Jakarta – Hundreds of people who called themselves The People's Movement for Education, Politics, Law, and Human Rights (Gempita), Friday afternoon, gathered outside the Corruption Eradication Comission (KPK) building. They urged the KPK to immediately reform and rid themselves of corruptors.

The names of Antasari Azhar, Chandra Hamzah, and Bibit Samad Rianto were thrown around as corrupt high-ranking KPK officials. The demonstrators also firmly stated their support to the National Police to continue its legal process for those three names.

"Clean the KPK from those 'rats', namely Antasari, Bibit, and Chandra who degraded the KPK as an institution to fight corruption," said one of the orators from the top of a car.

The coordinator of the act, Alfian Siregar, stated that the KPK as a legal institution must comply to legal processes as stated by the Law if its leaders are involved in a case. "KPK must be clean of corruptors who would pitch this institution against other legal institutions," said Alfian.

Those hundreds of people also tried to enter the KPK building and asked to meet the KPK Chief, but they were stopped. This action was secured tightly by the police. The demonstration caused a traffic jam along the Rasuna Said street, Kuningan, South Jakarta. (C11-09/C17-09)

Quake survivors protest over temporary kiosks in Padang

Jakarta Post - November 12, 2009

Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, Padang – About 2,000 traders at the Pasar Raya traditional market in Padang, West Sumatra, rallied Wednesday outside the city's legislative council building, protesting against the construction of temporary kiosks following the September earthquake.

"These kiosks prevent us from trading," Budi Syahrial, coordinator of the traders, said during the peaceful rally. He argued the kiosks occupied vacant spaces where the traders usually plied their trade.

"We ask the Padang municipal administration to remove the kiosks," Budi added.

Wednesday's rally was the fourth and largest organized protest by traders from Pasar Raya Market since the 7.9-magnitude earthquake devastated Padang and many other parts of West Sumatra on Sept. 30.

The protesters – mainly women – were mostly traders who opened stalls along the corridors of the market.

Grouped under the Alliance of Pasar Raya Market Traders, they gathered at the market and marched a kilometer to the Padang Legislative Council building.

The Padang administration under Mayor Fauzi Bahar built around 1,100 temporary kiosks on a street near the market to accommodate traders whose stores at the market were destroyed by the massive earthquake.

Budi also demanded the Padang administration and legislative council allocate funds to build new emergency kiosks on a plot of unoccupied land on Jl. Imam Bonjol before the destroyed market was rebuilt.

The protesting traders also asked the city administration to not appoint a private investor to rebuild the market.

"We are worried that all the markets destroyed by the earthquake will be handed over to investors. If this happens, we are afraid we will not be able to afford to buy the kiosks in the rebuilt market," he said.

Syahirman, a 55-year-old trader who joined the rally, said he was worried about the construction of emergency kiosks, which he argued would prevent him and fellow low-income traders from restarting businesses.

"Now 1,100 kiosks have been built there and they sideline us from trading because they occupy our spaces," he said.

"We have also heard that kiosks would also be constructed on the vacant space for shop owners from the Central Pasar Raya (modern) market. I and other (low-income) traders would certainly lose the places from trading, while we are those hardest hit by the quake," Syahirman told The Jakarta Post during the protest.

According to him, shop owners and small-scale traders who had received kiosks participated in the protest. "Those who have been given kiosks are sympathetic to us. They don't want the emergency kiosks to evict us from trading," Syahirman added.

The protesters' representatives were received by Padang Legislative Council Deputy Speaker Budiman during the rally.

Budiman said he had conveyed a recommendation to the Padang mayor that he should heed the traders' demands. However, the city administration was yet to make a response, Budiman added.

Protests mount over lake reclamation

Jakarta Post - November 11, 2009

Multa Fidrus – An ongoing project to reclaim land from Lake Rawa Kayu Antap in Rempoa subdistrict, East Ciputat district, South Tangerang, by a housing developer has sparked protests from local residents.

Rawa Kayu Antap Forum (SRKAF) chairman Baharudin Nasution said recently the group's call for a halt to the reclamation had fallen on deaf ears, with the South Tangerang administration doing nothing to stop PT Hana Kreasi Persada, the developer of the Beranda Townhouse estate.

"The administration has done nothing to stop the developer; the reclamation work still goes on day and night," Baharudin said.

He claimed to represent residents of housing estates currently located around the lake, including estates owned by the Army, the Publics Work Ministry and state electricity company PLN, as well as the Expedition, Taman Rempoa Indah and Taman Rempoa Hijau housing complexes.

Baharudin questioned South Tangerang Acting Mayor M.H. Shaleh's will to stop the reclamation work.

Shaleh previously said the state-owned lake had been sold by local residents to developer Hana Kreasi Persada. "If the acting mayor doesn't come to inspect and stop the reclamation work, the residents will stage a rally in protest at his office very soon," Baharudin said.

The forum has filed complaints with Banten Governor Ratu Atut Chosiah, the Banten Prosecutor's Office, the National Land Agency and the provincial zoning agency, with no response forthcoming from any of them.

Hana Kreasi Persada spokesman Tonison Ginting said the developer had done everything by the book in the reclamation project.

He added the company had conducted in-depth analyses and research to reclaim land from the lake to make way for the expansion of a housing complex on Jl. Delima Jaya in Rempoa.

"We've obtained legal documents that describe the location of the land in 1974, and the documents state explicitly that the land does not belong to the state," Tonison said.

He added Hana Kreasi Persada had also paid Rp 30 million to each family occupying land on the shores of the lake, to compensate the squatters for vacating the area.

Aceh

36,000 hectares of Aceh's Leuser ecosystem lost to logging

Jakarta Globe - November 11, 2009

The equivalent of about 10,000 football fields of forest have been lost each year for the past five years in Aceh's Leuser ecosystem due to illegal logging and the clearing of land for palm plantations and new roads.

The head of Leuser's Administrative Agency, Fauzan Azima, said in early 2005 that forest covered 1,982,000 hectares, but by late 2009 it only spanned 1,946,000 hectares.

"The damage to the Leuser ecosystem's forest in the last five years is 1.8 percent of the total area, or 0.36 percent average deforestation annually," Fauzan said. "That means the area loses 7,200 hectares a year."

The agency gathered the data from satellite images from the NASA's Landsat program. Based on the images, the regions of Rawa Tripa in Nagan Raya and Southwest Aceh; Rawa Kluet, South Aceh; Karang Baru and Manyak Payed, Aceh Tamiang; Lawe Mamas and Lawe Alas, Southeast Aceh; and a corridor between Peunaron and Lokop Seurbajadi, East Aceh, have been most affected.

Mining, transmigration and natural disasters were also found to have contributed to deforestation in the area.

"We are really concerned with the deforestation of the Leuser ecosystem. Moreover, the protected forest has been named one of the nation's strategic areas," Fauzan said, adding that his agency would intensify land and air patrols and monitoring to curb the rate of deforestation.

Currently, the agency is rehabilitating 2,500 hectares of land in Aceh Tamiang, from a total of 15,000 hectares planned for reforestation.

"We are also employing a cultural approach to the people who damage the forest, as well as educating them about the borders and the importance of the Leuser ecosystem for the livelihood of Aceh's people and the world in the future," Fauzan added.

The Leuser ecosystem, which stretches across 11 districts in Aceh and North Sumatra, is well known for being home to many endangered species of flora and fauna, including the rhinoceros, orangutans, tigers and elephants native to Sumatra.

Last month, Greenomics Indonesia announced that from 2006 to 2009, some 200,329 hectares of trees in Aceh were systematically cut down to supply woods for post-tsunami reconstruction in the province.

Although Aceh's governor, Irwandi Yusuf, has imposed a moratorium on logging, deforestation in the province has continued due to illegal logging operations. Despite this, Yusuf has claimed that the moratorium has saved about 500,000 hectares of Aceh's forest as the government prevented five major logging companies from working in the area. Nurdin Hasan

West Papua

PNG politicians join campaign to support persecuted West Papuans

Australian Associated Press - November 13, 2009

Ilya Gridneff, Port Moresby – Three Papua New Guinea politicians have joined an international campaign to support West Papuans persecuted by Indonesian authorities.

The PNG MPs reignited the controversial issue on Friday one week before the Indonesian government starts repatriating up to 700 West Papuans who live in PNG's capital Port Moresby or towns along the shared border.

Port Moresby's Governor Powes Parkop said PNG had "turned a blind eye and deaf ear" to the issue.

MPs Jamie Maxton-Graham and Boka Kondra also criticised PNG's inaction over the plight of their fellow Melanesians, who are an ethnic minority in Indonesia's Papua province.

Maxton-Graham said he had been prompted to help launch and sign the PNG Charter of the International Parliamentarians for West Papua after seeing photos of atrocities on West Papuans allegedly committed by the Indonesian police and military.

"The international community and our charter says Indonesia must stop this," Maxton-Graham said. He joined Parkop, Kondra and 50 MPs from other countries in signing the charter.

Australian Greens leader Senator Bob Brown, Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young and Greens MP Greg Barber are also signatories, alongside MPs from the UK, Sweden, Czech Republic, Vanuatu and New Zealand.

The charter calls for the UN to restore the "right of the indigenous people of West Papua to self-determination".

Indonesia took formal control of the former Dutch colony in a widely criticised 1969 UN-sponsored vote among about 1000 handpicked villager elders from the Papuan region.

Since then Indonesia's hardline security measures, including arrests of activists who try to fly Papua's outlawed Morning Star flag, have helped quell the West Papua separatist movement. But the long-running insurgency by poorly armed pro-independence guerillas continues.

It is estimated 10,000 to 20,000 West Papuans now live in PNG after they fled their homes on the Indonesian side because of few opportunities and human rights abuse.

Hundreds settled in a refugee camp near the border in PNG's Southern Highlands region while a majority live and work in the country's major centres like Port Moresby.

Deforestation threatens Indonesia's Papua region

Agence France Presse - November 12, 2009

Jayapura – Logging and agribusiness is threatening environmental destruction in Indonesia's Papua region, one of the world's last vast wildernesses, local leaders said on Thursday.

The governors of the two provinces in the region on the western end of New Guinea island told an international environmental conference a strategy was needed to avoid the mistakes that have decimated other Indonesian regions.

"Pressure and threats to biodiversity in Papua are increasing. Papua is becoming a target for massive agro and forestry industry investment," West Papua Governor Abraham Atururi said at the conference, jointly organised with environmental groups WWF and Conservation International.

Atururi said his government had received an increasing number of requests for development and feared environmental destruction from illegal logging aimed at clearing land for plantations.

"Papua should not repeat the failure to manage forests and biodiversity that has happened in Kalimantan (Borneo) and Sumatra," he said, referring to massive development on those islands that has seen tropical forests dwindle.

The governor of Papua province, which sits on the eastern end of the region, Barnabas Suebu, said preserving the tropical forest- blanketed region was key to helping absorb the gases that cause climate change.

"The capacity of Papua's 42 million hectares (104 million acres) of forests to process CO2 is equivalent to the carbon footprint of nearly all the population of Europe," Suebu said.

Indonesia, which spreads across over 17,000 islands, has been a key advocate for plans being floated ahead of global climate talks in Copenhagen in December that would see developing countries paid to conserve forests and peatlands.

Deforestation, largely on Borneo and Sumatra, has seen the country become the world's third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases.

One in five residents in Mimika illiterate

Jakarta Post - November 12, 2009

Mimika – More than 22 percent of the population in Mimika regency, Papua, or about 40,000 people, are illiterate.

Mimika, with a population of 175,000, ranks fifth in terms of the illiteracy rate in the province after Wamena, Merauke, Paniai and Nabire regencies, Mimika Education Agency chief Yesaya Sombuk said Tuesday. Papua has the highest illiteracy rate of the country's 33 provinces.

The agency is offering a three-month literacy course in the regency's 12 districts with 1,200 residents joining the program, which kicked off Tuesday.

Those who are illiterate – both native Papuans and migrants – live in remote areas as well as urban areas including in Timika, the regency's capital.

The first course, however, is aimed at Papua residents who live in the hinterlands, mountains and coastal areas.

Mimika is home to one of the world's richest gold and copper mines, operated by US-based PT Freeport Indonesia.

Military vows silence after congressmen voice concerns on Papua

Jakarta Globe - November 10, 2009

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The Indonesian Armed Forces said on Tuesday that it would not seek to influence President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's response to an open letter from two US congressmen regarding the restive Papua region.

"If they [the congressmen] sent the letter to the president, we shall wait for the answer from the president," military spokesman Air Vice Marshall Sagom Tamboen said.

US congressmen Eni Faleomavaega, chairman of the subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and the global environment, and Donald Payne, chairman of the subcommittee on Africa and global health, sent the letter on Monday.

They called on Yudhoyono to create an internationally mediated commission to oversee a dialogue between the Indonesian government and the leaders of West Papua.

In the letter, the congressmen noted that dozens of prominent leaders and organizations in West Papua, as well as key Indonesian leaders and intellectuals, supported such a dialogue, which would be analogous to one successfully held in Aceh.

The letter urged Yudhoyono "to seize the opportunity provided by these developments to establish a similar process for West Papua."

"We believe that such a process would build on important steps Indonesia has taken in recent years, such as accession to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In becoming a signatory to that agreement, Indonesia clearly expressed its commitment to establishing legal protections for indigenous citizens, including Papuans," the letter states.

After being asked to comment on the congressmen's suggestions, Sagom said Indonesia was a sovereign nation that would solve its internal problems its own way. "It is OK for everyone to give suggestions on establishing a new committee. But such a suggestion is not urgent enough to be implemented," he said.

Sagom added that if the suggestions were triggered by security issues, particularly dealing with armed attacks against workers at the Freeport McMoRan copper and gold mine, Indonesian security agencies are committed to settling any problems.

Separately, Rusdi Marpaung managing director of Imparsial, a nongovernmental organization focusing on human rights and military issues, said a majority of Indonesian people want peace in Papua.

He added that the international community's interest in Papua was reasonable, given the area's vast natural resources. "And they can see what has been achieved in Aceh, where the problems were settled through a joint effort with the international community," he said.

Human rights/law

Police hit back with video evidence

Jakarta Post - November 12, 2009

Dicky Christanto and Hans David Tampubolon, Jakarta – Reeling from a body blow delivered by a former police chief's testimony in antigraft official Antasari Azhar's trial, police made public Wednesday a video and documents they say shore up their case against the defendant.

Former South Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Wiliardi Wizard, in his testimony Tuesday at the trial of the former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman charged with murdering businessman Nasruddin Zulkarnaen, said the whole thing was an elaborate ruse by the police to frame Antasari.

Wiliardi added his initial testimony, accusing Antasari of planning the murder, had been made under duress and on orders he claimed came directly from the National Police chief. He also said he had been promised clemency if he went along with the police-engineered testimony, which he has since recanted.

On Wednesday, however, National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Nanan Sukarna denied the police had ever forced Wiliardi to give false witness to frame Antasari.

"We named Antasari a murder suspect without testimony from Wiliardi, so where would be the logic in forcing this testimony out of him?" Nanan said at a press conference.

The press conference followed an admission by National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri that the force had been cornered by the media over its handling of the Antasari case and the alleged bribery case involving suspended KPK deputy chairmen Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M. Hamzah.

"It's up to the public to accept those explanations. But for now the police have been cornered," Bambang told senior officers at a workshop on public relations. "Wiliardi's testimony in court was that we forced him. We need to make a speedy public explanation of the truth."

Police also defended their charges, based on Antasari's testimony, that Bibit and Chandra had taken bribes from fugitive graft suspect Anggoro Widjojo – which a presidential fact- finding team and the Attorney General's Office both say lack sufficient evidence – saying they had never forced the confession from Antasari.

The police also played back a video of Antasari's questioning by investigators, which included a scene where he initiated the testimony and other scenes showing him laughing with the investigators. The video also showed Antasari saying how he would bring an end to the KPK once he had left the institution.

Critics were quick to denounce the police's public showing of the video to rebut Wiliardi's testimony, saying they should have gone by the book and presented the facts in a court of law.

University of Indonesia legal expert Rudi Satriyo said all the police officers named by Wiliardi, including police chief Bambang, should defend themselves in court. "The next thing for the National Police chief to do is to testify in the cross- examination of Wiliardi," he said.

Retired judge Benjamin Mang-kudilaga agreed all the officers named in Wiliardi's testimony needed to testify. He added the conclusion of the case would depend on how much further the judges probed the matter.

Benjamin also pointed out if Wiliardi's testimony was true, then it would mean the police force had painted itself even deeper into the corner.

Responding to police spokesman Nanan's claim that Wiliardi was not a key witness in the case, Benjamin said the police had every right to say what they wanted on the case, but should not draw attention away from the core issue. "The main issue is whether there was pressure on Wiliardi to give the initial testimony that he gave," he said.

Rudi and Benjamin both agreed Wiliardi's testimony had significantly altered the case against Antasari, and perhaps even the case against Bibit and Chandra.

However, renowned lawyer Frans Hendrawinata said Wiliardi's bombshell testimony could not stand on its own.

"A confession is the weakest type of evidence, it's a last-resort sort of thing," he said. "Keep in mind also that a single confession can never qualify as solid evidence."

Fact-finding team leader Adnan Buyung Nasution said Wiliardi's testimony could "make the situation out of control". "It clearly shows that something is wrong in this country," he said.

Change of police guards at Constitutional Court 'unusual'

Jakarta Post - November 12, 2009

Hans David Tampubolon, Jakarta – A law expert and former counselor for the Constitutional Court (MK), Irmanputra Sidin said the replacing of all the police officers guarding the court Wednesday was something "new" and had never happened before.

"The rotation of individual officers is routine, because some police officers might get promoted or transferred, but never all at once. As far as I know, that has never happened before," he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

A University of Indonesia police expert, Bambang Widodo Umar, said that due to the strange and sudden nature of the rotation, he believed it was natural for the public to infer a link between this incident and the recent decision by the court's chief, Mahfud MD, to publicly play a tape revealing the alleged plot to incriminate two Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leaders by a number of officials from the National Police and the Attorney General's Office.

"The police must clearly justify the reasons behind the unusual rotation," he said.

In an attempt to curb public speculation on the matter, the Constitutional Court and the police have both said that Wednesday's rotation of all police officers guarding the court was normal procedure and had nothing to do with the court's recent public hearing of the controversial tape, which has severely tarnished the image of the police.

"The replacement is just another rotation and both the police and the court have reached an agreement over it," Mahfud told a press conference office Wednesday, held specially to clarify the issue.

Mahfud also said that it had originally been agreed that only a handful of his nine personal bodyguards would be rotated. However, the court and the police decided to rotate all of the officers.

Separately, Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli told the Post that the rotation had been scheduled and that it was a routine procedure.

There was public and media speculation that the rotation may have been linked to police resentment toward Mahfud because of his authorization of the public playing of the controversial tape.

The tape revealed a possible alleged conspiracy between a number of high ranking officials from the National Police and the AGO to weaken the KPK by incriminating the anti-graft body's deputy chairmen, Chandra M. Hamzah and Bibit Samad Riyanto, in a bribery scandal.

