Jakarta – Resistance toward bestowing the country's longest-serving president, Soeharto, with the title of national hero has continued amid lingering allegations that the former ruler of the New Order had engaged in corruption and ordered mass killings.

A group called Gema Demokrasi (Democratic Resonance) rallied on Wednesday, highlighting controversies surrounding his reign of 32 years.

Gema Demokrasi spokesman Asep Komarudin told The Jakarta Post that Soeharto was not worthy of receiving the award because he abused human rights and embezzled state money during his term in office from 1966 to 1998.

"He committed a lot of violations back then, such as the massacre of Indonesian Communist Party [PKI] members and other crimes during the New Order era," Asep said at the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) headquarters.

Soeharto has been considered responsible for the killing in 1965 and 1966, as he took over the presidency from Sukarno, of 500,000 Indonesians accused of being communists.

In addition, he was allegedly involved in the Tanjung Priok massacre in early 1984, the 1989 Talangsari incident in Lampung and the May 1998 riots between citizens and the military that resulted in many deaths and injuries.

According to anti-corruption group Transparency International, Soeharto ranked first on the list of the most corrupt presidents in the world, having taken between US$15 billion and $25 billion of the state's money.

Despite mounting calls to put Soeharto on trial after the start of the reform era in 1998, charges implicating the former president remained unresolved by his death in 2008.

Asep said that naming Soeharto a national hero would be unfair to many people, primarily the families of victims of the crimes he had been accused of committing.

The government had proposed Soeharto and former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid be named national heroes this year, but the proposal was later withdrawn because of public protest.

"Giving Soeharto status as a hero means the government is inattentive to the families of victims," he said.

Soeharto has been nominated by the Golkar Party, his regime's main supporter, to receive the prestigious title three times since 2010, but to no avail because of growing opposition from activists citing records of his role in a number of human rights abuses during his period as the country's longest-serving president.

Maria Catarina Sumarsih, a human rights activist whose son Bernardus Realino Norma Irawan died in the first Semanggi tragedy in 1998, has said that giving such a title to Soeharto would discredit existing national heroes who had made "worthy contributions" to the nation.

"I can't accept if an actor in my son's murder is given a hero's title. He [Soeharto] was involved in several human rights abuse cases and my son was one of the victims," she said in May. (adt)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/06/group-opposes-hero-title-soeharto.html

West Papua

Papua cops get 21 days in jail after teen's death

Jakarta Post - October 7, 2016

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura, Papua – Papua Police's ethical court found five policemen who were members of the Mobile Brigade guilty of ethical violation in "misusing firearms" in the death of a teenager in Sugapa, Intan Jaya regency, Papua, in August this year.

The trial on Friday was carried out behind closed doors and it decided to punish Adj. First Insp. Jackson Simbiak and Chief Brig. Eduardo Ansanay with a 21-day jail sentence. Both were also stripped of their positions as platoon commanders.

The trial, led by Adj. Sr. Comr. Reeza Herasbudi, Mobile Brigade deputy head Adj. Comr. Suparmin and First Insp. Langgeng Widodo, also sentenced Brig. Jefri Irianto Yohanes to a year in prison with dismissal from his position as commander. He is also not allowed to pursue further education for a year. Second Brig. Thom Mathias Wanarina and First Pvt. Yudi Sahi were sentenced to 21 days in jail and had their education deferred for a year.

Otianus Sondegau, 15, was shot when he, together with his two friends who were allegedly intoxicated at the time, blocked a highway, asking for money from passersbys, including two members of the local police's mobile brigade. (Brimob).

Papua Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Rudolf Patrick Renwarin said the shots were to defend themselves as they were allegedly under the threat of arrows.

Papua representative of National Commission for Human Rights, Friets Ramandey, regretted the sentence. "It is utterly unfair, one life was gone because of the shooting but the sentence was too lenient," he said.

Paniai customary chief John Jose Gobay said he was disappointed with the sentence. "Papuan people's hearts have hardened like a stone. We no longer have any trust for the government," he said. (evi)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/07/papua-cops-get-21-days-in-jail-after-teens-death.html

Tonga parliament debates Indonesia ties

Radio New Zealand International - October 7, 2016

Tonga's prime minister Akilisi Pohiva has told parliament that leadership without morality is due to fail.

According to Matangi Tonga, he made the comment after being accused by Lord Nuku of interfering in Indonesia's affairs by speaking about concern for what Mr Pohiva claimed to be the ill treatment of West Papuans.

Mr Pohiva spoke at the United Nations last month when several Pacific countries voiced concerns about human rights abuses by Indonesian forces in Papua.

Lord Nuku said Indonesia had already responded that it didn't like Tonga's interference. He said the Cabinet was convinced that what the PM did was right, but he was convinced that it clashed with the Constitution.

He proposed that they should bring in the Chief Justice to tell them who is right.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/315084/tonga-parliament-debates-indonesia-ties

Papua is non-negotiable: Minister

Jakarta Post - October 6, 2016

Jakarta – Papua's place in Indonesia is not up for negotiation, a minister has said in response to allegations of human rights violations conveyed during a recent UN General Assembly (UNGA) session.

"In diplomacy, several things are negotiable, but some others cannot be negotiated. When it comes to the issue of support for separatism, I think not only diplomats, but all of us, know that this is a point where we should stop," Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi told journalists.

The minister was responding to criticism of Indonesia's strong response to six Pacific Island heads of state who conveyed allegations of human rights violations in Papua and West Papua provinces during the recent UNGA in New York.

Retno asserted that Indonesia strongly upheld the principles of the UN Charter, which include non-interference and respecting other nations' sovereignty. At the same time, she continued, Indonesia was committed to maintaining friendly relations with all countries.

"We will never act with hostility toward other countries and will continue to engage with them, but, again, when it comes to the issue of sovereignty and non-interference, once those [principles] are violated, that's where we will stop [negotiating]," Retno said.

Nara Masista Rakhmatia, the second secretary at Indonesia's permanent mission to the UN, called speeches made by the heads of state of the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Nauru, Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Tonga "interference" and said they aimed to encourage separatism in the two provinces.

The reported failure of Papua's special autonomy has led to a rise of support for Papuan independence movements around the globe, particularly from Pacific nations.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/06/national-scene-papua-non-negotiable-minister.html

Minister praises Indonesian diplomat's strong stance on Papua issue

Jakarta Post - October 6, 2016

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – [Indonesia's Security] Minister has applauded Indonesian diplomat's strong response to the allegations of human rights violations in Papua and West Papua conveyed during a recent UN General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York.

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto asserted that a counter argument was necessary since six Pacific Island heads of state, who conveyed their allegations, did not deliver the whole truth in their statements.

"We should trust ourselves and believe that the government has done the best we can to develop Papua like any other region in the country," Wiranto said on Wednesday.

He further asserted that the government was committed to settle all allegations of past human rights abuses, both in Papua and across the country, as it was the promise of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration.

The government will soon reveal which abuse cases were considered human rights violations and which were not and explain all measures necessary to resolve the cases, Wiranto added.

During the recent UNGA session in New York, Nara Masista Rakhmatia, the second secretary of Indonesia's Permanent Mission to the UN, referred to speeches made by the heads of state of the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Nauru, Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Tonga as "interference" and said they aimed to encourage separatism of the two provinces. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/06/minister-praises-indonesian-diplomats-strong-stance-on-papua-issue.html

Stop denying human rights violations in Papua: LBH Jakarta

Jakarta Post - October 4, 2016

Jakarta – The Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) has issued a statement condemning the Indonesian government's "denial of reports of human rights violations in Papua" during the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 26. The legal rights defender, which has previously advocated on behalf of several Papuan groups, says that the violations really took place.

LBH Jakarta data show that between April and Sept. 16 this year, the government has arrested 2,282 Papuans staging non-violent rallies. Most of these arrests took place from May 28 to July 27, in which 1,889 protesters were arrested, LBH Jakarta said in a release made available Monday.

"Indonesia, through its representative, Nara Masista, said problems in Papua were related to separatists seeking to disrupt public order. She also said Indonesia's commitment to human rights was solid," the release said. "But the reality begs to differ. LBH Jakarta and our network has recorded human rights violations from arrests, murders and dispersal of rallies," the statement said.

The data show that from 2012 until June 2016, 4,198 Papuans were arrested. "The arrests were made in different places and involved intimidation," it said.

The violations continued with the Papua Police chief's order on July 1 this year, which limited freedom of expression by stigmatizing rallies with the label of separatism, LBH claimed, adding that since then, every rally had been dispersed and the protesters arrested.

"From Aug. 13 to Sept. 16, 112 protesters were arrested while carrying out non-violent rallies in several places in Papua and Jakarta," LBH Jakarta went on. (evi)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/04/stop-denying-human-rights-violations-in-papua-lbh-jakarta.html

Melanesian Solidarity for Decolonisation

Vanuatu Daily Post - October 4, 2016

Godwin Ligo – The Melanesian Wantok Summit organized by Vanuatu Free West Papua Association (VFWPA) and supported by the Pacific Islands Association of Non-Government Association (PIANGO) to coincide with the October, 2016 Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) brought together 43 representatives of Civil Society from Vanuatu, West Papua, Fiji, Kanaky, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

"The objective of the summit was to revisit and strengthen Melanesian identity, culture, languages, heritage and ethnic and to hear from the solidarity movement of what is happening on the ground in the MSG countries in regards to supporting Decolonization processes for members of our Melanesian family still facing colonization especially the case of West Papua," the Murray Centre Communique read.

The Summit was opened by Pastor Alan Nafuki, Chairman of the Vanuatu Free West Papua Association who is also the Chairman of the Vanuatu Christian Council.

He explained in his opening address that the struggle of the Vanuatu decolonization process and the involvement of the Church and the significance of the name and meaning of Vanuatu as "the land raising" which came from a Chief involved in the conference to determine post-independence of Vanuatu.

In his spiritual reflection, Pastor Nafuki reminded the meeting that, as Melanesians we have the power of faith in Jesus and not money. In the same way, Pastor Nafuki said, West Papua will one day be free because of Jesus.

The keynote address was delivered by Mr. Rene Sore, Secretary to the MSG Chairman who is the Solomon Islands Prime Minister. He reaffirmed that the positions of the MSG members – Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, and Kanaky Government in support of the West Papua struggle for Independence remains firm.

Representatives of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) confirmed that West Papuans both from inside and outside are united in support of ULMWP as the true and rightful Leaders for their struggle for self-determination and Independence.

The ULMWP representatives strongly urged that MSG granted full membership to ULMWP which will further gain international recognition of their cause.

The Summit received reports of initiatives in Vanuatu, West Papua, Fiji, Kanaky, PNG and Solomon Islands undertaken by the Solidarity Movements and the Civil Society Sector.

In his brief remarks during the signing of the Murray Centre Communique yesterday afternoon, the Chair of the Summit, Pastor Nafuki, said he was proud of the 3-day summit which he described as successful. It will be presented shortly to the MSG Leaders in Port Vila he said.

He also said that the MSG Chairman, the Solomon Islands Prime Minister is expected to arrive in Vanuatu today, but the Daily Post could not get comment from the Government authorities on this at the time of going to press.

Pastor Nafuki said every MSG Leaders will receive copies of the Communique while at the same time expressed his disappointment for what he termed "ongoing delay for an MSG Meeting to discuss the West Papua issue and full membership application into the MSG".

However, he is thankful to the present Vanuatu Government support towards the West Papua constant call for full membership recognition into the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG). He expressed his appreciation to the Government, and the people of Vanuatu at all levels for continues support and prayers for West Papuan Melanesian People.

Source: http://dailypost.vu/news/melanesian-solidarity-for-decolonization/article_770b56f2-2139-5a7e-a42a-9e116939df57.html

Strike launched over unequal bonuses at Freeport, union says

Jakarta Post - October 3, 2016

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura, Papua – Gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) employees, who have been on a six-day strike since Sept. 28, are calling for equal bonus distribution for workers in all departments in the company's Grasberg open pit facility in Tembagapura, Papua.

"Until today, around 1,200 workers are still on strike," said Tri Puspital, the secretary of the international relations division at the All Indonesia Labor Union's (SPSI) local unit for PTFI, on Monday.

She said the work stoppage was launched to protest the company's policy, which adopted a different bonus standard for workers in different departments.

"Open pit workers only get a 17 percent bonus, while geo-tech employees receive higher bonuses, amounting up to 45 percent of their salaries. They are Grasberg workers but in fact, their bonuses are different. This is why they are on strike," Tri told The Jakarta Post.

Tri said the workers and company representatives had held a meeting but an agreement had yet to be made.

The work stoppage has caused a significant impact to Freeport's production. "Every day, our open put facility can produce 200 tons of ore, but since last Wednesday, no ore has been supplied to the factory. Only underground units continue to supply ore," said Tri.

Separately, PTFI spokesperson Riza Pratama confirmed that mining operations in the Grasberg open pit had been hampered by the strike. "PTFI is striving to tackle this problem and return its open pit mining operations back to normal as soon as possible," he told the Post. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/03/strike-launched-over-unequal-bonuses-at-freeport-union-says.html

Fiji and PNG 'playing games' over Papua issue

Radio New Zealand International - October 3, 2016

A former prime minister of Vanuatu says the Melanesian Spearhead Group is becoming ineffective because of games being played by Fiji and Papua New Guinea.

A leader's summit for the regional group originally scheduled for this week has again been postponed without explanation. This comes as the MSG grapples with a bid for full membership by the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, which is opposed by Indonesia.

Barak Sope, a staunch advocate for West Papuan independence, said the group has become ineffective because Fiji and Papua New Guinea, which both support Indonesia, are dodging making a decision. "My view is that it's just a game between the government of Papua New Guinea and the government of Fiji," he said.

"I think they're working with the Indonesians, and they're not supporting the Melanesian people in West Papua who want their independence. The postponements just keep on going on."

Mr Sope said the three remaining members of the MSG – Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and New Caledonia's FLNKS – should go ahead and make a decision without the other two.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/314759/fiji-and-png-'playing-games'-over-papua-issue

Workers strike at US miner Freeport's Indonesia site

Agence France Presse - October 3, 2016

More than 1,000 workers have gone on strike at an Indonesian gold and copper mine owned by US firm Freeport-McMoRan in a row over bonus payments, the company and a union said on Monday.

The workers, mostly truck operators, started the strike last Wednesday at Grasberg, one of the world's biggest gold and copper mines, which is located in the mountains of eastern Papua province.

The workers' union said they were angry about differences in bonus payments given to them and an engineering team at the site.

Riza Pratama, a spokesman for Freeport's Indonesian unit, said operations in Grasberg's open-pit mine had been affected by the strike but an underground mine at the site was so far unaffected. A processing plant at the mine was still operating but at limited capacity, he said.

A member of the union, Gibi Kenelak, said that a senior company official had flown from Jakarta and spoken to the workers on Monday but the matter remained unresolved.

Grasberg has been plagued by strikes, accidents and production problems in recent years. In 2011, a three-month strike crippled production at the mine, and workers only halted the industrial action once Freeport agreed to a huge pay rise.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-3819111/Workers-strike-US-miner-Freeports-Indonesia-site.html

Indonesia shown the inability to demonstrate a proper diplomatic behavior in

Tabloid JUBI - October 3, 2016

Dio Herdiawan Tobing – In the past few days, Indonesia's first Right of Reply in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has attracted nation-wide Indonesia medias.

Not because Indonesia's statement was outstanding, but merely because of its firmness and the beauty of Indonesia's representative. However, we found out that to some extent Indonesia's statement focused heavily on sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as, the institutionalization of human rights commitment by the numbers of ratified conventions. This does not show any advantages. It opens a loophole that Indonesia was unable to show evidence of the progress made in Papua related to the human rights violation.

Meanwhile, the second Right of Reply embraced by Solomon Islands, shows intelligence, diplomatic, and well-researched information. Solomon Islands, though, only a very small archipelagic country showed its concern on human rights issue in West Papua by reminding Indonesia that although Indonesia has ratified the Convention against Torture (CAT), progress has not yet been made in Papua. In fact, Indonesia has not yet submitted its Periodic Review since 2008. The Solomon claimed that they received information on the lack of human rights protection of the Melanesian people in West Papua from the Respected UN members and head of civil societies.

Furthermore, it is also regretful to hear that in another right of reply utilized by Indonesia to respond against Solomon Islands, the Republic again justified that Solomon Islands' concern has breached Indonesia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and claiming that Solomon Islands is trapped in trash information of the separatist group in West Papua. Again, without elaborating on what progress has been made and what form for commitment has been implemented by the Indonesian government towards promotion and protection of human rights in West Papua.

In fact, this occasion reminded us of Southeast Asian countries conducting their diplomatic activities. The ASEAN's method of diplomacy, has been seen upholding the norm of sensitivity, politeness, non-confrontation and agreeability, and the principle of quiet. ASEAN members in their decision- and policy-making process have always refrained from criticizing others, claiming that criticizing other respective members of ASEAN will fall into the violation of non-interference principle and respect of sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is similar, on what the delegation of Indonesia delivered in her right of reply, that the concern of Solomon Islands' towards human rights situation in West Papua will only disrespect Indonesia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

However, in other occasion, ASEAN has a method famously known as 'constructive-engagement'. ASEAN and particularly, Indonesia, have been progressively utilizing this tool to put concern on the human rights situation in Myanmar. In 2009 Indonesia had bilateral talk with Myanmar in regards to the Rohingya massacre. This occasion became a cornerstone because during the talk, it was the first time that Prime Minister Thein Sein finally acknowledged that he paid great attention to this issue. Myanmar finally accepted that Rohingya was also their concern. Wasn't the talk breach Myanmar's sovereignty and territorial integrity? Actually, it was too, yet the difference is the operation of ASEAN's constructive engagement remains invisible. Because the diplomatic-negotiation has never been done in public spaces, claiming that it is the feature of ASEAN's diplomacy, backdoor diplomacy, or for some, how ASEAN conducts its intra- or inter-ASEAN relations have become a model named as "Asian Diplomacy"

Therefore, reflecting on the case of Solomon Islands-Indonesia in the UNGA and Indonesia-Myanmar in ASEAN, the conduct of ASEAN Diplomacy shows only an excuse for ASEAN in particular, Indonesia, upon their inability to demonstrate a proper diplomatic behavior in public spaces.

[The author is research Intern at ASEAN Studies Center University of Gajah Mada.]

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/eng/indonesia-shown-inability-demonstrate-proper-diplomatic-behavior-public-spaces/

FM dismisses 'pretty diplomat' furor

Jakarta Post - October 1, 2016

The Foreign Ministry on Thursday brushed off concerns that Indonesia had insulted no fewer than six Pacific Island heads of state, following a viral video of a junior diplomat trashing their allegations of human rights violations in Papua and West Papua during the recent UN General Assembly (UNGA).

Social media users this week have been agog over the UNGA session where Nara Masista Rakhmatia, the second secretary at Indonesia's permanent mission to the UN, responded to last Saturday's speeches of the heads of state of Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Nauru, Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Tonga.

"Nara was speaking using the right of reply on Saturday [Sept. 24], which was after the heads of state had finished giving their statements. She didn't speak during the session of the heads of state," ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said. The 71st UNGA was held in New York from Sept. 19 to 29.

Many viewers of the video of the "pretty young diplomat", viewed almost 200,000 times on Youtube as of Friday afternoon, praised Nara's response, saying it had "checkmated" or "crushed" the heads of state.

Among other things, the Indonesian diplomat said criticism against Indonesia amounted to "interference" and encouraged separatism in the two provinces.

However, others questioned why the ministry had assigned a lower-ranking diplomat to respond to the heads of state, which could be interpreted as a deliberate insult to them and their countries.

Furthermore, reports on Friday said Nara was drawing fury from "separatists", who cited repeated and unresolved human rights violations against residents of Papua and West Papua.

Evi Fitriani, a lecturer of international law at the University of Indonesia (UI), said Indonesia had not violated any convention, "but diplomatically there is this rule of reciprocity, that if a head of state says something, the response shall come from another head of state" or at least from a high-ranking official.

