Jakarta – A daughter of founding president Sukarno, Sukmawati Soekarnoputri, has reported Islam Defenders Front (FPI) chairman Habib Rizieq Shihab to the police for allegedly insulting the state ideology Pancasila. Sukmawati said Rizieq had also insulted the memory of Sukarno. Police criminal investigation division head Comr. Gen. Ari Dono Sukmanto said the report had been registered and police investigators would process it.

"We will process all reports and we will ask for information from whoever files the report," Ari Dono said as quoted by Antara news agency.

He said Sukmawati reported Habib for allegedly insulting the state symbols on various websites, including YouTube.

A forensic team would trace the YouTube video and police investigators would question both Sukmawati and Rizieq and a number of witnesses in relation to the case. Police would ask for help from linguists and digital forensic analysts, Ari Dono said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/29/greater-jakarta-fpi-chief-reported-insulting-pancasila.html

State gives Yudhoyono new house in South Jakarta

Jakarta Post - October 29, 2016

Jakarta – Indonesia's sixth president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has been given a new house in the elite area of Mega Kuningan, South Jakarta, an official said on Friday.

The house, which was given to Yudhoyono by the state, was based on a 1978 law on the financial and administrative rights of the President and Vice President and a 2014 presidential decree on house procurement for former Presidents and Vice Presidents, State Secretariat spokesman Mashrokan said.

"The handover of the new house was conducted by the State Secretariat to SBY [Yudhoyono] on Oct. 26," he said as reported by kompas.com.

State Secretariat secretary Setya Utama represented State Secretary Pratikno in a symbolic handover ceremony with the former president.

The house in Mega Kuningan was built in the past year, Mashrokan said, refusing to give further details on the value of the dwelling.

The aforementioned regulations stipulate that former presidents and vice presidents are entitled to receive proper residences after serving their time in office.

The two-time president and the former first lady Ani Yudhoyono currently live in their own house in Cikeas, Bogor, West Java, where the Democratic Party chairman often holds meetings and press conferences. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/29/state-gives-yudhoyono-new-house-in-south-jakarta.html

PKS balks at granting Soeharto hero title

Jakarta Post - October 28, 2016

Jakarta – The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the biggest Islamic party in Indonesia, says a plan to bestow the country's longest-serving president, Soeharto, with the title of national hero, needed to be studied.

Even though the PKS supported the idea in 2008, the party's secretary-general, Mustafa Kamal, said the legislature had to review the plan.

"It could be done by House of Representatives Commission VIII as a partner of the Social Affairs Ministry because that ministry issues the title," Mustafa said as quoted by kompas.com on Thursday.

When asked why the party nominated Soeharto as a national hero in 2008, he said that it was not the party's decision, but merely a decision made by one of its members.

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 time as president.

This year, he is among four people under consideration by the Social Affairs Ministry to receive the prestigious title.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/28/national-scene-pks-balks-granting-soeharto-hero-title.html

Actions, demos, protests...

Students to face charges for burning police motorbike

Jakarta Post - October 31, 2016

Andi Hajramurni, Makassar – The South Sulawesi Police have said they would not tolerate any acts of violence and vandalism in the province and would therefore charge the students responsible for burning six police motorcycles during a demonstration at Makassar Muhammadiyah University on Friday.

The police said they regretted that the incident had taken place during a rally held to commemorate Youth Pledge Day.

Upon learning about the incident, South Sulawesi Police deputy chief Brig. Gen. Gatot Eddy Pramono inspected the scene of the crime on Friday night for a talk and coordination with the university rectorate.

"We regret the incident in which students set six police motorcycles on fire although the police had actually arrived to keep the situation in order," Gatot said, adding that the incident had caused at least Rp 90 million (US$6,800) in losses.

He said students were allowed to stage rallies to voice their aspirations, however they must avoid anarchic behavior such as setting motorcycles on fire or vandalizing state facilities and bringing knives. Arson constituted a crime and as such the perpetrators would be brought to court, he added.

Gatot said the police had identified the perpetrators but refused to disclose their names publicly. "We know the identities of the perpetrators and are coordinating with the rectorate. We are currently focusing on keeping the situation peaceful," he said. As of Saturday afternoon, the police had not yet arrested the suspects.

On Friday, Makassar Muhammadiyah University students commemorated Youth Pledge Day by rallying in front of their campus on Jl. Sultan Alauddin, Makassar, South Sulawesi.

The event, however, was marred by a clash between protesters and police officers. The students expressed their rage by burning down six police patrol motorcycles on the roadside and dumping another into a ditch.

During the incident, the students also blocked Jl. Sultan Alauddin, which connects Makassar city and Gowa regency in the province's southern region, causing traffic congestion.

The students started the rally at about 1 p.m. local time by blocking a lane on the street. As it was causing traffic congestion, the campus told them to open the blockade. They rejected the request and then blocked the whole street.

Not long after that seven police officers on patrol motorcycles arrived at the site. The students greeted the police by pelting them with stones, and the officers responded by firing tear gas at the protesters.

The students rushed into the campus and attacked the police by throwing stones at them. The police parked their motorcycles in front of the residence of a well-known local figure located next to the campus.

Outnumbered, the police retreated away from the campus. It was then that the students emerged from the campus and dragged the seven motorcycles onto the street and burned six of them.

Youth Pledge Day rallies were also held on the same day in front of the Makassar State University, at the city's overpass and in front of the Makassar city council building.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/31/students-face-charges-burning-police-motorbike.html

Pembebasan commemorates Youth Pledge Day with calls for greater democracy

Solidarity Net - October 28, 2016

Jakarta – Using the momentum of Youth Pledge Day on Friday October 28, the Student Struggle Center for National Liberation (Pembebasan) held commemorations to mark the historic day in Jakarta and other cities around the country.

Jakarta action

In Jakarta, Pembebasan joined with the People and Students Action Front (Famrat) to hold a rally in front of the State Palace in Central Jakarta where they unfurled banners reading, "Reject the Government of Imperialist Agents", "Fight Capitalism", "Fight the Rise of Militarism" and "The Broadest Possible Democracy for All Indonesian People".

Famrat also made 17 demands, including among others: End the commercialisation of education, abolish the single tuition fee, create democracy on campus, reject the drop out system and reject study time restrictions.

Makassar action

In Makassar, South Sulawesi, Pembebasan joined with Social Solidarity Action for the Indonesian People (SAMURAI) to hold a protest action under the Makassar fly-over. The protesters brought a banner reading, "Create genuine democracy, reject the military's involvement in civil affairs".

The demonstrators called for unity of the people's movement, guarantees of freedom of religions and beliefs for all religious adherents without discrimination, rejected the draft law on national security, called for the repeal of the Social Conflict Law, the Intelligence Law, the Information and Electronic Transaction Law and the repeal of the Higher Education Law, an end to discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people, demanded an end to discrimination against minority religious groups, free, democratic and scientific education, the repeal of Government Regulation 78/2015 on Minimum Wage Determination, an end to smart parking, an end to violence against women and the withdrawal of the military from West Papua and for the Papuan people to be given the right to self-determination.

"The latent danger of militarism post the New Order [dictatorship of former President Suharto] is already on the rise again and has encroached on civil life. This has been demonstrated by the enactment of laws that legitimise the military's involvement in civil affairs", said one of the speakers, Firman.

Palu action

Meanwhile in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Pembebasan joined with the Vanguard of the People's Movement for Democracy (Gelora Demokrasi) in an action taking up the theme "Reflecting on 88 years since the Youth Pledge: Broaden democracy, give the people decent jobs and build the populist youth movement".

The protesters, who held a free speech forum in front of the Tadulako University (Untad), made the following demands: Broaden democracy for the ordinary people; provide decent job opportunities; end the violence against the Papuan nation; and give the West Papuan nation the right to self-determination.

Banggai action

In Banggai regency, Central Sulawesi, Pembebasan joined with the People's Parliament Student Movement (GEMPAR) who focused on criticising the leadership of Regent and Deputy Regent Herwin Hatim and Mustar Labolo. "Under the leadership of Herwin Hatim and Mustar Labolo the Banggai regional government has failed in carrying out the mandate of bringing prosperity to the people", said one of the speakers, Hafid.

Similar actions were held by Pembebasan in Ternate (North Maluku), the Sula Islands (North Maluku) and Manado (North Sulawesi).

Notes

On October 28, 1928, Indonesian students and youth gathered in Jakarta to declare the Youth Pledge – generally accepted as the first open declaration of Indonesian independence – which called for a united independent Indonesia under the theme of "One Nation, One People, One Language".

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Pembebasan Peringati Sumpah Pemuda".]

Source: http://www.solidaritas.net/2016/10/pembebasan-peringati-sumpah-pemuda.html

West Papua

Jakarta urges Canberra to deliver regional warning on Papua

Radio New Zealand International - October 31, 2016

Indonesia's Defence Minister has urged Australia to rebuke Pacific Island states who raise issues relating to West Papua in global fora.

Ryamizard Ryacudu met with Australian government representatives including Foreign Minister Julie Bishop in a meeting in Bali where the two countries reaffirmed security ties.

He pressed Australia to pass a message to Solomon Islands that it should refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of Indonesia, including the issue of West Papua.

Solomon Islands' Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, in his role as chairman of the Melanesian Spearhead Group, has been vocal about boosting West Papuan representation in the group.

He was also one of seven leaders of Pacific states who spoke out about rights abuses in Papua and on support for Papuan self-determination at last month's UN General Assembly session.

Ryamizard told media that he had implored Canberra to speak to Honiara on the matter because Australia contributes a big aid package in the Solomons. Detik News reports the Minister saying Australia has accepted the request.

Ryamizard said friendly countries do not disturb each other by interfering in domestic issues. He warned that Indonesia will not stay silent when its sovereignty is compromised. He described Indonesia as a tiger that can attack if disturbed.

The Minister urged Australia to pass on the message to Solomon Islands and other Pacific states that they should not invite West Papua to join the MSG.

The MSG accepted the United Liberation Movement for West Papua into the group with observer status last year and is considering whether to elevate it to full membership.

An MSG leaders meeting on the matter is due before the end of the year in Vanuatu. Indonesia has associate member status at the MSG.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/316920/jakarta-urges-canberra-to-deliver-regional-warning-on-papua

Questions over Jakarta's push for Australia messenger role

Radio New Zealand International - October 31, 2016

There are questions over the effectiveness of a push by Indonesia to have Australia lean on Pacific countries to not talk about West Papua.

Indonesia's Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu has urged Australia to rebuke Pacific states, in particular Solomon Islands, for raising Papua in global fora. He urged Canberra to speak to Honiara on the matter because Australia contributes a big aid package in the Solomons.

A Research Fellow at the Australian National University's State, Society and Governance in Melanesia Program, Stewart Firth, said Jakarta has misinterpreted Australia's relationship with Pacific countries.

These are sovereign states. And in particular in the case of Solomon Islands, Solomon Islands has a right to do that [speak out about West Papua] as a sovereign country, and Australia's not in a very good position to tell them differently.

He said the one thing that Pacific Island countries really value is their sovereignty. Of course there continues to be big bilateral aid, but that doesn't mean you can then determine a country's foreign policy.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/316964/questions-over-jakarta's-push-for-australia-messenger-role

Rights body probes shooting during violence

Jakarta Post - October 31, 2016

Jayapura – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) will investigate further the death of a civilian, Onesimus Rumayom, during a rally outside a police office in Manokwari, West Papua, on Thursday.

Preliminary investigation has revealed that Onesimus was shot in his right thigh, which caused severe bleeding and eventually led to his death.

"We do not know the cause of his death. But we are sure he was shot in his right thigh," Komnas HAM representative Friets Ramandey said Saturday.

Thirteen people were reportedly shot and assaulted during the protest that turned violent. Aside from Onesimus, twelve others are still being treated at the Navy Hospital and General Hospital in Manokwari.

Friets has met with four injured victims, one who was shot in the chin and two others who were assaulted.

He said the rights body had received information regarding who had ordered the shooting to disperse the crowd and asserted that the person would be held responsible.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/31/island-focus-rights-body-probes-shooting-during-violence.html

Call for probe into Manokwari shootings

Radio New Zealand International - October 31, 2016

A member of the provincial parliament in Indonesia's West Papua province has called for an investigation into last Thursday's deadly shootings in Manokwari.

Reports from Indonesia said police in the provincial capital allegedly opened fire when rioting broke out in the town, leaving ten people injured and one person dead.

The Papuan parliamentarian Dominggus Sani has said that the response by security forces to the rioting, shooting on a crowd, was excessive and needs to be probed.

He has asked Indonesia's President Joko Widodo to look into the incident as it is typical of security forces' treatment of Papuans, where innocent civillians get hurt.

CNN Indonesia reported that additionally, the National Human Rights Commission was expected to conduct an investigation into the Manokwari shootings.

The Commissioner Natalius Pigai indicated he suspected that the shooting by police was conscious and deliberate.

Source: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/316959/call-for-probe-into-manokwari-shootings

Defense Minister Ryacudu says Australia will 'rebuke' Solomon Islands over West

Detik News - October 28, 2016

Aditya Mardiastuti, Nusa Dua – Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu has emphasised that the sovereignty of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) cannot be challenged.

Ryacudu made the remark at a meeting with Australian government representatives during the 2+2 Meeting in Bali on Friday October 28.

"We don't interfere with friendly countries. At the defense ministry I'm the most forthright person, I say what's on my mind and in my heart, that's what I do. I say that we are for peace, so stop bugging us. Indonesia's [relationship] with Australia it good and developing well. This must be maintained", said Ryacudu at the Westin Hotel in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Friday.

During the meeting Ryacudu asked Australia to pass on a message, to rebuke the Solomon Islands. That the Indonesian government is asking the Solomons not to interfere in Indonesia's internal affairs, including on the issue of West Papua.

Australia itself is a donor country that is part of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI). Through the RAMSI Australia has donated as much as $US 500 to the Solomon Islands. Ryacudu believes that Australia's rebuke will be heard.

"I conveyed this to Australia, we have never interfered or meddled in [the affairs of] other countries, likewise if [we] are interfered with I'll get mad. Please convey to the Solomons [and] and the [other] six countries [that recently criticised Indonesia at the UN] not to interfere or encourage Papua to join [the Melanesian Spearhead Group], really who do they think they are", said Ryacudu.

Ryacudu also warned that Indonesia will not remain silent if its national sovereignty is interfered with. He likened Indonesia to a [sleeping] tiger that will attack if disturbed.

"Don't ever awaken a sleeping tiger. Once okay, but the second time [we'll] get angry. We are a tiger not a mouse, we can pounce wherever we are disturbed. As long as a tiger isn't disturbed it's usually okay, if it's disturbed you'll know about it", he asserted.

"Enough, those countries should keep quiet. Mind your own affairs of state, don't meddle in other country's [affairs]", he added.

Indonesia's request was accepted by Australia. According to Ryacudu Australia will convey the message to the countries concerned.

"Their response was very good, it's impossible that they'd refuse. If it's through them (Australia) can warn them (later) if it was me I'd just twist their ears", he said.

Australia was represented at the bilateral meeting by Defense Minister Marise Ann Payne and Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop. Australia meanwhile was represented by Ryacudu and the Foreign Ministry's Director General of Asia Pacific and African Affairs, Desra Percaya.

The meeting should have also been attended by Foreign Affairs Minister Retno P. Marsudi. Marsudi however had to fly to Central Java provincial capital of Semarang to attend the burial of her father.

A number of important issues were discussed at the meeting including defence and security cooperation, the maritime sector and regional and global issues. (ams/fdn)

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Menhan Ryamizard ke Australia: Sampaikan ke Solomon Jangan Ganggu Papua".]

Source: http://news.detik.com/berita/d-3331628/menhan-ryamizard-ke-australia-sampaikan-ke-solomon-jangan-ganggu-papua

Locals anxious after clash

Jakarta Post - October 28, 2016

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Nearly a week after President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo visited Yahukimo, Papua, where he promised lower fuel prices and infrastructure development, a clash broke out in Manokwari, West Papua, late Wednesday, leaving one person dead and some injured.

The fatal incident created anxiety among locals, with residents in Manokwari, the capital of West Papua province, choosing to remain at home.

"The city was gripped with fear and the streets were deserted. Residents preferred to stay at home because they felt more secure inside," Manokwari resident Rustam told The Jakarta Post by phone Thursday.

Several streets in the city, such as Jl. Gunung Salju and the Sahara Bridge, were littered with leftovers from burned car tires. A number of logs used by residents to blockade the streets were left there.

"Schools were closed, the entrance of the Hadi supermarket was also partly closed. Stores along Jl. Gunung Salju were not in operation and the streets were guarded by the police and military personnel," said Rustam.

The clash on Wednesday night left one person, Onesimus Rumayom, dead. Police said Onesimus died of severe bleeding after his thigh was pierced by a rubber bullet.

"According to doctors at the Manokwari Navy Hospital, the shot to the leg was not the cause of death, and the victim died before arriving at the hospital. They believe the cause of death was due to a heart attack," West Papua Police chief Insp. Gen. Royke Lumowa said in Manokwari on Thursday.

Other injured victims were still being treated at the hospital. A Sanggeng District Military Command member was slashed with a machete because, during the clash, he was at the scene wearing civilian clothes. "He intended to break up the clash but was slashed," said Royke.

The clash was triggered by an attack on a resident, Vigal Paus-Paus, who was stabbed in Sanggeng, Manokwari. He then went home to tell his parents. Residents, who saw Vigal bleeding immediately from a stab wound, immediately rushed to a police post located at the Sanggeng junction.

"Residents did not chase the attacker but instead headed to the police post. In such a situation of being swarmed, police members fired gunshots to disperse the crowd while protecting themselves. My men fired shots at a low direction, which were not fatal and that's why two people were shot in the thigh," said Royke.

The clash that broke out at night apparently did not escalate thanks to a quick reaction by security personnel. "During the clash, some in the mob carried containers of gasoline. Had the police personnel not arrived at the location quickly, this place could have been burned down," he said.

Separately, Manokwari Research, Study and Legal Aid Development Institute (LP3BH) director Yan Christian Warinussy said the clash, which resulted in residents suffering from gunshot wounds, was believed to be a gross human rights violation and had been reported to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.

LP3BH recorded nine people that fell victim to violence by the apparatus, either being shot or assaulted.

"Eight people were shot during the incident on Wednesday at around 11:30 p.m. local time in Sanggeng, Manokwari, and one person was hit by security personnel on Thursday when he was visiting a relative who was being treated at Navy Hospital in Manokwari," Yan wrote in a release to the Post.

Meanwhile, Onesimus' body was still at the Navy Hospital mortuary tightly guarded by the Police's Mobile Brigade personnel.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/28/locals-anxious-after-clash.html

Chief minister calls for investigation into Manokwari riot

Antara News - October 27, 2016

Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto has called for an immediate investigation of the riot in Manokwari, West Papua.

"I ask that the riot be investigated. Reports about it are still uncertain. We are still waiting for official reports," the minister said here on Thursday.

He said he had received unofficial reports about the rioting in Manokwari. Local police are still looking into it and will soon make arrest of the culprit for the stabbing of Manokwari resident Vijay Paus-paus.

The minister said rioting in Manokwari was triggered by a drunken man, who attacked and destroyed a food stall. Further investigation is still to be carried out to disclose the real problem behind it.

"We have to investigate it first. We heard that there was a drunken man, who caused damage to the food stall, then an incident followed. That thing can happen anytime," Wiranto said.

Clashes took place in Manokwari on Wednesday (October 26), which lasted until Thursday morning. Several people became victims. Two persons suffered from a gunshot injury. A local military commandant, Major Suhargono was maltreated.

"There are six victims. Two suffered from gunshots, of which one died named Onisimus Rumayon. But I am confident he died not because of the gun fire," West Papua Regional Police Chief Brig. Gen. Royke Lumowa, said.

Royke explained the stabbing incident of Vijay began when he and his friends were not able to pay for the rice he was buying. Vijay was chased because he was causing unrest at the food stall.(*)

Source: http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/107440/chief-minister-calls-for-investigation-into-manokwari-riot

Papuan rebel leader reiterates call for referendum

Jakarta Post - October 26, 2016

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – Papuan pro-independence leader Filep Karma has called on the government to hold a referendum on independence for the country's easternmost region.

Filep, a former political prisoner of 11 years, claimed the long-demanded referendum was a win-win solution for both the government and the Papuan people, who still suffered from mistreatment and abuses despite the region being granted special autonomy status.

The referendum would provide a fair mechanism for Papuans to decide for themselves whether they wanted to remain as part of the unitary state of Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) or wanted independence, Filep said.

