Erin Cook, Jakarta – Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu has used a "2 + 2" bilateral meeting in Australia as an opportunity to warn other countries to not become involved in the long-running Papua independence campaign and to respect the sovereignty of Indonesia.

Ryamizard was quizzed on the issue on Monday in Sydney after reports that international NGOs were forced to close Papua-based offices.

"There are countries that are getting involved in the issue of Papua," he said in an address to Australian media, without pointing to specific countries.

"The unitary Republic of Indonesia extends from Sabang [on the western tip of Sumatra] to Papua. There is no other solution, that's the way it is," he said.

Ryamizard was joined in Sydney by Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi to meet with their Australian counterparts, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Defense Minister Marise Payne, to discuss security issues and potential investment.

Papua was addressed during the meeting and Bishop told media that Australia respects the sovereignty of Indonesia unconditionally.

"On the issue of Papua, yes, that was part of our discussions. We had a general discussion about regional issues, about Pacific issues and Australia restated as we have done on many occasions, publicly and privately, our unconditional support and respect for Indonesia's sovereignty in this regard," she said, as reported by AAP.

Five days ago, Retno dan Ryamizard also held a 2+2 meeting with their Japanese counterpart to discuss the same issue.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/2-2-meeting-sydney-touches-papua-indonesian-sovereignty/

Indonesia warns other countries to respect its sovereignty over Papua

Australian Associated Press - December 21, 2015

The Indonesian defence minister has warned other countries to respect his country's sovereignty over the troubled region of Papua, as meetings with Australian ministers ended in mutual agreement about the strength of the bilateral relationship.

Ryamizard Ryacudu said Indonesia had "never disrupted or caused disruptions in other countries" and it expected the same of other nations regarding Papua and its long-running independence movement.

"There are countries that are getting involved in the issue of Papua. For us, Papua is [part] of the united Republic of Indonesia. The united Republic of Indonesia extends from Sabang [in Sumatra] to Papua. There is no other solution, that's it, that's the way it is," Ryacudu said in Sydney on Monday.

The comments from Ryacudu, who previously served as chief of staff of the Indonesian Army (TNI) and commander of the Strategic Army Command, or Kostrad, follow reports that all international NGOs have been ordered to close offices in Papua.

Ryacudu, who previously served as chief of staff of the Indonesian army (TNI) and commander of the strategic army command, was in Sydney with foreign minister Retno Marsudi for a meeting with Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop and defence minister Marise Payne.

Bishop confirmed Papua was discussed during the talks and reiterated that Australia respected Indonesia's sovereignty over Papua.

"On the issue of Papua, yes, that was part of our discussions. We had a general discussion about regional issues, about Pacific issues and Australia restated, as we have done on many occasions, publicly and privately, our unconditional support and respect for Indonesia's sovereignty in this regard," Bishop said.

Indonesia, which took control of Papua from the Dutch in 1963, has for a long time fought a separatist movement in the province and faced various allegations of systematic abuse of Papuans.

The Indonesian military has been accused of numerous human rights abuses, while the local population complains that much of the wealth generated in the resource-rich province flows back to Jakarta while West Papuans remain poor.

After the meetings, Bishop said relations between the nations were in very good shape. Relations with Indonesia might have been frosty following the Bali Nine executions, but Bishop said there had been 15 ministerial meetings between the countries since August.

Monday's meeting focused on national security, including counter-terrorism, deradicalisation and intelligence-sharing, as well as economic ties, she told reporters after the meeting.

Australia and Indonesia were close neighbours and natural partners, Bishop said. As well as security and economic ties, there were growing links in tourism and student exchange.

"We have shared and common interests across a broad and diverse range of areas," Bishop said. "There is room for us as two G20 economies to do a great deal more together."

Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi agreed the relationship between Jakarta and Canberra was in good shape, especially after Malcolm Turnbull's visit to Jakarta. The touchy issue of people smuggling and Australia's boat turnback policy was the subject of a "very frank and honest discussion", Bishop said.

Marsudi said both nations would continue to cooperate on addressing the root causes of people smuggling. Ryacudu said real threats facing the region included terrorism, natural disaster, disease, drug smuggling and the "hassle" of refugees.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/21/indonesia-warns-other-countries-to-respect-its-sovereignty-over-papua

'Shortage of doctors' led to mysterious deaths in Papua

UCA News - December 18, 2015

Benny Mawel, Nduga – A scarcity of medical personnel in Indonesia's Papua province contributed to the mysterious deaths of 43 people, mostly children, in the Mbuwa area of Nduga district during October and November, activists claim.

The village has two unstaffed medical clinics, said Wene Talenggen, a local activist. The majority of victims were less than two years old, he said.

"In the beginning they had symptoms such as flu, diarrhea, vomiting before they died," Talenggen told ucanews.com Dec. 17.

The victims' parents were unable to take their children to the nearest hospitals in Wamena because of the distance and rugged terrain. "The area is located along mountain slopes and difficult to gain access to," he said.

Talenggen said there is no public transportation in the area, and a rental vehicle would cost at least US$200, beyond the reach of the families, who were mostly subsistence farmers.

Peneas Lokbere, coordinator of the United for Truth and Solidarity of Human Rights Victims in Papua, said most of the victims would have survived if they had received immediate treatment.

"But when parents brought the children to local clinics, there was no one to assist them. The medical workers had moved to cities," Lokbere said. "The parents did not have any choice but to stay at home, waiting for a miracle to happen," he said.

The Rev. Benny Giay of the Kemah Injili Church told ucanews.com on Dec. 16 that 140 people died in 2014 of similar symptoms in the neighboring area of Jigi.

Unknown cause of death

The official causes of the deaths remain unknown, and are being investigated by provincial doctors.

Earlier, Indonesia's health minister Nila F. Moeloek told reporters that the mountainous region's cold weather in the past few months forced many people to remain in their homes that are heated by wood fires. The lack of ventilation could have led to serious respiratory ailments, she said.

Source: http://www.ucanews.com/news/shortage-of-doctors-led-to-mysterious-deaths-in-papua/74823

Teater Koma casts spotlight on the land of Papua

Jakarta Globe - December 17, 2015

Jakarta – The local theater company Teater Koma staged a politically charged performance of "Cahaya dari Papua" ("Light from Papua") at Galeri Indonesia Kaya last Saturday.

Directed by Nano Riantiarno, the 50-minute play revolves around a devilish dragon that terrorizes Papua. The play's storyline can be seen as an allegory for the repressions the Papuans have been facing since the land became part of Indonesia back in the 1960s.

The fire-breathing creature in the play – which may represent certain outsiders grabbing Papua's natural resources – monopolizes all the foods and causes hunger among the people. But a prophecy predicts that a newborn baby will become a hero that eventually saves Papua from the dragon.

"Our production of 'Cahaya dari Papua' this time is a development from the one we staged last year. Through this performance, we want to put a focus on the land of Papua and its hopeful progress toward a better future," the director said in a statement.

Since its inception in 1977, Teater Koma has produced around 130 plays – including works of internationally renowned playwrights like Shakespeare and Moliere – for television and the stages of Taman Ismail Marzuki and Gedung Kesenian Jakarta.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/features/teater-koma-casts-spotlight-land-papua/

West Papua: Distrust hinders hopes for peace, activist says

Pacific Media Centre - December 17, 2015

Jakarta (UCA News/Pacific Media Watch) – A lack of trust between the Indonesian government and the people of Papua has jeopardised hopes for a lasting peace in the restive province, according to a prominent human rights activist.

Persistent human rights abuses, a crackdown by the government on civil liberties and a focus on corporate development, rather than on the people, has left citizens feeling disenfranchised and distrustful, Latifah Anum Siregar said.

"We ask for open space for democracy, freedom of expression, and dialogue as promised by President Joko Widodo several times," Siregar told ucanews.com during a two-day "Torture and Violence in Asia" workshop held in Jakarta.

Siregar, a human rights lawyer and the chairwoman of the Alliance for Democracy in Papua, received the South Korean Gwangju Human Rights award in May for her role in promoting peace in Papua.

She said government efforts for progress in Papua would always be met by resistance because Papuans were not involved in policy making. "Many of the government policies to encourage progress in Papua don't work because they never involve the Papuan people," she said.

Indonesia has maintained a heavy military presence in Papua, where a low- level insurgency against the central government has simmered for decades.

Accusations of killings

The military has been accused of resorting to extrajudicial killings, torture and abuse to defeat rebel forces.

A crackdown on activists in an attempt to crush the Papuan independence movement, has left local people deeply resentful and suspicious of the national government.

Siregar noted that the government has taken some positive steps this year, such as freeing political prisoners, including pro-independence activist Filep Karma. "But, it's useless if freedom of expression remains prohibited. People will be arrested again," she said.

Siregar urged the government to change its approach to Papua from a pro- investment to a pro-people strategy.

Poengky Indarti, executive director of the Indonesian Human Rights Monitor, or Impartial, said that the government should stop using torture and violence in Papua. "We witnessed many cases in which security officers in dealing with the Papuans failed to uphold their rights," Indarti said.

Instead, Indonesia should take persuasive steps in holding accountable human rights abusers, she said. "Conflict in Papua has lasted for 50 years now. However, we have not seen any efforts that can really solve the problem," she said.

Source: http://www.pmc.aut.ac.nz/pacific-media-watch/west-papua-distrust-hinders-hopes-peace-activist-says-9525

'Expel Freeport, save Papua,' students demand

Tabloid JUBI - December 17, 2015

Victor Mambor – Carrying banners and pamphlets "Expel Freeport, Save Papua", they demanded PT. Freeport Indonesia fulfill their obligations to the customary landowners in gold and copper mining areas, including the tenureship payment amounted to Rp 400 trillion.

If not, the Freeport's contract should not be extended for third time and this American company should check out of Papua, the protestors said.

Protest Coordinator Robert Natikime said in his speech that since the first contract, Freeport has not brought benefits to the landowners and communities around its mine are still living in poverty.

"When the first contract was signed in 1967, Freeport's representative Forbes Wilson fooled our grandparents. He promised a lot of things but nothing been materialized. The third contract could not be executed if it wasn't involved the landowners and Freeport must pay penalty on tenureship," he said.

He said Freeport comes not to welfare the landowners in general and Papua in particular. But it presents to destroy the customary landowners to take control on their natural richness.

"Papua Legislative Council to immediately form a Special Committee on Freeport's Contract. Freeport is responsible to the entire human rights violations occurred in Papua generally and in particular in Mimika since it's been operated in 1967. Freeport's Headquarters must be in Papua, instead of Jakarta," he said.

The students were met with the Chairman of Papua Legislative Council, Yunus Wonda; the Chairman of Commission I of Papua Legislative Council, Elvis Tabuni, Papua legislators Laurenzus Kadepa, Kusmanto and Wilhelmus Pigai.

"We have not been able to determine the next step if we don't know where we stand. We are waiting for Freeport's respond. Sometimes ago the Papua Provincial Government proposed 17 points. It should be followed up first befire the new contract. The 17 points are to facilitate the interest of indigenous Papuans, in particular seven tribes of landowners," said Wonda in front of protesters.

After the rally, Papua legislator Laurenzus Kadepa told Freeport to not only give a promise, but it has to have commitment to build the human resources of local community, besides paying compensation Rp 400 trillion to the landowners.

Now, two mountains at hundreds meters of height of Cartenz, Erstberg (1967-1987) and Grasberg (1988-2041), have damaged. While the law land of Amungsa Land (Mimika) is continuously containing the mining waste or tailing. But the polemic on Freeport's contract and shares is continuously happened in Jakarta.

Ertsberg has been transformed into a lake named Wilson Lake after Forbes Wilson, the expedition leader of Freeport 1960 with the late Amungme leader Mozes Kilangin whose name given to the Timika International Mozes Kilangin Airport.

Forbes Wilson didn't deny the role of Amungme leader in Freeport's expedition along Amungme people to guarantee the expedition run smoothly and safety without the escort of the Dutch Army. The local people were simply tackling the security of Dutch and American expedition team for more than a month in April 1960.

Forbers Wilson wrote in his book "The Conquest of Copper Montain" confessed that Mozes Kilangin was a navigator as well as good negotiator and also kept monitor and escort him during the climb expedition to Erstberg.

If he was still alive, what would he said about the renegotiation of Freeport's contract to extend their exploitation of copper, gold and silver mining at the Grasberg and Ertsberg in Papua until 2041.

All parties in Jakarta seem not paying attention and care about the Papuans, especially Kamoro and Amungme people. It's similar with Freeport that doesn't care about it at all since they have been operated in this land and after being expelled from Cuba when managing the sculpture mining. (Arjuna Pademme/rom)

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/eng/expel-freeport-save-papua-students-demand/

West Papua: Mining in an occupation forgotten by the world

Pacific Media Centre - December 16, 2015

Nithin Coca – It is a region rich in natural resources, the biggest source of tax revenue for the fourth most populous country in the world and, under de-facto military rule – it is also a place where activists are jailed, tortured, disappeared and assassinated.

So why doesn't the world know more about West Papua? Quite simply, because Indonesia's restive, easternmost region is home to "one of the least covered armed conflicts in the world," says Bob Dietz, Asia-Pacific director for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), of the more than 50-year conflict.

There are no official statistics but estimates put the number of Papuans killed by Indonesian authorities at anywhere between 100,000 and 500,000 people.

Four decades of heavy restrictions on media and human rights groups' access to West Papua has resulted in a near media blackout.

Linked to all this is a United States-based mining giant, Freeport-McMoRan. Though its Phoenix, Arizona, headquarters is almost 15,000 kilometres away from the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, it is the country's largest taxpayer.

State security

In 2014, Freeport contributed a massive US$1.5 billion to the Indonesian state coffers. Not surprisingly, a huge percentage of its profits and revenue depends on its Papua operations – and this has wider implications.

"Freeport needs a lot of government security support to operate," says Andreas Harsono, Indonesia researcher with Human Rights Watch. "In remote areas like Papua, this means less monitoring and more potential rights abuses taking place in their mining operations."

In fact, national police and military are in charge of 'maintaining order' so that copper and gold can be safely extracted, and tax revenues can flow into Jakarta.

Freeport's massive Grasberg mine – one of the largest open-pit mines in the world, with a minority stake held by global mining giant Rio Tinto – is essentially closed off to outside access.

"I like to joke that even if Jesus Christ wanted to visit [West] Papua, I don't think he would get a permit," says Harsono, noting that official permission requires signatures from 18 separate ministries and security agencies – an impossible task.

"Any bureaucracy that requires so many signatures to get a permit means there must be something terribly wrong in the area they want to enter."

A history of oppression

West Papua (known by the Jakarta administration simply as Papua) forms the western half of the island of New Guinea (the eastern half being the independent nation of Papua New Guinea) and has long been a crown jewel for aspiring global powers.

It has, at various times, been controlled by Germany, The Netherlands and Australia, before it was annexed by Indonesia in 1969 in a military-run election in which about 1000 hand-picked representatives were forced to vote for ascension.

West Papua was then ruled with the strongest of iron fists during Indonesia's 'New Order' era under General Suharto.

"Suharto was a brutal dictator who savagely treated Papuans like animals and ordered many bombings and massacres in West Papua," says Benny Wenda, leader of the Free West Papua.

These attacks were aimed chiefly at destroying the region's independence aspirations and forcing its people to become Indonesians.

Wenda currently lives in exile in the United Kingdom, travelling around the world to raise awareness of the brutal atrocities committed by Indonesia against his people. He witnessed this personally, when, as a child, the Indonesian military bombed his village and killed members of his family.