She added it was legally acceptable, "but not diplomatically appropriate" for Indonesia to have the second secretary deliver the responding statement.

Arrmanatha said Nara's response was "Indonesia's position, which has been discussed thoroughly" within the ministry. "It doesn't matter who says it. Whoever conveys the message, it is still Indonesia's position," he said.

For the country's diplomats, he added, "the unitary state of the Indonesian Republic is a fixed price" where interference in Indonesia's sovereignty and separatism is unacceptable.

Hikmahanto Juwana, another international law expert, said it was normal for Nara, as a diplomat in the Indonesian delegation, to convey the reply. "It was an Indonesian voice," he said on Friday.

On Monday, Australia's state broadcaster ABC quoted Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare as saying at the UN General Assembly, "Human rights violations in West Papua and the pursuit for self-determination of West Papua [Papua] are two sides of the same coin."

"Many reports on human rights violations in West Papua emphasize the inherent corroboration between the right to self-determination that results in direct violation of human rights by Indonesia and its attempts to smother any form of opposition."

Nara said such criticism "only reaffirmed the persistent violation of [...] the UN Charter by blatantly interfering in the internal affairs of other states, violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other nations."

The Indonesian government has previously said it is examining 22 cases of alleged human rights violations in Papua, three of which it hopes to complete by the end of this year.

Critics say the government persistently approaches issues relating to Papua with policies that rely heavily on doling out money while ignoring human rights abuses. The alleged failure of Papua's special autonomy has given rise to attempts to support independence movements, particularly from Pacific nations. (vny)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/01/fm-dismisses-pretty-diplomat-furor.html

ICMI condemns Pacific countries over meddling on West Papua issue

Tabloid JUBI - October 1, 2016

Jakarta, Jubi – The Association of Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals (ICMI) condemned the statement by Pacific countries' leaders for what it called their meddling in Indonesia's affairs over West Papua.

ICMI Deputy Chairman Priyo Budi Santoso in a press release received in Jakarta on Thursday (29/9/2016) accused those Pacific leaders of intervening concerning West Papua.

"Pacific countries should not intervene the internal affairs of Indonesia with provocative statements that the West Papua should be given their rights for self-determination," said Priyo.

The Prime Minister of Solomon Islands Manasye Sogavere said there have been the human rights violations in West Papua, therefore the people should be given the rights for self-determination through a referendum to decide whether they would stay with the Republic of Indonesia or build their own state.

Priyo asserted that West Papua Province could not be separated from Indonesia. So, if there are problems, the one who should be responsible to resolve it is the Indonesian Government, not other countries. "So, if there are problems in West Papua, the Indonesian Government has responsibility to resolve it".

According to him, the open statement by the Pacific countries has been disturbed and intervened the internal affairs of Indonesia in the UN forum. "As the neighbor countries, they shouldn't do it, because the problems occurred in West Papua is the internal affairs of Indonesia as the sovereign country and the member of the United Nations," said Priyo.

He urged the Indonesian Government to explicitly condemn the provocative act by Pacific countries against West Papua.

In their statement, ICMI is clearly support the Unitary State of the Republic Indonesia or death! and West Papua is part of the Republic Indonesia, therefore it should be kept under the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia. (*/rom)

Source: http://tabloidjubi.com/eng/icmi-condemns-pacific-countries-meddling-west-papua-issue/

Jakarta urged to open up on Papua

Radio New Zealand International - October 1, 2016

Indonesia has been urged to open up access to West Papua, following a surge of concern about rights abuses in Papua at the United Nations.

Several days ago, leaders of a number of Pacific Island countries raised concern at the UN general assembly about alleged human rights abuses against West Papuans. Some of the leaders also called for proper recognition of Papuans' self-determination aspirations.

In response, Indonesia's government said the countries speaking out lacked understanding about Papua. Jakarta also claimed some Pacific countries have supported groups conducting terrorism in Papua.

The United Liberation Movement for West Papua's spokesman Benny Wenda says the response was typical of Jakarta's defensiveness whenever international support for Papuans' rights arises.

"They're always screaming. Even in London, if we hold an event in London, a parliamentarian meeting, in any part of the world, they're always screaming," he said. "And for us, it's not new. So I think the time (has come) for the Indonesian government to open the access to West Papua."

Since last year, the Indonesian government has made some moves to grant more access to Papua for foreign journalists. However it maintains restrictions on access for leading international humanitarian and rights organisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and Amnesty International.

Jakarta also indicated to the Pacific Islands Forum that it won't accept the regional organisation's request to have a fact-finding mission travel to Papua to ascertain information about the treatment of Papuans.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/314638/jakarta-urged-to-open-up-on-papua

Papua tribes finally to have representatives at local council

Jakarta Post - October 1, 2016

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Tribal communities in Papua will finally have representatives at the regional legislative council, known as DPR Papua, following the nomination of 14 individuals by a selection team specifically tasked with dealing with the issue.

The 14 names will then be submitted to the Home Ministry for endorsement before officially starting their jobs in November.

Since Papua was granted special autonomy status in 2001, the resource-rich province was entitled to some special rights, one of which is the establishment of the DPR Papua, consisting of elected councillors and tribal appointees.

Unlike other legislative councils in provinces across the country, members of which are all elected, DPR Papua allocates 14 seats to tribal group representatives.

While the majority of the council members are elected in the general election once in five years, the 14 tribal representatives were appointees. However, due to legal misperception, local leaders could not begin appointing tribal representatives in 2004 and in 2009, leaving the representative seats for tribal groups vacant for more than a decade.

The selection of tribal group representatives was only started recently, after the Constitutional Court (MK) in 2010 ordered Papua's governor and DPR Papua to issue a regulation detailing the selection of the tribal representatives.

"The selection team has announced the 14 names and will later submit those names to the Home Ministry," selection committee chairman Emus Gwijangge told The Jakarta Post in Jayapura on Thursday.

He said the 14 appointees, who were picked from five tribes in the province, were expected to be sworn in November. They are Arnold Wenekolik Walilo, John W. Willil, Kope Wonda and Timotius Wakur (from La Pago tribal group), Ferry Omaleng, John Nasion Robby Gobay and Julius Miagoni (Mee Pago tribal group), Yohanes Luis Ronsumbre, Yonas Nusi and Yotam Bilasi (Saireri tribal group), Frits Tobo Wakyasu and Maria Elizabeth Kaize (Ha Anim tribal group) and Piter Kwano and Ramses Ohee (Tabi tribe).

The selection of 14 tribal representatives was not without arguments and opposition. In July, Papua Governor Lukas Enembe ordered the selection team to drop candidates with affiliation to political parties. Lukas' decision triggered protest from the opposing camp.

This conflict has forced the central government to lend a hand solving the dispute. "This is the result of the selection team. It shows that they have done their job. The appointed figures are the representatives of tribal communities in Papua," said Emus.

The appointment of the 14 tribal representatives to sit in DPR Papua is in accordance with Article 6 of Law No. 21/2001 on Papua special autonomy. The number of elected councilors is 56. Combined with the 14 appointees, it makes a 70-member DPR Papua.

Jayapura's Cenderawasih University legal and political observer Marinus Yaung expressed doubt the result of the selection team would be followed up by the Home Ministry by swearing in the 14 elected members.

"The appointment of 14 Papua DPRD members has no legal basis, as the election law stipulates that House of Representatives and DPRD members are selected, while the 14 people were appointed without going through the selection process," said Yaung.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/01/papua-tribes-finally-have-representatives-local-council.html

Aceh

Aceh gives women 6 months maternity leave

Jakarta Post - October 3, 2016

Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – In what is seen as a pro-family policy, the Aceh administration recently issued a regulation that grants career women six months paid maternity leave to give them more time with their newborns.

The gubernatorial regulation issued on Aug. 12 also grants 20 days pregnancy leave for civil servants, non-permanent workers and others working for the Aceh administration. Maternity leave in Aceh will therefore be twice as long as the three months commonly given in the rest of the country.

"The fulfillment of the rights of children and women in Aceh is an initial benchmark for the creation of a golden generation who will become Aceh's future leaders," Aceh Governor Zaini Abdullah said.

The regulation also stipulates that husbands are entitled to paid paternity leave of seven days before becoming a father and seven days after.

The gubernatorial regulation also stipulates that companies operating in Aceh are required to provide maternity and paternity leave in accordance with internal regulations or employment contracts.

Zaini said the six months maternity leave was a woman's right that must be upheld, especially in a bid to ensure exclusive breast-feeding in order to help free Aceh from stunting and malnutrition.

The maternity leave regulation, said Zaini, was a form of recognition of human values because women should get preferential treatment while they exclusively breast-fed.

In support of the objectives of the regulation, public facilities must also provide nursing rooms for women, such as in healthcare facilities, hotels and restaurants, recreation areas, land transportation terminals and shopping centers.

Zaini also asked municipal and regental administrations in Aceh to develop, supervise and evaluate the implementation and achievement of the exclusive breast-feeding program in healthcare and public facilities, workplaces and community centers.

Punishment for violating the regulation includes a verbal warning, a written warning and revocation of business license for business entities that do not give six months paid maternity leave to female workers.

Linda Yenni Yanti was the first civil servant to benefit from the regulation and said she was glad she would have the opportunity to exclusively breast-feed her baby for six months.

The regulation received widespread support, especially from women. Six months maternity leave will give new mothers time to recover their health, said housewife Cut Meutia of Lampeunurut, Aceh.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/03/aceh-gives-women-6-months-maternity-leave.html

Human rights & justice

Government to settle past human rights abuses via non-judicial mechanism

Jakarta Post - October 6, 2016

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – The government is planning to set up a special agency that will use non-judicial mechanisms to resolve past human rights abuses, a minister has said.

Despite criticism by human rights groups and the families of victims, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto believes that a non-judicial process will be the best way to settle past rights abuse cases, arguing that such a mechanism could create win-win solutions for all related parties.

The minister said a non-judicial process could solve the hurdles the government was facing in finding evidence to settle the cases through trials at court. A non-judicial process is also preferable because it can ensure a more peaceful settlement, he went on to say.

Wiranto said non-judicial processes delivered by indigenous laws had been a part of Indonesian culture for a long time.

"When a judicial process is no longer an option, we should utilize what we have [in Indonesia's dispute settlement culture]. We can resolve cases through deliberation and understanding," Wiranto told journalists on Wednesday.

He said the special agency would consist of state institutions, law enforcement agencies and representatives from civil societies. Wiranto refused to give details on what a peaceful settlement would entail. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/06/govt-to-settle-past-human-rights-abuses-via-non-judicial-mechanism.html

Special body set up to tackle rights abuses

Jakarta Post - October 6, 2016

Margareth S. Aritonang and Moses Ompusunggu, Jakarta – While remaining defensive about mass killings during the communist purge of 1965, the government has been dragging its heels on a reconciliation process for victims of torture and those who have suffered stigma for being accused of being communists.

The government has been considering setting up a task force that will deal with the process, but there has been no clarity until now about the establishment of the institution, which would be aimed at resolving the gross human rights violations that the government, under the leadership of Soeharto, ordered during the period.

According to Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto, the special body has been established and is set to work on "win-win" solutions to resolve not only the 1965 massacre, but all cases of human rights violations that occurred in the past.

But the former defense minister and Armed Forces commander could not provide many details about the body, arguing that the discussions were ongoing.

"A judicial process to resolve past rights abuses will result in a win-lose solution. It will leave someone as a winner and someone else a loser. This violates the culture in our society that champions peace and harmony," Wiranto said at his office on Wednesday.

The chief security minister reemphasized the government's defense on the gross human rights violations of 1965 on Saturday, saying that no judicial actions would be taken despite rendering "deep sympathy" to victims.

"The [1965] tragedy met the principles of a clear and present danger, in which the country was in an emergency and had to be saved," he said.

Under the communist purge, the government allegedly killed and tortured those accused of being communists and their families.

Thousands of victims and the families of victims who survived the 1965 atrocities are still facing discrimination and stigma today because of existing anticommunist regulations.

The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) recorded that 35 such regulations are still active to this date.

A symposium to convene a meeting of victims, their families, the military and the government was held for the first time in April, but there has been no follow-up to bring about reconciliation.

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has issued recommendations that the 3,000 survivors be able to access free health services provided by the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK). But the LPSK can support no more than 1,300 victims of various past rights abuses from all across the archipelago because of the institution's limited budget.

LPSK chairman Abdul Haris Semendawai said his office could only support each victim for six months at the maximum. The LPSK has been running the program independently as the services it has been providing would not be part of the non-judicial mechanism the government is proposing.

"We have done nothing to endorse the non-judicial mechanism," said Komnas HAM commissioner Roichatul Aswidah.

Human rights lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis said the most important facet of the non-judicial mechanism sought by the government to address the 1965 purge was a truth-telling process.

Todung urged the government to immediately create a presidential committee akin to the now-defunct Truth and Reconciliation Commission (KKR) in the absence of a special body to spearhead the truth-telling process.

The collective trauma that followed the 1965 atrocity, in which lots of people were accused of being affiliated with the defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), had become deeply entrenched in the country, Todung said, even though numerous policies, such as the issuance of identity cards marked "ET" indicating former political prisoners and the "Bersih Lingkungan" (clean status) letter, had been abrogated.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/06/special-body-set-up-to-tackle-rights-abuses.html

1965 anti-communist purge

Commission visits 1998 tragedy mass grave

Jakarta Post - October 6, 2016

Surakarta – The National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan) visited the mass grave of victims of the May 1998 riots at the Purwoloyo public cemetery in Surakarta, Central Java, on Tuesday.

The mass grave contains 23 bodies of victims buried in a single grave for unidentified people.

Komnas Perempuan commissioner Mariana Amiruddin arrived with a number of non-governmental activists at 2 p.m. According to Mariana, the visit is related to efforts to reveal the truth of the May 1998 tragedy.

"Uncovering the truth of the 1965 tragedy and the 1998 tragedy have become the priority of the President.

"We're here to memorialize victims of violence. There are 23 bodies in this grave, and we don't know who they are. There should be a collective understanding that in this country a tragic event like May 1998 must never happen again," said Mariana.

Mariana added that Komnas Perempuan would urge the government to build a memorial at the cemetery to signify that 23 bodies were buried in the mass grave as a result of the 1998 tragedy.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/06/island-focus-commission-visits-1998-tragedy-mass-grave.html

Tense discussion about 1965 event at UGM

Jakarta Post - October 5, 2016

Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – A discussion titled "Indonesian Political Economy after Oct. 1 1965" in the Public Administration Master's Program at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta on Tuesday created a tense situation after a participant questioned the committee's decision to invite a speaker considered to be a representative of the disbanded Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

Besides university students, several people in uniform, claiming to be from Red and White Element group (EMP), also attended the discussion. They claimed to attend the discussion to "keep the history straight in case the discussion tried to distort it".

"Why is a representative of PKI here?" Burhanuddin asked referring to Badri, a member of 1965-1966 Murder Victims Research Foundation (YPKP). Burhanuddin's question was received negatively by the other participants who asked the moderator to direct the discussion back on track.

Tension rose when Muhammad Suhud from Paksi Katon, a member of EMP, insisted on asking why Badri was blaming 1965 communist cleansing on the state, while instead "the culprit was PKI itself".

"If the discussion misleads, we will disperse it," Muhammad said. His friend followed his statement by yelling, "Allahu Akbar [God is Great]". Muhammad accused several schools in the university of spreading communism and separatism.

A historian from UGM, Budiawan, explained that the state would not apologize to PKI but rather to victims of communist cleansing. Budiawan calmly tried to set the discussion back on course by explaining the changes in economic policies post-1965. (evi)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/05/tense-discussion-about-1965-event-at-ugm.html

Anti-communist group fails to disrupt discussion on 1965 mass killings

KRjogja.com - October 4, 2016

Yogya – An event organised by the MAP Corner-Klub MKP in the lobby of the Public Administration Master's Program at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta proceeded in an unexpected manner on Tuesday October 4.

Taking up the theme the 1965 1st October Movement (Gestok), the discussion, which presented Institute for the Study of the 1965-1966 Massacres (YPKP 65) researcher Badri, was not only joined by students but also scores of people from a mass organisation calling itself the Red and White Element (EMP).

The discussion did in fact largely focus on political and economic policies post-1965, which as it turned out, brought with it long-term effects that are still being felt to this day. The period of transition from Indonesia's founding president Sukarno to the New Order dictatorship of former President Suharto, including foreign economic policy, was of particular focus during the discussion.

"We experienced advances compared with the years before 1965, but there were policies that slowly came to be realised, namely the mounting foreign debt. As consequence of the massive [debt] we then suffered the monitory crisis (krismon) and runaway inflation with the rupiah dropping from 2,500 rupiah per US dollar to 10,000", said Budiawan, an UGM post-graduate lecture in cultural and media studies.

Several political policies also muzzled freedom of expression such as the emasculation of women's organisations and the neutralisation of non-government organisations simply because they were deemed to be part of a marginal grouping.

"Post Gerwani [Indonesian Communist Party affiliated women's organisation] there was only Dharma Wanita [a state-sanctioned organisation for civil servants' wives] which was centrist and not considered progressive, so indirectly it could be seen that the aspirations of women were muzzled", he said.

The discussion became heated during the questions and answers session when a representative of EMP questioned the reasons behind inviting a researcher from YPKP 65. The EMP even demanded that the PKI [Indonesian Communist Party] apologise for what happened in 1965, which has been blamed on the party with the symbol of the hammer-and-sickle.

Badri however remained quite clam saying that the party no longer exists so there is no one who can make an apology. "The PKI no longer exists, [its leader] Aidit is dead so there isn't anyone who can apologise", said Badri. (Fxh)

Notes

At a cabinet meeting on October 9, 1965, Indonesia's founding president Sukarno insisted that the 30 September Movement (G30S) – a group of middle-ranking military officers who kidnapped and killed six generals they accused of organising a coup against Sukarno – be called Gestok (Gerakan Satu Oktober, 1st October Movement) since the movement's radio announcement was made on the afternoon of October 1. The army-controlled media however ignored him calling the movement Gestapu (a reference to the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police) and blamed the incident on the Indonesian Communist Party, which Suharto and the military used as a pretext to mount a bloody counter-revolution in which as many as 1 million communists and left wing sympathisers were killed.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Ormas 'Kawal' Diskusi Gestok 65".]

Source: http://krjogja.com/web/news/read/11600/Ormas_Kawal_Diskusi_Gestok_65

Expert calls for independent fact-finding team on 1965 anticommunist purge

Jakarta Globe - October 1, 2016

Jakarta – A researcher has proposed that President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo establishes an independent committee tasked with finding facts about the 1965 anticommunist purge, a move he says is imperative if the case is to be settled through reconciliation.

The government is currently considering reconciliation to resolve what the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has declared gross human rights abuses. Many different versions of the events have emerged.

National reconciliation could not be achieved unless the truth about the massacre is revealed, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) researcher Asvi Warman Adam said in Jakarta on Friday (30/09).

"The facts must be presented as they are, in order to reveal the truth. And the president should establish an independent committee to reveal the truth," he said.

According to the researcher, the committee may consist of members from various state human rights bodies, as well as nongovernment organizations.

"The committee could comprise of those who have been actively dealing with human rights issues all these times. They should represent various elements, ranging from religion to ethnicity," he said.

The government has promised to settle the case with the latest move being the staging of a national symposium earlier this year on what some observers have called the worst mass killings of the 20th century.

The government-sponsored and military-backed killings resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of alleged sympathizers of the now-defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI). Millions more were imprisoned without trial.

Government officials have hinted that the case would be settled through reconciliation, with the symposium's recommendations having reportedly been submitted to Jokowi.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/expert-calls-independent-fact-finding-team-1965-anticommunist-purge/

Govt sets up team to settle G302/PKI alleged cases

Antara News - October 1, 2016

Hanni Sofia Soepardi, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has set up a joint team to settle alleged cases of human rights connected with the G30S/PKI (the September 30 Movement by Indonesian Communist Party) in 1965.