"We used to fight for separation, but now a referendum is better to find out the true aspirations of Papuans. If they want to still be a part of Indonesia, why should [Papuan rebels] continue to struggle for independence?" Filep told the journalists on Tuesday.

Should the referendum result in Papuans wanting to remain Indonesian citizens, the rebels would stop demanding for separation, Filep said, however, the government should also promise Papuans a peaceful transfer of independence if the referendum showed otherwise.

Filep went on that in 2008, when he was still imprisoned, he had sent a letter to then president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, demanding a referendum.

Papuans also had long-awaited dialogue with the government over the referendum plan, even though President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo had given the green light, Filep said. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/26/papuan-rebel-leader-reiterates-call-for-referendum.html

Referendum demand grows as govt's Papua resolve wanes

Jakarta Post - October 26, 2016

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – While government teams are working to identify fatal incidents that have led to human rights abuses in Papua to gain the trust of its people, former political prisoner Filep Karma said on Tuesday that a referendum should take place to determine the future of the restive region.

Filep, who was released after being granted clemency by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo last year, said the process would reveal the aspirations of Papuans. "Let us see whether the majority of Papuans want to stay with Indonesia or leave," he said during an event held by Setara Institute.

Filep had spent 11 years behind bars for raising the Morning Star Flag, a West Papua independence symbol.

As part of Jokowi's commitment to improve welfare for Papuans, 70 percent of whom voted for him during the 2014 election, the President has prioritized the region in development programs as well as taken bold moves to mend ties with Papuans, who have been victims of discrimination and violent incidents with security officers.

After releasing five political prisoners, including Filep, last year, Jokowi has been more aggressive in his efforts to accelerate development in the region.

In his last visit to Papua last week, he announced a "one fuel, one price" policy for the region, ordering relevant institutions to ensure a consistent fuel supply, the lack of which has often been a hurdle hindering economic activities.

The government also established a taskforce under the supervision of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Ministry that it assigned to identify rights abuses connected to all violent incidents that have occurred in Papua, but questions linger over the fate of the team's assessment. Following the deadline of its term on Oct. 25, the team has yet to announce its findings.

A copy of the team's temporary report obtained by The Jakarta Post cites four incidents that involved human rights abuses: the 1996 military operation to rescue 12 foreign and Indonesian scientists abducted by the Free Papua Movement (OPM) in Papua's hinterland of Mapenduma; the 1998 Bloody Biak, a tragedy that claimed the lives of more than 100 Papuans following a hoisting of the Morning Star Flag, a symbol of resistance, in the coastal town of Biak Numfor; the killings of civilians by military and police personnel in Wasior in 2001; and the 2004 tragedy in Wasior where a joint police and military operation tortured and killed civilians from 25 villages following a break-in at a military arsenal.

The report said that two of the incidents, the 1996 Mapenduma operation and the 1998 Biak tragedy, would require a political decision from the House of Representatives for resolution because they occurred before the implementation of a 2000 law on establishing a human rights tribunal.

The report said that the fate of the 2001 Wasior incident and the 2004 Wamena tragedy should wait for a final conclusion by the National Commission for Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and the Attorney General's Office (AGO), which have adopted different stances on the cases.

Komnas HAM has declared the two cases to be gross violations of human rights, while the AGO has demanded more evidence. The AGO's requirement for evidence has also extended to another five abuses that occurred in other parts of the country that Komnas HAM has already declared to be historic human rights abuse cases. This has delayed settlement of all cases, including the killings in Wasior and Wamena.

Separately, Komnas HAM has conducted independent investigations and identified 14 cases of rights violations. The chairman of Komnas HAM, M. Imdadun Rahmat, included the unresolved shootings of civilians in Paniai on the list of rights abuses that needed immediate resolution, in addition to the Wasior and Wamena incidents.

"We must revise all laws on human rights, including the 1999 law on Komnas HAM, to give the rights body the power to prosecute. Otherwise we will never see any cases solved because of political obstacles," said Bonar Tigor Naipospos from the human rights watchdog, the Setara Institute. "We are also in dire need of prosecutors with adequate human rights knowledge at the AGO."

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/26/referendum-demand-grows-govt-s-papua-resolve-wanes.html

Indonesian military officer shot in shootout with separatists in Papua

Antara News - October 23, 2016

Jayapura, Papua – An Indonesian military officer was shot in an exchange of gunfire with separatists in Philia, Gurage, Puncak Jaya District, Papua Province, on Saturday.

"Thats right, one military officer was shot in an exchange of gunfire with armed group members," Major General Hinsa Siburian, commander of the Cenderawasih XVII Military District, said here, Sunday.

The shootout occurred in Philia, Gurage, when several military officers were on patrol. First Private Yani was shot at his right hand and left leg, Siburian said. The injured officer was rushed to Mulia Hospital. (*)

Source: http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/107349/indonesian-military-officer-shot-in-shootout-with-separatists-in-papua

Aceh

Aceh's sharia bylaws debase RI's human rights record

Jakarta Post - October 24, 2016

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – While President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has committed to improving the lives of women across the country, including by ending violence against women and girls, those who live in Aceh face an increased risk of all kinds of violence following the introduction of a discriminative Islamic Criminal Code Bylaw (Qanun Jinayat) a year ago.

The bylaw has unfairly punished women and girls following its implementation on Oct. 23, 2015. Civil society groups have called on the government to impose a moratorium on the implementation of the bylaw to create space for improvement.

The Institute for Criminal Justice (ICJR) recorded that the Aceh Sharia Council had issued sentences for 221 violations of sharia from January to September this year.

Punishable acts according to the Qanun Jinayat include drinking liquor, khalwat (affectionate contact between unmarried couples), liwat (homosexual relationships) and musahaqah (lesbianism) and 180 people in Aceh were caned within the first nine months of this year for these supposed violations.

According to the ICJR, some of the punished locals have suffered between 40 and 200 lashes for going on a date in public or being too physically close to someone of the opposite sex.

Solidaritas Perempuan (Women's Solidarity) documented 33 cases of locals being punished for expressing affection in public or for dating. The punishments were carried out in open spaces where others, including children, could see the caning.

"Qanun Jinayat regulates appropriate behavior for women and girls. It encourages people to think that it is wrong for women to be out of the house in the evening or to be out with men," Nisa Yura of Solidaritas Perempuan said on Sunday.

"Of all the other more urgent things the local administration must do to improve the lives of people of Aceh, they choose to control morality," she added.

Qanun Jinayat is one of 421 discriminative bylaws recorded by the National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan) up to mid-2016.

It was passed after Aceh's special status and autonomy gave the province the power to implement sharia. Aceh was granted special autonomy, including in the formulation of its own bylaws, as part of the Helsinki peace agreement between Indonesia and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in 2005.

The Aceh administration has since applied sharia-inspired bylaws that regulate behavior. Among other examples, the bylaws force women to wear headscarves, prohibit those of the opposite sex from riding on the same motorcycle, and separate female and male students in schools.

In its first year of implementation, Qanun Jinayat imposes a sentence of caning, varying from 40 to 200 strokes, and fines of between 40 and 2,000 grams of gold, acts considered crimes against Islamic law, but not the country's Criminal Code (KUHP).

Qanun Jinayat is applied to Aceh's Muslim and non-Muslim populations. The Aceh provincial administration claims that the implementation has been a success in guiding public morality.

Forum for Female and Child Victims of Violence activist Samsidar called the bylaw a legal setback that only dealt with minor offenses but failed to curb more serious crimes such as rape.

"These serious sexual crimes are far more harmful to others compared to cases of adolescent courtship and close proximity, but if you violate these less serious crimes, people are caned in public," said Samsidar.

[Hotli Simanjuntak contributed to the story from Banda Aceh.]

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/24/aceh-s-sharia-bylaws-debase-ri-s-human-rights-record.html

Human rights & justice

N. Sulawesi activists call on govt to publicize Munir report

Jakarta Post - October 28, 2016

Lita Aruperes, Manado, North Sulawesi – Various societal elements in North Sulawesi have expressed their support for Munir's widow, Suciwati, and the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) to seek justice for the death of Munir Said Thalib during Suciwati and Kontras' three-day visit to the province, which will end on Friday.

"We, members of society and activists in North Sulawesi, are calling on President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo as the head of the government to immediately publicize the results of its fact-finding team's [TPF] investigation," said customs and traditions council presidium member Bert Supit on Thursday.

"This release [of the report] has been ruled on by the Central Information Commission [KIP] on Oct. 10, based on an adjudication request filed by Ibu Suciwati, Kontras and the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute via the commission."

Bert said activists in North Sulawesi had paid close attention to the Munir case because it touched on past rights abuses that the government must resolve.

"The alleged conspiracy and involvement of state institutions in this case must be investigated," he said. "Information in the report must be conveyed to the public. The legal process in Munir's case really depends on the contents of the report," he added (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/28/n-sulawesi-activists-call-on-govt-to-publicize-munir-report.html

Government urged to resume pro-justitia process after Munir file submission

Jakarta Post - October 28, 2016

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – Former members of a 2004 fact-finding team (TPF) have urged state officials to immediately resume a pro-justitia process to unravel the case of slain rights defender Munir Said Thalib, as the State Palace received on Wednesday a copy of the TPF's investigative findings.

The copy of the TPF report was submitted by former State Secretary Sudi Silalahi, following the recent fiasco of the report being "lost" at the State Secretariat. TPF chairman Marsudi Hanafi authenticated the copy, saying it was same as the original.

Attorney General HM Prasetyo earlier insisted the original document had to be found before determining further measures. While the AGO should continue to look for the original, it should not be a reason for prosecutors to delay a new legal process into the case, former TPF member Hendardi of the Setara Institute said.

"[The copy] can be used to assist a pro-justitia process. Originality of a document is not a requirement in continuing a legal process since [proceeding to a new investigation] only depends on political willingness," Hendardi told journalists on Thursday.

The government should immediately disclose the TPF's findings, including publicly announcing the names of the two individuals alleged by the TPF to have been involved in Munir's murder, but were exempted from the legal process. Hendardi, however, refused to hint at the names.

Similarly, Amirudin al-Rahab, also a former TPF member, urged the government to make a concrete breakthrough in resolving Munir's murder after a decade of darkness. He further said President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo should form a new fact-finding team to evaluate the TPF's 2005 findings.

The fact-finding team, formed by former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2004, identified the alleged role of National Intelligence Agency (BIN) officials in the Munir's murder, including then BIN chief Abdullah Mahmud Hendropriyono.

Purportedly, the report revealed that Hendropriyono was found to have exchanged telephone calls with Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, a former Garuda Indonesia pilot who was found guilty of murdering Munir, around the time of the incident.

Hendropriyono has repeatedly denied any role in Munir's death, who was poisoned with arsenic on a Garuda flight to the Netherlands. (dmr)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/28/govt-urged-to-resume-pro-justitia-process-after-munir-file-submission.html

Suciwati urges Jokowi to be consistent and open with Munir case

Jakarta Post - October 28, 2016

Lita Aruperes, Manado, North Sulawesi – Suciwati, the widow of murdered human rights activist Munir Said Thalib, has called on the government to immediately make public a report composed by a fact finding team (TPF) into the death of Munir.

She also urged President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to be consistent in resolving the murder case. "It is Jokowi who bears most of the responsibility to reveal the case. We are calling on the government to open up the TPF report to the public," said Suciwati.

Accompanied by Yati Andriyani from the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence, Suciwati expressed this hope in a discussion with the Alliance of Independent Journalists in Manado, North Sulawesi, on Thursday.

Suciwati said she saw alleged carelessness and legal disobedience within the President's administration.

The current government claimed it did not have the TPF document while former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono earlier admitted it had been officially received on June 24, 2015.

Suciwati said the government's response, which stated that it could not publicize the Munir report because it did not have it in its possession, and then defended itself by saying that the document was probably being kept by Yudhoyono, showed that it was in a state of panic.

"This case shows that a citizen, who should have been protected by the state, was instead killed by a state institution. This is an injustice, perpetrated by the state. We have to fight against this," said Suciwati.

Yati said they would visit 10 other cities across Indonesia to call for more government openness. "This is to show that Indonesians want the government to be transparent." (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/28/suciwati-urges-jokowi-to-be-consistent-and-open-with-munir-case.html

Social inclusion helps human rights abuse victims

Jakarta Post - October 28, 2016

Moses Ompusunggu, Jakarta – Without a consensus at present over whether to use a judicial or a non-judicial measure to address past human rights violations, social inclusion appears to be the most viable way to, at the very least, improve the lives of victims and their families.

In the absence of such an effort from the state, several civil society organizations (CSOs) and regional heads in recent years have turned to social inclusion measures – widely used globally to better the lives of those who are often marginalized and neglected, such as people with disabilities and indigenous communities – to support survivors and families of victims of past rights abuses.

For many years the said communities have been unable to enjoy several rights they are entitled to, ranging from identity card and civil registry services to economic assistance, as a result of long-standing stigmatization, especially of the victims and their families of the 1965 communist purge.

"At a time when the process carried out by the central government [to resolve past rights abuses] has stagnated, there are many parties with good intentions to take care of the victims and their families using the social inclusion approach," said Kamala Chandrakirana, the coordinator of the Coalition for Justice and Revelation of Truth (KKPR), which houses 60 rights groups throughout the country.

Former mayor of Palu in Central Sulawesi, Rusdy Mastura, was widely considered a role model of a social inclusion measure taken by a regional head for the affirmative action he conducted when he was in office.

In 2013, Rusdy issued a mayoral regulation on a human rights action plan after finding out that a lot of the victims' families of the 1965 tragedy residing in Palu were living in poverty.

Prior to creating the regulation, Rusdy, who admitted he was one of the teenagers recruited to arrest people allegedly affiliated with the now defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), issued an apology to the victims of the purge, becoming the first regional head to do so in the aftermath of the 1965 tragedy.

In 2014, the Women and Children Empowerment Agency (LAPPAN), a CSO based in Ambon, Maluku, helped four wives of political prisoners in Buru Island to receive their respective new marriage letters, which previously stated that both the women and their husbands were affiliated with the PKI.

In Solo, Central Java, marginalized elderly survivors of the purge could finally enjoy basic services such as routine medical check-ups and enrollment into the national health insurance (JKN) program, following efforts taken by Sekber 65 (65 Joint Secretariat), a CSO.

Sekber 65 gathered data concerning the names of hundreds of 1965 survivors and their families, which was then verified by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), so that the victims could access medical, psychological and psychosocial help provided by the Witness and Victim Protection Agency (LPSK).

Even the government failed to shed light on past rights cases, Kamala said, adding that activists within the KKPR received "political backing" from the Coordinating Human Development and Culture Ministry through its Program Peduli (Care Program).

Launched in 2015, Program Peduli was the ministry's pilot project revolved around social inclusion measures through which the ministry teamed up with CSOs to improve the lives of marginalized communities across the country.

"We welcome the involvement of civil society groups in the program because they know about the grassroots problems more than us," said I Nyoman Shuida, the ministry's deputy for the empowerment of society, villages and regions.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/28/social-inclusion-helps-human-rights-abuse-victims.html

Victims of New Order dictatorship reject Suharto's nomination as national hero

CNN Indonesia - October 27, 2016

M Andika Putra, Jakarta – Some 27 victims of human rights violence from the '65 Forum visited the Social Affairs Ministry (Kemensos) to convey their opposition to former President Suharto being made a national hero.

Their advanced age proved no obstacle to taking action. Since 9.30 in the morning they had been waiting patiently in the ministry's lobby to meet with Kemensos officials.

"We have come to hand over a petition opposing Suharto as a national hero. Recent information [suggests] that a document designating Suharto as a hero has already been signed", said '65 Forum member Bedjo Untung.

Bedjo, who is also the chairperson of the Institute for the Study of the 1965-1966 Massacres (YPKP '65), claimed that the many victims of past human rights violence would be dismayed if the former president became a national hero. It would be as if their struggle to survive all these years would have been in vain.

At 10.35am officials from the Kemensos received the '65 Forum members for a dialogue. They were greeted by Director General for Social Development and Poverty Eradication Hartono Laras who represented Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa who was unable to attend.

During the dialogue the '65 Forum members conveyed their official complaints saying that Suharto is not worthy of being made a national hero. Aside from committing human rights violations, the group said that Suharto also committed corruption when he held the post of Indonesian president.

"[So] essentially we are asking for clarification as whether it is true that Suharto has been included in the national hero nominations that will be determined on November 10. If it is true, we ask that it be cancelled", said '65 Forum coordinator Bonie Setiawan.

During the dialogue Bonie stated that Suharto totally fails to fulfill the requirements to be a national hero. Earlier, the '66 Forum also setup an on-line petition on the website Change.org rejecting Suharto as a national hero.

1965 Murder Victims Inquiry Foundation (YKKP) executive director Djoko Purwanto conveyed a similar view saying he will never forget what was done by Suharto when he was in power.

Djoko produced a copy of an article stating that the appointment of Suharto as a hero had already been 'cleared'. "The title of hero for Suharto must be rejected. He was a corruptor, he used violence for personal gain and [he was a] human rights violator. I've already sent a (message) to Pak Jokowi [President Joko Widodo] saying that the title of hero must be rejected", said Djoko.

At the end of the dialog, Hartono explained in detail the selection of Suharto as a national hero. "This year we did not recommend (Suharto). The meaning of this is clear, the ball is in the Palace's court", said Hartono.

Central Java government proposal

Hartono revealed that the proposal to name Suharto a national hero was made by the Central Java provincial government based on a special study by the National Hero Research and Investigation Team (TPPGPB).

The 13 member team is made of TNI (Indonesian military) historians, the National Library, the University of Indonesia, the National Secretariat and historians. "We have remained objective and are not part of this team. The proposal of Suharto was made by the TPPGPB and we have conveyed this to the president", said Hartono.

The TPPGPB has been proposing Suharto's name to the Board of Titles, Orders of Merit and Decorations since 2019. Hartono said however that up until now no decision has been made on the grounds that further views and opinions need to be sought.

The actual decision on Suharto's status will be taken by President Widodo with the assistance of the Board of Titles. The board is made up of seven members and is chaired by current Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu.

In response to this, Bonie said that the '65 Forum will be monitoring the nomination of Suharto as a national hero. "If it happens (Suharto's appointment), we will call for it to be annulled", said Bonie. (wis/rel)

Petition at Change.org: https://www.change.org/p/joko-widodo-dukung-soeharto-untuk-tidak-menjadi-pahlawan-nasional

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service. The original title of the report was "Soeharto Ditolak Jadi Pahlawan Nasional".]

Source: http://www.cnnindonesia.com/nasional/20161027135643-20-168429/soeharto-ditolak-jadi-pahlawan-nasional/

State Palace has received copy of report into Munir's death

Jakarta Post - October 27, 2016

Jakarta – Presidential spokesman Johan Budi said on Thursday that the State Palace had received a copy of the report containing the results of a fact-finding team's (TPF) investigation into the death of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib.

"Yesterday, pak Sudi Silalahi, the former Cabinet secretary [under former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono], handed over a copy of the TPF report," said Johan in Jakarta on Thursday as reported by tribunnesw.com.

The report is now with the State Secretariat and will be handed over to the Attorney General's Office, said Johan. Johan added that the copy of the report had been signed by TPF chairman Marsudi Nahafi. "The last page of the copy of the report was signed by Pak Marsudi, who says the copy is the same as the original report," he Johan.

Yudhoyono gave a copy of the TPF report to the government because the original report went missing. Many believe that in the report, the TPF named several people who may have been involved in the case. These names were never exposed to the public.

Johan said President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo ordered Attorney General M. Prasetyo to study the document to assure that it was exactly the same as the original report.

Previously, Prasetyo said his office would not speculate on the people mentioned in the report before first studying a copy of the report carefully. "Don't speculate. We will see the document first," said Prasetyo, adding he may discuss the matter with Yudhoyono. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/27/state-palace-has-received-copy-of-report-into-munirs-death.html

Munir's widow on road show in N. Sulawesi to seek support

Jakarta Post - October 27, 2016

Lita Aruperes, Manado, North Sulawesi – Munir's widow Suciwati has expressed hope that a report containing the results of a fact-finding team's (TPF) investigation into the death of her late husband and prominent rights defender, can be immediately made public so there can be clarity on the case.

She also conveyed her concerns on the ongoing polemics surrounding the reportedly missing report.

"Manado is the first area I'm visiting after Jakarta. I hope the people there also call on the government to make the TPF report public," said Suciwati in Manado on Wednesday. She was alluding to a road show she was currently undertaking to push for the declassification of the report.