Mahfud said after the tape was played words to the effect that those involved in the conspiracy merited the most severe criticism, but later clarified that he was referring to corrupt officials and not their institutions.

That statement has apparently ruffled the feathers of National Police Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri, prompting him to tell legislators in the House of Representatives that the police were not "a bunch of animals" during a hearing last Thursday. Mahfud then acknowledged during Wednesday's press conference that the issue had gone too far and had led to unrest within a number of civilian groups.

According to Mahfud, Gerakan Pemuda Ansor, the security wing of the country's largest Islamic group, Nahdlatul Ulama, had offered him the services of a number of volunteer guards.

Indonesian defense ministry hits out at anti-secrecy activists

Jakarta Globe - November 12, 2009

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The Defense Ministry on Wednesday criticized a statement by activists and the Press Council calling for a rethinking of the State Secrecy Bill, saying that no one should try to influence public opinion to prevent the bill's passage by exploiting other issues.

Agus Sudibyo, of the People's Alliance Against Regime Of Secrecy (Ammrk), told a public discussion on Tuesday that keeping secret information that deserves to be made public showed that state institutions were in support of a "regime" shrouded in secrecy.

The activists urged the House of Representatives and the Ministry of Defense, which is deliberating the bill, to consider the powerful public reaction that followed the recent playback of wiretapped conversations by the Constitutional Court.

The conversations between a businessman, officials and others, showed an apparent attempt to engineer a criminal case against two anti-graft officers. They were taped by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK.) The ensuing public outcry led President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to call for a thorough and independent investigation.

Responding to the statement, the spokesman for the Defense Ministry, Brig. Gen. Slamet Hariyanto, claimed that it was not appropriate for anyone to use the wiretapped recordings to direct public opinion on the state secrecy bill.

"We don't agree that the wiretapped recording issue should be twisted by certain people, including Agus Sudibyo and his friends, to direct public opinion in rejecting the State Secrecy Bill," Slamet said. "What is their purpose behind the statement?"

He said the ministry has never opposed efforts of civil society groups to establish transparency and accountability to eradicate corruption. However, he said, such efforts must be conducted through the right channels.

"Please don't corner the government or the House of Representatives while they are doing their legislative duties, by trying to build public opinion aimed at preventing the legislation of the State Secrecy Bill."

Commenting on the Defense Ministry's reaction, Agus said the ministry would be wiser to determine what the public actually wants regarding the State Secrecy Bill issue. "If they are wise enough to read our statements, they should change their previous State Secrecy Bill draft, and openly announce it to the public," he said.

Agus said the existing draft of the State Secrecy Bill ran contrary to the spirit of democracy, the free press, and the eradication of corruption.

"They must prove that they will harmonize the bill with the aspirations of civil society as had previously been promised by the president," he said.

The State Secrecy Bill would give the government the authority to limit public access to specific documents, information, activities and objects that have been declared state secrets by the president.

Indonesia lawmaker gets his 'wish' - and goes to prison

Jakarta Globe - November 11, 2009

A lawmaker on the House of Representatives Commission III who demanded the Attorney General's Office immediately resolve his case on Wednesday got his wish – sort of.

Dimyati Natakusumah, a member of the United Development Party (PPP), was criticized on Monday when he used a commission hearing with the AGO to ask it to settle his case, in which he allegedly used his position as Pandeglang district head in Banten to bribe councilors to approve a debt of Rp 200 billion ($21.4 million), which he later defaulted on.

"I want prosecutors to decide my case without delay," he told Attorney General Hendarman Supandji. On Wednesday, Dimyati was arrested and transferred to Serang Prison.

Detik.com quoted one of Dimyati's lawyers, as saying the arrest seemed "forced" because his client had been "very cooperative."

Indonesian drug law criticized as too vague, repressive

Jakarta Globe - November 12, 2009

Dessy Sagita – The 2009 Law on Narcotics is too repressive and contains articles that could potentially violate human rights, the National AIDS Commission said on Wednesday.

"At least six articles in the Narcotics Law No. 35 of 2009 could be misused and potentially disrupt our efforts to curb drug use in Indonesia," Nafsiah Mboi, the secretary of the commission, said at a news conference.

She added that before passing it into law, guidelines based on previous laws on health, child protection and human rights should have been taken into consideration to give the articles more clarity and substance.

For instance, she said, the new law required all drug users, addicts and non-addicts, to report themselves to the nearest health facility to be registered. But it failed to give clear instructions on how such a report should be filed, and if patients could expect to receive treatment for drug use.

"There is no clear explanation or guarantee that every heath facility will be able to provide the proper treatment and therapy for the drug users," she said.

Nafsiah said people would hesitate to voluntarily report themselves without clear instructions. She also said that the new law stipulated harsher punishment for those caught using drugs without registering themselves, or those who distributed or sold the drugs. "Harsher punishment could be a good thing if accompanied by proper guidance. If not, there will more problems to come," she said.

Under the new law, drug addicts are considered criminals and parents of underage addicts are also considered as having committed a crime if they fail to notify authorities of their children's drug addiction. They are also subject to a Rp 1 million ($107) fine and a maximum of six months in prison.

Nafsiah said the government should immediately issue decrees to clarify how vague articles in the law would be enforced. "Otherwise, we will consider taking other steps, such as filing a judicial review request," she added.

Williardi's plot claims shine light on other anomalies in trial

Jakarta Globe - November 11, 2009

Kinanti Pinta Karana – Claims of a police plot by Sr. Comr. Williardi Wizar, a key witness and co-defendant in the murder case of businessman Nasrudin Zulkarnaen, have brought into focus other anomalies in the murder case.

On Tuesday's hearing in the trial at the South Jakarta Court, Williardi, a former South Jakarta Police chief, claimed the police investigation report which he signed was was fabricated to set up former antigraft chief Antasari Azhar.

Since the case began, the lawyers have raised many discrepancies in factual information presented during the murder case, from the shooting distance for the murder to Rani Juliani's sole testimony, which Antasari's indictment was based on, to claims from defendants who said they were abused in a hotel room to force them to testify according to the investigators' scenario.

The police investigation report said Nasrudin was shot from half a meter away. However, in the reenactment, the gun was shot from a further distance. Meanwhile, expert forensic witness Dr. Mun'im Idris, who was presented to the court in October, said Nasrudin was shot from a 60 cm distance with a SNW Revolver 38 gun. Two bullets entered through the left side of his head and stayed inside his brain and right ear.

Besides the shooting distance, there were also anomalies in the account of Antasari and Rani's affair at Hotel Grand Mahakam, because the door was unlocked but Rani did not try to escape when Antasari allegedly asked her to perform indecent acts. Moreover, Rani got permission from her husband, Nasrudin Zulkarnaen, to meet with Antasari and he even took her to the hotel.

Rani testified for the first time on November 5 and claimed she was also a victim in the case, while five other defendants all testified on October 19 that they were threatened by the police to testify according to the police's description of the scenario.

Antasari's case development also concerned Adnan Buyung Nasution, the head of fact finding team in Chandra M Hamzah and Bibit Samad Rianto's case.

"This is getting more and more complicated. Where is this going to lead us? I could not sleep all night," Adnan said at the Presidential Advisory Board on Wednesday.

Multiple complaints of fabricated investigation reports

Jakarta Globe - November 11, 2009

The National Police had a lot to explain after a co-defendant in the murder case of businessman Nasrudin Zulkarnaen, former South Jakarta Police Chief Sr. Comr. Williardi Wizar, testified before the court that the National Police had set up the case against Antasari Azhar.

Antasari Azhar, former chairman of Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), was a defendant in the same case, accused of being the mastermind in the high-profile murder.

Since the start of the case, the accused have complained about their investigation reports, stating that they believed they were fabricated.

Among the defendents in the Nasrudin trial, the following complaints have been made about fabrications.

1. Daniel Daen Sabon, a defendant who was allegedly the executor of the murder, claimed he was tortured before police questioning. Daniel asked the judge to cancel his investigation report. "I want my report to be cancelled. I was threatened during the investigation," he said.

2. Williardi Wizar said his superior asked him to sign a new investigation report because the previous one was not enough to bring charges against Antasari. If he did so, Williardi was promised freedom and told he would only receive an administration sanction for indiscipline. Williardi's investigation report was used to arrest Antasari because he was the first witness who mentioned Antasari's involvement in the murder case. National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Nanan Soekarna said the police would ignore Williardi's claim about a plot to set up Antasari. "He could say whatever he wanted but we have the legal evidence," Nanan said.

3. Antasari Azhar, who was taken into custody on May 4 this year, was asked to write a testimony about Anggodo Widjojo's alleged bribery of KPK leaders and passed the testimony to the police, after police found a recorded conversation on Antasari's laptop between Antasari and Anggodo. Police used the testimony to name two deputy chairmen of the KPK, Chandra M Hamzah and Bibit Samad Rianto, as suspects.

4. Ari Muladi, the person to whom Anggodo allegedly gave bribe money for the KPK leaders, signed an investigation report on July 15 saying he gave the money to the KPK leaders. Ari Muladi later cancelled the report, saying he had never met Chandra and Bibit and instead gave the money to a person named Yulianto. Yulianto's identity or whereabouts are unknown. However, Ari Muladi would be named a suspect if he cancelled the investigation report.

Indonesian courts seen to be failing domestic violence victims

Jakarta Globe - November 9, 2009

Nurfika Osman – A seminar tasked with advising policy makers on domestic violence has stressed the need for victims to be given easier access to justice.

"They should be given fast, simple and free-of-charge access to their rights in civil and criminal cases, and protection during every step of the [legal] process," Ninik Rahayu, the deputy chairwoman of the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan), said on Monday.

The commission, along with academics, NGOs, officials from the National Police, Attorney General's Office and Supreme Court, opened a two-day seminar on Monday that is expected to produce recommendations that will be sent to policy makers.

Difficulties in accessing justice, according to the commission, makes many victims reluctant to file complaints and risk exposure to more harm.

"They are therefore doubly victimized," said Deliana Sayuti Ismudjoko, head of the commission's law and policy division. "The country's bureaucratic system only creates more difficulties for them."

She said domestic violence victims had to go through too many processes, which required a lot of time and money, in order to attain justice from the judicial system.

"This strongly suggests that institutions in the country are gender biased [against the victims]," Ismudjoko said.

Since the country endorsed the Law on Domestic Violence in 2004, institutions have been adjusting their systems in order to address women's issues. For example, all police offices nationwide are supposed to have a special unit to handle any cases involving women and children.

"But many [public] institutions lack the facilities and funds to provide more specialized support for women and children," Ismudjoko said. "Thus, we need to create a recommendation whereby the policy makers create and support a gender-sensitive policies," she added.

She also said that the Attorney General's Office lacks the funds to help women victims process their cases. "As a result, women are reluctant to look to the courts as a solution in the cases they are facing," Ismudjoko said.

Reported cases of domestic violence involving women rose 113 percent between 2007 and 2008, from 25,522 cases in 2007 to 54,425 in 2008.

Labour/migrant workers

Malaysia, Indonesia mending fences over maid abuse

Associated Press - November 12, 2009

Julia Zappei, Putrajaya – Indonesia's leader requested swift justice Thursday for maids allegedly abused while on the job in Malaysia – charges that have strained normally amicable relations between the neighbors.

Concerns that some 300,000 Indonesians employed as domestic workers in Malaysia face frequent mistreatment escalated following several assault accusations earlier this year. Since then, anti-Malaysia rhetoric has reached new heights after a promotional campaign about Malaysia featured dance from the Indonesian island of Bali.

Some Indonesians believed that their more prosperous neighbor was ignoring the rights of migrant workers, including those who work menial jobs in construction sites and plantations, and trying to pass off Indonesia's cultural heritage as its own.

Indonesia announced in June it would stop sending domestic workers to Malaysia until the grievances were addressed. Officials have since been holding talks on improving wages and legal protection for maids.

On Thursday, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono sat down with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak – the highest- level of such meetings yet.

Yudhoyono said that charges of abuse – of which there are hundreds every year, alleging beatings, overwork and the withholding of pay – should "be dealt with by the law speedily and fairly."

Najib pledged that his government would not take the matter lightly, but his meeting with Yudhoyono was not meant to yield any concrete announcements on protections for maids. Officials plan to hold further talks soon.

In the most recent high-profile case, Malaysian government prosecutors charged a man last month with allegedly killing his Indonesian housemaid, who died after being found beaten and locked in a bathroom. He faces a penalty of death by hanging if convicted.

Najib and Yudhoyono also pledged to boost cooperation to address frictions such as the recent spat over a campaign advertising Malaysia.

In August, some Indonesians accused Malaysia of appropriating Balinese dance for a TV promotion about Malaysia. It later turned out that the Malaysian government had no connection to the video, which had mistakenly described the dance as Malaysian. The video was broadcast on the Discovery Channel cable network, which apologized for the mistake.

Workers to file charges over alleged abuse by employer

Jakarta Post - November 11, 2009

Jakarta – Twenty employees of a company distributing fashion accessories will file charges against their employer after he allegedly abused and took them hostage, their lawyer said Tuesday.

"We're going to file a report Wednesday morning with the Central Jakarta Police," said Hendrik Sirait, from the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI), adding the employees had approached the PBHI to complain about their treatment.

The case began when two female employees, Peni Purwaningsih and Anita, reported to their supervisor Nunik that another supervisor had stolen some items and sold them. The allegation reached employer Ricky Ahluwalia, who later accused 20 employees of stealing the items.

The employees said Ricky forced them to sign a confession to that effect, alleging he then locked them in the office on a Sunday and took away their wallets and cell phones.

"Two of the female employees were forced to drink from the toilet bowl," Hendrik said.

A male employee said Ricky often abused his male employees. "One driver had his eardrum damaged," the employee said as quoted by kompas.com. "I asked what happened to him, and he said Ricky had hit him."

He added another employee, Adi, was beaten up in a fitting room after Ricky heard the employee playing Indonesian music at one of the distribution branches.

"He broke the CD, took Adi to the fitting room and beat him up," he said. "When Adi got out, he was covered in bruises."

Ricky played down the accusations. "I deny all the allegations," he said. He said he had never forced the employees to sign confessions that they had stolen from him. He also said he had never locked up the employees.

Hendrik said Ricky could face multiple criminal charges, including one on stealing, for confiscating the employees' wallets and phones; one on keeping others captive, and one on torture and abuse.

"The multiple charges carry prison sentences of more than five," Hendrik said. He added police should immediately arrest Ricky.

Semarang workers slam minimum wage proposal

Antara News - November 10, 2009

Semarang – Thousands of workers took to the streets of Central Java's capital on Tuesday to protest a Rp 50,000 difference in the proposed minimum monthly wage.

The protesters urged the government to set next year's minimum monthly wage at Rp 944,538 ($100). Semarang's mayor has only promised Rp 893,000.

The workers gathered on Jalan Pemuda in central Semarang, causing major traffic problems and forcing officials to temporarily close off the area. Equipped with loud speakers, the demonstrators rallied noisily in front of City Hall.

A number of local labor organizations carried signs saying: "Rp 893,000? Can we afford to feed our children?" and "Pak Mayor, don't be corrupt over wages." According to the workers, the mayor's proposal was not in line with recommendations from a survey by the city's wage regulation board.

Nanang Setyono, chief of the Semarang branch of the National Workers' Union, said there had been two recommendations made based on calculations of the cost of living. "Semarang SPN's proposal was Rp 944,538, while from Apindo [the Indonesian Employers Association] it was Rp 939,755," he said. "Now comes a new proposal, which is Rp 893,000."

Nanang said Semarang's minimum wage had met the estimated cost of living for the past two years, but that Rp 893,000 was only enough for workers without families and children to feed. The rally was monitored by the Semarang Police but ended peacefully and without incident.

Ministers vow to do more to protect Indonesia's migrant workers

Jakarta Globe - November 10, 2009

Ismira Lutfia – Some 406 migrant workers were repatriated from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, with most complaining that they had not been paid by their employers.

The workers, comprising 80 who had overstayed their visas in Jeddah, including five children and 13 babies, and 326 workers who had been in Kuwait, were greeted at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport by Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar, Justice and Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Triyono Wibowo, and Jumhur Hidayat, the head of the National Board for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Overseas Workers (BNP2TKI).

Triyono said at a joint press conference that the government has repatriated 1,230 migrant workers since July and would continue to work with host countries to speed up the process.

Muhaimin said Indonesia had stopped sending migrant workers to Kuwait indefinitely while reviewing negotiations to improve the working conditions for Indonesian migrants there.

"We are also going to establish a new integrated system starting from recruitment, training, through to protection of migrant workers to avoid too many problems in the future," Muhaimin said, promising that the government would take the necessary legal action to get workers' insurance claims paid.

Muhaimin and Patrialis both said any workers' children fathered by foreign nationals would be given Indonesian citizenship.

"As long as there is proper documentation from both the Foreign Affairs and Manpower and Transmigration ministries, we could use that as our basis to process their birth certificates," Patrialis said.

Siti Khoirum, one of many who claimed to have spent three days living under a bridge in Jeddah, said she ran away from her employer because she was not allowed to stay with her husband, also an Indonesian, who worked in Jeddah.

Wiwin, of Karawang, West Java said she had decided to stay under the bridge because she heard that it was the place to meet others who wanted to go home to Indonesia but lacked proper documentation. "I had no identification at all since my employer held on to my passport," Wiwin said.

Nunung Nurlatifah, of Subang, West Java, said she fled Kuwait after her employer tried to strangle her because he did not want to hear his baby crying.

He later threatened to kill her, she said. "I was afraid so I ran away to seek shelter at the [Indonesian] embassy," Nunung said.

Environment/natural disasters

West Sumatra quake caused losses of over $2.3 billion

Antara News - November 15, 2009

Pariaman, West Sumatra – The magnitude 7.9 earthquake and subsequent landslides that devastated West Sumatra on Sept. 30 inflicted estimated losses of Rp 21.58 trillion ($2.3 billion), an official said on Saturday.

West Sumatra Deputy Governor Marlis Rahman said damage to houses accounted for 74 percent of total losses. He said the figure was based on the results of a final verification which put the number of damaged houses at 249,833, including 114,797 houses that were leveled.

Marlis also said Padang Pariaman was the hardest hit district, with material losses estimated to reach Rp 8.67 trillion.

Meanwhile, Padang Pariaman district head Muslim Kasim said a total of 59,693 houses were destroyed in the district with an estimated total loss of more than Rp 7.8 trillion.

The quake killed at least 1,195 people and injured thousands of others in West Sumatra.

Yandri Hidayat, head of Padang Pariaman Culture and Tourism Office, said that of the 34 heritage locations in the district, at least 27 were heavily damaged.

He said most of the ruined buildings were mosques and prayer halls that were more than 100 years old. They included the old mosque of Syekh Burhanuddin in Ulakan Tapakis subdistrict which was built in 1690.

Syekh Burhanuddin, who was responsible for the construction of the mosque, was a charismatic Minangkabau ulema who brought Islam from Aceh to West Sumatra in the 16th century. His grave is located near the mosque and is visited by thousands of pilgrims from across the archipelago every year.

