"There are systematic efforts to wipe out the service of the Great General Soeharto throughout his life," Tutut said, during the inauguration of the memorial in Kemusuk village, Bantul regency, Yogyakarta.

She said the memorial was built to remember the merits of Soeharto as one of the country's heroes. "A great nation is a nation which has never forgotten the merits of its heroes," Tutut said.

A brass statue of Soeharto at the entrance of the memorial which looks south. Visitors can gaze in wonder the minutiae of Soeharto's childhood including the well where baby Soeharto was first bathed.

Other parts display the epic of Soeharto's life from his entry into the military to the opening of his political career. Soeharto's life history is presented through photographs, written descriptions, statues and slide shows. (fan/ebf)

Suharto's birthday keeps discussion alive

Jakarta Globe - June 10, 2013

Imron Rosyid Taufikur – Thousands of people attended prayers to celebrate what would have been the 92nd birthday of the late President Suharto in Solo, Central Java, on Saturday.

The event was attended by Suharto's children along with influential figures including Aburizal Bakrie, the chairman of the Golkar Party, of which Suharto was a part, Aburizal's predecessor Akbar Tanjung, People's Conscience Party (Hanura) chairman Wiranto, former Army chief Gen. Subagyo H.S. and former finance minister Fuad Bawazier.

To commemorate Suharto's birthday, his half brother, businessman Probosutedjo, built a memorial park in the Yogyakarta district of Bantul featuring Suharto's statue on a 3,620 meter plot of land.

"A big nation is one that honors its heroes. We must never forget the national service heroes have done for the country," Suharto's eldest daughter Siti Hardijanti Rukmana said during the inauguration of the memorial park on Saturday.

Posters and stickers featuring a smiling Suharto and reading "Wasn't it good during my time?" have become commonplace in Central Java recently.

But Winarso, coordinator of a group for victims of the Suharto regime, warned of the need to be careful about wishing for a return to Suharto's methods. "This phenomenon shows that the cronies of the New Order have completed their consolidation," Winarso said on Saturday.

Winarso said people close to Suharto's New Order regime had been hiding and claimed to be the supporters of reform when in fact they were watching political developments with suspicion. "Now they have come out as Suharto's admirers," Winarso said.

He added that Suharto's supporters had been seeking to attract contemporary support for Suharto, who died in 2008, aged 86. "It's not surprising to see the T-shirts and stickers bearing Suharto's picture emerging, especially in Solo and Yogyakarta," he said.

"They are a threat, especially for millions of families of victims of the New Order." He added that Suharto's regime had murdered many people accused of being supporters of the disbanded Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), without even a court trial.

Former Constitutional Court chief justice Mahfud M.D., a potential 2014 presidential contender, said Suharto, like any person, had both good and bad sides.

He said Indonesians should focus on the positive things he had done for the country, such as strong government and clear political direction. Mahfud said Suharto's leadership was badly needed from 1965 to 1967, when he assumed power.

"In terms of his weaknesses, he created a system that provided room for corruption, collusion, and nepotism [KKN] practices. That's undeniable," Mahfud said on Friday.

He said that Suharto in 1978 started to facilitate KKN, which went on to account for 30 percent of the state budget and continued until he was forced from office 20 years later. "We cannot label our leaders as being all bad, so I agree with the commemoration," he said of Suharto's birthday commemoration.

West Papua

Papua police office torched by mob over assault allegations

Jakarta Globe - June 16, 2013

Banjir Ambarita, Jayapura – A mob armed with machetes and arrows stormed a police district headquarters in Pegunungan Bintang, setting the building and several vehicles ablaze after claims that police beat an intoxicated man set-off a wave of anti-police sentiment in this conflict-prone region.

Police said they were powerless as hundreds of local residents rampaged through the police compound, torching motorbikes and vehicles in a short- lived but violent attack. The mob arrived around 11 a.m. local time on Sunday. They disbursed a short time later, Papua Police spokesman Sr. Comr. I Gede Sumerta Jaya said.

"Aside from the district police office, they also attacked cars belonging to the [Pegunungan Bintang] police chief and his deputy, as well as a patrol car," Sumerta said. "They also attacked 25 motorcycles parked around the police headquarters compound. "We don't know [the financial] losses from this attack yet."

The Indonesian news portal Tempo.co reported that several police officers were injured in the attack. It was not immediately clear whether the attackers were also injured. The situation was back under control Sunday evening, Sumerta said.

The violence was reportedly set-off by accusations that police assaulted a drunk man during his arrest.

"They reportedly got information that First Brig. A. K. arrested a drunk man, who had resisted the arrest, which led to a fight before the drunk person was tackled," Sumerta said. "Because of the fight, the drunk man sustained bruises and people thought the police member had assaulted him, which caused them to be angry and commit the anarchic action."

Trade, extradition and Papua on agenda for PNG-Indonesia talks: Report

Jakarta Globe - June 14, 2013

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill is planning to discuss the topics of trade, border security and extradition during his three-day visit to Indonesia over the weekend, a report from Port Moresby said on Friday.

"We want to encourage further strengthening of trade and investment opportunities between the two countries," O'Neill was quoted as saying in a report carried by the Australia Network News.

The prime minister also added that he will talk about ways to develop economic opportunities along border areas, as well as strengthen the management of border issues, between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

The approximately 800 kilometer-long porous border between PNG and Indonesia's Papua province is host to many issues. In addition to cross- border crossings by various tribes and people from Papua seeking shelter in PNG, there are ongoing reports of human rights abuses against pro- independence activists in Papua, as well.

O'Neill stressed that his country's policy is to view Papua as an integral part of Indonesia, but added that he looked forward to discussing matters surrounding the shared border.

"We are encouraged by the invitation by the Indonesian government. For the first time in its history, [the country is] asking Papua New Guinea to help in some of those issues in West Papua," he said.

According to the report, O'Neill said that the PNG cabinet has agreed on an extradition treaty with Indonesia that will be discussed during the trip.

The talks come in the wake of the case of Indonesian citizen Joko Chandra, who fled to PNG and was made a citizen despite it being illegal to hold dual citizenship in Indonesia.

O'Neill said that many ministers will be on hand to sign agreements, and more than 100 business people will join the delegation.

Freeport Indonesia workers call off strike, continue maintenance

Bloomberg - June 14, 2013

PT Freeport Indonesia workers called off a strike planned for today that would have halted maintenance at the world's biggest copper mine, after the company suspended officials held responsible for an accident, according to a union official.

Workers will continue maintenance as normal at the Grasberg deposit, where output has stopped since the tunnel collapse on May 14 that killed 28 people, Virgo Solossa, an official at the All Indonesian Workers Union, said by phone Friday.

The continued maintenance means Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. will be able to restart production and resume shipments more quickly once it gets approval from the government, which has said the mine will stay shut until after a probe is completed.

Investigators will report the results to the energy ministry by early next week, Ridho Wattimena, head of an independent team, said by phone yesterday.

An official at Freeport Indonesia did not comment today when asked whether it had suspended the managers the union holds responsible for the accident.

Daisy Primayanti, its vice president of corporate communications, confirmed in a phone text message that the union had canceled the strike.

Freeport on June 12 declared force majeure on shipments from the mine, a clause that allows it to miss obligations because of circumstances beyond its control.

It said the shutdown is cutting copper output by 1,361 tons a day, equal to 2.9 percent of average daily global production in 2013.

The stoppage has buoyed benchmark copper prices, which rose as much as 1.3 percent to $7,141.75 a metric ton today on the London Metal Exchange before trading at $7,087.

Smelters in Indonesia and Japan have said they are looking for alternative ore supply because of the shutdown.

A one-man campaign against Indonesia could cost Britain billions

The Telegraph (UK) - June 13, 2013

Damien McElroy – Benny Wenda, a 38-year-old exile from the Pacific territory of West Papua, has recently opened an office on the Cowley Road for his campaign seeking independence for the Indonesian-run half of the island of New Guinea.

Mr Wenda has lived and worked in the university city since 2005, but since opening the office in April has quickly expanded his following in Britain and overseas, and become a major diplomatic thorn in ties with Indonesia.

With a presidential election looming next year, street protests have erupted in Jakarta, parliamentary rows have broken out and even the country's army has called for action following internet reports about his Oxford operation.

Leading candidates have demanded President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono review a #7.5 billion natural gas investment deal struck by BP in the waters off Papua, as well as other British investments.

Mark Canning, the British ambassador to Jakarta, was hauled in by Indonesia's foreign ministry for a dressing down. He tried to calm tensions by reiterating that Britain remained committed to Indonesia's territorial integrity.

But the complaints from the burgeoning southeast Asian state, which is a major priority for British trade and diplomacy, triggered a formal appeal to the Indonesians from Whitehall not to "allow" the row to derail the relationship, a source close to the matter said.

"It is vital that we do not allow the West Papua issue to damage our work with Indonesia," the Telegraph was told.

Despite the modesty of his accommodation, a 10ft by 10ft bureau, Mr Wenda exerts a powerful presence as he relays a compelling personal story of his journey from persecuted child to British citizenship.

As a boy he says he watched Indonesian troops rape his aunt at the bottom of the family garden. Later he was slapped in the face by an Indonesian schoolmate merely for trying to engage her in conversation. After arrest for his political activities, he escaped his homeland by plane from a jungle landing strip after a daring prison break.

"For the last 50 years we have struggled for freedom but nobody knows that West Papua is a prison, that we are slaves to the Indonesian military and that at least 500,000 men and women have been killed in a genocide," he told the Daily Telegraph.

"Since I came here to Oxford I have had a simple message and tell my own story. I have travelled around the world to tell people this is a 21st century struggle."

Unlike the rest of the Dutch East Indies, West Papua was not automatically included in the new Indonesian republic that emerged after the Second World War. But Jakarta has asserted its sovereignty over the oil and mineral rich territory after a United Nations-approved referendum in 1969.

West Papuans activists rejected the outcome of the vote, claiming that just a few thousand people voted at gunpoint out of a population of just over a million.

The territory is now Indonesia's richest in terms of resources but poorest in terms of income. Nevertheless it has become a magnet for mainland Indonesians who are flocking to the island for jobs, encouraged by a government policy that campaigners have condemned as a deliberate attempt to settle a loyal majority.

"Indonesia is plainly worried that someone will force them to hold vote and they will lose," said Charles Foster, an Oxford academic who has known Mr Wenda since he arrived as a refugee. "That's why they have a policy of bringing in people who will vote for unification."

While Indonesia continues to imprison Papuan activists on the island, it has failed to contain the groundswell of support abroad. According to Mr Foster, the attempts to muzzle Mr Wenda are an extension of the repression Jakarta metes out at home.

Jennifer Robinson, an Australian lawyer who represents Mr Wenda, said: "The complaints from Indonesia to the British government demonstrate a complete lack of understanding of the rights of freedom of association and freedom of speech.

"Benny is a peaceful advocate who is seeking rights for his people that they are entitled to under international law. That the Indonesians are asking for his office to be shut down demonstrates a lack of understanding of British tradition of human rights."

However a spokesman for the Indonesian embassy in London said the country was determined to ensure that the British stance on Papuan independence did not change.

"We want to make sure that the British government is more wary of the separatists who are willing to twist the position of officials to make it appear that their cause is gaining support," he said.

While the Government has acknowledged the prospect of worsening ties, diplomats are hopeful that they can avoid retaliation in trade or other spheres.

Indonesia is not only oil-rich, it is also the world's largest Muslim nation and boasts a robust economy that is attracting British investors.

As a UK citizen, Mr Wenda no longer fears repatriation. His tireless efforts to spread the cause of West Papuan freedom led him to travel to perform at music festivals, give speeches to university students and seek the support of international leaders.

His growing fame led to an appearance in front of 2,500 people at the Sydney Opera House. Within hours the Indonesian government was protesting to Australia.

"Indonesia is still trying to hunt me down," he said. "My focus is self- determination for my people and I know I will achieve freedom for my homeland."

Beatings at student demo in Indonesia's Papua province

Radio New Zealand International - June 13, 2013

A journalist in Indonesia's Papua province says yesterday's student rally was forcibly broken up by police who are currently searching for the organiser.

Police started dispersing the 50 rallying students at Cendrawasih University in Waena when they blocked the entrance. The police also violently arrested the leader of the Papua National Parliament, Buchtar Tabuni.

Alex Perrottet reports.

Aprila Wayar, a journalist for Tabloid Jubi, was present at the rally and says four to five police officers stopped a car and dragged Buchtar Tabuni out, hit him repeatedly and stomped on him. Supporters say he has bruises on his head and back from rifle butts.

They then took him to the police station for questioning, asking whether he helped organise the demonstration. Students had raised the banned pro- independence Morning Star flag. Aprila says police then released Mr Tabuni and are now searching for the student organiser Yason Ngelim, who is being harboured by a human rights group.

She says there are now many police around Jayapura – The demonstration follows Monday's peaceful rally in support of the Melanesian Spearhead Group meeting in New Caledonia next week, which will consider the West Papuan application for membership.

Papuan students call for West Papua to be within the MSG

Bintang Papua - June 13, 2013

A demonstration by dozens of students from Cenderawasih University calling for West Papua to become a member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group was forced to disperse by the police on the grounds that they did not have a permit to demonstrate. Moreover, they were flying the Kejora – Morning Star flag.

Yason Ngelia who was responsible for holding the peaceful demo told journalists: "We support the idea that West Papua should be part of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) which is seeking to improve welfare and the economy and which would help improve economic conditions in West Papua and ensure that we are no longer so undeveloped."

He also mentioned the fact on the previous day, the Prime Minister of Vanuatu declared that West Papua must be included in the MSG. He made these points during a speech which he was able to deliver before the demonstrators were forcibly dispersed by the police. He said that as students, 'We must concern ourselves with conditions in West Papua; being inside the MSG would help to promote West Papua's welfare and economy,' he said.