Mohammad Abbas from the North Sulawesi Civil Society Network in Manado said the Central Information Commission's (KIP) decision to order the government to make the report public had triggered widespread speculation. "We hope all civil society groups in Manado can convey their support for President Jokowi to disclose the TPF Munir report," said Abbas.

He further said the network also had pushed the government to solve Munir's murder in 2004, which to this day remains questionable.

"We have conducted various activities to collect support from North Sulawesi residents, including the organization of a dialogue between ibu Suciwati and all societal elements in Manado," said Abbas.

He said Suciwati was scheduled to attend a dialogue with journalists from the Manado chapter of the Alliance of Independence Journalists (AJI) and talk shows for several radio and television stations in the city during her three-day road show, which would end Friday.

"There also will be an open dialogue with Manado residents," said Abbas. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/27/munirs-widow-on-road-show-in-n-sulawesi-to-seek-support.html

SBY speaks out on 'lost' Munir report

Jakarta Post - October 26, 2016

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – It was not until social media users vaguely hinted at the role of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the apparent disappearance of a report on the investigation into the murder of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib that the former president decided to make a press statement.

Speaking to a group of journalists at his residence in Cikeas, West Java, Yudhoyono claimed that he shared the wish of Munir's supporters to reveal the truth behind his killing.

"The murder of human rights activist Munir was a serious crime, which has tainted our democracy," Yudhoyono said, in the style of speaking he favored while he was president. "For those who think that real justice has yet to come, I want to say that doors to truth will always be there," he added.

The speech was not only an attempt to convince the public that he was serious about the matter, but also seemed to be an attempt to recall for the public the oratorical method he used during his two presidential terms.

Alongside him were several of his former ministers, regarded as close aides, who may have been familiar with the work of the fact-finding team (TPF) he formed in 2005 to probe into Munir's death.

Among these were former coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister Djoko Suyanto; former State Intelligence Agency (BIN) chief Syamsir Siregar; former state secretary Sudi Silalahi; and the former National Police chief Bambang Hendarso Danuri, who served as the force's criminal investigation department (Bareskrim) head when the TPF was formed. Also taking part in the press conference was then TPF head Brig. Gen. (ret.) Marsudi Hanafi.

Yudhoyono also expressed concern about what he regarded as the overtly political nature of the ongoing discussion of the case, particularly regarding the whereabouts of the TPF report, which is believed to have details of its findings on the murder.

Former state secretary Sudi said they had managed to locate copies of the TPF's report, and these would be handed over to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. "We have conducted a little research and we believe these copies are similar to the original document," he said.

Regardless of Yudhoyono's statement, activists have repeated their calls for Jokowi to open a new investigation into the murder, especially after the former president also suggested that he encouraged Jokowi to continue the necessary legal progress of the case.

Activists have also renewed demands to investigate individuals they believe to be the masterminds of the murder, including former BIN chief AM Hendropriyono. Former TPF members have said his name was mentioned as among those who were allegedly responsible for poisoning Munir with arsenic on his way to the Netherlands on a Garuda Indonesia flight in 2004.

"A new investigation is needed to pursue Hendropriyono's role in the case," Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) deputy coordinator Puri Kencana Putri said.

Puri said he was aware of the influence of the former BIN chief in Jokowi's administration and thus challenged Jokowi to uphold justice over "personal relations".

"Jokowi must not protect [Hendropriyono] just because they are friends," she said. Hendropriyono is also known to be a close friend of Megawati Soekarnoputri, former president and chairwoman of Jokowi's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). Hendropriyono has repeatedly denied any role in Munir's death.

Former Garuda pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto and former Garuda president director Indra Setiawan were sentenced to 20 and 15 years' imprisonment, respectively, for their roles in Munir's murder. Another individual believed to be named in the report, former BIN deputy chief Muchdi Purwoprandjono, was also brought to trial but was later acquitted.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/26/sby-speaks-out-lost-munir-report.html

Munir murder investigation put on ice until missing documents are found: Chief

Jakarta Globe - October 26, 2016

Jakarta – The government will wait until missing investigation documents on the murder of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib are found and handed over to the Attorney General's Office before deciding whether or not to continue investigation into the case.

The files – which were submitted to former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, or SBY, by an independent fact-finding team in 2005 – were found to be missing earlier this month after the Central Information Commission ordered the State Secretariat to make the documents public in response to a lawsuit filed by the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) – where Munir used to work.

The State Secretariat claimed the files are not stored at its headquarters, prompting allegations that the files were deliberately misplaced when SBY was still in office.

SBY denied the allegations, saying he is more than willing to help President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo solve the murder by providing copies of the documents to the Palace.

Chief Security Minister Wiranto said the government will study the documents before taking further steps on the case, including whether or not to continue the investigation.

"The documents contain data and information that will be studied by the AGO. We will wait for them to examine and analyze the case," Wiranto told a press briefing at the "Two Years of Jokowi-Kalla Administration" event in Jakarta on Wednesday (26/10).

Presidential spokesman Johan Budi said the fact-finding team's documents have to contain new pieces of evidence if the murder investigation is to continue. Nevertheless, Johan said Jokowi still intends to solve the murder according to the law.

Activists have long demanded that the government find Munir's real killer. The activist was poisoned with arsenic during a brief layover in Singapore in 2004 before boarding a flight to Amsterdam.

Former pilot Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto was sentenced to 14 years in prison for premeditated murder in the case, but the alleged masterminds behind his murder remain unknown. The results of the investigation by the fact-finding team have never been made public.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/munir-murder-investigation-put-ice-missing-documents-found-chief-security-minister/

Government still lacks in protection of rights activists

Jakarta Post - October 25, 2016

Jakarta – Rights activists have urged the government to increase the protection of rights defenders amid mounting violence against them.

Activists of the Indonesian Forum for Environment (Walhi), Protection International (PI) and Arus Pelangi said their fellow activists across the country had experienced various abuses when fighting for people's rights.

"Activists are always abused because they are at the forefront of human rights conflicts, so the opposing side always wants to shut them down," PI activist Cahyadi told The Jakarta Post, adding the government should protect activists.

However, according to a survey from the Centre for Applied Human Rights at the UK-based University of York, the government is the most common violator against human rights activists. The survey stated that the "government" included the police, the military and regional government officers.

Companies, particularly those related to environment and labor rights issues, come second, while fundamental religious organizations rank third, according to the survey.

The survey was conducted earlier this year on 87 human rights activists of various issues like the environment, LGBTs, women's rights and religious freedom. The activists originated from Jakarta, Surabaya, Ambon, Aceh, Palu and Manokwari.

The survey also found that activists received various types of abuse, most commonly threats through phone calls and text messages. They also experienced assault, became subject to investigations and criminal charges and faced defamation in the media. As many as 90 percent of the respondents said they were worried about their safety.

Protection of activists is recognized in the United Nation's 1998 Declaration on Human Rights Defenders. The protection of privacy rights also appears in several laws, including Article 32 of Law No. 39/1999 on human rights. The laws recognize the legitimacy of human rights activities and that those who carry it out have to be protected.

Many expected President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to suppress violence in his two years of rule, but activists recently said that he had failed to do so, highlighting the growing violence that the President had been unable to manage.

Kontras coordinator Haris Azhar said human rights could not be enforced in Indonesia if Jokowi still gave strategic positions to people who had been involved in human rights violations.

"The violations against human rights increased in Jokowi's era," he said earlier this year as quoted by tribunnews.com.

Haris said that Kontras recorded at least 300 human rights violations in 2015, higher than the previous year, or when former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was still in office.

Walhi activist Khalisah Khalid cited two human rights defenders, Salim Kancil and Yanes Balubun, who were allegedly assassinated in the past year.

In September last year, Salim was beaten to death by a group of people in Selok Awar-Awar subdistrict, Pasirian district, East Java. Salim had co-arranged a protest against invasive sand-mining in his village, which was conducted by companies.

Meanwhile, Yanes was a coordinator for the Ambon-based environmental group Humanum and the Indigenous Peoples Alliance. He passed away in April after a vehicle accident, but fellow activists argued that Yanes' death was premeditated by parties that opposed his stance in Maluku. (adt)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/25/government-still-lacks-protection-rights-activists.html

SBY puts up defense regarding 'lost' Munir report

Jakarta Post - October 24, 2016

Jakarta – Former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has chimed in on the recent fiasco over the "lost" investigative report of slain human rights activist Munir Said Thalib that took place during his administration, vowing to soon give a public explanation on the matter.

Through his official Twitter account @SBYudhoyono, he argues that recent media reports about the missing document have been politicized.

"I chose to restrain myself and not be reactive in commenting on any kinds of accusations. This is an important and sensitive issue. It is also about truth and justice," he tweeted on Sunday evening.

In the past two weeks, Yudhoyono reportedly had been discussing the matter with his former ministers, reopenined documents and notes on the Munir case to prepare an explanation to the public. He is set to explain what measures his administration took in relation to the murder case since November 2004, when he formed a fact-finding team comprising independent experts to probe Munir's death.

A public statement would be made to know the real truth, he said. "We will deliver the explanation within two or three days. It must be based on facts, logic and of course truth," Yudhoyono further tweeted.

Munir died onboard a Garuda Indonesia flight to Amsterdam on Sept. 7, 2004. In which Yudhoyono claimed in his tweet that he was still a presidential candidate when the murder happened.

The Central Information Commission (KIP) in its ruling on Oct. 10, had ordered the State Secretariat to disclose the fact-finding team's report on Munir's murder to the public. However, the Secretariat later claimed the document was not in their possession. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/24/sby-puts-up-defense-regarding-lost-munir-report.html

Yudhoyono denies involvement in Munir's missing investigation files

Jakarta Globe - October 24, 2016

Jakarta – Former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has responded to mounting pressure to "take responsibility" for investigation files on the murder of prominent human rights activist Munir Said Thalib, which are believed to have been lost during his administration.

Munir died on-board a Garuda Indonesia flight to Amsterdam in September 2004, a month before Yudhoyono was inaugurated as president.

"When human rights activist Munir died, I was still a presidential candidate," Yudhoyono said via his official Twitter account on Sunday evening (23/10). Yudhoyono said his administration had formed a fact-finding team to look into Munir's case.

Last week, human rights activist group Setara Institute said the former president must take responsibility for losing the documents relating to the Munir's case.

"As related to the documents on Munir's case that was missing from the files of the secretariat of the state, Indonesia's sixth president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, should take responsibility as the fact-finding team was founded and worked for him in 2005," Bonar Tigor Naipospos, deputy chairman of Setara Institute, said.

Yudhoyono replied in a series of tweets, saying he would "choose to restrain himself and not react," and promised to provide statements in the near future.

Saya memilih menahan diri & tak reaktif dlm tanggapi berbagai tudingan.Ini masalah yg penting & sensitif. Jg soal kebenaran & keadilan *SBY* – S. B. Yudhoyono (@SBYudhoyono) October 23, 2016

Munir was murdered with a lethal dose of arsenic poison during a flight to Amsterdam, Sept. 7, 2004. Several suspects have been tried in the case, including former pilot Pollycarpus Priyanto, who was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment, and former cabin crew member Rohainil Aini, who was jailed for a year.

However, the alleged mastermind behind the murder, former deputy of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN) Muchdi Purwoprandjono, was freed following his second appeal. Munir's case reemerged after President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo declined to reopen the case.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/yudhoyono-denies-involvement-munirs-missing-investigation-files/

Sexual & domestic violence

Domestic violence figures in Indonesia are barely collected, but Australian Kate

ABC Radio Australia - October 27, 2016

Samantha Hawley, Indonesia – In Indonesia, one Australian takes it on herself to begin counting the number of women violently killed by their husbands and partners across the archipelago each year.

In a Jakarta hospital room, a bruised and battered young woman sits on a bed and speaks of the moment her boyfriend beat her so badly she thought she might die.

The still-red bruising around her neck shows the force he used as he tried to choke her, while the bleeding in her eye, the deep black rim around it and her swollen broken nose reveal how her fears of being killed were by no means unfounded.

Saori, 25, said she had dared to argue with a man who had hit her before when he'd been drunk. This time she said he was sober.

"It happened so fast, I was afraid. Would I come out alive?" she said during an interview with the ABC from her hospital bed. "He grabbed my neck and punched me twice, that's what I remember."

In Indonesia this year at least 154 women are believed to have been violently killed, most commonly by their husbands and partners. Last year more than 316,000 experienced domestic violence.

The problem is the figures are not precise and are very likely to be an underestimate. Indonesia does not have any consistent or official way of documenting cases of a crime so taboo that women rarely even go to the police to report it.

Helga Inneke is a domestic violence survivor who now runs Indonesia Inspiration, an NGO aimed at empowering women to leave violent relationships. "The domestic violence in Indonesia is more complicated because it is related to culture and that culture is formed by religion," she said.

"When a case reaches the police, it is as if the woman has made a report to a local neighbourhood leader, it is considered a domestic matter, and often she is asked to make peace."

'I was hysterical beyond belief'

In a home on the outskirts of the Indonesian capital, another family is mourning.

In their living room, their 26-year-old daughter Ani Fitriani was killed by her husband, who made her kneel in prayer position before shooting her in the head. Her husband then killed himself. Her father Dayat Hidayat was the first to arrive on the scene.

"I was hysterical beyond belief," he told the ABC through tears. "I was screaming, I am a parent, to see my daughter in that position."

"My daughter was over here in the kneeling position and her forehead was on the floor," he said pointing to the spot where she had effectively been executed. Her two young children were asleep in rooms nearby.

Mr Hidayat called on the Indonesian Government to do more to protect women in violent relationships. "A big number of men are killing their spouses. The Government should be aware and have a solution to that," he said.

No official figures kept on murdered women

But far from a solution, the Indonesian Government does not even collate figures of women murdered by their husbands.

Australian expatriate Kate Walton has taken on the task, by collecting information via simple Google searches and internet cross-checking. One hundred and fifty-four women are on her list this year, killed mainly by their husbands and partners.

"Obviously the figures I collect are based on media mentions, I don't have links to the police or other sources of information," she told the ABC. "I do suspect it really is that cliched 'tip of the iceberg' as to what is really happening."

Indonesia's National Commission on Women Protection does collect some domestic violence figures, but their accuracy cannot be guaranteed because they are largely collated from the nation's religious courts, and not from police records.

In 2015, the Commission found 316,742 cases of domestic violence against women, a figure that has been progressively increasing over many years. But it does not collect any information about how many women have been killed at the hands of their husbands or partners.

"The Government collects some basic information on violence against women in Indonesia but it's very basic there is not a lot of details to it," Ms Walton said.

She said that's what led her to begin her program called "Counting Dead Women" and she hopes the Indonesian Government can adopt similar research.

Jakarta woman Ninin Damayanti, 35, left her husband after being beaten so badly she was hospitalised for a week. She now runs a Facebook group for women in abusive relationships.

"We just share our stories and support each other," she told the ABC. "We are group of people with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder who never know when it will be healed, and what we need is to be able to share the stories anytime we want with other survivors."

Recovering in hospital, Saori said she had spoken out to help others. "I don't want this to happen to anyone else. I want to show people that if a man hits a woman once, there will be a second time," she said.

Source: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/2016-10-27/domestic-violence-figures-in-indonesia-are-barely-collected-but-australian-kate-walton-is-trying-to-/1628450

Labour & migrant workers

Ahok sets Jakarta minimum wage at Rp 3.35m

Jakarta Post - October 27, 2016

Corry Elyda, Jakarta – On his last day before taking leave for the Jakarta gubernatorial election, Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama set Rp 3.35 million (US$257) per month as the 2017 provincial minimum wage for the capital's workers on Thursday.

The figure is eight percent higher than this year's wage of Rp 3.1 million but lower than workers' demands of Rp 3.83 million per month.

"I have signed the [new] minimum wage," he told journalists at City Hall, adding that the figure followed the 2015 government regulation on wages that took effect last year.

The figure was also in accordance with the wage suggested by employers and the city administration discussed in the city's wage committee, which comprises city administrators, employers and employees from Jakarta.

Unlike the previous formula in setting up the wage, which considered the basic cost of living (KHL), the regulation stipulates the wage increase based on a given year's inflation and the gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate.

Employers and workers had different proposals of next year's wage. Workers made demands to the city administration to set the wage 23 percent higher than this year to Rp 3.83 million based on the KHL survey in September of Rp 3.49 million.

Ahok said he actually preferred to use the provincial wage formula based on KHL, however, his proposal to the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry was rejected. Therefore, he expected workers not to stage protests over the new wage that had been set. "We have to follow the regulation," he said.

Ahok starts his election campaign leave on Friday, leaving his duties to acting governor Sumarsono. (rin)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/27/ahok-sets-jakarta-minimum-wage-at-rp-3-35m.html

Protesting workers demand Rp 3.8 million minimum wage

Jakarta Post - October 24, 2016

Callistasia Anggun Wijaya, Jakarta – Hundreds of workers rallied in front of City Hall in Jakarta on Monday, demanding that Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama set the minimum wage for 2017 at Rp 3.8 million (US$291.51) as the city wage council met to discuss the issue.

They said their demand was based on the cost of living (KHL) index, as regulated under the 2003 Employment Law. Ahok said previously that he would set the minimum wage at Rp 3.3 million based on Government Regulation (PP)/78/2015.

"The PP 78 can't be used to determine the minimum wage as the Employment Law overrules it," action coordinator Endang Hidayat of the All Indonesian Workers Union (SPSI) said on Monday, stressing that the administration should use the law to decide the minimum wage. The workers also urged the administration to set the wage based on the KHL as well as the city's inflation and economic development.

The city's wage council met on Monday to the 2017 minimum wage. A representative of employers on the council, Sarman Simanjorang, said he hoped the minimum wage could be decided on Monday. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/24/protesting-workers-demand-rp-3-8-million-minimum-wage.html

Freedom of speech & expression

Right contained in ITE Law to delete negative news threatens press freedom:

Jakarta Post - October 28, 2016

Jakarta – An article in the newly revised Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law, which establishes a right for electronic information deemed no longer relevant to be deleted, will potentially threaten press freedom, an activist warns.

The head of research and networking for the Legal Aid Institute for the Press (LBH Pers), Asep Komaruddin, said the provision, called "the right to be forgotten", could become a government tool to curb freedom of the press in Indonesia.

Article 26 of the newly revised ITE Law states that "Every electronic system organizer is required to delete electronic information deemed no longer relevant by someone who requests the deletion based on a court ruling."

Asep said this article could effectively curb press freedom if it was used together with Article 40 on content blocking, which gave the government authority to prevent the spread and use of electronic information with prohibited contents.

"This article will become a new problem. It can become a new way for the government to restrict press freedom," said Asep as quoted by kompas.com in Jakarta on Friday.

He said it was his opinion that Article 26 would allow misuse by the government to censor news reports. "This regulation can have negative impacts because it can become a new tool to censor news reports published by the media and journalists in the past."

Asep said Article 26 contradicted Law No. 40/1999, which gave no right to anyone to delete negative news reports published in the past.

The House of Representatives passed the draft revision of Law No. 11/2008 on ITE into law in a plenary meeting on Thursday. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/28/right-contained-in-ite-law-to-delete-negative-news-threatens-press-freedom-activist.html

New law viewed as threat to rights of internet users

Jakarta Post - October 28, 2016

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – The House of Representatives has finally passed into law the controversial amendments of the 2008 Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law, regarded by many as a threat to the country's democracy and freedom of speech.

The amendments, which were passed on Thursday, have been criticized in the past for providing the government with another tool to suppress the freedom of speech of the country's 132 million internet users.

While the law gives much greater authority to the government to control electronic information, it has little in the way of provisions regulating the control of the use of this power.

The passing of the law has raised questions over the government's commitment to promoting freedom of expression.

The new law could also see civil servant investigators (PPNS) getting involved in police work. The law grants authority to PPNS to accept reports about, and investigate and arrest, internet users suspected of violating the law, as well as to carry out raids related to cybercrime.

Article 43 of the law also stipulates PPNS or police investigators have the right to conduct a raid without having to acquire a warrant from a court as previously stipulated.

Among provisions regarded as particularly draconian are articles on cyberbullying and the right to be forgotten. These have added to the existing controversial articles such as the defamation provisions, which have seen citizens sent to jail for what they posted on the internet.

However, in response to the public outcry, the law reduces the maximum penalties for defamation from six to four years. For offenders found guilty of transmitting electronic information carrying threats, the maximum penalty has also been lowered from 12 to four years.

As a consequence, law enforcers will no longer be authorized to automatically detain suspects charged under these articles, since the Criminal Code Procedures only allow detention for suspects charged with crimes carrying at least five years in prison.

Cyberbullying offenses, which cover bullying using any form of electronic means, also carry four-year sentences as stipulated in Article 45 of the law.