Yandri said the earthquake had damaged parts of the ancient building and its domes had crashed to the ground. The praying room itself was intact and could still be used.

He said most of the damage to the 27 cultural heritage buildings was suffered by the supporting infrastructure, including surrounding roads and entrance gates.

A number of nongovernmental organizations, including Malaysia's Selangor Humanitarian Mission Organization (Pantas), assisted in repairing damaged sites, especially praying halls. Pantas rebuilt two ancient praying halls in Parit Malintang and Pasa Dama. The organization also donated building materials while dozens of its volunteers worked alongside local people during the reconstruction process, said its coordinator Noer Azwar Haji Ramli.

The reconstruction of the two praying halls is near completion, and Muslims in the two areas could soon use the facilities for praying and other Islamic activities, he said.

Residents support Greenpeace activists after closure

Jakarta Post - November 15, 2009

Around 300 residents of Kampar, Pelalawan, in Riau, went to the Greenpeace home base on Sunday, demanding it not leave the area despite its closure by local policemen.

The residents arrived at the headquarters and announced their support for the organization to keep on protecting a peat marsh forest in the area. Devi, a 20-year old resident, said she was very sad to learn that the police had asked the activists to move from the place.

"Those who reject the organization are the ones who are influenced by companies operating here. In fact, most residents have learned a lot about forest damage ever since Greenpeace arrived," Devi told kompas.com.

On Wednesday, the police arrested the activists after they had staged a rally against Southeast Asia's largest pulp producer PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper. The security authorities also took 11 foreign activists to the immigration office for alleged visa violations.

The police then closed down the home base and gave the activists until today to leave the area, citing security reasons. (ewd)

Foreign Greenpeace activists to be deported

Jakarta Post - November 14, 2009

Rizal Harahap, Pekanbaru – Citing visa violations, authorities will deport 11 foreign Greenpeace activists who were involved in the sealing off of heavy machinery owned by PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP).

Pelalawan Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Ari Rahman said police were working with the immigration office to immediately deport the foreign activists to their countries of origin.

He identified the activists as Agnaldo (Brazil), Petteri (Finland), Laura (Germany), Jesus and Pablo (Spain), Roda (Philippines), and Pong Saponrt, Nopporn, Uum, Passatorn and Somruee (Thailand).

"They hold visitor visas, so they should not have demonstrated or carried out other activities that threaten public order," Ari told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

"We will hand them over to the immigration office after we've finished questioning them. The immigration office will decide on further measures after inspecting their travel documents," Ari said.

Pelalawan Police arrested 21 local Greenpeace activists Wednesday along with the foreign activists who are now undergoing questioning at the police station. Ari denied reports the 21 local activists had been named as suspects.

Ari said their legal status would be determined by 5:30 p.m. local time.

Ari added the activists were detained in Teluk Binjai village, Teluk Meranti district, 120 kilometers east of the Pelalawan regency capital Pangkalan Kerinci, based on a charge filed by RAPP.

He said RAPP, the biggest paper and pulp producer in Southeast Asia, objected to the presence of the activists who had trespassed on its concession area, seized heavy machinery and prevented workers from doing their jobs.

He added the police had also taken the activists into custody to pre-empt potential conflict with an anti-Greenpeace group in Teluk Meranti.

During the Greenpeace protest, he said, police received information that some RAPP employees and local residents were mobilizing to expel the activists.

"We negotiated with them, but they refused to stop the protest, so we arrested them in order to question them and also prevent the possibility of a clash," Ari said.

Greenpeace Southeast Asia campaigner Zulfahmi, who was also questioned by Pelalawan Police, called the arrests baseless and said the police were biased.

Zulfahmi denied accusations the protest was illegal and claimed Greenpeace had obtained the requisite permits from the National Police for the environmental campaign involving local and foreign activists.

"Our fellow activists had obtained official permits from the Indonesian embassies in their respective countries. They hold visitor and business visas, and all their activities here were continuously monitored by the police," he said.

"They were arrested because RAPP felt bothered by our presence. The RAPP management should have been arrested for damaging the forest, while we are campaigning to save the forest," said Zulfahmi by phone.

Greenpeace hits back at RAPP

Jakarta Post - November 14, 2009

Jakarta – Greenpeace activists from Indonesia will file a report with police against PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP) for illegally clearing forest in a peatland area in Cape Kampar.

Greenpeace campaigner Zulfahmi said Friday the company had violated an industrial forest regulation, which bans the clearing of forests with peat more than 3 meters deep. The peat in Cape Kampar Forest has a depth of 5 meters.

"The police should have known about the violation of the environmental regulation when they dispersed our rally at the RAPP concession," Zulfahmi said.

The police arrested 21 Greenpeace activists for trespassing and acts of violence following the rally Thursday. The protesters tied themselves to the company's excavators during the rally.

Zulfahmi said the forest concession awarded to RAPP in Cape Kampar should be illegal as it was connected with former Pelalawan regent Tengku Azmun Jaafar, who was sentenced to 11 years in jail in September for illegally endorsing letters to use forest resources.

A former Pelalawan Forestry Office employee, Hambali, said in his testimony during Azmun's trial that a subsidiary of RAPP, PT Persada Karya Sejati, benefited from the regent's illegal policy. The company denied any link to the case.

Greenpeace protest in Riau sees 11 foreigners deported

Jakarta Globe - November 13, 2009

Fidelis E Satriastanti & Budi Otmansyah – Eleven foreign nationals will be deported and 21 Indonesians have been charged by police following a Greenpeace action at a large pulp and paper concession in Riau that resulted in a giant Finnish paper company halting the purchase of pulp from the concessionaire.

Ari Rahman Nafarin, head of the Pelalawan district police, said the 11 foreign activists – from Spain, the Philippines, Thailand, Brazil, and Germany – had been handed over to the Department of Immigration for deportation.

The 21 local activists have been charged with defamation but have been released subject to regular reports to the police.

On Thursday, 50 Greenpeace activists rallied at a tract of forest in Riau's Kampar Pensinsula that was recently cleared by PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper, a subsidiary of the Asia Pacific Resources International Holding (April). They installed a large banner that read "Obama, You Can Stop This." Some chained themselves to excavators owned by the company.

Bustar Maitar, Greenpeace Southeast Asia's rainforest campaigner, on Friday said Finnish company UPM-Kymmene Group had decided to cancel purchases from Riau Andalan as a result.

Bustar said Greenpeace estimates that UPM-Kymmene, which supplies paper products to the global market, including the United States, China, Europe and Australia, has a contract with April worth more than $55 million per year – more than 4 percent of April's total pulp production.

"We consider [the paper company's decision] a good side-effect of our actions because it means there is increased awareness of the destruction taking place in this area," he said, adding that the information had come from Greenpeace in Finland.

However, Bustar said the main objective of the campaign was to push the government to review all concessions rights, a major contributor to the destruction of peatland in Sumatra.

The concession, covering almost all of Kampar's 400,000 hectares, mostly vulnerable peatland, is being logged to make way for acacia plantations to feed the world's demand for paper.

Fishermen are reeling from the impact of global warming

Jakarta Globe - November 11, 2009

Emmy Fitri – Nine years ago, long before Al Gore warned the world about the "Inconvenient Truth" of global warming, Edy Hamdan and fellow fishermen in Krui, West Lampung, had already accepted the fact that their reading of the moon and stars was no longer helpful in hauling in a big catch.

In the past, with his 9-meter-long fiber boat, Edy could bring home one to two tons of fish during high season. Now, he often returns home empty-handed.

The tradition of looking up to the sky for hints to where the fish would be was once treasured knowledge fishermen passed on from generation to generation. But it stopped being effective and nobody knew why, until in 2005, when a climate change awareness campaign reached their remote village on the southernmost tip of Lampung. Now, Edy knows that global warming is to blame.

"It's getting harder and harder to catch big fish like tuna and ikan pari [rayfish] because the water temperatures are now unpredictable – either warmer or colder – and the adult fish have tended to migrate to other habitats," Edy said.

"The wind is also changing so fast that our reading of the stars is not helping at all. These days, we sail off early in the morning but rush home before noon with nothing caught because of rapidly changing winds."

Recognized as the world's greatest maritime country, Indonesia is made up of almost 62 percent sea, and millions of people living along the coastlines rely on fishing for their livelihood. But according to data from the Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, 80 percent of 3.4 million fishermen in the country are categorized as small-scale fishermen who are most vulnerable to the impacts of global warming.

The changes in sea temperatures, the wind and the waves, according to experts, are the results of global warming and conditions vary from one area to another. And so fishermen must think of other ways to survive. And mostly they resort to borrowing money.

A fisherman in Muara Angke in North Jakarta, Salim, is mired in debt because he no longer earns the income he used to. His life began to change in 2003, when the waves suddenly became unfriendly and the wind blew harder than ever.

"We'd stay at home for days waiting for calmer water because we didn't want to speculate and waste our expensive fuel for nothing," Salim said.

Even worse, his neighborhood suffers from more frequent tidal flooding. "That used to happen once a month but now it hits us three times a month," he said.

Desperate, Edy tried a new approach. He spent Rp 20 million ($2,127) he had saved over the years to modify his fishing net. And it has paid off – slowly. "Regardless of the wind and sea temperature, we can bring home a few kilos of fish now, smaller ones, because the net has smaller holes than the old ones," he said.

"My income is drastically smaller compared to the early 2000s, but it's better than nothing, because the debts I ran up just to buy food were continuing to mount."

The use of finer fishing nets, however helpful for fishermen like Edy, is not a recommended sustainable fishing practice as it contributes to the fast depletion of fish stocks. But, with no other skills or money to start a new business, Edy feels he has no choice. He has a family to feed.

Experts reject Indonesia's carbon emission status

Jakarta Post - November 11, 2009

Jakarta – Environmental experts say the country is not a carbon emitter, countering a report sponsored by the World Bank and Britain's development arm that ranked the country the world's third-largest emitter after the US and China.

The report, which was released in 2007, said that Indonesia's total annual emissions of carbon dioxide reached 3 billion tons after the US, the world's top emitter with 6 billion tons, followed by China with 5 billion tons.

Nani Hendiarti, a marine researcher from the National Assessment and Application of Technology Agency (BPPT), said Tuesday that Indonesian waters absorbed more carbon than they released.

Nani said the conclusion was based on her study that analyzed data of sea temperatures from the last 24 years.

Her simulation showed that the country's waters with cool average temperatures were larger than areas with average warm temperatures. Cool seawater absorbs carbon, while warm seawater releases it.

"I have estimated that the average temperature of our cool waters is minus 0.18 degree Celcius, while our warm areas have an average temperature of 0.08 degree Celcius," she said during a press conference held by the Association of the Indonesian Scholars of Oceanography in Jakarta.

"The research result shows the average temperature of cool waters is twice as large as the temperature of warmer seawater," she said. She added that over the last 24 years, Indonesian waters were characterized by cooler temperatures.

She acknowledged that Indonesia released huge amounts of carbon, but said the amount released was smaller than that absorbed. "We have phytoplankton beneath our waters that absorbs carbon," she said.

Phytoplankton obtains energy through the process of photo- synthesis. "Photosynthesis is responsible for much of the oxygen present in the earth's atmosphere. Therefore, it absorbs a lot of carbon to release oxygen."

She estimated the number of Phytoplankton could reach a million cells per liter of water.

Edvin Aldrian, chairman of the Center of Air Quality and Climate Change at the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), told the conference that sea temperatures had a more significant impact on the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere than illegal logging. (nia)

Urban air pollution at alarming levels

Jakarta Post - November 11, 2009

Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – Activists are warning against air pollution in Indonesian cities which they said had reached alarming levels.

Based on daily monitoring, urban residents inhaled healthy air less than two months per year due in large part to poor transportation management.

A group of activists and government officials from the State Ministry for the Environment and the Transportation Ministry established a Forum for Indonesian Clean Air as part of its mission to push for sustainable transportation management to minimize air pollution.

"The air quality has frequently been dangerously unhealthy. The country needs extra efforts to clean the air through sustainable transport management," Ahmad Safruddin, who initiated the forum, told reporters Tuesday.

Ahmad, who is also the chairman of the Indonesian Lead Information Center (KPPB), said that poor quality of fuels, gas emissions and poor law enforcement were exacerbating the country's transport system problems.

"The facts show that only Bandung and Semarang residents have been breathing healthy air for more than one month per year since 2001. Other metropolitan areas including Jakarta, Surabaya and Medan enjoy less than 27 days of healthy air [per year]," he said.

Ahmad added that all air pollutant parameters exceeded tolerable limits set by environmental authorities. Motor vehicles are a major source of air pollutants in Indonesia's major cities.

The government regularly monitors levels of pollutants, namely particulate matters (PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), lead (Pb) and ozone (O3).

The country has removed the lead content from gasoline. Lead is a harmful pollutant emitted by gasoline-powered vehicles. It causes adverse health effects ranging from comas to death among adults. Lead can disrupt physical and mental development in children, who are more vulnerable to lead exposure.

Ahmad said the forum would focus on policy reform and public education to improve air quality in the country.

Deputy assistant for pollution emissions control at the State Ministry for the Environment, Ade Palguna, concurred and said air pollution in big cities had reached critical levels.

He said his office also faced difficulties with a limited number of air quality monitoring devices outside the big cities. "We still face many issues, including lack of human resources, poor quality of the [measuring] devices, and weak law enforcement," he said.

The ministry installed air quality monitoring equipment in Jakarta, Bandung, Denpasar, Medan, Pekanbaru, Pontianak, Palangkaraya, Semarang, Surabaya and Jambi several years ago.

The 2009 Traffic Law requires all vehicles operating in Indonesia to meet government emissions standards.

Indonesia has claimed that it has implemented the low emissions Euro II standard since 2008, requiring sulphur content in diesel fuels to be kept at or below 500 parts per million (ppm).

The Euro II standard also obliges all cars to use catalytic converters designed to control the amount of pollutants emitted from their exhaust systems.

However, many luxury and new vehicles still used subsidized diesel containing pollutants, including sulphur.

The ministry's study shows that 50 percent of 7,865 diesel fuel vehicles tested in 2008 failed to meet tolerable emissions standards because they used subsidized fuel.

Corruption & graft

Yudhoyono pressured to take action on anticorruption saga

Jakarta Globe - November 14, 2009

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Muninggar Sri Saraswati – Local and international pressure mounted on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Friday as the palace-appointed Team of Eight wrapped up its investigation and prepared final recommendations over the Corruption Eradication Commission scandal that has riveted the nation.

The nation's largest Islamic organizations, Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah, both said that Yudhoyono needed to step in and take firm action.

"The [case] is abnormal and thus the procedures that need to be taken to deal with it should not be normal ones," said NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi, referring to Yudhoyono's statement that he would not intervene in the case.

The scandal has wreaked havoc on the relationship between the antigraft agency, known as the KPK, and the National Police and Attorney General's Office, while becoming a daily source of headlines, gossip and public anger.

In an address televised on Oct. 30, Yudhoyono said if he interfered in the case, the justice system "will be ripped apart." He said the legal process had to be allowed to run its course.

The controversy over charges against two KPK deputy commissioners for abuse of power and extortion has led to accusations the police were involved in a complex plot to undermine the popular anticorruption body.

The leader of NU, which claims 40 million members, said Yudhoyono must take immediate action before the issue worsened and public anger spilled over into the streets.

"This is not a question of intervention or non-intervention. It is about the responsibility of the president as head of state," Hasyim said.

Separately, Syafi'i Ma'arif, a former chairman of the 29 million-strong Muhammadiyah, said Yudhoyono must not allow the situation to get out of control.

"He must take command. If he does not want to involve himself directly, he could order his ministers to do it. It's very important for him not to ignore this case," Syafi'i said.

The controversy has also reached the editorial pages of the influential Wall Street Journal, the newspaper with the largest US circulation, which wrote on Friday that Yudhoyono's silence in the drama was "dangerous."

The outcome of the issue, the newspaper said, would "say much about the country's future." It said Yudhoyono's failure to strongly support the KPK was puzzling, especially in the face of the strong public reaction in favor of the antigraft commission.

The Journal noted that Yudhoyono had not reprimanded law enforcement officials caught on tape apparently plotting against the KPK when they resigned last week. "He gave a speech last Thursday promising to eradicate the 'legal mafia,' but did not say how he would do so," it added.

"The president's reticence is dangerous," the Journal wrote. The KPK "needs both public support and the president's to ensure its continued survival."

Denny Indrayana, the Team of Eight's secretary and a presidential adviser on legal affairs, said the body appointed by the president to look into the controversy was finalizing its report.

He refused to reveal the team's recommendations, but said it would pay special attention to the issue of the "legal mafia and case brokers" in the report.

"The bugged conversation of Anggodo gives a clear indication of the existence of a legal mafia," Denny said, in reference to wiretapped conversations played at a recent Constitutional Court hearing involving Anggodo Widjojo, whose brother is a fugitive from a KPK corruption investigation.

AGO and police brush off public outrage from anticorruption saga

Jakarta Globe - November 14, 2009

Farouk Arnaz, Muninggar Sri Saraswati & Nivell Rayda – The Attorney General Office and the National Police appeared set to defy public opinion and that of a presidential fact-finding team, by forging ahead with efforts to indict suspended Corruption Eradication Commission deputy chairmen Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M Hamzah.

Marwan Effendy, the deputy attorney general for special crimes, said a decision would be made on Monday whether to formally indict the commissioners for abuse of power and extortion, despite the fact-finding team's declaration that there was insufficient evidence to support the charges.

Marwan's statement came a day after the National Police had submitted their dossiers of the cases to prosecutors, who had already twice rejected the police cases for lacking evidence. Marwan indicated that the AGO would again return Bibit's dossier for improvement.

The stance of the National Police was even clearer, with spokesman Insp. Gen. Nanan Soekarna telling reporters that police would play video recordings in court as evidence of several purported meetings between alleged case broker Ary Muladi, Bibit and Ade Rahardja, the antigraft commission's deputy director of investigations. "The quicker [we get to court], the better," he said.

Nanan's statement came a day after Ary challenged the existence of the videotapes, denying that he had ever met with Bibit and Ade, let alone at the location or on the dates alleged by police.

Bibit is a retired police inspector general, while Ade, who has not been charged, is the most senior police officer of the 126 assigned to the commission, also known at the KPK. Bibit has also challenged the validity of one of the videos, saying that he was at a meeting in Peru at the time.

"You can check my passport and with immigration. I have pictures taken with Peruvian government officials, my picture even appeared in a local newspaper," he said. "We'll let the judges decide, I can't wait to go to court."

Police say other video recording show a meeting between Ary and Ade at the Bellagio Residence's Lemon Tree Restaurant in August, and a meeting between Ary, Ade and the former KPK director of investigations, Bambang Widaryatmo, who has since been recalled to National Police headquarters.

In a document obtained earlier by the Jakarta Globe, police outlined their belief that the video recordings and evidence they managed to accumulate told of a deal related to a case involving fugitive graft suspect Anggoro Widjojo, who was being investigated by the KPK in relation to a Forestry Ministry project involving his company, PT Masaro Radiokom.