Crucial role

Natural resources have played a crucial role in the trajectory of Papuan history. Just four years after its annexation, Freeport arrived, marking the beginning of a long relationship which has proved prosperous for the company, the Indonesian government and few others. Meanwhile, the people of West Papua have endured great pain and suffering.

There was hope when Suharto's dictatorship fell in 1998, bringing free elections to the archipelago, and even an independence referendum in East Timor, which was itself invaded and annexed by Indonesia in 1975, and faced similar, bloody oppression. It turned out to be false hope for West Papua. "It looked as though an independence referendum was imminent but the new Indonesian government became incredibly scared of losing West Papua," says Wenda.

Theys Eluay murdered

"So [Papuan independence leader] Theys Eluay was murdered by the Indonesian authorities, and ever since then, the situation in West Papua has only declined. There have been no real attempts to help with human rights or self-determination from any Indonesian government since."

What has changed, however, has been an even greater investment in resource development, and the continued inflow of migrants from Java and Sumatra, Indonesia's two most populous islands, into West Papua to manage resource development. "Indonesia's in-country migration is coming close to making Papuans a minority in their traditional homeland," says Dietz.

Of a population of 3.5 million, only about half are from the hundreds of Melanesian Papuan ethnic groups, with the remainder of the population coming from Javanese, Sundanese, Malay and Madurese migrants, nearly all of whom have arrived since 1969.

Moreover, Indonesia plans to further exploit Papua by expanding palm oil plantations into traditionally-held forested land, and increasing downstream mining revenue by building smelters and other industrial facilities along the coast.

"I'm concerned with how the government uses [all this] tax money," says Eric Samudra, a Jakarta-based governance researcher. "Is it being used for the good of the people, especially Papuans? The answer, obviously, is no."

Disengaged public

Despite the news of police killing four protesters last December, many Indonesians remain silent on their government's occupation of a minority, mostly non-Islamic people who have been waging a low-level insurgency for freedom and justice. "The problem is most people choose not to do anything about it, while some others believe that nothing can be done," says Samudra.

However, recent documentaries such as the Oscar-nominated The Act of Killing are slowly opening Indonesians eyes to the country's troubled past, which includes a bloody repression of its nascent Communist Party in the 1960s.

John M. Miller, the National Coordinator of the East Timor & Indonesia Action Network, who publishes a monthly update on the situation in West Papua, believes that while public awareness is growing, it still has a long way to go before real change can occur. "The silence is beginning to be broken, but a broad understanding isn't there yet."

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo promised to bring greater development and autonomy to Indonesia's outer islands, and the December killings brought Papua to the forefront of his administration's efforts. But questions remain about whether he will really be able to change the Papua situation.

"We believe President Jokowi would like to make a difference in Papua, and he has already made some moves to do that," said Harsono, pointing to the president's pledge to visit Papua frequently and listen to local concerns. "But moving the security and civilian bureaucracy over [West] Papua is not easy."

Empty words

That is one reason why many Papuan activists, including Wenda, are tired of empty words and want a referendum. "We do not believe that any outcome other than full independence for West Papua can ever be a solution."

On the ground, government policy seems to be going in the opposite direction. A case in point: the planned new smelter, to be operated by Freeport and an Indonesian partner, will be built on traditional Kamoro lands in the Arafura coast, south of Freeport's existing mining operations in the region.

The smelter was negotiated directly between the Indonesian government and Freeport, with no say or consultation from the local people. Not surprisingly, locals groups oppose the smelter, which they fear will further pollute their lands and destroy their traditional way of living. If plans move forward, tensions will likely rise.

Dominikus Mitoro, acting chair of the Kamoro indigenous consultative organisation leadership council, has said publicly: "Freeport or any other investor will encounter endless problems," and that "no business will run smoothly until it leaves [our lands]."

According to activists, now more than ever, media access to West Papua is crucial in order to bring global attention to the planned smelter, and to give the world a true understanding of the human rights situation in the region – and Freeport's role in it.

But that access seems unlikely for now. "Indonesia's leaders appear determined not to lose another part of its far-flung archipelago by having troublesome reporters, international or Indonesian, expose what is happening in Papua," says Dietz.

Freeport McMoRan declined to comment on this story.

Source: http://www.pmc.aut.ac.nz/articles/west-papua-mining-occupation-forgotten-world

Military ties

Australia plans more defence exchanges with Indonesia

Australian Financial Review - December 20, 2015

Greg Earl – Australia has flagged more defence exchanges with Indonesian officers after agreeing to renew a defence co-operation agreement amid new joint efforts to crack down on a potential terrorist group in the country.

Defence Minister Marise Payne foreshadowed more personnel exchanges to boost the relationship after agreeing well ahead of time to renew and refurbish the existing agreement which expires in 2017.

But Indonesia's Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu injected some tough words into a bilateral meeting in Sydney on Monday telling Australians no change was possible to Indonesia's control of Papua and the refugee issue was not a security threat.

General Ryacudu described the asylum seeker issue, which has caused many recent bilateral tensions, as "not a threat but a bit of a hassle" when listing the important bilateral issues.

This prompted Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to restate the federal government's long-standing position that its refugee policies were focused on saving lives.

General Ryacudu said defence co-operation had produced lots of positive results over 50 years and the co-operation should be extended further but Indonesia did not want its national policies to be disrupted.

Papua off-limits

He said Papua, where independence advocates draw support from some civil groups in Australia, was part of the united Indonesian republic. "There is no other solution to talk about. This is it."

Ms Bishop, Senator Payne, General Ryacudu and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi were meeting in the third combined defence and foreign ministers meeting following a substantial warming of bilateral ties in the past three months, with 15 different bilateral ministerial visits since August.

Underlining the burst of ministerial meetings, the Sydney meeting coincided with a visit to Jakarta by Attorney-General George Brandis and Justice Minister Michael Keenan.

Ms Bishop and Ms Marsudi said they had met six times this year which they suggested was more than with most other foreign ministerial counterparts. Ms Marsudi said a decision had been taken to focus on areas of co-operation rather than differences. They emphasised that they talk even more via text.

Senator Payne said the defence forces had very strong people-to-people contact and she was committed to continuing this. She said Australia had agreed to renew its defence co-operation agreement with Indonesia and planned more joint exercises in disaster and humanitarian relief.

Speaking before the meeting, General Ryacudu fondly recalled his relationship with Australian senior officers forged in the countries' joint peacekeeping operations in Cambodia in the early 1990s. He met former generals John Sanderson and Peter Leahy during the visit.

Gift from God

"We are really determined to continue to be friends," General Ryacudu said. He said Australia's geographic location beside Indonesia was a gift from God and could not be changed.

The defence and foreign ministers discussed rising tensions in the South China Sea over territory but General Ryacudu suggested tensions would ease with better communications among the rival claimants. Ms Bishop said Australia would continue its flyovers in the area in line with international law as it had done in the past.

Australian military co-operation with Indonesia was once controversial because of human rights by some parts of the Indonesian military but the military has now largely withdrawn from a direct role in politics and has developed a close relationship with Australia to counter terrorism.

On Sunday, Indonesian police arrested nine suspected Islamic State supporters who were allegedly preparing terror attacks later this month, possibly on New Year's Eve in Jakarta. The arrests followed a reported tip-off from the Australian Federal Police underlining how regions appear to be back on a stable footing after a fast escalation of ministerial exchanges over the past three months.

Ms Marsudi cautioned about jumping to conclusions about the arrests but welcomed co-operation with Australia in general over counter-terrorism.

Source: http://www.afr.com/news/policy/defence/australia-plans-more-defence-exchanges-with-indonesia-20151220-gls9hm

Human rights & justice

Rights abuse victim numbers triple this year

Jakarta Post - December 17, 2015

Jakarta – The number of victims of human rights violations in Jakarta grew threefold by August this year from two years previously, mostly as a result of forced evictions by the city administration, according to a report by the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta) released Wednesday.

"There were fewer cases this year, but they involved a greater number of victims," said Alldo Fellix Januardy, a public lawyer for urban issues from LBH Jakarta.

LBH Jakarta's report on human rights violations regarding urban issues showed that during the period from 2011 to 2015, the number of victims of rights violations in Jakarta was highest this year following forced evictions by the city.

LBH Jakarta had, Alldo said, recorded 103 cases of human rights violations linked to urban issues as of August this year. The violations involved 20,784 residents being deprived of basic rights such as housing, livelihood and freedom of expression.

The legal institute recorded 74 cases and 2,130 victims in 2011; 61 cases and 14,942 victims in 2012; 90 cases and 6,695 victims in 2013; and 114 cases and 6,989 victims in 2014.

The large number of victims this was mostly a result of forced evictions in 30 sites, including Kampung Pulo in East Jakarta and Pinangsia in West Jakarta, according to Alldo.

In 2012, which had the period's second-highest number of victims, most violations were similarly related to evictions under then governor Fauzi Bowo, Alldo went on, adding that forced evictions had this year caused 3,433 families to lose their homes and 433 business owners their businesses.

The average low-income family comprises five members, and sometimes includes members of extended families.

Alldo explained that rights violations were concentrated in East Jakarta, where the city administration had evicted 1,680 families and 40 businesses. North Jakarta took second place, with the city administration forcing 1,343 families to leave their houses and 52 business owners to lose their businesses.

He noted that under Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, the authorities had failed to engage with the residents concerned before evicting them.

"Unlike under the leadership of former governor Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, the city administration failed to talk to the residents. As a result, they applied a blanket policy to all eviction victims regardless of their socio-cultural backgrounds," he said. According to Alldo, under Jokowi, the city administration ensured that evictees were properly compensated.

Commenting on his plan to evict the residents of Kampung Pulo in August, Ahok said that he would gladly kill 2,000 people for the sake of 10 million Jakartans. His remarks drew bitter criticism from human rights campaigners.

The city administration had also, Alldo said, violated residents' rights by bringing in unrelated officers to enforce the evictions, including members of the police and the Indonesian Military (TNI), with a number of evictees falling victim to physical violence.

The report also showed that the city administration was the year's most prolific violator of human rights, with 21 cases perpetrated by the administration, followed by the central government and private parties with three cases each.

Ahok responded coolly to the report, which concluded that Jakarta was "not a human rights-friendly city", saying the forced evictions were the right thing to do as the evictees had "stolen the city's money". (agn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/17/rights-abuse-victim-numbers-triple-year.html

Rising number of fair trial complaints: LBH Jakarta

Jakarta Post - December 16, 2015

Liza Yosephine, Jakarta – The number of complaints regarding violations of the right to a fair trial has risen in the capital over the past year, according to the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta).

Law enforcement personnel had also regularly violated human rights in carrying out their duties, a member of the group said on Tuesday.

LBH Jakarta director Alghiffari Aqsa said that the institute handled 71 cases arising from a total 431 complaints this year, the highest number of complaints since 2010.

According to Alghiffari around half of the complaints related to unsubstantiated criminalization and framing of suspects, while the remainder included discrimination, ignored reports and the lack of a system to vindicate victims who were falsely arrested.

Alghiffari said that law enforcement personnel often acted in a repressive manner when carrying out their duties, and did not take human rights into consideration.

"There have also been incidents of torture during investigations, as well as suspects and defendants who were denied the right to access legal assistance," he said at a discussion in Jakarta.

He gave the example of the violent dispersal of a labor protest on Oct. 30 that resulted in two victims complaining to LBH that they had been criminalized.

LBH Jakarta handled 39 cases relating to fair trial violations in 2010. The number rose to 49 in 2011 before dropping down to 23 in 2012. The institute handled 32 cases in 2013 and 56 last year.

The institute has released research that claims that rights violations had not only occurred during court proceedings but also during inquiries and investigations into suspects.

Revan Tambunan, a public attorney at LBH, urged the government to move from a "crime control model" to a "due process of law model" in order to protect the human rights of suspects and victims.

"There is also a need to revise the Criminal Code Procedures (KUHAP) to create a preliminary examiner judge to monitor investigations in order to prevent misconduct and acts of torture by investigators," he said.

Revan added that it was highly important to adjust the legal mechanism by which law enforcement personnel obtained evidence. He also stressed that suspects and witnesses' right to legal assistance must be upheld. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/16/rising-number-fair-trial-complaints-lbh-jakarta.html

Sexual & domestic violence

Media accused of 'insensitivity' in reporting sexual abuse cases

Jakarta Post - December 20, 2015

Jakarta – The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) has criticized the nation's media for failing to exercise sensitivity in reporting on sexual abuse cases, saying that callous coverage often exacerbated the suffering of abuse victims.

The criticism accompanied the release of the results of Komnas Perempuan's recent monitoring of media coverage of sexual abuse cases. From January to June, the commission monitored nine print publications: Pos Kota, Koran Tempo, The Jakarta Post, Indopos, Jakarta Globe (now defunct), Koran Sindo, Media Indonesia, Kompas and Republika.

Komnas Perempuan commissioner Mariana Amiruddin said on Thursday that all nine publications had repeatedly published the identities of female victims of abuse. "That includes publishing victims' initials, which is a breach of the journalistic code of ethics," she told The Jakarta Post by phone.

The commission found that as well as revealing victims' identities, the publications also tended to focus on the victim in cases, rather than on the perpetrator. "The nine media also often mixed facts and opinions with news. This can lead to the stigmatization of a victim," Mariana warned.

Striking a similar tone, Chrismanto Purba, a Komnas Perempuan official who participated in the monitoring, said the commission had recorded 225 articles covering sexual abuses printed by the nine publications over the period.

Forty percent of the 225 news articles blended factual reporting with opinion, he said, while 38 percent contained information that revealed the identity of a victim and 21 percent contained inappropriate terms. "It is against the journalistic code of ethics to use inappropriate terms in news," he noted.

Such insensitive reporting could have a negative affect on victims of sexual abuse, Chrismanto went on. "When the media mix facts and opinion, for example, it is not impossible that their readers will be led to believe that the victim was the one who triggered the abuse," he said.

When asked to rank the nine publications in terms of numbers of violations, Chrismanto said that it was difficult to rank them because they published articles on sexual abuse with differing frequency.

"For example, it is unfair to compare Pos Kota and Media Indonesia because the former reported sexual abuse cases more frequently than Media Indonesia did," he explained.

Mariana further criticized media for their coverage of a recent prostitution case implicating two female celebrities. According to Mariana, coverage has been overly focused on the two women, rather than on their clients or pimps.

"As I understand it, the media are supposed to be balanced in their reporting. They should not have focused solely on the two celebrities," she said.

The National Police recently arrested two celebrities in a room at an upscale hotel in Central Jakarta. The undercover police also nabbed two men alleged to be acting as pimps for the two women.

The police later released the two women, arguing that they should be considered as victims of trafficking. However, despite their status as victims, they received ubiquitous media coverage, making them the center of public attention in the case.

According to a media observer from the University of Indonesia, Ade Armando, sexual abuse cases require greater delicacy than crimes such as theft.

"News media should be extra careful. They should never reveal the identity of the victims, because sexual abuse victims, on top of the trauma of the abuse itself, are also vulnerable to public stigmatization if the media are not sensitive in publishing the news. Publications only need to reveal the basic information, like where the crime took place, for example. They shouldn't mention anything that could allow easy identification of the victims," he said. (saf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/19/media-accused-insensitivity-reporting-sexual-abuse-cases.html

Political parties & elections

Underperforming leaders 'punished' in local elections

Jakarta Post - December 15, 2015

Syofiardi Bachyul Jb and Ruslan Sangadji, Padang/Palu – Despite their relatively high popularity, a number of incumbents and former regional leaders have failed to garner enough votes to secure their reelection bids in the recent simultaneous regional head elections (Pilkada).