The law also states that a defamation case can only be investigated based on a report, meaning law enforcement bodies can no longer unilaterally launch an investigation without receiving complaints from affected parties first.

On the new provision on the right to be forgotten, the law authorizes the Information and Telecommunications Ministry to order internet providers to remove online stories that complainants claim to be personally damaging to them, after receiving approval from a court.

"This is good because we previously did not have the right to be forgotten," Information and Telecommunications Minister Rudiantara said on Thursday.

Lawmaker TB Hasanuddin, who led the House's team on the amendments, highlighted Article 40, which authorizes the government to block "negative content", or order internet service providers to do so.

"The authority aims at making the government responsible for preventing the spread and the use of electronic information containing information prohibited by existing regulations," the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician said.

Anggara of the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR) voiced opposition to the law, specifically the provisions regarding the new powers given to PPNS.

"We strongly reject it as it is a setback for basic justice. By scrapping the requirement for law enforcers to get a court order before conducting arrests, detention, raids or seizures, law enforcement bodies could abuse their power and lead to potential human rights violations," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/28/new-law-viewed-threat-rights-internet-users.html

Political parties & elections

Military, police on full alert

Jakarta Post - October 31, 2016

Agnes Anya and Haeril Halim, Jakarta – Thousands of police and military personnel are being prepared to confront any possible outbreak of violence when a fresh demonstration, set to involve thousands of Islamic hard-liners from outside Jakarta, hits the streets of the capital on Friday.

Jakarta is on high alert after information began to circle online and offline suggesting that extremists from all over the country would flock to the city and demand that authorities prosecute Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama for alleged blasphemy.

Indonesian Military (TNI) spokesman Brig. Gen. Wuryanto has confirmed that the TNI plans to deploy around 500 personnel including those from elite branches, such as the Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) and Air Force Special Forces (Paskas), to back up around 7,000 officers deployed by the Jakarta Police.

The personnel will also be tasked at providing security assistance in vital areas such as airports, bus terminals and government offices.

Wuryanto said the TNI had learned that the upcoming Nov. 4 mass protest by Islamic organizations could escalate into violence and therefore the military had responded to the police's call for backup.

"Yes, the tension is high because everybody knows about Nov. 4. The military has encouraged Islamic organizations not to send members to Jakarta. We hope they will listen to our advice," Wuryanto told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian acknowledged that the police had been coordinating with the TNI after the National Police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) issued its highest security level, known as "Siaga 1".

Many may see these developments as indicative of a high-level security threat in the capital as it is not common to see the TNI being deployed to help deal with civilian demonstrations.

In response to the status, roughly 1,000 Brimob personnel from regional police commands have been dispatched to the capital and put on standby, National Police spokesperson Brig. Gen. Agus Rianto said on Sunday.

"We have deployed personnel from outside Jakarta to assist the Jakarta Police in providing proper services to the public, particularly when the demonstration takes places," Agus told the Post. "It is predicted that it will be a large demonstration," he added.

The Nov. 4 rally will be the second sizable demonstration against the governor following one on Oct. 10. The protesters, who are mostly Islamic hard-liners, have demanded that the police charge Ahok, who is currently on leave for the Jakarta gubernatorial election campaign, with religious blasphemy after some felt the governor had insulted Islam when Ahok cited a verse from the Quran. Ahok has apologized for the statement, but for the hard-liners this is not enough.

Also on Sunday, Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Awi Setiyono clarified that no "shoot-on-sight" order had been issued with regard to the rally. "Don't provoke and make the situation more heated," Awi said, adding that police officers were not allowed to carry firearms when securing rallies.

Tito has called on the public not to be easily provoked by the distribution of false information on the internet, especially information suggesting that the rally would descend into chaos.

The police have yet to ascertain the full scale of the protest. However, many hard-line Islamic organizations have called on Muslims to take part.

Islam Defenders Front (FPI) chairman Habib Rizieq Shihab, for example, has called on all Muslims to take part in the rally on his official website www.habibrizieq.com.

Indonesia's largest Islamic organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), has said it will encourage its members to refrain from taking part in the demonstration and will prohibit the use of NU symbols at the rally.

NU suspects that the demonstration carries a "hidden" aim that is "bigger than demanding criminal proceedings against Ahok". "I am afraid that [the rally] is propelled by a third party whose issues are bigger than just the [Jakarta] election," said NU central board chairman Said Aqil Siradj on Saturday.

Tension continues to rise ahead of the highly-anticipated Jakarta gubernatorial race. Incumbent Ahok and his running mate Djarot Saiful Hidayat will compete against two other candidate pairs, namely Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono-Sylviana Murni and Anies Baswedan-Sandiaga Uno.

Anies and Sandiaga have said they will not take part in the Nov. 4 demonstration. "We are concentrating on winning the gubernatorial race. We won't be taking part in activities that are not related to the election," Anies said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/31/military-police-on-full-alert.html

Jakarta police chief denies 'shoot on sight' order during protests

Jakarta Globe - October 31, 2016

Jakarta – Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. M. Iriawan denied reports he had given a "shoot on sight" directive ahead of protests planned for Friday (04/10), which is expected to see thousands rally against Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama who has been accused of blasphemy.

"The National Police have not released any orders to shoot on sight in securing the protest," Jakarta Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Awi Setiyono said in a written statement on Sunday.

The statement, issued by Iriawan through his spokesperson, has clarified circulating reports of the order.

Police are not permitted to carry firearms, much less shoot anyone, while securing the protest, Awi said. He urged the public to take extra precaution and be critical of rumors that are designed to cause public unrest.

"This provocation hopes to heat things up by twisting the news, for the parties involved to take on each other," Awi said, adding the media must report correctly.

Previously, reports circulated saying Iriawan had ordered police to shoot protesters during rallies ahead of the 2017 gubernatorial election in the case they become violent or out of control. This has since been denied by authorities.

Awi said police will secure every rally, adding that all Indonesians are afforded the right to protest safely and peacefully. He advised the public to avoid interest groups which become violent and create social unrest.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/jakarta-police-chief-denies-shoot-sight-order-protests/

Jokowi visits Prabowo at his mansion in Bogor

Jakarta Globe - October 31, 2016

Jakarta – President Jokowi "Jokowi" Widodo visited the Gerindra, or Great Indonesia Movement, Party chairman Prabowo Subianto at his mansion in Bogor, West Java, for a meeting on Monday (31/10).

Jokowi and his entourage, including Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, arrived at Prabowo's home at 12.30 p.m.

The president refused to tell reporters the purpose of his sudden meeting with Prabowo – The only candidate to compete against Jokowi in the closely-contested 2014 presidential election.

"[I will tell you] later," Jokowi said. Earlier in the morning, the president had attended a celebration for National Savings Day at the Jakarta Convention Center.

The last time Jokowi visited Prabowo was on Oct. 17, 2014, only three days before he was sworn in as president.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/jokowi-visits-prabowo-mansion-bogor/

Election disputes loom as House rushes election bill

Jakarta Post - October 31, 2016

Nurul Fitri Ramadhani, Jakarta – With lawmakers having only around six or seven months to pass the election bill into law, questions have been raised over their ability to produce a quality law that could ensure the legitimacy of the 2019 election results.

The country will for the first time hold concurrent presidential and legislative elections in 2019, as mandated by the Constitutional Court.

The court's ruling, issued a few months before the 2014 legislative elections, has forced the government and the House of Representatives to revise three separate election-related laws – the 2008 Presidential Election Law, the 2011 Legislative Law and the 2011 Election Organizers Law – and merge them into one.

The revision has paved the ways for political parties to modify the nation's electoral system to accommodate their interests.

Civil society groups and election watchdogs, meanwhile, may have little say in the deliberation, which has to be concluded before election preparations kick off next year.

The 2019 general elections are set for April or July 2019 and preparations for them, including the election for new General Elections Commission (KPU) members, should begin two years beforehand.

Potential legal loopholes within the bill, if passed into law, could put the credibility of the 2019 election results on shaky legal ground, constitutional law expert Feri Amsari told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

He argued neither the political parties nor the public was familiar with the possible changes in the electoral system. "The election result will be vulnerable to legal challenges. Even worse, it could also trigger conflicts," Feri said.

Other than providing a legal basis for the concurrent legislative and presidential elections, the bill also introduces many controversial provisions, which may lead to protracted debate at the House and, if approved, would be subject to challenges at the Constitutional Court.

The government, which is supported by a coalition of parties led by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), for example, has proposed to change the election system from the current open-list system to an open-limited or semi-closed-list proportional representation system.

The proposed system will allow voters to vote for their preferred candidates on the ballot papers but the political parties will have the final say on who will get a House seat.

Chusnul Mariyah, a political expert from University of Indonesia who served as a KPU commissioner from 2001 to 2007, has warned that the new system would trigger conflicts within political parties.

The bill also plans to bar new political parties from nominating presidential candidates as it stipulates that only those that won seats in the 2014 legislative elections can do so.

The major parties' plan to raise the electoral threshold to reduce the number of factions at the House would also likely drag on the bill's deliberation as small parties would strongly oppose such a move.

"The late deliberation [of the bill] makes it difficult for the public to give substantial input," Feri said.

The House will start deliberating the bill by mid-November after the recess period. Lawmakers say they are aware of this situation. "The House and the government may only be able to discuss several crucial issues or risk dragging the bill's deliberation on too long. We could run out of time and it will ruin the election process itself," Prosperous Justice Party lawmaker Almuzzammil Yusuf said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/31/election-disputes-loom-house-rushes-election-bill.html

Small parties facing yet another existential battle

Jakarta Post - October 29, 2016

Nurul Fitri Ramadhani, Jakarta – The upcoming deliberations over an election bill could become an existential battle for smaller parties, with major parties, again, pushing for a higher electoral threshold.

The bill, which was submitted by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo earlier this month, retains the threshold for political parties to be able to get seats at the House of Representatives at 3.5 percent of the votes in the legislative election, as stipulated in prevailing legislation.

Big parties, however, said they believe that the bar should be set higher, at between 7 and 10 percent, saying the country would be more politically stable with fewer factions. The United Development Party (PPP) and the Hanura Party have voiced their opposition to the plan.

"A higher threshold means more votes will be wasted," PPP secretary-general Arsul Sani said. "Political stability has nothing to do with the number of factions at the House. It depends on the political support [given to the government]."

The PPP, the country's oldest Islamic party, only received 6.5 percent of the popular vote in the 2014 legislative election.

Hanura, the smallest party at the House today, garnering only 5.26 percent of the votes in 2014, said raising the threshold was pointless, as it had been agreed upon when the legislative election was held before the presidential election.

"The next presidential and legislative elections will be held concurrently; there's no reason to maintain the legislative threshold," said Hanura executive Sarifudding Sudding.

Debate over the minimum amount of votes a party should win to get seats at the House, widely known as the "legislative threshold", emerges every time the lawmakers deliberate election laws.

Indonesia embraces a multi-party system, but some politicians argued that the nation has too many political parties, which they say may cause political instability.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which gained 19 percent of the votes in the previous election, wants to increase the threshold to 10 percent.

The PDI-P, the Golkar Party and the Democratic Party were responsible for raising the threshold from the 2.5 percent that was stipulated in the 2008 legislative election law to the 3.5 percent in the 2011 revision of the same law.

"[The House] needs to simplify the number of factions for the sake of democracy and decision-making efficiency," PDI-P faction deputy chairman Hendrawan Supratikno said. "There will always be trade-offs between efficiency and representation," he added.

Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) executive director Titi Anggraini said the major parties' proposal would actually be bad for democracy, as many people would not be represented if the parties they support failed to get seats at the House.

"If the House wants to improve the efficacy of governance and democracy, there should be a threshold to form a faction, for example 15 or 20 percent from the total seats at the legislature, so that the parties will be forced to form coalitions," Titi said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/29/small-parties-facing-yet-another-existential-battle.html

Groups call for no racism, sectarianism in election

Jakarta Post - October 29, 2016

Indra Budiari, Jakarta – The campaign period for the Jakarta gubernatorial race kicked off Friday with a joint declaration by human rights activists and leading Muslim figures to promote an election that is free from racism and sectarianism.

Ismail Hasani, research director of the Setara Institute rights group, said on Friday that although many surveys showed only a small number of Jakarta residents would take religion into consideration in choosing a governor, smear campaigns and sectarian attacks in public would likely take place that could pose a serious problem.

Fear of rising sectarianism in the election emerged after a number of hardline groups voiced their opposition to the candidacy of Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, who is a Christian of Chinese descent.

"We should unite against the use of [racist and sectarian attacks in political campaigns], not because we support one candidate or another, but because exploitation of religious and racial issues will leave a scar on the public that won't heal even after the election is over," he told The Jakarta Post during the declaration by the Gerakan Santi Nusantara (Movement of the Archipelago's Islamic Boarding School Students).

The campaign period is to last from Oct. 28 to Feb. 11, 2017, while voting day is scheduled for Feb. 15, 2017.

A survey released by pollster Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) last month found that sectarian issues were unlikely to sway the opinions of Jakarta's voters because of the large number who would most likely base their decisions on rational calculations.

However, a rally by thousands of hardline Muslims in the capital demanding that Ahok be sent to jail over his statement regarding how others have used a Quranic verse had created a sense that the negative religious fervor would not calm down. Ahok was accused of defaming the Quran when he criticized people who used the scripture to discourage people from voting for him.

The protesters, many of whom came from outside Jakarta, made derogatory remarks and expressed verbal threats against Ahok.

The hard-line religious groups have also pledged to stage more large protests in Jakarta's streets if the National Police refused to press ahead with a criminal investigation into the alleged blasphemy. The police and military had said they would deploy 7,000 officers to pacify the threatened rally.

Robi Sugara, the director of the Muslim Crisis Center, said the groups had failed to see that the Quran should be read to promote peace and not hate and violence.

He added that his organization and Gerakan Santri Nusantara would form a team to promote a peaceful campaign on social media, as he believed that it was the place where people could share their thoughts on the gubernatorial election and could be exposed to smear campaigns.

"We would post various posts that contain humor without undermining any candidate, [so as] to reduce the tension on social media."

The first day of the campaign period started without fanfare. Ahok had said he did not have any campaign events scheduled for Friday. His running mate, Djarot Saiful Hidayat, met with residents of Pasar Rebo, East Jakarta, after Friday prayer.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/29/groups-call-no-racism-sectarianism-election.html

Quranic interpretation issue continues amid election lead-up

Jakarta Post - October 25, 2016

Safrin La Batu, Jakarta – Controversy over a verse in the Quran used against incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama has not ended yet as the gubernatorial election enters its campaign period this week.

Recently, netizens have suspected that someone or a group of people had doctored the Indonesian interpretation of the Al Maidah 51 verse to favor Ahok, a Christian of Chinese descent.

The allegation went viral on social media after a Facebook user, Seuramoe Mekkah, posted a photo showing a copy of the Indonesian translation of the verse. The post had a caption that read: "Move quickly. A new translated version of Al Maidah 51 is now circulating. 'Leaders' has been changed to 'close friends'."

The Quran in the picture was published by PT Iqro Indonesia Global. The company has reported the owner of the Facebook account to the Yogyakarta Police in Central Java for libel.

The Arabic word in question, which the Facebook account owner and some netizens claimed had been changed, is awliya, which has various meanings depending on its context.

The Religious Affairs Ministry had clarified that "close friends" is the current translation of the word auliya in the verse. The ministry said the translation had not been changed since 2002.

"It is not true that there was editing in the translation of the Quran recently. The claim that the editing was done under the order of the Religious Affairs Ministry is also not true," Muchlis M. Hanafi, the head of the Quran interpretation unit at the ministry, wrote in a clarification received by The Jakarta Post recently.

He said the word auliyah was mentioned 42 times in the Quran and the meaning differed depending on the context. For example, in one verse it was translated as "leaders" or "protectors" while elsewhere it was translated to "close friends".

Muchlis acknowledged that it was quite normal for some Islamic scholars to have disagreements over the interpretation of a verse as its meaning could be deep. He further said the translated version of the Quran "is not the Quran" but rather "the interpretation of the meaning of the Quran".

Earlier, Ahok became the subject of criticism after he mentioned the verse to criticize politicians who often used it to attack him and to influence Muslims against voting for non-Muslim candidates.

His statement appeared in a video that went viral on social media resulting in some Islamic groups, who accused Ahok of criticizing the Quran rather than politicians, to report him to the police for blasphemy. They also took to the streets to press the police to arrest him.

Ahok's statement in the video, released ahead of the Jakarta gubernatorial election in which Ahok is one of the candidates, increased religious sentiments that led to some netizens posting sectarian comments on social media that discouraged Muslims from voting for a non-Muslim.

Ahok eventually apologized, saying he did not intend to insult the Quran and Islam but rather he was criticizing the politicians who used the verse to attack him. Despite his apology, Islamic groups have still urged the police to arrest him.

The National Police are investigating the case and on Monday, investigators summoned the governor discuss his statement in the video. Previously, the police also extracted information from a number of witnesses including linguists and Islamic scholars from both the ministry and the Indonesian Ulema Council.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/25/quranic-interpretation-issue-continues-amid-election-lead.html

Vote buying, nepotism haunt local elections

Jakarta Post - October 24, 2016

Jakarta – The second round of the simultaneous regional elections coming your way, 18 years after political reform began, is expected to reflect how Indonesia's democracy is bogged down by the overly dominant role of political parties, flawed legislation, nepotism and corruption.

In the first round of direct local elections this year, the laws left room for the people to field candidates of their choice. However, when voters are in polling booths on Feb. 15 next year they will have to choose candidates prescribed for them by political parties, which tightened the rule via their lawmakers.

Independent nominees are on the verge of extinction and will be found only in a few of the 101 provinces, regencies and cities that will vote for new leaders, including Banten, Gorontalo and Aceh.

In the latest setback to promote accountable and respectable governance, crooks on probation and ex-convicts have been granted the freedom to run for public offices. The incumbent Gorontalo Governor Rusli Habibie, who is seeking another term, is still currently on probation for defamation.

The ongoing election fanfare has also exposed acute weaknesses in Indonesian political parties: They lack truly qualified cadres. In some regions they field popular figures who are not even their sympathizers.

Vote buying is virtually legalized in the amended law on regional elections. It permits candidates to provide lunches, gifts and accommodation to their supporters during campaigns as long as the favors are not offered in cash. What constitutes vote buying or "money politics" as it is better known, is done in a "massive and structured" fashion – a grey area that does not invite investigation.

Nepotism or "political dynasties", an old practice in politics, continues unabated in many regions where incumbent administration heads make the most of their fortunes to privilege their relatives and help them obtain strategic political positions.

People hang their hopes on the newly empowered Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu), which now has the authority to disqualify candidates who flout the laws. The watchdog's independence will be tested.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/24/vote-buying-nepotism-haunt-local-elections.html

Direct elections under curtailed democracy

Jakarta Post - October 24, 2016

Next year's historic second round of simultaneous regional elections in 101 provinces, regencies and cities across the archipelago is touted as reflecting Indonesia's democracy, which remains stifled by politicians' short-term, opportunistic visions and mired in corruption. Our team, Nani Afrida and Pandaya in Jakarta, with reporting from correspondents Hotli Simanjuntak in Aceh, Syamsul Huda M. Suhari in Gorontalo and Bambang Muryanto in Yogyakarta, outline the major issues surrounding the much-awaited events.

Funco Tanipu, a lecturer with the state Gorontalo University, was very skeptical about the local gubernatorial candidacy, which was dominated by old faces. He observed that when it came to the recruitment system, the aspirants' money did the talking more than their actual competence.

The lingering tradition of favoring the old, stiff hands with formidable financial resources was dashing the local people's hopes for the emergence of young, hip leaders. This old-fashioned practice, he said, had kept lots of capable younger leaders at bay.

Tanipu suspected that the old players – four pairs with all but one nominee aged over 50 – only represented the interests of the national political elite and capitalists who were targeting multi-million dollar projects in Gorontalo, from the construction of a railway system, to cement production and gold mining concessions.

"This [upcoming election] is a representation of the political strife of Gorontalo's capitalists," he said. "So it's only logical that there is no competition of ideas among the candidates."

Even though Tanipu happened to be commenting on the Gorontalo election, his allegations ring quite true for the Feb. 15 political contests in the other 100 provinces, cities and regencies across the archipelago.

The elections are widely seen as critical for political parties to strengthen their grassroots bases and bolster their leverage for the 2019 general election, when the national top jobs, both in the executive and legislative bodies, will be up for grabs.

As in any other previous elections, they are mired in widespread vote buying, bribery, cronyism and nepotism. Criminals are granted tickets to run for public office. For example, a Gorontalo incumbent candidate – Rusli Habibie – is on two-year probation for defaming the then local police chief, Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso, who probed a myriad of graft cases implicating Rusli while he was the North Gorontalo regent from 2008 to 2012.