The government has already held long discussions and studies from various approaches including listening to the aspirations of the people in connection with the alleged serious cases of human right violations linked with the G30S/PKI failed coup attempt, Coordinating Minister for Political, Security and Legal Affairs Wiranto said in a press statement after a ceremony to mark the Sanctity Day of Pancasila at the Pancasila Monument in Lubang Buaya, East Jakarta, Saturday.

The team members included elements from the Attorney General Office, the National Commission on Human Rights, the military/police, law experts and community representatives.

"Through judicial approaches thorough studies have been done about the incident. Based on criminal law studies the incident could be included in the category of the principles of clear and present danger, (meaning) that the state could be declared as under clear and present danger and so measures taken to assure national security are categorized as salvage measures," Wiranto said.

Upon the incident an adagium of "abnormaal recht voor abnormaale tijden" or abnormal act for abnormal condition could be imposed, he said.

Based on consultations and coordination (to expose the case) between investigators from the National Commission on Human Rights and the Attorney General Office, judicial obstacles had been found especially with regard to providing "beyond reasonable doubt pieces of evidence, Wiranto remarked.

"There are difficulties meeting the standard of proof as referred to in Law Number 26 of 2000 on the human rights tribunal," he added.

So, the settlement of the cases would be conducted through non-judicial methods and by considering national interest and nationalist spirit for which solidarity is needed to deal with present and future challenges, he explained.

The non-judicial method of settlement would be carried out by considering phrases such as no finger-pointing, no hatred or grudge, and that the governments decision/stance is justifiable, and in its implementation will not cause protracted negative excesses, he said.

It must also reflect the governments seriousness to settle the tragedy and call for making it a lesson for the Indonesian nation so that it would not recur in the future.

The government, firstly, has taken a stance that in 1965 and years before, differences over political ideologies have happened leading to a coup attempt causing setbacks and damaging the Indonesian people, Wiranto said.

"Secondly, the government is concerned over of the fall of victims in the 1965 incident and has seriously tried to settle alleged cases of human rights violations through the non-judicial process as fairly as possible to prevent protracted excesses, he said.

Thirdly, the government appeals to all Indonesian people to put the Pancasila ideology above others to jointly build national harmony so that an incident like that would not happen again now or in the future.

Source: http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/107002/govt-sets-up-team-to-settle-g302pki-alleged-cases

Soekarno's daughter wants reconciliation for 1965 tragedy

Jakarta Post - October 1, 2016

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – Sukmawati Soekarnoputri, the daughter of former president Soekarno, urges the government to push for reconciliation between survivors of the 1965 tragedy and non-victims.

She requested a non-judicial process to settle the country's dark past because most of the leaders behind the 1965 failed coup – blamed on the now-defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) – and behind the communist purge that followed are dead.

"Reconciliation is important so that future generations will not be burdened by the need to resolve the 1965 tragedy," Sukmawati told the reporters in Jakarta on Friday.

She said President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo should consider establishing an independent truth and reconciliation commission to speed up the process of granting justice for all people affected by the tragedy.

Even though the government would insist to involve state institutions, such as the National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and the Attorney General's Office (AGO), both of whom handled the 1965 case, the establishment of another independent team consisting of non-state officials would help promote comprehensive reconciliation, Sukmawati said.

While the debate on the identity of the real perpetrators behind the 1965 coup, which led to a massacre of more than 500,000 people affiliated with PKI, Sukmawati, who is also the chairperson of Marhaenism Indonesia National Party (PNI Marhaenisme), asserted that the G30S/PKI incident was initiated by then commander Soeharto. (ags)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/01/soekarnos-daughter-wants-reconciliation-for-1965-tragedy.html

Jokowi leads Pancasila Sanctity Day commemoration

Jakarta Globe - October 1, 2016

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo led a ceremony to commemorate Pancasila Sanctity Day in Lubang Buaya, East Jakarta, on Saturday (01/10).

The annual ceremony commemorates the events surrounding the failed coup of Oct. 1, 1965 by the now-defunct Indonesian Communist Party, or PKI.

The ceremony, which started at 8.00 a.m. at the Pancasila Sakti Monument, was also attended Vice President Jusuf Kalla, ministers, and leaders of state institutions, among them People's Representative Council Speaker Zulkifli Hasan, House of Representatives Speaker Ade Komarudin and Regional Representatives Council Deputy Speaker Farouk Muhammad.

Commanding the ceremony was Col. Satryo Utomo of the Indonesian Air Force.

Six generals were assassinated by armed members of the PKI-affiliated 30 September Movement, or G30S. Former Army chief of staff Gen. A.H. Nasution, who was also targeted, escaped during an attack on his home in Menteng, Central Jakarta. However, his daughter Ade Irma Suryani was killed in the crossfire. Nasution's aide, First Lt. Pierre Andreas Tendean, took his place beside the six generals.

The abortive coup led to the government-sponsored and military-backed anticommunist purge of 1965-66, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of alleged PKI sympathizers. Millions more were imprisoned without trial.

The government has promised to settle human rights abuses related to the purge, with its latest initiative being the staging of a national symposium earlier this year on what observers have called the worst mass killings of the 20th century.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/jokowi-leads-pancasila-sanctity-day-commemoration/

Labour & migrant workers

Wage hikes, low productivity hamper industry: Kadin

Jakarta Post - October 7, 2016

Anton Hermansyah, Jakarta – Increasing wage demands by trade union activists over the last few years have not reflected increases in workforce productivity because the country's education system is largely disconnected from industrial demand, a businessman has said.

Indonesia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) vice chairman Benny Soetrisno said on Thursday that employers were in a difficult position as local leaders such governors, mayors and regents mostly supported the position of workers because they wanted to ensure their re-election and needed the support of workers to accomplish this.

The effort to boost the manufacturing sector is hindered by problems in human resources, increasingly uncontrollable minimum wages and productivity that is not appropriately aligned with proposed salary hikes, Benny said at a Bank Indonesia-Indonesian Economist Association (ISEI) seminar at the offices of Bank Indonesia on Thursday.

The sharp difference in minimum wages among neighboring regions is another problem, Benny said, citing the Rp 1 million gap between Surabaya and Sidoarjo in East Java.

He said in trying to increase productivity, the government planned to train its workforce with vocational education, following the German model.

"However, Germany's system cannot be slavishly imitated due to the cultural differences. A German diplomat said his country supported the program, but he was also confused about what kind of vocational education his country should give to Indonesia," Benny continued.

Around 1995, then vice president B.J. Habibie introduced a "link and match" program to fulfill industrial requirements, but the program was not implemented. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/07/wage-hikes-low-productivity-hamper-industry-kadin.html

Union activists seek to revive labor politics in Bekasi

Jakarta Post - October 5, 2016

Nurul Fitri Ramadhani, Jakarta – Most urbanites in Jakarta are familiar with labor rallies.

For years, blue-collar workers from Greater Jakarta have made life more difficult for many white-collar workers in the capital city who have to bear the brunt of being stuck in massive traffic jams every time they take to the streets to voice their demands.

Labor unions are alive and well. They regularly hold rallies, repeating the same demands: higher wages, more benefits and an end to various unfair labor practices. But how effective are these rallies, which may seem, in hindsight, like Sisyphean endeavors?

Obon Tabroni, a labor activist from Bekasi regency, West Java, believes that holding rallies is not enough and is now seeking to bring labor politics back to life.

"If we talk about labor welfare, wages, issues of outsourcing, education and health; all of them depend on political interests and policies. So, it is no longer realistic to be apathetic to politics," Obon told The Jakarta Post recently.

Obon said he was aware of the state of labor politics today. The last time a labor party took part in general elections was in 2009. The Labor Party, established by renowned leftist politician Muchtar Pakpahan, only garnered 0.25 percent of the vote.

It was its third failure since the 1999, the first democratic election held after the downfall of Soeharto a year before. At the time, the party was named the National Labor Party (PBN). In 2004, it changed its name into the Social Democratic Labor Party (PBSD).

As chairman of the Bekasi chapter of the Indonesian Metal Workers Federation (FSPMI), which is under the Confederation of Indonesian Workers Unions (KSPI), Obon decided to run as an independent candidate in the upcoming local election.

With his running mate Bambang Sumaryono, Obon managed to obtain some 250,000 ID-backed signatures, or almost twice more than the requirement stipulated by the Regional Elections Law to run independently.

It may not be that difficult for Obon to gain support in Bekasi, which is one of the biggest industrial areas in the country. The regency has a working population of around 1.2 million, where he only needed to secure the vote pledges from 6.5 percent of the constituent.

But his ability to garner the required support indicated that he was popular enough to compete in the election, said Paramadina University political analyst Hendri Satrio.

However, he added, whether or not the Obon-Bambang team could win the election had a big question mark. "The history records show no representative of labor has finished on top."

In the election, Obon will go against candidates supported by major political parties, including popular singer-songwriter Ahmad Dhani.

Dhani, is running in Bekasi after failing to have the backing in Jakarta's gubernatorial race as the deputy regent candidate of Sa'aduddin, who is endorsed by the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), as well as the Gerindra, Democratic and Hanura Parties.

Obon said he was part of a movement in the regency dubbed "buruh go politics", which calls on workers to become political.

In the last five years, many workers had become more aware of politics, Obon said. In 2014, nine labor union activists took part in the legislative election. Today, two representatives from labor unions sat on the Bekasi council. They are affiliated with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and National Mandate Party (PAN).

Nowadays, around almost 70 percent of the members of representative bodies come from the elite, whose policies are not in line with what labor needs, Obon said.

"[Labors'] political awareness is getting stronger. Labor is now directly involved in politics and it is hoped that it will play a policy-making role, which is better than holding demonstrations," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/05/union-activists-seek-revive-labor-politics-bekasi.html

Freedom of speech & expression

Social media darling irks uptight govt

Jakarta Post - October 4, 2016

Moses Ompusunggu, Jakarta – The use of the internet is becoming ever more omnipresent and unavoidable in the country. Even President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo acknowledges this by turning to social media platforms such as Twitter to engage with his increasingly tech-savvy citizens.

But it is YouTube that has caused the government some concern of late following a torrent of complaints over what some people see as vulgarity in the numerous videos posted by teenage social media sensation Karin Novilda.

The Communications and Information Ministry and the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) have responded to these complaints seriously by inviting Karin to a closed-door meeting.

Karin, who only recently graduated from high school, is a widely popular "Instagrammer" with 1.1 million followers on her account, @awkarin. She gained even more public attention when she turned to YouTube, creating vlogs (video blogs) that ostensibly depict her lifestyle.

Karin recently collaborated with Indonesian rapper and hip-hop artist Young Lex, also a rising YouTube sensation, on a song entitled "Bad", which went viral and has triggered debate over the explicit message of the song: that being bad is OK.

Following the meeting, Karin agreed to delete a number of her more "indelicate" videos, acknowledging that there was content on her social media accounts that "lacked an educational message" for her 200,000 YouTube subscribers and her followers on Instagram as well.

The ministry claims it does not have the authority, or the intention, to ban Karin from running her show in the digitalsphere, but the ministry said Karin's videos could encourage children and teenagers who watched her videos to follow her lifestyle, which some perceive as lacking in sound morals.

"The development of the internet in the country is so fast that we cannot keep up with the pace," ministry spokesperson Noor Iza told The Jakarta Post.

The response from the KPAI is more vehement. Commission chairman Asrorun Ni'am said his organization had conducted an assessment of Karin's videos and had come to the conclusion that her content could pose a threat to many internet users, especially children.

"We agree with complaints alleging that the videos are indelicate and violate the norms of politeness in public," Asrorun said.

Asrorun claimed that the assessed videos could possibly violate a number of regulations, such as decency provisions in the 2008 Information and Electronic Transactions Law and the 2008 Pornography Law.

Asrorun argued that people creating content on the internet must act as if they were in real life, and in real life, there are norms of politeness to obey.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/04/social-media-darling-irks-uptight-govt.html

Four Malaysian citizens detained for selling 'Communist Manifesto'

Jakarta Post - October 2, 2016

Jakarta – Police seized copies of the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels at a book fair held at the Jakarta Convention Center on Saturday and questioned four people involved in the sale of the books.

Tanah Abang crime investigation unit Cmr. Mustakim said police seized six copies of the book. "The publishers and the sellers at the fair are Malaysian citizens," he said on Saturday as reported by kompas.com.

The four people questioned by police were Zulfikri Zamir bin Mohammad Munir, 31, of Thukul Cetak publisher, Sakri bin Abdullah, 51, head of the stand at the book fair, and stand attendants M. Rozla Bin Muhammed Noor, 46, and Khairul Nizam bin Muhammad Yunis, 45.

Mustakim said the four would not be slapped with charges, but police took them to the Jakarta Police headquarters for questioning. The questioning aimed to get information on the book feared to cause public unrest.

Police detained in May two people for selling T-shirts of German trash metal band Kreator emblazoned with the image of a hammer-and-sickle.

Hard-line groups have protested the perceived rise of communism ever since relatives and victims of the 1965 communist purge sought justice from the government.

A number of events, shows and discussions on the 1965 purge have been shut down since last year. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/02/four-malaysian-citizens-detained-for-selling-communist-manifesto.html

Freedom of information & press

TV journalist allegedly assaulted by soldiers in East Java

Jakarta Globe - October 3, 2016

Jakarta – Sony Misdananto, a journalist at television broadcaster NET TV, was allegedly assaulted and intimidated by soldiers while reporting on Islamic new year celebrations in Madiun district, East Java, on Sunday (02/10).

Sony suffered bruising to the face and had his video camera and memory card destroyed by soldiers from the Army's Yonif Para Raider 501 unit, tasked with safeguarding the event.

It remains unclear what triggered the incidents. Reports have said Sony recorded a traffic accident caused by a convoy of martial arts performers, prompting soldiers to intimidate the journalist out of reporting the accident.

"I apologize for the violent incident involving Sony Misdananto, the journalist of NET TV," Madiun Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Susatyo Condro Purnomo told reporters, as reported by state-run Antara news agency, adding that Sony has been treated by a police medical team.

The Kediri-chapter of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) condemned the incident and demanded Indonesian Military Chief Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo evaluate officers who took part in the violence against the journalist.

"The law firmly says that journalists are protected from any kind of work equipment seizures and they must not be inhibited or intimidated by certain parties," AJI Kediri coordinator Afnan Subagyo said.

Separately in Jakarta, Gatot said he will wait for investigations into the incident before taking action against the soldiers.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/tv-journalist-allegedly-assaulted-soldiers-e-java/

Political parties & elections

Ahok denies he insulted the Quran

Jakarta Post - October 7, 2016

Jakarta – Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama denies that he insulted verses in the Quran last month and says that his words were taken out of context. Ahok's claim follows protests from some groups who say that the governor engaged in religious defamation.

Ahok said a video published on social media, in which he mentioned the Quran's al-Maidah:51 verse during a working visit to Thousand Islands regency on Sept. 27, was cut and edited and did not display his full conversation with the local residents.

"I did not say [things] that insulted the Quran. I did not say the Quran was stupid. What I said to the local people of Thousand Islands is that if you are fooled by racists and cowards using that verse in the Quran not to vote for me, then don't vote for me," he said on Friday as reported by kompas.com.

He mentioned the al-Maidah verse because the verse is often used by his political opponents to encourage people not to vote for him. Ahok's opponents have used this line of attack against him since he started his political career in East Belitung in 2003.

"There is nothing wrong with the verses in the Quran. It was not the context [of my speech]," Ahok added.

His comments were met with protest by several parties. A petition on change.org was set up demanding that Ahok make a public apology and stop interpreting the Quran in his own way. As of Friday afternoon, the petition has so far garnered 58,802 signatories.

Novelist Chaidir Hasan, secretary-general of the hard-line Islam Defenders Front (FPI), also filed a report with the National Police's Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) on Thursday, charging Ahok with religious defamation. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/07/ahok-denies-he-insulted-the-quran.html

Government weighs in on dramatic funding rise for political parties

Jakarta Post - October 7, 2016

Ina Parlina, Moses Ompusunggu and Nurul Fitri Ramadhani, Jakarta – The Home Ministry and lawmakers are once again mulling a plan to increase the allocation of state funds for political parties.

The proposed increase is 50 times higher than the Rp 108 (less than 1 US cent) of state funding granted to each party per valid vote per year, as laid out in an existing Home Ministry regulation introduced after the 2009 general election.

Under the current scheme, the state has allocated Rp 13.17 billion to finance the 10 political parties that secured positions in the legislative institution in last year's election.

The existing law says state funds are one of three legitimate financial sources for political parties. However, several politicians remain at the top of a list of corruption perpetrators in the country.

A 2013 survey by Transparency International Indonesia (TII) concluded that political parties had not been transparent about their sources of funding.

Early last year, the public was shocked by a plan proposed by Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo to increase the annual funding for political parties to Rp 1 trillion each, around 75 times higher than the existing scheme.

At the time, he argued that the increased state funding, which aimed to discourage political parties from resorting to graft in seeking funds, should become effective after the 2019 general election.

The proposed increase of funds was later altered to between 10 and 20 percent for each political party. However, Tjahjo later dropped the plan as Jokowi's administration pushed for extensive countrywide infrastructure development.

National Awakening Party (PKB) politician Muhammad Lukman Edy, a member of House Of Representatives Commission II overseeing home affairs, applauded the government's plan to revise the political party funding regulation, saying it was lauded by several institutions, such as the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK), as a tool to root out corrupt practices in the political sphere.

Lukman was upbeat that political parties could handle the increased funds, adding that there would be a "complete character turnaround" among them as they would be audited by the BPK.

Democratic Party lawmaker Didik Mukrianto and Yandri Susanto of the National Mandate Party (PAN) said their faction within the House would not indicate a stance over increased political party funding before conducting a thorough study of the plan.

"We have to conduct an examination of the plan to increase political parties' funding, whether it is viable given the current domestic economic slowdown," Yandri said.

Election activist Veri Junaidi of Constitution and Democracy (CoDe) said a funding increase was essential, but could only be granted if the government set a clear mechanism for political parties to provide transparent and accountable periodic reports of their bookkeeping.

"Having such an accountability mechanism would help to promote parties' internal democratization," he added. "While the absence of such a mechanism could allow irregularities to occur instead."

Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, however, said "the amount must be reasonable and not against the logic of the public".

"If it is 50 times higher, then it is too much," said Pramono, who earlier admitted that the issue had put the government between a rock and a hard place as it realized political parties were facing high costs.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/07/govt-weighs-dramatic-funding-rise-political-parties.html

Poll shows 42.5% of Muslims to vote for Ahok

Jakarta Post - October 6, 2016

Callistasia Anggun Wijaya, Jakarta – A survey by Public Opinion and Policy Research (Populi Center) revealed on Thursday that 42.5 percent of Muslim respondents vote for Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama and Djarot Saiful Hidayat.

The survey was conducted from Sept. 25 to Oct. 1 and involved 600 respondents. The result shows that 25.3 percent of Muslim respondents plan to vote for Anies Baswedan-Sandiaga Uno and 16.8 percent for Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono-Sylviana Murni.

"Jakarta voters do not buy into SARA (ethnic, religious, racial) issues. This is proven by the data. Most Muslim respondents plan to vote for Ahok-Djarot," Populi Center researcher Nona Evita said at her office in West Jakarta. Ahok is a Christian.

Ali Munhanif, a senior researcher with the Center for the Study of Islam and Society (PPIM), said playing the "SARA card" would not likely sway voters. For some time, certain national figures have tried to exploit SARA issues against Ahok. However, these sectarian skirmishes have not delivered any significant results.

"Attempts to use religious issues don't really deliver any impact. There are still a lot of Muslims who want to vote for Ahok," Ali said. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/06/poll-shows-42-5-of-muslims-to-vote-for-ahok.html

Environment & natural disasters

Sluggish police, judicial reforms hurt Indonesian forests

Jakarta Post - October 6, 2016

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Law enforcers have become stumbling blocks in the effort to stop forest fires as they are impeding attempts to bring allegedly responsible companies to court.

Following the termination of investigations (SP3) into 15 plantation companies for alleged land burning in Riau last year, the Riau Police have repeatedly refused to make the SP3 documents available to the public.