The document also said "The one who could arrange meetings to deal with the problem, pursued doggedly by the KPK, was Ary Muladi."

On Thursday, Ary acknowledged to reporters that he had once met with Anggoro's brother, Anggodo, at the Menara Peninsula Hotel in West Jakarta.

The police document claims that Anggoro channeled Rp 5.15 billion ($545,000) through Ary to a number of KPK officials after the commission had raided the offices of his company in June 2008. However, Ary has since withdrawn his testimony. Bibit, Ade, Bambang and Chandra have denied all the allegations.

Bank Century depositors ask for KPK to investigate

Jakarta Globe - November 14, 2009

Nivell Rayda – Public pressure has been building for the Corruption Eradication Commission to take over police investigations into the collapse and bailout of PT Bank Century.

On Friday, at least 20 bank depositors visited the headquarters of the commission, known as the KPK, to demand the transfer of the police investigations to the KPK.

Anti-graft groups and some politicians also have demanded that the KPK take charge of investigating the collapse and controversial Rp 6.7 trillion ($716.9 million) bailout of the bank, which has been renamed PT Bank Mutiara.

The National Police and the Attorney General's Office (AGO) have charged only the bank's principal owner, Robert Tantular, with wrongdoing related to the bank's failure. He received four years in prison for violation of banking laws. The sentence was widely criticized as too lenient.

The depositors, who were all unable to withdraw money from their accounts, argued that money was embezzled from the bank. The bank's collapse was partly triggered after investors lost $1.4 billion through a fraudulent investment scheme offered through an affiliated company, PT Antaboga Delta Sekuritas.

"Just because the bank has been taken over [by the government], they can't just get away with it," said Esther, a who had over Rp 700 million ($74,900) deposited at the bank.

"The KPK must fully investigate where our money went. Also, how come our insurance pay ment has been stalled?" said Hendri, another Century depositor who had Rp 1.5 billion in the bank.

Represented by lawyer Gigih Guntoro, the depositors filed a joint complaint at the KPK on Friday. Gigih said the KPK could resolve the case. "We have more faith in the KPK because the police and the AGO failed us and they failed in unravelling the case," he said.

KPK adviser Said Ali Abidin met with depositors behind closed doors and promised to investigate. Earlier, the KPK had expressed interest in taking over parts of the investigation, particularly those possibly linked to corruption.

The commission has obtained a wiretapped conversation between a senior police officer handling the Century case and a politically connected tycoon, Boedi Sampoerna, in a bid to safely withdraw Rp 2 trillion deposited at the bank in return for a Rp 10 billion payoff.

KPK interim chief Tumpak Hatorangan Panggabean, however, has said the KPK was waiting for the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) to conclude its investigation, which is expected by the end of the year.

The bailout has been widely criticized. Politicians have blamed Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Vice President Boediono, two of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's closest aides.

The authorization of the bailout came from Bank Indonesia, of which Boediono was governor at the time.

Sri Mulyani was criticized for bailing out the bank, which was originally proposed to be liquidated during a hearing with the House of Representatives. Boediono was criticized for the central bank's failure to monitor the bank properly before it collapsed.

Boedi and Hartarti Murdaya, another big depositor, were major financial supporters of Yudhoyono's reelection campaign. Members of the opposition in the government suspect this to be the real reason for the controversial bailout.

Officer blows whistle on plot to frame KPK leaders

Jakarta Post - November 13, 2009

Rendi A. Witular and Ika Krismantari, Jakarta – A mid-ranking police officer has revealed efforts by the force to fabricate criminal charges against Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy chairmen Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M. Hamzah.

The officer, involved in the investigation into Bibit and Chandra, was so troubled about the extent of the possible fabrication that he decided to come forward and confess about the plot to frame the antigraft officials, a senior KPK official said.

The Jakarta Post could not name the officer over fears for his safety and career.

The officer met with KPK investigations head Insp. Gen. (ret) Ade Rahardja on Aug. 3 for 47 minutes at the KPK headquarters, where he said the bribery allegations against Chandra and Bibit were groundless.

A note from the meeting quoted the officer as saying erroneous indications had been followed up on since the start of the investigation, with evidence to support worked into the criminal charges.

He added chief detective Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji had told him to spin the testimony of former KPK chairman Antasari Azhar, made on May 16, from the original "bribes paid to certain KPK employees" into "bribes paid to KPK leaders" by fugitive graft suspect Anggoro Widjojo.

On Sept. 15, police used Antasari's testimony to declare Bibit and Chandra suspects for extortion and abuse of power, rather than bribery.

The officer's confession has given credence to suspicions of a plot by the police to frame the KPK leaders. A presidential fact-finding team and the Attorney General's Office both say the charges lack strong evidence.

The fact-finding team has focused on the lack of evidence rather than the suspected fabrication.

Despite blowing the whistle on the conspiracy, the officer has yet to be summoned for questioning by the fact-finding team. The officer once accompanied police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri for questioning before the team.

Lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis, a team member, said Thursday he had heard of the officer's confession but had no plan to summon him, citing various reasons.

A high-ranking KPK official said safety concerns ruled out any possibility of the officer being dragged before the team or testifying in court.

The officer also revealed a testimony by Ari Muladi, named by police as the middleman who delivered the bribe to the KPK leaders, was entirely fabricated. Ari has also recanted his testimony, which police insist is part of the body of evidence.

In another meeting between the officer and Ade on Aug. 6, lasting 17 minutes, it was revealed senior police officers had decided to widen the investigation to include Bibit and Chandra, despite earlier assurances to the contrary by police chief Bambang to the KPK leaders.

In a meeting on Aug. 21, lasting one hour and 49 minutes, the officer outlined the convoluted plot to frame the KPK leaders by involving several other middlemen and Anggoro's younger brother, Anggodo.

Ade denied to the Post that he had ever met the officer. However, Bibit told the Post in an earlier report on Nov. 2 that the two had met. "I can confirm that there was a senior police officer, whose name I cannot disclose, who came to the KPK to confess about the fabrication," he said.

National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Sulistio Ishak denied that any officers had jumped ship. "The case [against the KPK leaders] was not plotted. And there's no such officer talking to KPK officials of irregularities in the case," he said.

Lawyers criticize police inaction on Anggodo, urge KPK to act

Jakarta Globe - November 13, 2009

Nivell Rayda – Several lawyers visited the Corruption Eradication Commission headquarters on Friday, urging it to take over the ongoing police investigation into businessman Anggodo Widjojo, who is believed to be at the core of efforts to undermine the antigraft body.

The National Police are investigating Anggodo for obstruction of justice and defamation of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, after wiretapped conversations – in which the president's name was mentioned several times – allegedly showed he was a key player in a plot to undermine the commission, better known as the KPK.

The commission played 67 wiretapped recordings before the Constitutional Court on Nov. 3, detailing conversations between Anggodo and several law enforcers. The recordings point to an alleged plot to fabricate a case against Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M Hamzah, two suspended KPK deputies charged with abuse of power and extortion.

More than 10 days after the sensational recordings were made public, the National Police have still not charged the businessman, citing lack of evidence. Instead police launched an investigation based on Anggodo's claim that wiretapping his telephone conversations was illegal.

Petrus Salestinus, a representative of the lawyers who visited the KPK's offices on Friday, said the commission must take over the investigation and arrest Anggodo for attempted bribery and obstructing a KPK investigation into a graft case involving Anggodo's brother, Anggoro Widjojo.

"The police investigation is very slow and not transparent," he said. "There's a sufficient evidence to charge Anggodo with a criminal offense, further backed by the findings of the Team of Eight."

Petrus was referring to the fact-finding team appointed by Yudhoyono to look into the police's handling of Bibit's and Chandra's case. The team last week urged the police to arrest Anggodo but police said he was still a witness.

Petrus highlighted another conclusion of the fact-finding team, that police had no hard evidence to name the two KPK deputies as suspects. "Why were Bibit and Chandra prematurely charged? And Anggodo not charged despite overwhelming evidence?" he said.

House attracting Facebook scorn, but police lead in unpopularity

Jakarta Globe - November 12, 2009

National Police are now not alone in facing the wrath of Indonesian Facebook users. A new Facebook page titled "Gerakan Sejuta Facebookers Kecam Komisi 3 DPR RI Yang Mendukung Gerakan Buaya" ("A Milllion Facebookers Critical of House Commission III Which Supported the Crocodile Movement") had attracted more than 38,000 fans by Thursday morning.

The page was created by a man named Arief who wrote that it was an expression of distrust in the House of Representatives (DPR) from the Indonesian people, specifically of their anger with House Commission III. The creator accused the commission of "obviously taking the police's side" during its questioning of the National Police Chief on Thursday Nov. 5, adding that the commission "was unable to translate the voice of the people."

A fan named Chiko Mehdo wrote: "I am shaking my head for the respectable Commission III. You are the people's representatives who no longer have brains and a clear conscience. White collar crime in our country is like a cancer which has spread through all the institutions and offices of the government... It's like the wind, unseen, but we can feel it," said fan Lim Robert.

Oscar Soto wrote: "I am so happy because I didn't vote in the legislative election because I knew (the legislature) was a kind of crocodile too."

Meanwhile, the Facebook page to support Chandra M Hamzah and Bibit Samad Rianto, the deputy chairmen of KPK who were arrested by National Police, had reached more than 1,235,500 fans by Thursday morning. Three Facebook pages to support the National Police had only collectively garnered 334 members.

Support grows for House inquiry team

Jakarta Post - November 12, 2009

Hans David Tampubolon, Jakarta – Seventy-three legislators from seven parties in the House of Representatives have signed a petition requesting the establishment of an inquiry committee to probe the Bank Century bailout scandal.

Gayus Lumbuun, a legislator from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said that apart from members from his own party, legislators from the Golkar Party, National Awakening Party (PKB), United Development Party (PPP), Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), People's Conscience Party (Hanura), and Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) had also signed the petition.

"Legislators that have signed the petition include M. Hutabarat from Gerindra, Syarifuddin Suding from Hanura, Azis Syamsuddin and Chaeruman Harahap from Golkar, Buchori from the PKS and Effendi Choirie from the PKB," Gayus, one of the sponsors of the petition, said.

Article 177 of the People's Consultative Assembly, House of Representatives, Regional Representatives Council, and Regional Legislative Council Law stipulates that an inquiry committee can be established after it has received official endorsement from 25 legislators from at least two different parties.

Legislators from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party and the National Awakening Party (PAN) have yet to sign the petition.

Gayus said the committee, once established, would summon individuals who may be able to clarify and help account for the debacle, including former Bank Indonesia governor Boediono, now Vice President, and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.

"We will submit this petition to the speaker of the House as soon as possible, and hopefully we are going to be able to discuss it at the consultative body next week," he said.

If the consultative body, a cross-party forum discussing key decisions, approves the petition, a team will then be established to start probing the scandal.

The Bank Century scandal came to public attention after House legislators from the previous term summoned the government over the lack of transparency in disclosing the cost of the bailout that salvaged the bank from bankruptcy.

The government had said saving Bank Century was vital, because its collapse could have adversely affected the banking system.

Analysts, however, suspected that the bailout was granted not out of a desire to protect the banking sector, but as part of a scheme to rescue the investments of high-profile and politically wired depositors.

Gayus, a legislator during the previous term, said the House only approved a bailout of Rp 1.3 trillion (US$139.1 million) to save the bank. "It was then revealed that the true cost rose to Rp 6.7 trillion," he said.

The Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) is now preparing its report on Bank Century, and has announced that it would be published by December.

KPK also has flaws: Former official

Jakarta Post - November 12, 2009

Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – A former investigation director from the Corruption Eradication Committee (KPK) revealed flaws with the antigraft body during a hearing with the fact-finding team.

"I was withdrawn from the KPK and returned to the police based on a request by (discharged KPK chairman) Pak Antasari Azhar, because I refused to work for KPK chairmen with personal interests during investigations," Bambang Widaryatmo said Wednesday after a hearing with the fact-finding team assigned to investigate the alleged fabricated criminal charges against two KPK deputies Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M. Hamzah.

Bambang provided an example of a bribery case involving the South Sumatra provincial administration.

"My team and I were about to conduct a search on the office of former South Sumatra governor Syahrial Oesman," he said. "But my subordinates were told to halt the process because of a request from a KPK chairman.

"The order came from Antasari who passed it on to Chandra. It was delivered by (KPK deputy director for prosecution) Ade Raharja."

Syahrial was convicted by the Corruption Court for bribing members of the House of Representatives' Commission IV to convert 600 hectares of protected mangrove forest into the Tanjung Api- Api seaport.

Syahrial received one year in jail. Before questioning Bambang, the team questioned suspended Deputy Attorney General Abdul Hakim Ritonga, former assistant attorney general for intelligence Wisnu Subroto and Ade.

Bambang was one of the KPK officials mentioned in a controversial recording by Ari Muladi, an alleged middleman in the so-called bribery involving the KPK deputies.

Ari mentioned that of the Rp 5.1 billion (US$545,000) that fugitive graft suspect Anggoro Widjojo allegedly gave to the KPK deputies, Rp 1 billion was given to Bambang.

Bambang denied all the accusations. "I have met neither Ari nor Yulianto let alone received money or gifts from them."

Fact-finding team leader Adnan Buyung Nasution said Bambang's testimony had revealed the KPK worked with an "unusual" system and "The KPK was not an angel". "Irregularities don't only exist in the police and the AGO, but also in the KPK," he said.

However, team member Todung Mulya Lubis said this would not change its recommendation on the KPK deputies' case to the President. So far, he said, the team concluded the police did not have sufficient evidence to support criminal charges against Bibit and Chandra. "But complaints about the KPK will aid our report to the President," he said.

He added the team would also recommend to the President that the antigraft body remain separate from the police and the AGO to increase the institution's reliability, including conducting its own training.

"The KPK has proposed to train its own investigators and prosecutors to ensure there are no ties with the two other law enforce-ment agencies," he said. "However, due to a limited budget, it's unlikely to happen."

Williardi's claims will fuel public suspicion of a 'grand scheme'

Jakarta Globe - November 11, 2009

Heru Andriyanto – The claim by a police officer that he had been forced to testify against former antigraft commission head Antasari Azhar could add fuel to the growing public opinion that a grand scheme exists to paralyze the commission, an influential legal expert said on Wednesday.

"It's getting clear now that something has gone wrong in the country," said lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution, the head of the fact-finding team tasked with investigating the controversial corruption and abuse of power case slapped on two deputy chairmen of the antigraft commission known as the KPK.

Adnan was commenting on a testimony made by policeman Williardi Wizar, who earlier told the court that Antasari had been targeted by police as a prime suspect in a murder case that the officer claimed had been fabricated.

"The case of Bibit (Samad Rianto) and Chandra (Hamzah) and the (murder) case of Antasari may have links, that they come from a single scenario to destroy the KPK," Adnan said. "And I'm wondering, who is behind all this?"

Adnan said that police have failed to show strong evidence for bringing extortion and power abuse charges against Bibit and Chandra, while in a separate case involving Antasari, the court heard that the dossier of a key witness had been fabricated.

"Since the three suspects were KPK officials, the public becomes highly suspicious that there is a grand scenario to destroy the KPK – which I hope is not true – with Antasari becoming the first target, then Bibit and Chandra second," Adnan said.

"Did Antasari really kill someone or has the case been set up? Is it only a scenario to bring down KPK? We all have these questions and they cost me my sleeping time," he said.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono must take firm measures or at least listen to his conscience to figure out what went wrong in the country, said Adnan, who is also an advisor to the president.

"It's a matter of leadership. The president must take action without being asked," he said. "I'm deeply concerned. We need an answer if we have a Suharto-styled special operation here. In the past, President Suharto launched special operations to eliminate his opponents."

Pro-KPK movement is drive to defend symbol of reformasi

Jakarta Globe - November 11, 2009

Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Muninggar Saraswati – Snowballing public support for the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in its conflict with the National Police and the Attorney General's Office is an indication of public fear over attempts to undermine reform, analysts say.

"It is very clear that Indonesians consider the KPK a symbol of reform. Their persistent supports shows that they do not want to see the reform process fail," Ikrar Nusa Bakti, a political observer from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said on Tuesday.

The current movement, he added, was a rare outpouring of public anger following the "reformasi" movement more than a decade ago that forced President Suharto to step down after 32 years of authoritarian rule under his New Order government.

"The KPK represents the public hope for successful reform. It's been a painful process for everyone here," Ikrar said. "Therefore, they do not want it to fail. Any attempt to undermine the KPK is regarded as attacking reformasi."

Rusdi Marpaung, the executive director of Imparsial, a human rights group, said the last time he saw such a movement was in 2001 – and that ended with the impeachment of President Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, who was implicated in a corruption scandal.

"It's been a long time since we saw such a people power movement," Rusdi said. "It reminds us all about practices that occurred during the Suharto era. One of the reformasi calls was to eradicate corruption. But this conflict reveals that there are still people in power who retain the New Order mind-set. They still exist and have a say here," he added.

Danang Widoyoko, the coordinator of Indonesian Corruption Watch, an antigraft non governmental organization, said people considered the commission's current woes to be an attempt by the country's corruptors to join forces with corrupt officials. "People know that the KPK, as a child of reformasi, is an easy target to be closed down or undermined," he said.

Another "child" of reformasi here is the Constitutional Court, which has so far manages to convince Indonesians that it is a credible institution, Danang said. "However, it is difficult to undermine the Constitutional Court because it is mandated by the Constitution while the KPK was formed by a law, which is easier to change," he said.

Indonesian president's credibility on the line: Analyst

Jakarta Globe - November 11, 2009

Muninggar Sri Saraswati & Nivell Rayda – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will risk "tarnishing his credibility" if he allows the National Police and the Attorney General's Office to press ahead with the prosecution of two antigraft deputy commissioners, a leading political analyst said on Wednesday.

Yudhoyono assembled a fact-finding team to find out whether the two law-enforcement agencies had any case against Bibit Samad Riyanto and Chandra M Hamzah, the suspended officials of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

The team has recommended that charges of abuse of power and extortion be dropped against Bibit and Chandra, but the police and the AGO insisted there was enough evidence to prosecute the commissioners.

Rocky Gersung, a law expert from the University of Indonesia, said Yudhoyono couldn't ignore the recommendations of the team he himself assembled.

"If he does that, people might see the formation of the team as nothing more than a strategy to appease a disappointed public," Rocky said. "The team had already forwarded its initial findings to the president, and his cabinet must now carry out the team's recommendation."

Rocky said Yudhoyono would be making the biggest gamble of his political career if the case went to trial.

"Now if the police and the AGO would lose in such a scenario, as the fact-finding team had predicted, it's not only their credibility that will be tarnished but the president's as well," Rocky said. "If they win, would that appease the public, especially since the recorded conversations [of the plot to undermined the KPK] is still fresh in the public's minds."

Febri Diansyah of the Indonesian Corruption Watch said she was concerned that public outrage would intensify if the police and the AGO insisted on their claims.