But Rusli does not have to worry about anything because the candidacy of convicts like him has been made legal by an agreement between lawmakers and Home Affairs Ministry officials, who turned a deaf ear to fierce popular objection. Ex-prisoners also retain their right to hold public positions on the grounds that they have paid for their crimes. In short, political parties have belittled ethical considerations.

The Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) noted that between 2005 and 2015, Indonesia had implemented 1,300 regional direct elections. This formidable experience and the lessons learned should make future elections better in terms of organization, transparency and fairness, or does it?

LIPI senior researcher Siti Zuhro had a surprising account. In terms of quality, the direct regional elections were declining. The public had been losing trust in the corrupt system.

"Candidates use any means, including illogical tactics, to win the elections," she said. "It's a mask democracy. Financial transactions [for political gains] are the order of the day. Opportunism has taken the place of idealism."

Direct elections were designed in the wake of dictator Soeharto's downfall by proponents of reformation, with the aim of improving public service, encouraging local competitive advantage, creating good governance and improving citizens' wellbeing. These ideals remain elusive.

Political parties have miserably failed to carry out their basic function of recruiting honest leaders and educating the masses about the basic values of democracy, such as integrity and fairness.

The Jakarta gubernatorial candidacy is a case in point: None of the three candidates, Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, Anies Baswedan and Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, represent any political party, although each of them is endorsed by parties because running as an independent has been virtually blocked.

Early smear campaigns exacerbated by Ahok's recent gaffe about Quran verses gives credence to Siti's allegations about contenders' Machiavellian tendencies to win elections.

Adding insult to injury, the amended laws on regional elections have dashed the people's hopes for the emergence of independent candidates. The mostly self-serving House of Representatives has raised the bar for potential leaders to run on independent tickets to an unreasonably high level. Even Ahok, who claimed to have the support of a million voters, backed down from his independent bid and sought party endorsement.

The damning legislation denies citizens the right to field leaders of their own choice and left them to accept the candidates chosen by politicians instead. Only a few regencies and provinces will see aspirants running as independents, including one in Aceh and one in Gorontalo.

Another new provision in the law that some local candidates have exploited is one that allows the election to proceed in the event there is only a single pair in the contest. In this case, voters will indicate if they agree or disagree.

In some regencies, such as Kulon Progo in Yogyakarta, incumbent candidates have secured the support of almost all local councilors, leaving no chance for other people to take part in the contest. This practice has raised suspicion of early vote buying. It is no big deal if the single candidates have proven track records, like Kulon Progo regent Hasto Wardoyo and Surabaya mayor Tri Rismaharini.

Next year, six regencies will have nominees without contenders: Kulon Progo, Tulang Bawang, Landak, Pati, Buton and Tambrauw, plus one mayoralty: Tebingtinggi. In last year's first round of simultaneous elections, there were only three.

Bayu Dardias, a political lecturer with Gadjah Mada University, said that the phenomenon was made possible by either the candidates' unrivalled patronage or their formidable financial clout that enabled them to buy votes.

Such strong patronage and plutocracy was also blamed for the robust "political dynasties" in many regions, like Banten, Lampung, South Sumatra, Kutai Kartanegara and South Sulawesi. In the local context, "political dynasty" is simply a euphemism for "nepotism", with all the negative perceptions that go along with it.

"The regions where political dynasties have taken hold have similar characteristics in common: they are impoverished, agricultural and rural," Bayu said.

Amid concern about civil organizations and the media's inability to play an effective role as electoral watchdog, the legal empowerment of the traditionally lame Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) has come as a ray of hope.

Now it wields the power to punish recalcitrant candidates, disqualifying nominees who break the rules. Unless its members are partisan, it should be brave enough to exercise this newfound authority.

Unfortunately, Bawaslu's empowerment is only a one-step-forward, two-steps-back tactic because – inconsistently – the new regulations allow regional head aspirants to provide money to their supporters, so long as it is disguised as lunch, transportation and prize allowances. This anecdotal reality is apparently designed by politicians to complicate investigations into allegations of bribery and vote buying.

"Although campaigning regulation No. 12/2016 prohibits candidates from providing cash to supporters attending their rallies, they can still bend the rules," said Titi Anggraini of the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem). "What if a candidate invites an ulema to a hotel and pays for his lunch, room and transportation? Isn't it a form of vote buying, too?"

High hopes are hung on the stronger Bawaslu to act professionally and independently. Tough law enforcement to uphold the rule of law is the job that it failed to do in the past, casting doubt on its independence.

Observers are warning of potential disputes in such restive areas as Aceh and West Papua. The flawed legal framework, questionable neutrality on the part of the organizers, growing sectarian strife and bitter rivalry among local contenders are all reasons to fear open conflicts.

Aceh has been singled out as the most vulnerable to violent conflicts, largely because four of the six gubernatorial candidates are rival ex-leaders of the secessionist Free Aceh Movement (GAM). They are former governor Irwandi Yusuf, incumbent Zaini Abdullah, incumbent deputy Muzakir Manaf and Zakaria Zaman.

All but Irwandi belong to the Aceh Party, the largest local party, chaired by Muzakir, while Zaini and Zakaria will run as independents.

"The upcoming election will further divide the Aceh Party and this could make things precarious because each candidate has their own loyal supporters," said Efendi Hasan, a political observer from the Banda Aceh-based State University of Syah Kuala.

The contest will be even livelier with the unique alliance between local and national political parties. Muzakir has secured the backing of not only the Aceh Party but also five national parties: the Jan Faridz faction of the United Development Party (PPP), the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKPI) and the Gerindra Party.

Irwandi, as a former GAM leader and governor from 2006 to 2012, is seen as a strong contender. He founded the Aceh National Party following his reelection defeat in 2012. His political backing will be reinforced by another local party, the Aceh Peace Party, and three national parties: the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the Democratic Party and the National Awakening Party (PKB).

For the province that has formally adopted sharia and where Quran recital is prerequisite to getting a ticket for the race, next year's election will be the third since it signed a peace agreement with the Indonesian government in Helsinki in 2005.

In addition, 16 regencies across Aceh will also elect their heads of government. Like the gubernatorial aspirants, some of the regent nominees have links to GAM and retain strong support from voters sympathetic to the separatist cause. In anticipation of disturbances, the local police plan to mobilize some 10,000 of their 14,000 personnel.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/24/direct-elections-under-curtailed-democracy.html

Much loathed but legal, political dynasties here to stay

Jakarta Post - October 24, 2016

Nani Afrida, Jakarta – After a coalition of political parties announced that it was nominating Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono as its Jakarta gubernatorial candidate last month, people were quick to suspect that former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was building a political dynasty.

In the ensuing debate on social media and in casual chats on the street, people theorized that Agus had left the military and entered politics at his father's urging rather than on his own initiative.

But the Democratic Party, which was founded by Yudhoyono, and its Islamic-based allies the United Development Party (PPP), the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the National Mandate Party (PAN) have insisted they picked Agus solely for his intelligence, good looks, discipline and modesty.

In fact, the Yudhoyonos are not the only politicians to have built some kind of political dynasty, which is completely legal and has been practiced since long before Indonesia became independent.

And neither is it unique to Indonesia. Even in such a modern democracy as the US, political dynasties are acceptable. The Kennedy and the Bush dynasties are probably the best known and often used as a kind of role model by some Indonesian politicians.

In Indonesia, such political clans are commonly perceived as a form of nepotism built upon the formidable political and financial power of their leaders. This perception has developed from modern day political reality.

The most notorious is probably the political dynasty of Tubagus Chasan Sochib, a formerly feared gang leader who won political power that catapulted his daughter Ratu Atut Chosiyah to the governorship of Banten. As their political power continued to expand, more of his relatives clinched strategic positions in local executive and legislative offices.

In 2014 Atut, a Golkar Party politician, was convicted of graft and sentenced to four years imprisonment and in 2015 the Supreme Court extended her term to seven years. Interestingly, her incarceration has not meant the end of the dynasty. The clan retains its grip on local politics.

So her relatives still dominated this year's mayoral and regency elections in Banten. Her sister-in-law Airin Rachmi Diany and sister Ratu Tatu Chasanah were reelected as mayor of South Tangerang and regent of Serang respectively.

Atut's son-in-law Tanto Warsono Arban won the Pandeglang regency election stepping into the shoes of Heryani, who is none other than Atut's stepmother. Meanwhile Atut's stepbrother Tubagus Jaman now serves as Serang deputy mayor.

In next year's local election, Atut's son Andika Hazrumy has been nominated as Banten deputy governor pairing with the Democratic Party's Wahidin Halim. They have secured the backing of four political parties – the Democrats, Golkar, Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and Hanura Party.

In Gorontalo, all eyes are on Hana Hasanah, wife of former governor Fadel Muhammad, who is a Golkar lawmaker now. Hana, currently a Regional Representatives Council member, is running for Gorontalo governor and feeling the taint of political dynasty-building.

Titi Anggraini of the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) says that political dynastic practices are here to stay thanks to a 2015 Constitutional Court ruling that asserted their legality.

She says the revised law derived from the ruling has allowed the creation of political dynasties and is bad for political recruitment and hampers democratic leadership succession. No wonder that there have been an increasing number of cases of political parties supporting the nomination of relatives of political leaders even if they are not the parties' members.

"Take the candidacies in the upcoming Jakarta election. None of the three candidates is a party member," Titi said. This is aggravated by the fact that political parties' financial systems are controlled by their small elites who have a say in the candidacy process.

Perludem notes that political clans have sprung up all over the country. In the 2015 local elections, for instance, 46 female leaders were successful. This may sound good but on a closer look, most of the elected female leaders had marital or kinship connections with the previous or incumbent leaders in the regions.

"In Klaten, the current regent is the wife of her predecessor of two terms. Bontang and Indramayu [regencies] also have the same issue. So if it is not the wife, it will be relatives who take over the job," Titi says.

Siti Zuhro, an Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) researcher, shares Titi's assertions adding that Indonesian leadership relies on patronage. And this happens not only in politics but also in business. "Our democracy today strengthens patronage traditions when what we need is strong leadership," she says.

Among ordinary voters, robust political dynasties have received a mixed response. Nila Daud, 45, of Kemanggisan, West Jakarta, says she does not mind Agus' gubernatorial candidacy.

"Agus is like his father. He can make a good governor. But I'm still undecided whether to vote for him or [the incumbent] Ahok," Nila, a housewife, said. "If he has good plans, why not? We have to use our common sense."

But Tri Sukoco, an ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver from Cilandak in South Jakarta, is of the opinion that Indonesia should get rid of nepotism. "It is easy to become a leader if your parent is a leader. I think ordinary people should have the same level playing field. But I don't know if it is possible," the 34-year-old man said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/24/much-loathed-legal-political-dynasties-here-stay.html

Internet & social media

More than half of Indonesians are internet users

Jakarta Globe - October 24, 2016

Jakarta – A survey conducted by the Indonesian Internet Service Provider Association, or APJII, revealed that there are 132.7 million Internet users in the country, APJII chairman, Jamalul Izza, said in Jakarta on Monday (24/10).

This is a significant increase from 88 million users in 2014, amounting to 51.8 percent of Indonesia's total population. However, geographically, Java has the highest concentration of Internet users.

"70 percent of the total Internet users in Indonesia access the Internet through their mobile devices," Jamalul said.

The survey also revealed that there is a 100 percent Internet penetration rate among those aged 10-14 years, mainly comprising of students. This is followed by private sector employees and those in the health sector.

"Social media is still the most popular activity, followed by entertainment and news. Facebook is the most frequently accessed platform, just after Instagram and Youtube," APJII secretary general, Henry Kasyfi Soemartono, said.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/half-indonesians-internet-users/

Environment & natural disasters

Police defend dropping peatland fire cases

Jakarta Post - October 25, 2016

Jakarta – The National Police have cited several reasons behind their controversial decision to terminate investigations into 15 companies previously charged for their alleged roles in the setting of peatland fires.

Criminal Investigation Department head Comr. Gen. Ari Dono Sukmanto claimed that many of the fires had been caused by fires lit by locals that had expanded to areas belonging to the companies

"The companies also did whatever they could to put out the fires," Ari said at a hearing held by House of Representatives Commission III overseeing legal and human rights, kompas.com reported.

He also argued that experts claimed that the articles under which the companies had been charged were no longer relevant.

The police have received 480 reports related to peatland fires since 2015. Most of them remain unresolved. Those who were brought to court, on the other hand, were mostly locals or low-level company officials.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/25/national-scene-police-defend-dropping-peatland-fire-cases.html

Health & education

Indonesia no place for mentally ill people: Report

Jakarta Post - October 29, 2016

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Indonesia is the second-worst place in the Asia Pacific region for people suffering from mental illness, according to a recent report.

The Asia-Pacific Mental Health Integration Index, released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), ranks the level of effort of 15 countries across the Asia Pacific region in implementing effective mental health policies. Indonesia ranks 14th out of 15 countries in the study. Only Pakistan scored lower.

"Indonesia fell into a band of lower-income countries – including India, the Philippines, Vietnam and Pakistan," EIU managing editor Gareth Nicholson said.

The report, commissioned by Janssen Asia Pacific, notes that human rights challenges remain in Indonesia and that best estimates indicate that only 10 percent of those with a diagnosable mental illness receive evidence-based care.

Access to mental health care is still severely lacking in the country, the report says, with only 800 psychiatrists and 400 clinical psychologists for a population of more than 250 million.

Eight from a total of 34 Indonesian provinces do not have mental hospitals, and fewer than 2,000 of the country's 9,500 primary health care centers provide mental health care.

The government seems to be doing too little to improve the nation's mental health care, with budget funds allocated to the purpose now standing at a meager 1 percent of the country's overall health budget.

"This is too low and makes it difficult for the government to implement real programs," said psychiatrist Nova Riyanti Yusuf, who co-authored the report and chaired the working committee drafting the mental health bill in the House of Representatives.

One of the reasons why the budget for mental health care is low was the absence of reliable data on the prevalence of mental illness in the country, she said, adding that a national mental health institute needed to be created to produce such data.

The poor state of mental health care has led to a cry-for-help phenomenon, where people suffering from mental illness seek alternative methods to ease their problems, such as turning to religious cults, instead of seeking professional help.

The country has recently seen a rising number of people, including celebrities and renowned academics and politicians, fall victim to fake spiritual gurus, such as the Dimas Kanjeng Taat Pribadi cult in East Java and the Gatot Brajamusti cult in West Java. "So psychiatrists are not on the front line [of providing mental health care]," Nova said.

Within the four categories that make up the Index – environment, opportunities, access to treatment and governance – Indonesia scored higher than other lower-to-middle income countries on "access to treatment" but ranked last for "governance", which includes human rights issues and efforts to combat stigma, and also last for "opportunities", specifically job market opportunities for people suffering from mental illness.

With regard to governance, the report noted that Indonesia significantly modernized its mental health legislation through by passing Law No. 18/2014 on Mental Health, which deals with, among other issues, the mental health care system, resources for mental health care delivery and mental health examination. Yet, two year after its enactment in 2014, only one implementing regulation has been put in place.

The government is running behind schedule as the law stipulates that the implementing regulations must be in place no later than one year after the law's enactment. The lack of implementing regulations has hindered the country's progress in reaching out to those in need of mental health care.

Nova argued that by neglecting people with mental illnesses, Indonesia would have to bear the economic consequences, with the report confirming that mental illness placed a burden on Asia Pacific economies.

Even among the best performing economies – Australia and New Zealand, mental illness knocks 3.5 percent and 5 percent, respectively, off their GDP. "Instead of empowering people with mental illness, they become a burden," Nova said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/29/indonesia-no-place-mentally-ill-people-report.html

Elementary schools crumble despite Jokowi's promises

Jakarta Post - October 25, 2016

Moses Ompusunggu and Ina Parlina, Jakarta – Building on the gains of past regimes that claimed to make education a priority, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is seeking to take the country's education system to the next level.

However, his plans for every child to achieve 12 years of education, either at regular or vocational schools, may have hit a stumbling block with eroding elementary education facilities that could deprive students of their right to get a proper schooling.

The Constitution mandates that a minimum of 20 percent of state and regional budgets be dedicated for education, but instead of getting better, much work needs to be done just to prevent the elementary program from deteriorating further.

Data from the Education and Culture Ministry show that about 70 percent of the country's school facilities, specifically classrooms, are damaged. Furthermore, 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 data.

Jokowi has been working, through the Indonesia Smart Card (KIP) program, to persuade dropouts back to school to complete the 12 years of compulsory schooling since he took office in 2014, but the education aid has been poorly distributed.

The government is relying on the KIP to help ensure all citizens receive the free 12 years of education, with low-income elementary school pupils eligible to receive Rp 225,000 (US$17.67) per semester, while junior and senior high school students receive Rp 375,000 and Rp 500,000 per semester, respectively.

As of September, only around 6.7 million of the 17 million cards issued had been received by their rightful recipients, partly as a result of a lack of coordination among regional authorities.

The country also seems to lack competent teachers at present, though the government has been conducting the teacher competency test (UKG) since 2012 to ensure teacher quality.

However, the UKG test does not lead to an improvement in teacher quality, as it does not thoroughly measure all of the indicators required for a good educator, education expert Itje Chodijah has said.

"The UKG test does not reflect the real situation, as it only assesses professional and pedagogical competence. What is lacking from the test is personality and social competence," Itje told The Jakarta Post.

Former education minister Anies Baswedan seemed to make a good start in education reform as he revoked the national exams as the main tool to determine graduation, a policy that had led to widespread distress and cheating among students and teachers. There has also been curriculum changes, but none of the new policies have actually had direct outcomes.

The government has claimed successes in Jokowi's two-year tenure. The education ministry claims the progress can be seen in the improving Human Development Index (HDI).

The HDI, launched by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), showed a 0.75-point increase last year, from 68.8 in 2014 to 69.6 in 2015. The education sector in the index also saw a 0.82-point increase, from 60 in 2014 to 61 in 2015.

According to the ministry, the improved HDI was due to the better schooling of people aged above 25 years, which saw an increase to 7.8 years in 2015 from 7.7 years in 2014. Although this success is attributable to previous administrations, the country did witness an increase in expected years of schooling in 2015, which was 12.55 years from an initial 12.39 years in 2014.

"We are currently focusing on efforts to achieve better access to education, to improve vocational education, which is a strategic move to increase productivity and competitiveness, and to introduce culture as an important part of the national education for better character building," Education and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy said on Monday during an event to present the government's achievements.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/25/elementary-schools-crumble-despite-jokowi-s-promises.html

Marriage & polygamy

Prenup rule for mixed marriages abolished

Jakarta Post - October 28, 2016

Moses Ompusunggu, Jakarta – Local spouses of foreigners can now purchase a plot of land or a building without having to create a prenuptial agreement separating the ownership of their property, a 42-year-old policy that has just been declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court.

The court decided on Thursday to eliminate the requirement for a prenuptial marriage agreement in Article 29 of the 1974 Marriage Law, paving the way for thousands of Indonesians who are married to foreign nationals to own property as they can now create an agreement on separate ownership during their marriage.

The Indonesian Mixed-Marriage Society (PerCa), which supported the judicial review petition against the law, welcomed the landmark decision, saying it was "a ruling that upholds the principal of justice and gives local spouses the constitutional rights they are entitled to."

"We fully welcome the ruling by the Constitutional Court, which shows that it cares about and sides with mixed-marriage couples who are often subject to discrimination," PerCa said in a statement made available to The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

The 1974 Marriage Law treats a husband and a wife equally, allowing them to create a marriage agreement before a civil registry official or notary. Prior to Thursday's ruling, the agreement, under which a married couple could agree on things such as the separation of property and debt, could only be made before a marriage took place.

The court, however, declared the requirement for a prenuptial contract to be unfair, as it prevented a married couple from separating property ownership during the marriage, thus violating Article 28E of the Constitution.

"In fact, many couples mull whether to draw up a marriage contract after their marriage for many reasons," said presiding judge Wahiddudin Adams, while reading the ruling at the Constitutional Court in Central Jakarta.

"Property ownership in a marriage is one of the factors behind many conflicts between a husband and wife," Wahiddudin said.

Plaintiff Ike Farida, a PerCa member, said the ruling made it possible for locals who were married to foreign nationals to own property by creating a marriage contract that stipulated the separation of property ownership.

A lot of marriages, including mixed marriages, took place without the prenuptial contract, because most married couples were unaware of the regulation, Ike said.