As a member of the Students Council of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, he said they must devote their attention to the conditions of the West Papua people where nothing has improved. "We must fully support whatever the people of West Papua want. We have no connections with any group that has special interests in the Land of Papua."

Pointing to the many leaflets circulating which include a photo of the Kejora flag that have been hung on the front gate of the campus, he said: "All this is a clear manifestation of our support for West Papua to be within the MSG because we too are Melanesians."

"We deeply regret the actions that were taken by the police to disperse the demonstrators, during which they beat some of the students. As a result, one student was suffering from a wound in his mouth because of the way he had been beaten in the face. Not only that; his motorbike was seized by the police."

"We insist that the police immediately return the motorbike to its owner. This is an action which clearly shows that the police have no respect for the principles of democracy, here in West Papua." he said.

[Translated by TAPOL.]

Buchtar released after police interrogation

Tabloid JUBI - June 12, 2013

Jayapura – The former chairman of the KNPB (National Committee of West Papua), Buchtar Tabuni, has been released after being interrogated by the police. It was reported earlier that he had been arrested by units of the police in Jayapura.

The general secretary of the KNPB, Ones Suhuniap, confirmed that Buchtar was released in the afternoon. He said, speaking via the phone, that there had been no clarification from the police about Buchter's arrest. Ones also said that his treatment during the interrogation had been harsh (he had been slapped and kicked, according to our editor).

He was arrested outside the campus of Cenderawasih University (Uncen) in Waena, Abepura. At the time of his arrest he was on a white motorbike going past the entrance of Uncen.

A police officer told Jubi that he had been questioned about a demonstration by students of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences. They wanted to know whether his group was involved in the student demonstration. The police officer said that the demonstration had taken place without notifying the police. He went on to say that Buchtar was only held for a short while because there was no legal justification to hold him any longer.

[Abridged in translation by TAPOL.]

Police meet Cendrawasih student rally with force

Jakarta Post - June 12, 2013

Nethy Dharma Somba, Papua – The police forcibly dispersed a student mass rally held in front of Cendrawasih University campus in Waena, Jayapura, Papua province, on Wednesday.

The decision was made after the rally blocked off the only access route into the campus, thus disrupting studying activities.

"The rally was staged right in the front of the gate, therefore the students who weren't involved in the rally couldn't gain access to the campus," Papua Police spokesman Sr. Comr. I Gede Sumerta Jaya said.

Approximately 50 students staged the rally on behalf of the university's school of social and political science and placed a picture of Papuan Morning Star, which represents the Free Papua Movement (OPM), at the campus gate.

According to Sr. Comr. I Gede Sumerta Jaya, the police could not establish the students' request during the rally because the rally field coordinator, Yason Ngelim, had fled the scene.

The police arrested Buchtar Tabuni, former head of the West Papua National Committee, who was spotted at the rally. "We want to ask him about the intention of the rally," Sumerta said. (dic)

Papuan Independence Group invited to the next MSG meeting

ABC Radio Australia - June 11, 2013

Papuan independence activists in Vanuatu say membership of the Melanesian Spearhead Group would be a major breakthrough in its fight for independence from Indonesia.

The West Papuan National Coalition for Liberation has been invited to the upcoming MSG summit in Noumea by New Caledonia's indigenous Kanak political group, the FLNKS (Kanak Socialist Front for National Liberation).

It's the first time they'll attend the Melanesian states gathering as an independent entity. An application has been lodged to give the coalition full summit membership.

Papuan lobbyist Andy Ayamiseba has told Radio Australia's Pacific Beat if the application is successful, it will elevate the status of the Indonesian province's campaign for independence.

"By having support from our immediate region... the international community would see that, yes, it is true the immediate region where West Papua is has given their support," he said.

West Papua at MSG seen as breakthrough

Radio New Zealand International - June 11, 2013

The West Papua National Coalition for Liberation says its participation at the Melanesian Spearhead Group Leaders Summit next week will help elevate the status of its cause.

The summit's hosts, New Caledonia's pro-independent FLNKS Movement, extended the first ever official invitation to West Papua to attend an MSG summit as an independent entity. Indonesia has observor status at the MSG summit.

At the Noumea summit, MSG leaders are expected to decide on a formal membership bid by the Coalition. A spokesman for the coalition, Andy Ayamiseba, says the invitation marks a breakthrough in the struggle for West Papuan independence from Indonesia.

"It definitely will elevate the status of the struggle and by having support from our immediate region we could go international because the international community will see that yes it is true the immediate region where West Papua is, has given their support."

Having an OPM Office in Port Moresby is quite legitimate

Bintang Papua - June 10, 2013

Jayapura – In response to the decision of the government of Papua New Guinea to reject a request by the OPM to open an office in Port Moresby, the Director of Baptist Voice-Papua, Mathius Murib, said that OPM offices have been opened in a number of places around the world, including an office in Oxford, the United Kingdom, as well as in Indonesia.

He said that opening such an office is in line with the right to freedom of expression and the basic principles of human rights. It is their intention to explain their political and ideological viewpoint which is quite legitimate and should under no circumstances be banned. The Mayor of Oxford did not refuse to allow the OPM to open an office there because he fully understands that this is in accord with their basic human rights.

There is no reason for any government to refuse to allow the OPM to set up an office, provided that such an the office does not engage in unlawful activities. He said that the following points should be taken into consideration:

Firstly, nothing will shake the Papuan people in their ideology which will remain for as long as the indigenous Papuan people survive, because there is nothing that can force them to change their ideology and no one can do anything to make them change their minds.

Secondly, it is their intention to transform their ideology into something more concrete by consolidating their organisation and no one can deny them the right to do so.

Murib went on to say that the ideology of a free Papua is a fact of history which cannot be denied. "Please remember that for years they waged a guerilla struggle in the jungle and took their struggle overseas as well. They now feel that it will be more effective for them to wage their struggle by setting up offices in a number of places," said Murib.

As has been previously reported, the Chairman of the Diplomatic Commisariat of the KNPB (National Committee for West Papua) recently announced that the OPM plans to open an office in Port Moresby on 18 June but the government of the neighbouring state has refused to allow them to do so. The decision was conveyed by the Consul of the Republic of Indonesia in Vanimo, Jahar Gultom.

Gultom said: with regard to the intention to open an OPM office in PNG, that the government of PNG acknowledges that Papua is an integral part of the the Republic of Indonesia. and the government respects its relationship with Indonesia. Moreover, the Indonesian ambassador in Port Moresby raised the concern of his government if the PNG government were to permit the OPM to open an office there.

In the third place, the Indonesian government raised its concerns with the PNG government concerning such an office and asked the PNG government not to allow this to happen because this might pose an intolerable threat to stability in PNG. Fourthly, the Secretary-General of the Foreign Affairs Department drew attention to the affinity on this matter between PNG and Indonesia.

And finally, bilateral relations between the PNG and Indonesia are now proceeding very well indeed with co-operation between the two sides being strengthened in a number of fields. Moreover, in the very near future, the Prime Minister of PNG, Piter O'Neill plans to visit Indonesia, together with a very large delegation.

[Translated by TAPOL.]

Labour & migrant workers

Tobacco farmers exploiting child labor

Jakarta Post - June 15, 2013

Jakarta – The International Labor Organization, Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance and local NGOs want the government and industry to put a stop to child labor.

"It is important that child laborers receive attention because they are often neglected and susceptible to violence from the industries in which they work," the National chief technical advisor of the PROMOTE project of the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Indonesia, Arum Ratnawati, told The Jakarta Post.

She said ILO estimated that there were almost 2.5 million Indonesian children working who should not be, of which 21 percent were domestic workers, and almost 60 percent in the tobacco industry. Twenty-six percent of total domestic workers are under the age of 18 and 90 percent of them are female mainly from poor village families with low educational levels.

"These children work long hours. Some of them even work up to 12 hours a day, but they get very low wages, or are even unpaid," she said at "No to Child Labour in Domestic Work" during World Day Against Child Labor on June 12.

ILO is urging the government to set a minimum wage for every child who works as a domestic helper, in line with ILO Convention No. 189 on domestic workers.

The executive director of the Alliance of the Elimination of Child Labor, Achmad Marzuki, said that children who worked as domestic servants were isolated, and could be denied their rights to education, healthcare and contact with their families.

"In most cases that we see, the bosses of the children don't allow them to attend school to get a proper education. Furthermore, supervisors from migrant worker agencies have difficulties in reaching these children to provide protection," he said.

He said that recently his organization and other child action groups among local NGOs had pushed the government to begin deliberating the law on protecting domestic workers, including children. There is no law that protects domestic child workers from exploitation and violence because they work in the informal sector.

Director for the International Tobacco Control Project Mary Assunta Kolandai said that child labor in the tobacco industry was a major problem in Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The activities of children in tobacco farming violate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, putting the children at a high risk of health threats and commercial exploitation.

"Children in these countries take part in all tobacco farm activities from planting, watering, transplanting, applying fertilizer, weeding and harvesting to post-harvesting of tobacco seedlings and leaves, which exposes them to the hazardous effect of nicotine," she said.

The children absorb nicotine from contact with wet tobacco leaves, which causes them to suffer green tobacco sickness with symptoms including dizziness, nausea and lethargy. Child workers are reluctant to go to the doctor for such symptoms.

"Most children prefer to buy cigarettes rather than spend their salaries on healthcare," she said. "What these companies are doing is scandalous. They hire these children to produce cigarettes, which they then sell to them."

The coordinator of the Total Ban Alliance, Priyo Adi Nugroho, said that in Sampang and Probolinggo, East Java, the children in the tobacco fields worked three to seven hours per day, earning only Rp 15,000 (US$1.51) to Rp 25,000. "Most of these children smoke at least six cigarettes a day," he said.

The chairman of the National Commission for Child Protection (Komnas PA), Arist Merdeka Sirait, said that tobacco companies had violated ILO Convention No. 182 and No. 138 on the minimum age of employment, which prohibits companies from hiring workers under the age of 18.

"I recommended the public say no to child labor and stop buying and using products that involve child labor in production," he said. (tam)

Political parties & elections

Joko a hot commodity as Golkar, PKS consider putting him on 2014 ticket

Jakarta Globe - June 15, 2013

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The Golkar Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) have become the latest to jump on the bandwagon of Joko Widodo, the Jakarta governor and front-runner for the 2014 presidential election.

Firman Subagyo, a member of Golkar's central leadership board, said on Friday that the party was set in its decision to nominate its chairman, Aburizal Bakrie, for the presidential race, but was still looking for a suitable running mate.

"As for Joko, there have definitely been a few proposals from some of our regional chapters to nominate him [for vice president], but at this point they're just proposals," Firman said.

"We're open to all figures from all backgrounds who want to become our vice presidential candidate, as long as they share the same ideology and vision as us."

He added that this included figures from other parties, including Joko, who is from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

However, Firman noted that Aburizal had his own shortlist of prospective running mates that he was currently considering, and that the party would carry out a series of surveys before determining who would be the most suitable vice presidential candidate.

Speaking in Malang, East Java, last week, Aburizal did not discount the possibility of having Joko as his running mate, but said that the final decision on his partner would ultimately be up to Golkar.

He also pointed out that it was not certain that Joko would want to join the Golkar ticket or that he shared the same ideology as the party.

Meanwhile, a senior official from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) has also expressed interest in having Joko run on the party's ticket next year.

M. Idris Luthfi, a member of the PKS's consultative council, its highest decision-making body, said on Friday that the country's biggest Islamic party was "enchanted" by Joko's stellar rise. He added that while the consultative council had not formally discussed the issue of the party's candidate, there was a good chance it might back Joko.

"Ever since he won the gubernatorial election in Jakarta last year, he's shown that he can make sweeping changes through his various policies," Idris said.

"He's both extremely popular with the people and a hard worker. We would definitely nominate such a candidate."

The PKS and Golkar are the latest parties to raise the possibility of nominating Joko in next year's election, in the wake of a poll last month that put him well ahead of other more established politicians.

The survey by the Center for Strategic and International Studies showed that 29 percent of the 1,600 respondents polled said they would vote for Joko, ahead of Prabowo Subianto, a retired Army general and previous front-runner, at 16 percent.

The PDI-P has also indicated it could nominate him, while the ruling Democratic Party and Prabowo's Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) have also named him as a possible presidential and vice presidential nominee, respectively.

Joko says presidential bid hinges on Megawati

Bloomberg - June 14, 2013

Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo, who leads popularity polls for Indonesia's presidential election next year, affirmed his allegiance to the party of former leader Megawati Soekarnoputri and said she would decide if he runs.

Joko, known locally as Jokowi, topped Prabowo Subianto of the Greater Indonesia Movement party as the number one choice for president in a survey conducted last month by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, known as PDI-P, is the country's biggest opposition party. "PDI-P is my party," Joko, 51, said in an interview in Jakarta Thursday, adding that Megawati as chairwoman is authorized to pick the 2014 presidential candidate.

"So you ask direct to Bu Mega, not to me," he said, referring to the former leader by her nickname.

Joko's surge in popularity after winning the Jakarta governor race in September has fueled speculation he may run for the presidency in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.

Since candidates need support from parties that win at least 20 percent of seats in the House of Representatives in April parliamentary elections, either Megawati or Widodo would likely run with PDI-P's backing.

'Serious contender'

"They are a serious contender this time around because there are no other serious candidates besides Prabowo," said Mohamed Nawab Mohamed Osman, research fellow at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, referring to PDI-P.

"There will be pressure within her party for her to step aside because she has not been able to deliver the presidency."

Megawati, the daughter of Sukarno, the country's first president, became Indonesia's first female leader in 2001 after President Abdurrahman Wahid stepped aside in the middle of his term.

She lost the past two elections to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, including a crushing defeat in the 2009 poll when she captured about a quarter of the votes compared with more than 60 percent for Yudhoyono.