Analysts have suggested that such a failure should be largely attributed to the figures' mediocre performance during their previous leadership term.

In West Sumatra, seven incumbents and former regents or mayors ran for reelection during the Pilkada, held on Dec. 9 in 264 regions across the archipelago. Four of them, however, are on the verge of losing the race, as the real vote count organized by the General Elections Commission (KPU) suggested that they failed to clinch the most votes.

In the Bukittinggi mayoral election, in which five candidate pairs are participating, former mayor Ismet Amzis had to settle with second place after garnering 27.55 percent of the vote. Ismet has been outshined by M. Ramlan Nurmatias and running mate Irwandi, who garnered 41.8 percent of the vote to lead the race.

In Dharmasraya, former regent Adi Gunawan was beaten by 26-year-old Sutan Riska Tuanku Kerajaan. Sutan, a member of the Koto Besar royal family and running mate Amrizal are so far leading the head-to-head race after garnering 63.75 percent of the vote.

Political observer Edi Indrizal from the Padang-based Andalas University (Unand) said the successful campaigns of alternative candidates in the recent elections showed that West Sumatra residents were eager to promote change.

"The results show that voters in the province are dynamic and eager to give alternative candidates a chance to lead them. This means, incumbents or former leaders with mediocre achievements can be easily ousted from the race," he told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Another Unand political analyst, Asrinaldi, meanwhile, attributed the phenomenon to the increasing number of voters who had cast their vote based on logical considerations instead of emotional ones.

"These voters are aware of the performance of the incumbent. If they're not happy with them, then they will put their hopes in a new candidate," he said.

Meanwhile in Cianjur, West Java, the quick count organized by Jakarta-based pollster Cyrus Network showed that incumbent regent Suranto came second in the race with 45.5 percent of the vote behind candidate Irvan Rivano Muchtar, who clinched 49.3 percent.

In Central Sulawesi, incumbent governor Longki Djanggola and deputy governor Sudarto are poised to win the Pilkada after the real vote count showed the pair reaped 696,508, or 54.31 percent of the vote. They outshined Rusdi Mastura and Ihwan Datu Adam, who only obtained 585,890, or 45.69 percent of the vote.

Central Sulawesi General Elections Commission (KPUD) chief Sahran Raden said data inputted on the KPU website was not final and could not serve as a basis for the victory of the gubernatorial candidates. "The data remains temporary in manner. The final results will be announced on Dec. 19th," said Sahran.

In South Sulawesi, the Gowa KPUD held revotes at two polling stations in Bontolempangan district, Gowa regency, on Monday. Voter turnout was less than 55 percent compared to earlier.

Gowa KPUD member Mukhtar Muis said the revote was held based on the decision from the Gowa Elections Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu), as during the Pilkada on Dec. 9, witnesses from four candidate pairs distributed as many as 284 unused or extra ballots.

In Papua, the Yalimo KPUD has scheduled revotes in 51 villages in Apalahapsili district, Yalimo regency, on Dec. 16 with 10,884 eligible voters.

The revotes were based on a recommendation issued by the Yalimo Panwaslu, in regard to the riot during the Pilkada on Dec. 9 when a group of supporters of one of the candidates seized election materials. The ballots were then punched in favor of a candidate pair.

Papua Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) member Anugerah Pata said the agency had demanded the perpetrators be brought to justice as their action could be categorized as an election violation.

"Police have so far arrested 16 people in the case and they will be charged under articles in the 2015 Pilkada Law," Anugerah said.

[Andi Hajramurni in Makassar, Nethy Dharma Somba in Jayapura and Jon Afrizal in Jambi contributed to the article.]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/15/underperforming-leaders-punished-local-elections.html

Surveys & opinion polls

Public wants Cabinet shake-up: Survey

Jakarta Post - December 21, 2015

Jakarta – A survey commissioned by a Jakarta-based pollster, the Political Communication (Polcomm) Institute, shows that 61.8 percent of 1,200 respondents want an immediate reshuffle in President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's Cabinet as a result of poor performances by several ministries.

Around 33.7 percent of respondents demanded the reshuffle be done in early 2016. "The demand for the Cabinet reshuffle is mainly due to poor coordination among ministries and between ministries and the President," Polcomm senior researcher Afdal Makkuraga Putra said on Sunday.

The survey, which was conducted from Nov. 20 to 26 across the country's 34 provinces, suggests that only 20.6 percent of people consider the ministries to coordinate well together.

Also, 37.9 percent of respondents thought that the ministries were yet to realize Nawacita's (the government's nine-priority agenda) aims; 29.1 percent thought they had realized it; and 33 percent did not know.

A political expert at Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Nyarwi Ahmad, said that Jokowi should respond to the public's expectation of a Cabinet reshuffle.

"It is, indeed, still too early to judge a person's working performance, but the President really needs to move fast, otherwise the public's trust in him will plunge," Nyarwi said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/21/national-scene-public-wants-cabinet-shake-survey.html

Journalism & press freedom

One year on, challenges remain for press in Indonesia

Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) - December 21, 2015

Sumit Galhotra – "Change does not come overnight," President Joko Widodo's right-hand man, Luhut Binsar Panjaitan, told an international delegation of 10 media and freedom of expression groups that visited Indonesia last month.

During the week-long trip organized by local press freedom group the Alliance of Independent Journalists, the delegation met with journalists as well as members of civil society and the government to follow up on issues raised during its first mission one year ago.

At the heart of the delegation's concerns were media restrictions in Papua, restrictive laws that hamper free expression, and reports of violence against journalists. Today, the delegation published its findings and recommendations.

More than six months have passed since the president's historic announcement to immediately lift restrictions on international journalists entering Papua, the country's easternmost region that has been virtually off-limits to the international press for about 50 years.

Yet the process for obtaining access to the region continues to be marred by obstacles and confusion, the delegation found. Accounts from journalists with whom the delegation met pointed to non-compliance from some authorities including high-ranking officials in the Widodo administration and members of the police and military.

"There are changes since Jokowi's announcement but the question is about authority," said Victor Mambor, head of the Alliance of Independent Journalists' Papua chapter, referring to the president as he is popularly known. "His influence is limited in Papua."

Many international journalists trying to gain access to Papua have reported facing surveillance, orders that they be accompanied by minders for the duration of their stay, and bureaucratic burdens of providing details on sources and fixers, potentially putting them at risk, local journalists with whom the delegation met, said.

In May, Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno, the then-coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, defended these practices. "We aren't spying on [journalists]. We're simply monitoring their activities," he said, according to the Jakarta Post.

The extent of these challenges was apparent on the eve of my arrival, when the Jakarta Post reported on how three Papuans had been questioned in connection with French journalist Marie Dhumieres' reporting in the region in October. According to Human Rights Watch, they were detained for 10 hours.

Before Widodo announced an end to restrictions, journalists needed permission from an array of government offices to report in Papua. Permission was seldom granted: some were outright denied journalist visas and others were left in visa limbo, CPJ research shows. Journalists who tried to circumvent official channels by entering the country on a tourist visa have been arrested or deported.

Panjaitan, the current coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, acknowledged that challenges remain. In a meeting at his office in Jakarta, he said the Widodo administration was committed to ensuring access to Papua for the international press.

While in the provincial capital, Jayapura, I was among members of the delegation who met with Fransiscus Mote, spokesman for the Papuan governor's office. Mote said the governor's administration was committed to ensuring access for international journalists in the restive region and added that journalists did not need additional approval from local authorities.

He said the governor planned to issue a special decree in Papua based on Widodo's announcement. "We hope that all institutions under the president, including the police and military, will follow," he said. Mote added that he planned to educate civil servants in his region on how to interact with journalists.

Requests by the delegation to meet with high-ranking Papuan police and military officials, to discuss challenges for the press, were declined.

Local journalists reporting in the province, especially ethnic Papuans, told the delegation they also face difficulties. Given the sensitive nature of reporting in the region, violence and intimidation remained a routine risk for journalists. This fear has given way to self-censorship for many, many of the journalists told us.

Those with whom the delegation met, including Mambor, claimed intelligence agents were embedded in local media outlets. Aryo Wisanggeni, a member of the Alliance of Independent Journalists who has reported in Papua, said low salaries left some journalists vulnerable to paid offers to act as informers for intelligence agencies.

Journalists across the archipelago nation of more than 17,000 islands, continue to work in an atmosphere of threats and violence, the delegation found. While CPJ has not recorded a work-related journalist killing in Indonesia since 2012, attacks continue with impunity.

During a visit to Makassar in South Sulawesi province, Ambon-based press freedom advocate Insany Syahbarwati said that while the number of attacks had decreased since the delegation's visit last year, the attacks had become "more serious in nature."

Frequently police were responsible for attacks on the media across the country, according to members of the Alliance of Independent Journalists. Police representatives in Makassar and Papua declined requests to meet with the delegation.

Press freedom in Indonesia has come a long way since the days of Suharto's 32-year reign. However, the country's record continues to be marred by the impunity in murders of journalists, including that of Fuad Muhammad Syafruddin, also known as Udin, killed almost two decades ago.

Arfi Bambani, secretary-general of the Alliance of Independent Journalists, told the delegation, "The reason we push on Udin's case is we hope resolution to his case can serve as a precedent for other cases." Panjaitan told the delegation he would review the list of unresolved journalist killings.

Change does not have to come overnight. But if the Indonesian government is committed to press freedom, as its rhetoric suggests, it needs to take greater strides in tackling the problems journalists working there face.

The full list of observations of recommendations can be found here: https://www.cpj.org/blog/IndonesiaMJ.pdf

[Reporting from Jayapura, Makassar, and Jakarta. Sumit Galhotra is the research associate for CPJ's Asia program. He served as CPJ's inaugural Steiger Fellow and has worked for CNN International, Amnesty International USA, and Human Rights Watch. He has reported from London, India, and Israel and the Occupied Territories, and specializes in human rights and South Asia.]

Source: https://www.cpj.org/blog/2015/12/one-year-on-challenges-remain-for-press-in-indones.php

Internet & social media

'Jakarta Globe' folds after seven years

Jakarta Post - December 15, 2015

Jakarta – After seven years, the English-language daily Jakarta Globe published its last print edition on Tuesday, marking the paper's complete tranformation into an online publication.

The Globe prepared its print edition for Tuesday with the headline story titled "A Last Hurrah... And a New Beginning".

"As the Jakarta Globe moves online, we look back at a memorable and award- winning seven years in print," the paper's publisher Berita Satu Media Holdings wrote on the front page.

First hitting the newstands on Nov. 12, 2008, the Globe initally came out with an average of 48 pages a day. In recent months, in preparation for its move online, the Globe began publishing abridged versions of all the stories in its print edition and recommended readers access the complete versions on its website jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com.

The newspaper's owner, PT Jakarta Globe Media, is part of BeritaSatu Media Holdings, an associated company of Lippo.

On Sunday, current and former Globe journalists started the hashtag #jglasthurrah as a testimonial to their time at the paper, while others used the hashtag to upload photos of their work in preparing the paper's final edition.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/15/national-scene-jakarta-globe-folds-after-seven-years.html

Environment & natural disasters

Rising sea levels threaten 2,000 islands in Indonesia

Jakarta Post - December 17, 2015

Yogyakarta – An expert has warned that rising sea levels caused by climate change need to be considered in development planning as 2,000 islands and 42 million homes are on track to be submerged before 2050.

"According to experts, there will be a sea level rise of up to 90 centimeters by 2050, which could drown 2,000 small islands in Indonesia," Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry public policy specialist Achmad Poernomo said as quoted by Antara in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Around 42 million homes located in coastal areas were at risk of drowning, he added.

The expert was speaking during the launch of the climate change mitigation and adaptation study program at Gadjah Mada University's (UGM) Graduate School in Yogyakarta. "Rising sea levels is one of the disaster risks that has emerged as a result of climate change," said Poernomo.

Uncertain fishing seasons, changes in fish migration patterns and increasing numbers of fish washed up on beaches were other impacts of climate change, he added.

Poernomo said disasters resulting from climate change must be jointly tackled and anticipated by the government and all of society by supporting sustainable development programs.

"The fisheries and maritime affairs minister [Susi Pudjiastuti] has written a letter, asking all regional heads to manage natural resources sustainably," said Poernomo.

Sudibyakto, from UGM's Disaster Management master's program said almost 85 percent of disasters in Indonesia were closely related with climate change-related phenomena.

Despite being at high risk of disaster, he said, Indonesia had limited human resources in the field of disaster mitigation.

"The number of available human resources with expertise in disaster mitigation is not proportional to the level of disaster risks in the country," said Sudibyakto.

He said that to tackle that imbalance, in the field of disaster management, Indonesia needed to produce 1,500 bachelor's degree graduates, 250 master's degree holders and 50 PhD graduates within the next 15 years.

Sudibyakto said that apart from a shortage of skilled human resources, commitments by local administrations to allocate funds for disaster mitigation programs were still limited and they had not yet included higher disaster budgetary allocations in their priority lists.

"This reality has caused many disaster-risk reduction activities and programs at the local level to be not well planned or implemented," he said. (liz/ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/17/rising-sea-levels-threaten-2000-islands-indonesia.html

Forest fires cost twice as much as tsunami clean-up, says World Bank

Agence France Presse - December 16, 2015

Indonesia's economy took a $16bn hit this year from forest fires that cloaked south-east Asia in haze, more than double the sum spent on rebuilding Aceh after the 2004 tsunami, according to the World Bank.

The fires and resulting haze are an annual occurrence caused by slash-and- burn land clearance. But the blazes in 2015 were the worst for some years, causing air quality to worsen dramatically and many to fall ill across the region.

In a quarterly update on the Indonesian economy, the World Bank said the fires had devastated 2.6 million hectares (6.4m acres) of forest and farmland across the archipelago from June to October.

The cost to south-east Asia's biggest economy is estimated at 221 trillion rupiah ($16.1bn), equivalent to 1.9% of predicted GDP this year, it said.

In contrast, it cost $7bn to rebuild Indonesia's westernmost province of Aceh after it was engulfed 11 years ago by a quake-triggered tsunami, with the loss of tens of thousands of lives, the bank said. "The economic impact of the fires has been immense," said World Bank Indonesia country director Rodrigo Chaves.

Fire has long been a popular way of quickly and cheaply clearing land on Indonesia's Sumatra island and the Indonesian part of Borneo, to make way for lucrative palm oil plantations.

But the fires burn out of control and produce noxious haze during the months-long dry season, particularly when started on carbon-rich peatland.

The World Bank said that if every hectare burned in 2015 were converted to palm oil, the value would be about $8bn. Indonesia is the world's biggest producer of the oil, used in numerous everyday goods from biscuits to shampoo.

"So on the one hand 16 billion dollars cost to the public, on the other hand, eight billion dollars – lots of money – to a handful of individuals," said World Bank environmental specialist Ann Jeannette Glauber.

The estimated costs are based on an analysis of the types of land burned and take into account the impact on agriculture, forestry, trade, tourism and transportation, as well as short-term effects of the haze such as school closures and on health.

More than half a million people suffered acute respiratory infections in Indonesia, while many in neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia also fell ill.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/15/indonesia-forest-fires-cost-twice-as-much-as-tsunami-clean-up-says-world-bank

Art event echoes protest against reclamation

Jakarta Post - December 15, 2015

Denpasar – Thousands of people, mostly youngsters, gathered on Sunday at Padang Galak Beach in Denpasar to take part in an art event held to express the local residents' rejection of the planned reclamation of Benoa Bay to make way for an integrated tourist development area.

Entitled "Sanga Bhuana Art Event Bali Tolak Reklamasi 2015", the event presented music, art and theatrical performances by hundreds of musicians and artists.