"The president, as the supervisor of both institutions, should be able to order the police chief and the attorney general to carry out the recommendations made by his team," Febri said.

She added that if the case ever made it to court, "people who have been sick about this will not hesitate to go to the streets and express their demands. And the president cannot ignore this."

Airlangga Pribadi, a political expert from Airlangga University in Surabaya, said he believed the case needed to be settled in court.

The police has insisted that it would not withdraw its charges against Bibit and Chandra because if they did, "it will be like admitting they made a mistake," Airlangga said. The same thing goes with the prosecutors, he added.

"Let a judge decide. Although it may not please the people, it will save the face of the police, the prosecutors and the president," Airlangga said.

President's team finds no evidence in anticorruption saga

Jakarta Globe - November 10, 2009

Nivell Rayda & April Aswadi – The fact-finding team appointed to review the National Police's handling of two suspended members of the country's antigraft commission confirmed on Monday they had found the police did not have sufficient preliminary evidence to suspect the pair of abuse of power and extortion.

Adnan Buyung Nasution, a presidential adviser heading the so- called Team of Eight, told a news conference that the National Police had been unable to provide solid evidence that Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M Hamzah, the suspended deputy chairmen of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), had ever received bribe money.

"[The only] evidence that police were able to provide was the disbursement of money from Anggodo to Ary Muladi," he said. "The argument that Ary Muladi channeled the money to Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra Hamzah, directly or indirectly, is not supported by solid evidence."

Adnan was referring to businessman Anggodo Widjojo, the brother of fugitive Anggoro Widjojo who is wanted in a graft investigation, and Ary Muladi, who police have accused of being the middleman in the bribery case.

The National Police have insisted that they were right in naming the antigraft commissioners as suspects in their investigation, saying that the evidence against them was overwhelming.

Police have accused Bibit and Chandra of receiving Rp 1.5 billion ($160,000) and Rp 1 billion respectively from Anggoro through Anggodo, in return for not naming Anggoro a suspect in one of the KPK's investigations.

"There are too many missing links," Team of Eight member Todung Mulya Lubis told the Jakarta Globe. "It's [the team's] belief that it's quite difficult for prosecutors to prove that there is a case."

However, Todung was reluctant to say whether or not there was indeed a plot to oust Bibit and Chandra from their posts at the KPK. "We'll let the people decide. Let people judge [for themselves]," he said.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djoko Suyanto forwarded the team's report to the president. Djoko later said that the president had asked the National Police and the Attorney General's Office to respond to the report.

Anies Baswedan, another member of the fact-finding team, said that recommendations would be prepared for the president before the team's term ended on Monday. However, both the team and the legal affairs minister have acknowledged that the team has no power to stop the National Police or the Attorney General's Office from pursuing the case.

"The team only verifies whether the legal facts [in the case] are valid. The legal process cannot be stopped by anyone, and the same applies to any case," Djoko said at the State Palace.

The deputies' lawyer, Bambang Wijoyanto, applauded the team's findings and said he hoped that its recommendations would also reflect the team's stance on the case.

"The team must evaluate the social implications of the case and not just the formal legal procedures," he said. "The team must recommend the president side with the social and legal justice accepted by the Indonesian people, especially in view of the overwhelming evidence of a plot to undermine the KPK."

But Hasril Hertanto, a University of Indonesia analyst, said the team must be firmer, including recommending that all officials involved in the apparent plot be charged with obstruction of justice and that Anggodo, who has openly admitted that he provided the illicit money, be charged with attempted bribery.

"The president must instruct the Attorney General's Office to thoroughly examine the case before prosecuting it, and warn it not to be in a rush to accept the case," he said.

The police, he added, should be transparent in their investigation to reassure the public the case was not fabricated. "If there was indeed a plot, police must prosecute all those who were involved."

Police claim to have solid evidence against KPK deputies

Jakarta Globe - November 10, 2009

Farouk Arnaz – The National Police claims to be in possession of solid evidence of bribery and abuse of power against two antigraft deputies, including videos from closed-circuit television cameras that would stand up in any Jakarta court, according to a document obtained by the Jakarta Globe on Monday.

The president's fact-finding team concluded on Monday that police evidence against Chandra M Hamzah and Bibit Samad Rianto, suspended deputies of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), was "weak" and would not stand up in court.

However, the document obtained by the Globe states that police have a CCTV recording that would clearly invalidate any statement Chandra or Bibit had made about never having met case broker Ary Muladi.

Police noted in the document that one of the videotapes clearly showed a meeting between Ary, Bibit and KPK deputy director of investigations Ade Rahardja at the Bellagio Residence in South Jakarta.

The document states that the video would show the meeting took place at the Bellagio's Tomodachi restaurant in August 2008. Another video recording shows a meeting between Ary and Ade at the Residence's Lemon Tree Restaurant, also in August 2008, and yet another one shows a meeting between Ary, Ade and former KPK director of investigations Bambang Widaryatmo.

The video recordings, the document states, were verified through a digital forensic examination at the National Police's cybercrimes laboratory in July.

The document claims the recordings collectively told a story of a "deal" related to the case involving graft suspect Anggoro Widjojo, who was being investigated in relation to a Forestry Ministry project involving his company PT Masaro Radiokom in 2007.

It also said "the one who would arrange meetings to deal with the problem, pursued doggedly by the KPK, was Ary Muladi."

The document describes the seizure of several records of telephone calls between Ary and Ade, restaurant receipts, parking tickets from vehicles belonging to KPK commissioners parked at the Bellagio Residence, and the KPK guestbook, which showed that Ary had visited the KPK offices at least six times.

The police document claims that Anggoro channeled Rp 5.15 billion ($545,000) through Ary to a number of KPK officials after the KPK had raided the offices of Masaro Radiokom in June 2008.

Anggoro, who fled to Singapore after the raid, called his brother Anggodo to find somebody to fix his problem with the KPK, the document states. Anggodo then called Ary, who then contacted the KPK's Ade, it said.

According to Ary, Ade asked for Rp 3.75 billion to drop Anggoro's case. Ary then reported the request to Anggodo, and the money was handed over by Ary to Ade at the Menara Peninsula Hotel in West Jakarta, the document states.

The document said the money was divided as follows: Rp 1.5 billion for Bibit; Rp 1 billion for KPK deputy M Jasin; Rp 1 billion for Bambang; and Rp 250 million for operational purposes. The money was transferred in August and September 2008, it said.

Despite the payments, the KPK continued its investigation. Anggoro then contact Anggodo to look for someone who could contact Antasari Azhar, former chairman of the KPK, who is currently facing murder charges.

Anggodo contacted another case broker named Eddy Sumarsono, who arranged the October 2008 meeting in Singapore between Antasari and Anggoro, the document said.

After that meeting, Anggodo, Antasari and Eddy went to Malang, East Java to meet with Ary, who told them that the money had been distributed via Ade, including an additional Rp 1 billion for Chandra, in April 2009, the document said.

However, Ary recently retracted his testimony. He said he gave the money to a person named Yulianto. Ary said he fabricated everything and has apologized to the suspended KPK commissioners.

Bibit, Ade, Jasin and Chandra have denied all the allegations.

Indonesia's KPK scandal catches attention of foreign media

Jakarta Globe - November 10, 2009

Media experts on Monday said the international coverage of the conflict involving the nation's antigraft and law enforcement agencies showed that the rest of the world saw the issue as a major stumbling block for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's new administration.

Deddy Mulyana, a mass communications expert from Bandung's Padjadjaran University, said on Monday that the foreign media's reports on the battle between the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), the National Police and the Attorney General's Office portrayed it as a potential crisis for the government.

"This issue has caught their attention, as they see it has the potential to grow into a bigger issue that may trouble the government," he said.

In a report on Thursday, the London-based The Economist newsmagazine said the conflict was the first crisis to confront Yudhoyono, who usually received positive coverage in the foreign media.

Other respected foreign media organizations, such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, BBC and Al Jazeera have also published reports on the scandal. They, too, suggested that the president was facing a significant challenge as he began his second term in office.

Deddy said Indonesia had received positive coverage for months after managing to emerge from the global crisis relatively unscathed, due partly to the belief that the government had been doing its best to fight corruption.

"The president must be able to ensure that the conflict will not grow any bigger as it will certainly reduce foreign investors' trust in the country," he said.

Dedy Nur Hidayat, a political communications expert from the University of Indonesia, agreed, saying the president needed to act to contain the conflict.

"This is certainly a challenge for him. The president needs to be decisive in ending this conflict," he said. "Media, including the foreign media, would not be pleased with just mere statements."

Yudhoyono's name has been dragged into the ongoing feud involving the three institutions, which many critics have said is a concerted effort to weaken the antigraft commission. Yudhoyono was mentioned several times in wiretapped conversations linked to the case surrounding KPK deputies Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M Hamzah.

Played last week at the Constitutional Court, the recordings implicated former National Police Chief Detective Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji and former Deputy Attorney General Abdul Hakim Ritonga in an alleged plot to frame Bibit and Chandra for bribery.

Massive public demonstrations in support of the KPK forced the president to establish a fact-finding team to investigate the case. Meanwhile, Susno and Ritonga announced their resignations last week.

President urged to put an end to law mafia practices

Jakarta Post - November 10, 2009

Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is facing mounting pressure, including from Indonesians abroad, to combat rampant mafia practices in the country's legal institutions.

A group of Indonesians living in London urged the President on Monday to find the courage to put an end to rampant law mafia practices and find a clear solution to the graft scandal between the National Police and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

The request was announced by Amika Wardana, a University of Essex student from the Association of Indonesian Muslim Intellectuals (ICMI) in London.

The request was made in a joint statement signed by representatives from the ICMI in the UK, the UK branch of Indonesia's second-largest Muslim organization Muhammadiyah, and also from the Association of Indonesian students in the UK, reported state news agency Antara.

The request was prepared in response to the fierce dispute over alleged efforts to incriminate two suspended KPK deputies, Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M. Hamzah.

"The President has to seriously listen to complaints and demands from the public, who are getting increasingly fed up with the dispute," said Winarno, a legal observer from the University of Jambi.

"The fact-finding team should have been given more authority to enable them to disclose the truth and impose stern actions," Winarno told Antara in Jambi.

Amien Rais, the 1998 reform figure, who helped topple Soeharto, said the conflict between the "Cicak and Buaya" (Gecko versus Crocodile) or between the KPK and the police and Attorney General's Office had created the momentum necessary to reform the legal sector.

"The dispute should be used by all involved parties to increase awareness and put pressure on those bodies to ensure the law is upheld.

"If this issue is not given necessary attention, it will have serious repercussions for proper legal practises being upheld in the future," Amien said in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, on Monday.

"The total reform of legal mafia practices should be conducted as soon as possible by thoroughly processing the dispute and punishing those who are guilty. This will make it clear to the public that justice is being upheld," he added.

Hendardi, from the Setara Institute, said in Jakarta on Monday the current uproar over efforts to weaken the KPK should be used to improve the performances of law enforcement institutions, namely the National Police, the Attorney General's Office and the KPK.

"The individuals involved from the three institutions (in the graft scandal) have to be dismissed and investigated," Hendardi told Antara.

He said the officials from the three institutions that were not found guilty must be rehabilitated and reinstated to their earlier positions.

"Not all policemen and prosecutors are clean, but we have to be just, objective and critical. We can't just indiscriminately back the KPK as if all of their officials are clean," he said.

Meanwhile, Facebook support for the two suspended KPK deputies continued to increase on Monday or 11 days after the online group was formed. The number of Facebookers registering their support reached over 1,162,000 as of 6 p.m. on Monday.

Not enough evidence to charge KPK leaders: Team

Jakarta Post - November 9, 2009

Erwida Maulia and Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – The presidential fact-finding team has said police do not have enough evidence to charge the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leaders with abuse of power, bribery, or extortion.

As the team completed its first week and prepared to report to the President on Sunday, public demands for the resignation of both National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri and chief of detectives Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji, gained momentum with thousands taking to the streets Sunday.

"It's time for the police chief and his detectives to be held responsible for lying to the public," protesters shouted as they marched to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta on Sunday morning to show their support for the two KPK deputy chiefs, Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M. Hamzah.

Aside from many civil society groups, including Cicak (Love Indonesia, Love KPK), a number of national figures, such as former KPK deputy chairman Ery Riyana Hardjapamekas, University of Indonesia political expert Eep Saefulloh Fatah, communications expert Effendy Ghazali and observer Yudi Latif, attended the gathering and delivered speeches.

"We demand President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono wake up and see the reality of how rotten the country's law enforcement system is," Eep said.

Later in the day, at least two members of the team – presidential legal advisor Adnan Buyung Nasution and senior lawyer Todung Mulya Lubis – said the police investigation of the two KPK leaders should be halted after the team finished questioning former KPK chairman Antasari Azhar for the second time, on Sunday.

Buyung, who heads the team, said it had found many "missing links" in connecting Chandra and Bibit to abuse of power, bribery and extortion charges announced by the police after Ari Muladi, the key police witness, and former KPK chief Antasari Azhar, changed their testimonies.

"Can a case with missing links still be brought to court? What for? It will only waste time, and energy," Adnan said after the team finished questioning Antasari, whose testimony has been used by the police to build the case against Bibit and Chandra.

Todung, meanwhile, said the missing links included an absence of evidence that money was transferred from middleman Ari Muladi to Chandra and Bibit.

During a hearing with the House of Representatives on Thursday, National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri said the police had enough evidence based on Ari's testimony that he had handed over money to the two KPK deputy chiefs. But Ari dismissed the statement from Bambang just hours later.

"We've seen how the police and the Attorney General's Office [AGO] failed to answer many fundamental questions during last night's case expose," Todung said.

The team's spokesman, Paramadina University rector Anies Baswedan, said the team had the impression there was insufficient evidence to charge Bibit and Chandra. Anis said the team would meet on Monday to compose an interim conclusion to submit to the President.

Anticorruption groups call for more law-enforcement heads to roll

Jakarta Globe - November 8, 2009

Heru Andriyanto – Last week's resignations of two high-ranking officials should signal the start – not the end – of a cleanup of the country's major law-enforcement agencies, anticorruption groups said on Sunday.

Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji, the National Police's chief of detectives, and Deputy Attorney General Abdul Hakim Ritonga stepped down last week in the wake of their apparent involvement in a plot to fabricate a case against two deputy chairmen of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Susno and Ritonga's names were mentioned several times in telephone conversations recorded by the KPK and played last week at the Constitutional Court

Boyamin Saiman, chairman of the Indonesian Anticorruption Society (MAKI), said he wanted to know what would happen to the other people mentioned in the tapes.

"Law enforcers who were mentioned in the wiretapped conversations must be held accountable according to the law," Boyamin said. "Under the anticorruption Law, those named in the tapes could be charged with obstruction of justice."

Danang Widyoko, head of Indonesia Corruption Watch, said Susno and Ritonga's resignations were only the tip of the iceberg and his group expected more heads to roll.

"[The resignations] will not resolve the ongoing controversy surrounding the plot to undermine the KPK, especially if the current police chief and the attorney general remain in their posts," Danang said. "The root of the problem lies at the top of two law-enforcement agencies – the police and the prosecutor's office."

This is the second time a top-level official at the Attorney General's Office has been embroiled in a major scandal.

Wisnu Subroto, a former deputy attorney general for intelligence, was involved in a highly publicized bribery scandal last year. In March 2008, the antigraft commission arrested a senior prosecutor for accepting a bribe from a businesswoman two days after the AGO dropped an embezzlement case against tycoon Sjamsul Nursalim, with whom the businesswoman was connected. Wisnu's name was mentioned in a wiretapped conversation promising protection for the businesswoman.

The controversy prompted the resignation of Untung Uji Santoso from his post as the deputy attorney general for civil and state administrative affairs.

Despite the highly publicized nature of that earlier case, only one prosecutor, Urip Tri Gunawan, was convicted of corruption. Three AGO deputies – Wisnu, Untung and Kemas Yahya Rahman – were never charged.

Last week, Wisnu was again heard in recorded conversations, instructing witnesses on how to testify against suspended KPK deputies Chandra M Hamzah and Bibit Samad Riyanto.

Danang said AGO officials might again escape with only a slap on the wrist. "How can we trust [Attorney General] Hendarman Supandji if he ignored calls to dismiss Wisnu over a bribery scandal last year? Now Wisnu has caused another embarrassment to the AGO," he said.

"Susno is the third highest-ranking officer in the National Police, but he was allowed to meet with a graft suspect and even conspire with that suspect to incriminate KPK officials. We can't expect any change if the president doesn't replace Hendarman and [National Police Chief Gen.] Bambang Hendarso Danuri."

Yudhoyono's neutral stance on KPK 'hurt his image'

Jakarta Globe - November 8, 2009

Febriami Hutapea & Muninggar Sri Saraswati – Analysts are calling on the government to give more weight to public opinion of the scandal involving the Corruption Eradication Corruption, as a study released over the weekend shows President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's image took a hit from his attempts to remain neutral in the affair.

The Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI) said its study found that the media had portrayed the president in a negative light more frequently than it had the anticorruption commission, known as the KPK. The issue, it said, was compounded by lingering controversy over the controversial bailout of PT Bank Century.

The LSI's research was conducted between Oct. 26 and Wednesday. It included an analysis of coverage in five national newspapers, as well as interviews with politicians, activists and academics.

The study concluded that more than half of the media coverage of the KPK scandal, or 53 percent, depicted Yudhoyono negatively, while only 20 percent portrayed the KPK in a poor light. The police received the worst treatment, with 60 percent of media coverage unfavorable.

By contrast, coverage of suspended KPK deputy chairmen Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M Hamzah was overwhelmingly positive. Only 10 percent was negative.

The scandal involves an alleged attempt by officials from the National Police and Attorney General's office to help bring down the KPK by framing Bibit and Chandra for bribery.

LSI executive director Denny JA, a political consultant to Yudhoyono during this year's election campaign, said the public held a higher opinion of the president than the National Police, but a lower opinion of him than both the KPK and Bibit and Chandra.

Denny said Yudhoyono, who won a landslide victory in July's election, had erred when he said he wouldn't interfere after Bibit and Chandra were arrested by the police on Oct. 29. At the time, he asserted that there was nothing unusual about their arrests. "Yudhoyono's position is deemed to be not in line with public opinion," Denny said.

Rising popular support for Bibit and Chandra quickly made headlines. Yudhoyono later changed course, setting up a fact- finding team to look into the conflict. But it may not have been enough.

With Bibit and Chandra seen as victims of injustice, political analysts and sociologists warned that the public, already deeply cynical because of entrenched corruption, would not be easily placated by the establishment of one fact-finding team.

"The government may not think that common people will pay special attention to the issue of corruption. They think it's an elitist issue. But it's not," said political analyst Ikrar Nusa Bakti, of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI). "Jakarta's middle class, which supports the KPK, has the power to gain greater support from larger sections of the public."

University of Indonesia sociologist Thamrin Amal Tomagola said the demonstration in support of the KPK reminded him of one on May 19, 1997, when professionals at the Indonesia Stock Exchange, known for staying out of politics, decided to hold a rally demanding the resignation of the late dictator Suharto.