The CSIS poll last month of prospective presidential candidates found that if Widodo ran he would win 28.6 percent of the vote, compared with 5.4 percent for Megawati, the Jakarta Post reported. Subianto would win 15.6 percent, while Aburizal Bakrie, chairman of Golkar, the second-biggest party in parliament and a member of the ruling coalition, would win 7 percent, it said.

Megawati popularity

Tjahjo Kumolo, secretary-general of PDI-P, said a final decision on the candidate will be made after legislative elections next year.

The party will assess early in 2014 whether Widodo has proved successful in running Jakarta, Kumolo said, adding that Megawati remains popular in rural areas where voters remember her father.

"The party decision is to let Ibu Mega decide, whether it'll be her, her with Jokowi as the running mate, or someone other than Ibu Mega," Kumolo said today. "It will depend on the political dynamics."

Senior members of Yudhoyono's ruling Democrat party said they would welcome Widodo to participate in a primary scheduled for next month, the Jakarta Post reported on May 31, citing deputy chairwoman Nurhayati Ali Assegaf.

The Democrat party holds 148 seats in the 560-member parliament, compared with 94 for PDI-P, and has yet to circle around a serious candidate for next year.

'Discreet' approaches

Asked whether any parties have approached him to run, Widodo laughed and said: "Discreet." "I don't think about the presidential election, or the vice president," he said at his office.

"I'm still focused in my job." Widodo said he's concentrating on fixing the two biggest problems in the city of 9.6 million people: Floods and traffic jams.

Construction of a mass rapid transit system in Jakarta, first proposed in the 1980s, would start in September, he said, adding that this month he plans to make a decision on building a monorail. Pressure from political and economic interests prompted both projects to be delayed for years before he took office, Widodo said.

"For me, I ask the document, and when the document is ready, I just decide," he said when asked how he was able to get the stalled projects moving. "If we heard from here, from here, from here, it's difficult to decide."

Mass Transit Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co. and a group of companies won a 3.6 trillion-rupiah ($364 million) contract last month to build an underground tunnel for the mass rapid transit system.

The network's first phase of 15.7 kilometers (9.8 miles) will be completed in 2017, Widodo told reporters on May 2. Bank Indonesia Thursday unexpectedly raised its key interest rate for the first time since 2011 as Governor Agus Martowardojo sought to support the currency and cool inflation expectations.

Yudhoyono's government earlier lowered its 2013 economic growth target to 6.3 percent from 6.8 percent, and predicted inflation will quicken to 7.2 percent this year from an initial estimate of 4.9 percent should fuel prices be raised.

The rupiah dropped 0.7 percent this week to 9,875 per dollar in Jakarta, according to prices from local banks compiled by Bloomberg. It touched 9,925 Thursday, the weakest level since Sept. 15, 2009.

Yudhoyono has made any boost in fuel prices conditional on Parliament approving compensation programs for the poor. Failure to lower subsidies in 2012 led to a record current-account gap, hurting the rupiah as foreign investors lost confidence in the country.

Widodo owes his popularity to regular visits to the city's poorer areas, some of which extend until midnight. That enables him to quickly react when issues arise, he said.

"The politician must know what the people want, what the people need, not only come to the people around them," Widodo said. "It's better to go direct to the people and ask them."

PKS shown door after stand-off

Jakarta Post - June 13, 2013

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) claimed on Wednesday that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono kicked the party out of the ruling coalition for rejecting the upcoming fuel price policy.

Outspoken PKS deputy secretary-general Fahri Hamzah said on Wednesday that the State Palace had shown the Islamist party the door. "The Palace told one PKS minister that our party was no longer with the coalition," Fahri told reporters at the House of Representatives building.

Fahri said that the PKS was waiting for official confirmation from the ruling coalition, locally known as the Setgab koalisi. However, politicians from the coalition declined to confirm if a decision had been made regarding the fate of the PKS.

Executive chairman of the Democratic Party Syarief Hasan, who is also small and medium enterprises minister, declined to confirm Fahri's statement.

"Maybe he said it, I don't know. Probably he read the code of conduct, I have no idea," Syarief told reporters at the State Palace on Wednesday, referring to an eight-point agreement that dictates that all members of the governing coalition must support the government's policies, or leave the coalition.

The code of conduct, which was approved in April last year by all coalition members, was seen as a move by Yudhoyono to "discipline" the PKS after previous "punishment" – reducing the number of ministers from the PKS from four to three – had failed to deter the party from rebellious anti- coalition behavior.

Syarief said that the coalition was deeply disappointed with the PKS' move to reject the government's fuel plan but declined to elaborate on what punishment the PKS and its three ministers would get for their rebellion. "We will see. Everything is in the code of conduct," he said.

On Wednesday, the situation among members of the coalition appeared very tense. Three PKS politicians who currently serve in Yudhoyono's Cabinet – Communications and Information Technology Minister Tifatul Sembiring, Social Affairs Minister Salim Segaf al Jufrie and Agriculture Minister Suswono – did not attend a limited cabinet meeting on Wednesday afternoon.

The three were expected to attend a meeting in Lembang, Bandung, West Java, of the PKS' highest lawmaking body – the majelis syuro – to decide the party's stance on the fuel plan. It was rumored that the meeting would also decide whether the PKS would leave the ruling coalition.

It was later announced that the majelis syuro meeting was canceled. PKS officials argued that the council could only convene if they received confirmation from Yudhoyono about the party's place in the coalition.

The PKS has been visibly absent from recent cabinet and coalition meetings. On Tuesday evening, Yudhoyono held a meeting with leaders of political parties in the coalition without any PKS representatives.

All party leaders including the United Development Party (PPP) chairman and Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali, National Mandate Party (PAN) chairman and Coordinating Economic Minister Hatta Rajasa, National Awakening Party (PKB) chairman and Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaiman Iskandar and Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie, were present in the meeting.

Golkar deputy chairman and Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sharif Cicip Sutardjo said members of the coalition had yet to come up with a solution to the stand-off.

Sharif said that the fate of the PKS is in the hands of its own politicians. "We will wait for their decision. And then the coalition will convene against after we get their official response," Sharif said on Wednesday.

Responding to the stand-off, Yudhoyono remained non-committal, saying he was aware of "resistance from the public and political parties to the fuel plan".

"It is justified in a democratic country [to oppose policies], but I have the right to explain why this unpopular decision should be taken," Yudhoyono said after Wednesday's limited Cabinet meeting.

In an apparent swipe at the PKS, Yudhoyono said: "Some groups should not claim that [only] they love the people. We all love the people."

If the PKS leaves government coalition

The party may lose its remaining representatives in the Cabinet: Communications and Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring, Agriculture Minister Suswono and Social Affairs Minister Salim Segaf Al Jufri. Though the party claims to raise its funds from members' donations, this could affect the party's logistics ahead of the 2014 elections.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono would immediately have to find replacements for ministers from the PKS and risk undermining the performance of his administration, which has only a year left to make improvements.

The party may capitalize on the ruling coalition's decision to expel it to exploit voter sympathy, given the rising opposition to the planned fuel price hike ahead of the Idul Fitri celebrations when prices of staples usually go up.

The party could provide additional political support for opposition parties, mainly the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), to block the temporary direct cash assistance (BLSM) to compensate for the fuel price increase. The government needs the green light from the House of Representatives for the populist program. The opposition parties and the PKS control 194 of 560 seats at the House.

Mega told to put her ego aside

Jakarta Post - June 12, 2013

Yuliasri Perdani, Jakarta – Amid speculation that Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairperson Megawati Soekarnoputri could still run for president in 2014, political analysts warned her to control her ego following the death of her husband and PDI-P patron, Taufiq Kiemas.

Arie Sujito, a political analyst from Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, said that Megawati should heed her husband's call to bring in new faces to represent the party.

"Taufiq served as a counterbalance to Megawati's dominance within the party. Following his death, Megawati should adopt her late husband's views in managing the party, in order to maintain the balance," Arie said on Tuesday. Taufiq, who died in a Singapore hospital from heart problems on Saturday, was best known for his political statements and views, which often differed from his wife's.

Taufiq, who also served as People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) speaker, repeatedly called for a regeneration of national leadership. He was also applauded for his ability in maintaining the PDI-P's communication with other parties.

Only three days after Taufiq's death, unconfirmed reports said that Megawati is mulling running for president in 2014, with popular Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo by her side as vice presidential candidate.

Arie warned that the plan, if executed, could significantly damage the PDI-P. "Considering her defeat in the past two elections, it would be hard for her to achieve victory this time around. Ideally, she should opt for a regeneration in the party leadership, as advocated by Taufiq," he said.

Earlier this year, Taufiq issued many statements implying that his wife should not run a third time, citing her age as a reason. Megawati will be 67 next year.

Charta Politika political analyst Yunarto Wijaya said that a Megawati- Jokowi ticket could bring a premature end to the promising political career of the popular Jakarta Governor.

"If he accepted the nomination for vice president, it would confirm the assumption that Jokowi submitted to Megawati only to get a higher position. This assumption would be proved wrong if he ran as a presidential candidate," he said on Tuesday.

However, Indonesian Institute of Science's (LIPI) political expert Indria Samego said that all hope was not lost for Megawati. Indria said that Megawati still had a chance of becoming the country's next president due to her popularity.

"Indonesian voters are conservative. They only choose the ones that they really know well," he said.

Senior PDI-P politician Eva Kusuma Sundari shrugged off the Megawati-Jokowi speculation, saying that it was too soon to talk about presidential politics. She said that the PDI-P would only name its presidential candidate after the 2014 legislative election.

"We never discuss that issue because it could create friction within the party. We are focusing more on winning the legislative election. After the election, our presidential candidate will be decided in a party congress. Megawati will name candidates, or PDI-P politicians can nominate themselves," she said.

Eva, however, acknowledged the need for the emergence of a new figure that could play Taufiq's role in the party. "Pak Taufiq had the ability to bridge different interests and political views. I believe that the PDI-P has many members who have similar potential," she said. (tam)

Analyst says Joko would be president if he ran today

Jakarta Globe - June 10, 2013

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo would emerge an easy winner if Indonesia's presidential election were held today, a political analyst said on Sunday.

"Jokowi would clinch an absolute victory with over 60 percent of the votes, no matter who his opponents were," said Jeffrie Geovanie, a member of the board of advisors for the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

He said Joko would remain a strong contender for next year's presidential election if the Democratic Party convention, slated to select a presidential candidate within the next year, failed to meet the people's expectations.

But Jeffrie said Joko would face a tough challenge if he ran against younger candidates such as Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan, former Supreme Court chief justice Mahfud M.D., House speaker Marzuki Alie, Regional Representatives Council Chairman Irman Guzman, Indonesia's Ambassador to the United States Dino Patti Djalal, or businessman Chairul Tanjung.

"The Democratic Party's convention for [selecting a] presidential candidate will become an interesting event where figures from the younger generation can freely introduce and promote themselves elegantly," Jeffrie said.

If the convention's choice of candidate failed to meet the public's expectation, Joko could likely head towards the country's top position with no significant problem, the CSIS board member said. "So in 2014, the only question would be, who will become Indonesia's next vice president."

Jeffrie added that the electorate wanted a colorful presidential election next year and expected the Democratic Party to endorse a younger candidate.

"We already know that other parties have picked their presidential candidates and it has already been proven that the general public has a low level of acceptance toward them," Jeffrie said.

Endang Tirtana, a researcher with think tank Maarif Institute, said democracy meant power over decisions should lie not with the president or legislature, but with voters.

"But in our democratic system, something like this remains a utopia, something that is merely used as a decoration in academic writings," he said.

"Voters should not only cast their votes based on the perception candidates create about themselves, but have to get to know the figures they vote for, so they can avoid choosing the wrong people who are not be able to meet their expectations of change."

Rachmawati Sukarnoputri, the sister of former president Megawati Sukarnoputri – who endorsed Joko to run in the Jakarta gubernatorial race – said Joko is not yet qualified to be the country's next president even though his popularity far exceeds other potential presidential candidates, such as Megawati and Prabowo Subianto.

Hundreds of mourners greeted Joko at the funeral of Taufiq Kiemas, speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly, on Sunday. Taufiq was Megawati's husband.

Although many political leaders attended the funeral, Joko attracted interest from many ordinary citizens who wanted to shake hands and have their photographs taken with him.

"It's not easy to lead a country. It cannot be compared to leading Jakarta, because the complexity of running a country is much more," Rachmawati said during an event last week to commemorate her father.

Joko has previously said he did not wish to cut short his five-year term as governor of Jakarta, which started last October and runs through to 2017.

PDI-P may lose its dynamism

Jakarta Post - June 10, 2013

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – The death of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) patron Taufiq Kiemas will leave the party more centered on his widow, former president Megawati Soekarnoputri, political observers said.

Taufiq died in a Singapore hospital after battling heart problems on Saturday. He was buried in a state funeral led by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the Kalibata National Heroes Cemetery in South Jakarta on Sunday.

Syamsudin Haris, a political observer from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said that the absence of Taufiq could lead to significant changes within the PDI-P, with the party moving in a different direction. "The party will become more 'monotonous'," he said.

Taufiq, Megawati's third husband, often openly challenged policies made by the executive board of the PDI-P, which was led by Megawati.

Some of Taufiq's statements were quick to get media attention in spite of the fact that they gained little traction within the party. His statements and political moves, which at times also irked Megawati, Syamsuddin said, gave the impression that the PDI-P, the third-largest party in the House of Representatives, was riven with internal divisions.

"After his death, Megawati could have more freedom in determining the party's future trajectory, including its presidential bid in the 2014 general election," Syamsuddin said on Sunday.

Taufiq openly rejected the proposal to nominate popular Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo in the 2014 presidential election, in spite of a hint from Megawati, the country's fourth president, that she would not run in the election and that the party needed a younger candidate in the race.

Taufiq also issued statements suggesting that his wife should not run again in 2014, citing her age as a reason. Megawati will be 67-years-old next year.