A 13-meter tall iron sculpture depicting a hand holding an excavator was also exhibited near the beach, symbolizing the local residents' resistance to the plan.

"This is a symbol of the people of Bali's resistance to the planned Benoa Bay reclamation. Our struggle can never be extinguished and will grow even stronger," said Yoka Sara, a local architect who co-organized the event.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/15/islands-focus-art-event-echoes-protest-against-reclamation.html

Graft & corruption

Jokowi swears in 'weak' KPK commissioners

Jakarta Post - December 21, 2015

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has sworn in five newly elected Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) commissioners at the State Palace amid public pessimism about the credentials of the new leadership team.

The new commissioners, Alexander Marwata, Agus Raharjo, Basaria Panjaitan, Laode Muhammad Syarif and Thony Saut Situmoran, took up their posts on Monday.

Activists have expressed strong disappointment over their election, saying the new leadership team would make the antigraft body very weak.

"I am worried that the KPK is no longer a commission to eradicate corruption, but a commission to support corruption," Emerson Yuntho, an activist from NGO Indonesian Corruption Watch, said as quoted by Kompas.com.

Setara Institute chairman Hendardi, meanwhile, said the five new commissioners would not help in efforts to eradicate corruption.

"The elected KPK commissioners did not give convincing responses during their screening. Therefore, the corruption eradication outlook is heading toward a dark era," Hendardi said in a statement.

Both activists lamented that lawmakers had overlooked figures with good track records in fighting corruption, such as acting KPK commissioner Johan Budi and incumbent KPK commissioner Busyro Muqoddas.

House of Representatives Commission III, which oversees legal affairs, human rights and security, elected the five candidates at a plenary meeting last week. (dan)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/21/jokowi-swears-weak-KPK-commissioners.html

Stop prosecuting, start preventing, lawmakers tell KPK

Jakarta Post - December 20, 2015

Fedina S. Sundaryani, Jakarta – Lawmakers have expressed hope that a new batch of Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leaders will place a greater focus on preventing corruption than on prosecuting violators of corruption laws.

Dwi Ria Latifa, a member of House Commission III, which oversees legal affairs, said on Saturday that the KPK, under the new leadership of five commissioners selected by lawmakers earlier this week, should put more effort into extirpating the root causes of corruption, as well as educating the nation's youth to ensure that future generations of leaders do not commit graft.

"[The KPK] must find a way to create long-term solutions, with the help of the National Police and the Attorney General's Office [AGO]. They must convey to our children that committing corruption is a shameful thing to do, for their families as much as for themselves," Dwi said during a discussion in Central Jakarta.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker also emphasized the importance for the KPK of working as a team, as internal conflict could hamper the commission's work.

"We hope that there will be consolidation among KPK employees to forestall further conflict. Otherwise, the KPK will not be able to work efficiently," she said.

On Thursday, House Commission III voted for a new KPK leadership lineup comprising former National Procurement Agency (LKPP) manager Agus Raharjo, former Jakarta Corruption Court ad hoc judge Alexander Marwata, National Police cadre and Command School (Sespimti) lecturer Insp. Gen. Basaria Panjaitan, Makassar-based Hasanuddin University law professor Laode Muhammad Syarif and Saut Situmorang, an expert from the National Intelligence Agency (BIN).

Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) lawmaker Muhammad Nasir Djamil expressed a similar hope that the new set of KPK leaders, who will be inaugurated by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Monday, would also set corruption prevention as their main objective.

"One of the things that I feel [the KPK] has been neglecting is conducting prevention efforts. We hope that the KPK can build a system with the Supreme Audit Agency [BPK] and Development Finance Comptroller [BPKP] that can detect irregularities before they happen," Nasir said.

He added that the KPK should continue their investigations and prosecutions, but should be more selective and process only "big fish" cases that involved considerable state losses.

"[The KPK] should only go after the big fish, so that large sums can be returned to the state. If I'm not mistaken, only Rp 3 trillion [US$215.9 million] has ever been returned [as a result of KPK prosecutions] because it is only ever the small fish that are arrested," he said.

Meanwhile, Saut said that once inaugurated, he would steer the KPK toward a greater focus on corruption prevention.

"Personally, I feel the KPK should focus 80 percent on prevention. That way, we won't see people's dignity being impugned," he said. If people were made more aware of the damage caused by corruption, Saut said, they would be less likely to engage in it.

Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) member Emerson Yuntho, however, said he was highly skeptical about the future of the KPK if its purpose was narrowed to prevention efforts.

"I'm worried that the KPK will stop being the 'Corruption Eradication Commission' and become the 'Corrupt People's Protection Commission'. Corrupt people would be delighted if the KPK stopped arresting people and focused solely on prevention," Emerson said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/20/stop-prosecuting-start-preventing-lawmakers-tell-KPK.html

Court acquits 23 graft defendants in five years

Jakarta Post - December 19, 2015

Padang – Since its establishment five years ago, the Padang Corruption Court in West Sumatra, has acquitted 23 of 220 defendants charged with corruption, the Integritas Anticorruption Institute announced in its year- end report in Padang.

"This is a bad record from the Padang Corruption Court," Integritas coordinator Arif Paderi told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Integritas noted that seven defendants were released in 2011 in the bird- flu mitigation funds case in Limapuluh Kota regency and a case of funds misuse at the Syekh Djamil STAIN state academy in Jambek, Bukittinggi.

The seven defendants were acquitted in 2014 for misappropriating South Solok administration travel funds, Padang PDAM state tap-water company legal assistance funds, in Padang Pariaman social assistance funds and certain Haji Agus salim Youth Sports Hall facilities in Padang.

"In addition, the Padang Corruption Court [has been biased and imbalanced] in its bringing charges, its verdicts and general selective treatment of defendants," said Arif.

From several cases monitored by Integritas, added Arif, defendants with political, material and financial influence tended to get special treatment from prosecutors, such as not being held, and given lighter charges and sentences.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/19/islands-focus-court-acquits-23-graft-defendants-five-years.html

KPK at risk from 'Trojan horse', activists warn

Jakarta Post - December 19, 2015

Jakarta – Five newly elected Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leaders pose an internal threat to the commission's very existence, activists fear.

West Sumatra Anticorruption Integrity Institution chairman Arif Paderi said recently that attempts to diminish the role of the anticorruption body had been in play since the beginning of the House of Representatives' screening of potential new KPK commissioners.

The selection committee from House Commission III, which oversees legal affairs, Arif said, had included candidates with a dubious commitment to eradicating corruption, with some candidates having no background in corruption eradication and other having, as judges, found in favor of graft suspects.

"There were indications of a grand design to weaken the KPK and [to hamper] corruption eradication. Those indications have been proven to be true. Farewell, KPK," Arif said as quoted by Tempo.co.

On Thursday, Commission III elected to the KPK leadership Alexander Marwata, Basaria Panjaitan, Laode Syarif, Saut Situmorang and Agus Rahardjo, the latter as chairman.

According to Arif, it would have been naove to expect the House to choose candidates with a firm commitment to fighting corruption, or to expect President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to intervene.

"Jokowi does not care about the attempts to weaken the KPK and hamper the eradication of corruption," he said, adding that a planned revision to the KPK Law would further undermine the commission.

Similarly, Hifdzil Alim, a researcher from the Anticorruption Studies Center at Gadjah Mada University, said that the KPK would be destroyed from the inside, with the five new commissioners acting as a Trojan horse.

Hifdzil noted that Alexander, a former Jakarta Corruption Court ad hoc judge, had previously released a number of corruption suspects, that National Police General Basaria was weak and subservient, that Saut had a record of nepotism and that Agus, a former manager of the National Procurement Agency, had repeatedly ignored the suspicious wealth reports of a number of government officials.

"During screening, several of them even tried to butter up lawmakers by attacking the KPK," he added.

Another Anticorruption Studies Center researcher, Zaenur Rochman, said that most of the five new commissioners were in favor of the KPK Law revision, while others wanted to end investigations into the Bank Century and Bank Indonesia liquidity support cases.

"Some of them seemed to believe that reporting on corruption cases lowers the corruption perception index, while others lambasted the KPK for entrapment," Zaenur said.(afr/dan)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/19/KPK-risk-trojan-horse-activists-warn.html

'Commitment of new KPK commissioners in the dark'

Jakarta Post - December 18, 2015

Jakarta – Considering the track records of the newly elected commissioners of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) by the House of Representatives' Commission III that oversees legal affairs, anticorruption activists are doubting their independence and, therefore, their commitment to the fight against corruption.

"I am also worried about the new KPK members. There are [among the elected commissioners], those whose independence, capabilities and stances [on corruption eradication] are doubtful," Gadjah Mada University's Anticorruption Study Center (Pukat) advocacy director Once Madril told kompas.com on Friday.

House Commission III on Thursday elected five new commissioners: Alexander Marwata, Agus Raharjo, Basaria Panjaitan, Laode Muhammad Syarif and Thony Saut Situmorang. Later the commission elected Agus as the KPK chairman. The commission nixed the two favorite candidates: acting KPK commissioner Johan Budi and incumbent Busyro Muqqodas.

Agus is a former manager of the National Procurement Agency (LKPP), Alexander is former Jakarta Corruption Court ad hoc judge, Basaria is a police inspector general, Laode is a law professor at the Makassar-based Hasanudin University and Saut is an expert at the National Intelligence Agency (BIN).

Meanwhile, former KPK member and adviser Andullah Hehamahua expressed hope about Agus Rahardjo, but he did not know the capability and independence of the four other newly elected members. "I hope that his experience in the LKPP could be used to fight corruption in the procurement of goods and services in the government's agencies," he added.

But when asked about the four other members, he said that "Indonesia's future is in the dark" because the elections of the KPK commissioners were based on "political deals". "I do not know them, so I do not know their commitment," he added.

Once said that the stances and independence of respective commissioners to corruption eradication are strongly affected by the backgrounds of their respective organizations.

According to Once, the answers of each candidates during the interviews by members of Commission III, which is officially called the "fit and proper tests", indicates a lack of independence among the elected members of the KPK.

He added that their response showed they had not been able to separate the interests of their organizations and the functions of the KPK commissioners.

"For example, Alexander Marwata frequently gave dissenting opinions against corruption cases. If he still has similar views in handling corruption, is he really deserved to become KPK commissioner?" asked Once, who also questioned Basaria's courage to fight corruption in the National Police.

Meanwhile, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is reluctant to comment on the election of the five KPK members. "They have not even started to work. Don't comment on them. If they have started to work, we could criticize or give input to them," Jokowi said.

The President, however, said he appreciated the decision of Commission III to elect the new KPK commissioners. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/18/commitment-new-KPK-commissioners-dark.html

Disgraced Setya apologizes to the people of Indonesia

Jakarta Globe - December 17, 2015

Yashinto Sembiring & Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Jakarta – Setya Novanto staged a press conference at his home on Wednesday night where he finally spoke in public about his decision to resign as speaker of the House of Representatives.

"I would like to apologize to the entire people of Indonesia for the [way in which] I have performed. All [of what I did] was for the people of Indonesia," he said.

Setya said his resignation was in the best interest of the nation and the House of Representatives, adding that he would remain committed to his job as a lawmaker.

The resignation came just before the House Ethics Council was due to deliver its verdict on Wednesday evening, with 15 of the 17 council members concluding that Setya, along with his alleged private-sector associate, oilman Muhammad Riza Chalid, had broken the House's ethics code by secretly organizing two private meetings between May and June with Freeport Indonesia chief executive Maroef Sjamsoeddin.

During the June meeting, Setya and Riza allegedly promised to expedite the negotiation process for Freeport Indonesia's contract extension from 2019 – in exchange for a 20 percent stake in the Papua-based gold and copper miner.

With the resignation submitted, the Ethics Council decided to not read out its verdict. "I have been observing everything, the development of the situation," Setya said. "As we all know, the Ethics Council has performed its duties well. And I respect them."

Earlier this year, before the Freeport shakedown scandal hit the news, Setya already was the topic of negative publicity over his appearance at a campaign event for US Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/disgraced-setya-apologizes-people-indonesia/

AGO pushes forward with criminal probe against Setya

Jakarta Globe - December 17, 2015

Jakarta – The Attorney General's Office will continue its investigation into the alleged extortion attempt on mining giant Freeport Indonesia involving lawmaker Setya Novanto, despite the lawmaker's resignation as House of Representatives speaker, a top prosecutor said on Thursday.

Setya resigned on Wednesday evening just moments before the House Ethics Council was expected to issue a guilty verdict against him.

The council were at the end of an investigation into accusations that Setya, along with his alleged private-sector associate, oilman Muhammad Riza Chalid, had broken the House's ethics code by secretly organizing several private meetings between May and June with Freeport Indonesia chief executive Maroef Sjamsoeddin.

During the meeting on June 8, Setya and Riza allegedly promised to expedite the negotiation process for Freeport Indonesia's contract extension from 2019 – in exchange for a 20 percent stake in the Papua-based gold and copper miner.

Having formally received Setya's resignation letter, the Ethics Council decided not to read out its verdict.

Nevertheless, Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo looks at the tribunal and the AGO's case as "two different things," said Fadil Zumhana, director of the AGO's special crimes investigation unit.

"[The council's] investigation was based on the House's code of ethics; ours is a criminal probe," he added. "For us, this is about upholding the law, so of course we will continue investigating [the scandal]."

The AGO has already summoned a number of witnesses for questioning, including Freeport executive Maroef, Energy Minister Sudirman Said and several of Setya's staffers. Fadil said the agency may soon question the former speaker.

Political expert Muhammad Budiyatna of the University of Indonesia supported the AGO's decision to push forward with its criminal investigation against Setya, calling it an important endeavor as the lawmaker's testimony could help unravel similar cases inside the House.

"I hope [Setya] is willing to cooperate [with law enforcers] to uncover other cases involving other public officials. Surely he has experience and knowledge of such wrongdoings," Budiyatna said on Thursday.

"We mustn't let [the criminal case against Setya] come to a stop; we must uncover the truth behind shady business practices involving those with huge political power. As we all know, a lot of businessmen enter politics. There is no way they wouldn't use their positions for their own gain," he added.

However, Hendardi, chairman of pro-democracy group the Setara Institute, expressed concern over the fact that the case is being handled by the less credible AGO and not the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). The latter is widely considered the country's most trusted public institution.

The KPK, he said, must exercise its right to monitor all graft investigations across the country and push the AGO to quickly bring Setya to justice.

"[Setya's] actions [...] have marred the credibility of Indonesia's legislative body and it can't be restored simply by his resignation," Hendardi said. "Only a legal process can fully resolve this scandal."

Nico Harjanto, executive director of political think-tank Populi Center, lamented the Ethics Council's decision to close the case without issuing a verdict.

"[The council] only accepted Setya's resignation, but they never revealed the results of the tribunal. Is Setya guilty of ethical violations or not? If he is, how severely should he be punished?" he asked.

Nico called the two-week inquiry nothing but a show meant to advance the interests of both opponents and supporters of the former speaker.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/ago-pushes-forward-criminal-probe-setya/

Indonesia house leader resigns over Freeport extortion claim

Associated Press - December 16, 2015

Ali Kotarumalos, Jakarta, Indonesia – The embattled speaker of Indonesia's House of Representatives resigned Wednesday over his involvement in one of the biggest political scandals in years, in which he allegedly sought kickbacks from a giant US-owned gold and copper mine in exchange for helping it extend its operating contract.

Setya Novanto from the opposition Golkar Party has been at the center of the scandal, which began with a meeting in June with Maroef Sjamsoeddin, chief executive of PT Freeport Indonesia, at which he and a businessman allegedly used the names of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla to seek stakes in the mining company.