Ike is a Jakarta-based lawyer married to a Japanese citizen. In May 2012, she finished paying for an apartment in Casablanca, South Jakarta, but the developer did not give her ownership rights to the unit after it became aware her husband was a foreigner.

The case went to the East Jakarta District Court but Ike lost. The developer refunded the payments, but Ike refused to accept them, because she still wanted to fight to change the law.

"Some friends have been advised by their lawyers to divorce first and get married again just to create a marriage contract that enabled them to own property. They don't need to do that after this ruling," Ike said.

Apart from the 1974 Marriage Law, Ike also filed a review of Article 21 and Article 36 of the 1960 Agrarian Law, which prohibit foreigners, and Indonesians in mixed marriages who do not separate their property ownership, from possessing right-to-own permits and right-to-build permits, respectively.

The court decided to uphold the said provisions, citing the principle of nationality used by the Agrarian Law, in which only Indonesians can own property in the country.

"There is no way for foreigners to own property. The principle of nationality is still relevant at present when capital ownership has a pivotal role for Indonesians looking to bounce back from the sluggish economic situation," Wahiddudin said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/28/prenup-rule-mixed-marriages-abolished.html

Graft & corruption

Graft allegations hit Komnas HAM

Jakarta Post - October 29, 2016

Margareth S. Aritonang, Jakarta – The credibility of the nation's human rights body is on the line following allegations its commissioners have engaged in corruption.

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has been hit by a slew of scandals in the past, but the fresh graft allegations leveled against it have seriously tarnished its image.

The allegations emerged after the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) issued a disclaimer opinion, the worst possible evaluation, of Komnas HAM's budget report last June because of questionable spending of more than Rp 2 billion (US$153,198).

The figure includes around Rp 1.02 billion of expenses without receipts, Rp 820.25 million in suspected embezzlement and the fabricated purchase of a Rp 330 million official residence for Komnas HAM commissioner Dianto Bachriadi.

The commission has suspended Dianto while carrying out further investigations into the matter before determining his fate in the institution. It has also set up an internal team to work on upholding good internal governance in order to avoid similar incidents occurring.

Human rights activists have voiced their concerns over the issues plaguing Komnas HAM, which still has a lot of work to do before the current commissioners' terms end next year.

"This is the worst period in Komnas HAM's entire history," said a human rights watchdog's director, Hendardi. "We cannot expect Komnas HAM to do much to uphold its tasks if individuals serving at the institution lack credibility."

The graft allegations add to a long list of controversies at the human rights body. Komnas HAM has been struggling to perform since its current commissioners took office in 2012. Internal infighting over facilities and leadership marked the beginning of the current terms.

The conflict forced Komnas HAM to review its internal regulations to allow a change of leadership every year, which some critics say is the main factor that has undermined its performance.

Hendardi, therefore, called for total internal bureaucratic reform at Komnas HAM to make the rights body fully independent and reliable.

He suggested that could be achieved by improving the recruitment of commissioners and recruiting independent individuals to serve at the secretariat instead of employing civil servants for all administrative roles.

The lack of competence of individuals serving at the national rights body, Hendardi said, had eroded public trust in the institution.

The problems at Komnas HAM could not come a worse time, with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration putting human rights issues on the back burner.

During Jokowi's two years in office, his administration has executed dozens of convicts and supported policies considered discriminatory against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

Jokowi has also been dragging his feet on resolving past rights abuse cases as he was forced to accommodate members of the old guard, who may be culpable for human rights abuses, to consolidate his power.

The rights body was established in 1993 by former president Soeharto in response to pressure from the UN Commission on Human Rights over allegations of serious human rights abuses by the regime.

Over the years, it has faced criticism for its inability to make substantial achievements in promoting human rights in the country, particularly in settling past rights abuses.

This is partly due to a lack of authority vested in the national rights body as it only has the power to carry out preliminary investigations into cases of violations. It has requested greater authority through an amendment of the 1999 Law on Komnas HAM.

Komnas HAM submitted a bill to the House of Representatives in 2012 in order to gain subpoena powers to allow it to forcibly question suspected perpetrators. The fate of the bill, however, remains in limbo until today.

Activist Al Araf from human rights monitor Imparsial said he supported greater power for Komnas HAM, but added that the government and the House should ensure only quality individuals served as its commissioners.

"The recent revelation of the corruption scandal provides momentum to reform Komnas HAM in order to make the institution able to proceed with its work."

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/29/graft-allegations-hit-komnas-ham.html

Task force on illegal levies receives 2,000 reports in first week

Jakarta Post - October 28, 2016

Marguerite Afra Sapiie, Jakarta – The government's task force against illegal levies for public services has received more than 2,000 reports in just a week since commencing its work.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo introduced the Illegal Fee Eradication Task Force (Saber Pungli) on Oct. 21.

Saber Pungli's member Ali Hasny said the task force had received 1,087 reports through Saber Pungli's text message number, 936 reports by email, 88 reports via its hotline and 73 reports through its online reporting system as of noon on Friday.

He said the data would be submitted to its central unit set up under the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Ministry on Friday to be sorted and evaluated in order to determine whether the reports were backed by sufficient evidence to be followed up by law enforcers.

"If the evidence suffices, the reports will be brought to the enforcement unit. Otherwise, they will be submitted to the intelligence unit that will take further measures to probe the alleged illegal levies," Ali told the journalists.

The Saber Pungli smartphone app allowed members of the public to monitor progress on complaints they filed, including whether the authorities were taking steps to follow up on their reports or not, Ali said.

"People get a registration number when they file complaints; that way it is easier to track the reports," he added.

Aside from the smartphone app, people can report alleged illegal levies demanded at government institutions through the task force's call center at 193, via text message to 1193 or through the website saberpungli.id. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/28/task-force-on-illegal-levies-receives-2000-reports-in-first-week.html

Jokowi instructs military, police to eradicate illegal levies

Jakarta Post - October 24, 2016

Ayomi Amindoni, Jakarta – Following the establishment of the task force on illegal levies last week, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has instructed chiefs of the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police across the country to eradicate such fees from their public services.

The message was delivered by the President during a coordination meeting with military and police chiefs from across the country at the State Palace on Monday

Jokowi said the collection of illegal levies had reached an alarming level and was at the expense of Indonesia's competitiveness, therefore, he wanted the chiefs of the military and the police to synergize to implement the national agenda.

National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian said the police were currently investigating 235 cases of illegal fees within the police's internal organization.

"His [the President's] instruction was to carry out the operation in public services, such as land certificates, ID cards, driver's licenses, vehicle registration and others," he said, adding that the police were also ready to maintain security and public order during the upcoming regional elections.

During the meeting, the President instructed the police and the military to secure the simultaneous regional elections.

Meanwhile, TNI commander Gen. Gatot Nurmayanto expressed his readiness to support the police in maintaining security during the elections. "The Indonesian Military will prepare all its power and strength to back up the police if any party tries to undermine the stability and security of the nation. This is my commitment," he said. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/24/jokowi-instructs-military-police-to-eradicate-illegal-levies.html

Gamawan 'ignored advice' to secure e-KTP

Jakarta Post - October 24, 2016

Haeril Halim, Jakarta – As issues snowball surrounding the country's electronic identity card (e-KTP) project, it has been revealed that key officials rebuffed advice to safeguard the program from corruption.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said it had delivered recommendations to former home minister Gamawan Fauzi to avoid embezzlement in the large project, which has caused state losses of Rp 2 trillion (US$154 million).

KPK chairman Agus Rahardjo, who led the National Procurement Agency (LKPP) when the procurement occurred between 2011 and 2012, said the agency had suggested Gamawan split the project, worth a total of Rp 6 trillion, into smaller units and conduct e-procurement to maintain transparency, all of which was ignored by the minister.

The anticorruption body similarly suggested that the Home Ministry take precautions to prevent graft, which also fell on deaf ears.

KPK spokesperson Yuyuk Indriati said the commission had issued several recommendations in order to prevent graft in the project, but the advice was ignored by Gamawan's office.

"We also submitted a copy of the recommendations to the president [Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono], but the project in fact went ahead," Yuyuk told The Jakarta Post.

The e-KTP program is a hallmark project for the government that began during former president Yudhoyono's administration. The program aims to centralize population registration nationwide and ease public service delivery, as well as preparations for elections.

The program is yet to get into full swing because of delays in its implementation, caused by alleged corruption. Many citizens have still not received their e-KTP.

Gamawan, who has been accused of accepting $2.5 million in bribes, has been questioned twice in the past two weeks. He has claimed that he informed all related institutions, including the KPK and the LKPP, about the project and received their approval.

He said the Home Ministry had invited the antigraft body to oversee the project back in 2011, but instead the KPK began a probe into the case in 2013.

"I conducted a presentation about the project at the KPK and the KPK later recommended that the project be overseen by the LKPP, which was led by Pak Agus Rahardjo at that time," Gamawan said after his second questioning session on Friday.

The antigraft body has so far named two suspects in the case. The most recent suspect is Gamawan's former aide Irman, the ministry's former population and civil registry director. The investigation has been focusing on the recipients of kickbacks in the project.

Bank Indonesia Governor Agus Martowardojo, who served as finance minister at the time of the alleged corruption, was also summoned last week, but he did not show up for questioning.

Gamawan continued to emphasize that he did not make decisions for the project on his own. Besides naming the KPK chief as one of the officials who had been informed about the project, he said Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, who also served as finance minister before Martowardojo, knew about the procurement.

The KPK said it had no plans to summon Sri Mulyani or the commission's chief. "As of today there is no such plan [to question Rahardjo and Sri Mulyani, although it is true that] the project was discussed during the leadership of Sri Mulyani before the office was led by Agus Martowardjojo," Yuyuk said.

Muhammad Nazaruddin, who has been convicted in various corruption cases, claimed that Gamawan and the BI governor had received dirty money for going ahead with the project despite warnings from several institutions.

Nazaruddin revealed that Sri Mulyani rejected a proposal for a multiyear budget for the project when she was in office, but Martowardojo later reviewed and approved the proposal after he took the helm of the ministry.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/24/gamawan-ignored-advice-secure-e-ktp.html

Freedom of religion & worship

Ahmadiyah leaders demand government protection

Jakarta Post - October 31, 2016

Bambang Muryanto, Yogyakarta – Leaders of Ahmadiyah Muslim communities from Indonesia and Malaysia are complaining about the absence of state protection for their followers in the two countries.

Speaking at the 2016 International Peace Symposium organized by the School of Social Sciences and Humanities of the State Islamic University (UIN) Sunan Kalijaga in Yogyakarta on Saturday, the leaders revealed how their followers were being oppressed in the two neighboring countries.

Jamaah Ahmadiyah Indonesia's (JAI) ulema Mirajuddin Sahid asked the government to obey the Constitution and protect the rights of the Ahmadis in the country to worship according to their faith.

"Up to the present time the government has not been serious about protecting Ahmadis," Mirajuddin told The Jakarta Post after speaking in the seminar, which ran smoothly despite recent bans and disruptions by groups intolerant of seminars discussing sensitive political and religious issues.

He said intolerant acts against the Ahmadis, who are considered heretics, were still being committed in 12 different locations across Indonesia, mostly in West Java.

He added the practices ranged from the closing of the mosques to subdistrict officers who refused to issue ID cards for Ahmadis.

The worst, he said, was what happened to 119 Ahmadi families in West Nusa Tenggara who years ago had been evicted from their homes and are still forced to take shelter in the Wisma Transito building in Mataram. "They have been staying there for the last 10 years and the government still does nothing about it," he said.

Another speaker at the symposium, the Malaysian Ahmadiyah Muslim community's leader, Maulana Ainul Yaqeen, said oppression also prevailed against Ahmadis in Malaysia.

He said the Malaysian Ahmadis, also known as the Qadiani community, have been labelled infidels. "In 1953 there was an edict from the king saying that Ahmadiyah was outside of Islam," said Maulana who was once sent to prison for preaching his faith.

Wahid Institute senior researcher Ahmad Suaedy said that historically oppression in Indonesia against minority groups like Ahmadiyah had not been as serious as what has been happening in the last 15 years.

He blamed the situation on how the leadership within Islam in the country changed from being tolerant to intolerant. He suggested the government implement a cultural citizenship approach by recognizing, respecting and protecting minority groups.

Meanwhile, Siti Ruhaini Dzuhayatin, a member of the human rights commission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), said that intolerance had become a complicated problem in countries where people practiced Islam, like Indonesia.

She said that from a human rights perspective the right to adhere to a religion was an absolute right that no one, including the state, could take away.

"The state has no right to decide whether a religion is right or wrong. Its duty is to respect and protect it," said Siti, who is also a lecturer at the UIN Sunan Kalijaga.

Unfortunately, she said, Law No. 1/1965 on religious blasphemy was still effective in Indonesia. Within such a framework, a difference of opinion over religion could be considered blasphemy and that was a crime.

"Differences in religions have to be settled in civilized ways and no intervention from the state is allowed," she said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/31/ahmadiyah-leaders-demand-government-protection.html

Congregation sees no hope in search for place to worship

Jakarta Post - October 24, 2016

Indra Budiari, Jakarta – Mariana Ginting, 69, closed her Holy Bible as members of her congregation, which had just finished a Sunday service at the Pasar Minggu district office in South Jakarta, left the hall one by one.

For Mariana, it was another hard-earned service and she was glad it ended without incident.

With a support bandage on her left knee, Mariana said it was not easy for a woman of her age to reach the fourth story of a building to worship every Sunday. However, she said she believed "it was God's will" and said nothing would stand between her and the Sunday service.

"Performing our weekly worship without creating any problems is all we want; I cannot understand why it should be that hard," Mariana told The Jakarta Post as she walked slowly down the stairs.

In Pasar Minggu, the struggle of 259 congregation members from the Pasar Minggu Batak Karo Church to secure a place of worship continues every Sunday.

For the last two weeks the congregation has held its Sunday service at the Pasar Minggu district office following a protest staged by an intolerant local group, which disputed the church's lack of an appropriate building permit (IMB).

The protest led to the closure of the church as demanded by a South Jakarta mayoral letter on Sept. 30. The church applied for an IMB in 2004, but a year later the city administration issued an IMB for a home office, not a house of worship.

After a series of talks, the congregation agreed to move its Sunday service to a hall at the Pasar Minggu district office. However, despite a Jakarta gubernatorial instruction ordering the church to find a temporary site as it waited for an IMB to be issued, the district office tried to prevent the religious activities.

Arguing that elderly members of the congregation would have a hard time reaching the hall, located on the fourth story of the district office, and considering objections from local residents, the district head ordered the congregation to move its activities to another building nearby. The congregation, however, considered the decision to be a failure from the city administration to provide protection.

"They cannot move us to another place without telling us first. It is not the right way to treat people who want to carry out religious activity," said the church's pastor, Penrad Siagian.

After waiting for half an hour outside the district office's closed gate, dozens of the church's congregation members were finally allowed to enter the building. However, the district office would not promise that they would be allowed to hold another Sunday service at the hall in the future.

Pasar Minggu district head Eko Kardiyanto said a group of "local figures" had voiced their objection to the district office's decision to provide a space for the Sunday service.

It was unusual, Eko said, for a city administration office to do so, which is why he believed the congregation should have been moved to a nearby community center.

"Moreover, the community center only has one floor so the elderly group won't need to take the stairs like they have to do in this building," he told the Post.

Eko repeatedly highlighted the fact that no other district office had ever provided space for worship in a similar way. "I have been living in this city for a very long time and I have never heard of a district office being used as a place of worship. This is the central office of the city administration in this district," he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/24/congregation-sees-no-hope-

Religion & morality

Doorless dorms will curb free sex: Minister

Jakarta Post - October 31, 2016

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – In her crusade to protect the country from promiscuity and homosexuality, which she considers a "disease", Social Affairs Minister Khofifah Indar Parawansa has suggested that university dorms be made "doorless" to prevent college students from engaging in sex.

"Not only men and women who are doing it [sex]. The thing that is equally dangerous is men with men and women with women," she said in Semarang, Central Java, as quoted by Antara on Saturday.

Khofifah said removing the doors would make it easier to monitor salacious activities in university dorms. She said she drew her inspiration from a university dorm that had no doors in its rooms.

"When we asked why, they said they had anticipated the possibility of sex and so they removed the doors so that that behavior would not happen. That's why I'm recommending university dorms, both male and female, remove their doors."

Yesa Supit, a university student who lived in a dormitory in Tomohon, North Sulawesi, for three years, said she completely disagreed with the recommendation. "Doors are badly needed to protect privacy," she said.

When asked by reporters about student privacy, Khofifah responded: "A dormitory is either all-boy or all-girl. What privacy [do you need]?" she said.

Agyl Tri Pramesti, a 22-year-old lady who used to live in an all-female dormitory in East Kalimantan, said a lack of privacy was not the main concern about living in a dormitory.

"It's over the top [to get rid of doors] because we're not thinking of immoral behavior, but more about security," she said.

When she lived in the dormitory, Agyl, who currently studies technical engineering at Brawijaya University in Malang, East Java, said sometimes she felt unsafe even though the rooms had doors.

Human rights watchdog Setara Institute questioned Khofifah's rationale when she proposed the idea. "What's truly on her mind when she says 'free sex'? Is it something based on well-researched facts or is she just generalizing?" Setara Institute deputy chairman Bonar Tigor Naipospos asked The Jakarta Post.

He also questioned the importance of the government "protecting" the morals of society to the extent of managing what university students are doing in their dorm rooms.

"Why does the state want to become a moral police operation and enter into private matters? It violates privacy and restricts the rights of people. Why is this country becoming more conservative?" he said.

Bonar acknowledged that extra-marital sex was considered a sin in some religions. "But let religious leaders raise awareness on that subject, not the government," he said.

Khofifah's statement comes as conservative groups continue to rally against "liberal values" that they believe are threatening the country.

A number of conservative academics have filed a judicial review against the Criminal Code in a bid to make sex between unmarried couples, including same-sex couples, a crime.

Khofifah is one the top government officials backing this conservative agenda. Back in February, she accused the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community of "targeting underprivileged children".

She also said LGBT people could be "cured" of their homosexuality through emotional, spiritual and quotient (ESQ) training, despite there being no scientific proof attesting to this claim and the World Psychiatric Association saying that sexual orientation is an innate trait and not a disorder.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/31/doorless-dorms-will-curb-free-sex-minister.html

Poverty & social inequity

Jokowi's achievements need closer scrutiny: Indef

Jakarta Post - October 23, 2016

Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's two years in office has resulted in some achievements, although some issues in the economic sector remain unaddressed, an expert said on Saturday.

Enny Sri Hartati, the executive director of the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef), said some economic indicators might appear good on the surface but required closer scrutiny.

"The open unemployment rate in Indonesia fell. However, the real income of blue-collar workers declined," she said during a discussion in Jakarta.

She referred to Central Statistics Agency (BPS) data in February, which reveal that the open unemployment rate in Indonesia dropped to 5.5 percent, lower than 5.81 percent posted in the same month last year.

In the two years since Jokowi become President, the real income of agriculture workers declined by 4.35 percent. Similarly, the real income of construction workers also slumped by 2.28 percent, she said.

As the wages of low-income workers decreased, the head of a family faced financial constraints that forced his wife and children to seek employment, oftentimes in the informal sector, she said. "That's one of the reasons the open unemployment rate shrank," she said. (win/evi)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/23/jokowis-achievements-need-closer-scrutiny-indef.html

Agriculture & food security

Jokowi's agrarian reform agenda stalls

Jakarta Post - October 24, 2016

Moses Ompusunggu, Jakarta – Two years have gone by since President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo vowed to improve the lives of farmers through agrarian reform.

The agrarian reform agenda was included in Jokowi's multifaceted Nawacita development program and consists of seven initiatives, including agrarian conflict settlement, land distribution to farmers and nationwide land legalization.

But none of the three have shown encouraging progress, analysts have said, highlighting the government's lack of will to make its commitments a reality during the last two years, when the country has seen two different agrarian ministers as a result of Cabinet shake-ups.

In several regions, farmers and activists are still fighting brutal battles with companies, the military and the police in land-use conflicts. Hostility toward local communities sometimes leads to torture and can end in bloodshed.

The Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA), an NGO that seeks to create a fair agrarian system, recorded 252 agrarian conflicts concerning 400,430 hectares of land and involving 108,714 households in 2015. In the first half of 2016 alone, the number of agrarian conflicts reached 270, the group said.

The most recent land-use cases occurred in Tulang Bawang, Lampung, and in Karawang, West Java, which saw a number of farmers and activists arrested by the police for their alleged involvement in clashes with security forces hired by companies to secure their businesses.