The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) and the Riau Forest Rescue Network (Jikalahari), both members of a coalition of NGOs formed to fight a perceived criminal conspiracy involving forest fires, have twice asked the Riau Police to give them the SP3 documents after the terminations triggered a public uproar.

The SP3 on the cases was issued in January, but they were only revealed in July when environmental activists visited the Riau Police headquarters seeking an update on the cases.

The coalition believed that the SP3 documents should be disclosed as there were lots of irregularities in the termination of the investigations, adding that there was no reason to keep the documents away from the public because the cases had been closed anyway.

"The documents are important because National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian himself has urged the public to file a pretrial motion, but without the documents the public won't be able to do so," the head of Kontras' economic rights advocate division, Ananto Setiawan, said.

He added that Kontras had even met with the Riau Police directly to ask for the documents after their requests, which were sent by letters, did not get any response.

"But once again they refused, explaining that they had an internal mechanism and so on. We see this as an attempt to block information and it only adds to the irregularities surrounding the termination of the investigations," Ananto said.

Among the irregularities cited was the credibility of the experts used to justify the termination of the investigations, according to the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL), which was a part of the same coalition with Kontras and Jikalahari.

ICEL forestry and land division researcher Isna Fatimah said that the witness was a staff member at the Riau Environmental Agency and thus his credibility and objectivity were questionable.

"Furthermore, the argument for the termination was that the fires were caused by local people, or that the areas were occupied by local people. Meanwhile, experts have said that this doesn't eliminate the responsibility of the concession holders," she said.

Isna also pointed out that of the seven companies for which investigations were terminated, two were involved in illegal logging cases in 2008, another two were involved in forest fire cases in 2014 and three had been slapped with administrative sanctions.

Therefore, the coalition has urged President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to ask Tito to hold a special case hearing over the SP3s.

The coalition also plans to file a petition with the Central Information Commission (KIP) if the Riau Police fail to reply to their demand by Monday, Isna said.

Besides the police's commitment, concerns have also been raised over the quality of judges presiding over forest fire cases, in particular judge Parlas Nababan.

Earlier this year, Parlas created a controversy after declaring PT Bumi Mekar Hijau (BMH) not guilty for the burning of 20,000 hectares of its concession in Ogan Komering Ilir, South Sumatra, in 2014.

He reasoned that BMH was still able to plant acacia trees on the concession after it was burned, which according to him meant there must have been no environmental damage.

The Judicial Commission launched an investigation in early 2016 into Parlas following his controversial ruling. On July 26, the Commission finished its investigation, concluding that Parlas had breached the ethics code for his biased ruling and unprofessionalism.

The ministry's law enforcement director general, Rasio Ridho Sani, said that many judges had actually been environmentally certified, which had helped boost the conviction rate in forest fire cases.

"If we're talking about civil cases, we win about 80 percent of the cases," he told The Jakarta Post. "If we're talking about criminal cases, the conviction rate is quite high, but often the sentences are lower than our demands."

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/06/sluggish-police-judicial-reforms-hurt-indonesian-forests.html

One step back in effort to curb plastic waste

Jakarta Post - October 4, 2016

Stefani Ribka, Jakarta – In less than a year, the country has taken a step back in plastic waste management, as retailers have stopped charging for plastic shopping bags.

Kezia Grace Nauli, an 18-year-old university student, was puzzled when finding out that a plastic bag at the supermarket or other retail stores would no longer cost her. "Rp 200 [15 US cents] per bag might seem like nothing, but I do think it has an impact on reducing plastic waste," she said on Monday.

The decision to scrap the plastic bag charge was made by the Indonesian Retailers Association (Aprindo), effective since last Saturday. Its move goes against the government's call to reduce plastic waste, as the latter previously urged retailers to charge customers for plastic bags.

The idea to charge for plastic bags was put forward in the wake of the government's goal to cut 1.9 million tons of waste from the 68 million tons of waste projected in 2019.

In 2015 alone, the country produced 64 million tons of waste, with plastic shopping bags accounting for 14 percent of the trash, according to data from the Environment and Forestry Ministry.

The government's call to reduce waste was followed up by a ministry circular requiring retailers to charge Rp 200 per plastic bag, during a trial period from Feb. 21 until May.

The circular's policy was enforced in 23 cities. In June, the ministry announced the trial would continue until it issued a regulation in July and expanded the coverage to 514 cities and regencies.

However, no regulation has been issued and Aprindo claims the absence of one has given various parties, especially in the regions, the chance to intervene and complain to retailers over the fee.

"Regional administrations, civil societies and police officials have investigated some of our members, trying to determine the legal basis of the plastic bag charge and urging us to free the public from paying. The biggest public objection has been voiced in Palembang [South Sumatra province]," Aprindo chairman Roy N. Mandey told a press conference on Monday.

Aprindo also attributes the public's objection to uneven implementation of the policy, with regional administrations in 10 cities setting the fee at Rp 1,500 to Rp 10,000 per bag.

The objection contradicts data from the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) and the ministry itself that shows public acceptance of the policy.

In March, a YLKI survey revealed 26.8 percent of customers accepted the policy and understood why they were being charged, while the ministry's survey – from February to May – said 87.1 percent of customers brought their own bags when shopping.

Retailers say they will continue giving plastic bags for free until the ministry issues a regulation. "We support the government's pay-for-plastic policy, but we just need a clear regulation. We don't seek profit from it because we use the money to buy plastic again," Roy said.

The ministry says it plans to issue a regulation in November. Tuti H. Mintarsih, the ministry's director general for dangerous toxic material and waste management, said her side had prepared a draft and shared its content with regional administrations.

Separately, the Olefin, Aromatic and Plastics Industry Association (Inaplas) has challenged the ministry's waste data. Inaplas says total plastic bag production per year only reaches 1 million, instead of 9 million that makes up for 14 percent of total waste.

Inaplas business development chairman Budi Sadiman estimated that plastic bag production dropped 25 to 35 percent in the first half owing to the pay-for-plastic policy, among other factors.

"We agree with this pay-for-plastic program, but it would be better if the government reduced waste by fixing its waste management system first and foremost," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/04/one-step-back-effort-curb-plastic-waste.html

Health & education

RI strives to boost education

Jakarta Post - October 7, 2016

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Indonesia is at risk of missing the opportunity to benefit from its demographic dividend – which will peak in 2025 to 2030 – as it struggles to keep its youth at school in order to produce a quality workforce.

A demographic dividend is when the proportion of people in the productive age group (15 to 64 years) reaches a maximum and the dependency ratio is at its lowest level.

It is perceived as a demographic bonus as the country in question will have the opportunity to utilize its working-age population and maximize its economic productivity.

The current composition of the country's workforce may indicate that the demographic bonus could be more of a bust than a boon for the world's fourth largest country.

According to 2014 data from the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas), 42 percent of the workforce were elementary school graduates, while 26 percent had graduated junior high school and 22 percent finished senior high school. That leaves only 10 percent who graduated from university.

The current workforce composition will eventually phase out, but not until 2030, when Indonesia is also estimated to lose its demographic bonus.

"The current composition will be reversed by 2030, when elementary school graduates will only make up 20 percent of our workforce, while high school graduates will jump to 30 percent," the Culture and Education Ministry's senior advisor on innovation and competitiveness, Ananto Kusuma Seta, told The Jakarta Post recently.

The current workforce is dominated by elementary school graduates because they were products of the past educational system, when it was only mandatory for people to attend school for six years as mandated in the six-year compulsory education program launched in 1984.

Junior high school graduates also make up a large percentage of the workforce because it was not until 1994 that the nine-year compulsory education program kicked off. A 12-year compulsory education program was launched just last year.

Though it has just kicked off, Ananto said he was optimistic that the country had enough time to ensure high school graduates would dominate the workforce by 2030.

"We just have to make sure that the current middle school students continue to high school," he said. "By 2030, we are hoping all Indonesian children have at least graduated from high school. It's not too late [to secure the demographic bonus], but we have to work hard."

The government has been working to bring dropouts back to school through the Indonesia Smart Card (KIP), a signature program from President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, in order to ensure a quality future workforce.

Recent figures on school dropouts are not encouraging. In the last four years, about 5 million children have dropped out of elementary school or decided not to continue to junior high school, according to the ministry's data.

The government is planning to encourage 4.1 million of them back to school, Ananto said. "So that in the next 15 years, they will become productive," he said.

Many students dropped out because of economic and cultural reasons, Ananto said. In rural areas, he explained, boys were expected to help their parents in agriculture, while some girls were married off by their parents at a young age.

University of Indonesia (UI) economics and demography expert Mayling Oey-Gardiner said the current workforce composition was extremely alarming.

"If we have the people but they're not productive, how can we call it a bonus? A bonus is when we have quality and hardworking people, not when we have people," she said. Besides the low number of high school and university graduates, quality also left a lot to be desired, Mayling said.

According to the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), which assesses the skills of adults in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries aged 16 to 65 years, Indonesian adults performed abysmally.

In the survey, Indonesian university graduates aged 25 to 65, youth aged 20 to 24 without university degrees, youth aged 16 to 24 with high school certificates and those who only had primary school education scored the lowest in literacy among all 34 OECD countries.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/07/ri-strives-boost-education.html

Anti-tobacco groups slam small cigarette excise hike

Jakarta Post - October 3, 2016

Moses Ompusunggu, Jakarta – The government's decision to raise cigarette duties will not deter tobacco consumption in the country, public health experts and activists say, as the new price will keep cigarettes affordable for smokers, even with the new excise taxes.

The Finance Ministry announced on Friday that it had issued a regulation to increase excise taxes by an average of 10.54 percent next year for several types of cigarettes. The new increase is lower than the increase set by the government for this year, which reaches 11.33 percent.

The new hike will take effect starting in January next year and will increase the retail price of cigarettes by an average of 12.26 percent.

The relatively low increase shows that the government is not particularly interested in reducing the prevalence of smoking in the country, said Tuti Soerodjo, a tobacco control special committee chairwoman at the Indonesian Public Health Experts Association (IAKMI).

"They [smokers] can still afford cigarettes, given the minuscule increase in excise tax," Tuti told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

The Excise and Tax Law stipulates that excise taxes on cigarettes are meant to control tobacco consumption, which many believe has reached an alarming level in Indonesia.

Indonesia is home to 72 million smokers aged 15 years and over, according to WHO data. The 2013 Basic Health Survey (Riskesdas) revealed that three out of 10 smokers are between 15 and 30 years of age and most start to smoke before they turn 19.

The cost of treating tobacco-related diseases, meanwhile, is currently estimated at Rp 11 trillion per year, or 0.29 percent of the country's gross domestic product. By contrast, the state capital injection for the Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) in the planned 2017 state budget amounts to Rp 3.6 trillion.

Tuti said smokers would be discouraged from purchasing cigarettes if the excise tax was higher than the sum of the country's inflation rate and economic growth.

"The new cigarette duties are only a little bit higher than the two, supposing we have more than 5 percent economic growth and more than 3 percent inflation next year," Tuti said.

Tuti added that the new excise tax increases were a sign that the government still sided with the tobacco industry. "They [players in the tobacco industry] did not scream at all in response to the new increases."

According to the new regulation, machine-made white cigarettes will be subject to excise hikes of up to 13.46 percent, while two other types, machine-rolled cigarettes and hand-rolled cigarettes, will be subject to excise tax increases of up to 10.42 percent and 8.6 percent, respectively.

The government believes that higher increases might threaten job security in the tobacco industry and create an illegal market, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said.

The ideal excise tax increase average should be 20 percent to prevent low-income citizens from buying cigarettes, said Indonesian Consumer Foundation (YLKI) chairman Tulus Abadi.

A recent study by University of Indonesia surveyed 1,000 smokers and found that they would consider quitting smoking if cigarette prices were Rp 50,000 per pack, double the current average price.

With the new excise rates, it is likely that smokers will purchase cheaper cigarettes rather than reduce their consumption, said Komunitas Kretek general secretary Alfa Gumilang.

He said the new increases would only affect a few, such as low-income smokers who spend majority of their income to purchase cigarettes. "They [low-income smokers] may reduce their expenditures for cigarettes due to the higher price as a result of a rising excise tax," Alfa told the Post.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/03/anti-tobacco-groups-slam-small-cigarette-excise-hike.html

Marriage & polygamy

Side story of tax amnesty: Rising rate of divorce?

Jakarta Post - October 7, 2016

Jakarta – The state may have raked almost Rp 100 trillion (US$7.69 billion) into its coffers from the tax amnesty but the program may also be taking an unintended toll: raising the rate of divorce among billionaire couples.

An official story has it that some wives have felt "cheated" after learning that their husbands are in fact much richer than they had thought.

Some of these inquisitive wives have then called Ken Dwijugiasteadi, the Finance Ministry's director general for taxation, demanding that he share information about the wealth of their husbands.

"Someone at the end of the line asked, 'Sir, can I get the information my husband has filed regarding the tax amnesty? I heard he declared that he owned many houses, while he has only declared that he owns one to me!" Ken said during a seminar on Thursday.

Of course Ken declines such requests. "When I told her that I couldn't [give her the data] she retorted, 'Are you trying to defend my husband?' Then the ensuing family spat ends in divorce," he said.

And this was only one of a number of similar calls he has received from enraged wives.

Ken observed that on the last few days into the deadline of the first round of the amnesty last month, members of the Businesswomen's Association came in droves to tax amnesty information events. "Apparently, their actual purpose was to find leaks about their husbands' assets," he quipped.

"Tax revenue from stamp-duty has soared; it turns out that many people have also filed for divorce. As you know, applications for divorce need stamp-duties," he added. (win/bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/07/side-story-of-tax-amnesty-rising-rate-of-divorce.html

Freedom of religion & worship

Local authorities told to help church find new location after protests

Jakarta Post - October 7, 2016

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saefuddin has called on the South Jakarta municipality to help the congregation of the Batak Karo Protestant Church (GBKP) find a new location for their house of worship following the closure of GBKP in Tanjung Barat, Pasar Minggu.

"Differences in opinion between the parties should not result in [further conflict] and there should be a sense of looking for a concrete solution. This is where [the South Jakarta] municipality should play its role," Lukman told journalists on Thursday.

The closure followed a letter issued by South Jakarta Mayor Tri Kurniadi. Tri claimed the church did not possess the proper building permit license for a house of worship. The closure of the church was largely the result of protests from local residents.

Lukman said he wanted the GBKP congregation and neighboring residents to understand and tolerate one another so that both sides could look for a win-win solution and the congregation could continue to worship while the building permit was being processed.

Should the congregation and neighboring residents fail to agree, the municipality has a responsibility to assist the GBKP congregation as stipulated in the existing regulation.

In his letter addressed to the church, Tri said the GBKP management had the chance to file for the proper building permit until Sept. 26, but had failed to meet the deadline.

However, Pastor Penrad Siagian said the church had tried to file the requisite documents, but the Tanjung Barat subdistrict office had been unresponsive.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/07/local-authorities-told-to-help-church-find-new-location-after-protests.html

Regions told to support interfaith forums

Jakarta Post - October 7, 2016

Jakarta – Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo has urged regional administrations to provide more room for the involvement of the Inter-Religious Harmony Forum (FKUB) in the decision-making processes of their respective regions.

"The [FKUB] should always be involved in discussions and its advice should always be heeded in the process of public policy making at the local level," Tjahjo said at a FKUB national coordination meeting on Thursday.

Strengthening cooperation between various religious communities in public policy making is important, both to ensure religious harmony and to anticipate possible conflicts, Tjahjo said.

According to Tjahjo, when intolerance and violence erupts, religious communities and local elders can play a role in de-escalating the tension, more so than security officers and government officials.

Meanwhile, Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin said local administrations should also support the FKUB in their respective regions.

More money is needed to establish regional headquarters in order to improve the FKUB's role in promoting interreligious peace, Lukman added. He further stated that the FKUB was a strategic institution designed to strengthen grassroots communities and promote religious harmony.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/07/national-scene-regions-told-support-interfaith-forums.html

Followers of Judaism long for govt recognition

Jakarta Post - October 6, 2016

Lita Aruperes, Manado – Members of minority groups like Shiites and Ahmadis have suffered persecution in several regions of Indonesia. Many have been forced out of their homes and some still live in refugee camps.

But in the North Sulawesi regency of Minahasa life is a bit different. Despite differences in faith, people live peacefully. The presence of some people who practice Judaism in Minahasa is seen as a symbol of interfaith diversity and harmony.

Yaakov Baruch, a rabbi at the Shaar Hashamayim synagogue in Rerewokan subdistrict, West Tondano district, Minahasa, said interfaith harmony in the regency was very obvious and the followers of different religions got along very well.

During the Islamic fasting month of Ramadhan, for example, the synagogue had hosted a break-the-fast meal for Muslims of the neighborhood. Such events underlined interfaith harmony in the area.

To maintain their good relations, followers of Judaism and other religions often mingled in the neighborhood, Baruch said.

Most members of the Jewish community lived farther away, in Manado, and therefore were unable to clean their synagogue regularly. "It's usually the people living nearby who do the cleaning or mow the lawn," Baruch said.

Despite religious harmony in the region, many followers of Judaism feel uneasy about stating their religion on their ID cards.

"Because Judaism is not yet recognized as an official religion in Indonesia, the religion column in our ID cards is often left empty," he said. In some cases, they state their religion based on that of their parents or siblings.

As such, Baruch said, when members of the congregation of the synagogue were to get married they had to do the wedding twice – once in accordance with the religion declared on their ID cards and once in accordance with Judaism.

Asked about the number of followers of Judaism in the region, Baruch struggled to answer, arguing that there were many adherents who could not yet reveal themselves openly. He admitted that the number of the congregation was still small, because Judaism was not a proselytizing religion.

He also said married people who wanted to convert to Judaism could not just convert alone, but had to make all family members convert to Judaism. "If they want to convert to Judaism, they have to do so together with the whole family," he said, adding that they conducted their worship on Saturdays, facing Jerusalem.

Separately, a member of the synagogue, Manuel Pen Abraham, said he had been a follower of Judaism for the last two years. He said he had converted to Judaism because it taught him about how to respect others. "I feel comfortable following Judaism," Manuel said.

Asked for comment on the presence of the Jewish community in the province, North Sulawesi legislative council speaker Andrei Angouw said so far there had not yet been any complaints from the local community.

"As long as they do not disturb security I think it's not a problem because it does not trigger conflict potential," Andrei said. Yet, he said, it was the authority of the central government to make Judaism an official religion in the country.

Judaism followers have been in Minahasa since 1700, before the region was divided into several regencies. The synagogue, however, was only built in 2004.

In the early years, the adherents were just Jewish people coming from the Netherlands and Iraq. In the last few years, however, Minahasa people who are not of Jewish descent started learning about the religion.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/06/followers-judaism-long-govt-recognition.html

Bill aims to recognize faiths outside six official religions

Jakarta Post - October 6, 2016

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – Despite having the largest Muslim population in the world, Indonesia, unlike neighboring Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam, has never made Islam its official religion so as to acknowledge the existence of other major faiths in the country.

For decades, Indonesian children have been taught that the country recognizes only six religions: Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism. This policy, stipulated in the 1965 Blasphemy Law, was often hailed as a hallmark of Indonesia's diversity during the Soeharto era.

More than 18 years after the former strongman's downfall, the government has finally admitted that the policy is in fact a denial of the country's diversity and may contravene the 1945 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion.

In reality, Indonesia is also home to hundreds of native faiths and other minor religions that deserve equal rights and protection.

The Religious Affairs Ministry is now working to officially recognize the country's indigenous religions through a bill on the protection of religious followers, which is still being drafted by the ministry.

The bill would aim to ensure the followers of native faiths have the same rights as those embracing mainstream religions.

"The fact that minority groups are still suffering is something that has become my concern, as not only does it disrespect human rights, it has also harmed Indonesia's image on the global stage," Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin said in his keynote speech at an international symposium on religious life held by the ministry on Wednesday.

Lukman, regarded by many as the most progressive religious affairs minister the country has seen in years, said the government could no longer deny the existence of the followers of hundreds of local faiths because they were part of the nation's fabric. They deserved equal treatment as that of followers of mainstream religions, he added.