Hanta Yuda, the director of the Pol-Tracking Institute, credited Taufiq with giving the PDI-P its dynamism and color. He said that Taufiq gave the impression that the PDI-P was a "more democratic" party compared to other parties in the country. "After his death, I don't see any other PDI-P member who would be brave enough to openly oppose the party's policies like he [Taufiq did]," he said.

Under Megawati's leadership, the PDI-P made frequent political moves in the House, opposing the policies of Yudhoyono's administration. Some moves initiated by the PDI-P resulted in political turmoil.

In 2010, a prolonged and exhausting House inquiry into the US$689.52 million government bailout of Bank Century (now Bank Mutiara) resulted in a major blow to Yudhoyono's administration. The House concluded that the bailout involved irregularities that could have involved criminal acts.

The House bloc supporting the bailout lost a significant number of votes thanks to intensive lobbying by the PDI-P that managed to persuade three members of the governing coalition, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the United Development Party (PPP), and the Golkar Party to desert the bloc.

However, Taufiq made overtures that many interpreted as supporting Yudhoyono. He once said that he wanted to mend relations between the PDI-P and the Democratic Party. In 2009, when the Century inquiry was still ongoing, Taufiq said that the PDI-P was "interested" in joining the ruling coalition.

Hanta, however, said that the death of Taufiq would not affect how significant decisions would be made within the party.

"Taufiq's death will not significantly change the PDI-P in terms of policy making. It will only bring a different color to the party," he said. "As we know, the final decisions were still in the hands of Megawati. Were any of Taufiq's contrarian political desires eventually realized? None at all," Hanta said.

Political analyst from Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University, Ari Dwipayana, also said that Taufiq's death would affect the party's internal dynamics.

"Taufiq accommodated the interests of some in the party by establishing communications with Yudhoyono," he said. "His moves were sometimes controversial but he actually acted as a counterbalance to Megawati's powerful authority within the party," he said.

Syamsuddin meanwhile said that Taufiq's death would reignite the debate within the PDI-P as to who would be the party's presidential candidate.

"After the death of her husband, there are two possibilities. Either Megawati will lose the appetite for the race because of her husband's death or she will be more confident about running now that no one will stop her from seeking a third bid," Syamsuddin said.

PKS won't win support with anti-fuel stance

Jakarta Globe - June 9, 2013

Anastasia Winanti Riesardhy – Analysts have predicted that the Prosperous Justice Party's tough stance against the government's plan to increase the price of subsidized fuel will not boost its popularity and will likely backfire on the party.

"What the PKS [Prosperous Justice Party] is doing could be perceived in two ways," said research firm Pol-Tracking Institute director Hanta Yuda.

Hanta said on one hand, the PKS could be seen as a party who are willing to fight for people's aspirations. But with the PKS still a member of the government's ruling coalition the stance could send mixed signals. "Another message [viewed by people] is that the PKS is being inconsistent and being hypocritical," he said.

Hanta said that this was not the first time that the PKS were taking an opposing side from the government before eventually going back to support them. "I think PKS really needs to calculate [its strategies] otherwise it will be a political boomerang," he said.

The government has previously announced plans to raise the price of subsidized gasoline to Rp 6,500 ($0.66) a liter and subsidized diesel to Rp 5,500 a liter. Both types of fuels are sold at Rp 4,500, less than half their unsubsidized market prices.

But in an act of defiance the PKS mounted banners across Jakarta saying that it opposes the government's plan.

The move has irked members of the ruling Democratic Party calling the PKS a traitor for engaging in "dirty politics." Several senior Democrats have even asked President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the Democratic Party chairman to oust the PKS from the coalition and remove all three PKS ministers from the cabinet.

Julian Aldrin Pasha, a spokesman for the president, said the banners were politically provocative and undermined government efforts to promote the fuel price rises and the compensation that would accompany them.

PKS's opposition to the fuel price increase has led to accusations of rebelliousness. Such claims were encouraged by the PKS's absence from a coalition meeting on the fuel subsidy issue at Vice President Boediono's residence on Tuesday night.

Leaders from the other four coalition members have requested Yudhoyono oust PKS from the coalition.

The PKS has seen a decline in popularity after its former chairman Luthfi Hasan Ishak was arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for his alleged involvement in a bribery scandal linked to the country's beef import quota.

The declining popularity led some to believe that the move was a desperate maneuver to woo voters.

PKS lawmaker Sohibul Imam recently said that the party were considering to leave the ruling coalition if the government went ahead with the fuel hike plan.

Hanta said the PKS had more to gain in the upcoming legislative election if it withdrew from the coalition, a view shared by many figures and members inside the party.

Mass organisations & NGOs

SBY now welcoming of foreign NGOs

Jakarta Globe - June 10, 2013

Novi Lumanauw & Ezra Sihite – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has embraced foreign nongovernmental organizations as valuable partners in the development process, in a marked break from his own party and administration's often hostile attitude to such groups due to their criticism of government policies.

Speaking at an event at the State Palace on Monday that was meant to mark World Environment Day, which was last Wednesday, Yudhoyono said it was important for the government to work together with foreign NGOs.

"Don't be against foreign NGOs. Make them your partners, your collaborators and friends," he said. "Work with them, not against them. That way we can ensure a better environment and a better country in the future."

He added that a lot of suspicion among most Indonesians remained, propagated by politicians, including the notion that foreign NGOs in the country were working on their own insidious agendas and did not have Indonesia's best interests at heart.

Yudhoyono said this kind of misconception was particularly evident in the environmental sector, with green groups commonly seen as opposing forest clearing for oil palm and pulp and paper plantations in a bid to undermine Indonesia's economic development.

"There are still some problems on that front. We have a lot of work to do to resolve our environmental issues, so let's partner up with [the foreign NGOs] to work on these issues together," he said.

He cited Greenpeace as a prime example of a group that his administration was working closely with on environmental affairs, noting that although it was often harshly critical of government policies, the two sides shared the same goals of achieving sustainable development.

"I've invited Greenpeace to partner with Indonesia, for the purpose of pointing out and correcting any steps we take that aren't right," he said. "We also want them to offer their views and recommendations, as well as the best options for moving forward, in the best interests of the environment."

While inviting criticism on Indonesia's environmental policies, the president invoked a popular West Sumatran saying "If the food is not good, tell me about it. If the food is good, then tell others about it," to emphasize that credit should be given when it was due.

Democrat legislators have been among politicians pushing for foreign NGOs to either be more closely monitored or expelled from the country. Chief among them is Marzuki Alie, the gaffe-prone speaker of the House of Representatives, who famously raised eyebrows in April 2011 when he called for the United Nations Development Program's office at the House complex to be shut down, mislabeling it as a foreign NGO.

Authorities have been paying particular attention to Greenpeace for its various campaigns pressuring major companies regarding their questionable environmental stewardship.

Last week, Yudhoyono visited Greenpeace's iconic ship, the Rainbow Warrior, at Jakarta's Tanjung Priok Port – almost three years since his administration barred the same vessel from docking in the country in the wake of its campaigning against pulp and paper and palm oil companies.

The government also barred the Greenpeace UK director from entering the country in October 2011 for a forestry conference, even though he arrived with a valid visa. The government said the reason for the refusal was a "state secret."

A week later, a Greenpeace forest campaigner was deported from the country. By November, authorities in Jakarta had ordered the organization to leave its office in Kemang on the grounds that the area was strictly a residential zone, despite the fact that hundreds of office, commercial and entertainment businesses also operate in the same area.

Critics say Yudhoyono's change in attitude toward foreign NGOs is part of a wider campaign to polish his image in the final year of his presidency.

Still, the president managed to get riled by a television report on deforestation in the country and the impact to the iconic and critically endangered orangutan, saying that such coverage was unbalanced and only focused on "the extreme negatives" found in Indonesia.

"I woke up at about 3:30 this morning and I watched a foreign TV channel, let's call it A. I saw a long report about deforestation in Indonesia," he said.

"If such reports are exaggerated, we have to call them out. Just because a program is interesting, that doesn't mean it should leave out the overall situation in Indonesia. It's that kind of perspective we need to correct if it gets out of balance."

While not naming the channel, the president was most likely referring to Al Jazeera and an episode on its hour-long Witness program titled "Green: Death of the Forests."

The station describes the program as "a visual essay about deforestation in Indonesia as experienced by a dying orangutan whose habitat has been destroyed."

The show airs again at 8 a.m. on June 11 and 1 p.m. on June 12.

Environment & natural disasters

Indonesia smoke haze shrouds Malaysian cities

Agence France Presse - June 16, 2013

Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia was Sunday shrouded with haze from forest fires on the Indonesian island of Sumatra causing "unhealthy" levels of pollution in six areas.

Haze is an annual problem during the monsoon season from May to September as winds blow the smoke across the Malacca Strait to Malaysia. Environment Department director general Halimah Hassan said they had detected 46 hotspots in Sumatra via satellite.

The Air Pollutant Index (API) showed unhealthy levels of between 101 and 129 in six areas on Sunday morning, including two places in Malacca state along with Port Dickson and the country's largest port, Port Klang.

In the capital Kuala Lumpur the skies were hazy with air pollution readings at 92, just below the unhealthy threshold. A level of 101-200 is considered unhealthy, while 51-100 is moderate.

Halimah in a statement late Saturday attributed the haze to the westerly monsoon season during which winds blow the smoke towards Malaysia.

Haze, mostly caused by fires in Indonesia, builds up during the dry season, affecting tourism and contributing to health problems across the region. Indonesia's government has outlawed land-clearing by fire but weak law enforcement means the ban is largely ignored.

The haze hit its worst level in 1997-1998, costing the Southeast Asian region an estimated $9 billion by disrupting air travel and other business activities.

Green activists sound warning on foreign investments in oil palm estates

Jakarta Globe - June 14, 2013

Hayat Indriyatno & Diska Putri Pamungkas – Environmental activists have responded with alarm to new data showing Indonesia has the third-biggest area of land in the world given over to foreign control since 2000, warning of dire implications to the country's rainforests, wildlife and indigenous communities.

The Land Matrix Partnership's Global Observatory, a crowdsourced database launched earlier this week, put the estimated figure of foreign land deals in the country at 2.84 million hectares, mostly for oil palm plantations.

That puts Indonesia behind only South Sudan, at 4.09 million hectares, and Papua New Guinea, at 3.91 million hectares.

The Land Matrix Partnership, an independent land monitoring initiative that includes groups such as the International Land Coalition and the University of Bern's Center for Development and Environment (CDE), defines a land deal as "an intended, concluded or failed attempt to acquire land through purchase, lease or concession."

The database focuses only on major land deals of more than 200 hectares that involve the "potential conversion of land from smallholder production, local community use or important ecosystem service provision to commercial use."

As of Thursday evening, the database, which is updated constantly, showed that there were 85 transnational deals for Indonesian land, coming from places as far afield as the United States and Belgium, to Sri Lanka and South Korea. However, Malaysian companies were the biggest investors, responsible for 32 deals covering a combined 1.27 million hectares, or nearly half the total area.

The biggest identified land contract was for 300,000 hectares for the Malaysian conglomerate Genting to develop oil palm plantations in Papua. The Global Observatory noted that the deal was concluded by 2011 but operations had not yet begun.

The next biggest contract was for 299,262 hectares in Sumatra, also for oil palms and also for a Malaysian company, Sime Darby. The plantations are already in operation, according to the database.

Oil palm plantations dominated the amount of foreign land investment, accounting for 2.45 million hectares, or 86 percent of the total area.

Aditya Bayunanda, the global forest and trade network national coordinator for WWF Indonesia, said the figures put into perspective the amount of forest being cleared for commercial plantations and helped explain why Indonesia was a major carbon dioxide emitter.

"There are more negative implications than positive ones for the environment as a result of foreign or domestic companies using Indonesia's land for oil palm plantations," he told the Jakarta Globe.

He added that besides the obvious loss of valuable forest habitats and the biodiversity they supported, there was also an impact on local communities, many of whom were currently in conflict with the new concession holders over areas that they had long considered ancestral lands.

"There's a huge gap between land ownership by local people and by foreign companies. As a result of this gap, we get land disputes as well as social discrepancies between locals who work for the foreigners and those who don't," Aditya said.

He warned that such disputes, if conflated with existing social and economic grievances, could prove extremely dangerous, especially in Papua, which for decades has been the scene of an armed insurgency and is now becoming a prime target for plantation and logging firms looking beyond the fast-diminishing forests of Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Aditya said that a positive development on this front was a recent Constitutional Court ruling on indigenous community management of forests.

The court ruled in May that indigenous people had the right to manage forests where they lived, which Aditya said was important in preventing foreign or domestic developers from clearing the land for commercial use. However, observers say the complex matter of how to define indigenous land could give rise to even more problems.

Aditya also noted that the amount of oil palm plantations being developed would severely hamper the government's bid to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 26 percent by 2020.

A recently extended moratorium on issuing new forest-clearing permits for primary and peat forests will be of little help in reversing the deforestation trend, he argued, given that most of the land deals identified in the new database predated the moratorium that first went into force in May 2011.

"The moratorium is more about preventive action than about fixing the problem. The government doesn't appear to be making any real steps to fix the deforestation problem, and its policies only tend to be stop-gap measures to stop the problem from getting bigger," Aditya said.

Dedi Ratih, the forest program campaigner at the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), agreed that national policies to tackle carbon emissions were inadequate in light of the amount of forests being cleared.

"The government's decision to extend the forest-clearing moratorium is simply not enough to mitigate the negative impact of the huge amount of land being allocated for oil palm plantations, or to support the government's campaign to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," he said.

Aditya urged the government to learn how to more efficiently allocate land for commercial use, by looking at other countries as examples.

"Malaysia has very strict rules for land usage. They have regulations stipulating how much land may be used for oil exploration, for forestry and so on," he said. "So it figures that most of the foreign companies that manage land for oil palm plantations here come from Malaysia."