"In order to secure the dignity and honor of the House of the Representatives and to create public order, I have decided to resign from the position of house speaker," Novanto said in a letter to Parliament's Ethics Council.

The resignation came just minutes before the 17-member council was to reach a conclusion on his conduct. Statements from council members indicated that it would rule that Novanto was guilty of a "moderate ethics violation," which would result in his dismissal.

A recording of the conversation made by Sjamsoeddin showed that Novanto and Muhammad Riza Chalid, an oil and gas businessman, asked for a 20 percent stake – 11 percent for Jokowi and the rest for Kalla – in return for an early extension of the company's operations in Indonesia.

Both Jokowi and Kalla denied any involvement and expressed anger at Novanto's action. "It was a good decision even though it was a little bit late," Kalla said of Novanto's resignation. "It should have been announced last week."

In its investigation, the Ethics Council questioned Novanto, Sjamsoeddin, Energy and Mining Minister Sudirman Said, who reported the scandal to the council last month, and security minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, whose name was mentioned 66 times in the June meeting.

Novanto denied the accusations and argued that the recording of the June conversation was illegal because it was done secretly without his permission.

The 80-minute recording shocked many Indonesians. In it, Novanto and Chalid apparently attempt to convince the Freeport executive that they could ensure the company's contract would be extended from 2021 to 2041 because of their influence and Novanto's close connections with a Jokowi aide.

Freeport has agreed to divest 30 percent of its Indonesian unit as part of its investment agreement with the government and has asked for an extension of its current contract, which ends in 2021, before investing billions of dollars more at its Grasberg mine.

Under Indonesian law, the extension of the contract cannot be negotiated until two years before the contact expires in 2021.

Grasberg, located in troubled Papua province, is one of the world's largest gold and copper mines. It has experienced frequent violent protests by workers, while activist groups have complained of alleged pollution and unfair distribution of profits.

It is run by Phoenix, Arizona-based Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. and produces around 220,000 tons of ore per day. The Attorney General's Office is also investigating the case.

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/indonesia-house-leader-resigns-over-freeport-extortion-claim/2015/12/16/bee9bb38-a40a-11e5-8318-bd8caed8c588_story.html

House ethics council member sacked after filing complaint against fellows

Jakarta Post - December 16, 2015

Erika Anindita, Jakarta – House of Representatives ethics council member Akbar Faizal, a NasDem Party politician, claimed on Wednesday that he had been dismissed from his position at the council.

"My name was not on the House ethics council's internal meeting participant list. [...] I was reported by someone who wanted to stop the code of ethics enforcement process from the beginning, and this person is Ridwan Bae," Akbar told journalists in front of the House ethics council hearing room on Wednesday afternoon.

The House ethics council was scheduled to hold an internal meeting to make a decision regarding the House Speaker Setya Novanto case at 1 p.m., but it was later delayed to 3.30 p.m.

Akbar said Ridwan had sent a letter reporting him to House Deputy Speaker Fahri Hamzah the day he reported Ridwan and two of Ridwan's fellow Golkar Party council members, Kahar Muzakir and Adies Kadir, to the council for attending a press conference held by Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan. Akbar did not give details about the contents of the letter that Ridwan allegedly sent.

The House ethics council questioned Luhut in a hearing on Monday as his name was mentioned in the recording of a suspected conversation between Setya, oil tycoon Reza Chalid and gold and copper mining firm PT Freeport Indonesia president director Maroef Sjamsoeddin at a hotel in Jakarta on June 8.

In the meeting, Setya is suspected to have asked Freeport to give President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla shares in the company. The conversation implies that Luhut would help facilitate the deal that Setya allegedly proposed to Maroef.

"It we use the logic of the House leadership, those three House ethics council members should not be allowed to attend the internal meeting as well," said Akbar. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/16/house-ethics-council-member-sacked-after-filing-complaint-against-fellows.html

Lawmakers smile on 'compliant' candidates for KPK leadership

Jakarta Post - December 16, 2015

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – House of Representatives Commission III overseeing legal affairs has shown marked favoritism for Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leader candidates deemed less combative and more likely to strive for good relations with the House, the Attorney General's Office (AGO) and the National Police.

On the second day of candidate screenings on Tuesday, Commission III, a number of former members of which have been arrested by the KPK, described the antigraft body's prosecution of lawmakers under the leadership of Abraham Samad between 2011 and 2015 as an "arrogant" attempt to garner public support.

Commission III deputy chairman Benny K. Harman of the Democratic Party, whose former chairman Anas Urbaningrum was imprisoned by the KPK for bribery, applauded KPK commissioner candidate and public lawyer Surya Tjandra for his plan to promote "harmony" between the AGO, the police and the House.

"As a result of KPK arrogance, every political party has had at least one member prosecuted. I very much appreciate your idea of transforming the KPK into a body able to build synergy between law enforcement institutions," Benny said.

Surya further said that in order not to lose hard-won public and media support, he would ensure the KPK was careful in its prosecutions.

The KPK, he said, could work with the police, the AGO and other law enforcers to bolster efforts to eradicate graft, adding that if elected as KPK commissioner he would speak less to the media to avoid "trial by press".

The other candidates questioned on Tuesday were Cabinet Secretariat international relations division head Robby Arya Brata, Brig. Gen. Basaria Panjaitan of the National Police and former National Procurement Agency (LKPP) head Agus Rahardjo.

On Wednesday, Commission III plans to grill former KPK commissioner Busyro Muqoddas and Hasanudin University school of law lecturer Laode Muhamad Syarif.

Busyro and Robby were screened as commissioner candidates last year by the 2009-2014 batch of lawmakers, but Commission III decided to re-invite them to be screened for the current vacancies. Robby accepted the invitation, but Busyro declined.

"If [Busyro] does not show up on Wednesday we will automatically drop him from the list. His chance will be gone," Commission III member Junimart Girsang said on Tuesday.

Busyro meanwhile claimed undergoing a second screening would run contrary to the law. "If I follow a process that compromises my integrity then I am submitting to a flawed process, and I will do no such thing," he said.

In the screenings, Commission III has been openly hostile toward the pair seen as the two best candidates, namely acting KPK deputy chairman Johan Budi and KPK education and public service director Sujanarko.

Meanwhile, Commission III lawmakers on Monday lobbed softball questions at controversial candidates such as Jakarta Corruption Court ad hoc judge Alexander Marwata, who has gained a reputation for contrariness, including calling for the acquittal of defendants in graft trials.

The House on Tuesday also moved to weaken the KPK by including an amendment to the KPK Law as a priority bill to be completed during this year's last sitting session.

The House, with the amendment, seeks to establish a supervisory body to watch the KPK; to grant the KPK the unusual authority to issue investigation termination warrants; to prohibit the KPK from recruiting independent investigators; and to add more bureaucratic requirements for the KPK to engage in wiretapping.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/16/lawmakers-smile-compliant-candidates-KPK-leadership.html

Listen to people's voices in Setya's case: Jokowi

Jakarta Post - December 15, 2015

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo called for the House of Representatives ethics council to listen to the voice of the people in determining the fate of House Speaker Setya Novanto over accusations of ethical misconduct that dragged Jokowi's name into scandal and caused a public outcry.

Jokowi said on Tuesday that he has followed the hearings and hoped the council would come to a decision that accords with public aspirations.

"I want the council to see the facts and to listen to the voice of the people. Listen to the public's voices. That's it," he said at the State Palace as quoted by Kompas.com on Tuesday.

Jokowi had also expressed his anger toward Setya who allegedly misused his and Vice President Jusuf Kalla's names in a backroom deal with gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia.

Separately, the President's chief of staff, Teten Masduki, said that Jokowi's statement had a deep meaning aimed at the council to come to a just decision. "The message is clear. The President wants the council to follow public aspirations," he said.

The council is scheduled to deliberate on its final recommendations for Setya's alleged ethical misconduct on Wednesday to end a series of hearings held over the past two weeks. Setya, Energy Minister Sudirman Said, Freeport's president director Maroef Sjamsoeddin and Coordinating Politics, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Panjaitan had all testified.

The council failed to summon oil tycoon Muhammad Reza Chalid, who had been involved in a recorded conversation with Setya and Maroef. The recording, made public by the council during the hearings, suggests Setya and Reza conspired in a deal to extend Freeport's contract.

Setya claimed his innoncence last week in a closed session with the council. All 17 members of the council will attend a closed meeting to deliver their opinions. The majority opinion will form the official decision, while the minority will present a dissenting opinion. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/15/listen-peoples-voices-setyas-case-jokowi.html

Lawmakers urge Setya to step down

Jakarta Post - December 15, 2015

Jakarta – Almost three dozen lawmakers from several factions are urging the House of Representatives' ethics council to clean up the legislature's image and also for House Speaker Setya Novanto to step down from his position following his involvement in a much-publicized scandal.

Thirty lawmakers gathered on Tuesday at the House complex to show support for the council, which plans to announce a recommendation about Setya's alleged ethical misconduct on Wednesday. The lawmakers wore black ribbons with "#SaveDPR" written on them on their right arms.

"We support the council members saving the House's reputation by taking the right decision in their effort to uphold House ethics," Komarudin Watubun, a lawmaker from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said as reported by Kompas.com on Tuesday.

Other lawmkers involved included TB Hasanuddin, Charles Honoris, Diah Pitaloka and Nico Siahaan from the PDI-P, Teguh Juwarno, Primus Yustisio and Lucky Hakim from the National Mandate Party (PAN), Taufiqulhadi, Syarif Abdullah Alkadrie, Kurtubi and Akbar Faizal from Nasdem, Inaz Nasrullah Zubir from the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), Dave Laksono from the Golkar Party, Ruhut Sitompul from the Democratic Party and Wihadi from Gerindra.

"We ask for Setya Novanto to step down. That will be for Setya's own honor and for the sake of the institution that you lead," Komarudin said, reading the declaration of the lawmakers. "Your willingness to step down will be a noble sacrifice to raise the dignity of the House we love."

They all agreed that Setya's case, in which he allegedly conspired with oil and gas businessman Muhammad Reza Chalid to ask for shares in gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia, dragged down the House's image.

Komarudin said that the case also created a poor work environment for the lawmakers. The council, he added, had shown performance that was far from the public's expectations and had instead become a defense forum for Setya.

The council is scheduled to announce disciplinary action against Setya on Wednesday. It had held several hearings presenting Energy Minister Sudirman Said, Freeport's president director Maroef Sjamsoeddin, Setya and Coordinating Politics, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Panjaitan. The council had failed to summon Reza to the hearing as the oilman is out of the country.

Setya, a senior politician with Golkar, declared that he was innocent during his hearing last week. He said that he had not committed any wrongdoing in a meeting he attended with Reza and Maroef to discuss Freeport's contract extension. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/15/lawmakers-urge-setya-step-down.html

Terrorism & religious extremism

Indonesia, Aussie conduct intelligence exchange to thwart terrorism

Antara News - December 21, 2015

Jakarta – The Indonesian State Intelligence Board (BIN) has conducted an intelligence exchange program with Australia as part of efforts to thwart terrorism in Indonesia, the boards chairman, Sutiyoso said.

"I visited Australia some time ago to agree to the cooperation to thwart terrorism which is a common enemy to all of us," he said at the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs here on Monday.

He made the remarks at a press conference held following a meeting with Australian Attorney General George Brandis to discuss security issues this year-end.

Under the program, state intelligence bodies of the two countries can learn from one another and exchange knowledge to improve each others intelligence, he said. "Hopefully, the program will be able to complement each others shortcomings," he said.

The meeting between the Australian attorney general and Indonesian officials discussed a wide range of issues including counter-terrorism, cyber security and intelligence cooperation.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Luhut Pandjaitan, said the meeting is the first of its kind. "Similar meetings will be held regularly. Next year, we will be invited to such a meeting in Australia," Luhut said at a press conference following the meeting.

Also present at the meeting were Indonesian National Police Chief General Badrodin Haiti, Head of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) Sutiyoso, Head of the National Counter-Terrorism Board (BNPT) Saud Usman Nasution, Head of the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) Muhammad Yusuf, and Head of the Strategic Intelligence Board (BAIS) Major General M Erwin Syafitri.

Earlier, Haiti said the police have just arrested nine suspected terrorists in the five districts of Cilacap, Tasikmalaya, Sukoharjo, Mojokerto and Gresik. "Some of them are former members of Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) and are linked to the ISIS," he said.

Source: http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/102148/ri-aussie-conduct-intelligence-exchange-to-thwart-terrorism

Indonesia on high alert for terrorist attacks over Christmas and New Year

Sydney Morning Herald - December 21, 2015

Jewel Topsfield and Karuni Rompies – Indonesian authorities are on high alert for a terrorist attack over the Christmas and New Year period despite the arrest of nine terrorism suspects.

National Police spokesman Anton Charliyan said police had identified 13 areas vulnerable to attack, including the tourist island of Bali, Java, where the capital Jakarta is located, Papua, North Sumatra, East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku and parts of Sulawesi.

"We are on high alert before Christmas through New Year because we already experienced a human tragedy that took place at Christmas," Mr Anton said.

On Christmas Eve in 2000 a series of co-ordinated attacks on churches in Jakarta by Al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah killed 18 people.

The coordinating minister for legal, political and security affairs, Luhut Panjaitan, said Indonesian authorities had received detailed intelligence about the possibility of terrorist attacks from now into the near future.

"Indonesia is now at quite a high alert especially at airports and some strategic points and so far we have been successful at monitoring activities," he said. "No country is immune from terrorism but I assure you we are working very hard to tackle this issue."

Mr Anton said potential targets included police and military, government agencies and embassies, Westerners, people of different faiths or ideologies, hotels and shopping malls.

He said more than 150,000 police, military personnel, public order officers and traffic controllers would be deployed throughout Indonesia to provide security over Christmas and New Year.

"The threats we anticipate during Christmas and New Year are attacks from radicals or terrorists, intolerant movements, traffic accidents, drugs, alcohol related crime and people who like to attack live venues at night."

The suspected terrorists arrested over the weekend planned attacks in Sumatra, Java and Kalimantan this month according to seized documents and interrogation of the suspects arrested at the weekend. The documents suggested suspects were planning to "do a concert".

Mr Anton said it was not yet known what concert meant but in the past "bride" had been a codeword for suicide bomber.

"We remain alert. It may mean attack. Just like in the past they said 'bride' to mean suicide bomber, maybe now they call it 'concert'. We don't know yet but we are on high alert because there may be still some people out there who are related to the radical groups."

Police also uncovered evidence of money being transferred from Syria to Indonesia. Mr Anton said it was possibly from Bahrun Naim, one of the Indonesian IS co-ordinators in Syria who was involved in trying to organise an attack in Central Java from Syria last year.

National Police Chief Badrodin Haiti said the suspects were ex Jemaah Islamiyah who had links with IS. He said their targets had been officers from the counter terrorism police unit, Detachment 88 and Shia Muslims.

He also said Indonesia could not ignore the risk to foreigners. "Basically we anticipate (the possibility) of everyone in Indonesia being vulnerable to terrorist attacks."

The warning from police came as Australian Attorney General George Brandis and Justice Minister Michael Keenan met Mr Panjaitan, Indonesian National Police Chief Badrodin Haiti and other high-ranking officials for law and security talks.

Senator Brandis said the two countries had agreed to increase co-operation in areas such as cyber intelligence sharing, terrorism financing and operational matters.

Meanwhile, police have urged the public to be vigilant for extremists who fly ISIS flags or argue that Indonesia should become an Islamic state.