"When these professionals start to emerge from their comfortable dens, the government should pay attention," he said.

Analysts warned that the activists who spurred the public to come out in support of Bibit and Chandra should not be ignored. "They are the wheels of public support of the KPK. The movement would not receive the public's support if the people did not share the same feeling: disappointment with law enforcement institutions and disdain for corruption practices," said Hotman M Siahaan, a sociologist at Airlangga University in Surabaya.

Meanwhile, analysts said, the president could help burnish his image by devoting more attention to getting to the bottom of the Bank Century case.

The case involved a controversial Rp 6.7 trillion ($710 million) government bailout of the bank a year ago. The chief police investigator involved in the current KPK case, Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji, has been accused of unlawfully intervening to help a prominent bank client recover funds from the bank at a time when the bank was insolvent and seeking a government injection of cash.

Many critics claim the investigation of the KPK was aimed at diverting attention from the Bank Century probe. "The case can be solved and Yudhoyono can again enjoy his golden popularity," Denny said.

Sociologist Thamrin Amal Tamagola said Yudhoyono should make a strategic decision to resolve the Bank Century bailout, calling it the root of the country's current legal chaos. "The Century case is the important knot," he said.

'Support National Police' Facebook pages fail to get support

Jakarta Globe - November 9, 2009

While the numbers of Facebook fans getting behind a page supporting anticorruption deputies Chandra M Hamzah and Bibit Samad Rianto is rising, three groups supporting the National Police have not seen the same swelling of popularity on the social networking site.

Three Facebook pages titled "Support the National Police" had failed to garner a large online fanbase.

The first page, created by Hendra Kristiawan, had 54 members. The page administrator wrote he was not trying to create a fighting movement but he was just asking the public to "give the police a chance to prove which one is the angel and which is the devil."

Another page created by Rusli Haryanto had 14 members and the last page had only one member.

Numbers of 'Gerakan 1.000.000 Facebookers Dukung Chandra Hamzah & Bibit Samad Riyanto' (Movement of 1,000,000 Facebookers Supporting Chandra Hamzah & Bibit Samad Riyanto), which was launched after the two suspended Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) officers were arrested last week on suspicion of abuse of power, had continued to grow. On Monday afternoon, the group had in excess of 1,156,000 members.

In another tech-savvy response to the current KPK-Police saga, Anggodo Widjojo's ringtone, which was heard during a Constitutional Court hearing where taped telephone conversations outlining a plot against the KPK were played, has shot to the top of the nation's ringtone charts.

Laughter was stifled in the court and many members of the audience wore bemused smiles when the pop song, by the band Naff, titled "Akhirnya Kumenemukanmu" ("I've Finally Found You") was heard during one of the telephone conversations.

The ringtone is now the most downloaded in Makassar, South Sulawesi, and Solo, Central Java, beating songs from popular Indonesian bands, RCTI reported. In Makassar, dozens of coffee shop users had also spread the ringtone using Bluetooth connections.

An anticorruption activist told RCTI that the ringtone could also be used as a part of an anticorruption campaign, because it shows the public how a case broker operates.

Thousands of people rally for 'cicak'

Jakarta Post - November 9, 2009

Prodita Sabarini, Jakarta – If how early people can drag themselves out of a comfortable Sunday morning sleep-in is any measure of dedication, then the people that traveled to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle at 7 a.m. are a symbol of the country's commitment to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Some 5,000 people joined the rally supporting the KPK, currently in a battle between the Attorney General's Office and the National Police with the latter organization detaining the antigraft body's top officials for bribery.

The rally, which started with a group exercise, was dubbed "A healthy Indonesia fighting corruption". Civil society figures gave speeches during the event, which was organized by the antigraft community Cicak (Love Indonesia Love KPK). Long-time KPK supporters, the band Slank, also performed for the masses.

Arthur Ebox, 30 said that he arrived at the roundabout at around 7.30 to show support for the commission. "For the moment it is one of the best law enforcing institutions in the country," he said.

The tension between the government institutions is now popularly called the battle of the cicak and buaya (gecko and crocodile), coined by the police detective chief, Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji, who recently resigned.

Public outrage over the Attorney General's Office and the National Police escalated after the Constitutional Court played wiretapped conversations obtained from the KPK, which hinted at the framing of the two KPK deputies, Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M. Hamzah.

During the rally, a group of people brought a crocodile doll, representing the National Police and burnt it. Another group brought a poster of businessman Anggodo Widjojo, who in the recordings attempted to get the KPK to drop a bribery case against his brother Anggoro Widjojo, dressed in a police uniform.

The creator of the Facebook page supporting the KPK deputies, Usman Yasin, was also present at the rally. The page now has more than a million members. Cicak activist who organized the event Eryanto Nugroho said the public wanted justice to be upheld. "This is a civil movement, which I think is very crucial to have at this point as no political parties are in opposition [against the National Police and the Attorney General]," Eryanto said. He said that Cicak would continue to support the KPK.

Police pursue new case against anti-corruption commission

Jakarta Globe - November 8, 2009

Farouk Arnaz – Though under attack from the public for allegedly fabricating a case against the Corruption Eradication Commission, the National Police have seemingly begun a new investigation into the antigraft agency.

A police source told the Jakarta Globe over the weekend that they were looking into irregularities inside the commission, or KPK, related to a case involving the Social Affairs Ministry two years ago.

"We suspect that the KPK did not handle this case properly," said the source, a senior investigator speaking on condition of anonymity.

"The commission was supposed to name suspects in the case but they dropped the case instead. What's going on?" He refused to give further details.

In 2007, the KPK questioned the Social Affairs Ministry's director general for social empowerment, Gunawan Sumodiningrat, as part of an investigation into funds intended for low-income residents.

Gunawan was the third person to be questioned as part of the investigation, after the head of the ministry's empowerment of the poor division, Sonny W Manalu, and Akib Masri, an expert staff member at the ministry.

The investigation was opened in response to a 2005 audit by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) of the program. That audit found at least 70 suspicious transactions, totaling Rp 287.89 billion ($30.5 million), including unauthorized expenditures and also non-target disbursements, including a procurement budget for sewing machines and beef cattle.

In 2004, the Social Affairs Ministry worked with PT Ladang Sutera Indonesia (Lasindo) on the procurement of 6,000 sewing machines for Rp 19.49 billion.

A spokesman for the KPK, Johan Budi, could not be reached for comment on Sunday. Media reports quoted him as saying earlier that the case at the Social Affairs Ministry was still under investigation and that no one had yet been named a suspect.

Key questions remain unanswered: Inquiry team

Jakarta Post - November 8, 2009

Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – Information is still missing in investigations into an alleged plot to frame two Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputies, a presidential fact- finding team has said.

The team met Saturday night to gather information from the police and the Attorney General's Offi ce (AGO). "The team has not been able to make a conclusion on the case," said Anies Baswedan, one of the team's eight members.

Anies said the meeting would resume at 1 p.m. Sunday, when suspended KPK chairman Antasari Azhar would continue to explain his position in the case. Antasari had made a partial explanation to the team earlier on Saturday.

The closed-door meeting was attended by representatives of both the police and the AGO.

Amir Syamsuddin, another member of the team, said prosecutors could prove only one of the three charges, namely that the two suspended KPK deputies – Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M Hamzah – had abused their power.

Meanwhile, a key witness in the KPK scandal, Ari Muladi, on Saturday reiterated his previous statement revealing details in the handover of bribe money from Anggodo Widjojo, the younger brother of graft suspect fugitive Anggoro Widjojo, to a person identifi ed only as Yulianto. Ari claimed the handover did not involve any KPK officials.

"The total sum given by Anggodo was Rp 5.1 billion (US$540,000) in cash," Ari told reporters Saturday after a hearing with the presidential fact-fi nding team in charge of investigating criminal charges against the two KPK deputies.

Ari said the money was given to Yulianto with the expectation he would later pass the money on to the KPK leaders, and was intended to persuade them to halt investigations into a corruption case implicating PT Masaro Radiokom, owned by Anggoro.

"I handed over the money (in US dollars, Singapore dollars and Indonesian rupiah) in three installments," he said.

Ari also mentioned two new names of people who were allegedly involved in the handover of the bribe money – Bambang and Haji Labib. Bambang was said to be an offi cial at the KPK, while Labib was the one who had allegedly introduced Ari to Yulianto.

Ari said he had met Anggodo at a karaoke bar in Surabaya in July and August 2008, where Anggodo gave him the first installment of the bribes in two brown paper bags.

"One of the bags consisted of three envelopes, two of which contained Rp 1 billion each in US dollars, and the other had Rp 1.5 billion, also in US dollars," Ari said. The other brown bag contained Rp 250 million.

The second installment, the date of which he could not remember, was in cash and totaled Rp 400 million. In the last installment, which allegedly took place in February 2009, he received Rp 1 billion in Singapore dollars.

"I handed over all the money to Yulianto in the knowledge he would hand over the cash to Ade Rahardja (the KPK deputy for enforcement), who was expected to pass it on to the KPK leaders," Ari said.

However, he emphasized he did not know whether or not the money had been delivered to the KPK leaders.

"I never met with Ade Rahardja, Pak Bibit or Pak Chandra. That was why I withdrew my first dossier," he said. In his first statement, Ari testified to having handed over the money to the KPK leaders in person.

The two KPK deputies, Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M Hamzah, were suspended after being named suspects by the police in an alleged abuse of power, bribery and extortion case related to Anggoro.

Ari said his July 15 testimony against the KPK leaders had been formulated by Anggodo.

"Three or four weeks before I was arrested on Aug. 18, 2009, Anggodo introduced me to Pak Susno, so that Pak Susno could hear for himself the chronology of the handover of (money) from me as arranged by Anggodo," Ari said, referring to Insp. Gen. Susno Duadji, the National Police chief of detectives.

Ari said he later withdrew his first testimony because he had realized its potential impact on the two people whose names he had mentioned, and because he could not sleep due to the guilt as "it was all a lie".

Thousands rally against corruption in Jakarta

Jakarta Globe - November 8, 2009

Nurfika Osman – Thousands of people braved the hot sun at Jakarta's Hotel Indonesia circle to rally against corruption on Sunday morning.

Jakarta police said 3,000 people attended, and 500 police officers were detailed to the event.

"This our expression of opposition to corruption. As common citizens we are not blind to this issue," said Agam Faturrochman, spokesman for the antigraft Cicak Community.

The rally included performances by SLANK, Oppie Andaresta, Once Dewa, Efek Rumah Kaca, and Netral.

"I am a musician and also a citizen who wants corruption to be eradicated from the country," Oppie said. "Corruption makes everyone live in poverty. This event shows that people are fighting for justice."

Homemaker Adinda Saidah brought her family to the rally. "This country has been damaged by corruption and I think everyone in the country needs clean, good governance," she said.

The rally ended with a mass sing-along of the children's song "Cicak di Dinding" (Cicak on the Wall) and the anticorruption anthem "Cicak di Dadaku" (Cicak on my Chest).

The concert was organized on Facebook, which has become a gathering point for the anticorruption movement. A Facebook page in support of suspended Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputies Bibit Samad Riyanto and Chandra Hamzah surpassed its goal of one million members this weekend and was nearing 1.1 million as of midday on Sunday.

The Facebook moement was inspired by the October 29 arrests of Chandra and Bibit for abuse of power. Wiretapped phone conversations aired during their trial on Tuesday suggested police, prosecutors and the brother of a graft suspect had plotted to frame the antigraft officers.

Bibit and Chandra have been released on bail, but their case is still active.

Antigraft activists have embraced the gecko as their symbol ever since the National Police's chief of detectives, Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji, dismissively compared the KPK to a gecko and the police to a crocodile. Susno, who was implicated in the phone tapes, has temporarily resigned in the face of public calls for his suspension.

Gecko, crocodile, Godzilla and the politics of brute force

Jakarta Post - November 8, 2009

Pandaya – Syam, the newspaper boy in our neighborhood, was approaching on his bike as I stepped out of my front gate the other day. Smiling as usual, he handed me my subscription copy and said, "The chief crocodile wants to be a gecko!"

"Oh, that's new," I replied, pretending I didn't know what he was talking about.

No, this was not a bedtime story. We were talking about the ongoing great battle between our heroes, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the National Police.

As you know, "Gecko vs Crocodile" has become the official battle cry in a public anti-corruption campaign that is receiving huge popular support.

Syam was apparently amused by Koran Tempo's front-page caricature depicting a fat fiery crocodile transforming itself into a cute, wideeyed gecko in the midst of confused lizards assembled on the doorstep of their abode called the KPK.

Main stories of the day included National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri apologizing to the public for a slur made by one of his most senior aides to express his low opinion of the KPK, likening the commission to an overconfident "gecko" challenging a "crocodile" (the National Police).

"In fact, I am part of the gecko (community), too" Bambang said during a meeting with media leaders in Jakarta on Monday. Under public pressure to resign, Bambang swore that his staff offi cer had acted in his personal capacity and did not represent the views of the National Police.

The creative officer who came up with the "Gecko vs Crocodile" analogy and set the world on fire is Snr. Comr Susno Duadji, the National Police chief of criminal investigations – and he did so during an interview with Tempo magazine in April. He was reportedly offered Rp 10 billion as a gratuity from a heavyweight depositor with (the ailing) Bank Century for helping the businessman transfer his legally disputable US$18 million from Surabaya to Jakarta.

Susno was infuriated to learn that the KPK, investigating the bank's Rp 6.7 trillion bailout scandal, had wiretapped his phone conversation with the businessman's lawyer at the time when he made the deal. He has fiercely denied the allegations. However, under intense popular pressure he resigned on Thursday to face an independent inquiry.

Not losing his sense of humor, Susno quipped during an emotional hearing with sympathetic legislators on Friday, "In five years from now, I'm afraid somebody else will claim the rights (to the analogy) and I'll have to go to court to retain it."

On a different occasion, the goodspirited Attorney General Hendarman Supandji also boasted in September that if the police and the Attorney General's Office teamed up to handle the Bank Century scandal, then the alliance would be like Godzilla.

But Hendarman is luckier than Susno, because antigraft activists have not started calling him and other attorneys "Godzilla". well, at least not yet.

In fact, Susno's pick of crocodile to describe police power only adds credence to the common perception of the institution: frightening. I don't know if I am alone, but I still get intimidated going to the police just to pay my vehicle tax or to extend my driver's license, with all those unsmiling officers and employees, scalpers and middlemen hounding me.

Traditionally, the crocodile is admired, or feared, for its brute strength, which enables it to wrestle with the much bigger buffalos that venture into its territory. Many political parties and units in the armed forces have mighty animals such as bulls, eagles and tigers in their logos – to tell us they have all that brute strength to get the job done so don't mess with them.

Susno's condescending description of the KPK as a "gecko" seems to have backfired like a misguided missile, invoking popular sympathy so massive and widespread that some predict it could develop into a people-power movement threatening the Yudhoyono administration if not managed properly. "I am a gecko and am not afraid to fight a crocodile," scream KPK supporters.

The geckos are using tactics, rather than force, to mobilize support from fellow lizards, believing that the crocodile can only be overpowered if geckos unite. And a growing number of "geckos" have been resorting to Facebook, tweeting and creeping in the streets to force the crocodile and its conspirators to reform.

Do not underestimate these particular geckos. Since the war broke out, they have already brought down a "crocodile" and a "Godzilla". Viva the Geckos!

War on terror

Watchdog urges review of government policy on terrorism

Jakarta Post - November 14, 2009

Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – Human rights monitor Imparsial has urged the government to thoroughly review its counterterrorism policy, arguing the current "repressive" approach will not prove effective in eliminating the threat.

"Under the New Order regime, there were only 11 recorded acts of terror," Imparsial research coordinator Junaedi said Friday at a press conference. "And prior to the first Bali bombings in October 2002, there were only 28 recorded acts of terror."

But since then, he went on, there had been 36 acts of terror, in spite of a 2003 law that gave intelligence and police officers wider-reaching powers to tackle terrorism. "Therefore we think the government should evaluate its policy regarding terrorism," Junaedi said.

Imparsial researcher Bhatara Ibnu Reza said the numbers proved there was something wrong with the government's current policy on dealing with terrorism.

"Dealing with terrorism is not only a matter of strengthening security officers, but also about cleaning up all government institutions and fighting corruption," he said.

Another Imparsial researcher, Al Araf, raised concerns that the greater powers afforded to law enforcement officials could be abused, thus setting back efforts to uphold human rights.

"Most of the time, the police's counterterrorism operations are over-the-top, wantonly disregarding principles of professionalism and human rights," he said.

He cited recent raids for terrorists in Temanggung and Cilacap in Central Java, and in Ciputat, Banten, where all the key suspects were shot dead at the scenes.

Most of the raids were followed by arbitrary actions and ill treatment of arrested suspects, Al Araf added. "At the end, it leads to discriminatory action through the profiling of people who dress and look a certain way," he said.

He cited moves by West Java villagers to block the burials of slain terrorist suspects in their villages. "Admittedly, tackling terrorism through the current law enforcement methods has had quite a positive impact on uncovering and paralyzing terrorist cells," he said.

However, Al Araf stressed there must also be a cap on law enforcement officials' powers in order to prevent potential cases of abuse of power.

The Imparsial researchers urged the government to amend the 2003 Terrorism Law, particularly articles that they claimed threatened civil society freedom and human rights.

Al Araf cited the law's Article 1 on the definition of terrorism, saying it could be interpreted in various ways. "The article must be fixed so that people don't misinterpret the definition," he said.

He added the government should also evaluate the performance of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Ministry's counterterrorism unit.

The government insists the unit has limited power that does not overlap with that wielded by the Religious Affairs Ministry, the National Education Ministry, the Information and Communications Ministry and other institutions.

The National Summit earlier this month called for the establishment of a special body to prevent and combat terrorism. The new body is expected to unify all the powers wielded by the various agencies and ministries.

Islam/religion

For Indonesian pilgrims, the path to Mecca is paved with problems

Jakarta Globe - November 13, 2009

Hera Diani – The heat was excruciating as the first batch of hajj pilgrims entered the transit dormitory in East Jakarta a day before their flight to Saudi Arabia on Oct. 23. But the pilgrims, mostly of retirement age, welcomed the heat, joking that it would prepare them for the harsh desert climate in Mecca.

They were generally joyful, some having waited decades for their turn to go on the hajj, whose participants are limited by both money and a yearly quota from the Saudi Arabian government.

"We have saved up our money for years, and our four children also chipped in. We signed up for the pilgrimage in 2007 and finally got our turn to go this year," said Ratna Farida, 61, a retired teacher from Pesanggrahan, South Jakarta. Together with her husband Asri Munir, 70, they purchased the regular hajj package for Rp 35 million ($3,675) each.

A total of 207,000 Indonesians will do the hajj pilgrimage this year, around the same as in 2008. They are divided into 470 groups bound for Jeddah, where most spend a month performing the hajj ritual, with the last group expected home in late November.

First-timers Ratna and Asri said they were content with the organization and service as they prepared to embark, but others who were going for a second time said they were confused by the Ministry of Religious Affairs' management of the pilgrimage.