The Global Observatory listed Malaysia as the No. 2 country for the amount of foreign land investments made since 2000, behind only the United States.

Government warns of year-long extreme weather

Jakarta Post - June 10, 2013

Jakarta – Agriculture Minister Suswono said that Indonesia would likely experience a year-long wet season, a condition that could have an impact on the country's food production capabilities.

"This year, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency [BMKG] predicted that we'll see repeat conditions of 2010 when we also had a year-long rainy season," Suswono said as quoted by Antara news agency on Saturday during a visit to Batang regency in Central Java.

Suswono expected that with the wet conditions, the country would likely fail to meet its staple food production target.

The government had targeted that the country would produce 72 million tons of dry unhusked rice this year. Last year, 69.05 million tons of dry unhusked rice was produced, a 5 percent increase from 2011.

Rice output growth over the last few years has strengthened projections for 2014, when it is estimated that the surplus could reach 10 million tons. Suswono said that the extreme weather, coupled with poor infrastructure, would likely make the country fail to reach the 10 million surplus.

52 percent of the country's irrigation system was badly damaged and it would cost at least Rp 21 trillion (US$2.1 billion) to fix it, Suswono added.

He said that the government currently had only Rp 3 trillion in its budget to overhaul the irrigation system. With the overhaul, the country could boost its production of dry unhusked rice, Suswono continued. "After the repairs, we could add 9.1 million kilograms to our production," he said.

The BMKG had earlier predicted that the rainy weather would continue until August. Indonesia's dry season usually begins in April, but as of the second week of June, parts of the country continues to experience heavy rains, including Jakarta, where heavy precipitation has caused inundation in low-lying areas.

The agency has attributed the unusual weather to climate change and rising ocean temperatures, which affects weather patterns and have led to massive storms across the globe.

The agency said that some of the areas that will see heavy rains in the coming weeks are South Sumatra, Java, Bali, South Sulawesi, West and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). Local BMKG agencies also warned of rough seas in the coming days.

In Kupang, the local BMKG reported that waves could reach five meters in the waters of East Nusa Tenggara. In Aceh, the agency predicted that waves could reach 4 meters high.

Health & education

Physicist slams new school curriculum

Jakarta Globe - June 13, 2013

Natasia Christy Wahyuni – A prominent physicist has decried the country's new school curriculum as being scant on science, in the latest criticism leveled against the Education Ministry's much-derided push to scale back the number of subjects students learn.

Yohanes Surya, whose Surya Institute advocates advances in science and technology education, on Wednesday said the ministry's concession to maintaining some semblance of science in the curriculum for elementary school students, by integrating science lessons into other subjects, was a bad idea.

If anything, he argued, the ministry should be increasing students' exposure to science. "More science lessons are needed from primary school all the way through to senior high school," he said.

"The amount of science learning in the school curriculum has dropped each year since 1988. If you were to give a student a science test from 1998 today, they wouldn't be able to do it. And the government's response to all this is to go even easier on the students."

Under the new curriculum, science will be taught indirectly in Bahasa Indonesia classes for all students in grades one through six.

Yohanes, who helped draw up the new curriculum, said he had opposed this, and only wanted the integrated lessons to run from grades one through three, with dedicated science classes being available for students in grades four through six.

Critics contend that dropping science and social studies from the primary school program and integrating the two subjects into Indonesian language classes makes no sense.

The curriculum will be implemented in the new school year that begins in July. It has been met with mounting opposition from educators and parents alike, who argue that it puts too much emphasis on Islamic and moral education and not enough focus on science and English.

They argue that it will make Indonesian students, already lagging their regional counterparts, even less competitive globally and discriminate against parents who cannot afford to send their children to private English and science tuition centers.

Online petition sparks push for stricter tobacco reforms in Indonesia

Jakarta Globe - June 13, 2013

A grass-roots campaign to snuff out Indonesia's ubiquitous tobacco advertising is gaining traction online as thousands of anti-smoking advocates urged the Ministry of Technology and Communication to ban cigarette ads in mass media.

Indonesia is the only country in Southeast Asia, and one of the few in the world, to still allow cigarette ads on television. Tobacco ads can air between 9:30 p.m. and 5 a.m. and are barred from showing people smoking or cigarette boxes under the country's 2002 Broadcast Law.

The regulation has been seen as a limited attempt to rein in tobacco companies, which spent $202 million in 2010 advertising on everything from concert stages to motorcycle taxi stalls. But the law, which still allows print, radio and television ads, as well as corporate sponsorship and billboards, doesn't go far enough, said Usman Hamid, co-founder of the Indonesian chapter of Change.org.

The organization spearheaded an anti-tobacco petition pushing for greater cigarette regulation. The response, Usman said, has been overwhelming.

"We managed to obtain more than 5,000 signatures in only a few days," he said. "We can only imagine how many people are bothered by these cigarette ads."

Usman, and his peers at Change.org, said nowhere in Indonesia is safe from cigarette smoke. Malls, restaurants and airports all have designated smoking areas. Smokers are free to light up anywhere in clubs, bars and at concert events – many of which are sponsored by tobacco companies and feature women handing out free packs to spectators.

Indonesian men rank among the world's top smokers. Some 67 percent of adult males smoke cigarettes, according to data compiled by the National Socio- Economic Survey, the Basic Health Care Survey and the Global Adult Tobacco Survey.

Children are exposed to cigarette ads at an early age. According to World Health Organization data, three out of four Indonesians between the ages of 13 and 15 have seen some form of tobacco advertising. Videos of tobacco- addicted toddlers have gone viral on YouTube, prompting news reports across the globe.

Tobacco taxes are lax, individual cigarettes sell for pennies and efforts to reform the industry are met with heavy resistance from tobacco farmers, companies and murky organizations that accuse the West of mounting an attack on clove cigarettes.

Similar campaigns for reform are underway in neighboring countries like the Philippines, where tobacco advertising has been banned from television. Anti-smoking advocates in both the Philippines and Indonesia are pushing for graphic health warnings on cigarette boxes, like those available in Thailand and Singapore.

But in a nation of 74 million smokers, prospects for future reforms remain cloudy.

Indonesia's universities fall behind the rest of Asia: Report

Jakarta Globe - June 11, 2013

Asian universities have gained significant ground on their Western counterparts and could overtake them within two decades, but Indonesian universities are being left behind, according to the results of a survey released on Tuesday.

The QS University Rankings: Asia survey showed that the top five Indonesian universities have all lost ground on their regional rivals, with the overall standing of the archipelago's universities having waned significantly since 2009.

"In the years since the financial crisis Indonesian universities have struggled to match the rapid development seen in countries such as China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Korea," QS head of research Ben Sowter said.

Only University of Indonesia makes the top 100. The nation's top-ranked institution dropped to 64th in the table this year, from 59th in 2012. The university ranked 50th in each of the first three editions of the rankings, between 2009 and 2011.

Second-placed Bandung Institute of Technology also dropped for the second successive year, from 113rd to 129th, having been rated 80th-best in the 2009 list.

The best university in Asia, according to the survey, is the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), an honor the 22-year-old institution has held since 2011.

"There are already 17 percent more Asian universities in the top 200 of the world university rankings since the recession, and the next two decades could see leading US and European universities objectively overtaken," Nunzio Quacquarelli, managing director of QS, said.

While Singapore has reaped the benefits of high-profile research collaborations and partnership schemes through numerous foreign-branch campuses, Indonesian lawmakers have engaged themselves in a protracted debate over their legality. Indonesia's House of Representatives last July passed a higher-education bill allowing the entry of foreign universities, but regulations are yet to be finalized.

Asian universities featured in the global top 10 in 15 of the 30 disciplines covered in 2013 QS World University Rankings by Subject, published in May 2013. Nine of the top 20 institutions in civil engineering are Asian, compared to just five for the United States and the United Kingdom combined. Asia also shows a five-year surge in international students studying at ranked institutions in the region, from 175,286 in 2009 to 255,212 this year. Total international faculty has grown from 21,223 to 35,677.

"As Western governments struggle to maintain funding levels, Asian institutions have rapidly increased their ability to attract the world's best faculty and students," Sowter said. "As the cost of studying rises in North America and the United Kingdom, Asia is reversing the brain drain by investing in scholarships to attract top students from the West."

Graft & corruption

NGOs report forestry and mining graft to KPK

Jakarta Post - June 15, 2013

A number of NGOs grouped under the Coalition against Forestry Mafia reported on Friday five alleged cases of graft in the natural resources sector in three provinces to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Zenzi Suhadi, a campaigner with the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi), said that he, along with other members of the coalition, had met with KPK commissioners to discuss the five cases that, from 2012 onward, had caused massive state losses of Rp 1.9 trillion (US$194 million).

"This is only the tip of the iceberg," he told reporters at KPK headquarters in Kuningan, South Jakarta.

According to Zenzi, the amount of state losses caused by corruption in forestry and mining across the country was likely far greater than the figure reported, as the coalition only investigated five cases in three provinces, namely West Kalimantan, East Kalimantan and South Sumatra.

The corrupt practices consisted of one bribery case relating to the issuance of a mining permit, one case in the forestry sector and three cases involving plantations.

He added that Busyro Muqoddas and Zulkarnaen, the KPK commissioners who met with the coalition's representatives, would immediately follow up on the findings.

Forestry, mining graft costs more than resources

Jakarta Post - June 13, 2013

Nadya Natahadibrata, Jakarta – A recent report released by a number of NGOs grouped under the Coalition against Forestry Mafia claimed that corruption in the natural resources sector had incurred state losses to the tune of Rp 1.92 trillion (US$193.9 million).

The coalition, which conducted a study on graft in the forestry and mining sectors since 2012, accused law enforcers of not being serious in the fight against endemic corruption.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), it said, should investigate allegations involving 16 state and provincial officials, as well as companies in three resource-rich provinces, West Kalimantan, East Kalimantan and South Sumatra.

The study cited at least five corruption cases in the three provinces that should be investigated. It found indications of corruption in the use of land by PTPN VII in South Sumatra with a potential loss to the state of Rp 4.84 billion.

Alleged corrupt practices – implicating officials from the Forestry Ministry – in permit issuance for HTI (industrial forest permits) in Merang-Kepayang, South Sumatra, and in West Kalimantan, had potential losses of Rp 1.7 trillion and Rp 51.5 billion, respectively.

The coalition also found irregularities regarding land conversion from protected forest into palm oil plantations involving regional administration officials in Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan, which may have cost the state Rp 108 billion.

"There is also alleged bribery regarding mining permit issuance in Samarinda, with potential state losses of Rp 4 billion," Tama S. Langkun of the Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) said on Wednesday.

Tama said corruption usually occurred during the issuance of permits for forest clearing to make way for plantations and mining operations.

"The amount of money swindled in the natural resources sector is unlimited, unlike corruption involving the state budget, which stops when the budget runs out."

Tama refused to name the companies, ministers or state officials allegedly involved in the corrupt practices. He added that the ICW would submit its findings to the KPK on Friday.

"State losses in the natural resources sector can be avoided if the government and law enforcers are serious in combating forestry-related corruption," he said.

Meanwhile, Hadi Daryanto, Forestry Ministry secretary-general, said the ministry would investigate the findings.

"We will follow up the findings and if the allegations are true, sanctions will be imposed on those implicated," Hadi told the Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

"As for the HTI, should we uncover any misconduct, we will annul their permits and would bring to justice those who cut trees in bordered areas," he added.

The Forestry Ministry recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to prevent such malpractice.

The MoU was based on reports from the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) filed with the National Police's Criminal Investigation Division (Bareskrim) in March. The reports claimed that 26 mining and plantation companies were involved in corruption and malfeasance.

The report, which said that the resulting state losses topped Rp 90.6 billion (US$9.3 million) in 2011, found three patterns of violations: operating in protected forests without concessions from the Forestry Ministry, running forest-clearance activities without permits and illegal logging.

Cops appear reluctant to arrest their own

Jakarta Globe - June 13, 2013

Farouk Arnaz – Despite questioning 15 police officers as witnesses in the graft case of the "trillion rupiah cop," First Adj. Insp. Labora Sitorus, Papua Police working with the National Police's criminal investigation department have not yet named any further police officers as suspects.

"Up to 80 witnesses have been questioned, 15 of them are members [of the police] who are still being treated as witnesses," said Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian, the Papua Police chief, at the National Police headquarters on Wednesday.

If not for the actions of a non-police agency, the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), Labora's case may never have come to light. Labora was found by the PPATK to have had Rp 1.5 trillion ($150 million) pass through his bank accounts from 2007-2012.

Aside from Labora, police have named two civilian suspects, the operational directors of the Rotua and Seno Adi Wijaya companies, identified as I.N. and J.L. respectively. Both companies are allegedly owned by Labora.

Senior police are assumed to have been aware of and benefited from the massive fuel smuggling and illegal logging allegedly carried out by these companies, with inside sources saying Labora was known to his superiors as "the cash machine."

Tito confirmed that police had yet to name any new suspects, saying investigators were focusing for now on the three men currently in custody.

Labora was arrested on May 18 in Jakarta after being named a suspect in a subsidized fuel and merbau timber smuggling case, following the seizure of a million liters of fuel and 115 containers of merbau.

Terrorism & religious extremism

Komnas HAM, police differ on Poso terrorist shooting

Jakarta Post - June 11, 2013

Jakarta – National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) commissioner Siane Indrani spoke on Monday of the shooting chronology of an alleged terrorist in Poso regency, Central Sulawesi, which differed from the police's chronology.

Siane said the incident began when Nudin aka Bondan was riding with his friend on a Revo motorcycle at 3:35 p.m. local time on Monday.

"At 3:40 p.m. in front of Lorong Pulau Seribu, his motorcycle was hit by a police car that followed him. But in their chronology the police said Nudin hit the police car," said Siane, as quoted by Antara news agency.