"We ask people to cooperate because fighting terrorism is our responsibility as a community, it is not just the police's responsibility," Mr Anton said. "We especially ask Islamic clerics to guard your mosques well because our interrogations have found people were recruited in mosques."

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/indonesia-on-high-alert-for-terrorist-attacks-over-christmas-and-new-year-20151221-glsrgx.html

AFP helps stem threat of terrorism in Indon as nine arrested following raids

Sydney Morning Herald - December 20, 2015

Jewel Topsfield, Amilia Rosa, Karuni Rompies – The Australian Federal Police and the FBI have assisted Indonesia's efforts to quell terror- related violence before it occurs.

Nine suspected terrorists, including some allegedly planning an attack in December, were arrested in raids across five Javan cities in Indonesia following information provided by the AFP and FBI.

"The AFP and FBI have been working together with the Indonesian National Police, sharing threat reporting," an AFP spokesperson said. "This reporting has been used by the Indonesian National Police to shape their investigations."

Indonesian national police spokesman Anton Charliyan told Fairfax Media the nine people arrested allegedly belonged to two terrorist networks including Abu Jundi which is linked to ISIS.

He said two suspects arrested in East Java, who belonged to an old terrorist network, had been on their wanted list for sometime over a bomb making factory in Klaten.

"The terrorists planned an attack this December, but we are still investigating what type of attack," he said. "Potential targets were officials, buildings and other terrorist networks. They were planning to attack one another."

Sukoharjo police chief Andi Rivai said suspected terrorist AJ, who is known as AK, was arrested Saturday morning in Central Java while riding his bike. The man's name is understood to be Abdul Karim aka Abu Jundi.

Mr Rivai said police assisted forces from the counter terrorism unit Detachment 88 to raid his house.

"Evidence found in his house were books on Jihad, electronic components, fertiliser, nails, ball bearings and a map of Jakarta and Greater Jakarta," he said. "These people usually add nails, ball bearings etc to explosive materials to cause greater damage to people and the surroundings," he said.

Indonesian police beefed up security outside several embassies – including the Australian Embassy – shopping malls and places of worship after the Paris attacks.

Jakarta-based terrorism analyst Sidney Jones told a forum last month there could be a shift towards attacking foreigners in Indonesia because of the publicity the Paris attacks received and the increased emphasis of IS on external attacks.

Ms Jones also said the increasing numbers of Indonesians getting killed in Coalition airstrikes raised the possibility of revenge attacks in Indonesia.

In a presentation to ambassadors at Jakarta Police headquarters on November 18, Ms Jones also warned that anti-western propaganda seemed to be increasing, with lots of tweets and discussions on closed chats on cloud- based instant messaging service Telegram.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/afp-helps-stem-threat-of-terrorism-in-indonesia-as-nine-arrested-following-raids-20151220-gls2yk.html

Freedom of religion & worship

Radicals threaten Yogyakarta interfaith event

Jakarta Post - December 15, 2015

Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – Threats from a radical group have disrupted plans by an interfaith community to hold an event celebrating the births of both Prophet Muhammad and Jesus Christ with the aim of presenting a peaceful message from the two figures.

The event, Peace Reflection, to commemorate the birth of Prophet Muhammad, locally known as Maulid, and Christmas, was organized by the Indonesian Young Interfaith Peacemaker Community (YIPC).

The event was supposed to be held in Indonesia's Islamic Teacher Institution (PIRI) building in Yogyakarta on Dec. 19.

Ibnu Ghulam Tufail said on Monday that there had been threats from a radical group called the Islamic People's Forum (FUI). "I heard about the threats from people at the PIRI foundation who lent their space to us," he said.

The threats caused PIRI to withdraw their permit for the community to use the space. Still, YIPC did not cancel the event and is currently looking for a new venue for Dec. 19.

Ibnu said that the community did not mean to combine two religious celebrations, Maulid Nabi and Christmas. "We only want to reflect on the teachings from these two religious figures, such as peace, tolerance and love," he said.

Maulid Nabi and Christmas fall on Dec. 24 and 25 this year. Ibnu explained that the event organizers would play short films including Prophet Muhammad and Jesus Christ biographies, scriptural reasoning, singing and Sholawat (prayers and praises to Prophet Muhammad).

He said that YPCI did not ask for a event permit from local police because it was not a big event, with only 100 people invited.

Commander of the Yogyakarta FUI troops, Muhammad Fuad, said that the group would disband the event if YPCI proceeded with their plan. "We will shut the event down because combining Maulid Nabi and Christmas is against aqidah [Islamic teachings]," he said.

Fuad claimed to have support from the Yogyakarta Police and mayor. Asgor Ali, spokesman for PIRI said that several police officers came to the office and informed him of the potential threat from FUI troops. The threats were posted through Muhhamad Fuad's Facebook account.

PIRI then told the organizer not to hold the event in their building as it was the same day that students would receive their study reports.

Asgor said that he did not think police intended to guard the event and instead asked for all parties to maintain safety and public order.

Cmr. Wahyu Dwi Nugroho, an officer at the Yogyakarta Police, said that the event organizer should have applied for a permit for the event as it was a religious gathering that invited people from outside of Yogyakarta.

He said that the threats from the FUI were only a plan and urged the organizers to stay safe if they proceeded with the event.

Elga Sarapung, director of the Institute for Interfaith Dialogue in Indonesia, regretted the intolerance that was overlooked by the police. She said that such a disruption to the planned event violated the Constitution.

"Yogyakarta mayor and religious leaders are ignoring intolerance [happening in Yogyakarta], she said, calling for support from large Islamic groups like Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah.

Yogyakarta has seen a rising numbers of intolerant acts in recent years. Pluralism center the Wahid Institute named Yogyakarta Indonesia's second most intolerant city after Bogor last year. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/15/radicals-threaten-yogyakarta-interfaith-event.html

Governance & administration

Jokowi to hold regular discussions with civil society groups

Jakarta Post - December 21, 2015

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has proposed regular discussions with civil society groups in an effort to achieve wider public participation in reaching targets set out in the United Nations' global development agenda called Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Jokowi's commitment follows a meeting between him and 12 representatives of civil society groups and NGOs, which was held at the State Palace last Thursday upon their request.

"What is interesting is that the President has proposed to hold a forum every three months to discuss the progress [the country has made] related to the SDGs," Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) executive director Abetnego Tarigan told a press conference last Thursday at the palace. "It means that the President opens room for us [civil society organizations] to regularly provide input."

Aside from Abetnego, International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID) executive director Sugeng Bahagijo, Ilham Saenong from Transparency International Indonesia (TII), Dian Kartika Sari of the Indonesian Women Coalition (KPI), Hesti Murti of the Independent Journalists Association (AJI), Ah Maftuchan of the Center for Welfare Studies (Prakarsa) and Wahyu Susilo of Migrant Care also joined last week's meeting with Jokowi.

Adopted by all 193 UN member states in September, the SDGs are a global development plan comprising 17 goals to end poverty, reduce inequality and tackle climate change by 2030.

Starting next year, the SDGs, which outline 169 more specific targets, replace the previous UN action plan, known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The implementation of the new goals will be monitored and reviewed using a set of global indicators to be agreed by March 2016.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who led the Indonesian delegation to the UN's September meeting in New York, has said that the country's development agenda would be more inclusive of civil society.

Kalla has also said the SDGs would be integrated into the National Mid-Term Development Plan (RPJM), revealing that he had asked ministries and related institutions to change the nature of their development planning paradigms from a remedial to a preventative approach. According to Kalla, he would assign the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) as the coordinating body for the implementation of the cross-sectoral SDGs.

Sugeng said the groups proposed to Jokowi three keys to ensure the country's development programs were in line with the SDGs.

"A legal framework as a guideline for implementing the SDGs should be issued immediately; a joint committee comprising representatives from ministries, government agencies and civil society should be established immediately, and an action plan must also be drafted immediately to ensure the SDGs can be implemented in the coming years," Sugeng added.

Indonesia has failed to meet four of the eight MDGs signed by UN members in 2000: Reducing maternal mortality rates, lowering the numbers of HIV- infections, ensuring environmental sustainability and providing access to clean water and good sanitation.

Indonesia's maternal mortality rate rose from 227 per 100,000 live births to 359 between 2007 and 2012, an increase partly blamed on a lack of funding and health care services across the archipelago. Meanwhile, the number of people living with HIV increased from 7,195 cases in 2006 to 32,711 in 2014. AIDS cases increased from 3,692 to 5,494 in the same period.

At the meeting with Jokowi, Dian stressed the importance of adopting a gender approach in development programs, arguing that 104 of 169 SDGs targets were related to gender equality. "Among targets needed to be given special attention are maternal and infant mortality as well as the latest issue of child marriage," she said.

The Constitutional Court has rejected a judicial review filed by women and children rights campaigners who had sought to increase the minimum marriage age for women set by the Marriage Law from 16 to 18 years.

The groups also pushed the government to improve human development and increase social expenditure and expressed concern over unemployment, human trafficking and police violence against journalists.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/21/jokowi-hold-regular-discussions-with-civil-society-groups.html

Jokowi wants open access to information

Jakarta Post - December 16, 2015

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – The Central Information Commission (KIP) and President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo have called on all public institutions, local administration and state-owned companies to provide more access to their public information in order to build trust.

All decision making processes with regard to public policies need to be disclosed to the public, explained KIP head Abdulhamid Dipopramono.

"If an openness to information becomes intrinsic to our attitude and culture, this will eventually bring about a mutual trust between all parts of the nation and soon we will have good and clean governance. Open information [and access to it] is a form of corruption prevention," Abdulhamid said.

The statement was made during an event at the State Palace on Tuesday, during which KIP awarded public institutions for their efforts to provide better public information.

This year, KPI recorded greater participation in the survey on which the awards for performance have been based. For 2015, participation levels reached 47 percent, up from 40 percent last year and 38 percent in 2013.

However, participation levels continue to be on the low side, with only 180 public institutions from the total 386 surveyed by KIP reporting back to the commission.

The survey assessed how an institution has taken part in announcing and providing public information; its service and public information management.

During the KIP event, Jokowi presented the awards granted to the top three institutions in each category.

This year, the institutions to receive awards were, for ministerial institutions, the Finance Ministry, the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry and the Industry Ministry; for public institutions, the Indonesian National Archives Agency (ANRI), the National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN) and the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (Lapan); and for non-structural institutions, the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK), the General Elections Commission (KPU).

None of the country's 12 political parties received points in the survey. KIP said it had been unable to assess five out of 12 parties as they did not mail back the questioners sent to them.

Abdulhamid also lamented that six provinces had yet to set up provincial information commission offices, despite the 2008 Public Information Law, which came into force in 2010, ordering the establishment of such an office in all provinces within a time frame of no more than two years after the enactment of the law.

Abdulhamid hoped that Jokowi's presence during the event would help push the six provinces to comply with the law.

Without the government's strong commitment to push for improved transparency, or what Jokowi has deemed as an open government, the commission, which has handled 70 percent of the 5,000 public information disputes since its establishment in 2009, might remain powerless.

For example, the National Police have yet to comply with a 2011 KIP ruling in which the police were ordered to disclose information on the suspicious bank accounts of a number of high-ranking police officers following a petition filed by anti corruption campaigners.

In his speech, Jokowi called on all public institutions to adapt to the growing needs of public information transparency by reforming their mind- set, systems and work patterns.

"We are currently in a new era where the pattern of relations between the government and the people has changed. The people [now] want transparency and information disclosure; people want dialog and an interactive relationship between government and the public. People want a government that is quick to respond to their complaints," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/16/jokowi-wants-open-access-information.html

Parliament & legislation

For House, a year of greed and incompetence

Jakarta Globe - December 20, 2015

Jakarta – The newly appointed speaker of the House of Representatives, Ade Komaruddin, faces an uphill battled trying to win back public trust for a graft-riddled institution that has arguably performed at its worst in Indonesia's democratic history.

The House had set itself a target of passing 37 bills into law this year; as of last week, it had managed just three.

This makes the House's efforts in 2015 the "worst performance since the start of Reformasi" in 1998, according to Abdul Sahid, a researcher with the group Concerned Citizens for the Indonesian Legislature, or Formappi.

"This is the first time since 1999 that only three laws have been passed in a year," Abdul said as quoted by Detik.com.

Abdul blamed the lack of productivity on the leadership of former speaker Setya Novanto, which was marked by infighting, questionable junkets, attempts to justify public spending on vanity projects, and Setya's central role in an alleged extortion bid against the country's biggest taxpayer, Freeport Indonesia.

Setya resigned last week, just as a House tribunal was about to declare him guilty of ethical violations in the scandal, in which he sought to have 20 percent of Freeport Indonesia's shares, valued at an estimated $4 billion, divested through him.

Setya still retains his position as legislator, however, and his Golkar Party has merely switched him out with Ade, the party's former House caucus chairman.

Under Setya's leadership, "House members seemed to have forgotten their main roles in deliberating issues" in the public interest, Abdul said. "The House instead prioritized its own agendas, such as calling for pork-barrel funds, getting more allowances, and construction projects," he said.

Under Setya, the House also established 40 working and special committees, only three of which actually went on to finish their work. "The results of the rest are unclear," Abdul said.

He argued that the House's performance in 2015 did not justify the Rp 5 trillion in funding allocated to the legislature in the state budget.

The notion that the House has performed poorly this year is echoed in a recent poll by the Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI), which showed that public trust in the institution was down to 40 percent. The poll, the latest in a series carried out sporadically over the past 10 years, gave the worst results yet, representing a 17 percent drop in approval from the last such survey, conducted in October 2012.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/politics/house-year-greed-incompetence/

Fadli Zon appointed acting House speaker

Jakarta Post - December 18, 2015

Erika Anindita, Jakarta – Lawmaker Fadli Zon was appointed acting House of Representatives speaker on Friday, following the resignation of Setya Novanto on Wednesday, when the House's ethic council was to make a ruling on Setya for alleged misconduct.

The decision to appoint Fadli was made during a House leadership meeting on Friday. "During the House leadership meeting, I was appointed acting House speaker," Fadli said, adding that based on a prevailing regulation, if the House speaker resigned, an acting speaker should be appointed.

He was referring to Article 87 of the Legislative Institutions (MD3) Law, which stipulates that if a House speaker cannot carry out his duty, one of the deputy speakers should be appointed acting House speaker until a new speaker is elected.

Meanwhile, the Golkar Party executive board decided to appoint Golkar Party House faction chairman Ade Komaruddin to replace Setya, while Setya was appointed to replace Ade as the faction chairman. The MD3 Law stipulates that in the event of a House speaker resigning, the replacement should come from the same party.

According to Fadli, Ade will likely be sworn in as House speaker next month when the House resumes it sitting period. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/18/fadli-zon-appointed-acting-house-speaker.html

Jakarta & urban life

Metro Mini drivers demand their buses back

Jakarta Post - December 21, 2015

Jakarta – Dozens of Metro Mini bus drivers and conductors staged a demonstration on Saturday to protest the Jakarta Transportation Agency's confiscation of their vehicles.

"We are demanding that the transportation agency return our buses, which it seized without any valid legal grounds," said one of the protesters, Ahmad Sucipto, as quoted by wartakotalive.com.

The agency, Ahmad said, had no right to confiscate Metro Mini buses, as the drivers met the requirements to operate public transportation, such as holding complete vehicle administration documents.

