Jakarta – Hundreds of workers and students demonstrated in front of the State Palace on Tuesday to mark President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla's first year in office, calling on the government to pay more attention to the needs of the nation's workers.

"After one year of the Jokowi-Kalla government, the welfare of the workers is getting much worse," cried one demonstrator through a loudspeaker from a vehicle carrying demonstrators to JL. Medan Merdeka Utara, where lies the State Palace.

The protesters equipped themselves with banners, posters and other items, many voicing criticism of the government's fourth economic package, which among other measures introduces a new minimum-wage determination system opposed by most trade unions.

Under the new policy, the minimum wage would be decided based on the existing wage plus the inflation and economic growth figures. For example, assuming that the 2015 inflation rate and the economic growth were both 5 percent, the 2016 minimum wage would rise by 10 percent.

The workers, however, have demanded the government increase the basic wage first, taking into account the 84 items used to determine cost of living (KHL), before the new inflation-plus-GDP formula is applied to set next year's minimum wage.

The workers group themselves in the Independent Laborers Union Confederation (GSBI) and the students group in the National Student Front (FMN). Most of the workers are former employees of PT Panarub Dwikarya who lost their jobs after a shoe factory was closed in 2012. The laid-off workers claim to have received no due compensation.

"The lack of fair solution for 1,300 workers of PT Panarub Dwikarya indicates that neither the government of Jokowi nor that of [previous president Susilo Bambang] Yudhoyono care about the workers. They choose to work for the capitalists," said GBSI chairwoman Kokom Komalawati as reported by tribunnews.com.

Hundreds of police officers kept alert as the protesters began to move toward the State Palace at 12 a.m. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/20/workers-students-take-streets-mark-one-year-president-jokowi.html

West Papua

Glimpse at Papuan experience under Indonesian rule

Radio New Zealand International - October 23, 2015

For the first time, Radio New Zealand International journalists have been able to enter Indonesia's eastern region of Papua.

Papua has long been restricted to outside access, but during a visit to the region in May Indonesia's president Joko Widodo announced that foreign journalists were now free to enter.

RNZI's Johnny Blades and Koroi Hawkins took up the opportunity. Johnny spoke to Don Wiseman who asked how easy it was to get a visa to enter Papua as a journalist.

Johnny Blades: It was pretty difficult and a lengthy process. There's a lot of endorsements from local officials that were required in order to advance the application. It took months. So many hoops to jump through. It's still not clear that various wings of government understand the role that journalists are supposed to fill. I detected a kind of suspision among various officials that foreign journalists are agents tasked with destabilising Papua region.

Don Wiseman: Did you experience any restrictions while doing your work in Papua?

JB: Not directly. Although access to officials is hard to secure. But I think the main thing, coming in, is knowledge of the threats and attacks that local journalists in Papua have faced. That's restrictive enough, in a way.

DW: So, you got there, what was it like? How do Papuans fare as part of Indonesia, which is a huge country that has undergone significant democratic reforms in the last decade or so, and with an economy that has made big strides in recent years?

JB: It was just a glimpse of course and we didn't look at the whole region, but it seems like the Papuans are just sort of by-standers to, for instance, economic activity, which we hear so much about. In the capital Jayapura, and as is typical of the urban areas, the vast majority of the businesses are run by Javanese and other non-Papuan Indonesians. Papuans appear to have very few jobs, they struggle that much more for educational opportunities. These were things that were supposed to be created under the Special Autonomy package that Jakarta granted Papua some fourteen, fifteen years ago. Papua region's two provinces have, I understand, the biggest budgets of all the Indonesian provinces, but it's said that for years a lot of this money has been misdirected, hasn't made it through to grassroots communities. People I spoke to explained that often the money is diverted to business interests of personnel with Indonesia's military and security forces, who have quite a presence in Papua, and their various family and friends who have migrated to Papua at a steady rate for years.

DW: The Papuans have been stressing their identity as Melanesians. So culturally, how does this Melanesian identity stand in this wider Indonesian context?

JB: It's just been overwhelmed, it seems, by the greater Indonesian culture. Papuans you speak to – as you say – identify as being Melanesian before Indonesian. That's generally the case. But Papua culture is not very visible. This has a lot to do with the ongoing policy of transmigration. Transmigration is a state-sponsored programme whereby people from over- populated parts of the republic are resettled in less crowded regions, particularly Papua. And it's just meant this rapid change in the demographic fabric of Papua society. The estimate is that Papuans are no longer the majority of the population. So it's been overwhelming: as I said the jobs and business activities are dominated by non-Papuans. Subsequently, I think the Papuans culture has sort of been pushed to the side. It's possibly a little stronger in the rural areas and the Highlands, but these are also the parts where we're hearing more of the alleged abuses by security forces, crack-downs on any form of expression of self- determination aspirations or complaints about (lack of) access to basic services. But in recent times, interestingly the government has made recent moves to showcase Melanesian culture, and has also has been pushing a formal co-operation between this new bloc of five provinces that Jakarta says have clear traces of Melanesian ethnic stock. That is: East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, North Maluku, Papua and West Papua. Now, this move can be seen in relation to the decision by the Melanesian Spearhead Group to recently consider having the five provinces formally involved at the MSG with associate membership status. That of course, follows on from the MSG's decision to grant observer status to the United Liberation Movement for West Papua.

DW: Now, if Indonesia's Jokowi government is persisting with transmigration, this is really a regression, isn't it?

JB: Government figures say transmigration is actually helping Papuans to become more competitive in trade and learn more skills. On another note, the Jokowi government is doing things which it seems previous government haven't often done, and there's a lot of hope around this: freeing political prisoners, opening up Papua to foreign media, and it seems to be taking a new hands-on approach to fostering grassroots development among Papuans. we went and saw a big new market that the government is building for the Mamamamas in Sentani, supposedly to help their trade become more efficient, to make the most of their talents, to diversify their products and so forth. So, Jakarta is trying something.

DW: So, a recognition of their Papuaness?

JB: Yes. Yet the government figures explain it in such a way that it's almost trying to modernise the Papuans (their traditional ways). They talk about how the Mamas sit on the floor to sell their produce, as is typical of Melanesian markets. They want them to gradually learn to sit up in a chair. Is this being imposed on the Papuans? Are they trying to change their culture? It's still unclear.

DW: We continue to hear of this dissatisfaction among Papuans with life under Indonesian rule, particularly about not benefiting from exploitation of the vast natural resources which we know exist there. Were there signs of this?

JB: Definitely. It's a subject which the Papuans talk about a lot. The Papua provincial Governor Lukas Enembe was criticising the operations of Freeport McMoran, that US company which operates a huge mine in Papua province that is the single largest corporate tax payer. Enembe and others say Papuans have had practically no benefits from the mine since it began operations in the 1960s, and that there's been no real compensation to the landowners while the whole mountain ecosystem where the mine is located has been ruined. Interestingly, the landowners from the Freeport mine area are suing Freeport for something like 15 billion US dollars, and Enembe says he wants a divestment system put in place whereby a greater share of this mining operation is given directly to Papua province so that they can get some control over the mining resource and over their land.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/programmes/datelinepacific/audio/201775969/glimpse-at-papuan-experience-under-indonesian-rule

Transmigration deemed critical threat to Papuans

Radio New Zealand International - October 23, 2015

The Governor of Indonesia's Papua province has warned that indigenous Papuans could disappear as a people if they remain marginalised in their own land.

Lukas Enembe's warning came as he delivered a stern rebuke for transmigration – Indonesia's state programme of resettling people from over-populated regions into less crowded regions such as Papua.

Mr Enembe has called for an end to transmigration in its current form which has changed the face of society in Papua in recent years.

However Jakarta has recently recommitted to it, with various national government figures arguing transmigration is beneficial to Papuans by encouraging them to learn new skills and to compete in modern systems.

One government spokesperson explained that Indonesians have a right to move around the republic without hindrance.

But the Governor says indigenous people struggle to compete with the migrants in economic terms, and warns transmigration introduces new social problems and further dilutes Papuan culture.

"If you asked me 10 or 20 years again in the future, I thought Papuans might be gone already, if we don't protect them. I mean, they'll vanish because nowadays we haven't got the exact number of Papuans but it's decreasing very rapidly."

Meanwhile, Lukas Enembe says Papua needs a new, remodelled package of the special autonomy which Indonesia granted it a decade and a half ago, one which he says must focus serious efforts on building Papuan capacity and protect their interests as a sustainable society.

The current special autonomy package was formally rejected by the Papuan People's Assembly several years ago.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/287772/transmigration-deemed-critical-threat-to-papuans

Australia to focus on economic interests over Papua bid

Radio New Zealand International - October 23, 2015

Australia's new Prime Minister has indicated that his government will prioritise economic interests over support to reinscribe West Papua on the UN list of territories to be decolonised.

The sign came via a letter from Malcolm Turnbull in response to correspondence by the United Liberation Movement for West Papua.

The ULMWP petitioned Mr Turnbull to bring serious attention about Indonesia's Papua region at the United Nations and for support for a Solomon Islands push for West Papuan de-colonisation to be considered.

The prime minister's reply doesn't mention West Papua, but asserts that "to succeed in a rapidly expanding global market and to remain a high wage, generous social welfare net first world economy, we need to be more agile, creative, productive and innovative".

The ULMWP ambassador for Australia and Pacific countries, Amatus Douw, says it's hard to get Canberra to change its stand, given its economic interests in Indonesia.

"He explained that he's only concerned about Australia's economic prosperity, that's what he's saying in that letter. And I know how many Australian companies are operating in West Papua, including Rio Tinto which is one of the biggest shareholder companies from Australia (in Freeport McMoran's Papua operations), and also the other mining companies operating in West Papua as well."

Mr Douw says it is encouraging that the ULMWP has a dialogue with Canberra and will continue to advocate on the matter. He says numerous parties in Australia's political spectrum do support the West Papuan self- determination bid.

He points out that Papuans made a great effort to help Australia stave off its enemies in New Guinea during World War II, and that Canberra has a moral obligation to help West Papuans. The relationship between Australians and West Papuans, he says, requires commitment into the future.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/287804/australia-to-focus-on-economic-interests-over-papua-bid

Papua governor lukewarm on MSG move

Radio New Zealand International - October 22, 2015

The Governor of Indonesia's Papua province Lukas Enembe says moves to form a Melanesian Brotherhood among five Indonesian provinces is mainly about politics. The governor was explaining his reluctance to travel to the recent signing of the Brotherhood agreement in Ambong. It followed July's decision by the Melanesian Spearhead Group to grant observer status to the United Liberation Movement for West Papua.

The MSG is also considering a role in the group for the five Indonesia provinces which Jakarta says have strong Melanesian ethnic stock: East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, North Maluku, Papua and West Papua. Governor Enembe says this group is full of political interests.

"I'm part of the Indonesian government in Papua. So I have no interests in talking on politics or even international affairs. Because we don't have right to talk about international affairs. That's Jakarta's problem, it's not our problem. I can't see this point of including the five provinces. Jakarta can just do it on behalf of us. So we don't need to be included." The MSG's full members are Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia's FLNKS Movement.

Indonesia itself has associate member status at the MSG.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/287752/papua-governor-lukewarm-on-msg-move

Religious extremism lurks in Papua, says Reverend

Radio New Zealand International - October 22, 2015

Reverend Dormon Wandikbo is a leading member of the GIDI, or Gereja Injili di Indonesia, a Protestant church which, unlike other leading Protestant churches in Papua, has a presence in other parts of Indonesia.

He says media reports about the recent burning of a small mosque in Tolikara largely mis-represented relations between different faiths. He says the Tolikara incident was not a conflict between Muslims and GIDI Christians as reported by mainstream media.

"Because Muslims and GIDI people there, they don't know what happened there. There's another people who created the conflict. Because we know during 20 years, nothing happened there. But last incident, in July, it happened and we know that it was created by other people there."

Reverend Wandikbo adds that two teenagers arrested for the incident should be freed. He says while local followers of Muslim and Christian faiths generally coexist peacefully, there are isolated cases of extremist radicalization of religion in Papua.

"The issue exists here, and I think this issue will create a new conflict. But in Papua we recognise that there is a Muslim group that we call Front Pembela Islam which already exists here."

The reverend was in Jayapura this month to meet with representatives of the GIDI church from Jakarta to foster economic empowerment by members of their church.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/287616/religious-extremism-lurks-in-papua,-says-reverend

Opposition to plans for new Papua provinces

Radio New Zealand International - October 22, 2015

A note of caution has been sounded about Indonesian government plans to carve up another province out of Papua region. This comes as lawmakers look set to create two more provinces in the Indonesian territory of New Guinea.

Plans to create more than the two existing provinces in the Papua region have been on the table for years but are considered by opponents to be against Papua's special autonomy provisions.

Septer Manufandu of the NGO, Jerat Papua, says Papua doesn't need more provinces, it needs development

"When we're talking about development, concrete development in the district and in the sub-district, how do government create good facility in education, health, in the sub-district and the district – [and] not create more problems... it seems like we create the new problems."

Septer Manufandu says development involving Papuans continues to lag, partly due to a lack of recognition for the basic rights of Papuans and also because government agencies aren't always listening to the needs of Papuans.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/287734/opposition-to-plans-for-new-papua-provinces

West Papuan women left isolated and beset by violence under Indonesian rule

The Guardian (Australia) - October 22, 2015

Rochelle Jones – West Papuans have struggled for their freedom since they were annexed by Indonesia and robbed of their right to a fair referendum in 1969. While the independence struggle slowly gains more visibility due to a courageous network of civilian journalists on the ground, it is the stories and struggles of West Papuan women that are often silenced.

Under Indonesian rule, indigenous West Papuans are routinely subjected to violence and oppression. They have been disenfranchised, tortured, threatened and murdered, suffering multiple rights violations affecting their economy, land, culture, political participation, dignity and survival. Indeed, a 2013 Sydney University study called the situation "slow-motion genocide", arguing that Indonesia has acted with intent in its strict control over the population – and with impunity over human rights violations such as the Biak massacre in 1998. The Asian Human Rights Commission has also described the situation as genocide.

President Joko Widodo recently announced lifting the decades-long restrictions on foreign media, but so far this appears to be little more than diplomatic lip service. Foreign journalists still require screening; they are not allowed to report on anything that "discredits" Indonesia, and are excluded from "forbidden areas". The restrictions have meant that the rest of the world hasn't paid attention to the situation for West Papuans – and women in particular have felt this isolation.

In 2009, a group of West Papuan women documented patterns of violence in a report entitled "Enough is Enough! Testimonies of Papuan Women Victims of Violence and Human Rights Violations 1963-2009". The study details how women have experienced and resisted violence along a trajectory of two distinct, but intertwined struggles: the struggle imposed on them by Indonesian occupation, and the struggle within their indigenous culture and society.

The introduction to the report read: "We have experienced rape and sexual abuse in detention, in the grasslands, while seeking refuge, no matter where we were when the army and police conducted operations in the name of security. Furthermore, in our own homes we repeatedly have been victims of violence. When we cry for help, they say, 'That's a family matter, take care of it in the family.'"

The hope was that the broad pattern of violence against women could be exposed and addressed.

Unfortunately, little has changed for West Papuan women since the report was published in 2010. Ferry Marisan worked on the study and is the director of the Institute for the Study and Advocacy of Human Rights in West Papua. She says that, though the report was distributed to parliamentarians and various state institutions – including the provincial government of Papua province, regency and municipal governments, police and the military – the government still fails to protect the rights of women, and violence continues.

The capture of data on violence against women in West Papua is inadequate. Organisations like Komnas Perempuan (the independent national commission on violence against women) attempt to document cases of gender-based violence across Indonesia. In 2011, for example, they documented 119,107 cases of violence against women. Their most recent "annual note", from 2014, mentions multiple forms of violence suffered by indigenous women in Papua, resulting variously from armed conflicts between state security forces and armed civilian groups, conflicts over claims for natural resources, and discriminatory policies.

Legal and policy frameworks that deal specifically with violence against women do exist, starting with the Indonesian criminal code. Indonesia has also ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (Cedaw) in 1984.

However, while the framework is there, and the government has taken steps to improve women's rights and protections, there is a lack of political will at all levels. Indonesia's last periodic report to Cedaw, carried out in 2011, acknowledged a "lack of synergy and coordination among decision- makers", adding: "This has led to a situation where many women's rights issues remain unattended, both at the central, and much more so, at the regional levels. Many parties... have identified many discriminatory regional bylaws."

In West Papua, special autonomy law No 21 (Otsus) was passed in 2001 as part of a plan to transfer political, economic and cultural authority to the Papuan people. However, the majority regard Otsus as a way of pouring an abundance of cash into the province that that will end up in the hands of corrupt local politicians, and as a mechanism to silence calls for independence.

Widodo pledged to champion human rights during his time in office but, more than 12 months into his term, little has changed. International pressure will be crucial in pushing for Indonesia to at least live up to its obligations under international law – or, at best, to support West Papua's desire for self-determination and push for a referendum, as in East Timor in 1999.

As West Papuans remain under Indonesian rule, women's rights will continue to be caught in the middle. Groups supporting self-determination recently came together in the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, a broad coalition looking to press their case within West Papua and internationally. For an end to the violence, and especially for the women of West Papua, independence must be taken seriously.

[Rochelle Jones is a writer/editor at the Association of Women's Rights in Development (Awid).]

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/oct/22/west-papua-women-indonesian-rule-violence

Muslim and Christian faiths co-exist, says Papua Reverend

Radio New Zealand International - October 21, 2015

A Papua church leader says media reports about the recent burning of a small mosque in Tolikara have largely mis-represented relations between different faiths.

Reverend Dormon Wandikbo, is a leading member of GIDI, or Gereja Injili di Indonesia, a Protestant church which, unlike other leading Protestant churches in Papua, has a presence in other parts of Indonesia.

Reverend Wandikbo was in Jayapura this month to meet with representatives of the GIDI church from Jakarta to foster economic empowerment by members of their church.

He says the Tolikara incident was not a conflict between Muslims and GIDI Christians as reported by mainstream media.

Because Muslims and GIDI people there, they don't know what happened there. There's another people who created the conflict. Because we know during twenty years, nothing happened there. But last incident, in July, it happened and we know that it was created by other people there.

Reverend Wandikbo says the two faiths generally co-exist well in Papua. He adds that two teenagers arrested for the incident should be freed.

Meanwhile, he admits that the Papua region does have isolated cases of religious extremism which had the potential to cause problems for society.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/287616/muslim-and-christian-faiths-co-exist,-says-papua-reverend

NZ students protest over Papua violence

Radio New Zealand International - October 21, 2015

Dozens of students marched on the Indonesian Embassy in the New Zealand capital, Wellington, today to protest over continuing violence from the security forces in West Papua.

The students, many of them from Melanesian countries, had walked from Victoria University and were joined by several MPs, including the Green Party's Catherine Delahunty.

She says it is important the Indonesian diplomats understand the levels of concern in this country at the ongoing violence directed at the indigenous Melanesian people in West Papua.

"Despite alleged improvements around representation on the MSG [Melanesian Spearhead Group] and the Pacific Forum talking about a fact-finding mission, there are still deaths, there are still military killings happening. So just a month ago, people may have heard two young students were killed. And I think these students here, believe they are the ones who can speak out – they are speaking for all of those who don't have a voice."

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/287614/nz-students-protest-over-papua-violence

Military deployed to extinguish fires in southern Papua

Jakarta Post - October 20, 2015

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Hundreds of Indonesian Military personnel have been dispatched to extinguish spot fires across southern Papua that have caused thick smoke and disrupted flights at Mosez Kilangin Airport over the last two weeks.

"Currently, around 300 military personnel have been deployed to put out fires in several areas, especially in Merauke and Mappi regencies," Kodam XVII/Cendrawasih commander Maj. Gen. Hinsa Siburian told thejakartapost.com on Monday. He was speaking on the sidelines of his visit to Kepi, the capital of Mappi regency, to monitor the handling of fires in the area.

"From the aircraft, we could clearly see spot fires that have spread across Mappi, Merauke and Kimaan Island. The spot fires are not only in one place but scattered across several areas, some close to villages," said Hinsa.

He said that Papuans burn land to make it more fertile. "It is the habit of local people to burn land during the dry season in the hope that new buds will grow. This habit has been passed down for generations but it is unfortunate that this year, the dry season is a bit longer so spot fires have quickly spread," said Hinsa.

Military personnel deployed to extinguish the fire are also tasked with sharing information with local communities about extinguishing fires and how to not burn land.

"The land they have burned is not meant for plantations. They burn land near their settlements or land they will use for hunting," said Hinsa.

"The burned land is in Mappi and Merauke but it has disrupted flights in Timika and affected other activities," he added.

Separately, the head of Timika's Transportation, Communications and Information Agency, John Rettob, said that as of Monday the Mosez Kilangin Airport in Timika was still unable to operate. "It is still closed," he said. The airport has not taken any aircraft arrivals since Thursday as smoke has reduced visibility to only 500 meters.

According to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Papua, the number of spot fires in Papua and West Papua has reached 219, comprising 169 spots in Papua and 50 in West Papua. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/20/military-deployed-extinguish-fires-southern-papua.html

Papuans in seven indigenous territories to welcome PIF team

Tabloid JUBI - October 19, 2015

Jayapura, Jubi – Native Papuans in seven indigenous territories will welcome the arrival of a fact-finding team from the Pacific Island Forum (PIF) to investigate human rights violations in Papua.

The spokesman of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), Edison Waromi said it is important because PIF investigation team will investigate all the problems that occurred in Papua.

"We hope tribal leaders in seven indigenous territories will welcome it," said Edison Waromi in celebration of the success of the delegation ULMWP won the issue of West Papua in the PIF to the issue of West Papua becoming an official speech in the annual meeting at the United Nations this year in Waena, Heram district, Jayapura city on last week.

While one member of the working team of ULMWP, Markus Haluk said that the need for readiness of the Papuan people to present data and facts about human rights violations since 1961 in Papua.

"Newspaper clippings from 1965 has, or the data that we have, are prepared. We show them," said former General Secretary of AMPTPI.

"We want to tell that we are not silent. We continue to fight until ULMWP get its status as an observer in MSG and PIF will come to for conduct the investigation and we will welcome this, "he said again.

Mama Yosepha Alomang, who received Yap Thiam Hien Award in recognition of her achievement in Defensing Human Rights said, it's time for Papua to be free from slavery in Indonesia.

"Young people must unite and fight peacefully without violence. We must join together," she added. (Mawel/Abeth You)

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/en/2015/10/19/papuans-in-seven-indigenous-territories-to-welcome-pif-team/

Papua declares itself 'first conservation province' in Indonesia, world

Jakarta Globe - October 19, 2015

Robert Isidorus, Jayapura, Papua – West Papua has declared itself as the world's "first conservation province" in a signed declaration on Monday, in an bid to formally dedicate its efforts to conservation purposes.

The signing of a declaration by West Papua governor Abraham Ataruri took place at the gubernatorial office in the provincial capital of Manokwari, and was attended by Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo and West Papua district heads.

The West Papua governor admits to being the brainchild of the idea, which is intended on protecting and managing the province's natural resources in a collective effort by its residents.

"This declaration [of transforming West Papua into a conservation site] will help us maintain and manage our natural resources wisely and continuously so that [...] the future generation can enjoy them," Abraham said.