There are currently about 10 million followers of native faiths across the country. About 60 percent of them have been forced to pick one of the six religions to put on their ID cards, while the rest have refused to bow down to legal and social pressures and have opted to leave the religion column on their ID cards blank.

Consequently, they are denied access to public services across the country, such as being able to register their marriages to the government and to bury their family members in public cemeteries.

"The government should act to stop such discrimination in public services and the most importantly the government should step up efforts to stop social discrimination that followers of minority faiths are currently facing in their neighborhoods," said Alamsyah Djafar, a researcher for the rights group, the Wahid Institute.

The ministry expects to submit the bill to the House of Representatives by the end of this year.

Other than acknowledging indigenous religions, Lukman said, the bill would also aim to address problems regarding the establishment of houses of worship and the rise of religious extremism that could disrupt religious harmony.

Indonesia has been repeatedly under an international spotlight for its failure to protect the followers of minority religious groups such as Ahmadiyah and Shia, who have been declared deviant by the majority Sunni Muslims. It is unclear if the two minority Islamic denominations would also be recognized in the bill.

The Wahid Institute recorded 190 violations against freedom of religion in 2015, a 23 percent increase from 154 cases in 2014. The violations were mostly in the form of sealing places of worship and the prohibition of their construction, as well as obstructing celebrations or the performance of rituals of certain faiths.

West Java tops the list, with 46 violations, followed by Aceh with 36 cases and Jakarta with 23, making them the most intolerant provinces.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/06/bill-aims-recognize-faiths-outside-six-official-religions.html

Native faiths face prejudice

Jakarta Post - October 4, 2016

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – Darman Gerfasius Purba, a follower of indigenous faith Ugomo Bangsa Batak (UBB) in Medan, North Sumatra, once had a dream of joining the Army.

Last year, Darman had to give up his dream after the Iskandar Muda Military Regional Command (Kodam), based in the predominantly Muslim province of Aceh where he enlisted to join the military, found out that he practiced a faith that was not recognized by the state.

Darman was one among many individuals who were subjected to discriminatory treatment due to their indigenous faiths, as mentioned in a report released by rights group Wahid Institute.

The report found that followers of four indigenous faiths continue to face harassment even after the government formally allowed members of non-denominational faiths to leave the religion column on their ID cards blank.

Followers of Javanese faith Sapto Darmo in Brebes regency, Central Java, could not bury the remains of their family members in public cemeteries after members of the community discovered that they failed to write in one of the six major faiths on their ID cards.

Meanwhile on Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara, people who practice Marapu, a local religion, are unable to register their marriages to the Civil Registration Agency and as a result their children have been denied birth certificates.

Some children of parents who subscribed to Marapu were told to join Christianity, the dominant faith in the region, and received a baptism certificate from local churches in order to register for elementary school.

In North Sumatra, followers of native faith Parmalim had a hard time finding jobs once their prospective employers found out about the blank space in the religion column on their identity cards.

Some members of the Parmalim religion failed to get ID cards because officials who handled their registration process refused to process their documents after finding out that they did not declare a religion.

Representatives of four indigenous faiths recently filed a petition to challenge the legality of Law No. 23/2006 on population administration, especially Articles 61 and 64 of the Constitutional Court (MK).

The groups demanded that the MK scrap the two articles, which mandated the practice of leaving the religion section of ID cards and family cards blank, deeming that the provision is a violation of the country's constitutional principles of equality before the law, Law No. 39/1999 on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

"In practice, officials discriminate against people who are members of indigenous faiths. In some regions, officials force citizens to fill in the religion column on their ID cards with one of the six official religions of Indonesia, Islam, Christianity, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism or Confucianism," said Sekar Banjaran Aji, a lawyer representing the Civil Defender Team, a coalition of rights groups that campaign for the protection of minority groups in the country.

Data from rights group SATUNAMA, which is a member of the coalition, shows that as many as 40,000 Marapu followers, 1,500 people who practice Parmalim, 450 UBB members and 500 believers of Sedulur Sikep indigenous faith in Kudus regency, Central Java, were denied basic civil registry documents like ID cards, family IDs, birth certificates and marriage certificates.

"We recorded about 80,000 people who could not access public services that they are entitled to as citizens," said Juwanto, an activist of SATUNAMA.

Responding to the grievances, the Home Ministry said followers of local faiths could get the same access to basic services and discrimination could be considered a violation of the 2006 Population Administration Law.

The ministry said people who practice indigenous religions could leave their religion column blank on ID cards, and they could still be recorded in the civil registry system. Relevant institutions, like the Army, could get access to information regarding the faiths of military members by checking the ministry's database.

"We are waiting for the Religious Affairs Ministry to complete its work on collecting database information for native faiths once the Religious Followers Protection Law is endorsed by the House. Once the database is ready, we can put information about local faiths on people's ID cards," said the Ministry's civil registry director Ani Yulistiani.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/04/native-faiths-face-prejudice.html

GBKP church closed after protests

Jakarta Post - October 3, 2016

Jakarta – The South Jakarta municipality has closed down the Batak Karo Protestant Church (GBKP) in Tanjung Barat, Pasar Minggu, as a result of protests from neighboring residents for the church reportedly not having a house of worship building license (IMB).

Protests were conducted by Tanjung Barat residents of community unit (RW) 04, who hung a banner stating they "object to any church buildings" in their area.

South Jakarta mayor Tri Kurniadi issued a letter to the church, saying that its building license (IMB) was not for a house of worship, but for an office.

"The church does not have the required IMB and thus the RW 04 residents [have the right to] refuse the church's presence," he said in the letter on Friday, adding that the church's management was given the chance to file for the proper IMB until Sept. 26, but failed to meet the deadline.

However, a congregation still came Sunday amid the protests and prohibition. Pastor Penrad Siagian said the church had tried to file the IMB documents, but the Tanjung Barat subdistrict office was unresponsive.

"This is our right. The country has a responsibility to protect its citizens' rights to worship," he said.

A reporter from the kbr.id news portal was reportedly intimidated by protesters while covering Sunday mass at the church.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/03/greater-jakarta-gbkp-church-closed-after-protests.html

Sex & pornography

Police nab hacker over jumbotron porn

Jakarta Post - October 5, 2016

Jakarta – Police have arrested an information technology expert who allegedly hacked the system of a jumbotron on Jl. Wijaya, South Jakarta, and made it display a porn movie last Friday afternoon.

The police apprehended the suspect, identified as SAR, 24, on Tuesday at his company in Senopati, South Jakarta, said Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Mochamad Iriawan.

It was believed the suspect was able to access and hack the system after he obtained its username and password accidentally shown once on the jumbotron. SAR purportedly took a picture of the password and username, before then getting into the system and changing its content to a porn movie.

"That's the suspect's current testimony. We are still investigating it as we have not found the picture of the username and password in his cellphone," Iriawan said as quoted by kompas.com on Tuesday. "He said he worked alone but we will also investigate that."

SAR will be charged under Article 282 of the Criminal Code on immoral acts, in addition to Article 27 of the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law with a maximum of six years' imprisonment and a fine of Rp 1 billion (US$76,923).

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/05/police-nab-hacker-over-jumbotron-porn.html

Police question ten people in South Jakarta pornographic videotron case

Jakarta Globe - October 2, 2016

Jakarta – Police have questioned at least 10 people in an investigation of displayed pornographic material on a videotron, or outdoor video advertising screen, in South Jakarta on Friday (30/09).

An outdoor video screen in the Prapanca area of South Jakarta displayed a porn video on Friday afternoon after Islamic Friday prayers.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Awi Setiyono said 10 people have been investigated – including eight employees of advertising agency Transito Adiman Jati – to find who was responsible for the incident, which quickly went viral. The two others were witnesses who saw the video at the scene.

Police are also conducting digital forensic investigations on six computers that were used by the advertising firm to display the content on the videotrons, Awi said.

"We have examined five computers and another one will be checked soon. I hope the investigation will reveal who played the video and whether there was an intent to display the video," Awi said on Sunday (02/10), as reported by Detik.com.

Police have also confiscated phones of eight employees of Transito Adiman Jati in an effort to track the sources of the pornographic material.

The video clip went viral after road users recorded and uploaded it to social media. The videotron was later shut down when local residents cut off the electrical supply.

http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/police-question-ten-people-s-jakarta-pornographic-videotron-case/

Governance & administration

Govt, administrations on different pages about deregulation

Jakarta Post - October 7, 2016

Prima Wirayani, Djemi Amnifu and Wahyoe Boediwardana, Jakarta/Kupang/Surabaya – With more than 500 regencies and cities in 34 provinces across the archipelago, Indonesia often faces difficulties in synchronizing central government policies with those of regional administrations, a situation that is now hampering the country's deregulation efforts.

Since launching its first economic policy package in September 2015, the government has made cutting red tape and solving investment bottlenecks its main priorities to improve the country's business climate and competitiveness.

It has also scrapped 3,000 regional regulations (Perda) that made it difficult for businesses to become established and to operate. The reality in the field, however, is far from ideal as the government and regional administrations do not seem to be on the same page.

In Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, the administration said it was aware of the deregulation attempts, but admitted it had not fully implemented the measures contained in the packages, which total 13.

Kupang Mayor Jonas Salean said he did not know for sure which licenses or permits now belonged to the central government and which were under the administration's authority. "We haven't received such information, though it is essential to prevent overlapping authority," he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

East Nusa Tenggara still lags behind other regions in the western part of the country, as shown by data from the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM). The amount of investment realized in East Nusa Tenggara stood at Rp 504.41 billion (US$38.83 million) in the first half of the year, far below that of West Sumatra, Riau or Jakarta.

Jonas, however, said the province had introduced an online system for businesses to acquire building permits (IMB), in a process that took only a day.

Coordinating Economic Ministry secretary Lukita Dinarsyah Tuwo said many of the decisions made by the central government, ministries and agencies apparently lacked force.

He said the ministry planned to visit several regions to familiarize them with the policy packages. "We will go and visit the administrations, but we have not set up any dates yet."

IMB and Environmental Impact Analysis (Amdal) are among the permits that are reportedly hard to obtain due to different perspectives between the government and administrations, Lukita said.

BKPM deputy director for investment monitoring and implementation Azhar Lubis admitted that although the board had established several regional offices, more work needed to be done, including providing transparency and certainty in terms of documents, time and costs.

Meanwhile, businesspeople have lauded some administrations for gradually simplifying their licensing procedures, but claim that others remain reluctant to do so.

"Some administrations think reduced licenses will translate into reduced income. The problem is there are no consequences for administrations that don't carry out deregulation," said Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) deputy chairman for trade, Benny Soetrisno.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/07/govt-administrations-different-pages-about-deregulation.html

Parliament & legislation

Setya set to take over House leadership

Jakarta Post - October 3, 2016

Nurul Fitri Ramadhani, Jakarta – The Golkar Party may fall into another crisis if supporters of chairman Setya Novanto press ahead with their plan to unseat his rival, Ade Komarudin, as House of Representatives speaker.

On Friday, the party's faction at the House of Representatives held a meeting to talk about the possibility of reinstating Setya as House speaker.

Setya, who took over Golkar's leadership in May after Ade, his toughest rival, backed out, resigned from his position as House speaker last year amid a scandal in which he was accused of conspiring to obtain shares in mining company PT Freeport Indonesia.

The proposal to elevate Setya to the House's leadership post came after the Constitutional Court ruled that a recording used to incriminate Setya was obtained illegally and could not be used against him in court. The court also ruled that the "conspiracy" charge was too vague, declaring it unconstitutional.

Setya's stalwarts are taking the proposal seriously. "If it is better [for the party] to replace the current speaker, we will do so," acting faction chairman Kahar Muzakir said after the meeting.

Ade's loyalists are concerned about the move as they believe it will create "commotion" within the party, at a time when it should be focusing on consolidating its rank and file in the regions to win the 2019 general election.

The party was hit by internal strife in 2015 over the question of whether it should defect from the opposition camp and join the progovernment coalition.

The strife took a toll on the party's approval rating, which dropped to below 10 percent, according to party officials. The party, however, managed to recover from the crisis after Setya was elected its chairman.

Setya has built strong relations with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and has nominated him as Golkar's presidential candidate, a political strategy to boost the party's approval rating ahead of the 2017 and 2018 regional elections as well as the 2019 general election.

"He should consult with the President because the move is highly sensitive and has the potential to upset the current stability. The current [political] climate is relatively stable," said one Ade supporter, Bambang Soesatyo.

Ahmad Doli Kurnia, a young Golkar politician, said the party had gone through a rough time and been beset by protracted conflicts before Setya's election.

"The party's energy was spent on dealing with conflicts because of the polarization within the party. We should now be focusing on efforts to unify the party," he said.

"I'm hoping that Pak Setya will be wise in considering the proposal, and think of the party's best interests," he added.

Speculation has been rife that Setya will regain his power at the House after the House's ethics council cleared his name regarding an alleged ethics breach.

Setya came under fire after then energy and mineral resources minister Sudirman Said leaked a taped conversation between Setya, then PT Freeport Indonesia president director Maroef Sjamsoeddin and oil tycoon Riza Chalid.

The council's decision to clear his name follows a formal request from Golkar, on behalf of Setya, based on the recent Constitutional Court's ruling.

Many believe the rivalry between Setya and Ade simmered when Setya was forced to give up his position as House speaker to Ade.

Then Golkar chairman Aburizal Bakrie appointed Ade, then the leader of the party's faction at the House, to replace Setya. Soon after his resignation, Setya was appointed by Aburizal to be Ade's successor.

Their supporters have been seen bickering on many occasions since then. The two also showed strong rivalry during the party's top leadership race.

However, Setya seems to be stronger than ever due to his relations with Jokowi and his ability to gain the support of his seniors, including Aburizal and Akbar Tanjung.

Bambang hinted that the Ade camp would yield his position if Jokowi backed Setya's bid. "The most important thing is we have to keep the political climate stable and maintain the party's strategy to win the 2019 election," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/03/setya-set-to-take-over-golkar-leadership.html

Political parties want more seats at House

Jakarta Post - October 1, 2016

Nurul Fitri Ramadhani, Jakarta – The country may have more legislators in 2019 as the government plans to increase the number of seats at the House of Representatives from the current 560, which some critics say is too many already.

The government argues that it needs to increase the number of seats as the nation will have new electoral districts in 2019 following the creation of the North Kalimantan province in October 2012. The 34th province, which was once part of East Kalimantan, was not considered a separate constituency in the 2014 general elections.

In the 2019 elections, North Kalimantan will have its own electoral districts and will have representation at the House.

"We are likely to increase the number of seats [at the House], because there is one more province that must have seats," Home Ministry director general of political and general administration, Soedarmo, said.

He added that it would be easier to increase the number of seats at the House to accommodate political representatives from North Kalimantan than to reduce the number of seats from neighboring provinces, which he claimed would draw the ire of political parties.

In contrast, elections expert Ramlan Surbakti said increasing the size of the House was unnecessary as the current number of lawmakers was already excessive. Having more people at the House will only make it more ineffective and may even lead to a problem of overrepresentation, he added.

Rather than increasing the number of seats, Ramlan suggested that the government reduce the allocation of parliamentary seats from 3-10 to 3-6 per electoral district. "That said, political parties will need to intensify their competition. [...] To me, 560 legislative members is too many," Ramlan said.

East Kalimantan currently has six electoral districts and eight seats in parliament. Ramlan said the government and House could also share the seat allocations for East Kalimantan with North Kalimantan, as the combined population of the two provinces had not changed.

Soedarmo dismissed Ramlan's suggestions, saying that reducing the number of legislative seats in other provinces to accommodate the creation of new electoral districts was not an option as it was likely to upset political parties.

"No [parties] want to have their [amount of] seats cut down. The spirit is that we don't want to harm the political parties, because the voices of parties are the voices of the people," Soedarmo said.

But he said that the final say on the matter would depend on the bill's deliberation at the House. "We'll see how the bill deliberation goes," he added.

In the past, the General Elections Commission (KPU) had the full authority to arrange election regulations, and political parties had no say in determining whether the creation of a new province required additional legislative seats.

When West Papua became a new province and separated from Papua in 1999, the KPU decided to retain the share of the seats and proportionally divide them between the two provinces. Before the separation, Papua had 13 parliamentary seats. Three were then allocated to West Papua.

United Development Party (PPP) lawmaker Reni Marlinawati backed the government's plan and lashed out at Subakti's proposal to reduce the number of seats political parties could hold in each constituency.

"The reduction of parliamentary seats to 3-6 is not a solution. The House won't be able to accommodate aspirations from many regions," she said. She argued that the number should be increased to 3-15 per electoral district as the country's population was still growing.

The government is still drafting the election bill, which replaces several election laws, to serve as a legal basis for the 2019 election, in which, for the first time, the legislative and presidential elections will be merged.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/01/political-parties-want-more-seats-house.html

Jakarta & urban life

Out of the rubble: Jakarta's poor and displaced seek a vehicle for their voice

Indonesia at Melbourne - October 4, 2016

Ian Wilson – Sri rummaged through shopping bags stuffed with kitchen utensils. "Where's that clothes line?" she sighed. The sky was overcast and beginning to darken. It would rain soon, and heavily. It was the peak of the wet season. Sri and several hundred others had just lost their homes in a forced eviction in the south of Jakarta, and they needed cover. With the help of a neighbour, Sri strung up a tarpaulin donated by a political party, using the clothes line to secure it to the perimeter fence of an adjacent apartment block. From their balconies above, apartment residents filmed the drama below.

Earlier that morning, a combined force of 600 public order officials (Satpol PP), police and military officers had converged on the site. A final eviction notice had been served the previous day. With hundreds of residents refusing to leave, public order officers in riot gear pushed their way through a rudimentary barricade blocking the street. Men, women and children were dragged screaming and crying from their homes, after which the bulldozers moved in. Within an hour, the neighbourhood was no more.

Huddling under the tarpaulin as the first heavy drops of rain began to fall, I asked Sri what she'd do next. She shrugged. "I don't know. My family and I have lived here for 15 years. We'll hang in here for now. Hope for compensation. The government offered us rusunawa (low-cost rental apartments) but they're more than 30km from here. What about my kids' schooling and my food stall, how will I afford the cost of travel and the rent, how will..." Her voice trailed off as she contemplated the uncertainties.

Sri's home had been declared illegal by the Jakarta administration, which claimed that it was built on an allocated green zone, areas ostensibly earmarked for public parkland in a city where such spaces are rare. Yet, as with dozens of other neighbourhoods evicted on similar grounds, the land had been occupied for decades, incorporated within the city's administrative structure, and connected to state services such as electricity and water – for all intents and purposes, legal.

The perception of an uncompromising enforcement of the rule of law has been pivotal to support for Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaha Purnama, or Ahok, particularly among the middle class. According to the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta), more than 8,145 families were displaced in 2015, in 113 separate evictions. A further 325 locations have been slated for eviction by the end of 2016, with many suspecting an upsurge in the months prior to the governor's elections, scheduled for February 2017.

In a city like Jakarta, the "rule of law" is, in practice, more often than not a euphemism for rule by political expediency and the interests of the powerful. The governor's unflinching stance has been popular with his middle-class constituents, as well as property and developer moguls and important political and financial backers, largely because they have been entirely exempted from it. Recent floods in the upmarket Kemang district for example, the outcome of layers of unregulated development, have not resulted in significant sanctions. Meanwhile, the poor neighbourhood of Bukit Duri in Tebet, South Jakarta, was recently evicted despite an ongoing class action suit challenging the city administration's legal right to do so.

The north of Jakarta, in particular, has emerged as a battle ground. Developers and clients hungry for coastal property, facilitated by public-private partnerships under the mantle of developmentalism, have targeted some of the city's oldest neighbourhoods and the diverse ways of life of those who live there.

Evictions and displacement are not new – they have long been part of what it means to be poor in Jakarta. The unprecedented scale of dislocations under Ahok, however, has become a catalyst for increasing mobilisation, action and networking by urban poor groups, residents and their allies.