The commission said as the motorcycle fell, the two alleged terrorists fled into Lorong Pulau Seribu to avoid arrest. Seeing their targets escaping, the police fired eight shots at the two suspects. Nudin was shot dead while his accomplice managed to escape.

"In their chronology, the police said the suspected terrorists repeatedly fired on them, so in response, they fired back at the terrorists," it said.

Following the incident, a mob headed to Poso police precinct at 8 p.m. local time and asked the police to give them Nudin's body, but the police refused.

Siane said Komnas HAM regretted the police's statements, which were not in accordance with the facts in the field. The commission, she added, also urged the National Police chief to clarify the facts to calm Poso residents.

"We very much deplore the repressive acts of the Densus 88 counterterrorism unit, which has provoked the anger of local residents," said Siane. (ebf)

Hard-line & vigilante groups

FPI diversifies business to land conflicts

Jakarta Post - June 11, 2013

Jakarta – The Islam Defenders Front (FPI), notorious for its violent raids supposedly in support of sharia, is diversifying. The Islamic defenders are now available for hire to defend your disputed property.

The extremist group is now fighting housing developer PT Alam Sutra over disputed land in Paku Alam village, South Tangerang. Hundreds of FPI members were involved in a violent clash with the company's security guards and police when they tried to invade the land on the Prophet Muhammad's Ascension Day, June 6. Two police officers were injured and 11 FPI members arrested.

The FPI was hired by the Ronah family who claim to be legal owners of the 2.2-hectare site. The company believe they had bought the land to develop a new housing complex. On Monday, hundreds of FPI members staged a demonstration at the city police headquarters, demanding the release of their fellow members and the arrest of "gangsters" hired by the developer to guard the land.

The police ignored the FPI demands and said the 11 people arrested would be investigated and brought to justice.

"The detainees will undergo further due process because they were guilty of using machetes and knives in launching assaults on the company's security guards and riot police," spokesman for the city police Sr. Comr. Rikwanto said on Monday.

He stressed that the police would remain neutral in dealing with the case and the two sides should go to court to seek a permanent settlement to their dispute. Rikwanto said the police were also considering a lawsuit against the FPI which they said had violated Law No. 9/1999 on freedom of expression.

"FPI has a right to stage a demonstration to protest against the house developing company but it should first report the planned protest to the police. Instead, the protesters did not express an opinion, but launched an attack on security guards and later on riot police deployed to calm the situation, on the Islamic holiday," he said.

FPI Secretary General Sobri Lubis, denied that the FPI had been hired but said its main mission was to uphold justice and defended the Ronah family's right to the land because they had an authentic document of ownership.

"Instead, PT Alam Sutra has hired gangsters and police officers to expel the innocent people from their own land," he said. "We can't see such injustice occur and in this case we have an obligation defend to them, because they need our support."

Sobri admitted that the Ronah family and their lawyer had asked for their help to take over the land.

"When we tried to help them, we met gangsters and police officers," he said, adding that the policemen were from Tangerang police. "We want the Jakarta police chief to discharge the Tangerang police chief because he has misused his people to help these gangsters," Sobri added.

When questioned about the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR) whose main business is guarding disputed properties in the city and surrounding areas, Sobri had no problems. The FPI may have to face the FBR because the front's main mission was to defend the needy and uphold justice.

"The most important thing for us is to fight everyone who commit crimes and negates people's rights, no matter their ethnic, religious and social background," he said.

FPI has often featured prominently in cases which put them in the peak of media attention. The existence and activities of the FPI have raised a wide discontent in society, taking the law into their own hands and preaching violence in the name of God.

Many FPI members in various parts of the country have been jailed for their involvement in violent raids but the organization cannot be liquidated under the 1989 Mass Organization Law.

In 2008, FPI Chairman Rizieq Shihab was sentenced to 18 months in prison for his role in an attack on a peace rally in Jakarta.

In 2011, three followers of the Ahmadiyah Sect were killed in an attack by FPI members in Cikeusik, Banten, but the Serang District Court gave only light sentences to the killers.

Freedom of religion & worship

Java's last synagogue torn down

Jakarta Globe - June 15, 2013

Camelia Pasandaran – The last vestige of one Indonesia's oldest and largest Jewish communities is now just a pile of rubble.

Beth Shalom in Surabaya – Java's one and only synagogue – was demolished in May after being sealed off by Islamic hard-liners in 2009.

"It's not clear when exactly it was demolished and who did it," Freddy Istanto, the director of the Surabaya Heritage Society (SHS), told the Jakarta Globe. "In mid-May, I was informed by a member of the SHS that the synagogue was destroyed. In disbelief, I went over there and it had been flattened."

Freddy reported the case to the Surabaya Legislative Council and prompted the commission to summon the Surabaya Tourism Agency, which was responsible for the heritage building. "It was designated a heritage site by the agency on April 16, 2009. It should've been protected," Freddy said.

A small, Dutch-style building located on a 2,000 square meter plot of land in the middle of Surabaya's business district, Beth Shalom looked like an ordinary house in the neighborhood. The only features that distinguished it as a synagogue were its mezuzah (Torah scrolls fastened to an entrance way) and the two Star of David carvings on its door.

"There were many artifacts inside the building which can't be found in other heritage sites," Freddy said.

Sachiroel Alim, one of the heads of the Surabaya Legislative Council, told the Jakarta Globe on Saturday that the council summoned the Surabaya Tourism Agency at the end of May and gave them seven days to officially report the case to the police since the demolition was in direct violation of the Law on Cultural Heritage.

"There was an indication that the owner of the synagogue had sold the building," Sachiroel said. "It's not clear whether the buyer – allegedly a real estate company – destroyed the building, or if the original owner knocked it down themselves,"

Sachiroel said that he did not know if Muslim hard-liners had anything to with razing the synagogue.

"We don't want to get into the conflict, but a heritage building should be protected by the government," Sachiroel said. In January 2009, Muslim demonstrators sealed off Beth Shalom and burned an Israeli flag to protest the country's attacks on the Gaza Strip at the time.

Soemarsono, the head of the National Unity and Society Protection Agency of Surabaya, claimed that the synagogue was an illegal structure because it did not possess proper building permits. "It was used as a residence," Rakyat Merdeka Online quoted him as saying recently.

Sachiroel noted, though, that most of Indonesia's oldest buildings don't have building permits since such a requirement was only introduced during the Suharto era. "The synagogue was built before Indonesia declared its independence," he said. "How could it have a building permit?"

Rivka Sayers, a Jewish woman of Iraqi descent, reportedly lived in the synagogue's compound since 1970. She said that only three families regularly visited the synagogue to celebrate the Sabbath and holidays such as Passover and Rosh Hashanah.

Indonesia's last surviving synagogue is located in Manado, Sulawesi.

Hard-liners, police interfere with interfaith dialogue

Jakarta Globe - June 12, 2013

Amir Tedjo, Surabaya – A small group of religious hard-liners backed up by police disrupted an interfaith dialogue on Tuesday night, claiming that the event was conducted without a permit.

At the end of Uli Abshar Abdalla and Bambang Noorsena's "Islamic-Christian Theology Dialogue: Textual Criticism on Biblical and Koranic Text Variants," eight people showed up and demanded to see the committee who planned the event. They then forced the organizers to go to the Surabaya Police station to be questioned.

"The weird thing is that the police officers who were present stayed quiet, regardless of what the group did," Ahmad Zaimul Hamdi, a committee member and activist with the Anti-Violence Society Network, said on Wednesday. "The police even provided a vehicle to bring the organizers to the police station."

Ahmad said that the event was part of an academic discussion that analyzed the Koran and the Bible from both Islamic and Christian perspectives. Hundreds of people attended the event, and the discussion was going smoothly until the small group of hard-liners arrived on the scene.

In reality, the committee did obtain a police permit to conduct the event in a restaurant in South Surabaya – However, law enforcers revoked the permit shortly after on the grounds that the restaurant no longer wanted the event to be held at its location.

Since invitations were sent out, organizers decided to move the discussion to a Bishops Inn hotel in Surabay. "News spread that the police knew that the discussion would be opposed by hard-liners," Ahmad said. "They revoked the event permit instead of protecting us."

The Surabaya chapter of Anstor, Nahdlatul Ulema's youth wing, condemned the hard-liners' protest. "We want the government to take strict action against those committed to violence," Mohammad Asrori, the head of Ansor's Surabaya chapter, said.

The Surabaya Police office reportedly handed the case over to the East Java Police, though Sr. Comr. Hilman Thalib, a spokesman for the East Java Police, could not be reached for confirmation.

Indonesian president's award an insult

Socialist Alternative - June 11, 2013

James Balowski – The Appeal of Conscience Foundation (ACF) – a US-based interfaith organisation of business leaders – presented Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono with the World Statesman Award in New York on 30 May, in "recognition of his work in supporting human rights and religious freedom".

In accepting the award and congratulatory letter from President Barack Obama, Yudhoyono conceded that "pockets" of religious intolerance persist in Indonesia, but insisted his government would not tolerate violence in the name of religion. "We will not allow any desecration of places of worship of any religion for whatever reason. We will always protect our minorities and ensure that no one suffers from discrimination. We will make sure that those who violate the rights of others will face the arms of justice", he said at an event charging US$10,000-100,000 per table for corporate sponsors.

Outside, under the close watch of New York City police, the East Timor and Indonesia Action Network – which collected 5000 online signatures rejecting the award – held a rally accusing the ACF of polishing Yudhoyono's image abroad when intolerance was in the rise in Indonesia.

Angry protests

Yudhoyono's nomination last month was greeted by ridicule and angry protest. The Human Rights Working Group said that he had failed to prevent violence committed in the name of religion or ensure justice for victims, and accused officials of intolerance and persecuting victims. In Jakarta, a coalition representing Ahmadis, Shiites and Christian congregations barred from their places of worship by hardline Islamic groups and local governments protested at the State Palace and US embassy, calling on Yudhoyono to turn down the award. The National Alliance of Unity in Diversity, the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace and the Wahid Institute said the award was an "insult to victims of religious persecution".

The day before Yudhoyono departed for the US, hundreds of members of churches closed down by local administrations ridiculed Yudhoyono by presenting him with the World "Statements" Award on Religious Freedom 2013, alluding to his predilection for making statements but doing nothing.

Mainstream Islamic organisations, including the country's top religious body, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) – which has played a key role in stoking religious violence – gave Yudhoyono their blessing.

Since being elected in 2004, Yudhoyono's pro-business government has relied on the support of conservative Islamic-based parties. Local governments have pandered to the moral-conservative vote to prop up flagging electoral support by passing sharia-based by-laws and banning "deviant" religious sects – creating an atmosphere that feeds into the agenda of hardline groups, many of which were established with military backing. Minority houses of worship have been vandalised and closed and members of minorities assaulted and killed. Police rarely take action and usually side with attackers, while courts give perpetrators a slap on the wrist and jail victims for defending themselves.

In 2005 the MUI issued an edict against Ahmadiyah, a minority Islamic sect, calling its teachings blasphemous. In 2008 the government enacted a decree banning the group from propagating its beliefs. These actions have resulted in widespread violence against Ahmadi Muslims. Discrimination is also legitimised by the 1965 blasphemy law, which recognises only six religions, in effect outlawing the 250 or more minority faiths in Indonesia. According to the government's own human rights commission, there at least 100 laws discriminating against minorities.

Government complicity

A report by Human Rights Watch in February noted that since Yudhoyono took office there had been a marked increase in violence targeting minorities, and the government had been complicit with officials and police, facilitating harassment and intimidation by Islamist groups, making discriminatory statements, refusing to issue building permits and pressuring congregations to relocate. Last month Amnesty International and the US State Department also released reports critical of abuses and the government's failure to protect minorities.

The government responded by claiming Yudhoyono never "asked for the award" or trying to shift the blame onto local governments and police for "ignoring his speeches". They have belittled critics as "narrow minded", saying their views are "based only on what they've seen on TV".

Critics consider the entire affair as a publicity stunt engineered by the president's inner circle and the ACF to boost Yudhoyono's international stature and dismal approval rating at home before he leaves office next year. The Indonesian embassy was forced to deny newspaper reports that families of consulate, embassy and central bank staff were paid US$100 a head to hold a counter-rally in New York supporting Yudhoyono.

Highlighting the disconnect with reality, on the day Yudhoyono received the award, a joint ministerial meeting reaffirmed curbs on Ahmadiyah's activities, concluding that the 2008 decree used by hardliners to justify attacks is "the key to curbing violence against the community". Speaking in Jakarta, religious affairs minister Suryadharma reiterated his view that Ahmadiyah is a "deviant sect" and the best resolution would be for its members to convert to the "right" teachings of Islam.

Ahmadi lawsuit against Bekasi mayor crucial to religious minorities: HRW

Jakarta Globe - June 10, 2013

An Indonesian legal expert has described a lawsuit filed by the Ahmadiyah against the mayor of Bekasi over the shuttering of their mosque as a "very interesting development" that could serve as a channel for other religious minorities in the country to seek similar redress.

"If [the Ahmadiyah] lose it will be a long period of time before another [lawsuit]," said Andreas Harsono, Indonesia researcher at Human Rights Watch, "but if they win it will be important for all minorities in Indonesia."

The Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation announced last week it was taking mayor of Bekasi Rachmat Effendi to the State Administrative Court in Bandung over the latter's March 8 decision to seal the Al-Misbah mosque in Pondok Gede.

"We are asking that the court cancel and revoke the Bekasi mayor's order to lock the office and the mosque of the Ahmadiyah congregation," said Pratiwi, a lawyer from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute representing Ahmadi leader Abdul Basit, adding that the court was now processing the application, which was filed on Wednesday June 5.

Harsono said the case would "encourage" other minority groups to seek legal redress for measures similar to the 2008 joint-ministerial that bans Ahmadiyah from propagating their interpretation of Islam.