KPA secretary-general Iwan Nurdin said the government's efforts to ease land conflicts were minimal, referring to the latest Presidential Office (KSP) report concerning the accomplishments of Jokowi's administration in its first two years.

The KSP recorded 932 cases of land-use disputes and conflicts in 2015, of which 515 were settled. During the first eight months of the year, the figure soared to 2,642 cases, with the government resolving a mere 251 of them.

"It is unlikely that the government could settle agrarian cases if there is no task force established in regard to this issue. How can it manage lots of cases if no serious efforts are taken to address them?" Iwan said on Saturday.

Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (Elsam) executive director Wahyu Wagiman said efforts to address agrarian conflicts had hit a snag because they were carried out by a number of government institutions, which was ineffective for resolving cases smoothly.

"There is a study group established by the KSP to map out the root causes of agrarian conflicts. Also there are initiatives carried out by the Agrarian and Spatial Planning Ministry and the Environment and Forestry Ministry. It becomes a sporadic effort, rather than an integrated one," Wahyu said.

KSP data also showed that, of the targeted 4.5 million ha plots of land to be redistributed to farmers, only around 63,900 ha and 123,280 ha, respectively, were processed in 2015 and in the first eight months of 2016.

Iwan said the lack of coordination between the Agrarian and Spatial Planning Ministry and the Environment and Forestry Ministry had partly contributed to the stagnating redistribution process.

Land to be distributed includes areas within forests to be released by the Environment and Forestry Ministry, as well as land with expired cultivation permits (HGU) and neglected plots of land to be released by the Agrarian and Spatial Planning Ministry.

"Also, the government has yet to finalize the draft of two presidential regulations on agrarian reform and on the acquisition of land inside forest areas until now. Those are the instruments needed if the government is serious in its agrarian reform," Iwan said.

The KSP recorded that land certification was also not progressing. Of the targeted 4.5 million ha of land to be legalized by 2019, only 424,573 ha was completed between 2015 and 2016. Iwan said the land legalization process was hampered by rampant illegal levies in land offices.

Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister Sofjan Djalil has said the ministry is set to establish a task force in a bid to eradicate illegal levies in land certification. The move is part of President Jokowi's new pledge to combat illegal levies within all government institutions.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/24/jokowi-s-agrarian-reform-agenda-stalls.html

Land & agrarian conflicts

Activities continue at Semen's Rembang factory despite ruling

Jakarta Post - October 25, 2016

Stefani Ribka, Jakarta – Construction continues at state-run cement maker Semen Indonesia's nearly finished factory in Rembang, Central Java, despite a recent Supreme Court decision that revoked its environmental and mining permits.

Semen Indonesia, the nation's largest cement producer, claims to have not yet been informed about details of the court ruling, hence its continuation of the construction of the Rp 5 trillion (US$384.6 million) factory that will be crucial for the company's production amid increasing competition.

"Construction is still ongoing," Semen Indonesia corporate secretary Agung Wiharto said last week. "If everything goes well, the factory can do a trial run next month and operate commercially in January."

The court handed down on Oct. 5 its decision to invalidate the Rembang factory's environmental and mining permits, which the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) and environmentalist Joko Prianto objected to. The parties claimed the project would destroy the karst ecosystem in the area.

The Rembang factory will add 3 million tons capacity per year for Semen Indonesia, which currently has 32.3 million tons annual capacity. Agung argued the firm had been building the factory with legal permits since 2014 and finished procurement of 50 hectares for the factory and 300 ha of karst area.

"The karst is not a conservation area and it does not function as farmland. We won't damage the waterways in the area as we're building water storage and pipes for the people and will create greenbelts that will actually develop the economy there," he said.

The firm is planting teak and mahogany to fertilize the soil for the farmers to plant onions, chili and others, Agung explained.

"Every year, only less than 10 ha of the karst area will be used so it's up to the locals to use the remaining 290 ha. Once each 10 ha is done, we'll mix it with soil so people can farm in it," he went on to say.

The firm has allocated Rp 55.5 billion since 2014 to develop the greenbelts, water storage and education for locals, Agung claimed.

Walhi campaign head Khalisah "Alin" Khalid is disappointed with the factory's progress, saying: "They need to obey the court's decision. Construction needs to stop". "Karst areas are essential for natural water storage and we need to practice early prevention of damage," she added.

Earlier in April, nine female farmers from Kendeng, an area in Rembang, encased their feet in concrete in front of the State Palace, demanding that the President halt the project as it could harm the environment and livelihood of farmers.

Separately, Industry Minister Airlangga Hartaro has showed support for the ongoing construction of the factory. "The most important thing is that they have secured the permits and are ready to operate in November," he said after meeting with Semen Indonesia last week. "The government will keep pushing this. This is a big investment from a state-run enterprise."

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/25/activities-continue-semen-s-rembang-factory-despite-ruling.html

Indigenous rights

MK favors farmers, indigenous people

Jakarta Post - October 28, 2016

Jakarta – The Constitutional Court declared on Thursday that several provisions within the 2014 Plantation Law were conditionally unconstitutional, as they did not provide legal certainty to farmers and indigenous communities.

The petition was filed in October last year by a number of civil society organizations, such as the Palm Oil Farmers Society (SPKS), the Sawit Watch and the Farmer Initiatives for Ecological Livelihood and Democracy (FIELD), claiming that the implementation of 12 provisions within the law violated the rights of farmers and indigenous people.

Six provisions were then declared by the court as conditionally unconstitutional, meaning that farmers and indigenous communities are excluded from the implementation of them.

The aforementioned six provisions include Article 27, point (3), which requires any individual or companies to obtain a permit from the government before collecting genetic resources for a plantation, and Article 55, which bars any parties, including indigenous communities, from illegally cultivating a plot of land.

Presiding judge Aswanto said Article 27, point (3) was akin to Article 9, point 3 of the 1992 Plant Cultivation System Law, which was annulled by the court in 2013, thus making the former not legally binding.

Aswanto added that Article 55 had given uncertainty for indigenous communities. "Indigenous communities are not cultivating land illegally if they are carrying out their activities on communal land," Aswanto read the verdict.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/28/national-scene-mk-favors-farmers-indigenous-people.html

Jakarta & urban life

Rat purge program a bad idea: Sociologist

Jakarta Post - October 27, 2016

Jakarta – The city administration should not follow through with its sewer rat eradication program, in which residents would be rewarded Rp 20,000 (US$1.54) for each sewer rat they exterminated, as residents were also responsible for keeping their environment clean, a sociologist says.

University of Indonesia sociologist Imam Prasodjo said residents – young and old, rich and poor – should work together to purge the city of pests carrying diseases, including rats.

Rats, which can spread diseases through their fur, saliva, urine and droppings, are known as vectors of various diseases including rat-bite fever that can cause a rash, headache and muscle and joint pain.

With the existence of such a program, Imam said, people's motivation to wipe out the pests would no longer be to create a clean and healthy environment, but to earn as much money as possible.

"People would compete against each other to hunt as many rats as they can. They won't see rat eradication as a shared responsibility anymore," he said. "Besides, it is a moral hazard when people eradicate rats to earn money instead of creating a clean and healthy environment."

In addition, he suggested the city administration encourage the city's residents to work together in groups to clear their neighborhoods of pests. The administration could provide them with tools to exterminate rats they collect.

"It would also be a good idea if the city administration provided the groups of residents with money to buy food they can eat after cleaning. It will create a spirit of mutual cooperation among residents." he said.

Jakarta Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat said previously that the city administration had earmarked Rp 80 million from the general bureau budget, for the rat eradication program, as rats were harmful to human health.

"There are so many rats in Jakarta. They carry diseases like pertilence," Djarot said, adding that the administration would conduct a trial run of the program in a number of locations this year.

If the trial succeeds, the program will be implemented city-wide next year, he said. The city administration is also preparing a mechanism to implement the program.

Meanwhile, Jakarta Fisheries, Agriculture and Food Security Agency head Darjamuni said on Wednesday that the agency would implement the program soon in two districts – Cakung in East Jakarta and Johar Baru in Central Jakarta – as it had received several reports of rat infestations in those areas.

Darjamuni plans to implement the program in all districts. He explained that the agency's officers would collect rats captured by residents in specially designed boxes and they would then be injected with poison.

"The dead rats will be put into incinerators to be burned. Their ashes will be utilized as fertilizer," he told reporters on Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com. (vny)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/27/rat-purge-program-a-bad-idea-sociologist.html

Literature & the arts

Literary fest to discover new voices, unexpected conversations

Jakarta Post - October 26, 2016

Desy Nurhayati, Ubud, Bali – The 13th Ubud Writers and Readers Festival (UWRF) kicked off on Tuesday evening, pushing big ideas and global issues to the forefront in Bali's cultural capital for the next four days.

Bringing together more than 160 of the world's leading authors, artists and performers, the festival will feature programs in open-air in-conversations, lavish literary lunches, inspiring workshops, captivating live performances, lively markets, exhibitions, food tours, cooking demonstrations and much more.

"I'm really excited to have so many extraordinary writers in the program this year – activists and compassionate people from all corners of the world. I don't think you can hear this many impressive, diverse and new voices anywhere under one roof," festival founder and director Janet DeNeefe said on Tuesday.

"And when the world is becoming more divided, we need the inspiration to be gleaned from this sort of gathering. Writer's festivals are the new coffee houses, where the issues that concern us all are dissected and discussed," she added.

Among leading literary luminaries headlining this year's festival are much-celebrated author of The Mandibles, Lionel Shriver, acclaimed Indian novelist Amit Chaudhuri, multi-award-winning Pakistani writer Kamila Shamsie, Indonesian author of the beloved Supernova series Dewi Lestari, contemporary Australian author of Burial Rites and forthcoming publication The Good People, Hannah Kent, and journalist and first-time memoirist of An Abbreviated Life, Ariel Leve.

The program will also pay tribute to the recent boom in Indonesian cinema, with the industry experiencing a significant revival over the past two years. Appearing alongside a special contemporary Indonesian film program will be film-maker Wregas Bhanuteja, who won the 2016 Cannes Film Festival's top prize, the Leica Cine Discovery Prize for his short movie Prenjak/In The Year of Monkey, iconic Indonesian actor and director Slamet Rahardjo, screenwriter of the newly released Nay, Djenar Maesa Ayu, and director of the HBO TV-series HalfWorld, Joko Anwar.

The theme for this year's UWRF is the Bali-Hindu philosophy of "Tat Tvam Asi" or "I am you; You are me." With this theme, the festival seeks to explore the deeper meaning of the philosophy and to challenge the existing cultural limits through discussions on issues like identity, migration and extremism.

This year's festival will also introduce fun evening activities that include a number of after-dark events with an array of arts, live music, performances and poetry to choose from to challenge Ubud's long reputation as a quiet hub.

Highlights include a live-music program, Pecha Kucha; Poetry Slam featuring Muslim hip-hop group the Brothahood; a musical performance by classical pianist and composer Ananda Sukarlan and soprano singer Mariska Setiawan, who will chronicle Spanish author Miguel Cervantes' 400-year legacy.

Meanwhile, for something totally different, the festival will showcase a lyrical, multi-layered performance where writers and musicians will interact to create a poetry-meets-electronica experience.

Another eclectic mix can be found at the festival's closing night party, which will bring together singers, songwriters, dancers and fire-twirlers including Scottish avant-garde noise-makers Neu!Reekie! and Indonesian percussion group Svara Samsara.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/26/literary-fest-discover-new-voices-unexpected-conversations.html

Armed forces & defense

South Korea launches second Indonesian submarine

Jakarta Post - October 24, 2016

Nani Afrida, Jakarta – Korean defense company Daewoo Shipbuilding and marine Engineering (DSME) launched the second submarine ordered by Indonesia in Okpo, Geoje Island, South Korea, on Monday. The first submarine was launched in March 24 in the same place.

The Defense Ministry's secretary-general,vice Admiral Widodo, and the Navy's vice chief of staff Vice Admiral Arie Sembiring attended the launch, the Navy said in a statement.

Indonesia has ordered three types of 209/1400 Chang Bogo-class diesel attack submarines. Based on the contract, the two submarines will be developed in DSME while the third will be built at state shipbuilding company PT PAL.

The third submarine is scheduled to commence development at PAL by December through joint section cooperation with DSME.

The Navy currently operates two German-made submarines, the KRI Cakra (401) and KRI Nenggala (402), which were built in the 1980s. The boats are due to be decommissioned in 2020. (dmr)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/24/south-korea-launches-second-indonesian-submarine.html

Police & law enforcement

Report corrupt cops, you'll get Rp 5 million: Central Java Police

Jakarta Post - October 25, 2016

Jakarta – The Central Java Police Inspectorate is offering Rp 5 million (US$383.88) to anyone who reports illegal levies involving police officers in the province.

"We are prepared to give Rp 5 million," Inspectorate supervisor Sr. Corm. Bambang Prayitno said in Semarang on Tuesday as reported by tempo.co.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo instructed National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian on Monday to eradicate illegal fees from his institution.

Bambang hopes people are not reluctant to file reports, as such reports are needed for institutional change. "We want change," he said, adding that many police officers were involved in illegal levies.

Bambang warned police officers to not accept illegal fees because his institution would impose tough sanctions against them.

Meanwhile, head representative of the Central Java Ombudsman, Sabarudin Hulu, praised the move, but he suggested that the police provide protection to anyone who files reports.

"People are reluctant to file reports because they fear criminalization," said Sabarudin. Sabarudin said his office would set up a special service area for filing reports. (bbn)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/25/report-corrupt-cops-youll-get-rp-5-million-central-java-police.html

Tito's reform of police culture not effective: Expert

Jakarta Globe - October 23, 2016

Jakarta – The long-overdue reform of the culture within the National Police has not been running effectively in Gen. Tito Karnavian's first 100 days in office, a senior researcher said.

When he became the nation's top cop nearly four months ago, Tito vowed to carry out major reforms of the police culture, which he said would restore public trust in the law-enforcement institution.

Tito, who is a former chief of the Jakarta Police, said his office would focus on efforts to root out corruption, a problem he admitted is still rampant within the institution.

However, this problem has yet to show signs of abating since Tito took office, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) political researcher Hermawan Sulistyo said.

"The matter has yet to be settled. It seems never-ending. It is the toughest task Tito will be facing for the time being," Hermawan told reporters in Jakarta on Friday (21/10).

Amid high expectations of his leadership, Tito vowed to carry out what the public has long demanded through an improved recruitment process and stricter budgeting.

Aside from the cultural reform, structural and institutional reforms within the National Police have started 18 years ago, when Indonesia transitioned to a democracy.

Hermawan said the latter two reforms have run relatively well. "Efforts at improving those related to regulations and organization have almost been completed," he said.

Source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/titos-reform-police-culture-not-effective-expert/

Foreign affairs & trade

Australia and Indonesia consider joint patrols in South China Sea

Sydney Morning Herald – October 31, 2016

Jewel Topsfield, Jakarta – Australia and Indonesia are considering joint patrols in the highly sensitive South China Sea amid escalating tensions in the region over the hotly-contested waters.

China claims almost all of the South China Sea, through which about $US5 trillion worth of maritime trade passes each year, but five other countries have conflicting claims.

Indonesian Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said he had proposed a "peace patrol" with Australia in the South China Sea to "bring peace" and combat illegal fishing when the two countries' defence ministers met in Bali last week.

"It's a joint patrol or coordinated patrol, it's the same thing," Mr Ryamizard told reporters. "There are no intentions to disrupt the relationship (with China). It is called a peace patrol, it brings peace. It is about protecting fish in each other's areas."

Defence Minister Marise Payne told Fairfax Media the ministers had agreed to explore options to increase maritime cooperation.

"This could include coordinated activities in the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea consistent with Australia's policy of exercising rights of freedom of navigation in accordance with international law and our support for regional security," she said.

Foreign policy experts have warned joint patrols could antagonise China, which has built up military facilities in the South China Sea and built artificial islands on reefs to buttress its territorial claims.

An international tribunal in The Hague ruled in July that China's claim to almost all of the strategically important and resource-rich waters of the China Sea was unfounded.

Australia vowed to continue to exercise the right of freedom of navigation in the South China Sea after the ruling.

However China rejected the ruling and in September carried out its first joint military exercise with Russia in the South China Sea, which commentators suggested might indicate the onset of a cold war in the region.

The Philippines' recent "separation" from the US and announcement it would negotiate directly with China over disputed territory also has other claimant countries spooked.

Indonesia is not officially a claimant in the South China Sea, but waters surrounding the Natuna Islands fall within both Indonesia's exclusive economic zone and the so-called "nine-dash line" on which China bases its claim over most of the South China Sea.

Indonesia has clashed several times this year with Chinese fishing vessels in the disputed waters.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the issue of the South China Sea had been raised at every meeting she attended in Jakarta last week, including with Indonesian President Joko Widodo. "We discussed the South China Sea, the development with the Philippines," she said.

"Australia and Indonesia are very aligned in terms of our approach to the disputes over land and islands and other structures in the South China Sea," Ms Bishop said. "We are not claimant states, we do not take sides."

Ms Bishop said both countries called for a de-escalation of tensions and for all negotiations to be conducted peacefully and in accordance with international law. "We call for the rules-based order to be supported so there can be peace and stability in the South China Sea," she said last week.

Senator Payne said Australia and Indonesia already conducted coordinated patrols and other joint activities and exercises. In May the countries held a coordinated maritime security patrol in the Timor Sea to combat maritime security threats including illegal fishing and people smuggling.

"The 2016 Defence White Paper highlights the importance of Defence working with regional partners to build maritime security cooperation," Senator Payne said. "Australia consults with regional partners, including Indonesia, on potential opportunities for cooperation in order to contribute to security in the region."

Lowy Institute research fellow Aaron Connelly said Indonesia had been reluctant to do anything with other countries in the South China Sea, because it didn't want to be perceived to be taking sides in the dispute.

He said coordinated activities with Australia could be seen as sending a message to China, particularly if they were held in sensitive areas such as around the Natuna or Spratly islands.

University of Indonesia defence expert Connie Rahakundini Bakrie warned China would be provoked unless Indonesia also conducted patrols with China.

"If this is not done, and there are only joint patrols with Australia, it will be seen as blocking China. We would be provoking it because it would mean Indonesia is taking sides," she said.

But Melda Kamil Ariadno, an international law expert from the University of Indonesia, said a joint patrol would strengthen the security of the South China Sea as an international navigation route.

"The area cannot be claimed one-sidedly as belonging only to one country," she said. "China should see that there is nothing China can do except immediately discuss the Code of Conduct (on the South China Sea) as soon as possible." (with Karuni Rompies)

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/world/australia-and-indonesia-consider-joint-patrols-in-south-china-sea-20161031-gseta5.html

Indonesia, Australia reaffirm commitment to security ties

Jakarta Post - October 28, 2016

Liza Yosephine, Jakarta – Indonesia and Australia are set to continue strengthening the security ties they have developed in various areas, an official has said.

"Indonesia and Australia are committed to strengthening cooperation in counterterrorism and maritime affairs and exploring new cooperation in the field of cybersecurity," the Foreign Ministry's director general for Asia Pacific and Africa, Desra Percaya, said on Friday.

Desra represented Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi at the 2+2 Dialogue attended by foreign and defense ministers of both countries to discuss strategic security talks in Bali. He said the meeting took place at a time when relations between Indonesia and Australia continued to improve.

Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu earlier said at the meeting that Australia and Indonesia could take advantage of their geographic proximity to jointly maintain security and promote the welfare of people and the region.

The Foreign Ministry said several agreements were raised at the Bali meeting, including Australia's support for Indonesia's initiative to build a deradicalization center in Sentul, Bogor, as part of the implementation of a memorandum of understanding on international terrorism eradication cooperation signed by the two countries at the same forum last year.

Both parties also agreed to forge a cooperation on capacity building within the framework of security and cybercrime. A joint statement resulting from the meeting noted defense and military weaponry system cooperation.

"Ministers welcome increased defense industry and military modernization cooperation such as through the agreement between leading Indonesian and Australian defense industry members to develop an armored vehicle, based on the Australian Bushmaster design and customized for the Indonesian Military's operational needs," it stated. (ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/28/indonesia-australia-reaffirm-commitment-to-security-ties.html

Wiranto talks counterterrorism, national security with Bishop

Jakarta Post - October 27, 2016

Jakarta – Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto and Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop met Wednesday to discuss counterterrorism and the strengthening of national security.

"We discussed [our bilateral partnerships on] national security and counterterrorism, which follows on from [our meeting in] August in Bali and how can we build on our efforts," Wiranto said as quoted by Antara news agency in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Wiranto said Australia had helped Indonesia to combat radicalism and terrorism, such as on the eradication of the East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) terrorist group led by Santoso.