Separately, Jakarta Transportation Agency operational control head Maruli Sijabat confirmed that his agency had been monitoring and confiscating Metro Mini buses in light of the poor condition of many. As of Saturday, Maruli added, the agency had seized around 200 Metro Mini buses.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/21/greater-jakarta-metro-mini-drivers-demand-their-buses-back.html

Jakarta's poor forced to scrimp on costly water

Jakarta Post - December 18, 2015

Jesslyn Angelia, Jakarta – An important part of Udin's daily routine involves buying 20-liter containers of water from a city vendor. "We spend more than Rp 350,000 on water every month," he said. "I am retired so my son-in-law, who works at the harbor, provides for my daughter, her two sons and I".

Udin, who lives in Muara Baru, North Jakarta, says that he buys three containers of water everyday, each costing him Rp 4,000. "We use the water for everything; to wash, to shower, to drink," he explained.

The government has estimated that middle-income households use an average of 180 liters of water per person per day. Meanwhile, barely able to afford their three 20-liter containers per day, Udin's family of five are careful with their costly water.

Muhammad Reza Sahib, national coordinator at the People's Coalition for the Right to Water (KRuHA) said that groundwater quality had been deteriorating in Jakarta, especially in North, Central and West Jakarta.

"The quality of groundwater continues to deteriorate because of a lack of effort to improve the catchment area. New areas that have been opened, by way of evictions, are being covered in concrete and rivers that are said to have been normalized have been destroyed by concrete. Land in Jakarta is increasingly porous while pressure from the ocean is strengthening, causing intrusion," he said.

The combination of seawater intrusion, the contamination of bodies of water and groundwater, the delay in conversion of piped drinking water and the extraction of ground water by wealthy groups, malls, hotels, buildings had caused a cost increase in areas where groundwater quality was worsening, said Reza.

According to the World Bank Group's water and sanitation program, in Jakarta, the average price of water purchased through vendors is Rp 25,000 to 40,000 per cubic-meter, which in turn means that, for their daily needs, poor households in the city have been spending an estimated 13 to 25 percent of their income on water.

The Ministerial Regulation No. 23/2006 on water rates adjustment states that a household should not have to spend more than 4 percent of its income on water necessary for daily use.

Like many others, Udin and his family have been left with no choice but to spend an increasing amount of money on water in order to fulfill their basic daily water requirements. Most coastal areas in North Jakarta have no access to piped water and shallow groundwater wells have been affected by saltwater intrusion.

Those low-income households with access to piped water are only charged Rp 1,575 per cubic-meter of water. With piped water, Mulyana, who lives in Kedoya in West Jakarta, says that she spends an average of Rp 26,000 per month.

The two water operators in the city, PT Aetra Air Jakarta and PT PAM Lyonnaise Jaya (PALYJA) serve only 60 percent of the city's residents. The rest of the population depends on groundwater from community wedge wells, water vendors and private networks connected to deep wells.

Water specialist Firdaus Ali said that 89.7 percent of shallow groundwater (less than 60 meters deep) in Jakarta was contaminated with domestic waste. "Shallow groundwater has a high chance of being contaminated. We don't have a good sanitation system, we only have septic tanks and they are not designed to be safe," Firdaus added.

"Contamination is highly likely if septic tanks aren't built well," said Bawa Sarasa, the head of the Jakarta Environmental Management Agency's (BPLHD) groundwater and wastewater management. BPLHD has reported that 41 percent of wells used by households are less than 10 meters from septic tanks.

Moreover, the lack of green space in the city hampers the renewal of shallow groundwater in Jakarta. "There is very little surface left for absorption," Bawa emphasized.

PALYJA spokesperson, Meyritha Maryanie claims that from 1998 onward it recorded a 100 percent growth in customers and that most growth came in the form of low-income households. Currently, 20 percent of Palyja's customers are low-income households, according to Meyritha.

[The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post.]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/18/jakarta-s-poor-forced-scrimp-costly-water.html

Jakarta's Djarot: Alcohol ban would be dangerous

Jakarta Globe - December 17, 2015

Jakarta – It's better to control the production and distribution of alcoholic beverages than to ban them outright, Jakarta Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat said on Wednesday, pointing to several dangerous potential consequences.

At a panel discussion on alcohol regulations in the capital, Djarot said that alcohol is traditionally produced and consumed by many people across the country.

The deputy governor added that a complete ban would likely lead more people to start producing their own moonshine, a practice that has already claimed many lives in Indonesia.

A ban would also lead to a large black market for alcohol and the potential for corruption and collusion involving officials seeking to benefit from bending the rules, Djarot said.

"So what's important is to control alcohol [production and distribution], so that people don't drink too much," he explained. "We have to make a wise decision on how the state can best protect its citizens. Licensed alcohol should not be our concern, but [we should focus on] alcoholic drinks produced in shady places, moonshine that threatens people's lives."

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/jakartas-djarot-alcohol-ban-dangerous/

Armed forces & defense

Jokowi urges TNI to focus on terrorism, IS

Jakarta Post - December 16, 2015

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has called on Indonesian Military (TNI) leaders and soldiers to enhance their professional capacities and to take on extra roles combating terrorism, especially Islamic State (IS).

"We should concentrate on this matter. If we do not act carefully, IS terrorists will be a real threat for us. Socialization shall be dispersed to provinces, regencies and cities. If we are late, it will be our fault," President Jokowi said in a meeting with TNI leaders at the military headquarters.

According to Jokowi, poverty and the social divide may jeopardize the country because both antagonize social conflict, transforming into the fuel that grows separatism, radicalism, extremism and even terrorism.

Jokowi specifically made mention of IS, which continues to be a global threat, reminding TNI to act carefully, undertake accompaniment, data collection and to strive to make continuous breakthrough steps with de- radicalization.

While almost all countries use a security and law enforcement approach to combat radicalization and terrorism, Jokowi also prefers a soft approach. "In addition to the hard approach, we are also wise to carry out a soft approach, a cultural and religious approach," said Jokowi.

He added that the country was responsible for public security, for ensuring a secure environment for the public and requested that TNI increase its supervision in public spaces, places of worship, airports, terminals, stations and other pertinent places.

"As professionals, TNI soldiers must be well-trained, not in the political arena, but as support for the country's politics because TNI's politics are the same as the country's politics," Jokowi asserted. (cal)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/16/jokowi-urges-tni-focus-terrorism-is.html

TNI chief strikes alarmist tone on proxy war

Jakarta Post - December 15, 2015

Nani Afrida, Jakarta – Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo has warned that Indonesia could be the site of proxy wars between major powers aimed at controlling the country's natural resources.

"There are many ways that foreign countries could control our natural resources, one of the strategies is by using a proxy war. We can already sense that proxy war is creeping in today and we should be on the alert because it could be on its way," Gatot said in Makassar, South Sulawesi, over the weekend.

A proxy war is a war instigated by a major power but in which it does not itself participates. It uses other governments and agents, including non- state actors to do the fighting. It can involve countries fighting their opponent's allies, or assisting their allies in fighting their opponent.

Gatot said that the signs of a proxy war could already be felt. "[The strategy of proxy war] includes control of the media in Indonesia. The media engineers conflict between the military and police or between political parties, and instigates societal and cultural change. [There is also] drug smuggling, which has been going on for a long time," he said.

Gatot said that Indonesia could easily prevent the outbreak of a proxy war as it already had the solution. "We have Pancasila and the communal spirit [gotong royong]. We should revive those values," he said.

According to Gatot, currently around the world countries are scrambling to get their hands on dwindling natural resources, especially energy. He claimed that the increased use of fuel between 2007 and 2009 had triggered skyrocketing costs of food by at least 75 percent.

"It is predicted that with the depletion of fossil-based energy resources, in the future conflict will be more about controlling food resources, clean water, and bio energy, all of which comes from areas on the equator," Gatot said.

The TNI commander said that three key regions on the equator; Indonesia, Central Africa, and Central America, could be targeted by major powers hungry for resources.

"So Indonesia would be a center for energy resources, a food basket and source of clean water. It would be a future target for the agents of foreign countries that don't have those kind of luxuries," Gatot said.

Gatot has been preoccupied with the concept of proxy war for a while. While serving as the Army chief of staff, Gatot said that he was convinced that Timor Leste seceded from Indonesia as a result of a proxy war waged to control the oil field in the Timor Gap.

Gatot also claimed that the major street protests and rallies that led to mass layoffs among 20 oil palm plantations managed by Indonesians were also part of a proxy war, which was directed at shutting down the operations of many Indonesian-controlled palm oil plantations, so that they could then be sold off to foreign companies.

He has also used the term "proxy war" quite liberally in dialogues with university students and the country's youth.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/15/tni-chief-strikes-alarmist-tone-proxy-war.html

Judicial & legal system

Jokowi inaugurates new KY commissioners

Jakarta Post - December 19, 2015

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has inagurated five new commissioners for the Judicial Commission at the State Palace.

The five candidates previously underwent screening tests, conducted by a government-sanctioned team, and faced confirmation hearings at the House of Representatives.

The new commissioners, announced on Friday, are: former religious court judge Maradaman Harahap; lawyers Farid Wajdi and Sumartoyo; Sukma Violetta, a former public attorney at the Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) and a former assistant with the Attorney General's Office (AGO) reform team; and former military judge Joko Sasmito, who presided over a 2013 trial that ended with the sentencing of three members of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) to between six and 11 years' prison for murder.

In late October, House Commission III overseeing legal affairs approved only five of the seven candidates short-listed by a government-sanctioned selection team. Lawmakers disqualified former Constitutional Court justice Harjono and Wiwiek Awiati, a law lecturer at the University of Indonesia and advisor to the Supreme Court reform team.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/19/national-scene-jokowi-inaugurates-new-ky-commissioners.html

Police & law enforcement

Police officer caught dealing narcotics

Jakarta Post - December 19, 2015

Pekanbaru – The Pekanbaru City Police Narcotics Unit has arrested a police officer from the Meranti Islands Regency Police with initials IR on drug trafficking charges.

Pekanbaru City Police deputy chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Putut S. Wicaksono said the suspect was caught as he rode a motorcycle at the Jl. Sam Ratulangi intersection, exactly adjacent to the Pekanbaru City Police station.

The affair drew public attention and caused a traffic jam because the defendant aggressively resisted arrest. "When arrested, he claimed to be a member of the Indonesian Military (TNI)," he said, Friday (18/2).

"Actually, he had been followed from Jl. Setia Budi. After the team was sure he was carrying the contraband substances, they apprehended him. After searching him, officers found 100 green ecstasy pills with apple logos on them inside a cigarette pack in the pocket of his pants. The package is estimated to be valued at Rp 25 million (US$1,850)," added Putut.

The arrest, Putut said,was the result of public reports of the circulation of ecstasy pills from Selat Panjang in the Meranti islands.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/19/islands-focus-police-officer-caught-dealing-narcotics.html

Polri must get tough on trigger-happy cops

Jakarta Post - December 16, 2015

Nani Afrida, Jakarta – Indonesia Police Watch (IPW) has urged the National Police (Polri) encourage police personnel to control their use of firearms while on assignment or off duty, to prevent accidental shootings.

On Monday, the IPW released its latest data, showing that in 2015 there were 20 accidental shootings involving police personnel, killing at least seven civilians and injuring 17 others.

"The number of [firearm misuse] cases has increased, even though the number of victims was lower compared to last year," IPW Coordinator Neta S. Pane said.

The IPW had reported in 2014 that there were 13 cases of firearm misuse by police, resulting in the deaths of seven people and injuring 20 others.

Victims range from children, housewives, motorbike drivers, police colleagues and spouses. The IPW blamed the deaths on trigger-happy personnel who arrogantly fire shots at civilians.

"This year we also learned that three police personnel were involved in shoot outs and two women were killed by guns owned by their cop husbands," Neta said.

The IPW reports also showed that, in addition to accidental shootings, during 2015 police personnel had been wasting bullets during raids.

According to Neta, one of the raids was in Palembang, South Sumatera, where police personnel fired shots randomly in spite of warnings from locals that the raid was being conducted in a densely populated area.

"In this incident, three children, who had been playing, were injured by bullets and the police managed to walk away without accountability," Neta said.

The IPW urged the National Police Chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti to instruct police personnel to control their use of firearms. "If they conduct a raid in a densely populated area, they should be more careful," Neta said.

The IPW also recommended that the police replace old weapons with new ones. "Many personnel still use old weapons, so they often miss their target. They might aim for the legs but it could miss and hit the head instead," Neta said.

The National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Agus Riyanto told The Jakarta Post that the police had made more than one effort to reduce the rate of accidental shootings.

He said that personnel underwent strict tests before being allowed to carry weapon including a psychological test.

Police personnel are also required to record all activities involving their weapons. "After their licence expires, they are required to pass another psychological test to get a new one," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/16/polri-must-get-tough-trigger-happy-cops.html

Mining & energy

Lawmakers rally support for inquiry into Freeport

Jakarta Post - December 21, 2015

Jakarta – Members of the House of Representatives have expressed support for immediately setting up a special inquiry to probe irregularities in mining company PT Freeport Indonesia following the controversy that prompted the resignation of Setya Novanto as House speaker.

The planned inquiry would aim to discover any political maneuvering behind Setya's alleged attempt to strike a deal between the government and the company.

An ethics council investigation into Setya failed to come to a conclusion after the Golkar Party politician voluntarily stepped down from his post.

Golkar lawmaker Eni Maulani Saragih from the House's Commission VII overseeing energy said that around 15 legislators from his party had signed the petition for the special inquiry's establishment.

She said that she hoped more legislators from all parties would sign the petition, saying that such a committee was very important.

"An working committee investigation is not enough to handle the Freeport case. We have to conduct deeper investigations into the problems surrounding Freeport so we can give more detailed and appropriate recommendations to the President about the next actions that should be taken," Eni said.

Freeport Indonesia has been in the spotlight recently after Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said filed a report with the House's ethics council. The report claims that Setya requested a 20 percent Freeport stock allocation for President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla in exchange for securing a contract extension for the company to continue its operations after the current contract expires in 2021.

Anther Commission VII lawmaker, Inas Nasrullah from Hanura Party, said she supported the establishment of a special committee, saying that it should pay attention to the fine points of Freeport's contract of work.

"The contract is problematic and seems to give more power to Freeport. We need to be aware that Freeport doesn't obey to the country's regulations, but only its contract of work," Inas said.

Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker Masinton Pasaribu of House Commission II overseeing legal affairs, human rights and security said that four PDI-P legislators, including him, had signed the petition.

According to the Legislative Institutions (MD3) Law, at least 25 signatures of legislators were needed before establishing a special inquiry committee, he said.

"Such an investigation would aim to stop further lobbying or clandestine negotiations by members of the political elite for their own business interests," Masinton said.

He went on to say that secretive lobbying to make a profit from Freeport was common among senior governmental officials. He also said that the committee should pay extra attention to several figures whose names had come up in the Freeport scandal – Kalla, Sudirman and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno.

Gerindra Party vice chairman Arief Poyuono said that his party had given its full support for the establishment of the inquiry and recommended that the committee members of the inquiry be independent. "It should be established immediately to protect the country's assets," he said. (foy)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/21/lawmakers-rally-support-inquiry-freeport.html

Calls mount for govt to deny Freeport contract extension

Jakarta Post - December 17, 2015

Ayomi Amindoni – The government has been urged to immediately declare that the contract of work of miner Freeport Indonesia will not be extended when the current contract expires in 2021.

Energy think-tank Indonesia Resources Studies (IRESS) on Thursday called on the government to take control of the mine through a consortium of region- and state-owned enterprises.

"Every attempt made to limit and eliminate the right of state control through state companies is a betrayal of the Constitution," IRESS executive director Marwan Batubara said.

Marwan added that Indonesia – as the owner of the mineral resources – should receive a greater portion of the profit and greater benefits than the contractor.