Unlike social-media savvy middle-class supporter movements like Teman Ahok, poor people's politics are diverse, fragmented and often appear unstructured and leaderless. As the product of necessity, they are overwhelmingly instrumental, opportunistic, and pragmatic: often the only effective strategies given the structural disadvantage of the poor.

Poor people already operate politically in everyday life, which requires the managing of complex and multiple relationships, including with the powerful, in order to hedge risk and keep options open.

A neighbourhood under threat of eviction may engage with a seemingly contradictory array of outside groups and interests ranging from human rights organisations, public intellectuals and trade unions to ethno-nationalist militias, Islamic mass organisations, a variety of aspiring electoral candidates and political parties. Each may offer possibilities for amelioration or assistance, some immediate, some long term.

Major political parties, for example, have generally shown little interest in, or sympathy with, the plight of Jakarta's poor and displaced. A recent exception is the Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), the former party of the governor, from which he acrimoniously split in 2012. Party flags and functionaries are now prominent at evictions, and party-affiliated groups regularly provide temporary shelter to the displaced.

That Gerindra is using the plight of the poor, and the race card, as a political wedge in its bitter pursuit of its former poster boy is not lost on many residents. But as one explained, "It doesn't matter. If it gets our rights on the agenda, then so be it. Who else is going to do it?"

As urban village, or kampung, residents know all too well, politicians will shift positions and priorities when it suits. Opportunities need to be seized.

Resistance is also driven locally by resident's forums, community leaders and urban poor advocacy, as well as support networks such as the Jakarta Urban Poor Network (JRMK) and Ciliwung Merdeka. Strategic actions have included class suits, street protests and vigils, and physical resistance to removal and neighbourhood beautification campaigns that challenge the characterisation of communities as slums. It is now common for evicted residents from one part of the city to be present at other evictions, reflecting a growing sense of inter-kampung solidarity.

Beyond the disconnected mobilisations and shaky alliances there are two main positions on which there is consensus. One is that Ahok must go, an attitude often referred to by the acronym ABA (Asal Bukan Ahok) or "As long as it's not Ahok". Initially embraced by many as a reformer, experience has shown that his vision for Jakarta is irredeemably "anti-kampung" and hostile to the poor, and that he's a willing hostage to the interests of developer giants such as Agung Podomoro.

The aggressive, and at times spiteful, manner in which he has pursued his evictions regime has extinguished any remaining goodwill. As one elderly resident said: "People say he's a tough guy, but only towards the weak. He has no heart."

The second is that the promises made by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo during his 2012 campaign for governor, formalised into a political contract, should be fulfilled. Key to these was a commitment to end evictions, revitalise, rather than demolish, kampung and provide tenure security to neighbourhoods in existence for 20 years or more. Brokered by a number of urban poor groups, this political contract was central to the large mobilisation of the poor in support of Jokowi and his then deputy Ahok.

That many of these neighbourhoods, such as Sri's, have since been subject to forced eviction has further compounded their sense of betrayal, abandonment and anger.

[Ian Wilson is a lecturer in politics and international studies and a research fellow at the Asia Research Centre, Murdoch University. He is the author of The Politics of Protection Rackets in Post-New Order Indonesia: Coercive Capital, Authority and Street Politics, published by Routledge in 2015.]

Source: http://indonesiaatmelbourne.unimelb.edu.au/out-of-the-rubble-jakartas-poor-and-displaced-seek-a-vehicle-for-their-voice/

Armed forces & defense

Military having voting rights impossible: State Secretary

Jakarta Post - October 7, 2016

Jakarta – Granting voting rights for Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel would not be possible because of existing laws, State Secretary Pratikno said on Friday.

"Why would it be questioned? There's obviously already a legal basis," Pratikno told reporters when asked about President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's stance on the issue, as quoted by kompas.com.

Pratikno was responding to media queries related to a request made by Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo to allow military personnel to take part in elections.

The state secretary noted three legal bases underlying the President's position in relation to political rights for the military: Article 5 on People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Resolution No. VII/MPR/2000 on the Separation of the Indonesian Military and National Police, Law No. 15/2011 on General Elections Management and Law, as well as Law. No 34/2004 on the TNI.

"So it's clear. They all state that when it comes to politics, the TNI must remain neutral," Pratikno said, while asserting the need to abide by the law.

Gatot stated earlier this week that military personnel were treated like foreign citizens for not having political rights. He expressed hope that the military would gain their rights to vote in elections within the next 10 years.

The current law stipulates that military personnel are not allowed to vote, although their family members have full political rights. (liz)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/07/military-having-voting-rights-impossible-state-secretary.html

Protests staged against TNI

Jakarta Post - October 6, 2016

Agus Maryono and Syamsul Huda M. Suhari, Banyumas/Gorontalo – It has been a challenging year for the Indonesian Military (TNI) with several of its personnel allegedly involved in violence against civilians in various regions, leaving some people seriously injured.

So it was unsurprising that while the TNI celebrated its 71st anniversary on Wednesday, civil groups staged protests against the military's violent approach to civilian affairs.

During the Wednesday celebrations, TNI chief Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo emphasized that the military's strength relied on the people, creating a military-people synergy and forming a state defense force not found in other countries.

The celebrations featured the tagline: "With the people, the TNI will be powerful, mighty, professional and ready to realize a sovereign, autonomous Indonesia with a strong character."

"This is the true character of the TNI that must not be eroded during the era of globalization," Gatot said.

Despite Gatot's statement that the TNI existed for the people, civil groups appeared unimpressed, emphasizing that military personnel had committed violence against civilians.

In Banyumas, Central Java, a group of journalists denounced violent acts committed by TNI members against media workers in Madiun, East Java, on Sunday. They staged a rally in Purwokerto's town square, urging the TNI chief to punish the perpetrators.

"We want those who committed violence against Net TV journalist Soni Misdananto to be taken to court," journalist Saladin Ayubi said during the rally.

The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Purwokerto chapter chairman Aris Andrianto said soldiers should protect citizens and not act arbitrarily against them. He added that the TNI commander must investigate allegations of violence committed by his personnel.

Soni was reportedly assaulted by members of the Bajra Yudha Airborne Infantry Battalion in Madiun on Sunday while covering a traffic accident that allegedly involved members of a martial arts school and residents of Taman district in Madiun. His journalistic equipment was damaged.

Topan Pramukti, another journalist, said such violence could not be tolerated and must be immediately addressed so that similar cases did not occur. He called for a stop to violence against journalists, saying their work was protected by Law No. 40/1999 on media.

In Gorontalo, more than 20 journalists affiliated with AJI and the Indonesian Television Journalists Association (IJTI) staged a peaceful rally at the Gorontalo Military Command, while boycotting the TNI's 71st anniversary on Wednesday. The action was a statement of solidarity with Madiun's Net TV journalist Misdananto.

"As a national defense force, the TNI should be able to protect the country and the people, including we journalists who uphold freedom when carrying out our tasks as journalists," said Gorontalo AJI head Debby Hariyanti Mano.

The AJI urged TNI leaders to impose disciplinary sanctions against perpetrators and provide assurances that the perpetrators would be prosecuted in accordance with the 1999 Press Law and the Criminal Code, because they had not only hindered the duties of the press, but had also committed abuse.

Gorontalo IJTI head Arlan Pakaya said Gorontalo journalists also rejected arrogance and repression from TNI members and supported all victims of violence undertaking legal processes until perpetrators were brought to justice.

Another case of violence against journalists was seen earlier on Aug. 15 when at least three journalists in Medan, North Sumatra, were assaulted by Air Force personnel while covering a clash between Air Force members and local residents.

A female journalist was left traumatized after allegedly being sexually harassed and attacked by Air Force members.

[Apriadi Gunawan from Medan also contributed to this story.]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/06/protests-staged-against-tni.html

TNI told to remain neutral

Jakarta Post - October 5, 2016

Margareth S. Aritonang and Nurul Fitri Ramadhani, Jakarta – After almost two decades of reform, the Indonesian Military (TNI), which dominated civilians during Soeharto's New Order, is still facing opposition in its efforts to attain voting rights.

A recent televised comment from TNI chief Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo expressing his hope for personnel to regain their voting rights was met with criticism on Tuesday, with concerns that such a right would become a source of divide within the force, as members are allowed to support different candidates during elections.

"The military force should always stay neutral and the conflicts of interest may lead to disputes in their internal force, because they may hold different political views from each other," said lawmaker Supiadin Aries Saputra of the NasDem Party, who is also a member of House of Representatives Commission I overseeing foreign affairs and defense.

In the interview, conducted ahead of the TNI's 71st anniversary on Wednesday, Gatot recalled the political rights of personnel being denied, which, according to him, made them feel like foreigners in their own country during each election. He hoped military members could be granted the same voting rights as civilians.

But Gatot is well aware of the internal challenges presented in the effort to grant military personnel voting rights. "It may happen after 10 years," he said, explaining that the TNI, as an institution, still had internal matters to settle.

Gatot is not the first to call for voting rights for TNI members. Former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a former military general, also brought up the discussion in 2013.

Indonesian law barred military members from voting after the 1955 legislative elections to maintain the force's strong support for the government.

During the New Order era the military, however, was given up to 20 percent of House seats by Soeharto, who was also an Army general. The House representation remained a privilege for retired military officers until the fall of the New Order.

Debate on whether military personnel should be given back their voting rights usually occurs nearing elections, in which many former military members vie for legislative and presidential posts.

A judicial review petition was filed ahead of the 2014 polls to challenge the 2008 Presidential Election Law, which only barred TNI and National Police members from voting in the 2009 election. The law contravened the 2012 Legislative Elections Law, which barred the forces' personnel from voting in 2014 legislative polls.

The Constitutional Court ruled that TNI and police members were also barred from voting in the 2014 presidential election. The government and the House are working to merge the two laws, along with the 2011 General Election Organizer Law, into one law regulating elections.

Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) executive director Titi Anggraini said voting rights for military personnel were acceptable as long the military could fully comply with democratic principles, including strong civil supremacy.

"I support voting rights for military members if all these conditions are met. But, our democracy still lacks monitoring and firm law enforcement," Titi emphasized.

Wahyudi Djafar of the Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam) said it was not easy to maintain TNI neutrality.

He recalled an incident in 1955 when the Siliwangi Military Command openly supported the Supporters of Indonesia Independence Party (IPKI), which was set up by high-ranking military elites after the military failed to secure House seats, to recover the TNI's active political role.

"Military personnel must first adopt civilian principles to fully enjoy [voting rights as] the product of the civilian democratic system," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/05/tni-told-to-remain-neutral-.html

Military gears up to secure border

Jakarta Post - October 4, 2016

Margareth S. Aritonang, Fadli and Ruslan Sangadji, Batam/Jakarta/Palu – For a country whose maritime territory is about four times the size of its land, it has always been a struggle for Indonesia to see water as a bridge that connects rather than a fault line that divides.

With substandard maritime weaponry systems and the absence of any single centralized authority, maritime patrols in the country's surrounding oceans and inland seas have long been neglected, making the maritime areas hotbeds of criminal activity, from illegal fishing to human trafficking and piracy.

The war against poachers and piracy that the government has been waging for the past two years is just a small part of the problems that the country now faces as a result of decades of underinvestment in securing its waters.

Security for inland waters as well as border areas has been subject to overlapping authority between the National Police, the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry at different periods in the nation's history.

Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu has emphasized that maritime security is among the challenges the country faces today. He said criminals preferred to enter the country via the sea because of challenges Indonesian authorities faced in securing its maritime borders.

"Traffickers will smuggle drugs or humans into the country via the sea because they will be easily detected if they enter the country via roads," Ryamizard told The Jakarta Post.

The government has recently tried to improve its military infrastructure to enhance maritime security, especially in border areas.

Fresh from tussles with China over poachers in the Natuna waters, a part of Indonesia's sovereign territory that directly borders the South China Sea, the government has strengthened Ranai Airport on Natuna Island in Riau Islands in order to make the island capable of maintaining goods and military personnel.

The Air Force also expects to expand the nearby Tanjung Pinang Airbase, also in the province, to house jet fighters such as the Sukhoi and the F-16.

In Palu, Central Sulawesi, construction of a submarine base is taking place at Palu Bay. Palu Bay directly connects to island waters that border with Malaysia and the Philippines.

To celebrate the TNI's 71st anniversary, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo will visit Natuna Island on Oct. 6 to inaugurate the revamped airport, the second time in the last five months.

Ryamizard, a retired Army general, said the Navy, Army and Air Force must strengthen their coordination to become the backbone of Indonesia's maritime security.

A joint command of the three forces, known as Kogabwilhan, has been set up to pool the regional resources of the Army, Navy and Air Force to expand joint power projection at border flash points.

"Military operations are never about the Army per se. It is never about the Navy or the Air Force only. Military operations are jointly carried out by the three branches," he said.

Defense analyst Muradi from the University of Padjajaran in Bandung applauded the government's plan to secure more parts of the country with combined military power.

Muradi noted that Natuna would be a priority for the Navy and the Air Force because the threats posed to the region would likely come from the air and the sea.

He said further that the situation would be different at other border areas such as Papua. In Papua, protecting Indonesia's soverei [text missing from original].

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/04/military-gears-secure-border.html

Sari Rejo residents say Air Force personnel 'intimidating' them

Jakarta Post - October 3, 2016

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – Residents of Sari Rejo in Medan, North Sumatra, claim that a number of Air Force personnel have started to come into their areas, calling on them to immediately leave their houses in the disputed area.

Nikcy Kosasih, one of the residents, said the visit of the military personnel had sparked unrest among the residents, who feared that the Air Force would soon expel them from their houses. "Residents consider it to be a form of intimidation," Nicky told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

On Aug. 15, dozens of personnel from the Soewondo Airbase clashed with civilians over the disputed land. During the incident, military personnel allegedly assaulted residents. At least 10 were injured in the incident.

Another resident, Dadang Supriatna, said four Air Force officers in their uniforms came to his house. Initially, they told Dadang that they wanted to buy his house on Jl. Sejati Gang Iman, but later on they said they did not have enough money.

Dadang added that the officers told him that he had to leave his house within two days. "They issued an ultimatum, saying I had to vacate the house within two days," said Dadang.

"The Air Force has no right to force us to leave. This house is an inheritance from my parents. We will not give it up to the Air Force," Dadang added. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/03/sari-rejo-residents-say-air-force-personnel-intimidating-them.html

Air Force denies intimidating residents

Jakarta Post - October 3, 2016

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – The Air Force has denied claims that it sent personnel to intimidate residents of Sari Rejo in Medan, North Sumatra, so that they would leave their houses on a disputed plot of land.

Spokesman of Soewondo Airbase in Medan Air Maj. Jhoni Tarigan said on Monday that after the clash on Aug. 15 between Sari Rejo residents and Air Force personnel, the Air Force had never sent any personnel to intimidate the residents.

"There has been no intimidation nor ultimatum given to residents. If Air Force personnel came to residents' houses, they may have had their own private affairs," Jhoni told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Earlier on Monday, several residents claimed that a number of Air Force personnel had come into the area, demanding that they immediately leave their houses. They said they feared that the Air Force would soon expel them from their houses forcefully.

On Aug. 15, dozens of personnel from the air base clashed with civilians over the land. During the incident, military personnel allegedly assaulted residents, causing at least 10 to be injured.

Speaking about the investigation into the personnel implicated in the Aug. 15 violence, Jhoni said the investigation team was working to complete the legal process.

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and the Air Force have set up a team to investigate the incident. Komnas HAM said it found human rights abuses during the incident. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/03/air-force-denies-intimidating-residents.html

Criminal justice & legal system

Law reform package will accommodate public interests, Wiranto says

Jakarta Post - October 6, 2016

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto has promised that the law reform package the government will soon introduce will accommodate the public interest and will recover people's trust in Indonesia's legal system.

He said the package would address loopholes in the current law enforcement system covering legal instruments, law enforcers and legal cultures.

"It aims to make our people fully trust and believe that Indonesia's justice system can guarantee public order, security and legal accountability for all of the country's citizens," Wiranto told journalists on Wednesday.

He further said officials, including government officers, police personnel and prosecutors, were currently drafting the package.

Wiranto said the drafting team had prioritized pressing issues within the country's legal system that needed to be immediately addressed, including internal and external reforms in several state institutions.

The minister refused to disclose further details on key points in the package, except to hint that the national law revitalization draft might be completed by next week. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/06/law-reform-package-will-accommodate-public-interests-wiranto-says.html

Death row prisoners in limbo in Indonesia after unexplained stay of execution

Sydney Morning Herald - October 4, 2016

Jewel Topsfield and Amilia Rosa, Jakarta – A condemned Pakistani man has spoken of his suffering as his life remains in limbo more than two months after he was mysteriously spared from an Indonesian firing squad.

Garment trader Zulfiqar Ali was among 14 convicted drug offenders slated to be executed on April 29 as part of Indonesia's so-called "war on drugs". But 10 prisoners, including Mr Ali, were given a last-minute stay of execution for reasons never explained by the Indonesian government.

"I am in darkness until now," Mr Ali told Fairfax Media via his lawyer. "I am suffering for a long time and still this is a time of suffering for me."

Mr Ali was arrested on drug trafficking charges in 2004 after an Indian acquaintance, Gurdip Singh, named him as the owner of 300 grams of heroin. An internal probe into Mr Ali's case, ordered by the Indonesian government, found he was a victim of conspiracy and likely to be innocent.

The investigation by then director-general of human rights Hafid Abbas, which found evidence of human rights violations and abuse of power at all levels, was ignored by former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

"I have sent a very strong letter to President Jokowi three days ago and strongly advised the president to immediately provide clemency to Zulfiqar Ali," Dr Hafid, who is now a commissioner with the National Commission for Human Rights told Fairfax Media.

However a spokesman for the Attorney-General, Muhammad Rum, said the executions would still be carried out. "The plan is still on, it was only postponed," he told Fairfax Media. "We haven't decided on the time."

Since his death was mysteriously postponed, Mr Ali, who has cirrhosis, has been ferried between hospital and a jail on Nusakambangan, the island where Indonesia carries out its executions.

He and another of the condemned prisoners, Indonesian Merri Utami, have repeatedly asked to be transferred back to the jails where they were incarcerated prior to July's executions.

Ms Utami, whom supporters say was a victim of human trafficking, has been kept in an isolation cell at a jail in Cilacap, the closest town to Nusakambangan. "She is in isolation 24/7 except for two hours of church time each week," her lawyer, Afif Abdul Oyim told Fairfax Media.

"Her daughter spoke to her and told us her health has been impacted by the isolation. Emotionally, she is still traumatised by the execution day. Sometimes she will hear her cell doors opening, like the one she heard during execution night. She has no activities all day in isolation. It adds to the stress."

But Mr Rum said the nine male prisoners would remain on Nusakambangan and Ms Utami would stay at the women's jail in Cilacap. "They are already there, so they stay there," he said.

Mr Ali's wife, Siti Rohani, is worried this means her husband will be taken away from her again soon. "We are hearing there is going to be another round of executions by the end of the year," she said.

Mr Ali said he was forced to confess to the heroin after being tortured by police: "They beat me like an animal. They showed me we will shoot you with a gun. Many things they did to me. They didn't allow me to talk to my embassy and talk to my lawyer."

He was sentenced to death in June 2005 even though the prosecution had only demanded life imprisonment. Dr Hafid said the sentencing was shortly after the arrest of the Bali nine on drug smuggling charges. "There was emotion in Indonesian society at that time that narcotics cases should be punished much more."

He said he had provided four main reasons why Indonesian president Joko Widodo should grant clemency. These included that Gurdip Singh had recanted his allegations of Mr Ali's involvement, Mr Ali had been in hospital the day the prosecution alleged he had bought the heroin, prosecutors had only requested a jail sentence and another accomplice had received a much lighter sentence.

Former president Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie also wrote to Mr Joko asking that he save Mr Ali's life.

But the couple have been told nothing officially of Mr Ali's fate since the night of the July 29 executions when he was asked what he wanted done with his remains.

"They asked me in front of my wife, in front of my children, where do you want to be buried?," Mr Ali said. "[They said] better you are buried in Indonesia. [They] do not want to allow me to go back to Pakistan."