In order to support West Papua's to function as a conservation province, the local government has created a working group (Pokja), members of which include the People's Assembly of West Papua, the West Papua legislative council, Papua State University, and international NGOs such as WWF Indonesia, Conservation International (CI) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC).

Together, they are in the process of preparing regional bills (Ranperdasus) to govern the conservation site. West Papua is world famous for its rich marine ecosystem and diverse flora and fauna

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/west-papua-declares-first-conservation-province-indonesia-world/

Brigadier General Richard Joweni: A soldier and revolutionary diplomat

Tabloid JUBI - October 18, 2015

Jayapura, Jubi – The people of Papua, especially the West Papua Liberation Army (TPN) has mourned the death of a charismatic figure in Brigadier General Richard Joweni.

The man whose real name was Uria Hans Joweni, passed away on 16 October at 23:00 Papua time at 72.

Joweni had been taken to the Vanimo Hospital to get medical treatment for gastrointestinal problems and physical weakness related to old age, after spending half of his life or 48 years as a guerilla fighter in the jungles of Papua.

His death is a great loss particularly for his three children because his wife had earlier passed away on 22 September 2014 due to illness. The late General Joweni who was the Supreme Commander of West Papua Revolutionary Liberation Army (TRP PB) Liberation Army was born on 3 December 1943 at a village located in Teluk Wondama Regency, West Papua Province.

As the TRP PB Supreme Commander, he headed 9 Papua Regional Command and 10 Military Command that partially covered the Papua Highland areas. General Joweni also the Chairman of West Papua National Coalition for Liberation (WPNCL) that incorporated with the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) to fight for West Papua through diplomacy at the MSG (Melanesian Spearhead Group) Forum and PIF (Pacific Islands Forum).

Besides leading the guerilla, he was also known as a diplomat who lobbied a number of leaders of Melanesian countries at South Pacific to support West Papua for independence. For his services to Papua and as the Supreme Commander of West Papua Revolutionary Liberation army, he was awarded the tittle of the General of Guerilla (Posthumous) during his funeral procession at Endokisi Yokari Village, Tanah Merah, Jayapura Region.

According to Jonah Wenda, the TRP PB Military Council spokesperson, in addition to be known as a persistent guerilla soldier in the jungle, Richard Joweni was also known as a charismatic figure in leading the struggle to the national liberation of West Papua nation. "He has taught ways to fight in dignity, peaceful and respect to others," recalled Wenda.

Further he said, in order to continue the leadership at TRP PB, the Colonel Amos Serondanya is appointed to temporarily replace the late General Joweni until the next determination of the Supreme Commander. The determination would be held after fourteen days of mourning that is marked by rising the Morning-Star flag at half-mash in both military and Papua regional commands under TRP PB.

The funeral ceremony of the late Richard Joweni was held peacefully with the worship and military procession to honor him.

The late Richard Joweni joined the West Papua Liberation Army in 1968 when he was 25 years old. Previously he had worked as a clerk in the Government of Netherlands in Papua. When the guerilla was led by Seth Rumkorem, he got several strategic positions until he was later appointed as the Supreme Commander of the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPN PB) until his death. (J. Howay/rom)

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/en/2015/10/18/brigadier-general-richard-joweni-a-soldier-and-revolutionary-diplomat/

Aceh

'Qanun Jinayat' becomes official for all people in Aceh

Jakarta Post - October 23, 2015

Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – The Aceh administration is officially implementing the Qanun Jinayat (Islamic Criminal Code Bylaw) on Friday for Muslims and non-Muslims in the province, criminalizing drinking liquor, dating in public and homosexuality, among other things.

The Aceh Islamic Sharia Agency (DSI) held a meeting at Banda Aceh City Hall on Thursday to disseminate information on the implementation of Qanun No. 4/2014, which previously caused controversy as it carried a sentence of stoning, although the punishment was later revoked.

"Through publicizing of the qanun, we hope people will increase their awareness of the implementation of sharia in Aceh," Banda Aceh Deputy Mayor Zainal Arifin told the meeting, which was attended by ulema prosecutors, lawyers, officials from sharia courts and sharia police.

Zainal hoped that parties involved in the implementation of sharia would have a deep understanding of the bylaw and be able to uphold it. He said his administration was improving in all aspects, including on sharia.

"The sharia implementation should be aimed at people's awareness of applying it in their lives," Zainal said.

In relation to protests and criticism on the sharia implementation, which some have considered discriminatory, DSI deputy head Munawar Jalil insisted that it did not violate human rights.

Munawar said the administration would let any party file a judicial review if that party believed the implementation of sharia overlapped with higher laws.

"Yes, please [file a judicial review]. This qanun does not overlap with existing laws in Aceh. It does not violate human rights either," he said.

He emphasized three important points in the sharia implementation: the people's awareness, the government's political will; and applying the law gradually.

The qanun regulates certain things that are considered crimes according to sharia but not the Criminal Code.

Among the acts considered crimes by Aceh lawmakers are drinking khamar (liquor), khalwat (affectionate contact between an unmarried couple), liwat (gay relationships) and mushadaqah (lesbianism).

While the stoning punishment has been revoked, the qanun still carries caning and paying penalties. Caning sentences vary from 40 to 200 strokes and penalties are between 40 and 2,000 grams of gold.

Apart from being applied to Muslims, the law is also affects non-Muslims in Aceh or non-Muslims who happen to be in the province as stated in Article 5.

Legal observer and social scientist at Syiah Kuala University in Banda Aceh, Saifuddin Bantasyam, once said he thought it would be awkward if sharia was applied to non-Muslims regardless of whether their behavior was categorized as a sharia violation.

"If that was the case then we have to see first whether the qanun is implemented using the principle of individuality or the principle of territoriality," Saifuddin said.

Besides being considered discriminatory, the bylaw has also been criticized for criminalizing homosexuality.

Earlier this month, the Banda Aceh Sharia Police arrested two young women for allegedly being lesbians after they were seen holding hands and hugging in a public park. The women rejected the accusations, saying they were old friends who had just reunited.

Last year, a 25-year-old Acehnese woman faced being caned by Aceh's sharia police despite being a victim of gang rape at her home in Langsa. The rape took place at her house when the woman, who was in the company of a married man at the time, was observed by nine villagers who were suspicious of the pair's movements.

When the two went inside, the villagers immediately followed, tying up the woman's companion and putting him in a cupboard before allegedly taking turns to rape the woman.

Some of the suspects were arrested while others remain at large. Due to public outcry, the sharia police, which planned to sentence the woman with caning, citing khlawat, released the victim.

'Qanun Jinayat' No. 6/2014

Article 3

1. This qanun regulates:

a. Perpetrators of crimes;
b. Jarimah (crimes); and
c. Uqubat (punishment).

2. Jarimah includes:

a. Khamar (liquor);
b. Maisir (gambling);
c. Khalwat (indecency);
d. Ikhtilath (free relations between men and women);
e. Zina (sexual relations outside marriage);
f. Sexual harassment;
g. Rape;
h. Qadzaf (alleging somebody has committed adultery);
i. Liwath (homosexuality); and
j. Musahaqah (lesbianism).

Article 5

The qanun is applicable to:

a. All Muslims who commit crimes in Aceh;
b. All non-Muslims who commit crimes along with Muslims and choose to obey the Qanun Jinayat;
c. All non-Muslims who commit crimes that are not regulated in the Criminal Code (KUHP) and others, but regulated by the Qanun
Jinayat.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/23/qanun-jinayat-becomes-official-all-people-aceh.html

Human rights groups slam tougher Islamic laws in Aceh

Jakarta Post - October 23, 2015

Human rights groups criticize the implementation of a tougher version of the Qanun Jinayat – Aceh's Islamic Criminal Bylaw, which takes effect Friday – and call on the central government to push for change.

Ismail Hasani, the research director at the human rights advocacy group Setara Institute, said that even though a province that holds special autonomy like Aceh has the right to have its own regulations, it must not contradict the higher law and the Constitution.

Setara sees Qanun Jinayat as a violation of people's Constitutional rights and basic human rights.

"The implementation of Qanun Jinayat in Aceh is an institutionalized form of discrimination and inhuman punishment. The central government must not allow such legal discrimination to take place," he told thejakartapost.com on Friday, criticizing the public shaming that follows punishment.

Moreover, Ismail acknowledged that political arguments that defend Aceh's special autonomy status would be used to support the new bylaws. "It shows that politics is more important in deciding these issues than the legal arguments," he said.

Seperately, Hendra Saputra, coordinator of the Aceh office of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), said that civil society would closely watch the Acehnese administration to prevent any outlandish implementations of these bylaws.

"We will monitor the implementation, because we are worried about any mishandling such as in the arrest process," he told thejakartapost.com.

Hendra said the Acehnese government should enforce laws firmly so that there would be no civilians involved in the arrest or the punishment process. Only the authorities should enforce the laws, he said.

He also expressed his concern for impunity received by local officials in violating the Qanun. "There are cases of Qanun violations by state officials but no legal measures taken against them," he said without giving details.

The Aceh Legislative Council (DPRA) passed a bylaw on Qanun Jinayat in September last year. After a year of promotion by the Aceh administration, the bylaw took full effect on Friday.

Syahrizal Abas, the head of the province's Islamic sharia office, told kompas.com on Thursday that the new Qanun would compliment the old one that only addressed violations concerning alcohol consumption, gambling and unmarried couples being alone together.

Qanun Jinayat included additional violations and harsher punishments for adultery, homosexuality, intimacy outside of marriage, accusing people of adultery without any witnesses, sexual harassment and rape. It also stipulates a maximum of 100 lashes for violators. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/23/human-rights-groups-slam-tougher-islamic-laws-aceh.html

Aceh continues bulldozing churches

Jakarta Post - October 23, 2015

Aceh Singkil – The Aceh Singkil administration continued on Thursday to demolish 10 churches, which a group of Islamic youths had protested for not having building permits.

Tribunnews.com reported that workers used heavy equipment to knock down Pakpak Dairi Prostestan (GKPPD) Siatas Church in Pertabas village, Simpang district, after dozens of public order officers failed to demolish the church manually.

A church in Suka Makmur village was burned down by members of the youth group on Oct. 13. One of the group members was shot dead when the group attacked the village. Thousands of residents, mostly Christians, fled for regencies in North Sumatra after the attack.

The police have named 10 people as suspects in the case. Four have been apprehended while the other six remain at large. The Aceh Singkil Police chief has been removed for failing to prevent the incident.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/23/island-focus-aceh-continues-bulldozing-churches.html

Religious violence flares in Indonesia as mob torches Aceh church

The Guardian (Australia) - October 23, 2015

Kate Lamb, Jakarta – Indonesia is struggling to live up to its national motto "unity in diversity" after a mob attack on a church left one dead and the authorities responded by demolishing more churches.

The attack took place in the conservative province of Aceh, the only region in Indonesia that has sharia law and where religious tension has been brewing for months.

A mob wielding sharp weapons torched the small Protestant church in the district of Aceh Singkil last week, saying it lacked an official permit. One Muslim vigilante was shot dead in the attack, while thousands of Christians fled to a neighbouring province.

Bishop Elson Lingga visited Aceh Singkil the day after the attack and said there was a deep sense of unease in the villages. "After the event everyone is suspicious of each other, thinking, 'Are they the ones that reported us?' They are afraid of their Muslim neighbours," he said.

Hardliners in the district have used the media to call for almost all of the 22 churches in Aceh Singkil to be torn down. In September unknown attackers burned down another church in the middle of the night.

After the latest attack the district police chief was replaced for his poor handling of the conflict. But in a move intended to ensure security, police officers took sledgehammers to four other churches this week.

"The police were ensuring security for the local authorities," said a national police spokesman, Brigadier General Agus Rianto. "To maintain order based on the agreement between those involved – the buildings did not have a permit."

Permits for houses of worship in Indonesia are granted by local religious harmony forums, or FKUB. When Muslim and Christian members of the FKUB in Aceh Singkil decided that 10 of 22 churches in the district would be torn down, it was their decision the police was enforcing.

It was not a decision that Christian priests in Aceh Singkil felt at liberty to dispute. Bishop Elson said on the day of the meeting his pastor had been escorted by police and "forced to sign".

"Of course, they were intimidated," said a Human Rights Watch researcher, Andreas Harsono. "They told me that attending the meeting, they felt like they were on trial."

After receiving death threats one priest has gone into hiding.

Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world but is also home to a minority population of Christians, Buddhists and Hindus. The country has long prided itself on its reputation for religious diversity and tolerance and is often pointed to as an exemplar of moderate Islam.

But the FKUB system of regulating place of worship is blamed for rising discrimination because Muslims often have a veto on permit decisions.

"The problem with these attacks on religious places of worship is that it always seems to be done within the realm of regulation, within the law," said a moderate Muslim activist, Yenny Wahid. "The ones that are asked to be dismantled are the ones that did not get the permit."

President Joko Widodo took to Twitter after the attack, calling for an end to the violence and describing it as an assault on Indonesia's religious diversity.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/23/religious-violence-flares-in-indonesia-as-mob-torches-aceh-church

Aceh to implement tougher law, punishments from Friday

Jakarta Post - October 22, 2015

Jakarta – The Aceh administration will start implementing a new, tougher Qanun Jinayat (Islamic criminal bylaw) on Friday, with wider scope and harsher punishments for violators, an official said on Thursday.

Syahrizal Abas, the head of the province's Islamic sharia office, said the current bylaw was still lacking as it only regulated alcohol, gambling and unmarried couples being alone together.

"[The revised] Qanun Jinayat adds to the regulation regarding violations already in place," he said as quoted by kompas.com on Thursday.

The revised bylaw was passed by the Aceh Legislative Council (DPRA) in September last year. The Aceh government promoted the bylaw to the public over the past year and will now fully implementing it.

The new bylaw pertains to additional violations that include adultery, homosexuality, intimacy outside of marriage, accusing people of adultery without any witnesses, sexual harassment and rape.

The Qanun also stipulates harsher punishments – such as 100 lashes – for people proven in court to have engaged in adultery or homosexual acts.

Meanwhile, Banda Aceh deputy mayor Zainal Arifin said that the administration wanted to make improvements in many areas, including in Islamic sharia. "The implementation of Islamic sharia must be aimed at supporting people to practice Islamic sharia in all aspects of their lives," he said. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/22/aceh-implement-tougher-law-punishments-friday.html

Aceh Singkil police chief removed over negligence

Jakarta Post - October 20, 2015

Jakarta – The National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti said on Monday that he removed Adj. Sr. Cmr. Budi Samekto as Aceh Singkil police chief over his incompetence in managing the conflict, which claimed one life and sent thousands on exodus.

"We dismissed the Aceh Singkil police chief over negligence. I think the weak link is the police chief," Badrodin told news agency Antara on Monday evening.

He said that Budi was neglectful in securing his own area, which caused the conflict on Oct. 13 that killed one man, injured four people and made at least 7,000 people leave Aceh Singkil for safety.

"We have asked him if he needed back up and he said no. He should have calculated that, as it was his responsibility as a leader," Badrodin said.

The conflict started when a mob of people tried to tear down a church in Aceh Singkil, which they claimed was illegal. The Police named 10 people as suspects in the case and apprehended four while the other six remained at large.

"We have also arrested a suspected shooter that claimed a life," he said adding that the police also secured two minors who sent provoking text messages for the mass action. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/20/aceh-singkil-police-chief-removed-over-negligence.html

Aceh tears down churches after religious violence

Reuters - October 19, 2015

Aceh Singkil – Authorities in Aceh province on Monday began tearing down several small Christian churches after hard-line Muslims demanded their closure, citing a lack of building permits, and following religious violence.

Tensions are high among the ethnically and religiously diverse population of Aceh Singkil, where last week a mob burned down a church, leaving one person dead and forcing thousands of Christians to flee the area. Armed police and military troops have been deployed to the area and evacuees have returned.

Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population and the vast majority of its citizens practice a moderate form of the religion. Aceh is its only province to implement Islamic shariah law as it was granted autonomy as part of a 2005 peace agreement that ended decades of separatist violence.

Police in Aceh Singkil district used sledgehammers and axes to tear down the churches – little more than small, wooden structures – as Christian members of the community looked on, many of them weeping.

"Whether or not we agree, we are going ahead with it," said Paima Brutu, 35, caretaker of one Protestant church that was closed. He added the church had about 100 members.

"We have applied for the building permit again and again so at this point all we're asking the government is to be allowed to have that permit," he said.

The closures come after a meeting on Sunday of local political and religious figures, including Christians, in which all sides agreed to close the houses of worship, officials present at the meeting said.

Muslim residents, including members of the hard-line group Islamic Defenders Front, had demanded that 10 churches be closed.

"On a day to day basis, the communities live in peace with each other and there is no pressure to close down these churches," said Genti Brutu, the chief of Siompin village in Aceh Singkil where at least three churches were torn down.

"But what we are told is that it is a matter of permits so we have to abide by the rules.

Dozens of armored security vehicles patrolled the streets of a cluster of villages where at least 10 churches are slated to be demolished in the coming days.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/aceh-tears-churches-religious-violence/

Hardline Indonesian Muslims call for closure of Christian churches in Aceh

Reuters - October 18, 2015

Aceh Singkil – Hardline Muslims in Indonesia's conservative Aceh province on Sunday demanded the local government close 10 Christian churches, just days after a mob burnt down a church, leaving one person dead and several injured.

Tensions are high among the ethnically and religiously diverse population of Aceh Singkil district, raising the risk of further religious violence in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation.

The vast majority of Indonesians practice a moderate form of Islam, but Aceh is the only province that adheres to Islamic Sharia law, putting it at odds with the rest of the country.

"Ten churches have been identified as not having proper permits and should be closed," said Hambali Sinaga, head of the local chapter of the hardline group Islamic Defenders Front, adding that the government had until October 19 to take action. "We hope there will be no violence again tomorrow."

A mob of hundreds of people burnt down a small church in Aceh Singkil last week, citing a lack of building permits, and forced thousands of Christians to flee to neighbouring villages.

One Muslim member of the mob was killed, authorities said last week, adding that at least 10 people had been detained on suspicion of inciting violence.

The government has since deployed more than 1300 police and military personnel, with hundreds more on standby, to patrol the streets and stand guard outside other churches that dot the small palm oil plantations in the district.

"At the moment things are calm but we are on standby for any further incidents," said a spokesman for Aceh police, adding that evacuees had since returned to their homes.

Christian residents of the run-down district attended a service on Sunday right next to the charred remains of their church, under the guard of about a dozen armed security personnel.

Local government officials and religious figures, including from the Christian community, are scheduled to discuss the church closures on Sunday. They were not immediately available for comment.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/hardline-indonesian-muslims-call-for-closure-of-christian-churches-in-aceh-20151018-gkc5er.html

1,000 toddlers living in shelters following church burning in Aceh Singkil

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2015

Thousands of vulnerable people – children, women and the elderly – are staying in shelters following the burning of a church that prompted thousands to flee their hometown of Aceh Singkil in Aceh province, an official of a church organization said on Saturday.

Ilma Sovri Yanti, the head of an Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) cross-faith post said that two posts managed by the PGI registered at least 5,000 people from vulnerable groups in Aceh Singkil.

"Most are women, but around 1,000 toddlers are staying in our shelters in North Tapanuli and West Pakpak," she told news portal tempo.co. Ilma said other people were trapped in the conflict area and faced challenges in leaving Aceh Singkil as a result of tight security.

Kompas.com reported on Wednesday that 7,000 people had fled Aceh Singkil to go to several areas in North Sumatra, according to Aceh Singkil district chief Safriadi.

PGI spokesman Jerry Sumampow said the organization was collaborating with local social agencies to facilitate people who wanted to leave the location. "They need motorcycles or other vehicles to travel," he said.

The National Police on Thursday named 10 suspects in the attack. National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Anton Charliyan told Tempo that the police had arrested three suspects while the remaining seven were still at large.

Anton said the three people had been implicated in the burning of the church. "We also have found out the name of the instigator. The person is on the police's wanted list," he said as reported by Tempo.

Police questioned at least 45 people in connection with the Oct. 13 attack, which claimed one life and injured four. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/17/1000-toddlers-living-shelters-following-church-burning-aceh-singkil.html

1965 mass killings

Ubud festival banned from discussing 1965 massacre

Jakarta Post - October 23, 2015

Ni Komang Erviani and Erika Anindita, Denpasar/Jakarta – The annual Ubud Writers and Readers Festival (UWRF) has been forced to cancel a series of panel discussions on the 1965 Communist repression in Indonesia following scrutiny from local authorities, the festival director said on Friday.

Founder and director of the UWRF Janet DeNeefe said in a statement published on the festival's website that she was disappointed about the cancellation of the three sessions dedicated to the victims of 1965 bloody massacre.

As well as the panel discussion, also cancelled were a screening of Joshua Oppenheimer's film The Look of Silence and an art exhibition and book launch titled The Act of Living.

"The team has worked extremely hard over the past few weeks to try and ensure that these programs would go ahead. It's extremely disappointing and saddening that after all our efforts, and those of our panelists and partners, we are unable to host these sessions without jeopardizing the rest of the festival," she said in statement on Friday.

The announcement was made after extensive negotiations with local authorities.

She said that the festival had a mission to create a platform for people to discuss various issues that have a great impact on many people, such as the 1965 tragedy.

"We chose to dedicate a proportion of the program to enriching our understanding of this, through themes of reconciliation and remembrance," she added, saying that the sessions would create discussions to help those whose lives were severely affected.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the 1965 communist purge, during which it is believed that up to 1 million people were killed, from 1965 to 1966.

The 12th festival will run from Oct. 28 to Nov. 1, with the grand theme of "17,000 Islands of Imagination".

This will be the first time the UWRF has had panel sessions come under scrutiny from local authorities, including the government, police and military.

The festival, director DeNeefe said, will continue to promote freedom of literary, artistic and creative expression. "We sincerely hope that the festival will continue to create open space for constructive conversation in the years to come," she said.

Hanna Nabila, national media coordinator for the UWRF, said that the organizers had explained that the discussion will be about victims of the tragedy.

"We don't get into the political side, actually. But, maybe it is still too sensitive, so we didn't get authorization for several programs," she told thejakartapost.com.

Even though authorities did not make explicit threats, Hanna said the organizer would follow through and cancel the necessary sessions. "We worry that if we don't obey them, unwanted things may occur," she said.

Gianyar Police chief Adj. Sr. Cmr. Farman admitted that the authorities had banned certain sessions at the UWRF relating to the 1965 massacre. "This is for the benefit of the people. The spirit of the festival is not to discuss things that would just open old wounds," he said.

Farman claimed that the authorities only gave the organizer permission to hold a festival of writers and readers, not film screenings. "The movie did not even pass the censorship requirements," he said referring to Oppenheimer's movie.

He warned the organizers to follow through and cancel the sessions, saying that if they didn't the police would forcefully stop the festival. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/23/ubud-festival-banned-discussing-1965-massacre.html

Indonesia writers' festival forced to cancel events linked to 1965 massacre

The Guardian (Australia) - October 23, 2015

Michael Safi – Indonesia's largest writers' festival has been forced to cancel a series of events marking the 1965 massacre of alleged communists, after threats by authorities to revoke its operating permit.

The announcement by organisers on Friday was unprecedented in the 12-year history of the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival and signalled heightened sensitivities in Indonesia around the 50th anniversary of the mass killings, in which about 500,000 people died.