Yani Yahya, 61, said new regulations requiring pilgrims to have an official international passport, rather than a one-time-only special hajj passport, had forced her to make repeated trips to her local immigration office to process paperwork.

"There is no information available either, unless you're very proactive. Back in 2003, all we had to do was sit at home and wait for the instructions and passport to arrive," said Yani, a widow traveling by herself.

Another veteran pilgrim, Ahmad Golyobi, 58, was also upset, saying that procedures such as the registration process were lengthy and bureaucratic.

"Also, the ministry organizers distributed the book of prayers, which is not available freely, only after we finished the manasik (hajj rehearsal). There were 14 meetings for the manasik and they only gave us [the book] when it was already finished," he said.

"How can we memorize all the prayers if there is no book? The government cannot even manage a very simple thing like that," Ahmad said.

But both Yani and Ahmad, as with many pilgrims, accept the flaws as a test from God, saying that the spiritual journey is a lesson in shedding one's ego. Others are not so forgiving.

Complaints, complaints

For years, the hajj management has been a lightning rod for criticism, mostly that it's unprofessional, not transparent and prone to corruption. Every year, Indonesia sends hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, and problems invariably arise, mostly relating to housing, transportation and catering.

Many pilgrims are placed in lodgings far away from places of worship, and often waste hours waiting around for transportation. The catering also leaves a lot to be desired. One pilgrim said that when she went in 2005, the meals were the same every day: rice and string beans.

During the hajj between December 2006 and January 2007, the pilgrims' rituals were disrupted when a local caterer stopped delivering meals after officials from the Ministry of Religious Affairs tried to bargain down the catering bill. More than 3,000 pilgrims were forced to live off dates and instant noodles for several days. Some of them fainted due to inadequate food intake.

Dissatisfied customers compare the treatment of Indonesian pilgrims to those from Malaysia, who pay a similar amount for the hajj package but receive much better service. They are placed in better lodgings close to worship sites, receive better meals and transportation and even get a refund if the cost of the hajj ends up being cheaper than what they initially paid.

New problems for pilgrims have emerged this year, including delays in passports, being forced to pay for free-of-charge vaccines and luggage and more housing issues.

It has been discovered that around 260 out of 407 lodging sites booked for pilgrims have, as of Nov. 1, been unable to pass a new Saudi Arabian safety audit concerning the lack of emergency stairwells. As a result, 6,000 pilgrims risk being forced to lodge in houses even further away from places of worship.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs down plays the problems. "Don't worry, we'll sort this out. Every pilgrim will be placed in decent housing. If the places are far away and cheaper, we will return the margin," said Abdul Ghafur Djawahir, director of administration for the hajj.

Legislator Said Abdullah, a member of the House of Representatives Commission VIII overseeing religious affairs, said the new Saudi housing regulation was announced in June 2008, but the Ministry of Religious Affairs failed to react.

"The government doesn't plan well. They never think of a Plan B," said Said, a harsh critic of hajj management.

Then there's the allegations of corruption. In July, Indonesia Corruption Watch released a report saying the ministry may have inflated the actual cost of the 2009 pilgrimage by around $700 per person.

It submitted the report to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), which in early November sent a three-person team to Saudi Arabia to monitor hajj management. The KPK has already identified a number of irregularities, including unexpected fees and higher lodging costs. The ministry denies the accusations by ICW, saying its calculations are different than theirs.

"Besides, people aren't aware of the many indirect costs for the hajj, such as airport tax, the salaries of staff serving the pilgrims, and so on," Ghafur claimed. "And while flights are cheaper... [closer and higher quality] accommodation means that the costs for each pilgrim had to be increased."

Nonetheless, there's no denying that the ministry has been beset by irregularities. In 2006, former Minister of Religious Affairs Said Agil Hussein Al Munawar and hajj director general Taufiq Kamil were convicted and sentenced to lengthy prison terms for embezzling more than Rp 75 billion in pilgrimage funds between 2001 and 2004. Both have since been paroled.

Also in 2006, ICW reported the Religious Affairs Ministry to the KPK for allegedly misusing money from a hajj fund, including for travel allowances for members of House Commission VIII for law and legislation, and transport allowances for a House working committee. The group had previously reported the ministry to the KPK for discrepancies involving payments to then-minister Maftuh Basyuni.

Ade Irawan of ICW said the allegations against Basyuni were similar to those that landed Munawar in prison, and that the KPK was still investigating its reports.

What needs to be fixed?

Ghafur said it was not easy organizing 200,000 pilgrims every year, sorting out lodging and transportation and competing with other countries to get the most convenient housing.

"Although we are the largest pilgrim group in the world, we don't get any privileges. If we did, then other countries would also ask for them," he said.

He went on to blame the Saudi government for frequently changing hajj regulations, such as airport service fees, the new passport requirement and most recently housing safety regulations.

Lawmaker Abdul Kadir Karding, the head of House Commission VIII, said the government seemed to lack diplomatic skills in lobbying the Saudi government about hajj-related problems, despite seemingly to have a strong bargaining position.

"Why isn't there more permanent housing, like renting for 10 years, for example, which should decrease the housing problems pilgrims experience almost every year?" Karding said.

Then there was the transparency issue. Abdullah said the handling of hajj payments was unfair, such as the requirement that pilgrims pay a Rp 20 million deposit to be placed on the waiting list. This money can sit in an interest-bearing bank account for up to five years while the pilgrim awaits his turn.

"There are trillions of rupiah, and 80 percent of the interest earned is used to pay government staff who handle the pilgrimage, to pay for their uniforms, salary and so on. Why should the pilgrims also pay for those costs?" Abdullah said. "When we ask the ministry about this, they never give us a clear answer," he said, adding that the House was not given sufficient access to monitor the hajj management.

Firdaus Ilyas, ICW's coordinator for central data and analysis, said the Religious Affairs Ministry leaves itself at the mercy of its business partners for the hajj, such as Garuda Indonesia Airlines, which is the sole carrier of Indonesian pilgrims.

"In terms of accommodation and catering, the chain of business that needs to be dealt with is long, making the whole process expensive. The ministry lacks professionalism and a good system," he said.

He added that the Law on Hajj Pilgrimage Management was too technical and did not clearly outline pilgrims' rights. Said wanted to see the central government establish an independent and professional hajj financial institution, rather than leaving it to a ministry.

"Since the Saudi government only wants to deal with governments, then the government can focus on handling the diplomacy, while everything else can be processed by the institution."

Meanwhile, Sudaryatmo, a member of the Indonesian Consumers Foundation, questioned why the central government was even involved in organizing and managing the hajj given that Indonesia isn't an Islamic country.

"They shouldn't be pushing the doctrine that the pilgrimage is a time to shed one's ego and that pilgrims must be patient. It makes consumers reluctant to complain, for fear it will reduce the value of their religious service," he said.

Ulema calls for ban on noisy loudspeakers

Jakarta Post - November 10, 2009

Jakarta – The South Kalimantan chapter of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has proposed an edict banning the use of loudspeakers if they are considered to be disturbing other people, despite the fact they are used to broadcast the call to prayer five times each day, and some sermons.

MUI member Muhammad Noor, a lecturer at Antasari State Islamic Institute in the provincial capital Banjarmasin, told Antara on Monday that a group of MUI members, who attended a discussion in Tabalong regency recently, concluded that the use of deafening loudspeakers, albeit for good purposes, could spark disagreement between Muslims and non-Muslims due to the noise and discomfort caused.

Noor said the council suggested Muslims exercise their freedom of religion without violating the rights of other people.

Participants of the discussion agreed that the use of loudspeakers was aimed at propagating Islam, but its excessive application might be counterproductive.

Elections/political parties

House represents less than 50 percent of voting population

Kompas - November 13, 2009

Jakarta – The number of voters represented by the nine political parties that obtained seats in the national House of Representatives (DPR) following the 2009 legislative elections is less that who are not represented.

This was revealed by former General Election Commission (KPU) Deputy Chair Ramlan Surbakti during a discussion titled "Evaluating the Integrity of the 2009 Election Results" in Jakarta on Thursday November 12.

The number of voters registered for legislative elections by the KPU in November 2009 was 171.27 million. However the number of votes represented by the nine political parties with seats in the DPR is only 85.05 million people or 49.66 percent. The remainder, 86.22 million voters, is not represented by the 560 members of the DPR.

The number of unrepresented voters is based on the 49.68 million registered voters who did not use their right to vote and the 17.49 million voters who did vote, but whose vote was declared invalid, plus 19.05 million voters who cast a valid vote but the parties they voted for did not obtain a seat because they failed to reach the electoral threshold (parliamentary threshold) to get into parliament.

Surbakti added that the number of citizens not represented by the parties in the parliament would be even greater if the number of people who were entitled to vote but were not registered are included. This would swell further if the total number of "ghost" voters on the electoral list were also counted.

University of Indonesia political science lecturer Andrinof Chaniago said that the low level of representation in the DPR has resulted in legislators having no roots in society. It is this situation that has triggered a discrepancy between the DPR's attitudes and the wishes of broader society, as has occurred in a number of recent cases. The DPR often runs away from the demands of the people they represent.

Those elected to the DPR, who have no roots in society, are the result of an elitist electoral system that functions in the name of the people, yet, in reality, the members of the DPR are not one with the ordinary people. (MZW)

[Translated by James Balowski.]

Indonesia's parties refuse to reveal campaign funds

Jakarta Globe - November 11, 2009

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Transparency International Indonesia on Wednesday slammed all the major political parties for refusing to divulge how they financed their campaigns for this year's elections.

Teten Masduki, secretary general of TII, pointed the finger specifically at the Democratic Party, Golkar Party, Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), People's Conscience Party (Hanura), National Mandate Party (PAN), Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and National Awakening Party (PKB).

"All of the parties refused when TII's researchers suggested they disclose their annual financial reports," he said. "Some companies reported giving donations to the parties. They too declined to answer when researchers tried to get further confirmation."

TII's research also found that none of the parties published their financial reports on their party Web sites, which may be a breach of election laws.

Antigraft activists have long questioned loopholes in the 2007 and 2008 laws governing elections linked to the reporting of campaign funding, limitations on donations and public access to reports on campaigning activities.

Media/press freedom

Broadcasting commission criticized for restricting court coverage

Jakarta Globe - November 14, 2009

Nurfika Osman – The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission's letters to all television stations warning them to censor offensive material during court broadcasts has been criticized as unconstitutional by media organizations.

The commission, also known as the KPI, sent official warning letters to the stations on Oct. 18 after a number broadcast the sexually explicit testimony of Rani Juliani during the daytime murder trial of former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Antasari Azhar.

The KPI also took exception to the live broadcast of a Constitutional Court hearing in which a number of wiretapped phone conversations were played, allegedly indicating a high- level government conspiracy to bring down the KPK, with KPI vice chairwoman Fetty Fajriati arguing the broadcasts "only intensified public opinion."

Nezar Patria, chairman of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), said banning live reporting was a direct threat to press freedom. He said press freedom was guaranteed as the rights of citizens as stated in Law on Press No. 40/1999.

He said the law stated no censorship, termination and prohibition could be implemented, while another provision stated, "to guarantee press freedom, national press has a right to seek, obtain and spread information."

"If the KPI forces us to implement limitations to the live reporting, they will be breaking the law," Patria said, adding that attempting to ban live court reporting also breached the Law No. 14/2008 on Freedom of Information.

He said that in order to avoid vulgar words being broadcast, the KPI should be collaborating with the Press Council to create appropriate regulations.

Separately, Bambang Harymurti, a member of the Press Council, said if the problem was the broadcast of sexually explicit material, the editors and reporters at the court should have known how to best approach the matter.

"The content of the charges had been handed out to the reporters before [the broadcast]. Thus, they should have known what to do," he said.

Murdered journalist told to stop reporting on suspected graft

Jakarta Post - November 13, 2009

Ni Komang Erviani, Denpasar – An education official testified Tuesday that he had asked the family of slain journalist Anak Agung Bagus Narendra Prabangsa to pull a story over which the latter was believed to have been murdered.

Bangli Education Office head Anak Agung Ngurah Samba was testifying in the trial of Nyoman Susrama, the younger brother of the Bangli regent and a serving regency legislator, who is charged with murdering Radar Bali editor Prabangsa.

Samba said he had asked the latter's family to stop the publication of reports of discrepancies in a school construction project, adding he was unaware Prabangsa had been killed.

Prabangsa had been reporting on irregularities in a project to build an international-standard kindergarten and elementary school in Bangli regency, which fell under the auspices of Samba's office.

In his testimony, Samba read out news reports of the discrepancies in the project monitoring and supervising permit. "I found some problems with the permit so I promptly ordered my people to revise it," he said.

Susrama was awarded the Rp 3 billion (US$320,000) project by Bangli Regent Nengah Arnawa, without going through the required bidding process. Samba said the practice was common, decided upon by the local authorities, including the regent.

"The funding was raised privately, so the awarding of the contract was decided at a local level, without public notification," Samba said.

Judge A. Simanjuntak expressed surprise that Samba thought such a procedure was acceptable. "This was very irregular," he said. "Any large-scale project must be tendered in an open and transparent bidding process."

The construction of the schools began in 2006, and was scheduled for completion in 2010.

Susrama and eight other suspects have been charged with torturing and murdering Prabangsa in February 2009. The former could face death if found guilty. Police concluded the journalist had been tortured and killed in Susrama's backyard in Bangli before being dumped into the sea. His body was found days later.

Samba and Susrama were supposed to have submitted a financial report on the project in 2008. "We haven't done it yet," Samba said. "All the funding for the project has been handed out, but the project's nowhere near finished. "It's only half done."

Armed forces/defense

TNI to form military commands in Kalimantan, Papua

Jakarta Post - November 12, 2009

Jakarta – The Indonesian Military (TNI) is to set up two new military commands in West Kalimantan and West Papua provinces in an apparent bid to revitalize its much-criticized territorial function.

Newly sworn in Army chief of staff Lt. Gen. George Toisutta said the move was part of the military's tireless efforts to maintain the state's sovereignty over its large territory.

"Territorial commands are important for the Army to maintain the country's sovereignty and to prevent any infiltration by foreign enemies," he said in a press conference after a job transfer ceremony at Army Headquarters on Wednesday. George replaced Gen. Agustadi Sasongko Purnomo.

TNI chief Gen. Djoko Santoso reiterated that the reshuffle had nothing to do with any insubordination, but was part of the military's internal program to improve professionalism and make adjustments in a rapidly changing situation.

He said recently that territorial commands were one of the main objectives of the military reforms which were mandated by the 2004 Law on TNI. Djoko added that the other objectives of the internal reforms included neutrality, professionalism and prosperity. There are now 12 regional military commands across the country.

West Kalimantan is currently part of the Tanjungpura Military Command overseeing security in Kalimantan while West Papua is part of the Trikora Military Command supervising security in Papua.

A military command covers one province or more, having top-down command over military offices in regencies and municipalities, over districts and subdistricts and up to remote areas nationwide, with armaments and personnel standing guard.

The 12 military commands were the result of a merger of more than 20 military commands following the downfall of late former president Soeharto in May 1998. The merger was part of the military's internal reforms, since their territorial authority was used to abuse human rights and curtail democracy during the New Order era. Later, Aceh and Maluku were granted their own military commands following escalating security disturbances and secessionism in the two provinces from 2000 through to 2007.

The executive director of the Indonesian Institute for Strategic and Defense Studies (Lesperssi), Rizal Darma Putra, said the expansion was not necessary because the country was not facing any serious external threat.

"The expansion will require the Defense Ministry to spend more money out of its already limited budget," he said. "The Defense Ministry will be required to invest in unnecessary personnel, equipment, weapons, buildings and vehicles for the territorial expansion. I don't think they are necessary. Why don't they spend the money on improving soldiers' social welfare?" he said.

He said the increase in the defense budget should not be used for territorial expansion. The government had announced it would increase the defense budget to Rp 40.7 trillion (US$4.3 billion) next year, up from Rp 33.6 trillion this year.

Instead, Rizal said, the money should be used to increase soldiers' salaries because improving the welfare of low-ranking military officers had been a continuous problem and needed to be resolved.

The research coordinator of the Indonesian Human Rights Monitor (Imparsial), Al Araf, said the expansion was not necessary because it would create a functional overlap with the police.

"The Army stations its military command officers in every corner of a region to anticipate possible internal security threats," he said, but pointed out that internal threats, such as terrorism and separatism, were handled by the police.

However, University of Indonesia's defense expert Andi Widjajanto said territorial expansion was necessary for border defense in Kalimantan and Papua, saying external threats could happen at any time and the country should be prepared.

Like Araf, he acknowledged that the possible negative impact of the expansion might be the military and the police roles overlapping. "Problems can arise during the process of reaching conflict resolution between the military and the police," he said. (nia)

Indonesian president swears in new military leadership

Jakarta Globe - November 10, 2009

April Aswadi & Febriamy Hutapea – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Monday swore in the new heads of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force with the new commander of the Indonesian Armed Forces to be announced soon.

"The replacement of the commanders and the chief of staff was something planned and not hurried," said current Armed Forces Chief Djoko Santoso at the State Palace after the ceremony.

Lt. Gen. George Toisutta, 56, commander of the Siliwangi division stationed in Banten, replaced Gen. Agustadi Sasongko Purnomo as Army chief. Agustadi had held the position since Dec. 2007.

Vice Adm. Agus Suhartono, 54, the inspector general at the Department of Defense, became head of the Navy, replacing Adm. Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno who had been in the post since July 2008.

Air Vice Marshall Imam Sufaat, 54, the Air Force's deputy chief, replaced Marshal Subandrio as the commander.

Djoko said the replacements were a routine rotation and part of the regeneration of the Armed Forces. "After this inauguration, it's time to prepare for my replacement," Djoko said.

The inauguration ceremony was also attended by Vice President Boediono, People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Chairman Taufik Kiemas, House Speaker Marzuki Alie, Regional Representives Council Chairman Irman Gusman, a number of cabinet ministers and National Police Chief Bambang Hendarso Danuri.

George Toisutta

Born in Ujung Pangdang on June 1, 1953, George graduated from the military academy in 1976 and started his military career two years later as a platoon commander in the Army.

In 1988, George was promoted to head of the operational brigade section for Kodam Jaya, and a year later became deputy commander of the outfit.

George, an Ambonese father of three, became the head of staff of Division II of the Army Strategic Reserves Command (Kostrad) in 2003 and a high-ranking officer at military headquarters in the same year.

In 2004, he was promoted to commander of Kostrad's Division I in Jakarta and the following year became commander of the Trikora Military Command in Papua.

He became commander of the Siliwangi Military Command in 2006.

Agus Suhartono

Born in Blitar, East Java, on Aug. 25, 1955, Agus graduated from the Naval Academy in 1978 and joined the service the following year, serving on a number of warships in Eastern Indonesian waters.

He was a communications officer on a number of vessels including the Sam Ratulangi, the Kakap, the Sultan Taha Syaifudin and the Ki Hajar Dewantara.

In 1999, the Javanese father of two joined the Navy's operational staff and three years later he was promoted to commander of the Eastern Indonesia Command.

