the third will make it possible for textile makers to call laid-off workers back to work," he told The Jakarta Post.

The latest package, which offers a 30 percent tariff discount on electricity usage from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m., among other things, will make it possible for many textile manufacturers to resume their operations as it will significantly cut their operational costs, he said.

As many as 30,000 textile workers have been laid off so far this year, according to the association.

Fishermen and Farmers Community (KTNA) chairman Winarno Tohir and fertilizer maker PT Pupuk Sriwijaya corporate secretary Zain Ismed said that the third package would make their products more competitive compared to imported ones.

Zain said that if gas prices for fertilizer production were lowered as promised by the government in the new policy package, it would be quite helpful because the expenditure for gas accounted for the largest part of fertilizer production costs.

Lowered diesel fuel prices could also assist Indonesia's fishing community. "While the price cut is not very big, it will help fishermen to get more affordable diesel fuel to go fishing," Winarno said.

Under the third policy package, diesel fuel will be slashed by 2.7 percent to Rp 8,300 (60 US cents) per liter from Rp 8,400 per liter previously.

Winarno also said that the expansion of the government-sponsored micro-loan (KUR) program and the cut in the KUR interest rate to 12 percent from 22 percent would significantly help fishermen and other small businesses.

"The government should assure those concerned that there will be enough diesel supply for all fishermen in the country," he said, adding that the banks should ease requirements in order to help fishermen benefit from cheap KUR loans.

He added that currently, many banks were reluctant to provide loans to fishermen because they were often deemed a risky bet.

Meanwhile, Bank Central Asia (BCA) economist David Sumual said that the third package was "more focused" and helpful for industry, especially those industries that used large supplies of electricity and gas.

"Lower energy tariffs can help industries that have high energy costs, such as the petrochemical, fertilizer and ceramic industries. High costs in energy make it difficult to compete with similar manufacturers in neighboring countries," David told the Post on Thursday.

CIMB Niaga economist Winang Budoyo expressed a similar view. He saw the third package as one that was "sharper and more down-to-earth" because of its focus on pressing down on costs that created problems for industry. With the electricity incentive, Winang said industry would be able to improve their cash flows, which have been impacted of late by the weak economy.

By helping out industry, Winang said the government wanted to maintain people's purchasing power so as to keep spurring consumption.

Glenn Maguire, ANZ chief economist for South Asia, ASEAN and the Pacific, and Weiwen Ng, ANZ economist for ASEAN and the Pacific, offered different views on the new package, saying that the impact of the third package would likely be marginal, and it was unlikely to bolster either confidence or economic activity.

Maguire and Ng said the third package seemed to aim more at reducing administrative redtape, rather than offering a substantive set of stimulus measures that could elicit a strong and positive consumer and corporate reaction.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/09/new-stimulus-package-brings-new-hope-industry.html

Analysis & opinion

Killing the KPK softly

Jakarta Post Editorial - October 13, 2015

Disappointed by the lack of an adequate deterrent effect built in to the country's legislation on anticorruption, many have suggested the death penalty for graft convicts.

But rather than supporting tougher anticorruption laws, House of Representatives politicians from various factions, mostly from the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), seem to prefer killing off the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

While the real motive behind the death penalty for the KPK remains hidden, politicians insist that the commission is an ad hoc institution whose lifetime must be limited. Article 5 of a draft bill that would amend Law No. 32/2002 on the KPK stipulates that the commission will serve for 12 years from the day the new legislation takes effect, probably by the end of this year.

There have been no explanations, let alone studies, that can satisfy the public's questions about why the KPK should end its term in the next 12 years, or in its 25th year of full service. To exacerbate the opaqueness, PDI-P politician Bambang Wuryanto says the KPK's tenure is analogous to a long-term development plan.

Strangely, PDI-P secretary general Hasto Kristiyanto says he is not aware of the limitation of the KPK's lifetime, but supports the idea because it would stimulate the antigraft body to work harder to catch up with other countries that have always topped global perception index rankings.

Whatever the reasons, whoever is plotting the KPK's extinction does not want the anticorruption drive to devour them. They simply followed House politicians who joined a plenary session that unanimously passed the KPK bill into law in 2002, but then fell prey to the commission's uncompromising enforcement of the law.

There is nothing new with politicians' resentment of the KPK, or their attempts to undermine the commission. A previous move to promote a weakened KPK failed after President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo rejected it in June.

Fighting corruption is just a matter of consistency. If he wants to be remembered as a leader committed to the fight against graft, President Jokowi must stick to his refusal to allow the passage of any form of legislation that might undermine, let alone kill, the KPK.

Who can assure us that the nation will significantly reduce the severity of its corruption levels over the next 12 years, while rent-seeking and vote- buying practices remain prevalent, while no graft convicts have confessed their guilt except for those who want to contest regional elections, and while lawmakers tend to play down corruption as an ordinary crime?

It is likely the House, although still divisive, will eventually approve the draft amendment as an initiative bill that will force the President to respond.

For Jokowi, given his track record, refusing to send his representatives to deliberate on the initiative bill would not be a tall order at all, although he will risk facing another grueling standoff within his own party, the PDI-P. Let us hope he proves willing to do so. Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/13/editorial-killing-KPK-softly.html