IRESS invited a range of parties to sign a petition to call upon the government to uphold the sovereignty and dignity of the nation.

"All components of the nation and all the people of Indonesia are required to support and join the movement in order to achieve all the demands listed in the petition," he said.

The petition also encouraged the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to actively oversee the completion of the contract renegotiation process and ensure Freeport's contract of work was not extended. The petition also demanded that Freeport pay compensation for the environmental damage caused by its mine.

Lawmaker Iskan Q Lubis said the House of Representatives would establish a special committee to investigate government officials alleged to have made a backroom with Freeport McMoRan Inc., the US company that owns 90.64 percent of Freeport Indonesia.

"The Energy and Mineral Resources Minister said the letter to Freeport was approved by the President. We will establish a special committee to investigate the case," Iskan asserted. (dan)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/17/calls-mount-govt-deny-freeport-contract-extension.html

Fishing & maritime affairs

Fishermen oppose plan to scrap fuel subsidy

Jakarta Post - December 21, 2015

Batam – The government's plan to withdraw a fuel subsidy from fishermen next year is facing opposition from fishermen in Batam, Riau Islands, who argue that the policy would significantly increase their operational costs.

The government plans to revoke the fuel subsidy and allocate the money to support the 4,000-boat program for fishermen. The Batam-based fishermen, however, said the government had failed to educate the public about the plan.

Local fishing community leader Musa Muhammad told The Jakarta Post that they had learned about the planned cut, which is to occur next year, but had not officially received the information.

"We've somewhat learned about the plan. However, we'd be disappointed if it's true because our operational costs would be higher, especially in buying fuel," he said.

According to Musa, a 30-gross-ton fishing boat with 10 crew members operating for a week costs up to Rp 21 million (about US$1,500), of which as much as Rp 17 million is used to buy fuel.

"So, if the government revokes the fuel subsidy for fishermen, imagine the burden of the high cost for fuel we have to bear. We fear that as fishermen, we would not be able to compete with foreign fishing boats, which are still likely fishing illegally in the region," said Musa.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/21/islands-focus-fishermen-oppose-plan-scrap-fuel-subsidy.html

Economy & investment

Smelting industry demands incentives amid price slump

Jakarta Post - December 19, 2015

Khoirul Amin, Jakarta – Companies running mineral smelters and those developing them are demanding incentives from the government to help sustain their processing activities amid pressure from the slumping prices of their mineral products.

The incentives could be in the form of tax omissions when purchasing mineral ores or tax holidays for companies developing processing facilities, according to the secretary-general of the newly established Processing and Smelting Companies Association (AP3I), Haykel Hubies.

"We want the government to provide [some sort of] fiscal stimulus to companies that are building smelters," he said recently.

Haykel said the country's smelter industry expected the government to be more active and aggressive in helping the industry so that the US$10 billion invested (by the association's members) could be protected.

The smelter industry is currently facing pressure from two directions, the price slump and volatile currency exchange rates, he added.

A member of the association's advisory council, Alexander Roemokoy, said it was now the time for the government to listen to business players, after previously requesting that they build smelters to provide added value for the country's mineral products.

"What's important now is [ensuring] that the companies can operate and earn profits so that they can pay taxes to the state. If they are subject to taxes in the first place, how can they earn [profits]?" he said.

According to Alexander, smelting companies currently have to pay various taxes and fees to the government, such as land and building taxes (PBB), ore taxes and royalties.

Indonesia, which produces around 30 million tons of bauxite a year, has prohibited companies from exporting mineral ores since 2014 and requires mining companies to build smelters by 2017. While awaiting the completion of smelters in 2017, the government is only allowing semi-finished minerals, such as concentrate, to be exported.

According to the Industry Ministry, there are currently 16 smelters in operations and another six expected to commence operations next year. The processing facilities are for minerals including steel ores, alumina, copper and nickel.

A price slump for most minerals including nickel, bauxite and coal, is believed to be slowing down the development of smelters. The price of nickel, for example, slumped to only US$3.89 per pound (lb) on Dec. 14, from more than $7 per lb a year earlier.

Industry Minister Saleh Husin said the government would keep supporting the development of mineral processing facilities, with the Finance Ministry issuing tax holiday facilities for new investments, including smelters.

"We do hope that the government's expectation of creating added value for our mineral products can materialize," he said. Saleh added that the development of the smelter industry would be a way to boost Indonesia's export value in the next five or even 30 years.

Indonesia's exports declined by 14.32 percent year-on-year (yoy) to $138.42 billion in the January-November period of this year, from $161.54 billion in the same period last year, hugely affected by the slump in commodities prices.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/19/smelting-industry-demands-incentives-amid-price-slump.html

Deregulation impacts to be felt in 2016, says minister

Jakarta Post - December 18, 2015

Ayomi Amindoni, Jakarta – The government predicts that the impact of its deregulation policies will be seen in the first semester of 2016, as most economic policy packages begin to effect the economy three or six months after their launch.

Coordinating Economic Affairs Minister Darmin Nasution said the stimulus policies were aimed at addressing short-, medium- and long-term problems in the sluggish economy. All seven economic packages are in action now as the minister has signed 90 percent of the regulation and deregulation measures they contain.

"No immediate impact, but some of the effects will be seen in the first semester of 2016. For example, [the new policy on] liquefied petroleum gas [LPG] converters for fishermen will be implemented next year," said Darmin at a press briefing at Aryaduta Hotel Karawaci, Banten, on Thursday night.

That regulation, he further stated, would allow fishermen to get LPG converter kits next year to lower their costs as LPG is cheaper than diesel fuel.

The first economic package was unveiled on Sep. 9 focusing on boosting industrial competitiveness through deregulation, curtailing red tape and enhancing law enforcement and business certainty.

Assuming that it takes effect three months after implementation, the regulation should start affecting the economy next year. The government should still continue to minimize constraints and seek to accelerate the policy's realization, Darmin said.

The World Bank's ease-of-doing-business index will be the main indicator for the government to measure the effectiveness of the packages. In the 2016 ease-of-doing-business survey, Indonesia ranked 109 out of 189 countries surveyed, which was up 11 places from its 2015 performance.

"The survey is about licensing, regulation and bureaucracy. So if you want to know the impact of the deregulation policies, you should look at the ease-of-doing-business index," he told journalists.

In the series of economic packages, the government tried to simplify assorted regulations and licensing processes to facilitate investment and support exports. Some burdening rates have been slashed and permit procedures simplified. (ags)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/18/deregulation-impacts-be-felt-2016-says-minister.html

Food prices send Indonesian inflation skyrocketing

Jakarta Post - December 17, 2015

Anton Hermansyah – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank are both predicting that the Indonesia's 2015 inflation rate would be no less than 6 percent.

The ADB's outlook report, released on Dec. 3, states that inflation would touch 6.4 percent this year, while the World Bank's outlook report for 2015 put the rate at 6.3 percent.

"The main factor of the high inflation is food prices," World Bank economist Ndiame Diop said recently, adding that Indonesia is seeing relatively unstable food prices.

According to the data, although the growth of Indonesia's gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to be only 4.7 percent this year, which is relatively low compared with neighboring Vietnam at 6.5 percent and the Philippines at 5.9 percent, the Indonesian inflation rate is much higher than that of those two ASEAN countries.

Inflation in Vietnam and Philippines is low: 0.9 percent and 1.6 percent respectively, according to the 2015 outlook by ADB.

Diop said there are difficulties in handling food prices. The first is because Indonesian farm productivity is low because of the use of low technology and new crop development is slow compared to that in other countries and the second is because Indonesia cannot immediately allow more imports if there is a shortage in supply.

"The more open the country is to food imports, the more stable food prices will be," he asserted, adding that another factor is the cost of transporting the food.

The cost of transporting one cow from Nusa Tenggara to the capital of Jakarta is about Rp1.8 million (US$128). President Jokowi claimed that with the development of marine transportation routes the cost will be reduced to Rp 350,000 per cow.

"Indonesian is a big country, to transport food is really costly; we could not compare with small countries like Vietnam and the Philippines," Creco Consulting economist Raden Pardede said, adding that a cost reduction is good, but the effect will not be seen in the short time.

He added that while core inflation is affected more by global conditions, the administered price is a "regulated price" that could be controlled, such as when the government manages the price of gas. "Then actually the key to reduce inflation is in the government," Pardede said.

Rodrigo A. Chaves, World Bank Indonesia's country director, said that food price inflation would have a higher impact on the poor since most of their expenditures go toward eating. (dan)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/17/food-prices-send-indonesian-inflation-skyrocketing.html

Tax burdens likely to slow Indonesian economy

Jakarta Post - December 16, 2015

Anton Hermansyah, Jakarta – An economist has warned that improper tax policies, such as applying a higher tax amid a weak economy, may slow the Indonesian economy.

"When Indonesia's oil and gas exports are not working, tax is the way to boost the country's revenues. However, imposing a higher tax amid a weak economy will make the tax become an economic burden on the country," Creco Consulting economist Raden Pardede said on Tuesday.

He was speaking in response to tax problems Indonesia was currently facing, such as the government's unrealistic tax revenue target, a prepaid tax scheme, which had made foreign investors afraid of Indonesia, and the ongoing tax reforms, which were being conducted without proper administration improvements.

The unrealistic tax target, for example, has reportedly caused a budget deficit at the end of this year. As December is coming to an end, Indonesia's tax revenues at the end of this year are expected to reach only 85 percent of the total tax revenues targeted.

Based on World Bank data, Indonesia's tax revenues decreased by 1.2 percent in the third quarter year-on-year. However, there were declines in non-tax revenues as well, such as the revenues from oil and gas shares to the government, which decreased by 10.7 percent compared to in the third quarter last year. This has forced the government to set an ambitious tax target, which will hopefully allow it to finance the country's developments.

In the 2016 budget year, the government has targeted to raise more tax revenues, totalling Rp 1.82 quadrillion (US$129.5 billion), 14.3 percent of the GDP, up by 13.1 percent from 2015.

Pardede said that the state budget must be revised as soon as possible and the government must focus to ensure the effectiveness of the budget implementation.

Some taxes rules have become obstacles for foreign investors to enter Indonesia, an analyst said. American Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia (AmCham) economist A. Lin Neumann said that companies were subjected to several taxes, including prepaid taxes, they must first pay before they were allowed to start their businesses in Indonesia.

Foreign companies were apprehensive about the government's plan to increase its tax targets because they feel they will be the target of higher tax collection.

Pardede praised the government's ongoing tax reform and tax amnesty programs, saying that they could increase Indonesia's tax base because the taxpayer data would be enhanced.

However, poor administration would hamper the tax reform programs, as Indonesia is still lacking proper administration skills and many of its tax office staff members are insufficiently trained. Even if new data could be gathered from the tax amnesty program, it will be easily scattered, just like before.

"The Tax Office is just 'hunting in the zoo'. They want to collect high tax revenues, but they want to do it in the easiest way without having to make heavy efforts to find a new tax base and without having to make a proper improvement in their administration," Pardede said. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/16/tax-burdens-likely-slow-indonesian-economy.html

House proposes tax amnesty law

Jakarta Post - December 16, 2015

Jakarta – The House of Representatives decided to include a controversial bill on a tax amnesty in its 2015 National Legislation Program (Prolegnas) during a plenary session on Tuesday.

After the plenary session, deputy chairman of the House's Legislation Body (Baleg), Firman Subagyo, said that given that the sitting session would wrap up later this week, lawmakers had agreed to start deliberating the bill next year.

"The House and the government will sit together to discuss a draft of the bill in the future," Firman told reporters at the legislative complex on Tuesday.

The plenary session made the decision despite protests from a number of political party factions demanding the legislative body not rush its decision.

Both the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK) earlier rejected the House's plan on the tax amnesty bill, claiming that it could create legal uncertainty in the country's law enforcement system.

The House has shrugged off the criticism. "We should not bow to public pressure because the House works based on the law and the bill was agreed to by the House and government a long time ago," Firman said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/16/national-scene-house-proposes-tax-amnesty-law.html

November's deficit due to investment, agency says

Jakarta Post - December 15, 2015

Business – The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) announced a US$346.6 million trade deficit in November, breaking the streak of a 10-consecutive-month trade surplus, caused by an increase of imports to the value of $11.5 billion, especially in investment goods.

"This is the first time Indonesia's trade recorded a deficit in November, [...] consisting of a $58.6 million oil and gas trade deficit and a $287.8 million non-oil and gas trade deficit. However, we still recorded a surplus cumulatively," said BPS head Suryamin in a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The November deficit, he said, brought the year-to-date surplus figure to $7.81 billion, resulting from $138.42 billion in exports and $130.6 billion in imports.

According to BPS data, imports rose 3.6 percent month-on-month (MoM) in November because of a hike of imports in investment-related goods.

"Four commodities related to investment recorded increased imports. Machinery and electrical tools [imports] rose 11.7 percent, iron and steel rose 17.6 percent, vehicle and spare parts rose 0.96 percent, and iron and steel products rose 21.79 percent," he told.

In addition, he added, food and beverage imports also increased in November as businesspeople prepared to meet the growing demand of the Christmas and New Year holidays.

On the other hand, exports plunged 7.91 percent last month (MoM). According to Suryamin, the fall in exports was caused by decreased exports of non-oil and gas commodities, which retreated by 10.81 percent (MoM).

The decline in non-oil and gas exports especially occurred with fats and edible oils, amounting to $152.8 million. "On the other hand, footwear exports recorded the largest increase, up to $65.3 million," Suryamin stated.

Meanwhile, oil and gas exports in November managed to increase by 14.67 percent (MoM), caused by an increase of crude oil by 41.25 percent and gas by 0.6 percent. In the same period, exports of oil products fell 10.36 percent. (ags)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/12/15/novembers-deficit-due-investment-agency-says.html

People

GlobeAsia names 50 most influential people in Indonesia

Jakarta Globe - December 17, 2015

Jakarta – GlobeAsia, a sister publication of the Jakarta Globe that appears in print every month, has released a list of Indonesia's 50 most influential figures in its December issue, highlighting that the country today does not appear to have a single center of power.

President Joko Widodo; Megawati Soekarnoputri, the chief patron of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P); Vice President Jusuf Kalla; Zulkifli Hasan, the speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly; and Prabowo Subianto, the chairman of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) are the most influential people in the country according to the magazine.

In Indonesia, "power is more diffused than it used to be with competing centers of power," GlobeAsia says in an introduction. "Old political power structures have broken down and been split apart and new structures are still forming."

These are the 20 most powerful people in Indonesia according to GlobeAsia:

1. Joko Widodo – president of Indonesia
2. Megawati Soekarnoputri – leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P)
3. Jusuf Kalla – vice president of Indonesia
4. Zulkifli Hasan – speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)
5. Prabowo Subianto – chairman of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra)
6. Aburizal Bakrie – Golkar Party chairman
7. Luhut Panjaitan – coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs
8. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono – Democratic Party chairman, former president
9. Darmin Nasution – coordinating minister for the economy
10. Rizal Ramli – coordinating minister of maritime and mineral resources
11. Thomas Lembong – trade minister
12. Setya Novanto – recently resigned speaker of the House of Representatives
13. Surya Paloh – chairman of the National Democrat Party (Nasdem)
14. Pramono Anung – cabinet secretary
15. Arief Hidayat – Constitutional Court chief justice
16. Sutiyoso – head of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN)
17. Rini Soemarno – state-owned enterprises minister
18. B.J. Habibie – former president
19. Puan Maharani – coordinating welfare minister
20. Irman Gusman – speaker of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD)

The full list is available in GlobeAsia's December edition.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/globeasia-names-50-influential-people-indonesia/