"[The case] could provide a channel for all religious minorities to challenge the decrees," Harsono said. "There are many provincial and local decrees. All these decrees are discriminating to religious minorities."

Pratiwi said the application challenged the warrant issued by the mayor on March 8, which the plaintiff said violated the Ahmahdis' fundamental rights to worship in their own mosque.

"The land title, the construction permit, the usage permit are legal, and the building permit as well as the other permits have never been revoked by the city authority of Bekasi," she said.

Pratiwi denied that the activities of the congregation were in violations of a joint ministerial decree on the activities of Ahmadis. "At the mosque, they are only conducting normal worship activities among themselves, they do not... spread their teachings to others," Pratiwi said according to Tempo Interaktif.

Under the joint decree, the Ahmadiyah are prohibited from conducting their worship in public and to proselytize.

The Al-Misbah mosque in Bekasi's Jatibening neighborhood was built in 1993 is a place of worship for some 400 Ahmadis.

The Ahmadis have been under attack from hard-line Muslim elements in several regions, including in West Java and West Nusa Tenggara, with their mosque burned or vandalized and even some Ahmadis killed in more violent attacks.

Land & agrarian conflicts

Indigenous people ask for government apology

Jakarta Post - June 15, 2013

Jakarta – A group of indigenous people said the government should apologize for neglecting their rights following the Constitutional Court ruling last month that annulled the government's ownership of the nation's customary forests.

The court decided to scrap the word "state" from Article 1 of the 1999 Forestry Law, which says "customary forests are state forests located in the areas of custom-based communities".

The decision was made under the consideration that classifying customary forests as state forests led to the government denying indigenous people of their rights.

Indigenous People's Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN) deputy secretary- general Arifin Saleh said in Jakarta on Thursday that the alliance was calling on the President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to make a formal apology. "The court's decision has fueled our optimism that we can still have hope in the government. But, we want them to apologize, as the court explicitly said the government was in the wrong," he added.

Arifin claimed indigenous people had often been accused of committing illegal activities on their own land and then unjustly prosecuted.

An indigenous leader in Sumbawa, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), and another man in Musi Banyuasin, South Sumatra, were sent to jail last year for illegal farming in protected forest areas, he said.

According to the National Commission on Human Rights' (Komnas HAM) deputy chairwoman, Sandrawati Moniaga, most of the violence against indigenous people last year was perpetrated by police officers and corporations due to land conflicts.

Sandrawati said that many indigenous people had been forcibly displaced from their land, so that their demand for the government to apologize was justifiable.

"They surely have a right to their land as stipulated in the law and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which Indonesia has ratified. However, the facts in the field tell a different story, where they are still subjected to violence from state officials," she added.

In addition to an apology from the government, the alliance and experts are demanding that the government immediately follow up the court's decision by issuing a presidential decree to stipulate which ministries had oversight and to provide clear guidance for the people.

A researcher with the Epistema Institute, Yance Arizona, said the government needed to accelerate the identification of customary forests across the country as existing data was obscure.

"Indigenous people can't do it alone; they need guidance to map their own land and to speed up the process," he said. (koi)

Armed forces & defense

NGO wants military service bill dropped

Jakarta Post - June 12, 2013

A NGO wants the government to scrap its plan to introduce mandatory military service, which could burden the state budget.

"The government will need to pay the monthly salaries of an additional 30,000 to 50,000 military personnel, which means a minimum of Rp 2 million per person," executive director of Indonesian human rights watchdog Imparsial, Poengky Indarti, said on Monday. She estimated that the total amount would exceed Rp100 billion per month.

The proposal, included in the draft bill on auxiliary reserves for national defense, would require civilians to undergo training and serve the country for defense purposes. Recently, the government, represented by the House of the Representatives, began deliberating the auxiliary reserves bill.

Poengky added that besides burdening the state budget, mandatory military service would also burden regional administrations with additional expenses.

"It is better for administrations to use their money for developing their regions and improving the welfare of their citizens than spending it on military service," she said, adding that many regions were still struggling to combat poverty.

Furthermore, she said that mandatory military service had been eradicated in some European countries because of the expense and changes in modern warfare, which prioritize improving defense technology and military capacity.

Military prosecutors not being open on Cebongan case, says KID

Jakarta Post - June 11, 2013

Bambang Muryanto and Yuliasri Perdani, Yogyakarta/Jakarta – The Yogyakarta military prosecutors are keeping the public in the dark on the prison raid by commandos in which four detainees were killed.

Yogyakarta Provincial Information Commission (KID) chief Siti Roswati Handayani responded to complaints that journalists could not get any information on the case from the military prosecutors.

"The Public Information Law states that information on the case must be available," she told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

The raid on the Sleman Penitentiary in Cebongan, Yogyakarta, by members of the Army's Special Forces (Kopassus) has been at the center of public attention.

Siti said that if any time the public asked for information, the respective public institution was obliged to provide it. As an institution that is funded with public money, the Yogyakarta military prosecutors are obliged to provide information that is not classified. Siti also questioned why the military prosecutors were being tightlipped.

The II-11 Yogyakarta Military Prosecutors Office chief, Lt. Col. Budi Harto has several times refused to give any information on the case involving 12 commandos from Kopassus' Group 2 in Kandang Menjangan, Sukoharjo, Central Java.

"I am busy with the dossiers," Budi said on Monday on his cell phone and hung up right away. He did not respond to text messages. The IV/Diponegoro Military Police submitted the case' dossiers to Budi's office on May 22.

The II-11 Yogyakarta Military Court chief, Lt. Col. Faridah Faisal, said she was in the dark on when the trial would start. "We have yet to receive the dossiers from the Yogyakarta Military Prosecutors."

Separately, Indonesia Court Monitoring (ICM) Yogyakarta director Tri Wahyu said that the military tribunal had a problem with transparency, which he blamed on Law No 31/1997 on military tribunals, a product of the New Order regime, marred with repressive, authoritarian and closed nuances.

"The ICM urged the military tribunal leaders to understand that today's era is the era of transparency and accountability," Tri said.

The March 23 raid killed Hendrik Angel Sahetapi, Yohanes Juan Manbait, Gameliel Yermianto Rohi Riwu and Andrianus Candra Galaja. The thugs were suspects in the murder of Chief Sgt. Heru Santosa who was stabbed to death four days earlier.

Meanwhile in Jakarta, the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) also urged the Army to hold a transparent investigation into the killings.

"It is hard for rights activists and journalists to get information on the investigation. They have only made a little progress in the case, naming one additional suspect and presenting more firearms evidence," Kontras coordinator Haris Azhar said at a press conference.

Haris added that the military should involve the families of the victims in the investigation as they might have "pivotal information".

Kontras also urged the military to widen their investigation. "One day before the murder, a text message circulated among local police. The text message read, 'Information from Yogyakarta Police deputy chief, three platoons of the Kopassus have entered Yogyakarta – Please be cautious'," Haris said.

Police & law enforcement

Police under pressure from Islamic groups for jilbab ban

Jakarta Globe - June 15, 2013

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The country's oldest Islamic party has a bee in its bonnet about a prohibition on female police officers wearing an Islamic headscarf, or jilbab.

Lukman Hakim Saefuddin, a senior legislator from the United Development Party (PPP), said on Thursday that the policy constituted a human rights violation and demanded that the National Police revoke the prohibition.

"It specifically violates the right to religious freedom and to practice one's faith, which is protected under the Constitution," he said. "All other government institutions and agencies allow their female staff to wear a jilbab, and it has had no negative impact on their work whatsoever."

He warned of a massive backlash from Islamic organizations if the police refused to change their policy. "I hope that they immediately implement a change to the regulations to allow female police officers to wear a jilbab, before there's an even bigger outcry from the public," Lukman said.

Under a 2005 regulation, uniformed female police officers are not allowed to wear a jilbab because it restricts their peripheral vision and mobility and is thus seen as hampering their performance.

However, plainclothes officers are allowed to wear a jilbab, while all Muslim female police officers in Aceh province, which observes Shariah law, are required to wear the head covering.

The regulation has only recently stirred public debate after being raised by Islamic groups including Muhammadiyah, the country's second-biggest Islamic organization. The police's response to the calls has been mixed.

Gen. Timur Pradopo, the National Police chief who is set to retire in a few months' time, said on Wednesday that the police force was open to the possibility of revoking the prohibition and allowing uniformed officers to wear a jilbab if they chose to do so.

Sr. Comr. Agus Rianto, a National Police spokesman, also said that the regulation could easily be revised, but that until then, the prohibition would hold.

However, Comr. Gen. Nanan Sukarna, the deputy police chief, said there were good reasons for the prohibition and that any officer found violating it should just as well hang up her uniform.

"If it bothers you so much, you can resign or choose not to be a police officer," he said on Friday. "There's no excuse for violating the dress regulations."

Foreign affairs & trade

Government accused of not being serious about boosting non-migas exports

Jakarta Post - June 16, 2013

Fadli, Batam – An expert on Saturday accused the government of not being serious about increasing export growth from non-oil and gas products as indicated in the continuous decline of the value of export products over the last several years.

Chairman of the National Exports Supporting Council (DPEN) for the 1989- 1998 period, Ismeth Abdullah, told The Jakarta Post that he was worried about the country's declining exports, particularly for non-oil and gas products.

Citing data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), he said the total value of exports declined to US$190.03 billion in 2012 from $203.5 billion in the previous year.

"The government should have paid attention to the decline to see what was responsible for it. Was it the result of a lack of competitiveness or weakening capital in the business sector?" said Ismeth.

No anticipatory measures, such as small and medium enterprises empowerment or domestic product exports promotion, had been taken by the government despite such a decline, he added.

Speaking separately, Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan admitted that the exports were declining but that it was caused primarily by global economic growth stagnation including in Europe and Asia Pacific.

"To deal with the situation, we have to continue developing businesses with a focus on adding value to what they produce," he said. (ebf)

Mining & energy

Opposition parties, PKS set to block cash aid program

Jakarta Post - June 16, 2013

Hans Nicholas Jong – Four factions at the House of Representatives have officially rejected the government's plan to directly distribute financial assistance (BLSM) aimed at cushioning the poor against inflation stemming from the planned subsidized fuel price increases.

The resistance of the four parties may put the government's plan to raise fuel prices in jeopardy as the government would not otherwise likely be willing to take the risk.

The parties, comprising the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party, the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), made their stance known at a meeting between the House budgetary committee and the government on Saturday.

Gerindra spokesman Fary Djemi Francis said the plan was nothing but a pork barrel ahead of the 2014 general election.

"Direct financial assistance is political in nature and prone to social conflict," he said during the meeting at the House complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta. "It would be better for the government to ease inflation in the transportation sector and tackle gas and fuel smuggling."

Fary added that direct financial assistance would only develop a handout mentality and undermine empowerment programs. "Eventually they will not be able to think critically and develop their own initiatives, which are the very essence of empowerment. The direct assistance would only serve as a drug for the people, to which in the end they would become addicted," he said.

Hanura legislator Nurdin Tampubolon, meanwhile, said it was not necessary for the government to resort to direct financial assistance, since it could promote welfare through economic development. "So it would not be [wise for the government to distribute] cash, but [better to distribute] welfare," he said.

Budgetary commission member Satya Wira Yudha of the Golkar Party said there was a possibility that the House would have to settle the matter through a vote at a plenary meeting scheduled for Monday. "It is possible we will have to vote if the voices opposing the plan are close to those agreeing to it," he said. "The chance of that happening is big."

Satya, therefore, hoped the four parties would eventually agree to the plan so that the House would not have to resort to a vote in order to proceed with the plan.

However, he said that he was optimistic that the plan would be materialized seeing how the ruling coalition parties controlled many more seats at the House than the four parties, which together only control 196 of the total 560.

Besides that, the chances of ruling coalition parties joining the opposition's camp at the plenary meeting are slim, according to Satya. "The chances are slim because the coalition parties know that the subsidized fuel price increases are the domain of the government," he said. "And we're trying to mitigate the impact of the government's decision."

Political analyst Hamdi Muluk of the University of Indonesia (UI), however, said there was a chance that members of the coalition parties may follow PKS' lead and turn their backs on the ruling Democratic Party.

He argued the decision on whether to agree or disagree with the direct financial assistance program ultimately boiled down to whether it would be beneficial to their parties in the run-up to the 2014 election.

"The coalition parties could ultimately turn their backs on the Democratic Party if they don't see a positive impact on their electability," he said. "It's not impossible that the Democratic Party will be abandoned."

Moreover, Hamdi said the coalition parties could see that distributing financial assistance would only benefit the Democratic Party and its chairman, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. "The public is likely to be thankful to the government and the Democratic Party for the direct financial assistance," he said.

The budgetary committee previously agreed that direct financial assistance would be distributed for four months and that poor households would get Rp 150,000 (US$15) per month should the plan proceed.

PKS leaders add fuel to the price subsidy fire

Jakarta Post - June 15, 2013

Ina Parlina, Jakarta – The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said on Friday that if President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono decided to remove one of the party's representatives from the Cabinet, it would be Agriculture Minister Suswono.

The Islamic party risks losing its last foothold in the Cabinet – Suswono, Communications and Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring and Social Affairs Minister Salim Segaf Al Jufri – after opposing the reduction of the fuel subsidy.

A member of the PKS religious council, Idris Lutfi, said that the party was ready for its representatives to be fired by the President. "If our ministerial seats are reduced, most likely it will be the agriculture minister [Suswono] as he is implicated in a graft case," the lawmaker told reporters at the House of Representatives.

Suswono is one of several PKS politicians tarnished by the beefgate scandal. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has charged former PKS chairman Luthfi Hassan Ishaaq for his part in the case.

Despite its pertinacity, the PKS refuses to leave the coalition, saying the decision rests with the President. Yudhoyono has yet to make public any decision on the fate of the PKS, while members of his Democratic Party have grown impatient with the PKS and asked it jump before it is pushed.