The festival's founder and director, Janet DeNeefe, said she was "extremely disappointed" to cancel the events, which included three panels, an art exhibit, a book launch, and the screening of an Oscar-nominated documentary on the subject, The Act of Killing.

"1965 is an event that has and continues to influence many Indonesians and as such, we chose to dedicate a proportion of the program to enriching our understanding about this, through themes of reconciliation and remembrance," she said.

"We hoped that these panel sessions would enable conversations to take place that continue Indonesia on its journey of healing, particularly for those whose lives were so severely affected."

Pressure had been applied by government, police and military officials, and local authorities were threatening to revoke the festival's permit, she said.

The documentary has been screened in past festivals, which have also featured discussions of the 1965-6 killings, carried out by paramilitary groups but with military backing in some regions. About a million accused leftists were imprisoned.

Aaron Connelly, an Indonesia specialist at Sydney's Lowy Institute, said the official intervention was surprising. "You would think police would be more sensitive to the fact this would not look good internationally for Indonesia," he said.

Indonesia still had "a very free public square", he said, but the election of president Joko Widodo last year had seen "a trend in anti-foreign sentiment". "The government and the population are struggling with issues of free expression more than in the past," Connelly said.

Widodo said in September the Indonesian government had "no intention to issue an apology" for the murders, which remain little-known among Indonesians or else regarded as "necessary at the time".

This month two British journalists stood trial in the archipelago after being caught allegedly filming a documentary while on tourist visas. In the past such crimes have seen journalists only deported or jailed briefly.

According to Reporters Without Borders (RWB), a press freedom advocacy group, nine Indonesians are also facing possible two-year jail terms or a fine for their work on another unauthorised documentary. The country slipped six places in RWB's press freedom rankings this year to 138th in the world.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/23/indonesian-writers-festival-forced-to-cancel-events-linked-to-1965-massacre

Indonesia threatens to shut down Bali's international writers festival

Sydney Morning Herald - October 23, 2015

Jewel Topsfield, Jakarta – Indonesian officials have threatened to shut down Bali's prestigious international writers festival, compelling organisers to cancel sessions discussing the bloody massacre of alleged communists in 1965.

The political censorship of this year's Ubud Writers and Readers Festival is unprecedented in the 12-year history of the popular event.

Three panel sessions discussing the mass killings, a screening of multi- award-winning director Joshua Oppenheimer's chilling film The Look of Silence and art exhibit and book launch The Act of Living have been pulled just days before the festival is scheduled to start.

Festival director Janet DeNeefe told Fairfax Media the cancellations were a "great blow" and she was outraged by the censorship. Local police, military and government officials had warned the festival it could be shut down if planned sessions, events and exhibitions on the 1965 massacres went ahead.

An estimated 500,000 to 1 million people labelled "communists" were massacred in Indonesia in 1965 and 1966 in what the CIA described as "one of the worst mass murders of the 20th century".

This dark chapter in Indonesian history remains extremely sensitive today, as many of the country's military and religious organisations were implicated in the mass killings.

"It is extremely disappointing and some might even say cowardly that the government is refusing to discuss this national tragedy," Ms DeNeefe said.

She said works on 1965 had been discussed in previous years at the festival and another of Joshua Oppenheimer's films, The Act of Killing, was screened last year. "It's almost like censorship has become fashionable overnight again," she added.

This week a 77-year-old Swedish man was deported for visiting the grave in West Sumatra of his father, who is believed to have been buried along with other supporters of the now defunct Indonesian communist party or PKI. Police reportedly claimed the man had been filming a documentary about cruelty towards the PKI.

And the National Commission on Human Rights this week opened an investigation into the recall of Lentera, a student newspaper from a Christian university in Central Java, because of its coverage of the 1965 killings.

"I think this all part of a broader crackdown on freedom of expression," Oppenheimer told Fairfax Media via email. "It's really upsetting. I fear it is a reassertion of power by the shadow state. I hope I'm wrong."

Indonesian author Eka Kurniawan, who has been described as a successor to Indonesia's greatest writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer, was scheduled to appear on October 29 in a panel on writing about 1965.

Kurniawan said the cancellation of the event was embarrassing. "Seventeen years after reformasi [the end of the Suharto era], we are still being haunted by such things," he said.

"Recently a new wave of anti-communism seems to have been revived, even when communism barely exists in Indonesia. If censoring ideas is tolerated, it will continue until it reaches its peak: eliminating the lives of men considered different."

Fellow panelist Putu Oka Sukanta was imprisoned for 10 years without trial in 1966 for suspected leftist leanings. "Of course as a writer, I am disappointed if they are banning literature or activities relating to freedom and expression," he said. "The [Indonesian] constitution allows freedom of expression and speech."

Sukanta said the era after reformasi had seemed to promise freedom of speech and the ability to uncover what was not known or had been reported one-sidedly during the Suharto period.

"Even the government promised to investigate what happened in the past. The impact of the 1965 tragedy is massive, it touched all segments in society. This nation must be freed from the past burden if it wants to move on into the future."

Ms DeNeefe said the cancellation of the festival events about 1965 would open up a huge international dialogue. "You can't silence something like that – sometimes these things are needed because they bring things to a head. This is almost like our look of silence – by not holding these sessions there is a powerful message."

Fairfax Media is seeking comment from local authorities.

[With Karuni Rompies.]

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/indonesia-threatens-to-shut-down-balis-international-writers-festival-20151023-gkgv0c.html

Students probed, mag recalled for reporting on PKI murders

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2015

Suherdjoko, Semarang – A campus magazine has been taken off the shelves and its journalists have been interrogated by police for publishing a report on the killings of supporters of the now defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) in 1965 in Salatiga, Central Java.

Central Java Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Liliek Darmanto said that upon learning about the publication of the Lentera magazine, a meeting involving local military officials and the Satya Wacana Christian University (UKSW) rector was held on Friday to discuss the contents of the magazine and it was decided that the UKSW would withdraw the publication from the market.

"The issue was sensitive. The same picture was already being talked about when it was circulated only in the virtual world," Liliek said on Tuesday, adding that the rector also gave permission to the police to look for information from the students who published the magazine.

The third edition of the magazine for 2015 was published by the School of Social and Communication Sciences' (Fiskom) Student Publishing Institution (LPM) under the title, "Salatiga Kota Merah" (Salatiga the Red City).

It reported on the alleged massacre of suspected PKI supporters in the town and its surrounding areas back in 1965. On its cover the magazine displayed a picture depicting a parading mob carrying the PKI symbols of a hammer and sickle.

Lentera's chief editor, Bima Satria Putra, said that the reports were the result of an investigation by the magazine's editorial team on the alleged massacre of suspected PKI supporters.

The team, according to Bima, found four massacre locations, namely Skeep Tengaran Square, rubber plantations in Tuntang and Beringin and Mount Buthak in Susukan.

"After the magazine was circulated, we received both pro and con responses," Bima told The Jakarta Post through an email on Tuesday.

It was distributed to the public through cafes and other places that advertised in the magazine. Five hundred copies were printed and were being sold for Rp 15.000 (US$1.01) a copy.

"We also distributed the magazines to government institutions in Salatiga and non-governmental organizations in Semarang, Jakarta and Yogyakarta," Bima said.

On Friday, however, Lentera's executives were summoned to meet the university's rector, deputy rector, dean of Fiskom and student affairs coordinator. The meeting agreed that Lentera had to withdraw the remaining magazines from all agencies.

Bima also said that on Sunday Lentera's executives, including himself, underwent interrogation by the Salatiga Police with the university's consent.

The police, according to Bima, had questions about the cover of the magazine, the validity of the sources of the information quoted, licensing, advertisement taxes and about consultations with the dean of the school.

However, UKSW's Fiskom dean Daru Purnomo in a release made available to the Post denied his students had been interrogated.

"The truth is we were conducting mediation, not interrogations," Daru said, adding that the mediation forum was held on Sunday, during which he and the UKSW leaders were present and involved.

He also asserted that there was no ban on Lentera magazine. Instead, he said the 3/2015 edition was recalled because it was considered to have violated the procedures stipulated in the school's student organization regulations – for example, it had been printed without prior consultation with the student affairs coordinator or the dean.

"Apart from that, according to the regulation on magazine publication under an education institution, the magazine is not to be sold outside the campus. We conducted the recall to calm the situation because there had been negative comments coming in," Daru said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/21/students-probed-mag-recalled-reporting-pki-murders.html

Student magazine retraction reported to Komnas HAM

Jakarta Post - October 20, 2015

Jakarta – The Association of Semarang Communities for Human Rights (PMS- HAM) said on Tuesday it had reported the retraction of Lentera, a student magazine published by the Satya Wacana Christian University's School of Social and Communication Sciences (UKSW Fiskom), to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and the Indonesian Press Council.

"We have sent a letter to Komnas HAM and the Press Council. In principle, we called on the Komnas HAM to review, assess and investigate the police's measures to withdraw Lentera magazines from circulation," PMS-HAM coordinator Yunantyo Adi said as quoted by kompas.com on Tuesday.

He was referring to Lentera Magazine Edition 3/2015, entitled "Salatiga Kota Merah" (Salatiga, the Red City), which tells stories about the killing of Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) supporters and suspected members in Salatiga in 1965.

Yunantyo said there had been a forced retraction of Lentera magazines by local police authorities. He said the incident began when several Fiskom students, who managed the Lentera student press institution (FKM Lentera), were requested to come to the Salatiga Police office on Sunday.

Accompanied by Fiskom leaders, they were questioned on matters surrounding the publication of the magazine from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. local time. Based on the results of the questioning, the police decided that FKM Lentera must retract the magazines.

According to Yunantyo, the major reason for the magazine's retraction was to maintain the stability and security of the society. The retraction was also aimed at preventing any legal problems from "third parties".

As reported earlier, the publishing of Lentera's third edition has triggered polemics as it tells stories of victims of human rights violations during the 1965 killings in Salatiga.

The police claimed the magazines were retracted because of their covers, which showed PKI symbols, namely the hammer and sickle. "Ideally, the police would have first coordinated with the Press Council about the magazine; but, they didn't do it," said Yunantyo. (ebf)?

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/20/student-magazine-retraction-reported-komnas-ham.html

Student magazine withdrawn for publishing about 1965 massacre

Jakarta Post - October 20, 2015

Suherdjoko, Semarang – Hundreds of copies of a student magazine published by student publishing institution (LPM) Lentera at the Satya Wacana Christian University's (UKSW) School of Social and Communication Sciences have been withdrawn from circulation for publishing about the 1965 massacre, drawing sharp criticisms from human rights activists.

Circulated last week, the Lentera Magazine Edition 3/2015, entitled "Salatiga Kota Merah" (Salatiga, the Red City), tells stories about the massacre of Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) supporters and suspected members in Salatiga in 1965.

The magazine's cover shows a mass procession of PKI sympathizers, carrying the party's flag emblazoned with the symbols of a hammer and sickle.

On Friday, the university urged LPM Lentera to withdraw its magazines, saying it wanted to keep the situation in Salatiga calm.

Lentera editor-in-chief Bima Satria Putra told thejakartapost.com on Tuesday that it published the magazines on Oct. 9.

"This was Lentera's third edition. We circulated the magazines to our readers in Salatiga by selling them at cafes and several other places, where we put advertisements of the magazine," he said.

"We printed 500 copies of the edition and sold them at Rp 15,000 [US$1.09] per copy. Lentera also distributed the magazines to government institutions in Salatiga and mass organizations in Semarang, Jakarta and Yogyakarta," he went on.

Bima said stories published in the magazine's third edition were the result of an investigation conducted by the Lentera editorial team on G30S/PKI events in Salatiga.

In its investigation into the massacres of PKI sympathizers and suspected members in Salatiga, the team found four main locations of the massacres, namely the Skeep Tengaran Field, the rubber plantations in Beringin and Tuntang and Mt Buthak in Susukan.

Bima said that after the magazines were distributed, LPM Lentera received various responses. Several parties showed their support, saying that the magazine could offer support to the 1965 victims.

Meanwhile, some other parties said publishing about such a sensitive issue given the current social and culture conditions was not proper because it could trigger instability in Salatiga and the UKSW campus in particular.

On Friday, UKSW Rector Rev. John A. Titaley and other university leaders held a meeting, which was attended by Lentera editorial members, and decided that it must withdraw all magazines. The university said the withdrawal was aimed at creating a conducive situation for people in the city.

Bima asserted that the Lentera editorial board had never had any intention to attack certain social groups. He said it had implemented proper journalistic principles by carrying out thorough documentary research, field observations and interviews to produce an accurate and objective investigative report.

"Lentera aimed at supporting existing evidence that PKI sympathizers in Salatiga were not involved in the G30S incident," said Bima.

"This edition was also designed to become a historical document on a bloody massacre in 1965. This is because in Salatiga and its surrounding areas, we could get only very little information about the 1965 massacres," he added.

Bima said several organizations, such as the Press Legal Aid Institute (LBH Pers), the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), the Indonesian Press Council and the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), as well as rights activists, such as Soe Tjen and Joshua Oppenheimer, had given their support. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/20/student-magazine-withdrawn-publishing-about-1965-massacre.html

1965 purge survivor in search of father's grave gets deported, blacklisted

Jakarta Globe - October 18, 2015

Jakarta – Authorities in West Sumatra deported a survivor of the 1965 anti-Communist purge after he tried to locate his father's mass grave, serving as yet another example how people believed to be communist sympathizers are still discriminated against by Indonesia even 50 years on.

Tom Iljas, 77, was one of many Indonesians who were sent by President Soekarno's administration to study abroad but unable to return home after the president was overthrown following the nationwide purge, which killed between 500,000 to one million suspected members of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and its sympathizers.

Tom was studying at the Peking Institute of Agricultural Mechanization in China between 1960 and 1965. He became stateless for the next 18 years before being accepted as a Swedish citizen.

According to Yulia Evina Bhara, 33, a friend who accompanied him during his travel back home, Tom was trying to visit his mother's grave in the village of Salido in the South Pesisir district, a three hour drive from West Sumatra's capital Padang.

He was also bent on finding the location of his father's burial site, which according to stories told to him, was an unmarked mass grave of suspected PKI sympathizers.

Along with his 81-year-old older sister, who refused to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue, and four other family members and acquaintances, Tom set out to Salido last Sunday to locate the mass grave and pray for his long-deceased father.

The group managed to get a rough location of where the mass grave might be from several locals. But the village head refused to grant them permission to visit the area and the group suddenly found themselves surrounded by 20 people who watched their every move and photographed them. Yulia suspected the men to be intelligence officers.

Tom and the others decided to head home after they were barred from entering the supposed site of the mass grave. But en route back to Padang, their vehicle was stopped by plainclothes police officers.

"During the interrogation process, there was no mention of any law being broken, but police continued to assert that the group were making a documentary film in Padang and elsewhere about cruelty to the Indonesian Communist Party," Yulia said in a statement released on Saturday.

Yulia said police intimidated them by yelling and slamming their fists on the table. The interrogation process lasted from 4 p.m. on Sunday until 5 a.m. the following day, she said. Yulia was the last to be interrogated.

Despite seeking help from the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation and the National Commission for Human Rights, Tom was deported back to Sweden on Thursday and placed on the country's blacklist, which means he cannot return to Indonesia.

"Tom Iljas was making a personal pilgrimage, possibly to see the graves of his father and mother for the last time," Yulia said

"His father's grave is one of the mass graves documented by Komnas HAM's investigations of the 1965 killings. And now Tom's spirit has died because his deportation resulted in him being blacklisted. He can never return to Indonesia."

South Pesisir District Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Deni Yuhasdi confirmed to Tempo.co news portal on Saturday that his officers kept Tom and others in custody but argued that "we were only trying to save them from being mobbed by the villagers."

Deni said the men surrounding the group in Salido were locals who were displeased that they were shooting a documentary about the 1965 killings. The officer said that police had no intention of keeping them in custody for so long.

"If immigration officers had come that evening, we would have immediately let them go. But they did not show up until the following day," he said.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/1965-purge-survivor-search-fathers-grave-gets-deported-blacklisted/

Police order recall and burning of magazine on 1965 communist purge

Tempo.co - October 18, 2015

Abdul Azis, Jakarta – The editor of the magazine Lentera (Beacon), Bima Satria Putra, says that the police have asked them to recall the October 10 issue of the magazine from circulation.

According to Bima, the October 10 issue of the magazine, which is produced by the student editorial board of the Satya Wacana Christian University Faculty of Social and Communication Studies, focused on commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1965 mass killings.

In that edition the Lentera editorial board took up the issue of the purge of Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) sympathisers in an around the Central Java city of Salatiga.

"We produced 500 copies, which were not only distributed on the Satya Wacana Christian University campus, but also to the Salatiga community, the Salatiga administration and organisations in [the Central Java cities of] Solo, Semarang and Yogyakarta", said Bima when contacted by Tempo on Sunday October 18.

Bima related how several days earlier on Friday October 16 they received a negative reaction to the magazine from the mayor, police and the military. "They protested the content of the magazine", he said.

The protests from the many different parties ended in the student press institute leaders being interrogated by police on October 18. They were subsequently asked to halt the distribution of the magazine so that all copies could be collected and burnt. "They asked for all copies of the magazine to be burnt", said Bima.

Not only that, Bima said that as a flow on effect of the circulation of the issue police issued a strong warning and reprimand to the campus. The police stated that the magazine did not have a publishing license, was not in accordance with prevailing legislation and was not suitable to be distributed to the public.

"We know that they did indeed make an issue over the [publishing] license, but the PKI content was also used as justification to recall the magazine from distribution", said Bima.

Earlier, Bima explained that although the Press Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Pers) in Jakarta, the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) and the Indonesian Student Press Association (PPMI) offered assistance, for various reasons the editors decided to hand the magazine over to police.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Beritakan Kasus 1965, Majalah Lentera Ditarik lalu Dibakar".]

Source: http://nasional.tempo.co/read/news/2015/10/18/063710644/beritakan-kasus-1965-majalah-lentera-ditarik-lalu-dibakar

Sexual & domestic violence

Police to open 10,000 abuse monitoring spots

Jakarta Post - October 20, 2015

Jakarta – The Jakarta Police has said it will appoint 10,000 spots across Jakarta to monitor child abuse, after several cases of violence against children made headlines recently.

The spots, called tempat aman anak (child safety spot), will allow children to seek help when experiencing abuse and allow anyone to report suspected cases, said Jakarta Police criminal detective director Sr. Comr. Krishna Murti.

"Once a child enters any of the spots, we guarantee they will be safe," Krishna said on Monday.

He said the initiative was launched after families expressed worries about their children's safety when playing outside following a string of recent child abuse cases.

Krishna said the monitoring spots, which would be easily recognizable by stickers, were to be opened this week.

"Therefore, children who feel afraid or experience mistreatment can report to any of the spots," Krishna said, adding that reports made at the spots would then be forwarded to nearby police offices.

He also said that the 10,000 spots would be registered with local police offices so to guarantee their legality.

"All of the spots should be registered at the local police offices, not anywhere else," he said, adding that each of the spots would be in strategic locations.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/20/greater-jakarta-police-open-10000-abuse-monitoring-spots.html

Labour & migrant workers

Toll road workers go ahead with strike plan

Jakarta Post - October 23, 2015

Jakarta – Despite a threat from the management of state-owned toll road operator PT Jasa Marga, around 1,000 outsourced workers will go ahead with their plan to strike next week, on Oct. 28, 29 and 30, causing the closure of 14 toll gates in Jakarta and surrounding areas.

"During our action, we will lock the gates. I want to know just how strong the management of PT Jasa Marga is," said Trade Union Association (Aspek) of Indonesia president Mirah Sumirat as reported by tribunnews.com on Thursday.

The workers are employed by PT Jalan Toll Lingkar Luar Jakarta (JLI), a subsidiary of PT Jasa Marga, and are currently building the outer-ring toll roads linking Jakarta with Cikampek, Bekasi, Bogor, Tanjung Priok and Tangerang.

They are striking to demand that PT Jasa Marga upgrade their employment status from outsourced to permanent.

If they go ahead with their planned strike, toll road services from Jakarta to neighboring cities will be seriously disrupted. To avoid this, the city police have called on the workers not to strike.

Jasa Marga spokesman Wasta Gunadi said that the toll road operator would continue to serve commuters to and from Jakarta from Oct. 28 to 30 regardless as it had 4,000 workers ready to fill in for those on strike.

The toll gates that would be closed in the case of a strike are those in Pondok Ranji, Pondok Pinang, Fatmawati, Ampera, Lenteng Agung, Kampung Rambutan, Pasar Rebo, TMII, Setu, Jati Asih, Jati Warna, Bintara, Cikunir and Cakung Barat. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/23/toll-road-workers-go-ahead-with-strike-plan.html

Jakarta may use old formula to decide wage increase

Jakarta Post - October 22, 2015

Jakarta – The Jakarta city Manpower and Transmigration Agency has proposed using an old formula to decide the 2016 minimum wage by taking into account items in the cost of living [KHL] in the city, instead of the fiscal year's inflation and gross domestic product (GDP) growth formula as stipulated in the government's fourth economic package.

Agency's head Priyono has said that before the central government announced the forth economic package, last week, the Jakarta Wage Council carried out a survey to figure out the items that would be on the KHL list.

"The results of the survey would be included in the documents that would be sent to Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama for consideration in deciding next year's Jakarta provincial minimum wage," said Priyono after meeting with members of the Jakarta Wage Council in Jakarta on Wednesday.

He said the central government had not issued a governmental regulation on the wage system, which would be a follow-up on the fourth economic package. "As long as there is no new government regulation, the old formula should decide next year's wage," he added.

Previously, a number of trade unions also rejected the new formula, saying that it would sluggishly improve employees' welfare. Confederation of Indonesian Workers Unions (KSPI) chairman Said Iqba said that assuming 2015 inflation was 5 percent and GDP growth rate was 5 percent, there would be a 10 percent annual rise in wages for 2016. He demanded the government also to consider the 84 items in the KHL. (bbn).

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/22/jakarta-may-use-old-formula-decide-wage-increase.html

Labor union rejects new wage raise formula

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2015

Arif Gunawan Sulistiyono, Jakarta – A labor union rejected the government's plan to apply a new formula for an annual wage raise, unless the Manpower Ministry opened up the possibility of negotiations to revise the basic amount of the wage used in calculating the wage increase.

Confederation of Indonesian Workers Unions (KSPI) chairman Said Iqbal confirmed that all labor unions rejected the new formula.

"We urge the government to stop formulating the draft of a government regulation on wages. Let us – labor unions, business associations and the government's representatives – sit together to decide the formula for the 2016 minimum wage increase," he told thejakartapost.com on Friday.

Under the new policy, workers can expect a minimum wage increase every year that takes into account the current fiscal year's inflation and gross domestic product (GDP) growth.

Indonesia's minimum wage, he explained, was now at Rp 2 million (US$148) on average nationally. Even the minimum wage in Jakarta, as the capital city, is only Rp 2.7 million, less than Malaysia's minimum wage of Rp 3.2 million, Thailand's minimum wage of Rp 3.4 million, and the Philippines minimum wage of Rp 3.6 million.

Assuming 2015 inflation is 5 percent and the GDP growth rate is 5 percent, there will be a 10 percent annual rise in wages for 2016 (based on the new formula). It means that workers will only receive Rp 200,000 additional per month, reaching Rp2.2 million, Said stated.