Ms Siti wept as her husband recounted telling his family "it was better to let him go" in the lead up to the executions. "I am tired because of this system, these people, this everything," he told her. "Better ok, if you want to kill me, shoot me, finish this problem."

On July 29, executioners took from his cell "one black guy in front of me", a Nigerian, who was later shot. Mr Ali, waiting in his isolation cell on Nusakambangan, told himself "This is my number, this is my number". But the executioners never came back for him.

"Around 1am I got a text from the prison governor saying 'Alhamdulillah (Praise be to God) Bapak (Mr Ali) is safe," Ms Siti said. "But we couldn't be sure about it because the prosecutors didn't say anything, they were there... but they just stayed silent."

Mr Ali said he had many opportunities to escape during his numerous stints in hospital but chose not to do so. "Why am I still here? Because I am not guilty. If they want to do something to me, they will be wrong, not me. Still I have hope of God Almighty, who can do anything. Inshallah."

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/death-row-prisoners-in-limbo-in-indonesia-after-unexplained-stay-of-execution-20161004-gruj3s.html

Hope for effective judicial oversight pinned on new bill

Jakarta Post - October 1, 2016

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – Since its establishment in 2005, the Judicial Commission has had most of its recommendations ignored by the Supreme Court, in what could be seen as an attempt by the latter to resist reforms.

The commission, which was set up to oversee the judiciary, is hoping that the judge tenure bill, slated to be deliberated by the House of Representatives' legal affairs commission in the near future, would change the situation.

To be fair, the Supreme Court has made efforts to reform itself, but it has yet to produce substantial results, with several judges recently convicted of corruption.

The Commission, according to its spokesman Farid Wajdi, is now pushing for the inclusion of the "shared responsibility" concept in the bill, which would allow it to become involved in the process of recruiting, promoting, assessing and monitoring lower court judges.

Wajdi claimed the current draft bill already accommodated about 60 percent of the Commission's proposals for stronger checks and balances in the judiciary.

The 2009 law on judicial powers, which the court says highlights the importance of judicial independence, has long been used by the Supreme Court to block the Commission's reform efforts.

Some countries, like Austria, Belgium, France and Germany, already recognize the shared responsibility concept, as stated in the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime's (UNODC) 2011 resource guide on strengthening judicial integrity and capacity.

These countries involve various entities, to different degrees, such as the heads of courts, judicial councils, ad hoc agencies, ministers of justice and parliamentary commissions, in the decision-making process regarding judges, including recruitment and retirement. France and the Netherlands follow a similar approach.

"The best practice we can learn from them is that their supreme courts focus on handling cases only", said Muhammad Ilham from the Commission's analysis unit. "Twelve years should have been enough for [the Supreme Court to conduct] the reform," he added.

There were around 7,000 judges of various lower courts across the nation last year who had to handle about 4.6 million cases, including around 113,000 carry-over cases from 2014. Although more than 80 percent of those cases were light offenses such as traffic violations, their number kept increasing.

Despite the piling cases, the number of judges has declined, because some have retired and there was no recruitment of lower-level judges in the past six years. The last time the court recruited lower court judges was in 2010, with 210 personnel taken on.

The main reason for the hiatus is that the revision of the judicial powers law introduced a provision that classifies judges as state officials, leaving personnel expenditure for potential new judges in limbo, Supreme Court justice Suhadi said recently.

The Judicial Commission also expected the bill to include a provision limiting a Supreme Court justice's term in office to five years, with possible extension every five years after an evaluation by the Commission and approval from the House.

The Supreme Court has repeatedly expressed strong opposition to the plan, saying Indonesia should learn from other countries that did not limit judges' tenures.

The new efforts to reform the judiciary coincide with the government's plan to devise a set of policies for judicial reform.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is expected to reform the judiciary as soon as possible to attract investment, as the poor quality of judicial processes in the country has long been a deterrent to investors.

The World Bank's 2016 Ease of Doing Business report shows the country scoring just 6.5 points on the quality of judicial process index – which ranges from 0 to 18 points, with higher values indicating more efficient judicial processes. Indonesia lags behind some of its neighbors, like Malaysia and Singapore, which scored 12 and 15.5 points, respectively.

Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly, however, declined to comment on the Commission's agenda, saying it was better to wait until the House deliberated the bill.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/01/hope-effective-judicial-oversight-pinned-new-bill.html

Police & law enforcement

Two police members reported for torture

Jakarta Post - October 3, 2016

Djemi Amnifu, Kupang – Two policemen from Rote Ndao regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), were reported to the provincial police headquarters for allegedly beating to death a key witness in a mutilation investigation in the regency.

NTT Police spokesperson Adj. Sr. Comr. Jules Abast confirmed that his office had received a report on two police officers who allegedly beat a man to death.

"We have received the report. We will investigate the case thoroughly," Jules said on Saturday. Jules explained, however, that whether legal proceedings would ensue depended on the result of an internal investigation.

The case started when two police officers, Chief Brig. Josua Atacay and First Brig. Yosafat Baksuni, were assigned to arrest Heri Anabokai, a key witness in the mutilation of Martinus.

The police traced Heri and found he was working at an oil palm plantation in Empanang district, Kapuas Hulu regency in West Kalimantan. Both Josua and Yosafat were assigned to pick him up.

"The two policemen went from East Nusa Tenggara to West Kalimantan and were furnished with an arrest warrant. They showed the arrest warrant to the security guard of the company where Heri worked," Jules added.

However, Heri died on the way from Kapuas Hulu regency to Pontianak. The drive from Kapuas Hulu to Pontianak took 12 hours.

Jules emphasized that his office would investigate the case to determine whether there had been a procedural violation in the arrest of Heri. He added that the cause of Heri's death would be announced after an internal investigation. "Let's just wait for the result of the internal investigation," he said.

Basmat Anabocay-Zacharias, the wife of Heri, said she hoped the East Nusa Tenggara Police would seriously investigate the case and bring the perpetrators to justice. She said she believed her husband died as a result of torture because there were bruises on his body.

She said her brother-in-law, Johanis, was present when Heri was arrested. "He [Johanis] saw the torture," Basmat alleged.

Meanwhile, West Kalimantan Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Suhadi SW said the two officers were being questioned over Heri's death. "We are also coordinating with the East Nusa Tenggara Police," he said.

Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) coordinator Haris Azhar said his organization also received a report on the death of Heri, allegedly at the hands of two detectives. He lambasted the alleged torture.

"We demand the National Police chief pay serious attention and investigate the case thoroughly," he said as quoted by tempo.co.

Heri's body is being kept at the Bhayangkara Hospital. Forensic tests on his body are pending and will be conducted only after there is a conclusion on the result of the questioning of the two detectives. Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/03/two-police-members-reported-torture.html

Nationalism & chauvinism

PPP wants President, VP of 'Indonesian origin' in Constitution amendment

Jakarta Post - October 5, 2016

Jakarta – The United Development Party (PPP) has suggested an amendment to the 1945 Constitution and the reintroduction of the stipulation that requires both the President and Vice President of Indonesia to be of "Indonesian origin", namely Indonesian citizens who are not descendants of "foreign" people.

The suggestion aims to return Article 6 paragraph (i) of the 1945 Constitution to its original form prior its amendment, to stipulate that the only eligible candidates for the country's top positions are those who are genuine descendants of the Indonesian race. Candidates born to Indonesian and foreign parents, even though they are Indonesian citizens, would not be eligible.

"As a consequence [foreign-born people] are not included under the definition of 'Indonesian origins'. However, they can still serve in the government in other positions, but not as President or Vice President," PPP secretary general Arsul Sani said, as quoted by kompas.com on Tuesday.

Arsul said the details on the definition of "Indonesian origin", including deciding the line of descent, could be further stipulated in other related laws, such as the law on general elections or the law on the presidential institution. The plan would be further studied by the PPP in collaboration with various stakeholders, he added.

The suggested amendment was first introduced by PPP chair Muhammad Romahurmuziy during the PPP national work meeting (Mukernas) on Monday. Romahurmuziy said reintroducing the term "Indonesian origin" as a main requirement for President and Vice President was important "to guard the country's spirit of nationalism." (evi)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/05/ppp-wants-president-vp-of-indonesian-origin-in-constitution-amendment.html

Mining & energy

Businesses in doubt over gas incentives

Jakarta Post - October 7, 2016

Fedina S. Sundaryani and Arya Dipa, Bandung – Natural gas buyers seem to be torn between ecstatic and pessimistic over the government's ability to successfully implement a plan that aims to peg natural gas prices for selected sectors at below US$6 per million British thermal units (mmbtu) starting next year.

In an effort to slash the stubbornly high gas prices, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo issued in May Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 40/2016 on natural gas pricing. The Perpres was part of the third economic stimulus package launched in October last year.

Two months later, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry issued a new regulation stating that the minister could lower prices for certain industries by a maximum of $2 per 1 mmbtu if gas prices were higher than $6 per mmbtu.

Currently, only seven industries enjoy the lower gas prices, but the government plans to add three other sectors – pulp and paper, food and beverages and textiles – to the list.

President Jokowi also recently expressed his commitment to make sure the 10 industrial sectors and one industrial zone enjoy such an incentive starting January next year.

Head of the Forum for Natural Gas-Using Industries (FIPGB), Achmad Safiun, is optimistic about the feasibility of the plan.

Maintaining gas prices at below $6 per mmbtu, he said, would help local players expand their operations as the current high prices had led to decreased global market shares due to the high percentage natural gas makes up in production costs.

"For example, in the production costs of some metals, energy-use makes up 15 percent of the production costs. So if you decrease the gas price from $9 per mmbtu to $5, you can see that production costs will drop significantly," he said on Thursday.

Indonesia's gas prices hover around $9 per mmbtu, higher than most of its Southeast Asian neighbors. Both Malaysia and Singapore, for example, sell gas at around $4 per mmbtu. The government has long been trying to lower gas prices to boost income tax through improved industrial productivity.

Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto said the economic benefit of lowered gas prices could reach Rp 32 trillion ($2.46 billion) if prices were cut to $4 per mmbtu, with an additional distribution and transmission cost of $1.5 to $2.

The 10 sectors that will enjoy the gas price cut, which also include fertilizer, petrochemical, stainless steel, ceramic, glass, oleochemical and glove industries, contributed around Rp 1,200 trillion, or 10 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). The price cut is expected to increase their contribution to GDP as costs fall.

The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (Kadin) deputy chairman of the upstream and petrochemical field, Ahmad Wijaya, said a price cut is essential if the government is serious about transforming the role of natural gas from a revenue maker to an industry booster.

Indonesian Textiles Association (API) chairman Ade Sudrajat, however, was pessimistic over the plan's ability to lower gas prices. He argued that the authority to cut gas prices lays in existing regulations on corporations as a majority of gas suppliers are companies that have gone public.

"The firms are also monitored by Bappebti [the Futures Exchange Supervisory Board] and others. It will not be easy for the government to intervene unless a holding [company] is established," he said.

Meanwhile, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry plans to change the fixed price system, which is based on future gas sales and purchase agreements (PJBG), with a "hybrid" system that would consider the fluctuation of global oil prices to determine gas prices.

The ministry's director for oil and gas, Agus Cahyono Adi, said the fixed scheme is one of the main reasons why gas prices remain high in the country despite being low globally.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/07/businesses-in-doubt-over-gas-incentives.html

Premium consumption continues to decline

Jakarta Post - October 1, 2016

Fedina S. Sundaryani and Grace D. Amianti, Jakarta – State-owned oil and gas giant Pertamina has reported that the consumption of its Premium brand gasoline continues to drop significantly, attributing the trend to the increasing public awareness of the importance of better quality fuels.

Pertamina data shows that the average sales of Premium, which has a research octane number (RON) of 88, dropped to 50,500 kiloliters per day in September from 64,600 kiloliters per day in July.

Pertamina spokesperson Wianda Pusponegoro noted that Premium sales had been even higher earlier this year at around 75,000 kiloliters a day, but had dropped in correlation to the increased sales of its non-subsidized fuel counterpart, Pertalite, which has a RON of 90.

Pertalite's sales have surged since it was introduced last year. The oil and gas giant recorded that Pertalite sales reached 25,200 kiloliters per day this month from 14,700 kiloliters in July. Sales of the non-subsidized fuel only reached a measly average of 327 kiloliters per day when it first hit the market.

"The public's enthusiasm has been very high, especially since more are becoming aware of the types of fuels better suited to their cars. Nowadays, most car compression engines have a compression level above nine, which needs fuel with a RON higher than 88," Wianda told reporters on Thursday.

The growing public interest to Pertalite, Wianda continued, might also have been caused by the increasing number of gas stations selling the new product. Up to 4,341 of the total of 5,806 gas stations nationwide now sell Pertalite, with up to 47 of them located in Papua and West Papua.

The average sales of Dexlite, a new diesel fuel brand Pertamina hopes will replace the subsidized Solar diesel fuel, has increased to 620 kiloliters per day in September from 230 kiloliters in July.

Indonesia still lags behind by its neighbor Malaysia in terms of the distribution of high octane fuel. Malaysia removed fuel with a RON lower than 91 in 2009 and now its people regularly consume fuel with a RON of 95. In contrast, 87 percent of distributed fuel in Indonesia has a RON of 88.

However, both the government and Pertamina hope to change that as many gas stations have started to phase out their Premium stocks.

Furthermore, Pertamina is currently building several new refineries and upgrading existing refineries so that they can produce fuel with higher RON specifications, including the RON-92 Pertamax gasoline, which has also seen a rise in popularity.

As Premium's popularity continues to wane, the government has decided to tweak the prices of both subsidized fuels following three months of no change.

The government last changed subsidized fuel prices in April when it set Premium gasoline at Rp 6,450 (50 US cents) per liter and Solar at Rp 5,150 per liter. It decided to maintain the prices for the next three months after the following evaluation in July because of the Ramadhan and Idul Fitri festivities.

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry recently announced that Premium prices would decrease by around Rp 300 per liter, while Solar prices will increase by around Rp 500 to Rp 600 per liter starting this month.

However, the Ministry's secretary-general, Teguh Pamudji, told reporters on Friday that the government had decided to maintain the subsidized fuel prices until the end of the year.

He explained that the decision was made based on economic reasons, but declined to disclose any details.

Separately, Pertamina Retail, the subsidiary of Pertamina that manages gas stations, said that it had gradually lowered Premium stocks at its outlets in response to declining demand for the fuel brand.

"The demand for Premium is getting weaker," Pertamina Retail president director Toharso said on Friday.

[Moses Ompusunggu contributed to the story.]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/01/premium-consumption-continues-decline.html

Economy & investment

Foreign investors demand further economic reforms

Jakarta Post - October 6, 2016

Stefani Ribka, Jakarta – While lauding the government's 13 economic policy packages, foreign investors say they want to see more changes to smooth business activities.

In a diplomatic and chambers of commerce gathering held by the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, representatives of foreign business communities and ambassadors said they appreciated ongoing progress, but added that some of the most common problems were still present in the field.

In terms of tax, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) president director Daiki Kasugahara pointed to a recent shift in tax procedures that resulted in troubled operations among Japanese firms.

The diplomats and firms' executives also highlighted issues of different handling mechanisms for imported goods and complicated work permit procedures.

At the moment, Indonesia requires importers to bring in goods that meet local standards, which has resulted in numerous inspections at ports upon arrival, even when the importers are repeat businesspeople and the goods already meet international standards.

The multiple inspections add to the layers of difficulty faced by businesspeople and prolong custom clearance and cargo release at ports, whereas the government aims to reduce dwell time at ports, in accordance with its 13th economic policy package.

Government data shows that dwell time varies from port to port. Tanjung Priok Port, which is the country's largest port and manages the heaviest flow of goods, has a dwell time of 3.5 days, compared to Singapore's one day and Malaysia's three days.

The dwell time is even higher at other ports, with Tanjung Perak Port in East Java reporting 5.2 days and Belawan Port in North Sumatra reporting 4.28 days.

"We believe if Indonesia wants to rely more on international standards, you'll avoid some troublesome situations where you have to fly in and fly out some of the experts [to assist in] each and every shipment," said EU Ambassador to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam Vincent Guerend.

In terms of work permits, UK Ambassador to Indonesia Moazzam Malik highlighted the piles of paperwork needed to renew permits every six months.

Meanwhile, Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) head Thomas Lembong, who attended the event, acknowledged that tax, the predictability of regulations and work permits were the top three complaints from foreign businesspeople.

Thomas – along with other government officials, such as economic policy effectiveness and acceleration task force deputy chairman Sofjan Wanandi and Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara – assured the businesspeople that their concerns had been taken into account by the government.

The government is currently preparing for the revision of four tax laws to ease tax matters and payment methods, such as the General Taxation Law (KUP).

Rudiantara said that starting next year, incoming goods could meet local standards through a process carried out abroad. "That way, you won't have to bring your experts to Indonesia anymore."

Despite the existing problems, the diplomats said they had seen progress as a result of the 13 economic packages.

"Tangibly, I get fewer complaints from my companies, so that's a sign of improvement. I also see that the goodwill and efforts to resolve the problems are there. I think things are really improving," said Swedish Ambassador to Indonesia Johanna Brismar Skoog.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/06/foreign-investors-demand-further-economic-reforms.html

Inflation low as consumption remains weak in September

Jakarta Post - October 4, 2016

Prima Wirayani, Jakarta – A benign consumer price index (CPI) in September indicates that consumer spending remains weak, economists say.

Annual inflation in September stood at 3.07 percent, on the lower bound of Bank Indonesia's (BI) target of 3 to 5 percent, latest official data shows.

The core inflation rate, which dropped to 3.21 percent from 3.32 percent in August and 5.07 percent in September last year, indicates that purchasing power remained weak, said PermataBank economist Josua Pardede.

"The low interest rate trend has yet to effectively trigger demand," he said, referring to the central bank's move to cut its benchmark interest rate by 125 basis points (bps) so far this year, and its relaxation of several policies to boost consumption.

The efforts, however, have not boosted demand, as indicated by nationwide banks' loan growth that averaged 6.7 percent, the weakest in six years. Overall economic growth is expected to rebound from a six-year low last year to 5 to 5.1 percent this year.

Consumers like 41-year-old Mindo Leona are choosing to spend wisely amid cool economic conditions. "If no promotions are offered, I will probably decided against spending under current economic conditions," the Jakarta-based private employee said. "I have to save for year-end events, including Christmas, I am also used to traveling with my relatives during that period."

Maybank Indonesia economist Juniman is of the view that consumers are spending wisely and not pushing to spend money on things they do not really need. "People's purchasing power weakens after Lebaran because there is no further cash stimulus from the government," he said. "Their spending goes back to normal."

At the same time, government spending also slows due to its cash-strapped budget, causing a lack of job creation that eventually weakens purchasing power.

To boost purchasing power, Josua said, the government should encourage the manufacturing sector and provide incentives for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which absorbs a high number of employees.

Many economists projected full-year inflation to end up slightly above 3 percent, as long as the government could keep transportation and volatile food prices in check.

In September, the main cause of inflation was increases in communication costs, rent, education costs, cigarettes and red chili, said Central Statistics Agency (BPS) head Suhariyanto.

"We hope inflation will be in check in the next three months so that the target can be achieved," he told a press briefing on Monday.

Bank Danamon economist Wisnu Wardhana said if the spike in mobile rates, the first year-on-year (yoy) inflation since November 2007, continued as a trend, "we can expect a curb on its demand recovery".

He argued that domestic purchasing power had been supported by subdued inflation, with deflation in transport and communication triggering demand to rise in the first half of last year.

BPS deputy head for distribution and statistics Sasmito Hadi Wibowo said the outlook for full-year inflation would depend on price movement during the festive December month, which would be highly driven by transportation costs, as people usually traveled over the holidays, in addition to other factors, such as electricity and fuel prices.

"To me, it's likely the [3 to 5 percent] target will be achieved. The rate can even end up lower than the target," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/04/inflation-low-as-consumption-remains-weak-in-september.html

Finance & banking

Sultan's bid for tax amnesty sparks rumor and innuendo

Jakarta Post - October 7, 2016

Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – While it is everyone's right to apply for the government's tax amnesty, the participation of state officials in a program specifically designed to convince top businesspeople to declare their hidden wealth and repatriate their money from overseas has come as a surprise.