On Friday, Idris lashed out at the Democrats, accusing them of trying to take over the party's ministerial seats. "The Democratic Party keeps pushing us to leave the coalition so they can have our ministerial seats," Idris said.

He also dismissed the Democratic Party's suggestion that the ministers from the PKS leave their party and join them instead. "They do that to divide and conquer. They are good at it," he said.

Previously, Democratic Party central executive board chief Sutan Bhatoegana said that his party opened the door to the PKS ministers should they want to change sides.

Sutan retaliated on Friday by saying that PKS should understand the consequences of their mulishness, and suggested that they stop making threats they could not carry out. "The should stop fussing over their own behavior," Sutan told The Jakarta Post over the phone.

The undignified bickering continued with both sides refusing to back down.

Political observer Gun Gun Heryanto of Paramadina University said both sides would keep buying time until the government eventually raised the fuel price, a decision that would prove politically costly ahead of the general elections next year.

He added that PKS move was clever, believing it could mend its image, which was badly tarnished by the beef import scandal.

"PKS will not dare to quit the coalition as they want to be seen as victims in this case to gather public sympathy and Yudhoyono will not kick the PKS out as it could cause a political imbalance," he said.

PKS senior politician and leader of party faction at the House of Representatives Hidayat Nur Wahid has rejected criticism that his party was using the incident to improve its image, saying that they only repeated their stance of last year which also rejected the fuel price plan.

If a decision has to be made, Gun Gun said, the PKS would probably stay in the coalition but they might have fewer ministers as the cost will be too much for both sides. "It is possible that the 2011 situation that reduced PKS ministers will happen again," he said.

In a major Cabinet reshuffle in 2011, the President reduced the number of ministers from the PKS from four to three, dismissing senior PKS member Suharna Surapranata from his post as research and technology minister, a move seen by many as a punishment for PKS repeated "rebellious acts".

Second round of fuel price misery already planned

Jakarta Post - June 15, 2013

Satria Sambijantoro, Jakarta – After receiving approval from legislators to increase the price of subsidized fuel this month, the government plans another price increase next year to cut the subsidy further.

Deputy Finance Minister Mahendra Siregar said in Jakarta on Friday that the government might propose another increase in the draft of the 2014 budget which would go to the House in August, this year.

"When we finish with the revised 2013 State Budget, we'll go to the deliberation of the 2014 State Budget. In the 2014 fiscal year, we vow to continue our reforms, including a further discussion on fuel subsidies," he said in his Jakarta office on Friday.

The government has, in principle, received approval from legislators to increase the price of Premium gasoline to Rp 6,500 (65 US cents) from Rp 4,500 and subsidized diesel to Rp 5,500 from Rp 4,500 per liter in next few days, Finance Minister Chatib Basri said.

The final approval will be obtained when the House formally approves the revision of the 2013 state budget on Monday.

As part of the budget revision, the government also proposes direct financial assistance to cushion the poor from inflation stemming from the fuel price increase. Poor households will get Rp 150,000 each month for four months, starting immediately the fuel price rises, according to the proposal.

The government needs to cut the subsidy to maintain fiscal sustainability. With strong fiscal conditions, Indonesia will be well prepared for the impact of future external shocks that could prompt capital flight overseas, said Chatib.

"Global uncertainty is not temporary; it might be a long-term phenomenon. This is why we must address all investors' concerns regarding our domestic weaknesses," the minister said after Friday prayers in his office.

Money streamed out of capital markets in emerging economies, including Indonesia, after the Federal Reserve in the US hinted in May that it might scale down its quantitative easing policy, which so far has flushed liquidity into the global economy.

The capital outflow has destabilized the economy, forcing Bank Indonesia (BI) to raise its interest rate for the first time in 15 months to support the ailing rupiah, which hit the 10,000 per US dollar barrier this week.

"It's already time for us to raise the BI rate," BI Governor Agus Martowardojo said on Friday. "There's a specific need for us to maintain financial stability at times when the global economy is still overwhelmed by uncertainty."

Besides stabilizing the rupiah, monetary tightening is necessary to respond to the build-up of inflation expectations stemming from the fuel price rise, Agus added.

Economists have long called for Indonesia to raise its subsidized fuel prices. A price adjustment to Rp 6,500 for Premium and Rp 5,500 for diesel fuel could save the state at least Rp 37 trillion, government officials said.

"If the government succeeded in raising fuel prices now, then it could be an instrumental step for further reform," Asian Development Bank (ADB) deputy country director Edimon Ginting told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Nevertheless, there should be no room for complacency. There is still a need to cut fuel subsidies further because, even after the increase, both the subsidized Premium and diesel fuel will remain well below the market price, he said.

"I'm still worried because the global demand is yet to recover, weakening our exports and external account. But I think it another fuel increase will get more difficult as the elections draw nearer, mainly because of political considerations."

Over a hundred of students from Makassar State University (UNM) staged a rally in the capital of South Sulawesi on Friday to protest at the increase in fuel prices.

Clashes between the police and students could not be avoided when security forces tried to disperse the mob blocking the street to the public.

The students refused to withdraw and threw rocks at the police instead. Police fought back by firing tear gas toward the students. (nai)

[Andi Hajramurni in Makassar contributed to this story.]

Analysis & opinion

Next generation radicals in Indonesia

Asia Times - June 12, 2013

Jacob Zenn, Jakarta – Driven by strong exports and buoyant domestic markets, Indonesia is projected to be among the world's top 10 economies by 2025. While the future looks bright for Southeast Asia's largest economy, a growing tide of religious intolerance threatens to undermine those gains. Where officials have in the past attributed religious violence and terrorism to foreign influenced groups, now the threats to stability are more clearly homegrown.

In the late 1990s and 2000s Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) was the main threat in Indonesia. The radical group attacked foreign tourists in Bali in 2002 and 2005, the Australian embassy in Jakarta in 2004, the J W Marriott hotel in Jakarta in 2003 and 2009, and the Ritz Carlton hotel in the capital city in 2009.

JI was largely considered a Malaysian import to Indonesia, with most of the extremist group's key members having fought in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union in the 1980s or in the 1990s with the Taliban again its domestic rival the Northern Alliance. Most of JI's key members are now either in prison or have been killed by Indonesia's elite counter-terrorism force, Detachment 88 (or Densus 88).

In November 2012, one of JI's Indonesian-born and bred members, the Poso native Upik Lawanga (aka Taufiq Buraga), was captured trying to cross from East Kalimantan, Indonesia to Sabah, Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. Lawanga was allegedly involved in the beheading of three Christian students in Poso, church bombings in nearby Palu in 2005, the two hotel bombings in Jakarta in 2009, and suicide bombings at a mosque in a police compound in Cirebon and a church in Solo in 2011.

In February 2012, another JI leader, Malaysian national Zilkifli bin Hir (aka Marwan), was killed in an air strike on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao while hiding out and training al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf members in nearby Sulu. In January 2011, Indonesian Umar Patek was captured in Abbottabad, Pakistan either en route to Afghanistan or perhaps to meet with Osama bin Laden to request funding for Southeast Asian militant groups.

Other Malaysian national JI leaders and bomb-making experts Azahari Husin and Noordin Top Muhammad were killed by Detachment 88 in Batu and Malang, Java, in 2005 and 2009 respectively. Some Indonesian scholars on religion as well as Indonesia's former president Abdurrahman Wahid have gone as far as to suggest that JI was a "Malaysian creation".

JI's two founders, Abu Bakar Bashir and Abdullah Sungkar, were both Indonesians who fled into exile in neighboring Malaysia in the mid-1980s after being released from prison under the Suharto regime. They both returned to Indonesia after Suharto's authoritarian government fell in 1998 and leveraged their previous grass roots networks to establish JI in Indonesia.

JI's attacks killed hundreds of foreigners as well as numerous Indonesians, but failed to change the country politically. If anything, the attacks turned the country against JI's terror tactics and support for the imposition of Sharia law. Nonetheless, Bashir was steadfast in his support for terrorism, or what he referred to as "jihad," which he described as "the highest deed in Islam" in an interview in 2005.

Bashir was arrested and imprisoned in 2011 for sponsoring a terrorist training camp in Aceh in a bid to form a group known as "al-Qaeda in the Veranda of Mecca" or "al-Qaeda in Aceh". According to Indonesian police, the cell was planning to use squads of suicide-bombers and gunmen to attack foreign embassies and Western targets similar to those carried out in Mumbai, India in 2008. The plot also allegedly aimed to assassinate Indonesian government officials, including President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

From prison, Bashir continues to advocate for radical action. In 2013, he released the second edition of his book Tadzkiroh (Warning and Advice). The 176-page volume argues that democracy is equivalent to apostasy and that Muslims have the obligation to follow Sharia law in all aspects of life, including the government system. He goes so far as to advocate that the wives of government officials divorce their husbands because they are infidels for following a secular government system.

Bashir also believes the United States is using the minority Ahmadiya sect to destroy Islam in Indonesia. The Islam-oriented Ahmadiya originated in the Indian subcontinent in the 1800s and is considered heretical by most orthodox Muslims. The movement has nonetheless had success in expanding to Indonesia, much to the dismay of those like Bashir.

Bashir also believes that the charges against him that sent him to prison were "engineered by America," although he admitted to sponsoring the terrorist camp in Aceh. In "Tadzkiroh 2", when he focuses on foreign policy he argues that the "infidel" US is the master of the Detachment 88 counter-terrorism unit and that Washington uses it to fight against Indonesian "mujihadeen" who want to live under Sharia law.

New groups, same views

A new trend in the post-JI era is that radical Islamic groups have become more localized. While Bashir is behind bars, the new groups have followed his example, though without the international connections of JI. One of the emerging groups is known as Mujahidin Indonesia Timor (MIT). It is known to be led by Santoso, who was a former commander in Jamaat Ansrul Tawheed (JAT), the successor to JI.

MIT was responsible for a series of attacks against local police in Sulawesi in late 2012. Like Bashir, the group views government officials as apostates who deserve to be killed. MIT is believed to have several hundred members in Sulawesi, with about 50 militants working directly under Santoso and others trained in Aceh in Bashir's upended terror camps.

The group is notorious for launching attacks against government targets after officials move to close down unsanctioned Islamic schools. MIT recently killed four mobile brigade policemen in Sulawesi after a Islamic girls school was shut down. Santoso claimed that the attack was done in the name of "Batalyon Abu Warda," which is his alias.

Santoso has also been connected to the Umar bin Khattab Islamic boarding school in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, where in 2011 a teacher accidentally set off an explosion while making bombs. After the unintended explosion, Santoso is believed to have fled to Sulawesi.

Although Santoso got his militant start in Sulawesi and the Moluccas fighting in the Muslim-Christian battles seen towards the end of Suharto's 32 years in power, he is not known to have significant international backing or connections. That said, he does look abroad for extremist inspiration, including through the use of modern technology to spread threats and propaganda.

In October 2012, for instance, computer hackers posted a letter from Santoso on the East Kalimantan's government's website. In the letter Santoso adopted an Indonesian-style name of the former al-Qaeda in Iraq leader "Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi Al-Indonesi" and said to Detachment 88, "You should not dare to shoot and arrest our unarmed members... If you are really men, then face us."

Some of MIT's members have also reportedly hacked into foreign exchange trading websites. This, analysts say, has been one the main ways the group raises money, in addition to robbing actual banks. Unlike JI, Santoso is not believed to receive money from al-Qaeda funding streams, especially since Patek was captured and bin Laden killed by US commandos.

Another emerging group is Harakah Sunni untuk Masyarakat Indonesia (HASMI – Sunni Movement for Indonesian Society). HASMI's leader, Abu Hanifa, was arrested in Central Java in 2012 while planning an attack on the US Embassy in the capital city, the Jakarta offices of US mining company Freeport- McMoran and the US Consulate in Surabaya in "retaliation" for the film Innocence of Muslims. The film was produced by an Egyptian resident of California and satirized the life of the Prophet Mohammed. HASMI members have also carried out attacks on Ahmadiya mosques, Christian churches, and perceived as "un-Islamic" institutions, including stores that sell alcohol.

A number of other groups based on the main island of Java have followed HASMI's violent lead. Officials fear the emerging connection between followers of Bashir, Abu Hanifa, and Santoso could lead to more terrorist strikes on international targets, in addition to attacks on Indonesian police, security officers and politicians. The plotters of an attack on the Jakarta-based Myanmar embassy on May 3, believed to be in retaliation for that country's abuse of minority Muslims, were part of Santoso's network, according to a police spokesman. Some hope that democracy, including elections scheduled for 2014, will turn back the tide of extremism.

Unlike under Suharto, where critical views were forbidden, Yudhoyono's elected government has not suppressed open debate or alternative perspectives on sensitive national issues. While mainstream Islamic scholars have denounced Bashir's pronouncements, it is notable that the imprisoned cleric's book is readily available in Indonesia.

Other experts have openly stated their opinions that majority Hindu areas of the country, such as Bali, and predominantly Christian regions such as Manado, Papua and Flores, might seek to secede if Sharia law was imposed for the entire country – a still touchy topic in Jakarta after East Timor (also known as Timor Leste) voted for independence in a 1999 referendum.

For Indonesia to consolidate its democratic and economic success story, political leaders will need to continue to fight intolerance through democratic openness rather than authoritarian suppression. While new extremist groups emerge, they have yet to significantly dent Indonesia's reputation as the world's leading "Muslim democracy." While a minority perpetuate religious hatred and violence, the vast majority of Indonesians have triumphed over intolerance through their embrace of democratic ways and ideals.

[Jacob Zenn is an analyst of geopolitical trends across multiple regions and frequently writes for Terrorism Monitor. A fluent speaker of Bahasa Indonesia and former student of Universitas Negeri Malang, he carried out field research in Java and Sulawesi in May 2013. He can be reached at zopensource123@gmail.com.]