"This is unfair. Therefore, we demand the government increase the basic wage, which will be used in calculating the 2016 minimum wage, before the new inflation-plus-GDP formula is applied. Take the 84 items in the cost of living [KHL] into account, or let us negotiate it," Said asserted.

Said highlighted that the labor unions were ready for a massive strike, involving 5 million workers nationwide in November, if their demands were not met. (ags/bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/16/labor-union-rejects-new-wage-raise-formula.html

Freedom of speech & expression

Gorontalo government gets 8 months for defamation

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2015

Gorontalo – The Gorontalo District Court has sentenced Gorontalo governor Rusli Habibie to eight months in jail after being found guilty in a defamation case filed by former Gorontalo Police chief and current head of National Narcotics Agency (BNN) Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso.

Presiding judge Johnicol Richard Frans Sine said on Monday that Rusli was found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of committing libel against Budi.

Rusli, who was accompanied by his wife Idah Syahidah, did not comment on the verdict. He rushed home after the hearing. His lawyer Herson Abbas told reporters that the sentence was too heavy and unfair. "We will appeal," Herson said.

The case was built on a letter Rusli sent a letter in 2013 to then coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister, home minister and president, revealing the disharmony between the provincial administration and then Gorontalo police chief Budi.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/21/islands-focus-gorontalo-gov-gets-8-months-defamation.html

Freedom of information & press

Indonesia: RSF condemns president's 'failure' to keep media freedom pledges

Pacific Media Centre - October 21, 2015

Paris – Reporters Without Borders is very disappointed by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's performance over freedom of information and media freedom during his first year in office.

"Despite the democratic hopes raised by his election, Joko Widodo's presidency is far from meeting expectations with regard to access to information," said Benjamin Ismaol, head of the Reporters Without Borders Asia-Pacific desk.

"The authorities continue to suppress information and Jokowi's campaign pledge to open up the West Papua region to foreign journalists was just an illusion. If journalists can go there – under certain conditions – they are closely watched, exposing their sources to reprisals by the authorities."

The former governor of Jakarta, Jokowi began his term well. His inauguration on 20 October 2014 was followed a few days later by the release of French journalists Valentine Bourrat and Thomas Dandois.

Bourrat and Dandois had fallen victim to Indonesia's restrictive practices in West Papua (the western half of the island of New Guinea) and were sentenced to two and a half months in prison for violating Indonesia's draconian immigration laws by doing a report there after entering the country on tourist visas.

Their fixer, Areki Wanimbo, was only released after being held for eight months.

Ever since annexing the West Papua region in 1963, the Indonesia authorities have restricted access for foreign journalists because of acts of violence against civilians and the government's crackdown on the separatist movements operating there. The few journalists managing to visit the region, which is an information "black hole," have been closely watched.

Ban 'lifted'

On 10 May, Jokowi announced the lifting of the ban on foreign journalists going to the West Papua region. The opening of Indonesia's most secret region to journalists was one of the campaign promises made by Jokowi, who even told journalists that "there's nothing to hide".

The decision allowed New Zealand's Maori TV to do a report on the ethnic Papuan community for its Native Affairs programme. This was the first report of this kind in more than 50 years.

But there is no guarantee of lasting access to information in the region. Certain army factions that have profited from Indonesia's occupation are expected to continue to oppose media coverage. It is also highly unlikely that the authorities will let journalists investigate all the human rights violations that have taken place since annexation.

Jokowi's announcement – made while Indonesia was in the international spotlight following the death sentences pass on seven foreigners for drug trafficking – has all the hallmarks of a smokescreen designed to fob off international public opinion and add some temporary gloss to Indonesia's image.

While foreign reporters are no longer openly targeted in the West Papua region, the authorities still have their fixers and sources in their sights. Two fixers working for a French journalist were arrested and questioned by the police at the start of this month.

The authorities also restrict the freedom of local journalists. Abeth You, a reporter for the TabloidJubi.com website, was attacked by police on 8 October while covering a demonstration in Jayapura, the West Papua region's biggest city. It was organised by Solidarity for Victims of Human Rights Violations in Papua.

After the police bundled You into a truck, an officer seized his camera and deleted all his photos – all the while threatening him with his gun. Even when they have press cards, local journalists covering demonstrations continue to be treated by the police as demonstrators.

Coverage of certain sensitive subjects also continues to be closely controlled in the rest of Indonesia. British journalists Rebecca Prosser and Neil Bonner are still awaiting a verdict in their trial after being arrested for reportedly filming a reenaction of pirates attacking an oil tanker in the Malacca Strait, near Singapore.

Rear Admiral Taufiqurrahman said shortly after their arrest that "what they were reenacting (...) could tarnish the image of the Malacca Strait as a crime-prone area." The two journalists have been held since May under Indonesia's immigration laws.

In a couple of months, we will know whether Jokowi's presidency has caused Indonesia to fall in the 2016 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index. (Reporters Without Borders/Pacific Media Watch)

Source: http://www.pmc.aut.ac.nz/pacific-media-watch/indonesia-rsf-condemns-presidents-failure-keep-media-freedom-pledges-9460

Journalists condemns police, military for 'intimidation' at football riot

Jakarta Globe - October 19, 2015

Jakarta – The Independent Alliance of Journalists, or AJI, has criticized police and military for the alleged intimidation of journalists covering the President's Cup football final in Jakarta on Sunday.

The high-profile match featured a heavy security presence in light of violent attacks by fans of Jakarta's Persija football club, which did not make the final, against fans of Persib Bandung, which played in and won the match against Sriwijaya FC of Palembang, South Sumatra.

As part of security measures, police and military prohibited reporters from covering the sporadic clashes between Persija hooligans and security personnel.

"The officers did not want any of the journalists to capture the chaotic moments and so they took away the journalists' cameras and cellphones and forced them to delete the videos and pictures of the clashes," Ahmad Nurhasim, the chairman of the AJI's Jakarta chapter, said on Monday.

"An officer came up to me and said that this [President's Cup] was a big event. He said 'Stop making news about the clashes,'" said a reporter who witnessed the clashes.

The AJI said the security officers' actions constituted intimidation and a violation of press freedom under the 1999 Press Law. The alliance has called on the police and the military to punish the officers involved in the media crackdown.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/journalists-alliance-condemns-police-military-intimidation-football-riot/

Political parties & elections

Supreme Court ruling fails to bring Golkar feuding to an end

Jakarta Globe - October 21, 2015

Jakarta – The rift that has sheared Indonesia's oldest political party appears no closer to healing, despite a ruling by the highest court in the land on the polarizing issue of its leadership.

The Supreme Court revealed on Tuesday that it had ruled recently to recognize Aburizal Bakrie as the legitimate chairman of the Golkar Party, over a rival claim by Agung Laksono.

Aburizal was re-elected as chairman at a party congress held in Bali in early December 2014. Days later, disgruntled party members held a rival congress in Ancol, North Jakarta, where they named Agung the chairman. The two camps have since taken their respective claims to various courts, winning a mix of judgments before the matter landed before the Supreme Court.

Supandi, a spokesman for the court, said the latest ruling found in favor of an earlier verdict by the Jakarta State Administrative Court that recognized the Bali congress as Golkar's legitimate leadership selection event.

In response, Aburizal said he was grateful for the ruling and would "accommodate those who are in the other camp." "Our victory proves that we took the right steps," he said in Jakarta on Tuesday evening.

The issue, however, remains far from resolved, according officials from the Ancol camp, who claim that Aburizal's team has misinterpreted the ruling.

"The court's decision was to accept Aburizal's appeal [...] That means the final decision [on the party's leadership] is now based on a meeting in Riau at which the party agreed to hold a congress to elect Golkar's new leaders," said Yusuf W., the deputy counsel general for Agung's faction.

Supandi said separately that the Supreme Court's ruling could still be subject to a judicial review if either of the parties was unsatisfied. A judicial review constitutes the very final stage of appeal.

The split within the party, which marked its 51st anniversary on Tuesday with a low-key ceremony at the Aburizal faction-controlled Jakarta headquarters, stems from discontent over the chairman's failure to get anyone from the party into last year's presidential race, despite Golkar getting the second-highest number of votes in the legislative election.

The 2014 vote was the first in the country's history in which none of the presidential or vice presidential candidates was from Golkar.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/supreme-court-ruling-fails-bring-golkar-feuding-end/

Surveys & opinion polls

Almost half of Indonesia is unhappy with Jokowi's performance: Survey

Jakarta Post - October 20, 2015

Erika Anindita, Jakarta – Indonesians are unhappy with the performance of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla, mostly due to the country's economy, which respondents say has continued to worsen, according to the results of a survey released on Tuesday.

The poll, by Poltracking Indonesia, of 1,200 respondents was aimed at providing insight into the views of Indonesian people about Jokowi's and Kalla's job performance in the first year of their administration.

As many as 48.63 percent of respondents in the survey, taken between Oct. 7 and Oct. 14, said they were disappointed with how Jokowi handled problems since he was inaugurated as the Indonesian president on Oct. 20, 2014. Meanwhile, 49.79 percent of respondents said they were dissatisfied with Kalla's performance since he was elected.

"The trend of the public's satisfaction with Jokowi-Kalla's job performance has declined from their performance over the previous six months," Poltracking Indonesia director Hanta Yudha said in a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He said the respondents' satisfaction level with respect to the economy stood at only 22.32 percent, or the worst in comparison with other fields. Their dissatisfaction was related to the government's failure to maintain the stability of the rupiah (68.84 percent), to guard the stability of basic commodity prices (68.63 percent), to reduce unemployment (63.37 percent) and to lower poverty (61.26 percent).

Hanta said that overall the satisfaction level of respondents stood at 44.95 percent. Education and health were two fields the respondents were most satisfied with. He said 59.89 percent of respondents were satisfied with the government's work in the field of education while in the health sector, the satisfaction level stood at 59.57 percent.

The survey also revealed that the public's satisfaction level with Jokowi- Kalla's job performance in four fields, namely politics, safety, law enforcement and corruption eradication, remained unchanged from October last year. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/20/almost-half-indonesia-unhappy-with-jokowi-s-performance-survey.html

Survey shows disappointment with Jokowi

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2015

Jakarta – A public opinion poll conducted by the Indonesian Public Opinion Research and Discussion Group (Kedai Kopi) found that the majority of its respondents were dissatisfied with the performance of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration.

"Our survey found that 54.7 percent of the respondents were dissatisfied with the performance of the government," Kedai Kopi spokesman Hendri Satrio said on Sunday.

Hendri said that most of the respondents had problems with soaring prices of basic goods, the weakening of the rupiah against the US dollar and the slow handling of haze engulfing Sumatra and Kalimantan in recent months.

"Others are upset about the high price of fuel, unemployment, mediocre performance of ministers, expensive health care and many other issues," he said.

Hendri said Jokowi should take the grievances of the respondents into consideration when deciding whether to conduct another Cabinet reshuffle in the future.

Kedai Kopi conducted its survey, which had 384 respondents, in nationwide cities between Sept. 14 and 17.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/19/national-scene-survey-shows-disappointment-with-jokowi.html

Environment & natural disasters

MUI calls for Indonesian Muslims to pray for rain to tackle haze

Jakarta Post - October 22, 2015

Jakarta – The Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI) calls on Muslims to conduct a prayer for rain to help manage the haze crisis in the country, a top official of the organization said on Wednesday.

MUI chairman Maruf Amin said that it took a special effort to end the forest and land fires, which caused much of Sumatra and Kalimantan to be covered in haze over the past three months.

"Considering the current condition of Indonesia, MUI urged Muslims to conduct an istisqa prayer [a prayer for rain]," he said as reported by state news agency Antara on Wednesday evening.

Maruf said Muslims should fast for three days before the prayer. Muslims in Indonesia should say Istighfar [ask for God's mercy], be polite and live a modest life, he said.

MUI also called on everyone to repent, to ask for God's forgiveness from all sins, to give more alms and to leave behind all bad deeds. "The prolonged dry season that is happening to our country might be a warning from God," he said.

Maruf urged the government to have firm and strategic policies to help end the bad impact of the long dry season. The firm actions, he said, could be legal enforcement by charging everyone behind the forest and land fires and supporting the poor people's economy. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/22/mui-calls-indonesian-muslims-pray-rain-tackle-haze.html

Government to cancel relaxation on timber certification policy

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2015

Ayomi Amindoni, Jakarta – The government is set to cancel its plan to relax certification requirements for downstream timber products.

Previously, the Trade Ministry stated that small and medium enterprises should be allowed to export their timber products without meeting the criteria of the timber legality verification system (SVLK) as part of the ministry's new policies on deregulation.

According to Trade Minister Thomas Lembong, among the 32 rules that were supposed to be deregulated, one of them included the mandatory SVLK for downstream timber products such as furniture.

"We must realize that the deregulation has boundaries as well. There are also positive regulations that are very worthy and should be maintained," Thomas told thejakartapost.com after the opening ceremony of the 2015 Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI) in Jakarta on Wednesday.

According to Thomas, the plan was canceled after the ministry received feedback from the European Union, the Environment and Forestry Minister and NGOs.

"I learned that SVLK is a very sophisticated and good system and it will add value to Indonesia's timber product exports," said Thomas.

SVLK aims to reduce illegal logging and timber trading as well as improve the management of industrial timber products and allow better timber legality assurance. It will also help prevent the emergence of black markets.

Thomas said the mandatory SVLK for downstream timber products would be fully enforced next year. All uncertified timber products will not be allowed to be exported due to their unverified origins.

Earlier, Eyes on the Forest (EoF) activist Ian Hilman said that the government's plan to relax the certification policy meant that it had forgotten the long history of illegal logging in Indonesia and only accommodated the interests of certain groups.

Likewise, Zainuri Hasyim from the Indonesian Independent Forest Monitoring Network (JPIK) said that all forest governance efforts that had been conducted would have zero results if the plan was executed.

"SVLK should be maintained as it is an attempt to improve forest governance," said Zainuri. (kes)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/21/govt-cancel-relaxation-timber-certification-policy.html

Police name 7 foreign firms suspects

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2015

Jakarta – The National Police added on Tuesday five more foreign firms to their list of companies suspected of causing forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan that have produced haze over Singapore and parts of Malaysia and Thailand.

According to National Police detective division chief Comr. Gen. Anang Iskandar, the five companies have been identified as PT KAL (Australia), PT IA (Malaysia), PT PAH (Malaysia), PT H (Singapore) and PT MB (Malaysia).

The police also declared last week PT ASP (China) and PT AP (Malaysia) suspect. "The cases are being handled by local police. The companies allegedly committed the slash-and-burn practices," said Anang.

He also said that the local police had detained three Indonesian citizens working as executives in the companies. "The investigations will continue and more suspects may be named in coming days," said Anang.

The hazardous haze has forced the closure of thousands of schools, grounded hundreds of flights and has caused trans-boundary air pollution that has affected Indonesia's neighbors including Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/21/national-scene-police-name-7-foreign-firms-suspects.html

Hazy new year: SEA to suffer for months as Indonesia fails to douse fires

Reuters - October 19, 2015

Jakarta – Indonesian forest fires that have caused choking smoke to drift across Southeast Asia are spreading to new areas and are unlikely to be put out until next year, experts said on Monday.

Indonesia has come under increased pressure from its neighbors to contain the annual "haze" crisis, which is caused by slash-and-burn agriculture practices, largely on Sumatra and Kalimantan.

But it has failed to put out the fires, with "hot spots" growing in eastern parts of the country and industry officials and analysts estimating the smoke will last until early 2016.

"Maybe it will last until December and January," said Herry Purnomo, a scientist at the Center for International Forestry Research, adding that hot spots had reached Papua, a region that usually avoids widespread fires. "It is because people are opening new agriculture areas, like palm oil," he said.

A senior official at a company active in Indonesia's forested areas said the haze could continue until March.

Indonesia usually enters its wet season in October and November, but this year the country is expected to face moderate El Nino dry conditions which could strengthen until December and may hinder efforts to control the fires.

Indonesia's national disaster management agency has made several forecasts for when the forest fires will be brought under control, many of which have now passed, but their latest target date is early November.

Indonesia has revoked the land licences of Mega Alam Sentosa and state- owned Dyera Hutan Lestari, Rasio Rido Sani, the director general for law enforcement at the forestry ministry, told reporters late on Monday. Both firms could not be reached for comment.

Last month, Indonesia ordered four companies to suspend operations for allegedly causing forest fires.

On the ground, NASA satellites detected 1,729 fire alerts across Indonesia on Wednesday, a national holiday, more than any single day in the last two years.

About half of the fires during the last week have been on carbon-rich peat land areas, mostly in South Sumatra, South and Central Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Papua.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has increased government efforts to tackle the haze in recent weeks, making several visits to the worst-hit areas and asking other countries for help, but apparently to little avail.

"We all know that the burned areas are now widening beyond normal conditions," Widodo told reporters on Sunday. "... the efforts to extinguish the fires are ongoing now both by land and air. We have to be patient because the burned areas is now wide."

[Additional reporting by Cindy Silviana, Bernadette Christina and Agustinus Beo Da Costa.]

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/hazy-new-year-southeast-asia-set-suffer-months-indonesia-fails-douse-fires/

New Order style censorship being used to limit data on forest fires

Tempo.co - October 18, 2015

Parliza Hendrawan, Palembang – The bad old practices of the New Order dictatorship of former President Suharto are still being applied in some government agencies in Indonesia.

This time round they came down hard on the South Sumatra Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), which plays a vital role in forest and land fires.

"There was a government agency that asked us to restrict the circulation of information about the weather, hot spots, visibility and the ISPU [Standard Air Pollution Index] levels", said Indra Purna, the information and data section chief of the Kenten Climatology Station in the South Sumatra city of Palembang, when speaking with Tempo on Saturday October 17.

According to Indra, the external agency put pressure on the BMKG to restrict information provided to the media with a specific intent and for particular interests. He was not prepared however to name the agency trying to enforce this censorship of information ala the New Order.

Yet, said Indra, who is a graduate of the Geophysics, Climatology and Meteorology Institute, such data is essential for industry, aviation, transportation and educational institutions.

The BMKG, said Indra, has never bowed down to external pressure saying that his position requires him to be honest with whoever requires the most up-to-date information, including journalists.

In addition to this, they cannot hide the weather conditions, smoke density levels and the number of hot spots because these things can be seen with the naked eye and felt by people's in their daily lives.

Indra said he was happy to be involved in dealing with the forest fires and haze because he can share his knowledge and experience with others.

He is convinced that his knowledge will grow and society's understanding will spread. "It's saddening when a certain party only takes action after there are victim and financial losses arise", he said.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Ada yang Tekan BMKG Agar Tak Sebar Data Kebakaran Hutan".]

Source: http://nasional.tempo.co/read/news/2015/10/18/173710494/ada-yang-tekan-bmkg-agar-tak-sebar-data-kebakaran-hutan

Haze sickens half a million in six provinces in Kalimantan, Sumatra

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2015

Tama Salim, Jakarta – The number of people falling ill from deteriorating air quality has jumped to almost 500,000 as fires that have ravaged forest and peat lands in Sumatra and Kalimantan over the past two months continue to affect millions of people.

Health Minister Nila Djuwita Anfasa Moeloek said that as of Friday, the haze had caused 425,377 people from all six affected provinces to suffer from acute respiratory infections (ISPA).

"Our figures point to 425,377 cases of ISPA, although not all of them are being treated [in hospital] for infections," Nila said after a discussion with leaders of the House of Representatives at the House compound in Central Jakarta, on Friday.

Earlier, respiratory illness as a result of the air pollution claimed the life of one infant while another 19 babies received intensive treatment in Sumatra hospitals.

Additionally, ministry data from last week said that out of a total of 307,358 ISPA cases, there were four fatalities in Riau Islands, one in Jambi and two in South Sumatra.

In response to the emergency, the ministry has prioritized the introduction of preventive methods to curtail the number of patients and those falling sick, such as the distribution of protective masks to prevent people from inhaling soot from the air.

Nila also urged local residents in regions with high levels of air pollution to stay indoors, or to wear masks or other protective gear while outdoors. "It all depends on the level of the ISPU [air pollution standard index]; if it exceeds 300 5g/m3 then it becomes quite bad because there are too many airborne particles. That's why we urge the public to refrain from leaving [their homes]," Nila said.

Nila also recommended that infants and children, pregnant women and the elderly with a high risk of illness should completely avoid exposure to the air pollution.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported on Friday that a number of major cities in Sumatra and Kalimantan still had highly unhealthy levels of particulate matter (PM10) stemming from the smoke from unremitting fires.

Jambi, Palembang in South Sumatra and Pontianak in West Kalimantan, had the worst air quality in the country after PM10 levels of over 320 5g/m3 were measured in all three cities on Friday afternoon.

According to the government's guidelines, air quality is considered "healthy" if its PM10 level is below 50 5g/m3, "moderate" when the level is 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.

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.

The Health Ministry had already introduced various health-related mitigation efforts, such as the distribution of over 30 tons of supplies and disaster relief, comprising masks, rations, medicine and oxygen tanks, to the eight provinces most affected by the smog.

On Friday, in addition to Nila, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut B. Pandjaitan and Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar also briefed lawmakers on the government's pollution- mitigation efforts.

Responding to the briefing, House speaker Setya Novanto applauded the government's efforts thus far.

"I hope that there won't be any more fatalities [from the smog] – all the work currently being done is for the benefit of the people," Setya said on Friday.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/17/haze-sickens-half-a-million-six-provinces-kalimantan-sumatra.html

Health & education

Minister Anies on the right track

Jakarta Post - October 20, 2015

Jakarta – Education and Culture Minister Anies Baswedan is on the right track toward improving the quality of national education, say education experts.

"He has made a good start in efforts to revamp the country's education system during his first year in office," Arief Rahman, an education expert from Jakarta State University (UNJ), said on Monday.

He said it helped that Anies had the personality and ability to bring people from different backgrounds together under the ministry.

Federation for Indonesian Teachers Associations (FSGI) secretary-general Retno Listyarti also lauded Anies' performance.

"Achievements worth praising include his decision to suspend the 2013 national curriculum and not using the national exam as the only factor in determining graduation," Retno said.

Anies officially suspended in December the implementation of the much- criticized 2013 national curriculum – which was first implemented by his predecessor, Mohammad Nuh – owing to its complicated teaching and scoring mechanisms, which had confused students, parents and teachers.

Anies said on Monday that, until now, the ministry had been working to review the content of the curriculum. "We are reviewing the content so that the new curriculum is well-implemented," Anies said during a discussion at his office in Jakarta.

Anies said he aimed to complete the review by the end of the year, but acknowledged that it could take years for the curriculum to be implemented. "We are prioritizing quality," he said.

Anies also announced in December that the national exam would no longer be the sole determinant of graduation. The decision won praise from many quarters.

Under Anies' predecessors, the national exam was the only factor that determined graduation, while school exams and reports contributed nothing to the evaluation process. Many students experienced depression and anxiety about failing, which led to cheating and even suicide.

In spite of the progress, both Retno and Arief said that Anies needed to work hard to solve the many problems plaguing the country's education system.

Retno said that Anies had yet to form a comprehensive plan to improve the quality of teachers. "Teachers need training based on their subjects beside tests, because the tests won't improve their teaching skills," Retno said.

She said that improving the quality of teachers was more important than reviewing curriculum. "No matter how good the curriculum is, nothing will change if teachers aren't qualified. Qualified teachers will be able to develop strong students, even with poor curriculum," she said.