Through the tax amnesty program, any figures who previously never paid tax on undeclared assets can now declare their wealth and pay much lower fees without fear of being prosecuted.

While the program is open for any individuals or companies, it is surprising to see that Yogyakarta Sultan Hamengku Buwono X has also applied for the tax amnesty because it could create the impression that the sultan has not declared all his wealth and, therefore, has not paid all his taxes.

Yogyakarta Non-Governmental Organization Forum chairman Beny Susanto said he was skeptical that the sultan's act of not declaring all his assets was unintentional. He said he did not believe that a state official like the sultan would simply forget to declare some of his wealth.

Beny said such negligence deserved punishment. "The tax amnesty program reveals that there are many public officials who did not pay taxes on their wealth, while the people are continuously being forced to pay taxes, excises and various kinds of fees," he said.

Beny was commenting on the sultan who on Wednesday declared some of his wealth to the Yogyakarta tax office that had not been declared in his annual tax returns.

Yogyakarta tax office head Yuli Kristiyono said he met the sultan on Wednesday to receive the tax amnesty documents.

Yuli, however, declined to reveal the extent of the sultan's wealth, nor the amount of fees that he had to pay for his previously undeclared assets. "According to Law No. 11/2016 on the tax amnesty, we are obliged to keep information about that a secret," Yuli said on Wednesday.

Beside the Yogyakarta governor, all four regents and one mayor in the province, as well as some other members of Yogyakarta's royal family, also applied for the tax amnesty.

Yuli brushed aside speculation that the officials had intentionally evaded paying taxes by not declaring all their assets, saying such an oversight was common.

The meeting between Yuli and the sultan lasted for about one and a half hours, but the sultan himself was reluctant to meet with the press afterwards.

Yuli said that as of Wednesday, 4,352 formerly reluctant taxpayers had participated in the tax amnesty in Yogyakarta since the program was implemented on July 1. The total value of fees paid amounted to Rp 351.8 billion (US$27.08 million).

"The new wealth reported amounts to Rp 16.6 trillion. We will use this as the potential for tax payments in the future," Yuli said.

The first period of the tax amnesty program ran from July to September. The second period is to run from October to December. Yuli said his agency would disseminate information about the program to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the province.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/07/sultan-s-bid-tax-amnesty-sparks-rumor-and-innuendo.html

Wider tax base still far from reach despite soaring realization

Jakarta Post - October 5, 2016

Prima Wirayani, Jakarta – The first stage of the tax amnesty program may have ended in success, but the government's bigger purpose of widening the country's tax base still seems far from reach.

During the first three months of the program's implementation that ended on Sept. 30, the program managed to persuade taxpayers to declare Rp 3.6 quadrillion (US$277.18 billion) in assets, around 90 percent of the targeted Rp 4 quadrillion.

At the same time, the penalty or redemption payment stood at Rp 89.1 trillion, 54 percent of the targeted Rp 165 trillion.

However, those funds were declared by fewer than 400,000 taxpayers, a tiny fraction of the country's 30 million taxpayers, according to data from the Finance Ministry's Directorate General of Taxation.

A majority of the participants during the first phase were those who already had a taxpayer number and had submitted their tax return forms (SPT), meaning that the tax amnesty program was only successful in attracting a small number of new taxpayers, recorded at 15,856.

"That [the new taxpayer number] is very small, considering the number of new potential taxpayers could reach around 20 to 25 million," said Center for Indonesia Taxation Analysis (CITA) executive director Yustinus Prastowo on Tuesday.

CITA estimates there are 50 million to 55 million people currently eligible as taxpayers, those with an annual income above Rp 54 million per person, but only 30 million of them already have tax numbers.

As a comparison, a previous program dubbed "the sunset policy" garnered more than 3.5 million new taxpayers during a 12-month period in 2008.

Back then, the government allowed corporate and individual taxpayers to pay back taxes without penalties or interest for up to one year from the start of the amnesty date.

When the sunset policy was extended for two months in 2009, the government attracted an additional 2.1 million new taxpayers.

Danny Darussalam Tax Center partner Bawono Kristiaji expressed a similar view as Yustinus, saying that although the achievement was positive, it was not yet optimal.

"At least we are seeing signs that the government is working to distribute the tax burden more fairly to reduce free riders in our tax system," he wrote in a text message, expressing hope that the tax structure would no longer rely solely on corporate income taxes and value-added taxes, but also on individual income taxes.

Tax collection is important for the country, as more than 85 percent of state revenue is sourced from taxes. However, the largest Southeast Asian economy is struggling to increase its tax ratio, which currently stands at around 11 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), as opposed to the ratios in neighboring countries that hover at 14 to 15 percent.

OCBC economist Wellian Wiranto wrote in a research note that the real game-changing element of this program would be over the longer term. He insisted there had to be a belief that this program presented a last chance to come clean, that it was now or never.

"After all, if Indonesians assume the government might roll out another plan down the road, they might think it is better to wait and see if the whole AEOI [automatic exchange of information] initiative that may leave them vulnerably exposed is for real, or just a paper tiger with no real bite."

Separately, taxation director general Ken Dwijugiasteadi expressed optimism that more new taxpayers would register during the amnesty's second phases in October to December, and third phase in January to March, supported by its information dissemination efforts.

The tax office will focus not only on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) but also existing taxpayers and tycoons.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/05/wider-tax-base-still-far-from-reach-despite-soaring-realization.html

Poor reporting, irregularities cause state losses: BPK

Jakarta Post - October 5, 2016

Viriya P. Singgih, Jakarta – A state audit on the use of billions of dollars worth of tax funds has found thousands of irregularities, casting doubt on the government's ability to improve financial transparency and accountability in the hope of boosting the economy.

The Supreme Audit Agency's (BPK) latest investigative audit found 15,568 irregularities – mostly in last year's financial reports from central and local governments and companies they control – that may have a financial impact of Rp 30.62 trillion (US$2.35 billion), including Rp 1.92 trillion in state losses.

Most of the irregularities were related to goods procurement that did not match contractual or regulatory specifications and missing details in spending records, said the head of the BPK's directorate for planning, evaluation and development, Slamet Kurniawan.

Furthermore, the BPK downgraded the opinions for 12 ministries and non-ministerial government institutions, including the Foreign Ministry, the Religious Affairs Ministry and the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry, from unqualified to qualified opinions.

Moreover, three institutions received disclaimer opinions – the poorest mark – namely the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), the Youth and Sports Ministry and the Social Affairs Ministry. The highest mark in a BPK audit is an unqualified opinion, followed by qualified, adverse and disclaimer opinions.

"Most probably, the decline in quality occurred due to ongoing transactions, such as spending that has not been recorded or is incomplete," Slamet said on Monday.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has repeatedly stressed the government's commitment to managing its finances effectively and transparently, especially with the continuous increase in state and regional budgets aimed at boosting economic activity through infrastructure development and poverty alleviation.

Center for Reform in Economics (CORE) research director Mohammad Faisal said that 2015 had been a transition year for Jokowi's administration. He highlighted the merger of the ministries in charge of public works and public housing under the President's leadership, which may have led to worse financial reporting. The new ministry was downgraded by the BPK to a qualified opinion.

"This also reflects the President's motto: Work, work, work! It might be good to cut red tape in the bureaucracy, but it also forces government institutions to streamline their procedures, which could lead to missing details in their financial reports," he went on.

From January 2015 to June 2016, the BPK submitted 61,931 recommendations to related institutions to fix their financial irregularities. However, only 39.6 percent of the recommendations have been properly implemented, according to the auditors.

The BPK has also found criminal irregularities amounting to Rp 44.62 trillion in the period of January 2003 to June 2016. Law enforcement authorities have processed 94 percent of those irregularities.

Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) executive director Enny Sri Hartati said the government had to ensure that law enforcers followed up all of the BPK's findings and recommendations.

"Otherwise, this will just be a routine discovery by the BPK, and the same thing will happen over and over again in future," she said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/05/poor-reporting-irregularities-cause-state-losses-bpk.html

First phase of amnesty ends on high note

Jakarta Post - October 1, 2016

Prima Wirayani and Moses Ompusunggu, Jakarta – The government concluded the first phase of its roller coaster tax amnesty ride with flying colors despite gloomy repatriation realization.

Tax officer Sigit Khamdani, 30, couldn't wait for the long line of people at the Directorate General of Taxation's headquarters to disperse on Friday.

It was the final day of the tax amnesty's first phase and at least 2,750 people were queuing to apply for the tax pardon, higher than the 2,633 served the day before. Sigit has had to sacrifice his weekends since August as the government sought to serve applicants seven days a week.

"It is tiring, but because we [tax officers] are doing it together, it feels fun," he said. "When it [the first phase] is over, I want to hang out with my friends," he added with a laugh.

Among those queueing on the final day was tax consultant Ego Kurnianto, who arrived at the tax office with his nine colleagues at 8 a.m. to submit their clients' documents. They even brought their own printer just in case they needed to print additional documents.

Even though Friday's turnout was high, there were no crammed rooms such as were witnessed on Thursday, which forced the directorate general to announce an extraordinary situation at four tax offices, including at the tax office's headquarters.

Super-long queues were seen occasionally, such as before officers began serving applicants in the morning. The tax office provided 1,300 seats and most of them were vacant by noon.

On the last day, the government could finally take a breather with the program's first phase yielding higher-than-expected results after a slow start on July 18, as shown by several indicators.

The amount of declared assets reached Rp 3.59 quadrillion (US$276.12 billion) at 9:28 p.m. on Friday, equal to almost 90 percent of the Rp 4 quadrillion target.

Meanwhile, the penalty or redemption payments – which are expected to help cover this year's state budget deficit – stood at Rp 88.5 trillion, more than half of the Rp 165 trillion target.

A not-so-rosy outcome was recorded in the amount of repatriated assets, which hovered at only Rp 136 trillion, a far cry from the Rp 1 quadrillion targeted.

During his visit to the headquarters on Friday evening, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo reminded the public that two more phases of the program were still to come.

"There are still the second and third stages. Those who have not repatriated and declared their assets are welcome to make use of the program," he said. The second phase will run from October to December and the last phase will run from January to March.

Jokowi refused to share the government's plan going forward, only saying that he needed to discuss strategic measures with Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.

Sri Mulyani expressed hope that the public's enthusiasm would remain high in the next phases, despite the higher penalty rates.

Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) chairman Hariyadi B. Sukamdani said the group had encouraged its members to repatriate their offshore assets under the program. "Asset repatriation takes a long time because the amount of assets is usually large," he said.

Meanwhile, the fact that the repatriation rate of the offshore assets is low will no doubt be snatched upon by skeptics to argue that the program has not been a success, OCBC economist Wellian Wiranto wrote in a research note.

"We beg to differ, however. To begin with, there is a suspicion that some of the offshore assets might have been repatriated before the onset of the program, to avoid the three-year lock-up period," he said.

Given that capital flow checks and controls would have been porous enough for the money to flow out to begin with, that is not an inconceivable possibility.

"We should not forget that, having been declared in black-and-white terms now, the still-offshore assets could eventually return in formal ways depending on the risk-reward calculations of the owners. Ultimately, given the dire state of global returns, the appeal of investments in Indonesia will stand out more and more in relative terms."

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/01/first-phase-of-amnesty-ends-on-high-note.html

Analysis & opinion

Why military justice reform is pressing

Jakarta Post - October 5, 2016

Bhatara Ibnu Reza, Sydney – For the past two months the Indonesian Military (TNI) has promoted a number of officers who were involved in past crimes to key positions in strategic state institutions.

In August, former members of the Army's "Tim Mawar" (Rose Team) responsible for the forced disappearances of 13 pro-democracy activists in 1997 to 1998, were assigned to the Defense Ministry, State Intelligence Agency (BIN) and National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) with their military rank increased to one-star general.

In September, TNI chief Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo appointed Maj. Gen. Hartomo as the TNI's Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS) head, regardless of his conviction for killing pro-independence Papua leader Theys Hiyo Eluay in 2003.

It seems the TNI has found difficulties in putting the right officers, whose track records are free from criminal and ethical offenses, in the right places. The recent promotions shows not only the TNI's reluctance to acknowledge the crimes committed within its ranks, but also its condoning and support for the crimes they perpetrated as an act of honor.

It is not the first time that the TNI has promoted officers complicit in past abuses without explaining why. In fact, there was no clear legal argument put forward by the TNI to justify the most recent promotions. Ideally, the TNI could use excerpts of court verdicts so that the public can know the legal reasons behind the promotions. The ultimate argument is these officers may have served their sentences or have had their convictions repealed by the High Court or Supreme Court

The latest promotions, however, have raised concerns anew about impunity practiced in Indonesia's military justice system.

Many consider the military court part of the myriad problems hampering law enforcement in the country. Despite public scrutiny as in the cases of pro-democracy activists' abductions and Theys Eluay's murder, the military court has served as a safe haven for soldiers who have committed crimes. The military justice system is also notorious for a lack, if not an absence, of transparency.

The military court indeed found the officers guilty and stripped them off their military rankings and posts. Without public knowledge of the cases' course, however, they suddenly emerged in the promotion lists. Most likely TNI leaders consider these officers worth developing given their capacity.

When the House of Representatives started a debate on amendment to Law No. 31/1997 on Military Tribunal in 2005, the Defense Ministry and TNI headquarters opposed any revision. Their source of the dispute was the jurisdiction of the court, which the draft revision restricted to crimes stipulated in the Military Penal Code. Then president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono supported the provision, but deliberation deadlocked and since 2009, the situation has gone back to square one.

The TNI also recognizes a disciplinary council, whose duty is to uphold the honor of the corps and deal with misconducts perpetrated by soldiers. The misconducts are however beyond the reach of the Criminal Code and other regulations. The council in practice hears criminal offenses that involve soldiers and keep them from the national justice system. The internal mechanism breeds impunity and discourages impartiality.

In the abduction case of pro-democracy activists in 1997 to 1998 the military disciplinary council found then Army Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) chief Lt. Gen. Prabowo Subianto guilty and discharged him from the post, but he has never faced trial. Interestingly his subordinates, Muchdi PR and Chairawan, later won promotion to the deputy director post at the BIN.

Indonesia perhaps is the only country where soldiers are tried based on their status and not the crimes they allegedly commit. No wonder, for an extraordinary crime like corruption, as long as they are military members, the jurisdiction that tries them is precisely in the hands of the Military Court.

The only way to bring military officers who are accused of committing graft to the civilian court is through a "connectivity" mechanism. This is possible only if a military officer collaborates with a civilian in perpetrating the crime. Therefore, they are subject to a joint military-civilian investigation. Then TNI chief Gen. Moeldoko once warned the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) against investigating military officers allegedly involved in graft unless there was a connectivity clause.

The long-overdue reform of military justice system demonstrates the major regression in security sector reform in general, which kicked off following the fall of New Order regime in 1998. From the beginning, the military justice system has been excluded from efforts to reform the security sector.

There was some momentum for resumption of the Military Tribunal Law amendment after 11 commandos went on trial for killing prisoners in Yogyakarta in 2013. But rather than restarting the debate on the Military Tribunal Law, the government preferred amending the Military Discipline Law.

The government of President Joko Widodo should take immediate actions to reinstate the military justice reform. It can propose a new bill or start over the draft revision of the 1997 Military Tribunal Law. Military justice system reform is imperative under Article 27(1) and 28(D)(1) of the 1945 Constitution's Second Amendment.

It is a must for the government to engage the House to share this burden. As part of the amendment human rights principles should be acknowledged as a key value that will prevent soldiers from violating human rights and to protect their fundamental rights. Furthermore, the amendment will end the chain of impunity.

On the part of the TNI, which celebrates its 71st anniversary today, its defiance of military justice reform will sacrifice its glorious history and its pride as the national defense force.

[The writer, who is researching civilian involvement in state defense for his PhD in law at the University of New South Wales, is a senior researcher for IMPARSIAL, the Indonesian Human Rights Monitor.]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/05/why-military-justice-reform-pressing.html

TNI's 71st anniversary: Still room for improvement

Jakarta Post Editorial - October 5, 2016

Imanuddin Razak, Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) is celebrating its 71st anniversary on Wednesday in a modest but solemn manner. TNI commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo said there would be no display or parade of military weaponry in light of the country's struggling economy and most importantly because no new equipment procured by the TNI has been delivered.

However, the simple celebration should not be an excuse for failing to review the military's performance and achievements over the past year. Like previous anniversary celebrations, this year's event should renew calls for introspection on the part of the military, toward modernization and professionalism.

A number of recent cases and events have strengthened the momentum for expedited military reform, particularly in regards to personnel professionalism and the military's modernization program in line with the latest Defense White Paper, which was issued last May.

One recent case in point is the reported involvement of TNI officers in the murder of two former confidants of cult leader Dimas Kanjeng Taat Pribadi – the man at the center of a recent controversy due to his alleged ability to copy banknotes.

Dimas, who leads a ritual group named Padepokan Dimas Kanjeng Taat Pribadi in Probolinggo, East Java, was named by the East Java Police as a suspect in the murder of Abdul Gani and Ismail Hidayah. Aside from the murder case, Dimas is being investigated for allegations of fraud and money laundering.

The police have named nine other suspects in the murder of Abdul and Ismail, including one retired middle-ranking TNI officer, an active middle-ranking officer who is said to have been on the military's list of deserters, and a non-commissioned military officer.

Another case was the violent attack on a NetTV news contributor by suspected members of the Army's 501st battalion in Madiun, East Java, on Sunday. The TV journalist was recording an incident when members of the Army battalion beat up members of the Setia Hati Teratai traditional martial arts group, who were traveling in a convoy, after the latter accidentally hit a motorist at an intersection. One battalion member seized the journalist's camera and damaged its memory card, while others beat him on the face and body.

The two incidents show that the TNI needs to improve personnel professionalism and compliance with the sapta marga (seven-point personnel commitment), sumpah prajurit (five-point personnel oath) and delapan wajib TNI (eight-point personnel duties).

The two cases have once again raised the importance of reviewing the 1997 Military Tribunal Law, in particular articles that regulate legal consequences or sanctions for military members committing non-war crimes. Under the existing law, military personnel suspected of war and non-war crimes are tried in a military court. Meanwhile, post-1998 reforms have demanded that military personnel suspected of non-war crimes be tried in a civilian court.

To further promote professionalism, this year's anniversary celebration opens up a chance to review military members' capability to adapt to the latest weaponry and equipment and the TNI's choice of arms, which the country needs to answer 21st century security challenges.

In our case, the procurement of military weapons and equipment should not deviate from the commitment to meet the Minimum Essential Force (MEF) 2024, which serves as a basis of transition for Indonesia's military modernization. The MEF will pave the way for military innovation and a revolution in military affairs, which will hopefully transform the TNI into an agile 21st century force.

Our procurement of military weapons and equipment should also comply with the latest Defense White Paper, which offers a comprehensive view of the country's grand vision of defense. One significant aspect the paper highlights is that Indonesia's defense development is not intended to promote an arms race but to establish the nation as a significant maritime power. In addition to the stipulation on the MEF 2024, the paper also incorporates the global maritime axis and state defense concepts to deal with potential threats over the next five years.

Of all the key considerations, the procurement of military weapons and equipment that would maintain our country's independent choices should be given top priority. A significant lesson should be learned from an incident in Situbondo, East Java, during a joint military exercise in mid-September when a Chinese-made missile failed to hit a target as expected. There are only two possible reasons for the embarrassing accident: either our personnel were not skillful enough to launch the missile or the missile's quality did not meet expectations.

Our personnel need more exercises and our defense system merits a thorough review to prevent the failed missile launch incident from recurring. If necessary, we could look for missiles from other manufacturers who are known for their reliable products.

There is no doubt we need modern military weapons and equipment for the TNI, taking into consideration our financial capability. But what is the point of acquiring cheap weapons and equipment if they do not perform, let alone protect the nation as expected?

Happy 71st anniversary to the TNI.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/05/tni-s-71st-anniversary-still-room-improvement.html