"Taking out Santoso cannot be separated from the intelligence assistance given by Australia that helped a lot with its advanced technology," said Wiranto.

The minister hoped there could be a transfer of technology between Australia and Indonesia so that each country could stand independently and cooperate more effectively in fighting terrorists, who were not bounded by territory.

Meanwhile, Bishop said both parties wanted to continue enhancing their cooperation in combating terrorism and extremism. "Both countries will exchange information and intelligence data to protect each of our citizens from terrorism," she said.

The two ministers also discussed the return of foreign fighters back into their respective countries in which the risks associated had to be anticipated to maintain national security.

Wiranto said they had also discussed Indonesia's stance on the disputed South China Sea during the meeting.

It is expected that in an upcoming "Two-plus-two" meeting between foreign and defense ministers from both countries, which is set to be held in Bali on Oct. 28, the South China Sea issue will be discussed further, of which neither country is a claimant. (liz/ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/27/wiranto-talks-counterterrorism-national-security-with-bishop.html

Mining & energy

Geothermal development continues to move at snail's pace

Jakarta Post - October 26, 2016

Fedina S. Sundaryani, Jakarta – The development of geothermal energy remains sluggish while interest from oil and gas companies wanes because of continued low crude prices.

US-based Chevron is currently in the middle of auctioning off two of its geothermal assets, the Mount Salak and Darajat geothermal fields in West Java, estimated to be worth a combined US$3 billion.

State-owned oil and gas firm Pertamina, state-owned electricity company PLN, Japanese trading house Marubeni, Japan-based diversified company Mitsui and local firms Medco and Star Energy are the six remaining companies in the running to win the fields. The auction winner is scheduled to be announced in January.

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry's geothermal director Yunus Saefulhak said since global oil prices dropped more than a year ago, oil and gas companies had been trying to compensate by selling off their geothermal assets.

"Many oil and gas companies who develop geothermal energy have been suffering from the low prices as operational costs become higher. In the end, they end up having to sell off many assets, including geothermal ones, as the value is pretty high," he said following a meeting at the House of Representatives on Monday.

Chevron, the second-largest US oil producer after Exxon Mobil, has slashed jobs, canceled drilling projects and sought asset sales in response to a slump in global energy prices over the past two years.

The energy company, based in San Ramon, California, is aiming to sell its main Asian geothermal operations in Indonesia and the Philippines.

Despite the bleak outlook, there still remained hope. Unlike oil and gas companies, geothermal-focused companies were still interested in Indonesia's geothermal projects, Yunus said.

"Although oil prices remain low, there are still many companies focused on developing the downstream geothermal sector that remain interested in our fields," he added.

Yunus cited a consortium made up of Italian Enel Green Power and local Optima Nusantara Energi, which recently won the tender for the Way Ratai field in Lampung, Sumatra, with a power-generating capacity of 55 MW.

Geothermal company KS Orka Renewables, a joint venture between Icelandic company Hugar Orka and Zheijang Kaishan Compressor, also recently took over the 240 MW Sorik Marapi field from OTP Geothermal, a joint venture between Origin Energy and Tata Power. Yunus said the project was let go because Origin's core business was natural gas, which also suffered from low oil prices.

"This is proof that there are still many companies out there that are interested in geothermal energy," he said.

Geothermal energy, created by the heat of the Earth, is able to generate consistent power while producing almost no greenhouse gases, making it the perfect alternative to the widely abused fossil fuels.

Indonesia is estimated to have approximately around 29 gigawatts (GW) of geothermal potential and the government has targeted geothermal energy production of 7,156 MW by 2025. This would make Indonesia the biggest geothermal energy producer in the world.

The current electricity capacity using geothermal energy is around 2,650 MW, making up 5 percent of the total installed power plant capacity of about 53,000 MW.

The development of geothermal energy is even more important now that the House has ratified the Paris Agreement on climate change, with the Indonesian government having a carbon emissions reduction target of 29 percent by 2030.

Meanwhile, the House has called on the government to establish a state-owned company specifically focused on geothermal energy development as it would also strengthen the funds needed for exploration and exploitation activities.

House deputy speaker Agus Hermanto argued that this could be done by combining existing state-owned companies and their subsidiaries.

"This can be done by combining Pertamina Geothermal Energi, PLN Geothermal Energy and Geo Dipa Energi," he said.

Business players are uncertain that such a state-owned firm would be necessary.

The Indonesian Geothermal Association considers Indonesia's geothermal industry's continual growth as enticing to investors. However, many investors still feel that they were not given business certainty despite the fact that the country has already issued a Geothermal Law two years ago.

"The biggest obstacle is that the only off-taker available is PLN, and it needs subsidies to buy geothermal-produced electricity," chairman Abadi Purnomo said.

The government has prepared a government regulation on the feed-in tariff, which it hopes will accelerate investment in geothermal energy. It is currently still being reviewed at the State Secretariat.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/26/geothermal-development-continues-move-snail-s-pace.html

Govt, House to look again at nuclear role in electricity generation

Jakarta Post - October 25, 2016

Nurul Fitri Ramadhani, Jakarta – Constrained by high costs associated with tapping alternative energy sources to fossil fuels, the government has revived discussion on its long-shelved nuclear plan with the House of Representatives.

House Commission VII overseeing energy has opened the discussions with relevant ministries following the passage of a law to ratify the Paris Agreement, which sealed the country's commitment to cut carbon emissions.

The government shelved the plan to build its first nuclear power plant in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011.

Although nuclear was mentioned as an alternative renewable energy source in a government regulation on the National Energy Policy (KEN), the adoption of nuclear power has not been included in the long-term strategy plan of state-owned power operator PLN, which has become increasingly reliant on coal.

Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar told The Jakarta Post that the government should consider nuclear to meet energy demand, arguing that, despite its controversial nature, nuclear is categorized as clean energy.

Safety concerns have dominated most discussions on the development of nuclear power, given that Indonesia lies amid the volatile Pacific Ring of Fire. The country has delayed the development for years and its energy policy stipulates that nuclear power development should only be a "last resort".

"I don't think there would be any bad impact from the use [of nuclear power]. It's clean energy," the minister said. "There are, indeed, some worries about leakages, but I guess we should learn from other countries [that already use the energy]."

If the government decides to adopt nuclear power, it would be decided by the National Energy Council, which is led by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. Two sites, Bangka and Jepara, have been studied as possible locations.

Indonesia has ratified the Paris Agreement on climate change, which aims to formalize the country's commitment to reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, within an international framework reached by the UN in 2015 in an effort to curb climate change.

To realize the effort, House Commission VII has argued that the use of new and renewable energy, particularly nuclear, needs to be considered, to reduce the use of gas, oil and coal as energy sources.

"It's a good time to open the possibility of developing a nuclear power plant, but that doesn't mean we will stop using coal, gas or oil. We have to revise our national energy policy. If needed, we will revise the Energy Law to make nuclear power no longer a last resort," Commission VII member Kurtubi of the NasDem Party said.

Energy consumption in Indonesia is expected to rise exponentially as a result of population growth, and with the dependence on fossil fuels it will be a major carbon-emission contributor alongside deforestation, with energy overtaking deforestation as the largest carbon-emission contributor as early as 2020.

In 2015, 55.9 percent of electricity was generated by coal, 25.7 percent by gas and 8.5 percent by oil. Renewable energy sources, such as hydropower and geothermal energy, only make up the remaining 9.9 percent of electricity generation, according to PLN.

The government had planned to shift from fossil fuels to cleaner renewable energy by increasing electricity generation from renewable energy to 25 percent by 2025. However, this commitment by the government has been questioned as it recently lowered the percentage of electricity to be generated by renewable energy by 2025 to 19.6 percent.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/25/govt-house-look-again-nuclear-role-electricity-generation.html

Economy & investment

It's getting easier to do business in Indonesia: Report

Jakarta Post - October 27, 2016

Grace D. Amianti and Hasyim Widhiarto, Jakarta – Indonesia is among the top-five most improved nations worldwide with regard to ease of doing business, but it is no time for complacency as President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's ambitious target remains unmet.

The country's ranking on the ease-of-doing-business index in the World Bank's flagship annual report has jumped 15 places to 91st position, one of the best improvements among 190 countries in the survey, although Jokowi is looking for the country to achieve 40th position.

"The economies showing the most notable improvement in performance on the "Doing Business" indicators in 2015/2016 were Brunei Darussalam, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Belarus and Indonesia," reads the report, which also names New Zealand as the easiest country in which to do business, taking over the top spot from Singapore for the first time in a decade.

The significant jump in Indonesia's ranking is based on improvements made in starting a business, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, paying taxes, trading across borders and enforcing contracts.

Jokowi in April issued the 12th economic stimulus package that specifically targeted a significant improvement in the World Bank's index – regarded as a parameter for investors around the world – by scrapping many procedures and reducing both the time and cost involved in starting a business.

In total, the deregulation package has seen 94 procedures slashed by almost half to 49. The time spent on procedures dropped from 1,566 days to 132 days. Costs have also dropped from Rp 92.8 million (US$7,036.10) to Rp 72.7 million, among other reforms.

World Bank Indonesia country director Rodrigo Chaves said the government had done a lot to enhance the quality of the business environment for the private sector, particularly in the last three years. For one, it now takes 58 days for a business entity to connect to the power grid, compared with 79 days previously.

Still, many areas remain wide open for improvement to achieve Jokowi's ambitious target of securing the 40th place, including abolishing illegal levies and regulatory overkill by regional governments, as well as digitalization of the bureaucracy, economists say.

"Governments in other countries have utilized comprehensive IT systems to expedite processes, rather than relying on manual procedures," Bank Central Asia (BCA) chief economist David Sumual said, highlighting the pressing need for a more efficient bureaucracy to reduce costs for businesses.

He lauded the government's recent efforts to fight illegal levies and implementing "e-logistics", which is the digitalization of the logistics process that could help streamline bureaucracy.

Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) economist Latif Adam said his group had found in a 2010 study that there were many illegal levies charged for freight transportation on a route between Jakarta and Bandung, an example of a high cost of doing business.

Another example of high logistics costs is the long dwell time in ports, particularly Jakarta's Tanjung Priok Port, which has almost reached saturation level, said Gadjah Mada University economist Tony Prasetiantono.

The government's efforts to boost the ease-of-doing-business ranking is part of a greater plan to make Indonesia more competitive in the international business community, as Southeast Asia's largest economy grew the slowest in six years in 2015.

Direct investment is among the top growth contributors for the economy even though it is expected to slow to 12 to 14 percent this year, compared with 19 percent in 2015, according to Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) head Thomas Lembong.

The methods used to create the index have faced criticism, however. An independent panel appointed by World Bank president Jim Yong Kim found it used a narrow source of information and had the potential to be misinterpreted, according to a 2013 report. The ranking should not be used to apply a one-size-fits-all template for development, the panel found, as reported by Bloomberg.

"God willing, this will create confidence and instill greater faith" among businesses, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said with reference to Indonesia's improved performance.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/10/27/its-getting-easier-to-do-business-in-indonesia-report.html

Analysis & opinion

What they don't talk about when they talk about Papua

Rappler - October 27, 2016

Andhyta Firselly Utami – 'Being a young, female Indonesian myself, I expected myself to celebrate Nara Masista Rakhmatia's UN General Assembly speech. Instead, I was gravely disappointed.

Several weeks ago, a young, female diplomat named Nara Masista Rakhmatia made a speech that dazzled the Indonesian public. In a video that went viral, she denied accusations from 7 Pacific country leaders about human rights abuse in Indonesia's Papua province at the 71st Session of United Nations General Assembly in New York last September.

She further shamed their attempt to interfere with Indonesia's sovereignty. The video gathered over 188 thousand views on Facebook, along with hundreds of comments from Indonesian citizens expressing how proud they are of Nara's intelligence and bravery to 'teach those foreign country leaders about how to respect Indonesia' – especially given her young age.

In their remarks, delegations from Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Nauru, the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Tonga criticized Indonesia's human rights records in Papua. Nara in particular argued that these sentiments were largely misplaced, given that the main agenda of the Assembly was Sustainable Development Goals and a global response to climate change.

Furthermore, she claimed, these countries needed to self-reflect upon their own domestic issues before pointing their fingers to how Indonesia handles the province's push for self-determination.

Being a young, female Indonesian myself, I expected myself to celebrate her speech. I should have been inspired and impressed by how sharp she was. Instead, as someone who studied International Relations and currently a Public Policy student, I was gravely disappointed.

Disappointed

First of all, Nara based her entire rebuttal on the obsolete definition of the sovereignty principle. While sovereignty is a crucial foundation to the United Nations, since 2005, the international community has extended its definition under the 'Responsibility to Protect' commitment, which stipulates that absolute sovereignty does not hold when a government fails to protect its people.

Although the concept was developed specifically as a framework for humanitarian interventions to prevent atrocity crimes and this situation has arguably not brought us that far, this core principle stands.

In other words, should these allegations stand, it is justifiable for the international community to express their concerns about the possibility of ongoing crimes against humanity. Therefore, it is more urgent to argue about whether Indonesia has indeed violated human rights in Papua.

The speech failed to address, for example, the progress of President Joko Widodo's promise to investigate the killing of 4 Papuan high-school students in 2014. No reports have been made available to the public around this and other pressing matters such as killings in Wasior in 2001 and Wamena in 2003. A recent op-ed contended that these were not ordinary crimes but crimes against humanity.

Nara also did not talk about the 4,587 individuals who were arrested by the police for expressing their political views in regards with the Papua issue in 13 cities, as documented by the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute.

On top of that, she spent a lot of air time explaining how Indonesia has been a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council for significantly longer periods compared to these 6 countries. She leveraged that membership status as a validation to the country's 'human rights commitment'.

This is a logical fallacy. In reality, Jakarta continues to maintain restrictions for human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and International Committee of the Red Cross from entering Papua. Becoming a member of a certain council hardly proved these allegations wrong. If anything, it should become an additional reason as to why the country needs to feel embarrassed about the hypocrisy at home.

Wrong focus

Some of my friends asked me to give Nara a break. After all, she was only representing her country. If anything, such response is far from surprising and rather predictable. Throwing in phrases like 'territorial integrity' and 'sovereignty' sounds like something that any other country would do in responding to such accusations at an international stage.

However, the issue goes beyond this. Even if we look past the messenger, the problem in Papua still exists, and the fact that the government of Indonesian preferred not to deal with it should alert us.

Thus what added to my disappointment was how mainstream media in Indonesia covered the issue. Instead of playing its role as the 'fourth pillar' that criticizes the government, many news outlets practically made her a heroine by echoing the flattering Facebook comments and further highlighting how she looks.

It seems like nationalist sentiments – fueled by an 'external threat' from these Pacific countries' – distracted them from addressing the elephant in the room. Except for The Jakarta Post, most news seemed to avoid highlighting these allegations and instead talked about how beautiful and brave Nara was. In effect, social media discussions regarding this event rotated primarily around unproductive debates about her physical qualities.

Although concerns regarding Papua were expressed by only 7 small Pacific countries now, how will Indonesia – represented by Nara or anyone else – respond in the future, should they come from other geopolitically more powerful countries?

President Joko Widodo's administration must know by now that something has to be done in Papua, and it should be done immediately. Surely, we could not just continue deflecting every question with a 'sovereignty' card. – Rappler.com

[Andhyta Firselly Utami graduated from International Relations program at Universitas Indonesia, and is currently a Master of Public Policy candidate at Harvard Kennedy School.]

Source: http://www.rappler.com/world/regions/asia-pacific/indonesia/bahasa/englishedition/150437-papua-human-rights-opinion-nara

Komnas HAM: not just ineffective but corrupt as well?

Indonesia at Melbourne - October 25, 2016

Ken Setiawan – Last week, the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) confirmed strong suspicions long held by the Indonesian human rights community. It published a report revealing that members of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) have been embezzling public funds. According to the BPK report, Komnas HAM wrongly claimed more than Rp 6 billion (about AU$604,000). This figure included about Rp 820 million for activities that never took place, nearly Rp 1.02 billion dispensed without receipts, and Rp 330 million for the deputy head's official residence – which he never occupied, instead directing the Commission's funds, via the owner of the home, to his bank account.

Komnas HAM formally suspended deputy head Dianto Bachriadi from his duties in September – before the BPK report was made public. Since the release of the report, Komnas HAM has responded by starting to return the funds and establishing two internal mechanisms to investigate the misappropriation of funds by commissioners and by staff members. Komnas HAM chair M. Imdadun Rahmat has said he does not believe Dianto's case needs to be taken to court, and as long as he returns the funds.

Komnas HAM's attempts to depict the issue as a matter that can be investigated and resolved internally has prompted a furious response from fellow human rights and anti-corruption activists. A group of concerned Komnas HAM employees, Gerakan Peduli Komnas HAM (the Concern for Komnas HAM Movement), said that the BPK report undermines the Commission's credibility as a strong and independent state body and that those responsible should be held to account in a legal process. A leading local nongovernmental organisation, KontraS, concurred, demanding that commissioners involved in embezzlement be immediately removed from their positions.

Over the years, Komnas HAM – an independent advisory state organisation established in 1993 – has come under increasing criticism because of its inability to make a substantial contribution to the implementation of human rights in Indonesia. While this situation is, to a large extent, a consequence of the stagnation of human rights reform, several factors within Komnas HAM have also played a role. A number of these are fundamental issues related to the implementation of the 1999 Human Rights Law, which included a specific chapter on the Commission.

First, the 1999 Human Rights Law has contributed to the politicisation of Komnas HAM because, according to the provisions in the law, commissioners are selected by a legislative committee. This procedure was intended to increase transparency and allow the representatives of the people to select new members, in line with international recommendations on national human rights institutions, the larger body of organisations to which Komnas HAM belongs. But in practice the selection of new commissioners has been subject to political power plays.

While this has certainly not prevented the legislature from electing some commissioners with extensive experience in human rights, in other cases it has led to the appointment of commissioners directly linked to certain interest groups, including retired security officers as well as members of the Indonesian Council of Ulama (MUI). In some cases, this has led to the inadequate investigation of certain issues, including cases of past human rights abuses in which the security forces were involved, as well as the persecution of members of Ahmadiyah (a minority sect that identifies as Muslim but is considered "deviant" by most orthodox Sunni Muslims). Investigation of an attack on an Ahmadiyah community was halted because of strong opposition from one commissioner, who at the time was vice chair of the MUI. Unsurprisingly, this has damaged Komnas HAM's public legitimacy, which is crucial for an advisory body that depends on moral authority, rather than enforcement powers, for its recommendations to be followed.

Second, the Human Rights Law stipulates that a public servant should hold the secretary general position. At the time this was decided, it was highly contentious within Komnas HAM, with those in support of the arrangement arguing that it would relieve commissioners of administrative duties, while those who opposed the change feared it would open the Commission to "money politics".

As it turns out, those fears were justified. Since 2002, successive Komnas HAM secretaries general have set in motion a process that, within Komnas HAM, has been referred to as "PNSisasi" ("civil-servant-isation"). All existing staff were asked to join the civil service, and any new support staff were recruited from the bureaucracy. While many opted to become civil servants, quite a few decided to leave the Commission on principle. One of those who left in protest told me: "First they ask us to become a civil servant, what's next? Maybe they will ask us to wear uniforms just like at other government departments. How will that look like in the eyes of people who bring their cases to us?"

The appointment of public servants to a human rights commission will not automatically influence such an organisation negatively. In the case of Komnas HAM, however, this bureaucratisation process has been problematic. It is a concern not just because of the legacy [of] authoritarianism in Indonesia, where state bodies have long systematically violated human rights, and not simply because of the limited knowledge of human rights among civil servants (an obstacle Komnas HAM attempts to overcome by providing new staff members with human rights training). Rather, the primary concern is because of the high occurrence of corruption within the Indonesian bureaucracy. According to Febri Hendri of Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), the manner in which embezzlement has taken place within Komnas HAM reflects broader practices with the Indonesian bureaucracy.

The alleged misappropriation of public funds by Komnas HAM officials is another blow to the legitimacy of an organisation that is already in trouble. With less than a year remaining of the tenure of the current commissioners, the question arises as to how the newly announced committee in charge of selecting candidates to be vetted by the legislature will respond to these developments. It is reassuring, perhaps, that the selection committee includes a widely respected former member of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Bambang Widjojanto. Unfortunately, that is probably not enough. It seems clear that the scourge of corruption in Komnas HAM will not be solved by the appointment of new members alone.

[Dr Ken Setiawan is a McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Melbourne's Asia Institute.]

Source: http://indonesiaatmelbourne.unimelb.edu.au/komnas-ham-not-just-ineffective-but-corrupt-as-well/