Meanwhile, Arief said he hoped that the minister would also focus on ensuring the distribution of education-related facilities. "All schools in the archipelago are supposed to have the same infrastructure quality," Arief said. (foy)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/20/minister-anies-right-track.html

Graft & corruption

Controversial Sarpin awarded promotion

Jakarta Post - October 23, 2015

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – South Jakarta District Court judge Sarpin Rizaldi, who ruled in favor of National Police deputy chief Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan in a February pretrial hearing, has received a promotion to the high court.

South Jakarta District Court spokesperson I Made Sutrisna confirmed Sarpin's promotion on Thursday, saying that he would serve as a judge at the Pekanbaru High Court.

"Yes, it is true that the Supreme Court has made an official decision on the promotion of Pak Sarpin. He is among 425 judges who received a promotion," Made told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Made said there was nothing out of the ordinary about the promotion as it was only a regular tour of duty in the country's judicial institutions.

Made added that the promotion was decided solely by the Supreme Court and that South Jakarta District head Haswandi, who made a similar controversial ruling against the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in May, had not contributed to the decision.

"It is the prerogative of Supreme Court chief justice [Hatta Ali] to decide about such a promotion," Made said, adding that Sarpin deserved the promotion as he was a senior judge in terms of age and rank.

Made said that Sarpin would continue working for the South Jakarta District Court until the Supreme Court announced the details of his official transfer to Riau next month.

When asked if Sarpin received the promotion as a reward for his controversial decision in favor of Budi, Made declined to comment. "I am not in a position to answer the question because any promotion decision is in the hands of the Supreme Court chief justice," Made said.

Antigraft activists quickly condemned the Supreme Court for the controversial judge's promotion. Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) researcher Aradila Caesar urged the Supreme Court to explain its decision.

"A promotion should be given to judges with positive achievements, not those with negative achievements. The decision needs some explaining. Is there any relationship between the promotion and the ruling on Budi Gunawan? Because on many occasions the Supreme Court applauded the ruling and deemed it 'good' and 'progressive'," Aradila told the Post.

"This is a test for the Supreme Court, if it fails to give an explanation then it can be deemed a backward institution that does not support the country's fight against corruption," he said.

In March, instead of meeting demands made by legal experts and former Supreme Court justices to overturn Sarpin's controversial ruling, which they claimed to have violated the country's Criminal Law Procedures (KUHAP), the Supreme Court applauded the ruling by saying that Sarpin had made a "legal breakthrough" on issues that were not regulated by the KUHAP.

Sarpin approved Budi's pretrial plea to challenging the KPK's decision to name him a suspect in a graft case despite the fact that the KUHAP restricts the authority of the pretrial mechanism to determining the legality of an arrest or detention, terminating an investigation or prosecution, or granting a request for compensation and rehabilitation.

However, the Constitutional Court agreed with the Supreme Court and in April ruled that a pretrial hearing could judge the legality of a primary investigation, a major blow to the power of law enforcement agencies, especially the KPK.

Following the Constitutional Court ruling, Haswandi also issued a ruling demanding the KPK halt its probe into former Supreme Audit Agency chief Hadi Poernomo's in May, in relation to an alleged tax scandal case involving hundreds of billions of rupiah, which also implicated Bank Central Asia.

"The promotion confirmed that the Supreme Court supported all of Sarpin's controversial moves. The promotion defies logic," said Erwin Natosmal, a campaigner with the Indonesian Legal Roundtable.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/23/controversial-sarpin-awarded-promotion.html

Suryadharma got family, friends on haj for free

Jakarta Post - October 22, 2015

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – A Religious Affairs Ministry official testifying before the Jakarta Corruption Court on Wednesday said that graft suspect and former religious affairs minister Suryadharma Ali had issued instructions to include dozens of relatives and colleagues in his haj entourage in 2013, a trip that was paid for using money from regular pilgrims.

The witness, Sri Ilham Lubis, who is currently serving as the ministry's director for haj services, said that in order to facilitate the 39 individuals, the former minister had ordered officials to use haj quota places intended for other pilgrims.

In order to hide the identities of the 39 individuals, they were registered as members of the haj committee to avoid complaints from registered pilgrims.

"We had to use quota places not taken up by pilgrims. We included them in the list of haj committee members because they did not pay haj pilgrimage travel fees [BPIH]," Ilham said in his testimony.

Ilham said that the places were supposed to be given to pilgrims on the waiting list or at least members of the haj committee selected by the ministry's director general for the haj and umrah (minor haj).

As the ministry's budget could not accommodate any more additional haj committee members, Suryadharma instructed the ministry to use money collected from pilgrims to pay for the trips.

"It was processed after approval from SDA [Suryadharma] was issued. There was a meeting to discuss the issue," Ilham said, adding that the individuals would later join a total of 3,250 haj committee members whose job was to assist around 200,000 pilgrims performing the haj in 2013.

In spite of their status as haj committee members, the 39 individuals were in the Holy Land only to perform the haj rituals and carried out no official duties. In addition, seven of the individuals received a stipend of Rp 355 million (US$25,868) each, which was taken from the state budget.

Earlier on Friday at the court, another Religious Affairs Ministry official, also gave incriminating testimony against Suryadharma.

The ministry's former director for haj and umrah training, Ahmad Kartono, said that between 2011 and 2013, Suryadharma, who served as minister from 2009 to 2014, also asked him to arrange a trip for a number of House of Representatives Commission VII members, also by falsifying their identities.

The KPK has indicted Suryadharma on corruption charges, accusing him of abusing his authority as Religious Affairs Minister to enrich himself and other individuals by misusing haj pilgrimage funds, which were obtained from the payments of haj pilgrims and from state funds.

Suryadharma is alleged to have misused Rp 27.28 billion from the haj fund and received 17.96 million reals from a Saudi businessman who wanted to win contracts for haj accommodation. If found guilty Suryadharma could be sentenced to up to 20 years' imprisonment.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/22/suryadharma-got-family-friends-haj-free.html

Low marks for Joko, Kalla on watchdog's report card

Jakarta Globe - October 21, 2015

Jakarta – The Indonesia Corruption Watch has given President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla a score of five out of 10 for their performance after one year in office.

The watchdog based its evaluation on the pair's efforts to fight corruption, their working cabinet and the administration's commitment to the Nawa Cita campaign, which consists of nine priority programs aimed at the development of Indonesia.

One of these is specifically dedicated to battling corruption, but the ICW has seen none of its points fully realized.

"We gave them a five because there is still much work to be done in corruption eradication since [they took office] last year," said ICW researcher Lalola Easter, as quoted by CNN Indonesia.

The group sees Joko's recent move to delay deliberations on a bill that would revise the nation's laws on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) as a blow to the anti-graft body, making it more vulnerable to further attacks. The president should have outright rejected the revision, the ICW said.

The controversial bill would essentially weaken the KPK's ability to fight corruption, allowing it to only investigate graft cases that have incurred state losses of at least Rp 50 billion ($3.6 million). Its officials would also have to gain permission from the courts before wiretapping a potential graft suspects.

Another factor holding back Joko and Kalla's potential, Lalola said, is the constant interference of their ministers – particularly the 15 politicians who are attached to political parties and whose loyalties are at risk of being wavered by their party patrons.

The ICW therefore urged Joko and Kalla to evaluate their anti-graft programs as well as their ministers' performance. The watchdog went so far as encouraging the pair to fire cabinet members who do not support the fight against corruption.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/low-marks-for-joko-kalla-in-watchdog/

Indonesia among biggest sources of illicit money

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2015

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – At least US$187 billion of the country's funds stolen from illicit practices such as corruption, tax evasion and other illegal activities were "legally" funneled by financial violators to develop countries for investment between 2003 and 2012, Transparency International Indonesia (TII) revealed on Sunday.

Citing a survey conducted by the Global Financial Integrity (GFI), a forum jointly held by TII, the Financial Transparency Coalition and the Jakarta- based think tank Perkumpulan Prakarsa revealed that Indonesia ranked seventh among the largest contributors of illicit money to wealthy nations such as Singapore.

The GFI survey, which also found that at least $6 trillion of the same type of money was taken out of developing countries between 2003 and 2012, claimed that Indonesia had seen an average loss of $18.7 billion every year since 2003.

"Financial violators made use of the country's bad governance system to hide their illicit money outside the country. Financial crimes have become sophisticated, so in many cases they could not be detected," TII secretary-general Dadang Trisasongko told the forum on Sunday.

Dadang further said that a study conducted by TII had found that many financial violators had used the identities of others to set up legitimate companies in Indonesia to make it difficult for the financial authority to identify the sources of the respective companies' capital funding.

"As the registered status of companies funded by the dirty money is 'legitimate', they can freely move their money out of the country without disruption. That's one of the ways money from criminal activities is channeled abroad," Dadang said.

Indonesia is in a better position compared to China, which ranked first on the list with accumulative transfers of $1.25 trillion between 2003 and 2012, followed respectively by the Russian Federation with $973 billion; Mexico with $514 billion and India $439 billion; Malaysia $394 billion; and Brazil $217 billion.

Meanwhile, war-torn Nigeria is two rung below Indonesia in ninth position on the list with total losses of $157 billion during the surveyed period. Thailand and South Africa come respectively in eighth and 10th position with $171 billion and $122 billion.

"Although we effectively implemented Law No. 14/2008 on public information in 2010, it is still difficult to find information on ownership of a company. This is because there is no political push from the government and the House of Representatives with regard to transparency," Dadang said.

Setyo Budiantoro, executive director of Perkumpulan Prakarsa, said that the amount of dirty money taken out of Indonesia every year was greater than the amount of money the government received from foreign aid and foreign investment.

"If we could stop illicit transfers then there would no longer be a need for foreign aid to support the economy," Setyo said on Sunday.

Perkumpulan Prakarsa, an NGO that focuses on welfare, found that the illicit transfer of dirty money abroad had direct impact on poverty and economic inequality in the country, said Setyo.

He said each time the country saw a spike in the amount of dirty money sent abroad, poverty and economic inequality rates also increased.

Meanwhile, Porter McConnell, director of the Financial Transparency Coalition (FTC), described the rising phenomenon of dirty money transfers to safe haven countries as a "betrayal of public trust".

"So, that all paints a very desperate picture, but the good news is that there are some solutions that policymakers are debating right now, especially in the area of transparency [...], including knowing who is behind a company and who the people benefiting from a corporation are. Some countries, especially in Europe, have public registries where you can look up information as a journalist or citizen," McConell said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/19/ri-among-biggest-sources-illicit-money.html

Freedom of religion & worship

FUI disperses Afghan asylum seekers

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2015

Yogyakarta – Indonesian Islamic Front (FUI) members asked dozens of Afghan asylum seekers placed at Ambarbinangun Youth Hall in Bantul, Yogyakarta, to leave the country because of their Shia beliefs.

The FUI members went to the hall on Monday night while police removed the Afghans, who were reportedly observing the anniversary of the death of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Hussein, who is considered a Shia imam.

Police officers arrived at the scene and removed the asylum seekers at about 1 a.m. on Tuesday.

Bantul Police Chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Dadiyo confirmed the removal of the Afghans. "But, I don't know where they are now," Dadiyo said on Tuesday.

Separately, FUI Yogyakarta chairman Muhammad Fuad admitted that his members went to the hall and dispersed the Afghans for propagating Shia teachings.

Yogyakarta Legal Aid Institute's civil and politic division head Sarli Zulhendra deplored the police's move and expressed disappointment over their inaction in regard to the FUI members.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/21/islands-focus-fui-disperses-afghan-asylum-seekers.html

Muhammadiyah rejects National Santri Day

Jakarta Post - October 20, 2015

National – Indonesia's second largest Islamic organization, Muhammadiyah, has rejected the government's plan to declare Oct. 22 as National Santri (Islamic boarding school students') Day, arguing that such a declaration could spark controversy among Indonesia's Muslims.

The rejection was stipulated in a letter to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo dated Oct. 19 signed by Muhammadiyah chairman Haedar Nashir.

Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin is scheduled to attend the event at Istiqlal Mosque. The reason for selecting Oct. 22 as the National Santri Day was based on a fatwa made by Nahdlatul Ulama founder Hasyim Asyari on Oct. 22, 1945, that defending the nation was an obligation for each Muslim. The fatwa was made when Indonesia struggled to defend its independence from the Dutch colonists.

Haedar said he could understand that President Jokowi wanted to fulfill his campaign promise and to recognize the role of Muslims during the independence struggle. "But declaring a National Santri Day could spark sectarian groups in our society, weaken national integration and revive old religious sentiments," Haedar said in his letter.

He said that Islamic communities, including Muhammadiyah, have tried to minimize and even eliminate sectarian groups that were counterproductive to the efforts to strengthen national unity.

"The decision to select Oct. 22 [as a national holiday] could spark controversy because it would belittle the role of other Islamic communities, who did not take part in the event related to Oct. 22," he added.

Religious Affairs Ministry's education directorate general Komaruddin Amin said that his office had received a copy of Muhammadiyah's letter.

He said the government would go ahead with the plan, saying that such a rejection was only due to a different point of view.

"Pak Haedar Nasir may have a different socio-analysis from the President about the matter," Komaruddin said. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/20/muhammadiyah-rejects-national-santri-day.html

House of worship decree needs revising: Home Minister

Jakarta Post - October 20, 2015

The joint ministerial decree on the building of houses of worship needs to be revised to avoid religious intolerance, said Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo on Tuesday.

"The case of Aceh Singkil has raised the government's concerns since it provoked anarchism and vandalism of houses of worship by certain groups," said Tjahjo as quoted by Antara news agency.

He admitted that rules regarding the building of houses of worship in regions had been arranged in the joint decree between three ministries. But he considered the implementation as prone to intolerant actions, which often led to anarchism and vandalism.

"The Home Ministry will [initiate] a discussion with the Religious Affairs Ministry to polish the rules regarding the building of houses of worship, so that everyone can respect other groups who want to build their houses of worship based on their beliefs," said Tjahjo.

He added that the rules stipulated in the decree still apply until such revisions had been conducted. (kes)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/20/house-worship-decree-needs-revising-home-minister.html

Anti-Shiite mob storm Yogyakarta shelter for asylum seekers

Jakarta Globe - October 20, 2015

Jakarta – At least 30 asylum seekers hailing mainly from Afghanistan had to be relocated from their temporary shelter in Yogyakarta after an anti- Shiite mob stormed into their compound on Monday evening, according to local media.

Tempo.co news portal reported that the asylum seekers had decorated a hall inside the Ambarbinangun Youth Center in Bantul district, where they had been staying for at least one month, with long, black cloth bearing Arabic writing.

Among the words included were "Karballa," referring to one of Shiite Islam's holiest sites, and "Ashura," a day of mourning for Shiites across the world, which falls on Friday.

Upon hearing of the religious tokens, dozens of men reportedly stormed the compound late Monday evening, telling the group of men, women and teenagers to leave the neighborhood "for proselytizing Shiite teachings," according to an Ambarbinangun staffer named Bangkit.

All but one asylum seeker had traveled from Afghanistan; one woman hailed from Myanmar, Bangkit said, adding that he had never asked any members of the group to state their religion.

The attack caused panic among the refugees, pushing the Myanmar national to "hide herself and cry in the bathroom," Bangkit said. Some 50 officers were deployed to the center in order to evacuate the group, Bantul District Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Daidyo told Tempo.com

The asylum seekers spent the night at the district police's headquarters before being collected by the International Office for Migration the following morning.

Shiite Muslims have long been the victim of harassment, violence and persecution by hard-line Sunnis, who make up the majority of Muslims in Indonesia. However, Monday's incident is the first report of an attack on Shiite asylum seekers for practicing their beliefs.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/dozens-of-asylum-seekers-attacked-in-yogyakarta-by-anti-shiite-mob/

Ulema council chief says no to Santri Day

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2015

Jakarta – Indonesian Ulema Coucil (MUI) chairman Din Syamsuddin said that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's plan to name Oct. 22 a national santri (Islamic students) day was ill-advised.

Din said that the plan, if implemented, could jeopardize the country's multicultural roots.

"The plan could harm the country's unity, as division between santri and abangan [nominal Muslims] was created by foreign intellectuals to divide the country's Muslims," he said as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Last week, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung said that Jokowi had signed a presidential decree to name Oct. 22 National Santri Day, which will be celebrated annually.

Pramono said, however, that Santri Day would not be a national holiday, as only Islamic students would take part in the celebration. On the presidential campaign trail last year, Jokowi proposed naming the first day of Muharram (the Islamic New Year) National Santri Day.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/19/national-scene-ulema-council-chief-says-no-santri-day.html

Muslim group sues sandal maker for blasphemy

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2015

Surabaya – A Muslim organization has reported a local footwear manufacturer to the East Java Police for sacrilege for producing sandals embossed with the word Allah. The report was submitted on Thursday despite a public apology PT Pradipta Perkasa Makmur made earlier this week.

"They [the company] has violated the law on blasphemy and the legal process must continue," Islam Defenders Front (FPI) East Java branch head Haidar Al-Hamid said as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Pradipta Perkasa Makmur has been in the spotlight after people reported they had found the word Allah, written in Arabic, embossed on the sandals made by the company.

Accompanied by leaders of Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama, the company's management on Tuesday held a press conference to apologize to the public for the incident. The company has also promised to destroy any remaining sandals in storage.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/17/islands-focus-muslim-group-sues-sandal-maker-blasphemy.html

Islamic law & morality

Couples face forced marriage for curfew violation

Jakarta Post - October 22, 2015

Bandung – Twenty-nine couples in Purwakarta regency, West Java may be forced to marry for staying out past a dating curfew.

"[From Sept. 17] until Oct. 17, 30 couples were warned by the village security council," Purwakarta Regent Dedi Mulyadi said on Wednesday.

Dedi said one of the couples married in front of the village judge after violating a local regulation stipulating a dating curfew of 9 p.m. for a third time.

He said his administration would continue to implement the regulation despite criticism from various parties.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/22/islands-focus-couples-face-forced-marriage-curfew-violation.html

Village & rural life

Government fails to ensure farmers' prosperity

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2015

Jakarta – An alliance of civil society organizations has criticized the government of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo for failing to improve the livelihood of farmers in his first year in office.

The Alliance for Prosperous Villages (ADS), which consists of NGOs concerned with rural issues, said Thursday that Jokowi had taken the wrong path to ensuring food security because he had yet to address the protection of food producers.

"The President focuses so much on generating production that he fails to see the most important thing: the producers," said Tejo Wahyu Jatmiko, the national coordinator for ADS. "In fact, small-scale farmers and fishermen are far from being prosperous," he said.

The head of the People's Coalition for Food Sovereignty, a member of the ADS coalition, Said Abdullah, said that Jokowi's administration, in spite of his campaign pledge to protect the rights of farmers, had so far failed to live up to expectations.

He said that Jokowi was too focused on boosting agricultural production by subsidizing fertilizers and seeds or providing more modern farming equipment to farmers, which only dealt with the upstream side of the agriculture sector.

"The government wants to boost production, but has no idea whether the subsidies bring positive effects for the farmers," Said said.

In October last year, President Jokowi set an ambitious target to achieve food sovereignty in three years. He has provided 7,800 hand-held cultivators to farmers in 14 provinces across the country and promised to provide 65,931 more next year.

Said said such an approach failed to deal with downstream issues, such as market prices. "The prices of agricultural products only benefit the traders. The farmers earn very little," he said.

According to him, farmers usually earn Rp 30,000 (US$2.23) per day. "They deserve more. It should be Rp 100,000 per day, so in one month they could earn Rp 3 million," he said.

Said said that traders sometimes gave farmers only Rp 5,000 per kilogram of rice, despite selling it for much higher prices at market. According to the Informasi Pangan Jakarta website, rice prices ranged from Rp 17,000 to Rp 25,000 per kilogram in markets across Jakarta on Thursday.

Said suggested that the government should shift the subsidy to pricing to guarantee a fair income for farmers and reasonable prices for consumers.

Meanwhile, the secretary-general of the People's Coalition for Fisheries Justice Indonesia (KIARA), Abdul Halim, said the Jokowi administration had not done enough to improve the fisheries sector. He complained that the government was not addressing the real problems faced by fishermen.

"The government should protect or monitor fishermen's activities on the sea," Abdul said, adding that fishermen lost their lives at sea at a rate of two people per day. He also criticized the government for failing to stop reclamation in a number of coastal areas across the country.

Abdul said 70 percent of traditional fishing areas had been converted for housing, industrial and commercial purposes. "As a result, fishermen lose their livelihoods and switch occupations to garbage collection, driving ojek [motorcycle taxis] or opening bike washing businesses."

According to Abdul, if the number of fishermen continued to decrease, Indonesia would face a domestic fish shortage, which could lead the maritime country to more and more imports. (foy)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/17/govt-fails-ensure-farmers-prosperity.html

Regional autonomy & separatism

Government fails to stop development disparity, says INDEF

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2015

Marguerite Afra Sapiie – The development disparity between provinces is widening, with Java enjoying about 60 percent of total gross domestic product (GDP), according to research conducted by the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF).

INDEF researcher Dzulfian Syafrian said that under President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla, the government had failed to stem development disparity.

"Our research suggests that in terms of development, the Jokowi-Kalla administration is still Java-centric. It is no different from previous governments," said Dzulfian at a media discussion on Friday.

INDEF data analyst Amanah Ramadiah collected 150,000 tweets from Indonesian Twitter users who wrote about nation development from October 2014 to October 2015. She categorized the tweets by provincial order, ranging from Sumatra to South Papua, to map the distribution of development throughout the country.

The result shows that Java Island is the most developed with its three provinces at the top, while North Maluku, Southeast Sulawesi and Central Kalimantan ranked the least developed provinces, respectively.

This problem has resulted in 860,000 (11.22 percent) more Indonesians falling into poverty this year. The Gini Coefficient, a statistical dispersion that represents income distribution, rose to 0.41 point, the highest in Indonesia's history.

The widening gap has affected the welfare of people, characterized by low human development index (HDI), concentration of wealth among few and rising food prices.

"The reason Indonesians cannot escape poverty is because the government cannot control food prices. They keep rising, while poor people spend 65 percent of their money on food," said Dzulfian.

Meanwhile, noted economist Didik Rachbini said the four economic packages recently introduced by the government, particularly concerning access to loans for medium and small enterprises, had vast potential to narrow the disparity between the poor and the rich

"Therefore, the government should fully implement the first to fourth economic packages. It will help it restore Indonesia to a country of equality and prosperity," Didik said. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/17/government-fails-stop-development-disparity-says-indef.html

Governance & administration

Ministry races against time to meet development target

Jakarta Post - October 20, 2015

Jakarta – Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said that the ministry would still achieve its year-end targets despite lower- than-expected spending that barely reached 50 percent with two months left.

As of Oct. 13, the ministry recorded spending of 45.29 percent, or Rp 53.7 trillion (US$3.97 billion), of the Rp 118.6 trillion ($8.72 billion) earmarked for the ministry in the revised 2015 state budget. That was lower than last year's spending of Rp 44.7 trillion (58.49 percent of the allocated budget) by the same period.

"I think with the present data, we will still miss 2 percent to 3 percent of the target, but we will try to achieve the spending target by the end of the year," Basuki said recently during an annual review of the ministry's work.