Agus graduated from the National Defense Agency, or Lemhanas, in 2003 and became a unit commander in the Navy's Eastern Fleet.

Three years later, he was promoted to deputy planning assistant for the Navy Chief of Staff, and five months later he became a commander of the Naval Academybefore he was appointed to the post of inspector general at the Department of Defense.

Imam Sufaat

Born in Wates, Yogyakarta, on Jan. 27, 1955, Imam graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1977 and took a commission as a fighter pilot.

Imam has a long flying career, piloting various aircraft and logging 4,850 hours in the cockpit.

He became a commander at the Air Force's flight school and and was promoted to defense attache for the Air Force in London in 1997.

He became a deputy commander at the Pekanbaru air base in 1999, and was then based at the Pontianak base until 2002 when he became an operational commander of the western Air Force.

New chiefs aligned to Yudhoyono's interests

Jakarta Post - November 9, 2009

Erwida Maulia and Novan Iman Santosa, Jakarta – There is speculation at the medium-term reasons motivating a "sudden unexpected" move by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, to install new chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force on Monday.

For some observers the speculation goes as far as interpreting it as a move towards securing Yudhoyono's political hegemony, and to pave the way for his eldest son Capt. Agus Harimurti to take up the succession.

Yudhoyono is scheduled to swear in Lt. Gen. George Toisuta, Vice Adm. Agus Suhartono and Rear Marshal Imam Sufaat as the chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force, respectively, on Monday.

George will replace Gen. Agustadi Sasongko, Vice Adm. Agus will take over the position of Adm. Tedjo Edhy Purdijanto, and Imam will replace Marshal Subandrio.

"SBY wants all the new chiefs of staff to be under his control," military observer from Bandung's Parahyangan University, Anak Agung Banyu Perwita, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

"It is likely that the appointment of George Toisuta as the new Army chief of staff is intended to promote his brother-in-law Maj. Gen. Edhi Wibowo as the new commander of Siliwangi Military Command."

Banyu explained that after serving as Siliwangi commander, it would be easier for Edhi to become the next Army Strategic Command (Kostrad) chief, then the next Army chief of staff, and finally the Indonesian Military (TNI) commander.

The ultimate goal, he said, could be to smoothen the promotion of Capt. Agus' in the TNI to help him emerge as Indonesia's new leader.

Meanwhile, Bantarto Bandoro of University of Indonesia, said Toisuta himself could be Yudhoyono's close aide and then be promoted as the next TNI chief in two or three years. "So the President is placing people who will help him securing his position," he told the Post.

Bantarto predicted the promotion of the new chiefs was a stepping stone that Yudhoyono was using before replacing National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri.

Bambang is facing mounting demands to step down after controversial records revealed the involvement of several police officers in an alleged framing of two deputy chiefs of the Corruption Eradication Commission, Chandra Hamzah and Bibit Samad Riyanto, "He (Yudhoyono) needs to respond to mounting public pressure, otherwise it will reduce his popularity," Bantarto said.

Both Bantarto and Banyu considered the appointment of the new chiefs of staff as "surprising" and "unexpected", saying it was very fast for the new government.

But, military analyst from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Jaleswari Pramowardhani, told the Post that the replacement of the three military chiefs was something normal and not sudden.

"The TNI high-ranking promotion and duty rotation council (Wanjakti) has held meetings to discuss the replacement of three-star positions since late August," she said. "The positions of chiefs of staff can be decided by the President without involving the council."

She added the three new chiefs of staff deserved promotion while Banyu said the track records of the new Air Force and Navy chiefs were "relatively unknown".

Previously Vice Adm. Agus was the Defense Ministry inspector general while Imam was chief of the Air Force Operational Command I.

Air Force chief spokesman Cmdr. Bambang Sulistyo told the Post that Imam would report Monday morning to TNI chief Gen. Djoko Santoso on his promotion as Air Force deputy chief of staff with the rank vice marshal.

Imam will then head to the Presidential Palace to be installed as Air Force chief of staff, a four-star position. This means Imam will only held his position as deputy chief of staff for one day.

"The hand over ceremony will be held Thursday at the Halim Perdanakusumah Air Force Base on Thursday," said Cmdr. Bambang.

Economy & investment

Economy accelerates faster, optimism returns

Jakarta Post - November 11, 2009

Mustaqim Adamrah, Jakarta – Driven by an increase in consumer spending, the country's economic growth accelerated faster in the third quarter after losing speed for more than a year on the back of sluggish exports.

The period saw the economy expanding by 4.2 percent compared to the same period last year and by 3.9 percent from a quarter earlier, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) revealed Tuesday.

The BPS recorded Rp 1,452.5 trillion (US$154 billion) in GDP in the third quarter this year, giving a total of Rp 4,131.1 trillion in cumulative gross domestic product.

Previously, yearly economic growth slowed down gradually, beginning with 6.4 percent in the second quarter of last year, 6.1 percent in the third quarter and 5.2 percent in the fourth quarter. Subsequently the first quarter saw growth at 4.4 percent followed by 4 percent in the second quarter.

BPS said the acceleration in the third quarter was largely driven by government and household spending, which grew by 10.2 percent and 4.7 percent year-on-year respectively, prompted by the general election and the fasting season of Ramadan.

Investment also saw positive improvement, growing by 9 percent compared to a year before.

On the downside, exports and imports in the third quarter remained on a downward trajectory, contracting by 8.2 percent and 18.3 percent year-on-year respectively.

BPS deputy chairman on balances and statistical analysis Slamet Sutomo said the country's economy may grow slower in the fourth quarter as there would be no more impetus left to propel it higher.

Slamet's statement differed from a forecast stated earlier this week by Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati. She said the economy might accelerate more to between 4.6 percent and 4.7 percent growth in the final quarter.

She argued that the country's economy was heading towards full recovery in the final quarter, faster than most economies in the world due to Indonesia's strong economic fundamentals.

This would consequently show an unusual growth trend, Mulyani said, instead of the traditionally slower growth in the fourth quarter. Overall therefore, full-year growth might reach 4.3 percent, she said.

Albeit predicting slightly slower growth in the final quarter, Slamet confirmed the economy would likely still grow above four percent.

The BPS also revealed Tuesday a survey on business players' confidence on the economy, saying the Business Tendency Index increased to 112.86 in the third quarter this year, up from 110.43 in the second quarter, indicating improvements in business conditions.

An index result of more than 100 represents business optimism, Slamet said. "In the third quarter, indices in business sectors were recorded above 100. Businesspeople have regained their confidence," he said.

Foreign businesses frustrated by blackouts in Jakarta

Jakarta Globe - November 10, 2009

Dian Ariffahmi, Yessar Rossendar & Teguh Prasetyo – Foreign manufacturers are joining the growing list of industries unhappy with Jakarta's ongoing blackouts, saying frequent work stoppages are gouging into their production and endangering millions of dollars in overseas investments.

A 28-member delegation of Japanese business leaders complained about the outages to Industry Minister MS Hidayat on Monday. The group was from the Kansai Economic Federation, also known as Kankeiren, which represents thousands of firms from Japan's Kansai region that operate in Indonesia.

Hidayat said the Kankeiren delegation told him the blackouts in the city were burdening their business activities.

"They didn't mention which companies are suffering from this power problem, but they represent all business players and investors who put their money here," Hidayat told reporters after the meeting.

"I told them I am sorry, it is also affecting local industry. But I assured them that electricity infrastructure is among the top priorities in the [Yudhoyono administration's] 100-day program. So it will be fixed as early as possible," Hidayat said.

A senior official with PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara, the state electricity utility, said last week that Jakarta, Bekasi and Tangerang would continue to experience rotating four-hour shifts of power rationing through the end of the month.

PLN is struggling to meet demand for power in Greater Jakarta since a fire at its central facility in Cawang, East Jakarta, in September. The blaze triggered mechanical problems with other generators on the grid this month because they were overloaded.

Eddy Widjanarko, chairman of the Indonesian Footwear Association (Aprisindo), said shoe factories were operating at only between 50 to 60 percent capacity because of the unstable power supply.

Eddy said Aprisindo was meeting on Monday with seven Korean footwear producers to discuss the blackouts.

In a desperate move to guarantee a power supply, "the seven South Korean firms, which own factories in Gunung Putri, Bogor, in West Java, are now considering setting up their own coal- and gas- fired power generators," Eddy said.

Businesses feel the pinch from blackouts

Jakarta Post - November 10, 2009

Mustaqim Adamrah, Jakarta – Rounds of blackouts have hit numerous manufacturers operating in Greater Jakarta, with garment producers already incurring penalties due to delayed deliveries.

"It is harmful when blackouts affect manufacturers because their production and deliveries won't meet the scheduled time," Industry Minister and chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), Mohamad Suleman Hidayat, said Monday.

"Manufacturers may also lose opportunities to increase their production capacities if blackouts occur indefinitely."

Furthermore, manufacturers might also have their orders cancelled by their buyers, Hidayat said.

Businesses in Greater Jakarta have suffered from blackouts after a transformer at the Cawang power plant exploded on Sept. 29, straining the capacity of other power plants in the city.

Indonesian Textile Association (API) deputy chairman Ade Sudrajat said that more than 100 garment producers in Greater Jakarta had already felt the pinch from the blackouts, with operational costs soaring by more than 50 percent.

"Without any announcements prior to the blackouts, we have to spend more on operational costs for our laborers working overtime," Ade told The Jakarta Post.

Ade said indefinite blackouts put employers in a quandary over whether to tell their workers to wait or to send them home.

"For sure, these workers will demand we pay them one way or another," he said. "There are some companies that have even paid penalties because of delayed exports [thanks to the blackouts]," he said, stressing the affected manufacturers could end up "shutting down".

Likewise, PT Astra Daihatsu Motor marketing director Amelia Tjandra said her company had to pay more for workers due to the blackouts.

"If a blackout occurs, say, on Thursday, we have to send our workers home, and they have to work later on Saturday, or on Sunday [to compensate]," she said. "Consequently, we have to pay overtime allowances calculated on hourly base and meal allowances to our employees working overtime."

Indonesian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (GP Farmasi) chairman, Anthony Charles Sunarjo, said pharmaceutical companies operating in Jakarta also had to spend more on operational costs because they had to use their diesel-powered generators during blackouts.

Most pharmaceutical companies used power from both PLN and their own generators, he said. "A pharmaceutical factory works like a hospital; it cannot stop when an operation is being carried out even if there is a blackout," he told the Post.

However, he said he did not know to what extent blackouts had affected the operational costs of pharmaceutical companies.

PLN general manager of the Java-Bali load control center and distribution, Nur Pamudji, said earlier that his office had planned a project worth Rp 5.6 trillion (US$593.6 million) to procure eight power transformers, to strengthen the city's electricity by 2012.

People

The forgotten Indonesian artist behind the 1,000 rupiah note

Jakarta Globe - November 10, 2009

Ade Mardiyati – Augustin Sibarani, born in 1925 in Pematang Siantar, North Sumatra, had a reputation for being the most brilliant cartoonist in the country in his day.

His caricatures enlivened the pages of leading national newspaper Bintang Timoer. It is said that President Sukarno, himself an internationally recognized art collector and patron, would cut them out and keep them.

But all of that changed when Suharto came to power in the mid- 1960s. The new president maintained tight control of information, especially the press, but also the country's artistic and literary movement.

Sibarani's career suffered terribly. His paintings were dismissed and newspapers were banned from running his cartoons.

Even after many years, the hurt is still obvious. Sibarani looked relaxed at his interview in Jakarta last week. Dressed in a checked shirt and gray trousers, he rested his arm casually on the arm of his chair, his bony fingers curling around the end of his walking stick.

However, when Sibarani was asked about his work, a wave of sadness washed over him and his eyes filled with tears. We sat in silence until Ocha, Sibarani's eldest son, explained: "It is always emotional for him when someone asks him about paintings."

Sibarani suffered a debilitating stroke in 2006, and sometimes has difficulty putting thoughts into words, which was why Ocha had sat in on the interview that day.

The stroke also left Sibarani unable to make art for the first time in more than 70 years. One of the triggers, Ocha said, is believed to have been the death of Sibarani's beloved wife, Sani Tobing, three years earlier.

Next year, exhibitions of Sibarani's work will be held at Bentara Budaya art gallery's branches in Jakarta and Yogyakarta, and also at Museum Kartun Indonesia in Denpasar, Bali.

Ocha hopes the exhibitions will raise his father's spirits. "It is very important for him to be able to return to his [art] community where he can meet other artists," the 44-year-old architect said. "It will enliven his spirit."

Sibarani's passion for art reaches back to his early childhood, when his parents would take him to art shows. "I made a portrait of my parents when I was a child," Sibarani said very slowly, his voice almost inaudible.

At the age of 8, Sibarani made portraits of his teachers at Dutch school H.I.S, and was much remarked upon for his skill. Two years later, he was awarded the Golden Star by the Dutch government in Indonesia for painting the Netherland's Prince Willem Van Oranje.

Sukarno was one of Sibarani's biggest admirers. "Whenever they happened to meet each other, Sukarno would always say to him 'Hey, I made a clipping of your caricatures. I cut them out from the newspaper'," Ocha said.

But under Suharto's New Order, the media was banned from publishing Sibarani's caricatures, which were often critical of the government. Sibarani remains firmly against the New Order, Ocha said.

"It started at the end of the 1960s to the beginning of the reformation era," Ocha said of the period in which Sibarani's work was banned.

"There were only two options at that time for the media that published his caricatures: either they stopped publishing his pieces altogether or the government would revoke their license. The media chose to stop publishing his pieces.

"Even when the caricatures did not speak about the government, they could not be published because they were Sibarani's," Ocha said.

Sibarani had to find another way to provide for his family of five and started drawing portraits and taking commissions for paintings, Ocha said.

"He sold many of his paintings at low rates. He simply took orders from anyone," Ocha said. "There were no prominent people though among those who placed orders. They were reluctant to order from a Sibarani, the name that was made an enemy by the ruling regime."

Apart from the sharp criticisms of politicians in his caricatures, Sibarani also tackled social issues through his oil paintings. "I painted reality," Sibarani said repeatedly during the interview whenever his son mentioned "social issues."

The year 1987 was arguably the peak of Sibarani's career, but this was to give him little pleasure. One of his paintings was used to illustrate the Rp 1,000 note issued by the Bank of Indonesia that year, but without Sibarani's knowledge.

Back in 1961, Sibarani had painted the North Sumatran national hero Sisingamangaraja XII on a government commission. "There was no official portrait of Sisingamangaraja at that time," Ocha said.

Later the painting was appropriated by the Ministry of Social Affairs as a history book illustration.

"There was not any agreement of whether the name [Sibarani] would be mentioned when the painting was used. It was just attributed to an 'unknown'," Ocha said. "All he knew was that the painting was only used for that purpose."

It was not until Sibarani held in his hand the new Rp 1,000 note that he realized his masterpiece had been used. "He made a complaint to the Ministry of Social Affairs and later to Bank Indonesia and Peruri [the Indonesian Government Printing and Minting Corporation] but to no avail," Ocha said.

Sibarani was determined to fight his own battle. He read books about copyright regulations and filed a law suit against the three institutions.

"We, his three children, were too young to be able to help him," Ocha said. "He went to court himself and hired a lawyer, whom he paid for with [money from] his paintings. I wish we could have done something for him back then."

There had been attempts to persuade Sibarani to drop the lawsuit, Ocha said. "[The government] sent someone – our relative – to talk to him and ask him to stop the case. He was even given a TV set at that time so that he would be willing to close it," Ocha said.

"Not only that, but the governor of the Bank Indonesia at the time ordered a huge painting of Sisingamangaraja from him to be put in the bank.

"They even held a ceremony and invited him to officially take off the cover, revealing the painting, in front of people. They did that as if nothing had happened."

Sibarani did not read the Bank Indonesia commission as a resolution. "He continued to fight through the courts and refused to give up," Ocha said. "But in the end, there was a rumor that the lawyer, and the court itself, had sided with the three institutions. He lost the case and really felt down."

Today the great caricaturist, admired by Sukarno and vilified by Suharto, is cared for by a nurse and spends most days "just sitting" at his home in Cinere in Jakarta's south.

Asked whether he is still angry about the "stolen" painting, Sibarani answered stonily, "I was not. I am not." "But I painted that."

Analysis & opinion

What the facts say

Jakarta Post Editorial - November 11, 2009

It's all getting a bit out of hand. As the world's third-largest democracy, Indonesia's legal system seems to have taken on a Wild West character. Stubbornness and provocation have taken over the reigns of judicial prudence and commonsense. Guns and guts are replacing justice and rectitude.

If it had not been for the intense media scrutiny emoting the swell of public pressure, the prejudice against the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) may surely have continued to this day.

There is now a temporary respite for KPK deputies Bibit Samad Rianto and Chandra M. Hamzah. But justice is far from being served. In fact it continues, in the eyes of many, to be undermined to a state where public trust in justice is debilitated.

The presidential fact-finding team on Monday submitted its preliminary report to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono through the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto.

Despite the initial public skepticism, the team has come to represent the best hope of justice and source of revelation in this awkwardly confusing case, which seems to implicate too many key figures in the country's legal system.

Members of the team stopped short of officially revealing their recommendations, but the gist of their message was not surprising to all with an interest in this case.

According to team chairman Adnan Buyung Nasution, the charges of extortion, bribery and abuse of power against Bibit and Chandra were backed by very little evidence.

"The police just don't have enough evidence to continue with the case," Buyung said Monday, while adding the team's hope that "what we've concluded here tonight will be heeded by the President".

In the team's findings, hard evidence could only show a flow of money from graft fugitive Anggoro Widjojo and his brother Anggodo Widjojo to alleged middleman Ari Muladi. There was nothing to connect a transfer of funds to the two KPK deputies.

The police, Buyung said, pressed the case too far without sufficient evidence, while invoking irrelevant articles.

All eyes are now on the President. Rarely has there been a case in which the President has been under so much public pressure and intense scrutiny over the past five years.

Will he act decisively, swiftly, or will he use his absence to attend the APEC summit in Singapore later in the week to dilly- dally before taking action?

According to reports, the President saw the report submitted by the fact-finding later on Monday. Nevertheless, the concurrent events have been somewhat disconcerting.

Hours after receiving the report, Djoko Suyanto held a meeting with National Police chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri and Attorney General Hendarman Supandji. After the hour-long discussion, all three met with Yudhoyono at the Presidential Palace.

While such consultations are customary in other circumstances, the conditions of the case make the ethics of consultations with the police chief and attorney general questionable, given the role of these two state officers in the case itself.

Given the conduct and developments of the case, both the police chief and attorney general should not be council to the President in this matter.

Does one consult the Godfather before busting a mafia ring? Yudhoyono's penchant for proper protocol, rather than daring initiative, is either a sign of incompetence or an indication that he is not serious in expeditiously resolving the case.

We presently refrain from judgment until the President formally announces his response to the team's findings. The President is entitled to the benefit of the doubt, before we begin to doubt him altogether.