The ministry planned to spend as much as 56.16 percent of the budget by the end of October and to achieve 93 percent spending by the end of December.

He also reported that the ministry had already made progress on various infrastructure developments, such as toll roads, dams and low-cost housing, throughout the year, with physical infrastructure realization reaching 51.42 percent as of Oct. 12.

The government's slow spending has weakened the nation's efforts to stoke growth, which has slowed to its lowest level since 2009 in the last two quarters. Economists have also pinned hopes on infrastructure spending to increase growth a notch in Southeast Asia's largest economy.

The Public Works and Public Housing Ministry is also seen as crucial to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's infrastructure push, including in frontier areas and the eastern part of Indonesia.

Basuki said that development had been robust, as marked by the rising amount of building materials from quarter to quarter. The ministry used 2.48 million tons of cement in the first three quarters of the year and would use an estimated 2.89 million tons more in the last quarter.

The ongoing progress of the development this year included the trans-Java road project, the trans-Papua road project, frontier roads such as in East Nusa Tenggara, the signing of some toll road projects like the Manado- Bitung highway in North Sulawesi and the development of the Samarinda- Balikpapan highway in East Kalimantan.

The ministry will also speed up the development of its projects to reach the target, which also included projects from the previous administration.

Among others, it aimed to build 13 dams this year, including the Raknamo dam in East Nusa Tenggara, the Lolak dam in North Sulawesi and the Keureuto dam in Aceh, from the budget of Rp 30.56 trillion earmarked for the water resources directorate general.

However, to date, the ministry has only signed contracts for 10 of the dams, leaving three dams, the Rotiklod in East Nusa Tenggara, the Sindang Heula in Banten and the Bintang Bano in West Nusa Tenggara, to be signed during the balance of the year. It also has the obligation to finish the development of 16 dams started by the previous administration.

"We should be able to finish the development of at least seven dams this year," said Mudjiadi, the ministry's director general of water resources.

The ministry also reported having built more than 493,000 low-income housing units for the poor to date from the target of around 603,000 houses, as part of its 1 million houses program to solve the housing backlog in the country.

It hoped that the new deregulation in the economic package that would simplify housing development permits from the required 42 permits in 26 months to eight in 14 days would attract housing developers to take part in the program. (fsu)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/20/ministry-races-against-time-meet-development-target.html

Politicians and media lament a lost year for Jokowi govt

Jakarta Post - October 20, 2015

Jakarta – Today's first anniversary of the Joko "Jokowi" Widodo administration brought a common theme as supporters and detractors alike both lamented a year of "lost opportunities" and internal division that undermined the effectiveness of governance.

Taufik Basari of the central board of the NasDem Party, a coalition supporter of the President, conceded that many of the key programs set out by the government had been far from satisfactory.

He conceded that there might be growing dissatisfaction among the public, adding that many of the programs pledged during the campaign period were still in their earliest phases.

"Hopefully, within one or two years we will start to see changes," he said in Jakarta on Monday. "We have to remain optimistic".

Meanwhile, secretary of the Golkar faction at the House of Representatives, Bambang Soesatyo, said the biggest challenge for the Jokowi administration was the internal disputes within the government itself.

"The problems lie within the inner circle of government itself[...] They remain trapped in unfilled campaign promises," remarked the politician whose party represents the leading faction in opposition to the government.

Once considered a "media darling", much of the mainstream media has become progressively critical of the government over the course of the past 12 months.

The Indonesian Chief Editor's Forum, which comprises editors from almost all the major media outlets across the country, on Monday, also issued a damning assessment of Jokowi's first year.

While describing the past year as a valuable lesson for the government, its statement also bemoaned it as a "lost opportunity" to make inroads and progress needed for the country.

"When the global economic condition worsened, the Jokowi-JK [Vice President Jusuf Kalla] government did not immediately respond in a manner that would stimulate the private sector and boost the buying power of the public," the statement said, while also adding that much of the focus of the Cabinet seemed to be absorbed by internal matters of ministries and government.

The statement further highlighted the concern that the numbers of people living in poverty and out of work had seen a perceptible rise since last year.

According to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the number of people living in poverty increased by 860,000 people from October 2014 to March 2015 with a total of 28.5 million people or about 11.2 percent of the population. The number of unemployed people also rose from 7.24 million in August 2014 to 7.45 million in February this year.

The forum also criticized the government's unrealistic and overly ambitious targets such as tax collection, which was 30 percent higher than 2014. "Such a high target has pushed tax authorities to engage in a pursuit that has made business players uncomfortable," the statement said.

The forum urged that both the President and Vice President act in tandem as a unified team so as to avoid perceived bickering that might arise.

It further went on to encourage the government to rebuild public trust and investor confidence by thoroughly executing many of the economic reform incentives recently announced.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/20/politicians-and-media-lament-a-lost-year-jokowi-govt.html

One year on, Jokowi still lacks leadership, analysts say

Jakarta Post - October 20, 2015

Arientha Primanita, Jakarta – In the first year of his administration, furniture businessman cum politician Joko "Jokowi" Widodo still lacks the strong leadership necessary for realizing the programs and the mental revolution he announced when he entered office, experts say.

Joko changed Indonesia's political face when he was inaugurated as president of Southeast Asia's largest economy exactly a year ago today. Not coming from strong political background, Jokowi, and his running mate, veteran businessman and politician Muhammad Jusuf Kalla, won the 2014 presidential election and took office on Oct. 20.

Promoting his administration's program, dubbed Nawa Cita, Jokowi focused on Indonesia's development with ambitious plans to turn the country into a global maritime hub with proper developed infrastructure.

As his administration hits the one-year mark, experts have both criticized and applauded Joko, whose subtle and calm persona is often mocked and labelled pencitraan (pretentious).

Backed by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and other parties, Joko met with challenges within his own cabinet and from the PDI- P, political analyst from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) Siti Zuhro says.

She pointed to the remarks Joko's ministers have made in criticism of one another in public. "Joko is not nurturing all of his officials and he does not have concrete leadership of his own cabinet," she told thejakartapost.com on Tuesday.

Siti also highlighted a lack of communication between Joko and the PDI-P after he became President. The lack of communication raised questions and negative feedback was thrown at Joko by his fellow members of government.

Joko should have known the logical consequences that would follow when the party supported him in the general and presidential elections, Siti said. Thus, he could have prepared all his arguments and spoken directly to Megawati to ensure gain full support from the PDI-P in realizing his administration's goals.

"Joko has a lot to catch up on given his tardiness in managing his legal, political and economic recovery... [He must] give the public more certainty... everything is related," she said.

Phillip Vermonte, the head of the department of politics and international relations at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said that Jokowi has played his political role well.

"I think the political situation is relatively stable. He managed to get what he wanted with minimum noise from the opposition, such as the fuel price increase," he said.

Phillip, however, noted that Jokowi's was still lacking credit in terms of issues of the law and corruption eradication.

"It is not clear where he stands; he is in the grey area on corruption eradication and better legal enforcement... maybe because that's where political parties fight," he said.

Joko's lack of willingness to handle law and corruption issues were also highlighted by human rights advocacy group the Setara Institute in its comments on Joko's first year.

Hendardi, chairman of Setara, said that Joko had not yet shown strong and qualified leadership in those fields. "Jokowi is only a leader in the infrastructure development, not across all aspect of Indonesia's development," he told thejakartapost.com on Sunday.

Hendardi said that Joko's leadership had not yet been effective in eradicating corruption. "It's as if he is a fire fighter on the noises that were actually created by his ministers and officials. It is difficult to expect new breakthroughs from a passive leader," he said.

In the first year of his administration, many corruption-related issues arose. In the mere three months after he took office, he proposed Comr. Gen. Budi Gunawan, former aide of former president Megawati Sukarnoputri and Jokowi's chief patron in the PDI-P, as the National Police chief to the House of Representatives. A move that was rebuked by many, especially corruption activists as Budi is linked to the police's fat bank accounts fiasco.

Public uproar blocked Budi's way to becoming police chief but the issue raised questions of Joko's leadership.

There are also criminal cases against Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) commissioners, plans to revise the KPK Law and plans to provide legal protection for regional heads and ministries that have the potential to be misused, Hendardi said.

"In the name of economic and infrastructural development, Jokowi ignores fundamental aspects of civil freedom, legal innovation, corruption eradication and also human rights," he said.

Wahyudi Djafar, researcher at the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM) said that he urged Joko to focus more on human rights issues, and especially put an end to past human-rights violations.

Past human-rights violations, he said, would be a barrier stopping Jokowi's administration from moving forward. "A lot of violence repeats because we are trapped in our past," he said.

"Jokowi's administration must use a human-rights focused approach in the development programs of maritime, energy, food and infrastructure because if not, there will be huge for rights violations," he told thejakartapost.com.

The PDI-P, as Jokowi's main political backer, however, applauded the former Surakarta mayor's leadership. "His leadership of national development is on the right track," PDI-P secretary general Hasto Kristiyantosaid as quoted by newsportal kompas.com.

Aburizal Bakrie, chairman of the divided Golkar party, also praised Jokowi for his efforts. "We see that Jokowi and Jusuf Kalla's administration had tried their best, especially in infrastructure development – the key to national development," he told kompas.com on Tuesday. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/20/one-year-jokowi-still-lacks-leadership-analysts-say.html

Indonesians disappointed one year after Joko Widodo's inauguration

ABC Radio Australia - October 20, 2015

Samantha Hawley in Jakarta, staff – One year after he was inaugurated as Indonesia's president, Joko Widodo has disappointed the hopeful and angered the pessimists.

Mr Widodo came to office on nine key platforms, all based on improving the livelihoods of everyday Indonesian people. Twelve months on the glamour has gone, the economy is on a downturn and the rupiah keeps on falling.

At the presidential palace, a small but vocal crowd of Indonesia students gathered to demand more from their leader. Anti-riot police moved in quickly to ensure the protest remained small, almost insignificant.

Aryo Djojohadikusumo, the secretary-general of the Gerindra opposition party, said Mr Widodo had failed to keep key promises. "In terms of marks, I'll give him at least three out of 10 so far," he told the ABC.

Mr Djojohadikusumo said one of Mr Widodo's main mistakes was an ill- conceived decision to appoint a tainted police chief, which destroyed a pledge to eradicate corruption. "His promise to intensify the fight against corruption and what we've seen has been a complete shambles," he said.

Independent political analyst Paul Rowland said the appointment of the police chief and the decision to execute foreigners had been headwinds for Mr Widodo. "He lost momentum with, I think, two major events," Mr Rowland said.

"One was the ill-fated decision to execute a number of prisoners on death row, which took away a lot of the governments room to put out positive news in the first few months. And the second one was the appointment of a new chief of police.

"Domestically I think [the execution of foreigners] was... briefly popular. On the other hand, it did act as quite a distraction for a number of months and kept his eye off more important policy goals."

Latest polling shows growing dissatisfaction for the president one year on. A recent survey found 54 per cent of people in 34 provinces were dissatisfied with Mr Widodo's administration, according to the Jakarta Globe.

The Indo Barometer survey said respondents were concerned by rising food and fuel prices, slow economic growth and the weakened rupiah.

Support for Mr Widodo was 11.5 per lower than six months ago, the Globe said. The poll of 1,200 respondents had a margin of error of 3 per cent. Luckily for him, Mr Widodo still has four years left of his term to turn things around.

Source: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2015-10-20/indonesians-disappointed-one-year-after-joko-widodos-inauguration/1505228

Parliament & legislation

Setya, Fadli walk away with slap on the wrist after 'Trump fiasco'

Jakarta Globe - October 20, 2015

Jakarta – Despite repeatedly dodging questioning and having to explain the mountain of irregularities surrounding their trip to the United States, two House of Representatives leaders who appeared in a press conference organized by US presidential hopeful Donald Trump walked away from the debacle with only a reprimand.

Surahman Hidayat, chairman of the House Ethics Committee, said House speaker Setya Novanto and his deputy Fadli Zon did not violate any House regulations by attending the press conference at Trump Tower in New York on Sept. 3.

However, he added that they "had not been careful" in devising an answer when Trump asked Setya whether Indonesians liked the brash billionaire. Setya responded to the question with a "Yes, highly."

The ethical problem "lies in [Setya's] choice of words, which some say is less than appropriate. But some might argue that [Setya] was just being polite," Surahman said. "The ethics committee has decided to give them both a warning so they will be more careful next time."

Setya and Fadli 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.

Surahman said both men had every right to meet Trump, although it was not in their official agenda. "They were exhausted [from the conference] so they decided to take a break and that's acceptable," the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician said. "Besides, [Trump] is not officially a [Republican] candidate yet."

Committee deputy Junimart Girsang, who has been calling for harsher punishments for Setya and Fadli, said he disagreed with the majority of ethics committee members.

Junimart said the pair should be given harsher sanctions, arguing that they had repeatedly dodged questionings.

Their attempts at dodging the ethics committee "is an ethical violation on its own," he said as quoted by Tempo.co news portal, arguing that the pair should be removed as House speakers.

Setya and Fadli were supposed to face questioning on Monday before the ruling was issued, but only Fadli responded to the summons with an excuse for his absence.

Fadli is currently in Switzerland attending the Global Conference of Parliamentarians Against Corruption, where he serves as president. Setya has yet to explain why he was unable to face the committee.

This is the third time both Setya and Fadli have ignored the MKD's orders for a meeting. The initial summons on Sept. 28 was ignored with the excuse that both were still in Saudi Arabia for hajj, reportedly invited by King Salman.

A summons for Oct. 12 was flouted by Setya, who claimed he had prior engagements, and Fadli, who demanded the MKD explain its accusations against him before attending.

Setya, a member of the Golkar Party, and Fadli, of the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party, both previously said they would cooperate with MKD investigations.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/setya-fadli-walk-away-slap-wrist-trump-fiasco/

One year on: How Joko tamed the once-hostile Red-White Coalition

Jakarta Globe - October 20, 2015

Jakarta – When President Joko Widodo came into office one year ago today, his Awesome Indonesia Coalition made up just 208 out of 560 seats at the House of Representatives, making his administration vulnerable to parliamentary intervention with many fearing that his key policies will be blocked.

The opposition Red and White Coalition (KMP) soon grabbed all the strategic posts inside the parliament, leaving virtually no position to members of Joko's camp, the KIH. The latter even managed to pass key bills that would sustain or even increase their power.

But a year later, the table has turned and Joko's Awesome Indonesia Coalition last month earned a majority at the House by welcoming a new member, the National Mandate Party (PAN).

Analysts have widely credited this transformation to the seasoned, skilled and powerful team of lobbyists Joko has kept in his inner circle, as well as a few calculated moves by the president himself.

The KMP's downfall began last October when the United Development Party (PPP), the smallest party in the alliance, began to split into two camps: one led by a pro-government Muhammad Romahurmuziy and the other by pro-KMP Djan Faridz.

Joko's administration immediately recognized Romahurmuziy as the legitimate chairman of the PPP, prompting 33 PPP lawmakers at the House to pledge loyalty to Romahurmuziy and side with the government and leaving just six PPP lawmakers loyal to the Red-White Coalition.

The government's decision to recognize Romahurmuziy's reign was subsequently annulled by a Jakarta court and the party is still without a definitive leader. But that failed to dissuade the 33 PPP members from remaining in Joko's camp.

Even with 33 additional votes, Joko's ruling coalition was still a minority inside the parliament.

A similar rift also divided the Golkar Party, the biggest party inside the Red-White Coalition. Control over Golkar has been contested by pro-KMP incumbent chairman Aburizal Bakrie and a pro-government Agung Laksono since last November.

Still, the rivalry did not seem to have much impact on the power balance within the parliament. With the exception of a few who have publicly expressed their support for either Aburizal or Agung, the majority of the 91 Golkar lawmakers at the House chose to stay neutral in the dispute.

Despite failing to secure a majority, Joko seemed to have tamed the opposition bloc after he invited his former rival in the presidential race, Prabowo Subianto, chairman of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) and the de facto leader of the Red-White Coalition, to meet him at the Bogor Palace just south of the capital in January.

Prabowo emerged out of the half-hour meeting giving praises and a military salute to Joko, calling Joko "a statesmen" and "a patriot."

The once critical and often aggressive stance shown by Red-White members softened after the meeting, with opposition politicians slowly moving away from criticizing Joko directly and turning their attention to his ministers instead.

But Prabowo's public show of support did not come until April, when he told Gerindra members that "the KMP is with you [Joko], we will support you and defend you," calling the president "a patriot who cares about the people of Indonesia."

Analysts recognized this gesture as the start of the Red-White's own undoing, pointing out that the coalition's power and influence have dwindled since adopting a more magnanimous approach to Joko's presidency.

Soon after, the Democratic Party – with 61 seats in the parliament – announced that it was never part of Prabowo's camp. The surprise move came as former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was seeking another term as party chairman. Yudhoyono's son Eddie, known as Ibas, even pleaded to Joko not to let the Democrats suffer the same rift as Golkar and the PPP.

Ibas's fears were unfounded as Yudhoyono emerged as the sole candidate at the Democratic party congress in May – where Joko was the guest of honor. Even afterwards – with the exception of a few rants on social media – Yudhoyono made repeated remarks on how the Democrats will support "all pro-people policies" issued by Joko's administration, while still emphasizing his wishes to stay out of the ruling coalition.

Resisting temptation to stay out of the Awesome Indonesia Coalition proved to be too great for some parties. From the day he announced his cabinet line up, Joko has been rewarding staunch supporters of his administration, including some prominent volunteers during his campaign, by giving them commissioner positions inside several state-owned enterprises.

Among those vying for seats inside the government is Golkar, which historically has never been in opposition since it was founded 51 years ago, an argument given by party stalwart Agung when he challenged Aburizal's reelection bid.

But it was the National Mandate Party (PAN) that – to the surprise of many politicians and pundits – announced it was leaving the Red-White Coalition to join Joko's alliance last month. With PAN controlling 48 seats in the parliament, the switch gives Awesome Indonesia 289 of the 560 seats at the House of Representatives, compared to the Red-White's 210.

This means that for the first time, Joko has majority backing in the parliament. Even if the Democratic Party – which has wavered between being part of the Red-White alliance and staying neutral – rejoins the opposition, Prabowo's camp would still be outnumbered 289 to 271.

Lucius Karus, of the watchdog group Concerned Citizens for the Indonesian Legislature (Formappi), said PAN suffered a huge financial hit from last year's election, when it nominated its then-chairman, Hatta Rajasa, as running mate to Joko's opponent, Prabowo.

Although denying that it was related to PAN's switch, Joko immediately offered the party's former chairman Soetrisno Bachir a top position inside the National Economics and Industry Committee (KEIN), an advisory body under the auspices of the Coordinating Ministry for Economics.

The Red-White Coalition has said it remains strong and united after PAN's departure, but Djayadi Hanan of Paramadina University said with the government set to expedite a host of ambitious infrastructure and development projects, political parties looking for a piece of the action will have little choice but to sidle up to the president.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/one-year-joko-tamed-hostile-red-white-coalition/

House targets Prasetyo as NasDem embroiled in graft

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2015

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – A bribery case implicating the NasDem Party's secretary-general, Patrice Rio Capella, has turned political with the House of Representatives stepping in with its plan to summons Attorney General M. Prasetyo, a former member of the party.

Some House lawmakers said that Prasetyo must provide details on allegations that Rio had used his NasDem connection to safeguard a graft case at the Attorney General's Office (AGO).

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has slapped Rio with a bribery charge for allegedly accepting Rp 200 million (US$14,841) from North Sumatra governor Gatot Pujo Nugroho, who has also been charged in the case, to safeguard social aid fund and local budget disbursement cases implicating Gatot at the AGO.

Bambang Soesatyo of House Commission III, which oversees legal affairs, a commission in which Rio is also a member, said on Sunday that the commission would summons Prasetyo soon.

"Commission III will ask for an explanation and seek clarification from the attorney general," Bambang told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

Speculation was rife that Prasetyo, whom President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo appointed attorney general in 2014 given his affiliation with pro- government NasDem, would be among those likely to be the shown door in the upcoming Cabinet shake up.

During a separate case hearing in early October, Gatot's wife, Evi Susanti, who has also been charged in the bribery case for allegedly helping her husband deliver the bribe money to Rio, said that Gatot's lawyer, OC Kaligis, who is also a senior NasDem politician, promised to win a plea at the Medan State Administrative Court (PTUN) to annul the authority of the North Sumatra Prosecutor's Office to investigate the two cases so that AGO could step in to take over the case.

Gatot is said to have preferred the case to be handled by the AGO as he was aware that the agency was headed by a former NasDem politician. It was Rio who allegedly served as an intermediary between the prosecutor's office and AGO after the PTUN annulled the first letter of investigation into the case. Just weeks after the prosecutor's office relinquished the two cases following the PTUN ruling, the AGO moved to reopen them.

Discussion on the plan to safeguard the graft cases allegedly took place during a meeting at NasDem headquarters in Central Jakarta attended by NasDem chairman Surya Paloh, Rio, Kaligis, Gatot and Deputy North Sumatra Governor Tengku Erry Nuradi, who is also a NasDem politician.

However, Gatot's lawyer, Yanuar Wasesa, said that the meeting did not discuss the plan and only touched on political disputes between Gatot, who is a Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician, and his deputy.

Political analyst Hendri Satrio of the Jakarta-based Paramadina University said that Rio's case was a slap in the face for NasDem, which had billed itself as an antigraft political party.

Hendri further said that the graft case implicating NasDem could be used by rivals of the party that had long been gunning for Prasetyo's position. "The case would affect [the position of the attorney general]. He could be replaced [because of the case]," Hendri told the Post on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Jakarta-based pollster Charta Politica political observer Yunarto said that it was too early to speculate that Rio's case would inspire Jokowi to make changes in his upcoming Cabinet shake up, adding that the case would also not affect the political landscape at the House.

"We have seen in past graft cases that such a grim fact did not have a political impact at the House. The only way this case can have a direct impact is that the public will see contradictions between what NasDem campaigned and what actually happened," Yunarto said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/19/house-targets-prasetyo-nasdem-embroiled-graft.html

Jakarta & urban life

Jakartans question land reclamation

Jakarta Post - October 23, 2015

Dewanti A. Wardhani, Jakarta – The Jakarta administration was showered with criticism on Thursday during a public consultation discussing the draft bylaw on Jakarta north coast strategic area spatial planning.

The draft bylaw specifically regulates spatial planning on the planned 17 man-made islets off the coast.

While the draft bylaw is under deliberation, the city administration has issued construction permits for the islets. In fact, construction of Islet D and part of Islet C has finished while Islet G construction is ongoing.

Deputy director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), Zaenal Muttaqien, said that the organization maintained its standpoint of rejecting land reclamation, as it posed various threats to the environment.

"Jakarta will face an environmental disaster if the city administration continues the land reclamation project," Zaenal said during the consultation at City Hall.

Zaenal said that ocean currents would change and increase, causing sea water to flow onto land and cause flooding.

He further said that land reclamation would not offer a solution for land subsidence, as had been repeatedly mentioned by Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama.

Many people have mistaken the reclamation of 17 islets for the giant sea wall proposed under the National Capital Integrated Coastal Development by Dutch (NCICD) consultants. The giant sea wall has been touted by the consultants as a solution to land subsidence, but reclamation of the 17 islets is not part of the giant sea wall.

Many scientists oppose both reclamation and the giant sea wall, citing environmental concerns, including island loss from sand mining. They have also said the solution to land subsidence is stopping groundwater extraction.

Other participants during the consultation pointed out the many problems involving land reclamation, such as undersea cables and sea traffic. The Transportation Ministry's Tanjung Priok Port Authority representative, Indra, for example, said that the land reclamation would hamper ships traveling to and from the port.

"The islets will be built along the north coast. Meanwhile, there are a number of seaports along the north coast, from Muara Angke, Sunda Kelapa, Tanjung Priok to Marunda. This requires a permit from the Transportation Ministry because this concerns the safety and security of seafaring," Indra said.

Further, Indonesian Association of Submarine Communications Cable Systems representative Suherna warned that many telecommunication provider cables were located under a number of the planned islets.

"There are many cables, for example from Indosat, XL, Telkomsel, and Matrix, that would be affected by land reclamation. If the developers are not careful, communication between islands and countries may be completely cut off," he said.

Suherna said that developers and telecommunication providers had not agreed upon an arrangement to move the cables, yet a number of developers had already begun construction.

"From my understanding, construction is not supposed to begin without an agreement, because the consequences are very serious," he said.

About 1,000 fishermen in Muara Angke, North Jakarta, have complained that reclamation of Islet D and C has forced them to sail further because water near the islets had gone murky with white mud, killing the fish.

Prominent engineer Sawarendro, one of the main consultants for the draft bylaw who also works for Witteveen+Bos, a consultant for Islet C and D by developer PT Kapuk Naga Indah, acknowledged that negative effects may come with land reclamation, but said that such effects can be "avoided with good planning and implementation".

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/23/jakartans-question-land-reclamation.html

318 Transjakarta buses fail roadworthy tests

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2015

Jakarta – The majority of buses operated by PT Transportasi Jakarta (Transjakarta) along the 12 busway corridors across the city have failed to pass roadworthy tests, an official says.

Th head of City Communication and Transportation Agency's vehicle roadworthy tests division in Pulogadung, East Jakarta, Muslim, said on Wednesday that his institution had tested 565 Transjakarta buses between April and September.

"Only 247 buses passed the roadworthy tests, while 318 failed the tests," said Muslim as reported by beritajakarta.com.

The factors that have caused those buses to fail in the tests range from automatic doors failing to work, bad brakes and poor air conditioners.

"Operating buses owned by the government, Transjakarta should be an example to other public transportation companies." he said, adding that buses that were used every day to transport passengers should be monitored closely so that if there was something broken, it could be immediately repaired.

According to Muslim, his institution would not differentiate the government's vehicles from other vehicles while carrying out roadworthy tests. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/21/318-transjakarta-buses-fail-roadworthy-tests.html

Armed forces & defense

Rp 45 billion to be allocated for Defending the State program: Ministry

Jakarta Post - October 22, 2015

Jakarta – The Defense Ministry's Defending the State directorate general, Muhammad Faisal, said on Thursday that the Defending the State program, through which the government aimed to recruit 100 million personnel within 10 years, would be covered with the ministry's budget.

Citing the ministry's calculations, he said, the Defending the State program would cost around Rp 45 billion (US$3.3 million) and this budget would be allocated to train cadres in 45 regencies in Indonesia.

"For their trainers, 70 percent will be from civil institutions while the remaining 30 percent would be from the Indonesian Military [TNI]," said Faisal as quoted by tempo.co in Jakarta. He said as many as 100 people from each regency would be trained as Defending the State cadres.

Faisal said the Defending the State program had long been initiated by the Defense Ministry. He confirmed that the program had had an umbrella law in a defense minister regulation (Permen) and was already approved by the House of Representatives.

"Even several House members have expressed their interests as sources in the program. If the program has not yet been approved, how could they make budgetary allocations? In terms of budget issues, all programs must first have approval from the House," said Faisal.

As earlier reported, the Defense Ministry was scheduled to launch the Defending the State program on Thursday. It is targeted that 4,500 cadres would attend the Defending the State program this year. For one month, they will receive training that will be centralized in a designated area. In the program, all participants will receive materials, focused on environment, education, professional development and social environmental issues.

Faisal said for the education sector, recruited cadres for the Defending the State program would be teachers and lecturers. For the professional development sector, he said, recruited cadres would cover professionals from all types of professions. For social environmental issues, cadres should be recruited and provided with training including society leaders and organizations.

Earlier, Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu confirmed that the budget the government would use to realize its Defending the State program would be from the ministry's budget, not from the State Budget (APBN). (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/22/rp-45b-be-allocated-defending-state-program-ministry.html

Jokowi suspected of expanding political power with new defense program

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2015

Edna Tarigan, Jakarta – Bonar Tigor Naipospos, deputy chairman of the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace, warned on Wednesday that the Defending the State program could be a strategy by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to expand his political strength.

The human rights activist further said the Defending the State program would pave the way for the Indonesian Military to return to politics because Indonesia's civil society seems to remain hesitant to take hold of its political power.

Bonar said the new defense program seemed to be one way for President Jokowi's administration to give more political power to the Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Police (Polri), in an effort to increase his own political support.

"We've seen that from the very beginning, Jokowi has tried to win the military's support. As we know, Jokowi is vulnerable in terms of political support. The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), as his supporting party, and members of his coalition in the Cabinet have sometimes challenged his policies [and] groups of volunteers supporting the President are not always clear on their position," said Bonar.

"The situation is getting worse because the TNI seems to have a desire to return to politics," he added.

Bonar said the professed aims of the Defending the State program could be achieved with three alternative measures: expanding the citizenship education already included in the academic curriculum at schools, improving military professionalism in the TNI and strengthening professional development in the workplace.

"We're wondering which part of the Defending of the State program will be rolled out?" he said in a press conference at Setara Institute in Jakarta on Wednesday. "If the Defending the State program ran, it could lead to the creation of militias," he added.

He was responding to an earlier statement by Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu, who said the government aimed to recruit 100 million personnel for the program within the next 10 years.

Setara Institute researcher Aminudin Syarif said the TNI's interests influenced the creation of the Defending the State program as it could become political capital for them, by, for example, helping it target young voters. "With this program, it would be easier for the TNI to introduce military doctrines to young voters," said Aminudin.

Setara Institute chairman Hendardi questioned what budget allocations the government would provide for program. "With the ambitious target of recruiting 100 million personnel within 10 years, we should ask where the money will come from," said Hendardi. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/21/jokowi-suspected-expanding-political-power-with-new-defense-program.html

Decree to boost TNI's civilian role

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2015

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) has demanded overwhelming authority in a planned presidential decree (Perpres) that would not only position it directly under the President but would also give it more authority in dealing with security affairs.

Amid the already increasing role of the military in carrying out civilian functions, such as guarding prisons, helping farmers plant rice, as well as securing railway networks and public transportation, the decree would only strengthen the TNI's role in non-combat operations.

A draft of the decree, a copy of which was recently obtained by The Jakarta Post, would give the TNI a legal basis on which to use weapons to impose security on non-military threats.

Article 7, for example, would grant the TNI authority to deal with crimes that are supposedly handled by the National Police. This includes terrorism, smuggling and cracking down on narcotics.

The TNI would also have authority to help the operation of local governments and provide protections to Indonesian citizens overseas.

In a bid to cement its legality in the civilian sphere, Article 4 of the draft stipulates that the "TNI is an instrument of the state for defense and security affairs that is equal to a ministry and is under the President".

Such a clause is apparently in contradiction to the 2004 Law on the TNI that prohibits the institution from handling security affairs unless requested by the National Police, or by the order of the President.

Former TNI chief Gen. (ret) Moeldoko told the Post that the draft was formulated by the TNI during his leadership, aiming to "adjust the TNI with the current situation".

"The Perpres is basically expected to increase the role of the TNI in non- military operations," Moeldoko said.

As the draft decree was submitted in July to the State Palace, the TNI is now awaiting President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's approval.

Since 2013, the TNI has been seeking numerous civilian jobs because most of its 450,000 active personnel stood idle following the end of the separatist movement in Aceh in 2005 and the abating similar threat in Indonesia's most remote province of Papua. Incursions by foreign militaries are deemed a far-fetched notion.

Unlike during former president Soeharto's dictatorship, which ended in the reform movement of 1998 after he ruled for more than three decades, the military's clout in politics and civilian affairs has been dramatically reduced over fears that strong military roles in non-combat operations will bring back the trauma of authoritarian rule.

In 2000, the TNI's authority in security affairs was stripped as part of a democratic reform movement with the National Police, which was granted with the sole authority to handle security and was removed from the TNI command structure.

Military expert Mufti Makarim argued that involving military in domestic security affairs would not only overlap the job carried out by the police but also set precedents and legal justifications for the TNI to further aspire in political, social and economic affairs.

"A number of memorandums of understanding [MoUs] the TNI sealed with non- military institutions are already worrying enough as they will allow the military to deeply meddle with public life," Mufti said, adding that approving the proposed decree would only make things worse.

TNI spokesperson Maj. Gen. Tatang Sulaiman refused to comment on the matter, saying only: "I don't know anything about it. I have never been involved in any meetings to discuss it.,"

If the decree is approved, the TNI will no longer be under the auspices of the Defense Ministry and will have equal footing with the National Police and other ministries, which are directly under the President.

The draft decree commands the TNI to coordinate with the Defense Ministry in formulating policies and strategies related to defense, including in the matter of budgeting. Such stipulations also contradict the 2004 Law on the TNI that does not set TNI's position as equal to a ministry.

"Granting the TNI an equal position to a ministry is a setback because it is against efforts to reform the military, particularly in upholding the supremacy of civil society over the military," said Poengky Indarti of human rights watchdog Imparsial.

Moeldoko, the chief architect of the proposed decree, played down concerns over the TNI's role in civilian affairs, ensuring that the TNI would only be engaged in a limited scope of civilian jobs.

However, he emphasized the importance of placing the TNI independently under the President's direct control.

"The President holds control over the military. This is why we refer to the President as the highest commander of the TNI. Thus, the TNI is supposed to be under him not a minister," Moeldoko said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/19/decree-boost-tni-s-civilian-role.html

Defending the state different to military service: Ministry

Jakarta Post - October 19, 2015

Jakarta – The Defense Ministry has denied speculation that the Defending the State program initiated by Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu is just an extension of the compulsory military service program.

The ministry's director general of defense potential Timbul Siahaan said that unlike the military service program, and contrary to reports, the Defending the State program did not use primary weaponry defense systems (Alutsista).

"It's not true. In the Defending the State program, military exercises in the field account for only around 20 to 30 percent of activities and they do not use tanks or other military weapons," he said as quoted by kompas.com on Monday. He was speaking at the Defense Ministry's directorate general of defense potential office in Central Jakarta on Friday.

Timbul said many media outlets had misinterpreted the Defending the State program, which had led to widespread misperception among the public.

He further explained that the program was the Defense Ministry's response to the mental revolution initiated by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. Through the Defending the State program, it was hoped that all Indonesian people would gain greater awareness of the concept of defending the state – comprising love of the Fatherland, the virtue of sacrifice and a strong belief in Pancasila as the state's ideology.

Timbul added that around 70 to 80 percent of material to be delivered in the Defending the State program was theory while the remaining 20 to 30 percent was field practice, including activities such as those found in workplace team-bonding programs. "The field practice is aimed at training participants, or Defending the State cadres, to put them on the same level in terms of togetherness, mindset and leadership capacity," he said.

He said 80 percent of instructors or lecturers for the Defending the State program were civilians with expertise in their respective fields. Meanwhile, military personnel would be involved as instructors to deliver material relating to the Wawasan Nusantara (Archipelagic Outlook).

"The Defending the State program will not be focused on militarism. We have never even considered such an idea. We will not, for example, require a medical check-up for those interested in joining the program. This is one of the points that differentiates the Defending the State program from military service," said Timbul.(ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/19/defending-state-different-military-service-ministry.html

Activists say state defense program signals return to Suharto's New Order

Sindo News - October 18, 2015

Jakarta – The Youth Coalition for Indonesia rejects the government's plan to recruit 100 million state defense cadres that has been concaved by the Ministry of Defense (Kemenhan).

Indonesia Without Militarism (ITM) spokesperson Surya Antara believes that with the establishment of the Defending the State program the country will return to an authoritarian system as was practiced during the New Order dictatorship of former President Suharto.

"This kind of nationalism was practiced during the era of Suharto's New Order regime. What's the urgency of the state defense [program], we're not under attack by any countries", said Surya during a discussion titled "State Defence for What?" at the Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) on Jl. Diponegoro in Central Jakarta on Sunday October 18.

According to Surya, the justification for the state defense program, to increase the spirit of nationalism, is wrong. This is because the nationalism being socialised in the program will create subjective interpretations by the government.

Moreover the Indonesian nation is not in a state of war as is being experience by other countries. "And in other countries they have already begun to abandon (state defence). It's as if we're at total war, yet in democratic terms Indonesia is open", he said.

Surya is in fact concerned that the government's desire to recruit state defence cadres will silence the democratic system that is developing in Indonesia. He worries that the state defence recruitment will be used by the state to restrict freedom of speech and at the same time exploit the Indonesian people.

"There is concern that this state defense [program] is to extinguish the flame of resistance in society, to silence the public's participation in highlighting the state's [poor] performance, which will generate a paradigm of don't make a noise, don't demonstrate, don't reject the government", he said in conclusion.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Bela Negara Dinilai Bisa Kembalikan Rezim Orde Baru".]

Source: http://nasional.sindonews.com/read/1054081/14/bela-negara-dinilai-bisa-kembalikan-rezim-orde-baru-1445162413

Criminal justice & prison system

Government gives nod to chemical castration

Jakarta Post - October 23, 2015

Indra Budiari, Jakarta – Following mounting pressure to apply harsher penalties on child sex offenders, the government has given the green light to apply chemical castration on perpetrators in an effort to combat and prevent heinous crimes against children.

Attorney General M. Prasetyo said President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo had agreed that additional punishment was needed to generate a deterrent effect, and that chemical castration would hopefully act as an effective solution.

"This [chemical castration] is a potential breakthrough that we hope could lead to a positive change for child protection," he said Tuesday night as quoted by the Cabinet's official website, setkab.go.id.

Prasetyo went on to say that because revision of the law to include the additional punishment would take years to pass, the President was considering issuing a government regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) to prop up the chemical castration punishment.

Unlike surgical castration, chemical castration involves the administration of anti-androgenic drugs to reduce sexual interest, compulsive sexual fantasies and the capacity for sexual arousal. It is given in the form of an injection once every three months and is reversible when treatment is discontinued. There are, however, lasting side effects.

Chemical castration laws are in force in a number of US states and other countries including South Korea, Moldova, Russia and Estonia.

Chemical castration is used in different ways in those countries. Some countries enforce it as a part of sentencing, while other countries apply it as a way for perpetrators to reduce their jail time.

Health Minister Nila Djuwita Anfasa Moeloek said she endorsed forced chemical castration because she believed that sexual abuse against children would produced major psychological trauma in the victims.

Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa said that during a recent meeting, the President, several ministers and the attorney general expressed their support for the additional punishment as a means to deter child sex offenders.

She added that she had asked the President to issue a presidential instruction (Perpres) that placed child protection as a top priority in the country's development. "We already have child protection laws, but a presidential instruction would regulate more specific details," she continued.

In recent months, high-profile sexual assault cases against children have dominated local media headlines. On Oct. 6, Jakarta Police arrested 39-year-old Agus Darmawan for allegedly raping and murdering 9-year-old Putri Nur Fauziah in Kalideres, West Jakarta. Putri's body was found in a cardboard box at a garbage dump.

On Dec. 22 last year, five cleaners were sentenced to seven and eight years' imprisonment for sexually assaulting pupils at the Jakarta Intercultural School (JIS).

However, while many have said that they support chemical castration, the idea remains controversial.

Muhammad Mustofa, a criminologist with the University of Indonesia, agreed that children should be protected from sex offenders at all costs. However, he argued that forced chemical castration was not an effective solution.

"You only undermine the problem if you think additional punishment will reduce child rape cases. We should get to the root of the issue" he told The Jakarta Post.

According to Mustofa, the government should focus on prevention strategies, such as embedding moral values and raising the awareness of parents on the importance of being involved in a child's life.

Research conducted by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists in 2013 found that child sex offenders constituted a diverse group of people and not all of them had a pedophilic disorder.

Child psychologist Seto Mulyadi asked the government to reconsider its position on chemical castration out of concern that it would only make perpetrators act more aggressively.

Research in the US has shown that the treatment could generate anger in the perpetrators. "They will claim more victims as a form of revenge against the state," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/22/govt-gives-nod-chemical-castration.html

Executions on hold owing to weak economy

Jakarta Post - October 23, 2015

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – Attorney General M. Prasetyo said on Thursday that the Attorney General's Office (AGO) would not carry out a third round of executions of inmates until the country got out of the current economic slowdown.

Prasetyo said that another round of executions could trigger an international outcry that could derail President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's campaign to fix the economy.

"The Attorney General's Office is currently helping the government in prioritizing the economy," Prasetyo told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

This year, the AGO conducted two rounds of executions, the first involving six convicts in January and the second another eight in April. The executions sparked condemnations from domestic and international human rights campaigners, as well as risked Indonesia's diplomatic relationships with the respective countries of origin of the foreign inmates.

Earlier in September, the AGO had sent a budget proposal for the execution of 14 foreign and domestic drug convicts to the House of Representatives Commission III overseeing legal affairs, but the plan was put on hold after the country entered a period of economic slowdown.

Prasetyo said that the third round of executions would likely be conducted next year, but he did not give details regarding the plan.

The Attorney General said that the AGO was working to help the economic recovery, including by setting up a team that would help local government officials make budget decisions.

"Some of them are reluctant to make decisions [on budgets] because they are afraid of being prosecuted by law enforcers," he said.

Separately, human rights watchdog Setara Institute chairman Hendardi called Prasetyo's argument for the delay "insensitive."

"The decision to delay the executions is not something to brag about, especially because it was not made based on humanitarian reasons. From his argument we can see that he does not know what law enforcement is," Hendardi told the Post on Thursday.

Hendardi called on Jokowi to meet international demands by abolishing capital punishment in the country.

"Any delay in the executions is not a solution. The government must issue a moratorium on the death penalty. After the moratorium, it should move further to completely abolish the inhumane practice," Hendardi said.

In addition to the executions in April, eight drug convicts were executed on the Nusakambangan prison island near Cilacap in Central Java. They were Indonesian Zainal Abidin, Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, Brazilian Rodrigo Gularte, Ghanaian Martin Anderson and Nigerians Sylvester Obiekwe Nwolise, Raheem Agbaje Salami and Okwudili Oyatanze.

Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso of the Philippines was spared after a woman who allegedly recruited her to act as a drug courier gave herself up to police in the Philippines. The AGO said that it would include Veloso in the next round of executions after the legal process in her own country finished.

The AGO has yet to release the names of the 14 drug convicts that it wants to put to death in the next round of executions.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/23/executions-hold-owing-weak-economy.html

Jokowi supports chemical castration for child molesters

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2015

Jakarta – The idea of injecting men who sexually abuse children with female hormones to reduce their sex drive has received support from many public figures, including President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, National Police Chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti, Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Yohana Yembise and Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama.

"It will be good if there's a law for that," said Ahok in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The idea of injecting female hormones into male pedophiles initially came from Social Affairs Minister Kofifah Indar Parawansa. According to Ahok, if the country really wants to apply this law, the country needs to draft a law that could accommodate such a punishment.

Badrodin said that such a punishment would deter other criminals from carrying out similar crimes. "I hope such punishments would have an effect on others," he said as reported by tempo.co on Wednesday.

According to Kofifah, President Jokowi agrees with the proposed law and has considered the possibility of issuing a regulation in lieu of law (Perpu) to create a legal basis for the new punishment.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the human rights group Setara Institute, Hendardi, said that there was no need to make laws, including a Perpu, to create a legal basis for injecting male pedophiles with female hormones.

He said that even if pedophiles were injected, they could still commit sexual violence against others. The better way to minimize such crimes, according to Hendardi, is to have heavier punishments against sex offenders who abuse children.

"I think it is enough to have a longer [prison] sentence for offenders," he said, adding that longer sentences for pedophiles could be included in the draft Criminal Code (KUHP) that was being revised. (edn/bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/21/jokowi-supports-chemical-castration-child-molesters.html

Minister supports castration for child sex offenders

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2015

Jakarta – An additional sanction for child sex offenders, in the form of castration, has received support from the Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Yohana Yembise.

"The punishment [for child sex offenders] shouldn't only be by paying [compensation] or through an amicable settlement, since many issues that were resolved amicably didn't cause a deterrent effect on the offenders," said Yohana on Tuesday as quoted by setkab.go.id.

According to Yohana, the ministry has coordinated with the attorney general regarding the matter. It has also conducted research in several detention centers (Lapas) to discover the main reason behind the offenses.

"It will largely determined how we can conduct counseling for the public and how to decrease the amount of sexual violence against children, since many incidents actually involved immediate family," said Yohana.

She said that she was hopeful President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo would soon issue a presidential instruction (Inpres) on child protection. The draft is currently being prepared by the Social Ministry.

"If the Inpres is available, we will [be able to] create a program to protect Indonesian children," said Yohana. (kes)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/21/minister-supports-castration-child-sex-offenders.html

Indonesia to use chemical castration to punish paedophiles

Reuters - October 21, 2015

Jakarta – Indonesia's president will soon sign a decree authorising the use of chemical castration to punish paedophiles, the attorney general said, following a string of headline-grabbing child sex crimes.

Indonesia will join a small group of nations that allows such punishment, including Poland, Russia, and Estonia, as well as some US states. In 2011, South Korea became the first Asian country to use chemical castration as a punishment.

"We are very concerned about child molestation abuse cases. This phenomenon has reached extraordinary levels," Attorney General H.M. Prasetyo told reporters after a cabinet meeting late on Tuesday. "It has been agreed that there will be additional punishment in order to make people think a thousand times before doing this," he said.

President Joko Widodo is expected to issue a presidential decree soon approving the punishment after the cabinet agreed to the measure late on Tuesday, Prasetyo said.

Chemical castration would involve injecting convicted paedophiles with a female hormone in the hope "his sexual desire will vanish", he said.

The rape last year of a 6-year-old student by a group of janitors at the US embassy-backed Jakarta Intercultural School rekindled calls for tougher punishments.

There have been a number of other high-profile child sex crimes since then. A 9-year-old schoolgirl was raped and killed in the capital, Jakarta, earlier this month.

A 39-year-old man has been arrested in relation to that case. Police believe the girl was strangled with a mobile phone charger cable, Indonesian media has reported.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/indonesia-to-use-chemical-castration-to-punish-paedophiles-20151021-gkexj4.html

Police & law enforcement

Police Survey: West Java best, Papua worst

Jakarta Post - October 22, 2015

Fedina S. Sundaryani – A year-long internal survey conducted by the National Police has concluded that the West Java Police was the best performing provincial police branch among 31 nationwide. The Papua Police, meanwhile, ranked as the worst.

The study, which was conducted in cooperation with the Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Ministry and other relevant institutions, gave the West Java Police a score of 6.767 out of 10 based on an analysis of documents and interviews with those inside and outside of the force.

Coming in at second and third place were Banten Police and the Aceh Police, which scored 6.619, and 6.387, respectively. At the bottom of the list was the Papua Police, with a score of only 4.782.

Provincial police branches were judged based on seven criteria; competence, response, behavior, transparency, effectiveness, fairness and accountability.

At the national level, the Traffic Police came out on top receiving a score of 6.71, with its lowest score in effectiveness balanced by the highest score in transparency.

Meanwhile, the force's water police unit scored the worst out of all the work units within the National Police with 5.2.

The study also found that the law enforcement units, the National Police's general crimes and special crimes unit, were underperforming with scores of 5.24 and 5.74 respectively.

According to police data, the general crimes unit nationwide had only successfully solved 56 percent of the 19,670 crimes reported throughout the year, while the special crimes unit only solved 32 percent of 4,329 cases reported.

The chief of the National Police's general supervision inspectorate, Comr. Gen. Dwi Priyatno said that the survey had been part of the police force's efforts to improve good governance.

"There were two basic reasons [for launching the survey]. First, to prevent crimes: there should not be a lack of communication with local communities, to allow them to also monitor problems at hand. Second, we want to move toward a police force that is more humanist and also anti-corruption, anti-collusion and anti-nepotism," he said on Tuesday.

Dwi said that apart from the Papua Police and the North Maluku Police, the performance of most of the other provincial police forces was average. "This index will be a useful tool to make comparisons between provincial police forces objectively," he said.

Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Yuddy Chrisnandi applauded the National Police for conducting the survey and publicly releasing the results.

"To be brave enough to announce the governance index of each provincial police force, from many aspects, and not making it secret is an example of a good step and it should be followed by other government institutions that have relations with the public," he said.

Yuddy explained that the most important factor was the level of satisfaction among members of the public, and this applied to all law enforcement institutions.

"So if this kind of survey is to continue then I believe that the trust of the public toward the government's efforts to enforce the law will increase. Eventually, the public's perception of corrupt bureaucracy and unfair law enforcement could change in the future," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/22/police-survey-w-java-best-papua-worst.html

Foreign affairs & trade

More than half of imported items are illegal

Jakarta Post - October 20, 2015

Jakarta – Over 50 percent of textile, electronic, toy and food imports are illegal, industry players say.

Indonesian Textile Association (API) supervisory board chairman Benny Soetrisno said 60 percent of textile imports in the Indonesian market were illegal, while Rachmat Gobel, former trade minister as well as owner of the Panasonic Gobel Group, said that overall import items accounted for over 50 percent of what was traded on the market.

For toys and food, for instance, illegal imported products amount to 63 percent of total traded goods. "For electronics [illegal imports] amount to 50 to 60 percent," Gobel said in Jakarta on Monday, as quoted by Kontan.co.id.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo wants to root out illegal imports to protect domestic industry, with recent involvement in raids and meetings with representatives from the Finance Ministry's customs and excise directorate general, Attorney General's Office and the National Police.

But fighting against illegal imports went beyond these three institutions, according to Rahmat and Benny. Benny said the government must label all imported items.

Labeling needs to be done to ensure the country of origin of the imported products. Apart from that, the government had to also require all imported items to use Indonesian language information on the packaging, Benny added.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/20/economy-brief-more-half-imported-items-are-illegal.html

Economy & investment

Indonesia realized investment continues to climb: BKPM

Jakarta Post - October 22, 2015

Ayomi Amindoni, Jakarta – The Coordinating Investment Board (BKPM) said despite the gloomy domestic outlook, Indonesia's realized investments showed a significant increase up until September 2015 and there was reason to be optimistic that they would exceed this year's target of Rp 519.5 trillion (US$38.37 billion).

In the third quarter alone, the country's realized investments both from local and foreign investors rose by 17 percent to Rp 140.3 trillion quarter-to-quarter (qtq). Cumulatively, in January to September this year, the realized investments rose by 16.7 percent to Rp 400 trillion year-on- year (yoy), or 77 percent of this year's target.

BKPM chief Franky Sibarani said this achievement showed the government could maintain investment growth amid the economic slowdown

"With the Rp 400 billion that has been achieved, we are optimistic that this year's target will be reached. Besides, if we look at the last 5 years, investment always increases in the third and fourth quarters," said Franky in a press conference on Thursday.

Franky added the positive achievements of realized investments in January-September had resulted in optimism in Indonesia's investment prospects in the future. Moreover, he said, the government had issued various policy packages that provided convenience to investors.

According to BKPM data, the realization of investment in January-September this year recorded a larger proportion of investment in comparison with outer regions, which was recorded at Rp 180.7 trillion, or 45.2 percent. This proportion rose compared to the same period last year, which amounted to 43.6 percent of total investment.

"One of the government's visions is an equitable development or a development that is based on an Indonesia centric orientation. The increase in the proportion of investment realization outside Java is one indicator of equitable development," Franky said.

Of the total realized investment in January to September 2015, foreign direct investment (FDI) accounted for Rp 266.8 trillion, or rose by 16.9 percent, while domestic direct investment (DDI) stood at Rp 133.2 trillion, rising 16.4 percent according to the board's data.

Franky further said some 79 percent of FDI was new investments while 21 percent was an expansion of existing investments. As for DDI, 61 percent were new investments. "So in the middle of the economic slowdown we expect that there is a turning point, indicated by the new investments that continue to emerge," he said.

BKPM's deputy director for investment monitoring and implementation Azhar Lubis added that between January and September this year, Singapore, Malaysia and Japan stood out as the three biggest FDI contributors in Indonesia, reaching $3.5 billion, $2.9 billion and $2.5 billion, respectively. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/22/ri-realized-investment-continues-climb-bkpm.html

Labor-intensive investment shows negative growth: BKPM

Jakarta Post - October 22, 2015

Ayomi Amindoni, Jakarta – The Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) reported the growth of Indonesia's labor-intensive sector investments declined by 11.74 percent throughout the first nine months of 2015, following the country's economic slowdown.

BKPM chief Franky Sibarani said that in the period between January and September this year, only labor intensive sectors experienced negative growth, in which it declined by 11.74 percent to Rp 41.55 trillion (US$3.7 billion) from Rp 47.08 trillion.

"The sector, which was experiencing a slowdown from January to September, is labor-intensive investment. Four sectors included in the labor-intensive sector are textiles and textile products (TPT), foot wear, food and beverages and also furniture," said Franky in Jakarta on Thursday.

Of all of the sectors mentioned, Franky added, footwear sector investments decreased by 17.9 percent in the third quarter of 2015. "Despite the negative growth in the third quarter, it is better than the first quarter of 2015, in which it saw a 53 percent decrease," he said.

Franky further said it was expected that the third economic stimulus package, which was launched in September, could bring a positive impact on labor-intensive industries.

"After the third package and an improved rupiah exchange rate, some textile raw materials industries, which previously reduced their production volume, began to return to normal operations," said Franky.

BKPM data show that from January to September 2015 realized investments in the infrastructure sectors rose by 12.4 percent year-on-year (yoy), while the agriculture sector grew by 8.2 percent, followed by the maritime sector (28.6 percent) and the export-oriented industry (10.4 percent). Meanwhile, the country's mineral refinery and tourism sector recorded the highest growth, reaching 66.8 percent and 62.6 percent, respectively. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/22/labor-intensive-investment-shows-negative-growth-bkpm.html

Sales of consumer goods slow as people reduce spending

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2015

Jakarta – The sales of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) in Indonesia have grown at a snail's pace during the past several months as people have reduced their spending to cope with the impact of the country's slowing economy.

A survey by consumers research firm Kantar Worldpanel Indonesia showed that the growth rate of the sales of consumer goods in the country during the period of July last year to June this year plummeted to 7.4 percent from 15.2 percent in the previous period.

The firm's new business development director Fanny Murhayati told a press briefing in Central Jakarta on Tuesday that the lower growth was in line with the downward trend in Asia and the ASEAN FMCG market. "This is a trend happening across the region," she said.

The agency stated that Indonesia's slowing economy had affected customers' shopping behaviors, which resulted in the sluggish industry growth.

Indonesian customers on average shopped only 46 categories of consumer goods this year, compared to 48 last year. Their shopping frequency also declined to 358 times from 384 times in the previous year.

The firm had surveyed around 7,000 respondent households nationwide since July last year. Surveyors interviewed the same targets, including about scanned and recorded consumer goods consumed by the household, every week to find out their consumption habits. The respondents represented around 26.5 million urban and 22.5 million rural households whose consumption ranged from Rp 850,000 (US$62.30) to more than Rp 7 million per month.

"Rising prices have pushed the households to carefully watch their consumption by only buying staple goods," Fanny said.

Despite the fall in the growth rate, Indonesia fared better compared to other countries in Asia. According to the agency's estimate, FMCG sales in Asia would likely grow only by 4.6 percent this year, slightly lower than the 5.1 percent recorded last year. In the Southeast Asia region, the market expanded by only 4.6 percent this year, less than the 6.4 percent in the previous year.

The latest Bank Indonesia (BI) consumer survey in September showed that consumer confidence was at 97.5, its lowest level in five years. A figure below 100 indicates pessimism and above it, optimism. The weakness in consumer sentiment is backed by people's expectations that prices will continue to increase in the next three months.

Private consumption grew 4.99 percent in the second quarter this year, its slowest since 2011.

Indonesia's economy, which is 55 percent driven by domestic consumption, is weakening this year, with a growth rate of only 4.67 percent in the second quarter and 4.7 percent in the first quarter – all the lowest levels since 2009.

Yongky Susilo, an expert with the Indonesian Retailers Association (Aprindo), said in a written statement to The Jakarta Post on Tuesday that FMCG retails grew 11.6 percent year to date. However, of that number, 9.7 percent was due to inflation, leaving narrow growth.

He urged the government to immediately create more jobs and disburse direct cash transfers to bolster customers' purchasing power amid the soaring prices of goods.

"The year-to-date FMCG growth currently stands at only a half of the usual average number," he wrote, adding that modern retailers tried to survive by offering promotions.

The Kantar Worldpanel survey showed that customers were relatively attracted by promotions, as was indicated since 17 percent of their expenditures happened during promotional periods. The amount of bought goods during promotions increased by 30 percent compared to in 2013.

"However, Indonesia still experiences the highest growth among its regional peers," Fanny said. (prm)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/21/sales-consumer-goods-slow-people-reduce-spending.html

2016 to remain sluggish for Indonesia economy: Bahana

Jakarta Post - October 17, 2015

Jakarta – Two months from year-end, Indonesia's economy is forecast to remain stuck in the doldrums next year, with the gross domestic product (GDP), the rupiah and state revenues lower than hoped for, according to securities house Bahana Securities.

As many major economic institutions including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) slash their growth predictions for Southeast Asia's largest economy, the investment firm expects 5.1 percent GDP growth for 2016, lower than the government's forecast of 5.5 percent in the draft 2016 state budget.

"The outlook remains quite serious. [...] We might even lower it to below 5 percent," said Bahana's head of research Harry Su during a recent visit to The Jakarta Post's office. The country saw 4.67 percent GDP growth in the second quarter this year, the slowest in nearly six years and slower than the recorded growth in the first quarter, which stood at 4.7 percent.

Meanwhile, Harry also expressed concern about the possibility of tax target shortfalls, which could be the biggest threat to Indonesia's economy next year.

He predicted a shortfall in this year's tax revenues of between Rp 250 trillion (US$18.49 billion) and Rp 400 trillion from the target of Rp 1.49 quadrillion, quite apart from the significant 26 percent increase in the tax target in the draft 2016 state budget, to Rp 1.56 quadrillion. "That's why we think that the target will not be achieved next year," he said.

The government's tax revenues slumped to a four-year low on the first half of this year, they are reported to amount to Rp 555.2 trillion, or only 37.3 percent of the targeted revenue, lower than the usual 42 percent to 44 percent in the same period in the last four years.

Harry added that the tax shortfall would lead to infrastructure development getting bogged down. "As the government can't control the external factors, all they can do is build infrastructure," He said.

The government has allocated Rp 313.5 trillion for infrastructure spending in the draft 2016 state budget, higher than Rp 290 trillion this year.

However, the budget realization so far has been challenging, with one of the key ministries for infrastructure, the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry, only managing to spend less than 50 percent of its budget by Oct. 13.

He also said that the rupiah would further weaken next year, with the firm expecting the currency to stand at Rp 14,000 by the end of the year and Rp 14,500 next year. This is still higher than the analysts' consensus of the rupiah ending at Rp 14,500 this year and continuing to weaken to Rp 14,700 next year.

The currency, which has depreciated by more than 8 percent to date, is still volatile with a lack of rupiah circulating in the market, according to Harry. "The liquidity is very 'dry', so the movement of the rupiah against the dollar can be quite volatile," he added.

However, despite the bleak outlook, he stressed that the country was not in a crisis like 1998. "Especially on the debt-to-GDP ratio. [In 1998], it stood at 150 percent, now it is just 33 percent. It's much healthier," he said, adding that the current corporate net gearing, which stood at 19 percent, should also keep the economy secure.

Meanwhile, the firm also predicted a level of 4,700 for the benchmark Jakarta Composite Index this year, increasing to 5,100 next year.

"Infrastructure development should be faster next year, so there will be support for the GDP," he said, adding that the early tenders conducted by the ministry would also help to speed it up.

Regarding favorable sectors, he said that the firm was still heavy on defensives such as staple consumer goods and telecommunications with high earnings visibility next year. "Because at the moment, the problem is the scarcity of growth," he said. (fsu)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/17/2016-remain-sluggish-ri-economy-bahana.html

Analysis & opinion

The young Papuans risking life and limb in the name of resistance

Jakarta Post - October 21, 2015

Neles Tebay, Abepura – This year has seen a new development in the Papuan struggle.

The resistance against Indonesia's rule over the territory of the western half of New Guinea is no longer led by the old guard of Papuans who had experienced Dutch colonial rule and had witnessed the 1969 Act of Free Choice that resulted in Papua's integration into the Republic of Indonesia.

Today's resistance is no longer directed from Papua's jungles by a commander of the National Liberation Army of West Papua, a military wing of Papuan resistance groups called the Free Papua Movement known as Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM).

The resistance is now organized and led by the younger generation of Papuans.

The shootings and torture of Papuans that has gone on since December 2014 until today, accompanied by various incidents of unrest, indicate that the young Papuans who were outsiders in the past are now front-liners in the Papuan resistance.

The latest shooting of young Papuans – as recorded by police and NGOs, among others – took place on Sept. 28 in Timika, the capital of Mimika regency. Kaleb Bagau, 21, was shot to death and Erfando Sabarofak, 17, sustained injuries during shooting by the police.

On Aug. 28, responding to Papuans gathering in front of a Catholic church for a thanksgiving celebration, two military members opened fire in Timika, resulting in the killing of two Papuans, Yulianus Okoare, 18, and Imanuel Marimau, 23. The shooting injured Thomas Apoka, 16, and three others in their early 20s – Moses Umapi, Marinus Apokapo and Moses Imipu.

On Aug. 27, three young Papuans, Wilhelmus Awom, 26, Soleman Yom, 27, and Yafet Awom, 19, were abducted and severely tortured by police in Jayapura, the capital of Papua province.

On July 17, 12 Papuans were shot by security personnel in Karubaga, the capital of Tolikara regency, in the central highland. One, Endi Wanimbo, 15, was killed and 11 others were injured by the shootings. The shooting was a response to Papuans who had protested.

On June 25, Yoseni Agapa, 15, was shot to death, allegedly by security forces, in Ugapuga village, Dogiyai regency.

On March 19, a clash erupted between police and hundreds of young Papuans who had gathered in Dekai, the capital of Yahukimo regency, to show support for the formation of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP). One was killed and Intel Senegil, 16, was wounded by the shooting. Meanwhile three young men, Elkius Kobak, 23, Putih Bahabol, 28, and Era Kobak, 26, were arrested and detained by the police.

On Dec. 8, 2014, some 22 Papuans were shot, allegedly by security forces, in Enarotali, the capital of Paniai regency. Four – 17-year-olds Alpius Youw, Yulian Yeimo and Alpius Gobai and Simon Degei, 18 – were killed on the spot. Meanwhile some 18 others were injured and taken to the hospital for further medical treatment. The Papuans were shot while they were holding a peaceful demonstration, while performing a traditional dance, to call for justice.

Each of these violent incidents could be isolated cases. They might not have been planned actions. They might have occurred accidentally out of misunderstanding. The shooting of Papuans might not reflect institutional policy of the military and police. Nevertheless, the fact shows that all of the victims of the violent conflicts are indigenous Papuans from 15 to 27 years old. Many were high school students.

The young Papuans were killed because this generation of native Papuans makes up the front-liners in the resistance against the military and police who are representative of Indonesia.

These young Papuans do not know the Dutch language at all, only Indonesian. They were born in 1990s and therefore educated by the government of Indonesia, but resist Indonesia.

They opt for unarmed resistance. They manifest their resistance through peaceful demonstrations in all the towns of Papua and West Papua provinces.

They also openly argue with the military and or the police, with the full knowledge that they might be beaten, tortured, detainedor even murdered.

As a result, the military and police are forced to deal with the young Papuans. Many clashes, therefore, take place between the security forces and the young Papuans. The young people-led Papuan resistance is no longer based in the jungle, nor in remote and isolated villages. Rather, as manifested by the above cases, young people are resisting the security forces in Papua towns such as Timika, Karubaga, Enarotali and Jayapura.

The Papuan resistance is no longer a secret war. It is an open campaign visible to all urban dwellers.

The youth use cellular phone facilities and Internet networks available in all Papuan towns to easily and immediately spread the news of their resistance and the killing and torture of Papuans, especially through local and national media and social media.

Consequently, many people within and beyond Indonesia obtain information about the human right abuses from Papua and West Papua, although foreign journalists are not allowed to visit the region.

With the formation of the ULMWP, young Papuans raise resistance against Indonesia with better coordination and communicate their aspirations in one united voice to all parties concerned.

The military and police should leave the security approach and refrain from the shooting and torture of Papuans. The government needs to explore more peaceful ways to deal with young Papuans. To engage in dialogue with the Papuans represented by the ULMWP would be helpful in seeking a just and peaceful solution to the Papua issue.

The continuation of the security approach being applied in Papua and West Papua will, in turn, damage Indonesia's image in the eyes of the international community. Consequently, the Papuan resistance will become an international issue and Indonesia will face international pressure.

[The writer is a lecturer at the Fajar Timur School of Philosophy and coordinator of the Papua Peace Network in Abepura. In 2013 he was awarded the Tji Hak Soon Justice and Peace Award in Seoul.]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/21/the-young-papuans-risking-life-and-limb-name-resistance.html

Defense or security?

Jakarta Post Editorial - October 19, 2015

It is the duty of every citizen to contribute to this nation, including in the defense of Ibu Pertiwi (the motherland). That contribution can take many shapes and forms. It can be the creativity of work, innovation of products, offering a helping hand to others, a commitment to public service or even the simplest honesty of a decent life.

The concept of strength in the 21st century is no longer measured by the simple might of marching armies or the roar of canons. Creative minds, economic sustainability, social unity and entrepreneurship are soft-power arsenals that are equal, if not greater, advantages for a nation to have than 100,000 trained men ready to shoot or march in synchronicity.

Our own struggle for independence taught us that might does not equate to victory.

Haji Agus Salim, Mohammad Hatta, Mohammad Roem, Soepomo and Ali Sastroamidjojo, for example, never once fired a weapon in anger during that revolutionary periods which saw their rise among our greatest statesmen. Nevertheless, their contribution to Indonesia's independence were no less great than any fallen warrior of the independence struggle.

It is thus somewhat bewildering that we should seek to train civilians in a national defense regime that is almost in disconnection with the concept of modern defense.

Last week Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu and his subordinates explained that his proposal of civilians being trained in state defense was not the same as earlier proposals of compulsory military service.

His proposal of bela negara (defending the state) would be a civilian forces program with 100 million civilians being trained within the next 10 years, which would not only comprise physical military training such as introducing civilians to "only the basics of handling a firearm", as one official said, but also highly needed values such as patriotism.

The process from the proposal announced last December, to only insert patriotic values into the crowded school curriculum – which already contains civic education – to mass training of 100 million citizens, is not entirely clear.

Nor are the policy considerations, including the cost and funding of the program, the scrutiny of the plan under the Indonesian Military Law, among others, and the details of the proposal. However, Zulkifli Hasan, speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly, was quoted on Friday as saying he supported the program.

Nevertheless, Indonesia is under no threat of invasion. Nor is it seeking war. Moreover, as an archipelagic state, threats would come from the sea or the air, not land. Priority is toward security, not defense. And the former is within the civilian authority of the police, not the military.

We are also somewhat concerned about training young men with military discipline. Have the possible repercussions of unemployed or frustrated young men with such capacity been considered? Roving mercenaries is one scenario we do not wish to ponder.

Militarism is not an option. And military discipline and mindsets should be restricted to the barracks or at least the most educated and critical minds.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/19/editorial-defense-or-security.html

Bad transport planning

Jakarta Post Editorial - October 17, 2015

Jakarta, the city with the "worst traffic in the world", as many say, plans to open at least 16 new transit routes and develop six-inner city toll roads.

This could be viewed as a great move to improve mobility and ease congestion, but a closer look at the plan and the maps, revealed in a recent stakeholders meeting at the Urban Planning Agency's office at City Hall, shows a lack of an overarching plan, which could lead to disaster instead.

Representatives of five public transit firms and a toll road developer sat together to compare notes: PT Jakarta Propertindo in the construction of the Jakarta administration's light rail transit (LRT), PT Adhi Karya for the central government's LRT, state-owned railway company PT KAI for the city's commuter line and train to the airport, PT Mass Rapid Transit Jakarta (MRT Jakarta) for the MRT, PT Transportasi Jakarta (Transjakarta) for Transjakarta busway and PT Jakarta Tollroad Developer (JTD) for six inner toll roads.

Apparently, each stakeholder designed its own detailed routes without consulting any of the others or any master plan. It turns out some even disregarded existing routes. The plan of a route in Adhi Karya's LRT, for example, has a supporting pillar in the middle of an existing Transjakarta lane in Kuningan, South Jakarta.

The map also shows that the six inner toll roads will overlap with other modes' routes, both existing or planned. It will overlap with the MRT, Transjakarta, the commuter line and the LRT. The six inner toll road projects have also been criticized by urban planners, who say that it has been proven in cities around the world that more roads do not necessarily mean less congestion.

Urban planners have added that the absence of an overarching plan for transportation in Greater Jakarta is a result of utter disregard for the spatial planning bylaw. Urban planner Nirwono Joga said the city administration often thought that when a public project did not involve public money, such as from the national or city budget, a private company did not have to follow the spatial planning bylaw.

This is wrong, he says, because when inviting the participation of the private sector, the administration should give companies the city masterplan first, and only then offer routes that no one has been commissioned. And, of course, a company cannot propose its own route and change the bylaw later.

Another urban planner, Yayat Supriyatna, said the six inner toll road projects violated the 2012 spatial planning bylaw.

Most urban planners know that disregard for the spatial planning bylaw, often for the sake of private developers, is rampant on the part of the administration. Officials simply dismiss the matter, claiming that it is easy to revise the law every five years.

Jakarta should have learned a lesson from the monorail project – proposed and construction started hastily under governor Sutiyoso in 2003. The neglected pillars should be a reminder to decision-makers that Jakartans don't need bad planning that serves only the companies eager for projects anymore.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/17/editorial-bad-transport-planning.html